What to do: Flat Planet

Soho is teaming with fun places to go for a spot of lunch. This is my latest find - a fun take on pizza using flat breads - Flat Planet. Touted as 'organic English spelt flatbreads underneath a pile of goodness', these 'healthier' pizza style snacks have almost a dozen toppings to choose from including an English style breakfast, meatballs and sauce. There's a few salads too and the option of side flats with herbs or meze with hummous etc. Drinks range from teas, coffees and cold beverages to wines. Plus there's soup and spelt pastries, so a great stopping off point.

39 Gret Marlborough St
http://www.flatplanet.co.uk/

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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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Hemyca 'Pure Spirit' SS2013 Show

Hemyca has a name for creating clothes for 'real' women, so I was particularly excited to see what they would bring out for next season. Taking place at 1508, the home of Tom Ford in Victoria, their collection drew on the struggle of the 'pure spirit' in today's society - the ongoing push-pull that one's conscience feels between their morality and the urges of the everyday world.

The contrast is embodied in the transparent white and pink pieces representing the innocence of the puritan, floaty chiffon pieces focusing on modesty whilst empowerment is visible in the jewelled embellishment on darker pieces and the peforated leather in numerous pieces.

One of the highlights of the show was Leah Weller who modelled a bespoke pink evening dress which was created to be auctioned in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October at the Pink Ribbon Ball. Her father Paul came along to support her too, sitting front row.

Models had poker straight long hair one of the come back trends for this season for hair, whilst eyes were made up with paper eyelashes giving a goth look for those with dark hair and black outfits. Shoes were kept simple - mainly towering black heels - many adorned with Blingbacks - jewelled embellishments for the back of the heel.

Hemyca is based in Chelsea
HEMYCA STUDIO
58 Elizabeth Street
London
SW1W 9PB
info@hemyca.com
+44(0)7768 383247
www.hemyca.com

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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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Terra Vergine

Just opened in Chelsea, inspired by Gabriele d'Annunzio's book of the same name is Terra Vergine an Italian specialising in the cuisine of the Abruzzo region. The namne comes from the unpolluted region full of beauty and kind people. 
The restaurant in the same vein seeks to provide delicate, pure and refined dishes. 


Decor is simple neutral colours fitting with the pure theme with beading hanging from the back walls. Perhaps deliberately simple for the focus to remain on the food.  As soon as you come in the door, there's a bar - ideal for having an aperatif at before sitting down to eat and amenable for milling around having drinks.

Starters are traditional Italian ingredients packed full of flavour with antipasti offers including prosciutto and melon, beef carpaccio garnished with cherry tomatoes and parmesan curls, crostini and cheese balls. First courses or primi are fresh taglietelle with truffle and mushrooms whilst typical Abruzzan main dishes include steak with rocket, cherry tomatoes and parmesan shavings. Whilst pudding includes classic Italian favourites - crepes with orange, caramelised sugar and GRand MArnier, tiramisu and 'torta della nonna' cake.

Apparently frequented by renowned people such as the Queen's hairdresser, Ian Carmichael, Mika and Lee John of Imagination, it's reputedly popular with both creatives and  professionals alike, including the Italian Chamber of Commerce president in London.

Terra Vergine, 442 Kings Rd

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Renouve your hands

There's something satisfying about killing two birds with one stone so to speak. Especially something with dual functions. Renouve is a new handcream and sanitiser that both removes germs from your hands and at the same time keeps your hands lookig young with collagen stimulating peptides.

Apparently ingredients such as alochol which sanitise the hands dries the skin, which in turn leaves it more susceptible to bacteria and triclosan, another sanitiser also has negtive effects. Instead, Renouve uses bitter orange peel which is a proven antibacterial which is both parabens and alcohol free. It is natural, occurring in plants so it is 100% organic.

The youth promoting element - palmitoyl tripeptide-5 is a deep penetrating ingredient which has been developed to stimulate the production of collagen, diminishing wrinkles, firming and moisturising the skin. It actually mimics the body's own to produce and stimulate collagen via TGV-beta.

In clinical trials, testers used the product twice a day and experienced significant improvements in their skin. Independent studies also proved that Renouve kills 99.99% of bacteria.

But one of the best things, is that the botttles are so pretty - they sit well on your desk and you can even keep it easily in your handbag. I've been trying Every day defense in Gold. It's priced at £22 per bottle (30ml). Different colour schemes are available.
http://renouve.com/

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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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Quilon

Westminster's Michelin starred south Indian restaurant Quilon has just re-launched, having  under-gone a three month re-furb with traditional decor and features as well as a new 'Q bar' to hang out in, giving locals both a new drinking spot as well as a private dining area, complete with an Indian fishing boat.

Owned by the Taj Group, this is actually the first overhaul that the interior has seen in 12 years by designLSM. Jaali or latticed screens master the traditional inspiration combined with a bespoke candle wall with flickering tea-lights. Then there are over 1,000 individual hand-printed ceramic tiles placed just so to resemble fish scales, this together with fabrics imported from India and the fishing boat reflect Quilon’s coastal roots.

But for me, the all important is that the bar has a new menu - both drinks and food, which Executive Chef Sriram Aylur has carefully selected with the help of MW Peter McCombie. It boasts over 135 well-known wine bins from well-known producers in addition to smaller 'boutique vineyards'. But those that aren't as fond of the grape will be pleased with the whisky menu (well my mother would be) with over 50 varieties and over 20 different beers. There’s even spicy inspired cocktails like the signature ‘Quojito’.

The bar canapé menu has been specially created so that you can have a small taster of the style of their dishes even if you’re not sitting down for a full meal – great for a light snack or sharing plates to sample the wonderful Michelin starred cuisine. Dishes include crispy fried spiced silver fish; tamarind glazed chicken winglets; semolina chips with tomato chutney and batter fried plaintain, asparagus and baby carrot with artichoke dip, all very reasonably priced.

I would say more, but you should go and try for yourself, especially as the staff are delightful also.

Quilon, 41 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AF, http://www.quilon.co.uk/ 020 7821 1899

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