Archives for category: Restaurants

Good Golly Ollie

May 18, 2014 //

When Ollie Dabbous opened his eponymous restaurant over two years ago it was seen as the big revolution in the British food scene. Not bad for a relative unknown who had trained in all the best places and yet was not on the radar until Fay Maschler gave him 5 stars and pronounced Dabbous a ‘game changer’. From that February moment, it became the impossible place to book and frankly I kind of lost interest in trying.

Two years on and he has opened his new place, Barnyard, in Charlotte Street. This time, presumably to avoid the issues and bad press he had about booking a table, he adopted the fashionable no booking policy. Problem solved. Or is it? Now the poor young man at the door has to manage the constant stream of trendy Londoners that appear daily, descending with all sorts of reasons to queue jump. Yet they handle it impressively well. It really is first come first served and all with an energetic smile and professionalism that pervades all of the staff.

I tried to get in early on just a couple of weeks after opening hoping that it was before the hype caught on but sadly that was the week the Evening Standard review came out and I was told the wait was over 3 hours. Not for me! I just turned around and made for home.

My Hedgerow Shandy: pink grapefruit, tonic, sloe gin and Wyld Wood cider served in a chilled half pint glass. Very refreshing

Yesterday I was in London for an appointment and thought I would try again. I got there early at 5.30 and it was surprisingly quiet for a gorgeous sunny day in Charlotte Street. JR was at least half an hour away so I put myself at the bar and ordered one of the signature shandies. These are more cocktail than traditional shandy and the flagship of a clever bar menu of well balanced drinks combined with local beers or ciders. The chilled glass and pink tones were ideal for a girlie like me and I happily took in the surroundings and watched the world go by.

It seems the whole industrial look has overstayed its welcome. We seem to think that trendy means not so comfy and my barstool was in much the same vein as those at Grain Store. The walls are all corrugated metal and open brickwork. The lights are the trendy green New York look. My wait gave me time to take in the Barnyard styling and I could imagine the many meetings that had taken place choosing not only the signature menu items but also the decor. Picket fencing, enamelware and galvanised metal were the order of the day with the staff in ho-down style checked red shirts. So far so farmyard.

The menu was more compelling. Simply segmented with sections entitled ‘pig’, ‘cow’, ‘egg’ etc., it all looked wholesome and yummy. I was hoping this was going to be good honest homely cooking with the twists that we have come to expect of Mr Dabbous.

When JR arrived they sat us down straight away although rather annoyingly said we had an hour for the table. I hate that! Why can’t they just manage it to time without making me feel bad about sitting there? Anyway, I was more than ready to order and we shared a mix of dishes from across the menu. They recommended 3 each, but we ordered 2 each plus one extra veg dish and that was plenty for such rich indulgent food.

Spot the measly beef short rib at the back

So did it live up to the Dabbous reputation? Sadly not. Some things really did and others were really lacking. Having spoken to the barman at the end, he seemed surprised that we said this and put it down to the fact that we were expecting gourmet cheffy stuff but that wasn’t what it was at all. Whilst the sausage roll was nicely done, the piccalilli wasn’t as flavoursome as I had wanted even with that great mix of well prepared veg. But it was the barbecued short rib that let the whole meal down. It may have been, as the barman said, cooked for a long time but clearly someone forgot to put it anywhere near a BBQ! The best thing on that plate was the home made dill pickle. We couldn’t help comparing the rib to those served at Pitt Cue Co. They have been doing wonderful BBQ beef ribs for years now and frankly they are setting the benchmark. And the charred broccoli felt like something Ottolenghi put in his salads yonks ago, just without the chilli.

That fudge sauce is to die for

Yet, when it worked it really did have that element of style and surprise that I had so wanted everything to have. The corn on the cob was served in butter flavoured with meadowsweet. I have to admit this is my first experience of that particular herb and it was almost medicinal but definitely added a contrast to the sweet buttery corn. And the crispy chicken wings were fab with a great hit of citrus coming through. By far my favourite thing was the smoked fudge sauce that came with the popcorn ice cream. Personally I could take or leave the ice cream but that sauce alone restored my faith in the whole place. It was just immaculate. And absolutely what I had wanted to get from this talented team.

We walked away fearing that we were too old to embrace this experience. But the truth is that we have simply seen it too many times before. The whole enamelware and industrial vibe really has been there and got the t shirt. I am glad I have tried it and funnily enough it made me want to go to the real deal more than wanting to go back there. If I was in the area and could get in, then yes, I may repeat the experience but there are so many places in London these days that I think it is the last time I will be line dancing towards the Barnyard for quite some time.

Tags Barnyard, industrial look, Ollie Dabbous, shandy, smoked fudge sauce

Categories Restaurants

Smokin’ hot

May 11, 2014 //

M and I had a day trip yesterday popping back to where she used to live and discovering one of her favourite places, which incidentally used to sell her cheese when she lived locally.

Severn and Wye Smokery is located just west of Gloucester, sitting nonchalantly in the middle of the A48. It has a very unassuming frontage but clearly those in the know have sussed this place years ago and many, including M, have brought produce here to be smoked for them.The smokery operates in a traditional style using local wood and the product is handled very well to get that fine balance of depth of flavour into all that they do. They are well known for their smoked eel and of course smoked salmon, curing literally thousands each week and benefiting from the quality wild salmon in the local river Severn.

Severn & Wye fish counter featuring local Var salmon

The shop itself is centred around a overly dominant counter that for me has too much going on, but clearly it is the fish counter and smoked fish that is the showcase. Here the displays are traditional and eye catching with fresh fish laid proud with a glint in their eye and a shine in their scales. All proof that it is fresh and wonderful.

A fish counter at San Sebastian’s La Bretxa market show how much more can be added to displays with wooden boxes, oranges and bottles of wine to inspire

It made me think back to the fish counters I saw recently in San Sebastian and honestly, I think there are some lessons to be taken from there, but you can’t fault the quality and the freshness on display. It’s just that the Spanish understand how to make a piece of fish a meal, so they include things like lemons, oranges, samphire and even bottles of wine in their fish counters.

Keeping it open and real

Back at Severn and Wye, little windows to the back show the teams working tirelessly to manage the volume of fish in production checking for bones etc. which may be a bit factory-esque but for me it was refreshing to keep everything open to the public and for us to see what it takes to make such a good product.

A showcase platter with signature smoked salmon and eel presented beautifully for lunch

Clearly the fashion in smoking is not going anywhere fast. The process has been around for generations as a way of preserving all sorts of things but particularly meat & fish. Many classic dishes have centred around smoked fish ingredients and it was lovely to see these on the cafe menu including a signature kedgeree which is a favourite of mine. Smoked products used to be associated with the cheaper end of the market until clever chefs realised just how wonderful that deep smokey flavour was and how much it enhances dishes. The traditional US BBQ has always understood that smoking adds so much more and of course ingredients like chipotle has been used for generations in Mexico. Smoking is also a technique that the Scandinavians have long developed for all their wonderful fish and we had the most fabulous smoked prawns served simply in a paper bag when we were in Stockholm.

Simply delicious smoked prawns served at Pumpen, the casual eatery at Oaxen

Now there are restaurants dedicated to all things smoked (see Etxebarri that I recently wrote about) including smoked butters, ice creams and smokey mash.

Even at home, there are more and more opportunities to play with both hot and cold smoking with some great domestic machines. Plus lots of different wood chips to meet your flavour preference. And if you are not yet up to it, then these bags are an easy cheats alternative.

However, yesterday, we left it to the experts and bought a few things back with us. Smoked salmon of course. Smoked ham. Smoked garlic. Today, that ham went on top of my favourite chicory recipe which has been previously featured in this blog. Lunch was a yummy dish with memories of a wonderful day out west. Thanks M.

Beautifully caramelised chicory to bring out the sweetness

Tags BBQ, chipotle, Etxebarri, La Bretxa, Severn and Wye smokery, smoked eel, smoked salmon, smoking

Categories Recipes, Restaurants, Retail, Uncategorized

Etxebarri

April 22, 2014 //

I first read about Etxebarri some four years ago when I saw this article by Jay Rayner in the Guardian. Then I saw an Anthony Bourdain show about it and I was hooked. It was the first time I heard about somewhere that compelled me to want to get on a plane and go there.

BBQ the Etxebarri way…literally everything is cooked on these bespoke grills that are swung higher or lower as required

Over the years that followed, chef Victor Arguinzoniz steered this isolated eaterie along consistent listings in the San Pelligrino top 50 restaurants and led the way in the BBQ trend. This is the man that, true to his Basque roots, understood the meaning of keeping things pure and simple. To him that meant wood fired cooking of the best ingredients and very little else. And definitely no charcoal in sight. Knowing that conventional BBQ’s were not subtle enough to be able to cook the repertoire of his menu he designed his own and got a local ironmonger to build his vision. The result is an impressive wall of griddles that can be steered up and down to adapt the heat source to the ingredient allowing him to cook everything from milk to steak.

So it was with a huge chunk of excitement that I embarked on my recent trip to San Sebastian and onwards for a further hour through winding lanes in our little Fiat 500 to the teeny tiny village of Atxondo to sample the place for myself.

A simple room overlooking the wonderful countryside

I guess it’s a lot to ask of that same place that after 4 years of yearning, it would live up to all the expectations I put on it. And the truth is that it wasn’t the life changing experience I wanted it to be. How could it be? It is difficult to articulate why it didn’t deliver as there was so much right about it. The setting is quaint and beautiful. The room was equally rustic and unassuming. The staff were professional and charming. There were dishes that really did engage and delight us. But all together I think the thing that was lacking that would have tied it all up together was the story that romances the simple ingredients into something so much more.

I was lucky enough to visit El Bulli 4 years ago and the first thing they did when you came through the front door was take you into the kitchen to see where it all happens and to meet chef Ferran Adria. Before your bum even hits a seat you were engaged. There was a sense of wonder and brilliance as this ever so silent kitchen operated with chefs moving as if in a wonderfully choreographed dance across the sections to deliver plate after plate of delicacies.

Oak logs – the cooking fuel piled up outside

At Etxebarri, we had to ask at the very end of our meal if it was possible to see the kitchen and only then were we shown by a kitchen hand the source of the menu in its post service state. The oak logs lay stacked at the back, the embers of the ovens had started to die down and the impressive wall of steel lay silent after the service. Had we been ushered in first, or had more explanation at the time of service then our engagement would have been fulfilled.

The smoked goats milk butter

Grandma’s chorizo

That said, there were many dishes on the 13 course tasting menu that really did impress. All the talk of smoked butter was justified as we had our antipasti of smoked goats butter, home-made mozzarella and grandmas recipe of home made chorizo which was softer and more subtle than anything I have previously tasted. For me, it was the simple pure elements that pleased me most: smoked prawns, perfectly cooked red sea bream and the sensational ice cream that topped the board. I found other dishes like the throat of hake and the oyster with spinach a bit so-what. It was almost as if they were trying too hard. I had hoped for some leeks cooked as I had seen them in the Bourdain programme and we probably offended the whole team when we sent the steak back as it was genuinely so blue that we struggled to eat it (and I was with hardy friends including a meat loving South African!). But overall there was a lot more to enjoy than not.

But what of Etxebarri? Well, I am glad that I went there and impressed to see how it has shaped the way chefs coming through here have taken on board the simplicity of cooking and the sourcing of great ingredients. But at 125 euros plus VAT I would say this meal is a difficult one to justify to anyone other than crazy people like me.

We returned to San Sebastian that night for simple 2 euros pintxos and enjoyed those just as much. What does that say?

Tags BBQ, Etxebarri, top 50 restaurants

Categories Food, Restaurants

San Sebastian Food

April 13, 2014 //

The old town

San Sebastian has been on my list of food places to visit for some time. I wanted to go with a few of us so that we could really do justice to the pintxos and last week that came to fruition.

The first thing that struck me was just how beautiful the city is, with impressive architecture, a river running through it and two magnificent beaches embracing the northern parts of the city. There is a vibrant energy and happiness about the place which I put down to the great food, drink and lifestyle. People openly embrace, hold hands when walking together and at times burst into spontaneous song. It is easy to get swept up in the optimism and enjoyment of life here.

Saturday lunchtime in the old town – spot the youth orchestra singing and dancing in the street!

I am told that the Basque people are an honest straight forward food loving lot and I guess that’s why I feel at home almost immediately. Don’t get me wrong, it is rowdy and rambunctious at times and there is the Mediterranean spirit flowing through that can intimidate a reserved Brit like me, but there is a central heart of happiness here that I love.

A typical bar of pintxos

The pintxos experience is one that everyone must try and at first it is a little strange. You go into a bar that is resplendent with plates of food. There are no health and safety legalities here – everything is out there for as long as it is out there, uncovered and ready to be eaten. You ask for a plate, take what you want and there you have it. When it needs heating up it will be taken from you and returned microwaved and ready. When you order specials from the menu they are speedily returned from what seems to be the teeniest of kitchens piping hot and glistening. Everything has to be washed down with a drink.

Pouring the perfect txakoli

The local speciality is txakoli which is a very young white wine, poured from a heady height to encourage the sparkling character to fizz in the glass.

What amazes us is just how adept the bar staff are of keeping track of what you order. There is no need to pay at the time. You just add on more and more things and somehow they know what your bill is at the end. There is an air of trust because the Basque people would not dream of taking advantage or lying about what they owe. They are such straight up people. So it leaves you feeling free and trusted to embrace the food & drink and just take in the experience. It is loud, it is bustling and it is most definitely infectious.

Mushrooms at Ganbara (order the hongos con yema: mushrooms with egg yolk)

Another busy night at Bar Zeruko

Knowing which bars to go to is an art in itself. Some places specialise in mushrooms (Ganbara) and others in steak (Gandarias) and of course prawns or gambas are widely featured whilst the modern molecular gastronomy is showcased at its best in Bar Zeruko. Then again the very traditional dishes served only to order from a blackboard at Bar Borda Berri were some of the best we had.

La Vina cheesecake

And you really do have to try the cheesecake at La Vina. I don’t think it is as delicious as my Mum’s but that’s not the point. They are generous in their portion, so sharing is most definitely recommended and that caramelised crust is yum.

If in doubt, the guys at San Sebastian Food in the impressive Hotel Maria Cristina are well versed in the right place for the right thing and their interest and passion shows through as they genuinely want you to enjoy their city and the food as much as they do. There is also an impressive shop full of locally sourced treats to take home.

Prawn & Egg the Bergara way

A little off the beaten track over in the Gros area is Bergara which is not particularly well publicised in any of the articles that you see but is most definitely a choice for the locals (maybe they want it as their secret). This side is less well explored but everywhere we tried we enjoyed and this is where the Gintoneria lives, so what’s not to like?

You most definitely won’t starve in this city and I will forever marvel at the fact that food which stands on a bar and is then microwaved for your delectation can be such a fabulous food experience. But it just goes to show that simplicity and atmosphere can account for so much when you are enjoying a meal out. Get on a plane and fly here for a long weekend. It is so ideal and I will most definitely be coming back.

Tags Bar Borda Berri, Bar Zeruko, Basque people, Bergara, Ganbara, Gandarias, Gros, La Gintoneria, La Vina, pintxos, San Sebastian, San Sebastian Food, txakoli

Categories Drink, Food, Restaurants

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