Post Holiday Blues @ Four Seasons

Well it’s been a few weeks now since we returned from China and yes I will get around to blogging about it one day soon.

Baozi Inn – A Revisit

It had been a while since I had been to Baozi Inn, but I felt it was due a re-visit to check out how it was faring up.

For a Tuesday night this small joint was heaving to the rafters, which is always a good sign for a restaurant to be full mid week during a recession.

Not much had changed since my last visit a few months ago, the décor is still a little faux, but they do have some lovely green Mao bags and caps hanging on the wall. I must pick one of those up in China later this year.

The menu hasn’t changed either since my last visit, it still has the same Baozi Inn specials. So we ordered a few. First off was the Spicy Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup and a Noodle Soup with Pork Ribs and Mushrooms.

My spicy beef was spicy enough for me, but lacked any real depth of flavour, which is a shame. The beef itself was super tender and full of flavour. The noodles were a little dull but well cooked.

In comparison the pork rib soup stock was pretty bland, but my taste buds were shot by the end of my soup so I can not judge. I was reliably informed that the stock was very well flavoured though. I managed to taste one of the ribs and the meat was falling off the bone, so good.

All in all the Baozi Inn still serves well flavoured and tasty Sichuan style noodle soups for a very good price. Which is probably why it is always packed. Still a winner then. 

Leong's Legend - The Original

I’m not gonna say too much about the original China Town Leong’s Legends, as I’ve already eaten and blogged about number 2 in this slowly growing chain of Taiwanese eateries. Plus the décor and menu are both the same so fewer words will be written. The only difference is really the vibe. The younger sister has a much better one.

The restaurant is somewhat smaller, but still has the same Song Dynasty drinking den feel and look to it. But somehow it is not as cosy as Continues is. I’ve not visited number 3 in Bayswater, but I’m sure it’ll be the same. But that won’t stop me from going one day soon. Real soon.

We weren’t that hungry so we only had a few dishes to tide us over. For starts we had a basket of Legends Siu Loung Bao. There were 8 of these little dumplings to wet our appetites. They were a mixed bag really. The insides were delightful, the pork was well seasoned and had a good texture. The jelly had melted and provided a soupiness to this dumpling when we bit into it. The only downside was the wrapper itself. It was too thick and almost chewy. Good but not great.

Next up were our mains of hot and fiery beef slices with beef tripe and a spicy pig’s offal dish. Our waitress, bless her, seemed shocked that we would order this dish. She did her best to dissuade us from ordering it, saying that only Chinese people liked it. She obviously had no idea of my obsession with offal. After a minute of this joyful banter she agreed to supply us with their offal dishes. As she turned to leave, she looked back at us and was about to try again but felt maybe we were ready for the good stuff.

Both were pretty damn good. The spicy beef slices with tripe were just that. Pretty damn spicy. Good texture and great flavour with some nice heat thrown in as well. Only downside was there wasn’t enough of it, as we could of eaten that all night.

The spicy pig’s offal came as more of a soup or stew than the previous dish as we were expecting. I think I tasted all bits of the pig there, liver, heart and kidney and all were well cooked and seasoned. It wasn’t that spicy but all can be forgiven as it was a really good dish.

I think word had spread amongst the staff, as they seemed impressed that we had eaten everything. I think they were expecting us to have it sent back and order something else that the other laowai were ordering.

All in all Leong’s Legends is a good restaurant with some funny staff, but somehow Continues has a much better vibe. Well we’ll see with numero tres.

Empress of Sichuan

My love affair with China Town is continuing with a recent visit to the Empress of Sichuan. This was a recommendation of my now Guru in all things about Chinese food. Mr Noodles.

Trying to compare the Empress with the other Chinese restaurants I have been to is a tad difficult, it’s a bit more upmarket in a modern but still quite old fashioned way. They have white tablecloths, a large selection of wines, nice subtle lighting. A lot different from the bare wooden tables and Chinese styling I am used to in other places.

As with the name, the food is as far as I can gather is from Sichuan, but I am no expert so I cannot affirm that entirely. But there were enough dishes that I know come form Sichuan to make me believe that.

I was kinda hungry so I ordered one or two dishes more than I would normally. But I wish I had ordered more. First off were the pig’s ears in chilli oil. This was really quite a good dish, nice thin slices of pigs ears, the chilli oil was piquant and mouth numbing. Only downside was that it was still a little fridge cold. A tad more time out of the fridge and it would have been perfect, as it was by the time we got to the last few morsels.

The hot and sour soup was a nice way to moisten my taste buds before the main event. It wasn’t particularly hot nor sour as I had hoped for, but it was well seasoned and was thick. Or maybe my taste buds were still shot to shit after the pigs ears. A possibility. But it was a damn fine soup none the less.

The Gung Pao chicken was really good, lots of chillis, although I am used to this being served on a bed of spinach. It did come on a green plate to make up for it I suppose. Maybe they ran out or maybe this is how it is served in Sichuan. I’ve had it there, but memory failing at my age means I cannot remember how it was.

We also ordered a pork knuckle, which was wonderfully shredded at the table by our waitress. Who was looking more and more bewildered as to why we were taking pictures of her. But with this instant fame she kept her nerve and did a good job.

The dish doesn’t look all that good, but boy did it taste good. There is something about fatty pieces of pork served to me with the fat as well. I was hook line and sinker.

I’d say this was one of the best meals I’ve had in China Town, well if you include Ba Shan and Bar Shu as being in China Town. If not then it’s the best.

Leong's Legend Continues

Something for many years has kept me away from China Town. Only recently with the discovery of the C & R Café (mainly because my favourite Malay restaurant closed), and Rasa Sayang, and very recently The Baozi Inn, have I ventured anywhere near to China Town.

The first two do Malay or Straits Food. So not very Chinese there. The latter comes from a well groomed stable of restaurants. But that was as close to China Town as ever I got. The hoard of restaurants down Gerrard Street were off my list for many a year.

I have too many memories of eating bad food masquerading as Chinese cuisine. Those same old dishes that you always end up ordering cos that was all there was on the menus. Sweet and sour something fried, over steamed veggies with a hoisin sauce dolloped over it.

But something has been changing, not only in me, but in China Town also. The standard of food has shot up. Plus the menus have been a changing. Now you see more proper Chinese food on them there menus. More hot pots, more braised trotters, more food that I have eaten in China. Maybe this is because of Bar Shu, which has upped the game immensely.

Another reason has been because of the fantastic Fuchsia Dunlop who has made Sichuan cuisine more accessible to the masses. I am a big fan of hers and have tried (some times succeeded, sometimes not) to recreate some classic Sichuan dishes.

Maybe I was willing to give China Town another chance. Maybe after spending 10 weeks of more or less eating nothing but Indian food literally three times a day, has made me want to eat different foods. Plus sitting opposite to a girl at work, who says nothing without mentioning how great China and Chinese food is, maybe has had something to do with it.

So these little things had been working at me for some time, even before a disappointing night at the recent Malaysian Night Market in Trafalgar Square. See I am still upset by that. Before I knew it we were queuing outside Leong’s Legends Continue on Lisle Street in China Town.

I actually tried to visit the original Leong’s Legend on Macclesfield Street a few weeks ago, but it was having some refurb done, so we ended up at Rasa Sayang next door, again!! But hey they do a quality Straits Chicken Curry that I love. I’m a creature of habits so what can I do.

So this blistering cold night we ended up standing outside Leong’s Legends continue freezing my arse off and dieing to get inside and warm up. My stomach was a groaning just watching the young girl steam their selection of dim sum in the section by the front of the restaurant. Damn she looked mighty warm in there. Thankfully the wait wasn’t that long, and we were ushered inside to the first floor. Why do all Chinese restaurants have such small cold stairways?

The place was jammin’. Maybe everyone else form the night market had ended up here also. We were taken in by the good vibe. The décor is a little tacky, but I kinda like the way they have recreated the place to look like you that we are in the 11^th Century “Water Margin” era. As if any of us white folk know what that would be like.

The menu is slightly influenced by Bar Shu and its off shoots, but there are some classics on there as well. Plus some Taiwanese food. I unfortunately know nothing of the food from Taiwan. But thanks to Mr Noodles for enlightening me on his blog. I am trying to learn.

Even before we entered, I was already set on the pork belly. Like most restaurants if they can’t cook pork well, they ain’t shit.

Lina was in the mood for some classic northern Chinese comida. Plus after seeing the table next door munching on some aromatic duck, she was sold. Hey she’s from Latin America and they do do stereotyping pretty well down there.

We also ordered as an amuse bouche, to get us in the mood for the feast to come. The classic cold Sichuan starter of cold beef and tripe slices (fu qi fei pian) with a kick in the arse chilli sauce. Wow that sauce packed a punch. Brilliant. My mouth was a tingling all over. Excellent. Any place that serves offal is always a winner with me, and I will always order it. The beef was tender and was pulled apart easily with our chopsticks. The tripe was awesome. Damn I love offal.

We ordered a couple of beers. I tried to do it with the Chinese hand signals for the numbers, but ballsed that up. I think the waitress thought I was retarded. I put it down to my Learning of them in Beijing. As I do with the naff way I pronounce anything in Chinese. I say it’s my Beijing accent.

The beers arrived and I love the way in keeping in with the décor, they serve them in little clay bowls. Very funky.

The aromatic duck arrived, and it was shredded, as you would expect it to be. Not at the table, but this is England, and not Beijing. The cucumber batons were crunchy and uniform, as were the spring onions. The sauce was mighty fine. The duck had a nice crispy skin and had a very subtle in flavour. But don’t forget my mouth was still kinda numb from the Schihuan chilli sauce. So I am amazed I could taste anything. The only thing I can criticise, and maybe I shouldn’t. The pancakes seemed a little too papery for me. Possibly I have gotten used to roti’s, and that anything not the same is not right. I don’t know but they were a little odd. But once everything was inside and rolled, they were ok. It’s a me thing I guess.

My pork belly came in large chunks in a subtly flavoured red sauce. This was good. The pork fat was soft and tender, just how I like it. The meat I could have and did tear apart with my chopsticks. It wasn’t as strong flavoured, as I would have liked. But I am a snob so what can I do.

What we ordered was more than enough for us. But I was seeing people who had gone overboard on what they had ordered. The two people on the table next to us had ordered enough food for 4. “Eyes Bigger Than Stomachs” as my dad used to say to me.

They came out with some classic lines all night. My favourite was the man saying to the woman. “I know the other place was cheaper, but it was a buffet my dear.”

I nearly fell off my chair larfing.

All in all it was a pretty good night, and has awoken a sleeping dragon within me. China Town is back on my list of places to go. Although I am going to be very selective in where I eat there. 

A Malaysian Pasam Malam

 For me the best foodie places in the world especially for street food are Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Penang however ranks as the number one street food destination in the world. There is something about the hawker stands that just makes eating out so good. They take pride in their work. For them this is their little restaurant, it’s not about earning a quick buck or scamming their customers, like some street food stalls I have seen in other countries, including my own.

So I was dead excited to hear there was going to be a Malaysia Pasam Malam or night market in Trafalgar Square on Friday night. Memories came flooding back of all those hawker stalls in Penang selling top quality food to eager and happy people.

When Friday came, I even left the new girls birthday drinks at the pub early so I could go. Rude I know. But hey, I have priorities.

So when we arrived to Trafalgar Square, I was amazed, but not surprised by the quantity of people who had turned up before me. All I could see was a sea of people. Damn we were late. Very.

The stalls, which from what I could make out, were mainly from restaurants serving up their signature dishes. Not like a proper pasam malar, but it’s a start

The stalls were all ringed around the outside of the square, and the left hand side had at least 50 deep of people queuing. We were very late. Very.

We wandered over to the other side, where the queues were less, but only slightly. Thoughts were running through my mind of beef randang, roti canai and nasi lemak. These were wetting my appetite for a good night of feasting.

Unfortunately something went wrong. Of all the queues we joined by the time we got to the front we were confronted by “No Food”. They had run out. How cold this have happened. Damn how late were we. Oh so very late. 

It was a bit of a shambles really. I guess they had not thought that Londoners would flock there in droves on a Friday night for good Malaysian food.

For starters to do an event like this on only one day was a bit of a stupid idea. This should have been a weekend event showcasing the wonders of Malaysian food. Instead we were left with a mad scramble once everyone left work to get something to eat.

I was very disappointed but still kinda happy that it was a success in a way. If a little chaotic. So with everyone else we decided to goto China Town for some nosh.

As we were leaving we saw a girl popping some chicken drumsticks into warm oil to fry. I would have loved to have eaten that. I don’t want to think how they would have tasted.

A disappointing night, but it did have its upside. We discovered Leong’s Legends Continue…… More on that soon….. 

Tokyo Diner made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Maybe it is a throw back from eating more or less nothing but Indian food for the last 10 weeks that I have been eating everything but…. Maybe I am fed up of those perfectly blended spices cooked in all manor of ways that have been tantalising my taste buds at every meal. Or maybe I really know deep down that the Indian food in London is very poor and no match for a simple restaurant in a small village in India.

I had been thinking what foods I had not eaten and somehow as always when I do this a katsu curry always turns up. I love this simple dish. I mean it is pure genius. Breaded meat, deep fried and served with rice and a curry sauce. But this curry sauce could never be mistaken for an Indian sauce. This is comforting and thick. Real school dinner type sauce.

I’d passed the Tokyo Diner on how many occasions and never actually thought about setting foot inside. But as the Prince Charles Cinema was showing the Godfather on a Friday night, I had to eat there. So cinema first, katsu curry after.

I love the Prince Charles Cinema. Those weird and wacky film events they do. I also love the fact that it allows major alcohol companies to sponsor film events there. Brilliant.

The Godfather is one of my favourite films of all time. It and the first sequel are always in my top 5. But let’s not speak about the 3^rd instalment. Best not to really.

Russian Standard Vodka are doing a series of promotional events around the UK this year. That week was at the PCC. The films they are showing are real classics, well except for one crappy British fluffy comedy. Yes you know who you are.

As we entered the cinema for this FREE event. (I thought we had to pay for the tickets). We were given some vouchers for FREE vodka cocktails. It just keeps getting better.

Once upon a time, in a land far far away I had a liking for vodka. This came about by me living in Israel for a year and a half many moons ago. Cheap Russian vodka was cheaper than a cup of coffee. We drank a lot.

The vodka girls hired by the company also gave us little goodie bags. I was only interested in the small bottles of their vodka. Some nice double vodkas and coke were had later.

Watching the Godfather on a cinema screen was unreal. There were so many little things I’d never seen before. Amazing. The killing of Sonny was seen in a new way that I felt every bullet enter him. But being slightly drunk made it a different experience also. There was a really good atmosphere from my fellow oh so nearly drunk cinema goers.

When we left I never realised it was so late, and the Tokyo Diner was closed. Damn. This was not good. Tomorrow would be a different story. Tokyo Diner then cinema.

So the following evening before we watched The Girl with Dragon Tattoo, which in Spanish is translated as “The Men Who Do Not Love Women”. I mean who chooses these titles in other languages. Talk about lost in translation.

We headed into the Tokyo Diner. My need for a Katsu Curry was getting to me now. I was instantly taken by the place. It is simple and had a nice vibe. It is however more chilled than Misato which also does a nice katsu curry.

I like that they give you a good cup of green tea when you are seated, and it is refilled whenever you want.

After looking at the menu, a change of plan was called for. No chicken katsu curry, I opted instead for the pork Tonkatsu curry. Controversial I know. Lina had the chicken katsu bento box. It was catching. Now this is strangely enough exactly what we had in Misato, and they could not have been so different.

This has been the first katsu curry I have had that has been like what I ate in several train stations in Japan. Boy I had missed that taste. Slightly naff, but oh soooo good and very school dinnerish food.

The portions are large and filling. The rice is cooked excellently. The breaded pork cutlet was perfect. Crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. But the curry sauce was awesome. It took me back to those cheap eateries you find around railway stations in Japan. Pure heaven.

The Bento box was beautiful presented, and a perfect portion for a pre cinema dinner. The salmon was quite nice, but lacked any real salmon flavour. The brown sauce for the breaded chicken was really good. It was a perfect match for the chicken. There were some aubergines that had been cooked slowly and were delightful to eat.

I was contently stuffed by the time we had finished. I was happy now to relax in the cinema knowing I had found a real gem in China Town. A hard thing to do these days.

Also the films couldn’t have been so different either. I’m hoping to see more of these film seasons at the PCC, especially those ones sponsored by vodka companies. 

Rasa Sayang – My New Favourite Malay Joint

I think I have found my favourite Malay eatery now. Since we have been back, I think I have eaten at Rasa Sayang on at least 5 occasions. All with different groups of friends, who all have loved the place. I’m sure, I am due a free meal there now.

Even when it opened last year, Rasa Sayang was serving good food. Good Malay/Singaporean food. Which in this part of London was badly needed, as most China Town eateries only serve swill to the masses. But as Chinese food has been relegated to cheap take aways, not many people will pay a premium for good Chinese cooking. It has now become a cuisine that is cooked so badly it is a wonder that people still eat it. But that rant is for another blog.

Back to the Rasa Sayang. It reminds me of many a coffee shop in Malaysia or a simple eatery in a housing estate in Singapore. One to which our favourite and best food guide is more than happy to show us every good place to eat in his country.

There are the obligatory pictures on the wall to get you into the mood of being in that part of the world. Table and chairs are also fitting of being in Asia. They are plain and basic and do the job.

The menu is split into different sectors, having been in Colombia for what seemed like an eternity. I only ever look at the hot section. I come here for one thing and one thing only. Heat and spice in my food. It must be withdrawal symptoms or something. I want spice. I want heat. I get it here.

I even took Linas' Aunt and Uncle and cousins there recently. Apart form Alonso, everyone else had noodles. I am not a big fan of fried noodle dishes. It screams blandness to me and I get no enjoyment from eating them. But they all loved them. 

So far I’ve eaten the Nasi Lemak, Laksa, Satays (the peanut dipping sauce is to die for), Roti Canai, Ayam (Chicken) Curry and the Beef Randang. They have all been fantastic. Lot’s of spice to perk my lips and tongue up.

In the battle between the Nasi Lemaks of this small part of London. Over all, the one at the Rasa Sayang wins over the one at the C & R Café, but the chicken curry is slightly better at the latter. But everything else is better at the former. They still over boil the eggs, but less than anywhere else. They are getting there.

The service is good, people are friendly and they serve Tiger beer. What more could you ask from in life.

I think I am going back to the Rasa Sayang now to have their Fish Curry. See you there.  

Misato – Chicken Katsu Curry

Misato was a place we first visited when we first moved to London over 10 years ago. This was a time when we were pretty broke and we were forced to eat at more economical places.
10 years later, we were back inside ordering what was probably the same meal we had the last time we ate there. We are slightly less broke, but for some reason at this moment we are re-visiting a lot of places we ate at back then. No idea why, but we are. I am pretty sure though we won’t be going back to a few places. Those are better left unmentioned.
Misato sells cheap, large portioned food to hungry people. Mainly students. The food is not particularly well cooked, but the place itself has a charm and a nice vibe. To eat there you must first understand what you are going to receive. This is not fine dining by anyone’s standards.

In places like these, Wagamama included I only seem to eat the Chicken Katsu Curry. This is deep fried breaded chicken breast, a mountain of rice, and a very mild but strong tasting and slightly addictive curry sauce. All this gets served with a small side salad.
We ate at two train stations when we were in Japan, and this is what I ate there both times. So to eat this is a gentle reminder of our time in Japan. Which we enjoyed to no end. Even in Japan the Katsu curry was a very cheap, fast food dish. It is what it is.
The best description I have heard of the katsu curry is that is like school food, and an unashamed excuse for a large volume of rice.

After struggling to finish the food at Misato, and I bet you don’t. Few people do. They will provide a tin foil container to take home for lunch the next day, as you will not be able to eat anymore that day.
So if you are in Chinatown, and do not want to spend a lot of money and are tired of the junk they sell in Chinatown, give Misato a try. Be warned, portion control is out the window.

Baozi Inn – Part One of a Trilogy

When I used to work in Soho, the Baozi Inn after it opened became a place where I used to go and eat when I could not face staff food at the restaurant anymore. Which after a while was quite a lot. After cooking the same food, you kinda get fed up of eating it. Not good. Especially, as I loved the food we used to cook, but seeing it all the time, you need a change. That’s why chefs are whores to their trade, changing restaurants at a drop of a hat. The thought of something better in the next place. Or maybe just the thought of a different cuisine.
But luckily China Town has a few, a very few places that I love to eat at. C & R, Rasa Sayang and the Baozi Inn. All for completely different reasons. Although you can kinda see a link between them all.
The Baozi Inn is the little baby brother of reopened Bar Shu and the new Ba Shan. Both will be reviews here at a later date no doubt. I just need to revisit them. Good times ahead.
The menu is short and sweet and in pictures. It consists mainly of dumplings. Although I prefer the (used to be) hot Sichuan spicy beef noodles. It lacked a lot on our last visit. But the bowl of Wonderful Heaven noodles was in name and dish, heavenly.

I can see a down turn in the quality of the dishes though, the noodles looked and tasted a little cheaper than they used to be. The quality of the final dishes were not what they used to be. Maybe this has to do with the new immigration laws and less and less Chinese students are finding it easy to get work nowadays. Who knows, but the food the other day was not as good as when it opened. Hopefully this is just a short blip and it improves.
Even with it’s slightly tacky Mao style décor, it is a nice place to eat at and one of the stars of the oh so same same bad food of China Town. The service is short and sharp, which is kinda the standard in China Town, but at least these guys are willing to talk about the dishes or give recommendation. I once asked a waiter in a Chinese restaurant nearby about a dish, and he looked at me as if I was the most annoying person in the world. He never did answer my question. He did shoot me a shitty look as we departed and no tip was left for him.
The Baozi Inn is a nice enough stopping point for some give me energy noodle soups. I am hoping our recent visit was just a one off. Another visit in a month or two will tell me this.