Wednesday 14 January 2015

Cereal Killer Cafe - Brick Lane

Ladies and Gentlemen, guys and girls, dudes and dudettes ( is that even a word?) let me talk to you about a place that I visited on Monday night which has been getting a lot of attention of late, CEREAL KILLER CAFE!!!




 
 
 
This place has been open for business for a few months now and people were quickly jumping on the bandwagon wanting to get a piece on the action. I know that its only cereal, a meal that we eat every morning Monday to Saturday ( I exclude Sunday because that's Full English day), but its cereal that  takes me back to when I was a little kid.
 
 
Yes I can understand  there are a fair share of people who think the whole concept is stupid, reasons being that its too pricey and secondly the novelty will wear off, and perhaps it will but only time will tell.
But for me its just a bit of fun and I can appreciate and roll along with it.
 
So was it what I expected? Yes and No.
 Obviously I knew what I was getting but I did not expect to come out with the biggest sugar rush and be in awe of what was inside. The kids of today are going to have a field day with this place.
 
 
 
 





As soon as you walk in you are surrounded by awesome old school memorabilia and cereal boxes. Towards the end of the room there are two massive and impressive portraits of Dexter and Hannibal Lecter created using cereal grains.









I should have asked to buy the Mr. Freeze box. It had Arnie on the front!!






The cereals on offer (above and below)






Hannibal Lecter and Dexter cereal art




 
The concept is pretty straightforward.  You pick any cereal on offer, either a small, medium or large bowl. Once you've picked what cereal you want, you choose a flavoured milk followed by toppings of either fruit or sweets.



 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 If you can't decide on a particular mix you want they do have suggestions and offer set cereal mixes but its fun to pick what you want yourself.
 
So this is what I had.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reeses Puffs with party rings and soya milk
Cap'ain Crunch with strawberry flavoured milk and milky way stars
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lucky charms with Kinder hippo and chocolate flavoured milk
 
Hawaiian punch to wash it all down with .
 
 
 

  
Yep I look like a goon in this picture but by this point I had such a big sugar rush.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cereal Killer Café will have its haters for being a one trick pony. I wanted to go there to see what all the fuss was all about and I had fun. I mean that's all it is, fun right?. Ok I spent more than above the average on a bowl of cereal but it's not like its the end of the world and it got me buzzing and high on sugar!. I wouldn't necessarily make the effort to go there again but if I was nearby, I would more than likely pop in for half hour and have a bowl of cereal and top up my sugar levels. I would say to all of you, go there and try it out. Its not bad as the papers and reviews are trying to make it out to be.
 
 

 
 


Thursday 8 January 2015

Social Meat Club


Pop restaurants have been on the increase where for a period of time foodies and chefs showcase their culinary delights to the general public. Its a great way of connecting with people who enjoy their food and at the same time create a reputation and buzz.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
This is where Social Meat Club comes into the picture. Not only do I love the word play but the food is seriously on another level. Located in Soho, its small dining area is situated at The Sun & Thirteen Cantons pub. A pub full of life with its regular drinkers but on the other side, a fantastic environment for people to sample and enjoy a menu designed and created by Matt Young, a chef who is deeply passionate, creative and gets a real thrill with the work he produces.












 



So what can I say about the food? Well I think by looking at the photos below says it all. They do say every picture tells a story and for me the whole experience was ten out of ten. Every dish that came out was perfection, seriously the bees knees. After finishing one dish I was like nothing will top that but as soon as they came one after another it just got better and better.

















































The mussels were plump, juicy and the broth underneath was just so fresh and clean that thankf
ully there was a lovely warm crusty bread to mop it all up and leave the bowl dry.
As for the pork belly, it was so tender that it just peeled away with a fork. I bloody love scallops and the sweetness of them worked so well with the sour broth and the poached tomato just exploded in the mouth. Again like the base of the mussels, the flavours were just fresh and clean. Not one part of the dish tried to steal the limelight, they all complimented each other. It really was a delight to eat.













 
 
 


I love a good old traditional scotch egg. Here was the king of scotch eggs and with its crunchy golden brown shell, soft crumbly meat on the inside, it had a nice little spicy kick.











 I love my fried chicken, I could seriously eat it everyday for the rest of my life. I gnawed away at it like no tomorrow, It was salty, crunchy and moist and the slaw and mayo accompanying was awesome.
The pastry on the sausage roll crumbled, it was light and flaky and it was packed with meat.
I admit, I've never been a fan of hot smoked salmon, maybe because I've had terrible experiences but I think that this is the only time where I've actually enjoyed it. The smokiness of it wasn't overpowering and certainly didn't taint the taste of the other components. The pickled cucumber had that sharpness which balanced the flavour of the fish.




















It's very difficult to choose which was the best part of the meal but in my opinion the juniper rare venison just edges it. It rocked.
Venison can be rich but the meat was moist, pink in the middle and thinly sliced that it just melted in your mouth. The balance of the sharpness of the pickled trompettes and the sweetness of the jam propelled the dish to another level and worked perfectly with the deer.








Matt is a top guy and such a talented individual who has aimed high and is on the ascendency to bigger and better things. I really do hope he has more little gems like the Social Meat Club because London needs pop up restaurants  like this to get people to be more adventurous and really expand their knowledge and pallet. 
Its great to see that food like the ones Matt has conjured up can be served at a pub for all to experience and enjoy. It certainly was a memorable evening and one that I won't forget in a hurry. I've got to give a special mention to my good friend Courtney who kindly got in contact with Matt and came with me to this quality pop up.




Fish Central

Since starting way back in 1968  Fish Central has come through leaps and bounds offering London some of the best fish dishes, prepared with honesty and from the heart. Back then in old London town it was a place that people would go and enjoy their Friday fish supper. Now its evolved with the times, not only offering the great British favourite traditional fish and chips but also fresh lobster, scallops and oysters all sourced from Billingsgate market. You only have to go to the main homepage of the website to see that big media names like Time out and celebrity chef Rick Stein give it the thumbs up. http://www.fishcentral.co.uk/
 
 
The restaurant is a ten minute or so walk from Old Street station on Central street, Kings square. On a cold winters Friday night what better than to have Fish and Chips and I definitely was in the mood for it. The place has a real buzz and on a Friday night, is packed out with couples and families all there to scoff their faces with delicious sustainable fresh fish. There's no faffing around, its short and simple and the dishes on offer does all the explaining.






Salmon fishcakes


 

Whilst waiting for the starters, I was offered salmon fishcakes which was a really nice touch and certainly set me up for what was about to come from the kitchen.



 
 
 
 





The griddled squid and the pan fried scallops was a great way to start the evening off. The squid was
 tender and the warm Asian slaw was vibrant and still had that lovely crunch.
 I'm a sucker for scallops and most of the time would order them at a restaurant. (that's if steak tartare is not on there).
 However on this occasion I'm so glad that I had these beauties. They were succulent, plump, sweet and juicy .
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hake and Chips

 
 
 
 
 



Hake and chips is an absolute favourite of mine. The batter was golden brown and so brilliantly crispy. The fish itself was flaky, succulent and meaty. That served with a good dollop of homemade tartare sauce made me a very happy chappy.









Grilled cod







The one thing I love about this place is that not everything is  battered. Sure everyone likes to be  naughty now and again and eat food that is deep fried. Who doesn't? But if you want to be good and go for the healthy option then the variety of fish on offer can be grilled. The Cod on this occasion was cooked perfectly. There's nothing worse than rubbery over cooked fish, but the way the chefs do it is clean, fresh and simple. Moreover I like the fact that its presented with the just the fish on the plate. Why garnish when there's a beautiful piece of fish waiting to be devoured.






Panna cotta








My stomach was about to burst from the enormity of the dishes but being a coffee lover and always having a mug after dinner there was no way I could turn down dessert to go with my drink. The panna cotta was the perfect pudding to finish of what was an epic evening.


 
There are no gimmicks at Fish Central and it very much gets straight to the point. It is what it is and its very proud to showcase that. Yes it is known for being fish and chips, but whether the fish is deep fried or simply pan fried, its done with passion and that goes a long way. Like I said earlier you don't have to go for the traditional option, there are more varieties such as having lobster and oysters which I'm sure that if you're a fan of both it wont disappoint. Ziya and his family have got an absolute little goldmine of a restaurant and I'm grateful to have been invited to eat there. Fish Central definitely gets the FoodPunk seal of approval.