Bird // Shoreditch

There are many places available for when you're craving fried chicken in London. It's a popular thing. And if you're drunk, it's seriously the best meal of your life. I refuse to give in to that. The cardboard boxes make me sick just to look at them, especially if eaten by people on the bus (who conveniently like to chew on the bones and just toss them on the floor, but don't get me started on that...).

I can even refrain from this menace when I'm drunk, but let's face it: even I have cravings at times. And refusing to step into a KFC does not help. Luckily there's always a cool looking alternative for all the junk food desires. This one is Bird. And bonus points: it has chicken and waffles.

I had been planning this visit for a while so I had to get the chicken and waffle dish. Sounds so American. I'm weak and I love the USA.

The restaurant was empty as we arrived at 12pm in the afternoon, which is always the best thing if you are going to eat fried food. The whole day ahead to burn it off. Except that if you're like me you will be in a comfy food coma and very excited for sofa + netflix.

Beer goes well with chicken. And everything else.

They arrived and came with maple syrup. I looked at my plate and thought: "Ah, ok so this is quite a small portion so I am gonna eat it quickly and have room for more in the end. And have to spend more money on desert". I was wrong. 

I bet you can easily imagine how crispy this is. Right??

So we began. Not only it was crispy, it was also super juicy inside. That's what you want with fried chicken. It didn't taste like a late night drunken treat, it was good. Very good. Especially with the maple syrup, which was something new for me. The waffles were quite nice and savoury with bits of onion and cheddar cheese. What initially looked like a small portion turned out to be way too filling, way too quickly. I tried my best to finish this as I despise food waste, but, for the first time, I couldn't bring myself to eat the second waffle. I believe I didn't finish the second piece of chicken as well. That's something to keep in mind if you order this off the menu - I never had trouble with this before!

On the other hand, the deep fried pickles were too good and this big portion was almost not enough for me! I absolutely adored this and am considering coming back just for them. They don't taste like your average pickle, they were moist (sorry if you hate the word) and the batter gave them a salty but addictive taste. My boyfriend was not happy about them and barely ate anything, which I have to admit made my meal. Isn't it great when someone hates something you love? More left!!

I am still not ready to come back to Bird as my fried chicken craving happens once a year or so. But I would return for a smaller chicken portion - no waffles this time. And two plates of fried pickles, please.

Bird

42/44 Kingsland Road

E2 8DA

Sketch Gallery // London

After finding out about the ₤50 voucher for a meal for two at Sketch, I was super excited and booked my table immediately. One of the most unusual and beautiful restaurants in London, something I needed to experience for myself at least once. The prices are quite steep so I decided in advance to order a few sharing dishes and just enjoy the venue.

The dining room at the Gallery is as impressive as the photos. The original artwork on the walls and the ongoing pink theme makes it all quite magical.

Cute little pop up forks inside the menu just draws the attention for the effort put into detail, which was interesting to see, as I am not a regular customer of high end restaurants.

Our first and easy choice was the escargot. Meaty and tasty, it came with black garlic and spinach gallette, salty but in a good rich way. I have had "snails" before but nothing compares to this and easy to see why it is considered a delicacy.

The morel ravioli was super creamy and flavorful thanks to the hint of coffee and easy to finish. Perhaps a bit too familiar, I must say that the cream overpowered the dish a bit and made it slightly heavy, which is surprising in a small portion.

The pig's trotter with kimchi was an unexpected big portion but only because the amount of kimchi was quite high. I love kimchi and could eat it for days but cannot understand the need to use so much of it, especially in big chunks that were not at all easy to cut. Let's just say it went very well with the trotter's meaty but light flavour, although we could do with a more balanced quantity.

Having said this, I am glad we asked for some bread to help us finish the plate, dark and airy, making sure we wouldn't leave the premises hungry.

Guess the toilets are one of the most attractive sights at Sketch Gallery. Very peculiar, made me feel like I was in a sci-fi film. Sadly the door closed enough to let me peak outside. Not comfortable at all! The place was empty, luckily.

I left Sketch with many mixed up thoughts. First, the place is indeed beautiful. Something quite unique in London that I am happy to have visited at least once. Second, the service is very attentive and nice. Maybe they have a lot of staff for a Monday night but we were being very well catered for. Maybe a bit too much? There was one person whose role was to top up the water glasses, and would do it as soon as we had our first sip. Every time. So if you want privacy this might not be the ideal location.  Finally, the food. The execution seems quite simple to me. It's the ingredients that make the prices so high. I appreciate the fact that they look for the highest quality components for their dishes but cannot say I was impressed. Overall, my idea is that this restaurant exists for the novelty of the place as you would not go there solely for the food. 

Sketch Gallery

9, Conduit Street

W1S 2XG

Seoul Bakery / / London

If you want a cheap and light lunch this is the place to be. It was really cold outside so the tiny tiny restaurant seemed more tempting than ever.

It's like walking into a very different (small) world. The walls are completely covered in post-its, Korean pop music playing in the background, and if you go downstairs to the basement you'll find yourself in an authentic Korean shop, filled with sweets, accessories and music merchandising. All of this just around the corner of Tottenham Court Road station.

We selected a few small dishes to share. First off, the Beef Bibimbap. Several cold ingredients and a fried egg layered on top of hot rice. We mix them up it all becomes sort of like a salad, brought together by this special chilli based Korean sauce.  It was delicious, yet so simple. The sauce was the star of the dish, worked perfectly.

The pork filled dumplings were equally delicious but not as surprising as the bibimbap. A familiar taste that is always welcome.

These two were my favourite, though. Kimchi, a traditional fermented cabbage was interestingly pungent and seems to go well with everything. I get that not a lot of people would like this flavour but I loved it. It was quite cold though, but I presume that's the way it is served? The seafood pancake was so delicious, a thick omelette like taste, big chunks of seafood, so easy to eat. I had to control myself not to finish it all immediately.

We ordered some tuna sushi to wrap it up. I admire the fact that they keep the ends (the not so pretty bits) as I hate wasting and it still tastes good. This seems like an inexpensive sushi version for when you have cravings are not willing to spend a lot. It was good, but quite simple. I just wished I ordered something other than (canned) tuna. Maybe next time!

Look at these walls!

I would go back in a heartbeat. The menu is extensive so there's more I'd like to try, especially being so affordable and ideal for a quick lunch when out in central. Please don't forget to go to the basement! 

Seoul Bakery

55 Saint Giles High Street

WC2H 8LH

London

Spuntino // Soho

I admit. I spent months, months, finding the perfect restaurant for my birthday. I saved money, I need to have the perfect place. Last year I went to Dishoom and the food was amazing (photos came out way too dark for a post!). 

This year, I needed to find something that I identify with. A dim lit old fashioned Brooklyn style diner? What? Ok I needed to be there. This was in November so my memory may be a bit foggy, which doesn't hide the fact that Spuntino was a memorable experience!

Anyway, we headed there with time to spare - no bookings policy means a big queue, as most places in London. Some beers made the wait bearable, and it didn't feel long at all.

Sat down and was not worried about budget, being a place with a small plates style of food, you know you're down to spend some. And earn some (delicious food).

 Look how cool this is! On the way to the bathroom. 

We seem to have a tendency to order fried chicken a lot... This one was juicy and crispy, as it is coated in buttermilk.

I was mostly excited about the salt beef fritters (not sure what the sauce is now). It was good, but I was expecting chunks of salt beef. It was all a bit... creamy? 

Now here's the thing, I may not remember the other dishes as well, but this, this I remember. Truffled Egg Toast. Every blogger raved about this so my expectations were high. What could be so amazing about a piece of cheese toast with an egg in the middle. I am unsure of how they do it, but the whole thing is quite soft and every bit that is coated in runny yolk was amazing to eat. The star was the truffle oil. I love its intense flavour, it's quite hard for me to describe but the only word that comes to mind seems to be closed. A closed taste? 

This photo is quite the sad attempt of capturing the food! These dishes came last and I was not surprised about them. Smoked Mackerel (seems to be taken off the menu), came hot - for some reason I expected it cold - so the first impression wasn't that great, the warmth of the fish caused its flavour to be almost too fishy, and not in a good way. It was too strong for me. Luckily my boyfriend quite liked it and finished the plate. Bonus points, he didn't enjoy the truffled toast and left that one for me to finish!

The very last dish was a chilly hot dog, which interestingly I cannot seem to find on the online menu anymore. I was underwhelmed by these, as they came off as ordinary hot dogs - we still finished them, obviously. 

      

The cocktails were great, but their names don't come to mind now. I recommend you go there and try anyone off the list, as you won't find your usual mojito - there's always a twist.

I really liked Spuntino because of the vibe and the decoration. I appreciate the food concept but the flavours were hit and miss. Looking at the online menu, seems like they changed the dishes I enjoyed the least so I would be happy to come back and give it another go! This time I'll definitely order dessert.

Spuntino

61 Rupert Street

W1D 7PW 

London

Maddy's Fish Bar // New Cross

New Cross is a hidden gem. Somewhere between Deptford and Peckham, it has its charms. The thing I love about New Cross is that you cannot really tell where the cool spots are (like a hidden tea room - but the teapots and cute cups are filled with delicious cocktails - but that's a whole other post!).

I was craving fish and chips for a while now, but not down to go the the local greasy corner and have its oils dripping down my hand. If I want "junk" food, at least it's gonna look good in my photos. And this one just happened to taste delicious too!

The phone photo doesn't do it justice, though.

I went for the cod. It was flaky and the coating was crispy but light enough to not overpower the fish. So it didn't taste that unhealthy. The chips were the traditional thick cut and tasted amazing with the vinegar - I seem to have sucumbed to the British tradition and cannot go without vinegar on my chips! The side slaw was the perfect companion to have between the fried bites.

Overall, the dish is still your usual Fish and Chips, no crazy twists here. It just tastes fresh and that's what you want. It served its purpose of fulfilling my craving and I would be very happy to go back to Maddy's as their menu has minor alterations everyday and you never know which fish kind you might find, another thing in favour!

Maddy's Fish Bar

397 New Cross Road

SE14 6LA

Patty & Bun!

Second attempt at Patty & Bun. I was misinformed the first try. I didn't see it coming, the massive queue. Unfortunately, didn't have time to wait as I had tickets for the cinema later on.

Disappointed, I walked away and dreamed of coming back soon. So, later that month, I was stood at 6pm and ready to wait. After all, most of the websites visited during my research period mentioned this would be the best burger in London.

The queue didn't take that long. I was super excited. The Smokey Robinson arrived. Bacon, caramelised onions, smoked mayo and a juicy beef patty on the most amazing brioche bun.

It actually looks very composed on this photo. But it got messy. I have to say that I loved the bun more than anything. Not dry, merged the flavours beautifully, so I didn't mind the mess at all. The burger was overall delicious, I ate it quite fast, and would be happy to go back. Still, the best burger in London? I need to try more before I can cast my vote.

Patty & Bun

54 James Street

W1U 1HE

London

Café 338 // Bethnal Green - London

It was the beginning of a much awaited Bank Holiday back in August. We were probably slightly hungover and starving. Café 338 is that place that I'd see from the bus every day. On an early Tuesday morning, filled with 6 am workers, fueling up before a hard day's work, or after a long shift, and on the weekends, people queueing to have greasy brunch and soak up the alcohol withdrawal.

I was curious but wondered how a small café on Bethnal Green Road could draw so much attention.

So I researched and turns out it's the best greasy spoon around. And more. It's cheap. It's so cheap.

It's been a while since I had a proper English breakfast so I put guilt aside and decided to endulge. I didn't expect to see a pancake menu on top of everything!

Most dishes go for roughly ₤5.  Mine might have been a tad more expensive. I admit. I have a weakness for onion rings.

At first it was amazing, the sweet pancakes with the sausage and the oozy yolk. This is exactly what you need on a late sunday morning (it was saturday though). I ignored the bits of fruit that didn't add much to the dish, lonely corned by all the fried goodness, 

I was full pretty quickly. Guess that's what this does to you. Fills you up. And then you have to go for a walk. For hours.

The thing is that my dish was not the house specialty. This was it. A full English with everything you are entitled to, and more. So yes, great, great value. He finished it. Hero. Oh, did I mention they give you free toast and coffee with every breakfast?

I can't wait to go back, in a year or so. But dreaming about it.

Café 338

338, Bethnal Green Road

E2 0AG

London

Hawker House // London

I've been waiting for a long time to check out the newest food and drink spot from the creators of Dalston and Lewisham Street Feast. I loved the events in the summer and was curious about the covered new location (especially when it's this cold).

The venue did not disappoint one bit. Every detail, bit of decoration seemed carefully thought and appropriate, providing this amazing vibe and comfort.

But I have to be honest. The main reason I was there was the food. I couldn't wait to try the various eateries and Bob's Lobster was the easy first choice.

I was extremely curious about the deep fried oysters, as I love them anyway. However, I was not blown away by these when fried. I am unsure if it was the leaf (you're supposed to eat it all together) or my incredibly high expectations. To be honest, I don't know what kind of leaf it was but let's just say I couldn't taste much oyster at all! My boyfriend loved them though, and ate the third one. 

I'm very suspicious of appetizers served in odd numbers. 3 oysters. Do they not think people are going to share? 

Next up was Baba G's. I'm always up for trying the weirdest thing on the menu so we opted for the crispy spiced chicken livers. I must say that the word liver does not sound appetizing at first. These were amazing, Crispy and creamy at the same time, very rich. Put them on the Paratha triangle that came with it, some red cabbage and coriander. Delicious. I'm glad there was some salad on the bottom to contrast with the liver richness.

Breddo's Tacos was next on the list, as we reached the top floor. Got hypnotized by the idea of crab taco and ordered it immediately. So nice and fresh, but way too small! Guess you're supposed to order the set of three but we were intrigued by the crab so ended up asking for that and the duck croquettes.

Again, 3x of them showed up, and we were two sharing! I can't complain much as they were so, so good. Please have some beer on the side to help downing these as they are very rich! The duck bits inside are juicy and creamy. I loved them.

By then we decided time to move on to drinks.

The thing about Hawker House is that it creates this whole environment, a luxurious lounge setting, you feel transported into another era, I'd say 40's and a mixture of Prohibition, but that's just me.

The bars followed the lead and even the bartenders were extremely well presented and almost in character, working the drinks beautifully.

I cannot really remember the cocktails I had but am sure that any choice would make you happy, sipping slowly while looking down the window into Kingsland Road.

But the more exciting bit has to be the Whiskey Roulette! An impressive selection of whiskeys, starting at ₤5 and going up to ₤22. So you play ₤8 to play and can win big. Bonus, if you hit 0, you take home a whole bottle.

We won a ₤7 glass of whiskey. Sorry if I cant remember which one! Not the luckiest people but it was so much fun.

With room for one more treat, we chose the Boom Feast from Boom Burgers, Jerk Boom, a nice layer of shredded chicken over plantain fries on a brioche bun, Boom Burger, a traditional but juicy burger, served with side of plantain fries and sort of fish croquettes. Both the burgers were amazing, I've been craving a good burger for a while and this one did not disappoint. Sad that they served a mere 3 fries, which hardly counts as a side, but can't deny that the box was good value. The fish croquettes were really good too and I ate them way too fast to even form a concise opinion. Which I can only assume is  a good sign.

Lastly, another drink. By then it was almost 9pm and time to go home. I know. Hawker House was getting really crowded around that time, and promised to keep being exciting until late. But the crowds are too much for me.

I loved it, every floor and place, I can't wait to go back soon to try more food (the traders are rotating) and, of course, win the Whiskey Bottle from the Roulette. I'm sure my luck will improve until then!

Hawker House

260-264 Kingsland Road

London