Fino. Tapas. The best tapas restaurant in London.

Well it may suprise you to learn that I love spanish food. In fact if I had to choose between spanish and french I think it would be a close call. Italian – take it or leave it to be honest, but there’s just something about tapas. It might be the bite sized portions – big enough to enjoy but small enough so you don’t get full and can literally carry on eating for hours – a trick I refined very well on a recent trip to Madrid. Or it might be the liberal use of all flavours that I love – chilli, garlic, olive oil, paprika to name a few. Or it might be that, whenever I eat tapas, whether in Spain or at home, I always get to try something new, something delicious, something that I probably would never have tried elsewhere, but, because it’s small – it’s not quite so scary. Plus, you get to drink Cava. And Manzanilla. And more Cava. And Rioja...

Enter... Fino.

http://www.finorestaurant.com/

The occassion: one year anniversary (very big deal). The location: Fino, Charlotte Street. The pre-dinner drinks: The Charlotte Street Hotel. The result? Happy, full and in love.

The highlights: one word - TORTILLA. Melt. In. The. Mouth. With chunks of chorizo and runny in the middle this tortilla is better than any I have had in Spain, ever. Literally to die for.

Plus, Pimientos de Padron. A plate full of hot, salty little peppers that you just can’t get enough of. Plus, a plate of beef cooked so fine it barely needed chewing. Plus, a bowl full of steaming chickpeas cooked with pancetta and spinach.

And to finish? Well, why settle for one dessert when you can have lots of mini desserts? I like this way. We shared a bowl of chocolate soup, with caramelised pumpkin seeds. Yes, you read it correctly, that’s Chocolate SOUP. In other words, melted chocolate in a bowl. We also sampled a ‘shot’ of mango sorbet, and a traditional Crema Catalana.

The food was so good, I can’t even remember what the service was like. Or maybe that was all the Cava... who knows. Either way that was a meal to compare all others to. This is one restaurant I will be going back to again, and again, and again.. well, until I get bored and find another favourite to haunt.

Until then, Feed Me London, I’m addicted to tapas!

The new all singing all dancing PizzaExpress

Heard that a new PizzaExpress restaurant opened in Balham the other week. Having seen all the media attention their new concept restaurant in Richmond received, I was eager to go and give it a try. Richmond, FYI, is what PE call their ‘living lab’ – a place to experiment with new ideas and design executions. From dining ‘pods’ that are sound-proofed with their own ipod docking stations, to audience specific zoning – i.e. kids interactive play areas, to an overhaul in service (staff being taught how to flirt with customers), it all seemed very cool and futuristic!! The old site in Balham was certainly nothing to shout about – great spot, but all dark and dingy, with terrible, terrible service. So, last Friday night I dragged my nearest and dearest down to give the new concept a go.

With a mere 10 weeks to go until ‘the wedding’, the sister and I were trying to be good, and not pig out on loads of pizza (so why go to a pizza restaurant, you may ask), which we thought might be rather a challenge. We were wrong. The menu is suprisingly clever – ticks lots of boxes for lots of people. Not only was there a fantastic range of salads to choose from, but, get this – a range of SKINNY PIZZZAS. Yes that’s right, ‘Leggera’ they’re called (Italian for light). They basically put a hole in the middle of the dough and fill it with salad, and each one only has on average 500 calories. Amazing. But what was even more amazing – a range of SKINNY WINES to go with it. Leggera wines have less calories than normal (I think 80 in a small glass?) and therefore a bit less alcohol, but you feel like you can be naughty without the worry about the calories. And you can’t even tell the difference!!! YUM. Because I felt I’d been so good during the meal, I even treated myself to ‘Dolcetti’ dessert – a mini dessert that comes with a coffee of your choice, for like £3! Awesome. Again, being naughty but without feeling like a pig!

The boys who were obviously totally unconcerned about calories opted for the manly options – going for a ‘Calabrese’, the spiciest dish on the menu, created for PizzaExpress by hot chef Francesco Mazzei, and a ‘Etna Romana’ another spicy one on one of those bigger bases. Both enjoyed immensely (and powered through the spiciness admirably!).

The new restaurant looks amazing, it’s a modern, fresh design, with some accoustic panneling to cut out the background noise and the servers were indeed extremely friendly (I kept trying to work out if they were flirting with us – but couldn’t tell, so they must have been doing a good job!). Definitely worth the visit.

Feed me London – even when eating out on a diet!

Eating in pubs and my obsession with All Bar One

Although I am somewhat ashamed to admit to my obsession with All Bar One, I really want to justify it to all you discerning diners out there, and let’s face it, to myself! Yes I have eaten in some fantastic Gastro pubs, local pubs and country pubs where you are likely to pay £25 for a risotto, but here’s where the High Street pub chains are being let down. We (the consumers, early to late twenties who like to get shitfaced on a Friday night), inherently believe that ‘pub food’ = ‘microwave food’. Ping n ding, boil in the bag, whatever you call it, we never believe we are going to get a quality meal in a High Street pub chain, and tend to only eat in them to line our stomachs pre or post a Friday night drinking session. Having worked on pub brands in the past, I am ashamed to say that the majority of the time, these perceptions about the food are correct. So comes the question – if the food is good, and you can’t really tell, and you enjoy your meal, DOES IT MATTER? With All Bar One as a case in point, I am going to say no.

Some Saturday afternoons I like to mooch around the shops with two of my lovely friends. We inevitably end up, as if by some magnetic force of nature, being drawn towards the nearest All Bar One, having a few drinks and some food. Now, The Small Blond One is a vegetarian, and VERY fussy. Although she says she has grown out of this bad habit, her favourite food is salad smeared with ketchup, and I know she would put ketchup on dessert if I wasn’t looking. However we share a mutual love for Halloumi cheese, and this is where our All Bar One habit started. We discovered Halloumi skewers. OMG. Smothered with sweet chilli sauce served with roasted Mediterranean vegetables. When they took this Halloumi dish off the menu, we cried. Well, not out loud, but you get the picture. And yet we still go to All Bar One every couple of weeks in the hope that they will have put it back on the menu. Hurrah! Last week they did, and our dedication has paid off.

So now I am back in love with All Bar One, I want to share a few other points with you as to why you should go there (apart from the obvious Halloumi reason). 1. The food is always good. Consistent every time, never cold, it never lets you down. 2. Table service in a bar. No you don’t have to go and queue at the bar and wait behind a line of lager louts just to order your food. You will be served by a (generally) lovely team member who will always remember to top up your drinks. 3. It is not expensive. The food, I think, represents excellent value for money. 4. Halloumi.

So, even if it is ping n ding – I don’t care! It’s awesome and my favourite High Street pub chain. Nice one, M&B.

Feed Me London! We love pubs and are not ashamed to say it J,

Chez Bob - a lovely little French number, Belsize Park

Chez Bob. I love it just for the name. Opened not that long ago in Belsize Park, I have been meaning to give it a go for ages, if only just to meet a Frenchman called ‘Bob’. Alas I did not meet him. But lovely restaurant nonetheless. Trendy décor, intimate feel, excellent service and a long cocktail list. They were not at all perturbed by 18 of us descending for a friend’s birthday on a Saturday night. This place really hits the nail on the head in terms of becoming the local favourite – ‘Paris bistro meets American steakhouse.’

Not only all the traditional French favourites (French onion soup, steak frites) but also plenty of bistro type choices (halloumi skewers, fishcakes) and for meat lovers – the famous sticky beef ribs are a must. The plate of ribs was almost bigger than my head. Now that’s a challenge if ever I saw one.

However I decided to opt for the traditional steak frites, with halloumi skewers to start. I LOVE halloumi, and these were grilled to perfection with a yummy roast pepper relish to dip. The steak frites, unfortunately, was a bit disappointing. The steak was rather sinewy and chewy, and not that pleasant to eat. The frites were fab though – crispy and thin, just like real French frites should be.

Prices are extremely reasonable (although steak frites for just £11.95 was probably an indication that the steak wouldn’t be great). However they do have a rib eye on the bone for £18.95, so if you are a steak lover, I would give that one a try.

The atmosphere and service were so good though, I would definitely go back and try it again (maybe to take up the ribs challenge, who knows.)

Check it out here: http://www.chezbob.biz/.

Tapas at Lola Rojo - bringing a small piece of Spain to Northcote Road

Sitting in the car on our way to Wales chatting to the Sister about the best Spanish Tapas – her  being somewhat an expert having spent many holidays eating her way around Spain. She just proudly boasted “I must have eaten in over 100 tapas restaurants in the last few years” (and is somehow still nice and slim). I unfortuntely don’t have the same experience – although spending time in Spain will definitely be on my list of new years resolutions. So according to ‘the expert’ here apparently the best tapas is ‘boquerones’, anchovies marinated in olive oil and vinegar with garlic, lemon and herbs. Immediately I’m kicking myself – I visited Lola Rojo with the Boy last week and he did indeed want to order the anchovies, but I decided they would be yukky so we didn’t (me knowing best of course).

We ordered instead some olives, Iberian acorn ham (at his suggestion – apparently black Iberian pigs are fed only on acorns and this is a delicacy in Spain), chorizo with green lentils, grilled tuna with caramelised red onion and Manchego cheese, a traditional Spanish omelette and lamb cutlets. Plenty of food for just the two of us. The tuna was slightly overcooked, and the Boy didn’t rate the chorizo too much, but we did genuinely really enjoy the food. We also shared a rather lovely bottle of white wine, I unfotunately can’t remember what it was though – I was too busy laughing at him accidentally head butting the waiter every time he leaned back in his chair...

Which brings me onto the restaurant itself. Quite a small and intimate restaurant but not really what you’d expect from a tapas bar. It’s quite light and airy with alternative decor – I just automatically assume tapas bars will always be dark and cosy. Still a nice atmosphere though. Fairly unassuming from the outside, but I have frequently walked past on the weekend and thought ‘must try that’. When the weather is sunny they put bar stools out around the wall at the front – I am always jealous of those drinking a cold glass of wine eating tapas on a sunny day. They even sell ‘street food’ over the wall to passers by.

The waiters were extremely friendly and helpful – overstaffed I would say as we had so many people trying to help us – but would always prefer that to understaffed and being ignored! Check out the menu at www.lolarojo.net. We did have a lovely meal and a lovely time and I’m sure I will be back. FYI – if you go on the weekend, make sure you book – this place is super popular! Now I just need to make sure I visit some real tapas bars in Spain so I have something to compare it too! Ah what a hardship.

Feed Me London – I want to go to Spain!

Thai Restaurant Review - the Mango Tree, Belgravia

I’ve worked round the corner from the Mango Tree in Belgravia for two years now, and having heard nothing but good things about it and having been subjected to all the lovely smells wafting out as you walk by, I was thrilled to finally get the opportunity to visit for a work lunch this week. I’m not sure how good timing it was though, as they were unfortunately the loser in ‘Gordon’s Best Restaurant’ – Thai Week, which aired just the night before our visit. I was not disheartened by this at all though; having watched a few episodes it’s very evident that Gordon clearly favours the underdog every week. And the Mango Tree was good enough to be on the program in the first place, so I was expecting good things. I wasn’t let down – the Mango Tree did offer a pleasant dining experience, I can’t really fault it in any way and enjoyed my meal immensely. Here’s more of a break down for you though.

Food – absolutely amazing. We had a sharing appetiser plate to start consisting a mix of hot and cold starters - something to suit everyone. A generous portion as well, it was supposed to be a sharing plate for two, but even the three of us had trouble finishing it. As a main I had ‘Pad Thai Gai’ – a chicken pad thai which came encased in a fine net made of egg. One of my colleagues had ‘Nuer Pad Nam Man Hoi’ (beef fillet with ginger & garlic). The beef was melt in the mouth delicious, with  a subtle blend of spices and a nice bit of zing. Yum

Service – a very slick operation. The floor managers all had ear pieces and it was clear that communication between team members was excellent as they were all working together to ensure a timely and consistent service delivery. And – I love this in a restaurant, the waiter taking your order remembers who ordered what, so there’s no interruption to the customer experience – your meal is placed in front of you, your cutlery is changed over and your drink topped up without you barely noticing. Very, very well orgainsed.

Envionment – I was a bit disappointed with the interior of the restaurant, it has a nice bar waiting area when you walk in, but the actual restaurant is one big rectangular room, which to me seemed a bit devoid of warmth and atmosphere. The tables were laid out in long lines all next to each other – it just seemed to lack a bit of personality.

All in all though, a fantastic dining experience. I would love to return in the evening time, maybe the atmosphere would appear a bit more intimate with the lights dimmed in the evening? The food and service though speaks volumes and I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend it.

Visit www.mangotree.org.uk for more information.

Feed Me London! Thai food is the BEST.

London Restaurant Festival - Yippee!!

Great news Londoners – the London Restaurant Festival has kicked off this week with literally hundreds of restaurants across London participating with set menus fitting into the following categories: under £10, £10-£15, £16-£25 or over £25.

If you want to make the most of these offers before the festival ends on the 18^th October, but don’t know where to start, I’ve picked out my favourites from the types of cuisine available to give you a heads up! I’m hoping to work my way through a fair few of them over the next couple of weeks. If you have any recommendations or reviews of participating restaurants please do let me know!!

British Gastro Pub: The Avalon, Clapham South. 16 Balham Hill. www.theavalonlondon.com. I love this place. It’s the kind of pub you can spend all day in. Great food, great environment and at the weekends a DJ in the bar means you can party the night away after a fantastic meal. Price range £16-£25.

French Restaurant: Give Brasserie Gérard on Chiswick High Road a try. This place is great just for a coffee and croissant to watch the world go by. The a la carte menu has all the traditional French classics matched by a great wine list. www.brasseriegerard.co.uk. Price range £10-£15.

Indian Restaurant: Head to Brick Lane where Masala, Mango, Papadoms and Sheba are all participating in the restaurant festival. All are cheap and cheerful and most you can BYO booze.

Italian Restaurant: Pizza East - Shoreditch High Street on the ground floor of the Old Tea Warehouse. This is trendy Shoreditch without the pretentiousness. Rustic Italian food including a range of Italian tapas, great mains as well as very unique pizzas. www.pizzaeast.com

All of the restaurants can be booked on www.toptable.com – just quote ‘Festival menu’ when you book.

Visit www.visitlondon.com/londonrestaurantfestival for full listings.

Feed Me London! Happy Eating!