On 28^th April, the inaugural Chowzter World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards will announce the world’s tastiest food items as selected by top food bloggers from over 30 countries. Hosted by actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong and supported by Coca Cola, the event will be held at East London’s Village Underground and is set to be one of the most exciting foodie events of the year.

Taking entries from the Chowzter app, which shares the best fast feasts in over 100 categories from over 100 countries, Chowzter World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards will announce the best of the most popular categories ranging from Pizza and Dumplings to Tacos.

Top food bloggers, nicknamed ‘Chief Chowzters’, from each country will oversee foodie communities in over 100 cities, selecting what they consider to be the seven unmissable dishes in each category, namely pizzas, burgers, curry, fried  or roast chicken, sandwiches, dumpling and tacos.

Winners will be chosen by the Chowzter team, who are travelling the globe tasting and testing the entries, as well as the bloggers themselves who will battle it out to argue the case for their personal favourites via online debate. Top London food blogger Niamh Shields, for example, is representing London and has carefully picked what she recommends as the best dishes in the capital.

The Chowzter World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards are open to the public and tickets are on sale now, priced at £25 per person.

However, we have two pairs of tickets to give away to two randomly chosen people who enter their details below:

The draw will be made on Friday 26th April at 3pm and the winners will be contacted by email.

Good luck and we hope to see you on Sunday!

Name:

Email:

This week, Foodie Friday takes a look at one of the hottest trends this year-the Street Food revolution. No longer does the extent of street food consist of a greasy burger and chips. One can now find a vast array of delicious, healthy and tempting foods sold from all manner of vans, carts and wagons. The craze of street food has blossomed across the country, in particular the capital, so look out for the next van/stall near you and keep a close eye on this ever-growing global food trend.

 

 Chowtzer World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards

 

 

On Sunday 28^th April, the inaugural Chowzter World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards, will announce the world’s tastiest food items as selected by top food bloggers from over 30 countries. Hosted by actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong and supported by Coca Cola, the event will be held at East London’s Village Underground and is set to be one of the most exciting foodie events of the year to which everyone is invited. Chowzter World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards will announce the best of the most popular categories ranging from Pizza and Dumplings to Tacos. Nominations will be revealed next week so follow @Chowzter7 on twitter to find out! Tickets are on sale now, priced at £25 per person.  For ticket sales go to www.chowzter.com/awards

 

 

Shake Shack opening this July in Covent Garden

 

 

Get ready London! Shake Shack is on its way! Born in New York City’s Madison Square Park in 2004, Shake Shack will be opening their first ever UK shack this July, located in the historic Market Building near the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.  Shake Shack is a modern day ‘roadside’ burger stand serving the most delicious all-natural burgers, flat-top dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and more. The menu will showcase all the Shack classics, as well as a selection of location-specific items using fresh, simple ingredients. From its ingredients and employment practices, Shake Shack puts great emphasis on its environmental responsibility, design and community investment and aims to serve high quality food at a great value. A fun and lively community gathering place, Shake Shack has earned a cult-like following around the world and we predict London will be next!

This Monday, Sauce and Shake Shack will be attending Burger Monday to sample some mouth-watering burgers, created by Blueprint cafe’s head chef Mark Jarvis. We will let you know how we got on in next’s weeks edition.

 

 

 Street Feast London

 

 

Tonight marks the first night of Street Feast London, a celebration of all things street food, right in the heart of the Capital.  Each Friday between now and June, the street food market will take over the former Travis Perkins builders Merchant Yard on Kingsland Road and play host to over 200 people celebrating the start of the weekend.

Open from 5pm until midnight, the Merchant Yard in trendy Shoreditch will be packed out and selling food from all corners of the globe from the chicken on offer at Mama’s Jerk Kitchen to the Big Dog at Big Dog Hot Dogs all washed down with an array of cocktails and drinks.

Find out more here: www.streetfeastlondon.com

 

 

The Street Food Revolution- It’s a Dine of the Times

 

When people think of street food, they wouldn’t be wrong if packed out markets and bazaars across Asia, India and South America spring to mind. But thanks to the likes of festival food stalls and a need for cheaper, fresh food on the go, street food is now an ever- growing trend across the UK, with food stalls popping up in almost every city across the country. So, it may be worth forgetting the idea of formal sit-down restaurants in favour of eating with a plastic fork off a napkin, as it seems like it’s a foodie trend here to stay.

If you look outside of London, you can stumble across some real treats. Manchester and Bristol are both cosmopolitan cities and could be great places to start. Guerrilla Eats runs regular street food events across Manchester with a great range of foods on offer from colourful paella to wood- fired pizzas. www.guerrillaeats.co.uk

And for those in the heart of the South West, join the queue at College Green, Bristol every lunch time when a familiar yellow and red umbrella is wheeled onto the green marking the arrival of Meat & bread, Bristol’s best street food. The stand is responsible for keeping the city’s people well -fed with massive sandwiches filled with delicious flavours like their favourite beef Jamaican curry. meatandbread.co.uk

 

And finally…

 

Even Sainsbury’s have got in on the act. 

Sainsbury’s rolls out street food range, 8^th April

The UK retailer is set to launch a range of on-the-go lunch options in a bid to tap into the demand for street food in the country. The chilled range will comprise wraps, salads and flatbreads inspired by food from the around the world, the retailer said today. Products will include Jamaican Jerk Chicken wrap and Pad Thai King Prawn and Chicken Street Salad. Sainsbury’s street food will range between £2.80 and £3.50 and will be in-store from 29 April.

 

 

By Florence Clarke and Lauren Hill

 

Feast on fine food and wine in the glamorous heart of Soho, and support Comic Relief 2013!

MASH Steak House, with its iconic art deco interiors, is hosting an evening of fun and opulence

in aid of Comic Relief 2013

Where: MASH, 77 Brewer Street London W1F 0RH

When: Monday 11^th March

Bookings: Available from 17:30 – 23:00

Tables can be booked for 2 – 24 persons

MASH has created a delicious 3 course menu at £50 per person, which includes signature dishes, such as Danish rib eye and Uruguay New York Strip steak 

£20 of the proceeds will go direct to Comic Relief 

You are invited to bring your own favourite wines, to drink or trade with other guests and in the spirit of the evening MASH is also looking forward to sharing their favourite wines with you (including their own bespoke brand 2011 “No Bull” Syrah)

Follow this link for more information and click here to view the menu in full.

To book a table please contact MASH reservations on:

E-mail: reservations@mashsteak.co.uk

0207 734 2608

Please quote “Menu Relief” at the time of booking

*If you know the wine you will be bringing, and even better, a wine you would like to trade it with;

please let the MASH team know at the time of booking!

MASH London team up with Red Nose for a special foodie fundraiser

On Monday 11^th March, MASH restaurant in Piccadilly, London will host a one off night celebrating wine and food as part of Red Nose Day’s brand new Menu Relief, to which everybody is invited.

To accompany a specially created three course menu, guests will be invited to bring and swap their own favourite bottles of wine on the night for which no corkage fee will be charged.  MASH’s team of ten expert sommeliers led by MASH’s head sommelier Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen will be on hand to guide guests through the array of wines which will on offer to drink throughout the night.

For £50 per person, guests will be able to enjoy a three course menu with £20 of the proceeds going direct to Comic Relief.  The normal price of this menu is £55 and will feature dishes such as the restaurant’s signature 250g Danish rib eye and Uruguay New York Strip steak together with fries and sauces to share followed by MASH’s classic cheesecake with strawberry sorbet.

MASH, which is noted for its rare and developed wine collection particularly from the Americas, will be showcasing their own wine including their bespoke 2011 “No Bull” Syrah blend over the course of the night.  The wine will be sold as individual and magnum sized bottles at a special price of £33 and £70. A donation of £10 for all single bottles sold and a donation of £20 for each magnum will be made to Comic Relief.  MASH will be offering glasses of their two favourite wines over the course of the night for guests to sample.

Menu Relief from now until the end of March. By dining out and donating to Comic Relief there’s an opportunity to help

people living in unimaginably tough lives across the UK and Africa.  To find your nearest Menu Relief restaurant go to www.rednoseday.com/menurelief

 To book a table please contact: MASH on 0207 734 2608 and quote “Menu Relief” or E-mail: reservations@mashsteak.co.uk

 

Notes to Editors:

• A three course vegetarian menu will also be available priced at £40.00 plus a 12.5% service charge of which £10 will be donated to Comic Relief
• MASH stands for Modern American Steak House and combines the informal Danish approach to eating and drinking with the sophisticated modern American steakhouse in elegant and comfortable surroundings
• MASH London is based at 77 Brewer Street, London W1F 9ZN
• For more information about Red Nose Day  please visit: wwwwrednoseday.com

 About Red Nose Day:

• Red Nose Day 2013 is heading your way on Friday 15th March when the great British public will once again be asked to Do Something Funny for Money
• Raising cash this Red Nose Day can help to change lives forever. That’s because Comic Relief spends the money raised to help change the lives of poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the UK and Africa
• Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985, live on BBC One.  At that time, a devastating famine was crippling Ethiopia and something had to be done.  That something was Comic Relief.  The idea was simple – Comic Relief would make the public laugh while they raised money to help people in desperate need.  Before too long, Red Nose Day was created and the first ever event in 1988 raised a staggering £15m
• This year, 2013, marks the 25th anniversary of Red Nose Day which has raised over £600m and helped to change lives both in the UK and Africa
• Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)

 Please drink responsibly.  UK Chief medical Officers recommend that men do not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily and women 2-3 units daily.  Avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive.  www.drinkaware.co.uk

To book a table please contact MASH reservations on:

E-mail: reservations@mashsteak.co.uk

0207 734 2608

Please quote “Menu Relief” at the time of booking

For more information about MASH please contact:

Jess@Saucecommunications / 020 8600 3600

This week’s Foodie Friday is getting loved-up in time for Valentine’s Day, so we’ve had a look at how you can celebrate Valentine’s Day with perfectly romantic, foodie treats…

Whether you’re loved-up, flying and always smiling, or single, think all that’s naff and just up for a laugh, you’ll know that Valentine’s Day is around the corner. The whole city is brimming with teddies hugging hearts, red banners declaring their love to passers-by, heart-shaped balloons swaying contentedly in the crisp, February wind, and the sound of a satisfied sigh somewhere down the tube.

For some fine dining around our romantic capital, we bring you some special Valentine’s Day meals hot off the Sauce HQ press, exclusively for your heart-shaped eyes only…

1 Lombard Street

Iconic City restaurants 1776 and 1 Lombard Street are teaming up with the luxurious lingerie brand, Agent Provocateur, to create a truly seductive treat for their loved-up diners. All ladies dining at the restaurants on the 14^th February will be given a naughty-but-nice goody bag worth £55. The truly indulgent Dégustation menu at 1776 offers lovebirds decadent dishes including black truffle risotto and caramelised black cod. The menu is priced at £90 per person or £140 each with matching wines. The three course menu at 1 Lombard Street is priced at £48 per person and features the wonderfully romantic pink champagne risotto, and the fantastically indulgent fillet mignon with foie gras.  

 

 Launceston Place

Valentine’s Day is all about spoiling your loved ones, and Michelin-starred Launceston Place has devised the ultimate treat for romantic foodies this February 14^th. Head chef Tim Allen will create a bespoke menu for each couple, based entirely around your lover’s favourite foods. Whether your other half has a flaming desire for three chocolate courses, or a menu that is an unadulterated celebration of cheese, anything goes. To make the evening extra special, diners will also be presented with a special bouquet of beautiful Valentine’s Day flowers. To top it all off, you get to eat your uniquely tailored meal in the chef’s private office, where you can watch the kitchen action through a live television link. Reality TV just got interesting…

 

Sauterelle

A diamond is forever, right? To truly wow your loved one, treat her to Sauterelle’s six-course Valentine’s Day menu. The mouth-watering choices include scallops served with caviar d’Aquitaine, buttermilk panna cotta with Lincolnshire rhubarb and Champagne granite.
Not enough? Well, to truly make it a night to remember you will receive a one-carat Ashoka-cut diamond ring with 62 facets, surrounded by a further 0.55 carats of round, brilliant-cut diamonds on a platinum band.

We bet she will never forget this Valentine’s day!

 

Take a peek inside the Evening Standard which lists Launceston Place and Sauterelle as their “Most Exclusive Table” and “Most Expensive Dinner” respectively, in their Ideas for a Valentine’s Day Blowout.

 

Inamo

 Groundbreaking pan-Asian restaurants Inamo and Inamo St James are making technology romantic this Valentine’s Day. Happy couples will have the chance to customise their interactive tables with images of their choice, creating a unique ambience for each couple. The specially created four-course menu is a romantic foodie heaven, including brand new dishes such as heart-shaped salmon and avocado maki rolls, and Szechuan carpaccio of beef. The menu is priced at £35 per person, and is available until 16^th February: the perfect excuse to extend the delicious combination of food, fun and romance!

 

 

Union Jacks

Over at Union Jacks, celebrate Valentine’s Day the good, old British way with the Great British Valentine’s Day menu. Enjoy winter-warming iron bark pumpkin soup, and succulent Scottish hake fillets in the relaxed, retro atmosphere of this fantastic Chiswick joint. The meal is priced at a tantalising £30 per person.

  

Valentine’s Day Great British Menu

Thursday 14^th February  2013

 

On arrival

A Cornish Champagne cocktail for the Jills or UJ’s Hedgerow Sling for the Jacks

 To start choose between either

 West Mersea Oysters served 3 –ways

Adnams  Bloody Mary Sauce – old school shallot & red wine vinegar –crispy bacon & a dash of Lea & Perrins

~

Roasted Iron Bark pumpkin soup

and marjoram oil..

 

Then for your Main Course

 

Slow Braised Hereford Ox cheeks

with creamy “herby”  mash and loads of rich red wine and port gravy

~

Scottish Hake fillet

served with lemon butter sauce, toasted hazelnuts and heritage Jersey potatoes

 

And for pudding

 

Homemade spiced plum sorbet with twice baked fennel and hazelnut biscuit

Washed down with a  mini British Plum Daiquiri

~

Food fight British cheese plate (£3 supplement)

with a glass of Berry Bros & Rudd St James’s finest reserve port

 

Then finally, your choice of tea or coffee.

 

£30 per person

 

FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL THE RESTAURANT ON 0203 6179988 OR DROP IN & RESERVE YOUR PLACE IN PERSON.

MANY THANKS FROM ALL OF US HERE AT UJS.

217-221 CHISWICK HIGH RD , CHISWICK , W4 2DW 

 

 

 

 

With all these exciting dining experiences going on, we took a look at some food that has been getting the Valentine’s touch too, such as this enamoured egg from www.thefrisky.com…

So whilst we cut curves into our sandwiches, and swirl hearts in our coffees, we thought we’d take a look at how Valentine’s Day has inspired food around the world…

 

Time, Japanese Cafe Offers Chocolate Face Truffles as Valentine Gifts, Yue Wang

In Japan, Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate, and the tradition holds that women should present their male friends or partners with chocolate. Time reveals that Fab Cafe in Tokyo took this one step further this year when they offered to make bespoke chocolate moulds… of your loved one’s heads.

 

From Argentina With Love, Heart-shaped Alfajores for Valentine’s Day, Rebecca Caro

Entering the world of spice and Latino love, in Argentina, we found some Valentine’s inspired Alfajores, a sweet, honey and almond cake, which is a lovely, easy-to-make gift to delight anyone’s taste buds.

 

Time Out, Derrière

And lastly, getting classy and chic in the City of Love, Paris, we found this quirky restaurant that lets diners get a little more intimate over their dining… by eating in the restaurant bedroom.

We hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

 

 

Lidia Szmid, Charlie Mundy and Elena Toselli

 

With ten days to go before Christmas, this week’s Foodie Friday kicks off with a corker story about Champagne prices ranging from a fizzy £10 to an explosive £121,060.50, read on to find out more as well as other interesting food stories

The Evening Standard: The London Cocktail Line, Richard Godwin

 

 

With the festive season in full swing the Evening Standard have created a Tube map Inspired by the recent restaurant map produced by the food blogger Cheese’n’Biscuits (cheese’n'biscuits), to find the most characteristic bars of the capital, from the Sloaney hangouts of the west to the opulent hotels of the centre and the scuzzy speakeasies of the East. Each tube line has been appropriately been renamed to match the boozy theme.;

- Liquorloo Line
- Mentral Line
- Mortal Line
- Pissedrict Line
- Hammered, Sloshed & Squiffy Line
- Cosmopolitan Line
- Naughty Line
- Pickledsilly Line
- Wreckedoria Line

 

The Guardian: The Pielympics, officially the games of the XXX OlymPIEad, or more commonly known the World Pie Eating Championship, Martin Wainwright

Desperate Dan from the comic The Dandy Photography; DC Thompson

This week saw the return of the World Pie Eating Championships hosted at Harry’s Bar in Wigan. Competitors are challenged to eat a very pleasant smelling range of 12cm by 3.5cm pies with a maximum side angle of 15 degrees and at least 66 percent meat content excluding pastry in the shortest amount of time.

The world record is held by Civil Servant Neil Collier, who two year ago did the business is an impressive 29.19 seconds! However like any other great sporting event controversy surrounds this remarkable effort which resulted in “sweepers” having to be employed to check the floors for any sneakily discarded material. There was also a photo-check of the initial heats when Collier was accused of starting to grab his pie before the pie master’s yellow starting stick had fallen.

Some participants are taking inspiration from London’s Olympic Games and have created the “Pie-bot” where they act out holding an invisible pie in two hands in front of their mouths, a craze they’re hoping could sweep the nation like the “Mo-bot”.

 

The Times: Player wins big on the tables but looses on the bubbles, The Times

 

We all like to splash out around Christmas time but Dexter Koh, who owns a public relations company in Shoreditch went a little over board. After a big win on the poker tables Koh decided to spend his wining at Aura Mayfair and racked up a staggering bill of £121,060.50.

 

The Evening Standard: No food poisoning cases recorded but Westminster council presses on with rare burger crackdown, Jonathan Prynn

 

Restaurants offering rare or medium-rare burgers face a grilling after Westminster council decided to crack down on the dishes for safety reasons.  Restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill and Soho house run by Nick Jones might be affected. Westminster safety chiefs were then accused of a “massive overreaction” after admitting there has been no recorded case of food poisoning from eating rare burgers in the West End. The disclosure provoked disbelief in London’s restaurant scene where rare and medium rare burgers have been taken off menus after council inspectors ordered a St James’s wine bar to change the way they cooked them.

And finally…

The Evening Standard: Hard times can’t dampen our appetite for champagne, Andrew Neather

 

Five Christmas party seasons into this recession and our national appetite for champagne remains astonishing. Last year we shipped 34.5 million bottles of the stuff, down only about 11 per cent on the last year of the boom, 2007. It seems the supermarkets are helping us to enjoy the bubbly stuff this Christmas as they engage in price wars. This Christmas you can pick up a bottle of Champagne from leading supermarkets for under £10 however don’t except to find the likes of Veuve Clicquot at this price.

 

Hazel Henbury and Alexandra Wardall

It was the week that saw new twists and extremes in food sustainability and sourcing, and the price for Christmas food reached new dizzying heights.

The Guardian: Squatters are not home stealers, Steve Rose

 

A more positive side to squatting has been seen, after a couple in their twenties moved into an abandoned plant nursery near Heathrow airport and created a small community to grow and sell organic vegetables. They rely on wind turbines and solar panels for energy, and therefore have virtually no carbon footprint. Joe Blake and Reuben Taylor have named the scheme ‘Grow Heathrow’ and also put on workshops for the local community.

 

Daily Mail: Here comes the Christmas veg – and it could get ugly, Paul Sims

 

Supermarkets are to relax standards and sell ‘ugly’ vegetables for the first time after bad weather and flooding left many crops small and misshapen. Stores, including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, are making the change in order to support struggling farmers. It’s a great development in food sustainability and waste issues, as previously farmers have been throwing away up to one fifth of their produce because it didn’t meet supermarket guidelines.

 

 ‘i’: The Only Masterchef in the Village, Samuel Muston

 

 

Swedish chef Daniel Berlin has taken food provenance to new heights, by only using produce that comes from Skane, his childhood hamlet in rural Sweden. The Swedish chef creates an exquisite 12-course tasting menu, and finishes by personally driving people back to their hotel. Berlin, who previously won the San Pellegrino Cooking Cup and is the rumoured heir to Rene Redzepi’s legacy, produces dishes such as steak tartare with smoked beetroot and marrow, and iced goat cream with blackberries and jam.

 

The Daily Mail: The Early Bird Catches the First….Bird, Sean Poulter

 

M&S has announced that for the first time in its history it will be opening storesat 12am on Christmas Eve morning in a bid to lure last minute shoppers. The chain will open over 160 stores across the UK at this early time joining a number of supermarkets who will have been trading around the clock in the build up to Christmas. The decision came after Chancellor George Osborne refused to allow large shops to extend Sunday opening hours on the 23^rd of December, typically the busiest day of the year for food shopping.

 

World’s most expensive Christmas dinner costs £125,000…but would you eat beef heart wrapped in gold, and cat poo coffee? Martha De Lacy

 

 

Turkey, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and a handful of tangerines are on most people’s shopping lists this Christmas. But then chef Ben Spalding of Roganic isn’t most people. On his list this year you’ll find dry ice, caviar, truffles, Wagyu beef heart, gold leaf, a £37,000 bottle of Champagne that pre-dates World War One (served, naturally, in diamond-studded champagne flutes), a limited edition Japanese watermelon costing £2,600 and beans of coffee berries excreted by the Asian Palm Civet cat. Spalding has set himself the task of creating the world’s most expensive Christmas dinner, available for just one group of four for an eye-watering total of £125,000.

 

And finally…

 

The World’s Most Expensive Mince Pie, Alistair Foster

 

Do Mr Kipling’s mince pies no longer quite cut the mustard? Well, The Salt Yard’s Executive Chef Ben Tish has created the country’s most expensive and most luxurious mince pie for charity- coming in at £3, 500. Decadent it may be, but Ben’s ingredients were carefully chosen to make the perfect tasting festive treat. Foie gras replaces the traditional beef suet for richness, whilst rare manuka honey, brandy-soaked goji berries and sherry-soaked mixed fruit add moisture and the necessary boozy touch. White truffle and white truffle essence balance the sweetness. The necessary accompaniment is a dollop of brandy butter, and a rare XIII cognac, that costs £800 a shot no less. For that final festive touch, Ben decorated the finished pie with gold leaf. The mince pie will be part of the mince pie raffle at Taste of Christmas, which opens today at Excel London.

 

Hazel Henbury and Alexandra Wardall

Supper last week was a piscatorial delight.  It had started to rain and the dark, wet streets around Oxford Circus were stuffed with scurrying bodies all with heads down, marching forwards to get under cover. So it was with a huge sigh of relief that I escaped the throng and stepped inside the tiny white clap board clad shack that is Bonnie Gull

Born from a pop-up seafood shack in Hackney last year and with the successes of further projects (The Bonnie & Wild and the Bonnie-on-Sky) under their belts the folks there have decided to take things up a step and open up a full-time permanent restaurant on Foley Street, just off Great Titchfield Street.

The menu is simple and sweet. Two large suitcases brimming with glistening crustacea sit behind the bar, reminiscent of chests of Pirates treasure. We duly sampled the oysters, Isle of Lewis mussels with Aspell cider, creme fraiche and bacon (so good I was drinking the glorious liquor from the enamel pot after all the mussels had gone), Beer battered North Sea haddock chips, mushy peas and onion rings and special mention should be made of the Bonnie Mary – locally infused vodka, roasted clamato juice and served with an oyster. Super cute and very delicious – much like the restaurant itself!

By Laura Tovell

www.bonniegull.com

21A Foley Street
London
W1W 6DS
Book a Table: reservations@bonniegull.com

 

London’s love of the ultimate fast food brings Scandinavian legend to town

It really does amaze me, as I write my first blog post in my new position at Sauce Communications, that the people in London are still absolutely mad about burgers!  And I use the term ‘absolutely mad’ in the best possible taste, as it probably was never considered a trend that would set the London food scene alight.

We’ve had burger vans turned restaurants, major chains rising from modest beginnings in a very short time, and even world renowned Michelin starred chefs making room on their menu for minced meat in a bun.  Next on the list for London burger fans is the legendary Tomas Tómasson, who boasts an impressive career as restaurateur, burger eater and globe trotter with his Burger Joint in Marylebone.  While only being open for a few days, the social media buzz for Tommi and his take on the burger has already turned a few heads!

Walking into Tommi’s joint transported me back into my childhood tree hut (the one that I always imagined), with hand written signs coloured in with “felt tips” and James Bond posters on the walls as an ode to the person ‘I wanted to be when I grow up.’

Before ordering, eyes are drawn to the huge framed picture of a grey-bearded man, which turns out to be the man himself, Tommi.  With facial hair that thick I’m sure a few drops of tomato ketchup or mustard have found themselves lodged once or twice over the past few years.  Ordering from the menu is easy, and what I really find pleasing is that this place isn’t trying to be a burger joint disguised as a restaurant, it’s proud to be a burger joint! A burger joint that doesn’t need to disguise itself as anything else.

So to the main event: the burger.  I went for the standard cheese burger with chips, and when it arrived, wrapped in paper with a side of chips, together as one in its 50s diner-style wooden basket, it certainly didn’t disappoint:  easily unwrapped, perfectly sized for even the most modest of hand spans and the full force of the flavour you would expect from a gas-grilled beef burger, with well-matched burger accompaniments of lettuce, onions, tomato and a special house cocktail sauce.

What really is apparent when tucking into one of Tommi’s Burgers is the dedication to select great quality meat, which is tender, juicy and full of flavour; everything you would want form a top-quality burger.  At under £10 for a burger, fries and a drink, I reckon this will prove to be a popular place for the London burger craze to continue.  One thing’s for sure, I will be back very soon to try the steak burger with cheese and béarnaise sauce, and hopefully fit in a board game or two while I am at it.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TommisBurgerJoint

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BurgerJointUk

By Ryan Bartley

 

This is a quick round up of some of the mind bogglingly brilliant places my two sisters and I ate and drank at in New York earlier this month…

PDT

PDT is the hot-dog joint for grown-ups.  Accessed through a vintage phone booth within Crif Dogs, a fast food joint known for its deep-fried frankfurters, PDT (aka Please Don’t Tell) is a lot of fun.  Don’t be thwarted by the obstacles to getting inside: the tiny space, rules of beahviour, the fact the earliest you can make a reservation is 3pm on the same day, not to mention then actually finding the booth hidden inside a hot dog joint, just think of it as a grown up’s equivalent of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and you magically appear the other side and into the perfect little speakeasy.  It just works.  The staff were lovely and the cocktails were smashing.  Mixologist Jim Meehan (formerly of Gramercy Tavern and Pegu Club) clearly knows his stuff and likes to whip up unusual seasonal concoctions such as an Old Fashioned made from bacon infused bourbon and maple syrup. It’s a fun spot just make sure you leave time to eat at Momofuku Ssam Bar nearby afterwards…

PDT113 St.

Mark’s Pl. , New York, NY 10009
nr. First Ave.

The Breslin Bar and Dining Room

We enjoyed a stonkingly good dinner at April Bloomfield’s latest gastro-grub outlet, The Breslin, an English style pub from the forces behind popular West Village gastropub The Spotted Pig and housed within The Ace Hotel which opened late last year on West 29^th  St.  The staff wear t shirts and tattoos, the booths are dark and leathery, the tables covered in butcher paper.  There’s plenty to drink (a seven page wine list) but it’s the meat which meat is the main event here.   The protein heavy menu includes heart stoppingly unctuous terrines, crispy sweetbreads, ham, pig’s foot and steak.  We snacked on curly salty fried pork scratching served in little paper bags, then a Scotch Egg, followed by a small but perfectly formed intensely flavoured beef and stilton pie and the hit char-grilled lamb burger served with tangy feta and sweet potato triple fried chips and a pot of cumin spiked mayonnaise ($17). We failed to make room for puddings and judging by a quick snoop at some of our neighbouring tables this was an error.  Next time…

The Breslin Bar and Dining Room
Ace Hotel
20 W. 29th St.
New York, NY 10001

Momofuku’s Ssam Bar

For our last night in New York we opted for David Chang’s insanely popular Momofuku ssäm bar (“lucky peach” in Japanese), I was practically drooling with excitement having heard nothing but great things from the likes of Rene Redzepi and Heston Blumenthal (it’s #37 on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best list if you’re counting). The bar is casual and the food inventive: here Chang fuses Korean, Southern and Soul cooking with extraordinary results, his flavours really pack a punch.  You can’t book but we were lucky enough to nab a table by the kitchen, the room was throbbing with hungry chattering New Yorkers. The constantly changing menus display a familiar fondness for pork (“We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items,” says the menu at Momofuku Ssäm Bar) the menus revolve around country hams, raw bar items and “off cuts”. From Monday – Friday the ssäm bar serves an all-rotisserie duck menu for lunch.  Small dishes average about $10 and bigger dishes $12-26. The bar next door, Booker and Dax is open late but let’s face it, it’s all about the food. We had:

We had:

naked cowgirl oysters – ham powder, lime, satsuma
spanish mackerel – black garlic, strawberry, lime
steamed buns – pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions
bbq bun – crispy pork belly, coleslaw, smoked mayo
chili soft shell crab – avocado, tomatillo, mole
poached chicken – sticky rice, maitake mushrooms, spring onion
spicy pork sausage & rice cakes – chinese broccoli, sichuan peppercorn
tri-star stawberry sorbet – celery root, ritz crunch

Reservations are only accepted for the bo ssäm pork shoulder (serves 6-10 people) and the whole-rotisserie duck (serves 3-6 people)

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 second ave @ 13th street
New york city
http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/ssam-bar/

By Laura Tovell

One could be forgiven for not noticing La Bodega Negra at the end of Old Compton Street. Disguised as a sex shop from the outside, I am sure it has resulted in quite a bit of confusion for unassuming diners. Dimly lit with edgy decor, the cushioned bonkets made for a welcome and comfortable change from Soho’s recent influx of new on-trend restaurants. The underground restaurant is deceptively large with seating areas hidden around corners and in nooks and crannies so the likes of Keira and Kylie can enjoy their tacos away from prying eyes.

We decided to kick off with some refreshing mojitos and guacamole with sesame tostadas before moving onto a selection of starters and mains to share. The crab tostadita was a delicious mound of meaty crab with mango and lime, contrasting the crunchy tortilla and making for a satisfying starter when paired with chorizo tacos which packed a serious punch with plenty of chorizo, squash and sweetcorn. The white bean and chorizo side was moorish but a tad runny. However, it complimented our seafood and rice main which had plenty clams, mussels and prawns; a Mexican paella if you will. I imagine the white bean side would have mixed in nicely with the green rice to make a substantial and tasty main. Our potatoes with mole negro sauce came as an un-ordered extra but turned out to be the star of the show with a rich chilli, chocolatey sauce and crispy potato wedges to dunk. With churros off the menu, we decided to bypass pudding and go for another classic mojito to cleanse the palate and round off our Latin American feast.

With the buzzing atmosphere and friendly knowledgeable service at La Bodega Negra, this new underground restaurant is sure to be a hit with the Soho crowd.

www.labodeganegra.com

Laura Urquhart
Food and Restaurant PR

 

After a rather entertaining Friday night in Clapham a month ago, a friend and I felt the need for a hearty pub lunch.  We chose to walk the taxing 200-metre journey from where we were staying to The Railway Tavern (18 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UR).

There are tables outside, perfect for people-watching when the sun is out but on this stereotypically rainy, British day we opted for the warmer option.  Inside has a very quirky, art deco look, which I love.  There is a vintage feel about the furniture with many mismatched retro/antique-looking tables and chairs both downstairs and upstairs.  From my first experience here I have decided that it is, in my mind, the ultimate place to eat out for a relaxed weekend brunch.  They serve great gastro pub grub at extremely good prices and as an added bonus they have board games aplenty – perfect for an afternoon of recreating childhood memories with your friends.  To eat, I had a delicious meal of Gloucester Old Spot sausages,  mash made of cabbage and potato mixed together and a  red wine gravy.  WOW!  I can honestly say that it was definitely the tastiest sausage & mash that I have ever had.  I have to get my hands on some of those Old Spots!

I returned to The Railway this weekend (Sunday 6^th May) but unfortunately my favourite S&M dish was nowhere to be seen on the menu. I have since discovered that this was because we were looking just at the Sunday Menu, so I need to return on another day of the week to enjoy my new foodie obsession of Gloucester Old Spot sausages.  On this second visit, to replenish my body after a big 1940s themed night at the Blitz Party in Shoreditch, I chose their gourmet burger.  It was giant;  one of those that needed a thick wooden cocktail stick to keep it all together.  Crispy streaky bacon, lettuce, mayo, a slice of chunky beef , oozing cheddar cheese and a crispy white bap made up this gem of a burger.  It went down a treat and was only £9.75!

This time we made the most of the board games on offer and so our food was accompanied by an epic game of Cranium.  One table next to us braved The Game of Life with a bit of Scrabble on the side; they were either Railway Tavern veterans or maybe just a tad over ambitious.  Nevertheless, it seems that good pub food with board games on the side is a popular combination.

So, if you are looking for somewhere to go for brunch the morning after an eventful night out then The Railway Tavern near Clapham North station is the place to go. I have two visits under my belt and have loved them both but my relationship with this place, and in particular the Gloucester Old Spot sausages, has only just begun…

www.therailwayclapham.co.uk

By Lizzie Scanlan
Restaurant PR

What an evening!  As a Fortnum’s first-timer, aware of its astounding reputation, I was expecting big things at the launch of the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon on Thursday 26^th April; and Fortnum’s did not disappoint.  The elegance of the David Collins Studio interior design combined with the classic Fortnum & Mason pale blue was a beautiful sight.  Guests were flocking in even before the event’s official start time – obviously eager to sample some of Fortnum’s delicious Battenberg cake, macaroons and chocolate Sacher cake accompanied with a gorgeous, old fashioned glass of champagne.  The exquisite playing of the pianist enhanced the atmosphere with classical favourites from Einaudi, Hans Zimmer and even Coldplay – there was something for everyone.

Whilst on a wander around the room I noticed a table of guests being educated and entertained by one of the Fortnum’s tearistas who had a tray of various flavoured tea leaves with him and was expertly pouring tea for the entranced onlookers to sample.  I myself was mesmerised and stopped my room-amble to watch the spectacle.  When he had satisfied the table with his tea knowledge and brewing skills, he received a well deserved round of applause, in which I was quick to join.

The evening seemed to whizz by and even when it was almost 8 o’clock the guests didn’t seem to want to leave.  Would Fortnum’s offer an all night lock-in I wondered?!  People did start to leave fairly soon after this thought entered my mind though and when they were leaving they couldn’t stop praising the event.  When I asked one man what he thought of the evening he commented that he hadn’t had a nice evening, he had had a fantastic one!  All 350 guests received a gorgeous Fortnum’s goodie bag on their way out with some jam and loose tea included and, as you would imagine, these went down a treat.

As my first Fortnum and Mason’s experience it was everything I hoped it would be and more.  I can’t wait to take some of my visiting Australian friends in order to showcase a store that, since the early 18^th century, has been one of a few London-based department stores to epitomise British culture.

By Lizzie Scanlan

Restaurant PR

 

This bread is ridiculously easy to make and comes from the lovely people at my favourite bakery and chocolate shop: Cocomaya. It requires no more effort than simply mixing together copious amounts of uber healthy seeds, some wholemeal flour, buttermilk, honey and whacking in the oven. You can then have it simply toasted and buttered or jazzed up with some sumac cream cheese and smoked salmon…

For the loaf: Makes one 18cm seeded loaf

55g whole meal flour

55g white bread flour

5g baking powder

5g salt

35g oat flakes

20g sesame seeds

20g poppy seeds

20g sunflower seeds

20g linseeds

170g buttermilk

15g sunflower oil

50g golden syrup

 

Handful of extra seeds for the top

 

To finish:

75g smoked salmon

6 slices seeded loaf

Sumac cream cheese

 

For the sumac cream cheese:

200g cream cheese

3tbsp double cream

1tsp ground sumac powder

1/2tsp mint chopped

2tsp red onion finely diced

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4tsp salt

For the seeded loaf:

Pre heat the oven to 180 C, 160 C for a fan assisted oven, gas mark 4.  Spray and line the long sides and the bottom of an 18cm loaf tin with silicone baking paper.   In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder, salt, oat flakes and all the seeds In a different owl mix together all the wet ingredients.  Make a well in the centre if the flour and pour in the wet ingredients, mixing quickly with a large fork to form a soft dough.   Pour the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle with some seeds.   Bake for 60minutes in the pre-heated oven until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the loaf.   Remove from the oven and let cool for a while before unmoulding.  Leave to cool completely before slicing

For the sumac cream cheese: In a mixing bowl soften the cream cheese with the double cream to a more spreadable consistency.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Check for seasoning, you might need some more salt and lemon juice

To Finish: Lay the slices of seeded bread on your chopping board and spread a layer of sumac cheese on each slice.  Divide the smoked salmon between three slices and cover with the remaining slices of bread. Then eat heartily….

Laura Tovell

Food and Restaurant PR

Just before Easter, some of us were lucky enough to have a caipirinha masterclass from Rio born Brasil enthusiast David Ponté from CABANA.  Deadly but delicious, David proved that an authentic Brasilian caipirinha can be made in under three minutes.

Ingredients:
1 lime
2 tsp granulated sugar
A handful of ice cubes
Cachaça Rum (conveniently sold at Waitrose)

 

1. Cut one lime into quarters and put in a tumbler with 2 tsps granulated sugar. Using a small rolling pin (or similar utensil) squeeze as much juice out of the lime as possible.  
2. Bash a few ice cubes into medium sized pieces, not too small, and add.
3. Top up to the brim with cachaça, stir, and enjoy

 

Tip: David says the secret to a good caipirinha is in the ice, try not to crush into too smaller pieces or it will melt too quickly. Drink without a straw.
www.cabana-brasil.com

By Laura Urquhart

I recently visited Trullo (300 – 302 St Paul’s Road, London N1 2LH) which is located just by Highbury and Islington station. It opened last year and serves Italian food. The head chef is Tim Siadatan who trained at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen.

I went on a Saturday lunch time and the restaurant had a really nice buzz, it wasn’t too packed. The clientele was quite young – 30 somethings and it seemed to be a local crowd. The room was very pleasant – wooden floors and navy blue furniture and walls. It was a nice sunny day so even though it’s quite a small restaurant, it felt airy and spacious. They have a mezzanine which is where we sat, but they also have nice tables along the front window – good for people watching. The waitresses were quite young and trendy, and were really nice and helpful. Our waitress talked us through the dishes and seemed to have a really good knowledge of the menu.

I ordered butternut squash fritters which were delicious, but maybe a little too oily after you’ve eaten a few. My guest had spaghetti with a lemon and pepper sauce which was really good. For main, we both had roast lamb which came with sautéed aubergine and was delicious! The lamb was cooked really nicely. We were super greedy and ordered three desserts to share as we both wanted to try their salted caramel ice cream which was amazing! We also had caramel pannacotta and chocolate and quince tart – both were fantastic and the dessert was definitely my favourite course. Price wise it’s quite reasonable for a smart restaurant – starters are around £7, mains £16 and desserts only £5. Definitely worth a visit!

By Syamala Upham

 

 

On a little island of quietness situated between the Friday night hub of Regent Street and Golden Square sits So Japanese. Its fringe Soho location marries well with the understated feeling of quality and calm as you walk in, greeted by several smiling faces waiting to serve you.

There is seating for 35-40 in addition to the sushi bar on the ground floor and further tables downstairs. We were offered some crunchy pickled cucumber to assist with our pondering of the drinks menu, I chose a slightly underpowered Lychee Martini whilst my guest ended up with a gin, melon and lemonade concoction which looked as though it had been syphened straight from a tube in Wonkas factory but was not offensive.

Edamame beans were presented with plenty of salt and the fried tofu was delicious. The aubergine was good enough for us to order a second plate as soon as my guest misunderstood my request to share the last fifth of our original order. According to my guest the tuna Tataki was sensational. Five little melt in the mouth squares of tuna seared around the edge, beautifully soft and flavoursome.

Giles Coren has been known to eat at the bar for lunch on more than one occasion and it is easy to see why. The sushi was well put together and beautifully plump and fresh.

So Japanese is worthy of more than a fleeting lunchtime visit. The staff move at less than a quick pace but at the same time the food is delivered well before you’d begin to wonder at what stage the preparations may be. Fairly priced, a fantastic little find and seemingly much more staying power than the various frantic alternatives in the south westerly corner of Soho.

By Natalie Dunbar

Jose, the first of Jose Pizarro’s two Bermondsey restaurants, opened in May 2011 and is yet another small, no bookings place (groan). Since that is where so much of the exciting, best value food is to be had at the mo, I sighed and sucked it up. Or rather, I found a sneaky way to get round it, by going at midday on a Sunday – we were the first ones in the door. 40 minutes later it was full with a queue…

The venue itself is perfectly pitched to the after work, often creative crowd  in the area: pretty pared down, only bar/counter/stool-based seating with some barrels serving as occasional tables. The lack of comfy seating doesn’t encourage lingering, which I suppose is fair enough given that it’s tapas,  but given the quality of the cooking itself, some might prefer a cosier atmosphere in which to enjoy it. Having said that, service was very attentive, meaning that dishes were served in succession and potential plate pile-ups were avoided.

Now for the food. Moreish, indulgent plates ranged from elegant to in your face (in the best way possible). Braised lamb shoulder with white beans was gutsy and warming on a freezing day, ham and blue cheese croquetas melty and salty and well-balanced, charred squid with chilli, aioli and capers a punchy standout dish I would go back for again and again. Tortilla was squidgy perfection and an unusual chocolate tart finished with salt and olive oil rounded things off nicely.

Dishes are very well priced, and entry level wines and sherries by the glass equally affordable. Our bill came to about 70 for two, but that included a greedy seven or eight dishes and several sherries, you wouldn’t need to spend anything like that to eat and drink well.  As for the ultimate test of whether I would spend my own money there? For sure. Another raging success story for Jose… but then you knew that, didn’t you?

by Jenny Goss