Bon Appetit

Morgan M, Barbican

2012-02-13T12:53:00.000Z

On a recent romantic soujourn to Paris (I will blog soon!) most of the plans we made involved where, and what, we were going to eat. From our homemade salmon and fiery dill sauce bagel breakfast on the 8am Eurostar, through to the visiting Le Chateaubriand - San Pellegrino's 9th best restaurant in the world, hanging out with the locals at Chez Prune at lunchtime and heading down the back streets to the bloggers delight Au Passage.

Since being home I've been craving the cuisine; the bold flavours, creative textures, rich ingredients, modern and meticulously-crafted dishes and the wine, oh the wine.

Dry and meatless January was well and truly over, what better way to celebrate than with a six course meal with matching wines. As soon as I was invited to Morgan M for dinner I accepted without even checking prior plans. Even though I was given about 6 hours notice, all plans were dropped, I was not going to miss dinner in France (via Smithfields Market).

We went to the informal downstairs dining room with an exposed wine and amazing views of the kitchen with the chefs, and Morgan Meunier himself, hard at work.

We had the winter tasting menu, with options throughout - I liked this touch, you didn't just get what you are given, you are allowed to choose your own courses too and the wines change depending on what you have.

The pre-starter was a soup, but with a twist. We were initially served a dish with pesto, mojette beans and lemon confit which was then immersed in a smooth mojette bean sauce - the mojette bean is native to the Pays de la Loire region, something that I have never tasted or seen on a menu before, it was good to try something new. The mixture made for a soup which was very creamy and rich but when the flavours from the ingredients underneath came through it was stunning.

Next came the time to decide, I'm not very good at being decisive at the best of times, especially when it comes to food and two very different, but both delicious-sounding, dishes to choose from.

Firstly, the dish I didn't choose but was lucky enough to try, was the game terrine with foie gras, a French bean salad, apple chutney and pain poilane, a toasted sour dough bread. I loved the huge hunk of venison in the middle and the torte apple against the smooth foie gras worked really well.

I think I made the right decision and had the crayfish and lobster cannelloni with tarragon, a Jerusalem artichoke soubise and shellfish cappuccino. The pasta was light and almost melt in the mouth and the sweet lobster and crayfish went perfectly with the saline shellfish froth. A genius of a dish.

The fish course came and went far too quickly, I could have eaten it over and over again, a seared fillet of wild seabass on a carrot and ginger risotto with a lemon and saffron froth. Ginger is one of my favourite tastes so I knew from just looking at the menu that I was going to enjoy this dish, the flesh of the fish was light and tender, I adored the flavouring in the crisp skin and the risotto was smooth and creamy with a spicy kick.This was my favourite dish of the evening.

The next choice came for the main course, either a pot roasted fillet of Iken Valley venison with a farci of hare and quince puree and a sauce Grand Veneur, or what I chose, the oven-roasted pheasant, the leg braised with raisins, glazed pear, liver crouton and what completely swayed it for me, bread sauce. Unlike most people I'm not a huge fan of breast meat, no matter how well cooked it is I believe there are much better cuts of the bird, whether it's turkey, chicken, grouse or mallard, I prefer the darker meat.

The same went at Morgan M, I left most of the breast but almost inhaled the braised leg, the intensely flavoured meat fell of the bone and was succulent. The crouton, which you can see under the breast meat in my picture, was phenomenal, seriously. When I read that the dish included a crouton I thought dry crisp crouton that you get in a bag from Sainsbury's, but this huge chunk of toasted bread was smeared with smooth liver pate, it was a surprise to the tastebuds, a very nice surprise.

The gamey pheasant, sweet pear, creamy bread sauce and rich liver was an incredible combination, one I definitely recommend to everyone to try.

Of course before dessert everyone must have a pre-dessert, just to prepare your stomach for the decadent final offering, naturellement. We had vanilla rice pudding with an orange tuille and pina colada sorbet. This was actually my favourite of the desserts.

How can any one resist the flavours of pina colada? Yes it may have a bad reputation, it may be have been tipple of choice for Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses, you may have it while on holiday at the end of the night for a joke, but it's also rather delicious. Sweet rum, coconut and pineapple in a sorbet, I could have sat there and ate the whole tub.

We could also choose our dessert, it was between a passion fruit souffle and sorbet with creme Anglais or being a sucker for chocolate I had the chocolate moelleux with milk sorbet and an Armagnac drink, we also had to select between dark and milk chocolate, I had the 45% cocoa Barry milk chocolate.

Inside the soft sponge was a gooey melted chocolate which screamed to be scooped up with the ice cream, the only thing I would have changed would have been to make the pistachios salted, just because I love the taste of salt and sweet together.

The whole evening at Morgan M was an excellent experience, every dish was meticulously crafted and the flavour of each component really came together on the plate to make for an exquisite dinner. The complete winter tasting menu is just £50, excellent value for such quality and we also had the best of French wines, as well as sherry and dessert wine, which costs an extra £30 on top of the winter menu but totally worth it.

The Roche Comms bake off - quiche

2012-02-06T21:45:00.000Z

In an office full of self-professed foodies it wasn't long before a bake off took place, along with Francesca and Stuart we made a pact for a mini team challenge, to make something on a weekly basis.

The first round was quiche and up first was yours truly. I really wanted to make a classic quiche Lorraine but as the quiche-off came in the middle of January, and consequently my meat ban, I had to reconsider... or at least compromise.

So I made a tomato, cheese and thyme quiche with two thirds crammed with pancetta and one third minus the meat.

Et voila. Homemade pastry, a very cheesy filling and squishy tomatoes. I must say, it was quite good.

Next up was Stuart who also embraced the veggie option for me and made a feta, spinach and asparagus quiche. He cheated with the pastry and used ready made but went for a innovative filling of veggies and a questionable side salad of cottage cheese... just in case there wasn't enough already! Extra marks for the pretty edging Stu.

And then came this beast of a quiche and with it a a disclaimer, this may have not been fully made by Francesca herself, it may well have been made by her husband and chef Wesley Smalley from Charlotte's Bistro.

It was amazing. Purple sprouting broccoli, caramelised onion and Stilton. It was so good and definitely my winner of the three. The cheesy eggy filling was soft and springy with a gooey part in the middle, the sweet red onion at the bottom of the quiche worked really well with the sour Stilton and the broccoli added texture.

Needless to say I had seconds and there was still enough left for lunch the next day too. But should Francesca have won with outside help?

The Roche Comms bake off continues...

Next up, and in the oven as I write, we're having a cake off. I had some browning bananas to use up so a chocolate and banana loaf is currently being baked.

Renaissance pub crawl (five days to go of the non-meat diet)

2012-02-01T13:15:00.000Z

Since joining the world of PR I've been most fortunate to have tried foods from all different countries. Indian at The Cinnamon Club, Japanese at Watatsumi, Italian at Carluccio's, Brazilian at Rodizio Rico, Korean at Kimchee, American at Big Easy and Lebanese at Le Comptoir Libanais... the list goes on.

But when I started working on the Renaissance pubs account it was all about good, hearty British food, my most favourite of all the cuisines.

Part of my job also involves some tiresome jobs like going out with old blogging friends for a good old shin dig while pretending it's work. I did it a while back for an ETM bar crawl and had a brilliant time so I was most looking forward to the Renaissance bar crawl around my stomping ground of SW London.

The problem with this particular pub crawl was that it happened in January and that was when I was still on my no meat diet, five days to go, which was going strong and I wasn't ready to break it after I had done so well. I had to annoy the executive chef of Renaissance, Massi, with demands for fish and veggie replacements to the menu that had been created especially for the event.

Here's how the vegetarian's night turned out...

First stop was The Stonhouse, just behind Clapham High Street, for prosecco and canapes - I'm so glad I didn't give up alcohol for January as well, a saving grace!

Canapes started arriving with the incredible looking pork rillette and cornichon baguette coming first - no meat January almost went out the window when I saw this, I first had rillette when I did a cookery course with Richard Bertinet way back in the day and fell in love from first mouthful.

Photograph courtesy of Coralie Grassin - Teatime in Wonderland

Following quickly after the pork came smoked mackerel pâté on beetroot crisps and a fluffy pumpkin and goats' cheese arancini with an Amaretto crust, both more than satisfying my hunger and making me quickly forget the meaty goodness.

Photograph courtesy of Coralie Grassin - Teatime in Wonderland

A couple of glasses later and we were in a blogger-filled cab to have starters at The Tommyfield - I work on this one a lot for their fortnightly comedy nights but I had never been before, it was definitely my favourite out of the four we visited. Packed with diners, drinkers and comedy night punters having a quick bite to eat before heading upstairs to the Master Room for the night.

To start I had a curly kale, ricotta and pecorino tart which was good but I was envious of everyone else's starter of smoked haddock and black pudding croquettes - unlike most people I love black pudding and wanted to gobble all of these up.

Photograph courtesy of Coralie Grassin - Teatime in Wonderland

In better news, I fell in love with the wine, the Mudhouse Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. We had Mark (co-owner of and wine buyer for the group) with us to tell us about each wine and the fact that each of the wine lists is different and depends on what the manager at each pub orders although he does have a strong influence on each, I'm glad he chose this one for the dinner.

Next it was off to The Rosendale, I helped with the launch of the West Dulwich pub in the summer of 2011 so I feel like I have a connection with and fondness for it, I absolutely love the interior with the butterfly wall (below) and huge map wall next to the bar.

We were here for main course and while the rest of the group tucked in to roasted English rabbit loin (poor Nibbles - my first rabbit) served with a braised leg 'Shepherd's Pie', wild mushrooms and Chantenay carrots...

Photograph courtesy of Coralie Grassin - Teatime in Wonderland

I had the pleasure of a huge bowl of steaming mussels with chunky chips and garlic bread all to myself. I love mussels, especially the fact that I can get my hands dirty and mop up the delicious salty juices with the bread.

Next up and it was on to familiar territory at The Avalon for dessert of churros with caramel apples and vanilla ice cream. When I went to Madrid in March 2011 I think I tracked down every churros seller within the city to eat as many as possible in the three days we were there, to say I'm a huge fan is an understatement. This might have been something to do with the fact that after I ate my own fair share of dessert, I then finished off the lovely Francesca's too.

Photograph courtesy of Coralie Grassin - Teatime in Wonderland

I'm hoping the night was a success for the bloggers, it certainly was for me, maybe I'm biased or maybe, just maybe, I have my own opinion and love the Renaissance Group, what they are about, the food they serve and the perfect location!

I'll definitely be going back to The Tommyfield and I think you should come too... I hear the comedy nights there are amazing.

The Stonhouse, 165 Stonhouse Street London SW4 6BJ
The Tommyfield, 185 Kennington Lane, London SE11 4EZ
The Rosendale, 65 Rosendale Road, West Dulwich SE21 8EZ
The Avalon, 16 Balham Hill London SW12 9EB

Union Jacks

2012-01-22T17:11:00.000Z

It would seem that the new Jamie Oliver restaurant Union Jacks is quite difficult to find, if you decide to go along there, do not type the postcode in to google maps and think you will be taken there. You'll end up at The Ivy and they don't serve pizza, it's expensive and you can't rock up with out a reservation.

I was 15 minutes late with Jen, Amy and Leanne coming in about 20 minutes behind me after I individually guided them to the mysterious black hole that is now so embarrassingly obvious to find.

The restaurant is on the new development at Central St Giles, just behind Centre Point at Tottenham Court Road, along side it sits Byron, Zizzi and Cabana. The idea at the restaurant is to reintroduce diners to familiar British flavours that are sourced from growers, farmers and winemakers all in the UK. The main food served at the restaurant is flatbreads (or pizzas!) cooked in an open plan kitchen in a wood-fired oven.

While I was waiting for the rest of the ladies to arrive I had the chance to take a few pictures, I was perched at a central table so had a good view of the oven as well as also receiving warmth from it, good after trekking around in the cold for longer than expected.

The kitchen...

And some things I loved, the water bottle with lemon...

The list of all the suppliers that are used to make all of the dishes on the menu...

The bottom of the plates...

and watching the chefs at work right before my eyes...

The ladies finally arrive and we got stuck in to ordering, from left - Leanne, Jen, me and Amy. I love how Leanne has a vat of beetroot for a body!

I love the retro straws in our drinks, we had cloudy lemonade, ginger beer and pink cola, all £2.50.

We're a caring and sharing bunch so opted to share everything we ordered, starting with garlic mushrooms, £4.50, not good for a date - the garlic was overwhelmingly strong and all the better for it. I'd give up kissing for these.

Next up, fish fingers with tartare sauce, £5, huge hunks of good quality and meaty fish, I think they needed more of the tartare sauce though.

Chicken liver pate, £4.50 came up next and annoyingly with only three pieces of toast, we asked if we could buy one more and the lovely waitress bought a huge stack over. It doesn't look great from my picture but the pate was rich and smooth with a delicate taste.

For the main course we shared and devoured three pizzas, the simple Margeret, £7, a flat bread topped with tomatoes, Lincolnshire Poacher Cheddar and basil. I think this was the resounding favourite - the cheese was full of flavour and delicious.

The Chilli Freak, £9.50, really is for those who can take their pizzas hot hot hot! The pizza is topped with six different varieties of chiili which have been roasted and crushed with tomatoes and topped with rocket, it is served with a curd, mint and lemon dip - it sure did need it, we asked for another!

Amy came close to tears from the heat, Jen said her mouth was on fire, hot-head LB barely flinched and I admitted that yes it is hot but I could still happily eat it. I'm glad I saved it until last as the heat definitely stayed in my mouth for a long while afterwards.

Last but not least came the Red Ox, a flatbread topped with oxtail and brisket flatbread which has been slowly braised in Worcestershire sauce with Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, watercress and fresh horseradish. The meat was tender and melt in the mouth and just like on the Margaret, the cheese was incredibly delicious, just goes to show that you don't have to go to France or Italy for good cheese, we should take more advantage of what we have on our doorstep!

We couldn't leave without sharing a dessert, especially when we spotted that the ice-cream comes in flavours such as sticky toffee pudding, Snickers and eton mess, we ordered a scoop of each, £1.50 per scoop, served with a crumbly ginger biscuit.

Needless to say and with evidence of the spoon attack in the picture, the ice-cream didn't last long. It was great to try different flavours, the Snickers being my favourite.

We had a lovely evening and good catch up at Union Jacks and that's exactly what it's good for, perfect for a quite bite to eat before a show or a hungover lunchtime treat.

Meat Liquor, Wellbeck and Henrietta

2012-01-03T22:06:00.001Z

Where did December go? One minute I was with the ladies in Meat Liquor scoffing (as my dad would say) the most divine burger and buffalo wings, the next minute I'm two days in to my New Year's resolution of giving up meat and alcohol for January.

So here is a blog in tribute to the good old days of December where there were no restrictions in my diet and I tasted one of the best burgers I'd had in a long time.


The domed graffiti roof

Meat Liquor sits just behind Debenhams on Oxford Street, you have to get there early in order to get a table and even then you have to find your own space if there is one. If not it's a wait in the cold for you. Three (Laura, Eleanore and myself) of five of us got there at 6:30pm on a Thursday night and tucked in to the wine menu.

The fourth (a late miss Francesca) turned up half an hour after us only to be told that there was a one-in-one-out system even though we had saved a table with room enough for all of us.

I went and told the bruiser on the door (while she peered in from the cold) and told him that we had space for her but was told that it didn't matter, it was policy not to let her in until it was her turn. I said that we wouldn't be ordering until all of the table were there. He said no can do. I said it was a shame that we would have to keep others waiting because they wouldn't let one person. He said: 'Do you want to borrow a pencil a paper and write a letter to the council." Genius. That shut me up and off I went chuckling with my tail between my legs.

So it was three wines and three rumbling stomachs for now... I love the jam jars as glasses touch.

We certainly had one of the best seats in the restaurant at the corner so we could see over everyone and everything... even the queue growing larger by the minute outside.

Francesca managed to work her way through the queue explaining that we were waiting and she was by herself... it didn't take her too long in the end and she arrived just in time for our sneaky order of deep-fried pickles and buffalo wings accompanied by the most excellent blue cheese dip, so good in fact that I kept the remains of one pot for the main course.

Now it was the turn of number five, the very naughty and terribly late Anne, to arrive. By now the queue was snaking around the block and the people in it were just as hungry as us and wouldn't let her skip along to the front. And so we waited.

And then we explained to a rather lovely manager our situation, yes we are drinking you out of house and home but no we won't order without our last friend when we have a perfectly good seat waiting for her. So he did something that can not be repeated as it is top secret and we were not allowed to tell a soul, he let her in through the fire exit at the other side of the restaurant. Probably just to stop our incredibly annoying whinging.

So with haste we ordered.

Won't you look at that for a feast. Inside the softest of buns came a thick, meaty patty of beef, lettuce cucumber, oozings of cheese and a layer of grease that drips down your chin when you immerse your teeth in to it.

A side of fries and chilli fries are a welcome break from the artery clogging burger (I mean that in a good way of course!)

Look at that for perfection...

We couldn't really eat as much of the chilli cheese chips as I would have liked as we didn't have cutlery to get a good forkful of all the delicious flavours but what we did eat was very good indeed, I especially enjoyed the layer of spicy jalapenos on top.

Of course, after that feast there was no room left for dessert and I think we definitely outstayed our welcome by sitting on that table for a good two and a half hours, we definitely could have taken at least 45 minutes off that if only our late-coming friends were allowed in.

I understand their policy and it's a warning for next time that you must all arrive together and on time!

Regardless of the wait, we had a fantastic time at Meat Liquor, you can't but have a good time in there with the electric buzz and dimly lit room making for an excellent atmosphere, the food is simply but delicious and the wine was flowing from as soon as we sat down.

I will make sure that when I break this meat ban it will be in Meat Liquor and it will be with a gallon of wine too.

The Balcon, Pall Mall

2011-11-22T19:16:00.000Z

I have an obsession with lights at the moment, it was ever since I saw the beautiful light at the Japanese restaurant Watatsumi, look at it - it's stunning.

Normally going out for dinner was more about the food but now I find myself also reviewing the design aspects of the room. On my visit to The Balcon there were many aspects of the room that I loved, as you may have already guessed, especially the lights. Unfortunately my terrible phone camera doesn't do this huge fixture justice but I really like the intricate framework and small glass bulbs.

On the wall behind me this light stood proudly, it reminds me of a jellyfish with long tentacles smothered in glass baubles. Probably not one for my humble abode but beautiful all the same.

The design at The Balcon is said to be influenced my Coco Chanel's 1920's apartment and named so because of the balcony you can see in the below picture. The balcony houses the Champagne that guests are free to go and choose for themselves, including Dom Perignon by the glass, apparently The Balcon is one of the only places in London to offer this.

Anyway, before this turns in to a design blog, something I know little about, here's what I went to The Balcon for - the food.

To start came a basket of bread and what a basket it was - we had three different varieties each. We were probably not supposed to devour all of the bread before dinner but we found it hard not to, especially with the butter that it was accompanied by.

The butter was so good it deserved its very own photograph, a pure brick of butter on the left and something new to my palette, a smoked butter, on the right. Creamy, salty and perfect spread thickly on the bread, it was delicious.

The Champagne Angel came to help up make decisions on our drinks, I am not the most decisive of diners, if someone tells me what to have then I'm keen and she did just that, choosing a sparkling rose which came in this elegant glass. I definitely think these Champagne glasses should make a comeback... well it seems they already are! One to add to my Christmas wish list.

The starter I went for was a particular highlight for me, I chose the Herefordshire snails, garlic jus, parsnip puress, Mas air dried ham and country croutons, never before had I tasted such tender, flavoursome snails, forget the generic garlic snails these have a deep, smoky flavour and with the sweet parnsip and garlic jus they were a definite hit for me.

Jo had the home comfort sounding Brioche 'toad in the hole' with Lyonnaise pistachio sausage and garlic confit chicken jus. It was nothing like what we were expecting, instead of a hot battery Yorkshire pudding the brioche was cold, dry and bland, the sausage was ok, the gravy packed a lot of flavour but we were a bit unsure of the salad leaves accompaniment - especially with the gravy. Who's ever poured gravy on a bed of leaves? A disappointing second starter and unfortunately we were doing that eat half and swap tradition... I found it hard to be teared away from my delicious snails.

Champagne gone and time for a glass of wine. Don't ask me what filled yet another beautiful glass (see below) as the Champagne Angel was there again to give her recommendations, this time to go with my main course. I love the glass ware though... oh no first the lighting and now the glasses - why am I suddenly interested in these things? I'm getting old.....

For main courses we chose to do the same swap-half-way-through routine and this time Jo won the battle of the best dish.

I chose the pan-fried black bream with braised fennel, seaweed and beurre blanc, the fish was perfectly cooked - especially the skin - I do love it when the skin is crispy, it's so full of flavour I hate leaving it at the side when it's soggy, this was crisp, salty and lip-licking perfect. The seaweed, which was actually samphire, and the fennel were a fresh addition to the rich buttery sauce but the fish was certainly the star of the show.

The beautiful side order (badly photographed) of roasted baby beets with thyme made up for the average sides on my plate, I especially enjoyed the roasted garlic which when pushed out of the skin revealed a sweet pulp, a great addition to the fish.

Jo opted for the Cornish brill with butternut squash puree, brown shrimps and liliput capers. The fish fell off the bone and the combination of the sweet squash and salty capers made for an incredible flavour match. Just looking at that picture makes me want to go back for more.

After all of that bread we didn't have room for dessert. Sure. Bread or no bread we couldn't leave without trying the chocolate souffle with pistachio ice cream, the rich chocolate was light but sickly - just as it should be and the pistachio ice cream cut through the sweetness.

Following dinner I attempted to burn of some of those delicious bread and souffle calories with a swift cycle home. I think I'm still attempting to burn off that delicious smoked butter - totally worth it though.

Thank you to Jo for inviting me along for dinner and to The Balcon for looking after us so incredibly well. Champagne angel I salute you!

Meatballs with a tomato and green olive sauce

2011-11-20T09:00:00.002Z

I love receiving my Olive subscription, every month when I get home from work to find it on the floor I open it instantly to see what I can make.

In November's issue was a quick and simple meatballs recipe which needed few ingredients, took less than 30 minutes and was so packed full of flavour with the extra addition of olives and cloves during the cooking process.

You will need:
500g lean pork mince
1 red onion , grated or very finely chopped
a pinch dried chilli flakes
½ tsp fennel seeds , crushed in a pestle and mortar
Parmesan , grated to make 4 tbsp
For the tomato sauce:
Olive oil
3 garlic cloves , sliced
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
4 cloves
12 green olives , pitted and quartered
a small bunch basil , shredded
300g tagliatelle
a knob butter

Here's how:

To make the sauce heat two tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the garlic and sizzle gently for a couple of minutes. Tip in the tomatoes and cloves, then simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little, squashing down the tomatoes as you cook.

Meanwhile, to make the meatballs, put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, season and mix well with your hands. Form into walnut- sized balls (you'll get about 20).

Heat a non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the meatballs all over - do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

Scoop the cloves out of the tomato sauce, then add the meatballs and olives. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir in the basil to finish. Serve with buttered tagliatelle.

The meatballs were tender and packed with a punch from the chilli flakes and the addition of the cloves during cooking added depth and warmth to the sauce.

A lovely easy recipe that's perfect for dinner after work and there was so much left over from two of us eating that it also served us for lunch the next day as well.

Things I love: Flat Planet

2011-11-19T12:30:00.000Z

It's been open a while now but I still can't get enough of Flat Planet on Great Marlborough Street, owned by the same people as Leon, which I also adore, the little restaurant serves the most delicious flat breads covered with a myriad of toppings.

I've tried a fair few including the Lamb Aegean, Morrocan Chicken and WikiLeeks but the best yet has to be the El Diablo.

It doesn't come slathered in garlic sauce as per the picture below but I enjoy putting as much on afterwards in order to ward off suspect vampires. Except Edward Cullen, I'd probably give up the garlic sauce for him.

The El Diablo, £4.25, is the heaven of all lunch times, a spelt flatbread smothered with chorizo, smoked chilli, rose harissa, parmesan, rocket, chilli sauce, sundried tomatoes and garlic sauce.... and then some more garlic sauce.

The soft bread is cut in to manageable slices for you to pick up pizza stylee and tuck in to. If you haven't already, I urge you to go and try Flat Planet

Hawksmoor, Seven Dials (or Langley Street)

2011-10-30T22:21:00.000Z

Hawksmoor has been waiting patiently on my to do list for far too long, waiting for a time when my need for steak needed to be satiated, when cravings for beef-dripping chips couldn't be staved off and when lunchtime would not be complete with out drenching my plate in Bearnaise and bone marrow gravy.

And then the day came...

I had a good month at work and as a treat the boss took me to Hawksmoor, I actually piggy backed on my colleague Don's luncheon treat, he won the previous month and decided the place where all beef goes to heaven would be the ideal treat, I couldn't agree with him more so I crashed their date.

It's called Hawksmoor Seven Dials, so you'd think it would be on Seven Dials right? Wrong. It's actually on Langley Street so do not be deceived by that name! It took us a while to find it but when we did the pearly gates opened and in we went.

I loved the beer and liberty sign you are greeted with as you descend the stairs. Back in the early 18th century a number of secret beef societies were started in London, the most famous of which was The Sublime Society of Beef Steaks. Artists, actors, noblemen, statesmen and royalty would go to marvel and wonder at beef steaks, members wore a ring with a picture of a gridiron and the words 'Beef & Liberty' and that is what this picture represents. Don, Roche and I are just waiting for ours in the post.

Once inside it looks exactly like what you'd expect a secret steak club to look like, there are lots of original features such as the vaulted brick ceiling and cast iron columns as well as parquet and oak panelling and tiles which were sourced from London Underground restoration suppliers.

The pass

To start lunch we opted for a bottle of Pinot Noir, the perfect companion for our steak main courses later.

But before the beefy goodness arrived we thougth it rude not to have starters, I opted for the potted smoked mackerel which came with fresh cucumber and toast. It was ok, just what it said on the tin really, I wasn't wowed by it although the dressing on the cucumber was rather good. I think I should have opted for something a little more extravagant.

And then the main courses arrived, as with all bloggers it is paramount to take pictures of every dish but for non-bloggers we are just an annoyance making everyone wait until we have done so or in my case asking people to take the pictures for me.

I asked Don to take a picture of our side dish of cauliflower cheese but when I got my camera back I got the below, just look at happy I am! I'm in my element with a big plate of meat in front of me.

Don thought I'd asked him to take a picture of me, not so much, but I like the extreme glee in the picture anyway so here it is.

And here's what I actually wanted when I shoved my camera in his direction. A hot skillet full of fresh cauliflower drenched in a creamy cheese sauce and charred quickly under a grill.

The next side dish we shared was the famous beef-dripping chips, huge hunks of potato fried in delicious beef dripping. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just how every good chip should be.

The simple buttered carrots were divine, honestly, there must be some kind of MSG on these because how could something so easy to make at home be so much more incredibly delicious than any homemade reincarnation?

And the star of the show, drum roll please... a delicious rib eye of pure beef, simply seasoned and grilled on a charcoal grill. Cooked to medium rare perfection, the steak is why this restaurant is so popular. Well cut, well rested, well cooked, well bloody delicious!

And put them all together and what do you get? Look at that for a Wednesday lunch treat...

I couldn't manage all of the steak so they happily wrapped it up and put it in a doggy bag for me to take home. Perfect for lunch the next day, or breakfast in Don's case!

Even if I couldn't manage the steak doesn't mean that I couldn't squeeze a dessert in there. Don had the following:

They say don't judge a book by its cover, they also say don't judge a dessert by a bad quality iphone photo. This peanut butter shortbread with salted caramel ice cream was immense but unfortunately it was also Don's so I was only allowed a spoonful.

I was however entitled to indulge fully in my sticky toffee sundae, the hot chunks of toffee pudding, creamy vanilla ice cream and hot caramel sauce finished me off good and proper!

It was back to reality and back to work after lunch, it was the sort of lunch where it is imperative to go for a long brisk walk afterwards, either that or a nice afternoon snooze.

Next time, and there will be a next time, I want to try the chateubriand, grilled bone marrow and the macaroni cheese side order. I also want to be just as well rested as the steak after eating so perhaps a night time dinner visit will be the order of the day.

Sushinho, King's Road

2011-10-26T13:00:00.000+01:00

Brazil and Japan, what do they have in common? Well I thought absolutely nothing until I went to Sushinho on King's Road and asked the same question myself. They do have a lot in common as a matter of fact, Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan so the Japanese influence on Brazilian food and vice versa is quite a dramatic one.

As any good foodie would, I had a quick search on the internet to see what other people had said about the restaurant. If we hadn't already made a reservation I probably wouldn't have bothered but as a business dinner with the boss it was compulsory to go, you see the problem was Sushinho got slammed by the press when it first opened in 2009, with one critic saying"the food was just about edible"

So, what is one supposed to do after reading that? Well I ignored it all and decided to go in there completely unbiased and guess what, I absolutely LOVED it. Here's dinner at Sushinho from my perspective.

First stop, drinks. In order to get Roche drunk so that she would agree to a 50% pay rise we started her off with a Brazilian coconut martini, a potent yet delicious mix of coconut water, leblon cachaça, koko kanu and frangelico, garnished with a marasca cherry, £9.50. It did the trick, she got drunk I mean, we're still debating the pay rise.

I guzzled (I mean I literally downed this drink like it was a Saturday night in the local with a Jagerbomb) a Kiwirico, £9.50, a freshly muddled kiwi with Hendricks gin, fresh lime, lemon and elderflower cordial - a mix of my favourite things in a glass.

And then the feast began.

We were all keen to try sea urchin for the first time so we ordered the buri-yellowtail tartare with kizame wasabi, pepper, greentea salt and uni, £16. We tried the uni first and on its own, never before have I eaten something so delicious. It's the hardest taste to describe but here goes. It was as fishy and fragrant as an oyster, as creamy as foie gras with the texture of a papaya... I think it's best to try it yourself to see what I mean. It was completely different to anything I've tasted before and I really liked it (since visiting Sushinho I've been to a few other sushi restaurants and they haven't had it on the menu - a huge disappointment and even more reason to go back for more.) The yellow tail tartare tasted fresh and perfectly seasoned.

The next dish was more buri-yellowtail but this time as tataki, £13, which is quickly seared buri served with apple ponzu, lemon juice, kizame wasabi and oba leaf. Ella, the waitress, told us that the best thing to do is to get a little piece of the apple, wasabi and oba together with each mouthful. She was right, the mix of sweet and sour with the crisp of the oba and tender fish was a brilliant taste sensation.

From apple ponzu to a carpaccio of apple in the next dish of scallop ceviche, £18, with more oba leaf, a drizzle of truffle oil and oscietra caviar (one of the most expensive caviars available eclipsed only by Beluga - get me!) It was unusual to have truffle oil with sushi but with the sharp apple and sweet scallop the dish surprisingly worked.

The next dish was completely different to any sushi dish I've ever had before, the Sushinho roll, £10.50, was a mix of cream cheese, salmon and crab but the difference being, this sushi was served warm. The ingredients sound quite basic but the overall result was outstanding. It was one of my favourite dishes of the evening.

The next plate to appear was a platter of sushi rolls, from the left the Rio rolls, £10.50, made with prawns, wasabi tobiko (flying fish roe) and the highlight of each piece was a thin layer of strawberry, you wouldn't think that it would work but the sweetness from the strawberry was extraordinary, don't knock these until you've tried them! In the middle are the dragon rolls, £12, with avocado, prawn tempura and tobiko, I'm not a huge fan of tempura in sushi but Roche declared them as her favourite. The final rolls (on the right) are Samba rolls, £9, with eel and papaya, tobiko and lime dressing, I really like eel so this one would always be at the top of my sushi list but the Rio rolls definitely took centre stage on the plate for me.

After the many cold dishes we started to make a dent on the hot plates, first up was a salt beef and butternut squash harumaki, £8.50, it was like a spring roll of tempura batter filled with melt in the mouth slow-cooked beef, I would have like to have tasted more of the butternut squash but it was still delicious all the same.

The confit pork salad with mango, melon and burnt orange dressing, £9, was bought to our table next. Roche hasn't stopped going on about this since, I must admit it was very special. I'm not one to order a salad (hello fatty) but this one was certainly not sinless, big chunks of pork belly were cooked so they melted in the mouth and the crunchy pork crackling worked really well with the acidic orange dressing.

Next to the table was another dish that I had never tasted before, blackened butterfish with wasabi guacamole and daikon slaw. The fiery herbs around the edge of the fish complimented the creamy flesh of the fish and the wasabi added depth to the creamy guacamole. I really enjoyed this and if it wasn't for the tightening waist line I would have eaten a lot more than I did.

From the specials board came the onglet of beef, £21, a layer of incredibly seasoned beef cooked to rare, the meat was tender and I know I love all the bad parts but the layer of fat on the beef was exquisite.

Can you believe we're still going?! To go with the onglet were what I mistook for chips but were actually cassava chips, £4, a type of root vegetable which came served with shichimi mayo. These were better than any truffle/beef dripping/triple-cooked/chips that I have tasted before and even though they had been fried they still tasted virtuous (that's what I told myself anyway!)

Ok, that's enough no more, we can't take it. We've eaten so much that we're about to explode. Desserts you say? Oh well why not?

First up the roasted pineapple Napolean with caramel parfait, £7.50, layers of thin, flaky pastry sandwiched around a pineapple mousse and with a crunch of nuts. There were so many different layers to break through and that caramel sauce you can see on the plate was just heavenly.

We also indulged in the passion crumble with toffee ice cream and a sesame tuille, £8.50, the dessert carefully married the fresh passion fruit influences from Brazil and the sesame from Japan to make for an interesting take on pudding. It was light, creamy and not too heavy - the perfect end to a terrific meal.

I can't believe the aforementioned critics get paid to review restaurants, I have no idea what they were thinking or what happened when they visited but I can soundly say that our evening at Sushinho was exemplary, perhaps things have changed since back in 2009 when they first opened but it seems the problems have been ironed out.

I felt like I tried so many new things in just one sitting and there were so many to go back for, I can't wait to take friends there to show them what I have discovered.

Roche, Stuart and I were guests at Sushinho, thank you to Ella for looking after us so incredibly well.

Delicious Delia Gazpacho

2011-10-04T22:44:00.000+01:00

I rushed home from work tonight to make it to my British Military Fitness class, I barged my way on to the tube, ran for the overground, semi-jogged home, got changed, cycled to the class, cycled home and then realised, like a slap to the face, I had nothing in to eat to for dinner. Like old Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were bare.

The local Tesco is literally two minutes away but my energy levels were zapped so I found a cup-a-soup... Chicken and vegetable and made do. Thrifty

Whilst sipping on a soup, probably made with no chicken or vegetables, I thought of soup dinners gone by and how this one measured up...

So here's to my tenuous link... I wished I could eat Delia's delicious gazpacho tonight instead of the wallpaper paste.

I made this in the height of summer (no not in the October heatwave) but in July and it was refreshing and delicious. I'll certainly be making it again - who says that Gazpacho is only for the summer months.

Ah, so pretty and much more easier on the eye that the meek looking dinner from tonight.

It's a Delia recipe and here it is should you fancy bringing some sunshine in to your life on a chilly autumnal day.

Ingredients to serve six
700g firm ripe tomatoes
10cm piece of cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 or 3 spring onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 a red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 heaped teaspoon chopped fresh basil
4 tablespoons olive oil
11/2 tablespoons wine vinegar
275ml cold water
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the garnish
1/2 large red pepper, de-seeded and very finely chopped
10cm piece of cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 heaped tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

To serve
Freshly toasted bread or croutons

And here's how:
Begin by placing the tomatoes in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them; after a minute or two the skins will loosen and slip off very easily. Halve the tomatoes, scoop out and discard the seeds and roughly chop the flesh.

Now place the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, crushed garlic and chopped pepper in a liquidiser, adding a seasoning of salt and pepper, the herbs, oil and wine vinegar.Then blend everything at top speed until the soup is absolutely smooth. (If your liquidiser is very small combine all the ingredients first, then blend in two or three batches.) Taste to check the seasoning and pour the soup into a bowl. Stir in a little cold water to thin it slightly – anything from 150-275 ml – then cover the bowl with foil and chill thoroughly.

To make the garnish, simply combine all the ingredients together with a seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper and float on top of the soup.

I toasted slices of ciabatta with olive oil drizzled over and served them with the soup

Et voila - how to depress yourself after you have just had a terrible dinner.

Hummus Bros, Wardour Street

2011-09-29T22:14:00.000+01:00

As I said in my last lunchtime blog when I visited Moolis, I am very lucky to have a huge array of places to choose from in my lunch break. Favourites include Itsu, Leon, Little Greek Pie company, Make Mine, Mildred's, Rosalind's and if I'm feeling flash the Riding House Cafe.

But next stop was to the place where dreams are made, a lunch time spot featuring my all time favourite food, if I am what I eat then I am hummus... and I'd be a hummus sister.... have you guessed yet? I went to Hummus Bros, a restaurant dedicated to the chickpea.


hummus bros on Wardour Street

So, what is there to do with hummus I hear you shout, well - a lot and the bros certainly know how to do it. Here are the basics, you arrive and you are given a huge bowl of creamy thick hummus and fluffy rounds of pitta. Then you choose a topping, add spicy chickpeas, fava beans, vegetable salad, mushrooms, guacamole, chicken or our option of chunky slow-cooked beef stew.

Hummus with chunky beef stew

For the extra hungry you can choose a side order too, Hannah and I decided to share everything so naturally we wanted one and opted for the falafel salad - shredded topped with falafels and smothered with fresh tomato and coriander salad and tzatizi.


Falafel salad

To drink, we chose the refreshing fresh mint and ginger lemonade, it was very sharp with not enough ginger spice but refreshing all the same.

Mint and ginger lemonade

Obviously a ladies who lunch date wouldn't be complete with out a sweet treat and Hummus Bros do not disappoint with their flourless chocolate brownie. It was sweet, gooey and the perfect end to our virtuous lunch.

Double chocolate brownie

To settle the stomach at the end of lunch a fresh mint tea, refreshing and perfect for washing down the sickly chocolate brownie.

Fresh mint tea

Hummus Bros is another luncheon destination to add to the ever expanding places to visit in Soho but fortunately the food there won't add too many inches to my ever expanding waistline.

Hummus Bros,
88 Wardour Street,
London,
W1F 0TH

Thank you to Lianne at W Comms for arranging our lunch.

The things I love: Richmond Hill

2011-09-05T14:47:00.000+01:00

Blogging isn't easy, I admire those who can hold down full time jobs as well as constantly blogging at the same time. I don't know how they do it, after a 8 hour day in front of a computer at work, the last thing I want to do is go home and spend any longer on my laptop.

I'm very fortunate to go to lots of amazing places and I always try and take pictures of the places but I never get round to blogging about them so I thought I'd start a mini series of the things I love with a few photos and words about why I love them.

To kick start the series I wanted to tell you about Richmond Hill, a place that I have only just discovered but it is so special to me and here's why.

Richmond in April

This is at the bottom of Richmond Hill over Easter, the sun was dazzling and my dad, his wife, both of my beautiful sisters, their boyfriends and I spent a lovely day in Richmond on the river before walking along to the hill and then up to the Marlborough pub for dinner.

It was the perfect day for my eldest sister's boyfriend to ask my dad for her hand in marriage... he said yes.


Cheers

And so did she, a month later while they were on holiday in Florence. She sent me this picture to show off her beautiful ring.

Mr and Mrs Hill

Then on August 13th they were married and we returned to Richmond Hill for champagne cheers before heading to the Marlborough pub once more for a jolly good knees up celebration.


The wedding party

It was a perfect day and everyone was in awe of the beautiful views over Richmond from the top of the hill. I gained a Big Bru (that's said in my best South African accent) and a fine one he is too.

So, there you have it. Richmond Hill - something I love or in this case somewhere I love and somewhere that will always be special to me.

Da Polpo, Maiden Lane

2011-09-02T09:01:00.000+01:00

The menu - similar to the other Russell Norman restaurants

As soon as Da Polpo opened in June I had wanted to visit, I'm a huge fan of Russell Norman - I went to Spuntino in March (and have returned many times) and I have been to Polpo many times normally after a few drinks when my friends and I decide it's time to eat something. Usually it takes a while to get a table at Polpo so gives us a chance to have a obligatory bottle of prosecco.

I wasn't very well when I visited Da Polpo with my lovely friend LB otherwise I'm sure I would have ordered a lot more of the excellent food. I also wasn't as adventurous as I usually am otherwise I would have definitely have tried the chicken liver crostino or the calf liver with onions and sage which simply means that I have to go back to do so.

Arancini

Cicchetti, small dishes that are usually served in Italy, have been on all the trendy 'going up' lists lately and I totally get the hype. They are not only perfect as a snack while enjoying a glass of wine with friends but also great for dinner when having sharing plates.

We opted for the arancini, £2.50 for two, my favourite. Small balls of risotto wrapped around cheese and then coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. They don't look like much when they are served...

And then you bite in to them and the melted cheese oozes out, the hot risotto fills your mouth and the crunchy outer layer adds both flavour and texture to each and every bite. If you visit Da Polpo (or Polpo for that matter) it is imperative that you order these mouthfuls of joy.

Pizzette bianca

The next dish was a pizzette bianca, £4.50, a thin crispy pizza base topped with sweet caramelised onions and cheese, all the flavours were good but were made even better when we doused it in chilli oil for an extra spicy kick. LB and I have a habit of doing this to pizza no matter where we are.

Asparagus with scrambled egg and Parmesan

The very indulgent grilled asparagus with buttered eggs and Parmesan, £7.50, came next, the asparagus withstanding the crunch and cooked to perfection, the egg was so creamy and rich and the cheese on top adding to the impending heart attack. It was a dish that I was least expecting to wow but it was one of my favourites, until...

Piadina meatball smash

The signature and ultimate dish landed its way on our table. I'd heard from the throngs of bloggers that the PIadina meatball smash, £8, was the unmissable dish at Da Polpo and I couldn't agree more. We had a huge tortilla each, filled with a spicy tomato sauce, the classic pork and beef meatballs and huge gloops of cheese. They had somewhat of a comforting effect and I certainly felt better after devouring the whole lot, I could have probably eaten them both to myself.

Gelato cones in cherry and vanilla

But I didn't and so there was still room for dessert, naturally. We had a gelato, £4, each, cherry for me and vanilla for my not-so-vanilla friend LB. The ice-creams were creamy yet light and packed full of delicious cherries, even LB's vanilla was far from boring. I've always been a put it in a tub rather than a cone kind of girl but these cones were sweet and crunchy, a far cry from their bland cardboard flavoured cousins.

Da Polpo is well worth visiting, when I went on a Monday at 7pm it wasn't too busy so there was a lack of atmosphere that you get at Polpo but the food was incredible and service was top notch.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, perhaps a trip to Da Polpo will ease my heady symptoms. Or perhaps I should complete the quartet with a trip to Polpetto.

Aqua Kyoto, Argyll Street

2011-08-29T19:13:00.000+01:00

It was absolutely ages ago that I got invited to Aqua Kyoto, we had the most incredible meal there but for some reason it's taken me far too long to share it. It was a summery evening so I'll pretend it was just recently but it most certainly was not. I met my friend Vicks and off we tootled feeling all posh as we made our way through the burly bouncers, up in the lift and to the hostess.

We went to the bar first but with it already being two people deep at just 7pm we decided to take our seats and order our cocktails there to speed things up and then we would enjoy the drinks on the terrace with views over London. If only it was that easy. The terrace in Aqua Kyoto was so busy so we decided to move through to the Aqua Nuevo al fresco space or should I say we tried to move through to the terrace but were told in no uncertain terms that it was already to capacity.

After I said something along the lines of 'Oh, that's a shame we are here to review' as if by magic there were spaces for the two of us. Funny that. I do love being a reviewer sometimes.

So we enjoyed our Japanese Velvet cocktails on the terrace and realised it wasn't actually as warm when you are 5 floors up so we headed back inside to start on dinner.

In the short time that we were outside the room inside had started to fill up with diners. In the vast space of the room is a circular bar where guests spend the night drinking, a sushi bar where you can see the skilled chefs prepare your food from scratch and a charcoal grill where flames lick at meats and fish in front of your eyes. We had a great view of the whole room.

The waitress helped us with choosing our whole dinner and she didn't hold back, suggesting some of the most expensive things on the menu as well as the simple dishes that she loved and dishes that customers order again and again.

So our culinary evening started with a half platter of tataki sushi which is wrapped with fresh cucumber instead of seaweed. We had to argue over who had which one but came to a compromise and decided that each were as incredible as each other. We kind of wished we went for the full platter instead, the cucumber made the sushi feel lighter than usual and gave the fish a refreshing kick.

The second dish was our waitresses favourite and although it was a very simple plate of spinach rolls with toasted sesame sauce we had to agree that it was one of the most exquisite dishes of the evening. They arrived at the table looking like snow-topped green skyscrapers in a puddle of sludge.

But they were quickly demolished by our waiter who mixed the spinach and sludge together to create a rich and creamy dish, it really was divine.
The scallops that came next were big, plump and soft but lacked flavour, I did enjoy the crisp outside and tender inside but probably could have done with extra seasoning.

We had been told by several people before visiting Aqua that the Saikyo miso black cod was a must and our waitress agreed. The simple grilled cod was cooked to perfection and fell apart at the touch of our greedy chop sticks. The taste was incredible, especially on the skin at the bottom, so good in fact that I ate both of the discarded skins. I do hate waste.

The ribeye with cow choi and mustard sauce was the next course but didn't make much of an impression after the delicious cod, I found the beef to be quite dry but the fiery mustard sauce helped a little.

Roast duck breast and confit duck leg with grilled spring onions arrived next, the tender duck had a crisp layer of flavoursome fat and the confit was smooth and decadent.

For dessert, the chocolate and praline doughnuts with yuzu curd sounded too good to miss out on. The hot sweet dough balls had a citrusy tang from the yuzu but was cut through when dipped in the creamy chocolate sauce. It was the perfect end to a good meal, I just wish there were more balls to mop the chocolate up with.

Vicks had the creme brulee which had a thin layer of caramelised sugar on top and when cracked open revealed a thick and rich vanilla dessert, it wasn't as good as the doughnuts but definitely earned some serious points in the bowl licking department.

The food was very good as was the service, the atmosphere was buzzing on the Friday night and even as the evening chill drew in there were still lots of people taking advantage of the outdoor bar on the terrace. Fortunately I was a guest at Aqua Kyoto so we didn't have to pay the bill, a huge relief as it isn't cheap!

I would definitely go back for dinner but it would certainly have to be for a special occasion or just for some more of that cod dish and the cucumber sushi.

Mooli's, Frith Street

2011-08-02T22:55:00.000+01:00

Soho is my stomping ground, it's an area I like to think I know pretty well - from the busy Carnaby Street to the peaceful St Anne's Church courtyard, from the cheap eats of The Breakfast Club to a pricey dinner at Bob Bob Ricard and drinks at the underground cocktail bar Soho Arts and Theatre club to the blinging dance offs at Studio Valbonne. I know a fair amount about Soho but I did not know about Mooli's until just last week when I was invited for lunch.

Located on Frith Street, just a stone's throw from the aforementioned Soho Arts and Theatre Club is this delightful stand alone Indian street food eatery with an emphasis on rotis and lassis. Always keen to try new things, when an invite came to go and try it of course I didn't resist.

Along with my lovely friend Hannah we went along for a quick lunch, I kind of wished we didn't have the standard hour lunch break as I could have happily grazed on the incredible food all afternoon.

To start we each opted for a lassi, mango for me rose and cinnamon for Hannah. Ice cold, sweet and smooth - they were refreshing and certainly moreish.

We initially ordered one roti each but the lovely Gabriel suggested that we try all of them in order to get a feel for each and every one and to find our favourite for when we go back again - can't argue with that!

While we waited we snacked on roasted poppadom bites with four different chutneys - raita, tamarind, tomato and chilli. The poppadoms had a spicy kick which was either mellowed out with the cooling raita or sweet tamarind dip or added extra heat to the chilli and tomato chutneys.

And then lunch arrived... look at all of these!

The Paneer (at the back) and Chicken are the mildest options so we started with those. I'd never eaten paneer cheese like this before (only as saag paneer) so it was interesting to try. The flavours in the paneer worked well together but I don't think there was enough of a spice kick in there and it was very crumbly and difficult to eat. The chicken had a much better texture with the addition of soft lentils but it still needed more oomph to get my tastebuds dancing.

Next we went on the the chickpea (at the back) and pork. I'm the biggest hummous fan that you ever did know but for some reason I'm not a huge fan of chickpeas on their own, I'll eat them (of course I will) but I wouldn't choose them. The ones at Mooli's were very good though, wrapped up with tamarind, spring onion and coriander, the wrap had a sweet and spicy taste to it.

And then on to the best of the bunch, coming in 3rd position... the Keralan beef with coconut, salsa and yoghurt was incredible (and Hannah's favourite) the beef was so tender it fell apart as soon as you put your lips to the roti.

In 2nd place came the pork roti (at the back), the combination of spicy Goan pork and sweet pomegranate salsa was a flavour explosion in my mouth. I especially enjoyed the huge quantities of meat that filled the bread, by this point I was feeling full but I didn't leave a morsel of this one on my plate.

Which might have been a bad idea as in 1st place the goat roti!! I'd never tried goat before so I didn't really know what to expect but I loved it (it wasn't to Hannah's taste) it tasted very gamey and rich but was complimented with the soft creamy cumin potatoes and spicy salsa. It just so happened that because Hannah wasn't a fan there was still half a roti left on the table, of course after eating so much I couldn't possibly eat any more... yeah right, I polished it off.

I wouldn't recommend eating all six of the rotis available at Mooli's but I would certainly encourage you to try the pork and goat options... otherwise like me you will almost fall at sleep on your keyboard.

I couldn't get the secret of how to make the amazing rotis but I did get a recipe for a mango lassi - perfect for cooling down on these hot summer days and great for a dessert too.

You will need:
2 ripe Alphonso mangoes
100ml thick Greek yoghurt
100ml milk
1 teaspoon freshly peeled and chopped ginger
A few cubes of ice

Method:
Using a blender mix all of the ingredients until it becomes smooth and frothy. Add the ginger and a little honey or sugar to taste (it's up to you - I think the mangoes make it sweet enough)

You can also experiment by adding cinnamon or cardamom or... spike it with some spiced rum - delicious!

Mooli's
50 Frith Street
London
W1D 4SQ

Thank you to Lianne at W Communication for inviting me along to Mooli.

The Cinnamon Club Chilean Wine Dinner

2011-07-13T18:11:00.000+01:00

I ate at Cinnamon Kitchen a few months back and absolutely adored it, so when I was invited along to The Cinnamon Club for a Chilean wine dinner there was no way that I was going to miss it.

Set in the old Westminster Library, The Cinnamon Club is absolutely stunning both inside and out. When Vivek Singh, the executive chef, restored the library before opening in 2001 he kept some of the original features such as the high ceilings, wooden flooring, wooden panelling and the gallery of book shelves overlooking the main dining room

On arrival we started on the first wine of the night, a Sauvignon Blanc (Reserva Especial, Caliza vineyard, Tabali, Limari Valley, 2009) which was creamy, light and notes of citrus and honey, it perfectly complimented the canapes.

After getting to know the other guests we sat down and the host of the night spoke a little about Chile and why the wines that come from there are so spectacular. Laurent Chaniac the wine buyer at The Cinnamon Club, then told us why the wines are matched with the dishes chosen. It was very interesting and I learnt a lot including the fact that I would love to visit Chile one day and hopefully one day soon.

On to dinner, I was very lucky to be sitting next to Hari who has been the head chef for many years but has now passed the reins over to Rakesh Ravindran Nair and moved front of house to manage the restaurant. He happily told me about every dish including what I should try first on the plate and all the wonderful spices and ingredients that were in the food.

To start we had crisp courgette flower with vegetables and tamarind served with a Riesling (Miramar Vineyard, Casa Marin, Lo Abarca, San Antonio Valley, 2010) To start with I thought the Riesling didn't have much taste to start with but as soon as I'd tried the courgette the flavours of the wine came alive on the palette.

The fish course was superb, I could quite happily live off this for the rest of my life. Seared scallops rings of squid, squid ink potato and achari cauliflower puree - served with Gewurtztraminer (Las Colmenas, Vision, Cono Sur, Casablanca Valley, 2009) which is one of my favourite grapes, the wine was very floral and aromatic - suitably matched to sweet scallops and cauliflower puree.

The first main of Tandoori squab pigeon with black lentils and saffron bread, I was very excited about as I had never eaten pigeon before so I was keen to see what it was like. There was a breast of pigeon which was moist, succulent, tender and spiced to perfection, the mini pigeon burger had completely different flavour and texture to the breast and was equally as delicious and the soft bread was sweet and ideal for mopping up the lentil sauce. The wine to match this dish was the first red of the night, a Pinot Noir (Lot 21, Vina Leyda, Leyda Valley, 2008) a deep red which matched the richness of the pigeon very well.

I fell in love with the decanter that the Pinot Noir was being poured from, I just so happened to get this amazing picture as the sommelier was mid-pour, doesn't it look pretty!

The main course was a smoked saddle of Cornish lamb with rich onion sauce served with fluffy basmati rice and an assortment of freshly baked Indian breads. I've never known lamb to melt in the mouth like this before, it was delicately spiced on the outside and cooked to a beautiful pink on the inside. Along side the dish was Carmenere wine (Grey, Trinidad vineyard, Ventisquero, Maipo Valley, 2008) I'd never heard of, let alone tried, Carmenere wine before so it was lovely to try something new and something very different to what I've tried in the past.

Normally the desserts menu in Indian restaurants is a mix of rice puddings and kulfi ice-cream but at The Cinnamon Club the desserts are a combination of English desserts with Indian influences, so in this case a spiced lemon tart, a refreshing and tangy way to finish dinner and helped to cut through the sweet Sauvignon Blanc sweet wine (Special Selection, late Harvest, Vina Echeverria, Curico Valley, 2007)

I absolutely adored The Cinnamon Club and will definitely be attending the next wine dinner on 7th October, a Yalumba special. I felt like my palette was not only opened to a whole new set of tastes and textures but also to a new selection of wines.

Tasting with Grey Goose

2011-07-09T11:26:00.000+01:00

How often do you think about taste, really think about it? It's one of my favourite things to do but whether I'm tucking in to a bowl of cereal steeped in milk or a platter of freshly made sushi with wasabi, ginger and soy sauce, I don't think mmmm I can really taste the bitter/salt/sweet/umami/sour in this.

So when I was invited to Taste by Appointment with Grey Goose to explore the pleasure of taste, I was intrigued, especially as Joe McCanta would be there to provide me with a personal consultation to discover my own unique sense of taste.

The setting for this event was at the majestic Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras which I completely fell in love with upon alighting from the cab, that the lovely APR Comms girls had arranged to take me there - thanks ladies.

Look how stunning it is and inside all of the original features had been lovingly restored during the renovation, I loved the grand staircase and huge windows which floods the stairs with light - although this picture really doesn't do it justice

In to the room for the Grey Goose event and the branding really was brilliant, from the geese hanging in the entrance to the room...
To the accents of Grey Goose Blue in the room...

And the huge flower arrangements in front of the branded mirror.

Anyway, enough about the Renaissance and the room, lets get on with what I was there for. To begin we tested our taste with the preconceptions we have with when we see food. Five tasters were set before us and we worked our way through them - but each had a twist, the juicy sweet red cherry was in fact bitter, there was candy floss which was salty and a weird mousse thing that you can see in the picture below which tasted disgusting and was the umami taste.

After the tasting session, we were able to spend time with Joe McCanta in a personal taste session. He asked us about which tastes we enjoyed in everyday life and asked us which our favourite and least favourite tastes were from the previous test.

With this all in mind he then made separate concoctions for everyone, the lady before me said that she loved all Thai flavours and Joe made her an incredible cocktail which was like a sweet Laska with a chilli hit.

I told Joe my love of ginger and elderflower, so he made me a cocktail with just that in mind, it was absolutely perfect! I'm certainly going to be asking for these instead of the other boring options on drinks menus, here's my recipe:
35ml Grey Goose La Poire
25ml Velvet Falernum
25ml Fresh lime juice
20ml Belvoir Ginger cordial
20ml St Germaine Elderflower liqueur

All of the ingredients are shaken with ice and then strained in to cocktail glass and garnished with cloves.

Joe will be available for Taste by Appointment sessions again soon, check out the website for more details.

Ceviche presents Limanation

2011-06-21T23:20:00.000+01:00

I can safely say that I've never been to Lima, let alone Peru and not even South America so I didn't know quite what I was in for when I went along to Ceviche presents Limanation, a pop-up Peruvian restaurant on Farringdon Road. I have had ceviche before and adored it so the thought of more of the same was something I was very much looking forward to.

Off we went on Thursday night to the pop-up which had taken over the small cafe at the Free Word Centre, an international centre for literature, literacy and free expression. Lit by candles and the natural light which flooded in from the huge windows (I took this picture from outside) the restaurant had a romantic feel, added to by the faux flowers on the table.

There was information about the pop-up and the soon to be new opening on the table. Ceviche the restaurant is the brainchild of Martin Morales who was frustrated with the lack of Peruvian restaurants in the UK so set out to make a change and offer delicious ceviche just like he used to eat when he grew up in Peru.

The five course menu started with a Pisco sour which sadly I failed to get a photograph which is a shame because it was so delicious. Refreshing and tart at the same time, the mixture of Payet Acholado Pisco with fresh lime-juice, sugar and egg white topped with cinnamon was a taste sensation, I'm certainly looking forward looking to more of those at the restaurant.

So on to the wine, a light Sauvignon Blanc from Chile - shame there wasn't a Peruvian wine to try though.The lovely Jo (@ilovechilli) enjoying the wine while the lovely Peruvian waiter serves the guests next to us.
Aji de Gallina Tequnos with a Rocoto mayonnaise - Deep fried dumplings with chicken stewed in milk, peanuts and yellow Peruvian chilli and served with a spicy mayonnaise. These were incredible - I just wished there more than one and a half each!

Here's my good friend Paul (@Paulfrmthenorth) enjoying the Trio de Causas - Three potato puree terrines with different fillings: coriander causa with tuna, classic causa with salmon and sweet potato causa with asparagus - this was my favourite.

Next up came the first ceviche; seabass served with sweet potato crisps in good enough to slurp juice of lime juice, garlic, coriander and ginger. After trawling the web for reviews I found the My Little Belly blog, they'd been working in the kitchen and have shared the recipe here - I'm definitely going to try it out.

I told you it was good enough to slurp, the lady next to us did - I can't believe my bowl was taken away before I got the chance!The next ceviche was a warm prawn dish - sorry about the picture being blurry, I had to rush after a waiter to get a snap as I'd started to devour mine before taking a picture, yes - it was that good!
Ceviche is really good at ceviche that's for sure. The main course was next, Lomo Saltado - a home-style Peruvian classic with oriental influences, a dish of sauteed beef with chillis, onion, tomatoes and served with rice. Unfortunately the rice never came which was a bit disappointing but apparently there had been a problem in the kitchen but the crispy potatoes on the dish were a welcome extra to the dish. I thought the main meal was alright, we'd asked for some more of the spicy mayonnaise from the first dish which gave it a little extra kick that it needed.

Dessert was a Guanaja chocolate sponge and Lucuma mousse with a fresh blackberry and coulis. The sponge was soft, light and rich which was cut through with the acidity of the blackberry but the best part of the dish was the Lucuma mousse - Lucuma is a tropical fruit native to Peru which is sweet and with the cream - totally delicious. Some people say that Lucuma ice-cream in Peru outsells vanilla and chocolate - I can see why!

We had such a lovely night at the restaurant, even when the second sitting were eating we hung around with more cocktails and wine. I'm very much looking forward to the restaurant opening, I'll certainly be first in the queue for the Pisco Sours, Lucuma ice-cream and more than anything else - the incredible ceviche to which, rightly so, the restaurant is named after.

Risotto with a twist

2011-06-20T20:47:00.000+01:00

I first found out about spelt a few years back when I was given a free sample of Dorset cereals 'Tasty, toasted spelt, barley and oat flakes', I was completely hooked from the first mouthful. The muesli was a lot lighter than the usual ones which are heavy with wheat and oats so I gradually started introducing a lot more spelt in to my diet.

And then years later I got another free sample*, this time a dinner dish - Speltotto, a risotto pack but instead of the usual risotto rice, spelt is used along with courgette, garlic and thyme.

One hefty hangover called for comfort food, so I decided to make the speltotto to ease the tragic symptoms after one too many red wines. As with all hangovers, my effort levels were at an all time low so to find out that in just fifteen minutes and with none of that pour the water in gradually nonsense, dinner would be ready.

It's as easy as pouring the dry ingredients in to a pan, adding water and letting the mixture bubble away.
After 12 minutes, stirring just a few times and a generous knob of butter stirred in and you are left with a creamy dish that is, just like the cereal that I discovered, a lot lighter than a usual risotto and with a nutty flavour.

I served it with a leaf salad and with lots of parmesan cheese, yes under all that cheese is a speltotto!

The pack makes enough for four so I was having left overs for lunch for the next couple of days. Whenever I was reheating it everyone would comment on the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen - it was very garlicky not that anyone seemed to mind the aroma.

Sharpham Park Speltotto is available at Selfridges and online at www.sharphampark.com at £3.95 for 225g.

*The lovely Jenna from APR Communications sent me the pack to sample.

Nopi, Warwick Street

2011-06-12T18:58:00.000+01:00

I will buy a decent camera, a lovely SLR which takes beautiful shots of food but I need to save up for it first. Until then I'm sorry, all I've got is my mobile phone. And I couldn't go to Nopi and not blog about it so please find enclosed some terrible excuses for pictures of what were incredible plates of food, that really looked a lot better than what you are witnessing here.

I've been wanting to go to Nopi for a long time and the opportune moment came when meeting some friends and wandering around the area on a hot and sticky night after work. We didn't think on a busy Thursday night that we would be able to get a table but sure enough there was room for the four of us on the condition that we had to vacate the table in an hour and fifteen minutes. Dinner was just a prerequisite to drinks anyway so that worked fine for us.

To start with, a chilled bottle of French Viognier...

The dishes are sharing based, on the menu it is recommended to have three dishes each but we found that two each was more than enough. There are 22 plates, split between veg, fish and meat, here are the eight plates we tucked in to.

When you arrive you are given a board of soft bread with chewy crusts and dips of olive oil and babaganoush. I'm going to learn how to make babaganoush (watch this space) I love the stuff, I especially like Nopi's touch of adding pomegranate to it.

The braised lamb belly, mixed mushrooms and sumac was absolutely incredible. The meat was so tender, it fell apart as soon as the fork so much as glanced at it.

This is the twice-cooked baby chicken with lemon myrtle salt and chilli sauce, the sweet meat fell off the bone and was perfectly complimented by the sharp salt and chilli kick.

This was probably my favourite; chargrilled octopus with salmorejo (a tomato and bread sauce) and morcilla - also known as black pudding. There are so many connotations with the bloody meaty sausage, I personally love it, what's not to love? It tastes good but some people are so scared of the concept of it, call it morcilla and everyone tucks in without knowing what they are eating. Just watch them, they'll love it. Idiots.

Underneath the tangy fennel and creamy pecorino is the perfectly roasted beef sirloin, delicate in the mouth but packed full of the flavour that stands up to the bitter fennel.

This phallic specimen is the roast aubergine with walnut salsa and pomegranate - another beautiful dish not just in the taste department but also with the marriage of texture between the soft aubergine and crunch from the nuts.

Our second vegetable dish was the chargrilled asparagus with romesco and apple balsamic, I found it amazing how such simple ingredients can come together to make the most excellent explosion of flavours on the tastebuds.

We all tucked in to the potato and baby leek gratin before I remembered to take a picture so not only are my pictures of shit quality, this one is of a half eaten dish! This came to the table last when we were all sighing with fullness, it's very rich and creamy, of course it was finished but it did push over the edge of comfortably full to bursting.

In the short time that we were there I was more than impressed with Nopi. Every table was full and there was a nice hum of conversation filling the room, with the low level lighting I can imagine going on a date there and spending more time exploring the menu and the wine list!

Padstow Seafood School - Lemon sole and Thai seafood curry

2011-05-21T16:56:00.000+01:00

Hello, it's been so long - I've almost forgotten how to type. My laptop has been in repairs, one day it worked, the next day not so much so I didn't have my pictures but here they are and here I am.

So where was I? Still in Padstow and about to give you the next installment of my wonderful cookery school experience at Rick Stein's cookery school with my lovely friend Kate - here we are.

Next up in the mammoth cooking and eating session was a salsa verde mayonnaise, now friends and family know how much I love mayonnaise, from roast dinners to chicken bhuna I could eat it with everything and I do.

To make it, be sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and then whisk one egg yolk, two teaspoons of white wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in clean bowl with a wire whisk.

Slowly, very slowly, beat the oil in to the egg mixture just a few drops at a time until you have incorporated it all, all 300ml of it! It will look beautiful and taste just as good as it looks.

Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, a finely chopped garlic clove, six finely chopped anchovy fillets, three tablespoons of capers a heaped tablespoon of fresh mint and three tablespoons of parsley leaves both coarsely chopped.

And to go with the salsa verde mayo, deep fried flat fish with panko breadcrumbs. We learnt how to fillet this lovely lemon sole...

And made the fillets in to these beautiful creations...

And the best thing is that they are also so simple to make but you do need a deep fat fryer to cook them in, or a bit pot full of hot oil - sounds disastrous to me.

The fillets need seasoning and then coated with flour, followed by beaten egg and then coated in breadcrumbs before frying got just two minutes or so until the fish is crisp and golden. Drain the fish on kitchen paper and serve with the delicious mayonnaise. We had chips with ours too.

After lunch we were absolutely stuffed, having a hangover and being full doesn't make for a good combo - we were both ready to snuggle up and go to sleep in front of the estuary.

But there was more to be done, thankfully though we didn't have to cook it. The last dish, a red Thai seafood curry was to be demonstrated by one of the lovely chefs while we looked on and learnt. Look at the size of it!

Huge hunks of lobster, two great fillets of red mullet, massive mussels, squid, crab, prawns - all in a rich flavoursome curry. I only wished I had more room left so I could have helped to devour it.

In the just one day I felt like I learnt so many new skills and techniques and I feel much more at ease when it comes to filleting a whole fish or killing a crab, although that's not a technique I want to repeat in a hurry.

Kate and I are certainly keen to go back again for another course, watch this space - tapas, sushi or perhaps a dessert course could be blogged about soon.

Padstow Seafood School - Mackerel and clams

2011-04-30T20:39:00.000+01:00

Back to Rick Stein's Seafood school...

While the crab was simmering away we learnt how to fillet a lovely mackerel. It's so surprising how easy it is to fillet a fish, you just need a good filleting knife - something that I don't have at home but need to invest in... any recommendations?

An incision around the head and then down the bones. Hmm it seems it's even easier to do it than it does to explain it... either way it looks something like this when the process is complete. Lovely.

We then made this fresh fillets in to Japanese fishcakes with ginger and spring onions. Here's the recipe: You will need three rainbow trout, filleted (you need about 500g) 4cm peeled and finely chopped piece of fresh ginger, 3 fat finely chopped spring onions, 4 finely chopped chestnut mushrooms, a little oil, salt and pepper, 100g rocket, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon cold water and a pinch of caster sugar. Serves four.

Skin and pin bone the trout fillets and then cut them in to very small pieces, still large enough to hold together in a fishcake but not too coarse. Put the fish in a mixing bowl with the ginger, spring onions, mushrooms and season. Mix together well, then divide the mixture into 8 and with slightly wet hands mould the patties to approximately three inches in diameter.

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fishcakes and fry for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Put on to warmed plates and pile some of the rocket alongside. Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make a dressing and drizzle over the rocket and around the plate.

My plate...
Kate's plate, she definitely wins the presentation prize...

So we had fishcakes, then the crab and then my favourite dish and the easiest to make was this next one, Venus clams with chilli and garlic linguine.

I thought the clams looked pretty.

Here's the recipe: You will need 350g dried linguine, 50ml extra virgin olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 hot red chilli, 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, 900g small clams, 2 tablespoons white wine. Serves 4.

Cook the linguine pasta in a large pan of well salted boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile put the olive oil, garlic, chilli and garlic into a small pan and heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Lower the heat and cook gently for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is soft. Add the parsley and remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta. Return the empty pan to a high heat and add the clams, the white wine and par cooked linguine. Cover and cook over a high heat, shaking the pan now and then for 3-4 minutes until all of the clams have opened.

Uncover the pan and add the olive oil mixture. Simmer for a further 2 minutes or until all the linguine is tender, then serve.

So simple, so effective.

Next at the seafood school, lemon sole and seafood thai curry.

Padstow Seafood School - The crab hangover cure

2011-04-25T11:18:00.000+01:00

So, if you read my previous post about our arrival in Padstow, you will also think that after copious amounts of alcohol the night before we were probably not feeling our best the next morning.

You would be correct. So the thought of filleting fish, deveining prawns and getting the beards off mussels was one of the last things we wanted to do when we woke on the morning of cookery school day.

But off we trotted to the famous cookery school to do just that...

There were 13 of us taking part in the seafood course, all ages, genders, backgrounds, home countries. There was a mixed bunch; some with a lot of experience in the kitchen and some with little. We had a chat with the others, enjoying a very welcome tea and coffee while taking in the breathtaking views of the estuary while the tide was out. Obviously I'm not making up these people, I took this picture after everyone had left the area to learn how to kill a crab.... oh dear.

So first things first, how to kill a live crab. Those that know me, know that I am absolutely petrified of crabs. From the diddly ones that scurry away when you go anywhere near them to the Japanese Spider variety, not sure where this irrational fear comes from - I used to go crab fishing when I was a youngster and pick them up.

The way to conquer a fear and cure a hangover all in one swoop... pick up a live one - That is one nervous smile:

Ok, now is the time to tell you that this little crab was half asleep by the time I got my mitts on it, it had been chilling in the fridge which makes it less snippy.

However after the time it took me to pick it up and then take pictures, our little crabby was coming back to life! Kate had to pull back the little flap on the underneath of the crab and the stick the screwdriver type instrument in to stun the poor little bugger but he wasn't going to take it so easily, grabbing on to the tool with its pincers.

'No, don't - I've got a wife and kids' Sorry Mr Crab.

He then goes in to a very salty pot of hot water. When the water boils, you count down for ten minutes and the crab is ready. Put him in a handstand position to cool down before you start the nitty gritty part.

So it's quite hard to explain how to dismantle a crab and get out all the delicious meat but basically you pull all the legs off and get all the lovely white meat from them and you force the 'pouch' from the shell to reveal a lot of brown meat but there's also pockets of white meat that you can force out in there too. It certainly takes a while to do, but with two of us it was a lot quicker.

Oh yes, you must wear glove to do this so that the little spines from the legs don't irritate your skin and also for hygiene purposes with the unpasteurised meat.

Look what a happy team we are, picking away at all the nooks and crevices of the crab.

To go with the crab we made a light lemongrass dressing, mixing together a stalk of lemongrass (outer leaves removed) and the core finely chopped, zest and juice of a lime, two tablespoons fish sauce, 150ml water, one green chilli (seeded and finely chopped) 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar and a tablespoon chopped coriander.

Et voila, served with a crisp French Sauvignon...

Up next from the school of fish dreams, Japanese crab... not really! Japanese fishcakes, made with mackerel, ginger and spring onion.

Jack's, Padstow

2011-04-20T21:56:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I spent a fun weekend with my lovely friend Kate in Padstow, or Padstein as it is locally known, after Rick Stein has pretty much taken over with a range of restaurants, cafes, schools and hotels. We were there for a seafood cookery class at the said man's infamous school on the estuary, there will be a blog to follow!

But we travelled there the night before for a discovery voyage of the quaint fishing port in a whistle stop couple of hours.

After the long drive from London we got there about 5pm so we just had the evening to explore, starting at our hotel, the Cross House Hotel, with this beautiful view...

It was so pretty looking over the estuary, we had a wander around and tried to find a place for a celebratory drink, I have a new job and Kate has just bought her first flat. We found Pucelli's which had prosecco, nibbles and beautiful views.

After what seemed like a huge bottle of prosecco we proceeded to find a place to eat, calling around to find a late table for two. It seems the world and his brother were booked in to Padstow on that sunny Saturday night so we resorted to Google and found a restaurant called Jack's.

We walked along to the quaint cafe but of course, it was booked until 9:15pm. The restaurant looked good and the sound of crab bon bons sounded to good to miss so we went to a pub around the corner to sit out the hour or so wait.

So back to the restaurant and the other diners were finishing off their meals with cheese platters and desserts. Most of the restaurants in Padstow close around 9:30pm so by the time we were on our mains we were the only table left dining.

After ordering another bottle of prosecco (why stop a good thing?) our tapas-style plates of food began to arrive.

Most of the menu consists of fresh local produce so I imagine this, calamari with sweet chilli dip, to have been caught that morning. It was tender squid with a light and crisp batter, a great start.

The bon bons, of the crab variety, were one of the main reasons why we decided on Jack's. The little balls of cornish crab in breadcrumbs served with a delicious aioli, were certainly worth the wait at the pub.

The cornish scallops may have not been the huge meaty morsels that I am used to when I eat scallops but they certainly packed a punch in the flavour department. The mollusc sat proudly atop a thick slice of chorizo, aromatic basil and a with a drizzle of sweet red pepper syrup.

The Manchego cheese on these Spanish-style meatballs was one of the main reasons why we chose this dish, there wasn't enough for my liking! I think we should have stuck with the seafood at Jack's - the dish was still good but probably my least favourite out of everything we ate. The meatballs were well seasoned and had a good spice kick but, for me, they were a little on the heavy side, perhaps if they were rolled in to smaller balls I would have preferred it.

The baked goat's cheese tarts with tomato, spinach and caramelised onions were much better on portion size.
After all that food we didn't have a sweet tooth so opted for the cornish cheese plate... one of the best decisions of the night. All three cheese were incredible and have definitely changed my mind about choosing cheese from the continent instead of good old Blighty.

A rack of assorted crackers came with a creamy, soft brie, a full-of-flavour smoked cheese which if I remember rightly was called 'Old Smokey' and a rich blue cheese.

As the plate was delivered by the chef (I love that added touch) he asked if we would like a glass of port to accompany our dish... well we still had a full glass of prosecco each so why not!

A huge glass was delivered and we asked if the staff would like to join us as we enjoyed our last course. In the end they locked the doors of the restaurant and put the bottle of port on the table for us to help ourselves. Matt, the head chef and his partner, Mel, joined us and we had a lovely time chatting with them about the restaurant, about Padstow and of course about our cookery course the next day.

We were in high spirits as we left to go back to our hotel, comfortably full on good food, prosecco, port and thoughts of our time at Rick Stein's school the next day...

Yalla Yalla, Winsley Street

2011-04-07T14:13:00.000+01:00

I've been wanting to go to Yalla Yalla in Soho for an age, so it seems, does everyone else in London. Every time I've tried to get in, it has been packed to the rafters with more people waiting patiently outside for a table to become free. Granted, the restaurant only holds about 16 people but I'm always hungry when I get there so I always soldier on and find somewhere else to fill my boots.

Cue dinner out with my two gorgeous friends, Amy and Jen, on a busy Wednesday night. First of all we tried Polpo - another on my places to go list, there was an hour and half wait, then on to Polpo's little sister Spuntino which had an hour wait, then on to Yalla Yalla - 45 minutes wait. Sure, the times were getting smaller but we still wanted immediate drinks, dinner and chats.

Little did I know, Yalla Yalla has now got a second location, just off Oxford Street on Winsley Street! Result! Even if we had to wait 30 minutes we were going there and we'd get a drink to ride out the waiting time and hunger pangs.

Hoorah! The wait was only 15 minutes. The Winsley Street branch isn't as individual as its Green's Court sister, the individual cafe feels like you have arrived in Beirut whereas this has a more Wagamama-esque vibe. With long dining tables sprawling across the restaurant, each space filled of course, it may not be as homely as the small cafe but the added extras such as the exposed wooden walls and breads, sweets and drinks on the counter as soon as you walk in somewhat adds to the decor.

But what we were there for was the food... let's go:

As soon as we sat down a selection of olives and pickled chillis were placed on the table with us, we couldn't wait to get stuck in.
As the lovely Jen demonstrates here...

It didn't take us long to order, we had already had a good look at the menu while we were waiting as well as umming and aahing as dishes swooped past us to hungry diners already seated.

First to our table was a tangy Baba Ghannouj, £4.25, served with fresh pomegranate and shredded mint. It was really good and very filling especially when mopped up with the free pita breads that are constantly filled up until you can't take anymore.

Next up was the Hommos Shawarma, a chickpea puree topped with marinated thin slices of lamb fillet. The lamb was tender and jam-packed full of flavour, Jen - not a lamb eater, tried some and even she liked it. It had a smoky flavour and tasted as though it had just been taken straight from the barbecue.
We asked for a jug of water for the table and this came along - I loved it! As did my jug model Amy... thanks Ames!

Aside from the water we were also supping on the uber refreshing apple, mint and ginger lemonades, £1.90, for a small glass.

For our carb fix we had Batara Harra, spicy sauteed potato with red pepper, coriander, garlic, cumin and fresh red chilli, £3.75. The portion was huge so we couldn't quite finish it but the potatoes were good, especially when dipped in the sauce from another dish.

No Middle Eastern dish is complete with out the obligatory Halloum Meshoue, grilled cheese with tomato, black olives, fresh mint and olive oil. These huge hunks of cheese were perfectly salted and weren't too sickly with the added fresh ingredients.

The dip that I wrote about earlier came with this dish, it was a chilled minted greek yoghurt and the dish was the Makale Samak - deep fried tiger prawns, calamari and white bait. The prawns and whitebait were perfectly cooked and tasted good but the calamari was less so... a squeeze of the fresh lime helped us to finish them off. One warning about this dish - don't eat the aubergine at the bottom... it acts like a sponge and soaks up all the excess fat, pretty grim. I found out the hard way.

The last dish, and my least favourite, was the Samboussek Jibne, pastry filled with feta, halloumi and fresh mint. You couldn't really taste the feta and they were a little dry - I think they needed some kind of tomato jam to add some flavour and moisture to them.
For all those dishes and two drinks each, our bill came to just £37.75, great value for money considering the amount of dishes that we had, the fresh ingredients and flavours in the dishes and the portion sizes.

I'll definitely be going back to Yalla Yalla but I'm still keen to visit the Green's Court site, I just must get there earlier!

Welcome to British summer time - it's Pimms o'clock!

2011-03-29T10:23:00.001+01:00

Call me lazy but I still haven't got used to that whole hour going forward thing, I'm still going to bed at what I think is midnight and waking up way later than I normally get up. It just hasn't taken it's toll yet - and it's still dark in the mornings right?

I also don't think I've overcome this weekends jollies, I've already told you about my visit to Spuntino on Saturday night, well after that we avoided all the angry protesters smashing windows and making fires and tootled along to a splendid summer party hosted by Pimms. Dandy.

Obviously no summer party is complete without Pimms and lemonade, that delicious syrupy liqueur with sparkling lemonade and what is often referred to as a garden floating in it - mint, strawberry, cucumber, orange, apple... add what you will!

The party took place on Lambeth Palace Road at the Pimms Secret Garden of course... Inside bunting, gazebos, Pimms aplenty and Four Poofs and a Piano kept the incoming crowds entertained

The typical Pimms was on offer to the adoring crowds but there were also different variations on the cocktail. Pimms with ginger ale, perhaps orange and cranberry instead or if you're feeling flush Pimms and champagne.

But nothing works quite so well as the classic if you ask my honest opinion.

Outside and the party didn't stop, along the red carpet (to the weird outside toilets) and some fine fellow were having a good old fashioned game of swing ball. The base hadn't been filled with water so it was a little on the flimsy side... hence the fine young fellow cowering at the base to keep it steady.

And for the ladies, Maypole dancing. I wish - I used to love that! For the ladies were the portaloos which had been carefully decorated and filled with flamingo fairy lights and mirrors.

At midnight, we all congregated outside with Champagne in our paws to welcome in the new hour, all to a fine firework display... which set fire to the surrounding plants but there was a hunky fireman (geeky fire extinguisher attendent) to deal with the flames licking at the old oak tree.

What a great way to welcome in British Summer Time - I do hope they have a winter Pimms party when the clocks go back in the autumn.

Thanks for the invite Mr Pimms.

Spuntino, Soho

2011-03-28T15:04:00.000+01:00

I like secrets, beholding something that others don't know about, makes me feel special. There has been an influx in secret things in London lately - it seems the way forward, apparently it's not just me who likes secrets. I've been to Secret Cinema, I've attended secret supper clubs and I've kept secrets by only telling people who I know won't tell.

Which is why I'm telling you about Spuntino, it's not a secret per se, but only cool people know about it and Sean who works there said that once the chalked-on door sign has washed away it won't be replaced.

There are no reservations to be made so don't call to make one, you can't call anyway - there's no phone line to call. Despite the lack of PR in the lead up to the opening there has been a queue for the 26 cover restaurant since it opened two weeks ago. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Spuntino comes from the man behind Polpo and Polpetto - Russell Norman.

On Saturday night it was no different for us, a table for two took about 20 minutes, just enough time for a drink and a look at what the other diners were ordering.

The first drink for me, a Hendricks gin and tonic served with fresh slices of cucumber and Fever tree tonic - the tonic made naturally and with natural quinine.

For my James Bond, a gin martini served dirty - of course.

We hadn't even finished our drinks when our spot became available - prime place at the head of the table with views over the whole bar. We also had the two corners so it was nice that we could see eachother rather than being next to each other.

While we made our menu choices we nibbled on the complimentary popcorn, the seasoning of which changes but on the night we had paprika.

Our view from the bar - busy busy. We were also by the front door - it was good to see how many people were trying to get in on the secret but were put off by the wait, it's definitely worth the wait.

And so to eat, to start - breaded olives stuffed with anchovies - salty little bite of heaven.

And the next drink, our bartender/waiter Sean's favourite - a negroni. A mix of gin, vermouth, bitters and campari - it was lethal to say the least.

After the olives came the soft shell crab served with a delicious dip and fresh fennel salad. The crab was tender on the inside and encased in a crunchy batter. It was no Yauatcha soft shell crab - the best in London, but certainly comes a close second, especially with the lashings of Tabasco aioli to dip in to.

The pièce de résistance was the truffle egg toast, a huge hunk of white bread smothered in rich fontina cheese, drizzled with truffle oil and when you cut in to a perfect egg is waiting for you in the middle. This is delicious but you can not manage this by yourself. Well I certainly couldn't and I would be amazed at anyone who could, it's very rich and it's a huge portion - perfect for sharing.

The beef and bone marrow slider was next to grace us at the bar, a sweet soft bun sandwiches a cheese covered burger, the bone marrow enhancing the rich flavours of the beef. On the contrary to the truffled egg toast, this one wasn't big enough - especially when sharing with an 'orrible boy.
To finish us off we tucked in to a steaming hot mac and cheese. Served in a skillet the cheese was still bubbling when it was set down, huge tubes of macaroni doused in a bechamel sauce and toppped cheese, cheese, more cheese and bread crumbs. We added some tomato sauce mixed with tabasco as a dip to the main meal. One thing I would have liked to have seen gone is the Heinz tomato ketchup - it's not cool, the Tiptree tomato sauce would feel much more at home here.

An old fashioned was the next drink of the night, the fruity tones doing well to cut through that creamy cheesy dish.

To finish us off, we ordered a dessert to share - the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But don't be fooled by the bread on this sandwich... it's ice cream! Anyone who knows me knows that I love salty and sweet together so this was success on a plate and of course, completely tantalising on the taste buds!

We had some really good chats with Sean and although the place was rammed he always found time to tell us about the food, drinks or the restaurant. One of the many things we discussed was that, as good as the cocktails are, you can't just go there to drink - you have to order food too. That's fine by me!

Even though the queue never faded while we were there, we never felt rushed and spent about two hours devouring all the food and drinks. All of which came to £80.

It's worth a visit to Rupert Street but make sure you go before the name chalked on the front has washed away. If you do go, remember to keep it a secret.

Basarri, Madrid

2011-03-21T10:38:00.000Z

I'm sorry, I've been away, actually I'm not sorry at all - I've been having a blast! First of all was a trip to Bulgaria, Bansko to be exact, for a week of skiing. The less said about the food at this ski resort the better - there might be some good ski slopes there but there's a lot of development needed in the cuisine department.

I returned home for a few days and then it was off to Madrid for a birthday weekend away, thanks Big Sis.

This lunch came after a long evening of red wine and Jagerbombs with a 19-strong stag party that us three ladies somehow became honorary members for the night.

Fake moustaches, cravats and oversized glasses removed, we started the morning, as all hangovers should start, with a morning at El Rastro - a flea market which featured in all the guides and promised to be a colourful display of stalls selling their wares. It was more like a throw back to 1998, stalls selling things that my Dad would describe as 'toot.' We ticked it off the itinerary list but would recommend not to put it on your list, should you visit.

Slowly fighting our way out of 1998 we headed to the main square - on the search for a filling lunch that would satisfy our rumbles as well as put off the hangover for a while.

We found Basarri, a Mediterranean restaurant who had an offer on for three courses and a drink for just €15. The best way to get over the drinking indulgence, have another.

The sangria, served in this gorgeous goblet glass, was refreshing, ice-cold and had the perfect combination of fruit and wine.
Now between the three of us, we deciphered most of the menu - soup or salad to start, paella or meat for mains and chocolate or some kind of creme brulee for dessert. Easy, non?

The mixed salad was divine - fresh leaves, olives, white asparagus, onion and tomato with chunks of tuna and a balsamic glaze. It was light, full of flavour and the presentation was beautiful.
Two of us had the salad, the other had the crema de verduras - vegetable soup.

For mains we each went for a different option from the menu. We knew what the paella had in store but it was a guessing game to what the cocido (completo) and cinta de lomo were. I had the cocido which I can only try to identify what the ingredients were - there were soft floury potatoes, rich black pudding, hunks of tender chorizo, chicken, chickpeas, carrots, huge squares of fat, lamb and possibly some beef on there too, all swimming in a pale liquid. It was a bizarre dish - a bit like it should have been blended and in a broth.

The paella was the best option (well, when in Rome) with huge succulent prawns and an assortment of shellfish. It was just as it should be.

The Cinta de Lomo was simply fried pork and chips. It was a little too salty but isn't that what everyone craves when they are suffering from a hangover? It was a bit like bacon and chips but blown up.
Dessert was either a simple chocolate torte which my fellow diners opted for. A layered cake with sponge, vanilla and chocolate mousse and topped with a rich chocolate.

The torte was much better than my Crema Catalana which was a watery creme brulee with an over powering cinnamon taste.

The meal certainly was good value for the price we paid, it's wasn't haute cuisine but it did the job of filling us up. And the best part was sitting in the glorious sunshine and watching the world go by...
Buen provecho!

A quick mexican lunch...

2011-02-28T16:43:00.000Z

After all that talk of Mexican food at Wahaca I had the craving for much of the same. So to the kitchen I went and rustled up some delicious roasted vegetable wraps.

I roasted mushrooms, broccoli, red pepper and aubergine with cajun spices in the oven for about 30 minutes.

While they were cooking, I quickly whipped up some flour tortillas, the same as the ones that I did before here.

Then it was the case of stacking the vegetables up high on the wraps.

Grating cheese over the top and melting it under the grill.

And serving it with soured cream and salsa... So delicious and so easy!

I'm still needing my sweet potato fix though, don't worry Wahaca, I'm coming back on Wednesday!

Wahaca, Wardour Street

2011-02-23T12:39:00.000Z

Why, oh why, did it take me four whole years to find Wahaca? The branch in Covent Garden has been there for four years, it's not my usual stomping ground but I'm surprised I've never had a recommendation from anyone to get my burrito-loving butt down there.

It was only after my boyfriend visited for lunch, really enjoyed himself and told me about it, did I set out with two friends to see what all his fuss was about.

We went to the Soho branch (my usual stomping ground) and that has only been opened since last year so I sort of forgive myself for not finding it sooner.

The theme is based around a Mexican market and the interior reflects that with graffiti and montages on the walls, bright paint pot colours featuring throughout, mismatched furniture, bare bricks and reclaimed wooden beams from the previous tenants at 80 Wardour Street - the Slug and Lettuce.

What better way to experience the Mexican market than to order lots of little dishes from the street food menu. The plates comes as soon as they are ready and with 2-3 dishes ordered each it felt like they didn't stop coming, for this I was glad.

Here's what we ate:

Grilled British steak tacos with grilled cheese and salsa...

Pork Pibil Tacos, slow cooked pork in a special Yucatecan marinade - my favourite by far.

Tender marinated chicken taquitos with shredded lettuce, lancashire cheese and fresh tomato salsa. This was probably my least favourite - albeit it delicious, it wasn't very Mexican for me - more of a British take on it. More spice please!

Chicken guajillo tostadas, chunks of marinated chicken, lettuce, guacamole and a smoky guajillo oil.
These were the star of the show, crispy fried sweet potato chunks with smoky caramelised mojo de ajo. The were soft and sweet and the perfect accompaniment to the rest of the meal.

Black beans and cheese quesadilla, made with homemade black beans, cheddar and mozzarella cheese - this was also incredible and a firm favourite amongst us.

We also had, but I failed to photograph, the green rice which I didn't really like so didn't eat much of - not a huge fan of the coriander in it and the chorizo and potato quesadilla which was very good, so good in fact that we had all tucked in to it before I remembered the camera, not as good as the black bean one though!

You might think that we would have been full after all of this but you think wrong. Time for desserts...

Churros y chocolate, mexican doughnuts with a rich chocolate sauce... the piping hot churros were supreme, I'm not a huge fan of dark chocolate and the dip was quite bitter - I could have eaten the doughnuts on their own though.

But I didn't, I dipped my churros in my friends Flan de la casa, a creamy vanilla scented pudding with a caramel sauce - together they made for the perfect combination.

Of course I've been back again since this visit and sampled many more dishes from the menu, here are some more that I recommend from my second visit to the Covent Garden branch.

The hibiscus mojito, don't go there without one
Fresh tomato salsa and tortilla chips - perfect while you wait for your table - inevitable past 7pm at the Covent Garden branch
Spicy slaw - an alternative to the rice as a side dish
The churros with caramel sauce at Covent Garden - much better than the chocolate sauce

I've just proposed another date at Wahaca - after all this dribbling on the keyboard I'm more than ready to get back there. Next time I want to try the mackerel tostadas, frijoles and perhaps I'll venture out and try one of the many tequilas available on the menu.

Brownies and whities for all year round

2011-02-15T14:12:00.000Z

Stupid St Valentine, what a big load of commercial money-making rubbish. Spending money to show how much you care on one day of the year, what happened to spontaneous gifts, showing love and affection every day, sending flowers whenever you fancy?

Still I couldn't help but getting involved by doing what I love for who I love. Bleugh.

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's heart brownies I showed the likes of Clinton's cards and Interflora who's boss by not spending a penny on Valentines Day. Tesco did receive some of my well earned pennies though by way of a white chocolate bar, I used half and the leftovers will be demolished over the next few days. A Valentine's treat for me too, that's the beauty of baking gifts.

Deb's brownies were chocolate brownies with hearts cut out and replaced with a heart cut from a white chocolate brownie and vice versa. I saw them, loved them and wanted to bake them but I didn't read the method before setting out. Just following the instructions until I reached the part where I had to put the brownies in the freezer... oh my. My freezer just about fits an ice tray, peas and leftover bolognese. So here's what I did instead...

You will need:
85g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
85g dark chocolate
2 x 113g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pans
2 x 175g caster sugar
2 x 2 large eggs
2 x 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 x 1/4 teaspoon table salt or 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt (about 2g)
2 x 83g plain flour

Preheat the oven to 180°c and rope in a friend to help, granted Orla was making the brownies for her boyfriend too so it was a double effort. She made all the effort, I took the pictures.

Grease the pans, according to Deb's recipe this should make 32 and we should have used 8x8inch trays but we didn't have those so made do with these:

NB: This is the size of our kitchen, the only way to get a freezer in there would be to suspend it from the ceiling.

Here's how:

Break the chocolate in to separate bowls and add the 113g in each bowl and melt. Whisk together until blended.

One by one whisk in the eggs then add the vanilla.

Add the flour and salt and then mix in with a spoon until silky and smooth.

Tip mixture in to your prepared tins.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Now this is the part that where the brownies go in to the freezer so that they are easier to work with and make hearts. Instead we cut the edges off (necessary in order to ensure taste is perfect) and cut into squares.

Then do what you want with them! I spent a very long time cutting out a heart from a piece of paper and shaking some icing sugar over the top.

Happy Baking Day for lovers everywhere!

Check my brownies and whities at Sweet as Sugar Cookies...

Lunch at Le Comptoir Libanais

2011-02-11T12:37:00.000Z

It's easy to miss Le Comptoir Libanais on Wigmore Street, it's tucked away from the many restaurant offerings nearby, but perhaps that's the charm of the Lebanese restaurant.

Just a stones throw from tourist hell - that is more commonly known as Oxford Street and a couple of minutes walk from the hive of activity and eateries on St Christopher's Place but still I always manage to get a seat at lunchtime. I don't really know why I'm telling everyone about my hidden gem, but as I was always taught, share and share alike. So here it is...

I'm a huge fan of Middle Eastern food, the variety of colours, flavours, textures and tastes but also the little amount of fat and calories associated with the cuisine. Ok, so it's not like choosing a green leaf salad for lunch but it's a lot better than the local cafe's cheese and ham panini with a lot more flavour to boot.

My friend and I had both dined there together before; we enjoy the buzzing ambience, the myriad of colours around the room, the no-fuss approach to service and I especially like that you can see what you want to eat from the takeaway deli at the front of the shop before you head to the seating area at the back. It reminds me a little of Bill's but with a Middle Eastern twist.

Comfortably settled on the seats at the back and we ordered, to start with a rosewater drink for Leanne and mint and ginger drink for me. Refreshing and perfect to rehydrate after a long bike ride around the city.
And so to eat. The best thing to do here is share, the last time we were there we shared the specially made platters for two but decided that the portions weren't quite to satisfaction so this time we chose our own dishes to share.

The baba ganoush was garnished with a generous glug of olive oil, parlsey and crunchy bits of pomegranate. Served with thick, warm flat bread to dip with.

Continuing with the theme, we opted for the aubergine tagine. Huge hunks of the vegetable doused in a thick tomato and chickpea based stew, served over couscous with a creamy yoghurt side dressing. The stew was supremely delicious, hot, slighty spicy and full of aromatic flavour. As soon as I got my first fork in I wished we hadn't shared. Screw that share and share alike motto from earlier, the next time I go to Comptoir, this baby's all mine.

And what better thing than to accompany the previous dishes than with another dip and yet more bread? Surely a Lebanese meal wouldn't be complete without houmous? Especially when it looks so appetising like so...

Needless to say we didn't finish all the bread but we did leave with two very full bellies and for just £10 each. I thoroughly enjoy it in Le Comptoir, the service is quick, polite and even though all the tables around us were full, we were never rushed to leave or hurry with our choices.

The amount of choice on the menu is very good too, I'm always keen to try something new so this certainly appeals to those like me. I'm also very bad at finding something I love and never swerving from it. Hello aubergine tagine.

First two photographs from Flickr

Stewing and making a real mess of it too

2011-02-02T13:45:00.000Z

This post is evidence that I need a bigger stewing pot, it just so happens that it's also my birthday not far from now so any readers (hello mum) are stuck of what to get me then read on...

Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of the Stewed cookbook, friends certainly do after I delivered a stack of them as Christmas presents. It's a great book - check out my previous posts on Chicken Cacciatore and Oxtail stew for proof.

So the third in the series, beef in ale stew with horseradish and Stilton dumplings. Here's what you need to serve 4:

3 tbsp olive oil

900g beef chuck steak cut into 3-4cm chunks

2 onions, roughly chopped

1 tbsp plain flour

500ml Guinness or dark ale

1 tsp English mustard

2 carrots, peeled and chopped in to large chunks

2 parnsips, peeled and chopped in to large chunks

400g chopped tomatoes

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

And here's how:

Preheat the oven to 160/gas mark 3.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based, flameproof casserole dish that has a lid (my Le Creuset is perfect but a tad on the small side.) Brown the beef pieces for 3-4 minutes in batches. Once the meat is well browned, transfer to a bowl.

Add the onions to the pan and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft and transparent, adding a little more oil and a splash of water if the pan seems dry. Once the onions have softened, add the flour and stir well.

After a couple of minutes, pour in the dark ale, scraping off any bits from the base of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the mustard before dropping in the carrots, parsnips, tomatoes and bay leaves.

Return the browned beef and any juices that may have collected to the pan ans season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper. Bring everything to simmering point then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 1.5-2 hours or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.

I should have known disaster was in store when I filled my pot all the way to the top!

While the stew was having fun in the oven it was time to make the dumplings.

For these you will need:

200g self-raising flour

100g vegetable or beef suet

1/2 tsp salt

50g Stilton

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1tbsp hot horseradish

150ml water

In a bowl, mix together the flour, suet and salt using your fingertips to break up the suet - you can do this in a food processor.
Next add the crumbled Stilton and the parsley to the bowl.

Combine the horseradish with the water and mix this into the dry ingredients.

Bringing it together with your hands until you've got a good dough consistency.

Then using your hands, roll the dough into 8-10 balls, cover and set aside until you need them.

When the stew has made a lovely mess in the oven, put it on to the stove (or the sink had I have known!) Test the beef is soft and tender and check for seasoning.

Next, drop the dumplings on top, cover with the lid and return to the oven.
Leave in the oven for 30 minutes and if like me you made a mess then spend that time cleaning up!
After 30 minutes the dumplings would have puffed up... I had foil down by this point! Now up the temperature to 180/gas mark 4 and cook until the dumplings have developed a crust on top.
Serve with creamy mash and scatter with chopped parsley
A feast fit for four very hungry diners!

I think if I had a bigger pot the dumplings would have been a lot more successful but as it goes they were a bit too stodgy for my liking and believe me I like stodge. The beef fell apart at the touch of the knife and the mixture of carrots and parsnips made for a lighter stew then usual.

This wasn't my favourite in the book so far but it was one of the easiest, next stop Caponata - after a trip to the greengrocers for all the lovely ingredients.

Watch this space!

Rock and Rose restaurant, Richmond

2011-01-27T10:51:00.001Z

When my sister moved to Kew Road there were a plethora of restaurants and bars in the area that we wanted to visit. Rock and Rose looked interesting, even though I hadn't been in I liked the idea that outside, underneath the awnings, there are blankets to keep warm under - should you so wish to sit outside in the winter months.

(Picture taken from Google)

Big sis had been in before, just for drinks, and adored the Hot Passion cocktails so when we went there for dinner that's what we started the night with. Ginger and chilli is muddled and then cucumber, passion fruit and vodka is added, shaken and then strained into the martini glass. Being a fan of all things hot and spicy it was a shame that the cocktail didn't pack a punch as expected, Big sis said that last time it was a lot better so the lack of flavour may have been down to the packed out restaurant and a very busy bartender.

While we caught up over drinks we ordered some bread and olives. For £4.95 I was expecting plump olives and a variety of breads such as Foccacia, walnut bread and crostini to start the meal but bland olives and stodgy and cold ciabatta were served - most definitely the most overpriced item that we had.

For main course, Big Sis ordered the Rockhouse salad, served with blackened salmon, avocado and a Caesar dressing. Apparently there was too much lettuce and not enough avocado but the salmon was succulent and seasoned well. I think Rock and Rose need to change their bread supplier though - her bread was rock hard, she even banged it on the table to prove it! Perhaps that's where the name 'Rockhouse' name came from?!

For our lovely South African friend and I - the Rock &Rose glazed ribs. The broiler chef certainly hasn't been taking tips from the baker! The huge stacked rack of ribs were succulent, the meat fell off the bone and the sauce was finger-licking good. The fries were seasoned properly and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just as they should be. I couldn't finish the ribs so the kind waiter wrapped them in foil for me, they were just as good the next day when I had them for lunch.

Dessert was definitely not needed after all that meat but as we finished our wine we were asked to move to the bar as the table was required for the next guests. Our table was facing the front window so we didn't really take much notice of the noise behind us... not the fracas from the other guests, the noise that is the decor. Check this out:

Has Laurence Llewelyn Bowen got shares in this place? Or was there a restaurant project on Changing Rooms? Floral wallpaper, chandeliers, Gothic framed mirrors, glittery hearts, boudoir lights, oversized vases, candelabras... a little too much perhaps? It's certainly not one for the boys that's for sure...

While the ladies ordered more wine for our time at the bar I opted for something to tantalise my sweet tooth, an espresso martini - my new favourite cocktail. The perfect nightcap.

In total our bill came to £116.72 which included all of the above and a bottle of Chenin Blanc. I think for the quality of food and levels of service, it was too expensive but it is in Richmond, where all the rich people live.

So it's at this point that I would like to thank Big Sis for paying, Thanks Lou.

Britons backing beer, I am too...

2011-01-24T17:47:00.000Z

I'm a wino, through and through, wine with dinner, wine when out with friends, wine in front of the tv, wine at summer picnics, wine apres ski, wine when I'm happy, wine when I'm sad. I'm a winer, not to be confused with whiner.

So when I got an invite to a beer event I was intrigued. The thing is I'm not a beer drinker, cider yes, beer no. For some reason, while I'm on holiday I might have a beer, a Banks in Barbados or Singha in Thailand, but when on our delightful wet and windy shores I hardly ever drink it.

But look how happy I look with a beer in my hand at said event...

This was my 5th, or perhaps my 6th, nonetheless that is a smile of someone enjoying the beers!

The beer event I speak of was hosted at Mark's Bar at Hix, where we were sipping on beers and ales brewed by British Icons. Mark Hix being one of those brewers with two ales to his name, the HIX Oyster Ale (which I am drinking above) and HIX India Pale Ale. I much prefered the darker ale, it was smooth and quite sweet.

A beer that was dividing opinion on the evening was the below, Tony Hadley's Hot Stuff Chilli Beer, brewed in Suffolk. I was on team the LOVE team, I'm a huge fan of hot and spicy foods, so to find a hot and spicy alcoholic drink was a great find. To start you could taste the sweetness of the chillies and then there was a hot kick afterwards, not recommended with a curry - it would blow your head off!

Continuing the hot theme and for my most favourite of the evening, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Stinger beer, made with nettles from River Cottage itself! I found it very light for a beer, with that extra spicy bite from the nettles. I can see myself drinking a lot of this in the summer.

Next to that beer in the picture was some beautifully creamy but absolutely pungent cheese, it worked really well with the beer, just goes to show that wine is not the only partner that compliments cheese.

From these pictures that the lovely Natasha at R&R sent me, I have learnt that a) I have really wrinkly eyes when I laugh (top picture) and b) I have the worst posture... I'll be a hunchback in no time. Perhaps Matthew Fort was saying something so interesting that I was leaning in to listen more intently... probably.

From the rest of the beers available on the night, pictured below, I also enjoyed Rick Stein's Chalky's Bite (what a lovely name to keep the memory of his beloved dog alive) which had a subtle fennel taste, it was a lot drier than the other beers I tasted but I liked it all the same.

I didn't get to taste them all but after seven of the nine available I was well and truly stuffed, I find it so filling. Give me 2 bottles of wine and I could still eat my way through a hog roast, after seven beers I was full to the brim. Perhaps beer should be the dieters drinks of choice.

I came away from the evening with a new admiration for beer, I would never go in to the pub and ask for a pint of Stella but I will certainly be looking out for chilli/nettle/fennel beer in the future!

Sunday lamb

2011-01-18T16:11:00.000Z

Sometimes my inspirational dinner ideas take a nose dive, not knowing what I fancy for dinner is hard enough but when my boyfriend is the same, the only thing to do is go to a supermarket and see what catches our eye(s).

Sunday's trip took us to Waitrose, something meaty was definitely the order of the day but which meat was the question. After spending lots of time wandering up and down the meat aisle, I saw a collection of recipe cards courtesy of Delia and Heston. Simple spicy lamb burgers with caramelised onion jam sounded perfect, we already had the jam so it was just the burgers to contend with.

I won outright, they were as easy as getting these ingredients...

500g minced lamb, two shallots, a clove of garlic and a tablespoon of cumin...

Using my new favourite tool, this garlic crusher from Zyliss, you put the whole, unpeeled, clove in and crush. The skin remains inside and delicious garlic comes out. Anything that saves me from garlic-stinking fingers is worth investing in.

To the garlic add the cumin and roughly chopped shallots...

Then add the mince and using your hands combine the ingredients.Shape into four patties
Then cook the required amount in a frying pan on a medium heat.

Serve in a floury bap with the onion chutney, wedges (or chips - I had no choice in that matter!) and a green salad.

All done in about 30 minutes, it's certainly no January health kick dinner, but it packs a punch in the taste buds department. And sometimes that's all that's important!

Inamo, Wardour Street

2011-01-10T11:44:00.000Z

Sushi is to me like spinach is to Popeye, Terry's Chocolate orange is to Dawn French and a fine Chablis is to Jilly Goulden. It's one of those foods that I can't get enough of but it's also one of those foods that is hard to get right.

For the ultimate, Nobu Berkeley is the best place I have sampled nigris, sashimi and California rolls but as much as I would love to dine there everyday, unfortunately I don't have the disposable income to do so.

Itsu is my more economically friendly haunt, a Salmon Supreme or Omega 3 lunch does the job, the sushi is fresh, there is lots of choice and the boxes are filling for dinner or lunch.

I'd always been intrigued by Inamo on Wardour Street, seeing it on many occasions mostly on my walk to Hummingbird or Itsu but with Itsu relocating it was time for a change. A friend had recently been for dinner and recommended it as a lot of fun with delicious desserts, a quick look on the website to see what it was all about.

It is described as an Oriental fusion of Japan, China, Thailand, Korea and beyond, I was interested in the Japanese menu and found a friend with the same love of sushi as me.

So off we went on Friday night. Walking in was reminiscent of a night club, dark decor and the tables lit up in many different hues, flicking intermittently as diners change their own 'ambiance' settings.
Here's Alex ordering our drinks, note there's no menu, at Inamo you do everything with the tap of your fingers. The interactive menu has all the drinks, the food, dessert on it, if you need a waiter you can tap for one here, you can also call a cab, see where to go after dinner or change the ambiance of your dinner out.

The first thing we did was change the ambiance to this electrifying purple pattern, so apologies in advance that most of my pictures now have this pattern all over them!

Then we got down to the hardest part, choosing a sake. Of course we got it completely wrong and two small glasses of methylated spirit turned up to the table, how do people drink this stuff? We couldn't so with a tap the waiter came over to find out what was wrong, we explained that we may have ordered the wrong thing so he kindly took away the ethanol and replaced it with a delightful warm bottle. I could get used to that service, saves craning my neck/waving my hand/shouting for a waiter when I need one.

I missed a menu when it came to ordering dinner, the interactive menu was split into smaller dishes, larger dishes, set menus and desserts and when you click in to these you get to see five dishes at a time. There are so many to see that when it comes to the last page you've forgotten what you liked the look of on the first page. It was good to see what the dishes looked like before ordering though!

We managed though and ordered a selection of sushi to fill up on. Above is the Unagi Maki, £6.00, which for my friends less developed in their Japanese language is grilled eel and avocado maki wrapped in chives. It filled the spot but I couldn't taste the eel which is a shame as usually I find it quite strong and divine in flavour.

No sushi meal is complete without edamame beans, £3.25.

Not strictly necessary but quite delicious and probably our favourite out of all the things we had were Seafood Gyoza served with a yuzu (a type of Asian citrus fruit) dressing, £4.50.

We also opted for a vegetable option with a Vegetable Tamaki, £4.50, consisting of what promised to be steamed broccoli, Thai asparagus and roast peppers wrapped in nori served with wasabi soy but what seemed more like raw vegetables wrapped in rice with a cardboard wrapping that you are to eat. I ended up taking the nori off as it proved too hard to bite through and ate the veggies and rice like a cold salad. My least favourite choice.

We also had the Soft Shell Crab Maki Rolls £6.75 but I forgot to take a picture, they were probably the best presented so it's no wonder that we got stuck in as soon as they arrived before remembering I needed a picture. Unfortunately the maki rolls did not taste as good as they looked, I think soft shell crab should always be eaten hot and with lots of chilli (a la Yauatcha - the best soft shell crab I've ever tasted)

Lastly was the Hamachi with soy mirin truffle, £6.95, thin cut yellow tail sashimi in a sweet, soy truffle sauce. It was recommended by the waiter and it was a brilliant recommendation at that, forget what I said earlier - this was my favourite!

Now to see if my friend was right about the desserts. unless you can count chocolate covered rice crackers from Itsu - I never normally opt for dessert after sushi but the choices looked and sounded delicious so we chose the Pandan Macaroon & Yuzu flavoured white chocolate mousse with lemongrass & coconut sorbet, and milk chocolate sauce, £5.75.

WOW. She was right - what a stunning dessert. Not only did it look beautifully crafted but it tasted sublime, the pastry chef here certainly knows their stuff. The macaroon was perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the cream was light, fluffy and not at all sickly, the ice cream was refreshing and full of flavour.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Alex at Inamo, the interactive table was fun and gave us something to do while waiting for food although we had so much catching up to do that we didn't give it too much attention. It's a good ice breaker for a first date and it seemed like there were a lot of those in there when we visited. Check out the holding hands in the background of our vegetable sushi!

The food was ok, it was certainly no Nobu but for the price, it was good value for money. Some of the dishes were outstanding, some were average and some were poor but perhaps that was just the luck of the draw, we might have just ordered the wrong things.

Moroccan sweet potato, carrot and chickpea soup

2011-01-04T13:05:00.000Z

Hello New Year, hello new resolutions, hello healthy diet, goodbye mince pies, goodbye alcohol (only for a few weeks,) goodbye lay-ins.

To summarise the festive period I would say it was hearty and the scales certainly prove it. A delectable dinner at Hibiscus with my boyfriend started the proceedings with foie gras ice-cream, 24-hour-cooked hare - which was a first for me, followed by a toasted rice souffle with pineapple sorbet. The execution of every dish was incredible, the ingredients came together to provide a myriad of flavours and the service, especially that from the sommelier was exceptional.

The two Michelin star dinner was followed by copious amounts of smoked salmon and champagne breakfasts, goose fat roast potatoes, ham, pork, beef, turkey - all hot for dinner and cold for sandwiches, buffets, chocolates, panettone, red wine (Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir got a good seeing to) white Russians, Irish coffees, and washed down with a Chinese takeaway on New Year's Day... I got a good stuffing, oh and I ate lots of that too.

So, time to get back to the stove and a new stock pot courtesy of my boyfriend meant that it was time for a hearty soup that would still satisfy my now increased appetite while still being healthy and wholesome.

So here's what you need for a Moroccan sweet potato, carrot and chickpea soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
600g orange sweet potato, peeled, diced
500g carrots, peeled, sliced
6 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
300g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1/2 small lemon, juiced

In preparation, chop the onions, peel the carrots and roughly chop, peel the potatoes and roughly chop and drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
Stir in coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add sweet potato and carrot. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Add stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Add chickpeas to soup and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until chickpeas are tender. Then in batches, blend the soup until it is smooth. This was my boyfriend's input with his new blender.

While said boyfriend is blending to his heart content use this time to make quick and easy croutons. Cut a baguette into manageable sized pieces, rub with garlic and drizzle with olive olive then grill until crispy.

Serve the soup into bowls and place the croutons on top to serve.

Perfect January warming soup to help shift the pounds, save the pennies and make you start feeling less like a human dustbin and more human again.

Bon Appetit.

Wafflemeister, South Kensington

2010-12-20T22:16:00.000Z

This week I found out that it's OK to eat waffles for lunch, when I went to Wafflemeister with the lovely Amy.

Firstly, the Wafflemeister waffles are made from all natural ingredients, there's a portion of fresh fruit - I also had a banana on mine - that's one of my five-a-day, the chopped nuts are a good source of protein and the chocolate raises serotonin levels making me happy. Can't argue with that.

The waffles are make with pearl sugar which makes the inside soft and light but the outside chewy and caramelised to waffley deliciousness and the chocolate sauce is made in a bain marie with melted chocolate buttons right before your eyes... see below for proof!

There are hundreds of different ways you can have a waffle there, it's one of those where you take about 15 minutes umming and ahhing about which combination to have. Mine was called 'Go Bananas' but I opted out for the cream which afterwards I regretted a little, I think the waffle needed a little bit of moisture to complete it, saying that I still finished it with out the cream!

Aside from those delicious waffles you can also pick up gelato, sundaes and frozen yoghurt to eat in or take away.

And talking of takeaway, how cute are these takeaway mini waffles - in festive shapes such as Christmas trees and stars and dipped in white, milk and dark chocolate. Perfect for a last minute gift to any foodie friend.

We visited the South Kensington branch which has room for about eight people to sit in but the new Portobello Road branch has room for many more so more ideal when you're looking for a sit-in lunch.

There's been a debate about waffles being the new cupcake but they said that about whoopie pies and where are they now? I think waffles are a completely different kettle of fish though, they are so much more filling than cupcakes - they might not fulfill my 3pm cake craving but I'd definitely be visiting Wafflemeister for hangover breakfasts and brunch/lunch with friends.

Nigella's chocolate fudge cake

2010-12-17T13:43:00.001Z

A special 21st Birthday calls for an extra special cake and no one does special like the curvy goddess of all things naughty, Nigella Lawson.

Ardent fans, hello mum, will remember that in the summer I made Nigella's Guinness cake to much success and lots of appreciative noises so it was back to the full fat recipe book belonging to Lawson.

Chocolate was the response I got when I asked what the Birthday girl likes the most when it comes to cake so what better cake than a chocolate fudge cake, containing all of the below!

Nigella doesn't do things by halves does she!

So you will need:

For the cake:

400g plain flour

250g golden caster sugar

100g light muscovado sugar

50g best quality cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

142ml/small tub sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

125ml corn oil

300ml chilled water

For the fudge icing:

175g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids

250g unsalted butter, softened

275g icing sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

In another bowl or whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended.

In another bowl beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended then beat in the water.
Add the oil to dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Then add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended.
Then pour into the prepared tins and put in the oven for 50-55 minutes (I found it took quite a bit longer but my oven is crap) or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooking, prepare the icing. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy.

Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
When the cakes are cool, sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula. Check it out for size!!

Surprise! Top with a sparkler and bid your friend Happy Birthday! Bucks Fizz optional!

In a house full of gannets the cake did very well to last a week. It is colossal. It's a great cake, soft and spongey with chewy edges and a luxurious frosting to top it but if you don't need to feed 20 people then I suggest you half the ingredients to make a more manageable birthday treat.

Brasserie Joel and pasta masterclass

2010-12-16T17:15:00.001Z

If there's one thing that I love more than eating food, it's cooking it. If there's one more thing I love more than cooking and then eating it, it's being taught by an award-winning chef in a kitchen about 100 times bigger than my cupboard-sized kitchen, using fresh ingredients and then eating it with fellow bloggers. Bliss.

So when I was invited to do just that with Joel Antunes at his very own Brasserie Joel in the Park Plaza hotel on Westminster Bridge I was jumping with joy, as were my tastebuds.

Along with Luiz from The London Foodie, MiMi from Meemalee , Gail from One Million Gold Stars, Peter from Capital Feasts, Nick from The Times and Alix from Sauce Comms, we were given chef whites to make us look daft before we started cooking.

And so to work... All of our ingredients were set out before us to make the first course of spinach and ricotta ravioli. Thankfully the pasta was already made, we were to make the filling and then shape the ravioli.

We combined cooked spinach, confit onions, ricotta, marscapone, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, lemon zest, salt and pepper before cuting out circles of pasta and filling them.

Joel showing us how to handle the pasta sheets...

And TA DA! Our finished product - ready for cooking.

For dessert, Joel showed us how to make a peanut butter chocolate mousse. A Kitchen Aid was essential here (FYI Father Christmas - I need one of these in my kitchen if you've got a spare £300 or if you are flying by the US first apparently they are a lot cheaper there.)

Some of the delicious things in life - chocolate, cream, sugar, peanut butter and whipped cream were carefully added to the Kitchen Aid to make heaven in whipped form.

Look at this for a glossy, thick, creamy chocolate mousse... it was incredible. You can eat it like this or after some time in the fridge it goes a little firmer. The saltiness from the peanut butter really added bite to the mousse, it was like a Reece's peanut butter cup but a million times better.

So, we had already tried dessert now it was time for dinner and a bottle of Chardonnay to get us started.

Before our starter was served we were treated to freshly baked breads from the kitchen, which led to a conversation about how many restaurants we could think of that make their own bread. I could only think of the gorgeous Moti Mahal.

The bread was crusty, warm and fluffy on the inside. Perfection.

And the only way to eat the bread? Doused in olive oil of course! But not just any olive oil - this A L'Olivier basil infused olive oil was exquisite - it was just today that I tracked down the shop in High Street Kensington to buy some for myself.

After filling up on bread our actual meal began to arrive and look - there's our pasta we lovingly made earlier! The pasta was served with a simple sauteed scallop, flakes of parmesan and a buttery sauce.

The pasta was perfectly cooked, not like the usual way I cook fresh pasta - until it's at bursting point! I would never have thought of serving scallops with pasta but it was the perfect texture compliment to the scallop.

And then on to the red, a warming Tempranillo would be the accompaniment to the next course.

Before I tell you what our main course was, see if you can guess? Does the object on the left look familiar? Is it on the tip of your tongue? Is it tongue?! Yes it is!

For the main course we indulged in a chargrilled lamb loin with pomme fondant, lamb's tongue, aubergine caponata, artichoke and looking pretty with a bouquet garni. Some people get very squeamish when it comes to offal, especially when it looks like this but I can't get enough of it! They've even started serving it at The Brass Rail in Selfridges - mmmmm delicious!

I digress, the lamb was well cooked with caramelised brown edges but a tender pink centre making for a tender cut of meat. The tongue, just like the rest of the meat that you eat from a lamb is a muscle. It's buttery soft in texture and full of meaty flavour - it tastes just like lamb but to me it seems more concentrated. I would have swapped the loin for more tongue, I recommend anyone who hasn't tried it to go ahead, you won't regret it.

Now back to what we started with, peanut butter chocolate mousse. This time the mousse was out of the bowl and served beautifully on a plate. Set in to an oblong the mousse was set on to a crispy rice base with salted caramel in the middle and served with roasted banana ice-cream and a treacle brittle.

Now the mousse had set and was firm to touch, with the added salted caramel and beautifully creamy ice-cream it made for a rich dessert that was incredible to eat but impossible to finish.

So sitting their, comfortably full and then these arrive. Macaroons that we saw being cooked while we were in the kitchen and sugared quince. So pretty to look at but I'm not a huge fan of more sweets after dessert. Bring on the cheese anytime and I can devour a cow's worth but I wasn't tempted to try these ones. The rest of the table enjoyed them though.

All-in-all, Brasserie Joel was an incredible experience from going behind-the-scenes in the kitchen to dining front of house with the rest of the diners in the restaurant.

We were thoroughly looked after for the whole time that we were there, Joel Antunes was a great teacher as well as an incredible chef, the food was carefully thought-out and the waiting staff were attentive and looked after us a great deal.

I'll be back to Joel's and I'll be looking out to see him on next year's Michelin Star announcement.

Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa at St Paul's

2010-12-14T20:56:00.000Z

I love Jamie Oliver, from the Naked Chef to training disadvantaged children for Fifteen, banning processed foods in schools across the country and making a Food Revolution across the pond. What is not to love? He is trying the make the world eat a better meal, one turkey twizzler at a time.

His latest venture is Barbecoa at the One New Change shopping centre at St Paul's. Alongside Adam Perry Lang (who he met in New York and shared a mutual love of a smoker - of the food variety,) the Essex boy set up a barbecue-inspired restaurant which sits atop their very own butcher shop.

When I read some reviews of Barbecoa before visiting there I was amazed that the majority of people had said the likes of: 'Service flailed' 'Food, when it arrived, was tepid' 'Our evening was close to a shambles' 'What a shame, or should that be, what a sham' and 'Jamie's vanity project.'

Oh dear. But a friend I was going with had said it was excellent, so the only way to get to the bottom of this was to see what it was like for myself.

Half of the party arrived early so we sat at the bar for some excellent Prosecco cocktails including a Autumn Perry - Poire William Eau de Vie and spiced honey topped with Prosecco. While we were at the bar our coats were taken, the bartender bought our drinks over, the Maitre D confirmed our table and said it would be ready for us when ever we were ready. No shambles here.

When the rest of our eight-strong team arrived we were taken to our table, past the open kitchen with an explanation of how different meats were cooked and then we sat with this view. Outstanding. We were there for a good three hours so by the time it was dark, St Pauls was lit up in a beautiful blue, making for a perfect backdrop to our time there.

And so to eat, or drink first! White wine to start, a crisp and aromatic Muscat Viognier.

Now for the food. Some had compared it to TGI Fridays - certainly not a glowing review. I started with San Daniele Proscuitto served with roasted almonds, lavender honey, pecorino, rocket and clementines. The ham was sweeter than the normal Parma variety that I would buy at the supermarket, complimented perfectly by the peppery rocket, crunchy almonds and creamy pecorino. The clementines were ripe and sweet but I'm not a huge fan of fruit with savoury foods, unless it's figs and parma. I like that pairing a lot.

On to the main course and time for a change with the wine. Bring on the red. This time an Argentinean Malbec, full bodied - hopefully just like the forthcoming main course.

For dinner, I ordered the rump steak served with aubergine, shallots, tomato, chilli and sweet marjoram. I would never normally order a rump steak, I'm all about the fillet cut but the addition of one of my favourite vegetables, aubergine, certainly swayed my choice.

The steak was so tender that if someone had told me that it was a fillet I would have believed it. The aubergine was smoked but still held it's familiar taste and mixed with the rest of the ingredients made for an original taste to the palette. Sweet and smoky cut through the grilled rump and was completed with a side of thick-cut chips with Maldon salt - it was one of the best steak meals I have eaten in London.

Unfortunately I didn't have any room left for dessert which was a shame because the banana split and gelato sounded like it would certainly hit the sweet spot.

All in all, I still love Jamie Oliver.

So what if you can't see the main man slaving over a hot stove/Tandoor oven/fire pit/Texan smoker, it's not called 'Jamie's Barbecoa' for a reason. It was a concept by Jamie and Adam, why should they have to be there to make it a better place? You don't see Vivienne Westwood passing you the credit card machine when you go to her shop and buy something.

You certainly get what you pay for, so of course it is pricey but I will certainly be going back to the meat haven that is Barbecoa.

Breakfast at Roast, Borough Market

2010-12-08T12:21:00.000Z

It was by chance that we went to Roast for brekkie, normally I go to Borough Market and go for a cheaper option otherwise I'd have to declare myself bankrupt when I leave. There are so many good things to be bought... all at a price.

It wasn't so much chance, I'd been to a press event at the O2 that didn't turn out as expected, feeling bad for my comrade Laura who had got up extra early to come with me, we decided to go for breakfast in the London Bridge area.

First stop was Monmouth but all the tables were taken and it was brass monkeys in there. So following our noses - they were so cold they were seeking warmth like a dowsing rod finds water.

So, we found Roast. It was warm, it was bright, it was busy and it was serving breakfast to the masses.

See, lovely and bright.

We needed instant gratification so we order piping hot drinks. I don't drink coffee, I've never liked the taste but I think my taste buds are blossoming as I've been craving it recently, albeit with half a tonne of sugar and lots of milk. I still want it.

So a latte (£3.50) for me, it was so flavoursome with a nutty and somewhat alcoholic taste. Don't know what's in Roast's 'special blend beans' but it warmed my cockles just right.

For Laura, an Assam tea (£3.25) What a lovely teapot and view in the shiny silver! I wish I taken a close up now to get all the windows in.

I don't care much for the HP sauce but that Tiptree tomato sauce has changed my views on ketchup forever more. Fruity, fresh, sweet and perfect at complimenting sausage and egg, I've found my closest stockist so I can stock up. Yum

And here's the main attraction a Wick’s Manor smoked streaky bacon and fried egg butty (£5.50) Soft bread with a chewy crust, salty crisp bacon and an egg cooked to just the right amount of runny.
And for my 26-going-on-seven-year-old friend, two boiled eggs with Marmite soldiers (£3.80)
With a more grown up side of baked tomatoes in Worcestershire sauce (£2.50) I love the novelty of serving the toms in a mini saucepan.

In total, breakfast came to just over £11 each. On leaving we passed the Roast To Go stall in the market and I noted that the egg and bacon buttie there was £3.50 - £2 cheaper than inside. I stated this to Laura but she rightly said that breakfast from a stall doesn't come with a hot drink, smiley waiter, seat, radiator and consequently, a warm nose to boot.

It might be that little bit more expensive but worth it, if anything but to get warm. I'd definitely go back for lunch and dinner but I still think there's nothing better than the hot chorizo bap with smokey roast peppers from the Brindisa stall. Well worth the queue that peels round the side of the market on Saturday mornings.

The Gallery Mess @ The Saatchi Gallery

2010-12-06T14:56:00.000Z

When dining at an art gallery's restaurant you can't really expect anything less than a beautiful interior, adorned with pieces of art that if you so wish, and can afford to, you can take it home with you.

So when a friend and I were invited to review the Saatchi Gallery's restaurant the Gallery Mess, we knew we'd have pretty things to look at but what we were there to see was if the food was as good as the art.

It was a freeeeezing Monday night so I'm glad we didn't have to go far, just a 10 minute bus ride to King's Road and then a fast-paced walk to the warmth, and it was very very warm, restaurant.

It's situated just behind King's Road on Duke of York Square, where the Sloane-Rangers purchase their uber expensive face creams, candles and cashmere, or other things that these rich people in the area spend their well-earned cash on.

I never normally take pictures of the interior but I loved it in there, the bare brick walls were a contrast to the modern vaulted ceilings, lighting and full-length windows that open up on to the small green and beautiful terraced houses.

The contemporary art mixed with traditional paintings, the fairy lights, the blossom, the green glass and the giant shoe - I loved it all. When we could tear our eyes away from the surroundings we got started on the menus.

To start we ordered wine from a huge list, both being big fans of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc we ordered the delicious, crisp Cloudy Bay. At £37 it was one of the most expensive on the menu but totally worth it, we have drunk it a lot together in the past so when we saw it on the menu we knew there was no other choice. It's no wonder that this wine has a cult following, that's for sure.

And then to eat. It was as if the art on the walls was transported to our plates.

I chose the potted smoked salmon with horseradish and chive creme fraiche served with bread and a salad with those lovely little balls of caper deliciousness - I love those guys. I love the Kilner jar that the salmon came in, I need to find a supplier that's cheaper than Lakeland.

Kate had a Five spiced duck salad with chicory and pear. It's a shame you can't see the duck on plate but I suppose that's the thing with art, appearances are deceiving, under all those seeds and leaves was a lot of tender duck.
Part of the deal in going to review Gallery Mess on a Monday is that they have a special occasion every week called Meatball Monday, which pretty much does what it says in the tin. But instead of the traditional Italian meatballs in a tomato sauce, these little balls of love have been on a trip around the world gathering inspiration from India, Spain, Turkey, Mexico and Thailand.

I had the Moroccan inspired meatballs, huge balls of lamb cooked with spices to produce a juicy, succulent flavour and tender texture. I'm normally not a huge fan of cous cous but this was fluffy and had more taste than what I'm used to. The meal was completed with a Greek-style yoghurt, my only moan was I wish there was more of it!

Kate continued with her bird-themed dinner and tucked in to crown of pheasant with roast parsnips, braised red cabbage and jus roti. I had a taste of this, the pheasant was rich but the parsnips were a bit rubbery for my liking.

Oops, I had a malfunction with the camera before I took this. Or, I was so excited to taste it that I forgot to take a picture. You decide.

So to share, an Eve's Pudding with Creme Anglais and vanilla bean ice cream. The sweet custard cut through the tart cake to make for a more-ish dessert, but even between the two of us we were just too full to finish it. I met another blogger recently who carries a tupperware container with her - what a genius idea! I'm going to start doing it too. Leftover cake? In it goes! Petit Fours - I'll have some of those too.

We were completely content after our three-course meal and bottle of wine and it was hard to face the harsh weather outside again.

Gallery Mess is well worth a visit, the ideal hub for a good feed after a long day of Christmas shopping on King's Road or if like me you are not too far away, brave the cold and make a visit.

We were guests there, but for three courses with wine, the bill came to approximately £100.

Homemade Christmas: Onion marmalade

2010-12-06T13:53:00.000Z

This year I vowed to make as many Christmas presents as possible. Chutney, ginger beer, sloe gin, biscuits, fudge and truffles. So when I was sitting surrounded by gifts from many different online retailers I felt bad.

I found the easiest recipe to make a caramelised onion chutney and got to work.

You will need (to make approx. four jars)

8 red onions

1 red chilli

2 bay leaves

25ml olive oil

200g brown sugar

150ml balsamic vinegar

150ml red wine vinegar

And here's how...

Cut your onions and chilli into short, thin slices.

Put them into a pan with the bay leaves and oil.

Cook gently over a low heat for about 20 minutes.

Once the onions are dark and sticky, add the sugar and the vinegars.

Simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the chutney is thick and dark.

While the chutney is caramelising, sterilise your jars in the oven. Give the jars a good wash and rinse before placing them and the lids in an oven heated at Gas Mark 4 or 160c for 10-15 minutes.

Pour the chutney into hot, sterilised jars and let it cool. Ideally, you should leave it for a month or more before you eat it, to mature in flavour. That's the worst part of this recipe, the waiting! But from the smells that were filling our home, I'm hoping that it will taste as good as it smelt.

Top with pretty fabric, cut it into pieces to fit the jar lids and secure with ribbon. Et Voila, Christmas presents at the ready.

Well in a couple of weeks or so...

And while I wait, I'll start considering what to make next. I've heard fudge is pretty simple - watch this space!

This recipe is taken from The SuperJam Cookbook by Fraser Doherty

Oysters: The real McCoy

2010-12-01T10:43:00.000Z

After my rant about oysters at No. 20 Sanctum Soho Hotel and reminiscing about oysters in the past I thought I'd share a picture of the delicious ones that my sister and I shared at The Lookout at Plettenberg Bay in South Africa

Big Sis with the Tabasco - not the best combination, I think she can drink it for breakfast.

And now for a close up, look at the size of them! For 110R they work out at about £10 for 6, cheaper than the UK but still quite expensive for SA.

Totally worth it though and at The Lookout there are the most incredible views over the Indian Ocena and sometimes you can see whales and dolphins although we didn't as we went when it was dark.

If you are ever in SA and on the Garden Route then you MUST visit The Lookout. And you must indulge on the oysters there!

Bon Appetit