Tipped

Swedish Meatballs

February 26, 2008

About 10 years ago I used to live with a Swedish girl whose dad was a big shot at Ikea - this being 98 I'd actually never heard of Ikea so she took me and another friend to investigate - whilst there we tried the meatballs in the cafe and were hooked. We'd take the trip to Ikea just to eat the meatballs - then we realized we could get them from the supermarket so we stopped going to Ikea.

Anyway I was looking forward to eating at Fika - the place is really cute - it actually looks like posh Ikea furniture, very clean but then there's astroturf on the walls and fairy lights everywhere.

It was Sunday so even though the Sirloin steak sounded delicious (£13) and interesting as its served on a 'Planka' (I think that translates as a plank of wood) I actually opted for the special which was meatballs (£7) - they arrived and there were loads of them accompanied by some mash and cranberry or loganberry sauce - mmmmmmmmmmmmmm they were really good but what surprised me is that they tasted the same as the ones from Ikea and the supermarket - having never been to Sweden I don't know whether thats what they just taste like but I was expecting something a little more authentic - they were however quite worth the £7.

Great Coffee

February 26, 2008

This place is fast becoming my favorite weekend coffee hangout.

Brushfield St is quite a historic st (Jack the Ripper and victims all hung out round here) and a few of the places have taken this as inspiration for their interior design. The floorboards and tables are all sanded and kinda creaky and they serve scones and tea cakes and it kind of feels like you've stepped back in time.

The coffee is great but my favorite thing are the tables outside along both exterior walls of the shop - sitting out here on a Saturday reading the paper is just so calming.

Nice Luton Van Mate!

February 26, 2008

I'm not a regular white van driver but I must say its something I really enjoy when I get the chance.

I was helped by a very friendly man called Hugo or Yugo who helped make the booking - the Van arrived and was clean enough, the lift at the back worked and it even had a CD player - result!

The only thing I will say about this place is be aware that when you return the van you kind of just have to park on the street and they then take the van away - so if you have a load of crap in the van and are hoping to find a big bin to chuck stuff in think again!

Awesome Ribs, Wings and Cornbread!

January 22, 2008

Ohhhhh I am sooo full but in a really good way. Tonight me and my veggie girlfriend went to this awesome ribs place.

Unless you actually live in Wapping its a bit awkward to get to but its a nice walk from St Katherine's dock.

The place is small, about 6 tables and at most you could fit about 30 people tops in here at the same time. There's writing all over the wall, little notes from past customers which gives it an oddly homely vibe.

We sat down, ordered some drinks, Brooklyn Lager and a Sierra Nevada (woot two of my faves) and perused the menu. Whilst we were doing so one couple (obviously regulars) popped in, had a chat wth the owner and then left with 2 takeout portions of cheesecake - a good sign methinks.

We placed our orders - me some 'Wicked Wing Drummetts' and a slab of beef ribs - her - a side of sweet potato, cornbread and corn on the cob.

While we waited for the food another couple, again regulars, came in, sat down and started chatting to the owner (they were Americans which I took to be another good omen).

The food arrived all at the same time (we'd asked for it that way) and I tucked into my wings - mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm and spicy too - lucky they came with blue cheese dip. I managed to also grab some of my lady's cornbread which was delicious and so was her sweet potato. Wash down some Sierra. Attack the ribs. The ribs (just two) were large, tender, smoked and most importantly full of meat (can they be full of meat if the meat is actually on the outside?) I tried to have a taste of my girlfriend's corn on the cob but she said I had meat fingers - they looked so tasty that I had to order myself some - they tasted as good as they looked.

We were completely full but both wanted desert, I wanted cheesecake, she wanted apple pie - it was a stand off - we inquired about the smoked fruits - declined but were then presented with a small complementary pot - ooohhhhhh who knew - like smokey fruit salad - lovely.

We ordered the bill and all in all it was about £30 which I reckon was a bargain. The only thing that I wasn't looking forward to was waiting for the bus (man with belly full o ribs enjoys not waiting for public transport) but you know what it arrived just as we got to the bus stop. AMAZING.

I really really enjoyed this place, the food was awesome and Koye Rhodes, the dude that owns this place, was the consummate host - I will definitely be coming back here.

ZOMGZ!!!!!1 Italian

January 22, 2008

Oh my god - this place is AWESOME. Its taken me about 2 weeks to actually get round to writing this review becaue every time I go back there something more awesome happens.

The first time I came here was for coffee, when after wandering to Monmouth Coffee for my daily post-luncheon fix I was confronted by a massive queue. Coffee is coffee is coffee I muttered as I wandered off down the street and entered a small Italian deli - the coffee was good and half the price of Monmouth! Plus they had a couple of tables outside under an awning!

Whilst waiting for my coffee to be prepared I noticed they had a wall of produce - imported pasta (organic and locally made or so the packaging leads you to believe), small tubs of truffle pesto, risotto rice with dried porcine and all manner of olive oils.

The next day I cam back and tried one of their baguettes - parma harm, pecorino cheese and rocket - mmmmmm tasty!

Suffice to say that I came back the next day for lunch AND coffee and every day since I discovered this place.

The guy behind the counter recognizes me and makes me my special coffee (latte milk not too hot) and always asks me if I enjoyed my food (which I think makes a difference).

I've yet to sample the delights of the imported food wall or the restaurant downstairs however I know I will - this place is awesome.

Borough Market's Hip Younger Sister

January 14, 2008

Ohhhh its like a little mini Borough Market! But with loads more young attractive parents pushing babies around.

Its a great place to stroll, pick up some nice organic / free range meat / veg / eggs etc and at the same time grab some lunch (Grilled Mushroom sandwich looked amazing by I ended up opting for Lamb burger - yum!) My favorite stall was the Olive Oil / Balsamic Vinegar man - he had about 10 different flavoured oils (garlic, truffle infused etc) all of which you could taste with a bit of bread. He also had about 10 different types of balsamic vinegar - the orange infused one was delicious but the best ones were the white balsamics - I've never tasted them before but ohhhhhhhhhhh they were so good - everyone should have this in their life.

The market is surrounded by plenty of pubs (The Cat and Mutton, The Dove) and a bunch of coffee shops (there's also a Monmouth coffee stall on the market) which makes it a great place for spending a Saturday afternoon.

Good, Cheap and Vegetarian

January 10, 2008

For the past few days I've been doing some work in Covent Garden which is a nice change of scenery and also ebables me to walk to work in just under 45 minutes - healthy!

I was however worried about lunchtime eating arrangements.

Central London, by the very nature of being the centre of one of the busiest capital cities in the world, is not a cheap place - I was surprised then to be directed to Food for Thought.

Its a really reasonably priced vegetarian cafe with an amazing atmoshpere situated right in the middle of Neal St (shoe / trainer shop central).

There's a small upstairs where you can get take-out and a larger seated area downstairs. Yesterday I went and had Sheperdess Pie with a large side salad (pasta, lentils, leaves etc) for £7.50 but I couldn't finish it. Today I had just a main, Carribean Curry which was £4.40 and easliy enough. They seem to change the menu daily and there's a choice of 3 mains, a few salads and desserts. The tables downstairs are quite small but the nice thing is that everyone shares tables, you'll quite often see solitary types nose deep into their book chomping on some veg.

The queues that lead up the street are testament to how good the food is as is the fact that I'll be going back again tomorrow and I'm not even veggie.

great music venue

December 05, 2007

The Ica, in my humble opinion, is one of the most wonderful multi perpose places in London. The bookshop is awesome, the gallery is great and even the cinema has a certain charm to it. But as with everything, all roads lead to the bar.

Its on two levels, the actual bar being on the upper level. They have DJs several nights a week and sometimes live bands however the best place for the bands is in the theatre room behind the bar.

Being the Institute Of Contemporary Arts the music programming is cutting edge often to the point of obscure but not always. I've seen some great bands perform here and the theatre space is a great size - holding about 300 people. Be sure to check the wesbite as the mstyle of music can vary widely.

Good for gigs

December 05, 2007

I have mixed feelings about this place.

As a bar it can at times be overcrowded, cold and charmless and the crowd can be way too hipster - on the other hand when it is busy it can be really fun.

The best thing about this place is that they have a live music room out the back that holds maybe 300 people and they pretty much always have great new bands playing.

It can be quite a fashion crowd and Sundays is a night called Boombox which is one of the big fashion crowd nights out - my sister told me it was fun but to be honest I think I'm a bit old for that now - I'll just stick to the mid week gigs they have.

Good Staple Music Venue

December 05, 2007

Cargo is a great venue if you happen to like jazz, soul, hip hop, electonica and such like.

They have live acts several times a week but be sure to check the listings as they have a wide range of promoters which means it has a very varied music policy.

The outdoor courtyard is great in the summer and they often have barbques. In the winter they have the restaurant which serves average food at reasonable prices.

The one bad thing about this place is the layout of the club - its sort of split into 2 which means that if its at capacity and the band comes on everyone rushes into one half of the venue which can make it really really packed - I saw The Roots here once and whilst it was a great show it was wayyy too packed.