Restaurant review: Tandoor Chop House, the Strand, central London

Tandoor Chop House has been on my to-try list since forever. I'm a massive fan of Dishoom and I had heard it was pretty similar. Offering more of a 'street food' Indian food option rather than the bog standard curries you get in a British curry house. I love those curries as much as the next person but I love the more authentic Indian dishes even more.

My birthday proved to be the perfect excuse to try it out and I booked it for lunch on my day off. Hannah and Sarah had been a few weeks before so I already had a good idea of what I was going to order. Tucked down by Trafalgar Square, the menu is meant for sharing so we order four dishes between us. Two mains, two sides and a naan bread.

First up was the House Tandoor Chicken. Devilishly tender, full of flavour and incredibly Moorish, this was my favourite dish. In fact, I can't stop thinking about how juicy the meat was and wishing I could recreate it at home. Now I wouldn't normally opt for a vegetarian main course but I'd heard great things about the whole tandoor roasted cauliflower. Perfectly charred around the edges, it has a drizzle of a coriander chutney, crunchy roasted chickpeas and pomegranate jewels to add a much welcomed sweetness to the dish. The gunpowder fries had a great kick to them and the black dahl was deliciously rich. Whilst the bone marrow naan was cooked well, I feel like it could have had a bit more flavour it it. But it was great dipped into the dahl.

It was well worth the wait to visit Tandoor Chop House. I'd go back in a heartbeat and I'm dying to try everything else on the menu. I just wish we took the plunge and ordered the lamb chops. Next time for sure!

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Restaurant review: Curious Yellow Kafe, Hoxton, east London

Last weekend I went into town to help celebrate Hannah's birthday early. It was no surprised that the self-confessed scandipile chose to go somewhere Scandi-themed for her birthday lunch so we ended up in Hoxton. You'll find the Curious Yellow Kafe in Hoxton, about a ten minute walk from Old Street Station. Offering a Swedish inspired menu, the little eatery has a great neighbourhood cafe feel. It was full of locals and has a lovely chilled vibe.

I went for the Swedish meatballs served on a bed of creamy mash and lashings of gravy. Topped with chives and dill, it was like a hug in a bowl and exactly what was needed for a slightly chilly autumn day. Our waitress noticed us handing out gifts and very kindly gave us two brownies on the house to help celebrate Hannah's birthday. If that isn't good customer service than I don't know what is! Michelle opted for a delicious looking brioche bun stuffed to the brim with halloumi, roasted peppers and smashed avocado. Served with sweet potato chips, I wish I'd ordered it too!

The Curious Yellow Kafe is a great little find and well worth a wander over if you find your self around Old Street. I'll definitely be back!

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A foodie trip to Cardiff

A few weeks ago we took a road trip down to Cardiff to celebrate Gem and Martyn's wedding. We stayed the night at Hannah and Steve's in south London before heading across the country. Wales is a good three hours away from us, so as with taking any type of road trip it's essential to make sure your car is up to the challenge. No one ever likes breaking down hours from home! Make sure you keep your car up to date and in good shape by getting it regularly checked. Use companies such as Ossett Tyre House offer car servicing in Dewsbury if you need a little help. 

Despite visiting for the weekend, we probably only had a full day in Cardiff so decided to do what we do best. Eat, eat and eat some more. Take a look at all the places we stuffed our faces in and take some notes for when you make a trip to the Welsh capital. You don't want to miss out!

Brød
I knew as soon as it was decided we week sharing a house with Hannah and Steve, a Scandi-inspired trip to somewhere would be involved. This time it was a breakfast trip to the Danish bakery Brød. This cosy coffee shop offers an incredible selection of pastries and cakes alongside delicious savoury options which include meatball paninis, loaves of bread and mini pizzas. The cafe has a great atmosphere and the staff are very friendly, more than willing to to talk you through the menu. It's a little way out of the city centre but it's well worth the trip.

Got Beef
This small but perfectly formed burger restaurant features an open kitchen where you can see the chefs work their magic. It's not the best burger in the world - so spoilt in London - but it's a good solid choice.  I opted for the Soprano. A tasty concoction consisting of a juicy beef patty, smoked streaky bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, spicy jalepeno mayo and chunks of chorizo sausage. As you can imagine, it went down a treat!

The Potted Pig
Gem's wedding wasn't until 5 so we wanted a good substantial meal to keep us going - and stop us from becoming lightweights when we started on the prosecco. The roasts at The Potted Pig had come highly recommended. I'm not a huge roast dinner fan - take my British passport away immediately - but this one was amazing. Located in a former bank vault underneath the city, they offer an amazing set menu on a Sunday which includes two courses for £15. The pork belly was heavenly and I'm still dreaming about the cauliflower cheese now.

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Updated: my new five favourite places to eat in London

Mien Tay
I've mentioned time and time again that Vietnamese is one of my favourite cuisines and Mien Tay is up there as my top place to eat it in London.  The food always tastes so fresh, it's great value for the capital and the menu is so varied. Definitely opt for the chicken clay pot curry and you won't be disappointed. The lighter vermicelli noodles are great if you don't want a heavy meal.

Dishoom
I've mentioned this before but thought I'd mentioned it again as they're opening a new branch in west London this autumn. Even more locations for you to enjoy the food! I tell everyone they absolutely need to try the bacon naan if it's the last thing they do. I never knew something so simple could be so tasty! If you go for dinner make sure you pump for the delicious black dal and moreish lamb chops.

Franco Manca
Pizza is my jam and Franco Manca is the king of pizza. Bold claim I know but true. I never opt for anything other than number 4. A tantalising combination of salty home-cured Gloucester Old Spot Ham, creamy mozzarella, buffalo ricotta, soft wild mushrooms and juicy tomatoes on a chewy, sourdough base.

Chic N Sours
Korean Fried Chicken would be my last meal on earth and Chic n Sours does a cracking version. Just the right amount of heat, addictive sauce and unbelievably tender chicken. The hot Szechuan crispy aubergine, K-Pop chicken burger and addictive house fry are also well worth ordering. In fact make sure you go multiple times so you can try everything on the menu.

Honey & Co
For a mere £16.50 Honey & Co offers a fantastic brunch option. The whole table has to order but you get so much food. The table can enjoy a selection of meze, breads, olives, pickles, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit and homemade jam. Then everyone gets to choose their own main meal to enjoy. I opted for the green Shakshuka with two Cornish eggs.

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Restaurant review: Mien Tay, Shoreditch, east London

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but Vietnamese is one of my favourite cuisines. Kingsland Road in Shoreditch is known as "Vietnamese Mile" and boasts numerous restaurants but like many places where there's a concentration of specialist restaurants, it can be hard to pick a good one. From the outside Mein Tay may not catch your attention but cast aside appearances as this will be the one you want to eat at. In my humble opinion, it's the best one on the street.

I'm not overly adventurous as I know what I like. Why fix what isn't broken? But I highly recommend the gorgeously crispy spring rolls with an addictive dipping sauce, the creamy Vietnamese clay pot chicken curry, the rare beef brisket pho and the fresh chargrilled mince pork and spring roll rice vermicelli noodles (my favourite!).

BYOB is available Sunday to Thursday with a corkage charge of £2.50 per person. But it is fully licensed if you want to purchase your drink there.

Mien Tay is amazing value for money, the food is always consistent and the location is great if you fancy heading out for a drink afterwards.  It's very rare that I visit a restaurant in London more than twice but I have been back here time and time again. Let me know if you pay it a visit! 

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Restaurant review: Caravan, Kings Cross, north London

Located in Kings Cross' Granary Square - fast becoming my favourite place in London for dinner-, Caravan is housed within an old Victorian grain store. Giving off cool industrial vibe, the restaurant offers sharing plates of good, wholesome food with a great terrace out the front. I'd only been for breakfast but as we were in the area, we decided it was time to check out the full menu for an early dinner. What a great early dinner it was!

We opted for a pizza and three sharing plates which was more than enough to leave us feeling satisfied. So for the sharing plates? We pumped for wonderfully creamy jamon and smoked san simon croquettes with a slightly garlicky saffron mayo, a fresh Burmese chicken salad with ribbons of carrots and beansprouts topped with coriander and roasted cashews before finishing off with a warm Jersey Royal potatoes, watercress and pine nuts topped with a soft boiled egg. But the star of the show was the delicious chewy pizza topped with spicy ndjuda sausage, wilted spinach and sprinkling of chilli power.

All the dishes we tried were spot on and I think the £50 we paid for the meal - including a beer and cider - was great value for the quality of the food. It's a great place to go for an early weekend dinner, the atmosphere is buzzing and although the service was a little slow, the servers were very pleasant. I can't wait to go back and try even more of the menu soon.

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Restaurant review: The Diner, Camden, north London

I have a lot of nostalgia for The Diner so was delighted to be invited to the launch of the newly refurbished Camden branch. So my BFF and I trotted down after work for a lovely sunny evening on the rooftop terrace, enjoying far too much food and a bit too many cocktails for a Wednesday evening. Confirmed when I work up the next day for work with a bit of a sore head...

So what did we try? EVERYTHING. Highlights included the bacon wrapped crispy tator tots with a delicious jalapeño dip, WTF fries consisting of french fries with shredded tangy BBQ pork, oozing cheese, crispy bacon and topped with a perfectly fried eggs and chilli flakes, boneless southern fried chicken and flavoursome buffalo chicken wings with a creamy blue cheese dip. But my favourite were the tator tots loaded with crumbled blue cheese, beef chilli, lashings of sour cream and chopped spring onions. They were incredible and I really didn't want to share.

The Diner has has a great makeover, the roof terrace really is something special looking out over all the action on the high street. It's in a superb location, just a short walk from Camden Town tube station. The menu is always so consistent and pretty reasonably priced. A great choice if you find yourself in the area for a few drinks. Thanks so much for such a great evening guys!

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