Lokkanta

As first restaurant of the year, we wanted something low-key. Not far from Paddington station, on Westbourne Grove, there is a whole row of such places. We settled on Lokkanta, a place that specialises in Turkish food.

We started off with Turkish sausage slices with halloumi, while we were waiting for our main course. At the same time, we started enjoying our delicious red wine from Turkey.

The front section of the restaurant features a well ventilated charcoal grill upon which most of the meats were roasted. In my case, a well cooked and flavoured lamb shish. My partner picked a Yogurtly Adana, minced grilled lamb with bread and basted in a tomato sauce and yoghurt.

The service was speedy, and we did not have to wait long. Perhaps that was mostly because when we arrived at 18:30, there was only other table enjoying dinner, so we were almost the only customers. When we left, there were a few more people enjoying their dinner. However, with the restaurant being quite empty, it perhaps lacked a bit of ambience and the tiled interior made it feel a little clinical, I think it would be quite different if it was busy with plenty of hustle and bustle.

In short, the food and wine was good, but the atmosphere was unfortunately missing.

Ma Petite Jamaica

What do you need on a cold and dark winter evening? Exactly, a bit of tropical warmth. Our booking was a little last minute, as we hadn't really thought about arranging something for the last Friday of the year. My wife, who often takes the lead in picking our Friday evening restaurant, suggested this Jamaican place in Camden, not too far from where we live.

We arrived to find the dining room partially full, with Jamaican musing playing and (fake) palm trees. It gave a happy and homely feel to the dining room.

I had never had Jamaican food, so decided that I wanted to try the staples. As my starter I picked the ackee and salt fish, which was served with fried dumplings. My wife chose the chickpea and pumpkin curry. We also decided to share a portion of the jerk chicken spring rolls. All three small plates were very flavourful. With enough hints of scotch bonnets to add a kick, but nothing too overpowering. The dumplings were great for dipping up the sauces.

Because we felt we needed to escape from the cold, we enjoyed a pair of Jamaican Mule cocktails, with our starters, and later mains. The first set was half price as it was still happy hour! There were also a number of Jamaican beers on offer, with a Red Stripe on tap.

I selected the curried goat with rise and peas as my main course. My wife wanted to order a wrap, which they were no longer serving, although they were on the menu. She ended up with their vegetable curry with a roti. Both were excellent.

Our only regret was probably ordering too much food. One and a half starter, and a full main per person was certainly too much. But that's not the worst problem to have if your dinner was so tasty.

Fried Dumpling, with Ackee and Saltfish

Curried Goat

Noon

Even when we're out of the country, we try to keep our tradition in place, and so we found ourselves on a cold and rainy evening at Noon, in Maastricht, in the Netherlands.

When we arrived just after 18:00, the restaurant was already quite full. With a few dozen tables, some high tables, and a bar where a bar keep was making plenty of colourful cocktails. We were seated at a high table right in the middle of the stylishly appointed establishment.

While enjoying a glass of cava, we shared a couple of starters. The Drunken Salmon (salmon cured in gin and yoghurt), and the Asian slow-roasted Pork Belly. Both were excellent. Flavourful and succulent.

For my main, I chose the Asian Ribs. I realised it was another Asian-flavoured dish — I know, "Asia" isn't a country. I am usually not keen on ribs, but these were boneless, and that made all the difference. That, and the lovely, and slightly spicy sauce that was slathered over the ribs with a few tiny bits of red chilli.

My partner's choice was the butter steak, medium rare. That came with carrots and a delicious mushroom foam. The sauce was made with Pedro Ximénez sherry, and had a nice shine to it. With our mains, we each enjoyed a glass of Merlot. The only (minor) let down were their chips that were served with our mains. They were slightly chewy.

It was a very enjoyable meal in a charming environment, and with very reasonable prices. A great birthday meal!