REVIEW: ICECREAMISTS

Everybody’s been going gaga over Baby Gaga this week but when we checked into rehab, minus the breast milk we loved it. Rehab is located in Covent Garden and aside from Breast Milk serves a whole host of other adult delights. We’re talking absinthe ice creams, knicker bocker glory holes, sexbombs, firebombs and more.

We started with a tub of Choc & Awe and The Vanilla Monologues both as sweet and smooth as a Stevie Wonder song. This was followed by The Toast Mortem, a chocolate and hazelnut gelato softened with Frangelico and served with toast, and The Molotoffee Cocktail served with Banana Liqueur, Dulcee De Leche ice cream, toffee and meringue. This was our favourite, the meringue is blow torched at your table by the sexy S&M styled staff and spritzed with oven proof rum.

And you know what they say in Rehab you must take all of your medication so we thought it was only right we tried another two cocktails. Miss Whiplash and The Sexbomb were prescribed for our consumption, Miss Whiplash the most ‘normal’ cocktail of the lot combines raspberry vodka and berry sorbet served in a martini glass.

The Sex Bomb is the one most people have heard of following Johnny Lydon from The Sex Pistols attempts to get it banned, because you know it was god save the queen not cream. The Sex Bomb was originally going to contain Viagra but that was banned although it is blended with natural stimulants and topped with a shot of absinthe served from a hospital drip.

At £10 - £15 there not cheap but well worth it if you fancy trying something different. The Icrecreamists are pretty mental and it will be interesting to see how they top Baby Gaga, lets just hope they don’t take our comments about rohypnol ripple too seriously all we’ll all be in trouble…..

The Icecreamists, 15 Maiden lane. Covent Garden WC2E
www.theicecreamists.com

REVIEW: 19 NUMARA BOS CIRRIK II

We have to admit it, we’ve been fans of 19 Numara Bos Cirrik 11 for a long time, even before we moved to the area, and our visit on Friday night only cemented the love. The traditional Turkish kebab house is located on Stoke Newington High Street and serves up a host of skewered goodies.

We usually have the same every time we go because we’re bad like that but the Chicken Shish and Mixed Kebab are clear winners - we're not overly keen on the saucy ones as they can be too rich.

The kebabs are served with fresh, hot Turkish bread straight out of the oven, balsamic roasted onions (ACE), spicy onions, fresh garlic mayo and chilli sauce. Should you fancy it there’s plenty of hot and cold meze on the menu and we’d recommend washing them down with a bottle Efes, Turkish lager.  
Lager & a kebab = a match made in heaven.

For only ten squid a kebab there pretty good value and whilst some people might think kebabs are gross these my dear are seriously not. 

194 Stoke Newington High St, N16 7
**If you can book, do so during weekends this place is jammed

REVIEW: KOBA KOREAN RESTAURANT...

Koba is one of London's hidden gems, a restaurant tucked away between Oxford Street and Charlotte Street. Korean food has quite a low profile in London as people can be wary of the unknown, but many of the dishes are very familiar and borrow heavily from Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine, bwith one key difference - Koba are barbecue specialists! This place is really one for the carnivores, there are veggie dishes on the menu, but to miss out on the meat would be sacrilege.

Your order comes out of the kitchen raw and is cooked by your waiter on a hot plate in the middle of your table; it doesn’t get any fresher than that! We’d recommend the mixed barbecue to sample as many different meats as possible - beef, chicken, pork belly, duck and prawns the size of baby lobsters, all served with chilli sauce and lettuce leaves in which to roll up the meat, fajita-style. A little veggie noodles or rice on the side and you have a filling, healthy and tasty meal. If barbecues aren’t your thing then try babimbap – rice, veg and meat in a hot bowl, or various chow mein-style dishes.

Great food, fab service and not bad value either – definitely one of London’s best Korean restaurants. In the words of Diana Ross and the Supremes “I'll Try Something New” who knows you just might like it!

Koba Korean Restaurant – 11 Rathbone Street W1T 1NA

REVIEW: FIFTEEN

We finally got to visit Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant for brunch and we were impressed.

The restaurant located just off Old Street is a registered charity which trains disadvantaged young people to become chefs - one chef was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top chefs to watch in Europe

We sampled the first batch of hot crossed buns this year and they were delightful - soft, moist and sticky. We lathered them with homemade rhubarb jam which was crammed full of rhubarb pieces.

We also tried a couple of the Banana, Pear and Blood Orange smoothies followed by the Full Monty. We have to admit the Full Monty was missing something - the beans! But the eggs were quite possibly the best poached eggs we've had in London. At £10.50 the breakfast isn't cheap but the surroundings are fab, having been recently renovated and there's a real buzz in the restaurant. Plus it’s a charity so it’s for a good cause.

Would we go back? We sure would, we're already planning a trip to the posher restaurant downstairs to try the set menu - £26 for 2 courses, not bad. But the best dish of the day? The waiters of course!

Fifteen, 15 Westland Place, N1
www.fifteen.net

REVIEW: COX, COOKIES AND CAKES

We finally got to try Cox, Cookies and Cakes after months of wanting. The shop located in Soho is the newest project from shoe designer Patrick Cox serving quirky cupcakes and cookies to saucy Londoners. We tried a few of the cupcakes including one labeled F**K me - the ideal gift for a loved one; one with a men’s torso on and one with a skull and crossbones on. We also crammed a brownie in just to be sure it wasn’t just the cupcakes which were good.

The shop is full of neon signs, dark lighting and some sex branded merchandise. Open until 11pm at weekends it’s a great place to call in for a sugar fix or buy some cakes to impress dinner guests. Just be extra careful on the way home, even in a box ours got ruined.

Head along for some legal, sexy highs and tasty treats!

Sun - Thurs 11am - 8pm
Fri - Sat 11am - 11pm
Cox, Cookies and Cakes, Brewer Street, W1F
www.coxcookiesandcake.com

SPINACH & AGUSHI

Spinach & Agushi is one of our favourite food stalls serving up what the website describes as “Delicious Ghanaian inspired street food” and we have to say we totally agree. The stalls can be found on Exmouth Market, Broadway Market and Portobello Road and usually offer 3 or 4 different curries with jollof rice and fried plantain. We recommend buying a large bit of everything which means you get to try all of the curries - it's not the cheapest market food about £8 a pop for a large but there’s enough to share (if you want to!)

The Spinach and Agushi and Coconut Chicken are our favourite but to be brutally honest they are all ACE and what’s more they are bringing out meals to make at home this year - samples can be viewed on their facebook page. Hooray we say!

Broadway Market and Portobello Market - Saturdays
Exmouth Market - Mon - Fri

TOUR DE COOK BOOK

To mark the launch of his cook book SARABAN chef Greg Malouf is touring London to showcase his recipes. Events have already taken place at La Fromagerie, Petersham Nurseries and the Dock Kitchen but there are still two chances to catch him in action:

Fortnum & Mason Talk and Evening Demonstration
Wednesday 9th February 6.30 – 7.30 pm
During an hour-long evening event at London’s centuries old, quintessentially English store Greg will show guests how to recreate his favourite Persian dishes using ingredients from the Food Hall at Fortnum & Mason.
£15 per head
Bookings - 0845 602 5694
www.fortnumandmason.com

The Saraban Reception
Thursday 10th February – 7.00 pm
An evening talk & reception with the Iran Heritage Foundation at Made in Camden at the Roundhouse. Greg and co-author Lucy will relive their journey through the kitchens and dining rooms of modern day Iran following which Made in Camden Head Chef, Josh Katz and team will prepare some Saraban inspired light bites.
£15 per head
Bookings – via Roundhouse’s website

So if you fancy some persian nosh - go seek and eat.

REVIEW: FOX & ANCHOR

LondOntheInside got to try the Fox and Anchor’s City Boy Breakfast last week and boy did we like it. We first met the Fox and Anchor last year when we got a good Sunday roasting, so we had high hopes for The City Boy, being city boys and girls ourselves (in as much as we live in London which is a city).

The City Boy Breakfast comes with a mass of meat and pint of stout served in an English tankard. The breakfast has everything you would want and need from a breakfast plus lots and lots and lots more; Bacon, sausage, eggs, tomato, black pudding, hash browns, minute steak, kidneys, liver, beans and mushrooms. Although we have to admit we left the kidneys and liver as it's not really our thing. In fact no matter how hard we tried we couldnt finish it.....

This has got to be one of the biggest breakfasts in London, so if you fancy a challenge head along and try your luck - go on we dare you. Just don’t expect to be able to go to the office afterwards, you’ll probably need to take a nap but it just so happens that are a selection of rooms above the pub - bonus!

City Boy Breakfast £16.95
The Fox and Anchor, 115 Charterhouse Street, EC1M
www.foxandanchor.com

TURKISH FOOD CENTRE

The Turkish Food Centre also known as TFC is the hidden gem in the otherwise pretty poor quality Ridley Road market. The store located at the back of the market sells a range of fresh, good quality Turkish food. It’s cheap, dirt cheap, 65p for a huge, fresh round of Turkish bread, £1.50 for a large tub of fresh olives and lots of fresh Turkish cheeses, humus and dips.

The fruit and veg is also worth a mention especially the tomatoes which are juicy and rip. So if you're knocking up a Turkish meal or fancy some meze head along and fill a bag or three.

TFC, 89 Ridley Road, E8
www.tfcsupermarkets.com

THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB, WE MEET AGAIN...

Having recommended The Slaughtered Lamb for beer swirling and chit chat we thought it was about time we sampled the food, in particular the fish finger sandwich. Bustling with a Friday lunch time crowd and early weekend starters we were lucky enough to find a table of dwellers on the way out. Popular or what!

Straight in at the bar ordering a fish finger sandwich and a side order of chips it took less than ten minutes for this to appear at our table, result! The chips were to die for, golden, light and crunchy. The bulging fish finger sandwich on soft white bread was impressive. Accompanied by tarter and ketchup this dish might be labelled a snack but it packs in a punch that could settle a stomach for a good night out.

The fish finger sandwich comes in at £6 and three English coins gets you the chips. Great service, friendly atmosphere and good surrounds. Every Friday should be a fish finger Friday at the Slaughtered Lamb. Fact!

The Slaughtered Lamb, 34-35 Great Sutton St EC1V
www.theslaughteredlambpub.com

GORDON RAMSAY'S POP UP CURRY STALL

Be honest, how many of you sit there watching Gordon Ramsay humiliate others on TV, wishing you could give him a piece of your mind? Well now you can! Head along to Brick Lane on Friday where the chef himself will be working on a pop-up curry stall. But go easy on him, it's all in the aid of charity. (Red Nose Day not Gordon Ramsay Holdings so donate generously!)

Warning = Too much abuse may get you arrested

Friday 4th Feb 12 - 3pm ** Although the man himself will only be putting in a 1 hour shift 1pm -2pm
Truman Brewery, Dray Wallk Gallery, E1

REVIEW: MICKY’S CHIPPY

You know how it is, you have your favourite Fish and Chip shop, so why go anywhere else? Well if we thought that way we’d never discover anything better than we already know.

So we hit Micky’s Chippy instead of our favourite Paradise Fish Bar and we liked what we found. We can’t be sure it was better but it was just as good. A huge chunky, battered cod and portion of chips, fresh out of the fryer.

Micky’s is located on Pellerin Road just off Kingland Road we paid £8.60 for a large cod and chips, mushy peas and curry sauce. And trust us your gonna want to try that curry sauce.

Micky’s Chippy, 2 Pellerin Rd, N16