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Food

Sexy Fish London

November 8, 2016

Sexy Fish. Not two things you usually associate with each other, but when you have a look at the amazing interior, I can see why they chose the name. I’m not usually into hype and there’s been no shortage for Sexy Fish but the Japanese restaurant pretty much lives up to it.

And yes, I know it’s annoying to have to book a month ahead of time. I actually had a reservation when Sexy Fish first opened but had to cancel. However, this Saturday, we just walked right in and sat at one of the high tables near the bar for lunch. TIP! You can also go by 6pm during the week before all the hedge funds let out and try to get a seat at the bar and you’d probably do well.

Anyway, the atmosphere and service were fantastic. This restaurant has style. From the paper fish lighting, to the art deco feel and the oldies music playing, walking into Sexy Fish immediately made me forget all the passive aggressive honking going on outside.

We ordered a range of food from their menu and, although primarily a Japanese fish restaurant, there are items on the menu for picky eaters including chicken salad and sticky pork ribs.

BEWARE: this restaurant is not cheap. In fact, it’s really expensive, but we knew that going in. So, now that that’s out of the way, onto the food!

We started with the Wagyu and Truffle Gunkan which, at £7/piece, you really need to savor. It was absolutely delicious though and easily my favorite dish we had.

The Yellowtail Sashimi was good but unremarkable, as was the sushi. Great quality fish, but there wasn’t anything that special about it.

The prawn gyoza was crazy hot. Might want to let it sit for a few minutes before you tuck in or risk burning off all of your taste buds.

The salt and pepper squid was pretty good. I loved the sauce, but the lime it was served with was super dry.

I highly recommend the beef skewers. They came with some asparagus and were very tender. Had we known that, we may not have ordered the extra asparagus, which was tasty, but essentially just grilled asparagus.

If cost isn’t an issue, I recommend giving Sexy Fish a shot. The food is tasty, although some of it isn’t necessarily anything special. That opinion may be clouded by the fact that we have so many amazing Japanese restaurants in London (you can check out my review of Roka here).

What to wear: Something chic, although I showed up in jeans and flats after a Friday night out and they still let me in.

What you’ll see: Lots of mermaid boobs, and if you go at the right time, a celebutante pretending to eat.

Sexy Fish

1-4 Berkeley Square,
Mayfair, London
W1J 6BR

020 37642000

www.sexyfish.com

Food

NAC

April 27, 2016

Stephanie

1 Comments

First off NAC, love you long time but can we just talk about the cocktails? I ordered the Popcorn Sazerac and it tasted like popcorn, like vodka tastes like mashed potatoes. I was also so distracted by the word popcorn that I ordered it without reading the entire list of ingredients. For future reference, a ‘dash of absinthe’ is enough to have you at a nightclub 3 hours later describing the women as Instagram models and the men as Gollum.

Anyway, I was surprised hadn’t heard of NAC – or North Audley Cantine- before my friend Michelle decided to have her birthday dinner there. They apparently have a speak easy downstairs, although when I went to the bathroom all I found was an empty popcorn maker. The restaurant has a scene-y atmosphere and decent food; perfect for a party.

The only main we ordered: grilled cajun chicken,

We ordered several small plates to share because we were a bunch of girls wearing tight dresses. Full disclosure? I was really hungry when I got home and crushed the hubs leftover Thai. My favourite dish on the menu was probably the crispy squid. I really wanted the burrata but they had run out. Mayjah sad face.

Crispy squid (and yes, that’s how much aioli it comes with).

I also really liked the truffle mac and cheese (obvi), but there wasn’t actually any mac. i.e macaroni. The pasta they used was Mezze Maniche Rigate (ya, I had to look that up) and it was far too big for the small pot the mac and cheese came in. There was probably 4 or 5 pieces of pasta in the whole thing, which is a pain in the balls to split between girls. Four bites of truffle mac and cheese IS NEVER ENOUGH.

Truffle and cheese with a tiny bit of pasta.

The other fan favourite amongst the group was the torched cauliflower. Cauliflower is the new everything right now: cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust and my friend Michelle told me that restaurants in New York are now serving cauliflower steak for vegans. What we had was super tasty, but I would have liked some kind of sauce to go with it.

Brains… I mean cauliflower.

The tuna was also fantastic and I would recommend it as a main meal if you aren’t that hungry, as it comes with avocado and quinoa. That’s what I actually wanted my meal to be, start with the burrata and the tuna as my main. But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. I know , I know. I need to get over it. Cheese shouldn’t control my life this way…. But it does.

Said tuna.

What to wear: I was dressed like a classy late 90s call girl in honour of the late, great Prince. But you can dress like a normal person if you want.

NAC

41 North Audley Street

Mayfair

London

W1K 6ZP

http://www.naclondon.co.uk

Food

Frenchie Covent Garden

April 20, 2016

Stephanie

Frenchie Covent Garden is not an easy reservation to get. I usually roll my eyes at restaurants with months long waiting lists because by and far my experience has been that they are over hyped. But, when the hub’s French boss said Frenchie was great, I called them up and put my name down for a random Tuesday in April.

A one month wait could actually be seen as getting in early to one of Gregory Marchand’s restaurants. The original Frenchie is in Paris and you essentially have to be Gregory or his wife to even get in. But, when we walked in, there seemed to be space at the bar. So, if you’re in Covent Garden, I’d give it a shot.

First things first, my cocktail was probably one of the best I have ever had. And I have had A LOT of cocktails in my life. I ordered it because it was vodka based and called Once Upon a Time No 2. It was sweet, smoky and just plain old delicious.

There were four of us, so we decided to order a bit of everything and share. If I’m honest, I wasn’t super stoked with the choices for mains. They had Guinea fowl AND pigeon on the menu. Come on, Marchand, I know you’re French, but can we have one normal meat, please?

The menu is divided into bar snacks, starters, mains and dessert. The bar snacks are very small – one portion each. We had the maple bacon scones, which were absolutely delicious!

We also had the duck egg, which was essentially a deviled egg and very delicious.

The ham was very well presented and tasty, but nothing special.

From the starter menu we ordered the smoked char tartare, Cornish crab, lamb ragu and gnocchi.

Again, the portions were quite small but everything was delicious. The tartare looked a little strange but was fantastic.

My favourite was the gnocchi, evidenced by the fact that I inhaled it before I got a real picture. Sorry, this was all that was left when I came out of my cheese and potato induced haze.

We split the two fish mains. They were fantastic and again, small. So if you’re in doubt, definitely order a starter and a main. I preferred the monkfish because it had more vegetables.

We ordered the desserts because one of them had bacon ice cream. Unfortunately bacon ice cream isn’t a Ben and Jerry’s flavor for a reason. It would have been tastier as maple ice cream with bacon bits.

Overall, Frenchie was low key with very tasty food for a reasonable price. It’s right near the Royal Opera House so head over early for a dinner before your show.

What to wear: I was slightly over dressed in a skirt and silk top. It feels like a chic jeans and heels kind of place.

Make sure you order: The cocktail. Seriously. The best I have EVER had.

FRENCHIE

16 Henrietta Street

London

WC2E 8QH

020 7836 4422

http://www.frenchiecoventgarden.com/

Food

The Portman

November 13, 2015

Stephanie

I love free food, so when The Portman invited me to have dinner (partially) on them, I was like, ummm, yes please! The Portman is a gastro pub situated on top of a real pub near Marble Arch. I wasn’t sure I was at the right place at first because downstairs kind of feels like an old man’s pub. However, as I had a drink downstairs and waited for my other half, their hits of 2010 playlist was on fleek! Don’t let the exterior fool you!

Upstairs is fairly newly renovated (although the ladies toilet could use a little work) and the banquette was really comfortable. Seems like a place you would go with colleagues after work, as the hubs and I were the only couple there. Playlist moved to 80s slow jams and it was awesome.

It was really hard to choose what to eat. I was leaning towards the crispy squid but my love of soups got the better of me and I had the broccoli and Stilton soup of the day. It was so good! Not too blue cheesy and the croutons were covered in garlic butter. It was a tad too hot though, so by the time I was able to eat the croutons, they were a little soggy. Still delicious. My husband had the ravioli that was fresh, al dente and tasty. I liked that they allowed you to chose if you wanted to have the sauce and how much.

For our mains I went with good old steak. It was an OK cut of meat but cooked and seasoned very well. I was super excited about their ‘stealth’ fries, which were apparently double cooked with the skin on. The real thing was slightly disappointing (but I did have pretty high hopes). The fries weren’t that crispy. Don’t get me wrong, I still ate them all, but maybe they need to be triple cooked? My steak also came with a salad but I don’t think there was any dressing, so after a few bites of dry leaves I stopped. Plus, I already got my five a day in the soup.

We obviously had dessert and I inhaled the Ferrero Rocher cheesecake. I had to curb my inkling to devour their entire cheese selection because I already had the cheese soup. People who bake cheesecakes are like people who put raisins in cookies (insert rolling eyes emoticon here). Thankfully this one wasn’t! It was really good, a tad rich and, in my opinion, emphasized the worst part of a Ferrero Rocher: The nuts… which actually isn’t that bad.

Overall we had a really good time, the staff were very friendly. They also had a great wine list. I would probably go back if I was in the area doing some shopping. I will say it was a bit expensive for a gastro pub. That being said, we did drink a lot, so that was a big chunk of it.

The Portman

51 Upper Berkeley Street, W1H 7QW

0207 723 8996

www.theportmanmarylebone.com

Food

Lucio

October 27, 2015

Stephanie

Lucio is a Chelsea favourite among locals and celebrities. We’ve been there a few times, but this time I took pictures! The specials are always delicious and the staff extremely friendly.

One of the highlights for me are the photos that decorate the walls. Lucio is friends with Terry O’Neill and has his iconic photos all over the restaurant. Makes me feel glamorous and think of myself in that era, indulging on pasta in a bid to gain weight for bigger boobs. Ahh, those were the days.

This time around I had the pumpkin soup with ham. It was really delicious, with a hint of bacon flavor. Refreshingly for my waistline, it also didn’t have any cream.

For my main, I had the fillet steak, which was cooked to perfection. The red onions had some tang to them, which went great with the potatoes.

Now that we got the food bit over with, time to get to the real reason I wanted to go there and write a blog. They probably have the best chocolate fondant in London. I know that’s a huge statement to make, but I’ve had a lot. Like, if it’s on the menu at any restaurant, I’ll order it. And as a testament to how amazing it is at Lucio’s, my husband and I have gone here just for dessert. Like I mentioned before, the staff ate awesome. The owner and his son chat to us all the time and they made a special exception one night when I NEEDED to have some chocolate.

It’s not a cheap evening out though, so if you are looking for just straight up cheap and cheerful Italian, Riccardo’s is across the street and slightly less.

What to wear: The dress varies from cocktail to jeans. Lucio has an impressive collection of American rodeo belt buckles. Make sure you ask him about them!

Who you’ll see: Apparently celebrities frequent Lucios often. I’ve never seen one or didn’t recognize them. Fun fact: Lucio’s has a second exit, which has been used before when a man took his mistress there for dinner and his wife walked in.

Lucios

257-259 Fulham Road, London, SW7 6HY

0207 823 3007

www.luciorestaurant.com

Food

The Orange

October 16, 2015

Stephanie

It was a Thursday night so my friend Michelle and I decided to go scuba diving in white wine. We started at The Orange, a gastro pub and hotel on Pimlico road. I’d been there before this summer but didn’t eat. I did, however, almost get my phone stolen by dodgy guys who came into the pub and tried to sell us birthday cards. After failing to blag our way into the dining room, we sat in the pub area at a small round table with great food lighting and ordered our dinner. Upon initial perusal of their new menu, my initial reaction was that this food was a bit stuffy for a pub. The special was a burger, which in my opinion should be a staple.

I ordered the calamari to start and was super relieved to see that it came with just the rings. I don’t like to associate calamari with what it actually is. To me, it’s essentially round French fries with protein. It was very very crispy, actually I’d say it was crunchy and the rings weren’t rubbery. Overall, pretty good.

My friend had the pumpkin soup, which she said was delicious and looked fantastic.

For our main, we moved to another table because we had some friends joining. By this time we were almost a bottle deep in the wine (which they didn’t open at the table… ew). I ordered the burger with sweet potato fries because they both had bacon on them. The burger was mediocre. It was cooked well, but a bit dry and the brioche bun fell apart easily. The bacon was just barely cooked and too chewy for my taste. On the upside, there was a nice spicy tomato relish on the burger.

The sweet potato fries were excellent, but it took the waiter a really long time to bring the bacon aioli they came with. Unfortunately, this meant the sweet potato fries started to get soggy by the time it arrived.

Our friends joined and ate most of my fries and wanted to order another. It was 9:59 and apparently one kitchen had closed. She could, however, get an entire pizza. That just didn’t make sense to me. She ordered the pizza anyway and they seemed to enjoy it.

Verdict: Overall the orange was a good way to begin our night but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there again.

What to wear: I was dressed as a chic and expensive 1960s prostitute. Everyone else was in jeans.

What you’ll see: Good looking men with cute dogs who are ‘waiting for their girlfriends’.

The Orange

37-39 Pimlico Rd, London SW1W 8NE

www.theorange.co.uk

Food

World’s End Market

March 13, 2015

Stephanie

World’s End Market, despite its name and the feeling of many Chelsea residents is not at the end of the world, just the end of Chelsea. When I first moved to London, I actually lived across the street so walking to Worlds End Market was not only a fond trip down memory lane, it also reminded me there is an amazing Oxfam near by.

When I arrived at the restaurant Wednesday during lunch, it was fairly empty but that just meant I had my choice of seat. So I nestled into the corner near a window and spied the staff kitted out in grey shirts and burgundy braces. The whole place felt a kind of hipster/Hoxton, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when everything else nearby is so Sloaney.

After two seconds into looking at the menu I knew what I wanted. Buffalo mozzarella with artichoke and pesto to start and the truffle burger as a main. I tend to have menu blackout when I see cheese and truffle so I really couldn’t even tell you what else looked good. But here is a picture of the menu anyway.

My starter arrived just as I noticed the music was sounding a little too W lounge for my tastes, and almost as soon as I thought of it, the music changed to the song from Romeo and Juliet where Claire Danes and Leo start flirting so all was forgiven. I probably would have preferred burrata to mozzarella but it was still fantastic without being too filling.

I asked for my burger to be medium well and that was my bad. It came cooked like a brick. I probably should have stuck with the suggested medium. The burger had a delicious bun and actually only used truffle oil slightly disappointing if I’m honest. But, 80% of taste is smell, right? I found the caramelized onions to be too much and far too sweet with the brioche that it mostly drowned out any truffle or mushroom taste that was left. However, I was pretty stoked that it came with both fries and salad.

That was, until I had a fry. On a scale of 1 – Fresh McDonalds fries I’m going to have to give these a 4. They looked fresh cut but were lip and fairly soggy. The ketchup was essentially marinara sauce. Heinz and crispy fries are an absolute must if you’re going to serve a burger so World’s End Market, get on it.

After my meal I had a little walk around to get a better look at the seafood. Then just about crapped myself when the lobster I was taking a picture of walked towards me. The seafood is fresh, I’ll give them that.

Overall, World’s End Market is a nice addition to a relatively forgotten part of Chelsea. I’m not sure I would go out of my way to dine there again, but if they sort out the fries, I may give them another chance.

What to wear: It’s fairly casual, I had on jeans, Marc Jacobs flats and a white t-shirt.
Address: 459 Kings road, London SW10 0LR
Phone:020 7352 2150
To book: http://www.theworldsendmarket.com

Stephanie Wahlstrom

Hey! Cute top! Flattery gets you everywhere, right? Seriously, though, I like what you've got going on over there. Anyway, my name is Stephanie and I am a Canadian writer living in London. I like to eat, travel and make people laugh. The Accidental Socialite is the name of my debut novel and this blog where you'll find tales of my mishaps and far too many references to bacon. Enjoy!