Review: The Wet Fish Cafe

This week we went on a West London adventure to the Wet Fish Cafe in West Hampstead. The restaurant is on the old premises of a 'wet fish shop' hence the unusual name. The walls are tiled with beautiful green art deco wall tiles which give it a really unique feel.

The restaurant is now in its eighth year of serving modern comfort food to the people of West Hampstead. We arrived around eight and were greeted by the friendly waiting staff and a glass of pink bubbly each! The owner, Andre came over for a quick chat and filled us in about the history of the building.

We both had starters which were beautifully presented, Hayley had crispy squid with sweet chilli mayo. I did sneak a squid ring or two and they were lovely and crispy on the outside and the squid itself was just right and not at all chewy.

I had the scallops with squash houmous and pomegranate dressing. The scallops were big and juicy and although I thought the houmous was an unusual pairing it did work.

The Wet Fish Cafe feature a fish market special on their menu every day and I enjoyed a sea bass broth with summer vegetables and cockles. The sea bass was perfectly cooked and the broth was flavourful and light, my only reservation was that the vegetables were very chunky which I wasn't sure about. The broth also had a scattering of samphire which I adore, it's absolutely fantastic and adds a real depth of flavour.

Hayley had another of the specials, a crayfish and spinach linguine. Although the crayfish was very tasty the portion was a little big and it seemed like there was too much pasta to crayfish.

We also both enjoyed a glass a homemade lemonade, which was refreshing and delicately flavoured with mint, without being overpowering.

I would recommend this restaurant for a casual dinner with friends, this tasty and light, modern comfort food was just right for a warm summer evening. The staff are friendly and welcoming and the unusual decor is a feast for the eyes. If you would like to book, it can be done easily online by clicking here.

Thanks so much for a lovely evening, The Wet Fish Cafe!

Review: Chico Bandito, Shoreditch

Serving Mexican food and Cuban Cocktails.

Chico Bandito (image courtesy of their website)

What Hayley ate: Spicy Beef Chimichanga

Hayley’s Friend 1 (HF1) ate: Chilli Con Carne

HF2 ate: BBQ Cheeseburger

HF3 ate: Hickory BBQ Ribs

Drinks had: Apple Mojito, Mojito and Sol beers. 

As fate would have it, we had originally booked a table for a European restaurant nearby, but after a mix up with the booking, someone in the group mentioned a Mexican place, and so we went.  Bearing in mind that this was a Friday night and quite a small venue, Chico Bandito was able to fit 5 of us (1 was running late and did not eat) straight away even though the place was already quite lively. 

Hayley had been here twice before and so tried a different dish on this occasion; the Spicy Beef Chimichanga was excellent.  The Mexican rice that came with the tortilla wrapped beef was delicious.  As a mild-spice eater, it was perfect, it was only the mixed bean salad which was ultimately mouth-burning (in my opinion), but the sour cream and guacamole helped soften the blow. 

HF2 has a ‘thing’ where he has to order the burger at every new restaurant he goes to, not because he is unadventurous, but he likes to test out the quality of the meat used.  At the end of his meal (and finishing off HF1’s Chilli), his verdict was that it was 'very good’. 

This place is hidden away from the main streets of Shoreditch, but almost every night there are always diners either having dinner, or sipping on one of their many authentic cocktails.  There is always music, friendly waiters and even a sombrero to make your meal a rather fun one.  To add to the experience, HF2 only realised the next day that she had left a cosmetics bag there, as we live close by, Hayley went back in search of it (they’re open from 11am).  The staff were all very welcoming and helpful, even better was that the bag had been found.

If you want a ‘proper meal’ and genuine fun service and no frills then this place is perfect.  There is so much to offer and value for money.  The only downside is that the lighting is quite dim and if you are lucky enough to be given a sombrero to wear, it can occasionally block out your view of your dish, however this is purely clutching at straws.  As Chico Bandito would say, “Don’t Siesta, Let’s Fiesta!”

Overall rating: 9 out of 10

Review: Wahaca, Westfield Stratford City (London)

It was a Sunday night and what better way to end the weekend than a trip for Mexican food and the cinema?

Where we went: Wahaca, Stratford City for "mexican market eating"

What we ate:
Kate - Black Bean Tostadas, MSC Fish Tacos
Hayley - British Steak, the Mexican way, served with green rice
Shared 'Street Food' - Queso Fundido (cactus)

What we drank:

Cocktails

Kate - The Barragan (tequila, grapefruit, lime, lemonade, mint)
Hayley - Hibiscus Mojito (tequila, mint, lime, hibiscus)

Sunday 6pm, we were seated in the pit area.  Quirky choice of furniture for Wahaca, as essentially one of us was seated on the floor with only a cushioned pad to, well, cushion us.
We were served by our 'personal' waitress, who was slightly rushed off her feet.  We ordered our cocktails from the more refreshing selection of drinks.  When they arrived, we weren't disappointed.  They were easy on the eyes with some fresh flavours (and perhaps a little too easy to drink). We like a lot of ice, so for our tastes these were perfect.

Fish Tacos

The great cocktails were a little overshadowed by the fact that we had to wait another 30 minutes before we could order our food.  If we weren't that hungry before, then we were certainly hungry now...and possibly a bit tipsy.  At least we had time to choose.

Cactus Fondue

The food arrived at the same time so there was a slight atmosphere of competitive eating at the table immediately. The cactus fondue with caramelised onion and cheese, was our something different choice of dish.  The cactus was pretty non-descript to be honest, and unfortunately it wasn't very melted!
The steak was cooked medium, but some parts were a bit too red for my personal taste, but the right amount of spice.

British Steak 'The Mexican Way'

The fish tacos were yummy and came with rice and coleslaw. We're real coleslaw lovers but it just didn't live up to our expectations! The tostadas however were fresh and tangy and Kate would have been happy just eating these!

Black Bean Tostadas

All in all, the Wahaca experience was satisfactory.  The food was average.  The drinks were delicious.  The service could have been better.

Overall Egg Rating:

5/10