L'Autre Pied

We're not done with Canada yet, although we have concluded all four posts for Montreal. We'll take a brief break from Canada today as we whisk over to London briefly before returning to Toronto and Vancouver next week!

Whenever I'm in London, I find myself passing through Paddington Tube station a lot.

Why?

Many reasons, actually. First, the Heathrow Express runs straight into Paddington from the airport in a zippy 15 minutes. It is undoubtedly the fastest, most traffic-free, and most convenient way to get into the city.

Second, I go to London mostly for business, and my company is actually closer to Oxford. Again, the train that runs to Oxford leaves from Paddington Station. So I find myself near Paddington a lot.

Invariably, the question comes up about where to eat near Paddington. Is there good food in that area?

The last time I was in London, British colleagues of mine took me to a fantastic little French restaurant right in Marylebone, an area that's only about a 10-15 walk away from Paddington Station.The food at this one-Michelin star French restaurant was fantastic, and I was actually quite surprised at how reasonable the prices were.

L'autre Pied is the little sister restaurant to Pied a Terre, the fancier, upscale French restaurant. This (literally) "other Pied" serves excellent food at a fraction of the price of its two-Michelin older sister. We ordered the 9-course tasting, which only cost 49 pounds (about $78). This is even cheaper than the 7-course tasting for $85 at Luce, which Bryan already thought was a reasonably good deal.

We began with a creative and cute amuse: Beetroot cup with lemon mousse. The lemon mousse most definitely was blended with something that had a strong liver essence. Not being a huge fan of liver, I did not love the amuse, though I could see a foie gras lover thinking it was pretty good.

The next course, Avocado Cucumber Cream, was light and airy, and came topped with miniature olive sprinkles and micro chopped herbs.

This next dish totally shouted spring! (it was April, after all). Shaved English asparagus and grated Belper Knolle (a firm, unpasteurized cheese) were served with mizuna cream, lemon puree, and crispy shallots. I loved the intense shots of flavor that came from the various "creams" and "purees", which came as fun spherified balls on the plate.

We soon noticed that the chef really liked to present his sauces in many different forms. The next dish, Roasted Scallop and Tartare, came with black quinoa and "sauces" such as fennel & ginger jelly and red pepper & Kaffir lime "dollops." Everything was executed exquisitely.

Next came Squid "Linguini", which was served with gremolata, smoked anchovies, pine nuts, and semi dried grapes.

The fish course was a Pan Fried Cod, which came with broccoli puree, pickled cauliflower, ruby grapfruit, brioche and black onion seeds. Again, note the creative presentation of the purees and sauces.

For the final meat course, Loin of Roe Deer (venison) was served with baked crapaudine beetroot, smoked bacon puree (another pink dollop!), and tapioca and walnuts cooked in Cabernet (hence the deep red color). The venison was cooked a perfect medium rare, though the baked beetroot was a bit bland in flavor and definitely not a favorite at the table.

We enjoyed a lovely selection of French and British Cheese.

These came with thin, airy crackers (which I loved) and a bit of honey or jam.

Our "pre-dessert" was a great palate cleanser, consisting mainly of fruit.

Our final course was a Baked Vanilla Cheesecake, which came topped with gorgeously caramelized banana slices and passion fruit mousse. Everyone raved about this dessert.

Thoughts

I came out of this restaurant thinking that I would definitely consider coming back. I really enjoyed how the meal focused on generally lighter fare (venison and fish versus pork and beef, for example). I thought some of the courses, such as the asparagus course or the scallop course, were absolutely phenomenal. Other courses, even if they weren't "wow" dishes, were still solid. I even looked back at it fondly after our Michelin experience in Rome, which, although good, was just a tad "lower" than this one in terms of creativity and execution.

Considering how weak the dollar is right now, this is a surprisingly good one-star Michelin "deal" (if there is such a thing!). Perfect if you're passing through Paddington Station and want to enjoy a very good meal in London.

L'autre Pied

5 Blandford St
Marylebone, UK W1U 8


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Kitchen W8

This is the second post in the series Winter in London. Other posts include Bob, Bob, Ricard, Fernandez & Wells, Oxford, the Turf Tavern and Jamie's Italian, and the Trout Inn.

If you have any choice in which season to visit London, I would highly recommend the spring.

I first visited London this past year in April when flowering trees were all in full bloom. I stayed in a lovely hotel right in Kensington. Kensington is a leafy and affluent area on the West side of London. It's surrounded by other posh areas like Notting Hill and Knightsbridge.

I loved just walking around the neighborhood. There were tons of gorgeous houses, tree-lined paths, and quaint little streets. Artisanal bakeries, little boutiques, and other small shops lined the streets near my hotel.

My favorite part was this gorgeous garden right next to my hotel. I finally had a chance to walk through this garden to visit Kitchen W8.

Kitchen W8 is a new, one-Michelin starred restaurant opened in 2009 by Phil Howard, chef-owner of 2-star Michelin restaurant The Square, and restaurantaur Rebecca Mascarenhas. Humbly named after the the city zone in which it resides, Kitchen W8 aims to be your local restaurant that is your "home from home."

I had a chance to visit Kitchen W8 with several of my co-workers during one of my business trips. We were meeting up with some of our colleagues in the UK. Since we were staying in Kensington, this seemed like a great nearby option.

The ambiance inside is definitely warm and inviting, with neutral colored walls and colorful paintings on the wall. The dining rooms are sectioned off, so each individual room still maintains a cozy feel. The staff is friendly and the overall feel is relaxed. There's no sense of stuffiness or rigidness that you sometimes see in high-end restaurants.

Salt cod beignets

As an amuse, warm, crispy salt cod beignets are brought to the table. It's the perfect small bite to whet your appetite just enough so that you are ready to eat the rest of your meal! They were so good, I was a bit disappointed that we each only got to eat one. I would have gladly eaten a whole plate of these myself!

I absolutely loved my simple homemade gnocchi with farm fresh vegetables. The sauce was light yet flavorful, allowing the fresh flavors from the peas, morel mushrooms, and carrots to shine.

There were 5 of us who had dinner together at Kitchen W8. Because I did not have the chance to try everyone else's dishes, I cannot comment specifically on how each dish tasted. Overall, I can say that all the guests seemed quite pleased with their dishes and really enjoyed themselves.

Here are a few photos of their dishes!



Parfait of Fois Gras

Accompaniments for the fois gras creme - toast, jam, honey 
Pan roasted fish with asparagus

Octopus appetizer

Homemade Beignets with Pineapples
Bitter Chocolate Pudding

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Rhubarb Fool

Thoughts
I had a wonderful time at Kitchen W8. The staff was courteous, the service was excellent, and the food was well executed. Although none of the dishes particularly blew me away, all of them were very well executed.

Although the prices are not "cheap", the quality that you get for the price is pretty reasonable. They even have special set menus (e.g., a £17.50 2-course lunch or a £19.50 3-course lunch). If you come between 6-7PM Monday through Friday, you can score a two-course dinner for  £21.50 or a three-course dinner for £24.50.

For this quality of food and ambiance (it is one Michelin star, after all!), it can definitely be a bargain.

Plus, who wouldn't want a chance to explore those gorgeous gardens while walking to the restaurant?

Kitchen W8
11-13 Abingdon Road
London, UK W8 6

Bob Bob Ricard

This is the first post in the series Winter in London. Other posts include Bob, Bob, Ricard, Kitchen W8, Fernandez and Wells, The Turf Tavern and Jamie's Italian, and the Trout Inn.

Would you believe it if I told you that I canceled my reservation at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant to come to this Russian/English place?

Crazy? Perhaps, but there was a reason.

I was so very, very exhausted.

I had been commuting to our offices near Oxford each day, getting home close to 8PM each night. I was starving, and really didn't feel like waiting until my 9PM reservation to start my dinner at Gordon Ramsey.

So I canceled it, hoping to find something a bit closer and sooner. Thankfully, my local London food blogger friend Jackie had e-mailed me a list of interesting restaurants to try. After looking at various menus online, I settled upon Bob Bob Ricard, a newish (opened in 2008) Russian/English restaurant in the heart of Soho in London.

Though some may argue that neither Russia nor England is known internationally for its cuisine, I was actually quite pleased with the food. Furthermore, Bob Bob Ricard is really, really interesting in so many other ways, making it a worthy destination in London.


First of all, the decor at  Bob Bob Ricard is really unusual.  Self-proclaimed as the "London's most luxurious all-booth dining room," Bob Bob Ricard (can we just say BBR for short?) is covered in dark wood and ornately decorated with brass, mirrors, and marble. The place feels right out of another century, even though it has only been around since 2008.

I sat alone near the front of the restaurant in my own cushy, booth-type seat. I chuckled at a button in the wall that said, "press for champagne."

Little did I realize (until I looked at the menu), the extent of BBR's focus on wine.  BBR is infamous for declaring a sort of "price war" on wine in London. BBR claims it will not mark up the price of any wine more than £50, regardless of the cost. Boldly, BBR's menu explicitly points out price comparisons with other high-end restaurants in London.

In all cases, they make the other restaurant look really, really bad.

For example, if you look at the menu picture above, you'll see that they sell a half bottle of 1er cru Chateau D'Yquem for £294 while Alain Ducasse sells the same bottle for £890.

Looking back, I wish I had taken more advantage of this opportunity! I did enjoy a nice £15 glass of Chateau D'Yquem (I can't remember what year it was), but I didn't go crazy.

The menu is decidedly Russian, with various classic offerings of vodka shots, caviar, and borsch.  Black truffles were prominently featured on the menu (yay!) and I made sure to order a few truffle-filled dishes. I had a lot of fun sampling several small plates, such as a black truffle cream soup (pictured up top), a delicate roasted tomato galette (pictured above), and a beautiful black truffle topped potato salad (below).

I enjoyed every one of my dishes, with the potato salad being my favorite. Of course, my dessert wine (the Chateau D'Yquem) was by far the biggest highlight of the whole evening.

I would love to come back with more people to try some of the main dishes on the extensive menu. There are all sorts of full-sized meat and seafood entrees, as well as many other interesting wines to try!

Definitely recommended! Thanks Jackie!

Bob Bob Richard
1 Upper James St
London, UK W1F 9

Greetings from London

Greetings from London!

Of all months to be in London, I choose the crazy month of the Royal Wedding. London has always been an area of diversity, excitement, and activity, but this month . . . it's a bit crazier than normal!

Since I am in Europe right now, the Tribute to Japan series will be put on hold until I return. Meanwhile, since I'm busy here working, I may be posting a little less frequently than normal. I definitely plan on checking out a few Michelin restaurants while I'm here though, so stay tuned!

A few pictures from my last London trip . . .

Gourmet Burger Kitchen - this was where I learned what the term "rocket" is . . . did you know that's how you say arugula in "British"?

Westminster Abbey
This is apparently where the royal wedding will be. I tried to attend an organ concert the last time I was here but arrived too late to get in. So, instead, I just enjoyed the sunshine and sat outside.

The Tower Bridge is huge, imposing, and fun to walk across! I took a super long multi-hour long walk along the Thames the last time I was there. There's tons of fun discoveries you make when you just randomly meander along the river. It reminded me of Boston, but much much larger.

Here's one of the fun discoveries I made while in London. Anyone know what this place is called? (I can't remember)

Fun food markets!

My company's offices are not far from Oxford, so I took a little side trip one morning just to check it out. It looks just like what you'd imagine . .

And of course, a visit to England is not complete without a pub!