LOUIS PASTRY AND TEA ROOM

Paint job echoing Louis' Blue and Gold Rolls Royce

The window flocks them in

Step this way

Essential Bits and Bobs

Dress Code

Inner Sanctum

Untouched Beauty

Sugar Lump Mountain

Something from the Hot Plate Sir ?

Hand Ledger

# 17 Dancing Queen

So You Like Cake ?

Well eat this. 

There is a secret gem of a Hungarian tea room nestled in the leafy throws of Hampstead village, who serve cake on tray stilts as if Cake as we know it has gone out of fashion.  

Walk on in and take a pew in a beautifully preserved rich wood panelled room with Chesterfield style leather seating and watch the action unfold before you. Aprons shuffle behind clandestine theatre-esque velvet curtains and the sense of concealment sets the tone for a show stopping spectacular.

Like a mini stage set, fellow diners are mesmerising - some in a decidedly geriatric but sharp as a button fashion - busily discussing the topics of the day. 

When the cakes arrive a discernible hush pings around the room and all eyes are on the lucky table. The choice of cake is so extensive and resplendent you can see the panic set in, as punters grapple with their taste-buds trying to make the final decision.

Washed down with a cuppa served in the queens own silver, and poured into floral patterned bone china, it really doesn't get any better than this.

Surprisingly in such a beautiful tea house, in such an affluent borough you might expect hefty prices, you couldn't be more mistaken, as orders are boxed and bowed for less than the five shillings you might find in the Artful Dodger's silk purse.

Of course like any good fish and chip shop it is not the price that wins the day but the steady flow of customers who provide rich reward to any savvy business; as can be seen by the Louis gold and blue Rolls Royce parked outside whose spray job mirrors the facade of the tea room. Nice touch.

It can get chock-a-block so pick your time to visit this unique cake emporium carefully. 

www.ofcourseLouisdonothaveawebsite.com

NOPI

Nopi Night & Day

Clean, Crisp White & Antique Gold

Apron Attendant

Golden Brass Table Skirting

Bringing The Goody Bag Straight To Your Table

The little round golden circle

The Interior Hub At Dusk

Flowering Bloom

The beautiful Extra White Beer

Minimal but perfectly formed

Spiced Gurnard wrapped in banana leaf, pineapple sambal

Some sort of Crazy delicious

Caramel and roasted peanut ice cream, mini tub of chocolate sauce

#16 Sweet Sixteen

Small And Perfectly Formed

When our fun loving friends Deb + Nico took us out to 'New Flavour' halfway down Dominion road in Auckland, we knew their taste buds were more than halfway polished.

The Mutton Birds - Halfway Down Dominion Road

So confident where we, of their on-the-pulse recommendations, when they suggested we check out Otollenghi's NOPI - when back in London time - we made a beeline for Yotam's hive.

Far out. What a cosseting, elegant, welcome-back into London's urban plateau, Nopi provided; with a sense of refined tranquility, sheltered from the hurly burly central hub district of the "big smoke". Inside the cleverly pitched interior, with pristine white painted brick and tiled walls, spacious opaque marble flooring, minimal art and pendulant golden-glow brass fixtures, it converged to feel like a modernists backdrop of Versailles. The golden circle brand insignia is a clever touch and pops up in various subtle guises.

Sitting up at the stunning bar counter was a treat for the senses and the bar service was just as it should be, intuitively knowing when to butt in and when to pour. We sampled a delicious extra white beer, 'Vedett' with slice of lemon and to follow a dreamy bottle of aromatic French mountain alps wine from the cellar. 

The venue is well represented with all levels of entendant staff eager to please and fulfil the essence of going out for dinner. The menu changes frequently as validated by the lovely printed press style dinner menu card, each one updated daily. The Nopi cuisine is a sort of high brow intellectual tapas touching on Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian influences. It tastes and looks particularly brilliant.... in a how do they think up these innovative ideas, kind of way.

The plates arrive intermittently with just the right level of frequency. Conversation flows easily with the savvy waiters. A plate of Cauliflower, chilli and coconut fritters with lime yoghurt, knocked knees with Golden and red beet, quince and caramelised macadamias. Spiced gurnard wrapped in banana leaf, pineapple sambal could have washed up tidal alongside the Seared prawns , tomato butter, fennel, olives and Pernod. Baloo would have a field day feeding these bear necessities to the man-cub Mowgli.

Seared lamb cannon, celeriac and barberry salad, with green chilli sauce was served fresh on the heels of Pork belly, caramelised Nashi pear, grape mustard jus. Nopi informally recommends 3 dishes per person and you certainly will feel embarrassingly stuffed on 'crazy delicious' if you are happy to oblige. For pud we shared a Caramel, and Roasted Peanut Ice Cream with Tub of Chocolate Sauce. With a description like that, there is no need to dither on about how good it was. Just a contented nod is sufficient. Especially when accompanied by a glass of dessert wine from Chateau du Levant, Sauternes. Perfect....

Award winning food is all about the ambience, taste, texture, smell and aesthetic presentation. Nopi covers all the bases and is somewhere you really do want to go back to. It's price point sets it out - for most of the crowd - as an occasional treat dinner and even if you gulp, it is worth every penny.

If your not staying in to play Jenga, pop down to Nopi, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.nopi-restaurant.com/

JIN KICHI

A Peak Inside The Wonderful World Of Jin Kichi

Adrenalin Rush

Turning Over The Sizzling Eye Candy

Yebisu 330ml.  A Perfect Bottle Of Beer.

Here Comes The Cavalry. 

The Famous Five - Gyoza Dumpling 

Robin Hood Arrows

The Ballerina Dancing Bonito Flakes

The World's Best Avocado and Prawn Tempura Fritter

Simply Yum.

Hand Made Washing Up Japanese Style.

#15 Young and Keen

Me Wa Kuchi Hodo Ni Mono O Li.

Who in their right mind cares about the Rugby World Cup when there's an edible egg shaped ball of Hamachi Sushi roll to chase ?

Step forward Jin Kichi, an old faithful and ever present on the burgeoning Japanese circuit of Eateries in London. With a well heeled reputation as an authentic Tokyo experience, JK has the good sense to retain its position as a word-of-mouth secret, with its humble and simple Izakaya bar foundations. 

Enter through the keyhole and the attentive staff provide the traditional Japanese restaurant welcome cheer "Irrashaimase". You notice the Itamae-chef holding forte at the centrally staged charcoal grill plate, neatly built on simple masonry bricks. This mesmerising stage sets the tone for the hand crafted character of authentic Japanese cuisine and showcases the art of Sumiyaki, the grill skewered speciality delicacies, this establishment is known for.

Being seated at the grill bar counter, feels just like Tokyo, with a perfectly formed utility space and bright pendent paper globe lanterns with their Japanese tattoo calligraphy. With the addition of delightful toothpick ceramic holders, these provide a welcome contrary view to the theory that everything beautiful, is BIG in Japan.


Conveniently with seating at an attractive blue-formica bar counter top, or little sets of wooden table and chairs, theres no need to remove your shoes, to perform the traditional Padmasana Lotus pose on a Tatami mat. You could instead focus such artful meditation and poise, upon the challenging task of securing a table booking in this hugely popular venue.

The food at JK stimulates the senses and leaves you  drooling and shrieking for more. There are so many highlights you may need an art director to help edit the footage. The homemade gyoza pork dumplings with spicy sauce are reason enough to queue outside, but even they could be considered token fillers amidst the other jaw dropping delights. 

And there is no better jaw dropping scene than a plate of the grilled 'Salmon Jaw with Salt', Richard Drefyfuss eat your heart out; while a Jin Kichi highlight is watching Bonito flakes dance a pirouette on top of the grilled aubergine, like miniature ballerinas swaying and swirling in unison in death defying slow motion.

On this visit we fell head-over-heels in love with...

• Yakitori Skewer with Shiso Leaf
• Ebi Yaki Grilled Jumbo Prawn
• Mixed Prawn and Vegetable Tempura Fritter
• Yellow Tail Tuna with Avocado Roll Inside Out with Black Sesame
• Salmon with Avocado Roll Inside Out.
• Grilled Aubergine and Bonito Flakes
• Gyoza Grilled Dumplings

On your way out, don't forget to bow and smile and say "Okanio O Onegaishimasu", as you discreetly unbutton your waistband. And if you can still find room to fit in this mouthful .... 'Sumiyaki-Robatayaki-Izakaya-Yakitori' style bar restaurant, then this little goldmine is certainly the one for you.

*Remember when booking in advance to pop in to the nearby Holly Bush pub for a pre Sumiyaki drink.

http://www.jinkichi.com

SOS

Salad Prep

The Full Monty

Wicked Waiheke Coastline Wine 

Farmhouse Fayre Sticky Toffee Pudding

Toblerone Summit Glaciers

#14  Valentines Day


Summer Of Salad


"Hey don't falter, when your with me it's always summer." 


There are few meals that define summer quite like a Nicoise salad. It certainly is summers Mint Royale feature and this writers favourite place to tuck in to a summer salad is nestled at home, relaxing on the couch of life. The best part of a Nicoise is there are no fixed rules, allowing for inner creativity and a chance to paint a little landscape to suit your mood.


Here we opted for these Nicoise essentials : Cherry Tomatoes, New season Potatoes, Radish, Avocado, Green Beans, Boiled Egg, Anchovies, Black Olives, Pistachios, Pine Nuts, Olive Oil, Himalayan Salt. 


Accompanied by a beaute bottle of Man O War from their micro climate vineyard on New Zealand's Waiheke Island.


For pudding, a contest was declared and in the corner in the rose pink shorts....
'Piping Hot Farmhouse Fayre Sticky Toffee Pudding with Local favourite Marine Ices ice cream'
and in the pale blue shorts....
'Toblerone Chunks Ascending Ice cream Glacier Scoops'.
And as the ring master might say, by unanimous decision the judges declared this pudding contest..... 
ABSO  LOOT- LEEEEEEEEEEE
KNOCKOUT.


www.marineices.co.uk
www.farmhousefare.co.uk
www.toblerone.com
www.manowarvineyards.co.nz

SWISS COTTAGE POOL RESTAURANT

The view from Swiss Cottage Swimming Pool Restaurant

# 13 Unlucky For Some


There's Nothing Going On But The Juice.

Now then, now then ladies and gents, this may, or may not, float your boat, but if you enjoy your favourite tipple accompanied by flowing water.....

pop down to the Swiss Cottage Pools Restaurant


I am sailing,
I am sailing
Home again, 
Across the seas
I am sailing, stormy waters,
To be near you 
To be free....... from msg, additives, E numbers and other naughty manmade chemicals.


http://www.chegworthvalley.com


The best of natures juices.