Bincho: Japanese Yakitori restaurant in West End, London

Bincho

http://www.bincho.co.uk

http://bloodandwasabi.com/about

http://cheesenbiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/12/bincho-yakitori-soho.html

http://londoneater.com/2010/08/11/bincho-white-heat

http://www.tehbus.com/2009/12/bincho-sake-and-skewers-in-soho.html

Japanese, yakitori

Cheese and Biscuits, 1 Dec ’10: “First of the yakitori proper were beef tongue (tender and, er, beefy) and a fantastic pork belly version, which alternated between crispy, fatty and meaty as you worked your way through.”, “Chicken hearts were superbly tender and richly flavoured - a delicacy in the strictest sense of the word - although I'm afraid I've decided that the gizzards (on the right) aren't for me. Alarmingly crunchy and without any particularly worthwhile flavour, I doubt I'll bother with these the next time I have a craving for Unusual Chicken Parts On Sticks.”, Chicken Neck skewers: “we had a couple, and very nice they were too”, “…my favourite item overall, were grilled chicken cartilage”, “Bincho is a rare example of a restaurant unafraid of introducing Londoners to unusual and audacious Japanese textures and flavours, and is doing so in an unintimidating, straightforward way that won't break the bank. I will return.”.

from
http://bloodandwasabi.com/archives/yelp-london-yakitori-sake-tasting-evening/grill

London Eater, 11 Aug '10: “The grilled birds are much, much better, I was astounded at how much juicier and fleshier this was, redolent of a campfire barbecue.”, “Great balls of fire…. the chicken oysters, fantastic! The oyster is a ball of meat found on the backbone and attached to the chicken’s thigh, so succulent that I would be a fool not to order it.”, “Probably even better than the chicken oysters were these crispy, crunchy and oily chicken skin on skewers. Naturally, it is full of natural buttery flavour, almost a tad too salty, but that’s where the rice comes in.”, “Not everything was amazing, I would avoid the beef or pork; The yakitori on the other hand, is generally fabulous. Do keep an eye out for their specials, which on my visit were priced at £1.50 per skewer, and represented fantastic value for money. Otherwise, the ‘Seven Samurai’ for £10 is a good place to start, if you are struggling with choice. Although, I would say it’s all about the chicken oysters and chicken skin. Choose wisely and you shall be rewarded.” Pre-theater menu £9.99: set comes with salad (with salmon), a bowl of rice and a selection of Grilled Meat (Pork Belly, Chicken Wing, Chicken, Salmon, Shitake Mushrooms and Asparagus).

a rather unusual chinaman, 7 Dec '09: "Seven Samurai Special, a selection of meat, seafood and vegetable skewerso, order them if you come here and then order more, Fried Chicken with Ponzu a light and tangy citrus dipping sauce was heaven a wonderful dish to be consumed over and over again".

16 Old Compton Street W1D 4TL

Tel: 0207 287 9111

Tube: Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road

Google Maps

Uncle Lim’s Kitchen: Chinese Hainanese Chicken Rice restaurant in Croydon, London

Uncle Lim’s Kitchen

http://www.thecattylife.com/2010/11/uncle-lims/
http://londoneater.com/2009/08/21/uncle-lims-chicken-rice-just-right-review/

Chinese, Hainanese Chicken Rice sold only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

The Catty Life, 20 Nov ’10: “Pretty authentic, the rice infused with stock and ginger, the chicken broiled and tender, the chilli sauce just perfect with a hint of sourness.”.

London Eater, 21 Aug ’10: Hainanese Chicken rice. “What is essentially an everyday dish, Uncle Lim’s chicken rice is effectively executed and it tastes exactly like what it’s supposed to: Soft, fragrant, flavoursome and full of chicken stockiness. It evoked very fond memories of food halls in Singapore and Malaysia, and it is easily the best chicken rice I’ve had in and around London so far.”

Upper North Arcade Whitgift Center

Croydon CRO 1UZ

020 8688 8378

Tube/Rail: West Croydon Rail

Google Maps

Four Seasons: Chinese roast duck in West End and Bayswater, London

Four Seasons

www.fs-restaurants.co.uk/

http://www.londonchow.com/2010/01/four-seasons-review-gerrard-street.html

http://www.tehbus.com/2009/07/four-seasons-chinese-welcome-to.html

http://www.pigpigscorner.com/2009/06/restaurant-review-four-seasons-london.html

Chinese: roast duck

London Chow, 9 Jan '10 at Gerrard’s branch: “We realised immediately that being seated in the basement or the first floor was way better than the ground floor, the last thing I wanted was to have my meal with hungry people staring down at me and willing me to ask for the bill and clear the table.”, “What we liked about the San-Pin was its roast pork and charsiew were relatively lean yet retain their flavour. The accompanying sauce could be less salty but it did brought out the full depth of the dish. The main item in the dish was of course the roast duck. Thickly sliced duck with a thick layer of fat that literally melted in your mouth would be an apt description. To get the full taste of it, refrain from dipping it in the chilli oil that comes with it. In fact, it would be almost a sin to remove the skin even for the health conscious. The roast duck itself would probably warrant the time spent queuing.”.

a rather unusual chinaman, 16 Lug ‘09 at Gerrard’s branch: “The duck was as tasty as ever (if a little on the fatty side, this duck had not been working out!) and we both had opted for no bones, so arrived boneless. This is one of the only places I know which provides this as an option. After all, less bones means more meat, right? The crispy pork was only ok, but nowhere near as good as Wong Kei down the road. Gravy was a bit on the thin side although contained quite a decent flavour. On the whole, pretty alright although I am sure the food didn’t appeal as much as the Queensway branch (for whatever nonsensical reason that may be). A decent option if you’re in Chinatown and looking for a quick, cheap (our meal came to under a tenner a head, all in), no frills refuelling stop.”.

Pig Pig’s Corner, 26 Jun ’09, at Bayswater’s Branch: “We went at 6pm to “beat the queue” on a Saturday evening but still ended up queuing for 30 minutes.”, “ordering at least half a roast duck from the “Roast Duck Specialists” (as it says on the menu) was a must”, “The meat was tender yet full of duck flavour and the skin was crunchy, but the main difference between this and other restaurants was the sauce; it was amazingly rich and full of Chinese herbs and spices. The restaurant tends to debone the duck lately unless you tell them otherwise (I prefer not to as I feel it’s nicer to chew meat off the bone) and I suspect its because they need the duck carcasses to make the duck sauce.”, “I personally think that for standard Chinese fare, this restaurant does it the best.”, “They have a branch in Chinatown but my friends tell me to avoid it and to stick to the original”.

12 Gerrard Street

London W1D 5PR

Tel.: 020 7494 0870

Tube: Leicester Square

84 Queensway

London W2 3RL

Tel.: 020 7229 4320

Tube: Bayswater

Google Maps

Dragon Palace: Chinese dim sum in Earl's Court, London

Dragon Palace

http://www.thedragonpalace.com/home.htm
http://www.gourmet-chick.com/2010/12/dragon-palace.html

http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/
http://eatlovenoodles.blogspot.com/2010/12/dim-sum-rare-noodles-dragon-palace.html

Chinese, dim sum, silver needle noodles, good quality price ratio,

Gourmet Chick, 7 Dec ’10: “In true dim sum style we lingered over our lunch and copious cups of tea of the iron goddess until the afternoon was almost gone then we played that other traditional dim sum game of guessing what the bill would be and delightedly discovered it was below all of our estimates coming in at only £14 a head including service charge. Certainly worth the trek at that price.”.

Tamarind and Thyme, 5 Dec ‘10: “The dim sum here is all excellent and while not as refined as some of the fancier places in London, the flavour certainly doesn’t suffer. What a wonderful place; I can certainly see myself visiting again.”

Mr.Noodles, 4 Dec '10: “…it's a pleasant surprise to see a decent Chinese restaurant in this corner of the capital …”, "All of the steamed dumplings were well made and generously filled, with my favourite being the village dumplings”, “The steamed squid was also interesting and I really enjoyed the very garlicky dressing.”, “The fried offerings were every bit as good as their steamed counterparts. The yam croquettes were very fresh, as my burnt mouth can testify. I also liked their version of squid cakes, which were unusually wrapped in tofu skin (腐皮 fu pi) before frying.”, “I'm not a big turnip paste fan but it was well made as was the pan-fried cheung fun.”, “Dragon Palace deserves plaudits for doing things a little differently. I think it's brilliant that they go to the trouble to make their own noodles as well as knock up weekend specials. This is an accessible and affordable option for quality dim sum, especially for those with a W in their postcode.”

from http://www.thedragonpalace.com/home.htm

207 Earl's Court Road

London SW5 9AN

Tel.: 020 7370 1461

Monday- Friday : 12:00pm - 11:15pm last orders

Sunday : 12:00pm - 11:00pm last orders

dim sum served : 12:00pm - 5:00pm daily

(With weekend specials)

  Tube: Earl’s Court

Google Maps

Yashin Sushi: Japanese restaurant in Kensington High Street, London

Yashin Sushi

http://www.yashinsushi.com/
http://londoneater.com/2010/11/15/yashin-sushi-raw-jewels/

http://gourmettraveller.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/yashin-sushi/

Japanese, sushi

London Eater, 15 Nov '10: "My god, was it exciting. Great sushi, and oh my gosh, did it burn an excitable hole in my already stick thin wallet.", "The highlight of Yashin, is their omakase, or the Chef’s menu, which allows the chef to channel his fine talent.", "I highly recommend it. In the end, I am just glad that London now boasts two exceptional sushi bars which deliver unique sushi in their own special way. Both are more than a cut above the old school Izakaya-types. With Sushi Hiro well and truly absorbed into the Atari-ya bubble, I feel this year is the changing of the guard, London sushi has now come of age.";

Gourmet Traveller, 5 Nov '10: “Our first flight of sushi contained some choice pieces…All spankingly fresh and easily some of the highest grade fish I’ve eaten in London”, “In Japan the quality of a chef’s egg omelette (tamago) is as a true test of a chef’s skill and this sweet, spongy almost dessert-like specimen was exemplary. Everything was again exquisite and the thick slices of pickled ginger on the side were sweet, vinegary and unbelievably tender.”, “I truly believe what I ate today was a notch above, and the more reasonable lunch sets that other diners ordered looked pretty spectacular too”

from http://www.yashinsushi.com

1A Argyll Road

High Street Kensington, London W8 7DB

Tel.: 020 7938 1536

info@yashinsushi.com

Opening Hours: Lunch 12.00- 14.30 and Dinner 18.00 – 23.00 Everyday

Tube: High Street Kensington

Google Maps

Sushi of Shiori: Japanese restaurant in King's Cross, London

Sushi of Shiori

http://www.sushiofshiori.co.uk/
http://rwapplewannabe.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/sushi-of-shiori-euston/
http://londoneater.com/2010/09/10/sushi-of-shiori-number-3/

http://londoneater.com/2010/07/30/sushi-of-shiori-revisited-birthday-omakase/

http://londoneater.com/2010/07/16/sushi-of-shiori-flamboyance-worth-bookmarking/

http://www.thecattylife.com/2010/07/sushi-of-shiori/

Japanese, sashimi, sushi, wagyu, booking is a must, omakase and a la carte

An American in London, 8 Nov '10: "…Sushi of Shiori would be a *brilliant* place to order takeaway sushi.   But for a transcendent sushi restaurant experience?  Not so much.";

London Eater, 30 Jul ’10: “Sushi of Shiori is my favourite sushi restaurant in London now, they tick all the boxes, I am just utterly in love with what they are doing. I can safely say that everything on the menu is excellent”. “I cannot recommend this highly enough, if you have a passion for sushi, spend your money at Shiori and be dazzled”.

The Catty Life, 22 Jul ’10: “The best sushi I’ve had in London. Period”.

from http://www.sushiofshiori.co.uk

144 Drummond Street, Off Hamstead Road,

London NW1 2PA

Tel: 020 7388 9962

Open:

11:30-14:30 (Lunch) and 17:00-21:30 (Dinner)

Closed on Sunday and Bank Holidays

  Tube: Warren Street

Google Maps

Delhi Grill: Indian restaurant in Islington, London

Delhi Grill

www.delhigrill.com
http://www.londonchow.com/2010/11/delhi-grill-review-islington-indian.html

http://www.thegrubworm.com/2010/11/delhi-grill/#more-817
http://rwapplewannabe.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/delhi-grill-chapel-market/

Indian

London Chow, 23 Nov '10: “The Delhi grill (£6.50) was meant for two and came with chicken tikkas, sheekh kebabs and lamb chops. The chicken tikkas was absolutely fabulous and very well seasoned – tender, aromatic and spicy. The sheekh kebabs, which I understand to be minced lamb, was flavourful and easily disintegrated in one’s mouth. The lamb chops tasted very much like the kebabs and it seemed that the only difference was that that it came with bone attached.”;

The Grubworm, 15 Nov ’10: “The meal was fast becoming one highlight after another: chicken, lamb, paneer. And next up, my dish of the night: Cholay.”, “What’s great about Delhi Grill is they know how to handle their spices. They don’t hit the default chilli heat, but allow the warmer and more subtle spice notes to come through. It’s this general approach, not afraid to let the gentler side of Indian cooking shine, that makes this such a good place.”;

An American in London, 2 Nov ’10: “Grilled items as starters were generally very good.”, “Fried foods were very good, too, though you could accuse all the fried dishes of tasting the same because the chilli-paprika seasoning in the batter seems to stay the same, whether the pakoras are fish or onion.”, “Chicken biryani was a special of the day, and this was the low point of our evening.  The biryani had wonderfully-fragrant flavoring and texture, striking a nice balance between being moist and fluffy, but the dish was inexplicably served lukewarm.”, “Overall, our dinner at Delhi Grill was delicious and cheap”.

from www.delhigrill.com

21 Chapel Market

Islington, London N1

Tel.: 020 7278 8100

Delivery/ Take away:
020 7278 8882

Open: Tuesday to Sunday

Lunch: 12noon - 2.45pm

Dinner: 6pm - 10.30pm

Tube: Angel

Google Maps