Abeno - Museum Street - London - 8.5/10

Luckily for me, the Bear had this Monday off work, so we decided to make the most of it, and try out a different kind of Japanese food. A couple of weeks ago we were browsing through an old 1000 Things To Do In London Time Out book, and we happened upon an entry about Abeno. This restaurant specialises in Okonomi-Yaki, which literally means "cook a little of what you like". Surprisingly, this type of Japanese street food isn't that well known, despite a recent surge in Japanese restaurants, and almost every sandwich shop in the capital selling Sushi. We had to give it a go.

The restaurant is situated on a road very close to the British Museum. It's pretty unassuming. A beige exterior with a little side door leads to a beige interior furnished with table after table equipped with it's own hot plate. It's not that busy and we're seated straight away.

We're given the menus, which come in Japanese and English, and a variety of specials and lunch deals are offered as well. The menu explains exactly what constitutes Okonomi-Yaki. They are "variations on a theme, the theme being a base of cabbage, egg and dough with spring onions, ginger and morsels of tempura' batter filled with a choice of filling and cooked in front of you." We order and wait for the theatre to begin.

First off we ordered some Yaki-Gyoza filled with prawns and fresh asparagus. The lovely looking fresh dumplings arrive with our waiter at our table, and he proceeded to fry the bottom of them, and then cleverly steam them underneath a metal dome with a splash of water, right there in front of us. The entire cooking process is part of the experience. The finished product was very tasty and the filling was very fresh. Some of the best dumplings I've had recently. My only complaint would be, why serve five? When you know there are two people at a table, why an odd number, why not serve six, or even four?

Next came the Piri-Piri Edamame, which are cooked soya beans in a chilli sauce. They were OK, although I couldn't really taste the chilli, and the serving was piteously small. I could buy five times that amount in Wagamama or some such place, for the same price - £3.50!

Now for the main event. Our lovely waiter returned to the table with two metal bowls containing our raw Okonomi-Yaki. The Bear went for the Tokyo mix - pork, prawns and squid, and I for the Tofu mix - tofu and sweetcorn. Our waiter mixed each bowl individually until the ingredients were thoroughly mashed together, and then spooned them onto the hot plate so they resembled a thick pancake. He then place the metal dome onto top to let them cook for a while.

Whilst this was taking place we managed to pick the waiters brains on Japanese food, and this restaurant in particular. It turns out that it's been there for 9 years, who knew! They opened another restaurant in Soho a couple of years ago, and have recently opened restaurant in Hampstead under the same name. We also managed to find out that he lived in Japan for four years, which is why he knew so much about it. He was very courteous and not at all put out by our questions.

Once the Okonomi-Yaki was cooked on both sides, he started the next stage - decoration! Each filling has a recommended decoration of different sauces and accompaniments. The Bear's Tokyo Mix was beautifully decorated in a spiral of Japanese Mayonnaise (which has rice vinegar in it making it slightly sweeter than normal), Okonomi-Yaki sauce, which has a close resemblance to our own HP, Powdered Seaweed, and Dried Smoked Fish Flakes. The end product was a complete work of art.

My Tofu Mix is traditionally decorated with Mirin (a type of rice wine), Powdered Seaweed and Dried Smoked Fish Flakes. Both Okonomi-Yaki looked a picture. And the fish flakes kept twitching in the heat of the hot plate. Quite a spectacle. The lovely waiter left us with the various condiments so we could add to it if we wished.

Now for the taste test. You attack the thing with a kind of mini shovel whilst it remains on the hot plate and then eat it with chopsticks, which is enormous fun. It tastes like nothing I have ever tried before. The mix of flavours and sauces is a heady Asian cocktail. The texture is a halfway house between Fritatta and Scrambled Egg. You could imagine eating this on a cold wintry day and feeling warm and dozy. Proper comfort food.

We went for the Super Deluxe version, which was perfect for The Bear, but far too much for me, especially with the starters. We were so full that there wasn't even a fleeting thought about pudding.

The bill came to £41.40 without service (which was excellent) which I think is pretty steep for lunch. But we did have the works in terms of food. No booze though.

The Okonomi-Yaki were worth every penny, so the restaurant gets two thumbs up for that. But a couple of things let it down. The starters were really overpriced for what they were. £3.50 for a small bowl of soya beans is just not on. And £5.50 for five dumplings is taking the piss.

If they sort out the disparity between the price for mains and starters, this place would be a 10/10. But as it is 8.5/10 will have to suffice.

Harvest Fayre - River Cottage - Dorset - 6/10

On Sunday morning after our meal at the Three Horseshoes Inn in Powerstock, we made our way to River Cottage - think Channel 4 and Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall. They great man himself had opened the farm up for the day for a Harvest Fayre.

After negotiating some very tight bends on some very narrow country roads, we made it to the farm. There was quite a lot to see and do, from craft displays, to a catapult range, book signings and demonstrations, as well as food stalls.

We had a little look round and sampled some of the local produce on offer. From Elderflower Fizz to cheese, meat and jam, the show displayed the best the West Country had to offer. I ended up spending quite a lot at the South Devon Chilli Farm stall.

Gareth, the Bear and I had a go at the catapult, but none of us were much cop.

We then settled down to watch the duck and dog display with a bowl of spinach and chickpea tagine. It was very tasty, with a dollop of natural yoghurt on top. Just right for a lounge on the grass. It was a shame about the display though. Pretty boring if you ask me.

I'm glad I went to River Cottage and saw Hugh in action. But I have to say, that I felt a little removed from it all. As a staunch townie, it was just a little bit too country for me. I like the food, believe me. I'm just not that into hand made knives, old-school carpentry and basket weaving. Sorry.

I reckon I could be tempted back for one of his dinners though.

The Three Horseshoes Inn - Powerstock - Dorset - 7/10

It's been a while. Awfully sorry about that. I've been away and got lazy. I went to Sardinia and ate some fantastic food. If you ever get the chance you should go there and eat your way through a proper Sardinian meal. It's HUGE. Unfortunately I went away a while ago, and it wouldn't do the food justice for me to try and remember it properly, but take my word, it's good.

LUNCH:

More recently, I went to Dorset. Christmas last I got the Bear a voucher to go zorbing. If you haven't heard of it, is attaching yourself to the inside of a big plastic bubble and throwing yourself down a massive hill. The zorbing centre was just outside Dorchester so we decided to make a weekend of it and stay over in Dorset for a couple of nights. We scheduled in some excellent eating opportunities too.

We made it to the zorbing in record time on the Saturday morning and it was quite an experience. I loved every second of it! But the Bear was less impressed, and looked decidedly green after our little tumble.

We still had a good half an hour in the car before we got to the pub we were staying in, and the mix of hunger and adrenalin was starting to fray our tempers slightly. (Along with the Bear's insistence on not stopping at roundabouts!) We wound round tiny country lanes, up and down hills, for what seem like an eternity, and then finally we came to our home for the night. The Three Horseshoes Inn.

The pub is a proper old-man's pub, in a stone building, in the middle of a small village, consisting of a church, the pub, a primary school and a few houses. Perfect.

The pub has a restaurant one side, the bar the other, and a lovely stone terrace out the back, with stunning views of the rolling Dorset hills. We were shown to our room, which was a bit chintzy, but adequate, and then rushed back down to the pub for some lunch.

The lunch menu changes everyday, and is written on a blackboard opposite the bar. There are ten or so choices and we were easily decided. The bar itself, has a thatched roof above it, which is very cheery.

We decide to brave the wasps, and sit outside on the terrace. Despite it being September, the sun was out and blazing, and the view was just beautiful. We couldn't have hoped for better weather or a nicer setting.

I went for the sweet potato and goat's cheese risotto. It was beautifully presented, perfectly seasoned and sprinkled with balsamic. The Bear went for the Ham, Egg and Chips. The eggs were very fresh, and the yolk exploded with orangy goodness when speared by a chunky, crispy chip. The ham was thick cut and local.

We were so impressed by lunch, that we booked the restaurant for us and our chums for dinner.

DINNER:

After a trip to Lyme Regis, which included some fresh seafood (crab meat, whelks, prawns and cockles) and a cream tea, plus a little snooze on the beach in the September sunshine, we returned to the pub, with our chums in tow.

The sun was just setting behind the hills, so we enjoyed a local ale or two on the terrace and admired the vista. After a while it got a little chilly so we joined the rest of the pub's customers in the bar for a hearty meal.

Angela, Gareth and I went for the Scallops in a Lobster Bisque to start. It was excellent. The bisque was thick and full of flavour, and the fresh scallops melted in the mouth. The Bear had a Chicken and Spring Onion Salad with Mustard Mayo. He said it was very tasty and light. Which was good considering the epic proportions of his man course!

For mains, I went for the Fillet of Red Snapper with Crushed New Potatoes and Sun Dried Tomatoes. The fish was ever so slightly over cooked, but not so much that the dish was ruined, I just would have preferred it on the pink side. The crushed potatoes were exquisite. Sometimes you find crushed new potatoes have just been attacked by a spatula, but these were excellently flavoured with garlic and olive oil. They were really quite a treat. All in all, a pretty tasty main course.

Gareth went for the Whole Pigeon, which he said was a little dry, but very nice. Ange and The Bear went for the Whole Mallard with Orange and Ginger. It was huge!! Half the amount of duck would have been a big meal. The Bear did very well and managed to finish the whole thing (with the help of one of the pub's springer spaniels). And Ange did admirably, consuming at least two thirds.

As you can imagine, we were all pretty full, so we gave the puds a miss. Although they were very tempting, with everything on offer, from Star Anise Creme Brulee, Poached Pears, Sticky Toffee Pudding etc.

After a big meal, plenty of booze (including three after dinner brandies), it was very nice to be able to toddle up the stairs to bed. Albeit a chintzy one. The only slight niggle was the church bells going off every fifteen minutes throughout the night. I'm sure that didn't help the Bear with his digestion!

The whole lot, from the first pint on the terrace, to the last brandy, came to £147 without service. What a bloody bargain. The service was friendly and the food of a high standard. If they can stop the church bells, then I'll definitely be back.

Sitaaray - Dury Lane - London - 5/10

It was a very muggy day, like most of August thus far, and I was trudging through the tourists on Dury Lane to find Sitaaray. When I booked the restaurant I was really looking forward to it. I'm a massive curry fan. But the weather on this particular afternoon made me crave a fruit salad rather than a slap up Indian feast. As ever dedicated to the cause, I soldiered on.


Sitaaray is located on London's Dury Lane, which was heaving with tourists walking too slowly, and generally being a nuisance. So it was surprising to say the least when we walked into the restaurant to be greeted by nothing. Zilch. Not a single diner, nor any staff.


The only thing that saved the first impression of the place, was its unusual decoration. The two storey restaurant is covered ceiling to floor with Bollywood memorabilia. There are lush velvet booths, huge spangly chandeliers, and lots of red and gold. It was this alone that enamored the restaurant initially.

After a few moments a suit-clad gentleman entered the room from the kitchen to greet us. He was very courteous, and if I'm not mistaken, hugely grateful for our custom. We were sat in a booth on the second floor, which was beautiful, but a little snug. My thighs weren't designed to fit through a three inch gap between the table and chair arm, but oh well. Maybe it was a gimmick to encourage moderation.

We went for the two course set lunch menu, which included poppadoms, four grills to start, and then a selection of curries, roti and rice. Suitman asked for our dietary requirements and left us to it.

First the poppadoms came. There were all right. Although there was a distinct lack of lime pickle, which was horribly disappointing. They weren't your traditional round, plate-size poppadoms, but rather the small square ones that normally come in a packet from behind the pub counter.


Whilst tucking in our drinks came. We both went for the Mango Lassi, which was excellent. The thick yoghurty drink was thick with fruit and ice cold. The best I've had in London.

Next the starters, which were four grilled kebabs. My plate included Pudina Fish, grilled in a mint and chilli paste, Crispy Battered Fish flavoured with dill, Chapate Khumb, which is mushrooms grilled in a spicy red paste, and Methi Makkai Kabab, which is a sweetcorn patty cooked on an iron plate. All of the grills were excellent. Especially the mushrooms and the fish flavoured with dill. The presentation was pleasing as well with all the grills placed on a square stainless steel plate. The Bear was happy with his meat alternatives, which included spiced chargrilled chicken.

If I had rated the restaurant after the starters it would have got a much higher mark. Despite the lack of customers, the food so far was expertly cooked, and surprisingly light. The decor is something I've not seen before, and made you feel like you were in a Bollywood movie, with TV screens mounted on the walls playing hits. Think Hard Rock Cafe, but Bollywood.


But unfortunately, the main came, and it didn't live up to the rest of the meal. The Roti was ok, but a little greasy. The Tarka Dal and Matar Paneer were awash with cream. They was more cream than anything else. The Dal especially just had a few sad, black lentils floating like dead flies in a sea of pinky gunk. The one saving grace was the Sag, or spinach to you and me. It was cooked but not slimy, and big broad beans ran through it. There was no spinach left by the end, but quite a lot of everything else.

To recap: poppadoms - OK, mango lassi - yum yum yum, starters - pretty good, mains - bit rubbish.

One thing I will remember about Sitaaray is the loos. My, what a sight! I though I'd entered a 70's brothel. The toilets were tiled in this exquisitely kitch gold, which flowed along the walls, only interrupted by lavish mirrors. I want this toilet in my house!


Sitaaray was disappointing. The atmosphere was non-existent, and although the food started out great, it was downhill after the starter. The bill came to £40 including two courses, water, lassis and service.


I've been to better Indians. I probably won't go back to Sitaaray. But if you like a theme to your meal, then it might be worth a go. Best to go in the evening though, if you want any company.

Chompy's Mini Eat - Thai Metro - Charlotte Street - 5/10

The Bear and I went out for the afternoon. We had a wander round the British Museum and generally basked in the sun, for fear of it being one of the only sunny days this summer. During this lovely afternoon it was necessary to fuel up, and we decided to take a wander down Goodge Street to see what we could find.

We walked past the Thai and Chinese buffet when we saw that they were serving up onion rings!! We didn't really fancy the Spaghetti House or Ping Pong, so we decided to take a turn down Charlotte Street and try our luck there.

Almost straight away we noticed Thai Metro. It looked alright, and it had a very cheap lunch menu of two courses for £7.95. Nice.

We were quickly sat at a small but smart table in a clean and bright restaurant, full of lunch time business people. The Express Lunch menu was fairly extensive for such a low price and there were veggie options for most of the curries - although no prawns.

The Bear went for the Dumplings to start, which were a bit on the small side, but serviceable. I went for the Tempura Vegetables, which were OK. The batter was a little soggy, they weren't served with the right dipping sauce, and there was no aubergine (my personal favourite).

For the main event I went for the Tofu Red Curry, which was packed with veg and was a good size. There could have been more chilli though. The Bear went for the Chicken Panang, which he wolfed down. Pretty much without breathing.

For two courses each and two green teas (which were topped up during the meal) the bill came to £19 including service. I wouldn't go out of my way to go back, especially for an evening meal, but if you're hungry at lunch and in the area its a cheap and tasty way to go.

Tay Do - Kingsland Road - Shoreditch - 5/10

The other night the Bear and I were taken out by The Bastard and the Rocket. The Bastard and the Rocket are good friends of ours that we met in a field in Herefordshire one damp August weekend, whilst listening to UK Apache, but enough about that!

They're a lovely couple that live in Shoreditch, which is pretty much the opposite end of London to us, so they very kindly shared a bit of local restaurant knowledge. The Kingsland Road is lined with Vietnamese restaurants and the thought of some spicy noodle soup was the only thing that got me through my eight hours in the office that day.

The particular restaurant we went to was Tay Do, which is BYOB and bright green. The place is heaving, and the windows are sweaty with condensation. It looks very inviting in a basic kind of way. We're seated towards the back of the restaurant and given the extensive menu and glasses for our beer purchased from the offy next door.

The menu is very long. Too long really. I was overwhelmed by the choice and found myself relying on our friends to tell us what they'd had before. It's one of my pet hates, long menus. Especially when most of the dishes are just repeats with different meats. Undaunted, we order and await a feast.

The starters and main courses arrive as soon as they're ready, so there's no standing on ceremony. To begin with we ordered Summer Rolls and a starter Platter, which included Ribs, Spring Rolls, Crispy Seaweed and Prawn Toast. The platter was average, the spring rolls being the stand out. The Summer Rolls were better. They're pancakes filled with prawns, spring onion, cucumber and basil, served with plum dipping sauce. They were fresh and light, so they lived up to their Summer title. And the sauce was excellent.

The main course came rapidly after the starters. I went for the fried Tilapia with Mango sauce. It was a bit disappointing. The fish was pretty solid. If you picked it up and hit it over someones head, they'd probably get a concussion. Having said that, the flavour of the spices and mango sauce was very good, just a shame they'd been incinerated. It was served with a thin spicy dipping sauce, which made it more palatable, but nearly took my head off. A few chilli tears were shed by me over that sauce.

The Bear went for a noodle soup, as did the Rocket. They were both served with a separate portion of bean sprouts, Thai basil and lemon, which you could add to your soup at will, which was a nice touch. But the Bear was a little disappointed with the soup itself. The depth of flavour just wasn't there and the flavour of the stock over-powered everything else.

The Bastard went for Spicy Tofu, and she kindly put some my way. It was OK. The tofu was well cooked. It wasn't falling apart and it wasn't rock hard either. But again there was something lacking. I could see big slices of red chillies in the dish, but I couldn't really taste them.

We also ordered some Egg Fried Rice. I wouldn't normally mention this particular dish, as one is usually the same as another. But at this restaurant, it was the stand out for me. The egg used was bright orange and ran through the rice in generous veins. The rice was perfectly cooked. It's just a shame the more fancy plates didn't live up to the standard of their humble accompaniment.

What the food lacked in flavour, it made up for in quantity, so we were properly stuffed by the end of it. But one more disappointment was waiting. Once the plates were cleared, without so much as a "by your leave", the bill was thrust on the table. We hadn't even asked for it. It was pretty obvious that the staff wanted us to move on as quickly as possible so some more customers could jump in our graves. Not good.

To spite them we stayed drinking our beer for another 45 minutes. That'll show them.

The whole lot came to £42, which for four people is bloody cheap. So I guess that's one reason to go.

One other saving grace was the company. There wasn't a dull moment with the Bastard and the Rocket. In fact, the whole restaurant was jumping. I'm sure I would have got a hell of a lot more pissed off it it hadn't been for the atmosphere. The place had a real buzz and it certainly made up for its shortcomings. Everyone in the restaurant was having a good time, and I guess that's what this place is all about. Bring your mates, bring your beer, eat some food, and have a good time. And that's what we did. I'm sure the Bear, the Bastard, the Rocket and me will all be out eating again soon.

Chompy's Mini Eat - Sartaj Balti House - Earlham Street - Covent Garden - 8/10

Last night the Bear and I were going to the theatre, daaahlink. Therefore we didn't have much time between work and entertainment. In fact, we had exactly 45 minutes. But we didn't want to succumb to the bland cafe sandwich or the nasty takeaway. How on earth were we to eat well, and in so short a time, for little money?

The answer is the Sartaj Balti House. This unassuming restaurant is bang in the middle of Covent Garden by Seven Dials, surrounded by illustrious restaurants and pretty people. If you weren't on the look out for it, you'd miss it. The white outside leads to a dingy and dark interior packed with tables. The room is made to look even more crowded by the back wall, which is totally covered in mirrors.

Although it doesn't look much, this place is a real gem. They do a pre-theatre deal of any main balti dish with unlimited naan bread for £6.50. You just can't argue with that. Plus, the food is REALLY good.

I went for a Fish Dansak and the Bear went for the Chicken Dansak (we're both so original). The curry was spicy, full of fresh vegetables and flavour. The naan was crisp, non-greasy and moreish. We also ordered Mango Lassis to drink, which are yoghurty fruit drinks. They were the best I've had in London by a long way.

The service was speedy. The price was right. And we even got a minty chocolate with the bill. If you're ever in need of food in a rush, but don't want to pay £6 for an egg sandwich, then you should give this place a go.