WHYTE & BROWN, KINGLY COURT PART II

Second visit, this time with the big brother!

We sat indoors, on the upper floor - much cooler and calmer.

 

 

 

Was undecided as to which cocktail to order, so the nice waitress offered me a little taster of the Sloe & Sour that she recommended.

After much deliberation, I decided to go for the Sloe & Sour, whilst my brother went for the Hefty Japanese Mac. 

I was about to order the Crispy chicken shards for my brother to try, but was unfortunately informed by the waiter that they weren't serving it that day (Nooo...!)

 

We settled for the Bangkok-Scotch Egg on Pickled Cucumber Salad. The outer layer coated in breadcrumbs consisted of minced chicken thigh meat mixed with lime leaf, coriander, mint, lemon grass, chilli and ginger, and wrapped around a nice soft-boiled egg in the centre.

I've haven't eaten many Scotch eggs in the past, but this was tasty and flavourful with a nice hint of heat from the chillis.

 

Harissa Hot Wings - the one dish that I wanted to try since my last visit. 

Baked chilli chicken wings served with caramelised orange wedges, coriander and minty yoghurt dressing. 

I really love spicy food and get rather disappointed when the dishes that are claimed to be 'spicy' fall below my personal standards...
Thankfully, this dish just about hit the right level of spiciness, and the meat was nice and tender and well-marinated.

 

I remember being recommended this dish from my last visit, so I decided to give it a go. 

Supreme Pancetta and Clams - pan-fried chicken breast in natural jus with pebble potatoes, peas, artichoke hearts, summer lettuce, crispy pancetta and clams.

After reading the description which sounded really tempting, I was a bit let down by the dish itself. Going for chicken breast is always a bit of a gamble as it can sometimes turn out quite dry, which was how I felt about this dish. The chicken breast could also have done with a bit more flavour/marinating as it didn't quite penetrate the inside.

The jus itself was quite tasty, just maybe a bit borderline on saltiness.

 

My brother ordered the Light Chicken & Langoustine Pie - butter puff pastry atop chunky roasted chicken, langoustine, samphire, celery and fennel in light béchamel.
His dish looked more interesting than mine, I was tempted to swap mine with his... - He didn't obviously (meanie), but did let me have a few mouthfuls (brotherly duties and all that...)

The pastry was light and crispy, sitting atop the deliciously creamy mix beneath.

He did comment that it was a bit salty, I think we've had this issue with some other dishes...

Otherwise, it was a pretty good dish, and the presentation fun and quirky.

 

 

For dessert, we ordered Today's Brownie & Ice Cream, and the Aromatic Passionfruit Tart.

Sweet and simple, but not quite as good as the last dessert I had before which was the Tipsy Trifle.

May be down to personal tastes, but worth popping by for a casual meal to find out for yourselves.
I'd definitely recommend the Harissa Hot Hotwings.

For my previous post, click HERE.

WHYTE & BROWN, KINGLY COURT

Recently 'hatched', less than a week ago, in Kingly Court off Carnaby Street, Whyte & Brown specializes and celebrates the versatility of free-range chicken and eggs.

 

As it was a nice sunny day I chose to sit outside, and ordered a flat white to kick-start my day, whilst I perused the menu.

 

 

 

I ordered some Crispy Chicken Shards as I was feeling rather peckish, having not had breakfast as I was busy doing last minute packing (again). 

"Slow-baked crispy chicken skins with W&B signature seasoning".

Tasty little things, but maybe a wee bit on the salty side as I experienced an explosion of salt in my mouth on the first bite that knocked out my taste buds for a few seconds...

I kept my glass of water close by as I continued munching away.

 I was tempted to order the Harissa Hot Wings but instead decided to order my main course first before being too overly ambitious!

I went for the Lemon Leek Risotto Scotch Egg - "soft boiled egg nestled within luscious herbaceous risotto ball, perched on wilted spinach with chive and lemon butter sauce".

First impressions - it looked amazing, like a giant Scotch egg! And carefully cutting it into half, I watched with eagerness as the bright yellow yolk slowly oozed out...

The outer shell was baked to a nice crisp texture with a slight chewiness, and the whole combination tasted good. 

It was also much more filling than I expected (has my stomach shrunk?!), and didn't finish it as I wanted to save some space for dessert - naughty, I know... 

All the desserts looked really tempting, but in the end I went with the highly recommended Tipsy Trifle - "layers of chocolate sponge and Catalan custard with orange four ways: Cointreau, jelly, crispettes and fresh fruit". 

If you thought the description sounded tempting, have a look at this baby...

A stunning little work of art, and the perfect treat on a hot summer's day.

Before leaving, I had a little peak inside and realized how much bigger it was inside with indoor seating spread across two floors.
Overall a cosy and chilled out place for a meal, with a very friendly and efficient service. 
Average spend is approximately £20pp - good food at good prices.

Will definitely be back again to try out the other dishes, particularly the Harissa Hot Wings and Supreme Pancetta and Clams. And probably a cocktail (or two) from the bar, created by award-winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana.

It currently serves lunch and dinner, and now breakfast as well, starting from today. 

Worth dropping in for a visit to see what you think. 

So, which came first, the chicken or the egg...?



Nobody really cares, as both are equally healthy and delicious. 

As they say - "Good eggs, Good chicken, Good times".

GRAIN STORE

Grain Store - an exciting new restaurant from Bruno Loubet an the Zetter Group that opened in June - located on Granary Square, overlooking the Regent's Canal.

Complimentary bread

We went for the 5-course surprise menu. Well, I say 'surprise', but really I had a rough idea on what was going to be served - thanks to all my online food-stalking!

First to be served was the mushroom croquettes served on a bed of pie needles on a tree bark, with an acorn on the side -  how very rustic! The mushrooms were perfectly fried, I could have easily eaten a few more of them. Was also tempted to ask if I could take the acorn home...

The other dish was a portion of radishes in a ceramic plant pot, served with a cashew and yeast dip and 'olive soil', which was basically dried olives - rolled it about to scoop it up generously before munching away like a rabbit. The two slices of rye bread were spread with a seaweed butter and topped with oyster leaves - it's given name probably due to it's slight salty taste that highly resembles oysters.

At first sight it looked like it was sprouting out of the bread...

Hmm maybe I should try experimenting growing little flora on bread sometime...or mould more likely.

A rather intriguing first course to start with.

Cauliflower couscous with padron peppers and little lumps of sauce (can't remember what it was but it tasted good!). A nice twist on the traditional couscous!

The cured salmon with slices of peaches and watermelon was really light and refreshing.

The next dish was melted cheese on little portions of leek - a vegetable version of the Welsh rarebit. And on the side some tasty ground walnut paste encased in the shell.

The other half was a mix of grains, chopped cabbage and Chanterelle mushrooms.

The tamale with slices of pork belly was really good - pork was tender and the corn-based tamale flavourful.

I was really hoping for pigeon, and it was thankfully included in the 5-course menu! 

I did inquire beforehand if there were any pigeon dishes being served that day - the lovely waitress slipped us a sneaky hint which made me grin with excitement.

The slices of pigeon were nice and pink in the middle, served with nicely roasted potatoes and some slaw on the side.

 

The dessert was coconut sago, served with either peach or plum, I can't really remember as I was busy indulging in the rich creamy goodness...

We were surprisingly quite full after the meal - I was initially feeling a bit greedy and ambitious and wanted to order some extras on the side. Thankfully we didn't.

Skillfully prepared food that appeals both to eyes and taste buds - definitely a place that I'd visit again when I'm in the area.

SHORYU, SOHO

The successful ramen bar Shoryu, currently located just a stone's throw away from Piccadilly Circus, continues to spread ramen goodness in London!

The Shoryu Pop-Up, which is open until July, will be serving their favourite as well as signature dishes. 

And even better news...

During their soft and grand opening period 5th - 19th July, ALL their ramen dishes at Shoryu Soho are priced at only £5...FIVE POUNDS! That's more than 50% off some of their dishes - bargain!

So here's some photos from my last visit...

We both ordered the matcha latte - a bit tasteless, even for someone like me who doesn't take extra sugar in my drinks. Lili who had more of a sweet tooth asked for some sugar to sweeten it up.

 

Tezukuri Smoked Salmon Okura Rolls - isle of ewe smoked salmon and ikura wrapped okura with sweet vinegar and yuzu dressing. 
It's been a while since I've eaten okra, or 'lady's fingers' as we call it back home! Tasty AND high in fibre, vitamin C, folate and antioxidant properties - definitely one of my favourite vegetables. Also enjoyed popping the little bits of fish roe.

Ordered 3 pieces of the pork Gyoza Dumplings - a bit smaller than expected, but good nonetheless.

Hakata Chilled Reimen

Fire & Ice Salmon Tsukemen

I ordered the Fire & Ice Salmon Tsukemen whilst Lili ordered the Hakata Chilled Reimen. 
Mine was cold ramen that came served with a warm wasabi-tonkotsu dipping sauce - absolutely delicious, rich sauce with a slight hint of heat from the wasabi. And more smoked salmon, mmm...

A very satisfying and economical lunch - well worth a visit whilst the offer is still on!
And even after, if you're a ramen lover like myself...