Dabbous, Whitfield Street

I lost a few hours of my life one evening last week in a basement bar in Noho. I drank four very strong, well made cocktails propping up the bar of Dabbous. It all started quite innocently with intentions of dinner, but on discovering the wonderful eight page cocktail menu and quiet, well staffed bar, a judgement call was made to stay and drink.

If you're looking for a New York style drinking establishment, with more space and less fashionistas,  recently opened Dabbous could tick all your boxes. It's quite lovely downstairs with attentive staff and a slightly impressive selection of gin. It was the first Wednesday they had been open and it was clear that there were a few teething problems.

I'm not going to lie, I like this place, I just don't love it. The fact our bill came to over £100 and they didn't care to inform us that their card machine wasn't working until we were both slightly inebriated was a little off. It's also worth a mention that although they had a menu of bar snacks, this involved  less than a handful of options, two of which were caviar and black pudding.... Eeewww! We ordered chicken bites, which were possibly the smallest bites I have ever seen and a steak sandwich, which essentially was meat on a slice of toast. All very tasty, not very impressive. To be honest, I'm not even sure I'd want to try the restaurant after this bar experience. What was quite frustrating, was that as we were leaving we were informed that we could have ordered from the full menu downstairs rather than just bar snacks. Considering that we had arrived and asked for a dinner table, it's poor form that they didn't tell us this right away.

I'm rather fond of sitting at a bar and chatting with the fine gentleman mixing my drink, Dabbous is just perfect for that. I managed to get served by one of the very charming owners (Ollie Dabbous' partner) who chatted away comfortably about the cocktails. You certainly can't knock the service here, as soon as you sit down, ice water is served and you are made to feel very welcome. The cocktails menu has a great selection of classics - including my favourite, an Aviation. It was made well, served in the correct glass and I even got to sample it with a selection of gins.

Come here as a bar, on a date, with a good friend for a catch up. The low lighting might have made finding the loos impossible but it certainly made the cool calm bar intimate. Overall, I'll come here again, but I'm not sure if it will be for more than a drink.

Dabbous | 39 Whitfield Street London W1T 2SF
www.dabbous.co.uk
020 7323 1544

East Street, Rathbone Place

I drank out a bucket. It had rum and real sugar coke in it and I shared it with my friend through a straw. It felt so wrong, yet so right! Welcome to East Street. No not the market, the Pan-Asian (cringe) eatery in Soho.

If you like Wagammas, you'll like East Street. It's budget food, that's hot and tasty with service that actually smiles. East Street is actually Tampopo, re-branded for a London audience.  If you didn't know already, Tampopo is a small chain across the UK in various shopping centres serving up a similar Asian cuisine. It has been described as a "Jack of all trades, master of none" but I have a higher opinion of it than others.

Don't stop reading now. This place is certainly worth a visit. They have a interesting menu with a selection of dishes for Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and more. Granted, they do taste very much like each other, but are served up generously and for a snip of the price of other places. They don't hold back on the veg and everything comes out freshly cooked. I ate Nasa Goreng which was nothing like the authentic dishes they serve up at Rasa Sayang, but still enjoyable. There was a lack of a whole fried egg on top and they didn't serve Satay on the side.

I had a side of Korean beef which was accompanied by Kimchee. Again, really generous portions of beef, seasoned and cooked beautifully but the Kimchee was a little off. It just didn't taste quite right, still tasty, just not particularly authentic.

I work on Rathbone Street in Soho. The advantage and disadvantage of this is the array of tasty food options at my fingertips as I roll out of the office. I ate at East Street twice the week I discovered it. It's good. Considering this place is in the heart of Oxford Street's shopping area, it's perfectly priced and you can pretty much ensure you'll always get a seat.

It's also good to note that these guys also have a selection of Asian sauces and products for you to buy. They're marked slightly higher than you can get in Chinatown but they really add to the authentic feel (think; I'm eating in a market). The whole place is decorated with large neon signs which everyone seems to like, even if they aren't always spelt correctly.

I can't help but like this place and everyone who come here, foodie or not, seems to agree with me. It's a gem and a welcome addition to the Wahaca, Pho and Moolis genre in Soho.

East Street | 3 - 5 Rathbone Place London W1T 1HJ
www.eaststreetrestaurant.com
020 7323 0860

Meat Liquor, London

Anyone on the foodie scene in London will have heard of #Meateasy. For those of you who haven't this is a meat wagon of joy that serves up possibly the best burgers in London. Unfortunately, that wagon of meat was stolen and Yianni Papoutsis, the creator of these meaty morsels had to go guerilla. Setting up a pop up in a pub in New Cross to serve his meat, Yanni was a hit. When it closed, meat lovers shed a tear… that is until MEAT Liquor opened.

I've got to really want it to wait 45 minutes, and I really wanted some of Yanni's meat, I also wanted his buns and booze. So in the cold last night I waited. Unfortunately, I also waited once I was sat down, waited after I ordered and waited to pay. The service here is a shit-show. I watched as one waitress walked back and forth 6 times with the same wet cloth in her hand not actually speaking to customers trying to get her attention, and ignoring the orders waiting to be delivered at the bar. Damn awful.

But, I didn't come here to talk about the service (lack of), I came here to get my lips around a mighty chunk of meat, and that I did. My dining partner is not like me. He never exaggerates for affect or humour so when he says that this is the best burger he's ever eaten in his meat eating life, do not knock it. 

A little pink in the middle, the pattie burger actually melts in your mouth. They also have an outstanding selection of sides and starters. The buffalo wings were lovely and vinegary with a slight kick and the blue cheese sauce with actual blue cheese in it was perfectly pongy. As for the onion rings, that sexy batter that was light and fluffy, cooked just so that the onion doesn't actually get greasy beneath it's batter coat.

The bar is also impressive. Sazerac and St Thomas are on the menu and they even managed to cobble together an Aviation when I asked. They have a library of hot sauces and I even found one that was just to hot for me - this rarely happens.

So booze, tick, meat, tick, everything else, try again. Uncomfortable seating, really loud music and service that makes you want to scream. Was it worth it? Totally! I hate myself a little bit right now.

Meat Liquor | 76 Welbeck Street, Marylebone, London, W1G 0AY
www.meatliquor.com
020 7224 4239