The Sneaky Magpie

Tag Archives: Food

11 October, 2008

London Food Quest – Scandinavian Kitchen

I am constantly searching for good lunch places round W1. One of my favorite ones is the Scandinavian Kitchen on Great Titchfield Street. As the name suggests this place specilises in Scandinavian cuisine.

You can get a selection of smørrebrød – these are open sandwiches on rye bread with toppings such as salmon, herring, meats and cheeses. If you are after something more substantial there is always a choice of soups, hot dogs and meatballs.

I always go for a couple of the fishy or cheesy sandwiches and the most wonderful beetroot and apple salad. Delicious!

14 September, 2008

Back to Back to Basics

We strolled through Fitzrovia and ended up having dinner at Back to Basics. I must say, this time the service was much better, drinks were brought to our table almost immediately and the food followed shortly after. I had a beautiful fillet of salmon with dill, cucumber and cream and my other half had battered plaice with super minty mushy peas with an excellent bottle of Pouilly Fume. It all made for a pretty good evening.

7 September, 2008

Unreliable Cow

I came home late on Friday evening, it was pouring down outside and after a day of crappy studio food I was really craving some curry.

My first choice was Bombay Bicycle Club but they had a shortage of drivers. I decided to go for the second option which is the Holy Cow.

After the order was placed I was told it will take 1 h 15 min. Bit tough but I can wait. I was a bit apprehensive as last time the food came late and it was cold.

I waited the advised time, another 15 min passed, nothing. The phone at Holy Cow seemed to be off the hook all the time, finally I got through and was told the food will be with me shortly meaning another 15 min! The apology was poor and I got a lousy offer of a free side dish with the next order. Truly laughable, like I’m ever to going to go for this place again!

Food was eventually delivered, over an hour late and all I heard from the delivery guy was ‘Sorry, not my fault’.

The food turned up barely warm as suspected. I will never ever order from Holy Cow again.

24 August, 2008

London Food Quest – Back To Basics

Back to Basics is one of my favorite fish restaurants in London. Based in Noho in a quiet side street just off Great Titchfield Street it has lots of tables outside and not many cars passing by. The fish is delivered daily and the menu is always varied.

Inside, the decor is pretty average. The staff are awful – sleepy Polish girls with bad English and no energy, so you’ll be lucky to get your drinks within half an hour.

But, once the wait is over and the food arrives, it’s all worth it. I had tiger prawns with garlic to start with and skate with butter and caper sauce. Divine. The wine list is pretty good too.

17 August, 2008

London Food Quest – Rootmaster

London’s East End it the place to be. With new restaurants and cafés popping up on a weekly basis it is hard to keep on!

I’ve been introduced the Rootmaster Bustaurant and absolutely loved it. Cheap and cheerful, good honest food and friendly staff make this place special. It does get a bit hot on the upper deck as the kitchen is just below but the experience is worth it and you can always sit outside.

The food is locally sourced and all the take-away packaging is bio degradable making the place environmentally responsible.

17 August, 2008

by The Sneaky Magpie
in Days out, Food, Holidays, Shopping, Travel
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China Part 4 – Food

I was really excited about eating authentic Chinese food. However, I had been warned about lack of vegetarian dishes. It was hard. Most menus don’t make any sense as names of dishes are translated directly from dictionaries so you often come across things like Barbecue Speculation, Third Time Explosion or Buddha Jumped Over Great Wall Soup, whatever they can be!

I’ve tried dishes I’ve never heard of before, one of them was Mongolian hotpot (like the Japanese Nabe). You are presented with all kinds of bits and pieces like cabbage, fish balls, mushrooms and cook it in boiling stock. It was very very tasty and a healthy option too. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photograph of it as my husband was being force fed by an over-friendly waitress while I was left with some scraps.

I love street food and Beijing has lots of it – buns and pancakes with cabbage and garlic filling, sweet buns with coconut and caramelized onions (it does work). I did draw the line at fried silkworms and locusts.

I’ve discovered a brilliant dim sum canteen called May 1st in Xi’an – super cheap, tasty buns and dumplings, with lashings of MSG.

After a 20h train ride, arriving in Shanghai, I really craved European food. The first stop was M on the Bund – a flash restaurant with one of the best views of the waterfront – the Bund. We started our evening with cocktails at the Glamour Bar, one floor up from the restaurant, moving to M for a tasty feast of spring risotto and salt baked lamb for my other half, washed down with good Riesling. M has got a big balcony overlooking the Pudong district and the view is truly magical. The evening was perfect.

The best restaurants and bars in Shanghai are in exclusive shopping areas on the Bund. We visited Landis, Whampoa Club at Three on the Bund and Bar Rouge at Eighteen on the Bund.

Landis has fabulous European food, we went there for brunch. I had poached eggs with truffles followed by a fruit plate and my husband had the prefect omelette followed by cinnamon doughnuts with fresh chocolate, very naughty.