4 Streatham St.
London, WC1A 1JB
For an Asian restaurant in London, Wagamama's is not to bad. When Kathryn mentioned having the soba yaki - I was expecting actual soba noodles in soup a la Mifune in San Francisco. Apparently yaki means pan fried - or something along those lines - and her dish was a pile of soba noodles with chicken, shrimp and some veggies. It tasted a bit to salty for my liking and I'm glad I went with another dish.
I had the chicken katsu curry. The dish was very yummy and I was full after eating, but it wasn't an especially great curry. Just normal. I would have gone with the big bowl of soup, but the soup noodles were only ramen and I'm more preferential to udon noodles.
Overall, I'm glad I experienced the resturant in Bloomsbury then any other location as it was undergrand and more set up in a manner similar to the original Wagamama's opened in 1992. And the meal was fulling, but I doubt I'd return as the price was a little steeper (granted I'm still converting pounds to dollars in my head).
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wasabi
58 Oxford St
London, W1D 1BH
This specific Wasabi's location didn't have any seating and is on Oxford St near Tottenham Court Road so it was super busy when we went.Well, there's sushi and you can get a pseudo-Chinese food box. I'm generally very wary of restaurants that combine Japanese and Chinese cuisine (cause hello, oh so different). I stuck to the sushi and Jen went for the more Chinese cuisine - she seemed to enjoy her meal.
Wasabi is a very interesting concept for Japanese food. You basically grab a little tray and put the sushi you want. All of the sushi were wrapped in pairs and generally were between 1-2 pounds for two wrapped rolls (so generally 4 rolls total). I went with the basic California roll, shrimp maki, tuna roll and a few other rolls that looked appetizing. Overall, not the best sushi I've eaten (and the fact you had to pay for soy sauce kinda irked me) and I more then likely won't return unless I'm desperate for some sushi. I
London, W1D 1BH
This specific Wasabi's location didn't have any seating and is on Oxford St near Tottenham Court Road so it was super busy when we went.Well, there's sushi and you can get a pseudo-Chinese food box. I'm generally very wary of restaurants that combine Japanese and Chinese cuisine (cause hello, oh so different). I stuck to the sushi and Jen went for the more Chinese cuisine - she seemed to enjoy her meal.
Wasabi is a very interesting concept for Japanese food. You basically grab a little tray and put the sushi you want. All of the sushi were wrapped in pairs and generally were between 1-2 pounds for two wrapped rolls (so generally 4 rolls total). I went with the basic California roll, shrimp maki, tuna roll and a few other rolls that looked appetizing. Overall, not the best sushi I've eaten (and the fact you had to pay for soy sauce kinda irked me) and I more then likely won't return unless I'm desperate for some sushi. I
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
44/46 The Brunswick Centre
London WC1N 1AE
England isn't really known for their burgers, which is to be expected cause it's well England. Everyone I've talked to have loved Gourmet Burger - tauting it as the best burger joint. On Friday, Jen, Kathryn and I went to Gourmet Burger over near Russell Square for lunch. I decided to get the traditional cheese burger to compare it to my favorite burger (Elephant and Castle's Union Jack Beef Burger - orgasmically good). I did order a side of chunky chips (fries) which were nicely fried but needed more salt. The burger itself was huge. I had to keep the stick in and eat it with a knife and fork (a first but mostly everyone in the restaurant were using utensils). While I was really stuffed after lunch (with a slight food coma for an hour after - not the best when returning to work), the burger was ok. For my first $15 burger and fries (damn exchange rate) I was expecting, well more. The burger was a little dry and the 'relish' (which taste more like salsa) they put on was too sweet. I would recommend skipping the English burger experience and getting Indian.
London WC1N 1AE
England isn't really known for their burgers, which is to be expected cause it's well England. Everyone I've talked to have loved Gourmet Burger - tauting it as the best burger joint. On Friday, Jen, Kathryn and I went to Gourmet Burger over near Russell Square for lunch. I decided to get the traditional cheese burger to compare it to my favorite burger (Elephant and Castle's Union Jack Beef Burger - orgasmically good). I did order a side of chunky chips (fries) which were nicely fried but needed more salt. The burger itself was huge. I had to keep the stick in and eat it with a knife and fork (a first but mostly everyone in the restaurant were using utensils). While I was really stuffed after lunch (with a slight food coma for an hour after - not the best when returning to work), the burger was ok. For my first $15 burger and fries (damn exchange rate) I was expecting, well more. The burger was a little dry and the 'relish' (which taste more like salsa) they put on was too sweet. I would recommend skipping the English burger experience and getting Indian.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Skiddaw
46 Chippenham Road
London, W9 2AF
For Jen's birthday dinner we went traditional London pub. The pub was dark with victorian-esq decour, the table was sticky and the people were chatty. So overall a very cute place. I went with the fish and chips - who can declined fried batter and french fries? Apparently fish and chips is a bit different on this side of the pond. The fish isn't completely skinned. Which is kinda freaky and sad because you miss out on some fried goodness. But other then the skin still there, the food was very yummy. We all shared appetizers of calamari (to squishy) and chicken skewers that came with a kick ass soy gingery sauce. Dinner was finished off with a warm brownies dessert with ice cream. And for some reason, the pub had a birthday candle so there was some birthday singing for Jen.
London, W9 2AF
For Jen's birthday dinner we went traditional London pub. The pub was dark with victorian-esq decour, the table was sticky and the people were chatty. So overall a very cute place. I went with the fish and chips - who can declined fried batter and french fries? Apparently fish and chips is a bit different on this side of the pond. The fish isn't completely skinned. Which is kinda freaky and sad because you miss out on some fried goodness. But other then the skin still there, the food was very yummy. We all shared appetizers of calamari (to squishy) and chicken skewers that came with a kick ass soy gingery sauce. Dinner was finished off with a warm brownies dessert with ice cream. And for some reason, the pub had a birthday candle so there was some birthday singing for Jen.
Hummus Bros
Victoria House
37-63 Southampton Row
London WC1B 4DA
I was out of bread Friday and decided to head to Hummus Bro - a quaint take away or eat in near the British Museum that Kathryn found. I had a regular hummus bowl with the chunky beef, 2 pitas that came with the bowl and a lemonade. I think I loved the lemonade the best - it had a bit of mint and ginger that made it absolutely amazing. The hummus was OK, but I think I've become so accustom to Trader Joe's Mediterranean hummus that without that extra spice I find hummus lacking. It was also a bit odd to have a bunch of other food in the middle of the hummus. The beef itself was delicious (even though I did get a few fatty pieces), but I would have preferred the hummus and beef separate. But I'm probably white bread like that.
37-63 Southampton Row
London WC1B 4DA
I was out of bread Friday and decided to head to Hummus Bro - a quaint take away or eat in near the British Museum that Kathryn found. I had a regular hummus bowl with the chunky beef, 2 pitas that came with the bowl and a lemonade. I think I loved the lemonade the best - it had a bit of mint and ginger that made it absolutely amazing. The hummus was OK, but I think I've become so accustom to Trader Joe's Mediterranean hummus that without that extra spice I find hummus lacking. It was also a bit odd to have a bunch of other food in the middle of the hummus. The beef itself was delicious (even though I did get a few fatty pieces), but I would have preferred the hummus and beef separate. But I'm probably white bread like that.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
S & M Cafe
268 Portobello Road,
Notting Hill, W10 5TY
London,
No, I didn't go to a S&M club during my stay in London. One of the intern advisors at the Museum suggested going to this small out of the way cafe on Portobello Road as it has really good banger and mash. That's right, the S & M stands for sausages and mash. For £8 you can get an order of bangers and mash (chose from about 7 different sausage options and 4 mash options). And don't do the money conversion in your head because it hurts and yes it's more in US dollar terms, but that's what you have to deal with in London. Unfortunately.
The cafe was very quaint and not overly crowded like the other bangers cafe about 4 blocks away that was swarming with tourists and had no real seating. There are even several vegetarian sausage options that I thought was interesting. And the menu makes it simple for out of towners to order (a lovely step by step guide with arrows).I ordered 1 traditional banger and one feta, spinach and something sausage with regular mash and gravy. The sausages were great and really fulling. The mash was a bit odd - it almost tasted like it was made with Guiness beer. But with enough gravy (which was heavenly) they tasted better.
Notting Hill, W10 5TY
London,
No, I didn't go to a S&M club during my stay in London. One of the intern advisors at the Museum suggested going to this small out of the way cafe on Portobello Road as it has really good banger and mash. That's right, the S & M stands for sausages and mash. For £8 you can get an order of bangers and mash (chose from about 7 different sausage options and 4 mash options). And don't do the money conversion in your head because it hurts and yes it's more in US dollar terms, but that's what you have to deal with in London. Unfortunately.
The cafe was very quaint and not overly crowded like the other bangers cafe about 4 blocks away that was swarming with tourists and had no real seating. There are even several vegetarian sausage options that I thought was interesting. And the menu makes it simple for out of towners to order (a lovely step by step guide with arrows).I ordered 1 traditional banger and one feta, spinach and something sausage with regular mash and gravy. The sausages were great and really fulling. The mash was a bit odd - it almost tasted like it was made with Guiness beer. But with enough gravy (which was heavenly) they tasted better.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Mediterraneo
37 Kensington Park Rd
London W11 2EU
A bit pricier of an Italian restaurant then I would have chosen, but we ate dinner for Jess's birthday. The place was very busy and a bit on the loud side, but not so loud as you can't hear your neighbor across the way. I ordered an appetizer to share - a carpacio, just because I'm a sucked for carpacio and I'm alwayds looking for a really good rendition. The carpacio arrived covered in salad and cheese bits. The presentation was ok, but I felt it took from the actual meat but piling on the lettuce. As for the carpacio itself, it was bland and not marinated for long enough for the proper flavor. A bit disappointing. For my main course, I ordered one of the pastas from the specials list. I can't recall which pasta it was, but I do recall being very happy with my pasta. I think the company also made the night a very nice experience. I'd go back, but only for a special occasion and this time I'd forgo the appetizer and maybe try a dessert instead.
London W11 2EU
A bit pricier of an Italian restaurant then I would have chosen, but we ate dinner for Jess's birthday. The place was very busy and a bit on the loud side, but not so loud as you can't hear your neighbor across the way. I ordered an appetizer to share - a carpacio, just because I'm a sucked for carpacio and I'm alwayds looking for a really good rendition. The carpacio arrived covered in salad and cheese bits. The presentation was ok, but I felt it took from the actual meat but piling on the lettuce. As for the carpacio itself, it was bland and not marinated for long enough for the proper flavor. A bit disappointing. For my main course, I ordered one of the pastas from the specials list. I can't recall which pasta it was, but I do recall being very happy with my pasta. I think the company also made the night a very nice experience. I'd go back, but only for a special occasion and this time I'd forgo the appetizer and maybe try a dessert instead.
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