I’ve never been to northern China, but with Chinese cinema gradually spreading I’ve built an impression of giant anonymous housing complexes, warrens of neon-lit shophouses and eateries, huge brown rivers snaking through vast plains covered in crops under chilly grey skies. Feels like the kind of place you need simple, heart-warming and flavour-packed starch. Noodle …
Category Archive: Cafes etc.
Review: Tonkotsu, Battersea Power Station
So we like a bowl of ramen occasionally, and among the ever-increasing food options around the new Battersea Power Station riverside (ignore the cynics, this is gonna be a really nice place when it’s all done) is Tonkotsu. I go for their signature ramen, Maureen goes for the really hot one, and we order a …
Review: C & R Cafe, Soho
I probably shouldn’t write this review. C & R Cafe is a tiny walk-in only eatery down a little back-alley on the edge of Chinatown that you’d never know was there. Even so it was busy enough when we stopped in for lunch. If my blog suddenly makes it popular, we’ll never get a table! …
Review: The Watergate, Deptford
So if you ever find yourself in Deptford for some reason, I think I can probably recommend The Watergate on the strength of a very good brunch. In the evening it’s a cocktail/wine bar with small plates. The place is pared-back industrial-modern, but kinda welcoming for all that. There’s a bit of a Carribean vibe …
Review: Five Little Pigs, Wallingford
Serendipity. We decided to walk a section of the Thames Path starting in Wallingford, and then up popped a review by Jay Rayner of the Five Little Pigs in Wallingford. So we decided that brunch at the ‘Pigs would be a great start to a six hour walk! Wallingford is an odd town. It looks …