Those who know me well will know that I am a helpful kind of a girl. I also love a bargain and I love food of course. When Rishi Sunak announced his "Eat Out To Help Out" scheme giving diners 50% off in the month of August I was all over it. I mean, who am I to get in the way of helping out the crippling restaurant industry. Also, after months of being deprived of said restaurants, I was ready.
I set about booking anything and everything I could get my hands on. I also decided I would eat out only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays as per the scheme, unless of course it was street food as that doesn't count or someones birthday or the weekend. It also helped that I was on school holidays for the whole month so technically I could do three meals a day plus coffees.
The first stop was burger and lobster. This wasn't my choosing as my old colleagues Paul and Harriet dragged me (not reluctantly) along to this one.
Burger and lobster is always fun and sitting outside by the water on a lovely day at the start of a month long holiday, what is not too like?
It did however turn into one of those days "lets do lunch" which turns into drinks all afternoon and then lets go for dinner. I suggested my local Turkish restaurant, just presuming they were in the scheme but when the bill came it turned out they were not. First rookie mistake!
This whole month has turned into a blur and I should have written this blog as I went along but I think next up was Number 90 Bar and Kitchen. Me and JB kidded ourselves that the calories would not count if we walked there. It was a lovely walk along the canal and we had a lovely spot over looking the Olympic site next to the canal. Sporting a hangover from the night before at the Radio Roof Top bar for HK's birthday, this called for dirty food.
Here we have buffalo wings, courgette fries and Angus beef brisket dirty fries. The dirty fries were described as being loaded with a rich cheese sauce but I think it may have actually been a squirt of primula cheese spread. Who can complain for the grand total of about £7 each, including a diet coke (to cancel out the calories).
The next day we decided to chance it without a booking at Arepa the Venezuelan in Bethnal Green. Rookie mistake number 2 as it wasn't even open. Not very good planning on my part but deep down, I knew there were other places nearby should this catastrophe happen. So we found ourselves at "The Japanese Canteen". I am always at my happiest when eating Ramen.
Something popped up on my Instagram feed telling me I could have unlimited cheese on a rotating conveyor belt for £20. What????
This was not technically part of the eat out to help out but who am I to turndown cheese.
After being on a waiting list I managed to get a booking for a Sunday. Mentally, going through all my friends in my head thinking who would appreciate this the most, who loves cheese the most? A quick text to The Rex confirmed she would accompany me. I had never even heard of "Pick and Cheese" before, I think it sprung up just before lock down'.
Imagine a conveyor belt with 15 different cheeses and their accompaniments and charcuterie zooming around a room while you are sitting cosily in a booth sipping on Rosé on a hot summers day. It's like the Rex said "It's what dreams are made of".
I'm not one to remember the specifics of dishes, especially that long ago but something has to be said about the doughnut. It tasted suspiciously like a St John's Doughnut so I asked and it was confirmed. This was the most delightful little cushion of yumminess. Filled with whipped goats cheese and apricot jam. Salty and sweet and creamy and actually this is what dreams are made of! One was not enough so we had to pull a second one off the conveyor belt just to check it wasn't a one off.
The next day was Monday again, start of the Eat out to Help out week. I needed to go to Roman Road to pick up something and walked up there to try and burn off a few Cals.
I didn't mean to get anything to eat but I was feeling a little peckish and needed something quick and easy.
I had only had pie and mash once or twice before. Pie and Mash is a real East End tradition and G Kelly's is an East End institution.
They were taking their Covid responsibilities very seriously and had a whole table set up dedicated to Covid prevention, including a ballot box where we had to write our name and number and arrival time, a digital clock was next to it to help and the ever present bottle of anti bac. Infact, this basic restaurant was more set up than anywhere I had been so far, one way systems and sections closed off.
I ordered the standard pie, mash and liquor. For those non English people liquor is actually a parsley sauce that goes perfectly with pie and mash. It comes immediately and they do not worry about presentation, but they don't need to as the taste says it all.
This was my cheapest eat out to help out meal coming in at £1.75 with the 50% off. I tried to get a drink but was told the bottle of water on the counter was the last one and was warm so I went with out. Don't judge the photo on the looks, this is how Pie and Mash should be served. The mash scraped onto the side of the plate without a garnish, foam or Jus in sight.
So whats next??? So to celebrate HK's birthday I had booked two restaurants and given her the choice of Hakkasan or Rovi, thinking I would cancel the one she didn't want. She chose both, (on different nights, Im not that greedy). First up was Rovi. Rovi is part of the Ottolenghi group so of course it's all going to be good. Everything was outstanding, and the 50% off (maximum £10 per person) made a slight but welcome dent in the bill.
I think, the next day we went for breakfast at Duck and Waffle. So, I have been here quite a few times before, not because of the food but its a nice place to take guests from out of town.
It's 40 floors up and the views are pretty awesome but also it's open 24 hours so you can watch the sun rise over your smashed avocado while watching drunk people come off a hangover. Im not sure it is 24 hours though in these COVID times, however. The food is pretty standard, it is perfectly nice, absolutely nothing wrong with it. You could get the same at your local down the road. Even without the 50 % off its not hugely expensive but it's nothing out of this world.
So, who can even remember what came next? Luckily the photos on my phone seem in order to tell the story.
That night, we didn't have anything pre booked. I had taken on my Aunty duties and was babysitting little Fendi. We decided to go to for a drink at The Narrow and then ended up for dinner at La Figa. We never eat the Narrow if we can help it. Even though it is a nice spot next to the Thames they always think they are a bit too cool for school. Service is pretty shit and the food is expensive and just meh! After a few Aperol Spritz we stumbled over the road for some awesome Italian.
La Figa is that local Italian that has proper old school waiters, real Italians that care about their food and their business. It did slightly resemble a bit of a theme park as every man and his dog was there cashing in on the 50% off, including me!. (No photos of food as it is my local so didn't think). Fendi enjoyed a nice glass of rosé though.
Brunch the next morning was at Lantana in Shoreditch. It all seemed a bit familiar until we realised we had all gone to a different branch for a girls brunch just before lock down. This food was the bomb. Healthy, yet delicious, if not over doing the rocket garnish slightly.
So, now for HK's second birthday dinner, this time at Hakkasan. I must admit this was more for me than her. Im not sure she had actually heard of it before but it was somewhere I had always wanted to go, but not enough to want to pay for it in normal times.
I think it is Londons only Michelin star Chinese restaurant. While the prices are not outrageous on their own, I know myself and would always want to try a bit of everything, hence why never coming before. I had managed to get us a 6pm sitting which meant we could get the early special set menu as well as the £10 off, bargain!!!
Thank god Monday-Wednesday was over for another week. I just felt like I wanted to cook and eat Tenderstem broccoli for a bit. I felt like I was developing gout and scurvy at the same time. But hang on a minute, it happened to be Kerry Gairy's birthday on the Friday, so technically eating out was allowed even though it wasn't part of the deal.
Me and Kerry Gairy had come to Bala Baya a few years ago, and apart from a slight discrepancy with something we can't quite remember we loved the food. If you have ever eaten out with me and Kerry Gairy you will know that we could pick the Ritz to shreds given the chance.
This night though, you could find zero fault with the food or service. I love anything Middle Eastern, Pomegranatey, slash small platey, slash Ottelenghi style and this ticked all the boxes.
My favourite was the last photo which was aubergines and lychees with soft herbs.
I must have had a quiet weekend following this night as the photos on my phone were non foodie existent until the Monday China Town extravaganza (see earlier blog).
Then, I think I cancelled a few bookings due to scurvy and gout and an ever dwindling bank balance as well as a permanent hangover.
Although I must mention dinner at Le Saint Reatham (Streatham for short). My friends Andrea and Ed always put on a good spread. Mainly Ed to be fair, he always pulls out all the stops. Whenever I head down South of the river I am always told to pack my pajamas which is defiantly needed given the long distance travelled. I love going to their house. They are the type of friends that I turn up with my over night bag, arrive, say a quick hi and then announce that I will go for a quick nap before dinner and no one blinks an eye. Anyway, Ed had made the glorious coffee eclairs, they were soooo good that two of them fell into my mouth by accident.
So, now it was the weekend again and technically I should only be eating street food. I had invited Nik Watt and Gummie and Frankie over East to sample the wares of Victoria Parks farmers market and street eats. But first to work up an appetite it was essential to go for a Turkish breakfast. I had never been to CheMen before but it had popped up on my Instagram so had to try it. It was as good as the pictures. I don't think it had technically opened yet (at 10am ) but they gave us a warm welcome and ushered us in. I love a Turkish breakfast and all the variety it has to offer.
Another Monday rolls around and I am getting a little bit weary of helping out and eating out. I also have friends coming around for dinner tonight so will have to give helping out a miss. I also cancel my booking at an expensive restaurant for Wednesday, there are only so many white table cloths one can put up with.
After a couple of late afternoon wines me and CC decide to head over the park to our local restaurant "Ariana". (Just remembered we were also here Sunday night oops). What can I say about Ariana? It has been there for years on the edge of Mile End Park and it could only be described as a little bit dodge. There is some kind of out door veranda bit that I'm sure has evaded planning permission. It is usually filled with teenage girls smoking shisha pipes and cackling at the top of their voices. It is also a BYO which is a huge draw card.
When you walk into Ariana this is a typical scenario Me: "Hello, do you have a table for three? Waiter: "Do you have a booking?", Me: "No", then waiter scans the empty room looking perplexed and worried and then takes us to one of the empty tables. It is all very weird as we have tried to book before and they have told us just turn up.
Anyway, you then sit down and proceed to sit there for a long time, parched as anything, waiting for a glass to be bought so you can crack open the warm bottle of Jacobs Creek you got from the offie over the road. You wait and wait and then you finally grab someone's eye and then they bring you a couple of very small wine glasses (the type your grandma owned).
Then, before you have had a chance to open the thick red leather bound menu with plastic pockets, complete with a newspaper cutting photocopied with a review from 2004 they are all over you trying to get your order.
This day was no different, except they ushered us out the back to the veranda with the floor caving in and packed us all in like sardines, back to back with the Shisha girls without a care in the world for COVID despite the entire front of the restaurant being empty.
So we order a selection of starters and a main each. The waiter asks if we want the starters first or all together. We say first but everything comes at once anyway. You may wonder why we continue to come back here?
And of course it is for the food. For a dodgy looking place with questionable service the food here is Amazing. It is Persian/Afghanistan and you cannot fault any of the food ever. To be fair to them, the tables do not stay empty very long and it is usually packed to the rafters with people from all walks of life.
The second photo is my favourite dish, and also one of their specialties, a mountain of rice cooked in lamb shank juices jewelled with carrots and raisins and pistachios and and hidden beneath a tender lamb shank with meat that just falls off he bone. Thanks to Eating Out to Help Out, all of this cost us £17 each.
So there is now one more day left, tomorrow. Some restaurants have taken it upon themselves to extend the scheme into September. However, I am done!! I am full and fat and my liver is hurting and I am broke. Because even when it is 50% off it is only to a maximum of £10 per person. So while this makes a cheap meal if it was already a cheap meal it does not have much of an impact when your'e paying £70-£80 anyway. In all the excitement, I kind of forgot this bit. It was fun while it lasted and since I didn't get to go away this was my London staycation.
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