Dishoom, Kings Cross

Well hello again! I know I said I'd be back and hot on the blogging front but what I did not account for was an incredibly nasty accident regarding a bike, some gravel and my knee. Not only did my knee no longer have any skin (sorry- that is literally the only way I can describe it without it sounding like I'm being a massive diva about a graze) I was a week out from the London Triathlon I had spent the last 3 months training for… so my both my triathlon dreams and my knee were left in tatters.

Unfortunately this meant I couldn't walk properly for around a week and had to miss the Tri. I have signed up for another one (less than a week to go!) but in the blur of A&E, doctors appointments and desperately trying to get back into training, blogging or even eating out wasn't top of my mind!

Anyway, I'm sounding like a bit of a stuck record. Back to the topic in hand, and that is Dishoom! Now Dishoom makes a lot of sense when you think about it… there was a gap in the market for a trendy Indian restaurant. We had trendy Mexican (Wahaca), trendy Korean (Flesh & Buns), trendy Burgers (Honest, Byron, Patty & Bun)… you get the idea. As a massive fan of "Indian" food (and by that I mean I'm more than partial to a Chicken Tikka Masala/other stereotypical not actually in any way Indian food) I was keen to go and try it. I actually went to dinner there back in March and to brunch last week, in the interest of a balanced review of course!

Dishoom is based on the idea of a "Bombay cafe in London". Now I have never been to Bombay, or Mumbai as its now known, so I can't attest to the authenticity of this claim but it is definitely a big and airy space with a quirky vibe.

By Day..

By night..

The bar as you enter was pretty buzzing and rightly so- the drinks were delicious. I had what might have been the best gin fizz I've ever had… and I've had a lot.

Onto the food. For dinner we ordered a lot of dishes to share which was the best route to go down because we got to try a lot of the menu. The standouts were probably the lamb and the fried okra. To this day I still don't know what okra is but who cares when it's fried!

Apologies for the poor quality photos, my iPhone was really struggling at this point! The food was really good but on the spicier side (not a problem for me) and I distinctly remember there being a lack of sauce (a bit of a problem for me- an abundance of sauce is a big necessity!). It was obviously nothing like Indian as I knew it..and I feel a bit guilty admitting that I probably prefer a really creamy naughty takeaway… but it was great in a different way.

On to brunch. For some reason Dishoom brunch has been really hyped up so I was expecting the worst when we rocked up at 11am on a Saturday but luckily we managed to get a seat at the bar. We both ordered the breakfast naan- mine with bacon and Freddie's with sausage. This seems to be their signature brunch dish and if I'm honest I was expecting a lot… and it didn't quite deliver. It's a cool twist on a traditional bacon/sausage sarnie but didn't really rock my brunch world. We shared the masala beans (a take on baked beans) too which were actually really delicious and I had a juice which was lovely too so maybe we just ordered badly- I did see some other dishes around which looked good.

All in all, I would probably recommend Dishoom. I wouldn't exactly rave about it and I'm not in a huge rush to go there again but I would happily go if the opportunity presented itself. Its a cool concept unlike any other place in London and the atmosphere/vibe is great.  I have to admit it did make me want to book a trip to India though...

I'm ba-aaack!

Well, well, well. Hello again! I have been neglecting this blog in a BIG way! Two long holidays, a new job, and the small matter of an impending Triathlon have meant that things have been pretty hectic around these parts. I had been meaning to post for weeks and before I knew it weeks turned into months.. and then four had gone by. Whoops.

Excuses, excuses I know. Anyway I'm back and with a brand new look. I decided simple is best, namely because simple means it (hopefully) can't look too bad.. and I'm not exactly a pro with HTML/coding/whatever the kids are calling it these days. As it has been four months, I'm not going to attempt to catch up on all the posts that I've missed, rather do a brief synopsis of notable meals/experiences I have had. This is with the exception of Gaggan, an amazing restaurant I went to on my last night in Bangkok which I WILL write up but that meal had about 27 courses so for now I'm going to ease myself back in! For now, sit back, relax, and take in half a million photos...

When I was still excited about Thai food… after two and a half weeks I still can't look at a red thai curry.

Phi Phi from the boat

Maya Bay aka The Most Beautiful Place Ever

Boozy brunch at Bourne & Hollingsworth- good food but not as exciting at bottomless bellinis…of which Freddie had 9..

Granger & Co is always a good idea. Dinner is just as good as Brunch- check out that schnitzel!

Another great meal at DF Mexico

Shake Shack.. McDonalds with better branding and crinkle fries.

What has been taking up a lot of my free time… Triathlon training all for a great cause (not taking selflies. Although that is also a great cause). 

A long awaited trip to Dishoom.. still need to check out the brunch. Dinner was intense. In a good way. Although I did feel somewhat like I was cheating on Maida Vale Tandoori/ the mighty Curry Garden of Berkhamsted.

Lobster rolls and courgette fries at Smack deli. A good place to check out for a quick and easy lunch right opposite Selfridges.. assuming you spend as much time there as I do.

Another triathlon selfie, this time in a wetsuit. Never thought my adult self would be quite this well aqua-atinted with one!

Ottolenghi with this babe. The sexiest salads EVER and that is coming from someone who struggles to get excited about the S word..

Treated to a birthday meal at City Social by Freddie. Rich, expensive, and damn good…the food was alright too. Cote de Boeuf for two… divine!

Wimbledon vibes… British Summer Time has begun!

Beautiful Antipaxos

The best meal I had in Greece. Greek food was… Greek. No it was great. No it was OK. Thank the lord for Feta/halloumi and the saviour that is Calamari!

Some Octopus chilling in Santorini. NOT calarami.

Me and bae

Me and Freddie

Fajita nice in Greece.. we really like to adopt the local customs when on holiday

Those Santorini Sunsets… such a well kept secret. Not pictured in this shot: a million other tourists.

So…. that takes us back up to present day! Not really eating out much as prep for the Triathlon has taken over my life but in 2 weeks time it'll be over and I intend to get right back onto the blog! Stay tuned..

Berners Tavern, Central London

Berners Tavern had been on my list for AGES. Both my flatmates seem to be dining there worryingly frequently, plus I had heard great things from many friends and acquaintances, meaning I was practically itching to go and spent the entire week before going lusting over the menu. By the time I had got there I had pretty much memorised it and read about 123,456,898 reviews on trip advisor. I could identify what the other diners were having just by a glance.. "oh you went for the Lake District Chateaubriand for two, £80? Indulgent choice"… needless to say I was looking forward to it.

A Jason Atherton restaurant situated inside the London Edition Hotel, the decor manages to be both decadent and cosy at the same time. The menu focuses on modern British cuisine, and nails the tricky line between inventive and traditional, making it a great place for a birthday or special occasion.

To start off proceedings, we ordered a cocktail each whilst perusing the menu (totally unnecessary for me as I already knew exactly what I was having but I like to think I played the part well). Freddie went for something typically resembling a milkshake and I got something citrusy and refreshing and as always I had ordered better and he wanted to swap.

It was around this time that we got chatting the to waitress (there service here is impeccable by the way)  after Freddie spotted some rather large gay guy who was once on Strictly Come Dancing.. a famous astrologer apparently- which sounds like a bit of an oxymoron to me. HOW Freddie spotted and knew this guy is worrying enough, but thats by the by because the waitress then let slip that Kylie Jenner was staying in the very same hotel. I was trying to act cool like "oh I don't really watch the Kardashi- OH MY GOD is that her??!… It wasn't.

Anyway, onto the food. To start, we ordered the beef tartare and the foie gras to share.

Both were presented beautifully and tasted amazing. I know foie gras seems to be a slightly morally ambiguous area but both of the dishes were very tasty with a great balance of flavours and textures.

Onto the mains and what I had really been waiting for…

The Macaroni and Cheese. Captilised for emphasis. With braised ox cheek, brioche and bone marrow crumble. Oh. My. Word.

I'm going to have to take you on a little journey here.

Here is me, optimistic and excited before taking on this beast of a dish:

And here is me, after trying to conquer it and failing miserably:

I think I actually look visibly fatter in the second photo.

Now this dish is amazing. But it is literally one of THE richest things I have ever eaten in my entire life. And it's huge. I managed maybe about a third of it and I really regret not taking the rest home. To be fair the waiter did seem pretty dubious about my chances when I ordered it but I was blindly optimistic and ending up failing miserably. But as I said, it was delicious.

Freddie had some chicken garlic and mash thing. In his words "the best chicken I've had… but still just chicken"

The couple next to us did in fact order the chateaubriand to share and left HALF OF IT THERE! This was literally a travesty in our eyes. We were getting very close to giving it a new home aka our bellies but decided against it as this seemed to be very much a taboo and we would actually like to come here again.

All in all, a delicious and deliciously expensive meal. I would definitely recommend Berners Tavern and the rest of Jason Atherton's restaurants are well and firmly on my list. Next stop City Social. Should probably inform Freddie he's taking me there for my birthday!

KERB Clubhouse- Hackney

Now I must admit I was dubious when our Uber pulled up outside this place. Its very much "off the beaten path" and I did wonder if we'd even got the right place. Luckily we spotted the KERB sign outside and once we ducked in past the bouncers and curtain we knew we were definitely in the right place.

KERB Clubhouse is run by the same people as KERB in Kings Cross, and whilst that is a more day time affair, a selection of their traders come to Hackney on the weekend evenings to provide food alongside bars and DJs. 

Hosted in an old converted mirror factory, it can get a little nippy but the atmosphere inside is great. Theres a whole host of different trucks to chose from, fully stocked bars, and long communal bench style seating. Often the temptation with places like these on a Friday night is to load up on the drinks and end up too trollied to bother eating (just us then?!) but I was adamant this wouldn't happen. After grabbing drinks, we headed straight to Capish? (the question mark is part of the name, not a rhetorical question) and loaded up on food instead.

I got the "Fat Tony" which was a steak sandwich in a brioche bun with chips on the side.

Garlicy, cheesey and succulent, the burger was a big hit in my book. Not all of my friends were equally as impressed, but what was not to be argued about were the chips...

Essentially chips with lasagne minus the pasta on top... they were INSANE. So rich, but in such a good way. We may have got a second portion to share later on in the evening...

The food in my opinion was great and my only regret was that I was too full to try anything else!

The place closes at 11pm so it's not an all night thing, but for drinks and some dinner it was definitely a cool place to try out. I'm not really that up on the latest in street food, but luckily my friends are much cooler than me and I'm glad we managed to get there. It was very reminiscent of Street Feast in Dalston which was awesome in the summer. Unfortunately it has now closed but will apparently be back in May which is not that long to wait. 

Before we left, we obviously had to take a photo with the sign... girl band alert. Also check out my socks with ballet flats move, so chic.

See ya in May!