Review: Maxwell's, Covent Garden

I went to Maxwell's during my Christmas/New Year break. I was craving for some good American food and did some googling. Maxwell's came up and upon a quick look at the menu,- they had what I love so much - Pulled Pork Sandwich. There's just something I absolutely adore about juicy hot shredded pork sandwiched in a soft pillowy bun, with some cold coleslaw. Yums!

Anyways, Maxwell's also does a weekly promotion on Mondays, called 'Monday Madness', where some of the dishes are discounted up to 50%! A bargain I have to say, especially for a restaurant in Covent Garden. The cocktails sound delicious too. So we decided to try it out on the following Monday.

We booked a table for half 7. When we arrived, the restaurant was packed and there was a queue. Even with the booking, we had to wait for our table (not impressed) for about 15 minutes or so. I could tell that they were understaffed, however the lady and gentleman at the front desk were very polite and apologetic.

Once seated, we didn't waste our time. I was looking forward to the pulled pork sandwich and Z was going to have steak. Alas, they didn't have the pulled pork sandwich on that day!! Upset is an understatement to how I felt at that moment. I went for my second choice, a chicken and bacon sandwich. Yes, sounds boring, but it had fried onions in it! ( LOVES!)

My chicken and bacon sandwich. Look at those fried onions!

The portions were massive! I did think they would cut down on the portions, as it was 'Monday Madness' but nope- I was well happy :) The grilled chicken was juicy and goes very well with the bacon and fried onions. I did notice that one side of the chicken was overdone however. The sandwich/burger came with a side of fries and coleslaw. Both were pretty good- the fries were crispy and fluffy in the inside.

Z said his steak was good- he had no complains :) It came with half a grilled tomato, a mushroom and fries. I thought it looked a bit dry, but Z enjoyed it.

Z's sirloin steak

I don't have pictures of our cocktails, they were ok but I noticed they were not very alcoholic. Guess I can't complain with them being only about £5 each. I wouldn't say that they were something to write home about.

Overall, our meal at Maxwell's was good, both in taste and value. The meal came to about £30. I might go back to try the pulled pork and perhaps the ribs to give a better judgment. The restaurant comes across as a good place to bring some friends around, it had good atmosphere but it wasn't too loud that you can't have a good conversation. Definitely worth trying if you're in the area, especially if you're there on a Monday!

Maxwell's8 James St, London WC2E 8BH (nearest tube station: Covent Garden)

Disclaimer: This entry is not a sponsored post, and is entirely based on my personal tastebuds. I have not received any monetary or non-monetary payment to write this post.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis

It's Valentine's Day! Well at least it was, about a week ago! :) I asked Z what he would like to have for dessert as a treat and he said Panna Cotta! 

Ah Panna Cotta, the lovely, silky bouncy Italian dessert. I have to admit, before trying this myself, I did think that Panna Cotta was a difficult dessert to make. I have never used gelatine before and to be honest, I didn't know how to work with it. But alas, I'm so glad I tried this as it was SO easy! and delicious too! :) This is a must try for anyone who's a lover of Panna Cotta :)

Ingredients

(Makes two standard size ramekins, adapted from the BBC website)

1 1/2 gelatine leaves (I used Dr Oetker's)

125 ml whole milk

125 ml double cream

2 tablespoons of sugar (to taste)

1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste

For the coulis

125 gms of raspberries 

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

3-4 tablespoons of water

Method

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water till soft.
2. Combine the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla paste into a saucepan.
3. Bring it to a simmer and simmer gently for 1-2 minutes, stirring to ensure that the sugar is melted and the vanilla paste is mixed through well. 
4. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves, and put them into the saucepan. Stir through the milk/cream mixture and simmer for another 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and pour into the ramekins.
6. Leave cool for about 5-10 minutes, and put them in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. For a special Valentine's treat, I used heart shaped ramekins :) You can cover with clingflim to prevent a 'skin' from forming but I skipped this step.
7. To make the coulis- put all of the ingredients(reserve some raspberries to garnish) into a small saucepans and  bring to a boil. Leave on heat for a few minutes until the raspberries soften and break down (this shouldn't take more than 2 minutes once the mixture boils). Add more or less sugar to taste- I prefer my coulis to be tangy to contrast against the sweet panna cotta.
8. Leave to cool.
9. To serve, pour the coulis onto the panna cotta, and garnish with the reserved raspberries. I left my panna cotta in the ramekin (less dishes to wash up!) but if you prefer, you can warm the ramekin slightly (just soak with hot water from the tap for a couple of minutes) and turn the panna cotta over onto a plate.
10. Sieve the coulis to achieve a smoother consistency.
11. Enjoy!

I have yet to try it but I believe this recipe is very giving in terms of flavours of the panna cotta. I might try chocolate panna cotta next time!