Croydon was never the most glamorous of places to visit and it's not going to win the happiest place to live in the U.K. award but a change is slowly coming.
Has Croydon ever been good for food? To be honest I don't think it has but it has been given a lifeline- BoxPark.
I'm the first to admit, I was never a fan of the one in Shoreditch but for Croydon which is going through a big re-generation it needs something like this. Not only will it bring more Londoners to its doorstep but it's also a sign that things might just be on the up for area.
BoxPark is lively, fun and has character, something which has been missing in Croydon for a long, long time. A massive court is surrounded by an array of tasty, mouth watering restaurants and not to mention a bar below the staircase where the alcohol flows all day and all night.
To choose a place to eat proves difficult. Obviously there's MeatLiqour which takes centre stage (and rightly so) but I've had burgers from there a number of times and therefore it was an opportunity to check out some of the more smaller pop ups.
Bang Bang Hawker delivers the freshest and the tastiest Vietnamese dishes money can buy with it's instantly big bold flavours. Really simple stuff on a plate just like the Imperial spring rolls. Mega crispy on the outside and packed full of meat and vegetables on the inside. An order of those bad boys went down a treat.
We followed that up with two different type of mains. We had the lemongrass chargrilled pork on a bed of cold rice noodles (you can have hot rice as an alternative) which instantly hit the spot with crunchy Asian vegetables, crispy pork skin as well as sliced pork and finely sliced chillies. The other dish we tackled was the fragrant, punchy pho swimming with soft, fluffy tofu, rice noodles and packed with loads of cabbage. At this time of the year, there's nothing better.
Indi-go is probably a bit more of a hands on kind of place with it's no messing around Indian inspired street food. This place is an absolute dream with its portion sizes and variety of food on offer. The usual favourites, crispy onion bhajis and vegetable samosas (which look like they could explode any given moment) didn't disappoint and if that wasn't enough we also sank our teeth into a succulent grilled chicken tikka wraps and a huge dosa accompanied with a flavoursome daal.
There's now a good valid reason to travel to Croydon. Exciting times are on the horizon for the place and rumour has it there's going to be a Westfields but for now lets all enjoy having BoxPark, eat our weight worth in food and get drunk until the we can't stand no more.
All aboard the Smokestak train! This juggernaut of a joint is fast becoming the King of Shoreditch by hitting the East End with its instantly recognisable industrial style open kitchen and restaurant but more importantly with its knockout food.
We sat inches away from the slicing, smoking and grilling of the behemoth cuts of meat and with all that right in front of our eyes we literally ordered the whole menu. And who could blame us as its one heck of an impressive place.
We started things off with nibbles including wafer thin, melt in your mouth cured pigs jowl, bite size pieces of crispy ox cheeks and my particular favourite sticky and crispy pig tails - seriously no need for pleasantries just get your chops round them.
These guys don't mess around with the food because in no time at all a whole load of small dishes came over straight from the chefs themselves with a soft buttery white roll packed with juicy beef brisket and a few punchy pickled red chillies, a stunning bit of pastrami accompanied with sour cabbage and pickles and finally a plate that knocks the daily calorie allowance straight out of the window- a thick slice of toast soaked in beef dripping, topped with a mountain of plump wild mushrooms.
That boys and girls was just the start. We weren't going to let anyone down, how could we because the food was just getting better and sexier by the minute.
So who headlined the main event?
The thick-cut pork rib was to die for with perfectly aligned grill marks and a shiny sticky glaze on top (brushed on every minute whilst cooking) and it was that tender it just fell apart from the slightest nudge. We also had shavings of beef brisket with the classic barbecue sauce and even more pickled red chillies (we like it hot!).
It's not all meat, meat, meat at Smokestak, so before the moaning starts there's plenty of alternative choices to satisfy others. We went for the charred aubergines with crumbled goats cheese, burnt honey and toasted cashews as well as three chunky, meaty pieces of monkfish tail on a bed of romesco puree.
If MTV created pimp my vegetables then Smokestak would lead the way. Take the humble potato for example. Here they scoop out the flesh, give it some love and affection and cram it back in it's hard shell and top it with an excessive amount of gooey cheese. More drool came out of my mouth than Homer Simpson. And it wasn't just the jacket that got pimped, so too did the baby gem with a walnut gremolata, shaved parmesan and a handful of crispy bacon bits.
If it weren't for the fact that we were sitting in front of the chef there was absolutely no chance we were having desserts but seeing her make a few and the fact I was having dinner with a pastry chef we just had to be that little bit more greedy. The sticky toffee pudding with burnt butter ice cream was the ultimate champion out of all them but that's not to say the plum crumble was a weak dish because let's face it sticky toffee pudding is a far superior option. We also tried a little toasted oak ice cream and unfortunatley that was the weakest link to what was otherwise a successful evening.
Smokestak has come a long way since I tried their shizz a few years back at Street Feast. It certainly has come out all guns blazing and to think they smoking is bad for your health.
If none of you have checked out Temper, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. It's been a while since I've been excited about a restaurant but Temper has reinvigorated my taste buds. From start to finish, dish after dish, this place had me calling for more. And if I had the money and stomach, I would have ordered every single item off the menu, that's how good it was.
I loved everything about the place. It was stylish, it was cool and it was damn right funky. Not only that it was one of those places where fusion food is spot on from South American to the Caribbean and as far as the Far East, with a huge open grill and service area which dominates the basement area and slabs of meat and carcasses all being grilled and smoked to perfection.
To get the party started we ordered a portion of the scotch bonnet chilli nachos. They were a naughty, moreish little number and if it wasn't for us ordering a shit load of food then there's no doubt we would have scoffed more. Trust me, ask for a few of these bad boys.
The fluffy puffed up tacos were to die for and we each ordered a different topping including creamy and tangy crab and pickled onion pork skin, succulent, garlicky pil pil prawns, flavoursome lumps of beef fat and the good old classic aged cheeseburger.
When it came to the main event, our mouth watering meat (consisting of goat, burnt end larb, pork and lamb) was delivered along with a string of sides, sauces and sprinkles just to give it the X factor and love affair it truly deserved.
Standout sides included the beef fat potatoes which had lashings of gooey, torched Ogleshield cheese and the sexy grilled corn which had cheeky little bits of broken popcorn coated in a rich lamb fat Bearnaise. And if that wasn't enough we also chowed down on some spicy and crunchy jerk cauliflower as well as some cool and refreshing Asian smacked cucumber.
There's no set rules to how you should approach tackling the whole event. For me, I took a bit of bread, slapped on some meat, added my favourite sauce (which happened to be the green sauce - lime, coriander and garlic) and topped it with all of the sprinkles and it was banging. There was freshness, richness, fattiness, crunch, spice, sweet and sour all in one bite.
Arrange plans to go this casual, classy place because it's a fun-loving restaurant where the food speaks for itself, the music is cool as fuck and the bill won't leave you running for the hills. Can someone invite me when they next go please?
Is it already the start of a new year? Where does the time go?
But let's not dwell on the fact that time is passing us by ever so quickly because it's going to be another exciting year where restaurants, pop ups e.t.c. are waiting to be discovered and conquered plate by plate.
We all know that after the Christmas and new year celebrations comes the reality that we must all unfortunately face-which is that money is tight and we're on a tight budget. But don't let that stop you treating yourself to eat out at some affordable places because I have just the very place that could put a smile back on your face, remove any of those post Christmas and new year blues and kick start your start 2017 with a spring to your step.
Blacklock in Soho fits the bill perfectly. Ok, its not ground breaking but what they do there is simple yet effective. There's no beating around the bush with this lot as they deliver big juicy cuts of meat on a regular basis.
We've never been before but the enthusiastic, bubbly lady took us under her wing and made sure we had the best possible time, giving us a thorough step by step guide of the menu and what Blacklock is all about.
We're a bunch of hungry (possibly greedy) foodies as we went guns blazing going for the "All in" menu which gave us a majority of what was on offer.
The pre chop bites were a bit of a let down. They're not anything to write home about and were undoubtedly the biggest disappointment of the whole meal but we weren't there to cry about some little nibbles as it was obviously all about the meat.
In all it's glory were big lumps of pork from belly to ribs and loin, juicy lamb cutlets and a massive T-bone as well as a tender bit of beef rump piled all over each other and to soak up all of the juicy goodness was a thick piece of grilled flat bread.
We also chose wisely with the sides and sauces pairing our meat-fest with crispy and fluffy beef dripping chips - because it would have been a travesty not to, creamy winter slaw containing slightly sharp apples and thinly shredded sweet onions. Cheekily we threw in an extra side (yep we're greedy) of kale and parmesan as well. Not only that we ordered a trio of delicious rich sauces- chilli hollandaise, onions and gravy and a Bearnaise.
Blacklock is heaven for any meat lover and for twenty pounds per person for the "all in" menu, it was a no brainer. Well executed cuts of meat and a variety of yummy sides and sauces, Blacklock will satisfy any hungry diner that's looking for a casual and relatively cheap place to go to. Forget your plans to lose weight after a heavy festive period because there's no time like the present to tackle this restaurant.
Japan was without a doubt the most bonkers, craziest, surreal country I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. For such a tiny island, it's in a little bubble of its own where at times I either felt like I was transported twenty years into the future or had gone back in time visiting feudal Japan.
We had such a blast and we tirelessly soaked up and took in as much as we could in the nine days that we were there. Thank God for the bullet trains because without that mode of transportation, there was no way we could have done all of the things we did. It's so hard to explain what Japan was like because honestly you have to visit yourselves to really know what this country is all about. Not everywhere was the same and the cities and towns offered many different things. For instance Tokyo as you'd expect was mad but at the same time fucking brilliant. For a city that was so condensed and heavily populated it was remarkable to see how efficient, clean and chilled out it was. I mean, yeah it was busy but it didn't feel like we were rushed or in a hurry to get anywhere. However, it was bloody difficult trying to get to places because at the stations there no English translations on any signs or maps but luckily we worked together to get from A to B.
Not only that Tokyo was like a party 24/7 especially in the area of Shinjuku where arcades, shopping centres and bars fill the streets and my word were they ridiculous. But for us we smashed some really cool foodie places and bars. In small, tight alley ways there were a strip of small bars where we snacked on little finger food sized sticks, drinking some of the finest beers on offer. The food was amazing with a variety of small plates of meat, fish and vegetarian. No word of a lie, Japan did the best tofu dish ever. It was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, drizzled with a generous helping of soy and garnished with spring onions. They turned something that has the reputation of being shit into something simple and special.
Still with the food, Tokyo wasn't the only place that did great tasting stuff. In Kyoto, we went to a restaurant that was famous for its iron pot gyoza and it was incredible. It was crispy, meaty, mouth watering and again probably the best gyozas of all time....OF ALL TIME.
We all know about Wagyu beef and in Kobe, you can guess it, we had Kobe steak. If there's something better than sex, Kobe beef would be that something. It was just love on a plate and when the chef was preparing it fresh straight in front of me, my mouth just filled with saliva. Each bite got better and better and better and better. It seriously melted in my mouth, I hardly chewed at all and for two hundred grams costing nearly one hundred pounds, it was money well spent.
Osaka did these insane savoury rosti/pancakes called Okonomiyaki. I think it was a mixture of shredded mooli and potato, but anyways it was gorgeous and there were a few different toppings we had. One was overloaded with meat, topped with a fried egg and the other had shavings of meat with gooey, stringy melted cheese, topped with more meat.
Now obviously Japan is known for Sushi and its everywhere more so than McDonalds over here in London. Its to die for and I sound like a snob for this but after eating the sushi during my nine days, there's no way I can eat it over here. Moreover, the sushi in Japan costs a fraction of the price over here in London. Seeing the sushi chefs effortlessly slice fish and making different varieties in front of my eyes made the whole experience worthwhile.
As I mentioned earlier Japan has got so much going on for itself and if it wasn't for the bullet trains, it would have made life a tad difficult for us. For instance we landed at Fukuoka which is 684 miles from Tokyo. Now that's a whopping distance but because of how fast the bullet trains were, it only took us about six hours to get there and that was with a change. They were fantastic to be on. So smooth and ridiculously fast. Osaka and Tokyo were similar in character with massive tall buildings filled with bright neon lights and super sized screens, bars, clubs, restaurants and huge shopping districts but places like Nara, Kobe and Kyoto offered a more elegant and traditional touch.
Granted Osaka and Tokyo had beautiful palace gardens and castles which offered a peaceful vibe and a welcome change of scenery to the hustle and bustle of both the cities but Nara, Kobe and Kyoto had more traditional surroundings and areas. You cant get more traditional than seeing World Heritage sites such as the Imperial Palace and gardens. I even managed to sneak in a selfie with a deer.
And there's no way I can finish this blog without mentioning the Japanese themselves. They for me would win the most polite people in the world contest. They're patient, considerate and friendly to the point of being OTT. They constantly bowed and cheered if we did something good. Take this for example, we arrived at our stop on the underground and I did the polite thing of letting this lady and her children off the train first, she bowed a few times and once I stepped off the train, she waited for me and bowed again. A small gesture went a long way. It was as if I performed some sort of miracle. Even when we played darts and one of us hit the bullseye, the whole place would erupt with cheer as if we had won a major tournament. The Japanese were a great group to be around, so approachable and friendly.
So my friends, that is the end of my little adventure in Japan. I had such a memorable experience, eating some of the very best foods, learning so much about Japanese culture and visiting some breath taking landmarks. And without a doubt spending time and partying hard with my best friends was the icing on the cake to what was already an epic adventure.
