It’s literally 4am and I can’t sleep – I have been thinking about this post. Someone please check me into food rehab?!
Ok here goes… This will be a mini series of posts about places that I like in London, restaurants of course. I will try to review them but I do not believe in rating each one. Experiences vary and depend on so many factors!
1. Ping Pong (Dim Sum/Chinese Restaurant)
WOOOWWW is what I said when I saw the jasmine bud bloom into a flower! J I was so impressed that I probably looked like a looooooser. That was probably in Dec’07 (I know what you are thinking, few years after still a little loser :D). Ping Pong has remained an every-now-and-then fix of mine since. I love their dim sum plates – the ‘har gau’ and the baked vegetable puffs are among my favourites! The goji berries, mango and mint and the pineapple, coconut and lime drinks are so refreshing – must-try’s! There is such a cool vibe in the place and it’s perrrrfect for the typical London weather (i.e. chilly/cloudy/windy). They have a few branches all over London and on a very rare summer day, definitely try the St. Katharine Docks one! J
Food - Delicious small plates that you can share – It has more or less been consistent over the years. Some say it’s not authentic but still I love.
Ka-chinggg (£) – Not too pricey (£3-£4 each plate) depending on how much you eat J
<3 – Sure it’s ok for date; it’s not too loud, quite cosy but probably you should choose the right branch. And if you don’t mind your date laughing at you when a dumpling accidentally slips off your chopsticks AHA!!! :D
Service – Good!
FYI – They have loyalty cards where you can build up points and rewards. I just received an email as a bday present I get to bring up to 50 friends for a complimentary drink! (Yeah right, Ping Pong should know I don't have that many friends :p)
2. Momo (North African/Middle Eastern Cuisine)
Okay. I can’t believe I’m sharing this with you – had such a dilemma and had to fight my inner devil (been told I’m THE devil twice last month so I’ll behave!). This is my top of the list favourite place EVER! I have decided to share because it is the perfect setting to fall in love and the soppy romantic in me thinking that I could potentially make a few lovebirds happy triumphed. Found it by googling (Google is dope!) 'restaurant shisha london' and went there for dinner. So, they have 3 seating areas – restaurant, mezze/tea room area and outdoors. Never tried the main restaurant but the mezzes are delish – they have Merguez (sold the whole menu to me) and fresh Moroccan bread! Their mint teas are awesome – you can have it with rose water, pine nuts or just the simple one. One other drink I like is the milk with cinnamon (‘alouda’ style). Dessert is average.
My advice: GO now if you’ve never been.
Food - Always nice when I went for dinner, but not so great on Saturday during lunchtime!
Ka-chinggg (£) – Could be pricey but they have set mezze menus which works out well if you are going with friends.
<3 – YES J Perfect setting! Even Gordon Ramsay said it has a sexy atmosphere.
Service – A bit on the rude side: It is best to reserve before you go, especially for dinner it can get very busy.
FYI – They have nice shishas, limited in flavours and more expensive than the Edgware road ones. But the only place that I think comes close to the shishas in Lyon in terms of atmosphere. (I SO caught the shisha bug there!)
3. Cabana (Brazilian BBQ/Grill)
First experience there was after work dinner with my friend and Cabana was then a restaurant which was on my list of to-try places (are you kidding me? of course I have one darling!J) You go in and you automatically have to love the setting. The walls are covered up with posters; the seats are made from recycled jeans and cute lights. It’s like a burst of funkiness – I love. Oh I so wish they played: ‘Her name is Lola… la la la’ the great Copacabana song (I know, so cheese but classic!:D). Over my 4 visits there, I tried the cheesy dough balls, the skewers (spicy malagueta chicken, chimichuri black gold steak and the chilli cumin lamb [the best one] -you’ve got to love the names!), the Beirut (Syrian flatbread with your choice of filling) and the cassava chips. The cool colada is very refreshing and balances out the meal nicely. Ladies, if you are feeling extra naughty with the calories, go for the banana and chocolate dessert!
Back to my first visit, we were gifted ‘wish’ bracelets J
Food – Has not disappointed so far!
Ka-chinggg (£) – A bit pricey considering the amount of food that shows up but it tends to be quite filling! Maybe you should just know when to stop ordering J
<3 – Could do, possibly the one near Tottenham Court Road is more suited than the Westfield one.
Service – Good J
I will definitely keep up with these mini posts – could be a bit slow until I find the perfect man who can handle my not so good company, lame jokes and agrees to try all the different food places dancing around in my head. Sounds easy, right? Oh NO wait, I forgot to add he should not be a
I hope this post is useful to someone out there and if anyone does try them let me know what you think! I am not saying you’ll have a similar experience to me but definitely worth trying these restaurants.
Work in a two hours… BRUTAL!
