I grew up on Mexican food and Disney animations, so when I was invited to a Tamale Masterclass at Mestizo to help launch the Blu-ray and DVD release of Disney Pixar’s animated smash Coco I could not say no.
Since I was a kid I always romanced the idyllic French dream. I chose to study French in school, I obsessed about French cooking and longed for a baguette and brie life one day.
Makes me sad to say that every time I’ve visited France it’s never lived up to the dream the dream. Nowhere near the levels of the Paris syndrome that people suffer. Despite 10 or so visits I never really ache to go back. When I do get the hankering for escargot and steak tartare, as you do, it never results in a Eurostar booking.
Unless you are a vegan or vegetarian…. There is nothing tastier than a beautiful slab of meat cooked to perfection with a nice caramelised crust on the outside and buttery tender on the inside. The only way to achieve that is from high heat, which you can achieve in the kitchen, well you can in my flat if you don’t mind setting off every fire alarm.
Le Bab: The Weekend Bottomless Lunch
I know bottomless brunches are all the rage. It seems like the entire world loves a good bottomless brunch. I’m blaming it on Carrie Bradshaw for creating that lust for lazy brunch with free flowing bubbly. Im a fan of brunch, but not so much a boozy one. I prefer my eggs with coffee and not proscecco. Given the option I’d prefer an early lunch followed by a boozy lunch. Kudos for the Kings of the Kebab Le Bab for getting into the boozy lunch game.
The Food
Le Bab is serving up their classic weekend lunch menu as their food offering for the brunch. I sampled most of the menu and it’s all solid. Started with the Chicken nuggets, a corriander heavy free range chicken thigh nugget with paprika mayo. I tell you, never trust someone that does not prefer chicken thigh over the breast. There is so much flavour in there. These nuggets were delish and could have eaten a couple of portions. The Lebab Bahjis were insanely moorish. They take uber tender braised lamb shoulder and beef then stuff them into an onion bhaji, deep fry it and boom… HEAVEN. They serve it with a smoked chilli mayo. Three days later I was STILL dreaming of these little balls of joy!The kebabs are the poshest that you will find whilst maintaining the inherent Kebab qualities. I asked for a suggestion for what to order as they all looked good. I went for the Pork Shawarma, mainly because she said it had a fattier quality to it, and I’m all about the fat. The free range pork is roasted for 15 hours then topped with pickled kohlrabi, crackling and zhoug mayo. I don’t know how I can look at another kebab the same now. I mean seriously. Le Bab’s side games were on point as well. The pomegranate & endive salad made for a perfect side with the tartness from the pomegranate and bitter from the endive. With a kebab, you have to have chips, and Le Babs is a posh take on that with double cooked chip and a silky cheese fondue for dipping.
Le Bab
Le Bab
Le Bab
The Vibe
The vibe is bright and airy with marble table tops that are bathed in natural sunlight. The cocktails were completely free flowing. Loved the bloody mary and the Le Bab Spritz. Happily drink them for a couple of hours whilst nibbling this delious food.
The Verdict
I have to admit this was my first time at Le Bab, I know the shame im bringing on myself there. Im proud to say that this will certainly not be the last.. bottomless cocktails or not. Please note that I was a guest of Le Bab for the afternoon.
Top Floor, Kingly CourtCarnaby Street, London, W1B 5PW
https://www.eatlebab.com
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Cheers and happy eating!
I know bottomless brunches are all the rage. It seems like the entire world loves a good bottomless brunch. I’m blaming it on Carrie Bradshaw for creating that lust for lazy brunch with free flowing bubbly. Im a fan of brunch, but not so much a boozy one. I prefer my eggs with coffee and not proscecco. Given the option I’d prefer an early lunch followed by a boozy lunch. Kudos for the Kings of the Kebab Le Bab for getting into the boozy lunch game.
It’s no secret that I love ice cream, so you can imagine how excited I get when Gelupo launches new flavours. The latest is a tour through the flavours of Asia. They take us from China to Japan and Thailand to Malaysia. Some seriously incredible flavours like Yuzu, Thai Sticky rice and Mango, Pandan & Coconut, Black sesame and Matcha. There is Red Bean too, though I’m not a fan of red bean at all. The most adventurous flavour is Durian (oh the honk) which I can assure you is an acquired taste. The flavours are on till Thai New Year in mid-April.
My Top London Burger List
I remember when a good burger in London was one that did not give you food poisoning. That was about 2007 years ago when the scene started to cotton on to the fact that a burger could be more than a overcooked frozen patty with some fried onions and melted cheese in a sugary over-processed white bun. Places like Hamburger Union (RIP), Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Byron started to blaze the way on the high streets. It was not until 2008 when The Meat Wagon rolled onto the scene that burgers got really interesting in London. Its safe to say that I have had a fair few burgers since 2008, some have been amazing, some rubbish and a majority forgettable. So here is a list of my favorite London Burgers.
Sometimes store cupboard brunches are the best when they workout, and this is a winner. This a chickpea and sweet potato hash Clarence Court Braddock White duck egg. Pretty snazzy cupboard brunch if I can say myself. Though what made it next level was the Bloody Ben’s Bloody Mary Mix I used to season it with. Instead of adding any seasoning or spices I added a couple of glugs of Bloody Bens to the hash and a splodge on the egg for good measure.
Dining in the Dark at Chino Latino
To celebrate the London Festival of Lights, London Lumiere, Chino Latino invited me to the spectacle of Dining in the Dark. Thankfully it was not pitch black like the seedy back rooms of Berlin nighclubs.. bot more of a carefully lit affair. The night showcased #Ginuary and the new Asian Pickle Menu from the restaurant.
The Food
On the night we were treated to a menu featuring Asian Pickles. From the name Chino Latino you would expect Asian & Latin Flavours. Menu started off with black bean edamame to nibble. Flavour was really exciting as I normally see edamame as somthing to eat whil you pass the time. Not really a fan of the slimy black bean sauce on my fingers, but with a little clever manouvering managed to eat them with my chop sticks. Next up was the Pork Belly and Kimchi Maki. I was really impressed with these nise tight rolls and excellent knife skills. The Salmon and Green Papaya was excelenty presented with fish roe, quail eggs and smoked salmon in abundance. The crispy salmon skin was inspired and stole the show. The last savoury dish was a Bulgogi Rib Eye with Pickled Eryngi Mushroom and Tenderstem Brocolli. The rib eye was perfectly medium rare though iI could not get the bulgogi reference, was just a nice steak. Finished with a stunning apple mousse, earlgrey dates and pickeled cucumber. The dessert was stunning, but i’d expect a really strong apple flavour, but is was more like apple scented. Shame as im a sucker for anything apple.
Chino Latino
Chino Latino
Chino Latino
The Vibe
The vibe is swanky chilled out hotel chic. The bar was bustling with hotels guests and locals seeking an after-work libation. The restaurant had a mix of guests and prople off the street. Modern design that felt luxurious without being pretensious.
The Verdict
I have to admit I was really surprised and impress with the food. Hotel restaurants can be a bit more miss than hit. The sharing menu was great value based on portion size and level of cooking. I only wish that the dessert had a little more oomph like the rest of the menu. Please note that I was a guest of Chino Latino for the evening.
Park Plaza Riverbank, 18 Albert Embankment, Lambeth, London SE1 7TJ
http://www.chinolatino.eu/london/
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