LOVE FOOD, LIVE FOODIE:
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Byron Burger have a clever ploy of luring repeat customers as well as new customers.
They introduce a themed burger every couple of months. Most recently they did the Ronaldo burger for the Euros and one now for the Summer called the Byron B&A. Basically Bacon AND Avocado. SUMMER IS or WAS HERE. 
The B&A Burger
Byron do good burgers. They will not be in my Top 5, but everything they do is well thought of and well looked after. Their glazed brioche bun to the meaty and juicy patty. Add this, to the sugary onion rings and the pickle there to lighten the palate after, Byron does Proper Hamburgers.
The B&A burger comes with slabs of bacon and avocado. The avocado is as a guacamole and this makes the burger a messy affair. The rest of the troops, which you may be able out make out above are roasted green bell peppers, Freddar cheese (their own trademarked cheesed), pickled red onions, Byron sauce (trademarked) and shredded iceberg lettuce. Therefore you get a crunch form the veg, the growling bite of the cured bacon and the guacamole all over your face as you squash the burger down into your mouth. The B&A is a good edition to the Byron repertoire. Good food, worth the extra price for a seat down meal. Luckily for Londoners, a Byron is never too far away. Get this burger whilst it is still being served. I'm looking forward to their latest invention.
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Dear Soho House Group, I love you so much. Can we be friends?
Eating at your establishments have always been a pleasure. Chicken Shop, Dirty Burger and Deanstreet Townhouse. I want to be a member and after many years, I went to your pizza restaurant,Pizza East. Based in Kentish town at Highgate Studios alongside its family friends, Chicken shop and dirty burger, Pizza East is the restaurant most easily identifiable. The large ground floor restaurant opens its doors to over 100 covers and a bar to contribute to a relaxing and welcoming establishment. 
Welcome to Pizza East
Pizza East: Ham and Artichoke
I went on a Sunday, a day when they also do Sunday Roasts which looked very good. As it was my first time, I stuck to what they do and ordered Pizza. I also asked my source of foodie knowledge (Oran) what to order and he recommended the Mac 'n' Cheese too.
Laura and I ordered Prosciutto cotto with Artichoke Pizza and a Mushroom and Gorgonzola Pizza. With these two we went for a shared side of Mac'n' Cheese. We just had to and went it arrived, we were happy with our decision. Pizza, being the reason we went here were good. A fluffy dough which was firm but also able to flex into the pizza hold and fold into my mouth. I wanted a bit more seasoning with the base, which is something I have come to expect after Homeslice. I know it is not fair to compare. The toppings were good and I made sure I went quite traditional and not too experimental. I went Italian and was treated to simple flavours but a generous helping. The Pizza was very filling. I obviously finished mine but Laura struggled. I think this was partly down to the lovely tasting Mac 'n' Cheese. This was gooey, hot and creamy. The cheeses used were nice and rich and 100% moreish. 
Pizza East: Mushrooms
Pizza East: Mac 'n' Cheese
A solid pizza joint in an era of growing competition. It may not be the first place I mention to people for Pizza, but by no means not the last.
I have to say I am intrigued by their Sunday lunch menu too. I'll be back for that for sure. Thanks Pizza East and Soho HouseGroup. I look forward to my free membership.
Simple is good. Chops are good. Blacklock in Soho gives you good simple chops.
Beef, Lamb and Pork, this is not a place for vegetarians. Cooked over Charcoal and using the irons to press the meat, it doesn't get much simpler than that. When you let the quality of the meat do most of the talking then there is not much left to do. 
The Menu
"go for the "All in"
The menu at first can be bit much to look at. But keep it simple and go for the "All in". This as it says, is the trio of starters (pre chop bites) and these include the cheese and pickle, Duck Rillete and Egg and Anchovy. To complete the "All in" is All of the chops of the day piled on a flatbread. Sounds good.
My advice for Blacklock is to make sure you get there early. The reason being is that the good chops run out quickly. On the night we visited, they ran out of Beef short rib, Beef Porterhouse and Barnsley Lamb chop by 8:30pm. The restaurant was packed and already their more popular pieces gone. 
All the chops at Blacklock
Different Angle
" on top of the flatbread, which had collected all of the juices of the meats."
The pre chop bites were tasty enough and served its purpose of getting the stomach and taste buds ready. The main event though was the chops in all their glory. Stacked high on one plate, the four of us tucked into our meats. Lamb and Pork layered on top of the flatbread, which had collected all of the juices of the meats.
The premise of "All in" implies that each person would get all the chops on the menu. We ordered four, therefore four times every chop on the menu. However, this is not the case. Instead you are given four chops per person and this is from the selection. Therefore you may miss out on your favourite one. We felt slightly deceived by the wording and let the waiter know. They were kind enough to give us another portion and from here we were all able to sample each chop. The lamb chops were my preferred chops. The extra charred taste and juiciness shone through. The pork belly was great too as were they all. Well seasoned, crispy when needed and meaty the rest of the time. By keeping it simple, with the fat left on too, made sure all flavours were incorporated. Blacklock is a good place for simple food and good chops. My advice would be to ignore the pre chop bites and just choose four to five chops and maybe treat yourself to a bigger one too. Perfect: "waiter, can I order please?"  The Painted Heron
Live good, Eat good, Feel good.
I would say EAT good first and from there, you can live good and feel good. For a restaurant, the goal is to make the clientele feel good, eat good and if they then live good, they will be back. This is the case for The Painted Heron in Chelsea, where Chef Yogesh Datta has been feeding happy people. The Painted Heron, the winner of 'The Best Indian restaurant' at the 2016 Food Awards serves fine dining Indian food. Dishes such as Venison Steak curry, Chilli Soft shell crab, Spring Lamb Neck and Asian Sea Bass. These appetising dishes are greeted by guests with looks of joy and hunger, as Laura and I had on our visit there. 
Poppadoms
Starters: Spring Roll and Chicken Tikka
 Tiger Prawn
I was lucky to visit The Painted Heron at a time when they had launched their new A la Carte menu.
This menu gave some excitement and diversity to a 14 year old restaurant. It is not that they needed a change, but seasonality is important. Like the word, fresh. The restaurant and the Chef keep to their roots and offer Poppadums to the table. These come with their trio (a theme throughout) of chutneys; these range in flavour from Garlic to Beetroot. Garlic was a favourite of mine. We had a mix of the traditional dishes alongside some contemporary dishes. Our mix of the two worked really well and we let the waiter take control. For starter we had the Chicken Tikka (three ways), Spring Roll, Soft Shell crab and Tiger Prawn. This was two parts traditional (Chicken Tikka and Spring Roll) and two part contemporary (Soft shell crab and Prawn). The main courses also were split between old and new. Old (traditional dishes) was the Venison curry and the New (Contemporary) dishes were Spring Lamb neck and Asian Sea Bass. I was grateful for the waiters and chefs recommendation with all these dishes, but looking at the rest of the menu I do know I need to go back. Some dishes to name are:
Main course: Lamb Neck and Veal
Trio Vegetable
The food when it arrived, seemed like a lot, but Laura and I had FOMO. We did not want to miss out, so we were happy the waiter recommended so much. The chicken tikka three ways, were red chilli and honey, creamed coconut and coriander garlic. This was really tasty and seemed to be dominated by the chilli and honey so much, that it may have just been that one. Heat and taste together = a good curry night.
Each dish was accompanied with some chutney and added extra delight. A win win for me as it meant I ate more and therefore tasted the great variety of flavours. Chef Datta's skill to marry traditional meals with new techniques is clearly evident with the soft shell crab as well as the Tiger Prawns with Rhubarb. Both are subtle in flavour and the textures and crunch of both were great to have. These dishes combined left Laura and I in a good place. Slightly full but very happy. 
Trio of Desserts
The main courses also stood out. The Asian Sea Bass was soft and buttery and doused in a tamarind and coconut curry. Laura was not a big fan, but that just left more for me.
One dish we were both very happy with, was the Venison Roganjosh. This meat lent itself to the velvety and rich red wine curry and made this dish very more-ish. If you go (WHEN), make sure you order this dish. A perfect example of a traditional meal, updated with the wine and use of Venison Steak. Good idea, Chef Datta. By this stage, we were very stuffed and probably should not have ordered a second roganjosh dish with the lamb. It was tender, but just not as tasty as the Venison dish. The returning theme, Trio, first off with a trio of vegetables included New Jersey Royals with spinach, fried okra and sweet potatos and creamy black lentils. This alongside the Venison is a must. Three amazing dishes that go perfectly with both naan and rice. The Royals were so warming that they kept me warm for the whole week. Whilst the fried okra was seasoned perfectly and made me want to eat more and more. Lastly, the trio of desserts. Mango Kulfi, so cold I almost had brain freeze, Gulab Juman and a refreshing ice cream. Usually Indian desserts are not something I get excited about, however, this was a special moment and was a real treat. Each dessert contrasted the other but complimented it perfectly too.
The Painted Heron lives up to its historical reputation as well as its recent award of 'Best Indian Restaurant' 2016. The price point works well for the local clientele as well as its award winning chef. With Al Fresco dining, some sun and a new menu, there are plenty of reasons to visit the Painted Heron.
As Always, if you go, please Invite me. One of my favourite places in the world and I am sure you will enjoy it too. Sin City, Fantasy Island or a Dream World. Las Vegas can be whatever you want it to be. Reasons below.
 The Eiffel Tower! SAY WHATTTTT  A burger of course  And some more- courtesy of In 'n' Out A few Hints and Tips:
 Drai's Beach Club - get a table for sure  Vegas looks a lot different at 6:30am  Obviously there is Gondolas and a Venice scene in a hotel  Pancakes at Peppermill and lots of them- amazing  You will never have too many drinks |
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