Modern Asian takes Victoria

My name is George. I'm unemployed and I live with my parents

George Costanza (Seinfeld episode “The Opposite”)

We went to another Asian restaurant for more Dim Sum. This time Michelin Bib Gourmand's A Wong in Victoria. Modern twits, techno music, a bit empty for Saturday lunch, dim sum menu only at lunch, service a bit slow but probably due to the presentation of the dishes, which was spot on.

Dim Sum with a twist

Dim sum were really nice, presentation was perfect, great flavours, modern twists on classics, I loved the place. We ordered many things but the highlights were the scallops puff with XO sauce, the quail egg croquette puff, and a starter the 63 degree tea egg with shredded filo.

63 degree tea egg

Food was flawless, highly recommended. However, a piece of advice, the menu is more based on fried filo than steamed dumplings, at least what we ordered, so if you're the hardcore steamed type for dim sum you might not like it as much as we did.

A Wong

T: 020 7828 8931

Asian Cuisine / Dim Sum

Approx Damage: £29pp

Area: Victoria

Borough: City of Westminster

Twitter: awongSW1

---

---

A little place called Koya [Closed]

I don't want a big flat noodle 

Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld episode “The Virgin”) 

Update: Place is closed since I visited

Koya is a small Japanese udon noodle place in Soho. Simple decor, cozy, wooden communal tables, a bar in front of the kitchen at the back, wood panels with the menu and some blackboards with specials on chalk on the walls, and Bib Gourmand award by the Michelin Guide. The place is usually packed so we took a chance for lunch on the bank holiday. 

Marisol at the place

We started with the Kakuni, a braised pork belly in cider. It was lovely, nice broth, wonderful flavours, perfectly cooked. Then we shared Kamo Roast or roast duck, nice dish but missed a bit the wow factor, overall ok. 

Pork belly time

Duck

As main I got the Atsu Atsu, hot udon in hot broth. It was ok, again not impressed, I think the broth needed more time to develop flavours. Mine was with tempura prawn, not a good idea to have a crispy tempura in a hot broth, after I ordered I knew that the broth was going to dissolve the crispiness of the tempura. Marisol got a Donburi, the ten curry don. Basically rice with a tempura prawn, it was really nice, great flavours, perfect to appreciate the crispy tempura, excellent dish, and it comes with a nice miso soup. 

Atsu Atsu

Donburi

Miso

Overall Koya is a nice place, for me the broth was a bit weak, I like dense, depth, developed flavours, Marisol on the other hand prefers this kind of light broths. So I guess is up to you, I will come back but definitely the rice is what I will have.

Time to taste the duck

Koya

T: 020 7434 4463

Japanese Cuisine / Udon Noodles

Approx Damage: £27pp

Area: Soho

Borough: City of Westminster

Twitter: KoyaUdon

---

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye

---

Burger Wars Episode LXIII: Duck Gasconwalker

These days my burger list is not as big as in the old days. However, there are still some options to try around and also new comers in the next months opening in London. This time I decided to visit Comptoir Gascon. A nice French bistro and delicatessen in Farringdon, with food and wine sourced from Southwest France, and a Bib Gourmand award from Michelin since 2006. 

Comptoir Gascon

The view

Delicatessen

The burger I went for was a duck burger deluxe, but couple things caught my attention including the signature foie gras and truffle burger, and the scallops, artichoke, and oyster tartare. 

Scallops

Slider

The scallop was fresh and nice, great balance with the oyster tartare. The foie gras and truffle is a slider but it was magnificent it was rich, nice, full of flavour, outstanding, the mayo work perfectly with the fresh and puffy bun, great execution. 

Slider time

Cross section

Finally the deluxe burger, Duck patty, foie gras, and caramelised onions in wine and vinegar reduction. 

Duck burger

The verdict, it was great, as good as the slider. The duck flavour is excellent, the combination with the foie gras and the caramelised onions was spot on. 

The damage, 14.75 quid for the deluxe burger and chips. 

The conclusion, amazing burger and the slider was even better. Fries were ok, home made style, they were voted as best chips by time out, well as usual I completely disagree with them, the fries were the weakest link. The duck burger had almost a perfect score 9 of 10 in my scale, sort out the chips and you should be in the top three. 

Duck time

Duck reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Label Maker” 

Newman: Are you sure you know where the impound yard is?

Kramer: Oh, stop stalling. Come on

Newman: I can't think, there's all this noise

Kramer: Or is it because I've built a stronghold around Greenland? I've driven
you out of Western Europe and I've left you teetering on the brink of complete
annihilation

Newman: I'm not beaten yet. I still have armies in the Ukraine

Kramer: Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting
duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's
time to put the hurt on the Ukraine

Ukrainian: I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak

Kramer: Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal

Ukrainian: Ukraine is game to you?! How about I take your little board and smash
it!

Comptoir Gascon

T: 020 7608 0851

French Bistro

Approx Damage: £26pp

Area: Farringdon

Borough: City of London

---

View Larger Map

---

Another French Brasserie in London

A place creating a lot of talk these days is Brasserie Zedel. Bib Gourmand by Michelin, restaurant of the week Evening Standard, and even Jay Rayner wrote “Zedel feels like a gift to London”. The place is a big complex, with a small street level café upstairs, and downstairs The Crazy Coqs a cabaret and jazz, Bar Americain a cocktail bar, and finally the brasserie. 

Coming down

The places

The brassiere has a huge dinning room, covered by marble and opulence, a true recognition to the Parisian Brasserie. But the most outstanding concept Zedel is implementing it’s how cheap and quality can be married together. Busy place, the menu is changed and printed everyday with a quote, for ours it was that in the day of the visit Gandhi was elected India’s Prime Minister in 1996. 

The Brasserie

The menu

We started with some Endives with Roquefort cheese, nice and simple dish with touches of chives and walnut, clean and nice. 

Endives

I went for a onion soup, good flavour but not as intense as I like it, too mild for me. I really was waiting for a punch of either the onions or the cheese and got nothing at all. 

Soup time

My main Choucroute Alsacienne the sauerkraut, meat, and potatoes French version. This time with cured and smoked belly of pork and frankfurter. It was nice with good flavours. Marisol went for Entrecôte, nicely cooked, good execution, but the flavour wasn’t there. 

Choucroute

Entrecote

Overall a nice diner, good value for money, some lows, a couple high notes, Zedel didn’t blow my mind to be honest but it’s a excellent option in central London, and let’s face it you can’t love every restaurant in town. Expect decent food but not memorable, good service, and a not so big bill at the end. 

The decor

French reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Bookstore” 

George: They made me buy it. A hundred bucks this thing cost me. How dare they? I got news for you, if it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books

Jerry: Yeah. I understand Guttenberg used to spend a lot of time in there

George: They're selling coffee, bran muffins, you're surrounded by reading material! It's entrapment!

Jerry: French Impressionist Paintings?

Brasserie Zedel

T: 020 7734 4888

French Brasserie

Approx Damage: £26pp

Area: Soho

Borough: City of Westminster

Twitter: BrasserieZedel

---

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye

---

Burger Wars Episode LIII: The Fox And Grapes [BurgeReview]

One gastropub I was dying to visit was Fox & Grapes, the place is quite near my flat in Wimbledon Village, holds a Bib Gourmand award from the Michelin guide and was selected as 26 of the top 50 Gastropub Awards. Is the typical country side pub, full of character, and immediately you can feel that something else is going on, and that's a great kitchen on the place. Opened by Chef Claude Bosi same of the two Michelin star Hibiscus, he controls the operations as executive chef while his brother Cedric is the manager. 

The place

Walk this way

I got the visit of my cousin Roberto and his girlfriend Eliana, so decided it was a good time to go there and take them to their first gastropub experience. We got a couple pints and ordered food, for starters we share scratchings and scotch egg, the pork scratchings were really nice and crunchy, perfect to go with the pint, the wild boar scotch egg was superb, perfectly cooked, the running yolk was beautiful, and the flavour excellent. 

Scratchings

Scotch Egg

Perfection

As a main I went for the F&G burger, tomato relish and Blackstick blue cheese. 

Burger time

The verdict, perfectly cooked the meat, medium rare, with a smoky flavour from the coal josper oven, nice melting blue cheese, the relish was excellent, the home made mayo quite good, nicely balanced, the glazes brioche bun was spot on

The damage, 14.5 quid for the burger with fries

The conclusion, beautiful burger, top in the city, I love the fact that it comes from a gastropub, spot on, the fries were crunchy and soft inside, just brilliant. I will give them almost a perfect score in my scale 9 for my local pub

Close up

Roberto got the burger as well, Eliana went for something more traditional Fish and Chips, I had a bite and they were brilliant, perfectly battered, the fish cooked to perfection as well. As side we add some bubble and squeak, which was nice, and the triple cooked chips, surprisingly they weren't as good as the fries. 

Fish and Chips

Eliana ready

Bubble

Chips

For dessert we share a pistachio crème brulee and chocolate shortbread, perfect ending for a lovely diner. 

Desert

Fox reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Understudy” 

Elaine: The Korean women were talking about me. I think they were calling me a dog 

Jerry: How would you know? You don't speak Korean 

Elaine: Because this woman came in with a dog and Ruby called the dog the same word they used when they were pointing at me, “ge ge ge” 

Kramer: You know, maybe in Korean dog isn't an insult. Could be like the word fox to us. Oh, she's a DOG!

Fox and Grapes

T: 020 8619 1300

Gastropub

Approx Damage: £40pp

Area: Wimbledon

Borough: Merton

Twitter: thefoxandgrapes

---

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

---