Review: Tramshed

Chicken or steak?

No really, the website is chickenandsteak.co.uk. If you're still confused as to what food they serve here, then I'm afraid I can't help you. To be fair, for a place that is renowned for chicken and steak, I'm impressed they had a pescatarian and vegetarian section, when some places don't bother. Mark Hix really knows how to sell to people.

The famous Cow and Chicken sculpture. You can't miss it.

Firstly, I have to say the staff are brilliant. On a Friday night in Shoreditch, My Diner Friend (MDF) and I rock up unannounced around about 9pm. Tramshed has been on my hit list for a very long time and I thought I would try my luck. As luck would have it, 2 people were just leaving the bar which we were more than happy to sit by and eat. The waitress suggested we go for a drink nearby and come back in 10 mins while they clear up...15 or so minutes later, we arrive back...to be told that we've been given a table instead. That isn't luck, that's just very good service.

So, we already started off on the right foot, and the rest of the time we were there, we were not disappointed. We started off with the Cock 'n' Bull croquettes (meat and potato) which were divine, we both said we could have just had that as main course, we also tried the Moons Green Beer Stix of meat - turns out it's a bit like Pepperami...only a lot more gourmet style.

The 'Stix'...interesting

Meat or chicken is the next big question - we went for the rib on the bone (rib-eye) to share amongst two (I'm a big fan of the fat). Note - if ordering the chicken, it comes with feet attached - for someone who comes from a Chinese/Asian background, this is no biggie, but if you're squeamish then...deal with it. Rare to medium is how the steak is cooked. This also takes 40minutes, I must admit, I did get a bit impatient waiting but that's only because the people around us ordered separate meals and not a great big chunk of meat, so they came and went, and the staff were great in explaining that meat must not be rushed (I should have known this). Waiting was worth it however, the waiter will be more than happy to cut your meat up for you. We had this with chips and a side of broccoli. The meat was exquisite; it worked pretty well, as I went for the fattier cuts of meat and MDF went for the lean steak. We took the meat directly on the bone home however. The chips were decent, however the bowl it came in was a bit oily and the broccoli was still crunchy (which is how I like it).

We were then too full for dessert, but I kept on dreaming about the meat. It looked and smelled fantastic, it tasted even better. It was cooked to perfection and you can tell it was just a great quality of beef. It may just be the best steak I've ever had.

THE MEAT - it may have been bigger than my head

It's quite pricey, of course it is, but for quality steak then you would have to expect to pay a bit more than your average meal. It's a great place to come with a groups of friends as the sharing plates on offer are great value for money.

Drinks on offer are great. The atmosphere is fun but serious about meat, everyone seems to be on the same wavelength in that they want quality, whether it be service, food or price. By the time it reached midnight, I was disappointed to be leaving, in all honesty I could have sat there for longer and smelt more meat go by.

If you are vegetarian or a bit squeamish about meat, then this place probably isn't ideal, but I would definitely come back here again.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 (I'm a mean critic)

There's even a nod to the cartoon, Cow and Chicken on the wall, which I thought was a great touch.

TRAMSHED REVISITED - August 2015
I went for the chicken to share...mainly because it came with feet attached. The chicken was served comically and was cooked perfectly, if a little too much for two people, but I managed to force it down anyway. I was a bit disappointed with the skin (my favourite bit) as it was way too salty, but I guess that was for the benefit of having crispy skin. The gravy however, was on point. Delish once again!

 

I could murder a burger

So burgers are all the rage at the moment, trendy thick layers of sweet, soft bread, thick juicy mince (medium-cooked of course), a bacon strip possibly, salty melting cheese, slice of tomato, a crisp lettuce leaf, a smattering of relish and/or GARLIC MAYO.

As you can tell, I've had my fair share of burgers, some great, some not-so-much. For me, burgers will never be out of fashion. Here is my rundown of top and some not-so top burgers in London that I have tried and want to try.

Kua'Ana
This small Hawaiin burger joint off Carnaby Street is amazing. Expect queues (like all the rest of them) but the burgers are well worth waiting for. A few to choose from including extra toppings. Messy but delicious. Some proper meat involved. The coleslaw was also very nice and homemade.

Shake Shack
I wanted to see what the fuss is about with this place, so I saved myself and had a Shake Shack burger with crinkly fries in New York City. I can confirm it was good. The cheese is slightly on the salty side, but all in all I really enjoyed the take-out burger on the train from Grand Central on the way to the New York Botanical Gardens. The crinkly fries are refreshing amongst all the straight laced fries and I would give the London version a try, but I'm not sure if I want to ruin a good thing.

Patty & Bun
I took my burger-loving cousin and burger extraordinaire to Patty & Bun over the Easter weekend...he took on bite and said: "This changes everything". We waited for over an hour on James St but it was well worth it. As soon as we got inside, we just forgot about everything else. It's quick, noisy, rustic dining so if it's gourmet and relaxation you're after then this isn't it, but the burgers are definitely gourmet. The meat is thick and juicy, the bread is slightly toasted and not soggy, the sauce was oozy. We went for the Smokey Robinson and Ari Gold, but it was a tight call between those and the special which included duck, chicken and beef in it. The chips were also very fresh and perfectly seasoned. I can't say whether it is my favourite but it's definitely Top 3 material...well worth a visit even with the queues.

Smokey Robinson. Delicious.

Indeed.

Hache Burger
By far the best burger I've had in London (so far). I've been here far too many times, read my full review here. But the fact is the meat is great quality and there are lots of choices to choose from, as well as your choice of bun. A couple of my fellow diners have said Hache has been a better burger than some of the ones they've had in America.

Honest Burger
I really enjoyed both visits here. The burgers are made medium - if a little on the reddish side - but of course you can ask for them to be cooked a bit more. Simple menu but what you see is what you get. Rustic, simple and great tasting. I really enjoyed the rosemary salted chips - if a little too much, it's definitely well-seasoned. There can be queues in the Central London branches but don't let that deter you. Rumour has it, there are more branches planned.

Honky Tonk
Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment. It looks good on the outside but it's definitely more bar than it is restaurant I'm afraid. The medium burger I asked for was quite overdone, the bun was stale and my sweet potato fries were very soggy and not appetising. I visited the Chelsea branch and I must say the service wasn't all that great and everything about that night just went a bit wrong (for them and us). Won't be coming back here again.

Burger & Lobster
Yes, £20 for a lobster is a bargain, but £20 for a burger?! Give it a try though, you won't be disappointed. You do get a mass mound of meat and comes with all the same sides. It was pretty good, but compare it to the lobster...no competition really.

Five Guys
Guys, seriously, don't believe the hype. Not to be mean, but it's basically a glorified McDonald's only a lot more money. Yes, you get to choose every single bit of your burger (sauce, toppings etc), sides, pour your own drink but it's not really worth it if I'm being honest. It cost me over £10 for a 'quick lunch' (it's not that quick due to the masses of people crowding round the collection point), the chips are way over spicy when they say cajun, and my burger came out a bit damp and sweaty. However, I've been told the branches in New York are a lot better, and the prices are like this as they've just swapped the dollar sign for a pound sign. Will definitely try the US version some day.

Meat Mission
Again, a bit disappointed. The decor is the interesting bit of this Shoreditch branch, but the food isn't overly great. My bread was quite oily and it was nothing special. I kind of liked the fact they serve you food on trays with no cutlery but all in all, for a place called Meat Mission, it just didn't meet my expectations. Cocktails, however, were great - I expect the drinks is where its forte is.

BRGR
I went for the Burger Afternoon Tea - basically three mini burgers with different fillings and meat, small pot of fries, several sweet desserts and bellini. I have to say the novelty of it was so much fun - I don't know why anyone hadn't thought of it sooner. Although there was a slight flaw in that the other two mini burgers were sat getting cold and soggy bottom-ed while I ate the first burger. The bun wasn't all that either. However, I would definitely come here again for a full size burger. The beef is Australian/corn-fed or something or another and whatever it is - it tastes DELICIOUS. I'd probably just sack off the afternoon tea and just go for a full burger.

Places still to try:
Dirty Burger
Burger Co
Tommi's Burger Joint - London (I've tried the one in Berlin which was excellent)
Meat & Shake

G&T cupcakes

It was my friend's birthday recently and one thing she really enjoys is a good gin. So what better way than to celebrate than with some gin & tonic cupcakes?! This is a recipe that needs tweaking, so check back here for alterations in the future, my icing needs a bit more work!

Gin & Tonic cupcakes

For a more gourmet style - you could try different flavoured gins (Summer Gin anyone), but for a classic - I'd recommend Hendrick's or Monkey 47 Dry Gin and Fever Tree do great tonic water (both simple and flavoured).

Sponge:
175g unsalted butter - unrefrigerated
175g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
3 medium eggs
4 tablespoons of tonic water (but dependent on taste)
2 tablespoon gin (again, dependent on how strong you want it - but make sure you get the liquid/dry ingredients ratio right)

Icing:
250g unsalted butter - unrefrigerated
500g icing sugar
Juice of one lime (or lime juice)
4 tablespoons gin (again dependent on how strong you want it)
Vanilla extract - optional (see below why)

A lime to decorate!

Pre-heat the oven to around 170 degrees celcius and line your cupcake tin.
Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together until light and creamy (work through the stiff bit if mixing by hand - elbow grease is all it takes)!
Add the eggs one at a time and making sure it is well combined before adding the next one.
Sift in the flour and fold the mixture, making sure not to over do it.
Stir in the tonic water.
Divide the mixture into the cases to just about over half way.
Bake for approx. 20minutes, or unit golden and the skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool on a rack and while still hot pierce each cupcake several times.
Here comes the fun bit - brush as much gin as you want onto your cupcakes, make sure you get all edges!

For the icing, soften the butter with the whisk, add in icing sugar and whisk in carefully (don't do what I did, get carried away and get icing sugar all over my kitchen)
Squeeze in the juice of a lime and add gin. Whip until soft and light (again elbow grease and patience required). I found the lime to be a bit too overpowering here, so I added some vanilla extract to sweeten it up a bit (and possibly some more gin).
Pipe onto your now cooled cupcakes.
Add a slice of line and zest to decorate and voila!

I must admit, I need to work on my presentation (note there is a 'J' icing cupcake for my friend's personalised cake).

Review: Champor Champor

Champor Champor in London Bridge describes itself as a mix of Thai-Malay Asian dining experience. And I would have to agree that that's the only way to describe it.

On arriving at the restaurant I could see the exterior and the diners through the window, but finding the correct door was another matter - FYI, it's just a plain black door that looks like someone's front door. It's quite a cosy and intimate restaurant - especially the opening room, it's more like someone's living room.

I was seated next to the hatch where the food comes down from the kitchen, which wasn't a particularly great seat as it was quite a tight spot in the corner, but luckily they have a cloakroom.

Even though the menu doesn't look too extensive, the ingredients in each dish are so interesting and peculiar that you would want to spend some time mulling over your choices. Pasta appears on some of the dishes too which is quite unusual.

I went for the starter of the Green papaya, crispy tofu, pomegranate somtam and cashew nuts just because I really craved some tofu. The tofu are more like croutons, and it was very spicy! Lucky that the papaya helps to cool your mouth down. My Diner Friend (DF) went for the pate and prawn crackers which was an interesting dish.

But the main courses are really where Champor Champor excels. Honestly, every dish sounded so appealing I was almost tempted to order it all (if it wasn't for the price). I went for the Roasted monk fish, spinach and ricotta ravioloni, mango puree red curry with sticky rice - and it was absolutely delicious. It was a mild curry which made up for my sizzling starter, and exactly what I needed. I do have to admit the single big ravioli type concoction in the curry was a bit strange, and found the ricotta to be too overwhelming within the curry, but it was interesting nonetheless. It didn't put me off completely. The fish was lovely though. My DF had the King prawns green curry, asparagus & butternut squash, which looked like this:

Look how big the prawns are!

At least you get your money's worth when they say King Prawns. They were huge. And the batter wasn't too heavy either which was great.

We were then too full to go for dessert.

But I have to say the curries we both had were really great and tasted fresh. It's quite pricey though. And when we visited, it was a busy night (I recommend you book in advance) and the service was not too great. We waited quite a long while for our main courses to arrive, and my DF almost had her prawn crackers fall over her lap as they slid off her plate when being served them!

All in all, the food was very good. I'm not overly keen on the cosy interior however but by the sounds of things, Champor Champor have no trouble packing in the diners so it must be a winner. I would say it was quite expensive for just a meal out, it's definitely a place where you'd go that was a bit 'special', but would definitely make a visit here again to try out all the other dishes!

RATING: 4 out of 5.

Hakkasan Hanway Place review

Hakkasan has been on my hit list for a long time, ever since I read about it in some celeb magazine actually. I know, it's very superficial but I wanted to find out for myself whether it was worth the hype (and the money).

Dim Sum Sundays are the way forward. It's a sort of taster menu for dim sum - and a great way to spend your Sunday after a Halloween night out.

As you may or may not know, I can be quite snobby when it comes to Chinese food. Having grown up with real home cooked Chinese food, I have found it quite difficult being impressed with many restaurants in London. I wouldn't usually go for the 'luxury' option as the first port of call, it's usually the ones with fast service, sharing tables that offer the best authentic food, but living in the Western world, I would like to find that quality of food in a restaurant I can sit for hours in, and order some good cocktails while I'm there.

I must admit, Hakkasan was pretty good overall. Entering the Hanway Place restaurant (the original) it's very unsuspecting behind the Primark on Tottenham Court Road, however once downstairs, the smell of incense takes over and the blue reception desk is like stepping into a hotel.

Inside dining tables

Let's get to the food though, it was very good. Remember, I have very high expectations when it comes to dim sum, but from a commercial vs authentic angle, it was very good. I enjoyed the food. The warm duck salad was a favourite on the table, light and refreshing. Steamed dim sum was full of meat and fish, which is great as they don't just give you minuscule portions. The pastry also tasted very fresh. The fried dumplings were not too heavy. The squid wasn't overdone, and fried in a light batter which is always a positive. The fish was delicious however, cooked to perfection with a very tasty outside, tender fish in the middle. And the meat just fell off the bone.

Fried dumplings section

One thing is that if you think there's not enough food, you're wrong. The menu starts with the salad, then the steamed dumplings, and sweet fried pieces, which for me personally, I usually save until the end of the meal. Then comes the hot plates, and rice. What I did like, was that it came with a plate of veg, which is a must in my household, if there's no rice, meat, fish and veg, it feels incomplete.

The dessert was a bit much for me, I had the orange chocolate and it was very rich. So anyone who is already feeling pretty stuffed, I wouldn't go for that one! I did like the black slate it came on however.

Hakkasan printed dessert

The drinks are immense. Cocktails are quite strong, but there is a lot of whisky involved, which is not my favourite, and quite an odd combination with dim sum. We went for the £58 menu which included half a bottle of champagne, cocktail plus an after dinner one. We were a table of 4 so shared and swapped the tea version, for £8 a teapot, it's very pricey but the set menu is definitely worth it overall.

One additional note, the staff were very friendly, no snobbiness and helpful when it came to cocktails and explaining the menu to us. They also serve the portions on each plate to the diner, which is great as that's what happens at a banquet, but maybe not so much when everyone's feeling very hungry!

All in all, it was enjoyable, we stayed over a maximum 2 hour stay and didn't feel like we were pressured into leaving. The decor is quite intimate and you feel as though you can talk without worrying about other people. Obviously, for its price, I won't be making a trip here all the time, but for special occasions I can see that I may take my parents here one day in the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Sea bass