Know Your Dumplings

I'm a sucker for dumplings, what can I say. If there was something I could indulge into every day (aside from bread, fries and ice-cream) that would be dumplings. And it’s a funny story, cause when I first got introduce to these beauties I was not super keen on them. It was during my first ever travel abroad, to Hong Kong. My friends out there took me out for Dim Sum and the westerner/ continental side of me could not cope with the variety and look of these little things. Little did I know these would become my obsession later on…

As a good dumplings lover, I’ve been travelling all over the city to find the absolute best dumplings in town, and here is what I found:

SOHO

Conveniently located off Carnaby St, Ugly Dumpling (1 Newburgh St) is the new kid on the block. It provides all your street food essentials with a twist, including pork belly, aromatic duck, satay chicken and prawn & chive but aaalso what they call “new favorites” which basically is a feast of flavors in a 5-piece dumpling platter. Lamb, harissa & yogurt, cauliflower & potato and halloume & courgette were surprisingly some of my favorites.

Not only they had a great selection on offer but also dessert dumplings! Matcha-filled dumplings bonanza or blueberry jam fried dumplings with clotted cream. I mean, shall I say more?  

CHINATOWN

Dumplings Legend (15-16 Gerrard St) is probably my old time favorite. Whenever I fancy a quick fix or just wanna hang out for a while in the area, this is always a good choice. Despite having tons of people working there sometimes service lacks attention, however quality-price is unbeatable. Also, they are open for business till 2AM pretty much every day. That’s an absolute winner in my dictionary.

Beijing Dumpling (23 Lisle St) is probably the best in Chinatown when it comes to dumplings. Also, who does not love seeing how these are made in front of you?

MARYLEBONE

Royal China (40-42 Baker St) is perfect for Sunday Brunch (that is, Dim Sum), which not only offers dumplings but a wide range of great chinese/ hong-kong cuisine. Unfortunately, they do not take reservations and this place is quite renown by locals (and not so locals), therefore you may need to cue for a bit. The menu selection is vast, so vast you don’t know where to start, but pretty much all dishes are a winner.

HACKNEY

My Neighbours The Dumplings in Homerton/Clapton (165 Lower Clapton Rd) and also Victori Park is definitely one of my recent locals. It holds a sake bar in their basement and the food was simply exceptional. Again, a bit of an Asian mix here, which included gyozas and dumplings and even dumplings with a European twist. Their menu also includes dessert dumplings, which is becoming on of my new favorite things. Argh, so much for that ‘no-sugar’ diet…

SHOREDITCH

Dumpling Shack is a MUST on Saturdays at Spitafields Market. Open everyday for lunch (and at times also in the evening), this little spot possibly delivers one of my favorite dumplings in town. The menu is extremely limited, but what they do they do GREAT. Fried soup dumpling at its best and extremely delicious hand made noodles at the shack next door. What else could you ask for?

Sweet Catalan Cakes & Bubbles

Ladies and gentlemen, your wishes have been heard. There is a dessert restaurant in London, and by no other than pastry chef Albert Adria. Let me introduce you to Cakes & Bubbles.

WHY should you go? Because even if you are not a sweet tooth, you’ll have a great time. It’s not only about the food (which is obvs amazing) but rather the experience. Sit down and have some bubbles with your friends, while your waiter explains what you are about to indulge into. Needless to say that the chef Adria stamp is a big winner.

WHAT will you get? If you like traditional pastries and sweets, this is not your place. Chef Adria loves to be innovative with its food, and you can see it in each one of his desserts. Our two favorites where the ‘Tickets’ cheesecake, flavored with hazelnut and a white-chocolate rind and the egg flan with dark caramel.

WHEN should you go? Really, anytime is good. This hot spot is looking rather pretty right now due to the Christmas lights, but I bet you it will be as amazing when the festive period is over.   

WHERE? Inside Hotel Café Royal in Piccadilly (70 Regent St, W1B 4DY), super central!

At Luca Italians Do It Better

WHAT? Yes, you've heard it right. Italians do it better. Or rather british, really? Because Luca, it's a mixture of both. British produce and italian menu, BRITALIAN.

WHERE? Farringdon/ Clerkenwell area, more specifically: 88 St John St, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4EH

WHEN? Anytime (except Sundays) between noon and 10,30pm. 

WHY? If you like home made italian classics with a british touch, this is certainly your place. The venue is the second restaurant of founders of The Clove's Club, kind of an institution in the foodie London scene. 

Many had high expectations, but to be honest, I was just happy to try a new restaurant, specially cause one of my friends was at the kitchen!

The venue itself is very cutting-edge, a modern restaurant with a vintage touch. Apparently, they are also setting up a courtyard for the summer, which I am really excited about. 

As for the food: certainly mouth-watering. We kick-started with some bubbles while waiting for our starters, which included the infamous parmesan fries, scallops with smashed wasabi peas and octopus. YUM!? We also shared our mains as we were to excited to try as many dishes as possible. Fresh pasta is always a winner and therefore my favourite main was probably the vegetarian lasagna, along with the steak tartare. Dessert followed with a delicious tiramisu paired with an amaretto on the rocks.

All in all a 'must try' if you are around the area, certainly.

10 Greek St for Soho Food Lovers

Hello Foodie Monsters, How You've Been? 2017 has started strong and I've been to few places you definitely need to know. But all in good time. So far, my favourite discovery this year has to be 10 Greek St.

Why? Because it combines all the things I like: great customer service, a counter bar (where you can chat with the chef & cooks), and generous-size dishes. All delicious, needless to say.

Where is it? It’s on 10 Greek St, as the name says. Ha!

What do you get there? Well, that’s up to you. It is all Mediterranean food with a British touch, I would say. Good thing is, they have a daily menu and its all seasonal, which makes all dishes very fresh and ridiculously yum. 

Teaser - Our Menu for 2 people:
For starters we had padron peppers, fried squid and burrata. 
Mains included sea bream, runner beans, peperonata & brown shrimp and a pasta dish with the freshest asparagus, egg and parmesan (SERIOUSLY DELISH)
And of course, TCB wouldn’t leave without at least trying one of their deserts. This time we tried their chocolate cake with salted caramel icecream. I am not a big fan of chocolate puddings but this one was to die for.

The bill turned up to be veery decent, around £30-£40 with a couple of wine glasses - More than reasonable for everything that we got, if you ask me.

All in all, a 10/10 restaurant in the heart of Soho. Don’t miss out!

Happy Meal Babies, 

TCB xx

Let's Be Barbarians

Let's Be Barbarians. If that's what it takes to indulge into these treats, you can count me IN.

I can honestly say that this is THE best restaurant I've been since I moved to London two years ago. Discovered by luck while passing Neals Yard Place with a dearest friend, we first saw The Barbary due to its loud music pimping us in.

The set up of this place is fantastic: a cozy little restaurant with only 24 seats for the lucky guests who will make it that day for either lunch or dinner.

There are no proper tables but a dining area set deli-style (eating by the counter), which I particularly love. The idea here is to share, and to share everything, even who you sit with! Some may not like the idea but I think that interacting with the amazing cooking team while they prepare your Middle-Eastern (with Mediterranean and/or North African twist) delicacies is great.

Every little dish we tried was an explosion of flavors, but if I had to choose my dream meal here, I'd say the following:  Arayes, a pita bread sandwich with minced lamb and lots of spices, and the Jerusalem bagel with some dips as a starter. If you are a veggie lover, then definitely try the aubergine and the cauliflower Jaffa as some of your mains; and if you are a meat lover, you REALLY need to try Pata Negra. You'll die of pleasure. 

As usual, we were last finishing our meal, but thanks to that we got to talk to the friendly peeps working there, even Chef Navob, owner this terrific place, was there for the first opening weeks. He totally got us into trying desert even though we were quite full, but man oh man was he right to force us...

The hash cake is meant to be the star of the menu but I particularly liked the Knafeh better, a cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup. NOM.

In any case, I think I made myself pretty clear here, but if you haven't got why you should try this place out yet, I'll summarize it for you: BEST Food (though minimal selection of drinks, for those who need them), BEST ambiance, BEST music, and of course, BEST service!

My motto is to never repeat restaurants, and I've been here twice in the last month.

What is it this place called again? The Barbary, Palomar's little sister.

Where is it? 16 Neal's Yard Place, WC2H 9DP

When should you go? Tuesday to Sundays from 12,30 to 3,30pm and from 5 til 10pm. You may be put off by the long cue, and even more so since you can't have a drink until you are by the bar counter. But, my friend, don't despair! If you hate q's just try to make it for lunch or have an early dinner or rather quite a late one.

YES, YES, YES. I am hooked to this place, but so will you once you try it.

TCB x

P.S.: As I was very into my food, I kinda forgot to take many pictures (oops!). The gallery you see here today is a mixture of my own pics and some taken from my google research. Thank you to those who remember to take such fantastic shots!

Tea Delights with The Mad Hatter

Maybe it is because I am not a tea expert (I love coffee, what can I say), but when I think of a country with good tea traditions England certainly comes to my mind. As you all know, I’ve been living in London for quite a while and I wanted to make sure I am experiencing all the english traditions.

But then a lot of questions pop into my mind: where should I go? what should I expect? how much should I pay?

Thank God there’s a majestic website to assist you through the whole process and help you out finding the best offers and spots for afternoon tea in the City. It is quite an expensive tradition, so it is always good to have some guidance.

You would be quite surprised to know that afternoon tea is THE thing in terms of deluxe experiences. And because of that, you will need to book your package in advance (up to 3 months!) to have a spot at the best places (usually hotels) serving afternoon tea.

I’ve heard about a lot of hotels where you could have amazing afternoon tea. However, my three personal picks go for the Mad Hatters Tea at the Sanderson Hotel, the Prêt-à-PorTea at The Berkeley Hotel and Afternoon tea at The Ritz. Of course there are many other places where you could enjoy this high-end tea experience, but I’d say this three are a classic. Having that in mind, I’d like to tell you about my experience at the Sanderson Hotel.

It is funny because when you are spending about 30 to 50 pounds on such a delightful and exciting experience, you would think you are going to a very fancy/ good looking place, but that was not the first impression I got when I stood outside the hotel.

However, that changed as soon as I went in. The Hotel has been redecorated into a very modern style, with clear chairs haging from the ceiling to lips sofas (very comfy, I must say) where you could chile while waiting for your table. The hotel also counts with an amazing bar and a lovely terrace, where we had our afternoon tea.

Another thing that surprised me is that it is called “afternoon tea”, but you could actually go from 10am in the morning until 7pm in the evening. Which pretty much means you can do it whenever. However, considering you are about to indulge some serious amount of food, I think the best timing to do it is between 12pm and 4pm.

The experience at the Sanderson hotel was quite unique. As soon as you enter the terrace it feels you are on a fairy tale. This particular afternoon tea is inspired in Alice in Wonderland, so everything was themed to make you feel as if you are one of the Mad Hatter’s party guests.

The menus are hidden in antique books of Alice in Wonderland and the tea selection comes in little bottles for you to smell and decide which tea you are goning to have.

All the cutlery and plates are themed and your napkins come with riddles to entertain you while you are waiting for your food.

Oh, and the food. As I said, I’m not an expert on tea delights but I think the food trays are the cutest thing. Piled in different tiers, you’ll get a wide range of savory and sweet delights that will make you feel you are in food heaven.

All sorts of sandwiches, little cakes, lots of scones…that is what you should always expect to get out of your tea experience. However, there is always much more stuff.

Once you’ve managed to eat it all, you can end your stay sipping your tea and digesting the food that you’ve just eaten. Or you could ask for a food refill for those of you that ae still hungry ;)

In conclusion, I think it is a fantastic idea to embark yourself in such an experience with you girlfriends. I say girlfriends because I can hardly think of any guy who would be up for paying such an amount of money for feeling like a princess while drinking tea and eating cucumber sandwiches, as my boyfriend would say.

But it is not only the great tea and extraordinary food that you are after when going for afternoon tea. It is the idea of self indulgence, of treating yourself, of dressing up and having a good time with your friends while in an amazing hotspot in the City.

TCB xx

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Wearing light pink topshop dress by Jones+Jones, &Other Stories Spiral ring, and Louis Vuitton Speedy bag while at the Sanderson Hotel Mad Hatters Afternoon tea

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The food tray included: carrot meringue and mushroom shaped marshmallows on the 1st tier, victoria sponge cake and mango cheesecake on the 2nd tier and passion fruit and coconut creme "Drink Me" potions, Green Tea chocolate cups, and a selection of savoury and sweet scones on the 3rd and last tier.

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The savoury treats included a selection of the following finger sandwiches: Smoked Cumbrian Ham with whole grain mustard on sun-dried tomato bread, Cucumber and Chive Cream Cheese on Spinach Bread, Cold Smoked Salmon and Lemon Butter on Dark Rye Bread, Egg Mayonnaise With water cress and smoked sea salt on lemon bread and a mini quiche.

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