February 27, 2010 Strange title for a post. It is an unimaginative attempt at meshing a whole evening into a short phrase: a drink at Redchurch Bar, followed by Up in the Air at Rich Mix cinema, followed by a curry on Brick Lane, followed by a final pint at Woodin’s Shades.
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February 26, 2010 Just a little bit too far from my office for the lunch break lies the Fleet River Bakery at the edge of Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Pity, because the food offerings look gorgeous – though don’t expect varieties of bread here, because the bakery products are focusing on cakes: it’s a proper bistro-café.
Oh how I’d love to sit down for a while and enjoy nice pastries, but no, today I am just picking up a coffee to go. I have chosen my venue carefully, of course, as I have been told that the Fleet River Bakery serves Monmouth Coffee. Just the standard blend but that is not a bad thing.
While waiting for the coffee to be prepared, you can wonder why there is almost a square metre of a see-through glass tile in the floor just in front of the coffee counter. To provide the cellar with daylight? Or a design feature to make customers like me wonder? Anyways, a nice little quirk.
Fleet River Bakery, by LoopZilla via flickr
The coffee itself is good Monmouth quality and well prepared. Not as strong as what you get from Monmouth directly, and therefore ideal for a flat white – I had it as a latte, though. As Monmouth is just a few minutes down the West End maze of side streets, I cannot see myself buying coffees here in great quantity, but as a place to sit and relax a little, it is a nice breakfast or afternoon haven in the middle of a busy area. And let’s not forget the food.
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February 23, 2010 I’ve been kissed by a man! Eeek!!
It was my first time ever, and most probably won’t happen again (sorry to disappoint). Of course, my kisser wasn’t any random man, but more on that later – first things first.
Jackie Leven & Michael Cosgrave Last Of The Badmen
Videomann | MySpace Video
I have been following Jackie Leven’s outputs since his first ‘proper’ solo album, i.e. under his name, more than 15 years ago, and I went to a few concerts, one of the most memorable being 2008 in a wild-west-style pub in Leytonstone, Far East London, which I must write up at some point, because it was so utterly bizarre. Jackie Leven himself hints at the bizarreness in the first three paragraphs of his June 2008 blog entry.
Tonight’s gig was at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell, and frankly, I cannot possibly conceive how this pub has managed to elude my radar. Not because it is the most atmospheric pub in the universe, even though it is quite inviting, relaxing and nice. But the competition for the best pub in Clerkenwell is high, so to stand out, a venue must have an additional attraction. The attraction of the Slaughtered Lamb is the gig room in the basement.
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February 23, 2010 Is it French? Is it Modern British? Hard to say, but it’s cheap! This mini-chain of restaurants serves French-oriented food, I’d say, and considering the price, I find it good value. Tonight was my second visit, and although there are mixed reviews, I cannot fault the quality of the food. Well-seasoned, nicely cooked dishes, served in an extravagantly decorated restaurant at friendly prices. That’s the concept of Little Bay, that’s what you get.
Duck at Little Bay Farringdon, by mseasons via flickr.com
Tonight, I went for the breast of duck with steamed pak choi, honey and ginger jus, plus some goose-fat fried, err, french fries, as they call their chips. Must be French, not Modern British, then. The dish did indeed resemble mseasons’s brilliant photo above, and I really liked the taste of it: this is not bland stuff that you would get in pretentious gastropubs, this is food prepared by people who have not yet lost their tastebuds. Maybe we were lucky, but then I am grateful that luck comes in pairs, as my first visit at this place was equally convincing.
This venue is not huge. They have a downstairs area, but you would definitely prefer to sit upstairs, ideally at the large front windows, as we did. Maybe thanks to our last-minute reservation, maybe just because it was not overly full. Little Bay is renowned for their slightly quirky decor, which is a bit over the top, though the only outstanding feature at the Farringdon branch is a giant face mask. Little Bay also does opera nights, though not at this branch. And we were very happy not to be harrassed by a table-side opera singer, when all we wanted was a good dinner in preparation for the rest of what turned out to be a fantastic evening.
I have definitely had much, much worse meals and will happily try my luck a third time.
Whatever you order, get extra vegetables with it. They’re nice.
London Eating Review
Toptable Review
Time Out London Review
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February 21, 2010 The main attraction of Tate Modern’s Members’ Room is undoubtedly the view. Judge for yourself:
However, they do decent coffee, too, hence this article in the commoncoffee series. The illy they serve might not be in the Monmouth or Square Mile league, yet it is decent enough to be enjoyable from a proper cup.
Interestingly, illy is not illy: they may base some of their fame on constant quality, yet at Tate Modern it becomes clear that the barista is an important factor in the coffee preparation process. Elsewhere, illy coffee sometimes does not taste half as good. And the milk foam pattern is nothing short of perfect.
Not sure if you’ll agree, but I think illy coffee does not need to be enjoyed pure, or with milk only. So I definitely suggest ordering a moccha here at Tate, as I usually do: not too sweet, rather a dark chocolate moccha with a sturdy body. Not too aggressive, but strong enough to please. Perfect enjoyment for the north balcony, were it a bit warmer. But we stayed indoors on two perfect seats on the perfectly positioned sofa opposite the panoramic windows, taking in the perfect view of St Paul’s dome bathed in perfect winter sunlight.
It’s not all about coffee, you know.
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February 21, 2010 A restaurant for special occasions: Dim T More London. Easily the flagship of the small chain of cool and stylish pan-Asian restaurants, the sort of place where they play lounge music on the loos. Speaking of loos, it’s not easy to find the cabins…hint: the rear wall is not really a wall.
Dim T, More London, by Kake Pugh via flickr.com
People come here for the view, and thanks to my booking we had a prime table at the floor-to-ceiling windows, with a direct view of Tower Bridge. Brilliant view, even though we were on the ground floor – I have only ever been to the first floor so far. Sunday noon was not crowded at all, which was good, and the weather added to the perfection of this occasion. The food was good as always: Nicely steamed Dim Sum, two tasty noodle dishes for the two of us, and a shared brownie which seems to have left the menu since!
So, if you have visitors or want to celebrate something, this will be a great place to do so. Ok, the menu used to be more creative a few years ago, and Dim Sum connaisseurs should go elsewhere, but Dim T does ok quality food in nice surroundings with a fantastic view, and it won’t tear a hole in anyone’s pocket. Quite surprising for this location. Definitely preferable to Gaucho and Strada next door, unless you have a voucher for the latter.
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