Ten Ten Tei, Soho

For a couple of weeks, Jon had been telling me we should go to Ten Ten Tei. He works near Covent Garden and apparently Ten Ten Tei has become a lunch fave of his. By way of background, I should explain that Jon isn’t the world’s biggest fan of sushi, mostly because he often feels [...]

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Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi, Istanbul

I’d intended to do only one more post on Istanbul (a wrap-up of the good and bad meals we had there), but in looking over my notes and photos from the trip, I thought the Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi deserved a dedicated shout-out. Left to my own devices, I would’ve avoided the place. It was (1) [...]

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Malaysian Restaurant Faceoff: Rasa Sayang (Soho) vs. Sedap (Clerkenwell)

In between our trips to Barcelona, Paris and Istanbul last month (yes, I’m gloating), Jon and I would return to London craving cheap-and-cheerful Asian food. And after seeing Rasa Sayang lauded by Tamarind & Thyme (who knows a thing or two about Malaysian food), we visited there one Saturday evening with friends, and on two [...]

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Furran Balikcilik, Karakoy Fish Market, Istanbul

My favorite cheap dining experience in Istanbul was at a seriously no-frills balik (fish) place along the water, at the back of the Karakoy Fish Market. Although I have a business card telling me the place’s name is Furran Balikcilik, there’s no signage anywhere, so you’d have to recognize it by the bright red, checked [...]

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Muzede Changa, Istanbul

Two weeks ago, Jon and I were in Istanbul for the bank holiday. The sites, shopping and food were amazing, but our favorite high-end meal by a wide margin was at Muzede Changa, where Peter Gordon (of Providores fame) is consulting chef. Located inside the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Emirgan, a leafy, ritzy part of [...]

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Moti Mahal, Soho

Two Saturdays ago, Jon and I were craving Indian food and saw that normally-pricey Moti Mahal was offering a £20 dinner menu, so we decided to try it out. When we arrived, we were happy to find a sleek, warm-colored dining room buzzing with conversation.  The upstairs room was not for us, though.  Instead, we were [...]

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Banzi Vietnamese, Surrey Quays (London banh mi!)

Having just spent a weekend in Paris eating a lot of banh mi, you’d think I would’ve satisfied my craving for this bit of East-West sandwich deliciousness. But no, the minute I got back to London, I continued to wonder who sells the stuff here. Cue Charmaine, who left a comment on my blog, telling [...]

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