Hummingbird Cafe

We recently got hold of a Tastecard and noticed that a local restaurant, Hummingbird Cafe in W12, was listed as a featured venue. The menu sounded delicious - lots of simple food at ridiculously reasonable prices - so we decided to check it out earlier this week. The cute little eatery is owned by a New Zealander/Moroccan couple, and the food is influenced by both cultures.

As it was a Monday night, only one other table was full, but the staff were so friendly and the decor so lovely (think vintage inspired prints and carved wooden furniture) that we felt completely at ease.

Ordering a glass of red table wine each, we made our selections. To start, we went for the ham hock terrine with apple and grape chutney and sage and onion toast. The starters and mains at the cafe are served on gorgeous wooden boards, which we loved. The chutney was delicious, with a great tang that perfectly complemented the ham.

The mains at Hummingbird Cafe are presented as 'small plates' and you're encouraged to choose three or four to share at once. We were a little disappointed that the homemade ravioli with butternut squash and dukkah spices weren't available but were excited to get our mitts on the other dishes on offer: confit salmon with cucumber and beetroot salad, and mustard and dill dressing, seabream fillet with saffron potatoes and tomato chili chutney, and slow-cooked lamb shoulder with cranberries, plums and pomegranates.

Since they all arrived at once, we barely knew where to start. Everything smelled absolutely delicious. We were like indecisive headless chickens, flitting from one dish to another.

The salmon was brilliant. I don't usually love beetroot, but it worked so well with the wonderfully salty and fresh fish, particularly when combined with the crisp cucumber.

The seabream was cooked to perfection and worked very well with the tangy tomato chutney. The saffron potatoes were definitely the nicest part of this dish, though - absolutely delicious.

The lamb shoulder was probably my least favourite dish, but was still great nevertheless. The pomegranate seeds were a wonderful touch, each one bursting with fresh flavour to complement the tender meat.

After stuffing ourselves, we took a little break from eating by sharing an espresso. Hummingbird Cafe prides itself on its coffee, not a single grain of which is pre-ground. The espresso was predictably lovely - rich and aromatic.

We were then ready to get stuck into the puddings. Our waitress told us to go for the Earl Grey crème brulée and shortbread, and we were more than happy to follow her suggestion. We also decided to share the chocolate fondant with berry compote and homemade ice cream.

The creme brulée was served in a gorgeous vintage teacup and saucer. It was mouthwateringly good and the Earl Grey flavour was amazing - very obvious without being overwhelming.

The chocolate fondant was my favourite, though. It was a warm, gooey plate of chocolatey deliciousness, topped off with some great homemade vanilla ice cream.

All in all, we were absolutely chuffed with the meal. With the Tastecard, and including a tip, the whole three course meal came to just £30 - a complete bargain. We almost felt bad for paying so little!

My only complaint was that it was a little chilly in the restaurant, which explains why I had to wear my fur hairband as a makeshift scarf.

Despite this, we will definitely go back. The brunch and lunch menus also sound amazing and I am still desperate to get my hands on those elusive ravioli!

Bunga Bunga

Bunga Bunga on Battersea Bridge is hardly news these days, but I love it so much that I felt it needed a post.

Named after the infamous sex parties of former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, the venue is a little off-the-wall to say the least. It's less sexy and more silly, though, with a small bar and dance floor above the main restaurant area, where cheesy music a la university club night reigns supreme. Think a fun, faux-Eurotrash vibe, which never fails to be entertaining.

I've never eaten there but have sampled plenty of the delicious cocktails, including the Bunga Bunga Margarita.

Believe me, this venue is well worth a visit if you and your friends fancy a raucous night of dancing and frivolity.

OXO Tower Restaurant

We headed to the exclusive OXO Tower Restaurant on Friday for some delicious rooftop cocktails and  supper. The eighth floor venue boasts incredible views across the Thames and radiates a sophisticated atmosphere, complete with blue mood-lighting (which explains the slightly dodgy photos).

We started off with some drinks in the bar, staring out at St Paul's. I opted for the Due South, a Grey Goose vodka and Canton ginger medley, shaken with fresh lemon juice and raspberry ripple, and topped with Brut Champagne. It definitely went down well.

My fellow drinker chose the Hope & Glory, a slightly manlier mix of cider brandy and ginger liqueur, shaken with sugar, lemon and bitters, and once again topped with champagne. 

Safe to say we were feeling pretty happy by the time we got to our table. We ordered some lovely red wine, tucked into the amazing fresh bread and butter on offer and made our selections. This took us a while because everything sounded ridiculously good, so we decided to share our dishes for double the fun.

To start, I chose an incredible poached duck egg, duck confit and beetroot salad, topped off with five spice popcorn - very original and absolutely delicious. Note my ecstatic grin of joy when it arrived.

My companion went for an equally scrumptious rabbit dish, complete with carrot puree.

He later went pretty mad for the duck salad when he got his hands on it, basically licking the plate clean. We're a classy duo.

We got even more excited by the mains. I started off with an incredible lamb chop, while he got stuck into the pan fried John Dory fillet with lobster mash, samphire and broad beans. The mash was ridiculouly good - decadently delicious.

I was so distracted by the delights in front of me that I forgot to take some photos before we'd started eating so please forgive this greedy lapse in judgement. 

The wine had definitely gone to my head by time we got to dessert - I didn't manage to get a snap of the incredible mango souffle that we shared until my date had appropriated it and begun scraping the sides.

All in all, we were absolutely delighted by our meal. The OXO Tower Restaurant is a sophisticated and luxurious eatery, which I would highly recommend to anyone who fancies splurging on some seriously delicious grub.

Franco Manca, ti amo

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about what has to be my favourite pizza restaurant of all time, Franco Manca.

The Italian eatery has become a bit of a thing in recent months, with branches opening in Clapham and Westfield, but we stumbled upon the original restaurant in Chiswick about a year ago.

We walked past on a week night, noticed that it was packed, caught a whiff of the delicious sourdough delights awaiting inside and grabbed a table. It was an absolute revelation - not only was the food delicious, but ridiculously cheap compared to chains like Pizza Express and Zizzi.

To be fair, I'm pretty much a fan of any type of pizza, but that gives me full authority to say that Franco Manca really is the best out there. The ingredients are all fresh - with lots of delicious cured meats - and the dough is scrumptiously soft and mouth-watering. There's no greasy unhealthy feeling afterwards either.

The wine selection is also very drinkable and reasonably priced.

If you fancy going all out with starters, choose the Baked Gloucester Old Spot Sausage (in tangy tomato sauce). I've almost had to be restrained from licking my plate before.

I almost always opt for number 4 on the menu - home cured old spot ham, mozzarella, buffalo ricotta and wild mushrooms. It doesn't come with a tomato sauce base but I think it tastes so much more delicious with and they are always happy to oblige!

We go there at least once a month now and I would recommend Franco Manca to anyone. The service is always friendly and the atmosphere warm, jovial and inviting.

Bounce

I headed down to Bounce in Holborn last night to say goodbye to a school friend who is moving to LA. I haven't played any form of sport for years and am not exactly famed for my hand-eye coordination, but (aided by some wine) I actually managed to win a match. Pretty chuffed by this, I won't lie.

Bounce, situated on the site where ping pong was first invented back in 1901, is a great place to go for an out-of-the-ordinary drinking and dining experience.

We arrived early for a meal in the eating section of the massive basement venue. We didn't feel in the least bit guilty about munching our way through a delicious array of antipasti, sharing boards and pizzas. After all, ping pong counts as exercise...right?

There was a great atmosphere at Bounce, with lots of chatter and laughter. I would recommend it as a great venue for a first date - ping pong is definitely an ice breaker. The drinks were reasonably priced too - £4.50 for a large glass of white wine, which is always a bonus as far as I'm concerned.

Bounce is a cool, fun and stylish venue that lives up to the hype. The band JLS obviously thinks so too - we spotted the boys early on in the evening. Gutted not to have been at the table next to them, of course. We definitely would have challenged them to a match and won (naturally).

Things got emotional around the table, as we said farewell to the lady of the evening. Enjoy LA and try not to get too tanned or I may be forced to hate you!