londonelicious: a london restaurant blog

Happy Halloween. Now Go Away.

I find this sign at Young's Chinese Restaurant on Upper Street oxymoronic. (Did I just make up a new word? If I did, it works, right?)

Open? But stay out! If you were a family of four with two young children, would you eat here?

I'd like to see their cash inflow on the days before and the days after putting this sign up. This sign, to me, says "Go away. We don't want your business."

Imagine all the other things they could have done...

"Kids under 12 in costume eat free!" That might have attracted some new business.

OR--what if the "treat" at Young's was a 10% off coupon? Then whole families might have come back at a later date.

Or--what if the treat were a Chinese pastry of some sort? Maybe a mooncake? That would have introduced people to new types of Chinese food. (The Chinese--not really known for their sweets, right?)

OR--what if the staff dressed up in Halloween Costumes? That might have attracted lots of people, just to eat there and oogle the waitstaff. OR what if Young's were to host a costume night with a special set menu at an attractive price? "Eat at Young's before you begin your trick-or-treating!" That would have been a virtuous thing because people would come because of the special deal, and then they would stay and/or more people would be attracted by all these people in costume in the same place.

It just seems like when you run a restaurant, you want people to come in. And there are lots of interesting ways to do that. This sign is not one of them.

Barbera d'Asti, Piano Piano, and Piedmont

I have organized a field trip to The Wine Show in Islington for Bryan, Stacey, Bryan's parents, Feathers and Matt, and K&A. The place is packed. Shortly after our arrival, K&A stop in Italy--Piedmont, to be exact. I know they'll be there for a while--they love Italian wine like nobody's business--so I move on. I try some port with Feathers & Matt and then get the evil eye from the Crianza ladies when I ask to try a little Crianza and I've still got the dregs of port in my glass. They are SO not happy with me.

I get the evil eye again from a New Zealand table when I ask about the difference between two pinot noirs. "Four years" (with a little attitude) is all I get. I thought I had asked very nicely. And dude, there's so got to be more of a difference than the age. Is it me?

Wine snobs! Can't we all be friends? 

So it's refreshing to find myself back in Piedmont--although K&A have moved on to elsewhere in Italy at this point--where I meet the loveliest and friendliest couple who are more than willing and able to tell Feathers, Matt and me about Barbera d'Asti and Piedmont and their wine-making friends. And they do not judge us by the cleanliness of our glasses.

As Feathers, Matt and I are enjoying our third sample of Barbera courtesy of Ingrid, Bryan and Stacey walk by and yell "2001!" (They'd dropped by Piedmont earlier and made their own purchases.) It's then that I learn that 2001 was a GREAT year for Italy. (France too.) I, apparently, have been living in a cave for the last few years, as everyone, even the non-wine-drinkers, seems to know this but me. Sheesh.

The purveyors faces light up when they tell us about how wonderful and perfect 2007 is looking for their Barbera and for Italy. I can't help but feel excited for Phil & Ingrid because they are just so nice. Visit their Web site if you can, and order some of their lovely and quaffable Piano Piano Barbera d'Asti. And if you're ever in Piedmont, check out their B&B. I know I will. (And well, the reviews on TripAdvisor only support my observation that Ingrid and Phil are two of the nicest, friendliest, and most hospitable people ever.)

Thai: Nid Ting

533 Holloway Road
N19 4BT
020 7263 0506

Hot Chip – The Warning

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, October 21

The Victim: Me

The Damage: £10

The Background: Sometimes, a gal just needs to get out of the house. I was tired of laundry, shopping, TV, blogging, my Blackberry, many things. A while back, I questioned the staff at Kobkhun Thai on the Essex Road about where they go for Thai food, the response was pretty unanimous: Nid Ting, on Holloway Road, across from the Petrol station. I've been storing this little nugget away for just the right day. This was it.

Nid Ting's location on Holloway Road is on a bit of a bleak stretch. There are fruit machines everywhere. I was a little curious about the last vestiges of a street market  I passed as I made my way down from Archway Tube, but not so curious as to stop and research.

The Entrance: They've JUST opened. There are many news clippings in the window. Charles Campion is staring back at me. The staff's children are in control of the restaurant when I enter, but they're sent to a back corner once I take my seat.

The Starter: They are dumplings of some sort. I am imagining gyoza/pot stickers, but what I get are big golf balls of pork and veggies. They are only okay. I am disappointed.

The Entree: I go for the Lad Na, which is my 2nd favorite Thai noodle dish after Pad Se Eu. It arrives and it is a soupy mess. I think there is some fake crab meat in there. I am not an expert on fake crab meat, so don't quote me. But it all just seems overly gloopy to me. And there's a surfeit of noodles. It's mostly gloop. And carrots. I am so disappointed.

The Departure: The staff wish me a warm farewell. They are very sweet. (And I like their outfits.) The loos could use a good powerwash. 

The Verdict: Not worth the trip for me. 

Meat: Theobald's Butcher

Theobald's Butcher
21 Theobalds Road 
WC1X 8SL
020 7242 7740

As you might have noticed, I like taking pictures of

1. Food (although not in restaurants)
2. Food through glass

I couldn't resist snapping this one of all the raw meat in the window of Theobald's on my walk home from Oxford Street. The queue/line was out the door as I passed by.

Have you been?

Korean: Woo Jung

Woo Jung
59 St Giles High Street
WC2H 8LH
020 7836 3103

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, October 20th

The Victim: Me

The Damage: £8.50

The Background: It's Saturday, so I'm on Oxford Street shopping, getting my eyebrows done, looking at shoes, etc. And now I'm hungry. I really feel like sushi, but after racking my brain for quite some time, the only sushi options I can come up with are Yo! and Itsu. I vaguely remember that there are some Japanese restaurants north of Oxford Street on Wigmore or something, but after wandering for a while, I can't find them. So I head to Centre Point.

I forget now if I told the story about Team China from the office who used Centre Point as their landmark for everything. And now it's mine too!

Polo looks closed, but that's okay because I've been there before. (I am not, unlike some people, a creature of habit. K&A, for example, can go to the same restaurants all the time. Not me.) Woo Jung is open and has a decent crowd, so I step inside.

The decor, to be honest, is nothing to look at. And the service, also to be honest, doesn't seem to speak much English. Asking where the toilet was took forever. And toilet shouldn't be a hard word. (The toilets, by the way, were not the best.) But the crowd--in the maybe six tables--is mainly Korean, which I suppose says something.

They come and take my order and I go for the recommended Korean pancake (there are two on the menu and they recommend the first one).

The Food: It arrives and it's sorta red. It's served with a side of soy sauce with scallions and maybe even some chillies in there. I take a bite and it's GREAT. Nice and crispy on the outside, a little spicy, a little doughy, a little vegetable-y. I like it.

Until I get to the middle, and it's a bit undercooked. It's like eating raw dough. Delicious raw dough, but dough nonetheless. Hmmm.

The Bill: £8.50 for free cold tea (barley tea), a pancake, and a beer (Hite). Not so bad!

The Verdict: Maybe I'll go back. I don't know. I wouldn't send people here. They would think I was weird. Maybe I am a little.

Where She Learns about Burgundy and the Rhone

The Cardigans – I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer

So here's what I knew about Burgundy and the Rhone before class:

Pinot Noir
Romanee Conti
Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Specifically, I remember being about eight and driving with my mom, my aunt, and a friend of my aunt's. All this friend talked about in the car was how she had had Chateauneuf-du-Pape at dinner at a very expensive restaurant. I remember saying to my mother later, after the woman was gone, "So even when people grow up, they still brag?"

Yes, a lesson in life. Here are some other lessons, no bragging involved:

White Burgundy: Chardonnay is the main white. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and the mysterious (to me, anyhow) Aligote make up the rest. But really, it's all Chardonnay.

Red Burgundy: Pinot noir is the main grape. Gamay is also prominent.

Words to Throw Around...
Terroir: It's a big deal in Burgundy.
Chablis: It's the non-Chardonnay-drinker's Chardonnay.
Beaujolais (Gamay): Because everyone loves a party...November 15th is the day!

And now onto the Rhone...where it's all red wine, all the time, with the exception of about 3% of the production, which is white and mainly Viognier.

In the North, the red is ALL Syrah--also known as Shiraz in other parts of the world--except where people might be breaking the law. I am sorta making up the breaking the law part, but it's like what Professor Marvin Zonis pointed out (and I am paraphrasing)...if more than 80% of the population is voting for one candidate, that election is fixed. Somewhere, someone in the Northern Rhone is growing a little sneaky Merlot on the side, I swear.

In the south--home of Chateauneuf-du-Pape--they're a little more laid-back about things, and they'll use Grenache, Cinsault, Mouvedre, and Syrah. Grenache is the most dominant grape. They also, apparently, can hold their liquor (well, wine) pretty well as a lot of their wines come in at 14% to 14.5% alcohol.

I am so over-simplifying all of this, I know. Feel free to add your own fun fact!

My favorite of the evening? The 2003 Domaine Lucien Barrot Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC, which is about 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Cinsault/Mourvedre. It's available at Majestic for £14.99. 

Again, sometimes you need a stock photo. Mine is from supafine at Morguefile.

Holy Baklava! Green Valley

Green Valley
36-37 Upper Berkeley Street
Marylebone
W1H 5QE
Tel: 020 7402 7385

The Coral – In the Morning

Oh I know what I'm bringing to Feathers' Christmas Party now! If you've never been to Green Valley, I highly recommend a visit the next time you're around Marble Arch/Oxford Street/Edgware Road. It's not a big grocery store, but it sure is packed with lots of interesting treats. The windows are stuffed full of Baklava--in case you haven't noticed. In the back, there's a great looking butcher counter and then the prepared foods look lovely. I almost bought a kilo of artichoke bottoms. But I didn't. I just looked.

Indian: Shola

Shola
130 Edgware road
W2 2DZ

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, October 14th

The Victims: Vir, Evren, Richard, Rutton

The Damage: £20-something each

The Background: I have never been to the Frieze Fair. I read about it every year, but somehow never quite make it.

This year, I made it. And now I can truly say, "Been there. Done that."

And I'm never going back.

And I like art! (But I guess that's like saying I like bread. Everyone must like art, no?)

But I think I like modern art better than contemporary art. And I think I like fonts and patterns and designs and Scandinavian things more than anything else.

It was the dead horse at the Frieze fair that did it for me. That is not art! That is taxidermy, firstly. And secondly, dead horses are GROSS.

But let me get into my meal here, and I promise that there are no dead horses involved.

I am hanging out with bankers. And like all good bankers in London on a Sunday afternoon, we are at The Westbourne. (For the record, I am not a banker. But I do enjoy the odd discounted-cash-flow-model and I know what CAPM is.) I have my very large and dark sunglasses with me (this year's model are from Calvin Klein courtesy of Stansted Duty Free), but it is unfortunately too dark for them to be of any use. That being said, this doesn't deter many a Westbourne patron from wandering in and out of the pub with their sunnies on.

The topic of food arises, and Vir suggests an Iranian restaurant...we hop in a taxi only to arrive and find it 200% packed, and it's a Sunday night. I have been blindfolded and sworn to secrecy regarding the name and location of this place, and I am not ever allowed to write a restaurant review about it. (If i do review it, I can't reveal its name.) I can tell you that I think it was yellow inside. We are turned away.

So instead, we head to Shola, where Vir knows the owner. My cover is completely blown when my Moo card is provided to the restaurant staff and I am introduced as a famous London restaurant critic. (Although my blog is popular with the people, it's not THAT popular, although they did ask me to be on Market Kitchen!) I lose any and all arguments about how this is supposed to work.

The Food: A whole lot of nan, and the other bread--whose name escapes me, but it's almost tortilla-like. Then there are some lamb chops, which I love. And some chicken that's been marinated and grilled and is lovely. Someone orders more beer at this point which is a very very bad idea. Luckily, they are out of beer! And I am momentarily happy until the guys (bankers, after all) question how the restaurant could be out of beer.

The restaurant staff run across the street to buy some for us.

From here, things get a little hazy, but I remember sitting in front of the lentils and really enjoying those. There was a lot of food. Too much. I tried a bit of everything but as I sit here a few nights later writing this, I can only remember the lamb chops, the lentils, and all the nan and <insert mysterious bread name here>.

The Loos: Yuk.

The Verdict: Not a destination, that's for sure. If I lived in the area, I might drop in to pick up a take-away every so often. And if I were having a party, I might ask for a platter of 50 lamb chops.

Where She Learns about Bordeaux

DeVotchKa – We're Leaving

So last year, I signed up for a wine class.

I went twice.

The class met six times.

See, it was in Westminister, and well, I could never make it there on time. So I'm trying again this year. With Louise, of Al & Louise, my "English friends." Last night was the first class. And it was all about Bordeaux.

As an American, I know very little about French wines. Next time I'm home, I'll take a photo of the wine aisle in the local supermarket--it's California as far as the eye can see (and some Oregon and Washington), with some Australian wine mixed in.

I have trouble keeping Bordeaux all straight. But here's the gist: Bordeaux is mostly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Cabernet Franc in the reds. Among(st) the whites, it's Sauvignon Blanc or Semillion. Who knew?

Oh, and when talking about Bordeaux, you should throw around Right Bank and Left Bank a lot. (If you're that sort of person who needs to throw things around.) I sorta zoned out at that part, but here's what I remember:

Right Bank: Merlot. Cab Franc. Mellow wines. Approachable. More fruit-forward. Petrus comes from the right bank.

Left Bank: Cab Sauv. Austere wines. Tannins. The whites come from here. Sauternes, only my absolute most favorite thing in the world, also comes from the left bank.

I have a cold. So everything tasted pretty similar to me, which was sad. But of course, the one I did like (besides the Sauternes, which doesn't count)  just happened to be the most expensive wine of the night. It was the Chateau Langoa Barton, St. Julien, 2002. It retails for £29.00 and is a blend of 75% cab sauv, 20% merlot, and 6% cab franc.

I want to know who was counting.

Next week? Burgundy and the Rhone.

(Sometimes, you just need a stock photo. Mine is from Twango.com.)

Italian: FoodLab

Food Lab
56 Essex Rd
N1 8LR
Tel: 020 7226 1001

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, October 13th

The Victim: Me

The Damage: £4.50

The Background: You might know that I love this machine called the Treadclimber at my gym. It kicks my ass. As the guy in the Nautilus video (see hyperlink) says "It's wicked awesome."

So what better way to reward myself for 45 minutes on the Treadclimber than Tagliatelli Carbonara! If there's an excuse for a heart attack on a plate, the Treadclimber is it.

And you know what I love about this heart attack on a plate at FoodLab? It's CHEAP. It's £3.50. And they put it on a plate and make a heart out of balsamic vinegar. It's so cute. I love it.

But you know what's not cute? The microwave. Now see, if they had done this behind the counter--away from my prying eyes--and brought out the piping hot plate of pasta without me ever seeing the microwave, I would have been totally cool with it. But they totally nuked this beautiful plate of carbonara in front of me. And it made me feel dirty. Cheap.

Because they had microwaved the resealable plastic container, the carbonara sauce was all glumpy, and still, in parts, shaped like the container. This made me sad, because I know these people have a lot of love to give. This was not their best work. I know they can do better.

But let me turn my attention to the decor. It's cute. My mother would like it here. They need some sneezeguards around the cake area. (Sorry. American.) But otherwise, it's very nice and peaceful. I wonder if anyone ever buys the pasta and jars of stuff milling around.

But you know what? They have to stop charging £2 for Diet Coke in a glass bottle. That's a ripoff. Now I know why they can serve carbonara for £3.50. They're making all their money on Diet Coke. This is no way to run a business! I took a Fanta for £1 instead.

The Verdict: Still out. It seemed so promising upon arrival! But I left feeling empty and nuked.