Big Easy - King's Road, London

K

Even writing about this place makes me feel ill. This was the worst meal I've had in a long time. In fact it was so wrong that I gagged three times while trying to consume what they call food.

Big Easy is advertised as an all American BBQ and Crabshack, a place to get a hearty 'home-style' meal. It's not. Firstly it's situated in one of the most fancy parts of London, secondly it's expensive, and thirdly who drinks margaritas in what's meant to be an old school 'home-style' joint? None of these things remotely resemble the idea of taking in some grub after (as they state on their website) 'a hard days fishing, shopping, or plain ol' hard work'.

The atmosphere is loud, partly because they have a bar downstairs with live bands playing til 10pm on weekdays, but also because the place is constantly packed. I just can't understand why.

We researched their menu by looking at their very basic website. We'd also walked passed a few times and thought the vibe looked good. I popped in one evening to asked the maitre d' if we could have a table and she said the wait would be around 2 weeks. It didn't turn out to be the case when I looked online.

The ambience was ok. It was busy but not overwhelmingly so. The decor was ok, a bar on one side and the restaurant on the other. Nothing special though, just quite themed. They try to be funky in decorating in such a way, this is compounded by the fact they think it cool to call the downstairs bar a 'speakeasy'. They also pump out relatively loud music in the bathroom. Probably to mask the sound of people throwing up their overpriced dinner.

So we started with the Calamari which was deep fried and came with Tartar Tartar sauce (£6.95). It was ok I suppose, but again nothing special. I then had the 2lb lobster for £19.95 (you can order a variety of sizes that are all priced accordingly). The Lobster came with a salad, chips and a choice of either a beer or margarita. It was awful. It was tough as old boots and smelt too. They boast their lobsters come from Maine in America, I just wonder how long it took them to get over here. The salad dressing was terrible (and I love salad). The chips were chips.

My husband had the BBQ Ribs and Chicken which came with Coleslaw (a good portion at £15.95). The ribs were tender, if not a little too sweet. The coleslaw was bland, and the chicken average. My husband didn't rate it either.

I think the best part of this experience was watching a large man walk in and have the waitress bring out a 4.5 lb lobster for him to look at before ordering. He then ordered an entire bottle of wine and sat there gorging with a shiny bib around his neck. He really didn't mind that people were staring. Sadly that was the best part of this shambles of a meal. I sincerely regret spending nearly £70 on this mistake.

The only good thing I'll say about the Big Queasy is that the staff were nice and service was good.

Big Easy
3/10 (and that's mainly due to the company, not the food).

332-334 King's Road

London SW3 5UR

0207 352 4071

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Busaba Eathai - Chelsea, London

We went on a Saturday night (around 7pm). The time is relevant because thereafter the queues got ridiculous.

I walked in and wanted to walk out, not because of the decor (dark wood, some incense burning, Soy Sauce, Sriracha and Fish Sauce already on the table) but because of the seating. The place comprises of square tables where everyone sits together. So you turn up for your 2 year anniversary to have some dinner with your partner and find yourself sitting next to utter strangers. Not ideal.

We were lucky however as we chose the window seats. Yes we were sitting next to each other facing the window (which looked on to passing traffic going down the King's Road) but at least it felt a bit more private.

We had three starters (which on the menu they oddly refer to as sides). The Calamari with Ginger and Peppercorns (£6.50), the Morning Glory (a type of green bean with a difference) that came in a sauce made from Yellow Bean, Thai garlic and chilli (£5.80), and Pandan Chicken (chicken with garlic and coriander wrapped in a Pandan leaf £5.50).

The Calamari was one of the best I've ever had. They weren't rings but rather thick strips coated with a delightful crust. It was a hearty portion too. The Morning Glory was to die for. The sauce was absolutely fantastic. When we ordered it the waiter warned us it was spicy but we love very very hot food so of course we went for it. I was surprised when i saw whole Birdseye chillies in it. It was at our level of hot, finally a place that fulfils their promise. The chicken in the Pandan leaf was nice, but I probably wouldn't order it again as it was small and a bit hard to unwrap.

For our main I had the Char-grilled Chicken with Spicy Cucumber Salad and Sticky Rice (£9.90). I'd  say it was a bit of a let down after our starters. The rice was far too glutinous, the salad a little tired. I didn't much rate the sauce it came with either. The chicken was simply grilled. Good quality but all it was was a piece of chicken. Eddy had the Smoked Chicken with Vermicelli Noodles, Chinese Broccoli and Egg (£6.90). At first Eddy thought his main was only slightly above average, I certainly couldn't taste the advertised smokiness in the Chicken. It was however good, especially once adapted with some Soy Sauce, Morning Glory drippings left over from our starter, and a little sprinkling of Birdseye chillies.

I asked to see the dessert menu at the end but they only served ice cream. I opted out as it was brutally cold outside. I'd certainly go back for that Calamari.

Busaba Eathai

A solid 10/10 for the Calamari and Morning Glory. 7/10 for the mains.

358 King's Road

London SW3 5UZ

0207 349 5488
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Bluebird Cafe - Chelsea, London

The Bluebird is apparently the place to be seen in Chelsea. This means it's posh, pretentious and expensive. The upstairs restaurant is all of the latter. It was packed full of expensively dressed snobs. We were downstairs in the cafe, but I did have to head upstairs to use the bathroom. When in there I saw 2 little 12 year old girls applying lipstick, a woman spraying so much hairspray that I felt nauseas, and another woman plucking her eyebrows. I couldn't wait to get out and rejoin Eddy downstairs in the less pretentious cafe.

So if it's so pretentious why did we go I hear you cry. Well firstly the price for a dessert was reasonable, and secondly we wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

I had the Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream (reasonable at £5.75), and Eddy had the Apple Crumble (£5.50). I'd rate neither.

My cake was dry and the sauce far too rich. Eddy's crumble was basically baby food with crumble on top. The only good thing was the ice cream, which I suspect wasn't homemade.

The cafe also offers breakfast, pasta, fish etc... I wonder if they'd do better at that, but I'm not sure I'd go back to find out.

The Bluebird Cafe
4/10
350 King's Road
London SW3 5UU
0207 559 1000

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New Culture Revolution - Chelsea, London

New Culture Revolution is classed as a dumpling and noodle bar. It is unpretentious and good value for money. During the week they serve a lunch menu, which does have less choice, but is so reasonable you can overlook that, (lunch Mon to Fri costs £7.50).

The Braised Beef Clay Pot is delicious and consists of a layer of rice topped with beef (£8.90). They also ser  boiled, steamed and fried dumplings.

The decor is simple, but the main attraction is the quality of ingredients used. No MSG. So if you're looking for a healthy meal that doesn't compromise on flavour then look no further.

New Culture Revolution
7/10
305 King's Road
Chelsea
London
0207 352 9281

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Made in Italy - Chelsea, London

Made in Italy is an authentic Italian restaurant serving mid range pizza, pasta, antipasti and salads. 

It is slightly more expensive than your average Pizza Express but the price reflects the quality.

This restaurant is now a chain of sorts however the King's Road location was the first to open. It began trading in 1989 and has held it's place as an authentic Neapolitan restaurant ever since.

Pizzas range from £7.65 to £11.65, while the more expensive pasta dishes can stretch to £13.95, not bad considering they contain ingredients such as tiger prawns, clams, squid and mussels.

I like their Ravioli Anima e Core (ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta £10.95). The Carbonara wasn't  bad either (£9.95) but the main reason I think people go here is for the woodfired oven pizzas. They are very well made and overflowing with very good quality toppings.

The decor is cosy and comforting, and they have a lovely outside roof terrace where you can eat, drink and watch the world go by.

Probably not somewhere you'd go regularly, but certainly for a special occasion.

Made in Italy
8.5/10
249 King's Road
SW3 5EL
0207 352 1880

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