The Random Wanderings of a Food Lover

The Fat Duck

2012-01-17T21:55:00.000Z

Happy New Year everyone! And what a way to start off - after reserving a table 3 months previously back in November (after much refreshing of the booking page), we finally arrived at the restaurant that we had dreamed about dining at for the past 5 years: The Fat Duck.

Famous for Heston Blumenthal's experimental and "scientific" (a phrase I'm sure he would hate) approach to cooking, The Fat Duck is situated in the small village of Bray, near Maidenhead. The restaurant has held 3 michelin stars since 2004 and in 2005, was given the coveted No. 1 spot on the prestigious S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Today, it still stands at No. 5 on the list.

The restaurant itself is a small, charming farmhouse - in fact you would hardly notice it was there unless you spotted the plaque next to the door with the menu, and a sign bearing the 3 cutlery insignia of The Fat Duck. The inside was simply decorated and inviting. It made for an intimate dining experience where you could be comfortable, and focus entirely on the food.

The Fat Duck serves a single tasting menu consisting of 14 courses each showcasing precise, technical cooking, flavour combinations and challenging your senses and perception of food.

Canapés:

We were seated by the lovely waiting staff who, after offering us a glass of Tattinger champagne (we politely declined), gave us these odd balls as a canapé while we looked over the wine menu and the details of the tasting menu. They were beetroot flavoured honeycomb, with a horseradish cream. The flavour of the beetroot was remarkably strong considering that it was a honeycomb, and the horseradish cream was smooth and not overpowering. The texture in your mouth was rather like a savoury Malteser. It was an intriguing appetiser that gave a hint of the flavours and techniques to come.

Beetroot Honeycomb and Horseradish Cream

Starter(s):

Our first course was dubbed Nitro Poached Aperitifs. Our waiter for the meal arrived at our table with a trolley of 3 compressed foam containers, bags of coloured powder and a ice bucket of bubbling liquid nitrogen. It was certainly an entertaining beginning to the meal. The waiter went on to explain that within the compressed containers were 3 different types of "meringue", which he would then cook in the liquid nitrogen; he then invited us to choose which flavour to have: Vodka and Lime Sour, Campari Soda, and Gin and Tonic. As there were four of us, we were able to try all three. The meringue we chose was then squirted onto a spoon and dropped in the liquid nitrogen, where it bubbled and expanded into a ball of typical meringue texture. It was lifted out of the nitro and then flavoured: The Vodka and Lime sour with match green tea, the Campari soda with freeze dried raspberry powder, and the Gin and Tonic with a twist of lemon and a spritz of lemony aroma above your head. We were advised to eat it straight away, and all in one go.

I had the Campari soda - The ball seemed denser than a normally cooked meringue and as I placed it in my mouth, it was incredibly cold. This passed almost immediately and was replaced with the sharp flavours of raspberry and blood orange. The meringue then abruptly disintegrated in my mouth and left an incredibly fresh tingling sensation on my palate, and the aroma of Campari in my nostrils - my fellow diners saw the cold vapour escape from my nose, much to their amusement.

Our waiter explained that this indeed cleansed my palate, thanks to the cold and alcohol within the meringue; a little bit of science trickery in order to make our tastebuds more sensitive to flavour and cause increased production of saliva.

Flavourings for Nitro Poached Aperitifs
Vodka and Lime Sour, Campari Soda, Gin and Tonic

The second course was Red Cabbage Gazpacho, with Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream. It might have been a small bowl of cold soup, but it certainly packed flavour. The soup itself was smooth and flavourful. The mustard ice cream was inspired - Heston Blumenthal was one of the first chefs to use savoury ice creams - and here it fulfils three different roles: It kept the Gazpacho cold, added creaminess as it mixed in with the soup, and also added a pleasant, warming mustard flavour without being overpowering. Additional texture was provided by small cubes of what seemed to be sweet shallot at the base of the ice cream. It was a more traditional appetiser than the Nitro balls, but still a containing a twist with the ice cream.

Red Cabbage Gazpacho
Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream

In stark contrast, the next course was very dramatic - Jelly of Quail, Crayfish Cream. In addition to the wonderful little cup of Crayfish Cream and Quail Jelly, and a small wooden block with truffle toast, on the centre of our table was placed a bed of oak moss, along with 4 plastic containers. Our waiter explained that this dish was to evoke the scents and flavours of the forest. The small plastic sleeves contained a thin truffle film, which we let melt on our tongue - spreading the deep, earthy flavour across our mouth. In conjunction with this, the waiter activated the dry ice within the oak moss with some water, releasing torrent of smoke which was scented with moss and woodland. The mist enveloped our entire table, the smell reminiscent of the forest floor after it had recently rained.

...enveloping the food with delicate scents

A mist of woodland smoke pours from the moss...

This of course filled us with a sense of awe and wonder, and when we came to eat the food it was sublime. The crayfish cream and quail jelly was also layered with a cornelle of chicken liver parfait on the top, as well as a layer of pea puree underneath, which helped balance the rich meaty flavours above. The truffle toast added another dimension of earthiness as well as a crisp texture, also accentuated by slices of radish.

Jelly of Quail, Crayfish Cream
Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss and Truffle Toast

Continuing with the earthy theme, the next course was the infamous snail porridge. Although the concept of eating snails seems much more palatable in this day in age, the snails themselves are still hidden underneath a pile of thinly sliced fennel. Snails are often cooked in plenty of garlic and butter, which attempts to mask their flavour; not here though. This dish showcases the snail as a wonderfully delicious meat, tender and falling apart in your mouth. They were perfectly cooked, with none of the slime and rubberiness that is often associated with them. The porridge was full of flavour, with the cooked rice retaining a little bit of bite and in dispersed with thin strips of Iberico ham, which added saltiness and warmth. The fennel provides the sharpness to cut through the dish, which was a lovely end to the set of starters.

Snail Porridge
Iberico Bellota Ham, Shaved Fennel

Main(s):

Moving on to the mains, the first was an impossibly beautiful looking dish of roasted foie gras. It turns out to be a "surf and turf" combination, as the richness of the foie gras is also accompanied by sweet and salty crab in the form of crab biscuit, and spots of crab and balsamic reduction. The pair is married by the umami flavour of a sheet of braised konbu seaweed, and a tangy barberry sauce. As you would expect, the foie gras was soft and melt-in-your-mouth, which was contrasted by the crisp tuiles of crab. Again, the presence of a sharp fruity sauce in the barberry, breaks up the powerful flavours on the palate.

Roast Foie Gras
Barberry, Braised Konbu and Crab Biscuit

The next course started with a story. Those of you who are familiar with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland would be familiar with the Mock Turtle. But if not, we were kindly provided with a bookmark that outlined the tale for us prior to serving the dish.

We were indeed at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, as we were presented with a dish of baffling ingredients and a teacup. Next, the waiter brought us gold watches stored within lavish display cases. These were actually "stock cubes" wrapped in gold leaf which, similarly to the story, were placed in our teacup and filled with hot water. It was transformed into a wonderfully flavourful beef consommé, laced with edible gold leaf. Finally it was poured into our bowl where it acted as a lovely broth for our food.

The identity of the "egg" in the meal eluded us (turns out it was made of turnip mousse), but it was nonetheless delicious. The star was a cheek of veal, which was delightfully tender and complimented nicely by the small enoki mushrooms. The crystal clear consommé brought all the flavours together into one satisfying dish.

Heston's Beef Consomme: Just add water...

...transforming the dish into something quite special.

Mock Turtle Soup (c.1850)
"Mad Hatter Tea"

Not long afterward, unusual objects appeared on our table:

....Okay.

The next course, as the conch shell implied, was Sound of the Sea - a dish which took everything I thought I knew about food and flavours, and completely turned them upside down.

The premise was simple enough, listen to the iPod whilst eating the food. The track playing was a loop of a standard beach front: incoming surf, the odd seagull, etc. The food itself as a selection of three cured fish: kingfish, halibut and mackerel, served on a bed of edible "sand" made of tapioca and small fried sardines. There were also various seaweed and a "seawater" foam, which completed the appearance of a wave hitting a sandy beach.

The waiter asked us to see whether it would evoke any memories, so I put my headphones in and listen to the calming beach environment, and let myself be taken away. I smell the food, and it smells much like the sea-air on the coast, fresh with the tang of seawater. I take a small piece of kingfish, along with the other elements of the plate onto my spoon and put it in my mouth. The taste was so intensely of the sea it was almost uncomfortable. The grittiness of the tapioca sand, along with the foam evaporating within your mouth and releasing into your nostrils, made it feel and taste like you had literally eaten a handful of beach. To accurately describe it for me, it was like swimming out in the ocean and accidentally swallowing seawater. The fact that this essence had been captured and put onto a plate of food was incredible, mind-blowing. Unsettling as what-seemed-to-be-eating-seawater was, the delicate flavour of the fish was not lost within the rush of beach holiday nostalgia in my mouth.

I was not prepared however, for what would happen when I decided to try the food without the headphones on. The flavours changed completely. Each aspect of the dish was individually discernible, while it had just been a mush of "beach flavour" before .The foam was light and fragrant. The sand was wonderfully savoury. The seaweed lifted the delicate sweetness of the fish. And yet, when I put the headphones back in - even with the food still in my mouth - the flavour would instantly change back to the seawater taste.

This was the same feeling for my fellow diners, albeit evoking slightly different memories and feelings, and one found it almost too much to eat with the headphones on. We persisted however, and were rewarded with the cured mackerel at the top of the dish, which was beautifully sweet and tender.

But more importantly, it made me realise how important all of our senses are when dining, and also made me wonder how else I might have been "manipulated" in a way that hadn't occurred to me before - by sound - to the flavour of food...

"Sound of the Sea"

Next up came the unusual flavour combinations of Salmon Poached in a Liquorice Gel. Again, it was an impeccably presented dish that married the flavours of salmon, liquorice, vanilla, grapefruit and artichoke. On the palate, you could tell that great care had been taken in balancing the flavours. The salmon was perfectly cooked, which went nicely with the liquorice. The aniseed flavour then went on to enhance the flavour of the artichoke, while the vanilla mayonnaise added a warm creamy sweetness to the palate. Finally, bursts of grapefruit and roe left an undercurrent of sweet, citrusy flavours. It was a combination that split our dining party, but no-one would deny the precise cooking and balance of flavour.

Salmon Poached in a Liquorice Gel
Artichokes, Vanilla Mayonnaise and Golden Trout Roe

Risotto of Spelt and Umbles

Rounding off the mains was Saddle of Venison. They clearly saved the best until last as we unanimously agreed that it was the *most* delicious thing we had ever put in our mouths. Even the waiter agreed.

The venison was served simply with a beetroot soubise, along with some roasted beetroot and brussel sprout leaves. These basic accompaniments allowed the taste of the venison - which was so tender and moist; a testament to Heston's application of sous vide cooking - to shine through. Served alongside with the venison was a spelt risotto - the most amazing risotto I have ever eaten and what took this dish into the stratosphere of taste. The risotto was creamy and rich, in dispersed with umbles (cubes of venison offal - interestingly, the main ingredient in umble pie and source of the phrase "humble pie") and topped with honeyed puffed oats (yes, 3 michelin star sugar puffs), which added a delightful caramel/toffee flavour; absolutely divine when eaten with the venison.

This was my first time eating venison - I don't think I would ever forget it.

Saddle of Venison
Beetroot Soubise, Risotto of Spelt and Umbles

Dessert(s):

Acting as a palate cleanser between the mains and dessert, was Hot and Iced Tea. Simple enough right? Except the peach flavoured tea was in one glass. And the hot and cold liquids were separated vertically. Go figure - only Heston knows the secret (unless you have his cookbook).

Hot and Iced Tea

Our first proper dessert was Taffety Tart, a dish we had already come across at Dinner. It seemed a shame that it was present in both restaurants, but the Taffety Tart here seemed sweeter than the one offered at Dinner. There was always the same progression of flavours with each bite: Sharp blackcurrant, creamy vanilla, sweet apple, aniseed from the fennel and a rose aroma. We decided that we enjoyed this much more here, as the portion was smaller and so it wasn't as overpowering on the palate.

Taffety Tart (c.1660)
Caramelized Apple, Fennel, Rose and Candied Lemon

Chocolate lovers, take note! The BFG (Black Forest Gateau - or as I like to call it, Bl**dy F*cking Good) is one serious dessert. Firstly, it looks sexy. The geometry of the rectangle of cake(?) next to the rounded ice cream was very pretty, in addition to the contrast of colours. Upon serving, the waiters also sprayed the scent of kirsch and the black forest above our heads, which was a lovely touch and again placed ourselves in a certain environment.

Breaking into the cake revealed a complex architecture - layers of chocolate, soft sponge, cream and kirsch soaked cherry were separated by delicate wafers. In the mouth, it was a heady mix of deep, rich chocolate, smooth ice cream, and sharp cherry - closely followed with a hefty kick of alcohol ("hot with booze", as one of my fellow diners commented). The combination of textures and sweetness in the mouth would take anyone to chocolate heaven, and we were distinctly merrier as we moved on to the next dish...

The "BFG"
Kirch Ice Cream and the Smell of the Black Forest

Heston was clearly determined to get us drunk, as the penultimate course was Whisk(e)y Gums. Served on a map showing each region the Whisk(e)y came from, each gum was of a different distillery, increasing in strength and woodiness - finishing off with the mellow Jack Daniels (the "e" in Whiskey as it's American). Surprisingly, the gums still retained the complexity of flavour that you would expect from the beverage, though they were slightly sweeter. In terms of texture, the gums didn't have to be chewed, as they slowly melted in the mouth to release the flavours. It was an interesting alternative to a post-dinner drink, all that was missing was the cigars!

Whisk(e)y Gums

The Queen of Hearts

To finish up, a little bit of fun. "Like a Kid in Sweet Shop" is a petit four of fun little treats that you could eat at the table, or take home with you. They were served in a cute sweetie bag - complete with best before date, and consisted of Aerated Chocolate, Coconut "Baccy", Apple Pie Caramel, and The Queen of Hearts.

Aerated chocolate was exactly what it said on the tin; like Aero, except the bubbles in this were especially large, allowing for a smoother melt-in-the-mouth experience. Hidden in the centre was a mandarin jelly, which reminded me of a the humble Jaffa cake.

Coconut Baccy was in a little tobacco pouch. It contained thin strips of sweet caramelised coconut, with a slight hint of smoky tobacco flavour.

Apple Pie Caramel was a deliciously smooth and rich caramel, in an edible wrapper, which had a neutral flavour.

Finally The Queen of Hearts was served in a little envelope , containing a white chocolate Queen of Hearts playing card. Within, the chocolate was a small layer of biscuit and strawberry jam - resembling a strawberry tart. We later learned that the "wax seal" on the envelope was also edible white chocolate (as it melted in the bag on the way home).

It was a lovely way of ending the meal, reminding us that not only did we have some of the most amazing food, but that we also had a lot of fun along the way.

"Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop"

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And there we have it. After 4.5 hours of dining, we left feeling like the happiest people on the planet. Everything about the food was incredible. The service was exceptional - our waiters were helpful, friendly and had a sense of humour; they clearly loved engaging in the interactive experience that you get at the Fat Duck. They even ordered our taxi for us so that it would be waiting as we left the restaurant.

It was, without a doubt, the best meal I had ever had in my life (so far). Was it worth the price tag? In the end, we opted to get 3 bottles of wine between 4: a white, red and a dessert wine, which was cheaper than matched wine option (£125 each) - and it was worth every penny. It was a completely unique and special dining experience and even if you won't be able to go now, or for a few years, it is definitely something truly unforgettable. At last, something I can tick off the bucket list.

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Willing to take the plunge? Remember that booking is 3 months in advance and places go pretty quickly. Small groups of 2 or 4 are easier to book, because of the size of the restaurant. Have a look on http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/. Who knows, maybe there will be something new on the menu when you go...

Barcelona: Great Things Comes in Small Packages

2011-11-13T20:41:00.001Z

Barcelona: Great Things Comes in Small Packages

A small group of friends and I had too much of the tediousworld of work and decided that we needed to have a short break. Naturally that short break came with ahuge amount of food. And food we did have…

The first morning, we had had no breakfast and since 4am hadspent our hours on various forms of transport. By the time we had gotten toBarcelona and had miraculously met up with the last member of the party we werefamished. We had our eye on a particularly good tapas place, widely proclaimedas one of the best in Barcelona, however we were greeted by a potential 60minwait for a table. With our stomachs grumbling we tried our luck elsewhere. Wewalked around for a while until we found a suitably busy looking restaurant. Granted it wasn’t quite the traditionalSpanish cuisine but this restaurant did come up with some interestingcombinations of flavours.

We each chose a separate main dish, and ended up with aseafood sandwich, a bulltail burger with hummus and a veal burger. The seafoodsandwich was a bit misleading; it actually was a piece of pan-fried turbot withwhat seemed like a risotto side dish. The fish was beautifully cooked, flaky and wonderfully moistwhich worked brilliantly with the risotto made from what I believe is its fishstock. Though why they named it a sandwich is baffling. The bulltail burger was a pate ofsoftly cooked beef served with hummus, a combination I would be using much moreoften. The veal burger, nothing particularly special, composed of good qualityand well-cooked ingredients satisfied my hunger.

Seafood Sandwich

Bulltail Burger with Hummus

Veal Burger

The dinner however was much more eventful. After wondering(and hungry again) in the Gothic quarter we were VERY lost and in need offood. This time we weren’t sohungry that we wouldn’t just settle for anything, we wanted a proper tapas meal.Wondering past a few slightly dodgy looking alleyways, we chanced upon a smallfamily run restaurant that looked particularly busy, there was around a 20minswaiting time. We thought this was a good sign (also my feet had beginning tohurt) so we settled into a jug of sangria as we waited.

Duck Confit, Iberian Ham, Octopus

Oxtail Tail Stew, Paella, Fisherman's Paella

When we got to the table, we may have ordered a bit morethan we should. None of the dishes disappointed. We had a selection of iberianham, grilled octopus, oxtail stew, confit duck terrain, seafood paella, andanother paella that I can’t remember the name of. The confit duck terrain wasby far the best dish of the holiday. It was layer on a bed of creamy potato, sosoft, delicate and intense at the same time. The buttery meat of the duck justmelted in our mouths and silence fell over the table. The intense jus that camewith it really enhanced the flavour of the duck. I could go on describing howwonderful the food was at this restaurant, it really felt as if a lot of loveand pride went into each of these dishes and it showed.

Driven by the excellenttapas, we tried desserts of chocolate fondant, caramelised apples with cinnamon(classic) and some kind of cream cheese cake - see below. All of which good but it was thetapas that really stood out here. (Apologies of the gradually blurring ofpictures, we had had a few glasses of sangria by then). If you ever go toBarcelona, pay a visit to this little place.

Apple and cinnamon, Cheesecake, Chocolate fondant

The next evening we returned to the tapas place we had triedto get in one the first day. After all it was the busiest of any place that wehad seen and since we made our choices on how busy a restaurant was this musthave meant this place was going to be worth the wait. And it was.

This time we were told a 40-50mins wait (ended up waiting anhour) helped along by more jugs of sangria, which was quite strong but tasty andvery good value. We sat by the bar here and was continuously drooling over thefresh seafood and tapas on display, just waiting to be cooked.

As we sat down, we hoped that this restaurant lived up to the hype.

Calamari, Mushrooms, Potato Barvis, Croquette

Now rather hungry and wanted to try absolutely everything weorder such a number of dishes that I will only point out the highlights. Thestar of the show was the seafood stick, a chunk of lobster tail, squid and kingprawn topped by a little cherry tomato all pan-fried to perfection. The lobsterwas perfectly moist, the squid perfectly tender and the prawn were cooked toperfection. So simple. Other dishes that were cooked excellently were thepotato bravis, the razor clam dripping in butter, the veal, and the seafoodsalad – a personal favourite of mine. When we ordered the seafood salad wethought we should really eat some greens at some point in the holiday, howeverit was more like slices of sashmi with a light tomato relish – so light, freshand clear.

Veal with Chilli

Seafood Salad

Seafood Sticks

Razor Clams

We ended the meal with a Spanish version of crème burlee andapple dessert with dessert wine. Considering how much we ordered, it didn’thurt the bank too much. Make a visit to Catalan Cerveseria a must.

Apple and dessert wine, Spanish Creme brulee

Last place that’s worth a mention was a small restaurant onthe harbour and beach. Walking down this popular stretch to the seafront it wasdifficult to chose a place to eat, mainly because it was very touristy, and hadvery persistent waiters stopping you in your tracks to try to persuade us to goin which I personally found quite irritating. Eventually we ended up just goingwith our gut feelings and the one that looked the cheapest (this particularroad seemed very overpriced).

THE SEAFOOD PLATTER

We started ordering tapas, focusing on the seafood as we were near the harbour, however our waiter stopped us and suggested that we order the seafood platter as it had more food in total. So persuaded we ordered that along with fried baby squid, fishman’s paella and black paella. The black paella was my least favourite; I just felt it did not deliver that intense flavour of the squid ink that we had experienced before. The other paella was beautifully cooked with large chunks of squid, whole langoustines, mussels and prawns. The seafood platter stole the show. This was initially designed for 2 but when it arrived it looked more like it could feed 4! We had a whole lobster, 4 langoustines, 6 razor clams, a ring of king prawns packed around the edge of the platter finished off by piling copious amounts of mussels, clams and cockles. All was cooked to perfection with a splatter of herbs, lemon and butter. Simplicity, if not a bit messy!

Seafood Paella, Seafood Platter (half eaten), Fried Baby Squid, Black Paella

I better stop writing before I start drooling again! Thankyou Barcelona, until next time.

Come for the Food, Stay for the Wine

2011-11-04T15:52:00.000Z

Vinoteca is well known for being one of the best wine bars in London. There are two branches; the original is situated at St John's Street near Farringdon, while the second, newer one which we visited is tucked away at 15 Seymour Place, just off the Edgware Road. However, they also provide a seasonal european food menu that changes daily. Seeing as it had been recommended by a couple of our wine-loving friends, and it happened to be a certain special occasion, we decided to see what all the fuss was about.

The restaurant itself was located just off the hustle and bustle of Edgware Road, and was modestly sized with an open view into the kitchen. Being a wine bar, there were shelves adorned with dozens of bottles from all parts of the world and of different varieties; all of which you were welcome to taste and purchase. We arrived for a fairly early dinner at 6pm as tables could not be booked, and we had heard that it can get quite busy towards the evening, but there were already patrons sitting at the bar area sipping on glasses of wine and nibbling on cheeses.

We were presented with the menu for the day, and each dish was also paired with a wine suggestion (by the glass) that would compliment it. However if you would rather choose your own, they also have an extensive wine list and suggested bottles at reasonable prices.

Starters:

Steamed mussels & clams, shallots, white wine & lovage

I started with the steamed clams with white wine and lovage, which was perfectly cooked and seasoned. It was a light, yet comforting dish, and it was accompanied by (as suggested) a surprisingly cheap spanish white wine which also happened to be one of the best I had ever tasted; it was crisp, sweet and clean, with a wonderful citrusy aroma.

Jellied pork terrine, cornichons and toast

My partner started with the jellied pork terrine, which had a well-seasoned flavour that was enhanced by a punchy mustard sauce. My partner found it rather dry and lacking in toast (which seems to be a problem with all these terrine/pate dishes!), however the accompanying merlot washed it down very nicely with a bold, fruity notes.

Mains:

Whole roast red leg partridge, onion squash, lentils & green sauce

My main was whole roasted partridge, served with onion squash, lentils and a herby green sauce. I must say, it looked amazing as it was presented to me, oozing with rustic charm and aromas. I was looking forward to being able to carve the bird myself, although others may find this rather fiddly and messy! The bird itself was roasted to medium, and well rested. It wasn't too gamey, and so it didn't overpower the peppery notes in the lentils and earthy sweetness of the squash. The herb sauce cut through the heavy flavours and lifted the dish. I went with my own choice of red wine on this dish as the suggested glass was a little over my budget for that day. I can't quite remember which it was, but it went quite well with the bird in particular, having a strong, berry finish.

Whole lemon sole with green olives, almonds & capers

My partner when for a fish main in the form of whole lemon sole, served with an olive, almond and caper sauce, and vegetables. The fish was well cooked, but the highlight of the dish was the sauce, which surprised my partner with how well it went with the sole; having not been a fan of nuts with fish! The fish also came with the suggested white wine, which was very good; although my partner had to begrudgingly admit that my white wine from the starter was better.

Dessert:

Chocolate and coffee truffles

We were both fairly full from our meal, so we had a light and simple dessert to end the meal. We both opted for chocolate and coffee truffles, and I chose to also have the accompanying suggestion of a measure of aged rum to go with it. The truffles were smooth and melted lovingly in your mouth with warm, chocolatey notes and bitter coffee. For me, the rum was the highlight of the dish, which exploded in your mouth with a fiery hit, before turning into a mellow, smooth flavour that evaporated in your mouth and left the aroma of vanilla in your nostrils...

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All in all, Vinoteca serves decent food at reasonable prices, and with good service. However, the main appeal of the menu was to learn and appreciate how wines compliment and enhance the flavours of food. With the seasonality of the menu, the combination of food and wine will always be unique; and so will the experience you get each time you come here. It's definitely worth a trip back, as they also do wine tasting events and other courses to whet your palate with.

Interested in the love affair between food and wine? Take a look at their sample menus and restaurant locations at http://vinoteca.co.uk/.

Paris House - Guest Post!

2011-10-18T20:17:00.000+01:00

One of my good friends (who often accompanies me on our own food wanderings, namely Trinity and Dinner) visited this restaurant a while back, and decided to write about it! so without further ado...

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Firstly,let me apologise for the (low) quality of the photos compared to our wanderingfood lover’s usual shots – I don’t have the camera for it and only had myiPhone with me anyway… But nevertheless, the photos should give you a roughidea of what was going on!

Drivingup to Paris House certianly starts your experience in style, the restaurant isset in beautiful grounds and a lovely building that really lend opulence to theoccasion before you’re even in through the door!

Wewere ushered into a large seating area and offered pre-dinner drinks (mine’s aG&T thanks) despite the fact we were barely early and our table was ready;the staff here have no intention of rushing you through a service, even whenthere are 8 of you (it was a joint birthday lunch). Drinks were of a price tobe anticipated in a Michelin restaurant, but I felt like their prices were on apar with London, which is perhaps coining in on being Bedford’s only starredrestaurant a little.

Thetables were well presented and the cutlery had a nice weight to it, somethought had clearly gone into the way in which dishes would be presented butfelt like something of an afterthought, rather than integral to presentation,as I’ve felt elsewhere.

Fois Gras with red wine jelly and toast

Imust confess to having forgotten our amuse bouche (though I recall that therewas one) so I’ll get straight on with the courses. The fois gras was very rich,beautifully smooth and certianly interestingly presented with the red winejelly atop. Served with a ring of red onion and well toasted sourdough it hadgood accompanyment and was a luxuirous start to the meal. Interestingly, myonly issue with this dish was that it actually felt like we hadtoo-large-a-portion (Rarely a complaint from me)!

Deep fried egg on herby risotto with micro herbs

Unfortunately,I had a risotto in the Cipriani hotel in Venice which was so epically sublimethat I suspect I am forever spoiled! Nevertheless, this risotto was wellprepared, light and certianly herby (but not offensively so). The egg wasperfect, I assume slow cooked in bain marie to give a rich sticky yolk and thecrumb gave the dish some much needed crunch.

Pan fried Skate and brown shrimp with gnocchi

Thispiece of skate really stood out for me, absolutely flawlessly cooked and verywell accompanied by the rest of the dish. The gnocci were also perfect andbrought through some herbyness from the previous dish, nicely tying the mealtogether. The sauce was balanced to bring out the best of the fish and didn’toverpower, I was particularly surprised to still be enjoying the flavour of theshrimp despite all the other flavours going on. Great dish!

Seared Pigeon with peas andport reduction

Theother main course option was this pigeon, though this wasn’t my choice, I didget to try a fair bit as my fellow diners felt it was wildly undercooked. It’smy feeling that preparing gamey meats like pigeon is a careful balancing actand in this case, Paris House missed the mark; even for me (one who’s usuallyerring on the rarer side of the scale) the meat was underdone and/or ofinsufficient quality to support such undercooking. The peas were fresh andperfectly minted to accompany the game and the sauce was rich, if JUST on thewatery side for my liking. Could’ve been perfect if the sear had been more of acooking activity, but sadly missed the mark.

Poached Fruits with honeycomb icecream

Apricotand pear were the stars of this show, but supported by an assortment of otherfruits this dish is one of the finest fruit salads I’ve ever enjoyed. Theapricot and pear were poached in some kind of booze (I’m guessing brandy, butforgot to ask) very well and had a nice little kick. Including a littlepineapple and passionfruit really lifted and cleansed the palette very nicelyafter a long afternoon’s munching on richness. I question the addition of atwist of toasted coconut, but just ended up leaving mine!

Marshmallow topped vanilla icecream with chocolate sauce

Quite an eye-catching dessert (the look of it certainly raised a few eyebrows!) tofinish the afternoon, but I didn’t feel like the eating matched up to thepresentation on this one. The vanilla icecream was tasty, but didn’t feel anydifferent to a litre tub of clotted cream ice cream from sainsburys to me,though I’m sure it wasn’t! The marshmallow was nicely blowtorched off for acrispy top, but felt a little undergummed beneath, not quite springy enough formy liking. The sauce was alright, but lacked any bitterness to counterbalancethe sweetness of the marshmallow, so the whole dish felt like a real sugar hit.

Overall we had a lovely afternoon out and Paris Housecertainly felt a bit special, but compared to some of the other restaurants(starred or not) I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy it fell a little bit short,especially considering the price tag.

Dave

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Does this Michelin starred country house tickle your tastebuds? Take a look at their webpage at http://www.parishouse.co.uk/

Trinity, Clapham

2011-10-01T15:09:00.000+01:00

It is a bright day with sunshine streaming through floor to ceiling glass wall looking out into Clapham Common. We walked into a simple, clean and crisp décor, quite minimalist in nature.

Radish with Smoked Salmon Cream

We opted for the tasting menu. It just seemed like the way to try the most varied amount and food.

We started with a little seasonal treat – fresh radishes to be dipped in a lovely smoked salmon cream. The crispness of the radish and the creaminess of the sauce was a beautiful combination, an excellent appetiser.

Starters:

The first of the many courses was the chilled pea soup with lemon and cows curd. It was beautifully presented, a vibrant green. The lemon and cows curd where situation at the bottom of the plate and it was presented to us for us to pour the pea soup into the plate. The pea soup itself was in an old-fashioned milk bottle – a lovely touch I thought. It was absolutely delicious, just so fresh. The lemon added an extra dimension, making it very refreshing in the warm light of summer.

Chilled Pea Soup with Lemon and Cow's Curd

Fish Course:

The second course fish – seared tuna with soy, sesame and pai choi. Again, it was beautifully presented. A definite oriental feel to this, and this was by far my favourite dish. The reason being was how well everything on that plate worked together. The tuna was perfectly cooked; there was a crunch from the sesame seeds; the perfect amount of soy sauce. Its hard to describe why this dish hit the spot, its just something you have to try.

Seared Tuna with Sesame and Soy, Pak Choi

The next fish course was cod with almonds and grapes. Sounds odd doesn’t it? Unfortunately this was the least favourite of my dishes. The grapes were actually pickled which I found rather strange, wasn’t completely sure about the blanched almonds either. It tasted to me like a bit of too many favours in my mouth at one. However the cod was cooked to perfection, wonderfully soft and just flaking and was complemented by the light cream gazpacho. My company disagreed and really enjoyed the unusual combination.

Cod, White Gazpacho with Almond and Grape

Main Course:

We moved onto the meat course – duck with Scottish girolles and raisin. I still have no idea want girolles are but what ever they were it was tasty. Unfortunately for Trinity I had already had the duck dish from Heston’s Dinner restaurant and this was what I was inevitably comparing it to. The duck was nicely cooked, slightly pink in the middle. However I did keep thinking that although it was a beautifully constructed dish, it didn’t have the complexity of Heston’s duck. Nevertheless, the sweet raisin did work well, adding a lovely sweetness to rich gamey duck.

Aylesbury Duck with Scottish Girolles and Raisin

Dessert:

Strawberry yogurt. - Quite non-descriptive. I was wondering how they would make strawberry yogurt taste anything other than strawberry yogurt. This dish was the biggest surprise for me. Instead of strawberry yogurt we had beautiful layers of cream, strawberry jelly, strawberry compote, and finally the creamiest yogurt I have ever tasted. It just felt like memories of summer nights, the countryside and the fields were flooding back every mouthful I took. This dish is definitely one to try if you have the chance.

Strawberry Yoghurt

By this point I was getting full to the brim. We powered on, and tried a further 2 desserts. Our wonderful waiter treated us to our next dessert, chocolate melt, which wasn’t on the tasting menu. Further more, this was a dish that my companions had raved about. It was incredibly rich, but the bitterness of the dark chocolate they used counteracted that. It was again, beautifully cooked – the middle was indeed molten chocolate. Although it was wonderful, a must have for chocolate lovers, I thought it could do with just a little something more, not sure what though.

Chocolate Cremosa, Honeycomb, Almond

Funny enough, even after all these courses, we still decided that we had room for cheese. Trinity changes the cheeses depending on what they have brought. We had Stichelton, Hafod, Wigmore. The accompaniments were excellent, dried pears, chutney and honey worked incredibly well with all the cheeses. The portions were generous, could do with a few more crackers though.

Cheese Selection

Finally, to the last course, yet another dessert – White Peach, Amaretti Biscuits, Sorbet and Almonds. This was also not on the tasting menu but was changed by our waiter after recommendations (they really think of everything here). After the heavy chocolate pudding, this was a lovely refreshing end to the meal. It was a simple dessert with excellently prepared components and was just about light enough that we could finish after so much food.

White Peach, Amaretti, Sorbet and Almond

What is also worth a mention is the excellent service we received. We had a late lunch at 2pm, which somehow lasted until 4.30pm where by we were the only people in the restaurant. However we were still made to feel welcome and were not rushed at all. There was no pressure to leave, to eat faster or that we were in their way. In fact, the waiter kept recommending courses, wines and port – he was excellent and very knowledgeable about the wines and the menu.

Sweet Port for Dessert

Pinot Noir for Mains

Trinity was a wonderful experience throughout. Other than the wine and port, the meal was reasonably priced for what it was and I would definitely be happy to come back again.

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Fancy trying out this trendy Clapham restaurant? Take a look at their seasonal menu and book a table at http://www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk/.

A Taste of Italy

2011-08-05T15:35:00.000+01:00

So we recently came back from a week long break travelling around northern Italy, during which we visited the cities of Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence and Bologna. Along the way, not only were we astounded by the beauty of our surroundings, we also had a lot of good food. I don't think we ever had a dish that disappointed us. It was clear from the outset that the Italians are very proud of their food; using fresh, local produce and having a passion for cooking.

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A couple of cocktails and a plate of food during aperitivo.
For some reason, what was actually in the cocktails escapes us...

Milan was very much an urban sprawl; a city that had grown quickly due to the success of it's fashion industry. People dressed in designer labels, locals and tourists alike, were everywhere. This however, does not affect their culinary traditions. Local cafes provide good food at fairly cheap prices. One of our first lunches was a simple dish of thin slices of prosciutto, served with melon slices and bread, coming to less than €10. The plate was huge, and could easily feed 2.

Come the evening, the local bars and restaurants would fill with people after a busy day at work. It was during this time that we discovered the Milanese aperitivo which is, for lack of a better term, like a happy hour in an English bar. Except that it is completely different.

Aperitivo, as the name suggests, is a period (usually between 6 and 9pm) where you can order aperitifs/cocktails at discounted prices in bars; usually €8-10. For this, not only do you get a choice of any cocktail from the menu, you also get an unlimited buffet of antipasti from the bar. The selection of food available differs in each bar, and range from pizza slices, pasta, fresh mozzarella, cold cuts, olives and even seafood. You could scout out several bars to see which one offers food that you would fancy, or you could do what we did which was just have 3 aperitivos in 3 different bars, having 3 different cocktails and 3 sets of food. We may have gotten a little carried away.

A typical gelateria

We travelled in the middle of summer, which meant that keeping cool was a high priority while exploring. Italy is of course famous for their ice cream and sorbets, and gelaterias were a common sight along the streets. Naturally they have a broad range of flavours to choose from, but our favourite was lemon; which in the midday heat, seemed to cool us down the best.

In fair Verona, we had pizza! Toppings tend to vary depending on the region, which adds variety to a common dish. The pizzas are all thin crust, and usually have simple toppings of up to maybe a maximum of 3-4, so as not to over complicate the flavour.

Pizza topped with salami, mozzarella and red chicory

Some local cured meats, along with our own
homemade salad and local ciabatta

While visiting Verona we actually stayed in a little village called Pescantina, 20mins bus ride away. Our friendly B&B owners told us about the local restaurant which served a speciality of horse meat. Unfortunately due to our poor grasp of Italian and directions, we couldn't find the restaurant...

Happily, we had full use of a kitchen during our stay so we took advantage of the local supermarket. Unlike Tesco however, the shelves are filled fresh fruit, vegetables and other produce from the area. We bought ourselves some cheap salami and prosciutto, bread, and salad greens and made our own meals. Wine was also very cheap, and decent considering you can get a carton of the local wine for as little as €1.50.

Next stop was Venice. The main emphasis here, quite naturally, was on seafood. Because of the masses of tourists that flock to Venice during this time of year, the restaurants were very busy and also a bit more expensive. Regrettably, we only spent the day in Venice and didn't have the time (nor patience) to look for less tourist-orientated local place. We instead had some very nice mini calzone pizzas from one of the many cafes littered around.

Venetian restaurants like showing off their wealth of fresh seafood

The longest portion of our holiday was spent in the city of Florence, which is the capital of the Tuscan region and a centre for renaissance art. Florence was easily our favourite city; the unique architecture of their main cathedral or duomo, and the priceless collection of art in the Uffuzi Gallery, really set this place apart. The food was just as special.

Spaghetti Carbonara

In Italy, you can really taste what some classic dishes, such as the carbonara above, are really supposed to taste like. The sauce was rich in flavour, with added silkiness from egg yolk; yet the dish itself was surprisingly light. The salty lardons of bacon are a delight as they slowly dissolve over your palate.

Florentine T-Bone steak with chips

The restaurant specials often offer a good deal, and are usually accompanied with a glass of wine. Above is a Florentine T-bone steak which was served with a glass of chianti. The meat was perfectly cooked and had an aromatic smoky flavour from the grill.

In Florence, we also had some desserts. They are mostly very simple, like most Italian cooking; below was just a sliced pineapple. However, after the heat of the day sometimes a perfectly ripe, sweet pineapple is exactly what you need.

Fresh ananas, or pineapple

Panna cotta is also a popular dessert which just seems to taste better in Italy. It was creamy and light, and nicely accompanied by a sharp, tangy raspberry compote.

Panna cotta with raspberry compote

We also had some interesting pasta dishes in Florence. This one below was a rigatoni with local Tuscan sausage, tomato and black truffle, which was delightful. The black truffle really brings out the flavour of the sausage and brings a richness to the dish.

Rigatoni pasta with Tuscan sausage, tomato and (generous!) black truffle

And this one, the menu told us, was based on an old medieval recipe. It was a baked pasta dish with porcini mushroom, sausage, parmesan and cream. The pasta held together surprisingly well without breaking apart, and could be sliced like a loaf of bread.

"Medieval" baked pasta, with cream, porcini, parmesan and sausage

Our favourite dessert was this pear and dark chocolate cake, which was accompanied by sweet Tuscan wine. The cake was moist and the combination of dark chocolate and pear was perfect. The wine went with the cake very well, adding a little alcoholic kick.

Pear and dark chocolate cake, served with sweet Tuscan wine

We also had traditional hand baked cantucci almond biscuits, also served with sweet wine. They were fairly hard as expected but, when dipped in the sweet wine, soak up the liquid and becomes the perfect texture; almost turning the wine into an almond liqueur in your mouth.

Almond cantucci with sweet Tuscan wine

Florence is also apparently famous for sweets, and we saw numerous sweet shops selling their varieties of pick and mix.

A sweet shop window in Florence

Our final visit was Bologna, which is a lovely university town (home to the oldest university in the world) which is now becoming more and more popular.

In the centre of Bologna are the food markets, which are always buzzing with activity. Fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meats are all on offer here. Some stalls also sell their own handmade pasta, little tortellini, cheeses and bread. It was here that we could really see the Italian love of food and cooking; not only was it a place to buy your groceries, but also a place to meet friends, socialise and have a meal together.

Just some of the produce available in the food markets in Bologna

It was only fair that we see what all the fuss was about, so we sat down for a meal. We started with a board of cured meats and cheeses, served with a fig chutney and bread. They were very generous with the prosciutto de Parma, normally quite expensive; but seeing as Parma isn't too far from Bologna, it's not surprising. We certainly weren't complaining.

A selection of cold meats and cheese, served with fig chutney

We couldn't go to Bologna and not have the taglietelle with the local ragu (meat sauce), which in Bologna, is none other than "spaghetti bolognese" - the infamous spag bowl. But here, as it was intended, it was quite easily the best I have had. The pasta was not overladen with sauce, it was the right amount so that it would stick. The meat was tender and sauce was full of tomato flavour. The quality of the handmade pasta was clear and it was perfectly al dente.

Taglietelle pasta with ragu - aka Bolognese

We also tried a similar meat-based sauce, but with wild boar. It had a very strong, gamey pork taste which makes it a meatier tasting dish compared to the bolognese. It was also served with a wider pasta, which made it easier of the larger flakes of boar meat to stick to it.

Pasta with wild boar and tomato sauce

We spent our last day in Milan for our flight back, and we decided to catch up on the seafood that we missed in Venice. Luckily we stumbled across a restaurant that had a couple of seafood specials that day!

First up was a penne pasta, served with clams, mussels and a grilled fillet of John Dory. Pasta with clams is not unusual, however the addition of a grilled fillet of fish along with it was a nice touch.

Penne pasta with tomato, clams and mussels, serve with a fillet of John Dory

The other dish was grilled tuna steak, served with king prawns and assorted grilled vegetables. The prawns were fairly large, and the grilled vegetables made for a tasty alternative to pasta as an accompaniment. The dish went down very well with a child glass of white wine.

Grilled tuna steak served with king prawns and grilled vegetables

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Well that concluded our little Italian adventure. The Italians clearly have a well-established food culture and take pride in their produce. Simple combinations of ingredients and flavours are prevalent in Italian cooking, which is the key to the popularity of their dishes worldwide. Despite having pizza and/or pasta on almost everyday of our trip, we never got bored of it because there still enough diversity to keep dishes interesting and quite simply, delicious.

Interestingly however, there is always an Irish pub nearby...

An Old Favourite...

2011-06-30T20:47:00.000+01:00

Koya is a small Japanese restaurant on Frith Street, Soho. You could quite easily walk past it without noticing - the doorway itself is covered by a simple blue drape during opening hours. Another giveaway is that there are probably quite a few people queueing to get in, as the restaurant itself can only seat maybe 30 or so people. Its popularity is well deserved, and it has recently featured in a few top restaurant guides as one of the best Japanese restaurants in London.

Koya happens to be one of our favourite restaurants, and we often go there for lunch during a day out in London. The restaurant is simply designed with wooden tables and benches; it resembles a modern take on a traditional Japanese inn. The staff are friendly, attentive and may even greet you in Japanese, which is a nice touch. It is very well priced, and you can get a light meal here for less than £10. With sides and drinks, you probably still wouldn't spend more than £20 per head. They even provide their own table water, filtered on site, for free.

Koya specialises in udon, a type of Japanese noodle. It is thicker than other kinds of noodle and here, is served in a variety of different ways. The noodles here are handmade fresh every day, which makes the udon dishes in this restaurant particularly special. Koya quite unique amongst other Japanese restaurants; you won't find sushi on this menu.

The udon here is served in 3 main ways: Atsu-Atsu (hot udon in hot broth), Hiya-Atsu (Cold udon with hot broth) and Hiya-Hiya (cold udon with cold sauce). Each variety comes with different set of accompaniments ranging from seaweed, pork, tempura and so on. Its surprising even how the difference in temperature can affect the flavour; we find that having cold udon brings out the flavour in the sauce or broth in a cleaner way. For those of you who don't fancy noodles, they also offer a range of rice dishes (donburi), all served with miso soup. There are also a range of side dishes and add-ons that customises your meal; for example adding a poached egg to your broth seems to be a popular option (we tend to to spy on the many Japanese families that eat here for pointers).

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Side Dish:

Kakuni - Braised Belly Pork in Cider

On this day, we came with a couple of friends who wanted to try out the restaurant. We ordered a side dish of Kakuni, which is braised pork belly in cider. This is one of our favourite sides, and one portion can easily be shared by 2 or 3. The meat is deliciously tender, having been slow cooked for several hours. It is served with a small dollop of strong mustard paste, which compliments the deep flavour of the pork with a fiery kick.

Mains:

Nika Hiya-Atsu - Cold Udon with Beef Broth

One of the mains ordered was Niku Hiya-Atsu - beef broth, with cold udon. A beautifully flavoured clear broth with flakes of thinly sliced tender beef. The broth is a taste of unbelievable freshness and lightness, which goes with the deep, rich flavour of the beef. The soft texture of the beef with the smooth udon makes this one of our more favourite dishes.

We also had Buta Miso - pork and miso broth, with hot udon. A simple, common combination, but delicious nonetheless. The miso is quite potent, which gives a strong, but pleasant, umami flavour to the dish.

Buta Miso - Pork and Miso Broth with Hot Udon

Two of us had Ten Hiya-Atsu - Prawn and vegetable tempura, hot broth and cold udon. Other than looking amazing when it came to the table, it had the added novelty of adding all the ingredients to the broth yourself. The tempura here is nothing like what we have seen anywhere else. It is impossibly light, crisp, yet generous in batter without being greasy. The batter soaks up the broth beautifully when you dip the vegetables in, but the prawn is the star; it's quite large and difficult (for a novice like me at least) to handle with chopsticks, but it is perfectly cooked and deliciously sweet. Its definitely the highlight of many of the meals that we have had here.

Prawn and Vegetable Tempura

This restaurant is near flawless in its execution. Situated in a prime area of Central London, it offers delicious, unique Japanese food at an affordable price. With its range of simple, clean, yet varied dishes, not to mention the specials that they have every day, you will be amazed by the quality of the cooking; and you will definitely be going back just to try something new.

Ten Hiya-Atsu - Prawn and Vegetable Tempura, with Hot Broth and Cold Udon

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Koya is worth a visit for food lovers and especially any fan of Japanese food. Visit their website on http://www.koya.co.uk/. They don't take reservations, so make sure you try to beat the rush and get there a little early - particularly if you're in a group of 4 or more.

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Vegetarians need not apply.

2011-05-08T21:39:00.000+01:00

Our next venture was a foray into the realms of steak. We heard about Hawkmoor on the grapevine and had not really tried any of the 'steak' houses in London (except for the highly disappointing Angus steak house). We heard that the sizes of the steak they served were huge and that they also offered some more interesting cuts, so we thought it was fitting start to sample some good quality beef.

The restaurant itself was tucked away in an unassuming street near Covent Garden's Seven Dials. We had booked for an early dinner, having skipped lunch in anticipation for a very large meal. We were kindly welcomed and escorted down to a spacious basement-like area which housed the main restaurant and also a bar. Having looked through the interesting cocktail menu, we decided to have a drink before dinner. There were certainly a lot of more uncommon cocktails to choose from, such as the "St Croix Rum Fix" shown here, as well as some classic cocktails, like the Old Fashioned. The cocktails themselves weren't stingy on the alcohol and we were decidedly more cheery as we went through to be seated.

After being seated we were introduced to the menu by our humorous waiter, who went on to describe the various cuts they offered. There were only limited amounts of the restaurant's specialist cuts, which were proudly displayed on chalkboards dotted around. As each steak was ordered, they were crossed out. Clearly, having an early dinner was advantageous in being able to have first choice in steak, but we found out later that you can reserve your own cut of steak 48 hours in advance. We opted for a 900g Porterhouse steak (more commonly known as T-bone, which is a half sirloin, half fillet separated by bone) to share between two, along with starters. As tempting as a 1.5kg Chateaubriand (the thickest part of the fillet) was, we didn't want to be seeing it again on the pavement later on in the evening.

Starters:

Half a Dorset Blue Lobster with Hazelnut Butter
Does exactly what it says on the tin.

Comments: Lobster is definitely an extravagance. Ours was well cooked, and flavoured with a simple hazelnut butter. The flesh was soft and sweet, with not a trace of rubberiness. It was a good, light start to the meal.

Bone Marrow and Slow Cooked Onions

Comments: Marrow bone was a more unusual starter that we had not seen before, and it felt appropriate given the carnivorous nature of the meal. We were presented with rather large bones filled with marrow and caramelised onions, served with bread. The flavour of the marrow was rich and was complemented well by the onions. We know marrow is normally oily in texture but even still, this dish was fairly greasy along with soft onions. We could have definitely have had more bread.

Main:

900g Porterhouse Steak - Medium Rare

Comments: We asked for a medium rare steak, to get the full flavour of the meat. When the star of the meal arrived, it was huge. The steak had already been sliced for us, although there was also the option of slicing it yourself. The meat was perfectly cooked and rested; the difference between sirloin and fillet in flavour and texture was clear. In the end, we conflicted on which part was more delicious. Accompanied with the steak we ordered some triple cooked chips (not nearly as good as in Dinner funnily enough) and buttered greens which were perfectly fine, but we definitely could have had a bigger portion. We also had a stilton hollandaise sauce, which was a lovely complement to the steak.

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Needless to say, after finishing the steak we ended up in a comatose state for an hour or so. Dessert was not an option. The waiter kindly let us pay and then finish our wine in the bar, where we unwound for a bit and tried a couple more cocktails.

Overall the meal itself was impressive, despite slight drawbacks in the starter and sides. The food with a £22 bottle of wine came to £110 with service, which was to be expected considering the quality and cut of the steak. The atmosphere of the restaurant and bar was inviting and had a good buzz to it. The service in the whole establishment was friendly, attentive and professional despite wearing casual clothing. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening, and worth a return visit, but only if you seriously like your meat.

Interested in visiting this restaurant? Check out their website: http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk/

How exciting!

2011-04-26T22:38:00.000+01:00

Well, this is my first blog and what a spectacular way to start! We (myself and my three dinner-mates) were lucky enough to get one of the hottest tables in London… So hard to get into, so much hype and (for us anyway) SO much excitement and anticipation!

*Drum Roll Please*

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

So, we booked in early January and the only reservation we could get our hands on was a lunch service in mid-March. Apologies for the late blog by the way; we only just sorted out the photos! The difficulty of getting a table meant two whole months of waiting, reading the menu online, text messages pinging back and forth – I’m sure the excitable gastronomes among you know all about that anticipation of a seriously good meal!

Finally the day came, the Mandarin is a beautiful hotel and arriving just before midday gave us the chance to enjoy the main bar for a spell, certainly an opportunity to build the anticipation that little bit more but also relax with a naughty afternoon cocktail before lunch.

Without further ado, let us get onto the food. We were seated at a quiet table looking out over the gorgeous Hyde Park. A soft buzz and murmurs of activity made the place feel alive and relaxed as we settled in to read the menus and discuss our options. Not just for ourselves, but for your benefit too, we wanted to cover as much variety with our dishes as we could…

First on the list, starters:

The famous Meat Fruit (c.1500) Mandarin, Chicken Liver Parfait and Grilled Bread

Comments: This dish looked absolutely amazing; the photo does not do it justice. It was the sort of play on food that I had expected from a restaurant headed by Mr Blumenthal. The parfait itself was unbelievably smooth and the mandarin rind (actually a jelly) provided an acidic taste that cut through the parfait beautifully. The only criticism was there wasn't enough bread, but we polished off the rest of the table bread passing out little morsels of heavenly paté for everyone to try.

Hay Smoked Mackerel (c.1730) Lemon Salad, Gentleman's Relish and Olive Oil

Comments: Although a pleasant way to start the meal, we’ve had other, (dare we say it?) better versions of this particular dish in other restaurants. Visually, nasally and sadly, orally, this is a slightly disappointing from a restaurant like Dinner, where one does expect something rather special!

Broth of Lamb (c.1730)
Slow Cooked Hen's Egg, Celery, Radish, Turnip and Sweetbreads

Comments: The broth was packed full of flavour, I could drink a whole bowl if they'd sell me one! The egg yolk oozed richness into the broth and the sweetbreads (the things that looks like popcorn chicken - that description really offended my dinner-mates but that’s what it looked like!) were an unbelievable taste and texture sensation. It is an unusual dish but I’d suggest giving it a go, you won’t regret it.

Roast Scallops (c.1820)
Cucumber Ketchup and Borage

Comments: A beautiful plate of food both visually and in smell, somehow despite the subtlety of the scallops the dish hung with the air of the sea. The scallops were perfectly prepared and combined surprisingly well with the watery sharpness of the cucumber ketchup. Overall I feel this was a particularly delicate though fantastically tasty way to start a meal.

Then we moved onto the mains:

Roast Turbot (c.1830)
Cockle Ketchup, Leaf Chicory

Comments: The fish was perfectly cooked (and HUGE) but the highlight of the dish was the cockle ketchup, a small taste of the sea. The cockles themselves were particularly sweet and complemented the turbot perfectly. Meat lovers; don't dismiss this dish because it sure was a meaty fish!

Sirloin of Black Angus (c.1830)
Mushroom Ketchup, Red Wine Juice and Triple Cooked Chips

Comments: Yes, I know… It’s steak and chips… But it’s not any old steak and chips… It’s Heston's steak and chips and boy it makes a big difference. Perfectly prepared and deliciously crusty on the outside, you couldn't ask for more. Triple cooked chips are such a star accompaniment, if there was any complaint, perhaps the mushroom ketchup was a perhaps a little too mushroomy and had the potential to kill some of the fantastic flavour of the meat.

Powdered Duck (c.1670)
Smoked Fennel and Potato Puree

Comments: Soft, melt in the mouth duck, perfectly crunchy fennel, smooth and buttery potato puree. The glaze on the duck had a slight Chinese five spice smoke flavour to it, not overpowering but just enhancing the dish. The only criticism would be a little too sweet for some taste buds.

Spiced Pigeon (c.1780)
Ale and Artichokes

Comments: Originally I was planning to plump for the duck, but in the spirit of variety the gamier bird seemed a suitable choice, and wow what a choice! Perhaps not one of the more visually stunning mains, the smell from this plate was exceptional. The pigeon itself was so soft and gorgeously flavoured and the artichokes balanced the dish perfectly, every mouthful was a real delight.

And now for dessert:

Brown Bread Ice Cream (c.1830)
Salted Butter Caramel Malted Yeast Syrup

Comments: This was one of the highlights of our meal. The different textures were amazing. Not one individual element of the dish was sweet (apart from the small cubes of pears and the honey) but once all combined in the mouth it made for a mouthwatering dessert that tasted just like Horlicks, quite the trip down memory lane!

Tipsy Cake (c.1810)
Spit Roast Pineapple

Comments: This sounds like an unusual dessert, but was actually quite classical. The cakey warmth of the brioche was brought to life by a sweet caramel, with the roasted pineapple creating a sharp, yet sweet counterpoint to every mouthful. Surprisingly light for a dessert of it’s kind and yet a satisfying end to any meal!

Taffety Tart (c.1660)
Rose, Fennel, Lemon and Blackcurrant Sorbet

Comments: Now, this was a weird dessert. I didn't particularly like it, though I can see how people could. It was neither sweet nor bitter but rather a sour sweet mix. If you like that sour sugar stuff you find on Haribo Tangfastics (ahh yet another reference to ‘bad’ food), then this is the dessert for you. Nevertheless, the individual components were fantastic, smooth sorbet, the crunch on the pastry with fennel and the rich cream.

Apres Dessert:

White Chocolate and Earl Grey Tea Ganache.
Caraway Seed Biscuit

Comments: This was the little thanks we had while trying to sort out the bill and it was a joy. The earl grey was really prominent in the white chocolate ganache and complemented each other surprisingly well. The Caraway biscuit was just a biscuit really. The little dish was a novel blend of sweet and savoury. A fitting end to take the edge off paying.

Other small notes:

The service was impeccable. The friendly (without being overly familiar) waiters and waitresses always knew when your glass needed filling and gave that lovely impression that they had a 6th sense for when you wanted something. A particularly pleasant surprise was, upon our decision to stop the flow of pricey bottled water, our waitress offered us TAP WATER, impressively considerate; we declined as it happens, but definitely appreciated the rarity of such an offer from a higher-class restaurant.

So, was it worth the wait, hype and eager anticipation?

Hell yes!!!

Was it worth the £350 price tag (this included a £60 bottle of red wine and a £15 cocktail) between four?

Hell yes!!!

Would we go again?

Well, actually we were thinking of trying The Fat Duck next..... :P

Want to experience Dinner for yourself? Visit their website: http://www.dinnerbyheston.com/ - be warned however; expect a long waiting list!