Koba

Tommy, there you have it and thank you.

I've been kimcheed enough at Koba to recommend it.

For a less frivolous approach to things please read here instead.





11 Rathbone Street
London W1T 1NA

Bou Tea

Another One Bites the Dust

The best quality tea must have creases like the leather boot of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like a fine earth newly swept by rain.

Lu Yu (AD 733-804)

An express posting of a place I stumbled upon today.

Bou Tea is a new tea bar located in the heart of London’s Theatreland or on their blurb, London's Opera Quarter. I shall be penning about it in more detail when I get back from holidays in October.

This Covent Garden place is barely a month old and I think it’s absolutely brilliant.

Apart from the tremendous array of teas served, Monmouth coffee made with a La Marzocco sounds promising and I suppose the best news of all is they’re open till 11.00 PM from Tuesdays to Saturdays.

The attention to detail that goes to preparing your pot of tea is staggering. Even the cups are warmed up for you prior to serving.

We had Formosa Oolong and Moonswirl Silver Tip

Cloud Nine and beyond...

Don’t wait for my tedious follow-up, go and check it out for yourself. I’ll be gobsmacked if you find it disappointing. Highly recommended.


Message tweeted by Bou Tea on 06/09/09:

We had a customer today who thought the shop was called 'Hello'. Just to clear up any confusion, we are called Bou Tea. Goodbye.

That clueless customer was me!

22 Wellington Street
London WC2E 7DD

www.boutealondon.com

Caffè Uno (Edgware Rd)

Six Feet Under

: (

--------

I decided to nip this in to ease the monotony of the café reviews and oh yes, the race to write up on L’Anima by my contemporaries. If you’ve seen the film True Stories made by Talking Heads’ David Byrne, then you’ll concur with me that the Caffè Uno chain of restaurants reflect the unfussy needs (demographically and perfectly) of any forgettable small towns. Everything about the chain is manufactured, synthetic and downright lame. But then again food lovers like us shouldn’t be too snooty on issues like this, we all need to tolerate and respect the views of the non-foodie types; they’re after all in the majority and invariably representative of our family and friends. Like the Harvester and Pizza Express chains, Caffè Uno is an important ‘love’ of the common people.

Came here for dinner last night with three other friends. All three do not buy the tag live to eat, they have other priorities like gadgets, Top Shop and IWC watches. An option of Carluccio's would prove too intriguing for them (or why spend all the money on food?). Of all the Uno branches I’ve been seen, the Marble Arch branch on Edgware Road is the grimmest and life defying. The only two good things with this place, no muzak and service charge is blotted out. Not once did the staff asked us whether if we enjoyed the dishes, don’t shoot them as it would be churlish for them to do so. They know the score, lateral thinking don’t you know?

The following photographs epitomise 'don’t taste as good as shown' examples.

Marina’s Risotto Marinara
Spicy seafood risotto with mussels, king prawns and squid in a tomato, chilli and white wine sauce, dressed with fresh herbs.
Portion- Pitiful
Solution- Cook your own

Lowey’s Linguine pollo e gamberetti
Pasta linguine with 2.5 sautéed king prawns and chicken breast in a white wine and tomato sauce, lightly seasoned (you’re kidding?) with chilli and fresh basil
Portion- Pitiful
Solution- Cook your own

My Pork Milanese
Dried out escalope of pork with a greasy coating of ciabatta crumbs and Grana Padano cheese, served with not so delicious Genovese pesto and the most basic of spaghetti pomodoro.
Portion- Pitiful
Solution- Cook your own

Pete’s Gourmet burger
Sub prime beef burger in a seeded bun bursting with tomato, basil, relish, red onions and rocket– all dished up with a generous helping of fries!
Portion- More than adequate
Solution- Give up burgers.
Pete is the only mate I know of who orders burger in an Italian joint, he does it all the time. If Tayyabs offered one on their menu he’ll jump at it. I also believe that out of the four us tonight, he was the only one who enjoyed his meal.

Dessert time.
Marina was on a diet. The rest of us carried on.

Pete’s Torta di limone
Lemon tart, served with raspberry coulis and mascarpone.

My Mocha latte cheesecake
Vanilla and coffee cheesecake topped with chocolate chips and served on a rich chocolate sauce. If you like Wall’s Viennetta, you’re more than welcome to this.

And Lowey’s Tiramisù in the backgound.
Supposedly the classic Italian dessert with mascarpone cheese, coffee, Marsala wine and a light sponge dusted with chocolate.

The food served here is essentially plane food served at sea level, be grateful chums, at least you can taste the salt and no turbulence to speak of. I don’t want to go back but I have to because I have friends.



11 Edgware Road
London W2 2ER

www.caffeuno.co.uk

Cà Phê VN

Typing this post at the crack of dawn with the aid of being kept awake by the most obvious drug is appropriate. It’s fair to say that I go to Broadway Market every weekend but I’ve never actually been to the market itself when it comes to life only on Saturdays. The one and only opportunity I did make it, I headed straight to the Vietnamese coffee stall which has managed to establish a pilgrimage status for itself.

Like the market, Cà Phê* VN was bustling and busy. It evoked memories of my childhood trip to Saigon before it fell in 1975; if it wasn’t for the ambient sounds of English spoken and the lack of gutter perfume, Cà Phê VN wouldn’t look out of place in a typical Vietnamese street or market.

The abundance of dollhouse stools and tables dotted around the stall are a welcome attempt to create an authentic feel.

Vietnamese coffee is widely distributed in South East Asia but has yet to make an impact in the West. The best coffee beans that hail from Vietnam's Central Highlands (Buôn Ma Thuột being the capital city) are often medium roasted and best described as reminiscent of Sumatra coffee but seemingly smoother with its mocha-y undertones. Cà Phê VN is a youngish company that’s run by a delightful couple and the main core of their business is importing this wonderful drinking beverage into Britain. I hope they thrive as it’s high time that good Vietnamese coffee gain a foothold within our drinking habits.

I started with a Long White (Cà Phê VN’s own diction). This is straight drip coffee with the addition of condensed milk. Unfortunately I’ve tasted better made by the various restaurants on The Pho Mile, this version was too wishy-washy and less water added would’ve been preferable. With hindsight I should’ve opted for the Ca Phe Sua instead (espresso with condensed milk). That said, latte drinkers should appreciate this more than myself.

The lovely and utterly friendly young ladies who prepared my lunch.

The next big thing to take London by storm is the Vietnamese sarnie of Bánh mì. The Vietnamese baguette (the real thing should be made out of both wheat and rice flour) based sandwiches stand out with their herby and meat filling.

I went for the ‘take no prisoners’ No 3 Triple Meat. The fillings consisted of chicken, pork liver pate, roast pork, pickled carrot, white radish, coriander and hot sauce. What stood out for me was the freshness of the bread, the thought of the Vietnamese baking better baguettes than the French is similar to our antipodean friends concocting a better cappuccino than the Italians stirs me up. The hot sauce wasn’t hot, the addition of fresh bird's eye chilli would do the trick nicely. Otherwise a pretty good effort.

Owner Rob Atthill showing me his scrapbook of all the positive reviews from the press.

I ended my visit with a serving of one of the costliest coffees this side of the universe. The ‘journey through the entire guts of the civet cat’ coffee set me back a fiver.

The aroma was profound and it far exceeded the taste. Perhaps the coffee would make a bigger impression if the beans were ground finer and paper filters used as opposed to the quaint stainless steel one shown. I’ve now tasted most of the rare coffees to include the above, Blue Mountain and Kopi Luwak (another civet phenomenon from Indonesia); but none of them can touch my favourite of single estate beans from Papua New Guinea.

I do like this stall a lot and how I wish I can come here more often on a Saturday. But at least I’ve been and I can wholeheartedly endorse a recommendation.

* The Vietnamese and the Cantonese share this same pronunciation for coffee; it’s simply uttered as café.



Broadway Market
London E8

www.caphevn.co.uk

Kaffeine

The people involved professionally in London’s coffee circuit are a friendly lot. My own observations suggest that the respect and support they provide each other are unprecedented in dog-eat-dog London. Take James for example (if he has a poster of the Queen in his bedroom then he’s due an MBE for his services to the coffee trade); he directed me to the following- Taste of Bitter Love, Climpson and The Farm Collective. In my line of business we thrive on ripping each other to shreds instead. And on the subject of friendly coffee peeps, I came to one of the capital’s newest additions courtesy of Ms Scrambling Eggs. Shelagh, thank you.

Let’s get two negatives out of the way first. I’m not exactly bowled over by the choice of the logo. The bulbous and cursive font used is at odds with the architecturally designed café. The logo in my humblest is more indicative of the rag trade wholesalers that are found in the vicinity. The second quibble involves the mother of all ‘spoilt for choice’ dilemmas; Kaffeine is situated opposite my recent fave that’s the Scandinavian Kitchen. So every time I venture down Great Titchfield Street there’s a likely chance I’ll be over prescribing myself with too many caffeine hits. Paradise is indeed cruel.

I’m not a committed design geek but for reasons that can only be propped by my naivety, I studied architecture at college. Both Nude Espresso and Taste of Bitter Love, whilst differing wildly, represent my favourite kind of café designs. I’m glad to say that Kaffeine joins these two establishments with merit.

The overall concept is fresh, welcoming and thanks to the exposed brick wall on one side; it’s unlike to date that quickly either. Now because the owner hails from Down Under, a degree of apricity is also included in the ambience side of things.

Some of you might gall at the seating, it may not be the cushiest but surely I would be flabbergasted if the intention was to come here to write a novella with the aim of making a weeny latte lasts for hours on end. That is more galling.

This Mr Kaffeine aka Peter.

A tenacious looking fellow but exceedingly cordial.

The prancing horse of coffee machines except that as sacrileges go it’s not Italian made. If you see one of these machines then you can be sure a delicious cup of coffee beckons. The beans come from the ever dependable and by now indomitable Square Mile.

First test of flattie as always the case.
No superlatives required for this superb cup.

Piccolo.
Small packages come with immense tidings of joy. Excellent.

Second visit confirmed that the flat white at Kaffeine is seriously good and the orange and walnut muffin was scrumptious and all.
Kudos also to Peter and Co for offering fresh mint tea on their menu; solution solved for those with a caffeine intolerance.

For a city of over seven million souls, there are never too many good coffee shops in London. Kaffeine like a handful of others exists to provide us with a life-changing cup of coffee. Give the instant or $tarbucks a rest, come here instead and you’ll be delighted. Highly recommended.



66 Great Titchfield Street
London W1W 7QJ

www.kaffeine.co.uk

Kipferl

Shut
-----

Be prepared for a blitz of coffee and cake postings that may prove irksome to some of you. And talking of irksome I’ve grown to like the Barbican Estate of late, like the Centre Point tower; if its calming brutality can wind up the Prince of Wales infernally; then by all accounts I’m all for it.

To this day I find it incredulous that the majority of people still take the mickey of our cuisine in Blighty. British cuisine has at last been acknowledged (and with thanks to Messrs Stein, Whittingstalled, the Hairy Bikers from up North, etc) as diverse and rich as the vocabulary of its language (the most virtuous lingo in the world, period). A Polish painter-and-decorator once told me that our food was unimaginative and the sausages untrustworthy; I said Jack, if you’ve only been to greasy spoons and the odd Chicken Cottage, then you’re purely in transit here. Our stews may look stodgy but by George, at least they’ve got class! Without upsetting anyone I would also like to point out that Brit cooking is also more varied than our Scandinavian, Eastern European and for that matter, Teutonic counterparts (I’ll probably get stalked and shot if I uttered ‘put together’).

As we all know there are not many Austrian eateries in the capital (the Ethiopians outnumber them for instance). And if you’re a three-toed sloth you’ll still have one toe remaining to tally and account for the next Austrian venture opening. My first experience of ‘authentic’ schnitzels was at the Tiroler Hut- the outcome was so awful that a near case of ‘nail in the coffin’ of all things Austrian ensued. Imbiss managed to remedy the trauma by serving out good sausages and upmarket SPAM (Leberkäse), but like all half-decent joints it folded before you could finish chewing your piece of rye bread.

Kipferl has been around for more than six years and a thoroughly amiable Austrian chap with a rich sense of humour runs it. I’ve unjustly ignored this place for quite some time, the main excuse being its close proximity (two doors away) to Dose, one of the best places in London for coffee and light bites. Kipferl pitches itself as a delicatessen, it’s a one-stop shop that’s convenient if you’re thinking of entertaining Arnie chez vous.

The name comes from the small, crescent shaped biscuits that are made with ground almonds or hazelnuts and flavoured with vanilla.

Came here a fortnight ago with a wonderful couple, Lady Gray and her knight, G from Washington (our Northeast that is).

I deliberately passed on the coffee (a self-declared sixth sense thing…it’s all too complicated!) and went for the Almdudler instead (an Austrian equivalent to the Scots’ Irn-Bru). It’s supposed to be lemonade with a hint of ginger, believe me it tasted more like ginger beer. The platter on the left was my special lunch consisting of potato, cucumber, lentil and red pepper salads plus rye bread and a Käsekrainer sausage. The latter is a smoked variety with small chunks of cheese embedded. The hot melting cheese should come with some kind of warning! As with all the dishes that are of the ilk, the sausage was marvellous and the salads were purely perfunctory.

Lady Gray’s platter had a different sausage of Debreziner. This pork sausage, mildly spiced with paprika is Hungarian in origin. I tried some and it was equally delicious. G’s Wiener was I assumed a more luxurious eating version of a hot dog. It’s funny how that I noticed all three of us left most of the rye bread untouched, must be its denseness that we’re not accustomed to manducating.

G’s Linzertorte. Short, crumbly pastry made with almonds and red currants. Loved it.

What I came for; Vienna’s iconic Sachertorte. Although edged in terms of sinful indulgence by Bea’s German Chocolate Cake, it didn’t disappoint. Moist, rich and not too sweet; it’s worth coming back here for. At this point I was wishing for a cup of Long Black from Dose.

Imminent revisits are planned. Stuff to try include liver dumpling soup, Apfelkuchen (Jewish apple cake), Topfentorte (baked cheesecake) and when I feel less snooty, the coffee. As for now, a großer recommendation.




70 Long Lane
London EC1A 9EJ

www.kipferl.co.uk