I went to group dinners at three spots last week, two of which were to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Haozhan: This is smack dab in the middle of Gerrard Street in Chinatown.  A British friend of mine of Chinese heritage says it’s the place he
takes his ‘white/British’ friends when they want to go for a meal in
Chinatown instead of the more authentic, if dingier places in the area.  Haozhan aims to be somewhat more upscale and contemporary than its neighbors.   They don’t serve traditional Chinese dishes — no Peking duck on this menu — but the dishes are creative and tasty.  The evening was marred somewhat by interminably slow service but I can see myself going back.

Tbilisi: A Georgian restaurant on Holloway Road in Islington.  I’d never had Georgian food but am glad I went.  They served us some mezze/small plates – two aubergine dishes (one not unlike ratatouille), beetroot, a pureed spinach dish and cheese pastry.  The description of these dishes do not do them justice – they were all tasty and surprisingly subtle.  Mains included some very tender chicken in a delicate curry, and pork kebabs.  All of this was quaffed down by drinkable Gerogian wine and Chacha, their version of Grappa.  The service was good and they let us stay late. We had a good meal for 25 quid, making this a good place to go with a group. 

Pearl Liang: This is a more traditional Chinese place in a very untraditional location: the new Sheldon Square complex just by Paddington and Little Venice.   We went for a dim sum lunch (thank for organizing, Alice) and were not disappointed.  All of the standards were there – bbq’d pork buns, scallion pancakes, potstickers — executed well.  A hearty lunch cost just south of 20 quid a person making this another great group outing. 

Over the past few months, I’ve asked many a Londoner about sights that I should be sure to see.  Almost all of them have recommended visiting Borough Market on a Saturday, especially when they learn of my foodie tendencies.  So it was high on my list, and yet I put off going – there was always something to do or I was away or, worse, had errands to run.  I put an end to that today as I made finally made the pilgrimage.  It did not disappoint.

Per the Wikipedia entry, Borough Market is one of the largest food markets in the world and considered to be one of the highest quality markets in the UK.  It has been around for 250 years and is both a wholesale and retail market.  The quality and variety of food that’s on offer is amazing:  you have the usual farmers’ market stalls selling organic produce, cheeses and meats, of course, but also stalls selling regional and specialty products.  Olive oil from Andalucia anyone?  Fresh lychees? There’s one selling all sorts of ostrich meat.  Another for venison.  And another selling just parmesan cheese.  Regional stalls include greek souvlaki, fresh seafood, sushi, damascean falafel, german sausages, indian and, yes, fish and chips (which looked fluffy and non-greasy and altogether delectable)…it’s enough to make your head spin. 

I took a couple of pictures but then my stomach took over and I put my camera away.  I’d worked up an appetite on my walk there from Waterloo station, so I went for a chorizo sandwich at one of the first stalls I came across.  It was delicious and I quaffed it down with the help of some organic lemon, ginger and honey concoction from another stall followed by a handmade chocolate chip biscuit to satisfy the sweet tooth, all of which set me back a grand total of 7 quid.  It was a good call to eat before going shopping or else I would have gone home with a lot more foodstuffs (and a lot lighter wallet).  Needless to say, it is a star attraction in London for both tourists and locals, and I can’t wait to go back.

I hosted a surprise party last weekend for my wife’s birthday at Les Zygomates in Boston.  Les Zygomates is a french wine bar and restaurant with live jazz every night of the week.  There are two sides to the place and we were in the cafe area (away from the band).  They have a fantastic wine list and inventive drinks (our bartender made a mean margarita featuring Patron and a dash of Grand Marnier).  The bar menu had a solid list of appetizers, which hit the spot for our guests – especially the calamari and the frites.  Lastly, we received great service: they let me bring cakes in from Rosie’s Bakery (highly recommended) and held them in their fridge during the day.  The manager was also kind enough to put up a screen to help mark out our space and shield the guests for when we walked in.  Thanks to the folks at Les Zyg for such a memorable experience; can’t wait to go back there.

I recently blogged about the need for a MenuPages for the Boston/Cambridge area and well, my wish has been granted with the MenuPages Boston site.  Hat tip to Dan and everyone else for the low-downs on local eateries.  Menupix is also another good alternative.  Yelp is nice because it has real reviews though they’re still working to critical mass. 

We don’t yet have a regular rotation for take-out and delivery places near our place (between Harvard & Central Square in Cambridge).  We’ve tried a few restaurants but they were mediocre at best, and looking others up on websites is either too time consuming or the websites lack credibility.  Does anyone know if there is a Menupages for Boston/Cambridge?  Restaurant recommendations are also appreciated.  So far our rotation consists only of:

Whole Foods – Always the reliable standby
Pho Pasteur – Decent Vietnamese food
Cafe Sushi – Okay Japanese   

Update: Thanks to Gaurav who suggested trying out Menupix.  It’s just what I’m looking for, though it’ll be better when more people put reviews up there.  In the meanwhile, keep the recommendations coming!

Z

My wife and I celebrated our Anniversary by going to Oleana in Cambridge.  Best meal we’ve had so far in Boston.  I liked the decoration & ambience, the service was fine, if a tad slow, and the food was great.  They serve Turkish/Mediterannean cuisine with lots of fresh, local ingredients in the menu.  I had this haloumi dish as an appetizer.  It was flambeed with ouzo and served with figs — I liked the sweetness of the fig, which balanced the saltiness of haloumi chees.  Dara had a really great looking heirloom tomato salad.  I had soft shell crab as an entree while Dara had the pork keftedes.  I loved the crab but it won’t be in season and I’ll get the pork or lamb next time. 

Highly recommended. 

My wife Dara and I did some recipe testing early last year.  It was for Linda Carucci, whom we’d both taken cooking classes from at Sur La Table in SF when we lived there (she used the classes to recruit guinea pigs for her recipes).   Linda is a highly accomplished chef and, most importantly, a great teacher.  If you ever get the opportunity to take a class she’s teaching, take it.  She has these little tips & secrets that are the difference between a dish that tastes good, and one that is great.  As an example, one of her salad recipes calls for celery.  The secret here is to use a vegetable peeler to peel the first couple of layers off the celery before chopping it up.  This gets rid of the stringy stuff that can ruin an otherwise enjoyable bit of salad.  Well, Linda has turned these insider tips into a book called: Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks, which I recommend for those wanting insight into the little things that make all of the difference.  I haven’t yet read it but I’m sure it will be worth it — ours is on order and I can’t to see if the recipes we’d tested (Salad, Split Pea Soup, Risotto with Baby Clams) made it in the book!   

While I’m recommending cookbooks that I haven’t yet read, my friend Jessie has just published her own titlted Not On Love Alone: A Year of Delicious Dinners and More for Newlyweds.  She is a great cook and her book is about how, with modern life so hectic, a couple should cook at least 1 dinner each month together.  The hardcover book has funny stories and watercolors by Jessie, and should make a good gift for a newly engaged or married couple.