The Better Foodie

THE BETTER FOODIE QUIZ AT BUTCHER AND GRILL BATTERSEA JULY 1st 2009

2009-06-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

I will be holding my next Better Foodie Quiz: an evening of delicious, witty, and highly competitive but not fiendishly tough food quiz entertainment to flex one’s gastro-credentials at Battersea’s Butcher & Grill on Wednesday July 1st at 7.30pm. Tickets must be booked in advance, and include a 3-course set dinner and the quiz @ £21.50. It’s best to book in a table group of four-six, but not essential. Questions will focus on the seasonal, British and frankly carnivorous besides palate-challenging gastro-travel. Butcher Bar & Grill is just over Battersea Bridge, 39-41 Parkgate Road, London SW11 0207 924 3999 www.butcherandgrill.com
For information on how to arrange a bespoke food quiz event www.sudibetterfoodie.com

New Better Foodie Quiz updates

2009-06-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am now posting details of my new better foodie quiz dates on my 2009 blog http//:diaryofabetterfoodie.blogspot.com

HIBISCUS - A MENU WITH TRULY ENLIGHTENING AND DIFFERENT FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS

2008-05-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

I don’t really suffer from menu ennui. I always find it thrilling to read the menu when I sit down to dinner especially at some eagerly anticipated restaurant I’m visiting for the first time. But even at, even especially at, the fine dining end there is a certain amount of predictability on too many menus.

So dining at Hibiscus last night in the discerning company of Randy See and Raymond Lim of Singapore’s pre-eminent restaurant Les Amis, was utterly refreshing and enticing to my adventurous foodie spirit. Previously, I'd found some of Claude Bosi's ingredient combinations hadn’t really gelled tastewise and just seemed oddball for the sake of being different. Apart from an amuse shot of cucumber and pineapple soda with smoked olive oil which reminded me rather disarmingly of babycham, last night was spot on. First up were some delicious gougeres which presently seem to be the haute cuisine calling card. They’re one of the best features of Ducasse at Dorchester (Lyons born Bosi trained with Alain Ducasse and Alain Passard among others).

My wonderful, wholly seasonal starter was a mix of iced morel and warm asparagus velouté with candied pistachio and fricassé of more morels – sensational. Equally seasonal and delicately different was asparagus very lightly confited in salted butter and smoked over hay and presented dramatically at the table sprinkled with tamarillo powder. Another intriguing starter partnering oysters poached in their shell with baked canembert cream had already sold out!

Though I’d quibble about preferring my beef served slightly warmer than tepid, what I assume was its’ low, slow water bath poaching treatment delivered properly medium rare meat of memorable melt-in-the-mouth yet still firm texture. Its quintessentially Spring accompaniment of broad beans, braised baby gem, seaweed vinaigrette was spot on, especially with the extra star turn of poached razor clam mixed with lardo di colonnato and momentarily grilled – sublime. Other wholly successful dishes included slow grilled Pyrenean kid with caramelised onion, glazed turnip, whole onion and lemongrass puree and lemon thyme with a “kid” parmentier of the extra offal. Even a relatively safe option of sea bream with morels and lime came with a gently earthy coffee and morel polenta and chicory jus.

Desserts too had a delightful, yet not over-played element of surprise. Especially stunning was white asparagus cream tart (usually I find white aspragus underwhelming and woody, but this treatment brought out a lovely nutty, green accent) served with a gently sharp white chocolate and fresh goat’s cheese ice-cream. Equally pleasing were the beautifully balanced salt/sour/sweet flavours of salted caramel mousse, hibiscus flower jelly, iced balsamic parfait and bergamot lemon sorbet and gratin of sweet olive oil and gariguette strawberries, parmesan sorbet with a tiny elixir of pure 75 year old San Domino Balsamic.

On the strength of this meal, surely Hibiscus will be –re-elevated to two Michelin stars and perhaps even feature in the World’s 50 Best in 2009.

The Real Food Festival lives up to its name

2008-04-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

THE REAL FOOD FESTIVAL

I first heard about the Real Food Show happening all this weekend 25-27 April at Earl’s Court 1 www.realfoodfestival.co.uk back in October of last year, appropriately enough at the Abergavenny Food Festival. Called me a hardened cynic if you dare, but I wasn’t entirely convinced the plan for a London take on Salone del Gusto (the wonderful bi-annual Slow Food event in Turin) would come to fruition.
Fortunately the enthusiasm and sheer determination of everyone involved has made it happen, and judging from the opening trade/launch preview it is gong to be a fantastic and rather different addition to the other mass-scale food shows.

What makes The Real Food Festival truly different and worth visiting in my view is that the organisers have been able to lure the truly small, quirky and delectable artisan producers who simply wouldn’t be able to afford the charges made by other more established events. This is largely due to adopting Slow Food Salone del Gusto’s policy of having sustainers such as Wholefoods Market (who do stock many of those producers exhibiting), daylesford organic, Grana Padano, delicious magazine, Tyrrell’s and others who effectively subsidise the cost of the small players participating.

Among far too many empassioned and intriguing producers to even single out all those whose samples tasted so delicious I had to buy stashes for later, a few of my absolute favourites well-worth seeking out are:

Jules and Sharpie’s irresistible hot preservaments hand made in Suffolk include chilli mint jelly to accompany salt marsh lamb and irresistible hot mango chutney www.julesandsharpie.com;

Tea Together’s utterly exquisite, highly seasonal, organic hand-made jams such as summer pudding with vanilla pod, rhubarb, lemon & angelica and apricot with lavender leaf. These jams are usually only available in top hotels such as The Berkeley, The Grove and Browns. Plus Ttogether’s new range of “Orchard haute couture” products such as sun-dried white figs stuffed with an almond, citrus zest and wild fennel seeds, Quercy candied walnuts and the most decadent Agen plums mi cuit and conserved in Eau de Vie de Pruneaux and dipped in dark chocolate. www.teatogether.com

Clippy’s Apples, based in Cheshire whose preserves are based on British apples.
I particularly liked the apple, saffron and cumin chutney made with British Bramleys, Chivers Delight and Belle De Boskoop apples and fragrant with saffron and freshly ground cumin and the Barmley apple, thyme and garlic jelly.
www.clippys.com

Emeyu Tea, who source and blend a fabulous selection of traditional Chinese loose leaf teas beautifully eco-packaged. Owner Kristiane promises me that if I sip the Puerh tea after every meal not only will it aid digestion but help see the excess pounds shift.
www.emeyu.com

The Giggly Pig Company whose owner Tracy Mackness frankly admits she first learnt how to raise pigs whilst “inside” for drug offences. She now has her own outdoor rare breed British saddleback pigs and produces 40+ varieties including lemon & fennel, chestnut, lime & sweet chilli and cider apple which are all exceptionally meaty, flavoursome and fulsome. T 07944 610834 for details of farmer’s markets from Dulwich and Vauxhall to Reigate, Southend and Harlow.

Artisan du Chocolate, one of the few British producers to conch their own chocolate from ground cocoa beans. I’m especially partial to the Moroccan mint and apricot “O”s or thins and the exceptional liquid salted caramels which they were the first to introduce to the UK.
www.artisanduchocolate.com

Arabica Food and Spice for their unrivalled Damascean falafel (as served in Borough Market every weekend) plus exotic spices from sumac and zatar to definitive pomegranate molasses.
www.pulsefoodislife.com

What’s more I really liked the fact that there are hands-on cookery workshops run by Barny Haughton from Bristol’s Bordeaux Quay Restaurant and Cookery School giving realistic advice on how eat real food without spending a fortune, delicius magazine workshops/tutored tastings ranging from oysters and champagne to discovering Portugal’s sheep’s cheeses and British game and meeting Blur musician turned cheesemaker Alex James. Even the chef demos are not the usual over-exposed celebs but those who truly uphold the Real Food ethos including Raymond Blanc, Shane Osborn of Pied a Terre, Ashley Palmer-Watts of The Fat Duck, Sophie Conran and Oliver Rowe of Prince Konstam.

A double whammy of food awards on an auspicious Monday night

2008-04-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Who needs to quaff Taittinger with the Bafta award winners at yet another James Bond styled party, when an unprepossessing Monday night turns out to be high foodie in the extreme.

First, I convinced myself it was fine to be sipping Champagne Gosset Grande Reserve NV at 5.30pm when I was greeted with Michel Roux senior saying I must hurry for the comedy act of the year in his deepest Gallic accent. The banter between Michel and Albert is an important part of the ritual of The Roux Scholarship which this year celebrated its 25th anniversary. The winner was Daniel Cox of private fining dining company Compass Group, private who triumphed on his third attempt to reach the final with his definitive rendition of Escoffier challenge dish Rouen ducking with Burgundy Pinot and Brandy served with potato gnocchi and peas. As ever his prizes include a stage with a 3 star Michelin restaurant inn Europe arranged through Roux connections. Though, I couldn’t help sympathising with honest fellow finalist who admitted he loathed making gnocchi with a passion, it’s something I’ve never managed to master. The fact that a significant number of the past scholars (pretty much all those based up in the UK) turn up for the event, many in extremely illustrious roles such as Frederick Forster at The Ritz, Sat Bains and Steve Drake with their own (Michelin starred places) speaks volumes for what Michel Roux repeatedly called his extended family. Needless to say the stations post awards were good especially the lobster pasta in Thermidor sauce and more surprisingly the dim sum.

Sustenance enough to take me on to The San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants of the World which has raised its game and capacity once again and was held this year in the awesome Freemason’s Hall with a good 500+ audience of mainly chefs and critics. I guess the winner was pretty much a forgone conclusion Ferran Adria of El Bulli, for the third year in succession. Yet his “acceptance speech” was endearing and rousing in the extreme. As he’d done the previous year, he asked all the other Spanish chefs who featured in the list to come up (and perhaps it’s no coincidence that there are further 6 Spanish restaurants in the top 50: Mugaritz, Arzak, El Celler de Can Roca, Can Fabes ) . He made a particular fuss of “chefs’ choice” Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz now rated at number 4, widely seen as his heir apparent to lead the second generation of avant-garde gastronomy in Spain. I liked the way Adria also gave due credit to his great mate and no 2 Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck. Equally he dedicated the award to the awesomely determined and extremely creative Chicago based chef Grant Achatz of Alinea who’s winning a personal battle against cancer of the tongue and a definite ascending star.

Perhaps even more significant were a number of other chefs/restaurants singled out as culinary forces to be reckoned with. Most notably Simon Rogan of the wonderful and refreshingly different L’Enclume in Cumbria, who won a reader’s choice award. Equally interesting was the singling out of Victor Arguinzoniz of Etxebarri restaurant (approx 40 mins from Bilbao) as “hot” property. Arguinzoniz, a self-taught chef and former forester, is elevating the bbq to culinary cutting edge (a whole side of the dining room is dedicated to his bespoke designed grills and pulleys on which he cooks everything from eggs, foie gras, seafood, awesome chuletas to ice-cream. He even makes all his own charcoals each day, fine-tuned to suit each dish. Rumour has it that stellar Italian chef Cracco Peck (whom I enjoyed meeting for the first time) was spectacularly late for a demos as he was so all consumed by the food. And this is despite being self taught and fittingly a former forester.

I was also intrigued to see a Parisian restaurant I’d visited in Paris only a fortnight previously at bistronomique Le Chateaubriand owned by young Basque chef Inaki Aizpitarte featured as the the restaurant tipped to break through into the top 50 in 2009 . Certainly my meal served in a buzzy bobo rustic room was trailblazing in terms of texture, taste and visual presentation from the starter of raw grated cauliflower and cauliflower “powder”, lime couscous and shavings of foie gras arranged at a jaunty angle in a utilitarian small pyrex bowl to black al dente Camargue rice with frog’s legs and tarragon juice and stunning sous vide low temperature cooked salmon with miso foam and espuma-like chocolate mousse with a definite tantalising edge of wasabi.

I was also delighted that Noma, Rene Redzepi’s thrillingly different and delectable New Nordic restaurant in Copenhagen (which I was bowled over by and have talked about and written about frequently over the past year) rose to coveted no 10 stop.

The 50 Best provided a wonderful chance to mingle with the great and the good of the gastro-world. It was lovely to meet Paulo Marchi who runs the ground-breaking Identità Golose gastronomy festival in Milan, and most excitingly, this October will recreate elements of the festival in London, watch this space. It was an unexpected surprise to catch up with delightful and arch foodie Ignatius Chan, chef-proprietor of Iggy’s over from Singapore too.

And because every party is judged on its food and I arrived too late for the canapes, it was good to be able to soak up the Laurent-Perrier and go round a series of immaculate food “stalls” of exemplary British producers. These included Forman’s inimitable wild salmon carved to order; Wright Brother’s Duchy oysters: newcomer Deli Farm charcuterie made only with Cornish pork and beef – especially taken with salami substituting black olives for fat to pleasing effect - and Paul A Young’s irresistible sea salt chocolate.

The ultimate degustation menu at The Vineyard's Chef's Table Gourmet Festival

2007-08-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

Degustation menus

I firmly believe there’s a time and a place for tasting menus. Often I only want to sample one or two dishes, which instantly leap out from a menu. I don’t necessarily want the waiter telling me exactly how many degrees each component of the menu has been cooked at nor whose nephew-in-law foraged for the chickweed whilst the dish in question is visibly wilting and cooling to below tepid. Apparently at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, it is now only possible to order the dizzly priced $250 degustation. Keller’s justification is that it is important to experience the entire experience, otherwise he says diners are doing the equivalent of leaving at play at the interval and not getting the whole plot.

I know John Campbell of The Vineyard at The Stockcross elevated earlier this year to 2 Michelin star is a Keller devotee. I loved the prospect of his approach to putting on the whole razzmatazz show as a week long “Chef’s Table” gourmet festival extravaganza whilst still serving his stunning a la carte in the restaurant. Though dinners with Angela Hartnett and Mark Edwards of Nobu were tempting I opted for Campbell himself and was blown away.

There was a real sense of playfulness about his menu besides a strong commitment to sourcing locally. I loved the deconstructed “room service” classics served as amuse such as a blt of lettuce espuma, tomato confit, crispy bacon and breadcrumbs and fish and chips with ultra-light whip of fluffy potato, scallops and sprinkles of salt and air-dried malt vinegar in twists of newspaper.

Plasma screens strategically placed around the dining room ensured we could see exactly how each dish was constructed and meticulously plated at the pass without experiencing the sweat of the kitchen. It has to be one of the calmest kitchens anywhere. Rather than mini soliloquies between each of ten courses, Campbell was simply beamed up on screen to introduce the menu from the start. Highlights for me included cleverly deconstructed piccalilli flavours: a cornichon, carrot, tiny turnip with stunning suckling pig terrine, awesome sweetbread ravioli of fabulous rich intensity accompanying veal rump and cheek; and two quirky cheese courses: beetroot ravioli stuffed with English goat’s cheese and delicate swatches of summer squash and a shot class of ultra light cream cheese, carrot and orange jellies plus a bon bon sized spicy carrot cake.

A consummate treat, and I know now to plump for the sweetbread ravioli on my next return to the Vineyard.

Ile de Ré

2007-07-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

After yearning to visit Ile de Ré for years I finally made it. The little dot of an island on South Atlantic coast more than lives up to its protected reputation. Still very French and best if you can speak the language. Light is gorgeous as is the equal to the Cote d’Azur weather. Even none regular cyclists like myself end up notching up impressive amount of kilometres visiting impeccable whitewashed villages and charming ports and exploring wild life in salt marshes. Enough to justify plenty of feasting. Can stop for oysters en route overlooking sea 3E for 6 direct from farmer. Never seen such a large fish stall as at the daily market of Ars de Ré huge amount of shellfish from local mussels and crabs to six kinds of clams and local speciality vanets between queen scallop and clam. Sampled as a marmite in probably best restaurant encountered Le Serghi in St Martin en Ré. Other local specialities must try include tourteau cheese bread with scorched top, plentiful supply of canelles absolute favourite from nearby Bordeaux. Rétais produce Fleur de sel everywhere, which has a distinct discernible light delicacy, used in local cheeses, caramelised ham hocks on the traiteur, even in salted caramel ice-cream to accompany roast peaches dessert at St Martin’s newest restaurant Avant La Porte. Best places to stay are French run. Book well ahead for Le Senechel features in “Hip Hotel France” brick walls, unvarnished floorboards, bright stripy fabrics, quirky mix of ultra modern and brocante in best possible taste and exquisite courtyards.
www.le-senechel-com. Equally French and ultra elegant is Hotel Toiras in former private home, no expense spared in using best French fabrics even in lift, gorgeous garden for breakfast and indulgent salon dining room serving rigorously local produce exceptionally well prepared and served. www.hotel-de-toiras.com

ROUX SCHOLARSHIP WHY IT MATTERS

2007-04-09T02:57:00.000-07:00

It’s the complete antidote to the endless sub culinary TV contests which mostly be-little the value of competitive cooking events, yet borrows something of the Ready Steady Cook fun in including an element of surprise ingredients for the chefs to create a dishes from. Now in its 24th year, the Roux scholarship is arguably the most prestigious competition and significantly, the most coveted among serious-minded ambitious young chefs.

The pressure is real and considerable with no double takes for the benefit of TV cameras. Dishes are invariably complex Escoffier classics. This year was no exception: the six finalists had to cook Tournedos Rachel with veal kidneys and a Roux Bordelaise sauce and a somewhat bizarre sounding macaroni cheese souffle (which inevitably sounded far more elegant in French) plus a dessert from a mystery box including pineapple, Assam tea, lime and Fruisana fruit sugar and cooked under the extreme scrutiny of the most illustrious imaginable team of judges.

Aside from the full Roux contingent Michel Roux senior and his son Alain now in charge of The Waterside Inn and Albert Roux and his son Michel junior now running Le Gavroche , fellow judges include Heston Blumenthal, Gary Rhodes, Brian Turner, Andrew Fairlee (the first Roux scholar) and David Nicholls who hosted the event at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

This year’s winner was 26 year-old Armand Sablon from the kitchen of past Roux scholarship winner Andre Garrett . I like the fact that not all finalists are from the well-known culinary A-list nor have been groomed in quite the same way as suspect Armand has been. Last year’s charming winner Pravin Sharma of Courthouse Hotel Kempinski whose spicing of a salmon and seabass coulibac made an overwhelming impression on the judges, despite the fact that he had not had a classical training and only arrived in the UK six months previously. Apart from the culinary kudos and the covetable cache of prizes from likes of Champagne Gosset, Global Knives , Caffee Musetti, and a week’s paid work experience in New York courtesy of Restaurant Associates what gives the championship inestimable value is the opportunity for the winning chef to cherry pick an expenses paid three months stage at one of the world’s top 3 Michelin chef kitchens. Easy to arrange as Michel Roux knows them all and is never refused. What’s more and is really endearing, all past winners become part of the Roux posse and really do get on-going advice, encouragement and all sorts of wonderful outings courtesy of Roux Brothers.
Significantly too the vast majority of past winners have gone on to become Michelin recipients with their own restaurants such as Steve Drake whose restaurant I found faultless when writing on restaurants around the M25 a few weeks back.

What made the evening extra enjoyable for the guests is the comedy act of the Roux dynasty who delight in publicly and affectionately teasing each other something rotten during the build-up to the announcement of the winner. And, of course, the decadent spread laid on by David Nicholls, executive chef at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park who knows he has most of the country’s top chefs and restaurateurs to feed. Divine canapes which showcased the current most modish ingredients to graze on included: red pepper lollipops, foie gras parfait with pain epice and apple jelly, honey glazed pork belly, tartare of sea bass, lime, sesame and chive crust, tortellini of sole, horseradish cream and caviar, scallops with cauliflower pannacotta and curried beignets, bacon and balsamic, truffle risotto balls with parmesan cheese and truffle honey and coffee cup sized raspberry souffles and madeleine’s to finish.

www.rouxscholarship.co.uk

ELVERS: THE EPITOME OF AN EXTREME SEASONAL DELICACY

2007-04-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

For self-avowed foodies like myself, it is no longer enough merely to do our best to eat in tune with the seasons. That’s as taken for read as devouring the latest mouth-watering gastro tome at bedtime (in my case Skye Gyngell’s “ MY Life in the Kitchen” and Sarah Woodward’s “The Food of France”).

What we really hanker after are those much anticipated ingredients of extreme and fleeting seasonality, which may only be around for a month or so. Their rarity, and in many cases the challenge of tracking them down, adds immeasurably to their culinary cachet.

One of the most recondite are elvers which I’ve long been intrigued to try and chefs such as Raymond Blanc and Mark Hix have raved about their fantastic, utterly distinctive sensation, but their outrageous cost and scarcity meant that the experience had eluded me for a long time, only adding to my insaitable gastronomic curiosity.

Elvers are transparent matchstick sized baby eels which instinctively make an extraordinary three year journey from the Sargossa Sea (a seaweed covered body of water between Bermuda and Puerto Rico, which is roughly the site of the infamous Bermuda Triangle) where they always spawn. No-one really understands their extraordinary migration pattern. Young eel larvae drift on the Gulf Stream for about three years travelling up to 4000 miles before reaching European fresh water rivers such as the River Severn where they evolve into juvenile elvers. They really are only fished with silk nets in estuaries of the Severn on nights with a new moon as they shy away from light. They have a barely there fishiness which has to be experienced rather like the freshest most delicate just fish anchovies.

Finally, I had my elver experience last week at The Goring’s elegant David Linley designed dining room where they’re included in a remarkably good scrupulously seasonal 3-course lunch menu £32.50 served with bacon, fried capers, crisp pig’s ear, poached egg and a lemon dressing – sensational and well-worth waiting for. (www.goringhotel.co.uk) I strongly advise all elver virgins should hurry along as they are unlikely to appear on the menu beyond April and do check they have netted a catch before counting on them. Elvers may also be found on the menu of the wonderfully glamorous seafood deluxe menu at Scott’s, re-designed by the hugely talented Martin Brudnizki (surely the next über restaurant designer). Dining at the green onyx and stingray-skin bar below the chartreuse green marble mosaics and breathtaking chandelier is as chic as snaring a table. Strictly seasonal sea vegetables such as sea beets, sea purslane, sea lettuce and slightly later in the season samphire often appear as wholly felicitous complements to sublime fish dishes. At Scott’s, elvers are currently served with Old-Spot bacon, equally extremely seasonal goose egg and wild garlic @ £35 for a starter! (www.scotts-restaurant.com)

Decadent teas

2007-03-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am extremely particular about patisserie. My exacting standards no doubt stem from my granny and mother’s prowess in cake-making rendering most shop-bought imitations resistible.

Pierre Hermé is another matter. I was transfixed by his utterly chic boutique in Paris (72 rue Bonaparte 75006) selling the most exquisitely and intensely fragrant macarons echelons above his nearest rivals. At this year’s Madrid Fusion gastro-conference showcasing the latest culinary thinking of some of the world’s more avant-garde chefs, Hermé demonstrated his latest savoury patisserie using mint and peas in all manner of patisserie guises including his much emulated “emotions”, multi-layered, flavoured and textured desserts in a shot glass. He gave the air of being a little bored with his sweet creations.

However, last week Hermé appeared to have regained his sweeter tooth to visit Claridge’s and demonstrate his legendary fetish patisserie haute classic collection: studies on three themes or “parfums”: “ispahan”, rose, raspberry and lychee; “satine” orange and passion: and “plenitude” dark chocolate with fleur de sel, cocoa nibs and caramel. Each was presented firstly as sweet sandwiches with fillings of intense almost perfumed fruit jellies of orange/passion fruit, raspberry/rose and a rich chocolate gianduja. I loved the scones which continued the theme and fully intend to experiment with the cocoa-nib version myself – wonderful with really good slightly salted French butter. Next up was a sublime wobbling, ethereally light passionfruit and orange cheesecake, a world apart from the usual stodgy offerings. Almost too chic to eat, the ispahan emotion with layers of lychee and raspberry jelly, fresh raspberries, compote and rose cream made for an exquisite palate cleanser. I followed instructions to delve the teaspoon all the way to the bottom for the full multi-textural experience. Of course, the legendary macarons were the piece de resistance: delicate hues of rose pink, palest tangerine and deep dark chocolate filled with a wonderful fleur de sel and chocolate ganache filling. They have a complex, yet utterly light texture that dissolves decadently on the tongue, yet is not as sweet as those found in the pale green Ladurée box more regularly invoked in London. Sadly, the macarons are only available at Hermé’s shops in Paris, which don’t have cafes of their own. Those in the know go to the neighbouring café de Maire (8 rue de Sulplice) his unofficial salon du thé. Here for the price of a coffee/tea the waiters in the upstairs salon look on indulgently as impatient foodies discreetly unwrap their precious Hermé trophies from quite the most covetable bags – like Matisse cut-out works of art in themselves. But the word is that Hermé was scouting London for possible sites for the future.
In the meantime, Claridge’s, undoubtedly the most elegant place for tea in London with its mesmerising elegant art deco details and spectacular chandelier have invited Herméback later in the year (www.claridges.co.uk)

Meanwhile, for an extreme patisserie challenge, Andrew Gravett, the highly talented head of patisserie at London’s two Michelin star Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge offers workshops on making one’s own macarons: a complex process involving Italian meringue, crème patisserie and much more. Ideally each stage is allowed to rest for a day before proceeding. It puts the prices of Hermé and other macaronniers in perspective. Fortunately Gravett’s course includes more achievable and repeatable petits fours and chocolates too. (Next dates 3 April, 5 June, 4 Sept bookings 7591 1215 www.capitalhotel.co.uk) .

Still on the tea trial, the newest, deeply glamorous place for tea is Artesian the contemporary Geisha boudoir style cocktail bar designed by David Collins within The Langham Hotel. Madonna has already held a party here. The teas were devised with the help, of former canapé Queen, now food consultant Lorna Wing and include tiny sandwiches each impeccably matching filling to specialist bread such as Wiltshire ham and wild rocket with mustard butter on light rye, tiny cheese and pancetta, triple citrus and coconut and lime muffins, teacup and saucer iced biscuits, glittery cupcakes , Ladurée macarons and mousse shots. As Artesian is also a cocktail bar, tea can be served with a rum cocktail or Laurent Perrier Rose. (Langham Hotel, Portland Place, W1 0207 636 1000 tea £25 per person (£38 with champagne/rum cocktail).

Foodie bookclubs

2007-03-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Belonging to a book club is almost a given, enjoying the chosen book is usually a matter of contentious dispute. My solution is to inaugurate a foodie bookclub, which friends, a little less foodie obsessed than myself have rapturously embraced – I’ve even had virtual strangers pleading to belong. The simple premise is that rather than using a book only a handful may regard as literature, we choose a cookbook. Either something new and overtly challenging like Nobu West, which requires some serious planning with visits to The Japan Centre for more esoteric ingredients (all part of the fun), hip writers with a refreshingly different approach such as Skye Gyngell’s “A Year in My Kitchen” or classics such as Claudia Roden. The beauty is that everyone arrives with tales of sleuth like shopping to track-down ingredients, conquering culinary techniques that have hitherto eluded them, some culinary tips and perhaps a few near disasters. Most importantly, a dish or two for a magnificent grazing feast and the pleasure of knowing that they’ve acquired a book which will have frequent outings from the bookshelf.

Who's heard of the M25 gastro-route?

2007-03-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Who’s ever heard of the M25 gastro-route?

It was only when Food & Travel magazine asked me to review a number of gastro-worthy restaurants and pubs around the M25 earlier this week that I discovered there was actually a nexus of extremely good places to eat around its junctions. All perfect meeting places for converging with food-minded friends from the furthest flung perimeters of its route.

My top 6

Drake’s Restaurant, Ripley, Surrey: junction 10
An exquisite, very proper and elegant Georgian house with beautiful walled garden. Michelin starred chef Steve Drake, a one-time Roux scholar, trained with Marc Veyrat and Tom Aitken and his extraordinarily accomplished, technically demanding and original approach to flavours is evidence of such illustrous training. Highlights include ratte potato wrapped in spinach with roasted cepes, poached sea bass with roast cumin aubergine, the finest crab risotto, grilled fennel and frothy fennel veloute, crème reversee (a French take on pannacotta) with apple sorbet and artfully arranged dried apple tuiles and mesmerizingly good and generous own-made petit fours.
The Clock House, 13 High St. Ripley 01483 224777

Chapter One, Locksbottom, Orpington: junction 4
As glamorous as the newest West End restaurant, but altogether more welcoming, chef Andrew McNeish’s menu is extremely appealing, cooked with great finesse and represents truly exceptional value for money (£28.50 for 3 courses). He may have temporarily lost his Michelin star this year, but no doubt it will shortly be restored. Dishes include Venison carpaccio with truffle and ice salad, poached and roast pigeon with fig and divine rice pudding brulee.
Farnborough Common, Kent BR6 8NF 01689 8544848

Alexander’s at Limpsfield, Surrey: junction 6
A newcomer with serious culinary aspirations and credentials. Chef Simon Attridge has worked with both Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal and their influence is apparent in stunning dishes notable for their clever contrasts of textures and flavours and his liking for high end surf n turf dishes such as pork macaroni with roasted langoustines served in a tiny copper pan, impeccable roast sea bass blissfully partnered with serrano ham, bone marrow, croutons and definitive chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice-cream Ultra-chic sympathetically restored 16c schoolroom/chapel in a bucolic village high street. The brasserie offers simpler dishes with similar attention to detail including rib-eye steak with Heston’s trademark triple-cooked chips
The Old Lodge, High St. Limpsfield, Oxtend, Surrey RH8 ODR
T 01883 714365

Jolly Farmer Emporium gastro-pub meets deli/farm shop, Buckland, Surrey: junction 8
A brilliant idea brought together with tangible commitment and enthusiasm by Jon and A lovely pub has been appealingly restored with a mix of leather sofas and proper dining, flagstones and local art and serving hugely generous portions of well-prepared food with an admirable emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients. Diver caught scallops with caperberries and raisins, local pork chop with cheese mash and roasted whole apple and sage sauce and bread and butter pudding. They’re soon to open for an ultra-low food mile breakfast using all local produce. The shop includes bread, cheese, meat, smoked fish, biscuits, jams and chutneys all produced by small local producers plus organic and gluten-free foods not found elsewhere in the neighbourhood.
Reigate Rd, Buckland, Surrey RH3 7BG 01737 221355

Colette’s at The Grove, Hertfordshire: junction 18/19
The fine dining restaurant of spectacular “groovy grand” hotel The Grove with extravagantly quirky décor and art and extremely accomplished and unaccountably under-rated cooking by Chris Harrod, whose CV includes Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons. Dishes are highly original and refreshingly light including ravishingly zingy crab with quivering lemon grass pannacotta, poached chicken with almond milk and spinach and caramelised apple with walnut biscuits and cinnamon ice-cream. Vegetarian dishes are extraordinarily enticing too.
Chandler’s Cross, Herts WD3 4TG 01923 296015