Sunday Selection: North London's Top Five Roasts

1: The Oxford, Kentish Town
This infallible Victorian pub always comes up trumps for the delicious Sunday roasts on offer. Roasts vary from £12 to £14.50.
www.theoxfordnw5.co.uk

2: The Goose and Crown, Camden
Using only sustainable fish and free-range meat and eggs, The Crown and Goose will earn you top marks with mother nature. Roasts from £12 to £13.50
www.crownandgoose.co.uk

3: The Holly Bush, Hampstead
Jamie Oliver's former local serves up a tremendous roast in a fantastic pub full of winding corridors and secret dining rooms. Roasts from £13 to £16
Unfortunately no website

4: The Flask, Highgate
Traditional 18th Century pub to while away the hours while tucking into tasty roasts. Roasts range from £12.20 to £15.20
www.theflaskhampstead.co.uk

5: The Bull and Last, Tufnell park
Great roasts, if a little pricey. I'd also recommend booking in advance, as it's a nightmare to get a table in this extremely popular pub. Roasts range from £13 to £18
www.thebullandlast.co.uk

 

Roll up, roll up, for the best foodie offers in town

Those lovely people at London Eating have rounded up some fantastic deals at eateries in the capital.  Simply head to www.london-eating.co.uk/offers/type/50-off.htm to browse what's on offer.

'Pho'get your money worries

Mien Tay

Location: Kingsland Road, London

Rating: Four stars

The week before pay day tends to be a fairly grim time, when endless evenings are punctuated only with reality tv and bland pasta dinners.

But hang on, before you begin sobbing into your napkin, there is a way to have fun in these bleak weeks, as I recently discovered on Kingsland Road.

The Vietnamese cafes and restaurants lining this east London road known as 'Pho Mile' are the perfect way to eat out on a budget. In particular Mien Tay is a great choice. Kitch decoration aside, this restaurant tends to be the busiest on the road, and its BYO policy certainly brings in the crowds.

My friend and I headed to Mien Tay pre-pay day and had a fun and tasty night. While slugging on wine from the local offie, we decided to share some fresh spring rolls followed by bowls of steaming Pho.

The fresh spring rolls are delicious and at £3.50 for four they are very reasonably priced too. Stuffed with king prawns, pork and Vietnamese salad, they are are accompanied by a bowl of dipping sauce which is mouth-wateringly good.

Coming up next were our bowls of seafood pho (£6.50). This noodle soup is a Vietnamese specialty and the key to a good Pho is that all of the ingredients must be very fresh - from the vegetable broth to the mint leaves and prawns. Mien Tay hit the nail on the head and we devoured our bowls without a care for how unattractive supping on this slurpy soup must look.

The atmosphere throughout our meal was buzzing, and when our bill came to a mere £8.25 each, we were buzzing more than anyone.

Find out more at www.mientay.co.uk

Soho is smokin'

Bodean's

Location: Soho
Rating: Three and a half stars

Vegetarians beware, Bodean's will tempt even the most devout of meat dodgers. Tender steak, spare ribs, baby back ribs, pulled pork and sausages are all the order of the day if you visit this popular chain of BBQ smoke houses.

I headed to Bodean's Soho branch for a pre-theatre dinner, and I wasn't disappointed. But then again, I knew what to expect. Like its surroundings, Bodean's is a little bit tacky, but if you're hankering to get your knashers around a plate of red meat, then it's a pretty good option.

We both opted for one of its combos meals, which involves half a rack of baby back ribs, pulled pork, fries and coleslaw (£15.95). The meat was juicy and fell off the bone, while the fries were crisp and the coleslaw crunchy. The food is also plentiful, and even skipping lunch to build a healthy appetite wasn't enough for Bodean's, as I was forced to admit defeat before clearing my plate.

Mandatory post-dinner waddling aside, if you're looking for some decent fast food, give Gourmet Burger Kitchen a wide berth and head to Bodean's instead.

Find out more at www.bodeansbbq.com

Messing about on the river

The Grand Union

Location: A canal near Kensal Rise

Rating: Two and half stars

There's nothing better than working up a healthy appetite by going for a stroll along London's canal towpaths. Time always seems to fly when you hit the waterways, thanks to all of the entertainment on offer.  From ducklings harassing their mothers and swans giving you the evil eye to tramps making impressive headway through a six pack of Special Brew and cyclists attempting to mow you down, there's always something to keep you occupied on the canal.

Another bonus of canal walks is that before you know it, you've walked more than enough miles to tuck into a hearty lunch; without giving a flip about calories.

After our latest mini adventure, which saw us hop on the towpath by Camden market and make our way up through Little Venice and on to Kensel Rise, we stopped off at The Grand Union pup for lunch.

Not part of The Grand Union chain, this little bar/pub has the benefit of a great location for outside dining. However, when we arrived for some lunch in the sun, it seemed that everyone else had the same idea, so we made our way inside.

Inside was a bit disappointing. On our visit, there was a distinct lack of atmosphere, which was amplified by the moody staff, who were not only unhelpful but plain rude too.

We decide on grilled sardines with a tomato salsa, whitebait & squid with sweet chilli mayonnaise, and a bowl of chips. The food was very reasonable, and although they were small dishes (think tapas), at £3.95 a pop they're not going to break the bank.

Maybe it was because we had been so looking forward to our well deserved lunch, or maybe the sullen faces of the bar staff had left a bad taste in our mouths, but the food didn't come up to scratch.

The sardines hadn't been boned, and to be honest, they didn't taste good enough to be worth all the bother. The whitebait and calamari was fresh and tasty, but unfortunately the chef seemed to have forgotten that the mayonnaise should have been partnered with sweet chilli.

So we ate our food quickly, and hastily made our way back to the canal - a far more enjoyable experience.

www.grandunionlondon.co.uk

There's nothing fishy about Bento Cafe

Bento Cafe

Location: Camden Town
Rating: Four stars

Feeling peckish for some tasty sushi? Then head to Bento Cafe in Camden, which never fails to provide top class sushi at a reasonable price.

Offering a delivery service, as well as an eat-in restaurant, Bento Cafe is the perfect place to indulge in takeaway that is not only very tasty, but is also kind to the waistline - a rare combination.

However, if you do decide to eat-in, my advice is to avert your eyes away from the sullen waiting staff and fix your gaze towards the sushi chefs. The equivalent of watching Monet tackle a canvas, Bento's chefs create pieces of sushi that are worthy of a place in the Tate Modern.

Using beautiful cuts of fish and shellfish, Bentos offers popular classics including maki (california £4 for six pieces) and nigiri (sake £1.60p per piece) to more experimental dishes using seasonal produce. Also on offer is a good selection of hot dishes from light and crisp vegetable tempura (£5.50) to delicious black cod with miso (£17).

To find out more go to www.bentocafe.co.uk

The great outdoors

The Bull and Last picnic hamper
Location: Parliament Hill
Rating: Four stars

We've been very lucky with the weather recently, haven't we? The sun has continued to pelt its rays upon us over the Easter and Royal wedding weekends, in the hottest April since records began - leaving us with absolutely nothing to moan about....hmmm I knew there was something missing from my life.

My tendency for whining aside, making the most of this rare weather and stocking up on vitamin D feels almost mandatory. And with so much of our lives spent eating, there's nothing better than tucking into some great food, while feeling the warm beam of the sun on your face. Eating Al Fresco on a restaurant patio is fine, but in London this can result in respiratory diseases from the gluttony of cars spewing fumes in your direction. So instead, why not pack yourself a picnic and head to your nearest Royal Park?

Ahh, you're probably thinking, this sounds fine in theory, but the problem with making your own picnic is that unless your happy with a packet of Mr Porky's, it can all be a bit too much like hard work. And after all, we are meant to be enjoying the sun and not slaving away in the kitchen, aren't we?

But fret not, there is an alternative, thanks to the clever people at The Bull and Last.

This delightful pub, which serves some of the most scrumptious pub food in north London, is now offering pre-prepared picnics.

They're reasonably priced too, at £28 a picnic, which contains more than enough grub for two people. And if you do want to stretch the picnic for more, or you're just very greedy, you can add one or several delicious side dishes, from potted shrimp and croutes to strawberries and chantilly cream, which all come in at around a fiver.

The main picnic itself comprises of a scotch egg (the best I've had) and sausage roll, ham hock terrine and cornichons, purple sprouting broccoli, goats cheese and hazelnut quiche, a beautiful salad with balsamic onions, bleu d'Auvergne cheese with oatcakes, home made bread, extra moist carrot cake fingers, and to wash it all down, a bottle of mineral water and real lemonade.

All of this is packed in a traditional wicker hamper with crockery and cutlery, accompanied by a map of Hampstead Heath and a picnic blanket.

As this is the first weekend The Bull and Last has begun to offer picnics there were a couple of teething problems, such as the hamper's handle breaking half-way up the Heath and cups were no where to be found. However, I'm sure these problems will be quickly ironed out and their mouth-watering food more than made up for these small inconveniences.

It does feel slightly self-indulgent to have a picnic pre-prepared for you - but what's wrong with that? So the next time the sun is out and you feel like spoiling yourself, stuff the spa and order yourself a hamper from The Bull and Last. You won't be disappointed. www.thebullandlast.co.uk/news