Five Guys - Upper Street, N1

Just what the actual fuck is all the fuss about?  The Five Guys website is plastered with positive reviews; the menu has a selection of one-liners singing their praises.  Taste is subjective I know but I just do not get it.

Peckham Bazaar - Consort Road, SE15

One top tip for bloggers out there if you wan't to avoid writers block; never read a review of a restaurant by a much better writer before trying to write your own...  Faye Maschler went to try Peckham Bazaar the day after us and ordered more or less identically.  She put it much better than I could with some lovely words and I recommend you read dem words here.

Silk Road - Camberwell Church Street, SE5

Silk Road does lot's of things really bloody well but fuck me the lamb shish is just amazing.  Smokey, salty, cumin skewered lamb with a little bit of chilli.  Each nugget of lamb next to a nugget of creamy fat...

Smokehouse - Canonbury Road, N1

I'm in two minds about the Smokehouse; I really did enjoy my food but eating it was a bit of an ordeal.  I love an open kitchen, probably more than most, but for the love of god do not sit a table next to the pass.

Bao - Kerb, Kings Cross Boulevard, N1

What a lovely little strumpet; soft, pillowy, savoury, and sweet all at the same time.  The shredded pork belly bun from Bao is a proper treat!

Pig and Hay - Chapel Street Market, N1

Pig and Hay is hands down the best kept secret on Chapel Market.  When I say secret that's probably a bit of an exaggeration as I've never seen it without half a dozen people queuing at lunch time to get their fill.

Dishoom - Boundary Street, E2

This could have been an amazing meal and looks wise Dishoom is a pretty cool little venue in my books.  Eating out on the veranda when the sun's out was a delight but the whole experience left me wanting sadly.

The Wilderness Festival 2013

Noa - Upper Street, N1

Is there anything more noble than kebab meat and chips?  Noa on Upper Street in Islington is one of my new favourite kebab houses and I've eaten there quite regularly in the last few months.  The doner meat is exceptional; crisp, tender, and perfectly fatty.

What your lunch says about you...

In a society obsessed with social media, instagram food porn, and blogging is it much of a stretch to see food as another status symbol? Where you choose to eat says as much about you as the clothes you wear surely?

Giant Robot - Clerkenwell Road, EC1

Why did no one tell me Giant Robot do a decent burger?! Developed originally for the Rotary Bar by Carl Clarke of Disco Bistro fame the Rotary Burger is a bit of a beast and well worth trying out.

Polpo - Beak Street, W1

Anyone heading down to the Wilderness festival this year is going to be in for a treat.  I was lucky enough to try out Russell Norman’s menu for Polpo this week and can safely say it has whet my appetite anew for the feasts to come. I’ve tried very hard to not sound like a smug wanker writing this... I don’t think I’ve succeeded but at least I tried right?

Meatlover - Amwell Street, EC1

So Filthy McNasty's is no more; for the next few weeks only it’s going to be taken over by Meatlover.  I suppose you could liken this to a last stab at rebellion before it turns into a respectable gastropub that is much more befitting of the rather upscale Amwell Street “village” location.

Buffalo Belly Pork

So this is the sort of food that basically will take years off your life.  Tasty but oh my god please don’t eat too much of this shit!

Lalita's - Alchemy Festival, Southbank

To say I’m normally veg averse would be a bit of an understatement.  After trying a selection of Lalita’s vegan and vegetarian Indian/Gujarati street food I’m beginning to feel like I’ve been missing out.

Mangal 2 - Stoke Newington Rd, N16

A few months ago I moved away from Victoria and I’ve been feeling something akin to withdrawal.  For a long time I’ve had a two kebab a week habit at the frankly excellent Cyprus Mangal and I am need of a fix!

Seven Stars - Carey Street, WC2A

Is it a bit wrong to go to a pub specifically because you know a cat that lives there? Probably but fuck it; cats are ACE.

Tozino - Maltby Street, SE1

Iberico and Sherry. You shouldn’t really need any more reasons to try out Tozino.

Tayyabs - Fieldgate Street, E1

In and out in under forty minutes.  Tayyabs do not fuck about on a Saturday night.

New years resolutions...

The longest I’ve been without a drink since I turned eighteen is a week. Seven days on antibiotics when I had my wisdom teeth out sometime in the early naughties...