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The King of Dim Sum: Har Gau 蝦餃

2012-01-23T08:15:00.000Z

I was getting anxious. The same set of dim sum trolleys had gone past our table twice yet there was still no sign of my beloved har gau (蝦餃). Don't get me wrong, I was enjoying a post-Christmas lunch with my folks at Manchester's Glamorous Restaurant, but the thing is dim sum isn't dim sum without these superior prawn dumplings.

A waitress walked by our table. I asked her to send the har gau trolley our way. Her response that there was no trolley nearly sent me over the edge. Calm was only restored after she explained that har gau had to be ordered separately, as they can get a little tired sweating away in a trolley. Not for the first time, I realised just how much I take some old favourites for granted.

Har gau 蝦餃 @ Lei Garden (Singapore)

Har gau translated into English simply means prawn dumpling. Typically, this dumpling consists of prawns seasoned with soy, white pepper and sesame oil in a pleated wrapper made with wheat flour and tapioca flour. These are then cooked and served in a bamboo steamer, usually consisting of four dumplings in a portion.

It really goes without saying that the quality of har gau is a benchmark of how good a restaurant is for dim sum. However, there are restaurants that sell har gau but don't do a full dim sum service. I'd be wary of such places, as there's a high probability that the dumplings are from a packet out of the freezer. Some of these can be OK, but they're rarely as good as freshly-made har gau.

What makes good har gau?
In my opinion, these are the things to look out for:

1) The wrapper – this must be thin enough that it's translucent yet not so delicate that it will easily break. The number of pleats is also important, the more the better (around ten shows proper skill).

2) The filling – the prawns should be coarsely chopped rather than finely minced. The filling should also retain a good 'bite' and not be mushy.

3) Bamboo shoots - good har gau should include a few slivers of bamboo shoots for a contrast in texture and flavour. Sadly, all too many restaurants don't bother nowadays.

Steamed wasabi prawn dumplings 日式芥辣蝦餃 @ Phoenix Palace (London)

Where's the best place for har gau?
In London, my favourite is Phoenix Palace, where they also serve har gau with a twist in the form of wasabi prawn dumplings (日式芥辣蝦餃). I don't often advocate dicking around with a classic, but I love the kick from the wasabi inside the dumpling.

Outside of London, I'm afraid my list isn't as comprehensive as it should be. Like I mentioned before, I've been taking har gau for granted for far too long. Having said that, I do remember the har gau at Lei Garden in Singapore being different class (see first photo).

Can I make har gau at home?
It is possible, but it takes a lot of effort. For starters, you need to get in the right kind of wheat flour and tapioca flour from a Chinese supermarket. My Mum made some over Christmas, and they were tasty but I didn't ask for a recipe (it's not as if I'm ever going to make them!). However, if you do want to try making har gau, check out Sunflower Food Galore's recipe.

And lastly, do shout if you know of a restaurant that serves good har gau. It doesn't have to be in London, it can be anywhere in the world. I don't care as long as it's good!

PS: I haven't forgotten! Kung Hei Fat Choi! Gong Xi Fa Cai! 恭喜發財! I'd like to wish my readers all the very best for the Year of the Dragon!

Even Better Than The Main Course: Gold Mine's Chilli Oil

2012-01-19T07:30:00.000Z

I'm a big fan of Gold Mine. Like many devotees, I love its Cantonese BBQ, which I often order to take-away. And when doing so, I always make sure that a little sachet of chilli oil (辣椒油 lajiaoyou) is popped into the carrier bag. Because, in all honesty, I think I love Gold Mine's chilli oil more than I do its food!

And on this riff, can you think of any other restaurants where the supporting act upstages the supposed signature dish?

Gold Mine, 102 Queensway, London W2 3RR (Tel: 020-7792-8331)
Nearest stations: Bayswater, Queensway

Is It Me? Or Is Granger & Co Bloody Expensive?

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000Z

After a stressful, and ultimately unsuccessful, Christmas shopping trip to High Street Kensington, I hopped on a bus to nearby Notting Hill for a late lunch at Granger & Co. This casual all-day eatery is the brainchild of Aussie chef, Bill Granger, who has an awesome (forgive my slip into Antipodean vernacular) reputation. Not only has he opened popular restaurants in his homeland and Japan, but he's also published acclaimed cookbooks, and appeared on the telly.

I had heard good things about the sweetcorn fritters (£11.90), and I promptly ordered this dish along with a side portion of avocado salsa (£2.40). Now I know I was in posh Notting Hill, but I thought that spending nearly £15 would get me more than two sweetcorn fritters, two small roast tomatoes, a single rasher of bacon, a few spinach leaves and a few chunks of avocado. Given the price and portion size, the food really had to sing. It didn't. Whilst the overall combination worked, the fritters were a tad underseasoned and a bit burnt at the edges. On the plus side, the roast tomatoes were packed full of flavour.

I was still starving so I ordered some lemon cake (£4), which was, in fairness, bloody delicious. So much so, I temporarily forgot that I was a victim of daylight robbery. In total, I spent £23.40 (including 12.5% service) on two courses and a coffee. If I'd ordered a beer or a glass of wine then the price would’ve easily crept up to around the £30 mark.

Now some of you are probably thinking that these are Notting Hill prices, and I should stop bloody moaning. I would be inclined to agree with this point of view if Granger & Co wasn't a casual, drop-in, no bookings eatery. But it is, and if I'm going to spend this kind of money then I'd much rather do so at a proper restaurant. Somewhere like Launceston Place (in nearby Kensington) that does a three-course set lunch for £23. Come to think of it, the set lunch at The Ledbury, Notting Hill's finest, is only £30.

And at risk of banging on about how much of a rip-off this place is, the menu is studded with overpriced dishes. Piss-taker in chief has to be the Full Aussie breakfast (£13.25), which costs more than the Full English (£12) at Hawksmoor. And based on my experiences at these two places, I'd much rather go to Hawksmoor. In my opinion, if you want to check out Aussie-style casual dining then you'd be much better off going to somewhere like Lantana, where the sweetcorn fritters cost less than a tenner, and prices are generally 20-25% cheaper than Granger & Co.

I know I've had a bit of a rant about this joint (and I've not even mentioned the bipolar inattentive/enthusiastic service 'til now) but I doubt very much if Bill Granger gives a toss. After all, Granger & Co was pretty busy at 3pm on a Tuesday. However, just because there are some people willing to pay an arm and leg to eat there doesn't mean I have to.

Granger & Co, 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB (Tel: 020-7229-9111)
Nearest stations: Bayswater, Notting Hill Gate, Westbourne Park

Din Tai Fung - The Campaign Goes On

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000Z

I must admit that I'd largely given up on my campaign to bring legendary purveyors of xiao long bao 小籠包, Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐, to London. However, some encouraging words from twitter (and beyond) have put me back on the right path.

Shanghai soup dumplings aka xiao long bao (小籠包)

I'd previously left messages on Din Tai Fung's website, but only received boilerplate replies. So this time I decided to up the ante by writing a letter to the company's management in Taiwan. I'm hoping for a more detailed response, and perhaps a glimmer of hope that a restaurant will open in London.

If you want to know what London is missing out on then check out my reviews of the branches in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Other cities lucky enough to be blessed with Din Tai Fung include: Bangkok, Beijing, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Osaka, Seattle, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.

Merry Christmas (& See You in 2012)

2011-12-20T11:30:00.000Z

Merry Christmas! I'd like to wish my readers, both old and new, all the very best for the festive period.

I'm taking a break from blogging until mid-January, but in the meantime, here are a few previously unseen photos of two of my favourite foods: noodles and dumplings.

Lobster noodles @ Mandarin Kitchen (Bayswater, London)

Breakfast bowl of dumplings & noodles @ Westin Hotel (Beijing)

Har gau @ Phoenix Palace (Marylebone, London)

KL-style Hokkien noodles @ Gourmet Garden (Hendon, London)

If you want to further explore this blog then please allow me to direct you to the following pages: A-Z London Restaurant Reviews, Cooking & Culture and Food & Travel where you can find links to individual posts. See you all in 2012.

Tsuru Ramen - The Verdict So Far...

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000Z

Cast your mind back to the end of October. Do you recall the heightened anticipation? Do you remember the rumours, the rebuttals and the counter-rumours? Then came the frenzied scramble for tickets. Inevitably the first couple of dates sold out, and a third was quickly added. You can't imagine how chuffed I was when I managed to bag some tickets. After all, for many of my generation, it's what we've been waiting years for. That's right, the promise of decent ramen in London, courtesy of those peeps at Tsuru. And oh yeah, I nearly forgot, The Stone Roses reformed and announced tour dates around the same time too.

Shoyu ramen

Tsuru's owners are currently looking for a site for a ramen restaurant, but in the meantime they are testing out different ramen recipes at a series of ticketed events at their Bishopsgate branch. The first event featured shoyu ramen, so-called because the broth is made with shoyu (soy sauce) and a meat-based stock. Truth be told, this isn't my favourite, as I can't see the point of adding soy sauce to the stock. That said, I thought the broth was of a very high quality.

Shoyu ramen - the noodle shot

I also thought the toppings of tender pork belly, spring onion, wakame (seaweed), menma (fermented bamboo shoots) and boiled egg were also spot on. The addition of menma was an authentic touch as was the egg, which took on both colour and flavour from being marinated in the shoyu broth.

The noodles were decent quality, and had sufficient spring to the bite. If I was to be ultra-critical, they could've been springier, although I'm not suggesting that they were over-cooked. I liked this dish, but as an all-round bowl of noodles, it isn't quite as good as the shoyu ramen at Roka. Mind you, that's understandable given that this was Tsuru's first stab at ramen.

Tonkotsu ramen

The second event showcased my favourite kind of ramen: tonkotsu, which features a broth made with pork bones. I liked the broth but it lacked that really pungent aroma (that some find off-putting) which top quality tonkotsu has. Whilst Wen (of Going With My Gut) thought the broth lacked a bit of fat, and following her feedback, she was given a small sample bowl of a greasier broth. I had a try of this 'dirtier' broth, which I preferred; although I appreciate it might not be to all tastes.

Tonkotsu ramen - the noodle shot

This bowl of ramen was topped with pork, spring onion, beansprouts and boiled egg. As with the shoyu ramen, the pork and boiled egg were top class. However, I'm not so sure about the beansprouts; I would've much preferred some menma and nori (dried seaweed) instead. And as with the shoyu ramen, the noodles were springy enough. It might not have been my ideal bowl of tonkotsu ramen, but I did enjoy it.

Despite my minor gripes, I'm pleased with Tsuru's ramen so far. It isn't easy to get soup noodles right, and their first efforts are better than many found in London. Not only that but I'm very impressed by their desire to do things properly (including a research trip to Japan in 2012). This can only be a good thing, and I'm hoping that Tsuru find a permanent site for a ramen restaurant pronto.

In the meantime, Tsuru are hosting further events in 2012 featuring Tokyo Spicy Ramen (Jan 7), Hokkaido-style Ramen (Jan 21) and a second helping of Tonkotsu Ramen (Feb 4). Each event cost £10, which includes a bowl of noodles and a drink. For further details about booking and availability, please click here.

The Authenticity Debate

2011-12-11T19:23:00.000Z

Big Night is a brilliant film that chronicles the fortunes of a pair of brothers who leave their native Italy to run a restaurant in New Jersey. One of the themes of the film is the paradox that, despite serving high quality authentic Italian food, the brothers' restaurant isn't as popular as a rival that peddles inferior Americanised fare.

Although the film is set in the 1950's, its theme of exploring the conflict between sticking to one's culinary principles and compromising those principles in order to earn a decent living is one that still resonates today, even in a city as cosmopolitan as London. After all these years, the capital still has scores of Chinese and Indian restaurants that serve a formulaic anglicised version of their respective cuisines. They are what they are, and most places don't bother to disguise the fact that their food isn't what one might find in Shanghai or Delhi.

At the other end of the spectrum are those restaurants that are renowned for offering authentic food. Yet there's still suspicion that even in some of these places, it can be hard work to get to the true heart of the cuisine unless you're familiar with it through your family upbringing, extensive travel or obsessive-compulsive food nerdiness.

So how do you make sure what you're eating is authentic? And does it matter if it isn't? And what is authentic anyway?

Mixed Starters - not 100% authentic

Navigating The Menu
The first obstacle is the menu. For example, many Chinese restaurants have a second menu, featuring more interesting dishes, written solely in Chinese. I've written about this practice before, and I disagree with it, as non-Chinese readers shouldn't be disenfranchised. However, I do understand why many restaurants don't bother. Many restaurant owners would argue that the hard work in translating the menu into English would be a wasted effort given its limited interest to many non-Chinese customers.

That may have been true in the past but I like to think that diners nowadays are more adventurous. So whilst the practice of dual menus does persist, increasing numbers of Chinese restaurants have a comprehensive bilingual menu that encompasses all their specialities. These places deserve kudos for doing this, not least because I can't really read Chinese despite being able to speak it!

But that doesn't necessarily help one sort the wheat out from the chaff if even the better Chinese, and for that matter, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants pad out their menu with westernised crowd pleasers. Take for example, Mien Tay, one of London's best-regarded Vietnamese restaurants, where the menu includes crispy aromatic duck and Singapore noodles. That said, I am assuming that more discerning diners can filter out the take-away standards and home in on more authentic dishes, which brings us to our next challenge.

Turning Down The Heat
Congratulations. You've managed to track down that special dish you tried on holiday in Bangkok at your local Thai. When it comes out, it looks like the real deal but there's something that isn't quite right. That's because the flavours have been compromised. You wonder whether the restaurant has played it safe, or worse, profiled you as a customer who can't handle the spicy stuff.

Yes, you read right. Profiling. There is anecdotal evidence that customers are profiled in many Asian restaurants, but the only place that I know for sure it happens is Red N Hot, a mini-chain of Sichuan restaurants, where they rather unsubtly detail your ethnicity and associated spice tolerance on the bill.

Needless to say, turning down the spice levels whether as a default, or after profiling is something that annoys me. A better approach would be if diners were told that a certain dish is traditionally spicy, and be offered the option to tone it down.

Very authentic sushi

Cultural Ambassadors
Whilst it's all very well banging on about authenticity, most restaurateurs are businesspeople first, cultural ambassadors second. Returning to the point about menus, that's why they tend to be so bloody long in many Asian restaurants so as to attract the widest possible clientele.

But is it actually worth the aggravation to do things properly? Look at Yashin Sushi, a restaurant in London where the chefs, just like they do in Japan, season each piece of sushi individually. It should go without saying that these works of art shouldn't then be doused in copious amounts of soy. However, just to make sure, management put up a humorous neon sign that reads: 'without soy sauce… but if you want to'.

Now I accept that this message could've been conveyed in a subtler fashion, but nonetheless some of the outcry was a bit OTT. I'm not even sure what some people were angry about. Was it the bad grammar? Was it because it was a neon sign? Or was it because some just like to take offence when none is meant? All told, it makes me wonder why Yashin Sushi bother to do things the right way.

What Is Authentic Anyway?
In all cultures, there is a fair bit of mixing and matching when it comes to ingredients, which begs the question: what is authentic anyway? After all, ramen and udon are considered to be authentically Japanese yet these noodles both have Chinese origins. And then there's the Chinese love of Worcestershire sauce (喼汁 gip jap) which is used as a dip for dim sum and other snacks.

So why are some 'inauthentic' ingredients considered acceptable while others aren't? For example, wasabi (Japanese in origin) is very popular amongst Chinese chefs at the moment. Dishes such as wasabi prawn dumplings and gai lan with wasabi soy dip are genius. While not authentic, there is no doubt that the presence of this Japanese interloper is a good thing. However, when ketchup is used in pad Thai, this is considered bad. Why? It's because ketchup is being used as a shortcut, and doesn't add anything to the dish.

Does It Matter?
Authenticity does matter, for those dishes that are sold as such, and where it is essential to use the correct ingredients and seasoning. I hate it when dishes aren't done properly, like the time I ordered a piss poor Thai green curry that was too sweet, had minimal heat and where courgettes had replaced the pea aubergines. Complete rubbish.

However, that's not to say the use of 'inauthentic' ingredients is necessarily a bad thing. Food shouldn't stand still; experimentation should be encouraged just as long as the fusion of flavours work, and ingredients aren't being added as a gimmick, or worse, as an expedient short cut.

At this point, I think I've worked it out. But have I? The thing is who am I to judge what is right or wrong? Others might well regard what I consider is a genius combination as being total dross. And who knows, there might be people out there who think that pad Thai is enhanced by ketchup! So after writing over a thousand words on this subject, I still don't have the answers. Do you?

Ramen Mondays @ Roka's Shochu Lounge

2011-12-07T08:15:00.000Z

For those of you waiting for a write-up on Tsuru Ramen, I'm afraid you'll just have to hang on a bit longer. I've tried their shoyu ramen, but I'm waiting to check out the tonkotsu ramen before blogging about my experiences. In the meantime, here's a quick write-up about the other ramen du jour.

Roka's subterranean Shochu Lounge is the venue for Ramen Mondays, where two ramen options are available: miso or shoyu. I plumped for the latter, which is served with Japanese-style cha siu pork (this is different in style to the Chinese original).

I'm not the biggest fan of shoyu, as I've never understood why soy sauce is added to the broth, but this was decent enough as shoyu goes. The cha siu was tender and flavoursome, and there was a fair bit of it too.

I also liked the other toppings of spring onion, nori (dried seaweed), menma (fermented bamboo shoots), mange tout and shoyu-marinated boiled egg. The noodles were well sourced, and within acceptable realms of springiness. Although to suit my personal taste, I would've preferred my ramen with a bit more bite.

Good ramen is hard to find in London, and I think you'll be hard pushed to match the quality found here. It's just a shame that it's only available on Monday lunchtimes, and that Roka is just a bit too far away for me to get to from the office (I had Monday off, last week).

And at £8.60, I think it's pretty good value, especially when compared to the udon at Koya (although I accept it isn't a direct comparison). With green tea and 13.5% service, the bill came to £12.71 (note to Roka, buy a till that rounds down to the nearest 10p).

Roka Shochu Lounge, 37 Charlotte St, London W1T 1RR
Nearest stations: Goodge St, Tottenham Court Road

Ramen is served only on Mondays (12-2pm) downstairs in the Shochu Lounge (no bookings).

Dim Sum in London - December 2011 Update

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000Z

The most popular post on this blog is, by a country mile, the Dim Sum in London guide. However, a year has passed since I wrote it, so it's definitely time for an update. Whilst there isn't, in my opinion, a definitive London dim sum restaurant, there are a number of places that I enjoy visiting. Having said that, it's important to keep up to date, so I've eaten dim sum at each of my recommendations on at least one occasion during the past year. It's a tough job, I know, but someone has to do it! So without further ado, here's my list of six of the best dim sum joints in London:

Wasabi prawn dumplings @ Phoenix Palace

The One That's Like Being in Hong Kong
Joint 1st: Phoenix Palace - Full Review (October 2009)
Phoenix Palace's buzzy atmosphere brings the cliché - it's just like being in Hong Kong - to life, which is why for a long time it was my favourite dim sum restaurant in London. Don't get me wrong, I still adore it, but nowadays it has to share the gold medal with Princess Garden.

Top Tips: check out the specials menu where delights such as wasabi prawn dumplings and baby octopus in chilli, lemon, and garlic sauce lurk. Classics such as har gau (prawn dumplings) and cha siu sou (BBQ pork puff pastry) are also top notch. And don't forget the excellent Cantonese BBQ as epitomised by the must-order weekend lunch special of roast suckling pig.

The Downside: service can be variable and there's the odd mediocre dish (the siu mai and xiao long bao are distinctly average). Prices have also crept up, and the dim sum here is easily the priciest of my recommendations, with individual dishes priced upwards of the £3 mark.

Baked cha siu bao @ Princess Garden

The Classy One
Joint 1st: Princess Garden - Full Review (June 2011)
I'm still kicking myself that it took me so long to get round to sampling this elegant Mayfair restaurant. Whilst its dim sum is more expensive than many places, it's arguably better value given the higher standards of food and service. So much so, it has rapidly become my (joint) favourite dim sum venue in London.

Top Tips: check out dim sum that is rarely seen in London such as golden cuttlefish cheung fun, baked cha siu bao, and paper-wrapped prawns with preserved egg. And for those of you with a sweet tooth, the baked custard buns are a must.

The Downside: the Cantonese BBQ selection is limited to roast duck and that the porky delights of cha siu (honey roast pork) and siu yuk (crispy pork belly) are absent from the menu.

Fried chrysanthemum custard buns @ Pearl Liang

The One With The Fancy Wallpaper
3rd: Pearl Liang - Full Review (May 2010)
Pearl Liang is widely recognised as one of London's top spots for dim sum. So why isn't it my number one choice? The thing is the atmosphere can sometimes be like the restaurant equivalent of the old 'Highbury library'. And whilst I was impressed by how inexpensive lunch was during my last visit (in mid-Nov) prices have increased since then.

Top Tips: leave room for dessert, as the fried chrysanthemum custard buns and black sesame balls are to die for. The classics are amongst the best in London, and I also like their fried watercress meat dumplings.

The Downside: as I alluded to earlier, the ambience isn't all that it could be and don't get me started on the 'IKEA does Hakkasan' interior design.

Various dim sum @ Imperial China

The Suburban One
4th: Imperial China - Full Review (September 2010)
The only thing you need to know about Imperial China is that Ma and Pa Noodles love it. They're better judges than most of us will ever be, so let's leave it at that! By the way, this Teddington restaurant is unrelated to the Chinatown restaurant of the same name.

Top Tips: stick to the classics, you won't go far wrong. Dishes like har gau (prawn dumplings) and cha siu bao (honey roast pork buns) are excellent. And despite being quite old school, there are a few interesting fusion-style dishes, with influences from Japan and Vietnam, that are worth checking out.

The Downside: Teddington is in Zone 6 and isn't exactly the easiest place to get to. Also be prepared to queue on Sundays unless you arrive early.

Village dumplings @ Dragon Palace

The One With The Special Noodles
5th: Dragon Palace - Full Review (December 2010)
I still can't believe how Dragon Palace managed to stay under the radar for so long. This Earl's Court restaurant feels like it ought to be in Chinatown, except that it's too good for Gerrard Street.

Top Tips: Order the fish-filled village dumplings and remember to ask about the weekend specials. They also make their own 'silver-needle' noodles that are exceedingly rare in London. I'm also a big fan of the pan-fried cheung fun, which is also rarely seen on these shores.

The Downside: whilst undeniably tasty, some of Dragon Palace's dim sum lack the finesse that the same dishes have at the restaurants ranked above it.

Fish balls & turnip @ Tai Tung

The Old School One
6th: Tai Tung - Full Review (October 2011)
The Purley Way that skirts Croydon isn't where one might expect to find a restaurant serving decent dim sum. But Tai Tung (part of the Wing Yip Centre) certainly fits that bill with its old school charm.

Top Tips: All the old school classics are present and correct. Of particular note are the scallop dumplings and the fish balls & turnip.

The Downside: This isn't the place to try out the chef's specials or the latest dim sum from Hong Kong. And I never thought I'd say this, but it's a bit too old school.

For those of you who might be a bit nervous ordering dim sum, don't be, as all of these restaurants have dim sum menus and order sheets (where applicable) in both English and Chinese. In the case of Tai Tung, the order sheet is in Chinese only but it can be referenced to a menu in English. In terms of prices, budget around £15-£20/head (including tea and service) although light eaters can probably get away with spending £10/head at Dragon Palace. Having said that, gluttons like me can quite easily order enough for the bill to creep up to £25/head at Phoenix Palace.

This isn't an all-encompassing guide to London's dim sum scene; I don't have the capacity (quite literally) to check out the capital's myriad options. For instance, none of my choices are in Chinatown, and nor have I featured Michelin-starred places like Hakkasan or Yauatcha. The thing is I haven't found a Chinatown restaurant that I'd wholeheartedly recommend for dim sum, and in my opinion, there's something fundamentally wrong with the price-point and atmosphere of ultra-posh dim sum joints. However, if you'd like to get some further tips then check out my original Dim Sum in London post, which has links to other bloggers' reviews of a wider range of restaurants.

PS: Do shout if you think there's a dim sum restaurant in London that should be on my radar.

Hand-pulled Noodles @ Greenwich Market

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000Z

When I first started blogging, my focus was very much on London's noodle scene, in particular its burgeoning soup noodle culture. But then, like many a rising food blogger, I started to stray from my roots. Before I knew it, I was writing about all kinds of stuff. I even did some posts on burgers; everyone was doing it at the time, but deep down I knew it wasn't really me.

I guess I was going through an identity crisis, which surfaced during dinner with friends at Ba Shan. "Don't they know who I am? I'm Mr F***king Noodles," I lamented. The rest of my table thought I was just joining in with some banter. If only they knew of my self-loathing at having blogged so little, over the last year, about soup noodles in London.

I was lost but now I'm found, as my noodle mojo has returned. Looking back, the first step to getting my mojo back was a bowl of tom yum noodles at Kaosarn, and before I knew it, I was back in Brixton checking out the beef noodle soup at Mama Lan. I've also resurrected the blog's long dormant World of Noodles series, and for the first time in ages, I feel like I'm living up to my 'Mr Noodles' moniker.

Now that I'm firmly back on the noodle trail, I recently popped along to Greenwich Market to check out a stall selling hand-pulled noodles (la mian 拉面). I went for the 四川担担拉面 Szechuan-style dan dan la mian (£4.50). The fresh noodles, hand-pulled by the chef, were brilliant, but I'm afraid the soup didn't have enough kick for my liking. That said, I should've read the menu properly before ordering, as it did state it was served with sesame, peanuts and shredded chicken i.e. this was the more lightweight version of dan dan noodles rather than the full-on mala numbing hot version. There was nothing wrong with this bowl of noodles, but looking back, I wish I'd gone with Cantonese BBQ such as cha siu or roast duck as a topping.

I also ordered some pan-fried pork buns (£2.50/4 pcs) after I spied the Chinese name, 生煎包 shengjian bao, on the menu. These evoked memories of my trip to Shanghai, where I wolfed down shengjian bao for breakfast every day. Sadly, these weren't in the same league, as they lacked the soupy filling. Nevertheless, these fluffy bao with their crispy bottom were decent enough. If I was to be ultra critical, they could've done with a bit more minced pork filling.

I fear that I may have come across as being a bit ambivalent about this stall. That isn't my intention. Most of the noodle bowls and one-dish rice meals cost less than a fiver, and the dim sum selection starts at £1.50. This represents excellent value, and if I lived or worked in Greenwich then I would regularly pop along to this stall to grab some lunch.

Thanks to Richard for nudging me in the direction of this noodle stall - click here for his review.

La Mian & Dim Sum Stall, Greenwich Market, London SE10 9HY
Nearest stations: Cutty Sark (DLR), Greenwich (BR)

This stall is open Tue-Fri at Greenwich Market, and the same guys operate a stall at Brick Lane on Sundays (thanks, Crispy).

Korean BBQ @ Sorabol

2011-11-23T07:22:00.000Z

New Malden is home to Europe's largest Korean community, and I admit to feeling slightly ashamed that I'm largely ignorant of its culinary delights. So when G suggested that I check out Sorabol, his favourite Korean restaurant in New Malden, I was more than happy to join him and Mr Pak Choi.

I liked this restaurant from the moment I walked through the door. There was more than a sprinkling of Koreans amongst the clientele, and it had a homely feel about it. Or to put it another way, it ticked all my foodie snob boxes!

To kick off the meal, we were served complimentary nibbles of beansprout salad, cold mashed potatoes, and Korean black beans to go with our beers. This was a nice touch, although I can't say I was a big fan of the cold mashed potatoes (apparently it is traditionally Korean).

We also ordered some proper starters in the form of kimchi (£2.00), fried dumplings (£6.50/8 pcs), and mung bean soufflé pancake (£7.00). I've had better Korean pancakes (pajeon) but Sorabol's effort was decent enough. My favourite, however, were the dumplings (similar to Beijing-style dumplings) with their juicy pork and spring onion filling.

For the main event of Korean BBQ, we ordered anchang beef (£11.50), bulgogi beef (£8.00), spicy bulgogi chicken (£8.00) and mixed vegetables (£5.00) to go on the grill. Of these, the clear favourite was the recommended anchang beef fillet. Simply marinated in sesame oil, it was beautifully tender, and went well when wrapped in a lettuce leaf with some spring onion and ssamjang. We didn't order dessert, but we were served complimentary melon at the end of the meal, which was another nice touch.

Looking back at my meal, what I enjoyed most was the pace and ritual of eating in a Korean restaurant. We were gently guided through nibbles, starters, and three rounds of BBQ in such a way that we felt neither rushed nor neglected. This was indicative of the excellent service, and many restaurants would do well to emulate the quietly efficient Korean serving style. It is far more preferable to, and professional than the insincere, intrusive and over-familar 'is everything all right with your meal?' spiel that far too many London restaurants think is a substitute for proper service.

Together with sides of steamed rice, lettuce wraps (sang chu), spring onion (pa moochim), six bottles of Hite beer and 10% service, the bill came to a £87 between three – we rounded it up to £30/head. I thought this was a bargain, and I have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant, which really does capture the Seoul of Korean cooking (don't all groan at once).

Sorabol, 180 High Street, New Malden, Surrey KT3 4ES
(Tel: 020-8942-2334) Nearest Station: New Malden

PS: G, thanks again for the tip - it's a good job you know more about restaurants than football!

The Full Mexican @ Casa Morita

2011-11-18T09:21:00.000Z

I've been blogging a lot about Brixton Village lately, and I appreciate some of you may find this tiresome. With that in mind, I decided to branch out a bit, which is why this post features Casa Morita on Brixton Market Row. Yes, I know it's still Brixton, but it isn't Brixton Village!

Now, I know sod all about real Mexican food, so I have no idea if this is like the stuff one would sample in the mother country. But I do know what I like, and I very much like Casa Morita's Huevos Rancheros w/chorizo (£8). After all, what's not to like about two fried eggs, tortillas, tomato & chilli salsa, and refried beans topped with crumbled chorizo? It might have looked messy, but believe you me, it was damn tasty. I just wished there were more tortillas to mop up the lush salsa. This full Mexican breakfast is a worthy alternative to its English counterpart when it comes to lifting the fog of a hangover.

I also like the style of this place, as it has that quality that the Japanese call wabi-sabi. In particular, I was quite taken by the Dia de los Muertos altar that honoured deceased loved ones (I went to Casa Morita in early November).

Casa Morita, Unit 9 Market Row, Brixton, London, SW9 8LB
(Tel 020-8127-5107) Nearest station: Brixton

PS: A new cocktail bar, Seven at Brixton, has opened next door to Casa Morita. I can recommend the basil and ginger beer mojito.

World of Noodles 8: Cheung Fun 腸粉

2011-11-13T17:00:00.000Z

King prawn cheung fun

Cheung fun 腸粉 is made from a 'batter' of rice flour and water, which is steamed to produce thin rice noodle sheets. On its own, it's bland and flavourless, but when this silky smooth rice noodle roll is combined with a filling and a sweet soy-based dressing, it becomes the stuff of dreams.

Zhaliang

Traditionally, cheung fun is a southern Chinese breakfast dish, and it's found in cafés, congee stalls and dim sum restaurants. In the case of the latter, I find its presence on the menu reassuring, as it's a sign that a restaurant has good dim sum credentials. After all, any two-bit joint can reheat bought-in dumplings, but only a proper dim sum restaurant will have skilled chefs that can make cheung fun from scratch.

Golden cuttlefish cheung fun

My favourite kind of cheung fun? Seafood such as prawn or scallop is always a winner, and you can't go far wrong with cha siu pork. However, given the choice, I actually prefer zhaliang (炸兩), which consists of cheung fun wrapped around a fried dough stick (you tiao 油條). A new favourite of mine is golden cuttlefish, which sees a filling of deep-fried cuttlefish paste in tofu skin. Some like cheung fun pan-fried with soy sauce, whilst others prefer it simply dressed with XO chilli sauce.

Pan-fried cheung fun

Being Cantonese, I've always taken cheung fun for granted, and it took a trip to Beijing, a few years ago, to realise how much I love this noodle. I was wandering around a food court when I stumbled upon a stall that served freshly made cheung fun. Cantonese isn't really spoken in Beijing, so I had to switch to Mandarin, a language I'm not particularly proficient in, to place my order.

What was served looked like a dog's dinner. I was distraught, and out of nowhere, I went off on a rant along the lines of, 'You're having a laugh if you think I'm going to eat that. That's not cheung fun. I should know. I'm Cantonese. You're going to have to make me a new one.'

I was in shock at my angry outburst, not least because it was in Mandarin. I apologised straight away for my tone, but nonetheless made it clear that I wanted a replacement. They, too, were apologetic and a fresh portion was served up. Peace was restored, and as I walked away from the stall, it dawned on me that this humble rice noodle has a very special place in my heart.

Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麵 @ Mama Lan

2011-11-08T12:30:00.000Z

There are many styles of beef noodle soup including Vietnamese pho and Cantonese beef brisket noodles (牛腩麵). However, the most iconic beef noodle soup is, arguably, the one known in Chinese as 牛肉麵 niu rou mian. This dish is widely thought of as being Taiwanese, but in actual fact, it has its origins in Chinese Muslim cuisine. The Taiwanese connection only came about because it was introduced to the island by the retreating Nationalist KMT army following their defeat in the Chinese Civil War.

History lesson over, beef noodle soup (£7.50) is the newest dish on the menu at Mama Lan, and I was kindly invited by the owner, Ning, to give it a Masterchef-style appraisal. I accepted on the basis that I didn't actually have to pretend to be either John Torode or Gregg Wallace.

As with any soup noodle dish, I started with a slurp of the soup. And it didn't disappoint, as it was made with stock that was chock full of aromatics, with the reassuring scent of star anise taking centre-stage. The beef shin was slow-cooked to tender perfection, and being sourced from The Ginger Pig, it was of excellent quality. This dish isn't meant to be super-spicy, but a few chopped chillies and a touch of chilli oil did lend it some heat.

Negatives? The noodles were ever so slightly overcooked and they lacked the QQ bounce that is so important in soup noodle dishes. However, this is forgivable given that this dish was being sold for the first time that night. Moreover, the team at Mama Lan have taken this on board, and intend to reduce the cooking time of the noodles.

Hardcore beef noodle aficionados may also be disappointed that there's no tendon or cartilage option. That said, Mama Lan is located in Brixton, not Beijing, and it's a bit much to expect them to convert the locals to these textural delights.

Overall, this dish showed promise, and I think it's a welcome addition to the menu at Mama Lan. After all, every Chinese joint should serve noodles in my opinion. Especially somewhere that specialises in the food of Beijing and the north of China.

I was a guest of Mama Lan. For a review of my first visit to this eatery, please click here.

Mama Lan, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PR
Nearest station: Brixton

Dinner @ Banana Tree Soho

2011-11-03T22:53:00.000Z

Banana Tree styles itself as an Indochina kitchen – offering dishes and specialities from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam amongst other countries in South East Asia. As long time readers of my blog will know, this kind of pan-Asian concept usually brings me out in hives.

Nevertheless, my curiosity was aroused when I was invited to review Banana Tree's new Soho branch. After all, it does no harm to challenge one's prejudices, especially when the first £60 of the bill is free. I know some of you are sceptical of freebie invite reviews, but in this instance I dined anonymously with two civilian mates, and only unmasked myself as a blogger when the bill arrived.

The Legendary Rendang

Like many casual joints, Banana Tree doesn't do starters and mains. Instead, they serve mains alongside a selection of smaller side dishes, and the food is brought out as and when it's ready. I don't usually mind this, but I was a little hacked off that everything, literally, came out at once, with no stagger whatsoever. This meant dishes got cold and table space was at a premium. Anyway, here's what we ordered:

The Legendary Rendang (£9.80) was probably the pick of the bunch, with its melt-in-the-mouth beef and rich coconutty sauce. It could've done with having more zing, but still, it was much better than the rendang I recently had at Tukdin, an ultra authentic Malaysian joint. It's just a shame there wasn't more of it. Sticking with Malaysian classics, the Kajang chicken satay (£8.50/6 pcs) was well marinated and had a nice char. Unfortunately, the chicken was a bit dry and overcooked, which was a shame as the peanut sauce was very good.

Braised Pork Belly

String-tied braised pork belly w/green coconut juice (£7.50) was the other highlight. The pork fell away in juicy tender strands, and the accompanying sauce picked up the flavour of the aromatics such as cinnamon and star anise. This Vietnamese style dish was better than a similar one I had at Viet Grill. But like the rendang, the portion size was a bit mean.

Phad Thai

Phad Thai w/prawns (£8.20) – for whatever reason, this iconic Thai noodle dish often disappoints in London. And this effort didn't buck that trend, as it was bland and unmemorable. As was the green papaya salad (£5.90) – this version of classic Thai som tum, was let down by the absence of chillies, which usually gives this dish a fiery kick.

Roast duck

Roasted duck breast with Pei Pa hoisin sauce (£11.50) is poor value when you consider a whole Cantonese roast duck from Chinatown doesn't cost much more. Cost aside, the meat was tender enough but the skin wasn't well lacquered. It also didn't help that the dish was doused in sauce, which would have been better served on the side. All in all, a bit underwhelming.

The atmosphere was buzzy and the service attentive. Together with some rice, a couple of rounds of beer and service, the bill came to £86 between three, which is roughly £29/head. Notwithstanding the fact that the first £60 of the bill was comped, this is quite expensive for what is a casual dining experience. That said, you can 'combo up' your main course, which makes it better value, although that does discourage sharing.

Despite my deep-rooted antipathy to pan-Asian eateries, Banana Tree wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Nothing was actively bad, and there were signs of promise in the beef rendang and the braised pork belly. Yet there was little va-va-voom (that's a new phrase for Food Blog Bingo) and to be honest, it isn't really my kind of place. Mind you, what I think is pretty much irrelevant, as this casual restaurant was never less than full in the hour or so that I was there.

Banana Tree, 103 Wardour Street, London W1F 0UQ (Tel: 020-7437-1351)
Nearest stations: Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road

Almond Cookies 杏仁酥

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000Z

杏仁酥 hang jan sou are crumbly crunchy almond cookies with a salty-sweet contrast in flavour that I adore. These cookies could pass off as western snacks (西餅) but they are very much considered Chinese (中餅).

Hang jan sou are often handed out as gifts during festive periods, such as Chinese New Year, which is why I guess they come in the most environmentally unfriendly packaging ever.

I bought these cookies at Loon Fung supermarket in London's Chinatown, where a single pack of ten cost £1.59, or you can do as I did and buy two packs for £2. If you see them then I do recommend buying a pack – they make a great snack.

For those keen bakers out there, Pig Pig's Corner has a great recipe for these cookies. If you like almonds then there's another famous Chinese snack you could try called 杏仁餅 hang jan beng. And finally, if walnuts are more your thing then there's a similar cookie called 合桃酥 hap tou sou.

Beijing Dumplings @ Mama Lan

2011-10-25T16:30:00.000+01:00

In Chinese, they are called 鍋貼, pronounced guotie and wor tip in Mandarin and Cantonese respectively. In English, they are known by various names such as: pot-stickers, grilled dumplings, or pan-fried dumplings, often with the prefix Peking or Beijing to denote their northern roots. And the Japanese, having ~~stolen~~ subsumed these dumplings into their own cuisine, call them gyoza.

Irrespective of their name, these dumplings are the calling card of Brixton Village's Mama Lan. If you're looking for the gossamer thin skins of Cantonese dim sum then this isn't the place to come. These Beijing-style dumplings have thicker skins, largely because the northern Chinese have fat fingers and generally lack the dexterity and grace of their southern compatriots. I am, of course, joking; the skins are thicker because the base of the dumplings is pan-fried.

In its short life, Mama Lan has had mixed reviews from critics and bloggers alike. And truth be told, I was prepared to be disappointed. However, I am pleased to report that the dumplings were pretty decent. I particularly enjoyed the pork & Chinese leaf dumplings (£4), which were juicy, flavoursome and nicely charred on the base.

I was less taken with the beef & carrot dumplings (£4) although I understand it's a Beijing favourite. In my opinion, the carrot should be ditched, and a new partner be found for the beef. If it was up to me, I'd consider leek, maybe ginger & spring onion, or my personal favourite of dried citrus peel (guo pi 果皮).

Positives? The dumplings benefit from being freshly made and cooked to order. And it's good to see that the meat is sourced from The Ginger Pig.

Negatives? I'd like to see the dipping bowls come with slivers of ginger to add some heat and depth to the vinegar dip. The individual dumplings could also be a bit bigger, although at £4 for a portion of five, they are good value.

Whilst I wouldn't go so far as to describe Mama Lan as a destination in itself, I'm pleased that there's a Chinese presence in Brixton Village. And even if you don't pop in for a full meal, I think it's well worth a visit as part of a Brixton Village crawl. For instance, I can easily picture a trail that encompasses dumplings from Mama Lan; a pizza slice from The Agile Rabbit; samosa chaat from Elephant; gelato from Lab G and a flat white from Federation Coffee!

Update 8 Nov 2011 - I've been back to Mama Lan for some beef noodle soup, please click here for review.

Mama Lan, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PR
Nearest station: Brixton

Extra Helpings
Beijing pan-fried dumplings are found everywhere from the local takeaway to high-end Chinese restaurants. The best that I've come across in London are the fried watercress meat dumplings (西洋菜煎餃子) found on the dim sum menu at Pearl Liang.

Otherwise, Jen Café in London's Chinatown is famous for its hand-made dumplings, which are available boiled as well as pan-fried. Uncooked dumplings can also be bought as take-away.

For those of you lucky enough to visit Beijing, a trip to the legendary Shun Yi Fu is a must. Its selection of dumplings is second-to-none, and the menu is in English as well as Chinese.

The Debate: When Bad is Good

2011-10-20T07:40:00.000+01:00

Good food and bad food are such absolute terms. Nevertheless, there are those who might deem sourdough bread, mature Cheddar and pata negra to be good whilst condemning sliced white bread, American cheese slices and processed luncheon meat (Spam) as being bad. That would be a mistake, as without the so-called bad stuff, some of our favourites wouldn't be half as tasty. Not convinced? Well, let's look at some classics that are enhanced by being a little bit bad.

Bacon Sandwich
Foccacia is my favourite bread, but I'd never dream of using it in a bacon sandwich. And nor should other posh breads like sourdough and ciabatta ever be used. Brown bread? You will be if you try using it in a bacon sarnie that I'm going to eat! That's because bacon sandwiches should be made with soft white bread that's pre-sliced and comes out of a plastic bag. At a push, soft white rolls, such as baps or barm cakes, are allowed too.

Cheeseburger
Amongst burger die-hards, only one cheese belongs in a cheeseburger: American cheese. That's right, those processed cheese slices (like Kraft Singles) that many people don't actually regard as being cheese. So whilst many cheeseburgers may use mature Cheddar, Stilton or Brie, the burger fundamentalist will ignore these real cheeses in favour of their beloved American cheese slice.

Chinese Hot Pot
There are few finer foodie sights than watching a Chinese hot pot in full flow. As a big cauldron of broth bubbles away, all kinds of goodies are thrown in. My favourites include crab legs, prawns, fishballs, thinly cut beef, enoki mushrooms, pak choi and, of course, noodles. However, many hot pot aficionados will eschew these treats, and make a beeline straight for Spam. I'm not kidding; many Chinese prefer Spam (or the Chinese branded Ma Ling Luncheon Meat) above all else in their hot pot.

In terms of these 'bad is good' examples, there is only one that I believe 100% in: the use of soft white bread in a bacon sarnie. When it comes to cheeseburgers, I happen to prefer American cheese but that's only because I'm partially lactose intolerant, and I have trouble with some real cheese. Otherwise, I couldn't give a toss what cheese is used. On the matter of Spam, I'm afraid I'm a bad Chinese in that I'm utterly indifferent to its charms.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Is my stance on bacon sandwiches, complete bollocks? What about the burger fundamentalists and their insistence on American cheese? And then there's the question of Spam – although, personally, I'd sit that one out. The Spam lobby are a vociferous, and at times scary, bunch. I'm more frightened of them than I am of the burger mob! Oh, and whilst we're at it, I'd also love to hear of any further examples of when bad stuff makes good food taste better.

100 Up @ Kaosarn

2011-10-14T00:15:00.000+01:00

Assuming my maths isn't wrong, Kaosarn has the proud honour of being the 100th London eatery to feature in my blog. And it's entirely fitting that somewhere like this Thai café gets that accolade. Whilst I really can't be that arsed to write about eating out in London nowadays, I will always blog about inexpensive unpretentious indies like Kaosarn. Especially when they have noodles on the menu!

I did consider going for Kaosarn's signature dish of gai yang khao neaw som tum (£11.50) – but I wasn't hungry enough to take on this combination of half a grilled chicken, sticky rice and som tum. Instead I plumped for soup noodles in the form of kuay tiew tom yum Bangkok style (£6.90).

The most important aspect of any soup noodle dish is the soup. And in this case, the tom yum soup was bang on the money, with deep hot and sour flavours seemingly sans any artificial enhancements. After that, it's imperative that the noodles are properly done, and I'm pleased to report that the slippery smooth kuay tiew rice noodles were.

The toppings of deep-fried king prawns, fishballs and minced pork were also pretty good. My favourite were the prawns, and if you order this dish, do polish them off before the batter gets soggy. The fishballs were bought-in, but don't be put off by that, as few places make their own – that'd be akin to a gastropub making its own sausages. All told, one of the best noodle dishes that I've eaten in London this year!

Not everything was just so, though. For instance, one of my dining companions was less than enamoured by his pad Thai w/prawn (£6.90). Having said that, he didn't mind his starter of coconutty chicken soup aka tom kha gai (£4.90).

My other dining companion plumped for khao pad kra-proaw w/pork (£6.90), a very home-style stir-fry with chilli and holy basil. It was nothing special, but I liked the fact that it came with a runny fried egg – a very east Asian touch.

We also shared a side of som tum Thai (£4.90); this papaya salad is often dumbed-down and disappointing in London. This one, I'm pleased to report, was the real deal with a proper fiery kick.

Whilst not every dish was a winner, there's more than enough promise at Kaosarn for me to return. Ironically, the only thing working against this superior Thai joint is its location in Brixton Village. As any foodie knows, there is so much choice in this complex that it could be a while before you return to the same place twice! For example, in addition to Kaosarn, I've 'done' Elephant, Honest Burgers, Federation Coffee and Lab G, and on top of these joints, there must be another dozen, if not more, places to check out!

Kaosarn, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PR (Tel: 020-7095-8922)
Nearest stations: Brixton

PS: Special thanks to Kay for reminding me that my blog was coming up to a century of London eateries!

The Debate: Why Does Japanese Food Cost More Than Chinese in London?

2011-10-09T19:04:00.000+01:00

I recently mused, on twitter, why Japanese food in London is pricier than Chinese. There were some good points raised in response, but the thing is twitter's 140-character limit doesn't exactly encourage in-depth nuanced debate. So, I've decided to transfer the discussion to this blog post.

Now, let's get the bleeding obvious out of the way. Of course, a posh Japanese sashimi set will always be more expensive than an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. That's not what I'm driving at. The point I'm making is that, in London, a decent Chinese joint will invariably be better value than its Japanese counterpart. Not convinced? Well, let's look at a real life example.

Udon @ Koya

The other week I had lunch at Koya, the acclaimed Japanese udon specialist. I ordered a bowl of soup noodles with duck aka kamo atsu-atsu udon (£11) with a side of skate wing tempura (£7.70) and batter scraps aka tanuki (60p). I drank tap water but with a 10% service charge, the bill still came to £21. The food was excellent, and whilst I wasn't exactly hungry after this meal, I was far from full.

Dim sum @ Princess Garden

Later that week, I went for dim sum at Princess Garden of Mayfair, a classy Chinese restaurant. Between the five of us, we probably ordered in excess of 20 dim sum dishes, and together with tea, some soft drinks, and (an eye-watering) 15% service charge, the bill came to around £100 or £20/head. The dim sum is amongst London's best, and I was stuffed. We actually over-ordered, and the leftovers were taken home in a doggy bag.

Now some might think that I'm equating value to how full I was, but that's only half the story. The thing is Koya is a casual noodle bar, and it doesn't seem right to me that a quick lunch there should cost a wee bit more than a lengthy dim sum session at a proper restaurant like Princess Garden. By proper restaurant, I mean that Princess Garden has a cocktail bar, the management wear suits and there's table linen i.e. these are overheads it has to cover that Koya don't.

I appreciate that this is just one example, but there's plenty more instances that I can cite. So why is Japanese food more expensive than Chinese in London? Many theories were posited on twitter – and here's a summary of some of them.

Some believe there is a price premium for Japanese food because it's considered trendier than Chinese. I'm not so sure, after all, Vietnamese cuisine is very trendy, and that's cheap as chips. Some of you are of the opinion that Japanese food is better. That's subjective, and although it's not a view I share, it is one that many believe. Mind you, that isn't really a reason why Japanese food should be pricier.

After some further twitter exchanges, some pointed out that there is a perception amongst the Great British public that Japanese food is classier than Chinese. This is a theory that I can subscribe to, but why? After all, both cuisines have a long and proud history, so why should Japanese cuisine be considered posher? To answer that question, we need to consider the respective histories of Chinese and Japanese cuisines in Britain.

Although, there has been a Chinese presence in the UK for well over a century, significant migration only occurred post-World War Two. This generation, of which my parents are part of, came to these shores to better themselves and their families. And through their self-reliant industrious enterprise, many opened take-away shops and simple restaurants all across the land. These places served a hybrid cuisine that can be characterised as 'half chips-half rice', and as such a 'cheap and cheerful' image became associated with Chinese food. An image that persists to this day.

However, not all Chinese restaurants were cheap westernised joints. At the same time as Chinese food reached the mainstream, authentic restaurants sprung up, sometimes in Chinatowns, serving the Chinese community. Some dishes on the menu, such as abalone and lobster, could be expensive but prices, in the main, were reasonable. In particular, dim sum was especially good value.

By contrast, the Japanese first came in numbers to the UK in the latter part of the 20th century. Most were business executives, and Japanese restaurants soon sprung up to cater to this crowd. As the clientele were well remunerated, these restaurants could charge a little more for a reminder of home. Moreover, these were places where Japanese executives did their business entertainment. On expenses.

Nowadays, the divisions are less clear-cut. There are high-end restaurants that serve Chinese food and there are cheaper Japanese eateries, but by and large, Chinese restaurants remain better value. Anyway, that's my theory, but I'd love to hear your opinions on this matter. Especially, as I'm thinking of having more debate-based posts on my blog.

Off The Blog 6: Curry Special

2011-10-04T21:17:00.000+01:00

The food of the Indian sub-continent that is served up in London is often inauthentic and formulaic. However, there are an increasing number of eateries breaking free from the shackles of tikka masala to offer more interesting fare. Here are three of them.

Samosa chaat

Brixton Village's Elephant styles itself as a purveyor of authentic Pakistani street food and its short menu certainly hits the spot. A starter of samosa chaat, with its abundance of chickpeas, would do as a light meal in itself.

Vegetarian thali

For something more substantial, I recommend going for a thali. I liked my vegetarian thali so much that I actually forgot that cauliflower is on my list of verboten veg! Drawbacks? The naan was a tad anaemic but I can forgive them this given the limitations of the tiny kitchen.

Elephant, 55 Granville Parade, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PS
Nearest station: Brixton (BR, Victoria Line)

Next stop is Isleworth where I enjoyed a fantastic meal at the Cinnamon Lounge. I can't take credit, though, for uncovering this gem. All the kudos must go to the Mysterious Mrs A who put her foot down when her hubby (my old mate) El Greco wanted to go to a bog-standard curry house.

Chicken methi, jeera rice & garlic naan

The great thing about this restaurant is that they consign many of the 'curry house standards' to the back of the menu. Instead they focus on starters such as machli amritsari (fish fillets with ajwain) and mains like murgh kalimirch (a black pepper based chicken curry).

The consensus around the table was that there wasn't a single duff dish. But don't take my word for it; much of the clientele was south Asian including a fair sprinkling of matriarchs who are notoriously hard to please.

Cinnamon Lounge, 181 Twickenham Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 6AB
(Tel: 020-8560-8995) Nearest station: Isleworth (BR)

Salaam Namaste

One could also be forgiven that Bloomsbury's Salaam Namaste was a run-of-the-mill joint especially as it serves a lunch buffet. However, scratch beneath the service and the à la carte yields many a delight. From the specials board, the duck kebab was a winner as was the spicy soft shell crab from the regular menu. Onto the mains and there are unusual choices like wild rabbit achari and narangi duck. My personal favourite is the Goan green chicken curry and my friend enjoyed his Keralan monkfish curry.

Salaam Namaste, 68 Millman St, London, WC1N 3EF (Tel: 020-7405-3697)
Nearest station: Russell Square (Piccadilly Line)

Memories of Little Horse 馬仔

2011-09-30T07:30:00.000+01:00

After my recent dim sum feast at Croydon's Tai Tung, I popped into the adjacent Wing Yip supermarket to do some food shopping. Whilst stocking up on bits and bobs, I clapped eyes on an old childhood favourite: ma zai 馬仔, which roughly translates as 'little horse'.

It's also known in Chinese as sha kei ma 沙琪瑪 or saat kei ma 薩其馬, and there are various English translations such as 'Soft Flour Cake'. Ma zai consists of little bits of 'batter' made of flour, egg and sugar binded together in squares with maltose syrup. The end result is a sweet chewy sticky eggy snack.

It's been a while since I last had ma zai, and I was overjoyed that this version was a good 'un. I was at once transported back to the 1980’s when my Mum would buy it as a treat for us pesky kids whenever she went shopping in Manchester's Chinatown.

Nowadays, ma zai comes in cellophane-wrapped individual portions, but when I was little, it would come as one giant cake from which you tore off a square. Inevitably, there would be much sibling bickering as to who snaffled the last one. Hand on heart, it was never me. Honest.

Adventures with Prickly Oil 花椒油

2011-09-25T19:07:00.000+01:00

What is prickly oil? It's a mix of rapeseed oil (88%) and Sichuan pepper (12%). There aren't any actual Sichuan peppercorns in the oil, and I guess a chemical process beyond my understanding has somehow extracted the numbing heat of Sichuan pepper into oil form. It is potent stuff and I love it. So, what's the best way to use prickly oil? Well, there's a reason why I'm called Mr Noodles, which is why I used it in a knockout dressing for noodles!

Sichuan Chilli Soy Dressing
Soy sauce
Chiu Chow chilli oil (other kinds of chilli oils/sauces can also be used)
Sesame oil
Prickly oil
Spring onion

1) Mix soy sauce, sesame oil and the Chiu Chow chilli oil in a bowl.

2) Finely chop the spring onion and add to the bowl. Give it a stir.

3) Add prickly oil (little by little). Give it another stir.

I hate measurements when it comes to stuff like this. This is food we're talking about, not a chemistry practical. Just mix the ingredients to your own taste, but do take care when adding the prickly oil – a few drops go a long way.

Serving Suggestion
In the above photo, I tossed some Shanghai noodles (上海麵) and fishballs in the dressing before garnishing with some pak choi. As well as noodles, I reckon this versatile dressing would go brilliantly with dumplings.

Where can I buy prickly oil?
I bought this bottle of prickly oil at Wing Yip in Croydon but do let me know if you see it stocked elsewhere. And as Dean (see comments) points out, you can also get this oil at the Chinatown branch of SeeWoo, where it's called Sichuan Hanyuan Pepper Oil.

200 Not Out

2011-09-21T07:40:00.000+01:00

This is my blog's 200th post. It's taken a little over two years to reach this milestone, during which time it has featured:

96 places to eat in London
89 posts tagged with noodles
49 posts on my travels
38 Chinese restaurants in London
12 countries
8 recipes

You can tell a lot from numbers. From the above, you can probably guess that I live in London, like Chinese food (especially noodles) and travel a fair bit. Oh, and that I really ought to cook more!

I must confess I'm finding blogging harder than I used to. After all, it's taken longer to write the second century of posts than the first. But that's not to say I'm giving up on the blog, it's just that I'm slowing down. I hope you understand.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say thanks to all my readers. In particular, those of you who have left comments - I'm not sure I would've made it to 200 posts without your support.

Noodle Shorts 5

2011-09-16T07:19:00.000+01:00

About 140km north of Guangzhou lies Yingde (英德), which is famous for its 'red tea' (紅茶). Although called 'red tea' by the Chinese, this is what we know as black tea in English i.e. the stuff found in PG Tips et al.

Dim Sum Dispatches: Croydon's Finest & A Return To Mayfair

2011-09-09T06:35:00.000+01:00

Grilled squid cake 墨魚餅 (front) & Paper wrapped prawn 紙包蝦 (back)

I will go anywhere for good dim sum. Even Croydon. That's a cheap shot, given that this much-maligned London borough is home to a Chinese shopping centre anchored by a Wing Yip supermarket. Also within this shopping centre is Tai Tung, a restaurant that serves dim sum.

Yam paste w/dried meat 芋角 (left) & Cha siu pork puff 叉燒酥 (right)

Tai Tung's dim sum selection is very old-fashioned; this isn't the kind of place to discover new-fangled fusion creations or chef's specials. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as there's a lot to be said for sticking to the classics. In terms of the fried and baked offerings, they weren't greasy and were more than competent. My only complaint was that the filling in the cha siu pork puff (叉燒酥) was a bit too sweet.

Fish balls & turnip 魚蛋豬皮蘿蔔

The steamed stuff was just as good, with decent har gau prawn dumplings (蝦餃), the benchmark by which all dim sum joints are judged. Generously filled scallop dumplings (帶子餃) and a very traditional dish of fish balls & turnip (魚蛋豬皮蘿蔔) also hit the spot. Although, some might be put off by the pig skin that is served with the latter!

King prawn cheung fun 鮮蝦腸粉

The rest? I enjoyed the freshly made king prawn cheung fun (鮮蝦腸粉) but a bowl of wonton noodles (雲吞麺) let the side down. The wontons were fine but the noodles lacked bounce and were ever so slightly overcooked. We didn't order any Cantonese BBQ but I will next time, as a take-away portion of roast duck (燒鴨) proved to be first class.

Service was efficient and the damage came to £42 for nine dim sum dishes, a bowl of wonton noodles, tea and service – a mere £14/head. When ordering, don't be intimidated by the Chinese language-only dim sum ticksheet, as the numbers on it match up to a bilingual menu. The décor isn't going to win any design awards but I don't think the clientele really care.

However, words can't really convey the way I feel about Tai Tung. The thing is as I get older, I find myself getting increasingly nostalgic and sentimental (cue wistful Oasis B-side) and there was something about this restaurant's old school charm that touched my heart. And it wasn't just me; all around the dining room was the sight of friends and families, old and young, all having a great time. Or as the Chinese might say: 高興熱鬧, which is what dim sum is all about. So if you can get to Croydon easily then do pop into Tai Tung.

Tai Tung Chinese Restaurant, Wing Yip Centre, 544 Purley Way, Croydon, CR0 4RF
(Tel: 020-8688-3668) Nearest rail: Waddon

Earlier in this post I alluded to Tai Tung's dim sum selection as being old fashioned. That was an observation, not a criticism. However, being the foodie trainspotter that I am, I do like to check out the latest trends in dim sum.

Baked cha siu bao 叉燒餐包仔

One place in London that serves innovative dim sum is a new favourite haunt of mine: Princess Garden of Mayfair. In particular, they offer miniature Cantonese buns such as baked cha siu bao (叉燒餐包仔) and baked custard buns (lai wong bolo bao 奶黃菠蘿包) that are very much in vogue in Hong Kong.

Baked custard buns 奶黃菠蘿包

I'm pleased to report that the buns didn't disappoint, both were oven fresh and had tasty fillings. I preferred the porky cha siu bao but I also loved the custard bun, especially its cookie-esque topping (called pineapple-style in Chinese, as it resembles the outside of a pineapple). Incidentally, if you like the look of these buns then man-sized versions are available at Chinese bakeries. However, I've yet to see the miniatures anywhere in London other than Princess Garden.

For a review covering my first couple of visits to Princess Garden, please click here.

Paté Paté (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Twitter)

2011-09-04T13:57:00.000+01:00

In my humble opinion, food is at its best when it's at its simplest. And that's why I'm a big fan of places like Paté Paté in Copenhagen. So how did I find out about this place? Through the medium of Twitter, where @meemalee answered my SOS for restaurant tips in the Danish capital.

It was just as well that I had Paté Paté as back-up, given that my original plan to visit Noma fell through. I mean, who would've thought that you'd need to reserve a table on a school night? For God's sake, you'd think Noma has pretensions to be the best restaurant in the world! (note to slow people, I am taking the piss).

There's not much to say about simple dishes like two terrines w/pickles and roast veal w/borlotti beans & salsa verde. Suffice to say they were of high quality and perfectly executed. The terrines were at room temperature, which I much prefer to the 'straight from the fridge' chill that afflicts many inferior versions. The veal was perfectly done, with a nice crust on the outside whilst still tender within. If I'm being honest, the beans got a bit samey after a while but I adored the salsa verde, as it added a tart quality to this dish. Portions were very generous so there was (sadly) no room for dessert.

I also liked the fact that I could eat at the bar (I was on solo business dining detail) and drink decent wine by the glass. The ambience was excellent, and the boho-chic vibe just erred on the right side of not being hipster-toss. It isn't cheap but then again few things are in Copenhagen, a city that makes London seem good value. In short, highly recommended.

Thanks again, @meemalee - I've finally come round to loving Twitter! Oh, and one more thing, apologies to Stanley Kubrick.

Paté Paté, Slagterboderne 1, 1716 Copenhagen, Denmark
(Tel +45-3969-5557)

Barrio Chino - Havana's Chinatown

2011-08-30T09:45:00.001+01:00

Like many a Chinatown around the world, a giant archway or paifang (牌坊) welcomes visitors to Havana's Barrio Chino. Sadly, this is just a facade, and what lies behind is a mere shadow of what was what was once the largest Chinatown in Latin America.

Many of you might be surprised to discover that there is a Chinatown in Havana, but Chinese migrants first arrived in Cuba as long ago as 1847. This first wave of migration consisted of indentured labour that worked largely in the sugar plantations. After their contracts ended, many moved to Havana and the Barrio Chino was born.

Later waves of Chinese migration followed and the Barrio Chino flourished. That was until 1959 when the Cuban Revolution swept Fidel Castro to power. This saw an exodus to the United States of not just the elite but also the middle classes. Amongst those that fled were significant numbers of Chinese Cubans who as business owners felt threatened by Castro's revolutionary socialist regime. Of those that remained, most intermarried and assimilated into Cuban society.

This, consequently, led to a decline in the Chinese Cuban population and the fortunes of the Barrio Chino. So much so that by the 1990's, the Barrio Chino had contracted to a few streets and was on the brink of extinction. That it survived was due to a combination of factors: the opening up of Cuba to tourism; the efforts of the remaining Chinese Cubans to preserve their identity and culture; and improving relations between Cuba and China. And it is arguably this last factor that is the most important, as much of the redevelopment (including the giant archway) was funded by the Chinese government.

Despite regeneration, much of the Barrio Chino remains in a state of disrepair. However, there are some vestiges of its golden age. In particular, some of the architecture has a distinct Chinese feel that wouldn't be out of place in China itself. So it's a bit of a shame that some of these buildings have been so thoughtlessly redecorated. I surprised myself at how angry I felt at the positioning of a garish modern sign that obscured the beautiful original Chinese shop front of one particular building.

My mood didn't lighten when I found myself on Cuchillo, the redeveloped part of the Barrio Chino. Even by the gaudy standards of Chinatowns around the world, this street has a kitsch quality verging on pastiche. It just didn't feel like a real community, if anything, it felt more like a film set. This artificial experience was capped off by the appearance of waiters, hawking for business, who didn't look Chinese. In fairness, they could have been part-Chinese but they were unable to understand either Cantonese or Mandarin.

The menus they were hawking also made my heart sink, as the words chop suey featured prominently. Of all the restaurants that I came across, only one (Tien Tan) seemed to offer authentic dishes. It was no coincidence that it was also the only menu that I saw which had Chinese writing on it. However, I wasn't in the mood to dine in a grand restaurant. I was looking for something simple.

I thought I'd found just the place when I spied a take-away window at the side of a restaurant called El Gran Dragon. I thought that Chinese buns and dumplings would be available. I was sadly mistaken. They weren't. The only food that seemed to be on offer was pizza slices and toasted sandwiches. I decided to lunch elsewhere.

Walking away from the Barrio Chino, I experienced mixed emotions. Part of me felt profoundly sad that Havana's Chinatown is a mix of tacky redevelopment and urban deprivation. That said, history can't be rewritten, and it's unlikely that the Barrio Chino will ever recapture its glory days. So rather than dwell on the negatives, let's celebrate that Havana's Chinatown is hanging on in there. Whilst it might not be particularly big or authentic, its very existence is a tribute to the contribution of the Chinese community to Cuban society.

Food Blog Bingo

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000+01:00

I have no doubt that someone somewhere has already come up with the concept of food blog bingo. After all, it's just a variation of the famous 'wank words bingo' that people play during tedious office meetings. Anyway, here's my first stab at food blog bingo. Are there any words/phrases that you think are missing and should be on the bingo card?

WANTED: Tea Smoked Duck 樟茶鴨

2011-08-21T19:14:00.004+01:00

I've often wondered why certain Chinese dishes are widely available in the UK while others are seemingly impossible to track down. For example, when it comes to Sichuan food, it's a given that you'll find the likes of water-boiled beef (shui zhu niu rou 水煮牛肉) and fried chicken with chillies (la zi ji 辣子雞) in any authentic Sichuan eatery. And then there are dishes such as kung po chicken (宮保雞丁) and ma po tofu (麻婆豆腐) that originate in Sichuan but can be found in generic Chinese restaurants and take-aways everywhere.

However, one classic Sichuan dish that I've never seen in the UK is tea-smoked duck (zhangcha ya 樟茶鴨). In this dish, the duck is smoked with tea and camphor before being steamed then deep-fried. It's usually served with clam-shaped steamed 'cut buns' (ge bao 割包).

The version I had in Hong Kong at the Modern China restaurant was mighty fine. Smoky tender duck with crispy skin served in a fluffy pillow of a bun. It came with accompanying dips of seasoned salt and sweet chilli sauce (I have no idea whether this is authentic or not). I've also eaten this dish in Beijing before, and I've been told that it's a very famous Sichuan speciality. So, why I can't find this dish in dear old Blighty? After all, it is so much tastier than the crispy aromatic duck with pancakes that the British adore.

Anyway, in a first for the blog, I'm offering a prize to anyone who can find tea-smoked duck in London. The first person to contact me with details of a restaurant that serves this dish will be invited to join me to sample it for free. There is some small print in that the dish has to be the one with the Chinese name: zhangcha ya 樟茶鴨.

Come to think of it, let's spread the competition to the rest of the UK. I'll attempt to offer the same prize if I can get to the restaurant easily. In other words, places like Birmingham and Manchester will be OK, but I'd probably give it a miss if the winning restaurant happens to be in the Scottish Highlands or Northern Ireland.

Update 22 August 2011: Well, we have a winner. Congratulations to @Serenak105, who tracked down tea smoked duck at the Hunan restaurant in Pimlico. She also discovered tea smoked duck salad at the Chinese Cricket Club, but being a stickler for the rules, I didn't let her have that! However, just because she's found one restaurant in London that serves tea smoked duck doesn't mean the search is over. I'd love it if all of you out there could find more places that serve this Sichuan speciality.

PS: Modern China is what's known as a jing-chuan-hu 京川滬 restaurant. This concept, popular in Hong Kong, sees restaurants serve the cuisines of Beijing, Sichuan and Shanghai (separately not fused). To be honest, other than the duck, the Sichuan dishes that we sampled were mediocre. Much better were the Shanghai dishes such as xiao long bao and stir-fried river prawns.

Modern China 金滿庭
10/F, Food Forum, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
香港銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場食通天10樓
Tel: +852-2506-2525
Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣

Lunch @ Cây Tre Soho

2011-08-15T16:09:00.000+01:00

Is the blingification of ethnic restaurants in Britain, a good or bad thing? Instinctively, I'm wary of trendy design-driven restaurants. Phrases like: 'style over substance', 'superficial and shallow' and 'should've spent the money on the kitchen', all spring to mind when I come across such places. But am I too hard on these trendy joints? And why?

To answer these questions, let's go back in time to the late 1980's. Way back then, the best Chinese restaurant in Manchester, quite possibly Britain, was reckoned to be Yang Sing. My family were regulars, and I remember enjoying many a fine dim sum session there, but then we stopped going. I'm not sure why, but I suspect that it was due to Pa Noodles feeling aggrieved that he was paying extra for interior design rather than for better food.

I've not been to Yang Sing in years, but from what I see on their website, it is spectacularly bling and spectacularly expensive. Suffice to say, one is more likely to see a footballer or soap star eating there than extended Chinese families. But is this a problem? It's a free country, and if I don't like it then I can lump it. Just quite what this has to do with Cây Tre, I will get to in a moment, I promise.

Fast forward twenty or so years, and I have my own run-in with blingification, at Viet Grill. This stylish Shoreditch restaurant is reckoned to be one of London's finest Vietnamese eateries, but I had a deeply unsatisfying time there. And try as hard as I might, I couldn't help but feel, rightly or wrongly, that the deficiencies in the kitchen were in someway connected to the uber-trendy interior design and flashy cocktail bar. So I can't say I was too excited when the restaurant group that operates Viet Grill and its sister restaurant, Cây Tre, opened a Soho branch of the latter.

But then I saw a very intriguing bowl of noodles on the menu: ox cheek au vin pho (phở sốt vang). Any negative thoughts of blingification were put to one side, and I popped along to Cây Tre for a spot of lunch. First impressions weren't great, as I thought the bowl was a bit on the small side for £9.50.

But appearances can be deceptive, as it was surprisingly filling with loads of ox cheeks – at least six, maybe seven chunky pieces. These cheeks were top class with tender strands of meat, but whilst perfectly braised, I thought the seasoning was a bit too subtle. That said, I'm using the citrusy anise notes of Cantonese braised beef brisket as a reference point, and this comparison may not be entirely fair.

By contrast, the broth had a great depth of flavour, and I wish there was more of it. The rice noodles were smooth and slippery, and I could have no complaints about the other toppings. The one thing that did perplex me was the whole chilli on the side. Not that the soup needed extra heat, but were you really expected to chop up the chilli yourself? Anyway, save for my blogger nitpicking, this was a mighty fine bowl of noodles, and one of the best that I've sampled in London in a long while.

Update 2 Nov 2011 – the ox cheek au vin pho has mutated into a strange almost stew like dish. Gone is the side plate of beansprouts, herbs and lime. Instead, the herbs are already in the bowl but the beansprouts have been replaced by more homely accompaniments in the form of potato and carrot. It's like the chef was inspired to tinker with this dish following a trip to Ireland. It's still tasty, but I think I will revert to more orthodox noodles on my next visit to Cây Tre.

Update 3 Nov 2011 In all fairness to Cây Tre, following a twitter exchange, they announced that they were tweaking the ox cheek au vin pho once more. The offending carrot and potato will be replaced by Thai basil and saw-tooth coriander respectively. I don't doubt their honesty, but do let me know if any rogue ingredients turn up in this, or any other, dish.

I also had some summer rolls w/steamed pork (gỏi cuốn lớn) to start. These were freshly made, and properly served at room temperature. Whilst tasty, I thought they were poor value at £5. And overall the one thing that did rankle was the price. With a drink and service, there was very little change from £20. It was at this point I also thought it a bit cheeky that for all their flashy décor, Cây Tre use disposable chopsticks.

That said, I have no problem forking out £9.50 for the ox cheek au vin pho. After all, you can't get a decent bowl of noodles at Wagamama for that price. Mind you, you can't get a decent bowl of noodles at Wagamama at any price!

So going back to my original question – is the blingification of ethnic restaurants, good or bad? Well, I've come to the conclusion that it's neither. It really isn't that important. Yes, there are some bling places that take the piss, but there are plenty that don't. Without really giving their menu a proper going over, I'm not sure which category Cây Tre falls into. Mind you, if the rest of the menu is as good as the ox cheek au vin pho then I'm willing to give this temple of bling the benefit of the doubt.

Cây Tre, 42-43 Dean Street, London W1D 4QD (Tel: 020-7317-9118)
Nearest tube: Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road

The Golden Noodle Awards 2010-11

2011-08-10T07:36:00.002+01:00

Eat Noodles Love Noodles is two today! And to celebrate, it's hosting the awards ceremony that nobody is talking about: The Golden Noodle Awards.

The Golden Noodle – awarded to the best noodles in the world

Winner: No.1 Special Noodles (特製らー麺) by Kudan Ikaruga (九段斑鳩)

Well OK, not necessarily the best noodles in the world, but the best I've tasted. I've decided to go global this year to encompass the amazing noodles that I've come across on my travels.

I mean it would be criminal to exclude places like Kuala Lumpur's Soo Kee where I had shan har mein, a dish of giant river prawns atop crispy noodles. And noodle joints like Mak's Noodle and Tsim Chai Kee in Hong Kong, where you can pick up a bowl of wonton noodles for less than the equivalent of £2. But as good as these places are, they fall just outside the medal positions.

Taking the bronze medal is the very posh Steamed Fresh Flower Crab with Aged Shaoxing Wine, Fragrant Chicken Oil & Flat Rice Noodles at The Chairman. This Hong Kong restaurant's signature dish has a rich Shaoxing wine based sauce that is soaked up by some very special rice noodles (chenchun fun 陳村粉). By the way, the flower crab was pretty tasty too!

We stay in Hong Kong for the silver medallist, the prawn roe noodles w/cuttlefish balls and shui jiao dumplings at Lau Sum Kee. These noodles are made the traditional way with a bamboo log and come with a prawn roe topping that is ever so addictive. In any other year, this dish would've been a certain winner.

As much as I enjoyed the noodles from Hong Kong, they're eclipsed by Tokyo's finest: No.1 Special Noodles (特製らー麺) from Kudan Ikaruga (九段斑鳩). What's not to love about this dish? Springy ramen noodles, chashu pork, menma, nori and a perfectly boiled egg were all superb but what really made these noodles special was the amazing broth – a blend of tonkotsu (pork bone) and gyoku (fish).

The Golden Restaurant – awarded to the best London restaurant new to me

Winner: Launceston Place

I'm not what you call a dedicated follower of fashion, which is why the likes of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Pollen Street Social and Spuntino are absent from the shortlist. Judging by my past track record, I might end up checking these places out sometime in 2013, assuming they're still around then.

What I have been doing is sampling dim sum in unlikely corners of London. It'd be fair to say that Teddington, Earl's Court and Mayfair aren't exactly the kind of places that you'd expect to find dumplings of a higher order. But find them I did at Imperial China, Dragon Palace and Princess Garden of Mayfair respectively. Of this trio, the latter is a cut above and takes the bronze.

The trend for regional Chinese cuisine in London shows no sign of abating. In addition to the increasingly familiar flavours of Sichuan, I've checked out London restaurants specialising in the food of Beijing, Fuzhou, Hunan, and Shanghai. Of these I'm a big fan of New Aroma, whose Fuzhou offerings came close to getting a medal. However, it's the Hunan menu at Soho's Ba Shan, which deservedly picks up the silver medal in this category.

Years after every single other London blogger, I finally got round to visiting Launceston Place. To me, this classy yet understated establishment epitomises the best of British with dishes like duck egg on toast with Somerset truffle (as pictured). Quite how this superior restaurant hasn't got a Michelin star is beyond me. But you know what? Loads of places can get a Michelin star but there's only one winner of The Golden Restaurant. Take a bow, Tristan Welch!

The Golden Dish – awarded to my favourite (non-noodle) dish of the year

Winner: Fish-skin dumplings (魚皮餃) by 花好悦园酒家

To be eligible for this award, the dish has to be one that I've eaten for the first time. So for example, the typhoon shelter crab from Hong Kong's Under Bridge Spicy Crab and the chilli crab from Singapore's No Signboard Seafood are both ineligible, as I first sampled these dishes years ago.

However, one crab dish that does qualify is fried crab with sambal belachan. Now one might think that this is a dish indigenous to Malaysia, but in fact it was created in Hendon at a Malaysian Chinese restaurant by the name of Gourmet Garden. Belachan, a fermented shrimp paste, is an acquired taste but I defy anyone not to be knocked out by the fiery shrimpy flavours that makes this dish a worthy bronze medallist.

I visited Japan for the first time this year and I ate like a king. Rather surprisingly, one of my favourite dishes was kara-age aka Japanese fried chicken served with mayo and a squeeze of lime. Now I've eaten kara-age before, but to all intents and purposes, the fried chicken at Tokyo's Charari Charari might as well have been a different dish. I know I'm bending my rules, but they're my rules to be bent, so it's silver for the kara-age.

Guangzhou's 花好悦园酒家 is, in my humble opinion, one of the best restaurants that I've ever been to. Any number of dishes that I sampled there would've been a worthy winner of this award, but for the fact that I've eaten many of them before. However, there is one dish that I fell in love with: fish-skin dumplings (魚皮餃), made with a fish-skin wrapper and filled with pounded fish meat. Served in a broth with vegetables, this dish encapsulates the soul of Cantonese cuisine.

The Red Card – awarded to who or what I want to send off the field of food

Winner: 'Laksa' by The Providores & Tapa Room

I always try to be positive on my blog, but every now and then I get the hump. In particular, I got angry at Marks & Spencer's third-rate attempt at dim sum. And San Pellegrino's World's Best 50 Restaurants sent me apoplectic with rage - whilst there are some excellent restaurants on there, much of it reads like a list of where Russian oligarchs like to hang out with their arm candy.

However, the winner of The Red Card award, by a country mile, is the 'laksa' served at The Providores & Tapa Room. Or to give it its full name: smoked coconut, tamarind and liquorice laksa with a chicken lime leaf dumpling, green tea noodles, crispy shallots and coriander.

It's this kind of crap that gives fusion a bad name. Notwithstanding the incompatibility of subtle green tea noodles with a flavoursome aromatic broth, it was also poorly executed – the noodles were overcooked and the dumpling virtually had no filling.

Perhaps if I was richer and had the appetite of a quail then I wouldn't have been so pissed off at the high price tag and miniscule portion size. But for me, the laksa from The Providores & Tapa Room should be sent-off now!

Song of the Year – awarded to my favourite song of the last year

Winner: Blackout by Anna Calvi

I'll just let the music do the talking. Suffice to say, if there were any justice in the world then Anna Calvi would be a global superstar.

If you want to check out last year's Golden Noodle Awards then please click here.

I'm Back from Cuba

2011-08-08T01:46:00.002+01:00

Trinidad, Cuba

Did you miss me? I had a great couple of weeks in Cuba, but I won't be blogging too much about my break. I know I normally love to write loads about my travels but this was a holiday for both the blog and me!

Having said that, here's a quick plug for where I had my best meal in Cuba: Villa Noel, a casa particular just outside of Viñales. I didn't actually stay at Villa Noel but they do serve meals to non-residents if you contact them in advance (big thanks to our guide for arranging dinner there).

Villa Noel, Viñales

The food is simple Cuban fare that is prepared using the freshest ingredients. We started with avocado salad followed by platters of pork, chicken, red snapper and lobster served with sides of rice, beans, chicharitas (fried plantain chips), sweet potatoes and cooked bananas. For dessert, we tucked into platters of guava, mango, papaya and pineapple. It was all good.

Sadly, food of this quality is the exception rather than the rule when eating out in Cuba. However, given the privations that most Cubans have to endure, in particular, their reliance on the libreta (ration book), one shouldn't complain too much about this situation. Indeed I look back with a sense of shame that I was fretting about the quality of the food before coming to Cuba.

Anyway, I'm back home now, and after much badgering – yes, I do mean you, Aaron and Su-Lin – I've finally decided to join Twitter. I'll be honest, I'm a former Twitter-sceptic, and part of me is still unsure as to whether I should tweet. However, I'll give it a go, not least because I want to get some momentum behind my campaign for Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) to open in London.

Senses of Thailand @ Selfridges

2011-07-22T00:00:00.089+01:00

This post is a little late, as the Senses of Thailand promotion at Selfridges ends 30th July. Whilst I don't accept many PR invites, I couldn't resist this one. After all, Thai is one of my favourite cuisines. There's lots of great stuff at this promotion with the likes of Patara and @siam dispensing free samples.

However, the highlight has to be the mash-up (look at me getting down with the kids) between Nahm and Selfridges Champagne and Oyster Bar, where special dishes devised by Nahm's head chef, Matthew Albert are available. My favourite was the oysters with peanut and green mango nahm jim (hoi nang rom nahm jim).

Apologies for the brevity of this post, but I'm going away on holiday – a proper one without the intrusions of the interweb. I'll respond to your comments and e-mails when I get back. The next post will be on August 8th. See you then.

Din Tai Fung - London Needs You

2011-07-17T18:30:00.002+01:00

Long time readers of my blog will know that I am obsessed by Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) - I've even campaigned for them to open in London. So it was inevitable that when I was in Hong Kong, I would pop into their Causeway Bay restaurant, not once, but twice, to sample their world famous xiao long bao (小籠包) as well as some of their other treats.

It goes without saying the xiao long bao (小籠包) are different class whether they're the standard pork ones or the blingier pork & crab variety (蟹粉小籠包). The elastic dumpling skins are so delicate yet there's seldom any leakage of soup.

Of the other dumplings, I'm a big fan of the glutinous rice & pork shao mai (糯肉燒賣). In case you're wondering, these shao mai are Shanghai-style and differ from the more familiar Cantonese-style. Be warned though, the glutinous rice is quite filling.

Less successful were the steamed mushroom & vegetable dumplings (香菇素餃). I guess I just don't like this style of dumpling. They're a bit indelicate for my liking and the filling wasn't much cop either.

Whilst most of Din Tai Fung's offerings are either Shanghainese or Taiwanese in origin, there is the odd interloper like these tasty Sichuan-style chao shou (紅油抄手). These are essentially wontons in chilli oil, and they are proper spicy.

The first time I had Din Tai Fung's steamed chicken soup (元盅雞湯) was in Shanghai. This rendition wasn't quite as good as I remembered but it's still well worth ordering. You can also order this with noodles, which come on the side, to make your own noodle soup.

Din Tai Fung's Taiwanese roots are showcased by dishes such as fried pork chop (炸排骨). There was nothing technically wrong with this dish but there was too much five-spice powder for my liking.

There's a wide selection of noodles but they were a bit hit and miss. One of the misses was the Taiwan-style dan dan noodles (台式擔擔撈麵). I found the sauce insipid with the peanut and sesame paste a bit overpowering. So much so, there was barely any heat. Perhaps this is how they like it in Taiwan.

A much better bet for carbs are the fried rice dishes such as the shrimp & egg fried rice (蝦仁蛋炒飯). Other dishes that I can recommend include stir-fried greens and Shanghai-style cold starters.

Incidentally, when ordering at Din Tai Fung – you need a strategy. My advice is to order some cold starters and a first batch of dumplings to kick off with – it is critical that you don't order too many baskets of dumplings in this first order, as they don't taste as nice if left sitting around. When the first batch of dumplings arrives, order a second batch along with any other dishes that take your fancy. You can of course order further batches of dumplings but always keep a stagger so that you can enjoy them freshly steamed.

Whilst not every dish wowed, Din Tai Fung has a winning formula that fills both its Hong Kong restaurants with locals, expats, and out-of-towners on a daily basis. I'm also sure that it's a formula that would go down a storm in London. And indeed there was talk of Din Tai Fung setting up shop in London (and Paris) as far back as 2008, although I've heard nothing since.

The thing is I could live with Din Tai Fung not being in London if it just operated in its native Taiwan with maybe a branch or two in cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong. But knowing that they operate around 60 restaurants in 10 countries does beg the question: why not? After all, there are 10 branches in Singapore, a city half the size of London. And it's not as if they operate solely in Asia, as there are two restaurants in Sydney in addition to those in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Anyway, I have a plan. There are currently 11 branches of Ping Pong, a dim sum eatery for which I have scant regard, in London. My plan would see all of these become branches of Din Tai Fung. Overnight, dumplings of a higher order would replace Ping Pong's crappy dim sum. Unfortunately, I'm not an omnipotent London food tsar that can make these things happen, so I'm making an appeal to the owners of Ping Pong.

Please can you guys make an offer to the owners of Din Tai Fung to become their UK franchisee? Now I know Ping Pong probably makes a fair bit of money, but by my reckoning Din Tai Fung can probably make you more. And not only that, just think of the respect and gratitude that you will get. Now I know I've been a bit rude about Ping Pong, but it's nothing personal. I just want to see a better class of dumpling in town. So what do you think, Ping Pong?

In the meantime, let's keep the campaign for Din Tai Fung to open in London going – please drop them a friendly note by clicking here.

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐
G/F, 68 Yee Woo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
香港銅鑼灣怡和街68號地下
(Tel: +852-3160-8998)
Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣

Family Dosa @ Chennai Dosa

2011-07-13T07:00:00.003+01:00

When I was kindly invited by Su-Lin to join some other foodie blogger twitterer types to check out the six-foot family dosa at Chennai Dosa, the answer was always going to be yes. Sometimes dishes like these are ordered for their novelty value rather than being any good, but in this case, I needn't have worried.

I was lucky enough to sit at the end where the dosa had a crispier consistency, and I enjoyed tucking into this with potato curry and the various chutneys. We didn't quite finish it off but we had a pretty good go at it.

There were other dishes too, and for Su-Lin's fuller account of the meal, please click here. There are branches of Chennai Dosa dotted around London, and we ate at the Ealing Road branch, which is pure vegetarian. This is adjacent to a non-vegetarian branch on High Road, Wembley.

Chennai Dosa, 3 Ealing Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 2AA
(Tel: 020-8782-8822) Nearest tube: Wembley Central

A Tour of Asia on The Grubworm

2011-07-12T00:00:00.000+01:00

I've been doing a spot of moonlighting again – check out my guest post on The Grubworm.

Hong Kong & Guangzhou Scrapbook

2011-07-08T00:00:00.001+01:00

This is the last post in The Cantonese Season and to sign off, here are some images of two of the most beguiling foodie cities in the world.

It's often said that the Kowloon side of Hong Kong is earthier than the Island side. That's certainly true of Temple Street night market, which attracts both locals and tourists with its mix of counterfeit goods, special interest adult DVDs, and tasty street food.

As well as the seafood and hotpot restaurants with outdoor seating, there are also loads of little stalls selling stuff like meatballs, sausages, and fish balls on skewers. Despite having dinner plans, I couldn't resist a skewer or two.

Guangdong province is home not only to Cantonese cuisine, but also Chiuchow or Teochew cuisine (潮州菜). This style of food is hugely popular in Hong Kong where dishes like poached goose in master stock (滷水鵝) have become local favourites.

Sadly, other than the goose and a few snacks, I didn't get to really sample much of this cuisine, as we went to Chiuchow Garden for dim sum. However, we did get to finish our meal in the traditional Chiuchow way, with some kung-fu tea (工夫茶).

HK-style western food is a law unto itself, and these lunch specials at Tsui Wah had me scratching my head. Does anyone know what Cream of Queen soup is? How about Chicken Macmillan?

As we had a bit of time to kill before dinner at The Chairman, Tom took me to Cantopop. Without sounding too pretentious, this is a 21st century cha chaan teng (茶餐廳). We just had beer and snacks, but looking back I wish we had ordered some sous-vide cha siu.

Despite building an extensive underground metro, carving out express bus lanes, and banning motorbikes, Guangzhou's traffic is still terrible. Perhaps this bike-share scheme is the answer.

I kid you not, but my first port of call in Guangzhou was the fish market. The Huangsha Aquatic Products Market (黄沙水产交易市场) is one of the busiest in China, if not the world.

The market is open for wholesale and retail, and there's lots of weird and wonderful stuff to see. I was especially drawn to the geoduck or elephant clams (象拔蚌).

There are quite a few seafood restaurants in the market complex, and we pitched up at one for a spot of lunch. We kicked off with some whelks and other highlights included scallops, steamed fish and abalone.

Are you reading this, Matthew Norman? I ate loads of greens on this trip. I particularly enjoyed the vegetables in Guangzhou although I couldn't remember what many of them were called.

Sweet & sour is often seen as cheap and nasty but these posh sweet & sour spare ribs (生炒排骨) are a far cry from the No.27 at the local take-away. Not only were they served in a rice vermicelli nest but also there wasn't a single pineapple chunk in sight!

Alas, this is the end of The Cantonese Season. If you want to catch up on earlier posts, click here and scroll to the end for links. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank family, friends and colleagues for their invaluable input.

Some Other Sites
If you're planning a trip to Hong Kong then there's loads of stuff out there on the interweb. Some HK-based blogs I found useful include:

e*ting the world
Food of Hong Kong & Macau
Life as a Bon Vivant
Tom Eats Jen Cooks

Of the mainstream media, the following are worth checking out:

CNN Go (surprisingly good)
Open Rice (bilingual HK version of Urbanspoon)
Time Out Hong Kong

Many London-based bloggers have also been to Hong Kong in the last year or so. If you're just stopping over for a couple of days then An American In London's succinct 48 hours of Eating in Hong Kong is a great guide. For those of you spending more time in Hong Kong, Hollow Legs and Pig Pig's Corner cover a lot of ground between them. As does CheChe's Blog on her recent series of posts.

A Few Words
Unless you look Chinese, people in Guangzhou or Hong Kong won't expect you to speak Cantonese. Nevertheless, it's useful to know some basic phrases such as:

zou san = Good morning
nei hou = Hello (lit. how are you)
m goi = Please/Excuse me/Thank you (for service, say in a shop)
do ze = Thank you (for a gift, or something tangible)
zoi gin = Goodbye (lit. see you again)
zou tau = Good night

By the way, the English words: 'hello' (haa lo) and 'bye bye' (baai baai), have both entered into the Cantonese vernacular. Indeed, there are many English loanwords in Cantonese. For those of you that can speak a bit of Mandarin, this will be of more use in Guangzhou than Hong Kong.

The Rustic Delights of Big Rock 大石

2011-07-04T07:29:00.000+01:00

This is the penultimate post of The Cantonese Season, and it features my favourite meal of the whole trip. Sorry Hong Kong, but the honour goes to a very special restaurant on the outskirts of Guangzhou!

Fish market

Back in the day, Dashi (大石), which means 'Big Rock' in English, was a small village located between the cities of Guangzhou and Panyu. Nowadays, it's been swallowed up by the urban sprawl but there remain a few signs of its rustic past such as 花好悦园酒家 (there's no English name but the translation is something like 'Delightful Garden of Good Flowers Restaurant').

Upon arriving at this restaurant, you could be mistaken that you've strolled into a market, as there are displays of vegetables and seafood, as well as rows of fish tanks. Walk further in, and there are open kitchen stations each devoted to their own speciality such as the steamed bun station.

Steamed bun station

Ordering is also done differently. You literally walk around the market area with your server, and select fish, seafood, and vegetables to be cooked in the style of your choosing. For other dishes, you can visit the various kitchen stations to see if you like the look of the food. For example, from the rotisserie station, we ordered this juicy and succulent roast goose (燒鵝). It saddens me that this dish is seemingly impossible to find in the UK.

Roast goose (燒鵝)

Roast chicken (燒雞)

The Cantonese love chicken, and popular styles of cooking include white-cut chicken (白切雞), soy sauce chicken (豉油雞), and crispy fried chicken (炸子雞). But one style that isn't as common is roast chicken (燒雞); this particular one was honey-basted and I loved the crispy skin. The rotisserie station get top marks!

Covered outdoor seating

In addition to the market area and the open kitchen stations, the restaurant proper consists of a normal indoor dining room and a covered 'outdoor' area (monsoons are not uncommon in this part of the world). We bagged a table in the outdoor area, right by the lily pond.

Steamed dace (清蒸土鯪魚)

Steamed fish is always a popular choice to take centre stage in a Cantonese meal. In this case, it was steamed dace (清蒸土鯪魚) aka Chinese mud carp. I'd never eaten fresh dace before, and it was a revelation. It helped that it was just cooked.

Fish-skin dumplings (魚皮餃)

Of all the dishes that I ate on this trip, the fish-skin dumplings (魚皮餃) stood out as my favourite. These are essentially wontons with a fish-skin wrapper and a filling of pounded fish meat. I also liked the broth (non-fishy) and the vegetable that it was served with. Apologies, but I've forgotten the name of this veg that bears some similarities to water spinach or morning glory (蕹菜 ong choi).

Stuffed tofu (酿豆腐)

I had a feeling that this stuffed tofu (酿豆腐) dish was special when I saw a whole kitchen station devoted to making it. I'm not a tofu man but everybody else was raving about it.

Braised goose with taro (芋頭燜鵝)

I still have dreams about the braised goose with taro (芋頭燜鵝) and the amazing light citrusy gravy that it was served with. This was a perfect combination especially with the taro soaking up the gravy. Of the two goose dishes, I preferred this one.

Green aubergine (青茄子)

We had lots of vegetables at the table, and my Mum, revealing her inner-blogger, insisted that I take a photo of the green aubergine (青茄子). As she rightly pointed out, these are seldom seen outside of Asia.

Sweet potato cakes (番薯餅)

These mashed sweet potato cakes (番薯餅) were fluffy inside yet crispy on the outside. I forgot how much I liked these until I saw the photo again. Sweet potato is very common in southern Chinese cooking and is eaten in addition to the more usual accompaniments of rice and noodles.

Mini filled 'bolo' bao (菠蘿包仔)

Never let it be said that the Chinese don't do desserts. Pineapple buns or bolo bao (菠蘿包) don't normally contain any pineapple (the name comes from the cookie-like topping that resembles the outside of a pineapple). These did though, with a delicious pineapple jam filling. The other dessert was a hand-made black sesame paste (芝麻糊) – also tasty.

Cantonese cuisine has many faces, not all of them pretty. Take, for example the use of unethical ingredients, MSG and mass produced additive-laden sauces. That's why it's important to champion the simple rustic approach of restaurants like this one (and The Chairman in Hong Kong). However, worthy principles count for little if the end product doesn't deliver. This does, and from start to finish, it was a meal to remember. It goes without saying that you should visit this restaurant if you can.

There isn't really an address for this restaurant, as it's in the middle of nowhere. The easiest way to get there is by taking the Guangzhou Metro (Line 3) to Dashi (大石). Leave the station using Exit C then walk for about 5 minutes with the exit of the metro station behind you. Eventually, you should spot a couple of restaurants on your left. The one you want is 花好悦园酒家, as in the photo below:

Alternatively, I can forward a pdf copy of their business card with a map and directions in Chinese if you contact me by e-mail.

Princess Garden - Going Cantonese in London

2011-06-30T06:30:00.011+01:00

Steamed mashed pork

I know what you're thinking. It's all very well banging on about the wonderful Cantonese food in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, but what about London? With that in mind, I decided to check out Princess Garden of Mayfair. Having not long returned from Hong Kong, I was a tad apprehensive as to whether it'd be up to scratch.

Drunken chicken

Five-spice beef slices

But I needn't have worried, as most of the dishes were very good. Although not strictly Cantonese, the cold starters of five-spice beef slices and drunken chicken were indicative of the generally high standard of the food.

Steamed sea bass

When it came to the mains, the kitchen passed the test of steaming a sea bass to perfection. Extra marks too for the deboning and portioning-up. The steamed mashed pork took me back to my childhood, although I have to say my Mum's version is better. Gai-lan with garlic was well rendered as were the e-fu noodles that came with more crab than might be expected.

Pork casserole with preserved veg

The only slightly bum notes were the pork casserole with preserved veg and the egg white with chives. In the case of the former, the pork wasn't unctuous enough whilst the latter was a tad oily and a bit mean with the chives. That said neither dish was objectionable. To round off, we enjoyed authentic Cantonese desserts such as sago pudding w/fragrant taro.

The dining room oozes elegance and is reminiscent of an upscale Hong Kong hotel restaurant (in a good way). Service was exemplary, and given that we were in Mayfair, the bill was a pleasant surprise. I still can't quite believe that dinner was a mere £28/head albeit sans booze but with tea, rice and service.

Taro croquette

Returning a week later for lunch, I was equally impressed by the high quality of their dim sum. The benchmark of any dim sum kitchen is har gau and these amply filled prawn dumplings passed the test. Of the other classics, my favourite was the prettiest taro croquette that I've come across. It tasted as good as it looked.

As good as the classics were, it was the more unusual dishes that grabbed my attention. Sadly, they had run out of baked cha siu bao (like the ones I recently had in Guangzhou). However, my disappointment soon turned to joy when I saw that they served golden cuttlefish cheung fun (thanks for the tip-off, Sharmila).

Golden cuttlefish cheung fun

This dish sees cuttlefish paste wrapped in tofu skin and deep-fried, with the resultant roll then further wrapped in cheung fun. The triple textural contrast of springy cuttlefish paste, crispy tofu skin, and slippery smooth rice noodle was the highlight of lunch. Granted, it's not as good as the version that I had at The Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, but I'm dead chuffed to have found somewhere that serves this dish in London.

Any negatives? My only (minor) gripe is that the Cantonese BBQ selection is limited to roast duck and that the porky delights of cha siu and siu yuk are absent from the menu. Mind you, whilst I like to have some siu yuk (crispy belly pork) with my dim sum, its absence isn't the end of the world. In common with dinner, lunch was cheaper than I anticipated - eleven dishes of dim sum, tea and service came to around £42 or £14/head.

It'd be fair to say that I really like Princess Garden and I'm going to add it to my list of best places for dim sum in London. Dinner is also excellent, and I still can't believe what amazing value this restaurant is. Especially given its classy elegant dining room and prime Mayfair location. Highly recommended.

I've been back to this restaurant, and for a look at some of their more interesting dim sum, please click here and scroll to the bottom.

Princess Garden of Mayfair, 8-10 North Audley Street, London, W1K 6ZD
(Tel: 020-7493-3223) Nearest tube: Bond St, Marble Arch

Under Bridge Spicy Crab 橋底辣蟹

2011-06-26T20:03:00.000+01:00

It's often been said that the Cantonese can't handle spicy food, but in my opinion that's a bit of a generalisation. Whilst they might not like it as hot as their brethren in Hunan or Sichuan, the Cantonese do enjoy a bit of heat. After all, they did invent the famous XO sauce, amongst other chilli oils and sauces. And they're also responsible for chiu-yim (椒鹽) style dishes, where deep-fried treats like squid are tossed in a chilli-salt mix.

Still not convinced? Then I can only assume that you've never come across typhoon shelter crab (避風塘炒蟹). A single taste of this dish will swiftly disabuse you of the notion that the Cantonese are members of the Korma Tendency. I'm not exactly sure of the origins of this dish, but legend has it that it was invented by the 'boat dwellers' (水上人家) that lived in and around Hong Kong's typhoon shelters. In this respect, typhoon shelter crab can be considered Hong Kong's 'national' dish.

Whilst this dish is found on the menus of many mainstream Cantonese restaurants, it remains best served by specialist joints. Perhaps the most famous of these is Under Bridge Spicy Crab (橋底辣蟹). This Wan Chai restaurant is an institution and their version of this dish sees deep-fried crab tossed in their legendary chilli-mix. This dry crispy mix of garlic, chilli, black beans (豆豉 douci), and spring onions is maddeningly addictive. So much so, I ordered a couple of bowls of congee to put the chilli-mix into. We went for medium spicy, and to be honest any hotter than this can slightly spoil the crab.

The typhoon shelter treatment isn't limited to crab, and we also sampled some typhoon shelter mantis shrimps. These giant beasts are colloquially known in Chinese as 攋尿蝦, which translates as pissing prawns, and have a texture akin to lobster. Again these were very moreish, particularly the tail.

It is very easy to over order, and with hindsight we ordered one, maybe two dishes too many. Other seafood dishes that they do well include clams in black bean sauce and deep-fried silverfish. As you might expect from any Chinese restaurant, the veggies are top notch, in this case some stir-fried flowering chives. A special shout also goes to our waiter, a gravelly voiced Cantonese old boy who looked after us really well.

This restaurant is a unique Hong Kong experience and I heartily recommend it. Thanks also to Tom and Jen for joining me at Under Bridge Spicy Crab and also at The Chairman – great meals made better by great company.

Whilst Under Bridge Spicy Crab is famous, it can be confusing to find the right one to go to, as there are three outlets in close proximity to one another. There are also other spicy crab restaurants in the locale, which further adds to the confusion. Anyway, we went to the flagship restaurant, which is said to be best. I think the address is as below, but if in doubt, it's the only one of the three on Lockhart Road proper.

Under Bridge Spicy Crab 橋底辣蟹
G/F-3/F, Ascot Mansion, 421-425 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
香港灣仔駱克道421-425號雅閣大廈地下至三樓
Tel: +852-2893-1289 / +852-2834-6818
Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣

Cantonese Classics Part 2 @ Belly God 食为天

2011-06-23T06:45:00.007+01:00

Chinese food is all about balance – yin yang (陰陽) if you like – that's why a big Cantonese meal consists of both rich dishes like suckling pig and healthier fare such as steamed fish. The dinner that I had with relatives at Belly God (食为天) in Guangzhou is a fine example of this principle at work. Here are the highlights:

Often incorrectly described as pigeon in English-language menus, crispy squab (燒乳鴿) is a classic that is, in my opinion, done better in Guangzhou compared to Hong Kong. Sadly, this dish is rarely seen on the menus of Cantonese restaurants in the UK.

An example of a simpler dish that balances out some of the richer fare in a Cantonese feast is marrow topped with pork balls in broth. I particularly enjoyed the salted fish topping on the pork balls and the moreish broth.

The Cantonese are masters when it comes to roasting meats. Take for example, roast suckling pig (燒乳豬) with its juicy tender meat and brittle crispy crackling – a worthy centrepiece for this, or any, meal.

I have no idea what this freshwater fish (淡水魚) is called except that it was still swimming around in a tank shortly before it was put in a steamer.

The eel (sin 鱔) was braised with soy sauce and other stuff, but I can't remember exactly what. It was bloody tasty though, with the eel soaking up loads of flavour.

I'm not sure if Belly God serves dim sum, but if these pan-fried fish cakes (煎魚餅) are anything to go by then I'm sure they'd be damn good at it. As is often the way with this style of 'cake' or beng (餅), chopped water chestnuts are added to provide a crunchy contrast in texture.

Steamed prawns is one of those simple dishes that seem to be more popular in Guangzhou compared to Hong Kong.

And as you should've worked out by now, e-fu noodles (伊麵) are the noodles of choice for a big blow out Cantonese meal.

Belly God is definitely somewhere you should check out if you want a classier Cantonese experience in Guangzhou. In terms of the food, I struggle to think of any shortcomings, and it was only due to poor photography skills that more dishes aren't featured in this post. I can't recall how much it all cost, but I do remember that it was a bargain from a western or even a Hong Kong perspective.

For those of you without Chinese language skills, I'm afraid the menu is only in Chinese, although it did have loads of photos. That said, this restaurant strikes me as the kind of place that might have an English-language menu.

In common with 海雲軒, where I had dim sum, Belly God is located on Tianhe Bei Lu (天河北路), a well-known street in Guangzhou. The best way to get there is to hail a taxi and show the driver the address in Chinese:

食为天 Belly God
广州市天河北路614号金海花园首层
1/F Jinhai Garden, 614 Tianhe Bei Lu, Guangzhou, China

Cantonese Classics Part 1 @ Fu Sing 富聲

2011-06-20T00:00:00.139+01:00

There are many restaurants in Hong Kong whose stock-in-trade is knocking out quality 'banquet-style' Cantonese dishes. One such place is Fu Sing (富聲), where I had dinner with a big party of colleagues. Loads of dishes were ordered and here are the highlights:

Nowadays it's quite fashionable to serve crispy belly pork (siu yuk 燒肉) in a geometrically perfect mini-portion. This was damn good but I was a bit upset that the flavoursome bottom layers of the belly had been carved off. Boo!

Continuing on the roast pork theme, Fu Sing's juicy and succulent cha siu (义燒) is said to be amongst the best in Hong Kong. Having tasted it, I can understand why.

The moreish deep fried cuttlefish mouths (墨魚口) went really well with beer.

Ducks' tongues (鴨舌) was another fine appetiser, and had more meat than you might first anticipate.

Salted egg yolk deep fried king prawn (鹹蛋黃炸蝦). This may not be the healthiest dish, but who cares when it's so damn tasty!

Some of the guests at dinner were from Singapore, and they remarked that the peppery pork rib & mooli soup (肉骨蘿蔔湯) bore some similarities to bak kut teh (肉骨茶) – no higher praise in my opinion.

Quite possibly the most interesting dish of the evening was the 'ham sarnie' – someone at the table mentioned that it might contain the prized Jinhua ham (金華火腿). I loved the combo of ham with steamed mantou (饅頭) and lotus seeds (蓮子).

The e-fu noodles with crab (蟹伊麵) was a fine choice, especially as the crab had been steamed with rice wine, which the noodles soaked up nicely.

The food was of a high standard, better than Cantonese fare in the UK, but par for the course for this kind of restaurant in Hong Kong. That said, the cha siu is different class and is the one dish that you should visit Fu Sing for.

Fu Sing Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant 富聲魚翅海鮮酒家
1/F, 353 Lockhart Road, Sunshine Plaza, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
香港灣仔駱克道353號三湘大廈1樓
Tel: +852-2893-0881
Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣

Postscript: I ate at the Wan Chai branch of Fu Sing, but there's another branch in Causeway Bay, which other foodies reckon is better.

Eat Like A Local @ Tsui Wah 翠華餐廳 & Ocean Empire 海皇粥店

2011-06-16T00:00:00.048+01:00

Whilst dim sum makes for a great breakfast or lunch, few people have the time, money, or metabolism to indulge a daily dumpling habit. So what are the alternatives? Well, for many Hong Kongers, they like to pop into cha chaan tengs (茶餐廳). These are best described as the Hong Kong equivalent of the American diner.

These diners are open from breakfast to late into the night, and serve a bewildering array of dishes encompassing Cantonese favourites, HK-style western food, and increasingly so, local versions of South East Asian dishes. For example, breakfast might be HK-style French toast or macaroni in broth w/fried egg, and lunch or dinner might consist of Hainan chicken rice or Malaysian curry.

One of Hong Kong's most famous cha chaan tengs is Tsui Wah (翠華餐廳), a small chain whose flagship branch is on Wellington Street and consists of three cavernous floors. This isn't the place for a quiet chat, and more often than not, you're expected to share a table with other diners.

I pitched up at Tsui Wah with some colleagues, and was confronted with multiple menus. I kept it simple and ordered fish combination w/rice vermicelli in fish soup (鮮味魚四寶米線), with the 'combination' consisting of squid balls (墨魚丸), fish balls (魚蛋), fish roll (魚春卷), and fish paste puff (魚腐). The quality may not have been the best, but as a workday lunch, it certainly beats the living daylights out of a tired old sarnie. And for a mere HK$30 (apx £2.50), it's certainly great value.

With hindsight, though, I should've gone for the Kagoshima pork cartilage in special sauce & fish balls w/rice noodles in fish soup that my colleague ordered. She kindly let me have some of the cartilage (豬軟骨) and it was fantastic, with all the porky goodness demanding to be sucked clean off the soft bone.

However, it was the flowering chives (韮菜) served with an abalone sauce that stole the show. This dish wouldn't have felt out of place in one of Hong Kong's swankier restaurants, never mind a humble cha chaan teng.

At the end of the day, Tsui Wah can be uncomfortable and noisy, and you can probably get better quality food at specialist 'hole-in-the-walls' like Lau Sum Kee. But for all that, a visit to a cha chaan teng is a must-do, as it is a unique Hong Kong experience.

Tsui Wah 翠華餐廳
G-2/F, 15-19 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
香港中環中環威靈頓街15-19號地下至2樓
Nearest MTR: Central 中環

Despite being called Mr Noodles, my favourite Chinese breakfast is congee, or as it's called in Cantonese: juk (粥). As this rice porridge is a slow-cooked affair, locals go to a congee shop or juk diem (粥店) for convenience.

Ocean Empire (海皇粥店) is a mini-chain that serves many different types of congee, all priced around the HK$20 mark. I went for my favourite of fish slice congee w/coriander (芫茜魚片粥). For those of you that make congee at home, coriander is a great addition as it introduces an extra herby flavour whilst adding colour too. As I've come to expect from Ocean Empire, this was a fine bowl of congee with delicate flakes of fish and a deep ginger flavour.

Congee is usually topped with a couple of bits of deep-fried dough stick (you tiao 油條). However, some people like to order extra you tiao, and I'm no exception although I like to have it wrapped in rice noodle roll (cheung fun 腸粉) to make zhaliang (炸兩). Ocean Empire rather exuberantly names this dish in English as twisted doughnut ricesheet roll.

Ocean Empire's version is a good one. As you can see, the freshly made cheung fun is almost translucent. The fried doughstick is also crispy on the outside and isn't too oily. Incidentally, if you sit near the open kitchen, you can see the cheung fun being freshly made to order. They do quite a big range of cheung fun, and I can also recommend the dried shrimp ricesheet roll (蝦米腸粉). Other dishes include snacks and stir-fried noodles that are mainly served as accompaniments to the signature congee.

Some of Hong Kong's hole-in-the-walls can be inaccessible to non-Chinese readers, and it's to Ocean Empire's credit that their menu is in Chinese (both traditional and simplified characters), English and Japanese. In other words, there's no excuse not to come here!

Rather bizarrely, despite having multilingual menus, a few of their outlets only have Chinese signage. Ocean Empire's logo is as above, if you want to identify this superior juk diem.

Ocean Empire Food Shop 海皇粥店
Shop 1-2, G/F, 15-23 Sugar Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
香港銅鑼灣糖街15-23號地下1-2號舖
Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣

Dim Sum in Guangzhou @ 海雲軒

2011-06-12T19:00:00.105+01:00

Sunday mornings in Guangzhou are very different to those in the UK in that the city is well and truly awake at a very early hour. This is clearly evident by the fact that the city's many dim sum restaurants are usually full to bursting by 10am. So it was no surprise that when we arrived at my uncle's local dim sum joint, we had to wait for a table, and even after we were seated, it seemed like ages before the food arrived. It's just as well that it was worth the wait.

I can't remember the name of the dumplings in the above photo but they were filled with a mix of peanut paste, sesame, water chestnuts, and spring onion, with some lard to enhance flavour. A true dim sum master created these little beauties, as the wrappers were gossamer thin and the dumplings perfectly steamed. Although the filling sounds a bit weird, it works really well, as there's a salty-sweet contrast in flavour.

Whilst 'man-sized' baked cha siu bao (叉燒餐包) are commonly seen in Chinatown bakeries around the world, I've only ever seen the miniature dim sum version in Asia. I really enjoyed these freshly baked soft buns with their honey glaze and tasty roast pork filling.

More familar dishes such as siu mai (燒賣), steamed spare ribs w/chilli (蒸排骨), and steamed beef balls (牛肉球) were also well rendered. The latter was particularly excellent, as there was a decent amount of dried citrus peel (果皮 guo pi) in the beef ball mixture. Also worthy of mention is the excellent congee (粥 juk).

I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is life-changing dim sum (for that try The Garden Hotel) or that you should especially visit this restaurant. Mind you, the quality of the dim sum is streets ahead of most of what you'll find in the UK and better than the couple of yum cha places I visited in Hong Kong. So if you do happen to be in the Tianhe area of Guangzhou then 海雲軒 is definitely worth a visit for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

By the way, despite this place having an English name on its business card, Ocean World Restaurant, only the Chinese name, 海雲軒, is seen on its signage. The dim sum order sheet is also only in Chinese, and I'm not sure if they have an English language menu or English speaking staff.

The easiest way to get to this restaurant is to hail a taxi and show the driver the address in Chinese:

海雲軒 Ocean World Restaurant
广州市天河北路550-556号帝景苑商业中心二楼
550-556 Tianhe Bei Lu, Guangzhou, China

However, the entrance is actually on 龙口西路 (Longkou Xi Lu), which runs perpendicular to 天河北路 (Tianhe Bei Lu).

Dinner @ The Chairman 大班樓

2011-06-08T22:00:00.002+01:00

Wild clams in sake & fish broth

When on my travels, I tend to think more about what to eat rather than where to eat. That said, I always make an effort to identify one restaurant for a special treat. For my trip to Hong Kong, I did loads of research in seeking out the one, and time after time, one name kept cropping up: The Chairman (大班樓 tai pan lau).

This Cantonese restaurant stands out for doing things a little differently. For example, the menu changes regularly and is remarkably brief by Chinese standards. Conspicuous by their absence are gweilo-friendly dishes such as beef in black bean sauce, and more surprisingly, high-end local favourites like abalone. Instead the emphasis is on using, wherever possible, locally sourced free-range produce and additive-free ingredients.

This ethos is highly laudable but it also raises expectations. These were already high enough given that my dining companions, Tom and Jen, are big fans of this restaurant. Indeed it was Tom's recommendation that persuaded me to finally plump for The Chairman. So, no pressure then!

Appetizers
老火靚湯 Soup of the day
子薑皮蛋 Pickled Mid-summer Ginger Root served w/Century Eggs
檸檬葉蝦餅 Pan-fried Prawn Cakes w/Kaffir Lime Leaves
清酒魚湯煮紐西蘭蜆 Wild Clams in Japanese Sake & Fish Broth

Prawn cakes

Century eggs

We, well actually I, kicked off with the soup of the day: a clean tasting slow boiled consommé with pork, tripe and greens. This was followed by century eggs, which came with the most amazing pickled ginger.

Next up were the prawn cakes bejewelled with water chestnuts. Whilst these were tasty, they were no better than what many a restaurant in this part of the world can knock-up. Everything was fine up to this point but I did wonder when the meal was going to really come alive. Well I didn't have to wait long.

The final starter of wild clams is one of those dishes that will live long in the memory. Clams always come alive with a bit of booze and the mix of sake with Cantonese fish broth is an inspired idea. The broth was so moreish, I was well chuffed that there was some mooli to mop it up with. I was beginning to understand the hype.

Mains
雞油花雕蒸花蟹配陳村粉 Steamed Fresh Flower Crab w/Aged Shaoxing Wine, Fragrant Chicken Oil & Flat Rice Noodles
十八味豉油雞 The Chairman's Soy Sauce Chicken
話梅肉桂糖醋排骨 Braised Spare Ribs w/Preserved Plums in Caramelized Black Vinegar
梅菜蒸芥籣 Steamed Kai Lan w/Pickled Chinese Vegetables

Steamed flower crab

The clams were a hard act to follow, but the crab surpassed them. Our server advised that we eat the steamed sweet crab first, whilst allowing the rice noodles to soak up the rich sauce consisting of Shaoxing wine and chicken fat. This sauce was so moreish that we asked for extra rice noodles to mop the rest up. This prompted our server to comment, 'many think the noodles are the support act, when in fact they're the main event'. Never a truer word said.

Extra rice noodles

The Chairman's soy chicken

Shortly after we finished our crab, the soy sauce chicken turned up. This is another of The Chairman's signature dishes, and one whose Chinese name boasts of 18 flavours from the same number of different herbs and spices used. I'll be buggered if I can work out what these are although the smooth tender chicken had a boozy medicinal quality rather than the usual predominant notes of star anise. Regardless, it was another winner.

Spare ribs

To round the mains off, the spare ribs and the steamed kai lan arrived. I liked the slightly tart flavour of the ribs (and the crispy fried 'bits' on the side) although Jen thought the meat should've slipped off the bone more easily. The crunchy kai lan and pickled veg was also a fine combo. However, as good as both these dishes were, I'd probably try something else, the next time I visit The Chairman.

Desserts
桂花杞子雪糕 Wolfberry Ice Cream
子薑雪糕 Pickled Ginger Ice Cream
生磨杏仁荼 Homemade Almond Milk

Wolfberry ice cream

All of these were homemade, and I enjoyed yet more pickled ginger in my ice cream. I'm not a big almond milk fan, but Jen liked hers. With hindsight though, I should've ordered the wolfberry ice cream based on the bit I had of Tom's.

The Details
With its retro red and gold signage, The Chairman looks like an archetypal Cantonese restaurant from the outside. However, once inside, apart from a massive chandelier, the interior is quite simple with white walls adorned by modern art. There's also a serenity that's absent from many a Hong Kong restaurant as exemplified by the quietly efficient service. I also liked that dinner was served 'banquet' style with a nice stagger to enable dishes like the clams and crab to be enjoyed without distraction.

Whilst some might find the portion sizes a bit nouveau and the price tag high (by Hong Kong standards), I think the extra quality outweighs these perceived shortcomings. Besides, if booze is taken out of the equation, I don't consider spending around HK$450/head (apx £37.50/head) on the food that we ordered as being particularly outrageous.

The Verdict
It's been a while since I've done one of these blow-by-blow reviews, and that's testament to how good The Chairman is. This restaurant really does capture the heart and soul of Cantonese cuisine: quality ingredients, simply cooked.

Other Stuff
For those on a budget, there is a three-course set lunch from HK$158 (£13). There's also a set dinner for groups of 4+ from HK$488/head (£40/head). Whilst the set dinner isn't necessarily better value than going a la carte, it is an easier way to sample The Chairman's delights if you're part of a larger group.

The Chairman 大班樓
18 Kau U Fong, Central, Hong Kong
香港中環九如坊18號
Tel: +852-2555-2202
e-mail: reservations@thechairmangroup.com
Nearest MTR: Sheung Wan 上環

Postscript: Being a food geek. I noticed that the rice noodles served with the crab were described as 陳村粉 in Chinese or Chencun fun rather than the more usual 河粉 or ho fun. My research reveals that Chencun 陳村 is a small village near the city of Shunde 順德 in Guangdong province, an area renowned for its rice noodles. However, I'm not sure what differentiates Chencun fun from normal ho fun - can anyone out there shed some light on this matter?

Hong Kong Noodles X 3

2011-06-05T00:00:00.002+01:00

It'd be fair to say that the district of Sham Shui Po (深水埗) isn't on the itinerary of most visitors to Hong Kong, be they on holiday or on business. And nor would it have been on mine but for Jason's blog post on the amazing bamboo log or jook sing noodles (竹昇麵) at Lau Sum Kee (劉森記麵家). Jook sing noodles are made by a chef riding a bamboo log – I know that sounds like a euphemism for something unwholesome, but this video explains all.

Like many hole in the wall joints in Hong Kong, the menu is written only in Chinese. Somehow I managed to pick out the 蝦子墨魚丸水餃撈麵 (har zi mak yu yuan shui jiao lo mein), or prawn roe noodles w/cuttlefish balls & shui jiao dumplings (HK$ 37) – at around the equivalent of £3; this is the most expensive dish at Lau Sum Kee.

As this is a lo-mein dish, the cuttlefish balls and dumplings are served in a separate bowl of soup. The cuttlefish balls were QQ springy and perfectly seasoned; if not own-made then they're from a very high quality source. The shui jiao dumplings were damn good too with a generous filling of prawn and wood-ear fungus (木耳).

However, both were eclipsed by the accompanying plate of springy jook sing noodles topped with a liberal sprinkling of dried prawn roe (the crack cocaine of seasonings – not that I know what crack is like). To eat these noodles, some of the soup is added to them whilst mixing in the prawn roe. Pure genius – I love everything about this dish.

Lau Sum Kee is a bugger to find, as there's no English signage and street numbers can be hard to find on Hong Kong shops. I walked past it twice before I realised that it was the place I was looking for. My excuse is that the Chinese name is written in the old-fashioned way (from right to left) rather than the modern way (from left to right).

After finishing my noodles, I stumbled across some freshly baked buns and cakes in a little caff. For the equivalent of a mere 20p, I bought a still warm pineapple bun (bolo bao 菠蘿包). And as I strolled around Sham Shui Po eating this soft sweet bun and its crunchy cookie-like topping, I marvelled at what a veritable foodies' paradise, this little corner of Kowloon is.

The streets are literally lined with hole-in-the-wall joints, each serving their own specialities, ranging from trad-Cantonese to other Chinese cuisines like Sichuan and Yunnan, as well as Thai and Vietnamese places. So it goes without saying that Sham Shui Po is well worth a visit – after all, it's only five MTR stops from Tsim Sha Tsui and seven from Central.

Lau Sum Kee Noodle 劉森記麵家
48 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong
香港九龍深水埗桂林街48號地下
Nearest MTR: Sham Shui Po 深水埗

So if Lau Sum Kee is perceived to be a bit out of the way, then Mak's Noodle 麥奀雲吞麵世家 and Tsim Chai Kee 沾仔記 are anything but, as both are located in Hong Kong's busy Central district. I pitched up first to Mak's to try their acclaimed wonton noodles (雲吞麵). The noodles were very elastic and served in a perfectly seasoned broth – I could understand why they are so famous. But what is it with the portion size? Four pretty tiny wontons consisting of a sole (smallish) prawn with not that many noodles for HK$30, granted that's only around £2.50 but you can get hell of a lot more for that kind of price in Hong Kong.

Given how small the portion was at Mak's, I popped across the road to Tsim Chai Kee for a bowl of two toppings noodles (HK$23). Compared to Mak's, this was a super-sized portion with two freshly made peppery fishballs (鮮新魚球) coupled with two wontons (雲吞) that had fatty pork as well as prawn. All told, both toppings were far superior to Mak's miniscule offerings. However, the noodles weren't quite as springy and the broth was a tad overseasoned for my liking.

So, if only you could combine the toppings from Tsim Chai Kee with the soup and noodles from Mak's then you might, just might, get a dish that's as good as Lau Sum Kee's jook sing noodles. But that's not going to happen so if you do find yourself in Hong Kong then pay a visit to Lau Sum Kee for some of the best noodles around.

Mak's Noodle 麥奀雲吞麵世家
77 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
香港中環威靈頓街77號地下
Nearest MTR: Central 中環

Tsim Chai Kee 沾仔記
98 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
香港中環威靈頓街98號
Nearest MTR: Central 中環

The Cantonese Season

2011-06-02T06:00:00.038+01:00

Fish-skin dumplings (魚皮餃)

'In Beijing, one talks; in Shanghai, one shops; and in Guangzhou, one eats.'

This famous saying neatly sums up the status of Guangzhou 廣州 (previously better known as Canton in the west) as China's culinary capital. And it's no exaggeration to say that Cantonese cuisine (粵菜 yue cai) is held in the highest esteem throughout the Chinese-speaking world. In contrast, it has a bit of an image problem in the west, as many people associate it with a bastardised version typified by gloopy multicoloured dishes.

Consequently, with the exception of dim sum, Cantonese food isn't that fashionable nowadays, especially when compared to other Asian cuisines. For example, Japanese food is perceived to be classier, and other Chinese cuisines, most notably Sichuan, are seen as more exciting.

More's the pity in my opinion, as there's so much more to my native cuisine than sweet & sour pork. And having just returned from Guangzhou and Hong Kong, I feel inspired to blog loads about it. That's why for the next month or so, it's going to be The Cantonese Season on Eat Noodles Love Noodles. But for those of you who can't wait 'til the start of the season, here's a few posts on Cantonese food that I made earlier:

Chinese Bakery
Guangzhou
Cantonese BBQ – The Three Roasts
Old School Dim Sum
How To Order Dim Sum
Dim Sum in London

Below are the links to The Cantonese Season posts:

Hong Kong Noodles X 3
Dinner @ The Chairman 大班樓
Dim Sum in Guangzhou @ 海雲軒
Eat Like A Local @ Tsui Wah 翠華餐廳 & Ocean Empire 海皇粥店
Cantonese Classics Part 1 @ Fu Sing 富聲
Cantonese Classics Part 2 @ Belly God 食为天
Under Bridge Spicy Crab 橋底辣蟹
Princess Garden - Going Cantonese in London
The Rustic Delights of Big Rock 大石
Hong Kong & Guangzhou Scrapbook

Noodle Shorts 4

2011-05-31T07:34:00.000+01:00

I know it's juvenile but I couldn't resist taking a photo! But it isn't my fault; blame the Wing Tai Supermarket in Brixton for stocking Cock Flavour Soup Mix. Although I found this spicy noodle soup base in a Chinese supermarket, it's actually Jamaican in origin. Out of curiosity, has anyone tried this?

Tapas @ Barrica

2011-05-26T04:06:00.000+01:00

What is it about the letter B and Spanish food in London? Be it Barrafina, Brindisa, or the subject of this post, Barrica, all the good places seem to begin with the letter B. And true to form, Barrica is bloody good. Of the eleven or so tapas we sampled, there wasn't a single duff dish, which is unusual for a tapas joint.

Jamon Iberico Cebo (grain & acorn-fed ham)

Esparragos frecos (asparagus w/Manchego cheese)

Pierna de cerdo (grilled pork leg)

Tortilla

Albondigas (meatballs) and croquetas pescado (salt cod croquettes)

Whilst naming a favourite dish is difficult, I can recommend perusing the Tapas del Dia (daily specials), as there's some seriously good stuff on there such as the pierna de cerdo (grilled pork leg w/paprika & garlic) and the esparragos fresco (asparagus w/Manchego cheese). Of those tapas not pictured, the pulpo a la Gallega (Galician-style octopus) and the patatas bravas are must orders.

There's a lot to like about Barrica, with its buzzy atmosphere and genuinely warm service. Although the bill came to £140 (including 12.5% service) between the three of us, it was good value given that we sampled eleven tapas, two bottles of red and a small bottle of sherry. Strip out the booze, and you can eat really well for around £25/head.

Barrica, 62 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4NE
(Tel: 020-7436-9448) Nearest tube: Goodge St

Dinner @ Paolina Thai Café

2011-05-22T07:59:00.000+01:00

I can't speak for all food bloggers but a welcome side effect of my hobby is the number of requests I receive from friends to check out different eateries. One such request was from the Mysterious Mrs A to try the Paolina Thai Café. Also joining us was El Greco, and as Paolina does BYO so did a welcome fourth guest, a bottle of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

I wasn't over enamoured with the deep-fried starters of wontons and corn cakes, especially as the latter consisted mainly of batter. The garlicky steamed kanom jeep dumplings were better but the pick of the starters was a particularly spicy poh tak soup that came with plenty of seafood. I much prefer this cleaner hot and sour soup to the ubiquitous tom yum.

Moving onto the mains, I thought the kang mussamun (beef mussamun curry) was too sweet, and I preferred the kang dang gai (green chicken curry). The Mysterious Mrs A was a fan of the moo kratiem prik tai (stir-fried marinated pork w/garlic, pepper and coriander), which was very flavoursome. I wonder what they put in the marinade?

However for me, the stars of the evening were the side dishes. The papaya based som tum salad is one of my fave Thai dishes and this zingy version was a real winner. But even better was the pad Thai – one of the better renditions that I've come across in London. Unlike many renditions of this dish, this one wasn't too sweet.

Paolina is dirt-cheap – none of the dishes we ordered cost more than £5.90. Our bill with rice and a generous tip came to around £60 or £20 per head, but that's only because we over ordered – an inevitable side effect of blogging! For normal appetites, you can eat well for between £10 and £15 per head.

This place is tiny and is very much a caff rather than a restaurant, but I think that adds to the charm. Service was efficient and unobtrusive with that customary Thai charm. Whilst Paolina isn't going to challenge to be London's best Thai, it's far from the worse. Should you find yourself in the vicinity, it's well worth a visit, especially as it does BYO!

Paolina Thai Café, 181 Kings Cross Rd, London, WC1X 9BZ
(Tel: 020-7278-8176) Nearest stations: Kings Cross, St Pancras

My Other Gaff's Got Two Michelin Stars

2011-05-17T23:20:00.001+01:00

Whenever a big name chef puts their name to a new venture, be wary, be very wary. Either the original restaurant that made the chef famous suffers from neglect, or the new joint doesn't live up to the inevitable hype. This is the very problem facing Claude Bosi, the two Michelin starred chef at Hibiscus. He's opted to leave the running of his newish pub, the Fox and Grapes, to his brother, Cedric. That's probably the right decision but would diners at the Fox and Grapes feel a little short changed? Well there's only one way to find out...

We spurned proper starters but did share a Scotch egg and a basket of bread & butter. Although Scotch eggs are becoming a bit ubiquitous, this was a superior version, with the wild boar sausagemeat lending it a gamey flavour. The bread was superb too, nice and fresh from the oven.

My Cornish pollock with leeks, greens and an egg in a mushroom vinaigrette was perfectly executed but it failed to excite me. I've come to the conclusion that like many environmentally sound options, pollock is a bit boring. My mate's Cumberland sausage and mash was again well made but at the end of the day, it was bangers and mash.

The only slightly bum note of the meal were the triple-cooked chips that turned out more like potato wedges. When the triple-cooked tag is attached to the humble chip, they had better be out of this world. These weren't.

Although the Fox and Grapes is a pub, it feels more like a bistro or a restaurant than a boozer. And that's also the case with the prices; starters are around the £8 mark with mains around the £15 mark. Our bill came to £60 between two with a bottle of water, two pints of bitter and 12.5% service. Given how busy it was, service was good enough, although I was initially hacked off that they had no record of our lunch reservation.

There's nothing wrong with the Fox and Grapes; the food is of a generally high standard, but it's just too simple. Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic, what with the Claude Bosi connection, but the menu lacks a little bit of magic in my opinion. You could argue that it's a pub, and that it serves pub food, but the prices, the pedigree, and the ambience left me wanting more.

As I don't live too far away, I will be back. Besides, there's a paucity of quality places to eat out in Wimbledon. But for those of you not local to southwest London, I wouldn't bother making the journey.

Fox and Grapes, 9 Camp Road, Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4UN 
(Tel: 020-8619-1300)
Nearest station: Wimbledon (then take a taxi or the 93 bus towards Putney)

Fuzhou Cuisine @ New Aroma

2011-05-13T07:30:00.005+01:00

Of the myriad regional schools of Chinese cuisine that have arrived on Britain's shores in the past decade, one that is grossly underrepresented is the food of Fujian province, in particular that of its capital, Fuzhou (福州). Especially when you consider that many of the workers in Britain's Chinese restaurants (irrespective of style) come from the Fuzhou area.

Whilst New York's Manhattan Chinatown has many Fuzhou restaurants, they are less common in London. But that's not to say that they don't exist, as there's the Fuzhou Restaurant on Lisle Street and the venue for the meal featured in this post, New Aroma on Gerrard Street.

One of the best-known Fuzhou dishes is fishball soup (魚丸湯 yu wan tang), which is one of those dishes that transcends its roots and can be found in non-Fuzhou eateries. Fuzhou fishballs differ from normal ones by having a ground pork filling. Unlike many restaurant fishballs, these were 'own-made' and all the better for it.

It seem that balls loom large in Fuzhou cuisine, as evidenced by the sweet potato balls (蕃薯丸 fan shu wan) – these were another favourite of mine. The filling of ground pork and seaweed was damn good, and it came with a tasty broth with rice vermicelli (米粉 mi fen).

Other classic Fuzhou dishes include lychee pork (荔枝肉 li zhi rou), a sweet and sour style pork dish, so-called because the pork pieces looks like lychees. Other favourite dishes from the evening include eel in red wine lees (紅糟鰻魚 hong zao man yu), and a seafood noodle dish, whose Chinese name escapes me.

Incidentally, New Aroma also serves Cantonese food (both the real stuff and the Anglicised variant) as well as Sichuan food. Whilst these menus are in English and Chinese, the Fuzhou menu is in Chinese only. Our servers were helpful and they will probably help translate the Fuzhou menu, if you ask nicely.

Being a bit of a food trainspotter, I enjoyed sampling a cuisine, that other than Fuzhou fishballs, I hadn't really tried before. So I'd like to thank Limster, he of Chowhound fame, for deciphering the Chinese menu and ordering so adeptly, and Kake for organising the gathering.

If you want to know more about this restaurant and Fuzhou food (let's face it, my reviews are pretty half-arsed nowadays) then check out this Chowhound thread and the write-up on the Randomness Guide. For more photos of the food, check out this flickr stream.

New Aroma, 11 Gerrard St, London, W1D 5PP (Tel: 020-7287-6478)
Nearest tube: Leicester Square

Brixton Treats - Guyana Roti & Chorizo Colombiano

2011-05-08T20:54:00.000+01:00

The Indian influence on how the world eats can be illustrated by the popularity of roti. From its Indian origins, roti has become a firm favourite in places as far apart as Malaysia and Guyana, so much so that it's considered a national dish in both these countries.

I'm quite familiar with Malaysian roti canai but until recently I'd never tried the Guyanese version. And nor was I likely to until I stumbled across a bright blue caravan in the shadow of Brixton Recreation Centre. Sadly, Guyana Roti was closed when I first came across it, but I made a mental note to return.

And I'm glad I did. For a mere £4, I tucked into chicken curry with roti. The soft flaky roti was a fine accompaniment to the hot and spicy chicken curry. The chicken was on the bone, just how I like it (one thing I'll never understand is why so many people prefer bland chicken breast meat off the bone). Before the roti was plated up, it was put in a plastic container and given a good shake. Why is this done? My guess is that's how the roti is folded but can anyone confirm this?

Other choices include goat curry, pumpkin curry, and jerk chicken, which are served with either rice or roti. None of the dishes cost more than a fiver, and there are a couple of tables outside the caravan if you want to 'eat-in'. If you love street food then you really ought to check out this stall.

Having finished my roti, I went for a stroll around Brixton Village, which is turning into quite a foodie mecca. There are loads of decent looking cafés and restaurants in this covered market that I'd like to check out. I was particularly intrigued by some of the South American eateries but these would have to wait for another day.

In the meantime, I satiated my curiosity by buying some chorizo Colombiano from Carniceria Los Andes. This Colombian sausage consists of coarsely ground pork and beef with quite a bit of fat. The amiable butcher kindly passed on some tips on how to cook these beasts; he recommends bunging them in the oven at gas mark 4 (180C for electric ovens) until golden brown.

I followed these instructions, and they turned out a treat! These sausages are very juicy and quite garlicky. I'm not sure what other seasonings are used in chorizo Colombiano but who cares? All you need to know is that this is one mighty fine tasting sausage. Highly recommended.

Guyana Roti, Brixton Station Road, London, SW9 8PD

Carniceria Los Andes, 13 Brixton Village, Coldharbour Lane, London, SW9 8PR

Off The Blog 5 - Asia in London

2011-05-04T11:00:00.005+01:00

I haven't done one of these round-ups in ages, but that's not to say I haven't been eating well 'off the blog'! For example, in this post, I'm checking out posh sushi, authentic spicy Thai and a neighbourhood Vietnamese restaurant.

I don't mind lunching on my own, but I seldom go for anything too fancy. I usually have a fry-up, maybe a burger, the occasional Nando's, or a bowl of noodles. But every now and then, I want to lunch alone in style. Why? To quote the famous French philosopher, L'Oréal – it's because I'm worth it.

Which is why I pitched up at Yashin Sushi, and went for their Hajimeteno Omakase set lunch (£20). This included posh fish such as sea bass, yellowtail and tuna, as well as salad and some miso soup in a bone china teacup. In all honesty, I can't remember if any of the sushi had been blow-torched but regardless, it was excellent. I was particularly impressed by how expertly the chef had seasoned the sushi.

So it was a bit of a shame that the overall experience was marred by one of the waiters, who was extremely unsubtle in his attempts at upselling. In the unlikely event that he is reading this post, I'd like to offer him the following advice:

1) When taking a drinks order, don't open with 'would you like still or sparkling water?'

2) If someone has just ordered a £20 set lunch, don't ask 'will that be all?' - especially if you're not going to offer any suggestions.

3) At the end of a meal, just ask 'would you like anything else?' rather than 'would you like more sushi, or perhaps some dessert?'

Yashin Sushi, 1A Argyll Road, London, W8 7DB (Tel: 020-7938-1536)
Nearest tube: High Street Kensington

Quality authentic Thai food can be hard to find in London, so minutes after clapping eyes on The Skinny Bib's review of @Siam, I made arrangements to meet a friend there for dinner. Following the lead of The Skinny Bib, who incidentally has the inside track on London's best Thai eateries, we ordered the Northern Set (£15.95). This consists of green chilli relish (really hot), herb sausage (the star of the evening), pork curry (really bloody spicy), sticky rice, and posh pork scratchings (dead good for dipping into the curry). A real winner if you like it hot.

We also ordered the E-Sarn Set (£15.95), which consists of spicy minced chicken ground rice (a very tasty Thai basil infused larb gai), Thai papaya salad (a very refreshing som tam), grilled sirloin (sadly overcooked), and sticky rice. The two sets complemented one another well, as the E-sarn set was a cooling counterpart to the fiery Northern set. We also ordered some mhee krob (£5.75) – these crispy rice noodles were a tad too sweet on their own, but fine in the context of the meal.

Overall, dinner at @Siam just fell short of true greatness, as the belly pork in the curry wasn't unctuous enough and the sirloin was a tad overcooked. Having said that, there's a lot to like about this Soho restaurant, from its superior service to its uncompromising stance on spicing. Highly recommended.

@Siam, 48 Frith Street, London, W1D 4SF (Tel: 020-7494-4511)
Nearest tubes: Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road

I first came across Me Me when playing with the 'fruit machine' on the Urbanspoon app on my phone. You know, the one that randomly selects restaurants when you shake your phone. After a quick look at Me Me's website, I just knew I had to check out this intimate Vietnamese joint.

I ordered off the special lunch menu, which serves up two courses and a drink for £10.50. As I wasn't in the mood for summer rolls (gỏi cuốn), I started with spring rolls (chả giò) and followed with a bowl of beef pho (phở bò).

The spring rolls were OK, but next time I think I'll try the summer rolls. The pho, though, was damn tasty with a strong aromatic stock, bouncy rice noodles and an abundant helping of beef (mainly well done flank with some just-cooked fillet). My only complaint was the meagre size of the side plate of herbs and beansprouts.

On the evidence of their noodles, Me Me is of a decent enough standard for those of us with a W in our postcode not to have to schlep across town to 'The Pho Mile'. To put it another way, their pho isn't as good as what many believe to be London's best but it's a damn sight better than some I've sampled.

Another thing that endears me to this restaurant is their colour-coded menu, which highlights authentic Vietnamese dishes in green. This means you can filter out the generic stir-fries and concentrate on ordering the real McCoy – something that I'll be sure to do on future visits.

{Update 13 May - I returned here for dinner with some other blogger types, and to be honest, it was a tad disappointing. This is more a place for a bowl of pho rather than a big Vietnamese blow-out.}

Me Me, 565 Fulham Road, London, SW6 1ES (Tel: 020-7381-1100)
Nearest tube: Fulham Broadway

Best Festival Food Ever...

2011-05-01T10:30:00.000+01:00

Good festival food is not an oft-heard phrase. I'm sure you're already forming a picture of a dodgy burger van selling botulism in a bun. So you can imagine my shock when I saw a gleaming made-to-order pizza stall at the Cheltenham Festival.

As I walked closer, I could see fresh pizza dough being rolled, toppings applied, and pizzas being shoved in and out of an oven with a paddle. It was a proper oven too, one with flames. After placing my order of a pepperoni & jalapeño pizza, I waited no more than 5 minutes to be served a quality pizza.

It wasn't too much of a rip-off either at £7. I'd even go so far to say that it's better than Pizza Express (not hard I know) and compares favourably with the blogsensus pizza of choice at Franco Manca.

So on a day when the bookies did rather well out of me, I was relieved to have picked at least one winner!

World's 50 Best Restaurants – Don't Make Me Laugh!

2011-04-25T09:39:00.001+01:00

It's been a week now, but I'm still seething, when I'm not laughing. So why am I indignant yet amused? It's because of the joke that is San Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Restaurants. I find it laughable that some believe it to be a better guide than Michelin. Don't get me wrong, I don't set much store by Michelin but at least with their Tokyo and Hong Kong guides, they attempt to respect Asian food. In contrast, San Pellegrino features few restaurants in Asian cities that serve local cuisine.

So let's consider the gospel according to San Pellegrino:

1) Of their best 50, only four are in Asia, with the best-placed restaurant, Tokyo's Les Creations de Narisawa, in at No. 12. In the next 50, there are a further seven restaurants in Asia. So out of the best 100, eleven are in Asia. Did I mention that 60% of the world's population lives in Asia?

2) The best restaurant in Hong Kong is Amber. I'm sure it's very good but does modern French food represent the best of this fine foodie city? Of the three other restaurants in Hong Kong featured in the best 100, two also serve French food with the other, Bo Innovation, serving a molecular gastronomic take on Chinese food. It seems that the city's traditional Chinese restaurants just don't cut it.

3) That's because it would appear London, not Hong Kong, is the place to go for Chinese food, as Hakkasan is apparently the best Chinese restaurant in the world. Well at least you can't accuse the voting panel of not having a sense of humour. It's just that joke isn't funny anymore.

4) The best Thai restaurant in the world is also in London. Yes, that's right, there isn't a single Thai restaurant in Thailand that can compare to Nahm. This is getting more than slightly ridiculous now, not even the most partisan Londoner can surely believe that their home city boasts both the best Chinese and the best Thai restaurant in the world. Can they?

5) The Japanese can feel rightly aggrieved that despite Tokyo being lauded as the best foodie city in the world, it only has three restaurants in the best 100. Mind you, it's probably because standards aren't what they were in the home of sushi. Why else would the favoured haunt of the beautiful people, London's Zuma, be deemed the fourth best Japanese restaurant in the world?

6) And lastly, of the best 100 restaurants in the world, none are in those citadels of Chinese cuisine such as Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai or Taipei. I feel sorry for the 70 million plus people that live in those cities, as the poor sods can't get their hands on the best that their native cuisine offers. If only there was a Hakkasan that they could go to.

In fairness, the voting process is transparent. It's just that the voting panel seem to be a bunch of ignorant bores (I'm being kind - I called them much worse in the original draft) that don't really get Asian food. Why else would they pitch up in an Asian city, and dine out at restaurants serving posh European food. Why not get down and dirty with the local cuisine? Oh well, their loss, not ours. And by the way, in case you're wondering, Noma came in at No.1.

A Taste of Brazil - Part 2

2011-04-19T00:01:00.207+01:00

Feijoada is arguably Brazil's national dish, and being the food geek that I am, there was no way I was leaving Sao Paulo before sampling this pork and bean stew.

Feijoada buffet

I had been expecting a stew where the pork and beans were mixed in together, but instead I was confronted with a buffet consisting of multiple cauldrons and side dishes. The first cauldron had black beans in it, with the others containing different parts of the pig. In no particular order, pork loin, spare ribs, ears, trotters, and two different types of smoked sausage were on offer. The side dishes included amongst other treats: pulled pork, collard greens, roast mandioca, banana fritters, farofa, and rice.

First helping

Now with such a spread, it'd be rude not to go for seconds, and I was tempted by thirds before I was reminded that I was going out for churrascaria that night. The purple-coloured stew wasn't too aesthetically pleasing, and I found some of the meat too salty, but otherwise I loved this dish. It was so full of porky goodness, so comforting and so moreish. The sides went really well with it too, particularly the pulled pork and roast mandioca.

Seconds

Feijoada tends to be served only at lunchtimes on Wednesdays and Saturdays (it's tradition by all accounts). So do make sure that you set aside one of those two days should you want to sample this dish. The feijoada featured in this post was from the charming Botica do Quintana, and whilst it was bloody good, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there. The thing is Sao Paulo is such a vast city that you'd be better off finding a convenient eatery rather than get stuck in traffic.

The other must eat in Brazil has to be churrascaria. To the uninitiated, these are steak restaurants, where passadores (meat waiters) come by with giant skewers of different cuts of beef, along with various other treats such as sausages and chicken.

I was lucky enough to be invited to Fogo de Chao, an esteemed Sao Paulo churrascaria (muito obrigado to my colleagues, I really am lucky to work with so many great people around the world).

As I'm a great believer of 'when in Rome', a caipirinha was duly ordered. And then the onslaught began with a giant pao de queijo.

What happened next is a blur, as a swarm of passadores descended to push various cuts of beef, whose Portuguese names I can't remember. Locals consider the Picanha (rump cover) to be the best, but I'd be hard pushed to name a favourite. Every cut was amazing, with so much beefiness that I dare not eat steak in London for a good while. I also sampled the sausages and chicken, and they were damn tasty too.

With hindsight, I should have had a better strategy in terms of pacing the meal. After all, the green and red cards that signify whether you want more food or a breather are there for a reason. I also shouldn't have eaten so much from the salad bar either, although Brazilian salads are excellent (and I'm glad that you voted in favour of eating salad in Brazil in my recent poll). Unlike Botica do Quintana, I'd make a special effort to visit Fogo de Chao, and as there are three branches in Sao Paulo, there's a chance that you won't spend too long in the notorious traffic getting there.

I fell for Brazilian food on my trip to Sao Paulo in a way that I didn't for Turkish food when I was in Istanbul. Whilst it'd be fair to say that it isn't the most delicate or the most refined cuisine, there is an endearing, honest and hearty quality about Brazilian food. My only criticism is that it can sometimes be over seasoned and too salty. That aside, I've taken a shine to this cuisine, and I'm very keen to check out what London's Brazilian joints have to offer. Any ideas where to go?

John Charlick Foods - The Best Sandwich in London

2011-04-15T10:44:00.000+01:00

The word legend is one that is much overused but I can't think of a more apt description of John Charlick Foods. This shop isn't your run-of-the-mill sandwich shop; it also serves soup, salads, and at least one hot dish every day, stuff like lasagne or fish cakes. Throw in some homemade desserts like lemon tart, and suddenly eating at your desk doesn't seem that much of an ordeal.

Back in the day, I used to work two minutes away from John Charlick Foods, but nowadays it's more like twenty minutes. Needless to say, I rarely make my way there but when the spring sunshine suddenly appeared recently, I decided to take a trip down memory lane.

Sometimes nostalgia can play tricks but I'm pleased to report that little has changed here. I immediately went for an old favourite, roast beef and horseradish. It was just as good as I remembered, a made-to-order sarnie with loads of rare roast beef, fresh leaves, and proper horseradish in a top quality ciabatta roll. This is how all sandwiches should be made.

John Charlick Foods, 142 Gray's Inn Rd, London, WC1X 8AX
(Tel: 020-7278-9187) Nearest tube: Chancery Lane

PS: This post is dedicated to Mariana for reminding me of the brilliance of this place.

A Taste of Brazil - Part 1

2011-04-10T17:30:00.170+01:00

What I knew about Brazilian food before my recent work trip to Sao Paulo could be written on the back of a stamp. In large writing. What I now know about Brazilian food can be written in two blog posts with a few photos.

The various breads, cakes and pastries served as breakfast were definitely to my liking. I particularly enjoyed the banana-filled bread, corn cake, and bread filled with dulce de leche.

Other breakfast treats included the ubiquitous pao de queijo. The trick is to wait for a fresh batch of these cheesy bread balls to be served at the buffet before pouncing!

Like many other countries, but sadly not Britain, lunch is taken very seriously in Brazil i.e. a proper sit down meal is the norm. Many lunch places are buffets or buffets augmented with cooked to order food. As there are throngs of office workers at these places, the buffet doesn't get too tired and wilted. In fact, there seems to be none of the stigma that can be attached to buffets elsewhere.

A typical lunch might consist of a self-serve helping of salad, feijao com arroz (rice and beans), and fried eggs. And as if by magic, when you return to your table, mixed platters of fried chicken, bbq beef brisket, pork loin and ribs are waiting to be devoured. Better than a sarnie, that's for sure!

I also went for a buffet, one night for dinner, as it's a good way to sample a wide range of food when dining solo. For a fixed price of R$23 (£9), you can order drinks from the bar up to this value as well as tuck into the buffet for 'free'.

As you can see, there was a lot of meat including beef skewers, ribs, fried chicken and sausages. However, it was croquette corner that grabbed my attention. The bacalhau croquettes were my favourite.

The city's Italian food is also very good, which should come as no surprise as Sao Paulo is Italian in the same way that Boston is Irish, if you catch my drift. I enjoyed pizza from wood-fired ovens as well as pasta with a local twist of being mixed in with bacalhau.

Regrettably, I didn't get a chance to go to Liberdade, Sao Paulo's Japanese quarter, but suffice to say, the sushi and sashimi that I did sample was very good.

As good as the food in this post is, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait for Part 2 for the really good stuff such as feijoada and churrascaria. Excited? You should be.

Postscript: A friend of mine expressed surprise that I ate salad in Brazil, as he believes their tap water isn't safe enough for vegetables to be washed in. He kind of has a point as I only drank bottled water in Brazil. That said, I think his point of view is over-cautious and offensive. Or to quote the exact words I used in the pub, I told him that he was being a complete knob.

The irony of it all is that my friend has the cojones to climb Kilimanjaro, yet is scared shitless by the thought of eating lettuce in Brazil. Anyway, what do you think? Am I being harsh? Or is my mate right to fear salad in certain countries? Vote Now!

Would you eat salad in Brazil?

Thank you for voting!

Noodle Shorts 3

2011-04-07T11:00:00.000+01:00

If there was ever a restaurant with my name on it! If only I hadn't already eaten dim sum that day, I would surely have gone to Manchester's BBQ Handmade Noodles King.

Peking Duck @ Zen China

2011-04-03T21:29:00.000+01:00

Does it matter where you eat a particular dish? If Beijingers are to be believed, it does. To them, the only city on earth to eat Peking duck (北京烤鸭 Beijing kaoya) is the Chinese capital. For want of a less pretentious word, it's all about the terroir. After all, the top Beijing restaurants use only locally bred birds that are roasted in a special oven fired by fruitwood from local orchards. Before roasting, the duck is pumped with air, coated with maltose syrup, and left to hang to dry. This process takes a day and some restaurants even go so far as to prepare their ducks in climate-controlled 'hanging' rooms. Needless to say, this obsessive attention to detail is seldom found outside of Beijing.

Over the years, I've had the good fortune to eat some mighty fine Peking duck at restaurants such as Ya Wang (鸭王) and Dadong (大董) in Beijing. The memories from these meals remain seared in the memory, unlike the rare occasions that I've sampled this dish in otherwise exemplary foodie cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never risked eating this dish in London. But I'm glad I did because the Peking duck (£42/whole duck) at Zen China is as good as can be expected outside of China. Juicy and succulent on the inside with flavoursome lacquered skin on the outside. My only criticism is that the skin could've been crispier, but I admit that I'm being slightly churlish on this point.

The duck was served in two courses, with an abundant helping of skin and meat for the first course alongside plenty of hand-made pancakes and the usual accoutrements of hoi-sin sauce, spring onion and cucumber. For the second course, the remaining duck (allegedly!) was stir-fried with diced vegetables and pickles, and served in a lettuce wrap. This was OK but I would've preferred just to have the rest of the duck carved up.

As there were only four of us, we were quite stuffed after the duck, so we just went for some dumplings to finish off. All of these were tasty, in particular the unusual combination of pumpkin & sea bass (top right in the photo).

Service was good, although the atmosphere was a bit muted, as the restaurant wasn't very busy. Together with a bottle of wine, tea and 12.5% service, the bill came to a very reasonable £98 between four.

Given its location inside the old County Hall, there are great views of Big Ben and other tourist sights. And that probably explains why most of the diners seemed to be from out of town. But for all that, Zen China is no tourist trap, and I'd be happy to return to check out more of their authentic Beijing/Northern Chinese food.

Zen China, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB
(Tel: 020-7261-1196) Nearest stations: Waterloo, Westminster

A Couple of Places in Bristol

2011-03-31T17:12:00.000+01:00

Urban Spaceman by SPQR, Stokes Croft, Bristol
(photo reproduced with the permission of bluetrainatlondon)

Normally I wouldn't blog about a stag-do, after all, what goes on tour, stays on tour. That said, there's no harm in revealing what we ate on my pal, Dark Side's stag weekend in Bristol.

The lunch at any stag-do is pivotal to ensure that casualties are kept to a minimum. With that in mind, the best man played a blinder in selecting pieminister.

Given that most of my readers are smart and savvy foodies, you'll have no doubt come across their pies before. And if you haven't, you can find them at Waitrose, or if you live in London, at Borough Market.

Bristol is the birthplace of pieminister, and we visited their shop on Stokes Croft. Seating around twenty, it offers a wide selection of pies, many with pun-tastic names such as chicken of aragon, heidi pie and mr. porky pie. I went for the latter with its sumptuous filling of pork, apple and sage amongst other goodies.

The pie was topped with minted mushy peas atop mash in a sea of gravy, and it really hit the spot providing sustenance before we checked out Bristol's finest art galleries and museums (Dark Side – do you think you anyone will take that last sentence seriously?).

Pieminister, 24 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3PR, (Tel 0117-942-9372)

On the previous evening, we kicked off the stag-do with a tour of Bristol's historic harbourside. After a quiet pint or two, we decided to play restaurant roulette using Dark Side's smartphone, and it chose Wong's, a Chinese restaurant.

Truth be told, my first impressions from the gaudy exterior was that the phone had picked out a bog-standard high street Chinese. How wrong I was. The menu is full of Cantonese classics, and highlights included an enormous steamed sea bass, perfectly al dente choi sum with oyster sauce, and a fragrant anise-scented soya chicken. Service was first class too, with the amiable owner offering advice on what dishes would suit our diverse party. Not every dish worked but more did than didn't.

Without wishing to sound like a patronising git, I was surprised at the quality of this restaurant, as unlike cities such as London or Manchester, Bristol doesn't have a Chinatown and isn't that renowned for Chinese food. So it was a shame how quiet Wong's was on a Friday night. People of Bristol, do yourself a favour, and visit this gem.

Wong's, 12 Denmark Street, Bristol,  BS1 5DQ, (Tel 0117-925-8883)

Bristol is a great city for a weekend away, and it was good to get the old crew together, as Mr Fussy, Italian Shetland Pony, and Mr Pak Choi amongst others were all in attendance. For a hotel option, the Future Inn Cabot Circus is both affordable and central. There is also loads of nightlife, especially around the harbourside.

Postscript: As you can tell from the photo of the street art at the top of this post, Dark Side is a keen photographer. You can check out more of his work on his flickr stream, and if you like the look of his photos, they are available to purchase.

Viet Grill - Don't Believe The Hype

2011-03-28T00:15:00.170+01:00

Have you ever wondered what bitter disappointment tastes like? Well if you want to find out then visit Viet Grill. As is now my style, I'm keeping this review short and sweet. Besides, there are only so many ways in which one can describe bland mediocrity.

Slow cooked Mekong catfish (cá kho tọ)

The starters of wicked crispy frog (ếch rang sả ớt) and steamed 'pho' paper rolls (phở cuốn) were plain. Things didn't get any better with the mains of slow cooked Mekong catfish (cá kho tọ) and stewed Saigon pork belly (thịt kho nước dừa). The former was too sweet, whilst the latter had little of the flavour that I was expecting from the caramelised coconut juice.

Beef pho

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, the noodles arrived. The beef pho was insipid, with the accompaniments not on the side, but annoyingly already in the bowl. The meal then reached a nadir in the form of the spring bowl (bún nem), which had the nước chấm sauce, again annoyingly, pre-mixed in with clumpy rice vermicelli (bún). The spring rolls and betel leafy la lot meat rolls that came with this dish were also pretty nondescript. In fact, the only dish that was any cop was the water spinach (rau muống) tossed with garlic.

Dinner for three came to £68 including a round of drinks and 12.5% service. Any positives? The dining room is stylish and buzzy, although the tightly packed tables and inattentive flustered service spoil the ambience.

This was my first visit to Viet Grill and I can scarcely believe that it's the same restaurant that so many London foodies adore. Have standards dropped? Possibly, as one of my dining companions recalls the food being better on previous occasions.

I won't be returning here anytime soon; although I won't be missed, as this restaurant was rammed, even on a Tuesday night. In terms of eating on the 'Pho mile', I'm sticking with my old favourite, Song Que.

Viet Grill, 58 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DP (Tel: 020-7739-6686)
Nearest stations: Old Street, Hoxton, Shoreditch High Street