Toomai – West Hampstead, London

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I like how the menu at Toomai teaches us so much about the ethos of the restaurant:

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Running out of RECIPEASE…?

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I was once told when wearing hoop earrings I looked a little Mexican-señorita-wannabe. Well I can now cook up a Mexican street food feast to complete the part. I picked up these skills at Recipease, a cookery school in Notting Hill run by Jamie Oliver and his team of chefs. For £40, we were given a welcome drink of our choice, and taught step by step how to make the mexican delights below (soft tacos topped with spicy chicken, guacamole, spicy sweetcorn and much more):

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Palomar – Soho, London

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Palomar (English): Mount Palomar, a mountain in Southern California, northeast of San Diego, height of 1,871 m.

Palomar (Spanish): a shelter with nest holes for domesticated pigeons.

I’ve no idea why it is called Palomar. What I do know though, is it is very very good.

Every time I tried to book a table online I was rejected. What was I to do? Give up? Turn up and hope for the best? We opted for the latter on Saturday evening. We turned up at 7pm to find a hubbub of people outside and one of the managers with a clipboard. She took our name and phone number down and we went for a drink, anticipating a two-hour wait. Our call came early though, after just over an hour, so we walked back, at a brisk pace to ensure our space wasn’t given away. Continue reading →

Ask for Janice – Farringdon, London

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P: “Ask for Janice”

J: “Arse for Janice?!”

P: “No.. ask for Janice”

After a few more rounds like this, I finally heard loud and clear that this restaurant was called Ask for Janice. It is located opposite Smithfield market and is a short walk from Farringdon tube station. The name baffled me. Was Janice the lady to ask for to get a table? Was it one of these poncy places where you have to recite a riddle to the bouncer in order to gain entry and Janice was integral to the riddle? It turned out that you don’t need to ask for anyone called Janice, nor recite a riddle. Continue reading →

Honey & Co. – Fitzrovia, London

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There’s little I prefer in life than an intimate restaurant with good food. In my experience, the staff tend to be more friendly and the food better. Honey & Co. is definitely what you would call an intimate restaurant. There are approximately 8 small tables inside all fairly close together (and 3 or 4 very small tables outside). So intimate in fact that if you needed to have a very confidential conversation (for example relaying juicy gossip or plotting a bank robbery) this may not be the appropriate setting, as your neighbour is quite likely to hear every word you say. In keeping with the stereotype though, the staff were very friendly and the food was very good. Continue reading →

Le Caveau 30 – Cannes, France

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The brief: book a table for 20 people on a Saturday evening in the centre of Cannes, preferably outside, with good food and good prices. Not an easy task.

Le Caveau 30 was recommended (thanks BD) so off I went to book. I would strongly advise them to obtain an email address (or promote any existing email addresses on the website) as calling from a UK mobile is expensive.

I awaited the evening with anticipation. I had never booked such a large table before, what if something went wrong and I had 20 hungry people shouting at me. Continue reading →