london restaurants

Koya.

Koya bar, in fact (which seems to be much quieter than Koya in the daytime even when Koya's full). We caught the very end of the breakfast menu yesterday. I had the Kedgeree, J had the Japanese breakfast. We found both so amazing, we couldn't work out who'd won. I think we decided it was a very high scoring draw.

I was so pleased with the meal that I pointed out that they hadn't charged us for drinks when the bill came.

still not been.

was at brasserie zedel for the first time last week, i thought it was an incredibly fun meal. amazing rhythm to the service, all feels v grand but the prices are low.

if yr in chinatown, that place that does the knife shaved + hand pulled noodles by leicester sq tube is also worthwhile

― just sayin, Friday, 18 February 2011 09:15 (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^ was in this area for lunch last week & went here a couple of times, this place is still great. get the noodle soup w/ stewed beef for £6.50

― just sayin, Monday, 3 June 2013 11:07 (4 months ago) Permalink

cool to see this place get written abt in the ft - http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/42b069ce-1fe4-11e3-8861-00144feab7de.html#slide0

wasn't blown away by the food at duck and waffle (this was last october, mind - felt like it's a load of poncey ingredients mashed together to not great effects) although must say the pig ear snack was really good, but the drinks were nice and view and 24 hour opening (is it still?) were all good things.

is the sushi samba place downstairs any cop? it was very loud

nothing to report on new london restaurants unforch, except to say that going to the mission chinese food in NYC made me want to go back to chilli cool to eat properly.

i am going to nyc in a few weeks, really can't wait to try mission. also really like the look of pokpok.

jealous

any other tips, btw ken?

xpost - i've made a massive hitlist of places but any recs welcome.

probably on your list already but fette sau was very nice.
and "smorgasburg" probably what london street food has been trying to do but without a view to manhatten skyline. although i don't know how far into november it'll run.
and korean fried chicken! kyochon was the one i went to. but "bonchon on john" has $3 beers or something.
baohaus if you like those bao tings.

hope you'll go to the places i never got to go to: shanghai cafe (DUMPLINGS!), momofuku, pies and thighs, and, er .. taco bell.

why is there no korean fried chicken in london!

these guys do it kinda
http://www.kimchicult.com/
although i remember it not being crispy enough for my liking.

japanese kitchen on tottenham court road are offering it as a thing with rice, i haven't tried it yet, maybe today's lunch.

yeah the crisyness seems pretty key to me. when i was in sydney we got some at 2am, then had the leftovers the next day and they were still crispy despite being covered in sauce. dont know how they do it.

probably on your list already but fette sau was very nice.
and "smorgasburg" probably what london street food has been trying to do but without a view to manhatten skyline. although i don't know how far into november it'll run.
and korean fried chicken! kyochon was the one i went to. but "bonchon on john" has $3 beers or something.
baohaus if you like those bao tings.

hope you'll go to the places i never got to go to: shanghai cafe (DUMPLINGS!!), momofuku, pies and thighs, and, er .. taco bell.

thanks for these recs. yeah, been thinking fette sau, tho there is a lot of debate about the bbq stuff and what place is best. pies and thighs is p near where i'm staying, i think.

Korean fried chicken in garlic sauce is on the menu of every Korean restaurant I like. Tohbang on Clerkenwell Road does a great version, and you can get it in the Centre Point dives and as a take-away from that Japanese/Korean shop across the street from same.

Also I have now been to Sen Viet on King's Cross Road and it really is the best. Thanks, Lex!

whenever i've seen it in london its more like a fried chicken stir fry, rather than fried chicken you'd eat with yr hands, but maybe i just need to look further

yeah needs to be vaguely like this
http://breadetbutter.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/kyochon-spicy-wings.jpg?w=584

and ideally burn the crap out of your mouth.

japanese canteen on tottenham court road was not offering this btw. not that it was such a bad lunch tbf.

The one I've had is usually made of the wide end of the chicken leg, battered and fried, and then dipped in a spicy/garlicky glaze with bits of spring onion scattered on top..

I liked Sen Viet well enough on the two or three times I've been there but didn't think it out of the ordinary - was there something particular on the menu you'd recommend?

We went to Clove Club on Saturday for a celebration; it was really very good indeed but ended up being even not-cheaper than I'd expected. Would go back but it would need a very special occasion. Would drink cocktails in their bar again also.

Oh and if you find yourself in East Dulwich then the food at Toast is a cut above the usual small plates business.

Tim, I could eat my own weight in Sen Viet's grilled squid and green mango salad.

Wound up there because one of my best friends is celiac, lactose-intolerant and doesn't eat poultry or red meat (there are a load of good cheap restaurants on that road that seem to cater for this demographic). We had prawn summer rolls, the squid salad and that monkfish and dill hot-plate dish, all astounding. I can't wait to go back for the meaty, chickeny stuff.

where's good for a cocktail in central london?

i don't know cos i religiously go to zetter town house, other ones i've just read about. could be quirky or swanky, don't mind.

are the likes of quo vadis or similar good for just drinking in? was considering something like that.

on the other hand, somewhere with a bit of a wow factor could be good too, as i reckon my grandma would love that.

Wolesley or Bob Bob Ricard for granny. Or if she's a bit arty, the downstairs bar at Hix on Brewer Street.

...also Quo Vadis has a happy hour with half-price oysters so yeah, also a good'un.

Bob Bob Ricard is the place where you can press a red button at your table for more champagne.

american bar in zedel is gorgeous but have never tried the cocktails (can't believe they'd be bad, though)

Zedel cocktails are awesome, great place to take parents/grandparents.

The downstairs bar at Hix is pretty cool, especially if you sit at the bar itself - it's a sunken bar on the other side, so the staff are at face level when you're sitting down. The bar at Hawskmoor also does excellent cocktails.

If your grandma is up for something a little quirkier then the Experimental Cocktail Club on Gerrard Street is fantastic, bit of a speakeasy vibe but it depends what time of the week you go, and you have to be on the list.

For wow factor you can't really beat the bar at the top of Centre Point. Drinks are on the expensive side but it's free to go up there. You need to let them know in advance that you're coming though.

The Star at Night on Great Chapel Street does amazing gin cocktails but might not be grandma friendly - a lot of the tables are down a spiral staircase.

xpost sod it, I wrote this so I'm posting it but Matt OTM.

Cocktails are pretty good at Zedel, though my experience was that the waiting staff didn't know their stuf as thoroughly as I'd want them to; Suzy's recommendations are good, of course; I've always been impressed with the staff at Hix, where you go in expecting them to be snooty and too-cool and then they turn out to be super nice, even if you're a manifestly uncool lardarse like me, in your scruff.

If I wanted a bit of wow for Granny I might very well choose the place at the top of Centrepoint (Paramount?) - it is worth it for the obvious reasons, especially if she doesn't mind a lift to the 30th floor or whatever, and the cocktails are good-but-not-the-very-best. You need to call ahead to get your name on a list in reception! They say you can't wear trainers but don't seem to enforce that.

Purl in Marylebone does some amazing stuff, has a kind of Dickensian vibe and the cocktails experimental and largely tremendous, lots of the seating isn't very comfortable; Milk and Honey on Poland Street does a kind of art deco speakeasy thing and the cocktails are consistently amazing. Both of these are dark and kinda moody, I love them; for each of you'd need to ring ahead to bookk.

Downstairs at Polpo can be good for a bit more casual and kickabout. I was very impressed with the cocktail bar at Clove Club (in Shoreditch) the other day, but I'm

Oh, yeah, the Star at Night's a good call (though they do pack 'em in even upstairs so she'd have to be willing to weave between tables).

Might be a bit too far north, but the Booking Office Bar at St Pancras station does some gorgeous cocktails.

Haha I was joking about grandma, the idea of bringing either of my grannies for cocktails, can't ever imagine it, god rest them.

That Zedel bar is p cool yeah - had that on my mind a bit, though I sort of feel for what you pay it's not as good as some other places.

I kinda promised granny an espresso martini too. I think with Hawksmoor Seven Dials you might have to eat to be allowed into the bar and she's a vegan, which is a pity as they do good espresso martinis.

Hix might be worth a shot, it always looks a bit trashy on a Thurs or Friday but I have heard before it's good.

xpost I feel bad for my granny joke now you are all offering such considerate advice.

anyone been here?

http://www.opiumchinatown.com/

can't tell if it'd be tacky or impressive, some of the pics they share on twitter look p amazing but i never read good reviews (or any reviews)

Yeah take your granny to the top of Centre Point, she be wowed and you will definitely be in with a chance at the end of the night.

I hate heights. #granddad

Had a dose of this about 10 years ago and its ghost haunts me still: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinthitis

Oh, was just about to make a 'take Granny up the Shard' joke, but I see heights are a THING...

not a major deal just i tend to avoid them.

69 Colebrooke Row do the best cocktails I've had in London. Usually a great atmosphere in there too, amazing barstaff, man on piano etc.
Blue Bar at the Berkeley Hotel has wonderful drinks and a pretty room but is often either completely empty or full of a fairly obnoxious crowd.
Worship Street Whistling Stop is also amazing, music selection sometimes feels a bit off but really interesting drinks.

Oh yeah, I was taken to 69 Colebrooke Row for my birthday this year, amazing cocktails. You'll need to book ahead though as it's small. Nice and intimate as well if that's what you and granny are into.

The cocktails at 69CR are certainly good but I'm in no hurry to go back there cos it's so wee and you don't half get jammed in.

is experimental cocktail club the same as the one in paris?

i had the happiest times at the star at night mainly as it didn't feel like a "cocktail bar" and you don't feel like murdering everyone there so you can get served.

and indeed, i've learnt personally a couple of weeks back that downstairs of hawksmoor seven dials for cocktails as they don't have a drinks only licence. i think air street is okay though (may want to double check)

had a couple of fun nights at giant robots also but think it was just the company at the time rather than the cocktails being mind-blowing

(and if you are already there you could have just gone to zetter )

it is a p nice vibe in there, ate there once after being in zetter.

i've heard experimental cocktail club is good but i've not verified this info.

went to Zoilo last night (Argentinean, multiple small plates of stuff in the current mode).

It was very good, without being completely otm - B/B+?:

squid ragu on polenta with a sausage that must have been offal was excellent, the pork cheek croquettes were a bit meh, and tasted like inferior rillettes. the empanadas were also v good, but not as good as my mum's cornish pasties, which to a certain extent they were reminiscent of (the person I was with has had an extended stay in Beunos Aires and was of the opinion that they were good but not as good as etc, which I guess is to be expected).

I had the asado (flank) with bone marrow and garlic gravy - the meat was excellently cooked but perhaps a little tasteless, (especially after the steak I had in Keens steakhouse) tho the gravy was superb.

LG's point about the rhythm of service in Zedel is a good one, and it felt off here, but then again we managed to completely misinterpret a 'you can have these seats if you're out by 8:30' as 'you can wait until 8:30 for a table or sit at the bar' (it wasn't very clear), so the urgency of the service may just have been a function of that. I can still pour my own wine tho, thanks, most of the time anyway. (the wine was excellent)

oh, and on the cocktail vibe - the gin, egg-white and cucmber cocktail i started with with superb.

Suggestions please. My wife and I are taking a couple of friends out next Sat as a thank you.
Looking for somewhere in north of Oxford St or up as far as Archway. Somewhere nice but not hella pricey. Also not so loud and buzzy on a Sat night that I'll feel irritated by it. Must be OK for dedicated meat lover and non meat eater. Have some ideas of my own but thought the ILX knowledge base would have some ideas I don't.

Re cocktails. Friend and I had nice cocktails at The Four Sisters in Islington the other night. £8/£9 range, which means it will not be a session destination for me, but nice way to end the evening. Though we did raise the average age of the clientele significantly.

'up as far as Archway': 500, on the Holloway Road, is very good, fancy Italian (not cheap but not bank-breaking).

Ah yes! I saw that in the Good Food Guide the other day and was surprised to see such a location cropping up in that book.

Have booked 500 - thanks for the reminder!