A little Gem in Islington

A bit late... but when A joined me in London while I was there on business in February; I promised him that I would guest blog to share my thoughts on Gem. Note to readers, this review is going to be very biased as Gem is my favorite restaurant. Ever. 

We first discovered Gem when we first moved to London, many years ago. It's one of many Turkish restaurants in Islington, but Gem boasts a Kurdish take on food. Peering into the storefront, you will see an elderly woman making fresh Qatme (stuffed bread) for the patrons. 

On our last trip, we found a fresh new Gem, as it recently underwent a significant remodel. It's spacious, bright and while we checked out the 'new digs' we were brought our Qatme. This time around, we received one with potato and the other filled with spinach and green onions. Thin, warm and very comforting, it's a perfect quick bite while you peruse the menu. 

Being regulars, and not having a chance to eat there in so long (4 years!) we stuck to our usual: the Menu C. What is Menu C? 6 hot mezze and 7 cold mezze + dessert. Too much food you say? Never! Each item is appropriately portioned, and just enough for two people to share. Usually, the chef will select the dishes for you; our only comments to our server was to indicate that we were vegetarian and that we'd love to double up on the Halloumi (more on that later). We ended up with the following selection:

Cacik: yogurt with cucumber, mint, garlic and dill. It's very refreshing, and a great accompaniment to the hotter mezze

Yaprak Sarma: Essentially dolma. I'm not really a dolma fan, but I loved these! Gem's version had raisins, along with rice; which I thought was a great complement to the briney leaves.

Patates Salatasi: Potatoes with chopped pickle, parsley, dill, lemon juice. A heartier dish. The lemon juice and dill make it feel super light, even thought there are good sized chunks of potato. 

Kisir: Cracked wheat in thick tomato sauce. This one was a new one for us. In all our visits, we'd never had it, so it was nice to try something different.  It had a nice tang to it, very different from the other dishes, though I would have preferred this to be warm. 

Taboule: Of all the taboule i've tried or made, these guys do it best! They've mastered the parsley/wheat ratio and the results are amazing. Not too herby, not too lemony; but just right.

Patlican Soslu: This, to me, is more like a giardinaria. It's fried aubergine with tomato and red pepper. Alone, it's a little underwhelming; but spread on the foccicia like bread? Amazing. It's tart, yet sweet.

Falafel: If you haven't tried falafel, you don't know what you are missing. Made from chickpeas, broad beans, and onions they are deep fried. Gem's take on falafel rivals the famous Falafel's Drive In in moistness. 

Halloumi: A salty grilled cypriot cheese. I first tried halloumi at Gem, and I have been addicted ever since. It grills well, and pairs well with almost any mezze. It's hearty and surprisingly filling. 

Muska Boregi: Filled with Feta and spinach, these samosa shaped pastrys were our last hot appetizer. I'm not always a fan of feta, but these are consistently good and never over powering

Sounds like a lot of food? Well, it was sort of. Did I mention that we also had dessert? As part of the fixed menu, we received a small baklava, a small seker pare with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. As all things Gem, this dessert is a great finish to the meal. The baklava is homemade, not overly sweet and full of pistachios and walnuts. Seker Pere is a soft sweetened semolina cake. If you have a sweet tooth, this is for you! With the two desserts, if the ice cream had been absent, it would have been fine - but after all who can resist!

After so many years, I was curious if Gem would still be as good as we always thought, and it was! We've been to many restaurants in our travels (as can be seen on this blog), but Gem has always been my favorite, and continues to be. It's always fresh, feels like home cooking and reminds me fondly of our time in London. If you ever happen to find yourself in London, make the trek to Islington to visit Gem. You won't be disappointed. 

Pok Pok, take me back to Chiang Mai via PDX

Located about 5 miles from Portland City Center in the Hawthorne District is Pok Pok. At the far edge of Portland's new dining scene, this is a must on your next trip to the Pacific Northwest. Andy Ricker, the much heralded chef, took home a James Beard Award in 2011 and his streetshop style eatery was recently named one of the top 20 most inflential restaurant in America by Bon Appetit magazine. You might have also seen it on The Food Network or Travel Channel or read about it in the New York Times. We actually took a bike from City Center, which certainly helped to work up our appetite, and within about 30 mins arrived at Pok Pok. This place doesn't have much curb presence, so if you weren't paying attention just look for the long line of patrons out front, it'll be a sure give away.

This decor looks like a Thai street side restaurant with it's open tables, steel grate roof, clear plastic tarp windows, stainless steel table tops, and chalk board menu. Of course, that's part of the charm to be transported back to Thailand. We arrived at 12:30pm and were seated within about 5 mins in the covered front area; there's also any upstairs outdoor deck, and counter stalls along the entrance corridor. Come early, else expect a wait because by the time we left at 1:30pm, the wait was a good 45 mins.

The menu is packed full of Thai street food classics with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, in additon to wonderful southeast Asian inspired cocktails with basils, limes, Thai chilis, mango, jackfruit, etc. We asked our waitress for recommendations since everything looked so appetizing. She suggested a salad, noodle soup, and dessert for us to share; it did not dissappoint.

Khao Soi - a Chiang Mai street food favorite of curry flat noodle soup with tofu, squash, cilantro, and fried chickpea noodles. It came our table piping hot in a large bowl with a serving ladle and two small eating bowls. The perfect dish for this overcast rainy Portland day. This Northern Thai dish had strong flavor influences from the Burmese and Chinese Muslims. The tofu was lightly stir-fried along with the squash, for a wonderful earthy balance. The noodles were cooked well and did not overpower the dish. This was a soup with noodles and not the other way around. But the real star was the lightly spiced soup made with a gentle mix of coconut milk and thai chili that was on par with anything we'd tasted in Thailand. In one sentence, Sheila and I felt this was the best single dish of food we've had in many years.

Yam Samun Phrai - a Northern Thai herbal salad of carrot, turmeric, parsnip, betal leaf, basil, lime leaf, cashews, ginger, fried shallots, and Thai chilis in a mild coconut milk dressing. This salad packed some heat but was actually a good counter balance to the warm soup. The flavors were a mix or both sour and sweet which you typically see in Thai cooking. My only suggestion would have been to have some more shallots and cashews for a bit more crunch. Nevertheless we had not issues finishing the dish.

Thai Ice Cream Sandwich - three small scoops of coconut jackfruit ice cream over sticky rice drizzles with chocolate sauce and shaved almonds served on top of a Chinese bun. As you could expect this was a heavy dessert, but oh so good. The ice cream tasted naturally sweetened, the shaved almonds proved a nice crunch, and the sticky rice was could perfectly. The bun, although airy to the taste, was cut a bit too thick for me. We ate about two-thirds and then succumb to food coma.

This place did live up to the hype, it's the most authentic Thai meal we've had outside of Thailand. The quality of ingredients, expertly prepared dishes, and authentic dining experience make Pok Pok a true hit. I give it a resounding 9 out of 10 overall.

An unexpected surprise with Portobello Vegan Trattoria in Portland ...

Although we’re vegetarian, Sheila and I don’t often frequent vegan restaurants not necessarily by choice, it’s just there are very few in SF. Nevertheless, after having read reviews on Yelp and Eater PDX, we made reservations at Portobello Vegan Trattoria for our upcoming trip to Portland which is known for its eco-friendly, sustainable, vegetarian happy persona. Now you’re thinking how can there be a vegan Italian restaurant? How about cashew cheese, beet burgers, and seitan sausage? Don’t be shy about trying something new, because Portobello Vegan Trattoria was an unexpected surprise.

Portobello is located in an indistinct metal and glass shopping center approximately 2 miles southeast of Downtown Portland.  The space itself is warm and inviting, with sustainable and recycled would furniture, warmly lit chandeliers and a cozy banquet seating. The wait staff was friendly and extremely helpful in navigating through the interesting selection of options – all of which we wanted to try. After asking our waitress for some recommendations, we decided to each have our own entree and then split a dessert – the beet burger, spicy arrabbiata pizza, and bourbon vanilla & salted caramel ice cream.

Beet Burger – a house-made beet burger on fresh baked rosemary foccacia with carrot aioli, arugula, red onions and tomato confit. I was surprised that Sheila ordered this and up until it arrived she was a bit skeptical. But after the first bite, that all changed, this was a perfectly balanced and flavor packed burger. The beet patty was moist, the carrot aioli was creamy, the tomato confit slightly tart, and the arugula & red onions were fresh. The bun was a lightly toasted rosemary foccacia which had a wonderful herb and olive oil flavor. The portion size was quite large, so Sheila ended up cutting the burger in half so I could have some. I am often disappointed in veggie burgers because the patties are a dense block of flavorless wheat, corn, black bean, and carrots. This was not, the patty was light and airy, which I had the recipe!

Spicy Arrabbiata Pizza – a take on a neapolitan style pie with seitan-made Italian sausage, cherry peppers, garlic, basil, tomato marinara with chili, and cashew creme. I’ve never really been a fan of faux meat, until a few years ago. With all of our travels my culinary curiosity has broadened, but even seitan sausage was a stretch. Upon first bite, both Sheila and I uttered the words – that’s interesting. And as we kept eating slices our taste buds adapted to complex flavors of this dish. The sausage had a salty flavor, the cherry peppers packed the heat a la jalapenos, the marinara was plump and juicy, and the cashew crème was silky smooth. Of course, we’ve come to know great pie crust, and Portobello’s version was quite good, slight charred on the edges but with a nice chewy texture. We end up with three left over slices which I happily ate cold the next day. That should say it all from this pizza snob!   

Ice Cream – a scope each of bourbon vanilla and salted caramel. A wonderful mix of sweet and salty, Sheila and I found ourselves trading bites back and forth. The bourbon definitely came through as did the pure vanilla bean. The salted caramel was good balance to offset our other scoop as it start off salty upon first bite with a gooey aftertaste. We both thought this was a great palette cleanser to end our meal.  

Despite our initial apprehension, Portobello turned out to be a wonderful neighborhood restaurant and worth the trip outside of Portland touristy City Center. The dishes were inventive takes on Italian classics, although in a thoughtful sustainable manner. The original flavors preserved, this restaurant was able to transform each dish without us even missing the diary. With that, I rate Portobello a strong 8 out of 10.

the surprising MANA food bar in chicago

With more frequent travels to Chicago, I've had the benefit of eating at some amazing establishments in the Windy City. This past Feb during a typical cold and snow-filled week, I persuaded close friends P & J to break from their busy doctor lives for a late dinner at MANA Food Bar in Wicker Park. Wicker Park is a trendy gentrified neighborhood in the Northwest Loop known for it's commercial and entertainment venues. MANA itself is a charming and creative vegetarian restaurant that serves inventive and eclectic sharing dishes. This is definitely a winner in my book so check it out.

The interior of MANA is charming with rustic wood tables and bar, clean lines, and Edison bulb fixtures. The interior was very reminiscent of places I've been to in Soho or the Mission - felt right at home! The menu has a selection of american and asian inspired plates that can be served as either small or large plates. In order to maximize a "tasting menu" experience P, J and I decided on nine small plates of cold and warm items, including dessert. This worked out to 3 plates per person, which is what our waiter recommended. For the three of us, it was on the cusp of too much food so keep that in mind. 

First up were beets, sliced thin, with arugula and apple salad in a raspberry vinaigrette. A light, fresh, and crisp starter with a good balance of sweetness and tartness. The beets were understated given the abundance of arugula and apples; and the vinaigrette was slightly heavy handed. However those are just minor tweaks for an overall solid dish. The presentation was playful with delicately placed arugula leaves and shoestring apples across a long, thin white plate. 

Second up was baked goat cheese served with spicy tomato sauce and sourdough toast. I'm not a huge fan of strong cheeses, but this bake was remarkably muted although a bit too cheesy. The toast was slightly sweet but became cold quickly. The one thing I appreciated was the chunky tomato sauce spiked with chili peppers. Nonetheless, together the cheese, sauce, and slightly charred toast made for a hearty starter. Although a good dish, there seem to be many other better dishes on their menu, I'd most likely pass on this next time. 

Third up was the bi bim bop of hot pepper miso and vegetables served over brown rice and a sunny side up egg. This signature Korean dish was our favorite of the evening. A bold mix of cucumbers, zucchinis, mushrooms, spinach, and tofu stir-fried in sesame oil and red chili. The lightly fluffed brown rice and perfectly cooked egg gave this dish an unexpected earthy and creamy texture. The chili was not overpowering, but I felt it on the tip of my tongue. First time I've tried this dish and it won't be the last. 

Fourth up was the ma po tofu with spicy eggplant, chinese black beans, and red chili paste served over brown rice. A decent dish but compared against the bi bim bop, it lacked the same depth of flavors. Although the components were well prepared, the paste may have overpowered the eggplant and tofu. A slight refinement of component is all that's needed to make this spectacular. I've had ma po tofu at other restaurants and this was above average and pretty tasty.  

Fifth up was the mana sliders, a brown rice and mushroom patty served on small slider bun with spicy mayo, pickled cucumbers, and pickled onions. Okay I lied, the sliders were our favorite dish of the night. I'm typically skeptical of mushroom burgers because of how heavy they can be, but these were surprising. The brown rice and thinly grated mushrooms were bound together lightly and grilled to a slight char. The spicy mayo was nice kick and kept the dish moist and flavorful. I never would have thought to pickle cucumbers and onion for fear of the vinegar taking over, but that wasn't the case. This one that I'll be ordering again and again. 

Sixth up was artichoke filled ravioli with tomatoes, spicy kalamata tapenade, and shredded asiago cheese. Not sure that an italian inspired dish fits in with the overall food theme at MANA; and although the ingredients was fresh and nicely prepared, we weren't too thrilled with the overall dish. You couldn't quite taste the artichoke filling nor the tapenade due to the heaviness of the tomatoes and asiago cheese. And by now we were pretty stuffed. Nevertheless, my recommendation is to stick with the american and asian inspired dishes in lieu of the ravioli. 

Dishes seven and eight were our desserts, cinnamon creme brulee and double chocolate cheese cake. This was juxtaposition of delicate and decadent desserts. Neither of them were overly sweet. I enjoyed the creme brulee with its hint of cinnamon. The sugar burnt top was textured and flavorful; and the interior creme was light and airy. The cheesecake was dense and chewy; and the cookie base has a nice crunch. I appreciate the fact that it was made with bittersweet dark chocolate, however it was a bit too heavy for my taste. 

All in all, MANA Food Bar was a surprisingly charming restaurant. The creative and eclectic dish are perfect for sharing; and pack some amazing flavors. I didn't quite know what to expect from this neighborhood joint; for the most part we loved our dishes and even the ones that were mediocre only needed slight modifications to have been spectacular. This is not a tourist spot which made it all the more better and I can't leave out how great it was to catch up with my friends, P & J. MANA is worth the trip to Whicker Park and I give it an overall 8 out of 10 rating. 

Pass on Succulent Cafe in Solvang

A quick day trip from Santa Barbara is the town of Solvang, a Danish community first settled in 1911. It's turned into quite the tourist spot with a ton of local inns, Danish-inspired restaurants, and antique/souvenir shops all done in 19th century Scandinavian architecture. We decide on a quaint cafe called Succulent where the kitchen serves up artisanal salads and sandwiches using locally sourced ingredients from the Central Valley. It's an order at the counter establishment with a few indoors seat and a nice outdoor courtyard with several tables. A great spot to people watch along the main Solvang drag, but for us the food at Succulent lacked balance.

Sheila decided on a Thai salad with mixed greens, cashews, pickled cabbage, fried wonton strips in a citrus vinaigrette served with crostinis. Sheila thought it was good salad, it just wasn't a Thai salad. She was expecting Asian flavors, but didn't get any. Perhaps some sesame or soy dressing would have done the trick. However, the greens were all fresh and the fried wonton strips added a nice crunch. I had a few bites it lacked a depth of flavors, a bit one note, Nothing wrong with it, but yet nothing to write home about.

I ordered the arugula, mozzarella, and tomato sandwich with pesto aioli. Served on olive bread, this dish had a bit too much saltiness for my taste. I think it came down to uneven balance with pesto, olive bread, and mozzarella all being savory items. I would gone for a sweet jalapeño or peach spread to cut through the saltiness. Even a normal sourdough or French baguette would have helped.

I also ordered a prickly pear lemonade from the daily special menu. This was very sour drink on first sip that quick turned to overly sweet. I almost felt that too much sugar was added to batch to cut down the tartness. There a great intentions at Succulent Cafe, just not well executed. Perhaps eating a more Danish-inspired joint would have been better, but we wanted fresh and light. Unfortunately Succulent didn't cut it with a 3 out of 10 rating.

Bubbledog in Fitzrovia, London

The name sounds odd and the concept even odder, but Bubbledog has buzz and it appears to have staying power. Located on Charlotte St near Goudge St tube station is a hidden gem of eateries only few block from busy Oxford St. Pick up Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, or Time Out and you're likely to read about Bubbledog. It's a sophisticated hot dog joint that serves inventive variations alongside glasses of champagne. Get it now?

People queue to get in, up to 90 mins. No reservations accepted. The place has original red brick walls, bar height communal tables, warmly light Edison bulbs, and dark wood plank floors. The architecture is quite amazing, but this is more a scene for the East Village or the Mission - queuing to eat upscale street food in a cozy stylish atmosphere? Sheila and I went there late on a blistering cold Thursday night and we still waited a good 30 mins in 30 degree temperature mind you! Is it worth it? For foodies, but only just once.

Once inside we sat intimately close to other patrons, don't expect to have a quiet conversation here. The menu is written on the chalkboard above the glass shelved bar - creative hot dog types like New Yorker, K-Dawg (Korean), and Buffalo (BBQ). The catch is that the dog can be beef, chicken, or veggie! Hence the reason for our visit. I opted for the Trishna Dog (Indian) with sweet mango relish, mint chutney, and sev (fried chickpea flour flakes). Sheila opted for the Naked Dog which was a hot dog with no fixings and a side of sweet potato fries. The hot dogs are served in plastic basket alongside squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard. Again the whole upscale street food concept.

The Trishna Dog was pretty tasty, a nice balance of sweetness from the mango relish, spiciness from the mint chutney, and crunchiness from the sev. The bun had been steamed and was light and airy. As for the dog, it was surprisingly flavorful and I'm not a big fan of faux meats. The consistency was a bit weird for me, but it tasted seasoned and was cooked well. A good concept that can certainly be made at home with the right ingredients. Portion size was a bit small, so you might want to go for two if famished.

The sweet potato fries were rather pedestrian, not a lot of flavor and slightly undercooked. They tasted fine when piping hot, but lost a bit of appeal when cold. The size and portion were fine, just lacked seasoning. We left about 1/3 in the basket. Definitely need some tips from In-n-Out.

The wait staff was pleasant, but as the place is so crowded and noisy it make take a few hand waves and eye contact to get their attention. Also at £7 per hot dog, this is not an everyday eatery. In fact, those that are hungry could probably eat two. Bottom line is that you're paying for the novelty and popularity. It's worth trying once, and then replicate the recipes and your next Super Bowl or 4th of July parties! I give Bubbledog a 5.5 out of 10.

Trishna, Michelin Starred Indian in Marylebone

Nowhere else can you find Michelin star Indian restaurants than in London, where curry is the official dish and Indian chefs reach celebrity status. Several years ago Sheila and I went to Tamarind in Mayfair for a tasting menu of 10 delectable dishes. One of the finest meals we've ever had. On this trip, we decided on Trishna in Marleybone, a chic neighborhood tucked between Regent Park and Hyde Park.

It's a relative newcomer to the Indian haute cuisine scene serving up Southern Indian coastal inspired dishes. The restaurant is unassuming but very charming - two adjacent walk ups converted into dining areas with painted white bricked walls, old Air India travel posters, and dimly lit chandeliers. As you can discern, this clientele catered to is not Indian.

First impressions, the food was good but not transcending; the service was spotty and often puzzling, the space was charming (wold love to buy a flat with the same bones), and the price was rather high (total bill with drinks was £82). Our recommendation, skip Trishna and try Tamarind or Amaya if you want elevated Indian fare.

Now for details, we decided to order two starters, two side curries, the naan basket, and dessert - aubergine chaat; tandoori paneer; spinach and corn curry; hyderabadi split pea daal; garlic, fennel, and plain naans; and a trio of ice cream (rose and white chocolate, pistachio, and mango).

Aubergine Chaat - probably the best dish we had all evening. Lightly fried aubergine cubes served with sev, mint chutney, tamarind and date chutney, yogurt, garnished with cilantro. Sheila is not a fan of aubergines, but the flavors were subtle and the texture crunchy. I enjoyed the balance, but it could have been better with some citrus like oranges or pomegranates.

Tandoori Paneer - had a nice smoky rub flavor and coated really well in tandoori spices. However, we found the individual pieces to be too large, and would have preferred to see each split into two. The paneer was solid but not memorable. The side corn slaw was refreshing and slightly sweet, but the pairing with the paneer didn't quite work. A tasty overall dish that we would order again if we happen to come back.

Spinach and Corn Curry - a bit bland lacking in spice levels you would typically find in Indian dishes. It kinda tasted like puréed spinach with a few corn kernels thrown in. This could have been a great dish of there were some cooked tomatoes, cumin, fennel, and chili powder. We'd pass on this dish again.

Hyderabadi Daal - a nice seasoning level but didn't have much heat. The daal was cooked well, the consistency was nice, the flavors were balance; but similar to the tandoori paneer it was not memorable. We found ourselves combining the daal and curry; it tasted better that the individual dishes.

The naan and  ice cream were divine, funny how the complementary dishes stole the show. The naan was flavorful, chewy, and a bit smokey. It was a great vessel to scoop up our curry and daal. The ice creams were fresh and not too sweet. Each of the three types (rose and white chocolate, mango, and pistachio) could stand on its own. I really enjoyed the mango while Sheila enjoyed the rose and white chocolate. Both dishes we would order again.

Unfortunately, the service was not up to Michelin standards. In typical Indian fashion, three separate waiters came by to ask us the same questions - ready to order food, would you like a drink? Clearly we were trying to relax and order leisurely, that was not possible. There was this notion that we were not worthy patrons and no real explanations when the dishes came out. Our bill also was wrong, as the waiter incorrectly charged a service fee twice. All the other patrons seemed to have a bit better service level, but even such I heard several of them complain about the service as well. Perhaps if the food was better, we would have felt differently. I give Trishna a disappointing 4.5 out of 10.