Have you heard about The Ned, London's newest hotspot? If you haven't, I'm here to tell you all about it and what you can expect if you dine with them in their Malibu Kitchen restaurant.
The Ned is a 5* hotel & members club, situated in Bank, London and is home to various restaurants, an indoor/ outdoor pool, spa & gym. I love when a new spot pops up in London, so when Callie told me she was taking me there for my 31st birthday; I was dead excited.
Nine, yes NINE restaurants make up The Ned's former banking hall and each of them serve a variety of dishes from around the world. In today's post, I want to take you to lunch at Malibu Kitchen. Callie, my BFF knows that I am obsessed with salads. I love a good salad and eat one pretty much every day, even mid winter! Callie was such a sweetheart and chose for us to eat at Malibu Kitchen because the menu is superfood salad, raw food and smoothie heavy...allll the good stuff!
Taking a glimpse at the menu en route, I was super exited. One look and you can tell it's going to be fresh, colourful and wholesome.
Initially, we were seated in the centre of the mini restaurant. Perching on stools, I wasn't the comfiest. Fibromyalgia + stools don't mix incredibly well so Callie asked if it was ok to be moved to a booth. The restaurant was packed but the Maitre D' was kind enough to move us when a booth became available and they helped us move over our drinks. The Maitre D' was very helpful but I must say, some of the waitresses were not the friendliest. I hope their service improves as time goes on.
Drinks
To celebrate my birthday we went straight to the cocktail menu. A quick browse and we both landed on the Beetroot Sangria. Now, a word of warning guys...only go for this drink if you LOVE beetroot and enjoy a relatively bitter drink! It was all a bit much for Callie and she had to change her choice but I loved it and really enjoyed the earthy, sharp drink.
Not being content with just the one cocktail, we moved onto Aperol Spritz' which if you follow me on social media; you will know is my number 1 fave drink. The bar (situated to the back of the restaurant) made my Aperol perfectly, 10/10.
Just look at the colour of the Beetroot Sangria.
Starters
Avacado Dip, taro chips & crudite
Have you ever seen something so beautiful?
Looking like something straight out of California, this Avo bowl was an actual dream. Buttery, ripe avocados with a whole host of crunchy bits to dip in. The taro chips were the tastiest little morsels and I'm going to need a huge bag of them right now come to think of it! At £7, I think the starter is really reasonable and I'd absolutely order it again.
Shishito Peppers, lemon, bottarga, almond aioli
Callie ordered these peppers and although they were presented nicely... I'm not going to lie to you. I only tried the one because I am not a huge fan of cooked peppers/chillis. The peppers weren't spicy which is a plus for me (I hate hot food) and the bottarga was super tasty. Callie seemed impressed and for £6 it's not going to break the bank.
Mains
Ahi Tuna Poke, avocado, sesame, jalapeño, brown rice
I would honestly eat this dish every day for the rest of my life.
I like to exaggerate BUT when I say this is one of the nicest things I've ever eaten; I am not exaggerating. When we first sat down, the waitress told us the tuna poke bowl was out of stock and I was pretty disappointed as this is what I'd ordered in my head. By the time we actually made it past the starters, the tuna was back in stock and I of course put in my order. The waitress told us the tuna was so fresh that the chefs had only just finished preparing it... omg YASSS!
Another beautifully presented dish and the taste matched the aesthetics. The dressing, served in a separate dish was sharp, lemony, garlicy and just damn right incredible. I must have said 'mmmmmm' with every mouthful and basically hugged the Maitre D' when he asked if we were enjoying our food. The tuna looked and tasted so fresh and the rice was cooked to perfection. I like the bite that brown rice gives and the scattered seaweed was a pretty, tasty addition. For £13 I would say that this dish was worth every last penny and if you go to The Ned and eat this dish, tell me what you think of it!
I have decided that every time a brand asks to meet me for lunch, I'm going to suggest Malibu Kitchen and I'm slowly but surely going to try every last dish on that menu. Please give it a try next time you are in central London and I'll probably see you there seeing as I think I'm going to move in. My aim is to eat at all nine restaurants by the end of the year...watch out for my reviews along the way!
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