Tea & Tattle

We have a HUGE backlog of visits and tastings done, but I'd like to start with one of my personal favorites: Tea & Tattle.

Hiding itself away underneath an already inconspicuous bookshop along the street that runs right in front of the British Museum, it would be a shame for any fan of the concept of "tea-time" or "afternoon tea" to miss this little gem. 

Decked out in cozy and antique decor, the shop offers a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the urban landscape that is London. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere serene, and the prices are gentle as well ;)

There really are few places that I've been to over here that can offer the same level of quiet and peacefulness of  Tea & Tattle whilst you sip your tea!

On both occasions, myself and Ao went for the Traditional Afternoon Tea sets, which is a hefty meal in itself consisting of two pots of tea/coffee, two HUGE slices of cake of your choice, two scones, two (deceptively worded) sandwiches and to top it all off, two glasses of lemonade! That's all for £28.00 (for both people), don't tell me that's not value for money!

We usually opt to start off with the lemonade to prepare our taste buds for the feast to come. Not too sweet and with enough punch, Tea & Tattle's lemonade is great to ward off the summer heat, or to entice the palates for more treats!

LEMONADE!

But value for money isn't just about the amount of food you get; the food should taste more than it's worth! I have my reservations about the cakes, being a little too sweet for my taste. Ao has found a personal favorite in the Victoria Sponge, whereas I find the Walnut Cake being more worth the stomach space. 

Their scones come in little perfectly shaped ovals, all prepped with clotted cream and your choice of jam on top! We highly recommend the Bramley Jam or Fruit Marmalade that definitely do NOT taste like your generic sweet jelly from the supermarkets. We haven't had the craving for any of their more adventurous jams yet, but when we do we'll be sure to update this post!

Look at them perfectly shaped scones!! And everything on top is applied for you so you don't have to get your fingers all oily and sticky and what not.

Fat.... CHUNKY.... CAKES!

They also offer a fairly wide variety of sandwiches, though I'm not a big fan of them. My favorite has to be the "Crab and Avocado with Mayonnaise and Lemon",

and a close second would be the "Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche with Cucumber and Lemon". Both offer an interesting taste that is not too heavy to defeat the mood that is tea, yet savory enough to bring justice to the name that is sandwich :)

Yes those are two sandwiches in total. I know it counts 8, but that's.. two.

I'm not entirely sure what brand of tea they use, but the range offered all taste pretty superb, my personal favorite being the Earl Grey and Peppermint, whilst Ao prefers the more refreshing Camomile and Jasmine. I must say that there is nothing TOO spectacular about the tea, but they are offered in generous amounts and come well filtered. 

You'd think that cute little teapot would hold only about 4-5 cups of tea.. You could never be more wrong!

All in all, the food isn't anything to shout about but taste homely enough to fill the stomach and bring a smile to one's face. The generous amounts offered will definitely surprise first time visitors especially for the cost. I mean, come on! LOOK AT THE PHOTOS. I'm not kidding about the amount of food you get. Try to anticipate that, or you'll end up so fully bloated like myself and Ao always do :D

In the ranks of Afternoon Tea spots, this will definitely be one of our favorites, and we'll be returning to it in the future for sure.

Website: http://www.apandtea.co.uk/

Address: 41 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3PE
Nearby Landmarks: The British Museum

Nearest Tube Station: Russell Square, Tottenham Court Road

Price Range: ££

Rating: 3/5 teapots! :D because more teapots are always good.

Food Variety: Teas, Coffees, Smoothies, Cakes, Scones, Sandwiches - Your typical afternoon tea fare!

If you could only try one thing...: Some people swear by their smoothies but we haven't got around to trying them yet. I'd say the best part of the place would be the scones and their lovely jams!

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Manfred & Ao <3

A fresh start!

Well... the search for London's Best Carbonara got kinda put on hold because of studies and stuff..
I've managed to pick up two other foodies along the way, and you can't call a three-person journalistic endeavor a diary can you? ;)

So!

Here we are now, forming The Subsistence Resistance!

Our aim? To find all the good, well-priced food out there in Central London, and wherever we step foot OUT of London!

24/12/11 Balfour Restaurant: Somewhere I've wanted to try in a long while!

With the loss of my camera, I couldn't provide any photos for my previous Carbonara food trip. Worse still, I thought I was down for the count, and that I couldn't continue doing reviews until I could get my hands on a camera!

Enter brother. Enter new phone.

And so now... I present to you, ENTRY 3, of Carbonara Diaries! :)

On the evening of the 24th of December 2011, my older brother and I found ourselves roaming the now-empty streets of London. People were flocking back home for the X'mas celebrations, and festivity was in the air! We were making our way back to my humble abode as well, eager to have a simple celebration to welcome in the 25th. The only problem was: We hadn't eaten our dinner yet.

That was when we spotted Balfour. Located at the cross-junction of Marchmont Street and Tavistock Place (off Cartwright Gardens, or the Brunswick at Russell Square), this Italian restaurant had always caught my attention with its brightly lit exterior and (more often that not) busy and crowded interior, but I could never find the time to drop by. Except this time. It felt right!

And so we stepped into Balfour (which was pretty empty, not surprisingly), took a lovely window seat and sat down to order from the giant sized menu. No prizes for guessing what I ordered. My brother ordered the ravioli, eager to find one that could best the dish he had in his adventures in Dubai a week earlier. In the spirit of celebration, and of the fact that Balfour proclaims it is an authentic Italian restaurant, we decided to each order a glass of Italian white wine. I can't remember what the name of it was, but it's located at the top of the wine list, written down as a spirit of Italy.

We were given bread for starters, with good ol' fashion olive oil and vinegar. The bread was a little too hard for my liking, though I must say the vinegar had a very refreshing taste to it. Service was fast and crisp, and we got our food under 10 minutes.

At first impression, the food looked cool and easy to eat. Oh how wrong I was. My Carbonara was astonishingly hot and steamy! The dish looked well coated and definitely creamy, something that I feel is of great importance to a good plate of Carbonara. Can't be having Carbonara soup now can we? The taste of cream in the sauce was pretty intense, and I can imagine it being a put off to those who do not enjoy their dairy. The dish was loaded with bacon meat, something that I always appreciate.

Unfortunately, my brother's dish of ravioli failed to impress him, and on hindsight, myself as well. The taste just wasn't there, and it was quite a big let down, given as to how he agreed that the Carbonara tasted pretty good and authentic.

Interestingly, the table beside us (a family of 3) did not order a single plate of pasta, and instead had ordered their fish and chips and steak, which looked pretty adequate as far as I could tell. Something to try in the future perhaps?

And here we go! The summary!

Name: Balfour Italian Restaurant
Opening Hours: Seems to be open everyday till late, starting from lunch all the way to dinner. I should start to take note of this more seriously :P
Address: (Again, my inadequacy towards such details!) I don't really know the exact address. The closest landmark is probably The Brunswick. You can find this restaurant along Tavistock Place, at the junction of Sandwich Street. Look at the map for reference! The closest tube station is King's Cross St. Pancras, and is a short 5 minute walk away!

Notable landmarks nearby:
University of London Garden Halls (located on Cartwright Gardens)
The Brunswick (@ Russell Square Station)


Carbonara Test:

Beauty: 4/5

I thought the presentation was particularly gorgeous. (For lack of my technical cuisine knowledge) The pasta came in a nice dish that accentuated it's look for some reason. It didn't look like it came fresh from the pot, yet it was steaming and piping hot. The cream coated the noodles very evenly as well, by far the most tantalising plate of pasta I have seen thus far.


Taste: 3/5 (subject to change when I review more in the future!)

As much as I enjoyed this plate of Carbonara, I must say the taste of cream was too overwhelming after a certain point. I found it a little difficult to polish off the full plate, as my remaining noodles were floating and cream and oil, probably an indication that too much of both were used? Sadly, the noodles were a little too soft, definitely not Al Dente.


Service & Atmosphere: 4/5 (Taken into context of the type and location of the eatery)

Everything was done in a fast and timely manner. From seating, to taking our orders, serving and then paying of the bill. Really, nothing much I can say other than that the service charge was justified. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere to it as well, which really enhances the eating experience of course. All in all, good service.


Budget: 2/5 (the lower the score, the more hard hitting it is on your budget!)

Given that it IS a restaurant after all, and after removing the price of the wine, my meal came up to around 14 pounds. Certainly not a luxury I can enjoy on a daily basis. Well, at least for the price, the Carbonara was pretty decent.


Overall: 13/20

Will I make a return trip? Probably.
Will I recommend it to friends? Maybe, if they are feeling rich.

I can't say much about the other dishes this restaurant has to offer, but as far as this experience goes, I think their pastas might be a case of hit & misses, maybe because of they prepare it "authentically"? Not my favourite Carbonara, but one I wouldn't mind eating again.

Until next time!

Oh.. And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you readers as well! Keep spinning them forks people! (in pasta of course)

28/11/2011: Casa Nostra Cafe

This one really, sort of, came to my knowledge by chance. And I have my good friend Bin to thank for that! Personally, I think I have very weak self control when it comes to food. Thankfully, Bin has much greater discipline! And so when he recommends food, I've learned to listen, and so far he hasn't been wrong!


Anyway, we came to know of the Casa Nostra Cafe from another blog. In his review, the writer found this cafe to be his little haven in big, busy London; the owners were warm and homely, and the food was simple and comforting, yet delicious and tasteful. Now, all of that is fine and dandy, but when I read that the owners served home-cooked, AUTHENTIC Italian pasta dishes, I could hardly stop myself from barging out the door and giving this cafe a shot.


After all, it was literally around the corner from where I lived!

"A" marks the spot!

And so one fine afternoon, myself, Bin and Daryl took a stroll in search for this piece of proclaimed heaven. I can hardly blame anyone for not noticing the cafe. Sitting under renovation scaffolding, this cafe peeks meekly out from a street corner; hardly intimidating, nor inviting in any sense. 


The cafe is hardly big. There was about 16 seats in total, including a few tables outside of the shop, and a smaller room adjoining to the main shop front. That didn't seem to be of any concern, as the shop was only open till 1- 2 pm (depending on business). True to the blog post that informed us of this little gem, the owners were both nice grandfatherly gentlemen, who promptly took our orders and busied themselves about preparing for it.


(Sorry for this, can't remember the names of their dishes!) Bin had Penne with a spicy chicken sauce, whilst Daryl gave their recommended Pasta Puttanesca (olive pasta) a shot. I had the *SURPRISE* Carbonara :) The food came really quickly, with mine taking the longest as expected, clocking in at around 10 minutes.


The first thing that impressed me during this dining experience was that black pepper and parmesan cheese are added fresh upon your request! Nothing beats having fresh ingredients!


All of our pasta were served piping hot, and we eagerly dug into our hearty meals!

Carbonara, courtesy of Casa Nostra Cafe

For my Carbonara, the first thing that caught my attention was the texture of the dish. Often, my noodles either come drenched in gravy, or with none at all. The chef here knew what he was doing. The spaghetti noodles (at the insistence of the chef, nothing else is suitable with carbonara, so they claim!) were coated evenly with creamy gravy of the right consistency: not too thick, yet fluid enough so that the noodles would flow smoothly down one's throat.


Being a meat lover, I appreciated the fact that they did not skimp on the pancetta! There was enough meat to go around with every mouthful of noodles; something that usually only happens when I'm the chef!


The taste of the sauce was superb! The smokiness of the pancetta could be tasted evenly, complimenting the thick taste of cream and egg. I can understand if some may find the taste too intense, but I found it exactly to my palate! 


To top it all off, the texture of the spaghetti noodles was extremely springy, yet easy to bite and chew. Believe me when I say that this was THE perfect experience of the term "Al Dente" (italian term to describe pasta, a texture that is firm, but not hard. I.e. "to the bite"). The firmness of the noodles made it oh so satisfying to slurp and chew, at the same time allowing the gravy to coat the noodles evenly and smoothly.

All done! Cleaned the plate right off!

Yup! Definitely one of the best plates of Carbonara I have ever polished off a plate. My buddies were satisfied with their dishes too! A yummy experience all in all!


Despite it being an Italian eatery, many of the customers who filtered through often had variations of their breakfast menu, which was traditionally English. So for those of you who enjoy a good breakfast or do not fancy pasta dishes as much as I do, there's always the excellent breakfast choice (as recommended by the blog that lead us here, and by the shop owners no less!).




And so, here's the summary!




Name: Casa Nostra Cafe
Opening Hours: Not too sure about weekends, read that they open from 6 a.m. - 1/2 p.m. on weekdays.
Address: I don't really know the exact address, but it is on Hastings Street, at the junction of Sandwich Street. Look at the map for reference! The closest tube station is King's Cross St. Pancras, and is a short 5 minute walk away! 


Notable landmarks nearby: 
University of London Garden Halls (located on Cartwright Gardens)
British Library
St. Pancras Hotel




Carbonara Test:


Beauty: 3/5


There was nothing special nor thoughtful about the arrangement of the food. But the sight of the gravy, coupled with the firm yet soft-to-bite look of the noodles just made the food scream "EAT ME". Having a plate of food looking this good in front of me will just make me powerless.


Taste: 4/5 (subject to change when I review more in the future!)


Easily the BEST Carbonara I've tasted in London thus far. I enjoy the intense taste of the dish as a whole. The flavour of the meat is spread evenly throughout the dish, without having the meat being reduced to tasteless scraps. It may be a little too strong to those who prefer their dishes having a lighter taste though.


Service: 4/5 (Taken into context of the type and location of the eatery)


I am a firm believer that dining is an experience as a whole, and the way you feel from the moment you step into the dining location up to the point of leaving is as important as the food itself! Although I didn't get the chance to experience the air of familiarity and spontaneity of the owners that the writer of the blog so spoke of, service was prompt and quick. Food arrived quickly, and steaming hot. The owners were very friendly and helpful, especially in introducing to us the different dishes on the menu. Given that it is located in the vicinity of blocks of houses, I must say that the service is what one would expect from the "local cafe": Warm, fast and sincere. 


Budget: 3/5 (the lower the score, the more hard hitting it is on your budget!)


The cost of my meal came up to around 5 pounds (I don't think it's good for me to disclose the exact price), and so did my friends, so expect to spend at least that amount when dining here! Tap water is offered FOC, so you can leave your water bottles at home!


Overall: 14/20 


And so my journey is off to an awesome start! No doubt, I will have to return to some of the places where I have eaten Carbonara that was not as good. Nevertheless, every step is necessary, on my quest to unearth the best Carbonara in London!

Thanks for the company, and the idea for the blog name :D

Carbonara Diaries! Discovering carbonara, one plate at a time!

Hello fellow foodies!

I'm a big fan of food, and like most of you foodies out there, I have my favourites as well! I've always wanted to catalogue my food adventures, and what better way to start than with one of my favourite dishes: Carbonara!

The idea was born from jest, incubated over lunches and dinners, and finally today, I've decided that it's time for it to be released to the world as I slurped up one of the BEST plate of carbonara I have eaten in London.

I must credit my friend, Daryl, from my university hall, for suggesting this inspiring name for my blog. Carbonara Diaries. The more I thought about it, the more I felt it right for it to come out.

No, that's not the plate I had, looks yummy though!

And so, without further ado, I hereby declare the start, and hopefully never-ending quest, to taste as many plates of carbonara as I can, and hopefully find the BEST carbonara a student can afford!

Cheers, to the birth of Carbonara Diaries!!~


Yours,

The Carbonara Scribe