Showing posts with label South London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South London. Show all posts

Monday, 25 November 2013

Quick Review: Oyster Shed in Waterloo


This place may be a little corporate in crowd and a little contrived in design...but it does what is says on the tin, and I like that tin! The oysters are very good and the Prosecco perfectly palatable. Just the thing for a casual after work bite to eat. The oysters only come in one variety and you can have them either raw (alive!) or baked with cheese. I personally like them fresh since when baked they get a really strong fishy flavor.




What seals the deal is the scenic Thames view and reasonable prices. While not spectacular, the rest of the pan-Mediterranean menu does the job if you are particularly hungry.


In summary, I wouldn't say that Oyster Shed warrants a journey, unless you have an insatiable craving for oysters (I sympathise, honestly!) but it is a pretty good thing to have up your sleeve when the time and place are right. 

Friday, 5 July 2013

Gordon's


It's a little known fact that Gordon's Wine Bar is the oldest wine bar in London. Tucked away in an unlikely location round the back of Embankment, this secret remains well kept. There are few reasons to be on this part of the river unless you're a tourist. From a dirty chain filled street, you open a small wrought iron gate into a passageway. Green umbrellas shade tables (old wine barrels) - this is Gordon's Grill - a more appropriate summertime venue perhaps but nothing on the winebar below. Few things can entice me to step out of bright sunshine and sit downstairs on a sunny Sunday but Gordon's is one of them.




Gordon's was established in 1890 as a wine bar, but the Gordon's family had a busy wine business for an entire century before then. This is no faux Victoriana copy, this is the real deal. You can only order wine, of which they have a fantastic selection of regulars and a rotating array of new things to sample too. I always ask the bartender for the kind of thing I'm looking for in the hope of getting introduced to new stuff. This time round, my creamy white burgundy did not disappoint. Delicious through and through.



Tables are laid out under stone arches, the environment is cool, dimly lit and peppered with candles even in the middle of the day. It's so romantic in the winter - take a date, wrap up warm and find a quiet corner to take your bottle to for an unusual and romantic date.





Thursday, 28 February 2013

Whaam!




Get your culture fix this weekend by heading down to the river to see the Lichtenstein retrospective at Tate Modern. 


Reuniting some works for the first time since their sale, it combines some of Lichtenstein's monumental icons alongside some less well known, quirky pieces (the little magnifying glass is my favourite!)



I love the first room, which shows some of Lichtenstein's early work - huge comic book paint splashes that establish a disconnect between calculated depiction and spontaneous brush stroke. Divorcing the artistic process from the subject,he would have painted this methodically and machine-like, dot after dot.



The rest of the exhibition is like a hall of mirrors - both literally, in 'the mirror room' and metaphorically, since most of Lichtenstein's oeuvre is about self reference - reflections, imitations, imitations of imitations, imitations of his own work, and so on.



Mirrored part of a 30's style sculpture


What I really like about it is the story his comic book tells. Just as we imagine the geeky cartoonist of Spider-Man elevating his status to superhero, Lichtenstein places himself in the artistic canon, by referencing Picasso and Matisse alongside himself, seemingly treating his own work with the same reverence.




The scale of Lichtenstein's canvases works perfectly for the Tate Modern exhibition space and you can whizz through the exhibition pretty leisurely without getting to that 'God I need a coffee / to sit down and I'm only half way through' point.  

If you want to turn up to the exhibition as a massive hipster or feel inspired afterwards, here is my edit of Lichtenstein influenced pieces (some more for looking at than buying!):


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Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Franco Manca, Brixton Market


It's been a fair few years since I was holed up living as an art student in Camberwell. In that time, Brixton Market has turned into something of a food-fest. It's not every week that an NW5 girl gets invited South of the river, but I've been looking for an excuse to check out Franco Manca for aaages, so I lept at the chance last week.


Arriving at Brixton Market, I was undecided whether to head to F.M. or to Honest Burgers but decided to simply let the queue length decide for me - a bit like tossing a coin. Franco Manca definitely won out with their 20 minute queue vs the 45 minutes that we could have lost outside of Honest Burger (which can also be had in Soho anyway). In the summer, the neighbouring @seven bar will serve you a cocktail whilst you wait (unofficially), in the winter, ask nicely and F.M. might put a beer in your hand.



Once the wait is over, the menu is deliciously simple and all the pizzas cost around £6 or £7. The pizza bases are all sourdough, which is so much tastier than other bases and much better for you too, so you can allay any cheese-guilt you might have otherwise felt. Nice additions like ricotta make inspiring choices, extra toppings cost between 50p and £1.50, there's a meat and a veggie special and you can choose from a tricolore or a mixed salad with Franco dressing as a side. 


Their wine list is also incredibly well priced. We got a lovely bottle of organic red for the bargain price of £13.95. It's cold, as the restuarant is basically open to the air, so go prepared to keep your coat on and your feet nicely tucked away in winter boots. 

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Friday, 16 November 2012

Elle's Weekender: Down by the riverside



























Last weekend, me and my bestie Anna headed down to the riverside for a big day out. We started at The Maltby Street market near London Bridge. 




Matlby Street is the more discerning London Bridge market goer's choice. Located by the old furniture market, round the back of storage warehouses in a narrow corridor of a street, it's full of the real foodie goodies, true Londoners, excellently tiny dogs and Raybans.  First we sampled everything that was going, before indulging in the most incredible brownie. Salted caramel centre, sticky middle, crisp crust. Mmmmelty.

Our Brownie was from @eddibles bakery. He's a charming chap who sure knows how to impress the lay-dees.

Sliders by Market Gourmet

Maltby Street caters for both foodie ingredients shopping and the hungry hung-over kind of Saturday. Sea Bass van is popular with the former, and Monty's Deli has to win the prize for the latter, with a snaking queue of ashen-faced people awaiting their pastrami, gherkin, mustardy baps - immediately restoring full colour to their cheeks once they're stuffing them afterwards.  


There are also a variety of permanently temporary restaurants and bars that you can sit down inside to indulge properly, but by the time we arrived at noon, these were heaving and the brownie was enough to set us on our way towards Tooley Street for some art.



 We headed over to The White Cube to see Theaster Gates' My Labour is my protest, a mixed media exhibition of painting, sculpture, video and installation art about racism in Chicago continuing to the present day. It's one of the most compelling exhibitions I've seen this year. This truck outside is one of the works, accompanied by a video of its making. I couldn't recommend it more.


After The White Cube, we headed over to Tooley Street's Village East where we had a light champagne brunch - but of course. Village East is one of those places that suits almost any occasion - a light casual breakfast, champagne brunch, Sunday roast, after work drinks or a dinner date - and I say that as someone who has been there for all such occasions. If it's your first time, have the mammoth fish and chips. They are some of the best in town.




After lunch, we walked over to The Tate Modern. My Tate membership card is probably my favourite thing in my wallet. It's so great to have access to any exhibition, any time, and with a friend too for the one off membership fee I pay in spring.

We saw to Willheim Klein, Daido Moriyama exhibition and then headed up to the cafe to enjoy the view out over the river.
One of William Klein's Models in Rome images 

The view from the Tate has to be one of the best in London at nighttime, I often recommend it to non-art lovers to try to get them into The Tate in the first place.

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Thursday, 15 November 2012

Flo's Lazy Green Curry



Here is my simple green curry recipe using Muay's home made curry paste (see Muay review here)

It was delicious - but this stuff is seriously spicy, so chiliphobes beware...

Ingredients (serves 2)

Serve with rice

1 tbspn of Muay's green curry paste 

2 chicken breasts or prawns
8 or 9 pea aubergines
2-3 little round aubergines
half a can of Aroy D coconut milk (or other)
a handful of holy basil
1 table spoon of sugar
5 tablespoons of stock

1. prepare ingredients (wash veg, quarter the little round aubergines)

2. fry curry paste for a few minutes 
3. Add the chicken breast / prawns and brown both sides.
4. Add the stock and bring to the boil. 
5. Add the coconut milk bring to the boil. 
6. Simmer for 3 minutes or so if doing chicken, just 1 minute for prawns.
7. Add the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes more.
8. Check the chicken is done by cutting into a piece. (if prawns they will be done)
9. Add the hold basil.

For more laborious from scratch recipes, see this article.




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Wednesday, 14 November 2012

My Muay - a little bit of Thai


I have been living by Gloucester Road for a few weeks now (temporarily) and have found a real gem. Months and months ago I did a quick google search of where to find freshly made thai curry pastes in London, fed up with the supermarket pastes full of preservatives and without that chili kick. After a good amount of trawling, I discovered this description in a rather handy Guardian article

'for treats like homemade layer cake, they'll head to Thai shops like Muay in Earls Court (8a Hogarth Road, London SW5 0PT). Also specialising in a cracking range of fresh curry pastes (made by a local restaurant), they sell home-made chilli pickle sauces, tiny pea aubergines, sweet, glutinous rice, fresh pig's blood, galangal root and holy basil leaves.'


I never went though, being a North London girl, I tried to make do with china town which is nearer and also stocks Thai ingredients. Other things that Muay stock include tamarind water - so much easier than making your own (I hate trying to pass the soaked but still tough tamarind through a fine sieve!), fresh green papaya, dried shrimp for pad thai, and much more. 

I had no idea, the entire 2 months that I have been here, that is was a mere 3 minutes walk away. Serendipitously, I happened to stumble across it yesterday and bought one of these curry pastes and accompanying ingredients.



fresh curry pastes - enough for about 8 portions
So, if in Earls Court or feeling Thai-inspired, pop in to Muay. If you are feeling somewhat lazier there is also a thai restaurant opposite that is quite good according to the Muay shopkeeper though I haven't been myself... 

It is definitely better than China town since it is mainly Thai so you don't have to trawl around all the different cuisine sections to find it. The staff are also lovely. 

Recipe with their curry paste to follow...

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Thursday, 1 November 2012

Flo's Review: Best Mangal, Kensington

Watching the sun set in Istanbul

I am a real fan of Turkish food, having grown up with Turkish au pairs and having lived in Istanbul for a couple of months. My search for a nostalgic taste of Turkey most recently took me to Best Mangal in West Kensington. There are three branches of this restaurant around West Kensington and Fulham and they all offer pretty much the same deal (or so I'm told). We went to the one on 104 North End Road.

This place is down to earth, cheap and, most importantly, deliciously authentic (if a little more gentrified). It is busy and noisy but I like that. Perfect for a low key catch up or date, but not an intimate romantic setting. 




Another big plus is that they have ridiculously large portions, in the true spirit of Turkish hospitality. 

huge portion

We opted for a starter of emperor’s liver that was nice but totally unnecessary since the mains were so big (my +1 and I had huge appetites that day, so I mean big). We ended up going for one lamb mince kebab and one grilled chicken (I can’t remember their names on the menu). For the two mains, drinks and a starter we paid £15 each and were absolutely stuffed (both came with different types of Turkish breads). 






They also do Ayran – a yoghurt drink (not sweet like Actimel, but that bitter yoghurt taste and a bit more watery) that I always had in Turkey with any kebab. However, again the portions here are huge – a big pint sized glass, and enough for two. Its creamy bitterness cuts through the deliciously charcoally barbecued meat. 

If you are feeling more like something alcoholic and don’t mind aniseed then they do Raki too.



This is the real deal and just like one of the great road side kebab houses I went to. I am left with a real sense of longing to return. Who knows, I may even bump into my old friend below...

statuesque stray dog, Istanbul


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