TATA EATERY SATURDAY RESIDENCY @ NEWMAN ARMS

After a successful pop up at Newman Arms last year with their rice tasting menu, Tata Eatery has once again returned for their latest March residency, this time offering an innovative all day brunch menu with a strong Asian accent.

If you read my review of it, you will realize how much I love their food and style of cooking, so I definitely did not want to miss out on this.

There was a special drinks menu available, featuring sake selected by Elyse Li from Japan Gourmet, from which we ordered the Fukuju "Yuzu Sake' - refreshing with a slight hint of acidity.

We ordered a bowl of rice and congee each to have with our dishes. I liked the short grain rice, which is one of my favourite varieties, and undoubtedly loved the congee, flavoured with chicken stock, herb sauce and topped with crispy chicken skin and dough sticks.

Congee has always been one of my favourite comfort foods, and I would have been happy having multiple portions of this, if I didn't have to make space for the other dishes to follow...

We nibbled on some snacks whilst waiting: braised peanuts with edamame and celery, and a house made fermented vegetable salad.

Both of them were really tasty and moreish.

Next up were the cold dishes. The Prawn Tartare was absolutely delicious, which consisted of juicy cured prawns with egg yolk and tobiko which added a crunchy texture and a mild salty taste to it.

The other two dishes were Shime Saba (cured mackerel, sweet daikon and soy dressing) and Tofu (steamed tofu with spring onions and soy) - both simple yet tasty.

Moving on to the hot dishes, which we also ordered one of everything (obviously), and consisted of the following:

Tata Egg - fried egg, XO and katsuobushi

Skate Wings - yeast beurre blanc and black sesame

Butifarra - pork and rice sausage, turnip tops and fried egg

Aubergine - braised with black bean sauce

All of them were really good, and I particularly liked the pork and rice sausage which was full of flavour, as well as the aubergine that had a nice balance of sweetness, and is great with rice.

We finished off with a portion of the Ricecream with bergamot and chocolate - the first mouthful was slightly peculiar, but the flavours eventually grew on me.

This Tata Eatery residency at Newman Arms is only for the month of March on Saturdays, with tickets available to book via the Billetto website, so get these dates in your diary before it's too late.

Walk-ins are also available all day. 

Check out the website for more information, or contact Newman Arms on 020 3643 6285.

The Cheekster, signing out x

NATIVE, 3 NEAL'S YARD

After missing out on their first week of opening, we eventually booked ourselves in for lunch, excited and hungry to try out this little gem that just turned a month old this weekend. 
Native is the brainchild of Ivan and Imogen, which since 2012 has gone through the journey of street food markets and pop up restaurant scenes before they finally settle in this permanent site.
Tucked away in a quiet corner in the tranquil haven of Neal's Yard, it looks quite inconspicuous from the outside, but fear not, as the hidden spiral staircase leads downstairs to a charming space that feels a bit like dining in the woodlands. The interior is quite minimalistic, with white walls, rustic, wooden furniture and features, and plenty of vibrant flowers to add a touch of colour.

We both ordered their cocktail of the day, which was the Rhubarb & Rosemary Bellini - a bubbly, fruity, and (almost) innocent afternoon tipple to start the day.

The menu consisted of a selection of small starters and larger sharing plates. We ordered a couple of the smaller dishes to start with. The first was the rabbit pastilla which had a nice, flaky pastry that encased the meat within, which although slightly on the dry side, was still flavourful and tasty. Underneath it were some thin ribbons of pickled carrots and yoghurt.

One of our favourites was the pigeon kebab, which was earthy and had a strong flavour of spices, served on a flatbread with beet hummus, pickled cabbage and harissa.

We ordered all three of the larger sharing plates. The slow roast cauliflower with brown butter and wild garlic was delicious and another one of my favourites, and I would have happily eaten another whole portion of this. The pan fried hake was succulent and flaky, served on a bed of lentil dahl. I'm not really much of a lentil lover, but I really liked the crispy cauliflower leaf pakora - did I mention how much I love cauliflower?
The baked golden beets were cooked through properly and was simple and tasty with a side of goats curd and pennywort.

We were also presented with a wooden platter of foraged ingredients to sample that were utilized in the different dishes.

There was only one dessert on the menu, which saved us from having to make a decision. It consisted of rhubarb and rosemary, meadowsweet custard and pieces of coriander honeycomb. It was a bit on the watery side in terms of consistency, but nonetheless the flavours were still nice. We finished off with a bite of caramelised honey truffle each, which was rich and indulgent.

We pretty much tried out most of the menu, apart from the three other smaller dishes, which I thought overall was a satisfying and balanced meal, with a few favourites that I would definitely recommend. 
Unfortunately there wasn't any venison on the menu when we visited which I had my eye on beforehand...I guess that just means that I'll have to make another visit back soon (!) 
The cooking is simple yet exciting enough to tantalize the senses - one to add on to the recommended list.

The Cheekster, signing out x

HO MODERN VIETNAMESE, SOHO

My very first visit was back in 2013, when it was opened by TV celebrity Bobby Chinn and known as House of Ho. This Pan-Asian joint in Soho has now been rebranded as Ho Modern Vietnamese, with the menu now being overseen by Chef Ian Pengelley.

We popped in on a Monday for a quick lunch when it was not too busy. The restaurant interior is quite dark so I usually prefer the seats by the windows at the front. For drinks, I opted for the Rum Yum Dragon which was sweet, fruity, and not too full-on for a cheeky afternoon tipple, whilst Ge went for the Swordless Samurai, an innocent fruity mocktail which was topped with a pretty floral garnish.

The menu consists of some nibbles to start with, a selection of Pho, Salads, Small Sharing Plates, Rolls, Ho's Signature Sharing Plates and some sides.
We shared three dishes between the two of us. The first was the shredded chicken pomelo salad which was served in a bowl with vegetable 'noodles', mint leaves, sesame seeds, toasted peanuts, crispy shallots and some prawn crackers. A light and refreshing salad which was vibrant and had nice textures - I liked the flavours but it could potentially be a bit salty for some as was for my friend. I particularly liked the juicy pomelo bits that added sweetness to it.

The second dish was the pan fried smoked duck with black sticky rice, orange miso and young vegetables. The duck was slightly overcooked and could have been a bit more tender. There was a nice sweet and salty flavour balance of flavours to it and I liked the black sticky rice which was wrapped in a thin cabbage leaf parcel. The spring onion was however under-cooked and too close to being raw to be enjoyed.

 

Our third dish was the crispy whole sea bream with lemongrass, ginger and coriander, which was my favourite dish. The fish was crispy and golden and came with a tasty sweet dipping sauce on the side. Delicious crunchy textures and definitely one to order if you enjoy fish.

For dessert, we shared the warm green tea chocolate pudding with passion fruit and vanilla ice cream. The pudding was served nice and warm and the liquid centre immediately oozed out when cut through - a bit runnier than what I have had with other puddings, but nonetheless sweet and indulgent, and the flavours of the green tea definitely came through. 

Overall, apart from the minor points that I mentioned, it was a pretty satisfying meal and our waiter was really lovely throughout. I can only comment on the dishes that we had, but the menu is quite extensive which you can view online here.  

They also have a sister restaurant, House of Ho, in Fitzrovia, which I have not been, which is set in a four storey townhouse, and also offers contemporary Vietnamese food.

The Cheekster, signing out x

 
The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own. 

BOROUGH BOX DISCOVERY CLUB

I do love it when surprise packages arrive in the mail (especially when it contains food!), and was recently sent one of the first Discovery Club Boxes from BoroughBox. 

In case you haven't heard of them, BoroughBox is a company that connects foodies with the best producers of food and drink from around the country - delivering great tasting, delicious, artisanal goodies straight to your door. 

They also have their own great range of products in the form of BoroughBox branded gifts and the Discovery Club.

So what is the Discovery Club?

The Discovery Club is a monthly subscription of incredible artisan and specialist foods, that supports small batch producers around the UK. They are hand-picked by experts Andy Lawson (founder of BoroughBox and passionate foodie) and Dr Deborah Quinn (wellbeing specialist).

You have the option of choosing either a one-off gift, 3 monthly or 6 monthly subscription plan, and your specially selected box will then be delivered for free - simple and straightforward.

Here's a brief preview of what came in the box...

There were some lovely products from Taste Croatia (a husband and wife team, Chris and Ana-Maria), which included Pumpkin Seed Oil (great for salads) and a couple of delicacies for fig lovers. The Figs in Honey which has no added preservatives is great to have with yoghurt/porridge or as a warm soothing drink when mixed in hot water with lemon, whilst the traditional Fig Cakes – Smokvenjak – which is 100% natural, containing only figs, lemon juice, almonds, herbs and raisins, was ideal as a tasty high-energy natural snack. 

The Pink Himalayan Salt, from trader Spice Mountain, is a great alternative to table salt or for cooking purposes, and because it also has a stronger salty taste, it helps to reduce salt intake. The Patatas Fritas from Bonilla a la Vista was crisp and lightly salted, which served as a great snack when I was traveling (!)

There was a bottle of thirst-quenching Organic Juice from Chegworth Valley, a family owned and run fruit farm situated in the heart of the Kent countryside. Their range includes a wide variety of single varietal and blended apple and fruit juices as well as an Organic range, certified by the soil association.  The juices are produced from tree ripened, hand selected fruit which is pressed on site at the farm in small batches, often within hours of being picked.  This is then lightly pasteurised to preserve the natural colours and flavours of the juice before being bottled on site.

A pretty green tin contained organic loose green tea leaves from Organic Life which is great for tea lovers like myself. And a more indulgent treat was a bottle of sparkling prosecco from Scavy & Ray, that I'll be enjoying on one of my quiet evenings in.

 And of course there were also some naughtier, more indulgent snacks inside, including the sweet, crumbly Whirld Handmade Fudge and a pretty box of luxury Pearls from Artisan du Chocolat.

Because every healthy diet should always include a healthy balance of treats.

Overall, it was a nice selection of food items which I definitely found interesting and useful for every day consumption. 

It's a great concept for those looking for something different and interesting from your everyday shop, and even as gift ideas for friends or loved ones. 

Check out the BoroughBox website to find out more.

The Cheekster, signing out x