The Swan

The Swan, West Malling

Occasionally we like to go outside London to get away from the city, most of the time food takes priority when it comes to deciding the destination :) Early December we went to West Malling - a historical town in Kent located just outside the M25. Originally we planned to leave home early to wander around, but the weather was miserable (surprise surprise!), so we gave up and headed straight to the restaurant.

The Swan in West Malling is part of the Swan Collection, which also includes a restaurant of the same name at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The restaurant is a modernised ex-coaching inn, and the dining room is decorated with a mixture of contemporary furniture and wooden beams, creating a slick yet cosy environment. There was a good selection of dishes in the Sunday lunch menu, plus a few specials recommended by the waiter.

Poached egg, black pudding and pancetta salad - Did I mention before that I have a thing for runny egg yolk? It takes me to infinity and beyond when I see a perfectly cooked one, and this was no exception. Although I could not get too excited about the rest of the dish, it was a pleasant start to the meal.

Mussels and chorizo - It was one of the specials of the day, available as either a starter or a main course. While we enjoyed the fresh and juicy mussels, the highlight was the broth. It was a clear shellfish broth, with a hint of the colour and smoky flavour from the chorizo. Not the kind of rich creamy sauce you would dip your bread into, but it was light and packed with flavour.

Roast Scottish beef, horseradish hollandaise - We have all had the roast dinner nightmare, where the beef was cooked to death. That’s why it was such a relief to see this handsome plate presented in front of me. I liked the fact that the beef was thickly sliced, giving an extra bite to this succulent beef. The golden potatoes and the greens were equally enjoyable.

Chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream - There was nothing wrong with this dessert, it was just not very exciting. I would have preferred a warm chocolate brownie on a cold and rainy day...

The food we had at The Swan was of a high quality, and for the cost of less than £30 per person including drinks, it was certainly value for money. I would be happy to drive an hour to come back for another meal any day, hopefully the weather will be better next time!

The Swan

L'Autre Pied

L'Autre Pied, Marylebone

I did hesitate before I clicked the ‘Buy It Now’ button on the Groupon website. I know that (I really do) if something seems too good to be true, it probably is...  but in the end I did it - I purchased the deal ‘Seven Course Tasting Menu For Two’ for £62 at L'Autre Pied. Being the sister restaurant of the well-reviewed Pied à Terre, and given its Michelin starred status, what could possibly go wrong?

I was not really expecting a full seven course tasting menu for the price we paid. The menu is listed on the restaurant’s website, and consists of canapés, starter, a fish course, a meat course, cheese, pre-dessert and dessert. The menu was obviously tailor-made for the offer, but we still expected some fine quality food.

Unfortunately the evening was not off to a good start. We were asked to show the voucher as soon as we were led to our table, even though it had been verified more than once over their booking system, emails and phone calls. To add further irritation before the meal even began, we were reminded that service would be charged based on the full menu price (this condition was included in the terms and conditions of the deal, which we had to pre-agree before the purchase).

Here is the ‘Autumn Tasting Menu’...

Canapés

Jerusalem artichoke velouté, burnt roscoff onion, toasted hazelnuts, rocket oil

The canapés were ‘mushroom beignets’, served with some sort of mayo on the side. The deep fried dough was crispy but the greasy brown sauce was off putting. There were a couple of onion slices and some nuts in the soup, together it tasted like a dish that the chef had made up on the spot and given a fancy name.

Pan fried cod, fennel and ginger puree, smoked garlic, red pepper oil

Roasted breast of guinea fowl, salsify puree, curly kale, crushed kohlrabi, thyme and walnut jus

I could not be more disappointed by the fish course. On the menu, the ginger, garlic and red pepper combination sounded like a twist on Chinese flavours, which should have been colourful and fragrant, but it lacked seasoning. It actually brought back memories of monotonous university lectures...  yes, it was that bad. The fowl was slightly better, at least it was seasoned. The salsify puree did not work for me, it was already congealed on the plate when it arrived, an indication that the dish had been sitting around for a while.

Farm house cheese with fig and orange compote

The cheese course was the ‘highlight’ of the meal. We could not believe what we saw - one tiny slice of cheese to share, stabbed by four sesame crackers, and served with a lump of chutney. I did not expect a whole cheese board, but I certainly did not expect that! The menu online did say ‘cheeseS’ instead of cheese, was it too much to ask to have a portion each? I asked the waitress ‘Is this for both of us?’. ‘Yes’. ‘It’s not enough for two people’. She then told us it was a very nice cheese, I said ‘I’m sure it’s nice but we expect a portion each’. She struggled to carry on the conversation and then left our table.

Pre dessert

Baked vanilla cheesecake, apple foam, sunflower seeds, peach sorbet

I did not take note of the pre-dessert as I was still in shock, but I do remember it was the most enjoyable course we had that night.  How ironic? There was no sign of the sunflower seeds in the main dessert, although the peach sorbet was delightful.

We finished our meal in under an hour and a half. Each course was served immediately after the last one, and on a couple of occasions we could actually see the next course waiting while we were still eating the current one. The staff generally seemed uninterested, they mumbled the name of the dishes course by course, as if they were trained to talk to customers using sentences from a telemarketing manual.

We did not drink so the bill came to just under £20, which including the pre-paid amount added up to £41 per head. Ignoring the stingy cheese course, it was really a four small plate menu with a couple of extras thrown in. Based on what we had, the amount we paid was not extortionate, but I would be a lot happier if the food lived up to its reputation, instead of wasting an hour and a half of my life eating bland food in this uninspired place.

L'Autre Pied

The Bingham

The Bingham Hotel, Richmond Upon Thames

The Bingham is a modernised Georgian townhouse hotel, standing stylishly on Petersham Road in Richmond. The first time I came to the Bingham was for a wedding reception a couple of years ago. It was held in a function room at the basement level, which opens up to a garden with a stunning view of the Thames. I remember having a sneaky peek at the dining room, it looked chic and welcoming. To top it off, there was also a heated balcony overlooking the river. I was making plans to return before I had even tried the food.

We went back to the Bingham for lunch last month. Very often people are put off by set menus, because of the limited choice. If you do not want go for the full a la carte at lunch, there is a risk that you may end up paying for something you do not really fancy. So it was such a relief when we were presented with the set menu at the restaurant - it was seasonal and well thought-out. Here is what we had...

Lobster mousse, toasted pine nuts

Glazed pork belly, sauteed squid, pork and seaweed broth - The broth tasted a bit like Japanese ‘dashi’, the hint of seaweed went very well with the slow cooked pork belly. I particularly liked the thin strips of squid, it reminded me of the cuttlefish 'fettuccine' I had in The Met restaurant in Venice.

Poached wood pigeon, Roscoff onions, confit duck tortellini, braised kale and root vegetables - This impressive looking dish was the highlight of the meal. The pigeon was cooked rare, just how I like it, and the succulent confit duck tortellini were equally delicious.

Bitter chocolate tart, mandarin sorbet, passion fruit jelly, orange Chantilly

Hazelnut sponge, caramel mousse, blackberry and hibiscus sorbet

Both desserts lived up to the standards set by the main courses. The twist on the classic chocolate and orange combination worked like a treat. The small cubes of passion fruit jelly brightened up the rich chocolate tart, and gave an extra dimension to the the dish. I loved the hazelnut sponge, it was golden and surprisingly light. The tangy flavour from the sorbets was a pleasant contrast to the caramel mousse.

We had this meal a few weeks after the Michelin Guide 2012 was published, in which the Bingham restaurant lost its star. I cannot say whether I agree with this as we did not try the full menu, but we enjoyed the meal very much, and it was certainly of the standard that you would expect from a one starred restaurant.

The Bingham

The Long Table

The Long Table, Dalston

It was four weeks before Christmas, and it was cold. Most people were busy doing their Christmas shopping, or relaxing somewhere warm with a glass or two. This certainly did not apply to the crowd queuing outside a disused car park on Abbot Street in Dalston. The Long Table is a joint venture by the Bootstrap Company and Nuno Mendes, the man behind The Loft Project and Viajante. It is an outdoor food market featuring live music, visual art and the best food stalls in London.

I grew up in South East Asia, so street food is in my genes. There is no better environment to bring people together. I love the noise, the interaction with the vendors, chatting with people in the queues, and of course the delicious food. The Long Table is a great way to experience the vibe of East London. Expect to queue for at least an hour if you cannot make it before six o’clock. But do not be put off by this, as it is well worth the wait...

Several communal tables were set up under a huge marquee, where people were chatting away while tasting varieties of food and drinks. Log fires were set up to keep us warm, which together with the live music, created a very cosy atmosphere.

Graffiti covered walls, London Fields Brewery, Okonomiyaki by Sho Foo Doh 松風堂

Big Apple Hot Dog, as good as the ones you can get in New York, if not better.

Yakimochi with sweet red bean paste by Matcha

Beef taco by L.A Suenos

Takoyaki (Octopus balls)

Barbeque beef short ribs with Shiitake mushroom, served with mushroom caramel by The Loft Project. The meat was so tender that it just fell off the bone. No wonder it had the longest queue!

Pork belly in steamed white bun by Yum Bun. It was another popular stall, but the fluffy soft buns were certainly worth waiting for.

Amazing cocktails by Alex Mckechnie. For the girls - Cucumber, mint, gin, elderflower and lemon bubbles. For the boys - Old fashioned handmade spiced rum. I had both :)

Bacon cheese burger by Lucky Chip. Hand pressed burger, melted cheese, strips of bacon and the steamy buns, this is possibly the best burger in the world. I am seriously considering travelling from South London just to have this burger again.

We did not get to try these but they looked really good - Home made Bengali curries by Gastrogeek, pizza by Home Slice Pizza.

Brave the cold and find out what East London is about!

The Long Table