Club Gascon is 13 years old! And to celebrate, owner chef Pascal Aussignac decided to hold a special birthday night during which he offered his original 1998 menu at, wait for it, 1998 prices! I was quick to book a table… I haven’t been to any of Aussignac’s restaurants but have tasted his cooking (and ... Read more »
My Beautiful Fruit Tart with Blackberries, Golden Raspberries, Bananas and Chocolate
The yellow raspberries I harvested from the allotment recently were so beautiful I wanted to make something pretty enough to do them justice. Having filled a couple of tubs with blackberries too, a fruit tart seemed an ideal way of putting both to good use. I’ve peered through the windows of countless patisseries, admiring the ... Read more »
Bistro du Vin, Clerkenwell
The Hotel du Vin chain is pretty well known now for their stylish and inviting hotels – they’re modern but not so achingly hip that us normal folk feel out of place! And their hotel restaurants, called Bistro du Vin, have proved popular not only with guests overnighting at the hotels, but with local diners ... Read more »
Homemade Terrine de Foie Gras Mi-Cuit
This Christmas, I decided to buy whole, raw foie gras and prepare it at home. I’m going to skip the foie gras ethical debate because anyone who wants to has already informed themselves about the issue and because there are already plenty of resources on the web. So, on to the foie gras! Terminology Given ... Read more »
Chateau d’Yquem Tasting & Dinner
I have a sweet tooth. Drinks of choice remain sugary concoctions such as Midori, Pimms & lemonade, Amarula, Dr Pepper, Coca Cola. Yes, really. No, I’m not fifteen. More accepted in adult circles is my deep and abiding love for dessert wines including honeyed French seducers Monbazillac, Coteaux du Layon and the various Muscats, aromatic ... Read more »
Pierre Koffmann is back in business: Koffmann’s at The Berkeley
I’m generally not fussed about being an early bird visitor to a new restaurant, not because of worries that the food or service might not yet be perfect but simply because I’m happy to wait until the buzz dies down and it’s easier to get a table. And yet here I am blogging about Pierre ... Read more »
Blankety Blanc: Raymond Fails To Fill In The Blanks
When I read, in Richard Vines’ food news round up, that Raymond Blanc was opening a branch of his Brasserie Blanc chain in London, and that there was a 50% soft opening discount being offered, I thought it would be a good chance to reassess the chain after my previous visit to the Bristol branch. ... Read more »
Racing to Racine!
Two Mondays in a row now, I have visited Racine for lunch. “What’s the rush?”, you might ask… “You’ve never been before and now twice in the space of 8 days? What’s the big deal?” Well, I’ll tell you. The first visit came on the back of the recent food debate, yes, yes, the one ... Read more »
Le Vacherin: French bistro cooking in Chiswick, London
Although it’s not our normal stomping ground, we popped down to Chiswick to meet friends for dinner the night before we left for our holiday in the Falklands (in late January). On a Monday night, the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived promptly for our 7.30 booking but we were shown to a lovely ... Read more »
Tea & Kitsch at Maison Bertaux
Looking for somewhere to meet for a casual afternoon tea in central London, my twitter and blogger friends came through with the suggestion of Maison Bertaux in Soho’s Greek Street. A quick google revealed a french-style patisserie with a good reputation for delicious goodies and the location fit perfectly so I met a friend there ... Read more »