The Fat Duck

Where

High Street, Bray

Berkshire, United Kingdom

SL6 2AQ

Opening Hours

Open for lunch from 12pm

Dinner from 7pm

Closed on Mondays and Sundays.

Waiting Time

Months, depending on your party size and luck. Good Luck!

Review

I was very lucky to have an opportunity to eat at The Fat Duck. Thanks to my friend no doubt who got us a booking.

For those who are unacquainted, The Fat Duck is a 3 Michelin Star Restaurant run by Heston Blumenthal. The above are just a few of the dishes the restaurant serves during their 4 hour dining experience.

The menu is very much centered around Heston reminiscing about his time in Cornwall,  and he tries, through his masterful cooking to bring you through that journey with him. I must say he has succeeded very well in bringing his diners to the oceans and the woods. You could feel the excitement from the start of the journey, to the eventual anticipation for home.

Anyone can tell you Heston’s speciality is in ‘multi-sensory’ cooking, and nowhere else will you truly understand the definition of that, than in The Fat Duck.

Breakfast is filled with micro-falvours and texture, a simple cereal bowl is made to taste like bacon and scrambled eggs. Lunch takes you to the beach where you can truly taste every drop of the ocean, from the sounds right down to the salty, fishy seawater. Dinner is jammed packed with multitudes of textures on a single plate.

But at the end of the day, when you eat at The Fat Duck, you’re being transported back into Heston’s journey, Heston’s memory, and ultimately Heston’s adventure. As much as the restaurant asks you what flavours brings back memories of childhood or bliss, it cannot possibly bring you back to your adventure, your memories, your journey. – And perhaps this was what was disappointing about the restaurant for me, holding my breath that this meal was going to bring back feelings of warmth and nostalgia, but ended up being transported into someone else’s world, and memories.

The Fat Duck has succeeded in so many areas of cookery. It awes me everytime I think back upon those dishes they served so perfectly, but ultimately, perhaps I am not one for fine dining. Just one for rustic street food with the people that means the most to me.

Go, get on this adventure, try it for yourself. Check this off your bucket list! It is a must.

Worth Returning?

Yes and No, it’s kind of one of those things where you’ve tried it once and you’ve checked it off your bucket list.

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E

Bun House and Tea Room

Where

23-24 Greek Street

London, United Kingdom

W1D 4DZ

Opening Hours

Mondays – Wednesdays: 17:00 – 00:30

Thursdays – Saturdays: 17:00 – Very Late (I have no clue what very late means!)

Sundays: 17:00 – 00:30

Waiting Time

None.

Review

We had walked by this shop a couple of times prior to me actually trying it. In fact, he tried it before me when we walked pass it at 01:30 one morning pissed. He had the custard bun then, and swears by it. So when we walked by it again the other day, I decided to have a snack there.

We had two char siu* buns, one fish, and one red chocolate.

E: Red chocolate is mainly made with dark chocolate and pig’s blood, and it has the texture of molten salted egg yolk buns. I have not tried it, but he did, and he wasn’t too impressed with it, he said it would have been better if they did not deep fry the buns after steaming it. It did come out steaming hot! He did say that it does taste like chocolate but thicker in texture, it definitely flows as described in the menu! If nothing, it’s definitely a curious item to try for the adventurous.

Our favourite was the char siu buns, it was tasty, although the inside was not your usual red char siu colour. Still, it is sweet, salty and sticky, the way char siu should be! This bun is definitely not lacking in flavour and the size was not overly stingy.

E: The fish was not bad, but I did not like it very much. It’s a very strange texture… Almost like a sticky, mushy, with a crunchy prawn on the inside. Flavour wise, it wasn’t bad, but I feel as though the texture had really ruined it for me. It’s slightly spicy, but not something that will make you run for a cup of milk. Will not order this again!

They also serve a good selection of side dishes like pickles, which looks pretty interesting!

If you order it to go, the buns come in this interesting packaging, as seen in the photos! They use a pair of disposable chopsticks as handles for the box! (You have to order 2 to get the box!)

We really like this place because it’s a place we know we can get my Chinese food cravings when I’m out late with my friends, and, they have a very interesting Chinese themed basement for tea! The washrooms were seriously fun. Perhaps we’ll be back to try their sit-down menu!

Worth Returning?

Yea, for the Char Siu and Custard!

*See definition here.

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E & R.

SO Restaurant

Where

3-4 Warwick Street

London, United Kingdom

W1B 5LS

Opening Hours

Mondays – Thursday: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:30 – 22:00

Fridays: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:30 – 22:30

Saturdays: 12:00 – 22:30

Sundays: Closed

Waiting Time

None.

Review

He’s been here before when I was out of town and decided to surprise me by bringing me here one afternoon after we were shopping at the nearby Carnaby Street. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised! The proprietors are Japanese and so are the most of the staff. They have a sushi counter and (after some research) they have a sushi making class!

Back to the food, I had the pork katsu* and must admit that it’s the best I’ve eaten in London so far. They use Berkshire pork and use a mix of panko and brioche for the breading coat. They also serve their home special tonkatsu sauce.**  The katsu takes longer to make and serve, but trust me, it’s worth it. It comes juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The meat is packed full of flavour and you can tell they have marinated the meat before deep frying it, unlike most other restaurants in London (they are also mostly chicken in other places!). The katsu also comes with fat, usually, I am quite turn off when I see fat in my pork… BUT, this is the melt in your mouth kind of fat… I ate (guiltily) them all, fat included.

The dish also comes with an interesting red cabbage pickle, I say interesting because katsu is usually served with finely shredded cabbage and some kind of pickle on the side, but SO serves an amalgamation of both!

The sauce also wasn’t bad, it was actually quite lovely, goes rather well with the pork. Although I preferred to eat the katsu by itself! (Yes, it was THAT good). Rice was also decent.

The set does not come with miso soup, but there is an option to order it as a side, I have not tried it, but my bet is that it should be pretty good!

Service is also lovely, the proprietors are very friendly! There was a table next to us and the kids spilt their miso soup, and the waiting staff immediately brought some napkins (and even helped the mother dry the child off) and a fresh bowl of soup! I was impressed with the waiting staff!

The price point was not too bad either, my set only costs around £17 before tax and service.

It’s definitely a place I will return to, if not to try other items on their menu, then definitely for their katsu. 

Worth Returning?

Definitely.

*See definition here.

**See definition here.

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E.

Sakagura London

Where

8 Heddon Street

London, United Kingdom

W1B 4BU

Opening Hours

Mondays – Wednesdays: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 23:00

Thursdays – Sataurdays: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 00:00

Sundays & Bank Holidays: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 22:30

Waiting Time

Usually no queues, but went during lunch hours.

Review

We’ve been meaning to try this restaurant for awhile now, and we finally went on Friday to try their Wagyu Lunch Special at £20.

Sakagura has beautiful interiors. The wooden ceiling beams were exquisite and they have a deceptively large restaurant, so queues should be unlikely.

Sakagura has a wide selection of Japanese sake and shochu* and if you’re just starting out on Japanese alcohol, this is the place to come, as they do sake pairings for their tasting menu at an additional £35.

Their lunch time special looked amazing when it first came out of the kitchen (I went for the steak set and he went for the Yakiniku** set), it really made us want to eat it and for £20, it was worth it, but we wouldn’t pay much more for that. This is because his beef was a little over charred and you couldn’t really taste the beef nor the seasoning. Miso soup was better than some and the rice was decent. It also came with a good serving of edamame and salad. She loved the salad sauce and it reminded her of the sauce her father used to use when he used to cook for her back home.

We also tried the special sakura martini. Again, it looked charming and very inviting, but it wasn’t something to scream about. It certainly was an interesting sounding concept as they used sake and Calpis*** in it, but it wasn’t something that we were ready to put down £15 for.

By the way, they do a bottomless lunch for £45 for unlimited champagne, house wine or Japanese Bloody Mary. Probably worth looking into!

Worth Returning?

Overall, we did enjoy our trip there, but it wasn’t something we were ready to say YES! We want to go back there in a heartbeat. We might return to try their dinner menu though!

*See definition here.

**See definition here.

***See definition here.

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E & R.

 

Bibimbab Cafe

Where

37 Museum Street

London, United Kingdom
WC1A 1LP

Opening Hours

Mondays – Sundays: 10:00 – 20:00

Waiting Time

Usually no queues, but went during lunch hours.

Review

This is my go-to place in London for a good Kimchi* stew, and I’ll admit this, I’ve never eaten anything else from here.

Bibimbab Cafe is run by Koreans, and their Kimchi Stew tastes almost the same as the one I had in Myeongdong. The portions are small, not too big, but it is the perfect size for a small eater like myself, and the set meals come with three sides and a drink, which I find is filling enough as a set meal. It costs under £10.00.

The soup broth itself is rich, and packed with kimchi flavour. It’s sour enough, but not overly, and spicy enough for those craving a good spicy and warming stew on a winter day. The sides are also delicious, the sprouts and the seaweed are well seasoned with sesame oil, and they are cooked to the right bouncy texture and the kimchi radish is crunchy and flavorful. Overall, it just feels like a really wholesome meal.

Bibimbab Cafe is usually packed with locals and asian crowd from the universities around the area, and because of its location (in front of the British Museum) it usually has a good traffic flow of people. The amazing thing is, you never have to wait too long to get a table and be served. Service is quick, and most people don’t linger after their meals.

I have seen a lot of people ordering their Korean Pancakes, so I’m just going to assume that it is pretty good. The Chinese students from around the area also seem to enjoy ordering a pork rice dish and drown it in hot sauce, which I must admit looks pretty good…. But I can never resist a good Kimchi Stew!

If you’re ever around the area and looking for a satisfying Kimchi Stew, this is the place.

Worth Returning?

Yup!

*See definition here.

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E.

Patty & Bun

Where

54 James Street

London, United Kingdom

W1U 1HE

Hours

Mondays – Saturdays: 12:00 – 22:30
Sundays: 12 – 22:00

Note: there will be no admittance of children after 19:00, and they do not take reservations.

Waiting Time

Varies from chain to chain, we waited 15 minutes for the James Street one during a weekday lunch.

Review

Patty & Bun burgers have ruined us. They are just so good that we can no longer enjoy other burgers from other shops that we used to love. They are simply to die for. Whichever you order. The photo above is their monthly special (Not available for delivery).

Patty & Bun only uses the best ingredients, it’s all British wherever possible! And they serve up one of the most unique burgers around, a lamb burger! It’s a firm lamb patty served with coriander, chilli and cumin aïoli on a brioche that is so good it is worth queuing for. Patty & Bun also doesn’t disappoint with their sides, their nuggets are proper chicken  (not meal that you usually get in other restaurants)  served with a spicy Kimchi Mayo that is a good blend of spicy and yummy. Their chips are skin on and fried till crispy, and TRY ALL THEIR SAUCES. They are worth the money, especially their smokey mayo.

The restaurant is small, and bare, burgers are served in their wrappers and not on plates. They also have ketchup and mayo on the table and hotsauce on the side when their burgers are served.

It is hard to find faults with Patty & Bun and that’s a real treat for a foodie like us. Even their vegetarian option is utterly delicious, and that’s coming from a couple of meat lovers.

Don’t worry if you’re not free to queue, because, Patty & Bun DELIVERS! Go on Deliveroo or UberEats to find them! (You may not get them depending on your distance between the shop and your delivery location, good luck!)

Worth Returning?

Yes, always.

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E & R.

New Mahamoodiya Restaurant

Where

335 Bedok Road

Singapore 469510

Opening Hours

24 Hours!

Waiting Time

None.

Review

We had a craving for Prata* and we’ve seen on Facebook this fad about Coin Pratas so we looked one up and decided to give New Mahamoodiya Restaurant a try, since it was around the area where we had to run some errands.

New Mahamoodiya Restaurant sells a range of Indian food like Biryani**, not just Prata, but since we were here for Prata we went ahead and ordered 2 sets. Uncle sells his Prata with two different kinds of curry, chicken or mutton. We had one of each, and both were absolutely to die for! We personally preferred the mutton one as it was easier to eat and richer, plus the mutton one came with some kind of chilli sauce that tastes like sambal*** you eat with Nasi Lemak.**** 

She, being the Singaporean, admitted that these are the fluffiest (on the inside) and crispiest (on the outside) Prata she has ever eaten, and the best part is that they are served pipping hot.

We also had a Mango Lassi to go with the meal, and she’s no fan of Lassis but this one is just so good! It doesn’t have that weird dairy aftertaste like most Lassis have and you can really taste the Mango!

Downside is that uncle accepts cash only.

Worth Returning?

We would definitely!

*See Definition here.

**See Definition here.

***See Definition here.

****See Definition here.

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E & R.

Nanban

Where

426 Coldharbour Lane

Brixton, London

United Kingdom

SW9 8LF

Hours

Mondays – Thursdays: 12:00-15:00 & 17:00 – 23:00

Fridays: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 01:00

Saturdays: 12:00- 01:00

Sundays: 12:00 – 23:00

Waiting Time

None for a weekday lunch.

Review

First thing that strikes you when one talks about Nanban is that they open till late on Fridays and Saturdays, 01:00!

The food here is decent, I had a Three Garlic Ramen and it was not too shabby. I had some qualms about the soup at first, because it felt very weak for a Tonkotsu, but I suppose the reason they did that is because once you stir in the crushed fresh garlic it really brings out the flavour of the broth. My only concern was that they gave too little of the crush garlic, hence you don’t really get to enjoy the wholesome flavour of the garlic and broth throughout the entire process of eating the bowl of noodles. The Hanjuku egg is a little on the small side but well done, although they only served up half of the egg.

Portion size wise, it was a little smaller compared to Kanada-ya’s but it is nonetheless filling.

The interior is as quirky as the exterior and they serve up a good selection of Japanese alcohol but not as much as Kanada-ya, they definitely have more of the western selection than Kanada-ya though.

Worth Returning?

Yes, but perhaps to try something else on the menu.

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E.

Kanada-Ya

 

Where

3 Panton Street

Piccadilly, London

United Kingdom

SW1Y 4DL

Hours

Mondays – Saturday: 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 22:30

Sundays: 12:00 – 20:30

Waiting Time

It varies and really depends on your luck.

Review

I love Kanada-ya. I find that it is probably the best ramen in town, beating out Ippudo (yes, I’ve said it) and Bone Daddies.

The broth is simple yet a complexity of flavours, but like all Tonkotsu Ramen it is rich and I dare says it warms your soul. The broth here is simmered for over 18 hours and in a generous portion, but you will have to order the Hanjuku Egg as an extra topping.

I have tried the Truffle Tonkotsu Ramen, and I found it very very rich, I found that the Truffle flavour overpowered the broth so I did not enjoy it as much as the original, but my best friend loves it. So do give it a try if you’re in the mood to be adventurous. – I generally find that the original is the best, any other toppings or flavourings just kills the flavour of the broth, but to each his own!

Each bowl costs around £10 but may be more depending on the toppings you decide to add on later.  Kaedama (extra noodles) comes at £2.

I also highly recommend the Truffle Edamame, a little playful twist on your usual salted Edamame.

Kanada-ya also offers a good selection of Japanese alcohol including an interesting Yuzu Sake.

Do go down and have a try for yourself! It’s definitely worth the queue!

Worth Returning?

Definitely.

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E.

Jamaica Patty Co.

Where

26 New Row

Covent Garden, London

United Kingdom

WC2N 4LA

Hours

Mondays – Saturdays: 09:00 – 23:00

Sundays: 11:00 – 19:00

Waiting Time

None.

Review

I had a real craving for a Singaporean Curry Puff* yesterday, and he took me here because it was the closest thing he knew to a Curry Puff.

These things were much larger than a Curry Puff, but the idea is the same. Take some puff pastry and stuff with all kinds of delicious stuffings.

I loved it.

I ordered a spicy beef patty, and never regretted it. It was spicy, properly spicy, and the meat was well seasoned creating this wonderful medley of flavours in your mouth. Every patty came hot, he ordered a Jerk Chicken Patty which still had steam coming out of it when he bit down on it. (I prefer the Spicy Beef, the taste is more complex and richer than the jerk chicken)

The pastry was good as well, it was not dry, and it did not over power the stuffing on the inside. Very flaky as well!

All in all, worth the try!

P.S. it is in a small alley which has less footfall than most other areas in Covent Garden, it is very easy to walk pass it if you’re not looking for it.

Worth Returning?

Yes.

*See Definition here.