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

The Corner Room

The Corner Room, Bethnal Green

The Corner Room is the sister restaurant of Nuno Medndes’ Viajante. I had been dying to try this place out since it opened in May this year. With most of the travelling out of the way, I was able to visit this lovely restaurant not once but twice last month.  The restaurant has a ‘no phone, no email, no bookings’ policy, so I was very lucky to get a table right away on both occasions. I heard waiting can be long during the weekend, so if that’s the case, or you have time before dinner, I suggest you head to the Viajante bar for some fabulous cocktails.

I had two friends visiting from Thailand, both are big foodies. They wanted something different and causal, so the pressure was ON. I had to work on that day so I had to find somewhere close to the City. I was thinking that I had such a great dinner in The Corner Room a week before (unfortunately I forgot my camera...), why not take them there for lunch? I am pleased to say that I made the right decision, they totally loved it!

We arrived at 12pm at the restaurant reception. After passing through several doors and corridors, we found ourselves standing at the hotel lobby. The Corner Room is situated on the first floor above the lobby, at the south east corner of the building. It is a bright and cosy room, decorated with hanging lamps and an ornamental spiral staircase, absolutely stunning.

The menu was simple, consisting of five starters, five main courses, and three desserts. Sea bass ceviche, confit duck, crab salad... I wanted to order all of them!

Devon crab with pickled apple and cucumber - It was a beautiful picture on a plate. The apple and cucumber went very well with the subtle taste of the crab meat. A refreshing start to the meal.

Confit duck with girolles and egg – We all paused for two seconds when the dish arrived, followed by ‘Wow’ when we cut the duck egg open. It is a much richer dish than the crab salad. The duck was tender, and the duck egg was rich and creamy. I have a thing for runny egg yolk, it is just so good... certainly one of the best dishes I have had this year.

Iberico pork and Portuguese bread pudding - The Iberico pork reminded me of the Kagoshima kurobuta I have eaten in Japan. They are both very high quality meats, and the dark red colour is very different from the normal pork meat we get from high street shops.

I had never tried rare pork before, the flavour was rich and intense, like eating aged beef but sweeter. The bread pudding was made from brioche, some people may find it too sweet in a savoury dish, but I really enjoyed it. I cannot imagine ordering any other main course if this is still on the menu next time I go.

Cod with chowder – It was not a soup, it was a piece of perfectly cooked cod fillet on a bed of sweet corn and clams.

Dark chocolate and peanut butter ice cream – The ice cream was surprisingly light, somewhere between a foam and a mousse. There was the familiar dark chocolate 'soil' I had previously tried in the Viajante restaurant, it was nice to see it appearing in a totally different dish. The cubes of caramel were soft and chewy, exactly how they should be.

Who would have thought about putting rare pork and bread pudding on the same plate? But the chefs at The Corner Room manage to make dishes like this work, resulting in happy customers returning again and again for their innovative dishes.

The Corner Room