Food Spectrum's Free Company @ The Endurance

I was really excited to read that The Endurance pub in the heart of Soho was starting a concept called Food Spectrum whereby upcoming chefs take over the kitchen for a month or so and you can then try their delicious food. In residence at the moment is Free Company, which is a collective of chefs that specialise in pop-ups. It consists of three in total - David Boycott, Billy Stock and Josh Rhodes, which will sure be names to watch in the future from the standard of food I ate.

They claim to bring inventive, modern British food to Berwick Street and yup, they have done it! It was by far one of my best lunches in the vicinity at any rate. All the staff were exceptionally hospitable, so you don't mind paying the 12.5% service charge as it really is faultless.

For just £1 a head you can start the meal with fresh bread and hand salted butter, which is 'limitless' as they top you up with as much as you would like, perfect for padding out a couple of dishes.  One can chooose a big main dish or opt for several smaller ones a la tapas style, which suits best if you like to try lots of different things and demonstrates the depth of their skills.

First off, we tried roasted and pickled beetroot with puree, beet leaves and goats cheese: a feast for the eye with it's jewelled beetroot, green leaves and white cheese. A wonderful explosion of flavours on the tongue and a treat for vegetarians that often get same old same old options. Another of the veggie dishes we chose was the king oyster mushroom with braised shallot, migas (Spanish for breadcrumbs) - toasted - and a mash. Once again it was beautifully presented, well executed with a perfect balance of all the elements to get enough bits on each forkful. 

For my carnivore friend, we ordered the chicken drumstick, replete with girolle and roasted garlic gnocchi. Not normally a fan of these double carb bites which can often be cloying too heavy and tasteless, these were
more melt in the mouth style, and were a really refreshingly new accompaniment to the chicken drumstick with the woody girolles. Lastly, the other meat dish we ate was braised pork cheek with cauliflower and roasted pumkin with a mosctel sauce, again a perfect combination for a just-so dish with warm, rich flavours.

All in all, I think one of the keys to their success is in the not trying too hard - not meddling with established combinations too much,  not trying to use too many or too whackier an ingredient and knowing the right amount of varying flavours one plate can take. These boys know that. Go before it goes!

http://www.fcfood.co.uk/blog/
http://www.theendurance.co.uk/

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Burger & Lobster

So I had been wanting to go to Burger & Lobster for a while but it's not easy to go to being one of those annoying places where you can't book and you have to queue up outside early in the evening. Which means that you inevitably go to have a few drinks whilst you're waiting and luckily Dean St Townhouse is right opposite.

As the menu implies, you can either have burger or lobster and the lobster can either be grilled or boiled. I definitely think that the lobster is a better deal, although both are filling, coming with a salad and chips (as well as a butter dipping sauce for the lobster). There's even a tank where you can see them all swimming around. 

We had a really nice waitress called Esther who looked after us well and we needed it after an extra wait when the hostess let her friends in to get a table as soon as they walked in...but the food soon made up for it when it arrived.  And they managed to double up on our drinks order so at least we had enough to keep us occuied .Then there was a delicious chocolate mousse that we shared for pudding which satisfied the sweet cravings.

Prices are pretty much set at £20/course for either lobster or a burger - with the lobster in my eyes being the better buy with the burger subsidising its price. There may be other sides but I don't recall...The coffee, drinks and pudding are all quite good value considering...

http://burgerandlobster.com/

Quilon

Westminster's Michelin starred south Indian restaurant Quilon has just re-launched, having  under-gone a three month re-furb with traditional decor and features as well as a new 'Q bar' to hang out in, giving locals both a new drinking spot as well as a private dining area, complete with an Indian fishing boat.

Owned by the Taj Group, this is actually the first overhaul that the interior has seen in 12 years by designLSM. Jaali or latticed screens master the traditional inspiration combined with a bespoke candle wall with flickering tea-lights. Then there are over 1,000 individual hand-printed ceramic tiles placed just so to resemble fish scales, this together with fabrics imported from India and the fishing boat reflect Quilon’s coastal roots.

But for me, the all important is that the bar has a new menu - both drinks and food, which Executive Chef Sriram Aylur has carefully selected with the help of MW Peter McCombie. It boasts over 135 well-known wine bins from well-known producers in addition to smaller 'boutique vineyards'. But those that aren't as fond of the grape will be pleased with the whisky menu (well my mother would be) with over 50 varieties and over 20 different beers. There’s even spicy inspired cocktails like the signature ‘Quojito’.

The bar canapé menu has been specially created so that you can have a small taster of the style of their dishes even if you’re not sitting down for a full meal – great for a light snack or sharing plates to sample the wonderful Michelin starred cuisine. Dishes include crispy fried spiced silver fish; tamarind glazed chicken winglets; semolina chips with tomato chutney and batter fried plaintain, asparagus and baby carrot with artichoke dip, all very reasonably priced.

I would say more, but you should go and try for yourself, especially as the staff are delightful also.

Quilon, 41 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AF, http://www.quilon.co.uk/ 020 7821 1899

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Fearless

'Tis nearly the end of year, that excruciating time when we do the sums of our achievements during the year and set the (unrealistic) objectives for the new one. Not so many years ago TE set itself exactly one of these preposterous tasks, something absurd which was a combination of losing weight/ shop like there's no tomorrow AND find a boyfriend.


Honestly, you can see where that was going...!


This year, TE feels it has achieved most of the cherished goals (minus the weight-loss thing...damn you chocolate!). TE feels happy and, yes, one might even say fearless! Not in the arrogant pompous way but more in a self-secure and calming way. Life is good and it just keeps getting better - goes to show that a positive attitude can do miracles. Ok I am not going to get all self-help-bookey on you gals, we all know how uncool that is!


Having said that, however, I am dedicating my last blog entry of the year to something that is very fashionable: Comfort. (Yes, I did pick up on the pj trouser trend and No, I will most def not be adopting it).


My list of comfort items would have to include:
1) A soft and loose fitting boyfriend cachemire jumper, as available at JCrew:

2) My beloved Uggs, this year for my 3rd purchase it will be black:

3) Stretchy jeans, so much better than the ones you can barely squeeze into (and still have the cool factor), recently loving these from Comptoir des Cotonniers:

Ok so finally, as the ultimate comfort factor of the year TE would haste to recommend Shellac manicures - great colour, lasts for 3 weeks = hands permanently tidy!


My dears, have a great end to the year and an even better beginning to the new one...as they say in some countries, what you do on NYE you will do all year. (TE might be scoffing cheese and wines, not too shabby right?!).


Yours faithfully,
TE




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Stars - not sure about the Garters though

Last week I went to check out the food - well the main courses at the Star & Garter by the river in Putney. Being such a nice hot day, it's a great location right by the river with a cool breeze not letting the place overheat. I also love this place as it does Chapel Down - one of my favourite tipples to start off a meal with. Deliciously crisp, dry and bubbly. Mmmmm!


I've been dying to try the main meals here - having only sampled their platters - the meat one is so laden full of bresaola, parma ham and salami it is a real feast - best for the boys, but there's lots of varieties. The a la carte menu is a nice 'Casual dining menu' as they put it - with a few small plates and starters, classics such as moules done a few different ways, mixed in with dishes 'from the stove' and hung steaks.


We had the duck breast salad and the cantaloupe melon with parma ham to start. The duck was pronounced good but I felt the parma ham wasn't quite up to scratch - perhaps it was just that it was so freshly carved by hand that it was actually a little thicker than I was accustomed to and therefore slightly chewier? Next up was langoustines & chips and seared springbok with chocolate sauce - absolutely by far one of the best meats I've had in a while - up there with the Co-op burgers & chicken - and perfectly cooked too!


I have to say I did get a slight case of food envy here as the langoustines weren't up to scratch. Unfortunately the batch seemed to be a mix of re-heated mushy ones with soft shells and those with ultra sharp bits on the claws and more succulent meat. They were so sharp they actually drew blood from my boyfriend's finger when I made him snap one for me, whilst the other ones would just bend if you tried to get out the meat out of the claws. The other downside was that they hadn't been drained properly from the pan and so made half the chips soggy. As a result, the manager that day gave me compimentary goats cheese platter whch was simply amazing. Spectacular quince jelly accompanied it so I was happy again - especially with a bottle or two of Chapel Down to wash it down!

I'd still go back and try some more dishes despite it. There's a lot to be said for simply saying sorry. Even if it was because they had 'had a busy day'.

http://www.thestarandgarter.com/menudinner.asp

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Return to Camden: Proud Kitchen

This last week saw us heading to Proud Kitchen for the Burlesque in Your Kitchen experience. So it's been a while since I ventured into Camden possibly circa 1995 or so when I was still at school, to this part in particular. Definitely remembered why it had that 'cool' appeal but not sure I'd go back in hurry with all the Friday night drinkers who were 'rubbish bombing' along the street when they saw a big pile of full black bin bags...!!


So the kitchen is more like a kitchen than a restaurant with big trestle style tables that are shared with other dining parties. The best tables to get are the ones opposite the stage to fully benefit from the performances. Unfortunately we were on one of the side tables sideways on and the group on the end at that.


I definitely did not rate the food, being just so average and something I could so easily make at home...mussels in a cider, bacon and cream sauce. Average. Then the salmon tasted as thought it was fresh out of the salmon farm with a rubbery non crisping up skin. The vegatables were also very greasy. I'm sure some of the other options were better...not sure whih ones though!


So the next ordeal was going for a cigarette. Not so easy as you might think - I had to go through to the next door bar which aprarently is 'full of tons of students'. Not an easy trek throgh a whole bar of live music and druken people. Bit of an issue with super-high heels. The saving geace is that the music becomes really fun after all the perfomances so you and stay on and dance.


So on to the performances, generally quite amusing but not as good as some acts I have seen in the past. The best one by far was the last which was a proper burlesque performance unlike what I'd term many of the others which are more an interpretation. So this one was a beautiful ballerina who piroutted around on her sparkely points with fitting feathers, not to be deterred. She was also featuring in a japanese geisha-esque scenario but the rest wreren't really so convincing...

http://www.proudcamden.com/news/burlesque-kitchen.aspx
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Pho Beautiful Pho!

I have to admit, I have a few addictions. Not all of them good. But one of them is Pho and I like to think of this as a good addiction - healthy, clean flavoured vietnamese food food under a tenner. Nothing too wrong with that. The only slight hitch is that the portions they serve are akin to those you'd get in America, so I usually sit there and try and finish every last morsel (memories of prep-school - being forced to finish everything on your plate).


Well anyway my 'addiction' paid off as whilst checking twitter last week, I noticed that Pho was celebrating 66 years of Vietnamese independence and was offering 66 lucky diners the chance to win a freebie plus a shot of vodka. So tweet them I did as per the instructions for the hashtag and then lo and hehold, I had won lunch there that day. Sadly it wasn't the noodle salad dish which has become my firm favourite - known as bun noodles on the menu - but any pho soup of choice, so my dining partner had a beef variety and the free shot of vodka - well I had had bucks fizz that morning already!


This is what I crave when it's a cold, rainy and miserable day outside and you want a little warmth on the inside. The spicy chicken pho soup is also hot favourite of mine and my colleague never wants all her herbs which means I get extra flavour and goodness into me. It's a nice touch being able to garnish your own soup. You can even choose your own varieties of stock and combinations. Plus when you've got an awful cold, the fresh juice with ginger does wonders and makes you feel like you're on the mend.


There are locations all across London and even one in Brighton.
http://www.phocafe.co.uk/

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Japanese BBQ

Lst bank holiday weekend I was invited to a barbeque at Kyashii (St Martin's Lane) - to launch their new skewer menu, officially called the 'Brasserie Izakaya menu'. Given the weather, the barbeque was cancelled although the skewers were still available and served with complimentary Bloom Gin summer cocktails. Always good in my book!


The selection on offer was heavy on different varieties of chicken - chicken balls, chicken fillet, chicken poussin and at least one other variety. I was surprised to see any beef on there but instead some diced duck which turned out to be a little dry and would have been better served rare. The best were the pork belly - almost bacon like, packed full of fat and flavour as well as the shiitake mushroom. I would have liked a dipping sauce - especially for the chicken yakitori and duck, but the rest were moist enough. Asparagus seemed wrong give the likely airmiles not being in season as did the verson wrapped in bacon.


The Bloom cocktails - called Fashionistas, were blended with juice and filled with cucumber cubes. In face they have a mini Bloom cocktail menu, really beatifully done and conducive to ordering from, being adorned in swirly flowers in shimmering silver. These cocktails and many more are also on offer in the lounge on the first floor, whic is a hidden bar in the heart of this normally bustling area. As well as offering this brasserie mneu, it has a rush hour offer - 2 for 1 cocktails between 5 and 7pm. A place to bear in mind for a quieter after work drink!


For those that want a little privacy - there are private rooms downstairs.
Kyashii Restaurant & Lounge, 4a Upper St. Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9NY London
Telephone: (+44) 0207 836 5211
General Email: info@kyashii.co.uk
Reservations Email: reservations@kyashii.co.uk

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Bassoon Bar But With a Piano

Founded by the Pisani family of Malta, it follows that the Corinthia hotel has a general air of sumptuousness. Despite the fact that the board is comprised of Libyan Government and the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (Lafico) is a major investor in the hotel, we are apparently told, the day-to-day operations of the hotel are not affected and it seems not either.

The bar itself, designed by David Collins, is made up of a 7 metre grand piano which can actually be played (we declined the offer) although it was somewhat disappointing that there wasn’t a designated person tapping away on the keys as there often are in these places. Perhaps we came at the wrong time for this. Not sure I personally went for the art hung on the walls, but the overall effect worked well together.

The cocktail menu is quite vast, offering a range of ‘classic and bespoke’ cocktails. All these come with a small tower of snacks – chilli rice crackers, mixed salted nuts and olives although on the back of the menu was an intriguing chocolate menu, explaining that as the cocoa was mixed with water, it was really light. Something to be tried another time!

There are definitely a few interesting observations about the place. When I enquired about the Kings Speech cocktail being in relation to the film, I was told that the cocktail was indeed named after what was served at the premiere after party. The actual bar is a sweet shop for cocktail aficionados, crammed with a multitude of different bottles to mix each drink to perfection (worth the wait) – with a couple of barrels of the house vermouth perched atop which we were offered a taste of - out of the most exquisite mini silver tumblers may I add. Perhaps Vermouth will become one of the next trends to be revived?

http://www.corinthia.com/en/London/restaurants-and-bars/bars/Bassoon/
Opening Hours
Sunday – Thursday 16.00 – midnight
Friday & Saturday 16.00 – 01.00

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Bring my glow back

We know foundations and blushes are cosmetic, so we step on treadmills and bend our bodies in the yoga room. Above all, I believe a proper massage can do something different and special. I am not talking about one pouring body oil to your body and sliding fingers on your back, but something deeply soothing and release all the tense.

A few months ago, I tried a promotion offer in Chuan Spa, a spa sitting in Langham Hotel in Portland Place, which offers massage combined with Chinese medicine philosophy. I'd never had a satisfactory massage experience in London, hence was rather taking myself as a human guinea pig.

The whole treatment started with a quiz of your life style, emotion and other seemingly random questions. Then from the answers, the therapist is able to find out which element I am lack of, out of five elements in Chinese Traditional Medicines: gold, wood, water, fire and earth. It seemed that I need a bit of "earth", hence more earthy ingredients were added to my treatment oil. It sounds like a cheesy game to play with but later my Chinese doctor confirmed that I need earth element to cure my weak digestion system. Well this is another story.

Before the massage, the therapist warmed my feet with hot towel which i liked very much and i was also taking a few round breathing exercises to get my whole body more prepared to the treatment.

The overall massage takes about 1.5 hour, including an express facial, which I don't think is their forte. An hour massage-only treatment might be a better deal in my opinion. What I like about Chuan's massage is really the therapist's techniques which combine deep tissue massage and shiatsu. Such style not only relaxed my massively tensed neck and shoulders by pressing the relevant points, but also soothed the whole body, from the head to toe. The relief came from inside of my body and the amazing thing was that I saw my face glowing after the treatment.

There are lots of Groupon Spa deals these days and I even tried a few. My conclusion is to save the money for the proper one. In the end, it is the treatment which will make the difference.

Tips: Use the complementary jacuzzi and sauna before the treatment, which relax the muscles and help benefit the massage the most. One also needs greater patience with the receptionists, although I hope they work in a better way now.

www.chuanspa.com/en/London