Restaurant review: SANTO REMEDIO (London Bridge)

After Chelsea beat Manchester City to become Champions of Europe for the second time, it was only natural that I was in a celebratory mood. As this win coincided with the restrictions being lifted in the UK, I decided to combine celebrating my club's win, with making the most of the momentary freedom we were being granted.

I did not choose well. This was some of the food below:

Remember Me (and my country's classification issues).

Me after watching Timothée Chalamet's fantastic musical skills in Call Me By Your Name!

I watched Pixar's latest creation, Coco, on Friday, and was utterly charmed by it. Funny, colourful, inventive, and featuring an exquisite score and some moments that had my eyes flooding with tears, it's a return to form after some phoned-in sequels (Finding Dory, Cars 3).

Restaurant review: JOE'S SOUTHERN KITCHEN (Covent Garden)

Now that I have Tastecard, I have my pick of restaurants at which I can eat at for a decent price, so thought I’d christen my darling Tastecard at Joe’s Southern Kitchen & Bar.

Very generously sized in an old warehouse-style building and boasting some mouth-watering dishes, it brings the spirit of the Deep South into central London. The soft shell crab starters were delicious, and converted a crab-phobiac like me, although the chilli cup and taco starter was somewhat mediocre, and definitely was riding more on the 'fun' quotient of making your own tacos than on its nutritional or taste value.

The main menu boasted dishes that ranged from the straightforward (southern chicken, etc) to things that sounded altogether more exotic, or just curious. For example, Joe’s Prison Plate was presented as just that - a tray like something you’d expect to see in Orange is the New Black (a show I have become addicted to, just so you know, brilliant) filled with beans, coleslaw, rice, bread, but best of all, a healthy portion of pulled pork, which was unbelievably succulent. 

I think it must be the sauce they cook their food in, because every meat dish I had at JSK left me wanting more. The chicken itself looks nothing special, like something you’d expect to get from KFC, but don’t judge a book by its cover, because that, too, tasted wonderful.

With a Tastecard, a meal here works out cheaper than a visit to Nando’s, an institution which I’ve always found disappointingly overrated. So what are you waiting for? Get down there! The restaurant itself might be shabby-chic, but the food is simply divine.

Grade: A-

Update: March 2016
I went to Joe's Southern Kitchen just for a drink, and was just as impressed with the collections of drinks on offer as I was by the food.

The bar staff were attentive and efficient and the American drinks were a step up from the usual pub selection. Naturally, being a restaurant, and there being a 12.5% service charge, it also works out a little more pricey than going to the pub, but if you fancy something a bit different, Joe's Southern Kitchen isn't a bad drinking hole in Covent Garden, in addition to being a delicious restaurant.

For more of my restaurant reviews, click here. If you would like me to review your restaurant, drop me an email at lemon_and_lime7@hotmail.com

Restaurant: CHIPOTLE (Covent Garden)

In Bath, I visited Mission Burrito once, and thought I might as well try my hand at the task of finishing a whole burrito (it's about 2.5 the size of the one pictured above) in one sitting. As I didn't know I was going to MB that day, I'd had McDonald's for lunch, so, suffice to say, I was not successful. But the little trip did set off my love of burritos, so on Wednesday, when I spotted Chipotle again in Covent Garden, I didn't hesitate to grab one.

The burritos here are the best I've had. I don't know what it is, but the quality and consistency of the carnitas is far superior that of in Bath (because lbr London > Bath, just truthin'), and the sauces, spices and vegetables that they layer on top of the pork are also created with more care and spark. Plus, a burrito in the Bath store costs about seven quid. The carnitas pork one I had on Wednesday was just £6.95, so it was cheaper than a single in Bath, score! 

I also helped myself to the bougie-looking drink because I liked the sexy shape of the bottle. I wolfed down my burrito with no consideration for table manners because it was just so goddamn delicious, meaning for under a tenner, I was fully fed, and left the place with a big grin.

Grade: A

For more of my restaurant reviews, click here. If you would like me to review your restaurant, drop me an email at lemon_and_lime7@hotmail.com

Las Iguanas Mexican night.

Delicious, brilliantly presented meals: