What to do: Crazy Bear - Top Thai!

Even out of town you can find swanky places. A lover of Thai food, I recently went to the Thai restaurant at the Crazy Bear in Beaconsfield for a celebration. Expensive but wow is it worth it!

I have never seen a menu so huge. You literally are spoilt for choice. But the army of impeccable waiting staff are there at your very beck and call and can help with recommendations.

The restaurant itself is a converted barn with dark exposed beams and luxurious looking velvet devore wallpaper in both dark green and red. The atmosphere is cosy yet comfortable with quirks like the Thai style candleholders of a woman bending over with a candle perched on her back.

We started with some prawn and chive dumplings and some black cod with black beans whilst we perused the rest of the menu, both perfection. Then we had duck spring rolls (phenomenal) and scallop on glass noodles, which you order in ones (delightful).

For main courses we had chicken and Thai aubergine curry as well as ostrich stir fry with green beans with egg fried rice and pak choi on the side. Lucky we both like spicy food as these were rather hot but totally delicious.  

There’s an extensive wine menu to wash it all down with and cocktails too. Watch out though as the bar gets really busy!

http://crazybeargroup.co.uk/beaconsfield/restaurants-thai.html

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Food Spectrum's Free Company @ The Endurance

I was really excited to read that The Endurance pub in the heart of Soho was starting a concept called Food Spectrum whereby upcoming chefs take over the kitchen for a month or so and you can then try their delicious food. In residence at the moment is Free Company, which is a collective of chefs that specialise in pop-ups. It consists of three in total - David Boycott, Billy Stock and Josh Rhodes, which will sure be names to watch in the future from the standard of food I ate.

They claim to bring inventive, modern British food to Berwick Street and yup, they have done it! It was by far one of my best lunches in the vicinity at any rate. All the staff were exceptionally hospitable, so you don't mind paying the 12.5% service charge as it really is faultless.

For just £1 a head you can start the meal with fresh bread and hand salted butter, which is 'limitless' as they top you up with as much as you would like, perfect for padding out a couple of dishes.  One can chooose a big main dish or opt for several smaller ones a la tapas style, which suits best if you like to try lots of different things and demonstrates the depth of their skills.

First off, we tried roasted and pickled beetroot with puree, beet leaves and goats cheese: a feast for the eye with it's jewelled beetroot, green leaves and white cheese. A wonderful explosion of flavours on the tongue and a treat for vegetarians that often get same old same old options. Another of the veggie dishes we chose was the king oyster mushroom with braised shallot, migas (Spanish for breadcrumbs) - toasted - and a mash. Once again it was beautifully presented, well executed with a perfect balance of all the elements to get enough bits on each forkful. 

For my carnivore friend, we ordered the chicken drumstick, replete with girolle and roasted garlic gnocchi. Not normally a fan of these double carb bites which can often be cloying too heavy and tasteless, these were
more melt in the mouth style, and were a really refreshingly new accompaniment to the chicken drumstick with the woody girolles. Lastly, the other meat dish we ate was braised pork cheek with cauliflower and roasted pumkin with a mosctel sauce, again a perfect combination for a just-so dish with warm, rich flavours.

All in all, I think one of the keys to their success is in the not trying too hard - not meddling with established combinations too much,  not trying to use too many or too whackier an ingredient and knowing the right amount of varying flavours one plate can take. These boys know that. Go before it goes!

http://www.fcfood.co.uk/blog/
http://www.theendurance.co.uk/

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Burger & Lobster

So I had been wanting to go to Burger & Lobster for a while but it's not easy to go to being one of those annoying places where you can't book and you have to queue up outside early in the evening. Which means that you inevitably go to have a few drinks whilst you're waiting and luckily Dean St Townhouse is right opposite.

As the menu implies, you can either have burger or lobster and the lobster can either be grilled or boiled. I definitely think that the lobster is a better deal, although both are filling, coming with a salad and chips (as well as a butter dipping sauce for the lobster). There's even a tank where you can see them all swimming around. 

We had a really nice waitress called Esther who looked after us well and we needed it after an extra wait when the hostess let her friends in to get a table as soon as they walked in...but the food soon made up for it when it arrived.  And they managed to double up on our drinks order so at least we had enough to keep us occuied .Then there was a delicious chocolate mousse that we shared for pudding which satisfied the sweet cravings.

Prices are pretty much set at £20/course for either lobster or a burger - with the lobster in my eyes being the better buy with the burger subsidising its price. There may be other sides but I don't recall...The coffee, drinks and pudding are all quite good value considering...

http://burgerandlobster.com/

OTT On the Thames

 

I still trek home every time I want to get my hair coloured as I've never found anywhere in London that does it as well as my faithfull lebanese hairdresser Elio Giorgio, who has now set up and is running a successful salon in Bourne End a good ten years after I first had him cut my hair . To ease the pain of demanding to be driven there to do my roots, I suggested that we all have lunch at OTT - this time an acronym for On the Thames - afterwards. With the weather being sunny and the prospect of being able to get a table outside on the terrace to overlook all the boats in the Thames and all the other sailors in the water that day it was agreed.
  

 The outing started badly when my hair appointment over-ran and took a while longer (by that I mean an hour) than usual. By this time I was rather impatient as I'm not too good at sitting still and was longing to be soaking up the sun which hasn't made much of an appearance this year. Luckily though, when I arrived, cold sauvignon blanc was waiting for me accompanied by the breads and dips - baba ganoush, pesto, hummous, tomato and I had been sent the menu to pre-order my food.

As well as a la carte menu, there is a 'Thames menu' presumably for sitting outside on the terrace which is pretty much the same as the lunchtime menu. There's much similiarity in the style of cooking across all of the menus, which could be described as 'modern mediterranean'. Starters were all the kind of things that we wanted whilst admiring the view - light, fresh and tasty dishes: smoked salmon roulades, chicken ceaser salads etc.

 

Mains were more substantial with chicken braised in white wine, muchrooms & onions with mustard mash, or pan fried sea bream on a bed of potatoes, asparagus beans and salad then a baked cheesey mushroom on pak choi as a vegetarian option and a more filling cajun pork tenderloin with chorizo and black pudding on crushed new potatoes and baby onions.

 

There's a set price for two courses at £9.95 and a supplement of £4.95 if you want a pudding or cheese course. I tried both - being greedy and also having not indugled quite so much in the breads and chutneys. The cheese came with two large slabs each of both brie and stilton and a wonderful fig and prune chutney to enjoy with the crackers. I preferred this to the cherry tart with dark chocolate and marshmallows, ice cream and berries, which was rather sweet and I had hoped would come with more cherries and fresher ones rather than the glace variety. Nice if you like sweet desserts but not really one for us.

 

If you find yourself around this part of the world and are looking for somewhere to have lunch, supper or soon breakfast, then this is a good option for a lazy meal and a drink. Just sit back, order, enjoy and relax! 

www.ottrestaurant.co.uk and 01628 531111 for bookings. Although be warned you can't book a table outside.  Get there early and book a table inside to be on the safe side.

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Bunga Bunga with Berlusconi

I'd been meaning to check out Bunga Bunga for a while not having made it to one of the initial opening parties. Every time I drove past at weekends it seemed immensly popular with lots of people spilling outside for cigarettes with that kind of club atmosphere so I was most intrigued.

I'd heard how booked up it was in the evenings from others and so when I overheard someone in the kitchen at work saying how fun the brunch was there with unlimited prosecco and fun dragaoke and performing acts, I thought that I had to take my Italian friend there for her hen with all its Berlusconi paraphenalia hanging on the walls and cheesy Italian Venetian style waiters.

There's a set menu at £40 per person with fruit, cured meats and breads and jams, followed by a selection of brunch pizzas - The Englishman's Italian - like a full English on a pizza, The Italian Stallion with parma ham, rocket tomato and parmsan, The Untouchable Nancy with pancetta, spinach, goat's cheese and egg and then The Bunga Royale with spinach, salmon egg and hollandaise. The best thing is that you don't just have to choose one as a long pizza arrives at your table so you can try all of them.

For dessert you then get some sweet pizzas - with nutella and strawberry then nutella and banana topping - something I've heard of before but never actually tried but a real sweet treat. Then there is a selection of mixed ice creams. And the best bit is that throughout the meal there is unlimted prosecco or bellinis, rossinis, mimosas.

At around 2pm the entertainment starts with a woman singing a few known number, like covers of Amy Winehouse, followed by the Dragaoke act who jumps on stage to join everyone on their requests. It feels just like a club in the evening, except you step outside and there's bright sunlight. It keeps on going til 6pm when they kick you out to clean up for the evening's festivities. Definitely a good venue for an occasion when you want to go wild...or just a typical Saturday! Our hen outfits were much admired... and encapsulated in the caricaturist on the scooter.

37 Battersea Bridge Road, London SW11 3BA, t. 020 7095 0360, http://www.bungabunga-london.com/

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Uniting and Reuniting at the Bistro?

This week I agreed to catch up with my friend at the newly opened Bistro Union around the corner from her flat in Abbeville Rd. From the creators of Trinity in Clapham old town, the bistro purports to be a more relaxed local place to grab a bite to eat. The decor and atmosphere is certainly so - with unprententious furniture and a laid-back back feel to it. Like a few other places that have opened up recently, the bistro has a bar where you can sit and enjoy a few drinks and fresh traditional nibbles, like sausage rolls, scotch eggs and pork scratchings and apparently you even help yourself to your own cutlery from the drawers in front of you.


Being around the little tables was comfortable enough to be conducive to sitting around chatting, even if somewhat a little too squished together. The waiting staff were really lovely and friendly though, going a long way to making up for the food and sometimes lack of flavour. Drinks also helped to ease the pain of this a little - I was impressed with the array of interesing and old-fashioned cocktails on the menu with a beautiful gin cucumber and ginger ale number taking the heat off the long wait til our food arrived. The house wine is also to be commended - none of that cheap-drink-only-to-get-drunk stuff. Unfortunately the bread wasn't up to much being a little stale and the butter neither.


We were just on the cusp of ordering a couple of those little snacks when our dishes arrived but we were shocked when the toad-in-the-hole plonked down was completely charred on top. We were unanimous that we wouldn't dare even serve this to our friends at home, let alone in a restaurant (at £11). The second waiter concurred (as I think the table next to our elbows did too I suspect) and whisked this away to be replaced with another and took it off our bill. Sadly the next one served wasn't really up to much either. The plaice was tasty but the flavour paled by the fact I kept on getting mouthfuls of bones. The greens and chips were nice accompaniments, although the addition of lots of garlic in the greens wasn't as good a pairing with the toad-in-the-hole
per the waiter's recommendation. With simply written menus, you don't find out these things until they are too late. Raspberry ripple ice cream was a nice ending, quaintly served in a little jar with a screw top.


After discussing the food and our impressions we heard next-door complaining about theirs to the waiter - the distinct lack of meat in the cottage pie for one. As we finished our pudding, this table by our elbows asked how our food was. She had been planning to bring her friends here for her birthday but was put off by the portions and at those prices. (around £15 for a main plus 12.5% service) They were promised that these were just teething problems, but how can you be so sure? Surely this should be over after their 'dry-run' period?

Well I think the moral of the story is don't try these places too soon - but not too long after they've opened either (the good staff by then have flown the nest). I'd go back for drinks and snacks but not hurry back for the mains too soon.

www.bistrounion.co.uk

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36 Hours in Munich - It's not always about beer

Munich was voted the best livable city in the world last year by my favorite magazine Monocle. I got a chance to spend a very very short weekend last month and I probably also chose the weekend with the worst weather. However I managed to make most of it and found a few hidden gems. Well I will not bother to share those touristic attractions and the most famous sight-seeing spots. But for a very relaxing weekend, Munich offers no less than Paris!

Maximilian Strasser - Yes, everyone knows it's the posh street with all the designer boutiques. Compared to Champs-Élysées, it is lot quieter with lot less tourists; compared to Regent Street, Bond Street or Sloane Street, where you feel that you can not stop, it is more relaxing. Strongly recommended for sales season, as it offers more variaty and less competition! I also like the buildings alongside the street. Those Cafes hidden in the arcades will sooth you in the rainy days.

A few spots where the locals go:

Bar Centrale: A stone's throw away from Maximilian Strasser, this is a buzzy bar with a tiny wooden framed entrance. Inside it is spacious, equipped with bar stools and comfy lounge sofa. I really like "Bar Centrale"s typography combined with its interior- trendy with a nostalgic feeling. There is a record shop on the same street, specialising in jazz and lounge music.

Bar Centrale: Ledererstraße 23, 80331 Munich, Germany
www.bar-centrale.com

Shirokko Musik: Ledererstraße 23, 80331 Munich, Germany
www.shirokko.de

Daylesford Organic: If you miss the life in Notting Hill, just walk to the other side of the same street. In the semi-basement of a beautifully restored historical building, this is apparently the first Daylesford Organic cafe outside of the UK. It is a quiet place for a chit-chat while grabbing a pastry just out of the oven or having a light meal.

Ledererstraße 3, 80331 Munich, Germany
www.daylesfordorganic.de

Brenner: is the dinner place of the day. This is an Italian style restaurant specialising in grills. It sits in a very old building in a courtyard just off the Maximilian Strasser.The facade was protected by a newly built glass roof, which has been quite an architecture trend in Holland and Germany for last 10 years. The huge dining place was behind the bar area. Among loosely planned dining tables, there are two open grill platforms. My friend was complaining that during the weekend, it is too noisy here. I couldn't help laughing: With seats protecting privacy and high vaulted ceiling, I can't complain. In London, you might have to pay more attention to your neighbours' elbows than your own food. Apart from the tasty food we ordered, Brenner also has a very long counter serving all kinds of desserts, from fresh strawberries to classic Tiramisu. Just a perfect finish for a Saturday evening.

Sometimes, it's better traveling without any plans. I was suggested to visit a small town called Freising, locating between the Munich city center and the airport. It was a deadly quiet Sunday and nothing was open except a few Cafes and bakery. It took us around 10 minutes to get to the top of this small hill where the Freising Cathedral is. With a long history dated back to Bronze Age, Freising was one of the oldest towns in Bavaria and the religious center in the Middle Age. It also kept a large amount of documents and manuscripts created at that time. The cathedral has one of the most impressively rich decorations in Rococo style.

While we were trying to go back to the town centre for some food, a small entrance of a restaurant with the menu carefully placed in the glass window caught my eyes. It looked like a typical eatery attached to any touristic attraction. I decided to have a try and I was impressed: there was a very friend waitress who speaks English (Sometimes this is more important than anything when you are abroad). I ordered a Chanterelle salad with pea shoots, which works very well with the dressing. The Schnitzel was juicy and tender, but mind you, the small portion might make you well fed for a big Sunday lunch.

In the end, I realised that this is the restaurant run by one of the most famous beer brewer Weihenstephan. Such a pleasant surprise before I rushed my way to catch the flight back to London.

Next time, I promise more scoops on Munich!

Bräustüberl Weihenstephan
Weihenstephaner Berg 10, 85354 Freising www.brauerei-weihenstephan.de

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Riding House Cafe Strides into Town

This month saw the launch of the Riding House Café in Great Titchfield St – the third venture from Clive and Adam – the duo behind Village East and The Garrison. It’s a one stop shop for whatever you fancy – a few drinks to unwind at the end of a long day, a lazy couple of glasses and a nibble or a full-blown delicious meal.

The interior is cool urban-looking space with a huge long table centrepiece flanked by rows of folding seats on both sides and additional tables up on a raised area at the back which faces a long gleaming bar. The staff are all super attentive and friendly – offering a fresh innovative menu ranging from small plates such as pork-veal sausages with lentils and artichoke crostini, to healthy super food and chopped salads to big dishes - including guinea fowl breast and chorizo hash browns with the king being the chateaubriand to share.

We tried a selection of small plates- which as it turned out are ‘small plates’! Poussin on chopped salad consisted of two skewers rather than a whole mini bird as we had expected but was deliciously seasoned and very succulent. The lamb chops with smoked aubergine was excellent although the chops could have done with a little more cooking to sear the fat. Smoked trout was perfection with rye bread (an unexpected bonus) crème fraiche & jalapeno whilst the classic squid and chorizo – was as ever, a winning combination. Pork belly was either too much fat or chewy meat, but all in all, it was tasty food, if a little rushed. Everyone else seemed to be taking advantage of the 50% off in April too and maybe squeezing this in during a lunch-break was a little ambitious! Go there next month and I’m sure they’ll have it down to a T!

http://ridinghousecafe.co.uk/