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A recent disappointing meal at Hong Kong Diner had us looking around for another restaurant in Chinatown that served good Hong Kong style cuisine. I came across a lot of positive reviews for Old Town 97, the year being significant as that was the end of British rule in Hong Kong. We had a late lunch there one Saturday not too long ago. They have a great lunch deal – £4.80 for a dish of rice or noodles with a free bowl of their daily soup. We chose the char siu on fried hor fun which came out looking quite plain but turned out to be some well fried hor fun topped with a generic Asian brown sauce and some quite good sliced char siu. A bit of chili oil (excellent stuff) and it was a great dinner. The accompanying soup (pork bone, carrot and tomato) was a bonus. I wanted to try a dish that I’d only heard about online – ‘LSE fan‘ (or ‘LSE rice’, about £9.50); the story goes that the dish was either invented or made famous by an LSE student. On our queries, our waiter informed us that it was a honey and black pepper pork served with egg fried rice. It turned out to be more of a triple eggy delight – egg fried rice, fried egg and the honey and black pepper pork was topped with an additional eggy sauce. It was definitely over-the-top, excellent and certainly almost enough for two. Their drinks are very good there – here’s a milk tea and an iced lemon tea. Sadly, a second, more recent visit wasn’t as good. One of their specialties, Hainan chicken rice (£7.30), had overcooked chicken breast but tasty enough rice and accompanying chilli sauce. A little more care, though, could have been taken over the presentation of the rice. I wanted to try their crispy noodles. Fried noodles with mixed seafood (£8.00) turned out to be mediocre noodles in a wading pool of gloopy (albeit well-seasoned) sauce. It all seems to be a bit hit and miss. While it’s likely we’ll be back to try their beef brisket (thanks for the rec, Lizzie) and their hor fun in eggy sauce (two dishes I’ve heard good things about), as in most places in Chinatown, service left a lot to be desired. Depending on which waiter you get, service can be acceptable or miserable. Why do they do that? And poor Blai is extremely upset that by default, they gave him a fork when he sat down! Old Town 97 19 Wardour Street London  W1D 6PF

Dec 2, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talks with defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (75). Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports Welcome to the fifth installment of a multi-part review and grading of the previous drafts of the New England Patriots under coach and executive Bill Belichick.  As the Patriots are beginning their “voluntary” organized team activities along with their other NFL counterparts, this period of preparing for the 2013 season until the kickoff of the official training camp in July is often the only down time in the NFL calendar. Now is an ideal time to look back and re-grade the previous drafts of the New England Patriots while under the leadership of Bill Belichick. As a note, these draft grades take into account the player’s impact while in New England weighed against the other players who were available in the draft at that time, as well as the the strength of the draft as a whole that season.  Below is the revisit and re-grading of the Bill Belichick draft that played a key role in adding two consecutive Super Bowl championships in New England: the 2004 NFL Draft. The Patriots ended the 2003 season on a high note, as the team shook off a mind-numbing 31-0 loss to the recently released from New England Lawyer Milloy-led Buffalo Bills in week one to roar through the schedule and finish with 12 consecutive victories and a 14-2 regular season  record one year after missing the playoffs. The season included a memorable victory over Denver on a Monday night game at Mile Hile featuring an intentional safety by the Patriots. The Patriots were pinned down at the one yard line and went three-and-out and intentionally to the safety to pin Denver back. The strategy paid-off as young quarterback Danny Kanell went three-and-out and gave the ball back to the Patriots with 2:15 on the clock.  Tom Brady led the Patriots down the field and completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to young wide receiver David Givens with only 36 seconds remaining in the game. There was also an epic defensive battle against the resurgent Dallas Cowboys under Bill Parcells on a cold Sunday night in November at Gillette Stadium.  The Cowboy’s defense showed up, limiting the Patriots to 12 points and quarterback Tom Brady to a rare, sub-50% completion rate that night.; however, he did–as was customary in that offense–complete passes to 8 different receivers.  New England’s defense showed up strong and shut out the Cowboy’s offense (one of the defense’s 3 shutouts that season and 2 additional games without allowing a touchdown), as cornerback Ty Law picked off two Quincy Carter passes and fellow cornerback Tyrone Poole added another pick. Dallas’s leading rusher, Troy Hambrick, was held to 41 yards on 16 attempts on the ground.  The Patriots only scored once, a 2 yard plunge by running back Antowain Smith set-up by a 57 yard completion to David Givens on the previous play. The Patriots headed into the 2004 draft with an additional 1st round pick and 2nd round pick courtesy of their previous trades into this draft year during the 2003 draft.  New England had packaged their second 1st round pick (#19) in 2003 to Baltimore for their 2nd round pick in 2003 and Baltimore’s 1st round pick in 2004. The Patriots also had traded one of their 3rd round picks (#78) to Miami for their 2004 2nd round pick.  That 2nd round pick was traded to Cincinnati for their disgruntled running back Corey Dillon, who allowed New England to replace aging and ineffective running back Antowain Smith with an all-pro talent on the cheap. Cincinnati drafted safety Madieu Williams with the 2nd round pick. Williams was a solid pick-up, but definitely it was a trade that New England would make every time, considering the next running back drafted after that spot was Mewelde Moore (Chris Perry, Kevin Jones, Greg Jones, Julius Jones, and Tatum Bell were drafted ahead of the pick that was traded for Dillon, along wi

MIDTOWN EAST — Salvation Taco debuts its custom-brewed "Devil's Plaything" citrus IPA tonight at the rooftop bar. The beer is a collaboration between Sam Anderson and Bill Brooks, the beer managers at Salvation Taco and The Breslin, and Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., and is made with chilies, oranges, limes and dried Haitian bitter orange segments. [EaterWire] NOLITA — Tomorrow, May 23, Mike Breach, the guy who makes crazy latte art portraits will be at The Little Fox Cafe from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Stop by and you can get your portrait done in your afternoon coffee. [EaterWire] GOVERNOR'S ISLAND — Little Eva's, the seasonal outpost of Kevin's Red Hook is re-opening for the summer on Governor's Island this weekend. They've moved their location to the end of Colonels' Row in the Historic District of the island, and will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for all of the Memorial Day long weekend. [EaterWire] FOOD TV — The James Beard Award-winning PBS series The Mind of a Chef just announced its second season, which features both Sean Brock and April Bloomfield. The 16 episodes will be split between the two chefs, with the second half dedicated to Bloomfield as she travels "from the Pacific Northwest to Birmingham, England, tracing culinary tradition, instinct and obsession – from cops to curries to clams." [EN] [Krieger]

The Patriots have continued their pursuit of former Rutgers players, as they have claimed offensive lineman Kevin Haslam off waivers from the Chargers. Haslam, who last played for the Scarlet Knights in 2010, was waived by San Diego on Tuesday. Haslam brings NFL experience to New England, as he has appeared in 10 career games over his two year career. He got his most valuable experience with the Chargers last season, where he started three games at left tackle. Many believe that Haslam was a likely candidate to take over at the position full time in 2013. With Haslam coming aboard, the Patriots now have seven players from Rutgers on their roster. It's evident, if it wasn't already, that Belichick really likes what he sees from players who were primarily coached by Greg Schiano at Rutgers. Certainly don't rule out another Rutgers signing before training camp begins. As a corresponding move, the team has released offensive lineman R.J. Mattes. Mattes was signed by the team last week as an undrafted rookie free agent out of North Carolina State. As a student at State, can't say I'm happy to see Mattes go, but it doesn't seem to sting as much since it's a Rutgers player taking his spot. Those guys are what Bill Belichick really needs more of.

Dominique Ansel Bakery189 Spring StreetSoHoNew YorkUSA+1 212 219 2773www.dominiqueansel.comPosted in the run-up to the US release of The Breakfast Bible.by Malcolm EggsWhither the cupcake? At almost eight years since the craze started, it is on the verge of becoming an Age. Punk, by comparison, was a potent force for just seven. Isn't that depressing? One generation got to be excited about blue mohicans and Anarchy in the UK; ours is in a permanent hooha about (Wikipedia quote) "a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminium cup".Recently, however, there has been an increase in what you could call 'cupdeath chatter', defined as the rate of cupcake obituaries uploaded onto news and snark websites. It started when the cupcake chain Crumbs Bake Shop saw its share price (yes, there are cupcakes on Nasdaq) plummet after announcing that its sales were down by 22%. ("Forget Gold," advised the Wall Street Journal, "The Gourmet-Cupcake Market is Crashing").Then this: Dominique Ansel Bakery unveiled their cupcake killer, a new breakfast-friendly pastry called a 'cronut', combining the texture of a croissant with the shape and fried-ness of a donut. For a couple of mornings it sold out really quickly. 'Are cronuts the new cupcakes?' hooted the international media.I happened to be in Manhattan just three days after the launch of the cronut; it seemed churlish not to pop in. We arrived late in the morning. Too late – not only had they sold out of cronuts, but all of the waiting lists were full. It was as if I was trying to secure a good apartment in 1970s Moscow. Nevertheless, after a conversation with their press handler they agreed they would hold one back for me the next day. So back we went.The interior of Dominique Ansel Bakery (there is also pleasant outdoor seating) almost entirely consists of a counter and a queue. Strangely, a leather-jacketed man was lurking near the doorway trying to persuade people to take business cards for his hairdressing shop. On the counter were gift packages of cookies and macarons. Early Belle & Sebastian was playing on the stereo. When I reached the front of the line I was handed a golden box containing a cronut ($5) plus another treasure: a kouign amann ($5.25), the traditional pastry of Brittany (it is pronounced "queen, a man"). Also, for the hell of it, I ordered their 'perfect little egg sandwich' ($5).I liked the cronut more than I like a donut. Biting through layers of fried croissant pastry, rather than the conventionally dense dough, you are surprised by its overall lightness. It feels delicate, and not too gimmicky, and like a distinct item in its own right rather than a Frankenstein-esque hybrid. You can imagine – if Ansel's secret method ever gets out – a cronut tradition emerging, and mass-produced cronuts becoming a standard at Dunkin' Donuts (Crunkin' Cronuts?), and people in a hundred years saying "did you know the word 'cronut' is a combination of the words 'donut' and 'croissant'?". Although it had a light pink rose glaze on top and vanilla cream in the middle, the sweetness had been kept just low-volume enough for a breakfast 'nut. But it was still very sweet (did it really need that cream?), which is one reason that I don't like Ansel's cronut as much as I like a good croissant, by which I mean the heavenly, slightly oily kind you get in Paris and not the bready muck you get at most places in London (apart, curiously, from Pret a Manger).And are cronuts the new cupcakes? Yes, OK, alright, cronuts are the new cupcakes. Happy now?I was most grateful to them, however, for leading me to the 'DKA' or 'Dominique's kouign amann', which I would go as far as saying was the flakiest, stickiest, butteriest and altogether best kouign amann I have ever tasted.And then there's the egg sandwich. Into a weeny brioche bun (the kind they use for burgers) was wedged a thick square of hot omelette, coated in melted gruyere. You probably wouldn't serve it

• Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone available for transfer• Gareth Bale 'very disappointed' to miss out on top fourTottenham Hotspur hope to demonstrate their ambition remains intact despite a failure to reach next season's Champions League by renewing their efforts to sign the Brazil forward Leandro Damião and seeking to pair him with Valencia's Spain international Roberto Soldado.The pursuit of both strikers, coupled with the confidence that Gareth Bale will sign new terms to remain at White Hart Lane for at least another season, would satisfy the manager, André Villas-Boas, who has called for the club to "raise the bar again" before next season. They missed out on the top four this time despite amassing an impressive 72 points.The Portuguese said in January that Leandro "fits the profile" of a potential recruit and attempts were made during the winter window to secure their long-standing target. Tottenham enjoy a close relationship with the 23-year-old's club, Internacional, whose president, Giovanni Luigi, suggested this month that Spurs had resumed dialogue over a move for a player who has 16 caps. A price of around £16m has been mooted, with the Brazilian club apparently now braced to lose the player to the Premier League.Securing his signature would represent something of a coup, though the desire to play him alongside Soldado is particularly eye-catching. The Spain forward, who would have commanded a fee close to £30m a year ago, has been watched by Spurs scouts this season as he has maintained his impressive form at the Mestalla. He could be available for nearer £20m should Valencia fail to qualify for the Champions League.The 27-year-old started his career with Real Madrid but after a productive spell at Getafe, has thrived at Valencia after joining as a replacement for David Villa. He has 27 goals in all competitions this season. Spurs had also expressed an interest in the Queens Park Rangers forward Loïc Rémy, though it remains to be seen if that will be maintained with the player on bail following his arrest on suspicion of rape, a claim he denies.The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, hopes to construct a team around Bale with the Wales international, who is happy to remain at White Hart Lane, expected to sign improved terms that will keep him at the club for next season at least. There will be a buy-out clause inserted which could lead to him moving abroad should an offer in excess of £50m be received next summer; though, by then, Tottenham hope they will have secured passage into Europe's elite competition.Bale, who scored his 26th club goal of the season in the 1-0 defeat of Sunderland on Sunday, has expressed his frustration at the club's failure to reach the Champions League. "It was obviously great to sign off with a great goal in the last minute, but circumstances made it hard to celebrate," he said."To miss out on our objective [Champions League qualification] is very disappointing. It was great to get the win but the clouds just came over and made it a little bit duller, but it's something we have to learn from, we are a young squad, and we will take it into the future."Bale is due to play for Spurs against Jamaica in a friendly in the Bahamas on Thursday.There will be significant outgoings at Tottenham, too, with a number of senior players effectively available for transfer. Their number include the England internationals Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone, as well as Emmanuel Adebayor, who managed only five league goals all season following his permanent move from Manchester City. William Gallas, 35, will leave under freedom of contract.Tottenham HotspurTransfer windowDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Manager cools on swap with Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa• Striker harbours doubts on West Ham after £15m offerBrendan Rodgers expects a quick resolution to Andy Carroll's future at Liverpool, with the striker's hopes of a return to Newcastle United receding.West Ham United have had a £15m offer accepted by Liverpool for the 24-year-old, who was initially reluctant to move to east London on loan last season and who harbours similar doubts over signing for Sam Allardyce's team on a permanent basis.The England international has not given up hope of revitalising his career at Anfield, despite being told by the Liverpool manager that he will have few opportunities to do so, but he would consider a move back to the boyhood club he left for £35m in January 2011. Newcastle, however, have not registered an interest and a potential exchange deal involving Hatem Ben Arfa is unlikely as Rodgers' interest in the French midfielder has cooled.Rodgers said: "It was just a general conversation in terms of the experience of getting out and playing. He enjoyed that apart from the injury. At the start of the season the whole thing was about going and getting games because he wasn't going to be a starter here. We will talk again with him and the club to see how it all evolves. It's one of those situations where it will probably be resolved a lot quicker than that for both parties."Liverpool were keen on Ben Arfa earlier in the season and a swap for Carroll may have appealed to Newcastle, who refused to entertain the striker's £17m asking price last summer and attempted to re-sign him on loan instead. But Liverpool were unimpressed by the 26-year-old France international following his return from a three-month injury lay-off in March and that avenue now appears closed to Carroll.Carroll scored seven goals in 24 league games for West Ham to earn a recall to the England squad for the friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil, a recall since postponed by a heel injury. As was the case last summer, Carroll has been told he does not feature in the Liverpool manager's long-term plans and Rodgers wants to invest the £15m fee and a salary in excess of £4m in new faces. Schalke's Greece international Kyriakos Papadopoulous is his main target to replace Jamie Carragher in central defence next season and Liverpool may have to pay more than £12m for a player targeted by several leading clubs. The Anfield club are also leading the chase for Barcelona's 16-year-old winger, Sergi Canos, who is also wanted by Arsenal and Manchester City.On his end-of-season talks with Carroll, the Liverpool manager said: "It's a difficult one. I spoke to him and we had a good chat. The boy is a talent. It's just something we need to assess between now and the end of window. In terms of the money, that's something out of my control. But he's a talent so we will assess the whole situation. The objective at the beginning of the season was for him to go out and play. He's gone away to think of what we spoke about and we will talk again through the weeks."In contrast to last summer, however, when Carroll joined West Ham shortly before the transfer deadline and Rodgers was unable to sign Clint Dempsey as a replacement, Liverpool want to resolve the striker's position quickly.Andy CarrollLiverpoolAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Someone has apparently been quite “careless” with the truth behind his ordeal. It seems as if George Michael’s injuries from his car accident were a lot more severe than originally told. Earlier this week, the singer was said to be involved in a minor collision that left him with only a few cuts and bruises. However, according to a witness at the scene, the 49-year-old musician actually seemed to fall out of his Range Rover while it was in motion and expressed that he was “lucky he didn’t die”. Katherine Fox, who says she was right behind his vehicle on the M1 motorway near St. Albans, Hertfordshire in England, witnessed him topple out of the passenger side door while driving. “I asked what had gone on”, she relayed, “and was told he tried to open the car door and shut it again because it wasn’t shut properly and apparently fell out at 70mph.” Katherine reversed her Mini so it shielded him from other vehicles and an off-duty policeman stopped and directed traffic around the accident scene. Within minutes paramedics had arrived. Katherine, a children’s nanny, said: “George didn’t say anything, he just seemed in shock.” A representative for the singer said George was still hospitalized as of Tuesday, but was “making good progress”. PR Photos

Earlier today, two men apparently attacked and killed a man in South West London, in what is believed to have been a terrorist attack. The horrifying attack, in which the alleged assailants are reported to have used a "machete," took place on a busy street, and afterwards the attackers lingered, apparently happy to let themselves be filmed and photographed before police arrived on the scene and shot both men. One astonishing photo appears to show a woman talking to one of the men. She is standing just a few feet away from the suspect, who is covered in blood and holding a knife in his hands. Buzzfeed News was one of the many Twitter accounts tweeting the image around: BBC showing picture of apparent second attacker in London machete attack twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/s… — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) May 22, 2013 Soon, however, someone had recognized the brave woman in the photograph. It was their mother: My mum is a motherfucking badass twitter.com/SiibillamLaw/s… — Basil Baradaran (@SiibillamLaw) May 22, 2013 The woman has been identified as Ingrid Loyau-Kennett. According to another Twitter user (who said Ingrid was his girlfriend's mother). Loyau-Kennett was talking to the man, trying to keep him calm to avoid him "lashing out again." The Daily Telegraph has spoken to Loyau-Kennett, a 48-year-old mother-of-two from Cornwall, England. According Loyau-Kennet, she had been on a bus heading past the scene when she saw the man hurt on the ground, and decided to jump off to try and help. When she walked over to the man on the ground, she could not find a pulse. That's when the suspected attackers walked over to her. The Telegraph reports that Loyau-Kennett spoke to both of the attackers, trying to keep them calm and even asking them to hand over their weapons before police arrived on the scene. Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »