REVIEW: Oliver Maki, Soho

Introducing Oliver maki; a Japanese restaurant in Soho that has influences from global flavours and textures. Situated in the heart of Soho, Oliver Maki has a lot of incredible places to compete with. Luckily Oliver Maki already boasts give award-winning restaurants across the world. 

Oliver Maki certainly isn't a fully traditional Japanese restaurant; the set-up of the restaurant and tables is Western in its approach coming from the Lebanese-Canadian co-founding team - the Zeitoun brothers. For example the oil used is extra virgin olive oil produced in Greece. The international theme continues with their famed palate cleanser of extra virgin olive oil and home-smoked soya mixture presented in a Swedish designed bottle. Could you get more international than that?

We visited Oliver Maki for lunch last week. Lunch is served in Muji style clear boxes allowing the diner to select their dishes from a draw of delights.

Where
Oliver Maki, Soho
When
Tuesday afternoon, from 1:30pm
What we ate

• 1x Out The Box bento box
• 1x In The Box vegetarian bento box

What we drank
2 glasses of house white wine

Review

• The house white wine is citrusy and refreshing which would be lovely on a warm summer's day
• The Togarashi (smoked soy sauce palate cleanser) blends fresh soy sauce and Greek olive oil for a fresher and lighter flavour than standard soy sauce.
• Our chopstick packets were remade into origami chopstick holders which was really sweet!
• The starter of miso soup has a deep umami flavour and plenty of smooth tofu and fresh spring onions. It had a milky colour and texture with subtle garlic finish. Each piece of tofu is precision cut into small cubes. It was, however, served to share.... which was a little strange.

In The Box vegetarian bento box

• The first draw of veggie salad blends crisp kale and squash with soft leaves then a creamy slaw. It was very nice to have a strong salad to kicks things off as salads are so often a bit of a let down.
• The mushroom donburi is super sweet and actually very meaty - a lovely warm option within the box. I would have loved a little more rice, however the addition of quinoa was very interesting and very current. The sweet onions had a lovely crunch to them.
• The toasted sesame seeds on the outside of my shredded carrot and avocado roll give a deep savoury flavour to the fresh sushi.
• The salad sushi rolls, while inventive, seem a little odd - tomato in sushi isn't my thing! While the freshness of the cucumber and spring onions worked beautifully with the special soy dipping sauce, the tomato did not and I didn't enjoy that element. The mint brings a lovely garden fresh note.

Out The Box bento box

• The fresh chips if ginger were a little intimidating so Alex didn't eat these.
• The Out The Box sushi featured crispness, saltiness and finally softness from avocado. Alex described this as a suped-up California roll with plenty of fresh seasoning.
• The Out The Box sashimi style sushi was lovely and cold cold and fresh. The fish was well cut and the rice well cooked.
• The crispy crab sushi inside the box, with maki maki sauce, had a great contrast of textures. The sauce was well balanced between hot and sweet and while the crab was noticeable but not overpowering
• The salmon ceviche salad was fresh and citrusy, which worked well with the salad while the raw red onion brings added zing.
• Finally, the salmon donburi rice was well seasoned and cooked. The salmon was beautifully seasoned with teriyaki sauce and cooked with plenty of crisp. As this was the last thing Alex ate, the salmon had continued steaming in the box, making it a touch overdone. It would have been great to have been advised to crack the lid a little to avoid this.

I really enjoyed our lunch visit to Oliver Maki. The ala carte dishes at the table next to us looked absolutely stunning and make me excited to try out the dinner menu soon.

Thank you to Oliver Maki and the team for hosting this visit. All opinions are my own. 

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REVIEW: Superstar BBQ, Tottenham Court Road

The rise of Korean food in the UK, and London specifically, has been steady but in recent months has absolutely shot through the roof. From Korean BBQs to KCF (that's Korean Fried Chicken), the chilli-focussed cuisine of Korea has been making a firm stamp on the London food scene. Today we visited Superstar BBQ; an approachable entry-way into the delights of Korean food. Guests are invited to cook their own food on the BBQ grill at their table and menus are customizable to suit each diner.

As the Korean BBQ experience can be a little overwhelming at first, Superstar BBQ have made things a little easier. All menus are written in English and the staff members are all equipped in explaining how the BBQ works, how long to cook each item for and even the order in which to enjoy your ingredients. Each diner is invited to select a number of dishes for the BBQ, including meats, fish and vegetables, and a few sides with which to enjoy them with. 

Where
Superstar BBQ, Tottenham Court Road
When
Saturday night, from 7:30pm
What We Ate
Set 2, with variations

• KFC (Korean Fried Chicken)
• Japache (glass noodles)
• Kimchi Jeon (kimchi pancake)
• Vegetable dumplings
• Banchan (Namool & Kimchi)
• Rib galbi 
• Portobello mushrooms
• Spicy Chicken
• Spicy Pork
• Grilled Vegetables
• Sangchu salad
• Mixed lettuce and miso paste
• Steamed rice
• Seasonal fruits

Highlights:

• The vegetable dumplings had a lovely chive flavour and a great colour on the outside.
• With the KFC Alex was very happy to see the chefs have used thigh meat as this was soft, flavoursome and juicy. The accompanying chilli sauce was sweet and spicy and would have loved more of it. The battered exterior could have been crisper and darker in finish.

• Moving on to the BBQ ingredients: Alex's rib beef was quite subtle in flavour and our waiter explained the order each meat should be cooked in so that Alex could experience the flavours in order of strength. 
• The chicken was marinated in a soft chilli sauce that caramelised really nicely on the grill. 
• Finally the sweet belly pork was marinated in a sweet and sticky marinade that had the most intense finish.

• The lettuce and spring onion garnishes were both nice and we particularly enjoyed the miso paste with the lettuce leaves.
• The final plates of melon and orange were surprisingly refreshing and just what we wanted. We also really enjoyed the cinnamon drink which was a little like a cinnamon tonic or alcohol free liquor.
• The service was friendly and approachable throughout, although things were a little slow to start with. We were kindly taught how to use the grill and adjust the heat to suit each meat or vegetable.

Lowlights

• The small appetiser dish of kimchi was not spicy enough for me - in fact is felt pretty much devoid of chilli flavour. The sourness of the fermentation was definitely there so it was a shame the chilli flavour was lost.
• In the same vein the kimchi pancakes, which I was really looking forward to, were flat in flavour with no chilli or actual kimchi flavour.

• The texture of the vegetable dumplings was a little thick and doughy which may have contributed to the interior being cold, not hot!
• I also found that Superstar BBQ was not the best place for vegetarians as, despite the good number of vegetables on the menu, nothing was marinated or flavoured. When it came to the BBQ I was just cooking raw chopped veggies on the grill and would have loved a marinated piece of aubergine or mix of different peppers to bring interest to my meal. I would have also liked to have seen more Asian vegetables such as choi sum, lotus root or pak choi.

Overall I enjoyed the visit to Superstar BBQ, however, I would have really liked to have seen a more interesting approach to the vegetable options. The side dishes were enjoyable and generally the fun element of cooking your own food on the BBQ gave a novelty touch to our meal.

Thank you to Superstar BBQ and the team there for hosting this meal. All opinions are my own.

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REVIEW: Shuang Shuang, Chinatown

Hot pot is a social way of eating that has been enjoyed in China and the Far East for thousands of years. Centered around a boiling cauldron of flavoured broth, this communal dining experience has featured in small, local Chinese restaurants in the UK but, as yet, has not had a centre-stage location that has caught the attention of the press. That was, until Shuang Shuang came along. Situated in the heart of Chinatown, Shuang Shuang brings this ancient family-style way of eating into the modern with a sleek interior and expertly sourced quality ingredients. 

You start the dining experience at Shuang Shuang by selecting your broth. Each diner gets their own broth so, for a table of two, we were lucky enough to be able to test-run two different broth flavours. The broths are made fresh in-house every day using natural produce and absolutely no MSG. Shuang Shuang can also cater to dietary requirements which is great. There are five broths to choose from at Shuang Shuang:

• Mala - a salty, fiery and numbing broth with dried chilli, sichuan peppercorns, herbs and fermented broad beans;
• Black Bird - a sweet and soothing broth made with rare breed black chicken, jujubes and Chinese wolfberries;
• Lamb Tonic - a sour and gamey broth and one of the most authentic to the traditional hot pot. Made with lamb bones, pickled mustard greens and chilli in lamb oil;
• Tom Yum - a light yet rich broth with an intense aroma of prawns, Southern Chinese herbs and Tom Yum chilli paste;
• Temple Brew - a warming vegan broth made with homemade soy milk, mushrooms, white turnip and dried liquorice root.

We opted for a half-and-half cauldron of Temple Brew and Mala. The Temple Brew broth was lovely and warming with a deep, rooty flavour thanks to the turnip and a woodiness from the mushrooms. On the contrary, the Mala broth was absolutely explosive. Despite not being the hottest broth available at Shuang Shuang it is incredibly spicy with a numbing finish on the palette. That said it was certainly very tasty and was most delicious when paired with light glass noodles. 

As part of the 'Market Set' menu that Shuang Shuang offers (£9.30), each hot pot comes with a dipping sauce. To match the Temple Brew we opted for the house dipping sauce which was a super-savoury sesame butter, sesame seed and garlic blend topped with chilli, coriander, spring onions and more sesame seeds and garlic. To match the Mala blend we opted for the hot and sour dipping sauce which combined Sha Cha oil, sriracha and red bean paste

With each Market Set diners can select three green dishes and one noodle dish. For noodles we opted for ramen-style egg noodles in the Temple Brew and light as air glass noodles in the Mala broth. Though the ramen noodles were great the star of the show was definitely the glass noodles in the Mala broth. The lightness of the noodle grabbed onto loads of the Mala flavour and we didn't seem to run out of noodles throughout the entire meal. Even after finishing all our green plates there were still noodles left in the broth. 

In terms of things to add to our broth we chose to stick with mostly green dishes, which are priced at £1.60 each. The green plate options vary massively from an overflowing plate of greens to stacks of root vegetables, marinated beef rump and belly pork. As there were two of us dining we could select six green plates to eat and chose

• Belly pork (Alex ate this - Mala broth)
• Marinated beef rump (as above)
• Fried tofu, x2 (both broths)
• Choi sum (both broths)
• Mixed root vegetables (both broths)

I found the fried tofu very interesting when cooked in the spicy broth as it took on the heat of the chilli and the sour notes too, whereas when cooked in the Temple Brew the flavour was much more savoury. I definitely preferred the root vegetables cooked in the Mala broth as the intense chilli brought much needed flavour to the white turnip.

For the meat options Alex was happy with both meats cooked in either broth. Shuang Shuang is a good location for mixed palettes and mixed diners, as I ate only vegetables whereas Alex had a mix of meat and non-meat options. If you prefer to cook your vegetables away from any meat products then sharing the broth is not an option, however for us it worked really well.

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Shuang Shuang to any London foodie and especially those for a preference for Asian cuisine. 

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REVIEW: Pho & Bun, Chinatown

From the iconic Viet Eat in Holborn comes the lovely Pho & Bun. Opened in October 2015 I have been keen to visit Pho & Bun for a while. I mean, it's got 'pho' and 'bun' in the title - why wouldn't you want to visit! The restaurant brings Vietnamese street food to London in a relaxed yet fun environment. Located next-door to Chinatown, Pho & Bun is the perfect place to dine on a Friday/Saturday night whether or not you're hitting the drinks later.

Where
Pho & Bun, Shaftesbury Avenue
When
Friday night, from 8pm-10pm
What we ate

• Starters: Vegetarian spring rolls; prawn crackers; mustard greens; chilli squid
• Mains: Crispy prawn bao burger with sweet potato fries; Lemongrass tofu vermicelli noodle bowl

Highlights

• The big bowl of mustard greens that I kicked off with were drowned in plenty of sauce and were super garlicky which I very much enjoyed. The slippery greens were well cooked and vibrantly green.
• The vegetarian spring rolls were light but had a meaty flavour which was very welcome for Alex considering they were veggie. Each roll was absolutely crammed with vegetables and plenty of flavour. The pickles that were served alongside the spring rolls were delicious too. 
• Alex's starter of chilli squid was very well seasoned, which is great as this dish can often be too salty, and perfectly crispy. 

• Alex's sweet potato fries were lovely and crisp. We read reviews online that these fries were often too soft but this isn't something we experienced.
• His prawn bao burger was also fantastic. There was a great mix of textures from the ultra soft milky bun and the crisp breaded prawn. The prawns were minced into a pattie which still had texture of the prawn, so not like a fish cake. Finally, the wasabi mayo within the burger was strong but not overpowering which contrasted with the sweetness of the bun. 
• My gorgeous and absolutely massive bun bowl was well cooked, fresh and exciting to eat. The vermicelli noodles were well cooked and slippery in the soy based sauce, while the fresh mint and shredded carrot brought freshness to the bowl. This was was much needed as the lemongrass tofu was very rich and at times a bit intense.

Lowlights
Weirdly enough, the biggest let down was the prawn crackers. They were really dry and were not served with a dipping sauce. We drizzled ours with hoisin and sriracha - straight from the bottle! 

Overall
Overall I enjoyed my time at Pho & Bun and, because the prices are so reasonable, I will definitely be going back. As I said at the top of my review, Pho & Bun is a great stop in if you're in the area. The top section of the restaurant is tiny and there is a real communal feel. The food is fresh and exciting and definitely worth visiting for.

Thank you to Pho & Bun for hosting this visit. All opinions are my own. 

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REVIEW: The Fabulous Adventures of 698B

Buy your tickets here >  https://www.tabl.com/groups/33760 

As part of my collaboration with Tabl, your ticket to a wealth of incredible dining experiences, I was kindly invited to an intimate supper club with The Fabulous Adventures of 698B. On a mission to open a restaurant, Guillaume, a professional Head-chef from Brittany on the west coast of France, with over 12 years' experience in various restaurants between France and London, and Maja, restaurant manager, from London with a Croatian and Swiss background, and 15 years' experience in hospitality, have teamed up to create their very own supper club. Every 698B adventure revolves around a specific theme, using seasonal British products to reveal surprising and unexpected flavours. 

Originally The Fabulous Adventures of 698B started out in their flat, but in 2016 they moved to a pop-up residence in Finsbury Square. 'The Shed' is quite literally that - a wooden structure in the middle on Finsbury Square. It's not fancy or anything like the other restaurants in the area. Instead The Shed and The Fabulous Adventures of 698B are homely, welcomingly and ultimately a more intimate dining experience for everyone who visits. 

I visited The Shed several weeks ago for The Fabulous Adventures of 698B's 79th supper club. The team were clearly well practised as food arrived hot, quickly and beautifull (I mean beautifully) presented. Maja and Guillaume were also incredibly accommodating to my veggie with no nuts dining requirements and never made me feel singled out because of my differing plates. The two long tables were clean and well presented and, as it was BYOB, devoid of clutter. 

We began the evening with a cocktail of whiskey and grapefruit - not my normal go-to drink. The warming whiskey contrasted well with the bitter grapefruit which prepared the palette for the evening of delicious food that was to come. 

The amuse-bouche was a collection of 'on-toasts'. As a vegetarian I was treated to three, rather than two, bites. First was a filo pastry topped with goats cheese and a gorgeous onion chutney, next a ceviche of raw veggies on top of a seeded crispbread and lastly a celeriac 'toast' topped with a raw veggie ceviche. My favourite was definitely the filo pastry although it was a nice touch to include the raw veggies and get some nutritious goodness in at the start of the meal. 

The starter, coined 'Funky carrots, blood orange, bitter leaves, tarragon', was quite a bitter starter for my taste. Not to say it was unpalatable but I have a strong sweet tooth and an aversion to bitterness - I hardly ever add pepper to my dishes. The carrots, whilst sweet, could not quite compete with the bitterness of the leaves and the bitter-sour flavour of the blood orange. The colours on the plate were stunning and the dish's presentation was outstandingly beautiful. 


The fish course was of Lemon sole with cauliflower, grapes and almonds. My vegetarian option featured a gorgeous slice of tofu marinated in winter warming spices and a large slice of celeriac which gave a subtle meatiness to the dish. The accompanying cauliflower too was slightly meaty, probably due to the texture, which helped with from seeming like just a plate of vegetables. The grapes brought added sweetness to the plate and I really loved the cauliflower puree which was perfectly smooth and creamy. 

The meat-eaters main course was of rib of beef, beetroot, savoy cabbage and a merlot dressing. For my plate I was treated to the super earthy beetroot, sweet savoy cabbage and merlot dressing topped with a cheesy stick of polenta and a more celeriac - hey it's in season! The polenta was super crisp and excellently seasoned on the outside yet soft and warming in the middle, just how it should be done. The accompanying ingredients worked really well with the cheesy polenta and earthy celeriac but I could have definitely done with a little more sauce, or, perhaps, a type of gravy as with the meat dish.

The highlight of our meal was the dessert. Maja and Guillaume certainly know how to put on a performance as, initially, we were starting to wonder when our dessert would arrive on the table. Boy was it worth the wait. Lines of greaseproof paper were decked across each long table and then the music began. For a full 5 minutes Maja and Guillaume decorated our tables with delicious sweet things, all inspired by Rhubarb and Custard boiled sweets. From mini meringue pies to whirls of chocolate cream; from lemon posset puddings to beautifully poached rhubarb sticks, each table was drowned in a sea of sweetness. Oh, the drama and the fun of it! Being sat at the table watching this whole experience play out was truly inspiring and when we eventually tucked in I was left very, very happy. Maja and Guillaume had also kindly avoided placing any nut products within 4 seats of my space, meaning I could dine to my heart's content without worrying about, well, dying at the table!

Thank you so much to Tabl and The Fabulous Adventures of 698B for inviting me to this wonderful evening of food and fun. I cannot wait to attend another supper club and fully encourage my readers to check the evening out!

Buy your tickets here >  https://www.tabl.com/groups/33760 

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Around London in 50 Breakfasts: The Wolseley Hotel, Mayfair

To celebrate my Auntie’s birthday we treated ourselves to a beautiful brunch at the Wolseley Hotel in Central London. I cannot believe this is the penultimate issue of my Around London in 50 Breakfasts series and I have an incredibly exciting number 50 coming very soon. But back to number 49 - the Wolseley Hotel. My Aunt has been keen to visit the the Wolseley Hotel for several weeks and their brunch offering at the weekend is certainly extensive. From fresh fruit juices and healthy smoothies through to indulgent French patisseries and rich full English breakfasts, there really is something for every guest.

Where
The Wolseley Hotel, Mayfair

When 
Saturday morning, from 10am

What we ate

• Patisserie basket for two (croissant, pain au chocolat, danish, amandine pain sucré au beurre normand, cannelè bordelaise)

• Mashed Avocado, Seeded Croustade

• Kedgeree

Review

• The mini patisserie basket was a lovely way to start our meal. Initially I thought that each pastry looked quite small but after scoffing a few down I actually felt full very quickly - this is the joy of real, French butter and excellent pastry work! I really enjoyed the rhubarb and créme patissier danish whilst my Aunt really enjoyed the cannelè bordelaise, which is a custard bsaed pastry encased in a caramelised exterior.
•  The amandine pain sucré au beurre normand (a sweetened bread made with Normandy butter) was also surprisingly lovely, very sweet and excellent with a swish of jam.

• My avocado dish was a completely fresh approach to the now classic avocado toast. The mashed avocado was beautifully seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper, lemon juice and a vibrant red pepper sauce. Topped with fresh tomatoes, micro herbs and micro cress the overall flavour was punchy yet soft, comforting yet fresh and truly a lovely dish to eat. The Wolseley is certainly not stingy with their avocado portions.
• The avocado was served on a seeded croustade - a type of puff pastry that is usally reserved for pie toppings. The flaky pastry was heavily seeded giving a richer flavour and seasoned well with lots of fresh black pepper.

• My Aunt's kedgeree had a good amount of spice and haddock compared to the portion size. The rice was a little al dente and the egg on top brought added richness to the dish. The above said, she did prefer the kergeree served at the Dean Street Townhouse due to its creamier consistency.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Wolseley Hotel. It is truly a luxurious option for brunch lovers and while the prices may be high the quality is most definitely worth it!

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