Review: The Prince Albert, Battersea, south-west London

There's nothing I love more than a lazy pub lunch at the weekend. But considering how many pubs we have in this country, it can be pretty hard to find decent grub. So many pubs are below par - especially in London. But I've found a corker. Enter The Prince Albert, a gastropub overlooking Battersea Park.

We walked in towards the end of an England V Australia rugby match to a rousing atmosphere. We took our seat and poured over the menu before made the tough decision on what to order. I wanted something a little lighter so opted for the grilled aubergine, creamy melted goats cheese, oyster mushrooms, spiced tomato sauce and sourdough toast with a drizzle of what tasted like pesto. The flavours went complimented each other perfectly with none overpowering the other.

My boyfriend opted for his childhood favourite of corned beef. Only this time it was a little posher! With a pate type consistency, this homemade corned beef is topped with pickled mushrooms, roasted bone marrow and horseradish mayo. It was absolutely wolfed down within minutes so I think it was a success!

For mains I decided to pump for the fish and chips after spying a gentleman eating it on the table next door. A generous Young's Ale battered cod with mushy peas, tartare sauce and triple cooked chips was the order of the day. I often stay away for battered cod as it can sometimes be a bit too much grease but I needn't have worried this time. It had a perfect amount of crunch but didn't leave a lingering aftertaste of grease as many battered foods do. The chunky fluffy chips and sharp tartare were exactly what I was after.

Always a pie boy, my boyfriend picked the chicken, leek and mushroom pie in a rich creamy sauce topped with a layer of flaky puff pastry. I managed to sneak a mouthful and can confirmed that it was absolutely delicious. The shredded chicken was tender, the filling was generous and the side of garlic bobby beans were flavoursome.

Despite declaring we couldn't eat another thing, as soon as the dessert menu was offered our ears perked up. I knew exactly what I was having as soon as I glanced down. Sticky Toffee Pudding. Topped with caramelised crispy sliced bananas and drizzled in a generous layer toffee sauce with a side of cornflake ice cream. Perfection.  I have it on good authority that the lemon macerated strawberries with Chantilly cream and baby meringues was pretty delicious too.

The food was inventive, delicious and classic - I wish we could have tried more! The staff were friendly and attentive, But a special heads up to the Italian waiter who was cracking jokes and made us feel very welcomed. Thanks so much for a wonderful afternoon guys!

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OOTD: Green midi dress

Outfit:
Green midi broderie shirt dress: ASOS
Light wash denim jacket: Primark (similar)
Pony hair black block heeled sandals: New Look (similar)
Red leather Lily bag: Mulberry

I've been stockpiling lots of summer dresses ready for my trip to Copenhagen at the beginning of July. Which really means I've been obsessively checking the new in section on ASOS and buying lots of things I don't really need. Standard behaviour. One of the things I came across during my daily search was this green midi. It was lovely at first sight. A dress that goes from day to night. Perfect for a day exploring Copenhagen before retiring for dinner in the Danish city. Its casual enough to wander but smart enough to make it look like you've made an effort. What more could you want from a dress? I gave the dress a debut during a lazy Saturday walk around Battersea Park before feeding our faces at the Prince Albert pub. But more on that pub lunch in the next post. Spoiler. It was absolutely delicious!

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Review: Street Feast night market, Dalston, east London

Street Feast has been going for a while now but I've never quite made it down despite it being pretty high up on my 'must eat immediately' list. Dalston always seemed a little too out of the way for this lazy cat but boy am I regretting not jumping on the orange line sooner. Open April through to October, every weekend, Street Feast is based in the old slightly derelict Dalton Yard. Scattered with fire drums, rickety old chairs, make do tables and a holey roof, its the perfect place to gather up some friends and spent an evening stuffing your face and drinking like a fish. I want to go every week! Top tip - share portions so you get to try more. It's expensive but what's the point in going if you're not greedy right?

So what did we try?

Breddos Tacos
I knew these were one of my favourite street food stalls in London so managed to persuade/bully my boyfriend that these bad boys should be our first port of call. Turned out he loved them as much as me and declared them his favourite meal of the whole evening. We opted for a crispy fish taco topped with a creamy aioli sauce, radish and a crunchy chicken taco pilled up with a vegetable slaw, spicy sauce and coriander. I could have eaten these all night. Perfectly cooked, delicately flavoursome and addictively moreish.

White Men Can't Jerk
Caribbean food is one of my all-time favourite cuisines but it's so hard to do right. I had heard good things on the grapevine about WMCJ so was hoping they lived up to the hype. And they did. Just look at the delightful jerk chicken. What an utter beauty. The rice and peas alongside the crunchy slaw were the perfect accompaniment and helped to combat the fire in the chicken. One word of warning, do not put that yellow pepper in your mouth whole and eat it. Otherwise steam will start coming out of your ears and tears will start running down your face.

Mother Clucker
We wanted something simple for our last meal of the evening and how can you go wrong with some chicken tenders? You can't, you just can't. Strips of tea-brined, buttermilk dreaded fried chicken strips drizzled in a lime mayo and a hot sauce. These didn't feel like they had an ounce of grease on them and the chicken was deliciously tender. A great finale to the night.

Killa Dilla
New that week, this quesadilla track was just begging to be sampled. A smoked short rib with oozing mozzarella, a kick of blue cheese, spicy kimchi and pickled grilled red onion packed inside a toasted tortilla wrap. All served with a side of creamy avocado. The short beef was absolutely incredible and I'd have happily eaten the whole thing. But alas, I had to share. But I'd recommend you get one all to yourself.

Yum bun
A steamed bun was something else that my boyfriend had never had so I made sure we stopped here too so he could continue his food education. We decided to plump for one slow roasted pork belly with fresh cucumbers, spring onions and a glug of hoi sin sauce and another of roasted Portobello mushroom, toasted walnuts and a miso glaze. Both we absolutely lovely but the pork belly won for me. The mushroom came across a little bland in comparison.

Slider bar
A trio of bacon cheeseburgers were ordered and demolished within seconds. Slightly greasy but just how I like my burgers. A dirty burger if you will. The american cheese was generous and the crispy bacon was heavenly. The toasted sesame seed bun held together and soaked up the juices like a true champ. A winner all round.

Drinks
The Gin Store store is a must visit for any gin fiends - over 40 different types to choose from I think. Gin heaven. The Rum shack is also a good shout for potent cocktails. You heard it here. The can hatch is great if you're into craft beer.

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