CRAFT LONDON, NORTH GREENWICH

After a painful hour and a half taxi journey, mostly due to rush hour traffic, we finally made it to Craft London in Greenwich. 

Craft London is a project by Stevie Parle and Tom Dixon, which features a New British restaurant, café, cocktail bar and shop.

There are a few menu options for you to choose from: a la carte menu, 6 course menu, set lunch and a 60 minute menu if you are looking for something quick before a show at The 02.

The food is almost exclusively based on fresh British produce with many of their products made in-house such as cured meats, honey, and butter.

Starving from the journey, I immediately dived into the bowl of warm bread whilst perusing the a la carte menu. We ordered a couple of carafes of red and white wine for the table. 

For starters, I went for the smoked and grilled eel, deliciously marinated with treacle, malt vinegar and served with brine-pickled leek. I love eel, and this was excellent with a nice balance of sweet and sour flavours. I also had a taste of the chopped highland beef with dripping, pear, crisps and salmon roe. Finely chopped and you could still taste the delicate flavours of the beef, accompanied by the nice crisp 'popping' of the roe in your mouth. I can never resist a good tartare dish, and would definitely order one for myself next time.

Smoked & grilled eel, treacle, malt vinegar & brine-pickled leek

Chopped highland beef, dripping, pear, crisps, salmon roe

We decided to share the clay baked duck main between the four of us. The dish was first brought out to the table, still encased in its clay shell. The clay was then smashed open at the table revealing a juicy whole duck before it was taken back to the kitchen to be sliced up and plated.

Each portion was actually much more than we expected and was just about right for me. The meat was tender and still nice and slightly rare in the middle, the flavours complemented by the delectable sweetness from the honey. We also shared the monkfish main which was also pretty tasty.

Clay baked duck, honey, broad bean & barley 'miso', brine-pickled carrots & cabbage

Slightly salted wood grilled monkfish, essex trumpet squash & British lardo

King Henry spinach

Fireplace potatoes

Coming in a larger group logically meant that we were able to order most of the desserts, one of my favourite parts of a meal. My favourite was the chocolate, coffee and burnt ice cream - rich, indulgent, and keeps you wanting more. This was closely followed by the creamed barley pudding with fresh strawberries and crunchy meringue bits. And to top it all of, a selection of British and Irish cheese from Neals Yard.

Creamed barley pudding, strawberries & meringue

Warm honey rye cakes with raw cream

Chocolate, coffee, burnt ice cream

British & Irish cheese from Neals Yard

After all that rich food, we washed it down with some cleansing pu-erh and oolong teas.

Overall a satisfying meal and thankfully was worth making the long journey there for.

Just remember to check the schedule of concerts playing at the O2 to avoid having to cram into the tube stations with the crowds coming out of the stadium...

The Cheekster, signing out x

STRADA MORE RIVERSIDE BLOGGER EVENING

With the vast choice of restaurants in London these days, I tend to veer away from chain restaurants, with the perception that the food they serve is mass-produced, frozen, before being shipped across to the multiple locations.

I have to admit that the last time I visited Strada was during my university days (years ago...not that I feel old or anything!). Strada has clearly come a long way since the early days, with the increasing demand for freshly prepared and wholesome food, and I was quite intrigued and excited to hear about their new summer menu.

Strada More Riverside is located just along the River Thames, with a breathtaking view of Tower Bridge - probably one of the most photographed views in London which I can never quite get bored of even after living in London for the last three years. 

The weather could not have been more perfect that day with beautiful blue skies, and it was finally warm enough to put on a summer dress.

This was my first visit to this branch, which undoubtedly was a popular location with plenty of outdoor seating for guests who like making the most of the warm summer months.

I was greeted with a welcoming glass of chilled prosecco and marveled at the amazing surroundings. Other fellow food bloggers soon arrived and we took our places at the table, hungry and ready for a hearty Italian feast.

We were served some vibrant green nocellara olives, one of my favourite types of olives, followed by some little tasters.  Fragrant and fresh caprese salad of juicy ripe tomaoes, with buffalo mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil; delicious creamy risotto;
luscious burrata with prosciutto served on crunchy toast; a tender piece of steak; and a crisp and golden slice of veal - every one a mouthful of goodness.

It was soon time for our 'Cook-a-long' session, where we were each handed our personalised aprons. I always get excited about personalized goodies, as we all striked a pose with the magnificent view behind us.

The Head Chef came out to give a private demonstration on how to stretch pizza dough, before a couple of bloggers put their pizza skills to the test.

We were later able to sample the freshly baked results.

After all those tasty starters, we were then informed that our 'proper meal' was just about to begin - those little tasters were just something to whet our appetite it seems! 

Wine glasses were filled and our orders soon arrived. For my starter, I went for the Prosciutto Involtini which had Prosciutto di Parma, rocket, mozzarella and sticky balsamic. Simple and satisfying. I love my seafood, so I ordered the Fish Fritti as my main: deep fried squid, salmon and sea bass with tartare sauce and lemon. The seafood was fresh and coated in a light and crispy golden batter.

We were then served some pre-desserts: an indulgent slice of baked cheesecake, and some biscotti which we were advised to dip into the Vin Santo, a style of Italian dessert wine.

For my dessert, I ordered the tiramisu, because you can't go wrong with a classic Italian dessert .

An enjoyable food-filled evening, and one that I would recommend visiting if you are looking for good value Italian food with a view.

A word of thanks to @stradatweets and @PRandEI for a successful evening - looking forward to more exciting events in the future!

The Cheekster, signing out x