Elliot’s – Hackney, E8

5th Jun 2022 bakesbymegukLeave a comment

2 friends and I have been making a real effort to try a lot of local Hackney restaurants to make the most of our area and, most importantly, to avoid getting on a tube. Next on our list was Elliot’s – another one that I’ve heard great things about through the grape vine but never got round to going. They have 2 locations, one in Hackney right by London Fields, and one in Borough. I’ve only visited the former, but I image the Borough counterpart is just as good. The restaurant feels very laid back and cool with a huge list of natural wines to choose from. Very Hackney in the best way!

Before choosing anything we spent a good 10 mins asking questions trying to work out which dishes we needed to try and what other dishes those went with. Our waitress was really helpful and helped us to pick out a really amazing meal. But first off, wine! We were feeling fancy so went for a sparkling – we asked for a recommendation of a dry wine that wasn’t too expensive (this left us with a lot to choose from!). Sadly I really cannot remember the wine but I know the words ‘tinc’ and ‘sec’ were in the name somewhere… Very unhelpful, I’m sorry.

Elliots Cheese Croquettes — L: Cheese croquettes, R: Calabrian anchovy toast

L: Cheese croquettes, R: Calabrian anchovy toast

The food menu is split into 4 sections: snacks, small plates, pizzas and wood fired oven (plus sides). We asked for a recommendation of numbers of plates from each section. We decided to skip the wood oven entirely as we found the other sections a bit more exciting. Snacks first! We went for the cheese puffs and Calabrian anchovy toast and these were both genuinely some of the top dishes of the nights. The cheese puffs are indescribable, like a croquette-ish type thing – a thin crust on the outside with a warm, gooey cheesy middle. I could eat these forever. No exaggeration! And the anchovy toast – high quality bread, some sweet fried onions, a big curl of quality butter and a salty, oily anchovy. The perfect bite. Both of these dishes are an absolute must.

Elliots Seabass Crudo — L: Seabass crudo, R: Potato flatbread with trout roe in the background

L: Seabass crudo, R: Potato flatbread with trout roe in the background

From the small plates we chose the sea bass crudo; king oyster mushrooms with wild garlic and an egg yolk; smoked ox tongue with beans, capers and horseradish; and trout roe with a potato flatbread. We were also recommended to get some focaccia to soak up the sauce from the mushrooms and ox tongue. These were all exceptional! I think my top 2 were the super fresh and buttery sea bass, and the trout roe. The roe dish came with a little potato pizza type thing, with a separate bowl of roe and sour cream to spoon on top. The mushrooms were also very delicious – really rich and creamy owing to that egg. I loved the ox tongue too, but this was a bit more polarising in the group (I think the context of it being a tongue). We were really glad we got the focaccia so as not to waste all the yummy sauces.

Elliots king oyster mushrooms with wild garlic and an egg yolk — L: King oyster mushrooms, R: Smoked ox tongue

L: King oyster mushrooms, R: Smoked ox tongue

Next up we got 2 pizzas: the brown butter, taleggio & sage, and the beef ragu with parmesan. We also got a size of fried maris pipers (aka the crispiest, fluffiest chips in the world) with a HUGE serving of alioli – great for those pizza crusts. Both pizzas were absolutely incredible. I was glad to have one white and one red as they balanced well. The taleggio pizza was very rich and nutty from the brown butter. The beef had a bit more tang from the tomato and that beef was absolutely perfectly cooked.

Elliots brown butter, taleggio & sage pizza — L: Taleggio and brown butter pizza, R: Beef rag and parmesan pizza

Elliots beef ragu with parmesan pizza — L: Taleggio and brown butter pizza, R: Beef rag and parmesan pizza

We were told they had great desserts, but sadly by this point we were just waaaay too full. Instead we headed across to Netil 360 for another bottle of sparkling wine… All in all we had an absolutely incredible meal, every dish was seriously impressive and delicious. I think my faves were the snacks, the roe, that beef pizza and the fries. I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Elliot’s for some really high quality and exciting food. Next on my list is to visit the Borough location!

Find them at 121-123 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 3RH

Or their borough location 12 Stoney Street, Borough Market, London SE1 9AD

Bistrot Walluc – Shoreditch, E2

4th May 20224th May 2022 bakesbymegukLeave a comment

In this instalment of the foodie adventures of Ros & Meg we took a trip to this Shoreditch fondue house. Neither of us can remember exactly how it started but we’ve both been chatting to Bistrot Walluc on insta for quite a while and we’ve been so keen to go since. We decided it would be the perfect setting for our reunion after our 3 week separation (Ros is never allowed on holiday again). Bistrot Walluc is right by Shoreditch Highstreet, on the same road as some other incredible restaurants including the BAO noodle bar (click to read my review) and Smoking Goat. We were greeted by the amazing Luca – he does both front of house & the kitchen – and taken to our table. The restaurant itself is so much fun and so eccentric. There were kitschy trinkets everywhere and the music was coming from an old record player in the corner.

Bistrot Walluc do a set menu which consists of cheese & charcuterie to start, followed by a fondue or gnocchi for main, and then a limoncello shot to round it all off. As the cheese lovers we are, we went for the fondue of course. But before all that, we both got a shot of amaretto which is something I would never normally drink straight, but I definitely will be again!

Now for our starter. We got a lovely selection of meats (including some salami, mortadella and a cured ham), cheeses (manchego, and a floral honey goats cheese), a salad with the most delicious sundried tomatoes I’ve ever had on, cornichon and some bread. This is already one of my favourite things – I love tearing up the meat and trying different combinations with the cheese on bread. But if that wasn’t enough the wonderful Luca also brought us over some extra bits to try, including a delicious n’duja that we just spread on bread and a salami coated in red wine. I hadn’t tried the wine salami before – the red wine formed these sweet, dark flakes. It was all amazing. Nothing beats some very high quality charcuterie & cheese.

N'Duja and bread (Bistrot Walluc) — L: N’duja, R: red wine salami (with more n’duja)

Red wine salami, n'duja and bread (Bistrot Walluc) — L: N’duja, R: red wine salami (with more n’duja)

Next up was our fondue. But before this, we spent a bit of time chatting to Luca about his life and how he came to own a fondue restaurant in Shoreditch. Luca is from Italy, but has also lived in France – where he mastered the fondue. When he came to open his restaurant he initially thought Italian food, but shifted to fondue. His fondue isn’t a typical french or Swiss fondue – he’s made his own version. He uses gruyere & comte which makes for such a delicious fondue. Both cheeses add quite a strong flavour, and you can taste both. You can definitely tell this isn’t your standard fondue, it has a much greater depth of flavour. We dipped both bread and potatoes into our fondue and polished off the whole thing.

L: Our fondue setup with bread & potatoes, R: The cheese pull from heaven

We rounded off the meal with some limoncello and some brilliant magic tricks from Luca (there is nothing he can’t do). I cannot recommend this place strongly enough, from the delicious food, the super fun interior to the brilliant Luca – everything about Bistrot Walluc is fantastic. We both had so much fun and left very satisfied. I have not stopped raving about it since! They also host live music & comedy nights which I will definitely be returning for, give them a follow on insta to keep up with the schedule. You absolutely have to give Bistrot Walluc a go. Whether with friends, family, a date, even solo you will not find a more fun or authentic place than here. To book head to their insta, click on the link in the bio and drop Luca a Whatsapp!

Find them at 40 Redchurch St, London E2 7DP

Burger & Beyond – Shoreditch, E1

3rd Apr 2022 bakesbymegukLeave a comment

I like to think of myself as a bit of a burger of London connoisseur. I’ve eaten a lot of burgers, and I’m working on my top 5 list but it still needs a bit more research (aka eating more burgers). In the meantime, I thought I’d write about one of my favourite burger places – Burger & Beyond. It’s in close contention for the coveted top spot with another burger place that I won’t mention just yet (don’t want to give away my secrets that easily). B&B serve proper dirty, delicious food – I’m talking burgers that leak gravy when you pick them up, the kind of food my mum would be disgusted by, which is the very food I want to eat. I’ve been here quite a few times (& ordered delivery from them many many more times), but this most recent trip I went with my cousin Bryony (a name you may recognise from some other posts). I love going here with Bryony because we’re both on the same page about sharing sides & massively over-ordering (yet still finishing it). That’s the kind of friend you want to go to B&B with. The vibe in the restaurant is really fun and relaxed, which matches the food and drink perfectly.

We arrived during happy hour which means £6 cocktail of the day. We got the B&B punch which is one of my favourite B&B cocktails – delicious and surprisingly alcoholic. Now for food, I always make sure to get a plate of the fried chicken bites, special sauce and pickles as I think it’s some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Super crispy, tender and perfectly seasoned. The sauce and pickles is the thing that makes it – the sauce is like a burger sauce but 1000x better. For the perfect bite get the chicken, dip it in the sauce and put a pickle on top – you get the richness from the chicken, balanced with the creaminess of the sauce and tang from the pickles. Perfect!!

Burger and Beyond fried chicken bites with secret sauce and pickles — Fried chicken bites with secret sauce and pickles

Now onto the main event – the burger. We both got a single bacon butter burger. I tend to go for a single here to leave room for the amazing sides. This burger is my favourite one, its made of a dry aged beef patty, double American cheese, crispy pancetta, burnt butter mayo and onion. This is like your classic bacon cheeseburger but huuuugely elevated due to the amazing meat quality, the rich burnt butter mayo and the freshness from the onions. You really have to try this to see what I’m talking about. I’ve also tried their bougie burger which is also pretty special (beef patty, American cheese, steak sauce, marrownaise, and beef fat onions). As you can probably imagine from that ingredient list, this one is a lot richer than the bacon butter burger. I don’t really think you can go wrong with burger choice here!

Burger and Beyond bacon butter burger — Bacon butter burger

The thing that makes B&B extra special is their amazing side selection, including my favourite: the dirty tots. These are crispy yet fluffy tots, covered with ranch, hot sauce, bacon bits and parm – need I say more? These are completely amazing – the perfect, crunch, creaminess, saltiness and kick. They also do truffle tots (tots, truffle mayo, parm and crispy sage) which are also good, but I prefer the dirty tots as they aren’t as rich and have a bit more going on. On top of the dirty tots, we also got the fries, bone marrow gravy and cheese curds. The fries are amazing, the bone marrow gravy was super rich & meaty and the cheese curds were light and springy. It really worked perfectly – like an elevated poutine.

Burger and Beyond dirty tots — L: Dirty Tots, R: dirty tots and bone marrow gravy fries

Burger and Beyond dirty tots and gravy fries — L: Dirty Tots, R: dirty tots and bone marrow gravy fries

Everything B&B do that I’ve tried is so amazingly well done, from drinks to starters to mains to sides. I’ve actually never been able to have a dessert there before as I always leave so full, but I imagine they’re pretty good too. Like I said, this place is playing for the top spot on my burger list, and that really is a huge compliment as I’ve eaten a lot of burgers. I really recommend you give this place a visit, and bring your best foodie friend that will help you eat as much of the menu as you can. Let me know in the comments what you think!

Find them at 147 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JE, or on Deliveroo

Toms Pasta – Hackney Downs, E8

20th Mar 2022 bakesbymegukLeave a comment

I took a trip to this restaurant on the recommendation of a friend who works there. She had absolutely rave reviews for the place and after a quick scroll of their insta I was hooked. Tom’s Pasta is unsurprisingly headed up by a chef named Tom, who mans the kitchen on his own churning out starters, mains and desserts for a packed restaurant. I was so impressed he kept up with all the orders on his own and that he never skimped on the quality. Again unsurprisingly, Tom’s Pasta at heart is a pasta restaurant, specialising in lasagne! In my experience you very rarely see a lasagne on a menu, so I was really excited to try these out. Tom started the business as a lasagne delivery service by bike (absolutely genius), and has moved into a restaurant space in Hackney Downs Studios, right next to Hackney Downs park. This is a really great space, part of the larger creative studios complex. Tom’s Pasta is in the downmarket building, which also houses All Good Beer who have a really great selection of beers & wines to have with your meal. There is also a cafe/bakery in this space open during the day, Brunswick East, which I haven’t tried. Anyway, back to Tom’s Pasta – and let’s talk food.

The menu changes almost daily, although there are some seemingly staple dishes including the pork & beef lasagne, n’duja lasagne and the genovese lasagne. To start, we ordered the whole starter menu – 2x burrata with sourdough, the bruschetta and the meat & cheese plate. All of this was fantastic. The burrata came very simply drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and good quality sourdough. The meat & cheese plate came with more burrata, mortadella and some cured ham. The bruschetta was crisp, fresh and garlicky. What’s not to love?!

L: Burrata & sourdough, M: meat & cheese plate, R: bruschetta

For main I got the pork & beef lasagne and no word of a lie this was probably the best lasagne I’ve ever had. Maybe better than the one I make and that’s saying something because I really back myself. Firstly, it comes hidden under a mountain of cheese which is a great start. Secondly, the lasagne itself uses the most delicious, rich and deeply flavoured ragu – you can really tell the time and effort gone into it and it absolutely pays off. Thirdly, the bechamel is soooo thick and so creamy. Fourthly, pasta. Again an absolutely winning combination. My friends all got the n’duja which is very similar to the pork & beef but with added n’duja. They were kind enough to let me try a bite and that, too, was wonderful. No surprise really that combining one beautiful thing (that lasagne) with another (n’duja) makes another beautiful thing. We also got a 3 sides of the buttery garlic bread which was a new addition to the menu that day. Think a beautiful, thick slice of sourdough drenched in garlic butter and topped with cheese – as you can imagine, it was a great great thing.

L: Pork & beef lasagne, R: n’duja lasagne

We rounded off the meal with the lasagne of the dessert world – tiramisu. Yet again, Tom is giving me a run for my money as I think his tiramisu might be better than my own which, again, is saying something because I back myself hard. We got a huge slab in a bowl. First thing that struck me was how yellow the cream was, I assume owing to the use of some really good eggs. It was rich from the cream but light from the sponge, with the perfect amount of coffee flavour that wasn’t too overpowering. Another triumph.

If you can’t tell already, I’m such a huge fan of Tom’s Pasta. All the food was incredible, really up my street – Italian food done super well. I was also so impressed that Tom could do all this by himself in the kitchen, including serving a table of 18 plus the rest of the restaurant. The vibe in the place is great too, very relaxed and everyone who works there is super fun (I’m definitely biased as my mate works there, but she’s a lot of fun I promise). I really recommend a trip to this place, I’ll definitely be returning to try the other lasagnes, the aubergine parm and I’ve seen some tagliatelle knocking about on their insta too. Let me know in the comments how you find it if you take a trip!

Find them at 17 Amhurst Terrace, London E8 2BT