Kith & Kin

Hawksmoor Borough

The past three days have revolved around meeting up with family & friends & of course ..

F O O D

The combination of being with people you hold dear & being around a table ready to eat & drink well is an unbeatable one for me.

It's been glorious.

Here's a glimpse into the diary ..

SATURDAY

Lunch with my uncle here - https://j-sheekey.co.uk/menus/

He'd never been before plus there was a little birthday treat for him laid on by the restaurant .. some truffles with 'Happy Birthday' piped on the plate in chocolate.

For the main event, here's what happened.

To begin ..

Dressed Portland Crab (Unc)

Galician Octopus - roasted chorizo, smoked paprika & piquillo aioli (Me)

Followed by ..

Monkfish & Tiger Prawn Tikka Masala with pilaf rice and crispy shallots (Unc)

Rae Wing with Capers and Brown Butter (Me)

Pudding?

A gratuitous scoop of Strawberry Ice Cream for Unc plus a Salted Caramel one for me.

He loved it all. 

The food & service here are impeccable. A perfect place for a treat & still one of my favourite restaurants in London.

SUNDAY

Time to meet up with three old friends for a roast lunch in Borough - https://thehawksmoor.com/locations/borough/

There was a time when I adored Hawksmoor. Their first branch in Covent Garden made you feel like you were a million miles away from the hubbub just yards away. Elegant, stylish surroundings & the food, ah, the food. It's all about the quality and sourcing of meat, fish and veg. From their website ..

'Hawksmoor is about creating something special for the people who come and eat with us; the communities we live and work in; our teams; and the wide-reaching network of people who play a role in making Hawksmoor happen.' 

Commendable intent. 

For me though some of the magic has gone. My last few visits at Covent Garden & Borough have been underwhelming. The service needing some gentle prompting from time to time. The food, mainly still great but there's less of it & I'm paying more for it.

All four of us went for the Sunday Roast ..

Slow roast rump - Served with beef dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, greens, roasted shallots & garlic and lashings of bone marrow & onion gravy

A side of cauli cheese

The boys cleaned their plates but my beef was tough & the Yorkshire a little dry despite the gravy. My plate looked like I hadn't touched it. The roasties though were tip top and the roasted half bulb of garlic is always a surefire winner.

MONDAY

The third Monday in a row of being out. WWHHAATT?

It's another gathering of friends, this time work colleagues current & past. In town when a curry is suggested then this is the ‘go to’ place - https://www.punjab.co.uk/our-history

The best Punjabi food you'll ever taste. This is where I discovered the finest Garlic Naan in the universe as well as Mint Chicken.

M I N T  W I T H  C H I C K E N

Think about that for a moment. A combination which should not work, right? Wrong. It's outstanding.

After three days of dining out it was time to have an evening at home.

A bowl of pumpkin soup and some buttered & warm crusty bread on my menu. Delicious though I missed the company of others.

AMM