Mestizo, Kings Cross

After trekking from Kings Cross station in the wind - I say trekking, it was only a 15 min walk but trust me that feels tougher when the wind's fighting you! - I think we would have been happy no matter where we ended up! So I'm glad that Mestizo delivered more than expected. 

The service wasn't that great, as it took a while for us to get served, and our waitress wasn't the most friendly but despite that, I will definitely be heading back.

I started off with a cucumber margarita that was too salty (even for me!), but the flavour was good. I think next time I'll have to go classic though.

Cucumber Margarita

As soon as the first lot of food came, and misgivings we had were gone. Our first course consisted of:

Mixed empanadas (corn pastries filled with a variety of fillings)

These managed to avoid being oily, but still crispy on the outside and both fillings were really great. 

Empanadas

Chicken flautas (rolled tortillas deep fried) & Queso frito (breaded & fried chihuahua cheese) 

The flautas & the queso frito were the best I've had, but nothing can top that green tomatillo salsa - if they bottled it, I'd buy it by the caseload! The cheese was served with tortillas which were the perfect tool to mop it up!

Flautas & that salsa

Queso

We luckily had a bit of a break before the Pollo con Mole & Arrachera tacos came out. The chicken, cooked in the delicious mole sauce was amazing, but I've never tasted anything like that beef. Marinated in beer, onion & garlic is the new way I'm cooking beef! The only way to describe it is that it was like butter. It melted in the mouth, and we didn't even want to top it with the tomatillo salsa, to make sure it was all we could taste.

Pollo con Mole

Arrachera

For two girls who always find stomach space for dessert, we gave it a pass. Both because we were already full enough, but more so that beef was the last thing we ate!

I'll definitely be heading back, to try more of the menu, but to make sure I can introduce more people to that salsa & arrachera!

 

The Greek Larder, Kings Cross

Of course, with payday, comes payday dinner. The night with a few work friends (including fellow food blogger Dining With Dee) started off a bit chaotic with the restaurant we booked not able to find our table and other Kings X gems including Dishoom, Caravan etc having 1+ hour waits! We went for the tried and tested method of typing 'restaurant' into Google Maps, and that's how we found The Greek Larder. After a quick look on Yelp (two of the girls are American - no judging of using that over TripAdvisor!) we thought we should give it a try.

As soon as we walked in we were excited - we were greeted by a small open kitchen, deli counter and a bright modern space. Now, being Turkish means that I have my idea of what meze should be like, but The Greek Larder had the best spin on the classics as well as fresh new dishes that we'd not tasted before. While we could have had a starter & main each, that was never going to happen with so many great options that we all wanted to try!

Open kitchen where we watched the 3 chefs, from our table

Our task ended up being deciding what we didn't want from the menu, and trust me with 4 hungry girls that was a challenge!

We ended up going with:

Kefalotiri saganaki (pan-fried cheese), smoked red onion & candied chanterelles

I mean who doesn't like fried cheese?! I've never had this cheese before, and despite being fried and warm, it was still firm & the onion and chanterelles were a perfect accompaniment to it. So good we ordered a second portion!

Slow cooked chickpeas & tzatziki

The chickpeas were cooked to perfection, with a great sauce. The only disappointment for me (I love tzatziki, or cacik as I call it), is that there was only a small spoon of tzatziki on top.

Chickpeas & fried cheese

Elephant beans, grilled artichokes & feta

I still don't really know what elephant beans are, but these, cooked in a tomato sauce served with artichokes and a chunk of feta were delicious.

Elephant beans

Octopus & fava (yellow split pea purée)

I don't think I've ever had octopus prepared in a way that I didn't like and this wasn't an exception. The octopus & fava wasn't better or worse than anything I've had before, but we definitely had no complaints!

Octopus

Souvlaki (flat bread wrap with sausage kefte, roast tomatoes & tzatziki) - Didn't manage a pic as we tucked in too quickly!

Considering I don't eat pork, the sausage kefte was actually not bad, and the filling as a combination was good. Even the flat bread was some of the best I've had for a while.

Spinach & feta filo 'pie', fennel salad & tzatziki

This 'pie' is very similar to something my grandma makes, with raisins in place of feta, so this tasted familiar but still different. It really was great, crispy on the outside with a really fresh filling.

Filo pie

And of course, we can't forget dessert! Three of us went for the chocolate & mahlepi (ground seeds from a species of cherry used to sharpen sweet desserts) mousse with sour cherries, which was the perfect combination of dark chocolate & cherry.

Chocolate & Cherry mousse

Of course, baklava was ordered, but rather than being the usual overly sweetened baklava this was packed full of nuts with the perfect amount of sweet stickiness.

Baklava

I will definitely be taking a trip back to try more of the menu!

Mother's Day Brunch @ Le Roux at Landau, The Langham Hotel

In my family, we have a tendency to use any occasion as an excuse for a special dinner (every year for my birthday there's a new place I drag my, not always keen!, family to), and Mother's Day was not an exception.

This year, with the thought that we should try somewhere new & fulfill our Masterchef fan fix, I booked us a table at Michel Roux's spot at The Langham, for Mother's Day brunch.

When we arrived (early) we were shown to a bright room, where each table felt like it was in it's own little world. In some restaurants like this, it's hard to feel comfortable, but that was the opposite here. Attentive but relaxed and friendly staff, made for a great brunch. As did of course, the food...

We started off with croquettes with blue cheese, and a paprika mayo, which were light with a crisp coating. Delicious start to the meal.

Croquettes

As soon as I saw burrata on the menu I knew what I was having! It was served with artichokes, broad beans & green olives which I wasn't sure about but it was the perfect combo. Although it was a great starter, unsurprisingly, I've had much better burrata at smaller local Italian restaurants.

Burrata

Then onto the main, delish, perfectly cooked beef carved at the table, with crispy roast potatoes & cabbage. The highlight for me was the gravy, with little pieces of beef & mushrooms - so good!

Roast Beef

Despite technically being slightly allergic to pineapple, I couldn't say no to the pineapple souffle which was fluffy & super light. But the highlight was definitely the creme brulee, I think I could eat 4 of those & was grateful my sister ordered it so I could at least give it a try!

Pineapple Souffle (that made me ignore my tingling tongue!)

Best Creme Brulee I've tasted in years

 The meal ended with coffee and petit fours - blackcurrent jelly, raspberry macarons & mini lemon cakes - despite being stuffed full, we couldn't turn them down. Look how pretty they are!

Pretty Petit Fours

Bleeding Heart Restaurant, Hatton Garden

Bleeding Heart, a French restaurant by Farringdon station came with a story about the courtyard where the restaurant sits. According to the story, in the 17^th century, Lady Hatton was killed by a ‘jilted lover’, torn limb from limb and the next day her body was found still pumping blood onto the cobblestones – honestly not the sort of thing I want to read before I eat!!

The restaurant itself was a nice surprise once you descend the stairs and we were sat next to a bookcase filled with old books, in a cosy setting that in some ways reminded me of a library.

When looking at the menu, fairly traditional French, I wasn’t particularly excited and when my starter (crab & avocado) came I didn’t feel much better! It reminded me of a 70s starter you get in steakhouses that are trying to appease the guests that have been going there for 50+ years. It didn’t taste bad, it was just pretty boring.

Luckily, once my main came, I was a happy bunny. Lamb, on mashed potato - not my favourite, but it was packed with flavour (or butter? Same thing, right?) – with veg & a tarragon jus. I loved what they called ‘aubergine caviar’ and the lamb, although cooked slightly more than I would like, was delicious.

Now, you’ll sense a theme as you read on in this blog, but most of the time, no matter how full I am, I will find room for dessert and this time was no exception. I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate desserts, but the one thing that will win me over every time is a chocolate fondant. There’s nothing bad I can say about Bleeding Heart’s fondant – it really was as delicious as it was pretty.

Flat Iron, Denmark Street

After weeks of talking about one day making it down to Flat Iron, I finally made it there this weekend. Before we had even sat down to eat I already loved it! It might be the buzzword of the moment, but they have nailed ‘industrial-chic’. Wooden tabletops, an outdoor/indoor mix and benches & stools to sit on all added to this, as did the most elaborate pepper grinder I have ever seen (I forgot to take a picture unfortunately). The space felt super relaxed, with really friendly staff and an interesting but not too crazy cocktail list. We settled for the Strawberry & Basil Collins.

Flat Iron have one thing on the menu, a flat iron steak* and as anyone who’s gone out to eat with me will know, that is a great thing! Not only does it take away the pain (and time) of deciding what to order – and meaning you have to accept not trying all 4 mains you liked! – it also means that you expect it to be done to perfection. And it did not disappoint.

While the medium-rare steak (how they recommend it’s cooked – listen!) truly was melt in the mouth, I am a big believer that the true test of a place is their sides (and calamari, but that’s another conversation). Flat Iron served delicious, perfectly seasoned fries and the best creamed spinach I’ve had in a long time.

Look at those meat juices!

Despite being stuffed, I couldn’t resist the one dessert* on their menu, a milk ice-cream with salted caramel, vanilla & bourbon sauce and chocolate sauce. Delicious!! (I forgot to get a picture of that as well!)

Their branded cleavers - there was even a note on the menu asking people not to take them!
(You can buy one for £10 if you really wanted!)

*they do have daily specials for both main & dessert, but I don’t see the point of going and then having a burger! (the special of the day we were there)