Hinds Head, Bray

It was a miserable ol' day last Saturday, luckily we had something that we had been looking forward to all week, so the rain couldn't dampen our spirits.

Adam had booked for us to have lunch at the Hinds Head, a lovely traditional British pub owned by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal in the sleepy village of Bray.

This isn't our first time that we have visited a celebrity owned restaurant (you can't count Jamie's Italian)and past experiences haven't really lived up to expectation. So naturally, i was a bit apprehensive. However, the Hinds Head surpassed all expectations and we had a lovely leisurely Saturday lunch.

This is what i mean by a traditional British pub - dark wooden beams, low ceilings (not ideal for Adam) panelled walls, wood floor, fire places, multiple ales on shiny brass taps...

The menu isn't as extravagant as you'd expect for Heston - although he owns the pub, he doesn't do the cooking, obviously!! There are some of his staples - triple cooked chips (which were a must) and his scotch quails eggs (them too!).

 What shall we have then?

The menu is a mix of signature British dishes with a modern twist - and no liquid nitrogen in sight!!

For starters - we instead opted for the quirky bar snacks that Adam wouldn't shut up about (he had been previously)devils on horseback - prunes injected with mango chutney and wrapped in crispy pancetta, cod three ways and Heston's award-winning scotch quails eggs.

All gone!!

Moar food!!

Adam tucked in to a rich oxtail and kidney pudding that literally melted in your mouth.

I had a shepherd's pie with pan fried sweetbreads - it was nearly on par with my mum's!

We both shared a portion of Heston's famous triple cooked chips and a side of broccoli with almonds - both were spot on!

The portions are fairly substantial and you can tell that a lot of Love (Kevin Love, the head chef) has gone into it.

We shared a pud - i love rhubarb and i love a good trifle so when i saw a rhubarb trifle on the menu i knew i was onto a winner...

I did let Adam have some, honestly!!

We needed cawffee to wake us up from our food coma!

After a couple more glasses of wine we headed out to have a swift nosey around Bray, stopping by Heston's award winning Michelin starred restaurant - The Fat Duck

 ...so exclusive you can't see in through the windows :(

After a few more piccys we headed back to the car before the rain came down again.

Lizzy wears: Jumper by H&M, Whistles Blazer, Boots & Bag by Mulberry

 Adam wears: Hugo Boss Jeans, Jacket by Paul Smith, Shirt & Pocket Square from Reiss

Hinds Head
High Street
Bray
Berkshire
SL6 2AB

Tel: 01628 626151

www.hindsheadbray.com

Mildreds: Soho

The sun is out in London town. Surely Spring/Summer must be on its way?!?!

I'm trying to be 'relatively' healthy at the moment [in preparation], so after a long stroll around the shops in the west end we swung by Mildreds in Soho - London's coolest vegetarian restaurant.

When it comes to food, i am the ultimate carnivore (which is obvious from my previous posts) but i do enjoy a good veggie feast and Mildreds is the perfect place.

Part of Mildreds' charm is its informal setting, very much like a  bustly bistro with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The food is served quickly, however, the service itself is a bit slap-dash. Nevertheless - we were lucky to walk in and grab a table as the place doesn't take bookings. 

With an exciting menu and a daily specials board, it was somewhat of a challenge to pick something out as everything sounded fantastic.

Not only does Mildreds cater for vegetarians but it also serves gluten free, wheat free and vegan friendly dishes.

I had to remind Adam that his iguana skin wallet may be deemed as inappropriate in a vegetarian restaurant...

Food time!! Adam opted for a starter as i would much rather saver my calories for pud! Though, i did sneak ones of his deep fried chinese dumplings tossed in ginger, garlic and chilli with kim-chi when he wasn't looking!! 

For the main event, Adam had the super healthy organic energising detox salad with goats cheese, beetroot, carrots, fennel, sprouting beans, sultanas, coriander and toasted seeds with apple, lime and ginger dressing.

I decided upon the humongous dish of stir fried asian vegetables cooked in sesame oil and plum sauce with garlic and ginger, fresh chilli and coriander served with organic brown rice, toasted cashews and marinated organic tofu.

With a chargrilled flatbread on the side.

Our curry-monster mate Sy tucked in to the Sri Lankan sweet potato and cashew nut curry served with yellow basmati rice and peas and a coconut tomato sambal.

Portion sizes here are incredible and excellent value for money - though, with no meat protein to help fill you up, i guess they have to be.

On to dessert, i think i have found my pud haven! I would just happily come here, have a few glasses of wine or a cocktail and order just a pud...again, the portion sizes are ridic!! look...

This baby was on the specials board - a persian lemon, almond and pistachio cake with pomegranate and rose syrup served with a big dollop of tangy yoghurt. 

Sy, my loyal pudding sidekick chose this salted caramel, hazelnut and chocolate cheesecake which was also out of this world!!

Adam missed out on having a pudding...boo hoo!!

After dinner we took a nice stroll through Soho making the most of the sunshine :)

Blazer from TK Maxx, Shirt - Uniqlo, Boots: Dune, Bag - Mulberry

Adam wears: Suit by Paul Smith, White Shirt - Reiss

 What i forgot to mention is that we didn't go full veggie that day ... Adam and I shared a cheeky scotch egg on our way up from the South Bank ... oops!

Mildreds
45 Lexington Street
Soho
London 
W1F 9AN

www.mildreds.co.uk

Eat 17 & Rotary Bar/Diner

It has been well documented that every once in a while Adam and I enjoy a day of decadence. For us, this can mean having an extravagant lunch and dinner with drinks and cocktails etc. We've even done the whole restaurant safari thing where you go somewhere for starter, a different place for main, another for pud and so on...

So, a couple of Saturdays ago, it was time for a well overdue day of decadence courtesy of Eat 17 and the Rotary Bar/Diner.

First up, Eat 17 - a relaxed and heart-warming bar/restaurant in Walthamstow Village, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of our regular stomping ground in central London.

Eat 17 prides itself on 'producing honest British food' which is locally sourced using a variety of sustainable methods. Next door (bizarrely) is a Spar which houses the Eat 17 bakery and pizza oven! Not just any old convenience store!!

We met up with our friends Ant and Liz and had a nice little table in the window - perfect for people watching.

The food was tasty, simple yet hearty - everything you would expect from a good bit of British grub.

Adam and I shared a torn duck salad, rocket, green beans, apple & pomegranate dressing

 Cream of broccoli soup

Rabbit gratin crumble

 Scallops, pea puree and crispy pancetta for Liz

Ant opted for the pork and leek sausages with spring onion and red leicester mash with a side of spinach. All the meat served at Eat 17 is sourced from the East London Sausage Company who have a store across the road.

 A couple of bottles of wine later...

 Puds!! Liz had this incredible sticky toffee pud and ice cream

 Cheese board for the boys

 I had a cappuccino and some kookie bites

The vibes that i got from Eat 17 is that it's a perfect place for a late leisurely lunch with a good group of friends. It is also ideal for a date as it has a nice and relaxed atmosphere, not too intimate and the surroundings will give you a lot to talk about.

With an excellent selection of food and wine at a very reasonable price you are truly spoilt for choice. 

They even make their own bacon jam which is sold in the Spar next door.

And so our day of decadence continued not that long after, which saw us mission to the edge of the city - Old Street to be precise for our reservation at the Rotary Bar/Diner.

The Rotary is part of the Rushmore Group - the folks behind Milk & Honey and The Player, Soho. 

With its wood panel walls and ambient lighting, the diner resembles a ski lodge crossed with a rustic school dinner hall - they even have the same chairs!

The menu is very simple - burgers, grills, wings & BBQ

oh, and pint cocktails!!

No. 1 Salad - grilled purple sprouting broccoli, cobnuts, berkswell (there was a cheeky poached egg on there too)

The main event...

Adam had the Boat Day Bun - Cornish pollack, pickled fennel, spicy crab, buttermilk (aka, an upmarket fillet-o-fish)

I had the Fried Chicken Roll - slathered in this bad boy... It does make you say exactly what it says on the label!

Dessert was epic! Who doesn't love a choc ice? You get two. I had the bourbon caramel (which was the best) and Adam had the sour cherry.

This made us both very happy.

The Rotary Bar/Diner is a pop-up and only open for 10 months until Dec 2013 so you better run.

Eat 17                                           Rotary Bar Diner
28-30 Orford Road                                    70 City Road
Walthamsow                                                 London
London                                                   EC1Y 2BJ
E17 9NJ

www.eat17.co.uk                            www.rotarybardiner.com