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

Eataly Fresh Pasta Cooking Class Review

18th Apr 202218th Apr 2022 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.

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.

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.

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

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

Daffodil Mulligan – Shoreditch, EC1

31st Jan 20222nd Feb 2022 bakesbymegukLeave a comment

This is another one that’s been on my list for a while but I never got round to visiting. But thanks to the handy map I have of all the restaurants I’ve been recommended on my phone, when I agreed to meet some friends for dinner near Old Street, Daffodil Mulligan was the prime choice. Once I’d booked I started to do a bit of research and realised one of the founders is Richard Corrigan – at that point I knew it would be good, and I wasn’t disappointed. The decor & atmosphere feel really high end but laid back at the same time, which matches the vibe of the food perfectly.

As always, we started with a drink and (as always) I got a whiskey sour. This was a perfect version of the classic whiskey sour. Now for the food. I’m usually the type of person that picks their meal the day I book it, but for Daffodil Mulligan I only chose one dish ahead of time (the sugar pit pork) and the rest I left to the waitress’ recommendation. Everything on the menu just looks incredible.

daffodil mulligan salt chilli fried chicken with pickles — Salt chilli fried chicken with mustard & chilli pickles

From the small plates we first ordered the bread with cultured butter & buttermilk which is about as delicious as bread and butter can get, which is really bloody delicious. We had a selection of sourdough & soda bread, both of which were warm, soft & delicious, which very high quality, creamy, salty butter. Next came the salt chilli fried chicken with mustard & chilli pickles. This was up there with some of my favourite fried chicken bites – the chicken was juicy on the inside, spiced and crispy on the outside. Then you dunk in the mayo (of which we ordered extra) and top with one of the pickles. The perfect bite.

Daffodil mulligan onion potato cake rarebit — L: onion potato cake rarebit, R: ‘Monty’ hock on toast with smoked jalapeno & pickled shallot

Daffodil mulligan monty hock toast — L: onion potato cake rarebit, R: ‘Monty’ hock on toast with smoked jalapeno & pickled shallot

We also ordered the onion potato cake rarebit (this normally has eel in but they were out) which was also delicious. Think potatoey pancake with cheesy rarebit blobs. Next up we got the ‘Monty’ hock on toast with smoked jalapeno & pickled shallot. This consisted of a piece of toast topped with a generous helping of juicy ham hock mixed with cheddar & other delicious bits, topped with jalapenos and shallots. Another huge success.

Daffodil mulligan pig cheek skewers with curry sauce — L: Pig cheek skewers with tamarind & brown crab ‘Chip Chop’ curry curry sauce, R: Chargrilled octopus with tamarind hummus and blood orange gremolata

daffodil mulligan chargrilled octopus — L: Pig cheek skewers with tamarind & brown crab ‘Chip Chop’ curry curry sauce, R: Chargrilled octopus with tamarind hummus and blood orange gremolata

On recommendation from the waitress we got the pig cheek skewers with tamarind and brown crab ‘Chip Chop’ curry curry sauce, and the chargrilled octopus with tamarind hummus and blood orange gremolata. The pig cheek was melt in the mouth delicious and the curry sauce added such a punch of flavour I could’ve licked the bowl clean. And the octopus, I’m a huge fan of octopus done well, and the was done so incredibly well. The meat was perfectly cooked, and the tail end got really nice and crispy. The blood orange added a lovely tang to the dish.

Daffodil mulligan sugar pit pork — Sugar pit pork with salted cabbage, prawn spring roll & sour lime dressing

Now the the main event, the thing everyone recommends – the sugar pit pork served with salted cabbage, prawn spring roll & sour lime dressing. And let me tell you it absolutely lives up to the hype. The pork is pink and so so juicy and tender (the picture speaks for itself), and serving it with the cabbage really cuts through the richness. That crispy prawn spring roll really is a hidden gem – we needed about 5 more!

Mashed potato with smoked butter and bone marrow crumb

I need to give a special shoutout to the mash with smoked butter and bone marrow crumb. If anyone went to Pitt Cue before it closed, you’ll know about bone marrow mash and how much of a beautiful thing it is. It was amazing to relive this, but with the added crunch from the marrow crumb. Think the absolutely richest mash you can imagine with that gorgeous, fatty bone marrow taste. I could eat 10 servings of this.

Daffodil mulligan chocolate choux with caramel and yuzu — Dark chocolate choux with caramel and yuzu

And after all that food, I still had space for dessert because, as my brother always said, dessert goes into the pudding stomach, which is different from the savoury stomach (and yes it houses Yorkshire puddings too). I got the chocolate choux with caramel and yuzu. I feel like I keep saying on here that I’m not a huge chocolate fan, and then ordering chocolate desserts – but I swear its true. This one was so light owing to the super crisp choux & and airy ganache, and any richness was cut through by the fresh taste of the yuzu.

This was an absolutely fantastic meal, every plate was incredible – there were no disappointments at all. I actually don’t think I could rank the dishes, they’re all equally as incredible. I’ve tried to pick a favourite but I keep picking one, and then remembering another until I’ve gone through the whole list of dishes about 3 times. Honestly, you have to try this place. I can’t wait to go back and taste the rest of the menu. If you’ve been, or go after reading this let me know what you think in the comments!

Find them at 70-74 City Rd, Old Street, London, EC1Y 2BJ.

Bao Noodle Shop – Shoreditch, E2

23rd Jan 2022 bakesbymegukLeave a comment

Bao has been a long-time firm favourite of mine. I have fond Lockdown 2 memories of sitting on London Fields Park with my friend Corey, absolutely frozen eating a classic bao from Netil market. So obviously the noodle bar has been on my must-visit list since it opened, and I finally took the trip last week – naturally with my bao-buddy Corey. I always love Bao, and this was no exception. The food is always so exciting and really well executed, and the decor is like being on the set of a Wes Anderson film, with ’emergency noodles’ lining the wall (my kind of emergency supply stash).

bao noodle shop cocktails — L: Umesgu Negroni, R: Sweet Potato Sour

We started off with cocktails. I had the sweet potato sour (gin, chestnut & sweet potato) which was an incredible drink. It had the rich smooth feel of a whiskey sour (which is quickly being exposed as my favourite drink), but it was sweeter and rounder owing to the chesnut, and without the whiskey burn. Corey had the Umeshu Negroni (plum sake, gin, campari & vermouth) which tasted like a very good negroni – neither of us picked up the plum sake.

Bao Noodle Shop cull yaw dumplings — L: Cull yaw dumplings, R: Crispy Ogleshield Cheese Rolls

Bao Noodle Shop ogleshield cheese rolls — L: Cull yaw dumplings, R: Crispy Ogleshield Cheese Rolls

We were recommended 3-4 starters to share, and a noodle dish and a bao each. For starters we chose the cull yaw dumplings, the Ogleshield cheese rolls and the crispy tripe with spring onion dip. All three were delicious. The dumplings were unanimously the best dish of the evening. The lamb filling was so savoury & deep in flavour. Completely different to any dumpling I’d had before. The cheese rolls, while delicious, were slightly less exciting than the other dishes. They were very cheesy, crispy fried rolls – what’s not to love. The tripe was a real revelation though. As someone with mild trypophobia I’ve always been put off by the look of tripe. But this being a dish of breadcrumbed strips of tripe, I didn’t encounter any appearance issues. The tripe was melt in the mouth, which was a texture I was really not expecting, but the spiced breaded coating is was made it so special. For any tripe newbies – this is your entry tripe. I am a convert!

Bao Noodle Shop crispy tripe — Crispy tripe with spring onion dip

Now onto the namesake – the bao. We got a bao each: I got the Iberico and Corey got the prawn croquette. Both delicious. The iberico felt really special – the meat was so tender and juicy. I think this may even take the top spot as my favourite Bao bao. The prawn croquette was also delicious – I compared it to really high quality prawn toast.

Bao Noodle Shop iberico and prawn bao — Iberico bao at the front, prawn croquette at the back

For main there were 2 beef noodle options: the slow-cooked beef cheek and short-rib noodles, and the rare beef rump noodles (served with a soy egg yolk). We both went for the latter, swayed mainly by the egg yolk. This dish was also incredible. Slightly chewy noodles, a DEEP rich beefy broth, super tender beef rump strips and the salty egg yolk for beef dipping. Absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to go back and try the short-rib and the dan dan tofu noodles. And of course, I rounded off the meal with a purchase of a one of their iconic tote bags.

Bao Noodle Shop rare beef rump noodles — Rare beef rump noodles with the soy egg yolk for dipping

Bao Noodle Shop soy egg yolk — Rare beef rump noodles with the soy egg yolk for dipping

Meg & Corey Ratings

This is another meal where absolutely everything was delicious – there were no duds. So remember in this ranking, even the things at the bottom are fantastic, they just have tough competition

Meg

Cull yaw dumplings
Iberico bao
Crispy tripe
Rare beef rump noodles
Ogleshield cheese rolls

Corey

Cull yaw dumplings
Praw croquette bao
Rare beef rump noodles
Crispy tripe
Ogleshield cheese rolls

Let me know who you agree with in the comments!

This was another incredible meal by bao – they never seem to miss. Every part of the menu is so different & well thought out – and then perfectly executed. If you haven’t yet had the chance to visit the Bao Noodle bar, we highly highly recommend you do. Let me know what think of it in the comments if you’ve already been, and let me know if you go from this recommendation!

Find them at 1 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DJ