In keeping with the traditional end of year list mania, here is a run down of my favourite foods/meals of 2011. If you’d like to read about my favourite songs of the year, you can point your mouse here. And we’re off….
1. Sushi Dai, Tokyo.
I’ve already typed a lot of words about this, but suffice to say my sushi breakfast in Tokyo was one of the best things ever. It was Beyoncé singing a song written by The-Dream good. Yeah, that good. For a full report, go here.
2. Ramen in Tokyo
Like anyone who’s read the first issue of Lucky Peach, I developed a bit of a thing for ramen. Luckily, I read it before I went on holiday to Tokyo, so I did a little research and found out about a thing called Ramen Jiro. I never got round to writing a blog about the different bowls of ramen I ate, but Ramen Jiro was definitely an experience. I cannot fathom how these small Japanese dudes put away such a vast amount of noodles, coupled with the super fatty pork broth and the huge pile of bean sprouts, plus even more pork. I only managed half a bowl. Those bits of white you can see in the broth are tiny bits of pork fat. Jiro does not do things by half. In addition to Jiro, I had a couple of different of soy based ramen and a bowl of udon, which was delicious. Even the soba noodles I bought from a news agent were awesome. One day I hope to go back and eat more noodles. Here are some pictures: 1 2 3 4
3. The Meatwagon/Meateasy/Meatliquor
Real talk – whatever you think, the Meatwagon do a rad burger. Despite the whole fan boy, Twitter cult worship, the awful shit storm that was Meateasy, the obnoxious/patronising/not very good/sometimes quite friendly/quite hit and miss nature of the staff, the laughable Art Foundation interior of MeatLiquor, the fact that you cannot say one bad thing about it unless you want to be chased off the internet with virtual pitchforks, and the stupid fucking queues, their burger is still good. The only problem is that no-one is really trying to compete, and they can be quite inconsistent. Lucky Chip comes very close, and is near to my house, so major kudos to them. Resident Twitter burger snob Ain’t No Picnic would easily beat The Meatwagon, but he doesn’t appear to be active at the minute. At the end of the day, it’s only a burger. It’s not that hard to do. Just don’t get me started on the Burning Man thing. Or the Meateasy tattoo. White people. Am I right?
4. Big Apple Hot Dogs
Speaking of stuff white people like, the phrase London’s Burgeoning Street Food Scene gets the middle-classes going like bloggers to an end of year list. The best thing to come from it is Big Apple Hot Dogs. The work of one friendly guy who looks a bit like LL Cool J circa 1990, BAHD sells four types of hot dog. That’s it. My favourite is probably the all beef one. It’s a seriously juicy sausage, and I would honestly say that it’s as good as anything being sold in London right now. Get yourself to Old Street or Chatsworth Market and have a banger in the mouth. Or, as they call it in the states, a sausage in the mouth.
5. Spuntino/Mishkin’s/da Polpo
Something about the economy, something about opening not one restaurant but three in one year, something about making Covent Garden ‘cool’, something about New York’s Lower East Side, something about tattoos. Picking my favourite would be like picking my favourite Jawbreaker album – I’m pretty sure I know which I like the best, but I’m not sure I can truly say for definite. Sputino is cool and has a very nice atmosphere, they have a peanut butter & jelly dessert, but they don’t know what a slider is. Mishkin’s does a really nice Reuben (I honestly thought it would suck) and they do know what a slider is. Plus they serve a hot dog courtesy of Big Apple Hot Dogs, which I have not yet tried, but I can’t see it being anything less than delicious. da Polpo is not as good as the the other two, but the meatballs are nice, and you could take your parents for a meal there and not have to explain to them why people are shitting their pants over a meatloaf with an egg in the middle. They’re all good in different ways. You pick your own favourite. FYI, the best Jawbreaker album is 24 Hour Revenge Therapy.
6. Franca Manca
I’m sure you’ve probably eaten at Franca Manca. It’s good isn’t it? I like the one with the chorizo one. Affordable and delicious. If you’ve never eaten there, you might want to try it before they open the one in Shoreditch. That way you can claim to be over it just as everyone else catches on.
7. St. John Bakery
A donut and an Eccles cake for breakfast? And there’s a Monmouth Coffee round the corner? I’m there!
8. Nordic Bakery
I have only ever eaten one thing at Nordic Bakery. It is a truly wonderful thing. A freshly baked, still warm cinnamon bun. As far as I’m concerned they can sack off the rest of the menu and churn out only buns. On more than one occasion, I have bought one to take home, only to have eaten it all by the time I’ve got to Liverpool Street Station. I am impervious to their buns.
9. Peanut Butter & Co
The best peanut butter in the world is now available in Sainsbury’s. If it’s good enough for Jerry Seinfeld, then it’s good enough for me.
10. Anatolia
I couldn’t make this list without mentioning my local Turkish grill. I eat here so frequently I’ve tried everything on the menu. They may not be as good as Mangal in Dalston, but they’re local and that’s what’s important. A great bunch of lads.
That’s it for this year. Next year will see my prediction of barbecue being the next big trend in London come true. You just wait.
Happy Festivus.
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