Mamuśka!
On a cold winter evening, there is nothing better than hearty food. As such, we visited Mamuśka, in the arches under Waterloo Station. The restaurant specialises in Polish food and drinks, including vodka and (alcohol-free) Polish craft beer.
The menu features all the Polish classics, from Barszcz and Pieorogis, to Placki and Schabowy. We definitely had to look some of these names up to figure out what they were.
We started our meal with a set of 10 mixed pierogies. That alone was nearly enough already, as they were filling. Some fillings were nicer than the others. My wife preferred the goats cheese ones, finding the meaty ones a bit samey and underwhelming. I liked the pork filled ones, but I was less enamoured with the Ruskie ones. Maybe because of the name.
For her mains, my wife had chosen the Salmon Fillet, which was served with mashed potato (which was a Christmas / seasonal special). The salmon was okay, but a little on the dry side. I picked the Schabowy Breaded Pork Loin, with a mushroom sauce. The meat was nice and tender, with a creamy sauce covering the batter which had gone a little soggy due to the sauce. It was also too much — a huge portion, the salmon was noticeably more restrained in size.
With our meal, we enjoyed a selection of the Polish Craft Beers. Two alcohol-free ones, and two alcohol full ones.
We found Mamuśka a little underwhelming. Unfortunately we sat next to one of the brick walls, which meant our table was quite chilly with cold air emanating from the brickwork — but this might make it a good spot in summer. But we were definitely no longer hungry.
Maggie Jones's
Maggie Jones's has recently reopened after a fire, but it has been on its location since 1964. It's situated at the east end of Kensington High Street, near Kensington Palace, tucked away just off the main road. The interior is what might be described as cosily rustic, with vintage china old metal advertising signs, and downstairs much of the seating is provided by wooden high backed benches, alongside somewhat battered wooden tables.
The restaurant specialises in classic British food, and the menu on the day we ate there included classics such as roast rump of Lamb, Guinea Fowl, Fish Pie, and Steak & Kidney Pie. The puddings are also British classics. Beyond the à la carte menu, there is also a set menu, which had many tasty sounding options.
We went on a cold January evening, and were welcomed into the cosy restaurant with a serving of rustic bread and butter. For her main, my wife ordered the fish pie, which was stuffed with fish and seafood, including prawns and salmon, and topped with a fluffy mash, slightly charred and crisp on top. I chose the roast lamb rump, which was (like all their mains) also served with mashed potatoes. Although I think my own mashed potatoes are better — I add a lot of butter — the roast lamb was probably the best one I have ever had. I ordered it medium, and it was exactly that. Slightly caramelized on the outside, and pink and moist in the middle. It was seasoned with a rosemary and garlic breadcrumbs which added a lovely sweet twang, and some texture.
We followed our mains with some piping hot desserts. An apple crumble with a boat of custard (really too much custard), and my wife had a soft bread and butter pudding, which had a bit of spice and some plump raisins providing texture.
Maggie Jones's hit the spot really well, with bold flavours in a cosy environment, especially on this cold winter evening. We'd gladly take friends and family there on a return visit.
Puick
On one of our pre-Christmas adventures to the Netherlands, we went to Breda, a small city in the south of the Netherlands. As my birthday is also close to Christmas, we usually also use this opportunity to get a nice birthday meal. This year, we settled on Puick, a small restaurant that offers a dinner menu Friday through Sunday. Dinner consists of a single tasting menu, which is served to all tables. It only offers a single tasting menu, which changes every two months. It’s also worth noting that whilst they will try to accommodate allergies and intolerances, they don’t accommodate dietary preferences. So if you’re vegetarian, vegan, or perhaps less adventurous with your food, we’re sorry to say that Puick is not the restaurant for you.
The short lifespan of the menu probably makes describing the dishes below a little superfluous, but at least it will give you an idea of the sort of thing they cook up.
The dishes that we got served were:
And for dessert:
We decided that having the wine pairing would make the drinks selection easier given the variety of dishes that would be served. This turned out to be a great decision, as we had some lovely wines that all went well with the food. There is also an alcohol-free “botanical pairing” option available.
Dinner at Puick was an eclectic and exciting mix of cuisines, flavours, textures, and ingredients. Each dish was excellent, and well explained by the team. Puick also offers a lunch menu, with either matching wines, or alcohol-free “botanical pairings”.
We really enjoyed our time at Puick. The dishes were delicious, the service great, and the atmosphere cosy and relaxed. If you’re up for an interesting tasting menu, we can heartily recommend Puick for when you're ever in Breda.
The Vincent Rooms: Brasserie
We had been at the Vincent Rooms earlier in the year, but as I wrote in our review then, we usually try to have a Christmas meal first. Their Escoffier Rooms were busy again, so we "settled" for the Brasserie.
The Vincent Rooms is a restaurant of the Capital City College — where they train chefs. The meals and service are all done by the students (with suitable supervision). This has little effect on the dishes, but it does sometimes make for a more haphazard service. That is okay though, as we are now used to this, and students learn by doing these things.
As it is now Christmas time, the evening's menu was suitably themed. It was a set-menu, catering for Christmas parties, of which several were going on when we arrived. We decided to join in with a glass of prosecco, because why not.
Each course (starter, main, dessert) had three options. My wife chose the pumpkin velouté as her starter, which was slightly spicy, and full of pumpkin goodness. Some puffed rice on top added a bit of texture. I had the Lincolnshire game terrine, which was wrapped in Parma ham, and served with a cranberry compote and some pistachios for texture.
With our mains we shared a bottle of a crisp Australian Chardonnay. This was a great choice for my wife's main, as she selected the Norwegian Saithe. This was served as a fillet, with a crispy skin. It came served with a rosti, and a lovely mussel and vegetable mixture. I decided on going full Turkey with the Christmas roast. The turkey was served as both breast and leg slices. The red cabbage and sprouts were just the right kind of soft. The roast potatoes were okay (I'm really picky about them, and mine are the best). The turkey was topped with a pig in blanket, and served with a gravy that lifted it nicely up. It's probably the best roast meal I have had in a long time.
For dessert, neither of us chose the traditional pudding. I enjoyed the spiced milk chocolate mousse, which was surrounded by a collar of caramel with hazelnut flakes, and served with a caramel dip. My wife opted for the mulled wine bavarois, which was nice and soft, and served with flavourful poached red fruits and a ginger biscuit.
The meal, as always, was excellent. The service also seemed much more like in a normal restaurant on this occasion too. We'll surely be back for next year's Christmas.
Pyrá
Pyrá is a recent addition to the line-up of restaurants on Lonsdale Road. Their menu is on the shorter side, and they also cater for parties. When we rocked up, there was a wedding reception going on in their loft. Pyrá has a menu with both Greek and Spanish influences, a more unusual combination, but one which on reading appeared to work well. We shared a portion of the chorizo and manchego croquettes. These were a little spicy and salty, including some chunky bits of manchego.
For our main courses, I picked the deconstructed lamb gyros, which came served with fluffy flatbreads, chips, a chilli dip, tzatziki, and an onion and tomato salad. My wife chose the roasted Merton sole, with saffron rice, and oyster mushrooms. It came served whole, with a dressing of some lemon and roasted garlic. However, service was slow, with a noticeable wait until the mains showed up, and then the mains not being served together. My wife's sole eventually appeared almost half an hour after the gyros. This may have been due to the large party upstairs, but no warning was given of a possible delay, and no apology was forthcoming either. Overall, this wasn't the most positive.
The food (when it came) was nice and well cooked, and the portions were fairly generous, which meant that we skipped dessert.
We enjoyed Pyrá, but the long wait in between our main dishes being served let them down, and would probably mean it was not our first choice in Queens Park for a revisit.
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