Soif

Thirst- a thirst for wine and food at Soif?

I headed to this newly opened sister restaurant of the established Brawn and Terriors wine bar to try it out. The lack of signage outside alludes to either its newness, or the fact that it is so popular it doesn't need to promote itself from the outside.  Judging from the dining time slot it must be very popular. 6.30pm until 8.30pm was all we could get so we made a mad dash from work to make sure we were not late!

We settled in with a bottle of wine while perusing the one page menu. Many a dish was written in French and we had to ask what a few things were. I must admit to us all trying to stifle laughter when the waiter explained one dish as a big juicy sausage on pickled cabbage! We were certainly in good spirits or probably just a little immature. Impressive description though, as it made me think of the M&S adverts that everyone alludes to as 'food porn'.

Guess what I went for?! It was an easy sell as I am not partial to the offal which was prevalent on the menu, with the likes of veal head and pigs trotters. Unfortunately my vegetarian friend was to be disappointed when the only suitable dish was mozzarella salad. Ok, ok, she can eat fish but, although the dish she had was very nice by all accounts, it was on the small side. This is a gripe she always has with restaurant food.

"Just because I am vegetarian (or eating fish as it were) does not mean I do not have a big appetite!"

Fair enough statement I say! Chefs take heed, and waiters kindly inform us if out meal will be minute.

As you can see by contrast I was faced with a smiling sausage and potato face. (Hands up-I honestly did not manipulate this picture it really arrived like this!) Another laugh followed but it was a great touch and it made my stomach happy too.
It was indeed juicy and unctuous with a gorgeous broth in which the sauerkraut swam. Sweet with a hint of sour. It made you want to pop and lick your lips and I was very full come the end of it. Was it worth its £14? Maybe not but that is the price you pay at a popular restaurant. My dish I would call basic. My friend's dish was more premium and crafted with gnocchi and meat. The menu was eclectic.

Not a bad experience all in all, good wine and food at a price. Will it keep me coming back? - Maybe for wine and a quick snack if I am in south London.

No site is available for Soif yet but visit the below for directions and booking.

Soif -27 Battersea Rise, SW11 1HG.
http://terroirswinebar.com/
http://www.brawn.co/

Breakfast at THE Breakfast Club

Today I treated myself to a leisurely breakfast. And where better a place but The Breakfast Club.
This small chain of cafes in London has become known for its trendy, shabby chic vibe and large plates of filling food ranging from burgers and burritos to sausage mash and pie.

The breakfast menu is just as diverse and I was hard pushed to make a choice. Stuck in my greedy thinking between the following for a good fantasy filled 10minutes....

• Huevos Ranchos- a tortilla with refried beans, guacamole, chorizo, sour cream and eggs
• Breakfast Burrito- with salsa, cheese, chorizo, eggs, sour cream and guacamole
• Pancakes with maple syrup banana and bacon
• Toast with lime, guacamole, chilli, poached egg and crispy bacon 

I pulled in the expertise of the staff. Between the choices, the funky waitress recommended the later if I was to have bacon, and if not then the Breakfast Burrito. I don't need to be told twice to eat bacon so I accepted her selection.

So I tried something very different for breakfast and it was fantastic! Fresh, not too heavy and very tasty. One consideration for the chef, there was an awful lot of avocado which may have overpowered everything. Perhaps one more egg instead would balance everything? The bacon really completed this dish as it would have been less exciting without.
Now all I need to do it head back there to try everything else. YUMMY

A rude food picture sent to me by my friend when she ate at The Fish Club. Bravo what are the chances.?

Mercado- mexican market food

Mercado restaurant was the venue for a catch up with my cousin Tilly. A girly night out so cocktails were in order as an aperitif. The menu is  substantial with cocktails based around Mexican spirits as is to be expected, classic cocktails also appear. Usually I opt for a nice Margarita but thought I would branch out and go for a chili version a bit of fire doesn’t frighten me! My cousin went for a mango daiquiri which the lovely keen bar staff got wrong, bringing her a strawberry one instead. Needless to say this was on the house and we were beaming. My cocktail pictured above was spicy and delicious. Fruity, yet spicy. The glass rim did burn a fair bit, so it is not for the timid.


Being a little greedy and excited by the gorgeous menu we ordered nachos. Standard fare, but smothered in a gorgeous cheesy mole sauce, salsa, refried beans, guacamole and sour cream, plus the order was wrong again but this time we had free chicken. What’s not to like here! (Unless you are a vegetarian in which case you have a major problem.)

A warning you do not need a starter if you are having a main, delicious as it was, I should have worn something with an elasticated waist. For mains we both ordered burritos. One last mistake by the waitress meant I had minced beef in mine instead of steak strips but… I was easy going that night and it was scrumptious.
Filling, spicy, and very GOOD
http://mercado-cantina.co.uk/index.htm

The Journalist cocktail at Happiness Forgets bar.

http://www.happinessforgets.com/

A brilliant, hidden away bar in Hoxton square. Friendly, unpretentious, comfortable, romantic, slick, intimate. Oh and the cocktails were splendid.
A tangy and refreshing Gin based cocktail. I felt very sophisticated with this in my hand.
Go here for pre-dinner drinks or to impress a date. Fairly expensive for cocktails and it is small and crowded but worth it for the candle lit atmosphere.
Book a table as they suggest!

Vietnamese restaurant review take 2- Que Viet

Starving at this point my group of fellow diners nipped 2 doors down and were seated immediately in a packed restaurant.
The waiting staff were over immediately and we got our drinks within 5 minutes. A extensive menu was already on the table. This will obviously help with your client turn around if you give them a menu! Umming aarring I opted for the same dish as friend A & B. Freshly barbequed pork on a bed of vermicelli with fresh herbs, veges and  num chuc (a spicy fish sauce dressing). An all in one dish for a reasonable price. My photo does not show accurately how lovely this meal was and I couldn’t wait to tuck in hence the half demolished and dishevelled presentation. Friend C also lapped up her dish of chicken stir fry and rice. A tasty meal, enjoyed by all.
Excellent service, ambience and food. I would definatly drop in here again!
Yummy
104 Kingsland Road  City of London E2 8DP
020 7033 0588

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Vietnamese restaurant review take 1- Hanoi cafe

Little Vietnam take 1- Hanoi cafe

Walking along the lower end of the Kingsland road by Old street you are faced with an array of vietnamese restaurants dubbed pho mile by visitors. Reading previous reviews and surveying the restaurant menus I can see you can opt for a more upmarket more costly restaurant or simply for an informal cafe type affair with rows of tables and BYO.
Which ever restaurant you choose this is a popular area and queues are expected in the doorway. A group of 4 friends, we wanted a quick bite after a drink and before we headed on for more drinking. We walked into one restaurant expecting to be turned away but surprisingly were whisked downstairs to an area which on first sight look impressively plush and newly done up. Fresh tables, bare walls, a sunken bar/grill in the centre to watch the chefs work and a mini grill in the centre of each diner’s table. Practically empty we were delighted!
Ten minutes later, perhaps Fifteen and no one had asked us what we would like to drink, let alone given us any eye contact (Hurry up and bring us a bottle of wine I thought!). Some people were eating and one couple were having their dinner grilled for them at the table. (It looked impressive.)
The wait gave us time to survey surroundings and, on closer inspection, one friend declared,  ‘It is a concrete cave’. Barren and lonely I thought. Another humorous friend Hannah said her poor bottom was getting very cold on the stony seats and may not survive the meal (if we were ever given menus).
Conclusively we all agreed to leave, feeling a little embarrassed at vacating the restaurant. But again no one noticed, not one person, from chef to waiting staff. Once the upstairs and bustling restaurant is full I can only assume they do not care for the overflow into the newly done dungeon. Alternatively, the new chef display restaurant was not ready and this had not been explained to the staff.
I can say nothing of the food. Maybe I will try again but unlikely. If I had stumbled across a gem (which maybe this will be one day) I would go back . However, in the interest of eating I will just go to one of the many restaurants it competes with.
Food- who knows other reviews say good , service- erm ?. I suggest you sit upstairs if you want to eat!
www.hanoicafe.co.uk

The Fish Club - Fresh fish, batter and heat

The Fish Club, two sister fish restaurants/takeaways in Clapham and Wandsworth.
Having visited this restaurant previously I knew you could expect the freshest fish with delicious marinades, prawn and chorizo skewers, roasted veg. or, if you want something a bit different try sweet potato chips. Alternatively, if you are in the mood for some traditional fair then opt straight for the battered coley or haddock with chips and mushy peas.
Although on the pricey side for a fish restuarant I think it is well worth it as the portions are substantial and very suitable for sharing . Head there for a casual quiet meal with friends as I did. This is not the place to wine and dine on a first date unless fish and chips is how you like to impress.
One thing though, it was incredibly hot in the Clapham restaurant. Maybe they will open the window soon. Nevertheless, it did not stop the restaurant remaining packed for the duration of our visit.
 The 3 of us left feeling satisfyingly full but not heavy and sluggish as I am accustomed to feeling after a rare visit to a chip shop. Fish is back on the menu.
http://www.thefishclub.com/

Barra Fina review -Tapas the quick bite turned leisurly meal

Yesterday my friend and I met up for a drink and a spot of Tapas. Having read about the well respected Barra Fina in a food guide I expected great things and I had been warned of a wait. I was not to be disappointed, on both counts. (No criticism is intended here, just an adjustment of the traditional Spanish mentality toward Tapas.) The word Tapas is directly translated as

"Snacks"
The idea is to encourage you to eat whilst drinking, and I am told to encourage one to focus on ones companion more fully than if you were focusing on consuming a full meal. Tapas are sociable snacks, aperitifs, a sensible way to enjoy a drink, food enjoyment and abundant variety.
Barra Fina is a Tapas bar in the heart of Soho whose owners from Spain had intended to create a traditional bar. The bar certainly seems both traditional  and modern chic with stools at the counter overlooking the chefs freshly preparing each beautiful creation. Hardly somewhere you expect to be a huge queue. But, sure enough we were told there was a 45 minute wait for a bar stool. In the mean time we were to have a snack from the shorter menu, a glass of wine or sherry and prop ourselves against a ledge for same purpose.
We elected to have Pan con tomate which was a juicy and garlicky sumptuousness and jamon croquetas which had a crunchy exterior and a velvety creamy centre. I hardly would have noticed the wait had it not been for previously clocking those people who were clearly just sitting and not ordering anything at the bar. Surely this is not the idea and I wondered if the owners would ask someone to leave. No such luck, this is  of course a laid back friendly and polite bar. So, I embraced the wait and enjoyed the company and conversation.
Fast forward 1 hour 35 minutes (at least) and the waiter/chef/maitre d finally tapped us on the shoulder to take us to our stools. Our excitement was heightened from the sample  food, the wait and the food we saw the chefs preparing under our eyes and noses (very clever as much restraint is needed from the customer when faced with the menu and specials). We were not disappointed by our food, mussels in a vinaigrette and sherry mixture, chorizo with potatoes and watercress and artichokes with Serrano ham. I wanted to lick the plate clean but managed to come out of the food haze and remember my manners. Truly delicious, and the Crema Catalana was outstanding, highly spiced and a perfect way to round off the meal.
This certainly was not the tapas experience I expected but I loved it. I would wait for a stool again provided I was not starving. The restaurant has a fantastic ambience, service and most importantly incredible Tapas. I am going to test the mother restaurant out very soon. Muy bien Barra Fina!

http://www.barrafina.co.uk/