Polanco
We have been to this location before, back when it was called Morso, which has now moved to St. John's Wood. There are a few other restaurants next door, which we might also try at some point.
It was a very warm evening, and my wife had arrived much earlier than our table was booked for. She'd ordered a margarita to spend the time, and "convinced" me to get one too. One showed up right when I entered the cosy restaurant. We were on the earlier side and it was mostly empty.
Polanco serves contemporary Mexican food, and their menu consists of tacos and small plates to share. We ordered baja fish tacos, a quesadilla rustica, green chicken enchiladas, and tortilla chips with guacamole to enjoy while we were waiting.
With our food, we also got a bottle of white wine. Usually we would probably have had beer, but their beer selection was really only the boring macro lagers.
The guacamole was well-made, and a little spicy. Smooth, but still with some crunchy bits. The green chicken enchiladas were doused in a slightly spicy green sauce. A dollop of cream on top smoothed things out. My favourite were the fish tacos — crispy fried fish, served with chipotle mayonnaise and habanero sauce, and topped with pickled cabbage. The rustic part of the quesadilla consisted of molten cheese, shopped cherry tomatoes, a habanero sauce, and some cream.
All the dishes were a little spicy, but not so much that it overpowered. By the time we were done with our meal, the restaurant was buzzing with nearly every table occupied.
Turmeric Kitchen
On the hottest Friday of the year (so far) we found ourselves at Turmeric Kitchen. Situated inside The Chilworth Hotel, a stone throw away from Paddington station.
It was quite dark inside, with little natural light, and wood panelled walls. The decor is more fitting for a winter's meal than a bright summer's day.
The menu is fairly varied, with some traditional dishes such as Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) and Biryanis, but there are also some more interesting dishes — and an "around the world" section including burgers, fish and chips, and steak.
As a starter, we shared the Avocado Bombs, spicy smashed avocado with mustard seats and deep-fried, like bitterballen. They were served with a beetroot chutney and a pomegranate seed. A tasty appetiser.
As my main meal, my wife ordered the aforementioned Murgh Makhani, with some plain naans on the side. The curry was a little spicy, which I hadn't expected for a butter chicken. But it wasn't overpowering and left a nice warmth in the mouth. I opted for the Laal Maas, a slow cooked spicy lamb curry. I paired that with a pilau rice. The curry was tender and had just the right amount of heat.
Normally we would have had a beer with curry, but the selection was poor. There were only small bottles of macro brewery beers with ridiculous prices. We had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc instead. A bit odd, but it worked fairly well.
To conclude our meal, we finished with a sorbet — my wife had the raspberry, and I had the mango. The serving (one scoop) was disappointingly small for the price.
After having refreshed, we went back outside into the heat for some exiting beers at "The Bear", a nearby pub.
Vinum
After one of our entertainments, a tour and tasting of Graham's port wines, we had booked a table at Vinum. Situated at Graham's Port Lodge with magnificent views over Porto, the Douro river, and Vila Nova de Gaia. It had come recommended by a colleague.
First we were briefly seated outside for a drink with a great view, which was unexpected (and a little chilly). After this confusion was resolved, we were seated at a large table, in an airy and bright room, and the great view—they don't guarantee you get that though. It was also fairly quiet when we got there, at 18:30.
The restaurant also does a tasting menu (with wine pairing, if you desire), but we went à la carte again. We forwent our starter, and instead had four very plumb oysters.
As main course I selected the grilled tuna, which was wrapped in chard and slightly seared — which is how it is supposed to be. It came with a charred pepper and garlic mash. My wife picked the "Vace Velha" tataki, which was served with a roast potato and caramelised onions. The port lodge's owners also produce Duoro wines, so to go with our meal we selected a bottle of Altano Reserva 2021, a rich and complex white wine.
We still had some space for desserts, and my wife choose a baked peach with vanilla ice cream, and I had a pineapple dish. As we were in a port lodge, we paired this with a Graham's 20 years old Tawny, which was served in a gigantic 4.5l bottle. The tray that came on, also contained a port from 1882, but at €900 a glass, a little over budget.
The food was good, and the service excellent. The view magnificent, and the atmosphere relaxing. It was a "bit" of a hike up the hill, but certainly worth visiting — especially after also having done a tour of their warehouses.
Apego
We recently visited Porto in Northern Portugal, where we were also in need of dinner. A while away from the busy hubbub of the riverside and the touristic areas of the city, we found ourselves on an unremarkable street in front of Apego.
We were welcomed in, and seated on a nice table near the kitchen in the calm and rustic restaurant. You can either choose a tasting menu of 5 courses, or eat à la carte. Five courses seemed a bit much, and we wanted to select our own courses, so we picked the latter option.
The menu is not very extensive, but each course did come with wine recommendations. As a started, I picked the Atlantic bonito crudo on a bed of beetroot and crème fraîche with a seeded cracker. My wife decided on the corn empanada with mushrooms, cucumber, and lime. Usually I have a red wine, and my wife a white, but in this case the recommended wines were of the opposite colour. The red to go with my wife's empanada wasn't totally fitting, and she liked my white more.
This meant that for our main courses she disregarded the recommendation and instead had the wine I had with my starter. As main course, she selected the artichoke with egg, pesto and Parmesan, whereas I opted for the pork shank, which was served with a crispy potato dish. Just like the starters, the mains were well cooked, with balanced flavours, with a delightful presentation.
The deserts looked great too, and to finish our meal, I picked the coffee tarte, while my wife choose the "Chou", served with strawberries and basil. We paired that with a Madeira, and, as we were in Porto, a glass of port.
Apego was a really nice experience, with great food and atmosphere. It's a little out of the way, but well worth visiting.
The Chamberlayne
Back when I just moved to London, now nearly 15 years ago, I would frequent the Chamberlayne a lot. It was the closest pub with a good food selection, and the best chips in town.
It has changed hands, and name, a few times in the intervening time, but it's now back as the Chamberlayne, and we decided to try them out again.
We started with a happy hour, but then of Oysters and not drinks. The selection included Jersey and Carlingford oysters, as well as the river oysters Louet Feisser. Oysters have started to grown on me. I wouldn't touch them a decade ago, but would now happily shuck them myself.
After our starters, I opted for a Grilled Cornish gurnard, a lovely chewy fish served on a bed of haricot beans with bagna cauda, a garlic and anchovies purée, and some herbs. I am not usually a fan of beans, but these were nice and soft and buttery and worked well with the fish and purée.
My wife went for a more traditional choice: a beef burger served with chips. The burger was well seasoned and moist, with some enjoyable pickles. The chips were good too, but were not living up to the standard that I remembered from all these years ago.
They had several ice creams and sorbets for dessert. We were already reasonably happy, and had a single scoop each. I had a raspberry swirl, and my wife a salted caramel. Both excellent to finish our meal.
The Chamberlayne had a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, with good food at reasonable prices. An excellent local option.
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