Kintan Japanese BBQ

Hiya!

We visited Kintan in Holborn. S thought we was going to Korean bbq but it turned out to be a Japanese style bbq (Yakiniku). We had a reservation for 5pm but we got there early and only had 2 hours parking; as we was about to cancel our reservation, the manager managed to move it up to 4.30. 

We made it in time for Happy Hour! Which meant that we got a discount on the set meals! S had picked the Meat Lover's set which contained the following:-

Crispy seaweed, Fried Chicken Karaage, Umami Salad, Miso Soup and Plain Boiled Rice

I loved the Chicken Karaage! It wasn't greasy and it was so juicy! Normally I don't like to eat chicken but I couldn't help myself it was amazing. I didn't take any pictures of the miso soup or rice as Z took my phone.

Sirloin, Premium Rib Eye, Yaki-Shabu Beef, Bistro Hanger Steak, Spicy Pork Kalbi and Citrus Pepper Aburi Bacon

These are the meats you get with the set deal and I surprised myself by actually loving a pork item. I finished the Spicy Miso pork myself but the other meats just tasted the same as each other once they were cooked.

S'mores

How cute is this! For dessert you get a S'more each and all I can say is keep the sticks away from children at all time unless you want meat juice with your marshmallows! Z kept trying to do it and ended up wiping some meat juice on mine but he loved being able to toast the marshmallow under mine and S's watchful eye lol.

S thought that there wasn't enough food so he went and ordered the following appetizers:

Kintan Buns, Takoyaki and Ebi Furai

OMG! The buns was soft and very sweet but it complimented the meat very well as the meat was bit salty on its own but worked amazingly well with the sweetness of the bun. I loved the Takoyaki as they contained big chunks of octopus and it didn't feel too greasy. The batter on the prawns was light and tasted yummy with the accompanying sauce.

Z got a Kid's meal which contained:

2 Takoyaki, Crispy Seaweed, 2 Mini Japanese Sausage, Beef and Boiled Rice.

Z only had 1 sausage as he dropped one so we asked for an extra sausage in which they gave us one big sausage cut into quarters. We cooked the sausages and mixed it with his rice and he loved it! He didn't eat the takoyaki, beef nor the crispy seaweed although he does eat the seaweed at home. S ended up eating the beef.

Matcha Ice-Cream

On the leaflet it stated Vanilla Ice-cream but they must of ran out as they gave Z matcha ice-cream which I was not very pleased about because Z hates matcha so I ate it instead and it was disgusting! They didn't say anything to me about exchanging the ice-cream so we was left with no choice.

It was very bitter and bitsy; the ice-cream contained alot of matcha powder which gave it a strong matcha taste but leaves a horrible bitter after taste. I didn't finish this even though I love dessert. 

Kintan Ice-Cream

I ordered this for myself but I gave it to Z as I had his matcha ice-cream but he did share a spoonful with me and it tasted okay. The brown sugar syrup was bitter but the ice-cream did balance the bitterness out a little. Z managed to finish it after mixing everything together.

The staff was very welcoming. I would love to visit again sometime without Z and just enjoy cooking and catching up. Z wasn't naughty but it was no place for children as I did get meat juice jump out onto my hands a couple of time. This is a perfect way to catch up with friends as you wait for your own food to cook and its a fun experience! 

Please Visit Kintan.uk

What's your favourite meat?

TC

xx 

Bento Oriental Food and Japanese Cuisine

Hi!

So as you know I love my sushi and I've recently discovered that Bento in Lewisham does a sushi buffet and decided to try it out.

I love the layout of the the counter especially with the Japanese lanterns and fairy lights. The staff gave us a very warm welcome and smiled throughout. 

The buffet cost £14.99 per person but free for children under 120cm. You have to choose 8 items from each side and also you get 3 sittings. If one person opts for the buffet then the whole table opts in for the buffet. We only managed 1 sitting because we realised that between the two of us we had 16 dishes! There is also a £5 per person charge for food wastage so that's why me and S stuffed ourselves even when we hit the food wall! 

Soft Shell Crab 

We paid £2 extra for this and did expect a little something but we just got a fried soft shell crab. It didn't taste bad but there wasn't even a sauce to go with it so we was very disappointed.

Chicken Karaage

 Disappointing. The chicken was tough and I found chicken skin in my karaage.

Takoyaki

 Sorry for the horrid picture but S couldn't wait and ate one straight away. The takoyaki was soft and I found 2 pieces of octopus which I was happy about. It didn't taste greasy and the sauce was salt and salty.

Prawn Tempura

Me and S eyes lit up when we bite into this. It wasn't greasy at all. It was light and the prawns was full of flavour without a sauce. The sauce that came with it was salty but not too over powering.

Chicken Gyoza

It was crispy and the filling was full of flavour. 

Spicy Salmon Hosomaki, Spicy Squid Hosomaki, Tamago Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri & Salmon Sashimi

 The spicy hosomaki's were very spicy and a shocked as me and S thought it'd be a mild chilli but it was a full lashing of tabasco chilli! It tasted nice but it was very spicy.
I love my tamago nigiris and I have just found my favourite tamago nigiris! The egg was sweet and not tough.

Crispy Duck and Cucumber Uramaki Roll

 We absolutely loved this roll and managed to finish it. The duck was very crispy and worked perfectly well with the cucumber and the softness of the rice.

Dragon Roll (Top) and Prawn Tempura Roll (Bottom)

The Dragon Roll came with alot of tobiko (orange fish roe) on the top of the Dragon Rolll which I've never seen before but it did help enhance the sushi. I only managed 1 piece because S ate it all! He loves his Dragon Rolls and said that it was nice.

The Prawn tempura roll was nice and light with a bit of crunch from the tempura batter. I loved it!

Chicken & Vegetables Yaki Soba

Ok. This was a small plate which we didn't expect but we was so glad it was because we was so stuff! The noodles tasted nice and not to greasy. The chicken was soft and vegetables gave the noodle a little crunch which was needed in this dish.

Black Sesame Ice-Cream Mochi & Raspberry Mochi

I wanted dessert after that big meal but I couldn't take another bite so I asked if I can take it away. I love the black sesame ice-cream mochi as it was full of flavour and not too sweet but I didn't like the raspberry one as it was very sour.

I recommend Bento Oriental Food for anyone looking to try out different Japanese cuisine because the plates are small. There are some items which you need to check closely as they are priced as extras i.e. Dragon rolls £3.00 for 5 pieces but the menu does indicate in bold the add-on prices. 

I would love to visit here again but this time to try their udon Soups as I was too full to try anything else.

Check out their Facebook page (Click Here) for details and also they do discounts!

Hope you get to try this place out

TC

xx

Shoryu Ramen Regent Street

Hi!

So me and S went on a date to Winter Wonderland in Hype Park in Dec and I'm not going to go into it but it was so expensive and so packed that every time I tried to take a picture I would get barged so I just didn't bother.

I was told to try Shoryu Ramen and from all of the IG pictures it looks amazing. We decided to go to the one in Regent street because it was the closest one to us from Hyde Park which we could walk to as the tubes stopped running from Hyde Park!
We got a seat straight away and after looking through their menu we decided to order the Christmas special for £20 we got a starter, main and dessert. There wasn't a lot of choice with the Christmas Special as there was only two type of ramens to pick from and one dessert but they did have a couple of Shoryu buns to chose from.

I got the Char Sui Barbecue Pork Belly Bun as a starter and just thinking about it makes my mouth water. The bun was so soft and a little bit sweet but not to sweet that it over powered the pork. The mayo and sweet chilli sauce worked very together and was so delicious. The only thing that I would like more of is the lettuce because it gave made the whole thing come together to taste very fresh.

I ordered a Tonkotsu Ramen which contains thin slices of pork. I found the broth very thick and didn't like that because the noodles became sludgy but I blame myself for not realising that all of their broths are like that and they do state it on their menu.

In our Christmas special we was supposed to get a snowflake Matcha Cheesecake but they ran out so we was told to order something from the dessert menu. S doesn't eat desserts so he ordered me a Matcha Azuki Rolled Cake which is about the only cake I don't eat. I did try some and found the cake bland and the inside very hard. I don't know if it was supposed to be ice-cream but it felt like a very hard icecream.

For my dessert I thought I'd try the Matcha Truffle Mochi. OMG! The Mochi didn't taste like anything so I left it but the truffle was amazing! It tasted like white chocolate with a hint of green tea which melts softly in your mouth. 

We was lucky to of gotten a seat straight away because that place is busy and very packed. S had to wait for his bun after the mains came out but it was okay because we could see the staff running around the place. I didn't really enjoy the ramen which is the whole concept of this shop because it was too thick. The texture is similar to when you add slice cheese to your ramen which I don't and never would understand but the staff is amazing and helpful. If you do go you MUST try the buns and dessert. THEY ARE AMAZING!!

http://www.shoryuramen.com/

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Thanks for coming on this food venture with me

TC 

xx

Sushi Love

Hiya!

As you could tell I am in love with sushi and noodle soup! lol
So on the 23rd I went to do my theory test and stupid me manage to fail :( but its ok because S took me to eat sushi to comfort me! YAY!

We went to Taro Old Compton Street Soho.

It didn't look very welcoming as you had to go through a small doorway and down the stairs to get to the restaurant and the stairs looked grimy.
The restaurant was surprisingly bright and light but as we sat down at the table I had to use a baby wipe to clean the area which I was sitting as the table was sticky.

Korokke

Deep Fried Mashed Potato with Breadcrumbs and Salad

OMG! I loved this! Even though it was fried it wasn't very greasy! The korokke was just the right size for a starter but the salad was pointless as it was bland even with the sauce.

Taro Special Inside-out roll

It tasted like the other special we ordered so we was disappointed. I was even more shocked that it was only 4 pieces which I have never seen before as its not very pleasing to look like especially on a big plate.

Taro Special Tempura Roll

This was nice as the rice was soft and fluffy whilst the outside was crunchy.

Seafood Ramen

Noodles in soy soup with stir-fried mixed seafood and mixed vegetables

The soup was very salty and the portion was huge! I was disappointed with the seafood as it wasn't very fresh and so I left it.

Prawn Tempura Bento Box

S ordered this set meal and ate everything, it doesn't look like much but it was very filling. You also get a miso coup which came when we got our starter and S was so hungry he drank it before I could take a picture ¬¬

Overall it wasn't bad if you're on a budget and tbh I would rather of went to Yo!sushi as it didn't taste very fresh and I think that if they made a bit more effort on how to plate the food then it was be pleasing to the eye and more enjoyable to eat.

 http://www.tarorestaurants.co.uk/

TC
xx

Food Venture!

Konnichiwa!!

I have been very lazy with posts but I have set myself a new goal of posting atleast one post every fortnight so please bare with me and my tardiness lol

Anyways...

Its already 2015!! WOW! Time sure flies by when you're a mum lol I'm starting my 2015 posts with some catch up posts of food.

JAN 2015

I went to Sticks'n'sushi Covent Garden in Jan with some friends.

This is so random but its tap water with charcoal inside, the charcoal acts like a filter and takes out the bad stuff.

MAKI DE LUXE

This set contains 8 pieces of each of the following : Hell’s Kitchen, ebi panko, shake aïoli, salmon ceviche

FOUR MEAL DRIVE BIG

This set contains the following: 8 salmon ceviche, 8 ebi panko , 4 formidable, 4 ebi cocktail, 8 pink Alaska, 8 spicy tuna, 4 gypsy big, 4 tuna, 4 sea bass, 4 salmon, 4 seared salmon, 4 shrimp, 4 sweet shrimp Soy, wasabi & ginger

This wasn't all of the food sorry as everyone was starving so the food was going really quick and I couldn't take the pics. The food was very good from what I remember and I would love to go there again someday especially with the staff! They gave such a welcoming atmosphere and was so helpful :) 

http://sticksnsushi.com/

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After a long day shopping we had some food at Big Moe's Diner in Newham.

I ordered a Fresh Strawberry Lemonade. It looked really pretty but tasted like normal lemonade which was disappointing an everyone else had coke.

We ordered the Big Moe's Platter for our starter. The BBQ wings was nice and sweet but everything else tasted oily.

C ordered a Kids Texan Burger which she said tasted very nice.

I had Big Moe's Fish Strip Burger which was covered in grease. As I bit into it the oil came pouring out from the fish strip and the strip kept falling apart from the burger.

Z had the Kids Chicken strip meal which he loved as he finished nearly all of his meal except for the chips as he found them not crispy.

S ordered Big Moe's Diner-Mite Burger. He couldn't finish it because it was so huge! lol but he did eat most of i so it must if been good.. shame I ain't a fan of bacon so I never ordered it.

Overall we agreed not to go back as the food took over an hour to come out and that was just the starter, we had to ask where our food was as the table who came after us got their food before us. They handed balloons out for the children but Z didn't even get one! I don't know if they 'forgot' about us but the food wasn't great and the staff was clueless.

http://bigmoesdiner.co.uk/

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FEB 2015

On a random date night S and I went to The O2 and visted Spur Steak and Grill

I ordered the Yellow Jacket Mocktail and it was very refreshing and S ordered a beer like usual -_-

Spicy Cheesy Nachos!! Yum!! I couldn't get enough of this especially how spicy it was! I love spicy food so this was amazing!! There was a lot of crispy tortilla chips and it was covered in cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and lots of jalapenos! 

S ordered Half Buffalo Wings in Peri Peri Sauce. I don't normally eat wings but I had a couple and it was so tender and juicy! 

We was very disappointed at the Hot Crispy Garlic Roll and you can guess why. We thought it'd be like a tear and share but its just a baguette covered in cheese.

I didn't order a main as I wanted dessert and I can't remember what he ordered but he did finish it so it must of been good.

OMG! This Sticky Toffee Pudding Cheesecake is amazing!! I'm not a big fan of cheesecake but I wanted more of this and yes I finished the whole thing including the ice cream! The cheesecake help cut the sweetness from the toffee sauce and the biscuit base gave it a crunchy texture.

We visited the restaurant on a Monday night and it wasn't very busy so food came out quick and piping hot except the garlic roll and my dessert obviously and the service was decent as there was 1 guy serving us and a big table of about 12 people who wanted to pay for their own food from the one bill. 

http://ukspur.co.uk/

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February is the month of love and as for our first valentines day together S treated me to my favourite food.. SUSHI! I didn't want to go far as he had work the next day so we went to Sensuru in Greenwich.

We ordered a Dragon Roll and Caterpillar roll. He loves these rolls and I knew we couldn't finish off the meal if we ordered more but these were so fresh and tasty.

S ordered Teppanyaki Fillet Steak in Spicy garlic sauce. I'm not a big fan of steak but they had put fish flakes on which looked as if it was moving and dancing due to the heat coming from the pan. 

Kyushu Seafood Udon in Soup was so refreshing and they had arranged the seafood into a smiley face lol! 

I've been to Sensuru many times before when it used to be called Ginza and I would continue going especially when they do buffets on Sundays! But I've never been so I will try it someday.. All you can eat sushi yum!

http://www.sensuru.co.uk/

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Every once in a while I crave for desserts like most people do so we visited Kaspas Catford. They had just recently opened when we visited and it was very busy, they told us that there was a 10 minute wait but it was shorter than that!

L had the Banoffee M&M Waffles. She said it tasted very good and even finished it.

I had a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Custard which was very sweet but the cake was so warm and soaked up the sauce just right.

S had a double chocolate cake with custard which he didn't finish off as his not into sweet things. I know silly of him to go but he only went after knowing how much I love desserts <3

Z had a Ferrero Rocher Sundae which he picked himself. His never had a sundae before and I was afraid that he wouldn't like it but he loved it! 

http://www.kaspas.co.uk/

Enjoying his first sundae :)

TC

xx