LUCKY CHIP POP-UP AT CLIMPSON'S ARCH

Behind London Fields Park under Climpson's Arch, where many a fine event has taken place, you can now find Lucky Chip who are dishing out all kinds of awesomeness from oysters and lobster to lamb chops and 'fingering' potatoes - don't worry they have nothing to do with what happened behind the bike shed. You'll find them open every Thursday through to Sunday, and if you've ever sampled one of their burgers you'll know this is not to be missed, we mean just take a look at the below...

Thurs 5.30-10pm, Fri 5.30-11pm, Sat 12.30-11pm, Sun 12.30-9pm
Climpson & Sons Coffee Roastery, Arch 374 Helmsley Place, E8 3SB
www.luckychipuk.com

REVIEW: PANINO GIUSTO

Panino Giusto opened its first London restaurant at Royal Exchange in the city in April. The Milanese chain have 22 restaurants spread across Italy and pride themselves on serving traditional Italian themed dishes made from quality ingredients.

On the menu you'll find a huge selection of cured meats, we sampled the Italiano which included Parma Ham, Praga Ham, Bresaola, Mortadella with pistachio nuts and Speck. The meats were served in a whopping great big portion with olive oil (made in house) balsamic vinegar and a basket of bread. Definitely not one for the faint hearted...

We'd suggest you skip the mains and stick with the fresh meat boards paired with a glass or two of the wines, all sourced from small individually selected Italian vineyards. If you're after a cold crisp white on a nice summers night try the good old Sauvignon Blanc. In Italy the restaurants are famous for their Panini - the clue is in the name - so if you're a fan you might want to get down and check them out.

3 Royal Exchange Buildings, EC3V 3LR
www.paninogiusto.it

REVIEW: GOAT

West London, a place London On The Inside need to explore more often and when the sun is out on a Sunday it feels like a different city compared to the crazy East End - Holiday vibes baby! This trip was to check out Goat, previously Goat In Boots a pub housed in a 350-year-old building, the venue has a facelift and now houses a restaurant, cocktail bar and secret cocktail den. The original features of the building have been revamped to create a bright airy space with modern decor and a nod to times gone by.

The menu is inspired by New York-Italian dishes like wood-fired pizza and char-grilled steak. We tried the meatballs to start, served in a cast iron pot the three tender balls coated in a rich, spicy tomato sauce started the meal off with a bang. For mains the lobster pizza caught our attention, at £21 it seemed a little steep but this is West London darling and that is real lobster....The light and crispy base, although lacking a bit in tomato sauce, was topped with lobster chunks, pancetta and cheese. A nice change from your usual toppings but we're still not sure we'd pay a whole £21 for it.

Dessert saw us take on the homemade apple pie with a scoop of ice cream and the peanut butter cheesecake, both generous portions which ensured we left full to the brim. Not in the mood for food then check out the third floor cocktail bar -  try the Rhurbarb Bellini, summer in a glass and at just £7.50 it's pretty ACE.

The Goat, 333 Fulham Road SW10 9QL
www.goatchelsea.com

THE HANGOVER CLUB...

Now it's warming up a little we'll probably find our alcohol intake shoots through the roof...like encouragement is bloody needed! But look what's here to help salvage the day once you awaken from a drunken haze...The Hangover Club with their rooftop residency at The Skyroom. Serving brunch from 11am through to 3pm the Good Egg are on hand to kick that hangover square in the balls...what a wake up call! Expect dishes like breakfast burritos, exotic Shakshuka and healthy egg white omelettes and with Detox or Re-tox beverages you are sure to be feeling like a winner...wanna go to the pub then?

Every Saturday from 11am - 3pm
The Skyroom, 148 Tooley St, SE1 2TU
hello.thegoodeggco.com

COTTONS RHUM SHACK POP-UP AT BOX PARK

Earlier this month Cottons Rhum Shack took up residency at Box Park bringing the Caribbean Sunshine to Shoreditch, well nearly. But hopefully this will encourage the type of weather that is needed for jerk chicken, 250 rums, Caribbean music and cocktail fuelled parties. Oh yes, it is time to get seriously laid back and enjoy a refreshing beverage and some spicy food at their outside bar...man!

Cottons Rhum Shack
48-49 Boxpark, 2-4 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6GY
www.rhumshack.co.uk

HOT & SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES

Summer is a time for fresh, healthy dishes, and not all of them are in the sweaty local café. Alright, so you can save yourself some time and effort eating out, alfresco in the summer sunshine. But the summer season also makes cooking a bit easier in a lot of different ways. Grilling gets trendy, cold food is refreshing, and the heat makes you want lighter meals, which all adds up to some pretty simple recipes...

So we've made it a bit easier on you and listed our top recipes. We looked through various sources for some of the most tempting, delicious sounding, and simple summer recipes that even those who've had to call the fire brigade can handle. Have a spy at these tasty fellas and get ready to impress friends, family, dates and mates with minimum effort...

English Summer Salad
Salad's almost too easy, but the English Summer Salad outlined in BBC's Good Food section at least acts like something a bit more complex. Boil peas and broad beans for 2 minutes max, dress them in oil, and lay them out over thinly sliced spring onions. Then dress your lettuce in oil and lemon juice, put it all together and add herbs and seasoning. Simple salad, a few filling ingredients, and just 5-10 minutes of prep time? Yes please.

Summer Kebabs
Truth be told, nothing really makes it a "summer kebab," except for that no one seems to eat kebabs in any other season. This is one of the simplest meals in the book - just skewer whatever ingredients you want (chunks of meat, mushrooms, veggies, and even hunks of fruit if you want to be adventurous) onto stakes and throw them on the grill, and your job's done. Throw in a nice bottle of summer wine from M&S and you've got yourself a ready-made warm weather cookout.

Eggplant Stacks
Eating Well notes a good way to upgrade a caprese salad to something a bit more filling. Grill up eggplant slices and simply "stack" tomato and mozzarella on top, then cover in basil, balsamic vinegar, and/or pesto. It's not quite a meal, but you've gotta keep that beach body looking sharp anyway - healthy snacks are all the rage in the summer.

Fish Tacos
California went global with fish tacos, and now they're a summer favourite all over the place. This one doesn't take a lot of explaining: grill up some fish, stick it into soft taco shells, and accompany with anything from grilled veggies to cheeses and sauces, and you've got a summer meal in no time. Most people like to squeeze a little bit of citrus into the taco also. Somehow citrus makes things summery.

REVIEW: THE PARLOUR

Dinner around Canary Wharf doesn't have to break the bank, if you look hard enough, there are some restaurants serving good food at a fraction of the price of their flashy neighbours. One such place is The Parlour, facing onto Canada Square, an oasis of green between the skyscrapers.

We visited on a warm evening when the large glass front was fully open with crowds enjoying cocktails outside on the edge of the green. Inside the look is one of English whimsy - not traditional in the sense of a classic British restaurant, but traditional in that it playfully uses various elements to create a caricature of Englishness.

The specials list is attached with a clothes peg and chips are served in plant pots, demonstrating Parlour's relaxed atmosphere. We started with an Aperol spritz after following the diagram on the drinks menu plotting different flavours of cocktails, wines and beers. If you're the sort of person that is baffled by extensive wine lists or confused by ridiculous flavour descriptions, you'll welcome a simple system - failing that roll a dice!

We kicked off our meal with a sharing platter of prawns with garlic, chilli and lime and flatbread, setting us up nicely for our main course. Between courses, we also tried the BBQ whiskey sour with bacon-infused Nikita whisky, lemon, sugar, egg white and topped with a rather of crispy bacon. Remarkably, for a drink packed with bacon, this was on the list of 'skinny cocktails' and contained just 85 cals, one of the least fattening on offer.

For mains, we chose the steak frites - an 8oz sirloin accompanied by a plant pot of chips and the lamb burger, served with a mini fryer basket of chips. The sirloin, perfectly medium-rare was pink in the middle and lightly seared on the outside. Served alongside chips, onion rings, mushroom and tomato, it's a treat. The lamb burger was banging too. As with the cocktails, healthy options are available and they can be served skinny and carb free if requested. We went for the full carb option, with meat from London's longest-established butcher, plus feta, tzatziki and sweet peppers.

The food was great, but the best part was the surprisingly reasonable prices. Many places around Canary Wharf charge many times more than The Parlour, we'll definitely be going back again.

The Park Pavillion, 40 Canada Square Park, London, E14 5FW
www.theparlourbar.co.uk

REVIEW: L'ENTREPOT

L'entrepot lives on Dalston Lane and is run by the people behind Borough Wines. The laid back joint has just launched a new brunch menu. Inside the space is attractive, huge ceilings in a warehouse style setting that caters as an eatery, a place to sit and have a coffee and a place to drink and buy great wines. A date, your mate or your mam - it's all bases covered.

The brunch here is mainly about the eggs, from your standard Eggs Benedict to baked and Gypsy Eggs. We were sold on the Gypsy Eggs - don't worry they don't come from the local caravan park - a concoction of eggs, chorizo, bacon, tomatoes, potatoes and herbs, mixed up and baked. A massive portion they are perfect for brunch and will set you up for the day, and what's more at just £6.50 they are a BARGAIN!

We also tried the rather fancy black pudding with pea pure, poached egg and bacon, again look at those prices on the menu, for the standard of food it's cheap, cheap, cheap and that ain't the birds singing. We're already putting together an army to invaders to descend next week. Excellent food, great space and HOT staff what's not to like?

Brunch is served from 11am through to 4pm. Go forth and eat eggs...

230 Dalston Lane, E8 1LA
www.boroughwines.co.uk

OPENING NEWS: SLABS

Word up burger fans there's a new joint in Marylebone town and it's serving grub on slabs, that's right marble slabs. The clue is in the name! The sample menu features a selection of burgers including a Wagyu Beef option, there's a lobster sarnie and soft shell crab in ciabatta as well as pulled pork on a slab. And if you need to bling up your meal, you could always add a side of seared foie gras. It's opposite new tea shop Amanzi and near to tapas joint Fat of The Land - it's all going on in Marylebone!

We're yet to go but it's on the list so we'll keep you posted!

19 Cavendish Street, London, W1G 9TZ
www.slabslondon.com

TOAST FESTIVAL...

There's another food festival coming to town only this ones about education as much as it is about actually eating. TOAST is a weekend-long celebration of food and ideas which will bring together chefs, restaurateurs, writers, entrepreneurs and producers to discuss and debate the big ideas behind what Londoners eat and drink. Taking place at Red Gallery the festival will feature large panel discussions, intimate workshops, tastings, art exhibitions, street food and an after party at Rotary Bar & Diner. Highlights include a hands-on food photography workshop with the one and only Paul Winch-Furness, an urban foraging walk with Jojo Tulloh and tea tasting with the Rare Tea founder.

Tickets cost £75 for the weekendand include lunch at Street Kitchen and entry to the after party. Or you can pay for individual events  however entry is free if you just want to browse the pop-up shop by Daunt Books and Material Gallery, grab something to eat from Street Kitchen or simply sit at the Dunnefrankowski coffee bar. What's more some of the ticket profits will got to Action Against Hunger

Sat 1st & Sun 2nd June

Red Gallery, 3 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3DT
www.toastfestival.com

REVIEW: BEAGLE

Long time readers may remember early this year when we brought you news of Beagle's opening, well now we've been down to try it out. Housed in three renovated railway arches the venue now houses a restaurant, bar and coffee shop with outdoor seating in what's fast becoming the Hackney riviera with excellent people watching opps as the trendies come and go from Hoxton overground station and a killer bakery, Fabrique up the road.

We started our visit with a couple of cocktails, the Yorkshire Rhubarb, a muddle of rhubarb gin, biter orange, rhubarb, lime and tonic water and the Mater Grey, a mixture of blanco tequila, earl grey, lemon juice, orange juice and marmalade. Both long, fruity drinks which went down a storm.

To kick off the eating we went for the crunchy Asparagus and hollandaise and the fresh new potato salad with bantam egg. For mains it was the fish dish which caught our eye, a simple yet effective dish of lightly fried bream with fennel and the tender mutton with carrots and lentils in a light broth.

A zesty pannacotta with blood orange and super light rhubarb tart sealed the deal. Beagle serves simple dishes using British ingredients, just don't go expecting pie and chips. Full marks on the wine list which features great value wines, a selection of which are available by the glass, half bottle and bottle - something for all budgets. This place is great for a first date.

Score your place on the Hackney Riveria these summer nights, who knows who you'll see!

397 - 399 Geffrye Street, London, E2 8HZ
www.beaglelondon.co.uk

  

INCREDIBLES SUMMER FESTIVAL @ KEW GARDENS

We like a steak as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's nice to have some salad too, though the more adventurous among us sometimes need something a little different from the usual veggies. Well look what we have here, Kew Garden's latest exhibition with those Crazy Cats Bompas & Parr set to appeal to open minded foodies...

The IncrEdibles exhibition is your chance to explore the world of edible plants and taste some new, exotic and exciting plant species. Over 30,000 species are edible, with at least 60 varieties in the glasshouse at Kew. From Saturday 25th May to Sunday 3rd November, members of the public are invited to learn more about edible plants and take part in workshops and events. 

Visitors can be part of a giant fruit salad artwork by hiring a fruit inspired boat and taking a trip on the tutti frutti boating lake, floating around a huge pineapple or travel the world in the global kitchen garden. For those wanting to taste the various plants there are tea parties, a picnic garden and a tropical larder or if you're felling inspired you could always attend the incrEdibly interesting talks and workshops. Sounds incrEdible...

Sat 25th May - Sun 3rd Nov
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Rd, Richmond, London, Surrey TW9 3AB
www.kew.org

REVIEW: DISAPPEARING DINING CLUB TOWNHOUSE

The Disappearing Dining Club was set up 3 years ago and has pretty much nailed it when it comes to supperclubs. We've visited and been impressed by the Back in 5 Minutes restaurant which went from pop-up to perm, located on Brick Lane in the back of a clothes shop. We kid you not...

Now DDC have taken over a townhouse located in Spitalfields to run events twice a month. By day the townhouse is an antique shop filled with curiosities which are all for sale - don't have too much wine or you might end up going home £2,500 lighter with a new clock. The townhouse creates a pretty grand setting and food is served on a communal table. On arrival guests are given a Grey Goose Cocktail and left free to roam the "house", no dirty knicker draws here though, it's not Come Dine With Me.

Then it's down to dinner, on the night we attended dinner kicked off with a nicely spiced curried carrot soup served in a small glass with some fresh bread. The next course was tender smoked duck breast with crunchy, creamy celeriac remoulade, duck liver parfait, apple chutney and toasted sourdough, perfectly presented on a huge board.

The main course was a fresh, flaky herb crusted salmon fillet with a posh potato salad made up of new potatoes, prawns, asparagus and lemon mussolini. Finally we were treated to Rhubarb crumble, just like your mam used to make with Swedish custard, a cold custard with the texture of a whipped cream. Cracking!

ACE food and pleasant wines, served in surrounds to rival Uncle Monty's house - it's certainly different from your usual restaurants. Get amongst it people, you might even meet some friends too!

£60 per person, including 4 courses, welcome Grey Goose Le Fizz cocktail and wine with dinner.
To book email zara@disappearingdiningclub.co.uk

Fri 24th May, 7th & 21st June, 12th & 26th July
The Town House 5 Fournier Street London E1 6QE
www.disappearingdiningclub.co.uk

REVIEW: CHRISTOPHER'S AMERICAN GRILL

A four month refurbishment has given birth to a new look Christopher's American Grill Restaurant. Now this place ain't your waltz in grab a booth kind of dinner, it's a little more sophisticated than that my dears.

We were fortunate to get an invite to their soft launch. Located in the heart of Covent Garden the venue is now spilt into two floors, upstairs is a formal dining room and downstairs is a martini bar. Inside is a bit blinging but not too over the top, the kind of place your grandma would be very happy.

The window tables come with nice view over looking The Strand, you can even see the river. The menu features mostly American classics but there are some twists too. We started with the Maryland Crab Cake, filled with tasty crab meat and Salmon Ceviche from the Raw Bar which was covered in a punchy tequila and lime dressing.

Surf and Turf Steak won the award for best macho main, when else do you get weaponry to aid your meal - think pretty woman only less of the pretty and woman. Prime Rib-eye steak, juicy and easy to cut with a half grilled juicy Maine Lobster sat on a bed of spinach and served with fries. Bosh! Slow cooked Pork Belly with creamed Corn, Crisp Pancetta, Plantain Blinis was tender meat topped with a thin crispy crackling.

For dessert we had the chocolate ice cream, which was a little disappointing and tasteless but the Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich made up for it, completely addictive you can forget about the waist line...most Americans do.

All round a decent grub and big portions, a good place to take the in-laws, parents and even grandparents.

Christopher’s 18 Wellington Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7DD
www.christophersgrill.com

THE BIG EASY ANTI-VEGGIE MENU

National Vegetarian Week is this month...and what does The Big Easy say to that, BOG OFF that's what! Yes, they shun your cries of 'you b*****ds' and instead have created a mighty meaty menu. Carnivorous...are you with them?

This anti-vegetarian meal laughs in the face of greens, and will not even entertain the idea of Tofu...Tof-who? Instead you can expect a feast rammed with the meatiest dishes, strung out over three-courses with all the delights from Miss piggy, Mr cow and Mr chicken. Once you meat your match you can move onto the dessert of waffles, ice-cream and lashings of chocolate sauce. Setting you back £39.95.



Mon 20th May - Sun 27th May
The Big Easy, 332-334 Kings Road, Chelsea, SW3 5UR
www.bigeasy.co.uk

COCKLES & @ THE MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS

London has had a long history with seafood, from traditional cockney jellied eels to the most expensive oysters in Mayfair. Coming up on 18th May, the Museum of London Docklands is hosting an event called Cockles & Mussels as part of the Museums at Night weekend which celebrates the relationship the city has with all things fishy from eating and drinking to poetry, talks, music and entertainment.

Kicking off at 7pm, the two and a half hour event features talks from professors from Goldsmiths College and Birkbeck College, introducing the social history that seafood has helped to form in the capital and discussing its influence on society today and in the future. Fishmongers and chef and cookery writer CJ Jackson from the world-famous Billingsgate Market will be giving demonstrations on how to prepare the perfect seafood dishes, with food available to eat from the champagne and oyster bar.

Entertainment comes from a variety of musicians including sea shanty bands and workshops, adding to the nautical theme. Poet Raymond Antrobus will be hosting a seafood poetry workshop, and Estuary, an exhibition of modern art rounds off the event. Tickets are £7 a pop.

Sat 18th May, 7pm - 9.30pm
1 Warehouse  West India Quay, London E14 4AL
www.museumoflondon.org.uk

SOHO FOOD FEAST...

One of the nicest foodie events of the year, the Soho Food Feast returns this summer. The two day event brings together a selection of London's best chefs and restaurants (Polpo, HIX, Meatmarket) to raise money for the Soho Parish Primary School - last year they got £35,000!

There's demonstrations, tastings and cooking contests on the agenda, and if last year's was anything to go by it will be mountains of fun! There's a raffle, wine bar and it all takes place in pretty surrounds. It's £15 for one day or £20 for the weekend and it usually sells out so don't mess about if you want in!

Sat 8th & Sun 9th June
St. Anne’s Church garden, Wardour Street, Soho, W1D 6AF
www.sohofoodfeast.co.uk

REVIEW: ASIA DE CUBA

Asia de Cuba located in the St Martins Lane hotel has launched a Dim Sum Sunday brunch, because after all it is summer and sometimes you don't want a big dirty roast...

Oh yes, there's nothing dirty about Asia de Cuba, this is pristine clean and combines fresh dim sum with rum cocktails, live Cuban Jazz and DJ's. The restaurant fuses Asian and Cuban flavours to great effect, the Sunday Brunch menu has four sections; ceviches, salads, Dim Sum and dessert.

We kicked off with the Dragon's Twist cocktail, Aba Pisco shaken with fresh lychees, dragon fruit & elderflower liqueur, finished with a dash of ginger beer. An impressive fruity concoction, these are an ideal tipple for afternoon drinkies on a Sunday day.

Food wise we ordered a selection of dishes but the standouts were the Crab Croquetas - quite steep at just under £20 however one bite and it was easy to see why - each of the four balls were crammed full of tasty crab meat. Miso Black Cod and Snow Pea rolls were our favourite of the whole bunch whilst the Seabass, Corn & Thai Basil dumplings came a close second.

Green Mango, Radish and Cucumber Thai Rolls were fresh, crunchy raw rolls, a nice contrast to the cooked dim sum whilst the Chicken, Spring onion and Ginger Wontons were crispy, meaty parcels served piping hot.

Mexican Donuts ended the meal on a sweet note, brioche donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with butterscotch sauce. Nos Gusta as they say in Mexico. A great choice for a special brunch treat, gents take your ladies they'll love it...

45 St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4HX
www.stmartinslane.com

DINE ANOTHER DAY...

This is the second of our Dine Another Day feature where we will pick one dish or drink that we'd like to have another day. Dine Another Day - you g'ed it? It could be somewhere we've reviewed or just something we've eaten or drank along the way that was so great we wanted to share the love...  

BREAKFAST

If you follow us on instagram you'll notice we eat this a lot and no one does Avocado on sourdough quite like The Hoxton Grill or Dean Street Townhouse. The Avocado is coated in a chilli and lemon oil dressing and topped with a poached egg. A cracking healthy breakfast.

LUNCH

We're huge fans of our local coffee shop, Fred and Fran who make most things from scratch. This month we're all about the Mackerel on rye bread with soft boiled egg and cucumber. It's perfect for summer lunches and F&F never fails to impress.

DINNER

This dessert is the stuff dreams are made of...The White Chocolate Bavarois, blood orange and pistachio creation at 10 Greek Street really did taste as good as it looked. We just hope (and pray) it'll be on the menu more often.

DRINK

Now that summer has arrived we're all about the Sprizzato Pinchers, a cocktail made up from new Italian bitter-orange aperitivo drink Sprizzato, grapefruit, fresh rosemary and prosecco. Created by award-winning mixologist Christian Ozzati it's the quickest trip to Italy you'll ever go on, just close your eyes, take a sip and you're back on the gondola with Leonardo...

REVIEW: POTAGE

 

There's something a bit decadent about ordering your lunch and having it arrive at your office in a neat paper bag, all fresh and healthy. No we're not talking about a Chinese takeaway we're talking about Potage a small, local food delivery service which uses ingredients from Portobello Market to create hearty lunches from scratch.

The menu changes daily with pots served chilled so that you can have it microwaved and ready to eat in 4 minutes flat. We sampled Thursday's offering which was green minestrone soup with flageolet beans and Parmesan and a slice of lemon and almond drizzle. Arriving by bike with Georgia the owner, the clear pots come in a small paper bag, the cake neatly wrapped and tied with a quirky piece of string.

The soup looked like spring in a pot, crammed full of vegetables and beans. Portions are generous too so there's no danger of an afternoon snack. What's more it's open until 9pm so perfect if you want a takeaway after work without the grease factor.

Pots cost around £6.50 but you might want to order more as delivery is £2.50 if the total is under £10. At present delivery is offered to W2, W8, W10 & W11 postcodes or further a field if the orders are large enough.

http://potage.co.uk