It made such a refreshing change to have some different types of food! Food that when we looked at the menu, there were no descriptions of each item. So the ones that we didn’t know what they were, had to be explained by the staff!

From the exterior, it looks like this place has been around for a while! It reminded me of an old sort of tavern. But Mishkin’s is a fairly recent addition to Covent Garden!

The sign on the outside is E.Mishkin and this is in reference to Ezra Mishkin who the restaurant is named after. Mishkin’s motto is an interesting one of “a kind-of Jewish deli with cocktails”!

Inside the restaurant, it is quite atmospheric with its dim lighting and a bar area with high stools just inside the entrance. When I was shown to our reserved table, I was pretty surprised! The waitress took me towards the back of the restaurant and there was what seemed to be like a doorway. I was expecting to be taken up to another level or down some sort of a hallway.

But this was not the case! The doorway was actually the entrance to a small cosy booth! It had a cute feature of where there was a light switch and the waitress told me that if we needed anything during the meal, then we just had to flick the switch. This would light up the sign outside the booth and we would be attended to!

When my friends arrived, they were both equally pleasantly surprised by the booth! It was the right size for the three of us! It was lit just by candlelight and a small tube light on one of the walls!

The staff were really great and so friendly! They suggested lots of things on the menu that we should try and explained to us thoroughly the items on the menu that we weren’t sure about!

As we had ordered a fair few dishes, the waitress asked if we wanted them brought out in two different sittings. This was a great idea and it meant that we weren’t overwhelmed with all the different dishes!

So to start with, we were given the cod cheek popcorn, macaroni and cheese, cauliflower and caraway slaw. The cod cheek popcorn were delightful light bites of fish in a lovely crispy batter!

Some things even though simple, when they are done well, they are perfect! This was the case with the macaroni and cheese. An iron skillet filled with piping hot creamy cheesy pasta with a crispy topping. A very moreish and addictive dish!

The cauliflower and caraway slaw was made up of shredded red cabbage and cauliflower. It was a great combination and had a good crunchiness to it!

Our second round of food consisted of the chickpea, ricotta and spinach meatballs, whitefish and spinach knish and another side dish!

The vegetarian chickpea, ricotta and spinach meatballs were a portion of three. They were in a tasty tomato sauce and the flavour of the meatballs was fairly strong but not overpowering. Even just one of the meatballs was filling.

The whitefish and spinach knish was a bit like a fish pie with a thin pastry casing. The knish had generous chunks of fish together with a potato style filling. It also came with a jug on the side filled with parsley liquor.

For the side dish, we had the half and half. This was half a portion of chips and half a portion of onion rings! The fried onion rings weren’t greasy and had a light batter. The chips were chunky with their skin on and just as chips should be!

All of the dishes were presented in a mish mash of bowls and plates. A bit like the sort that we had at home when we were growing up! The plates and bowls were decorated with paper doilies! It all felt quite retro and quirky! Even when my friends ordered their cocktail pitcher, instead of being given glasses, they were given a couple of jam jars!

To finish off our meal, we had the apple and honey blintz. This was a pancake filled with chunky apple pieces and raisins. We originally thought that it was topped with ice cream but after tasting the white topping, we realised that it was yoghurt. The pancake and yoghurt were drizzled with a generous amount of honey. It was a nice enough pancake but we all only managed a few mouthfuls, as we realised that we were all quite full by this point!

Mishkin’s was a great dining experience and the food was excellent! Mishkin’s is owned by the same group that have Polpo, da Polpo, Polpetto and Spuntino. Dining at Mishkin’s has made me want to go try the other restaurants in this family!

Mishkin’s, 25 Catherine Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5JS

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The restaurant is made up of a long communal high wooden table with many high chairs. There are also seats against the wall with scattered cushions and some window seats, if you fancy watching the world go by!

At the counter, there is the vast array of rainbow coloured fillings to choose from! These include rice, beans, chicken, pork, salad items, sauces and garnishes! The food is all fresh and locally produced where possible.

A vegetable burrito makes for a filling and satisfying meal! The fillings that I chose for my vegetable burrito were refried beans, cilantro lime rice, grilled vegetables, guacamole and salad. The vegetables were a good mix of peppers, courgettes and chayote.

There are a choice of sauces depending on how spicy you would like your meal. Or for something mild, there is always the option of sour cream. The other choice of fillings are grilled chicken, tender chicken thighs, grilled steak, braised pork and some seasonal specials.

I’m always surprised at how much is packed into a burrito and also how the staff manage to wrap it all up into a neat tight roll! The burrito was served with some lovely fresh tortilla chips!

Benito’s Hat does fantastic tasting burritos but if you fancy something slightly lighter, then they also have smaller tacos, homemade soup and salads! The salad is basically all the fillings and toppings, without the tortilla wrap!

The staff are extremely friendly and gave us lovely service. We were definitely given service with a smile! All throughout the meal, the staff came to see if everything was ok and if we needed anything else. They also made sure that the dining area remained clean and tidy by clearing up the tables straight away.

Even though the burrito was extremely filling, after a while, we decided to share a dessert! The bunuelos were crispy cinnamon tortilla strips and vanilla ice cream. It was served in a martini glass! A lovely dessert, not too heavy, and it hit the spot just right!

Benito’s Hat has some interesting drinks on offer! One of them was the horchata which was a sweet milk based drink. The drink that I preferred was the hibiscus one. It had the strong purple colour like blackcurrant but its taste and flavour is a lot softer!

Benito’s Hat does great quality fresh tasting Mexican food! All the elements of Benito’s Hat are just right, from the food, the atmosphere, the drinks to the service and staff!

Benito’s Hat, 19 New Row, Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4LA

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Hazuki has its dining area over two levels. The dark wood furniture contrasts with the cream decor. There are also screens decorated with Japanese artwork. The restaurant was quiet when we first arrived but it didn’t take long for it to get busy.

The staff and service were fantastic. They gave service with a smile and were always ready to clear up empty dishes to make room on the table for more food! Also, our cups were constantly being refilled with the jasmine tea.

All the dishes, starters and mains, were really tasty. We had no faults with any of them.

The pork and chive gyoza had a good flavour and were filled generously. The crispy salmon strips were something new for myself, as in I’d had salmon before, but not the skin fried on its own before! It was nice enough but I think that I prefer it with the salmon flesh!

The aubergine with chilli dish was a big portion and very spicy! The pan fried squid came with green beans. The squid and beans were not overcooked, with the green beans still quite tender. For the chicken starter, we had the yakitori, which was grilled chicken on two skewers. The chicken was soft and tender.

One dish that I did not try was the itawasa-fish cake with wasabi. It was very pretty to look at though with its pink, green and white semi circles presented on a green leaf.

Surprisingly, we had room for some main dishes as well! We went for a selection which included chicken, salmon and a hotpot. The chicken katsu was deep fried bread crumbed chicken. It wasn’t greasy and was very moreish. It came already sliced into strips so it was easy to eat.

The salmon was the sake terayaki grilled salmon. The fish was succulent! The terayaki had the expected good sweet/sour taste.

The tarachiri nobe cod hotpot came in an iron pot. As well as the big piece of cod, this dish also had tofu and vegetables all in a broth! The hotpot could have been a complete meal for one person, together with the rice! It had a light delicate flavour.

Everything about Hazuki was great and it’s a fantastic place to go for quality Japanese cuisine!

Hazuki, 43 Chandos Place, Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4HS

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars