raistlyn's Qype profile

I have many fond memories of Kam Fung, most of which date back to my student days over a decade ago. Kam Fung, in my opinion, is one of London's best-kept secrets. It's a great value no-frills Chinese restaurant with amazingly friendly service (astounding, given the levels of service you normally expect in a Chinese restaurant). The waitresses, some of whom have been there since I was a student, can all speak decent English, and, more importantly, have a great memory for regulars and their orders.

In terms of food, the servings are huge, so my advice is to either restrict yourself from ordering too much (one main and a starter is more than enough), or go with a large group. The 'nai tong'- the complimentary bowl of soup served to everyone as a pre-starter - is absolutely delicious.

There's also a 'secret' menu - one printed entirely in Mandarin for those with the ability to understand the language. Naturally, it contains dishes which aren't on the English menu.

So, despite all of my praise, why am I only giving this four stars? It's because my favourite dish here - nasi lemak - is no longer on the menu, not even on the secret menu. It's the only thing I have ever eaten here, and, despite its lack of authenticity (it came with a side of *mussels*), was mouth-wateringly delicious. It's also the one dish that seems to be the most talked about if you find a review on this place. 

(Well, the day I found out they didn't have nasi lemak any more, I was forced to order something else. That was the Hainanese chicken rice, and that is, much like the Nasi Lemak, definitely not authentic. It didn't come with the proper chilli or black soya sauce, both of which are the main reasons I eat chicken rice. The steamed chicken was juicy and soft though, I'll give it that.)

Foxcroft and Ginger in Boxpark was pretty much, in my view, the best place to hang out in the entire shopping complex (as it were). It had a good selection for brunch, friendly-enough staff and decent coffee. If my praise seems rather mild, it's because I experienced excellent service on one occasion and almost-indifferent on another, so I'm not sure which one is the norm and the other, the exception.

Despite that, it's a shame that F&G is now closed. It was by far the most consistent, especially in terms of opening hours, of all of the food outlets in Boxpark. I remember one frustrating Sunday morning (after 11.30 am) spent wandering from one food place to another one Sunday morning only to be told by each seemingly-open outlet that it wasn't open for business (despite advertising opening hours from 11 am). 

This is the Singapore equivalent of Colette in Paris. A great little shop full of brands lovingly sourced from all over the world by the owners. Things aren't cheap here, but they're not crazily priced either. Staff are friendly (not pushy) and knowledgeable. They were happy to recommend more reasonably-priced alternatives when we balked at the prices of some of the items we picked up.

Giddy Up Guildhall - quite possibly London's first dedicated al fresco brew bar - is a coffee stall located right smack in the middle of the majestic Guildhall Courtyard. It only serves drip coffee, much to the dismay of many a punter too used to espresso-based drinks, but, if you have the time and are 'adventurous' enough to venture out of your comfort zone, then you won't regret trying one of Giddy Up Guildhall's wonderous filters.

The stall uses a variety of methods to brew their coffees, including the Aeropress, Chemex and Vario 60 cone filter, all of which produce variances in the taste of the coffee. Far from the strong black stuff that you might be used to, the filters I've tried here have been amazing light and almost sweet at times, and have almost converted me from being a flat-white-only drinker. 

Aside from the novelty of the almost-science-lab set-up, the baristas at work here are often chatty and happy to educate. They've certainly been happy to let me borrow a chair and sit down with my lunch and watch them ply their trade.

What's the downside here? Well, it's a brew bar. It takes time for a coffee to be made, so if you're in a rush and you only have five to ten minutes to spare, this wouldn't be the place for you. Otherwise, the coffee's well worth the wait, with the banter being a bonus.

I learnt about Addie's from people who generally don't ever go to Earl's Court. Yes, it's got a reputation that has spread far and wide. I've only been here twice so far as I don't live in the area (the most recent visit being this week), but it's well worth a visit, and is a great stop on your way back in if you've decided to drive out somewhere outside of London.

Anyway, let's get down to the restaurant itself. Addie's has got great decor but is rather small. Hence, if you're able to book, you should. Staff... well, I think 90% of them are incredibly friendly, while there was one who seemed a bit surly and abrupt while taking our order, saying "And then?" in a rather sharp tone after every item we ordered. Still, the rest of the staff were friendly and smile-y so it wasn't enough to put us off.

The food was absolutely divine. I'd gone for the pork neck in tamarind sauce as a side dish and it was delicious. The sauce was very spicy though and almost killed me. My friend's masamman curry was not bad, but he said he'd had better elsewhere. The pad thai, which every Thai restaurant has to serve, was good, and looked very pretty with an egg lattice over the top. Be sure to mix in the chicken floss and crushed peanuts on the side before eating though. My friend didn't and missed out on the crunchy, savoury extras.

Our bill wasn't too bad. Came up to £22 each including a drink and service for quite a fair bit of food.