Sen Nin Upper Street review - Islington Japanese teppanyaki with MTV music

Address: 206 Upper Street
London N1 1RQ
Tel: 0207 704 1890
Nearest Tube station: Highbury and Islington

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £35pp (50% discount off meal)
Service charge: 10%
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: ***
My first teppanyaki was a treat from a teacher bringing the class out for an outing. We were at a food court at Junction 8 in Bishan back home. As it was one of the first instances teppanyaki was brought into food courts, it was still a novelty.

Come to think of it, it must have been a harrowing experience for her. Just under twenty adolescent boys making a din over two huge tables with temperatures that could cook meat in seconds; with us balancing precariously on the high stools and attempts at slugging food at each other, it was a miracle that no one got hurt. I could still recall the look of resignation when the teacher footed the bill at the end of the meal. Small wonder that it was the last class meal we had together.

Unlike sushi, there's nothing subtle in teppanyaki, which literally means frying on a metal plate. After a minute or two of constant chopping and tossing on the hotplate with copious amounts of teppanyaki sauce, salt and sometimes sesame seeds, the taste and texture of meats and vegetables don't vary much. In short, it's more about the novelty of having your food cooked in front of you while you nurse your sake.

We popped by Sen Nin, the only Japanese restaurant that offers teppanyaki in Angel, the other day. In a way, Sen Nin had the look of what I imagined a teppanyaki bar should look like: dim lights with strategically placed spotlights trained on the three teppanyaki booths (or stations as Sen Nin calls it), and the bar just right next to them. The MTV music playing in the background with no Japanese staff in sight reminded me that I was still in London.

Sen Nin's menu seemed to be pushing for its Samurai Teppanyaki meal. At £42 pp (minimum of two persons), it comes with starter, rice, three meats of your choice and dessert. Currently there is a 50% discount on the meal. With that in mind, it would be a more worthwhile meal compared to its ala carte mains, which cost between £15 upwards for vegetarian options.



As we had quite a heavy meal earlier, we went for something lighter instead. The tiger prawn tempura (£7.50 for six) though still a bit damp under the batter, was nevertheless lightly fried. At that price, it was a much better deal compared to Akari.



Sen Nin's British prime steak (£19.50) came with rice, miso soup and stir fried vegetables. Perhaps I was spoilt by Akari's miso soup but Sen Nin's was like what we get from the run of the mill Japanese eateries. The stir fried vegetables was mainly bean sprouts with a blend of cucumber, carrots and cucumber with teppanyaki sauce. The beef at medium rare was suitably tender. If only it could be a bit warmer when it arrived.



For something a little different compared to the usual Japanese fare, it might worth your while to check out Sen Nin for its teppanyaki stations. Unlike Matsuri, which setting is more open, Sen Nin's teppanyaki stations seat a maximum of ten diners each and the ambience is cosier as well.

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Cuba Libre Upper Street review - Tropico soundtrack with tapas

Address: 72 Upper Street
London N1 0NY
Tel: 020 7354 9998
Nearest Tube station: Angel

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £10pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: **
Service: ***
Ambience: ****
Even after more than three years of diligently dining out as much as our cholesterol level or bank account allow us, we have yet to cover every single restaurant along Angel Islington’s Upper Street and Essex Road. We could perhaps do that if we stop going back to the places that we love (Food Lab, Ottolenghi, Blue Legume, The Albion, Isarn - just to name a few.

It so happened that Wife’s fellow mothers’ group elected to have a gathering at Cuba Libre and Havana Bar, which is just opposite the triangular patch of green right smacked into the centre of Angel. Wife returned after that and hinted that she was rather unimpressed by Cuba Libre’s offerings. But its lunch tapas set at £7.45 for four tapas sounded really good and I was there a couple of days later to check it out.



If ambience alone matters, Cuba Libre would probably emerged right at the top. For those who are familiar with the dictatorship simulation game Tropico, that was the soundtrack playing in the background throughout my lunch. I could almost expect Fidel himself swaggering in with his trademark cigar in one hand. In fact, there’s a caricature of him (I believe) just towards the top right of the entrance. Just tilt your head up right when you enter and you'll see him waving his cigar at a lady (!) waving her shoe (!!) at him. Either that or I had too much tapas.

There was a very street feel to the whole setting. As I have never been to Cuba, I believe Cuba Libre might just be how the bar/food shops actually look like over there. A close parallel would probably be Dishoom for Bombay cafes and Delhi Grill for dhaba.

We were the only ones there that afternoon but the place did look like it would get livelier towards the evening when people just want to hang out and get drunk with food becoming more of a sideshow. The lone waitress greeted us warmly and propped up this sizable chalkboard menu against an adjacent table. The only place that does exactly that was Antonio's Ristorante, which is further up north along Upper Street. I often wonder why the huge menu. For the hapless myopics like myself perhaps? But it did occupy us for the next couple of minutes.





Truth to be told, we have already made up our minds on what to order even before we stepped into Cuba Libre. Wife did mention that there were only a handful of meat tapas and she helpfully reminded me to go for the omelette as I would "need something to fill up my stomach". Eventually, between the two of us, we ordered calamares, octopus, garlic chicken, fish croquette, chicken croquette, meatballs and two omelettes.





As I was saying earlier, if ambience if the only factor, Cuba Libre would emerged right up there. But ambience is hardly the sole factor, isn't it? Maybe if I were a bit tipsy, which I wasn't by the way, I would find Cuba Libre's offerings more satisfying. But the calamares was limp, octopus was flaccid with its accompanying potato tasted a tad flat, all the rest of the tapas were unfortunately unmemorable. And yes, the omelette, while bland, turned out to be the sole stomach filler.

There were some rumblings on Urbanspoon that Cuba Libre's pallela was a disappointment and hardly authentic. Having not ordered that, I couldn't verify but its tapas had the look but not the taste of the Spanish inspired snack. And yes, if you can afford to splurge a bit, I suggest you head towards Morito instead.

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Saponara Islington Prebend Street review - Charming Italian delicatessen with guilt free pizzas

Address: 23 Prebend Street
London N1 8PF
Tel: 020 7226 2771
Nearest Train station: Essex Road

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £15pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ***
Service: ****
Ambience: ***
“There is a nice little Italian delicatessen near the apartment as well,” the Foxtons agent said years ago when she tried pushing a property. We did get the property in the end but not because of the Italian delicatessen or even the picturesque St James’church just beside it but mainly because the rent fit our budget and that was good enough for us.

But we did end up having breakfast almost every week at the Italian delicatessen. Saponara (the delicatessen) ran by the Saponara brothers, Marco and Vincenzo, had the local round-the-corner charm. With its packed Italian inventory (“Sourced only from the best!” as Marco proclaimed to me once) served also as a convenient stop for those who were looking for any Italian provisions that one couldn’t normally find out of the mediterranean country.

While we occasionally drop by for dinner, it got a bit difficult as Saponara used to close after 7 plus in the evening. Although there had been plans to extend opening hours for quite some time, I was under the impression that it didn’t quite materialise.

Even then, Marco was always hugely friendly when we were there and greeted us with a hearty “Bonjourno!” whenever we stopped by. On one occasion, he even brought out travel guides and showed us photos of his hometown, which whereabouts I have unfortunately forgotten. After awhile, we started looking for a change of menu and our weekly visits to Saponara became fortnightly and then monthly. We eventually stop visiting altogether when we moved out of the vicinity.

A couple of weeks back, we passed by the area and thought of dropping in for a cappuccino. Marco greeted us warmly with a “So you’re back!” and went on about Saponara’s new pizza menu. Unfortunately, we had a heavy meal earlier but made a mental note to return. There were some changes made at Saponara though. Two large screen plasma TVs were perched on the walls – one tuned to Yes Italia while the other to BBC. There were also two flags hung up at the store front, that of Italy and Ferrari (no prizes for guess which team the Saponaras were behind at F1). It was a bit livelier but it was still the Saponara that we remembered.

I couldn't help but noticed the Independent article by Lucy Gillmore on the 50 best delicatessens, in which Saponara was one of the small handful mentioned in London, prominently placed on a table and dutifully duplicated by the Saponaras to be distributed among their customers.



We went back the following Saturday, scanned through the list of pizzas and ordered the Saponara (£8.95) We figured that if the pizza was named after the shop, it had to be good. When we asked how large the pizza would be, Vincenzo promptly brought out a plate to show us (around 12 inch), just nice for the two of us. As it was freshly made in the kitchen (we saw a staff prepared it), the pizza took some time to arrived.

On the first look, the toppings of sausages and fresh mushrooms could be more generous but its even spread of cheese and thin crust more than made up for it. If you are looking for Domino styled hard crust, Saponara’s pizzas probably aren’t for you. But it was one of those soft (guilt free) thin ones that keep you going for slice after slice. And that was the first time Wife didn’t pushed her share to me, which was something she normally did in a bid to reduce her carbo intake.



Its tiramisu (£3.95) collapsed into a heap when it was served to us. While it wasn't the most presentable, it did make measure up as a sinful indulgence. Those who adore their alcohol will love Saponara's tiramisu.



We had been there twice since then, slowly going through the entire pizza list. Vincenzo asked during our last visit,”So what can I get you today?”. “Well, your fabulous pizza of course!” I replied and we had a good laugh over that. This is one little Italian with loads of heart.

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Hotel Chocolat Easter Bunny Basket - lovely Easter souvenir

I have always found Easter to be a convenient time to visit Singapore since it comes with 2 bank holidays. It also makes my hunt for presents for folks back home simpler with the galore of specially designed Easter chocolate available at this time of the year.



This year, Hotel Chocolat has kindly provided me with the Easter Bunny Basket, just one out of their many Easter gift sets. The Bunny's Biscuit contains 4 chocolate designs - chocolate Easter eggs and soldiers, a bunny lolly, an Easter slab and little tiddly chicks. The chocolate eggs and soldiers will certainly make for an interesting conversation topic.





Five milk chocolate praline filled half shells with white chocolate dressed up as fried eggs accompanied by a troop of five creamy white chocolate fingers and like real toast soldiers topped off with a dollop of yellow yolk albeit chocolate ones in this case. A witty variation of the usual Easter eggs with a nod to the all time favourite breakfast food.



Given that eggs and soldiers are not all that different from our kaya toast and eggs, I am sure fans of the latter will certainly appreciate Hotel Chocolat's version! Definitely one to pack as a souvenir or just to tease the taste buds of friends who miss their toast with kaya or not!

This is a guest post by TT, a regular contributor to both London Chow | Where to eat in London and London Expat | What ELSE to do in London. Given a choice, she would survive solely on chocolates. 

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Cantina del Ponte Shad Thames review - even the Italians love it

Address: 36C Shad Thames
London SE1 2YE
Tel: 020 7403 5403
Nearest Tube station: London Bridge/Bermondsey

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £20pp (lunch set meal)
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ***
Service: *****
Ambience: ****
I am always a bit apprehensive eating near tourists spots. Call me cynical but you can hardly blame restaurant owners for cutting corners in order to maximise profits. And that was exactly what flashed across my mind when Wife redeemed a meal on Toptable at an Italian restaurant beside Tower Bridge, the mother of all attractions in London.

Perhaps the saving grace is that Cantina del Ponte is located on the south bank of the Thames. Tourists generally turn right and head towards City Hall (who wouldn’t be drawn an egg shaped structure) and HMS Belfast (and yes, a battleship as well). That leaves the restaurants in Butler Wharf, where Cantina del Ponte is, fighting for those tourists venturing up Shad Thames. Even if the tourists do walk down the picture perfect path, chances are they would be stuffed full of the cheap fish and chips peddling opposite Tower of London. To survive, these restaurants would have to be of a certain standard in order to entice Londoners.

Adorned with shelves displaying bottles of Italian wines and fresh produce including cloves of garlic, bunches of chilli, peppers and even Italian pasta, Cantina del Ponte (Wine Cellar of the Bridge) reminded me of just that in more ways than one. The spotlights illuminating the main restaurant area provided the much needed warmth hue of light given the miserable weather outside. Murals of busy market scenes filled the walls added to the ambience.

A couple of reviews I read about Cantina del Ponte pointed out that its staff had some problems with the English language. While we did notice that, the level of service was not once compromised. For lunch, other than the ala carte menu, Cantina del Ponte offers a two course set for £12 and three courses for £15, which are great deals considering that a dessert alone starts from just under a fiver. However, like most set meals, the items are restricted to just a few on the full menu.



Starter was baccala mantecato con bruschetta. The bruschetta was a bit soft, which was just the way I liked it. I have had hard crusted ones and the toppings went all over before I could even venture a bite. What we particularly like was the salt cod beaten in olive oil, which served like a smooth spread over the bruschetta. The dish could be a bit dry but nothing a splash of olive oil couldn’t remedy.



Spaghetti con le sarde was simply spaghetti with bitesize chunks of sardines. The parsley breadcrumbs tossed in it gave the spaghetti a nice rugged texture. That said, sardines being sardines, its tiny bones, which are almost impossible to be removed during preparation, was a constant irritation when we tucked into the dish. A gentleman sitting next to us ordered the same and after a few bites, set the sardines aside and went for the spaghetti only.



Petto di pollo alla Milanese con patate arrosto e rucola turned out much better than expected. Not only was the milanese chicken thicker and juicier than most that I came across, the sea salt sprinkled on it helped as well. It was quickly dispatched with mouthfuls of rocket and roast potatoes.



I am one of those who would go all out to avoid fruits or anything that contain fruits for dessert. I just couldn’t bear the taste of citrus intermixing with the heavier mains that I had. So that left us with tiramisu. Cantina del Ponte’s tiramisu came with a little chocolate powder imprint of a fork on its plate, which came across as a tad tacky. I could imagine the chef just laying a fork over the plate followed by a generous sprinkle of chocolate powder. The tiramisu itself however was of the right mix of cream and cake though I thought its alcohol content could be lesser.



All in all, we had a satisfying lunch despite the Little One fussing around halfway through the meal. While she was suitably amused by the provision display shelves not to mention the murals on the walls, the staff did come by every now and then to amuse her while we shoved our food in. In fact, this is one place that I gladly offered a gratuity above the usual 12.5% service charge.

After that, I was told by my Italian colleague that she loved Cantina del Ponte and know of others who go back on a regular basis. So the next time you’re in the area, take a walk down Shad Thames, pop by Cantina del Ponte for a meal and then have a leisure stroll along the Southbank. On a good day, that would be an experience indeed.

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Akari Essex Road Japanese restaurant review - more than just a izakaya

Address: 196 Essex Rd
London N1 8LZ
Tel: 020 7226 9943
Nearest station: Essex Road Rail Station

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £20pp
Service charge: 10%
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: ***
This is another place that we have always wanted to but never been before. Akari, which is at the intersection of Essex Road and New North Road, is some distance from Angel where the main action is. For a brief moment, we were quite contented with Tenshi and Necco and to a lesser extent Sasa Sushi, and thus find no reason to venture up Essex Road.

It was one of those Saturdays when we had to try something new and Akari came ot mind. It helped that, unlike some restaurants, Akari is open from 12pm till 11pm for the weekends with no resting period in between – it’s ideal to drop in for a light bite in the late afternoon.

My impression of Akari is that it’s a izakaya (or Japanese pub). I wouldn’t expect a pub to serve any gourmet food so we went in fully expecting light bites, determined not to get my expectations way up high like the time at Crane and Tortoise.

But it so happened that it was a long day and when we finally stumbled into Akari, we were duly famished and were looking for more than just light bites. We were, however, delighted to find out that Akari has a full size menu with a whole section on sushi and another on mains.



Wife got herself the kitsune udon (£6.50). The dish, which literally means 'fox noodles', came with a large aburaage (sweetened deep-fried pockets). Udon was chewy, stock was tasty and the accompanying greens refreshing to the palate. The aburrage was obviously the main thing here. Wife made the mistake of dispatching that way early and regretted soon after.



She asked for an additional portion of prawn tempura (£2.20) to go with her kitsune udon. The two prawn tempuras could be a bit larger though.



My pork katsu (£8.90) came in a generous portion. Served with a bowl of rice, the side salad and cucumber slices added some crunch. Interestingly, Akari served a bowl of miso soup before the actual pork katsu itself. Unlike some of those half heartedly prepared soup, Akari's came with large cubes of tofu and bits of aburaage. A fitful appetizer for the mains.



The snow crab and avocado roll (£5.50), while competently done, didn't really make a big impression on me. I figured that the avocado's milkiness and sesame seeds' nuttiness overwhelmed the bit of snow crab in the roll.



We liked Akari's cheesecake (£4.20) quite a bit though. Compact, not overly sweet or creamy, Akari's cheesecake was the subtle Japanese adaptation to the New York version. That said, the cheesecake was bordering on being bland but the caramalised brown sauce that was sparingly dripped on it provided that bit of sweetness to the dessert.



Matcha ice-cream (£4.80) was a bit overpriced in my opinion. The single scoop, like the cheesecake, lacked in the sugar department but was given a hand by caramalised brown sauce. That matcha taste came across as natural and was rather intense. That would sit well with lovers of the finely milled green tea leaves.



I found out after my visit that Akari was advertised as a izakaya. However, it felt more like a full service Japanese restaurant than not. While there is a small bar towards the end of the restaurant, which is probably suitable for lone diners, there was a wide range of customers who walked in during our meal including couples and young families with buggies and all. Service was prompt and friendly throughout.

Would I return again? Probably. But I would probably give the sushi a miss to make way for a cheesecake. Oh, Akari's menu proudly proclaims that there is no MSG in its dishes. Expect loads of umami.

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The Breakfast Club Angel Islington review - can't really see what the big fuss is about

Address: 31 Camden Passage
London N1 8EA
Tel: 020 7226 5454
Nearest Tube station: Angel

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £15pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: ****
One can always count on seeing a queue building up outside The Breakfast Club at Angel Islington’s Camden Passage on weekend mornings. In fact, The Breakfast Club is the only restaurant in that area to see any semblance of a queue, other than Pizza Express when they are offering one for one that is. Honestly, who would go to Pizza Express without one for one deals these days?

Anyway, the long queue aside, I rather enjoy the cheeky messages scribbled on the chalkboard placed strategically outside The Breakfast Club. The current one reads,"In its lifetime, the average chicken will lay enough eggs to make an omelette the size of Bradford  ” complete with a careless side scribble “that’s not true!” on its side. Well, you get the picture.



The Breakfast Club has been receiving mixed reviews online with some saying that it serves the best breakfast they have ever tasted while others lamented about its slow service. I had to try it out. Not willing to spend a good weekend morning standing in the queue, I bid my time.

The opportunity came one Monday morning. As expected, The Breakfast Club was downright quiet with maybe three tables occupied tops. There’s this bohemian laid back charm about the interior of The Breakfast Club. One could either choose to sit by the entrance, which would then be just raised above the ground level, or settle down in the interior, which was lit by a skylight. Loud fast paced music was playing in the background (“Go, Johnny, go!”) when we were there. Not very pleasant if one was nursing a hangover.



Having The Blue Legume’s breakfast in a bap in mind, Wife ordered El Butty (£4.70). A simple roll, warmed and slightly toasted, with chorizo and fried eggs, apparently eaten by Spanish builders in their morning breaks, it was a simple hearty snack.



I went for the broke and asked for The Full Monty (£9.15). Presumably that was the equivalent of McDonald’s Big Breakfast which has a bit of everything, it came with bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, hash browns, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomato, toast. Yep, pretty much a bit of everything. While it is a sumptuous breakfast, I wouldn’t exactly go out raving about it. Service was upbeat throughout; a waitress kept on popping by and asked us about our breakfast.



I couldn’t help but draw some comparison between The Blue Legume and The Breakfast Club after the meal. While The Blue Legume is as child friendly as can be, The Breakfast Club is anything but (the short flight of stairs up front is a testament of sorts). But it surely doesn’t pretend to be either. That said, The Breakfast Club is definitely somewhere to hang out with a newspaper or a wifi enabled device if you got an entire morning. However, unless we have ordered the wrong items, I can’t see why I would stand in line on an empty stomach for a table during weekend mornings.

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The Blue Legume review Islington Upper Street - salvation for parents with kids

Address: 177 Upper Street
London N1 1RG
Tel: 020 7851 7051
Nearest Tube station: Highbury & Islington

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £15pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ***
Service: ****
Ambience: ***
Having a meal with a baby in tow is always a challenge. Not only is having an intelligent conversation a technical impossibility, you’d probably have to take turns preventing utensils from flying all over while shoving bits of food into your mouth in the most efficient manner. That pretty much defeats the point of dining out.

Interestingly, parents with young children are the most desperate to dine out as such opportunities are hard to come by. Contrary to the popular belief, there is no such thing as setting a so called ‘routine’ for young ones, especially if rationality has yet to be comprehended. Instead, parents find themselves adjusting to their kids’ routine – no dinners after 8pm, no long lunches, no leisure breakfasts.

The Blue Legume, after establishing its flagship restaurant at Stoke Newington, a miniature nappy valley in itself, has opened up a second restaurant at Islington Upper Street. Halfway between Angel and Highbury & Islington Tube stations, The Blue Legume is undoubtedly the salvation of battle-scarred parents.



We arrived on a late Sunday morning and ran into a fellow couple we met at parents’ support group (yes, you do need that). They were there early and were just about to leave. We realised how wise that was as the crowd gradually built up after 11am on Sundays, and the noise level can be a bit unbearable if you are looking for a quiet meal.

Despite all that, The Blue Legume has got this calming effect with its skylight that practically illuminates the dining area towards the back of the restaurant with interesting displays that revolved around the theme of home hung up with two feet intervals on the walls. Some with baby dolls were well… I leave it up to you to form your own opinion about them though.



Churros con chocolate was one of the Specials of the Day and we placed an order for that the moment we settled down. At £5.25 for four pieces, The Blue Legume’s churros don’t come cheap. While the size and quality is way better than that at Camino, it was initially served without any chocolate. Puzzled, we asked the staff for it and he was no wiser. After a quick word with his colleague at the bar counter, he returned with a hot chocolate. Yes, a hot chocolate. Thicker than the normal hot chocolate drink perhaps but it was definitely no liquid chocolate that we had at Camino at a fraction of the price. What a bummer. That said, the churros were lightly deep fried and sprinkled with some fine sugar. A perfect morning snack (hot chocolate asisde).



Famished, I went for the cumberland sausage breakfast (£6.95). What was served, while competently done, was rather unexciting and bordering on being a bit too bland. The Blue Legume might have a really decent bulk discount on mushrooms but hey, I am not complaining.



As usual, Wife ended up with the better deal. Her breakfast in a bap (£5.50) was exactly that. Two rashes of sinful bacon topped with an egg and stuffed in between two lightly toasted baps. Again, nothing fancy here but there’s something comforting about bacon and baps (especially soft ones lightly powdered on the surface). Wife was biting into it with relish while I feasted on my bland mushrooms. That didn’t help matters.

With a baby changing room and its stacks of baby highchairs (we counted at least six) placed opposite the bar, The Blue Legume is clearly expecting loads of screamers. However, the good news is that parents with babies are generally herded towards the back end of the restaurant while the rest of the world can dine in peace up front. I’m not sure whether that’s The Blue Legume’s policy but that was what I noticed the couple of times I was there. Incidentally, the arrival of The Blue Legume so far down Upper Street may mark the gradual gentrification of the vicinity. It is a welcome addition to the area nevertheless.

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