For the time being...

Mishkin's, Covent Garden

'Kind of a Jewish deli with cocktails' is how the proprietors of Polpo, Spuntino etc describe their latest restaurant. It has a similarly cool vibe to the others with good service and an upbeat playlist which picks up as the evening progresses. In a move away from small plates to share, it actually has starters, mains and desserts.

I sipped a Hendrick's cucumber martini while waiting for Ana. There are a lot of gin based cocktails on the menu which suits me. I didn't know that was Jewish though?! But we opted to share a bottle of wine. The list is reasonably priced, and also has half carafes like its sister restaurants.

We shared a simple baby gem and walnut salad to start. For main, I had half a salt beef sandwich which was delicious, and a roast courgette, feta and carroway piroshky (good to try but I probably wouldn't bother again).

For dessert we both had the very -Jewish summer berry pavlova! I have to say its one of the best pavlovas I've had.

No Meg Ryan scenes but a fun night. Next time I'll go for lunch and have a malted milkshake and try a Reuben on rye or Turkey Rachel.

Duke's Brew & Cue, Hackney

By chance dinner on Thursday night was in Hackney again and meant I had a second journey to Haggerston in as many days!

One of the latest London foodie trends is all americana - hot dogs, burgers, sliders and BBQ washed down with whisky and bottles of beer.

Lucy and I joined hopped on the band wagon at Duke's Brew & Cue.

Owned by Beavertown Brewery, and as the name says, there is a big focus on beer. I had a couple of bottles of the Flying Dog pale ale.

We both had the BBQ pork ribs (the beef was going to be barbecuing for another hour) served with slaw. We politely started with knives & forks but quickly ditched the cutlery in favour of fingers which was far more effective. They were really tasty. I don't have a lot of points of comparison but I can say they were better quality than the ribs I had at the Big Easy.

The place itself had a casual, cool atmosphere. The rough and worn dark timber bar, tables and chairs suit the theme of the restaurant. Service was good but I thought the 1.5 hour sitting was a bit rushed. We moved to the bar for a last beer and dessert (strawberry sundae).

Waterline, Hackney

It's not often that I end up in a totally new area of London but it does happen, and it did on Wednesday night when I met Becky & Laura for dinner.

I caught a tube and then the overland train to Haggerston, deep in London's eastern borough of Hackney. Instantly I liked it. Loads of new builds, converted warehouses and best of all, Regent's Canal.

The Waterline is right on the towpath of the canal and the waterside setting makes an delightful change of scenery from my usual dining scene.

My roast duck with a side salad of chicory leaves, walnuts, apple & blue cheese was excellent. The salad was a surprisingly good accompaniment. Becky and I shared the chocolate mousse with black olive caramel which was nice but only had a small drizzle of caramel so didn't add much flavour to the mousse.

I loved the atmosphere though. Good service and very reasonable prices too. And they have a cinema on Tuesday and gigs on Wednesdays. I'll be back to check those out for sure.

Red Market, Old Street

A few Friday nights ago Natalie and I checked out a new summer haunt at Old Street.

It's basically a car park on a massive roundabout but with some food stalls, canteen tables and couches, a bar and some sunshine it becomes the newest place for the cool kids to hang out.

There were a few teething problems with it being the first night - they ran out of wine so I was forced to drink mojitos instead - but it had a good vibe so I'll try to make it back there if the sun ever shines again!

Two bibs in as many weeks

Friday before last I ate at the Big Easy on the King's Road with some friends from work. As much as a restaurant where bibs come with every meal and eating with one's fingers is required isn't really my style, it's a fun way to eat out with a big group of people. Having decided to give it go, I donned the bib should and ordered a plate of half ribs and half BBQ chicken. The meat comes heavily coated in a thick, brown sauce which is tasty but over powers any flavour one might have gleaned from the pork or chicken but I managed to get through most of it with a lot of finger licking! With all the diners winding down from the week and a live band it makes for a very fun night out if not a culinary delight.

The gang from work

Ribs, chicken & coleslaw

Then on Thursday night I joined Kris and a couple of friends at an event run by Bea's of Bloomsbury: Crayfish Boil 2012. It was held in one of the warehouses under the train tracks in London Bridge. There were three rows of long paper-covered tables set out and filled with people when I arrived. We ordered margheritas and wine, and then it all began! No cutlery, lots of paper towel, more bibs. For £24 you can eat as much crayfish, corn, sausage and potato as you can get through. Once one pan is finished, the next pan is brought to you. Between the four of us we got through 5 pans! It was really tasty food and with a little help from my friends I peeled my way through several paper plates of crayfish. The corn was excellent too. Another excellent night that I would definitely recommend - I almost forgot I was wearing a bib!

The first of many!

The aftermath

Automat, Mayfair

Laura and I popped into Automat mid-week without a reservation and were pleasantly surprised to find that they have tables set aside for walk-ins. It is an upmarket American brasserie with three different dining areas. Dark timber tables and booths at the front, a shared table in the middle, and a light, glass-roofed area at the back where most of the diners were. We chose to sit at the bar at the back as well. It had a nice buzz about it and it's good to make the most of the light evenings even if it's not warm outside.

There a lot of classic dishes on the menu with a dedicated section for steak and burgers. But I found the macaroni cheese to hard to resist! It's the ultimate comfort food in my book (I'm remembering weekend winter lunches as a child) and delightful to find it on a restaurant menu. I ordered it with bacon (there was a spinach option as well). 

It was delicious with a perfect grilled, cheesy top. With a glass of white wine it was exactly what I needed in the midst of a stressful week!

Have the small portion if you are considering dessert.