Clerkenwell Grind: one for the hit list

I was invited to try CG a few days after Christmas. Given the timing and its location in the city, the atmosphere was pretty dead that evening – but the excellent food more than made up for it. I had a gorgeous fig starter, followed by a perfectly grilled sea bass with kale on the side. And if I wasn’t on my low-cal diet at the time, I would’ve wrapped up dinner with the lemon cheesecake because there are few things better in life than LEMON CHEESECAKE.

So if you work in the Clerkenwell / Barbican / Old Street areas, Clerkenwell Grind should definitely be on the hit list, if only to let me know what you think of it. I reckon you’ll be impressed. In the meantime, check out pics from my visit below:

Find out more about the Grind restaurants.

The post Somewhere you should go… Clerkenwell Grind appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

On a recent invite, I went for the baked crab thermidor – a comforting cheesy starter that’s so good it also comes as a main. The catch of the day was a shrimp dish, which was a little bit on the modest side, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it. I’d also recommend the fries: a friend recently told me you can tell how good a restaurant is by the quality of their fries, so in this case, they definitely come out on top. Best thing is you can expect to spend no more than £40 for three courses and a cocktail. Not bad, eh?

File under: After work drinks, dinner with work buddies, places for seafood lovers and date nights.

Check out pics from my visit below – and for more info about Crab Tavern, visit ww.crabtavern.co.uk. 

The post In pictures: Crab Tavern, Broadgate Circle appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

The post New pan-asian restaurant to soft launch with 50% off food appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

The USP:   Eggs, obviously.  But not your typical scrambled, fried or poached to break the morning fast, but as the tasty star to mouth-watering trimmings like mushroom ragu and crisp polenta or  hearty fried chicken / shrimp / braised beef / pork belly buns that you can imagine is a whole lot sexier than a fried egg sandwich.  Although they do one of those too – with sweet corn salsa – and it is quite sexy.

Having a break… At Egg Break

A photo posted by Matilda (@mstillytilda) on Sep 17, 2015 at 11:37am PDT

The food: Generous and no doubt, Instagrammable. The shrimp with green chilli, tomato and pineapple salsa was a joy to wolf down, with french fries and smoked bacon, one of their many breakfast-y sides. I also polished off the very naughty but nice baked salted caramel custard with creme fraiche for afters.

Budget: The prices here are my kind of cheerful for West London. A full English is a tenner and the buns range from £6-10, while sides are £2-4 and sweets roughly £4-6.  So three courses for 20-ish quid? Bargain. The £7 cocktails will bump that up, but I’d happily splash out on a few Aperol Spritz’s or their Pisco sours come pay day.

Good for: Brunch, lunch or dinner after a Portobello stroll.

Visit www.eggbreak.com for more details.

The post All eggs everything at Egg Break in Notting Hill appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

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. 

The post What we’ve been up to… Jar Kitchen appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

The mains passed the taste test too.  A frizzle chicken with polenta and parmesan came with  “attitude sauce”; I failed to catch what it was made of but whatever it was, it was pretty wonderful accompaniment.  My friend went for the Atlantic cod with beetroot ragu and capers, and while it wasn’t as showstopping as the chicken, it was a good pick, with its subtle but delicious flavours.  Our evening  finally came to a lovely conclusion with the valhrona chocolate fondant served with a passion fruit sorbet  and the hearty pink grapefruit bread and butter pudding with vanilla ice cream.  The added citrus in both desserts did raise our eyebrows but it worked surprisingly well.

The Pedler opened last Christmas, but already it seems to have earned its stripes in a neighbourhood that’s becoming a real contender on the food scene. For more details visit www.pedlerpeckhamrye.com – and check more pics from our visit below!

The post What we’ve been up to… The Pedler appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

Overwhelming flavours and spices that are typical of Asian cooking are dialled down to let creative dishes shine on their own merits of varied and fresh ingredients. A beautiful soft shell crab appetiser is paired with an apple relish and coronation slaw, with hints of mild curry. Then there’s my venison main course, which goes one better; the meat is perfectly pink, served with a biryani and baby aubergine in a sesame and ginger gravy. As this is fine dining, the portions are quaint, but rich enough to leave you satisfied – and any holes were soon filled with sides of their signature dal and naan. To wrap up, their chocolate banana torte with moist mocha cake is a strong choice. It’s not only gorgeous to look at but a worthy finale to a exceptional meal.

Benares is fancy, no doubt, but holds back on the airs and graces to serve excellent Indian cuisine with a genuine desire to change the game. Mind you, it’s an experience that will cost you a pretty penny (well, quite a few of those), but what you’ll get in return is quite priceless.

For more information about Benares visit: www.benaresrestaurant.com

The post What we’ve been up to… Benares appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

The menu comes from Jones & Sons, which has been wooing East Londoners on Arcola Street for the past year after taking up residence in the former Arcola Theatre. There’s hardly any qualms about the food – the salmon tartare was a mildly rich starter which put a smile on my face; the confit lamb belly was a beautiful and creative combo of well-cooked lentils, beetroot and goats curd; and the sticky toffee pudding won on all accounts of 1) being included on the menu and 2) being so darn good. The treacle tart might have had the same accolade if the sweetness was dialed down a notch, but generally, we’d come back with empty bellies, quite possibly for the Sunday lunch.

Further praise goes to the cocktails – especially the Hemingway with it sharp mix of white rum, grapefruit, lime and maraschino. These were £7.50 a pop, and with the price of three courses, you might be set back a fairly reasonable 30-40 odd quid – but it’s worth the spend at this impressive new kid on the East End block which I’m happy to say ticks all the right boxes.

For more information, visit www.tripspace.co.uk/food-drink

The post Somewhere you should go… TripKitchen at TripSpace Projects appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

The post What we’ve been up to… La Porte des Indes appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

Le Gothique is housed in the beautiful Royal Victoria Patriotic building in a location which has had a rich and varied history from its original beginnings as a girl’s orphanage and later being taken over by MI5 during World War 2 who kept Rudolph Hess there for two nights upon his arrival in England. Though a French restaurant is a much tamer use for the building,  it’s certainly retained its atmosphere and charm. So now that it’s summer, Le Gothique is great venue to head to for a relaxed drink in its tranquil surroundings.  (Words: Lucy Palmer) 

For more info, visit: www.legothique.co.uk

The post Somewhere you should go… Le Gothique Restaurant and Bar appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.