Qype: Sabor Restaurant in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Latin American - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - International


Sabor is simply my favourite South American restaurant in London! The ingredients are top quality, the dishes very creative, the vibe is just great and the selection of Argentinean and Chilean wines perhaps one of the most complete in London. I normally go for the ceviches, followed by Argentinean steaks, and never missed a classic caipirinha or a pisco sour and an Argentinean Malbec. Finally, as Colombian I should also point out that this is not the traditional Latin American restaurant, but a very well thought and vibrant concept.

Check out my review of Sabor Restaurant - I am juancvargas - on Qype

Qype: Ruby in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops


Ruby is always full -a very good sign of quality/value for money. For a fiver you can get massive sandwiches –it’s hard to make up one’s mind as the beef, chicken and chorizo sandwiches are all very good, and my colleagues also say the pastas and other dishes are equally good. Strongly recommended!

Check out my review of Ruby - I am juancvargas - on Qype

Qype: Me-N-U in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - European


Go to Me-N-U on a weekly basis for take away lunches, and I'd say it's one of my favourite places in the area. For a fiver you can get a decent portion of pasta, a pizza or a daily special, plus dessert or drinks. Bread is also free! They also do breakfasts and sandwiches but I haven't tried them yet. Honestly, a must in the area.

Check out my review of Me-N-U - I am juancvargas - on Qype

Sunday (06/01)

I met up Luis and Emi and what really impressed me out of seeing them is the fact that they look very tranquil and happy. I was helping them to get a new laptop so we studied a few models before carrying out the purchase. Then they took me to this Mediterranean restaurant called Little Bay which I found extremely good and at a very convenient price. I started with some pig cheeks and then had the salmon, all very well presented and extremely tasty.

A three-course menu before seven o’clock is just £9.50

Monday (29/10)

This year, Sabor’s staff party was earlier than normally, but we also celebrate different other things, Laurent's birthday and Roberto's official farewell. Esnayder & Tim picked this stunning Asian restaurant by Camden Town, Gilgamesh, which is beautifully decorated with traditional artefacts that make you feel as if you were somewhere else in the world. Although the food was rather interesting, the portions were a bit too small and I have got the impression that the bill did not represent what we factually had. On top of everything, it was a rather pricy and the service was a bit too pushy, which makes it hard for you to enjoy the night. Despite everything, I did enjoy and had a good laugh.

Friday night (17/08)

I haven’t seen my friend Panos for ages and as it was his Name Day last Friday we found the perfect excuse to catch up. He’d reserved a table in Apollonia, a Greek restaurant by Tottemham Court Road, but we came to know at the last minute that they’ve moved from there a while ago. Anyway, we ended up in Elysee, another Greek restaurant where we were also promised some Greek customs such as smashing plates and live music. The food was fine, the wines acceptable, the service a bit too pushy, smashing plates is extremely funny, the live music very nice, so overall we had a good time. Then we headed towards Freedom in Soho where we had several rounds of ‘mojitos’. Esnayder and Maria took control of the dancing pole and we just had a laugh out of it. I’m really glad Panos and Maria are staying in London for another year and so is Zicos… look forward to Panos’ birthday in a few weeks’ time.

With regards to the Greek custom of smashing plates, I was told it hasn’t happened in Greece for the past 20 years, and used to be an expression of men’s pride and wealthy after the dictatorship’s times.

Saturday night (23/06)

Although el Aguajal might not be the most glamorous place ever, the ceviche -a technique to cook raw food marinating it in citrus juices- I tried has been one of the tastiest one I’ve ever had. My host also gave me to try traditional Peruvian liquor, 7 Raices, made of a blend of seven traditional plants from the Amazon rainforest which according to the rumours has aphrodisiac powers. Would recommend this place for some food, specially the traditional Amazon menu.

Then in the night we went to Mercado, a bar/restaurant located in a convenient corner of Stoke Newington Church Street; it was a good finding not only because of the general atmosphere, nice, friendly people, but also because I’m getting tired of the same sort of cliché places in London. The only drawback is getting served; bartenders cannot cope with the crowd therefore it takes quite a while being notice -even though I knew a couple of them. Will wait until the smoking ban starts but definitely come back soon!

Retsina

From the very first time I tried Greek food I fell in love for it, it is rich, tasty and flavoursome. I haven’t heard much of Greek wines but was invited to have dinner with some friends who cooked the most amazing dishes and introduced me to this new variety.
When it comes to Retsina, opinions are divided, some people can’t stand it but others love it, I am in the second group. This Greek wine, called the wine of Gods, has a strong flavour coming from the pine resin used in the elaboration process.
I've tried it with a very nice Greek dish, tiger prawns in a tomato sauce and feta cheese flamed with ouzo and some herbs and spices like cinnamon. A must, Yamas!

Sunday night (15/04)

Another terrific night at Sabor; Tim and Esnayder were celebrating not only another anniversary of the restaurant but also of them together. The party was held at the restaurant premises on a sunny Sunday where the food was to lick one’s fingers: paella, suckling pig, red snapper, etc, the drinks as usual fantastic, from the cocktails -passion fruit daiquiris, margaritas and pisco sours- to the nice selection of wine, mainly some Chilean J. Bouchon and Argentinean Luigi Bosca. To heat up the atmosphere a Colombian trio performed Latin music just after the dinner. We all -around 100 people- enjoyed the party and obviously the chance to catch up with the others, I spent most of the time talking about jobs, travelling and living in London with Panos & Maria, Ean & Anita, Morten among others who I haven’t seen for ages. See some footage on Youtube here.
Things have changed a lot since the restaurant was opened and events like the one held yesterday made me think about the way I have evolved becoming part of this family. Cheers!

Eating out

As one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, London offers tourists and locals a wide range of alternatives when eating out is concerned; having said that, this range goes from traditional British food to the cutting-edge molecular one, passing by Chinese, French, Mexican, Spanish, Turkish and so on and so forth.

Perhaps the main thing that puts people off from eating out is the price, London is terribly expensive and on top of everything in certain restaurants you are given a time to eat after which you can have perhaps a drink in the bar.

I'm trying to wisely spend my money going to some well-known restaurants mainly around East London. In fact, I'm making a list of which restaurants people should go to based on recommendations. There you go:

• Almeida (French) X
• Bacchus (molecular)
• Bistrotheque (French)
• El Rincon Latino (Spanish)
• Frederick's (French)
• Gallipoli (Turkish) X
• Galvin (French)
• Julie's Restaurant (British)
• Le Palais du Jardin (French)
• Osteria Antica Bologna (Italian) X
• Ottolenghi (fusion) X
• Sabor (Latin American) X
• Santa Maria del Buen Ayre (Argentinean)
• Song Que Cafe (Vietnamese) X
• St. John (British)
• The Electric (gastropub) X
• The Elk in the Woods (gastropub)
• The Garrisons (gastropub)
• The Real Greek (Greek) X
• The Rivington (British)
• The Spitz (gastropub)
• The Twelfth House (British) X

Prices per person are between £20-£50 (glass of wine and service are included)