Friday Night Dinner: Zylia

The former TGI Fridays site in Covent Garden has been replaced by a food and cocktail court arrangement. There is a coffee shop and pancake place, but also a few restaurants around the perimeter with their own entrance. One of these is Zylia, a Greek/Cypriot restaurant.

Most of the dishes on the menu are meant for the table, so going with the sharing approach we opted for a selection of cold and warm Mezedakia to start. Their Taramosalata was probably one of the best variants that we've had. It wasn't oily, or overly salty, but thick and flavourful. Some of the bread that we ordered with it had the resemblance of a supermarket burger bun sliced vertically, oiled and seeded. It was also a bit salty, and the pittas served alongside were better.

We also shared the Spanakopita stack, consisting of crispy layers of filo pastry, with generous dollops of soft feta and spinach. The fried cheese croquettes were ball-shaped, and super hot fresh out of the fryer. They came with a sticky honey sauce.

From the Grill, we shared the Sheftalia (caul fat-wrapped pork parcels, think koftas), and the Chicken Souvlakia — marinated chicken thighs with lemon oil and oregano. Both meats were nicely cooked, and also full of flavour.

It is a bustling place, with a young audience. But it was also just a bit too noisy, to the point where it was difficult to have a conversation. The food however is delightful, and our five selected dishes were spot on quantity wise.

Spanakopita Stack
Spanakopita Stack
1 / 6
Taramosalata
Taramosalata
2 / 6
Chicken Souvlakia
Chicken Souvlakia
3 / 6
Sheftalia
Sheftalia
4 / 6
Pitta and Bread Selection
Pitta and Bread Selection
5 / 6
Fried Cheese Croquettes
Fried Cheese Croquettes
6 / 6

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Friday Night Dinner: Co & Ko

Situated in SOHO, this small restaurant has a large selection of Korean dishes. We didn't fancy the warm soups and broths on such a warm day, but instead opted for the traditional grilled meats. We're sure that the broths would work very well in the autumn or winter.

As our starter we shared a bowl of K Pop Chicken, which turned out to be crispy cubes of chicken with a sweet sauce. For our mains, my wife enjoyed a classic Lamb Bulgogi — pan-fried thin-sliced marinated lamb. I opted for something new from their menu, the Bossam — a 12-hour slow cooked and grilled Pork belly.

One of the reasons why we chose Korean cuisine for this evening, was to try a Korean beer and a Makgeolli. The beer as part of our quest to try a beer from each of the 48 participating World Cup countries. The Makgeolli because it was a style of Korean drink that we had never previously tried. We had the plain variant at Co & Ko, and subsequently purchased a chestnut flavoured option from one of the South Korean supermarkets that seem to be springing up in London.

The food at Ko & Co was nice, and it had a good ambiance. On a hot summer evening we were grateful to be sat in front of the open window. Judging by the rest of the clientele, the restaurant seems to be popular with the Korean community. There was a steady stream of diners coming and going, enjoying the delicious looking food.

After our meal, we were still a little thirsty — it was a hot evening after all — and shared a Soju. An enjoyable and relaxing way to finish our meal. We would definitely return and recommend Co & Ko.

K Pop Chicken
K Pop Chicken
1 / 3
Bossam
Bossam
2 / 3
Lamb Bulgogi
Lamb Bulgogi
3 / 3

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This article has a short URL available: https://drck.me/co-ko-kaz

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Friday Night Dinner: Buvette

Hidden away in Neal's Yard, there are a bunch of wine bars, a café, and a new restaurant: Buvette does sharing dishes at (very) small tables. There are also locations in New York, Tokyo, and Seoul, although we can't comment on the table sizes of those restaurants.

We went in the midst of summer, with all the doors opening wide out onto Neal's Yard. It was warm, and people were having a good time. The menu isn't very extensive, but has a good selection of sharing dishes, separated into four sections: Tartlets, Fish, Vegetables, and Meats.

We picked four of the dishes, which was plenty. My wife was most keen on the Brandade de Morue, whipped house salt cod with olive oil, cream, and garlic; and I fancied the Tartare de Thon, raw tuna cubes, cournichons, capers, and avocado. Both were served with toasted bread with some olive oil. Beyond our "main dishes", we also shared the Dauphinois Potatoes — nice and creamy, but not quite enough garlic to my liking — and the Carotte Rapées — julienned carrot, with pistachios, coriander, and lemon.

To finish our meal, we shared a Café Gourmand, a slightly warm crème brûlée, without a crispy top, but with a spoonful of chocolate mousse and cream.

With our meal, we enjoyed a Picpoul — which seemed to be a popular choice among the other diners. It was a crisp wine, complementing our dinner in the sunshine well.

We liked Buvette. The interior restaurant also looked cosy, so would potentially also be good in the winter. It's a place where you could also just have a few dishes on an afternoon after a long day shopping. They also serve breakfast, brunch, and dinner.

Tartare de Thon
Tartare de Thon
1 / 5
Dauphinois Potatoes
Dauphinois Potatoes
2 / 5
Brandade de Morue
Brandade de Morue
3 / 5
Carotte Rapées
Carotte Rapées
4 / 5
Crème Brûlée
Crème Brûlée
5 / 5

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This article has a short URL available: https://drck.me/buvette-kap

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