City Eating

Dates For Your Diary: Japanese Week At William Curley

Chocolate lovers will already be familiar with William Curley, the award-winning British chocolatier who now has two shops in ultra-chic corners of London. His wife Suzue is also an exceptionally talented patissier who moved from Osaka to London in 1996 to train at Le Cordon Bleu and work at Claridge’s and The Savoy.

This September, in celebration of Suzue’s Japanese heritage, William Curley’s Belgravia shop will be hosting ten days of Japanese-inspired events, tastings and masterclasses. The regular Sea Salt Caramel and Truffle   weekend courses will be replaced by lessons in the art of Japanese influenced chocolates like the Toasted Sesame Couture Chocolate and the Yamazaki Whiskey Truffle. Guests will also have an opportunity to taste and learn about the different Japanese ingredients William uses in his chocolates. (Dates: 25th/26th September, 2nd/3rd October. £75 per person).

On September 29th, William will host a Japanese tea and chocolate pairing event with John Kennedy from Teasmith. Guests will be greeted on arrival with an Oolong Tea Champagne Cocktail and homemade savoury canapes and then sample eight Japanese teas paired with eight Japanese inspired chocolates and a delicious patisserie to end the evening. (£55 per person.)

If you prefer booze to tea, book a place at the sake tasting event on September 30th where sake expert Gilbert Winfield will be matching six different sakes to William’s chocolates. Because of its unique 'umami enhancing' properties, and low acidity, sake is one of best drinks to pair with chocolate, and the distinctive delicate flavours of the chosen sakes are designed to compliment the smooth richness of William's confections. Guests will enjoy a glass of Champagne and Japanese inspired canapés on arrival. To finish there will be another Japanese speciality, Shiraume Umeshu, a plum infused liqueur. (£55 per person.) For bookings and availability, please contact: Caroline@williamcurley.co.uk

If you can’t make the September dates, keep an afternoon free between October 11th and 17th. For one week only – National Chocolate Week, of course – the lovely tea room at Claridge’s will be serving an exclusive William Curley Chocolate Afternoon Tea. There will be plenty of tastings and masterclasses going on as well so stay tuned for more details or sign up to the newsletter via the website.

Dishoom: Fast Food With Soul At London's First Bombay Cafe

THE LOWDOWN: Inspired by the 'Bombay cafes' opened by Persian immigrants in what is now Mumbai, Dishoom is already a popular addition to St Martin’s Courtyard. Just a stones throw from Leicester Square, it’s sandwiched between Jamie’s Italian and Cantina Laredo and offers an all-day menu of Indian snacks.

THE LOOK: In an area dominated by faceless chains, Dishoom stands out as a seriously good-looking space. With its mix of dark wood, mirrors and monochrome floor tiles, it’s more Bombay brasserie than café and the colour scheme is a muted blend of greys, browns and pale blue. Designer Afroditi Krassa has injected plenty of personality with colourful Bollywood posters and low-hanging lighting but the main attraction is the busy open kitchen where smartly-attired chefs prepare roomali rotis to order. The attention to detail extends to the rather lovely toilets where there are quirky mirrors, incense and vintage medicine cabinets in each cubicle.

The only downside is that all those sleek hard surfaces create a lot of noise. In opening week, the place was predictably rammed and it was hard to make ourselves heard over the din. Great for groups and quick lunch stops, but not so good for cosy dinner dates. Another minor niggle is that the tables for two are very close together and quite small, so dishes have to be served afternoon tea style on tiered trays. The best seats are the more spacious black leather booths and the quieter downstairs area, which is due to open soon.

THE FOOD: We started with the house crisps which are zingy little triangles, more like filo than potato and completely grease-free so possibly baked rather than fried. We had fun trying to guess the seasoning - possibly amchoor (a citrusy dried mango powder)? Next came two similarly greaseless lamb samosas, packed full of well-seasoned spicy mince, and three excellent chutneys (sweet and tangy tamarind and date; cooling mint and coriander; and a fiery tomato salsa). Lamb sheekh kebabs laced with cumin were perked up by a squeeze of lime and deftly grilled chunk of tender murgh malai was a good alternative to the hotter chicken tikka.

Dishoom's signature roomali roti, made by stretching the thin dough over a dome, is lighter than naan and less dense than paratha - perfect for mopping up leftover sauces. I liked the dark, earthy house daal but my companion was less impressed, declaring it one dimensional. Perhaps a golden yellow tarka daal would be a worthy addition to the menu? Skipping small plates like desi fish fingers and chilli cheese toast, we ordered the curry of the day - lamb dahi-wala. The lamb was tender enough to cut with a spoon and the sauce was lightly spiced, creamy and tangy with yoghurt - close to a korma but not as insipid. It was tasty but pricey at £7.90 for a small bowlful. A very Western chocolate fondant seemed misplaced on the dessert menu; we preferred the mouth-puckering passion fruit and chilli granita and the Mini Milk-style kulfi on a stick.

The dishes arrives quickly, all at once - perfect if you’ve got limited time before the theatre but not ideal if you’re a slow eater or like to linger over your meal. As food blogger Chris Pople noted in his review, it can feel like a race to eat the dishes before they go cold. Next time, we’ll ask if they can stagger our order. The swift service is a plus at times though, especially if you’re only dropping in for a lunchtime roti or a bacon naan en route to work.

THE DRINKS: From the fragrant house chai to the creamy cooling lassis, drinkers at Dishoom are spoilt for choice. There’s a small but carefully compiled wine list and a couple of beers but the real winners are the cocktails - all priced under £6. The best of these are the St Martini, a smooth gin and pomegranate Martini with a subtle chilli kick, and the chaijito, a lightly spiced twist on the classic. Filtered water is available in Dishoom-branded bottles priced at £1, of which 20p goes to helping to provide clean water for Bombay slums.

THE VERDICT: Admittedly, it's early days but we've yet to hear a bad word said about Dishoom. The quality ingredients and low prices are a rarity in an area more familiar with the mediocrity of Bella Italia and Angus Steakhouses. On our visit, service was hyper-efficient and friendly, if a little over-rehearsed, but things should feel more relaxed in a month or so. The food, while tasty, might not blow your mind but it’s fresh, honest and they don’t skimp on the spice. With the Mexican next door failing to impress and the long waits for tables at Jamie’s Italian, Dishoom is currently your best bet in St Martin’s Courtyard. For lunch stops, pre-theatre feasts and curry-in-a-hurry, it’s definitely worth a place on your To Do list.

Prism: A Pleasant Surprise, Sitting Pretty In The City

On the hottest evening of the year so far, Prism’s windowless dining room might not be the obvious choice. However, as we stepped from the humid streets into the blissfully air-conditioned sanctuary, we knew we had made the right decision. The high ceilings and soaring columns give the former Bank of New York building an airy, if somewhat formal, charm and I imagine it is prime City slicker territory at lunchtime. On a Friday evening, however, there wasn’t a braying banker in sight and our fellow diners were quiet couples and smart post-work groups enjoying drinks and bar bites.

Cocktails are particularly good at Prism, though they’re not cheap at around £8-9 each. To start, we tried a Cluedo-themed tipple - the Colonel Mustard - made with mustard vodka from London distillery, Sipsmith. This was advertised elsewhere as a pear-flavoured conconction but what appeared at our table was more like an apple sour, complete with apple crisp. Absinthe green in colour, it was sour but smooth with a fiery after-kick from the mustard vodka. If apple’s not your thing, try the Bloody Scarlet – Prism’s take on the classic Bloody Mary, with an extra punch from the mustard vodka. To accompany our cocktails, a board of mini-nibbles – prawns with lemon and chilli; tiny skewered quail’s eggs topped with celery salt; and delicious chunks of fried chorizo on blobs of pungent aioli. All delicious and greedily demolished in seconds.

My starter of pea risotto had a creamy, comfort food consistency with crisp pea shoots, lemon and mint adding a summery freshness. The plump garden peas were sweet, if a little undercooked, and the rice, despite its pleasing bite, would have benefited from more seasoning. My companion fared better with a special of ox cheek ravioli - plump pasta parcels filled with an exceptionally rich, meaty ragu. Some excellent  nutty bread came in handy for mopping up the sauce bordelaise, intensely flavoured with thyme, beef stock and good red wine.

While I struggled to pick a main course from the slightly uninspiring list, my companion immediately plumped for the Longhorn rib eye and was rewarded with a hefty, full-flavoured slab of cow. The wooden board it arrived on isn’t to everyone’s taste (as they don’t retain heat very well) but the steak itself was perfectly cooked with a smoky char on the outside and tender pink flesh within. While not quite up there with Hawksmoor’s beefy offerings, this was definitely one of the better steaks we’ve been served in the City.

A small side of spring greens was nice enough and some uninteresting chips were improved by dunking them in more of the bordelaise sauce (so good it had to be enjoyed twice). Less successful was my smoked poached haddock. This may have been a poor choice on my part but the generous piece of smoked fish smothered in hollandaise sauce was just too rich and far too much. Sat on it’s bed of salty samphire and accompanied by shards of crisp Parma ham which was saltier still, this was an unfortunate bit of ordering on my part.

With the pianist in one corner and the warm pink light streaming through the faux-windows, it’s easy to lose track of time at Prism. We lingered over a white chocolate dessert, which was inexplicably accompanied by dried fruit. In July? Surely berries would have made more sense? Thankfully, we left on a high as the charming manager handed over two adorably childish mini ice-cream cones and we stepped out on to the still-warm streets, dripping raspberry sauce all the way to Bank. Our meal might not have been flawless but we’ve rarely had such an enjoyable evening in the heart of the City – an area not exactly heaving with first class eateries. Full marks to our knowledgeable waitress too, for ensuring that Prism was a pleasant surprise at every stage.

Goldfish City: Seafood, Spice And Delicate Dim Sum

Geoffrey Leong’s Restaurant Privilege group now boasts over fifteen eateries across London, from old faithfuls like Koi to newcomers like Leong’s Legends in Bayswater. Business is booming and if a venue struggles, it’s usually scrapped to be reinvented as something more appealing. When Keelung’s Taiwanese seafood failed to seduce Soho foodies, it rose phoenix-style from the ashes as the Empress of Sichuan. Meanwhile in the City, an underperforming branch of Hi Sushi has been transformed into a sister site of Goldfish – a Hampstead institution which has been feeding well-heeled locals and celebs for years.

In prime City slicker territory near Bank, the new Goldfish knows its clientele. There’s dim sum for the lunch crowd, a basement bar and karaoke booth for after-work drinkers, and a ground floor dining room smart enough to impress clients or dinner dates. Deliberately minimalist to let the food take centre stage, the room features illuminated panelling (complete with goldfish) and a feature wall embossed with a popular Chinese poem. Our only complaint? The music. On quiet evenings, you might appreciate some background noise but Katie Melua on repeat? We think not, even if she is singing about bicycles in Beijing.

 

Head chef Kevin Chow (ex-Cocoon) has kept the menu refreshingly concise with a strong focus on fish and seafood. There are some Western favourites like black bean chicken and crispy duck on offer, but we bypassed these in favour of scallops, prawns and a few Sichuan classics. To start, we shared the signature duck salad which was full of fresh flavours and chunks of moist but crispy duck. In amongst the leaves we found mint, slivers of mango, cashew nuts and flecks of chilli, all lightly tossed in a zingy dressing. If only all salads could be like this.

Next, a bamboo basket full of delicately steamed dim sum. Unlike the sometimes stodgy dumplings we’ve encountered at Leong’s Legends, these were light and almost fragile – the thin translucent skins yielding to the slightest prod from our chopsticks. Of the nine pieces, we received three prawn and scallop dumplings, three prawn and chive, and three prawn har gau – all delicious, made with fresh sweet prawns, but a bit of variety might have been nice. Something fried perhaps? If you’re a dim sum fan, there’s more of it on offer at lunchtime, along with some reasonably priced ramen, stir-fries and bento meals. You could easily ‘do lunch’ for £20 a head and leave stuffed.

Having devoured the last of the dim sum, four main courses proved a challenge but we soldiered on. Another signature dish of wasabi prawns was a hit – served on a wooden platter, the fat prawns were deep-fried in something similar to tempura batter and then smothered in a paste of avocado and wasabi. The sweetness took the edge off the wasabi heat (perhaps wise for Western palates) but we would have liked the prawns a little crispier. A similar dish of prawns rolled in vivid yellow mango mayo proved popular at a neighbouring table.

Kung po chicken, packed full of vicious dried red chillies, was as good as we’ve had anywhere in London and a dish of scallops with ginger, spring onion and soy was wonderfully fragrant and enjoyable in spite of the scallops being slightly overcooked. Now full to bursting, we stumbled on the surprise star dish of the night – ma po tofu, a traditional Sichuan dish of braised tofu with minced beef. Goldfish City’s version includes bright green edamame beans in amongst the fiery chilli bean sauce and cubes of soft, silky tofu. If you’re not a tofu fan, it’s still worth a try – you might find yourself converted.

Unable to part with our leftovers, we took them home and feasted like kings again the next day. Goldfish City might not serve the best Chinese food in London, but it’s certainly one of your best options in the City right now. Take advantage of the special offer they’re currently running or go at lunch when prices are lower – you’ll never go back to the dim sum chains. The Leong empire strikes back!