Bistrot Bruno Loubet: Farringdon, London

I'm on the bus to Farringdon, salivating rather enthusiastically over Marina O'Loughlin's description of stickily rich hare royale with onion raviolo, pumpkin and dried mandarin puree at Bistrot Bruno Loubert.

Unsurprisingly, having held the bus driver's foot to the metal, we arrive early at Bistrot Bruno, like 2 eager puppies. It buys us some time to peruse the menu in the window - tongues to pavement.

And there's no hare today.

The lip quivers.

But the sun is shining in Farringdon, and nowhere does it gleam brighter than in the breezy modern bistro we've come to inspect. With white walls and big windows, BBL is casual but aglow, humming with a contented chatter.

Loubet has returned from an 8 year sojourn in Australia (Brisbane) to once again have the London food scene in a lather. He previously flaunted his skills at such places as London's L'Odeon and the Inn on the Park where he earned a Michelin star. He was named the UK's Young Chef of the Year (1985 Good Food Guide) and was appointed  head chef of Raymond Blanc's  2 Michelin Star restaurant, Le Manoir, all before heading to Oz and coming back again to tackle his new creative venture. Blimey.

Loubet's interesting, creative bistro food adds a modern twist to French classics. It has both feet on the ground, but adds something surprising and creative, often involving exotic Asian or North African ingredients.

I start with the Mauricette snails and meatballs, which circle seductively around a light, creamy mushroom mousse (£8). The sauce is delectably sweet and savoury, but the heavenly mousse steals the show.

We're dining with our lucky charms, T & M (it seems they never have a bad lunch, at least not with us). TPG and Lucky M have chosen the Sunday roast (beef this week), which comes with a plentiful starter - slabs of hearty terrine, bread and cornichons - and a floating island and Pernod custard dessert, all for £22. The starter is meaty, tasty and generous - we easily could have shared one between all of us. Lucky M is working his magic already.

Lucky T starts lightly with a side salad, which was basic but did the job - she's only warming up. (Believe me, wait until the chocolates arrive...)

Having braced myself for the hare, my chosen substitute was going to have to be a rip snorter. Lucky T and I both opted for the confit lamb shoulder. The lamb was pressed into a round little bombshell - fatty, juicy and tender - with white bean mash, sweet red pepper, preserved lemon and green harissa (£16). I wouldn't say there were fireworks, but this was an absolutely lovely combination of flavours, adding some exotic zing to an otherwise hard core meaty dish.

The menfolk enjoyed their lashings of perfectly cooked slices of roast beef with vegetables and bearnaise. Again, servings were generous.

Lucky T and I shared an apple and quince mille feuille with an orange blossom sabayon (£6). Beautifully presented, this was at once a decadent and light finish to the meal. Eternal thanks to Lucky T for allocating to me the larger share.

The menfolk tried to look manly, beating their chests as they nibbled daintily at the their floating island of cloudy meringue in its creamy custard base. In the name of research, I helped TPG crack his way through the toffee coating (which he wasn't fussed about, but I liked) to serve myself several spoonfuls. The meringue was dense rather than delicate, and TPG thought it excellent. The custard was lovely and creamy with a surprisingly strong hit of Pernod - I don't know how that works, but it really does.

Coffees came with a scrumptious little chocolate ganache each, with hints of salty caramel undertones. In true Peanut Gallery form, TPG likened the flavour to a sophisticated version of the Cadbury Chocolate Eclair.

Service was friendly and mostly good, although dessert wines would have come after dessert was devoured had we not issued a prompt (and even then we had to hold back our spoons awhile). Then, having specifically requested coffee to arrive after we'd finished the dessert wine, it came early - twice. We let it go the second time.

Niggles aside, I thoroughly enjoyed Bistrot Bruno Loubet. It's been heaped with praise since it opened some weeks ago, but it's a worthy recipient. I can see it going from strength to strength as it continues to provide clever bistro delights to us lucky Londoners.

A 3 course meal for 2 with wine, dessert wine and service costs around £90. And you probably won't need dinner...

Bistrot Bruno Loubet, The Zetter Hotel, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, Farringdon (Ph: 020 7324 4455)

Eastside Inn: Bistro fare in Farringdon

Eastside Inn has enjoyed rave reviews in the blogosphere since it opened last year, and so it was with much anticipation that we looked forward to our reservation for four hungry food enthusiasts on the verge of celebrating the Easter break last week.

Bjorn and Justine van der Horst have put the open kitchen in the heart of the restaurant - a feature which I adore, as much as anything because it reminds me of sitting up at the bench top "chewing the fat" about the day's events at school, while diving in for the spoils as Mum toiled away at dinner. That's not quite how it works at Eastside Inn, but the chefs all seem so friendly you can imagine it would be a nice place to sit (and beg for a scrap or two).

However, our party was seated in a small enclave off the main bistro-style dining room. It was, unfortunately, completely lacking in atmosphere, and held all the charm of a bland hotel foyer - we were facing the main entrance as though waiting for something to happen. We could have been virtually alone in the restaurant for all we knew. It was only later in the evening that I took a stroll through the main dining room with its French bistro decor and mirrored walls, and was stunned to witness the chatter, buzz and charm that was completely devoid from our corner of the world. My first tip is to request the main bistro room when you book. Our enclave appears to have been a hangover from the days when the kitchen divided the bistro from a more formal restaurant - the latter has now been converted into rather unwelcoming looking lounge bar (again, with some stilted, hotel foyer type qualities). The bistro was not full, so perhaps they just don't realise how off-putting this room is for anyone who likes a bit of atmosphere (don't we all)?

Bjorn and Justine were not in the house on the night of our visit (a rarity, I believe, owing to the Easter break), and perhaps that is why, as much as I liked the food (and, generally, it was undeniably good), it did not soar to the dizzying heights that others have experienced. From his previous roles at the Greenhouse and La Noisette, to his current work at Eastside Inn, Bjorn has developed a reputation for his innovative, skilfully prepared gastronomic delights. The new bistro menu balances elegance and rustic charm well. On this occasion, the food was lovely, but it was outshone by the excellent service we received from all. And, to some extent, the lack of buzz must have shaded my impressions of the experience as a whole.

We started with some hors d'ouevres - French radishes (a current favourite - £3.50), Nicoise olive tapenade on toast with pickled anchovies (absolutely delicious - £2.95) and little clams (also lovely - £4.95).

My starter let me down. Why, oh why, did I order the classic prawn cocktail "Las Vegas" (£8.95) when I was bound to love "Justine's favourite onion soup" with Beaufort cheese (£6.95)? The medium sized prawns were crumbed and fried, then perched on the side of a dish of lettuce leaves, with a tangy-sweet dipping sauce. All was executed well enough, but no taste sensations here.

TPG's starter was a winner - a fricassee of morels on toast with a perfect, gooey egg yolk (£9.95). Good eggs are just so nourishing, and this was a beautiful combination of rich and moreish flavours.

Our friends Fiona and Robert enjoyed the soup of the day (white onion with chestnut - it looked scrumptious (£4.50)) and chargrilled baby squid with spring onions, lime and paprika vinaigrette (£9.95).

Feeling seasonal, I opted for some Easter Bunny - a main portion of braised leg of Lincolnshire rabbit served atop some silky tagliatelle and a light mustard sauce (£14.95). The generous serve of rabbit was moist and tender, falling into the delicately creamy sauce. It was good, although it seemed to be missing some kind of X factor.

The pasta in TPG's rigatoni with veal ragout, capers, lemon and pecorino (£13.95) was surprisingly undercooked (well short of al dente), and overall this dish lacked flavour despite reading like a terrific combination. Disappointing.

Our companions seemed to choose more wisely - Fiona adored her prawns "Al Cremat" (delivered in a cast iron pan with white wine, chilli, herbs and garlic - £17.95) and Robert's chicken breast with asparagus and morel sauce (£17.95) looked the goods - it was devoured wholeheartedly.

We requested a side serve of the asparagus, which was not on the menu but was gracefully provided. Bursting with flavour, the perfectly cooked spears were among the biggest hits of the evening.

Our cheese selection was lovely (£11), although the cheese trolley is nothing to rival my favourite at Chez Bruce. However, the Laughing Cow clearly on display was surely worth a smile. I enjoyed TPG's classic dessert of the day (a chocolate and coffee number with ice-cream) even more than he did - rich, creamy and chocolatey (£7.95).

A clever and stylish amuse bouche arrived in the form of a large, rectangular ice block, with a hollowed out semi-circle for a dollop of sweet, rich mango sorbet. Another surprise amuse bouche - a coriander sorbet - also arrived later, which was lovely and refreshing.

The wine list is extensive, but expensive - try finding something decent for less than £30.

Despite being shunted into a dreary enclave, we had a super fun evening fuelled by much food, wine and merriment. Eastside Inn has a great menu, and mostly executes things very well. However, it didn't leave me desperate to claim it my new favourite haunt, despite my long-held suspicious that it might. Perhaps I'll give it another chance for lunch in the bistro with the big kids one day.

Eastside Inn will be open on Sundays as of 11 April 2010.

[Postscript, 9 April 2010: Justine van der Horst contacted me in response to this post to confirm that the lounge area is currently in a transition phase and will be revamped shortly - so hold tight. Great news! It's also terrific to see enthusiastic restauranteurs who care enough about this sort of feedback to respond to it positively and quickly. I'll be giving them another go soon.]

Eastside Inn, 38-42 St John Street, Farringdon, London, EC1M 4AY (Ph: 020 7490 9230)


Apologies for the lack of photos - I didn't want to detract from the ambience any further by snapping at everyone's dishes. (Normally, I hold no such qualms!)

Lille, France: Gluttonous Travels & a Joyeux Paques

Only 90 minutes from London, lies the small Flemish city of Lille. Sure, the skies are as grey and the streets are as wet as London's - but the natives of Lille know how to cook a duck. This alone was worth the cost of a Eurostar ticket for our Easter weekend getaway.

The food in Lille is a regional and traditional mix of Northern French and Belgian fare - think carbonade flamande (beer based beef stew), waterzoi au poisson (cream sole and vegetables), potjevlessch (a cold potted terrine of veal, rabbit and ham) and gauffres (the amazing waffles). This is not a place for dieting. Crucially, there's no shortage of Belgian chocolate shops - the spots suddenly festering on my face are a striking testament to the fact.

Lille is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region of France, not far from the border between France and Belgium. The birthplace of Charles de Gaulle, most of its visual charms, and some beautifully ornate Flemish architecture, lie in a handful of streets comprising the cobbled old town - Vieux Lille. People tend to go on about the Grand Place - a huge square in the heart of the town - but it would be fair to say it's not the prettiest of old squares I've come across. It was fairly touristy of course, but most (not all) of the bars/cafes on its sidelines were a bit grimy. To discover Lille's real charm, you need to work those cobblestones a little harder.

Meert (27 rue Esquermoise), pictured above - This picture perfect patisserie and chocolate shop is Lille's most famous. It started trading in the 1760s and it's safe to say no trip to Lille is complete without a thorough sampling of its wonderous gauffres (filled waffles). The light crispy wafers filled with vanilla or chocolate sugary goodness are the best gauffres in Lille (yes, we conducted an extensive sampling of the competition, so I can say it with certainty). It is said that Charles de Gaulle himself held a regular order for them all his life. Ornate and lavish, with mirrors and truly exquisite cakes and pastries, I owe quite a few sugar rushes to this gem of a place. It also has a tea room at the back. Most importantly, Meert was the birthplace of my delicious chocolate Easter Egg "poulet" this year, courtesy of TPG (and I didn't think it was possible to love him more...).

(My Easter Egg from Meert)

Rue de la Monnaie is another cobbled street lined with patisseries, boutiques, cafes and bars. One of our favourite bakeries there was Aux Merveilleux de Fred. TPG stocked up on what was possibly the BEST dessert I have EVER had - the Incroyable. Back at the hotel room later, we feasted with our hands on this gorgeous concoction of meringue, specaloos cream, white chocolate and cream. The delicious custard flan hardly got a look in (until later).

(The amazing Incroyable)

Meanwhile, I snuck into Benoit (77 rue de la Monnaie), another fabulous chocolate shop with over 50 varieties of locally made chocolates and truffles, to buy TPG's bell shaped Easter egg filled with little praline balls - clocks are symbollic of Easter at this time of year (in Belgium, it's said that the church bells leave for Rome every Easter and bring back the eggs on Saturday). I'm not sure if this was appreciated by TPG, but from his chocolatey smile all day, I can vouch for the quality of the egg.

Afternoons are the time to settle into a cafe for a local biere blanche or kir - or you could linger over a long lunch with a carafe of wine in the spirit of the TPG and me. Our first lunch was at La Petite Cour (17 rue du Cure St-Etienne), a small but busy cafe/bar with wooden tables and its fair share of Lille's young population, as well as some old, intellectual types (judging from the funky glasses). Over a carafe of inexpensive but delicious red wine, we shared a good, hearty meal of blanquette de veau (a tasty veal stew in a wine sauce) and the biggest magret du canard (duck breast) I've ever clapped eyes on - this thing was the size of a rib-eye. LPC apparently has a courtyard on summer days.

 

Monsieur Jacques (30 rue de Gand) - is a fun, busy little wine bar for a pre-dinner drink, nestled among a strip of restaurants on the busy (and somewhat touristy) rue de Gand. It has a funky, younger crowd of locals but it's not overly cool or intimidating.

But one of my favourite of the local traditions was that nobody starts dinner without first sipping a glass of champagne. When in Rome...

L'Estaminet de La Royale (37 rue Royale) - We stumbled upon this gorgeous, traditional little brasserie while exploring in the old town. We stood at the bar sipping kirs poured by the gregarious owner and fell in love with the place while waiting for a table among a mix of locals who seemed to be regulars. Not a tourist in sight. There's a few tables at the front where we eyed of plates off well presented Flemish, family style food - noting everyone was opting for the daily specials of carbonade flamande (beer based beef stew) and magret du canard (duck breast). We joined a small room of tables at the back and perused the handwritten menu, with our well-worn French-English dictionary in hand. I enjoyed a terrific steak - hearty, juicy and perfectly cooked with tasty vegetable sides and a local Maroilles cheesy sauce. TPG's magret du canard was delicious, although a little light on for bulk so he helped himself to some of mine. We finished off with a cafe creme, but no room for dessert. Recommended. Prices are generally around 12-20 Euros for a main meal.

L'Assiette du Marche (61 rue de la Monnaie) - Set back from the street in the courtyard of a townhouse that was once Louis XIV's royal mint, this enormous restaurant was teeming with locals. Prices are cheap - 21 Euro for 3 courses, 17 for 2 courses - or reasonably priced a la carte.  However, the food is modern and well presented. After starting with a glass of Pommery champagne (8 Euros), and moving on to a wonderful Meursault, I adored my delicately presented vegetable terrine as well as TPG's hearty fish soup with all the trimmings (both for around 7 Euros each). Still struggling after a big lunch and snacks and snacks in between snacks, I opted for a second entree of smoked salmon and buttery potatoes - again delicious. TPG's chicken breast with morrel and cream sauce was hearty and flavourful - another winner. We retreated home to devour our Incroyable for sweets at the hotel. The interior is nothing special (especially compared to the promise of its beautiful facade) but there's plenty of chatter and service is ultra friendly. Recommended.

 

La Cave aux Fioles (39 rue de Gand) - Dark and candlelit, with brick walls and red tablecloths, this restaurant is traditional, but frequented almost solely by English tourists on the night of our visit. TPG dined on an enjoyable, chunky fish stew, however my steak was overcooked (at well done), chewy and overloaded with stringy sinew. It did have a cute plastic cow stuck in the top of it (which helpfully doubled as a toothpick to attend to the sinew). The Il flottante was slightly too sweet and the meringue as rubbery as a wet shower cap. My cold cheese tasted like fridge. My red wine glass smelt like egg and had to be swapped (a pet peeve when dishes are mixed in with eggy things in the wash). Apparently there is a courtyard, and jazz on some nights.

Wazemmes Market - One of the highlights of the weekend was Sunday morning spent at Wazemmes market. Do not go to Lille without visiting the market. I love a French market, and this one is the biggest I have ever seen. Teeming with stalls selling everything you could not possibly want, from cheap towels to underwear and electronics, we made a beeline through the throng for the food section. I have never seen so many rotisserie chickens in my life.

We wandered past stalls selling Moroccan tagines, cheeses (some of the local cheeses pictured above look like bright orange pumpkins), ribs, Vietnamese and Chinese fare, fruit and vegetables (we loved the stubby radishes which we devoured by the bunch), baguettes, pastries and gigantic flat, round Moroccan breads, making several purchases along the way. There are cafes facing out on to the market to sit and sip a wine and watch the world go by, while streets leading up to the market are also worth a poke around - we discovered some gorgeous food stores, delicatessens and a beer specialist selling all sorts of weird and wonderful brews to fill up our suitcases.

We returned to the hotel with our arms laden with bags to prepare a leisurely Easter Sunday lunch. The market is certainly a more edgy part of town compared to Vieux Lille, but definitely worth visiting.

While in Lille we stayed at HotelSuisse, which is conveniently across the road from the Eurostar station (and the amazing L shaped building of the Credit Lyonnais) and is a 10 minute walk to the centre of town. Spacious, modern and comfortable it was also amazingly cheap for its calibre at around 70 Euro per night. It's no designer/boutique hotel (I couldn't find anything like that for a reasonable price throughout my research) but it's comfortable and has a shower, bath and free movies (great for rainy day interludes). My main quibble was that the walk into the more charming parts of town was a bit annoying at times, so if you can find something as reliable closer to the action, then go for it. Also, take your own equipment if you want to blow dry your hair in under 500 hours - this is one pathetic excuse for a hairdryer.

There are no frills (like moisturisers or shampoo) and they only gave us 1 tiny container of UHT milk (containing about 2 teaspoons of milk) for our coffees. When we asked for more, they gave us 1 more (5 more would have been closer to the money). But staff are helpful and breakfast was free - a help yourself arrangement to basic cereal, fruit, yoghurt, very buttery croissants, breads etc - nothing hot, and nothing too fancy. But who wants to fill up in the hotel when the delights of Lille await...

We didn't eat at L'Huitriere, a Michelin star seafood restaurant in the old town, but it gets decent reviews if you want to blow the budget.

(Lovely wine bar in the old town)

(Typical street in the old town of Lille)

I'd say 2 full days is a perfect amount of time for Lille. We stayed longer (3.5 days), but took things at a leisurely pace and took advantage of the free movies and some time to read a stack of books and mags in wine bars during downtime (aaah, the luxury of holidays...). There are some lovely clothes boutiques for shopping trips (not so many for guys - sorry TPG), but not more than enough to knock over in a day if you're focussed (and Sunday trading is limited). Lille is certainly a handy place to practice your French over some fantastic Flemish food and wonderful, well priced French wines. Bon appetit!

Lahore Kebab House: Whitechapel, London

In the hotly debated world of food lovers, there's one thing most Londoners hold as gospel - if you want some good lamb chops, go to Whitechapel.

Whitechapel boasts some of the oldest and most revered Pakistani restaurants in London. Many would cite Tayyabs as a favourite. These kinds of places are to the feasting Brit what good Thai and Vietnamese restaurants are to the gluttonous Aussie. And, although the Thai and Vietnamese flavours are still preferable to my Australian palate, I'm not one to knock back a good plate of lamb chops. Here, in London, go to the right places and they do them so well.

Last week, we took on a feast at Lahore Kebab House.

The first thing you notice is that it's massive and it's packed to the rafters. The whole upstairs floor was crowded with groups welcoming in the weekend with Cobra beers, spicy curries, grilled chops, and tandoori chicken to their hearts' content. At least one thing this place has over Tayyabs is that there's so much seating, you won't have to spend half your night in a queue.

We started with poppadoms, minted yoghurt and mango chutney (all fairly standard) and, the main draw card for me, platefuls of expertly grilled, marinated lamb chops (£7.50). The spicy marinade is intense, but delicious, and our first serve was moist, tender and juicy - perfect. Subsequent platefuls were, unfortunately, quite chewy.

There's a full range of curries (£5.50 each for vegie, £7.50 each for meaty) varied from mild to spicy - we sampled most of them. While nothing screamed out at me as being earth shattering, they were a cut above the curries I've sampled closer to home in the West End. Serving sizes are decent.

The huge stacks of plain naan we ordered to slurp them up were excellent.

And (halleluyah!) it's BYO, so take your booze (there's an off-licence next door) and for 15 quid per head you can feast til you burst. Just don't expect any frills - champagne glasses were provided for the red wine drinkers.

Service is brusque and not particularly personable, but when you're getting such good food at low prices, and given the number of covers, you can't expect too many pleasantries. The only hitch occurred when our waiter spilled red wine all over the shirt of one of the ladies at our table - however, they did deduct her share from the bill.

Perhaps not a location for a romantic special occassion (do NOT get any ideas TPG), but just brilliant for a big, noisy night out with a gang of like minded gluttons.

Lahore Kebab House, 2-10 Umberston Street, Whitechapel, London E1 1PY