RESTAURANT REVIEW: Andrew Edmunds (Soho)

The last time I dined in a European/British restaurant in Soho was in March, when, following a good first impression from 10 Greek Street, I went there again. The second time round, I had the massive beef dish to share, and as with the duck sharer, it was fantastic. As 10 Greek Street fared so well both times, I thought favourably of traditional, quaint-looking restaurants in Soho, and decided to sample the cuisine of Andrew Edmunds.

The whole dining experience did not disappoint. As with 10 Greek Street, the menu changes on a daily basis, and is written on blackboards on the walls. Once I deciphered the practically illegible handwriting (one of my few gripes with Andrew Edmunds), I opted for this deliciously soft cheese which was so light it almost melts in your mouth. It was absolutely delicious, and if, in the vicinity of £8, a little overpriced for what it was, just justify it to yourself by saying that you deserve a treat now and then!

This was the same logic I followed for the main, wherein I chose the scallop risotto. Here it is, and yes, it did taste as delicious as it looked:

Although the portion was a little on the miserly side (I could have easily devoured twice the amount that was offered to me, but I do concede that part of the art of tantalising a food blogger's taste buds is to ensure that they're left wanting more, so I would whine too much about that), but the flavour was wonderfully rich, and somehow, the chefs managed to make asparagus a sexy ingredient. That takes some doing. The blend of the rice and the fish were perfect, and unlike many a seafood dish I've had in London, I could tell that scallops were of high quality, rather than just leftover supermarket stock. (naming no names. Ahem).

Factor in a fine collection of wines (no Sainsbury's wine being flogged here), and all in all, Andrew Edmunds made for a thoroughly fulfilling Saturday evening post-concert dining experience. If the managers of the restaurant could find a way to digitise the daily menus, or, even simpler, employ someone other than that person who attended one calligraphy class they bought on Groupon and are desperate to exhibit the ‘skills’ they acquired in that seminar, and just up the portion sizes a tiny bit, then the place would be even better.

Grade: A-

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Second trip to 10 Greek Street

By far, one of the best dishes I've ever eaten in my entire life. I'm bumping 10 Greek Street's grade up from B+ to A.

Weekend in Dublin.

Another cheeky European two-night holiday for me! I'd never been to Ireland before, and, seeing as Saoirse Ronan is one of my favourite actresses and Domhnall Gleeson, one of my favourite actors (incidentally, both who graced my top performances of 2015 list), only seemed right to visit the land that produced these exceptional talents!

A couple of pictures from my trip, below.

It being Euro 2016, the Ireland flags were out in earnest!

This made me think of the excellent The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

From the fabulous doughnut store next to Pearce Dart Station. 3 doughnuts for €6. Would be rude not to!

From Trinity College, Dublin.

I met up with my good friend Karl from Twitter and we had rather a lot of cocktails from 2pm. Swag tho.

No one in the corner have a trollface like us!

...Because a meeting between pals isn't legit until it's been plastered on Snapchat. #KagawaKnows

Kilmainham Gaol

I liked this because it had a distinctly Shawshank-vibe, haha.

I also visited the Guinness factory...

... and took some selfies. Not vain at all, like.

The fact that there was a live band in the Guinness factory that played legit Irish music just edges it above the Heineken brewery.

Cocktails for racists. Quick, someone get Stefan some.

A green postbox!

A side of the Aviva stadium!

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Le Garrick (Covent Garden)

I’ll keep this one short: Le Garrick is the best French restaurant I’ve encountered in London. The food was absolutely superb! I had duck breast and mashed potatoes (pictured below), and the whole meal was delicious. I'm not sure how they got the duck to taste so well-cooked considering the order took less than 20 minutes, but I'm definitely not complaining. The sauce complemented the meal very well too, and I respect the restaurant for adding some greens to the meal, as opposed to other places which just give you a plate of carbs, all but forcing you to spend more money on a side of salad. On top of that, you’ve got good, attentive waiters and a beast of a wine collection. Win win!

If I had to point out any gripes with Le Garrick, it would be that the tables perhaps weren’t as large as they could be, given that you need to fit food, wine bottles, as well as water glasses on the table. But that is but a small concern in what was otherwise a damn near faultless tasting experience.

Grade: A

Film review: THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (Daniel Alfredson, 2009)

A year on Lisbeth Salander’s minor victory from the end of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the eponymous character back in Stockholm. Mikael Blomkvist, who’s magazine Millenium, she had helped gain back a legitimacy in the first film, is now investigating sex trafficking. At the same time, a bunch of murders (including that o the lawyer who raped Salander in the first film) occur, framing Salander for the murders. Lisbeth Salander knows it’s time to go on the run. She also knows that someone is after her.

As with the first film, what makes The Girl Who Played with Fire is Noomi Rapace in the lead role. With her short spikey blame hair, multiple facial piercings and tattoos and skinny frame, she is the physical embodiment of Lisbeth Salander, but her performance is just as noticeable, if not more so, than her physical attributes. In one scene, where she has a man tied up by the neck and is trying to extract the truth from him, face painted white (for some reason), Rapace’s reactions to learning each new fact totally mirror our own. 

It will be interesting to see how Rooney Mara, who turned heads as Jesse Eisenberg’s love interest in The Social Network, will fill her shoes in David Fincher’s big-budget Hollywood adaptation of the series. From the photos, she looks every bit the part, but Mara has her work cut out filling Rapace’s shoes.

What distinguishes this instalment of the film from the first is that here, we delve deeper into Lisbeth’s murky past, with the reasoning behind her cold exterior illustrated somewhat, especially when we find out why she was labelled “incompetent” in the first place, and what she did to get herself thrown into scare. At the same time, as events become progressively more sinister, Lisbeth comes to accept that sometimes, she can’t handle the world entirely by herself, and becomes more receptive to the held from her friends. At the top of these people is Mikael Blomkvist, who’s belief in Lisbeth’s innocence never falters for a second. 

As anyone who has read the books will know, the Mikael/Lisbeth will they/won’t they romantic subplot is ongoing throughout the trilogy, and the natural chemistry between the two actors is likeable and believable. Unfortunately they spend much of this film apart, but even so, the way they communicate via short, staccato messages through computers (which Lisbeth hacks expertly) all builds to what I feel is one of the on-screen duos of the 2000s.

That the film is not quite as thrilling as the first is more down to two things. Firstly, the whole “missing person” plotline of the first was a little more interesting. Secondly, it is due to the very high precedent set by the first film. From some scenes, it is easy to see how these two films, and the finale, were adapted into a six-part TV mini-series in its homeland Sweden, as production value is generally not the highest. But, nonetheless, The Girl Who Played With Fire is an intense, well-sculpted bit of filmmaking, worth watching, and one that doesn’t shy away from the dark underbelly of the Swedish underworld. I eagerly await seeing the third.

The Italian Job.