1. Farmers Markets
This list would be incomplete without mentioning the farmers’ market. The most spectacular is Borough Market situated in Borough, a Dickensian neighbourhood of South East London. Wake up early to avoid the crowds and head straight for Monmouth Coffee Company. They serve the freshest coffee from home roasted beans as well as their famous bread and jam. Then stroll around at your leisure, sampling the freshest produce from over seventy different stalls.

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street SE1

Monmouth Coffee Company
2 Park Street, London , SE1 9AL
+44 (2) 0 7645 3562

2. Afternoon Tea
Nowhere does afternoon tea with as much style as Claridges, an opulent art deco hotel. For around £30 per person you get to sit in refined and elegant surroundings, sipping tea and devouring cucumber sandwiches, cream cakes and scones. It’s a meal in itself so make sure you’re hungry.

Claridge’s
Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR
+44 (0)20 7629 8860

3. Gastropubs
The Americans have joints, the french bistros and the British gastropubs. The Island Queen, on Noel Road, is an ornate Victorian example. It serves an excellent beer line up and well-executed, simple dishes in an unpretentious enviroment, popular with locals. Friday is fish and chips day, serving beer battered fish from the famous Steve Hatt fishmongers.

Island Queen
87 Noel Road, LONDON, N1 8HD
+44 (0) 871 332 5631

4. Dim Sum
Some claim that the Royal China in Bayswater serves superior Dim Sum to that in Hong Kong. Recommended is the prawn Cheung fung; prawns encased in a giant rice noodle served with a sweet soya sauce. Go with a large group of people, order as many dishes as possible. The English translation “Heart’s Delight” perfectly describes every mouthful.

Royal China
13 Queensway, London, W2 4QJ
+44 (0) 20 7221 2535

5. Vietnamese
The Kingsland Road in East London is fast becoming synonomous with the growing number of cheap Vietnamese eateries. The Viet Ho has divided opinion but still remains one of the best known. Don’t go expecting a fancy restaurant experience, instead enjoy authentic, competent food canteen style at bargain basement prices.

Viet Hoa
70-72 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DP
+44 (0) 20 77298293

6. Beigel Bakery Brick Lane
The Beigel bakery on Brick Lane is one of the last remnants of European Jewry who once populated the area. The Jews may have moved on but the bagels are still going strong. Its 24 hour opening hours are popular with London Cabbies and numerous clubbers who frequent the trendy bars and clubs of East London. Not the best bagels in the world but definately worth a visit.

Brick Lane Beigel Bakery
159 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SB
+44 (0) 20 7729 061

7. Selfridges Food Hall
Astounding selection of food from around the globe in London’s once hip department store. Check out the oyster bar, the magnificent selection of cheeses and the resplendent Turkish delight counter. However, beware of the pre-prepared meals which look appetising but in truth are disappointing.

Selfridges Food Hall
400 Oxford Street, LONDON, W1A 1AB

8. St John’s
St John’s is the brainchild of Fergus Henderson, an acclaimed and exceptional chef, who is the main proponent of nose to tail eating. Offal features heavily on the menu, specialities include; Veal and Venison hearts, and bone marrow with parsley . If you’re a bit squemish you can avoid the more unsual offerings and stick to the more pedestrain dishes such as; Lamb with mint and Fish and Chips. Outstanding.

St Johns
26 St. John Street, London EC1M 4AY
+44 (0) 20 7251 0848

9. Indian Take-away
Nobody does Indian food better than Anglo-Indians. Or there’s certainly no more popular food in Britian. It might not be strictly the most authentic but still remains a truly satisfying take-out experience. My personal favourite is Parveen, a local curry house which adopts a slightly more modern take on the traditonal fare. Good quality ingredients are used and fat, oil and ghee is kept to a minimum. Chicken Passanda is a firm favourite.

Parveen
6 Theberton Street, Islington, LONDON, N1 0QX
+44 (0) 871 332 318

10. Traditional English Breakfast
Sunday mornings wouldn’t be the same without a fry-up. Some restaurants have clocked on to to its enormous popularity and offer an all day breakfast menu. Smiths of Smithfield next to the meat market, serves one of the best breakfast’s around, and is perpetually packed with hungry diners.

Smiths of Smithfield
67-77 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HJ
+44 (0) 20 7251

A quick post to urge you all to try a truly great recipe devised by a young Australian chef, Robin Wickens. It perfectly demonstrates how eggs can become so much more than just a breakfast dish. The method in which the eggs are scrambled is different to that which I posted previousy. A wicked volume of cream is used giving them an almost custardy consistency. Patience is paramount, it is a fairly laborious task stirring eggs and cream for 20 minutes over a bain marie. Be careful; if you take your eye off them for a moment they may curdle.

Once the eggs are ready and spooned into shot glasses, a beetroot puree is added. Beetroots are not commonly associated with eggs, however they work wonderfully. They are almost spicy in flavour, perfectly offsetting the richness of the eggs.

PERFECTLY COOKED SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH BEETROOT FOAM
Serves about 4
2 eggs
140 ml pouring cream
30g unsalted butter,melted

Beetroot foam
120g beetroot
2 tsp caster sugar
200 ml vegetable stock

1. For the beetroot foam, place unpeeled beetroot in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat and simmer for 1.5 hours till tender, then drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely chop. Puree beetroot, 200 ml water, sugar and veg stock in a food processor till smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place puree in a saucepan and warm gently over a medium heat, then froth using a hand-held blender

2. Combine eggs, cream and 2.5 tsp water and butter in a heatproof bowl, place over a pan of almost simmering water and using a whisk stir for 20 minutes or until thickened and smooth, then season to taste. Spoon egg custard into the base of shot glasses, top with beetroot foam and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

The remarkable thing about Upper Street is that while every other retail space is occupied by a restaurant, there is never anywhere to eat.

Every type of cuisine from Turkish to Italian is accessible, yet there is not one that compels me to return on a regular basis. I’ve digested good even great food at a number of them, but something is always a little off, the decor, the service, the ambience, often I can’t even put my finger on it. The outcome depressingly remains the same, I don’t return.

So when Alan Yau’s sister, Tina Juengsoongneum, co-opened ‘Isarn’ a Thai restaurant bang in the middle of the offending street my hopes rise. Alan Yau notably brought us Wagamama, Busaba Eathai, the magnificent Hakkasan and most recently the fabulous dim sum restaurant, Yauatcha. So naturally it is somewhat unfairly posited, that his flair and genius might be genetically linked with his sister. Some broadsheet food critics have also delivered ‘Isarn’ nothing short of glowing reviews. Everything therefore conspired to suggest that this venture would fulfil all the necessary criteria to become that elusive local restaurant I was so desperately searching for.

First impressions were good. An awkward room had been sensitively addressed with excellent lighting, and an interesting treatment of ceiling space which was erected like an overhead canopy. The predominately white room did not possess any hint of sterility thanks to the seductive ebony wood accented in the chairs, tables and wood panelling.

The menu is fairly simple, offering all the predictable Thai classics. We ordered starters of steamed coconut and prawn dumplings which reached our table cold, rendering them claggy and doughy. A satay dish failed to impress, the chicken was bashed down too thinly and strangely overly marinated. Any taste of cumin or coriander was drowned out in the sauce by the dominance of the peanuts. The duck in edible betel leafs was the only real winner, crispy and well matched with a pomegranate-like fruit.

A green chicken curry, whilst beautifully presented, lacked any guts to it yet packed an aggressively spicy punch. It was flavourless and bland which is quite an achievement when one considers the core ingredients of lemon grass and coriander are usually so fragrant and distinctive. A cloyingly overly sweet, yet under sour, deep fried red snapper was a couple of seconds overcooked. The humble dish of morning glory, stir fried asian greens with garlic, oyster sauce and soybean paste shone in its redolent simplicity.

A lotus paste desert, sparked my curiosity. A light green jelly with an overlay of coconut milk was interesting and definitely worth a try, for the sheer novelty factor if nothing else.

Though the food failed to deliver on a number of levels there was something appealing about this restaurant. It stands out for posessing a degree of professionalism and thought regarding the finer details. The predominantly Thai waitresses were competent and charming, and also knowledgeable about the food. The fashionable venue had also attracted a crowd not necessarily associated with Upper Street. Definately a good thing.

However, the fundamental question remains, will I return and the answer is sadly no. For £60 for two, without wine, there are so many other restaurants I would rather give my money to.

My quest continues.

Isarn
119 Upper Street, London, N1 1QP
+44 (0) 20 7424 5153