The Lamb and Trotter – Barbican, London

Although The Lamb and Trotter Pub upstairs has been open for about a month, the restaurant downstairs officially opens this coming Monday 1st October!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the pre-opening event for the restaurant last night where we met the Head Chef Danny Burns. The restaurant has a luxurious yet relaxed feel to it with a tasting table and bar and an open kitchen to see what Danny and his team are up to.

We started with a taster of all the bar snacks and, honestly, we couldn’t help but devour it all. The bread was freshly baked and still warm, the sausage rolls still warm from the oven and the beer sticks were good quality meat (not oily, not sinewy, just perfect).

The menu looked great and we were not really sure what to order but decided on Danny’s take on the traditional 1960s Prawn Cocktail as a starter. It was more of a deconstructed version with a smokey flavour to the super large prawns resting on grilled baby gem with an avocado puree and bloody Mary sauce on the side.

For the mains we decided to share the Whole Cornish Plaice, the Pearl Barley Risotto and the Cauliflower Cheese. The samphire and brown shrimps worked incredibly well with the pan fried plaice in a butter sauce. Just thinking about this makes me want to eat it all over again!

The pearl barley was something a bit different for us – we have never had it in risotto form before. The flavours worked really well with the warm hug of the chestnuts, the sage and the butternut squash, I was just not sure about the texture.

The cauliflower cheese was lovely – not over cooked and just the right amount of cheesy goodness.

For dessert we shared the Lemon Posset, which was a fabulous way to end a big meal. It was fresh and light and the blueberries gave a bit of something extra to the taste.

The service was fabulous and it really is a great atmosphere. One to try once it opens. Not long now!

http://www.lambandtrotter.co.uk/

The Pig and Butcher – Islington

The first time I ever went to The Pig and Butcher was actually 2 years ago. Jack took me 3 birthdays ago and I loved it. It is good quality, well flavoured, seasonal British food. So, when Anusha was visiting London, I brought her here so she could have a taste of what good British food is.

The menu at The Pig and Butcher changes on a daily basis depending on what is fresh in, which I absolutely love about it.

We walked into the cosy, homely restaurant and were sat at our table. Our server knew the menu very well and was good at giving us advice about the dishes. She also sounded very passionate about the food, which I love.

We ordered some homemade sourdough bread with beef dripping and jersey butter.

It absolutely made sense that the beef dripping was literally just beef fat in oil form (why would it not be?) – but we were expecting something with a little more flavour. I think we were expecting something with a little oomph to it – Maybe resembling something a little more like a gravy (like I have tried somewhere else before).

The bread was gorgeous though, as was the butter, and with (a lot of) salt the beef dripping came alive a little more.

We shared two mains because we actually wanted to try everything on the menu but couldn’t physically eat it all! So, we had to settle with two dishes (sigh). We chose the Pan Fried Cornish Cod with Courgette, Watermelon and Watercress and the Lamb on a Bed of Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Garlic.

Luckily I ate it the right way around (which wasn’t even planned) and had the fish first which was incredibly refreshing and worked really well with the young watermelon. I thought it would be a normal, ripe watermelon when I saw it on the menu, but it was young, hard, thinly sliced watermelon, which was similar in texture and taste to a daikon (large white radish) and it added another level to the dish with the fresh crunchiness. The fish fell apart and melted on my tongue and it all married perfectly together.

I had the lamb second which naturally had a stronger flavour. The garlic, which we initially thought was an artichoke, was surprisingly delicious. It gave a smokey flavour to the dish when spread onto the lamb and mashed potato. It was a gorgeous combination.

Dessert was so hard to choose – we wanted something to share and again we wanted most things on the menu. We ended up choosing a cheese board as we still had some wine left and this would go perfectly to end the meal.

It ended up coming with two chocolate, twisted, biscuit-type pastries so we ended up getting something sweet as well after all. The cheeses were all lovely and we managed to polish it all off.

http://thepigandbutcher.co.uk/

The Harwood Arms – Fulham, London, UK

My friend from school, Caroline, (who I have known since I was about 10 years old) came to visit London for work and so we decide to go for brunch. She was recommended The Harwood Arms in Fulham by a friend of hers and so we went.

It is a quiet, bright, airy pub with a friendly vibe. Great for a catch up with friends since you are able to properly hear each other without music blaring in the background.

We wanted everything on the menu, but decided to get three starters to share and then our own main each.

20160702_130000 — The mini wood pigeon sausages with prunes which went surprisingly well together.

20160702_130004 — The whipped chicken liver with crispy skin which was so smooth and creamy.

20160702_130021 — The black pudding scotch egg was lovely and the yolk was still a little runny.

20160702_132144 — Monk fish tail with white bean broth

20160702_132149 — Roast lamb with broccoli and goat curd

20160702_132155 — Roast duck breast with potato galette and wild mushrooms

We then ordered a main each. I went for the monk fish, Caroline the lamb and her friend the duck. It also came with a side of the creamiest, richest mashed potatoes to share.

Everything was cooked to perfection and you could tell the food was properly cared for and looked after while it was being prepared. It was well priced and the service was great. I cannot fault anything. Try it for yourself.

20160702_132208 — Creamy mashed potatoes

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http://www.harwoodarms.com/

Plum and Spilt Milk – Kings Cross, London, UK

Jack and I recently went to Plum and Spilt Milk just by King Cross Station (before he went gallivanting around France following the Euro Cup). Downstairs there is a cocktail bar with a bar snack menu and upstairs is the dining room, which is where we sat.

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We ordered the dressed Portland crab, crushed avocado & sourdough croutons to share between us as a starter. This was such a fresh tasting dish and a perfect, light way to start the meal.

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For mains I had a grilled lamb chop and braised lamb shoulder (which fell apart when I put my fork into it – gorgeous!) on a bed of barley and lentils (which was little creamy risotto underneath) and Jack had the sirloin with a peppercorn sauce. We shared some minted jersey royals and some heritage carrots and coriander between us as well.

The food was really good quality and so delicious but we ordered a little too much and it was surprisingly filling.

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A quiet, quaint little spot with great quality food and excellent cocktails – In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the busy King Cross area.

http://plumandspiltmilk.com/