Bubbledogs 6th Birthday Collaboration with Santo Remedio

Name: Bubbledogs and Santo Remedio

Where: Bubbledogs at 70 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4QG (https://www.bubbledogs.co.uk/) and Santo Remedio at 152 Tooley St, London SE1 2TU (https://www.santoremedio.co.uk/)

Cost: A 3-course meal at Bubbledogs cost on average £25 per person, not including drinks or service.

About: Bubbledogs have been serving up their celebrated combination of hot dogs and Champagne from their Charlotte Street restaurant since 2012, when husband and wife team Sandia Chang and James Knappett (who runs the Michelin-starred restaurant Kitchen Table at the back of Bubbledogs) founded the restaurant.

To celebrate their 6th birthday, Chang and Knappett teamed up with Mexican food specialists Edson and Natalie Diaz-Fuentes of Santo Remedio in London Bridge.

The special birthday menu had some of the most popular dishes of both restaurants, and an offer of cocktails or flights of Champagne or Mezcal.

What We Ate: From the Bubbledogs menu, we ordered a selection of their classics.  The signature Jose beef hot dog (£7.50), with a zingy tomato salsa, sour cream, jalapenos and guacamole was as good as I remembered.

Equally good was the Sloppy Joe hot dog, served with melted cheese and beef chilli (£8), was rich and very well flavoured.

To accompany our hot dogs, we ordered chipotle tots (£4) - potato croquettes and nachos with the works (£7) - beef chilli, guacamole and cheese.

Best of all though was the black bream aguachile 2 pieces (£8). A Mexican-style ceviche, here served as a deconstructed taco - with thin slices of raw black bream, salsa, guacamole, radish, all brought together with a vinegar-based dressing, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.
    

From the Santo Remedio menu, the pork belly torta ahogada (£10), literally translated as a drowned cake or submarine sandwich, came served in a baguette, with a delectable morita salsa. This was for me the star dish of the evening - chunky pieces of fried pork belly filled the baguette, with sliced pickled onions over a spicy smoked jalapeno chilli sauce.

Also outstanding was the braised ox tongue taco (2 pieces, £10), served with with pipian rojo. This classic Mexican sauce is made from various types of chilli, pumpkin, sesame seeds, cinnamon, onions and garlic, among other ingredients. The ox tongue was soft, and combined really well with the accompanying diced raw onion, lime and micro-coriander.
  

To finish, we had a dessert that resulted from the collaboration between Bubbledogs and Santo Remedio  - rice pudding with green tomatillo jam and grated dark chocolate (£5).  This was luxuriously creamy, but with a lovely tartness from the green tomatillo jam.

What We Drank: We opted for the Champagne flight, sadly available for one night only. But on the menu there is a range of Champagnes and wines available by the glass or bottle. For example, the Solessence Champagne (see below) is available for £8 per glass or £45 per bottle, while the Collin-Guillaume Rose costs £10.50 by the glass or £60 for the bottle. 

We opted for the special birthday Champagne flight (£20). Jean-Marc Seleque, Solessence was a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, and had lemony fruit and a touch of toast.

The Christophe Mignon was made from 100% Pinot Meunier, and had a rich palate of pears, brioche, with good minerality while being bone-dry. 

The rose Champagne offering was Collin-Guillaume, made from all three Champagne varietals, this had lovely strawberry notes, and a touch of vanilla.

Likes: The black bream aguachile, the pork belly torta ahogada and the ox tongue taco were the outstanding highlights. I loved both Bubbledogs, and the incredibly well priced, top quality Champagne.  The staff are well informed and enthusiastic. 

Dislikes: None 

Verdict: Bubbledogs is celebrating its sixth anniversary, serving up its signature combination of hot dogs and Champagne. They still feel as innovative, fresh and vibrant as on day one. Recommended.

Spanish Food and Sherry Pairing Menu at Drakes Tabanco

Name: Drakes Tabanco

Where: 3 Windmill Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2HY, www.drakestabanco.co.uk

Cost: We opted for the pairing menu of 5 dishes and 5 matching sherries, all from Fernando de Castilla, at £49.50 per person. From the a la carte menu, there is a range of bar snacks, ranging from small plates priced at £4.50 (for roasted courgettes with Romesco sauce, burnt butter yoghurt and almond), to £12 for rump steak with salsify fries and gravy. From the list of exclusively Spanish wines, the entry level wines at £21 each are a white Viura from Rioja, and a red Tempranillo.  

About: Named after the sherry taverns (or Tabancos) of Jerez, Drakes Tabanco is probably unique in London in serving Spanish food with sherries en rama (from the barrel), as well as with a range of craft beers and an exclusively Spanish wine list.

Round the corner from Fitzrovia's Charlotte Street, and opposite the Charlotte Street Hotel, the restaurant is softly lit, with red leather banquettes, plain wooden tables, and festooned with jamon legs of for a traditional Spanish atmosphere.

Customers wanting just a drink and snacks are seated around the bar, and there are some tempting options like a cheese board of 4 Spanish cheeses and accompaniments for £12, a charcuterie board for £17.50, or a mixed board of cheese and charcuterie for £15. Diners, however, make their way to the restaurant on the lower ground floor.

What We Ate And Drank: We started with smoked Scottish scallop and blood orange jelly. Served with a mild chilli salsa, I enjoyed this dish – the scallop was firmer and with a light hint of smokiness that contrasted well with the sweet jelly and zingy salsa. It was paired with a fine, bone-dry Fino Classic -aged for 3 years.

Next came deep fried artichoke, served with an artichoke and soft-boiled egg mayo and dill. Crisp on the outside, velvety smooth inside, this lovely little croquet was accompanied by an Amontillado Viejo. A Fino-style wine, but aged for over 20 years, it was golden, richly textured but again bone-dry and with a salty tang, making it an excellent partner for the artichoke.

Two meat courses followed. The Iberico burger, served with sweet burnt yoghurt and rocket was deliciously redolent of unctuous, acorn-fed pork, served in a soft and flavoursome brioche bun. To my mind, the salsify chips were a tad oily, and varied in texture from crisp to soggy. The burger came with an Oloroso Viejo, aged for over 20 years. Rounder and fuller bodied than the Amontillado, this had enough weight and complexity of flavour to match the Iberico pork.

The second meat course was a seared haunch of venison. Served with a delicious garlicky potato mash, sweet apple compote and lemon, the venison was sadly somewhat tough and dry, and I thought quite a meagre portion for a main course. It was partnered with a deliciously complex Rare Old India limited release sherry. This is a pale cream sherry, blending Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez to make a rich fortified wine, with notes of raisins and vanilla and a long, complex and satisfying finish.

To finish our tasting menu, we were served a salted dark chocolate bar with crème fraiche and a coconut cream filling, and walnut crunch. I wasn’t convinced by this as a dessert – it was a very sweet and rich chocolate bar stuffed with an even sweeter filling. The accompanying sherry, however, was a superb Pedro Ximenez Extra Viejo, aged over 25 years.

Likes: The sherries from the barrel are of excellent quality, well presented, and varied. Staff are friendly and helpful. 

Dislikes: The menu is patchy, and did not on our visit celebrate the wonderful food produce of Spain in the way that we had hoped. The extremely low lighting makes the venue feel somewhat gloomy. 

Verdict: With some wonderful Spanish restaurants in London, Drakes Tabanco faces stiff competition. But for sampling a range of authentic sherries from the barrel Drakes Tabanco is a good spot in Central London. 

London Restaurant Reviews - Koba

Koba

Dr G and I were recently invited by Catty of TheCattyLife to her favourite Korean restaurant “Koba” on trendy Rathbone Street in W1. Accompanying us on the evening was Mr Noodles of Eat Noodles Love Noodles.

Having just come back from a three-week holiday in Vietnam and Korea, I was keen to find out how Koba would stand up to all the marvellous meals I had eaten in Seoul. We arrived at Koba to find a small but uncluttered restaurant, with elegant decor. The restaurant was busy with a young and sophisticated crowd.

Catty took charge of the ordering, which she did expertly by choosing some excellent, unusual dishes as well as some Korean staples.

We started with a portion of “Pajeon” – spring onion pancake with seafood @ £7.90. This is one of the most traditional dishes in Korea, and the perfect snack to accompany chilled beers. Koba’s version was fluffy, well seasoned and with a good quantity of seafood and spring onions. I normally order a spicy version with added Kimchi called Kimchi Jeon (also sold at Koba @ £7.90, no.16 on the menu).

The “Japchae” – stir fried glass noodles with beef and seasonal vegetables in soy sauce @ £7.20 - was also delicious. The white sweet-potato noodles had been perfectly cooked maintaining their chewy texture, and were not overwhelmed by other ancillary ingredients. It was a well balanced and flavoursome dish although I felt that @ £7.20 the portion was a tad ungenerous.

I adore tofu and so we ordered “Kimchi Tofu” – steamed tofu with fried Kimchi and pork @ £7.50. The tofu is steamed only and served un-seasoned. If you do not enjoy the plain, clear flavour of tofu, you will not appreciate this dish. Tofu goes really well with kimchi as they have contrasting flavours and textures.

This is a staple dish in Korean restaurants and I always order it as a way of judging the freshness of the restaurant’s tofu and the quality of the kimchi, two areas in which Koba did not disappoint.

The star of the evening was, in my opinion, the “Yook Hwei” – seasoned raw beef with sliced pears and egg yolk @ £8.60. This is a dish I had never tried before and is now one of my favourites, a type of Korean steak tartare.

The combination of shredded beef, pears, raw egg and garlic was sensational. The meat had been semi-frozen before being shredded and tasted very fresh with the accompanying pears.

A selection of barbecue meats was also ordered including:

“Kalbi” – marinated beef spare ribs with sweet soy sauce @ £8.90 were good but again I felt that the portion was not as generous as I would expect at the price.

“Bulgogi” – marinated sliced beef @ £7.90 – very delicious.

“Daeji Bulgogi” – sweet and spicy pork belly slices @ £8.60 were also amazing - the meat was tender and had been seasoned perfectly.

“Zzukumi Gooi” – sweet and spicy baby octopus @ £8.40 were an interesting addition to the other meats and worked well as a seafood choice.

I was surprised to find that we had to order separate portions of “Pamoochim and Sangchoo” – sliced spring onion with chilli and vinegar, fresh lettuce, and seasoned soy bean paste @ £3.50 to accompany our barbequed meats. This is unusual for Korean restaurants as these are normally served as part of a barbeque course.

The meal would not have been complete without “Bibimbap - Yook Hwei Dolsot” – steamed rice and raw beef with vegetables in a hot stone pot @ £9.50. This was stunning and nearly as good as the raw beef & pears dish.

I was slightly disappointed that we were not offered a selection of namool (normally bean sprouts, spinach and white radish) or a small plate of kimchi as it is customary in most Korean restaurants. I found both items on the menu for £5.50 each. Assa Cafe will offer the namool and free barley tea as part of their £5 lunch set menu, also containing one main dish.

To finish off the meal, we ordered “Koba Special Ice Cream” (black sesame, red adzuki beans, and green tea) @ £5.20 while Dr G opted for “Green tea ice cream” @ £3.50. While matcha ice cream is my favourite flavour, on this occasion, I felt that the black sesame ice was the most interesting of the three.

Koba serves both “Hite” and “OB”, the two most popular Korean beers, @ £3.50. We opted for beer, while Catty went for “Green tea” @ £1.80. I would have ordered a bottle of soju or makgeolli (a traditional type of raw rice wine which I took a real liking to since participating at a makgeolli tasting with the guys from SeoulEats in Korea) but found that Koba prices were prohibitively high, especially considering these were all half-bottles (@ £15 for the makgeolli, £13 for the soju, and £15 for the Bek se Ju).

Service was efficient and polite but despite being attentive, it was also slightly rushed at times. A big thank you to Catty of thecattylife for taking us there and introducing us to her favourite Korean restaurant in London.

Cost: £139.40 including service charge and drinks or £35 per person.

Likes: the most sensational “Yook Hwei” – seasoned raw beef with sliced pears and egg yolk (well worth a return visit just for this), pleasant and trendy decor, excellent barbeque, tofu & kimchi. Excellent location.

Dislikes: expensive drinks list, having to pay extras for items like namool or kimchi, or for a portion of lettuce leaves and spring onions to accompany the barbeque meats when these are normally offered free of charge in most Korean restaurants in London.

Verdict: excellent Korean restaurant serving well executed dishes, and in more sophisticated surroundings than the usual New Malden/Centre Point area cafes. Recommended.