City Eating

Snap Of The Week: VyNam Cafe, Finchley

In the past, we’ve had to travel to Shoreditch, Surrey Quays and beyond for a Vietnamese food fix so we were delighted to hear about this low-key cafe near Finchley Central. It’s on a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it parade of shops in an area not exactly known for great places to eat, so it’s great news for locals and even better news for us. We turned up expecting a no-frills Kingsland Road style cafe but in reality it’s a ‘proper’ restaurant with a clean and bright interior decked out with flowers. (Smart enough for parents or a second or third date).

The list of starters includes Viet classics like fresh summer rolls, chargrilled quail with honey and garlic; and soft shell crab. There’s grilled goat and pan-fried frogs legs if you’re feeling adventurous, and crispy aromatic duck with pancakes if you’re not. We ordered the salt and pepper prawns, lightly battered and tossed with plenty of fiery red chilli, shredded spring onion and garlic. The prawns had been neatly butterflied and deveined but, inexplicably, not de-shelled so that if you wanted to eat the batter you also had to eat shards of crunchy pink shell. Thankfully, the prawns themselves were fresh and sweet – the heat from the chilli balanced by slices of crisp cucumber and lightly pickled carrots. On a second visit, we tried the banh xeo – a a crispy pancake stuffed with pork, prawns and bean sprouts – which was a delicious street food style dish, easily big enough to share.

According to the TimeOut review, VyNam Cafe’s pho is ‘spot on’ and we’ve heard good things about the fish dishes like crispy sea bass with fish sauce and shredded mango and the traditional catfish with turmeric and dill. Our clay pot chicken arrived still bubbling and fragrant with fresh lemongrass. We devoured the tender strips of chicken and crunchy peppers and then ladled the creamy coconut sauce on to the remains of our special fried rice, studded with chopped prawns and Vietnamese sausage. A sizzling dish of not-very-Vietnamese beef with black bean sauce was equally tasty and we liked our side of stir-fried morning glory laced with plenty of garlic.

The dishes here might not be as authentic as they are at cafes on the Pho Mile but everything we tried was delicious, beautifully presented and full of fresh, flavoursome ingredients. The service was friendly and attentive, with the staff packing up our leftovers without us asking and fashioning make-shift kid-friendly chopsticks for a toddler at a neighbouring table. Still not convinced? Check out the reviews from Kavey and Aki Eats.

At the moment, they’re offering 20% discount at lunchtime, 10% when you collect a takeaway, and free delivery over £15 within a three mile radius. That said, the prices are so reasonable that it’s worth making a night of it and taking a few friends so you can really give the menu a work out.

Snap Of The Week: Franny’s Soho Pop Up

If you can’t get a table at your favourite Soho spot this weekend, head for Frith Street and check out the brand new Franny’s pop-up bar-restaurant that opens on Friday.

In what might be the fastest restaurant turnaround ever, they’ve pounced on the site recently vacated by Bertorelli and given it a slick new look. It’s situated on the corner of Frith Street and Bateman Street, right next to the fragrant Garlic & Shots – just look out for the grey building with the yellow sign.

The pop-up project is on a budget so there’s no website but their twitter page says they will be serving homemade pizza, pasta and grills, alongside ‘really good wines’ and beers. There will be ‘ace music’ and classic cocktails like the Margarita, Daiquiri, Martini and a refreshing passion fruit Mojito. (Very handy for pre-dinner drinks if you’re heading to nearby Arbutus, Koya or Barrafina).

They open at 11am this Friday but the Franny’s team aren’t sure exactly how long they’ll be there so don’t miss out. Follow them on twitter for more info and if you go along, please leave a review on their london-eating page.

Snap Of The Week: Tanqueray Ten Terrace At Harvey Nichols

This summer, the sunny terrace on the Fifth Floor of Harvey Nichols has been transformed by the Tanqueray No. Ten team into a rooftop haven for Martini addicts. Like the Martini itself, the terrace is a simple space with monochrome furniture, black-and-white photography, and a mix of Astroturf and real greenery. In the evening, the lighting is flattering and there are cosy Tanqueray-branded blankets if you want to snuggle up and watch the sunset. The views are nothing to rival Paramount but the people-watching is first class.

Drinks are served with a theatrical flourish, with a clued-up bartender mixing tableside from Art Deco bottles on a black chrome drinks trolley. My companion chose the Basil Berry Crush, served long, with fresh strawberries, basil and Tanqueray muddled with apple juice and St Germain elderflower liqueur. Topped up with Champagne over plenty of crushed ice, it’s a decadent summer drink, and thankfully not too sweet.

I went for the ‘Evolution of the Martini’ flight (£15) - three classic tipples served in mini glasses. You begin with the Martinez, the godfather of the Martini dating back to 1887, before moving on to The 1903, a smooth and silky creation with zesty orange undertones. Finally, the Perfect Ten, with subtle hints of grapefruit and chamomile. Thanks to the quadruple distilled Tanqueray, these slip down easily, with none of the harshness you get from inferior gins. Our only criticism? They could have been colder. The trolley is a lovely idea, but the spirits really need to be super-chilled.

If you’re hungry, Fifth Floor chef Jonas Karlsson has put together a brief menu of dishes inspired by the citrus and botanical notes of Tanqueray No. Ten. Snack on seasonal asparagus with sauce vierge or tuck into mini venison burgers or sautéed tiger prawns with citrus and ras el hanout. If you fancy something sweet, there’s rhubarb and apple crumble or a retro chocolate fondue with candied grapefruit and marshmallows.

If you’ve got guests to impress, you can book the plush white booth where up to 6 cocktail aficionados can share the ‘Ultimate Martini Experience’ - a private cocktail master class, 3-course dinner and Martini kit to take away, priced at £500. Not exactly a cheap thrill but well worth it.

The Tanqueray No. Ten Terrace is open until the end of July. It's proving popular in the warm weather, so book ahead by calling 020 7201 8786 or email novella.alessandrini@harveynichols.com.

Snap Of The Week: Aqua London - Al Fresco On Another Level

London doesn’t do al fresco very well. We rarely have the weather for it so most restaurants are happy to throw a bit of cheap patio furniture outside and be done with it. If you don’t fancy breathing in London fumes or having your ravioli knocked into the gutter by passers-by, what’s the alternative? Head for the roof. Think Babylon, Boundary, Coq d’Argent – you get the idea. Better yet, think Aqua…

The ambitious Aqua London project divided the critics when it opened last year but six months down the line, business is booming for restaurant Nueva and Kyoto and reviews are generally positive. If you haven’t been, now is the time. Aqua’s three spacious terraces have come into their own thanks to the warmer weather and the views, from the West End to the London Eye and beyond.

Drink – There’s wine, of course, and probably beer as well but it’s really all about the cocktails. Over 20 creative concoctions pay homage to the Spanish and Japanese flavours on offer in the restaurants and while they’re not cheap, they are very well made. Try the exotic Wild Dragon – a blend of the excellent Bulldog gin, dragon fruit, wild berries, vanilla and lemongrass sugar, and ginger beer.

Eat – If you miss the trays of bitesize freebies, you can order snack-sized portions of dishes like quail and plum tempura; scallops with beetroot and tomato jam; Iberian pork loin with apricots and vanilla.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Alicia Keys, Jessica Alba and Demi Moore have all been in for a drink but on an average night you can expect a mix of post-work suits and dolled-up shopperati.

Need more inspiration? Check out our Best For lists for Al Fresco, Views and Riverside.

Snap Of The Week: A Vegan Japanese Feast At Itadaki Zen

Sometimes, it’s all about steak. Whatever else happens that week, you know you have to get to Hawksmoor or Goodman for a slab of beef, a jug of Bearnaise and as many twice-cooked chips as your arteries can handle. Some days, you just need a burger or a lunchtime burrito from Luardo’s or Daddy D.

But sometimes, it all gets too much and you end up in a tiny vegan Japanese place on King’s Cross Road, sandwiched between a rough-looking pub and one of London’s finest fetish emporiums. Itadaki Zen is more of a café than a restaurant, with just three tables for two and a line of single seats down one side – perfect for solo diners. The interior, we’re told, was designed and built by volunteers from Japan and it’s all rather lovely and low-key. Lots of light wood, simple furniture, and inoffensive Oriental flourishes. We started with sake and sat sandwiched between two pairs of chattering ladies while we waited for the meat-free feast to begin.

Harumaki - Light and crisp sping rolls with shredded vegetables and smashed tofu. Spring rolls have a bad reputation for being tasteless, greasy and straight from the freezer, but as you can see, this isn't the case at Itadaki Zen. They were only slightly greasy (as anything deep-fried will inevitably be) but the filling was obviously fresh and it was easy to identify the veg inside, unlike the mysterious mush you find inside inferior specimens. Dipped in wasabi-soy, these were a success. Difficult to eat with chopsticks though.

 

Agesan sushi rolls - Sushi addicts might miss sashimi, but the sushi here is very good. Again, very fresh, with decent rice and a generous filling of tofu, carrot, cucumber and shitake mushroom. They also do nigiri sushi, though we're not sure how that works - presumably strips of fresh veg laid over rice. "You'd have to be vegetarian to appreciate this," said my carnivorous companion, "because veg sushi is basically rolled salad."

Agedashi tofu - Ok, so tofu is a running theme here. If you like it, you're in luck, but if you don't, you might want to keep walking. This dish is about as tasty as tofu gets - the sizeable cubes are deep-fried but not crispy and they sit in a light tentsuyu broth made from dashi, mirin and soy. It wasn't as tasty as it probably could be and we prefer smaller cubes, but overall it's a nice side dish. The chef, we were told, doesn't like to use too much salt so that might explain why we felt the broth was underseasoned.

Vegetable tempura - Proof, if it were needed, that everything tastes good fried. The batter was light and crisp and we loved the skinny onion rings, thin slices of sweet potatoes and crunchy corn. We didn't like the okra, which had a tendency to slide out of its coating and either burn your lip or land in your miso. Best of all was the oh-so-crispy fritters of grated carrot and onion. A dipping sauce - maybe ponzu? - would have been great, but we understand that's not their thing. Soy sufficed but when that's the dip for everything, you're left with fairly one-dimensional flavour combos. We wouldn't have minded if some yakitori skewers or chicken karaage had appeared at this stage, but the absence of meat wasn't really a big deal.

Our bill, including additional rice, miso and a seemingly bottomless jar of hot sake, came to around £40. We left feeling full but virtuous and lamented the fact that this place was still a greasy spoon when we were studying across the road. Students and locals should definitely pop in for lunch when a sushi set (including potato salad and tempura or a spring roll) will set you back just £7.50 and hot noodle bowls are equally cheap and filling. It might not convert the die-hard beef bandits, but veggies and vegans can eat very well here.

Snap Of The Week: Love It? Hate It? Marmite Cereal Bars

Last week the lovely people at Splendid Communications sent us a box of the all-new Marmite cereal bars to try out on our team of fussy foodies. Yes, you heard right – not content with cornering the breakfast spread market or even the Marmite Cookbook, the yeast maestros have now found a way for addicts to get their fix on their way to work (without getting a lap full of toast crumbs).

The bars are made up of savoury oats, wheat and rice with a feisty and familiar Marmite kick. Unlike a lot of cereal bars we’ve tried (and discarded) in the past, they’re not full of sugar and they don’t require super-human jaw strength to chew through them. Their press pack claims they’re ‘rich in B-vitamins, high in fibre and only 93 calories a bar’. Ok, they’re not exactly a salad but they are a fairly guilt-free breakfast / snack option.

Our perpetually hungry IT team demolished the bars in record time. Here are some of their thoughts:

Boy A: Odd texture, quite nice but not as chewy as you’d expect. Marmite breath is a bit of a concern.
Boy B: Not something I’d usually buy but it’s really nice. I like Marmite though!
Boy C: Definitely something I’d eat in the morning to avoid snacking on junk. Not overly Marmitey.
Boy D: Well, it’s not going to convert anyone who didn’t like Marmite before…
Boy E: Can’t make my mind up. It’s tasty and I like the soft chewyness. Give me another one.

The one thing we all agreed on was the packaging – it’s great. Slimline slogan-heavy bars in a sleek black box with the familiar logo – simple but effective. They’re on sale now at Morrison’s priced at £1.99 for a box of six so even if they’re not for you, it’s not an expensive mistake. Love them? Hate them? Let us know what you think!

Snap Of The Week: The Whisky Bar At The Athenaeum

"The Athenaeum has officially unveiled the boutique Whisky Bar," the press release said. Admittedly, this was our first visit so we can't be sure but it really didn't look shiny-new. We certainly weren't the first to sit on the plush purple couches and whoever did the hoovering must have missed the runaway brazil nuts under the tables. Still, it was early and sunshine can be so unforgiving. Under cover of darkness, the subtle lamp light and comfy cushions would make the bar's cosy corners very enticing. The music is inoffensive, the walls are lined with whisky and it's warm, like a new-world opium den. Bring me my book and slippers.

There are over 270 whiskies on the menu - many of them rare and collectable. If you've got the time (and the money), you can work your way from the Scottish Highlands to Japan, with Wales, Ireland and others in between. We were particularly pleased to see some decent North American offerings, like Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace and Blanton's Gold, as well as a Canadian favourite - Seagram's VO.

Things got off to a rocky start with a glass of slightly warm and decidedly average white wine. (Ok, it was the cheapest on the menu and we were curious...) Thankfully, the Mandarin Trace was superb - a fresh and summery blend of Buffalo Trace, Cointreau, peach liqueur, grapefruit and lime juice. Priced at £10.50, it's short and sweet but packs plenty of punch. One is plenty.

Snap Of The Week: A Solo Sicilian Supper At Caponata

Sometimes we like to try out a new-ish restaurant by sending just one city-eating foodie. We believe that unless the restaurant is full to bursting, solo diners should be treated the same way as a party of six. If you're made to feel uncomfortable, why would you return with friends? At Caponata, our undercover diner was given a warm welcome and left to choose her own seat. A very good start. Now, on to the important stuff, the food:

The ground floor osteria and bar is less formal than the upstairs restaurant, with Ikea-inspired white furniture and big windows overlooking Camden's Delancey Street. There's lots of blond wood and an unusual wall of greenery near the back where the sunshine spills in through the skylight. It's part of the new-ish Forge venue so there is live music in the osteria on certain days.

Anyway, arancini! Three different fillings - beef ragu, ham and mozzarella, and spinach - encased in creamy saffron risotto. These are often dismissed as little more than deep-fried leftovers, but here each one had a distinct flavour - the best being the rich meaty ragu. The roasted pepper sauce was tepid (possibly on purpose) but worked well with crispyness of the arancini.

Snap Of The Week: london-eating's Lebanese Feast

Ever wondered what the london-eating team do at the weekend? Well, this Sunday we were suffering from 'restaurant fatigue' - a condition which, you'll be pleased to know, rarely lasts longer than a few hours - so we did a bit of home-cooking. Inspired by our recent meal at Yalla Yalla, here's our Lebanese feast.

On the big platter, there's a pile of fragrant pilaf studded with toasted pine nuts, coriander and parsley. In the centre, there are fried onions and peppers which are hidden by our tasty chicken shawarma (which was marinated in a blend of spices, lemon juice and olive oil and then grilled).

Snap Of The Week: Taiwanese Tapas At Keelung

We know you're supposed to give new restaurants a bit of time to settle in, but when we heard that Geoffrey Leong had opened a Taiwanese eatery in Chinatown - we couldn't resist popping in after work. The Leong family own and run some of London's most successful restaurants, including Koi, Goldfish and Leong's Legends. Their new venture is named after the second biggest harbour city in northern Taiwan, Keelung, and specialises in the street food dishes that are served in the city's bustling night markets.

The restaurant itself is set over two floors and separated into several cosy dining areas, including an impressive private room with sliding doors to ensure complete privacy. The decor is elegant and understated, with wooden partitions, warm lighting and a smart wall of wine creating a tranquil Western backdrop for the main event - the food. Though Keelung has barely been open a week, the dining room was already buzzing when we arrived early on Monday night.