Ametsa with Arzak Instruction

Last week I was very lucky to be able to go along with my mum to the press opening of Ametsa at The Halkin Hotel, an exciting new restaurant in London overseen by Elena Arzak and her father Juan Mari. Three  chefs chosen by her, including one from Sans Sebastian, have flown over from Spain to create a sense of what it's like to dine at the '8th best restaurant in the world', Arzak, but acknowledging the difference in ingredients between Spain and England.

The design of the restaurant reflected the essence of its cuisine: test tube-like glasses full of spices which hung from the ceiling created a rainbow wave of colour - the idea behind Arzak's cooking is to take traditional food and ingredients and bring them to life with science.

We started with an interesting trio of appetisers, of which I most enjoyed a king prawn which was wrapped in crispy vermicelli pasta, giving an interesting texture reminiscent of crunching through the shell in a prawn tempura. There was also a strange taco made out of rice cake, filled with fish - again interesting texture-wise, but a bit odd. I was not a fan of the 'puzzle de queso', which although it tasted quite nice, had the consistency of processed cheese, puzzling indeed.

I really liked the first of the starters, sardines which had been marinaded in sea water, topped with a thin 'skin' of piquillo pepper. I loved the subtle sweet flavour of the pepper complementing the fish, and the citrus cutting through it, with pickled walnuts providing a necessary texture contrast.

The 'quick change squid' very much appealed to my interest in magic - little parcels of squid changed colour as the charming waiter poured a rich black broth over them.

I had some delicious scallops - very lightly seared, so that they were almost sashimi-raw with a fresh salad. I think it's great that we can get such wonderful seafood in the centre of London!

For mains, I had some more lovely fish: mackerel with a green and black (ink) sauce and fennel, and bream with crispy vegetables in a garlic sauce. The fish was very good, and well cooked, but the sauces didn't make a big impression on me and I felt that the bream was too garlicky, although the crisply vegetables were tasty.

For dessert, I thought chocolate mouse with coffee ice cream and butternut squash was an odd combination but it worked pretty well, and I liked the coca-cola granita on top. There was also 'basque toast with mango and coconut' which I wasn't very keen on - I was expecting some interesting texture interplay as toast met mango, but it was all soft and slippery and not particularly flavoursome.

It was a very filling and enjoyable meal, with highs and lows, but I think I'll have to make a trip to Sans Sebastian to experience the real thing!

Galvin at Windows

I had a wonderful dinner at Galvin at Windows last night. The view from the top floor of the London Hilton fantastic, especially with the city lit up at night. I thought it was a lovely gesture that we were presented with two postcards of the view which they would deliver anywhere around the world!

The menu sounded great, full of bold flavours but also interesting combinations. I couldn't resist starting with the wild mushroom risotto. It both looked (sorry, photos didn't come out!) and tasted intense, with an unrivalled earthy flavour from the mushooms and truffle cream, with occasional piquant bites from the pickled walnut. A perfect risotto.

For mains, I had poached brill, which was served in a Japanese-style with a shellfish and dashi broth and enoki mushrooms. I really loved the flavoursome broth, and the fish was beautifully cooked. The brill was topped with a herb potato crust, which was delicious and made the plate look like a pebbly island surrounded by the dashi sea, however I'm not sure that it went with the rest of the dish.

We had a fantastic cheeseboard which ranged from a grassy goats cheese, to a very strong Vacherin, to my favourite cheese, Comté, and a very good Stilton. They were served with great restaurant-baked crispy thins.

I finished the meal with a buttermilk panna cotta: with lychee granita and thin slices of pineapple it made for a refreshing dessert.

The charming waiters very kindly brought me a congratulatory post-dessert, and then I was lucky enough to meet André Garret and peek into the kitchen where the immaculate dishes were being prepared.

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!