BE Foodies

Last week I had afternoon tea at Mollie’s Lounge in the Ned Hotel. I was excited to learn that Crumbs and Doilies bakery had partnered up with pastry chef Darian Schmidt. I opted for the vegan menu which was pretty good as far as vegan options go. For sandwiches: red pepper and watercress, avocado, vegan cheese and tomato and cucumber. Next tier : Scones with strawberry jam and vegan cream. Top tier - Lovely petit fours by C&D - Raspberry Delice (amazing), citrus sponge with Earl Grey cream, Vegan rice pudding, Caramel and Chocolate cheesecake and a blueberry mousse tart.

I was expecting Mollie’s to be a tearoom. It isn’t. It’s a bistro. Finance Bro types next to me eating steak and drinking beer. So it wasn’t the atmosphere I was looking forward to. But that said, it’s worth a trip to The Ned if only for drinks as it’s…

Dishoom Kings Cross London. Dishoom lives up to the hype. On each visit for breakfast and lunch the place was packed so reservations are advised. For breakfast I had the granola fruit bowl with ginger shot. It was good. I’d rate 7.5/10.

For lunch I had the Vada Pau, a sort of slider with spicey potato patty. Amazing sharp flavors of the patty paired well with sweet fluffy bread. I also had vegetale samosas which were good as well and came with tamarind and mint chutneys. The mint chutney was the best I’ve had as it tasted of fresh mint. I’d rate 9/10. House special Black Dal was rich and velvety.

The service was attentive and professional and it was nice to see a fair number of Black hosts and servers compared to US.

Dishoom is somewhat pricey, but added to the bill is a 13% living wage fee which…

Back at Fenchurch for lunch. Great starter - yellowtail cornets w/ caviar 8/10. Rhubarb gin cocktail with spricot foam. Seabass with tomato orzo, caviar, lettuce, oyster emulsion and avocado . The main I’d rate a 5/10 as the dish lack refinement . Too much going on. I’m always surprised when chefs spend a lot of time creating and preparing extravagant dishes when a simpler and more elegant one would be more cost effective.

I can’t wait to try out this place out Chef Diallo, formerly from Mali, trained in France. He was a chef at the Dorchester Hotel before becoming a vegan. He then decided to open Fed by Plants.

https://www.fedbyplantsuk.co.uk/

Cuisine: Japanese Creole Fusion

Location: Los Angeles (DTLA), CA

Website: waxonhifi.com

I finally got to Wax On HI-FI. I love how the restaurant is a curated around music and their unique cuisine. All music is played on vinyl. We came on a Sunday earlyafternoon. We were greeted by Jill Scott playing throughout the restaurant and our server. The vibe was super chill during our stay.

Selections:

🍸Drinks: "Spicy Honey" and "So Fresh, So Clean" both drinks were yummy and not over powered by alcohol.

I had a good meal at Masala y Maiz in Mexico City. It is a Michelin recommended restaurant serving fusion cuisine (East Africa, South Asia, and Mexico). The server, Jesse, put together a 7-course curated experience and there were some high and lows.

• The started with boiled peanuts in a tamarind sauce (the sauce was great, I didn’t grow up with boiled peanuts so they are always slightly off-putting).

• Lamb and pumpkin seed samosas (great).

• Chic pea gordita topped with barbacoa (incredible, get 2).

• Spiced watermelon salad (ok for a large group. A good palate cleanser but not better than a cold slice of watermelon with tajin)

Loved my meal at Vyonne’s in the warehouse district of New Orleans. (Pronounced like Dionne but with a V). The bbq shrimp was delicious. I got more bread to sop up the sauce, and I’m still dreaming about that white chocolate bread pudding with rum sauce.

Vyonne herself came by to welcome us and chat with us. She was also mixing drinks behind the bar. Definitely a must go next time I’m in NOLA.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3wuwySBvF41fC7Vs8

Finally made it to Olive & Rose in downtown Long Beach, CA. I’ve been following them for over a year. It is helmed by Philip and Lauren Pretty, from the Michelin-starred Heritage in Long Beach.

Their focus is fine dining and an interesting take on morning bagels and coffee.

For dinner we 3 course meal with bread seevice. Starting with a caviar bump served on my hand. Then mussels in burre blanc and an amberjack crudo with grapes, cucumbers, and jicama. For mains I had the aged rib cap and frites, my buddy had the sea bass with puréed cauliflower and greens.

Food was incredible. Full of flavor, great presentation, and each dish left you wanting more. The wines were well paired. An orange wine to start and cab franc for the remainder of the meal.

Atmosphere screams California fine-dining, meaning it is upscale but feels casual. Casual conversation with…