fino restaurant review (3.5/5)

I don't have Spanish food very often at all. The last time was well over a year ago, so our little trapeze to Fino was a real treat, especially after a long (and unfortunately unsuccessful) assessment centre day.

Fino is the big sister of Barrafina (which I have added to the bucket list), and has a very grown-up vibe, tucked away in the basement on the glitzy end of Charlotte Street. It has a bar right in front of the kitchen where you can have a quick bite over a drink and another one on the upper floor, but proper sit-down tables dominate the space. The menu is definitely more sophisticated than most tapas bars, and we went for a range of dishes, most of which were reasonably good.

Our favourite was the potato and chorizo chips. Small chunks of chorizo are fried with a crispy, thin batter, and they burst with fiery flavour. We had to order a second helping. The octopus risotto with ink sauce (arroz negro) was nice - the octopus was very fresh and had a lovely smokey aftertaste, but the paella itself was a bit lacking in flavour.

Fino: potato and chorizo chips

Fino: arroz negro

Next up were the meat dishes. The chorizo and alioli tortilla was a pleasant surprise. The insides of the omelette is much moister than the traditional version, and it actually went down really nicely with the alioli, which is a Catalan sauce made of garlic, eggs and olive oil. I would've preferred a bit more chorizo in it, but otherwise it was one of the highlights of the night. Meanwhile, my boyfriend, being ever so adventurous, ordered the lamb brains. I refused to try the brains itself, which was deep fried in batter to contrast with its mushy texture. It got the stamp of approval, and the tomato sauce (which I tried) was outstanding, with just the right kick of spice.

Fino: chorizo & alioli tortilla

Fino: inside the chorizo & alioli tortilla

Fino: lamb brains

My absence from the blogging scene has evidently dulled my memory, as I have forgotten the name of our last main dish. I believe it was pork shoulder with cheese and a fried egg on bread. It was the least impressive dish of the night. The combination of the cheese, egg and vinegar was overpowering. The vinegar in particular sat very oddly within the palette. It didn't look very appetising either - from the side, it just reminded me of an eye. Don't ask.

I've never been a huge fan of Spanish dessert, but Fino does offer a decent range. I went for the pear dessert, which tasted a bit too strongly of alcohol, and my boyfriend had a traditional milhojas, which is a bit like the mille-feuille, and was delicious.

Fino: milhojas 

Fino: pear with mascarpone cream

The bill came to a reasonable £80, including water for the table and one cocktail, and we were stuffed to the brim. Service was sleek, albeit a little bit stingy with the smiles. Overall, it was a bit of a mixed bag at times, but the menu is interesting and it can definitely lure me back for another try. But before that, next stop - Barrafina.

real food market at southbank (4.5/5)

When you think about food markets in London, Borough Market is probably the first place you'll think of. Little behold that a bit further west is a hidden gem called the Real Food Market at Southbank. It's like walking around the world in 80 yards, with a stall for every palette. Some of our highlights are the slow roasted hog sandwich with crackling, the goat's milk ice cream and the bakery stall that gave us Baileys brownies. You'll get fed along the way as there is a distinctive willingness to give out samples (not even Borough Market does this). Once you've collected all of the treasures there are plenty of places to eat them including the scenic Southbank and London Eye itself.

Chorizo sandwich.

The crackling was amazing.

Goat's milk Maple ice cream.

An excellent range of brownies, including Baileys and Snickers variations.

Carrot Whoopies

medlar, london (4/5)

As you can probably tell by the restaurants we have shared with you - we like French food. Medlar thankfully has restored the faith in London-based establishments with a refreshing take on the country's dishes. For 3 courses at £39.50, it's a perfect excuse to explore Chelsea while not breaking the bank. A prominent shade of green is their signature, which is also represented in the majority of the dishes served. A favourite was the under blade fillet of beef with Cafe' de Paris snails which was cooked to perfection. The accompanying snails and sauces created one of the best synergies of flavours I have experienced. Their desserts were also very well done, whether you go for the traditional mille-feuille or for the more contemporary honeycomb ice cream. Overall we would highly recommend, with very good value for money given the quality of the food, a vibrant new interior and friendly service.

Medlar is proud of its crab raviolo - good but not its best dish.

Cold served halibut with an interesting mix of flavours and perfectly formed pearls.

A rather mediocre monkfish dish, though the presentation is commendable.

The exceptional under blade fillet of beef with Cafe de Paris snails and triple fried chips

Generous portions of honeycomb icecream.

A lemon and blackberry twist on the French classic.

Medlar is in a quirky part of Chelsea well worth exploring.

southbank on a weekend

On the way to the Southank Food Market...

These two stylish gentlemen deserve a medal or something. I love this picture. 

pied a terre: not worth it (2/5)

I went to Pied a Terre with my family to celebrate my graduation, and offered to foot the bill. Damn, do I regret it.

I suppose my expectations were too high, since Le Restaurant was the last fine dining experience I had and it was completely out of Pied a Terre's league.

The four of us went for the 9-course tasting menu, priced at £99 per head not including the 12.5% service charge.

Now, when I fork out £99 for a dinner, I'm not paying for something good, I'm paying for something special. Pied a Terre fails miserably at this.

The menu was not particularly imaginative nor well executed, in taste or in presentation. The only courses I really liked was the meat, a tender and fabulously pink saddle of lamb with crispy skin, and the cold scallops starter went really well with the cucumber, yogurt and lemon garnishes. 

The foie gras was overwhelmingly salty, the fish was not worthy of a second glance nor was the opening soup. The desserts in particular were a letdown. A mango mousse that tasted like it came out of an ice cream box? No, no. The 'Congratulations' message on my second dessert was a very sweet touch, too bad it wasn't on the dessert I ordered. I cannot believe that our waiter did not take my order correctly. But by the last course I was thoroughly despaired from the experience and didn't bother sending the very average creme brulee back.

Which brings me to the staff. There were a few outstanding waiters, and quite a few disappointing ones. That was one of the problems I had with the service- usually at these places you have one or two designated waiters which makes it a personal experience, but not at Pied a Terre. This one junior waiter was particularly careless, flinging cutlery around and whisking away our plates before we even put down our forks.

For a Michelin-star establishment, there were too many faults, too many disappointments. Note that it has been downgraded from 2 stars in 2011 to one in 2012. I advise avoidance, and I'll be petitioning the elevation of Le Restaurant to at least two Michelin stars.

 My mother tried the Anjou pigeon, she enjoyed it but I didn't.

Cracker tree for the cheese.

street food: london streets named after food part 1

I live on a street named after food, it's always an icebreaker with the taxi drivers, or takeaway restaurants.

There doesn't seem to be a compilation of streets named after food in London, so we're going to have to fill that knowledge gap. Starting with... Grape Street in Covent Garden.

british museum: the enlightenment living room

I've lived within a 10-minute vicinity of the British Museum for 3 years, and I've never stepped foot in it since a short visit 5 years ago on my first trip to London.

I went today after giving up on hopes that the sun would hold up (reading The White Peacock on the roof just had to wait). I actually went specifically for the new exhibition, The Horse: from Arabia to Royal Ascot.

It fell short of expectations, and I was done with it in about 30 minutes. The 'Arabia' part was very well thought-out and the items on display quite spectacular, including a life-size horse armour. However, the 'Royal Ascot' bit seemed hastily thrown together, and based mainly on drawings and paintings that gave limited insight. Still, I really enjoyed the diaries of Anne Blunt, who co-founded the Crabbet Arabian Stud with her husband. Her entries are beautifully illustrated with her own watercolours- what a talented lady. The sketch of the anatomy of the horse by George Stubbs is another highlight, it is so wonderfully detailed, and will certainly make you look at his Whistlejacket at the National Gallery in a new light. But I would have liked to see some more concrete display items in the 'Ascot' section- saddles, training equipment, pedigree papers- and a bit more history behind professional racing. I did like the short clips of races, Olympics dressage and show-jumping at the end of the exhibition, but they could have been a bit longer.

After leaving the exhibition disappointed, I wandered by chance into the Enlightenment Room. Now this is a place worthy of hours of leisurely lingering. It was like walking into the living room of an Enlightenment hoarder. What makes this exhibition unique are the walls of artefacts from bird eggs, stuffed birds, sea shells, china, wax seals and statues. The huge collection of beautiful antique books lends the room a distinct flavour of legacy. If I had the time and a ladder, I could easily spend a day scouring the entire literary contents of the room from floor to ceiling.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves.