The Cow

We visited The Cow on a warm spring evening and went through a packed bar downstairs to the much quieter upstairs restaurant. This place had been recommended to us, so we were keen to pop along and try it out.

We were welcomed with some lovely bread and butter and had some mackerel pate to share to start with. The pate was nicely flavoured but could have done with being served with more bread, as there was too much pate, for the amount of bread, even if we loaded it on.

I chose the Monkfish, which was well seasoned and had its defining chewy bite. The vegetables that came with it added flavour, as did the tomato. What let the dish down was the watery sauce underneath it.

My wife selected the cuttlefish with peas. The cuttlefish with the peas and sauce was pleasant. The slice of sourdough helped up mopping the flavourful sauce as well, although it did make the dish a little soggy.

When we left, the downstairs area was even busier, with no place to even stand. Overall, whilst it is clearly a local favourite, we found it a bit overhyped, and we will probably not go back.

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Sudu

We went on a rainy Saturday evening. Sudu is pretty close to where we live, but this was our first time.

The exterior is painted a dark grey and is a little unprepossessing, however once inside, we were in for a treat.

We were quickly seated in a busy restaurant and saw many delicious-sounding things on the menu. My husband chose the beef rendang, which he had served with plain basmati rice. I picked the chicken satay served with coconut rice and a plain roti. This was washed down with a couple of tiger beers. The service in Sudu was quick and attentive but not intrusive.

The food arrived fairly quickly. My husband's beef rendang was nice and spicy, as it should be, with nice tender chunks of beef that worked well with the rice. My chicken satay came as chicken pieces on skewers with a bowl of a spicy, peanutty satay sauce into which the chicken could be dipped. The coconut rice was subtly flavoured with coconut. Once the chicken skewers were finished, I poured the remaining satay onto my rice. The roti was delicious, slightly crispy on the outside but soft and a little fluffy on the inside and not overly greasy.

The food coming out to neighbouring tables also looked great, so it is likely we’ll be going back to try something else from the menu.

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Granger and Co

We went to the branch on Marylebone High Street, in a building previously occupied by Patisserie Valerie. The front of Granger and Co. is pretty unassuming, however once inside it really opens up. The rear dining room is a large modern airy dining space around two floors high, with comfortable seating and art on the walls. It has a slightly mid-century modern vibe. Despite the size and height of the room, the acoustics was great, and we could hear our conversation perfectly.

I arrived a little early and was seated in a corner seat. From there, I could admire the room while perusing the menu. Once my wife arrived, we quickly settled on our food choices.

We started with courgette chips with an aioli. The chips (slices of courgette) had a lovely crisp batter, with juicy courgette inside and arrived sprinkled with black sesame seeds. We squeezed a few drops of lemon juice over them, which really brought them to life, especially when dipped in the delicious aioli.

For the main course, we both selected an onglet steak—medium rare. It was well-cooked, flavourful, and moist. It was served with some greens, baby lettuce, and onion rings. We enjoyed a bottle of Tule Rosso wine, which worked well with the food.

After our main course, we both fancied a little dessert. Not too much, as we were mostly full of delicious steak. We settled on a tiramisu, which had good, slightly boozy coffee flavour and was nice and creamy, and formed a delicious end to our meal at this Australian restaurant.

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Pascor

From the archive: We visited Pascor in January 2023

Right on Kensington High Street, near the Design Museum is Pascor. A Levantine “Fire” restaurant, which we picked as our first place to go to in the new year.

The restaurant is over two levels, with the lower part smaller, and close to a chilly door. Luckily we were sat in the roomier first floor, with cosy decorations. The restaurant is a tapas-y affair, and we shared the Challah Bread, the Reverse Tabbouleh Salad, a whole roasted aubergine, and the evening’s special: fish cakes, which were really fish cake croquettes. The dishes all came with sauces. Although they were fairly simple, they all packed a great flavour. The dishes came out as they were ready, and they all went great with the Lebanese red wine that we picked (a Château Ksara Le Prieuré Rouge 2018).

We also did indulge in desserts. My wife picked a Coconut “Beirut Meets Bangkok” Malabi, which was lovely sweet and moist with strong hints of pineapple. I choose the Chocolate Crémeux which was rich and indulgent with a flavourful blueberry sauce.

My only regret is not picking one (or two!) more dishes to share! Which is all the more reason to return, and sample some other delicious things that we saw coming out of the kitchen — perhaps when the weather is a little better.

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50 Kalò

For tonight's meal, we walked to 50 Kalò, a busy restaurant just off Trafalgar Square, and situated in The Grand Hotel. Although you don't notice that it’s a restaurant attached to a hotel.

50 Kalò is a pizza restaurant and an off-shoot of their original Naples-based restaurant. It came with great reviews, so we punted on it. When we got there, we were quickly seated at a small table, with my chair nearly touching a chair on the table behind me. I am not keen on being boxed in like this, and despite the small gap, the staff still pushed through the gap between me and the diner behind, which was quite irritating. Fortunately, my wife spotted another free table without this constraint, and we moved.

The menu is full of Neapolitan pizza—in fact, that's what this restaurant specialises in. I selected a Prosciutto Cotto—roasted ham on a white base, with shavings of aged Parmesan. My wife chose the Del Monaco, which had a traditional tomato base, and came topped with salami. The pizzas were big and freshly cooked, arriving quickly. The pizza crust was slightly toasted and lovely and chewy, but in my opinion, the base could have been a little crispier. The shavings of fresh parmesan also added something extra to the overall flavour.

The restaurant also has its "own" beer, (three varieties) brewed in collaboration with Birra Amarcord, from Rimini in Italy. We both started with a "Forte," and during our meal, we enjoyed the other two, (a blonde and a red) as well. The beers were nice and complemented the pizza, but whilst tasty, they weren’t the most exciting beers.

Although we thought we were full from our large pizza, our waitress convinced us to have a special Easter-related dessert. The almond and orange cake was delicious, nice and fluffy, with a lovely freshness from the orange. It was a fitting end to the meal.

All in all, it was a reasonable meal out. The pizzas were nice, the service was quick, and the interior was lovely. This would be a good place to eat after a day of tourist-ing, and avoiding the nearby chain restaurants.

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