City Eating

Designer Dining: Sharrow Bay's Market Menu At Harvey Nics

To celebrate British Food Fortnight, three of the UK’s top country house hotels loaned their chefs to Harvey Nichols. This year, Cliveden’s Chris Horridge moved from Berkshire to the Second Floor Restaurant in Bristol; while Kenny Atkinson served his Great British Menu starter for diners at the Fourth Floor Café in Leeds.

For the second year running, Mark Teasdale joined Jonas Karlsson at the Fifth Floor Restaurant in London. He is assistant head chef at the prestigious Sharrow Bay Hotel in the Lake District, where the restaurant has held its Michelin star for over thirteen years. It’s an incredible hotel, set on the shore of the beautiful Lake Ullswater, and as you might expect, a weekend stay doesn’t come cheap.

Luckily for us, Teasdale put together some appetising and affordable menus for his week at Harvey Nichols which ends this Thursday (1st October). In the evening, the six-course tasting menu is priced at £55 but the lunchtime ‘Market’ menu is a real bargain at £19.50 for two courses and £24.50 for three. With this in mind, we popped in for lunch last week and settled into Fifth Floor dining room – a light and airy space draped in crisp white linen and full of well-to-do diners, dripping designer labels and sipping the (rather lovely) house fizz.

The poached pear salad and chicken liver starters didn’t appeal so we both chose the soup. In some restaurants, the soup of the day is a woefully under-seasoned mulch of leftover veg with, if you’re lucky, some dusty parmesan shavings and croutons you could chip a tooth on. Not here. The rich, earthy aroma of roasted butternut squash hit us before we lifted our spoons and promised only good things to follow. Piping hot and with a spoonful of spiced apple compote slowly sinking in the centre; it was a triumph – full of comforting Autumnal flavours. The texture was unreal – velvety smooth, as if sieved and sieved again through designer fishnet stockings. (Available on the third floor).

   

The Lexington: Burgers & Bourbon In Kings Cross

While the rest of Kings Cross surrenders to gradual gentrification, Pentonville Road remains stubbornly scruffy as it stretches towards equally gritty Angel. The Lexington sits halfway between the two and looks like your average pub until you step inside where they have mastered a sort of dusty decadence. The tables are littered with flyers for the bands that play upstairs and the dim light, lone chandelier and heavy red drapes at the windows give the place a moody urban charm. It’s a welcome change from chain-pub bland and a far cry from the most recent ETM success story - The Cadogan Arms - which is much more refined. The difference here is that Ed and Tom’s influence only extends to the kitchen, so don’t come here expecting the Kings Cross branch of The Botanist. This is a strictly Sloane-free zone.

The clientele are of the skinny indie variety - (more Babyshambles than Motley Crue) - and on our visit most of them had bypassed the bourbon in favour of cheap lager before heading upstairs for the music. More fool them, because The Lexington’s 40-strong list is one of London’s finest with a mixture of old favourites and sought-after rarities lined up at the back of the bar. There’s a handful of decent wines, some great American beers, and a short list of classic bourbon cocktails like the Manhattan and the Mint Julep. The barman talked me out of the latter and into a Honey Berry Smash - a sweet and dirty blend of Wild Turkey, Chambord, lemon and honey over crushed ice. Very drinkable and ideal if you can’t handle your bourbon straight up. If you can, go for the Woodford Reserve - a toffee-coloured tipple with a slow-burning sweetness that warms the belly like Kentucky sunshine.

Bake & Buy: Celebrating National Cupcake Week

We’re easily influenced when it comes to food holidays. When we heard it was National Chip Week in March, we spent our lunchtimes doing taste tests at our locals – the Fox & Anchor and The Old Red Cow. (The massive crunchy chips at the Fox were the overall winner). We feasted on tender spears during Asparagus Month; went meat-free for National Vegetarian Week; and wisely ignored Caesar Salad Day. What’s next? British Cheese Week, National Chocolate Week, Homemade Bread Day – where will it end?!

But where do these national foodie holidays come from? Who starts them? National Cupcake Week (14th-19th September) seems to be one of the few with a definite origin – in this case, British Baker magazine. On their website, they explain that it’s the first of its kind and it was organised to celebrate the growing popularity of cupcakes in the UK. Well, fair enough – we didn’t really need an excuse to eat cupcakes but we’re happy to join in.

If your baking skills aren’t up to scratch, you can get your cupcake fix at the Primrose Bakery in Covent Garden; Hummingbird Bakery; and the ever-fabulous Bea’s of Bloomsbury. Bea’s goodies – including her blondies, brownies and marshmallows – are now available at Selfridges so you can stock up on calories and couture in one place.

Luckily for us, the city-eating baking goddess took home Jamie’s America this week and made enough red velvet cupcakes to feed an army. Don’t they look great? The unusual addition of bicarb and white wine vinegar made the deep red sponge deliciously light and airy, while the lemon and cream cheese icing was good enough to eat by the spoonful. We’ll be trying out some of Saint Jamie’s savoury recipes over the weekend so stay tuned for a full review.

Coming Soon: Belle Epoque Champagne Bar At Harvey Nics

On October 22nd, one of London’s best loved department stores will throw open the doors to its new Belle Epoque Champagne Bar. It's a stylish collaboration between Perrier-Jouet Champagne and interior design gurus Shaun Clarkson ID, though from the picture it looks more like a patisserie. (Do the pastel colours remind anyone else of Pierre Herme macarons?)

Inspired by Emile Galle’s 1902 anemone design for the Cuvee Belle Epoque Champagne bottle, the new fifth floor bar will feature the delicate flower pattern on both the floors and ceiling. White will be the dominant colour throughout (from the central bar to the chaise longue seating) while subtle shades of green and rose will hint at the botanical-themed cocktail menu. The walls will feature prints from Swedish photographer Barbro Andersson and there will be classic chandeliers and Swarovski-crystal studded spotlights to add a bit of sparkle.

The new drinks menu includes some pricey Perrier-Jouet Champagne flights as well as tastings of rare vintages like the Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs. The cocktail menu will list creative concoctions inspired by nature, such as the Perrier-Jouet Garden Party – a blend of Champagne, Beefeater gin, basil, cucumber and crushed jalapenos. With a feel-good garnish of fresh cherry tomatoes, it’s almost a salad – treat yourself!

The bar menu has been revamped too and now includes suitably high-end snacks like lobster cocktail ‘Mimosa’, Forman’s smoked salmon, Sevruga caviar and the signature Fifth Floor Rossini burger with fries.

If your budget won’t stretch to flutes of fizz this month, pop in during British Food Fortnight when chef Mark Teasdale (from the Sharrow Bay Hotel) will be cooking alongside Harvey Nic’s Jonas Karlsson. From 25th September to 1st October, the Fifth Floor Restaurant will be offering two exclusive tasting menus and a reasonably priced market lunch menu priced at £19.50 for two courses and £24.50 for three.

The seasonal dishes on offer will include roast butternut squash soup with spiced apple compote; fricassee of monkfish with saffron cream; and tenderloin of pork with black pudding, cider potatoes and apple-sage sauce. For dessert, Sharrow Bay will be serving their signature sticky toffee puddings (which were a sell-out last year) and the new chocolate and ginger puddings. Don't miss out!

Tried & Tasted: 'From Pasta To Pancakes' Student Cookbook

For the last couple of months, reviews of Tiffany Goodall’s student cookbook have been popping up everywhere - largely thanks to the good people at Quadrille shipping them out to pro-critics and bloggers alike. By now, you’ll probably already know the set-up - it’s a ‘comic-book style’ guide to university dinners, with no need for pricey gadgets or unusual ingredients. The easy-to-follow recipes cover everything from how to boil an egg to knocking up a Thai green curry or a few burgers for your new mates. Last weekend, we left it in the less-than-capable hands of an 18 year old who will be heading off to uni at the end of the month. Here’s how he got on…

First Impressions: “It looks pretty good actually. I like the way there are pictures for every step and it’s divided into chapters like Fast Food and Wasted Weekends. Some bits seem basic, like how to make a toasted sandwich, but I’ve seen people set toasters on fire making those so maybe it’s a good plan. The list of essential store cupboard ingredients and utensils when I was putting my going-away-to-uni box together.”

Recipe No. 1 - Moroccan coucous salad - "This was from the Food On The Move chapter so I made it in the morning and took it to work. Couscous basically makes itself and the rest was just chopping up veg and herbs - easy. There's no seasoning apart from salt, pepper and some lemon juice so it was a bit boring. Probably a lot cheaper than buying a pre-packaged supermarket version but I'd add some spices to make it more interesting."

Sichuan Magic: Barshu's Back In Town

After a fire forced them to close in January, Barshu finally reopened at 3pm last Sunday. The name (formerly Bar Shu) has been changed due to ‘trademark reasons’ and we waited all of five hours before we headed for Soho for a Sichuan feast. As it was a flying visit, we barely made a dent in the menu but will definitely be back for more.

While the restaurant was closed, we tried a few other Sichuan places in London and visited Ba Shan (their sister restaurant) three times for delicious dumplings and fiery potato slivers. Barshu’s menu is more substantial than Ba Shan’s snack-style offerings and there are helpful pictures and chilli ratings to save first-timers from spontaneous combustion. (That said, there were still a few flushed faces around the room when we visited, including a well-dressed man on the verge of tears - bless!)

  

Some of the most interesting dishes are tucked away at the back of the menu in the snack and appetiser sections. Here you’ll find classics like Bang Bang chicken, dan dan mian noodles in a slick of vivid red chilli oil, and more unusual treats like jellyfish ribbons in Chinese vinegar. The crescent dumplings were so soft and plump, sitting in their chilli oil bath, that we could have happily eaten a bowl each. Their delicate skins yielded under the slightest pressure to reveal a tasty finely minced pork filling, spiked with spring onion and a splash of soy. The thinly sliced pork rolls were equally more-ish, stuffed with vermicelli noodles and basted in a spicy garlic sauce. If your chopstick skills aren't up to scratch, you might want to wear black to avoid chilli oil splashes.

The finely shredded potato slivers are available cold with extra chilli or served warm with slightly less fire. We chose the hot version (having sampled the cold at Ba Shan) and agreed that, while still delicious, the refreshing vinegary flavour packs more of a punch when served chilled. Some of the noodle dishes are also served cold so it's best to check before ordering if you like your food piping hot.

September: Foodie Dates For Your Diary

There are loads of food-related festivals and pop-up parties this month. Stick these dates in your diary!

4th – 6th – Slow Food Market – Pick up seasonal, ethical and sustainable goodies at the Southbank Centre.

6th – London Vegan Festival – Chow down on all things green and leafy at Kensington Town Hall.

10th – The Icecreamists – Visit the ultimate ice-cream boutique at Selfridges for a Gordon’s Glory sundae or a scoop of Viagra ice-cream served with a shot of absinthe in a pink water pistol. Cool? Yes. Camp? Very!

10th – 13th – Monkey Shoulder Pop-Up Bar – Visit the tiki-themed Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar at the Old Truman Brewery for whisky cocktails and board games played on tables carved out of whisky barrels.

11th – Smirnoff Ice Sculpture in Covent Garden -  To celebrate the launch of Smirnoff's new flavoured vodkas (green apple and lime), a team of ice artists will be carving the London skyline out of three and a half tonnes of frozen water. They will be using apples, limes and frozen vodka bottles within the sculpture and the end result will be visible to the public from 12pm on Friday 11th until it melts.

12th – Feast on the Bridge – As part of the Thames Festival, Southwark Bridge is hosting a day of pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, giant cake baking, grape trampling and mayonnaise making. Great for little foodies.

19th – Japanese Festival at Spitalfields Market – From 10am to 8pm, visitors to the Japanese Matsuri festival can enjoy dancing and puppetry demos, a wishing tree decorated with origami, plenty of sake and traditional dishes like okonomiyaki and octopus dumplings. (Admission is free).

19th – British Food Fortnight – Feast on home-grown produce and check out the website for food events happening near you. Don't miss Sharrow Bay's Mark Teasdale at Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Restaurant - his menu is full of British produce and the sticky toffee pud is always a sell-out.

24th – Central Perk comes to London – 15 years after Friends first hit our screens, the iconic NYC café will pop up on Broadwick Street for two weeks. Gunther will be behind the bar on opening night and fans will be able to check out Rachel’s wedding dress and Phoebe’s paintings while sipping their cappuccinos.