Mercado restaurant was the venue for a catch up with my cousin Tilly. A girly night out so cocktails were in order as an aperitif. The menu is  substantial with cocktails based around Mexican spirits as is to be expected, classic cocktails also appear. Usually I opt for a nice Margarita but thought I would branch out and go for a chili version a bit of fire doesn’t frighten me! My cousin went for a mango daiquiri which the lovely keen barstaff got wrong, bringing her a straberry one instead. Needless to say this was on the house and we were beaming. My cocktail pictured above was spicy and delicious.Fruity yet spicy. The glass rim did burn a fair bit so it is not for the timid.

Being a little greedy and excited by the gorgeous menu we ordered nachos. Standard fare, but smothered in a gorgeous cheesy mole sauce,salsa,re fried beans, guacamole and sour cream, plus the order was wrong again but this time we had free chicken. What’s not to like here! (Unless you are a vegetarian in which case you have a major problem.)

A warning you do not need a starter if you are having a main, delicious a it was, I should have worn something with an elasticated waist.

For mains we both ordered burritos.One last mistake by the waitress meant I had minced beef in mine instead of steak strips but… I was easy going that night and it was scrumptious.

Filling, spicy, and very GOOD

http://mercado-cantina.co.uk/index.htm

Walking along the lower end of the Kingsland road by Old street you are faced with an array of vietnamese restaurants dubbed pho mile by visitors. Reading previous reviews and surveying the restaurant menus I can see you can opt for a more upmarket more costly restaurant or simply for an informal cafe type affair with rows of tables and BYO.

Which ever restaurant you choose this is a popular area and queues are expected in the doorway. A group of 4 friends, we wanted a quick bite after a drink and before we headed on for more drinking. We walked into one restaurant expecting to be turned away but surprisingly were whisked downstairs to an area which on first sight look impressively plush and newly done up. Fresh tables, bare walls, a sunken bar grill  in the centre to watch the chefs work and a mini grill in the centre of each diner’s table. Practically empty we were delighted!

10 minutes later /perhaps 15 and no one had asked up what we would like to drink (hurry up and bring us a bottle of wine I thought), let alone given us any eye contact. Some people were eating and one couple were having their dinner grilled for them at the table. (It looked impressive.)

The wait gave us time to survey surroundings and, on closer inspection, one friend declared,  ‘It is a concrete cave’. Barren and lonely I thought. Another humorous friend Hannah said her poor bottom was getting very cold on the stony seats and may not survive the meal (if we were ever given menus).

Conclusively we all agreed to leave, feeling a little embarrassed at vacating the restaurant. But again no one noticed, not one person, from chef to waiting staff. Once the upstairs and bustling restaurant is full I can only assume they do not care for the overflow into the newly done dungeon. Alternatively the new chef display restaurant was not ready and not explained to staff.

I can say nothing of the food. Maybe I will try again but unlikely. If I had stumbled across a gem (which maybe this will be one day) I would go back . However, in the interest of eating I will just go to one of the many restaurants it competes with.

Food- who knows other reviews say good , service- erm ?. I suggest you sit upstairs if you want to eat!

www.hanoicafe.co.uk

Starving at this point my group of fellow diners nipped 2 doors down and were seated immediately in a packed restaurant.

The waiting staff were over immediately and we got our drinks within 5 minutes. A extensive menu was already on the table. This will obviously help with your client turn around if you give them a menu! Umming a arring  I opted for the same dish as friend A & B. Freshly barbequed pork on a bed of vermicelli with fresh herbs, veges and  num chuc (a spicy fish sauce dressing). An all in one dish for a reasonable price. My photo does not show accurately how lovely this meal was and I couldn’t wait to tuck in hence the half demolished and dishevelled presentation. Friend C also lapped up her dish of chicken stir fryand rice. A tastey meal, enjoyed by all.

Excellent service, ambience and food. I would definatly drop in here again!

Yummy

104 Kingsland Road  City of London E2 8DP
020 7033 0588

A little competition from MsMarmitelover

The Journalist cocktail at Happiness Forgets bar.

A brilliant, hidden away bar in Hoxton square. Friendly, unpretentious, comfortable, romantic, slick, intimate. Oh and the cocktails were splendid.

A tangy and refreshing Gin based cocktail I felt very sophisticated with this in my hand.

Go here for pre dinner drinks or to impress a date. Fairly expensive for cocktails and it is small and crowded but worth it for the candle lit atmosphere.

Book a table as they suggest!

The Fish Club, two sister fish restaurants/takeaways in Clapham and Wandsworth.

Having visited this restaurant previously I knew you could expect the freshest fish with delicious marinades if you like you fish fancy, prawn and chorizo skewers and roasted veg. or sweet potato chips if you want something a bit different. Or if you are in the mood for some traditional fair then opt straight for the battered Coley or Haddock with chips and mushy peas.

Although on the pricey side for a fish restuarant I think it is well worth it as the portions are substantial and very suitable for sharing . Head there for a casual quiet meal with friends as I did. This is not the place to wine and dine on a first date unless fish and chips is how you like to impress.

One thing though it was incredibly hot in the Clapham restaurant. Maybe they will open the window soon, nevertheless it did not stop the restaurant remaining packed for the duration of our visit.

 The 3 of us left feeling satisfyingly full but not heavy and sluggish as I am accustomed to feeling after a rare visit to a chip shop. Fish is back on the menu.

http://www.thefishclub.com/

Yesterday my friend and I met up for a drink and a spot of Tapas. Having read about the well respected Barra Fina in a food guide I expected great things and I had been warned of a wait. I was not to be disappointed, on both counts. (No criticism is intended here, just an adjustment of the traditional Spanish mentality toward Tapas.) The word Tapas is directly translated as

” Snacks”

The idea is to encourage you to eat whilst drinking, and I am told to encourage one to focus on ones companion more fully than if you were focusing on consuming a full meal. Tapas is a sociable snack, an aperitif, a sensible way to enjoy a drink, food enjoyment and abundant variety.

Barra Fina is a Tapas bar in the heart of Soho whose owners from Spain had intended to create a traditional bar. The bar certainly seems both traditional  and modern chic with stools at the counter overlooking the chefs freshly preparing each beautiful creation. Hardly somewhere you expect to be a huge queue. But, sure enough we were told there was a 45 minute wait for a bar stool. In the mean time we were to have a snack from the shorter menu, a glass of wine or sherry and prop ourselves against a ledge for same purpose.

We elected to have Pan con tomate which was a juicy and garlicky sumptuousness and jamon croquetas which had a crunchy exterior and a velvety creamy centre. I hardly would have noticed the wait had it not been for previously clocking those people who were clearly just sitting and not ordering anything at the bar. Surely this is not the idea and I wondered if the owners would ask someone to leave. No such luck, this is  of course a laid back friendly and polite bar. So, I embraced the wait and enjoyed the company and conversation.

Fast forward 1 hour 35 minutes (at least) and the waiter/chef/maitre d finally tapped us on the shoulder to take us to our stools. Our excitement was heightened from the sample  food, the wait and the food we saw the chefs preparing under our eyes and noses (very clever as much restraint is needed from the customer when faced with the menu and specials). We were not disappointed by our food, mussels in a vinaigrette and sherry mixture, chorizo with potatoes and watercress and artichokes with Serrano ham. I wanted to lick the plate clean but managed to come out of the food haze and remember my manners. Truly delicious, and the Crema Catalana was outstanding, highly spiced and a perfect way to round off the meal.

This certainly was not the tapas experience I expected but I loved it. I would wait for a stool again provided I was not starving. Fantastic ambience, service and most importantly incredible Tapas. I am going to test the mother reaturant out very soon. Muy bien Barra Fina!

http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Going Going gone. Polite sharing of a Crema Catalana in Barra Fina Soho.

Ideas and recipes from a great food blog

Time to start a little blog about food and more importantly eating and loving it!

Ready steady Immy was a game thought up by friends to amuse us when we were teenagers.  Having developed a reputation for a never ending interest in food,  and an appetite for it too, they thought it would be a nice idea to test my skills, buying various random ingredients and have me cook them. (Just like the TV show of a similar name Ready steady cook.)

It was a great idea but we never got around to the shopping and they feared their tastes were not as experimental, and taste buds not as accepting as mine. They once witnessed me trying an after school snack of hot cross buns and cheese. Actually it was not bad I must say. (Go on try it!)

Nowadays friends suggest meeting in a bar or going out for some food. I still experiment with cooking but will use a recipe book as a guide and make tweaks as I see fit. Perhaps I will resurrect Ready steady Immy in the near future and let others make suggestions but until then I will tell you about the food experiences I have. From my restaurant visits to recipes I try. From set menus to cheese and wine evenings.

Is that my stomach rumbling…..the kitchen calls!