Hamburgers!
Byrons restaurant, Covent Garden.
https://www.byronhamburgers.com/restaurant/covent-garden
Byrons restaurant, Covent Garden.
https://www.byronhamburgers.com/restaurant/covent-garden
Monday, 15 January 2018
Sunday, 23 April 2017
S is for Spanish (22nd April 2017)
Spanish may seem an obvious choice for an S meal, and indeed the others were a bit surprised that I hadn't found something more exotic (I'm sure the ancient Sumerians had a lovely cuisine!), but we rarely eat Spanish, partly because they are not all that well known for vegetarian food, so when I found a Spanish restaurant in London which not only had good reviews, but also had a decent vegetarian section in its menu (though, unusually, the section was labelled "mainly vegetarian" and had some options with ham and seafood in it, so watch out for that!) I went for it!
A nice drink in a small nearby pub, the Draft House Charlotte, which had a good selection of (mainly bottled, but some cask) beers, and a good atmosphere without being drowned out by music, and the benefit of us having a table by virtue of the fact that Joanne and Andrew got there VERY early, was followed by a short walk to our table at Navarros for some tapas.
The restaurant is deceptively large, as they led us through a small and very full upstairs, to a larger and quieter downstairs, which still managed to build up some nice atmosphere as it filled up during the evening.
The waiting staff were very friendly, polite and attentive. Being unfamiliar with eating tapas, we asked how many dishes we should order and were told that about 3 each would be good. Since Emma was starving, she went ahead and ordered 7 between the two of us, with Joanne and Andrew ordering another couple, plus a seafood paella for two (which needed 30 minutes to make, so we made sure we ordered that early on!)
As expected the dishes arrived at various times, which worked very well (and ensured there was enough space on the table as we could finish a dish before others arrived), and no dish arrived too late. We ordered a jug of sangria to wash it all down, which was very nice, and a large enough jug for us to get nicely merry on its effects!
The food was really nice, each dish tasting different from the others, even when they had similar ingredients, which was especially good for the veggie dishes as whilst there were options, the variants of the main ingredients were limited. The two goats cheese dishes we ordered were lovely and different, and the various potato / croquette dishes also very flavoursome, as was the tortilla. The paella was reputedly very nice too.
We were all very full after those 9 tapas plus paella dishes, which is saying something, as it takes a fair bit for me to feel full! I don't think any of the dishes were disliked by anyone, and all of them were finished off (some paella was left, though I think that is because Joanne and Andrew were very full, rather than not keen!).
Although we didn't really leave space for dessert, most of us had one anyway, and they too were really nice (creme caramel, creme brulee and a chocolate mousse-type-thing).
The total for the four of us came to under £150, which for the amount we ate and drank was really good. They do set menus too, which look to be good value, but they are for 4 people minimum, and contain meat dishes, so were not an option for us.
I'd definitely recommend this place, and can see myself coming back for more sometime!
A nice drink in a small nearby pub, the Draft House Charlotte, which had a good selection of (mainly bottled, but some cask) beers, and a good atmosphere without being drowned out by music, and the benefit of us having a table by virtue of the fact that Joanne and Andrew got there VERY early, was followed by a short walk to our table at Navarros for some tapas.
The restaurant is deceptively large, as they led us through a small and very full upstairs, to a larger and quieter downstairs, which still managed to build up some nice atmosphere as it filled up during the evening.
The waiting staff were very friendly, polite and attentive. Being unfamiliar with eating tapas, we asked how many dishes we should order and were told that about 3 each would be good. Since Emma was starving, she went ahead and ordered 7 between the two of us, with Joanne and Andrew ordering another couple, plus a seafood paella for two (which needed 30 minutes to make, so we made sure we ordered that early on!)
As expected the dishes arrived at various times, which worked very well (and ensured there was enough space on the table as we could finish a dish before others arrived), and no dish arrived too late. We ordered a jug of sangria to wash it all down, which was very nice, and a large enough jug for us to get nicely merry on its effects!
The food was really nice, each dish tasting different from the others, even when they had similar ingredients, which was especially good for the veggie dishes as whilst there were options, the variants of the main ingredients were limited. The two goats cheese dishes we ordered were lovely and different, and the various potato / croquette dishes also very flavoursome, as was the tortilla. The paella was reputedly very nice too.
We were all very full after those 9 tapas plus paella dishes, which is saying something, as it takes a fair bit for me to feel full! I don't think any of the dishes were disliked by anyone, and all of them were finished off (some paella was left, though I think that is because Joanne and Andrew were very full, rather than not keen!).
Although we didn't really leave space for dessert, most of us had one anyway, and they too were really nice (creme caramel, creme brulee and a chocolate mousse-type-thing).
The total for the four of us came to under £150, which for the amount we ate and drank was really good. They do set menus too, which look to be good value, but they are for 4 people minimum, and contain meat dishes, so were not an option for us.
I'd definitely recommend this place, and can see myself coming back for more sometime!
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
R is for Russian (4th Feb 2017)
A Russian meal is something I haven't had very often.
After a few drinks at a very noisy pub in Soho, we went to Zima restaurant round the corner:
http://zima.bar/
A short menu, but with a couple of veggie options it was better than I thought it could be (Russia is not known for its vegetarian tendencies!).
The place was nice, quiet - but still managed to maintain an atmosphere, and interesting, with a varied layout on two floors.
The food was good, and the prices were very good, considering we were in Soho! Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal, though the portions are not massive so a side dish is a good idea. It could have helped that the restaurant had a selection of home-made infusions of vodka, and we felt obliged to try them all over the course of the meal, as well as trying the wine and Russian beer - all very nice.
Well worth another visit at some point in the future.
After a few drinks at a very noisy pub in Soho, we went to Zima restaurant round the corner:
http://zima.bar/
A short menu, but with a couple of veggie options it was better than I thought it could be (Russia is not known for its vegetarian tendencies!).
The place was nice, quiet - but still managed to maintain an atmosphere, and interesting, with a varied layout on two floors.
The food was good, and the prices were very good, considering we were in Soho! Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal, though the portions are not massive so a side dish is a good idea. It could have helped that the restaurant had a selection of home-made infusions of vodka, and we felt obliged to try them all over the course of the meal, as well as trying the wine and Russian beer - all very nice.
Well worth another visit at some point in the future.
Monday, 21 November 2016
Q is for Qatari (19th Nov 2016)
For various reasons there was a long gap between our 'P' and 'Q' meals, but we finally managed to meet up for the Q meal in Nov 2016.
Q was a tough one, and a Qatari restaurant was impossible for us to find (and no other options for Q sprang to mind), but there were one or two Qatari cafes around, especially in the Knightsbridge area, which I presume has a large Qatari population?
So we met in a pub near to Harrods (which was resplendent in its extravagant Christmas decor, though I thought rather boring window displays), called The Bunch of Grapes, which was very busy downstairs, but had a smaller and quieter upstairs for dining, and had our main meal there. The food there was fine - a limited choice, which normally means more fine dining, but in this case seemed more like relatively 'standard' pub grub - a good standard, but nothing to write home about. There were only two choices for vegetarians - a curry and a burger, and we tried both, which were nice. The meat eaters in the party had fish and chips and a steak, and we all seemed happy with the food, though no one raved about it.
After the meal we went to the main event - the Qatari cafe. This was just opposite Harrods, and called "Chapati & Karak" (https://www.facebook.com/chapati.karak.98) - they don't have a website, just a facebook page.
The place was very busy, and a constant stream of people (most of whom seemed to be of Qatari descent) came into the cafe while we were there - the tables were always full, and most people came in for a drink and maybe a snack before leaving and letting someone else take their place. Except for us, who hogged the one alcove for over an hour. Primarily because it was an alcove with just cushions and a low table, so we had to sit cross legged, and once we had sat down, getting up was a problem for many of us!
The cafe also does take away and many people came in and queued up for a take away drink instead of a sit down. Regardless, all drinks were served in take away cups even if you were sat down.
The menu was very limited, but that was no bad thing. They serve chapatis - the flat breads that are in between a pancake and a naan - filled with either a sweet filling (e.g. honey, or cinnamon) or a savoury one (e.g. cheese). These were lovely. And quite filling too, though we had all had a full meal beforehand!
Drinks were either standard cold drinks, or green tea, or 'karak' which I had never heard of before, but is essentially the masala chai tea they have in India - sweet, milky and spicy. And very nice. The mint tea was tea with some fresh mint leaves, not a mint teabag, which was also nice.
So we all had a chapati and a tea of some description. In a lovely setting, with a buzzing atmosphere with all the people coming and going. The manager came over to check we were enjoying everything, which was a nice touch.
I'd definitely go back here, and would love to stop off for a chapati and a karak next time I was shopping in Harrods (which happens about once every 20 years!)
Q was a tough one, and a Qatari restaurant was impossible for us to find (and no other options for Q sprang to mind), but there were one or two Qatari cafes around, especially in the Knightsbridge area, which I presume has a large Qatari population?
So we met in a pub near to Harrods (which was resplendent in its extravagant Christmas decor, though I thought rather boring window displays), called The Bunch of Grapes, which was very busy downstairs, but had a smaller and quieter upstairs for dining, and had our main meal there. The food there was fine - a limited choice, which normally means more fine dining, but in this case seemed more like relatively 'standard' pub grub - a good standard, but nothing to write home about. There were only two choices for vegetarians - a curry and a burger, and we tried both, which were nice. The meat eaters in the party had fish and chips and a steak, and we all seemed happy with the food, though no one raved about it.
After the meal we went to the main event - the Qatari cafe. This was just opposite Harrods, and called "Chapati & Karak" (https://www.facebook.com/chapati.karak.98) - they don't have a website, just a facebook page.
The place was very busy, and a constant stream of people (most of whom seemed to be of Qatari descent) came into the cafe while we were there - the tables were always full, and most people came in for a drink and maybe a snack before leaving and letting someone else take their place. Except for us, who hogged the one alcove for over an hour. Primarily because it was an alcove with just cushions and a low table, so we had to sit cross legged, and once we had sat down, getting up was a problem for many of us!The cafe also does take away and many people came in and queued up for a take away drink instead of a sit down. Regardless, all drinks were served in take away cups even if you were sat down.
The menu was very limited, but that was no bad thing. They serve chapatis - the flat breads that are in between a pancake and a naan - filled with either a sweet filling (e.g. honey, or cinnamon) or a savoury one (e.g. cheese). These were lovely. And quite filling too, though we had all had a full meal beforehand!
So we all had a chapati and a tea of some description. In a lovely setting, with a buzzing atmosphere with all the people coming and going. The manager came over to check we were enjoying everything, which was a nice touch.
I'd definitely go back here, and would love to stop off for a chapati and a karak next time I was shopping in Harrods (which happens about once every 20 years!)
P is for Peruvian (20th Feb 2016)
I'm afraid I've left it so late to write this blog post, that I've completely forgotten where we went for this meal!
Left as a placeholder for me to complete when I remember :-)
Left as a placeholder for me to complete when I remember :-)
Saturday, 19 December 2015
O is for Outdoors
Yep, I know it's a bit of a cheat, but there are few countries beginning with the letter O, and there are no Omanian restaurants in London! With hindsight, choosing a good Turkish restaurant and claiming it is Ottoman cuisine would have been a suitable option, but I didn't think of that at the time!
Still, it all turned out well. We arranged to have a picnic, outside (hence the letter O) in Greenwich Park, which is fairly close to where my sister and I grew up. The weather was surprisingly perfect, given that it was October - it was a really sunny and warm day. We got the whole family to join us - Daniel & Chloe, Charlotte & Mike, Harry, Joanne & Andrew and me & Emma, and we were able to bring along Charlie & Champa too.
A rug and some picnic chairs were comfortable enough, and the view of the Maritime Museum and the Thames was excellent.
To make up for the lack of finding an appropriate 'O' based cuisine, I went to the trouble of cooking most of the picnic food. Lots of home made pasties, pies and various vegetarian nibbles, that seemed to go down well. And afterwards retiring to the cafe in the park for a nice coffee and cake.
A very enjoyable day.
Still, it all turned out well. We arranged to have a picnic, outside (hence the letter O) in Greenwich Park, which is fairly close to where my sister and I grew up. The weather was surprisingly perfect, given that it was October - it was a really sunny and warm day. We got the whole family to join us - Daniel & Chloe, Charlotte & Mike, Harry, Joanne & Andrew and me & Emma, and we were able to bring along Charlie & Champa too.
A rug and some picnic chairs were comfortable enough, and the view of the Maritime Museum and the Thames was excellent.
To make up for the lack of finding an appropriate 'O' based cuisine, I went to the trouble of cooking most of the picnic food. Lots of home made pasties, pies and various vegetarian nibbles, that seemed to go down well. And afterwards retiring to the cafe in the park for a nice coffee and cake.
A very enjoyable day.
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