Soif

soif

It is not often that I head SOTR -(South of the River) to Clapham/Battersea, however, I had been promised ‘one of the best lunches in London.’ How could I refuse?

Soif, is  somewhere that had not been on my radar, on arrival I realised it is from the same owners as the critically acclaimed restaurants; Terroirs, Brawn and Green Man & French Horn.  From a quick glance at the menu I  learnt that Soif was french and fine French at that. A simple menu that included all the French classics; moules frites, bavette accompanied with chips and cafe de Paris butter as well as  grilled fish like only the French know how. I was strongly advised to go for the lunchtime chef’s special deal, the special changes daily and  comes with a glass of wine of your choice and is followed by a coffee for the very reasonable price of £10. The special for us was fried sardines with tomatoes on grilled sourdough. A dish that had the potential to be very standard – nice but just nice! Not, however in the case of Soif. This very simple dish of effectively bread, fish and tomatoes simply blew me away. The sardines were meaty and delicious, covered in perfectly ripe, juicy tomatoes and topped with the most delicious, flavoursome dressing. Which I am guessing was  made with the most simple of ingredients; olive oil, lemon and garlic. This dish proves that simple really can be best, especially when the raw ingredients are of high quality and uber fresh! The prefect addition to this dish was a glass of light white wine. Apres, I substituted the coffee for a fresh mint tea.

Honestly a truly perfect light lunch for a crazy light price, but still premium quality french food. I really wasn’t expecting to find such a gem, it just shows, venturing slightly further than you usually would can pay off. If  Soif is on your doorstep you are too lucky! Perfect for a working lunch or laid back catch up with friends. J’adore.

Shoryu

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A very good Japanese friend emailed to say we must do lunch at Shoryu. This is a lady who takes her Japanese food, in fact all food very seriously. So I knew I would be in for a treat. We went to Shoryu Ramen on Regent Street, they have other branches in Soho, Air Street and Kingly Court, all aimed at a slightly different audience. The Regent Street restaurant is a perfect lunchtime pit stop, whether in-between meetings, indulging in some retail therapy or sightseeing.

Ramen is a super craze in London right now, with an abundance of new places popping up weekly and almost  solely serving this noodle broth. My friend is happily shocked at the ramen rampage, five years ago there was no ramen restaurants in London, now she can barely keep up. Shoryu is owned by the Japan Centre, these guys take ramen seriously and want to do justice to their native country.

At Shoryu it was straight to the main event, the menu consists of 2 columns of tonkotsu ramen noodles. Tonkotsu is a specific type of ramen, from the Southern Island of Kyushu, Japan. it is made with a thick, rich, white pork soup and thin, straight ramen noodles. With about 20 different variations, I needed some help.  I was advised the first half of the broths on the menu were very traditional, rich and meaty. The following half were lighter and more soy based. With it being a weekday lunchtime and a packed afternoon ahead I went for the ‘natural.’

An over-sized terracotta bowl with a wooden ladle and chopsticks arrived, steaming to the top with the delicious smell of a soy broth. It was filled with shiitake mushrooms, beansprouts, sweetcorn, spring onion, sesame, spinach, bamboo and ultra fresh slabs of ginger and of course the rice noodles. On each table there is extra condiments of fresh garlic bulbs, extra sesame seeds and soy sauce. It was a bowl of insanely moorish goodness, the salty soy and electric ginger with the nutty sesame slipped down a treat. It was fresh, comforting and most of all a delight to try something different. My friend had the ‘spicy miso’ which included the famous pork broth and bbq pork, she described it as being very nearly as good as home. It doesn’t get much better than that.

As a side order I would highly recommend the Hirata buns, reminiscent of a recent trip to flesh and buns. They are fluffy, dewy and when filled with sticky, sweet bbq pork they are unmissable.

So there you have it, a perfect lunch spot or quick bite after work/pre-theatre in the centre of London, try some ravaging ramen, why not?

64 Degrees

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‘A gastronomy revolution is occurring in Brighton,” a place to shake up the Brighton restaurant scene.’ These were the kind of exquisite reviews I had heard. So I was all too happy to skip through the cobbled Lanes of my favourite seaside city to see if I agreed.

Located in Meeting House Lane and only a couple of roads back from the English channel. We were 10 minutes early for our reservation, super rare for me and a bit annoying for the restaurant – it is bijoux and 4 of us trying to find a spare space to stand was awkward. I will never be early again! However, it did give us the chance to watch the flawless team of chefs at work in the open plan kitchen with seated bar. This was the perfect introduction to the restaurant, we didn’t really need to see the menu after we had seen each dish being prepared with the up most precision and care!

So 64 Degrees is all about sharing plates. Unlike a lot of its counterparts in London and further afield who also adopt the sharing/caring option this menu is concentrated – 4 fish, 4 meat, 4 vegetable options to choose from. If there is 4 of you, I would suggest one of each. The menu is creative and seasonal, thus ever changing. A few of my stand outs were mackerel ceviche with radishes, pomegranate and a light citrus dressing. The rib of beef was drop dead divine and the potato dumplings were unusual and addictive. (We had to double order.) I loved how the dishes came slowly, as they were ready, rather than all at once. It gave us time to savour and enjoy each dish while it was still utterly fresh. It also stops you from plate piling, mixing all the flavours and feeling full too quickly!

This restaurant is a foodie’s heaven, I would go as far as to say the most exciting restaurant in Brighton right now and value wise, it is a great deal!

If you live close by it is a perfect mid week treat, for those visiting Brighton it is a must eat and should be top of your list, book ahead! I have heard a rumour they have a second outpost coming to London soon, you didn’t hear it from me!

Saf

Are you on a detox? Do you have a food allergy? Are you about to dance on tables in your best swimwear? Do you just like healthy food?

If the answer was yes to any of these questions SAF is for you, an organic vegan restaurant for a scrumptious guilt free lunch or a pre/post workout snack. The salads are full of every super food, antioxidant ingredients that you can imagine and all the vegetables are RAW (better for you) hot options include risottos and curries and even a special healthy burger (they do exist, you possibly just need to alter you mindset.) Not forgetting the gorgeous freshly squeezed drinks menu. You will leave SAF riding your high horse, with a spring in your step. Don’t eat chocolate on the way home!

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The Chop Shop

CHOPS CHOPS CHOPS, a meat banquet in central central London.  A haven on Haymarket, The Chop Shop is surrounded by all the usual chains, Pizza Express, Wasabi, Prezzo and Angus Steakhouse to name the most exciting! Chop Shop sticks out as something a bit special amongst this haze of chains. A low key trendy New York vibe, set over 2 floors. The menu is meaty! (There is one prawn starter and one salmon main) if you are a veggie this might well be your idea of pure hell! 

Your main decision will be a chop or their highly recommended Patty Burger, a toasted sandwich burger to be precise! It is filled with deluxe cheese, irresistible caramelised onions and my FAVOURITE part the wholegrain mustard and horseradish sauce, I even dipped my chips (which I contemplated swapping for a salad) in it! Perfect restaurant to meet a group of friends in central London for fun cocktails and meat, go get CHOPPED!