rice paper rolls

a very enjoyable morning at maltby market, but enough of sandwiches. ^^

i thought of having vietnamese food.

son’s favourite, banh mi bay was closed for easter weekend.

we found the next most convenient, sen viet, which was within walking distance from son’s apartment. still it was quite far maybe 15mins when we walked, and after dinner it was raining quite a bit, luckily we could call uber cab, & cost us very little to get back.

sen viet

place was quite well patronised.

google reviews

& much as summarised in google reviews.

bun cha

the bun cha was very good. excellent bbq flavours for the meat & prawns which was fresh & succulent.

bun cha

we ordered a second helping. ^^

duck curry

we tried the duck curry.

i didn’t think much of it..i thought curry was not “pang” ie flavourful & duck was soft no texture, but wife & children all liked it.

fish in claypot

i liked the claypot fish dish, maybe it was mackerel. anyway i like the fish & taste of the dish.

after dinner, rain was too heavy for us to walk back. luckily we were avle to call an uber cab quite easily.

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++

Sen Viet

maltby market

son brought us to maltby market on saturday 26.3.2016. ^^

i have been to several street markets already, namely –

• borough market
• camden markets
• bricklane market

for me, maltby market is clearly the best. 🙂

chicken & waffle, cheese & waffle

we started with southern fried chicken on waffle & goat cheese & fresh figs on waffle.

waffle on

the stall is waffle on.

waffle on

we were early at 11am, the place was still not crowded.

chicken & waffle, cheese & waffle

first time i tried savoury dishes on waffle, and they were very good. o guess it’s similar to duck & waffle, which son had mentioned many times but i have yet to try.

cheese & fig & waffle

the combination was quite new to me.

cheese & fig & waffle

goat cheese, pungent & slight salty, with fresh figs & blueberries actually went very nicely with the waffle. a favourite for me here.

chicken & waffle

the southern fried chicken was done very nicely, well marinated & tasted great! 🙂

chicken & waffle, cheese & waffle

the combination was new. chicken while good not so special for me.

blue cheese & ham grilled cheese sandwich

we had wanted the chorizo, but the stallholder told my son the blue cheese was the best, so he got us a blue cheese & ham grilled cheese sandwich.

blue cheese & ham grilled cheese sandwich

& it was superb! really so good, hard fight for me between this & the cheese fig waffle.

grilled cheese sandwich

this supposed to be one of london’s best grilled cheese sandwich, the cheese truck.

there is another stall kappacasein at borough market (which i have not tried yet).

sub cult gourmet sandwiches

what can i say?

it’s one good eat after another…

sub cult gourmet sandwiches

sub cult’s gourmet sandwiches were just as enjoyable, and the crowd testified to that.

sub cult gourmet sandwiches

looked so good…

pork & seafood sandwich

son & daughter bought a pork & seafood sandwich.

rather unusual combination i would have thought, except that it was very good. a lot of fresh & plump scallops & prawns, and grilled pork collar? anyhow it was very good.

hanger steak – 180g

wife remembered she had very good hanger steak here.

we all love hanger steaks.

steak & chips

we enjoyed the first steak.

steak & chips

and ended up getting a second serving.

hanger steak – 180g

hanger steak must be done rare, is tender & very flavourful. 🙂

smoked salmon

hansen & lydersen seems to be a quite notable seller of smoke salmon. we didn’t really want smoke salmon though.

lemon tarts

the lemon tarts were great.

lemon tarts

not too sweet & just nice texture of custard. very good tart base.

doughnuts

& very good doughnuts, but that really not my kind of food.

maltby market

maltby market

maltby market

maltby market is very small by comparison with borough, so if you are going just for street eats, this a really compact place just a single street with so many good eats. borough market of course has a lot more stalls to buy fruits, jam, produce, also ice cream & good coffee.

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Maltby Street Market can be found at LASCCO Ropewalk, 41 Maltby Street, London, SE1 3PA

Trading hours:

Saturday 9am-4pm

Sunday 11am-4pm

cappuccino @ monmouth

monmouth was nearby & they close at 630pm, so we walked over after burger & lobster.

we had a cappuccino but this time it was not good.

coffee @ monmouth

flat white was a whole lot better. the milk w/o foam blended perfectly with the c0ffee, so silky smooth!

flat white @ monmouth

there are many places in singapore with equally good coffee or better these days though.

truffle chocolate @ monmouth

son bought 2 truffle chocolates. they were quite good too.

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Moumouth Coffee

£20 lobster

it’s kind of inevitable that every time we visit london, we would frequent burger & lobster if we can. it is very much a go to place for singaporeans & everyone else. 🙂

i was here 8.5.2016 during my last london visit.

burger & lobster

we were there before 5pm, and there was already a good crowd. 🙂

burger & lobster

but no queue, so we got seated immediately.

£20 lobster3

it was a simple & great concept. they only sell 3 things here – whole lobster (steamed or grilled), lobster roll, a very nice brioche with lots of lobster meat, and a burger, all priced at £20. never tried the burger.

so it menu is very simple, they only have to source the lobster cheaply & priced them competitively at £20.

£20 lobster3

the maine lobster was a standard one and a 1/4 pounder = 680g, basically between 650g and 700g.

it was fresh and tasty, the bearnaise sauce was good, and fries were good too.

the grilled lobster was steamed then grilled. this time we tried a steamed lobster, an we all agreed the steamed lobster was better. 🙂

£20 lobster roll

lobster roll was very good too.

£20 lobster roll

the advantage is you don’t have to shell the lobster, dirty your hands etc, and in any case they have a fair helping if lobster.

we finished about 5.45pm & decided to walk over to monmouth to have a cuppa.

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Burger & Lobster

Address –

baked eggs, crab, toasted cornbread

had a great 4pax family brunch at sunday cafe & restaurant the next day on 25.3.2016. ^^

it’s a place that gets my daughter excited, brunch, bread etc…

sunday restaurant london

we slept late to recover from the jetlag the day before, but was early to arrive at sunday at 10.30am. the location at Hemingford Rd is just a 10mins walk form my son’s apartment. 🙂

this a chill place, obviously popular.

queue at sunday

by the time we left 1130am -ish, there was a long queue outside.

baked eggs, crab, toasted cornbread

we ordered a plate each.

baked eggs, crab, toasted cornbread was pretty nice.

corn fritters

& a corn fritters to share.

corn fritters

the plates were all nicely presented. corn fritters was ok.

courgette fritters, lots of avocado

daughter had a courgette fritters.

courgette fritters, lots of avocado

decent, nothing special, too much avocado.

crispy spiced lamb, flat bread

for me the crispy fried minced lamb was the best.

crispy spiced lamb, flat bread

i am the meat person, & not much excited about all day breakfast & brunches really.

smoked chicken, black beans

wife had a smoked chicken, pretty good too, too much black beans.

smoked chicken, black beans

i didn’t mind the smoked chicken.

flat white

we finished off with a cuppa.

not quite my kind of food, but i am learning to enjoy it with my children, and they were not bad really & none too expensive. i guess the london folks voted with their feet too.

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sunday Cafe & Restaurant

dishoom bar area

our first meal in london was early dinner at dishoom on 24.3.2016.

this a hugely popular place, and top in many reviews, and rightfully so.

the last time we were here on 15.5.2015 our queue was 1.5hrs.

cocktail

this time we went early at 530pm. still the queue was 45mins. but it was quite ok since they have a bar area which is a rather pleasant watering hole.

my family not short of drinkers just that i am not one.

cocktail

wife & son enjoyed their cocktail.

mocktail

i had some non alcoholic. i didn’t remember what it was, but it was ok. the environment of dim lighting & high ambient noise didn’t encourage me to try to read the menu nor hear what the server said.

still, while i won’t go myself for a drink it was quite pleasant in the company of wife & son. daughter had not arrived yet, & son went to fetch her at king’s cross after our dinner.

dishoom

noce place really.

dishoom dining area

i was just mentioning to my son that we had past the 45mins waiting when a server came to inform us the table was ready so we went to level 2.

egg plant, calamari, prawns

we ordered 3 appetisers – deepfried egg plants, calamari, & chilli prawns.

a server came to inform us that as they made us waited a bit longer, all the appertiser were on them.

such excellent service philosophy! the 45mins was just an estimaet & we probably waited 5mins longer. very wonderful of them indeed!

egg plants

egg plants were very good, their popular dish.

calamari

calamari were pretty good, but i had better. prawns ok.

rack of lamb

the rack of lamb was excellent, another popular dish, very tender & flavourful not so lamby…

chicken curry

the curry was very good. the chicken dices were not that great this time, not so tender.

chicken bryanni

we had lamb bryanni last time. this time we had chicken bryanni. the rice was very good, and the chicken were moist & tender.

the last time i said tops. this time i think not as good but still a very nice bryanni.

garlic naan

& garlic naan was good especially to mop up the curry.

we had a very good dinner. i was a bit less wowed than the first time, but still it was very good food for the palate, very enjoyable & more so because they did not charge the 3 appetisers. so a wonderful gesture.

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dishoom @ King’s Cross

5 Stable Street, London N1C 4AB
Tel: 020 7420 9321

OPENING HOURS

Monday to Wednesday: 8am to 11pm
Thursday to Friday: 8am to midnight
Saturday: 9am to midnight
Sunday: 9am to 11pm

Bank Holidays: Open as usual
Christmas Eve: Closed from 4pm
Christmas & Boxing Day, January 1st & 2nd: Closed

laksa

we planned a family holiday, visiting son in london then traveling together to lisbon & porto 24mar-4apr2016. ^^

wife & i left on morning 9am flight to london on 24.3.2016. daughter travelled on a later flight.

SQ 1st class lounge

i have not been to SQ 1st class lounge for a very long time.

for long flights i usually redeem business class using my credit card miles. & generally i used the asia treasure lounge which is smaller, quieter & more private.

SQ 1st class lounge

the food at the 1st class lounge was very good though.

the laksa, other than not having cockles, was the standard of any good laksa, very tasty.

jui kueh

jui kueh was pretty good too.

jui kueh

not the chinatown jui kueh standard, but pretty good.

roti prata

& roti prata was very good.

dimsum

dimsum was competent, ok.

pancake

i also tried the pancake. ok but normally i would skip dimsum & pancake, this time just to try.

expresso

coffee & the twg tea bags always good la. 🙂

breakfast

on board business class, i order a beef burger for the light meal & a chilean seabass for lunch.

croissant

i picked a croissant off the bread basket, it was pretty good. there were other rolls & bread, only so much you can eat.

fruits

a plate of fruits.

fruit yogurt

after that there was a choice of cereal etc i picked the fruit yogurt.

beef burger

the beef burger was very good. i am not a burger guy so i don’t take many but this one would rate very high up, the patty, bun, salad, all good.

chilean seabass

chilean seabass my favoruite fish for western preparation.

chilean seabass

this was good, firm, tasty. on par with good restaurant standard.

chilean seabass

mussels were good too.

cheese & fruits

after the main, there was cheese & fruits.

i guess overall, the onflight food on SQ biz class was a pretty good dining experience.

lobster thermidor – return flight 4apr2016

on the return flight on 4.4.2016, for book the cook i picked lobster thermidor.

lobster thermidor – return flight 4apr2016

they served a whole lobster, i think a whole 1 & 1/4 pounder 680g typewith the meat + 2 pincers on the 1/2 shell.

lobster thermidor – return flight 4apr2016

meat was fresh & tasty, sauce was good, just right.

lobster thermidor – return flight 4apr2016

the dish was competent, no wow (like the chilean seabass on my onward flight). can’t expect too much on board so i guess that was pretty good already.

mango jelly  – return flight 4apr2016

didn’t want ice cream. tried the mango jelly…very so-so.

pakthai – return flight 4apr2016

pakthai was ok, again competent. anyway pakthai not my favourite, & i only picked it on return flight as the other options were the western food which i had more than fair share over the almost 2weeks travel.

c.h.e.f andy