360 RESTAURANT: TAKING TAPAS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

When you think about tasting the most wonderful tapas, your mind won’t immediately spring to Surbiton. But after one mouthful of its olivo ascolane, you’ll shun central London and be waiting at Waterloo with your return ticket to Surbiton ticket in hand..

The food

Using only the freshest ingredients, Chef Akshay Sabharwal has brought a modern, flavoursome flair to the Kingston area. Having worked for the likes of Emirates and F1-Silvererstone, Sabharwal has thrown everything into 360 and his vision comes through in his dishes. Aside from the tapas, our personal favourite dishes of the day included Crisp Fried Crab with black risotto rice and a passionfruit and chilli sorbet or a Crispy Talo Corn Tortilla with burrata, heritage tomatoes, micro basil, chlorophyll infused olive oil. Still not convinced? Two words for you… truffle arranchini with Parmesan cream. OK that’s five, but we had you at ‘truffle arranchini’.

Every ingredient at the restaurant is paired in a way that’s the most sophisticated form of matchmaking we’ve seen. Not ordinarily searching for the sweets, we almost went to heaven when we saw the dessert menu and the tastes far outweighed the expectations set by the words on pages of the printed menu. The Pecan and Whiskey pie packs an almighty punch combo – sweet and seriously boozy. If chocolate dessert is your vibe, the Chocolate 360 Orbit with dark chocolate mousse, hazelnut praline ice cream, milk foam, honeycomb and popping candy will blow you away. Rich, sophisticated and deliciously decadent, we’d seriously suggest saving some room for this one, if you can contain yourself.

The drink

One of the things that surprised us the most about 360 was the affordable and classic cocktail lists.  From the whiskey sour, through to the coveted cosmo and margarita, you’d be hard pressed not to find your favourite. We opted for the gin fizz and spiced mojito – a culmination of fresh and festive in one serving! If you prefer a crisp and cold glass of wine to accompany your taste buds’ trip around the world, the wine selection is impressively varied, a true reflection of the restaurant itself. Choose your tipple from south Africa, Chile, Spain, New Zealand, Italy, the USA or of course, the Queen’s country itself.

The prices

Tapas start at £4.50 for Galician padron peppers and go up to £9.95 for smoked Scottish scallops. Dessert starts at £7.50 for a vanilla panacotta or a warm chocolate brownie and at the higher end is £8.95 for a cheeseboard. A glass of white wine starts at £5.50 for a crisp, dry Spanish and if you’re feeling like splashing out you can buy a Tattinger Brut Reserve for £45

The atmosphere

Set directly to overlook the Thames, 360 has a chic and modern look and feel. Plush seating, burnt orange and teal accents throughout the space and a venue is flooded with natural light, it’s a formula for a London local’s oasis. Soft and subtle music often plays the air warves and the team are more than happy to help, whatever your needs. For us, the beauty of 360 was that the London bubble felt like a distant memory. We were able to relax and immerse ourselves in whatever part of the world our palette was experiencing.

The important bit…

To book a table at 360, visit https://www.hikingston.co.uk/restaurant-and-bar/ or call
020 8786 6520

DINING IN ’94 WITH EL PIRATA MAYFAIR

Looking for a meal in Mayfair that won’t break the bank? We know, we know, it’s like asking for a unicorn at the end the rainbow. Until now. The lovely lot at El Pirata are extending their 25 birthday celebrations to the masses, offering tasty tapas at their original 1994 prices.

The Back to ’94 Menu will feature 12 tapas dishes and two wines and each dish on the menu leaves change from a £10 note. Highlights from the menu include: calamares con arroz negro – black rice and squid £5.95; gambas pil pil – prawns in olive oil, garlic & dried hot chilli peppers £4.75; and montaditos de jamon serrano – toasted bread with olive oil and fresh tomatoes topped with cured ham £3.95.

 

This place could also help with some star-spotting. Johnny Depp, Brian May and Jose Mourinho have apparently frequente this spot and First Dates Maître d’ Fred Sirieix even named the restaurant as one of his favourite restaurants in London.

 

To book a space, head to https://www.elpirata.co.uk/

Josē Pizarro Showcases Olives from Spain

Last week we were invited to a Spanish lunch dreams are made of; made with love by Josē Pizarro himself, the chef behind introducing tapas to the UK.

The occasion? the launch of Olives from Spain UK Partnership with Josē Pizarro with an exclusive taster of some of the newly developed dishes highlighting the delicious Olives. 

So who are Olives from Spain? A professional organisation created to promote Spanish Olives and celebrate them Worldwide. The collaboration between Olives from Spain and Josē began about three years ago as who would be a better advocate for taking one of Spain’s top exports and promoting them, than Josē. With a string of successful restaurants behind him and an ethos to create simple, top quality dishes, the olives are excellently showcased with recipes you can recreate at home. 

Why the Olive? As well as being one of Spain’s top exports, Olives have been at the heart of the culture and cuisine in Spain for more than 2000 years. Olives are a versatile ingredient and are one of the few foods in the world that naturally contain four basic flavours; bite, sweet, salty and acidic. They are easy to digest and lets not forget their amazing anti-oxidant properties. The mediterranean diet is proven to help you live longer! 

So we wanted to share one of our favourite recipes Josē created using Olives from Spain;

Hake with Tomato and Olive Salad;

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

200g mixed Manzanilla and black Hojiblanca olives

500g ripe mixed colour vine tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Handful oregano, leaves picked

Handful flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp white wine

1tsp sherry vinegar

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

4 x 200g hake fillets

Method:

The Salad;

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a platter with the olives.

Scatter with garlic, herbs and lots of sea salt and black pepper, 

Whisk the white wine and vinegar with a little seasoning then whisk in olive oil and pour over tomatoes.

Leave to stand 

The Fish:

Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan, season the hake and fry skin side down, for 3-4 minutes until skin is crisp. 

Flip over and cook for a minute on the other side 

Serve with the tomato and olive salad. 

Olives from Spain will be showcasing their products at The Spanish Olive Festival at the Foodies Festival in London from 25-27th May 2019 and Brighton 4th-6th May 2019 where Josē will also be making an appearance. 

For more info on Pizarro and for reservations, visit here;

https://josepizarro.com/pizarro-restaurant/

Lazeez Tapas– A Taste of Lebanon in the Heart of London

xLW.png.pagespeed.ic.FJJ_a7wgljLondon’s newest Lebanese restaurant ‘Lazeez’ is a quirky al fresco escape, full of stylish character and heart-warming services. Deriving from the Arabic language, Lazeez basically means tasty, whilst Tapas refers to Spanish tradition of sharing small wholesome dishes. Simply put ‘tatsy sharing dishes’.

 

Opened summer 2014, Lazeez aims to celebrate Lebanon’s rich culture and diverse food and drink. Made up of a strong culinary team that comprises of both authentic Lebanese chefs and mixologists, with a combined experience of over 30 years in the food beverage industry. Lazeez prides itself on using nothing but the best traditional ingredients to create meals that both replicate and challenge our western favourites.

 

Described as the perfect hangout whatever your mood, Lazeez is set over two floors and offers a modern stylish interior with warmly coloured walls, an open plan kitchen and wide floor to ceiling windows, that open up and overlook the terrace giving you an al fresco dining experience. It has a range of seating in the bar and kitchen area, plus a lounge in the basement that’s perfect for a quieter meal or to hire out for a private party. In the warmer weather, guests are encouraged to take advantage of the terrace and enjoy their meal and drinks al fresco.

 

Catering for the avid healthy eater the food menu offers a selection of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Guests can also sample an array of fresh brewed teas and coffees, organic juices, cocktails and Lebanese wines (available for your drinking pleasure).

 

Lebanon is one of the oldest wine providers with a history that dates back more than five millennia and Lazeez’s head mixologist George is keen to promote the renaissance of their ancient wine culture.

 

Situated in the heart of Marylebone, opposite Selfridges, Lazeez Tapas is fast becoming a local favourite with its delicious low-caloried menu, friendly staff and bespoke V shisha pipes.

The wide use of olive oil, exotic herbs and low starch foods makes Lebanese tapas a delicious alternative to high street fast food options.

 

Lazeez is open daily from 11.30am till 12midnight.

Lazeez is located 29 Duke St, London W1U 1LH

Website: www.lazeeztapas.co.uk 

Facebook: /lazeeztapas

Twitter: @lazeeztapas

 

 

 

 

Iberica La Terraza | Restaurant Review

photo (97)When Samuel Johnson made his often quoted remark about those who tire of London being tired of life he could have been talking about the restaurants in London. There is every nationality and cuisines in this great city. All of the different boroughs, offer unique and different experiences.

Iberica La Terraza has its own unique experience. A Spanish Tapas bar on a terrace in Cabot Square, in the heart of Canary Wharf. It is near a fountain and is just so beautiful. You almost feel like you are on holiday.

The menu has a great selection of food. Both hot and cold. If you are not in the mood for tapas you can have breakfast, or a salad. The menu offers something for everyone. Here is what we had. Which was a lot.

105Half & Half, a selection of cured meat and cheeses: chorizo de pueblo, cecina de leon, Spanish cheese taster,

This was an amazing selection of meat and cheese. Very generous portions. Delicious. Some of the meat was even cured with Rosemary.

Smoked Cod with Roasted Red Peppers Salad.

This salty and smoky salad tasted great. Quite different.

Aubergine, Honey and Pinenuts.

I loved this dish. The aubergine was perfectly cooked with honey and pinenuts on top. The texture and taste was just perfect.

101Meatballs with chilindron sauce.

These meatballs are ‘like grandma used to make’. Family food in Spain. The meatballs are pork and beef, with tomatoe, garlic and a hint of chilli. Great, honest food.

102Baby squid sandwich.

Delicious for those who love seafood. Also a very generous portion. The bread was great too. The squid was fried and delicious.

Topside veal with roasted vegetable puree.

This was perfectly cooked with a yummy puree.

Tapas

104Snow Crab Meat with mayonnaise and trout roe.

Baby Squid with Alioli.

photo (92)Ensaladilla with tuna, egg, green olives and Piquillo.

photo (91)Creamed cheese, sun blushed tomatoes, rocket and basil.

photo (90)

Green Asparagus, smoked salmon, quails egg and avruga.

103

 

 

 

The tapas were AMAZING. Just really good. It is hard to choose a favourite so I won’t. I loved them all. Definitely try a few.

Dessert.

Cream Catalana.

photo (96)Double cream, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon.

Great puffy dessert. A bit like foam but with more consistency. Is light and tastes amazing.

La Tarta de la abuela. Chocolate, vanilla and biscuit.

photo (98)Good chocolate tart. The crunch biscuit on top was a great touch. I, of course, also loved the chocolate. The entire mix of this dessert works well together.

 To Drink

La Terraza Cocktail

Gin, cranberries and lime.

All of the cocktails are made in house and a lot of thought is put into them.

photo (94)Agua de Valencia

Cava, vodka, gin and orange juice.

Another classic. The oranges are imported from Valencia to make the cocktail perfect. No shortcuts are taken. The original 1950s recipe was also sourced by Pedro Carvalho. You can taste the attention to detail and love that goes into the cocktails.

photo (95)Sangria Cava

This amazing drink was packed with delicious juicy fresh fruit and was very refreshing. You could really taste all the different fruit flavours (Orange, strawberry, blackberry and mint) as they marinated into the cool cava. A truly special drink. The only way I can describe is that it was like sipping the sun. I can really do with another one of these right now!

photo (99)Sangria White

Ditto. Both Sangria drinks were tasty and perfectly suited the mood. They also came in great jug glasses.

Berry Cavarinha

Blackberries, raspberries, lime sugar, chambord, cava.

La Terraza Cocktail

La Terraza Cocktail

I loved this cocktail. What a great combination.

 

 

 

 

We were impressed by Iberica La Terraza. The food was great as was the atmosphere and the cocktails. Prices range from low to high so you can go and have some cocktails and food no matter what your budget is. In fact, the only problem I have with Iberica La terraza is the smoking. There were a few people smoking around us and as a non-smoker I don’t want to breathe in other peoples smoke. Only a few people were smoking though so I do recommend that you head down to Canary Wharf for an excellent Spanish experience. If the weather is ropey then don’t worry, the restaurant has heaters, blankets and a big umbrella.

Cabot Square  London Borough of Tower Hamlets, E14 4QQ. Nearest Tube: Canary Wharf. 

020 7636 8650