Kim Chee, England by Bureaucrat

Well, after about 20 or so months living in the UK, I'm now writing my last review of a London restaurant.

In my last few days before I flew out, I had to run some errands around town. When it was about lunchtime, we happened to be at One New Change. I thought it would be good to try Jamie Oliver's new venture, Barbecoa. Even though it was a mid-week lunch, we were told that we would have to wait an hour for a table. However, if we chose to eat at the bar area, then we could have a table right away.

We thought we'd see what the bar area looked like. So a too-cool-for-school type of waitress (all the staff had these OTT earpieces and walkie talkies to communicate to each other) walked us around the entire restaurant to the bar area. In doing so, it was evident that the restaurant was, at most, half full. I find it hard to believe that for a mid-week lunch that the place would be completely full (or fully booked). Had this been a Friday, maybe. Had this been the Christmas/NY period, I'd believe them. But this was mid-September, mid-week.

The bar area was comprised of about four piddly tables. I wasn't going to fork out top dollar (sorry, I mean, pounds) to sit at a bloody bar and be served by wanky waiters.

But when God/life closes a door, a window opens. And I'm very glad to say that that window was Kim Chee.


Kim Chee opened up a few months ago near my work. In the opening week, it had 50% off all food. I convinced my friends to come with me (none had tried Korean cuisine before), but of course, with 50% off all food, the waiting line was at least 30 minutes. Because of the cruel constraint of a lunch hour, we never ended up going there.


KC is kitted out in dark contemporary furniture with traditional Korean touches - it's a classy place without the pretention. When you walk in, you can see the chefs grilling the delicious meats, such as bulgogi.


For drinks, we got the Far Eastern Surprise (orange, mango, passionfruit juices and something else) and the Berry Explosion. Both drinks were very delicious. It's a pity I can't quite remember what the ingredients were, as these drinks didn't taste like your average mixed juice combination.


For starters, we got the Beef Mari. Tender, thin slices of beef with blanched spinach, carrot and rice noodles. It looks a bit small in the photo, but it was actually a decent size serve.


We also got Gogi Mandu, pan fried dumplings. Since moving to London, I feel I've been deprived of good dumplings. These were nicely crispy, and the flavours were well balanced (ginger, spring onion, pork and veg).


For mains, we shared the Seafood Dolsot Bibimbap. The Lawyer hadn't had a bibimbap before - but he likes them now! A good mix of seafood (not that frozen marinara mix), the rice was piping hot, and it was served in a rather nice bibimbap stone bowl (I've only seen rather plain and simple ones before). It didn't come with the miso and chilli sauce, but I'm sure if you asked for it, it would be provided.


We also got the Bulgogi, grilled beef Korean style. Marinated beef tenderised and flavoured with fruit (usually nashi pear) and onion, cooked on a hot plate. These were very tender and the grilled smoky flavour was spot on. You can't quite see it in the photo, but it was a very generous serving of bulgogi.


It was served with some crisp lettuce leaves, and I ordered a serving of rice to go with it.


While we were hoeing into the mains, we got greedy and decided to order two more starters. We got another serve of the Gogi Mandu and a serve of Pa Jeon (seafood pancake). The pancake was crispy and contained little pieces of seafood and what I think was garlic chives. It wasn't too thick or thin, and had a good batter-to-seafood ratio.

Overall
KC got some mixed reviews when it first opened. Some people loved the food and the price. Some complained that the orders got mixed up, food was cold, etc. I'm glad to say that KC has definitely got their game on now. Not a single flaw. Staff were friendly, helpful (for punters who aren't familiar with Korean food), food was very tasty, piping hot and came out quickly. The place was packed out but the staff didn't rush you to leave.

My only negative comment is that KC uses MSG. I couldn't pick out which dish had it, but having read a few recipes for bulgogi previously, I think it was in that, and also in the pancake. MSG is a big no no for me. Good food doesn't need artificial enhancers.

It might be because I was leaving London, but for the first time in London, I felt there was a true sense of multiculturalism. London is so in-your-face (and what it's shoving in my face is hardly desirable) and segregated. London likes to think that it's multicultural, but it's not.

I know I'm on my soapbox, but do try out KC and see if you agree with me.

Address
Kim Chee
71 High Holborn
Holborn WC1V 6
Telephone: (020) 8455 1035

BJ's Pie House, England by Bureaucrat

As part of my farewell (or more accurately, good riddance) to London, I asked Voucher Boy to show me 'his' London. Even though I live in east London, I've never ventured far from Canary Wharf or Greenwich (both which are south-east of London). So on a sunny afternoon, I met Voucher Boy in north-east London, and we went to his local 'pie and mash' shop, BJ's Pie House.

The first time I came across a pie and mash shop was when I first moved here just under two years ago. At the time, we were living near London Bridge and we walked past this unassuming shop that had people lining up to get in. As the Lawyer would tell you, I have an irrational phobia that if I enter into a working class establishment I fear that the punters can tell I'm middle-class snob and they would rise up in anger and give me the middle-class version of a bum's rush.


I was very curious to try BPH, as I've also heard that in addition to being famous for serving pies and mash, pie and mash shops also serve jellied eels. In the days leading up to the lunch, I was deciding whether to try the jellied eels. While I don't mind eating eels steamed in black beans at yum cha, and I absolutely love the Japanese grilled eel (unagi), I was squeamish with the idea of jellied eels. And as Voucher Boy doesn't like seafood, I didn't have a clue what they would taste like.

The BPH is a simple set up - kinda like a fish and chip shop. There are two communal dining tables, which local punters come to eat. It has a nice, almost family, feel to the place. Behind the counter are the women who serve the meals.


I got the single pie and mash, while Voucher Boy got double pies and mash. On top of both is the parsley gravy. The pies have a plain meat filling and were nice and simple. I felt the mash was a bit to starchy for my liking, while the parlsey gravy didn't have much parsley flavour to it. I'm told that many people like to eat thier pie and mash with a good squirt of brown vinegar - it certainly helps give an appetising piquancy to the dish.

While Voucher Boy finished off his plate, I managed most of the pie (except for the pastry) and most of the mash...in doing so, I incurred the wroth from one of the women behind the counter, who demanded which person it was that didn't finish their plate. When I said it was me, I think she let me get off the hook as I explained that I liked the food but it was too much for me - and also perhaps that I obviously wasn't a local. It's certainly a hearty meal, and I can definitely see this being a very comforting dish in the colder months.

I chickened out in trying the jellied eel...maybe next time!

Overall
A good, simple place for comfort food. It's clearly a favourite place for the local people.

Address
BJ's Pie House
330 Barking Road
Canning Town E13 8HL
Telephone: 020 7474 3389

The Gem Hotel, Collingwood by Big Fil

To me if a pub is going to be a good place to eat it has to have two things - good food (naturally) and personality. Gem Bar & Dining Room has both of these in spades.


First impressions of Gem Bar as somewhere to eat were a little dodgy. Looking less than salubrious from the outside its small, a little dark and as Kit Kat pointed out more reminiscent of a saloon than a fine dining hall. Lots of brown wooden furniture, a lonely looking piano, Mexican style death heads and a few pictures scattered around the walls, with a Hawaiian 1950's bead curtain visible through the door towards the back. Early on a Saturday afternoon fairly quiet too, with only a handful of other patrons.


The menu sits between the traditional and gastro pub, with steak, chicken Parma's and fish and chips, but also Waygu burgers and steak tartare with quails yoke. Given we also planned on sampling desserts two of us went for the smaller entrée style dishes, and two went for mains.

In keeping with her lean towards the vegetarian Snooze's choice was the carrot, cumin and chickpea croquettes served with a tzatziki dressing. These were good but a little more delicate than she would have preferred, and personally I like cumin when it gives a real 'punch' to a dish.


Kit Kat (on her return after a long absence) went for the lamb kofta and grilled pita, also served with tzatziki. These looked very much the part and Kit Kat confirmed that the kofta were nicely cooked and juicy. However, consistent with Snoozes croquettes she felt they could have done with a little more kick to the flavour.


Ruby Grapefruit seemed a little disappointed that the fish taco she'd noticed on a previous visit wasn't available but went with the (15 hour) roast pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and fries. Served in a nice crispy bun the pork was reportedly moist and tender and I can confirm the shoe string fries were delicious if a little salty.


My choice was the Brazilian fish stew with yoghurt, peanuts and rice. I think this was possibly the dish of the day, with the yogurt, peanuts and coriander giving an interesting flavour to the firm white flesh of the fish. My major concern was that the stew could have been overcooked and the fish would disintegrate but not such problems in what was a fairly decent sized serve.


The range of desserts was limited to a couple of specials on the board behind the bar but it enabled us to choose to share a sticky date pudding with apple and ice cream, and a mud cake with chocolate 'soil' and ice cream (not the exact descriptions but I neglected to note them down). Unlike the mains which straddled the gastro and pub divide I thought these were definitely more on the gastro side of the line.

Unlike many sticky date puddings, which can be a bit dense and gluggy, this was light and fluffy and infused with pieces of date. The other star was the delicious butterscotch sauce. While the ice cream and poached apple and sultana were good Snooze felt the sauce and pudding were the best she'd tried.


Contrasting the light date pudding, the mud cake and accompanying sauce was appropriately rich and dense, to the extent that Ruby Grapefruit wasn't a whole hearted fan. But I think that's probably more a reflection of her individual preference for something a little lighter than any issue with the cake, which was more my sort of thing. The use of the chocolate soil was also a pretty fancy addition for somewhere that gives the first impressions that the Gem does.


Overall
A classic case of not judging a book by its cover, the Gem Bar is a bit of a gem. The food is interesting and good, the décor definitely grew on me and the music was an interesting mix of rockabilly (I think) and Diamond Dog era David Bowie. If the front bar area doesn't appeal there is also a dining room towards the back complete with enormous deer's head, although this is apparently only used for large groups or when the front room was full. As a place to eat and chat I suspect it might get a bit noisy at night though, with offerings like Johnny Cash karaoke nights. It won't be for everyone, but we thought the Gem was great.

Verdict
Food - 8
Ambience - 8
Service - 7
Price - 7

Address
289 Wellington Street
Collingwood VIC 3066
Tel: (03) 9419 5170

Nam Loong, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

Very much an old timer of the Chinatown food scene, Nam Loong is best known for its freshly steamed buns. These even get a mention in my 1992-93 Cheap Eats Guide. Custard, sausage, combination, I must have eaten hundreds of them from here over the years. But my favourite is definitely the pork, to the extent that the greeting I usually receive on entering isn't hello or ni hao but 'two pork buns, takeaway?'

First thing you notice after walking through the door is the huge steaming baskets over the bun filled glass counter. These are quite impressive but can make it a bit of a squeeze trying to get past people waiting for takeaway or to pay. Actually being a bit squeezy is often a problem here. It's popular but small, with the result that on our visit Snooze and myself ended up having to share a four person table with someone else. The major advantage of this though is that next time I want what he was having, one of the best looking bbq pork omelettes I've seen.


Snooze isn't so much the fan of cha siu bao but it's almost impossible to come here and not order them. While I wouldn't necessarily agree that the best pork bun I've had in Melbourne was from here, I'd say this place does very good ones more consistently than anywhere else I've tried around town. I think this is a combination of several things: good fluffy pastry, fresher bbq pork and a high turnover meaning that you get the buns at near their best.


But Fil does not live by bao alone. The menu is fairly extensive and it took several minutes to come to a decision on what we wanted to try. First main to arrive was our braised beef with vegetables. With tender beef, crispy broccoli and extremely slippery mushrooms, we both thought this was pretty good. For that slightly more authentic touch it also included a few very strongly flavoured slivers of ginger, adding punch to the dish.


Even better though was the crispy pork with whipped eggs on rice. Texture wise I thought the combination of pork, egg and rice could have been heavy but it was surprisingly light, the whipped eggs acting like a delicious sauce and the siu yuk fresh and crispy (although a little less of it than I might have liked). In a bit of a test Snooze - who is generally a fan of lighter textures and subtly flavoured dishes - also gave it the thumbs up.





Overall
While there was nothing especially complicated about our meal it was all very nicely prepared and flavoured, one of the better meals I've had here. While hardly a la carte with its casual vibe Nam Loong serves the sort of food I could eat several times a week and many of the other diners looked like regulars. For those who appear not to have had a good experience here the major source of complaint seems to relate to its charging policies - buns are slightly more expensive to eat in than takeaway and they do impose a surcharge if you don't order mains or your bill is under a certain amount.

Verdict
Food - 8
Service - 6.5
Ambience - 6
Price - 7.5

Address
223 Russell St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 4089

Busaba, England by Bureaucrat

Ms B has been raving about how much she loves the food at Busaba, a Thai restaurant.


So for dinner one night, we went to Busaba.


Inside there was warm mood lighting and a communal dining set up.


For drinks, we both got the Guava Collins, a very delicious concotion of guava juice, lime, coconut and lime leaves.


Moving onto mains, Ms B got her favourite Thai green curry with monkfish with jasmine rice.


While I got the Pat King Talay, a stir fried dish comprised of prawn, squid, scallop and wood ear fungus. I also got a serve of jasmine rice. I liked the flavours of the stir fry and they were quite genuine flavours. However,I thought overall the serving size was on the small side. I'd classify Busaba as one of those restaurants where you count how many (or rather, how few) ingredients there are in each dish. There were two prawns, one scallop, about four pieces of squid, and the equivalent of one wood ear fungus.


Because I thought I wouldn't be full with the stir fry, half way through my meal, I ordered a side dish of pandan chicken. For a side dish, this was actually quite a reasonable size. Tender chunks of chicken thigh meat, marinated with garlic and coriander. Eating them was a bit finnicky, as you had to cut open the pandan leaves to get to the chicken. These were quite tasty, with a mild garlic and coriander flavour. They were served with a sauce, which I think was a reduced soya sauce with sesame seeds.

Overall
I liked Busaba. In particular, the range of dishes that's available, and everything that I tried was quite tasty and genuinely Thai in flavour.

We went on a Thursday night. The place was almost at full capacity when we arrived for dinner (around 7.30pm). By the time we left, there was a queue of people waiting for tables.

Address
Busaba
44 Floral Street
Covent Garden WC2E 9DA
Telephone: 020 7759 0088

Giraffe, England by Bureaucrat

I first ate at the cafe chain Giraffe at Heathrow airport. Ever since then, I quite like its wide range in food and the reliable service. I'm usually skeptical of any restaurant or cafe that has a varied menu - in my view, often it means that they try to be all things to all people, but end up dissapointing everyone. However, I'm glad to say that Giraffe isn't like that at all.


On a sunny work day, a few of us decided to have lunch at Giraffe.


Feeling the need to be a virtuous, I got the grilled chicken, tiger prawn and mango salad. The grilled chicken pieces were tender and had that pleasing grilled flavour - ditto with the prawns. There was also a generous sprinkling of toasted walnuts. The sweetness of the mango went well with the other ingredients.


Ms S got the farmers' market vegetable burrito, which was a very generous size. It was packed with roasted squash, pinto beans, feta and rice. It came with an avocado salad with a tequila and lime dressing. Ms S liked her dish, and to her credit she polished off the whole burrito.


Ms G got the sunshine toasted focaccia bruschetta, which was a toasted focaccia with mozzerella, olives, tomatoe and red pepper. It came with a small bowl of wedges.

Overall
I love the reliability of the food and service at Giraffe. Especially when I'm about to catch a flight, it's good to know that you can eat something that's healthy and fresh and they're quick in getting the food out to you.

I usually order one of its yummy fruit smoothies - thick and fruity, they are delicious. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of them.

Address
Giraffe
19-21 Brunswick Centre
Russell Square WC1N 1AF
Telephone: 020 7812 1336

Le Pont de la Tour, England by Bureaucrat

Making sure that I tried as many restaurants and cafes before I get on the place back to Australia, the Lawyer and I had lunch at Le Pont de la Tour, which is located on the banks of the Thames with views of Tower Bridge.


The first thing that struck me was that all the staff spoke really fast - it was a bit of a struggle to understand what they were saying. We were seated outside. Thankfully, there was only a very light drizzle of rain which passed over quickly.


For starters, I got the cod and salmon fishcake. The fishcake was a pleasing thick patty. The breadcrumb crust was light and crunchy. When I cut open the fishcake, it let out a swirl of steam - kinda like in a commercial. While it was good, it wasn't anything special...it was kinda underwhelming. Unfortunately, the underwhelming assessment would be the theme for the rest of my courses that I had ordered.


On the other hand, all the courses that the Laywer had ordered turned out to be the better dishes. For starters, he got foie gras parfait with sweet wine jelly and toasted sourdough. The foie gras was delightfully smooth and rich. The wine jelly certainly packed a punch! We had to request extra bread to finish off the parfait...I don't understand why restaurants only give a few slices of bread when you order pate or foie gras. We had to polished off the parfait sans bread (as it took too long for the extra bread to come out from the kitchen; and when it did come out, we had already finished it).


For mains, I got the roast cod with brown shrimp and beurre noisette. The cod was nice, and the brown shrimp were very sweet. The cod was topped with alot of capers which gave a slight acidic flavour. But like my fishcake, the cod was good but nothing exceptional.


The Lawyer got the braised pork belly with caramelised apple, soaked prunes with cider jus. This was the best dish of the day. The pork belly was melt-in-your-mouth, and the crackling was very crispy. The gravy, which was poured onto the pork when they served the dish, was very flavoursome.


Moving on to desserts, I got the peach trifle. This was even more of a let down. The peaches didn't have much flavour and the vanilla custard also didn't have much flavour. This was the most dissapointing dish of the day. I should have followed my instinct to get the raspberry creme brulee.


The Lawyer got the Valrhona chocolate tart. The Lawyer really enjoyed this - thick, rich chocolate and a buttery short crust pastry.


He savoured his chocolate tart with a cup of coffee, which came with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Overall
For me, lunch at LPDLT was a bit 'meh'...for the price and location, I was expecting something more interesting and peppy (especially when it describes itself as being 'luxurious French cooking'). There was nothing wrong with any of my dishes, it was just kinda average and unexceptional. However, the Lawyer's dishes were more interesting and tasty.

One thing that we certainly didn't like was the wine bucket being located behind the Lawyer's chair. As there were quite a few tables that had ordered wine, the waiters were constantly leaning into the Lawyer to get the bottles of wine. This was annoying - they could have easily put the wine bucket elsewhere and still have easy access to it.

We had our lunch in the restaurant area. So when we left, we had to walk through the bar and grill section of LPDLT, which had a jazz band playing. If we had known this beforehand, I would have chosen to have our lunch in the bar/grill area (which was cheaper and had a better atmosphere) instead of the main restaurant.

Address
Le Pont de la Tour
36d Shad Thames
Butlers Wharf SE1 2YE
Telephone: (020) 7403 8403

Shakespeare's Head, England by Bureaucrat

I have a confession to make - I've developed quite a liking for the food at Shakespeare's Head. SH is part of the big Wetherspoon's pub chain. I've never thought I'd like the place, as it looks quite dark because of all the temporary scaffolding surrounding the building.


On an impromptu after-work drinks at SH, Voucher Boy and I felt a bit peckish (naturally) and ordered some food. Since then, I've been to TSH three times in one week. I just love the cheap food and drinks!

So over the last few weeks, we had...


...Ms B got the red onion, cheddar and tomato pannini.


...I got the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and vegs. It's not the prettiest dish, but there were three slices of roast beef (beefy and succulent). The Yorkshire pud and carrots were a tad chewy (from being re-heated), but the roast potatoes were crispy on the outside and the gravy was quite rich in flavour. I ordered this for lunch, and couldn't finish it - Voucher Boy had to help me out.


...A few of us got the grilled chicken breast burger with tomato chutney. Quite a generous chicken breast and I liked the chutney (not too sour or sweet).


...Voucher Boy got the grilled chicken wrap, which he liked.


...Last but not least, Mr H got the gourmet beef burger with melted cheese and bacon.

Overall
The drinks are cheap, and there are many dining deals to be had. I know the food is most likely to be heated up in the kitchen, but I have to say, I really like the food - and it's so cheap and there's a very big menu!

Another time, Voucher Boy and I had a drink and steak for less than 8 pounds - I was quite impressed with the steak, as it was juicy and flavoursome...much better than the overpriced steak that I had at Smollensky (more than double the price of SH steak).

Address
Africa House
64-68 Kingsway
Holborn WC2B 6BG
Telephone: 020 7404 8846