Having grown up in a small village with no shops and next to no public transport links, getting to any decent restaurant or café was a bit of a commitment. Driving and parking would have to be considered, and so the concept of a regular, local, neighbourhood spot just didn’t really exist.
Fast forward to now, and living in North London, I’ve begun to discover the wonders of having fantastic restaurants more or less on my doorstep.
Although I don’t live in Crouch End, it’s fast becoming one of my favourite parts of London – a lovely, little residential bubble, walking distance from my flat. And it’s in Crouch End that I’ve had some fantastic brunches and dinners in the past 12 months.
It was a evening browse on Deliveroo that led me to The Clock, whose menu looked far too good to be available for takeaway on a delivery app.
On a warm summer’s Saturday night (this is not a novel…), you could be mistaken for thinking we were abroad, on holiday – something which we could only dream of in the months following Lockdown phase one. It certainly didn’t feel as if we were in London.
The Clock has the appeal of being a small, intimate venue, with an understated shopfront (that to be honest, you could easily miss), and a comforting, homely vibe inside. Staff are friendly, but not overbearing, and the menu makes it delightfully difficult to choose from.
I’m actually going to reference two visits here, as I returned within a couple of weeks, having loved it so much. On the first visit, we shared Seared Scallops with Fresh Pea Purée and Hazelnuts. Not only was this beautiful to look at, but the scallops were cooked perfectly, and the pea purée was light, and well-seasoned.
On my second visit, I was particularly impressed by the Sweetcorn and Chorizo Croquettes, where the filling had been blitzed to a smooth puree-type paste. Despite the potential for this to sound slightly like mush, it was incredibly flavoursome and with the crunchy croquette exterior, the consistency of the filling worked really well.
The Salt & Pepper Squid was decent, but not wowing, so for a little salty, snack-style starter, this is a great option.
On to the mains and as much as I should probably save the best until last, I have to go straight in with the Lemon Sole with Samphire. I love those magical moments where you genuinely know you’re eating one of the best things you’ve ever tried. This certainly was my ultimate fish dish. You have to persevere to deal with the bones and forget trying to look elegant when you’re picking them from your teeth but ignore that, because the flavour… Slightly citrussy with a light, flaky texture, this fish is buttery and delicious. The samphire adds a lovely burst of colour, with brown shrimp dotted throughout. A side of equally as buttery green beans with hazelnuts was a nice addition – I should add that the piece of fish is huge, and so you probably won’t want a heavy side.
One of their most featured dishes on social media, and for good reason, is the Cornish Crab Linguine. Served in the Spider Crab’s hollowed out shell, the linguine is freshly-made, with a light olive oil sauce coating with roasted tomatoes. The shell serving dish is a bit of a novelty, but one that I absolutely bought into.
For hungrier bellies to fill, the Double Cheeseburger with thick, juicy patties, cheese and cornichons is a solid option. A mountain of a burger, you certainly won’t be left wonting for more, and the well-seasoned chips carefully straddle the line between fries and chunky chips (something which I’m definitely here for…).
I couldn’t complete my review without mentioning the desserts, despite the fact that I certainly didn’t need one either time. Their Sticky Toffee Pudding is indulgent, with a moist, treacly sponge and a generous helping of vanilla ice cream plonked on top, and you’ll find it paddling in an oozy pool of toffee sauce.
For those who love a boozy pudding with an added caffeine-kick, the Bailey’s Espresso Chocolate Pot is a great shout. It’s super rich and creamy, and the crumbly biscuit topping adds variation to the texture.
This time though, I really have saved my favourite until last, and to top things off, it was so unexpected. The Summer Berry Pudding didn’t necessarily stand out to me on the menu, as I tend to steer towards chocolate or caramelly style desserts rather than fruit-based, but this was the highlight of the meal. It’s a beautifully striking deep red colour, with the sponge completely saturated with the rich berry sauce. A big dollop of clotted cream on top finishes it off perfectly, and helps to balance out the sharp, punchiness of the tart berry flavours.
It’s important to point out that The Clock has since brought in its new Autumn Menu which looks absolutely fantastic, however not all of the dishes mentioned above are still available, so please see below for their current availability:
Scallops with Pea Puree and Hazlenuts – no longer available having been replaced by an alternative scallop starter
Chorizo and sweetcorncroquettes – still available (listed under the ‘bites’ section of the `a la carte menu)
Salt and Pepper Squid – available on the fixed price menu
Roast Lemon Sole – a slightly different variation is available with sea asparagus and herb butter emulsion
Spider Crab Linguine – still available
Double Cheese Burger – available on the prix fixe menu
Sticky Toffee Pudding – still available
Baily’s Espresso Chocolate Pot – no longer available
Summer Berry Pudding – no longer available
I can’t wait to next head to The Clock for another fantastic meal, and to try out their new menu. It has the loveliest atmosphere inside and is perfect for a date night.
With current Covid restrictions, we know that the hospitality industry is really being tested, and so please do head to independent restaurants like this one with your household – not only will you be eating really well, but we’re also helping these businesses to stay afloat. Places like Crouch End are as lovely as they are because of local businesses like The Clock so check out the menu, book your table, and lend your support.*
Sitting somewhere between the midst and the aftermath of a global pandemic, there isn’t a huge amount to get excited about right now, but being back in a world where it’s (more or less) socially acceptable to go out to eat again is definitely something to be grateful for.
The closure of bars and restaurants during the past few months has been a shock to the system, but it’s the closure of local, small town and village pubs that has really hit home for many. Such pubs, unique to us here in the UK and Ireland, are often community hubs, bringing together locals, and offering both spontaneous and ritualistic escapes from home and working life.
Finding a good village pub isn’t as straightforward as it might sound. If you’re not local, they may be slightly out of your way, meaning taxis or designated drivers are required, then you’re looking for a warm, friendly and comfortable environment, and finally, a solid menu. Chain pubs’ generic menus featuring microwaved curries and reheated brownies just won’t cut it – I want unique dishes, cooked from scratch, menus having been designed by chefs and managers who care about the produce they’re working with, and the plates they’re serving up.
Running out of certain dishes and ingredients is always a good sign, as is having to wait a while for your food, and it’s for all these reasons that The Red Lion in Thurgarton, Nottinghamshire, was the perfect, homely, post-lockdown pub outing.
New social distancing measures mean that like all other pubs, bars and restaurants, its layout has had to change quite drastically, reducing the number of tables, and therefore eliminating that busy, intimate feel that you’ll generally find within pubs. But despite this, the tables that remained were full, with people also taking full advantage of outdoor seating.
Having browsed the menu beforehand, I knew it was going to be a 3-course meal kind of visit, and I’m often drawn to dishes on menus that stand out as being different, and therefore I try to avoid having staple favourites. Up until recently, cauliflower was a mystery to me – bland-tasting and ugly, I couldn’t understand how anyone could enjoy it, but as times change, I’ve definitely grown more of an appreciation for it, and so the cauliflower velouté starter was calling out to me.
The first few mouthfuls tasted surprisingly sweet, and took a moment to adjust to, but the smooth, velveteen texture was a real treat, enhanced by a delicious drizzle of curry oil and a crunchy bhaji to top it off. The portion was pretty immense – had I been cooking at home, this would’ve been my entire dinner, and so half the portion size would’ve meant more room to comfortably enjoy my main and dessert.
After spending some time going back and forth between a steak with blue cheese sauce or pork tenderloin for my main, fortunately this was decided for me when I learned the blue cheese sauce was unavailable. I’m sure this decision worked out for the best as the pork tenderloin was beautifully cooked.
With the slightest hint of pink within, it was soft and delicate, and could’ve held its own without a single sauce or garnish elsewhere on the plate. Having said that, the sauces and garnishes were great additions, particularly the creamy celeriac purée and caramelised apples, and the tenderstem broccoli added a flash of green to what otherwise would’ve been a pretty neutral-beige plate. The only part of the dish that I questioned was the black pudding purée; I’m a huge fan of black pudding and love the flavours, however, for me, as a purée it was just a little too thick and claggy. The black pudding was definitely still worthwhile, but perhaps would’ve worked better in another form, whether sliced, or as a crumb.
Finally came dessert. Having seen pictures of The Red Lion’s desserts online and on social media, I loved the high-end, fancy feel that they had to them. Still a strong portion size but with huge amounts of attention to detail, which ultimately created a beautiful-looking dish like the one below.
This is a chocolate ganache with popcorn, cookie and cherry sauce, and it was this unusual combination of treats that intrigued me. Combining ganache, popcorn and a cookie sounds like it could end up quite a clunky, inelegant dish, but it was quite the opposite. To be honest I’m not sure the popcorn or cookie added anything flavour-wise, however they both enhanced the appearance and texture of the dish. The ganache itself was incredibly rich, but this was balanced by the beautifully sharp, deep red cherry sauce. I’ve never come across a dessert like this before on a menu, and its this kind of inventiveness that really excites me.
Realistically, you aren’t going to accidentally stumble across village pubs like The Red Lion without prior knowledge or recommendations, but hopefully that’s where I come in. It’s great to give the big chains, and packed city restaurants a miss for once, and head somewhere that local or not, really appreciates your business, and puts a lot of heart into the food they produce. Based on the food alone, The Red Lion can certainly be described as a gastropub, but one that is unpretentious and welcoming.
Hard to believe it’s been around four months since my last dining out experience. Never could we have conceived of a global crisis in which every restaurant, bar, pub and café in the country would be closed, what that would mean for our social connections, and more significantly, what that would mean for the thousands of businesses out there, thrown into such an uncertain scenario.
I’d avoided venturing out for the first couple of weeks following the easing of lockdown rules – in my head, I pictured rowdy raucousness throbbing through the streets, and despite a little of that going down in places, it didn’t seem as intense as I’d expected. So when I did finally decide to book that much-anticipated first restaurant visit, it had to be somewhere special.
Scottish restaurant Mac and Wild was that place, having sat firmly atop my restaurant bucket list for two years, ever since drooling over a photo of their ice cream-topped sticky toffee pudding on Instagram.
Ironically, I didn’t end up trying that very sticky toffee pudding (which probably means I’ll have to make a return visit one day), but here’s how the rest of it went…
With Fitzrovia all booked up, we arrived at their Devonshire Square branch, having booked one of the lovely-looking socially-distanced huts, complete with a seating for up to 4, and your very own self-serve drinks cabinet. In my head, I’d pictured these being outside, but their three, I have to say it as it is, sheds, were opposite the bar inside. Nonetheless, they still created a sense of privacy and intimacy, shielded from other diners. Had I booked one of these huts outdoors in winter, complete with blankets, and heating, I think it would’ve been beautiful – both atmospheric and cosy, but as it were, dining in one of those indoors in 27 degree heat, it was a little on the sweaty side.
Being a Scottish restaurant, there are a number of haggis-inspired dishes on the menu, including their Haggis Pops, which we ordered to start. I should also mention at this point that their menu was limited, compared to what their Devonshire Square-specific online menu stated they had. I had been so desperate to try their Venison Scotch Egg, but it was nowhere to be found, so settled for the Haggis Pops.
Never (ashamedly) having tried haggis before, it’s difficult for me to judge, as I’m not familiar with the standard flavours and textures, however, the pops came as little fried bites, the meaty haggis filling encased in a crunchy shell. Whilst I enjoyed the outer crunch and the flavours, the texture wasn’t necessarily to my liking – oddly, despite being meaty, it had the texture of a potato croquette filling, and I’ve expressed my views on potatoes here before… To accompany the pops there’s a cranberry-mustard, or ‘Red Jon’ sauce. We spent a good few minutes trying to pinpoint what exactly the sauce was comprised of, intrigued by the sharp and sweet notes, before reluctantly giving in when ‘mustard’ was all we could come up with, and resorting to consulting the ingredients list.
Once again, when it came to ordering mains, I was disappointed to see that amongst the side dishes, the Haggis Mac and Cheese I’d set my heart on didn’t feature. Luckily, they were still offering their Truffle Mushroom Mac and Cheese, which I chose to accompany their signature ‘Venimoo’ Burger. The Venimoo features beef and venison patties, with Béarnaise sauce, cheese, pickles and caramelised onions. The burger was very good. Juicy patties, full of flavour, with a sharp, tanginess from the pickles and the warming, creaminess of the Béarnaise sauce and melting cheese. I can’t say it was mind-blowing (I’ve unintentionally ended up with pretty sky high standards), but the quality and flavours certainly made it worth ordering.
Interestingly my highlight was the Truffle Mushroom Mac and Cheese. Despite not being a speciality dish of theirs, I loved the consistency – a super creamy cheese sauce, without the overwhelming sickliness that truffle can sometimes bring. The mushrooms were cut into large cubed pieces, which I surprisingly enjoyed, cementing its place amongst the best mac and cheeses I’ve tried in London.
As previously mentioned, I didn’t get round to trying the Sticky Toffee Pudding in the end, which only calls for a return visit, however, I’ll be sticking to the soft drinks next time, as the cheapest bottle of white wine came in at £36, despite the drinks menu on their website listing white wine prices as ranging between £20 and £74. For me, this was the most significant issue; service had been good, the food was good to excellent, but for those of us not rolling in money who fancy a drink, £36, when you know full well the bottle isn’t worth that, hurts. It feels almost wrong to say anything negative about businesses that are fighting to survive right now, but having been furloughed myself, and seeing a drop in income, I can’t ignore such limited options when it comes to drinks pricing, particularly as the food prices are very reasonable, which just makes the wine list prices seem even more out of place.
Having said that, I’m so glad to be back eating out, and sharing my thoughts, having enjoyed months of home cooking and takeaways. There’s just something that can’t be beaten about the whole restaurant experience, from the social aspect, to holding a physical menu in front of you and spending an unnecessarily long time indecisively asking the waiters for another 5 minutes to decide.
Restaurants need our support now more than ever, so if you’re craving a high quality burger and wonderful Mac and Cheese, Mac and Wild is a solid choice.
Haven’t done a review for a while so here we go… This review actually should’ve taken place a couple of years ago, except for the fact that I got confused, and booked a table at the underwhelmingly shit Steak and Lobster, instead of Burger and Lobster.
Before I dive into the actual review, just for comparison, Steak and Lobster has a near identical (although slightly less interesting menu), obviously is based around the same ‘surf ‘n’ turf’ concept, but the interior is weird and sterile, the service was a bit shit, and the food was dead. Literally of course, the steak and lobster were dead, but going beyond that. Dead af. Bland and uninspiring. I’m not sure I could paint a less glowing picture.
So after this unintentional restaurant visit, I’d been pining for the real deal. Pining for two years in fact. And today was finally the day that I got my Burger and Lobster.
This is not acceptable lighting.
I can probably concede that the only thing Steak and Lobster did better was the lighting. I have a thing about poorly lit restaurants. Really does my head in, and the Burger and Lobster in Soho at least was like this. That is, however, pretty much where the negativity ends.
To start, the three of us shared the Lobster Croquettes. These were super creamy with a lovely level of spicy flavour from the bed of Chipotle mayo. The little avocadoey blob on top doesn’t add much but it does look pretty. These aren’t cheap. You get 4 croquettes for £9.50, and you can bet that we divided that last one up between us into incredibly precise thirds. But at the end of the day, it’s a lobster restaurant, so if you’re on a budget, just don’t bother in the first place.
I’d always thought that I’d end up having the Lobster Roll here, but ultimately after some intense social media stalking, I decided that the B&L Beast Burger looked exciting. It consists of a thicccc AF beef patty (medium rare ofc) with a solid chunk of lobster meat on top, gooey melting Brie, truffle and tarragon mayo, fennel and Chinese cabbage. It is such a satisfying burger. Part of me thinks the flavour of the lobster gets a bit lost when it’s served like this, but despite that I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. It really is a bit of a beast.
I was super tempted by the melty Gruyere Spinach on the side, but decided to be slightly less naughty, and opted for the tenderstem broccoli instead. As far as veggie sides go, it was nice and buttery, but obviously there are more interesting options. I did however, have to try one of my friend’s Truffle Chips of course. I was surprised that they were proper thick cut chips rather than fries, and if I’d known I might have been tempted myself, although we all agreed that despite the truffle smelling quite strong, there wasn’t much actual truffle flavour from them.
Finally we come to dessert, which I had told myself I wouldn’t have. But why stop myself if I change my mind? Gutted I didn’t get there last Easter for their Creme Egg Cheesecake, but rather than going for their plainer White Chocolate Cheesecake, I was taken by the Cranberry and Hazelnut Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream.
First off, it definitely ticks the gooey box. It was super soft and melt-in-the-mouth. The hazelnuts and cranberries were both really nice additions, both in terms of texture and flavour. My only complaint would be the warmth of the brownie. Normally when something is served with ice cream on the side, it’s so hot that the two kind of melt together, and the hot-cold contrast works beautifully. With this dessert, the brownie seemed to be kind of lukewarm in the first place so that delicious contrast wasn’t quite there.
Service was great, super friendly, and the menu has a decent selection of mains combos.
There is probably a gimmicky element to the lobster craze, which accounts for the high cost of the food, but if you’re willing to look past the food as a trend, for me at least, it was a good quality, tasty meal. £25 for a burger with a small amount of lobster in isn’t ideal, but I’m in London, I know what I’m getting myself in for, so there’s no use in complaining.
As I often tell people with a sickly sweet smile at my place of work when they scoff at the pricing,’It’s fine, you don’t have to buy it.’ 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m back with another review, and this one’s fully vegan.
You’ll get the full lowdown of all the vegan cooking and eating out I’ve done during week 3 when I write it all up in the next few days, but for now, we’ll just focus on this one specific feast.
From my flatmate, to work colleagues, to strangers on Instagram, Temple of Seitan had been recommended to me so many times. They have two sites – their main location in Hackney and then another one in Camden.
The Camden one was slightly closer to me so I headed there, but it is quite hidden away; you’d have to actively seek it out because there’s no way you’d accidentally stumble across it.
It’s got a kind of fast food set up to it. You order at the counter and then wait for your name to be called to collect your food, and there are a number of tables dotted around, but it’s not massive inside. It is however, a light, open space that’s not overcrowded, and so although I didn’t eat in, if you were to, it would be a chilled experience.
I only had to wait 5 minutes or so for my food, and the menu is pretty extensive without being overwhelming.
And here’s where you get to take a look at what I got…
Burger-wise I wanted to stick to ‘chicken’ as opposed to the beef substitute as I feel like that’s what they’re more known for. Even so, they have a few different Chick’n combos to choose from so I ordered the Nashville Hot. This comes as a hot dipped Chick’n fillet with ranch mayo, lettuce and pickles. Overall I really enjoyed the burger – it was indulgent and tasty in a decent quality bun, but the only slight disappointment was the patty. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, but it was very very thin – like half the thickness of a standard slice of bread (other than the particular side you can see in the photo which got a bit thicker), meaning that you got a lot of crunch from the outer shell but not much texture from the Seitan itself. What with all the lettuce and pickles in the burger, everything just kind of lumped together in a big crunch-fest, rather than being able to note a clear difference between the texture of the patty and the relish. Still would recommend as I reckon this was just an anomaly in the kitchen.
To reiterate what I often mention, I don’t always see the point in ordering standard fries as a side (unless I’m at Mcdonald’s) because they’re never really that exciting and I’d rather try something different, however, the exception to this is if they offer some kind of loaded fries or an interesting twist on the classic. This time I went for the ‘Döner’ Snack Pack – regular fries with vegan doner meat, mayo and spicy sauce.
It’s a pretty big portion, so definitely a sharer (or something to freeze for another time like I have done), and there are a decent amount of toppings. The sauces weren’t bad but I wasn’t a fan of the vegan Döner. The texture was pretty convincing but it didn’t really taste of anything and so I don’t feel that it enhanced the fries in any way. I’d definitely try their other Animal Snack Pack loaded fries if I were to go again.
As this is breakfast, lunch and dinner in one go I’ll move onto the next part of the meal- the Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
You can’t fault them on how much they can cram into this pot, and this is just the regular size. For me though, it just wasn’t creamy enough. The ratio of pasta to sauce was completely off, although that’s not to say it didn’t taste good. The macaroni were very small, meaning that more pasta could be packed in tightly, which in turn meant that the sauce literally just covered a few of the bites on top rather than coating every single piece. It was also quite salty, and so this wouldn’t be my first recommendation, but again, it wasn’t bad at all.
I do love to save the best until last, especially when it’s an unexpected one like this. The BBQ Wings were probably the thing I was least excited about ordering but I was still intrigued enough to try them.
Whereas the quality of the Seitan as a chicken substitute in the burger didn’t really do it justice, the wings really showcased why it’s such a good match. There isn’t really anything here to distract from the Seitan itself, and I found the texture to be very convincing. It doesn’t tear apart in the same way that fried chicken would, but other than that it really is spot on. There’s no oddly suspicious ‘this isn’t meat’ flavour, which allows the bbq sauce to take over without having to mask an unsettling aftertaste.
Some people love eating from the bone, but I find this quite annoying and would rather be able to bite into something freely without having to work my teeth around them so I’m grateful that there’s no dodgy attempt to create a mock bone here (the attempt at this in Biff’s Jack Shack’s jackfruit wings really weirded me out and put me off eating them when I accidentally bit straight into a solid piece of god knows what…)
So these ‘wings’ were my absolute highlight and I insist that if you’re reading this, you try them at some point, whether you’re vegan or not.
The four items together were £23 in total, which I think is pretty decent for London prices, especially as some vegan food I’ve had in the city has been the same amount for half the food.
I enjoyed trying a variety of ‘dishes’, and will definitely be trying the popcorn Chick’n next time.
This kind of food is not just for vegans. It’s indulgent and tasty, and even if you’re the biggest meat eater, you should try to overcome the psychological barrier of thinking ‘but this isn’t meat’ to decide for yourself non-judgementally if you could enjoy this instead of meat from time to time.
And if you hate it? Oh well. At least you’ve been adventurous and tried something new. I don’t even know if I’d choose this over a chicken or beef burger but I’m still really enjoying opening my mind to this new kind of cuisine.
But ultimately if you’re happy and healthy with what you’re eating then all is well; meat, veggie or vegan…
Another food-travel post has landed. Less of the
other-side-of-the-world Indian adventure this time, and instead, a jam-packed
city break a little closer to home.
If you haven’t already guessed from the puntastic title (it’s terrible but I’d be a fool to let it slip by), I spent a few days in Budapest, which seems to be becoming one of the most popular city break destinations in Europe.
My previous travel posts have taken quite different forms;
Brazil was more of a guide, India was grouped into categories, and Bologna had
a more story-telling feel to it. This time I’m going to go through my foodie
experiences dish by dish, giving a mini insight into each one.
I ate a lot. A lot a lot a lot. The gym will be seeing a lot
of me this week to compensate. But it was entirely worth it, so here we go…
So, our first dinner took place at Aurum Bistro, and had been recommended by my parents who had a great meal there. I’d studied the menu on multiple occasions so had a pretty good idea of what I was going to have.
Dish number 1: Traditional Goulash Soup
I love that my very first taste of Hungary was of their most famous dish. You’ll often find this in two forms on restaurant menus – firstly as a lighter, less meat-heavy soup in the Starter section, and then again as a thicker, more hearty stew as a Main.
The paprika had a spicier kick to it than we’re used to at
home, and overall I thought the soup was delicious, with soft, creamy veg, and
not too much beef.
I rate it: 9/10
Dish Number 2: Duck Breast with Porcini Risotto
This particular dish was recommended by my parents and so
was basically the whole reason I wanted to try out this restaurant.
The duck had been cooked beautifully, was super tender with
lots of flavour and the creamy risotto was the perfect accompaniment.
I rate it: 9/10
Dish number 3: Somlói Sponge Cake
Dessert-wise we shared a couple of things between us so that
we could try more. Somlói ended up popping up on literally every menu we came
across, and I’m a sucker for the word ‘traditional’ – I will always (sometimes naively)
buy into anything that claims to be a staple ‘must-try’.
This one was odd though, it looked great, but I wasn’t mad
on it. Maybe because of the marzipan and nutty flavours, and the sponge felt
damp, as opposed to moist (get over it).
I’m glad I tried it but I don’t need to order it again..
I rate it: 4/10
Dish number 4: Gundel Pancake
Another traditional dessert, I preferred this second one, but it still wasn’t quite to my taste. It looked very striking, with the almost black chocolate sauce and bright pink mini meringue, but the nutty pancake filling, again, didn’t do it for me. It’s quite a bitter dessert, with a subtle orangey flavour, but so far, the savoury is still outperforming the sweet.
I rate it: 6/10
Dish number 5: Meat Lover’s Langos
A brand new day, and after spending a while at the thermal
baths, we were super hungry by the time we got to the Great Market Hall. All
the food hubs are upstairs, and you have to push your way through the long
queues and narrow walkways. For me, there was no doubt that I was going to get
a Langos – I’d heard a lot about them before arriving in Budapest.
The base is so much tastier than it looks. The dough is soft, warm, with a lightly-fried flavour and you can pile toppings as high as you like. I went for the meatiest option, with chicken, salami, lots of grated cheese and of course sour cream, which the Hungarians seem to be obsessed with. I would’ve loved it if the cheese had been melted but it was still good.
You kind of have to ignore the fact that all the toppings
are pre-prepared and have been sitting around for ages in Subway-style plastic
boxes, but this is not a gourmet dish, it’s a typical fast, street food and so
if this is what you expect, you won’t be disappointed at all.
I rate it: 8/10
Dish number 6: Duck Liver Paté
It’s not the first time I’ve gone away, not thought to pre-book restaurants at the weekend, and found myself struggling through the city desperately hoping somewhere will take us. That’s exactly what happened to us on the Friday night, and not willing to compromise on Hungarian food in favour of generic bbq and burger places, we eventually found somewhere with the capacity to take us in (Cupákos restaurant).
I tried some of this starter that my flatmate ordered, as
duck and goose liver are another thing that can be found on every menu in
Budapest. This was lovely and creamy, and a great sized starter that’s not too
filling.
I rate it: 7/10
Dish number 7: Bone Marrow
This restaurant didn’t have any appealing desserts so we went all out on the starters. I was super excited to order mine as I’ve never had bone marrow before, and I was already slightly disappointed that we hadn’t been able to get a table in the restaurant that had rooster testicle stew on the menu (lol), so this was a decent, slightly unconventional alternative.
I didn’t realise the texture would be so sort of mushy, not
that that’s a bad thing. To be honest I’m not really sure what it actually
tastes like because all I could taste was garlic and butter but I would never
complain about such a thing. I really, really enjoyed it and would defo order
again.
I rate it: 9/10
Dish number 8: Pork Neck with Potatoes and Parsnip Purée
This was one dish that didn’t look the most exciting (especially with those awful cheap-looking red plates) but actually was delicious. The pork was beautiful, and the puréed parsnip delicious. Normally I’m put off by the concept of purées because they’re too fussy and often you’re just given a tiny blob, but this was enough to make it worthwhile and really highlighted the flavour of the parsnip. I didn’t even mind the potatoes, which I always complain are normally a waste of carbs!
I rate it: 9/10
Dish number 9: Chimney Cake
I had sussed out Street Cakes on Instagram before arriving, as their Chimney Cakes looked incredible – full of colour and with every topping you can imagine.
The little café was cute with friendly ladies serving, and I chose to build my own, but using a picture of one I’d found on Instagram as my inspiration. There was cinnamon sugar on the outside, a thin layer of jam in the middle, and then the hollow dough was filled with banana ice cream and topped with marshmallows, sprinkles and caramel sauce.
It looks beautiful and it tasted good. The dough was actually crunchier than I’d expected, and the banana ice cream did taste very artificial but I suppose that’s what you have to expect of anything that describes itself as ‘banana-flavoured’.
To be honest though, his isn’t something you order for the flavour – it’s all about the aesthetic, the indulgence and the fun, so I’d recommend this place for those reasons.
I rate it: 7/10
Dish number 10: Goosey Gustav Burger
What’s a trip abroad without trying out their exclusive Mcdonald’s menu items? After my Chimney Cake, I couldn’t stomach a whole meal so just went for the intriguing-sounding Goosey Gustav burger.
What could be more Hungarian in Mcdonald’s than beef patties topped with goose liver?? Honestly, other than a standard Big Mac, this was the best burger I’ve ever eaten in Mcdonald’s, from the textures to the flavour. Not sure exactly what the mayo was but it wasn’t just plain and it tasted amazing with the liver. It is a double burger but I took out one patty, as for me, having multiple patties never enhances the flavour or eating experience and I wasn’t particularly hungry.
So buzzed from this still.
I rate it: 10/10
Dish number 11: Curried Apple and Celeriac Soup with Toasted Almonds and Pesto
Our final dinner took place at Alma and Körte, which was another place I had seen good reviews of on Instagram. This soup just sounded so interesting to me, and it was probably the best thing I ate all trip. It was delicious, from the celeriac flavour with the sweetness of the apple, to the crunch of the slivered almonds and oiliness of the pesto, with a beautifully creamy finish overall. You must try this.
I rate it: 10/10
Dish number 12: Lamb Shank with Dried Fig Cous Cous
I’ve never actually had lamb shank before so Budapest was
amazing for encouraging me to try types of meat yet undiscovered to me.
Although the meat had been cooked really well, I’m not sure
the heavy, rich sauce worked so well with lamb. I feel like it would’ve been
better suited to a meat with a less distinctive flavour like beef or ox. I
still enjoyed it but it wasn’t the best combination. The cous cous was very
nice though, and made a change from all the root veg side dishes I’d had so
far.
I rate it: 7.5/10
Dish number 13: Cottage Cheese Fritters with Forest Fruit Compote
This sounds weird. And a bit scary. Cottage cheese. As a
dessert. Fried. But omg I loved it. The fried exterior wasn’t oily or heavy or
too thick, it was just enough of a crunch to work amazingly with the soft
cheesy centre. Most of the flavour came from the deep, sharp compote and so
there was no issue with the cheese tasting odd.
I rate it: 8.5.10
Dish number 14: Mulled Wine
May as well throw a drink review in here, especially as weirdly I’d never tried mulled wine before because I never used to like spices in sweet foods and drinks. We got this from the small Christmas market in Deák Ferenc Square where the Budapest Eye is. We got to keep the cute mug, and although it was very sweet, it was ideal for a cold winter’s day.
I rate it: 7/10
Dish number 15: Pork with Potato Rosti
I was amazed by the food on offer at the market, and wanted
to try everything, but with eyes bigger than my belly, I had to try and be at
least a little bit sensible. I didn’t actually know that the pork came with the
potato rosti when I first ordered it. I got drawn in by the whole pig head
sitting on the display and had to try the meat. I have to admit that it was
very salty, and so was more hammy than porky with that slightly rubbery
texture. Having said that, for some reason I absolutely loved the rosti. It was
very oily having obviously just been deep fried but god it tasted good.
I rate it: 6/10
for the pork, 9.5/10 for the rosti
Dish number 16: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Paprika Sausage
Cabbage rolls were another thing that I felt I couldn’t leave without trying. These ones were stuffed with pork, came with more cabbage on the side and a big paprika sausage and of course, drowned in sour cream. The sausage was great, really flavoursome, and the cabbage was also really nice, although it’s briney flavour can be divisive, as to my flatmate, the sourness of it tasted a bit ‘gone off’. Again though, this whole dish was super salty, so I left a huge amount which is not like me – not necessarily because I was full but just because I couldn’t take anymore of the salt!
I rate it: 7/10
Dish number 17: Marzipan Ball
My final few ‘dishes’ are all sweet treats that I bought from the market to take home. I’d always said I didn’t like marzipan, but as I’m so much less fussy now than I was years ago, I decided to retry it. I can still understand why I hated it so much when I was little, as the aftertaste does tend to linger, but actually this was pretty nice, what with the soft, spongey centre.
The stall where I got these treats had so much on offer so
there’s definitely something to satisfy everyone.
I rate it: 7/10
Dish number 18: Don’t have a fucking clue what this was
Very helpful. Kinda biscuity. Biscuit-sandwich-like. Sticky,
nutty filling. Bit of a chocolate glaze. Tastes good. Why not try?
I rate it: 7/10
Dish number 19: Chocolate Bark with Dried Cranberries
This didn’t seem as traditional, i.e. I’m sure I could find something like this at home, but it looked so appetising and tasted equally as good. The chocolate was slightly crunchy and then the sweet cranberries on top added a sharp spike of flavour. Don’t know how I only managed to take one bite, but then again, it is sitting in my room now, waiting for me to devour it when I’m craving a snack.
I rate it: 8/10
Dish number 20: Cherry Rétes (Strudel)
It’s so satisfying that without trying, I’ve finished on
such a clean number of dishes. Number 20, and the last thing I ate was this
lovely, and very filling strudel. They had options with cottage cheese, and
also apple versions but I went for the pure cherry.
The pastry is thin but not very flaky which was good, and
there is a generous amount of filling inside. Again, I only had one bite but
can’t wait to finish this off at some point.
I rate it: 8/10
Budapest really did surprise me in terms of how much of a foodie destination it is. And so that’s everything!
Almost…
Have to give a shoutout to the Cardamom Chocolate Plum Jam that I took a risk in buying at the market because it sounded incredible, but I didn’t manage to get it through airport security RIP 😦
Just a few little notes before I leave:
We suffered numerous dramas along the way which ultimately
just added to our experience but here are my words of warning for anyone
venturing to Budapest.
Don’t be fooled (by the rocks that I got..). You do not need slippers to go in the outdoor thermal baths, you only need them for the indoor ones. So if you’re not going in the indoor ones, do not let the misleading sign above (or the snake of a lady at the slipper stall) trick you into thinking you need to buy them. We bought them, realised our mistake, had a go at a few people, and eventually got a refund after standing our ground. If in doubt just take some flip flops with you.
If you head to where the famous ruin bars are (which you should), do not go into this bar which I unfortunately don’t know the name of but has this ridiculous sticker outside (see image below) which they must’ve stolen or forged. We ordered drinks separately and as I was about to pay, my flatmate questioned why she was being charged much more for her wine then mine. The old bald man behind the bar started making up a load of bullshit and just plucking prices out of thin air, and upon being questioned he then had a tantrum and aggressively told us he suddenly didn’t have any white wine and took the glasses back from us. If you don’t want to be treated poorly by a sexist loser then do not visit this bar which is next to Szimpla Kert.
Beware of old 500 Forint notes. We were given one in change without realising it was old and then nowhere would accept it so then couldn’t spend that at all and had basically been shortchanged. The old note is darker in its red colour than the new one which is brighter but safer to google it if you’re not sure.
Beware of the bar behind this door and it’s ginormous bellend of a barman
Once again, if you’ve read all of this, thanks a million,
plz like and subscribe via email to hear about more adventures of mine.
Back to my individual restaurant reviews, and this one, lucky for me, is just down the road.
I think sometimes I neglect places super close to me, instead favouring restaurants in Central that keep appearing on the social media scene and are very hyped up, whereas actually sometimes it’s good to take a step back and have a look at what you actually have on your doorstep.
Yaalu Yaalu is a Sri Lankan restaurant on Green Lanes, nestled amongst the huge number of fantastic Turkish places. It stands out along the high street with it’s light blue and white exterior and interesting decor. I had walked past it a fair few times and thought that it looked pretty nice, but it was my flatmate’s suggestion to go for her birthday dinner that finally got me there.
We went on a Thursday evening so it was pretty quiet, but there were still other people in there. It’s so lovely on the inside, and clearly a lot has been put into the restaurant’s presentation.
We decided to share all plates as they aren’t huge portions, but the price reflects this. We also ate our starters and mains together, but there are clearly labelled starters and mains on the menu.
First up with one of my choices, I was intrigued by the ‘Yaalu Gives You Wings’ coconut oil-infused chicken wings. I wouldn’t normally order chicken wings but the coconuttiness was what appealed to me.
Apologies for the quality, and sometimes lack of, photos. The lighting wasn’t idea for photo-taking, added to the fact that I just wanted to get some quick snaps so that we could enjoy our meal without me spending ages rearranging and rephotographing everything.
I feel like you can look at these wings and get an idea of how flavoursome they are just from their appearance. They did have a pretty spicy kick to them, but that always works for me. Would definitely recommend these.
Next up is the okra, or ‘Ladies Fingers’, which is one of my favourite vegetables, if not my absolute favourite.
To be honest I wasn’t blown away by this okra. I feel like it didn’t have a huge amount of flavour and it wasn’t as ‘meaty’ in texture/substance as okra I’ve had before so it didn’t soak up flavours as well. It wasn’t unpleasant at all, and is still a nice side, but nothing exciting.
For my own side, I got a coconut roti which I didn’t get a picture of. It wasn’t soft, but had been divided up into almost pitta chip-like pieces. It wasn’t amazing but was a really good way of scooping up all the sauces, and the little coconut sambal style chutney on the side was sweet and tasty too.
This next shocking image is of the chilli paneer and aubergine dish (‘Humble Moghuls’). The sauce and flavours here were really good, and you can see how creamy it is. This was another really good dish, with a fair bit to share around between us.
My absolute favourite dish, I sadly don’t have a photo of. Although it was much nicer than it looked. I chose the ‘Wilding’, wild boar in a spicy (flavour-wise rather than in terms of heat) and it was beautiful. Such tender meat in a salty, cuminy curry style sauce, and there was a decent amount of meat served up in small chunks. This definitely was the most impressive thing we ordered and I’d urge anyone who visits to try it.
This final dish slightly defeats the object of the photo as you can’t actually see the fish wrapped in the banana leaf but you get the idea. This is the ‘Catched…Wrapped…Sealed.’
This sea bass took a little longer to come but that was fine as they told us in advance and good to know it’s being cooked to order. I’ve been thinking recently about how I always neglect fish dishes in restaurants – I’ll often order seafood like mussels, lobster, prawns etc but fish I too often ignore so I was excited to try this sea bass. To be honest I wasn’t that fussed by it. It was nice but again, I wasn’t getting a huge amount of flavour so I’m not sure it’s something I would order again here but it was good to try.
Overall though I really enjoyed the meal. There was so much on the menu that I wanted to try but just couldn’t with only having three bellies to feed! The service was great, overall price such good value for money, and it was just a really nice dining experience overall.
I definitely think it’s worth making a trip to Green Lanes to try, and the chicken wings and wild boar dishes are top of my recommendations.
Sri Lankan cuisine is not one that gets much airtime, so let’s change that and…
¡Comemos! 