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A traditional Isakaiya offering a superb selection of fresh fish dishes. It doesn't look much from the outside but the weather in Tokyo at the moment is nice and warm and this place offers outside seating, albeit on uncomfortable crates.
Because they are always packed, they don't want you to hang around, so chairs are crates, tables are tiny, you are squashed up to your neighbours but despite all this it's still great! Service is super swift and the atmosphere electric, a bit like the eels.
I tried all sorts of strange dishes, but notable was the tuna sushi, the freshest I've ever had and the fried Fugu, or blowfish, which can only be prepared by qualified chefs. It looked and tasted of fried chicken.
Overall a fun place to start the night and close to the hustle and bustle of Roppongi.
9-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Nearest station: Roppongi
Looking for escapism? Something a little bit different? A bit upmarket? A bit snazzy? Molton House might just be your place. It is all of these and more.
Quite frankly this is one of the most interesting venues I've visited for quite some time.
Situated on South Molton Street, the home of shoe shopping in London, is Molton House, a newish (it opened last November) members club, bar and restaurant that is far from 'soul-less'. This building used to be another members only club which I was invited to a few times and never really liked. The new owner is Nick Valentine and he has a track record of creating upscale venues that you actually want to spend time in.
Despite the credit crunch, I am told that Molton House has over 500 members, all paying £500 a year for the privilege of being a member here. For us Londoners that like to try something different, but don't want to pay hundreds in subscriptions, the good news is that anyone can book a table in the bar or restaurant, so long as you give them a bit of warning and the bouncers don't decide to take offence to you at the door. Members do get priority over non members of course, but pick a quieter night like a Wednesday and you'll be almost guaranteed a table.
The beautiful Georgian house at number 43 South Molton Street hides 4 floors of decadence. Reception at ground floor level makes you feel like you've entered an opium den for the very rich. It is warm, sexy, mesmerising and the girls welcoming you with a smile aren't bad either. Downstairs is a small club. We were too early for anything to be happening but it looked very nice. Up the sweeping staircase and you'll find a small bar to the left, stocked well with spirits and barmen. They'll make you anything you desire and are good with suggestions. Across the hallway you'll find the cosy dining room. We sat down about 8pm and were the first table, but it soon filled up.
The menu consists of a selection of dishes that are ideal for sharing. All dishes are priced around the £10 mark with 5 or 6 choices of vegetarian, fish and meat. Every dish is recognisable but with an interesting twist and everything we had was absolutely delicious. Wine is reasonably priced from about £25 upwards.
But honestly, I would not come here just for the food. Tasty? Absolutely. Good service? Definitely. Reasonably priced? Yes. But Molton House has so much more that eating is just the entree. Just a way of fortifying yourself before turning up your mojo and getting it on with the beautiful people milling around the bar upstairs and the club downstairs. It's like eating here gives you a pass to enjoy the darker delights that this club has to offer, without the expense of the membership.
I should also mention that one flight further up the staircase will bring you to a private dining room that can also be booked without being a member. It seats about 10 and would make a perfect venue for a birthday celebration with close friends. Let's hope my wife reads this...
Molton House
43 South Molton Street
London
W1K 5RS
t: 020 7 493 1688
w: www.moltonhouse.com
Flavours of Spain has reinforced its reputation as the UK’s leading supplier of artisan produce from Galicia and Northern Spain, with the introduction of an exceptional selection of charcuterie.
The new range features delicious dry cured and smoked meats from Iberia and Galicia, including superior hand-sliced lomo iberico bellota, jamon iberico bellota and chorizo iberico bellota sourced from Iberian producer Sierra de Monesterio. Based in the southern region of Extremadura, this area is home to centuries-old oak trees that yield some of the world’s sweetest acorns, giving the meat of the traditionally raised, acorn-fed Iberian pigs its distinct texture and full flavour.
Master craftsmen trim, massage, fillet and salt the hams, using time-honoured techniques in preparation for their entry into natural drying rooms. Each ham spends 3 years under the care and supervision of the master craftsmen to enable the curing process to take place before being individually hand-sliced.
Perfectly complementing their existing range of Galician produce, Flavours of Spain now offers a number of exclusive charcuterie products from Xamons A Paradanta – a small producer located at the foot of the A Paradanta Mountains in Galicia. The region is synonymous with traditional ham production, with producers working closely with local people who possess lifelong experience in creating the finest hams and sausages.
The Atlantic mountain climate – hot, dry summers and cold winters – combined with the cutting-edge technology the company has developed to enhance traditional production methods without diminishing quality, is ideal for curing pork products. As such, Xamons A Paradanta is rightly revered for its hams and sausages throughout the Galicia region.
Teresa Homes, director of Flavours of Spain, said: “Our new charcuterie selection is a wonderful addition to our existing range of Spanish produce; including unique seaweeds and seafood preserves, limited production wines and award-winning extra virgin olive oils.
“We embarked upon numerous comparative blind tastings to ensure the taste, texture and quality of our cured meats is second to none, reassuring our customers that they need look no further than our website when purchasing artisan Spanish produce – we’re a one-stop shop!.”
Flavours of Spain’s new charcuterie range is available via the website: www.flavoursofspain.co.uk.
Prices:
Chorizo Iberico bellota 100g (£4.45)
Lomo Iberico bellota 100g (£7.80)
Jamon Iberico bellota 100g (£13.50)
Galician chorizo – mild (£4.80)
Galician chorizo – picante (£4.80)
Galician cooking chorizo (£5.30)
Galician onion chorizo (£4.20)
About Flavours of Spain
Flavours of Spain was founded three years ago by a UK-based Spanish/English team who are passionate about the many undiscovered and delicious artisan products Spain has to offer, primarily from Galicia and Northern Spain.
The company’s exciting artisan range includes organic figs in chocolate, olive oils, vinegars, olives, nuts, salts and seasonings, limited production wines (including organic and biodynamic), seaweeds and gourmet fish and seafood preserves, such as sea urchin caviar.
All products are made using the highest quality, freshest seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on those produced by small, family run businesses through organic and sustainable farming. Flavours of Spain has been the proud winner of five gold awards at the Great Taste Awards 2007, winning the Best Spanish Speciality category overall. Since September 2008 the company has held a regular stall at London’s Borough Market.
Us Londoners are a rare breed. We've got a city on our doorstep offering more entertainment than pretty much any other city in the world, yet we hardly ever make it past our local boozer.
One of the problems is that there is so much to see and do, we get dazzled, boggled and generally sozzled in the process of thinking about going to see or do something but never doing it.
The chaps at Spoonfed have hit upon a very interesting idea around events in London, twinned with all the usual social media elements. The site looks great and whilst still a little light on content, they only launched last November so I'm sure the community will grow.
Will Spoonfed get to know the events I like and provide me with a simple, cut down version of the best that London has to offer? I certainly hope so!
It's not every day I get sent pictures of naked girls from PR agencies - honest!
But Tibits in Hedden St has fruitily painted a lovely young lady to promote their vegetarian restaurant during National Vegetarian Week.
"To celebrate the launch of National Vegetarian Week 18th – 24th May, tibits vegetarian restaurant in Heddon Street, Central London today created a living painting. Body painted beauty Juliet Johns revealed her 5-a-day as a piece of spectacular living art that looked good enough to eat."
It’s as easy as 1,2,3 to get your five-a-day every day of the week at tibits.
Delightful.
Harrison's opened up on the old Balham Bar and Kitchen site in Balham back in 2007 and I am pleased to say it seems to be doing rather well.
The wife and I pitched up for dinner on a Thursday evening just after 8pm and the place was more than half full, with a very welcoming buzz - not so noisy that you can't hear yourself think and not so quiet that you feel you have to whisper to your dining partner. Because the bar and kitchen are in the centre of this largish restaurant (90 covers), there is always pace, vibrancy and something to watch if your fellow scoffers are running a bit late.
The concept is 'informal brasserie' with something on offer at pretty much any time of day. During the summer months the doors are flung back and Harrison's turns into rather a nice place for a coffee and croissant. Events for Mums and babies as well as bridge fiends ensure that it stays busy during the day and the evening pulls in the Balham massive. Well not quite. The 30 somethings will be pleased to hear that this is quite a grown up restaurant - well to do Balhamites with a bit of cash to spend without the rowdiness that some of the pubs on the Balham High Rd attract. It is somewhere between The Exhibit and Lamberts, two other Balham restaurants that regular readers know I am quite partial to.
There is a cocktail of the day, which makes a great start to your dinner, although the wife and I were very good and just ordered a 500ml carafe of Rose - a French 07 priced around £14 which was reasonable for the quality. The wine list has something for everyone so you won't go thirsty and for people still drinking bottled water, the eco trendy Belu is on offer.
To the menu...
'Something to Start' included Cream of Mushroom Soup for a credit crunching £5, Goat's Curd on Toast (errmmm), Steamed Mussels, Charcuterie and a load more. Average starter price £7.50. I went for the Asparagus since it's in season, topped with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. It's always a good testing dish for the kitchen, because there is nothing worse can lukewarm or cold egg and hollandaise. Fortunately the dish was piping hot, the asparagus was as fresh as anything and the sauce was creamy and not over-powering. Full marks so far.
'Something to follow' included Roast Pumpkin and Ricotta Tortellone, Grilled Salmon Fillet, Free Range Chicken and the Slow Roast Belly of Pork, which I had. The mains are priced very reasonably at around £13. The pork was good with excellent crackling. The Carrot and Swede Puree that it came with was average, as was the apple sauce on the side. My wife's Calves Liver was excellent. Both portion sizes were generous and the dishes rich enough that we struggled to find room for dessert.
Puddings were very good. The sorbets were very fruity and the home-made truffles were delicious.
Harrison's is also offering a 2 course set menu for £14 and 3 courses for £17 so you can't go wrong.
Service was extremely efficient and our waitress was smiley and helpful.
I will definitely be revisiting Harrison's - it's nice to go somewhere that is run efficiently, informally, without pretences or delusions or grandeur and that doesn't cost the earth. It's only a few minutes walk from Balham tube and worth the trip.
Contact details:
15-19 Bedford Hill,
London SW12 9EX
READ MORE REVIEWS AND BOOK ONLINE HERE
t: 020 8675 6900
e: info@harrisonsbalham.co.uk
w: www.harrisonsbalham.co.uk
I know it's not strictly a restaurant, but this small chain of bakery cum cafes is well worth a visit. I love their chocolate croissants and have never had a tasteless pastry from Gail's.
I like the one on Portobello Rd:
138 Portobello Road
London
020 7460 0766
www.gailsbread.co.uk
Plus (good for me), there is one opening soon in Clapham - yay!
Oh, and you might be interested in this:
GAIL’s bakery calls all schools in St Johns Wood to join its tasty fundraising program.
Does your school need some library books? Or are you looking for funds for a tennis court? Whatever the project your school is trying to raise money for, GAIL’s bakery will help you to reach your goal.
GAIL’s has introduced a “Community Card” whereby every time you make a purchase at GAIL’s you will receive 10% discount of all your purchases. GAIL’s will then will tally up your kick-back (along with all of the other participants from your school) and give you the funds toward the project of your choice.
Whilst GAIL’s is relatively new to the community of St Johns Wood they are however old hats at giving back to local community. Since GAIL’s opened their doors in 2005 on Hampstead High Street they have put on the free GAIL’s Garden Party (North London’s largest food/street festival). GAIL’s Notting Hill opened in 2007 and has delighted locals with its free V.I.B (Very Important Breadhead events) which includes the likes of baking classes for kids of Christmas tree decorations.
The team behind GAIL’s was inspired to start the business as they felt it was hard to find a tasty and healthy loaf on the high street. GAIL’s bakes delicious & chemical free bread, cakes, and pastries. Knowing man cannot live on breads and cakes alone they also make seasonal salads, fresh soups and tasty sandwiches. All of GAIL’s products are preservative, chemical and additive free.
Clapham locals will be happy to hear that a GAIL’s will be opening this summer on Northcote rd. For those not near a GAIL’s shop, you can find GAIL’s bread at 24 Waitrose locations in London, Ocado (www.ocado.com) the national online grocer and GAIL’s at Harvey Nichols launches late April.
Any schools wishing to participate in the Community Cards fundraiser can obtain more information by contacting Barbie Chambers at GAIL’s:
Ph: 0207 460 3387
E: Barbie@gailsbread.co.uk
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