A Little Piece Of Levant Heaven

Edgware Road is one of the many parts of the City that is rich in ethnic culture. The area is particularly distinctive for it diverse communities from across the Middle East and Africa. Naturally because it is so rich in that culture, the area contains many shawarma and kebab type restaurants. There are so many of them ranging from big establishment to small cafes, all giving Londoners a taste of what the Middle East is all about. But because there are so many, it is hard to know which is worth spending your money on and which is not.

However if you're crying out for a place that will serve up great, traditional Middle Eastern food and at the same time want to avoid the hustle and bustle and non stop traffic of Edgware Road, then look no further as I have one restaurant in particular that will definitely suit your needs.


The other week I checked out this really stylish  restaurant right in the heart of Borough Market.
Arabica, a place that is heavily influenced from the Turkish and Levante area produces fantastic dishes inspired from that region.

Now when it comes to food from that part of the world I think of light, fresh flavours and combinations and Arabica delivers just that.
With its low lighting, relaxed mood, you can be sure to kick back and relax and enjoy the many plates of food on offer.

At such affordable prices, the restaurant creates a whole range of tasty looking dishes from a variety of different cooking methods such as using a clay oven and grilling. The great thing about Arabica is that they have an open kitchen where the chefs cook fresh fish and quality meats.

Just like going to any tapas restaurant, you can pick as many dishes as you like and with so many to choose from it can be tricky (in a good way of course) as practically all of them sound bloody tasty. If you were to go as a large party the choices would probably be so much easier.

On this particular occasion I ordered a mixture of dips, fried, charcoal, clay oven and veg type dishes.

To start with I had a lovely smooth, light homous with a healthy amount of olive oil in the centre. As well as the homous, I also had Moutabel which is basically Babaganoush. Warm homemade flatbread was also accompanied with the dips to help mop up every last bit of them.

I love my fried food ( lets face it who doesn't)  and I'm as sucker for onion rings in particular. These onion rings were gigantic and they were coated in a crispy light batter, finished off with spicy chilli and lemon zest.
As well as the onion rings I had falafels which are perhaps the most recognisable and popular vegetarian food from the Middle East and Arabica make in my opinion the best falafels. They're crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside.

The Cheese & Za'atar Man'ousheh was definitely a firm favourite of mine. It had salty halloumi cheese, subtle sesame flavour and fragrant thyme combined with the sharpness from the sumac. Not one of those components overpowered the other. The balance was spot on.

The meat and fish are an incredible part of what Arabica is all about. The lamb meshwi in particular is a must have with its tender pieces of lamb marinated with mild flavours and spices and with the coarse walnut harissa paste it gives the meat another dimension. As all of you know by now, I'm a big a hater of nuts but the walnut harissa was the perfect partner for the lamb.
As for the mackerel plate, Arabica do it plain and simple. House smoked and finished on the grill with a healthy dollop of homemade saffron mayonnaise. What more do you need?
















I had a really enjoyable evening at Arabica. With the food they create and the prices they're at, you're really onto a winner and not only that, the staff are incredibly friendly and cater for your every need. So if you're in the Borough area and more importantly want to discover the lands of the Levant have to offer then this place is definitely worth a visit.

Holy BBQ

Straight after the Festival of Heat and sampling some tasty hot sauces, I stumbled across Reds True BBQ restaurant, another of Shoreditch' little gems. Its a huge restaurant, along Great Eastern Street so there is no way you can miss it.

As soon as you walk in, there's a ginormous massive smoker beside the open kitchen and the Smokey BBQ smell  hits you right in the face and instantly gets your appetite going. I wish I took a picture of it.
The staff are all really cool, welcoming and helpful catering for any requests you may have. Not only that, they do a damn good job at explaining the menu and convincing you that you're making the right choices.

The menu itself is a little daunting but when it comes to BBQ's, it's what separates the men from the boys and there was little chance of me ordering small. But as you guys know by now, my eyes are always bigger than my belly.

There is so much food to choose from and the pictures above isn't even half of it. Apart from the burgers and little plates, you can also choose from (take a deep breath)  ribs, steaks, sandwiches, custom meat combos, BBQ plates, sides and desserts. (and breathe out).

I hadn't had a proper meal all day so naturally I was going go all out on the menu and obviously I couldn't do it all by myself so therefore help was needed, so who better to chow down all this food with me than to have the man himself Alex Reid.

Because I had a pretty big drinking session the night before and it was a Sunday I wanted to take things a little easy so I ordered one of these bad boy marshmallow and strawberry milkshakes. Take a look at this!!.

When it came down to the food there was no holding back. From the small plates, the both of us ordered a few rounds of mac n' cheese balls, some burnt ends and the Ox cheek bone luge.

The Mac N Cheese balls are covered in a nacho crumb and inside these golden nuggets the cheese is gooey and coats the tiny macaroni.
The burnt ends are a treat. The meat is tender, smoked to perfection and the slaw on the side is fresh and crunchy.
The Ox cheek bone marrow is to die for. Fatty, flavoursome and its definitely not for the peeps watching their cholesterol levels. Calories go straight out of the window on this one. And yes that is a shot of bourbon with it and there's a reason for it. Once the bone marrow has all gone you're meant to pour the drink down the luge and into your mouth. I gave it a go and failed. Half of it went down my arm, so in the end I just knocked it back. Bloody hell, It was strong.



After polishing up the small plates, the main event was upon us and this was a massive challenge and it was to no surprise that I couldn't finish it. I mean after all I did have a thick shake to go with all that rich tasty food before hand.

This is what came out of the kitchen......

Yep, that is no illusion, what you're seeing there is proper meat on trays. At the top is a half rack of Memphis - Dry St Louis. Basically tender ribs that fall off the bone coated in a sweet and salty rub and alongside are fries and smooth mash topped with white gravy.

Below that ladies and gentlemen is no ordinary burger, oh no. That is a donut burger! Packed between those sweet glazed donuts is two succulent mouth watering burger patties, melted cheese, smoked peppered bacon, crispy onions and smothered in some dirty sauce. (that's what is called, I'm not saying the sauce was horrible). And if that wasn't enough I got a huge onion ring, fries and bacon wrapped jalapeno. BOOM! Incredible stuff.

This restaurant is great for large parties and this is why.. take a look at this beast.

I bloody loved it. Served on a dustbin lid, that is what you call a meat feast. What you get is the following:-

• BBQ chicken
• Cheese and jalapeno sausage
• Pulled pork
• Beef brisket
• Cornbread
• Slaw
• Fries

Along with all that meat, depending on the number in your party, you each get a shot of that strong bourbon or Iced Tea. If you're brave the bourbon would be a wild choice. However the iced tea is lovely and refreshing.

Oh and one last thing the food isn't complete without the help of these sauces.

For all of you FoodPunks out there if you fancy a bit of BBQ heaven and want to have a great time then look no further than Reds True Barbeque. Its a great hangout. From the staff to the food and drink, I had a great time. I may have failed first time round at not being able to eat all of my burger, but I certainly made up for it by having a good go on that sharing platter.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Sup FoodPunks, just a short one today. If you love your chillies, spice and all things nice then the Festival of Heat in Shoreditch would have been right up your street. Fear not though, if you did miss out then there's always next year. Anyways we all know the year flies by, so before you know it, the next one will come around again.

On this particular occasion I was meant to do my latest FoodPunk video but unfortunately the venue was a tad too crowded and small for me to do any of it, so ultimately I've decided to write about it.

I've always had a soft spot for East London especially the Shoreditch/Hoxton area. The vibe and the atmosphere is always fantastic and with the weather being surprisingly on top form it made this festival even better for the people attending.

Inside the venue, you had small local businesses advertising and selling their fiery delights whether it was their own sauces or creating some mouth watering looking food with the humble chilli being the main event.

Crowds of people swarmed the area to get their chilli fix and it was difficult to get a look in but the food on offer looked fantastic and the aroma conjured up from dishes from all over the world was inviting. Unfortunately I didn't manage to try any of it as the queues were massive. Even the bar area was over run with people downing their pints enjoying the live music. It was great to see everyone having a brilliant time, relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere.

However all was not lost on my account as I happened to have stumbled across an awesome chilli sauce company called Sidekick.

For three bottles it only cost me a tenner which in all honesty is a bargain!!. They're a great accompaniment to anything that you love. they have bags of flavour and if you really do like that burning sensation, then the screaming pepper is ideal for you.
But obviously if you can't take that much heat, Sidekick do offer the more mellow variety such as mellow pepper. As you can see from my picture below, I go for more than the soft option.  It's addictive stuff and I have it with almost everything especially with Chinese food. Once those bottles have run out, I will definitely be ordering more.

It was a shame I couldn't get more from the event itself and would have loved to have done some filming but I suppose there's always next year.
Events like this showcasing ingredients like chillies is a fantastic way of expanding peoples minds and getting them to be more adventurous. It's not all about the heat or the burning sensation, there's a whole lot more to do with chillies. There is a ton of varieties out there with loads of different flavours waiting to be tried. I hope next year I can be more involved and hopefully more people will be spicing up their lives.

There's A New Bird In Town

Jackdaw jazz café is fast becoming one of those places that people are talking about and so they should.

Already starting to make a name for itself, the chefs at Jackdaw champion top of the range British produce and turn it into quite simply, stunning food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The brains behind it all is Josh Dallaway, a person who is down to earth, full of confidence and undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him. This is his first head chef role and being told by the man himself that its a bit "rough round the edges", it certainly didn't show.

Alongside Josh, helping him in the kitchen is Joe Allen, another talented chef with a big future as well. Both of these guys have given Clapton a little piece of food heaven.

 

 

 

I popped into the restaurant on Monday evening, on the first day of the new menu. I didn't know what to expect and admittedly didn't look into the menu beforehand. But hey going into the unknown and not knowing what to expect can be a good thing right? Well in this case it certainly was.

 

The weather was crap and that winter feeling was starting to creep up on me. No one likes a Monday and I for one bloody hate that whole waking up in the dark and going home in the dark. So what better way to lift my spirits up then to check out Jackdaw alongside my brother from another mother Alex Reid.

 

Being a Jazz joint as well as a restaurant, it's the perfect place to unwind and relax especially with huge comfy sofas around.

 

So what about the food? Well in typical FoodPunk fashion (and hanging out with Alex) we ordered everything off the menu and it was probably the best decision especially with those bad boy prices. You really can't complain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just to get the taste buds going, we started smashing some awesome smoked ham croquettes (you cant' ever go wrong with croquettes) served with gribiche and padron peppers with smoked sea salt. Eating those gorgeous peppers took me right back to when I was in Barcelona and eating them by the bucket load.

 I was also tempted to get more croquettes but I had to discipline myself because of the amount of food that was about to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 When it came to the bigger plates, every dish that came out had its own unique character and not one of them outweighed the other. It was memorable to say the least and it just got better and better.

 

Take the meat side of things for example, the Onglet was perfectly cooked, still red in the middle with a fat juicy king oyster mushroom to join the party and tiny florets of cauliflower sprinkled around.

As for the chicken, it was mouth watering and just had bags of flavour in it and not only that you know you're onto a winner when the skin is all golden and crispy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If you're a massive fish lover, you've gotta order the cured mackerel with the heritage tomatoes. The consommé that came along with it heightened that dish and took it to a whole new level. The flavours were fresh and clean and I could have drunk litres of that consommé.

As for the plaice, for ten pounds you're really getting a bargain. On the bone, the flesh just flaked away and just like the chicken was juicy as anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Jackdaw's vegetable and vegetarian dishes are to die for and for any parent that's struggling to get their kids to eat their sprouts at dinner time, then look no further than to take a leaf out of restaurants book.

They also serve tender heritage beetroots and the sweetness from them works so well with the saltiness of the soft crumbly stilton.

 

The gnocchi dish was a real highlight as it just had all the flavours working in harmony with each other. There was sharpness from the lemons, saltiness from the parmesan with the sage coming through to join the fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it FoodPunkers after two hours of non stop eating and drinking, I left feeling more than satisfied and content. I left with a huge smile on my face and going to the restaurant got rid of my Monday blues.  If you haven't heard of Jackdaw before reading this, you do now and lets be honest judging by those colourful eye catching pictures you'll certainly be going. And I think I'll have to agree with their sign, Clapton now has a hidden gem.

 

Rök Out

Smoking food is fast becoming a massive trend in and around London and Rök in Shoreditch is taking it to a whole new level.

The restaurant takes its name from the Swedish word smoke (makes sense) and it gives quality British ingredients the Nordic treatment.

Led by Matt Young, a down to earth and super talented chef, Rök is creating and smashing out dishes like there is no tomorrow and to be honest that's no surprise as the food there is at its very best.

Their meat is supplied by the famous Cobble Lane Cured in Islington and from there, Matt and his team produce some pretty tasty treats. For example, you definitely need to sample their bad boy quail scotch eggs. But its no any ordinary scotch egg, its meat is made from Nduja pork, a spicy sausage meat which instantly hits you with its warm heat.

Keeping with the Ndjua spice, you've got to try the scallops. They are absolutely banging and the scallops themselves take in all of that spice and heat.

 

 As I mentioned earlier the meat is supplied from Cobble Lane so its a no brainer diving into the restaurants charcuterie selection made up of thinly sliced chorizo, salami and prosciutto. As soon as the meat touches your tongue, it just melts away.

And the fun doesn't stop there ladies and gentlemen, Rök serves a whole host of delightful gems such as the mouth watering sous vide duck with a slightly tart lingonberry and bacon jam as well as tender

pork which gets finished off in the kitchens custom made grill giving it its unique character.

Rök also serves up an array of amazing pickles served in eye catching kiln jars. For me the wild mushroom and beetroot pickles is a must. Its sweetness, sharpness and saltiness leaves you wanting more and more. Not only that its fresh and clean to the pallet, perfect for those waiting for their mains.

I don't go to restaurants without ordering sides and you would be a fool not to. Rök's bone marrow mash with garlic and parsley has bags of flavour and its refreshing to see the team mash the potato with its skin, besides that's where the flavours at. If you love your cheese, the cauliflower cheese with beef dust and almonds will leave you speechless. The cauliflower is drowned in awesome gooey cheese and the beef dust and almonds gives it that added crunch as well as heightening the simple flavours.

So there you have it peeps, if you want a bit of Rök 'N' Roll at dinner time, then Rök is the place to be. You will not leave disappointed. Oh and just a bit of advice, its best to book so that you avoid any sort of disappointment. Rök on people!

26 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NY