New Regency Old Street Indian Restaurant - the familiar lamb biryani

Address: 96 Old Street
London EC1V 9AY
Tel: 020 7336 8636
Nearest Tube station: Old Street / Barbican
Make a reservation
Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £15pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ***
Service: **
Ambience: ***
As a kid, I used to attend quite a number of Indian weddings. While a number were invitations from our neighbours, most were from close family friends.

No doubt none were as lavish as the ones in India (from what Ab told me), they were still a spectacle. Loud thumping Bollywood styled music, rows of tables with colourful trimmings and all. All food served were prepared on site in a small open air enclosure by the side. Cauldrons of curry and biryani, the air was infused with spices. My mouth still waters whenever I think of that.

Some required us to queue up with an empty plate for a buffet style meal while others would have dishes brought to you usually by the extended family of the bride and bridegroom. I had quite a healthy appetite back then and never failed to ask for seconds. It must been a sight to see a six year old wolfing down all the biryani. They would have thought that Mum had starved me. To the contrary, she always made me a snack before any wedding lest I "choked myself on the food". But I'm not sure whether that helped.

That was a convoluted way of telling you that I grew up loving biryani. Whenever I'm in a hawker centre back home I'd head to a biryani stall, only to go for Hainanese chicken rice if I can't find one. A lamb biryani would be my preference but one with a huge roast chicken drumstick would do just fine.

That was how we ended up at New Regency Indian Cuisine Restaurant, an Indian takeaway/ delivery/ full service restaurant at Old Street. We were in the area and Sedap, our local Malaysian haunt, isn't open for Saturday afternoons.

Wife thought that New Regency Indian Cuisine Restaurant looked a tad dubious but my craving for lamb biryani overruled any rationality. We were the only ones there throughout the meal (see Pride of Siam). There were two staff present (both are owners apparently, more on that later). One promptly came over to take our orders. His face noticeably fell when we ordered just one main (like I said, Wife wasn't keen at all). Can't blame him really, we might had been his only customers that afternoon. Wine or beer to go with biryani? No thanks. He looked positively hurt to the extent that I asked for a lamb sheek, papadum and a naan as well to redeem myself.



The masala papadum (50p each) was good on its own. Spicy, crisp and light, it was somewhat marred by the chutney, which I suspect was freshly scooped up from one of those wholesale market tubs. Quite unlike those at Dehli Grill.



Lamb sheek (£3.95) looked rather desolate. Other than that, it was a joy. Not too compact yet not crumbly, the lamb sheek separated easily in the mouth. A slice of lemon came together with it. Wedged in a clip that looked more at home on a clipboard, a simple squeeze extracted the citrus juice over the lamb sheek. Nicely done without fuss. Why didn't anyone else think of that?



At £7.25, New Regency's lamb biryani is a bargain. A small pot of piping hot biryani with chunks of lamb and a bowl of vegetable curry to top it up - it is literally a meal on its own. The biryani was cooked uniformly in spices (cardamom was especially noticeable) and the lamb was soft and tastefully marinated.



Peshwari naan (£2.75) left a deep impression. The almond and caramelised sultana made the naan sweet on its own. Slightly crisp charred surface with puffed soft interior. The piece was torn apart and finished in record time.

Other than the initial order, the staff almost never approached our table whenever we requested for service - they prefer to raise their voice across the restaurant. Not that they were busy (we were the only around, remember?) - one was slouched over the counter while the other was toying with his stack of two pound coins (the unmistakable heavy thuds). While paying, I casually asked one (with the coins) whether he owns the business. He mumbled something about him being the co-owner with the other guy (the sloucher) while staring very hard at the counter top all the while. Fascinating. I would expect them to be more enthusiastic (Sen Viet's owner is a prime example).

Despite that, I'm going to stick out my neck and say that I find the food at New Regency Indian Cuisine rather agreeable. It does takeaways and delivery as well. Offering a 10% discount for students and NHS staff dining in with a free bottle of wine for a table of four, it'd do well in Old Street area. Biryani anyone?
Make your reservation via Toptable now



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Po Cha Covent Garden Korean Restaurant - a no frills eat

Address: 56 St Giles High Street
London WC2H 8LH
Tel: 020 7379 7381
Nearest Tube station: Tottenham Court Road

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £10pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: **
It's funny how far one has to walk for a simple meal. Especially when you are in the middle of Soho surrounded by restaurants and eateries. I blame it on the timing - MC and I were stranded outside National Gallery after a failed bid to get into the Leonardo da Vinci's exhibition at Sainsbury Wing. We didn't fancy waiting for half a day just to get in; instead we decided to walk around a bit before grabbing lunch.

Ducksoup along Dean Street wasn't open for business yet, Cote Brasserie was packed, so was Princi. Rasa Sayang Express looked a bit dingy and the noodle place MC brought me to had closed down. We ended up at Centre Point after a mini tour of Soho.

The mere mention of Centre Point brought two things to mind - the Centre Point Food Store and a bunch of eateries seating opposite it across the bus terminal. Few tourists if any venture here - Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square are enough for them. For that reason, Po Cha was packed with locals when MC and I walked in just around noon time.



Po Cha isn’t exactly a hole in the wall but it’s not far from that either. It is cosy for one with tables lined up right side by side. You could literally listen in to the conversation on the next table and that is if you haven’t accidently elbowed them while manueveouring your chopsticks. Else you could sit on the bar counter instead. Even then, it can get quite cram.

Space isn’t the only thing Po Cha is economic about. The same can be said to its one page menu spartanly organized into noodles, rice, mains and beverages. All items go for £6.50 and ‘services’ (pickled vegetables) is complimentary.


Po Cha's spicy pork rice

MC went for the bulgogi rice while I went for the spicy pork rice. Both dishes came soon after our orders were taken. After Wife and I stop heading to Korean Kitchen, we haven’t really tried Korean cuisine. While Po Cha’s spicy pork rice wasn’t the most inspiring, I find it rather palatable. It was more sweet than spicy and if you are looking for kimchi flavoured pork, you would be sorely disappointed for “it didn’t taste of kimchi” as MC put it. Likewise, MC’s bulgolgi rice was sweet as well, perhaps a tad too sweet for my liking.

Almost immediately after we emptied our plates, a staff came over and proceeded to clear our table. “Oh, I don’t mean to rush you. It’s just that I want to give you more space,” he reassured us. If so, they have a strange way of doing that – the bill was pushed onto our table the moment he was done clearing the table. Subtlety isn’t their forte. Otherwise, the staff were rather pleasant and prompt in their services.

A queue was gradually building outside Po Cha as we left a moment later. Po Cha clearly appeals to the younger crowd; I felt positively ancient amongst its customers. One thing is for sure though – Po Cha does give the chop shops at Chinatown a run for their money. That’s if the hungry souls are willing to make their way to Centre Point.




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North Road Restaurant St John Street review - simple, elegant and well executed

Picture from North Road Restaurant

Address: 69 St John Street,
London EC1M 4AN
Tel: 020 3217 0033
Nearest Tube station:
Barbican/ Farringdon

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £25pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ****
Service: ****
Ambience: ****
TT don't often take a break. When she does, she eats well. This time round, it's a trip to North Road Restaurant.

It was a few years ago. I was on holiday in Copenhagen with a couple of friends and having completed our sightseeing earlier than expected and with time on our hands, we sought out a restaurant highly recommended by the guidebooks. Alas it was full and the receptionist seemed bemused that we thought we could get a table without reservations despite it being a weekday. Of course I didn't know it then but I had missed out on the chance to dine at Noma now reputedly the world's best restaurant.

We didn't manage to dine at any of Copenhagen's finer dining establishments that trip so when I found that a modern Danish restaurant had opened near St John's to good reviews, I made a note to go. I was at North Road Restaurant on a chilly autumn day and found its tastefully decorated warmly lit rooms very welcoming.

It was a rather quiet day they had probably only three covers. I went for their set lunch menu which at £20 for 3 courses seemed value for money for such a restaurant. The bread rolls were served in a quaint little tent secured by a peg. Very fresh, one of the better breads I had in a while.

I had raw cured scallops for my starter accompanied by brown butter mayo and coastal herbs with sprinkles of rye. It was love on first taste. I loved how the salt was balanced off by the edge in the herbs and how the soft flesh of the scallops contrasted with the crunchy rye.

I had Herdwick mutton rump for my main which came with wafer thin Jerusalem artichokes and little butter-like balls speckled with sea salt apparently fashioned from the oils in which the meat was cooked. It was good, the flesh was just the right shade of red and while the meat yielded easily to the knife it had just the right amount of bounce and bite.

Poached pear served with birch ice cream was my desert. It was a simple dish but very well executed. The service was very attentive, perhaps due to the small number of covers that day. There was a misunderstanding over my choice of desert, the service staff thought I had ordered a different desert but replaced it with a smile and without fuss.

I had a lovely time and am now a fan of the Danish way of cooking. Now if only I had tried Noma...

This is a guest post by TT, a regular contributor to London Chow and London Expat.  




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Banana Tree (Soho Wardour Street) review - Fruitless Banana Tree

Address: 103-109 Wardour Street,
London W1F 0UQ
Tel: 020 7437 1351
Nearest Tube station:
Leicester Square / Tottenham Court Road

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £20pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ***
Service: ****
Ambience: ***
MC and T report on a meal hosted by Banana Tree. No fancy words (they have got no time for that) and they say it as it is. Here's their verdict.

The restaurant is located about two thirds of the way down Wardour street from Oxford street. As we walked down Wardour street we passed by many other restaurants before getting to Banana Tree at Soho. Though it's the only Indochina restaurant in the vicinity, it faces stiff competition from the wide variety of choices along the street.

Ambience:

My first impression of the restaurant was it reminded me of Cha Cha Moon, Wagamama and the Busaba Eathai but with an Indochina twist.

The restaurant has similar long rectangular communal tables which is great for big gatherings and groups. The restaurant has level access at pavement level for prams or wheelchairs and plenty of space to park prams but apparently no high chairs for children.

The walls were a bit empty and lacking décor. It would be nice to have some pictures of Life in the old Indochina and give people a feeling of nostalgic charm. The staff was extremely friendly, you can't fault them on service.

Starters: 

We ordered Ba Kwa and the some Indonesian tapioca crackers with satay sauce. The satay peanut sauce was delicious. The crackers come with the option of the chilli dip.

The Ba Kwa or grilled pork jerky (£3.80 for two strips) turned out be smaller than I had expected. The bakwa tasted more like dry bacon but they were at least hot from the oven. I thought that they were a bit overpriced. I am not sure I would ever order them again.

Mains: 

We ordered 4 main dishes and shared them among us.



a) ‘Ying yang’ Laksa – great taste, nice aroma, delicious but some people would probably prefer it a bit more chilli hot but we enjoyed it and the soup was nice. They were different style and flavour that we had at Hare and tortoise, chop chop but I felt the taste and quality were definitely more superior.



b) Legendary rendang was the highlight of the meal and it really lived up to its name. The dish came with an oriental salad and a bowl of rice. All of us unanimously love it and it was the first dish to be finished. We thought it was way much better than Satay House and Jom Makan.

c) Kway tiao mee – we were expecting a char kway tiao like those served at Cha Cha Moon but it was simply just stir fried noodles - mee (noodles) without kway tiao (pho). It was good but we were slightly disappointed it was not the variety we were hoping for.

d) Lastly we had the soupy pho with braised shitake. To be honest, the pho was nice but nothing as authentic and close to Vietnamese Pho I had in Cay Tre and Sen Viet. Unless you need a quick fix for Vietnamese pho, I would try a different dish next time.

We noticed that there was no nasi lemak (coconut fragrant rice) on the menu. It would have been nice to have a couple of dishes with banana leaves on it that relate to the name of Banana Tree. It was a shame that there were also no dessert menu to complete our dinner either. Maybe, they can introduce some bananas fritters with ice cream.

Verdict:

The restaurant is reasonably priced and eminently suitable for theatre goers. Will we go again? Yes if we are in the area. Then again, Banana Tree doesn't really have the wow factor (for me at least). With the wide restaurants and eateries selection in Soho, who knows?

A guest post by MC and T. They love their pho to bits. 




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Patara review London Soho Greek Street - fine Thai dining indeed

Address: 15 Greek Street,
London W1D 4DP
Tel: 020 7437 1071
Nearest Tube station:
Leicester Square / Tottenham Court Road

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £50pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ****
Service: *****
Ambience: ****
Have you ever wondered what guys talk about over dinner? In the absence of their girlfriends/wives (select one) and little ones (delete if appropriate), that is. Well, after a while they would run out of dirty jokes and an uncomfortable silence reigns. It's especially bad if there are only two of them at the table - staring into each others' eyes and giggling clearly isn't an option.

It's not that bad for Singaporean guys. At least we can recount the two and the half years spent plowing through thick forests in the middle of the night wearing camouflage and layering ourselves with generous lubes of mosquito repellant. But after awhile, even the most garang of us all ran out of tall tales to tell. Like I said, we would prefer not to stare into each others' eyes in silence.

So we talked about the food on our table instead. YQ was in town again a couple of days back and I asked him to go along for a dinner hosted by Patara. Having done a bit of reading up beforehand, I immediately notices that it was given an average rating of 8.2 on Toptable based on over 600 ratings (at the time of writing). I was told that any restaurant rated 8.0 and above would be quite decent so we were in for a treat it seemed.

Like most invitations, I asked the staff for recommendation and she immediately pointed to the deep fried oysters, which Patara is serving till end November 2011. A mandatory tom yum goong was quickly added at YQ's request. As we flipped through Patara's menu, it became apparent that Patara is one of the few Thai restaurants in London which menu is still entirely in Thai save for the description of the dishes themselves. Not only that, Patara not only boosts a number of branches in London but can also be found in Singapore's Tanglin Mall too.



Incidentally, Patara is the only Thai restaurant in London that serves freshly squeezed naam manaaw (lime juice). This traditional drink is an appetizer like none other and definitely goes much better with Thai dishes than any of the wine available. Patara's naam manaaw is exactly how I remembered it to be - utterly refreshing and palate cleansing.



The Maldon Rock Oysters (three for £5.50) came soon after. "What a waste," YQ quietly remarked. He wasn't commenting on the freshness of the oysters. Being a purist, he prefers to have his oysters raw. In his opinion, asking for a deep fried oyster is likened to ordering a deep fried fish in a Chinese restaurant - one can no longer taste the freshness in it. I wasn't too hung up about that and thought that flash fried oysters tasted more pleasant than expected, especially with a squeeze of lemon.



YQ adored Patara's tom yum goong (£7.15) though. The prawn bisque infused with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf came full of fat juicy prawns and squid, which were probably as fresh as they could get. The tom yum was a bit too succinct for my liking and lacked the kick that I was looking for. But this would be a good one to try for those who have a penchant for subtlety.



Miang guaytiew (£8.95) came highly recommended and I wonder why. The rice paper rolls with prawns, crabmeat and five spiced duck turned out to be quite a disappointment. While I couldn't quibble about the prawns, the crabmeat turned out to be the frozen crabsticks stocked in supermarkets. The duck was equally unimpressive. To get any taste out of this, we had to dunk each piece in the accompanying lime and chilli dip, which nullified any differences between the three.



Kao ob sapparod (£7.10) or pineapple seafood fried rice looked a bit over the top with a huge scallop perched at the top, generous slices of squid and a number of jumbo prawns thrown in for good measure. I guess by then we were quite certain that Patara prided itself on the freshness of its seafood and for good reasons too. There was however, just a slight hint of pineapple in the rice. As for turmeric, we almost missed that.



Nua prig Thai dum (£17.95) would please any beef fans. Thinly sliced tender beef fillets sauteed in cracked (thus gritter) black pepper sauce were laid on top of shitake mushroom and poached broccoli with a sprinkling of deep fried shallots over it. Brilliantly executed, I thought the broccoli, which quickly soaked up the peppery gravy took the cake. One would do well using the beef fillet with a wrap over mushroom and broccoli.



Next up was gang kia goong (£14.10). This strong coconut curry came across as a bit too liberal with its salt. The unmistakable strong peppery taste of betalnut cut cleanly through the kaffir lime and turmeric. Curiously, it reminded me of the smoky keluak nuts that I had at Candlenut Kitchen back home. Oh, there were huge fresh prawns in the concoction too, need I say more?



Pak choy pad hed horm (£6.50) was ordered almost as an afterthought - we thought it would be apt to balance our seafood feast with some greens. A simple dish it was and the pak choy was nicely cooked and retained much of its crunch.



Dessert came in the form of kaoneow nanyang (£7.10). After repeatedly getting sour mangoes at Isarn, I was all ready for a proper Thai mango dessert. Patara's was right at the mark. Its mango was not overly ripe and sweet to the taste. Coconut cream oozed over soft glutinous rice with some sesame seeds on it. Heavenly.



Tart sangkaya (£6.65) was a soft Thai custard pudding, like huat kueh (steam rice cakes) as suggested by YQ. We agreed that the ginger ice-cream went extremely well with the pudding. An apt end to the dinner that evening I must say.

Located in Greek Street in London's Soho, Patara is in the company of a number of popular eating establishments (Yauatcha, Bar Shu, Princi, Koya and @Siam are a few names coming off the top of my head), but looking at the crowd on a Tuesday evening (we counted two sittings), it is certainly one of the more popular ones. Fiery Thai cuisine it's not but in terms of service and presentation, it's in a league of its own.




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El Paso Old Street review - a very filling burrito that missed the mark

Address: 350-354 Old Street,
London EC1V 9NQ
Tel: 020 7739 4202
Nearest Tube station: Old Street

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £15pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: ***
We can never be tired of Columbia Flower Market. It's a good thirty minutes trek to Columbia Market from out place, just right for a light morning walk but not enough to tire ourselves out. It certainly helps that there are a couple of designated pitstops along the way should the need arises - Cay Tre and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen being just two of them.

We were walking past Cay Tre when my stomach protested. While I certainly didn't mind a hot piping pho (given the chilly weather) I would much prefer something new. That was when I caught sight of El Paso just across the road. A spicy hot burrito is just the substitute for a hot broth. Brilliant!

Things just got better when we crossed the road and stood outside El Paso. "Free Wifi" was displayed prominently on a signboard. There was barely a handful of souls in the restaurant. Funny how the things I look out for in a restaurant when LO is with us. The emptier, the better. With her in a rather compliant mood, the last thing we need is a group who finds it an absolutely need to yell over each other in a desperate need to get heard. For those who think that a long queue outside is a sole indication of good food, well, The Breakfast Club comes immediately to mind.

With ample seating on the ground floor and walls filled with murals, there was an unmistakable chic air about El Paso. Wife gave a short gasp. I followed her gaze and saw a chap peering at us through a seat pod's opening on the first floor. Yep, more seating upstairs in case you are wondering.

Menu came in un-laminated pieces of paper fastened with staplers. The Greens will be pleased that El Paso recycles its menus as they were promptly retrieved after we placed our orders.



With a growling stomach, I went for the most substantial item on the brunch menu - steak burrito (£8). Interestingly, my penchant for steak burrito didn't start at San Franciso when I first tasted. Instead it was at Wahaca (the Canary Wharf's branch to be precise). Without fail, that would be the item I go for every single time I lunch at Wahaca. Not very adventurous I'm afraid but I simply refuse to waste my calories intake on something unproven. Don't fix it if it ain't broken, especially when you are past your peak metabolism age.

But lately I am disappointed by Wahaca's British steak burrito. Not only they have increased its price (which I am perfectly fine with) but they have decreased the its filling (which I am not ok with). Wahaca tried to disguise it by folding in the buritto's tortilla. Cheeky, isn't it?

In that respect, El Paso's came out tops. Its steak burrito was substantial. With a healthy serving of peppers and hand cut tortilla chips with salsa, it covered all bases. But it went somewhat downhill from there on. Its filling consisted mainly of lightly flavoured rice and beans. Whatever steak present could be better marinated - I swore I could still taste the water in the meat. A handy bottle of Cholula hot sauce rode to the rescue. Instead of melting the cheese in the burrito, El Paso decided to lay it on the burrito itself, which totally defeated the point if you ask me.



Wife's scrambled eggs and chorizo (£5.50) was served on toasted ciabatta. I find it odd that anyone would take the trouble of toasting a piece of bread and then lay oily food on it, only to turn the bread soggy in an instant. The dish was a soggy piece but a healthy one with the watercress, chilli and peppers. The chorizo with scrambled eggs mixture did remind me of the Chinese sausages with scrambled eggs Mum used to conjure up in an instant whenever I was feeling peckish as a kid. On that account, I didn't mind the dish too much and promptly polished it off when Wife couldn't finish it.

El Paso reminds me of The Big Chill House; I probably wouldn't go there for its food but it certainly tops my list of places to chill if you have a whole day to burn. The free wifi helps lots too. There was a guy who was sitting in front of us hunching over his MacBook. He looked like he had been there since last week. As if to prove me right, he was still at his seat when we walked past El Paso again on our way back from Columbia Flower Market three hours later. Tiempo!




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The Brasserie review Islington Upper Street - crackling made my day

Address: 170 Upper Street,
London N1 1RG
Tel: 020 7288 9222
Nearest Tube station:
Highbury & Islington

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: Below £15pp
Service charge: 10%
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: ***
It wasn’t meant to be. We were on our way to The Blue Legume for breakfast. Not that we especially adore Blue Legume but it’s definitely the place to go with a little one tagging along. Besides, you’d hard pressed to find a decent place that’s open for breakfast on a Saturday. Wife pointed out that Cote Brasserie is opening up a branch just beside Slug & Lettuce. But that wouldn’t be open till the end of the year. Since Cote Brasserie has apparently signed a 20 year lease for the shop, there’s no hurry to really.

We walked past Pizza Hut along Upper Street towards Blue Legume and would have missed The Brasserie if not for a two guys sat sprawling on the one of the two tables laid outside The Brasserie. We stopped to peer at the menu on the wall. “Have one,” one of the guy handed a menu to me. We felt obliged to step in thereafter. Well, we were in the mood to try something new anyway.

There was only a mother in the restaurant, unless you consider her baby/toddler who was busy slugging scrambled eggs all over. Upon seeing LO, the staff quickly offered a sturdy highchair. I just love it when there’s another child in the restaurant. At least there would be someone to occupy LO while we gobble down our food.



The light music playing in the background put us in a better mood already. Nothing really stood out in The Brasserie’s menu so I went for the obvious option. Its English Breakfast (£8.90) wasn’t exactly the cheapest along Upper Street but it was definitely one of the better ones that I have come across. Its description on the menu gave little away – “Scrambled eggs, Cumberland sausages, streaky bacon, grilled tomato, field mushroom, toasted sourdough bread” it said. Two items stood out immediately – its streaky bacon and scrambled eggs. The bacon was nothing like the hard crunchy frauds but soft and juicy with, hold on for it, fine crackling skin. Yes, I’m a sucker for pork crackling (see Birley Sandwich). The scrambled eggs was mushy but soft enough to be spread on the sourdough bread. That easily rivaled Ottolenghi’s.



Wife’s choice was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs (£6.50) that came on top of a slice of sourdough bread. After its streaky bacon, The Brasserie’s smoked salmon was underwhelming. I thought they came through a bit too salty and heavy. I would be better off going for the same at Ottolenghi for a few more quid.



I thought that The Brasserie, with a name that can hardly be accused of being original, is a new kid on the block. The mother (yes, the only other customer in the restaurant) checked with the staff just before we arrived. Apparently, it has always been there wrenched between Pizza Hut and Workers’ Café and it just didn’t stand out. The owner recently revamped the place, which apparently made it more noticeable. I can’t help but think that The Brasserie is a bit out of place and would do better if it’s located closer to Angel Tube station. But who knows? It may sell more weekend brunches when word gets around. Oh, do try its streaky bacon.




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