Fiori Corner @ Leicester Square, London

This is a super dated post considering I went to London in 2012 =P But no worries, this shop which is opposite Leicester Square tube station has been there for ages (it was there when I was in London in 2005) and it looks like it will be there for quite some time. Fiori is a great place for big breakfasts and being located at a popular spot, its meal sets are really quite affordable.

Shop Front

English Breakfast

I had the English Breakfast set which comes with two sunny side-ups, a juicy and meaty sausage, grilled bacon, half a grilled tomato and a heap of sauteed button mushrooms. Definitely one of the most satisfying breakfasts ever created in the world! 

Buttered toasts

Each set comes with a plate of buttered toasts but honestly one triangular slice is more than enough.

As expected since it was such a long time ago, I can't really remember the price but it is definitely less than GBP 10 which makes the meal very worth it. When I do visit London again, I'm pretty sure I'll return to Fiori Corner for breakfast.

PawPoints: 4 Paws

Fiori Corner

T: Leicester Square
42-43 Cranbourn Street

London
Tel: +44 020 7437 2694
Daily: 7am - 2am

Banhmi 11 @ Broadway Market, London

After my disappointing search for banh mi in Melbourne, I was adamant to get one in London. Upon checking out the reviews from local bloggers on the various banh mi(s) available in the city, I settled on the famous Banhmi 11. They do not have a permanent shop as far as I'm aware, so I had to settle for their mobile stall at Broadway Market. They are stationed there every Saturday and you can check out their website for their schedule on other days.
 
Among all the locations listed on their website, Broadway Market is one of the nearer ones to the city centre. Having said that, it is still quite a distance to get to the market and I had to purposely make a detour from my itinerary to get there. They are also open on Mondays at Berwick Street Market at Soho but unfortunately, I only had time on Saturday =( Anyway the point is, if you're planning on getting to Broadway Market, do make sure to get a detailed map as it is quite a distance (for us Asians) from the tube station.

   
There are lots to see at Broadway Market but do take note that it is one of the smaller markets. In any case, there are fresh produce, homemade jam and preserves, ethnic food stalls and lovely flowers. There is also a park nearby called London Fields where you can chill, soak up the sunshine (if the sun has not gone into hiding) or enjoy typical British blustery winds and watch the world go by =P

    

Huge banner to ensure you don't miss it

   
Banhmi 11 seems to be managed by a family as there is a group of teenagers helping to man the stall and cope with the never-ending orders.

   

Chalkboard menu

   

Ingredients

   

The accompaniments

   
Each banh mi consists of pickled carrot and radish, cucumber and coriander nestled in a freshly baked French baguette. You'll be asked if you want your banh mi spicy and once the go-ahead is given, the salad gets a generous splash of cili padi (bird's eye chillies) and soy sauce.

    

The baguette is crusty and warm and provides a good base for the filling. The taste of the Vietnamese salad was rather mild - I prefer it to have a sharper zing of vinegar.

   

Op La Di Beef (GBP 4.50)

   
The Op La Di Beef has a wonderful aroma from the sizzling grill and the thinly sliced sirloin steak is very tender and flavourful, not a surprise since it has been marinated in a unique pear BBQ sauce. It  goes well with the pickled Vietnamese salad and it is kind of like eating an Asian dish in a bun. 

    

Crackling Pork Belly (GBP 4.50)

   
The Crackling Pork Belly consists of roasted pork in lemon juice and five spice powder. There was not much crackling in my sandwich and most of the time, my bites consisted of bread and salad only. Also, after being compressed in the bun, some of the crackling got a bit soggy and soft. But when you do get a bite of crispy crackling, salad and bread, what a superb explosion of yumminess in your mouth!

   
Perhaps I kept imagining the yummy taste of banh mi and kept my expectations too high but when I finally tried it, it was...average. I would have given it a higher rating if the taste was more pronounced. Nevertheless, it was a good experience eating an Asian baguette which is not yet available on Malaysian shores.

    

    

PawPoints: 3 Paws
   
http://www.banhmi11.com/
   
Banhmi 11

Tube: Bethnal Green

Broadway Market
London
Sat: 10am - 5pm

Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant @ Wardour Street, London

Four Seasons Restaurant at Bayswater is arguably the best restaurant in London for roast duck, or so they say. Even my friends swear by it. I went there once when I was a student but I didn't like it. This time, I returned there again with my brother to see if it is indeed the best roast duck in town and also, to get a second opinion.

      

Wardour Street branch

     

Menu for Rice Dishes

   

Menu for Soup Noodles

   

Menu for Noodle Dishes

   

Complimentary chilli sauce, pickled green chillies and chilli oil

   

Two Combination Barbecued Duck and Soya Chicken on Rice (GBP 6.50)

   
The Barbecued Duck looked good with a thick glistening skin but in reality, the meat was quite tough and the skin too fatty and oily. Both my brother and I didn't think it was worth all the hype. We also unanimously agreed that the mobile roast duck stall at USJ 2 is way better than this (Incidentally, JS's family also regularly buys roast duck from USJ 2 and I can tell you it beats whatever famous roast duck from Loong Foong at PJ too).

     

The Soya Chicken was a surprise winner with super juicy, soft and smooth meat and a nice slippery skin which has absorbed the soya sauce flavour. The combination of finely sliced spring onions and ginger truly complemented the chicken and enhanced its flavour. Too bad they gave only a small amount of this.

   

Two Combination Barbecued Pork and Crispy Pork Belly on Rice (GBP 6.50)

   
The Barbecued Pork was disappointing. First of all, I prefer the glazed, charred kind to these artificially-coloured pork. Second, the meat was quite dry without much flavour and it's just like eating plain pork. I gave away most of it to my brother who was hungry and took the opportunity to barter for more Soya Chicken =P
   
I eagerly awaited the Crispy Pork Belly as who makes them better than Hong Kong people? Unfortunately it also fell short of my expectations as the skin was not crispy enough and the meat was too lean and hence, quite dry.
   
Overall, not a very memorable dining experience >. > I'd much rather have some gourmet burgers or go for more Moolis! I'd say skip this or head for Empress of Sichuan. If you're on a budget, Eat sandwich shops or any of the many Chinese restaurants in Soho would be good for a quick bite. But if you really, really, really want a taste of it, there's no need to travel halfway round the world - there is a branch at Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya.
   
 
PawPoints: 2 Paws

http://fs-restaurants.co.uk/
      
Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant
T: Picadilly Circus
23 Wardour St
London
Tel: +44 020 7287 9995
Mon - Thu: 12pm - 11.30pm
Fri - Sat: 12pm - 12am
Sun: 12pm - 11pm

Wahaca @ Chandos Place, London

I don't know why but I just have a thing for Mexican food. I love all their wraps and the funky names of each dish...they just sound so trendy and hippie-ish. Imagine my delight when I found out about an average-priced joint in London!

     

Wahaca-kakakaka

   
Wahaca is a really popular restaurant so do be sure to make a reservation. It was lucky that we arrived there early as there was already a short queue. There's a waiting area where you get to chill and get some booze while you're waiting or you can fiddle around with the many knick-knacks on the counter.
   

Complimentary door gifts

   
There were tons of these mini-packets for patrons to take home with them...can you guess what they contain? Inside each packet are a few chilli seeds for you to grow in a small pot and harvest for your very own Mexican home-cooking. Such a cool idea huh? By the way, the restaurant is located underground which I find really unique.
 

Chile sauces

 
They've got two types of sauces to go with the food - one is a searingly hot chile de arbol sauce and the other a fiery habanero chile sauce. Whoa scary stuff! Well it might be for the locals but definitely not for us South East Asians haha. These searingly hot and fiery sauces were just a tiny bit spicy to say the least but they complemented the dishes very well =)
 

Hibiscus Water (GBP 1.75)

   
The Hibiscus Water is a very refreshing drink made from cranberry flavoured Mexican flower juice, whatever Mexican flower is =P It is a very good thirst quencher and tasted somewhat like a concentrated Ribena =)
   

Chicken Tinga Tacos (GBP 3.95)

 
GBP 3.95 for a plate of 3 tacos is not bad at all. This chicken tacos is coated in a smoky tomato sauce and a splash of extra hot chipotle adobo and crema and sprinkled with cilantro. The mini flour tortillas were seasoned just right and the extra hot sauce really does lend a bit of kick to the flavourful filling. One of the best I've tried.
 

Close-up of the taco

   

Chorizo and Potato Quesadillas (GBP 3.95)

   
The Chorizo and Potato Quesadillas is much cheesier than Fresca's and very yummy. I couldn't taste much chorizo though but I like the crisp texture of the quesadillas contrasting with the warm, comforting and mushy-in-a-good-way hash.
   

See the filling?

 
We wanted to order an additional Burrito considering the size of the dishes but they were so busy and we couldn't order for a certain duration to allow the cook to, I don't know, stock up and start cooking from scratch again (everything is freshly made apparently). By the time they were ready to take orders, we had to rush off for the next item in our itinerary or risk delaying the schedule (I run like clockwork =P). So, bad point there but the place was literally packed to the rafters.
 
Do give it a try if you're in London as I'm always of the opinion that Western food somehow tastes much better in Western countries (no-brainer huh?). Incidentally, if you're not willing to splurge on an air ticket, there is a cookbook called Wahaca that is written by the owner so you can replicate the dishes in your very own kitchen! I was tempted to get it when I saw the book in a bookstore there but it was priced at GBP 20+ and I thought it too expensive.

    

   

PawPoints: 4 Paws
 
http://www.wahaca.co.uk/flash/main.html
    
Wahaca

T: London Charing Cross
66 Chandos Place
Covent Garden
London

Tel: +44 0207 240 1883
Mon - Sat: 12pm - 11pm
Sun: 12pm - 10.30pm

Empress of Sichuan @ Chinatown, London

I have been craving Sichuan food of late and searching high and low for it in KL. The only ones I found are hawker-stall like restaurants in Pudu which seems kind of dodgy and some Chinese Muslim restaurant in either Kota Damansara or one of the nearby similarly-named areas. One authentic restaurant I found was Si Chuan Dou Hua at Federal Hotel but that is a pricey option. Anyone has any good recommendations?
   
Anyway London has quite a number of Sichuan restaurants within its Chinatown and after googling a bit, I settled on Empress of Sichuan. It is also quite pricey but I thought of splurging on this =)

     

Shop Front

       

Spicy Fragrant with Dried Chillies and Pepper (GBP 13 )

   
I love this dish! The chicken cubes are so tender and fragrant with the chilli oil and stir-fried peppers. Quite oily, mildly spicy (for Malaysian tastebuds) and extremely addictive when eaten with rice. I would highly recommend this d^_^b

   

Closer shot of the dish in all its fiery colours

   

Beef Slices in Extremely Spicy Soup (GBP 13.50)

   
Wanted to order another vegetable dish but it didn't seem worth it to pay so much for a tofu dish so being the greedy siblings we were, we opted for a beef dish. When it arrived at the table, we were shocked at its size - a huge bowl of sliced beef in what looked more like chilli oil than soup =.= The beef slices were really really tender and thin and they were really generous with the portion - we probably ate more than 10 slices each. If I remember correctly, there was also cabbage in the soup. My brother actually ladled the soup over his rice but I refrained from doing so due to the amount of oil to soup ratio. This is quite spicy and my brother enjoyed it but I think I prefer the chicken dish.

   

Long Green Beans with Minced Pork (GBP 9.20)

     
This is a non-spicy dish and good for counterbalancing all the chilli oil. I love this dish too as there was lots of wok hei in it. It's really addictive and I even finished it till the last bit when my brother could no longer take another bite. Highly recommended, this one.

   

Complimentary dessert

   
They gave us a complimentary dessert of layered red bean jelly. Not too sweet so it was just nice.
   

If you don't mind the slightly exorbitant price, Empress of Sichuan is a really good place to try out Sichuan food.

       

PawPoints: 4 Paws

      

http://www.restaurantprivilege.com/empress-of-sichuan/home.html

      

Empress of Sichuan
T: Leicester Square
6 Lisle St
Chinatown
London
Tel: +44 0207 734 8128

Mon - Wed: 12pm - 10.45pm
Thu - Sun: 12pm - 11.15pm

Moolis @ Frith Street, London

A shop specialising in wraps? A shop famous for its goat curry wrap? A shop selling modern Indian street food? This really piqued my curiosity and I ticked off Moolis as a compulsory stopover in my itinerary.
   

What a cute name!

   

Quirky artwork

   
Love the pomegranate wheels - totally reflecting the menu!
   

Self-service Station

 
They've got a really handy self-service station with the usual napkins and cutlery, water, olive oil, sauces and even chilli oil.
   

Menu

   
The menu is relatively simple but the description of the wraps is totally tantalising. Prices are relatively cheap too which is great for tourists on a budget. Small eaters even get to order mini-moolis!
   
Aside from the main wraps, they've got salad boxes, a whole range of chutneys, side dishes, pappadom bites and dessert as well as plain daal and roti. They've also got really unique feast spreads.

  

The goodies

 
As usual, I did thorough research on the eatery and the most famous item on the menu is the goat wrap. Being such a porky lover, I couldn't resist ordering the pork wrap as well with the tempting addition of pomegranate salsa. There was a daily special of lamb kofta and I was really tempted to try it too but it was more expensive and it didn't sound as though it was in the form of a wrap.
   

Goat Wrap (GBP 5.50)

   
Tada, the infamous goat wrap! The wrap is not the usual tortilla bread but, in keeping with the Indian theme, a non-greasy roti. It is chock full of tender fragrant goat meat marinated in dry roasted cumin, coriander, cloves, chillies and cinnamon and accompaniments such as tomato and pickled onion cubes, lots of fresh coriander and bite-sized potatoes sauteed with dry mango and cumin. My brother and I both enjoyed this tremendously. The only downside is that there's quite a bit of oil from the dry curry which seeps through the roti and might end up being too oily for some.
   

Pork Wrap (GBP 5)

   
The pork wrap consists of shredded slow-cooked pork marinated in red wine vinegar, chillies and garlic, interspersed with lots of fresh vege and the sweet pomegranate salsa. The pork wrap can be a little dry at some parts of the wrap which can be easily remedied with the chilli oil (I didn't quite like the  raita). Also the pomegranate salsa lends it a distinctive sweetness which helps the overall flavour.
   

Go get your goat NOW!

    

With such yummy North Indian offerings, I would definitely get the loyalty card if I lived in London and I would definitely visit Moolis if I ever return to London again. It is a great place to grab a quick lunch as testified by the lunch crowd.

  

  

PawPoints: 5 Paws

http://www.moolis.com/

Moolis

Tube: Tottenham Court Road
50 Frith St
Soho
London

Tel: 020 7494 9075

Mon - Sat: 8.30am - 11.30pm
Sun: 8.30am - 10.30pm