Friday Night Dinners

Co & Ko Starters: £5-£10.5; Dishes: £10.5-£25.5 Situated in SOHO, this small restaurant has a large selection of Korean dishes. We didn't fancy the warm soups and broths on such a warm day, but instead opted for the traditional grilled meats. We're sure that the broths would work very well in the autumn or winter. As our starter we shared a bowl of K Pop Chicken, which turned out to be crispy cubes of chicken with a sweet sauce. For our mains, my wife enjoyed a classic Lamb Bulgogi — pan-fried thin-sliced marinated lamb. I opted for something new from their menu, the Bossam — a 12-hour slow cooked and grilled Pork belly. One of the reasons why we chose Korean cuisine for this evening, was to try a Korean beer and a Makgeolli. The beer as part of our quest to try a beer from each of the 48 participating World Cup countries. The Makgeolli because it was a style of Korean drink that we had never previously tried. We had the plain variant at Co & Ko, and subsequently purchased a chestnut flavoured option from one of the South Korean supermarkets that seem to be springing up in London. The food at Ko & Co was nice, and it had a good ambiance. On a hot summer evening we were grateful to be sat in front of the open window. Judging by the rest of the clientele, the restaurant seems to be popular with the Korean community. There was a steady stream of diners coming and going, enjoying the delicious looking food. After our meal, we were still a little thirsty — it was a hot evening after all — and shared a Soju. An enjoyable and relaxing way to finish our meal. We would definitely return and recommend Co & Ko.

Buvette Sharing Dishes: £12-£17; Wines from £45 Hidden away in Neal's Yard, there are a bunch of wine bars, a café, and a new restaurant: Buvette does sharing dishes at (very) small tables. There are also locations in New York, Tokyo, and Seoul, although we can't comment on the table sizes of those restaurants. We went in the midst of summer, with all the doors opening wide out onto Neal's Yard. It was warm, and people were having a good time. The menu isn't very extensive, but has a good selection of sharing dishes, separated into four sections: Tartlets, Fish, Vegetables, and Meats. We picked four of the dishes, which was plenty. My wife was most keen on the Brandade de Morue, whipped house salt cod with olive oil, cream, and garlic; and I fancied the Tartare de Thon, raw tuna cubes, cournichons, capers, and avocado. Both were served with toasted bread with some olive oil. Beyond our "main dishes", we also shared the Dauphinois Potatoes — nice and creamy, but not quite enough garlic to my liking — and the Carotte Rapées — julienned carrot, with pistachios, coriander, and lemon. To finish our meal, we shared a Café Gourmand, a slightly warm crème brûlée, without a crispy top, but with a spoonful of chocolate mousse and cream. With our meal, we enjoyed a Picpoul — which seemed to be a popular choice among the other diners. It was a crisp wine, complementing our dinner in the sunshine well. We liked Buvette. The interior restaurant also looked cosy, so would potentially also be good in the winter. It's a place where you could also just have a few dishes on an afternoon after a long day shopping. They also serve breakfast, brunch, and dinner.

Fish!
Starters: £9-£19.50; Mains: £18.50-£32.50; Pudding: £9-£12; Wines from £33

Close to Borough Market, Fish! is a long-established seafood restaurant, and along the street from Mallow which we visited a couple of weeks ago. Fish! is located in a glass lined and roofed building, which I suppose in summer could get quite warm. My wife — who picks the restaurants — commented that she had never dined in Fish! but had been fancying trying it for several years. When we arrived at around seven, the service was just getting going.

We were shown to our table very speedily, by a friendly waiter who briefly explained the menu. We decided to go for a calamari to share to start, which came with a very garlicky mayonnaise. An oyster each add some extra flair.

My wife enjoyed a sightly "brunchy" main of smoked haddock with bubble and squeak, and a poached egg on top — unfortunately the poached egg was set, rather than being runny. The dish came with a pot of a well-made hollandaise sauce which finished things off nicely.

I had the roast Sea Bream special, which was served with cockles and mussels in a slightly spicy tomato-y sauce. The skin was crisp, and the bisque delicious enough that I ask for a spoon to slurp up the leftovers.

For dessert, my wife enjoyed an apple ice cream with a shot of Calvados, Affogato style — these paired really well and made a nice change from the traditional espresso and vanilla ice cream version. I enjoyed a dense chocolate mousse. Delicious, but probably a little too much!

With our meal we enjoyed a crisp bottle of Txakoli, a lightly sparkling wine from the Basque region of Spain that we very much enjoyed when we were in San Sebastián last summer. This paired well with the food and was an immediate choice when we saw it on the menu.

If you like fish and seafood, we can recommend Fish!