Welcome to my website. I am the author of ‘Vietnamese – Simple Vietnamese Food To Cook At Home’. I am a photographer and film maker. You can book into my supper club, Vietnamese cooking classes, buy my book, check out my photography and lots more here.
Please follow me on instagram @loveleluu – Thank you so much for visiting x
Best Food Photographer in London
The supper club is held in my home in London Fields, Hackney. It is like a dinner party in the tradition of a Vietnamese feast with homemade Vietnamese food.
Vietnamese food is about the balance of flavours, of sweet, salty and sour – there is no measuring device that can ever match your own taste buds.
I recently read a review about my supper club where each dish was given a ranking out of five. Although the marks were on the high end, it felt like I was being weighed, judged and measured. I have never trained as a chef and neither do I want to pursue a career as one. I just like cooking and in no way can I be like some of the great chefs I have met recently and had the pleasure of eating their food. This post is about some of the lovely and great places I have eaten in recently and it is not a review in anyway.
I love eating out, its one of my favourite things. I tend to go back to a place I love or like, depending on value, the occasion and so on.
The best meal I had this year was at Sushi Tetsu. The Omakase menu of sushi and sashimi. Omakase is a commonly used Japanese term in sushi restaurants meaning “entrusting the chef”. Eating at Sushi Tetsu is very sensual. Every bite is full of flavour, seduction and euphoria. It is not so easy to get a table there, seeing as there are only 7 seats. You have to book way in advance and the bill is high so its something to make an occasion of.
Here is chef Toru at Sushi Tetsu.
www.sushitetsu.co.uk 12 Jersulsalem Passage, London EC1V 4JP
I love Japanese food immensely, but I can’t always afford to go to the top end restaurants, so I go to Kyoto. Not always but most of the times, the sushi is really really nice and so are the bentos and side dishes such as tuna tataki.
www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/565689/restaurant/London/Kyoto-Soho 26 Romily St, London W1D 5AL
Otherwise, you can find me at Koya where I eat the best udon noodles and sometimes the whole specials menu which is amazing. I love the way they are always creating these beautiful plates with contemporary British ingredients in their Japanese dishes. I also love the fact that they serve congee at Koya Bar for breakfast. We in the west should begin to eat congee and noodle soups for breakfast. It does wonders to your day!
Chef Junya at Koya in the kitchen – if you can get a seat at the kitchen table – grab it!
www.koya.co.uk 49 Frith St, London W1D 4SG
On a regular basis, I really enjoy eating dry fried ho fun with beansprouts and a portion of roast duck on top at my local Chinese restaurant, Fang Cheung. Its not on the menu – they call it “you want your special?”
www.fangcheng.co.uk 239-241 Mare St, London E8 3NS
For Sunday roasts, great British and Austrian dishes, my favourite place to be is The Delaunay. I love the grandness of the place, reminds me of so many great places in Paris, Zurich and Salzberg! They are always giving huge portions and everything has always been delicious on every visit. You can easily hang out there with the good linen and a couple bottles of good wine on a Sunday afternoon!
www.thedelaunay.com 55 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BB
I love visiting new places on Sundays and going for long walks, especially when the weather is good (or I am not walking actually). I was really pleased to discover the wonders of Petersham Nurseries. The greenhouses where they sell garden and dinning furnishing is awe inspiring and beautiful. They have achieved such a wonderful atmosphere. We had a lovely lunch, the highlight being the pumpkin ravioli.
www.petershamnurseries.com Church Lane, Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AG
Some great wines and a very cool and trendy atmosphere at Sager & Wilde!
www.sagerandwilde.com 193 Hackney Rd, London E2 8JL
It was such fun to be invited to the opening of Magazine at The Serpentine. Its a new space designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The canapes were gorgeous but I drank champagne all night which was good too. Looking forward to eating there one day.
http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/restaurant
A real surprise, because its close to where I live in Hackney is Hurwundeki. Its a hair dressers with a cafe serving breakfast and lovely fresh Korean food. You can get a 2 course meal for only £10! Total value for money! I love the japchea and kimchi jiigae. Its also BYO so be careful! 
https://en-gb.facebook.com/Hurwundeki? 298-299 Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 9HA
But on another Sunday walk along the river, we got into River Cafe, somehow just called up (whilst standing outside the door) and asking politely, you wouldn’t have a table for two now do you? Yes. Oh! ha!
My pictures of the food couldn’t do it any justice. What a wonderful afternoon with such a great bottle of wine. I can’t believe I had never been, (always wanted to) and it just feels like my journey and love of food could never be complete without visiting River Cafe!
www.rivercafe.co.uk Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, London W6 9HA
