The Corner Room Bethnal Green review - Viajante's spin-off determined to stay hidden

Address: Town Hall Hotel
Patriot Square
London E2 9NF
Tel: N/A
Nearest Tube station: Bethnal Green

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £30pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: *****
Service: ****
Ambience: ****
Interestingly, The Corner Room was one place that I turned up fully expecting not to find it or at least not without great difficulty. At least that was what I thought after reading about it on TimeOut. So you can imagine my disappointment when the staff at Town Hall Hotel promptly pointed me the way to The Corner Room with military precision,"take the lift at the corner to first floor, step out and turn left."

The Corner Room, which doubles up as the breakfast venue for guests at Town Hall Hotel, is rather smallish even compared to Marcus Wareing's Berkeley. But what it lacks in size, it made up in ambiance and service. A winding staircase leading to nowhere stands beside the cashier counter, a disused fireplace on one end with another wall adorned with hanging lamps. The entire room is amply illuminated by two large windows, which I was told is one more than its parent restaurant, Viajante.



After reading the online reviews, we knew what to order without even looking at the short menu. Even though we have trekked all the way from Angel Islington along Regents Canal, we managed to grab a bite and some drinks at Towpath Cafe and Andor Bureau along the way so we went for the mains right away.



We felt a bit peckish almost immediately after placing our orders and checked with the waitress whether the croissants were freshly made. "They are all baked barely an hour ago," came a swift reply and it was added to our order. The basket of pain au chocolat and croissant (£2.50) came soon after and that occupied us for a bit while waiting for the mains. We later realised that as the mains' portions are relatively small, the pastries served more as a stomach filler.



I can't remember when was the last time I had a really good pork dish. Without a distinct flavour like beef or lamb, it can only rely on the gravy or herbs that it is cooked in for taste. My pork and Portuguese bread pudding (£12) would probably set the benchmark for future pork dishes that I come across. Two chunks of tender roasted pork, still pink within, set over soft bread pudding crumbles. I would venture that the essence of the dish lies in the bread pudding, which is infused with herbs and a tinge of salt and chilli. The dish came with some lightly boiled young carrots split right down the middle. It all come together in a nice neat package.



The lamb rump and belly (£12) came with "true baby vegetables". Lamb invariably goes well with salsa verde and that was no exception. Like the pork, the lamb was still pink in the middle just the way it should be done. If you find your plate keep on tipping to one side when cutting the meat, it is because the plate's base is relatively small. Just do the cutting at the plate's dead centre and you'll do just fine.



We were told by the staff that The Corner Room is usually quite busy so I guess we were rather fortunate that there was only one other table occupied that afternoon. It must be that everyone else was busking in the glorious summer weather. The good news is that The Corner Room serves food all day from 12pm onwards. However, there seem to be a concerted effort to keep the restaurant under wraps as there is no online presence; it is not even mentioned on the Town Hall Hotel's website. The Corner Room doesn't accept any reservation and I suspect it's because it doesn't even have a phone number that you can call. But one thing's for sure, the food alone is well worth the trip and if need be, queue for it.

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Sea Fish Islington Upper Street review - soggy chips, period

Address: 205 Upper Street,
London N1 1RQ
Tel: 020 7354 0276
Nearest Tube station: Highbury & Islington

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £10pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: *
Service: ***
Ambience: ***
I'm feeling kind of bad right now for she was really quite pleasant. It's really not her fault that the fish and chips didn't quite make the mark; her expression made me felt downright sorry for her when I actually walked up and asked whether the chips were freshly prepared. In case you are wondering, I was referring to the sole waitress at Sea Fish.

To put things in context, there was no one else in Sea Fish when we were there one late weekday afternoon. We meant to check out Canonbury Kitchen just across Islington Upper Street but it opens only for dinner. I could never imagined that there would be places along Upper Street opening only for dinners. Well, most would open for lunches and dinners. Dinners only? Things must be going on either really well or downright bad.

Then again, there are places like Sea Fish, which is opened for the entire day. I should have sensed that something was amiss when the lunch offer "£5.50 for a regular fish and chips" was prominently displayed outside the restaurant. To give it some credit, Seafish does look rather good from the outside, for a chippy that is. Ample light, clean layout and ah, yes, good ventilation to boot. Decorated with Union Jacks all over with a single Turkish eye overlooking the main dining area at the rear.



I went for lunch offer with onion rings on the side (£1.75 for 10 pieces). Let's start with the onion rings, shall we? There was no pretence that up to a moment ago, they were still lying in the freezer. It was not that I found bits of ice in them but I couldn't recall when I last ate such soggy onion rings. But at just 17.5p each, one can hardly complain.



The fish and chips hardly fared better. Seafish's menu boasts that the food are cooked only after the order is made. If that's true, I must have called and ordered yesterday without realising it. Fine, I exaggerated. But that didn't stop me from marching up to the waitress asking whether the chips were freshly cooked for it was served soggy and cold. It was that bad. The slab of fish, though fared marginally better, could be fresher.



A dad with his kid came in after us and ordered a scampi dish. They walked out before we finished our meal leaving four of the ten scampi untouched. Now, have you met a kid who would leave scampi untouched? That said, if you are in the area between lunch and dinner times, and looking for a fry up, I suppose Sea Fish is your stop but don't get your hopes up high. A pity really, with such a cosy interior (even comes with a small exterior seating right at the back), if only the food is a bit better.

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Poppies (Spitafields) Fish & Chips review - rifles, jukebox, CRT TV and oh, fish & chips too

Address: 6 - 8 Hanbury Street,
London E1 6QR
Tel: 020 7247 0892
Nearest Tube station: Shoreditch High Street

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £20pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ****
Service: ****
Ambience: ****
We first came across Poppies Fish & Chips (Spitalfields) while dining at Sichuan Folk, which is just a couple of doors down along Hanbury Street. Actually, we saw the Poppies' distinctive takeaway wrapper. Imagine Selfridges' yellow bag, you can spot one a mile away. Poppies doesn't use the run of the mill white oil soaker. Instead, its uses newspaper, or what looks like it, as wrappers. That, and its cheerfully lit interior is a crowd puller.

We were at Brick Lane a couple of weeks later and decided to check out whether the fish and chips at Poppies is as good as the shop looks.

In many aspects, Poppies reminded me of an American diner in Covent Garden, which name I could no longer recall. "You mean 'fries'," he replied with a noticeable drawl when I asked for chips. That diner also came with a menu that has an entire section dedicated to sodas and sundaes.



You can't miss the huge jukebox tucked in a corner at Poppies. I was somewhat disappointed to find out that it didn't work as I was fully prepared to empty all my change for cheesy tunes. Perched high up on a wall is an assortment of eclectic props - including an analog radio, CRT TV, an accordion and even a Nestle chocolate vending machine - not working in case you are wondering.

There is even a smaller dining area towards the back of the restaurant if you fancy some privacy; vintage advert posters and photos of old London adorn the walls.



We went for the haddock and chips (£9.50). Always haddock instead of cod as I find the former's firmer texture more agreeable. Poppies' haddock cooked in groundnut oil was fresh and light to the palate - a rarity for a relatively heavy dish. I wish I could say the same for its chips though for they were limped and almost tasted sad. The homemade tartar sauce was the saving grace. Unlike those arrived from the factory, the homemade variety is always subtle yet creamy.



The plate used for calamari rings (£4.95) did the side dish in (the photo above was taken the moment it was served, untouched). It looked like what was served in army barracks by cooks with tattooed arms thicker than their necks. Presentation aside, the calamari was battered nicely an retained its chewiness.

You can be forgiven for thinking that Poppies' main money revenue stream is its tea. At £1.50 per cup, it was the smallest cup of tea that I have seen the whole of London. And nope, it doesn't come with teabags and is non-refillable. That said, the staff quickly offered to refill it when we expressed our surprise.

Unless I am mistaken, I don't think there's a decent chippy near Brick Lane and Spitalfields Market. Poppies, with its clean layout, friendly staff and prominent location is set to be pulling in crowds. But be prepared to pay a bit more for your fish and chips. And oh, they call it chips, not fries.


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Assaggetti Haymarket review Italian small plates - a first taste

Address: 71 Haymarket,
London SW1Y 4RW
Tel: 020 7839 3939
Nearest Tube station: Piccadilly Circus

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: N/A (pre-launch)
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ****
Service: N/A (pre-launch)
Ambience: N/A (pre-launch)
"This is like a real Italian meal. A bit of everything, wine flowing with people seating round a table, just chatting and enjoying their food," Stefano Fraquelli, the founder of Metropolitan Restaurants, exclaimed. He then turned round and gave me a pat on the shoulder, "another glass of the best red wine ever?". That basically summed up the meal we shared with Kerstin (The English Can Cook), Helen (Food Stories), Chris (Cheese and Biscuits), Rejina (Gastrogeek) and Alix on a barge that was going up and down from Little Venice to Camden Town.

I did my bit of research before turning up that chilly evening. "What's assaggini?" I asked an Italian colleague whom I relied on whenever I need a reliable recipe for likes of tiramisu or carbonara. "Well, call it the Italian tapas if you will," she explained, "it's not exactly traditional but has become somewhat popular in northern Italy." Armed with that bit of knowledge and my trusty camera, I poked my head into the cosy barge just before the first rain drops hit.

Apart from being offered a sandwich on a dodgy river boat while cruising along Chao Phraya when I was in Bangkok years ago (which each bite was taken in trepidation in full anticipation that it would be drug laced), I've never really dined on a boat before. It was much cosier than expected and perhaps for the same reason, the atmosphere round the table was jollier as well.

Assaggetti, the newest restaurant under Metropolitan Restaurants will be open for business in end June at Haymarket. I wouldn't blame you if that sets off any alarm bells for as the conventional wisdom goes, restaurants along that particular stretch are tourist traps at best. But from what we were fed on the barge that evening, Assaggettimight just buck the trend.



Pugliese olives (£1.20), known for their size and intense colour were laid invitingly on the table when we arrived. "Something to drink?" Andrea Fraquelli, who's Stefano's son and manages the restaurants, stepped out from the barge's kitchen. Upon hearing that I would prefer something light, he poured me a glass of aperol. According to him, the light liqueur (11%) counts among one of Italians' favourite. But one thing I know for sure, it does go down well with the olives.



We were warned that due to obvious limitation at the kitchen onboard, we would only be served cold dishes. Gaspacho (£2.50), a cold tomato-based, raw vegetable soup was up next. It is a curious concoction - cold tomato soup with a generous sprinkle of olive oil and a dash of tabasco. It has got this palate cleansing effect and left me a bit hungrier as I lapped it all up.



As a kid, I love my tuna sandwiches. It does seem a tad odd now but I recall stocking up cans and cans of tuna for breakfast during my army days. Even till this day, I've got a soft spot for salt water fish. That's probably the reason why I love the stuffed artichokes and peppers (£2.50). The artichokes and peppers are boiled in vinegar till al dente before being stuffed with tuna (oh, yes!) and then marinated with virgin olive oil to give it a polished taste. This is one of those things that you should finish in a single mouthful each. It is that satisfying.



Tuscan ham, salami and parmigiano reggiano was up next. Served on one of those fashionable wooden platter with a dribble of truffle honey, it was a delectable bite. Interestingly, Tuscan ham is a combination of pork and wild boar, combining the meatiness of the former and the texture of the latter, it also come heavily spiced.



The vitello tonnato (£9) or sliced veal come with a thin layer of creamy sauce infused with tuna, olive oil and a whole host of other seasonings including egg yolks, anchovies, cayenne pepper, lemon and capers. Unlike the dry slices that you would normal expect, you could easily twirl a huge chunk round a fork before downing it. Another nicely done dish.



The squid and mango salad (£3.50) was an apt refresher after a bout of anchovies (£2.50) marinated with garlic, chilli and Tuscan olive oil.



Burrata was evidently the favourite among those present. Andrea pointed out that it is imported directly from Italy and had to be placed under careful storage to maintain its texture. Simply perched on a slice of cherry tomato, you could taste the subtle freshness of the mozzarella and cream.



Beef carpaccio is another curious one. Perhaps the closest cousin would be the steak tartare.The beef carpaccio is less fine and held together by olive oil infused with truffle with a spot of parmesan cheese. Not exactly for those who are adverse to raw meat but I must say that the truffles makes it much better. This one is an acquired taste.



I have come across quite a bit of tiramisu of late. Some so hard that they can be mistaken for the common sponge cake, some could hardly qualify as a "pick me up" as they collapsed into a heap and others hard so much cocoa powder sprinkled over them that could trigger a whopping cough. Assaggetti's tiramisu (£2.50) is definitely one of the better ones. The best thing is that it is served in a small cookie jar. Now that would make a good conversation piece.



To wind down the meal, we were served wild berry panna cotta (£2.50). It is said that panna cotta or Italian cooked cream originates from northern Italy. But regardless of where it comes from, the cream, which is eaten with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis, are apparently enjoyed by Italians all over. Even without the berries, I enjoyed the light subtly sweet milky taste.

Lovely company, fabulous food, on a barge along Regents Canal no less. The constant pitter pattering of the raindrops hardly dented the atmosphere. I am looking forward to the Assaggetti's opening.

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Brindisa tapas Borough Market review - the best tapas bar experience in London

Address: 18-20 Southwark St,
London SE1 1TJ
Tel: 020 7357 8880
Nearest Tube station: London Bridge

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £20pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ****
Service: ***
Ambience: *****
Given that it's one of the most popular tapas places beside one of the most popular markets in London, I was surprised to get a table without queuing. "Brindisa?" a friend remarked when I told her about it, "isn't that the place which is always packed?" Actually, that's true unless you turn up at an ungodly 11am for a bout of tapas brunch. You'll be sure to get a seat even on a brilliant Saturday morning.

Having read reviews on Brindisa about how it's the closest to an authentic Spanish tapas bar in London, we were fully expecting the hustle and bustle of the tapas bars we checked out in Spain. Unlike the typical restaurant setting, the tapas bar is relatively chaotic; you could be picking at your tapas at the bar counter, tall tables with bar stools, standard tables with proper chairs, alfresco and even on an extended window ledge. And Brindisa is all that.



With several metallic ceiling fans, a long mirror on one end with a prominent picture of black pigs marching across a plain, and a fully Spanish staff hurrying about, you could be very well be in a fancy tapas bar in Madrid.



Black squid rice (£6.50) is the mandatory stomach filler in any tapas meal and that was exactly what we got. Unlike any of the tapas places that we have been to in London, Brindisa's black squid rice came with a whole chunk of squid sitting nicely on top of the rice. The lightly battered squid reminded me of the one we had at Morito. We were beginning to wonder whether that was all the squid that we got until I found bits of chopped up squid mixed into the rice. Nice.

The squid though battered retained much of its chewiness. Rice was wetter than expected but the introduction of a spoonful of alioli made all the difference. The tinge of mustard coupled with the squid ink is indeed a winning combination.



A staff was busy slicing chorizo behind the bar and we just had to order some. Iberico de bellota chorizo (£5.25) was a good size serving. The acorn fed chorizo came with a small bowl of tubular biscuits (I'm sure they have a more elegant name) that provided the crunch with the chorizo slices.



Our one of five-a-day came in the form of Catalan spinach (£5.75). Lightly tossed in the pan, it came with pine nuts and raisins. Absolutely refreshing, it was a palate cleanser indeed.



Personally, I don't mind offals or any animal body parts. But I do draw the line at tongues, brains and reproductive organs. Brindisa's sautéed chicken livers (£5.90) came with manzanilla and vanilla was accompanied by bruschetta and onion slices. A very presentable tapas dish with a full body taste. Tender chicken liver does go well with slightly damped bruschetta.



To wind up the light meal, we had arroz con lecha (£3.50). The cold rice pudding came with a thin layer of cinnamon on top and I suspect it is one of those dessert that is an acquired taste (think rice and milk) Served in a small chilled metallic pan, it could very well be the thing to have for that one hot English summer day in the entire year.



Prominently located at the entrance to the Borough Market, Brindisa is no doubt one of the most popular restaurants in the area for Londoners and tourists alike. The next time you drop by Borough Market, I would suggest that you give the banger rolls a miss and save your stomach for some delectable tapas at Brindisa. In case you are wondering, the thickly sweet olorosa abocado alameda (£4.75 per glass) goes really well with meat tapas.

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Kentish Canteen review Kentish Town - family friendly restaurant with a mean linguine

Address: 300 Kentish Town Road,
London NW5 2TG
Tel: 0207 485 7331
Nearest Tube station: Kentish Town,

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £20pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ****
Service: ****
Ambience: ****
“We must learn how to make this,” Wife muttered under her breath as she downed another mouthful of the linguine. We were just talking about how important it is to have a repertoire of dishes that we can conjure up with relative ease whenever we have visitors. As I helped myself to Wife’s crab, lemon and chilli linguine (£10.50), it was clear that we have found ourselves a winner. We loved how the lemon zest and the chilli’s mild spiciness complemented each other. Well, the generous portion of crab meat helped as well. That was exactly what I would want to serve my guests.

Kentish Canteen, a stone’s throw away from Kentish Town Tube station, had kindly invited us for a meal over the weekend. Having read Giles Coren’s write up on the restaurant earlier, our expectations were raised somewhat that afternoon.



In many ways, Kentish Canteen didn’t disappoint. Walking along Kentish Town Road, it was quite clear that Kentish Canteen was one of the few places to have a nice meal in the vicinity. It was probably the place to go for a ‘night’s out’ for those who didn’t want to travel far.

The restaurant had the mark of a family friendly restaurant. A large photo montage dominated one wall, which together with large metallic lamp bobs would entertained the little ones for awhile. Checked. Toddlers’ chairs were provided upon request. Checked. Baby changing facilities on the ground floor. Checked. No tablecloth for pulling. Checked. The menu clearly stated that they would accommodate a child’s needs (I’m thinking reduced salt). Checked. When a parent was struggling to get through the door with his baby stroller, the manager leapt to his assistance. Checked.

But for those looking to chill, Kentish Canteen had a well stocked bar on the side as well. And true to form, the families tended to settle in the main dining area while singles and couples congregated near the bar area when we were there.





Starters came in the form of thai-style fishcake with a sweet cucumber vinegar dip chargrilled chicken caesar’s salad with reggiano. The fishcakes (£6.25) had nice consistency and went quite with the mild acidic dip. If you are going for this, I would suggest nibbling through it to savour the subtle taste instead of downing it in a single mouthful. The nicely seasoned chargrilled chicken (£5.95) was toasted nicely with a tinge of the sought after smoky taste. All that was aptly tempered with slices of half melted reggiano.



Other than the fabulous crab linguine, we had the mandatory beef burger with bacon and cheese (£9.75). However, while the burger was decent, the highlight of the dish for me was the homemade fries. A bit burnt, which was the way I liked it, they were a bit denser than the frozen supermarket variety and could be rather addictive.



Dessert was lavender creme brûlée (£4.25). Though I thought that the caramelised crust was a tad thick, the lavender aftertaste of the custard base was unmistakable. An interesting take on the otherwise mundane dessert dish I would say.







Kentish Canteen has the unmistakable charm of a small town restaurant. Set in the heart of Kentish Town, this is one must try if you are in the vicinity. Be sure to check out its crab linguine. Can't go wrong with that really. Now all I need is its recipe.

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