Where should I eat in London?

[mistersloane]

I was taken to a Szechuan hotpot place in Shanghai - the table was built around two pots of broth, one fiery oil, the other meaty and mild, with a selection of thinly sliced meats to dip/cook in each. There was also something like a cake-icing tool for dispensing long cords of fishy goo into the broth. All delicious and addictive. I recall having birds nest and frogspawn ice cream at another place nearby afterwards. Szechuan heat is very different to chilli, aromatic fire I suppose, and every now and then I get a taste flashback to that meal, as if it subtly rewired my brain.

Szechuan food is the nuts. There's Angeles and another on Charing Cross Road called Red n Hot which are good, Bar Shu and the one in Euston are more westernised. You can buy Fuschia Dunlop's books

Amazon product ASIN 0140295410
and she totally runs you through not only how to cook it but what all of the flavours are - strange flavour, fish flavour etc - and which you're meant to eat with each other.

Gettin the ingredients is a bit of a pfaff at first - there's a huge Chinese supermarket near the Dome where you can find everything, Chinatown is missing some stuff - but I can now knock out three dishes at the same time no problem now, makes me very proud and surprised at myself everytime I do it, well worth the initial effort.

 

[crackerjack]

lahores real good if youre talking about the right lahore. i like the way they're always in a rush to get you out the door again.

Just off Commercial Rd?

 

[luka]

yeah, htought it must be when you said school cafeteria.

 

[hucks]

A Tayyabs dissenter? there's a rarity. Still haven't been there - went lsat week and the queue looked like being an hour long (10mins we were told on the phone when they refused to take a reservation), so we went to Lahore instead. Excellent, if you don't mind the school canteen ambience. But didn't rate teh lamb chops.

Last time i couldn't get into Tayyabs I went to Kolopata, sort of opposite Whitechapel tube. It's a Bangladeshi place, with some really good stuff, esp shotkora chicken, tho I went there a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't quite as good. Plus I've pretty much never seen it full, which can't be a good sign.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Fassika (im almost certain thats the right one, there are two near each other and im not 100% about the name) on Seven Sisters Rd is the best Ethiopian food I've had by a considerable margin, and thus possibly the best food I've had full stop!

very cheap also (for vegetarian it worked out around 6-7pound a head)

really nice vibes, warm and welcoming, they have Ethiopian jazz on weekly too i believe

if in doubt its the one with short stairs leading up to the main floor (about head height at street level), and stairs going down to the basement where the toilets are

Thanks, that's exactly the type of tip I like.

 

[Mr. Tea]

I seriously can't get enough of the Gallipoli restaurants/bistros on Upper Street - OK, so it's not haute cuisine, but it's fucking tasty and there's loads of it and the wine's reasonably priced and the decor's funky and you can set your mates up there when it's their birthday and they play 'Happy Birthday' at ear-splitting volume and bring you all flaming sambucca shots which you can of course ignore because let's face it the stuff tastes like Satan's scrotum but it's the thought that counts.

Mixed meze for two, please.

 

[crackerjack]

bring you all flaming sambucca shots which you can of course ignore because let's face it the stuff tastes like Satan's scrotum

This has being scientifically proven to be the case.

 

[IdleRich]

I really like Shanghai restaurant in Dalston, it's not the food that makes it exceptional (although that is good) but the decor. It's in an amazing old pie and mash shop and it's still got all the old tiles, it looks beautiful, got a feeling it's listed actually.

http://www.toptable.co.uk/venues/restaurants/?id=1320

 

[luka]

i mentioned this in another thread but its worth repeating. the brothers fish and chip shop on water lane in stratford. comfortably the best chippie in london. the one on tramway avenue is good too but more hit and miss.

 

[mos dan]

my housemates went to tayyab's tonight and i had to stay in and work

made up for it by making myself a hearty fish soup.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Ah well reminded haven't been there yet, let us know how you get on! It sounds great.

There's a great Szechuan in Kilburn called Angeles which is similar and fantastic and a northern Chinese place down in Surrey Quays which also does meat squewers...The menu is all in Chinese so you just have to give yourself to the whims of the people who run it, it's fantastic.

Went at 2 or 3 for late lunch and din't open till 4.30 so headed to St Johns Bread and Wine on Commersch St where I had the nicest pork I have ever eater. Crispy Old Spot with dandelion greens or something, the aftertaste was unbelievable, such a strong taste, really farm-yardy and piggish, made me want to never eat supermarket pork ever again!

Also had kid which was ok and soup (their soups are always great). Ended up at £20 each for 3 courses basically of very high quality food...loved it. More fun than the more expensive original in my experience.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Ah well reminded haven't been there yet, let us know how you get on! It sounds great.

Just popped in...the crab deep-fried with chilli and spices was absolutely amazing...'rabbit kidneys' also good as starter (saddle of rabbit barbequed with spices on skin).

Prices ok too; we paid 20£ each but with 3 beers each and two biggish courses. Definitely recommended!

 

[tox]

Anyone know any any good Japanese restaurants in London? I'm particularly looking for Ramen or Sushi places, preferably not too pricey and as authentic as possible...

 

[Slothrop]

Distinctly not in London, but Higoi in Nottingham.

Really good food which I assume is pretty authentic (although given how nice it is it could be utterly unlike anything that anyone in Japan has ever eaten and I wouldn't really mind), good service, nice atmosphere, approx £20 - £25 a head for the set menus which are a fairly large selection of what they do, all inexplicably set dab in the middle of the student wasteland that is Lenton...

 

[jambo]

Can recommend Asakusa in Mornington Crescent for sure. Some online opinions seem a bit ambivalent but I had a great meal when I went there. Lots of Japanese people up in the place so seems quite 'authentic'.

http://www.sushiordeath.com/raw/asakusa-mornington-crescent-london/2007/

 

[droid]

This doesnt fit the bill at all but thought it was worth a mention:

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/umu-info-8673.html

UMU - Michelin starred Japanese restaurant in Bruton Place.

Expensive as fuck but worth it. Couldn't afford to order too much, but the sushi was excellent and the fish mains were incredible.

 

[tox]

Can recommend Asakusa in Mornington Crescent for sure. Some online opinions seem a bit ambivalent but I had a great meal when I went there. Lots of Japanese people up in the place so seems quite 'authentic'.

http://www.sushiordeath.com/raw/asakusa-mornington-crescent-london/2007/

Will give that a go next time I'm in the area - looks good!

This doesnt fit the bill at all but thought it was worth a mention:

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/umu-info-8673.html

UMU - Michelin starred Japanese restaurant in Bruton Place.

Expensive as fuck but worth it. Couldn't afford to order too much, but the sushi was excellent and the fish mains were incredible.

This also sounds very very tempting... will keep it in mind for a special occasion.

 

[crackerjack]

Bistrotheque in Bethnal Green (or possibly just in Hackney). Worth it for the piccalilli alone.

 

[...]

Bacchus Greek Taverna, 37 Heath Street, NW3 6TR

Stuffing moussaka last night...it was delicious, and fun. Except I remembered how much I miss living around NW3.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Going to Hawksmoore for steaks tonight, well nice.