An Edible Voyage

July 2021 Looking for a casual restaurant for a laid back lunch with guaranteed flavour, with my mother during a London day trip, I came across Brawn and it seemed to tick all the boxes.  With the smallest of signs, it's unassumingly perched on Bethnal Green's quirky Columbia Road amongst the rows of Victorian shops, and has the high vibe, low pretentiousness of a local hang out. The focus is on seasonal produce sourced through suppliers within the local community, and every dish is vibrant and bursting with flavour.  The dessert really stood out for me - honey parfait with Grappa roasted apricot and pistachios, it was everything I want from a dessert - a little sweet creaminess, lively fruit, a bit of crunch, and a little grappa kick. This is the place for a leisurely catch-up with some good mates. Find Brawn on Columbia Road, opposite Ravenscroft Park. 

June 2021 Flavour, texture, comfort, nutrients.  Is there a bowl more complete than Korea's bibimbap.  And it's utterly delicious to boot.  If you can't get to Korea, Lime Orange in London's Victoria hits the spot every time.  Understated, and with a heavily Korean clientele, the highlight has to be the volcanic bowl mounded with 7 vegetables, rice, an egg and your choice of protein.  Add hot sauce to taste, mix quickly and devour.  My personal favourite is with tofu - giant chewy cubes a wonderful contrast to the crispy shards of rise chiselled from the bottom of the bowl - the best bit!   This dish is everything you want on a winter's day.  Go when your fingers are frozen and the biting wind is piercing your clothes, and revel in the heartiness of the nutrients racing through your blood, warming you from the inside out. Find Lime Orange on Vauxhall Bridge Road, moments from Victoria train station.

April 2021 I can't remember how on earth I originally came across this place, but I'm so glad that I did.  A real hidden gem, unassumingly tucked away in a residential street behind Stoke Newington High Street.  With it's conservative shop front it would be easy to miss, but whatever you do, don't miss it!  The compact inside has a buzzy neighbourhood vibe, and outside is a lovely, sheltered courtyard. Has Bean coffee is expertly crafted, whether as a pour over or espresso based beverage, and they've taken milk alternatives up a notch with their own home made almond milk. The food is always exceptional - one of those places where you know that whatever you choose will be well executed.  Unusual combinations of bang in season produce means the menu is never dull, whilst keeping things simple enough to really showcase the flavours of quality produce. The French toast is my go to option - thick slices of chewy, tangy Little Bread Pedlar sourdough, usually served with s...

June 2020 Japanese is one of my most loved cuisines, and although there is a time and a place for delicate, exquisitely crafted plates of food, give me simple, comforting food cooked well and I'm in heaven.  When a friend told me about a small, homely place in London that seemed to tick all these boxes, I was excited to visit. The menu appears to be fairly simple but the flavours are anything but.  The mackerel Balanced Bowl with noodles and a rainbow of fresh salads and vegetables, elevated with the flavours of Japan was not only absolutely delicious, I could feel the goodness being soaked up inside me. I couldn't choose between the tempting desserts so I went for two... Light as a feather Japanese cheesecake and Kuromitsu (Japanese black honey) ice cream sprinkled with little pops of bee pollen.  Even the coffee was unexpectedly delicious, with the flat white silky smooth and flavoursome. Find all these Japanese treats and more at Kissa Wa, Hig...

June 2020 I have a soft spot for Stoke Newington in London; it's leafy streets, village feel and traquillity are a stark contrast to the bustling city.  I also have fond memories of my time in Australia, and a love of restaurants which have ever changing menus showcasing the best of local, bang in season produce.  And then I came across Wander.  Reading about the restaurant, the story of the chef/ owner Alexis, and how the restaurant came to be really resonated with me and I instantly added it to the top of my list of places to try.  Unfortunately, this was just a couple of weeks before lock down so as soon as I saw they were doing a Wander At Home takeaway banquet, I was bursting to take one to my mum's garden for a socially distanced dinner.  The weekly changing menu sounded both creative and delicious, and I loved the idea of being able to choose paired wine to enjoy with it.   Our banquet kicked off with sourdough and vegemite butter. ...

February 2020 Great brunch is the best start to any weekend.  Crumpets were a childhood favourite, sourdough is a now favourite, and this time I didn't have to choose!  House-made sourdough crumpets had all the fluffiness of a crumpet with all the tangy chewiness you expect from sourdough.  Not one to usually like Hollandaise sauce, their house-made version won me over with - so light and citrusy.  A lot of love went in to this Eggs Royalish, and it really was a great brunch! Find it at Flour 2 The People, Battersea, London, UK.  They now have a new branch in Camberwell too.

February 2020 I always find that the British Airways High Life magazine is a great source of inspiration for places to visit, both locally and further afield, and this is where I came across Issho-Ni.  An unassuming doorway in Bethnal Green leads in to what immediately feels like a 'cool' restaurant.  Cherry blossom and origami cranes hanging from the ceiling, and Japanese works of art occupying entire walls is a great contrast to the industrial, warehouse bones of the building. The sushi is divine.  The Our Roll is filled with fresh salmon, tuna and seabass.  Crispy salmon skin adds crunch, truffle mayo gives a luxurious richness, and tobiko pops in the mouth.  This is an exciting dish, both texture and taste wise. Next up was Squid Ink Yakisoba.  I love squid ink and often find squid ink products seem to be a little stingy with the squid ink.  There was definitely no stinginess here and, combined with the pungent crisped garl...

February 2020 I'm not usually a doughnut fan, but Big Shot Coffee and Doughnuts enticed me in with their unusual flavours.  Passion Fruit Meringue and Bakewell Tart both made my short list, but in the end I went for the s'more in doughnut form.  The toasted Italian meringue's gooey texture worked well with the doughnut, however I found overall that the doughnut was dense and had less flavour than I was anticipating.  I was also hoping for some crunchy Graham crackers for that all important contrasts of textures, but they were a little on the soft side.  These doughnuts are certainly eye-catching, perhaps I just made a bad flavour choice. Find them at Seven Dials Market, London.

March 2020 How can something as simple as a naan bread be so delicious?  Cooked in a tandoor oven in front of your eyes and topped with an array of butters and seeds, or filled with cheese or falaffel, these could not be fresher.  An incredibly cheap and very filling snack (they are enormous!), eat it straight away whilst it's still warm. Find it at Baban's Naan, Finsbury Park or Ararat Bread in Dalston Kingsland

March 2020 For a great scoop of ice cream, check out Hackney Gelato.  Run by two chefs who met whilst working at a Michelin starred restaurant, this is grown-ups ice cream.  Vegan offerings are made with coconut cream and have a mousse like texture which I really enjoyed. although the Coconut and Lime flavour could have done with a little more zestiness.  The Chocolate Marmalade was smooth, rich and luxurious, perfect for any chocolate orange lover.  It was a divine mouthful, although I'm not sure I could manage a whole scoop.  Following my taste test, the one I went for was Pistachio, Almond and Lemon.  The lemon made it refreshing, and the almond added another dimension to the nuttiness.  A delicious scoop which held its flavour right to the end of the scoop.  Even the waffle cone was flavoursome and perfectly crispy, and there was the added benefit of a flake on top (I thought those were limited to childhood 99s when they were actually 99p)...

March 2020 I was very excited by this concept and couldn't wait to try it.  Imagawayaki, or wheel cakes, are a Taiwanese hand-held wheel of pancake enclosing a flavoured custard - matcha, chocolate, adzuki bean...  This had the potential to have a crispy outside and fluffy middle, oozing with sweet custard offset by matcha.  Unfortunately it was a bit soggy, I think from being cooked in batches earlier in the day, and the matcha was incredibly bitter.  But if you manage to get your hands on a fresh one, I think they could be great! Find it at Wheelcake Island, Seven Dials Market, London.

March 2020 London's best burger?  I'd say so!  Finger-lickingly good, messy, truffle mayo oozing out.  Fig jam in a burger? Genius!  The beef and smoked bacon patty is full flavoured, meaty and perfectly pink; the brioche roll soft; the crispy shallots adding some crunch.  This is a luxurious burger, naughty but nice, where the truffle actually comes through (unlike many of its counterparts).  The only bad point, the raclette cheese is totally overpowered so you wouldn't even know it was there.  Which begs the question, is it even needed?  Find it at Truffle Burger, Seven Dials Market, London

March 2020 Miel Bakery.  Changing French delights throughout the day. How to choose?! I've done it for you! Get the almost bite sized 70% Valrhona chocolate tart with salted peanuts.  So incredibly smooth, so chocolatey, so deliciously rich, but not at all sickly.  The snap of perfectly crisp cocoa pastry, the crunch of peanuts, and the teeniest accent of salt.  This is proper chocolate at its best. Find it at Miel Bakery on Warren Street.

February 2020 For breakfast Philippines style, Bibingka (below) is a tasty option.  This rice muffin is chewy, gelatinous and like a set rice pudding, a little sweet, and with the freshness of young coconut strips.  Served in a banana leave, it's the ultimate in eco-friendly packaging.  And why not pair it with one of London's best flat whites.  These guys really know how to make coffee - the Xingang coffee,  from a mother/ daughter team in China, which has notes of strawberry, nutmeg and vanilla, is particularly exquisite - like a strawberry and cream coffee which shouldn't work at all but somehow really does. The sourdough pandesal (above) are also delicious - fresh from the oven, warm dough balls of joy. Find it at Kapihan in London.