Kurobuta

Japanese Pop Up Goes Permanent in Marble Arch 

After hearing rave reviews about Kurobuta's pop up in Chelsea, I thought it best that I visit Scott Hallsworth's new permanent establishment in Marble Arch. A few friends and I popped in on Easter Monday, a mere 5 days after the restaurant had opened. And it seemed, well, unfinished.

The restaurant's decor is very basic. I'm talking wooden tables and benches with some bar style high chairs in the corner too. There is some interesting detailing and lighting above the bar but this restaurant is all about the service and food.

The waiting staff were extremely pleasant and attentive and unsurprisingly, they are all from Australia. We started off with some cocktails as they had run out of Coke... *awkward silence*. Definitely an indication of a newbie in town! I went for the Saketini which was strong but sweet and one of my fellow diners opted for the Porn Star Martini with a shot of champagne.

As with most Japanese restaurants in London, the food is designed for sharing and each dish arrives as and when it is ready. We ordered snacks such as the sweet potato fries... "Japanese?!" I hear you ask. Well, at least they were accompanied by a spicy ponzu-esque sauce which was tangy and delicious. The sweet potato fries themselves were crunchy and the perfect start to the meal.

We also ordered the Flamed Edamame with Sake, Lemon, Butter and Maldon Salt and the Broad Bean Tempura. Unfortunately the Edamame had been overly seasoned with the Maldon Sea Salt which caused winky faces amongst all of us and the Broad Bean Tempura had an odd after taste.

The meal definitely improved throughout the evening and we opted for a variety of dishes.

The Tea Smoked Lamb with Spicy Korean Miso - too smoky for my liking but some interesting flavours nonetheless! It was definitely different to the famous lamb chops served up by Zuma and Roka.

Miso Grilled Baby Chicken with Spicy Lemon Garlic Sauce - tender and sweet.

Spicy Tuna Maki Rolled in Tempura Crunchies - soft, spicy and superb.

Soft Shell Crab Tempura Maki with Kimchee Mayo - once again soft, which sounds like an odd way to describe sushi, but it really was "melt in your mouth" kinda stuff. However, it was a little messy on the plate.

Baby Shrimp Tempura with Spicy Mayo - it didn't compare to its equivalent at Nobu, but that's a hard act to follow! Credit where it's due, it was still an excellent dish.

I was really looking forward to the Tuna Sashimi Pizza which has come over from the Chelsea pop up and has been blogged and reviewed galore. Although we ordered it, it never arrived and unfortunately I forgot all about it. Perhaps one too many cocktails by that point in the evening!

Whilst ordering I was informed that the restaurant was out of the Yellowtail Sashimi. Yellowtail Sashimi is my absolute favourite dish in a Japanese restaurant. A little disappointing, but I lived!

For dessert, our waitress recommended the Japanese carrot cake, but we were surprisingly(!) full and went for some lighter options; the Pistachio Cream dessert and another Pistachio concoction which involved mini Doughnuts and a Lime Jelly. So not that light really! And a tad heavy on the Pistachio. The desserts were beautifully presented but the Pistachio Cream dessert was so-so. I will be sure to trust the waitress's recommendation next time around.

There are definite teething problems but Kurobuta has a lot of potential. I am keen to visit the restaurant again in a few months time and I'm sure it will be really successful in the interim and beyond.

If you're looking for a chilled non-glam evening with genuinely good food - Kurobuta is the place to go.

Rating 3.5/5

http://kurobuta-london.com/marble-arch/

Big Easy

Bar.B.Q & Crabshack in Covent Garden 

After two failed walk in attempts, I finally managed to nab a table at this new crab shack in Covent Garden. I put this down to the fact that it was Easter Sunday hence London was eerily quiet. Having said that, I would recommend that you make a reservation at least two weeks in advance of whenever you want to visit.

Big Easy is the second restaurant in the chain following the twenty two year old original restaurant on the Kings Road in Chelsea. Big Easy in Covent Garden is decked out with all of the features that one would expect from a southern barbecue joint along with a mahoosive bar and a mixture of high and standard seating.

We started off with the Pit-Smoked Bar.B.Q Chicken Wings. They were simple and tangy and the presentation was as expected.  Unfortunately, the celery garnish looked a little dreary! But nonetheless, a good starter choice to share. 

For the main course, my fellow diner ordered the New England Lobster Roll. Neither of us have been to Burger & Lobster so we had nothing to compare it to...but it was delicious!

I ordered the Lobster Fest. The Lobster Fest includes a whole fresh Lobster served with Fries, House Salad and a Slushie Cocktail (a Strawberry Daiquiri). I chose the Garlic Butter sauce to go with my Lobster but there are Drawn Butter and Hollandaise options too. FYI, Drawn Butter is just melted butter. You learn something new every day!  

The Lobster was absolutely superb. It was perfectly cooked and the meat flaked off the shell effortlessly. It was on par with the Lobsters I have had in beach-side shacks in the Bahamas and St. Kitts - and believe me, that is a big statement.

The only downside to the meal was the drinks. The cocktail menu was limited considering the number of bottles that were stacked behind the bar. I ordered a Ramos Gin Fuzz but sent it back twice as it didn’t seem to contain any gin! The Strawberry Daiquiri was a tad manufactured but at least it had a bit of a kick!

Put simply, Big Easy is informal, loud and fun. The atmosphere screams casual and thankfully there are no compromises on the quality of the food.

P.S. I have already re-booked Big Easy for a couple of weeks’ time for a girly night out. That’s definitely a sign of an enjoyable dining experience!

Rating: 4/5

http://bigeasy.co.uk/#home

The Grocer at 91

"Deli-cious" 

This Easter weekend, my friends and I caught up over lunch in Old Amersham - returning to our country girl roots! Although this blog is described as "a foodie's guide to London's hottest restaurants," I simply had to write about The Grocer at 91.  If any of you Londoners are brave enough to venture outside of the M25, you must visit this delightful gem of a place. 

The Grocer at 91 is a lovely little deli serving up freshly prepared sandwiches and boards. They also offer a selection of perfectly blended coffee, and cakes that are prepared by talented local bakers.

We felt spoilt for choice whilst perusing the menu and eventually settled on the Grocer's choice entitled "The 91 Sandwich." This scrumptious sandwich contains fillet of beef, chilli pecorino, truffle salami, balsamic onion jam, plum tomato and Russian dressing. 

We also chose another similar option, a roast fillet of beef sandwich with vine tomato, white onion and dijon mustard mayonnaise. 

The portions were extremely generous and the beef was tender, succulent and chilled. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to consume the monstrous portion and the waiters were kind enough to put the remains into a "doggy bag" for me to take home!

The Grocer at 91 creates an informal rustic atmosphere with its old refectory table, blackboards, fresh produce and authentic Italian deli products. There is exceptional attention to detail and a focus on good quality ingredients and it all comes together as one of my new favourite lunch spots back home. 

Oh, and I just loved this...

Rating: 5/5

http://www.thegrocerat91.co.uk/

Opera Tavern

This week, my friend and I popped into Opera Tavern. It seemed to be the perfect choice for a light bite and a chilled glass of wine on a pleasantly sunny evening. 

We managed to avoid the pre-theatre rush and were seated immediately. The restaurant was surprisingly non-descript and lacked character in comparison to Salt Yard - its sister restaurant in Fitzrovia.

We were forgotten on arrival and had to ask for our order to be taken. Our waitress also struggled to assist us with a choice of white wine and warned us that the Grilled Beef Bavette with Trevise, Braised Onions and Balsamic was "chewy." As helpful as it may sound, I queried why the restaurant was willing to offer a dish that its staff do not condone. I was intrigued...so we ordered it anyway. 

Our waitress also informed us of the special of the evening, Jambon Croquettes. Her description was enticing until she topped it off with "and at £6.50, it's a complete bargain!" Not the best way to sell a dish at a well-respected Tapas restaurant in London.  

The menu is the perfect combination of fish, meat and vegetable options and I must admit, I wanted to order everything. We settled on Crab and Saffron Croquettes with Piquillo Aioli; Wild Bass with Fennel, Chilli, Clams and Wild Garlic; Ibérico Pork Loin with Caramelised Swede Purée and Purple Sprouting Broccoli and the infamous Beef Bavette.

The Crab Croquettes were a good start to the meal – mildly flavoured and crispy. However, my fellow dinner was not impressed and described them as dull. Unfortunately, the meal didn’t get much better. The Bass was fishy, the Beef was chewy (ha!) and the Cold Chocolate Fondant was thick and sticky. The only saving grace was the Pork Loin – which was delicious, but cold.

The most memorable part of the evening was the small, open and slightly raised kitchen at the back of the restaurant…and the two incredibly good looking chefs within it. So I suppose it wasn’t all bad.

Rating 2.5/5

http://www.operatavern.co.uk/