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.