London: Home-Style French Cooking @ La Poule au Pot, Belgravia

My colleague Jacques has a European heritage that traces back to the South of France.  Despite the typical stereotypes of the French being impatient, poor in service and fussy with food, he was nothing like that.  In fact, he was very un-French by being every bit hospitable while I was staying with him, and ever so patient when we were colleagues at work.  Which make me wonder about his taste for food and I was about to find out. One the last night, he recommended a little French place called La Poule au Pot for dinner.

This little restaurant could not be any less pretentious with its simple outfit and French waitstaff.  This gave me a good vibe about dinner that is going to be unsophisticated but honestly good.  At La Poule au Pot you have a choice between seating inside and outside, but as the sun was still up, I could not resist seating outside by the square and see the evening go by.

Complementary crudites with a mustard dipping sauce.

This is one of those moment where I would say “I do not normally enjoy my vegetable raw, but when I do they are bloody good”.  And I am not being an el-cheapo here just because it was free.  But the depth of interest grows when you put out an interesting platter.  Some peppers, carrots, fennel and some red turnips. Vibrant colours.

Rye

Basic but vital.  Not with the butter but with the stews that were about to come :)

Beef Bourguignon

Coq Au Vin

Put both dishes together and you might find the two dishes fairly similar.  It contained good amounts of red wine, tender protein, sweet root vegetables and was absolutely hearty.  But each dish had its own distinctive taste with the Beef Bourguignon having a heavier, much more meaty finish whilst the red wine flavour was a lot more pronounce and present in the Coq Au Vin.  All of the vegetables were soaked in delicious juices and the dish really benefited from the slow cooking which resulted in melt in your mouth chunks of beef.  The Coq Au Vin on the other hand is cooked for a much shorter time which means the alcohol does not all dissipate.  This produces a tender chicken with a wine-stained skin.  Oh boy they were delicious.

Some greenx for the table

Apple Tartin to finish.

Thick layer of caramelised apples was paired with a lovely short crust.  But the highlight for me was how the apple dessert was not sugar laden.  Instead you get the ripe flavours of the apples that was sweet with a mild tartness.  Sensational. 

My over all satisfaction with the meal was high.  The lack of presence by the Foie Gras or Truffles at La Poule au Potwas a great thing as I was treated to what good home-cooked French food should be.  My meal was authentic, simple and humble.  The bill too was decent as it totalled just under £60!  When it comes to service though, it was only modest at best due to the lack of friendliness from the waitstaff!

WenY

London: Reminiscing NYC @ Shake Shack, Convent Garden.

One of the most random eats I did in London was at Shake Shack in Convent Garden.  It simply happened when I walked past by the market for the second time.  Seeing a Shake Shack and nothing eating there is almost like sinning!  So despite being  stuffed from the breakfast I had before, I decided to order the single Shack burger and a Salted Caramel Shake (they ran out of peanut butter !@#%).

First bite in and I was over the moon.  The yummy patty sandwiched between a shiny-sweet bun with a drizzling of secret "Shack Sauce"  was still as amazing as I remembered it to be.  Shake Shack's patty was simply scrumptious and this was a very basic combination that did wonders when it came to flavours.  Every bite was reminiscence of my trip to NYC last year.  It was sensational.  So much better than the gargantuan Shack Stack which I had last year. It is amazing how the folks at Shake Shack can mass produce something that tastes so good!  No meal at Shake Shack is complete without their Milk Shakes.  So if you are ever deciding between skipping the cola for an ice cream or vice versa, I tell you now to put both aside.  The milkshake at Shake Shack is the best of both worlds.  Thick, creamy and rich in caramel, it was slightly sweet but every bit yummy.  Good old fat ass moments I have to say.

For some reason, I was not so impressed when I first had Shake Shack at the Grand Central shop.  But a re-visit to its original location in Madison Square convinced me of Shake Shacks cult status.   Re-visiting Shake Shack in Convent Garden and I was convinced for the second time, that this is a truly delicious burger.  Definitely come here for a treat!

WenY

London: Amazing Chorizo Hash @ the Riding House Cafe, Oxford Circus

It was a Sunday morning and it was time for breakfast.  But with the Delaunay breaking my bank the other day, I decided to stay away from bloggers' suggestions and instead depended on my robot partner Siri.  First on her list was an Australian place called Granger & Co. in Notting Hill but it was an hour wait.  With not time to waste,  I asked again and Siri recommended the Breakfast Club in Oxford Circus.  Alas, it was another one hour wait! For the third and final attempt, Siri recommended the Riding House Cafe just a few minutes walk from the Breakfast Club.

At 9.20am, there was no queue which means my friend Jacques and I were seated immediately.  Its morning breakfast menu was charming with all the usual suspects but I could not go past the first item I saw on the menu, the Chorizo Hash Browns for £10.

Crisp on top and soft on the inside, the Hash Brown infused with Chorizo flavours was every bit amazing.  Each mouthful comes with a whiff smokey paprika hit.  In certain parts you have slices of  Chorizo which gave the dish a meaty bite.  To finish was some simply garnished spinach leaves, poached eggs and a large mushroom.  Definitely no complains from me.

After all meat we had yesterday Jacques have something light and went for the Bircher Muesli (£4.50).

While I could not make much out of it.  I knew he enjoyed it very much. But that was probably because he was scared of all the eating I made him do the day before haha.   Nonetheless, the lush berry topping and sticky muesli looked promising!  

The Riding House Cafe was a surprise candidate during my trip to London, and it served me a sensational brunch.  Not to mention a rather cheap one too!  Including tea, I think the bill came up to £20 for two of us which was rather cheap compared to my meal at the Delaunay the day before.  Jacques thought the same too! He commented that compared to the Delaunay, the Riding Horse Cafe was a place he would return to over and over again.  

P/S: When I was leaving at 10.45am, there was a small queue outside.  But it was nothing compared to the Breakfast Club and Granger & Co. I went to earlier!

WenY