london burrito bars

The rise of the burrito bar in London has been slow but stealthy over the past few years and a rash of them has been spreading over the capital. Although I'm late in celebrating it I'm enjoying this Cali-Mexican inspired fast food revolution not least of which because there's finally something for the veggies to enjoy. I'm also trying to convince myself that the blend of roasted peppers, coriander rice, beans and salsas isn't wildly unhealthy although add lashings of sour cream, guacamole and cheese and the sheer size of the things and I think I can assure myself that they are not waistline friendly.

Anyway, the reason I've held off for so long, apart from not being able to get any decent images of the tasty sloppiness, is that last night I finally visited Benito's Hat who have a new-ish branch in Covent Garden and my word, it was good. See the thing is that the quality can be variable - with no love in the ingredients the flavour suffers. Witness the poor attempt from the new Daddy Donkey stall this weekend which was a flavourless and over-hot mass of white rice, beans and sour cream. A serious lack of love, Mr LROC informs me that his braised pork version was better.

Similarly disappointing was the offering from Chipotle, an American chain import with an outlet on Charing Cross road. The store itself had a bland corporate interior, the burrito was good enough, but for a store named after a flavoursome smokey chilli, to not offer anything with actual Chipotle in, not a marinade, not a salsa, was beyond disappointing. The staff didn't even seem to know what it was.

Meanwhile, my personal favourites include Chilangos on Upper Street, whose marinated peppers are delicious and customer service are top notch, taking time to reply to comment cards personally. I also love their colourful and engaging interior - it feels like Mexican food when you're surrounding by vibrant images of 'the DF' and listening to their upbeat tunes.

Another special mention goes to Benito's Hat - having tried them yesterday I have to say I think they're the pick of the bunch. Fresh and tasty ingredients, friendly staff, a great atmosphere and the most tasty guacamole ever. The good news is that I might be a little closer to their Goodge Street branch more often, the bad news is that I don't think it's going to help with the diet.

mildred's

Last Saturday, following a potter round the National Portrait Gallery to see the portrait prize exhibition and a few alpine lagers at the John Snow, we headed to a fellow Soho institution; vegetarian restaurant Mildred's.

London review of cakes has been a vegetarian for the last 14 years (with a recent foray into fish) so to have the entire menu to choose from is really quite a privilege. Everything is vegetarian and there is a wide selection of vegan, gluten and wheat free dishes too and the best bit is that it doesn't seem in the least bit sanctiminous or wholefood-y, in fact the dining room itself, the menu and the staff are all rather stylish in a Soho kinda way.

Beginning with an organic vegan abbey brewed Belgian beer, unusual because they are normally not veggie at all, called Daas. It rivalled the better known Belgians for taste and maltiness.

I went on the enjoy the artichoke crostini with lemon aioli and the burrito (which I was warned was hot but I have a seasoned habanero-liking mouth and found it completely fine) all of which were delicious. However it was the puddings that were truly divine - if only being meat or dairy free meant they were guilt free too.

I opted for the white chocolate and pistachio cheesecake, and my dining companion Kathy went for crumble, which in the photo below looks more like a kind of cheesey soup but that was just the copious amounts of custard it was served with.

Now I don't actually like crumble although I know thousands do, I've been soul searching about why this is for some time now and I've come to the conclusion that I don't like anything I was ever made to cook at School and was then served reheated at dinnertime, having been carted round for the best part of the day in a warmed up school rucksack. This all stems from the first time I ever made food at my first playgroup aged about 3; we made marzipan balls and I promptly vomited them up on the way home. Now I have to pick it off cakes lest I be reminded of those sweet balls gently patted by sweaty chubby baby hands. But I digress, and I was reliably informed that the crumble was muy deliciosa.

The cheesecake was perfect - just the right texture and with a gently baked crust. The addition of pistachios added a delightful crunch, and the base was crunchy, sweet and not at all dry.

Next time you're in Soho and fancy a meat free dinner in a great, casual little restaurant then give Mildred's a try. They also own Mrs Marengho's - a nearby deli and takeaway of the kind that makes me wish my office was near civilisation.

Walking back to the tube station, as the evening was beginning to get dark, I also had the chance to complete one of my first 'assignments' from Tom Ang's Digital Photography Masterclass. Purchased at a bargain price of £5 to help improve my photography skills, the first task was 'capturing city lights' so the neon lights in Soho's 'sex alley' - the thoroughfare connecting Berwick and Brewer streets seemed like the perfect place to begin. Let me know what you think.