Yauatcha

Finding a decent Oriental restaurant can be difficult. Here in London they're like Marmite, there's some that are worth going to and others, unfortunately awful.

There's two restaurants that serve up decent Chinese food, Gerrards Corner and Overseas (located in Chinatown).

However if you have cash to splash and looking for something a bit more swanky, upmarket and refined, Yauatcha is right on your doorstep bringing classy Asian dishes to the table.

The food is not good, it's seriously good with the menu offering all sorts of impressive stuff such as Dim Sum, main meals and desserts but on this occasion it was the Dim Sum and desserts that took centre stage. Mouth watering plates of authentic Chinese food delivered with class and precision, Yauatcha simply rocked my socks. It's also worth mentioning that if the weather is good like it had been the past few weeks, its totally worth being on the terrace.

Where do I begin?

Put it this way there are some dishes that need to be ordered more that once such as the prawn and bean curd cheung fun. Drenched in light soy sauce, it's slimy, soft gelatinous shell covers deep fried prawns and these particular bad boys are without question number one on my hit list for my next visit.

Other seafood dishes that I devoured included the soft shell crab accompanied with fiery red chillies and huge, meaty scallop shui mai  followed by the crispy chilli squid. The latter was a strange one, not to say it wasn't nice it was just I suppose like I said, strange. Covered with toasted oatmeal, it gave the squid a slight sweet tone and nutty flavour and  even though I kept going for more, I couldn't decide whether it was for me or not.

And if things couldn't get any better, the meat Dim Sum took the game to another level.

Venison puffs, which you guessed it were filled with tiny pieces of venison cooked in a rich dark stock and encased and baked in a flaky and super light pastry. There's also the old classic (and my personal favourite) char siu buns. Watch out for them, they're steaming hot, let them cool at little and if my belly couldn't get any bigger I also had poached chicken dumplings and crispy duck rolls which were both superb.

Trust me on this one FoodPunkers, save some room for desserts because they brought an end to what was such a fantastic meal. They were heavenly and weren't too heavy or rich. For a split second I felt guilty dismantling them but after the first spoon, my god was it worth it and it doesn't stop there because if you're feeling a little devilish, you can always take away their sexy looking cakes and macaroons for a little treat later on.

All in all Yauatcha is number one for my Dim Sum fix. Yeah, it may be a little bit pricey but its so worth it and you get more than what you pay for. I'm sure that it if my family from Malaysia visited, they too would be seriously impressed.

Prawn & Bean Curd Cheung Fun

Scallop Shui Mai

Soft Shell Crap, Almonds & Chilli

Crispy Chilli Squid

Venison Puffs

Char Sui Bun

Poached Peking Chicken Dumpling

Duck Rolls

Wild Mushroom Dumpling

Apricot, Yoghurt Honey Crème, Orange Madelain, Almond

Coconut Pandan Crème, Lime Curd, Coconut Sable

Pitt Cue

 Not so long ago Pitt Cue were dishing out their popular plates within the streets of Soho but since then they've ditched the street look and given themselves a tiny makeover. Now, they're smack bang right in the heart of the city with a polished look and offering a more sophisticated menu.

Therefore, is the "new look" Pitt Cue worth visiting? Well if you're after big fat cuts of juicy meat and not bothered about having a heart attack, it might just be the place for you. As for me, it's a safe bet but it didn't set the world alight.

First things first, lets get the crap part of the meal out of the way.

The green chilli slaw is simply a big waste of time. Once you tuck into this garlic fest, there's no point in eating anything else. Not even a bit of chewing gum will be able to save your ass. As for the grilled sourdough, perhaps not bother with it due to the lack of bone marrow it's meant to have and speaking of bone marrow, the mash was ruined by a dollop of unnecessary garlic butter. Why? just why?.

Pitt Cue do however slightly re deem themselves with their meat. I suppose after all that is the whole reason why I visited in the first place.
The house bacon is coated in a sweet glaze and just like the slow cooked ox tongue, is soft and falls apart with the slightest touch of the fork.
With the mangalitza pate, you wont be short changed, with a thick generous serving of fatty pork spread over homemade toasted bread. However it did lack seasoning.
With the mains and special, the cured and smoked jowl is a big bit of juicy meat with a thin crisp skin on top and as for the feather tip steak, its succulent and beautifully cooked medium-rare.

Pitt Cue is good don't get me wrong and certain aspects of the menu is worth while i.e. the meat they produce. But in the long run it left me somewhat frustrated. Parts of the meal were dense, heavy, under seasoned and way too rich especially for this time of the year. You won't go home disappointed but you wont leave thinking it was a meal to remember.

Potato Cake

Grilled Sourdough & Bone Marrow

Ox Tongue

Mangalitza Pate

Hpise Bacon

Cured & Smoked Jowl

Special - Feather Tip Steak

Artichoke & Fermented Celery

Bone Marrow Mash

Dishoom

Dishoom certainly takes you back in time. Escape from the 21st century and walk through the restaurant's door and experience the hustle and bustle of a place that pays homage to Irani cafes in Bombay during the swinging sixties. Slow rotating fans, low level lighting and walls plastered with vintage records and pictures gives Dishoom that elegant and colonial feel.

Don't be alarmed by the mammoth scale of how busy it is. I managed to get a table within twenty minutes and even if you have to wait, head over to the bar and crack open a nice large bottle of Kingfisher. It'll be worth it.

Ordering food can be tricky because every dish on the menu looks and sounds so god damn tasty. The front of house staff recommend that each person should order around two to three dishes. Trust them, that's ample.

Small plates such as the lamb samosas, bhel (puffed riced surrounded by pomegranates, tamarind, lime, mint, onion and tomatoes) and the okra fries go down a treat especially when you have a variety of dips on the table. Try the garlic and chilli dip, it will literally blow your top, amazing stuff.

When it comes to the mains, The Carnaby special is a must have. Tender pieces of diced lamb slowly cooked in a rich, spiced gravy are accompanied with a couple of soft buttery rotis (which are made in house) to help mop up every bit of that delicious sauce.

If you like your grills, the murgh malai is a winner. Succulent, juicy chicken thighs marinated in garlic, ginger and coriander will certainly give you the wow factor.

You can't have mains without having a number of sides. The house black daal is rich and comforting and is undoubtedly a match made in heaven with any dish on the menu and if the rotis aren't enough, order a load of naans (cheese one for me) and fluffy, seasoned basmati rice.

If things do get too wild, the paneer and mango salad will certainly tone things down. Dressed leaves, thick slices of juicy mango and strips of marinated paneer will appeal to any vegetarian out there.

Let the food keep coming and the drinks keep flowing because Dishoom will not disappoint. At such affordable prices you won't be breaking the bank, so forget ordering a takeaway at your local as Dishoom will provide you with some tantalising curries.

Dishoom Carnaby special

Murgh Malai

Lamb Samosas

Okra Fries

Cheese Naan

Mango & Paneer Salad

Bhel ( Puffed Rice, Bombay Mix, Pomegrante, Tomato, Onion, Lime, Tamarind & Mint)

House Black Daal

White Rabbit

Dalston is a place most people shy away from. OK, so it may not be the most glamorous of areas in London but it certainly doesn't lack character or good food for that matter.

A mere stone throw away from Dalston Kingsland Station, on Bradbury street, lies a number of trendy bars and a restaurant that is well worth the travel.

White Rabbit is a place that some people are unfamiliar with, but being set up in the most unlikeliest of locations it has certainly made itself at home with the locals. It's funky, modern layout is a breath of fresh air and as for the food, bloody amazing.

So let's get down to business.

The menu is pretty much designed for sharing and trust me, its worth ordering a s*** load of dishes. Sit back, down a few cocktails (the super cool front of house staff will recommend them) and go to town by shaking things up with the variety of meat, fish and veg on offer.

To get the taste buds warmed up, knuckle down with the fruity, tangy sea bass ceviche and the tender charred leeks with brown shrimps from the "straight ups" section of the menu.

If you're still wanting more fish, then the charred mackerel is an obvious choice and winner. The fish dishes here are clean, simple and executed with minimum fuss.

It doesn't stop there FoodPunkers, because if you're a proper meat head, White Rabbit will serve up food that will put a massive smile on your pretty little faces. The crispy lamb belly is coated with a sweet, salty miso glaze and has a jalapeno puree to give it that extra punch and as for the lamb rump, it's succulent, juicy, perfectly pink and is on a bed of fat capers, fresh peas and mint.

The dishes are a match made in heaven, but for me, the wood pigeon was probably the weakest of the lot. Visually appetising and the beetroot is moreish, but the star attraction could have been cooked less and just didn't have that wow factor the others had.

Sea Bass Ceviche, Pomegranate, Grapefruit, Avocado Puree

Charred Leeks, Beurre Blanc, Brown Shrimps

Charred Mackerel, Cucumber, Mooli, Lime

Crispy Lamb Belly, Miso Glaze, Jalapeno

Lamb Rump, Pea Fricassee

Wood Pigeon, Beetroot, Halzelnut

Nevertheless White Rabbit is a restaurant that you should go to as soon as possible. Mouth watering food, refreshing, tasty cocktails and all of it at decent prices, no one will argue with you for going to Dalston.