Hakkasan is a Cantonese restaurant famed for its dim sum, beautiful cocktails and chic interior that is SO low-lit inside you may want to bring a torch (just kidding, please don’t bring a torch )

We ordered cocktails to start – I had an absolute delicious lychee martini – and ended up going for the dim sum selection to start.

This dim sum was amazing, and included a beautiful lobster dumpling, scallop and prawn shui mai, wagyu beef with black garlic, and a royal king crab dumpling. So good and perfect as a sharing plate for two.

If you’re extra hungry, there are a myriad of extra small bites you could get to accompany this, including the delectable-sounding lobster lychee, but we didn’t want to spoil our mains so we were relatively restrained!

Speaking of main course, we ordered a selection of things to share, including a truly exceptional dish of grilled chilean sea bass in honey. When I say this was in the top 5 things I’ve ever eaten in my entire life, I’m not joking. It was simply beautiful and we haven’t stopped talking about it since!

We also had the wagyu beef, and some classic sides like egg fried rice and stir-fried baby broccoli – yum!

When it got to dessert, we received a lovely birthday dessert plate for Lu and we ordered one other dish called the Jivara bomb which was a beautiful concoction of hazelnut praline and chocolate.

All in all, if you’re looking for beautiful Cantonese food in London, with exceptional service and you’re happy with it being on the pricier side, look no further than Hakkasan for a fantastic time.

The restaurant is small and understated but obviously been crafted with care. From the very spacious tables that never feel like you’re on top of another party, to the ambience that has been perfectly pitched to feel light + airy whilst still intimate, Core is somewhere to go where you want refined, easy intimacy with friends, family or even colleagues.

There are three different menus to choose from:

• Core Classics – a set menu of absolute Core favourites
• Core seasons – a set menu of seasonal dishes
• A La Carte – pick and choose your three courses

I highly recommend picking Core Classics on your first trip as it is a really beautiful collection of tried + tested favourites that you’ll love! However this time, we went for the A La Carte option – this post will show what we chose!

But before that, one thing to mention that aside from the usual tables, Core has a special ‘Chef’s Table’ that is situated opposite the kitchens. From this vantage point, you can see the chefs preparing the food, and if Clare is in the restaurant, you can observe her at work. We managed to get seated at the Chefs Table this time round, so I also wanted to share a few photos so you can see what the view is like!

Being able to watch the chefs work is incredible – we spent a lot of our meal just talking about what we thought they were all doing and watching the insane level of focus and attention to detail that each dish goes through. Seeing how Clare approves every dish that leaves her kitchen and how she interacts with her staff was also really fascinating!

Okay, onto the food now!

Starters

This dish was called Lobster and Spelt, and also included celery, caviar and selim pepper. It was crafted in the shape of a C, maybe signifying Core or even Clare! I have to say it was a super pretty plate of food and it felt bad to even disturb its careful creation by eating it!

As you may expect though, this dish didn’t just look amazing – every component worked together to give you a real treat, so much so that our plates were entirely clean by the end!

Mains

I was really excited for my main course. I ordered the venison, which is not a meat I would regularly have, so this was a treat in itself. The venison came with heritage beetroot, cherry and pink peppercorn, and was a really healthy portion of food! The venison was cooked to perfection, the beetroot and cherry combined really well to add complimentary sweetness to the meat, and the different textures of beetroot gave the dish a ton of interest. Yummy all round!

Dessert

There is only one dessert I would go for at Core, and it is their perennial classic, the ‘Core-teaser’.

This dish is made up of a beautiful chocolate and hazelnutty mousse and ice cream pairing, sandwiched between two, light-as-air pieces of malt. The combination of all the pieces is heavenly and really rates as one of my favourite desserts ever. There are also some extra surprises – the solid chocolate core in the mousse, the beautifully crafted chocolate feathers that adorn the dessert, and the gorgeous plate that it comes presented on, stuffed with feathers to amplify the light feeling of this dessert. This dish is a must-try if like me, you are a fan of chocolate desserts!

The Extras

One other thing Core does really well is garnish your experience with little extras. Before your starter arrives, you are presented with a few little canapes to get your appetite going (unpictured unfortunately as I was too excited to eat them!), as well as the yummiest bread + butter I’ve ever had.

Before dessert too, a little surprise!

This cherry is of course not a cherry, but a light and delicate take on a cherry bakewell! Just behind it, it also came paired with a cherry-based cocktail of some description, which helped to give the impression of that cherry dessert.

Finally, after the dessert, a couple of extras arrive in the form of edible gels – a ‘light wine’ and ‘red wine’ gel each – as well as a lovely little chocolate lavender tart, that is just a mouthful of gooey heaven.

Scores on the doors

Food: 10/10 – Core’s two Michelin stars are well-deserved and everything is made impeccably, tastes gorgeous and is presented beautifully. I don’t know what else you could really ask for. On top of that, the prices here are not exorbitant. The A LA Carte dinner menu costs £105 per person, and the Set Menus come in at £135 per person (alcohol would cost extra).

Service: 10/10 – The staff at Core will take care of your every need. Your table is discreetly looked over by a number of staff who keep you very well cared for. Each dish is brought out by a waiter who is accompanied by someone who will give you an explanation of the dish, and who are more than happy to answer all your questions (in our case about what they did to the bread to make it taste so damn good!)

Ambience: 8/10 – Core is not somewhere that feels super buzzy for a raucous night out, nor is it somewhere that gives you a real ‘date-night’, sexy feel. However, it is comfortable, intimate and light, and so is perfect for those nights with friends and family where you’d like to recline in comfort and just have a good time.

Would I recommend? I recommend Core constantly to people who just want good food in London. I also personally love that there is an accomplished woman at the helm! Please go and tell me what you think!

Website: https://www.corebyclaresmyth.com/

Address: 92 Kensington Park Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 2PN

The Chiltern Firehouse has a reputation of being a bit of a celeb hotspot, and as with many places that have been frequented by celebs, I was worried that it would be overpriced for no real reason.

However, after hearing some good reviews from friends, we decided to put our prejudices aside and give it a go. We visited in November 2019, and there was already a bit of a festive feel in the air

We had the option of sitting at a proper table or to be seated at a tabletop bar that was directly attached to a chef’s station. We ended up picking the chef’s station because we thought it would be amazing to watch the chefs prep the food. (Spoiler alert: it was!)

This was the view from where we were sitting:

 I was actually really excited to be sitting at the tabletop bar. You were nicely spaced away from other diners so it still felt private and not hemmed in, and being able to watch all the chefs doing their thing really up close was actually really interesting and entertaining.

Choosing from the menu was difficult – everything sounded amazing! Here’s some things I tried:

Starters

On the left is scallops sashimi with blackberries – beautifully prepared. There was also plentiful bread and butter available that was so delicious you really had to stop yourself from eating more!

Mains

So I sampled two different main courses:

The first was pumpkin mac + cheese with black truffle chips, and the second was a beef fillet bordelaise with heritage carrots.

Both dishes were SO GOOD and even looking back at these pictures makes me feel hungry

Desserts

I am way more of a dessert person than a first course person so I was very happy that we got two different desserts to try.

We sampled the apple + blackberry crumble with vanilla ice-cream, and a chocolate tart with olive oil ice-cream. While both were yummy, my personal favourite was the crumble – the crumbly bits were done. to. perfection!

Scores on the doors

Food: 9/10 – everything was absolutely delicious, and it was cool to watch the chefs make our food right in front of us! Of course, the dishes are pricey but I think that the quality justifies it!

Service: 10/10 – everyone was super attentive, courteous, and bent backwards to fill our every need.

Ambience: 9/10 – Great buzz all round but you’re still far enough away from others to feel like you’re having a private meal.

Would I recommend? 100% – it’s a great experience and well deserves the buzz! We are looking forward to going back again!

Website: http://www.chilternfirehouse.com/

Address: 1 Chiltern St, Marylebone, London W1U 7PA

Last week, we decided to try out Arcade, a upscale food hall located in the ground floor of the Centre Point building next to Tottenham Court Road station.

Now, I dunno about you, but “food hall” has certain connotations to me. Actually, I’ve recently been to one that perfectly encapsulates what I mean – Seven Dials Market. A selection of food, communal seating, a raucous atmosphere.. this is what I’m picturing when I think food hall.

Arcade has elements of these things, so I guess food hall is a fair descriptor, but it is also different!

Inside, Arcade looks like a swanky restaurant. From the outside looking in, you would actually be forgiven for not realising it is a food hall at all. It looks really fucking nice.

But it is a food hall, and has managed to incorporate seven open kitchens, 3 bars and a coffee/bakery counter in its space, without it seeming too bustling or disorganised.

The other thing is that Arcade manages to put together a mix of more communal seating with private tables for different party sized – which again adds to the restaurant feel. We secured a table for 4 all to ourselves without any fuss, and a waitress came over immediately to give us a menu that showcases the food on offer from all 7 kitchens as well as their delicious cocktail and wine list.

Deciding what food to have there was a monumental effort, as it all sounded delicious. The kitchens are:

• Casita do Frango – Wood-charcoal grilled Piri Piri chicken accompanied by other Portuguese favourites.
• Chotto – By the peeps behind Chotto Matte, this is a build-your-own concept featuring Nikkei specials such as ceviche, sushi, hot chicken teriyaki and more from its Japanese-Peruvian menu.
• Flat Iron Workshop – Its all about the quality beef in a space dedicated specifically to experimenting with new dishes and specialist cuts. Here, they showcase rare best-in-class beef from responsible smaller producers in the UK.
• Lina Stores – Authentically Italian, high-quality dishes, fresh handmade pasta, cured meats, antipasti and more.
• Le Bab – Offers modern kebabs, served with contemporary garnishes, delicious flatbreads, and all your mezze selection faves.
• Pastorcito – Serving up some of the most authentic Mexican tacos and flavour combinations in London, inspired by the founders’ time spent living in Mexico City for over a decade.
• Tou – Arcade says this is “a first-of-its-kind katsu sando-driven concept taking London by storm with its famed Iberian Katsu Sando and challenging expectations on what can be put between two pieces of bread.” Intriguing!

One of my favourite things about food halls, is that you can all go and pick up your faves from different kitchens rather than having to all compromise on one particular cuisine. We capitalised on this and scattered to various corners to pick up yummy-sounding things, and then brought things back to the table to compare and share.

This was a delicious pumpkin ravioli from Lina Stores, with butter, sage and hazelnuts.

Aubergine polpettes, with tomato!

Pici with mushrooms and sausage

Charcoal grilled steak from Flat Iron Workshop, with a light, fresh salad.

Everything I ate (a bit of most things pictured ) was delicious. But to be fair, I expected nothing less considering the pedigree of these restaurants.

We were too full to consider desserts, but there are sweet things on offer too.

Scores on the doors

Food: 8/10 – everything was yum, and I appreciated how you could literally see everyone making everything from scratch in front of you if you wanted to.

Service: 8/10 – its a food hall so you have to go and order yourself, but I’m giving this 8 because they also have waiter service when you sit down to take your drinks order and bring it to you, and also they did bring us some (but not all) of our ordered dishes to the table, which I wasn’t expecting.

Ambience: 8/10 – It feels like you’re eating in a upscale restaurant, and the fact that there are private tables was a real plus. When we visited, I felt like it struck a good balance between buzz but not being overwhelmed by noise.

Would I recommend? We all really enjoyed Arcade and would definitely go back to try more things!

See the full menu here if you’re intrigued to visit!

Website: https://www.arcade-london.com/

Address: Arcade Food Theatre, 103-105 New Oxford Street, London

I think the best thing about food markets is that you can go with as many people as you want and everyone will generally find something that they want to eat, due to the diversity of the food vendors. And Seven Dials Market is no different – although its relatively small, it has a good range of food genres, a couple bars, and hey, it even has a bookshop and a florist!

I went with a friend of mine after work, and we spent a bunch of time assessing our options for food. When you walk in, you’ll see a central seating area that is bounded by what will initially feel like an overwhelming amount of options.

We just went around systematically and checked out the menus of each place. There were a lot of options that looked delicious, but the one that we both wanted to try was called El Pollote, a latin-inspired fried chicken place!

Don’t be put off by the emptiness, we went early . The menu, like everywhere in the market, focuses on a few key dishes that they do really well.

We tried a couple different things: the fried chicken burger with avo-drizzled yuca fries, and the buffanero fried chicken.

I found the fried chicken burger to be delicious, crispy and tender in all the right ways. The yuca fries were chunky, which is luckily how I like my chips and came with this avocado drizzle that paired really well with them.

My friend didn’t love the buffalo and habanero sauce on her wings, and I think if I would eat there again, I would probably pick the guava glaze, which sounds delicious. Cabana offer a similar guava glaze on their chicken which I’m obsessed with, so this seems like a safer bet for next time.

Aside from the food, the service was speedy (although we were there a little early). You can get free tap water at the bar, but we ordered a couple of cocktails too.

Scores on the doors

Food: 6/10 – I enjoyed my burger and chips but they weren’t that different from stuff I’d eaten before. My friend wasn’t too impressed with hers

Service: 7/10 – Its a food hall, so theres not much in the way of service. But the server at the counter was friendly, quick and saw him putting a lot of care and attention into how our dishes were presented.

Ambience: 5/10 – It can get pretty noisy in there, exacerbated by the fact that you’re all hemmed into the central communal seating (which is a little uncomfy). But it does feel buzzy.

Would I recommend? Overall, I’d say El Pollote serves up perfectly serviceable fried chicken with a little latina twist. I wouldn’t rush back but thats not to say I wouldn’t recommend it. However, I am looking forward to getting back to Seven Dials Market to try out some of their other options as well!

Yep, you read that right. Blind tasting is when you sit down at the restaurant without having any idea what you’re gonna be eating. There’s a sample menu you can see online if you want to get a flavour of what your culinary experience will be, but you don’t know the exact dishes you’ll be having.

This was the first time I’ve been somewhere with blind tasting, and I was a little nervous to be completely in the dark. However, the fact that Ikoyi has a Michelin star reassured me that the chefs know best, and that everything will likely be very delicious.

Okay, so lets get to the food. Don’t come here thinking you’re going to have the jollof your mum makes at home. While this restaurant is West-African inspired, the chefs Iré Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan, have taken the flavours and spices of West Africa and combined them with their own perspective.

This is what I ate!

Course 1 – Fermented Plantain Waffle

I actually think this was one of my favourite courses!

Whatever was on top of that waffle tasted DELICIOUS. I also want all my waffles to be plantain waffles from now on!

Course 2 – Langoustine Moin Moin & Benne

Moin Moin is a Nigerian bean pudding, which formed the base of this dish. It was topped with some sesame slathered langoustine. A very yummy bite!

Course 3 – John Dory & Saffron Veloute

This dish was cooked to perfection!

I ate this so quick The saffron veloute was incredibly flavourful and paired perfectly with the fish.

Course 4 – Sweetbreads & Daikon Risotto

This was my least favourite course.

I’ve tried sweetbreads before and was not a fan of its texture. I tried them again here and had the same reaction. I guess they are just not for me! This was also the course I thought was the least aesthetically pleasing.

Course 5 – Wester Ross Salmon & Caviar

Fun fact, when the waiter announced this dish, I thought he said “Westeros Salmon” and we had a fun Game of Thrones geek-out moment

The salmon was very lightly smoked and was buttery soft in my mouth. Delicious.

Alcohol interlude

This was the point that the waiter told us they had some “Fuck Trump And His Stupid Fucking Wall” spirit in.

Made from a base of pearled barley, Belgian saison yeast, and koji, this liquor wasn’t necessarily my bag but I enjoyed the spirit of ordering a Fuck Trump, very much

Course 6 – January King & Groundnut

January King is a badass name for a cabbage. It was paired with a pear relish and a nutty sauce. Again, the chefs were able to infuse an insane amount of flavour into the cabbage and I enjoyed this dish immensely. The pear was a lovely sweet note that I could have had even more of!

Course 7 – Plantain, Raspberry & Smoked Cauliflower

One of the most eye-catching plates we were served, and apparently one of the standout dishes on the Ikoyi menu!

This is an intriguing mix of plantain, raspberry flavours and a ton of scotch bonnet! This was one of the hottest plates on the menu, and definitely a flavour bomb!

Course 8 – Monkfish & Red Pepper Kelp, Smoked Jollof Rice

This was the ‘main’ course, and one of my faves. I’ve never had a jollof quite like it (I didn’t get to ask exactly what was in it unfortunately!). The kelp on the top was delicious as well.

The jollof was paired with beautifully cooked monkfish and aubergine, and to be honest, this would have been fine for a main for me even without having eaten the other 7 courses!

Course 9 – Buttermilk, Black Garlic & Uda Mousse

Finally, dessert time! It was really nice to have some sweetness at the end of the meal.

This was just yummy! Light, creamy mousse with a nice bit of crunchy texture at the bottom.

Course 10 – Sorghum, Blood Orange & Rhubarb

The last course I think was meant as a little palette cleanser, and we were instructed by the waiter to eat it in one bite.

This was like a little tiny tart with rhubarb and a orangey jelly. Eating it in one bite ended the meal on a really refreshing note, and I was actually really pleased that after 10 courses, there was nothing heavy at the end.

Scores on the doors

Food: 8/10 – the combination of spices, the interesting perspective of the chefs on West African cuisine, and the presentation of the dishes contributes to a solid 8.

Service: 8/10 – the waiters were attentive, friendly and happy to oblige.

Ambience: 6/10 – The restaurant is small and cosy, and had comfy sofa-like chairs which I loved. I marked this down though because the when we visited the restaurant was mostly empty and so it was lacking a bit of buzz.

Would I recommend? Yes, DEFINITELY. 100% please visit if you’re looking for a different Michelin experience.

As a fan of Tom Dixon, and a superfan of mediterranean cuisine, making a trip to this restaurant was an absolute no brainer.

A couple of reflections for this restaurant:

• The ambience was 6/10 for me. I really enjoyed the decor, top to toe Tom Dixon obviously, but I wished the restaurant was a different layout. It’s a kind of odd shape (long and narrow), and so our table was constantly battered by foot traffic next to it. Its not the kind of restaurant where you would go for an intimate dinner, put it that way.
• Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed our time there and this is purely because of the food! Literally everything we ate and drank was delicious. A highlight for me was actually the incredible selection of breads on offer, freshly made and so flavoursome.
• The Coal Office is the kind of place that it may be unclear how much to order. They offer a selection of small plates, large plates, in between course plates, and of course the breads. My recommendation is to treat it like you would a tapas restaurant, and spread your bets over multiple things. Sharing with your companion/s is a must so you can sample a bunch of things.

Here are a few photos I took from the dinner!

Yep, you’re not just there for food and drinks but to watch a whole show of acrobatic meets burlesque flair.

In fact, if you are a big enough party, you can book the main table that actually *becomes* the stage. Yep, your food and drinks will be periodically cleared away to make space for the performers to come and strut their stuff of the table you are sitting at. Its wild.

We went for dinner and drinks after work, and the show honestly was great – it surpassed my expectations – but that may have been because we fortuitously were seated really near the stage. I couldn’t help but notice that others were seated much further back and didn’t have anywhere near as good a view.

Bearing in mind that the food and drinks come at a premium because of the show, I’m not sure how I would feel if I was seated someplace towards the back.

Anyway, we had a great time. I took a ton of photos but I have been harsh on myself so that I only picked nine to pepper throughout this post.

They should give you a flavour of the vibe!

I’d definitely go back again with a larger party (hen party vibes) and book the main stage!

Duck + Waffle is a London institution. serving food 24 hours of almost every goddamn day, it’s also situated at the 40th floor of a very tall building on London’s Bishopsgate. Don’t go if you’re afraid of heights!

Oh and spoiler alert, it’s most well-known for the eponymous duck and waffle dish on its menu.

I went after work for my very first time with my friend Yuki, who swore that the duck and waffle, despite its reputation, would definitely not disappoint.

So, double spoiler alert, I did indeed consume the duck and waffle!

And yes, it was very, very, very good! Also, service was prompt, and the view was a nice touch.

A strong recommend if you’re looking for some really good 24hour grub, or just really anytime!