Burger and Lobster





There's a real trend at the moment in London for restaurants which you can't book for without a minimum party - from MeatLiquor and Bubbledogs to Burger and Lobster. I hate this trend. There's nothing fun about queueing for hours or having to go away and come back - so i've avoided them like the plague unless with a big party.

The one exception to the rule however, is Burger and Lobster. Who can resist? 

Yum Yum



At an upfront £20 for a whole lobster, lobster roll or burger, i'd have been mad not to try it.

And i've now been twice already, once to the soho venue and once to the Mayfair one and am planning plenty more trips!

Tip (you can book for a table of over 6, so worth getting a group together, if like me you don't like hanging around)




http://www.burgerandlobster.com/

Dinnr - an easy, impressive meal at home

I love being able to head home to a lovely home cooked dinner when it's something more exciting than spaghetti, stir fry or curry, which are my staple recipes. But by the time we've got back from work it's usually heading on for gone 8pm and hunger means creative cooking takes a back seat.  Which is why I love the idea of Dinnr!

 

Dinnr www.dinnr.co.uk/ is a company which gives you everything you need for a perfect meal in. Go onto their website and simply choose a meal that you fancy. I went for A Crusted Rack of Lamb with Roast vegetables and Bulgar wheat which looked absolutely delicious and a little bit fancy.

 

They then deliver your ingredients pack to your desk/or home with every little thing you need to create the meal and an easy colour/picture led step by step guide to recreating. I love the fact that the meat was from Waitrose (well, i would seeing as I work for them!) and that they popped a candle into the bag so you could 'add a little romantic atmosphere'.

 

 

They also sent over a playlist - so they'd even picked out the tunes for a perfect evening.

 

The delivery bag with contents - great quality items for only £20

The recipe was pretty straightforward to make and was delicious. The best thing was, I would never have thought of making something like this on a weekday due to time in the evening, but actually it showed me it doesn't take that much longer to create something you'll really enjoy.

 

 

Here's my final dish:

 

 

 

And here's what it should look like:

 

 

 

Not bad....not bad....

 

This is a genius idea for someone wanting to cook for a date at home but who works late and won't make it to the shops, someone who just wants some inspiration or perhaps just as a treat.

 

I was sent this as a review kit, but i'll certainly be buying again in the future.

 

I fancy the look of the thanksgiving feast for £60 for 4 - looks good https://www.dinnr.co.uk/recipes/15

 

Note: I was making this one handed as had hurt my right hand...so that's why it looks messier than usual (or that's my excuse)

 

 

 

 

 

 



Heston's Dinner

I seem to be the last person in London to have made it along to Heston's Dinner - but finally the other Friday we made it down to The Mandarin Oriental to see what all the hype over the last couple of years has been about.

I opted for the cucumber and lobster soup while Sean went for the meat fruit. Both were great, but the meat fruit was the clear winner - as it was bound to be. Smooth pate topped in a tangerine/orangey flavoured topping to create a tangerine for your pate.  Lovely stuff.

Main course was a bit of a gamble. I went for the special of the day which was an offal pie of sorts. It included kidneys, tongue and the usual bits and pieces usually discarded, all covered in deliciously buttery puff pastry. It was really tasty and I enjoyed it all except that a couple of the kidneys weren't prepared correctlyand included the gristle inside (which should have been removed). Sean went for another special - a rib steak. Deliciously melt in the mouth, he loved it.

We decided to forgoe any of the traditional puddings and hop right into the Liquid Nitrogen ice cream.  If you eat one thing at Heston's Dinner - this should be it.  The waitress comes to the table with a kenwood looking machine stuck onto a trolley (doesn't look impressive to be honest) but it is fantastic fun.  Dry ice is added to a custard to create instant ice cream which is served in a pastry cone and then you are given various topping options. We both went for apple popping candy.

Absolutely delicious and who doesn't look a bit of amateur dramatics at the table. We had people in the restaurant thanking us for ordering it, so they could watch.  A great little trick to get you leaving on a high.

The best thing about the entire experience was the service. We were made to feel important, welcome and were given a fantastically warm greeting. They were particularly helpful when it came to my nut allergy and made the whole evening really delightful.

A fabulous experience.  One day to be repeated!

Shrimpy's

I'd booked our trip to Shrimpy's months in advance and just couldn't wait to go.

We'd tried to add extra people to the booking to take 2 friends and my sister and brother in law - but they told me they didn't have the room to add them to our booking. Never mind, i thought, this is going to be a fantastic meal and we can make it a romantic one. The only booking I could get on the friday night was at 6.30pm - an early dinner, but I was prepared to put up with that as I really wanted to visit. Oh the disappointment. We arrived at 6.30pm to a completely empty restaurant, which remained only half full till we left - so no idea why they couldn't add a couple of people to our booking. But anyway, we were sure the food would make up for it.

We started with Chicarron and guacamole (£4.50) and these were pretty good. Nicely fried, crispy and the guacomole was delicious....until I found what was the hairiest pork scratching i've ever seen - it almost put me off my dinner!

 

We also had a serving of the most delicious parmesan and paprika straws (£3.50)  - definitely recommend these. Melt in the mouth amazing.

 

 

In actual fact, what happened with Shrimpy's is as the meal moved on, the food got worse.... 

 

 

For our starters we had salt cod croquettes and calamari - again, pretty delicious.

But when the main meal arrived it was a complete disappointment - the soft shell crab burger was horrible. You couldn't taste any crab, just batter which was soft and oozing oil. Two bites and I was done - it was almost inedible. The Octopus was slightly better but just not right. Chewy and tasteless

 

But the chips were good....

 

Bob Bob Ricard - Dinner on a 1920's train

I've always fancied being in a Poirot. The romance and drama of helping him discover the murderer onboard the Orient Express has always appealed. Poirot plays his role as detective in a glamourous, old fashioned world.

So my trip to Bob Bob Ricard helped me to satisfy some of these dreams. I went along with two female friends (one Kosher) for a slap up meal and a gossip.

On entrance we were greeted by attentive staff who kept us stocked up on Prosecco and who were always at our beck and call. Certainly the service of a time gone by.

Bob Bob Ricard is a restaurant based on an old railway carriage, with booths reflecting the theme. Very Orient Express.

It really is a bit of a feast for the senses, as well as the tummy! There is a fantastic little button that allows you to order champagne on demand. We pushed it, but nothing happened - disapppointingly. I'm not sure what i was expecting, but no free champagne gushed from the ceiling or suddenly appeared infront of us.

We went straight to the main courses - and I chose the crabcakes. The test of a good crab cake is quantity of crab vs other filling, and i wasn't disappointed. This was a crab filled cake. Try the bubble and squeak too - classic British cooking that doesn't disappoint.

Dessert was a creme brulee - nothing exciting, but tasty. I think i chose the wrong dessert, as one of my friends ordered the strawberry souffle which was a fantastic dish. A little hole is made in the top and the waiter pours in a sugary strawberry sauce.

I would definitely go back - and would recommend dinner there to anyone. Many were tucking into afternoon tea when we were there which looked fantastic. I'd love to go back and give it a try.

Venue: 5 star - absolutely fantastic, nothing like it
Food: 4 star - good food but limited menu
Overall: 4 star - give it a go

Visit www.bobbobricard.com