e5, high5

Restaurant: e5 bakehouse
Cuisine: bakery/café
Phone: +44 (0)20 8525 2890
Location: London, UK (Hackney)
Address: Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace
Price Range: 5-10 pounds

A short post today :) I had heard about e5 bakehouse after it was listed as one of the world's top 25 bakeries. So naturally, I had to go hahahahahaha.

e5 bakehouse is a delightfully charming bakery. The staff is friendly; the patrons are kind; some hipsters loiter outside having a smoke; and you definitely see regular customers getting their daily loaves or sweets. Just from walking to the bakehouse, you can start smelling the aroma of the breads and let me tell you, it is literal heaven. I loveeeeee the yeasty smell of slowly fermented and baked bread.

I arrived around 1pm and was completely pulled into conversation with two Australians and two Londoners at the same shared table for the next few hours. They were lovely company, I feel so blessed. It was just the most relaxing and wonderful of afternoons - enjoying an iced latte and an unsweetened iced tea. I also sampled some of their sourdough, multigrain, and their famous Hackney Wild. They also sell sweets and desserts made fresh in-house daily as well as pizza made-to-order. I enjoyed their drinks the most.

the selection @_@

Final Ranking (/5):

I love how rustic the e5 bakehouse is, tucked away under a bridge. The people are lovely and on a nice serene sunny day, it's absolutely perfect. Their bread selection is amazing - I really enjoyed their sourdough, which was very firm and is amazing with some raspberry preserves or any sort of jam.

Food: 4

Service: 3
Ambiance: 5

Overall: 4

Additional Comments: a hidden gem, try to get the bread warm :)

the Ottolenghi franchise

Restaurant: Ottolenghi Islington
Cuisine: Mediterranean/Israeli (with some Asian influences)
Phone: +44 (0)20 7288 1454
Location: London, UK (Islington)
Address: 287 Upper Street
Price Range: 15-25 pounds

So Ottolenghi has become a famous name not only in London, but worldwide. With four Ottolenghi branches in London, I knew I had to go visit at least one of them if not more (I ended up going to Islington + NOPI in Soho). From his original first delicatessen in Notting Hill in 2002, Yotam Ottolenghi now has four outlets as aforementioned and at the Islington branch, the restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is a complete full-fledged establishment. 

Yotam Ottolenghi himself was born in Israel and his pastry chef background from his days at Michelin-starred restaurant, The Capital, really shines through in his own delicious creations. His food and menu is primarily influenced by the Mediterranean and Israeli cuisine, but definitely has some Asian elements :) (woot!)

You can expect to queue at the Islington location regardless of the time you arrive though, with many other hungry patrons and diners trying to get a seat in the restaurant. The food is all based around fresh produce and is made fresh on site. The breathtakingly stunning array of desserts in the window display must also attract many pedestrians passing by to join the queue for the restaurant. Seating is primarily communal, but there are some standalone tables. I feel like it all lends to the light atmosphere of the Islington branch. 

Finally, I enjoy how their menu changes daily (slightly - no major changes), so every experience is truly unique :) The menu itself is quite eclectic with very bizarre strange flavour combinations, but with Ottolenghi's amazing palette, they somehow work...? (a mystery to us all)

ON OUR TABLE:

chargrilled salmon with red pepper, black olives, herb salsa
(1) roasted aubergine with
parsley yoghurt, parsley oil, mixed seeds
(2) chinese cabbage and daikon slaw with
 bean sprouts, mange tout, ginger, sesame seeds, thai basil
(3) butterbean hummus with
roasted red pepper. pine nut, lemon, parsley salsa

• 3.5/5
• I was expected the salmon to be warm, but it was served chilled like everything else, which was initially surprising, but still delicious nonetheless (and actually more ideal for the hot summer weather)
• the aubergine for me was the weakest salad, even though it is one of their most popular selections - I just feel like aubergine is so much better warm
• personally, I'm not much of a hummus fan (I feel like too many people are obsessed with it and it's just... alright), but this was amazing - creamy, smooth, I would buy a container full

 my longgggg time buddy
one of my best friends =)
chatted over lunch for 2 hours

 wild elderflower bubbly :) yum!
reminds me of a café in Vancouver, Thierry

 my friend's plate on another visit
similar to my first visit except
the salmon this time had different garnishes
and he ordered the red quinoa salad

smoked bacon quiche with sautéed leeks, Parmesan, thyme
(1) roasted sweet potato and onion withras el hanout yoghurt, coriander, pumpkin seeds
(2) roasted cauliflower with
tumeric tahini, hazelnuts, Urfa chilli, pomegranate seeds
(3) butterbean hummus with
roasted red pepper. pine nut, lemon, parsley salsa

• 4/5
• the first time I came to Ottolenghi, the quiches were all sold out, so this time I managed to snatch a slice (there are always two available quiches for lunch) - it was delicious and fragrant
• the cauliflower was the winner - I loved it so much, it was brilliant :)

vanilla apple spiced cake with maple cream cheese frosting

• 5/5
• ermygawd, the cake was fluffy; the frosting wasn't overly sweet; I just have no words - I could eat an entire cake #fatassitup 

plum and hazelnut frangipane with crumble topping (back)

• 3.5/5
• to be fair, I'm not the biggest fan of plums, so while the frangipane was well constructed, I just was not that into it - my friend throughly enjoyed it though

apricot and strawberry financier with vanilla
and sweet mascarpone - 4.80

• 4/5
• I don't really have a huge sweet tooth, I swear - but this financier was great: I was debating between this and a chiffon cake
• I feel like this dessert was a feast for the camera, my eyes, and my tastebuds
• I enjoyed the exterior of the financier the most, because you really get a very subtle hint of vanilla with each chew, while the spongy interior was moist with a hidden apricot slice
• the apricots were sweet, but not sugary, very fresh

Final Ranking (/5):

I enjoy how the restaurant is very clean with pristine white tables and colourful seating. The desserts and fresh salads on display will seriously entice any individual. The food is amazing and the desserts... will be the death of me. Amazing.

Food: 4

Service: 3.5  (my server on the second visit seemed a bit confused with everything, but the service was impeccable on my first visit)
Ambiance: 3.5 (just slightly loud for my tastes)

Overall: 4

Additional Comments: get dessert.

the Koya life

Restaurant: Koya
Cuisine: Japanese (udon)
Phone: +44 (0)20 7434 4463, no reservations accepted
Location: London, UK (Soho district)
Address: 49 Frith Street
Price Range: 10-20 pounds

So my first blogpost about my summer adventures in London starts at Koya, a popular udon store in the Soho district. I've quickly learned that the Soho district is essentially the foodie mecca of London: all restaurants and places I want to try, as well as the more popular and well-known restaurants that have been recommended are all in Soho. It basically is the place to be on a Friday evening.

But I digress - back to Koya or more appropriately what I consider my search for decent asian food in the UK. Thankfully I've been recommended some good asian locations in London by my asian labmates, who have now accepted me as one of their own :) - this was my biggest accomplishment of the week (jokes). One of the restaurants they mentioned I could try is Koya. 

Koya, a humble little restaurant tucked into the corner of the many streets and abbeys of Soho, is a rare asian find in a city obsessed with potato dishes. Japanese food is actually my favorite type of cuisine and so Koya, a Japanese restaurant specialising in udon noodles, was naturally a must-visit location for me. It has a great reputation amongst online bloggers winning various awards, including the prestigious Michelin Bib. These types of udon restaurants or abodes originate from Southern Japan and since its inauguration in 2010, Koya has been consistently described as "authentic", "lovely" and "fresh" by critics and bloggers alike. 

However, I was still slightly skeptical, because the owner of the establishment, John Devitt, is not Japanese himself of course. That being said, Koya does indeed make their udon fresh on-site daily. And the the two headchefs, Junya Yamasaki and Shuko Oda, have previously worked at Kunitoraya, a Japanese restaurant in Paris specialising in udon as well unsurprisingly.

Unfortunately, they do not accept reservations, so as I arrived with my friend at 6:15 pm, it was completely packed with quite a long queue. Luckily, the queue moved relatively quickly, so we managed to get a seat not soon after so we could eat then attend the Book of Mormon London evening showing (which I must say was unbelieveable, I highly recommend it). It was also nice to see many Japanese people in the queue, which for me at least, reassures that you will likely get decent and perhaps authentic Japanese cuisine.

the queue outside Koya with a lovely blue overhanging noren

We were lucky enough to be seated at a table of two separate from the rest of the restaurant. However in general, seating proximity is quite intimate - most tables are communal and you will likely have to share your table with another group. However, it all adds to quite a cosy feel to the restaurant. Service was nice, especially from the one Japanese waitress in the restaurant.

ON THE TABLE:

Tenzaru - 14.9
fish and vegetable tempura + an order of umeboshi

• 2.5/5
• the umeboshi was nice - sour as expected, but I wish it was more sour even
• I went for zaru udon (I was craving some sort of zaru soba alternative) and the tenzaru was a nice choice
• the udon was not as chewy as I would like, but it was fresh - I would have liked if it was served over a bed of ice
• the tempura itself was delicious (the batter was perfect) with the green pepper and fish tempura being the highlights

Gyushabu - 11.8
beef shabu shabu

• 2/5
• in this case, we went with an Atsu-Atsu (hot udon in hot broth) selection, which was also apparently one of the most popular items on the menu
• the broth was warm and light, however personally I felt it lacked a bit of flavor
• overall it was good, but nothing spectacular - if anything I was expecting more

Final Ranking (/5):

I enjoyed the simplicity of everything: from the restaurant decor or the menu, to the dishes themselves. If you are looking for a lighter alternative to the general greasy food of London, come to Koya for a visit. I would not call it completely "authentic" - having had real Japanese udon both homemade and purchased in the Shikoku district, this was still not at that level.

But overall... I think it's overrated :S

Food: 2.5

Service: 3
Ambiance: 2

Overall: 2.5

Additional Comments: be prepared to queue, but then again, you're in Soho. if you are looking for truly good udon, you probably won't find it in London... :(