Queen Adelaide, Shepherd’s Bush, London

Crackling. Yum.

Now, I don’t want to give you the idea that I’m the kind of person who likes eating roast dinners. Unless, of course, I’m forced to. However, to visit this little establishment on the Uxbridge Road at the far end of Shepherd’s Bush seemed like a sensible thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon – and as usual, I wasn’t disappointed.

As with most roast dinners, I go through a similar thought process. Do I have a cold? If so, it’s roast beef and horseradish. Is it the middle of summer? If so, probably chicken.

Otherwise, it has to be roast pork, and especially so if it looks like the odds on proper crackling are high. They are here – and the crackling is excellent. The meat merely requires a knife to push it for it to fall apart – just how it should be, and has a marble of fat running through it – which means it tastes divine. To complement the lushness of taste, there’s a tart mushed apple to go with it – and a pint of Young’s bitter to wash it down. Excellent.

It loses marks for only a couple of things – I felt the meat could have done with being a touch less greasy – but this is being VERY picky – and although the veg -red cabbage, roast potatoes, a parsnip? – is cooked to perfection, neither touch nor soft – there simply isn’t enough of it.

That said, you don’t mind paying £14 for the dish – especially when you end up running your finger round the plate at the end to mop up the gravy – because it’s so good… but another potato or a couple of full carrots would have made it brilliant.

I’ve yet to find a better roast in London – especially one where you can eat it in a nice pub with proper chairs and tables, or if you prefer, in an armchair. Sounds like a challenge…

^J

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Leon, Spitalfields, London

The Feasting Menu. More like a snacking menu...

I think Leon probably qualifies as Mediterranean, but it doesn’t particularly shout about it. We chose the Feasting Menu – which was £28 for two – and consisted of Pork Jambalaya, Morroccan Meatballs, Hummus & Flatbread, Chilli Chicken, Grilled Chorizo, Brown Rice, the Leon mash (carrot & potato, I think), & Garlic & Chilli Broccoli.

The food comes to you in small bowls. I’m used to a fair plateful – so wasn’t quite sure there was enough at first – but because it was delivered in bowls which you pick at, you do feel full given the time it takes to eat the meal!

So, the food. The pork was nicely spiced, and not greasy – which is crucial. The meatballs were tasty but there were only 6 of them – and they were the size of a thimble. The chilli chicken was cooked well – neither tough nor sloppy – but I felt the seasoning was a little bland. The mash needed a little more butter to be perfect – but the broccoli was excellent, crunchy and sweet.

The hummus and flatbreads were brought first – both excellent – especially the bread – but a complete mismatch in terms of quantity. There was either too much hummus or too few flatbreads – when you resort to using your finger when there’s half the bowl left you know something’s gone wrong…

A bottle of drinkable red came to about £16.. which kind of summed the whole thing up really. Nice food, Nice location (though very quiet when we arrived – 7PM and the whole place was deserted – but perhaps not quite worth the cost. Knock a tenner off this meal and it’d be corking. As it is, it’s good… just not great.

^J

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Natalizi’s, Chiswick, London

Full English chez Natalizi

This is a food and drink blog about food and drink. That might sound obvious, but the point should be made here and now, because food doesn’t mean two small sprigs of celery over a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It’s about proper food, cooked appropriately, and served with a modicum of decency and humour at a price which won’t give you a stabbing pain in the wallet.

In which case, this is as good a place to start as any. Staffed by some very lovely, chatty Croatians who really understand what service is, this cafe on the Chiswick High Road in London  is a gem. It doesn’t look much from the outside but you’re greeted with a smile, and the food is served quickly and is hot. I always go for the Full English but there’s lots of options on the menu if you feel like something a little less filling. The beans appear to be Heinz. The sausages actually have meat in them, and herbs, and appear not to be cheap. Bacon is crisp, mushrooms are tasty, tomatoes are neither rock hard nor so squidgy you can’t get hold of them, the hash browns aren’t soggy and the eggs actually taste like they should.

You get this with a cup of proper builders’ tea, the chance to watch yummy mummies strolling up Chiswick High Road, a little special cake after your meal (yes, really), a winning smile from the lovely waitress and all for £4.90.

You can’t go wrong, so go… unless I’m there, in which case if you’ve stolen my table on a Saturday morning I will NOT be happy.

>J

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