Flesh & Buns

Smack bang in the middle of London's Covent garden is Ross Shonan's new little Izakaya baby. Following his success with meaty-eatery Bone Daddies - just a few minutes round the corner - Shonan launched his Japanese come burger bar restaurant, Flesh & Buns. 

Hidden just behind the hustle and bustle of Neal Street, Earlham Street boasts a rather dinky entrance naaat leading to a vast cellar of sharer tables, booths and an extremely generous bar.

Super huge grin in anticipation of the ridiculous amount of food to be consumed.

What I'm Wearing: Cos T-shirt, Gap Forever Stretch Legging Jeans & Zara Metallic Brogues.

Hop into the booth and get ordering a few 'hard' but super pretty drinks.

That little yellow guy on the right. Yeah. That's a frozen yuzu margartia. Pure frozen delicious heaven. Just keep 'em coming.

And now for some starters.

Well these lasted all about 5 seconds. As soon as they were snapped, the girls dove in like vultures to get their hands on some of the tempura goodness.

The most devine soft shell crab. One of my favourite foods and cooked to perfection here.

Fried squid dusted in Japanese pepper.

Chicken yakitori skewers.

 Humongous tempura prawns with yuzu ponzo.

Rae and Em thoroughly enjoying their pretty drinks.

A few cocktails down and the anticipation slighlty building for the infamous dish...

BUN TIME!

Steamed & slightly sweet, these Chinese bāozi buns are the Western answer to brioche pattys. Good enough to scoff down on their own, but wait and see all the goodies they give you to put inside.

Jesse and I opted for the Sirloin Steak complete with wafu dress which is melt in the mouth delicious. 

The others went for the Peking duck, pulled off the bone at the table. 

I am a huge burger fan, and getting to build my own just the way I like it is way more fun!

Just look at that bad boy.

Perfection!

Just look at Laura's hoisin drizzling talent.

Baskets of buns later and its desert time!

Naturally we had to go for the smores. Hello! They come with your very own fire pit. Who in their right mind could possibly resist?! 

Marshmallow on a stick and slices of green tea chocolate and crackers to build your very own campfire treat. 

Just a quick 'How-To' for those less experienced smore sandwich makers...

1. Toast to perfection (whilst avoiding setting it alight).

2. Place in-between the two crackers and of course add the slither of green tea chocolate for some extra deliciousness.

3. Squeeze and demolish. 

Don't eat it all in one go, as you'll want to seriously savour every last bite. 

Let's not forget to mention the black sugar donuts.

Bigger than my entire fist and jam-packed full of deliciously creamy black sugar sauce.

Ahhh I'm in desert heaven.

Whether you're looking for a laid back escape in the centre of London, or a cool location to impress your friends, then this place for you. With mouthwateringly exciting food, great atmosphere and delicious cocktails, this little restaurant is quickly becoming one of my favourite eatiers in London. 

I dare you not to love it.

Find Flesh & Buns at 41 Earlham Street and be sure to book online (click here) or call up (020 7632 9500) for a booking to avoid disappointment as they are bursting at the seams at peak times.

Getting super hungry writing this post, click here to check out their tantalising menu. Cannot wait for my return visit next week. 

Speedy Shrimp Curry

After a long day at work with rushed commuters barging into you to get last last seat on the train and your tummy rumbling away with the thoughts of that Pret sandwich eaten all those many hours ago. The last thing you want to do is slave away in the kitchen for hours, so before you go grabbing those take away menu's here is the perfect quick dinner fix, taking you no longer than 10 minutes to whip up. A twist on a traditional thai dish, this curry has just the perfect heat to just make you all toasty inside which is much needed with the ridiculous snow storm in Leeds yesterday afternoon. If you're not much of a spice fiend then just loose the chilli and this ones a keeper.

Here's what you need;

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic gloves, crushed

1 medium chilli, seeded & finely chopped

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 tablespoon on fish sauce

1 table spoon of red curry paste

1 tin coconut milk

1 lime

200g large prawns

100g baby corn

100g sugar snaps

Dash of salt & pepper

Splash of olive oil

Start by heating up your pan and add a splash of olive oil. When hot, throw in the chopped onions, garlic and chilli and sauté until soft, but not brown. 

Add a splash of fish sauce.

Pour in the coconut milk and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add a generous spoonful of red thai curry paste and a big squeeze of tomato puree and leave to reduce for about 5 minutes until it develops a gorgeous golden colour. Remember to stir the curry, to stop it from sticking.

Approx 2 minutes before serving add the veg and the prawns to warm though/cook. (Remember if youre using raw prawns, be sure to add them before you add the coconut milk to ensure they are cooked through)

Before serving add the juice of half a lime and a bit of salt and pepper, and stir through. 

And you're done!

Completely up to you what to serve it with, noodles, rice or just have as a soup dish. 

Easy as 1 - 2  - 3, and ready in just 10 minutes (the longer you cook it for the more the mixture reduces so feel free to continue to reduce for a thicker result). 

Serve up immediately and with a wedge of lime for the perfect finish.