Foodie Round-up

It's been quite some time since I updated this blog, so this post will be something of a foody based round-up of the last few months...and then who knows I may get around to updating all the extra columns, I'm planning on introducing something new down the right hand side as I'm sure finding out what I'm eating every day is as dull to read as it is to write!

A Pignata Corsica

High in the Corsican mountains with glorious views overlooking the granite peaks of the Alta-Rocca, A Pignata is reputed to be the best restaurant on the island, favoured by pop stars and politicians who arrive by helicopter. The menu is fixed price and consists of traditional dishes, 5 of them for €40 and may consist of dishes of beans, cannelloni with local Brocciu cheese, charcuterie and desert. The portions are generous and come in rustic sharing dishes or platters, all entirely consistent with the setting. The meat is fabulous, a mixture of dried hams and sliced sausage, the Copa, Lonzu and Saucison are all worth the price of entry alone. Drink a bottle of locally produced wine, Propriano's Domaine Fiumiccicoli makes a great reasonably priced red, and you'll be in for a stomach stretching treat. 
http://www.apignata.com/acceuil-anglais.html 

Ottolenghi's flavour complex

Open for nearly a year now Nopi is the west end, all day restaurant opened by acclaimed flavour master Yotam Ottolenghi. A bright white space upstairs with a vast kitchen table and a view in to said kitchen in the basement, Nopi's decor is perhaps best enjoyed when the light is low. However the food offers fascinating and complex flavours at any time of day. Take the Roasted Pumpkin Tart with Rainbow Chard, it sounds dull but the blend of flavours, sharp then sweet and drizzled with truffle oil to add a little buzz of complexity was quite stunning.

The dishes are small designed for sharing, as is the modern way, but it gives you an excuse to try multiple plates where a regular meal wouldn't allow you. There are lots of names on the menu you won't find in so the Chargrilled Octopus with Salmorejo sauce and Morcilla is a plate of tenderly cooked seafood in a light tomato and garlic sauce with a delicate black pudding, not a combination you'd expect but a beautiful whole.
Theres a lot on the menu that deserves tasting including Barramundi with Salsify, Rabbit Pastilla and a delightful selection of puddings, plus a well priced and carefully chosen wine and cocktail list. If it's seasonal, imaginative breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner that you're after in 2012, then Nopi has to be high on the list.
http://www.nopi-restaurant.com 

In search of Pernod and Black

Back in the late 1970's it was part of unwritten pub lore that if you were underage you'd be served provided you kept quiet with your little gang of mates in the corner and didn't cause any trouble. This is when I first went to the Hand & Flowers in Marlow, between the ages of 16 and 18, a couple of pints of Hofmeister (whatever happened to that?), a packet of scampi fries, a pernod & black and a couple of No6 fags to round the night off, before wobbling home on my bike. An excellent teenage night out.


Since then the Hand & Flowers has gone up market and while I'm sure they would have provided a pernod & black if asked I think they may have frowned on the scampi fries! Now the possessor of two Michelin stars and the AA restaurant of the year 2011/12 it packs a big reputation embodied in chef patron Tom Kerridge, who's profile is rising all the time (hence he's hardly ever in the kitchen which is now run by Aaron Mulliss).


Still possessing the feel of a converted pub rather than purpose built restaurant and serving cask ales, it is the well priced seasonal menu that keeps a loyal customer base returning and booking well in advance essential. Crispy pigs head with artichokes, crackling and pancetta is a wonderful little starter. A crumbed "fish finger" of rich, deeply satisfying meat that lingers in the mouth, shows remarkable skill and patience. Simple things are done well too such as salty whitebait served in a paper cone with homemade tartar sauce.


Described by knowledgable and friendly waiting staff as an upside down toffee apple, the Essex Lamb Bun oozes slow cooked lamb shank and sweetbreads wrapped in a pastry bun, placed on the plate with the bone pointing upwards, it's novel, attractive and most importantly bursting with rich flavours. Duck breast comes slow cooked, which renders away the fat but is still moist and matched by some crisp, fat chips cooked in duck fat. A serving of salt baked potatoes for two arrives in its own bread container which you have to knock the top off to get at the steaming potatoes within. An excellent cheese board with homemade grape chutney complements the rustic simplicity of the meal. 


What surprises me is that the Hand & Flowers has 2 stars. It is lovely, the food and staff are excellent, even exceptional, however it doesn't have the fancy flourishes that you normally associate with Michelin dining. I think that's probably a good thing but I would love to know how the judges make their decisions.
http://www.thehandandflowers.co.uk/

The Pre-Theatre Menu

Us provincials don't get up to the big city that much, so when we do it's good to have something nice to eat. However with theatres starting their shows just at the time you should be tucking into a mighty fine dinner, and what with us having to catch a train so we can't eat later, the Pre-theatre menu comes into its own. It works for the restaurant too filling in that dead space after lunch so that when dinner clientele arrive there's already a buzz in the restaurant.


Of course the menu is limited but if you try somewhere like a Arbutus in Soho, they make a proper effort and don't treat you like a second class citizen. Try the exquisite warm porchetta, thinly sliced, infused with sage, it's a generous portion of melt in the mouth pork. Pheasant pappardelle and a rich bitter chocolate mouse arrive swiftly but there is no rush to turn the table, and at £18.95 for three simple but well put together courses  it's a great option.
http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/ 

du Vin Value Meal

Hotel du Vin Bistro offers good value with its £35 Food for thought deal for two

Exhausted from a weekend of entertaining and cooking for guests, the Henley Henley Hotel du Vin's offer of £35 for 2 courses, including a bottle of wine and coffee for two people seemed like a great option for dinner.

Henley on Thames now has numerous cafe's, bars and restaurants most of which offer some kind of deal during the week. Pizza Express, Zizzi, Cafe Rouge, Brasserie Gerard, all the chains are working hard to build and retain custom. Hotel du Vin is no different in many ways, however it does provide a much nicer ambience and sophisticated atmosphere in its Henley Bistro, while the food in the limited Food For Thought menu is mainly a cut above the average.

In a surprisingly full dining room for a Bank Holiday Monday evening, service was still attentive, though slightly unctious from the sommelier, despite our choice of the 'deal' option. This restricted menu with four starters, mains and puddings still has a nice range including Vichssoise and Moule Marineres as starters and Onglet Steak and Risotto amongst the mains.

My Chicken Liver Salad had soft, tender livers with a light balsamic sauce while the Smoked Mackrel Tian and Potato Salad was very rich, packing a proper fishy punch. A main of Grilled Hake with Curly Kale was overcooked and lacked any sauce, making it dry and bland, though the application of lemon juice helped. It's vapid smear of something brown and sauce like on the plate wasnt enough. A good, simple butter and lemon sauce and properly cooked fish would have improved the dish out of all proportion. On the other hand Sausage and Mash boasted two fat herb filled pork bangers with creamy mash and a rich gravy that barely touched the sides.

The House Merlot was perfectly palatable and despite some confusion over a side dish of Green Beans that were replaced, unasked for by Brocolli (any one who knows me would know that I would never ask for Brocolli) and an espresso that apparently isn't the coffee they mean when they say coffee included, it all represents great value for money, especially in comparison to Pizza Express, Zizzi and the others, where the wine can be both poor and expensive, even in the meal deals.

New Riverfront Cafe
The old Henley Tea Rooms, on the riverside in Henley has been taken over and transformed into The Chocolate Theatre Cafe. A picture window into the kitchen is supposed to provide a view onto the chocolate making process while pale green decor, a few comfortable sofas and chairs plus a plethora of cafe tables, make it a comfortable and friendly room. More expensive for coffee and a pastry than Cafe Nero with coffee not as rich and well presented as Hot Gossip in Friday St. nevertheless it is a welcoming place to be. I'll pop in again for lunch one day and report back.

Peruvian lamb goes off with a bang

A few years ago I had the pleasure of walking the long way round to Machu Pichu and the Inca Trail following the Salcantay Trek. This piece describes one of the highlights of the walk.

Mt. Salcantay seen from the south

The Andean sun set lit up the snow on the mountains behind us in a glow that spread through the lush glaciated valley mid way between the peak of Mt. Salcantay and the spectacle of Machu Pichu, still 3 days walk away. As the heat faded from the day and the aches from our exertions crept through our muscles, sweet hot chocolate and fresh popcorn, proffered by our guide Michael, brought the warmth back into our cheeks, while we awaited a special dinner.

Two days previously we had stepped out from the rambling village of Mollepata, with Michael, his 7 year old son Pedro, 4 horses, a cook, his assistant, two porters and two wranglers. The numbers sound excessive to support just the four of us novice trekkers, however tourist income plays a valuable part in the economy of the local villages and their teamwork, cheerful chatter and dedication was very welcome when arriving in camp just as the clouds burst, seeing tents already erected and hot drinks waiting.

The previous night we had slept in the lee of Salcantay, listening to the creaks and groans of the great glaciers adjusting themselves. Dinner had been very simple, pasta with a tomato sauce, some fruit and chocolate. Tonight in this beautiful valley would be different.

Following a day which included a crossing of the great mountain's saddle at 4,640 meters, a height where steps are necessarily slow, with altitude sickness a real danger, followed by a menacing dance down a moraine filled escarpment, we arrived to find the campsite erected and the cook and the two porter's busy digging a shallow hole.

As we removed our steaming boots, hot rocks were taken out of the fire and placed in the trench. Jose the cook emerged from his small kitchen tent moments later with half a lamb, coated in oil, garlic, chilli and fresh herbs. He placed the lamb gently on top of the rocks, before covering that in bundles of long grass scythed from the surrounding hillside. On top of these he placed large dark local potatoes before covering the whole mass with divots of turf.

It was Christmas Eve high in the Andean cordillera, a special night for the people of the region; the night when a feast is made and visitors welcomed. Having donned extra fleeces and thick socks to ward of the chill we all gathered around the fire pit, only 30 minutes after the lamb had been buried to see what would emerge. Before long shovels were produced, the divots removed and the first steaming black potato's uncovered.

Potatoes of course owe their origins to this part of the world and the varieties to be seen in the markets of Cusco and at the shacks along the roadside are fascinating. Huge purple tubas the size of a melon next to tiny black or dark blue varieties show what an eclectic vegetable the potato is. Their flavours and textures vary too, from the earthy to the sweet, though colour doesn't seem to have a bearing on texture or taste. I wonder how we managed to make our every day potatoes so bland when there is such a rich variety to be found at their source.

Shortly after the potatoes the lamb was pulled from the ground and deposited on a nearby rock that served as a table. Hot and steaming, Jose demonstrated just how well cooked it was by pulling it apart before serving on our battered camp plates. As we gathered around the camp fire there was one ritual still to be performed, a toast to Christmas and the Gods with Pisco Sour as the liquor of choice. Pisco, a colourless, strong grape brandy with a squeeze of lemon juice to make it slightly more palatable. Down in one, and when the nose had stopped burning and the eyes watering it was time for the tenderest lamb.

Huge chunks of soft flesh exuding tantalising aromas sat on our plates. With the sky fully dark but a dazzling display of stars above, we pulled our hats over our ears and resorted to our fingers rather than cutlery to extract the best from the meat. It transpired that the Jose had been marinating the carcass twice a day since before the start of the expedition with his own blend of ingredients, so it was incredibly tender having absorbed the flavours of the herbs, garlic and chilli during its journey up and down the mountain.

The meat carried an unexpected depth of flavour, packing a small punch with some intense chilli. The crumbling purple flesh of the potato added earthy notes to the meal while the occasion and setting intensified our enjoyment. As we all wiped the grease from our faces Jose had one last trick up his sleeve. Jesus (pronounced in the Spanish way Hey-zuus), Jose's assistant emerged from his tent carrying a bundle of homemade fireworks. It seems Health and Safety has not arrived in the Cordillera Vilacabamba, as one by one Jesus held the rockets by their sticks as Jose lit the touch paper, only to hurl them in the air where after briefly fizzing about they exploded with booms that reverberated around the valley.

With only one horse bolting during the pyrotechnics, the meal and entertainment were considered a huge success by our considerably refreshed crew. So it was with much giggling, following more Pisco Sour's and with the smell of the best lamb in Peru on our fingers that we slipped unsteadily to our tents happy that the Inca Trail was waiting for us in the morning.

Pollen Street Social

The buzz around Pollen Street Social has been so acute it has even reached the backwaters of Henley on Thames. So on an excursion to the capital with Mrs HT, that also took in a light lunch at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, saw us on the off chance wandering into PSS, (as it shall now be known) in the early evening.

As Olive magazine pointed out this month, go early and choose the day of a major sporting final. So thanks to Barcelona and Man Utd we were happily seated in the bar at 5.30 enjoying a couple of cocktails, with a table ready for us when the kitchen opened at 6pm.

PSS is divided into two large oblong rooms. The bar area with comfortable modernist brown leather sofa’s and chairs with stools at the long bar is discreetly decorated with modern artworks against pale walls and a lowish ceiling. The dining room is slightly larger, decorated in similar fashion with dangling futurist globe lighting. The unusual feature is the dessert bar at one end, borrowed from the New York trend. Where, in other restaurants you might find a seafood bar, here you can perch on a stool, stare longingly into the adjacent kitchen, with its huge glass wall and Star Trek like sliding glass door, and engage the dessert chef in conversation about what to have.

Seated happily where Mrs HT could watch all the machinations in the room, service was exemplary, knowledgeable, friendly and at the right level between discreet and familiar. It is this affable service  that makes a visit to PSS such a pleasant experience. The other is of course the cooking of Jason Atherton.

Famously named by Faye Maschler as the best chef in the Gordon Ramsey empire at Maze and with a self financed stint at El Bulli also in the bag, Atherton cooks with intelligence and obvious passion, you can taste it in his unusual but precise dishes. Out straightening chairs in the bar when we first arrived he obviously cares too.

Almost every dish on the menu prompts a question. This is a good thing, not only providing intrigue it allows the waiting staff to raise your desire too with neat descriptions of all the dishes.Sated with information but not yet by food, my starter of Squid with Cauliflower Puree, shards of Cauliflower, Squid ink puffed rice and roast squid juice looked pale and interesting on the plate and was soft and comforting in the mouth, but given some depth and crunch by the rice, which of course isn’t rice at all. The idea of cutting the squid into tiny pieces and serving almost as a risotto is inspired.

The Full English Breakfast bore virtually no resemblance to that served at a greasy spoon, yet tasted exactly how you want it to. An egg poached  for 1 1/2 hours topping earthy mushrooms and roast tomato puree is unctuous but puts a broad grin on the face.

It is possible to have half portions of the main courses and turn the whole menu into a tasting menu we went tradtional though. Ox Cheek, Tongue and Sirloin was good without being exceptional, unlike the Roasted Halibut with a remarkably rich and moreish paella, steeped in ham fat, which was just wonderful.

Our request to sit at the dessert bar was happily accommodated, though I imagine later in the evening it might not be so easy. Watching Atherton at work through the glass was fascinating as was the conversation with the pud chef over the merits of full portions over mini tasters.

None of the descriptions, Ham, Cheese & Herbs, Sangria or PBJ do justice to the micro menu’s selection of light, delicate flavours prepared in front of us. Suffice to say that the ham is made from water melon and the herbs are tiny pieces of candied basil and sage, which the chef kindly told us how to make.
Pollen Street Social has been praised to the hilt since opening, with good reason, it is the most relaxed and entertaining dining room with some of the best food in London and top quality staff to match. Go while it’s still new.

Total cost for 2 Cocktails, 2 Starters, 2 Mains, 3 mini puddings, 1 bottle Chilean Haras de Pirque Cabernet Sauvignon: £153.56 inc service.

Pollen Street Social, 8-10 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NH 020 7290 7600

The Olde Bell Inn, Hurley

A ringing endorsement for robust seasonality

The  interior of an old country inn, that from the outside looks unchanged and unchanging, is the last place I would expect quirky decoration in a dining room. Huge wooden benches with very high backs wrapped in rough blankets held on with leather straps. Glass carriage lamps on the walls, heavy pewter plates, a mixture of antique chairs and heavy oak tables all make for an unexpected charming atmosphere on a warm May evening.

Redecorated by interior designer Ilse Crawford in 2009, who includes Soho House, New York in her portfolio, the dining room is a lot of fun and not the only surprise. The menu is resolutely seasonal, including spring flavours and textures at every turn.  Head Chef, James Ferguson, trained by Ramsey and Hartnett with time spent in the kitchens of Fergus Henderson and Marco Pierre White at L’escargot has crafted a menu quirky enough to match the decor, but not too outré to put off the casual diner.

What it isn't is old fashioned country hotel dining, it is very modern even if the flavours are rooted in the fields, seas and gardens of England. Smoked ham hock terrine with spiced courgette chutney or whole quail , English peas, gem lettuce and mint couldn't shout louder about their terroir if they tried. My starter of fresh channel island crab, rock samphire and cucumber delivered a sweet seaside subtlety in the meat offset by the earthy note in the samphire and held together by the long strips of cucumber.

English asparagus, Ragstone goats cheese and elderflower cream, left the asparagus to do the talking. The cream a delicate mix of the Herefordshire unpasteurised cheese and local elderflower was a little too subtle and too creamy for my philistine palate and while delightful on its own didn’t actually enhance the fresh, zingy asparagus.

A main of saffron braised squid,fennel and grilled truffle potatoes delivered a rich sauce to accompany the delicately spiced and perfectly soft squid. The big surprise were the potatoes, not something you often get to say. Blue, black roughly textured tubers halved and topped with a garlic cream, I hadn’t seen the like since visiting Peru and thoroughly enjoyed the novelty, one I’d like to see more of on menus.

The Tamworth pork cutlet with braised chicory, white beans and smoked bacon packed a much bigger punch, a  right hook compared to the squid’s gentle jab. Its wonderfully hearty bean stew, oozing a saltiness from the bacon would have made a complete meal on its own without the huge pork chop on top. But what a piece of pig, thickly cut, golden on the outside but still moist and full of flavour, it was a piece of meat that genuinely put a smile on my face.

A short list of puddings spoke of seasonality and English comfort classics, treacle tart, orange marmalade sponge or rhubarb pavlova all sounded good but the garden sorrel pannacotta with strawberries from the Olde Bell’s garden was all we chose; that pork really didn’t leave room for much else. Perhaps the sorrel was way too refined for me. While it was a very well executed and creamy pannacotta I just couldn’t detect the flavour. The strawberries were a mixture of tiny intensely flavoured home grown fruits mixed with some larger berries that pretty obviously didn’t come from the garden. They would all have been quite happy on their own with the pannacotta so didn’t need the strawberry syrup which somehow managed to dominate the other flavours.

A minor gripe in an otherwise excellent evening.

Total cost for 2 starters, 2 mains, 1 pudding, 1 bottle Albarino £100.69 inc. 12.5% service

The Olde Bell Inn, High Street, Hurley SL6 5LX 01628 825881

This is my first blog and may not be representative of everything that I write, but right now there are a few things on my mind that I'd like to sher and get some views back from anyone who happens to follow me.

I recently returned from a trip to the Gulf state of Abu Dhabi, and while the point of this isn't to bemoan the city emirate, i do need to point out that it is a strange place; part building site, part decadent, opulent 5 star paradise on the edge of one of the world's warmer deserts. Lucky to have approx. 9% of the world's oil lying off its shores, the last 10 years have seen rapid growth. This is both good and bad. Good if you are a rich traveller or in the construction business, bad if you are an ex-pat asian worker. Worse if your taste in interior decoration doesn't include wall to wall marble and gold.

The point is however that I returned from an interesting trip, and boy isn't the Grand Prix LOUD, to be diagnosed with a DVT. That's a deep vein thrombosis, or in even simpler terms a blood clot in one of the major veins in my leg.

Now apart from scaring the hell out of my family, and certainly worrying me, what has amazed me is how, on the one hand the medical profession in this country can leap into action, showing real concern and ability, while on the other there is no understanding or seemingly comprehnsion that a patient should be treated holistically and be kept informed about outcomes.

So while happy to be quickly put on anticoagulent warfarin, and impressed by the service run by the Royal Berkshire Hospital, not one of the doctors I have seen seems to be willing or capable of making a prognosis for when the DVT should be gone or exactly how long I'll be on medication for.

To add to the mix the warfarin seems to have bought on gout attacks. Now I already suffer from gout, but Allopurinol normally keeps it at bay. Not now. But again the medics dont seem willing to acknowledge the link. I've found a paper that seems pretty conclusive http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/reprint/32/8/1557 as does some of the natter in the blogosphere but none of this is recognised by the ladies and gentlemen with the stethoscopes. It's not like this in House! Does anyone have any similar experieces.

Looking on the bright side I am just about to go and eat in Cafe Le Raj probably the best of Henley's Indian restaurants. It'll be interesting to go and eat something that doesn't exaccerbate the gout or affect the antigoaculation.