The Summerhouse

Pop! That's the sound of a new "pop up" restaurant opening, this time in Little Venice for the Summer months. The Summerhouse sits right on the canal and is run by the people in charge of the nearby pub, The Waterway. Despite the temporary nature of the restaurant the structure itself is fairly permanent and has been used to house a few restaurants including one called Jasons and another The Boathouse. In honour of its new name and purpose the whole place has been decked out with a nautical theme. Blue and white stripes, pictures of boats and beach pebble flooring give the place a relaxed beach house feel. There are also some clever features like a comfortable bar area and clear plastic blinds that can be rolled up during the day to allow an almost al fresco dining experience.

Fishcakes

The place has a nice feel to it and I was pretty excited about eating there until I sat down to the menu and realised that there is nothing I really wanted to order. The Summerhouse is primarily a seafood restaurant, but it is a seafood restaurant that doesn't have any of the exciting stuff like oysters or fish of the day or seafood platters. Instead, the menu is monotonously predictable. Crispy calamari for starters or perhaps dips to share? There's nothing wrong with either of those options but also there is nothing that adventurous about them either.

Sweet potato chips

Uninspired we headed straight to the mains. Fish and chips (£16) are a good test of a seafood restaurant and The Summer House's take on them comprised a large piece of cod coated in a crispy beer batter and served with mushy peas and a tartare sauce. Unfortunately the batter on the fish was thick and flaccid while the chips had been overcooked and so had a cardboard like texture. A better option was the fishcakes (£12) which contained more fish in them than potato which is always a good thing. They featured a crispy breadcrumbed coating around big chunks of pink salmon. Tender spears of asparagus and a smear of smooth Hollandaise sauce added some much needed moisture.

Since MTV boyfriend is a contrary man he ordered the steak (£22) at a seafood restaurant, put on the menu clearly for customers just like him. The steak was sirloin and cut fairly thin. It had been chargrilled to impart a smoky flavour but the meat was not great quality for the price. We also ordered some sides of slightly soggy sweet potato chips (£4) and a desultory rocket and parmesan salad (£4) which was a ridiculously small serving particularly given rocket is in season at the moment.

Sirloin steak

Just like the starters, the desserts failed to tempt us. They were all ice-cream or berry based and I did not really fancy paying £6 for jelly and ice-cream or £8 for watermelon and strawberries. I loved the Summerhouse setting but based on my meal there London could have survived quite well if this restaurant had never popped up in the first place.

Essentials

Details: Opposite 60 Blomfield Road, Maida Vale W9 2PD (Ph 020 7286 6752) Tube: Warwick Avenue

Damage: Pricey

4/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of nearby Maida Vale gastro pub Idlewild or you could try making your own fish cakes with this recipe.

Beirut (Gourmet Chick in Lebanon)

Beirut, what a city. In the day time you wander around, staring at the pock marked shell of what was once the Holiday Inn, a reminder of the time it served as a sniper base during the civil war, then by night time Beirut throws on its party clothes and the streets of Gemmayzeh are filled with honking taxis and locals spilling out of the myriad of bars. We didn't really eat anywhere fancy in Beirut but we did eat well, lots of street food and lots of mezze. I got some wonderful tips from Anissa Helou a chef and blogger originally from Lebanon who lives in London now. Here's my wrap up.

View over Beirut from our hotel

Le Chef

Le Chef is probably the most famous restaurant in Lebanon. No, it's not a Michelin star eatery but instead it is where Anthony Bourdain filmed No Reservations when he was in Beirut. Not much has changed at the restaurant since Bourdain's visit except for the amount of food tourists has swelled disproportionately. The aggressively friendly front of house staff bellow "Welcome" to customers from across the street and inside a sign proudly proclaims that Le Chef offers the most welcomes in Beirut.

Hommous

The menu features all the Lebanese classics at wallet friendly prices and there are some specials that change each day including the famous moolookhiye which is supposed to be a slimy tasting aphrodisiac made from chicken, lamb and mallow. As this was a non moolookhiye day we started with fat, hard olives and chopped radishes. Then onto feather light khoubiz, the Lebanese flat bread and a bowl of smooth hommous (4000) topped with a slick of oil and some whole chickpeas. Even heartier fare was Le Chef's kebab (7000) which was filled with rolled ground meat with a slight kick of spice to it.

Djaj Mah Ruz

One of my favourite Lebanese dishes of all time is Djaj Mah Ruz. When cooked properly it is a heavenly concoction of fragrant rice infused with spices and topped with tender chicken and slivered almonds. Unfortunately Le Chef's version was overly greasy with claggy rice that really dragged the dish down. This was the only let down at Le Chef as otherwise the prices were right and the famous welcome was warm.

Essentials

Details: Rue Gouraud, Gemmayzeh, Beirut, Lebanon (Ph +961 1446 769)

Damage: Reasonable

7/10

Hannas

From Annissa's recommendations I tracked down Hanna's ice-cream. The store is hard to find as there is no sign and it is literally the size of a cupboard. The tiny operation churns out home made biscuits and about five fabulous ice-cream flavours which are totally dependent on the seasons.

Making biscuits at Hanna's

All the ice-cream is prepared by hand, including hulling the pistachio's for the pistachio ice-cream. The ice-cream was creamy but almost gelati like in texture. My pistachio flavoured cone had big chunks of pistachio scattered throughout it. I felt like we had discovered a genuine treat.

Pistachio ice-cream cone

Essentials

Details: Corner of Rue Debbas and Mar Metr, Lebanon.

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve

8/10

Schwarma Al Fahim

After taste testing several kebabs in Beirut at various stages of sobriety and after seeking the advice of a few locals we managed to track down the best kebab shop in Beirut. The char grilled chicken for the kebab was carved freshly (5000) and expertly off the spit and encased in khoubiz alongside lettuce, a drizzle of yoghurt sauce and lurid pink chips of pickled turnip

Carving the kebab

Best of all right next door, is what may be Beirut's best felafel shop where felafels are sold for a measly 2000 (our walking tour guide claimed they were the best, but what can I say, I haven't tried them all). As for kebabs, I think I put in a decent attempt at trying as many as physically possible in five days.

A kebab in hand

Essentials

Details: 163 Avenue Bechara El Khoury, Bachouka, Beirut, Lebanon

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve

9/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

We stayed at The Private Hotel in Beirut for £40 a night. Do not stay there. It is dirty and the bathrooms are so cramped that you have to have your feet in the shower when you go to the toilet. There must be better options around.

We hung out at the beach club at St Georges, checked out the mosques, fell out of the bars (a favourite was the nightclub BO18) and did a brilliant walking tour of the city run by Walk Beirut.

Links

You can read more about travelling and food in Lebanon and the nearby town of Byblos here.

River Cottage (Gourmet Chick in Devon)

"Hugh will be coming down to welcome you shortly" said the friendly River Cottage staffer as we stood in a yurt on the River Cottage farm sipping an apple flavoured brandy. MTV boyfriend and I were at the River Cottage farm in Devon, headquarters for everyone's favourite Old Etonian farmer, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. We were there with a group of friends to celebrate our dear friends Pete and Thea's recent marriage. A frisson of excitement ran around the group... Hugh was coming. When we had booked our dinner it had been made very clear to us that Hugh would not be in attendance but now apparently he was coming.

The River Cottage grounds

The momentary Hugh mania turned out to be a false alarm as it turns out there is another Hugh that works at the River Cottage, a young boy who was perfectly charming but something of a disappointment to those of us in the yurt. If I worked at River Cottage and my name was Hugh I think I might adopt another moniker temporarily. So no Hugh, but still plenty to see at the idyllic farm in the hour we had for pre dinner drinks and canapes. There were pot bellied pigs, broody hens and an envy inducing herb garden.

Pre dinner champagne

After wandering around the farm sipping glasses of champagne from a magnum we had brought in celebration of Pete and Thea's wedding we headed into a large barn like building for the meal. The room contained two long tables each holding about 30 people and the back of the room opened into the large kitchen area which we were invited to visit at the end of service of the main course. Each table was set with a bottle of wine per person which is included in the price of the meal but you are also able to bring your own alcohol at no extra cost. This was certainly worthwhile doing as the wine (called "Surrey Gold White" and a similar generic red) was rather cheap and nasty. Best saved for the end of the meal once you had drunk something nicer to begin.

The room is filled with two long tables

The menu is set and the chef talks the room through the food for the night once everyone is seated. The food on offer is simple and rustic and it changes for each dinner depending what is in season and what has been produced from the farm. This is not just local food, it is hyper local.

The terrine and ham plated and ready to be served in the kitchen

To begin, was some of the produce from the Pig in a Day courses that are run at River Cottage. There was a pig cheek terrine which had been cured in brine and then pressed for 14 hours to creat the terrine and this was accompanied by the River Cottage's version of Parma ham made from gammon that had been salted and then hung for three weeks. The terrine was meaty and

robust but the ham was over seasoned.

Pigs cheek terrine and River Cottage Parma style ham

The only dish that struck me as fairly dull was the scallops with wilted stinging nettles. The scallops were juicy and the wild stinging nettles did not sting at all and tasted more like wilted spinach but the whole thing lacked a bit of oomph. Still, I was pleased to see that the scallops were served roe and all as it always seems such a waste to me when restaurants get rid of the roe purely from an aesthetics point of view. Where the River Cottage style of unadorned cooking came into its own was the main course which was ominously chicken, often dry and disappointing when you order it in restaurants. However this chicken had been barbecqued while we were drinking champagne and the chicken legs had been slow cooked earlier to leave them super tender. Accompanied with a potato and celeraiac gratin along with vibrant purple sprouting broccoli this was River Cottage cooking at its best. Simple and hearty.

Lemon tart being cut in the kitchen

On the sweeter side of things there was some extremely sharp lemon tart which had cracked in places (good to see that happens to chefs as well) but was very moreish. This was served simply with a spoonful of clotted cream, no coulis or fancy presentation at River Cottage. Finally we were served tea and coffee along with the most divine chocolate truffles made with Somerset cider. Then it was time for the tractor ride up the hill to head home and our River Cottage experience was over. We really had a brilliant evening although I think the attraction of River Cottage is the whole experience of visiting the farm and the lovely atmosphere of the dinner rather than the calibre of the food itself. It's certainly worth a trip to Devon for but beware of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall impostors.

Lemon tart

Essentials

Details: River Cottage HQ, Devon (Ph 01297 630 302)

Damage: Budget Breaking £80 per person including one bottle of wine
8/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

To get to River Cottage by public transport take a train from London Waterloo to Axminster, it takes just under three hours and then River Cottage is a 10 minute taxi ride from Axminster. All the taxi drivers know where it is. River Cottage does not provide accomodation. We stayed at the Swan Hill bed and breakfast in the nearby village of Colyford which was brilliant and included a breakfast that is worth the journey to Devon itself. From £70 a night. There are lots of walks to do in the area and on Sunday we walked to the beautifully named village of Beer along the coast and then sat in the beer garden of The Anchor Inn looking out to the sea and eating fish and chips. Perfect.

Links
If you liked reading this you might be interested in other adventures in the English countryside at the Miller of Mansfield in Goring-on-Thames or the Bull and Butcher in the village of Turville near Henley.

Byblos (Gourmet Chick in Lebanon)

Boats pull into an old stone harbour lined with seafood restaurants and the people in the restaurants watch the people in the boats while the people in the boats watch the people in the restaurants. This is Byblos, about half an hour from Beirut in Lebanon.

The Byblos harbour

Chez Pepe: Byblos Fishing Club

Smack bang in prime position on the waterfront is Chez Pepe: Byblos Fishing Club. The restaurant has been going strong for over 40 years although Pepe himself passed away in 2006 at the age of 95. In its hey day Pepe's was a major celebrity hang out and faded black and white photographs of Bridget Bardot and Frank Sinatra on the walls are a reminder of the legacy. There were no celebritys on our visit (perhaps partly due to the fact that Lebanon is still seen by some people as a no go zone) but the place was rammed on a sunny Spring day.

Sky blue painted chairs and white cloth covered tables line the wide stone verandah with fishing nets hanging from the ceiling. All the traditional mezze are on offer and we scooped up tangy hommus (4750) and creamy moutabal (4750) with piles of khoubiz, the paper thin Lebanese flat bread. Nuggets of brown fried kibbeh are a little dry but still deliciously moreish while plates of crunchy deep fried calamari rings are simplicity themselves served with a squeeze of lemon. Huge bowls of tabbouleh add some greenery along with fattoush (8000) a 'peasant salad' of tomatoes, cucumbers and chickweed topped with crispy, fried khoubiz.

Fattoush

We select our seafood ourselves from an ice filled tray and it is char grilled and filleted at the table by the waitress. The fish almost pops with freshness as you would expect from a restaurant that has its own fishing fleet. Then we finish our meal in typical Lebanese style with a glass of arak. The drink is created by mixing the clear arak with water and magically the liquid turns a milky white. It is possibly one of the harshest drinks I have ever tasted with a strong aniseed flavour and I find it hard not to gag while drinking it. Clearly an acquired taste! Apart from the arak, dining at the Byblos Fishing Club is an absolute treat and our long lunch their is one of my favourite meals of our trip.

Whole grilled fish

Essentials

Details: Byblos Harbour, Ph: 09 540 213

Damage: Reasonable

9/10

Abou Walid

One of the main reasons you go to Abou Walid is for the panoramic views. Located on the top floor of a six story building, a 10 minute drive out of Byblos, when you eat at Abou Walid you can see all the way along the coast back to Beirut. That is, if you eat there during the day. Not realising that one of the main drawcards was the fabulous views we had a night time dinner at Abou Walid and spent the night looking out onto inky blackness punctuated by the occasional twinkling street light in the distance.

Whole vegetables to accompany the salad

The menu is set and the same every night apart from seasonal variation in the seafood on offer. It kicks of with a vast array of mezze. There is hommous, moutabal and the ubiquitous flat bread, khoubiz. Next, the salads which are piles of vibrant green tabbouleh and large bowls of fattoush. The salads are served with a big plate of whole lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables. The idea is to use the lettuce and cabbage leaves to scoop up the salad although I am not sure what we were supposed to do with the whole tomatoes.

The seafood course comprised whole fried and grilled fish along with simmering bowls of octopus, sashimi like slices of raw fish and the huge mollusks pictured above which seemed somewhat like a scallop. Please let me know if you know what they are. Of course we had totally overdone it on the mezze and salads and so struggled to do the masses of seafood justice. To finish, fresh fruit and thick, dusty Lebanese coffee. We stayed away from the arak this time. While none of the cooking was particularly refined it was certainly a feast and a real locals restaurant packed with chain smoking groups of Lebanese men. As a visitor to Lebanon though it is probably best to visit during the day when you can actually see the view.

Essentials

Details: Bouar Main Road (just off the road from Beirut to Byblos), Lebanon (Ph 961 3 794563)

Damage: Reasonable

6/10

Gourmet Traveller Tips

We stayed at The Private Hotel in Beirut which is half an hour from Byblos. Don't make the same mistake that we did. It is dingy, drab and a little bit dirty. The only things going for the hotel are that it is in a great location and it is pretty cheap (about £40 a night).

In Byblos you can explore the ruins, hang out at the seafood restaurants or sit on the beach.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in Lebanese restaurants in London. One of the best is Yalla Yalla and one of the worst is Noura.

How to make Spanish tomato, egg and cumin soup: Review of Movida Rustica

One of my favourite restaurants in my hometown of Melbourne is Movida, a brilliant tapas bar. The original small bar which was always impossible to get into (Londoners - think Barrafina but with bookings) has now expanded to two additional restaurants, Movida Next Door and Movida Acqui each with their own distinct personalities and menus. On my most recent trip to Melbourne I visited Movida Acqui and ordered the brilliant fried calamari boccadillos which must be some of the classiest and tastiest beer drinking accompaniments ever created.

You need 1 kilo of fresh tomatoes

Given my love for all things Movida I was delighted to discover that Frank Camorra, the head chef at Movida has just released his latest book, MoVida Rustica in the UK. The book is part cookbook and part travelogue accompanied by stunning design and photographs. The book has won all sorts of design awards in Australia and it is easy to see why. There is even a chapter devoted entirely to jamon - brilliant. It is the sort of book you would buy for bed time reading and browsing pleasure even if the recipes were useless. But of course, this is Frank Camorra so the recipes are spot on. A lot of the recipes are quite complex and require hard to get ingredients like nettles, morcilla and goat but there are also several recipes that you could easily use for a weeknight dinner like the tomato, egg and cumin soup recipe.

The book is a hefty tome

This soup (its Spanish title is sopa de tomate al comino) was originally created as a way to use up ripe tomatoes so it is a perfect summer dish. I was slightly dubious about the addition of egg to the soup but it really makes the dish leaving the whole soup with a creamy texture and turning a light soup into a hearty meal.

Ingredients

50ml olive oil

1 red onion roughly chopped

1 red pepper (capsicum) seeded and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 kg ripe tomatoes

1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground

2 tsp caster sugar

2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

2 tsp fine sea salt

6 eggs

Cooking the peppers and onion to a jam like consistency

1. Score a cross in the base of each tomato, place in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds then transfer to cold water and peel the skin away from the cross. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. (Alternatively you can cheat and use canned tomatoes).

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 mins or until soft and translucent. Add the capsicum and garlic and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 40 mins or until the mixture has a jam like consistency.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and 700ml of water and simmer for 25 mins or until the mixture has a soupy consistency. Add the sugar, 1 1/2 tsps paprika and the sea salt and mix well.

4. Crack the eggs, one at a time into a cup, then gently slide them into the soup around the edges. Cover and simmer gently for 6 mins.

5. Carefully divide the cooked eggs and soup among bowls and sprinkle with the remaining paprika.

Serves six.

Ready to eat soup

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my list of the ten best restaurants in Melbourne which includes Movida. If you are in London and looking for great tapas try Barrafina.

Gourmet Chick received a review copy of Movida Rustica from Murdoch Books.

Sakura

The staff at Sakura were disappointingly polite. When my friend Lucy took me there she warned that the staff at this cheap and cheerful Japanese restaurant near Oxford Circus were known for being rude. Sadly I can only report that the staff were brusque but efficient. I was really looking forward to some surly service but it was not to be. Apparently the rudeness occurs if you try to thwart the Sakura "system" which requires sitting down in a waiting area before being seated and not asking to be seated until all members of your party are at the restaurant. We complied with the system and so service while not overly friendly or attentive was not an issue. Damn!

Sashimi selection

The restaurant is reassuringly retro with fuzzy carpet tiles on the floor and laminate topped tables packed into the room. There is a sushi bar along one wall which is handy if you want to eat quickly or are a solo diner. The look is very no frills and Sakura couldn't be further from slick designer Japanese restaurants like Nobu or Zuma. The focus is firmly on the food rather than the decor. The menu is pretty lengthy and extends to specials pinned up on hand written posters on the wall. There is a range of sushi and sashimi along with specialties such as shabu, shabu which we saw a few people ordering.

Nabeyaki udon

The sashimi selection (£11) was served without fanfare on a simple plate rather than a platter or presentation board. The sashimi was a perfect room temperature and tasted very fresh. The tuna in particular was as soft as butter. I also tried the nabeyaki udon (£9) which was a real feast. The large bowl of salty broth was packed with udon noodles, chunks of seafood and chicken, tempura vegetables and a poached egg. The tempura was a little on the soggy side as it had perhaps been sitting in the broth for too long but otherwise it was a pretty decent nabeyaki.

We drank green tea and tap water to accompany our meal which the waiting staff begrudgingly filled up when asked. At last ... a little of the infamous bad service. That was really as bad as it got though and when it came time to pay I decided I would have been happy to put up with a lot more surliness given the bargain nature of our bill.

Details

Essentials: 9 Hanover Street, Soho W1S 1YF (Ph 020 7629 2961) Tube: Oxford Circus

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in Pham Sushi another low priced but good Japanese restaurant in London. Otherwise you could try this Japanese influenced recipe for salmon.

Colombo (Gourmet Chick in Sri-Lanka)

My last post on Sri-Lanka is on Colombo, Sri-Lanka's capital. Humid, chaotic and dusty, Colombo isn't the prettiest part of Sri-Lanka but it is probably the most lively and has lots of eating options.

Devilled chicken at Green Cabin Cafe

Green Cabin

This no frills restaurant is apparently an institution in Colombo for inexpensive Sri-Lankan food. The main feature is an outdoor courtyard eating which is surrounded by black mosaic adorned black booths although the courtyard itself is pretty lacking in plants or decoration. There is a lunchtime buffet which is good value if you are particularly hungry but we ordered off the menu. The chicken curry (R160) featured a typically paltry portion of chicken which was eye-wateringly spicy. Alongside curry "Devilled" food is popular in Sri-Lanka and basically entails adding chilli and paprika to any food from eggs to seafood. The devilled chicken (R 325) had a mild hit of chilli and was served with lots of red onion and peppers slow cooked until they were soft . It was good but if I went back to Green Cabin I would order a lampari - curry wrapped in a banana leaf - which seemed to be the most popular dish amongst the other customers at the restaurant.

Pappadoms at Green Cabin Cafe

Essentials

Details: 453 Galle Road, Colombo, Sri-Lanka (Ph 011 258 8811)

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve

6/10

Gallery Cafe

The Gallery Cafe

Housed in the famous Sri-Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa's old offices Gallery Cafe has the wow factor. If you eat there during the day you can browse the adjoining shop but it is at nighttime that the cafe turns into a swanky restaurant. The restaurant faces out onto an open air courtyard in a typically Bawa focus on nature. The lighting is low but the noise level is not, Gallery Cafe is probably the most lively and bustling place we ate in Sri Lanka. The cocktail menu is extensive and good so it is worthwhile having a drink in the lounge area before sitting down to dinner. The menu features traditional Sri Lankan dishes with a contemporary spin on them along with staple restaurant crowd pleasers such as steak and buttered prawns. To begin, grilled calamari was springy and coated in a light batter.

Jaggery ice-cream at Gallery cafe

From the mains the black pork curry (R895) was tender beneath its black crusted coating and was served with a host of accompaniments. There was an aubergine curry known as brinjal pahi, cucumber raita and sambol. Despite being in Sri Lanka, MTV boyfriend could not resist ordering the lamb cutlets (R2655). The cutlets were grilled to a perfect rose pink and served with fat chips and minted peas. From the dessert menu the jaggery ice-cream was a highlight. Jaggery is a type of unrefined palm sugar which you find a lot in India and Sri Lanka and it was spun like fairy floss on top of vanilla bean ice-cr

eam.

Essentials

Details: 2 Alfred Road House, Colombo, Sri-Lanka (Ph 011 2582 162)

Damage: Pricey

8/10

The doorman at Galle Face Hotel

Gourmet Travel Tips

The Galle Face Hotel is a must stay in Sri Lanka just for the amazing atmosphere and history of the place. It is a little worn looking in parts but the huge terrace where you can sit and sip cocktails as the sun goes down more than makes up for any frayed carpet in the rooms. From $USD85.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my post on where to eat in Kandy or you can read about a Sri Lankan cooking course near Galle.

Ottolenghi cooking course (and how to make seafood stew)

My Ottolenghi obsession has reached new heights and so on the weekend I attended a cooking course at Leiths hosted by Sami Tamimi, one half of the Ottolenghi duo. Regular readers will be well aware of what a fan I am of Ottolenghi's cafe and cookbook so I was a little star struck to meet Sami in person and even got him to sign my copy of the book. Sami told me that he and Yotam Ottolenghi are planning a new cookbook (yay) but it won't be finished for another year (boo). The book will feature lots of aubergine recipes because apparently that is what Ottolenghi's customers are really into at the moment. When I told Sami that I had posted copies of the Ottolenghi book to friends in Australia he explained that there wasn't sufficient interest in overseas publication as in the USA they are not interested because there is no TV show that goes with it. USA you are missing out.

The clams once they had opened up

As for the course itself, it has to be one of the best cooking courses I have done (and I have done a few!) We worked our way through five recipes during the course of the morning and then proceeded to consume a huge feast of our cooking along with a glass of wine. The Leiths set up is very professional and hands on so rather than just watching demonstrations you cook the entire recipe yourself along with a partner. Sami strolled around the room giving tips and helping out and there were also plenty of Leiths staff on hand to assist. Cooking is so much easier when someone has assembled all the ingredients for you and whisks away your dirty bowls as soon as you have finished using them.

The star recipe was for a seafood stew of prawns, scallops and clams. I have adapted the recipe below.

Simmering the sauce ingredients

Ingredients

150ml white wine

550g clams

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

400g peeled and chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1 lemon

200g tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined

150g large scallops, cleaned

70g fetta, crumbled

2 spring onions finely sliced

Salt and pepper to season

The finished stew

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Rinse the clams and check the clams to see if any have holes in them, if they do, discard them.

3. Place the wine in a saucepan on a high heat and reduce to one quarter. Add the clams, cover with a lid and cook, shaking occasionally for two minutes or until the clams open. Transfer to a fine sieve to drain and keep the cooking juices.

4. Once the clams have cooled down remove the clams from their shells, discarding any which have not opened. Keep a few in their shells to finish the dish.

5. Fry the garlic in oil for one minute or until golden overa medium heat. Add the tomatoes, clam liquid (avoiding any grit), sugar, oregano and season with salt and pepper.

6. Shave off two strips of lemon skin and add them and simmer gently on a low heat for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

7. Add the prawns and scallops, stir gently and cook for a minute or two. Transfer to a small ovenproof dish. Crumble the fetta over the top and sprinkle with the spring onion. Garnish with the clams in their shells.

8. Bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the top colours a little and the prawns and scallops are just cooked.

9. Serve with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Serves two.

Essentials

Details: Leiths runs courses by Sami or Ottam a couple of times a year, there is always a waiting list so get in quick. Leiths is located at 16-20 Wendell Road, London W12 9RT (Ph 020 8749 6400)

Damage: Budget breaking at £140 for a morning class

9/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of Ottolenghi's cafe in Islington or in this recipe for fresh berry tartlets inspired by the Ottolenghi cookbook.

The Underground Restaurant

Spring had sprung at The Underground Restaurant when I ate there on Friday night. It was a balmy night that felt almost as if Summer might actually occur this year. The 30 odd guests crammed themselves onto the balcony while sipping on Kir Royale champagne cocktails and soaking up the disarmingly good weather. As we chatted we nibbled on "foccacia shots" which were essentially mini foccacia buns topped with sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Salty and sweet at the same time these were deliciously moreish.

The menu on a mirror

The Underground Restaurant is probably London's best known supper club thanks to hostess Ms Marmite Lover's larger than life personality and excellent blog which documents her supper club adventures. Once you book (and pay) for dinner over the internet you are sent an email with the secret location of the supper club which is hosted in Ms Marmite Lover's apartment. There is something brilliant voyeuristic about getting to poke around someone elses apartment even if it does mean getting a severe case of kitchen envy. Let's just say Ms Marmite Lover does not have a typically sized London kitchen. She even has room for an Aga in there. Whether you love or hate Agas, there is no denying that they are a pretty impressive (and large) piece of kitchen kit.

Squid ink risotto

The look of the supper club is shabby chic with mismatched vintage crockery (which I openly coveted) and old school shallow champagne glasses. The menu for the night is written up on a huge gilt mirror, it is a set menu and wholly vegetarian (actually pescatarian) something some of the other people at our table were not aware of - they kept on waiting for the steak to come out! On our visit it was very much a menu that reflected spring being in the air.

Cheese platter

What could be more spring than entree of asparagus? A sharing size platter of spears was topped with mimosa, a creamy, grated egg mixture. For me this was the dish of the night, simple and fresh. Squid ink risotto sounded more exciting than it actually was. While there is a visual thrill of eating anything made with squid ink thanks to its inky blackness, the risotto erred towards blandness with little more than a few tufts of wild garlic to liven it up. The risotto was accompanied by a restrained green salad of pea shoots (which seem to be the ingredient du jour at the moment), rocket and mache. Despite the risotto disappointment my spirits were cheered when I realised that there was both a cheese course and a dessert course. Cheese platters were provided to each table to share amongst themselves in true dinner party style. The selection was from Neals Yard Dairy and somewhere else that Ms Marmite Lover referred to as "a little Italian place". All good stuff.

Lemon and bergamot posset

To finish things off dessert was a lemon and bergamot posset. The posset was served topped with a sugared sprig of thyme to give it that restaurant quality finish that Ms Marmite Lover does so well from a home kitchen. Bergamot is the flavour found in Earl Grey tea and it is quite a subtle flavour which I think was overwhelmed by the lemon. However that is not to say that the posset was not very tasty. It was both sweet and tart and exactly the sort of dessert you could luxuriate and linger over. Which we did because we were having such a lovely evening and really enjoyed the whole supper club atmosphere. Eventually though we realised we really should leave Ms Marmite Lover to her home and go back to our own homes.

Ms Marmite Lover cooks in heels - very glamorous

Essentials

Details: Secret Location, North West London. Once you book all is revealed.

Damage: Pricey (£35 per person). The Underground Restaurant is BYO and each bottle is charged £5 corkage.

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in reading about the original supper club in Paris with Jim Haynes. For other unusual dining experiences in London try Dans Le Noir where you eat in the dark.

The Tea Country (Gourmet Chick in Sri-Lanka)

"Does it taste a little gummy?" asked the Norwood Tea Factory's resident planter, Andrew Taylor. I was swirling a mouthful of cold tea in my mouth with all the concentration that people usually reserve for wine tasting. They take their tea seriously in Sri Lanka, after all it is one of the largest tea exporting nations in the world. Andrew Taylor takes his tea very seriously indeed and he was our guide for a tour of the Norwood Tea Factory deep in Sri Lanka's tea country in the Bogalantalawa valley. We made our way to the tea country by train from Kandy. Along the way vendors stopped to sell delicious snacks of prawn vadai (lentil cakes topped with prawns) packaged in used school exercise books. Nothing goes to waste in Sri Lanka. Once in Hatton we drove the half an hour to the tea plantations. Set in rolling green hills you could see teams of Tamil workers picking the tea leaves, carefully selecting the required two leaves and one bud from the top of each bush.

Travel snacks for sale when the train stopped

The process of making the tea was fascinating. After being picked each morning the tea leaves are transported to the factories where they are laid on wire netting to dry or "wither" in the cool breezes that come through the open windows. From here the tea is gathered and rolled in machines that have not changed since the Victorian times, then it is fired and finally graded. The whole process is very labour intensive (like grapes for champagne, tea must be picked by hand) and very natural. It has certainly made me appreciate my cup of tea more and I will no longer be using tea-bags, or juggling the tea-bag in and out briefly "like a dead mouse".

The withering rooms at the factory where the tea leaves are dried

We stayed at the Tea Trails, a group of old colonial planters bungalows. These were the height of luxury and a chef came out each day to discuss the menu with you. We were served breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course afternoon tea on the wide verandahs looking out over the tea plantation. My breakfast of boiled eggs with mushrooms, tomato and a hash brown just had to be one of the most perfectly cooked and presented breakfast I have ever seen. The attention to detail was incredible right down to the signature "two leaves and a bud" from the tea plants which garnished every meal.

A picture perfect breakfast at Tea Trails

Lunches and dinners were a mixture of Sri Lankan curry feasts and more Western food such as creamy mushroom soup or pork fillets served with a peppered sauce and a salad dressed with salad. Dessert was always a highlight and featured dishes such as delicate puff pastry triangles stuffed with berries and accompanied by rich vanilla bean ice-cream. Each afternoon, cream tea was served complete with a tiered cake stand of cucumber sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and delicate tea cakes. The tea from the Norwood tea plantation is sold under the Dilmah brand in the UK.

Pork fillet with peppered sauce at Tea Trails

Essentials

Details: Tea Trails, Bogalantawa Valley (near Hatton), Sri Lanka (Ph +94 11 230 3888)

Damage: Budget Breaking

9/10

Gourmet Travel Tips

The Tea Trails operates on an all inclusive basis (including all meals and alcohol) for €310 for two people a night. It is hands down, the best place I have ever stayed in my life due to the amazing service and sheer decadence and luxury of the place. They even bring you a pot of tea in bed every morning. A tour of the Norwood Tea Factory is included if you stay at Tea Trails.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in finding out about the food in Kandy, Sri Lanka for a Sri-Lankan recipe try these coconut pancakes.

The Graham

Head over to Melbourne: Hot or Not for my guest post on Melbourne gastro pub The Graham. The chargrilled prawn salad was amazing and this was a place with service that went well above and beyond what you would expect.

Chargrilled prawns

Essentials

Details: 97 Graham Street, Port Melbourne, 3207, Australia (Ph +61 3 9676 2566)

Damage: Pricey

8/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of Royal Saxon which is another great place to lunch in Melbourne. For a gastro pub in London try The Cow.