Chez Elles, Shoreditch

On a recent wander down Brick Lane in search of lunch, we found a cute French restaurant called Chez Elles, ran by three gorgeous girls.

The place has a feel of a neighbourhood bistro, instead of being on the busy, bustling Brick Lane.

We started with gorgeous garlic snails.

And a ham hock terrine.

Moules et frites!

Bavetter steak.

Along with the best chocolate moulleux I've ever had. So gooey and rich. Just delicious. Along with a scoop of homemade pistachio ice cream.

Not entirely groundbreaking, but for that cake alone I will be back.

A Weekend in Paris, Part Trois

Saturday was a very very long day. After seeing Dirty Dicks (a bar, people!) in Pigalle, we just walked around the areas and explored for a bit, taking in all the beauty of street corner here and a building there.

A Weekend in Paris, Part Deux

So we woke up far too early for breakfast that was scheduled in at 9am. I kid you not, we had an itinerary of sites to see so I could see as much of Paris as possible.

After breakfast at Claus (not the best, but the cakes were lovely) we headed straight off to the Louvre.

A Weekend in Paris, Part One.

I've never been to Paris before.

I know I know it's like 2 hours away (quicker to get to than where I went to uni in York), but I've just never made it over there. And it's like always been my dream to go. The romance, the beauty the chic women, the pastries and patisserie!! The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe! Oh and stripes and moustaches of course. I wanted to see it all.

Finally, a few weekends ago, I ended up going. I was praying I didn't get that Paris Syndrome that Japanese tourists get when they go to Paris because they're so disappointed that it's not like the movies. I had however heard about, and prepared myself for shit-covered pavements and rude waiters.

Arriving Friday evening after work, I was swiftly whisked away for dinner at a gorgeous little wine bar/restaurant called O Divin! Found after hours spent perusing blogs about Parisienne restaurants (the reputation in London is that the food there isn't great) I decided on this one from the great Paris restaurant blog, The Paris Kitchen.

We sat outside in a little courtyard on a very balmy evening and ordered the 6 course set menu (which changes weekly) along with a delicious wine pairing.

So, I can't remember what this is (or most of the dishes, we didn't have a written menu) but what I do know is that the first two dishes were interesting and ok, but not outstanding. However what followed was the best food we had in Paris!!

Arbutus. The good value set menu strikes again!

One of the best set menus to be had in London is the pre-theatre from Michelin starred restaurant, Arbutus in Soho.

Full of atmosphere and none of the stuffiness of a typical French restaurant, good conversation, food and wine was found in abundance!

Two courses of delicious food will set you back just £18.95 and three just £20.95. 

Go for three!! Just do it!!

We started with a most beautiful and delicate steak tartare.

Followed by fresh sheep's ricotta gnudi, broad beans, asparagus and parmesan.

Finished off with an incredible cold chocolate fondant and salted caramel ice cream. Just dreamy!

Booking is essential, click here to book.

Quo Vadis, Soho

My mama was in London a little while ago (unusual for her, because she likes the quiet of the country) and I thought I would take her for a treat out on the town.

I knew she would love the understated elegance of Quo Vadis.

Greeted by the most beautiful bouquets of fresh daffodils, we knew that Spring had most definitely sprung. Also set a relaxing environment for my mother so she could chill out and feel like home after being amongst the polluted, grey jungle.

A fairly vast, sprawling dining room is hidden behind the quaint stained-glass window entry.

Ask for a table by said windows, they are the best seats!

Cute, quirky touches in the form of artistic menus are a wonderful touch, defining the personality of the restaurant. A weekly changing menu with seasonal produce means you will probably never eat the same thing twice here.

We skipped starters to save room for the dessert that we had already spied. I had lamb sweetbreads with almonds, pea and mint. A gorgeous, fresh and light dish with moist sweetbreads,

My mother chose the baked salt cod with pea, leek and potato.

And as it was blood orange season back then, we couldn't leave without sharing a fennel and blood orange salad.

For dessert my mother chose, fittingly, the mother of all desserts. Just look at that beauty!

Light walnut cake, with vanilla ice cream and lashings of chocolate and vanilla sauce - heaven.

And I had a chocolate (and booze) lovers paradise. St. Emilion au chocolat - an extremely boozy dessert (so much so it nearly knocked me over the edge after my glasses of wine!) - made with brandy in the cake and brandy mixed with macaroons in the light biscuit base. Just delicious.

A wonderful, lovely, incredible enjoyable evening. Service was a delight - having the words wanky said to you, to describe the way some talk about wine, by the waiter was a joy to fully banish any stuffy atmosphere that the linen cloths and suited and booted waiters might lend.

Super friendly and super delicious, I loved it, and most importantly, so did she :)

Quo Vadis

Restaurant Reviews Mapped!

With a little help from my wonderful brother-in-law, we have put together a handy map of some of my favourite restaurants in London, along with my pictures and words.

Have fun exploring!

L'Autre Pied, Marylebone

Michelin starred restaurant, L'Autre Pied, awarded its one star in 2009, had an offer on Groupon for their 7-course tasting menu at half price. Well worth checking out if it's still on! Some may call it cheap, I know someone who calls it Value For Money. If the deal is no longer on, they also do a pre-theatre and set lunch menu so you can get a taste of their style for under £30.

UPDATE: L'Autre Pied is offering a special Easter menu of 5 courses for £39 between 14th - 27th April. Online bookings only, check menu here http://ow.ly/vhcwK 

L'Autre Pied is the sister restaurant of Pied a Terre, the two star Michelin restaurant, just around the corner (and pop-up Pieds Nus) all masterminded by David Moore.

The style of food is modern, set in a relaxed non-fussy atmosphere, unlike some other French restaurants out there (cough Gauthier Soho cough), so the diner can relax and enjoy their meal with no worries about uber correct etiquette and being quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Dishes are imaginative, precise and beautiful to look at. So much detail and precision goes in the placing of every ingredient; some are very close to works of art.

Although 7 courses long, plus amuse and pre-dessert, I left feeling comfortably full and not over-stuffed. The food felt light, virtuous and *almost* healthy. 

It was a joy to eat. Without further ado, here are some pictures.

Salad of Radishes with Black Quinoa, Crème Fraiche, Fennel and Dill

Flame Grilled Mackerel with Hazelnuts, Apple Tapioca, Celery and Miso

Roasted Sea Bass with Ras el Hanout, Butternut Squash, Celeriac and Soybean

Fillet of Roe Deer with Toasted Hay, Parsley Roots, Carrots and Peanut Crumble

Apple Mousse with Lime and Olive Oil Puree, Caramel Meringue and Yoghurt

Pieds Nus, Marylebone

David Moore, the chef who runs Michelin starred restaurants L'Autre Pied and Pied a Terre, has opened up a pop-up restaurant just off Marylebone high street, in the space left by Roganic, called Pieds Nus (see a theme?).

Pieds Nus literally means bare feet, but in culinary terms it means simple, fresh, quality food. He has followed the less is more approach to food, where only a few ingredients on a plate allows the best flavours to come through. To allow the diner to fully appreciate this concept, a sharing menu has been created, where all dishes are simple and very precise. 

You know a place is going to be good when the bread is this divine. Hand whipped butter, along with a milk loaf and a bacon and onion brioche.

Pickled, raw and charred vegetables, with celeriac oil. Beautiful, vibrant and fresh, already you understand what the chef is trying to achieve.

98 degree, 12 hour slow cooked pork belly with potato and carrot. Absolutely beautiful, the pork melted in your mouth and the crackling was some of the crispiest and crunchiest I've had.

There was also 42 degree confit salmon with cauliflower and pink grapefruit - which so shouldn't have worked but was amazing, proven by the fact we ate it too fast and there is no picture proof. 

Tarte tatin.

A gorgeous, colourful dessert of a deconstructed New York cheesecake, with blackberry ice cream. So full of flavour.

Pieds Nus is only open until March 11th, so if you like what you see you don't have long to try it out but apparently the chef is on the lookout for a permanent space, so you might just be in luck!

Gauthier Soho

Whilst I was off work at the beginning of the year, I decided to take advantage of some lunch offers that expensive restaurants do. Pick from a set menu and get all the quality of their à la carte at a fraction of the price.

First on my list was Gauthier Soho. The French restaurant owned by Alex Gauthier is lauded as one of the best restaurants in Soho, no mean feat what with the incredible number of restaurants in soho. The formerly Michelin starred restaurant is clearly doing everything it possibly can to get it's star back.

The entrance is beautiful, especially on a sunny Christmas day.

You have to ring the bell to enter and are greeted by French waiters, decked out in classic white bibs, and a lot of "sir" and"madamming" goes on.

We started with an amuse of squash panzerotti with lashings of black truffle.

Then we had delicious pan fried foie gras, roasted apples and a crispy caramel verjus reduction.

So elegant and clever. That transparent caramel shard was a joy to crunch with the soft foie gras

Then on to roasted scallops, pickled root veg and a crustacean jus, which I don't have a picture of. But it was good.

On to main course, and I had brown butter cooked wild sea bass, braised chicory and a red chicory salad with a lemon aromatic jus.

Along with roasted guinea fowl, gnocchi, parsnip puree, and a spinach madeira jus.

Perfection! Just beautiful. Really hearty and rich. More exciting than the seabass.

Then came a lovely unexpected pre-dessert of the lightest île flottante in the world, and an incredible vanilla sauce. They should make this in large size. It was so good, and better than other choices on offer.

For the real thing we had, tart of grand cru virunga chocolate with banoffee ice cream.

Unfortunately the ice cream was overwhelmingly banana instead of a sweet mix of banana and toffee. But the tart was gorgeously thick and rich. Just how I like it!

We then went off menu as nothing else really caught our eye for another dessert. So we got a chocolate and praline tart with the shiniest ganache I've ever seen.

This didn't really live up to its description, as inside the chocolate was not rich enough, nor did the praline have much flavour, so the end result was a bit lacklustre.

I will have to go back to Gauthier for dinner sometime and choose from their entire menu. I think what lets them down most is the lack of choice on their set menu. With only two or three dishes on offer per course, they were not necessarily the dishes I would have chosen had I had their whole menu. An excellent meal, but didn't give me the wow factor.

The other overwhelming memory I have from the restaurant is the very sterile, quiet and almost tense atmosphere I experienced whilst sat down. Perhaps it was that we were just in a quiet part of the restaurant at lunch, but I felt like I couldn't talk very loudly, or really even talk at all. While I love attentive service, for some reason theirs felt almost clinical to me and I'm left feeling uncomfortable. Some people may love being waited on hand and foot, but I love a more relaxed atmosphere, even in the best restaurants. It can be done, as can be seen in Medlar in Chelsea, a Michelin starred restaurant.

I think the place was unfortunately lacking in atmosphere and therefore my overall memory of the place is not wonderful. But the food definitely spoke for itself.