London Restaurant Reviews - Naamyaa Bangkok Cafe

Name: Naamyaa Bangkok Cafe 

Where: 407 St. John Street, Islington. EC1V 4AB

Cost: Small plates or starters range from £3.90 to £8.50. Main courses cost from £8.00  to £14.50. Desserts are from £4.00 to £6.50.

About: The latest venture of Alan Yau (founder of Wagamama, Hakkasan, Yauatcha and Busaba Eat Thai among many other restaurants) in collaboration with Thai food expert David Thompson,  Naamyaa Cafe has a range of dishes from Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and Burma. It is named after Naamyaa, a one-plate Burmese meal consisting of fermented rice noodles with a shared curry sauce, and a variety of fresh, fragrant, spicy, crunchy and pickled condiments. Perhaps oddly, Naamyaa also serves some western favourites such as burgers and chips, Caesar and Niçoise salads.

The restaurant occupies the ground floor of a bland, brand-new office block more or less opposite Angel station, but the interior has the beautiful stylistic touches we have come to expect from Yau - rows of golden Buddhas, an open-plan kitchen with rows of bottles and glasses lit up like chandeliers, chefs with flaming woks, and a wall tiled in pink Buddhist temples on a white background.

Naamyaa has had some fairly mixed reviews, and I think it is the highly packaged formula that puts some Londoners off.  It already feels like a chain although so far there is only one.

What we ate: We opted for a range of Asian dishes, starting off with Changmama's panfried turnip cake, Chinese chive and bean sprouts (£5.50), and jasmine tea smoked baby back pork ribs (£8.50).

The turnip cake was good with a lovely charred-flavour from the searingly hot wok, the pork ribs had tender and delicious meet that fell off the bone - both excellent.

We also had the green papaya salad, with green bean, cherry vine tomato, birds eye chilli, dried shrimp and peanut (£8.50). This was surprisingly authentic, and better than many we had eaten a few weeks earlier in Thailand and with just the right amount of heat.

The braised tofu, aubergine and shimeji (£9.40) was very good tasting both earthy and wholesome, I was very pleased to have ordered it.

Mussaman beef curry, with potato, pineapple, peanuts and a dash of coconut cream (£11.50) was also well made, with flavoursome, tender beef and a richly concentrated broth. The portion was however minute.

Pad Thai Gai (£9.10), had tender slices of chicken, noodles and beansprouts, it was well flavoured but a little more heat wouldn't have gone amiss.

Morning glory, yellow bean, Thai garlic & red chilli (£5.80) was good and simply served, very much like I've eaten in Asia.

What we drank: We shared a bottle of Petra Unger, Grüner Veltliner 2011, Austria (£30). This had crisp fresh acidity, but little of the more complex mineral, citrus and peach flavours I look for in a Grüner Veltliner at this price range. This was a very disappointing choice. Most wines available on their menu are priced within the £20-30 bracket, with only one option below the £20 mark.

Likes: A good central location in Islington. The jasmine tea smoked baby pack pork ribs and the braised tofu with aubergine and shimeji were great.  

Dislikes: The restaurant design and decor feel more like a chain-restaurant, and the proximity with Jamie's Kitchen (or it that Jamie's Italian?) next door does not help!

Verdict: A good new local option for Islington, with some very good Southeast Asian dishes in a beautiful but informal setting, sadly in a rather soulless location.  The combination of authentic Thai with burgers seems a little strange, and this lack of focus may go some way towards explaining why the restaurant does not seem yet to have been as much of a hit as Busaba Eat Thai.

London Restaurant Reviews - Rodízio Rico on Upper Street

When I was growing up in Brazil, going to a rodízio restaurant was one of those Sunday rituals that brought the entire family together. Every Brazilian family will have their favourite rodízio, the one they go to regularly and swear by to be the best one in town. By far the most popular style of eating in Brazil, rodízio is not confined to steak houses only, but also pizze, feijoada, sushi, cakes, and any other imaginable food. A fixed-price is paid per person which entitles you to eat as much as you like of your favourite dishes. Prices and quality of ingredients and cooking vary tremendously from place to place but are generally of a good standard and value as competition is fierce.

Rodízio derives from the word "to rotate" and is mostly commonly applied to restaurants serving barbecued meats also known as Churrascarias. In such restaurants, waiters circulate between tables holding skewers with large pieces of barbecued meat which they slice at your table. Green and red cards are given to each diner, and these are used to let the waiters know whether you still want more meat or you have had enough for now.

Good quality rodízio restaurants in Brazil will offer an endless range of different cuts of beef, pork and poultry, and sometimes fish. The buffet of salads and other accompaniments also helps to differentiate one restaurant from another and is seen to indicate the quality of such establishments - the better quality and hence pricier restaurants will offer a more sophisticated buffet. Dr G and I go to a churrascaria rodízio a couple of minutes walk from our apartment in São Paulo that charges around £6 per person - the quality of meat is excellent and the buffet, although not nearly as lavish as some other more upmarket alternatives, is also pretty good.

Due to Brazil’s size and multicultural influences, the cuisine varies hugely from North (more African/Caribbean) to South (more European/Japanese). Dishes like Lasagna and Polenta Frita are ubiquitous in every family home and Brazilian restaurant menus in the Southern states, while Arroz e Feijao are a staple food eaten everywhere.

To those unfamiliar with Brazilian cuisine, Rodizio Rico’s buffet might seem confused and lacking focus, but this is just a reflection of Brazil’s mixed heritage. Many Brazilians will happily eat Russian Salad, polenta, rice and beans, possibly a pasta dish and some meat at the same meal and without batting an eyelid!

I am pleased to see a number of rodízio restaurants opening recently in London, and so I decided the time had come for a closer inspection. Rodízio Rico opened in the UK about 15 years ago on Westbourne Grove. I used to go there whenever I craved Brazilian home cooking, but I have to admit that I had not returned for a few years until a couple of weeks ago when I visited their Upper Street branch. I was meeting Russell, the editor of Jungle Drums Online, a website that promotes Brazilian culture, music and food and where I contribute with a bi-weekly food & drinks column.

A few minutes' walk from Angel Tube on Upper Street at Islington Green, Rodízio Rico is in a great location at one of the busiest and most popular high streets in London. Their flagship restaurant is rather large and the décor, somewhat at odds with its trendy location, is rustic in style resembling an old fashioned churrascaria similar to the ones in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s most southerly state and the native land of the Gaúchos.

Rodizio Rico’s buffet was well laid out and contained some of Brazil’s most popular dishes - a great introduction to those less familiar with the cuisine, and a good opportunity to try many options at once.

Of the many salads on display, I particularly enjoyed the Maionese (Brazilian take on the Russian Salad), and the Salpicão (a salad of shredded chicken with celery, mayonnaise, matchstick chips and other ingredients). Other favourites were the Crème de Milho (sweetcorn cream), Baiao de Dois (North-eastern dish made of rice, beans, cassava flour, dry meat and spring greens) and Vaca Atolada (slow-cooked and meltingly tender rib of beef in a creamy cassava stew).

I was also pleased to see a respectable variety of meats on offer – picanha (Brazil’s favourite cut – top sirloin), chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, sausages, pork fillet, chicken hearts, and a few others. The meats had a delicious charcoal flavour, were very simply seasoned with sea salt only and well barbecued. At £23.50 per person, I felt that Rodizio Rico provides good value for money for the variety and quality they offer.

Rodizio Rico’s drinks menu is however slightly overpriced in my opinion – bottles of beer are priced at £3.95, soft drinks, including Brazilian Guaraná, cost £2.95 while only a handful of options are priced below £20 on their wine list. On our visit, we ordered a bottle of 2006/8 Miolo Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon @ £26 – we were brought a 2009 Miolo (not a Reserva) which tasted young, completely fruit-driven and uninspiring.

Cost: The London Foodie was a guest of Rodizio Rico. £23.50 per person or £19 (vegetarians – buffet only).

Likes: good variety of barbecued meats, respectable Brazilian buffet, good value for money. Great location. Friendly staff.

Dislikes: some dishes from the buffet should be served freshly cooked like Polenta, more affordable wine choices should be available, £19 for vegetarian menu (buffet only) is expensive. Décor is a let-down.

Verdict: Rodizio Rico offers a truly Brazilian experience in the heart of Islington. Good quality meats, a respectable array of popular Brazilian dishes on its buffet served with friendly Brazilian hospitality. At £23.50, it is also good value for money. Recommended.

London's Best Cocktail Bars - 69 Colebrooke Row

I am torn between writing about 69 Colebrooke Row or keeping it to myself.  Tucked away in a small street off manic Upper Street in Islington, this is a small, intimate cocktail bar and one of my favourite recent finds.  It is owned by mixologist Tony Conigliaro and publican Camille Hobby-Limon of nearby Charles Lamb, a fantastic local pub.

Tony has a laboratory upstairs where he creates some of the base alcohols for the cocktails, some interesting natural flavourings and mixers that he serves in the bar.  We were given a short private tour of his lab, which was both intriguing and fascinating. 

On the evening I was there, we had a selection of their most renowned cocktails, almost all of which are priced @ £8.50.  I enjoyed the “Haiku” (a delicious concoction of Kigo Shochu with almond, rice milk and sandalwood), and also the “Spitfire” (Cognac, crème de peche, lemon juice, sugar and white wine). 

Apart from the many interesting cocktails on offer choices for other drinks is somewhat limited. There is one beer - the delicious Belgian Vedett @ £3.50 per bottle, and wine is limited to a single choice of red, rose and white all priced @ £21.50 per bottle.  All are of good quality.

We were served a fine selection of small bites to accompany the drinks.  These were delightful and matched well the cocktails we were drinking. They included roast pork with apple mustard jelly, beetroot with rocket and goats cheese, pickled cucumber with caper and mint, mortadella with pistachio and lemon, salame with black papper, lime and cocoa nib, date with walnut soft cheese, pecorino with anchoby, caper and chilli, foie gras and orange, and parmesan with balsamic vinegar and saffron (at £6.50 for the lot).

69 Colebrooke Row is a small, elegant and intimate bar, with very few tables, but if you can get one, it's a great place to spend an evening.  Service is knowledgeable and friendly with bar staff in stylish retro lab coats.  The bar is a cut above most cocktail bars in London - the passion of the owner and staff to serve the finest cocktails is inspiring.  It is striking how close it is to the dreadful bars and restaurants that are sadly ubiquitous in Islington.

69 Colebrooke Row gives hands-on masterclasses (2 hours @ £40) which will teach you how to create some of their cocktails, and give you a glimpse of the history and creation process of the drinks you will sample. The classes include all supplies, snacks and nibbles. Future cocktail masterclasses are on 12^th February for “Valentine” and on 26^th February for “Japanese”.

The bar is open 7 days a week, Sunday to Wednesday until midnight, Thursday until 1am, Friday and Saturday until 2am. Live Jazz is also performed every first and third Sundays of the month by the “Vipers Dream” at 7pm.

Cost: Most cocktails are priced at £8.50. Bottles of wine are £21.50, Vedett beer is £3.50, and the amuse bouche selection is priced at £6.50.

Likes: fantastic range of cocktails, knowledgeable, friendly staff, elegant and intimate surroundings in the heart of Islington. I would also love to attend one of their cocktail masterclasses.

Dislikes: At times, particularly weekends, it is hard to get a table.

Verdict: My cocktail bar of choice in London, 69 Colebrooke Row is a cut above similar establishments. Very highly recommended.

London Supper Club – Lex Eat Supper Club

Lex Eat Supper Club

Lex Eat is special. Visiting Lex Eat is one of those experiences that truly reinforce my love for this amazing City. If the label “boutique supper club” could ever be used, they would most certainly be a very strong contender.

Started by the two gorgeous Aussie lawyers, Alexis and Yohanna, from their flat in Islington just over a year ago, Lex Eat has since then gained a huge following, and their evenings, much talked about in London’s supper club circuit, are well oversubscribed.

Unlike other popular London supper clubs, Lex Eat holds dinners monthly (or whenever they can or want to), and as they are not in this for the income, it is also one the best value supper clubs in London.

The Location

On my visit, the supper club was still located at Alexis and Yohanna’s beautiful loft apartment in Islington, but they have since then moved to another flat on Regent’s Canal in Hackney. I will be returning to their supper club at their new location on 14th November and will report back.

Alexis and Yohanna’s style and décor are casual but very stylish. From the colourful table arrangements to the beautiful ornaments and furniture scattered around their flat, they create an intimate, light and fun setting for their evenings.

While their former location could seat up to 16-18 people, their new flat will only accommodate 7-8 diners who will also have the pleasure to eat with both hosts at their table.

The Food

We kicked off with a delightful “Pea and Pancetta Risotto”. The rice had been perfectly cooked - the grains were still slightly al dente and had a delicious creaminess. A small dollop of mascarpone cheese, thinly sliced pancetta and fresh basil leaves helped to finish off a well executed dish.

For main course, Yohanna served us “Stuffed de-boned chicken, Dauphinoise of Sweet Potatoes and a medley of green beans, sugar snaps and asparagus”. This was a simple but delicious dish and, as the starter, the combination of flavours was excellent.

The chicken, stuffed with truffled mushrooms, was tender and juicy and tasted delicious. The Dauphinoise potatoes had been very thinly sliced with a mandolin and were beautifully cooked in plenty of cream. The greens were deliciously crunchy and combined well with the other elements of the dish.

Like all good supper clubs, seconds were offered to anyone wanting more chicken and potatoes. The main was accompanied by Alexis’ homemade bread, and a refreshing lemon sorbet was served as a palate cleanser prior to pudding.

The dessert was a delicious treacle and preserved fig tart served with vanilla ice cream. The pastry was light and crumbly as good homemade pastry should be. I enjoyed this dessert a great deal, and felt that the ice cream complemented the rich tart flavours really well. I also enjoyed the simple and elegant presentation of this dish.

The People

The supper club is run by Alexis and Yohanna; they are both Australian lawyers living in London for the last two years. Alexis does most of the cooking while Yohanna does front of house – Yohanna not only greets everyone in but also remembers the name of every single diner, I was totally impressed.

Alexis is passionate about cooking and decided to start their supper club to meet other foodies in their newly adopted country. Yohanna plays the trumpet and trombone in two different bands, and is now getting into food photography.

The Drinks

Lex Eat is BYO and no corkage is levied. A delightful cocktail was served as a welcoming drink, and to match our dessert, two half bottles of 2008 Brown Brothers, Orange Muscat and Flora Special Late Harvested, was offered free of charge by Alexis and Yohanna and shared among all diners.

Good quality cafetiere coffee and teas were also served after dessert.

Other Stuff

Alexis and Yohanna write the amazing blog “LexEat!” (see my “London Supper Clubs I Recommend” list).

Future dates for their supper club evenings are 7th and 14th August, 2nd October and 14th November.

Cost: minimum donation of £20 per person – the best value supper club in London.

Likes: great food, excellent value, and most charming hosts.

Dislikes: more dates please!

Verdict: A gem of a supper club, Lex Eat is special. Great food, charming hosts, intimate and stylish location, and now one of my favourite top three supper clubs in London. Very highly recommended.