Review: Oliver's Fish and Chips, Belsize Park

I love fish, I love potatoes and I love mushy peas.

We came to Oliver's mainly for my GFF (Gluten Free Friend) as they have a separate fryer for this option, plus every week they change their oil so we decided to visit on this particular day.

Even though it is advertised as being in Belsize Park, Chalk Farm station is just a 10 minute walk away and I would make this journey again and again if I could.

The fish is as fresh as you can imagine - all from Billingsgate Market, we went for two haddocks and one plaice.

The plaice was huge - the fish that is. Although there are reasonable seats in the 'restaurant' area

The batter was great too - fresh and not too oily, and unlike others, it doesn't overtake the actual fish itself.

The chips were ok - home-made but not as crisp as I would prefer.

Mushy peas were fantastic though.

I haven't found a traditional (and good) fish and chips place yet in London, but Oliver's is close (so is Poppies) - I would probably come back for the fish though.

 

Fresh, non-oily batter makes all the difference

 

Review: Pond, Dalston

We had heard great things about Pond, the Hawaiian restaurant in Dalston (strange but true), so we thought we'll come for a visit on a Sunday for their take on the roast.

To say I was left feeling disappointed would be an accurate description, though I did enjoy their cocktail menu and general bar area.

There was a choice of three on the roast menu - all coming with a combination of sides - here's the menu:

There was a group of us, so between us we ended ordering everything (twice). The major factor in the disappointment was that the smoked turkey didn't actually come with cranberry sauce - apparently the menu changes daily and today was not cranberry sauce day...which is a bit strange as the two go together like fish and chips, or so you would have thought. Anyway, fair enough if that's the case, but we thought on ordering the dish, it would have been good to let us know the sauce would not be available rather than us having to ask after we had been served the plates. 

The other factor was that not all the sides came with the dishes, even though it clearly states on the menu that it "all comes with...". I think it was a matter of managing expectations, as the food itself was generally good. The smokiness of the turkey really added to it (albeit on the dry side), I rather enjoyed the pumpkin, but not too keen on the hushpuppies. They were described to us as croquettes, but it was just really a cauliflower in batter. And the meatloaf was described as pretty good. 

The pumpkin

Turkey, without the cranberry

I'm not sure I would visit Pond again, but most of the positive reviews are for the bar food, so that may be where the good stuff lies - there was a steamed bun option I had my eye on. 

They were pretty good with the GF options and knew their stuff and it was quite a nice atmosphere, it started to get busy later on in the afternoon and I can imagine this would make a quirky, different place to take friends, but I think my experience was marred by the fact the food was not all there unfortunately. 

It's saving grace was a cardboard shark hanging from the ceiling.

RATING: 2 out 5

Make It Easy Cookbook by Jane Lovett

In Make It Easy cookbook, Jane Lovett offers more than 100 delicious recipes that emphasise getting much of the work done ahead of time, so that by the time your guests arrive you can enjoy their company rather than worry about what you should be doing in the kitchen.

Dishes range from baked Vietnamese sea bass to slow-roast shoulder of lamb boulangere, and parmesan-baked fennel to ginger creams with pistachio brittle, these foolproof recipes have been tested and perfected by the author.

This is also a great little go-to for mid-week dinners as a lot of the ingredients can be found in your supermarket, but resulting in some pretty-sounding dishes. Jane even manages to make salad sound appealing.

Jane is an experienced cook who runs cookery demonstrations from her home and around the country. She writes a regular food column in a regional newspaper as well as a regular contributor to various publications. Having trained at the Cordon Bleu in London, she has worked at Leiths Good For and taught at Leiths School of Food & Wine.

www.janelovett.com

Get this yours now (or handy Christmas present) for £12.99

Slow fried lemon and oregano potatoes

We made this easy peasy recipe from Jane's cookbook. I must say it was more simple that I imagined, and very delicious.

OK, so I had some help in the kitchen, but if a novice like him can do it, it should be a doddle

Buttery potatoes on the way

We decided to add some bacon to it, just because, but the recipe was easy to follow, ingredients were not too 'out there' and it tasted so good, we wish we had made more. We had our potato side with salmon, which was a perfect weekday meal. I will be trying out some more extravagant dishes for sure, as they all seem achievable in terms of time, and if the potatoes are anything to go by, simple ingredients can go a long way in flavour! 

Add the spinach at the end for a slight wilt - it looked rather like the photo in the book.

Ta-da! Yum.

Biteappy

It's all about apps nowadays and Biteappy lets you, well, Bite Happy.

This is perfect for anyone with food intolerances or allergies. Biteappy is the first and only app to comprehensively address all dietary requirements when eating-out on a worldwide basis.

Biteappy has a comprehensive search directory of restaurants with suitable menus for people with dietary issues and/or allergies such as gluten free, vegans, nut free, dairy free, MSG free, preservative free and other lesser known ingredient free requirements, such as celery and mustard, as well as speciality foods including Kosher and Halal.

Biteappy users select their dietary requirement and cuisine criteria, plus geographical location, and the app will identify all the suitable restaurants in the area. The app also includes a translation card with over 25 languages so users can use it abroad.

The app is created by Caroline Oldham, a coeliac with an additional lactose allergy:
"I have always found it a challenge to eat out especially when abroad and being able to feel confident about [food allergies] being taken seriously. Whilst a lot of apps allow for a gluten-free search there is nothing that collectively brings all allergies together so Biteappy helps with the many people with multiple allergies.
"My aim is to help others like me who have struggled over the years to start to have the confidence to eat out again."

Biteappy is available to download for free from the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

Your Food Diary 2016

Some handy diary dates for ya - the whole year of food-related ocassions! You never need to make up an excuse ever again!

Check it out here.

My favourite is National Tripe Day. I do love tripe. 

London's Luxury Risottos

I love a good risotto, but finding the right one can be difficult, especially as everyone's tastes are so different when it comes to this ricey dish. Now Christmas is coming up, why not treat yourself to a luxury risotto?

Top Five Luxury Risottos. If you do try any of them, let me know what your thoughts are!

1. Bella Cosa - Prosecco Risotto. Prosecco you say? Sold! This risotto is made with Ferrari Sparkling Wine, langoustine, Bisque and Autumn Truffle - £19. This restaurant is set to become the hottest new addition to London's Italian restaurant scene in South Quay at Canary Wharf with some spectacular cityscape views to go with it.

2. Bocca di Lupo in Soho - Pumpkin and Amaretti Risotto, butter and sage from Lombardia, Italy - £18. Pumpkin is ALWAYS a good choice.

3. Zafferano - Risotto Zafferano (aka Saffron risotto) - at a pricier end at £22.50.

4. Locanda Locatelli (Michelin Star, Sicilian cuisine) - Risotto all'anatra e finferli scozzesi, duck and Scottish Girole Mushroom Risotto - £18.50. Tempted...

5. Murano (Angela Hartnett, Michelin Star) - Carnaroli Risotto, butternut squash, goats curd, pumpkin seeds - a set lunch menu of two courses at £28 - bargain!