TheKua Does Food

Coffee Never Tasted So Good

April 27, 2009 Patrick UK, Unique

I’d heard of wine tasting, whiskey tasting and cheese tasting events but I’d never heard of a coffee tasting event so I was definitely intrigued. Can it be done? Of course, and the folks over at Taylor St Baristas did a really outstanding job at it this weekend. Organised by the folks over at Qype, a group of about ten people gathered at Taylor St Baristas’ Liverpool Street location fairly early on Saturday morning. Everyone seemed pretty upbeat considering no one had yet consumed their caffeine fix.

That was soon not going to be a problem with a selection of five roasts ready to be tasted in both their filtered and espresso forms. Before the tasting began the baristas gave us the quick low down on how to do the tasting introducing the different aspects of taste (sweet, salty, bitter, sour) combined with the aroma, flavour and mouth feel. It initially took us some time to note the different aspects that became slightly easier as we moved back and forth between the different coffees and having something to compare and contrast the different aspects.

As you can see from the picture above, we didn’t consume *all* of that coffee although maybe that explains my sleeplessness for the entire weekend. After all, they did recommend to spit, not swallow but some of them were just too good to have just a sip. Between the filtered and the espresso coffees we had a croissant to help absorb the big rush of caffeine and listened to the just-as-passionate roasters from Union Coffee talk about why they selected the coffees that they did. We heard the heart warming story about where the coffee beans came, and I certainly appreciated how the coffee industry has changed the lives for the coffee-growing communities for the better in an, everyone wins situation.

With the espressos rolling out at a ridiculously fast pace, we got plenty of opportunity to watch the skill that goes into making the perfect shot of coffee. The guys at Taylor St make it look particularly easy but I’m guessing that it’s much harder than it looks. The final coffee they introduced us to was a bit of a speciality, from what I remember, named the “Naked Espresso”. You can see it drip out into the cup below, producing an even creamier, richer brew sure to give you that satisfying hit.

I unfortunately can’t remember all the coffee blends (and my picture of the tasting board ended up too blurry) but I do remember thinking that the Rwandan Gashonga roast was definitely one of my favourites, with a rich chocolate malt base and, what I thought of, hints of cinnamon and cloves that reminded me slightly of Christmas time.

Thanks again to the people at Qype for organising such a great event, the people from Union providing such excellent quality coffee and the amazingly hospitable and down to earth guys from Taylor St Baristas (go have one of their coffees!)

Where’s the good coffee? Nude Espresso

April 14, 2009 Patrick Coffee, UK, Where's the good coffee?

Yet another day, and the discovery of yet another great coffee place. Unfortunately it sits in a place where I don’t really get to go that often, and plenty of other decent coffee stores surround it. Nevertheless that didn’t really stop me from trialling Nude Espresso. I noted this place down the last time that I went along for Brick Lane’s Sunday (Up)Market, though I’d already had my coffee for the day from Taylor St Barista’s, located closer to Liverpool Street Station.

Nude Espresso is pretty hard to miss with its bright red paint declaring its presence. Much like many other decent coffee stores around London, they have a couple of benches outside that would be nice if the weather stayed as nice as it was a couple of weeks back. Fortunately this store seems to have quite a lot of seating, since it stretches pretty deeply with plenty of table and chairs to accommodate groups of many sizes.

I only really wanted to get a coffee, so I ordered the flat white (£2.20) though they of course serve all the classic drinks. I noted a few people simply sitting having a cup of coffee and reading a magazine and newspaper. The insides did look pretty inviting. Unfortunately I’d just had lunch so wasn’t feeling hungry at all despite the wide variety of sandwiches and pastries did look very tempting as you can see from the photo below.

The verdict. Very good. I asked where they got their beans from and they told me it was the espresso blend from Monmouth (it really could have only been one of two answers). The flat white was creamy, strong and certainly kept me going as I continued my walk around the area. I’m well chuffed to have found yet another great place to recommend to people. My only dilemma now though is which one I’d recommend now that there is a handful of decent ones in that area. Nevertheless this is a very good problem to have.

Name: Nude Espresso
Address: 26 Hanbury St, Spitalfields London E1 6QR
Website: http://nudeespresso.com/

Hix Oyster and Chop House

April 12, 2009 Patrick British, Restaurants, UK

Even though it’s literally just around the corner from me, it was only recently that I sat down for a dinner at Hix Oyster and Chop House. I’d heard a lot about it, and plenty of very positive reviews. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my camera so this is one post you’ll just have to believe me.

Clerkenwell isn’t exactly full of life on a Sunday evening, so I was surprised that the restaurant filled up quite quickly. It definitely has an amicable charm to it, and the tables had plenty of space to give us lots of privacy. A lovely Scottish waitress seated us and helped guide us through the menu as they had a number of items I wasn’t particularly familiar with. Being true to its name, they had plenty of fish and steak with a meat board full of impressive looks cuts of beef (and lamb). I felt like some seafood so I ended up ordering the “Roast Dorset gurnard with brown shrimp butter”. Our waitress described it as very sad looking but a very satisfying fish.

I decided not to have any starters, as appealing as they looked because their desserts look just as appetising and I thought I’d only have room for one of them. They brought us a small loaf of crusty bread with some creamy butter, the perfect size for the three of us. Most breads are pretty average, but I have to admit that this one was particularly remarkable.

I’d never had a gurnard before but it was certainly a very meaty fish with plenty to fill me up. Combined with the rich tasty shrimp butter, I almost thought that I wouldn’t be able to have dessert. Almost. Oh, and the waitress was right. The fish did look pretty sad looking.

On the waitress’ recommendation, I ordered the blood orange and gin jelly with ice cream for dessert. It was a lot lighter than I imagined and the gin flavour wasn’t an overwhelmingly alcoholic flavour liked I know some jellies can be. Its only let down was really the ice cream that seemed more like an ice confection the way that it crumbled, rather than the creaminess it should really have.

Hix really impressed me. The entire meal including 1 starter, 3 mains, 2 desserts, tea, coffee, still water, and a bottle of wine cost the three of us £48.54 each. I think there would have been a 12.5% service charge as well but definitely worth it with the nice, friendly service our waitress gave us.

Name: Hix Oyster and Chop House
Address: 36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross Street EC1M 6BN
Website: http://www.hixoysterandchophouse.co.uk/
The good: Great menu. Tasty food. Great service worth the 12.5%.
The not so good: Nothing that I can really think of.

Azzi

April 11, 2009 Patrick Asian, Korean, Restaurants, UK

After coming back from Japan and having had some Korean food, I was particularly craving some more of it, particularly their hot stone bowl dish, dol bibimbap. I headed out for a Sunday lunch but it seemed like all the Korean restaurants in central London were shut so I kept walking around until I stumbled across Azzi, a fusion Japanese and Korean restaurant.

Its entrance makes it appear quite small restaurant with only four tables visible. A bunch of Korean ladies catching up occupied one of them while another group of Swedish tourists took another, apparently umming and ahhing over what to order. They had a couple of small tables by the main counter so I took one of them. They do have some tables out back as I saw plenty of people head out back but I have no idea how many. Their menu was interesting, less fusion that advertised and more just serving both Japanese and Korean dishes. It didn’t really matter to me since they had what I wanted, the dol bibimbap.

I ordered the dol bibimbap and a lemonade that, with the 12.5% service came to just over £10. I thought it was fairly reasonable since the dish came with miso soup and a side of kim chi, something that many other Korean restaurants charge extra for. The hot stone bowl soon arrived accompanied by the distinctive sound of sizzling rice and vegetables. It certainly looked impressive with a semi fried egg on top soon to be mixed in to the rest of the ingredients with chilli sauce.

Overall I was pretty impressed by it. Tasty, crispy rice and plenty of flavour throughout it. Although the service was friendly, I don’t think it was super prompt as I had to wait for the bill and not really worth the 12.5%. I’d still probably return though and try a few other dishes.

Name: Azzi
Address: 47 Poland Street, London, W1F 7NB
Website: None that I could find
The good: Reasonably priced dol bibimbap with soup and kim chi included in the price
The not so good: 12.5% service? Hmmm…

Patara

April 8, 2009 Patrick Asian, Restaurants, UK

Patara is a series of several Thai restaurants around London. Apparently they are very popular as we could only get a very early 6:30pm that had to be back for 8pm at their Soho branch. It looks like any sort of modern Thai restaurant you’d imagine that does very well in South Kensington – moody lighting, nice decorations and plenty of tables with minimal space in between. Nevertheless they also have a very nice cocktail list and plenty of different things on offer on their menu.

We ended up ordering the Slow braised beef in aromatic coconut reduction with fresh lime,lemongrass and chilli, as well as Veal osso buco braised in massaman curry with lotus seeds accompanied by cucumber salsa and pita bread, with a side of Thai long aubergine sautéed in spicy yellow bean sauce with sweet basil. Admittedly all of the dishes were fantastic. Beautifully presented, complex flavours and all the dishes full of flavour. I really enjoyed the aubergine although I wouldn’t really say it was a very spicy yellow bean sauce – perhaps a bit more on the sweet side than anything.

I had the coconut ice cream for dessert (although the rice pudding is pictured above). Both were just as tasty as all the main dishes and certainly would have been happy with any of the other dishes as well.

I enjoyed the dinner at Patara, although considering what we had, the price added up very quickly. It’s not a place you’d want to go to every night, but every once in a while it’d be quite reasonable.

Name: Patara
Address: Different locations. We went to the one in Soho (15 Greek St., London W1D 4DP)
Website: http://www.pataralondon.com/
The good: Continuous top ups of tap water. Fairly unique Thai fusion with classic flavours
The not so good: Fairly pricey and tables crammed pretty close together.

Little Lamb

April 5, 2009 Patrick Asian, Restaurants, UK

It’s nice to see that some parts of Chinatown are stepping out a bit and not just simply being replaced by cheap, nasty, buffets. Little Lamb is therefore a welcome addition to the other restaurants in London’s chinatown offering the unique hot pot dining experience. Also a popular dish with the Japanese (called shabu shabu), hot pot dining is definitely not like your normal Chinese fair.

Ordering hot pot is easy. Choose what sort of soup base you would like, and then order a wide variety of dishes to cook. They even have a £20 deal where you can order a soup base and five different plates of ingredients for each person dining which really equates to a large number over all. We didn’t intend of getting the deal but the waiter suggested we may as well being only £1 away and able to order three more plates. We decided to go with the three flavoured stock pot, not actually realising it would be an urn separated into three different parts, each complete with a different flavour. The induction cooker in the middle of the table also gave us very good control over the soup, without actually turning the table into a danger zone.

As you can see from the picture above, one of the three soups was a spicy, peppery soup, that was definitely one of my favourites. The other two were clear broths, both very flavoursome in their own different ways. The ingredients come on plates and I’m glad that there was just the two of us because those plates soon filled the table. We ordered a huge variety of different items, with at least one dish from the separate sections such as mushrooms, tofu, seafood, meat, noodles and vegetables. I’m particularly surprised at the size and number of the seafood dishes as we’d ordered crab and prawns and they were definitely generous serves considering the price.

If you do plan on having a meal at Little Lamb, make sure that you leave plenty of time with the ten plates taking us almost two hours to consume. Part of the fun is cooking it in small stages and then scooping hot the freshly cooked ingredients, dipping it into the sauce or just enjoying the whole experience. Eating the crab was definitely most challenging with the combination of tiny bowls and just chopsticks leaving us with little choice but to use our hands.

If you find yourself running low on soup, it’s easy enough for them to fill it with additional hot water. Also make sure you leave some space to enjoy the soup broth that becomes infused with all the flavours from the freshly cooked ingredients.

Name: Little Lamb
Address: 72 Shaftesbury Avenue, Chinatown, W1D 6NA
Phone: 020 7287 8078
Website: None that I could find

Where’s the good coffee: Wild & Wood

April 1, 2009 Patrick Coffee, UK, Where's the good coffee?

In my last post, I eluded to visiting another good coffee store. I was fortunate enough to work out of our main office instead of client site for a day. I had stumbled across Wild & Wood on a Sunday and noticing how new it was and a big sign that says “We serve Monmouth Coffee!) Colleagues in the office confirmed rumours that Monmouth had put up their prices, so that made it easy for me to think about trying somewhere new. I mean, fresh organic Jersey milk and the same Monmouth beans had to have some potential right?

The cafe is best described as wide but shallow. A table by the window tempts you with some wicked looking cakes, biscuits and pastries while a whole pile of sandwiches and baguettes called out to be bought. I was a little surprised when I entered because they don’t have the counter that most places have, and so it feels like you’re confronted by the two attendants there. Of course, they were helpful and friendly so it wasn’t really a big deal. Just a bit surprising instead.

Like most serious coffee stores these days, Wild and Wood serve a decent flat white, though they only charge a measly £1.90 for it. I feel a little bit traitorous to Monmouth because I would definitely go back if I had another day near the office. It was really that good.

Name: Wild & Wood
Address: 1 New Oxford Street London WC1A 1BA
Website: None that I could find

Where’s the good coffee: Dose Espresso

March 29, 2009 Patrick Coffee, UK, Where's the good coffee?

The last couple of weeks have been exciting as I’ve finally managed to visit two more coffee stores both serving fantastic coffee. Since I commute a long distance for my current client, I’ve only had the weekend to check out the newest coffee store closest to me, Dose Espresso (recommended by Bea). It’s location is a huge bonus, and only if I didn’t have to leave so early for work would it make it my daily choice for a cup o’ joe.

Dose Espresso is literally located right opposite Smithfields Market closest to the Barbican Centre. It’s not huge inside, though they’ve done plenty to maximise the space with sitting benches right along the walls and small coffee tables that make the place comforting without seeming cluttered. They’re the only coffee store that I know that uses butcher’s paper at the back as a scrolling wall of the specials for the day, and a magnetised wall complete with bright magnetic letters for their normal menu.

With cakes made by Bea and a decent variety of sandwiches and ciabatta’s, Dose is also a great place to stop by to grab lunch on the run. Being anti-podean run also means that they serve flat white coffees, and they confirmed they also can do coffee with soy milk for those with lactose intolerance. Most importantly the coffee is strong, great tasting and definitely worth visiting if you happen to be in the area.

Name: Dose Espresso
Located at: 69 Long Lane, London, EC1A 9EJ
Website: http://www.dose-espresso.com/

Urban Turban

February 24, 2009 Patrick Indian, Restaurants, Tapas, UK

This weekend I finally ended up having dinner at Urban Turban on Westbourne Grove. I can’t remember how it got on my list of places to go, perhaps it was the Time Out Top 50, or some random website. When we arrived for dinner (just after seven), I thought that the dining room seemed pretty empty for a Saturday night. It doesn’t help that it’s split into two by the bar, with only a few tables visible from the outside.

We were shown to our table, conveniently located by the window, where numerous passer-bys could see what the fuss was all about. After all, its very classic Eastern dark colours, high ceilings and mood lighting certainly catches the eye. We were presented with menus, including their wine list also listing a whole set of cocktails on offer. Their food menu is split into three main parts, the first section focusing on “tapas-style”, with the second part being more classic dishes, and a small section that included two set menus, one including a “hot rock” grill where you finish the food off at your table with a rock that keeps its temperature for some time.

We decide to start with two tapas dishes, unsure about the portion sizes since each “tapas” dish was £7.50. The pictures above are the “Gun Powder” prawns, and the Crab and Corn Cake. Both dishes were served with a slightly spicy sauce and whilst quite shareable, weren’t worth the price of each dish. The Gun Powder prawns didn’t really have the peppery pizazz one might expect from the name, and the crab and corn cake were delicious and tasty, wasn’t particularly memorable.

We moved on to the main meal, where we’d ordered the lamb biryani (£12), saali chicken curry (£10), and an aubergine curry (£6) as well as two naan (£3 each). As you can see from the picture above, their naans are huge, since most of them are stuffed with some sort of filling. They had a lot more a unique assortment of them including the chilli garlic naan (that tasted a lot like this sauce, simply spread on top).

Out of the dishes that we picked, the aubergine curry and the lamb biryani were definitely my favourites. The aubergine was hearty and extremely flavoursome, while the lamb biryani reminded me of the few that I remember seeing in India where they were sealed and cooked with a pastry topping (Urban Turban uses a richer, flaky puff pastry and recommend you mix it in, though I remember it was only supposed to be used as a cooking mechanism). They also served it with yogurt mixed with fenugreek that left a distinctive taste, not something that my sister enjoyed but I did.

Urban Turban serves delicious food. I just don’t think it’s worth the price you pay (at least not out of my own pocket). For a dinner for two costing £65 without any alcoholic drinks (1 mango lassi for £3.30, and a nutella colada for £5.50) the food just didn’t really warrant the price. Service was reasonable though I also still question whether or not they can charge 12.5%.

Name: Urban Turban
Location: 98 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RU
Website: http://www.urbanturban.uk.com/
The good: Modern decore, friendly service and some interesting dishes
Not so good: Well over priced tapas dishes or just in general.

Where’s the good coffee? Fleet River Bakery

February 19, 2009 Patrick Restaurants

fleetriverbakery Newly opened and just around the corner from Holborn tube, this new bakery/cafe/coffee store is in a little bit of a hidden part of the very busy area. Good because that means not really lining up for their deliciously made coffee! A bargain at only £1.60 for a takeaway latte, and made with the wonderfully roasted Monmouth coffee beans. Unfortunately they didn’t have decaf when I went along but the normal one was superbly made.

I’m not quite sure what the rest of their offerings are. I saw a number of different breads and pastries and, what looked like, some organic cider (or simply fancy juice?) in their refrigerator. If I happened to be working this area, I’d definitely come back for a morning or lunchtime brew, and check out what else they have to offer.

Name: Fleet River Bakery
Located at: 71 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3JF
Website: http://www.fleetriverbakery.com/