London Restaurant Reviews - Bibigo

Name: Bibigo

Where: 58-59 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7JY, info@bibigouk.com, tel: 020 7042 5225, http://bibigouk.com/

Cost: £25-£30 per person on average for a 3-course meal excluding drinks (starters priced from £4 to £8, main courses from £7 to £20, and desserts all priced at £5). There are 2-course lunch and dinner sets available at £9 and £12 respectively. Korea's national dish, Bibimbap served on a hot stone plate is priced at £9.

About: Led by head chef, Kim Yong Hwan (previously at Roka and Zuma), Bibigo in Soho is the European flagship restaurant for CJ, Korea's biggest food company. As well as being a 66 cover restaurant and cocktail bar, it also stocks a range of Bibigo Korean food products. Bibigo has several sister restaurants in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, China, Vietnam and Los Angeles, which focus on serving Bibimbap and other national dishes of Korea, at affordable prices.

The London branch is a modern, stylish restaurant on Great Marlborough Street, a stone's throw from Carnaby Street.  The busy open-plan kitchen is a spectacle for those who like watching the chefs in action. On the midweek evening we were there, it was packed with a mix of Korean and western clientele.

Spotlessly clean, open-plan kitchen at Bibigo

What We Ate: The new menu at Bibigo is well designed, every dish is beautifully photographed making it easier for those not too familiar with the cuisine to order their food. Most importantly, it is surprisingly affordable.

We started with a Bibigo Salad (£8), a lovely mix of fig, persimmon, baby spinach, fried lotus roots, cos lettuce and crispy rice crackers (nurungji), seasoned with a dressing made from bokbunja berry. This signature salad had a good combination of fruit and salad flavours, along with an interesting texture from the crunchy lotus roots and nurungji.
  

The Red Chicken (£6) was one of my favourite dishes of the meal - deep-fried chicken pieces seasoned with a red, kohot sauce were crunchy, sweet and spicy and totally moreish. They were served with deep fried tempura(ed) okra.  I am ordering two portions of this in my next visit!

Japchae (£6), one of Korea's most popular dishes, could not be missed. The delicious stir-fried glass noodles had a lovely sesame-charred flavour from the hot wok it was fried in, it was served with spinach, onion, pepper and thin slices of beef.
  

The Grilled Scallop with Truffle Yuja Dressing (£9) was another favourite. Fetchingly presented, this combined nicely seared scallops seasoned with a dressing made from the Korean citrus fruit - yuja (or yuzu in Japanese) and spiced, smoked pollock roe which had a similar taste to Japanese mentaiko, an ingredient I cannot have enough of.

The Beef steak Hache (£14) was a generous portion of char-grilled hand chopped short rib beef served with grilled rice cakes glazed with ginger and soy sauce . This was very good - the beef having the spicy- smoky, barbecued flavour I remember from similar dishes I tried in my latest visit to Seoul, and again it was well presented.

We had the beef with a Ssam Basket (£2), wrapped up in lettuce leaves and seasoned with kimchi, pickled cucumbers and soy bean dip.

For pudding Dr G and I shared a couple of their sweet offerings - we started with the Bibigo Goldfish (£5) - Goldfish shaped Korean waffle filled with red bean cream, very similar in presentation and flavour to the Japanese Taiyaki, served with almond crumble and vanilla ice cream.

We also had Hoddeok (£5) - a traditional sweet Korean pancake with vanilla ice cream which was equally nice.

What We Drank: We were pleasantly surprised by the wine choices and reasonable mark-ups on Bibigo's wine list, devised by the resident French sommelier Raphael Thierry. The restaurant also offers an interesting range of soju cocktails.

For this meal, we shared a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet Domain de Lauriers 2011 (£22).  We felt that the crisp, fresh acidity and minerality of the Picpoul were a good partner for the Korean dishes we had. At £22 this is well priced considering it retails online for about £8-9.

Likes: A stylish location for well-presented, reasonably priced authentic Korean food. Commendably, Bibigo has its own resident French sommelier, Raphael Thierry, the man behind the excellent range of wines of all prices available on the menu. The deep-fried red chicken and seared scallops with yuja and Korean mentaiko dishes are a must.

Dislikes: None.

Verdict: Fresh, delicious and affordable Korean food in a stylish, modern restaurant in Central London. Great wine list. I cannot wait to return. Highly recommended.

Breakfast at Holiday Inn's

Words & Photography by Felicity Spector

I’ve got an open mind. I do a lot of food judging. So when I was invited to try out the Holiday Inn’s new “award winning” breakfast menu, I decided to embrace the opportunity. In fact, they were keen to throw in an overnight stay so I could enjoy the full experience. And so I finished dinner, packed a small overnight bag and set off on the 38 bus towards Green Park and the flagship Mayfair branch.

Even at 11.30pm, the reception staff were warm and friendly: it wasn’t busy, they told me, so I could have an upgrade to a “King Executive” room. Despite the slightly creaky floors and swirly carpet décor, the room was huge, and spotless, with a brilliant view overlooking the Ritz.

There was an intriguing pillow menu, and a free bar of Kit Kat Chunky, in case I got peckish, although if you want to use the hotel wi-fi, there’s a £16 connection charge.

But it was the breakfast I’d come for, and as part of my exhaustive research I’d even watched a video about it on the Holiday Inn website, complete with sceptical young child who is eventually won over by the special pancake making machine: “NOW I’m impressed.”

Ben, the restaurant manager, was immediately welcoming, offering to take me on a tour of the breakfast offerings. There was the usual hotel fare: bowls of cut up melon and grapefruit, a basket of croissants and bread rolls, various boxes of cereal and some dishes of bacon, sausage, and scrambled egg sitting rather wanly on a hotplate. Your best bet for hot food would be the omelettes and poached eggs, which are made freshly to order. I tried some melon, which was fine - although it would be nice to see some more seasonal fruit. I liked the mini pain aux raisins, though, which was buttery and fresh.

However the real buzz was on the other side of the buffet table. There was a small queue of children forming at the pancake machine, so naturally I joined them, pressing a button on the side of the contraption while it whirred away. Eventually a couple of scotch pancakes sort of popped out of the end and onto a waiting plate, where you could douse them in golden syrup or chocolate sauce depending on the level of sugar rush you were after. They were perhaps a little sweet for my taste, but the children in the room seemed to be enjoying the whole experience, which presumably kept their parents happy too.

The service at breakfast, like the rest of the hotel, was excellent, and I was offered as many cups of Starbucks coffee as I wanted - even a takeaway cup for my journey to work.

I was still curious, though, so I called the trade association Midas which bestowed the best breakfast award, and asked them what made the Holiday Inn stand out. They conjured up an image of legions of secret diners, sampling hotel breakfasts across the land, heaping praise on the menu range and innovation. The pancake machine, it seems, is what won it: anything which impresses a sceptical seven year old, must be worthy of an award.

Sweetness and Light at 30 Euston Square

Words & Photography by Felicity Spector

Five floors below, the harassed commuters come and go: yet on the roof terrace of 30 Euston Square, with expansive views across London‘s skyline, it seems a million miles away from traffic jams and bus fumes and passengers cramming onto overcrowded trains. Instead, the building showcases a cool, deliberately urban design: rooms flooded with light, and carefully restored tiled walls and stairways mixing the original architecture with something far more modern.

It has taken £20 million to transform this Grade II listed building into a luxurious venue, complete with grand state rooms which can cater banquets for more than 200 people. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is already in the building: there are even exam rooms for putative GPs. Elsewhere, there's a range of different break-out areas, meeting spaces, and private dining rooms, along with high-spec overnight accommodation, with 41 boutique style bedrooms. This isn’t just a business venue: you can hire it for a wedding - the state rooms and roof terrace, for example, cost around £3,000 for a day, while smaller meeting rooms begin at just £300.

And there’s an added benefit to this space: all profits go right back to the RCGP to help their cutting-edge work in patient care.

The catering, including a café which is open to the public, is all run by Searcys, and they were in charge of the food and drink at the launch event which we were invited to.

In the basement, where a huge 300 seat auditorium was playing the movie Avatar to an audience of one, a chef was hand carving a huge ham as part of a mini charcuterie platter, complete with chunks of house-made black pudding scotch egg, piccalilli, and some Shropshire blue cheese.

We took our charcuterie dishes up to the top floor, to investigate the state rooms, where portraits of past presidents of the RCGP gazed down from the walls. The launch event food was far superior to the usual range of canapés  we enjoyed some crisp salmon burgers with pesto on a brioche bun and potato rosti with spiced aubergine, before discovering some more chefs, who created beautiful little portions of sea bass with soused vegetables, and a beetroot and heritage tomato salad with micro cress, made to order.

Back in the main room, we were transfixed by a vast display of desserts, which seemed to be constantly replenished. We tried one of everything: a fabulous profiterole filled with chocolate mousse and a glossy ganache. A shot glass of pana-cotta with a layer of berry compote and a fresh raspberry. A tart with crème patissiere and compressed strawberry. Some carrot cake and a rich, gooey brownie. And three kinds of macaroons.

We were very impressed by the quality of the food, which comes under the aegis of executive chef Arnaud Stephens, whose professional background includes Maze and Tante Claire. There’s also an in-house pastry chef: hence the glorious selection of desserts.

You’re just three minutes from Euston, yet from one side of the light-filled corridor around the state rooms, you can see the Shard in the distance: the lights from the high rise office blocks wink overhead. We were lucky: there was plenty of space on the roof terrace - it was a perfect evening to sit and relax in this sun-trap, and watch the sun setting over London.

London Restaurant Reviews - The Water Poet in Spitalfields

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi

Name: The Water Poet

Where: 9 Folgate Street, London, E1 6BX, www.waterpoet.co.uk

Costs: BBQ meals from £13.50, weekday lunch deals from £10



What to eat: With a new high tech barbecue installed, this is the way to go. Dishes on offer include Roast Half Cotswold Spring Chicken and Chorizo with New Potatoes and Orange Saffron Salad and Grilled Fillets of Sea Bass with Samphire, Chilli, Fennel & Mint Salad and Braised Baby Aubergines. The sea bass is delicately cooked over the coals and the baby aubergines are delicious and work well with the fish.


Rib Eye Steak comes with mushrooms, roast garlic and thick cut chips – the meat is juicy and tinged with smoke from judicious grilling. Pub classics from Fish & Chips and Shepherds Pie are also very good.

What to drink: Meantime, Dark Star and London Fields beer on the pumps and a fairly decent wine and spirit list.

Likes: This is a large pub with multiple rooms from a basement bar to a cinema room and even a pool parlour. In the summer it is the outside space that wins out, with large covered patio areas festooned with fairy lights and the barbecue area.

Dislikes: Prepare for a crush at the bars as this pub gets packed later in the week with City workers and Spitalfields locals.

Verdict: For a buzzy atmosphere and a relaxed, outdoor setting, this is a very good option in the City. The food is good and the tunes aren't bad either. 

The London Foodie Goes to Bali - Amed

After a few days in lovely Ubud (see reviews here and here), we hired a car and headed out to the still relatively undeveloped east coast of Bali. Hiring a car in Bali was surprisingly affordable at only £15 per day for an air-conditioned Toyota 5 door vehicle. Filling up the tank was another tenner!

En route to Amed...

There are hardly any traffic lights or road signs in Bali. However there are only a few major roads so driving isn't a problem as English is widely spoken and if you purchase a detailed, £2 map at any petrol station. Within a little over 2 hours' drive, passing through many picturesque villages, rice paddy fields, and beautiful countryside we arrived in Amed. This is the name of a village, but is also used to refer to the local area, a long stretch of coast running from the village of Cucik and seven other villages - Amed, Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas.

The pace of life here is slow and the coastal scenery quite stunning making Amed a good place for a relaxed few days in Bali. Amed is the most recent tourist development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads. Telephone lines were installed in 2003 and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the main road that regularly washed away during the rainy season.

Amed's inhabitants live from fishing, farming, salt-making and lately tourism, and many hundreds of small fishing boats are seen lined up along the shore during the daytime. The same fishing boats are now also doubling up, taking out visitors out on the sea for diving and snorkelling expeditions for very reasonable prices. There is a strongly rural feel to this area, farmers are abundant, working the paddy fields, with livestock and chickens running around wherever you are, in contrast to the more developed areas around Kuta, Seminyak and Legian. Amed provides an interesting insight to another facet of daily life in Bali.

Amed is also the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben as well as for those wishing to take the PADI courses (scuba diving, more details below). There are many good dive sites close by and a thriving dive industry has developed all the way along the coast here.

Where to Stay

Baliku Dive Resort

Hotels are still in their infancy at Amed, and none of the five star luxury chains have yet made it here. The Baliku Dive Resort is owned by Australian Donna and consists of 9 villas set into the mountains close to Aas, the eastern-most village of the Amed coastal stretch.

Entrance to Baliku Dive Resort

The villas are surrounded by lush gardens, frequented by a variety of birdlife and butterflies, and set above a fishing village with stunning mountain and ocean views to Lombok. Just a few metres from the hotel is a submerged World War II Japanese ship, which has become encrusted with corals making it one of most interesting places for snorkelling and scuba diving in the area.

View from our villa at Baliku Dive Resort

Our spacious room had a king-sized four poster bed with mosquito nets, an en-suite bathroom, and private open-air terrace overlooking the bay. It also had satellite TV, air conditioning, minibar and a DVD player. The hotel has a massive selection of DVD films by the reception area and guests are welcome to watch them. The room was quiet and private as the villas were well separated, built over the hillside with unobstructed sea-views.

Our private veranda

There was also a reasonably large swimming pool with a few loungers for guests as well as a covered pavilion by the pool.

Where to Eat

There are no top-flight restaurants in Amed, and for dinner, most visitors eat in their hotels or at one of the many Warungs (local Indonesian cafes) dotted along the coastline.

The Pavillion Restaurant

We ate dinner at the Baliku Dive Resort's Pavillion Restaurant both nights we stayed there. The restaurant offers great sea-views and is well regarded by residents and visitors to the area.  The dishes were well made and seasoned, and served with either rice or potatoes and salad.

Among the highlights were a deliciously aromatic pumpkin soup which we tried on our first night, and also their fish dishes, particularly the Fish Fillets Bumbu Bali (£3.75) which was braised in a blend of Balinese spices and coconut milk, and served with rice and vegetables. The Sate Lilit (£3.75), a village specialty, was also excellent. This was a blend of fish, shredded coconut and spices, skewered and barbecued, served with rice and a refreshing mango-coriander salsa.

Breakfast at the resort was also very good and rather generous which included good, strong black coffee, freshly made juices, cut tropical fruit, pastries and home-made jams, French cinnamon toasts, and a creamy and utterly delicious black rice pudding with coconut cream and palm sugar. Cooked options were also available including mie goreng (fried noodles), eggs, bacon and sausages among others.

Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Cream and Palm Sugar at Pavillion Restaurant -
I could have lived on this whilst in Amed, it was delicious!

Warung Enak

The top recommended warung is 8km west of the Baliku Dive Resort, and is called Warung Enak on Jamal Amed (the only main road).

It's a simple place by the road side, very clean and with an open-plan kitchen.

We had Mie Goreng (£2) or stir-fried egg noodles with chicken, Ikan Santan (barracuda fish with onion, tomato, Balinese sauce and coconut milk) served with rice and vegetables (£2.50) and fish sate, marinated in garlic, shallot and sweet soy sauce, served with French fries (£2.50). These were all well made, fresh and delicious.

Warung Enak also has a good dessert menu, including local favourites like fried banana fritters with palm sugar, and  Balinese black rice pudding, all priced at around £1. One of the house specialties is the Rice Table (rijsttafel), a spread of 10 dishes plus dessert, which must be ordered 3 hours in advance.

What to Do

Snorkelling

There are good snorkelling sites all along the coast of Amed, and one of the best is in front of the Baliku Dive Resort. Crossing the road in front of the hotel, snorkels, masks and flippers can be hired for £3 for the day.

From the water's edge, it is just a 10 metre swim to the site of the WWII Japanese ship wreck. Marine life is abundant and varied, the water is crystal clear and there are brightly coloured corals, particularly around the wreck itself.

Image Courtesy of Baliku Dive Resort

Image Courtesy of Baliku Dive Resort

I would suggest wearing a t-shirt when snorkelling though - our backs were quite severely burned despite using sun-block after just an hour's snorkelling from 10am.

Image Courtesy of Baliku Dive Resort

Diving 

There are dozens of dive schools along the Amed coast, all offering PADI courses. We checked out the professional looking Euro-Dive centre in Lipah, which offers a range of courses, from a 1 day introduction to 30 day Divemaster qualification. Full details are on their website, but sample prices include £200 for the PADI Open Water course (3-4 days), and £180 for the 2 day PADI Advanced Diver course. 

There are also a number of day trips that can be taken from Amed, including visits to Tirtagangga's water palace, or the volcano Gunung Agung.

Pink Skies at Sunset in Beautiful Amed

Travel Essentials

Amed can be reached by car, it is a 2-2:30 hours drive from Ubud. Private shuttle buses are also available to Amed from all major tourist towns in Bali ranging from £5 to £15 per person depending from where you start.

We used Bangkok's Car Rental for our car hire. This was arranged by our hotel in Ubud (Villa Semana) for £15 per day. You might be able to arrange it more cheaply if you were to approach them directly. They were very accommodating and brought us the car to the hotel in Ubud and collected it at the airport in Denpasar just before we got on to our flight to Lombok. Excellent and friendly service, highly recommended. 

Bangkok's Car Rental
Hanoman Road 30, Ubud
Mobile +62 81 338 781 984
Email: bangkokbalirentcar@gmail.com

A one-bedroom villa at Baliku Dive Resort costs $95 per night including breakfast and taxes for up to two persons sharing, or $157 per night for a family villa. 

Baliku Dive Resort
Banyuning, Amed, Abang
Karangasem
Bali 80852
E mail: info@amedbalidiving.com
www.amedbalidiving.com

Baliku also has its own dive school and shop, which was under-construction during our visit. 

Euro Dive is at Lipah, Amed, Karangasem, Bali. 
E mail: info@eurodive.com
www.eurodivebali.comb

Warung Enak
Jalan Amed
Karangasem
Bali
Email: warungenak@hotmail.com
Phone: 081915679019

London Restaurant Reviews - Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar

Name: Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar

Where: London Marriott Hotel County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB (http://gillrays.com/)

Cost: £45-£50 per person on average for a 3-course meal excluding drinks (starters priced from £8 to £12, main courses from £14 to £42, and desserts from £6 to £7).

About: James Gillray, an 18th century London caricaturist famous for his political and social satires, was the inspiration for this steakhouse and bar. It has a quintessentially English character with a drinks menu featuring an impressive 39 English gins, fine wood-panelling, and modern Chesterfield sofas and chairs are dotted around the bar.

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar is located in the South Wing of the County Hall with magnificent views of the Thames, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye.

In one of the busiest tourist areas of London with surprisingly few options for good food and a civilised drink, Gillray's was a good find.

What We Ate: Dr G and I shared a platter of 6 Cornish Oysters (£9.50) served with a Champagne & shallot vinaigrette. These were fresh and vibrant, I just wish I had ordered a full 12 oyster platter.

The hand-chopped steak tartare (£14.50) was too much of a temptation not to be ordered - well seasoned, it was a good start to the meal despite the rather dull presentation.

With 35-day dry aged Aberdeen Angus beef from Yorkshire on the menu, our choices were not difficult. Dr G went for the Porterhouse Steak 450g (£35) while I had an entire T-Bone Steak 600g (£42).

The beef was cooked just as ordered - medium rare, red in the middle, and deliciously tender. Unsurprisingly at £42, my T-Bone steak was well flavoured, and perfectly accompanied by a serving of Truffle & Old Winchester Cheese Chips (£4.50).  It was a very generous portion, and I had only just managed to polish it off when I was told that it was intended for two!

Dr G very much enjoyed his more manageable Porterhouse steak, with Triple Cooked Chips (£3.50).

What We Drank: The Head Barman, Carlos Santos, is a fellow Brazilian, whom I was fortunate to meet and chat with.  He fixed Dr G a Gun Powder & Smoke Cocktail (£14), made from Hayman's 1850 Reserve gin mixed with Gunpowder green tea tincture, Remy Martin VSOP, lime juice, sugar, egg white and finished off with an ignited Laphroaig whisky (the smoke) which was quite a spectacle.
  

I opted for a Gillray's Ginger Martini (£10) - fresh ginger muddled with ginger syrup, shaken with infused ginger Chase vodka, Stone's Ginger Wine, dash of King's Ginger Liqueur, fresh lime juice and apple juice, which was equally good.

The wine list is primarily new world, well-thought out and with some interesting choices like the 2001 Chateau Musar (£75), one of my favourite wines. Prices start from £29 and quickly escalate. To accompany our steaks, we had a bottle of 2009 Shiraz from Barossa Valley (Australia) by Bethany G6 (£42)  chosen for us by Carlos. It was an excellent choice - big, bold and more than a match for the Aberdeen Angus.

Likes: Great steaks, cocktails and views, an impressive stock of English gins.

Dislikes: It would have been nice to have more affordable wine choices.

Verdict: In one of the most touristic parts of town, Gillray's is a real find - a stunning historic building with spectacular Westminster views and a selection of fine English gins and steaks, it ticks a lot of boxes. Recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews - Beagle

Working like a dog? Come to Hoxton to rest and play

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi

Name: Beagle

Where: 397 - 400 Geffrye Street, London, E2 8HZ  http://www.beaglelondon.co.uk

Cost: Average £6 for starters and £16 for mains. Cocktails from £8.

About: Beagle is in the railway arches right next to Hoxton station. Sitting on the large terrace, the view of the back of the Geffrye Museum is almost bucolic. And, on a rare sunny day in London, there are few better places to while away an afternoon.

What we drank: The Bloody Mary here is made with vodka infused with chorizo which gives the drink a deep, smoky flavour. Their signature martini is also excellent with coriander bitters and caraway balancing out the sweetness of the vermouth.

When you are on your second martini and the sun has decided to come out, on the terrace is exactly where you want to be for some stylish people-watching and languid weekend lounging. I have now been here a few times and sat both inside and outside. The huge glazed arches mean light-flooded interiors while the terrace is sheltered and quiet, facing only a pedestrianised street.

What we ate: Starters such as Octopus with Tomatoes come wood-fired and anointed with a fresh and bright coriander sauce. Beetroot, Bitter Leaves and Bantam Egg makes use of the freshest ingredients, brought together by a zippy vinaigrette.

The Crab, Samphire and Cucumber Salad was as cool and crisp as it read on the menu.
Mains were very British in their provenance and cooking style. Tamworth Pork Chop came with lentils and a deep, meaty gravy.

Onglet was cooked as rare as it should be and came with fat chips cooked (two, three times? Who knows?) in duck fat. I would have preferred skinny, French-style fries, but I may be in a minority on this.
The wood-fired treatment of food is something of a speciality here; Beagle's location under a railway line means no gas is permitted. And so, a necessity becomes a virtue as dishes come tinged with a hint of wood-flame as the kitchen relies on wood burning stoves.

We have not tried the desserts but we have watched others nod and smile agreeably at the variety of puddings proffered. The kitchen will also bake a cake for your birthday celebrations and I watched a large party singing along heartily around a birthday cake - at least until the birthday girl accidentally set fire to her hair while blowing out the candles. But, the sun was out and the setting was so convivial that no one seemed to mind.

Likes: Great food, relaxed atmosphere and truly helpful staff. The cocktails keep flowing on the terrace and the music is exceptionally good.

Dislikes: In fact, there is very little not to like about Beagle. So, I will have a mini-gripe about these teeny-tiny annoyances. The bar snacks are well made but vary greatly in size. The pork pie was a good hunk of meat wrapped in a thick wedge of pastry alongside homemade piccalilli. The pig's head croquettes, however, were superb but infuriatingly small - I could have eaten 3 portions on my own. Another mystery is why food from the restaurant cannot be ordered in the bar area - we were given some excuse about licencing laws which sounded highly implausible.

Verdict: Beagle is bound to become the go-to destination of the summer (now that things are looking promising weather-wise). It is already in my top 10 for casual alfresco drinking and dining.