by | December 5, 2012

Hereford Road: Food for Foodies

Hereford Road, W2

Tom Pemberton’s restaurant, Hereford Road (3 Hereford Rd, W2) is on the lips – it seems – of every foodie.  I first visited with Bill Granger and his wife, Natalie, when my brother and his wife were visiting from the US.  And then, as I repeatedly ask those-in-the-food-know ‘where would your last meal be?’ type of question, Hereford Road bobs up again and again.

So when foodie friend asked where she could review with me, a table was booked and our mouths began to water.

Tom, previously head chef at St John Bread and Wine, attracts his type.  An old Westminster boy (Giles Coren’s school buddy) and a local Notting Hill-er, Tom’s diners are immediately identifiable as his ilk, with a few additional 60-something thesps thrown in for good measure.

the ‘love seats’ opposite the kitchen

The restaurant itself is divided into 3 areas.  The upstairs ‘love seats’, adjacent to the open kitchen, is where the lovely Natasha Abrahams (The Orchard) loves to sit and nibble on her roast quail.

lower ground floor at Hereford Road

 

A few steps down takes you to the lower ground floor where red American diner-esque booths line one side and desperately un-feng-shui-ed tables perch on t’other side. Esther Walker and I had discussed this unusual lay-out in detail as, more than ever, it matters where you sit at Hereford Road.

unremarkable smoked eel

And so we sat (four of us as foodie friend and I had brought along our Hims) at a booth and ordered away.  The menu is more meat focused than most but the non-meat-eaters among us set their hearts on the brill with roast cauliflower (£14.50) as their main while I indulged in the partridge (reminding me of Mini’s endless carol singing) which was served with lentils and chanterelles (£14.20).

You’ll notice that I didn’t mention my starter.  I had the smoked eel.  It wasn’t offensive in the slightest but was also most unremarkable and surely not worth £7.40.  So that’s why I didn’t mention it earlier.

saved by the desserts

There’s more of a story about the brill though.  Wow – did this brill travel?  First, foodie friend pointed out to a slightly clueless waiter that it wasn’t cooked.  It was shiny and cold and most definitely NOT COOKED.  The waiter tried to grasp her point and, eventually, we persuaded him to take it back to the kitchen.  But then it returned again, NOT COOKED.    At this point we gave up and moved onto dessert.

And this is where Hereford Road utterly redeemed itself.  Drum roll time.  Between the four of us, we feasted on treacle tart (£6), rice pudding (£6) honeycomb ice cream (£6) and…. best of all…. chocolate, meringue and chestnuts (also £6).

So, next time, I’ll drop by, sit opposite the kitchen and head straight for dessert – like a real foodie.

Hereford Road 3 Hereford Road  W2,020 7727 1144

 

 

 

 

 

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by | December 4, 2012

China in my hand… and mouth at Royal China, W1

dim sum: parcels of delicious-ness

Dim Sum reminds me of my childhood.  Lord Y would often treat us to a slap-up meal on Sundays at lunchtime.  His preferred restaurant for Dim Sum (he is, after all, a Chinese food connoisseur) was called Lee Ho Fook.  I’m not kidding.  My brother and I would howl with laughter at the mere mention of this eating establishment.  Shortly after arriving, box after box of sweet steamed parcels (some were fried but they weren’t my favourites) would arrive at our table until there was literally no room for a water jug.  At this point, Lady Y would scold her over-ordering husband.  But, as we are a family of BIG appetites, there would be very little left at the bill-paying moment.

equally delicious Japanese PR friend

I was offered a Dim Sum review lunch at Royal China and immediately thought of my Japanese PR friend.  Not only is she currently eating for two, but she also knows more than most about oriental cuisine.  Besides, we were ‘owed’ a download of life so I decided to trap her with an offer she couldn’t and wouldn’t refuse.

our favourites at Royal China

I had presumed that Royal China would be at least half empty at lunchtime on a Friday.  I presumed wrong.  Almost every single table in this enormous restaurant was taken and, always a good indication, the clientele were overwhelmingly Chinese.

We didn’t order but encouraged the head waiter to make choices on our behalf.  The food tasted ridiculously fresh and light.  Top of our list were the spring rolls with Worcester sauce (cunningly adaptation) and the Prawn Cheung Fun (which it was) but, to be honest, none of the plates presented were duds.  We sipped our Chinese tea and giggled our way through enough Dim Sum to feed an army.

fresh mango tapioca pearl dessert

Desert was a rush.  I had minutes to jump on a bus in order to make the school gates in time, so was forced to leave woman-carrying-baby to continue her mowing alone.  She accurately reported (to me on the bus) that the sweet lotus buns were ‘bouncy and full of warm, figgy paste’ and that the fresh mango tapioca pearl was ‘refreshing yet comforting’.  I might just dispatch her to restaurants from now until she is ready to pop as my stand-in-word-lady.

The atmosphere in any Chinese restaurant is always a little staid but the steady flow of hungry visitors at Royal China reminds you that they are clearly one of the best in W1 and, without doubt, not suffering from any sort of Western recession.

Dim Sum from £3.30 (we consumed 10 including dessert!)

Royal China has 6 restaurants in London and we ate at 24-26 Baker Street  W1U

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by | November 30, 2012

meditation and needles at Anamaya

Anamaya off Kensington High St W8

If I’m truly honest, the alternative treatments I selected at Anamaya, the new wellbeing clinic in Kensington, were chosen with an emphasis on alternative for reasons of curiosity and, of course, to make a more interesting review.  I am now realising that there are a limited number of posts you can write (or read) about the ‘best new massage’ or a ‘dramatically improving facial’.  On top of this, I did read that the founders of Anamaya are all about ‘global heath’ and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to delve a little into theirworld.

the meditation room at Anamaya (before the lights were dimmed)

Graham Doke, one of the founders, was keen to correct me when I flippantly asked if he could teach me to meditate in one session.  How serene would that be, if I could simply turn off the noisy world we live in for ten minutes each day.  Imagine how calm I might be.  But he explained that the session would be a led (not taught).  It turns out that the benefits of meditation are not simply escapism but improved concentration and a more effective memory.  Keen to improve both of these, I sat up straight, focused, stifled any inkling of a giggle and listened hard to Graham.  He took through a very hot desert where we eventually drank from a miraculous stream of water before entering a meadow and passing through some chakra-coloured rooms.  Our final destination was up high in the sky where I was greeted by a man (looked a bit like Lord Y) with open arms who was accompanied by a big hairy dog.

Graham encourages wearing headphones to stay on and chill after your session

Now, seeing as you’re not meditating but reading this, none of this will make much sense.  But strangely it did to me.  And I felt oddly calm, focused and refreshed afterwards.

I enjoyed my acupuncture less.  Jennifer Ratnayake, a well known practicioner, explained very thoroughly to me how she works her needles.  I explained my food mission to her and she agreed to concentrate on detoxing my system and improving my metabolism.  I also quizzed her about the Facial Rejuvination Acupuncture she specialises in which prompted her to add a new more needles to my face.  And then she left me to ‘relax’ looking and feeling like a giant pin cushion.

My session with Graham has opened my eyes to how a calm ten minutes can improve my powers of focus, whether I am meditating or not.  I shall try to not flit from one activity to another (at quite the same speed) as I can see it can slightly scramble the brain.

acupuncture at Anamaya

As for the acupuncture, I am now fully certain that this is one treatment not for me.  I suppose there had to be one.  About a decade ago, I had tried acupuncture in an effort to conceive.  I had a similar reaction to the bruising feeling of the needles, the blood rush effect as they work their magic and, this is curious, the swelling of my hands during the treatment.  Left alone on the couch, I remembered how much I disliked all of the above.

However, I must just add that Anamaya is wellness clinic well worth a visit.  From the moment you walk in, the stunning décor and the serene Roz Sullivan (the other founder) invite you to feel dreamily calm.  I could have chosen Pilates or massage as my review treat but, as I said, I was curious.

Initial consultation/Acupuncture session with Jennifer costs £85 (75 mins).  Follow up sessions £75 (50 mins).

A mediation class with Graham costs £15 (45 mins)

Anamaya 1 Adam and Eve Mews, off Kensington High St W8   020 3011 0355

This article was commissioned by West London Living.

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by | November 29, 2012

an alternative review of We Are Most Amused: Prince’s Trust 2012

In case anyone is remotely interested, He took me to a comedy gig for our first ever date.  He’s got a loud laugh and maybe He thought it was best I knew that up front.  Either way, we laughed a lot and then I impressed him by drinking a whole pint of London Pride in a nearby pub afterwards.  But I just thought I should point out He never tried too hard (big turn off) therefore making the rest, of course, history.  A comedy night is just what most couples need and last night, the Prince’s Trust: We Are Most Amused at The Royal Albert Hall worked a treat too.

The Princes of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall arrive

Hoping to catch a glimpse of The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall arriving, I forced Him to brave the freezing cold.

an amusing misunderstanding with Amos

 

 

 

 

 

A little misunderstanding occurred when Stephen K Amos arrived.  I was juggling social media apps and dispatched Him to take a pic of the charming comedian walking in.  He thought I had said: ‘go and say hello and pose for a picture’ while I snap them both.  A lot of hugging on their part and fumbling and giggling on mine before the moment escaped.   Hilarity set in.

Milton Jones more than held court with his trademark pregnant pauses and perfect intonation. ‘Don’t talk to me about unemployment,’ he warned us.  ‘I come from a tiny fishing village in Derbyshire.’

Royal Albert Hall couldn’t have looked more splendid

Patrick Kielty was my favourite though.  Which I suppose is just as well.  Cat Deeley is His all-time dream girl and He has begged me that, should the occasion arise (excuse the pun), I should allow Him ‘one go’.  Now that Kielty and Deeley have tied the knot, I should expect He has missed His chance (or maybe not) but either way, I imagine Patrick would make great company should we have to make small talk one day.

The Prince of Wales’ charity has helped more than 700,000 young people since 1976 and supports 100 more each day.

Prince’s Trust We are Most Amused at The Royal Albert Hall

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