GOOD KAI

Cocktail Bar Xenia Hotel Evoluzione is the restaurant and vision of Hotel Xenia's independent owner  Hassanain Al-Nakeeb  having opened only 18 months ago in a prime spot on Cromwell Rd in London's South Kensington. I am taken immediately by the design of the hotel itself, seriously modern, slick clean and light - I've always thought this part of London is in desperate need of more modern hotels, and here it is. Just the type of place for rugby loving folk wanting great accommodation for the 2015 rugby world cup next year. That though, is another story and tonight I was here for a special meetup with a gathering of London food bloggers - a night of food fun. Cheese Lovers Menu Canelloni with Veal & Porcini mushroon King Prawn Cheese Bread in Fondue The main restaurant area is enclosed in a glass interior flanked by an impressive circular bar which also has seating for eating or drinking. We met here with pre-dinner di...

I came across some interesting tweets in my timeline about one successful restaurant trying to raise capital for their new venture. They ended up listing on Kick-starter after been turned down by their bank. When I thought more about this, I stumbled upon that age old theory, if you're thinking about opening your own restaurant, chances are that you are going to fail. We've all heard that statement, '90% of all restaurants fail within the first year of business', and we just take for granted that its true, we never think to dig deeper or check the source. Well thanks to an associate professor of Hospitality Management in Ohio, who decided to find out exactly how this information was deduced, it turns out that this is actually a myth and unfortunately it is the banks themselves feeding into this myth. We can now reveal that this statement had actually been used in an ad for American Express and on trying to investigate further, American Express themselves couldn'...

Pork Belly, Hide & Seed, Putney I left the comforts of Richmond this week and ventured to another South West riverside neighbourhood, Putney. Word around camp fire is Putney is becoming more gentrified, comparisons with Shoreditch, with cocktail bars and the likes popping up here and there. Having said that, when the cool cats  @Zomato offered me a chance to check it out, I jumped at the chance. So, if you want to yourself a favour, walk down Upper Richmond Road, past the usual 'restaurant row' (where the likes of Greg Wallace's restaurant meet its demise ) until you come to the Lodge Hotel and resident restaurant Hide and Seek.  Hide & Seed at The Lodge Hotel, Putney        The Hotel has a modern boutique feel, and the restaurant .... it's more hushed, well, it's basically set in a library, a cosy library at that, decorated with crystal chandeliers. We were right on time for our booking and were offered our choice of seating. ...

This is a really delicious dish that is quick to cook up. It is hot so feel free to adapt to your tolerance levels. 3 Tbs Oil Half a Star Anise 2 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 1 teaspoon paprika  1 tsp hot chilli powder (optional)  1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) 1 jar of Doritos salsa (you pick mild, medium or hot) 3 Tbs sweet chilli sauce 1 can red kidney beans (optional if you don't like beans don't feel obliged to add but they're really good for you, I use Waitrose - forget the reviews, they add great flavour) 1 cup of water 500g beef mince Sour Cream to serve Nacho crisps to serve 1 Lemon Guacamole Two avocado's mashed 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise  Squeeze lemon Take a large/medium saucepan heat the oil on medium heat then after a minute lower the heat and add star anise, chilli flakes and all the spices, cook for 3 minutes and stir so the spices don't stick. After 3-4 minutes turn the heat up high and imm...

Here's something that I have been wanting to address for  quite sometime, and I often wonder when people complain about service at a restaurant and then take to a food forum such as uh hmm, Trip-advisor, to slate them off - are they being reasonable? Now I know that most of the time on trip advisor people have very valid reasons to complain. I agree waiting a long time >=45 minutes for a main with no attention from staff is unreasonable. Cold, poorly cooked food = unreasonable. Ignoring customers, and excessive bills for rubbish food is unreasonable. But for everything else, try to see it from their point of view. I think it really helps when you are out dining, and it doesn't matter if you are visiting a greasy spoon or a Michelin restaurant that you first and foremost pick the right restaurant, secondly exercise a little patience, and thirdly BE NICE. I have seen dining patrons imposing themselves and barking out at the waiting staff, clicking their fingers at them...

If you're like so many foodies out there where nothing beats a good hamburger and are serious about finding the best one this might be your calling. Bar Boulud is more than your usual fine dining bistro - it has great food, slick service and modern dining ambience, but they also have a mean hamburger. It goes against every fibre of your body, a flashy place like this to be ordering a hamburger? It doesn't seem right, but it is.        You'll be greeted and seated in a bustling dining room full of well dressed, suited and booted folk. It's a French bistro with very French cuisine but with that one anomaly, they serve one of the most decadent tasting burgers on the planet. You could try their usual food, which in itself is exceptional but because you came here with a purpose, you must resist your impulses and remain focussed. When that waiter arrives asking for your order, do not succumb to your surroundings and order a classic dish to fit in with your affluent ...

What a treat these folk who live in the Richmond Alberts have. Firstly The White Horse itself, a food-led pub who proclaim to cook cuisine using fresh daily ingredients, but also the infamous Alberts deli right next door. All within a stones throw of one of the most popular parts in Richmond. The pub is tucked away in the hill side slopes toward Richmond Park and East Sheen. It's also not too far from the main thoroughfare of Richmond town centre, a welcome reprieve from the weekend shoppers who ascend the High Street most Saturdays and  Sundays.  It looks like a typical British pub outside but inside it has a slight bookish formality about it with leather and pin cushion seating. Tucked away at the back is an outdoor eating area, and on this day it was unsurprisingly populated by the stroller mafioso. We were approached immediately by serving staff when we arrived, they were very pleasant and helpful and offered us each a menu that was clipped to big hardback child...