Le Loir dans la Théiére - The Dormouse in the Teapot (Gourmet Chick in France)

Going out for brunch on the weekend in Paris is tres fashionable. Where better to indulge than at the adorably named Le Loir dans la Théiére (the Dormouse in the Teapot) in the Marais. The cafe itself lives up to its Alice in Wonderland name with a suitably quirky interior. Shelves hold an eclectic mix of childrens toys and books while the walls are literally wallpapered with posters of upcoming events. Seating is in a hodge podge of furniture including worn leather sofas. There is a sign saying that computers are not allowed but apart from this rule the staff at Le Loir dans la Théiére don't seem to mind if you linger.

Brunch is quite expensive at €18.50 however you do get more than enough food to tide you over for the rest of the day. To begin, little pots of yoghurt are served with a fruit compote. Then there is a choice of scrambled or fried eggs served with a thin piece of fried bacon. The eggs are very rich and creamy and err more on the runny than scrambled side. To accompany this there is plenty of toast with pots of butter and jam.

The orange juice is a real highlight as it is freshly squeezed and sweet with a slight tang. Of course you are in Paris and so no brunch could be complete without a selection of butter and chocolate croissants. Accompanied by strong black coffee or a pot of tea, a leisurely lunch at Le Loir dans la Théiére is a perfect start to a day exploring Paris. If you can't make it there for brunch try popping in during the afternoon for tea or coffee with a wedge of homemade cake for €9.

Essentials:

Details: 3 Rue de Rosiers, 75004 Paris, 4eme, France (Ph 01 42 72 90 61) Metro: Saint-Paul

Damage: Pricey

6/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links:

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my post on some of the best croissants in Paris. Or if this post has put you in the mood for making brunch, this is my recipe for Banana and Ricotta hotcakes.

French toast with balsamic strawberries

A while ago Good Natured Fruit sent me (and lot of other food sites) some punnets of their strawberries along with some cream and Pimms to try.  The strawberries were so delicious that I just ate them straight away.  Interestingly the strawberries are not actually organic but instead are grown without the use of pesticides.  Instead they use bugs, such as ladybirds, to get rid of any pests so you get amazing flavour without any nasties and at a cheaper price than organic.  Yet another producer showing how organic is not always best.  

In proof that sometimes it is worth sending stuff to me even if it takes me a month or so to post about it (really!), I have actually taken to buying these Good Natured strawberries whenever I can.  The other day I bought some and rather than just eating them (which really is not a very exciting post) I soaked them in balsamic vinegar and served them with French toast.  If this is not one of the most delicious and decadent brunch options I don't know what is.  

Ingredients

4 slices of bread

4 eggs

6 tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

100g strawberries

1.  Hull the strawberries and cut them in half.  

2.  Mix the balsamic vinegar and two teaspoons of sugar together and then soak the strawberries for one hour.

3.  Whisk the eggs and combine with the remaining sugar.  Soak the bread in the egg mixture ensuring that there is enough time for the bread to absorb the egg like a sponge and that all of the bread is covered in egg.  

4.  Fry the bread in a frying pan on both sides until it is a golden brown colour.  Top with the balsamic strawberries to serve.

Links

If you are looking for brunch options try this recipe for ricotta banana hot cakes or read this post on some of my favourite London breakfast spots.  

Gourmet Chick was invited to try the strawberries by Good Natured fruit free of charge.  

Banana Tree Canteen

If you are female there is a good chance that you have read the book, seen the movie or you are at least familiar with the philosophy of He's Just Not That into You.  For male readers or those who have been living under a rock for the past few years the theory of He's Just Not That Into You is to stop ignoring all the signs that tell you that a boy is not interested, accept that he is not and move on.  This is how I felt after my visit to Banana Tree Canteen in Islington.  I went there with a few friends who were big fans and regular diners there but I have to say that I just was not that into it.  

Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

I tried to like Banana Tree Canteen, I really did.  After all I liked the premise of the restaurant which is reasonably priced South East Asian food.  The place has a good look to it,  clean lines, bright spaces, communal wooden tables in the Wagama style.  They even bring you complimentary prawn crackers when you sit down with a spicy chilli sauce.  I love prawn crackers.  Sadly, though I can't say that I loved Banana Tree Canteen.  

For a start the menu is far too ambitious.  It includes dishes from across South East Asia from pad thai to laska and everything in between with about 30 different choices.  It is overwhelming and makes me immediately suspicious that the chefs are going to struggle to execute such a variety of dishes well.  The spring rolls confirm my suspicions.  It can't be that hard to deep fry some pastry and vegetables but the rolls are limp and pallid rather than golden and crunchy.  

Ginger chicken stir fry with star anise is served in a small metal dish with a side serving of rice.  The sauce on the chicken is thick and gluggy and overwhelming.  I think the sauce would be better suited to a beef stir fry.  Still, Julia and Emily both enjoy their pad thai which is a generous serving size and packed with chicken, prawns and bean shoots.  Sarah swears that if only I had ordered the laska I would have had a completely different view on Banana Tree Canteen.  There is no use being in denial though, Banana Tree Canteen, I am just not that into you.  

Essentials:

Details: 312 - 416 St John Street, Angel EC1V 4NJ (Ph 020 7278 7565) Tube: Angel

Damage: Budget.  

4/10

Links:

If you liked reading this and you have a craving for Asian food you might be interested in my post on the Vietnamese restaurant Cay Tre.  If you are in the Angel area another nearby budget option is Gallipoli which serves Turkish food.   

48 hours in Edinburgh (Gourmet Chick in Scotland)

Where else but Edinburgh at festival time do you see a troupe of people dressed as green frogs holding umberellas and traipsing through the rain on their way to a show?  I have just got back from a weekend in Edinburgh for the festival.  I know that I am still posting on my month in Paris but bear with me as I have been doing quite a bit of travelling and eating recently.  MTV boyfriend and I headed to Edinburgh for the weekend to see our very talented friend Marney perform in her comedy cabaret show Rosa Waxes Lyrical.  It has been getting rave reviews (five stars!) and if you are keen to see it, she is bringing the show to London this weekend.  

Besides catching some brilliant shows we also fitted in quite a bit of eating and drinking but mainly on the run.  We didn't want to spend too much money or time eating so decided against trying any of Edinburgh's Michelin star restaurants and instead ate at cheap and cheerful local places.  We used some friends recommendations and also this excellent guide from The Guardian to cheap eats in Edinburgh.  So, over our 48 hours in Edinburgh these were the highlights:  

1.  Spoon Cafe 

Tucked away in a quiet road just past the end of the Royal Mile this cafe has bargain prices and free newspapers and  magazines for you to linger over.  There is an appetizing menu of sandwiches and soups and a daily specials board as well that includes some more interesting offerings.  Everything is available to eat in or at a cheaper price to takeaway.  The BLT (£4.35) is a generous sized sandwich with two thick slices of crusty white bread holding in freshly fried bacon and of course the obligatory sliced tomato, lettuce and squirt of mayo.  From the specials board the Arboath Smokies with crushed new potatoes (£8.95) are a little dry however the smoky, salty flavour of the fish is sensational.  This is the sort of cafe that if I lived in Edinburgh I could see myself spending a lot of time here.  

Details: 15 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh EH1 1NB (Ph 0131 556 6922)

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve

7/10

2.  Oink

Oink has to have the shortest menu in the whole of Edinburgh.  All this tiny shopfront serves is roast pig rolls (£4.80).  There are literally only three seats in the shop as most of the room is taken up by the whole roast pig, head and all which is proudly displayed in the window. All you have to do is choose your accompaniment (haggis, stuffing, crackling or apple sauce) and some tender pulled pork will be carved from the pig for your eating pleasure.  The meat is tender and moist and the aroma of roasting pig from this little shop is unbelievable.  Could I have found my spiritual home?  Oink come to London please.  

Details: 34 Victoria street, Edinburgh EH1 2JW.  

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve

8/10

3.  Always Sunday

We stopped in for a quick afternoon tea at Always Sunday right in the middle of the Royal Mile next to the festival ticket office.  The emphasis is more on sweet than savoury here and I should make special mention of the scones with jam and cream as MTV boyfriend rates them as the best scones he has had during our two years in the United Kingdom.  Yes, he rates the scones at Always Sunday as better than any we tried in Cornwall or Devon the traditional home of scones.  The scones are light, fluffy and towering and served with small bowls on the side of clotted cream and blood red strawberry jam.  

Details: 170 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QS (Ph 0131 622 0667).  Open 9am - 6pm.  

Damage: Budget

7/10

4.  Hullabaloo bar

Special mention should be made of this brilliant outdoor bar all artificial grass and chinese lanterns.  I think it only operates for the festival though so get in quick.  

Details: George Street Gardens, Edinburgh EH8 9HL (Ph 08 44 54 58252)

Damage: Reasonable

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my post on eating an entire roast pig in London at St John's (like Oink but with a Michelin star).  

L'Atlas (Gourmet Chick in France)

There is a huge Moroccan community in Paris thanks to France's colonisation of Morocco. This loss of independence may have been a tragic period in Morocco's history however it does mean that you can get some top notch Moroccan food in Paris. One of the stalwarts of the Moroccan dining scene, L'Atlas is located just across the road from Institut du Monde Arabe.

Complimentary olives and potato

Walk into L'Atlas and you are transported from Paris straight into a scene straight out of Arabian nights. A fountain stands in the entrance and the whole restaurant is decorated with intricate white stucco arches. It is almost as if a snake charmer will appear around the corner at any second. For warm nights there is also the option the outdoor terrace on the pavement of St Germain de Prés. Here's the rub though, despite the amazing decor I visited on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was fairly quiet and so completely lacked in atmosphere. I should also say that L'Atlas is not a great restaurant for wine aficionados as the wine list is fairly limited and Moroccan wine dominates. Since L'Atlas is a Moroccan restaurant I can understand this emphasis however generally Moroccan wine really pales in comparison to French wine so it is best to pick from the much smaller French selection on the list.

Still there are lots of reasons to eat at L'Atlas. The excellent nibbles are one thing. There is no real need to order an entree because as soon as you are seated you are given a serve of olives and some lightly spiced potatoes. Instead, I would advise sating your appetite with these and saving yourself for the mains and in particular the selection of tagines. There are lots of options for vegetarians or seafood lovers in comparison to most restaurants in Paris, however it is hard to go past the lamb tagine with quince.

Lamb tagine

Served in the traditional conical shaped dish along with a serving of cous cous on the side the tagine is sizzling hot. Pieces of slow cooked lamb release a heady aroma and the addition of quince sweetens the tagine almost to the point of being saccharine. That's before you even start to explore the dessert menu which is a complete sugar rush. Order the Moroccan pastries and you will be presented with a selection of pastries made with sweet and flaky filo pastry and stuffed with dates and other goodies. A selection of sliced fruit such as kiwi fruit and orange pieces on the plate taste almost savoury in comparison.

If you are in Paris and you feel like a respite from French food (and no matter how good French cuisine is, if you are there for long enough you will) L'Atlas is a great option. My only hesitation is the lack of atmosphere on my visit however let's face it I was in Paris in August when tumbleweed is known to blow down the streets of a city deserted by holidaying Parisians.

Essentials

Details: 12 St Germain de Prés, Paris, France (Ph 01 44 07 23 66) Metro Maubert-Mutualité

Damage: Pricey

6/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links

If you like this you may be interested in my post on Le Bambou a restaurant which features the cuisine of another former colony of France, Vietnam. If you are visiting Morocco, my favourite restaurant in Marrakesh is Al Fassia.

Ladurée (Gourmet Chick in France)

Indulge your inner old lady by having lunch at Ladurée in Paris. In operation since 1862 the tea rooms are to the left of the shop where you can order your Laudree goodies to emporté. That means to takeaway for all of you who are not studying a French language course (as you can see I have really progressed!). The tea rooms themselves look like a Rococo bomb has gone off inside them. Everything is mirrored or gold edged with the exception of the ceiling which is painted with a fresco inspired by no less than the Opera Garnier and the Sistine Chapel. It is certainly an experience to lunch while gilt edged cherubs smile down benignly upon you.

Macaron selection

The cherubs are the only things smiling though as service is on the surly side despite the steep prices (€4.50 for an artisinal lemonade anyone?). The menu lists a range of club sandwiches, salads, breakfast dishes and of course pastries. In my best school girl French I ordered the French toast and also a selection of Ladurée's famous macarons. The waiter immediately brought over the plate of macarons before my French toast and practically slung them down on the table. Unless there is a Parisian quirk that I am not aware of I assume that most people prefer to eat macarons after their meal rather than before.

When it did arrive the French toast was really quite good. Judging by the shape and texture, the toast appeared to be made from a brioche and so the serving sizes were hearty and the toast had a rich crumb. The French toast was served with a pot of Canadian maple syrup with which I doused the toast liberally until like a sponge it had soaked up all the sweetness it could manage and the syrup literally oozed out of each forkful.

French toast

Continuing the sugar high I progressed to the macarons with a pot of tea. Oliver Magny describes Ladurée macarons as the social lubricant of Paris as they are the perfect gift for every occasion. After my Ladurée experience I only wish that I was on the receiving end of some macarons in London. The lemon macaron has a slightly crisp exterior but then you bite into a cushion of creamy vanilla with a dash of citrus. The overall effect is sweet rather than tart. The mint green pistachio flavoured macaron is a little more dense and the flavour is nutty (obviously) with a touch of mint. As for the strawberry macarons well they actually taste like fresh strawberries and the juiciest strawberries at the height of summer if that is possible. However, my favourite is the chocolate macaron which had such a rich chocolate filling that it was almost a fudge. This little old lady will be back for more of those chocolate macarons but maybe just to emporté so that I skip the Parisian attitude.

Essentials

Details: 16 rue Royale, Paris 2eme, France (Ph 01 42 60 21 79) Metro: Concorde

Damage: Pricey

6/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links

For afternoon tea or a light lunch in Paris I would recommend the Rose Bakery. In London Sketch is a lot of fun with a similarly over the top interior to Ladurée but in a very different way.

Cook'n With Class Cooking Course and Honey Madelines (Gourmet Chick in France)

Paris has to be one of the ultimate destinations if you want to hone your culinary skills.  Julia Child studied at Le Cordon Bleu and there are rave reviews of Patricia Well's classes in Paris.  Unfortunately I don't think my French is really up to the standard of a Le Cordon Bleu class and at the exorbitant price of €250 for a class with Patricia Wells - I don't think so.  After reading a few good reviews on Chowhound and Trip Advisor I decided to enrol in the more moderately priced Pastry class at Cook'n With Class.  

Classes are in English and are taught in small groups of eight people so Cook'n With Class promise lots of opportunity for hands on experience.  I headed over to the tiny kitchen in Monmarte where the class was taught by Bernadette Laserna, an American chef who had been working in Paris as a pastry chef for the past few years.   Bernadette announced that we would be making five different recipes in the four hour class.  I wondered how this was going to be physically possible however the answer soon became clear as rather than each cooking the recipes we would be jointly cooking them.  This was a little disappointing as I think classes are always more worthwhile when you actually get to do everything yourself rather than mainly observing.  The other disappointment was that we would not actually be making pastry in the Pastry class and instead would use store bought pastry.  The one thing I had thought when I enrolled in the class was that at the least I would get a decent shortcrust pastry recipe out of it.  

On the other hand, the class was really enjoyable and we came away on a huge sugar high from eating so much.  Bernadette emailed us a copy of  the five different recipes we had helped make and I picked up some useful general tips as well.  I have included the recipe for honey madelines below.  After all what could be more French than a madeline.  Of course, the essential thing that you will need for a madeline recipe is a madeline tin.  Any excuse for a visit to the famous Parisian kitchenware store E Dehillerin I say! 

Honey Madelines

240g plain flour

5 eggs

210g butter

150g honey

150g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of melted butter and 3 tsp caster 

sugar to grease the madeline tin

1.  Preheat oven to 210C.

2.  Brush the tin with melted butter and lightly dust with sugar.  

3.  On low heat melt the butter and honey in a small saucepan.

4.  Beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl until combined and then gradually add the flour and baking powder.  

5.  Once the butter and honey mixture starts to foam add it to the rest of the mixture and combine. 

6.  Allow the mixture to cool and then pour carefully into the madeline tin. 

7.  Bake for 5 mins at 210C and then for 5 mins at 180C.  

8.  Allow to cool in the in for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Makes around 24 madelines.

Essentials

Details: Cook'n With Class, 21 Rue Custine, Paris, France (Ph +33 (0) 63 1 73 62 77) Metro: Chateau Rouge

Damage: €100 for the pastry class.  A morning cooking class including a market tour is €150 however Bernadette (who was refreshingly honest) warned us not to take this class in August as the markets are quite deserted.  

Links

If you liked reading this you can read about the cooking course I did in Morocco which was much more hands on.  In London, Leith's School of Food and Wine runs a variety of cooking courses including the Knife Skills course which I tried out this year.  

La Fontaine de Mars (Gourmet Chick in France)

Solo dining is something I find hard work.  Eating for me is a very social activity and so I love nothing better than to share a meal with someone.  Sitting in cafes by myself is not a dilemma, but eating at a nice restaurant sometimes feels a little strange alone.  Eating at a restaurant is partly about the experience itself and often that experience just isn't as good when you are by yourself.  There is no one to discuss the food or your fellow diners with, there is no ones meal to steal bites of and ordering for one means that you only get to try a very limited part of the menu.  My problem was that for most of my three weeks in Paris I was alone and so in order to try out all the restaurants I wanted to I was going to have to do quite a bit of solo dining.  

Filette de canette roti aux pommes

This meant that I was delighted to read this debate on Chowhound about the best places to dine solo in Paris.  A recurring recommendation was La Fontaine de Mars for the charming waiters who were apparently only to happy to accommodate tables for one.  What's more London Eater recently gave La Fontaine de Mars a glowing review following his trip to Paris and Barack and Michelle Obama ate at La Fontaine de Mars on their visit to Paris earlier this year.  It looked like there was only one thing for it, I made a lunch reservation.  

Almost in the shadow of the Eiffel tower on the Right bank, La Fontaine de Mars should be packed with tourists (and it is) however on both my visits there were a lot of Parisians dining there as well.   The look is classic bistro with red and white check tablecloths, leather banquette seating and wood panelled walls.

They were turning people away at the door but did not seem at all perturbed that I was eating alone and so taking up a table that could have carried two covers.  The waiters were just as charming as the Chowhound reports suggested.  They conversed with me in my basic French and then asked whether I would prefer the menu in French or English.  If you don't speak French don't worry as their English is also perfect.  

The menu reflects a focus on food from the South West of France and bristles with classic French dishes from foie gras to escargots.   It offers good quality cooking without any culinary fireworks.  The escargots were a prime example of this.  The snails were removed from their shells, which takes part of the fun out of it, and served in a slick of parsley, chopped bacon and butter.  They were tasty but the accompaniments drowned out the flavour of the snails and left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied.  

From the mains, on my first visit I ordered the confit de carnard landais which was a duck confit served with sauteed potatoes.  The duck was dry and bland in flavour while the potatoes erred more on the greasy than the crispy side.  It was disappointing after such great reviews of La Fontaine de Mars and such lovely service to have a mediocre meal.  However, I decided that this perhaps was the curse of solo dining and I had just ordered badly.  

Floating island

The next week I returned and ordered the plat du jour which was filette de canette roti aux pommes, more duck with apples.  This time, the duck was tender and pink with a rich flavour that was heightened by the slow cooked wedges of apple that were golden and caramalised.   Dessert was another hit, the "floating island" is a classic French dish and I savoured the fluffy white island of meringue floating in a pool of creme anglais and topped with a light caramel sauce and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.     Apart from the fact that the service was top notch on both visits, I almost felt as if I had dined at two different restaurants.  

The service at La Fontaine de Mars is fabulous and it is a haven for tourists and solo diners alike however in my experience the food can be hit and miss.  I think it is still worth a visit (even just to say that you and the Obamas share restaurant preferences) but just choose carefully when ordering.  

Essentials

Details: 129 Rue St Dominique, Paris 7eme, 75007, France (Ph  01 47 05 46 44)

Damage: Pricey.  Mains hover around the €30 mark and there is no set menu, although the plat du jour is only €20 so offers a cheaper option.

7/10

Links

Following my last trip to Paris I posted on how to eat snails (if they are served in their shells).  For French bistro cooking in London with the added bonus of BYO on some nights try Bloody French in Notting Hill.   

 

Barrafina - revisited

After putting Barrafina in my top ten restaurants in London list I decided it was well worth a revisit.  It is the perfect restaurant to go to with only one other person given its tiny size so I went with my friend Johanna for some tapas and drinks.  Barrafina was just as good as I remembered and we had a brilliant night perched at the bar sipping on glasses of chilled white wine while we sampled the tapas on offer.  My original review is below with updates in italics.  

Octopus with capers

The secret to not having to queue at Barrafina is to get there just before six. (We got there at 7pm this time and were able to walk straight in although by 8pm it was packed and the situation may be different on a Friday or Saturday night).  Having decided on previous occasions that the queue was too long it was good to finally be able to walk right in to a seat at the bar. Barrafina is a tiny place with a no bookings policy and it is fabulously popular, hence the issue with queuing. The decor is light and sleek with lots of white marble and mirrors. All the seating is positioned around what serves as a bar and open kitchen. The bonus of this is all the theatre of watching your meals prepared and also spotting dishes which look good and adding them to your list of orders.

I went to Barrafina with my friend Claire who is somewhat of a bad influence on me when it comes to drinking champagne. She loves it, I love it and when we are together bottles of the stuff seem to evaporate into the atmosphere. So in this spirit we ordered a bottle of rose Cava and settled into our stools at the bar.

We started with croquettes. When you cut them open cheese spilled out of them in delicious contrast to the crispy bread crumbed exteriors. Next we tried the coco which was a type of thin flat bread sprinkled with spinach and raisins and served as somewhat of an antidote to the cheesy croquettes.  On our next visit we ordered both of these again and they were both brilliant.  The croquettes are very rich and filling and a bargain to boot at £3 for two.   

It is difficult to resist chorizo at a tapas bar, particularly when it is being grilled within a metres proximity of you, as is the case at Barrafina. The serving size was generous and not for the faint hearted or diet conscious, but it was very satisfying. To be honest, I could have ordered chorizo all night, as each plate which was being prepared in the open kitchen looked so delicious. However that would have been gluttonous and would not have left enough room for alcohol, which was really the primary purpose of our catch ups. So we restrained ourselves and ordered off the "specials" which essentially comprised the seafood options.  

We opted for the mackerel, this unloved oily fish was served grilled atop fried potatoes and garnished with crispy pancetta.  A perfect finale to our Barrafina experience.  It was time to relinquish our spot at the bar to one of the hungry souls who had come a little after six and so were stuck in the queue. Clearly a beginners error. 

 

Sardines

This time we tried the grilled octopus with capers and the sardines.  The octopus lacked the crisp, char grilled flavour that I was hoping for and so was a little disappointing.  Still, the capers added a salty kick and worked well with the octopus/  Sardines a la plancha were a bargain at £6 for four sardines.  They were grilled simply and then served with a splash of olive oil, chopped parsley and some curls of chilli.  The flavours were robust and satisfying.  My love affair with Barrafina continues.  The tapas here are as good as you can get in London and the extensive list of specials means that there are always new dishes to try along with the old favourites.  

Essentials
Details: 54 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4SL (Ph 0207 813 8016) Tube: Tottenham Court Road
Damage: Reasonable
9/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might like reading about my favourite tapas bar in Spain, Nou Manolin.  In London I also like Tiendo Cuatro.  

Le Chateaubriand (Gourmet Chick in France)

I am often overwhelmed with choices which is why I was always bound to love Le Chateaubriand in Paris. The restaurant is headed up by Basque chef Inaki Aizpitarte and the menu is set with no choice or variation for the whole restaurant. Eat at Le Chateaubriand and you will be served whatever has inspired Aizpitarte that day. This creative control has garnered Le Chateaubriand a ranking of 40th in the top 50 restaurants in the world and a meal there is the talk of Paris.

John Dory fillet with baby carrots and almonds

For a fairly radical restaurant, both the name and decor of Le Chateaubriand is fairly traditional. Large french doors open up onto the street on warm nights and inside the ambience is cosy but bustling with black and white tiled floors, wooden bistro furniture and a large old bar in the front corner. The atmosphere is casual for such a highly regarded restaurant with no table linen and a simple photocopied piece of paper setting out the menu for that day.

To begin, an amuse bouche of one whole deep fried rouge, which as the name suggests, is a small red fish. This is served unadorned on the plate with the exception of a smudge of foie gras. The idea is to eat the fish whole, bones and all, which gives a slightly rough texture to the light flesh of the fish. Next up is an inspired ceviche. Large, thick slices of fish are 'cooked' in lemon juice and topped with slices of tomatoes and sizzling warm pieces of grilled octopus. This is almost the perfect dish for a hot August night in Paris and the lemon provides a tang that is tart but not bitter.

Following this, a thick fillet of pearly white John Dory or St Pierre served with baby carrots, almonds and blossoms. The carrots have a citrus flavour which is heightened by a citrus powder sprinkled on the dish while the fish is iridescent and so light that it flakes off the fork. I have to say that Aizpitarte has a way with fish that makes me weak at the knees.

Pigeon with beetroot and endive

It can't all be brilliant of course and pigeon served with beetroot and endive salad fails to win me over. The bitter endive overwhelms the flavour of the pigeon and the pink pigeon flesh combined with the beetroot and deep burgundy endive has a strange appearance resulting in an all pink plate of food. I don't care though as I am happy to see that Aizpitarte is still experimenting with new and different flavour combinations.

Back on track, Aizpitarte finishes with a wickedly enjoyable sort of deconstructed Eton mess. A bowl of fresh strawberries is served with huge pillows of meringue and clouds of whipped cream. Heavenly. If you are planning on visiting Paris you must get yourself a booking at Le Chateaubriand. Obviously your meal will be entirely different to mine given the daily menu changes but there are a few things that you will know. The food will be innovative, the atmosphere electric and the (all male) wait staff charming and incredibly good looking to boot. What's more it is not often that you get to experience a restaurant ranked in the top 50 restaurants in the world for €45 per head. Aizparte is reported as saying that if a dish is not affordable, he takes it off the menu. All I can say is get there if you can.

Essentials

Details: 129 Avenue Parmentier, Paris 11eme, 75011, France (Ph +33 1 43 57 4595) Metro: Goncourt

Damage: Pricey (but well worth it). €45 per head. €16 per head at lunch however the menu is apparently not as extensive or adventurous.

9/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in two other great Parisian restaurants: L'Entredgu or Mama Shelter.

La Reine du Kashmir (Gourmet Chick in France)

You don't see many Indians in Paris. Which makes me wonder why, when I live in London a city with a vibrant Indian community and great Indian food, I decided to eat at an Indian restaurant in Paris. I think I reached some sort of French bistro fatigue and I was craving a cheap and quick hit of Indian and a cold beer. That's my excuse anyway.

The camp interior of La Reine du Kashmir

I headed to Passage Brady in the 10eme which is Paris' version of Brick Lane in London. The covered arcade is lined with Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants along with a surely disproportionate number of hairdressers. If you want a curry or a hair weave in Paris, Passage Brady is the place to come. Right in the middle of the Passage Brady, La Reine du Kashmir looked like a good choice with a relatively simple and well priced (read cheap) menu and quite a few punters eating there already.

Inside La Reine du Kashmir is like some sort of opium den with velvet curtains, gold statuettes and intricate carvings. I opted for a table "outside" on the pavement of the covered Passage Brady for maximum people watching opportunity. It was quite entertaining watching people wander down the alley as the various touts tried to entice them into their restaurant/hairdresser. Although in that time I did come to the slow realisation that a covered passage is really just an excuse for the French to smoke while eating their dinner in an indoor environment.

As I sucked in the fumes from my neighbouring diners cigarettes I ordered the banquet which looked like excellent value since it included naan, samosa, lamb curry, chicken tandoori and a keema curry. A complimentary glass of slightly warm Rosé arrived at my table which was a nice gesture but worried me slightly given that my meal was only supposed to be costing €15 and I did not want the margins that should be spent on the food being spent on the bad wine.

The banquet arrived suspiciously quickly and it was not really a banquet at all, rather one large metal plate with small samples of the different dishes. Perhaps I was expecting to much out of my €15 deal but you never know I could have stumbled on the Indian version of Tayyabs. Sadly, this was no Tayyabs as things went steadily downhill from here. The naan was slick with oil rather than light and fluffy and served with cheese which just added to the grease factor. The singular samosa was decent enough however the flaky triangle of pastry was stuffed with exactly the same filling as the keema curry it was sitting next to (minced lamb with a hint of spice and an occasional pea).

The banquet plate with lamb curry in the foreground and the tandoori behind

One bite of the tandoori chicken filled me with horror as the tandoori paste was entirely lacking in punch and the chicken was a grey dishwater colour with corresponding taste and flavour. The only part of the banquet that was in any way decent was the lamb curry. At least here the tasteless meat was disguised by the rich, buttery sauce.

I finished what I could of the miserly banquet and to try and rid myself of the taste of the chicken tandoori I ordered the "carrot cake", which was actually carrot halvah made from grated carrot and served in a small glass pot covered in a sticky sauce of milk and sugar. However, there really wasn't enough sauce to add the requisite sweetness to the carrots and so I was left feeling like I was eating a salad with a sugary dressing.

After dessert I was brought a complimentary shot of what I think was vodka. I took one sip and it burned my throat so I abandoned it. If you choose restaurants by the number of complimentary drinks served, La Reine du Kashmir may be a good choice but on any other criteria it fares dismally. Maybe there are some good Indian places in Paris but I didn't find one at Passage Brady. In a city like Paris with such a dominant French food culture I think the better bet is to eat at a bistro or at a restaurant serving food from Vietnam, Morocco or one of France's other former colonies. At least then there is a chance there will be quite a few decent Vietnamese or Moroccan chefs in Paris.

Essentials

Details: 82 Passage Brady, 10eme, 75010 Paris (Ph +33 01 45 233935) Metro - Strasbourg St Denis

Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve.

3/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links

For a quick cheap eat in Paris try Le Bambou instead for Vietnamese fare. If you like reading reviews of bad Indian restaurants, don't fear they are not confined to Paris. This is my review of Dawaat on Brick lane.

Roast beef with sweet potato gratin

Is it bad to cook a Sunday roast with all the trimmings during summer?  I know that I should probably be eating a salad but sometimes you have a craving for a roast dinner that just has to be met.  I did actually serve the roast with salad as well.  A small concession to summer time.  

The roast beef was a sirloin joint boned and rolled which was part of a box of meat that I received from Abel & Cole for free to review on Gourmet Chick (the arrival of this box was like Christmas for MTV boyfriend).  I prepared the sirloin fairly simply.  It was top notch organic meat and I didn't want to detract from such quality produce too much.  I served it with a sweet potato gratin which I adapted from the brilliant  Ottolenghi: The Cookbook which was a great accompaniment as the creamy sweet potato really complimented the rich flavour of the meat. 

I have added both recipes below.  The main thing to remember is to start on the sweet potato gratin first, it will take more time than the roast beef.  The roast beef with gratin turned out to be quite a dinner party triumph.  I have to say that a lot of the credit for this must go to Abel & Cole as the quality of the meat was really excellent.  If you don't have a good butcher nearby or even if you are just planning a dinner that you want to be extra special I think some Abel & Cole meat is worthwhile. 

Roast beef

1 sirloin joint boned and rolled

3 tsp seeded mustard

Olive oil   

Salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C.  Rub the meat with olive oil, salt to season and the mustard.

2.  Place in a roasting tin and roast for around 25 mins for medium rare meat or longer if you would prefer your meat more well done.  

3.  Set aside for 10 mins before serving wrapped loosely in tinfoil to allow the flavour of the meat to develop further by absorbing the juices.  This step is essential and makes all the difference to the roast.

Sweet Potato Gratin

4 sweet potatoes

5 tsp sage, chopped

6 garlic cloves, crushed

250ml whipping cream

Salt and pepper to season

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C.  Wash the sweet potatoes but no need to peel them and slice thinly.

2.  Mix the sweet potatoes, sage, garlic, salt and pepper and then arrange in an oven dish by packing the sweet potato slices in tightly in rows.  

3.  Cover the dish with foil and cook in the oven for 45 mins.  

4.  Remove the foil and pour the cream over the potatoes, cook uncovered for a further 25 mins. 

Links

If you liked reading this you can check out the other recipes I made using the box of meat I received from Abel & Cole: minted roast lamb cutlets and spicy gammon steaks.   

Gourmet Chick was invited to try the Abel & Cole meat free of charge.

Sunday Dinners in Paris with Jim Haynes (Gourmet Chick in France)

It is not that common to go to a dinner party and invite yourself and then have to introduce yourself to the host on the night because you have never met them before. However, this is the situation that most guests are in when they go for dinner on Sunday night at Jim Haynes Parisian home. Before the latest trend of "underground" restaurants were even a twinkle in their fathers eye Jim was serving dinner to up to sixty strangers every Sunday night at his atelier in Paris. In fact, Jim has been putting on Sunday dinners for the last 30 years.

Jim Haynes

Dinner at Jim's is a Paris institution and since I was in Paris by myself I decided it would be a great way to meet people. To secure an invitation to dinner the process is really quite simple. You just email Jim and ask if you can come (email details here). You then receive an email from Jim detailing the location of the atelier he lives in and asking you to turn up on Sunday night at 8pm with a contribution (€25 is the suggested rate).

So on a beautiful Paris summers evening I strolled down to Jim's atelier in the 14eme. The atelier is set in a little laneway which people spill out onto in summer time. Already there were people milling outside but I made my way in and introduced myself to Jim who was seated at one end of the kitchen holding court. At this stage you hand over your contribution (in an envelope) and Jim finds you on his list of guests and crosses you off. The suggested contribution is €25 however it is entirely up to you what and whether you pay. This is where it gets interesting as Jim has an amazing memory and despite only having a brief conversation with him at a later stage in the night he introduced me to another guest and later again to the chef. I saw him do this with quite a few people so it was not that I was particularly memorable.

Beer, wine and soft drink is also included and so clutching a plastic beaker of wine for Dutch courage I made my way outside and started to mingle. It was like being at a party where you don't know anyone except the great thing is that lots of other people are in the same position. There were a few Parisians in attendance who said that they came every Sunday but the rest of the guests are quite random and included a mixture of French and English speakers although the English speakers were in the majority.

The spread at Jim's (lots of bread)

Dinner itself is fairly basic. It changes from week to week depending who is doing the cooking but on my visit we were served chilli with salad. However, just like dinner at home you could go back for seconds. Dessert was pecan pie so you could say there was a bit of an American theme to dinner although I heard that the week before the meal was Indian.

Although Gourmet Chick is mainly about food, food is not really the focus of Sunday dinners at Jim's. Rather the emphasis is on the experience of dining with a group of total strangers and also the generosity and slight eccentricity of Jim himself. The story goes that the tradition of Sunday dinners happened quite accidentally. The way Jim tells it, in the 1970's an American dancer knocked at Jim's door and said that she had been recommended by a friend and asked if she could stay. In return, the dancer offered to cook dinner for Jim and his friends. The dinners have been going ever since and Jim estimates 120,000 people have dined with him over the years. If you are in Paris on a Sunday you can go too. All you have to do is email or call and invite yourself. If only all dinner parties were that easy.

Essentials

Details: 14eme, Paris, France (Ph + 33 1 43 27 17 67).

Jim attends the Edinburgh festival every year in the latter half of August but otherwise dinner is every Sunday night.

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links

If you liked reading this you can read about more Parisian adventures - tackling snails for the first time and scouring the outer arrondissiments for L'Entredgeu.

Le Bambou (Gourmet Chick in France)

Warning: if you eat at Le Bambou in Paris do not put your bowl of Pho down with a few slurps still left in it as the bowl will be whisked away before you get a chance to finish it off.  Serving excellent Vietnamese food at low prices, Le Bambou makes its money from turning tables quickly so beware if you feel like lingering over your meal.  

Spicy beef

In the heart of Chinatown (even the McDonalds has Chinese writing) you don't really feel like you are in Paris when you eat at Le Bambou.  There are just as many Vietnamese speakers as French speakers and then of course a handful of Les Anglais who have trekked out to Le Bambou after reading Chez Pim's glowing recommendations or those of Juliet Lac from the Paris Woman's Journal.  

The restaurant is nothing to look at.  The decor is utilitarian with tiled floors, tables packed in elbow to jowl, mirrored walls and some faux bamboo to top it all off.  As I said before, unlike most restaurants in Paris where you are encouraged to stay as long as you wish at Le Bambou you will be bundled out the door quickly whether you like it or not.  It is entirely possible to order, eat and pay within half an hour.  If you do visit Le Bambou try to get there before 9pm as by that time a queue of people waiting to eat snakes out the door.  

The service is ruthlessly efficient and borders on rude.  The multi-lingual couple sitting next to me on one occasion (they spoke French, Vietnamese and English) were in hysterics over what the waiting staff were saying in Vietnamese as they tried to turn the tables.   Despite all of this I managed to eat at Le Bambou three times during my month in Paris because not only is Le Bambou very cheap it is also very good indeed.  

The Pho accompaniments

One page of the menu is entirely devoted to different varieties of Pho.  The Pho Chin is a meal in itself arriving in a huge bowl whipper snap fast (€7).  The soup itself is pungent, dark and laden with thin slices of beef brisket and an accompanying plate of bean sprouts, mint, coriander and chillies.  Each slurp is soul satisfying.  Not everything is stellar, pork spring rolls don't live up to the high standards of Pho.  They are probably better described as rice paper rolls and even doused in nuoc cham sauce the rolls have a slightly dry texture.

A better choice is the grilled chicken which has a smoky, charred flavour and is served with rice or noodles.  The standout meal though is the "Spicy Beef" (No 84 on the menu, €8.50).  Large chunks of beef are slow cooked until they are so tender that they fall apart at the slightest touch.  The beef is served in a terracotta hot pot along with carrots and a separate bowl of rice.  It is almost like a casserole but Vietnamese style.  Don't be put off by the name "Spicy Beef",  there is a slight hint of fieriness but Vietnamese food is generally fairly mild especially when compared with the cuisine of its neighbour, Thailand.  

Le Bambou serves the best Vietnamese food I have eaten in Europe.  Even the table turning can be welcome when you want a quick meal in a city where things such as eating generally take a long time.  It is also worth a visit alone just to check out the bling on the owners fingers.  He has more diamonds than Elizabeth Taylor.  Clearly the fast turnaround is paying dividends.  

Essentials

Details: 70 Rue de Baudricort, 75013 Paris, France (Ph 01 45 70 91 75) Metro: Maison Blanche.

Closed on Mondays.  No bookings.  

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve.

8/10

Links

If you liked reading this you can read about Rose Bakery which is another place in Paris that you can get an alternative to traditional French fare.  You can also read my review of Pho in London which specialises in (what else?) Pho.        

L'Entredgeu (Gourmet Chick in France)

On the hunt for the perfect Parisian bistro my search took me to L'Entredgeu located in the outskirts of the 17th arrondissement which is almost as far away as you can get from the 14th where I am staying. Tucked away in a back street behind the metro the area feels decidedly dodgy however L'Entredgeu itself could not appear more welcoming. Large glass windows face onto the street emblazoned with gold lettering and once inside the atmosphere is cozy with tiled black and white floors, cherry red leather banquettes and bistro style tables and chairs adorned with tablecloths that bear a striking resemblance to tea towels. The walls are covered with black and white photos of bull fights which I guess must be a reference to the Basque influences in the food.

Travers de cochon confit

Recommended by both Chez Pim and David Lebovitz, L'Entredgeu is run by a husband and wife team. The name Le Entredgeu is a play on words as Phillipe Tredgeu is the chef while his wife Catherine runs the front of house and so you entre Tredgeu. Oh the French - they are tres amuse! Despite the bistro's location in the wild west of Paris it is firmly on the foodie radar because of the pedigree of the owners (Philippe cheffed at Chez Casimir and Chez Michel while Catherine previously worked for Robuchon and Ducasse) and the quality of the food on offer.

Arriving at 8pm I was one of the first people in the restaurant but the waiter led me to a room slightly adjacent to the main room where I was seated close to a family of Americans. Over the course of the evening it became clear that any English speaking customers were seated in this room. Although I had made my reservation in French I am sure it was immediately clear to L'Entredgeu that I am not French. Probably the fact that I had called and quite possibly said something along the lines of "I am a table for one. Tomorrow. I am 8 hours. Many thanks" was the give away. Whatever the case some sort of segregation was going on and while it may have been to allow the waiters with the best English to cover those tables with English speakers I did feel a little left out once I worked out what was going on especially given that I was doggedly continuing to try and speak and order in French.

Once I was seated a waitress brought around a blackboard listing the menu choices for the prix fixe €32 three course menu with a choice of seven or so options for entree, main and dessert. The menu changes daily according to what is available although there are a few specialties of the chef that make regular appearances. It was written entirely in French and in handwriting which resembled that of the average doctor (ie intelligible) which did not assist matters. I managed to decipher most of it but there was still the element of surprise with each dish I ordered as to what it would actually comprise. I actually quite enjoy that part of dining overseas as you end up trying things that you may not have ordered if you knew what they were.

The wine list was easier to navigate as it was fairly concise and actually typed. I settled on a half bottle of the vin de table (€20) which appeared to be quite a bit more than a half bottle so left me feeling slightly sloshed by the end of the meal. However back to the beginning, the waiters recommended the coeur de boeuf as a starter which turned out to be a Caprese salad with a slight twist. Overlapping discs of tomato and milky buffalo mozzarella were served on top of a savoury pastry base and drizzled with a tangy pesto. The ingredients were of top quality but I do feel that in general Caprese salad is always a bit of a let down when not in Italy.

Any disappointment was short lived though as my next dish knocked my socks off. The travers de cochon confit was everything I was looking for and more. A black cocotte was brought to the table laden with three pork ribs and a medley of vegetables. The pork was moist with a crispy skin covered in a sticky almost caramelised sauce and it fell off the ribs. The inclusion of vegetables such as shitake mushrooms, snow peas and fava beans along with roasted potatoes added a lighter touch to the dish and offered a hint of Asian influence.

Chocolate mousse

Half a bottle of wine and a good part of a pig later I decided to finish myself off completely by ordering the chocolate mousse for dessert. Two quenelles of mousse arrived nestling on a platform of honeycomb and decorated with a thick shard of white chocolate. The mousse was so light and fluffy that there was a danger that it would float off the table and my rapturous expressions while eating it prompted the couple next to me to change their dessert order to two mousse.

L'Entredgeu is worth the trek for the genuine bistro atmosphere and the brilliant seasonal menu that changes daily instead of offering up the same tired fare day after day. My only hesitation is the segregation of English speakers however I am happy to give L'Entredgeu the benefit of the doubt and presume that this was for practical reasons. For an honest to goodness Parisian bistro experience L'Entredgeu is the place to go.

Essentials

Details: 83 rue Laugier, Paris, France (Ph 01 40 54 97 24) Metro: Porte de Champerret.

Beware this is another of the many restaurants in Paris that shuts down in August - I got in just before it closed for the summer holiday.

Damage: Reasonable

8/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

I stayed at hip hotel Mama Shelter, a Phillipe Starck designed wonder out in the 20th. Housed in a converted garage each room has a slick imac which you can watch DVDs on, TV or use the internet, there are Kiehls toiletries in the bathroom and basically it is designer heaven. Rooms from €89.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in this post on hip new restaurant Mama Shelter's take on bistro fare in Paris or what about a great Parisian style bistro in London, Galvin Bistrot de Luxe.

Top Ten Restaurants in London

Everyone loves a list.  So, in the spirit of Gourmet Chick turning one this year and having eaten my way around London over the past two years and the world prior to that the following is my list of what I think are the top ten restaurants in London.  Of course such a list is subjective.  I can't pretend to have eaten at every restaurant in London and my taste in restaurants may not be the same as yours.  What's more clearly there are a lot more than ten good restaurants in London.  

Bone marrow at St John

In the interests of brevity I have culled down my favourites to this list of ten.  I have eaten at each of these restaurants during the past year, sometimes several times and I think they are all good enough to be recommended to you as a London top ten.  I am sure lots of you have your own view.  Let me know where you think I have gone wrong or which hidden gems (or not so hidden) you think I should explore during the next year of Gourmet Chick.  Each summary links back to my more detailed review of the restaurant.    

1.  Vinoteca

This atmospheric winebar also serves damn fine food.  The atmosphere is bustling and lively thanks to the no bookings policy.  You will probably have to wait for a table but you can pass the time with a glass or bottle of wine while leaning on the bar.  The food is worth the wait: think sea bass and fregola stew or tender char grilled bavette steak with chunky chips.   Cost: reasonable.

2.  St John

Across the road from Vinoteca is my next top pick, St John's.  An iconic London restaurant my meal here of an entire suckling pig was a revelation.  The white walled aesthetic puts the focus firmly on the food which was ahead of its time in celebrating the whole animal.  Not a good choice for vegetarians but otherwise St John's is a must.  Cost: Pricey.  

3.  Bocca di Lupo

Bocca di Lupo opened this year too much acclaim and after a meal there you will be clamouring to join the fan club.  This Soho restaurant offers a modern take on Italian food served in small plates.  Sit at the chef's counter and enjoy the theatre of the kitchen while you sample pork and foie gras sausage served with farro or a dessert of cannoli filled with chocolate spotted ricotta. Cost: pricey.   

4.  Pham Sushi

Pham had to make this list probably as the restaurant that I eat at most often.  The restaurant is small and unassuming but the sushi is fantastic.  Super fresh with the clean flavour that marks it out as top quality.  Those in the know order the crunchy tuna rolls which never fail to disappoint.  Cost: Reasonable.  

5.  The Ledbury

The Ledbury sparkles because of the sheer effort and care that goes into each dish.  At this Michelin star restaurant in Notting Hill you will feel like royalty as you are served exquisitely presented amuse bouches.  The menu is modern European and on my visit there was an Asian influence to dishes such as lamb roasted in balsamic and served with miso glazed aubergine. Cost: budget breaking (there is a set price lunch menu though).

6.  Tayyabs

I'm not telling you anything you don't know by putting Tayyabs in this list.  While technically a Pakistani restaurant this is widely regarded as London's best Indian restaurant and what's more it is ridiculously cheap.   Service is brisk and the speciality is grilled meat such as the sizzling seek kebabs.  Cost: such a bargain my mother would approve.  

7.   Ottolenghi

Just thinking about the food at Ottolenghi makes my eyes gain a far away distant look as I am transported into a world of fresh pomengrates, pistachios, lemon and yoghurt.  Everything on offer at Ottolenghi from the salad to the huge, fluffy meringues looks beautiful and tastes even better.  My favourite spot in London for a light lunch or a treat to takeaway.   Cost: reasonable.

8.  Barrafina

Try to get there early to avoid the queues at this tiny Soho tapas bar.  Barrafina is the real deal.  You sit perched at a white marble counter savouring cheesy croquettes and slices of sizzling grilled chorizo.  In my view, the best tapas in London. Cost: Pricey.

Corn fritters at Lantana

9.  Lantana

This Australian cafe serves one of the best breakfasts in London because lets face it Aussies know how to make a good breakfast.  I freely admit that I am biased in this regard.  Think corn fritters with poached eggs and Monmouth coffee made in a gleaming Marzocco espresso machine that churns out consistently brilliant coffee.  Cost: Reasonable.  

10.  The Bull and Last

I had to have a gastro pub on this list because I do love a good pub meal.  The Bull and Last fits the bill perfectly.  Tucked away in Kentish town this is a pub that serves real ale and really good food.  The triple cooked chips are without a doubt the best chips in London.  They are the perfect accompaniment to classic menu offerings such as roast chicken or battered fish.  Cost: Reasonable.   

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my tips for visitors who have 12 hours in London.  

Red Velvet Cupcakes (Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

Count them yourself if you please. There are a total of fifteen different cup cake recipes in the The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. That's hours of fun and sugar highs right there before you even get into the carrot cake recipe and key lime pie. If you are a fan of the Hummingbird Bakery or of American style, super sweet and frosting heavy baking then you will be a fan of this cookbook. I am a fan. Such a fan that I broke my self imposed cookbook ban (I have way too many) to purchase this book. I figure it is justifiable as a money saving move as I will save money by baking Hummingbird bakery goodies rather than hot footing it down to Portobello road to buy them. It is a very girly book with a pale pink and chocolate colour scheme and lots of gratuitous glossy photos of swirls of thick frosting. The chef behind the Hummingbird Bakery, ex journo Tarek Malouf, certainly knows his target market.

The recipes are fairly straightforward and of the two I tested both worked perfectly (although perhaps my frosting technique needs to be a bit more heavy handed in order to reach the decadent heights of the Hummingbird Bakery itself). The most important thing to remember when baking cupcakes Hummingbird Bakery style is to use muffin cases to line a muffin tin rather than cupcake cases as these are super size American style cupcakes. If you are UK based you can get muffin cases from Waitrose and this trip will save you the ignominy of squashed looking cupcakes which will result from using cupcake cases. I have tweaked the recipe slightly to reduce the quantity of food colouring as I am not such a fan of additives like food colouring. Given this recipe uses red food colouring there is an inherent danger that your kitchen will look like a blood bath has occurred in it. This adds a little frisson to the whole baking experience. I should also note that the cookbook calls for an electric mixer but I don't have one and it is not necessary if you don't mind working off those cupcakes while you are creaming the butter and sugar by hand.

Ingredients

60g butter at room temperature

1 egg

150g caster sugar

10g cocoa

10ml red food colouring

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

120ml buttermilk

150g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

Frosting

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g butter at room temperature

125g cream cheese, chilled

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Cream the butter, egg and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl mix the cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla extract. Once mixed add to the creamed mixture.

4. Mix carefully until combined and then add half the buttermilk, mix further and add half the flour and the baking powder. Mix thoroughly before adding the remainder of the buttermilk and flour and mixing further.

5. Add the white wine vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix thoroughly for at least 5 mins.

6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins or until the cupcakes spring back slightly when touched.

7. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

8. In the meantime, to make the frosting cream the icing sugar and butter together until well mixed.

9. Add the cream cheese and mix until it is incorporated. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy for at least 5 mins.

10. Use a spatula to layer the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of Hummingbird Bakery itself on Portobello road in Notting Hill. Or you can try out the recipe for Hummingbird Bakery's vanilla cupcakes.