City Eating

Girl Power: Top London Restaurants With Female Chefs

With all the time Marco, Saint Jamie and Big Sweary Gordon spend on TV, it’s no wonder they’re rarely seen in their own kitchens. While they’re busy ranting at hopeless restaurateurs and lecturing chubby kids, some of London’s best restaurants are filling up with some exceptional female chefs. Why not try a testosterone-free meal at one of these girl-powered eateries this weekend?

Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road – Clare Smyth

At just 29, Clare Smyth took over as Head Chef at London’s only three Michelin starred restaurant - Gordon Ramsay at Hospital Road. Ramsay, who once said ‘British women can’t cook to save their lives’, was blown away by her skill and composure in the kitchen. She has been working hard in the Great British Menu kitchen this week, representing Northern Ireland with her interpretation of classic dishes like crubeens (pigs trotters) and roast rack of spring lamb with Irish stew. (If you missed it, you can catch up on BBC iPlayer).

Hélène Darroze at The Connaught

Dividing her time between the UK and her two Michelin starred restaurant in Paris, Darroze is passionate about the regional, seasonal flavours of South West France. She earned The Connaught its first star this year and also oversees their less formal but equally excellent bistro, Espelette.

Le Gavroche – Rachel Humphrey

After 40 years of male domination in the kitchens of Le Gavroche, former sous-chef Rachel Humphrey broke through to become the restaurant’s first female Head Chef in 2008. Michel Roux Jnr has praised her excellent understanding of French cuisine, as well as her ability to lead the kitchen of one of London’s most celebrated restaurants.

Celeb Masterchef Winner Serves Up Free Lunch In The City

Next Tuesday (April 21st), Celebrity Masterchef winner and soon-to-be solo star Liz McClarnon will be providing London’s city slickers with a well-deserved credit crunch lunch.

At 11:45am, Broadgate Circle in the heart of the City will be transformed into a fine dining restaurant – complete with string quartet, personal waiter service and traditional British food prepared by Liz and her team of experienced chefs. The menu will include some of the nation’s best loved dishes, including cottage pie and sausage and mash.

There’s no need to book and there’s no catch – it’s totally free! However, if you enjoyed your lunch and are feeling a little generous, remember to tip your waiter. All proceeds raised will go to the housing and homelessness charity, Shelter, who are supporting the event.

The nearest station to Broadgate Circle is Liverpool Street and here’s a link to a map of the area. Don't be late!

Fed Up Of Fake Pizzas? Try The Real Deal At Rossopomodoro

The managing director of the Rossopomodoro pizza chain is so fed up with Londoners eating unauthentic pizzas that he has launched a ‘pizza amnesty’ at his restaurants in Chelsea, Notting Hill and Covent Garden.

Simone Falco said, “Let’s face it, the quality of most pizzas in the UK is abysmal, they are nothing like real Italian pizza and companies should stop claiming that they are. It's pulling the wool over the eyes of the UK consumer."

The amnesty will allow customers to trade their supermarket ‘fakes’ for an authentic Neapolitan pizza at any of the Rosspomodoro restaurants. All of the ingredients used in their pizzas are imported from Naples, including the water for the dough, and they are made by chefs who are specially trained in the art of traditional Neapolitan pizza making.

The pizza amnesty will run until Wednesday 6th May (Monday-Wednesday only) in exchange for any pizza on the main menu. We recommend the Vesuvio, topped with buffalo ricotta, mozzarella, Neapolitan salami and their homemade tomato sauce. Delicious!

Celebrate Spring With London's Cherry Blossom Festival

From April 15th to May 25th, Akashi-Tai Sake Brewery is hosting London’s first Cherry Blossom Festival in conjunction with some of London’s finest restaurants. In Japan, Hanami is a celebration of the beauty of the delicate cherry blossoms and the arrival of Spring. Every year, the Japanese take part in processional walks through parks and enjoy sake-fuelled feasts under the trees. The UK version celebrates the growth of Japanese culture in the capital, which now boasts well over 200 Japanese restaurants.

The restaurants taking part in the Cherry Blossom Festival have each created limited edition dishes or complete menus to celebrate Hanami, reflecting traditional dishes served in restaurants throughout the season in Japan, and each dish has been paired to an Akashi-Tai Sake. Here are some of the special treats on offer:

On April 15th, Saf are celebrating the opening of the festival and the restaurant’s first birthday with a seven course Spring-themed menu. Dishes include their signature Buddha Bowl (teriyaki glazed tofu, jasmine rice cake, wok fried greens, and kimchee); shitake mushroom soup; Japanese chickpea pancake with umeboshi plum sauce; and cherry blossom tart with rose petal and shiso reduction. The menu is priced at £60 per head or £80 with matching bespoke Akashi-Tai cocktails, including the Whisper Martini – rose infused Shochu with fresh shiso, raspberries and crème de fraise.

Sushinho in Chelsea are offering a Sushinho tempura roll (5 pieces, filled with salmon, crab and cream cheese) and Sushinho Sakerinha for £13, a saving of £4. The cocktail is the restaurant’s signature tipple – a blend of Honjozo Akashi-tai sake, pink grapefruit and passionfruit.

South of the river, diners at Tsuru can feast on a traditional picnic dish of smoked eel futomaki with shitake mushrooms and Japanese pickles. This will cost you £8.95 if you opt for the glass of chilled Akashi-Tai Daiginjo sake, or £9.95 with a Sakura Cocktail (Tokiwa Shochu with cherry syrup, lime juice and rosé wine).

At Me Love Sushi, their set menu (£14.99) includes a sashimi platter, one salmon and avocado temaki, one uramaki duck and a Sushi Love cocktail, made with Tokiwa Shochu (a delicious Japanese spirit).

On Old Compton Street, Bincho will be serving grilled sea bream – a traditional dish eaten during Hanami because the fish takes on a pink hue during the Spring months. With a measure of sake, this treat will set you back just £7.50.

Finally, Saki in Smithfield has created a seven course omakase tasting menu featuring seasonal delicacies served in kaiseki style. The dishes include seared sea bass and Nanohana flower with plum sauce; cherry-leaf wrapped turbot; lobster tempura; miso black cod; and homemade cherry blossom ice-cream. The menu is available from now until mid-May, priced at £60 per head or £99.50 with fine wine and sake pairings. On April 23rd, the restaurant is hosting an Akashi-Tai Sake Tasting and Customer Shopping Day from 5:30 to 7:30pm, with 10% off selected hand-crafted items from Niigata

During the festival, diners who order a Hanami menu at one of the participating restaurants will receive a Hanami card. This card gives each customer entry into a free draw with a guarantee to win prizes like Akashi-Tai mobile phone charms, Akashi-Tai Sake tasting sets and Tokiwa cocktail boxes.

More information about the Cherry Blossom Festival can be found at www.akashi-tai.com/cbf

Celebrate The Sunshine With Cocktails From Bulldog Gin

Bulldog Gin are welcoming in their very own ‘Bulldog Summer of Love’ with a series of specially commissioned aphrodisiac cocktails created by leading US mixologist Somer Perez. The partnership has resulted in a series of eight aptly titled cocktails with inspiration taken from Bulldog’s unique blend of twelve exotic botanicals, including the natural aphrodisiac Dragon Eye – an ancient Chinese remedy said to improve sexual stamina.

We’re ashamed to admit that we hadn’t heard of Bulldog Gin before but it only took one look at the goth-inspired bottle, complete with spiked collar, to convince us it was worth a look. Bulldog is a London dry-style, quadruple distilled, triple filtered gin with a distinctive flavour – somewhere between fruity and citrussy, with a refreshing crispness and a smooth, balanced finish. If you’re a gin geek, you’ll be in seventh heaven with this little beauty.

The recipes for the eight unique cocktails - Bulldog Gin Fizz, Berry Bulldog, From London With Love, English Breakfast, Summer Crush, British Bulldog, Puppy Love, and Raspberry Rouge – are available on their website. They will be served in some of the UK’s most exclusive bars this summer, following a launch party at erotica boutique Coco de Mer in Kensington on June 18th. If you can’t wait until then, here are three of our favourite recipes for you to try at home.

From London With Love

Ingredients: 1 oz Lemon Juice, 1 oz Clover Honey, 1 Egg White, 2 oz Bulldog Gin, 1.5 oz Ginger Beer.

Method: In a mixing glass combine all ingredients, except for ginger beer and shake. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with soda. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

The Real Food Festival – 8-10 May 2009

If you can’t wait for Taste, get yourself down to Earls Court in May for London's second Real Food Festival. For three days, 500 hand-picked producers will be showcasing delicious food and drink that is produced ethically, fairly and sustainably in the UK and around the world. Driven by a passion for food that is fresh and grown or reared on healthy soil, free from chemicals, so that it is packed with flavour and essential nutrients, the Real Food Festival brings together food champions, artisan producers and food lovers in a single event. Here are some of things you can get up to at this year’s show:

The Real Food Market - You might be surprised and delighted at the cost and value that you will be able to find at this year's festival. Buying direct from the people who produce your food can be less expensive than you might think and you will enjoy better, healthier food. Producers already confirmed include Cocoa Loco; Keens Cheddar; Royal Berkshire Pork; Holly Cupcakes; Tea Pigs; South Devon Chilli Farm; Rachel’s Organic; The Bristol Pasta Company; Connemara Smokehouse and many, many more. Check out the full list of exhibitors here.

Real Food Theatre - An exciting array of chef talent will be on display at this year’s festival, with everyone involved giving up their time for free because they believe in supporting small producers. Some of the famous chefs involved include Raymond Blanc (Le Manoir), Giorgio Locatelli (Locanda Locatelli); Thomasina Miers (Wahaca); Sanjay Dwivedi (Zaika); Arthur Potts Dawson (Acorn House); Oliver Rowe (Konstam); Nic Watt (Roka); and Cyrus Todiwala (Café Spice Namaste). Also in attendance: Tom Parker-Bowles, Ollie Rowe (the wine expert from Saturday Kitchen!), Fergus Henderson, and Willie Harcourt-Cooze from Channel 4’s Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory. For the full timetable, click here.

Cookery School - Barny Haughton and his team are bringing the Bordeaux Quay Cookery School back to this years Festival. Roll up your sleeves and join him in learning tips and techniques on how to buy and prepare the finest quality ingredients on a tight budget.

Meet The Animals - Taking a ‘farm to plate’ approach, the festival is giving visitors the chance to meet Petal the Water Buffalo, courtesy of Laverstoke Park Farm who make the only English-made mozzarella from her milk. Also back this year is the Sheep Show where you see Nobby the Norfolk, Susie Southdown and their friends. There will also be rare breed pigs; Daisy the Cow in a demonstration of milking and butter making; and the chickens will be on hand to help you understand the best way of keeping them.

Extras - The Real Food Debate (discussions about the effects of industrialized farming and food production on our health, economy and environment); a new Education Area where kids can learn more about food and how to make butter; and a Growing Food area with Garden Organic where green-fingered experts will be offering practical demonstrations on composting, planting seeds, digging up root crops and much more.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £14.90.

Dine In Devon: Enjoy A Taste Of Sicily At Loyton Lodge

This Spring, the beautiful countryside retreat, Loyton Lodge, is embracing the warmth of the Mediterranean with a ‘Taste of Sicily’ weekend devoted to the food, wine and flavours of this historic Italian region. From Friday 24th to Sunday 26th April, Fabrizia Lanza (owner of the renowned Anna Tasca Lanza Sicilian cookery school) will join Julian Chamberlen of Goedhuis & Co vintners at the stunning 300 acre Devonshire estate to treat guests to a memorable introduction to the best of Sicilian food and wine.

The weekend will include cookery classes and demonstrations; wine tastings and master classes; informal discussions on the terroir, culture and history of Sicily; and relaxed lunches and dinners featuring the produce and wines guests will learn about throughout the weekend. Traditional Loyton Lodge activities including clay pigeon shooting are also included for those wishing to incorporate country pursuits in their weekend’s itinerary.

Fabrizia will teach guests how to make pasta, foccacia bread and robust Sicilian sauces, as well as techniques like candying and preserving. She will also be offering tastings of the produce of the region including ricotta, pecorino, pistachios and almonds. Guests will create Sicilian treats to take home with them and be treated to Fabrizia’s famous Cassata Siciliana (a popular sweet from the Palermo area). Julian will share his expert knowledge of Italian and Sicilian wines. He will introduce guests to Sicily’s complex and earthy wines and distinctive Marsalas, including those from Fabrizia’s own family wine estate, Regaleali.

Isobel Barnes, director of Loyton Lodge, said: “My love affair with Sicily began when I travelled to the region many years ago. Our first Taste of Sicily weekend brings together two of the most knowledgeable wine and food experts of the region. Guests can get as involved as they wish in the weekend’s activities, whether it’s foraging for the season’s first wild garlic with Fabrizia or simply booking a massage and putting their feet up to take a well earned siesta after lunch.”

A delicious four-course dinner on Saturday night promises to be the highlight of the weekend. The four course menu prepared by Fabrizia will have Sicilian wines chosen by Julian to accompany each course, with a brief introduction to each one. The dinner is open by invitation to outside guests. 

The price of A Taste of Sicily weekend is £585 per person or £1015 per couple sharing a double room. The price includes accommodation, food, wine, tuition and clay pigeon shooting. A percentage of the profits generated from the weekend will be donated to the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake disaster.

If you can’t get out of the city this month, why not try some of London’s popular Sicilian restaurants? We recommend Sardo (off Tottenham Court Road); Adesso in Richmond; Vigata in Islington; and Il Siciliano (Soho).

Snap Of The Week: Fiery Flavours At Ba Shan

If you've already seen TimeOut's glowing review of this new Soho eatery, then Ba Shan needs no introduction. If you haven't, all you really need to know is that this place is AWESOME. It's a smart addition to Romilly Street, opposite one of the team's other restaurants, Bar Shu (currently closed for a refurb). If you've eaten there before, or at sister venue Baozi Inn, then the North Eastern Chinese and Sichuan inspired menu at Ba Shan will come as no surprise. We visited early evening and took a few snaps for your benefit. Enjoy!

     

Inside, the ground floor is a cosy minimalist space with sleek dark wood tables and simple table settings. It's intimate but not cramped - perfect for a post-work dinner date or a pre-theatre supper. We ditched the wine list in favour of these more exotic creations recommended by our waitress - a lemon ice tea and something wonderful made with fresh mango, plenty of crushed ice and a subtle floral twist.

Boxwood Cafe Launches New Sunday Brunch Menu

Executive chef Stuart Gillies and head chef Simon Gregory have launched a new Sunday brunch menu at the Boxwood Café in Knightsbridge. Could there be anything more decadent than a leisurely morning feast in the Berkeley Hotel before a hard day of shopping in nearby Harrods and Harvey Nics?

Available from 12 noon until 6pm every Sunday, the menu combines lighter versions of popular dishes from the à la carte menu with some classic brunch favourites like scrambled egg, smoked salmon and sourdough; omelette Arnold Bennett; and poached eggs with English muffins, spinach or bacon and hollandaise sauce.

If it’s closer to lunchtime than breakfast, there are more substantial offerings like Herdwick mutton pie; grilled yellow fin tuna with parsnip puree; and the classic Boxwood steak sandwich with caramelized onions and garlic mayo. Diners with a sweet tooth should save room for dessert, especially if you have a craving for Belgian waffles with chocolate fondue or apple tart tatin with vanilla ice-cream.

You can read the full menu here. There’s something to suit everyone, so why not drop a few hints to your significant other or treat your Mum to a relaxing weekend bonding session?

Fancy an early morning meal elsewhere? Check out our Best For Breakfast and Brunch lists which include places like the excellent Aussie-run Lantana near Goodge Street and the eternally popular Providores & Tapa Room in Marylebone.

Southbank Centre Hosts London’s First Chocolate Festival

From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th April, the Southbank Centre is hosting London’s first chocolate festival – a free event that anyone with a sweet tooth will enjoy! The full schedule is on their website but here are some of the best chocolate-themed goodies you can get stuck into this weekend:

Watch: Damian Allsop, the Master Chocolatier who is supplying the chocolates for the G20 meal at 10 Downing Street, will be making the ultimate chocolate mousse. He will demonstrate two simple ways to make a mousse without dairy by mixing the unmixable - water and chocolate!
- Chocolate Trifle Demonstration & Tasting – Watch Skylon Restaurant’s pastry chef Abel Vieilleville making a delicous chocolate trifle.
- Savoury Chocolate Cookery Demonstration – Artistry In Cocoa makes a delicious pan fried lamb in port & chocolate sauce, with leeks and mushrooms.

Taste: Petra Barran’s Choc Star van will be parked up and packed to the rafters with hot chocolate, brownie fudge sundaes, Millionaire's shortbread, super-dark high-energy truffles, Venezuelan Black, and plenty of ice-cream.
- Sample mind-blowing morsels from William Curley and Paul Wayne Gregory, or try out multicoloured chocolates from Cocoapod.

Learn: Raw Chocolate Making Workshop – Make raw chocolate truffles and learn about the health benefits, quality and the ethical sourcing of unprocessed raw cacao with CHOC Chick.
- Ganache Making Demo – Learn to make a simple chocolate ganache with Ohh La La Chocolaterie and how to use it as a chocolate tart filling, for cake decorating and in chocolate truffles.
- Pick up chocolate-themed books and meet the authors at the book signings.

Want to eat near the Southbank Centre? Try Skylon; RSJ; the Anchor & Hope; Locale;  or the new Riverfront Bar & Kitchen at the BFI.