foodierudy

We recently ate at Cha Cha Moon, Alan Yau’s new take on a Hong Kong noodle bar. I’ve been quite excited when I read he was opening up just off Carnaby Street, so, one Fri night, I dragged the ever-patient M along to try it out. We arrived to find a very long queue (life, after all, is one big queue…), but were assured by the friendly staff that it would only be about a 20 min wait. It must have been our lucky night, since after about 5 mins’ hobnobbing with the plebs, a waiter took us right to the front of the queue, and we were in! (Still don’t know why, but it sure made my day!) Once seated at the bare wooden tables, we were smartly joined by our waiter who sported a snazzy grey t-shirt asking “are you going to the Moon?”. Well, yes we were!

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Yesterday, we stumbled across San Marco, a lively Italian “Ristorante - Pizzeria” on Clapham High St. We were walking around, looking for a nice little place to have some dinner, stopping to peer at menus and see if anything caught my, oops, our fancy. The first thing M noticed was a bowl with resident goldfish in the window. Why? - we wondered. Peering through the window, we saw the place was packed with a queue of eager punters waiting for space - always a good sign. Checking out the menu, we noticed prices were very reasonable, and there was a “daily specials” menu scrawled on an orange flyer stuck to the window - again a good sign. We peeked through the door, but thought we’d try elsewhere, as we didn’t fancy waiting for a table. We walked further along the strip, past heaving bars and pubs, rowdy patrons spilling onto the footpaths. So many choices - noticed Esca (looked very quiet, M admired the tall, shelves, stacked neatly with deli-wares), Eco (very busy), and The Rapscallion (name sounds like a rock band - looked cool - scruffy, noisy, easy menu and reasonable value). Around the corner, we stopped to check out Gastro, in Venn St, opposite the Clapham Picture House. A & L had been there last year, and A said it had a great atmosphere - like a little slice of Paris. The menu read very French, but also very pricey. Gut feeling - no. About turn, and off to the high st again.

Anyway, we decided to keep Bierodrome and Bodean’s for a boys’ night out. Mmmm…beer…meat…. Before we knew it, we were back at San Marco, and the queue was gone - hurrah! (more…)

Arbutus - my first Michelin experience! Strange, I live in a city blazing with stars, but have never before eaten in one (well, not as a paying diner anyway…). Arbutus opened in May 2006 by the team who previously ran Putney Bridge Restaurant. The whole idea is value for money - high quality food and service in a relaxed atmosphere. Sounds clichéd, but I think they really pulled it off. We arrived a little early, and after leaving our coats with the friendly reception staff, we moved two steps further to the bar. M remarked how simple the place looked. The atmosphere was quiet and subdued. Staff wear jeans. Jeans! In a Michelin-starred restaurant (how cool is that!). Since we were waiting for A & L to arrive, we decided to get started with a nice glass of wine (Riesling, Anton Bauer, Berg Vineyard 2005). Arbutus have a concise, manageable wine list with about 50 varieties covering the whole gamut. A unique feature of the list is that, not only are many available by the glass, but all wines are available in 250 ml carafes. What a great idea! - how many times have I had to resort to water or “a glass of house red, please” because of the outrageous prices charged for a bottle of “Chateau-de-Ripoff”. A & L arrived soonish after and we moved to our table, with the friendly barman promising to follow with our wine. So far so good. (more…)