I like steak, I especially like 28 oz Porterhouse steak (T-bone to those of the old school) and that was the reason why I had to visit Sophie’s Steakhouse on a Monday evening.

The great thing about Sophie’s Steakhouse is that they don’t take reservations, you just turn up and ask for a table. I suppose it would be harder for larger groups but on this occasion it was just me and an old friend so there was plenty of space for us to dine.

Unlike many of the South American style steakhouses in London, this was much more of the British/North American ilk. Instead of steak and cheese, it was steak, chips and onion rings, which appeals a lot more to my upbringing.

With complimentary salami and Belgian beer in hand we both ordered the Porterhouse with sides of chips and onion rings, there was no other alternative as far as we were concerned, we’d come for the T-bone and the T-bone is what we would get. The atmosphere was relaxed and the service was friendly, very helpful and the food arrived in no time at all…

And what an arrival! 2 steaks, the size of Joseph Merrick’s face, arrived to our table accompanied with 3 dipping sauces and our sides. The group sitting next to watched in awe as they gracefully landed and they themselves had been convinced that the Porterhouse was the way to go.

Beautifully cooked, initial concerns of a rare order being well done were soon quashed as near 2 inch thick was sliced closer to the bone to show some high quality cooking skills. Moist and with perfect texture and flavour, my thoughts drifted to the question, ‘Why don’t we do this more often?’, coronary heart failure and a Jeremy Springer special soon came to mind.

But I’d do it again, as many times as I can get away with it, I’d do it again. I’m spurred on by the £25 price, our bill totalling just over £37 each for 3 beers, 2 sides, and probably the best Porterhouse I’ve had in years.

Sophie’s Steakhouse may soon become a monthly regular spot of mine, I just need someone to keep an eye on my cholesterol levels…

I’ve known about places like Ba Shu and Ba Shan for a while now, but I’ve never been able to convince myself to go in and eat. So on a quiet Tuesday night, I venture with a couple of my visiting friends in search for food.

I’ve always had the belief that food, especially chinese food, should not be over a certain price. We use the same ingredients, the same spices and the same seasoning, but the only difference is the way we prepare and cook them. This why I’m always weary of visiting the more pricier establishments.

But on this occasion the choice was not mine to make and we were soon being shown to our seats on the first floor. It was silence as we browsed through the menu, this was no ordinary chinese restaurant. Roast duck, roast pork and chinese bbq pork was nowhere to be seen and I was beginning to fear the worse. We tentatively selected 5 dishes, 3 meat and 2 vegetable, along with rice for 5 and waited for around 10 mins (good timings, especially for a chinese).

I was surprised. The food was good… Very good. The twice cooked pork may have looked a little like bacon, but the flavour of pork and Szechuan spice was wonderful. The chicken pot was succulent and the chicken with mixed peas and sweetcorn dish was so clean that you could taste every flavour. The biggest surprise for me was the vegetables. A simple bok choi and garlic was excellently cooked, with a flavour of garlic that ran all the way through the crunchy yet soft leaves. And finally the green beans in a spicy Szechuan sauce, again the flavour was not just coated on the outside but ran through with every bite. VERY surprising indeed.

For the price of the dishes (between £9-£16 per dish), I would say they were a little on the small size. I was seriously eating conservatively here, but it also allowed me to fully appreciate the range of flavours. I wouldn’t make it a regular outing, but every now and again when I feel my palate dulling from the oil riddled ducks and porks of Chinatown, I may walk that extra 50 yards and pay that extra £20 for the Szechuan delight that is Ba Shan.

Just off of Regents Street is a small Chinese restaurant that specializes in noodles, Cha Cha Moon. Having read mixed some reviews on this place, I wasn’t expecting much, but I reserved my judgement until I had actually eaten there myself.

In a party of 3, we were quickly greeted and seated in a benched restaurant not too dissimilar to a Wagamamas. It’s a fairly popular place but due to the January lull, it was a little quieter than I expected.

After 5 minutes or so, we were able to order. I went for the Crispy noodle with shredded chicken and a side dish called the Cha Cha Mooli.

The first thing we noticed was the uneven timings of the food, my friend’s Singapore noodle arrived almost immediately without her side. Followed 5 minutes by my crispy noodles and mooli. Then my other friend’s beef udon in black bean sauce and a side of spring rolls, another minute later and finally her gouti another 10 minutes afterwards. I can understand food coming out at different times when they’re busy, but there seems to be zero coordination between the 4 or 5 different chefs I could see in the kitchen. It’s not hard to communicate with each other but unfortunately I think this is the norm for Cha Cha Moon.

The food was average. Not bad, but it wasn’t amazing. It felt a little bit like eating a take away but they sat you down and served it on a plate instead.

The interesting part was the Cha Cha Mooli. I had no idea what to expect, only that it contained turnip cake, which I just adore. What arrived was something that was larger than your average side dish, that consisted of rectangular slices of turnip cake, stir fried with beansprouts, eggs and some dried shrimp and meat. It was nice, but it just had too many beansprouts. In fact, so did my noodles.

Overall I wasn’t too impressed with Cha Cha Moon. The food wasn’t great and the timing of the food was badly organised. It felt like a Wagamamas with a different menu. I don’t think I’ll be going back there any time soon, which is a shame. I was hoping for so much more.

Said Naan bread from last night. Work said it was very nice.

I made Naan bread for the first time last night and they were lovely. The problem however, is that it took about 2 hours of measuring; mixing; waiting; more mixing; kneading; proving and rolling, for essentially 5 minutes of cooking time. All this for side dish? I’m not really sure whether its worth it in the end. Maybe if it was for a special occasion or a themed dinner party, but I won’t be making them every time I have a curry. Buying them in is much easier…

I think I’ll try a garlic and coriander naan tonight. And maybe a peshwari naan too!

I made some Chilli Con Carne last night. Well, when I say some I mean a whole vat of the stuff. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe which was really easy to do, even if it did take 2 hours from start to finish!

I think everyone that wants to learn to cook should start with a Jamie Oliver book. He may get a lot of stick for his early work and his style of presenting, but anyone who has done any cooking using one of his books has got to admit, he knows his stuff. What Jamie Oliver does that no other chef has done is make cooking easy…er. Recipes aren’t over complicated with techniques and ingredients that only few have encountered, instead they teach you the basic flavours and textures of what a lot of dishes should be. It may be rustic, but refined cuisine comes from experience and practise and Jamie’s recipes give you the confidence to try more and learn more.

OK, back to my chilli. It was a lot less spicy than my flatmates and I were used to, but it was tasty nonetheless. Leftovers are great for lunch (which I’ve just eaten) and I’m even thinking of using as a pasta sauce tonight…. Versatile stuff.