Hawksmoor, Air Street

I've heard so many great things about Hawksmoor Seven Dials that it has always been on my must visit list. When I was given the opportunity to visit the Air Street Hawksmoor it was like a dream come true.

The decor inside is very art deco, glitzy; I loved the stained glass windows, chunky wooden veneer tables and the jade green booth seats. Ava Gardner would have felt right at home here.

To start I had the crab on toast with mayonnaise. The crab was sweet and fresh. You have to be a lover of crab to appreciate this dish, otherwise you might be underwhelmed by the lack of oomph with the taste of just crab. Beware of shell in the crab though. Compared to the crab on offer at J Sheekeys, I much prefer Hawksmoors, because beneath what looks like just a leaf garnish were capers and julienne of gherkin which brought the dish to life giving it a zing against the sweet mellow crab.

For main: I really wanted to try the chateaubriand but just couldn't decide how much I could actually eat so thought I best keep it safe and go with a pre-weighed steak thinking I could gobble up a rib eye, I chose peppercorn sauce on the side. Of course I had to have chips, but had a choice of beef dripping fries and triple cooked chips.

When the steak arrived it looked a little sorry for itself, all lonely on the plate, no garnish, not even a little bunch of lambs lettuce like the usual steak place offering, nothing.

When I cut into the steak it was tender and juicy, I could see why so many people come here for steak. The peppercorn sauce on the side was amazing, creamy with a little kick of pepper, I could of drunk the gravy boat serving of peppercorn sauce and been so happy, but since I was in public and faced the potential of sauce dripping down my face I decided against it.

The fries were super crispy, I think I would of preferred the fries pimped up a bit, flavoured with some rosemary or garlic, to make it even more interesting. The triple cooked chips were amazing. They were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, perfect to mop up my peppercorn sauce, even better at the bottom of the chips tub were the little chipped pieces of chips which were super crisp as a little treat at the end of the meal.

They serve ketchup with steak. I didn't quite catch what type of ketchup it was but it was delicious. There was a deep intense taste that I couldn't work out what it was, it tasted like it had in the background like mushroom or anchovies, that deep taste that wild mushrooms and anchovies give without been "fishy" etc. Just be careful with the ketchup bottles as ours was messy once opened.

Whilst eating, a gentleman on a nearby table ordered the Potted beef and bacon with yorkshires. The reason I didn't order this was that I didn't want to appear to be a beast by ordering a meaty starter and a meaty main so went for the crab. When the potted beef and bacon with yorkshires arrived I knew I should have ordered it. The yorkshires looked like giant pillows of fluffiness, it looked so delicious, I was drooling just looking at it, and have fancied yorkshires ever since. I'd definitely order it next time.

The service was friendly and comfortable and not pretentious giving a relaxed atmosphere.

Lasting memory; if only I could have the steak with yorkshires and peppercorn sauce. I'm going to have to go for the Sunday roast here!!!

Elliott's Cafe, Borough Market

Happy National Burger Day

What better way to celebrate National Burger Day then to head to Elliott's Cafe in Borough Market for a cheese burger. I've read many reviews raving about the cheeseburger at Elliott's so I had to give it a try. 

The cheeseburger came with fried maris piper potatoes which were like roast potatoes really, really crisp but still light and fluffy on the inside. I tried picking the burger up with my hands and eating it but after just one bite all of the burgers juices escaped and made me look like a messy beast!! Their napkins were pristine white linen so I succumbed to the fork and knife instead. The burger was served pink and was great; big, fat and juicy. On top of the burger was onion and melted cheese. The onions tasted like the onions you get with your Sunday roast gravy; sweet onion, deep and beef-like tasting which were delicious. Spread on each bun was I can only presume olive oil with a bit of dill mixed in, to bring the whole burger together. 

The menu just states this as Cheeseburger with fried maris piper, so you have no idea what you are expecting, could it be just a simple, plain burger? Nope. The burger comes looking simple but tastes delicious, all of the flavours complimenting each other, so understated. 

The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the ketchup, which tasted as though it was made from honey, slightly too florally for me. Regular, plain Heinz ketchup would have made this a perfect dish for me. 

It was a little bit big for lunch so I didn't have enough room for dessert, never mind there's always next time. 

Morelli's Gelato, Harrods

 Morelli's used to be on the ground floor of Harrods in the foodhall before they redecorated and moved it upstairs. They've given it a more adult look calling it an Ice Cream Palour and Milk Bar. However on the day of visit, maybe they ran out of milk as Milkshakes were not available. No worries though as I came purely for an ice cream sundae. There are very few places in London that is an ice cream palour, serving fancy and decorative ice cream sundaes, so when I come here I feel like a kid again. The queue to the ice cream palour gives you a chance to eye up the gelatos on offer and also eye up anyone eating an ice cream sundae giving you ideas on what to order. I went for the Nocciolini, an ice cream sundae of vanilla, hazelnut and Nutella ice cream, served with a Reese's peanut buttercup, chocolate sauce, hazelnuts and whipped cream. I had asked for no hazelnuts, I don't have a nut allergy, I love Reese's peanut buttercups but I just don't like the texture of nuts, however my sundae came with nuts (even though when the bill came it also stated no nuts). Still that didn't put me off from the sundae. It was delicious, gelato smooth and creamy. I love ice cream so this was amazing to me, and pretty as a picture. I didn't get it on my sundae but they serve sauces for other sundaes in small chocolate pots so its a double treat delicious ice cream sauce like caramel in an edible chocolate cup. For me it's just a shame they only operate out of Harrods in London, I would love to see them have another outlet in London in an old fashioned ice cream parlour decor.

C & R Restaurant, Bayswater

C & R Restaurant, is a Malaysian restaurant located in Bayswater. They also have a little cafe version in China Town. Me, D & M have been to C & R before, this is our local Malaysian food spot. Their food is spicy so be warned.

We ordered Singapore Laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nasi Lemak. For those who are unfamiliar with Malaysian food, nasi lemak is a good classic to go for. Nasi lemak is a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. At C & R they serve their nasi lemak with sambal chilli, anchovies, archar, chicken curry, half a boiled egg and peanuts. The sambal chilli is onion and chilli based, almost like a chutney, slightly sweet, spicy and thick. Archar is a pickle, which is sweet and sour, C & R's archar has pineapple giving it sweetness and sesame seeds giving it a nuttiness. The dish as a whole is good, with a wide variety of tastes and textures.

Singapore laksa is a spicy noodle soup dish served in a massive bowl. This was delicious. Very spicy with intense flavour. It comes with fish cake, fish ball, prawns and fried tofu. The fried tofu soaks up the spicy soup so when you bite into it, it bursts full of spicy soupy goodness.

Hainanese chicken rice is boiled chicken, which has been boiled in chicken stock ensuring the chicken is not over cooked and tender and soaks in as much chicken flavour as possible. The rice served in Hainese chicken rice is also cooked in chicken stock. It has a slight sheen from the natural chicken oil and an intense chicken taste. The sambal served with the chicken rice is for me the star of the show bringing everything together. The sambal (not the same as the one served with nasi lemak) is spicy from the chilli but also fresh and zesty from the addition of lime juice. This brings together the mellow chicken and rice to life.    

The food at C&R will be spicy for some but there are other things on the menu on offer. However don't go here for the roti canai (Malaysian flatbread) as this comes out of a packet and there are other places in London serving freshly made roti canai. The decor of the restaurant is a little dated and could definitely do with livening up!!

Mitsukoshi Piccadilly

Mitsukoshi, the Japanese department store has been in Piccadilly for 34 years. In September, the store will be closed. It is unknown whether they will relocate to a different location or whether it will be it for the department store in the UK.

The restaurant is located in the basement of the department store, granted, it could do with updating the decor. The food has never failed to disappoint me.

For lunch I tried the Mitsukoshi Bento; sashimi, simmered chicken and vegetables, tempura and fruit, served with miso soup, rice and pickles. The food here is clean tasting with the sashimi in particular tasting fresh. The tempura wasn't the crispiest or lightest tempura I've ever eaten but it was ok. I do love the Japanese style of serving food in Bento boxes. Not only is it pretty as a picture, but also gives a variety of tastes, textures and a complete meal.

It's sad to see Mitsukoshi close after the numerous years in Piccadilly. The Mitsukoshi closed in Hong Kong many many years ago, they mentioned they were hoping to find another location to open, however this never happened and it has not been opened again in Hong Kong. I have been to the Mitsukoshi in Ginza, it had the luxurious feel like Liberty department store, however the store in Piccadilly doesn't quite live up to the same standard as its Japanese counterpart. It is a shame to see it go. I just hope they don't replace the department store with another shop selling tourist tat, like others around Piccadilly.

Taqueria, Westbourne Grove

I visited Taqueria following its recent review in The Telegraph. I had been here many many years ago, however have forgotten what it was like, since I don't remember it I guess it wasn't much to write about?

My visit to Taqueria was with D & M. It may appear, given the photos that we over ordered, but since each dish was small, it was all about the sharing and picking at each one. It was also Taco Happy Hour (Monday - Thursday 5pm-7pm) so you've got to go Taco crazy. Since we ordered quite a lot of dishes here are my highlights and lowlights from it all (I'll try to be brief).

Highlights: Chorizo quesadilla melted cheese and chorizo is a perfect combo. Tinga taco good spicy kick with depth of flavour. Fried plantain, that was on top of the rice, just because I love fried plantain. Camarones al mojo de ajo; garlicky prawn taco, this was the best taco of the night, the prawns were cooked perfectly, altogether it was slightly spicy, rich, garlicky, naturally sweet of prawn, if you only try one taco here, make sure it's this one!! Lastly Churros con cajeta; churros with toffee sauce. The churros were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The toffee sauce is amazing! I even tried to eat the remaining sauce out of the pot **embarrassed blush**. That toffee sauce on top of ice cream would be divine!!  

Lowlights: Specials of prawn ceviche; there was too much lime juice (as you can see in the pic) almost soupy. This was too tangy amd limey and overpowers the taste of prawns, the totopos, like tortilla chips were great, you could really taste the corn. Pollo tostada tasted a little like chicken mayo sandwich filling on top of a crispy tortilla. Arroz a la Mexicana y platano frito; Mexican rice topped with fried plantain; the rice was a little too al dente for my liking.  

The best thing of the night was the prawn taco. If you only eat one thing here it has to be this!!!

M&S Tarte au citron slices

Just a cheeky little treat from M&S; tarte au citron slices. It's tangy and slightly sweet lemon, with short crust pastry. No soggy bottoms here! There pastry remained crisp. All in all another great dessert as usual from M&S