Know the best thing about having visitors come stay? They're a great excuse for trying places that have been "on the list" for a while.
Marked only by a bear claw and with its windows blocked out, Crazy Bear in Covent Garden makes you stop and double check the building numbers, in case you missed a trick.
The staff are extremely gracious and welcome you into the bar with not just a cocktail list, but a book.
The menu is a mix of Asian cuisines, and dining with six of us meant we could sample quite a few things.
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| Tuna tartare |
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| Black cod and spring onion |
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| Spider & Dynamite Rolls |
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| Braised smoked pork ribs |
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| Tofu tempura |
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| Pork and prawn shuimai |
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| Scallop shuimai |
Sushi was voted favourite dish of the evening by four of us, with one vote going to the scallop shuimai, and one to the black cod and spring onion.
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| Red duck curry |
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| Masaman lamb curry |
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| Gai lan |
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| Grilled black cod |
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| Tori yaki soba |
It was agreed unanimously that the food was excellent, and definitely lived up to the plush surrounds (although we all agreed that the projector screen showing Charlie Chaplin movies had no business being in a nice dining room).
I went to bed dreaming of sticky dipping sauces and crisp, delicate sushi.
