Where have you eaten out lately?

[smalex]

I was thinking about the Arancini about half an hour ago

[Topcat]

I appreciate that this probably doesn't belong in here, but I had a McDonald's double quarter pounder thing at the weekend and it's the best 'fast food burger' I have ever had.

People should try it.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I had one, Alan, and it reminded me how I am always disappointed with anything that’s not a Big Mac.

[Topcat]

It's usually my mantra, to never go off piste at McDonald's but I took the chance with that and spicy nuggets and I certainly thought the former was bloody good.

Like a quarter pounder but better. :))

[Cosmopolitan]

I’d like to thank Cos and Smal for the 7lucky gods rec. I’m waiting to go for the second time as it was so good last time. Especially the arancini!

I'd really like to go there again as well. It was so good.

[Pippedydeadeye]

My husband always says the same. The fancy stuff never beats the regular menu.

[Topcat]

It generally just means a shed load more barbecue sauce whenever one goes off of the main menu.

[Pippedydeadeye]

Or extra nasty bacon.

[absley]

Standing out in my mind are Kyseri (beef and sour cherry manti was one of the best things I've eaten this year, and one of those dishes that is so much more than the sum of its parts)

:zirk:

Thank you, Goat, I've just had such a delicious meal at Kyseri.

[Mountain Goat]

Oh fantastic! What did you have?

(I attempted to make beef and sour cherry manti the other weekend. Let's say I won't be setting up in competition. :lol: )

[Kenickie]

:lol:

Kyseri is lovely. I was really impressed by how different it was from Oklava, too.

[absley]

I really want to try too, Goat, so share your lessons learned, please!

We had the sesame bread with butter & beef dripping, crisp breads with feta with candied melon & chilli, chicken with Jerusalem artichokes and girolles plus the veggie manti which is wild mushrooms, mint & smoked butter.

he waiter commented that we'd eaten a lot! I'd eat it all again, very happily!

They had lots of ducks in the fridge which they're ageing to appear on their menu soon, which my chum was v keen to try and time a return visit with.

I don't know Oklava, Ken, how do they compare?

[Kenickie]

Oklava is more standard Turkish dishes, so stuff you've heard of, done really well. I guess she started with that as it's an easier sell? Definitely worth a visit too.

[absley]

Thanks Ken, will have a look - it'll be another time but I will put it on my list!

[Derek Nimmo]

Levan in Peckham, just lovely.

Small, neighbourhood place - particular standouts were the burrata with pickled tomatoes, venison pie, cuttlefish and maize soup and the most wonderful pear tartin with a creme fraiche from Normandy which was almost like cream cheese. They are clearly not afraid of seasoning in the kitchen, it was a really great meal.

[Mountain Goat]

I really want to try too, Goat, so share your lessons learned, please!

Oh sorry, I just saw this! The mistakes I made were the same sort of mistakes people make with tortellini (which I've never made as ironically I consider them too hard without a pasta roller, and yet...), so nothing terribly specific: air pockets in my manti mainly, and also over cooking them (I followed a recipe that said 8 minutes I think from memory, and the beef was like a bullet, even though it had a reasonable fat content). That shrinking of the filling from over cooking also contributed to the air pockets issue. This recipe from the woman herself wasn't out when I made them, but she gives them 4 and a half minutes, tellingly. Really just keeping an eye on them would have been wise, but for some reason I obligingly stuck to the timer.

https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Articl ... erry-manti

Dezza, thank you for that, a recommendation not far from me.

My most exciting meal out recently was at Hisa Franko in Slovenia, which was voted 38th best restaurant in the world. It was fantastic. They ask you not to take photos (it's quite informal and relaxed and they say they want you to just eat your bloody dinner rather than focusing on impressing social media) which I obeyed, so no photos. There were 18 courses (I had food exhaustion by the desserts) and we also had the wine pairing (fantastic: all Slovenian natural wines, which are amazing). My favourite courses were a lovage ravioli (I really love lovage at the best of times) with a game and mushroom sauce; an amberjack tuna piece in salami broth; and their amazing bread which was a spelt sourdough and I cannot for the love of god work out how you can make spelt bread so light. The best bit though: afterwards they showed us round the cheese cellar and the wine cellar, and then we were allowed in the kitchen (they do two sittings, so at the end of our sitting, the kitchen wasn't crazy) and got to meet the chefs. Ana Ros was there just washing up by hand and she was absolutely lovely, had a chat with us all and just seemed so genuinely happy that people enjoyed her food. The whole thing was gorgeously unpretentious and just brilliant.

Our dinner was 5-8 so afterwards we went back into town (village!) and ended up accidentally at their sister restaurant, Hisa Polonka, for drinks. It was rammed and the food looked brilliant and the service was lovely there too. We were only at that location for one night, otherwise we'd have definitely have tried there too.

https://www.hisafranko.com/en/ (the menu has changed since we were there).

[Luna]

That sounds amazing , Goat. I am going here this afternoon. It's owned by the same people who have done the Gingerman restaurants so I am hoping it's going to be good.

http://www.flinthousebrighton.com/

[Derek Nimmo]

I've been a few times Luna, and never had anything other than the terrace / bar menu as I haven't been able to get into the restaurant and they don't take bookings. (We gave up after a 1.5 hour rather disorganized wait on Saturday night).

What I have had is good though! Don't miss the confit potato.

[absley]

Thanks for the link, Goat, that all sounds very doable - at some point! Your Slovenian meal also sounds fabulous. And I love the name Hisa Polonka, for a pub! :lol:

I had so much delicious food on my recent London trip, a lot of it down to this thread, so thanks all.

The Kyseri meal was a favourite but I also really enjoyed brunch at both Hawksmoor Guildhall (such a good short-rib bubble & squeak) and Rovi (v delicious poached egg, greens & hollandiase on a buttery crumpet), lunch at Native (everything was just so good and imaginative), dinners at Salon & Roe in Brixton (I also went to Boqueria which was v decent for tapas), dinner at Radici (bloody loved this last time I was in London so had to go back) and a trip down memory lane with lunch at Terre a Terre in Brighton.

My two mediocre meals were brunch at Caravan and dinner at Hixter (which has previously been good for brunch so that was a disappointment).

[Luna]

I've been a few times Luna, and never had anything other than the terrace / bar menu as I haven't been able to get into the restaurant and they don't take bookings. (We gave up after a 1.5 hour rather disorganized wait on Saturday night).

What I have had is good though! Don't miss the confit potato.

I'm hoping a Tuesday afternoon won't be too busy!