Eating Our Way Through London: Part 2

Last week was crazy with my work and Chris' work. I feel like all I had time to do was work and eat. Good thing we eat pretty well here. We had tapas, Asian of all sorts and finally some actual British grub. 

This week's recommendations:

Five Points Pale

The food at this place wasn't awesome, but this beer was pretty solid.

Barrafina

The first time we tried to come here, the wait was over an hour and a half.  So we came back on a Sunday night—there was still half an hour wait. But it was completely worth it. Tons of amazing tapas. We ate octopus with capers; chickpeas, spinach and bacon; Morcilla Iberica with Quail Eggs; red peppers, and Santiago tart. Delicious. 

Drakes Tabanco 

So we really, really like tapas. We tried another place in the area—also delicious. We ate Arbequina olives, cherry salad, homemade bread, charred leeks with Romesco sauce, Apple & Oat Crumble with Hazelnut Ice Cream and (not in the picture) Garlic & Chili Prawns, Omelette, Grilled Octopus with Chickpea & Chorizo and Grilled Acorn-Fed Presa Iberica with Paprika and Lemon. 

Tokyo Diner

I knew this would be solid when I visited the website and 75% of it was in Japanese. Now this isn't newfangled Uchi-style sushi. It's old school traditional done well. (So old school they don't even let you tip—leave money on the table, and it gets donated to charity.) This is definitely a good spot for a super quick, low-key meal, right on the edge of Chinatown and Leicester Square. 

Sichuan Folk

I love mápó tòfu—tofu in spicy chili sauce, with fermented black beans and minced pork. The Sichuan pepper gives it that "ma la" (numbing and spicy) flavor. And this place did it well. 

Shoryu Ramen

People may accuse the Brits of having a bland palette. But this Piri Piri Tonkotsu made me sweat.

New Row Coffee

Great latte. That's all. 

Experimental Cocktail Club

We've been twice now (and to the one in NYC). The bartender not only made a mean cocktail, but he actually remembered us.

Punch Room at The London Edition

All punch. All fantastic.

Lobster and Burger

Down the street from the Victoria and Albert museum, on the top floor of fancy-schmancy department store Harvey Nichols (who did one of my favorite holiday campaigns last year), is Lobster and Burger. There are three things on the menu—lobster, lobster rolls and burgers. It's simple, but tasty. I also got a gin fizz—I swear there's a drink under all that froth.

The Clove Club

Finally, this weekend, we had British food. First at The Clove Club in hipster Shoreditch. 

As soon as we sat at the bar, the bartender offered up cocktails. We just named a base spirit and he went to work. If got something with gin and blackberries and then a wine spritzer with chocolate peppermint. Summer in two glasses. 

You've got to love a place that cures their own meat and slices it to order in front of you. 

Super fresh, local, seasonal ingredients (including fish from father-and-son fishermen) made the meal. The Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Pine Salt came nestled in pine branches (Merry Christmas to all!). And the Amalfi Lemonade & Black Pepper Ice Cream was the perfect, light finish. 

Callooh Callay

After dinner we stopped by a nearby bar, appropriately hidden behind a giant wardrobe in another bar. The lighting was terrible, but my drink was great. It was called Pea-ter Rabbit — Tanqueray gin, green pea and anise-infused Noily Prat (a French vermouth that's popular here), carrot shrub and a dash of Pernod absinthe. Savory goodness served in a plastic gardening pail with paper grass and real herbs. 

The Princess of Shoreditch

Our British eating continued with Sunday Roast. Chris and I started with a traditional Scotch Egg—egg wrapped in sausage and batter and fried. It came with apple slaw and was fantastic. Apparently you can buy these pre-made at the supermarket, but our British companion did not recommend it. 

Then Chris when for traditional roast with beef and potatoes and carrots and Yorkshire pudding. I'm not sure how to describe Yorkshire pudding. It's that' bread-looking thing in the top left corner below. It's apparently fried batter made of eggs, flour, and milk. Sound delicious, right? It felt a little plain to me. 

I branched our for more local fish — chargrilled mackerel, wild garlic, asparagus, new potatoes & green sauce. So good. And I also tried Cornish Orchards Heritage Cider, which is made with a mix of unusual apples, like Cornish Longstem and Grenadier, which I've never actually heard of. Really nice, crisp, non-syrupy cider. 

So let's just say that after this weekend, I'm more impressed with British food than I was expecting to be. It's been over a decade since I last ate a lot of British food, and it's gone the way American food has since then too — better ingredients and lighter preparations (even of heavy food) that really let those fresh ingredients shine through.