I’m in Barcelona, it’s 20ºC on the terrace, and Femme D’Argent is blasting on my headphones – what’s not to love? Add to that an agenda that includes three 2* Michelin restaurants, and one 3*, and you know my mood is going to be relaxed, expansive, and happy…
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The Blanc Brasserie is the main restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona, though they also have the Michelin starred Moments.
Food is well executed, and the kitchen turn out a wide variety of Catalan, Spanish and Oriental dishes. We particularly enjoyed the miso octopus, which was succulent and tender, and I loved the inclusion of pink peppercorns in the yakitori which gave it a piquancy not usually found.
It forms a quiet oasis in the centre of the city.
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| Chicken yakitori |
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| Seasonal vegetables, Iberian ham, fresh herbs and flowers |
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| Octopus in miso, with shitake mushrooms and vegetables |
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| Brushcetta of tomato and smoked eel |
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| Crispy suckling pig, vermouth and shallots |
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| Roasted fillet of sea bass, wild Venere rice, trout roe |
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| Cardamom chocolate fondant, with yoghurt ice-cream |
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| Peanut parfait, with raspberry and lemon thyme compote |
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| Petit Fours |
Blanc Brasserie
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Passeig de Gràcia, 38-40,
08007 Barcelona
+34 93 151 87 83
When I mention that I spend half my time in the New Forest, people push me for hotel and restaurant recommendations… And the problem with the Forest is that it is a destination – over ten million people pour into it to it every year to camp, trek, and cycle through the woods, and sail out of the beautiful harbours – consequently, a great proportion of the restaurants in the area cater for the tourist market.
At one end of the spectrum it’s not uncommon to be served a tin of beans alongside your enormous portion of sausage and mash (and no, I’m not joking). At the other end, we have several formal restaurants, usually based in hotels, and on the whole rather uninspiring, sterile spaces. There are of course a few exceptions, but I’ve all but given up eating out down here, and recommend very few places to chums.
Inevitably the conversation will turn to sister-hotels The Pig at Brockenhurst, and Lime Wood at Lyndhurst – both hotels feature in all those lovely magazines we Londoners seem to favour so much. The cognoscenti don their wellingtons and Barbours, and head for the woods, in an urbanite return to nature. I’m actually very fond of Lime Wood – I’ve even stayed there, though I live less than ten miles away (excellent beds, low lighting that activates when you pop to the bathroom at night, and excellent breakfast in the Scullery, since you ask).
But did I enjoy the restaurant enough to recommend it? To be honest – no. Though the food was good, it had a very incongruous Disney’esque wooden framing and was completely devoid of any personality. Everyone I’ve asked down here disliked it, as did a few of my London friends who’d visited. We were all abuzz then, with the news that not only was Angela Hartnett joining Luke Holder in an re-woking of the menu, but also the dining rooms were to be completely overhauled.
In place of the faux Disney, there are now stuffed leather chairs, and Missoni fabric. Much smarter than the dining room at The Pig, but much more relaxed and comfortable than it’s previous incarnation. Playing to Luke’s strengths, the menu has a very strong Italian influence, and reflects the year Luke spent working at the three Michelin starred Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence (excellent wine list, good food, insane water menu – yes – you read that correctly – a 30 page plus water menu…). And of course we all know that Angela’s an excellent pusher of Italian delights… Could this new incarnation live up to my expectations I wondered?
Well, hurrah for Holder and Hartnett! I’ll say it again – hurrah! Excellent Italian food, properly executed favourites, with friendly and observant staff. Ristottos were properly al dente, creamy, and the 11yo’s saffron risotto wasn’t too metallic, a common problem. Alongside that, delicious artichokes, excellent salad which tasted as though it had just been plucked, perfect zucchini fritti (joy of joys), and my favourite – espresso affogato.
So, go on – ask me… Would I recommend Holder and Hartnett to my London chums?
Absolutely!
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| Roasted artichokes, with grated duck egg, and bread crumbs |
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| Risotto Milanese |
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| Local meats cured in the Smokehouse at Lime Wood |
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| Pumpkin risotto, with chestnuts and Nanny blue cheese |
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| Flat-iron steak, with black pepper butter |
| Affogato |
Lime Wood Hotel,
Beaulieu Road,
Lyndhurst,
Hampshire
SO43 7FZ
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Mayfair’s Sumosan is one of three restaurants worldwide run by the Wolkow family. It’s one of the trendier Japanese restaurants, with groovy music, dimmed lighting and excellent cocktails.
We’ve been to it several times with friends, and have always enjoyed the extensive menu. On this occasion we found some of the combinations less successful (toro stuffed with foie gras was definitely a textural challenge) – but if you stick with the various excellent sashimi combinations, you’ll be on safe ground. Yellowtail truffle tiradito was a very welcome variation on the usual hamachi with jalapeño – the strong truffle oil scent giving way to a crisp and citrus dressing. The sashimi selection was also very good, particularly the scallop and sweet shrimp.
There’s no doubting the quality of the raw ingredients, and there’s an extensive range of options available. There’s also a decent variety of sake to suit a variety of budgets. If you’d prefer a more intimate option than the monolithic options close by, it’s definitely worth a spin.
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| Rock shrimp tempura, with a creamy spicy sauce |
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| Yellowtail truffle tiradito |
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| Sashimi selection, including salmon, scallop, yellowtail, sweet shrimp and sea bass |
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| Toro stuffed with foie gras |
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| Beef medallion, with a wasabi miso sauce and artichoke |
We visited Cheltenham during a blizzard in January, and though our shooting ended up being cancelled, we were very happy to have the opportunity to visit le Champignon Sauvage.
David and Helen Everitt-Matthias first opened lCS in 1987, and have held two Michelin stars for thirteen years. David has also won the National Chef of the Year competition, and has three excellent cookbooks to his name, all of which I adore, and which I dragged along to be signed by David.
The room has just undergone refurbishment and gone are the heavy blue tones. In their place are warm wooden panels, shades of sand and taupe, and a wide range of artwork. Service is professional and prompt, but I suspect real warmth is saved for regulars. An elderly couple celebrating their wedding anniversary recalled with fondness the opening of the restaurant, and it’s clear that it has a very loyal clientele.
The food was very precise, and we enjoyed some unusual combinations of flavours. Elements could be tasted individually, but also combined to make a delicious whole, and this is one of the few restaurants we’ve been to that had a clear sense of menu development.
When I brought my books along, Helen very kindly let me look at the unpublished third book, and frankly that could have been my afternoon had the Hubby not prised it from my mitts. lCS is definitely on our return list as soon as the season kicks off…
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| Goats cheese cookie, with parmesan and poppy seeds, together with a malted biscuit, with pickled pear, spring onion |
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| Brioche – outstanding – onion and bacon |
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| Dexter beef tartar, corned beef, wasabi and shimeji mushrooms |
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| Saute of langoustines, roasted heritage carrots, carrot puree, and buttermilk |
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| Lamb with sweetbreads, and cockles |
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| Roasted partridge, ceps and cep purée, chicory, braised walnuts, garlic buds (!), and spring onion |
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| Bergamot parfait, orange jelly, liquorice cream, liquorice tuilles |
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| Petit Fours (part one) |
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| Petit Fours (part two) |
le Champignon Sauvage
24-26 Suffolk Road,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire GL50 2AQ
It may be a grey, wintry day, but there is nothing to cheer the soul like a sea view, with scudding clouds, and wading birds floating above a reflective sea… Even better then, if you can take-in that view from within a warm, bright and glass wrapped haven.
The Jetty appears to float above Christchurch Harbour – all weathered wood, sparkling glass and steel – it’s perched like a launching boat, next to the grey waters. It is run by by Alex Aitken, who has cooked in the New Forest for over twenty-five years. At le Poussin he held a Michelin star, and he moved to The Jetty in 2010.
There were five of us for lunch and we’d all been meaning to try it for some time. We were impressed by the breadth and scope of the menu – there are rarely menus where I really feel torn between dishes – but there is plenty to tempt here. The following will give you a good idea of their style and talents. A word of caution, book early in the summer months, because I guarantee everyone else will!
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| Amuse: cauliflower veloute |
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| Seared foie gras on toast with citrus sauce and crispy bacon |
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Soft boiled egg wrapped in saltcod brandade,
deep fried with summer vegetable salad
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| Pigeon breast, with puy lenttils |
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| Warm salad of pigeon breast and mango |
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| Paella |
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| Pheasant, with mashed potato, lardons, greens, and baby onions |
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| Fillet of cod, topped with Mudeford crab and herb crust, with mashed potatoes and peas |
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| Dorset whole lemon sole served with greens and Bearnaise… (normally buerre blanc) |
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| Green salad |
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| Hot passion fruit soufflé with hot passion fruit sauce (with the additional lift from the sauce) |
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| Hot passion fruit soufflé, with hot passion fruit sauce |
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| The Jetty |
The Jetty
Christchurch Harbour Hotel
95 Mudeford
Christchurch
Dorset BH23 3NT
Plateau in Canary Wharf has always been a bit of a stalwart in the Wharf’s firmament, though arriving somewhat later than many of the restaurants. It boasts good views over the Wharf, a bar, grill, restaurant, and a glass encased kitchen which acts as a room divider. I’d eaten endlessly in Plateau when I lived in the Wharf, but hadn’t been back for some time – certainly not in the time of Allan Pickett, the current Head Chef. OboTheClown (sic), Valerie and I were looking for somewhere to meet up, and the one thing we all know the Wharf has is parking, very good transport links, and lots of eateries. It seemed like a good opportunity to revisit Plateau.
I began with an excellent crab salad, packed full of flavour from the brown crab, with the white crab meat adding a light delicate sweetness. The grapefruit adds acidity, and the watercress, salad and radish a peppery but refreshing bite.
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Cornish crab salad, pink grapefruit and brown crab mayonnaise
The rabbit loin was full of flavour, but a tad dry for me (we were eating after 2.30pm for lunch, which may just have had an impact), but the confit was absolutely delicious. All of the garnishes worked perfectly with the rabbit, the charred shallots adding a bitter-sweet note, and the soubise adding an umami depth to the dish.
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| Loin & confit of rabbit, white onion soubise, roast cauliflower and jus gras |
Couldn’t miss out dessert, especially when there were so many offerings! I went for the chocolate delice, as I’m working on a recipe at the moment and am looking for variations. This one was very rich and deep, and the coconut ice a perfect foil adding a different level of sweetness – the passionfruit puree spikes the palate and offsets some of the richness.
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| Marquise of bitter chocolate, coconut sorbet and passion fruit |
Overall the food was excellent, though I found the service a little haphazard. I rather suspect people remember the food, but are too busy with their client lunch to focus on the minutiae of the service. Obo said his lamb was exquisite, some of the best he’d had, and Valerie liked her rabbit… I definitely want to try the grill now that I’ve realised they have a Josper grill, and we will return.
Plateau
4th Floor Canada Place,
Canada Square,
Canary Wharf,
London E14 5ER
My on-going lack of a gas supply has resulted in me turning to some alternative methods of cooking. I wanted to pan-fry some turbot, in a loose tribute to Tony Fleming’s dish, but actually as his was steamed, it suddenly motivated me to get the steamer out of the cupboard – I’m quite sure it’s not even been used a dozen times – but now it was going to come into it’s own! Needless to say the children had eaten all my lovely tomatoes – so the sauce vierge was also going out of the window. I swapped over to a beurre noisette and capers – and here you have it…
The potatoes would apparently take 45 minutes in a steamer (45 minutes ?!?!?!), and the thickness of the turbot looked as though it would take 15 minutes.
I cooked the buerre noisette on a portable induction hob, ensuring that the butter had gone to a golden colour – then throw in some capers – and in my case, a little white balsamic vinegar, my new addiction.
The potatoes were crushed with a little white crab meat, and some sorrel and butter….
Overall, actually pretty quick, extremely effective and the steamer may find a place slightly higher in my list of gadgets than previously…
We met Tom Kitchin at the Cube pop-up earlier in the year, and were seriously impressed by both the simplicity of his dishes, and the complexity of his flavours. Tom has years of classical training, and brings those skills to bear on the excellent seasonal produce close to his restaurant in Leith. Indeed such is the pride in the provenance of produce that diners are presented with a little map of Scotland detailing exactly where ingredients have been sourced…
We were in Scotland to shoot, and really wanted to take our American chums to Tom’s – they’re massive game fans, foodies and have travelled extensively in Scotland. I was travelling with my guns, and Kristen had nearly not been allowed on her flight, so by the time we met up in the bright glass-ceilinged bar we were all a little delirious with relief. Fortunately the manager, Holly Napoli took us under her wing, soothed our ruffled feathers and provided refreshment. We all chose the game tasting menu – it seemed the most appropriate selection given our trip – though I couldn’t help eyeing up all the gorgeous dishes of spoots being delivered around the restaurant – they were one of the highlights of our Cube dinner.
We began with a perfect pheasant consommé, clear, scented, highly flavoured, savoury and light. It’s impossible to describe the flavour, but there was a very slight nod to ‘stuffing’, so that the consommé immediately made me think of Willy Wonka – you’re given one thing, but it tastes of a whole meal – utterly delicious! It was dressed with a disk of pheasant, grapes, apple shards, a celeriac cream, and a crisp shard of pancetta. The fruit provided a bright and fresh note, with just a touch of acidity, and the bacon a little salty hit… A very lovely umami combination which I couldn’t help thinking would make the perfect starter on Christmas Day.
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| Jellied consommé of Blackford Estate pheasant, served with celeriac cream, apple, and crispy bacon |
Then a venison carpaccio – the venison from the Wilton estate in Midlothian. The meat was clean, tender, full of flavour, and served with cubes of apple and croutons for texture and contrast, micro herbs, toasted pumpkin seeds, autumn vegetables, hazelnuts and a light, bright herb cream. Again an excellent combination of textures, flavours, and actually, temperatures.
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| Carpaccio of venison, with autumn vegetables and a herb cream |
In a nod to his mentor, Pierre Koffman, the next dish was a game pithivier. I’ve had Mr Koffman’s pithivier, and this was just as delicious. The filling included venison, mallard, and woodcock, and was served with a game jus, caramelised quince, and a quince puree. The pastry was perfectly crisp, and gave way to a dense, meaty filling – the not too-sweet quince acted as a perfect foil for the rich meat.
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| Game pithivier served with caramelised quince and quince compote |
The next dish of mallard left us all pretty speechless. The meat was barely cooked, and served on top of a endive tart. My views on endive vary according to the dish, but here the caramelised bitter-sweet endive perfectly, perfectly complimented the duck, with its sweet beetroot and sour orange sauce. Again a dish had a foot in each sensory camp – bitter, sweet, sour, savoury, and a tiny hit of salt – the assembly of the dish undertaken with complete precision and balance. Kristen, who’s father is a massive hunter, kept saying that she wished she’d grown up eating game this way – apparently everything in her childhood had to be crumbed and fried – even elk… The mind boggles…
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| Roasted mallard with an endive tart, and an orange and beetroot sauce |
The most challenging dish for me was definitelty the woodcock, though I have eaten it before. I shot my first woodcock last year in Scotland, and the chef had pan-fried it (and a couple of others) for us all, very much like pigeon. In my conversations with Tom I’d promised to take on the full, traditional dish. The innards are chopped and served on a slice of toast, with the breast barely cooked on top – the head is then served on top of this, and the diner is invited to scoop out the brain. It’s accompanied by a celeriac puree and root vegetables. All of this was utterly delicious, but far more challenging for me personally was the salmis sauce – the remaining body parts are effectively crushed to make the sauce – a sauce so intensely meaty that I found it a little overwhelming. Having said that – the others absolutely loved it. And in case you’re wondering, the brain pops right out, like a miniature human brain, intact and exactly as you would imagine. The flavour and texture are quite creamy, and you’re encouraged to eat that piece first, so that you can appreciate the flavour – do give it a go!
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| Woodcock, with parsnip, celeriac and chestnut |
Our final meat dish was a hare à la Royale – served with pumpkin puree, parsnip chips, chanterelles, salsify, wild watercress and pumpkin. The meat is slowly cooked in jus and enriched with foie gras, blood and truffles, and is topped with a loin of hare. The whole dish is incredibly rich, but is very much the climax of the meaty menu.
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| Hare à la Royale, with winter chanterelles |
The palate cleanser of an Earl Grey sorbet is a welcome transition out of the main courses and into dessert – light, delicate, and fragrant, with a tiny piece of confit orange peel providing a little sweet and sour.
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| Earl Grey sorbet |
Dessert was an entirely unexpected pumpkin cheesecake, spiked with cinammon, and served with toasted pumpkin seeds, candied pecans, and a chocolate sorbet. Many years ago the 11yo had convinced me to make her a pumpkin pie, and it was so revolting that I’ve not eaten a pumpkin dessert since. With the slightly sour edge to the filling, and the fragrant cinnamon, this was absolutely delicious. Kristen is bringing me her favourite pumpkin puree from the US for our shooting rematch in a fortnight – so I’ll definitely be making this as a tribute dish.
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| Pumpkin cheesecake, with candied pecans, pumpkin seeds and chocolate sorbet |
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| Petit fours: chocolate truffle, macaron, fudge, carrot cake |
The cooking at Tom Kitchin’s is very accomplished, grown-up and complete – ingredients are allowed to shine, and are treated with respect. The staff are charming, very well informed about the dishes, and attentive. This is undoubtedly one of the most memorable meals we’ve eaten, and we can’t wait to return.
The Kitchin: 78 Commercial Quay, Leith EH6 6LX (0131) 555 1755
