Lokkanta, London

Lokkanta
31 Westbourne Grove
London W2 4UA
Bayswater

020 7792 0119

Lokkanta serves Turkish food, but more along the street food variety. Don't get me wrong, what they do, they do quite well, but don't expect fancy Turkish food here. What's available is similar to what you may see on a Lebanese menu with different names and spices.

They do a lot of grilled meats and doners (think shawarma)

We were given a plate of meze - hummus, a yoghurt dip, tomato based salsa and some pickled vegetable salad with thin strips of lavash like bread - complimentary while we waited for our food.

The lamb borek (Sigara Borek - 4.75) was lovely - mildly flavoured meat in a beautiful crisp outside, tender inside pastry wrap. Think of it as a cross between a samosa and a spring roll.

For mains I ordered the lamb iskander kebab (11.50) - doner/shawarma slices of lamb on a bed of crisp fried bread squares with toppings of tomato sauce and beautiful thick yoghurt and a side offering of garlic sauce and their chunky chilli sauce.

Brother ordered the lamb chops (Pirzola - 13.50)  which came with a small side salad on a bed of larger grain couscous. He loved the flavours and the meat was done just right.

I ordered Turkish tea (1.50)  that turned out to be just black tea (no mint, no Apple flavour - just served in a traditional Turkish shaped tea glass) brother had the ayran (yoghurt drink - 1.50) which was pre-packaged, but he found it very refreshing.

Service was very sweet and friendly. Staff was always smiling easily. They know the menu and can help you make a choice if you need it.

We were quite stuffed with this meal, but had to end with baklava (2.50). Their pastry layers are much thinner than most baklava that I've tried in this city - almost filmy, not too sugary. Personally I like a bit more crunch from the nuts in my baklava, but this was a more refined version and hence the nuts were really finely crushed.

We also got 2 pieces of lokum (Turkish delight) complimentary with our bill and it was so good, that next time I'll ordered the lokum rather than the baklava.

They have beautiful pictures from Turkey on the walls, I'd recommend taking a look while waiting for your food.

Rating : 4/5

Nagoya, London

Nagoya
110 George Street
London W1U 8NX
020 7486 4811

I was in the area for a seminar that finished late and I was searching for a takeaway place around 10pm. The only places that seemed to be open were pubs and I did not want to walk too far.

I saw Nagoya open, yelp rating 3 and I decided to take a chance. They had only one couple who were finishing up when I went in.

It's a small space (they may have more seating in the basement) around 5 tables with a sushi bar. Decor is very reminiscent of small Chinese style restaurants.

The lady at the counter was very sweet and gave me some recommendations when I asked her.

It took some time for me to get home (partly because a certain bus driver refused to stop & I had to wait 20mins for the next one), but the fried chicken karaage (4.80) had gone a bit soggy. The taste was very good and the chicken beautifully marinated and super tender and juicy. Family and cat loved the prawn tempura (13.00) which came with a dipping sauce.

The chicken Gyoza (5.50) was densely filled (personally I prefer a bit more give in my fillings) and tasty. Loved the mini 3ml bottle of sauce that came with it.

The pork tonkotsu ramen (10.80) was packed with the soup separately. Just 2 thin slices of pork and half a boiled egg (so not too much protein in the dish - more noodles to fill you up though) with sliced mushrooms & sprouts. The soup was a mild broth flavoured with miso. I enjoyed the clean flavours, but brother decided to spice it up. A nice complete meal in itself, if you aren't a protein addict like me.

The restaurant sells some Japanese ingredients for cooking at home like kewpie mayonnaise, Kikomans Soya sauce, seaweed wrap and pickled ginger.

The lady very sweetly offered me complimentary green tea while waiting for my order and I loved the fact that they lined the base of the bag with a piece of cardboard cut in the right size to keep everything steady.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

China Palace, London

China Palace
433 Harrow Road
London W10 4RE
020 8964 1669

With someone down with the flu and me in no mood to pander to different tastes and requests for soups and curries, the easiest thing to do was place an order for a home delivery.

I'd recently received a menu from China Palace and thought I'd try them out. I did over order, so I could stock the fridge and Mr Flu, could take out bowls of whatever he wanted and warm them up at his convenience.

Price wise, there's a 20% discount on home delivery, so its really value for money. Nothing was overly greasy, so this wasn't like cheap Chinese takeout.

We tried the schezwan hot & sour soup (3.15), which he found spicy enough to clear his head. I needed to add a bit more lemon and chilli in my yumgai chicken soup (3.50), which was a bit sweet from the addition of pineapple. I'm not a fan of fruit in my savoury dishes and I'm just about getting used to bits of pineapple in sweet & sour pork, but I couldn't handle it in my soup. It didn't spoil the flavour, but the taste of this soup was more sweet & sour rather than hot &sour which I had expected.

The egg fried rice (3.20) was simple and delicious in its simplicity. White rice, salted and fried with bits of scrambled egg. I could eat just that for a whole meal with just some spicy sambol or mushroom chilli paste on the side.

The thai green curry (7.20) was lovely. If I remember right the menu had given it a 2 chilli spice rating, but that was misleading. Maybe I should have told them to make our food genuinely spicy. However, the flavours themselves were lovely.

I also tried the crispy fried noodles with mixed meat (6.50). Generously topped with beef, chicken, roast pork and vegetables, this is a lovely dish. But I must remember not to order fried noodles in home delivery orders as they tend to get soggy by the time they arrive and we have eaten our soup and starters.

The peking pork dumplings (6.25) were lovely. The pork steamed buns (char siu bao/ baozi - 5.75 for 4) had good texture and taste, but I would have preferred more stuffing than just a tablespoon of meat in such a large bun.

Portions are standard size, but prices are value for money. I've ordered enough food for at least 6 meals and the bill was under 50 pounds. They threw in some prawn wafers and a couple of fortune cookies too.

They don't use plastic baggies for packing. The only plastic is the boxes and the cutlery (recyclable). The delivery guy gave me his hot bag and requested me to empty it myself in the kitchen while he waited outside.

I would order again, but I would request them to make our food extra spicy, since their level of spicy barely tingled our taste buds. Our definition of 1 chilli is tongue tingling. 2 chillis is when you reach for something to cool your mouth down and 3 chillis should induce smoke out of the ears and perspiration.

Rating : 3 / 5

Yelp’s May New Elite Night at Bubbleology

Bubbleology
45 Pembridge Road
Notting Hill
London W11 3HG

This was a lovely intimate event with about 12 of us. Bubbleology opened up the patio in the basement backyard which allowed us to enjoy the glorious weather today.

Managed to chat with almost everyone who attended. Bonus was meeting Alex's mum who is even cooler than him! (If you can believe it) She's Gold Elite herself!

Bubbleology served us a variety of flavours in tiny tasting glasses - which is a great format to try more variety. They brought in 2 large coolers of alcoholic teas that were an interesting innovation/progression.

Popping boba are my favourite, but the rose milk with rose jelly was surprisingly a close contender. Other favourites were the coffee with tapioca (coffee flavoured milk bubble tea anyone?) and the taro nut (taro flavour with coconut milk) which wasn't very sweet and let the flavour of the coconut milk stand out for itself.

They offered chocolate wafer straws too, but I didn't feel that it paired well with fruity teas. Maybe if I had waited until the coffee flavoured one, those tastes would have matched.

Only downside was that there was no loo onsite, after drinking at least a litre or two of bubble teas

Now that we can finally see the sun again, I think it's a great place to catch a cool drink on a hot afternoon while shopping in the area.

Rating : 4 / 5

Yelp Elite Evening of Moroccan Magic and Meat at Zayane!

Zayane
91 Golborne Road
London W10 5NL


This was another wonderful sit down dinner with Yelp. While I live close by, I've never stopped and explored this area around Ladbroke Grove. I'd love to go back and spend some more time there, they seemed to have a few interesting shops and cafes around.

I arrived almost half an hour early, but the Yelp team was already there and I received a warm welcome from them and the lovely owner - Meryem - She is such a bundle of infectious and contagious energy & enthusiasm!

Glasses of lovely Moroccan wine were quickly handed out and our tables were already set with olives, nuts and a olive oil balsamic dip.

We stood around chatting until more people turned up and we took our seats. Piping hot bread was soon served at the tables - I've lived in the Middle East and North Africa, but I've never tasted this kind of a bread before. It was a combination of eish, griddle cakes and a sponge cake all in one. Actually it defies explanation, except for the fact that it was yummilicious.

Our starters of chicken pastilla soon arrived and it had just the right hint of sweetness. I don't like my savoury dishes too sweet, which is a trap easy to fall into with Moroccan style pastilla.

The cod tagine was a surprise as I was expecting couscous with it, (also I tend to cook/order meat or chicken tagines) instead we were served a side of butter fried potatoes which were the best potatoes that I have eaten in a couple of years.

The meal was brought to a lovely end with a chocolate mousse slice served with a side of orange sorbet. I could happily live or die on that chocolate.

There was live music playing through the meal and Meryem managed to get quite a few yelpers onto the dance floor. The Chef Christopher Bower came out to say hi and it was a pleasure to meet him.

While you barely get to spend time with 3-4 people seating right next to you at a sit down dinner, it also makes it possible to forge a deeper connection with them and I loved chatting with my dining companions.

I'd love to go back with more friends to check out more options from the menu.

Rating : 5 / 5

Beigel Shop, London

Beigel Shop
155 Brick Lane
London E1 6SB
020 7729 0826


We stopped here on the Yelp London Street Art Walk. I'm not a big fan of bagels - tend to find them a bit chewy - but they were being handed out, so I took a bit piece to see what these famous rainbow bagels were all about. They were so good, I promptly packed a few to carry home.

We tried the samosas (since we were in Brick Lane) The chicken wasn't bad, but the lamb had too much onion in it to bulk it up rather than flavour it.

I chose the salt beef stuffed bagels and the beef was really soft and melt in mouth, even though we only ate them over 12 hours after they were packed. The bagels, were nice and soft with just the right amount of chewiness.

On a later date, I have eaten these stuffed bagels fresh at location nd they were amazing. They tend to get a bit soggy if you carry them home, but they told me that they could not pack the salt beef seperately. The next time I visit, I'm going to carry my own boxes and see if I can convince them to pack my salt beef seperately.

The coffee is just instant coffee and not something I would recommend, but I'd definitely go back for the bagels

The rainbow bagels are just 25p a piece, but they cost more once they are stuffed.

A huge advantage is that this place si open 24/7. Yes, you read that right. Perfect to stop and pick up some food after a night out on the town.

Rating : 4 / 5

Yelp Deputy Brunch at The Heliot Steak House

The Heliot Steak House
Hippodrome Casino
Cranbourn Street
London WC2H 7JH
Phone number 020 7769 8888

It was quite a surprise to see such a lovely restaurant set up inside a casino - the Yelp Elite Steak Dinner pictures last Wednesday, were a good teaser, but it was different to actually walk in.

You need to be 18 to enter the casino. And ids are checked at the door. Doesn't matter if you are over 30, they will still check id. So this is not a place to come with kids in tow.

But other than that, given the experience that we had today, I'd be willing to come back for brunch or dinner.

They have a fairly standard brunch menu and we got to taste 4 different items today. The Chilli fried egg and bacon brioche roll was my favourite, with its spiced chutney and rocket leaves. I'm always a sucker for Eggs Benedict for breakfast, they gave us the Eggs royale with smoked salmon and spinach instead of ham.

The jack stack with its French toast, waffle and pancakes was decadently sweet and a nice way to end the meal. The country fried steak was good, but I'm not a fan of deep fried steak. I could however see that the meat was good & I'd like to go back to try out the regular steaks. They also gave us sides of sausages, bacon and hash browns.

The berry bellini was excellent, the peach not so much.

We did eat a lot and I ended up just having a glass of milk for dinner, I'm still stuffed.

It was great fun to meet up with the other yelp deputies. Some I have met at other events and a few I was meeting for the first time, but its the love of food that makes conversations start out so smoothly and then progress on to other topics.

It was a Saturday brunch that made it worth skipping out off family lunch.

Rating : 4 / 5