Where should I eat in London?

[baboon2004]

yeah, weird there was only one (i think) restaurant on green lanes that actually advertised itself as Kurdish. I guess socially and politically it's complicated.

@Slothrop, (and Tea can add more knowledge here) wrt food in Istanbul, it was a little more generic than I was expecting, but there were still loads of dishes that I'd not seen before. But my best friend went there to visit another friend who had been living there a while, and the food at the places she took him to was apparently entirely different, loads of vegetarian dishes (and he's lived on Green Lanes for years). Unfortunately I didn't have a guide, just some interesting food blogs to go on...

I think in London (and also in Berlin for that matter) we're getting cuisine from one area of Turkey, in the same way that most Indian food in Britain used to be from specific areas of north India. For example, Gazantiep (?) is known for its food, and apparently the cuisine is very distinct there.

As to mexican food, not sure we get anything in London that Mexicans would recognise.

Looking at it from the other angle, we're increasingly spoiled for Chinese food from all regions, I think

 

[owengriffiths]

It's true that, and interesting. I really like eating at places like Antepiler and Hala, but it's true that the range of stuff tends to be fairly similar in all of them.

You're right that it used to be like that with Chinese and Indian places (and still is in most of the UK). I'd always assumed that this was because the target audience for them was British and British people couldn't get their collective heads around the idea that there's more to Indian food than lamb bhuna and pilau rice, but that's clearly not the issue with the likes of Antepiler because they aren't catering to know-nothing Brits.

But I guess the same is true of British pub menus as well - sausage and mash, hunter's chicken, steak and ale pie, burger etc - even with stuff that isn't foreign or exotic, maybe it's just a thing of people being happy with something familiar done well rather than wanting to be taken on a gastronomic journey every time they go out for food with their mates?

But is this not all part of the dogma that gets drummed into every student at catering college:

1. A meal is not a meal without meat
2. The token vegetarian option must have cheese, even if it doesn't go with the dish
3. The token vegetarian option must have way too many vegetables
4. Of the ten dishes on the menu, nine of them must be generic meals easily available in every other restaurant. Perhaps one adventurous one for the token poof.
5. If portions are triple the size of a home cooked meal, it stands to reason that the food must be overly greasy & fatty- after all the customer would be disappointed if they went home not feeling sick

 

[Mr. Tea]

@Slothrop, (and Tea can add more knowledge here) wrt food in Istanbul, it was a little more generic than I was expecting, but there were still loads of dishes that I'd not seen before.

Food in Istanbul was quite a mixed, though in general very positive, experience for my girlfriend and me, I think. She fell in love with a kind of kebab called Alinazik, which I don't think I've seen in Turkish places in London - it's moderately spicy but tempered with an aubergine/yoghurt thing, which is great for her because she doesn't like super-spicy things. Many of the dishes were pretty familiar to me after a couple of years living on the Ladder, I guess.

One thing you don't see much of in Turkish takeaways and cheap restaurants in London is fish, and we fairly gorged ourselves on sea bream, which was superb. There were also loads of really great vegetable dishes, I mean dishes both substantial and interesting enough that you can select several and it makes a meal in itself, rather than just being a side dish to the meat. And I say that as a pretty serious meat/fish fan.

..in the same way that most Indian food in Britain used to be from specific areas of north India.

What's a bit weird is that most "Indian" restaurants in Britain aren't Indian at all, but Bangladeshi. I've been to one of the more upmarket Brick Lane curry places, I think it was Chillies, that (unusually) openly admits to being a Bangladeshi restaurant, to the extent that it has two menus: one of generic 'Indian' dishes (you know, tikka masala, rogan josh, etc. etc.) and another of specifically Bangladeshi dishes - lots of freshwater fish, proper birianis and so on. I seem to remember I had a pretty decent chicken thing with pomegranate in it. There are some Bangladeshi recipes in a Rick Stein book I've got, which I really ought to use more, I've barely opened it since I've had it.

 

[baboon2004]

What kind of vegetable dishes did you encounter?

The Alinazik is lovely, indeed- one of my favourites. Had a super-good one in Berlin.

Brick Lane is overwhelmingly Bangladeshi, but isn't it specific to that area (Banglatown, after all; also parts of east London [rather than central-east]). Drummond St in Euston, for example, is very much south Indian food etc.

In terms of Bangladeshi food, my friend gave me a home cooking book of recipes. I've sadly misplaced it somewhere, but mustard oil and fish featured prominently.

 

[Mr. Tea]

What kind of vegetable dishes did you encounter?

Lots of stew-type things really, which doesn't sound too exciting I guess but they were generally pretty nice. Spinach featured quite heavily I think, aubergines, tomatoes, all your usual Mediterranean veg, flavoured with various herbs and yoghurty dressings. Garlic, mint, thyme, I think. Some chili but not shitloads. Olives of course. Small cubes of potato, fried in lots of oil, again with herbs. Little dishes of stewed/sauteed mushrooms.

There's a famous restaurant on the Asian shore, I'll post the name here if I can remember it, which has two premises opposite each other on the same road. One is a fairly typical (though apparently very good) ocakbasi i.e. grill, the other is a veggie restaurant, which is where we went since we'd been eating rich meat/fish-based stuff for a week by then and wanted something a bit simpler. But apparently if you want a meat dish in the veggie restaurant or vice-versa you can order it and they just bring it across the road to you.

 

[baboon2004]

http://istanbuleats.com/2012/07/hingal-manti-dumplings-in-exile/ i wanted to go here but never found the time (Dagestani food tho)

http://istanbuleats.com/2011/06/ehli-kebap-slurper’s-delight/
A place that does Gazantiep soup that we did manage to get to. The soup was ok, but the salad that went with it was amazing, in the running for the best salad i've ever had.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Cool, cheers for the tips - we're planning to go back at some point, so all suggestions welcome.

 

[Lichen]

I have a mortal fear of Mexican restaurants, something about the sloppiness leads me to think a multitude of sins have been mixed in between microwave and table.

Mexican food = Nappies

 

[Slothrop]

One thing you don't see much of in Turkish takeaways and cheap restaurants in London is fish, and we fairly gorged ourselves on sea bream, which was superb.

This is probably a consequence of what I think the biggest objective weakness left in British food culture: the general lack of respect for / interest in seafood outside of Fine Dining and a few very specific culturally standardized forms. So even if you know dozens of great fish recipes from back home, you probably won't break them out if it's a pain in the arse to get decent fresh fish.

 

[baboon2004]

I've been told Sariyer Balik on Green Lanes is a good Turkish fish restaurant in London, but I haven't been myself. Looking on the internet reviews is as confusing as ever - it's either 'sublime' or 'the rudest, most depressing place i have ever been'. As always.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Lots of stew-type things really, which doesn't sound too exciting I guess but they were generally pretty nice. Spinach featured quite heavily I think, aubergines, tomatoes, all your usual Mediterranean veg, flavoured with various herbs and yoghurty dressings. Garlic, mint, thyme, I think. Some chili but not shitloads. Olives of course. Small cubes of potato, fried in lots of oil, again with herbs. Little dishes of stewed/sauteed mushrooms.

There's a famous restaurant on the Asian shore, I'll post the name here if I can remember it, which has two premises opposite each other on the same road. One is a fairly typical (though very good) ocakbasi i.e. grill, the other is a veggie restaurant, which is where we went since we'd been eating rich meat/fish-based stuff for a week by then and wanted something a bit simpler. But apparently if you want a meat dish in the veggie restaurant or vice-versa you can order it and they just bring it across the road to you.

This website is excellent for simple traditional Turkish food.

http://english.turkishcookbook.com/

 

[baboon2004]

great site - chicken livers with walnuts, lamb and chestnut stew...yum

 

[Local Authority]

I eat loads of Vietnamese cos it’s easy to access around Shoreditch and I can go for lunch but I’ve never found Thai that’s really got me going. I want to go to the Heron but does anyone know of anywhere else that also does proper good Thai food, there must be millions of dishes beyond the few standards but one tends not to see them sometimes…

Can get my marge to cook you a proper Thai meal.

Seriously though, my ex girlfriends parents own a Thai restaurant down near bermondsey called the blacksmith arms. Might be worth popping into. What I've found with Thai restaurants is that they just standardise the menu, the Thai community cook for themselves at home and don't tend to congregate at food places. The Wimbledon temple is a good place to get Thai food, go down on Thai new years if you can.

 

[HMGovt’s Glorious Return!]

Cappadocia in Kingston have a couple of fish options, salmon and sea bass they're proud of, but didn't try them this time. They do that there alinazik too.

Worth a trip

 

[Slothrop]

The Peasant is a good pub with good food. Went there a few years ago and had a steak sandwich.

The Peasant, 240 St John street, London EC1V 4PH

That's what we went with in the end - very nice, thanks for the tip! I had sea bream with linguine which I wasn't totally convinced by, but Alison had some butternut squash croquette things that were very good indeed, and some people had lamb which went down well, too.

Although we wandered over to the Jerusalem for another beer afterwards and noticed that they have a proper food menu, which could also be an option if we were around that area in future.

 

[mistersloane]

Can get my marge to cook you a proper Thai meal.

Seriously though, my ex girlfriends parents own a Thai restaurant down near bermondsey called the blacksmith arms. Might be worth popping into. What I've found with Thai restaurants is that they just standardise the menu, the Thai community cook for themselves at home and don't tend to congregate at food places. The Wimbledon temple is a good place to get Thai food, go down on Thai new years if you can.

Your ex's parents? Cool. The Blacksmiths Arms - it's right down in Rotherhithe - is good, have the specials rather than the normal dishes, but it's nothing exceptional. It's definitely not bad though, I eat there.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Can get my marge to cook you a proper Thai meal.

Seriously though, my ex girlfriends parents own a Thai restaurant down near bermondsey called the blacksmith arms. Might be worth popping into. What I've found with Thai restaurants is that they just standardise the menu, the Thai community cook for themselves at home and don't tend to congregate at food places. The Wimbledon temple is a good place to get Thai food, go down on Thai new years if you can.

Cheers for the tip. I went down to The Heron - some pretty interesting stuff like pig's ears in vinegar, deep fried duck tongues, a sour orange curry with chunks of omelette in and a salad with strange deep fried fish floss. Not sure I loved it but good to go.

 

[hucks]

That's what we went with in the end - very nice, thanks for the tip!

You are welcome.

Although we wandered over to the Jerusalem for another beer afterwards and noticed that they have a proper food menu, which could also be an option if we were around that area in future.

That is well worth knowing, ta

 

[comelately]

Behind the times, but I took myself and three friends to 'Red N Hot' on Charing Cross Road this evening for Sichuan Hot Pot - turned out it was of my friend's favourite meals (he is Japanese), but he had never eaten it outside of China. He was impressed, and I do admit to a slightly smug feeling when I noticed all the other tables were full of Chinese folk eating the same thing.

I had some ace samosas in Wembley on Saturday too.

 

[luka]

anyone been to that risotteria on caledonian rd?
what about Yipin Hunanese Restaurant on liverpool rd?