I have of course been enjoying the rerun of The Fat Duck's Heston Blumenthal's series on BBC 2 - and it looks like it's a precursor to a new series later this year. According to Amazon the provisional list of dishes to be explored is: Trifle, Baked Alaska, Fish Pie, Hamburger, Peking Duck, Chicken Tikka Masala, Risotto, and Chilli Con Carne (for this one he just needs to come visit me, since I make *the best* CCC).
Does anyone at home really recreate the dishes in full as per Heston's instructions? Maybe not. But each show contains a few nuggets that can be transposed to the kitchens of mere mortals.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Elephant, Beacon Terrace, Torquay
Simon Hulstone, chef at The Elephant, seems to have been getting around. The walls in The Room, the fine dining, Michelin-starred, part of the restaurant are covered with menus from visits to Europe's top restaurants. I spotted three from Paul Bocuse as well as menus from Le Louis XV, Arzak, El Bulli (seemed to be from this season) and others. Hulstone's own menus are presented split over several nicely bound A5 pages, but I think he's missing a trick -- I don't think it'd be too much hubris for him to present something more in the style found on the walls, judging by the meal I enjoyed there last week.
The dining room is well appointed and has views of the bay from most of the tables. When we came last year (just for a drink sadly, as the restaurant was fully booked) the whole upper floor was a bar (yummy Cuba libre!). This has now been split into a clubby bar area and The Room. Downstairs is a brasserie with (I'm guessing) 60 covers and a small bar. More on that in a later report.
Amuse bouche consisted of truffle-flavoured popcorn, chickpea hummus with bread sticks, and fat stuffed olives, served just after we ordered. Fun, summery fare.
There was a couple already at the table nearest to ours there when we arrived for 7.30pm - The Room seats about 25 I guess, and tables are well spaced. They seemed to be Danish and were clearly delighted with the restaurant: "Fine food in lovely surroundings," was their verdict, "unlike the rest of Torquay." (I read their comments in the guestbook, which seemed to have nothing but glowing reports, with no signs of possible editing).
Well, I have more of a soft spot for Torquay than that, but I can see what they mean about The Elephant standing out in town. The only strong alternatives being The Orchid, on the other side of the bay, and No 7 Fish Bistro, who must be groaning that the superior, but similarly priced, Elephant has opened virtually next door.
To start Kate had Paignton crab 'martini' with creamed avocado, mango and mint salsa and warm crab beignet. My mother went for open ravioli of beetroot and Vulscombe goats' cheese with Somerset cider syrup and I took the ballotine of foie gras with peach chutney and granny smith jelly.
Being an inveterate forkful-nabber I tried all three, and they were each as delicious as they were beautifully presented. My mother in particular was very excited by the presentation of her sensitively deconstructed dish, but we all thought the plates looked great.
For main I tried the rump of Cornish lamb on celeriac puree with braised neck croquette. The lamb was perfectly-pink (though I noticed the kitchen responded with good grace when the lady at a nearby table asked for it to be browned a little) and the puree made it into a splendid dish. I'm not a huge eater of lamb - basically I only have it in restaurants - and this was one of the very finest examples I've tried. The neck croquette might well have converted me though. Rich, dark, and of mouth-pleasing crispness, I could happily have had four of those as a dish in itself. Kate and my mother both went for pan roasted day boat John Dory on parsnip puree with a verjus and spring onion butter which we'd read was a speciality of the house. The bit I tried was delicious and Kate was so enamoured she didn't even push the question of whether the delicious little crisps of "something" on the plate was meat, which she usually avoids! She just lapped them up.
Dessert for me was dark chocolate truffle with olive oil, hibiscus jelly and served with a huge glassy piece of moreish sea salt caramel. Kate's was rose and almond tansy pudding with lemon verbena ice cream which she was so enamoured of I didn't even get any of the pudding. *sulk*
My mother took a selection of Westcountry Artisan cheeses which was so substantial we all got to share (five decent sized pieces of cheese and several biscuit varieties).
Cafetiere coffee or tea and petit fours are complementary and consisted of a good, lightly flavoured medium strength coffee with a soft chocolate ganache, a fruit jelly and creamy biscuit each.
By the time we left the room was probably 3/4 full, many of the tables taken by couples across the full age spectrum. This was on a Thursday night. One lone diner in the corner was doing his best to look like a critic; perhaps he was, The Elephant seems to be getting good press lately - I spotted it in both The Guardian and Conde Nast Traveller in the last couple of weeks.
Service was nicely pitched. The maitre'd showed up a couple of times and the two young ladies serving were good humoured and swift to service. One in particular created good rapport out of a couple of minor fluffs (apparently my main was served the wrong way round; and an empty wine bottle hadn't been upended/removed). Kate said she saw Hulstone peek in at one point too.
The meal was £39.50 a head for three courses; rather embarrassingly I've forgotten what wine we had, a Pinot Grigio, but there was a good choice in the ~£20 range. Overall excellent value and a jewel in dining not just for Torquay, but Devon as a whole. The Room is open for dinner only Tuesday - Saturday.
The dining room is well appointed and has views of the bay from most of the tables. When we came last year (just for a drink sadly, as the restaurant was fully booked) the whole upper floor was a bar (yummy Cuba libre!). This has now been split into a clubby bar area and The Room. Downstairs is a brasserie with (I'm guessing) 60 covers and a small bar. More on that in a later report.
Amuse bouche consisted of truffle-flavoured popcorn, chickpea hummus with bread sticks, and fat stuffed olives, served just after we ordered. Fun, summery fare.
There was a couple already at the table nearest to ours there when we arrived for 7.30pm - The Room seats about 25 I guess, and tables are well spaced. They seemed to be Danish and were clearly delighted with the restaurant: "Fine food in lovely surroundings," was their verdict, "unlike the rest of Torquay." (I read their comments in the guestbook, which seemed to have nothing but glowing reports, with no signs of possible editing).
Well, I have more of a soft spot for Torquay than that, but I can see what they mean about The Elephant standing out in town. The only strong alternatives being The Orchid, on the other side of the bay, and No 7 Fish Bistro, who must be groaning that the superior, but similarly priced, Elephant has opened virtually next door.
To start Kate had Paignton crab 'martini' with creamed avocado, mango and mint salsa and warm crab beignet. My mother went for open ravioli of beetroot and Vulscombe goats' cheese with Somerset cider syrup and I took the ballotine of foie gras with peach chutney and granny smith jelly.
Being an inveterate forkful-nabber I tried all three, and they were each as delicious as they were beautifully presented. My mother in particular was very excited by the presentation of her sensitively deconstructed dish, but we all thought the plates looked great.
For main I tried the rump of Cornish lamb on celeriac puree with braised neck croquette. The lamb was perfectly-pink (though I noticed the kitchen responded with good grace when the lady at a nearby table asked for it to be browned a little) and the puree made it into a splendid dish. I'm not a huge eater of lamb - basically I only have it in restaurants - and this was one of the very finest examples I've tried. The neck croquette might well have converted me though. Rich, dark, and of mouth-pleasing crispness, I could happily have had four of those as a dish in itself. Kate and my mother both went for pan roasted day boat John Dory on parsnip puree with a verjus and spring onion butter which we'd read was a speciality of the house. The bit I tried was delicious and Kate was so enamoured she didn't even push the question of whether the delicious little crisps of "something" on the plate was meat, which she usually avoids! She just lapped them up.
Dessert for me was dark chocolate truffle with olive oil, hibiscus jelly and served with a huge glassy piece of moreish sea salt caramel. Kate's was rose and almond tansy pudding with lemon verbena ice cream which she was so enamoured of I didn't even get any of the pudding. *sulk*
My mother took a selection of Westcountry Artisan cheeses which was so substantial we all got to share (five decent sized pieces of cheese and several biscuit varieties).
Cafetiere coffee or tea and petit fours are complementary and consisted of a good, lightly flavoured medium strength coffee with a soft chocolate ganache, a fruit jelly and creamy biscuit each.
By the time we left the room was probably 3/4 full, many of the tables taken by couples across the full age spectrum. This was on a Thursday night. One lone diner in the corner was doing his best to look like a critic; perhaps he was, The Elephant seems to be getting good press lately - I spotted it in both The Guardian and Conde Nast Traveller in the last couple of weeks.
Service was nicely pitched. The maitre'd showed up a couple of times and the two young ladies serving were good humoured and swift to service. One in particular created good rapport out of a couple of minor fluffs (apparently my main was served the wrong way round; and an empty wine bottle hadn't been upended/removed). Kate said she saw Hulstone peek in at one point too.
The meal was £39.50 a head for three courses; rather embarrassingly I've forgotten what wine we had, a Pinot Grigio, but there was a good choice in the ~£20 range. Overall excellent value and a jewel in dining not just for Torquay, but Devon as a whole. The Room is open for dinner only Tuesday - Saturday.
Restaurant Boccaccio, 7 rue Masséna, NICE, France
I'm not much of a fan of the riviera. St. Tropez is ok, but Cannes makes my flesh crawl, and since I've only ever been there when the place is heaving with conventioners getting a decent meal in the evening is a real battle. The trick of course is to stay out of the town if possible - and Nice is just a short train hop away.BOCCACCIO, located in Nice's pedestianised zone, is worth a trip just for the remarkable interior. It's like eating in the dining room of Nemo's Nautilus and the round booth tables give each dinner the best possible view of the surroundings.
The food itself keeps up with the stunning decour. Huge platters of seafood are sublimely fresh and perfectly executed, or if you're not eating in a group then individual dishes deliver classic French fish cuisine that will live in the memory. I'd recommend Bouillabaisse or just let them simply grill whatever's fresh with lemon or a little sauce. The dessert selection is more eclectic with dishes from across Europe in hearty portions. Be sure to save room. Service was immaculate and several of the waiters speak English. Expect to pay 40 euros a head.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Mmm, doughnuts!
Just in case we're ever eating at the same place in Springfield (no, not Krusty Burger!) now you'll know how to recognise me... click the pic for bigger version.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Rumour, 30 High St, Totnes, Devon
Rumour was recommended by one of the posters over at the spiffy egullet forums and turned out to be well worth trying. Apparently the chef used to be at John Burton Race's cookery school - as teacher one assumes rather than a pupil given the quality of the food at Rumour.The place is pretty unprepossessing - frankly it looks more of a bar than a restaurant and I'd passed it over on previous visits to Totnes for that reason. The printed menus just contain a selection of pizzas and sides -- the real action is on the boards, where the daily menu is updated.
We had two starters shared amongst three people - vegetable tempura and pork rillette. The tempura was excellent, dry and visually stimulating. The rillette was not bad by any means, but could have done with rather more fat for my taste. However in health conscious Totnes it was probably right on the money for the locals.
My main course was a flavoursome steak with fries; Kate had a sea bream curry, of which the mouthful I tried had great feel and taste. All the produce is local and I could have happily chosen any one of the half dozen options for main course.
I was the only one with room for a dessert which was a shame because I'd have loved to see if the others were as spectacular as mine. I had a jelly of strawberries and balsamic vinegar with basil ice-cream served on the side in a filo shell. Kate and my mom both agreed it was very special indeed. I had half a mind to immediately order peach melba as well since they hogged so much of my pudding, but the afternoon was wearing on. Next time I'll make sure they order their own!
The meal (two starters, three main and one dessert), including two bottles of Devonshire water, was ~£45. Good value from a place I'll be revisiting.
Cranks
Whatever happened to Cranks? Ok, in one sense it's gone mainstream, with a range of ready-meals and sandwiches for vendors like Waitrose, and ongoing cookbook releases, but that's little consolation to those of us who regularly used the Marshall Street retaurant in London.
Only one of the chain of wholefood vegetarian restaurants now remains, located at Dartington's Cider Press Centre in Devon and run by chef Jo Dovell. It's not without history - having first opened in 1971 and somehow surviving the purge that saw all the other outlets close down and the brand transfer to Nandos (purveyors of chicken across the nation).
The Dartington site is excellent in summer - with an expansive patio area and clean, spacious interior seating. Meals are served canteen style and include a wide range of salads, lite-bites (basically mezze) and hearty veg staples like lasagne and pies. I tried the homity pie, which differed quite a bit from the classic crustless recipe found in the old Cranks cookbook, but was tasy and filling, if a little lopsided (ok, it was falling apart before it even hit the plate).
It's a nostalgia trip, and not worth a detour, but if you're in the neighbourhood there are much worse places you could stop for a relaxed lunch - especially if you're a fan-of-old.
Only one of the chain of wholefood vegetarian restaurants now remains, located at Dartington's Cider Press Centre in Devon and run by chef Jo Dovell. It's not without history - having first opened in 1971 and somehow surviving the purge that saw all the other outlets close down and the brand transfer to Nandos (purveyors of chicken across the nation).
The Dartington site is excellent in summer - with an expansive patio area and clean, spacious interior seating. Meals are served canteen style and include a wide range of salads, lite-bites (basically mezze) and hearty veg staples like lasagne and pies. I tried the homity pie, which differed quite a bit from the classic crustless recipe found in the old Cranks cookbook, but was tasy and filling, if a little lopsided (ok, it was falling apart before it even hit the plate).
It's a nostalgia trip, and not worth a detour, but if you're in the neighbourhood there are much worse places you could stop for a relaxed lunch - especially if you're a fan-of-old.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Remembering Restaurants
Food in the memory is a tantalising thing, and all the worse when you simply can't go back again, since the venue, or indeed chef, has gone.
Here's my most missed/best remembered list:
Mary Rohan-Dominguez at the Pan Coast in Miami, late 90s sometime. A romantic dinner for two. Kate and I on our first proper holiday together. Delicious mahi-mahi. The chef bobbing in to check out the tiny dinning room. Perfect.
Loubet's flagship L'Odeon when Chef Anthony Demetre was there. I had one utterly horrible meal there (a rabbit stew that required serious perseverance) which was a small price for several stunning ones. Continues in theme, if not quite spirit, at the more sensibly sized Arbutus.
Alfred on Shaftesbury Ave (now replaced by the blah Nama). Heaped plates of whitebait were just one of the treats on offer at this underrated eatery. One day I stopped by on the off-chance for lunch and it was just gone. *choke*
Mezzo on Wardour Street - one of the classic neo-brasserie giants of the 90s, now a site reduced to tat and shtick by lost-the-plot Conran. Was the food ever all that special? Maybe not, but the sense of occasion surely was.
Here's my most missed/best remembered list:
Mary Rohan-Dominguez at the Pan Coast in Miami, late 90s sometime. A romantic dinner for two. Kate and I on our first proper holiday together. Delicious mahi-mahi. The chef bobbing in to check out the tiny dinning room. Perfect.
Loubet's flagship L'Odeon when Chef Anthony Demetre was there. I had one utterly horrible meal there (a rabbit stew that required serious perseverance) which was a small price for several stunning ones. Continues in theme, if not quite spirit, at the more sensibly sized Arbutus.
Alfred on Shaftesbury Ave (now replaced by the blah Nama). Heaped plates of whitebait were just one of the treats on offer at this underrated eatery. One day I stopped by on the off-chance for lunch and it was just gone. *choke*
Mezzo on Wardour Street - one of the classic neo-brasserie giants of the 90s, now a site reduced to tat and shtick by lost-the-plot Conran. Was the food ever all that special? Maybe not, but the sense of occasion surely was.
My pitiful list of Michelin restaurants visited
UK: L’Escargot, Northcote Manor, Nobu, Adlard’s, The Elephant, Orestone Manor (now lost it).
USA: Aqua.
I clearly need to work harder on expanding this.
USA: Aqua.
I clearly need to work harder on expanding this.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Candy from Iran
My friend Graeme recently returned from a trip to Iran with candy for us to try.
Gaz is soft green pistachio wrapped in a sort of nougat made from sugar, corn extract, Toranjebin (a vegetable extract from the Angebin plant) and natural honey.
Apparently it's traditionally made in copper pots where the mix is beaten until it reaches the right consistency to be shaped by hand.
It looked pretty hard, but was soft, like a more 'natural' tasting version of the filling of a Mars bar or Snickers. Good stuff.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
London's top 10 restaurants
So, according to an article on 999 Today, Chez Bruce is London's favourite restaurant, according to the new edition of Harden's London Restaurants.
The Ivy slipped to second spot while fish star J Sheekey came third, followed by The Wolseley fourth, Le Caprice fifth, La Trompette sixth, and Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road seventh.
Hakkasan, Zuma and Moro complete Harden's top 10.
Oxo Tower was voted the most disappointing and overpriced, which won't surprise anyone who's been there.
In a related story 999 tell us that Ramsay was crowned London's top chef in the guide, which surveys more than 8,000 restaurant-goers, for the 11th consecutive year.
Bruce Poole, the chef of the capital's favourite restaurant, Chez Bruce, came second, followed by Morgan Meunier in third and Marcus Wareing in fourth.
Other chefs that made the list include James Bennington, Pascal Proyart, Shane Osborn and Michel Roux.
The Ivy slipped to second spot while fish star J Sheekey came third, followed by The Wolseley fourth, Le Caprice fifth, La Trompette sixth, and Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road seventh.
Hakkasan, Zuma and Moro complete Harden's top 10.
Oxo Tower was voted the most disappointing and overpriced, which won't surprise anyone who's been there.
In a related story 999 tell us that Ramsay was crowned London's top chef in the guide, which surveys more than 8,000 restaurant-goers, for the 11th consecutive year.
Bruce Poole, the chef of the capital's favourite restaurant, Chez Bruce, came second, followed by Morgan Meunier in third and Marcus Wareing in fourth.
Other chefs that made the list include James Bennington, Pascal Proyart, Shane Osborn and Michel Roux.
Better the next day?
So on Tuesday I had cold gratin - delicious. Yesterday there was cold enchilada, which had undergone an alchemical process overnight to become something quite different and, slightly soggy wrap aside, very enjoyable. I think I'll start experimenting with leaving a little of each meal in the pot to see what happens while we sleep!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Gratin mania
Inspired by the section in Jeffrey Steingarten's It Must've Been Something I Ate I found myself preparing two different gratin recipes on Monday night. One from his book, the other an older recipe - and simpler too in that it misses a stage of cooking the gratin in milk before adding the cream. Steingarten's recipe calls for a single layer of potato in a large Le Creuset which isn't very space efficient and probably only really serves 4. My older recipe has three layers, just cream, not milk, and adds a layer of crispy cheese on top too.
While I made gratins Kate covered some left over potato slices in paprika and oil and made a crispy oven treat to keep us going...
The results: well even though my attempt at the Steingarten recipe didn't turn out crispy on both sides, as he suggests it will, it was utterly delicious and knocked the spots of the older recipe, which was wet and anemic in comparison. And most tellingly, the Steingarten version had a depth of flavour missing from most gratins.
I'm loving Steingarten's book - his enthusiasm for pushing the envelope of testing is infectious. There's no way to look at one of the infrequent recipes in the book and not want to give it a go.
BTW, the other, multilayered gratin was excellent cold the next day.
While I made gratins Kate covered some left over potato slices in paprika and oil and made a crispy oven treat to keep us going...
The results: well even though my attempt at the Steingarten recipe didn't turn out crispy on both sides, as he suggests it will, it was utterly delicious and knocked the spots of the older recipe, which was wet and anemic in comparison. And most tellingly, the Steingarten version had a depth of flavour missing from most gratins.
I'm loving Steingarten's book - his enthusiasm for pushing the envelope of testing is infectious. There's no way to look at one of the infrequent recipes in the book and not want to give it a go.
BTW, the other, multilayered gratin was excellent cold the next day.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Le Pudlo Paris
I haven't been to Paris in ages. 4 or 5 years. And I doubt I'll be going again this year. Is it weird to read reviews about restaurants there?
Well, Le Pudlo is fun to read in and of itself, written by Gilles Pudlowski the restaurant critic for French weekly, Le Point and a contributor to Saveurs. It has a personal touch missing from so many guides - he singles out 21 faves from the 1000 entries as well as long selections such as best value, and best location.
Hm, may be time to cash in some Airmiles!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Home cooking?
I like to get invited to eat other people's home cooking. And I do pretty well actually. But there's no way you can meet everyone you think might know how to cook, so I'm a sucker for a bake sale or similar. If an old lady is making cake, I'll be there... and if you can get me Japanese or Indian housewives, or a bunch of Americans with a grill I'll be in heaven.
With that in mind, Saturday was Great Ashby day. There was a bbq outside that looked a bit rough, and a popcorn vendor who seemed to be eating most of his own wares, but I knew from last year where the treats lay. First off it was cake and tea, available for a charitable donation. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw all the silver hair in the kitchen.
A slice of coffee cake later and I was off to find the Asian Women's society. No curry this year, sadly, but they had a wider selection of finger foods which was a good trade. Pakora, bhaji, samosa and gulab jamun all found their way home with me for Kate and I to snack on later. With summer here and the fete season upon us I'm looking forward to plenty more 'homemades' to come.
What I made this weekend
It rained. A lot. Large chunks of England just floated away. With nothing else to do we made:
Mozambique Prawns. Found by searching for a plantain and prawn recipe on the net, this was utterly delicious, though I had to thicken the sauce considerably compared to what the recipe suggested. Will be making this one again, since I know no one else who makes it... hehe.
Dhal soup. Kate found the recipe in a cookbook and knocked it out while I preped veggies for.
Potato Salad. Mix of fried potato, curry spices, peppers, courgette, garlic and tomato. Nice warm, even better cold for lunch today.
Tatziki. Served with the potato salad.
Cheese muffins. Used a mature Canadian cheddar. Nice. Could have used some bacon in them.
Yoghurt and honey muffins. The sweet to go with the savoury ones above. Could probably have used a dash of sugar as well as the honey but overall very tasty.