I am in London for a few days before heading to France. Yup, I’ve temporarily exchanged char kway teow for fish pie…and so far, so good. The weather is glacial but, at least, sunny.
We’re staying with friends in north London – an area of London I don’t know brilliantly but have loved getting familiar with. On our way home on the bank holiday weekend just gone, we stopped off in Little Venice, a picturesque part of town just north of Paddington and right on the water.
I’m a bit tired of hearing these two words. They are usually a license to charge quite a lot for fussy food that leaves a substantial hole in your wallet.
Well, not these guys. Labyrinth was a seriously pleasant surprise and has been set up by a breakaway group who previously worked together for Les Amis. It’s fantastic value at $78 for five seriously clever, gourmet courses with a wine menu that is not ridiculous.
Angela is her name and puddings are her game (well, as well as property and a few other things). She’s a family friend and here she is at my house with a beautiful Tiramisu that she made me for a dinner party this Friday.
I sometimes let pudding slip through the net when I am planning a menu but…Angela to the rescue. She lives very close to me and kindly let me drop off a bowl with her – otherwise her creations come in tupperwear, but you can always decant. I hate buying something that’s come from a shop when I’m hosting, so this is an easy cheat as it’s all beautifully homemade. Just not in your home.
I do so love a sneaky burger. I don’t eat them very often but when I do, I want it to be amazing and worth every single cheese-laden calorie.
What constitutes the perfect burger? Does it include mustard and mayo? Do you need salad in there? Is ketchup compulsory? This became a heated discussion at a wine-fulled dinner party a few weeks ago where two people, it materialised, felt passionately that their homemade versions were The Best.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I did what any other sensible person would have done. I suggested a burger-off.
If you feel likewise, then you and I may, quite possibly, have visited the same place recently.
The chaps over at Chochosan in Far East Plaza do not muck around. If you have a knot or a slight pain they will find it, as if my magic. This doesn’t make for a particularly relaxing 40 or 60 minutes (choose the level of torture you think you can stand) but it does make you feel utterly fantastic afterwards. It could just be the sheer relief that the pain and pummeling has finally stopped, but either way you have a spring in your step and shoulders about 5 inches lower than they were when you came in.
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