What we’ve been up to… La Porte des Indes

The Cultural Exposé — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 11:00:27 +0000

Considering La Porte des Indes in Marble Arch is part of the Blue Elephant group of restaurants, I shouldn’t have been that surprised that the interiors would practically take my breath away. From the 9-metre waterfall to the palm trees and extravagant decor, everything about La Porte des Indes is intended to make the dining experience as surreal as possible, and they make a fantastic job of it. TCé were recently invited along to try out their Sunday jazz brunch – and for 2 hours, we had out fill of a tasty selection of street-food starters, mains (with plenty of vegetarian options) and desserts spread over two floors and prepared to perfection. The radha ballavi (stuffed puri) are big hit with it’s flavoursome mint and coriander filling , along with the kerala fish curry. Also, hats off to the chef for the mango yoghurt chandernagore and sticky jalebi sweets that sealed the deal on a pretty memorable afternoon out. Visit if you fancy taking the family out for Sunday lunch or want a exotic culinary trip that won’t cost a plane ticket – you won’t be disappointed. For more details about La Porte des Indes click here – and check out pics from our visit below…

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Somewhere you should eat… Obika

The Cultural Exposé — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:08:29 +0000

What’s a Londoner got to do to get a decent Italian around here? Some would say you can’t and opt for the plane ticket abroad for unbeatable antipasti and pizze – but as we discovered, there’s a restaurant in town that looks like it’s mastered a simple and authentic approach to the often misconceived cuisine, ensuring you can get the real deal much closer to home.

Obika Mozarella Bar is a contemporary Italian restaurant founded by Silvio Ursini, a passionate and creative Neopolitan (he’s also the executive VP for luxury brand Bulgari) who knows his food and wants visitors to his restaurants to love it as much as he does. TCé joined him for an intimate menu tasting session at his newly-opened third branch on Charlotte Street where he shared his hopes to not only change the way people eat, but experience traditional specialities from Naples.

There’s a clear emphasis on freshness here (Mozzarella di Bufala from Campania is flown in three times a week) while surprisingly, they avoid using garlic, a mainstay of many an Italian dish which they believe can overwhelm the delicate flavours of other quality ingredients, sourced from farmers and producers back home. We couldn’t tell it was missing. As for the modern twist, this comes from the aesthetics and branding: the restaurant design is inspired by the minimalism of Japanese sushi bars (chequered tablecloths are a laughable no-no) and even the name has got an Asian ring to it (it means “Here it is!”). But put all that to one side and you’re left with an exceptional place to eat where mozzarella is king, the classics taste incredible (we’re still dreaming about the porcini e tartufo nero – mushroom and mozzarella pizza with black truffle) and it’s affordable enough to not break the bank on a night out. Click HERE to check out the rest of our pics from the evening.

For more info, visit: www.obika.com

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What we’ve been up to… La Porte des Indes

Somewhere you should eat… Obika