TheKua Does Food

This place has been on my list for a while, apparently being this joint venture with Alan Yau, and the “Armani of Breads”, Rocco Princi. I’ve dropped in before but it’s always been heaving. The day I visited wasn’t any different, with the glamorous room filled to the brim with more people constantly flowing in. My only option considering it was literally pouring down buckets, was to get take out and so I decided to get two salads in a box.

The picture doesn’t really do that much justice to the two salads I ordered – an avocado and chicken salad followed by a roasted aubergine one. Had I ordered both lighter, mainly green salads, I think I would have felt extremely cheated for the £6.50 I paid but considering there was a lot of salad and the chicken one was almost all protein, the £6.50 was reasonable.

I wasn’t completely blown away by the salads but it was certainly filling. I’d be interested to see what it’s like to sit down amongst all the chaos.

Name: Princi
Location: 135 Wardour Street, London, W1F 0UT
Website: http://www.princi.co.uk/

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I remember reading about the Wood Street Bar and Restaurant from some blog (that I can’t find any more) and didn’t realise how close it was to me. Situated on the opposite side of the Barbican Centre, it looks like a pub from the outside but has some intimate booths for parties simply drinking and a small dining area for those that want a more substantial meal. From what I can remember, there was probably five or six tables with only a couple with the spectacular window side view. I didn’t even realise the Barbican had a small pond and with great weather, certainly looks amazing.

The menu is best described as Asian influenced European foods with classic European dishes tweaked with the addition of an asian cooking ingredient like chilli or ginger although they have some British classics like potted shrimp, or roast lamb to please all. I started with the the chilli salt squid, served with a salad of chilli, bean sprouts and a sweet vinegar dressing. The squid was crisp and unfortunately not spicy enough to register on my palate and best eaten with the salad.

For the main dish, I had the soy marinated salmon served on a bed of mango salad, the mango slightly under ripe giving a perfectly subtle tartness to the overall sweetness of the dish. The chef cooked the salmon perfectly with just the right amount of seasoning and the super crisp skin.

This restaurant is hidden away and is definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area. Dinner for two people including three courses, and a bottle of wine was £80.

Name: Wood Street Bar & Restaurant
Found at: Corner of Fore Street & Wood Street, EC2Y 5EJ, London, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.woodstreetbar.com/

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We’ve been staying at the very convenient The Square Hotel, literally on one of the main squares in Copenhagen. It has a room service agreement with probably the only “Australian” restaurant in Copenhagen, Reef ‘N’ Beef. Unlike the trashy (though sometimes convenient Walkabout), Reef ‘N’ Beef is a higher end restaurant, serving dishes all based around Australian foods.

The restaurant has many tables, and it seemed very popular with many other tables full of Danish people. We didn’t really get a chance to look at the wine list before ordering the beers, and it seemed like the owners might have come from South Australia with beers like VB, Crown Lagers, Carlton Cold, Little Creatures, and Rogers Dark.

As you can, we got to sample most of them throughout the night.

The menu isn’t particularly vegetarian friendly, with only one main, “The Vegetarian”, a tomato tart providing any options with a number of salads and appetisers allowed. I started with the Ibacus Peronii Tempura (a dish based on a Moreton Bay Bug served with a green papaya and passion fruit dressing). Being a salad, it included a variety of greens and then accompanied with a shot of lusciously sweet mango foam. Beautifully presented, and extremely tasty, it didn’t take too long for me to finish it.

I couldn’t but help but have the seafood medley, the “Gold Coast Fishernet” (Aussie seafood and shellfish selection with fish soup, Tasmanian saffron aioli and croutons). The dish arrived with the large variety of pan roasted seafoods, and then, table-side, covered with the saffron soup. Each piece of seafood was perfectly seasoned, and amazingly remained crispy skinned for most of the dinner. The croutons were less memorable and my only real complaint was the aioli served with the dish seemed out of place when the seafood was already swimming in the soup.

We finally finished off the dinner, unable to resist the dessert. They had pavlova for goodness sake! A very big twist on the classic Australian dish, the pavlova ended up served as a trio of desserts, the first a soft pavlova rolled around a pistachio cream centre, a white chocolate (?) slice and then a spoonful of raspberry sorbet, the perfect palate cleanser for the end of the night.

I can’t say that the dinner was particularly cheap (considering beer is guaranteed expensive in Denmark), but the food was great quality and presented beautifully each time.

Name: Reef ‘N’ Beef
Found at: JERNBANEGADE 4, DK-1608 KØBENHAVN V
Website: http://www.reefnbeef.dk/

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Before heading away on holidays I managed to get a couple of days in the office without being on a project. On the way to lunch, I saw that The Giaconda Dining Room were open. I’ve always walked past here on a weekend, when it’s shut. I also remember reading about them shutting down when their owner/chef broke his arm rather than continuing with less than optimal service. Of course, it’d been a while since then yet I’d still assumed they were shut.

I headed over for a lunch late, probably around 2pm by the time that I sat down. It was still bustling from the lunchtime service with lots of people obviously doing a business lunch, a couple of one diners and some people visiting the area. Their tables are situated pretty closely together, so much so that I could hear the conversation at the table next to me. To be fair, their rent must be expensive given its location so they’ve done a pretty good job of what little space they did have.

I had a look through the menu and after hearing what the soup of the day was, a White Onion Soup with Gruyère Crouton I definitely had to try it. As you can see from the picture above, the bowl was quite large and the the crouton was an amazingly crisp bit of cheese grilled around the croutons. Even by the time that I finished the soup, the croutons, encased in the deliciously salty cheese still remained crunchy. A very nice compliment to the sweetness left in the soup.

For my main, I ordered the seabass, arriving on a bed of parsley and lentil salad. Perfectly seasoned and perfectly grilled where the outside skin was perfectly crisp but the flesh remained flaky and juicy. This was definitely a well cooked piece of fish.

Another thing to note about The Giaconda Dining Room is that they do have a cover charge and it’s pretty good value when you look at what gets presented to you (see below). You get some reasonable bread and butter, a carafe of sparkling water and a small dish of mixed olives to nibble on as you peruse the rest of the menu.

I really enjoyed my lunch here and I’d be intrigued to see how busy they get around dinner or peak lunchtime service. With fantastic friendly service, and delicious food, it’s no wonder they are always busy and win lots of praise.

Name: The Giaconda Dining Room
Found at: 9 Denmark Street, WC2 H8LS, London, UK
Website: http://www.giacondadining.com/
Cost for lunch: Soup of the day, seabass, cover charge, a glass of white wine and service £23.50.

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Yolk was definitely one of my favourite places to have breakfast in Chicago. Obviously eggs are the things that they apparently do well with omelettes that look like they have about six eggs in them, skillets full of food and pancakes galore. I went again for the second time on a weekend, where the waiting queue is super busy although they seem to be able to turn over tables pretty quick with such a large floor space.

Everything on their menu looks pretty tempting and I ended up ordering the classic eggs benedict, despite them offering several different variations on the dish. As you can see from the photo below, it’s a huge portion with two eggs benedict, lots of toasted red potatoes and fresh fruit on the side.

The eggs benedict was amazing with the perfectly made hollandaise sauce. I can see why they’ve won awards for this dish and I’d definitely be intrigued to see what their other variations were like. I’d had better potatoes elsewhere but it’s nice to finish the dish with fresh fruit, even if some of them happened to have a bit of hollandaise sauce left on them.

Name: Yolk
Location: 1120 S Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 60605
Website: http://www.yolk-online.com/
Cost: US$18.03 for eggs benedict, orange juice, tax and tip

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I have a confession to make. I love American-style BBQ ribs. I particularly loved the smoked variety and not just the ones that need the BBQ sauce to bring any flavour to the succulent meat. Fortunately I went out specifically to Ribs ‘N’ Bibs that was pleasing in all sorts of ways. It’s not located in the easiest of locations to get to so I visited on the way to the Museum of Science and Industry several blocks away.

It’s small outfit means that it’s not really built for dining in, with a small counter with four stools and three picnic tables outside providing any “eating in” option. Most of the locals seemed to know this with most people ordering carry out or takeaway. I was forced to eat at the counter as it was pouring down heavily outside and hadn’t planned anything else. The rest of the interior is covered with photos and old clippings of praise with lots of celebrities and magazines obviously vouching for the deliciousness of their ribs.

I ordered “The Boss”, a set of ribs, fries and coleslaw as it seemed like the most complete meal. The main event of course were the ribs, the coleslaw more of a token indicator with two “sauce pots” filled with the stuff and the fries definitely unmemorable. Fortunately the ribs made up for it with thoroughly tender pink meat and a smokiness that only comes with that much attention and love.

The sauce was tangy, and complimented the meat as it fell off the bone, something I was thankful for given that all I had to eat the stuff was a plastic fork and my hands.

It’s odd location far from central Chicago means I wouldn’t make a trip out for it but I’d definitely return if I happened to be back in the area.

Name: Ribs ‘N’ Bibs
Found at: 5300 S. Dorchester Ave, Chicago, USA
Website: None that I could find
Cost: The boss (rack of ribs, chips, coleslaw) + drink + tax was US$24

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I was catching up with my friend Tiffany, who I’d finally met in one in Calgary and she suggested meeting at her favourite breakfast spot, Heaven on Seven. It’d passed through all of my blog readings so I was definitely intrigued and especially appreciative for hearing a local’s view of things. As a typical Chicago or American style breakfast joint, Heaven on Seven definitely stands out as very different bringing the deep south up north with all of that soul and atmosphere.

Sunday at their Rush Street location (they have three stores in Illinois) has plenty of atmosphere including a live pianist playing a selection of music. Decorations also abound everywhere and some of it particularly eye catching. For example, we sat down at a table in their main room, located right next to the wall almost lined from floor to ceiling with different types of hot sauces. Apparently they have challenge that if you bring in a bottle of hot sauce they don’t have, you get your meal for free (though don’t quote me on that). I do like the bravado and challenge of that. Having said that, they seem to have hot sauce coming out to no ends with at least fifteen bottles at our table. Here’s a picture of our favourite selection of them:

They have a decent selection of brunch “hair of the dog” drinks that I figured was more of a North American thing. I’m not normally one to have anything but Tiffany did suggest the Bloody Mary was one of the spiciest around. On this very same menu they also had a variant of a Long Island Ice Tea underscored with a note stating “Limit of One”. Apparently most of these were very strong. I can definitely attest the Bloody Mary did it’s job on both the alcoholic and the chilli front with me literally sweating through the rest of my breakfast.

Their menu puts a creole, southern spin on everything. In the end I ordered the creole eggs benedict, a spin on the classic dish using Andouille Sausage, smoked paprika and an american style “biscuit” (more like an English scone) as its base.

Whatever it was, it was really good. The serving was plentiful and I was surprised at how well all of those flavours didn’t overpower the hollandaise. They even had the right proportion of ingredients other than it was really two portions and I probably shouldn’t taken the other to go.

I can definitely recommend this place as somewhere to go for a lazy Sunday brunch. Its Rush Street location has plenty of character that just works.

Name: Heaven on Seven
Found at: (Multiple locations) I ate at the one at 600 N. Michigan Ave (2nd Floor) Chicago, IL 60611
Website: http://www.heavenonseven.com/
Damage: US$44 for two people including two entrees, a Bloody Mary, tax and tip

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When trying to find places to head out for brunch, I stumbled across The Bongo Room. They have two locations and fortunately there was one several blocks away from where I was staying at the time, making it a very convenient location for breakfast after a bit of a lazy morning.

It’s easy to walk down South Wabash Avenue and almost miss their 1152 location. It’s on the corner and the door is fairly non de script, leading into, what looks like, a converted concrete room fitted out with ikea-like furniture. What the decorations fail to add in terms of character, the large windows with streaming sunlight and tables full of people help make up.

I perused the menu, ordering a freshly squeezed orange juice and see on the menu that they do espresso based drinks (one of the few!) All excited, I order the latte only to discover quickly it’s something never to order again. It’s manufactured exactly like one of those st@rbuck’s-fashioned milk monstrosities terrorising those who crave a simple, good coffee. I was stunned as the waitress dropped off the glass, literally larger than the one that my “large” orange juice was served in. I gave it a good attempt but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it, despite it costing almost US$5.

One of the things that I read about The Bongo Room is the way they let you order parts of a meal, like the pancakes that normally arrive as a three stack, but just as orderable as an individual one. Glancing at the menu, I forgo the thought of trying several different pancakes as all of them looked like they’d better sit on a dessert menu such as the Bavarian Stack (chocolate, cherry and vanilla creme). I ended up ordering a single lemon ricotta pancake, assured it was the least sweet of those listed. With the waitresses’ help (more on that later) I also ordered the breakfast croissant, filled with a poached egg, some cheese, bacon and served with toasted red potatoes.

The waitress must have been joking with me when she had indicated how large the pancakes were before I placed my order. She’d assured me with a circular gesture that looked no bigger than the size of a fist, the pancakes were small. What arrived was an enormous pancake that easily would have made a meal of its own. Looking at the two places sit side-by-side, I certainly felt pretty greedy for ordering the breakfast croissant as well. I managed to finish about half the croissant, and half the pancake trying and leaving most of the red potatoes behind.

The pancake was light and fluffy, full of coconut and lemon and definitely being sweet enough without the need for more sugar in the form of maple syrup they also brought to the table. What red potatoes I did have were crisp, salty and definitely went well with the rest of the dish although I wouldn’t say the breakfast croissant was anything to jump up and down for.

I’d definitely come back here although it’s a shame they don’t do a dinner service as many of their pancakes would make awesome desserts.

Name:The Bongo Room
Found at:1152 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, USA (another location in Wicker Park)
Website: None that I could find
Cost: US$29 for the pancake, juice, coffee, breakfast croissant, tax and tip

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Chicago is well known as one of the big beef capitals for the US and everyone recommended eating a steak. As a result we ended up at the Chicago Chop House, one of Chicago’s oldest steak places. We turned up without a reservation and had to wait at the bar for a while. It’s small interior on the ground floor made that pretty difficult not to mention more complicated with a number of patrons just eating dinner at the bar. You end up pretty much awkwardly in the path of many of the waiters and the narrow passage way that leads to the restrooms.

The interior looks grandiose and old with plenty of pictures of people who apparently ate here and all of it easily fitting into the scene of some move set for gangster times. They had a couple of TVs near the bar to keep those solo dining entertained, much like many other places in North America seem to have. Talking to the hostess they apparently have three floors of dining so there was plenty of space for all.

When we were seated they had two menus, one the normal one and the other listing the daily specials. I asked a few questions about different sauces, cuts and unfortunately I have to say that it felt like we were constantly being up-sold. In the end I had a 16oz Fillet Mignon although I probably should have gone for the only other smaller one on there since apparently that’s a pound. I didn’t realise it at the time but there were plenty of bigger cuts including a 24oz, a 32oz and a whopping 64oz (4 pound!) steak.

We ordered a couple of sides as well – the asparagus was well overcooked and the hollandaise sauce pretty average. The onion rings were fantastic, massive, crisp and stayed crunchy for the entire dinner and the truffle “mac ‘n’ cheese” was absolutely divine. The steak was pretty good and even though I struggled towards the end, I was pretty happy to have ordered the steak. I enjoyed the dinner at this place although I will say that it seemed overpriced (a combination of being an upscale steak house and one of the more popular ones).

Name: Chicago Chop House
Found at:
Website: http://www.chicagochophouse.com/
The Damage: My portion of the bill came to US$£120 including the steak, sides, a beer, a couple of glasses of wine, tax and tip

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I remember reading about Epic Burger via the Serious Eats feed and marked it down to visit when I was in Chicago. Fortunately (unfortunately?) it’s located very near to where I’m staying so it makes for an easy visit. Its location very close to Roosevelt University helps provide a steady customer base.

Everything about Epic Burger screams like it’s a chain but there’s only one outlet (so far). I’m guessing that they probably want to be bought out or go into a franchising model. Right now, all I care about is the fact that they serve some very decent grub. Their prices are definitely more than you would pay at your other chains but I can attest that it won’t leave you with that strange vacantly void feeling, a precursor to the inevitable sugar crash that accompanies the perfectly homogenised food of other burger joints. What epic does well, it does really well.

Their game is about freshness and locally sourced foods with a series of rules that help you understand what they focus on. It’s an easy target to read whilst waiting in line since their menu is only visible when you turn the corner and are directly in front of them. Fortunately their menu is pretty simple: One of four burgers/sandwiches with additional toppings. Combine it with fries, a shake or a smoothie or just get the combo which saves you a dollar. All of it is freshly cooked to order, including the hand pressed (almost looking like a smashed) patty that actually tastes like real beef instead of tasteless stodge. The fries were great, served in a brown paper bag, medium cut and crispy and I have to give particular mention to the freshly made peanut butter shake. Mmm… you’d be surprised at how well it works.

I’m glad that Epic Burger delivers on what they say. I’m hoping they manage to stick to their guns if they do decide to franchise but in the meantime, enjoy their only outlet where they serve some great burgers, fries and shakes.

Name: Epic Burger
Found at: 517 South State St. Chicago, IL 60605
Website: http://www.epicburger.com/
The Damage: US$12.25 for a burger combo including burger, fries and a shake (+tax)

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