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Reviews of London's Restaurants, Supper Clubs and Hotels, Wine Tastings, Travel Writing, and Home to the Japanese and French Supper Clubs in Islington
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Name: Casa do Frango
Where: 32 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TU, https://www.casadofrango.co.uk/
Cost: A 3-course meal plus a side cost on average £25-£30 per person (not including drinks or service). The menu is short but well thought out. Frango (half chicken) is the star and the signature dish of the menu (£9 per portion). Starters cost from £4 to £10 such as chilled Algarvian gaspacho (£5), Bacalhau and chickpea salad (£7), Grilled prawns (£8), or Octopus rice (£10). Sides include African rice (£5), Lettuce salad (£3) and Batatas fritas, (fries, £4).
About: Casa do Frango is a beautiful and airy restaurant on the busy Southwark Street, just around the corner from Borough Market. It is on the 1st floor of a rather dull, corner building though with its vaulted ceiling, a huge glass skylight, and an inspired interior design that fills the space with plants and gorgeous furniture, Casa do Frango is a lovely dining spot.
Casa de Frango’s fresh and modern look really sets it apart from other Portuguese or pseudo-Portuguese eateries like the more traditional, cheap & cheerful piri piri chicken joints in Stockwell (I visited these a lot during my spell in Dulwich and highly recommend them) or the Nando’s chain, which is in fact is South African owned.
Casa do Frango is the result of travels and food expeditions in the South of Portugal by three friends - Marco Mendes (himself Algarvian-English), Jake Kasumov and Reza Merchant. Their mission is to bring to London the real flavour of Algarvian piri piri chicken to folks in London.
To this end, they brought in a specialist “pitmaster” from the Algarve to ensure that the dishes, particularly the frango, which is roasted on an impressive wood charcoal grill at the heart of the open plan kitchen, deliver the promised regional authenticity.
What We Ate: The Algarvian Gaspacho (£5) was cooling and flavoursome, the small pieces of sourdough bread, cucumber, tomatoes and pickled garlic added a lovely texture. I could have done with more seasoning but my companion felt it was just right.
With its thick but crispy batter the Super Bock Beer Battered Whitebait (£6) was lifted by its delectable, smoked paprika aioli.
Grilled Prawns (£8) with piri piri, white wine and parsley, a serving of four well-sized prawns, had a lovely charred flavour from the grill, but the much anticipated heat from the piri piri sauce wasn’t really noticeable.
The Octopus Rice (£10) was a shade too far on the side of pale. The octopus was tender but the rice was overcooked and thus unpleasantly gummy and soft. It also lacked seasoning, which was rather disappointing.
Much better though was the Bacalhau and Chickpea Salad (£7) with slivers of salted cod, chickpeas, black olives, and a generous serving of creamy mayonnaise and soft-boiled egg. We loved this salad.
We didn’t think we could eat any more but we soldiered on to the mains.
The Frango (1/2 chicken – one breast, thigh and leg on the bone) comes with three flavour choices: piri piri, oregano, and lemon and garlic. We ordered their star dish, the Frango Piri Piri (£9) - the chicken meat was very succulent, oozing with flavour and had the perfect amount of heat. The skin was crisp and delectable. Casa de Frango’s Piri Piri Chicken is probably the most flavoursome grilled chicken I have had in London for a very long time.
The other Frango we ordered was laced with oregano and garlic. Grilled as perfectly as its piri piri sister, it had distinctive herbal, garlic and salt flavours, which were a delight to tuck into, particularly for the wonderful crispy skin and the moist thigh and leg meat.
To accompany our Frangos, we ordered a number of sides - the African Rice (£5), a nod to the cultural influence of former colonies, had an infinitely better texture than the earlier Octopus version and was truly delicious.
It came with chorizo, plantain, garden peas, peppers, parsley topped with crispy chicken skin. It was a great accompaniment with a perfect balance of flavours and texture. It was so good I am featuring it again below!
The other two accompaniments were a very well-dressed lettuce salad (£3) and Batatas Fritas or chips (£4) which were sadly a tad under-cooked and so not crisp.
We could (or should) have stopped here, but we couldn’t resist ordering the traditional Pastel de Nata (£5) for dessert. The quintessentially Portuguese custard tart, it was deliciously creamy and sweet served with a small glass of refreshing coffee ice-cream.
What We Drank: The drinks menu offers cocktails and a good selection of Portuguese wines (prices ranging from £20 to £44 per bottle). We kicked off with the classic Portuguese Port & Tonic (£8), made with Churchill’s 10-year-old white port, tonic, mint and orange peel, which was perfect. The Portuguese version of Gin & Tonic (£8) made with Portuguese Gold grail gin, tonic, lime peel, rosemary, juniper berries and cardamom, was equally refreshing.
With our meal, we shared a bottle of Vinho Verde Muralhas de Monção (£26) made from Alvarinho grapes (albariño). It had a fresh and citrusy flavour, with a great structure, acidity and body- it conjured up summer by the beach.
Likes: Both Frangos piri piri and oregano ticked all the boxes – they were exceptional and I cannot recommend them highly enough. We also loved the grilled prawns (though more piri piri heat was needed) and the Bacalhau and chickpea salad. The African rice was also great. Very attentive, efficient and friendly staff.
Dislikes: The starter section of the menu desperately needs to be looked at, especially the Octopus Rice (by far the weakest link) - they lacked seasoning and texture and did not compare well with the wonderful frango that followed. Bacalhau is the trademark of Portuguese cuisine so it would be great to have a bacalhau main course on the menu (also as a pescatarian option) and perhaps Bolinhos de Bacalhau as a side or starter.
Verdict: Casa do Frango has the most flavoursome and perfectly grilled Piri Piri chicken in London right now - it was exceptional. The perfect meal here is Frango Piri Piri, Bacalhau and Chickpea Salad, and the wonderful African Rice (and chips too of course) followed by Pastel de Nata with coffee ice cream. It is excellent value too and I cannot wait to return. Highly recommended.
Words & Photography by Margot Carone and Luiz Hara
Name: Oblix West at The Shard
Where: 31 St. Thomas Street, Level 32, The Shard, London SE1 9RY
https://www.oblixrestaurant.com/oblix-west/
Cost: The Express Elevator Lunch Menu is priced at £40pp for 2 courses – starter, main (or main and dessert), a side and mineral water. For a 3rd course, desserts can be added at £7 each. The menu also offers the option of unlimited white or red wine for £20pp or Chandon sparkling wine for £25pp. The menu is available Monday to Friday, from 12:00 to 2:45pm.
About: Oblix West has been a notable feature of the London dining scene since 2013, when it was opened by the chef and restaurateur Rainer Becker (of Zuma and Roka fame). It’s a regular destination for City folk and the occasional celebrity. Regular readers of The London Foodie will know that we are fans of both Zuma and Roka, as you can read here and here.
On the 32nd floor of The Shard, arriving at Oblix West is an experience in itself. Security staff, state of the art lifts, and hostesses to bid us welcome give a real sense of occasion and anticipation. As the name suggests, the restaurant is on the west side, while on the east is Oblix East, a bar with a more casual menu, and live music in the evenings.
Oblix West is a spacious, sleek restaurant, with a buzzing open-plan kitchen, presiding over magnificent views of the London skyline.
The Express Elevator Lunch Menu (go up, dine and down in an hour) has been designed for those who like to dine out for lunch but are time-pressured. It is aimed at those heading out for a lunch meeting, as well as those visiting the capital and seeking to lunch in style, enjoying delicious dishes and incredible views across the city. However, the unlimited sparkling wine option (see What We Drank) as well as the tempting desserts meant that there was nothing express about our visit!
What We Ate: We started with the truffle flatbread, pancetta and ricotta. With a heady scent of summer truffles, the shavings were sitting delicately on top of the ruffled ricotta and pea-shoots. The flatbread was crunchy and still warm. If you like truffles, you will love this.
Next up was the sculptural iceberg lettuce (a signature dish of the restaurant I tried on an earlier visit) with caramelized walnut, candied cranberry, pickled onions and crumbled Stilton, sprinkled with pancetta and pan-roasted fresh rosemary leaves. This is the poshest iceberg lettuce wedge I have come across, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The first main course was pork chops with feta cheese, olives and pancetta served with freshly-made apple sauce. The pork was tender, richly marbled with fat, and very well flavoured. What a rare joy to find pork of this quality in the UK. The triple-cooked hand-cut chips were the perfect accompaniment.
The 200g beef sirloin (supplement of £4.50) was served with a light, freshly-whipped Béarnaise sauce. The meat was tender, flavoursome and perfectly cooked just as ordered, while the side dish was a well-made Macaroni cheese.
For dessert, the light and crunchy strawberry pistachio éclair had great textures. It was served with a refreshing raspberry sorbet, and sprinkled with fresh basil leaves that added an herbaceous lift.
Even better though was the toffee banana & crème brûlée tart with coffee ice-cream. The light pastry and crispy oats were dreamy. This dessert made us gasp with pleasure. I would go back to West Oblix for that dessert alone.
What We Drank: Cocktails are not included in the Elevator menu, but proved irresistible on this glorious London summer day. We had a refreshing Melon Spritz (£14.50) - a mix of gin, Aperol, bergamot, cantaloupe melon and Champagne.
The menu offers the option of unlimited white or red wine for £20pp or sparkling wine for £25pp by Chandon. We opted for the latter, and had a few glasses of the excellent Chandon Rosé – created by Moet Chandon, using native Champagne varietals Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and produced in Argentina. This is perfect for summer days, with its fine bubbles, delicate flavours and soothing light peachy hue.
Likes: Spectacular setting and views, that banana dessert was the best thing I have eaten in months. Both the pork and the beef mains were fantastic, and it was great to have the option of unlimited, good quality bubbly.
Dislikes: None.
Verdict: With great food, spectacular views and very fine bubbles, the newly launched Oblix West Express Elevator menu has it all, and at £40 per person (excluding drinks), it’s excellent value too. Highly recommended.
Words and Photography by Margot Carone and Luiz Hara
Name: Kaema Sutra Restaurant at Shangri-La Colombo
Where: Shangri-La Hotel Colombo, 1 Galle Face, Colombo 2, Sri Lanka
http://www.shangri-la.com/colombo/shangrila/dining/restaurants/kaema-sutra/
About: I recently embarked on a Sri Lankan journey that whetted my appetite for the taste and flavours of this country – right here in the heart of London. The Shangri-La Hotel at the Shard brought to the capital celebrity Chef Dharshan Munidasa who runs the fine dining restaurant Kaema Sutra in the group’s newly opened, sister property in Colombo.
A self-taught chef - something he is very proud of – Munidasa has managed to place two of his restaurants amongst the best 50 in Asia. Born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and a Sri Lankan father, he fell in love with food watching his parents cook. He embraces the traditions of Sri Lankan cuisine and gives them Japanese sensitivity and elegance, he explains. He is mindful of the ingredients used in his kitchens – sustainability plays a central role in his dishes. One of his restaurants, Ministry of Crab, one of the most coveted (and dear) tables in Colombo, uses 100% locally sourced ingredients.
What We Ate: After champagne, chilled, whole King coconuts were brought to our table - a great, and delightful surprise. Native to Sri Lanka, King coconuts are bright yellow in colour and have plenty of refreshing water.
We kicked off with Spicy Ali Geta Pera salad, a tapas-style avocado filled with a preparation of Seeni-sambol (a sweet and lightly sour relish made with dried bonito flakes and seaweed). This was great - creamy, tangy, spicy, and bursting with umami.
Then came the beautiful Egg Hopper a la minute, “a bowl-shaped rice flour crepe that is crusty on the edge and soft in the middle”, a popular Sri Lankan breakfast or tea-time dish. The curries were brought at the same time, along with a Rustic coconut roti. “The way to eat a Hopper is using your hands”, advised the nice gentleman sitting opposite me, who I later found out was Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner.
I couldn’t have asked for a better person to teach me Sri Lankan dinner table etiquette - he also suggested I added the beautiful fresh water prawn curry, with its rich and creamy gravy, to the eggs. It was the first curry I tried that evening. The prawn was meaty and juicy; the gravy had a hint of kaffir lime that brought a refreshing yet peppery flavour to the dish. I was very lucky to be seated with guests who were too polite to go for a second helping. I took my chance in a flash. The prawns were too good to be left in the plate.
Next up were the dry chicken curry, made from diced, skinless dark meat and the tuna Ambulthiyal, a sashimi-grade tuna from the Indian Ocean cut into cubes and cooked a la minute with a tangy garcinia (a tropical fruit that can be used like tamarind). We wanted to love both dishes, but in our opinion they were a tad dry and lacked some needed flavour oomph.
Better though was the Crab Kottu, a traditional Sri Lankan dish considered by many to be the ultimate comfort food of the land. This was a delicious stir-fry of crabmeat, shredded roti, vegetables, chillies and curry leaves that got me scraping my plate.
Kaema Sutra’s signature dessert – What the Hopper – is Munidasa’s sweet take on the savoury version. Described as a crunchy Pani Appa, it was a crepe filled with whipped curd, topped with fresh strawberries and drizzled with pure palm treacle. This was light as a feather and well balanced (not too sweet).
As someone who likes to travel and experience different cuisines in their original setting, I imagine all these dishes would have that tropical je ne sais quoi if I were sitting on one of Sri Lanka’s paradise beaches, or at the Shangri-La Colombo. The crafted dishes of Chef Dharshan Munidasa, however, gave me a taster of Sri Lankan flavours, of sunnier days and warmer climates, they made me want to pack my bags and head to this fascinating island.
If you are planning to visit Sri Lanka, the newly opened Shangri-La Colombo is the top luxury hotel in the country. Kaema Sutra Restaurant, serves fine dining Sri Lankan cuisine and is on the fourth floor of the hotel – to find out more about Shangri-La Colombo and Kaema Sutra restaurant, visit their website here.
