Food , Wine, Tea and Ale, 13th, 15th and 16th of MAY 2009

Having tasted a number of top 1999 Bordeaux over the past few months I decided to take one of my cases of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1999 out of bond and storage . Berry Brothers and Rudd promptly delivered it on Friday may 15th. I therefore bought some Black Angus Grass Fed Irish Côte de Bœuf form Jack O'Shea to have with the Pichon Lalande on Saturday.

On Friday evening we had some wonderful Scottish Sea Trout from The Chelsea Fishmonger, Rex Goldsmith which I simply roasted having covered with salt pepper and olive oil and stuffing some fresh thyme from Mrs. Gastro's allotment in the stomach of the fish. The fish was served on a bed of steamed East Sussex Asparagus sprinkled with my sauce Gastro - juice of two lemons, 1.5 tablespoons of Savora, 5 tablespoons of Seggiano Extra Virgin Oil and salt/pepper.

We drank an excellent 2006 Chassagne-Montrachet, Les Chaumées, 1er Cru, Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard - Berry Bros & Rudd

On Saturday I let the beef reach room temperature over four hours and then first pan fried the Côtes de Bœuf for about 6 minutes each side then adding salt and pepper before finishing them off in a very hot over for 8 minutes. The beef was served with Gratin Dauphinois and par steamed French Beans finished off sautéed with butter. The Pichon Lalande complimented beautifully both the beef and the Camembert from La Fromagerie that followed.

We ended the meal with some Strawberries and a delicious bottle of Diamante d’Almerita 2005 from Tasca d’Almerita in Sicily that I picked up from Last drop Wines - not as good as the Ben Rye Passito de Pantelaria I had last week but certainly a contender for my second favorite Italian desert wine!

After smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona Mrs Gastro and I had a delicious cup of Oolong Tea from the Rare Tea Company.

I had the pleasure of meeting @raretealady aka Henrietta Lovell on Wednesday at a wonderful event held at The Westbridge, Battersea hosted by @Charlie McVeigh and and organised BY @eatkikeagirl on behalf@ Catavino those passionate evangelists on skates for Iberian Wines (#LWFB London Food and Wine Bloggers) Charlie supplied the room and an inspired selection of cheeses and charcuterie and Salumi to compliment a selection of mainly Spanish and Portuguese wines . Star of the show for me was José Maria da Fonseca's Domini 2007 from Douro and a wonderful Tête de Moine Cheese (with correct cutter sourced by Charlie).

Henrietta is the Jancis Robinson of tea and I learned enough from her in 10 minutes to realise that one of the reasons I don’t drink tea very much is that both the quality and knowledge of how to prepare it in the UK is generally very poor. This is really astounding for a country that drinks so much tea but then again in line with both food and wine consumption!

Anyway you can buy tea from the Rare Tea Company online and in selected supermarkets including Waitrose.

www.rareteacompany.com

The Westbridge is also an excellent establishment serving outstanding beers coupled with solid food and wine list. Charlie who these days is also a shareholder and executive in the excellent Le Café Anglais introduced me to a stellar beer called Wandle Ale produced a few hundred meters from both my home and The Westbridge at Samsbrook’s (micro) Brewery.

www.sambrooksbrewery.co.uk

www.thewestbridge.co.uk

Gordon Ramsay

For me this is still the best for this type of cuisine in London even if Mr Ramsey is never behind the stoves these days. Good luck to him he knows how to find nurture and develop great chefs and front of house staff.

With quality people with experience and knowledge like Mark Askew, Jean Claude Breton running the ship and the brilliant young Head Chef Calre Smyth this is one hell of a team.

Ramsey was a great Chef and is now a great restaurateur. I have eaten in many of his company's restaurants and pubs both in the UK and abroad and have always found high levels of quality and consistency at all levels be it pub or 3 Michelin stars.

I have been lucky enough over the years, to eat the food he cooked at Harvey’s , Aubergine as well as Royal Hospital Road.

Gordon may well be over exposed and a target for the Red Tops but those who understand food and price to quality ratios will always be satisfied.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Gordon once in a Sauna of all places in the old Champneys Piccadilly and found him to be an engaging, charming and knowledgeable man.

The sous vide beef cheek stew which he serves at his entry level eateries is actually quiet delicious and the fact it is prepared in a central kitchen in South London totally irrelevant.

Here at Royal Hospital Road you will find superbly executed dishes using outstanding and yes sometimes very expensive ingredients. The staffs are top-notch professionals from stoves to front of house and in this respect this is the benchmark for The Square Hibiscus and Pied a Terre.

Enough praise though in the world of 3 Michelin stars he has not managed in my humble opinion to reach the heights of MPW in his heyday (sad to see him promoting Knorr stock cubes now) Nico Ladenis or indeed Pierre Koffman's La Tante Claire on the same site. Anyway the aforementioned are enjoying a well-earned retirement.

The Dhabba - Glasgow

I spent 15 months going up to Glasgow on a a weekly basis and was lucky the firm I was consulting for had founders of Pakistani origin who generously fed the entire company of more than 250 people every Friday with amazing Punjabi food only surpassed in peoples homes or in Pakistan itself.

Glasgow was voted the Curry Capital of Britain in 2007 and so it is no suprise to find such a great restaurant here.

I was up in Glasgow at least 5 times a month for 15 months and always ensured I had a meal there when I could.

The Dhabba has tremendous well spiced food with many dishes not often found in the UK.
This is not the standard neo Bangladeshi cliché food that is so common in these Islands but an upmarket quality establishement with pan Indian dishes .

The breads are excellent and there are beatifully prepared Tikkas , Curries be thay meat , chicken , fish or vegetale/pulses.

If you are in town I strongly recommend The Dhabba as well as it's location - Merchant City.

The Wolseley

I’m a great admirer of Chris Corbin and Jeremy King and what they did particularly with Le Caprice and J Sheeky were textbook case studies in the London Restaurant market.

Their comeback to the capital probably post the end of a non compete period is another story.

The Wolseley on the other hand is probably closer in execution and positioning to another of their great success stories , The Ivy. The common theme here is that the food at both is no great shakes in fact for me the food at The Wolseley just does not cut it.

Hand on heart I cannot recommend anything on the menu and say it is good or even average be it the Salade Nicoise, Steak Tartare, Salt Beef, Hamburger, Weiner Schnitzel, Steak Frites or any of the deserts with the possible exception of the Banana Split.

If the food is not the basis of your decision-making when selecting a restaurant in this price bracket then you may find that you can have a pleasant evening in another David Collins Architects restoration.

Aubergine

I have been going to Aubergine since Gordon Ramsey was the launch chef and have carried on since he famously "walked out" with the majority of his "loyal" staff and set up at Royal Hospital Road on his own in pretty quick time.

The restaurant continues to produce great French Cuisine backed up by a super wine list.

William Drabble has a talent for procuring excellent seasonal, mostly local ingredients and turning out exceptional French influenced food. May less talented chef's have received more than one Michelin Star !

Aubergine is great for a special occassion in the evening and still has one of the best (Michelin starred) bargain set lunches in London £ 29 for 3 courses or £34 for 3 courses and a half bottle of very well chosen house wine.

http://www.auberginerestaurant.co.uk/

Highlights from Dinner May 9th 2009 @ Home

Guests

Subterannean & Steph

Menu

Linguinni with Cornish Crab , Chilli ,Courgettes , Lemon and Parsley.
The Chelsea Fishmonger - Rex Goldsmith

Black Angus Sirlion (Tagliatta) with Rocket (Arugula) , Tomatoes lightly dressed in Olive Oil and lemon juice.
O'Shea's , Knightsbridge

Cheese - Pont L'Eveque , Old Momolette , Gorgonzola Dolce , Bannon and Sardinian Pecorino
La Fromagerie - Marylebone

Mrs Gastro's famous Chocolate Mousse made with Valrohana Grand Cru Guanaja 70% and Italian Organic Eggs .

Wines
Mumm Gordon Rouge NV Champagne - Oddbins
St Aubin 1er Cru ,2006, Les Charmois , Olivier Leflaive - Last Drop Wines Ltd
Guidoalberto 2002 Tenuta San Guido , Bolgheri - Last Drop Wines Ltd
Sassicaia 1999 Tenuta San Guido , Bolgheri - Harrods
Ben Rye 2007 , Passito di Pantelaria - Harrods

Château de Kefraya , Le Nectar de Kefraya - Gift

La Tupina

Jean Pierre Xiradakis should be awarded the Legion D'Honneur and tout de suite - his contribution to France and the world is far greater than Nicholas Sarkozy another Frenchman with some Greek blood.

Superb foie gras cooked many ways - Côte de boeuf grilled on an open fire and served with potatoes fried in goose fat - get the picture + superb wine list that suits all budgets with wonderful Bordeux fron exceptional cru bourgeois to the first growths.

The cooking of the French Sud Ouest is beautifully captured here and its worth flying to Bordeaux just to eat here !

Along with L'Ami Louis in Paris I dream of this place when I need a fix of this type of honest and hearty cuisine.


www.latupina.com
6 porte de la monnaie, 33800 Bordeaux
+33 5 56 91 56 37

Enoteca Turi

Enoteca Turi as the name suggests is about the wine however the food should not be underestimated in fact I consider it to be one of the best Italian Restaurants in London along with Riva , L'Anima and Locanda Locatelli.

The wine list is superb with outstanding Brunellos , Super Tuscans and Barollo's as well as some gems (whites)from Alto Adige and Friulli.

The menu is on the small side as are the portions and most regions of Italy are well represented with the dishes always based on authentic fresh ingredients.

A dish of Papardelle with Duck Ragu that I have had here on many occasions will always remain in my gastro memory !

Guiseppe Turi and his family are a credit to their country showcasing quality food and offering a superb wine list.

Hunan - Mr Peng is the Master

Mr Peng the Chef Patron is a genius who does not compromise on quality. He hails from Taiwan but has been taught to cook superior Pan Chinese cuisine with a focus on Taiwanese versions of the best from mainland China0 by a fellow gastro black belt.
Mr Peng has passed on his knowledge and skills to his son Michael and together with Mrs Peng they run a superb operation.
The food is superb and cooked with a light delicate touch despite the fact that Garlic , Ginger, Chilli and Corriander prevail.
There is a well chosen wine list to compliment the food - try the outstanding Feluga Pinot Grigio.
There are a couple of menus but just ignore them and put yourself in Mr Pengs good hands and he will just keep sending a barrage of small dishes.
Circa £35-£50 per head ex wine depending on how much and what you eat.
If you are looking for the standard Cantonese heavy MSG food with lots of rice and noodles stay clear of this place.

I have been coming here for over 17+ years and highlights include an 11 hour meal - lunch at 1pm blended into dinner and we left at midnight - I blame Dan P for this gastronomic encounter :-)

The Square , London

Having eaten here several times I always leave asking myself if this is the best restaurant of its type in London and wondering why it remains stuck on two Michelin Stars.

It is easily an equal to Gordon Ramsey at Royal Hospital Road and in my view ahead of the tired Le Gavroche and the hard sell of Petrus (maybe no longer the case as Marcus Wareing). Therefore I feel that along with Pied a Terre , The Square is overdue for elevation to 3 stars.

On my most recent meal the Lasagne of Crab with Langoustine Cappucino and Basil followed by Ayreshire Aged Beef Fillet with croustiliant of Ox tongue , bone marrow , foie gras and girolles were stunng and beautifully executed.

The amuse "guelle" was an insense gaspacho with two miniscule fried kalamari on the side - certainly woke up my taste buds.

I had a wonderful desert Pavé of Chocolate with Griottines which description will not do it justice.

A half bottle of St Aubin followed by a 2002 Henri Boilott Volnay 1er Cru Les Cervets accompaied what was one of the best meals I have enjoyed in London for a long while.

The service was what you would expect of such a professional establishment.

My congratulations to Philip Howard and his front of house team - I hope they receive their just rewards in 2010.

6-10 Bruton Street, W1J 6PU
Tel: 020 7495 7100
Nearest tube: Green Park
www.squarerestaurant.org

May Day Bank Holiday Lunch

MENU

Dressed Cornish Crab with Mayonaise and Hard Boiled Quails Eggs - from The Chelsea Fishmonger Rex Goldsmith

Roast Loin of Dorset Organic (Tamworth) Pork - from Jack O'Shea
Roast Carrots , Potatoes and Parsnips
Sauted Spinach with Pancetta

St Marcellin , Pont-l'Évêque - from La Fromagerie London - Parmabio 50 month Organic Parmigiano Reggiano from Fausto Brugnoli e Marina Carpanini hand carried from Vischeto , Parma.




Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble with Jersey Double Cream made by Mrs Gastro



Meursault, Les Charmes,2005, 1er Cru, Domaine Michel Bouzereau - Berry Brothers & Rudd

Coudoulet de Beaucastel Red , 2006 Cote du Rhone - Haynes Hanson & Clark
Chateau de Beaucastel 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin - Gift

2006 Passito di Pantelleria DOC Ben Rye - Harrods

The Chelsea Fishmonger Rex Goldsmith

Rex is one of my food heroes.
He took over this small Chelsea Green Fishmongers shop as he expanded from his original outlet on Secretts Farm in Surrey. He recently opened another in Guildford.
Rex and his team led by Matt know how to buy fish and hence you will always find amazing fresh seasonal fish mainly from British waters.

The best fish I have bought in London over the last 15 years has come from here - superb Red Mullet , Dover Sole, Brill , Turbot , Sea Bass , John Dory , Clams , Mussels , Razor Clams ,Cornish Crabs and Crab Meat as well as fanatstic Scottish Langoustine and Scallops .

A fishmonger in Islington once tried to sell me a faux Red Mullett so I never returned, then again its the most overated Fishmonger in Britain.

By the way the person who owns the "Chelsea Tractor"parked outside the shop bought some smoked haddock for a fiver and paid £85 for a wash and blow dry at Real the Hair Salon next door !

10 Cale Street,
Chelsea,
London, SW3 3QU.
Tel: 020 7589 9432
http://www.chelseafish.co.uk

Spaghetti a la Putanesca

Alistar Little recommended in one of his early books that you should always have the ingredients ready for this dish in you larder.
There are as my good friend Umberto once said as many recipes for this dish as puttanas in a certain streel in Naples !
Also there are several theories about the origins of the Putanesca sauce some involving the oldest profession and others not . Wikipedia covers most http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttanesca
Any way here is the one I follow and adore !

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
10 anchovies -
8 whole garlic cloves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 medium San Marzano tomatoes, chopped & seeded with juice, or one can San Marzano tomatoes
12 Kalamata olives, pitted & halved or chopped to taste
3 tsp capers, drained
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
400grams of Dried Spaghettini/Fedelinni or even Linguini, for example Di Martino or your favourite artisan brand , personally I always favour pasta di Gragnano and the Di Martino or Faella brands . The rougher exterior of Gragnano pasta seems to embrace sauces in a unique way. This sauce is better suited to long thin dried pasta (do not use fresh pasta) .

In skillet, heat olive oil. Add crushed red pepper flakes and anchovies (stiring and crushing into the oil) cook for 90 seconds then add chopped garlic . Cook until garlic begins to brown a bit and anchovies fall apart. . Add tomatoes, olives and capers. Simmer sauce 8-10 minutes.Add some of the pasta water to the skillett just before the pasta is ready to serve say half a cup.

Add a bit more chopped garlic, parsley and basil. Simmer a few minutes more. Serve on cooked ( al dente of course ) pasta and then 1/3 of a cup more pasta water when you mix everything up. (No Parmigiano Reggiano or any other cheese for that matter are required to this dish )

Top 10 coffee shops in London

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The Nosh Bar London is Back and the Salt Beef is A1

The Nosh Bar was a well known salt beef bar at 39 Great Windmill Street, London, for over forty years, opening in 1944 by Phil Rabin and finally closing in the late eighties. It re-opened in 2009 after an absence of almost 20 years by the Jonas family.

I have to agree with food critic Dan Young who has specific domain expertise on Jewish Deli food "To describe the thick, moist, fat-glistening, hand-cut slices of cured salt beef as “tender” is to do their singularity an injustice."

Today I had not one but two Salt Beef Sandwiches on Rye for research purposes of course.

The meat was really outstanding ( sourced from Hensons ) as was the Rye Bread ( sourced from Gavins)

Carry on the good work lads and keep the quality up !

O'Shea's my new Number 1 Butcher in London

Dermot O'Shea is descended from eight generations of Irish butchers. In 1998, he and his sons and daughter opened a butcher's shop in Brussels, which quickly became one of the most popular amongst the cognoscenti in the city supplying a very demanding epicurean audience. In 2006 he and his two sons opened his second shop in Knightsbridge, London. Cathal now runs the Butcher concession in Selfridges Food Hall whilst Darragh runs the premium Knightbridge shop.

He sells high-quality meat, including an outstanding grass-fed, barley finished Black Angus beef from South West Ireland and Perthshire in Scotland that provides perfect conditions for this breed that produces not only excellent "prime" cuts like sirloin and fillet but superb Onglet, Bavette and stewing classics like Cheek and Shin.

Just looking at this fine Beef not only shows the marbling but that it has been hung from between 30 to 60 days .

The Knightsbridge store also has outstanding organic and free range pork (Landrace)from Childhay Manor (Dorset) as well as excellent British Lamb from Yorkshire, Shetland and Wales depending on the season.

The Rosé Veal is sublime (Irish) full flavoured unlike the majority of pale Dutch Veal mostly found in the better butchers in London. It is how Veal should be i.e. a young animal as opposed to the Dutch produce that is treated like a Guantanamo Bay prisoner.

The shop also produces excellent homemade pies, pasties, hams , gammon bacon and sausages. There is often a scrum at lunch for the famous homemade baguette sandwiches.

Darragh runs a very serious premium business focused on excellence in terms of selection, correctly hanging and maturing their meats as well as clearly identifying their provenance.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Dermott and Darragh and it's clear within minutes that they are true artisans and this is a business committed to promoting excellence in gastronomy. Seems like the O'Shea's not only know their meat but also are well traveled and understand how different nationalities cook theirs.

Unfortunately during these tough economic times many of our top London Butchers are lowering their standards by mixing up their offerings with inferior and cheaper meats with very dodgy provenance.

For me O'Shea is now the leader of the pack in London leaving Lidgates, Allen's of Mayfair, Harrods, and Ginger Pig etc behind. This has all been achieved in 3 years.

Until further notice I will single source all my meat from this establishment.

11 Montpelier St.
London
SW7 1EX
Tel: 0207 581 7771
website

Not bad for a chain

Rossopomodoro is a successful chain of Italian Restaurants promoting Neaplolitan food. It has many branches all over Italy and has now launched in the UK .

The chain has wood fired ovens and make good Neapolitan style pizzas using quality ingredients.

There are also good pasta dishes and salads.

I tend not to like chains especially those that feature "Italian" food like Strada , Ask , Bella Italia etc but Rossopomodoro manages to produce simple and consistent food using good ingredients.

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Hibiscus in London

It is always difficult to move a restaurant within a city but to bring it down from Ludlow the little gastro hub in Shropshire is very brave indeed.

All I can say after eating there recently week is bravo Monsieur Bosi ! you and your wife have done a great job.

The food is superb and original from the amuse bouche to a remarkable light chocolat tart infused with liquid choc and flavoured with indonesian basil.

Claude Bosi does remarkable things with vegetables somehow concentrating the flavours through pulverisation and blending with other compatible ingredients.

My one criticism is that the portions are slightly too small if you are going for 3-4 courses a la carte including cheese.

The wine list needs a bit of beefing up in terms of choice especially red and white Burgundy and a wider range of red Bordeaux to include some cru bourgeois and lesser grand cru classes' ( of at least 8 years of age)

As in Ludlow this is two star cooking and with some small changes this could become along with The Square and Pied a Terre a contender for a 3rd.

My experience here reminded me of another great French Chef who thrived in London - Pierre Koffman at Tante Claire (Royal Hospital Road) - the approach and philosophy is obviously different but the technical skill and execution from the kitchen was really impressive.

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Freedom for Theo

I have gone on record to say that the River Cafe is vastly overrated and L"Anima is my current favourite Italian in London.

Well Theo Randall now has his own canvas to paint on free from Rosie and Ruthie !

I had a very good meal here last night as a guest of Subterranean.

We both started with the capelletti stuffed with slow roasted veal which was good to the standard found in an average restaurant in say Parma but nowhere near the delights of the Sorelle Picchi in that same fiar city or even an excellent Tortelli stuffed with osso buco a la Milanese that I onCe had a Locanda Locatelli full of flavour, a juicy runny meat and sauce stuffing.

My host had what he desribed as a superb grilled calves liver and I had a truly outstanding Vela Chop topped with porcini and slasa verde.

We shared some fried Zucchini that were good but not as good as those at L'Anima.

We both finished with a truly superb selection of deserts to share - homemade vanila ice cream , pana cotta , lemon tart and chocolate cake - all were really outstanding.

We drank a bottle of Frans Hass Pinot Grigio form Alto Adige and ended with a glass of Sweet Asti.

Perhaps because the retaurantis in a major international hotel it tries to please people with eclectic tastes hence some great Italian wines are conspicous by their absence eg. Passito di Pantelleria one of the worlds top dessert wines.

L'Anima remains my favourite Italian in London !

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Great Queen St

This is the sister restaurant to one of my favourite tables in London - The Anchor and Hope.

Everything is the same in terms of great bourgeois cooking and well chosen and resonably priced wines and beers.

Last night which was pretty cold I had a very light beetroot soup with sour cream and dill followed by a superb ox cheek stew with (real) chips followed by a sublime seville orange and almond tart served with a scoop of home made vanilla ice cream ! Outstanding !

The main difference with the Anchor is that you can book and of course the location is better if you work nearby or happen to be a Mason !

The Holy War Mac v PC

Thanks to James Naughton in todays Observer for reminding us of the great piece written by Umberto Echo in 1994 on Mac v PC .

Catch you later just off to Mass !

Boca di Lupo , London

Ex Moro head Chef Jacob Kennedy has gone Pan Italian and is producing very well turned out Italian Regional classics (small and larger plates for most dishes) The menu describes each dish in English and the region it originates from.

The wine list is very well chosen with many of the great winemakers in Italy represented - however I was disapointed to see they had chosen Umberto Cesari's Sangiovesi di Romagna instead of his superb "Super Emiliano" - Liano a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignion.

I need to work my way through the menu but today I had Tuna Tartare which had capers and pine nuts in the dressing followed by a risotto of bone marrow , barolo and radicchio di Treviso. The Tuna was delicate and fresh and a good way to wake the taste buds. I liked the Risotto but I'm yet to have a one in London that is as good as the ones I make myself at home or reach the heights found in good restaurants of all classes in Italy. I suspect there was a lack of flavour in the stock and an element of pre cooked rice so it was not cooked and stirred for 15-20 minutes from scratch.

I finished with some excellent well kept Tallegio served with fennel ,grapes and rose hip honey.

My guest had a lovely proscuitto crudo of lamb and some scallops with rocket followed by Sanguinaccio - asweet paté of pig's blood chocolate with sourdough bread which was actually very interesting if somewhat rich.

We shared some Puntarelle with anchovy with our mains and they were as good as I have eaten in Rome.

As I said I look forward to working my way through the menu especially Cotechino with lentils in balsamic vinegar
& bitter clementine mostarda Romagna ,Boiled beef with potatoes & salsa verde and Rustic pork & foie gras sausage
with farro & porcini.