The Bucket List Update

Since posting my London Foodie Bucket List almost a year ago I have been working my way through it like a woman on a mission, and can honstly say I've nearly finished the list. Most places I have posted about indipendently, however I have had a long list of restaurants on my 'to do' list for some time.

Wild Honey



We went to Wild Honey for my lovely boyfriend's birthday last September. The booking was actually made on his request, which I am glad about because admitidely I would have kept pushing it down my list otherwise.

I can honestly say this was one of my favourite meals of 2012. I ordered the duck foie gras terrine to start followed by the bouillabaisse. William had the pork belly starter followed by the lamb with vegetables and dauphinois potatos. Although each sounds relatively simple what was delivered to us was not only two beautiful crafted meals served up over a number of individual stunningly attractive dishes, but also dishes that were rich and warming in flavour. Every mouthful we ate at Wild Honey was a joy to take.

Yauatcha

We visited Yauatcha randomly while out one night in Soho. I think this is the best way to go; no hype, no anticipation, just rock up and pay a little more than you want to on a large selection of dim sum.

Don't get me wrong the dim sum at Yauatcha is nice and I thoroughly enjoyed my evening, but to me it was a little over manufactured like they type of food you get at Ping Pong. We ordered a selection of what sounded like the more exciting dumplings and dim sum bits, however regretfully nothing was memorable enough to stick in my mind. Each of the dumplings we did have were packed full of filling and there certainly wasn't a shortage of crab meat or char siu pork. The restaurant and bar are cool, the clientele usually in suits are fine to dine next to however there really is nothing special to me about Yauatcha. I would go again for a quick bite when I get a dim sum craving, however I wouldn't make it a special occasion.

Pitt Cue Co



I first visited Pitt Cue Co in its pop up meat van on the soutbank and was pleased to see that it's incarnation in its permanent soho spot it just as good. The pulled pork from Pitt Cue Co is still delicious with its smoky BBQ flavours. Old favourites like the ribs and pickled slaw are still on the menu and still just as good.

The Soho location is fast, affordable and is still of the same excellent meaty quality that made PCC famous.

The Riding House Cafe



The Riding House Cafe is a very cool place, and it's location lends its self perfectly for accessibility for any meal.

I visited for a business lunch with a large group of colleagues. We were seated quickly. The wait staff were courteous and friendly, yet let us be to 'talk shop' before taking our orders. I was hungry, but I could tell my superiors appreciated it.

I ordered the smoked haddock kedgeree, it was delicious. The curry flavours were strong but did not over power the smokiness of the haddock. The soft eggs were a nice touch and added creaminess to the disk. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Riding House, and hope to go back soon with a group of people it would be more appropriate to try more of the menu with.

Kimchee, Holborn

I'm not entirely sure where to start with Kimchee in Holborn, the experience was a real mix. Good, well cooked food and possibly the worse service I've experienced. There was a lot of hype around Kimchee when it first opened, and I suspect they have kept up pace thanks to the tasty food and affordable prices.

Nose to tail eating: St. John Hotel

Fergus Henderson’s nose to tail cooking philosophy summarises quintessential great British cooking. Most excitingly, he now deserves a big congratulations for receiving the surprising first Michelin star for St John Hotel in Soho this month. The menu that consists of hearts, livers, trotter, marrow and kidney is likely to be stomach turning for some, but for me the exciting use of offal was the draw card.

The best way to do a St John meal is in a big group of non-fussy eaters and share a bit of everything. We ordered a veritable feast for five.

Devilled Pig's Skin and Smoked Cod's Roe was incredible, crispy yet melted on your tongue, salty with a little heat from the paprika. The saltiness of the smoked cod roe complemented this perfectly, but could easily stand as a strong dish on its own.

Another highlight was the Snails, Duck Heart and Lovage. I was surprised when my English born dad who we were dining with shied away from the duck heart claiming it reminded him of English boarding school offal. Luckily that didn't deter us more adventurous foodies who dove right in. The dish was an interesting concoction of garlic and soft textures from the heart and snails, definitely worth a visit.

Unfortunately, the Rabbit and Borlotti Beans was a disappointment. The rabbit was under-cooked, making it chewy and difficult to separate from the bone. The Chicken and Trotter Pie for Two (or more like a family of four) is definitely worth splurging for. The pastry was crisp and buttery, with a creamy gelatinous filling.

Desserts at St John are outstanding. Based on our friendly and informative waitress’s recommendation we ordered the Baked Cheesecake with Fig, Honeycomb Ice Cream and a serve of 6 Madeleines to ‘take home’. I’m going to take a big stand and say this is may be the best cheesecake I have ever eaten. It cannot even be described, but oh my, the baked goats cheese with sweet fig syrup is not something you are going to want to share, I'm salivating just writing about it. Equally, the Madeleines were crispy on the outside, warm, soft and fluffy inside, and moorish as hell. Needless to say, they didn't make it home.

Foraged and found, a little bit of Noma in London: North Road

In the same year Noma prestigiously reaffirms its number one restaurant in the world rating, London's very own Danish invasion, North Road is awarded a Michelin star less then 18 months after opening.

Christoffer Hruskova, who has recently moved on from North Road took much inspiration from Noma. North Road's decor is simple and post modern in it's scandanivian design, paired with the unique and adventurous Nordic style of cooking using a myriad of unusual and foraged ingredients.

Having not experienced much in the way of haut scandanivian cuisine I praise North Road if only for it's welcomed and thorough introduction to a style of food I won't experience anywhere short of a trip to Copenhagen.

Each course on the tasting menu was interesting, ingenious and intriguing with lots of raw textures, natural sweeteners and curious smoked and salted flavours.

Our three orderves compliments of the chef were each a work of art on a plate, preparing us for what was to come. Smoked potato filled with fish protein mayonnaise, marinaded quails eggs and pork scratchings to remind us of North Road's British influences. Each of the three mouthfuls were perfect with fierce flavours.

First on the tastings menu was deliciously fresh raw Doeset crab served natural and dressed with apple vinegar. Scottish Lumpfish roe with buttermilk snow, onions and burnt chicken skin. This dish was perhaps the only thing I didn't like about the meal, the buttermilk snow over chilled the dish and added an unsettling texture to the roe, and I personally found the burnt chicken skin bitter. I look at this dish as a brave addition to the menu as its certainly not to everyone's taste.

The heavily smoked native Dorset lobster with raw wild and cultivated vegetables packed a rich, strong smokey flavour. The fresh and smooth melting texture of the lobster was compliemnted perfectly by the crunch of the raw vegetables. This dish was devine and I think I would re-visit North Road just for it. The asparagus three ways with wild garlic and a salted pheasant egg yolk was technically impressive. When pierced the runny egg yolk that had been perfectly detached from it's white mixed with the garlic and pine dressing to create a thick and creamy sauce. To the eye this was one of the more simple dishes, yet one of my favorites.

We were starting to feel like this meal would go on forever, and were more than happy for it to. After a change in wine to accompany a heavier meat we were served the lamb and sweetbreads topped with sea kale. The dish was uncomplicated, resting on the strength of the perfectly cooked lamb.

Each of our four desserts were ingenious. Barley, pine, malt, hay and sea moss were infused together to create concoctions including an edible rock and cotton candy tree with edible soil.

Hruskova took the simplest of flavours and added ingredients you never even thought edible and created flavours unlike any other in a contemporary, delicious and truly memorable meal.

Brasserie Zedel: a pleasant surprise in Piccadilly

Brasserie Zedel seems refreshingly out of place in Piccadilly Circus among the chain restaurants and tourist traps. Zedel however is neither. The recently opened brasserie is grandeur in scale and style, yet incredibly affordable which makes you wonder if it will last.

The menu is extensive, offering close to everything you could want from a French brasserie. The dishes are authentic and extremely reasonably priced; the Prix Fixe is astonishingly priced at £11.25 for three courses. I favoured the a la carte menu, realising three courses wouldn't cost me much more then £20. The fish soup (£4.25) was incredible; thick, meaty and flavorsome. Salmon tartare was tasty and what it lacked in excitement was redeemed by the price-tag (£6.50).

Steak Haché, Sauce au Poivre et Frites . . . . £7.50
Perhaps best value on the menu is the steak haché with peppercorn sauce, and frites. How this is priced at a mere £7.50 I will never know. The chopped steak is perfectly cooked on the pinker side of medium rare.

Café gourmand (£3.50) saw two delicious bites of French patisserie sweetness and plunger coffee end the meal. Perfect.

Brasserie Zedel has already become my go-to restaurant in London. Having visited twice in a few short weeks knowing I wouldn't leave begrudging my bill and I would thoroughly enjoy what I ate. Zedel simply makes me question menu prices generally. I have recently eaten far less exciting and bland meals and paid four times the price. You can’t seem to get anything more than a burger and fries for £20 in London at the moment. Let’s hope we’re seeing the start of a new trend and other restaurateurs follow suit.

Concombre à la Crème - Prix Fixe 3 courses - £11.25

Tartare de Saumon . . . . . £6.50

Soupe de Poisson et sa Rouille . . £4.25

Choucroute Alsacienne . . . . . . . £11.95

Café gourmand . . . . . . . £3.50

My London Foodie Bucket List

Having recently realised just how often I walk past restaurants and say "I need to go there" I thought it would be beneficial to start a London foodie bucket list... So... Here it be. In no particular order other than that in which it comes to mind:

Pitt Cue Co - after I gorged myself on ribs at the first Southbank pop-up I am now eager to hit up the permanent location in Soho

Burger & Lobster - for the lobster burger, and with Soho soon to open and TAKE reservations I have no excuse

Roganic - to experience the two year pop-up by Simon Rogan while it lasts

St John - and I'm talking all three meaty locations

The Corner Room - new Nuno Mendes

10 Greek Street - all the way from Wapping Project, having heard nothing but good things

Bubbledogs - James Knappett, Sandia Chang & posh hot dogs and champaign

Dach and Sons - sliders close to home

Lima - More Peruvian comes to Soho (prior to my trip to Peru)

The Riding House Cafe - to join the brunch club

Pollen Street Social - contemporary artistic tasting, let's see what all the hype is about. There must be a reason it was awarded it's first Michelin star just months after opening

Viajante - the Numo Mendes' real deal Michelin star affair

Hix at Tramshed - steak or chicken, and that's it

The Ledbury - fellow Aussie Brett Graham's two Michelin star in Notting Hill

Upstairs at the Ten Bells - the semi-permanent stay-on from pop-up kings Young Turks (now with Giorgio Ravelli of The Ledbury)

La Bodega Negra - more street food, this time Mexican

Da Polpo - more Russell Norman

Polpetto - relocating Russell Norman, Polpetto will complete my Norman full house

The Admiral Codrington - for Burgerac' s number one rated burger in London, of course

Duck and Waffle - coming soon 24 hour dining that sounds god damn cool

Barrafina - younger, sexier tapas from Fino

Hawksmoor - more meat. How have I not been here yet?!

Dabbous - even though it's starting to feel like I'll never get a table

Dinner by Heston - because it's Heston Blumenthal

The Wolseley- another brunch addition, this time for the eggs benedict

Hibiscus - for the entire two Michelin star experience

Wild Honey - Because I've heard nothing but good things

Jose & Pizarrio - if I'm going to try his tapas, I may as well try both restaurants

Yauatcha - because I can't get enough dim sum and I feel I should see what Michelin star dim sum is all about

Bibimbab - for cheap and cheery beef bibimbab in soho

Tonkotsu - for what is apparently the best ramen in London

Ducksoup - because I'm excited by the ever changing menu

STK - for a New York steak. Coming soon

Wishbone - I guess because I'll try anything Scott Collins (MeatMarket, MeatLiquor) does, even though I don't like fried chicken

Story - no information disclosed but I'm assured it is coming soon. Because I like books and I like food, I also really like Thomas Keller's CV

I think that's it, for now. Feel free to let me know of anything I have missed.

Image: Viajante. courtesy of London Eater.

More meat: MEATmarket

Since I still haven't stopped talking about MEATliquor, I thought it was about time I drag a fellow burger junkie to MEATmarket.



MEATmarket is your typical fast food burger joint. Unlike MEATliquor which is as much about the experience as the food, the service and overall atmosphere of MEATmarket was slick and fast, with shiny steel counter tops in a long corridor venue to swiftly move in and out. Not quite an experience, but quirky and fun all the same.

I couldn't bring myself to break away from the Dead Hippie, which brought a freakish amount of happiness to my mouth the first time around, whereas burger junkie number two ordered against my rave review and went for the Black Palace.



The Dead Hippie was almost as good as my first one. Juicy and meaty with lashings of cheese and sauce, just a bit more greasy than MEATliquor's. I've put this down to the fast food nature, straight off the grill, into a bun and wrapped in paper with no time to rest and let just a bit of the excessive fat drip off.

The Black Palace was massive, the bun barely containing it's immense meaty patties. Without the dead hippie sauce the thick double patties made the Black Palace a straight up, fuss free meat lover's dream. If I've not made my point, choose this one for beef!

I'm loving the MEATeasy, MEATliquor, MEATmarket bandwagon, I think I'll stay put for a while. Or at least until a new burger craze surfaces in London to satisfy the cravings.

A god damn fit burger: MEATliquor

I was late to the party with MEATliquor, but my god was it worth the wait.

These burgers, are quintessential food porn that quite shamefully I spent a week drooling over photos of. And it wasn't just the photos that amped me up for this birthday meal, the word on the street is that these burgers are the bomb.

To start, entirely unnecessarily we ordered the chilli fries, chilli chicken wings and deep fried pickles to share between 6. This was a hell of a lot of food, and was gluttonously delicious. The chilli on the fries, topped with runny cheese, jalapeño and mustard looks like a heart attack in a bowl but were a moorish highlight for me, where as the boys will have dreams about the chicken wings soaked in chilli sauce for days.



Burger time, it was almost Dead Hippies all round. This burger was so delicious its hard to find the words that aren't just yummy noises. Two insanely meaty patties sat on top of pickles and lettuce, covered in cheese, dripping 'special' sauce that was essentially what Big Mac sauce would be like if it weren't from McDonnalds. As you eat this burger juices drip down your arm and you don't even care, all you want to do is get it in your mouth and moan "oh yeah".



Ive heard about the ghastly queues MEATliquor experiences, but at 2.30pm on a sunny Saturday there was absolutely no wait. With such high expectations we could have easily been disappointed, yet all 6 of us have been raving about the meal since... and that was 4 days ago.

E Mischkin's: Über sexy cool eating

Russell Normal does indeed strike again...

I set out this evening with the intention NOT to make the above statement. I wanted to form my opinion of the brand new (perhaps now not so new), über cool Mishkin's based on what any foodie would form an opinion on... Food, service, experience etc. It was only after a long walk to digest my massive meal that I realised I couldn't steer away from the statement.

E. Mishkin's is the 5th Soho restaurant Norman has opened in 2 years, and with the anticipated whispers on the London foodie circuit well before its opening, how could it not be a success. Norman has managed to do what any great artist does; make his mark on a booming industry... As dare I say an avant garde restaurateur, perhaps? He certainly has become his own brand.

Mishkin's oozes the same style and pizzaz as Norman's four other establishments(Polo, Da Pollo, Polpetto, and Spuntino), and screams retro New York chic. Keeping to this theme, upon arrival you can opt to sit at a table or at the counter(perfect for the solo diner) before a plastic menu is slid in front of you. Short, but sweet the menu is quaint yet still surprising, perhaps most impressingly is the cocktail selection... All gin. If you've ever read a single tweet from me you'll know I'm a maniac when in comes to gin. Of course I was going for the full pitcher. It was fresh, fruity and delicious. We had two.

After much deliberation we finally ordered; Reuben sandwich, cod cheek popcorn, meatloaf, baked mac and cheese, pickled herring on beetroot, plus a side of sauerkraut. Worth a whopping amount of prise is the Reuben salt beef sandwich, it was huge, greasy but not sickening, salty and cheesy. Another highlight was the medium rare, perfectly cooked and flavoured, neat and tidy meatloaf that sat in a dainty four bite portion perfectly hugging a runny egg.

I feel we ordered well, which is unusual for me as I can never make a decision, yet this perfect combination of what was possibly too much food made the meal tasty, unique and above all belly busting. After a few long hours of grazing and drinking we paid our bill and made the unanimous decision that we would definitely be back.





Images courtesy of The Skinny Bib.

Find out what Foodie-at-large Jay Raynor thought of Mischkin's here, in his review for The Observer.