Friday, April 24, 2009

London Eats Part 1

Hi,

im back after my little fortnight away, a brilliant time it was. Saw some old friends and ate out as much as i could.

I will update the eats as i go along, however i want to make sure people dont mind reading about stuff which is not Bombay based for the next few updates. I have been getting some grief about not being all over Bombay and being a vegetarian.

If this is not what folks want, i can skip the excercise and stick to Bombay.

Do let me know.

Cheers.


Wagamama

1 clink street
(opposite vinopolis)
london
SE1 9BU

Wagamama is a set of noodle bars across England, there are plenty of options for vegetarians and others, the food is pretty good and the place is quirky as in the food comes as it is ready so you could get your appetizers after the main course.

The place is very very busy and quite popular, we visited the one at South Bank for a late late lunch and the place was still packed to the hilt.

be careful with the soups they are HUGE ! in fact you eat the soup with a serving spoon. The food can be a little on the lighter side when it comes to taste so dont expect heavily spiced Indian Chinese.

The decor is minimalist and the ambiance is peppy, lovely place for lunch. meal for 2 without alcohol would run about £25-30



Wahaca



Wahaca was a brilliant night out more because we had good friends there with us after a long long time. The place is extraordinarily popular and does not do reservations, the wait can be anything between 30-90 minutes. We spent close to a 100 quid at the bar waiting for our table.

The food is more authentic mexican than the usual cheesy tex mex, the taste is drier and less intense then what most tex mex eaters are used to. The ambiance is youthful and the prices on the lower side for a place in covent garden.



The best dish, not pictured here was the butternut pipian. fantastic !



A brilliant little thing is the sangrita which is basically very very fine tequila served with a spicy bloody mary like concoction. Both are in equal proportion and the idea is you sip both one after the other. Very different to the cheaper chugging tequila !

Meal for two would run £ 25-30.



12 comments:

Unknown said...

I live in Canary Wharf when I go there and given that there are so few options, the Wagamama over there is a lifesaver

Gaurav said...

Simran,

the wharf has many options for food Asian, Italian besides the usual coffee shops etc.

its a brilliant place to live but can be isolating.

its so convenient though, 20 mins and you are in central london...

vincent said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jill Diane said...

Hey Gaurav, I follow your blog after seeing you post on indiamike.

I really enjoy it and it's nice to see some places on here that I dined at when I was in Mumbai!

Definitely post from other areas, I think it's great to hear about how the rest of the world's cuisine compares!

ram said...

hey Gaurav,loving your London reviews as well as the Mumbai stuff,especially as i live in London.Great Stuff!

Rush said...

i am a hardcore bombayite and wud have loved to see some of my fav restaurants..but will wait for ur blogs!! keep me updated.

Gaurav said...

hi,

@ Ram & Jill thanks for your comments, really appreciate it. have been really busy since i got back but more updates will surely follow.

@ Rush - tell me more about your fav joints, perhaps i could visit..

cheers.

Rush said...

well, i loved sampan in holiday Inn
and chinagate in bandra was my all time fav..the breakfast at JWm was also good..
among others
firangi pani..overpriced
bluewaters..excellent buffets
alfredos juhu
prithvis expresso
mandarin
chinagarden in worli
little italy juhu etc..etc..but these used to be my hangouts..gosh! miss those days

Mansi said...

Great to thorugh your blog...nice to read your reviews on some of my fav food joints in Bombay and also the London ones..will try Wagamama.

Gaurav said...

Mansi,

i am sure you will enjoy Wagamamma. Its good stuff.

Do give Wahaca a try as well !

enjoy

Janvi said...

Hey Gaurav, I am big fan of your blogs. Are you aware of any good Indian joint in London> Do lemme know & yeaa Keep Blogging!!!

Gaurav said...

Janvi, i dont think you should have a problem finding a good Indian joint in London, however i would recommend you take advantage of some of the twists on normal Indian cuisine.

i would recommend Tamarind, Benares, Rasoi, Quilon etc. Almost all of them are michelin starred.

I have dined at Tamarind a long time ago, Benares on my last trip there.

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