Heddon Street Kitchen

There is a total abundance of great offers on at restaurants throughout London, with more and more established and well known restaurants getting in on the action. There's nothing wrong with a 2-4-1 deal at Pizza Express, but it's always good to branch away from the large chains at an affordable price.

Thanks to TimeOut, one of the biggest international review and offer websites, I came across an offer for none other than Gordon Ramsay's very own Heddon Street Kitchen on - surprise surprise - Heddon Street. The offer was a 3-course meal with a cocktail from a set menu for £26. Not bad, right? With a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts, there should be something to please the majority of people. It's worth checking the menu on the website first though, just to make sure! 

As a midweek catch-up after work with one my nearest and dearest, it was great that we could make the most of the outside seating area which was already buzzing at 6pm thanks to the brilliant weather we've been having. Tucked down a side road off of Regent Street, Heddon Street Kitchen is in it's own little alcove which takes you away from the hustle and bustle. 

Having paid for the offer online in advance, the waitress knew to bring our inclusive cocktail almost straight away. It was prosecco based with a hint of grapefruit so perfect and refreshing for the summer evening!

Food-wise, I was more than happy with the limited options available. First up, English Asparagus, Parma Ham, Hollandaise and Parmesan. Simple ingredients, put together in a back-to-basics sort of way. There's no frills about this dish at all but, as long as you like the ingredients, it's an all-rounder! The hollandaise was a smooth and creamy consistency so it was clear it had been freshly made to order. I would say the large amount of parma ham compared to the small drizzle of sauce was the only down point as it made the dish quite salty. I'd have personally preferred the ratio the other way around!

Also to start was the Soft Shell Crab with Sesame Dressing and Coriander. Due to a strong aversion to coriander, we sent the poor waitress back and forth to the kitchen to see if this could be removed from the dish. She was more than happy to help and was able to serve it up coriander free, so bonus points on the service! Although the crab itself was flavoursome, it was definitely lacking in dressing. For saying the sesame was part of the name, it wasn't that obvious in the finished product. 

Mains next. I went for fish (obviously) and had the Wood Oven Roasted Trout with Watercress, Caper and Shallot Salad. The pros of this was that, for a warm day, it was nice and light. I don't have trout a lot, it's not a common occurrence on most menus weirdly. So I was looking forward to it. However, it was SO oily. I appreciate it has to be pan-fried to get the skin so nice and crispy, but it was as if all the excess oil had been poured on the plate as well. When the only accompaniment is some salad, the oil becomes very prominent. For such a simple dish, this could have been done a lot better. 

My dining buddy has always been a fan of meat. Having lived with the girl at one point, I can hands down say she makes the best slow-roasted pork belly EVER. So it was pretty obvious that she was going to go for the Roasted Hanger Steak with Spring Onion Mash and Peppercorn Sauce. Her eyes lit up with glee when it was placed in front of her. However, after chewing away on one piece for what felt like half an hour, she finally was able to tell me her jaw hurt and that was pretty much it! Again, a simple dish that could've been done so much better. The mash, on the other hand, was epic. So every cloud...




Finally, dessert. I went for the Pineapple Carpaccio, Passion Fruit and Coconut Sorbet. Light and refreshing, but after my tiny main meal, I could've probably done with something a bit more substantial. Fresh flavours, especially the coconut sorbet. Pretty much did what it said on the tin!













Also served up was a Vanilla Milkshake with Crushed Oreo Cookies. Not my cup of tea AT ALL but each to their own! Described to me as "Banging", I'm assuming it went down well. Somehow.












So as you can tell, the overall feel to the food here was a bit mixed. I think the menu itself is lovely, particularly the A La Carte Menu, but I was disappointed overall with what we got served up. Maybe it was our choices, maybe it was just an off day for them, but for a Gordon Ramsay establishment, I was definitely expecting more even it was a £26 offer! 

Having said all that, the setting was lovely and the service couldn't be faulted. I would happily go back for dinner there if there was a group of us as it's a chilled environment which is in an atmospheric setting but I won't be rushing to get my next booking in. Sorry Gordon!

Nic
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Gin Cake

Yes, gin cake. No tonic. Just gin.

I've been wanting to try out a recipe for a gin & tonic cake for a while but due to my mixing and matching of certain recipes, the tonic has been ommitted from this particular version! I've added a note at the bottom of this post to show how you can adapt it.

Do not be put off by the amount of gin that goes into this cake. It sounds (and looks) a lot for a small cake but, with a bit of persistance, it will mix in and most of the pungent gin flavour will cook off. This may not be in keeping with my aim to do "healthy recipes" but I can't resist anything gin based, especially with the season of alfresco drinking and BBQs approaching. With the bitterness of the lemon and the floral notes of the gin, this makes for a surprisngly refreshing cake. Be warned - only a small slice is needed. But what better way to finish a gin drinking session than by eating gin too?

The quantities of butter, sugar and flour will vary depending on how heavy your eggs are! Weigh yours eggs together, in their shells, and then use that same amount of butter, sugar and flour.






You Will Need: 
-4 eggs, weighed in their shells
-butter
-caster sugar
-self-raising flour
-2 lemons
-4-5 shots of gin

For the icing:
-500g icing sugar
-250g butter
-2-3 shots of gin












First off, preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 1kg loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this can be done by hand although a food processor is a more pain-free process!)

Crack in the eggs and beat until combined. Sieve in the flour whilst mixing then grate in the zest of both lemons. Stir through the juice of one lemon and add 4-5 shots of gin. Pour into a 1kg loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes. I'd suggest checking it at 30 minutes and covering with foil if it is browning too much. 







Once the cake is cooked, transfer it to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, you can make the butter icing by simply mixing together the butter, icing sugar and 2-3 shots of gin(depending how strong you want it!). Once cool, spread the icing over the cake and it's ready to serve.

NB: if the butter icing is something you want to avoid, you can make a drizzle instead which includes tonic. Simply combine 150g granulated sugar, 4-5 shots gin, a dash of tonic and the juice of one lemon. Prick the surface of the cake and the drizzle it over!

Nic

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Hotbox - Bottomless Booze Brunch

Being in my twenties, there's no place I'd rather be living right now than London. As much as the hustle and bustle can sometimes get on my nerves (the morning commute will never be fun), I still have the freedom and enthusiasm to enjoy London whilst I can. After all, it won't last forever. However, with busy lives, relationships, work, moving etc. it can become increasingly difficult to spend some quality time with your nearest and dearest.

That's why, when the opportunity FINALLY arose, my best girlfriend and I decided to check out the bottomless boozy brunch at Hotbox. We wanted something relaxed, relatively inexpensive and fun, but also something we wouldn't do every day of the week. Hotbox delivered on all accounts.

Located a 3 minute walk from Aldgate East station, Hotbox is close to the hubbub of Spitalfields. Normal people following a map would find this very easily, being the only outlandish black building in sight, but two blondes together? Not so much. It would help if the neon red Hotbox sign was on the outside as well as the inside but who am I to judge the creative!

Hotbox is known in the area more for its grill and BBQ angle than for the brunch. Look up any review and you will see them all raving about the succulent meat, generous portions and overall great atmosphere. I can safely say the brunch standard is just as high.

So what's the deal? With statings up until 2pm, you pay £25 for two solid hours of unlimited prosecco/mimosas/Bloody Marys (we opted for the prosecco purely because I'm very particular with Bloody Marys and mimosas would get too sickly!). Food is paid for on top of the £25 but, with the majority of items coming in at under £10, it's still a great offer. Compare it to some other bottomless brunch venues(£50 charges, restricted drink choices, less than two hours of boozing) and I'd say Hotbox is a winner.

Once inside, the wooden interior, bench tables and open kitchen make for a really relaxed feel. As soon as we were seated, we had our first glass of prosecco poured which was topped up by the attentive staff without prompting throughout our time there. God knows how much booze we actually got through but it was well worth the £25!

The brunch menu itself spoils you for choice. Our waiter was so patient with our incessant questions and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the food; a rarity in many restaurants these days.

I went for one of the veggie options: Mushroom Taco with Crispy Shallot, Rocket and Chipotle Mayo. I also got a side of poached eggs as I had no idea what the tacos would turn out like. They were AMAZING. I never thought I'd say that about something which, on paper, seem pretty bland but whatever they'd sauteed the mushrooms in worked a treat. The shallots added a much needed crunch to the tacos as well as adding to the flavour combination with the chipotle. A surefire winner for any vegetarian but also for the non-veggies it would seem! The presentation couldn't be faulted either. Why use plates when you can use a tree trunk?



For the non-veggies and aspiring New Yorkers, this next offering should appeal to you: Buttermilk Pankcakes with Maple Syrup and Bacon. As requested, the bacon was cooked until crispy and was presented on a stack of four super-thick, super-stodgy pankcakes. Just how they should be. The maple syrup is definitely needed to add moisture to the overall dish but, if this doesn't appeal, you can always go for the berries and banana option. It's safe to say you no longer need to travel across the pond to get some good old-fashioned American-style pancakes.


Having not seen each other for a while, time ran away with us and our two hours of prosecco was up. The great thing was we weren't rushed out. We stayed there for a good half hour longer just catching up and deciding what to do next (just an FYI - do not decide it's a good idea to go and get something pierced after drinking solidly for two hours. You will be laughed and at given a firm "no"). 

There's been a few places across London now that I have reviewed for this blog and, apart from the odd few, I generally give positive reviews. However, if you are looking for the whole package eg: great food, good prices, great atmosphere and great service, I would put Hotbox at the top. I will definitely be going back in the not too distant future.

(And just for those who were wondering what we did end up doing after being rejected from the piercing place, it basically consisted of booze, booze and a tad more booze, topped off with a good old game of scrabble in the pub. Pure class).

Nic

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Haché

As much as I love to explore bars and restaurants all over London, it's also pretty convenient when you know you have something half decent a stones throw from your front door. One of the things I love about Balham is its total abundance of places to eat and/or drink; a lot of which are unique to the area. There's something for everyone and every mood and, considering I was combating a raging hangover, the new branch of Haché seemed like a good destination.

Famed primarily for it's burgers, Haché actually manages to appeal to the likes of myself (who can be fussy with meat) and my housemate (who is a total meat-dodging veggie). Anyone living in Balham would probably have spotted the advertisements which have been put on the wall alongside the escalators. By the time you get to the top, you've pretty much booked yourself in for a table that night. Located on Bedford Hill, it's centrality makes it an easy get to for almost anyone in the area.

With only three salad options, the menu is strictly reserved for the hardcore burger fan. With a range of traditional steak burgers, they also have lamb, chicken, pork and even a duck burger. Vegetarians need not despair though! Gone are the days of dried out old bean patties. Haché offer two variants of a falafel burger, and a goats cheese with portobello mushroom option too.

Food can either make or break a hangover. In this case, our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs but we were too fragile to care. We ordered a few sides; grilled halloumi, sweet potato fries, and onion rings.

Now, in my opinion, you can't go too wrong with any of these. Sweet potato fries are always a winner in my eyes and a much more appealing alternative to regular fries. The onion rings weren't great... it was more batter, less onion in this case. The halloumi was exactly as you'd expect it to be! Salty and rubbery but weirdly awesome. Although at £5.95, a massive waste of money for what we actually got!

Obviously Haché is all about the burgers. On any other day, I may have been strict and gone for one of the salads. But today was not one of those days. I went for the Steak Mexican. A medium cooked steak burger with Cajun spices, salsa, guacamole, jalapéno peppers and sour cream all served up in a ciabatta bun. 

I have to admit, I was expecting them to make more of the presentation. Ultimately, this was served up as plain burger with a few dips. But then I guess you're going to put it all together in some way anyway so it doesn't really make too much difference. I know a few burger connoisseurs who have raved about the burgers here. I have to say I actually found this a little dry. The Cajun spices had been incorporated into the meat which gave it a really nice smokey flavour but it didn't disguise the texture itself. Having the condiments definitely helped but, if you're going to a burger restaurant, it's the burger itself that you expect to be good. 

My veggie companion went for the Falafel Blue Cheese burger which was exactly what it says it would be (falafel topped with blue cheese, in case there was any confusion). 

It's not often I get food envy, purely because I'm the Queen of picking the best menu option. But, it has to be said, I was jealous. It was served up to look a lot more appealing than mine at the very least. Having said that, the blue cheese and dense falafel combination made it incredibly rich. The brioche bun got totally ignored. In this case, the veggie wins (I blame the hangover for my clouded judgement of my own choice).

An indulgent meal wouldn't be complete without a totally unnecessary desert. There was nothing more appropriate for this occasion than a homemade banoffee pie the size of your head. This isn't my usual cup of tea but the menu described it as not for the faint-hearted. I felt like I was being challenged and I wasn't willing to back down, goddammit!

As banoffee pies go, this one was definitely up with the best of them. You could tell it had been freshly made that day (the open-view kitchen proved it) and, had I not been so full, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it a lot more than I actually did! Yet another case of going too far...

With the average price of the burgers being around £10, you'd be looking at spending in the region of £18 once you include sides and drinks. Haché is a definite step up from the typical burger chains so, for that reason alone, I'd say it was generally good value. Just don't go for the halloumi!

Nic

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OHSO Chocolate

Supermarkets and health shops are inundated with products claiming to contain "good bacteria" which are designed to improve gut health. These products are often referred to as pre/probiotics. 

For those who don't know, PROBIOTICS are products which contain the live bacteria, instantly increasing your gut numbers of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. 
PREBIOTICS are products which feed your gut to promote the multiplication of the existing bacteria (that nutrition degree didn't go to waste after all then...).

Whether they are prebiotic yoghurts or probiotic drinks, there's plenty of products to choose from. One in particular that most would've heard of by now is Yakult. A probiotic daily drink, this has an acquired flavour, to put it kindly. The good news is, the days of swallowing down something that resembles sour milk every morning are long gone. This is all thanks to the geniuses behind OHSO chocolate who have managed to formulate a healthy yet delicious way of getting your daily dose of probiotics into your body.

I was lucky enough to be sent a few samples of some of their range. which is currently available online and at selected supermarkets.

  
The bars come in a variety of delicious flavours. The original chocolate flavour and the orange flavour contain 72kcal whilst the sugar-free raspberry, orange and lemon bars come in at only 63kcal. That's pretty damn good for a chocolate fix. Each box contains 7 individual bars, designed with the idea that you have one a day to boost your healthy gut bacteria levels. However, these are so genuinely guilt free that if you ate more than one, you can still sleep easy!

The thing I personally find so great about these bars is that the ingredients list doesn't read like some advanced chemistry paper. All the ingredients are easy to understand and all flavourings are natural. Flavour-wise, they're something special. You don't get any sort of synthetic taste like you do with cheaper chocolate brands and, apart from the orange flavour, the cocoa content is above 70%. This is perfect for those who, like me, don't have a massive sweet tooth but sometimes just want a small dose of sweetness. The orange flavour is much more like traditional milk chocolate so is probably better for the hardened chocolate lover. 

So whats the point in them? Coincidentally, I actually did my dissertation research into a product very similar to this. I have seen first hand how increased levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium can improve gut health.  Gut health may not be something you think too much about but, trust me, if you didn't have enough levels of these friendly bacteria in your gut, you would be incredibly prone to illnesses such as diarrhea, constipation and IBS to name a few. I often recommend probiotic products to friends who have IBS in particular as daily consumption of them tends to ease the symptoms dramatically. 

The unusual thing about OHSO products is they are chocolate based. Not only does this taste great, but it's also for a much more functional reason. The chocolate matrix surrounding the bacteria is much more efficient than yoghurt drinks at protecting the bacteria from being affected by stomach acid which is vital as the bacteria need to reach the intestines whilst they are still live. 

So there you have it. If you've read my juice detox review then you will know that I'm pretty honest in my opinions. I can truthfully say that I think OHSO chocolate is a revelation and I would highly recommend this product to anyone, whether it was because they were specifically looking for an effective probiotic product, or if they just wanted some great tasting chocolate!

At £3.99 per box, these aren't the cheapest product on the market but it also doesn't totally break the bank. Personally, I would happily pay slightly more for chocolate that I know is also going to benefit me health wise. Considering OHSO contains around a billion bacteria, you've got a billion great little reasons to invest in some. 

Nic 

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Warm Sweet Potato, Mushroom & Spinach Salad

I don't know about you, but I feel like we've got to that awkward time of year where you don't know if it's going to hot or cold. The sky may be clear blue and picturesque, but the temperature is near freezing. We're definitely moving from Winter into Spring which is why I think this warm salad is perfect for the changing seasons. It's warm and comforting which suits the Winter months, but it's also light and healthy which is perfect for those starting to get into the Summer mode! 

I've stolen this recipe from Deliciously Ella. If you haven't heard of her, she's a London-based food blogger who found her passion for healthy, nutritious eating after being diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. By her own admittance, her diet was pretty shocking before her diagnosis. Thanks to an overnight switch to a whole foods, plant-based diet, she was able to control her illness and was able to come off all her medication quicker than any doctor could've predicted. Inspiring stuff!

The ingredients in this salad are clean and simple and provide you with a whole bunch of the good stuff. Spinach, as most know, is packed with iron and the mushrooms give you a boost of Vitamin B6 which is essential for the metabolism of amino acids, lipids and glucose. Even the jalapeño peppers have their benefits as an antioxidant. So, to serve two people, here's how it works...

You Will Need:
-1 large sweet potato
-a dozen chestnut mushrooms
-2 bags babyleaf spinach
-2 jalapeño peppers
-a dozen cherry tomatoes, halved
-apple cider vinegar
-cinnamon
-paprika
-salt
-olive oil









Slice the potatoes into bitesized chunks (skin on), and spread them out on to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. You can play with the flavours here. I added much more paprika than cinnamon to give it more of a smokey flavour. Bake for 15-20mins at 190C/gas mark 5 until they're cooked through and soft.





Whilst the potatoes cook, slice the mushrooms and stir-fry them gently with olive oil, salt, two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and the chopped jalapeño peppers. If you don't want any spice, then remove all the seeds from these. This should take about 7 minutes, at which point, add the spinach and allow it to wilt down for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the halved cherry tomatoes and sweet potatoes, mix together and serve!

The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily increase the volume of ingredients to cater for more people. You can play around with the level of spices to your own taste and you can easily add other flavours. This would be a great addition to any BBQ (although that might be a bit ambitious for April) but can also be made as a main meal, or as an accompaniment to something else. It's so easy and healthy so you've got not excuse not to try it.

Nic

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