Food. By Mark.

32 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Whilst searching for a venue for Sunday lunches in Central London, I came across a mention by TimeOut on their London's best Sunday lunches article earlier this year. However this debut visit to 32 Great Queen Street, was called by tehbus, who just really wanted to have steak that week. I would of course join him. After unsuccessful attempts to get reservations at Goodman's and being shrugged off for suggesting Angus Steakhouse, we managed to get a reservation at thirty-two at a sociable hour.

32 Great Queen Street is the newest cousin of the infamous Anchor and Hope in The Cut, SE1. The Anchor and Hope being one of the great gastropubs of London and one that I haven't eaten at. I read that thirty-two is like The Anchor and Hope except that it is bookable. I'm as much of a fan of queuing as the next punter. Let me book. The Grand Lodge of the Freemasons, a monumental, Art Deco building is directly opposite but it's easy to miss thirty-two. Red walls, wooden tables and wooden chairs. Plain, plain and plain. No frills. Nothing fancy to see there. The clientèle isn't young and trendy and are well into their 30s. First to arrive I sit at the long wooden bar towards the back and order myself a lilliputian glass of Merlot.

The menu is a single sheet of A4, with 20 to 25 items listed including hors d'oeuvres, entrees, sides and desserts. A list including snails, ceviche of haddock, gnocchi and roast partridge. And of course, the Hereford beef, where the menu has three options sprouting from it, a minute steak, a steak and mushroom pie for two, and finally the rib, chips and bearnaise for two at £46. We were also given the option of a couple of specials for starter and entree.

We started by sharing Artichoke Vinaigrette. A whole beautiful plump Globe Artichoke served with a sharp tangy piquant vinaigrette. Eaten by way of the ritual of tearing off the leaves one by one with your fingers and raking the meat from each with your teeth, to eventually access the sweet, dense heart. We also shared the Pork and Game Terrine with Gooseberry Chutney, a very course, chunky and obviously gamey terrine with a contrasting sweet and sour gooseberry chutney. A "classic" gastropub starter well executed. Here's a photo of it.

And that then brought us to the Hereford Beef Rib, Chips and Bearnaise. Strangely the rib only comes medium rare. Which to me is acceptable although I do prefer my steak juicy rare. Fortunate then that when it did arrive, it arrived clearly pinker than your average medium rare, and already carved into chunky slices with rib bone to the side. It was a fantastic couple of slabs of meat that certainly met my demands of succulence and flavour. The chips were huge wedges of golden deep fried potato sprinkled with rock salt. Rather good but not great although certainly up there (Hawksmoor's was rather disappointing).

Only one street away is Parkers Wine Bar, a place that serves up Eastern European delicacies much more exotic than thirty-two. But you don't eat there. What Thirty-Two offers is no frills English food made with quality produce, served by knowledgeable friendly staff in an unfussy setting. English food as we want to think back and remember it as being - whenever that was. And no... it's doesn't have a website.

32 Great Queen Street, 32 Great Queen Street, London WC2 Tel: 020 7242 0622

More photos here on my flickr.

Food Blogger Connect 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I am attending the Food Bloggers Connect 2009 on November 28th 2009. The event for anyone, not just long-term food bloggers, is being put together by Beth of Dirty Kitchen Secrets, Jamie of Life’s a Feast, Hilda of Saffron & Blueberry and Mowie of Mowielicious. It's taking place at the Lebanese restaurant Levant, on Wigmore Street, which I've not been to before.

* WHAT: Food Blogger Connect
* WHEN: November 28th, 2009, 1 PM to 5 PM
* WHERE: Levant Restaurant, London, W1
* WHO: Everyone who is or wants to be part of the Food Blogosphere. Food Blogger connect is open to all, and you don’t have to be a long-time blogger to attend. Are you thinking of starting a food blog? This is the perfect time to come and learn how. This event is open to Non-UK Food Bloggers as well.
* HOW MUCH: £30 for food and 1 glass of wine. This is the only fee and it covers the meal.
* WHERE CAN I RSVP: Go to www.rsvpit.com. The event code is 2009.

This should be quite interesting and friend Kang L, of LondonEater, will be doing a talk on Food Photography and Styling and Creative Marketing and Social Media. Good luck to him!

Wilton's, Wilton Way, Hackney, London

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Although I live in East London, and more precisely in Bow, I just don't know a great deal about it. Two years in East London so far and I'm still discovering so many places. Having opened earlier this month, Wilton's is the latest venture from the owners and managers of the Notting Hill Arts Club, David McHugh and Dominik Prosser. Along a row of shops on Wiltons Way, just north of London Fields (and 5 minutes behind the Hackney Empire), sits Wilton's in a tiny single shop unit. Space being a premium, the interior has been cleverly designed by Broadway market-based design duo The Dog and Wardrobe with the restored scaffold bench, clever hidden away fruit crate tables/seats/storage boxes, and corrugated steel cylindrical pod serving tables inspired by simple coffee cup shapes. Their coffee is also locally roasted by Climpson & Sons, on Broadway Market. Wilton's is also the home of London Fields Radio.

Alongside coffee they also freshly prepare to order a number of open and closed sandwiches including the avocado on sourdough (which could've been slightly more seasoned). Serving velvety Antipoden flat white coffees and smooth macchiatos, I am certainly a fan of their coffee and their part in the mini invasion of Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington café cultures.

A flat white

Preparing black tea with fresh peppermint

Macchiatos on fruitboxes

London Fields Radio

Avocado on toasted sourdough

More photos here.

Wilton's, 63 Wilton Way, Hackney, London E8 1BG

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, New York, USA

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I love the Lower East Side. I've always tried stay in the general area since I started visiting New York for work (hello Soho Grand, Tribeca Grand, Thompson Lower East Side and Rivington Hotel) although I do also love Soho House, in the meat packing district with its awesome suites. There's so much eat and shop (Reed Space, ARC, the shopping centre of Soho itself). I'd wanted to eat at Clinton Street Bakery, but as consistent winner of accolades such as best breakfast, best brunch, best pancakes and so on, inevitably means that there are often queues of 1-2 hours on weekends. Clinton Street Bakery, which opened in 2001, is the genius of a husband and wife team, Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman

A warm September Monday morning seemed like the perfect time to give this place another go. Nevertheless when we arrived there was still a 30 minute wait at 10am. We were sat right at the back of the restaurant, sandwiched between the toilet wall and neighbouring foursome of Danish ladies. There didn't seem to be a single group there without a camera snapping away at the food and the clientele. The menu is sizeable featuring their award winning famous Blueberry Pancakes and the mammoth Po' Boy sandwich for lunch. Drinks range from shakes made with flavours from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory to Root Beer Floats, which I had to order. My girlfriend went to college in Ithaca, and strangely she'd never heard of the drink company. In the world of floats for me, nothing beats a root beer float. Perhaps not normally accompanying breakfast though.

With my various intolerances unfortunately I can never bring myself to ordering a whole portion of pancakes to myself. I chose the farmer’s plate, a dish of soft scrambled eggs, farmhouse cheese, herb roasted tomatoes, and sourdough toast. The scrambled eggs are indeed soft, the only way I ever expect them to be cooked. The cheese is a hard cheese with a light nutty taste and drier than cheddar. I have no idea what it was. It was a good choice at the time, enough to satisfy my egg craving.

When you come to Clinton St for breakfast it is really all about the pancakes. At almost any time in fact. Whether it be served with Maine Blueberries or Banana and Walnuts, it is both delicate and substantial. Like all American pancakes, portions are gargantuan but rather than being cloying, they are moist and tender from start to finish. The warm maple butter, that some have been known to drink straight from the jug, is rich and extremely sweet.

The Pancakes at Clinton St. are probably the best I've ever eaten... so moist they barely even needed the luscious warm maple butter. The trick to Clinton St. is to pick a weekday morning to avoid the masses of regulars that hit this place on a weekend. No one really likes to queue but 30 minutes is more manageable than the 1-2 hours you might have to wait on a weekend. Another great brekkie in New York.

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, 4 Clinton St., nr. Houston St., New York, NY 10002 646-602-6263

HIX, Brewer Street, London

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I was intrigued to read BooinLondon's recent blog about HIX on Brewer Street having noticed it a week or so back when going for a drink after work at The Glassblower. HIX opened at the start of October this year on the site of the Aaya which closed sadly before I was able to go. Here's the Giles Coren article. Apparently Mark Hix chose the site because of its very central location and its recent refurbishments while as Aaya. HIX is the third and most recent of the chef Mark Hix's restaurants, which include Hix Oyster & Chop House in London’s Smithfield’s Market and also Hix Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis. The head chef at HIX is Kevin Gratton, formerly of Le Caprice.

I arrived during a very busy lunch service although I was able to book the table for 2 about an hour prior to my 13:15 seating for a lunch meeting. The white-ceiling front of house is bustling and noisy and I was lead to our small wooden dining table. We had already been served our own personal sliced mini bloomer and butter and a jug of filtered tap water. The menu read like a British menu with the kind of things I'd like to see in modern British menu - examples including Pollack Fish Fingers on Mushy Peas, Roe deer chop with celeriac mash and sea buckthorn berries, Heaven and earth (a black pudding hors d'oeuvre with apples and potatoes). I knew that I was going to like this place.

(A collage made with picnik using photos taken with a Blackberry Bold)

We started with the Blythburgh pork crackling with crab apple sauce. This is hardcore stuff and quite the jaw workout. Crunchy is one thing but I can imagine a couple of clientele losing a crown or two over this. I think they needed to keep a bit more of the soft fat to help with flavour but the accompanying crab apple sauce works very well with it.

My first course is an entree of Rabbit and crayfish Stargazy pie. As it turns out a traditional Stargazy pie is a Cornish dish made of baked pilchards, covered with a pastry crust. The pilchards are arranged with their tails toward the centre of the pie and their heads poking up through the crust around the edge, so that they appear to be gazing skyward. In this instance the rabbit has been carefully slow cooked and the crayfish added to give a fantastically rich, sweet flavour. The pie crust is a traditional suet crust pastry (like a great steak and kidney pie) with the heads of two crayfish arranged in the Stargazy fashion. If you'd like to recreate this at home, here is Mark Hix's BBC food recipe. My only ever so minor grumble is that there were perhaps one or two many little rabbit bones. What is the elegant way to remove them from one's gob? I had a side of very simply seasoned Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

And so there was pudding... Bramley Apple Pie and Custard. Good old english pudding. A cute round little pie with a creamy light custard that perhaps needed just one more egg yolk for colour but was perfectly sweet. The pie pastry tasted almost like a digestive biscuit. I really enjoyed this.

So, Mark Hix's signature sees him take British classics and update them with fresh ingredients and modern gourmet-fied recipes. I feel like a bad foodie for having missed an entire season of Great British Menu when it turned out that he won the main course with this very Rabbit and Crayfish Stargazy Pie. He did also win the dessert with a perry jelly and summer fruits with elderflower ice cream. Other things on the menu definitely struck a chord with me including the 65 quid Porterhouse Steak for two, a behemoth 1kg bone in steak that no less than two steaks in one (Sirloin and Ribeye). Also the Roast Wooley Park Farm free range chicken with toasted garlic sauce, supposedly a dish for two to four, although rarely has there been a roast chicken that I haven't been able to devour wholly by myself. At £50, this could be the best roast chicken I've ever eaten, or not. I love my Bresse chickens... I really enjoyed my meal and despite service being a little slow (a 25 minute wait for our main and yes, Jay Rayner, I did complain), I can definitely see myself coming back here with friends...

HIX, 66-70 Brewer Street, London, UK +44 (0)20-7292-3518

Balthazar Restaurant, New York: Notes by photograph...

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:30:00 +0000

What makes the ideal brasserie? For breakfast? In New York? Keith McNally has the answer with his Balthazar Restaurant in Soho. As you step into Balthazar, it feels as though you have stepped within a baguette's throw of the Seine complete with enormous bowls of chocolat chaud and baskets of freshly baked hot croissants. The only downside to this place, as a testament to its popularity perhaps, is that tables are so close together it is almost claustrophobic. Service is friendly and well executed. Just ensure that you book if you plan on going for breakfast or brunch on a weekend. As a regular visitor to Soho, this is my favourite breakfast spot within easy reach of the hotels, and no culinary tour of New York could fail to at least mention this place. Keith McNally's extremely noisy at night Schillers may be his current hotspot but Balthazar is still his masterpiece.

Here are photos from various visits over the past 9 months.

just like home...

Roasted Pepper and Caramelised Onion Quiche with gruyère cheese and mixed greens.

Soft boiled organic egg with soldiers

Omelette with herbs and gruyère, with home fries and a side of cumberland breakfast sausage

Eggs Norwegian - poached eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise on an English muffin.

Buckwheat Crepe with scrambled eggs, ham and gruyère.

Balthazar Restaurant, 80 Spring St., at Crosby St.; 212-965-1414

Pierre Koffmann, Restaurant On The Roof at Selfridges

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Pierre Koffmann, a name synonymous with the very finest french food in England in the past 37 years. A man who once cooked alongside Michel Roux at the Waterside Inn in Bray. Pierre Koffmann. A grand chef that then held no less than 3 michelin stars at the legendary La Tante Claire, also the most romantic of restaurants in London. I didn't know this. Well... ok I needed reminding after I'd committed to going. When it closed it doors I had just entered my twenties and pretty much unaware of this man and his cooking. Finding the entrance to the restaurant was easy enough, when I walked in, the Selfridges store guide actually walked with me to the designated elevator and introduced me to the accompanying statuesque guest list lady stood opposite the brightly lit Chanel perfume concession at the front of the store. Clearly, if your name (or your host in my case), wasn’t on the list you didn’t have the privilege of riding in this elevator. Being first to arrive, I was joined by a property tycoon, who I can thank for the invitation to join his table, a Viktor and Rolf foot model, and later a 70s photography book collector.

The elevator jerkily whisks you to the 5th floor. I assume this is normally a staff only floor, which for the pop up restaurant has been white cloth draped from floor to ceiling. A corridor leads to the entrance and steps lead up to the front of house, essentially a temporary structure with a bouncy seagrass covered floor. Hospitality is promising tonight already. I like it. We’re made to feel welcome.

First on the agenda... Cocktails. I opted for Beefeater 24 special cocktail. Of course, I forgot to make a note of exactly what the concoction was. And so did my waitress the first time around. It was also time to get some photos in and so out came the multiple cameras. We struggled to cope with the poor lighting conditions as the sun set. A blonde lady spotted me and shot me a friendly smile as she started to walk towards our table. I thought she was going to sell us to stop taking photos but instead she spoke about her lack of photos herself and how she was surprised that were number of younger diners. Only then did she introduce herself as Claire Harrison, Pierre Koffman’s partner/wife. I do hope that she likes some of the photos we’ve taken! Onto wine, guided by LondonEater (one-time wino) and an equally knowledgeable Sommelier - Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot Volnay 2006 from Burgundy. Described as feminine. I’m learning.

The amuse bouche provided to kick start our palates was the Pigs Head and Celeriac Remoulade. A few slices of salty pigs head on a bed of the celerica remoulade with some truffle shavings and dressing. The remoulade was creamy and well balanced against the saltiness pigs head meat. The truffle shavings were perhaps there for visual rather than palate impact, as I was unable to get anything from them.

For my hors d’oeuvres I chose the Pressed Leeks and Langoustines with a Truffle Vinaigrette. A superbly light and fresh dish which I thought was great but somewhat overshadowed by the guest chef’s Langoustine Bisque with a Herb Crème Chantilly. It turns out that there are several guest chefs including the likes of Tom Kitchin, Eric Chavot and Tom Aikens and tonight was the turn of Bruno Loubet, who holds a Michelin star in his restaurant “Baguette” in Brisbane, Australia. Bursting with depth and hitting every taste bud on my tongue, that was a great dish.

Onto the entree which unfortunately due to mix up of table orders arrived almost an hour later. I suppose this would normally be an issue but Jay Rayner was sat next to us so we let it slide. My choice of Royale de Lièvre with Red Cabbage was made before I’d even arrived (after studying the menu that was forwarded to me a couple of days prior and deciding not to go with the signature "Pig’s Trotter stuffed with Veal Sweetbreads and Morel Mushrooms"). I was simply intrigued as I’d never eaten hare before and I had read a long time ago that this was a haute cuisine classic. I just didn’t know what it really was. It wasn’t as gamey as I thought it might be, but it was quite tart. I learnt today that the dish itself was once called a culinary masterpiece... In 1898. Apparently the detail required in making this dish is such that the multiple and diverse flavours (the saved blood of the hare, goose fat, bacon, vinegar, huge amount of garlic and even more shallots, and stock vegetables) are so harmonious that neither flavour dominates. Liver with the texture of sausage meat. That’s what I thought. The lovely hare meat was tender too.

I finished with the Gascon Apple Pie. By name that only dish directly inspired by his Gascon grandmother. A caramelised tart with sweetness beyond my usual tolerance for sweet things. It really needed the accompanying vanilla cream to take the edge off it. Apparently this was supposed to be one of the highlight dishes, it was just too sweet for me. The Pistachio Souffle was simply the winner when it came to the desserts on our table. I love pistachios but that aside, the souffle and the ice cream were both simply amazing.

So what did I make of the experience? Most of all I had fun, from arriving, the spectacle of the restaurant having it’s own lift to the top floor of my favourite department store, the imposing pieces of art that adorned the entrance, the friendly always smiling waiting team, sometimes bumbling but always forgiveable, Claire Harrison’s hospitality, and the food. I can not personally say what I feel is the difference between 1, 2, or 3 Michelin Stars but I enjoyed my food and the food that my dining companions that were kind enough to share. But £75 for a 3 course set meal is expensive. I feel that tehbus hit the nail on the head. I feel that by the sense of occasion, bringing a retired master chef out of retirement, and perhaps exclusivity by temporary nature of the event that this in fact justifies the price. If this was a permanent restaurant I would be expecting to pay perhaps two-thirds. I’m definitely pleased I went and this is an experience I won’t forget. At least now I’ve written this...

Pierre Koffman - Restaurant On The Roof at Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London, W1A 1AB UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7318 7778

UPDATE (15/10/09): Here are some bloggers who were also at the restaurant on the same night:

• A Rather Unusual Chinaman
• Cheese & Biscuits
• Eat Like A Girl - Lunch Service
• Silverbrow on Food

UPDATE (17/10/09): Jay Rayner emailed me...

Hello Mark

Nice write up but I am baffled. Why in god's name should my presence at a neighbouring table have, in any way, inhibited your complaint about your dishes taking an hour to arrive? I'd have bloody complained. I almost did when
our mains took 30 mins.

jay
--

My reply:

Hello Jay,

Allowing for some comedy and quite poor storytelling, we did actually complain after 45 minutes. We are apparently very patient people. Almost saintly... (edit) and so on...

Shake Shack, Madison Square Park, New York

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:40:00 +0000

I can probably count the number of times I've really felt an urge like eating a burger twelve months leading up to the Shack Shake burger on one hand. Do I eat McDonalds Big Macs. Yes. I like them although they make me feel physically sick after. Convenience food. That's all. Awesome fries too when they're steaming hot and fresh. In London, there's always Hache or Byron Burger, the latter being my preference. Girluninterrupt and fearandrecords had both told me to check this place out and prepare to queue... What a perfect way to waste an hour or so in New York...

Here goes. We arrive, from Detroit, at Newark airport at 10am on a Saturday morning with an outbound flight to Heathrow no less than 11 hours later. Frustratingly luggage storage is just not a facility that American airports currently provide. In fact, American airports are dry as hell. Security are surly and... etc. So, to continue, with our many bags we taxi'd into Manhattan with one destination in mind. The park itself is lush and beautiful, and you're pretty much guaranteed there's something to visually distract you whilst you stand in line during lunchtime service. Ah, the queues are in fact legendary, just have a look at the website, there's even a livecam shot of the start of the queue. A bit misleading since the queue snakes off way beyond to the left of the shot.

After just over an hour in the queue, it was time to order one of almost everything on the menu and grab a regulation green table and chairs which we'd earnt after some hard queuing. Taking a little over 10 minutes the buzzer goes and I collect the food and drinks, which is crammed somewhat fittingly into a cardboard tray.

The Shack Shake Double Burger, a small LA In-N-Out sized flat double patty made of a mix of sirloin and brisket that is simply delicious. Second to none that I have tasted. Awesome. The fries, one of each of cheese fries and regular. They are just as they should be. Good but not spectacular and perhaps a little too salty. Bringing me onto the custard shakes. Unearthly. Custard rather than “normal” milk based... A rich thick Vanilla Peanut Butter Custard, in this instance from a selection of maybe 10 choices. I never wanted it to end. You can even drink beer and wine in the designated drinking zone – a rarity in New York.

So what did I make it of it. The Shake Shack Double Burger is the best burger ever... to have graced my tastebuds. Certainly. Definitely. Quite an accolade? Nope. It is deserved.

Shack Shake Burger, Southeast corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Ave and East 23rd St, NY 10010, USA‎ - (212) 889-6600‎

A new leaf?

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:29:00 +0000

A slightly new look layout... a freshening up of a dead blog?

... watch this space.

In the meantime, enjoy this menu from Marcus Wareing back in June this year

Bodeans, Soho, W1

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:29:00 +0000

After a healthy lunch consisting of Yellowfin Tuna (Ortiz I say!), Pasta (Martelli!) and salad I was left wanting a little more for dinner last night... BODEANS!

I've pretty much worked my work through most of the meat on this menu. Today's special was the Jacob's ladder. Been there, done that. So good old Beef Back Ribs with Chilli Cheese Fries and Slaw.

And some Eli's Original Cheesecake to share.

So in summary, like I've said before, Bodeans is probably amongst the best barbecue in Soho. But, perhaps not so with this diner's meal! The portion, of a half slab, was decent but I suspect the chef who assumed I was unable to add salt to my chips, decided that I needed a high sodium diet and went hell for leather with the seasoning. Far too much salt. Horrific. And how small is that portion of cheesecake? Give me American sized please. Especially fo £4.30.

... I'll be going back soon of course.

(yes, it's a casual blog entry today but it's a start and I'm still waking up. Been a while again right?)

Smoked Salmon Tagliatelle with Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Super quick recipe tonight. I'm trying to stop eating pasta in the evening but I needed to make something really quickly and I ran into Sainsburys and picked up pretty much the first things that struck me and it's really easy to make.

Smoked Salmon Tagliatelle with Cream

250g fresh Tagliatelle pasta
2 Egg Yolks
100g Smoked Salmon (obviously the better quality the better for the dish)
80-100ml double cream
Freshly milled black pepper
Dill

Serves 2

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta as directed.

2. In the meantime, add the 2 egg yolks to the double cream and whisk. Add freshly milled black pepper. Cut the salmon into thin long strips which will be easier to eat with the tagliatelle.

3. When the pasta is cooked, take the pot off the hob and drain the pasta. Put it in back into the pot and immediately add the cream-egg mix and mix in well. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg gently coating all the pasta with a silky smooth cream sauce.

4. Add the salmon strips and fresh dill and again season to taste.

Plate and serve immediately.

Additional notes: If you have shallots and some dry white wine, finely chop the shallot and cook in 250ml of the dry white wine and reduce, adding a knob of butter to thicken. Add this to the pasta once it's cooked and then add the egg-cream mixture. Also, try this entire dish with squid ink pasta... colour contrasts show off the salmon.

Pasta with smoked salmon is one of the standard Italian Valentine’s Day recipes.

First post of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:12:00 +0000

And it's about nothing in general. Other then, that having taken my 5000th photo with the Panasonic Lumix camera I bought on September I need to get back on to updating this blog.

Dinner by Selfridges Food Hall

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:47:00 +0000

We bought dinner from the Selfridges Food Hall - Mozzarella, Aubergine and Tomato and Red Carmague Rice Salad with chickpeas, aubergine, pomegranate. Healthy and delicious! But not cheap at £14 for the lot but nice to come home to after the fireworks at Victoria Park.

Badly needed update! From Browns Focus to Busaba Eathai to Princi

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +0000

My web log is showing signs of neglect... back to norm soon I hope! Went to the Browns Focus Halloween Party last night. Cocktails by Nobu and Food provided by S&M cafe - a selection of three sausages with mash and mushy pea dips, roast beef and horseradish in mini yorkshire puds and mackerel pate on bread. Delicious! The cocktails were a mixture of so-so... pomegranate juice stains all over my hands and shirt, what a clutz.

Went to Busaba Eathai on Wardour Street for a late lunch in the midst of the miserable heavy rain. Can't help but order the Thai Calamari. Love it. Stuffed our faces on the Mee Siam although I think they were a little mean on the amount of coconut sauce.

What is that across the street? A new shop? It looks like the kind of place I need to see... NOW. Unable to tell whether it was a restaurant or a bar... It turned out to be the new Artisan Italian bakery imported from Milan, Princi... described to me by the helpful staff as the Armani and Dolce and Gabbana of bakeries. Prepare your tastebuds as everything in this bakery is mouthwatering. The breads here are baked in a wood burning oven on site and pops and crackles of the wood can be clearly heard. It only opened 3 days ago and it a joint venture with Alan Yau (Hakkasan, Cha Cha Moon etc.).

Sausages and mash... a lunch blog

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Had sausages and mash for lunch. A really quick lunch made with Somerfield sausages (from their "best ever" range). Bit low on the blog updates as it's been a very hectic week at work and whilst I have been dining, it has all been work related and it didn't seem very appropriate to take photos of my dinner with clients!

Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese: Day 2 - the leftovers

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:29:00 +0000

Tonight's meal... a relatively quick Bolognese sauce cobbled together from a corner shop grocery trip - onions, garlic, celery, organic Italian passata, lean premium beef mince, butter, milk, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Tagliatelle All 'Uovo. Forgot to buy stuff like pork, carrots and fresh herbs... so dried herbs and no carrots.

Simmering the sauce...

The base of the sauce...

Felix Dennis "Did I Mention The Free Wine?" Tour, London and TP reviewer of the week!

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:52:00 +0000

Yesterday evening, courtesy of trustedplaces, I attended the last London date of the Felix Dennis 2008 "Did I Mention The Free Wine" Poetry and Wine tour at The Shaw Theatre on Euston Road. It was organised for tp users by Niamh from Trustedplaces / Eatlikeagirl and last minute I was able to make it down to attend my first ever poetry recital. Lots of people had dropped out due to usual reasons and so there were six of us. So I drank fantastic claret - Margaux Margaux Bordeaux 2004 and Carina drank the Domaine Bernard Fleuriet Sancerre 2007. I'm not going to pretend that I know that much about wine except that I know that I do like a good Sancerre, if i must drink white wine and that a Margaux is a good claret (says Niamh!). Amusingly, and quite openly lots of people of the 200 or so attendees had turned up only for the free wine and canapes. The canapes were good, better than average but the wine was so good that one of the younger attendees proceeded to throw up, in the auditorium I must add, towards the end of Mr Dennis's reading... Poor thing. I suppose it was a Friday night.

Felix Dennis is quite the character (check out wikipedia). A man from humble beginnings to the publishing tycoon who sold US publishing arm to a private equity group reportedly for $300 million and who was joint 95th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2007 (fortune estimated at £750 million). Unfortunately Mr Dennis's deep bass tones sent quite a few into a similar sleep across the two readings. His poetry was fun, poignant and a intellectual journey is structure (if you were able to stay awake). I might pick up his nursery rhymes book...

I feel more cultured for saying that I went. Result. And I'm the TP reviewer of the week! Double thanks Niamh!

Hotel Amour, Paris, France

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Hotel Amour
8 rue Navarin
75009 Paris
France

Tel: 00 33 1 48 78 31 80

www.hotelamour.com (don't bother it hasn't worked in months).

Date of stay: 13th October, 2008

Hotel Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Food Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Hotel Amour caused quite a stir when it opened a couple of years ago by graffiti artist Monsieur André (of super hip Le Baron and Le Paris Paris night clubs) and his friend Lionel. This hotel has appeared on hot lists (Conde Nast Traveller’s 2007 Hot List) and Hip Guides.

Outside the hotel quietly buzzes a pink neon “Amour” sign in a quiet street only a stones throw from La Pigalle, in the very much up and coming South Pigalle (SoPi) area of Paris. There are 20 rooms in the hotel each designed by Artist or designer friend of the owners ranging from lime green with a wet room to glossy black with a baths at the end of the bed. These include the Artistic styles of Sophie Calle and Pierre Le Tan, and it must be noted that there are no phones nor TVs. On entering the hotel the reception is just about the smallest you will have ever encountered in a hotel, about the size of a postage stamp, or a broom cupboard complete with photocopier where the receptionist might stand.

Our room had glossy black floors, walls and ceiling, with a bath at the end of the room (in the room) and a tiny WC which doubled as a wardrobe. The bed was comfortable and warm, the shower whilst a pain to use in this open plan configuration, it was powerful and hot, and you are provided with good quality plush towels and luxury Kiehl’s goodies. You cannot help but notice the Yanagi butterfly stool and other designer items around the room and the hotel as well as the dodgy pornographic books in the rooms and images on the walls all over the hotel.

I felt the highlight of the hotel experience was the lively bistro on the ground floor which was busy with Parisians as well as guests. During Spring and late Summer the little courtyard at the back is perfect all night parties and lazy afternoons drinking coffee. The food here is simple but good French home cooking with staples such as Steak Tartare and Argentinian Steak frites over lunch and dinner and standard fare over breakfast.

For dinner, at 11.30pm, I ordered the grilled Onglet of Veal, with shallots, haricots verts and mushrooms. EUR 17. The veal was beautifully tender and cooked exactly to spec. Rare and the second Veal of the day for me! The bistro was so dark I was unable to tell by looking at it at the time but the photo below is testament to this. Even the vegetarian on our table admitted to being jealous. Even the butter was delicious.

Breakfast at 9am consisted of oeufs brouillés – three eggs scrambled and a coffee. EUR 11. A little too “wet” for me but very good when compared to the standard lumpy heat lamp hardened hotel scrambled eggs. The butter again was delicious, I wanted to a massive chunk home with me!

I had a good experience here making good use of the bistro and the bar until the very early hours of the morning much to the displeasure of the barstaff. The staff are young and as trendy (and thin) as the clientele who seem to be a mixture of fashionistas, singletons and artists. I would recommend this to open minded single travellers or young couples and to these, Hotel Amour is a great place to drink, eat, sleep, and meet interesting people. It is certainly not for everyone though. Rooms are from EUR 105 for a single and EUR 140 for a double.

Paris by photos...

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:44:00 +0000

Le Moulin de la Galette, Paris, France

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Le Moulin de la Galette
83 Rue Lepic,
Paris, 75018
France

Tel: +33 (0)1 46 06 84 77
http://www.lemoulindelagalette.eu/

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) Excellent

Date of visit: 13th October, 2008

Meal: Lunch

The Moulin de La Galette, the last Montmartre windmill, was painted by many famous painters including Renoir, Van Gogh, and Picasso, and is situated near the top of the Montmartre district in Paris. Often that you find yourself disappointed by famous places as they do not meet expectations. With a rich and vibrant history dating back to the 18th Century it is does not disappoint.

Straight off the Eurostar, on a beautiful and warm (almost hot) October day reaching 25C, we arrived for a 2pm lunch reservation and chose to do our lunch meeting outside in the tiny terrace area. We were promptly brought menus in both French and English and a separate sheet for the Prix Fixe titled "Propositions For The Lunch" from which we chose 3 courses for 25 Euros, a glass of house red, house white and a bottle of Evian. Our drinks were promptly served and out waiter was friendly and talkative in both English and French.

My starter was "La Ferme" - "The Farm", boiled Chicken with vegetables and Duck Foie Gras in pressed into a Terrine accompanied by a Horseradish Fine Mousse and Mustard Seeds and a little side salad. An absolutely perfect start and fantastic cooking and presentation.

As quickly as our starter was swept away after finishing, our main courses were brought over. My first choice of Steaklet of Duck was not available so I chose the veal option which was off menu. Out came some beautifully cooked veal on a bed of sauteed potatoes, shredded cabbage, onions, olives, and mushrooms all gracefully garnished.

I took a moment to cheekily take a photo of my dinner guest's main of Saint-Jacques à la Plancha, et Petits Légumes - Scallops à la Plancha, and small vegetables.

For dessert - Gâteau aux noix, mousse légère aux marrons, Sorbet au lait d’Amande. A moist yet dense walnut cake accompanied by a velvety smooth Almond Milk Sorbet and a smoky light Chestnut mousse.

Every course was perfect, and in reality just the right portions for lunch. At 25 Euros for the three courses and coffee, lunch here is a bargain. This restaurant is a hidden gem full of history in a beautiful area of Paris. A true Parisian landmark atop this restaurant, which could've so easily be turned into a tourist trap has instead been turned into a trendy and gastronomically notable bistro by Michelin-starred chefs Antoine Heerah and Cédric Bernard. Excellent!

El Bulli

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:07:00 +0000

Fresh back from Paris... and I'm determined to get a table for El Bulli or the Fat Duck on or around my birthday next year. El Bulli are officially supposed to be taking reservations for 2009 season from tomorrow according to press releases, but their website suggests otherwise. Fat Duck is two months in advance so the booking reminders are set in iCal. I didn't get a bounceback on my email to El Bulli... so the wait begins...

To Paris...

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:38:00 +0000

Up and early and off to Paris. It's a hot day in Paris today (24 degrees) so I'm travelling extra light. When we get into Gare Du Nord we can walk to the hotel, venue or restaurant within 20 minutes. The plan so far is to eat at the La Moulin De La Galette, get some meetings out of the way, go to the venue, see the bands, watch the bands play live, and then roll onto a bar and then Hotel Amour to sleep it off!

I came across Twelve Hours in Paris on Chocolate and Zucchini... which could be a source of inspiration!

Cafe Espana, Soho, London, W1

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:48:00 +0000

Cafe Espana
63 Old Compton Street
Soho
London, W1D 6HT

Tel: 020 7494 1271

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

Date of visit: 12th October, 2008

Meal: Dinner

Having just come back from Barcelona I felt the urge to eat Spanish food and a quick net search pointed us at Cafe Espana. Cafe Espana certainly has a lot to live up to - The reviews on lots of sites were glowing, apart from some tell tale reviews from various sites. With expectations set high, it is easy to be let down. The restaurant itself is extremely cramped and we were levered into our tiny area by the stairs upstairs. I had to be careful not to knock the table behind my chair as I skillfully squatted and slid into my seat.

We chose the seafood paella. Paella is the quintessential Spanish dish perhaps one of the best ways of judging a restaurant. Whilst we were able to order very quickly, the dish took 55 minutes to arrive and all we had to quench our hunger was some freshly cut stale bread and a little butter.

When the food did finally arrive, the dish was certainly impressive looking and enough to feed a family of four. But we were quickly disappointed. Whilst seafood ingredients were seemingly plentiful, there were only two king prawns and the rest were tiny shrimps in their shells so small that after you had gone through the effort or deshelling them, there was only smallest crayfish sized shrimp - the effort was hardly worth it. The mussels had been so cooked that they had shrunken and become chewy, the fish was full of bones, the calamari was tough and chewy and we had an assortment of peas ranging of brilliant fresh green to dull brown and mushy. And worst of all the rice had become mushy. Paella rice should be dry and separate when done, not creamy like risotto.

Risotto di mare, with two glasses of house white came to £27. Perhaps in hindsight we should've ordered tapas and perhaps it was a bad day for the restaurant's kitchen. The cooking is standard Spanish fare and there are certainly no culinary flares. Their home style food at knock down prices has certainly won fans but I dare to disagree and unfortunately the Paella here gets two thumbs down.

Deliverance (East), London, EC1

noreply@blogger.com (Food.By Mark.) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:40:00 +0000

Deliverance, EC1
Tel: 0844 477 1111
www.deliverance.co.uk

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

After spending most of the day making my way back from Barcelona and then dropping by Cha Cha Moon for lunch (we had shopping to do on Carnaby Street and I wanted to do a review but forgot to take any photos) before going home, the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. So, perhaps as we do once every two weeks, we reached for the take away folder. Mainly a vetted selection of local services 90% being curry, 5% pizza and the remainder... one of whom is Deliverance.

Online ordering is an convenient and easy as can be. The website is well designed although there are some features missing or hidden. We placed our order at 19:22 for 20:15 (ASAP) delivery and it did in fact arrive at exactly the right time. My girlfriend's Deliverance Special pizza was of reasonable size (as advertised) and as far as pizza topping goes was well thought out and balanced, with Parma Ham, Piquillo peppers, Italian Salami, olives, wood smoked ham, and sun dried tomatoes. But it wasn't hot.

My Chicken Tikka Masala was a slightly different affair. Whilst the chicken chunks are substantial, they are not "Tikka" marinated Tandoor oven cooked but just large chunks of chicken breast meat. It is supposed to the "real food" version of the dish and whilst the ingredients are fresh, and whilst there are 0ver 49 recorded variations of Chicken Tikka Masala, it was not what I was expecting. The same went for the Pilau Rice which was flavourless and ultimately both were very disappointing.

The ice cream not made by Deliverance but by Jude's - Dark chocolate with Chocolate Chunks.

Let's not be mislead. Deliverance is purely for ease and convenience. The food is so terribly inconsistent that any item of the menu could be inedible to plesantly surpringly and sometimes hints of inspiration. Not this time I'm afraid and paying £28.50 for this stamps "mug" all over my face.