Franco Manca - Pizza How it Should Be

Brixton Market, Unit 4, Market Row, London, SW9 8LD www.francomanca.co.uk/pages/index.html

Technically this restaurant is a chain as they now have 4 locations: Chiswick, Brixton, Northcote Road and the Westfield at Stratford – but I am making an exception to my chain-restaurant-hating rampage because the people at Franco Manca are really special.

They follow an artisan way of life – for those that don’t know, artisan basically means ‘hand crafted’ and implies that a lot of time and preparation has gone into the making of food. The pizza dough is left for a minimum of 20 hours so that it can rise properly. It is then cooked in a special wood-burning brick oven known as a ‘tufae’, brought over from Naples. This gives the finishing touch to the 600 year old recipe. Cooking in this way gives the dough a special quality – thin and crispy in the middle but with a delicious doughy crust.

Many of the pizza toppings are also farmed sustainably by artisans. The ham comes from Gloucester Old Spot Pigs and is supplied through David Tomlin, the founder of the Rare Breed Survival Trust. Ricotta and Mozzarella come from buffalo and cow herds at Alham Wood Organics in Somerset. The restaurant even purchased a farm in Spain where it grows its own olives and the sweet tomatoes are hand-picked in Salerno (western Italy) during July and August. So you can see that a lot of thought and effort has gone into the creation of each individual pizza making it an artisanal masterpiece.

Everyone in the group enjoyed their pizza and there were no complaints what so ever. The organic, non-sulphite wine is only a mere £3.50 a glass so it’s perfect for students and pizzas cost around £7. I would highly recommend Franco Manca; it beats Pizza Express and Zizis any day.  The only downside is it can be a bit breezy as you might have to sit outside because it’s in Brixton open air market. But if you wrap up warmly, it won’t be a problem. I have also heard that queues get really long on a Saturday when the food market is fully functioning, but on a Friday evening, we only waited for 15 minutes. Belissimo!

Scores:

Food: 8/10

Ambience: 6/10, its probably better if you sit inside.

Value for money: 9/10

Would I go again: Yes.

Finally…Dinner at Bubbledogs!

I tried to go to Bubbledogs when it had just opened, but the queue was so long we weren’t going to get a table until after 11 so decided against it. This would put some people off, but not me, I was determined to eat there.

The concept is simple. American Hot Dogs served with grower Champagnes. Genius.  The restaurant is run by power couple James Knappett (Chef) and Sandia Chang, who both previously worked at Noma, the world’s best restaurant of 2011. The couple have lived up to expectations, as their newest venture is a roaring success.

I went there for dinner with a few friends on a Wednesday evening and we arrived at 6pm but still had to queue for over an hour. I personally think it’s worth the wait. The restaurant is really small but the turn around is quite quick, so if you don’t mind standing in the queue having a catch up, the wait isn’t an issue.

There are ten hot dogs to choose from. Some are quite plain where as others are adventurous, for example the Jose with salsa, avocado, sour cream and pickled jalapenos. The waiter recommended the Sloppy Joe, which is their most popular hot dog. It was delicious. They’re not massive, so I would advise having a side order. They don’t do standard chips; its ‘tots’ or sweet potato. I went for tots, which were very yummy, but I couldn’t finish them all.

If you’re looking for more than a hot dog, there is the option to book the 19-seater ‘Kitchen Table’, where chef Knappett cooks up a scrumptious five course meal, talking you through the gastronomic experience dish by dish. This starts at £50 per head.

The decor is cosy and fun, with cartoon illustrations of dogs covering the walls. The atmosphere is also great, but I think that’s because everyone has been waiting outside for so long.

I wouldn’t necessarily associate having a glass of champagne with a hot dog, but it was an excellent combination. I spent about £20, so for a mid-week meal that I enjoyed, I’m happy to pay that and would happily go back.

Scores:

Food: 7/10, Simple yet filling and delicious

Ambience: 8/10, they had a great playlist, even played Jitter Bug, one of my top five songs of all time.

Value for money: 7/10, It’s not cheap (especially if you have more than 1 glass of champers) but it doesn’t blow the budget.

Would I go again: YES PLEASE.

Spuntino, 61 Rupert Street, Soho

Hello. Sorry I haven’t written a blog for a while, there are two reasons for this. Firstly I went on holiday and didn’t eat anywhere too exciting and secondly, I have been writing my dissertation, on food funnily enough, which has prevented me from leading a normal life. Apologies for the lack of blogs.

I have also had a few inquiries as to the nature of this blog, so just to clear up any grey areas, not all of the restaurants featured are evidently ethical, but they are more ethical than big chain restaurants because they are often small-businesses that are family run and source food locally. Also, this means the food is exciting, engaging, unexpected and a socio-cultural experience as opposed to a fuel.

Anyway, back to Spuntino… beware this is quite a scathing review.

I really wanted to go to Bubbledogs, a unique establishment that only serves gourmet hotdogs and speciality champagnes, but on arrival, the queue was three hours long so we thought we would give that one a miss… (But stay tuned as I am determined to go there).

One member of the group recommended Spuntino in Soho and assured me that I would love it. They couldn’t have been more wrong…

Being a Friday night and seating only 30 guests, the queue at Spuntino was a good 40 minutes long, but you could order drinks and stand inside while you waited.

The décor is difficult to describe, probably ‘rustic industrial chic’. I’m talking peeling tiled walls, functional low lighting and wood shavings on the floor for that ‘I just carved a table’ kind of feel. Staff at Spuntino are unique – denim shirts, ironic moustaches and edgy off-the-shoulder striped t-shirts are the standard uniform. The manager, a charming young gentleman, insists on striking up a conversation with everyone in the queue (probably to ensure that they don’t leave), but he didn’t give us any free drinks so I wasn’t overly impressed with his charm.

After becoming increasingly hungry and drunk from an odd drink known as a ‘Gin Prince Shandy’, we were finally seated. Most of the seating is around the bar, which is the main feature of the restaurant, but there are additional seats in a dark corner at the back. Unfortunately, we were in the dark corner. We sat in a line, as if we were at a bar. This is great if there are only two of you, but there were three of us so I couldn’t hear a word of George’s conversation.

The Food:

Initially I found the menu baffling. The variety was odd, lots of British classics but everything was ‘mini’, yet with the price tag of a normal size meal. I would say that the food could be described as ‘novelty’, but it’s mildly annoying when you’re hungry and just want something filling to eat. I ordered a burger which wasn’t tiny enough to have something else as well, but it didn’t come with any sides so wasn’t massively filling. With the price tag of £9 for the burger alone, I think, quite frankly, that’s a rip off.

Other members of the group ordered chicken wings, a boiled egg with soldiers and a steak and egg for £10, which was literally a small steak with an egg on top – nothing more, not even a cheeky peppercorn sauce. And what really annoyed me was the fact that they didn’t even ask us how we like our steak. After taking advice from our waiter, we also ordered some sides of ‘shoe string fries’ and coleslaw. I’m a hand-cut chips kind of person so I didn’t appreciate chips that were so thin they didn’t look like they had ever begun their life as a whole potato.

Overall the food was overpriced, not especially filling and perhaps was trying to be something it wasn’t. I had an enjoyable evening with great company and we definitely experienced a meal that was out of the ordinary, I just don’t think it was worth the price tag.

Scores:

Food: 5/10, it’s tasty but there isn’t enough of it.

Ambience: 7/10

Value for money: 3/10

Would I go again: Not within the next year at least. 

Orchard Café, Sicilian Avenue, Holborn

After my first vegetarian experience at the Indian Veg Bhelpoori House I wanted to find somewhere that was a bit less ‘in-your-face’ in terms of its ethical message, and I think I found just the place at Orchard. The Café (I’m not going to call it a restaurant because it’s quite small and isn’t really a dinner kind of place) is situated in the beautiful Sicilian Avenue, opposite Holborn tube station.

Built in 1910, the avenue is short but like most small things, it is beautiful with an exquisite Edwardian archway and arcade. It caught my eye whilst I was passing by on the bus and I knew I had to visit this road, loving all things Italian.

I was hoping to find some kind of exciting Sicilian restaurant, but instead I was faced with a choice of Patisserie Valerie (a large French café chain) or the Spaghetti House (a London based Italian chain). Even though I did quite fancy a pasta Carbonara, this blog is all about eating something unexpected, so I had to resist. Orchard was the only other option and I was feeling sceptical, but the rustic, country-garden décor enticed me.

I am happy to admit that I thought all vegetarian food was boring and would never fill me up, but after eating at Orchard, I stand corrected. I don’t know what they do, but they make vegetables taste amazing.  After doing a little research, I found out that the owners started a restaurant called Vanilla Black at Chancery Lane. It was apparently a very famous and ambitious vegetarian restaurant with a British theme, and Orchard was supposed to be a Café-style version of this. Perhaps that’s another one for me to visit.

At Orchard I ordered a vintage Cheddar pudding and smoked potato croquette with caramelised red onions, homemade tomato ketchup and roasted garden vegetables.  Need I say anymore… The meal was so delicious, even the non-Heinz ketchup was great, and that’s really saying something because, for me, ‘it has to be Heinz’.  Others things on the menu included a ‘3 salads’ plate, homemade soup, sardines and a tomato and chervil tart, all served with their freshly-baked bread. The puddings include various fruit dishes and a selection of cakes baked daily. Sadly, the cakes were so popular that they had all been eaten by the time I arrived, so I had to suffice with an Eaton Mess, which ticked all my boxes.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone – vegetarian or carnivore – looking for somewhere to grab a quick but highly delicious lunch. It’s perfect for professionals working in the area, but equally an excellent spot to meet friends for a cup of herbal tea and a healthy-sized slice of cake. It’s not particularly cheap for a lunch, but it’s worth it as a lot of thought and effort has gone into the preparation of each dish.  The café is charmingly furnished and the staff are pleasant.

Scores:

Food: 8/10, a small menu but creative and filling. I love the homemade bread.

Ambience: 8/10, its relaxed with a buzz of chatter.

Value for money: 7/10, its expensive but not over-priced.

Would I go again: Yes.

http://www.vanillablack.co.uk/

(the restaurant linked to Orchard - looks divine)

Directions to Orchard: It's in a small lane opposite Holborn tube station on the Central Line

The Lahore Kebab House, Commercial Street

I have heard from different sources that this is the best place for a curry in London, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The restaurant is on the way to Brick Lane, renowned in London for its curry houses, so it can be easily over-looked, and the outside is not exactly eye-catching. But it must be something special if so many people have told me its better than the Brick Lane experience. The Lahore has two locations, one in Streatham (south-west London) and the one I visited on Umberston Street in East London. It is a family run business owned by a father and his two sons, boasting the best Pakistani cuisine in London. Their East London location seats 350 people and is often at full capacity on Friday and Saturday nights.

I need put my visit to the Lahore into context, I went with my brother and 12 of his school friends, testosterone was high. It’s a BYOB situation, so before our meal the boys and I popped to the off-licence next door to pick up some Cobras, and a Rose for myself. My first impression was that tasteful Indian-themed décor was not top of their list, but the place was packed so perhaps they were doing something right. We were seated upstairs amongst what felt like hundreds of other diners, they weren’t over exaggerating when they said they regularly host 350 people. It felt like a school canteen, but instead of school uniform, it was full of men in suits and there were no teachers to monitor behaviour. I knew it was going to be a rowdy sort of dinner, so I downed my glass of wine and got into the spirit.

I don’t have very much to say about the food – mainly because I didn’t get very much. Sitting with 13 boys is an error, especially if you end up at the end of the table. My brother ordered a ‘selection’ for everyone; he thought this was a good idea. The starters were meat cooked in spices; it was tasty but too spicy for me. It went down well with the boys and in just a few seconds the plates were clean. The main course arrived shortly after; these consisted of chicken or lamb in a selection of spicy curry sauces. I’m a Korma kind of girl, I can’t handle spice. I tried my best, but even their Korma was really spicy and so I left it to the boys. I couldn’t get up the next morning, but I’m going to blame it on the spicy curry because it meant that I had to drink a lot of wine to extinguish the fire in my mouth.

Scores:

Food: 5/10, too spicy and not enough meat. It also took them 15 minutes to bring me a fork.

Ambience: 6/10, very noisy, the perfect location for the beginning of a ‘lads’ night out. I wouldn’t take the girls there.

Value for money: 5/10, my meal set me back by £16, I think that’s quite pricey seeing as it didn’t include drinks and I was still peckish when we left. 

Would I go again: Maybe, but only if other people really wanted to.

Address:

2 Umberston Street,
London,
E1 1PY

http://www.lahore-kebabhouse.com/

The Buenos Aires Café, Blackheath

In order to keep a healthy balance on the blog, this next post is all about meat. Vegetarians look away.

The Buenos Aires Café is located in the lovely ‘village’ of Blackheath, in South-East London. There is sadly no tube connection to Blackheath, perhaps one of the reasons as to why it is able to maintain its charm, but there is an over ground connection in the heart of the village, just 12 minutes from London Bridge. The restaurant is located on Royal Parade, overlooking views of the heath, which gives a relaxed feel to the place.

There are quite a few interesting establishments in the area covering a selecting of price ranges. For example Chapters, aimed at the more up-market customer, in contrast to the rustic approach of the ‘Hand Made Food Café’. With its close proximity to Greenwich Park, Blackheath makes for a lovely afternoon out.

The Buenos Aires Café falls in the middle of the price range, with a steak retailing in at £14 to £30, depending on your preference. It is a firm favourite for a ‘treat meal’ in my family, particularly with my brother. The co-owners, an Argentinian and his English wife, run the place themselves, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The café was inspired by their revulsion at the quality of beef in the UK and the way in which animals are reared. All of their meat is sourced from an Argentinian supplier who provides them with the best cuts. The cattle industry of Argentina is highly profitable, with live-weight cattle production totalling $4.7 billion in 2005, yet it operates in a unique way. The Pampas region, where Argentinian cattle varieties traditionally come from, is an area covering 190,000 square miles where approximately 31 million cattle are able to roam free. This style of cattle ranching is one of the most ecologically sound in the world, as animals are ‘free-ranging’ and unnatural supplements are prevented from entering the heard, cattle ranching as it should be.

It is important to understand the different types of meat available, and although it may be more expensive, it is more ethical of opt for organic or ‘free-ranging’ meats, as the animals will have been raised in good conditions that are less damaging to the environment.

If you don't like meat - I suggest you really do look away now....

The Café’s philosophy is: “The simplest food is often the best, providing that high-quality and authentic ingredients have been used.”

This definitely shows through in the menu as meats are ordered with simple accompaniments of hand-cut chips, steamed spinach and sweet corn, but everything is delicious and cooked to perfection. My family ordered a steak platter with a selection of meats, which were all of a high quality. It must also be appreciated that the chef is not a one-trick pony – they also serve Argentinian style pizzas, pasta and bread-crumbed chicken. Having a vegetarian in our midst, I was able to sample the pizza first hand, and I was not disappointed. They obviously know a thing or two about cooking a variety of consistently excellent food.

Scores:

Food: 9/10. It can’t be a 10 because they were a bit stingy with the tomato ketchup (which wasn’t Heinz)

Ambience: 8/10, friendly environment with a good view and relaxing background music.  Perfect for a family meal or an intimate date…

Value for money: 8/10, It is pricey, but it’s worth it for a treat.

Would I go again: Yes.