Cafe 88 Goes Large... cooking does not get fresher than this

If there is one man that loves fresh ingredients then that man is Masterchef’s very own daddy of desserts, Gregg Wallace. Be it fish, fruit, meat or vegetables, barely an episode of the hit BBC show goes by when ‘ingredients expert’ Gregg isn’t hammering home the importance of using fresh ingredients.

On that basis, one place that Gregg would surely love is Café 88. Perfectly located behind the grandeur of Selfridges on Wigmore Street and occupying an imposing corner site, the place always appears busy, with a glamorous mix of smart locals and wealthy tourists permanently glued to its outside seating.

Choosing to sit inside on this particular occasion, it’s a case of going up to the large glass counter to order, and whilst there is an impressive range of tasty looking treats on show to tempt you for afters, I managed to resist and came away having merely ordered a Malbi Chicken sandwich and chips.

All of the food is made to order so there are a couple of minutes to wait but with impressive art works, which change regularly, hanging from the high-ceilings, and a copy of the Daily Telegraph usually doing the rounds, there is always something to look at whilst the action is taking place in the kitchen area.

It’s most definitely worth the wait however, as the soft, crusty white 'sandwich' arrives, packed with grilled chicken breast in a black pepper marinade, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise, pickles, corn and soy that combine to make one awesome lunch, which the above photo will confirm, is in fact a baguette.

If this baguette, which is served warm isn’t enough then there is also a delicious fresh side salad, which uses gloriously red cherry tomatoes, an interesting mix of salad leaves and perhaps rather unusually mushroom, arranged into an attractive dish in its own right and drizzled in a superb balsamic dressing.

Everything tastes not only like it has just been made for you, which of course it has, but almost that it has just been grown for you too, or in the case of the bread, certainly freshly baked. At £4.95 when you eat in that’s not bad at all, and in fact if I worked locally I would be in here every day for certain.

Choosing to take the fusion approach once again, I washed the whole lot down with a cup of English breakfast tea with milk and two sugars. The side order of chips isn’t shown on the large white menu boards but with a golden colour and a soft potato centre they certainly should be, for all to enjoy.

Another cup of tea and a wedge of Victoria sponge round of an extremely relaxing and delicious meal. Two fox’s glacier mints arrive with the bill, ensuring that you are able to leave the premises with breath almost as fresh as the ingredients that have just gone into making your lunch.

For somewhere just off Oxford Street, Café 88 is a real find, an independent café serving fresh food at fabulous prices. So long as that stays the same, then as Arnie would put it… I’ll be back!

Great British Grub at the S & M Cafe

With restaurants in Islington, Spitalfields and Portobello Road, the now six strong S&M Cafe (The S stands for Sausage and the M for Mash...) chain seems to be targeting the Londoner who craves the ‘East end caff’ experience but isn’t really prepared to leave the relative safety of Zone 1 for it.

Having recently realised that the original S&M cafe on Essex Road was in fact Alfredo’s, the chosen hangout for Jimmy and his scooter-riding friends in Quadrophenia, I thought it essential that a visit was paid. The Portobello Road branch was suitably chosen for Saturday lunchtime with a two for £10 deal.

Located beneath the concrete colossus that is the Westway, the place looks every bit the West London mod hangout and inside the authenticity only improves. The heavily retro wallpaper works well with the framed vinyl and vintage film posters that hang from the walls beneath a cleverly angled period mirror.

We were shown to one of the many small wooden tables that give this particular S&M Cafe its own peculiar charm, with each table adorned with a grubby looking red and white check plastic table cloth and every conceivable condiment that ones heart (and pallet) could ever yearn for.

Two glasses of the house wine were ordered and quickly sent over to the table. Given the price that we were paying I was not expecting much from my small glass of red, which was rather lucky really given that it did indeed taste like it had been poured from a dark blue bottle marked ‘POISON’.

For the meat eaters amongst us the menu is food heaven with some fiendishly good bangers on offer, although with just two options to choose from vegetarians may wish to eat elsewhere. Pushing the sausage boat out, I went for the ‘Game Keeper’ of wild boar and pheasant sausages and parsnip mash.

Despite the restaurant now filling up rapidly, and a huddle of soon to be diners waiting by the door for a table to become available, the food arrived quickly and was still hot by the time it hit the table.

Whilst the sausages may have looked like they had been left in the pan slightly too long, ultimately they tasted fantastic, each one packing a unique and powerful flavour. The creamy parsnip mash was perfectly smooth and light, with the wholegrain mustard gravy aimlessly uniting the individual flavours.

On the veggie front things weren’t going quite so well however. Upon cutting, one of the sausages had a middle that was as green as the Wicked Witch of the West and tasted nearly as bad as it looked.

All in all however the S&M idea is a great one and for ten British pounds was just the sort of bargain that one would hope to pick up on the Portobello Road. I would expect more chains to open soon but so long as they keep the authenticity as they had here, then the sky’s the limit… Great British Grub indeed.

This is not just Lunch... this is M&S Lunch

Taking a seat at the u-shaped bar of the M&S Deli Bar – situated on the lower ground floor of the retail giants impressive Kensington High Street store – we were able to watch in awe as the chefs delicately prepared plate after plate of delicious looking food for the happily paying guests.

The clientele is a charming mix of yummy mummies and sophisticated looking couples, out simply to enjoy a spot of lunch in what is an exceptionally relaxed and appealing atmosphere. The relatively small, but highly impressive bar combines well with the sky-blue walls to create a bright and modern space.

Having decided within moments of studying the extensive menu that I would in fact be going for the burger, I quickly turned my attention to the drinks and ordered a bottle of crisp tasting lager, which arrived in a tall elegant glass, the sort that you would expect to find in a top London restaurant.

All of the food and drink available at the Deli Bar is available to purchase in the food hall yet to have it cooked right there in front of you is just too good an opportunity to miss. Clearly I was not alone in my thinking as the bar was filled with people reading the morning paper whilst waiting for their lunch.

What the problem was I do not know but our waitress spent a great deal of time trying to enter our order into the touch-screen computers, which was slightly off-putting, however there was plenty to amuse whilst waiting for our mains to arrive, which they did after a decent ten minutes or so.

The burger looked fantastic, stacked up with salad and melting cheese and with two rashers of bacon on top. As for the bun, my first thought was that they had over-toasted it, yet in fact, it was nothing short of genius, tearing apart with ease to reveal a fluffy white inside that I would duly cover in M&S ketchup.

The ‘chunky chips’ were suitably large yet with only seven on the plate the attempted Jenga stack didn’t really come together. Tasting just as they do from the shelf, the chips were certainly moreish however and I ended up pinching a fair few from my sister’s side order, to compliment her club sandwich.

A fresh slice of tomato was a welcome addition to the burger tower, whilst the meat itself was incredibly juicy and tender, and most definitely 100% beef. I’m not quite sure how they cook the burgers (which are done behind the scenes) as the waitress didn’t ask how I would like it, yet it was beautifully done.

The food was faultless and with a fabulous atmosphere I can easily see why the Deli Bar is a firm favourite with the locals and weekend shoppers alike. The only thing that amazes me in fact is why they don’t have them in other M&S stores across the capital, something that I hope will be changing soon.

Chaineating Strada Style

With the definite exception of wagamama, I am most certainly not an aficionado of the various London restaurant chains, yet having enjoyed a number of meals at Strada in recent years; I thought that a Friday night pre-theatre trip to the New Burlington Street branch with my sister was worth a shout.

Situated just moments from elegant Regent Street, this particular Strada is undoubtedly well-placed for London’s shoppers and as such was exceptionally busy by the time we arrived. The high quality interior works well with dark wood tables, wood floors and various plants combining in a large modern space.

A bottle of complimentary filter water was brought over to the table – a nice touch, especially in London. Having recently been told that trying white wine is altogether unnecessary, I gave the go-ahead for the waitress to ‘pour away’ from the excellent bottle of house white that we had also ordered.

Admittedly, the menu all looks good and I know from previous experience that the Strada pizzas are first class, but this time I had a cunning plan. By ordering a basket of hand stretched pizza bread with pesto and tomato as a starter I could go for a more traditional main and get the best of both, or so I thought.

As such I opted for the Pollo alla Milanese of pan fried chicken breast in seasoned breadcrumbs with spaghetti in a tomato and basil sauce. The pizza bread arrived quickly and was as good as I remembered, with the authentic, thin and crisp base covered in a rich combination of delicious pesto and tomato.

Unfortunately what was to follow was not of the same quality and looking at the various mains being served, Strada need to urgently re-think their strategy on plates and the plating up of their food.

Sitting on a huge, long white plate I was met with a decent sized chicken breast, a segment of lemon and a pathetic spoonful of spaghetti that looked like it had come straight out of a tin marked ‘Heinz’ and certainly never seen a basil plant before. Fortunately however, it tasted, really rather good.

The chicken was succulent and whilst hardly testing of a professional chef was faultlessly cooked. The lemon was squeezed of its last bitter drop and worked wonders, combining nicely with the spaghetti and tomato sauce, which by now was almost making me smirk it was so paltry in size.

Having both ordered the same main (again!), by the end of the meal there were two clean plates on the table, which were swiftly whisked away into the kitchens and replaced with dessert menus. Whilst I couldn’t claim that ‘it was all that pasta I‘ve eaten’ I was however, in no need for any further food.

The bill of £44.26 was settled and the last of wine finished before we left having enjoyed two delicious courses in lively, smart surroundings and actually with very little to grumble about. Whilst I still prefer the charms of the independent restaurant, Strada now joins wagas on my list of ok chains.

Tasting Regency London

Sitting on the corner of Regency Street, the fittingly named Regency Cafe is something of a hidden gem in this sleepy corner of Westminster. The cult 1940’s venue is rightly acknowledged as one of London’s most authentic ‘caffs’ and even made a cameo appearance in the British gangster movie Layer Cake.

Arriving at 11:45 on a Friday, we quickly joined the ever lengthening queue – a healthy mix of builders and public servants – and stood admiring the original cream tiled walls, adorned with various Tottenham Hotspurs memorabilia from the 1970’s and blackboard menus, handwritten in chalk.

Whilst fresh fish and chips seemed to be the order of the day, having debated on and dismissed the set breakfast, I was swiftly drawn to the two sausages, chips and beans at a modest £3.55. Three slices of white bread and a can of pop completed the order and saw the till ringing in at a fabulous £4.90.

By now, the queue had found its way onto the pavement outside, yet fortunately we were able to grab a table right in the thick of the action. The atmosphere at the Regency is incredible; a cacophony of noise being generated by all in this densely packed enclave of Formica tables and brown plastic chairs.

I was relieved to see that the tomato sauce was housed in squeezy bottles, ensuring that even if I did find myself in the highly unlikely position of the unfortunate Freddie Hurst in Layer Cake, having been (ketchup) bottled, it was equally doubtful that I would end up lying on the floor in a coma.

With any other cafe you might rightly expect your meal to be brought to your table, yet the Regency is no other cafe; here your order is boomed out as ‘sausages, chips and baked beans’ or if you’re really lucky they’ll just call out your name, whereby you’re expected to go up and collect your food.

Portions at the Regency are certainly generous and I found my plate piled high with chips of the ‘crisp und dry’ variety, as favoured by the much loved German U-boat Commander in Dad’s Army. A quick sprinkle of salt and vinegar and they were pretty much as perfect as you’re ever likely to find in London.

The baked beans were of a decent quality and similarly the sausages were proper pork, – with seasoning – certainly not your typical ‘chemical sausage’ found at many other London cafes, which admittedly I am rather fond of so I won’t pretend that there is anything wrong with such sausages.

All remaining bean juice was carefully mopped up by the thick pieces of white buttered bread to reveal a sparkling white dinner plate. Sinking the last of my Irn Bru, and I was done. Whilst I won’t pretend that what I had eaten was exactly healthy it was jolly delicious and faultless to boot.

The Regency is a magnificent example of London at its very best, an authentic cafe serving honest food at equally honest prices, with an atmosphere that the monotonous chains could never hope to recreate.

Come Dine With Me... at The Diner

With restaurants in Camden, Shoreditch and Soho, The Diner is fast becoming a mini-chain in its own right, clearly targeting London’s indie scenesters in their glorious vintage clothing.

The Camden branch, located just off the high street on the slightly nondescript Jamestown Road certainly grabs your attention with its red neon signage and black exterior, much the same as the Soho Pizzeria in fact and inside it’s a similar story with clever black tiling creating a cool, moody atmosphere.

The American influence is most evident however when scanning the vast menu, where ‘fries’, ‘shakes’ and ‘dogs’ abound. Worried that a ‘(hot) dog’ would not suffice, I joined my sister and ordered a medium cooked Cheese Burger at £6.50 and a side of fries to share, from our pencil-thin waitress.

Given that this was a Thursday night at seven o clock, I was most disappointed to find that with the exception of two other tables we were the only ‘diners’ in the place. To make matters worse, the music had been turned down almost as low as the lighting, making for a rather quiet and dark restaurant.

Considering that staff appeared to outnumber customers, the burgers didn’t exactly race out of the kitchen, eventually arriving in rather grubby looking black plastic baskets with Diner branded paper.

First impressions were good however, with cheese melting nicely on top of a thick, juicy ‘pattie’, as those in the burger trade (but certainly not I) like to call them. A decent looking bun sat beneath with the related lid adorned with lettuce, a slice of beef tomato, red onion and a token gherkin.

Quickly seeing off the salad element of the meal I was now left with a manageable burger that could in theory be eaten by hand, without the risk of spilling relish over a fresh pair of cream chinos.

Unfortunately the burger could no longer be classed as medium, having been charred around the edges and ultimately arrived at the table ‘well-done’. This was a shame given the quality of the meat and the excellent sesame seed topped bun, which was obviously fresh and when served warm, tasted fantastic.

The chips were equally delicious with a nice golden colour to them. Heinz tomato sauce bottles are placed on every table as well as a bottle of mustard and cellar of salt, with vinegar appearing to be the elusive condiment. The small pot of relish that arrived with the burgers also proved to be tasty enough.

With room still for dessert nothing seemed to jump out at me from the selection on the menu so we decided to leave it for today and simply ask for the bill. Annoyingly, for what is only a burger joint in Camden, a 12.5% discretionary service charge was added, which I reluctantly chose to pay.

Whilst not somewhere I would rush back to, if I ever happen to find myself in Camden sporting a pair of skinny jeans and looking for something a little more than a ‘Big Mac’ then I would certainly give the Diner another whirl.

Fresh thinking takes a swipe on Great Portland Street

The first thing that you’re asked upon arrival at Vapiano on Great Portland Street is ‘Have you been here before?’ which in London usually means that you’re in for something new and exciting.

The major difference between Vapiano and other Italian restaurants is that rather than being served by traditional waiting staff, you are simply given a card that you need to swipe across a reader when ordering your food from the various food counters.

Pasta and pizza both have their own counters as does salads and antipasti in this vibrant, modern space. Next to the pasta counter is a machine that regularly churns out fresh pasta, whilst in the pizza corner, freshly kneaded bases are regularly thrown into the air by the pizza chefs.

We chose to sit at the high tables on comfortable bar stools and went through the menu, which is divided into groups, with dishes in Group A costing £5.50 and those in Group D for £8.50, reflecting the relative cost of the ingredients.

Having eaten (and reviewed) far too many pizzas recently I decided to go with the Insalata Cesare and Bruschetta, for which I took a visit to the salad counter. I placed my order with the chef behind the counter and as expected, was asked to put my card against the reader, which added £8.00 to the balance.

I then stood back and watched as a good handful of cos lettuce leaves, a spoonful of croutons and a ladle of cesare dressing were tossed in a stainless steel bowl, transferred into a dish and topped with a cherry tomato and parmesan shavings, before being placed on the counter ready for me to eat.

For the bruschetta, two thick slices of ciabatta were again cut in front of me and sent around a toaster before reappearing crisp and golden in colour. Rocket was added to the plate along with two healthy spoonfuls of tomato, onion and garlic salsa, all of which took less than a minute to prepare.

In this time Emily had returned too with her pesto pasta and glass bottle of Coke. All the ingredients used at Vapiano are fresh and this is instantly recognised in the tasting.

The cesare salad leaves were crisp and cool; the croutons had just the right crunch and the wholegrain mustard cesare dressing held it all together perfectly with a real kick that was softened by the mature taste of the parmesan.

The ciabatta for the bruschetta was similarly crunchy with a soft and chewy centre, although the tomato salsa topping tasted a little too similar to that with which you would see off a bag of Doritos. At £8.00 for two superb, freshly made dishes however it is difficult to pick fault.

When it comes to settling the bill in Vapiano, you simply walk over to the till and swipe your card, then pay the balance, there are no annoying 12.5% discretionary service charges and the whole process is effortless. It’s a great concept for London and one I’m sure that we’ll be seeing a lot more of.