Tag: London restaurants

Flour and grape pork shoulder tortelloni

Flour And Grape – Bermondsey, SE1

bakesbymegukLeave a comment

After a bit of a quiet period, I’m back! I’ve been away on a pretty big holiday, for which food updates will be coming very soon… But in the meantime, I thought I’d do a little review of one of the lovely restaurants I’ve been to recently in London. It’ll come as no surprise to you that my partner for this meal was the Ros (as in @rosontour). We spotted Flour & Grape on Tik Tok recently. We’ve been stacking up a list of Tik Tok finds to make our way through, and this was the first we ticked off! I definitely think we picked a good place to start.

Neither of us had really explored Bermondsey before, so we spent the hour before F&G opened just wandering around the streets & into all the cute little shops we found. Can confirm this is a lovely way to spend a Sunday. As F&G is a no-booking situation (you queue through the Walk Up app), we stationed ourselves at a cafe with a view of the F&G front door to make sure we were among the first people to get inside. That is true pasta dedication. We both had an iced chai and stared at the door (I’m not joking). The iced chai was actualy a lovely surprise – one of the best we’d both ever had! As soon as the restaurant opened we were up, I think we were the third table to be seated.

After looking at the menu we strategised – do we do starters and a couple of pastas, do we do all pasta, do we do smaller starters, pasta and a dessert? We were both on the same page – let’s get all pasta, and let’s get 4 pastas (everyone needs a friend like Ros). We got 2 rounds of 2 pastas, to make it feel like a proper meal and less like we’d just ordered 4 mains between 2…

First up we got the pork shoulder tortelloni and the fennel sausage ragu with gigli. I am not being dramatic when I say these were absolute perfection – and I’m not just saying because I was wildly hungover and starving. The tortelloni (spoiler alert) ended up being our favourite of the night – the filling was purely slow roasted pork, it was so tender and so meaty in flavour. Tossed in a simple sage butter – this was absolutely incredible. Don’t get me wrong though, that ragu was also insanely special. Again, very meaty and buttery, but with the addition of the freshness from some greens.

Flour and grape pork shoulder tortelloni
Pork shoulder tortelloni with sage butter
Flour and Grape fennel sausage ragu gigli
Fennel sausage ragu with gigli

We polished up both plates and got our next pasta course – the carbonara and the preserved truffle taglierini. Again, both were fabulous! The carbonara came with an extra egg yolk on top to mix in which made it even more decadent, with the salty, meaty, crunchy little pieces of guanciale. A perfect example of a carbonara. We found the truffle pasta really interesting and quite subtly different to your standard creamy truffle pasta. The preserved truffle gave it a little more of a tang which cut through the richness. Of course, we polished off these 2 plates too (apart from 1 mouthful I could not stomach…).

flour and grape carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara with an egg yolk and crispy guanciale
flour and grape preserved truffle taglierini
Preserved truffle taglierini

All in all, this was a really fantastic meal and it has definitely cemented itself as one of our pasta favourites. Every dish was fantastic – nothing disappointed! But for educational purposes, so you know what to get when you visit, we’ve kindly ranked the dishes from our favourite to least favourite.

Meg’s Rankings

  1. Pork shoulder tortelloni
  2. Carbonara
  3. Sausage ragu
  4. Truffle taglierini

Ros’ Rankings

  1. Pork shoulder tortelloni
  2. Carbonara
  3. Truffle taglierini
  4. Sausage ragu

We both definitely recommend a trip to Flour & Grape, absolutely worth a queue! If you do take a trip, let me know what you think in the comments!

Find them at 214 Bermondsey St, SE1 3TQ

Elliots Calabrian Anchovy Toast

Elliot’s – Hackney, E8

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

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

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

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
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

Fondue setup (Bistrot Walluc)

Bistrot Walluc – Shoreditch, E2

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!

Cheese and charcuterie plate

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)
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.

Fondue setup (Bistrot Walluc)
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

Pear, thyme caramel and whipped cream pancakes (where the pancakes are)

Where The Pancakes Are – Southwark, SE1

bakesbymegukLeave a comment

We visited this pancake house as part of my best foodie friend Ros’s birthday celebrations. You should all be very familiar with her by now so you’ll understand why this is a perfect celebration for Ros. Made even better by the fact that it was preceded by puppy yoga. So our Saturday went from being swarmed by tiny puppies to pancakes – I can confirm there is no better way to spend a Saturday. Where the pancakes are is in Southwark. The restaurant has loads of outdoor seating making it a great summer brunch spot, and the indoor area also feels very light and airy.

Before the food, I ordered a Spanish latte which is quickly becoming my favourite way to have coffee – a latte but sweetened with condensed milk (I would happily drink a tin of condensed milk). As usual, Ros & I couldn’t possibly just have 1 dish each – there was so much good stuff on the menu and we wanted to to try as much as possible. So we went for 2 dishes and shared – one sweet and one savoury.

First up savoury. We got the pulled beef pastrami – this dish consisted of 2 fluffy American pancakes, pulled beef, cheddar, sauerkraut, 1000 island sauce, kale slaw and pickles. This was absolutely insane, I’ve never had pancakes like this. Firstly, the pancakes themselves were incredible – so light and fluffy. The pancakes were the perfect vessel for the toppings – a little lighter than bread, but with more richness. Secondly, all the toppings were absolutely perfect – salty pastrami, rich cheddar, creamy sauce cut through by the pickles and sauerkraut. I never would’ve expected a pancake restaurant to make such amazing and tender pastrami – my only criticism would be that I wanted more pastrami! Ros & I are both savoury lovers, so we absolutely demolished this dish.

Pastrami cheddar and sauerkraut pancakes (where the pancakes are)

Next up for our sweet dish we got 2 American pancakes topped with poached pears, thyme caramel and whipped cream. I think this may have been taken off the menu as I can’t see it on their site which is such a shame because this dish was fantastic! It used the same pancakes as the pastrami one – so very light and fluffy American pancakes. As I said, Ros & I are definitely more savoury than sweet people but both absolutely loved this dish. It wasn’t too sweet at all, the caramel was thick and almost bitter rather than being overly sweet. Thee thyme added a herbal note to the dish. The sweet sharp pears worked perfectly and stopped this dish feeling too rich and sweet. All of that topped with some super light, fluffy whipped cream and toasted almonds – the perfect bite. This one we didn’t quite finish, but that had nothing to do with the dish and more to do with the fact that we were so full from the first dish.

Pear, thyme caramel and whipped cream pancakes (where the pancakes are)

Ros & I were both so impressed with everything we ate. The pancakes were perfect, but also so were the toppings. The flavours & textures were really well balanced and thought out. I’d love to go back and try more of the menu, including the dutch baby pancakes! I really recommend this place as a weekend brunch spot, there’s such a huge variety on the menu for a place that just serves pancakes. Let me know in the comments what you think if you go!

Eataly Fresh Pasta Class Pici

Eataly Fresh Pasta Cooking Class Review

bakesbymegukLeave a comment

Anyone who knows me knows I am in love with Eataly and spend a good chunk of my pay-cheque in the store on anything from guanciale to their insane tiramisu. So it only felt right that I had to do a cooking class there. My best foodie friend Ros (check out her foodie insta @rosontour) & I decided that, as our Christmas present to each other, we’d go on a cooking class together, because can you think of a better activity for 2 foodie besties?! Just a quick warning – it is not easy to book an Eataly cooking class! They sell out so quickly (for good reason, but we’ll get onto that later). We tried every month after Christmas but only managed to get tickets in March. We were looking for anything pasta, and the one we were able to book was the fresh pasta one – but there are a whole lot of other classes too. I only later found out there was a mailing list that lets you know when tickets are released… Before I get into the details, I want to say that this was one of the best and most fun evenings I’ve had in a long time, which was only made better by spending it with Ros!

First off lets look at the prices – the class was £65, with that we got 2 glasses of wine and 2 pasta dishes. I think this was such good value especially considering how attentive the chef and assistant were. Both were on hand to help through every stage, and each step was explained to us. We got the recipes to take away too. The cooking class room is in the back corner of the wine area. It’s a small room with space for ~8 students, a teacher and assistant making it a really intimate lesson. Having such a small class was great as we got so much help.

Our cooking station

Now for the session itself. To start the class or chef talked us through the structure of the class and what we would be making. In our case this was:

  • Eggless semolina pasta that we would shape into:
  • Trofie al pesto pomodoro – trofie with red pesto (sundried tomatoes)
  • Pici all’aglione – pici with a simple tomato, garlic & chilli sauce

To our surprise, the chef told us that everything that we make in the fresh pasta class is vegan! Neither of us are vegan, so we were a bit hesitant at first at the prospect of cheese-less pasta but we were both so impressed with the dishes.

We started off making the pasta dough, which was very simple – just semolina, water & salt. The chef then showed us how to form both pasta shapes by hand (no pasta rollers needed). This took up a majority of the class but was really informative. I felt like I understood how to make and handle the dough, and how to form the pasta shapes (even if the trofie took me a few tries to get right). We didn’t have time to shape all of our dough – which sent Ros into a pici frenzy trying to make sure she didn’t waste any dough.

Eataly Fresh Pasta Class Pici
L: Pici all’aglione, R: Trofie al pesto pomodor

Once we had sufficient pasta, we moved onto the sauce. Both sauces were made in the time we cooked our pasta, and both were absolutely delicious! I’m not gonna give away any recipes here as you need to go and experience the class yourself. But the sauces were so insanely simply, but so tasty. I would even go as far to say we didn’t miss cheese. It just shows what you can do with high quality ingredients at your disposal. We have a little hint for you to make your dishes even more delicious – we drizzled over some of the olive oil when eating our dishes and it make them even better. The oil was amazing, we were so close to stealing it but we restrained ourselves.

Ros & I looking cute at our pasta station

All in all we had such a fun evening – delicious wine, delicious food, delicious oil AND we left with a pasta certificate, AND we got to keep our aprons! We rounded off the evening with a quick gelato downstairs – the perfect end to the perfect evening.

Stracciatella gelato

I absolutely cannot recommend the Eataly classes enough. It’s such a fun way to spend an evening, that feels slightly more productive than just going for dinner (although there is absolutely nothing wrong with just going for dinner). We both learnt things we can take away and use in our own cooking – in fact my recent chilli, garlic & tomato pappardelle was slightly inspired by the pici all’aglione! So get yourself signed up to that mailing list, and take you foodie friends for a lovely, wholesome evening. Let me know what you think in the comments!

You can find Eataly at 135 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3YD

Bacon butter burger

Burger & Beyond – Shoreditch, E1

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
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

12:51 – Highbury & Islington, N1

bakesbymegukLeave a comment

12:51 is a place I’ve been to a few times for both the tasting menu and the Sunday roast and I am a big big fan. The chef is James Cochran, who you may know from such shows as Great British Menu – a show I watched avidly for years and I was always a fan of James’ food. I remember the first time I went to 12:51 really excitedly texting my parents that I was going to a celebrity chef’s restaurant, and then again when I actually saw him in the kitchen (I’m such a loser). The restaurant is a long narrow space on Upper Street with super fun decor that really matches the menu. This trip was my second time having the tasting menu – the first time was just over a year ago and it was definitely easier to get a reservation back then! This shows you just how good the food is though, especially for what you’re paying – £40 for 5 courses, +£35 wine pairing if you want it!

Soda bread with yeast butter

So, the meal – how was it! We got a bottle of the prosecco to drink, I prefer my prosecco a little drier but my friend Lucy liked it. I got the 5 course taster and Lucy got the 5 course veggie taster. For the most part Lucy’s and my dishes were very similar but with meaty components swapped out for veggie versions. First off we got some soda bread with a yeast butter – this was delicious. The bread was warm and the butter was very savoury and delicious. Off to a great start!

Spiced lamb kromeski with herby mayo (12:51)
Spiced lamb kromeski, cut open, with herby mayo (12:51)
Spiced lamb kromeski with herby mayo

On the meaty menu, they offer 3 options for snacks: buttermilk jerk chicken, spiced lamb kromeski, and feuille de brick with venison tare tare. I’ve had the chicken before and that was absolutely fantastic. Quick side note but James’ chicken is excellent, I remember over lockdown he opened a delivery chicken restaurant called Around the Cluck that I ordered from a lot. Up there with some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Side note over. I ordered the lamb to try something different. This was a square croquette filled with spiced slow cooked lamb and gravy with a dollop of herby mayonnaise. This was gorgeous – so richly flavoured, with a little kick. The crunchy outside and soft inside balanced perfectly.

Crispy beef croquette (12:51)
Crispy beef croquette, cut open (12:51)
Crispy beef croquette

The first course was a crispy beef croquette, oyster cream and nasturtium. This was also delicious – a very crisp croquette filled with rich, tender beef and pickles. Next up was roast celeriac, remoulade, Douglas fir bacon pieces, pork crackling and egg yolk. This dish balanced so well – the very salty bacon and crackling paired with the earthy celeriac.

Roast celeriac with remoulade, bacon, crackling and egg yolk (12:51)
Smoked bone broth with mussels (12:51)
L: Roast celeriac, remoulade, bacon pieces, pork crackling and egg yolk. R: Smoked bone broth with mussels

Next we had a broth course – mine was smoked bone broth with mussels, artichoke and dulse. This course was very light, but rich on the flavour owing to the bone broth. Next we had the main which was the same for both of us – polenta, leek, kholrabi and roasted hazelnuts. This dish was sooo delicious and sooo rich. The polenta felt so buttery and luxurious, the leeks were buttery, the raw kholrabi really helped to cut through the richness and finally the hazelnuts really rounded the whole dish. I think this was my top dish of the meal – the rich, butteriness and the combinations of very soft and very crisp textures made this a fantastic dish.

L: Polenta, leek, kholrabi and roasted hazelnuts. R: Caramel custard, rhubarb and shortbread.

Lastly we had our pudding which was caramel custard, rhubarb and shortbread. Flavour-wise this dish was great – sharp rhubarb, creamy almost bitter caramel custard and super buttery shortbread. But, for me, the textures let this dish down a little. The custard was very thin – I was hoping for something a little more luxurious, like a set custard. That would’ve given this dish more substance. I also felt the shortbread was a little hard and not short enough. That being said, it still tasted delicious!

All in all I was very impressed again with 12:51. The menu was really interesting and well thought out, with great flavour and texture combinations in all dishes. It’s even better when you remember all that only costs £40! That being said, Lucy and I did get a little hungry later on and grabbed a roasted camembert from Humble Grape after (but also remember we had dinner at 5:30 and had been drinking wine from 5:30 until 9:30 when we got our camembert – this might explain the hunger…). I really recommend 12:51 – you can get the fine dining experience, really interesting food and great service for a really reasonable price. Their Sunday roast is also absolutely fantastic too – I’ve not had one from 12:51 for well over a year but I remember it being pretty special.

Find them at 107 Upper St, N1 1QN.

N'Duja Lasagne (Tom's Pasta)

Toms Pasta – Hackney Downs, E8

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.

L: Buttery garlic bread, R: tiramisu

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

Lamb Cumin Miso Udon (Koya Soho)

Tops Tips For Dining Out Alone (+ Review of Koya – Soho, W1)

bakesbymegukLeave a comment

As a major foodie, one thing I’ve always wanted to do but never felt brave enough to is go to a restaurant on my own. I’ve always looked at people who go to restaurants alone as super independent people – but I’ve never been able to extend that image to myself. For some reason, while I always thought other people looked independent doing it, I thought I would look sad and lonely and everyone wold be judging me. I decided recently I wanted to face that fear: bite the bullet and eat at a restaurant alone. Why should I have to wait for a friend to be free that likes that type of food to go eat somewhere? If I want to eat something, I should be able to do that regardless of if a friend is coming with me or not! Well, I did it and I had a really great time. It turns out absolutely no one is looking at and judging you if you go and eat on your own in a restaurant! I definitely felt very apprehensive ahead of doing it, so I wanted to share some tips for how I did it, made it really enjoyable and feel less scary.

Top Tips For First Time Solo Diners (From a recent first timer)

  1. Try to avoid just sitting on your phone – be present, take in the environment. This makes it a much more rewarding experience. If you’re gonna sit on your phone, you might as well just be at home and order a delivery. You go to a restaurant for the whole experience, to take in the surroundings.
  2. Pick a place with good people watching opportunities – this was key for me to stay off my phone. I chose Koya as this had bar seating which meant I could watch the chefs cooking the food which was really fun.
  3. If you’re scared, pick something lowkey for the first time. I was scared, so chose lunch over dinner as this felt less scary for me – I was just grabbing lunch while out shopping, whereas dinner felt scarier as I would be leaving the house specifically to go eat. Koya had bar seating too which I think really helped as this lends itself very well to eating alone.
  4. Pick a place with food you’re really excited to try! And maybe somewhere none of your friends would go. One of the reasons I wanted to start eating out on my own is that a lot of my friends may not want to eat at all the places I want to. I do have a few foodie friends, but they aren’t always gonna be free!
  5. As much as you can, try to tell remind yourself how strong & independent you are for doing this! And absolutely no one else is going to be looking at you and judging for being alone, but if they do, who cares! It won’t affect you if people are thinking that.

I hope these tips help if any of you are planning to give this a go for the first time. I cannot recommend it enough!

Koya Review

You’re probably all wondering how was Koya? Well I’ll tell you! For those who don’t know, Koya is an amazing Japanese udon bar with locations in Soho, Hackney and the city. I went for a Saturday lunch at the Soho branch around 2pm – when I got there the queue wasn’t too long. I think I waited around 30-40 mins. It did start raining but luckily that was just when I reached the cover. It was cold, and a little stormy which I think is the perfect weather for a big hot bowl of noodles & broth.

Once I was seated, I ordered the cumin miso lamb and added tamago (poached egg). I got a prime seat and watched the chefs making my dish. They handed me this huge steaming bowl of noodles and cold egg on the side. I cracked my egg into the dish – the yolk was still gorgeously thick and runny, and the broth warmed up the egg perfectly. The noodle dish consisted of thick udon noodles, broth, a minced lamb cumin and miso mix, with a bit of freshness from coriander and spring onions – it was absolutely delicious. I really love udon noodles, and these were a fantastic example of them – they were thick, a little bit chewy and so comforting. The broth was savoury, and the lamb was amazing – very umami and fragrant. I really liked the addition of the tamago as the yolk added a bit of richness. I definitely want to go back and try their other udon dishes, as well as their small plates and sides. Maybe next time I’ll take a friend to share with!

Lamb Cumin Miso Udon with Tamago (Koya Soho
Lamb Cumin Miso Udon with tamago (Koya Soho)

So all in all my first solo restaurant trip was a major success – I did it confidently, I really enjoyed the experience AND I got to eat delicious noodles. I think my next challenge for myself will be to go out for dinner alone – please give me tips in the comments if you have any! Anyone who, like me, feels apprehensive about eating a restaurant alone – I really recommend giving it a go! It feels very freeing to know that anytime there’s something I want to eat, I can just go and do that!

Find them at 50 Frith Street, W1D 4SQ (+ other locations in Hackney & the city)

Korean corn dogs (from Bunsik)

How To Have A Foodie Day in China Town (London)

bakesbymegukLeave a comment

A few weeks ago my best foodie friend Ros & I spent a very wholesome Saturday wandering around Chinatown + Soho and eating everything we thought looked good. We had a few ideas of stuff we wanted to eat from things we’d seen on instagram, but for the rest we just ate whatever we came across. This was one of my favourite days I’ve had in a long time, it was so nice to walk around and discover new things, and a great way to spend time with one of my favourite people.

Our first stop was one we’d both seen aaaall over Instagram and Tik Tok – Bunsik for Korean corn dogs. We had to see if it was worth the hype. There was a bit of a queue when we got there but it went in no time. We ordered the half and half (£4.8 – half mozz, half sausage corn dog) and the potato mozzarella (£5.9 – full mozzarella corn dog rolled in little potato cubes before frying) and got both topped with ketchup and the spicy mayo. Obviously we had to take some cheese pull videos which I can confirm is a very embarrassing thing to do in the middle of a very busy London. So the verdict: these are absolutely worth the hype. My favourite was the potato mozzarella as I really liked the potato on the outside and I’m not a huge hotdog fan. Ros was more of a fan of the half and half – she preferred the coating and having some hotdog in there. The spicy mayo was the perfect addition too – it gave the perfect amount of kick. If you don’t trust our word, we got food compliments from people walking past. The perfect start to our day, and the perfect hangover cure for me.

Korean corn dogs – back is the half & half, front is the mozzarella potato. Photo by @rosontor (nails by me)

Our next stop was over to Yolkin – a place you might know from their famous macaron ice cream sandwiches. They are absolutely delicious, but not the reason we were there this time. I’d seen on their Instagram a few weeks earlier a creme brulee crepe. We got there and couldn’t see it anywhere on the menu. We left and I immediately searched their insta thinking I’d got the place wrong or it was a temporary special – but no, it was there and no mention of it being temporary. The lovely brave Ros went in and asked, and they had it! Just not on the menu – we felt very VIP ordering a secret item. This came as a cone of crepe, filled with a deliciously thick & creamy custard and a bruleed sugar top (it was hard to photograph, please don’t judge). This was also really incredible – as a person that would happily eat a litre of custard I was very pleased. The crepe was really tender and the sugar added some bitterness and a much needed crunch.

Creme brulee crepe

After this, we thought we should space out the eating by stopping off for a coffee. Ros had spent the morning telling me just how good Vietnamese coffee is so the obvious choice was to head for Vietnamese coffee. Ros googled it and came back with a place called Bahn Mi Keu Deli. We headed here and it turned out to be a place I’d walked past thousands of times and always thought looked great but never went. We’ll definitely be returning to try the food as everything looked amazing. I got an ice coffee and Ros got the drip coffee. I can confirm Ros was not lying, Vietnamese coffee really is incredible. It almost tasted chocolatey! Stopping off for a mid-day drink is one of our top tips for a foodie day to space out the eating a bit and for a toilet break.

Vietnamese iced coffee (& lovely Ros in the back)

Coffee finished, we headed over to Ji Chicken Shop for some popcorn chicken. This place is super cool – you can pick from a huge batch of seasonings to flavour your chicken, anything from matcha to cheese to cumin. We opted for a simple garlic and it was delicious! The chicken was super crispy on the outside & tender on the inside, and really cheap for the amount we got!

Garlic popcorn chicken

We took our chicken and walked over to our next and final destination Old Chang Kee Covent Garden for some curry puffs. This place was on such a busy street but was so empty – it definitely should’ve had queues out the door. We only got the signature chicken curry puff and split it – but since, we’ve both had regrets we didn’t try everything, it all sounded delicious. The puff was heavenly: the curry was creamy rich and so flavoursome, the pastry was so flaky and crispy (I can see why they have the title of the best pastry in London).

Signature Curry Puff, photo by @rosontour

This rounded off our fabulous foodie day, and we really had the loveliest day. We got to eat so much delicious stuff and spend hours chatting. I can’t think of a better way to spend a day! Now for our favourites:

Meg

  1. Curry puff
  2. Corn dogs (specifically potato mozz)
  3. Creme brulee crepe
  4. Popcorn chicken

Ros

  1. Curry Puffs
  2. Corn Dog
  3. Creme brulee crepe
  4. Popcorn chicken

We ended up being exactly the same but my 1 &2 were very close and Ros’ 2 & 3 were very close. That being said, we really recommend everything we had. This is your sign to take your pals and go for a foodie walking day around London! Let me know what you eat in the comments if you do