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I was invited to the Harvey Nichols branch to try out their ‘Tokyo Tea Party’ – a very quirky, very stylish, very Instagrammable experience that was only missing one thing: the tea. If you want that, you gotta pay extra. But what it lacked in tradition it made up for with a first-class yet affordable menu, which I’m pretty sure is down to chef Scott Hallsworth’s Nobu credentials. I mean, honey BBQ short rib puffs? Freshly-made donuts? A confit duck and taro croquette? That’s a seriously hip selection of savoury and sweet dishes that also included a fine salmon and avocado maki with rocket aioli.  And the cocktails we ordered separately weren’t too shabby either.  Check out pics from my recent visit below – but for more deets, visit: www.kurobuta-london.com.

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This popular ramen bar specialises in “tonkotsu” ramen, which is the Beyoncé of soup broths, where pork marrow bones have been simmered for hours until you’re left with something rich and tasty – like Bey really. The Japanese and ramen-lovers can’t get enough of the stuff and on the evening we popped in, business is booming.

Accompanied by my buddy (who also finds ramen a bit so-so), it took us a moment to get our heads around how they do ramen here. Ordering the kale and chicken kaarage (fried chicken) was simple enough, and they both tasted great. But getting into the main attraction involved figuring out how we wanted our noodles first – extra firm, firm, regular or soft? – then deciding whether we wanted the original ramen or a fancier version, the chashu-men which comes with pork collar (which is what, exactly? We didn’t know…). And then, working out if we wanted any toppings, like charred black garlic sauce or spicy red miso paste.

Bearing in mind that my only flavour reference is water, we decided to go all out.  The chashu-men topped with the miso paste and garlic sauce – everything that would ensure that this meal wouldn’t pass for H20. And you know, the plan worked.  While I can’t say I  slurped the rest of the broth once the noodles were done, I can say I liked it, and it was much better than I imagined.

Have you been to Kanada-Ya? Are you a fan of tonkotsu ramen? Let me know in the comments…

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But in case you’ve never been sold on crab, you’ll like what they’re doing at this pop-up. Set up on Grosvenor Street in Mayfair, the cosy and classy restro is focused entirely on Salcombe crab (which I’m told is more sustainable, ethically-sourced and cheaper than the old homarus gammarus). There’s five crab rolls to choose from, with hilarious names like the Clawpedo and Crabfather, and the fillings are pretty good. The latter is brown and white crab meat with confit tomato, burata cream and crispy pancetta, which was fun to devour. But in case the crab mac and cheese (delish), crab bisque (so-so) and the crab cakes feels like an overload, there’s also an incredible pulled lamb roll on the menu.  All of this was washed down with the Claw Clobber – a pretty and sweet cocktail of sherry and vermouth with an orange slice.

Curious heads can check out the pop-up until January 2016. And for more details, visit: www.houseofcrab.co.uk. Check out more pics from my recent visit below: 

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We went in: palm wine, suya (spicy beef), jellof, doh doh (fried plantain),  fried fish, chicken with tomato stew, pepper soup, edikangikong (vegetable soup), egusi (a melon soup) and pounded yam were shared among us, and by the end of the night, we were making Nigeria holiday plans for 2016 (!). It’s a cuisine that’s seriously underrated in the mainstream but it very rarely fails to impress – so kudos to 805:  you’re doing Nigerian food proud. Check out pics from last night’s dinner:

Welcome to Nigeria @jimstenmanldn ! ;-P

Palm wine selfie (forgot to re-fill my glass)

Tasty!

Warming up with Suya

And pepper Soup. It could easily be my last meal – LOVE IT – even though it’s frustrating to eat #dontdotripe #wheresthemeatmeat?)

Salutes to Paul for attempting to eat egusi soup and pounded yam the “traditional” way

Jellof rice and chicken with stew – a winner, every. time.

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The USP:   Murakami wants you to enjoy Grade-A Japanese food without the Nobu price tag, yet as my dinner partner put it, this ain’t no Yo Sushi either.  A fine dining philosophy is at the core of every last dish, cocktail and even the customer service – so we wouldn’t be surprised if one day you may need to queue to get in.

The food: Dishes not only taste incredible, but they look like works of art.  Our recent favourites were the tuna takaki – a fresh, sashimi style starter with grapefruit and onion salsa – and the moreish popcorn tempura with spicy yuzu mayo. And for mains, I couldn’t sing the praises of the spicy maguro enough. Fresh from their robata grill, this tuna with spicy teriyaki is ridiculously good.

Budget: Beyond reasonable. The sushi averages around the £8 mark for sashimi, nigiri or rolls  – while £8 for a generous starter and around £13/14 for a main will hardly break the bank.  The scales tip once you get into the cocktails but the fruity Murakami Cosmo (£8.50) or the X-Rated Pornstar (£9) with its flaming passion fruit are worth it.

Good for: Post-work, post-shopping or post-theatre shenanigans.

Visit murakami.london for more details. Check out more pics on our Tumblr.

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The USP: The clue is in the title. Once you visit you’ll notice there are jars aplenty, doubling up as glasses, artwork and even plant pots. It’s a trendy touch to a rustic minimalist venue that seems intent on not looking like another opening in the West End – and so far, they’re winning.  Foodwise, they’ve sourced nothing but the good stuff here, and suppliers like Neal’s Yard and Cannon and Cannon get a massive tick of approval.

They’ve got an amazing chef on board too. Tasty British dishes are served up to look like works of art; but your plate is likely to resemble a Jackson Pollock when you’re done. My serving of ox cheek & cheddar croquettes with aioli is demolished within minutes and the mouth-watering chicken breast with persillade, sweet potato crisps and smoked onion mayo didn’t stand a chance.

You’ll love the desserts – a generous jar of Eton Mess is both naughty and nice but the giant Skittles jar you can dip in to your heart’s content is a delightful way to end a top meal.

It’s definitely on the dearer side for dinner, unless you can arrive in time for the 5:30-6:30 pre-theatre menu. That’s just a mere £15 for two courses, or £19 for three. And a glass of wine starts from a respectable £4.50.

Good for: “Let’s pass by before the show begins”, after work chillaxing or “this is where I go to get cool points with the pals”

For more details visit:  www.jarkitchen.com. See more pics from our dinner on our Tumblr. 

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The USP: For starters, they don’t just do pizza (scan the menu here).  And it’s the sort of place that toes the line of fancy fine dining with plenty of creative, tasty dishes to choose from;  I never would have imagined a chorizo, halloumi and butterfly king prawns pizza could work, but it did!

Their cocktails don’t miss the mark either and if you want something with a bit of pizzazz, you might want to give the French Passion  a whirl – it’s made with Absolut, Chambord, passion fruit purée, pineapple juice and fresh passion fruit and is truly as sexy as it sounds.

Budget:  Meal for 2?  At least £60 for a starter, mains and cocktails

Good for: File it under date night, ladies night or let’s just get some damn good pizza night.

For more information about Rocket, visit: www.rocketrestaurants.co.uk

Check out some of our insta pics below:

Tonight’s dinner plans… @rocket_holborn

A photo posted by Matilda (@mstillytilda) on May 28, 2015 at 11:06am PDT

Let the carb loading commence! Halloumi, chorizo and butterfly prawn pizza! Geeeeeeez…. #main #foodiesdelight A photo posted by Matilda (@mstillytilda) on May 28, 2015 at 12:01pm PDT

That Key Lime pie life… #dessert #foodiesdelight thank you so much Rocket London!

A photo posted by Matilda (@mstillytilda) on May 28, 2015 at 1:24pm PDT

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The next pop-up takes place on 17^th June. It’s £40 a head and BYOB – but for more details visit www.christabels.org/upcoming-events-shop/edible-playground-wednesday-17th-june-1

Check out our TCé snapshot of our recent visit:

TCé snapshots 004: Christabel's Edible Playground from The Cultural Exposé on Vimeo.

See more pics from the evening in our gallery.

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