Said

Hot chocolate. I can vouch that the Italians definitely do it better. It seems like an age ago when I was in Florence, sampling the BEST HOT CHOCOLATE of my life at Rivoire standing at the bar on a chilly winter's evening. And yes, I did go back for more. I remember clearly it's richness and depth of cocoa flavour which has yet to be surpassed in my book. Said is one venue that has upped the ante by opening a second branch in London, with its original in fair Roma.

Even the window displays are enough to make one weak at the knees Credit: Said Facebook Page

I always bang on about the history of a café or restaurant and Said is certainly no exception. Operating since 1923 out of Italy, it was only at the end of last year that keys exchanged hands for their artisan chocolate café and shop in the heart of London's Soho. Said is actually an acronym for Societa Azinoria Industria Dolciumi, which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue! 

The café interior with all their edible wares on display

Akin to Koko Black in Australia or an upmarket Max Brenner, Said brings specialty chocolate products to the masses in London (and boy, are there masses). One of the first things you'll notice about the store is their keen eye for design. Lovely silver chocolate moulds adorn a feature wall and Said products are lain out in every nook and cranny. The packaging is beautiful in its simplicity and instantly recognisable.

A rather mini hot chocolate in an espresso cup. I ordered a chilli hot chocolate which came with chilli powder on the side...how bizarre! What wimps do they take us for?! The chocolate had a lovely thick texture but was a little lacking in richness and chocolatey flavour (that sounds absurd). I'm almost expecting melted dark chocolate here...yikes. Rivoire has set the bar high it would seem!

Perch yourself on a milk can to have a peek at the menu which is short, sharp and to the point so you can pick your poison. Just make sure you order an Italian hot chocolate or chocolate espresso. The eats are nothing fancy and fairly predictable, a few cakes and biscuits from the counter display. The best part is being able to while away the hours, people watching with a hot drink in your hand. Simple pleasures.

Chocolate inspired wall hangings. Very clever! I'm enjoying the novelty size of the 'lamb' mould

We were on a roll, with service that left us wanting. Granted it was literally the first day for the waitress who served us, but being such a small café, all her trials and tribulations were on full display! Watching with fascination this staffer would dart back and forth from our table to clarify our order, serve other walk-ins and ask what goes in to make the different drinks. But never mind, we had some time and it was nice to have a sit down and chat.

The rather impressive looking chocolate bars. The higher the cocoa content, the better for me!

With all these superlatives being bandied about online it's hard to declare who actually is the fairest of them all. It is clear that Said means business with their chocolate, they take it extremely seriously. The hot chocolate may not be the best I've ever had but it's a pretty good alternative to forking out £200 for flights to Italy. But hey, why not make a weekend of it some time? Because YOU CAN.

Thanks for reading!

xGourmand

Mildreds

Finding respite from the meat and 3 veg variety of eateries was quite a task, and it wasn't that choices are lacking in London town. It comes back to the rather curious dilemma of there never being a table, anywhere! Diners are slowly coming around to the idea of vegetarian and gluten-free eating, searching for a health kick in their diet (or is that allaying guilt?). Nobody is perhaps more ready to embrace an emerging trend than a Soho hipster. Enter, Mildreds.       

The rather quaint blue-hued exterior. You know you're in London when you have a dapper gentleman in a trench coat blistering past!

Mildreds is a fairly seasoned player, established over 20 years ago on a small block on Lexington St. Vegetarian food is its major selling point and boy do the locals love it. We found ourselves there at the tail end of the lunch rush and the place was still packed to the rafters! The dining room is a rather simple banquet-seat affair, bathed in sunlight and livened up with a few potted plants. 

Views from the rather stylish private dining room, worlds away from the daily grind Credit: Mildreds

Confronted with the menu, you face the rather daunting task of picking from a multitude of dishes, with influences from all over the globe.  In addition to the à la carte options there are also a number of daily blackboard specials. Whatever you might fancy from Mexican to Sub-Continental, it'll be on there. Unfortunately, I'm not actually convinced this is a good thing. The menu could benefit from being reined in a little. Instead of doing everything at par (or sub par), it would be better to hone your skills on a couple of things done really well. Makes sense, no?

Panfried halloumi, cherry tomato and wilted spinach with balsamic glaze. I don't know about you, but I am SUCH a sucker for haloumi. It's like an achilles heel. This version was perfectly reasonable but nothing gave it that wow factor. I'm sure you could whip up a very similar dish at home. The haloumi from Nomad in Sydney on the other hand definitely had "It" (sorry, folks)

Sweet potato fries with mayo (or chipotle). Again, you could tell immediately that  these fries were basically large chunks of baked sweet potato. I was hopeful for that crunch in the skin without any luck. Suffice it to say I was actually looking for a deep fryer here *Gasps*. I kept having flashbacks to the glorious sweet potato chips done by Veggie Patch Van back home

Sri Lankan sweet potato and cashew nut curry with yellow basmati rice with peas and coconut tomato sambal. This was easily the most popular dish on the menu. It was made rather mild but the samba adds a nice hit of spice. And the serving size is ginormous! 

I need to mention that the service was rather haphazard and generally chaotic that day. One of my fellow diners was given the wrong main which was then hastily corrected. Yes, the restaurant was busy but it has always been that way as far as I can see. Another waiter on the floor might have helped the flow (or lack thereof :S) of the service! 

Fresh tortellini filled with pumpkin and ricotta, with chestnut mushroom, white wine cream sauce, drizzled with truffle oil. Don't get me wrong, I love the odd veggo meal but you don't need to overcompensate with stodgy additions like cream and cheese by the bucketload. I suppose it was a bad menu choice on my part! The pasta was reasonably cooked, but each tortellino had too much filling. This dish was rather heavy going; climate appropriate, yes but also giving indigestion!

All in all, the food at Mildreds was acceptable and reasonably priced. I do think however that they've spread themselves thin with a menu that is brimming with too many options, to their detriment. It sounded very nice on paper but in the end doesn't quite deliver. It's certainly a far cry from veggo food in Asia! The cracks in the service come simply from lacking front of house staff at their busiest times. Of course it's all easier said than done and I know that Mildreds will be bearing the flag for vegetarian cuisine in Soho for many years to come.
  

Butternut squash, pepper, smoked chilli and cheddar pasta bake. Funnily enough, this pasta had less cheese to the sauce than expected!

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand