Kricket

Just to set the scene for you (pun entirely intended), I was recently treated to an unexpected evening at the theatre - Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, intense and absorbing with the immediacy that only live theatre can bring, with great performances from an arch, determined Sienna Miller as Maggie and a brooding Jack O'Connell as Brick, radiating torment and despair.

You say theatre, I say pre-theatre supper: something bookable, fabulous but speedy, satisfying, yet light enough not to put you in a food coma before the curtain comes up and no more than a five-minute stroll from the action.

Enter, stage left: Kricket, emerging from the chrysalis of a Brixton shipping container pop-up into a Soho bricks-and-mortar butterfly, newly awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand. It's been a big year for  co-founders and college friends Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them add another Kricket site sometime next year. After my meal here, let's hope so.

Kricket serves Mumbai-inspired modern Indian small plates in a buzzy, industrial-chic setting along with some innovative cocktails (don't miss these when you visit). There are two floors; if you are in a party of four or more, you can book at the communal tables downstairs (useful for pre-theatre when time is tight) or you can grab a seat at the upstairs counter and watch the chefs at work. Apart from being a stellar first date option this is always my preference, as I find it endlessly fascinating — and here, a rare opportunity for Indian cuisine.

We started with smoked aubergine served with sesame raita and papdi gathia, light, crisp Gujarati snacks made from gram flour. I think charring/smoking brings out the flavour of aubergine really well and this moreish dip was a perfect example. My cocktail, Lucky Neem, was a blend of oriental spiced gin, lime, cucumber and curry leaf, welcomingly sharp and elegantly presented.

The tandoori monkfish with coconut chutney was an absolute standout of a dish; firm, beautifully spiced without being eye-wateringly spicy, with the chutney a soothing counterpoint. It's refreshing to see a superb dish simply plated with no unnecessary extras — no tricksy garnishes or endless cast of flavours, no tarting it up to make it 'Instagram-worthy' — just really, really good food.

Kricket's lasooni scallop with Goan sausage, poha (flattened rice) and seaweed was also outstanding. Yielding, sweet and enhanced rather than overpowered by the contrasting flavours and textures, I could have eaten a plateful. We also ordered the cultured butter naan, freshly made, light and generously buttery, and a side of fluffy tomato pilau to go with — both good calls.



Pumpkin with makhani sauce, fresh paneer, hazelnut crumble and puffed wild rice was warming and mellow, with a good depth of flavour; again, a lovely use of textures and perfect with the tomato pilau.

Another dish I will definitely order on my next visit — proper KFC, Keralan fried chicken, served with pickled mooli and a creamy curry leaf mayo. This dish was unexpectedly large in relation to the others and would comfortably serve two, I think — although you may want to have a plan in place if there is one odd-numbered piece left at the end, as that would be totally legitimate grounds for dumping someone.

Yours, in full agreement with 10cc (oh come on, I waited until now!),
London Girl About Town xx

Rambla

Rambla is a Catalan tapas restaurant in the heart of Soho, named after Barcelona's famous street near which chef-patron Victor Garvey grew up.

Newly opened at the time of writing, Rambla is set over two floors and is a more ambitious project than Garvey's previous solo restaurants, Encant (formerly Duende) and Sibarita. From my visits - one evening and one lunchtime - and from a spot of people-watching the other customers, he's absolutely nailed it.

The menu is mercifully brief but varied, tempting and very reasonably priced. On both visits we ate until we could barely move, shared a very drinkable bottle of light and fruity red (a 2015 Honoro Vera Organic Monastrell) and paid around £30 per person, including tip.

As we were deciding, the waitress arrived with some sourdough toast and a pestle and mortar, proceeding to make alioli (correct spelling in context for those fellow grammar nazis out there, from the Catalan for 'garlic and oil') at our table. There is a buzzy but very relaxed vibe here; tapas is inherently a chilled and sociable way of eating and this is backed up by charming and attentive staff, good use of space and a very cool choice of music.

We officially started with spinach croquetas with roasted pine nut alioli. Considering these are priced at £4, I was expecting two per portion; we actually got four, which is exceptional value. Regular readers will know that I have a slight obsession with croquetas; for tapas restaurants, I believe they are a pretty reliable benchmark of the kitchen. These were very good indeed. Piping hot from the pass, with an impossibly thin, crispy coating yielding to a smooth, creamy, comforting interior, they had exactly the textures and flavours I was after and were as good as any I've had from tapas bars in the chef's native Barcelona.

Next, another of my favourites, pan con tomate - deceptively simple and simply delicious.

'Butifarra Negre' sliders were served wth a refreshing green apple slaw and nevat cheese in toasted brioche buns. Nevat is a delicate, creamy goat's cheese from the Catalan mountains which appears in another dish here, baked, with beautifully presented crudités. Here it is a welcome support act for the real star — butifarra negre, classic Catalan blood sausage, intense, dark and spicy. The slider is an inspired vehicle for this, especially topped with the crisp, sharp apple slaw.

The grilled octopus with pickled garlic and alioli was perfectly tender, with lovely charring and depth of flavour. This is one of the first dishes I order when in Spain (after the croquetas) and, just for a moment, the grey skies and windy streets of London disappeared and I was sitting with the sun on my skin.

We had hoped to try the lamb chops at our lunchtime visit but they were unavailable; chef Victor Garvey explained that he'd had double the expected number of covers the previous evening and was waiting for a delivery (it arrived later, as we were gently slipping into a food coma) so I'm just going to have to go back again to try them. Shame. It's a good job Rambla takes reservations, as I have a feeling this place is going to become a Soho staple.

The wonderfully rich braised oxtail canelones with nevat cheese (there it is again) — shown here with a portion served to show you how generously packed with hearty shredded oxtail they are — could well be my go-to dish this autumn. It is remarkable value at only a fiver, and with a glass of wine to cut through the intensity and a beloved paperback to keep me company, that'll be me perched at the counter, sorted.

Plump mussels and clams steamed in white wine with Serrano ham and spider crab butter came with slices of toasted garlic sourdough for dipping and for mopping the juices from the bowl. This is hands-on food, tapas as it should be.

My absolute favourite, though, was the quail drumsticks, wrapped in crisp pancetta and presented in a nest around a  Pansals wine-based dipping sauce served in an eggshell. This is a visually beautiful dish and absolutely delicious; prepare for your Instagram feed to be featuring this regularly over the coming months.

For dessert, we went for the warm apricot and almond coulant with homemade frozen yoghurt. I've only ever had chocolate versions of this dessert before, which I find too rich after a spoonful or two, so this was a welcome surprise; light almond sponge with a melting apricot fondant centre, balanced beautifully by the frozen yoghurt and crunchy flaked almonds.

Rambla is a very welcome addition to Dean Street and already holding its own against some formidable competition. Equally suited to swift but fabulous pre-theatre dining and long, boozy lunches with friends, affordable and offering the option to book a table, it could well become a regular haunt.

Yours, wishing you 'bon profit',
London Girl About Town xx