A quiet start to the month - made it to London for the end of September. This month also marks a year since I’ve started, with 67 writeups since then, averaging slightly more than one a week. It’s been a frenetic pace that has slowed down a lot in the past few months, with a burst of activity whenever I’m on the road.
I made it to Duke’s, a bar that’s been around for over 100 years in the heart of Mayfair. Famous for their stiff drinks, their martinis are so strong that they enforce a strict two drink limit. The vesper martini is the signature drink here, and Sir Ian Fleming is known to have been a regular here.
I recently found myself at a place called The Lasagna Factory, aptly with a large picture of Garfield on the wall. A very stereotypical no frills, generous-portioned New York-Italian place - red and white checkered tablecloths, unlimited breadsticks and salad, halfway between East Side Mario’s and Carbone.
Naturally, at a place called the Lasagna Factory, we got the lasagna - one very traditional short rib lasagna, which was amazing, and a crab lasagna in a vodka sauce. Neat, but I’ll stick with the classics next time.
Of course, when there’s tiramisu on the menu, I get a tiramisu. Not the most exciting, but good nonetheless.
This next one brings me back to my childhood. There used to be a chain restaurant that served soup or chili in a bread bowl every winter, and it was a warm, filling meal for not a lot of money. A giant loaf of sourdough, with a cup of piping hot chili, clam chowder or broccoli and cheddar soup. Haven’t found anything similar in a long time, but when I saw a curry in a bread bowl at a Thai restaurant, I had to order it. Not the same, but lot of nostalgia value there.
From the legendary Chef Takashi Saito of Sushi Saito, a more mass-market brand at the Hong Kong airport. Not bad. Not great either, but not bad.
Returning to London, there’s something about a bottomless chocolate chai, and Eggs Kejriwal that just hit the spot. Forget the Full English, I’ll hit the line for a Dishoom breakfast any day of the week.
Another classic haunt of mine, Hide, has an amazing acorn cake. Served piping hot and boozy, a huge fan favourite.
