Coffee Enquiry XXX: Tina I dearly Salute You

What about that Bavarian cream pie joke I told you? There's no truth to that. Nobody with a terminal illness goes from the United States to Europe for a piece of Bavarian cream pie and then when they get there and they don't have it he says, Oh! I'll just have some coffee. There's no truth to that

Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld episode “The Soup Nazi”)

One of the landmarks on independent coffee places is definitely Tina We Salute You. The corner coffee shop in Dalston. Tina is a small, cool, cozy, and irreverent artistic coffee hub in East London. Started as a cupcake and coffee stall in Bricklane UpMarket, now an established coffee place and quite soon growing with a second location in Stratford.

The place

Inside

I got to the place with Sarah, chilled out for a while, and got a couple flat whites. The coffee was spot on, creamy, strong, and with great latte art.

Coffee Time

Espresso Machine: La Marzocco

Beans: Square Mile

Score: 5/5

Sign

Perfect latte art

Perfect score for Tina, They will be refurbishing the place and opening back on January. Also the Stratford place should be ready around April next year.

Tina We Salute You

T: 020 3119 0047

Coffee Shop

Approx Damage: £4pp

Area: Dalston

Borough: Islington

Twitter: TinaWeSaluteYou

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BAO and more Street Food Fetivals [Street Food]

Hey, come on! Let's go! I thought we were going to take a steam

Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld episode “The Outing”) 

The street food festival frenzy keeps its pace. Every week you have at least two festivals, Feast, Realfood, Street Feast, Kerb, Burger Mondays, and so on. I just wonder when we are going to saturate of all this, just less than a year ago there was one every quarter now we seem to get into the top of the trend, but who really knows it might just be the beginning. 

Gizzi's full in action

One of this is Street Feast, based in East London, they have a weekly night market on Fridays and a noon to 10pm on Saturdays. One of their main attractions is Ben Spalding’s Stripped Back every Friday, and some quite notorious events that go against our waistlines such as Taco Wars, Gizzi’s Barn Party, Gin Stock, Rib Stock, etc. 

Bao

John Salt

I went to Gizzi’s Barn Party with only one objective to finally try BAO’s steam buns. Everyone is talking about them, highly marks, one of the new additions to the street food frenzy for sure, even though they are active since 2012. Their menu is based on small eats or Xiao Chi, and the specialty is the traditional Taiwanese street food snack Gua Bao (steamed pork bun). How could I resist I die for pork buns, have tracked them since I lost my steamed bun virginity with Momofuku in NYC. 

Finally

They had two specials that day beef skirt and cumin lamb ribs, so guess what I had one of each. The steamed bun was great. The beef skirt was marinated on shacha sauce, nice balance, with all the trimmings, coriander, peanut powder, and home pickles. The lambs were amazing, tender, perfectly cooked, and the touch of cumin was spot on. 

Bun time

Ribs

Anatomy of a Bun

To end the day I also tried the Salt Yard Group burger. The group just in case you don’t know are the owners of Opera Tavern. The burger was great, wonderful flavours, the patty from Basque beef with chorizo and carefully smoked. Really nice. 

Salt Yard Burger

My humble suggestion don’t miss BAO, you will need to track them down through their site or twitter as they keep moving. Regarding the food market explosion I just love it, I have to come back to Street Feast to try Ben's menu.

BAO

Taiwanese Cuisine / Street Food

Approx Damage: £7pp

Twitter: bao_london

Street Feast

T: 078 1169 0012

Street Food Market

Area: Dalston

Borough: Hackney

Twitter: StreatFeastLDN

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Burger Wars Episode XLV: Fatt the Hut

A new face in the burger world is Fattburger, a mysterious venture of 2 Michelin rated chefs with a pop up in The Three Compasses pub. Nice venue for the beta test, pub is nice and eclectic, Dalston style, dimmed lights with candle support. Had the chance to talk with them, they prefer to keep the secrecy, they will be 3 months in beta testing in the Dalston pub, twicking ingredients and changing the menu in the Fattburger Grill Lab to play with different flavours and evaluate customer reactions. 

The place

Three Compasses

Inside

The lab has tested so far a successful Fatty Korean with kimchi, this weekend a Fatty Equadorian with Avocado and chili mayo is replacing until next batch of kimchi is ready. Also the all timer classic Fatt Pig with bacon seems a no brainer, and for my vegetarian friends a Fatt Meat Free with a chick pea patty. 

Fattmenu

My order a Fatt Pig with old school fries, and a pint of Guinness to celebrate St Patrick’s day. 

Fatt Pig

The verdict, burger is very good, excellent flavour, nice balance, the fatt mayo was brilliant, nice melted cheese all over, patty really tasty cooked medium I would have preferred more rare but I let Dr Fattburger to impress me. Pretzel bun was nice, it hold like the Italian defense during the world cup defending the title in the final. Fries were old school, crispy and crunchy, a little bit high on the seasoning, but quite good. 

The damage, 9 quid for the burger and fries

The conclusion, beta test successful, nice flavour, old school style, no brainer combinations, plus sold out specials seems to work for the Fattcrew, definitely Fattburger is one I wouldn’t mind to have regularly, I will give them an 8.5 in my scale, solid performance for a rookie! With a good season they might become the rookie of the year 

Fattburger more to come

I’m sure in no time the buzz will be huge, the burger scene in London seems non stoppable, pretty sure all the burger aficionados and fellow bloggers the Monday's, the Anarchist's, the Me's, the Ac's, etc will be heading to rate, review, compliment, and critic the new kid on the block. 

Fatt reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Non-Fat Yogurt” 

Jerry: Maybe your yogurt isn't so non-fat 

Kramer: Oh, guess again, Tubby! 

Elaine: Jerry, there's got to be a way to find that out 

Jerry: There must be some kind of lab that would do that kind of thing 

Elaine: I've got it 

Kramer: What? 

Elaine: I'll call the Food and Drug Administration 

Kramer: Hey, I'll tell you what, Chubby, if that yogurt has fat in it, I will put myself on an all-yogurt diet for a week 

Jerry: Well, let's start the insanity 

Kramer Giddy-up!

Fattburger (Residence at The Three Compasses)

T: 075 4045 3528

Burgers

Aprox Damage: £10pp

Area: Dalston

Borough: Hackney

Twitter: FATTBURGER

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The Long Table Project: A Midwinter Night Market in Dalston

Yesterday was the first night of four Fridays of London’s finest night market. A hawker style market between Dalston’s two overground stations. The Long Table bringing together in one spot some of the top London street food vendors, restaurants, and even the famous Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes. Massive queues everywhere, I was lucky enough to get early and avoid the entrance queue but at that time 6:30ish the market was already completely full which stayed that way until I left 4 hours later and probably after that, a completely different fate for the ones arriving 20min after I did, I had a glimpsed of the queue when I left and it was massive, it filled completely the entire Abbot street. Besides the big queues the market is a must for any foodie or passionate with food.

Food Night Market

Light My Fire

So what did I try? Basically everything, I stopped eating because I ran out of money. I started the night with the Yum Bun residents of Broadway Market offering pillow soft steam buns filled with slow roast pork belly, hoi sin sauce, cucumbers, spring onions, and shiracha. The Asian arepa as I call it was amazing, big queues but worth it, the flavour of the pork belly with the hoi sin is awesome.

Give me Steam!

Yum Bun

Buns Yum!

The Slow Pork Belly Bun

My second stop was for The Bowler, the mobile meatball machine or as they call it meatballs on the move. I got the great balls of fire sample style as I still wanted to try everything, but it was so good I almost got the whole meal, these amazing spiced pork and beef meatballs with tomato and onion sauce, sour cream, and parmesan tastes like heaven. Sadly they didn’t have there their amazing grass fed van on the place. 

The Bowler

Meatballs of Fire

The Great Gig "Meatball" in the Sky

Third stop and basically the best one of the night, the main event was Nuno Mendes’ The Loft Project, yes the supper club which highlight new talented chefs to show their skills and creations. Not a big queue to be honest, but in front of me on the queue Gizzi Erskine. The Loft’s creation was BBQ short rib with a mushroom caramel and salted peanut praline, it was sublime, superb, I have no more adjectives to describe this awesomeness, go and delight yourself. The short rib was like butter melting away from the bone and the praline was perfect. 

Nuno's Menu

Short Rib Exquisite

The Loft Project Grill

Four stop Moro the restaurant from Exmouth Market offering Moorish cuisine. I got the chestnut and chorizo soup. It was good but not great, I think it needed a punch, something else to bring it all together.

Moro's Chestnut and Chorizo Soup

Finally, yes I got more! A pizza slide from the new residents of Netil Market Home Slice Pizza. Using a modified and portable Wood fire oven to bring to life their thin dough creations. Got the Serrano and Stilton pizza slice, excellent I could have more if I hadn’t run out of money. I will be going for more when in London Fields area.

Pizza Time

Homeslice

There are many more stalls in the market including one of my two favourite burgers Lucky Chip and Hawksmoor, and the excellent Big Apple Hot Dogs. In the middle of all these amazing food two very long tables for the patrons to sit and enjoy. Events like this are why I love London. Head early to avoid the queue and be sure you're hungry enough to try everything.

Lucky Chip

One of the Long Tables 

Street Art in the Venue

While in the market the Bengali Curries from Gastrogeek had in their menu Mutton, I couldn't resist to tell my friends about the Seinfeld episode “The Wink”

Gastrogeek's Mutton

Elaine: My cousin Holly is completely insane. She keeps calling and accusing me of stealing her napkins. 

George: Napkins? 

Elaine: I mean, why? Why would I take her stupid napkins. 

Jerry: Because they were in the pockets of my jacket. 

Elaine: They were? 

Jerry: Yes. I was using them to spit out the mutton. 

Elaine: Spit it out? I had dogs chasing me for that mutton. I was almost mauled because of that mutton. 

George: What exactly is mutton? 

Jerry: I don't know and I didn't want to find out.

The Long Table

Night Food Market

Area: Dalston

Borough: Hackney
Twitter: TheLongTableAS

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A Turkish Lunch in East London

Last week was my friend Armando’s birthday, so we spend the day in east London. We ended having lunch in one of the Turkish places in Dalston, there are so many of them, and he has tried a couple ones, but this one was a new one as his first option was closed. The place 19 Numara Bos Cirrik, serving Anatolian cuisine in an open charcoal grill or Ocakbasi, the offer simple, tasty mezzes, fresh baked breads, and chargrilled marinated meats, fish, and vegetables.

The Place

Menu

Ocakbasi

For starters we got the Karisik Meze (mixed meze), Falafel, and Kalamar Tava (sauteed calamari). It was perfect, the flavours were there, the food was perfectly cooked, the aromas, spot on.

Falafel 

Meze

Calamari

For main I got the Tavuk Sis Yogurtlu which is chicken shish with garlic yogurt sauce. Again amazing, the yogurt was special giving a good balance for the garlic chicken.

 Pickle Onion

Chicken Shish

The only down note of the whole meal was the service, it was dreadful, is like we were begging to be served, our waiter was slow, with a really bad attitude, just the kind of guy you won’t have in front of the house, he even didn’t let us splitting the bill in different cards so made my friends to look for money in the ATM machine, it was just absurd. However, the food was so good that I really don’t care, just ignore him and enjoy the food which is perfect. This Turkey place gave me hope that not only fancy restaurants are serving amazing food, it is refreshing to discover humble places doing a great job.

After leaving the place my friend told us to try the best baklava in town, the place was literally beside Tugra Baklava, I’m not a sweet tooth person, but after Armando’s continuous persistence I decided to tried it, again OMG... it was superb, the best one I have had period.

Turkish Sweets 

Tugra

Turkey reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Secret Code” when George doesn’t want to share his ATM code.

Jerry: Alright, you're locked up in a prison in Turkey, I have your wallet. The only way I can bribe the guards to get you out is for you to give me your ATM code.

George: Call the Embassy.

Jerry: They're closed.

George: Why?

Jerry: Bomb threat.

George: We're in Turkey?

Jerry: Midnight Express, my friend.

George: My card won't work there; they're not on the Plus system.


19 Numara Bos Cirrik
T: 020 7249 0400
Cuisine: Turkish
Borough: Hackney
Area: Dalston

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