Life - Japanese cuisine by After 5+City Pig

After being asked where to go on several occasions in where to eat after work and weekends. City Pig will also share with you places to eat and drink outside of working hours. This new section will be called “After 5+City Pig”.

Hope you will all enjoy and share with other readers on places to go, eat, explore and have fun.

After 5 + City Pig’s Summary

Snapshot
Cuisine:	Japanese cuisine.
Price:	Here are some price guidelines: Eel and avocado roll £7.50 Main dishes approximately £13 Set courses from £25
Healthy:	Healthy. Lots of fish on the menu and most food is cooked via grilling.
Tasty:	4/5
Service:	4/5
Ambiance:	2.5/5 (Quiet atmosphere, plain decor.)
Address:	2-4 Old Street  London EC1V 9AA 020 7250 3737
Opening times	Lunch: Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm (Last orders at 2:30pm) Dinner: Mon-Sun 5pm-11pm (Sunday closes at 10:30pm) (Last orders at 10:30pm and Sunday at 10pm.)
Eat in/Takeaway:	Eat-in and Takeaway.
Recommended dishes	Sushi dishes. Look out for special dishes on the special menu.
Vegetarian dishes	Limited pure vegetarian dishes. A lot of the dishes may have fish and seafood stock. However, there is a Life Vegetable Course which is the set course.
Loyalty card	No loyalty card scheme.
Website	http://www.life-oldst.com

Life is a Japanese restaurant near Old Street and Barbican tube stations. It is not the most noticeable restaurant as it doesn’t look like a typical Japanese restaurant for one.

It serves high quality Japanese food but with a modern twist in presentation in some dishes.

There is a specials menu which appears to look like it is handwritten which gives it a personal feel. It has a selection of inside out rolls, sushi nigiri, and main dishes including the classic chicken teriyaki.

Inside here, you will feel that it has a slight raw and industrial feeling. The decor is rather minimal and simplistic and the restaurant is generally very quiet.

It is not a place that will get you started for a big night out. In fact, it is quite the opposite of being a quiet dinner for two or a much civilised meal between a few friends.

The focus for me here is definitely the food. The menu has a combination of classics but also dishes that have been carefully created for foodies to sample some different Japanese dishes that are less mainstream.

I had the agedashi tofu with pork miso as a starter to share.

This was wonderful in taste, the delicate tofu was flavoured with the sweet miso paste and the pork pieces gave the tofu life.

Followed by some eel and avocado inside out rolls which were hard to pick up in one piece but was so delicious in taste. The sauce on the eel was not too overpowering or sweet but filled with freshness in every bite.

The butter fish with walnut miso paste was found on the special menu. The walnut miso paste went with the butter fish. It is also served with grilled vegetables making this a healthy and balanced meal. The dish was bigger than I expected and so was happy with the portion size.

The chicken teriyaki here is cooked to perfection, the chicken still tender and the sauce lightly coats it. The presentation was impressive and again the portion is generous. All main dishes come with grilled vegetables on the side.

The green tea and oolong tea were not the best teas I have had and was expecting a better quality to be served to match the impeccable service and food.  I was very impressed that the service was very attentive and that my teapot was refilled without me having to ask for a top up.

The bill came to about £56 including service charge and green tea for two people. This was a great value meal that was serving fresh Japanese food that was healthy and tasty. It may lack the buzzy atmospheres other west end restaurants have but if you are looking for a nice relaxed environment then Life serves this very well.

                                          

                                                            Butterfish with walnut miso paste

                                                            

                                                            Inside out roll – eel and avocado

Agedashi tofu

                                                            
                                                                     Chicken teriyaki

                                                   Soy sauce and wasabi ball used for dipping sushi

Grazing - British cuisine (Comfort food)

City Pig’s Summary

Snapshot
Cuisine:	British (A place for meat lovers and comfort food.)
Price:	There are many British dishes on offer. Here are some price guidelines: Burgers – eat in is from £5.95 and take away £6.50 Pie of the Day – eat in is £7.95 and take away £6.95 Soup of the day – eat in is £3.50 and take away £2.75
Healthy:	Not healthy as the menu consists of lots of meat dishes, pies and sausages etc.
Tasty:	3/5
Service:	4/5
Address:	19-21 Great Tower Street, London EC3R 5AR
Opening times	Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm
Eat in/Takeaway:	Eat-in and Takeaway.
Recommended dishes	Not tried all the dishes to boldly recommend. However, steak was a good price on “Steak Tuesdays”.
Vegetarian dishes	Yes there are 2 vegetarian burgers. Mainly catering for meat lovers.
Loyalty card	No loyalty card scheme.
Website	http://www.grazingfood.com/

City Pig’s Lunch Analysis

This Tuesday for lunch, City Pig was at Grazing. Grazing specialises in British comfort food such as pies, bangers and mash and burgers etc. Those on a Janaury detox may not find this very suitable unless you choose the smoked salmon salad.

I chose the steak and chips at a price of £6.95 only availble at this price on a Tuesdays. Those who are sceptical may be wondering how big is this steak and will it taste nice?

Well, I have a picture to show you the exact size. The beef that is served is "bavette" also known as flank.

                                                                    Steak and Chips

For me, this was impressive as I don’t know many places around the square mile that offers steak and chips at this price and at this size.

The steak was quite tender and my knife was gliding through happily. The garlic butter on top brings the meat together quite nicely.

It is a rather healthy steak piece as there were no fat trimmings just pure steak meat and the flavours were very clean. Also I did not feel too full for the rest of the day.

For the dish to fail, you would have presumed that the steak would be cooked too tough or meat is hard and rubbery but in fact it was the chips that failed to impress.

From appearance they looked golden and very appealing but once I munched on my first chip it was rather hard and felt that it had been overcooked or had been sitting around for too long.

It may be a blip as this was my first time at Grazing but would have hoped for better chips to complete my meal.

The service is efficient and the food arrived quick which suited me and other city workers on their lunch break.

The decor of Grazing is quite plain, but there were lots of tables and chairs compared to some other lunch eateries.

The menu at a glance is full of British foods, like bangers and mash, pie, ham, egg and chips and burgers. This is not for you if you fancy a light meal and are worried about calories.

Two particular days to notes are “Steak Tuesdays” - Steak and Chips at £6.95 and “Burger Wednesdays” – any burgers for £5.95. These days offer discounts to these dishes that would be otherwise be more expensive.

It also is big on breakfast, with Full English at a price of £6.50 or a Builder’s Breakfast at £5.50. Grazing provides food catering for office events and meetings.

I would come here again to try the other dishes like the burgers and to give the chips another chance to redeem themselves.

 

Bishopsgate Kitchen - Rustic, casual and modern European restaurant

Bishopsgate Kitchen (BK)

Summary

Snapshot
Cuisine:	Modern European
Price:	Small dishes /Nibbles from £5.50 Main dishes from £10 Drinks from £2 Average lunch spend with service charge and a soft drink: £16
Healthy:	Varied but fresh and seasonal ingredients.
Tasty:	3/5
Address:	4 Brushfield Street,   Spitalfields,   London    E1 6AN
Opening times	Monday to Friday 7.30am - 10pm  Saturday and Sunday 10am - 6pm
Eat in/Takeaway:	Eat-in
Recommended dishes	It is seasonal so there should be a range of choices to suit everyone.  This will be changing according to the chef’s choice of seasonal flavours.
Vegetarian dishes	Yes but only two vegetarian options available from the main dishes    of  the lunch menu.
Loyalty card	No loyalty card scheme but Benugo coffees are served here. From memory, there is a loyalty card for Benugo coffees.
Website	www.bishopsgatekitchen.com/
Note	A no booking table policy is in operation.  Breakfast and brunch looks appetising.

Lunch Analysis

I work around the City of London and I was really intrigued about trying BK. Recently, there have been many restaurants trying to source local ingredients and to use seasonal ingredients to keep their menu fresh and simple. I am a fan of this and wanted to see what the menu and ambiance of this place would be like.

My colleague and I decided to try out BK and headed here for lunch. The menu has a few choices that reflects simplicity but there should be something for everyone.

I was tempted with the burger as our neighbours at the table had ordered it and it looked amazing but a bit devilish for a Wednesday lunch and with a heavy afternoon ahead, I opted for the lighter option, Salmon and sweet potato fishcakes and a side salad. (£12.50)

Salmon and sweet potato fishcakes

I enjoyed it very much, as it was very fresh and nothing was over cooked in this dish. However, I thought the price is higher than what I would have expected, as the split of the bill came to £16 including service which is at a rate of 12.5%. However, I would come back again as I felt the ingredients were fresh and the dish was cooked well. There were certainly other dishes that I wouldn’t mind trying like the burger with the brioche bun.

My colleague tried the “Winter Cobb salad” (£12.50) which consisted of bacon, free range leg of black chicken in a blue cheese dressing. For a man who never chooses salad as an option, he was very happy. There were chunks of crispy bacon chicken enough to keep him going till the end of the day. I also checked with him by 4pm and he was still very full. Not bad for a salad.

Winter Cobb Salad

There are smaller dishes and sharing boards to nibble on for those wanting the lighter option.

The fact the menu is seasonal and reflecting on fresh local ingredients means that the menu should be changing with interesting and hearty dishes.

 I wasn’t sure if we were able to get a table but we were lucky that we could get one amongst the already busy diners tucking into their lunch. Most were city diners as some were discussing business and or on their lunch break.

Although, not a very a large restaurant, it has a nice warm ambiance. It was great the service was efficient and we managed to finish around 50 minutes which meant we were just in time for our meeting back at the office.

This is also a place to catch up with friends for a cup of coffee and I can see this place being popular for those wanting a casual bite to eat after work but also with the weekend crowd in Spitalfields.

Poncho No 8 - Mexican cuisine

Summary

At St Paul's Poncho No 8

Snapshot
Cuisine:	Mexican – Burritos, tacos, nachos, salad.
Price:	Ranges from £5.90 - £6.50 Drinks from £1
Healthy:	Yes. Full of beans, rice and salad.
Tasty:	3.5/5
Address:	St Paul’s  11 Queens Head Passage, Paternoster Square, EC4M 7DZ  Spitalfield’s  5 Stewart Street,  E16AJ  Soho  32 Old Compton Street,  London  W1D 4TP
Opening times	St Paul’s Mon-Fri: 11am-9pm Spitalfield’s Mon-Fri:11am-8pm Soho Mon-Sat: TBC as this has opened recently.
Eat in/Takeaway:	Eat-in and take-away. Delivery available in Spitalfields now for orders over £15!
Recommended dishes	The focus is on the burritos. City Pig recommends trying all the fillings unless you are a vegetarian.
Vegetarian dishes	Yes but only one vegetarian option available.
Loyalty card	No loyalty card scheme.
Website	www.poncho8.com/

Lunch analysis

Poncho No 8 is a Mexican quick eat and it appears from the long stretches of people queuing from inside the shop that this is very popular with the city boys and girls. I anticipated this would be the case and was anxious to get a seat with my colleague.

We arrived at about 12:15pm on a Friday, and luckily we weren’t too far behind in the queue. At that stage, I was very eager to understand what was so good about Poncho No 8.

You can select from choosing burritos, tacos, nachos or a skinny box being just salad and then fill this up with one of the filling choices being chicken, pork, braised beef, steak, vegetarian option (chargrilled vegetables), followed by toppings that range from guacamole, jalapenos, sour cream spicy sauce or non-spicy sauce and rice and beans. Not to forget, the option of tomatoes and lettuce as well.

There was quite a lot in my burrito wrap, while I watch it being rolled up without the contents spilling out. I was worried how I would eat this in the most presentable way but was equally delighted that so much filling was jammed in.

I went for the pork burrito while my colleague tried the chicken burrito.

Poncho's Pork Burrito and guava drink

Poncho Pork Burrito

Chicken Burrito

Burritos are presented in foil and in a boat shaped container

Bowl of lime and hand gel to remove germs

The burritos were delicious, it was not oily or too salty, and it felt very fresh and homemade.  Each bite of my wrap, was filled with pork, salad, beans and rice and sauce which meant not much chatting got done as I was too busy munching away.

I tried the guava juice which was a small bottle but because it was only £1 I gave it a go. It was not too sweet and was a refreshing juice to go with the burrito. I have had guava juice and it is one of my favourite drinks but often find in London we are overcharged when paying for exotic fruit drinks.

The price for the drink is good compared to other eateries but maybe too small for the city boys and girls although, in particularly for the city boys! I think it is a new drink brought out and they are trialling the guava drink and size.

I am impressed by:

a)      A very hygienic eatery that has hand gel for consumers to wash their hands before eating.

b)     Clever marketing –all light green, the poncho no 8 bag, the hygienic spray and the bowl of limes!

c)      The staff are engaging – asking me if I would pay £1.50 for a bigger bottle of guava or happy with the small size.

d)      Most of all the food is fresh, tasty and healthy, lots of vegetables in my burrito. Helping my five a day!

Overall, this was a key winner for me.

Please send in your thoughts to City Pig when you get a chance.