Tuesday 25 October 2011

Beijing - Roast Duck!

I was in Beijing for 3 weeks for work.  so had the opportunity to try out the restaurants there. 
Roast Duck is one of the most famous dish in Beijing so of coz I have to try it out!
went to 2 different restaurants for that - Da Dong and Duck king

Da Dong Roast Duck 
one of the more famous restaurant in Beijing... famous for its roast duck - which is crispy but not oily
it is very popular and have a long queue all the time so you must book
It is not cheap as well! especially their tea! 
the roast duck is 268rmb, while a pot of tea is 218rmb!

orange duck soup which was recommended by my guide book
I wasnt a fan of the soup .. but not bad

 food are nicely presented but I wouldnt say any of the dishes are memorable except the roast duck

i think it was fried intestine ( I didnt try it out coz im not a fan of intestine)

prawn

stir fry beef

fried bak hap fa - that was quite nice

the chef chopping the duck up

you have it either with the steam pancake / roast sesame shell

all the diff sauces

duck soup

Duck King
It is not as famous but it was near by the office :)
the underground in beijing is horrendous during rush hour. so I do try and avoid where possible!

- crispy duck spring roll
- sesame transparent noodles
- veg in soup 


- slicing up the duck by the chef

- it was nice but ya... it is not as crispy and more oily then those at da dong.. 

Saturday 22 October 2011

Galvin la Chapelle

We've been past it many times .. finally got the chance to try it out :) 

very pretty inside 
(excuse my phone camera.. something went wrong)



we sat right by the kitchen... observing all the actions inside


 Toptable 48 quid 5 course Menu du chef
very good value we think :) 

 
Pumpkin veloute with mushroom, chestnut and parmasen gnocchi 
I could have another bowl! and with extra gnocchi pls :p 

Game/Foie gras Terrine 
 so so 

Red mullet with root veg + saffron foam

this is well nice! beef fillet with a lump of bone marrow on the right.. 
potato mille feuille - nice a crispy at the top 

Blackberry souffle with coulis + milk icecream 
loved it :) 

Galvin La Chapelle on Urbanspoon

Saturday 15 October 2011

Fino restaurant

I've always wanted to try barrafina but the thought of needing to queue and wait for a table always put me off. 
Having found out that Fino, which is its sister restaurant, with the same menu + u can book, of course we have to go and try it out.  
We later remembered that it actually joined Gordon ramsey's best local restaurant competition. tho didnt win


We sat by the bar - which we very much enjoyed - having a glimpse of the actions in the kitchen and with very attentive service! 



Lomo Iberico 
very soft and it didnt last long :p 

Ham croquette
nice chunky ham with very creamy and smooth potato. coated with very crispy bread crumb! 
croquette seems like something very simple but they have made it to another level 

Chipirones - little deep fried squid with some oregano! 
the oregano really empowered the flavour a lot 

Pork belly
this was quite disappointing
- the meat was very tender and flavoursome but the skin wasn't crispy at all 

Arroz negro
- very very nice! the rice was soaked in garlicy ink sauce
perfectly seasoned
What I would like to complain about is the portion tho! 
It is very small for 9 quid!

This is definitely the best Spanish I have had in london...so far :)
http://www.finorestaurant.com

Fino on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Pizza East - Shoreditch High Street

It has been recommended by my friend's italian colleague, claiming it's one of the best place for pizza in London?

It has a very casual setting.
It is normally 100% packed for dinner on Friday night and very noisy.  Therefore, we prefer going there for lunch at the weekend.

Every time when the menu arrives.. I spend half a minute googling the ingredients :p
Unlike other restaurants, the ingredients used are less common.

Note: we didn't eat all these in a meal :p
          It's photo from 2 separate visits..haha
          Between the two of us, we normally go for one pizza with 2 starters :)

Red Mullet Crudo 
- raw, drizzled wth vinegar with some red cabbage
(We've also tried the beef crudo the other time and it was  really good as well!)

Fig, Burrata, Honeycomb bruschetta
- we ordered this because of the honeycomb but it actually only comes with honey :p 
It's a very interesting combination.. the creamy-ness of Burrata cheese and basil with grilled fig on top of a slice of brioche drizzle with honey :) We loved it! 


San Daniele,Tomato, Ricotta and Pesto 
The base is sooo nice.. very thin in the middle with thick looking but actually rather light crust 

Ground beef, scamorza, dried tomatoes with thyme
- this is nice.. but not as interesting as the other ones
you can't really see it very well .. on the other side of the table :p 
Keith is pouring chilli flakes :( onto the lovely veal sausage pizza. 
The veal sausage pizza is one of our favourites there - creamy with lemon zest. 
unlike the traditional pizza... no cheese and tomato.. 



http://www.pizzaeast.com/
Pizza East on Urbanspoon

Why?

I feel the urge to write a diary for my tummy..  : p
from home cooking to dining out in restaurants in London / during our holiday :)

You will notice that there are posts earlier than today..
I am actually back-blogging the yummy food that I have eaten in the past :p

Monday 10 October 2011

Smiths Brasserie , Wapping

It has opened a few months ago and they do a very good value 2 course lunch set - under 20 quid, with very generous portion!
The restaurants seem to be quite quiet though.  

Whole dressed crab
- a much bigger portion than I expected. 
simple and nice :) 
Hot half lobster with butter and herb + grilled prawn 
yummmm .

Sunday 9 October 2011

Orange chiffon cake



with some macaron crumbs, grated chocolate :) 
(from my macaron failure a few days ago :p ) 

Saturday 8 October 2011

Sushi Say, Willesden green

It's a very small and traditionally decorated restaurant in Willesden Green.  
It has been recommended by my sister + brother-in-law for having the best sashimi in London .. 
I have to say I do agree :) 

Fatty Tuna, Salmon and Scallop Sashimi
Their fatty tuna just melt in your mouth... so fresh and soft
I love how they put a thin slice of lemon in between the scallop.. very refreshing

Sushi Toku Set 

I've also tried their stew pork belly and it's very nice too :)

They also do icecream in flavours like wasabi, red bean, sesame, matcha .. etc
but I don't really like the texture of their icecream...