British

March 1, 2015 British

Corrigan’s, Mayfair

Everyone has their favourite place to eat in a gang, whether steakhouse or Indian, pizzeria or tapas bar… My personal favourite at the moment is Corrigan’s… When we first visited it a few years ago we were practically the only people in the vast room, and the atmosphere was frayed to say the least. Now it’s my go-to place for any group over three, having both prompt, but not lightening service, being crowded and therefore having a decent atmosphere, and actually allowing you to sit over your stickies at the end, cackling with your chums. There are also a number of private spaces available for hire, from the two kitchen tables to the more formal Lindsay Room. Do look out for the Restaurant Manager, Magdalena Gorska – formidable but utterly charming, every request is handled with a can-do attitude, and a graceful smile!

One of the joys of eating here is also the observance of seasonality, with a menu full of the delights of each month – including rhubarb, the last remnants of the truffle season, and a huge rib of beef on the specials.

HERITAGE BEETROOT SALAD, WITH GOAT’S CURD, MERLOT

SHELLFISH SALAD, WITH TEMPURA PRAWN

CORNISH CRAB SALAD, CHILLI & LIME

ROAST LINE CAUGHT COD,
CARAMELISED CAULIFLOWER, TRUFFLED LEEKS

ROAST RIB OF BEEF FOR TWO

ROAST RIB OF BEEF

T-BONE STEAK WITH ONION RINGS

RHUBARB CRUMBLE SOUFFLÉ, GINGER CUSTARD

November 13, 2012 1 Michelin Star

Truffles at Alyn Williams…

Forget Keat’s ‘time of mellow fruitfulness‘, I want his ‘season of mists’. For me it signifies a time of abundant fungi, and particularly truffles. I look forward to fresh alba truffles from Piedmont, and black truffles from Périgord… I’ve been using summer truffles for months, and can’t wait for some of their more heavily scented cousins to arrive… Until the supply kicks-in in earnest, Hubby and I have been seeking out the first of the new season offerings on Alyn Williams‘ truffle tasting menu.

Alyn has fed me so many firsts this year, and is the only chef who’s had me buying gulls eggs, and eel, to cook at home – that’s my idea of an inspirational cook. As a result we were delighted when he received his first Michelin star recently, and won the National Chef of the Year competition a few days later

On this occasion the room was full of truffle aficionado’s – though this shouldn’t put you off – a truffle tasted for the first time is just as enjoyable as the last… There’s something in the scent, the (almost) melt-in-the-mouth texture which will leaves you wanting more. Truffles are rumoured to be addictive, but apparently some people are just more susceptible to their charms than others… Here the dishes were so varied that it wasn’t a case of sensory overload, but of a steady appreciation of precious and highly seasonal ingredients.

Sweetcorn might seem an unusual vehicle for truffles, but having had sweetcorn chowder spiked perfectly with lemongrass at Eleven Madison Park, I’ve come to appreciate its sweet simplicity anew. There was a smooth silky sweetcorn puree beneath the ravioli, and a scattering of crunchy fresh kernels. The scallop ravioli itself was light and delicate, with shaved alba truffle on top.

Scallop ravioli, sweet corn, white truffle

Jerusalem artichoke panna cotta is smooth and silky, with a rich dense foie grass mousse piped on top – both have earthy deep flavours, and the truffle and lemon compote on the glass provide a fragrant highlight to the two components. Interestingly the pairing of foie gras and artichoke brings out a green note in the panna cotta, a contrast which was literally mouth-watering – a great play with umami flavours.

Foie gras mousse, Jerusalem artichoke, black truffle, chickweed

The quail breast was perfectly cooked, pink, and the legs kofta were delicately spiced with dukka (an Arabic or Egyptian spice mixture). The veloute, again rich and earthy – echoed the continuing autumnal theme – but also echoing the sweetness of the sauternes preserved alba truffles.

Spiced quail, chestnut gnocchi, pumpkin velouté,
marigold flowers and preserved white truffle

A variation of the smoked egg has been on the menu before, and Alyn’s truffled soldiers were one of the first things I ate at the restaurant when it opened. Here they make a very welcome return, with the slight acidity of the creme fraiche at the bottom of the dish offsetting the richness of the egg.

Smoked egg, with truffled soldiers

Silky coco beans wrapped in a creamy veloute, with soft cod, each distinct in their own way, with finely grated alba truffle – heavenly. The ventreche (pancetta, pork belly, whichever you prefer) provides a little salty crisp. Yes, the cod does have that slightly raw texture you get when cooking in this way, but I’m eating it so often this way at the moment that I barely noticed it.

Slow cooked cod, coco beans, white truffle, Ventreche, casserole

Oh my word… See that little slip of mushroom puree, there in the front? With my finger print in it? Yes… That’s because it’s one of my favourite things ever – pure umami, richly intense, perfect in every way. The beef was tender, there were tiny croutons providing crunchy bursts of sauce-soaked texture, which was rich with madeira and demi-glace. To top it all (and make it a sauce perigourdine), fresh truffles were shaved over the dish at the table.

Devon Ruby beef, sauce perigourdine,
ceps, (and separately, pommes mousseline)

Inevitably there’s always one dish that I begin to eat before I photograph it – and here it was because the smell from the vanilla in the rice pudding and the truffle was quite intoxicating. Your brain can’t quite rationalise the pairing, but your palate is telling you to shut up and eat it! Very unusual combination, the texture of the truffle is slightly incongruous with the soft, sweet grains of rice, but hey, the flavour and scent more than make up for that.

(Partially eaten) Vanilla, white truffle, Devon cream, rice pudding

All my notes say is that pear and truffle are amazing together. No more than that, but with a number of exclamation points. There was a catalan cream, smooth and light, with a pear granita, and softly poached pear… The pine adds an additional spike in the scent, and the sugar shard further texture.

Pear, pine, crème Catalan, black truffle sugar

The real skill in this menu is combining so many truffle elements, whilst remaining true to each dish as an individual entity. Truffles were served in a myriad of ways, and eating at Alyn’s as often as we do, it’s very evident that his menu’s are improving, his experimentation is paying off, and his palate is excellent. (And he gave me a little bit of my favourite miso eel at the beginning of the meal. I could eat that forever!)

This truffle menu is available for a limited time at £180 per head (though having just been to a restaurant where the supplement was £70 per dish, it certainly isn’t overpriced!) The restaurant also offers a tasting menu at £60 per head, and a lunch menu at £25 for three courses. With inspired service from the lovely Gian-Carlo Princi, and a glittery carpet – what more could you ask for?

Alyn Williams at the Westbury
37 Conduit Street
The Westbury Mayfair Hotel
London W1S 2YF

June 12, 2012 1 Michelin Star

Harwood Arms…

The Harwood Arms is the perfect kind of local pub. Set in a nondescript street in Fulham, it looks completely unassuming and decidedly local. People were popping in and out all afternoon, and from what I saw, the majority appeared to be on foot and knew the staff well. The interior is all stripped down wood and feels airy, and light. However, a quick glance under the bonnet reveals a much racier engine – Harwood is actually a joint collaboration between Mike Robinson, chef patron of the Pot Kiln pub out in Berkshire, and Brett Graham of the Ledbury.

I’d been speaking to a well known food blogger and @Hermanoprimero on twitter for a while now – we’re all techies, we’re of a similar age, and we’re all obsessed with food. I thought it would be fun to organise a lunch, so when one of them suggested we meet there, it seemed like a very good choice. I’ve eaten Mike’s venison before (some of the best I’ve ever had), and The Ledbury is one of my favourite restaurants in London.

The man currently behind the stoves at is Barry Fitzgerald, who’d previously worked at Arbutus and Honey. He recently took over the mantle from Stevie Williams, who’d made the Harwood Arms the only Michelin starred pub in London.

We began with an amazing venison scotch egg – crispy panko breadcrumbs, delicious meat, perfect egg. I think the picture speaks for itself…

Venison Scotch egg

I had the Cornish crab on toast, with a chilled courgette and basil soup. The soup was packed full of flavour (and not too courgetty actually), a bowl of green seasonality, with spiky basil, and clean herby flavours. The crab toast was delicious! The light white meat on the top was delicate and sweet, but the bottom of the toast contained a rich layer of brown meat. It wasn’t just that the brown meat was packed full of flavour, it tasted as though it had actually been dressed in a reduction of shellfish. It tasted of the best bisque, a sort of ground shell intensity that worked perfectly on the toast and was a perfect foil for the verdant soup.

Cornish crab on toast, with edible flowers

Chilled courgette and basil soup, with Cornish crab on toast

Next I had the plaice – perfectly cooked fish, lightly dressed vegetables, salty samphire, sweet baby gem lettuce. A lovely dish, clean and yet packed full of flavour.

Roast plaice on the bone, with smoked potato, baby gem and potted shrimp butter

There were lots of amazing puddings on offer, but I’m a bit addicted to sea buckthorn after my travels to Paul Foster at Tuddenham Mill, so there was no way I was going to turn down any dish that contained it. In this case there were perfect tiny doughnuts, dusted in sugar and cinnamon. The sea buckthorn came as dipping sauce, and also mixed with sour cream. Light and fresh, they complimented each other perfectly.

Brown sugar doughnuts, with sea buckthorn curd and sour cream

The staff at the Harwood Arms, headed by Alex Sergeant, were charming and attentive. We were there for hours talking about all manner of things, and they kept us topped up, fed and watered in a friendly but unobtrusive way. The food is of very good quality, and well executed. Actually I think it’s very good value too – I wish I lived next to the Harwood, it would definitely be my local – I wish it could be my local… As it is, it’s definitely going on my regulars list.

@Hermanoprimero‘s Lunch

Warm salad of wood pigeon, with
creamed livers, bitter leaves and turnips

Cheek and jowl of Middlewhite portk,
with celeriac, white cabbage and crackling

Fresh mint ice-cream with Harwood Arms bournon biscuits

The other lunch…

Chicken live pate, with spiced chutney,
chicory and caramelised onion bread

Slow cooked neck of roebuck, with
creamed celeriac, wild mushrooms and horseradish

Raspberry and blackberry trifle,
with sherry sponge and brandy snaps
(and yes, it really is that colour!)

Harwood Arms
27 Walham Grove
Fulham

London SW6 1QP

@HarwoodArms

June 8, 2012 2 Michelin Stars

Dinner, Knightsbridge

I felt somewhat apprehensive about booking a table at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – it feels as though everything that can be said about the experience, has been said. Yet as a technical cook any Blumenthal offering surely had to be on my list to try. So at the prescribed hour I duly rang, got straight through, and very quickly made my booking.

Hubby and I had eaten in Foliage several times, but Dinner has made better use of the space. The atmosphere is buzzy, though it wasn’t busy when we arrived. There were a mixture of diners, some looking for a gastronomic experience – others literally just for dinner. And I think perhaps this lies at the heart of my experience. Where we had unconsciously come to view it as a ‘one trick pony’ – certainly Heston has commented in the past that the most diners will only ever visit the Fat Duck once – Dinner is actually a fully-functioning seasonal restaurant, in which you could eat regularly and still find lots to interest and excite.

From our vantage point overlooking the glass kitchen we could see the brigade in action, and it’s a very slick operation. There’s a Josper oven on which all the steaks are cooked, and when the chef opens the door, there’s a tiny delay before plumes of flames erupt into the kitchen. On another counter a rotisserie grill endlessly turns the glazed pineapples for the Tipsy cake, and ticket machines punctuate the view with orders appearing both at the pass and in the meat section itself.

The menu is based on historical and traditional recipes over several centuries, and the detail describes when the dishes were recorded, with a reference on the reverse to specific ingredients, techniques and sauces. The dishes have been compiled from a wide variety of texts, and Heston and Ashley have referred to the historians at Hampton Court Palace, and to items in the British Library to try to ensure authenticity.

I told the Hubby that everyone eats the Meat Fruit – we look at each other – really, do we have to? I liked the look of the scallops, and Hubby really wanted the Salamugundy… Neither of us was prepared to give up our dish when lo, like manna from heaven, a Meat Fruit arrived with the compliments of the kitchen. Up close it really is as beautiful as all of those photographs would suggest, and breaking open that mandarin glaze reveals an incredibly smooth and clean chicken liver parfait. It’s not just the theatre of the dish, this is perhaps the best chicken liver parfait I’ve eaten and the acidity of the mandarin cuts through the dish cleanly. Do order it – ignore your instincts to forego it – it’s an great dish. It’s served with farmhouse bread which has been grilled in a criss-cross fashion, the slightly charred edge adding to the overall combination. (If you want to make it at home, here’s the recipe).

Meat Fruit

My scallops and cucumber was really more about the cucumber than the scallops. The ketchup includes a hit of dill, adding to that slightly pickled element, and provided a clean acidic hit on the palate. The braised cucumber hearts are held sous vide with a little oil, before being chargrilled – this solidifies the texture, and the charring highlights the sweetness of the cucumber. The scallops were fine, but felt more like a vehicle for the cucumber and borage. I like this dish, it tastes clean and fresh, and was a good dish to sit between the parfait and the rice.

Scallops with cucumber

Hubby was a little less keen on his Salamugundy (chicken oysters, salsify, marrow bone and horseradish cream ). He loved the textures of the two kinds of chicken (the said oyster, and he thought chicken breast), but thought the dish was over seasoned. I suspect whatever seasoning is put onto the skin of the breast enhance the crispiness contributed to the salty flavour. Hubby doesn’t usually complain about saltiness, and I’m pretty liberal at home. (Forgot to take a photo).

Next, Rice and Flesh. This saffron risotto is probably the best saffron dish I’ve had (often I find the taste quite metallic and flat), and one of the best risotto’s I’ve had in ages. There’s nothing worse than poor risotto, and this was luscious and yielding. My picture is deceiving, the dish is actually only a fine layer of risotto, and not as wet as it looks here. The flesh in question is calves tail, and is a tiny mouthful of umami-rich intensity. You couldn’t eat much of this dish, but the slightly blue note combined with the meaty rightness is well balanced. I’d happily forgo a main course for this dish, and Hubby really liked the meagre spoonful I allowed him.

Rice and Flesh

Hubby had the Savoury Porridge – very pretty it includes roast cod palette, and smoked beetroot. He wasn’t terribly keen on the texture of the cod palette, though he did like the flavours in the rest of the dish. He passed me a piece – no – fine for me… He insisted it was a bit slimy, and passed me another – and this piece was much more slippery and fishy. I’m assuming cod palette is actually cod cheeks, though surely that would make it cod palate not palette?

Savoury porridge

I had the fillet of beef, which I think perhaps was unnecessary given the other yumminess on offer – in future I’d happily just eat a variety of starters. It was of course perfectly cooked in that Josper oven, and came with a disk of bone marrow not the top. I’m not usually that keen on bone marrow which can sometimes be too slippery for me, but here it complimented the meatiness and worked well with the crumb. The triple cooked chips were crunchy and well seasoned, and I also ordered some braised lettuce, which ‘let down’ the meatiness – that is to say, the clean flavour refreshed the tastebuds between mouthfuls. The beef jus is incredibly intense, as is the mushroom ketchup, so I think you do need some kind of vegetable side dish.

Aberdeen Angus fillet steak with mushroom ketchup

Triple cooked chips

The Hubby had the Black Foot pork chop, with Hispi cabbage, lardo, ham hock and Robert sauce.

Black Foot pork chop

I’d pre-ordered the tipsy cake (which you have to order at the same time as your starters), and the brioche arrived in a tiny cast iron pot, which a carved sliver of charred pineapple. The brioche is soaked in Sauternes, and lightly dusted with powdered sugar crystals – absolutely delicious. It tastes a little like a rum baba, but is more fragrant, and not as sweet and sticky. The pineapple is so richly condensed by this stage that it almost has an umami edge, it tasted very gently of that savoury depth you get from blue cheese, if thats not too strange an analogy.

Tipsy cake with pineapple

We’d decided to have a side-order of the liquid nitrogen ice-cream, and the undulating trolley was duly wheeled over. There’s an old-school Kenwood style mixer built into the trolley, and our waitress combined the vanilla custard base with the liquid nitrogen to form instant ice-cream. Served in little sugared cones, there were a choice of four toppings – freeze dried cherries, popping candy, praline I think, and sugar coated fennel seeds. This is a great bit of theatre at the table, but the resulting ice-cream melts so quickly in your hands that Hubby soon abandoned his. Mine was a little firmer and was surprisingly like a Mr Whippy ice-cream – I had assumed it would have a more conventional texture. Whilst it does provide a little bit of theatre at the table, I’m not sure it would work that well if you were in a larger group.

Liquid nitrogen ice-cream

Ironically I think I had a lot more fun with the menu than the Hubby. We found the cooking technically accomplished, the atmosphere relaxed and buzzy, and the staff very attentive – the only question which couldn’t be answered immediately resulted in a better informed member of staff appearing promptly at our table. Where perhaps the Hubby didn’t personally appreciate all of the dishes he’d ordered, he said it certainly wouldn’t stop him from returning and ordering some of those I’d had. Talking to the Sous Chef, we said that we’d noticed one particular dish absolutely flying off the meat section – what was it? Apparently it’s the pigeon, so this is what I’ll be ordering next time. There’s a great little chef’s table overlooking the pass, and next time I think we’d bring people with us to enjoy the buzzy atmosphere.

If you’ve not been yet – do go to Dinner. Don’t think of it as a one-time venue, but as somewhere you could eat in the way you would at, say, The Square, or Marcus Wareing. My scallop dish had just come back onto the menu, so it’s not quite as fixed as we’d imagined. Truthfully it’s not in our top five for London, but given the variety on offer these days this is certainly not a criticism. I’d also say that the booking process was not as complicated as we’d anticipated, and @elizabethonfood’s advice to try walking in early seems sound to us.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The Mandarin Hotel
66 Knightsbridge
London

May 25, 2012 British

Verveine, Milford-on-Sea

I was surprised to discover that the Hampshire Life 2011 Restaurant of the Year, and Chef of the Year awards belonged to a little fish restaurant about ten minutes from my house in the Forest. I’d had recommendations for Verveine, but somehow it had landed in my radar with more of a plink than a splash. Given the lack of a decent fishmonger in our area (ridiculous when you live on the coast), Verveine went straight onto my to-try list..

Cajun salmon mousse

Verveine is located on the High Street at Milford-on-Sea, and for non-locals, is just down the road from the lovely Chewton Glen Hotel. The front of the restaurant is the fishmongers, with a light and bright restaurant extension at the back. The kitchen is run by Chef Patron David Wykes.

I dragged along my usual accomplices, Dennis and Vicky. We were greeted warmly, and offered some Cajun salmon mousse, with crisps. The mousse was whipped, with a with a rich and earthy flavour, but the spice was a little raw, and made the texture a little granular.

Our Garden in Spring

To begin I had Our Garden in Spring with goat’s curd, pickled beet, radish, asparagus, peas, asparagus, garlic flowers and olive oil soil. The olive is scattered on top of the curd and acts like a seasoning. The richness of both is offset by the sweetness of the raw vegetables, and the pickling of the soused vegetables. There’s also an interesting combination of textures on the plate – I particularly liked the goat curd. And, let’s face it, it’s a very pretty dish…

Verveine preserves a lot of its ingredients to add flavour, in fact they make a number of their key components themselves and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. There’s also a small garden at the rear where they grow their own ingredients, including some of those in my starter.

Brixham octopus with chorizo, rice, chicken skin

Dennis opted for the finely diced Brixham octopus with chorizo, puffed rice, preserved lemons and crispy chicken skin. He enjoyed the surf ‘n’ turf combinations of the dish.

The main course is based on the premise that you choose your fish from the blackboard (with all the days specials priced out), and then have it cooked in one of four treatments. These were:

Provençale – Mediterranean vegetables, home-made potato gnocchi, Provençale sauce
Forest – Wild garlic risotto, wild mushrooms, squash puree, almonds
Sea – Sea vegetables, Jersey Royals, olive oil emulsion
Barigole – Morteau sausage, creamed potato, broad beans, baby artichokes

Turbot, Sea

We decided to opt for the turbot, and to each take a particular plating style. I had Sea – turbot with samphire, broad beans, jersey potatoes, and seaweed. The little blobs are purees of beetroot and I think butternut squash – they added a sweet depth to counter the salty sea vegetables.

The samphire was pickled, so was acidic rather than salty.

The purees look very pretty, and eat well, but as the dish had been kept under the pass for a little while, and were drying out.

Turbot, Provencale

Dennis opted for the Provençale, which came with courgettes, roast tomatoes, artichokes, gnocchi, and a scrape of aubergine. The various elements were less ‘mushy’ than a traditional ratatouille, allowing each ingredient to stand for itself.

Turbot, Forest

Vicky opted for Forest – her turbot was plated with mushrooms, almonds, a risotto of grains, pesto, new season ransoms, and samphire. I tried the grain risotto – I much prefer grain – it holds its texture much better than rice risotto where its an accompaniment (rather than the central element of the dish).

Sherbet Fountain

All of that was quite filling, and we weren’t going to have a dessert, until our waiting staff told us about David’s deconstructed dishes. One was a take on a sherbet dab, and Dennis and I both plumped straight for that, liquorice addicts that we are…

The liquorice element is a deep and intense ice-cream made with soft liquorice – the sherbet is made with a mixture of Fizzy, icing sugar, and citric acid. We loved this dish, absolutely delicious if you like liquorice. I liked it so much that it immediately became a tribute dish, and you can find my Thermomix recipe here.

We had a long chat to David at the end of the meal, swapping recipe ideas, book choices and restaurant recommendations. David has cooked in some very accomplished kitchens, and this shows in his approach. From the freshly made butter, to the home-smoked ingredients, Verveine is as self sufficient as it can be. This does occasionally have its drawbacks, and all three of us disliked the soused samphire – where an ingredient has such an admired texture and flavour, it seems churlish to alter both without good cause. Plate dressings had also been allowed to dry out a little, which seems a shame, as the purees were actually very tasty. Overall we enjoyed our lunch, and will happily add Verveine to our list of regular haunts. The staff are very knowledgable and attentive, and one cheerfully selected a variety of leaves from the garden for another diner to taste. David is a competent chef with lots of very interesting ideas, and I can’t wait to try more of his deconstructed puddings. Next time I think this has my name on it:

Violet Beauregarde – Blueberries, bubblegum pannacotta, caramelised brioche
‘Great heavens girl!’ screeched Mrs Beauregarde, ‘you’re blowing up like a balloon!!’ ‘Like a blueberry ‘said Mr Wonka, ‘prick her with a pin!!’

Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant

98 High Street

Milford on Sea

Hampshire

SO41 0QE

May 14, 2012 Ben Spalding

dines at Ben Spalding’s Pop-Up…

Ben’s menu for the evening

Appalling photographs I appreciate – but I wanted to put them on the blog to show the inventive talents of Mr @benspalding1. Ben did a one-night-only popup at Ben’s Canteen, and these photographs are from that event.

I’ve been a huge admirer of Ben since I tasted his food at Roganic – I’ve even been the proud owner of Ben’s mince pies for the Mince Pie project. There was never any question that Ben would find his way in the world, and though this meal wasn’t perfect, I’m amazed he was able to produce anything at all from such a ridiculously tiny kitchen. I’d follow Ben anywhere to eat his food, and nothing has changed that opinion!

A box filled with mulberry tea, to smell upon arrival – smelled delicious!

Broad beans warmed in mutton fat,
mackerel cured in seawater, shallots broccoli and honey,
caramelised cauliflower and sea blite,
knackerbrod with creamed “chicken of the woods”,
Devon blue with san marzano jam and wild basil,
fermented mung bean paste seasoned with BBQ sauce

Bread

White crab, pumpkin, lichens, grilled cucumber, cloudberries and smoked yoghurt

Jerusalem artichokes cooked in soil overnight,
spruce, various beetroots and black grape juice

Poussin poached in salted butter, hazelnuts,
onion, and sauce flavoured with roasted pineapple

Whipped whey butter, roasted fern carrots, bran soft and iced lemon thyme

Original beans with lemongrass and ginger,
lingonberry marshmallow,
tonka bean shortbread,
peanut butter fudge,
flapjack

May 5, 2012 2 Michelin Stars

Midsummer House, Cambridge

Midsummer House in Cambridge is the star attraction of Cambridge’s growing food scene. Owned by Chef Patron Daniel Clifford, the restaurant has held two Michelin stars since 2005, and has recently undergone renovation.

I’ve wanted to eat Daniel’s food for some time now, and the Craven meeting at the Newmarket race course nearby provided the perfect opportunity to visit the restaurant. Midsummer House is set in a Victorian villa, perched neatly between a river and an open park. As a result you have to approach it on foot – but this gives you time to take in the restaurant’s lovely setting… Tables are predominantly set in the rear conservatory, and overlook the charming garden, the trees hung with fairy lights. There’s even a Misdummer House Pashley propped up in the garden, adding to the slightly old-world romantic feel of the restaurant.

We began with a tomato and celery sorbet, olives, and cheese gougère made with parmesan, and filled with smooth warm gruyere, by far the best gougère I’ve had in terms of texture. The sorbet was clean, a culinary virgin mary, and very refreshing. We opted for the tasting menu, and for once I’ve remembered to photograph most of it.

Leek and potato, a quails egg and smoked haddock

The quails egg had been just dipped in burnt onion powder and was perfectly soft and luscious. The fish was cooked exactly, and the translucent flakes broke easily into the leek and potato. I’ve had onion ash at Roganic, but this is much more intense and flavoursome, though much grittier in texture.

Rillettes of salmon, pickled vegetables, lemongrass sorbet and wasabi puree

Succulent moist salmon, balanced carefully with the soused vegetables, and the clean refreshing sorbet. The wasabi doesn’t overpower the dish, but adds depth and gentle heat, and the effect of all three accompaniments is to lighten and refresh the palate, and most importantly to allow the salmon to shine. I could eat this all day long. The micro leaves also serve a function, highlighting the spice.

Slow roast quail, salad of fresh pea and wild garlic, sautéed morels, quail jus

Alongside the quail breast, a ballotine of quail leg wrapped in potato offered an extra textural dimension. The quail was perfectly cooked and offset by the rich clean earthiness of the pea and garlic. The morels added a level of unami’ness which counterbalanced the delicate sweetness of the meat.

Cauliflower cooked under pressure with squid and rice crackers

What could possibly elevate cauliflower cheese to a gourmet dish? Include some squid! Of course Daniel’s dish was much prettier than this, but yet again I was so fascinated by the combination that I’d tried it before I remembered to take a picture. The combination of the squid and the cheese hits that umami button head on, and allows the menu to continue to build in depth. Barely visible in the picture is a squid ink sheet of jelly, and diced squid buried deep in the dish. The metallic tang of the squid ink contrasts with the seaweed like greens, and the rich depth of the cheese.

Unsurprisingly I managed to miss the photograph of one dish – well – I was really enjoying the menu by then! But my notes have a dish of slow roast duck, with braised swiss chard, sweet potato and pink grapefruit. I’ve noted that the dish just lifts your palate back up the umami scale after the last two, with the pink grapefruit adding a note of acidity, and cutting through the meatiness of the duck.

Artisanal cheese

The Hubby was offered a variety of cheeses, including some very nice Exmoor Blue, Roquefort, and Manchego.

A pre-dessert of fennel, black olive and lemon came as fennel cream and jelly, with lemon sorbet, shards of black olive tuille, and black olives. The combination of sour and savoury acted as a good palate cleanser after the cheese, but I can imagine it wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste. Personally I loved the combination.

Caramelised apple, cinnamon ice cream

Absolutely lovely dessert – the various combinations of apple an cinnamon made for lovely contrasts. There were crisp mille-feuille like disks, hot apple spheres with cold apple disks, jelly disks on top of smooth mousse, a raisin jus, a cinnamon puree, and cinnamon ice-cream. Tart and light in texture, yet with the sweet cinnamon depth of flavour. The cool and warm contrasts, the smooth and the crisp, were all delicately balanced.

Midsummer House is one of the few restaurants I’ve eaten in where I felt the chef had truly constructed a menu, rather than a random combination of dishes. The meal is structured in depth, and increases in intensity as you progress. The rooms are newly renovated, and the staff were attentive. During the summer guests are able to spend time in the garden, which given its setting, would be charming.

I was lucky enough to not only go into the main kitchen, but into Daniel’s development kitchen too, and the attention to detail is evident everywhere. Delicious food, a beautiful setting, and the added incentive of the stunning architecture of Cambridge on its doorstep.

Midsummer House
Midsummer Common
Cambridge

CB4 1HA

May 4, 2012 British

Paul Foster’s Tasting Menu at Tuddenham Mill

Having eaten Paul Foster’s GBM Menu the night before, we moved on to his tasting menu.This is a better reflection of both the ethos of the kitchen, and of their technical skill. Ingredients can be foraged from the meadows around the mill and the emphasis is very much on local and seasonal produce. Paul is a very accomplished chef, and here you get a better sense of his vision and his developing style.

Mussel broth, with lemon spots, cucumber, stonecrop, buckthorn, dill and a dash of parsley oil

This is a delightful dish, and begins the evening with the lightest and most delicate of broths, teeming with flavour and scent. Everything is crisp or succulent, and thought through. The lemon puree adds acidity, but by being combined with agar allows you to taste it in droplets, rather than overwhelming the dish. As summer approaches, this is the perfect starter. [For molecular cooks, the lemon dressing is achieved by combing lemon juice and agar in a water bath at 90ºC for 1 hour – I shall blog it once I’ve tried it this weekend]

Now, Hubby and I were gossiping so much about our racing finds at Newmarket, that I managed to completely miss photographs of two courses. This is not unusual if I’m enjoying a menu! One of those dishes is the hake brandade, with a slow cooked hen’s egg, and a scattering of crispy bacon. The egg of course perfectly cooked at 62ºC, with its unctuous yolk breaking over the salty hake.

Asparagus, chickweed and cobnuts

Here seasonal ingredients are the star, with new season asparagus, asparagus purée, raw asparagus, chickweed, and grated cob nut.

The second photograph I missed was an amazing beer dish, with a Adnams beer noisette, a slightly sweet pickled onion, some melt-in-the-mouth oxtail and flaxseed. I may not have taken a photo, but my note book is full of little stars.

Salt baked lamb rump and shoulder, with yoghurt,
wild garlic, celeriac an celery leaf

The lamb is slow cooked and is succulent and fall-apart tender . The salt-baked celeriac is echoed in the celery leaf, which provides a brighter note, accompanying the satisfying sourness of the yoghurt, with the metallic tang of the wild garlic. I’m not terribly keen on lamb, though I will always try it, having once eaten sensational lamb cooked by Albert Roux. Whilst this didn’t have the finesse of Mon. Roux’s dish, it more than made up for it in flavour. I am a firm convert again, and think it’s particularly interesting that it’s the “lesser” cuts Paul uses which have really delivered on flavour in several of his dishes. It’s admirable to see a kitchen steering away from predictable ingredients and combinations.

Egg custard tart, apple, buttermilk, nutmeg

Yes, you probably gather from my photo that I delved straight into the dish before remembering to take a photo – of course it looks prettier than this! As well as the custard, there were crisp batons of green apple, slices of raw apple flavoured with caramelised toffee apple, and buttermilk. Very dense, smooth and creamy, with a distinct savoury edge delivered through the saltiness of the custard. This almost has the savouriness of a cheese course.

Chocolate mousse and soil, sea buckthorn granita, and hazelnut

This dessert has many elements: there’s chocolate soil (made with cocoa, ground almonds, flour, butter and sugar), a chocolate mousse scatter with cocoa nibs, a sea buckthorn granita, powdered hazelnut scattering (made with hazelnut butter mixed with maltose), and a tiny garnish of yarrow. Somehow like the best jaffa cake deconstructed – but better. Where others rely on orange, Paul uses the acidity of the sea buckthorn to contrast to the rich earthiness of the chocolate. One would imagine the whole dish to be slightly too bitter and tart, but the various nut elements ground the dish. There’s also the contrast of textures and temperatures at play, all working harmoniously on the plate.

I enjoyed Paul’s Great British Menu, but on the whole I prefer this one – the dishes are more complete, and worked together better to give sense of direction to the meal. Tuddenham Mill isn’t far from London, has rooms (which deliver room service breakfast!), and staff who are enthusiastic and charming. I understand it’s also possible to go on a foraging walk around the meadow, which would be fantastic fun. Add in a trip to Midsummer House and Alimentum, and you have a culinary weekend you’ll be talking about for a very long time.

Tuddenham Mill
High Street
Tuddenham

Suffolk IP28 6SQ

May 2, 2012 British

Paul Foster’s GBM Menu at Tuddenham Mill

By happy coincidence I found myself booked into Tuddenham Mill whilst Paul Foster, the Mill’s Head Chef, appeared on the Great British Menu. Even better, Paul’s menu was already available to guests, and we were able to try the complete menu before some of the dishes had even aired.

Paul has spent time in some very impressive kitchens before moving to Tuddenham in 2010, and worked at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saison, at the eponymous Sat Bains, and had stages at The French Laundry and L’auberge de lille in Lyon. Here his style is a combination of local and foraged ingredients, and modern techniques. Tuddenham Mill itself is perched on a beautiful stretch of water, and has retained many of the traditional elements of the mill, whilst providing a modern dining experience. On the night we ate this menu Paul wasn’t actually in the kitchen, but he did cook us his tasting menu the following night, which is reviewed here.

Pork neck carpaccio, pork skin scratchings,
croquette of pig’s head, ribwort plantain purée, and budding chickweed

The pork neck carpaccio is delicious, as are the croquette, full of rich yet almost delicate flavour. By contrast the fine shaving of turnip was over-soused, and overwhelmed the radish, green apple and asparagus, which were raw. I have no problem with raw ingredients, actually I rather like them, but the contrast did mean that there wasn’t as much cohesion to the dish as I might have expected, and distracted us from the pork. The ribwort plantain (which is sautéed with shallots and chicken stock) is lovely, but might have achieved a little more umami intensity.

Ray noodles, with chicken skin, foraged sea vegetables
including stonecrop and sea aster, pea mousse and lemon gel

Next, by far the dish I was anticipating most – the barely cooked common ray, with chicken skin, foraged sea vegetables, pea mousse and lemon gel. The ray is brined, and then barely poached in a water bath for 10 minutes at 48ºC. The threads of flesh are then pulled from the fish like noodles, and plated in a brown butter and soy dressing. I absolutely love this dish, couldn’t fault it. The ray is succulent, delicate and delicious. The foraged elements work perfectly with the dish and are piquant, individual, but not overpowering. The pea mousse is sweet, but also slightly earthy, and the chicken skin provides the umami element. I’ve had fish with chicken several times before, but here it’s up to you to combine the chicken in the quantity you want – and this for me makes the difference… It doesn’t overpower the dish, it sits alongside it comfortably. The lemon purée is mixed with a little agar then piped around the plate – it provides a clean hit of citrus, with a good mouthfeel. This is one dish I will definitely make at home.

Goosnargh duck breast and hearts, broccoli,
hazelnuts, and pink fir potatoes with douglas pine

The skin of the duck is blow-torched, before putting it in the water bath for 40 minutes at 60ºC. The resulting breast is moist and delicious. The hearts are very tender, and not too gamey, and they’re served with a broccoli purée, and broccoli in a smoked garlic dressing. The combination of the nuts with the purée is delicious. The potatoes are vac packed with the douglas fir infused flavouring, and they do take-on the flavour successfully, but I think the dish is just as good without them.

Whipped sea buckthorn, with Italian meringue,
puffed rice, damson purée, ground ivy, and ginger syrup

Whipped sea buckthorn, with Italian meringue, puffed rice, and ginger syrup. The sea buckthorn juice is mixed with sugar and agar, then heated, before eggs are beaten into it. The curd is then set and whipped. The flavour of the buckthorn is delicious – sweet and sour, almost like physalis, but more rounded out. The blowtorched meringue adds a caramel flavour, and the puffed rice adds further texture. I enjoyed the flavour of the sea buckthorn – the dish is sweet and sour, silky and crunchy, light but full of ‘mouth feel’.

Overall I thought the least consistent dish in the menu was the starter, but purely because of the interaction of the ingredients. The standout dish for me is of course the ray – it’s a fantastic technique and brings out the best in the ingredients – I hope it remains on Paul’s tasting menu for some time to come. The tasting menu is though I think a better reflection of Paul’s skills, and you can read about that here.

Tuddenham Mill
High Street
Tuddenham

Suffolk IP28 6SQ

May 1, 2012 1 Michelin Star

Alimentum, Cambridge

Based in Cambridge, Alimentum joins the small but growing band of fine dining restaurants in the city. Mark Poynton, the Chef Patron, came from Cambridge’s Michelin starred Midsummer House, before moving to Alimentum as Head Chef in 2008, and becoming the Chef Patron in 2010.

Mark has developed a very steady and loyal local following, as well as an increasing number of visitors keen to try his developing style. I was lucky enough to find myself in Newmarket for the races, and Alimentum went straight onto my list of restaurants to visit. The promise of such culinary riches also tempted along the very talented Paul Winch-Furniss, and it’s his marvellous pictures you see here. We arrive separately, both windswept, but are quickly ushered into the warmth inside. There’s a lobby bar, all very plush and smart, and giving way to the restaurant. By using the same scarlet colour palette, the two spaces are neatly combined, but are also quite distinct – two ends of the same spectrum, and very polished.

In this smart bar we chat, while little treats are put onto highly polished mirrored tables – salt and vinegar popcorn, distinctly vinegary and definitely more pleasant than it sounds, paired with smoked paprika and hummus macaron – the smoked paprika induces that memory of prawn cocktail flavoured crisps, but the hummus grounds it, giving it a more satisfying flavour.

At the table we decide to have a tasting menu, and begin with a pea mousse with cottage cheese, lemon and ham – this is light, vibrant, with the acidity of the cheese balancing the creaminess of the pea mousse. The whole dish is topped with crispy Joselito gran reserva (one of the finest jamón ibérico de bellota).

This is followed by new season asparagus with a hen’s egg: there’s asparagus puree, raw green asparagus, barbecued white asparagus and a confit egg (in rapeseed oil at 62º for those of you who like these details, the same temperature as a water-bath egg, but here more delicate, silky and flavoured by its rapeseed bath). There is also a slice of truffle brioche, a pickled morel, a goats curd ice-cream and grated truffle to top the dish. I have eaten at least two other variations of this dish in recent months, but here the morel and the goats cheese take it in a different direction, adding depth and contrast to the overall composition.

Next sole, with a toast puree and a pickled fennel puree, silky leeks, pickled grapes, semi-dried pickled grapes, and soused fennel topped with a yeast foam. The yeast foam is piquant and lifts the dish, whilst the fennel and grapes add a sweet sharpness to the soft and delicate fish – a perfectly modern elevation of a classical sole Veronique.

This is followed by a crab meat and scallop mousse, encased in a translucent cylinder of pink-grapefruit jelly, with shards of charred spring onion, prink grapefruit, a stack of crabmeat in marie-rose sauce, and a cube of pressed chicken wing. The combination of fish with umami rich chicken is becoming increasingly popular, but here the pink grapefruit with its strong acidity cuts through the dish – I felt it somewhat overwhelmed the delicate mousse – but it’s an interesting combination.

Then pressed duck, together with a stip of succulent barbecued duck breast, beetroot quinoa, turnip and orange puree, little turnips dressed with turnip leaf, a beetroot gravy and roasted beetroot, both red and yellow. Here the menu steps up a notch, with increased flavour and intensity. Though I wouldn’t have described the duck as particularly hitting that umami button, it did certainly fully round out the meal, and the delicacy of the turnip, and the sweetness of the beetroot weren’t drowned out by the savouriness of the meat – a good combination – with the quinoa adding texture and earthiness. (And yes, Mr Poynton is another chef with an enamel grill in his kitchen, though not a certain egg on this occasion.)

Pre-dessert is a passionfruit curd and granita, with a coffee tuille and coffee ice-cream, and a saffron meringue. This was a perfect dish – the light but intense acidity of the passionfruit cuts through the rich and rounded depth of the coffee elements, and the metallic saffron tips the scale in a different direction, so that it’s not simply a contrast between the other two flavours. Texturally it’s a perfect contrast between cold, smooth, zingy, and crisp too.

The second dessert is a dark chocolate pavé, with a breadcrumb, maldon salt and olive oil crust, caramelised puff pastry at the base stuffed with popping candy, together with a pear sorbet and pear puree on cocoa nibs. The chocolate mousse was intense and smooth, and the textural elements cut through the density. Little cubes of pear scattered the plate and the pear sorbet refresh the palate in-between.

The petit four were a cassia bark jelly, a coconut and lime truffle, and a ‘seared’ marshmallow. I must admit that I didn’t try any of those, but given that Paul promptly finished them off for me, I’m assuming they were pretty good. I did look though, and the jellies were perfect cubes, the chocolate glossy with its brush of pink lustre, and the marshmallows suitably squidgy.

The service at Alimentum is professional and well-informed, and the proficient sommelier will guide you through the menu with appropriate pairings. It’s a good-looking room, and I’m sure the intense scarlet silk elements look very rich in the evening, though they brought warmth during the lunch service too. Mark’s cooking is accomplished and experimental, and thought has been put into the menu. The dishes change frequently with the season, with the chef always striving to achieve new heights – I think we can expect greater things from Mr Poynton in the future. If you’re coming to Cambridge, Alimentum must be on your list of places to try. Indeed given that Cambridge is a scant 45 minutes from London by train, I’d argue it’s worth popping up for lunch, and for a wander around the ravishing architecture of the old town just a few minutes away.

Alimentum
152-154 Hills Road,
Cambridge
CB2 8PB

British

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal The Mandarin Hotel 66 Knightsbridge London

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The Mandarin Hotel
66 Knightsbridge
London