Savannah Jerk

Some of you may understand what I mean when I talk about a ‘chicken craving’. For some people this manifests itself as a necessity to visit Nandos on a regular basis, for others it’s their local fried chicken establishment (those that know me, will know very well that KFC is my personal favourite). Regardless of its manifestation, most of us from time to time adore well-cooked chicken (yes, even the vegetarians amongst you, they just don’t realise it yet). I personally feel that in the Caribbean they know how to handle a chicken better than most and that’s just one reason of many why I adore Caribbean food.

I first went to Savannah Jerk in the middle of Soho nearly two years ago and left with excellent memories of the place and their food, in particular the jerk chicken. I even asked if they sold the marinade, which unfortunately they did not. I had been intending to revisit for well over a year now so it was about time I got down there.

Interior

I went on a Saturday evening and the place was pretty packed. No surprise for a restaurant which claims on its website to have been visited by Jay-Z and Beyonce and features a video endorsement by Jessie J. The interior is simple and colourful and the atmosphere was buzzing. Fortunately we were able to get the last available table. By this point I couldn’t wait to tuck into some more of that wonderfully spicy jerk chicken.

The menu is compact, which is usually a good sign in my opinion, with a selection of classic chicken, meat and fish dishes. However I only had one thought on my mind. But I would have to wait for that because the service, whilst pretty friendly, seemed a bit stretched and as a result was rather slow. After about 10/15 minutes I had to request the waitress over to our table take our order.

Our food arrived within a fairly reasonable time and with the large gleaming red hunk of chicken beckoning me I couldn’t wait to tuck in. However my first reaction was of mild disappointment; the jerk sauce was not quite what I had remembered. It was tangy and slightly sweet but I couldn’t detect much spice, if at all. However after a few more bites I did grow to enjoy it quite a bit. It was well accompanied by the rice and peas and the crunch of lettuce (instead of ice you can opt for accompaniments of traditional ‘hard foods’ such as yam, dumpling and sweet potato). My cousin had ordered a chicken roti, which was a large flatbread packed with chicken curry inside and then folded over, almost like a calzone. The roti was rather different to the traditional Indian ones but it was lovely, slightly chewy with a floury quality to it. The chicken curry inside was tender and very flavoursome. Unfortunately the slow service continued. Clearing our plates and paying the bill took well over half an hour.

Jerk chicken with rice & peas

Chicken roti

The food at Savannah Jerk is definitely tasty and reasonably priced (mains £10-12). Whilst that jerk chicken may not have quite lived up to my memories (who knows, maybe I had hyped it up in my head after all this time?) it was still enjoyable. The only real downside of the meal had been the frustratingly slow service, but maybe midweek if the restaurant is a bit emptier there wouldn’t be such a problem. The good food and big portions means that Savannah Jerk is definitely a solid option next time you’re in Soho.

Price: £22 for two main courses

Where to go before/next: Its location on Wardour Street means that after a meal at Savannah Jerk you are moments away from exceptional dessert a few metres down the road at Princi (open till late). There are also no shortages of great bars such as the Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown or Mark’s Bar underneath the restaurant Hix on Brewer’s street. Don’t forget the close proximity of the West End or the shopping of Oxford/Regent streets to Soho.

Website: Click here

Location: 187 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8ZB

Nearest Tube: Pretty much equidistant between Tottenham Court Road & Oxford Circus

Opening Times: 11am - 11pm Mon - Sat

Da Polpo

I ended up in Da Polpo after realising that it’s older brother Polpo (a restaurant that I have been intending to visit for well over a year now) is not open on Sunday evenings. Polpo opened in the autumn of 2009, introducing the concept of a bacaro, to Soho. Bacaros are wine bars from Venice, serving chichetti (small snacks) along with wine in comparable sized glasses. Following the runaway success of Polpo, the same owners opened Polpetto (in a similar bacaro vein), followed by Spuntino (same bacaroabstraction but a departure from Italian to American Diner-style cuisine), both in Soho. Da Polpo is their latest venture and a return to the original Polpo style but this time they traversed outside the confines of Soho into nearby Covent Garden. 

All their restaurants operate a strict No Bookings policy. This means that turning up after 7.30/8pm is likely to result in long waits. Luckily it was a Sunday and about 7 so the place was only half full and we were seated straight away. The décor was rustic and minimal, with the tables almost uncomfortably close but not cramped, making it a somewhat difficult process when attempting to leave the table.

Interior

The menu is compact, containing several chichetti, as well as numerous small tapas-style dishes, the idea being to order several and share. The mouthful of fennel and anchovy chichetti was pleasant, the fennel mild and anchovy lightly pickled, whilst the small arancini (fried risotto balls) were perfectly seasoned with a thin, crispy coating and oozing mozzarella in the centre.

Arancini

There is a selection of ‘pizzettes’, with a tantalising selection of unusual toppings. We went for the grilled mortadella, gorgonzola & pickled raddichio. A wonderfully thin, almost diaphanous, base was covered generously in strong gorgonzola, complemented and tempered by the acidicity provided by the pickled raddichio. My only criticism was the substantial amount of oil from the cheese.

Grilled mortadella, gorgonzola & pickled raddichio pizzette

Whole chilli and garlic prawns were delightful in their juicy simplicity. Keeping the shell on may not result in the most elegant eat but it undoubtedly adds to the flavour and well-cooked prawns are always a winner in my book. The assortment of meatballs are a must try. Three spicy, chunky balls of pork were lathered in a delectably sweet tomato sauce with the subtle fennel hit at the end of each bite providing a lovely finishing touch. However, the lamb and mint meatballs were good, but the same tomato sauce as before sometimes overpowered their more subtle flavour. They were a slight disappointment when compared to the pork and fennel meatballs.

Meatballs

For dessert, I went for a simple affogato (scoop of vanilla ice cream with espresso poured on top) & my brother got a tiramisu. Both were served in tumblers, looked appealing enough and certainly tasted pleasant.

Tiramisu

Prices are decent, ranging from £4.50-8 per plate, although visiting with a large appetite may ultimately result in a hefty bill. Service was friendly enough but it was sometimes difficult to get their attention, however there are no real complaints. 

Da Polpo is certainly worth a visit, providing a winning formula of high quality ingredients and inventive but uncomplicated flavour combinations. The only remaining item is to finally make that trip to Polpo, not to mention the other members of their ever-expanding family.

Price: Can't remember the total bill offhand but expect around £40-50 for two people with drinks

Where to go before/next: Being near covent garden you are right in the heart of the theatre district, so try hitting this place up before a musical/play. The Royal Opera House is also a short walk away. In the evenings you can head over to Dirty Martini in the square for some decent cocktails.

Website: Click here

Location: 6 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7NA

Nearest tube: Leicester Square, Charing Cross & Covent Garden are all pretty equidistant

Opening Times: 12pm - 11.30pm 7 days a week (10.30pm on Sundays)

The Ice Creamists

The Ice Creamists claim to be ‘agents of cool’ and ‘liberating the world one lick at a time’. They hit the headlines when they sparked outrage at their ‘Baby Gaga’ breast milk ice cream that got removed the day it was released, never to return. A publicity stunt that certainly created a stir. Bold, brash, black, pink and an almost cringe worthy clamour for sexy appears to be the order of the day at this establishment. Situated slap bang in the middle of Covent Garden, their flashy store certainly garners enough attention in this tourist hot spot. But beyond their entire marketing and ‘edgy’ persona, is their ice cream actually any good?

The first thing that struck me (after you take in the flashy, but admittedly kinda edgy interior) were the prices. You could either get a cone with 2 scoops for 3.95 or a cup with 3 scoops for 5.90. Yet I only wanted one scoop, I was stuffed from my visit to the Pit Cue Co. about an hour previous. And I hate eating ice cream from a cone, just too messy. Yet I don’t want to pay 6 pounds for ice cream and I couldn’t finish 3 scoops could I? But the cone would be too messy. But I don’t want to spend 6 pounds. Why the hell can’t I get one scoop in a cup? Turns out I could, but they’d charge me 5.90. Outrageous. This mundane dilemma that I’m sure you appreciate me sharing with you, circulated for several moments before I settled on the cup.

Now to choose the flavours. Then I realised that beyond the pathetic names such as ‘Vanilla Monologues’ and ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desserts’ there lay a distinct lack of imagination in the choice of unusual flavours and it appeared rather chocolate-heavy. Less time spent thinking on puns and more on daring combinations like their ‘Cold Sweat’ (chilli, ginger and lemongrass) would be much appreciated. In the end I had to settle for custard, the ‘Cold Sweat’ and pistachio.

But maybe they could redeem themselves? Well they do give you a huge amount in the 3 scoops, it felt like an ice cream mountain, especially when I was powering through a full stomach. The ice cream is lovely and smooth (although still not up to the smoothness found at Chin Chin over in Camden) and flavours are strong. Each individual flavour in the ‘Cold Sweat’ came through and the custard tasted very much of fresh homemade custard. Pistachio was also good but not outstanding.

Front left: pistachio, Back left: chilli, ginger & lemongrass, Front right: custard

There is also do a sit-down menu of various ice-cream based desserts and cocktails which I’ll be sure to sample if I ever do return.

 The ice cream was good, but nothing to shout home about. The whole experience was soured by the fact I merely wanted one scoop and ended up having to pay a lot of money for three. The Ice Creamists rides heavily on hype and bling, which I don’t feel it lives up to. It’s worth a visit but I probably wouldn’t be returning in a hurry. For those that think that ice cream doesn’t get much better than a late night trip for some Belgian chocolate ice cream at that infuriating tourist trap that is the Haagen Daaz café, then this is probably the place for you. For those of you that know better, I suggest making the relatively short walk up to Gelupo in Soho.

Price: 5.90 for 3 scoops

Where to go before/after: Being slap bang in the middle of Covent Garden means there is no shortage of places to go and things to do. There is plenty of retail therapy nearby, with many boutiques and high street stores in the near vicinity. If you want some food, head over to Les Deux Salons, Dishoom or Da Polpo, just a few from a plethora of good quality restaurants. For something cheaper and quick i'd recommend the Batterse Pie station for some quality good value pies on the lower ground floor of the market square.

Website: Click here

Location: 23/47 The Market Building, South Piazza, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8RF

Nearest Tube: Covent Garden

Opening Times: 12.00 - 22.30pm 7 days a week

Pitt Cue Co.

Food from a van traditionally conjures up images of ghastly hotdogs, gristly burgers and languid tea, or for the more tender amongst us, fluffy white ice cream and a 99 flake (which by the way, now cost more than 99p. When did that happen? And more importantly why? And penny sweets are now two pence. Damn inflation ruining precious traditions... and some people have the audacity to complain that it’s immigration that’s ruining indigenous culture…). However the Pitt Cue Co. seem to have other ideas, attempting to showcase American BBQ meat in all its glory. The trailer has parked itself underneath the Hungerford Bridge (connecting Embankment & waterloo tube stations) and is here to stay for a couple more months (I think it’s going sometime in September).

Once you eventually make your way to the front of the inevitable long queue you are faced with a difficult but rewarding question; slow cooked pork, ribs or chicken wings? Protein decided, you can top it off with root beer beans or classic slaw (or both) and then some cheeky extras (pickles, hot sauce and grilled bread) served in a cardboard box. I went for the slow cooked pork with both the beans and slaw and of course all the extras (with an extra dollop of hot sauce) all for a mere 7 quid.

The pork was juicy and tender, the strips falling apart from each other. The sticky sweet and smoky BBQ flavour packs a hugely satisfying punch bite after bite. The beans are an excellent compliment, although I can’t say I tasted much of the root beer influence, not that that mattered. The slaw was crunchy, light and vegetal, not like that gooey, tart and synthetic bright white crap you get from supermarkets. Sweet pickles on top were great and the hot sauce, whilst not being very spicy, added a sharp contrast to the sweet of the BBQ pork. The bread serves well as a sponge to soak up the juices.

The portion is huge, those cardboard boxes holding a surprising amount, making the final few bites a rewarding struggle. They have also started serving the food in sandwich format but I think that might get too soggy and you wouldn’t get anywhere near as much in them.

BBQ pulled pork with all the trimmings

To top it all off, they are actually fully licensed and all of this can be washed down with a selection of beers and cocktails. The pickleback (a shot of bourbon followed by a shot of pickling brine) sounds particularly intriguing (although I did not try one, I will most definitely next time I’m there)

This is American BBQ food as fine as I’ve ever had it anywhere. Head there now because just like the 99 flake, good things don’t last forever.

Price: £7

Where to go before/after: Being on the south bank you are literally next to the South Bank Centre which is always hosting a multitude of events. check out http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk for the latest. You can even pop into their bar for a drink. Walk a bit further down and watch the street performers and also check out another superb pop-up; the Dishoom ChowPatty Beach bar for cocktails and Gola Ices as well as traditional Indian soft drinks such as Limca (although at true import prices).

Website: None available

Location: Directly underneath the Hungerford Bridge, Belvedere Road, South Bank, SE1 8XX

Nearest Tube: Waterloo

Opening Times: 1pm-11pm but times may vary, they update regularly via Twitter