• LOVE FOOD, LIVE FOODIE •
After a month of living in Stroud Green I went to Rub restaurant which has been opened for just over a year and had me intrigued every day since I moved to the area. Smoked goods such as pulled pork, baby back ribs, chicken wings and even mac n cheese had me all tempted. I finally succumbed and dived in quite reluctantly on Saturday. I had already had a meat feast that week and was suffering a hang over so I just wanted to sleep. But thanks to my brother and a packed restaurant elsewhere we went in.
The restaurant has the vibe of somewhere trying to take off and trying to build on a lot. This is a relatively new place and changes are happening but it is good to see and I just hope they don't get ahead of themselves and instead focus on good food and a service to match. In terms of value for money, this place delivers; the service was friendly but a bit all over the place but I can only see improvements happening. The food was good value and very satisfactory. I wouldn't go too much beyond that in terms of praise but I enjoyed my Bacon Mac, which was crispy on top and had creamy cheese running throughout the delicate macaroni. I would have preferred slightly bigger pieces of bacon, however it fulfilled its job of being cheesy and went some way to curing my hangover. The Pulled Pork was served on a brioche and also can come with rice. This was tasty and the BBQ sauce gave it an extra zing but was a bit dry. Usually by smoking it for eight hours it should be juicy and therefore it shouldn't be dry. The brioche was a great touch and helped the dish and gave it a special touch. An extra mention will go to what my brother ordered- which was the Rub platter which consisted of Pulled Pork, Chicken Wings, Onion Rings, Chips and Coleslaw. there should have also been ribs but they had run out which was disappointing as ribs were one of the main attractions. At £20 it was value and he did seem happy with his choice. He wasn't over the moon but it did the trick and I agree. Go Local or Go Home. One Liner: Good value smoked food - rub for some grub Address: 121 Stroud Green Rd, London N4 3RZ Phone: 020 7281 0199
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I have wanted to visit Neil Rankins' Smokehouse restaurant since before it opened. A few of my friends have gone and the talk of going had increased in the last few months and I went last night. Thank you so much to all involved, my parents, god and myself, it was awesome. The restaurant had such a great atmosphere and we had friendly staff too helping us all night. My friend had previously been and was we arrived he heard that his favourite dish of shortrib was not available. He went to the head chef to say how great it was and an hour later a complimentary piece of short rib was presented to him. This special touch added to the amazing food we all had and the lovely wine too. The food was so amazing and every bite lent itself to a moment of glory and ecstasy. The food in London is becoming so good and new places are popping up constantly. Going out and trying all these places is a pleasure but it does put a strain on the wallet. For starter I had beef brisket in a fried encasing with Gochujang sauce. So the beef wasn't fried but was soft and tender and very amazing. The sauce was tangy with a hint of spice and added an extra moisture to the dish. For main course I ordered "The Sphere" which was similar to the starter but with ham hock and pigs cheek and cuttlefish romesco surrounding it. The delightful ham and romesco made me very very happy. This dish left me absolutely stuffed but also wanting more and more bites once I had finished it. All the meals were so tasty and the desert just added to my enjoyment. I am looking forward to going back as I know that every dish will be excellent. I have just found out that they serve burgers on occasions too which means I will be back. One Liner: An elevated gastro pub which specialises in smoked meat
Address: 63–69 Canonbury Road, Islington, London, N1 2DG Phone: 020 7354 1144 Email: info@smokehouseislington.co.uk So this month took us back to west London and off we went to Everest Spice, The Honeypot in Queensbury. After a fun time, I've realised that North London really needs some good curry places. We got our usual dishes and this is now the best way to truly experience and understand how good is. Unfortunately this time we were let down and the food just was not up to
standard. So the usual dishes are the mixed grill ( lamb chops, sheekh kebab, chicken tikka) and this time they included wings. All were okay but nothing that stood out and after a while started having a rubbery texture. This was especially evident with the paneer. The spices on the meat and paneer was quite nice but after eating the food it felt like it was the only spice rub they had. All the dishes merged into one. I'm not going to go into too much detail about the mains. The less said the better, the reasons why: 1- my writing isn't great anyway 2- the food wasn't that tasty Usually we gobble all our food up in quick fashion but this time a lot remained and no one wanted to tackle the food. The best dish was the biryani but even that wasn't amazing. The service wasn't the greatest either, where we had to move tables because there was a group of ten, who obviously took priority over us. Not many positives from Everest Spice, but at least they served alcohol and showed the football too. One Liner: "Popular with the locals" Address: 178 Honeypot Lane, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 1EF Phone No: 020 8206 1024 Email: info@everesthoneypot.com I should blog about Brewery's. Okay boss, I will do. A brewery that has a burger residency too, even better. I tweeted motherflipper burger recently to come to North London so I could try their burger. They didn't respond because they've always been in North London- at Kentish Town West under the arches of the station. The venue is slightly hidden but this doesn't stop many punters coming along. To be honest I think most were there for the drinks and not the burger and there was a real good atmosphere. The drinks were flowing and i went for the recommended Hells Larger, unfiltered Hells larger and the Pale Ale. All were really tasty and a good change from the usual Buds etc. The real reason for going however, was for the above. The Motherflipper burger. If the beer didn't make me happy then the burger did. Thankfully, both more than succeeded and i was more than happy to walk an hour from work for these two. The burger above was the double bacon candy flipper and the secret here was there maple syrup covered bacon. The first bite into this burger just oozed a load of juices and the melted cheese and medium cooked patty were excellent and delightful. Added to this, the glazed bun and crispy but sweet bacon make this burger one that i will definitely be revisiting. Sometimes too many words are not needed and a breakdown isn't needed to. Trust me on this one; you need to go to this pop-up and have their burgers. Like Bleecker St Burger, it is one of those where you won't fill full after but you will be very happy. I was contemplating having another one after half an hour, but that would have been greedy. A notable mention is also the BBQ wings which i had with the burger. These were amazingly tender (think patty & bun wings) and the BBQ sauce all over them were very tasty. I still the thing ones from patty & bun are better but the meat just fell off the bones and made this a messy , yet pleasant experience. I am looking forward to going again, a beer and a burger on a friday night. AWESOME. One Liner: Beer and Burgers under the bridge down town
Address: 55-59 Wilkin Street Mews, London, NW5 3NN Phone: 0207 485 1671 Email: getintouch@camdentownbrewery.com What does that even mean? A few people have said to me recently, "oh Shayan, you're a foodie, what shall I eat?" I'm more than happy to give recommendations, but in terms of being a foodie, how did that happen. The bigger question is, isn't everyone a foodie? I understand that I blog about it and voice my opinion but I'm sure everyone enjoys good food and always wants to eat good food.
I am flattered that some people (a couple) read my site and think that I know about good places to eat, but tastes differ and opinions vary from one place to another. Some of my friends will think my food choices aren't that great and there are a few who I wouldn't go to for advice on eateries too. However, this doesn't mean they are not foodies either. Let's take it back to basics too. We all cook and that includes making our favourite dishes to experimenting and trying something new. We all have different techniques and skills, but what remains constant is love for great food. Delicious, amazing, scrumptious, juicy, tasty, oohhhhhhhhhhhhh and mmmmmmmmmmmm are all words that everyone says and every foodie will say too. You are a foodie and so am I. So please tell me your suggestions for places to go and dishes to cook. Obviously I will value some opinions more so than others but that doesn't really matter. I'm not a food critic, I'm just a blogger who likes to eat tasty meals. |
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