Ginger & White, Hampstead Heath

A yummy lunch was recently had at Ginger and White whilst out enjoying Hampstead Heath for the first time this year without having to apply swathes of layers until movement was fully restricted, and body shapes resembled that of the Michelin man. Really there was no need for lunch as a brunch was only had a mere hour or so before but the sun put me in a faux ‘I’m on holiday, I can treat myself’ mood so in we popped, tempted by the sight of mini lemon polenta cakes.

Ginger and White is small with a laid back feel, tucked down a pretty cutesy side street, and dominated by large wooden table where you took a pew. There were so many possible options on the menu with the homemade baked beans with chorizo nearly making the cut. Instead I opted for goats cheese, sundried tomato and green tomato chutney on potato sourdough and my fellow diner went for the humble egg and soliders. I wouldn’t normally write prose on egg and soldiers’ but these were scoffed with such praise by my fellow diner that it seems right to do so. He knows only too well that many cafes find a boiled egg troublesome, where Ginger and White’s were cooked to perfection, arriving with little woolly hats for a cutesy ‘ahh’ effect – before their heads were duly cracked off. Engrossed in dipping his soft white bread soldiers slathered in salted butter, our conversation flowed poorly, luckily I couldn’t care less and entertained myself with the cheesy, tomatoey mess, which was a delicious mix of salt and sweet. The coffee served was equally amazing, you can tell Ginger and White are mad about coffee with the Square Mile Roasters in East London supplying their beans.  

On the way out we commended the eggs and were promised that their bigger spot in Belsize park had a kitchen large enough to cook scrambled eggs. It was a lesson learnt to be advised that square footage dictates the scope of a cafes egg options, anyhow, this revelation means that a visit is now firmly on the to do list. Our lunch came to just shy of £20.

4a – 5a Perrins Court, London, NW3 1QS

The Ginger Pig, Brighton & Hove

I went down to Brighton’s sunny shores recently and whilst there had dinner at the Ginger Pig, one of the Gingerman’s four restaurants in and around the area. I owed it to the friend I was visiting to make up for a meal had at the Medicine Chest on my last visit, where we dined on anaemic scallops with a ‘white sauce’. It never bodes well when a food item is identified by colour as opposed to flavour. Unfortunately though, as the overriding flavour was that of how I imagine slurping wall paper paste or chewing Tupperware to taste, ‘white’ was all we could muster. Medicine chest has since closed for the good of all mankind.

With the above in mind, this dinner had to be good. Given a delicious meal I’d had at the original Gingerman a couple of years ago the Ginger Pig, offering bistro fare with a twist, seemed like a reasonable punt. Sadly, although not a poor start, the starters weren’t ‘blow your socks off’ standard. The ceviche of scallop with a king prawn beignet and an Asian inspired dressing wasn’t bad in fact it was perfectly nice with well balanced flavours, but there’s something about paying £7.50 for one thinly sliced scallop and a deep fried prawn that saddens me. The chicken and truffle ravioli with langoustine, chicken consommé and an unidentifiable black grit we affectionately christened ‘soil’ I was told was equally nice but, again, socks were still firmly on. To be fair, our reaction to the starters may have been residual and misdirected bemusement at our wine ordering experience. When asked which wine would be ‘medium bodied’ the waitress advised that of the 20 strong list ‘all were dry’ – of seemingly improbable likelihood and therefore, we deduced, more likely that our waitress literally couldn’t be bothered to pretend to want to talk to us.

On a better note the well-cooked sole with sea salty shrimp, mussels and buttery samphire that followed was a dish that tasted of summer.  The roast salmon with broad beans, lettuce and horseradish veloute also fared favourably. We then went all out and ordered the assiette of desserts for two which was definitely the best dish of the meal, possibly because it was portioned for two burly lorry drivers. Of what I can recall from pudding overload, the banana and toffee parfait with popcorn was scooped up quickly and the chocolate mousse was rich and decadent. To our amusement the ‘soil’ of prior courses also featured for good measure.

As there was a heavy dose of nattering, it wasn’t surprising to be told by the waitress that our table was up. What was a nice surprise was her stealth like approach to our table and an offering of ‘bribery’ as a trade off for the table in the shape of our earlier cocktails being knocked off the bill which, thereafter, tallied around £50 each. All in all the Ginger Pig’s food was good if not a tad pricey. It wasn’t though what I had at the Gingerman and therefore not quite the ‘make-up’ meal I so wanted to provide. Never mind, the quest continues.

3 Hove St, Hove BN3 2TR

Lisboa, Notting Hill

I popped to Notting Hill’s Golborne Road for the amazing bedknobs and broomsticks-esq street market on the bank holiday Monday. Apparently antique furniture shop owners have better things to do on a bank holiday then sell their wares as the street was deserted in every direction, aside for Lisboa Patisserie.

Lisboa is an authentic Portuguese bakery. We arrived to a cake hungry queue which made ordering a tad stressful. To be honest I felt the pressure when asking the guy behind the counter to explain the difference between a mountain of cakes that all look decidedly golden with a heavy dose of icing sugar. This pressure was only accentuated when adding 10 impatient, seemingly Portuguese, cake buyers behind you to the mix; who clearly think you’re asking for the difference between apples and pears to be explained.

Thinking about it, maybe the guy behind the counter thought the same with one cake succinctly described as ‘dry and boring’ adding ‘for old people’ for crystal clear clarity. We moved on quickly and landed on a custardy doughnut, a Portuguese rice cake and a handful of more familiar pastel de nata’s. The place itself was rammed and wasn’t particularly inviting to sit down in so we got them, and a coffee, to go for all under an impressive £5.

The doughnut and rice cake were solidly performing cakey fair but the pastel de nata’s were something else with a rich and creamy egg custard filling in its very own crisp and golden puff pastry case. Amazing in fact. Even the hotter than the sun coffee in it’s inferno exacerbating polystyrene cup was forgiven when tucking into these heavenly treats, although still not forgotten by our mutilated taste buds. When I’m next in the area these treats will be first on the list. My caffeine fix, however, will be sourced somewhere else…

57 Golborne Rd, London W10 5NR

Tozino, Ropewalk Market, Bermondsey

I clocked Tozino as a place to go on my first trip to Bermondsey’s Ropewalk market. Unfortunately everyone else did too and we couldn’t make it past the velvet curtain at the doorway. I have since tried again at a slightly earlier Saturday lunch time and thankfully got the last two seats at the bar.

The fact that Tozino is in an arch of a railway bridge lends itself to a wine cellar feel, with dark wood, exposed stone and barrels dotted around. The difference, however, between a wine cellar and Tozino is that instead of rows of vino bottles you have multiple hams hanging above your head. My idea of Spanish tapas heaven.

The menu here is simple and authentic with ham, charcuterie and cheese plates, with a small number of other quintessential tapas bits too. It is also reasonably priced with our ‘regular’ sized plate of fantastic quality Iberico ham a generous portion compared to other places based in the city. The tender pork shoulder slow cooked in sherry was also delicious.  Sherry also had prime position on the drinks menu, a drink I’ve long pigeon-holed for old ladies only during Christmas festivities. I decided to give it a shot, with the friendly waitress subsequently setting up an impromptu sampling session for my clueless self to help pick from a surprisingly varied offering. I went for the medium sweet option ‘Amontillado’ which tasted syrupy with enough alcoholic kick, not a tipple to be resigned for grannies any longer.

Tozino is the kind of place that I could happily eat ham and drink sherry all night long. Chatting to the bar staff Thursday evening is a good time to go if you want to guarantee getting past the velvet curtain….our trip was a mere £25.

Maltby St London SE1 2HQ

St John’s Bakery, Bermondsey

Now you see them (to clarify – a vanilla and chocolate custard doughnut respectively).

Now you don’t.

There is, I feel, commendable effort (and a big dollop of gluttony involved) in travelling from north west to south east London on an early Saturday morning to eat warm doughnuts for breakfast. Fortunately the ones at St John’s bakery (9am – 2pm Saturdays)  just over the other side of the railway bridge’s Ropewalk Market makes the effort worthwhile. Our ‘snack for later’  whole nut brownie was equally scrumptious.

I’ve heard and read mixed things about St John’s other spots in Smithfields and Spitalfields, on which I feel tempted to investigate given their baked good success. In any case their Druid St place is a must.

72 Druid St London SE1 2DU

Zoilo, Marylebone

We went to Zoilo for a rare weekday late lunch treat. For some ignorant reason I kind of expected this Argentinian tapas bar to have a bit more of a stereotypical South American ‘ole’ about it; both in its vibe and menu. Instead, once we’d emerged through the heavy curtain, Zoilo was sleek in appearance with walls a mix of exposed brick & charcoal blue tones, with mainly bar seating.  In all honesty, bearing in mind it was a quiet time to visit, there was distinct lack of warm welcome as we hovered around the entrance to catch the eye of bar staff who merely acknowledged our arrival. We gave up and plonked ourselves at the bar.

We went for a ‘bits and bobs’ ordering approach given the time we visited. The salami selection ordered with pickles, breads and freshly churned butter was a generous portion and tasted fantastic. The kind of food that makes you yearn even more so for a glimpse of spring weather. The chicken and pepper empanadas was also great; the soft and squidgy Argentinian pasty was sweet but balanced with cumin-y warmth. The hands down highlight was, however, the garlic prawns with pork belly and chorizo. It was then that I cursed the fact that this was a tapas bar and not an all you can eat challenge. The belly with its rich liquor, chorizo spice and sweet fresh prawn was exemplary surf and turf. For something sweet we then had the dulche du leche creme brulee with banana split ice cream. A dessert that sounded perfect in every way. It was my intention to take a photo of the brulee but instinct took over as it arrived as, given I was sharing, I couldn’t waste precious time in picture taking whilst someone else got cracking with their spoon. If you love sticky sweet puddings then this one is a winner.

The service throughout remained cool, not rude by any stretch, but a bit more attention wouldn’t have gone a miss. The lack of attention was particularly felt when I had a senior moment at the Wizard of Oz-esq curtain, unable to find the blooming middle, fumbling alone for an embarrassingly extended period of time. Their passion for good food through is unquestionable and I’ll be going back for more. The next time I come I’ll be sampling much more of the plates on offer as this visit only really scratched the surface. I’d also aim for the bar seating downstairs that I stumbled upon when asking for loo directions, which was in amidst all the kitchen fun. Our trip came to around £45.

9 Duke St  London W1U 3EG 

Gauthier, Soho

So off we went to Gauthier Soho for a birthday treat. Tucked away, unassumingly, down Soho’s Romilly St it was a first to ring a doorbell for entry –  we were, however, greeted by a welcoming host and were quickly taken upstairs to be seated in the sleek but cosy townhouse’s first floor dining room. Gauthier’s a la carte menu is full of modern French cooking. You basically have 5 sections of the menu where any 3, 4 or 5 plate combination is allowed. A least greedy 3 plate option sets you back £40 after which you add a tenner for each additional course. The hospitality continued whilst ordering, with our French waiter happily and enthusiastically answered our menu queries ranging from ‘what’s Yuzu?’ to ‘why would you be so cruel as to have a calorie count on your menu?’.

First up, pretty picture canapés were brought to the table which were hoovered up by the table. Quickly following said canapés, what looked like XXX extra strong mints arrived, only to have hot water poured over them to transform into fluffy tinie tiny hand towels. Canapés don’t often cause hand mess worthy of a hand towel but we smiled and carried on regardless. The bread selection they then offered was yummy, in fact, having unlimited access to such carb heaven was dangerous especially given the numerous courses you were about to embark on. Will power was a must.

Given the amount of dishes consumed, I’ve decided to home in on highlights and, slightly lower lights, of the evening. The sweet scallops with turnip,  ginger cream and fresh apple & coral dressing worked brilliantly. The pink venison, although small for a main dish, was melt in the mouth delicious, working well with the sweet pear and aniseedy celeriac purée. Pudding wise, the signature ‘Golden Louis XV’ chocolate praline torte was perfect, and it was surprising just how delicious a dessert that features only a selection of sorbets and ice creams can be; we could have happily received the banana & caramel one in a wheel barrow with a couple of shovels.

To offset those favourite moments there were a couple of not so great ones. Unfortunately the palate cleanser of passion fruit with Greek yoghurt foam was an unnecessary hurdle before pudding without any decided flavour. There was also a hiccup in the shape of their party favour macaroon given to all lady diners on the way out which was a lovely, unexpected, parting gift. We left it until the following day as a Sunday treat and it was decidedly not worth the wait…how a pretty pink macaroon can taste so strongly of bathroom cleaner chemicals that you can’t finish it is almost an achievement.

Yes it wasn’t perfect, but it was good. Really good in fact overall. Bundling together the food, staff and the feel of the place itself I would happily go again on a ‘Sunday best’ special occasion (dodging the party favour on the way out obviously). It would also be a first stop treat for any veggie I might dine with in the future given their passion for cooking vegetarian plates, with a complete veggie tasting menu available. The bill for 6 of us, with wine, came to around £350.

21 Romilly St London W1D

Riding House Cafe, Fitzrovia

As a treat, we set out to Liberty’s for afternoon tea. I love to browse in Liberty, fantasising about the goods I could own when I grow up and willing the day I could comfortably justify spending £50 on a candle. For now, I’ll have to settle for the odd treat of afternoon tea there, as do most others apparently, as the Liberty café was packed. Deterred by a 30 minute wait for a scone we ventured back out into London’s streets and headed for Riding House Café.

Riding House Café is sleek and non-fussy in décor but comfortable with a slightly lived in feel. Not where we intended to go, but a nice surprise. We ordered sweet potato and chickpea cakes with halloumi and tomato jam and a cheeseburger with smoked cheddar and chips – my fellow diner’s acid test of any brassiere worth its salt. Again, not intended, but we couldn’t resist the ‘hard’ toblerone shake on the menu. Baileys, Kalua and chocolate ice cream are crammed into the milk bottle container to give a taste ironically not really akin to toblerone, but still calorifically delicious with a dangerous absence of booze flavour. The sweet potato cakes were good, a small gripe in that overall the meal was a tad salty with the halloumi on top and the jam more a tomato pasta sauce, but still decently filling. The cheeseburger had an equally solid performance with an official 7/10 rating from said burger acid tester. It all came to £40 with drinks included.

I  would happily go back to the Riding House Café. A subsequent visit would however be with a view to trying the small plates on offer; which I hawk-eyed with envy as other diners, clearly more in the menu-know, ordered. In particular the goat’s cheese, pear and honey looked dribble inducing and the pumpkin fritters with gorgonzola looked worth a try too. I suspect, however, that overloading on toblerone shakes all over again would be inevitable…

51 Great Titchfield St London, W1W 7PQ

Bonnie Gull Seafood Shack, Fitzrovia

A friend of mine is always hot on the heels of recommended restaurants to try, of which Bonnie Gull Seafood Shack was one, so off we headed for a fish supper. I liked the interior of Bonnie Gull, small and cosy but still bright and clean. The epitome of how I envisage a Zara Home nautical line, should it ever appear on sale.

The waiter was relaxed, knowledgeable and humoured our simpleton questions about the various types of oysters on offer. Forgive me, but my foodie self who loves all seafood is yet to try a raw oyster… the pressure of willing eyes of fellow diners for you to ‘love it’ and a fair weather gag reflex and has proved too much pressure to bear. I therefore left the oyster supping to my companions, who loved them, and have secretly promised myself to finally try one ‘in private’ this year.

The menu here changes frequently. When we went starters included the queen scallops and chorizo, and langoustine and pork belly, both classic combinations that mean the neat portions served were hoovered up quicker than you could say ‘splash’. The mains were equally yummy. The same combo of pork belly and, this time, scallops was everything you would want; salty, fall apart, meat and sweet, perfectly cooked, scallops. The sea bass and citrus was fresh and bursting with flavour. The bloody mary ordered by my friend did blow his socks off, after his spluttery coughs subsided, I tried it to confirm the generous dose of pepper – it was oyster-y too – a real hairs on sailor’s chest drink.

Small fry, but the only thing that didn’t hit the spot was the rosemary skinny cut chips – it was greed that motivated us to order them in any case so it was probably comeuppance – but there was a distinct lack of rosemary, and warmth come to think of it. With that tiny moan over, there would be no hesitation to go back to Bonnie Gull or recommend it to others. They know their fish (Approx £40 per head).

21A Foley St  London W1W 6DS

Ropewalk Market, Maltby Street, Bermondsey

Lately I haven’t been able to face Borough market. There is lots about it to love, but the swathes of tourists you’re forced to navigate makes a relaxed of Spanish hams and stinky cheeses impossible. More recently, trips have taken on a human herding quality typical to that endured during underground rush hour; not what you’re looking for on a Saturday morning.

Instead, last weekend, we wondered down Bermondsey way. About 10 minutes down the road you come to Ropewalk market just off Maltby street, a little nook of railway arches that’s bustling with traders. Even with our numb noses from the weekend’s bitter weather we were hit by the smells conjured up by the various food stalls. I opted for the pulled pork with poached apple and celeriac remoulade from Market Gourmet which was delicious. Fall apart meatiness in a sweet brioche bun and mustardy bite from the remoulade. My market friend choose WaffleOn for his market treat, tucking away his warm & fluffy waffles with smoked bacon and runny fried egg in impressive speed. This eating was all done in the comfort & warmth of a reclamation warehouse, you just have to be mindful to sit on a chair that actually has a seating panel and all four legs solidly intact. Testing my descriptive language, a retro dance class taking place in what can only be described as a 1940’s mock living room set up in the middle of said reclamation yard. An odd, but nice, surprise spectacle.

I have to admit that, although in high praise of the pulled pork bun, I really wrestled with the possibility of iberico ham, cheese and wine at Tozino, a dimly lit and inviting bodega, but so packed we couldn’t get further than the front door. Next time I suppose. To finish off our foody trip we popped into Peyton & Byrne for coffees, a slice of cherry pie heaven and a breeze block sized lamington and subsequently rolled home. Now this is what a London food market should be.

Bermondsey SE1 3PA