21 June 2007
Tried out a new Indian delivery place this week. They dropped their menu through the door and it was soooooo pretty. The graphics were lovely, the dishes sounded exciting using nice things like green mango, fresh curry leaves etc. Ahh, they promised so much.
And delivered so little.
Firstly, it took one hour and twenty minutes for the order to arrive, and I had to call them three times to find out where our food was. We had both been late back after a long day at work and ended up waiting till 23:15 for our food to arrive. Then, it was horribly cooked.
The lamb chops were tough, overcooked, bland and unattractive in everyway. The coconut rice was rice with dessicated coconut sprinkled over it. The dahl was bland. The korma was a funny colour. The prawns with green mango were actually prawns with overripe regular mango.
The only pleasant thing was the aubergine, but it wasn't cooked in the manner advertised, and the okra was okay. The popadums were also okay. Naan and chapati also passed muster. Gulab jamun neither here nor there.
Anyway, we're never ordering from there again. That's the New Dewaniam in Camberwell, by the way.
And delivered so little.
Firstly, it took one hour and twenty minutes for the order to arrive, and I had to call them three times to find out where our food was. We had both been late back after a long day at work and ended up waiting till 23:15 for our food to arrive. Then, it was horribly cooked.
The lamb chops were tough, overcooked, bland and unattractive in everyway. The coconut rice was rice with dessicated coconut sprinkled over it. The dahl was bland. The korma was a funny colour. The prawns with green mango were actually prawns with overripe regular mango.
The only pleasant thing was the aubergine, but it wasn't cooked in the manner advertised, and the okra was okay. The popadums were also okay. Naan and chapati also passed muster. Gulab jamun neither here nor there.
Anyway, we're never ordering from there again. That's the New Dewaniam in Camberwell, by the way.
BB & I went to the new restaurant Skylon, refurbed in honour of the Festival of Britain attraction, for BB's birthday lunch. At the same time, we had a look at the whole Festival Hall development at the Southbank. BB went around muttering, 'bad finishes', 'poor detailing', 'it's not even finished' and things to that effect.
I just thought it was weird that the entrance outside the building looked like a fire escape and you kind of enter through some side door and have to walk around the edge of the restaurant to get to the reception.
Still, the view is spectacular and they're probably hoping that it'll distract you from the fact that one of the walls has 3 different shades of white on it in patches. Altogether, it is a very airy and pleasant space on a Sunday sunny afternoon.
The very large room is divided in two by the bar, into the Grill and the Restaurant. The Restaurant is supposed to be more formal, but the Grill was pretty formal enough for us. The menu is also larger and has brunch items on it too. I was torn between the Sunday roast or the crab risotto and went for the latter. We both started with the pea and mint soup with a ham tartine. 'What's that?' BB asked. Minced ham on toast apparently. It was pretty tasty though, although BB found a small ball of polystyrene in his bowl.
For the main, the crab risotto was nice enough. I kind of think crab is wasted all shredded up, instead of having it in nice big meaty chunks. BB had lamb chops and they were big and meaty. I thought they were done just right, but they were a tad overdone for BB. They were very tender though.
Dessert was sticky toffee pudding for me (tasty, but too much for me) and BB had chocolate mousse with creme fraiche - pretty good, but we didn't think it was dark chocolate as advertised.
Overall impression - pleasant, staff were good (although they wouldn't give us a window seat) and we left overstuffed. Space is nice (but they seem to have a bit of a dust problem), food good but not spectacular. It's great for brunch, but as you have to book to get a table, it's a bit hard work for what should be a leisurely experience.
Oh - they had a model of the original Skylon by the reception, and that was pretty cool.
I just thought it was weird that the entrance outside the building looked like a fire escape and you kind of enter through some side door and have to walk around the edge of the restaurant to get to the reception.
Still, the view is spectacular and they're probably hoping that it'll distract you from the fact that one of the walls has 3 different shades of white on it in patches. Altogether, it is a very airy and pleasant space on a Sunday sunny afternoon.
The very large room is divided in two by the bar, into the Grill and the Restaurant. The Restaurant is supposed to be more formal, but the Grill was pretty formal enough for us. The menu is also larger and has brunch items on it too. I was torn between the Sunday roast or the crab risotto and went for the latter. We both started with the pea and mint soup with a ham tartine. 'What's that?' BB asked. Minced ham on toast apparently. It was pretty tasty though, although BB found a small ball of polystyrene in his bowl.
For the main, the crab risotto was nice enough. I kind of think crab is wasted all shredded up, instead of having it in nice big meaty chunks. BB had lamb chops and they were big and meaty. I thought they were done just right, but they were a tad overdone for BB. They were very tender though.
Dessert was sticky toffee pudding for me (tasty, but too much for me) and BB had chocolate mousse with creme fraiche - pretty good, but we didn't think it was dark chocolate as advertised.
Overall impression - pleasant, staff were good (although they wouldn't give us a window seat) and we left overstuffed. Space is nice (but they seem to have a bit of a dust problem), food good but not spectacular. It's great for brunch, but as you have to book to get a table, it's a bit hard work for what should be a leisurely experience.
Oh - they had a model of the original Skylon by the reception, and that was pretty cool.
13 June 2007
I'm so thrilled to be back in London, having to stand all the way to work on the bus, changing 3 times on the way and enduring smelly stupid people and interminable inexplicable roadworks. Hurrah.
I wish I could just loiter about at home and mosey about the environs of leafy Dulwich. Sigh. I see White Stuff is finally doing something about their shop lot, much to the chagrin of the local anti-chain louts who have graffitied all over their hoarding. Nice to see the neighbourhood is going downhill - on all accounts.
I'm glad that the local Thai, Sema Thai, which has good food but had a bit of a cockroach problem, is getting a makeover. About time too. May venture back in there for a bit of a Phad Thai. However, am sorely missing good ol' Malaysian food. Wish someone would open a Malaysian restaurant (or a good Chinese would do) - or even a stall in the market would do.
BB's birthday tomorrow. I've bought him a small radio-controlled helicopter. Wonder if he'll read this before I give it to him.
I wish I could just loiter about at home and mosey about the environs of leafy Dulwich. Sigh. I see White Stuff is finally doing something about their shop lot, much to the chagrin of the local anti-chain louts who have graffitied all over their hoarding. Nice to see the neighbourhood is going downhill - on all accounts.
I'm glad that the local Thai, Sema Thai, which has good food but had a bit of a cockroach problem, is getting a makeover. About time too. May venture back in there for a bit of a Phad Thai. However, am sorely missing good ol' Malaysian food. Wish someone would open a Malaysian restaurant (or a good Chinese would do) - or even a stall in the market would do.
BB's birthday tomorrow. I've bought him a small radio-controlled helicopter. Wonder if he'll read this before I give it to him.
6 June 2007
We are now safely ensconsed in the comfort of our Philippe Starck room at the newly appointed Jia Hotel in Hongkers. The hotel is so new that taxi drivers look puzzled and a bit bemused when you ask them to go there. Luckily, I had a map all printed out when we got to the HK Airport Express station. Unfortunately, there is another brand new boutique hotel around the corner called Lanson Place which the cab driver took us to first. The nice doormen took our bags out and were still helpful, even after I asked timidly, 'Is this the Jia Hotel?' They put our bags back into the boot of the car and gave the taxi driver directions to our hotel (he had helpfully left the meter running).
Anyway, we arrived and there were no nice doormen at our actual hotel, typically. Still, it's nice, I'm eating Chickenator flavoured Twisties and pondering going down and partaking of the all-included continental breakfast.
Lanson Place looks quite nice. Maybe next time...
Anyway, we arrived and there were no nice doormen at our actual hotel, typically. Still, it's nice, I'm eating Chickenator flavoured Twisties and pondering going down and partaking of the all-included continental breakfast.
Lanson Place looks quite nice. Maybe next time...
3 June 2007
Holiday has been spent happily eating far too much and sleeping in equal proportions. We've watched all of Heroes again and I've been catching up on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in order to catch the last of the trio in the cinemas.
Shopping for software is not half as much fun as it used to be in Malaysia. Now you have to ask surreptitiously around for software and then they say they can get it to you but you can't test it and it will take an hour to procure. It's all too scary now, which I guess is the idea. Sigh...
The bootleg luggage market is also sadly not very engaging. The designers for the knock-off suitcase companies just aren't a patch on how they used to be.
Fortunately, one can find solace in a mocha walnut cake from Bread Story or a large bowl of curry mee for a paltry figure. 10 days just isn't enough to eat everything one would want.
Shopping for software is not half as much fun as it used to be in Malaysia. Now you have to ask surreptitiously around for software and then they say they can get it to you but you can't test it and it will take an hour to procure. It's all too scary now, which I guess is the idea. Sigh...
The bootleg luggage market is also sadly not very engaging. The designers for the knock-off suitcase companies just aren't a patch on how they used to be.
Fortunately, one can find solace in a mocha walnut cake from Bread Story or a large bowl of curry mee for a paltry figure. 10 days just isn't enough to eat everything one would want.
