City Eating

London Restaurant Fest: Gourmet Odysseys & The Big Roast

This morning Visit London released details about some of the foodie events taking place as part of the London Restaurant Festival this October. We were most interested in the ‘Gourmet Odysseys’ which will see hungry Londoners taken on a gastronomic road trip around central London to eat one course at three top restaurants. The tours start with a glass of Mumm Champagne at the Met Bar in Mayfair and then a fleet of Routemaster buses will set off in four different directions. Here are the planned routes:

Piccadilly: Starter: Nobu → Main Course – The Square → Pudding – The Greenhouse

Soho: Starter – Maze → Main Course – Hakkasan → Pudding – Quo Vadis

Pall Mall: Starter – Sake No Hana → Main Course – Hibiscus → Pudding – Wild Honey

Park Lane: Starter – Theo Randall → Main Course – Corrigan’s → Pudding – Scott’s

The Gourmet Odysseys will take around four hours to complete and the hefty £135 price tag includes the three courses, Champagne on arrival and four glasses of wine. To add to the experience, there will be a well-known restaurant critic or chef on board the bus to guide diners through the Capital’s culinary hot spots. For more details and to book tickets, click here.

If the bus tours are out of your budget, head for The Big Roast where tickets are priced at £40 or £50 – depending on how close to the chef’s kitchen you want to sit. It will take place at Leadenhall Market as part of their annual Game Fair and will see hundreds of people sitting at trestle tables to enjoy a huge Sunday roast.

There will be five different roast meats on offer, cooked by celeb chefs like John Torode, Mark Hix, Rowley Leigh, Fergus Henderson and Richard Corrigan. The event is BYO so you can pick up some booze en route or at the pubs around the market. For tickets and more details, click here.

Bea’s Of Bloomsbury Fights Malaria With Cupcakes

From today until Sunday (30th Aug), one of London’s loveliest cafes is offering a yummy way to help stamp out malaria in Africa.

For every box of six cupcakes purchased this week, Bea’s of Bloomsbury will donate money to Baraka Community Partnerships to buy one mosquito net for a household in Zambia. It’s estimated that a child dies every second from malaria in Africa and with nets costing just a few quid, there is no reason so many families have to worry about this deadly disease.

Bea’s home-made cupcakes are incredibly popular amongst London’s foodies so head for Theobald’s Road and help make Zambia a safer, healthier place. Why not treat your kids or colleagues? If you need more inspiration, you can check out the daily-changing menu of sweet and savoury snacks on the Bea’s of Bloomsbury website.

Books For Cooks: Seven Of The Best New Releases

Even London's greediest gourmets can't eat out every night, so here are a few of the most exciting new food books to look out for. They're on sale now or available for pre-order, so go on - treat yourself!

Momofuku - David Chang & Peter Meehan

Reservations at David Chang’s restaurants were like gold dust to New York foodies last year and we happily drooled over stateside food blogger’s reviews of his creative cooking. This eagerly awaited tome features recipes from Momofuku Ko, Ssam and Noodle Bar, including Chang’s signature pork buns and frozen foie gras. Sadly the sweet treats from the new Bakery & Milk Bar are absent, but pastry chef Christina Tosi’s ‘cereal milk custard’ and fried apple pie will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth.

The Songs Of Sapa - Luke Nguyen

The man behind Secrets of the Red Lantern is back with a culinary voyage through Vietnam, cooking with locals and visiting family and friends. Starting in the northwest in the villages around Sapa, he explores traditional recipes before moving south to discover French-Viet food in Hanoi. There are coastal dishes, noodles from Hoi An, and the imperial cooking of Hue – everything London’s new Viet-food fans could want and more. You can have a sneaky peak at the recipes for beef and kohlrabi salad and mud crab soup here.

The New Portugese Table – David Leite

Bringing an often-overlooked cuisine into the spotlight, David Leite explores both the classic and the contemporary in this fascinating guide to Portugese produce, recipes and culinary history. Beautifully illustrated with mouth-watering photographs, there are recipes for familiar favourites like salt cod fritters and fatias douradas (Portuguese sweet bread French toast) alongside a chapter devoted to store-cupboard essentials like paprika oil and piri-piri paste. Definitely a worthy addition to any foodie bookcase.
 
Everyday Harumi: Simple Japanese Food for Family and Friends - Harumi Kurihara

If, like us, your Japanese cookery skills are limited to basic sushi and chicken teriyaki, you’ll love this step-by-step guide to simple Japanese home cooking. Harumi Kurihara has put together 60 accessible recipes that won’t require hours in the kitchen or a trip across London to source ingredients. Her traditional techniques and store cupboard essentials are all you’ll need to create authentic soups, starters and full-on feasts.

Nutmeg & Custard - Marcus Wareing

Our copy of Wareing’s How to Cook the Perfect is so well thumbed we’re looking forward to upgrading to this shiny new release. Nutmeg & Custard focuses on the sort of food you share with family and friends, divided into chapters like the Grill Room, the Orient, Puds and Ice-Cream. From crumpets with burnt honey butter  to chorizo-crusted monkfish, these are recipes you’ll keep going back to.

Asian Dumplings – Andrea Nguyen

This book gets a special thumbs-up from the city-eating dumpling addicts because it covers all of our favourites – samosa, pot stickers, spring rolls, gyoza and more. Organised by type (buns, sweet, etc), the book has everything you need to know about equipment, ingredients, and techniques for shaping, filling and cooking.

Sauces - Michel Roux

For anyone who has ever burnt a béchamel or cried over a crème anglaise, the daddy of sauces is here to help. There are classics like béarnaise, chasseur and tartare, as well as contemporary ideas like white fish with coconut and chilli sauce or a bitter blackberry coulis to drizzle over desserts. The new revised edition features over 200 sauces (including 20 new additions) and is guaranteed to become your go-to guide for dressing, marinades and more.

Snap Of The Week: The Whisky Bar At The Athenaeum

"The Athenaeum has officially unveiled the boutique Whisky Bar," the press release said. Admittedly, this was our first visit so we can't be sure but it really didn't look shiny-new. We certainly weren't the first to sit on the plush purple couches and whoever did the hoovering must have missed the runaway brazil nuts under the tables. Still, it was early and sunshine can be so unforgiving. Under cover of darkness, the subtle lamp light and comfy cushions would make the bar's cosy corners very enticing. The music is inoffensive, the walls are lined with whisky and it's warm, like a new-world opium den. Bring me my book and slippers.

There are over 270 whiskies on the menu - many of them rare and collectable. If you've got the time (and the money), you can work your way from the Scottish Highlands to Japan, with Wales, Ireland and others in between. We were particularly pleased to see some decent North American offerings, like Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace and Blanton's Gold, as well as a Canadian favourite - Seagram's VO.

Things got off to a rocky start with a glass of slightly warm and decidedly average white wine. (Ok, it was the cheapest on the menu and we were curious...) Thankfully, the Mandarin Trace was superb - a fresh and summery blend of Buffalo Trace, Cointreau, peach liqueur, grapefruit and lime juice. Priced at £10.50, it's short and sweet but packs plenty of punch. One is plenty.

london-eating Finally Embraces Twitter

We resisted as long as we could but we were starting to feel like the last kid to get picked for teams at school. Tragic. So we’ve finally joined twitter and once we’ve figured out how it all works, we’ll be tweeting away with the best of them. You can find us here:

https://twitter.com/londoneating

We’re a bit out of the loop though so please get in touch if you think there’s someone we should be following. Restaurants, chefs, food bloggers, baristas, cocktail gurus, every-day gourmets – we’re not fussy. Tweet in our direction or drop us an email if you think you’ve found a suitably foodie twitterer we should know about.

In return, we promise to tweet about the latest food news and restaurant openings and possibly bore you all to death with constant what-we’re-eating updates. If you need inspiration for lunch or you’re struggling to find the perfect restaurant for dinner, let us know and we’ll do our best to tweet some suggestions.

Quilon: Michelin Approved But Is It A South Indian Star?

The city-eating team is divided into two camps. One half would happily exist on a diet of foie gras, animal bits and Merlot; while the other would gladly crawl over hot coals for a decent dosa. It was the latter that decided it was about time we tried Quilon - one of London’s five Michelin starred Indian restaurants but the only one specialising in South Indian coastal cuisine. A quick look at Chowhound yielded rave reviews and the menu promised seafood, appams and thalis. We were sold.

Nestled beneath the Crowne Plaza hotel, the dining room has understandably taken on a breakfast-buffet air in spite of the jungle murals. It’s comfortably low-key, without any of the Michelin pomposity you might expect, and the staff are a real joy. From the ‘fruity’ section of the extensive wine list, we chose a Sauvignon Blanc from the Grover Vineyards near Bangalore. The subtle fruitiness didn’t disappoint and the crisp acidity worked well with the feast that followed. Lightly spiced pre-lunch 'Qojitos' and warm poppadoms with two excellent chutneys took the edge off the long wait between arrival and starters.

 

The mini masala dosa - a crisp cone made from rice and lentil batter - was filled with the traditional aromatic potatoes and served with hot sambhar made from lentils and a complex blend of roasted spices. It was tasty and adorable - a more refined version of the huge dosas served up across Southern India. Our other starter, a delicate fillet of tilapia, was sadly overwhelmed by its curry leaf crust. The ginger and tamarind chutney had been replaced by a blob of ginger puree which didn’t bring much to the party.

Thankfully, all was forgiven when a glass of hot rasam arrived before our mains. We learnt to make this thin tomato and lentil soup at The Vegetarian Cookery School in Bath earlier this year but Quilon’s version blew ours out of the water. It was intense, completely smooth (ideal for sipping) and warmed up with plenty of ginger and tamarind, like a Bloody Mary via Bangalore.

To put the kitchen to the test, we both ordered thalis. These are perfect if you want to taste a little bit of everything or, like us, you are just greedy. Both the ‘Palm fringed’ (vegetarian) and the ‘Catamaran’ (non-veg) thalis include fragrant pilau rice; creamy yoghurt made on-site and studded with pomegranate seeds; light, flaky parathas; and - joy of joys - appams. These are paper-thin rice-flour pancakes made fresh to order at a cooking station in the dining room - perfect for mopping up sauces.

Eating In August: Dates For Your Diary

After the excitement of the Great British Beer Festival, our foodie calendars are looking a little empty. Is everyone on holiday or are we just missing out? Thankfully, there are still a few gourmet adventures to look forward to this August – chilli crab and vodka-fuelled movie nights anyone?

1st – 31st Aug – Eat for free at Tokyo City
Throughout August, London’s sushi fans can dine for free every Tuesday at Tokyo City near Bank station. The small catch is that you still have to pay for drinks and the cover charge but everything else – from sashimi to bento boxes – is gratis. Booking ahead is probably a wise move.

10th Aug – 18th Oct – Bombay Sapphire’s Gintelligentsia
London’s most stylish pop-up bar (sorry Frank’s Café!) will be giving groups of 4-8 the chance to explore the world of gin mixology with drinks maestro Sam Carter. Until mid-October, the Bombay Sapphire Dusk Bar will be serving bespoke cocktails inspired by dusk in the countries from which their ten botanicals are sourced. If you’re a hardcore gin nerd who wants to master the art of the Martini, this is your chance.

15th – 16th Aug – Cloudy Bay Seafood Shack
In Parsons Green, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc will be hosting a two-day pop-up seafood shack with fresh crustacean sent up from Rock in Cornwall. From 11am to 8pm, diners can feast on dishes prepared by Boisdale’s Neil Churchill and listen to a jazz trio in the whimsically named ‘cloud-watching’ area. Lovely!

22nd – 23rd Aug – Chilli Crab Festival
The Tiger Beer Chilli Crab Festival returns to Brick Lane but this year it’s moving from that grubby car park to the much nicer Big Chill Bar. Entry is still free and visitors can expect plenty of live music, buckets of beer and street food stalls. The highlight is, of course, the modestly priced portions of Singaporean chilli crab cooked by the team from Awana. Bring your own shell-cracking tools and a wet wipe or two – things do get messy.

Until 15th September – Film screenings at Bluebird
The Smirnoff Black team have given Bluebird a monochrome makeover and will be hosting classic film screenings every Wednesday at 9pm. Tickets cost £25 and that includes the film, a main course and dessert, and a vodka cocktail. Drop in on August 19th to see The International or get your DiCaprio fix when they screen Catch Me If You Can on the 26th.

Snap Of The Week: A Solo Sicilian Supper At Caponata

Sometimes we like to try out a new-ish restaurant by sending just one city-eating foodie. We believe that unless the restaurant is full to bursting, solo diners should be treated the same way as a party of six. If you're made to feel uncomfortable, why would you return with friends? At Caponata, our undercover diner was given a warm welcome and left to choose her own seat. A very good start. Now, on to the important stuff, the food:

The ground floor osteria and bar is less formal than the upstairs restaurant, with Ikea-inspired white furniture and big windows overlooking Camden's Delancey Street. There's lots of blond wood and an unusual wall of greenery near the back where the sunshine spills in through the skylight. It's part of the new-ish Forge venue so there is live music in the osteria on certain days.

Anyway, arancini! Three different fillings - beef ragu, ham and mozzarella, and spinach - encased in creamy saffron risotto. These are often dismissed as little more than deep-fried leftovers, but here each one had a distinct flavour - the best being the rich meaty ragu. The roasted pepper sauce was tepid (possibly on purpose) but worked well with crispyness of the arancini.

Coming Soon: Hix, Lower East Liquor Bar, Mien Tay and more

Gary Yau’s doomed eatery (Aaya) closed before we had a chance to visit but we’re told that the beautiful interior will soon be ripped out to make way for Mark Hix’s latest project. Simply called ‘Hix’, all we know so far is that the Soho site will seat 80 and boast a basement bar ‘with the atmosphere of a private club’. The ‘rugged Georgian’ décor is in the hands of Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki who has already worked his magic on Corrigan’s, Scott’s and Cote.

Across town, Canary Wharf seems desperate to shed its reputation as a culinary wasteland though we’re not convinced the new Jamie’s Italian will help all that much. In September, however, the Lower East Liquor Bar & Bistro will open in Westferry Circus to bring New York-style cocktails and comfort food to local City slickers.

The Manhattan-inspired bistro will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner with Chef Nick Cuadrado at the helm. He specialises in British and American comfort food so diners can expect classics like the New York strip steak; clam chowder; lobster BLT; and baked cheesecake. There will be a ‘Lucky 7’ evening deal where daily specials will cost just £7 between 5pm and 7pm, and locals can drop in over the weekend for brunch or a Sunday roast.

The bar will sit at the heart of the bistro, surrounded by red banquette seating for 40, and will serve US cocktails like Mint Juleps and Long Island Iced Teas for £7 a pop. In the summer, diners will be able dine al fresco on the riverside terrace complete with outdoor bar and BBQ area.

There are a couple of sequels to look forward to as well, with Roka's Canary Wharf branch set to open in late 2009, Jom Makan opening a second branch in Westfield and Mien Tay coming to Lavender Hill before the end of the year. Alan Yau fans should also keep an eye out for the remodeling of Sake No Hana and some new branches of Princi and Cha Cha Moon.

If you can’t wait for the Autumn arrivals, check out these recent New Openings in London.

Get Ready For The Great British Beer Festival

As regular readers might have guessed, we love a good festival here at city-eating. BBC Good Food, Brick Lane Chilli Crab, Taste – we’re not fussed as long as there’s plenty of good food on offer. Next week, we’re visiting the Great British Beer Festival – a huge five-day boozefest at Earls Court.

Bringing together some of Britain’s top breweries and a few international all-stars, the festival showcases over 450 real ales, stouts, bitters, fruit beers, ciders, perries and more. Whatever your poison, you’re bound to find something that tickles your fancy – unless you’re looking for something with an umbrella in it. This year, we’re particularly excited about the new gluten-free beers on offer and the snacks from Pipers Crisps and the Proper Cornish Pasty people.

There’s plenty of live music and ‘Girl Guide’ beer tours to look forward to but what happens when you leave, all beered-up and starving, to wander around Earls Court? If you’re into chains you’re in luck – you can sample the delights of Wagamama, Masala Zone and Nando’s without straying too far from the station. If you’re looking for something a bit more interesting, here are our recommendations for a satisfying post-beer feast.

- Langan’s Coq d’Or – The youngest and least formal member of the Langan’s family is great for those craving something traditional. Go for classics like steak Béarnaise, rack of lamb or the Langan’s bangers but save room for dessert – the apple tart and Calvados sorbet is excellent.

- Mohsen – While the décor and the menu haven’t changed in years, Mohsen is always packed with Iranian ex-pats tucking into the dish of the day. Try the legendary kebabs or abgoosht (a Persian lamb stew), or just ask Mrs Mohsen what she recommends.

- Addie’s Thai – Popular with the locals, you’ll need to book ahead at this cosy neighbourhood Thai. The food is as authentic as you’ll find in London though the service can be surly – not that you’ll notice after all that real ale.

- Bar Asia – Can’t decide between dim sum and curry? You can have both at Bar Asia on Old Brompton Road. Anything from the tandoor is usually a good choice and the bar has a decent cocktail list for the wives and girlfriends to get stuck into.

- Taiwan Village – The menu lists familiar favourites like Kung-Po chicken and crispy duck pancakes but we like the spicy Taiwanese specialties like the Tiger’s Whiskers – shredded pork stir-fried with peppers, water chesnuts, garlic and chilli oil. The staff are on holiday at the moment but they reopen for dinner on Thursday 7th August.

- The Pembroke – If you’re just looking for pub grub, go gastro and head for The Pembroke on Old Brompton Road. Spread yourself across the sofas upstairs or bag a booth in the dining room where the food is simple but delicious.

You can book your tickets online here. Don't forget to take some headgear if you’re visiting on Thursday where judges will be giving out ‘Hat Day’ prizes. If you don’t fancy it at all, treat your Dad to a ticket – he’ll love it!