London Food Detective

Bill's, Brighton and Covent Garden: Best of Brunch

Grace and I have visited Bill's five times over the summer and it's fair to say that it has become a bit of a favourite.

Originally opening in Lewes and then moving on to Brighton, the Covent Garden branch is the fourth outlet of the laid back, chilled out, grocery store/restaurant and the only hope it that it can keep the spirit and quality of the first two branches as it expands.

The first four occasions we went to Bill's was for brunch - the meal on which it has developed it's reputation.

Vegetarian Breakfast

Grace loves the vegetarian breakfast.  It's an eclectic mix of tomatoes, poached egg, mushrooms, sweet chilli sauce, guacamole and hummus.  It sounds disgusting, but everyone I know who has tried it, absolutely loves it and adores the combination of flavours.

The couple of times I've been, I've had the scrambled eggs and bacon.  In Brighton it was fab - fresh, buttery, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and good quality crispy bacon.  However, on my visit to the Covent Garden branch, the scrambled eggs weren't nearly as good and were badly overcooked and omlette like. 

I suspect that they were cooked in a batch and left to sit on the hotplate, rather than being made fresh as in Brighton.  Hopefully this is the sort of slip Bill's can avoid as it grows, as it will soon damage it's reputation if it doesn't maintain the quality of the Lewes and Brighton branches.  Given everything I've had there has been enjoyable, then I'll hope it was a one off. 

 

Chorizo and roasted peppers

On our post noon visit, I really enjoyed the spicy chorizo in a brioche bun with soft, moreish peppers and a cooling yoghurt.  Chips were adequate, but the burger was something I'd definitely have again.

 

Strawberry meringue

Bill's also has a good line up of desserts and a wide selection of cakes.  My two favourites have been the summery meringue with strawberries, which had the right balance of crispness and chewiness and the rich, slightly decadent, gooey chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce, a flake and vanilla icecream.  Simple, but addictive and great for a chocoholic like me!

Chocolate Brownie

Overall, I'm a big fan of Bill's and it's good to have a reasonable, quick and affordable eating place close to Covent Garden.  I'll forgive them once for the dodgy scrambled eggs, given the friendly waiting staff (makes a difference from some of the surly service I've experienced nearby) and the overall vibe of the place.

 

Hawksmoor, Seven Dials: Stupendous steaks, champion chips & classy cocktails

Often when I have steak in a restaurant I end up disappointed as it turns up badly cooked or is a poor cut of meat.  I generally prefer to buy the best quality of steak I can and cook it at home in my trusty griddle pan.

My current butcher of choice of is the Ginger Pig and I've popped in a few times to their branch in Greensmiths on Lower Marsh near work to pick up a steak or two.  It isn't cheap (about £8-£12 per steak), but the quality of the meat makes it far better value than going to an average restaurant for one.

The only restaurants that serve a similar quality meat are generally out my price range and so I jumped at the chance to sample Hawksmoor, Seven Dials, not once, but twice, during their soft opening.

Based close to Covent Garden they've done a great job in converting a basement (apparently it used to be a brewery) into a dark, atmospheric dining space and bar.

They also use beef from the Ginger Pig and have a chalk board with the cuts of steak and sizes available listed, which is a nice touch.

My first visit was for the excellent Dine with Dos Hermanos event and we were lucky enough to sample a huge part of the menu.  I then returned on the Saturday for second helpings.

There is a wide selection of meaty and fishy starters and my favourites on two visits were the lamb chops and the corned beef.

The lamb chops & corned beef, pickles & mustard

However, it's the beef that's the star of the show and on both occassions we were served the different cuts of beef sliced in a large platter.

The star of the show & bone marow

All the larger steaks are served on the bone and have a perfect char and a juicy, bloody centre, which makes for a great steak.  My favourite cut on my two visits was the tenderloin part of the Porterhouse.  It just melted in the mouth and was packed full of flavour.

Another big plus for Hawksmoor is the quality of their sides. The bone marrow (pictured) was rich, unctious and delicious on the bread we were served. 

My favourite of the two types of chips were the beef dripping roast potatoes.  Incredibly crisp on the outside and super fluffy inside they are simply some of the best i've ever had and worth a visit for those alone.  The tokens bits of veg I consumed were also well cooked, though can easily be neglected in favour of the beef, chips and moreish bernaise sauce.

Seeing how much effort goes into the steak, then you might think that desserts would be a secondary consideration, but they were a pleasant surprise.

Lemon curd & shortbread and Chocolate pudding

I particularly enjoyed the lemon curd and short bread.  The zesty lemon and sugary shortbread were a perfect pallette cleanser after all the beef.

A rich chocolate pudding should have been too heavy a finish to the meal, but somehow I managed to shovel all the gooey chocolately goodness in!

With an impressive cocktail and drinks menu, Hawksmoor really has a lot going for it and it is definitely up there with Goodman as the best steak restaurant in London. 

I know a lot of people who name the Gaucho Grill as their favourite London steak place.  However, to me these two restaurants are a class above and now Hawksmoor has a more central branch, i'd urge you to give it a try and see the difference.  I'm confident you won't be disappointed... 

 

Byron Hamburgers: London's Best Burger Chain

I've written before about my love of a good burger, yet for some reason it has taken me nearly 18 months to visit Byron.  Trust me, the gap between my first and second trip will be somewhat shorter...

Many plaudits have been bestowed on Byron and after my first visit I can see why.

Put simply they have the best burgers I've had in London.

What makes them so good? Well, the burger is served perfectly pink with a good, charred flavour on the outside. The meat is so succulent and I had juices running down my chin after every mouthful - it was a pleasure to tuck into and the burger left me with a big satisfied smile on my face. 

The Byron burger: before and half way through...

Now, some of the top steak restaurants and fine dining restaurants (see Goodman, Hawksmoor, Bar Boulud for example) also do great burgers and they may well top Byron's, but they aren't Byron's competition.

As Byron only charge £6.25 for their classic burger, then it's chains like Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Fine Burger Company, Ultimate Burger etc that need to be worried.

Byron blows them out the water in terms of quality and if they can maintain their standards as they expand (which is easier said then done, just ask Strada...) then they are going to be huge.

The only specialist burger place that I've been to that comes close to Byron is Hache. However, what makes Hache is so good is the variety and quality of it's toppings, where Byron is all about the burger.

I suppose the only possible downside to Byron is if you like lot's of unusual toppings on your burger as they are limited to cheese, bacon and salad...

Chips and onion rings: a mixed bag

The side attractions were a bit more of a mixed bag.  Skin on chips were only average, as they seemed to be having an identity crisis and were somewhere between a skinny and a chunky chip and sadly they didn't have the qualities of either, which was a shame.  When I do go back I will be having the skinny fries as they did look good.

On the other hand, I thought the onion rings were great. A good light, crisp batter and thick, sweet onions that were highly satisfying.

Next time I want a burger in central London then I'll be back to Byron.