City Eating

Now Open: TOZI, Bird of Smithfield, Stories, The Pearson Room & More

TOZI – We’ve heard great things about this new Italian eatery in Victoria – even Fay Maschler was impressed. Head chef Maurilio Molteni (ex-Shoreditch House) and his all-Italian kitchen team are serving impressive Venetian-inspired sharing plates, pizzettas, and imported Italian cheeses and salumi (pictured above). There’s Prosecco on tap (so hot right now), Italian wines and liqueurs, and cocktails priced at £8. We like the sound of the ‘Vatican Secrets’ – a punchy mix of Cazadores Blanco Tequila, agave nectar, lime juice, mint and chilli. Insider tip: If you book a table between 5 and 7pm and quote ‘Pre Theatre’, you can enjoy a Bellini on the house.

Bird of Smithfield – After fifteen years as head chef at The Ivy, chef Alan Bird has opened his own restaurant on the former site of 26 Smithfield. It’s spread over five floors with a ground floor lounge bar, first floor dining room serving British dishes ‘with a twist’, and a private dining space with an open kitchen above that. Drinkers can sip cocktails created by the team from Purl in the basement Birdcage bar or, if the weather’s nice, head for the rooftop terrace which overlooks Smithfield Market. Don't miss the crispy monkfish cheeks on the bar snacks menu.

Stories – The Mothership Group (the brains behind the Queen of Hoxton and The Book Club) have opened a new bar on Broadway Market. It’s a light and airy laid-back space which will give local creatives and freelance-types somewhere to meet, eat and work. Open from 10am to midnight, the bar serves brunch throughout the day and then bar snacks like arancini and piri piri squid and prawns from 5pm until midnight. There’s a decent list of draught and bottled beers, wallet-friendly wines, and a list of interesting cocktails which are good value at under £8 each.

The Pearson Room – If you live or work in the Wharf, you’ve probably noticed this slick new all-day eatery on Canada Square. There’s a good-looking breakfast menu, a wine list put together by Trishna sommelier Sunaina Sethi, and cocktails created by Victor Matos (ex-Soho House) in collaboration with the team from Purl. The main menu includes dishes like diver scallops with n’duja and gremolata, lamb cutlets with caponata, Pearson mac ‘n’ cheese with pig cheeks, and a lobster club sandwich. As a soft opening bonus, they’re offering 25% off your bill until May 11th.

Also open: Egyptian takeaway concept Koshari and Homeslice Pizza in Covent Garden; Oblix at The Shard; Daisy Green organic café in Marylebone;  The Crown & Shuttle pub in Shoreditch; swanky seafood joint, Kaspar’s, at The Savoy; and American bistro Red House. Find out more by keeping an eye on our New Openings and Coming Soon lists.

Five Ways To Eat Well In April

 New Openings – April is a busy month! Beagle is already up and running in Hoxton and Kimchee have just launched their new takeaway concept on the Strand. Jason Atherton will open his third London restaurant, Social Eating House, this month and Alan Bird (ex-The Ivy) will open a five-storey venue (complete with basement bar and roof terrace) in Smithfield on the 29th. If all goes well, London will have a British brasserie in King’s Cross, a small plates joint in Canary Wharf, great pizza in Covent Garden, and Brazilian street food in Soho before the end of the month.

From April 16th-28th The Jam Tree’s Chelsea and Clapham restaurants are bringing the spirit of New Orleans to London with a Jambalaya pop-up. Executive Chef James Browne has travelled throughout New Orleans and will be recreating classics like blackened Creole hanger steak, deep-fried catfish tails with slaw and hot sauce, Louisiana crab cakes, Southern fried chicken, and – of course – jambalaya. With cocktails, live Dixieland jazz and NOLA funk DJs to look forward to, The Jam Tree should definitely be on your radar this month.

Roti Chai Chaat Shack & Bar – After a successful four-day pop-up last year, Roti Chai are bringing their shack back to Southbank for a month. You can find them in the ‘Festival Village’ space under Queen Elizabeth Hall until April 26th. Drop by for Indian street food buns filled with smoked tandoori chicken, smashed Punjabi pea and potato samosa, or Keralan spiced pulled pork. In the evening, the shack will serve Kingfisher beer and some of Roti Chai’s unique cocktails.

Each weekend in April, The Hideaway in Tufnell Park is hosting an indoor Picnic pop-up to get locals in the mood for summer. Swing by on a Saturday night for some British tapas or cure your hangover with their Sunday brunch menu which includes pancakes, smoothies and a Full English. On Sunday evenings, you can tuck into homemade burgers, roast chicken and chorizo Scotch eggs while the DJs spin laid-back weekend tunes. Places are limited, so book now!

The Peko Peko Kitchen team have moved into the kitchen at The Pipeline near Liverpool Street so that locals can enjoy their street food indoors with a drink or two.  At lunchtime, you can pick up a katsu curry, bowl of yakisoba or chicken rice bowl for about a fiver, while in the evening the menu expands to include things like gyoza, tempura fish and chips, and a teriyaki burger. Check out the full menus and info on their Facebook page.

Still hungry? Check out this great list of April pop-ups on the ilovecakeandtea blog.

Coming Soon: Little Social, Koya, Kimchee To Go And Lots More

Restaurants opening in March:

 Little Social – Jason Atherton will open a small neighbourhood bistro opposite Pollen Street Social in Mayfair on March 18th. The interior is inspired by the bistros of Franch with oxblood banquettes, Parisian tables and vintage frames. The simple French menu will include dishes like slow-cooked egg with parmesan and squash soup, roast mushrooms and croutons; pork chop with butternut squash puree, pine nut, pecorino and endive; and goat’s milk rice pudding.
 TOZI - Due to open in Victoria in the next few weeks, TOZI boasts a 15-strong all-Italian kitchen team led by Maurilio Molteni (ex-Shoreditch House) and Daniele Pampagnin (ex-Cecconi’s). There will be Prosecco on tap, barrel-aged Negronis, and a menu of Venetian cicchetti, charcuterie and cheese platters, and dishes from their wood burning oven.
 3 Cromwell Road – The venue formerly known as Dorsia will reopen on March 22nd with a new ground floor cocktail bar and a basement club. The first floor restaurant, The Drawing Room, will serve one dish – steak frites with a choice of three salads and dressings.
 The Chabrot Bistrot team are rumoured to be opening a restaurant on Long Lane in late March. It’s believed that Chabrot Smithfield will take over the former Le Saint Julien site.
 Simply Fish will open a new restaurant at the Shoreditch Boxpark on March 20th.
 Street food heroes Homeslice Pizza will open a 50-seater restaurant in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, in late March. It will open every day from noon and will serve five types of pizza (a classic Margherita and four daily changing options). Takeaways will be available by the slice or whole pie.

Coming Soon:

Koya’s owner, John Devitt, has confirmed that they are opening a second noodle bar in Soho in mid-May. The new restaurant is right next door to Koya on the former site of Mooli’s, which closed recently but will apparently reopen somewhere in the City later this year. The new sister site will have room for just 25 diners but could be a useful overflow space for the ever-busy udon bar.

Following the success of their Holborn restaurant, the Kimchee team are launching a Korean takeaway concept in London this April. The first site will open on the Strand on April 8th, followed by a second store on New Oxford Street on April 22nd. Kimchee To Go will offer traditional Korean rice porridge (juk), a range of mix-your-own bibimbaps, Korean ‘sushi’ kimbap rolls, bento-style dosirak boxes, salads and noodle soups.

Silvena Rowe has parted ways with her first restaurant, Quince at the May Fair Hotel, and plans to launch a high street chain serving Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean food this autumn. Rowe told Caterer that the Ottoman Café chain will be ‘the Wagamama of Middle Eastern food’ and that she is currently looking at two sites – one in Soho and one in Knightsbridge.

Can’t wait? Check out our list of recently opened restaurants or give us a shout on twitter if you need some new London hot spots to try.

News Bites: Forza Win, Red Market, The Malt House & More

Their fabulous fonduta evenings have sadly come to an end but the Forza Win team will be back this summer with more rooftop pizza events. If you’re tired of your usual haunts, an evening spent sipping cocktails, eating proper pizza and watching the sun set over the City comes highly recommended. The team are also working on a top secret project that will be announced soon, so keep an eye on their twitter feed  and sign up to their mailing list for details. If you’ve never been to one of their pop-ups, check out the Forza Win(ter) video below to see what you’re missing out on.

Forza Winter - The Final Chapter from Forza Win on Vimeo.

Chef Claude Bosi (Hibiscus) and his brother Cedric have opened their second London gastropub. Following the success of The Fox & Grapes in Wimbledon, their new venture – The Malt House – is situated close to Fulham Broadway. Marcus McGuiness (former head chef at Hibiscus) has put together a menu of modern British dishes like rib of beef cooked in hay, Devonshire crab gratin and a mutton and apricot hot pot. The pub also offers a great value set lunch menu of two courses for £17.50 or three for £19.50 and a childrens' menu for local foodies-in-training.

Red Market is back with a bang in Shoreditch this month. Under the care of Burger Bear Tom, the street food hub will be open Wednesday to Friday from 11 to 5pm, with more dates being added as the summer approaches. With help from social marketing app HitMeUp, Tom and Red Gallery are hoping to transform the urban wasteland into a community space where locals can indulge in some of London’s finest street food, surrounded by cutting edge art installations and graffiti. In February, the resident Burger Bear will be joined by street food heroes like Fleisch Mob, Pasta e Basta and The Bell & Brisket and there are rumours that The Rib Man, Mother Flipper, Dosa Deli and The Flying Squid will join him later in the year.

Chef Ravinder Bhogal (author of Cook in Boots) is hosting Saturday night supperclubs at the South Place Hotel throughout February. The ‘Fork Me Spoon Me’ suppers will be priced at £65 per person (wine pairings available as an added extra) and you can book by calling 020 3215 1270. The menu will change every week but guests can look forward to dishes like caramel quail with buckwheat noodle and banana blossom salad, braised venison with saffron risotto and salami crumbs, and Turkish delight semifreddo.

From Feb 1st, East London’s first pop-up rum cocktail bar will settle into the basement of Off Broadway. With help from Appleton Estate Rum, PortSide Parlour will serve classic rum-based drinks and hot sharing cocktails in a candlelit ‘captain’s quarters’ inspired lounge. The bar will also offer a Davy Jones’ locker system which will allow guests to buy their favourite bottle of rum and keep it in a locker with a vintage name tag around the neck. Each time you visit, you will be served from your own bottle at no extra charge.

Roti Chai: West End Style & Spice

THE LOWDOWN: Tucked away between Bond Street and Marble Arch, Roti Chai is a slick new venture from former Cinnamon Club MD, Rohit Chugh. On the ground floor, the laid-back Street Kitchen serves up authentic Indian street snacks, while the downstairs dining room is a more formal affair with a menu of regional specialties designed for sharing. When we visited on a bitterly cold December evening, the warmth and buzz of the subterranean dining room was a welcome respite from the chaos of pre-Christmas Oxford Street. As you descend the stairs and inhale the scent of freshly toasted spice, you can tell you’re in for something rather special.

THE LOOK: While the modern, minimalist Street Kitchen is perfect for lunchtime pitstops, the soft lighting, mirrors and sunset colours make the downstairs dining room a welcoming space for those who like to linger over dinner. In a nod to India’s most famous form of transport, there are luggage racks above the tables for two and train-inspired banquette seating. Quirky caged lanterns are suspended from the industrial ceiling and the larger round tables are perfect for groups who want to share their dishes tapas-style. At one end of the room there’s a well-stocked bar, and at the other there’s a smoked red glass window through which you can glimpse the kitchen.

THE FOOD: Downstairs, the menu is a mix of street food snacks, larger dishes from the various regions of India, and regularly changing specials which on our visit included winter game. Start by sharing small plates like crunchy papri chaat, seekh kebabs hot from the tandoor, tender spice-rubbed ribs, or the Chennai favourite Chicken 65. Roti Chai’s version is a rather polite interpretation of the original, but delicious nonetheless, the fried chicken strips encased in a feisty batter and begging to be dunked in the fresh tomato salsa. A surprise stand-out was the aloo tikki (potato cakes) served with homely chickpea curry, finely diced red onion, yoghurt, mint and tangy tamarind chutney – each mouthful a different explosion of flavours.

From the list of larger plates, we chose Chettinad chicken – a rustic dish from Tamil Nadu, redolent of earthy roasted spices – and an impressive bread selection that was big enough for three or more to share. Wrapped in linen to keep them warm, the basket contained fresh hot paratha, light buttery naan, and, best of all, triangles of veg-stuffed kulcha. With bread this good, you can skip rice and have more room for comforting dhal or Cochin-style seasonal greens with coconut.

Now, korma has a bad rep in the UK for being the curry equivalent of beige but our Awadhi lamb version was delicious, let down only by chunks of lamb that weren’t quite melt-in-the-mouth tender. The sauce, though, was mild but full of flavour, fragrant with saffron, and so addictive that we were mopping it up with naan long after declaring ourselves full.

After the main event, balance the spice with something sweet like chai brulée, chocolate and cardamom tart, or payasam – a creamy South Indian dessert. If you can only manage a few bites, go for the mango or pistachio kulfi - there’s always room for ice-cream on sticks.

THE DRINKS: Roti Chai’s drinks list offers carefully chosen wines, Mongoose beer (a welcome change from Tiger), and Amrut whisky amongst other top shelf spirits. Cocktails tend towards to the exotic, with the ginger and pineapple Bellini proving more popular than an overly perfumed rose and lychee Martini. (The latter packed a punch but didn’t feel quite right in a chunky glass tumbler.) After dinner, try the masala chai – their authentic take on the sweet Indian tea spiked with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. It’s wonderfully warming and great for digestion!

THE REST: A special mention goes to the friendly, clued-up staff. Throughout the evening, our empty glasses were whipped from the table ninja-style, and they were always nearby but never intrusive. Our Canadian waiter, William, admitted to being new but talked us confidently through the menu, pointing out his favourites, and even identified a mystery vegetable in our korma.

THE VERDICT: With its cleverly distinct dining areas, Roti Chai is on to a winner. The laid-back Street Kitchen is perfect for lunch or a post-shopping refuel, while downstairs is sleek and stylish enough to entice the dolled-up West End crowd. The food is fresh and vibrant, full of authentic flavours, and we were thrilled to discover there’s nothing timid about the spicing. Downstairs, the prices can feel a little steep – that lamb dish, for example, is £16.80 – but the quality of the food (and the service) more than justifies them. If you like the vibe at Dishoom and the food at Delhi Grill, you’re guaranteed to have a good time here.

Now Open: The Lawn Bistro, Wimbledon Village

At lunchtime today, restaurateur Akbar Ashurov and chef Ollie Couillaud will launch an elegant neighbourhood bistro in Wimbledon Village. Foodies may recognise Couillaud as the former head chef at La Trompette and from his time at Chez Bruce and The Square.

The Lawn Bistro hopes to become ‘a friendly hub of local activity’, where locals can chat with Ollie and enjoy refined French food at reasonable prices. (The menu offers two courses   for £27.50 or three for £32.50). The restaurant seats between 60-70 and the interior has been given a stylish but understated makeover by designLSM, with shades of dark grey warmed up by atmospheric lighting and graphic prints.

Ollie’s menu combines influences from his rural French upbringing and his experience in the kitchens of Michelin starred restaurants. The menu will change on an almost daily basis and diners can expect seasonal French dishes, with the occasional nod to British and Spanish cuisine. We’re looking forward to dishes like herb crusted lamb's tongues with sauce ravigotte; braised ox cheeks ‘a la Bourguignonne’; and seabass with crayfish and chorizo risotto with coriander and crème fraiche. The dessert menu includes French classics like caramelised apple mille feuille and pear and almond tart, alongside a more unusual warm pineapple salad with black pepper, vodka and mango sorbet.

The extensive wine list has not yet been unveiled but is said to include carefully selected wines from all over the world, including a Portuguese house wine.

The Lawn Bistro is now open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday and lunch on Sunday, and we think it’s well worth the trip down the District Line. You can keep up with all their latest news on twitter, @TheLawnBistro, and don’t forget to write a review if you visit.

Cafe Rouge: It’s All Change At This French Family Favourite

THE LOWDOWN: For over 20 years, Café Rouge has been serving up classic French dishes in laid-back bistros on high streets across the UK. Last month, they launched a new menu which includes traditional Gallic dishes like bouillabaisse, saucisses de Toulouse and coq au vin, alongside some healthy options which are all under 600 calories. There’s also a selection of ‘petit plats’ which follow the current trend for tapas-sized dishes you can share. Now they’re looking at how they can improve their restaurants, starting with a new restaurant just off The Strand in Covent Garden. We have fond memories of childhood trips to Café Rouge so we popped in for an early dinner to see how things have changed.

THE LOOK: The new Café Rouge is situated on Villiers Street, just off The Strand and   right next to Charing Cross Station and Trafalgar Square. It’s just up the road from Lupita and Herman Ze German and with its  bright red frontage, it’s hard to miss. Inside, there’s the familiar mix of red banquettes, colourful murals and faux French posters, as well as a smart bar you can perch at. It doesn’t look like any bistro we’ve been to in Paris but it’s warm and cosy in the candlelight and it was already buzzing when we arrived for a mid-week supper.

THE FOOD: The new menu is tricky to navigate but covers all the bases with everything from ‘plats rapides’ for the lunch crowd to heartier mains and set menus for evening diners. We liked the idea of the ‘petit plats’ which are just £3 each and include things like tapenade d’artichaut, rillettes de canard and tasty little Merguez sausages with harissa mayo. If you fancy a full-sized starter, you can tuck into onion soup, moules marinières or crevettes à l’ail – a messy but moreish dish of prawns in chilli and garlic butter.

Locals are well catered for at lunchtime with salads, tartines and baguettes, while those with larger appetites can enjoy sizeable steaks, confit de canard and boeuf bourguignon. We liked the signature ‘Steak Rouge’ – a well-cooked rib-eye served with hot, salty frites – and the sole limande, which was tasty in spite of the absence of the advertised caramelised lemon butter. For dessert, as you’d expect, there are tartes, coupes and crème brulee.

THE DRINK: The wine list should offer something to please most palates and prices are very reasonable with the house wines starting at £3.70 for a small glass. We liked the fruity Syrah Rosé much better than an overly sweet Kir Royale from the aperitifs menu.

THE VERDICT: While our meal at Café Rouge wasn’t without its flaws, we enjoyed the laid-back buzz, our delicious starters and the attentive service from our young French waiter. While the new restaurant on The Strand will undoubtedly do well with the tourists, it may also win over locals and theatre-goers with its set lunch menu and ‘menu du soir’, which offers 2 courses for £10.50. There’s even a no-nonsense kids menu for your little gourmets. For a relaxed, reasonably priced meal in Covent Garden, it’s definitely worth a try.

Chiswell Street Dining Rooms: Laid-Back Luxe

THE LOWDOWN: Ed and Tom Martin (The Gun, The Botanist, amongst others) have opened a modern British restaurant and bar on the former site of the Whitbread Brewery. Situated close to the Barbican Centre where there is little competition on the food front, the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms have been buzzing since they opened their doors earlier this month. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a bar menu and afternoon tea to plug the gaps in between. Tea fans can opt for the classic Champagne affair, a Gentleman’s version and a healthy Tea-Tox, complete with crudités, smoked salmon and bran muffins. The restaurant is also part of the new Montcalm London City Hotel so if you get lost on your way back from the toilets (as we did), you may find yourself in a conference room or passing some rather plush bedrooms.

THE LOOK: From the smart dark green frontage to the light and airy dining rooms, it’s all very slick, very City, but rather nice. The first room is dominated by a handsome chestnut-topped bar and has the same buzz as the Martin brothers’ Chelsea eatery, only with less Sloanes and more suits. Like The Botanist, the new venue suffers from some acoustic issues with diners struggling to hear each other over the din. (An unfortunate side effect of all those hard surfaces and a busy bar full of rowdy after-work drinkers).

  

The wood-panelled dining rooms are reminiscent of a modern day drawing room, complete with pale green tub chairs, inoffensive artworks and spiky little plants on each table. Thanks to large windows and an understated colour palette of greens, cream and gold, it feels bright and relaxed – ideal for lunch or early suppers. It feels plush but not pretentious and the service is suitably slick, with attentive and neatly attired waiters moving unnoticed between the tables. We were particularly impressed by our waiter, Alex, who knew the menu inside out, never let a glass sit empty and bid us a cheerful farewell at the end of the evening.

THE FOOD: Head chef Richard O’Connell (ex-One Aldwych, The Groucho Club) has put together an appealing, if safe, menu of modern British dishes. It’s heavy on luxury ingredients like foie gras and fresh seafood but there’s nothing that will shock the business lunch crowd. After demolishing the warm miniature loaf they serve in place of a bread basket, we shared the potted ham hock and king scallops. The former – coarsely shredded pork and gherkins packed into a cutesy kilner jar – was good (and mercifully served at room temp), but not as impressive as the plump and perfectly caramelised scallops served with asparagus-like samphire and a rich creamy sauce infused with lemon thyme. Had we not been in polite company, we would have happily licked the shells clean.

Mains range from elegant fish dishes and seasonal salads to man-sized platefuls of pork, steak and West Devon lamb. Don’t miss the signature dish of stuffed Middlewhite pork loin served with roasted Braeburn apple, cabbage and Clonakilty black and white pudding. This is a great dish for two to share and the only complaint from my companion was that he would have liked a little more of the excellent jus. My Scottish lobster and prawn risotto was flawless, given colour and flavour by (I assume) a first class bisque and studded with morsels of sweet lobster meat. It’s a generous portion, perhaps too rich for some, but seafood risotto fans will love this deliciously decadent dish.

  

Save room for desserts like tart tatin for two; a wonderfully light and moist sticky toffee pudding; or a rich Valrhona chocolate tart. There are summery coupes and sundaes, if you’re feeling a bit retro, and the cheeseboards heading for the bar looked impressive and generously stocked. At the end of our meal, we had only minor complaints - more sauce with the pork, more crème fraiche with the tart - but overall we couldn’t fault any of it. The dishes are well-executed and tasteful - like the decor - but also hearty and full of flavour.

THE DRINKS: We’ve never been disappointed by an ETM wine list and the leather-bound bottle bible at Chiswell Street was no exception. Spread over 15 pages, there’s something to suit most tastes and budgets, including lunch-friendly half bottles and some excellent by-the-glass options starting at £4.10. The house wines, which are produced in the Languedoc region under the watchful eye of Ed and Tom, are particularly good. In a nod to the building’s heritage, there are top quality British beers on offer, like Dark Star Sunburst and St Austell Clouded Yellow. Cocktails, priced around the £8 mark, have a distinctly British flavour thanks to ingredients like homemade sloe gin, rhubarb liqueur and apple brandy. We liked the gin-based Clover Club, flushed pink with their homemade raspberry syrup, and the surprisingly good Pomona Fizz mocktail – a refreshing mix of pomegranate, pear, honey, lime and tonic.

THE VERDICT: The Chiswell Street Dining Rooms are a welcome addition to what was previously a gastronomic wasteland between Old Street and Moorgate. Whether you’re entertaining clients or just treating yourself to breakfast, you’re guaranteed to be impressed by the elegant rooms, the flawless food and the friendly, clued-up staff. In the City, you rarely find all three of these things in one venue so it’s worth betting that both restaurant and bar will be very popular with the locals. Of course, it’s loud and not exactly cheap but if you’re happy to pay a bit extra for quality, you won’t be disappointed. We’ll definitely be back to try out the bar menu.

Red Dog Saloon: Beer And BBQ Arrives in Hoxton

THE LOWDOWN: Recently opened on Hoxton Square, Red Dog Saloon is the brainchild of Tom Berk, a former restaurant and events manager and BBQ enthusiast. He hopes to bring the flavour of Deep South barbecue to London and has imported an award-winning smoker from the USA. It’s built to recreate the cooking process of the original fire pits and uses traditional American wood (hickory and mesquite) for that authentic smokiness. The meat can stay in the smoker for up to 16 hours, cooking ‘low and slow’ for maximum flavour.

THE LOOK: Split over two floors, the restaurant is inspired by America’s ‘great ranch-style dining rooms’ so expect lots of dark wood, cracked leather banquettes and shuttered windows. Ceiling fans spin slowly overhead and the walls are covered in buffalo skulls, longhorns and framed photos of railways and rodeos. It’s Americana by numbers, a little bit Disney, but it’s as tasteful as you can manage with this theme and it already looks like somewhere you could roll out across London. It feels like it would do very well in Covent Garden or Westfield, if that doesn’t sound too damning. We liked the relaxed diner vibe and the sunny terrace overlooking the square, which was already proving popular with hungry Hoxtonites.

THE FOOD: On our visit, the menu was a stripped-back version of the one on their website, suggesting that the kitchen is still finding its feet. Their smoker proved troublesome during the soft opening and the menu is still heavy on the burgers while it’s bedding in. That said, on our visit BBQ trumped burger and we were more than happy with our basket of buffalo wings. Messy, sticky and drenched in Frank’s legendary hot sauce, they were just crispy enough on the outside and still moist and tender inside. The blue cheese dip was salty but a good match to the fiery wings. Better still were the sizeable St Louis pork ribs which had clearly benefited from their time in the smoker. Spice rubbed and then cooked ‘low and slow’, the meat was juicy and easily stripped from the bone, though we would have liked more smokiness. The accompanying BBQ beans were good too – sweet, spicy and with some pork stirred in for good measure.

The burgers are ground fresh every day from chuck steak and served medium-rare unless you say otherwise. They’re also relatively cheap by London standards – all under £10. We split ‘the Punisher’ – a 5oz patty topped with pulled pork, streaky bacon and American cheese. The meat is great quality and the bun soft, sweet and not overly floury, but the pulled pork was a letdown. Compared to the superior version at Pitt Cue Co (under Hungerford Bridge), Red Dog’s shredded pig was a little soggy and lacking in flavour. It made for a pretty mushy mouthful overall but with a little practice on the pork front, this could be a great burger.

THE DRINKS: Red Dog’s drinks menu boasts some very reasonable wines by the glass, a decent range of American beers, and milkshakes made with Maryland’s Y3K ice-cream. (These are very good, full of chocolate bits and other goodies to clog up your straw, but a little thin). Camden Brewery lager and pale ale should be available on tap soon. There’s no cocktail or spirit list yet but they’re happy to whip up classic drinks and our waitress was happy to rattle off the names of some very good bourbons for us. In the absence of ginger beer for a Dark & Stormy, the bartender shook up a Lord Nelson – equal measures of dark rum, apple juice and Ice Tea.

THE VERDICT: It’s still early days at the Red Dog Saloon but we can definitely see potential. London is crying out for good BBQ and once they get the hang of the smoker, this place could really clean up. The wings and ribs are already worth crossing town for but they’ll need to keep their burger standards high to compete with the busy new Byron opposite. We loved the friendly clued-up service – full marks to the lovely Hannah for keeping us supplied with wet wipes – and the food was fresh, tasty and wallet-friendly. Things can only get better. Maybe, like great BBQ, it’s just a matter of time.

Cay Tre Soho: An East End Favourite Charms The West End

THE LOWDOWN: In May, Vietnamese restaurateur Hieu Trung Bui opened Cây Tre Soho – a Dean Street sister site to the Old Street original. (His empire also includes Viet Grill on Kingsland Road and busy banh mi cafe, Keu!) The East End Cây Tre has always been a hit with locals and foodies in the know, and the Soho branch opened to glowing reviews from TimeOut and London food bloggers like Greedy Diva and London Eater. Vietnamese has always been an under-represented cuisine in Soho and Hieu Trung Bui’s slick new eatery looks set to fill that gap. Only Pho and Viet offer any competition and they are both more casual and better suited to lunch, while Cây Tre is smart enough for dinner and dates.

THE LOOK: The modern, monochrome restaurant is a far cry from the low-key Dalston cafes and it has clearly been designed with well-dressed West Enders in mind. The white-washed wood panelling, clean lines and black and white furniture create a light and airy space, without feeling cold or clinical. The only splashes of colour come from the low-hanging lights and the exotic flowers and bottles of fiery Sriracha chilli sauce on each table. It still has a faint ‘noodle bar’ feel to it, not really somewhere you’d linger for hours, but this combined with speedy service and its proximity to Shaftesbury Avenue make it an ideal pre-theatre stop.

   

THE FOOD: The menu is shorter than the lengthy lists you see in Kingsland Road cafes, but familiar favourites like prawn-packed summer rolls, refreshing salads and - of course - pho are all present and correct. There are some unusual additions like the Indochine stir-fried venison and slow-cooked ‘ox cheek au vin’, alongside authentic Vietnamese dishes like sesame-cured beef and green papaya salad and the Dong Du lamb chop curry, which originates from the oldest Indian mosque in Saigon. During the day, Soho locals can drop in to slurp noodles at the Pho Bar and tuck into wallet-friendly express lunches.

Having enjoyed the banh xeo (pork and prawn stuffed pancake) at VyNam Café, we ordered the same here but what arrived was more like a crispy fritter of shredded sweet potato and plump prawn. It was tasty, especially when dunked into the feisty nuoc mam sauce, but it was over-fried and not really what we were expecting. The pork ribs were much better – tender, meaty and sticky with their fragrant honey and lemongrass marinade. We also liked the Mekong catfish - slow-cooked on-the-bone fish simmered in a sweet-savoury caramel sauce that is unique to Vietnamese cuisine - but the Lang Son roast Tamworth pork belly was disappointing. The slices of prime pig were topped with good crackling but underneath the meat was grey and greasy, not helped by an overwhelming dipping sauce. Perhaps we were just unlucky because the fresh salads and huge bowls of steaming pho arriving at neighbouring tables looked and smelled great.

THE DRINK: Cây Tre’s wine list was put together with help from wine writer Malcolm Gluck, so you can be assured of finding a decent bottle or two. Their website claims they ‘shake Vietnamese cocktails by night’ but our waitress denied all knowledge so we stuck to fruit juice and zingy Fentiman’s lemonade. From noon until 5.30pm, the restaurant serves ‘Vietnamese afternoon tea’, accompanied by tea from the Rare Tea Company.

THE VERDICT: Cây Tre is a welcome addition to Vietnamese-starved Soho and we loved the friendly service and the restaurant’s laid-back good looks. It’s open all day so you can pop in for an impromptu pho fix and the lunch deal of ‘one big bowl, one small plate’ for £14 is a W1 bargain. The a la carte prices are a little higher than at the Hoxton original but for Soho, they’re pretty reasonable. We’ll definitely be back to try their pho.