London Supper Club Review – Leluu Supper Club

One of the pioneers of the supper club movement in the UK, British-Vietnamese Uyen Luu is the brains behind Leluu Supper Club, an offshoot of the late Fernandez & Leluu (F&L) of Hackney, London.

I visited F&L countless times over the last two years and reviewed Uyen’s food and hospitality here, here and here. Evenings at F&L were always fun, with plenty of excellent food, laughter and great company. I met some of my dearest friends at F&L and spent many a night sharing meals and chatting with other diners.

Some might argue that with new supper clubs and pop-ups being launched every other day, the novelty factor is dwindling. I disagree, and if anything, nearly 3 years after the first supper clubs appeared in London, I still keep meeting people who have never experienced a supper club and would like to try one but do not know how to go about finding them.

Recently however, there were a few worrying comments that were made by friends who visited some of these new supper clubs. These varied from having to wait for hours to be served tiny amounts of food to experiencing uncaring or unprofessional service, at sometimes inappropriate venues. I would hope that if a supper club host decides to open his/her home to the public and charge for the experience, they will have worked these issues through before launching, and be confident that they can feed and provide a fun atmosphere and venue to their diners. It is true that a supper club is not a restaurant, but if I am being charged £35 for food (equivalent to what several one-Michelin starred restaurants are charging for a three course meal in London), I would expect my host to demonstrate pretty good standards of cooking and hosting skills. With so many supper clubs in London these days, some of which have been around for nearly 3 years, there is really no excuse for shoddy food or service.

So I was looking forward to returning to Uyen’s home and experiencing her new supper club incarnation Leluu Supper Club because:

1. I knew I was going to be really well fed

2. Her home and supper club are beautiful

3. It is the most professional set up of any supper club I have been

4. I really enjoy meeting the diners who frequent her supper club

5. It is a very good night out

Accompanying me on the day was Dr G, and my friends Julie Vu and her partner Ryan, owners of the Vietnamese City Caphe, my favourite lunch spot in the City. We arrived at Uyen’s to be greeted with a glass of wine, making our way to her garden to mingle and chat with the other diners until dinner was served at 8pm.

I was pleased that Uyen decided to give a more Vietnamese focus to her supper club since the demise of F&L, as I feel she provides Vietnamese dishes that are not normally found in London restaurants. Uyen will serve up to 8 courses at her supper club and if like me, you love having many different flavours and textures in your meals (as opposed to just quantity), you will be sure to find them there. Some of the delicious dishes we were served included:

Homemade Grey Feather Back Fish Cakes with Dill, Ong Choi and Chilli dip

Summer Rolls with Poached Pork Belly, Prawns, Perilla, Cockscombe, Garden Mint, Coriander and Vermicelli

Bun Bo Hue - Spicy Lemongrass & Pig's Trotter Soup with Beef, Perilla, Banana Blossom & Sweet Basil

Chicken Salad with Carrot, Banana Blossom and Hot Mint

Bo La Lot - Sirloin Steak with Lemongrass & Sesame, wrapped in Betel Leaf

Yam Noodles with Tofu, Carrots, Ong Choi, Shiitake Mushrooms and Peanuts

Banh Xeo - Coconut & Beer Crepes with Pork, Prawns & Beansprouts

Tapioca Pearls and Banana in Coconut Milk

We had a great table at Leluu Supper Club, a mix of American tourists (mother, daughter and friend) who had arrived in London on that day, a delightful Parisian couple who were sitting next to me with their Mexican friend (and if you are reading this, please get in touch for that Peruvian meal!), and my friends Julie and Ryan, and Dr G.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Leluu Supper Club, and if you are a supper club supporter as I am, there is no better place to experience this than at Uyen’s.

Cost: minimum donation of £35 per person, BYO.

Likes: best Vietnamese food in London, stylish venue, great night out. Vietnamese cooking classes.

Dislikes: None.

Verdict: One of the best supper clubs in London, Leluu Supper Club exemplifies why this movement is here to stay. Excellent food, gorgeous venue, great host. If you haven’t experienced it, just go. Highly recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews - Mien Tay (Kingsland Road)

My first experience of Mien Tay was at their Battersea branch on Lavender Hill. Bibendum Wines had devised a fantastic wine list for the restaurant and invited a few food and wine bloggers to try their pairings. The food was exceptional and so were the wines, but unfortunately Mien Tay is still trying to obtain its alcohol licence.

The Shoreditch branch is also a BYO attracting a young, hip crowd after a cheap night out. The restaurant is poorly decorated in lime green colours, dusty plastic plants and flowers, and the furniture, a mix of mismatched tables and chairs in wicker and glass, is tired and greasy. Tables are densely packed, and if you happen to be seated by a feuding couple (as Dr G and I were on this occasion) you will just need to grin and bear it.

The menu is extensive and choices are mind boggling. I am always a bit concerned when I see hugely varied menu choices like this. It sometimes indicates a lack of focus and makes me question the freshness of the ingredients.

After much deliberation, Dr G and I started with a portion of "Salt, Pepper and Garlic Squid" @ £6. The squid was deliciously crisp and well seasoned but was slightly overcooked and on the chewy side.

The "Chargrilled Quail with Honey, Garlic and Spices" @ £4.80 that followed was a much better dish. The caramelised honey on the chargrilled skin intensified the sweetness of the meat, which tasted of cinnamon and star-anise - a sensational dish.

Mien Tay's "Rice Vermicelli with Spring Rolls and Pork Bun" @ £6 was another winner. The pork was nicely grilled, and tasted delicious with the combination of spring rolls, salad, fresh herbs and just the right amount of rice noodles. The balance of these components was unimprovably good. One of the best "buns" I have had for a long time.

The "Crispy Fried Sea Bass with Lemongrass and Chilli" @ £10 was impressively large but sadly disappointing. The delicious, vibrant seasoning could not compensate for the poor quality of the flesh - it tasted dull and had a texture akin to previously frozen fish.

One of their signature dishes is the "Stir Fried Goat Galangal" @ £6.50. With a lightly curried coconut sauce, the meat was finely sliced and served with onions and fresh herbs. This was a delicious dish, nicely accompanied by Vietnamese " Steamed Rice" @ £2.

In my opinion, the star of the evening was "Mien Tay's Crispy Chicken with Fish Sauce" @ £5. Folds of chicken skin deep fried until crisp in a sweet shallot and fish sauce, this somewhat unlikely sounding dish was utterly delectable.

Overall our experience at Mien Tay Shoreditch was mixed. We tried some excellent dishes, but others were disappointing. The restaurant lacks atmosphere, service is rushed and impersonal, and the general state of upkeep is poor. For example, as we were finishing our meal, large buckets brimming with dirty plates, chopsticks and refuse were taken past our table to the adjoining restaurant which shares the same kitchen.

Cost: the total cost for the above dishes was £40.30 (not including BYO wine). There was enough to feed 4 people, so I estimate that £10-£15 would be sufficient per head. Potentially good value for money.

Likes: possibly the only BYO option on Kingsland Road. Mien Tay's crispy chicken with fish sauce and the chargrilled quail with honey, garlic and spices were excellent. Inexpensive.

Dislikes: the decor and general upkeep need to be looked at. Patchy cooking - excellent at best let down by mediocre parts.

Verdict: Cheap and cheerful Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road. Some excellent dishes, but patchy standards overall. Given the number of restaurants on Kingsland Road serving food of similar or better standards in more agreeable environments, Mien Tay needs to up its game in my opinion.

London Restaurant Reviews - Pho Café

London Restaurant Reviews – Pho Café

After my recent visit to Vietnam, where I consumed copious amounts of Pho and other delicious local dishes, I was thrilled to be invited by the gorgeous Rachelle of Qype to visit Pho Café in London’s Great Titchfield Street.

I was also intrigued by this invitation as, in London, I admit never venturing outside Kingsland Road for my regular fix of Vietnam’s national dish.

Pho Café is one of those restaurants I was ready to dislike. Owned by an English couple and with three branches in London (Clerkenwell, Oxford Circus and Westfield), the cafes have a trendy decor and cater for a mostly Western clientele – I feared it would lack authenticity.

Having dreamt about opening my own restaurant for the last 20 years, I feel inspired whenever I meet people like Stephen and Juliette Wall. They were clearly passionate about Vietnamese cooking and the quality of the food served at their restaurants. They gave a touching account of their trials and tribulations starting Pho 5 years ago (and getting married in the process).

We were then shown how to prepare “goi cuon tom” (fresh rice paper rolls filled with vermicelli noodles, prawns, salad and herbs) by one of their chefs (all their kitchen staff are Vietnamese).

These were fresh and delicious and similar to the ones I’d just eaten in Vietnam. At £3.75, I felt that they were also well priced.

This was followed by two other delicious starters/sides – “Cha Gio” – fried pork spring rolls @ £3.95 and “Nem nuong” – grilled pork and lemongrass meatballs @ £4.50.

These are the simplest of starters, but good quality versions are very hard to find, hence I never order them in Vietnamese restaurants in London. Pho’s versions were delicious, fresh and obviously made on the premises.

We were also served “Goi du du” – a salad of shredded green papaya with prawns and herbs topped with peanuts @ £5.95. Again the most popular of Vietnamese salads, this was a perfect example of Goi Du Du - very aromatic and ultra fresh.

The “Goi ga” – chicken salad with peppers, mixed herbs with chilli and ginger dressing @ £5.45 was also excellent. I loved the combination of shredded chicken, peppers and finely sliced shallots, with the chilli and ginger dressing giving it a zingy lift.

Juliette took us to visit the kitchen where we saw their large vat of pho stock simmering away. It looked fantastic, and the kitchen was filled with the most delicious aromas of beef, star anise, cinnamon and other spices.

I had a lot of trouble deciding which of their 11 different types of Pho I would have, but opted for “Pho bo dac biet” – rice noodle soup with steak, brisket and meatballs served with fresh herbs @ £7.95. This was much anticipated, and I have to admit it was extremely good. The stock was concentrated but still with a sophisticated flavour – the meats were also delicious, as were the noodles which had been cooked perfectly.

For dessert, I had a “Chuoi Chien” – banana fritters with honey and ginger ice cream @ £4. I loved the flavours of this dessert – the deep fried bananas were covered with a deliciously crispy batter and went very well with the honey and ginger ice cream.

In Vietnam, beer is traditionally drunk with food at restaurants and on special occasions. Pho serves all major Vietnamese beers like Halida, Hue and Saigon for £3.25 as well as Beer Laos at £3.45.

I was also impressed by how well priced their wine list is. Bottles start at £13.95 for a delicious French Viognier (which I tasted) and go up to £16.25 for an Australian Riesling or £17.95 for a Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. I find that for Oriental food in general, Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Riesling are nearly always the best matches.

Stephen and Juliette have made Vietnamese food accessible to Londoners – there are no plastic lobsters hanging on the walls, the menus are well explained, and the serving staff are friendly and articulate. In May, they will be opening a branch in Brighton, and another in Soho is also scheduled to open later in 2010.

Cost: this was a complementary meal, but I have quoted the prices of all the dishes I tried. I estimate that a meal for one would cost in the region of £15 including a starter, pho and dessert but excluding drinks.

Likes: probably the most delicious bowl of pho outside the ‘pho mile’ (Kingsland Road or thereabouts), excellent value for money and fantastic banana fritter with honey and ginger ice cream. The wine list is also well priced and includes some attractive choices.

Dislikes: despite the simple but well thought out menu (40 items only), I missed some old favourites like “chargrilled beef and lemongrass wrapped in betel leaves” and “fried soft shell crab”.

Verdict: Simple but well executed menu just off Oxford Street at very affordable prices. An excellent choice for Vietnamese food outside Kingsland Road. Recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews - Viet Grill

Viet Grill

Vietnam has one of the most sophisticated cuisines in the world and is one of the few countries I keep returning to particularly for its food.

Closer to home, I have been heading to Kingsland Road for my fix of Vietnamese food and have become Song Que’s indisputably “Number 1 Fan” in the last few years. I had resigned myself to its scary plastic lobsters and unfriendly service. If only I could taste its magnificent pho soup - all would be forgiven.

It is all about the food, and although I do not believe Asian cooking should necessarily be “cheap”, I certainly do not want to pay a premium for the sake of trendier decor. I have thus viewed the recent smartening up of some of the restaurants on Kingsland Road with a little caution.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Dr G and I went to the newly re-opened Viet Grill on Kingsland Road. Despite getting a complimentary meal offered by its PR machine, I feared I might dislike this restaurant.

It was a Friday evening at 8pm when we arrived and the restaurant was buzzing. Despite the long queue of customers, we were soon shown to our table. First impressions were good – front-of-house staff were friendly and polite, the restaurant had been painted with a beautiful design of banana leaves and decorated with some nice touches like wooden bird cages, a beautiful aquarium and some modern but discreet lighting.

Tables were positioned very close together and we soon struck up a conversation with a delightful couple “Olivia and Moosa” who were sitting next to us. They were regulars at Viet Grill and were very positive about the food despite being a bit weary of the high density of diners the restaurant catered for at any one time.

Our starters did not take long to come; these included “Mango Salad” (sun-dried squid, Viet mint, peanuts, mango) @ £7. I was delighted by this, and loved the flavour and unusual consistency of the sun-dried squid. It was a deliciously refreshing salad with some interesting flavours and started the evening on a good note.

The “Piggy Grilled Aubergine” (spring onions, minced pork in tangy sweet and sour sauce) @ £5.50 was the next starter and, in my opinion, was one of the best dishes of the evening. I love aubergines, and the addition of spring onions and pork to a rather delicate and well-balanced sweet and sour sauce made for a very good dish.

This was followed by the “Feudal Roasted Beef” @ £9, a Saigon speciality, this tasted as good and fresh as the ones I remember having in Ho Chi Min City.

A “Mixed House Platter” @ £7 per person was served next containing Mango Salad, Imperial Spring Rolls, Fresh Soft Rolls or Goi Cuon, Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves & Chilli Salt and Peppered Squid. I always order goi cuon and beef in betel leaves whenever eating at Vietnamese restaurants, and Viet Grill’s did not disappoint. The Fresh Rolls had just the right amount of vermicelli, herbs and prawns, and were fresh and delicious.

This is one of the simplest dishes on any decent Vietnamese menu, and can be prepared well in advance. If prepared too early and not stored, it can smell and taste of the refrigerator. This was not a problem at Viet Grill. Fresh Rolls are also great to be made at home and served as canapes if you can master the softening and wrapping of rice paper sheets. I would recommend practicing it thoroughly before your guests arrive!

 The first main dish was “Viet Quail Curry” (with aubergine, crunchy okra, coconut and spicy curry sauce) @ £8. This was unusually spicy for a Vietnamese dish but had some interesting flavours and textures coming through from the crunchy okra and quail meat. It was not an easy dish to share as the quail was served whole and on the bone.

The other main dish was “Slow Cooked Mekong Catfish” (poached in caramelised fish sauce, simmered in a clay pot and finished with cracked pepper and fresh chilli) @ £7.50. Viet Grill’s description which I quote above in brackets was very apt but it does not do justice to this fantastic dish – the sauce was deliciously sweet and salty and gave the dish a richness I had not yet tasted, complementing the fish perfectly. By far the best main of the evening and one I will make sure to order again.

I love having my food prejudices challenged in this way, and this time, I am pleased to admit that Viet Grill came up trumps. Most dishes on the menu were more sophisticated and authentically Vietnamese than other restaurants in the area with very friendly and helpful service.

 

Verdict – Delicious Vietnamese food served in beautiful surroundings by some very friendly staff. Viet Grill has certainly raised its game and I hope it will become a standard setter for other Vietnamese restaurants in the area. Highly recommended.