Paddington Lunch Box

Paddington Lunch Box

  • Bella Italia

    Bella Italia

    Ahhh back to the office once again, but at least we get to collaborate in meetings together.

    Unless your meeting room is cancelled by a piece of paper.

    Yep someone put a piece of paper on the door of the meeting room we’d booked saying “room booked for **very important stuff** all day”. Which apparently over-rides electronically-managed bookings. Is this the 2000’s again?

    Well it might as well be the 2000’s as I went to Bella Italia. Who knew they still existed?

    Just in case you cannot remember your last visit to Bella Italia in 2002, they mostly serve pasta and pizza.

    I’m not one normally to eschew pizza but also January…trying to be healthy…aaarrrgghh what to do?

    Half a pizza with salad, of course.

    Sure, it looks like a children’s meal, plus the salad because what kind of child eats salad?

    The salad was pretty ordinary, though the cherry tomatoes were really fresh – nicer than the supermarket ones in January. A tiny bit of balsamic glaze…because it might still be 2002 outside.

    Pizza seemed to be a more sourdough base, the tomato seemed more like supermarket tomato passata, the cheese I noticed more in terms of texture than flavour – the pepperoni a little crispy, but gorgeous.

    It’s pretty hard to dislike a pepperoni pizza, and this was a decent effort. I kind of expected to scorn it, but actually I quite liked it.

    Score of 6.9 out of 10 overall.

    Next week, a visit to Jamie’s Italian. Maybe. And more meeting room bookings cancelled by a piece of paper on the door. Definitely.

  • From The Ashes Parilla @ Market Halls

    From The Ashes Parilla @ Market Halls

    Christmas was approaching so there was only one thing to do – find another Christmas sandwich at Market Halls. Tell me you do the same?

    So it was the turn of From The Ashes Parilla – I’ve eaten their food before and always been impressed.

    Alas, this was a bit underwhelming – a bit like Christmas Day when you are an adult.

    So it turns up as a ciabatta (ish) sandwich cut in half with a bowl of gravy.

    Said gravy was cold and didn’t really taste of anything.

    The bread was pretty good quality to be fair, a little crispy on the outside.

    The bacon was very crispy – too much for my tastes, the sausages decent enough but were still kind of ordinary, not a herby butcher’s sausage that you might expect. Or at least hope for at Christmas. Maybe I really was badly behaved this year. Maybe Santa is actually my CEO and he has seen that I hate commuting.

    Turkey slices were reasonable, quite tender and juicy for turkey.

    It’s a tricky one to judge From The Ashes Parilla from their Christmas sandwich – really the correct thing to do is to go to their smoker at The Five Points Courtyard and order the short-rib.

    This was never going to live up to that, but I do feel more effort and love could have been put into this Christmas sandwich.

    My score is a 6.1 out of 10. But it is just one sandwich…they are far better than this.

  • 20ft Fried Chicken @ Market Halls

    20ft Fried Chicken @ Market Halls

    It is the season for choosing whether to freeze on the way to work and cope with the office temperature, or cope with the outside temperature and boil in the office.

    And it is also the season for Christmas sandwiches – this week at 20ft Fried Chicken.

    Or Crimbmo Sando’s, if you are linguistically challenged.

    Sadly they’d run out of stuffing, for the Crimbo Sando (please don’t make me type this again), though I still fancied that more than the Pigs in Blanket burger that seems to have no pigs in blankets, from what I can see.

    However, stuffing was replaced with an extra chicken tender, so all was not lost, apart from the spirit of Christmas. Sorry, spirit of Crimbo.

    So I had to use a knife and fork, which given my distaste of the spelling of sandwich, you might not be too surprised by.

    The chicken tenders were excellent – juicy and perfectly cooked. There was some kind of spicy sauce, tomato-ish perhaps – unexpected too.

    Cabbage was softly braised, the bread a bit basic – with missing crusts. Why? Or do sando’s not have crusts on all 4 sides?

    Finally, the only bit which perhaps remained Christmas-ish, the chicken gravy which looked weird and there was far too little of, but also was quite heavenly in a minimal way. Lots of chicken fat going on in that gravy.

    Rating? Oh I don’t know…7 out of 10 perhaps? I’d go again to 20ft Fried Chicken, but I love fried chicken nearly half as much as working from home.

  • Treelogy Speciality Coffee Paddington

    Treelogy Speciality Coffee Paddington

    It is the time of year to go to the office to get cold or flu.

    But at least I can collaborate. Oh…by myself…because everyone else is ill.

    Oh well. This week I went for a wander to Treelogy Speciality Coffee Paddington (a name that rolls off the tongue), which apparently specialises in coffee, but I don’t really drink coffee.

    But I do eat paninis.

    They don’t have many options. Other than the one I chose, I saw some kind of aubergine-influenced panini, a smoked salmon bagel and a ham & cheese croissant. All solid options.

    I think they might specialise in coffee.

    If you include the eating in tax, it came to a slightly wincing £10.50. Yep, £10.50 for a panini. Probably Sadiq Khan’s fault. No I cannot justify why that would be, but we should blame him for everything we don’t like in London, according to scholars on X.

    Yet it was an enjoyable panini. I might have liked the mortadella ham more with a little toasting, but it was light yet had some depth to it.

    The panini was perfectly toasted, the mozzarella oozy, and the olive oil dribbled out – so no shortage of good quality ingredients.

    I think maybe a 7 out of 10 for Treelogy Speciality Coffee Paddington.

    I’m struggling to rate it too high because…£10.50. But it probably is the best panini I’ve had in the area.

  • The Bridge House, Little Venice

    The Bridge House, Little Venice

    Another week, another pub – this time The Bridge House in Little Venice.

    And another week, another slow commute to work. Another person who hasn’t worked out how to use a ticket barrier. Another person who switches ticket barrier lane to push in front of people.

    How did I used to do this 5 days a week?

    Anyway. Pub time. The Bridge House is a proper pub, and actually has a couple of half-decent IPAs on. Alas…working. Granted I am allowed to drink, and heck I’ve been known to drink at my desk, but I tend to eschew.

    There’s both an extensive main menu, along with a sandwich and drink menu – and it was the latter I plumped for, as £12.50 for a sandwich, fries and an apple juice is actually quite reasonable value for 2025.

    The fries were a bit of a mix, they were freshly cooked but also slightly over-cooked, some had a satisfying crisp to them, others were a bit floppy.

    For the sandwich itself, the ciabatta was nicely toasted – though I’d suggested supermarket ciabattas can have a nice texture.

    Generally the ingredients seemed fresh, at least the rocket, avocado and tomato – maybe the chicken was from a pre-cooked packet, it was of that quality.

    The bacon was smoked, and that was probably the highlight of the meal.

    It was all a bit underwhelming, but pleasant enough for £12.50 – and the apple juice was good.

    Rating of 6.30. Comparing a sandwich with a salad probably isn’t the best comparison I can make, but I’d go to The Union again for their salad, I doubt I’ll be back to The Bridge House. But I stress it seemed like decent value…so there is that to it.

  • The Union (Paddington)

    The Union (Paddington)

    Here’s a surprisingly little story about a pub called The Union.

    What wasn’t a surprise was my train being delayed in the morning.

    But at least I was on my way for my weekly trip to the office to collaborate by myself because all my meetings had been moved to the next day.

    Oh well. I collaborated with myself in choosing to go to The Union, a slightly garishly modern “pub”, with exposed air vents, and far too much bright red for a pub. A spacious place though, and plenty of empty tables to make a solo diner comfortable enough.

    The more interesting things were probably on the starters menu, quite how I eschewed the chorizo croquettes I’m not sure, plus I ignored the Greek salad, honey and sriracha chicken (gosh I love sriracha), halloumi, avocado on toast…yet I didn’t even look at the starters until I’d ordered.

    My eyes were on the chicken schnitzel – it seemed kind of not too unhealthy for a lunch. Maybe bar the truffle mayo.

    And then the surprise happened. Really fresh tomatoes and actually tasted like tomatoes that you get abroad – not just the mass-produced Greenhouse shit from the UK.

    The fennel worked really well together with the rocket, along with some lemon juice.

    Oh and the truffle mayo was banging. I thought I was done with truffle. I wasn’t.

    Finally, the chicken schnitzel – well, I’m guessing it was probably re-fried as I’d had fresher fried chicken, but I still enjoyed the crunch of the chicken, it was juicy inside too.

    There was no pecorino though. Not sure what happened there.

    Lunch including an apple juice and service charge came to £21.38.

    Surprisingly good pub food, but then again…maybe it isn’t a pub. My rating is an 8.10 out of 10. I will be going back in due course.

  • Galleria Restaurant (Bayswater)

    Galleria Restaurant (Bayswater)

    OMG team lunch. This time at Galleria Restaurant which is closer to Bayswater than Paddington itself – but more or less walking distance. As long as you like walking and it isn’t pissing down with rain.

    The restaurant itself was pleasant – not quite as pleasant as having a week off commuting thanks to the RMT and their strikes, but I guess we cannot wish for too much.

    Pleasant, except for the blurry rugs on the wall, which confused me into thinking I was drunk. But otherwise it’s a pastel-ish place with proper furniture and plenty of light.

    There was, of course, far too much on the menu.

    I’ve come to realise that quite often when you stray into less traditional cuisine – oh I should mention that Galleria Restaurant is Persian, that you tend to find the more interesting dishes in the starters, and this proved the case at Galleria Restaurant.

    The mains sound interesting when read in Persian, Jujej Mahksous, for example, which in English is just a skewer of minced lamb and a skewer of chicken. Would I learn anything by just ordering that?

    The first dish I had was the Mirza Ghasemi, which fine, I didn’t love but it was interesting. Very creamy in texture, but also smokey – well, more burnt than smokey to taste.

    I couldn’t really taste the tomato which was supposedly in there, the garlic and especially the egg I could.

    As I said, I didn’t love it, it was too burnt-tasting for my tastes.

    The bread was kind of a cross between flatbread and naan – and perhaps a bit more floury than either. Useful for the Mirza Ghasemi, but I didn’t actually need it.

    Despite loving aubergine, the lamb kotlet impressed more.

    The texture was delightfully fried, the lamb mince came across punchily, but I’d guess there was at least some onion and egg in there too, and a little spice – say paprika, ish.

    Overall Galleria Restaurant is a pretty decent place. Is it the best place for Persian food in London? Probably not, but it’s the only place I’ve been to, so I have nothing to compare it to.

    Service was effective if not effusively so, the food came to £20.00, plus service charge.

    Rating of 7.10.

  • The Pasty Shop, Paddington Station

    The Pasty Shop, Paddington Station

    Yes it was another one of those weeks where money has disappeared so I went for the cheapest place that I’ve not yet eaten at – The Pasty Shop.

    The rain has returned, I had no money, I had little energy yet I had to go sit in a warm and stuffy office because.

    Thank fuck for the tube strike.

    Anyway, let’s talk about something far worse – dried up pasties.

    Ooooh what to choose…chicken and mushroom, cornish steak, steak and ale or a sausage roll. There was probably some token vegan thing too…but I had no interest in being healthy. I was at a pasty shop.

    I went for the steak and ale. Cannot go wrong with steak and ale…right?

    On the outside it looked a bit limp, but it was the inside where you can truly see what I experienced:

    Look at that thick level of dried up pasty on the left. Urgh, and yes, it was as dry as it tasted.

    The beef itself was alright, and the ale taste of the sauce inside was actually good. There was just about enough filling too…even if some of it seemed to be potato. And I’m pretty sure I didn’t order a steak, potato and ale pie.

    Many years ago I would visit a pie shop in Reading, and it was amazing how much carrot would end up in all types of pie that never once advertised carrots.

    Oh well. Maybe I’ll just go for an actual steak next time.

    My score for The Pasty Shop is a 4.00 out of 10. Though I reckon it would be a good chunk higher, were it relatively freshly cooked.

  • Turmeric Kitchen

    Turmeric Kitchen

    Hidden within a hotel, which is also hidden within those gorgeous terraced houses near Paddington station, is Turmeric Kitchen.

    But first, reason 754 why I hate commuting.

    Normally my train to London in the morning has 12 carriages. Yet this morning it had 4 carriages. I didn’t even bother attempting sardines.

    Of course, the next train was then too busy, and then someone dropped their phone on the tracks to delay the one after.

    But my day did get better.

    Turmeric Kitchen is an Indian restaurant…but it also sells burgers.

    I was offended, even if my Indian colleagues weren’t.

    But aside from that, the menu just had far too many options.

    How do you even think about what to have?

    I saw the word “fiery” under the description for Laal Maas and that was my decision pretty much. The other one I was really tempted by was the Murgh Makhani, or maybe the Lamb Shank, or maybe the Smoked Aubergine, or maybe the…you get the point.

    Turmeric Kitchen looks quite upmarket with the walnut furnishings and an open kitchen – though prices are stunningly cheap. The food did take quite a long time to arrive, we did have a large table, but from being sat to being served probably wasn’t far off an hour.

    Yes, it’s all really well presented, but even more importantly it was gorgeous.

    The lamb was nicely cooked, the gravy was quite fragrant and aromatic and it was nicely spicy – the heat growing somewhat as you went on, but not uncomfortably, at least not for me. Then again, I often complain about a lack of spice.

    The naan was superb too. Garlic and coriander, it had bubbled up delightfully in a way that would never happen at home, toasted just the right amount.

    The only downsides was that service was a bit slow for a lunchtime escape from the office, I did have to get up and get extra water for the table, and chase our bill. But these are minor quibbles for the exceptional quality of the food.

    Easily the best Indian food I’ve had in ages, and easily the best lunch in Paddington so far. Expect this post to be updated with a re-visit soon enough!

    Rating of 9.1 out of 10. Whoa.

    Alas, then it was time to go back to an office without air conditioning…in a heatwave.

    ***

    So I went back a couple of months later for the Murgh Makhani.

    Delightfully presented again, to the point where I smiled inside when I received the meal. Possibly on the outside too.

    It wasn’t quite as impressive as the Laal Maas on my previous visit – the most impressive part was the ridiculously creamy sauce, how do you get something so glorious? Also the after-spice was pleasant, in a tingling but moderate way.

    The chicken itself felt a little taut – the texture wasn’t quite what I’d hope from chicken thigh.

    The roti was good enough but slightly cremated to bottom – I’ve had better roti elsewhere.

    Turmeric Kitchen is still my favourite place around here, though I’m lowering the score a tad.

    ***

    Average rating of 8.60.

  • Upper Crust

    Upper Crust

    I was a little grumpy, which is not the best mood when you have a first date after work.

    And then I decided that I hadn’t spent enough time on the transport network going to and from the office to sit by myself all day not talking to anyone, except in a 2 hour meeting, that I’d go back to Paddington train station.

    And visit Upper Crust.

    I’ve always thought of these chain places as being pretty shit, you know the other ones like Pasty Co and…well I cannot remember their names, they are probably all called Upper Crust. I had possibly the world’s most miserable ever sausage sandwich at one of these type of stalls in King’s Cross once.

    Anyway, Upper Crust in Paddington has a rating of 4.7 on Google Maps. So maybe it is good?

    Some of the baguette selection
    Some more of the baguette selection

    Upper Crust pretty much sell just baguettes, though I was tempted by the feta and spinach melt.

    My eyes was on the chicken and avocado salad baguette though – a baguette because I needed something filled with the nervous joys of a first date to get through that evening.

    Me holding a very crispy baguette

    I sat down outside to watch the golf in the rain – and to compound the misery of golf, my baguette had become very crusty, in the upper realms of possibility.

    The filling was generous enough for £5.99, no complaints there – certainly more generous than Pret.

    The chicken was fine, avocado silky, mayo light and minimum, with no complaints about the salad, if nothing especially interesting either.

    But, holy crust, the baguette was overcooked and stale.

    A score of 4.7 out of 10 (definitely not a Google star rating) due to how miserable eating the baguette was.

    Of course, I spilled some avocado on my crotch. And no, there will be no second date. Gosh I hate the London dating scene even more than burnt baguettes.