THE BIG EASY CHELSEA

I first went to the Big Easy 20 years ago - gosh that makes me feel old writing that - the restaurant was totally kicking then and I was very surprised to see that it is still super popular now. Pascal, Arabella & I booked for 6.30pm on Friday night and we were lucky to get a table - the place was heaving.

The Big Easy actually opened in 1991 and it is inspired by the crab shacks and barbecue restaurants of the American Gulf Coast. There is often live music and it serves hearty American food with different special deals every night, for example on a Tuesday you can have limitless shrimp and a margarita or beer and on a Wednesday it is limitless fajita night.

Service was super friendly from the moment we arrived and we ordered drinks while we perused the huge menu.

I LOVE a starter platter - I knew we didnt need it but I could not resist ordering the grand appetiser for two which consisted of loaded potato skins, chicken tenders, stuffed jalapeño peppers, voodoo chicken wings, calamari, tortilla chips, prawn crackers and lots of dipping sauces.

We all adored this - Pascal loved the potato skins, I was crazy about the stuffed jalapeño peppers and Arabella devoured the chicken tenders. To be honest we could have just had this…but we are piglets so obviously ordered more.

Arabella chose from the kids menu - mac and cheese with a side of fries and an apple juice - she couldnt have been happier!! She also was a big fan of her bib….as was I!

Not the healthiest of meals - but certainly tasty!

I ordered the Big Easy Voodoo Shrimp but there was a mix up and the waiter bought me the deep fried jumbo shrimp - it wasnt a problem though as he bought me some voodoo sauce on the side which actually suited me better as it has a real kick to it and so at least I could control the amount I put on my prawns. They were delicious - really big and juicy.

On the side I had an iceberg wedge with blue cheese sauce and bacon. This was amazing but a little too big and too cheesy even for me - (I dont think I have ever said that before)! Next time Pascal and I will share this instead of ordering our own.

Pascal went for a barbecue smoked baby back ribs which came with coleslaw and barbecue baked beans.

These were all really good - I never order ribs as they are so messy and you cannot eat them in a very ladylike manner - but I was very happy to sample Pascals! He also ordered an iceberg wedge like mine and a mac and cheese which he said was the best one he had ever had - he liked it because it wasnt too creamy and the macaroni itself was big.

Unfortunately we ordered so much it was impossible to finish - I could only fit in a couple of mouthfuls of the mac and cheese which was a real shame as I agreed with Pascal that it was extremely good. There was obviously no room for pudding so we are definitely going to have to make a trip back here again very soon.

I had thought the Big Easy might be past its sell by date but I was obviously wrong and it is still going strong. It is no surprise then that they have a new restaurant in Covent Garden and are soon to open another in Canary Wharf.

The Big Easy is a great place to stuff your face with typical American fare, it has a fun atmosphere, a variety of cocktails and service with a smile. Our meal was expensive but we totally over ordered - we would have been satisfied with just half of what we had - however the menu was too good to resist!

The Big Easy

332-334 Kings Road
London
SW3 5UR
Tel: 020 7352 4071
Email: kingsroad@bigeasy.co.uk

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EIGHT OVER EIGHT CHELSEA

I used to love Sex and the City and have watched every episode several times. Like the show, in my twenties I had three very special girlfriends, we all lived close to each other and we regularly used to meet for supper at Eight Over Eight - it was "our place". Fast forward a few years and there have been transatlantic moves, marriages, divorces, babies and so on and it has been a while since we have all got together. However 2 of us had a trip time memory lane to Eight Over Eight last night and it was great to be back. Eight Over Eight is a Pan Asian restaurant owned by restauranteur Will Ricker.

We arrived just before 7pm and the bar was already busy and as was the restaurant which created a great, warming atmosphere. Corrie and I were very pleased to see the menu had hardly changed and we knew exactly what we wanted to order….in all honesty we could probably have ordered the entire menu.

We started with one of my favourite dishes of all time - the seared tuna with miso aioli. This is utterly delicious - the tuna was tender and delectable - and I adored the miso aioli. I could have eaten this whole dish to myself!

We had mixed sashimi which I think was some of the best tuna and salmon I have had in a long time. Sashimi is not normally my favourite but this was so soft and fresh, it did literally melt in your mouth. 

I love a bit of pork belly and this was slightly different to how they used to do it - it now is served in a black vinegar rather than a sticky hoisin sauce. While it is difficult to eat - you basically have to scoff the whole lot in one go - it was so tasty and the crackling was perfectly crispy.

I really like salt and pepper squid but I have to say this is the only dish here that I didnt love love as it is slightly too spicy for me and most of the squid is very small - next time I will order the soft shell crab as an alternative.

Because you can never have enough starters, we also had some prawn and chive dumplings, like the pork, these werent the easiest to eat as they are pretty big but big is good as these taste great.

For "mains" we had Corries favourite which is the duck and watermelon salad. I am not a fan of sweet and savoury so didnt eat the watermelon but I really enjoyed the crispy duck, cashew nuts and different salad leaves and herbs. I liked the fact there was plenty of duck!

Finally for old times sake we had to have the prawn pad thai - big juicy prawns, crispy onions, noodles, spring onions, nuts, lime - mouthwatering!

What a feast - we were stuffed - no room for pudding unfortunately. By the time we had finished the restaurant and bar had gone from busy to heaving, a really fun ambiance. I will definitely not leave it so long between visits next time. It is not cheap (the bill came to £131 for two and that included just one small glass of wine) but the food was so fresh and well presented, it was worth it.

Eight Over Eight

392 Kings Road

London 

SW3 5UZ

Tel: 0207 349 9934

Email: eightovereight@rickerrestaurants.com

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KUROBUTA CHELSEA

If anyone ever asks me to list my favourite restaurants in London I would probably name Zuma as my top one. However recently this has been knocked off its spot by Kurobuta. I have been three times in the past three months and each time I am so overwhelmed by the amazing food, I forget to take pictures!

Kurobuta originally opened as a pop-up in Chelsea in autumn 2013, they then opened a second branch in Marble Arch and at the end of January this year, they moved to a permanent space on the Kings road which they are still in the process of expanding. Thank goodness as the small pop up was permanently fully booked and it was impossible to get a table!!

The chef Scott Hallsworth trained at Nobu and the food is Japanese with a twist.

I could have literally ordered the whole menu.

We started with crunchy rice senbei crisps with avocado jalapeño dip. These kick the s*** out of prawn crackers and I dont even like jalapeños! I can also recommend the edamame beans and next time I am trying the pork scratchings.

We then had the salmon gravadlax and avocado tartare with dill mayo, rice crunchies and fresh yuzu zest. I hadnt had this before and while it was very good, I probably wouldnt order it again as there was a bit too much mayonnaise for me and there is so much other great dishes on the menu.

One of my favourite parts of the menu is the Japanese junk food section. The tuna sashimi pizza with truffle ponzu, red onions and green chillies is divine - so fresh and crisp and a lot healthier than a dominoes!! Despite the chillies, it is not spicy at all.

Another dish that we adore is the beef fillet tataki with onion ponzu and garlic crisps. This is phenomenal - when I first tried this, I ordered seconds straight away!! Apparently the onion ponzu takes a week to make but the effort is definitely worth it. The beef is so tender and literally melts and the garlic crisps add so much flavour.

Next up was the BBQ pork belly with steamed buns and spicy peanut soy. These are to die for - I cant tell you how good these are (they are so amazing I took two photos). Once again the sauce is not spicy (I hate spice) but more sticky and sweet and the pork is cooked to perfection - it falls apart in your mouth. 

I could have just ordered more and more pork belly til I burst!! However we then had the baby shrimp tempura with spicy mayo and warm ponzu dipping sauces. Writing this I have realised that we didnt receive the sauces, not that it mattered as we had soy sauce and these were delicious on their own - big juicy chunky prawns and very light fluffy batter. The best shrimp tempura Ive had in a very long time.

Seeing we were at a Japanese we had to have some maki rolls so we went for the spicy tuna maki rolled in tempura crunchies. Fantastic like everything else and not actually spicy.

We then ate the nasu dengaku; sticky miso grilled aubergine with sesame seeds. This isnt something I would normally order however a waitress recommended it on my first trip and I am so grateful she did - it is fabulous. 

Finally we finished with the wagu beef sliders; steamed buns, crunchy onions, pickled cucumber and umami mayo. I would have previously said it is impossible for me to enjoy a burger without cheese….however Kurobuta have proved me wrong…these are unbelievable. The beef is cooked pink and so tender and with all the little extras, it tastes so good. My only complaint is the size - I want to supersize it!!

Unfortunately that was the end of the meal - we were tempted to order more but knew that was a little piglety (plus I still have quite a few Easter chocolates leftover). 

I am not the only one to sing Kurobutas praises - last week it won the BMW Square Meal Award for Best New Restaurant (previously won by Zuma) and it has also been awarded the Opentable Diners Choice award for 2015.

The decor is cool, exposed brick and wires etc, the tables are pretty close together and the music is pretty noisy however none of that actually matters as the food is so frickin good. It is expensive but worth it. I want to go back there now!!


Kurobuta

312 Kings Road
London
SW3 5UH
Tel: 020 3475 4158
Email: info@kurobuta-london.com

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BRASSERIE GUSTAVE CHELSEA

Pascal, being French, loves proper French food…..and I, being a piglet, l love it too. Therefore we decided to give Brasserie Gustave in Chelsea a try on Saturday night - I follow their instagram page which always posts delicious photos of food.

Obviously I had checked out the menu beforehand and it was filled with traditional french dishes.

We started with some super soft bread and butter while we decided what to eat.

I was really torn over what to order for starter as I wanted both the snails and the coarse game terrine. In the end we decided to order 6 snails to share and a starter each - I had the terrine and Pascal chose the bone marrow.

The garlic and parsley buttered snails were served with crunchy croutons and tiny pieces of tomatoes and a pastry snail. I have always been a massive fan of snails, even as a young child and like nothing more than mopping up ever drop of sauce with bread. 

Unfortunately the snails were really disappointing - too much parsley and not enough seasoning or garlic. I think it is the first time ever I didnt lick the bowl clean.

I also ordered the coarse game terrine with toasted sourdough, green salad and gherkins. This was OK - nothing special, as before it also lacked seasoning. Plus the gherkins were tiny slithers in the salad, it could have done with more.

Pascal ordered the roasted bone marrow with parsley and gherkin salad and a red wine sauce. Unfortunately this did not live up to his expectations either, I tried a bit and found it incredibly fatty….although I have to say bone marrow is not my cup of tea!

For mains I was torn between the veal escalope "Diane" or the mussels. As I am still carrying some holiday weight from half term, I chose the moules marineres with fries.

The mussels themselves were quite bland and tasteless however the white wine sauce was absolutely delicious - I ate it like a soup and devoured the lot! The fries were also very good.

Pascal order the venison with almond potatoes, honey parsnips and red cabbage. This had the wow factor of being finished off on front of us on a little cooking trolley (I am sure the French have a much better word for it)! Unfortunately once again he was not impressed as the venison was slightly overcooked, plus he was starting to feel unwell as the bone marrow had been so rich. He didnt even finish his plate which is something I rarely see!!

As a side he ordered flat garlic mushrooms which were in fact delicious.

We decided against cheese and instead just ordered the bill - both feeling rather disappointed as we had had such high hopes. The restaurant hasnt been open that long (since June 2014), so maybe it is still having teething problems with the food - who knows - the chef has great qualifications. 

One thing I do know is that we wont rush back which is a shame as the service was exceptional - so friendly and attentive. It has the makings of being somewhere special, it just isnt there yet. Although it is worth pointing out that the restaurant has a gorgeous lower ground bar which looks super cosy, perfect for these cold, winter nights.

Brasserie Gustave

4 Sydney Street,

London

SW3 6PP

Tel: 020 7352 1712

Email: info@brasserive-gustave.com

 

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THE IVY CHELSEA GARDEN CHELSEA

The Ivy Chelsea Garden opened up last month on the old site of Henry J Beans on the Kings road. I used to be a huge fan of Henry J Beans as it was where I had my first ever date (many years ago) and also the venue of many fun nights out. However now as The Ivy Chelsea Garden, it couldnt be more different…..it looks amazing! It really has the wow factor - very light, luxurious, lots of green and plenty of mirrors everywhere and the la piece de resistance is the beautiful garden and terrace at the back. 

Already the restaurant and bar are super popular and it is hard to get a table - the restaurant is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and supper. My friend Ceri and I decided to take a chance and go for an early supper on Saturday night at 6.30pm. Thankfully we lucked out (we had read that some tables for set aside for walk-ins but werent sure if this was true or not)!

The menu is pretty vast and Ceri and I actually had to sit in silence for a bit in order to decide what to eat - so much to choose from!

For starter I had smoked salmon and crab and chive cream with sourdough toast. This was well presented and tasted very fresh however it was also extremely bland. They either forgot to add the chive cream or only added such a minuscule amount that you could not taste it. Shame as it has the potential to be a simple yet delicious dish.

Ceris starter was much more successful - she ordered tuna carpaccio with spiced avocado, lime, creme fraiche and coriander shoots. This was incredible - the tuna literally melted in your mouth with an explosion of flavours - I will definitely be having this next time.

For mains we both went for the Chelsea Garden fishcake with creamed spinach, a soft poached hens egg and hollandaise sauce. I have had the fishcake at the Ivys sister restaurants and always been a fan. It was big and tasty and went really well with the hollandaise. Ceri found it heavy and too much though (she is not a little piggy like me)!

The pudding menu is a delight and we were definitely going to have something - unfortunately the restaurant had other ideas and tried to hurry us off our table despite never being given a time limit when we sat down and we had only been there 1 hour and 15 minutes! So much for the impeccable service.

Anyway I ordered the melting chocolate bombe with milk foam, vanilla ice cream, with a honeycomb centre and hot salted caramel sauce. This was phenomenal!! Probably one of the best puddings I have ever had - I cannot rate it highly enough. I will be coming back here whenever I need a pudding fix (which is often).

Ceri order the dark treacle tart with clotted cream ice cream and Jersey pouring cream. Unfortunately this was a let down as it was so cold - it tasted like it had literally just been pulled out of the fridge or freezer. Maybe it was because they wanted our table, that they didnt prepare it properly or maybe it just isnt one of their best dishes - who knows?

No time for tea and our meal was over. We both agreed that the setting was beautiful and outstanding, other than the timing incident, service was very efficient and friendly - the food was mixed however it was very reasonably priced for such a restaurant. I will be back though - I am keen to try the breakfast and the burger and I "need" to have that pudding again…..now!! Taxi!!

The Ivy Chelsea Garden

197 Kings Road

London

SW3 5ED

Tel: 020 3301 0300

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