Eight of the best cheese boards in London: Post-Brexit, are you wondering where your next brie is coming from? July 5, 2016 1. Fenchurch at Sky Garden, 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3M If you like to scoff cheese and wine while looking down at the great thronging crowds of London town, then there are few places that can compete with the glass magnificence of the Walkie Talkie. Its cheese platter comes from Covent Garden-based Neal’s Yard Dairy and it’s accompanied [...]
Our columnist Mark Hix on the importance of buying sustainable caviar and branching out into piranha June 28, 2016 I was introduced to Mottra caviar some eight years ago and have never looked back. Caviar always has – and always will be – one of those ingredients with luxury status. There have, however, been issues with its sustainability over the years: sturgeon stocks have depleted in many parts of the world because of the [...]
Working Lunch: Clockjack City review, EC3R – former Centre Parcs and Terra Firma bosses open a delivery-only rotisserie kitchen in the Square Mile June 28, 2016 Clockjack City 3a Botolph Alley, EC3R WHAT? A City-based kitchen devoted to serving organic, free-range rotisserie chicken, wraps and salads to the fine folk of the Square Mile. Everything’s made fresh on site – even the sauces – and there are even some bite-size baked goods from the Ripe Banana Co for dessert, which prides [...]
Working Lunch review: Gordon Ramsay’s Maze has an Express Menu that serves up three courses, petit fours and coffee in 45 minutes June 22, 2016 Maze 10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1K What? Gordon Ramsay’s outpost in Mayfair, which plunders classic French cuisine then sprinkles some Asian elements over it. Or you can go full-Asian by booking a spot at the Sushi Bar. The new Express Menu showcases both, offering three courses for £44 (£30 sans booze). Where? A smart spot off [...]
Our resident master-chef Mark Hix says there’s nothing to lift a dinner party like a sophisticated take on a classic egg dish June 22, 2016 I don’t think we make the most of eggs in the UK. In fact, I don’t think most countries do. I’m talking savoury dishes here, not desserts – what would we do without the good old egg in a cake or soufflé? I’ve been a big fan of Clarence court eggs for years now and [...]
The Frog restaurant in Shoreditch review: Masterchef contestant Adam Handling launches an intense new venture that defeats our critic June 21, 2016 Pop quiz: who invented molecular gastronomy? Was it Heston Blumenthal, with his test tubes full of liquid nitrogen? Or Ferran Adria in his beach-side epicurean lair, churning out unholy delicacy after unholy delicacy? No, no, no. That’s all PR. Like most things, molecular gastronomy – a term most chefs, including Heston, hate – was created [...]
These 23 London restaurants just won awards for their wine lists June 17, 2016 We all know London is a city of booze-lovers – but that's just been made official, after 23 of its restaurants were awarded honours at the Wine List Awards. That makes the capital's wine lists the second best in the world. London eateries including St John, Dinner by Heston and The Ledbury were given three-star [...]
Review: Tom Sellers, the man behind Story, strikes gold again with Restaurant Ours June 15, 2016 Tom Sellers seemed to come out of nowhere. Sure, he’s worked for a bunch of great chefs, but aged 26 he opened Story, which made a big enough splash in the London restaurant scene that the ripples are still going. Try getting a table there at the weekend and you’ll see what I mean. The gimmick [...]
Working Lunch review: Absurd Bird in Spitalfields brings the unfussy grub of the Southern States to the East End June 14, 2016 Absurd Bird 54 Commercial Street, E1 What? A gourmet fried chicken restaurant bringing the taste of the Southern States to the East End. As you’d expect, the menu is packed with poultry in all its forms – grilled, fried, even a whole smoked chicken – and there’s a “wing shack” out front for takeaway. A [...]
Our columnist Mark Hix on how his good friend Mark Botwright is changing the way we use garlic in cooking June 14, 2016 What the hell are these?” I wondered when I was first offered garlic scapes by Mark “The Garlic Farmer” Botwright. He’s been secretly experimenting with garlic growing just outside of Charmouth, where I live, for years. He has a unique thing going on down there and he’s unlocked an awful lot of products from this [...]