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The London Foodie Japanese Supper Club

18 Jun 2013 2 Responses »

Jun 182013

The best way to explain The London Foodie Japanese Supper Club is in Luiz’ own words:

“The aim of my supper club is to recreate the kind of food I used to eat at home, cooked by my Japanese family in Sao Paolo, or the cuisine I learned during the time I lived in Japan. This is not an unsophisticated style of cooking, but neither is it the kind of Japanese food familiar in the UK – no sushi rolls or sashimi is on the menu tonight.”

Having enjoyed Luiz’ cooking a number of times in the days before he gave up his job in investment-banking to gain a Cordon Blue Grand Diplome (and also made an extended trip to Japan to further expanded his knowledge and skills), I finally booked to attend his Japanese Supper Club, hosted in his beautiful North London home.

On arrival, we gathered in the living room where we were served soft drinks or complimentary G&Ts and some delicious canapes of Leek and Tofu Gyoza with home-made Teriyaki sauce and Shichimi (Japanese seven spices) Popcorn.

Downstairs, the real feast began:

Starter 1 – Sea Bass Sushi “Gangnam Style” with Garlic-Soy Jus, Pickled Daikon & Carrots, Spinach and Sesame

Starter 2 – “Nasu Dengaku” – Grilled Aubergine, Miso Dengaku & Mozzarella cheese

Main 1 – Pork Belly, Cod & Seafood Nabe Hotpot in a Spicy Dashi Broth

Accompaniment – Tempura of Courgette Flower Stuffed with Scallop, Tofu and Lemon Mousse and Broccoli and Oyster Mushroom

Main 2 – Pan-fried Beef & Vegetable Maki Rolls in a Rich Soy & Mirin Sauce

Accompaniment – “Tamagoyaki” Sweet, multi-layered Japanese Omelette

Accompaniment – Edamame rice, mange-tout, spring onions (not pictured)

Dessert – Flourless Chocolate Cake with Armagnac Prunes served with Quenelle of Homemade Green Tea Ice Cream

Guests were also treated to a complimentary glass of dessert wine.

As you can see, this was an epic feast. Every course was absolutely superb and I am sure you’ll agree that the suggested donation of £38 (plus service at your discretion) is an excellent deal. It’s also BYOB (no corkage), so you can bring whatever you like, whether that’s wine, beer or something soft.

Oh and be prepared to be sociable, this is an informal supper club in a private home and guests are seated together at long communal tables. I had a lovely evening talking about food, travel and all kinds of random topics with the two lovely ladies at my end of the table.

Angel Pascual Cooks Streets Of Spain

11 Jun 2013 No Responses »

Jun 112013

Bringing a taste of Barcelona’s La Boqueria market and local cooking to London – that was the aim of Streets of Spain, a combined food market and cultural event held at London’s Southbank over the first May bank holiday weekend. Sponsored by Spanish wine producers Campo Viejo, the event saw a (fairly small) selection of traders from La Boqueria set up their stalls at one end of the far larger Real Food Market that extended from Royal Festival Hall to the London Eye.

As part of the event, renowned Spanish chef Angel Pascual presented a special tasting menu in a three night popup restaurant.

Until 2011 when it closed its doors, Pascual was at the helm of the michelin-starred Lluçanès Restaurant which he and partner Rosa Morera originally opened in Osana, Catalonia in 1991 but relocated to Barcelona in 2006. Once there, they also opened a second restaurant, Els Fogons serving affordable traditional tapas.

Now they run a catering business that also provides consultancy, cooking classes and demonstrations.

In a space that looks like it was converted from parking or warehouse space (and is now regularly used for similar popup events organised by the Southbank Centre), we discovered a small bar and a tiny temporary kitchen on a raised platform over-looking an expansive dining area.

Each evening was organised into two sittings – we were part of the first. Despite the tiny kitchen and 40 diners per sitting, dishes came out at perfect intervals in a clearly choreographed performance between chefs and waiters. As the waiters delivered dishes to each table, they were followed around by colleagues who introduced and poured matching wines for each course.

Horse mackerel and guacamole with a bloody Mary sauce

Before the menu proper, came an amuse. In a martini glass was a small slice of horse mackerel that had been lightly salted and dried. Served over an intense smooth guacamole, topped with sweet sharp tomato sauce, it was a cross between cocktail and canape. The mackerel was as soft as sashimi. The Campo Viejo Cava Rose served with it was a touch sweeter than the white Cava Brut we tried later, but still crisp.

Sopa cremosa de comenillas con huevo de cordoniz cocido a baja temperatura

The first course listed on the menu was “seasonal wild mushrooms stuffed with traditional Spanish black pudding, served with quail egg in a cream of mushroom sauce” and served with the Cava Brut.

The morel mushroom was superbly flavoured, as was the rich cream of mushroom soup but neither of us could detect any hint of black pudding within the stuffing. The dryer cava cut through the richness well and gave Pete a faint impression of lemon sherbet.

Mil hojas de verduras i setas de temporada

The next course was translated on the menu as “a variety of layered season vegetables accompanied with a potato parmentier sauce and drizzled with a flavoursome vegetable reduction”. The matched wine was Campo Viejo Tempranillo 2011. I always bristle a little when menus describe a dish as tasty, flavoursome or delicious – it always seems a little too presumptious to me. Still…

Although it looked pretty on the plate, the layering, with crisp pastry-like potato on top, made it difficult to eat without it splatting out across the plate. That aside, it was delicious, and noteworthy for how intensely Pascual made each vegetable sing of itself. Courgette was intensely courgette, aubergine intensely aubergine, and the same went for carrot and mushrooms. I thought the rosemary a touch strong but it balanced with the white sauce and oil which both, contrary to the expectations given by the menu, tasted of very little.

Arroz de barca especiado un punto picante com gambas de la Ionja de la Barceloneta

With the prawn head standing to attention, I watched the next course of “smoked risotto cooked with prawns fresh from the Barceloneta market – served a little spicy for added kick” being served to the tables around us.

Staff were a little slow to serve the Campo Viejo Reserva 2007 but perhaps that was because they took more time to explain the choice to match a red wine to the fish dish. Brand ambassador and head sommelier Alfredo Del Rio, when he spoke to us later, was keen to make much of how bold and rare a choice it was to pair fish with red, but really it’s not quite as unusual as he implied. Still, with such strong flavours, it made good sense.

The flavour of the risotto was far more successful than the texture, which we found intensely chalky, almost gritty and let the dish down for us. On the other hand, the rice carried a strong taste of the sea, which worked well against the very sweet and soft prawn. I yearned for more actual seafood; Pete’s dish had a full prawn, albeit a small one but mine must have broken during the cooking and what remained was the size of a newborn’s thumb.

Texturas y temperaturas de ave cerdo y ternera con verduras del tiempo a la brasa

The meat course was “a selection of duck, pork and beef with grilled seasonal vegetables” served with Gran Reserva 2005 and was a very mixed course for me.

I loved the simplicity of the presentation, and on first glance the pork looked particularly good. Sadly, when I moved to eat it, I discovered that nearly the entire piece was bone and cartilage and there was just a thin sliver of meat and a soft and unpleasantly chewy skin. Luckily, the beef, incredibly tender and well flavoured, and the duck, like a slice of fall-apart sausage made from confit of duck, were super.

Better still were the vegetables (and fruit); it’s my abiding impression that this is where Pascual truly shines. A single slice of apple was at the same time yieldingly soft yet with the thinnest layer of crispness around its exterior. A slice of artichoke had great intensity of flavour but none of the unpleasant fibres that can sometimes lessen the pleasure. A small cube of potato was beautifully cooked and delicious.

Bombon de chocolate, sonoro, explosive y tonificante

Described on the menu as “a rich chocolate ingot served with peppermint and an explosive surprise” this disappointed in part because of the damp squib when it came to the surprise element. The popping candy in both our chocolates was so meagre as to give only the merest hint of a snap; certainly a far cry from anything explosive as promised.

Served with the same Cava Rose as the amuse bouche, the best element on the plate was the peppermint foam which was thicker and a touch less ephemeral than the usual fine dining foams are wont to be. The orange jelly was ok too, perhaps blood orange or pink grapegruit. I didn’t feel any of the three elements worked together very well and found the dessert disappointing.

During the meal, I visited the open kitchen to watch the chefs at work. Angel Pascual was joined by a respected chef from La Boqueria – I was told that she runs a casual restaurant within the market area, serving dishes based on produce sold at the family stall. I’m afraid, I didn’t make a note of her name.

We were also able to chat further to Alfredo Del Rio, who generously invited us to sample some additional Campo Viejo wines which had not been included in the menu. The first was Dominio, which he explained was the premium wine made by the brand, made from grapes grown on just 5 parcels out of the 800 parcels of land that make up the vineyard. Aged in only new French oak barrels for 11 months, it’s young but rich for its age. Pete described it as smooth yet gloriously, lip-puckeringly tannic with tart fresh black fruit. The second was Graciano, not sold in its own right but one of the blends that makes up about 5% of the Gran Reserva served with the meat course. It’s an indigenous varietal, not one that we’d heard of before, and had strong black and blue berry flavours, a dark colour and strong tannin.

With coffee after the meal, the menu was priced at £65 a head, including the matching wines.

Although we didn’t love every aspect of each dish, we enjoyed the meal thoroughly, not least because of Pascual’s mastery of making vegetables sing and his tendency to let the flavours of the ingredients talk for themselves.

Kavey Eats were guests of Campo Viejo.

Blue Elephant’s Sunday Brunch

09 Jun 2013 4 Responses »

Jun 092013

Though it was something of a Fulham Road institution for over 25 years, I never managed to make it to Thai restaurant Blue Elephant at its original London location. In January last year, they moved into a shiny new building at Imperial Wharf, a short distance away.

We finally made our maiden visit on a sunny Sunday in May, driving down from North West London and parking in the adjacent car park that is part of The Boulevard complex. There’s also an overground rail station just around the corner, with quick services from Clapham Junction.

The space had already been interior designed as a Thai restaurant when the Blue Elephant team took it over, adding their own touches. It’s modelled on a traditional Thai house, with lots of dark wood panelling, beautiful artwork and statuary and fresh tropical flowers.

image provided by Blue Elephant

Although pastiche like this can often be a turn off, I thought it well done in this case. Spread over three floors, it’s an expansive space, but divided into different areas and rooms, it doesn’t feel that way.

The first Blue Elephant was opened in Brussels over 30 years ago by chef Khun Nooror Somany Steppe, a Thai living in Belgium with her husband Karl Steppe. The London branch opened a few years after that and now there are twelve in the chain, located across Europe and Asia. Most recently, Blue Elephant have launched cookery schools in some of their locations, with a London school said to be coming soon.

Even though I’d heard some good things about the food (and some less so), it was the high prices of the à la carte menu that put me off visiting for so long. Frustratingly, the website menu doesn’t show prices (and requires you to download a PDF to boot) but we’re talking starters around £11, mains around £30 and sides and desserts are similarly pricey. A multi-course Thai dinner for 2 could easily run to £150 or more even with only a modest drink order.

However, the Blue Elephant Sunday brunch buffet turns that on its head, offering an enormous feast for a fixed price of £30 per person.

Tables groan with a huge array of starters, mains and desserts. Plenty of staff are on hand to explain dishes and help as needed. Most things are self-service with a manned noodle soup station, made to order and a roast lamb station, with meat carved from the joint on request.

When we visited, the buffet was spread out across the top floor with dining tables on the ground and lower floors. That does mean lots of clambering up and down the stairs with loaded dishes.

As my hip has been playing up lately, I have poor balance carrying things at the best of times and have mild vertigo when going down stairs as well, I resorted to using the lift provided for disabled access. It was slightly disconcerting as it made such loud beeps as it came to rest each time, but no one seemed too put out. If stairs are an issue for you too, ask for a table near the lift when booking.

Everything Pete and I tried (and between us we tried a lot) was very good, though I found myself drawn most strongly to starters and desserts, many of which were absolutely excellent.

The dessert table in particular had lots of things I’d never tried before. I was familiar with most of the fresh fruit, beautifully carved and cut. The only one missing for me was some fresh mango, which was certainly in season during our visit, to enjoy with the delicious sticky coconut rice.

But I’d never come across one fruit on the table before! I did ask my waiter, who went away and came back with the (obviously incorrect) answer of rambutan, so I left its identity aside and broke into the prickly protective shell. The fruit is soft, tastes both sweet and sharp, and it’s quite distinct from any other fruit I know.

A quick web search reveals that this spiky treat is salak (salacca zalacca) aka snake fruit. The fruit of the salak palm tree, it’s native to Indonesia but now grown and enjoyed across East Asia and is a popular street snack in Thailand, where it’s often sold pre-peeled and eaten dipped in sugar and salt.

We were also fascinated by some of the Thai sweets we’d not seen before, such as the strange but accurately described crispy jelly, with a crunchy shell and soft interior!

Although there were a good number of vegetarian options, I’d say the buffet is best value for omnivores and pescetarians who can benefit from a larger selection of the many dishes on offer.

I’ve read mixed reports on the à la carte offering, both in terms of price and food. But given the high quality of the dishes we tasted, I think Blue Elephant’s Sunday brunch buffet is an excellent way to enjoy their food at a fair price.

Kavey Eats was a guest of Blue Elephant Group.

Japanese Specialities: Amazake & Warabi-Mochi at Bunnosuke-jaya

11 May 2013 No Responses »

May 112013

Not much can beat a sunny day spent wandering from temple to temple in Kyoto’s beautiful Gion and Higashimaya districts. Although we’d recently paused to enjoy freshly made yuba, that didn’t reduce our enthusiasm to find Bunnosuke-jaya, an amazake specialist listed in Diane Durston’s Old Kyoto book.

She explains that amazake is a sweet drink that was traditionally made from sake lees and served to weary travellers as they walked between Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Although it smells like sake Durston credits its invention to Buddhist nuns and says it contains no alcohol.

Taking a seat on the benches in the pretty garden, we are handed a laminated menu sheet.

At Bunnosuke-jaya, the menu describes amazake as low (rather than no) alcohol and tells us it’s made “the old-fashioned way, using only rice and not a single granule of sugar”. In this method, kōji (a fungal mould) is added to cooked rice, causing the carbohydrates to break down into sugars. Water is added to serve amazake as a drink.

We are given a choice of enjoying our amazake hot or cold and decide to have one of each, adding a portion of warabi-mochi dumplings to share.

When our order arrives, we are told that the ginger on top of the lid is to mix in (to taste) with the thick hot amazake within. The cold version is served with ice and has a thinner consistency. The flavour is sweet and milky with a lovely almost fruity flavour. The ginger works well with the warm one.

Warabi-mochi are sweet dumplings made from warabiko (bracken fern starch). In this region of Japan, they are generously coated with kinako (roasted soybean flour, known locally as yellow flour). Elsewhere, they are served warm with hot sugar syrup. Just like the more familiar glutinous rice mochi, warabi-mochi are sweet, soft and chewy, and the kinako gives them a wonderfully nutty taste.

The tiny mugs of black tea served alongside the rest of the order are a nice touch to round off our first taste of two Japanese specialities.

I pop inside to settle the bill and enjoy peering around the shop – Durston describes this “eclectic spot” as “one of the most bizarre collections of art and trivia in Japan”. She’s probably right, but I don’t linger long to examine it, drawn once again to exploring the bustle outside the gates.

Yuba: A Traditional Japanese Delight

04 Apr 2013 3 Responses »

Apr 042013

Diane Durston, in her beautiful book, Old Kyoto, describes her chance discovery of a small yuba shop a couple of blocks from Kyoto City Hall. On that first visit, she had never heard of yuba and thought she’d stumbled into a paper maker’s, as she watched the proprietor lift thin white sheets from rectangular vats of hot liquid and hang them to dry on wooden rods above.

On that and subsequent visits, the owner introduced her to what he was actually making. Soybeans are first soaked overnight and then ground before being boiled for several hours. The boiled mass is then pressed between heavy stones to extract the rich soy “milk”. This is heated in shallow wooden vats so that a skin forms on the surface. That skin, lifted off in sheets, is yuba.

Of course, many customers buy the yuba fresh but the sheets are also dried, to be reconstituted in hot stocks and soups. I’ve even had it dried and smoked, chopped small and scattered over a salad like bacon bits or cheese.

But in our five days in Kyoto, our plans didn’t take us anywhere near the shop Durston discovered, and with so much else to see, I decided reluctantly to set aside my wish to see yuba being made.

On a sunny Kyoto day filled with one beautiful temple after another, we ambled slowly from Kennin-ji Temple and Yasui Konpira-gu Shrine to Yasaka-no-to Pagoda. As we turned into a narrow street, the pagoda looming skywards in the distance, I peered into an open shop front and my heart skipped a beat. Unlike Durston, but thanks to her book, I knew exactly what the shallow vats of steaming white liquid meant and we quickly stopped for an impromptu snack.

This little store had certainly modernised beyond the one Durston visited – the vats were made from strong white plastic held in a metal tray, heated with modern plumbing rather than open fires. But the process and product was clearly as she had described.

Dried yuba was on sale in packets and a giant plastic ice cream cone made me wonder if they sold yuba ice cream. But it was the fresh tofu skin I was after. On a black laminated sheet, I pointed to the picture of a little dish of fresh yuba and took a seat on one of the wooden stools to watch as the shop keeper walked around the vats, checking on the thickness of the skins forming in each, and then quickly but carefully lifted a sheet into a small waiting dish.

After adding a dash of soy sauce, she passed it to me with a shy but encouraging smile and I happily tucked in. Still warm, the skin had a soft, silky yet chewy texture and a rich, fresh creaminess – the flavour held a subtle gentle savouriness.

I was tempted to order another portion immediately, but given that we were headed towards an amazake specialist near the pagoda, where we would enjoy more delicious snacks, I resisted.

Our visit lasted only a few minutes, but remains a strong and wonderful food memory from our first trip to Japan.

Darjeeling Express–Asma Khan Cooks

02 Apr 2013 15 Responses »

Apr 022013

I met Asma Khan online a few short months ago. It’s always a pleasure chatting about food to someone as enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgable, as Asma. When she needed some advice on how to bottle her Indian chutneys and pickles, I was able to help, having learned how to do this myself only a few years back. On that occasion, we met for ramen at Shoryu and I was pleased that we clicked in real life as we had done via the web.

But when I really fell under Asma’s spell was the evening I tasted her cooking, attending her Darjeeling Express Supperclub, held in her Earl’s Court home.

I’ve grown up with Indian food, not just my mum’s cooking but that of family and friends and a fair few restaurants over the years. My mum’s remains my favourite because it is made for me, with all her love in it and it’s not only delicious but familiar, comforting and wonderful.

But wow, Asma’s cooking is at another level. I’m often impressed by great Indian food but I can’t remember the a time I’ve ever been quite so blown away by the flavours, textures and sheer delicousness of what is essentially home-style cooking.

Every single dish of the incredible selection we were served was excellent but I must give special mention to the cashewnut alo, the paneer Chettinad, the tomato ke cutt, the fish malai curry and the dried apricot dessert, khoobani ka meetha. Chilli fiends in our group were particularly delighted by the mirchi ka salaan, a chilli and peanut stirfry unlike anything we’d had before.

The good news is that you can try Asma’s cooking for yourself, and to be honest, I’d get in there fast because this lady is destined for huge success and I think tickets to her table will only become harder and harder to get your hands on.

Asma is cooking for a one-off special event at the Cinnamon Club later this month, which I’m very much looking forward to. Tickets are selling fast so if you are interested, do book now. Or drop her a line for dates to attend her next supperclub.

Me… I’m still dreaming about that feast…

The Greenhouse, Mayfair

28 Mar 2013 4 Responses »

Mar 282013

It’s not unusual for me to receive invitations to dine at London restaurants with a view to reviewing them on Kavey Eats. A recent invitation contained an unusual twist – Arnaud Bignon, the chef and partner at a The Greenhouse restaurant in Mayfair wanted a group of us to taste a selection of dishes and provide feedback to narrow down which five would make it onto April’s tasting menu.

I don’t know how much influence our feedback had in reality. There was certainly one dish we all discussed and fed back on (in a less than positive fashion), but certainly we weren’t grilled for our thoughts on most of the courses in any structured or coherent way. Still, it was a great opportunity to sample Arnaud’s Michelin-starred cooking and was a convivial evening.

There were 8 courses on the printed menus we were given, but first three amuse bouche were served.

On the small spoons were liquid spheres representing a caesar salad. The flavours were great, though I’d have liked a little raw apple to give a crunch, and a touch more parmesan than the tiny morsel on top.

The mushroom meringues had the most incredible texture and flavour and were probably my single favourite course of the entire meal. They melted away so fast on the tongue but left behind an intensely earthy hit of fungi. It took all my restraint not to “accidentally” steal other peoples’!

The third mouthful was rather dull next to the other two. Prawns with a peanut coating were pleasant didn’t thrill.

Cornish crab, mint jelly, cauliflower, granny smith apple, curry

The presentation of this dish was striking – and the bowl itself created crockery envy in some at the table. The crab was hidden underneath that green jelly layer and was tasty and fresh. The mint taste was a little too faint but certainly there. In the foam on top, the apple came through clearly. I couldn’t detect (on the palate) either the cauliflower or the curry.

Foie gras, strawberry, hibiscus, tomato, ginger

I don’t think there was one person at the table who liked the various sweet red accompaniments to what was a very fine slice of foie gras. The strawberry liquid was far too sweet, cloying and overwhelming. The tomato actively clashed in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible until I tasted it. I adore foie gras and order it often, and have to confess that this was the worse foie gras dish I’ve ever tasted.

Line-caught sea bass, yuzu, chlorophyll herbs, polenta

The seabass and yuzu sauce were superb. The fish was perfectly cooked, soft and tasty and the sauce provided a perfect creamy citrus lift. I didn’t really get the green polenta – the “chlorophyll” was clearly basil so I don’t know why it wasn’t just named so – the flavour was alright but it didn’t do much for me at all.

John Dory, heirloom beetroot, vadouvan, onion seedling

Another really excellent piece of fish, cooked just as it should be. To my surprise, I loved fish with the sweet earthiness of the beetroot. I didn’t really follow what vadouvan was when our waiter briefly mentioned it but Wiki tells me it’s “a ready-to-use blend of spices that is a derivative of Indian curry blend with a French influence”. Unfortunately, the French tendency to tone down spices to the point of homeopathy seems to have occurred and the spice flavours didn’t come through at all.

Yorkshire lamb, aubergine, sesame seeds, red spring onion, soya sauce

The lamb was delicious and tender and so full of flavour it was hogget- or mutton-like on the palate. The aubergine was soft and silky but not greasy. I liked all the flavours very much. The slick of sauce poured onto the plates at the table was so thin it ran immediately to one side of the plates, revealing the lay of the table and looking rather unsightly. I realise “jus” is still more trendy, but a little thickening into a proper sauce would have made far better visual impact, certainly.

Pigeon, cevennes onion, rhubarb, almond

I know I wasn’t alone in being surprised to be served poultry after the red meat, though I do appreciate that pigeon is gamier and redder than many birds are. The pigeon breast was pleasant, as was the rhubarb an onion. The little leg on the bone was dreadful, wrapped as it was in a surprisingly thick and flacid skin. I liked the almond crunch. More thin and bitty juice though.

Pineapple, pine nut, lavender, lemon

The pineapple and pine nut were hidden under a light foam and lemon sorbet (and the pretty but not-so-pleasant-in-the-mouth petals). It was all delicious and I liked the range of textures very much.

Orange, saffron, date, filo pastry

This was a super finish. The orange sorbet was probably one of the best I’ve ever tasted; it made me sing Kia-Ora, too orangey for crows! I liked how it was served on a bed of crunchy meringue for textural contrast. The filo pastry with saffron cream was delicate and crunched satisfyingly as I pushed down with my spoon. And oh, the orange segments with tiny slivers of date and mint leaves delighted too. Everything on the plate worked separately and together, creating a complete and happiness-inducing dish!

There were wine matches too, but I can’t comment on them. I asked for dessert wine instead, and was given three different ones, all of which I enjoyed.

Of the restaurant itself, I particularly liked the secret-garden approach, hidden away in a quiet but very very expensive residential mews. Setting and service was traditional French formal, though hard to assess at this kind of special event.

The tasting menu is listed at £90, though obviously we were served more courses than are usually included.

Kavey Eats dined as a guest of The Greenhouse.

Yakitori Heaven at Bincho Soho

26 Mar 2013 2 Responses »

Mar 262013

Bincho Yakitori has been on my radar and mental wish list to visit since it opened a few years ago but it’s taken the current love affair with Japan to give me the impetus to actually make it there. It is Inspired by Japanese izakayas, bars in which a menu of snack items such as grilled skewers of meat, fish and vegetables and other small dishes are served alongside an extensive range of booze – in this case, beers, sakes, wines and whiskies.

The atmosphere at Bincho Soho is both less raucous and less smoky than it usually is in the real deal izakayas in Japan but it’s comfortable and service is friendly.

In pride of place on the menu is the yakitori section – grilled skewers of chicken (and other poultry); tori means chicken or bird; yaki describes a fried or grilled cooking technique. Listed are various different cuts of chicken such as wings, breast, oysters and livers as well as tsukune (minced chicken meatballs) and quail eggs. Next come all the other grilled skewers of meat, fish and vegetables – these are called kushiyaki; kushi can mean either comb or skewer, which makes me smile because I visualise tiny tasty morsels stuck onto every finger of a comb, like hula hoops on my fingers… At Bincho the skewers look like tiny wooden swords… more of which later. There are rice dishes, sides and salads and a few yakimono – larger grilled items such as whole sardines, salmon steaks and jumbo prawns that are not cooked or served on skewers. A few sauces, desserts and ochazuke (savoury last dishes) complete the menu.

We arrived early for our 6 o’clock booking and were able to request seating at the counter, from where we could watch the chefs cooking at the imported Japanese grill. The restaurant takes its name from Binchō-tan, a unique white charcoal made from oak wood and prized by traditional Japanese grill chefs because it burns for a long period at an even temperature and gives off very little smoke.

Our drinks orders were swiftly taken and magic words were uttered: Chicken hearts. And Chicken skin. The first was on the specials menu; the second is one of the extra parts that are often available but in limited stock. Hell yes, to both please; an easy start to our choices.

The rest we ordered from the menu, quickly advised after reeling off several items to pause there and order more later. Which we did because we’re greedy bastards.

Note that all skewers are priced per skewer but require a minimum order of two. If you’re worried that will make it difficult for a lone diner to try much, you can always opt for The Seven Samurai – seven single skewers of chicken and spring onion, pork belly, salmon, chicken wings, asparagus, a tiger prawn and shiitake mushrooms. Like I said, the skewers certainly look like swords..

It wasn’t long before plates started to arrive.

Chicken Hearts (£2 per skewer) were exactly as expected, a generous 5 per skewer and beautifully hearty, meaty and bouncy.

Thick pieces of Chicken Skin (£2 per skewer) , threaded onto skewers in scrunched folds, were grilled until crunchy and soft at once – utterly incredible – but, as I learned with my second order of the same, they are best served and eaten immediately, as that crunch fades away within minutes.

As any cook knows, Sori (chicken oysters, £2.30 per skewer) are the very best meat on the bird – two plump round morsels of dark meat located at the base of the thighs and the cook’s perk in many households. Here, two were served per skewer, with a little piece of skin stretched over each. Delicious.

Tomatobacon (cherry tomatoes wrapped in bacon, £1.55 per skewer) went down particularly well with Pete. For those who think they don’t sound very Japanese, they’re definitely common on kushiyaki menus in Japan and popular too!

Shishito Japanese peppers (£2.35 per skewer) were also generous, with 4 to the skewer, and provided a welcome vegetal note against all the protein. They’re much like the small green peppers you often find in Spanish places.

A Yuba Salad (£5.65) of spinach leaves was enjoyable but not what I was expecting. I’d hoped for more obvious yuba content, but the tiny smoked pellets of bean curd skin might just as well have been more bacon. A good point is that the salad had been properly tossed before serving and the dressing evenly coated all of it, rather than just the top few leaves, which is so often the case.

Nasu Miso Dengaku ((£3.95) was lovely, full of smoky sweetness, but a tiny portion for the price.

Uzurabacon (quail eggs wrapped in bacon, £1.80 per skewer) were good, though not as full of flavour as the tomatoes.

Tori Yaki Meshi (chicken and mushroom rice) was fabulous. Although the portion was a little on the small side for £4.95, it was full of large pieces of chicken, lots of mushroom and full of savoury umami.

Fat slices of Eringi (king oyster mushroom) were full of flavour, though £2 a skewer for just one slice per skewer felt cheeky.

From the Yakimono section of the menu, Sake Teriyaki (£5.75) was a large, thickly cut slice of tender salmon, beautifully cooked to give tender flesh and crispy crackly skin. The sauce was sweet and delicious, but not overly sickly.

After all the great savoury, I probably shouldn’t have bothered with dessert. The Layered Banana Cake (£5.75) served with green tea ice cream didn’t hit the spot. I did like that the cake wasn’t sickly sweet, but found it dense and bland. Pete took over and said it grew on him, though neither of us ate much of it. The ice cream was OK, but suffered in comparison with the superior quality of Shoryu‘s matcha ice cream – quality in, quality out and Shoryu clearly use superior ingredients here.

More successful were our tastings of sake; ordering the Kyoto Fushimizu at £7 for 150 ml and the Akashi-tai Dai-Ginjo, at £13.50 the most expensive on the menu, we appreciated being able to compare them.

Both were poured into the glasses and allowed to spill over into the bamboo wood cups. We were encouraged to smell and sip them from the wood, which is said to enhance both aromas and flavours.

To my surprise, despite being the second cheapest on the menu, the Kyoto Fushimizu was really smooth, with none of the raw alcohol roughness of some cheap sakes I’ve tried. Made with Kyoto spring water, the menu described it as flowery with a hint of mint. No mint for me, but I’d agree with the floral tag.

For me, the Akashi-tai Dai-Ginjo had a definite hint of aniseed to its flavour profile, which meant I didn’t enjoy it as much.

From our vantage point, it was fun to glance up from our chatter (agreeing that we’re retuning to Japan, rather appropriately, and talking about possible itineraries) and watch the grill chefs at work – a focused choreography of renewing charcoal, carefully placing new skewers, checking those already cooking and whipping them onto a plate at just the right moment. A sprinkle of salt and wedges of lemon were added by the chef guarding the pass before the waiting staff quickly sped the plates to eagerly waiting diners.

Of course, sitting by the pass meant being served our skewers hot and fresh.

We took our time and stayed a couple of hours, ordering quite a feast during that time, but Bincho would also suit those looking for somewhere for a quick bite, or light snack.

Our bill came to £97 and divided into a little under £60 for food, a little under £30 for drinks and a little over a tenner for service.

Five Guys & A Gal

22 Mar 2013 12 Responses »

Mar 222013

This gal has been wanting to visit Five Guys Burgers and Fries for donkey’s years.

Recently, I spent a few days Massachusetts for work. When the US team leader suggested we go there for our last lunch of the week I nodded and grinned so enthusiastically I think I startled him!

We grabbed a table, and a few little trays of peanuts – they’re complimentary and you help yourself from a huge bin just inside the door.

Ordering was fast – I hardly had time to read the options before my turn at the counter came up.

I chose a regular burger with pickle relish, pickles, mushrooms and grilled onions, the smallest portion offered of plain (rather than Cajun) fries and a regular soft drink. It came to just over $10 and I couldn’t finish it, though I enjoyed trying!

A nice touch is that all the toppings are included and you can choose as many of them as you like, right up to every single one, though I think that’d overload the burger so much it’d be impossible to eat!

Drinks are self-service from a machine. Your number is called when your food is ready to collect.

As I expected, the burger was good. Very good. Really, very very good. Two meaty, juicy beef patties, generous portions of my chosen toppings and a sesame bun which just about held together to the end, though it was a close thing. A tasty, tasty burger!

Fries are served in cups but all of us found at least as many loose in the bags as in the (filled) cups. One or two cups between all five of us would have been plenty, though the rest were taken back for hungry colleagues at the office!

Five Guys isn’t glamorous. Five Guys isn’t gourmet. Five Guys isn’t fancy.

It’s simple, greasy, comforting fast food done really well and I loved it!

The Foundry, Camden

20 Mar 2013 3 Responses »

Mar 202013

Camden High Street, the stretch between Camden and Mornington Crescent stations, suffers a dearth of decent places to eat.

Back in the late ‘90s – early ‘00s, I worked in the beautiful “Black Cat Cigarette Building” opposite Mornington Crescent station, more formally known as Greater London House. It was once a cigarette factory owned by Carreras and the two sleek bronze statues of black cats that flanked the entrance reflected the logo of their main brand, Craven A. The cats had disappeared by the time I started working there, but were re-possessed and returned to their original spots in a huge refurbishment that took place while I was there. That’s when they restored the pretty Art Deco paint colours too.

When looking for somewhere decent to eat out, my colleagues and I rotated between El Parador (still going strong), Café Delancey (long since closed), Pizza Punani (yes really, and no it didn’t last long), two rather excellent local sandwich caffs (both gone too) and a couple of pubs (which don’t even have the same names anymore). There were a few places that were so bad we avoided them altogether, even when we sometimes grew a little bored of the ones that were good enough.

I haven’t been back much since I left in 2002 and when I have it’s mostly been to El Parador, which is still a lovely tapas restaurant, run by the same team as it was back then.

Recently, I received an invitation to visit The Forge & Foundry in Camden. Strictly speaking, these are two distinct entities – The Forge being a music and performance venue and The Foundry being a restaurant and bar. As soon as I saw the address, I knew they were in the location of my old favourite, Café Delancey and was keen to see what had become of the place.

The Forge is a not-for-profit organisation opened in 2009 by musicians Adam and Charlotte Caird. They were keen to create an intimate venue specially designed with natural acoustics for live music. It hosts small concerts and other performances and is also available to book for rehearsals, recordings and other art-based activities.

Also in the same property is The Foundry, a restaurant and bar that is connected to the performance space by a an airy glazed courtyard. The courtyard boasts a beautiful living wall of plants, the first inside a UK restaurant. I think it would be a lovely space to book for a private function, as there’s plenty of light and space, and it would be perfect if you had a band or musical act booked to play for your guests.

The first time we visited was a special blogger event during which we learned about The Foundry’s Espresso Martini, made with coffee roasted by their neighbour, Camden Coffee Shop. A couple of weeks later, Pete and I went back to see the venue at its best – for dinner followed by the Friday night gig.

On Friday nights, you can either book a regular ticket to enjoy the performance, or one of the handful of dining tables that are set up within the performance space. Tickets for the performance cost £11 (in advance, online). A three course dinner during the performance is £25 and you need to book that via phone.

When we organised our visit, those tables were already taken, so we enjoyed our meal in The Foundry’s dining area. They have a £10 Lunch and Pre Concert menu available from 12-3 pm and 5-7 pm but we ordered from the à la carte menu.

It was refreshing to be able to choose from an appealing list of cocktails, all priced very reasonably at around £7.50-8. There were also several wines available by the glass, at very reasonable prices, and of course by the bottle.

Cocktails were served in enormous jam jars, jumping on a tired bandwagon trend, but they were very good and generous too. I loved the balance of flavours in the Cherry Drop cocktail of the month and Pete’s Virgin Apple Mojito was similarly very well judged. (The espresso martinis we had on our previous visit were also excellent).

Pete’s Burrata with Parma ham, cherry tomatoes, mixed leaves and a balsamic reduction (£9.50) was decent. The burrata was creamy with a rich lactic flavour and the other elements were as you’d expect. It was a touch pricy given that it’s a pretty pedestrian set of ingredients, but enjoyable.

I went for one of the “Gourmet ploughman’s platters”, all of which are served with homemade bread, pickles, onion marmalade, apple, grapes and salad. My Seafood platter (£9.50) came with a generous serving of hot smoked trout, smoked mackerel pate and smoked salmon, all of which were very tasty. However, whilst I must point out how very good the homemade onion marmalade is, I felt it and the pickled gherkins and fruit were far better suited to the Cheese & Meat and British Cheeses platters, and didn’t really work very well with the fish. Instead, for the Seafood platter, I’d rather have a good homemade mayonnaise or aioli, and some much lighter pickles such as soused cucumbers.

The platters also come in a larger size and make lovely shared nibbles if you’re just planning to pop in for drinks and music.

Pete’s Duck breast with orange cream, cocoa powder and plantain chips (£15) was mixed. He’d really enjoyed the same dish on our previous visit, when the quality and cooking of the duck was perfect. This time, while it was still cooked pleasantly pink the breast hadn’t been properly butchered and had a tough tendon running through every piece and the fat was chewy rather than crisp, as previously. The orange sauce was tasty, with a nice balance between sweet and sharp. The plantain crisps were as strange as the first time though – sandwiched together with an intensely sweet banana cream, they were much more of a dessert pastry than a savoury side.

My Fillet of beef with foie gras, crostini and madeira sauce (£19.50) was also mixed, though I thought the steak itself was excellent for the price. My beef was correctly cooked, tender and full of flavour. The foie gras on top was decent, though should have been warmer. The sauce was tasty, though again, not hot enough when served, resulting in an almost solid gelatinous texture. The crostini underneath was so butter-soaked it was actually sickly and I couldn’t eat it. And this from someone who often smears an outrageously thick layer of butter onto bread or fruit cake!

Overall I enjoyed the dish, but it needs a few tweaks to shine.

My side of french fries were anaemic and needed longer in the fryer. The green beans were better.

Pete chose Homemade ice cream or sorbet (£6), and opted for three scoops of sorbet – lemon, orange and pear. These were very good, with a noticeably smoother texture than many we’ve been served elsewhere and rich, intense and fruity flavours.

I was pretty full but so glad I let manager Samuele tempt me with the Tocino del Cielo (£6), described as an “authentic Spanish crème caramel served with vanilla cream”. The cubes of rich crème caramel were so good, definitely the dish of the day for me. Rich, sweet, and – like the sorbet – incredibly smooth; and they looked so pretty with the gold leaf on top. The vanilla cream was not too sweet, which worked well against the cloying crème caramel. The blitzed caramelised sugar looked pretty, but as it had been left on the slate for too long before serving, it had solidified and become a bit chewy.

This dessert also made me realise why the Spanish like their coffee so dark and strong – the bitterness is needed to cut through all that sugar, but the match is very good. This was a superb finish.

Service was patchy though I wouldn’t describe it as poor. Manager Samuele was excellent, both in knowledge and enthusiasm about the food and drinks menus and in anticipating diners’ needs. The rest of the staff were certainly friendly, but we found them lacking in training and not at all attentive, even when the restaurant was virtually empty during the earlier part of the evening. Smiles made up for some of that, but service did let the experience down somewhat.

After our meal, we moved into The Forge for the performance. It was fully booked and there was a great buzz to the space.

As Pete was feeling ill, we weren’t able to stay for the whole of Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s performance but we saw enough to appreciate the beauty of her voice and her unique style. Some of her material we enjoyed more, and some less, but appreciated being able to see her perform live in such a small and well-designed space.

Within a short walk of both Mornington Crescent and Camden tube stations, The Forge and The Foundry are really easy for us to get to, so I’m planning to keep an eye on the Events list. A few cocktails, a shared platter or two, some fine music and that crème caramel would make for a fine evening!

Kavey Eats was a guest of The Forge and The Foundry.

Older Entries

The London Foodie Japanese Supper Club

Angel Pascual Cooks Streets Of Spain

Blue Elephant’s Sunday Brunch

Japanese Specialities: Amazake & Warabi-Mochi at Bunnosuke-jaya

Yuba: A Traditional Japanese Delight

Darjeeling Express–Asma Khan Cooks

The Greenhouse, Mayfair

Yakitori Heaven at Bincho Soho

Five Guys & A Gal

The Foundry, Camden

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