meemalee

My favourite restaurant in London is Viajante , so I was absolutely gutted to discover that it's closing at the end of this month. I have always had a brilliant (and sometimes surprising) meal there, and it's as far away from "fayn dayning" as I can think of. (in fact, the last time we went, my husband and I rolled up after having been to Field Day in nearby Victoria Park and one of the festival acts was chatting up a lady on the front doorstep). Nuno Mendes, the chef behind Viajante, is moving on to Chiltern Firehouse which Square Meal describes as: "very different from that of Viajante, with no tasting menus and a more casual feel ... contemporary, ingredient-focused… with an underlying American accent and will showcase the diversity of modern American cooking".   That's all well and good, but what makes Viajante so magnificent is that you turn up, you choose the number of courses you want and then you're left in their wiza...

I used to have this recurring dream that I was at the most glorious buffet. I knew it was a dream as the food looked more beautiful, more luscious, more tempting than anything you could possibly imagine. I'd pile my plate high, and return to my seat, and just as I was about to dig in, I'd abruptly wake up. I don't think this means anything more profound than the fact that I am a pathetically greedy person. But the only thing I can think of that would be better than a buffet ( apart from this one ) is an all-you-can-eat that comes to me. And what an all-you-can-eat - men with meat - wielding huge whacking swords of the stuff (and we're back to the psycho-analysis). Rodizio -style churrascarias are a real dream; at these Brazilian steakhouses, an endless procession of butch, barbecued meat is brought straight to your table by the dashing passadores and carved onto your plate until you admit defeat. Rodizio Rico is such an establishment - unlimited 'prime cuts...

Petits fours by Edd Kimber (the Boy Who Bakes) and Chef Luke Mackay Kai We Care. #KaiWeCare . Kai We Care was the mother of all fundraising dinners held on Monday 4th April 2011 at One Moorgate Place in London. The brainchild of Mat Follas, chef patron of the Wild Garlic, and Dave Ahern aka Cork Gourmet Guy, writer turned chef. Canapes and Pre-starter Its aim was to help the New Zealand Red Cross in their efforts to provide relief in the aftermath of February's earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Chef Alyn Williams A stunning nine-course dinner, cooked by a brigade of award-winning and Michelin-starred chefs, followed by an auction of wonderful prizes. Edd Kimber and Luke Mackay It might have seemed like a case of too many cooks, but in the end, the chefs, the front of house, and everyone else pulled the night off with panache. Over £60,000 was raised - a phenomenal amount - thanks to the amazing efforts of the Kai We Care team led by Mat Follas , Dave Ahern , Grant Hawthorn...

I used to work on Chancery Lane, and whilst there were a few nice places to lunch (I'm looking at you, Vanilla Black and the Chancery ), I never got round to going, as I couldn't get anyone to leave their desks for long enough, and frankly dining solo seemed a bit sad in such elevated surroundings. And evenings seemed unattractive, as by then I felt I'd much rather get away from the office and head further into town. Then I fell into a bad crowd - they called themselves the Clerkenwell Lunchers. Their mission - to seek out nice places to eat in and around the Clerkenwell area and to colonise them one by one, by having a proper, sit-down lunch at each of them. Crazy business. Of course, I was in like a shot. We did the rounds in Clerkenwell, visiting Cellar Gascon , Cafe VN , Tohbang , Tajima Tei, Giant Robot , The Gunmakers, Banh Mi Bay. The only problem was that all these places were a bit of a distance from where I was based, so I risked indigestion and a massive stitch ...

Jinkichi is another of those Japanese restaurants for which I have a massive soft spot and like to visit as often as possible. Their speciality is yakitori , and they offer slightly esoteric items such as tori-kawa (chicken skin), suna-gimo (chicken gizzards), gyu-tan (ox tongue), and occasionally, if you're very lucky, nankotsu (chicken cartilage - crunchy heaven). They also have zosui rice soup, as well as tuna natto , salmon jaws, and my beloved Calpico . So not just sanitised sushi and tempura, and more like downtown Tokyo. The food is smashing, but despite being in Hampstead, Jinkichi is far from fancy - you wouldn't expect to see it get into the Michelin Guide any time soon. It has, however, made the Food List. For, tomorrow, the first ever The Food List: Britain’s Top 200 Restaurants will be launched by the Sunday Times , and Jinkichi has made number 71. And the reason Jinkichi is there (above many other more chichi joints) is because this list concentrates pur...