Christmas Lunch 2012

As always, I enjoyed a fabulous Christmas lunch earlier, which was very thoughtfully centred around me, as the awkward pescetarian amidst a turkey-dominated tradition. I suppose that was a decent excuse for my mum to recruit me as chef de partie in her kitchen, preparing the veg!

We started with some beetroot and parsnip fritters: shredded (in mum's new pink [eurgh] Magimix) vegetables, fried and baked, then topped with a horseradish cream sauce. I loved the crispy outside, and soft inside, with a real kick from the horseradish (that even brought out my grandma's tears)!

Not settling for anything other than extravagent, my mum has made her own gravadlax, which was served with a mustard and dill sauce. The salmon was divine, with a perfect soft texture, and the delicate flavour of the dish was complemented well by the mustardy sauce.

The nut roast was delicious, made with mushroom and chestnuts for a wonderfully earthy flavour, and Gorgonzola giving it an interesting tang. Perfect potatoes (bashed in the pan for extra crispiness), and all the trimmings.

For dessert, we had a delicious Christmas pudding made by my aunt Lizzie, lavishly draped in vanilla custard - a fruity delight!

Who says you need a bird for an amazing Christmas meal?

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Sonny's Kitchen

Last Friday, I had a lovely meal at Sonny's Kitchen in Barnes to celebrate my mum's birthday with my grandparents.

I started with a dish of linguine with crab. It tasted quite nice, but I found the crab was a little gritty, which was disappointing. However, I liked the saffron-like strips of chilli, and the pasta was good.

My main course was absolutely delicious: stone bass with pumpkin, chestnut gnocchi, and wild mushrooms. The fish was beautifully cooked, a crispy skin and clean taste. I really liked the gnocchi because I could really taste the nutty flavour, and the pickled nut garnish had a sharpness which brought through the wonderful earthy flavours.

For dessert, I had a chocolate fondant. I found it too rich and bitter, but the popping candy inside was a nice touch.

The service, in general, was pretty good, although a couple of staff seemed a little unsure. I liked the décor, with some interesting modern art, but the restaurant got quite noisy.

If the fish is anything to go by, Sonny's Kitchen is definitely worth a visit!

Courtesan

For lunch today, I went to Courtesan Dim Sum Bar in Brixton. It's always amazing to see how many cool new restaurants are popping up in and around Brixton Village, so it was great to try one out. Courtesan has been open for about half a year, and from today has started serving at lunch time.

The décor seemed a little macabre to me, with the dim (no pun intended) lighting and slightly scary painting, but it gave a traditional feel to the atmosphere, which is probably good. I was pleased by the decent selection of pescetarian options on the menu. There were some interesting, original meat dishes too, including a jerk chicken parcel, which might attract carnivores - apparently you either love it or you hate it!

I was very impressed with their deep fried squid, which were cooked in a wonderfully light white batter and served with a mild chilli sauce.

I also really liked the steamed wasabi king prawn dumplings, with that delicate, slightly moist, steamed prawn flavour. Thankfully, the wasabi wasn't overpowering, although I would have preferred a little more of a 'kick'!

The vegetable cheung fun was good too: an interesting mix of textures, and the flavours were brought out nicely by the sweet soy sauce.

I wasn't so keen on the mushroom puffs - I felt there was too much pastry (which was a little undercooked as a result), making it taste dry and doughy. The mushroom filling, however, was full of great, earthy flavours so I'm sure the dish will improve.

For dessert, I had the mango pudding, which I quite liked. I'm not a big fan of condensed milk, but the mango jelly was delicious.

All in all, it was a pleasant meal, and the owner was very friendly and talkative, so I hope to return soon and try out some more Dim Sum!

The Scone Club

A couple of weekends ago, I spent a lovely afternoon at 'The Scone Club', an event organised by Lalani & Co at Pret A Diner's latest pop-up: Burlington Social Club.

I really wasn't expecting this modern, rustic structure in a room at The Royal Academy, but I liked the atmosphere almost as much as I liked the look of the cakes and scones!

I'm not much of a tea-drinker, but I tried some of Lalani & Co's carefully sourced tea and did quite like it. It had a wonderful aroma, and full depth of flavour. I liked the Lakyrsiew Spring Reserve especially, which had a sweet caramel taste. However, my favourite part of having the tea was the accompanying timer: when the sand had run down, it was infused and ready to drink!

There was a huge selection of cakes to try and I must admit I felt a little greedy! There were eight chefs who had contributed one or more creations to the collection. 

I loved Richard Corrigan and Chris McGowan's pumpkin and cobnut scone (bottom left), which was served with goats curd and a pumpkin relish - the earthy savouriness from the pumpkin really complemented the sweetness from the relish. Benoit Blin, pastry chef at Le Manoir, also brought along his stunning lemon drizzle cake (top right).

Another great invention was Regis Cursan's peanut crumble with apricot 'soup' and ice cream. Peanuts aren't really my thing, but I adored the apricot soup and the ice cream, made with Lalani tea and beer, was delicious too.

Ravinder Bhogal's vanilla scone had a more delicate flavour, but was also great, especially with the raspberry jam.

And as if the amalgamation of such amazing food wasn't enough, the whole event was in support of Action Against Hunger, as part of their 'Love Food Give Food' appeal. The idea is to raise money for fighting against child hunger by celebrating good food, and every pound raised until 30 November is being matched by the UK Government. Fantastic!

Franco Manca - Northcote Road

I had an amazing pizza at Franco Manca's recently-opened restaurant on Northcote Road. It's been over a year since I was first astounded by their pizza in Brixton, and I was thoroughly pleased to be reminded of their incredible sourdough pizza.

I chose one topped with tomato, courgettes, buffalo ricotta, pecorino and basil. The dough had a great texture, soft and chewy with a distinctive sourdough taste, and the toppings were wonderfully fresh and flavoursome. It has got to be the best pizza around ...

... and no wonder with the beast of an oven lurking in the kitchen. Made in Naples, this wood-fired brick oven cooks pizzas in under a minute at about 500ºC!

The restaurant, no surprise, was absolutely packed and buzzing with people. I look forward to returning, perhaps to get a takeaway and run home!

Smoked Trout Noodles with Wasabi Dressing

The evening, I tried a slightly strange-sounding recipe that I picked up at Waitrose: rice noddles tossed with hot smoked trout, mange tout, lettuce and radish - drizzled with a wasabi, soy sauce and lime dressing.

It looked really good, with the thinly-sliced veg and flaked trout coming together to form a vibrantly coloured dish.

It was very tasty, too. The fresh, crunchy mange tout and radishes contrasted nicely with the smoky fish and the dressing added a necessary sweetness. Next time, however, I think I'll add a little more wasabi for a stronger kick!

For dessert, I had some home-made lemon sorbet. It turned out more like granita, but was still lovely with quite a strong lemon flavour and I kept the lemon rind in the sugar syrup for an extra zing!

Sushi Samba

On Wednesday, I had an amazing meal and potentially-vertigo-inducing experience at Sushi Samba which recently opened at the top of the Heron Tower in London, making it one of the (if not the) highest restaurants in Europe. The food on offer takes inspiration from Brazil, Peru and Japan.

The view was absolutely breathtaking: the whole of London lay before my eyes like never before - from the Gherkin to Canary Warf to the Olympic Park and even Wembley Stadium!

The food was just as stunning, both visually and in terms of flavour. I particularly liked the 'Samba Roll' that I had. Inside the nori was scallop and masago (fish roe), making for an intensely orange and interestingly textured filling. Then, draped on the inside-out roll was an array of toppings: tuna, salmon, yellowtail, prawn and avocado. Finally, the truffle shavings brought out an incredible rich earthy flavour, which made the dish really exceptional.

I also enjoyed a taquito filled with yellowtail and avocado, which had an intriguing texture - a mix of crunchy tortilla and soft fish.

The dishes cooked over a robata, a traditional Japanese grill, were also great. Mackerel is often overlooked, but it tastes delicious, especially when a simple fillet is cooked so well. The wild mushrooms had a fantastic flavour, after being grilled with yuzu soya.

I quite liked the sashima ceviches, but I found there was too much chilli for my liking, which overpowered the somewhat more subtle flavour of the fish. I thought that the corn didn't really fit with the dish as it was too hard and crunchy. Other than that, the fish was lovely, especially the prawns with melon.

The calamares were pretty good, with a light but crispy batter, and served on a bed of peas and broad beans.

Another hit was their take on a moqueca - a traditional stew from Brazil. The wonderfully intense stock was made from coconut milk and lobster juice, which was absorbed by the rice and added a boost of flavour to the lovely seafood.

For dessert, I tried some mochi, Japanese rice cakes, which were filled with ice cream. I really liked the mango and the coconut flavours. The soft, slightly chewy texture of the rice cakes went very well with ice cream.

All in all, it was a fantastic meal and I hope to return to try more dishes, or perhaps visit their sister restaurant, Duck and Waffle.

Feast

This evening I went to a marvellous food festival, Feast, near London Bridge. There was a great selection of food and drink so it was no surprise that the event was very popular, flowing with people. There was some live music and deck chairs set up on the grass at The Quadrangle at Guy's Hospital where it was based, which made for a really good atmosphere.

Quite a lot of the stalls were meat-dominated, but I still managed to find some lovely grub to stuff myself with. I had a lovely ceviche of sea bass from 'The Last Days of Pisco', which was very fresh-tasting with celery and a delicious lime dressing.

I really enjoyed a portabello mushroom bun from 'Yum Bun' - the mushroom was fried and served with crispy walnuts and a delicious sweet miso sauce in a soft steamed bun.

Probably my favourite was the margherita pizza from 'Pizza Pilgrims' - freshly stretched and cooked in the proper pizza oven on the back of their van, it had a wonderful slightly gooey yet smokey base.

On the Italian theme, I also liked these risotto balls from 'Arancini Brothers'. They had a crispy outside and a melted cheesy inside which was simply delicious.

 'Hansen and Lydersen' were serving up their scrumptious smoked salmon on Peter's Yard crispbread - it was divine smoked salmon.

Not wanting to miss out on anything sushi-like, I had to try the tenmusu from 'Soya': it's a crispy tempura prawn wrapped in rice and nori, like onigiri.

For dessert, I had a fresh pineapple and chilli brownie made with Original Beans chocolate by Loretta Liu from 'On Cafe'. It was amazing, with a perfect, slightly moist texture.

Feast is on until 5th August - advance tickets sold out for Saturday 4th (12-11pm), but you can get tickets on the door, or go along on Sunday 5th (12-10pm).

Sticks'N'Sushi

I had a truly scrumptious dinner at Sticks'N'Sushi last night, on my third (and most probably not last!) visit to the Danish sushi and yakitori restaurant in Wimbledon.

By now, I was well accustomed to their colourful menu, and had to order my favourite yakitori - scallops with teriyaki sauce, which are beautifully sweet with a slightly crispy grilled finish. Another must-have was the seaweed salad - great texture and fresh taste.

The big treat, however, was a wonderful platter called 'Maki De Luxe'! It was a selection of 'kaburimaki' - topped rolls, a great idea which I have only seen at Sticks'N'Sushi. My favourite of these was called 'Hell's Kitchen' (nothing to do with Ramsey I think) - it's rolled with crispy prawn tempura and avocado, and is topped with tuna and a spicy sauce. I think these are the most stunning and the tastiest maki rolls I've ever experienced!

I finished off the lovely meal with a cute and very tasty vanilla crème brûlée.

Celia Brooks at French & Grace

I had a lovely vegetarian lunch today at French and Grace, where Celia Brooks was serving a special menu as a guest chef. She's written some great recipe books with interesting vegetarian recipes which I'm definitely going to try out some time and will probably take to university!

French and Grace is located in the very cool Brixton Village, which is full of good restaurants with reasonably-priced food and also hosts a few shops.

I really liked these caramelised onion, mushroom and cheddar tarts because the crispy cheese gave them a strong parmesan-like taste and the tartness (pun intended) of the onions made a good combination.

The trio of veg pâtés was stunning. I loved the three vibrant colours, especially of the purple pâté, made with beetroot, walnut and Stilton. I found the Stilton a little overpowering in this one, but the more subtle flavours of broad bean and basil were a hit with me. The brazil nut and garlic pâté was also delicious, with a great nutty flavour.

These gnocchi, made with wild greens, rather than just plain-old potatoes, were amazing. Served with a sage and porcini butter sauce and roasted courgettes, the whole dish was full of lovely deep earthy flavours. The salad of all sorts of different varieties of tomatoes, pomegranate seeds and olives was great. I really liked the olives which had been spice-roasted giving them a soft texture and slightly sweet taste.

The dessert was yummy - raspberry Eton mess: crunchy meringue and a rich, creamy sauce. It was sprinkled with leaves from the Stevia plant - a sweet leaf sometimes processed to be used as a sugar alternative. This, like most of the vegetables used in the meal, had been grown in Celia's allotment, making them all as fresh as possible.

I think I shall have to return to French and Grace another time to try out their street food, which includes delicious-sounding flatbread and hummus wraps as well!

Taste of London

I had a great time at Taste of London yesterday evening, trying an amazing array of dishes on show by many of London's best restaurants. Luckily for me, I was with my mum who knows loads of the chefs so we got treated to a lot of food and I was introduced to the big names!

First, we went to L'Anima, Francesco Mazzei's restaurant. I really enjoyed the burrata with smoked aubergine and red onion jam. The combination of the fresh cheese and aubergine had a wonderfully clean flavour, which reminded me of sushi. I liked how the sharper taste of the jam cut through this, and the hazelnuts added a nice crunch.

Of course, Francesco's 'icon' dish was fantastic - rich wild mushrooms and truffles created a deeply earthy flavour, and were beautiful combined with the delicate fettucine pasta. Alexis Gauthier's truffle risotto was another intense and rich indulgence!

 The lemon zeppola from L'Anima was also very tasty - like a posh doughnut!

These baby squid from Club Gascon were very yummy, with a frothy bisque. I wasn't so keen on the tapioca, but the crispy discs were nice. Club Gascon's chef, Aussignac, won the best dish award for his Marmite Royale and Soldiers - frois gras and Marmite - I suppose you either love it or hate it. As a pescetarian, I didn't actually try it, but my mum (a Marmite-lover) says it was delectable!

This shrimp and haddock kedgeree from Cinammon Club was strange. I really liked the haddock which was very flavoursome, but I wasn't so keen on the rest of the kedgeree. It had a consistency too similar to porridge for my liking, and was a little too fishy.

Probably my favourite dish were these mango and unagi maki from Sake No Hana. They were beautiful maki rolls of eel, which were topped with wonderfully sweet mago slices. Served on a bamboo boat, they not only looked great, but tasted superb too!

I thought this tagliatelle 'pasta', made from squid was very inventive. The taste and texture of the squid really lent itself to playing the role of pasta, and went brilliantly with the lobster jus.

The whole place was full of great-looking and very tasty dishes. We didn't even have time to visit all of the stands!

This year, the festival in Regent's Park is on until Sunday 24th June - see Taste of London's website for details.

There are also taste festivals all around the world, so you can check out http://www.tastefestivals.com/ to find one near you!