The Sichuan, London, UK

Address: 14 City Rd, London EC1Y 2AA
WWW: http://www.thesichuan.co.uk/

Summary: Some very good dishes, some not so good but still worth going

OK, I have to admit we have become somewhat snobs when it comes to Chinese food. We had the good luck to visit China several times, and simply love the food! We also have the good luck to have Chinese friends who constantly educate us on Chinese food both in the UK and in China. So, having read all the reviews, we had very very high expectations for this restaurant.  Did they deliver? Well with some dishes yes, with others no. But, they do definitely deserve other visits. 

In this first visit, after a long walk in drizzling rain, we entered with a very warm reception, but definitely wanted some warming food too. So, we ordered jasmine tea (4 pounds) and soups to start with - Sweet and sour soup (3.80 pounds) and Won Ton Soup (4 pounds). There was an initial mixup with the soups, and we had them after a bit of delay. The Sweet Sour soup tasted good but let us down unfortunately as it had very cold parts - we assume they microwaved it, which is not a very good sign. The Won Ton soup, on the other hand, was great. Actually, one of the best I ever had! The dumplings were delicious, the broth was very very tasty.

Next came our vegetables - Dry-Fried Green Beans (8.50 pounds) and Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli (9.80 pounds). These were no where near what we expected. The green beans were not salty and they did not have this dried crinkly texture, which we love so much. The Chinese broccoli - overcooked and soggy and not enough garlic and salt. 

But our disappointment vanished when the boiled fish with sizzling chilli oil and peppercorn (22.80 pounds) came! This is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes. I remember the first time I ate it was in Mandarin Wok in Champaign-Urbana. My time in United Stated also marks  the beginning of my culinary adventures. And this fish in chilli oil was a staple I came constantly back to. In Beijing, I discovered other fish cooked in oil and vinegar, but Sichuan  is always the best. And the one we had in The Sichuan was very good too! And it is a huge quantity, which can easily feed three or four people. 

So next time we go, we will order Won Ton Soups, and Sichuan fish and some rice! And there we will have the perfect meal. For the other items in the menu, I do not have the same enthusiasm.

Sixtyone Restaurant, London

Address:  61 Upper Berkeley St, London W1H 7PP
WWW: sixtyonerestaurant.co.uk

I was meaning to write about our experience here. It was quite some time ago, in January. We received a dining experience gift in this restaurant, and it seems quite a number of  patrons did the same too. :)

Their menu for the gift experience was quite exquisite (so, it will make a good gift for somebody else in the future, noted). The menu started with the bubbly, delicious, and perfect for setting the mood.

The meals, although on the small-looking side, are quite delicious and at the end, it becomes quite filling. Especially, if you add the lovely deserts. I would say the beef and the chocolate options are superior to the fish and pastry layers option. There is a reason why things become classics.

Lokum in Safranbolu is truly special

This time our visit to Turkey took us to new places. One of these was Safranbolu,  which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture.  It is a gem of a place to visit, and the people are truly lovely and show the true Turkish hospitality forgotten in big cities. 

But, let's come to the lokums - or Turkish delights. The most famous  is the one with "saffron", as the name of the city suggests. But, I opted for the rose petal, rose water, pistachio, and wild blueberry (translated from "yaban mersini"). It even converted Steve, who cannot care less about Turkish delights!   Come to think of it, it feels weird ( but good ) to be so surprised by a Turkish delight!

I really liked Safranbolu.  I even imagined living here:

Then, I heard the call of the big city in my veins. Nice to take a breath though from the hustle bustle that we so readily throw ourselves in.