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30/05/09
Together with J+A and Lantana, the bestest sandwiches in London are also found here. Gawd knows why? It's only a bit of cheese and meat between two pieces of bread but by heck they are incredibly good! 
Wavey's Bocadillo salami and cheese sarnie
My Mozzarella flute
We asked for Jamon Iberico but were given this instead. The stressed out girl (she was actually very accomodating and nice; and her carving technique was flawless) mistakenly said it was Serrano. It was actually Jambon 'Le Noir de Bigorre', it was pretty much inedible; chewy and sinewy- poor. We left nearly all of it on the plate. She did inform us that meat closer to the bone tends to end up like that, well I think it shouldn't be offered to the customer for c.£15.00. My daughter, Wavey, dislikes me kicking up a fuss, so I didn't. We took the rest of the meat away in a doggy bag and suggested that Wavey concorts a pasta dish out of it. I would love to have a refund but too late. The girl who made the error did restore things a bit by carving a few slivers of Jamon to include in the doggy bag. For the best hand carved Jamon you'll need to go to Iberica, Dehesa or Barrafina. Lesson learnt, I'll stick to sandwiches and pastries when I come here next.
The pain from the bill still throbs for what was essentially a quick snack.--------Sandwich Artisans
Some posts are an absolute doddle. Writing about (or perhaps not so) Fernandez & Wells (Food & Wine) on Lexington Street is one such example.
I shall but only upload the photos of my lunch today and keep the written comments to the minimum because I can’t better this REVIEW and besides I might run the risk of plagiarising it if I were to hatch my own. HYL, I kowtow to thee.
To be honest it’s only a flipping ham sandwich.
But why does it taste so darn good, is it the Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia or the oft bland (IMO) Mortadella adhered to the super garlicky Aioli?
Did I mention the usual unsung bits of the Tomato and the additional drenches of some evoo*? Hell Velma, this just goes to show F&W are totally at home when it comes to posh butties.
Costly ‘Tart’.
Slice of Raspberry and Coconut bake was fantastic; would’ve been double or even triple fantastic if accompanied by a cup of coffee**!
From a purveyor of the best cup of coffee in London to what may also be the ‘best piece of meat held between two pieces of bread’, F&W is nothing short of wow!
43 Lexington Street London W1F 9ALwww.fernandezandwells.com
*extravirginoliveoil
** Food & Wine! Coffee can only be had at the Beak Street branch! Pain in the bloody proverbial!
H2G (honesttogawd), no stalking whatsoever! He was ever so gently accosted near Brick Lane.
It’s a bloody travesty Michelin lauding ostentatious turkeys like Benares and Nahm, when instead Kiwi Gent’s seven year old institution in Marylebone is deplorably neglected. I’m hereby befuddled :(
Closed
Now trading as Sutton & Son's
To each and everyone of us residing in Blighty, we should all stand proud and proclaim that there’s absolutely nothing wrong (whatsoever!) with fish and chips. It also goes without saying that this iconic food is downright and universally more accessible than let’s say Hákarl from Iceland or the Aussies’ Vegemite. (Much as I love our dear friends from Down Under, our own Marmite is still heads and shoulders above!)
Yes there is certainly an inordinate amount of chippies in London and sad to say they’re all faux and impostors. It’s also remarkably easy for these chippies to maximise their profits out of the misfortunes of a certain group of customers that include the underclass, tourists and without doubt, the intoxicated. The usual suspects of ingredients used by these guys are the following: inferior fish, MSG enhanced batter, frozen chips and the sure-fire presence of trans fat. The dearth of ‘real deal’ chippies is sadly all too clear to see; at present I can only count them all on one hand. Roll call to include Two Brothers (Finchley Central), The Golden Hind (Marylebone), The Seashell (Marylebone) and since last night, The Fishery Fish Bar in Stoke Newington.
I came here last August when they first opened and I was mightily impressed then. As mentioned in my previous review at Trusted Places, the Fish Bar is a traditional chippy (yes Sybil, battered sausages, saveloys and pickled eggs; they’re all here!) but with the added twist of the best fish like lobsters, oysters and even Barramundis offered. A well-established fishmonger of the same name and on the same street owns this fish restaurant. This winning formula is akin to Rules serving game from its own estate or Monmouth Coffee Co. dishing out filter shots made from their own beans.
This is a relatively fast food joint and it’s kitted out like one, wipe-easy tables and plastic chairs. The ambience is comfortably light and airy. The service from the young staff is wonderful and assured. Oh, lest I forget, ladies and metrosexuals alike, do leave your finest attire at home unless you want to exit here smelling like a chip fryer!
I noticed these minnows were chucked into the fryer from a frozen bag.
I don’t care where they sprouted from, but this snacky starter of whitebait was intended to be shared. But not me José, call me porky, this dish was gobbled up and by me alone! The lovely homemade tartare sauce only made me more of a glutton.
Lurch’s sedate order of Cod and Chips. You know I’ve known Lurch since college days and he has never ever budged beyond an order of Cod, that man is just so Joe Bloggs!
Anyway he muttered something about the fish being better and cheaper than his regular of the nearby Faulkner's.
Now my friends, where else can you have a whole Dove Sole for £10.95? I saw a similarly sized fish, head and tail intact, at the wet fish counter in Selfridges Food Hall for £12.00!
The combination of brown shrimp butter (effectively potted shrimp put to good use) and the grilled sole was a match made in the proverbial sense. The fish for a Sunday evening supper was gratifyingly fresh and precisely cooked. Terrific dinner. Lurch, rather unhelpfully suggested that my fish looked rather flat.
Towards the end of the meal, the young chef was quite disappointed we didn’t leave enough room for the home baked carrot cake. He quite rightly said they were too generous with their portions of wonderful chips in the first place!
It might well be a long trek for yours truly to venture here for a bit of fish, but by golly it was worth it. Enjoy!
90 STOKE NEWINGTON HIGH STREET
LONDON
N16 7NY
www.the-fishery.net
Lunch last August
Grilled Halibut and Fat Chips
Grilled Med Sea Bass
Samphire and Green Leaf Salad
Every time I approach Brick Lane from Bethnal Green Road I can’t help but notice Franzè & Evans. What attracted me to this Italian deli and kitchen were the buzziness and the brightness of the place. There’s something about places that can be anything but dark or incandescently lit.
Now as far as I’m concerned with such places, F&E included; they have nothing to hide about what they do or serve. In me humblest, an aura of assertiveness is usually guaranteed by restaurateurs who provide undimmed dining areas.
There are two things that newbies to this place will notice when they walk in; first the wonderful display of Italian food and groceries displayed on one side of the wall and secondly the genuine friendliness of the Italian gentleman who works there. I can only assume that the latter is the F in F&E.
This place is also perfect for a lazy Sunday sojourn.
I popped by one Sunday morning, too early for lunch so a latish breakfast beckoned instead.
The cappuccino was C+ (my grading for a cup of coffee). What with my exposure (perhaps overly so) to Flat Whites and Short Blacks, my recent experiences with cappuccini in London have been consistently unstimulating. My daughter told me that the cappuccino she once had in a café was to all intents and purposes, warm milk flavoured with a tad of coffee- that is basically my grade D.
My brunch of Scrambled Eggs, Smoked Salmon and Dill on Sourdough Toast. Before I go on about the taste, there’s one thing that drives me nuts on this plate!
Unwashed cherry toms that’s been plonked to one side; the cook could’ve at least roast or grill the bloody things or leave them out altogether! I’m sure that the owners are aware that customers who come here are informed food lovers and under no circumstances will they accept unprepped or unwashed food.
That aside, the eggs (that vivid colour is certainly not Photoshopped which can only suggest something decidedly free rangey about them) were hearty enough, but a bit more milk or cream wouldn’t hurt. The salmon was of top notch quality; mild and perfect for the first meal of the day.
I need to come back here for the proper Italian dishes, that would probably mean lunch and leaving some space for the delicious cakes on display as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed on the next visit being hugely more promising than the first. I love the concept and the ambience of F&E too much to be thwarted.
Watch this space for the follow up.
101 Redchurch Street London E2 7DLwww.franzeevans.com
Wavey's Bocadillo salami and cheese sarnie
My Mozzarella flute
We asked for Jamon Iberico but were given this instead. The stressed out girl (she was actually very accomodating and nice; and her carving technique was flawless) mistakenly said it was Serrano. It was actually Jambon 'Le Noir de Bigorre', it was pretty much inedible; chewy and sinewy- poor. We left nearly all of it on the plate. She did inform us that meat closer to the bone tends to end up like that, well I think it shouldn't be offered to the customer for c.£15.00. My daughter, Wavey, dislikes me kicking up a fuss, so I didn't. We took the rest of the meat away in a doggy bag and suggested that Wavey concorts a pasta dish out of it. I would love to have a refund but too late. The girl who made the error did restore things a bit by carving a few slivers of Jamon to include in the doggy bag. For the best hand carved Jamon you'll need to go to Iberica, Dehesa or Barrafina. Lesson learnt, I'll stick to sandwiches and pastries when I come here next.
The pain from the bill still throbs for what was essentially a quick snack.
Some posts are an absolute doddle. Writing about (or perhaps not so) Fernandez & Wells (Food & Wine) on Lexington Street is one such example.
I shall but only upload the photos of my lunch today and keep the written comments to the minimum because I can’t better this REVIEW and besides I might run the risk of plagiarising it if I were to hatch my own. HYL, I kowtow to thee. 
To be honest it’s only a flipping ham sandwich.
But why does it taste so darn good, is it the Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia or the oft bland (IMO) Mortadella adhered to the super garlicky Aioli?
Did I mention the usual unsung bits of the Tomato and the additional drenches of some evoo*? Hell Velma, this just goes to show F&W are totally at home when it comes to posh butties. 
Costly ‘Tart’.
Slice of Raspberry and Coconut bake was fantastic; would’ve been double or even triple fantastic if accompanied by a cup of coffee**! 
