London - Pizza Pilgrims

My pizza cravings have known no end these past few weeks, but I held out for the good stuff, and this time found myself at the ever popular Pizza Pilgrims in Soho.

We were sitting on the bench by the window watching the passersby, and at one point were awkwardly avoiding the smug stares of a fairly elderly gentleman who thought he had 'scored', and wouldn't move on. He thought we were laughing coyly, we were really laughing in embarrassment.

Anyway, the pizzas themselves were incredibly quick to come. The menu was different to the one online and was small, but interesting. It included a pesto based pizza, a carbonara pizza (with pancetta and an egg), and a margherita that charged extra to include mozzarella, which at first I was a bit puzzled by, but as it turns out you really don't need it as the 'fior di latte' and parmesan were cheese enough.

We both went for the roast aubergine and garlic on margherita. This was delicious, but in future I wouldn't bother with the addition of the aubergine, as it was small scattered chunks of which only a few were really soft and garlicky, so unfortunately many of mine were hard and added nothing much.

The base and crust were delicious, slightly charred on the bottom and not too doughy but yet still chewy, and oh my it was filling. We had planned to get the nutella pizza ring for pudding but there was no way on God's earth that that was happening. So kudos to Pizza Pilgrims, it made for a slightly cheaper meal.

To round it off I would say that it's a great place to go for a speedy and delicious pizza, but I would stick to a margherita. Were I to choose between here and Franco Manca's..... Franco's was a bit thinner and had the sourdough thing going on, but here was simple and classic. See which is nearer...

 

- J

London - Mojo

Mojo. I'm afraid this place ain't got none.

This salad bar/juicery has recently opened up on Berwick Street in Soho, and having some time to kill around lunchtime, I wandered in. From the outside it looks promising. With it's bright green front and happy folk clutching trays of tasters alongside reassuring smiles, you feel kinda good about going in. Everything is geared towards telling you that you're making a wise, healthy, happy choice. Unfortunately, I came out feeling deceived, and almost as if I had made an escape from the happy, smiling Moonies. I'm sorry, taster tray-holders, but it's true.

At lunchtime they have a choice of three staples, alongside which you add two salads. The staples are: two roast chicken thigh fillets, a baked salmon fillet and an beetroot and quinoa quiche. Sounds good, I thought. I was going to opt for the quiche but it looked so heavy, and even slightly unhappy with itself, that I ended up going for the chicken. Now although it was a salad and salads are cold, these chicken fillets were really very cold and even with their slightly odd 'teryaki' sauce it just wasn't very enjoyable. The salads too were a shame. One was raw, and consisted of red cabbage, courgette and fennel. But it didn't have any kind of a dressing and so you were munching through pieces of raw veg that, in my opinion, weren't being drawn together at all. The other salad was much nicer and largely consisted of shredded carrot in a slight sauce, but unfortunately, this came with greasy ribbons of white onion that I kept having to skirt around the plate, and so again overall wasn't that pleasant. The plate was about £8, which wasn't as cheap as it could have been, and was money I wish I had spent elsewhere.

They also do juices, which fared a bit better. However, I would recommend getting one made at the counter and not picking a bottle up from the fridge; the difference in size is astonishing, and I think the counter ones were actually cheaper.

I'm afraid to say that Mojo is therefore a no-no in my books and I'll be skirting around it in future.

If you want a good salad in Soho, head to Mildred's.

- J

London - L'Epiciere

Right at the bottom of Portobello Road, near the old market and yet just before the railway bridge, lies a French cafe that for seats, has hay bales.

It is one of the most charming places I have been in a long while, and is presided over by Jimmy, who gives the place its hushed magic. Without Jimmy, there is no L'Epicerie. Nor is there the French restaurant next door, nor is there that which makes L'Epicerie special. The space is perfectly proportioned in such a way that you feel unencumbered by anything. Even outside the door, the noisy street seems somewhat distant and other-worldly. Simply laid out along the bench is the range of delicious French fare that has come from the little oven in the corner, entreating you to choose something with little fuss and no hurry.

This is a place for family; as Jimmy and I are talking his sister and her family come tumbling in, her baby being swooped up and carried across the street to say hello to Jimmy's boyfriend, who I also met. Punters, family, friends ebb and flow, all greeted with the same cheery hello and echoed goodbye.

With really proper coffee and a seriously tasty plate of mushrooms and melted cheese on sourdough toast, I eked it all out as long as I could, sip by cautious sip.

I'll definitely be going back soon, and if you decide to make the trip, say hello to Jimmy for me.

- J

London - Ume

As I lie in a hospital bed, awaiting the very hit and miss food being served, I reminisce of a recent brilliant city lunch I shared with a friend. Beneath the hustle and bustle of the City, where bankers and lawyers rule the roost, lies a charming little Pan Asian outlet in the aptly named 1 Poultry.

Ume markets itself as a 'fast, healthy and nutritious' restaurant and delivers on all levels. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting, but I was impressed. The menu is perhaps a little on the short side, especially as a lot of the meals included ramen noodles which I'm not a fan of; but once again there were multiple tempting options, including the well-known chicken katsu curry and yakisoba. As someone who often frequents Wagamamas, I wanted something different so I opted for the Kung Pao Chicken with a side of spicy prawn crackers, while my friend went for Ma Po Tofu.

My friends clearly know me well and are aware of my eating habits. The portions were huge. Your typical lunch outlet will provide a single Tupperware box with everything mixed in. Ume filled one box with the meat part, and one box full of rice of your choice. Ume-zing. The meal itself was delicious too. What particularly stood out to me was actually the prawn crackers. I've never experienced prawn crackers like that before but what a difference a bit of seasoning can make!

Absolutely worth trying if you're out and about in the City. All reasonable prices except for drinks which are typically marked up like anywhere else in the centre of town (it's next to a Wetherspoons pub if you're that concerned about money!). I shall be returning.

A

P.S. The website contains the full menu - have a look! http://www.umerestaurant.co.uk/

London - Franco Manca

Finally, a pizza that begs of you to abuse it; to rip, roll and fold it to your hearts content, to snatch at and devour it. (This is getting very 50 shades…) So, before I continue, I would like to assure you that no pizzas were made to do what they didn't want to in the making of this post.

Franco Manca. Home of the heavenly sourdough pizza. These guys have popped up all over the place, you can find them in Brixton, Tottenham Court Road, Westfields, Chiswick, Southfields, so head in nearly any direction on the tube and you can be sure you are honing in on a pizza paradise.

These guys are special because their bases are made from a sourdough that takes 20 hours to rise. The pizzas are then freshly made before being blast-cooked in a brick oven. However, the whole process for the customer, from ordering your food to it being ready, only takes around five minutes. Plus, they're cheap - my Margherita was only £5.90. Now isn't that great? Farewell to waiting hours for a mediocre, overpriced 'Romana' in Pizza Express.

After coming out of yoga this morning I was aware of a pizza craving that had been haunting me for a few days. So, disregarding the fact that I had just been doing plank for what felt like nigh on forever, I decided to reward myself and stroll defiantly home in yoga pants with a pizza box planted firmly under one arm. What awaited me on opening it was glorious. A picture perfect stone-baked pizza. Yet, like I say, this is a pizza that begs you to rip, roll and fold it. For any crust-haters out there, leave your preconceptions outside the box, as this is almost the best bit, for it is soft and slightly chewy, with the tangy hint of sourdough.

Lots of new pizza places are popping up all over London these days, making it tricky to decide which one to venture to. While the main distinguishing feature at Franco Manca is its sourdough base, I would say this is draw enough. They're cheap, quick, as delicious as any of the best pizzas out there, and have the bonus of sourdough. Plus, they're not a pizza you have to treat politely. Feel free to get Grey with them.

- J

Bristol - 51

Here's a short one.

A: Stokes Croft - Bristol's eclectic, independent haven where anything local is praised and endeared. What a wonderful pub though, with three different levels, unusual interior and offered a whole range of different meals using all locally-sourced ingredients in true Bristol style. 51 was classy, yet rough on the edges and a nice change from the big chains that dominate most city centres.
 

J: Another friend joined us and we shared the portobello mushroom and brie burger, which was equally delicious and filling. We were told that all the food there had been tried and tested to make it as healthy as possible, and you could really tell. Even the chips felt healthier than usual and there was a slight tussle for the last few, which is always a good sign.

A: Having had a little gorge earlier, I wasn't fancying something too filling and to my delight the pizzas prepared were specially-made to be lightweight, yet full of filling and flavour. I went for an interesting choice in the butternut squash, ricotta and pine nut pizza. An unusual choice of mine, but not regrettable. A palpable, quaint pizza to fill that little hole - just what I wanted.

 

 

 

A & J 

London - VQ

3am and drawn to the light like a mosquito to a light, we stumbled across VQ along the Fulham Road in Chelsea. We had heard great tales; tales of jaegerbombs and brownies at 8am, of pancakes and breakfast treats at 1am - the legend awaited us in all its shining glory. A 24 hour bistro with a full licence.

Indeed the stories were true - pancakes can be consumed any time of day - with ice cream or bacon depending on what you fancy and alcohol does indeed flow throughout the night and into the next day and through that night too and so forth.

One friend opted for the pancakes - a good choice, albeit at £9. As a typical fairly drunk recent graduate, all I really wanted was a plate of chips. After a bit of a wait what the 'chef' returned to me was not quite what I was expecting. I have to admit, 'Truffle oil chips with blue cheese dip' for £3.50 sounded like a bit of a steal. Rather than some slightly posh fluffy potato scrumptiousness, I was presented with a bowl of what were essentially ready salted crisps. No hint of truffle oil to be found. I paid £3.50 for a packet of crisps... I can't even use the excuse 'this is Chelsea after all', even for Chelsea that's a rip-off. The saving grace though was the blue cheese dip which was actually very tasty with my crisps. My friend however, was not so lucky, ordering 'rustic Italian bread' and receiving - yes, you guessed it - toast.

Attempting to find the least over-priced drink on the menu was fairly difficult, but I settled for a strawberry and mango iced tea which was incredible. Just what I needed.

Having queued to squeeze into this tiny restaurant-bar to receive sub-standard, well-marketed food we were already pretty peeved. The final nail in the coffin was when we received our receipt which was the first time we were told that we were paying for entry to the dive. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if we'd had to pay on the door, but to deceive us up to the point of no return is fairly disgraceful.

Like the mosquito and the light, we'd been drawn in by the allure of the light, only to receive an unexpected death, the death being our money, which felt like it was being snatched from our hands (hypothetically of course - the staff were actually fairly pleasant). We walked towards the light and got our comeuppance. Don't make the same mistake.

A