Polpo

Small Plate, Big Smiles
Where: Polpo
When: April 2013

Another day another lunch...  The sun is out and it feels like the warmest day since the Olympics.  After an energising walk to the West End it was time for a quick lunch.  We decided upon Polpo, a trendy, small plates Italian (or to use their description, Venetian Street Food) restaurant.  The fun thing about a lunch out in Soho is the mix of clients; fashionable and traditional, young and old.  Being a lovely summery day the restaurant's windows were wide open at the front welcoming us into the depths of the restaurant.  The design is rustic tiles, chairs and wooden tables.  We were promptly shown to our table and given menus, our waitress was friendly, smiley and enthusiastic about the food and it felt very genuine.  The fact that the restaurant was largely full the whole time we were there and that the service charge was added to the bill made the good service all the more surprising, no miserable through the motions chain restaurant staff here.

We had a look through the menu.  For drinks there were a range of cocktails, spirits, wines and juices.  We went with a Birra Moretti and an apple juice (interestingly served with a wedge of lime).  The lunch menu was used as a place mat and was divided up into various sections: meatballs, pizzette, Fish, Meat, Salads/Veg and sweet stuff.  We went with spaghettini and meatballs and a pork shoulder and pickled pepper pizzette.  After a short wait the food and drinks were served with smiles.  The meatballs were large, moist and meaty, the spaghettini was just the right side of al dante and the tomato sauce was deep red and flavourful.  The pizzetti was light and crisp, the cheese strong and contrasted nicely with the acidity of the lightly spiced pickled peppers and the thin crisp slices of pork shoulder.

Next up was dessert and we both went with the flourless orange and almond cake.  This was an outstandingly good, soft cake, with a thick dollop of cream, orange zest and an orange sauce on the side.  It was heaven on a plate and after eating this we will more than likely be returning, perhaps with more time to try a few of the meatier options.  I downed my rich espresso, we paid, we smiled, we left.  Another great and simple lunch that made me want to come back for more.

Classic Korean

Arirang
When: October 2012


Sometimes a simple, classic lunch is what you need.  So one lunchtime on a quiet side street in the West End we went to Arirang for a quick bite to eat.  Apparently Arirang is the oldest Korean restaurant in London, but would this mean a decent dining experience?


With one of us on lunch break it was important that service was prompt and that the food did not take too long to arrive.  We were shown to our table straight away and given menus.  Shortly after we put our menus down our server came to take our food and drink orders.  We both went with a set meal, Dol Bibim Bap that included miso soup, pickled vegetables, bibim bap and fresh fruit to finish.  I washed mine down with a bottle of hite Korean beer my partner went with some tea.

Drinks arrived quickly and the soup and pickles not long after.  The soup was refreshing but nothing to write home about but the pickles were fantastic even though they did not include the expected kimchi.  Just as we were finishing up our pickles the main course turned up.  The bibim bap was hot and fresh, the yolk of the fried egg was just right and ran right through the rice when cut in two.  The only negative was the small amount of minced beef under the egg and vegetable topping.  Once we had devoured our mains we were left a few minutes to let our stomachs rest.  Once the tables had been cleared we were given our orange segments to eat which had been imaginatively presented in their own skins.

With our meal over it was time for the bill and time to reflect.  This was a nice, quick and simple lunch and was certainly good enough for me to want to try something more interesting from the full menu for dinner.

Arirang 31-32 Poland Street, London, W1F 8QT

The Curry House and James Bond

Tayyabs

When: 21st July 2012

Another Saturday, another trip to East London.  Today however, would be different as I was able to spend my time enjoying two of my favourite British exports, the curry house and James Bond!  For the second week in a row I wanted to dodge the chains and thought we'd try the institutional curry house Tayyabs.

A good old fashioned curry house experience is one of my favourite things.  It brings back memories from my childhood and the novelty of being given a small chocolate at the end of the meal which to me was the height of luxury fine dining.  It was also special being able to have a good meal out whilst being vegetarian.  Anyway, times change, tastes change but the curry house remains as good as ever.

Tayyabs is famous for its tandoori cuisine, which is one of my favourite cooking styles.  We meet our friend and make the short walk from Aldgate East to the restaurant which is hard to miss from the large neon signs out front.  We took the advice to book a table as apparently it can get very busy so we were a little surprised to find only 1-2 other tables in use when we arrived.  Within five minutes of being given our menus our side of the restaurant was full to bursting, it was a good job we booked after all!  We had a table near the kitchen where I could take a good look at the action.  Service was brisk and polite but nothing to get excited about.  We ordered some starters to share:  delicious giant cubes of Paneer Tikka and some Lamb Chops straight from the tandoor in a lovely acidic marinade.  We also had some very tasty Pakoras.  Our starters were accompanied by some Popadoms and chutneys.  There wasn't much wait for the food and we were off to a great start with that addictive acidic tang of the marinated meat, I was enjoying this meal.

Before we'd even finished our starters our mains came along filling up the table.  I had one of the specialty curries, Karahi Lamb Tikka Masala, my partner also had an identical looking, but totally different tasting lamb curry.  We shared a couple of amazing buttery Tandoori Naans and some Karahi Bhindi, which to my taste was the only imperfect item we'd ordered.  This was a really great meal let down only by the rushed and less than perfect service.  It seems they have only one pace of working irrespective of how busy the restaurant is.  I would come back here to eat again, though not without trying one of the other local grills in the area and as good as the food was I would not make a special journey to come here when I have the good old Star of Bombay just a short bus ride away!  Though they did present the bill with two Union Jack chocolates (for the three of us!) to complete that famous curry house experience.

Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style

Where: Barbican Centre, London

As much as I love a good curry, it's no match for anything to do with James Bond.  So after some gentle persuasion we attended this exhibition at the Barbican.  There were 14 separate areas of the exhibition, a perfectly themed entrance and the opportunity to have your photo taken with the classic Aston Martin from Goldfinger.  The exhibition was divided into the various themes that has made Bond iconic over the last 50 years and each was filled with film props including gadgets, guns and the various outfits worn by Bond, the villains and the many Bond girls from the 23 films.

The first room of the exhibition was themed around gold and included the original Ken Adam sketches for Fort Knox from Goldfinger, Oddjob's steel-brimmed hat as well as Scaramanga's golden gun.  So far so good as we squeezed into a small room documenting the colourful life of James Bond's creator, Ian Flemming.  Flemming is just as interesting if not more so than the character he created.  He was a key influence in the cinematic appearance of James Bond in terms of his dress and background.  Also a number of the characters that appear in the books/films were named after Flemming's friends.  The idea of James Bond came from Flemming's time in the military and has passion for travel writing and journalism.

The next section was one that I particularly enjoyed, M's Office.  This section contained a number of Bond artefacts including passports, ID cards, credit cards, dossiers as well as a bit about the characters of M and Moneypenny.  The level of detail in these props are one of the things I love about Bond films.  Despite all the fantastic and often ridiculous elements to these films there is always a strong authenticity to the props used.  Of course once you have been briefed it's time to pick up your supplies from the Quartermaster or Q Branch as we know it.  Here we are treated to a selection of briefcases, watches and other "ordinary" items that can be transformed into lethal weapons, listening devices and escape routes at the flick of a switch.  There was also an extended section on the boat used in the opening sequence of The Wold is Not Enough.

After this was another James Bond staple, the casino.  In this section there was a full scale mock-up of the table and gamblers from Casino Royale forming the centre piece of the room.  In addition there were numerous mock ups of the various casino outfits and clips projected of many of the famous Bond casino scenes.  There was also a dress from the forthcoming Skyfall which was exciting to see.  After the excitement of the casino there was a section on the various countries and exotic places that Bond has visited over the years and how the look of these places was created.  The main focus here was on India as seen in Octopussy and the fabulous space base from Moonraker.

There were two main sections left after this, the next being Villains.  This room was filled with the costumes and props of many of the Bond villains, such as Rosa Klebb's spiked shoe, Jaws' teeth, the "bomb surprise" and Boris from Goldeneye frozen solid with liquid nitrogen.  There was also a section on the Bond girls that help Bond out in the films including Solitaire with her card table and Jinx in her bikini.  Alas it was time to move downstairs in the Bond lifts to visit the final room, the Ice Palace which celebrated Bond and all things snowy from the famous ski stunts to the magnificent Ice Palace from The World is Not Enough.  There was also the famous cello (with skis attached!) that Bond and Kara use to escape in The Living Daylights.

If I had one complaint about this exhibition it would be the lack of any interactive display areas, it would have been amazing to have been able to go hands on with some of the Bond gear as well as take some photos of it, though from reading about the lack of available items it is perhaps understandable.  This exhibition is clearly a must for suckers like me who can't wait till Skyfall later this year!  After finishing up at the Ice Place it was time to go home and reflect on a wonderful day of famous British exports, the curry house and James Bond.

Tayyabs - 83-89 Fieldgate Street London E1 1JU
020 7247 6400

Designing 007:50 Years of Bond Style - Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS Until 5th September 2012

At last, someone who knows good service

Nuovi Sapori

Eating on: 17th July 2010

Eating with: Family

I was beginning to think it was just me but for the last couple of months the service I have received going out for meals has been truly indifferent. It was getting to the point where I was struggling to remember going out to eat and enjoying both the food and the restaurant I was eating in. Sometimes I was lucky to enjoy just the food. I can think of two notable exceptions this year, Whits in Kensington being one of them. However, that was before this weekend. Things were looking up last week at Masala Zone, really friendly service though not the best food in the world. But in the end the whole thing felt a little scripted and by the book, rather than from the heart. Plus the thali I had was not as good as Woodlands, the whole thing felt more ready meal than made to order. The restaurant was also a little empty which did not add to the atmosphere. Last weekend was the chance for a nice family meal, the last of which was at one of my exceptions to the rule for great food this year, a small Italian restaurant round the corner from me, which one from the chain of three I forget!!

We arrive at Nuovi Sapori around 7pm, the restaurant was completely open at the front, perfect for a nice summer's evening. Thanks to our early reservation we had a great table right in the middle of the room, perfect to soak up the atmosphere that would build during our meal. The restaurant manager greeted us and made us feel comfortable right away. Menus and ample time given, no concept to explain, the option of pre-meal drinks but politely declined so that we could balance our wine with our meal. So far so good. We placed our order and when the wine arrived (a nice fruity Pinot Grigio) we were also served some bread with a sundried tomato tapenade. Starters were ordered: mozzarella with parma ham, melon and parma ham, warm avocado with crab, and mussels filled with crispy bacon and avocado (the specific stuffing for the mussels escapes my mind). The food was nice and hot (except the melon!) and came quickly. By observation the timings seemed around the same for other guests, even as the place got busier. The meal was off to a good start, the portions were just about the right size and we were all looking forward to the main course.

Throughout our meal staff were on hand all the time and were continually watching (non-intrusively) to make sure our glasses were filled with water/wine and that we were enjoying ourselves. The atmosphere from the staff was that they were happy to be at work, and that they could see whether or not you were enjoying your meal rather than, as you suspect in many places, it's just in the handbook to go and ask, with the expectation that the customer says "fine, thanks". The whole thing was thanks to a fantastic restaurant manager that truly led from the front allowing the team to be themselves with customers, in all, very impressive on the service front.

A short, but needed wait for the mains followed. We ordered two different takes on veal, both served with rosemary potatoes (a touch underdone but not swimming in olive oil, thank goodness), a very good sized chicken dish served on mash potatoes and a seafood risotto. Again, all food was cooked well, served nicely and simply and just the right amount. There was plenty of banter with the restaurant manager to make sure we were happy, time for a pause and then dessert. We had tiramisu, pancakes and panna cotta, again, with appropriate break between the end of the main course before the dessert came. I think we needed the time to soak up that second bottle of wine. Before leaving the restaurant manager came over to offer us a grappa (on the house) and made sure we left with a smile on our faces, but also in need of the cup of coffee that was awaiting us at home!

Did Nuovi Sapori have the best food ever, the most original concept, the most fancy decor? Not at all. The food was just above average, the decor was plain, there was no fancy concept. So why does this place work so well? One really easy answer comes to mind, this restaurant seemed to have one simple philosophy, "what can we do to make our customers happy?" I know I would be happy to return again, even if I was paying the bill this time round!