Kolae
The menu is extensive, and as we didn't quite know what to pick, we went for the easy option, and chose the set menu. We had the non-vegetarian set menu, but we see the website has a vegetarian set menu too. Both were dairy free, if that is a consideration.
The meal started with Biryani Rice Crackers with Pickled Ginger and Green Nahm Jim. A stack of crispy and tangy crackers showed up, with hints of spice and sour. For our starters, we were served Kolae Grilled Tiger Prawns. These had a lovely sauce covered, and were served with some kind of fruit, with the flavours of grape and citrus to squeeze on top. The Green Mango salad was also spicy, but at the same time sweet, with dried shrimp adding some crunch. The Soy-Braised Pork Belly showed up a while later — the kitchen had mixed something up. The wait was well worth it, as this was in our opinion the best dish on the menu. The sauce was sticky and rich, and the pork succulent and tender. The sauce was so good. A spoon was deployed to not leave any of the sauce behind. Due to the wait, we were also served a Chicken Bamboo Skewer, which was also awesome, this is an optional extra on the set menu.
As our main course, the menu provided us with Stir Fried Farm Greens, with some garlic and soybeans. At first, this looked really spicy due to the big chilly on top, but it turned out fairly mild. It fit well together with the Stonebass Curry, and the Hom Mali Rice.
We did not have space for dessert after this. It was a great meal, with interesting flavours. The restaurant is in a good location, very close to the Borough High Street exit of the London Bridge tube station. We would definitely recommend it, with the only critique that it can be a bit noisy upstairs if there is a loud group nearby.
Little Red Pepper
The Little Red Pepper is the name of the second incarnation of a restaurant at the same place. Before the extensive and lovely refurbishment it was called "The Red Pepper", but we were pleased on our first visit back to see that it's the same team with mostly the same menu. We have been many times over the last decade, either after drinks at Real Drinks a few doors down, or after showing my nephews around London. We had never had a Friday Night Dinner here, and with its new name in place, it seemed a good opportunity to do so.
From the menu, we picked the courgette fries as our starter. They've been a favourite for a while. And they did not disappoint.
For her main, my wife had the Linguine al Gamberi. Juicy prawns with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and a hint of chilli. I had the Ravioli, with Ricotta and fresh spinach — finished with a butter and sage sauce, and topped with some Parmesan. They were well filled, and the sauce nicely brought it together.
We didn't fancy dessert, but instead enjoyed a digestif. Again an enjoyable meal, and we'll very likely be back.
Paris Bonheur
We visited on a wet Thursday evening, and even though we ran from the metro station around the square, we were still fairly damp by the time we arrived. Inside, we were warmly welcome and seated in the window.
We started our meal with a glass of cremant, because why not. After selecting our starters and mains, we asked the waiter for wine recommendations. We each had different starters and mains, which called for something that suited each dish.
While we were waiting for our starters, we were presented with a stack of home-made pretzels, and a cucumber gazpacho. I'm usually not a fan of the original tomato version, but this variation with cucumber and tzatziki was outstanding. The fresh cucumber with the yoghurt worked well, and little cubes of perfectly even cucumber added a bit of crunch. One of the best dishes we enjoyed this year.
For our starters, my wife had the fried squid and mussel salad, served with some sweet grilled vine tomatoes. I enjoyed the pan-fried girolle mushrooms and snails, finished with a vin jaune sauce. The sauce was rich and bound the dish together. Some crunchy croutons added some texture.
For her main, my wife ordered the steak, and this is where Paris Bonheur let us down a little. Although it was a good cut, it was sadly a little tough. The fries were really good, and came freshly cooked and in a generous portion — if only they had arrived with the steak as intended, rather than being served to an adjacent table. This error was very quickly noticed and rectified. I chose the smoked duckling with red fruits and beetroot as my main dish. The duck was well cooked, although in my opinion the skin should have been crispy. The red fruits added acidity, and the beetroot some welcome earthiness.
We did not have a dessert, as we were too full! Overall we'd thoroughly recommend this spot.
The Holland
It's a pub, not far from the Design Museum in Kensington, just off the main road which forms High Street Kensington. The Holland is on a busy-ish road, but inside it is a calm and relaxing spot. There are some tables outside too. When we visited, it wasn't especially busy, with a couple of groups inside and standing outside having some drinks in the warm weather. The staff were very friendly and attentive, and before we knew it, we had our menus to pick our dishes.
For her starter, my wife had the potted crab on toast. The portion size was excellent, the crab tasty, and also nicely presented. I enjoyed the steak tartare, which was mixed with tomato and a little horseradish. It was served heaped with Parmesan cheese, and a potato cake (thin layers of potato, fried).
For my main, I had the "Fish of the Day" with a Vierge sauce and some spinach. Today's fish was Pollock. It had a lovely crispy skin, and the sauce was punchy with tomato, basil, and a large squeeze of lemon — maybe a little too much though, which made it a touch too sour to my liking. My wife chose the sweetcorn risotto. It was slightly sweet from the corn, with a touch of spice and well cooked rice. The usual sprinkling of cheese added a bit of balance.
With our meal, we enjoyed a crisp Grüner Veltliner, by the bottle.
We did book this through "The Fork", which gave us £20 off as we had enough "yums", which was nice! The Fork is one of the booking platforms we use to find restaurants.
Kin
Almost next to BBC Broadcasting House, Kin is a plant based restaurant. During the day it's a café with vegan snacks. In the evening it transforms into a modern restaurant with plant based dishes.
On a warm evening, we decided to sit inside in a fairly cool and quiet space. There were a few other diners enjoying the fine weather, eating outside. We usually avoid sitting outside as smoking and vaping tends to spoil the experience.
To start our meal, we shared the Sticky Cashew Tofu, and the Mushroom Skewers (on toast). The tofu was flavourful, and crispy, and the carrot dip added a bit more creaminess — this was my wife's favourite starter. The Mushroom Skewers were made up of oyster mushrooms, which were a little chewy to create some texture, and were served with an artichoke dip spread. Heaps of spring onion and chilli were tossed on top.
For her main, my wife chose the Cauliflower and Butter Bean Curry — Thai flavours and with roasted cashew nuts for texture, which she very much enjoyed. I had the Miso-Glazed Aubergine, which was served with cauliflower purée. The flavours were great, and the aubergine worked well with the cauliflower, but I found it mono-textural, lacking something crunchy as a contrasting texture. I also thought it was too much portion wise, but that was perhaps because we also already had starters too, or maybe we have smaller appetites. We were really full, so pudding didn't appeal, and we left to walk the fairly short distance to the tube.
When we left, it was a lot busier inside, and also a lot louder — perhaps a little too loud for our general liking.
All-in-all, we enjoyed a flavourful meal, and although most of the dishes had some texture, I found the aubergine dish lacking. But it's a good place for plant-based cuisine.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
All Rights Reserved