Restaurant Review: Spud (London)

England has a love affair with the baked potato. Sorry, I meant jacket potato. Forget serving this humble starch as a side dish, baked potatoes (with any variety of topping you could imagine) are frequently served as lunchtime fare in the UK.
Which explains how an entire restaurant has opened that serves only baked potatoes.
I admit, I was dubious.

Don't get me wrong, I love the tuber and all its various incarnations (roasted, scalloped, fried, the list is endless...), but I wasn't sure just how bowled over I was going to be by a baked potato lunch, despite the quirky website's (their slogan is "Eat Me"....erm, quaint?) promise of "serious food envy".
It's a small restaurant, tucked away in a small storefront in the Covent Garden area. You're presented with a number of "fillers" for your chosen baked potato (a sweet potato option is also available if you want to be *really* fancy). These range from your bog standard butter and salt to more elaborate options of goat cheese and lentil stew (which I sampled).

And, I have to say, I was impressed. For about 4 pounds, you have a full lunch (and I mean *full*). If elect to eat in, you also have the chance to visit their downstairs eating area which features fun Tiffany-esque lamps on each of the tables and an eclectic if fun soundtrack. It wasn't too busy when we went, but we were having a late lunch around 2pm.

All in all, it was a great cheap way to grab a weekday lunch in central London. The menu may be a tad small, but instead of going the "salad bar" route where you'd pick each individual topping yourself, the owners have taken time to find good and complex combinations of flavors that highlight the simple potato, elevating it to fun, trendy, but affordable cuisine. Thumbs up.

Phoenix Restaurants: Vietnamese Kitchen

Photo taken of the interior, from Yelp.com

 Phoenix has long suffered from a lack of good (or, rather, any) Vietnamese restaurants. So, imagine my surprise and delight when my mother informed me that there was a "new little Vietnamese place" which had opened up in a nearby strip mall. From the front, the place looked a bit dubious. Dark glass and no menu outside doesn't exactly help in a mall where your neighbors are a "Cash for GOLD!" place and a dentist. But once you enter, oh my. You could immediately tell you were going to get a good meal. The only minor downside was the bizarre "framed" tv set (as seen in the photo to the right) which was playing daytime soaps. As we had been seated directly in front of it, it was hard to ignore (and really whatever Brad was going to say to Tiffany's evil twin on this week's Days of Our Lives, I really couldn't have cared less).

As previously mentioned, I'm a bit of a sucker for Asian soups. Coconut-based confections especially, but really anything with noodles, vegetables, and perhaps a bit of protein (hey, even tofu counts), and I'm sold. When I opened the menu to discover that this place specialized in Vietnamese pho, I knew I had found the right place. The soups are served fresh and hot, with cilantro, lime, and bean sprouts (all authentic, I'm told) with a variety of condiments on your table so you can adjust the spiciness of your dish as you see fit.

And so, the sad lack of (good) Vietnamese restaurants in Phoenix has ended. Huzzah! My trips home will never be pho-less again.

Phoenix Location:
20235 North Cave Creek Road
Phoenix, AZ 85024-4424
(602) 788-5535
Yelp's Review

El Conquistador Restaurant

Pulled from Yelp.com. A picture from the old location of El Conquistado.

This restaurant has to be one of the best in Phoenix. And for a town that has 4 Mexican restaurants to a block, that's saying something.

We discovered this place by looking up Mexican restaurants in our area. Although the owners have subsequently moved to Glendale, the food remains absolutely delicious. Maria, the co-owner of the restaurant and head chef, specializes in Jalisco-style cooking. This means phenomenal carne asada tacos, pork with poblanos, and, did I mention the posole?

This soup, made fresh on the weekends (both green and red versions available) is hands-down the best. The green happens to be my favorite, but I have it on good authority that the red does itself justice. A thick broth that has been simmering for hours, filled with tender pork, hominy, spices, and of course, accompanied by radishes, cilantro, avocado, chicharrones...oh, I'm gettng hungry just thinking about it. This all comes in a bowl the size of your head. This soup is no "starter" but a full meal and then some.

I would go to this restaurant every day if I could. Don't be fooled by the somewhat standard fare that appears on the menu. The daily specials, written on a board, are where it's at. And combine that with the weekend soups (the aforementioned posole plus menudo, caldo de pollo, and albondigas), well, you can't ask for much more. It's also extremely reasonable in price, although I would pay top dollar for that posole.

Location
5350 W. Bell Rd.
Glendale, AZ 85308

Quod

Quod.
The much-lauded brasserie in the middle of the city, right across the street from St. Mary the Virgin Church.
The prime example of where the students take their parents when they come to visit. Because otherwise one of two things prevents you:
a) you either cannot afford or do not want to pay 6.95 for cocktails when the pub down the street is offering vodka 2 4 1 shots.
b) the staff will refuse to look at you unless it looks like you've rolled right out of a Bullingdon club event.