Steak & craft beer heaven

A Second Serving reviews 'Smiths' of Smithfield, Cannon Street...

Last week I was kindly invited to attend the VIP launch party of 'Smiths' of Smithfield, Cannon Street, so I took two of my pals along to check out the new venue - and what a treat it was! The contemporary restaurant is a counterpart to the Farringdon gaff which is THE place to go for world class steak, breakfasts and craft beer. In the Cannon Street restaurant each of the four floors has a distinctive style, offering something for everyone depending on mood, budget or time. The first floor is also host to a bar which is dedicated to craft beer (hell yes) with a selection of 60 to choose from. They're also set to hold 'Meet the Brewer' evenings which will give discerning drinkers the chance to sample different beers from a range of exciting craft brewer. Exciting stuff.

Why go? 

The kitchen is headed by Henry Omereye who has created a menu of 'playful interpretations on classic dishes,' including grilled halibut with lobster mash and Henry's cornfed chicken. That enough should be a reason to go! On our visit, we tried canapes such as gin cured peppercorn salmon, rare breed mini burgers, haloumi burgers in brioche buns and different cuts of meat on sharer boards. They were all delish and packed full of flavor and we went home with our bellies full of food. There was also a LOT of prosecco doing the rounds so all in all an absolutely fantastic night. As well as being the first to enjoy the most wonderful beef, we also got to watch a butchery demonstration which was really interesting. The venue, which can hold 250, was buzzing - a sign of good things to come I'm sure.

Location?

The Walbrook Building, Cannon Street, London, EC4N 8AF.

A taste of the tropics

A Second Serving reviews Trader Vic's in Mayfair...

Trader Vic's, a legendary tropical paradise bar in the basement of the London Hilton at Mayfair, has launched a new island fusions menu - and it's really bloody good. The menu has been created by executive chef of Trader Vic's, Shiran Fonseka, in collaboration with Shelina Permalloo, who you might remember from Masterchef (she won in 2012), and she's also the brains behind her own Mauritian street kitchen, Lakaz Maman.The new pop up menu, which is inspired by the shores and taste experiences of Mauritius, is available until the end of October so if you fancy something different, give it a go!

Oh HELLO

Why go?

Trader Vic's is well known for its delicious Mai Tai cocktails and the new menu pairs brilliantly with all those fruits and flavours. You can pick and mix small plates or go for the wooden platter of food for £19 which allows you to sample a bit of everything. If you're like me and you love eating but hate sharing (cos you're so damn greedy) the platter is perfect because everything is already separated into two - so they'll be no fighting over that last prawn! The food itself was fab. The BBQ ribs had a sticky, smokey flavour and the meat literally fell from the bone. The deep fried prawns were greasy, but in a good way, and huge too. They also went really well with a rather zingy coriander and coconut chutney. My favourite part was the delicious pineapple that came sprinkled with chili and is a traditional Mauritian street food. Yum!

Downsides?

The menu is only available until October 31st - boooo!

Location?

Trader Vic's, London Hilton, 22 Park Lane, London, W1K 1BE.

A secret liquor bar in Fulham

A Second Serving reviews Below The Cut in Fulham Broadway... 

This gorgeous little liquor bar is tucked away beneath Hanger sw6, a steak restaurant in Fulham. If you were passing by, you wouldn't know even know it was there - but you should! The secret bar is a fab drinking den and serves some serious cocktails alongside a small plate menu that encompasses a bite size version of the restaurant upstairs. You can snack on salt beef croquettes, mini steak sarnies or Parmesan chips, to name but a few. While the bar has only very recently opened, they'll be hosting live music nights from acoustic evenings to DJ sets in the future. One to watch!

Why go? 

This would be the perfect date place. You can have tasty but affordable food upstairs followed by cocktails and small bites down below. The bar has a blue, brown and grey colour scheme and is packed full of leather sofas, creating a very chilled out vibe. During our visit there was a guitarist playing live music which really added to the atmosphere and made it all feel very intimate. The cocktail menu is concise but that doesn't matter when the concoctions are so delicious. My fave was the Royal Lady – a fierce combination of vodka, prosecco, home-made rhubarb syrup and a twist of lemon. This was incredibly easy to drink and certainly cleansed my palate.

Downsides? 

You wouldn't know it was there - so people need to shout out about it!

Location? 

461 North End Road, Fulham, London, SW6 1NZ

Hot dogs in Hammersmith

A Second Serving reviews The Duchess of Cambridge in Hammersmith...

The Duchess of Cambridge, a traditional pub in Hammersmith, has teamed up with Banger Bros to create a brand new menu featuring gourmet hot dogs and delicious burgers. Nom nom nom! But, if hot dogs aren't your thing, they still have a huge menu with offerings such as bad-boy burgers and Sunday roasts. They also have an extensive range of British gins and a selection of ales and lagers to wash it all down with. The pub, which is just a four minute walk from Stamford Brook station, is light and spacious with a beautiful outside courtyard.

Why go?

Once I'd been told there were hot dogs on the menu I knew it would be rude not to give them a try. After much umming and erming (because there was so much damn choice!) I went for the Continental, made up of a Bockwurst, gherkin, remoulade, mustard and crispy shallots. You order at the bar, then get your food served at the table. There's a dining area on one side of the venue and more of a generic pub on the other. The hot dog, when it came, had been gently steamed then chargrilled to bring out all the flavour and there was a lovely crack as I bit into the meat - perfect. It came snuggled up in a soft, toasted brioche bun with pickles and sauce... and all for just £5.50. To finish, I had a serving of south street gelato-style ice-cream in a gorgeous lime and coconut flavour. It was quite different to anything I'd tried before - very sweet but refreshing, and went down a treat.

Downsides?

The hotdog bun was just slightly overdone for my liking. 

Location? 

320 Goldhawk Road, London, W6 OXF

A snazzy new garden cafe in south London...

A Second Serving reviews Brother Marcus in Balham...

Brother Marcus is a brand new garden cafe in the heart of Balham - the brainchild of three 20-something best friends from London who have a background in catering, coffee and street food. They serve brunch, coffee and cocktails, and it feels like the kind of place where you can start in the morning and stay all day... my kind of venue then! The menu is simple and they're still mixing it up with new additions, but what they do have is VERY good. Just don't try and tot up the calories. They do some mean cocktails as well and there's also a great garden space outside for those who want to linger.

Why go?

This is the place to go if you're after tasty, filling food, in an easy, relaxed atmosphere with friendly staff and brilliant food. The big boy loaded buns come with quirky names such as the Notorious P.I.G. which is well worth a try if you're visiting. Made up of slow roasted spiced pulled pork, crunchy apple and rocket salad, lime yoghurt and a dirty Mexican sauce, the addition of crispy corn adds a cheeky extra dimension and is super more-ish. A bargain too, for just £9. The Salty Wench - 14 hour braised salt beef, two fried eggs, shredded potato chips and gherkins with a delicious smokey paprika sauce - is also a must try. As soon as you read those list of ingredients together you just know it's going to work. Nom nom nom! We also had a side of mac and cheese balls (standard) and sweet potato chips, which both went down a treat. The four cocktails on offer are all £8 and really pack a punch. Mrs Robinson, made up of gin, prosecco and lemon, was delish, as was the Negroni. All in all, Brother Marcus is well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Downsides?

It's very hard to find anything wrong with this place - the atmosphere was chilled, as I like it, the food, great, and service very friendly. The only thing I'd really have liked is a longer cocktail menu - so I can work my way through it!

Location?

9 Chestnut Grove, Balham, London, SW12 8JA.

The perfect 1920s Low Tea...

A Second Serving reviews The Luggage Room in Mayfair..

The Luggage Room is an intimate cocktail bar located at the side of the Marriott Hotel. You have to knock on the big black door to be let inside and then you're led through to the bar which is really oozing with style and elegance. There's a tiled floor and dark leather studded wood on the walls and this really draws on the spirit of the roaring twenties. We went to try out the Low Tea, which we soon learnt was first created by the Duchess of Bedford after she began the habit of taking tea and biscuits on a low side table to staff off hunger late afternoon. I like her thinking! Our food was served in a quirky brown box, in keeping with the era, and the lovely waitress also helped us pick a favourite tea by holding a 'tea sniffing' and telling us all about the different blends.

Why go?

If you feel like being indulgent and are after some fantastic service, this is the place to go. Even if you don't fancy trying out the Low Tea, pop in for a quirky cocktail to start off your night as they're really delicious and the barman was super friendly. I kicked things off with an Alfonso cocktail - a blend of champagne and orange bitters (served long) and this was just what the doctor ordered (even on a hangover!)

Before long, our Low Tea had arrived. It came in a big brown box with three different sections. The crème fraiche and horseradish vol au vents were rich yet light and disappeared in seconds, so we moved straight onto the wild boar sausage roll with mustard sauce - amazing. The cheddar and sage scones were full of flavour and the scotch egg had been cooked to perfection as it was perfectly runny inside. There was also a quirky little pot of tea infused salmon. My faves from the sweet section were the carrot cake, the beautifully sweet meringue and the trifle that came in a jar. We finished with a Punch a la Romaine cocktail - a fancy rum infused sorbet that you pour champagne over. From start to finish, the whole experience was fantastic and I really do need to find an excuse to go back! Great value too as it's £48 for the Low Tea and you can add £10 on for a glass of champagne. This was afternoon tea with a twist, and a really personal experience.

The champagne sorbet cocktail

Downsides?

It's super hard to fault this place as everything was so amazing! But, if I'm being really, really picky, we could have perhaps each done with an extra plate on the table to make it easier when going from savoury to sweet. Desperate, right?

Location?

84-86, Duke Street, London, W1K 6JP.

The BEST steak down South...

A Second Serving reviews Arlo's in Balham...

When I heard through word of mouth that a new steak restaurant had opened in Balham, where I live, I was keen to find out what it was all about. Although there are a few steak places in the area, most of them are pretty pricey, so I only visit on special occasions. But this is where Arlo's is different - they serve steak but it's actually AFFORDABLE! The restaurant, which is just a few minutes walk from the station (and conveniently close to my two favourite drinking haunts - the BBC and the Hagen) has a short and seasonable menu - but that's why it works. Stick with what you know and do it good, I say. They have a ridiculously good value set menu Monday to Thursday from 12-6pm where you can get two courses for £13 or three courses for £15, and they've even designed a fantastic 'Little Arlo's' menu for your little ones. Arlo's feels like a fantastic addition to the Balham dining scene - and I'm definitely one of their biggest fans!

Why go?

So you fancy going out for dinner, in a nice, chilled restaurant, with decent food that doesn't cost a bomb... give Arlo's a try. They offer two main cuts of steak, an option of trying them both, a huge rib-eye sharer and some salads. What more do you need? I went for the Bavette, France's favourite cut and Arlo's signature steak. It came sliced up, was juicy, full of flavour and beautifully seasoned. They serve all their steaks medium rare, unless you ask otherwise. I found mine to be a little on the rarer side - but didn't care as it tasted so good. I had the peppercorn sauce which cost an extra pound and this was a very generous portion. My boyfriend went for the Picanha cut for £12. This is a kind of sirloin/rump cross and came with a big thumbs up from him. We shared a portion of handcut skinny chips (amazing) and macaroni cheese which tastes just like your mum has made it... and poured extra cheese on top. Yum. The Oreo chocolate tart for dessert is also a must! It was smooth, rich but not too sickly sweet... the perfect end to a lovely meal. All in all, excellent value for money.

Downsides?

While Arlo's is clearly all about the steaks, there could perhaps be one or two more choices in the dessert section. Saying that, I always prefer a limited menu that's done well. This place is definitely one to watch!

Location?

1 Ramsden Road, London, SW12 8QX.