Tay Do Cafe

65 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8AG

Consistently mentioned as one of Timeout's favourite cheap eats and not to be confused with its sister restaurant on the opposite side of the street (you're looking for the Tay Do CAFE - get it right or the wallet gets it!) is this fine addition to the 'Pho mile'.

Let me start off by saying, I love BYO Vietnamese diners. Especially if the decor resembles the waiting room of a chinese take-away, the tables are so close together you are treated to some sort of Big Brother style experience of the couple next door's intimate dinner and the waiters make no effort to hide their resentment that you actually want, like, some food as though they were running a restaurant, not a prison camp. Bring it on. Cheap, tasty, generous portions, my own drinks and a relaxed atmosphere make a far more exciting eating experience than sitting in an icy dining room in some michelin starred restaurant being patronised by Jean-Francois for you choice of wine pairings.

So, the food - let's face it, we didn't come for the service: almost as soon as our party of 8 had been seated, we were ordered to vacate 'because the table is already booked' and motioned towards a 4 seat table next to the toilets (seems we're not here to obey the laws of physics either). Having argued the concept of space time with the waitress we were allowed to stay and quickly set about ordering.

With a menu of epic proportions, there are bound to be a few hits and misses but on the whole Tay Do do a good job - and most of the time when they're on it, they're really on it. Add to that the good value (starters £3-£6), mains (£6-10) you can't go far wrong.

Amongst the highlights were a starter of soft-shelled crab, juicy, tender and sticky; a mountain of tasty vietnamese spring rolls; crispy, and tangy salt and pepper squid. Catfish claypot was the stand out dish, a sizzling bowl of melt in your mouth catfish coated in a moreish, spicy sauce of almost caramel consistency. Tay Do know their way around a bowl of pho too, balancing a flavoursome broth with fragrant herbs and generous helpings of noodles. There were only a couple of dud notes: the spicy duck arrived floating in a sort of ubiquitous takeaway gloop and the singapore noodles tasted oddly of turmeric.

When the bill arrived, it came to a little over £11 a head - fantastic value considering the banquet we had consumed. It may not be the place for an intimate date and it doesn't quite pip the Loong Kee Cafe, crown prince of Shoreditch Vietanmese restaurants, but I will be returning to explore the further reaches of their menu: frogs legs and crispy pig skin anyone?

Henry's Kitchen

We're in negotiations with one of London's top bachelor chefs to bring you a series of great meals-for-one but just to whet your appetite, have a little look at this YouTube vid: Henry's Kitchen in which Henry shows all us bachelors how it's done. Or not.

Henry's Kitchen: Oven Baked French Toast

KFC, Brixton - Guest Blog

In the first of what I hope will be frequent contributions, I'd like to welcome our man on the ground, codename: 'Earwig Honey' - investigating London's chicken shops to give you the lowdown: is it chicken or is it pigeon? And where better to start than with the Colonel's finest South London establishment?

Warning: Explicit Content






KFC, 467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH

Is there any point in writing a review of the Colonel’s finest establishment? Aren’t the thousands of yardies, wannabe yardies, crackheads, illegal immigrants, waddling fat fucks and hipsters eating happily side by side, like some grim nightmarish Benetton advert, enough persuasion to eat a piece or two of chicken there?

Ambience/Romance Factor: 1 star or 5 stars

If your date is of the classy persuasion, the kind to either wear pearl earrings or Gant jeans, then the angry fat fucks’ kids running around, throwing Hot Wings bones about the place, might mean this is not for you.

If, however, your date is of a ‘less classy’ persuasion, the kind to wear large hoops from Argos or tracksuit bottoms, then there’ll be no greater aphrodisiac than seeing your own face reflected in the grease dribbling down their triple chins.

For those in between, if there’s not too much residual grease on the tables, seats or dripping from the ceiling then that’s probably all the encouragement one needs to grab something to eat here if you haven't had enough time to cook some fucking pasta or couscous or something.

Presentation: 3 stars

You get your burger/wrap/pieces of chicken in a box or in a wrapper or that tiny shitty paper plate barely large enough for the fries. Presentation is what it is.

Food: 5 stars

This is where Brixton KFC shines. Maybe it’s the artisan chefs trained for 8 years behind the counter preparing your Two Piece Meal like it's your last meal before you’re executed for killing Sanjay the 7/11 gas attendant on a freeway in Texas (make it a Three Piece Meal) or maybe it’s just down to economics, i.e the chicken doesn’t sit around for five days before it finds your plate. Brixton KFC might serve the freshest chicken out of any in London, which is high praise.

As for the ‘dishes’ themselves the fried chicken is hot, tender, greasy and succulent. The wings are a crunchy, spicy worthwhile addition or a snack on their own right. The burgers are the

pièce de résistance: is there any greater evidence that society has reached its pinnacle of innovation by adding a hash brown to the already wonderful Zinger Burger to create the supreme and inspirational Zinger Tower Burger?

Verdict: 4 stars

Whether you’re drunk or sober, if you’re on the way from Brixton tube station to the Ritzy Cinema and you have some coins chinking in your pocket, don’t give them to the crackhead standing outside the station, treat yourself to a treat at the Colonel’s very best instead.

Earwig Honey can be contacted by leaving a box of chicken on the street outside your house at midnight.

The London Particular, New Cross - Brunch

399 New Cross Road, New Cross, London, SE14 6LA // http://www.thelondonparticular.co.uk

Looking something like an antiques shop spilling out onto the busy New Cross Road is this absolute gem of a café. If you can look past the lorries thundering by as you sip your coffee, be ready to discover the best brunch in the New Cross area.

With a kooky, open kitchen, a hodge-podge of rustic wooden furniture salvaged from second hand stores and a couple of breakfast bars to perch on, the London Particular oozes instant comfort for those seeking a haven after a big night out.

Seasonal menus are chalked up on black boards and the cuisine is anything but routine - think a breakfast brunch bowl of merguez sausages, smoky home made baked beans, roast tomatoes and artisan bread (£7.50) or chili and sage baked eggs on a bed of melt in your mouth spinach and caramelised onions (£6). Don't fancy a big breakfast? How about a slice of breakfast frittata (£3), home-made mini brioche pizzas (£3) or a selection of fresh pastries (including what look to be donuts from Brixton's Wild Caper Cafe)? It's all backed up by big mugs of tea and fantastic coffee. That may all sound a bit hipsterish but it's not - it's comforting, hearty food, prepared with care by a small, friendly young team.

The London Particular is open for lunch and now dinner on weekends and the cosy dining room is also available for hire for private dinner parties - definitely one to watch. Just don't sit outside if you've got a stinking hangover...

Big Red Pizza, Deptford

30 Deptford Church Street, SE8 4RZ // http://thebigredpizza.com/

In the latest of what seems to be a developing Deptford trend (see the Deptford Project's converted train carriage cafe - http://thedeptfordproject.com/), another classic piece of London transport has been turned into a restaurant: this time, an emblematic Routemaster has ended its journey as a pizza parlour/bar lounge next to Deptford Creek.

Ever since I heard of Big Red Pizza a couple of months ago, I have been dying to try it. New Cross and Deptford are pretty much devoid of pizza restaurants so somewhere serving up thin crust pizzas in the open air, accompanied by a jug of sangria or a mojito sounded pretty exciting. Sadly, on this visit, Big Red Pizza was something of a Big Red Disappointment.

The restaurant itself has been designed with some nice creative flair: the Routemaster has been hollowed out to accommodate tables but kept its 70's style bus seating; outside there's courtyard with a selection of seating including some intimate two-seater tables tucked into the wickerwork at the far end. In a nice touch, fresh basil, parsley and rocket sprout from a flowerbed in the centre - freshness of ingredients assured! Menus are chalked out on a couple of boards and the kitchen is visible through a window.

The menu is simple, with a handful of dependable starters (think garlic bed and tricolore salad for £3-£6) and 6 different pizzas from £6-£8. The pizzas are a little more adventurous, including a Seaside with fresh squid and prawns from Deptford market and a Flamenco with a selection of European meats. A short drinks menu is reasonably priced - £5 mojitos, £12 jugs of sangria, wines £14-£16) but let down by suspect choices on wine list: a bottle of Blossom Hill or Echo Falls for the best part of £15 anyone? No dessert menu as of yet, except for coffee.

The problem, really, on this occasion was the service. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a Mediterranean, relaxed approach to dining - there are far too many London restaurants where you've barely had a chance to take your coat off before starters arrive and your vision of a long meal with friends ends with being unceremoniously dumped back onto the pavement an hour after you sat down. However, service at Big Red Pizza is more glacial than relaxed. Granted, as the manager later explained they were two staff short, but it's on nights like this that little touches make a difference, like not having to wave your arms in the air like a castaway in order to get the waitresses' attention.

After a long delay, our jug of an, erm, interesting take on Sangria arrived and we were able to order. We decided to go for a starter of Garlic Bread, followed by a Seaside and a Pepperoni pizza.

Half an hour later (we had at this point been waiting almost an hour and a half to eat), our order finally arrived, the garlic bread coming at the same time as the mains. Sadly, the food didn't do much to rescue the evening. Well done crispy bases were let down by slightly bland tomato base and cheese. The squid on my Seaside was overcooked, chewy and tasteless and the prawns and capers couldn't really rescue the slightly incongruous mix of flavours. The Pepperoni was a little better but nothing outrageous and the Garlic Bread was fairly standard.

Our meal came to a reasonable £31.50 but even at that price it was hard to feel like it was good value. Big Red Pizza has a lot of promise but work is needed on some basic touches such as service, more menus, chili oil and some desserts. Big Red Pizza certainly has promise and as they continue to ramp up their business with some music nights and take-away, it should be one to watch. Right now, however, I can't justify giving Big Red Pizza than a grudging 3 stars .

Manifesto

All great movements start with a manifesto and in that spirit, here is mine.

This blog is about great food. Simple.

I write to present an alternative to the kind of restaurant reviews found in the Metro, the Guardian or the Times: the kind of review that starts with a paragraph on which interior designer is responsible for the achingly modernist titanium lampshades or the sublime wood paneling. For me, the best food in London and, indeed, around the world comes from simplicity and authenticity. It's street vendors, little hole-in-the-wall places, simple restaurants run by the same family for generations. These restaurants may not look like much but try the food and you'll realise why it's packed every night.

I'm interested in the range of cuisines found in London and in seeking out where people go to find good food, cooked just the way it is back home. I'm interested in fresh ingredients, exciting, seasonal menus and reasonable prices.

I also want to showcase London's markets. While markets all around the country are being forced out by chain supermarkets, we are so lucky in London to have such a wealth of markets. Yet so many people don't take advantage of them, believing them to be somehow inconvenient, or difficult to navigate, or expensive or offering inferior quality produce. I want to help people discover the amazing range of market food in London and overcome their preconceptions.

Finally, I'd like to share some of my favourite recipes and some of yours. Preparing a meal can bring so much joy and there's so much going on in our kitchens so let's share what we're cooking!