What do you do when you are an expatriate settling in London and you need to find out good places to eat, exciting places to visit and learn out everything in between re setting life up in the big city? We recommend you drop by Kelvin Woo’s blog www.singaporeaninlondon.com While this blog is primarily about advice such as regarding living costs and or visiting London and its sights, it soon expanded to a second blog called www.londonchow.com This is because Kelvin and his wife were also particular about food and interested in checking out a lot of eating spots. Enjoy our interview with Kelvin below where you’ll learn about his foodie passion!
What were the key reasons you decided to review food/restaurants?
When we (Wife and I) first arrived in London, I thought that it was a good idea to document down our experiences on a blog. It didn’t take me long to come up with the title for SingaporeanInLondon.com. Being Singaporeans, we are rather particular about food and seek to check out the eating spots in the immediate vicinity. It wasn’t long before I did short write ups on those on the website. Since we have to eat, I might as well write about it, right?
After awhile, a reader commented that we actually eat out quite a bit so it occurred to me that I should really host the reviews on a seperate website and LondonChow.com was born.
How do you choose a restaurant to review?
In the initial years, it’s really about where we happen to be at mealtimes. The Wife began reading restaurant reviews on Times and that became our defacto guide on where to check out next. It still is.
Others are recommended by friends and acquaintances. Those are trickier; the person who recommends it would look forward to my post about it on LondonChow. It does get a tad awkward if it turns out not to be a good one.
Since 2010, I have received quite a number of invitations from PR firms engaged by restaurants. I go for those that sounds interesting and doesn’t just involve cocktails (I can’t really hold my liquor). To be honest, such meals aren’t the most comfortable. Some have staff hovering over us, explaining every single ingredient going into the dish. I tend to be more conscious about taking notes and photographing the dishes for meals that I have been invited to. It does take the joy out of eating.
Who is your current favourite chef?
No one comes to mind at the moment. I was quite taken with Rick Stein when he did his South Asian tour some time back. It did bring back some memories of the food back home but I was sorely disappointed when he decided to skip Singapore in that segment. Nigel Slator maybe. He’s not exactly a chef but We adore his series on BBC where he prepares simple meals using leftover ingredients. I heard that he writes beautifully as well though I have yet to purchase his receipe books. Heston Blumenthal comes a close second. His menu at Fat Duck is a treat and I’d recommend it without hesitation. It’s just one of those things that you have to try at least once.
Most underrated Local Restaurant?
This is a tough one. The ones that I frequent have their fair share of regular customers. I used to go to an Italian delicatessen by the name of Saponara at Prebend Street in Islington. Brothers Marco and Vincenzo run the little setup and are always friendly when we drop by. While it is not a gourmet destination, it is an easy place to eat in. They have also introduced a pizza menu some time back and is proving to be rather popular.
How has blogging in general changed your outlook on food/restaurants?
I have come to realise that the ingredients’ freshness is the key to any good dish. Also, the entire dining experience is much more than the food on the table. It’s really the people you dine with, the service and whether you got off the correct side of the bed that day. Oh, and your expectations as well.
What are 3 favourite places/dishes you just need to go back to regularly?
1. Corn fritters @ Salvation Jane
This brunch item is a crowdpleaser. With a bit of everything, it fills you up and actually is healthy. A welcomed change to the grease that comes with Sunday roasts.
2. Char kuay teow @ Sedap
Sedap manages to replicate the sought after ‘smokey’ taste in the stirfry flat noodles – one of my favourite childhood dishes. The portion has shrunken quite a bit over the years though.
3. Meze @ Hazev’s cafe
While I like the set lunches at Canary Wharf’s Hazev, its adjoining cafe’s meze selection is the real deal. It offers a fair bit of variety and the place is quiet enough for a chat over lunch as well.
What’s the biggest mistake a restaurant can make in your opinion?
Trying to do too many things at the same time. Just concentrate on a couple of dishes that the kitchen is good at and every single time I think of having those, the restaurant will come to mind.
One more if I may would be thinking that location is secondary. Morgan M is a prime example. We checked out the Michelin starred resturant when it first opened at the north end of Liverpool Road near to Highbury & Islington station. While it wasn’t mind blowing, it was decent. If you are familiar with the area, you would be asking what a full service restaurant (Michelin starred or not) is doing there. It did survive for some time before relocating to the City though.
What do you think the London food scene is missing?
I like to tell anyone who cares to listen that London has the best of everything in the culinary world. That is the chief benefit of being a melting cultural pot. Regardless of where you come from, the first thing you do is to seek out the food that you grow up eating. If you can’t find it, you would try to recreate it. That’s everyone’s basic instinct. As a result, London isn’t lacking when it comes to the variety of food.
There are some things that you don’t realise until you have a kid. Getting a babysitter for a meal out can be rather prohibitive. If I have to pick, I would say that London can have more toddler friendly eating places. Having some highchairs stacked in a corner just doesn’t cut it these days. I am talking about decent food as well. We got rather bored with Giraffe after some time. Blue Legume comes close but if only there are more independent restaurants like that.
Who’s your favourite food writer/critic?
Ironically, food critics (I’m talking about those who are actually paid to do that) and food bloggers don’t really see eye to eye most of the times.
But without a doubt, Giles Coren over at the Times stands at the top of my list. I cannot stand critics who goes on and on about the food. True, they should ultimately be writing about the food but you can only say so much about a slab of steak. Coren, on the other hand, writes about the most mandune stuff. Then right at the end of the piece, he sort of mention the food. The thing is, despite that, you do get a gist of how the restaurant is like, and which to avoid. I would recommend his How to Eat Out. I love the part that he wrote about his father’s penchant for Chinese dimsum. There is even a short piece of advice from Coren on where to bring a girl out on the first date. Very pragmatic.
What has been your all-time favourite restaurant experience to date?
One of the best meals that I have is at Hawksmoor at Seven Dials. It was out first proper restaurant meal after we had the kid. The staff were marvellous when she threw a tantrum and we were able to have our burgers in peace. It helped that Hawksmoor’s burgers aren’t too bad either. Ditto for its triple cooked chips.
Thanks Kelvin some great recommendations and thoughts about eating and dining in London. If you enjoyed Kelvin’s interview you can also follow him via Twitter @london_chow or Facebook
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