Tom E.'s Profile

Cool pub.

Black Sheep on tap. £5.95 for big cheeseburgers. Pool table. Mini beer garden. Good jukebox. Comfy old leather sofas and armchairs.

The walls are plastered with music posters and newspaper cuttings about bands, mostly from the 1990s - so the whole place kind of looks like my dream bedroom from my formative years.... Teenage Fanclub, Black Grape, Nine Inch Nails, Ride.

What we came for was the pub quiz. What a blinding good pub quiz as well. No sport round, instead - a whole 10 questions on... CASTLES! Plus one on Roy Castle for good measure. We didn't win as our castle knowledge was not up there with our superhero knowledge sadly, but we had a great time. The quiz works out pretty funny as it's punctuated by bonus spot questions like 'how much milk does a lactating Finnish cow produce?' - the nearest answer gets a little prize like a paint-your-own piggy bank, or a selection of magazines from a dentist waiting room. As random as the fact that adding Brie to your cheeseburger here only increases it to £6. Only 5p for Brie? Bargain.

Finnish Cows produce a LOT of milk.

Mantanah is going to make me have to re-score all those other 5 star Thai restaurants, because seriously... our meal here blew us away, and in London where you easily have the best Thai food outside of SE Asia this is a HUGE accolade.

What you need to know is that Mantanah is way way down in Crystal Palace, run by a wonderful group of Thais and serving dishes that are just right on every level and with fresh ingredients flown in weekly from Thailand. Jackfruit, mango, coconut, banana blossom and bamboo shoots - it's a place for a foodie day trip. Trust me.

It's cheap, flavourful, homely and damn authentic. The menu is long and full of surprises and some of the more obscure yet rewarding Thai dishes from the far North, the fiery East or the dirty South. If it's noodles you're after, they can't be beat. Curries; OMG they excel. And if you're vegetarian then this will be HEAVEN for you. With almost as many meat-free dishes as the rest of the menu, with fun names and interesting flavours.

Our meal was starters of fish cakes, satay and duck spring rolls, followed by coconut rice with a hot Northern chicken curry with peanuts and tumeric, an amazing dish of pork and young jackfruit and a scorching sweet red curry of pork and coconut flesh. Every mouthful tasted just right, and our only regret was not trying the rest of the menu.

A recent addition to Mantanah is a phrase guide for Thai on each table, so if you'd like to learn a few words then get here for a meal. In fact, if you're heading to Thailand for any reason soon then a preparatory meal at Mantanah is a must. My dining companion and I don't need to know what's what though... we know Mantanah is Aroi Maak Maak... it's probably London, Europe and the Western Hemisphere's best real Thai.

Ihaw-Ihaw is West London's first Filipino restaurant and just opened this month. I know it sounds like the sound that a donkey makes but actually Ihaw-Ihaw is a tagalog word for a type of grilled food that comes on a sizzling plate. Indeed, Ihaw's short menu features this grill plate heavily and you'll do well to order something that doesn't come sizzling on a big slab of hot metal.

Despite just opening, Ihaw has a sort of dated feel inside with decor that would feel at home on a 1981 cruise ship to Le Harve. Whoever chose the mirrors on the wall needs a slap. Plus whoever chose to play Akon and Flo Rida the whole hour. I have a feeling both were the doings of the Eastern European guy hanging around. Tut Tut.

It's a shame because our Filipino waiter/host was gracious and generous and their food was quite unique. I've never been to the Philippines or had their food before but it went down well. Chicken Adobo was represented and we had a wonderful crispy pork dish with the crispiest skin imaginable. We had a sweet of purple yam cake, and two very different salads - one of okra and pumpkin soaked in fermented shrimp sauce (!!) and the other of tomato, onion and mango.... one to scare your mates, one to make love to your tastebuds.

I've still not quite got Filipino food. For a start what country changes its name from 'Ph' and 'F' so randomly? Should the food be SE Asian, or more like Chinese - or should it be a bit like Mexican, who I always seem to think Filipinos seem like (it's the Catholicism and Spanish)? Either way - their food is never held up in 'best ever' lists and doesn't register that often when you think of great Eastern foods.

With that in mind the small menu at Ihaw-Ihaw doesn't really stand a chance. What are these things? Will they be tasty? I think they need to give each dish a bit more description and context if they're going to grab the customers. But with the decor inside I don't see evidence that presentation is their strong point. Hopefully they can let the food do the talking and get the customers in that way - but they also seemed to be gearing up for.... Karaoke!

Muchos gracias workplace credit card - thank you for the free tapas lunch this week. But if there's no such thing as a free lunch then how are you going to get me to work this one back? Casa Brindisa wasn't cheap for some small servings - am I going to be given some small servings of expensive tasks to repay you?

Four of us shared a bottle of white wine, blue cheese salad, bruscetta, salt cod, chorizos, patates, prawns and a few other dishes. They were all oily in a good way, and described on the menu in an even better way - with tempting descriptions of each dish emphasizing the spanish ingredients.

Here in South Kensington I think the white tablecloth ambience, the fancy-pants dishes and the high-ish prices are what seems to work, attracting the rich local set and the tourist hordes in numbers. Museum and university staff can hardly afford to lunch on Jamon Iberica every day can they? Until they can (hint-hint... more credit card please), I don't think I'll be rushing back.

You came to London and you wanted to try real good Indian food, so you had a vegetable Thali didn't you?

WHAT, NO?

Okay, you're forgiven. Kormas and Biriyanis on Brick Lane still count, just.

But London has a lot more Indian food and Indian people than Brick Lane, and Wembley is one of the big centres. A town with more than just a football stadium, here is where you'll find real Indian life - and central to that is weekend all-you-can-eat buffets of spicy vegetarian food - known as Thalis.

Wembley has a strip of Thali and Dosa joints, as Tulsi is one of the largest and most known. We stumbled in late on a Sunday afternoon fresh from a big football match and were bemused by the menu which mixes curries and dosas with Indian versions of Chinese and Malay food. Fortunately for us the Thali doesn't need any decisions - just pay 6.50 each and help yourself to as much of four vegetable curries, rice, sauces, chapatis and desert as you want. Plus a salty lassi.

We left like lead balloons. The food was good, but I've had better Thalis. The experience was fun but the atmosphere wasn't all the special. The staff were friendly and helpful but the menu threatened punishment for not finishing your dishes or any sharing what-so-ever.

Our first trip to eat real vegetarian Indian in Wembley wasn't as amazing as I expected but was good enough that I'll be back on the same street to try the neighbours.

Upsy Daisy Bakery has just opened in July 2010. It's a beautiful small retro tea shop and cafe selling a range of organic teas and tisanes, pretty cupcakes, tempting pastries, sandwiches and brunches.

Inside it's the decor that your mum would die for - with patterned light blue and white wallpaper, pine furniture and light pouring in. The tableware matches perfectly as well - classy blue and white porcelain and every table blessed with a bunch of daisies.

We stopped in for a Saturday brunch, got comfortable on the padded bench seat at the back with copies of their free newspapers and flicking through some cool travel books too. My Americano was perfect and the English breakfast tea was just right. We shared a royale breakfast with smoked salmon, muffins, eggs and hollandaise. Also on our scorecard was cheddar cheese on brown toast with chilli jam and an almond croissant that was the size and look of a fossilised fish, but the remarkable sweet taste of a first class peshwari naan.

I'd been sceptical about Upsy Daisy Bakery. Was it another cupcake place for the Chiswick mums set? (they have toys and lets dogs in).  Why is it so expensive? (brunch at the Ritz Caff opposite is so much more cholesterol per pound). But I got it once I tried it: it's expensive, but it's worth it - the quality and atmosphere here is several pounds better than elsewhere so don't be put off by the prices. Good luck to Upsy Daiy Bakery.

Seriously? Apart from some good duck this was a lousy dinner. Average Chinese food, dirty tables that wobble and pushy brusque wait-staff.

We beat the feverish queue by booking ahead and were seated instantly. Time to relax and chat with old friends? Nope - time to be brow-beaten into ordering ASAP. TIME TIME TIME. No Time To Spare!

Starters of poor spring rolls and mediocre soft-shell crab were forgiven by lovely crispy aromatic duck pancakes, but nothing that we couldn't get at somewhere more civilised. Pancakes gone and we were left with braised aubergine, rice and veg that looked like regular canteen schlop. Not the appetising far east delicacies I felt promised by such a high Yelp score.

As well as the hurried, slapdash and loud atmosphere, another Four Seasons classic is the random bill at the end, with no breakdown of costs, just Chinese scribbles. Beware that you optional service charge has already been added to this without warning.

There are some plus points. It's cheap. The full-time orange slices are amazingly juicy and sweet. And best of all, the table changes when you move from starter to main and mains to bill are a work of art. Two wait-staff in unison will transform your table in seconds like a Ferrari Grand Prix team doing a tyre-change.

Way out west in Ealing on St.Mary's is Santa Maria Pizzeria (get the name?). It's the ickle little pizza joint that has the whole of London talking. Time Out's best pizza for 2010? This I had to try.

Santa Maria is a pretty place, in a nice part of Ealing with room for about 12 or 14 diners inside and another 8 or so on street tables. Being crowned TO's best pizza means you will often see a queue on the street, and while we were lucky enough to be seated first time, we were hearing other people being told to come back in an hour. Fortunately there's a nice pub next door.

So the big question is - how does Santa Maria stack-up against the old London No.1, Franco Manca? Well, in terms of digs - Santa Maria's is much smaller but prettier than FM's Chiswick flagship. Their house wine by the carafe is much better and damn cheap too. Plus they have gorgeous Gelato from Oddonos.

But the pizza. THE PIZZA. Oh yes, it's gorgeous, Italian and authentic. A million miles above most London pizzas. But sorry, Franco Manca's still better. It's their sourdough that wins it for FM - just makes the base unstoppably addictive. Plus Santa Maria don't do a capers, olives and anchovy pizza - why not? It's a classic!

So Santa Maria: almost as good pizza as Franco Manca, better wine and cuter digs. So close to as good as it gets, and bloody hard to get a table.

But not the best pizza in London.

Believe in SCIENCE! Liquid nitrogen makes the best ice cream in London. It's so smooth and fresh and with Chin Chin Labs you also get the theatre of N2 (lq) clouds, lab coats, safety googles and chemistry beakers. I'm a scientist myself and this place is heaven. I only wish health and safety would let me do this in my lab.

The ice cream is 3.95 a go and well worth it, especially with the amazing sauces and fresh made imaginative toppings like pistachio and salt cracked sugar and purple marshmallows. Expect some cool experimental flavours of ice cream too. Today's special of mango and pepper was just wonderful and even cooler to have seen it as a fresh liquid smoothie just seconds earlier.

Sorry FroYo, Gelato and Churned Creams... Chemistry wins the best ice cream award!

How many types of chicken can you eat?

Fried style, raw sliced style, wrapped with spring onion, chicken oysters, breast, minced with quail egg, neck, wing, liver, tail, skin, heart, gizzard, bone, edamame, salads, garlic rice, kimchi rice, green tea ice cream.

Okay, those last five aren't chicken but they still were dished up to us with a generosity that seemed endless. Four years of Yelp Elite Events and never before have I been stuffed so well with such amazing food. Yelp and Bincho brought it last night. Amazing dining skewer-style in their basement room with wonderful service and company and blessed with the addition of a whole load of different sakes selected by the sake expert Chris.

* Is there a collective noun for a selection of sumptuous sakes?
If not I'm going for.... A banzai of sakes

* Is there a collective noun for a mountain of gorgeous chicken skewers?
If not I'm going for.... A bincho of chicken