Posts Tagged ‘Restaurant’

Local Hero #12 Harry’s Singapore Chilli Crab

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Three. Two. One. Back in the room.

Just about recovered from my trip down under, so lets talk crabs, specifically Singaporean style critters.

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Harry’s Singapore Chilli Crab is a bit of a Sydney institution that the Missus and her family have been going to for years, and they very kindly introduced me to whilst we were over there.

It’s an unassuming place above a slightly grotty looking pub in the Surrey Hills area of the city, but that doesn’t seem to stop people coming in their droves. Opened in 1982 by the eponymous Harry (Lau), the place doesn’t feel like it’s changed much since, and from what understand the menu hasn’t either. And whilst there is plenty on offer to eat, it all feels like a bit of a formality, as the main event is definitely the chilli crab that gives the restaurant it’s name.

After ordering, you are invited to go up and chose your victims from a selection of healthy looking Queensland mud crabs at the front of the restaurant. They are big, muscular beasts, and it almost felt a bit daunting plucking them out of their bucket to await their fate. But we soldiered and kept the wolf from the door by having a couple of portions of salt and pepper squid whilst we waited for the stars of the show. The squid was super fresh, tasty, not at all chewy and served with a poky chilli soy sauce. A fitting start for what was to come.

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Local Hero #11 Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

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There’s an old adage about doing one thing well as opposed to doing a few things averagely, which would have been very apt for this post, but despite trawling the whole interwebs I can’t find it. Oh well.

So last night our fiends Charlotte and Mark introduced to us this restaurant called Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte. It seems it’s a bit of an institution, but somehow never made it onto my radar. It’s on Marylebone Lane, right opposite the awesome Golden Hind fish and chip shop (which deserves a post all of its own – all in good time), and is a great example of the benefits of  the ‘do one thing well’ mantra.

At L’Entrecôte there’s basically no menu. You sit down (after a lengthy queue if you arrive at peak times) and get served a lettuce and walnut salad with a lovely mustardy vinaigrette, followed by steak frites. The steak comes served thinly sliced, covered in the restaurants own special sauce, the recipe of which is closely guarded. And that’s it. Kind of.

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Local Hero #10 Malletti

Monday, February 8th, 2010

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It’s no understatement to say that that I’m a BIG fan of pizza.There’s something genius in it’s simplicity. Bread. Good. Tomato sauce. Good. Cheese. Good. Some kind of meaty topping. Goooooood. And when I’m talking about the kind of pizza that I love, I’m talking about the traditional Italian kind, not the whole farmyard on a base that you get delivered at 3am after a session on the wife beater.

I’ve been lucky enough to work around Soho, central London, for most of my career, and that also happens to be the location of what must be one of the best pizza joints in the UK. Situated in a little side road between Berwick and Wardour Streets, Malletti has been knocking out  amazing pizza to a small army of adoring and loyal fans for at least as long as I’ve working in the area. The queue that snakes out of the door most lunchtimes is testament to this.

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