Quick Restaurant Reviews in London

My Lockdown visits continue with a visit to Poppies in Camden Town.

We went on spec – I only go into places that clearly have good hygeine and that aren’t busy. The latter is sadly a very easy task in the current environment. Poppies had only 3 tables in use when I was there, when normally it’s packed.

The Fish & Chips are some of the best I’ve had and certainly the best I’ve had in London. The haddock was fresh & perfectly cooked, nicely battered and crispy. The battered sausage was the same, not over-battered either. The chips are fantastic – proper chipshop chips with the right fluffy texture and just enough softness to make them right.

All in all, you can’t go wrong with this place – worth a trip for me, and probably worth a trip for you too!

Battered Sausage & ChipsBattered Sausage Close UpCurry SauceLarge Haddock & ChipsHaddock Close UpMushy Peas

As we're in the inter-lockdown period, I took a trip out to have tapas with a friend of mine. We finished up with ice cream from a nearby ice cream parlour!

The travelogue continues!Please let me know of your travel food adventures.

A subsection of a subsection starts this week! Producer Stu and I reminisce about food we’ve eaton on our travels. Taking place roughly in chronological order, we talk about our adventures in food.

Starting with Holidays in France, we flit around the world, taking in a lot of Western Europe. Food we loved, foods we couldn’t stomach and everything in between.

What are your holiday food stories? What did you try growing up you can’t quite believe your parents let you try? What will you never have again?

Let me know in the comments below!

Life under Corona Virus will see many changes, but the announcement that buffets will be banned in Scotland, Producer Stu and I talk about the implications together with our favourite buffet experiences.

Producer Stu takes the reins today and constructs an homage to his (second) favourite podcast, Off Menu!This was so much fun – it really made me think about my favourite food and brought up some really happy memories. Some decisions were really easy and I made them instantly, others required a lot of thought. I vacillated on the main course way more than I thought I would. Starters & Dessert was way easier, though if you know me it might not be what you think it is!

Let me know what your fantasy menu would be, and was I right in my choices?As ever, links to the things we discussed are below, enjoy!(Warning – spoilers! Don’t look below if you don’t want a clue to what I chose.)

Adam Thomason Private DiningGame Bird – Chicken Liver ParfaitBarbecue Shrimp recipeRed SpiceHawksmoor Creamed SpinachPitt Cue Mashed PotatoKirin IchibanHarvey’s Best BitterHogsback TeaAdnamsDoombarHawksmoor Sticky Toffee PuddingTreacle TartAmbrosia Custard

Producer Stu & I talk kebabs! What we love about them, what makes a good one. Our favourite places to go and any funny stories we can think of!

In my top 5 and Producer Stu’s #1 burger place, Burger & Beyond is doing a delivery service in London for their signature Butter Buger.In short, it’s superb! The best burger I’ve ever cooked. The instructions are super clear and easy to follow, the ingredients are superb quality and I easily ate my 2!

Producer Stu & I continue our steak discussion.Links:

HawksmoorSmith & Wollensky Manhattan Island – GrillMacellio Italian SteakhouseZelman MeatsGoodmansBlacklockFlatironRodizio PretoBovino’s Playa del CarmenHarpoon Louie’s ExeterMan vs FoodMother SaucesVienetta

Another Takeaway today, and this time we try Chinese. I chose Canton Element. This one was a new one to me, as my favourite place Mai Ling was closed.I liked it! The sesame toast was the best takeaway I’ve had, and the soup was a little too hot, but delicious all the same. I loved the Shredded Beef, the mango really added to the flavour. The only bit that was a little bit of a letdown were the Capital Ribs, which had a batter on them and so were a bit odd. The egg fried rice was also excellent.

It was quite expensive, made more so by ordering through Deliveroo. Was it worth it? Almost!