Nikkei cooking is a style of Japanese cuisine created by Japanese migrants in different places around the world with significant diasporas – South America is one of these regions, especially in Brazil and Peru.
When my Japanese family migrated to Brazil with millions of others, they yearned to eat the food they were accustomed to, but they lacked familiar ingredients in their new adopted home – so Nikkei cuisine was born, out of necessity, with Japanese inspired dishes being created at home, using the local ingredients they could find at the time. One of these ingredients was beef picanha - but what exactly is it?
The picanha beef cut comes from the cap lying above the top sirloin and rump areas; it is a triangular cut and just like the British rump, it has a beautiful layer of fat. It is not a muscle that moves much during the animal’s life, and so it remains tender. The picanha’s thick blanket of fat lends the meat flavour and succulence while protecting it from human error that may occur during grilling. And because it is little known in Europe, picanha is still relatively cheap.
Picanha symbolizes the authentic Brazilian churrasco where it is grilled encased in a thick layer of rock salt and nothing else. Growing up in my Nikkei home in São Paulo, we tended to use rather less rock salt, but basted the meat in a mixture of soy sauce, lime, garlic and olive oil during grilling.
I am thrilled to discover excellent quality Irish picanha available in the UK, and share this Nikkei Beef Picanha recipe with you so you will not need to travel far to taste picanha. This is a favourite recipe of mine and one I serve often for friends and at my own #NikkkeiSupperClub. As well as being super easy to prepare, it is perfect for the Summer months and once you have tried picanha, I think you will be hooked!
This recipe was created in collaboration with Irish Beef. To learn more about Irish Beef and discover a number of mouth-watering recipes using Irish beef, visit their website here.
For a chance to win a Weber Barbecue and try this recipe out in your own garden, please enter the 'Summer Beef Encounters' competition in collaboration with Irish Beef by clicking here and vote for my Nikkei Beef Picanha recipe, please! Good luck! Nikkei Beef Picanha with Yuzu, Soy and Chilli Dressing Ingredients (serves 8): •1.3kg Irish beef picanha, whole piece •50g rock sea salt (do not use table or cooking salt or flakes) •120ml soy sauce •60ml extra-virgin olive oil •60ml yuzu juice (substitute with lime or lemon) •6 garlic cloves, crushed •1 long red chilli, de-seeded and finely diced (keep ½ for decoration) •Edible flowers like wild garlic, to decorate •Micro coriander, to decorate •½ long red chilli, de-seeded and finely diced, to decorate (see above) Method: 1. Score the fatty blanket on the picanha by making criss-cross cuts into the thick layer of fat covering one side. Cut the piece of picanha into 4 to 5 thick pieces of about 250g to 300g each about 5cm thick, keeping the fat covering the upper surface of each steak. 2. Place the steaks on a tray and cover them thoroughly in the rock sea salt, this will help to seal in the juices of the meat. Table or cooking salt is too fine and more of it will be needed to do the same job resulting in a very salty barbecued picanha, so do stick to rock salt for this recipe. In addition, rock salt does not penetrate nearly as much as finer salts, giving a delicious and lightly salty crust to the meat. If your salt tolerance is low, you may prefer not to salt the beef and only use the dressing to season it as it is served.
3.Now make the soy & yuzu or lime dressing by mixing together the soy sauce, olive oil, yuzu or lime juice, crushed garlic cloves and ½ of diced red chilli - ½ of this dressing will be used for basting the meat while on the grill and the other ½ will be used as a dipping sauce to serve with the slices of beef. 4. BBQ Method - Get your barbecue hot and ready for the picanha, and generously brush the grill plates with oil. Grill the picanha pieces fat-side up for a few minutes until a little juice leaks out of the steaks. Turn the steaks onto their sides to grill for a few minutes more on each side. Using a brush, baste the meat with the reserved ½ of soy and yuzu lime dressing every time your turn the steaks. Finally grill fat-side down, moving the steaks away from the hottest part of the fire to avoid over-cooking and to reduce the chance of the fire flaring up from the dripping fat. Grill to your desired doneness, it should take anything from 15 to 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks and how fierce the fire in your barbecue is. I use the ‘finger poke method’ to know when the meat is done - I like my picanha rather pink, so the meat should feel bouncy but firm cooked for about 15 to 20 minutes in total. Alternatively, you can take one steak out of the grill and cut a small piece of it from its thickest part to check for doneness.
5. Kitchen Grill Method - If you don’t have a barbecue you can still cook the picanha under a hot grill in your kitchen. Place the steaks over a rack within a roasting tin, this is important as the picanha’s fat will drip into it and not in your oven. Grill the steaks for 7 minutes flesh side up, then turn them over and grill fat side up, preferably on a lower rack or at the bottom of the oven, for another 8 to 12 minutes, basting the beef with the reserved ½ of soy and yuzu lime dressing for 2 minutes before the end of cooking time. If using the kitchen grill, a meat thermometer read is more accurate than on the barbecue – the internal temperature of the meat should be 60°C for rare, 63°C for medium rare, 71°C for medium and 77°C for well-done. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, use the finger poke method described above.
6. Let the picanha rest for 5 minutes before serving. Brush off the excess salt. The meat should be sliced thinly and served with the reserved soy and yuzu/lime dressing. In this way, guests can choose the slices they want, some will prefer more rare, others more well-done so everyone is happy!
Name: Chino Latino Where: 18 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ, http://www.chinolatino.eu/ Cost: Average cost per person is £45 not including drinks or service. The restaurant has three set menus, priced from £37 to £55 per person, offering a range of sushi, sashimi and main dishes. About: With restaurants in Leeds, Nottingham and Cologne, the London branch of Chino Latino is situated in the beautiful riverside Park Plaza Hotel on the Albert Embankment.
The London Foodie visited Chino Latino a few years ago, reviewed here, but the restaurant has since then been thoroughly refurbished and moved to the first floor of the hotel, with full length plate glass windows opening to great views of the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament.
The restaurant group’s kitchens are headed by South African Executive Chef Werner Seebach formerly of Roka, Zuma and Kyashi restaurants, and offers a comprehensive modern 'Pan-Asian' cuisine.
The menu has a range of Japanese-Nikkei dishes from Peru and Brazil, and a smattering of other Asian dishes including Thai, Chinese and Malaysian. The restaurant has a long bar opened to non-residents and offers a range of great cocktails as well as live Jazz music every evening.
What We Ate: The a la carte menu is divided into small dishes, main courses, sides and desserts, and it is recommended to order a minimum of three small dishes per person. We ordered a number of dishes from the a la carte menu, starting with a delectable beef salad (£11.50) with coriander, mint, chilli, shallots, cucumber and red onion – well seasoned and with many textures, this was excellent.
The seabass tiradito (£10.50) came with coriander tiger's milk, jalapeño chillies, borage flowers and chia seeds. With a gorgeous presentation, this packed quite a whack of chilli heat, which I felt somewhat overwhelmed the coriander cream – for me, the coriander’s tigers milk lacked acidity and depth of flavour.
Next up were the Taquitos Three-Ways (£20) – these were served on a dinky chrome frame, and combined crispy taquito cones filled with rare Wagyu beef and aji panca sauce, lobster with an aji amarillo sauce, and the third filled with a lovely vegetable brunoise - carrot, green bean and mushroom, with a topping of finely shredded lettuce and radish.
The anticucho of wagyu (£14), normally a skewer of slices of beef heart, was deliciously soft wagyu flank beef served with aji panca sauce (Peruvian dried red chilli) that added a layer of smokiness and flavour.
We loved the tempura - red chilli stuffed with cream cheese, and soft shell crab tempura (£10 for 2 pieces) – it was gorgeously presented on a slice of raw daikon, and served with a refreshing ponzu dressing and green chilli aioli.
From the sushi menu, we chose the surf and turf dragon roll (£20 for 8 pieces), filled with lobster, avocado and cucumber and topped with thin slices of lightly seared sirloin beef, spicy cream and chive. The sushi was well-made, specially the rice and the presentation, although I felt there were too many competing flavours in this roll.
From the main course menu, we chose one of Chino Latino’s signature dishes – their English sirloin steak served on hot black rocks (300g for (£29), with soy, garlic and mirin sauce. Beautifully presented, the steak was medium rare and soft and well flavoured.
The monkfish tail was served on the bone with yuzu kosho dressing and yuzu jelly (£32.50). I loved their use of yuzu kosho in this dish, this is a wonderful condiment from Kyushu island in Japan made from yuzu rind, chillies and salt, so it is spicy, salty and citrusy all at once. I is a great accompaniment to grilled fish and meats and worked quite well in this dish.
We had three side dishes. I love making miso aubergine with Parmesan cheese (£4.50), and this was what I ordered, though there was an excessive amount of Parmesan in my opinion. Better was the Peruvian corn sauteed in butter (£4.50) with a lovely sweet tartness from the addition of sugar and lime to heighten the flavours. And finally the cassava chips (£4) – these were fresh and crispy on the outside, they were served with a refreshing aji amarillo dipping sauce.
Desserts are all priced at £8.50, and include options like salted caramel banana mousse, yuzu cream sugar bulb, and chocolate brownie and peanut butter parfait with blackcurrant sponge. Tempting as they were, we could not try them as we had eaten far too much by then, I will return for those one day soon!
What We Drank: Pre-dinner, we shared the Chilli and Ginger Caipirinha (£9) – this blended Sagatiba Pura cachaça with ginger wine, red chillies, fresh ginger and lime. This was thoroughly refreshing and I loved the way the chilli heat came long after swallowing. The Perrier-Jouet Blason Rose Champagne (£12.50) had a lovely strawberry nose and refreshing acidity.
There is small but well thought out wine list, with 7 white and 6 red wines offered by the glass. The entry level wines are a white Nederberg Chenin Blanc from South Africa and a red Granfort Merlot from France, both priced at £27. But as we chose a variety of fish and meat dishes, we preferred to share two half bottles. We chose the Sancerre Les Collinettes, Joseph Mellot, France, and the Don Jacobo Rioja Crianza Tinto, Boedgas Corral, Spain, both priced at £17.50 per half bottle. These were both excellent, with a great depth of flavour, concentration and complexity.
Likes: Anticuchos, tempura and taquitos were sensational. Great service and gorgeous restaurant. Dislikes: the coriander tigers milk lacked acidity and depth of flavour, and there was far too much Parmesan in the miso aubergine. These were minor problems in a overall very good meal. Verdict: For good quality Pan-Asian cooking, Chino Latino is my ‘go-to’ restaurant. If you are looking for great food, cocktails and a stunning setting overlooking the river Thames, I highly recommend Chino Latino.
Gin is one of my very favourite tipples, so I was thrilled to be asked to take part in Bombay Sapphire’s The Grand Journey, taking place between 17 and 23 July 2017 at London’s Banking Hall. But best of all, I got to experiment with some of Bombay Sapphire's botanicals and create a new recipe which I am sharing with you below, but more on that later.
The Grand Journey will be an immersive drinking and dining experience which explores the ten botanicals from around the world used in Bombay Sapphire gin. Ten dishes have been newly created by Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers of Story Restaurant especially for this event - each will feature one of these botanicals: juniper berries, citrus, angelica, orris root, coriander, liquorice, cassia bark, almonds, cubeb berries and West African grains of paradise.
I recently got to visit Story Restaurant to find out more, and to cook one of these dishes with Chef Tom Sellers. His scallop two ways uses Spanish lemons (one of the gin botanicals), and this is what we made together.
It was a delightful dish of raw and pan-fried scallops – Tom mixed diced raw scallops and apple with lemon, crème fraiche and fine slices of radish. The pan-fried scallop was served with a super-light and zingy lemon foam, a very sophisticated hollandaise-style creation brimming with flavour, zinginess and intense citrus flavours.
Bombay Sapphire brand ambassador Sean Ware was also at Story Restaurant to prepare some fabulous cocktails, some of which will be available at The Grand Journey. I was interested to hear that for Sean, the measurements for a perfect G&T are 100ml tonic to 50ml gin, with loads of ice.
But beyond that, one of Sean’s gin cocktails that really impressed me was the Maghreb Hi-Ball. Made from 1 part each of Bombay Sapphire gin, water, and Moroccan liqueur (a heady concoction of vodka, dried mint leaves, coriander seeds and saffron) to 2 parts of honey mead, garnished with fresh mint leaf, this was as exotic and spicy as it was refreshing.
This was also the first time I got to try mead, an ancient drink thought to be the oldest of all alcoholic beverages preceding even wine, made from fermented honey. Unsurprisingly, it has a pronounced taste of honey and a rich, luscious sweetness. With an alcohol content as high as 14.5%, it resembles a fortified wine. Inspired by this experience, I went back to my own kitchen and decided to play around with some of the botanicals in Bombay Sapphire gin, as well as honey mead. One ingredient I thought was crying out to be combined with these – PORK BELLY!
In this recipe, I use one of my favourite cuts of meat, which is a great accompaniment to the sweet flavours of the honey mead, the savouriness of dark Japanese soy sauce, and the botanicals licorice root and juniper berries. This is an easy dish to prepare, and one I hope you will try out at home – it will taste even better the next day. All you need is a bowl of white rice and a refreshing Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic to go with it. Slow-Braised Pork Belly in Honey Mead, Soy, Juniper Berries & Liquorice With Tatsoi-Sesame Greens Ingredients (serves 4):
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1kg g boneless pork belly, in one piece
200g raw brown rice
500ml chicken stock (or water)
240ml Honey Mead liqueur
120ml soy sauce
30g soft dark brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, lightly bruised with the back of a knife
8 dried juniper berries, lightly bruised with the back of a knife
5cm liquorice root (can substitute with 1 star anise, whole)
1 tbsp English mustard
1-2 tsp cornflour, dissolved into two tbsp water (optional)
Baking paper, cut in a circle to the size of the casserole lid and with a centre vent/hole
For garnish:
200g Tatsoi greens (or Bok Choy), roughly chopped
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Method: 1. Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Add the pork belly, skin side down, and sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown on the other side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the browned pork to a colander and run under hot water to remove excess oil. Pour off the fat from the casserole and wipe it clean. 2. Return the pork belly to the casserole. Sprinkle the raw brown rice over the meat. Pour in enough cold water to cover by an inch and bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover with the cut out circle of baking paper with a centre vent. Braise gently until the pork is tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 hours (and up to 6 hours). Add water to the pot if necessary, as the meat should be kept covered in liquid throughout this process. 3. Carefully remove the pork, keeping it in one piece. Discard the rice and the cooking liquid and wash off any residue off the pork under running water. Dry the pork belly with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, and let it cool down to room temperature. If not cooking right away, tightly wrap the pork in cling film and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. 4. Cut the pork crosswise into 4 to 8 square pieces of roughly equal size. In a heavy casserole, add the chicken stock, honey mead, brown sugar, garlic cloves, soy sauce, liquorice root or star anise and crushed juniper berries, stirring over high heat until all the ingredients are mixed completely. Add the pork into the pan and return to the boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook, turning occasionally for 1-2 hours or until the pork is very tender. 5. Gently strain the cooking liquid into a clean pan, reduce over a high heat until lightly syrupy and concentrated for about 5 minutes. Do be careful not to over-reduce the sauce as it will become too salty; if you need some thickening help, dissolve the cornflour in a little cold water and whisk in, little by little, until the sauce thickens to a coating consistency. Check for seasoning and adjust. 6. To prepare your garnish, blanch the leaves and stalks of the tatsoi greens in plenty of boiling, salted water for 15 seconds, drain, squeezing as much water as possible with a clean tea towel. Transfer the greens to a bowl, season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a tsp each of toasted sesame oil and seeds, mix well. 7. To serve, top each piece of pork with about 2 tablespoons of the reduced sauce, a dollop of English mustard and the tatsoi-sesame greens on the side.
For more information on Bombay Sapphire gins, cocktails and The Grand Journey, visit their website at http://www.bombaysapphire.com.
For most people, it is rare the opportunity to consider the flavour profile of a single ingredient and the role it plays to a given dish – but even more so, the opportunity to reflect on 10 different ingredients, their usage, provenance and quality. As a food writer, I relish the prospect of such experiences - #TheGrandJourney by Bombay Sapphire is a multi-sensorial experience that is all about flavour, and it is taking place right now (17th to 23rd July 2017) in London’s Banking Hall.
Bombay Sapphire uses 10 different botanicals from around the world selected by the brand’s Master of Botanicals Ivano Tonutti. I am told only the finest and sustainably sourced ingredients go in to produce the brand’s gin, these include juniper berries (Italy), grains of paradise (West Africa), almonds (Spain), lemon peel (Spain), cubeb berries (Java), coriander seeds (Mexico), angelica root (Germany), cassia bark (IndoChina), orris root (Italy) and liquorice (China).
Liquorice from China - one of the 10 Bombay Sapphire gin botanicals
For #TheGrandJourney, Bombay Sapphire built a train - the Laverstock Express (named after its distillery, Laverstock Mill in Hampshire) and is taking “passengers” on a Gin of Ten Journeys, illustrating through a multi-sensorial food and gin pairing dinner, the 10 botanicals and places around the world where these are found.
Collaborating with the brand is Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers of Story Restaurant who created four dishes specifically for this campaign. Using Spanish lemon peel, Tom’s scallop two ways was a delightful dish of raw and pan-fried scallops – Tom mixed diced raw scallops and apple with lemon, crème fraiche and fine slices of radish. The pan-fried scallop was served with a super-light and zingy lemon foam, a very sophisticated hollandaise-style creation brimming with flavour, zinginess and intense citrus flavours.
Another fantastic dish, this time using Spanish almonds, was Tom’s Spanish Iberico pork (served pink) with roasted pear, fresh and sugared almonds and Amaretto jelly. I loved the toasty nuttiness of the almonds combined with the creaminess of the rare Iberico pork and the sweet touches in this dish – the sugared almonds, Amaretto jelly and roasted pear, all came together beautifully in a dish I will remember for quite sometime. Pork and almonds, who would have thought?!
Dessert was also memorable – a refreshing ice cream of herbaceous angelica (considered the 3rd most important botanical in gin, after juniper berries and coriander seeds), with salted blackberry and bitter chocolate.
But the gin botanical inspired creations were not only limited to food – there were a number of cocktails devised by brand ambassador Sean Ware using these ingredients. There were a few favourites – the cubeb berry was a peppery cup of Bombay Sapphire, coffee and cardamom cold infusion with Benedictine and tri-pepper tincture.
Using orris root, we were served a zesty coupette of Bombay Sapphire, fig and bergamot liqueur, violet leaf tincture, bergamot juice and crème de violet – this was intensely floral.
Perhaps my favourite of the lot was Sean’s Maghreb High Ball – made from 1 part each of Bombay Sapphire gin, water, and Moroccan liqueur (a heady concoction of vodka, dried mint leaves, coriander seeds and saffron) to 2 parts of honey mead, garnished with fresh mint leaf, this was as exotic and spicy as it was refreshing.
Before #TheGrandJourney, three of Bombay Sapphire’s 10 botanicals were new to me - grains of paradise, cubeb berries and orris root. On further research, I discovered that grains of paradise are melegueta or malagueta pepper. This is a native plant of West Africa brought in to South America, especially to Brazil by the Portuguese who had a number of colonies in the continent at the time. Malagueta is the most popular pepper used in Brazil and I love using it in food for its pepperiness and citrus undertones.
I also discovered that cubeb berry is an Indonesian plant that is cultivated for its fruit and oil. Dried, they’re similar in appearance (and taste) to black pepper. I learnt that cubeb berries have long been used alongside juniper as their combination pairs well with other core gin botanicals.
Cubeb berries - one of Bombay Sapphire's 10 gin botanicals
Have you ever wondered why gin can have such an intense floral quality? Well, one of its botanicals, orris is the root of the iris, specifically from the Iris Pallida and Iris Germanica plants. These are beautiful, blooming flower species that grow widely across the world. A lot of work goes into harvesting orris; after three to four years of growth, the roots are dug up and left to dry for at least 5 years, before being ground to powder for use as a botanical in gin. Dried orris root take on a floral, sweet smell and unsurprisingly has been used in perfumes for years. If you have not been able to secure a spot for #TheGrandJourney, you will be pleased to hear that Bombay Sapphire will be collaborating with ten leading cocktail bars across Europe, five of these in the UK. For the next twelve weeks from the 17th July 2017, five UK bars well known for their outstanding creativity in cocktail making will be serving limited edition tipples using Bombay Sapphire’s 10 botanicals. In London, bars taking part include The Berkeley (angelica), Three Sheets (coriander seed) and Scout (liquorice), while in Manchester the Science and Industry (grains of paradise) and in Edinburgh the Panda and Sons (cassia bark).
Discovering new flavours, ingredients and how to use them in my cooking and cocktail making is what makes me tick – I have been hugely inspired by #TheGrandJourney and have created my own recipe using two of Bombay Sapphire’s botanicals: liquorice and juniper berries. If you would like to try my meltingly tender, super ‘Slow-Braised Pork Belly in Honey Mead, Soy, Liquorice and Juniper Berries’ dish, you can find the full recipe here.
For the seasoned traveller to Japan, it will come as no surprise that the area in and around Kyoto is thought to have some of the finest produce in the country and I daresay, the finest Washoku cuisine in the land (Washoku means Japanese food or cooking).
The highest expression of Washoku is known as kaiseki– the word kaiseki derives from the Japanese words kai (bosom) and seki (stone), and comes from the habit of trainee monks carrying a heated stone in their robes, whose warmth helped to stave off hunger. Served as part of the tea ceremony since the 16th century, light kaiseki meals were introduced becasue the high caffeine content of powdered green tea was almost too intense to drink on an empty stomach. Today, kaiseki generally refers to a Japanese multi-course haute-cuisine meal at some of the best restaurants in Japan, and particularly in Kyoto.
Pontocho Street in Kyoto where many kaiseki restaurants can be found
Kaiseki meals are an exquisite experience on many levels. They are a celebration of the four distinct Japanese seasons and the ingredients each of these can offer, while great attention is also given to aesthetic awareness. This extends not just to the food but also to the finest crockery being selected to present the dishes in a way that tempts both the eye and the appetite. In Japan, kaiseki is considered an art form.
Whenever I visit Kyoto I make sure to try as many kaiseki meals as I can afford. As you can imagine, these meals are not cheap and are a real treat even for affluent Japanese. As we see in many top or Michelin-starred restaurants in London, there are some good deals to be had at lunch time, and I list below via @thelondonfoodie’s Instagram posts some of my personal kaiseki restaurant favourites, but more on that later.
The area in and around Kyoto has its own style of kaiseki, known as Kyo-Kaiseki. As Kyoto is some distance from the sea, the Kyo-cuisine of the area focuses on freshwater fish from nearby Biwa Lake and Kamo River, as well as local vegetables grown in the nutritious clay soil of Kyoto’s outskirts.
Unlike in other parts of Japan, the entire region of Kansai, where Kyoto is situated, tends to favour dishes that are lighter in colour and salt content, so that the natural flavour of ingredients, particularly vegetables, can better be appreciated.
In addition to the fantastic vegetable produce, the Kansai region is also renowned for its wagyu beef (Kobe town is in Kansai) and for its yuba, which is one of Kyoto’s most notable specialties. Yuba (a by-product of tofu making) is soya milk skin, and it should be creamy but feather-light in texture. It is one of my favourite foods, and I always eat copious amounts of it whenever I am in Kyoto. I love eating yuba served 'teoke'-style in a wooden vessel with soya milk and an accompanying dipping sauce. There are restaurants which specialize in yuba and other tofu dishes which I really recommend to anyone visiting the region. For my personal recommendations on where to eat yuba in Kyoto, see @thelondonfoodie's Instagram post at the end of this feature.
A Yuba Teoke Set Lunch from a specialist restaurant in Arasiyama in the outskirts of Kyoto
Kyoto Wagyu Beef - look at that marbling!
One of today’s leading authorities on Kyo-Kaiseki is Chef Yoji Satake – he is the 11th generation of the Satake family of chefs, who originally founded the historical 300 year-old Minokichi Restaurant in Kyoto in 1716. Now a group with 16 restaurants spread throughout Japan, the Minokichi Group is run by his father Rikifusa Satake. When Chef Yoji Satake is not travelling the world to lecture on Kyo-kaiseki, he works as the Head Chef of the group’s flagship restaurant Takeshigero (formerly Minokichi Restaurant).
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a magnificent dinner prepared by the man himself at Hampton Court Palace recently, with distinguished guests and speakers including the Japanese Ambassador to the UK Koji Tsuruoka.
The Japanese ambassador to the UK Koji Tsuruoka
The dinner was a collaboration of the the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the JA Group (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) and the JA Group Kyoto which brought Chef Yoji Satake to London for his first time to prepare the dinner. It focussed on the agricultural produce of Kyoto (vegetables and wagyu beef) flown in especially for the occasion, many of which are rare even in Japan.
The meal was structured in four courses, with the first being a platter containing nine bite-sized morsels made from Kyoto’s seasonal ingredients. Highlights for me were the unctuously creamy Yamashina aubergine, the refreshing Kyo-mizuna greens with Manganji green pepper in dashi, and the Kyoto wagyu beef and burdock kimpira (a lightly spiced Japanese stir-fry dish).
Equally delicious was the kombu (kelp) marinated turbot served with ponzu jelly (a Japanese citrus and soy based dressing). This is an ancient Japanese technique known as Kobujime, a method of preserving fish by curing it between layers of kombu, infusing it with umami flavour. Our second course was Yuan-grilled salmon served on aromatic cedar wood plates. Yuan refers to a marinade created by a tea-ceremony master called Yuan Kitamura in the Edo Period - there are many variations on Yuan marinade but it consists mainly of equal parts of soy sauce, sake and mirin (sweetened sake) with the more recent addition of yuzu or other Japanese citrus fruit. The fish is lightly marinated in this mixture and then grilled. Chef Yoji Satake’s Yuan-yaki salmon was a fine example of this dish served with some local Kyoto vegetables - Kamo aubergines, Fushimi green pepper and Kujo spring onions.
For main course, we had another major product of the region – Kyoto wagyu beef! This was roasted and served with mustard leaves and a delectable sesame dressing. The meat was perfectly cooked, served medium rare and had the wonderful creaminess and mouth-feel only authentic wagyu beef can offer. I have written in The London Foodie about wagyu beef, demystifying it and suggesting places where you can find the real thing right here in UK, you can see this feature here.
For dessert, a fondue of matcha from Uji was served with a selection of goodies – a mochi (glutinous rice dumpling) flavoured with cherry flowers and filled with Dainagon beans (the finest red beans used for anko red bean paste, a primary ingredient in many Japanese confections), and also black-bean cake and seasonal fruits.
Needless to say, the finest sake from Kyoto was served and matched with every course, this was a memorable meal giving just a glimpse of the endless potential of the agricultural produce of Kyoto.
If you are a foodie (and I assume you are if you are reading this) and plan to travel to Japan, Kyoto should definitely be on your list of places to visit – if not for the amazing culture, temples and natural beauty then without doubt for the wonderful food. Below I mention some recommendations of places to visit in Kyoto – this is not a comprehensive list by any means, but it includes a few personal favourites. Yuba is one of the most famous foods of Kyoto and I highly recommend a visit to a Yuba/Tofu specialist restaurant while in town:
Kyoto has some of the best kaiseki restaurants in Japan, with prices to match. If you fancy trying kaiseki without breaking the bank, I recommend Koryu in Osaka (only 45 minutes from Kyoto by train). Perhaps because it is not in Kyoto but in Osaka, Koryu was much better value, and it is a 3-Michelin starred restaurant.
Otsuka resonates to me in a big way - this Japanese gentleman turned his home garage into a small restaurant that sits up to 30 guests and serves wagyu beef sets at very affordable prices. Otsuka is very near the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto's Arasiyama District (a major tourist attraction), I highly recommend a visit to this restaurant and the Bamboo Forest!
The gorgeous Bamboo Forest in Arasiyama just a few minutes from Otsuka
Pontocho is a narrow street in Kyoto with many bars and kaiseki restaurants, it is also a great place for strolling and idling away the hours, but most importantly for geisha spotting!
For more Kyoto must-visits, you can read my earlier post on the city, with other kaiseki restaurant recommendations including Giro-Giro and Manzara-tei in the Pontocho area:
If you are not going to Kyoto just yet, but would like to experience kaiseki right here in London, 1-Michelin starred UMU serves great kaiseki-style dishes by Chef Yoshinori Ishii, you can read about my latest visit here. I would like to thank the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the JA Group (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives), the JA Group Kyoto and Chef Yoji Satake for inviting me to this event showcasing the agricultural produce of Kyoto. It has made me realize how much I miss the city and its incredible food, but I am already plotting my return!
I love cooking at home and do it often, but when I am not recipe testing or cooking for the supper club or friends, I enjoy a good quality take-away. And that will invariably mean a choice between two of my favourite things right now – very cheesy Quatro Formaggi pizza with added extras of yes, even more cheese, or the mixed kebab special from my local Turkish – a super generous assortment of barbecued meats, rice and salad. Both bring me great joy. But I must admit I rarely buy ready-made meals – I usually find them disappointing in both flavour and quality, mass produced and made to last, these more often than not contain all kinds of e-numbers and additives I prefer not to indulge in. I was recently approached by Gourmio for a sponsored review of their home-delivery service of Italian pre-made meals, and was just about to delete their email, when I took a peek at their site.
At first, Gourmio intrigued me – as a lover of Italian food (I lived in Genova to do my Erasmus and return to the country often) I was curious about their claim to bring authentic, regional Italian ingredients in pre-made meals to the UK. Their website is easy to navigate, with recipes divided by either category (starters and main dishes) or by their Italian regional provenance (Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and so forth). Every recipe featured on the site is well explained with great care taken to describe the ingredients used, their provenance and the historical background of each dish. I was impressed.
Gourmio was founded in 2016 by Marco Sargiani who is a real champion for Italian agricultural produce, his family has been making aceto balsamico in Modena for over 300 years! The idea of Gourmio came from a previous business concept Marco had of trading Italian DOP ingredients online (artisan products bearing a quality seal denoting Denominazione di Origine Protetta or PDO Protected Designation of Origin). Marco wanted to help small, artisan producers who often lacked the marketing and language skills to sell their products beyond their immediate region. But this idea needed a little tweaking. In its new incarnation, Gourmio aims to offer not only some of the country’s best artisan DOP ingredients, but also presents them in recipe combinations so that authentic Italian dishes can be recreated at home with clear, easy to follow instructions. And it was so simple to get started - I selected the recipes I wanted to cook from their website, and Gourmio delivered the ingredients along with the recipe cards. The recipes are detailed on their site with step-by-step photos and sometimes a short Tastemade-style video, so I pretty much knew what I was getting. They state clearly what they will deliver and what you might need at home, these are usually cooking utensils like pots, pans and spoons.
As of today, there are 10 recipes available, 3 starters and 7 mains. It is not clear from their website when new dishes are added to the website, but I would guess seasonally. In my opinion, it would be helpful to know this as well as being able to see previous dishes, even if not currently available, they would give a better idea of what else we can buy and encourage us to return for more. I ordered four different recipes to be confident in writing this review. I ordered them on a Monday pm, and was given a choice of delivery dates from Wednesday to Friday, so delivery can happen within a couple of days, and it is free for orders over £40. Dishes (for 2 people) are priced between £10 and £15.50 for both starter and main courses. All ingredients come from Italy and are pre-cooked and vacuum-sealed. Pre-made sauces and meats display nutritional information and a full list of ingredients. I received my meals on Friday, the 28th July 2017 and the expiry date for these ingredients was 15th August 2017, so well over two weeks. This is excellent shelf life considering that there are no additives or e-numbers added.
Each recipe is delivered in its own individual box, containing a printed card with detailed, easy to follow instructions, and photos so that you know what your finished dish should look like. Recipe cards are also detailed with times, dietary notes (like contains eggs etc), provenance, difficulty level and the number of servings, which is usually 2 people per recipe. One of these recipes was Sicilian “Spelt Macaroni with Swordfish Ragu and Lemon Zest” (£15).
This was an absurdly easy recipe to put together which took me just a few minutes – cook pasta in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, re-heat ragu sauce, drain pasta, add the sauce and Bob’s your uncle!
The only minor snag about this dish is that the recipe calls for parsley and lemon zest to be added though no lemon or parsley was listed as supplied or as needed to buy. Luckily we had both ingredients in the fridge to finish off the dish. I loved this Sicilian dish – the pasta was al dente and had a beautiful, vibrant yellow colour from the spelt flour, the swordfish ragu sauce (one of the most ancient Sicilian recipes as explained on the card) was rich and perfectly seasoned and most importantly, it tasted fresh! I could not detect even a hint of the out-of-a-jar type of flavours one gets from ready-made sauces.
Another excellent dish was Umbrian Pancia di Vitello or “roasted belly of veal with wild fennel and a side of sautéed potatoes and courgettes” (£15.50).
I love belly meat, and veal’s is such a treat. The meat had been seasoned with dill and pre-cooked, it only took 10 minutes to re-heat in the oven, just the time I needed to chop and sauté the courgette and pre-steamed potatoes in a little olive oil and parsley (again not listed).
The recipe came with a white pork sauce, which I personally felt lacked in both seasoning and flavour and did not add much to the final dish. That aside, the meat was delicious and so tender, and the vegetables were a great accompaniment.
Our meal continued in Umbria with “Strips of spelt with cockerel sauce and Castelluccio lentils” (£10). Castellucio lentils are a delicacy of this region and I was super keen to try them.
The lentils were mixed into the cockerel sauce (cockerel is a young, less than a year old male chicken), this was a delectable tomato-based sauce with cockerel meat, paprika, onion and other ingredients which I gently re-heated.
The Straccetti di Farro pasta, another traditional Umbrian specialty made with hulled wheat, was cooked for 2 minutes in salted boiling water, drained and added to the cockerel and lentil sauce. The pasta had a light nutty flavour and firm texture, and the sauce tasted fresh but intensely flavoured. I loved the addition of Castellucio lentils - they brought another layer of texture and great flavour to the final dish. A fantastic little starter that did not take me 10 minutes to prepare!
Though equally good, the ‘Octopus cooked Elba style” (£10) from Elba Isle in Tuscany, was a bit more problematic – the images on the recipe card do not relate to this dish and no information is given on what to do with the octopus sauce.
As the chunky pieces of octopus were heated in their juices with the pre-steamed potatoes for about 10 minutes, I re-heated the sauce in a separate pan.
The sauce was again fresh and well seasoned, and worked a treat with the tender octopus and the serving of steamed potatoes, we thoroughly enjoyed this Tuscan dish.
I was genuinely impressed by the quality of the ingredients and the opportunity to learn about Gourmio’s dishes, their provenance and historical background. For a new start-up, Gourmio still has a few teething issues to put right, and despite the minor snags with the recipe cards, I would fully recommend their delivery service. I love the concept of Gourmio, the quality of the ingredients they offer and their genuine passion to introduce to the UK some of the best regional ingredients and dishes of Italy, but most importantly - their food is pretty tasty too! To find out more about Gourmio’s dishes and try them for yourself, visit their website here and place your order! Disclaimer – this was a sponsored feature by Gourmio. The London Foodie has however maintained full editorial control over its content as always.
Name: Le Garrick Where: 10-12 Garrick Street, London WC2E 9BH, http://www.legarrick.co.uk Cost: The average price of a three-course dinner is around £30 not including drinks or service. Starters from the a la carte menu cost from £5.50 to £9.50, main courses range from £11.95 to £24.95, side dishes are £4.00 to £4.50, and desserts are £6.50. There is a cheese board of three French cheeses with baguette, priced at £10. The restaurant offers a pre- and post-theatre menu available from noon until 6.30pm and after 10.00pm, at £13.50 for 2 courses or £16.45 for 3. About: Le Garrick is a French bistro-restaurant which is celebrating its 30th year of existence in Covent Garden. An independent, family-run business by restauraters Dominika and Charles Lepelletier, it is situated opposite the Garrick Club, and over the road from hip Peruvian restaurant Lima Floral.
The ground floor level has a few window tables, while the main restaurant is situated in the basement, an atmospheric candle-lit spot. I personally prefer the airier and brighter ground floor level
Ground Level
Ground Level
The offering from head chef Rocco Ahoune is unmistakably French, with a small menu of classic dishes like moules mariniere, Burgundian snails, steak frites and confit de canard.
Basement Level
Basement Level
What We Ate: From the specials menu, we started with the cuisses de grenouilles (frog legs £7). Pan-fried and served with chopped onions, red pepper, ginger, lemongrass and coriander, these were zingy and delicious.
From the regular menu, we chose the cassolette de calamars a la plancha au piment d'Espelette (grilled squid rings with Espelette pepper £7.50). Served in a rich, peppery and garlicky sauce, these were also good and well seasoned.
The escargots de Bourgogne (snails Burgundy-style £8.25), though tiny, they were deliciously tender, served with a maitre-d'hote butter with garlic and parsley.
For main course, the Entrecote grillee (£24.95) featured a 14 oz (400g) chargrilled 28-day aged rib-eye steak on the bone. The steak was cooked medium rare as requested, it was soft and tender, but it lacked caramelisation and depth of flavour.
The steak was not helped by its accompanying Béarnaise sauce, which sadly was not freshly made. It was disappointing to be served ready-made Bearnaise out of a bottle. Similarly the chips were dry and tasteless like they had been cooked from frozen - I'm happy to have these at home as a quick side in a rushed mid-week meal, but in a restaurant I expect chips to be hand cut and freshly made. The daily special main course was a whole grilled plaice (carrelet entier - £18.95), served with chopped black olives and a balsamic glaze, with boiled potatoes glazed in butter. This was an uninspiring dish, pleasant enough to eat but a tad dry.
Side orders were the lovely petit pois Grand-Mere (£4.50), made with peas, bacon and whole baby-onions, and the haricots verts or green bean (£4.00), simply tossed in butter, with hints of fresh mint, salt and pepper.
We finished with a fondue to share (£13.50). Made with a whole cheese from Fromager des Clarines, Jean Perrin, from Franche-Comte, this was actually not a Vacherin as described on the menu but still pretty decent and a very adequate cheese course.
To finish, the crème brulee was a simple but classic dish, well made and flavoured with vanilla seeds (£6.50).
What We Drank: The wine list is exclusively French, with a good range of wines and Champagnes by the glass. The entry level wines, both priced at £19.50 per bottle, are the white wine from Pays de Cote de Gascogne at £19.50, and the red is a Pays de Vaucluse.
A glass of Viognier 2016, from Domain de Vedilhan, Pays d'Oc (£4.65) was rich, off-dry, buttery and soft.
The Clos du Colombier 2014, a Cahors Malbec (£5.70 per glass) was well balanced and rich in berry fruit. The Roncier Rouge, a Pinot Noir - Gamay blend from Burgundy (£4.50), was light with very little tannin, and was a good match for the grilled fish.
With the cheese, we had a glass of Bordeaux AOC Chateau Grimard 2015 (£5.40 per glass) - with a good weight of red and black berry fruit, soft tannins and satisfying length, this has enough richness to stand up to the rich creamy cheese. Likes: a classic French menu with good starters but disappointing mains. Excellent pricing for pre- or post theatre menus. We loved the whole cheese fondue. Dislikes: Both our mains were disappointing and the fact that they serve bottled Bearnaise and frozen chips is not great. I found the basement dining room a little oppressive. I recommend reserving one of the 5 tables on the ground floor. Verdict: At £16.45 for a 3-course pre- or post-theatre menu, few Central London restaurants can beat Le Garrick on price. Good selection of starters, great cheese fondue, and a range of French wines by the glass warrant a return visit!
Cost: Priced at £88 per person available for parties of two or more, this limited edition menu is only available until 22nd October 2017 and must be pre-booked (reservations on 020 7927 7000 or emailing mayfairreservation@hakkasan.com).
About: The Golden Week menu is a unique collaboration between Chef Tong Chee Hwee, Executive Chef at Hakkasan, and Chef David Muñoz, owner and Executive Chef at StreetXO in Mayfair. Priced at £88 per person, the menu offers 5 small eats followed by 5 more substantial main dishes plus a dessert. Madrid-born Muñoz cut his skills working at a number of Asian restaurants in London, including Hakkasan where he worked as a Commis-Chef with Chef Tong when he first came to London. He returned to his home city in 2007 to open DiverXO and by 2013 it had won 3 Michelin stars. In 2012 Muñoz opened StreetXO atop a Madrid department store, offering a more affordable dining experience. London’s StreetXO is a direct offshoot of Madrid’s, with a very similar decor and menu. What We Ate: The menu kicks off with a selection of 5 small eats, starting with the hot and sour soup with foie gras - this had refreshing acidity and included Chinese black fungus, angel hair pasta and pieces of tender foie gras, topped with foie gras foam and red chilli oil. Warming and rich, this was a great start to the dinner.
Next up was lamb dumpling, chocolate and mint served as a dim sum, in a smoke-filled turquoise ceramic pot. With a potent smoky aroma, the rather unusual though creative combination of flavours really worked a treat here.
The chilli crab dumpling with black sesame sponge, and soft shell crab was next. We enjoyed the Chinese concept of this dish, the varying textures (sesame sponge, deep-fried soft shell crab against the soft steamed dumpling) and the marked Spanish flavours like smoked paprika and tomatoes.
The Spanish tortilla dim sum was topped with a perfectly fried little quail egg. On the palate, the familiar Spanish tortilla flavours were presented as dim sum but with the heady addition of black-truffle. We found this inventive and delicious.
The last small eat was Peking duck served with beetroot pancake, kimchee sauce, lychee and rose. With the taste of unctuous duck with the crispiest skin, and a luscious Turkish delight-quality from the rose water, this was Peking duck like no other I have tried before – sweet, savoury and highly aromatic.
And then on to the mains. The first dish to be served was grilled octopus, tomatillo ketchup and shacha sauce. The octopus was expertly cooked and delicious. The bright red tomatillo ketchup was classically Spanish, while the rich brown shacha sauce was full of Asian flavours including five spices, dried shrimps and chilli.
Stir-fry rib eye beef was ridiculously yielding, served with potato gnocchi, shiimeji mushroom, black and edamame beans, lotus root, and lily bulb. This was a richly flavoured dish with a range of textures, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Chinese black laksa of sea bass came with meltingly tender fish, caramelised skin and a delectable lemongrass infused sauce.
Enoki mushroom noodle was, as the name suggests, noodles made up of stringy enoki mushrooms. I enjoyed the creative use of this vegetable, paired with a good crunch from the deep fried lotus root slices.
Three ways crispy egg-fried rice was served with a runny egg yolk, this had jasmine rice, crispy fried rice and paprika rice. Well-textured and delicious, as with other dishes on the menu, this was an imaginative elision of Iberian and Chinese influences.
For dessert, the Naranja Cheng combined citrus flavours with a false orange made from orange cream, a strong hit of alcohol from Pedro Ximenez and deep-fried tarragon.
What We Drank: The Golden Week menu offers the Oriental Frontera cocktail for an additional £13.50. Served in a dinky metal tankard, the Oriental Frontera is a blend of Belvedere vodka, plum sauce infused fino Sherry, pink grapefruit, chilli and Hakkasan sweet and sour.
Likes: there is so much to like about the Golden Week menu at Hakkasan– the hot and sour soup with foie gras was a highlight as were the rib eye beef with gnocchi and the Peking duck with beetroot pancake.
Dislikes: None.
Verdict: The Golden Week Menu at Hakkasan is a unique collaboration of two highly accomplished chefs at the very top of their game. At £88 per person this is also an opportunity to experience the faultless blend of Chinese and Spanish fine-dining that is playful and fun. Highly recommended.
Name:Estiatorio Milos Where: 1 Regent Street, St James, London SW1Y 4NR, http://milos.ca/ Cost: A 3-course meal at Estiatorio Milos will cost around £75 per person not including drinks or service charge. Dishes from the fish and seafood counter are priced per kilo for example lobster at £85/kg. Main courses are priced from £32 to £50 per person, with side dishes priced at £6.
There is a weekday lunch-time menu of 3 courses for £29 (midday to 3pm). For solo diners, there is the "One and Only" priced at £79 for a tasting selection of all the Milos specials, thought this was not displayed on the menu. There is also a pre- and post- theatre menu of 3 courses for £49 available Monday-Saturday from 5.30pm-7pm and 10pm-11pm.
About: Estiatorio Milos is decked out like something out of Miami Vice - all white marble, white tablecloths, the chairs featuring the softest, cream coloured leather seats, clearly no expense has been spared in the construction of this stunning London restaurant taking up two floors on swanky no.1 Regent Street.
With branches in North America and Europe, Estiatorio Milos first opened its doors 40 years ago in Montreal, Canada followed by the New York restaurant 20 years later. There are also branches in Las Vegas, Miami, Athens and now London.
Unsurprisingly, the diners in the London restaurant are a well-heeled international crowd, many of whom visiting from Canada and the USA where Estiatorio Milos has a strong following.
The visual centre-piece of the restaurant, apart from the cool cocktail bar, is the huge, raw fish and seafood counter. Featuring local and diver-caught Greek oysters, tuna, salmon and a vast selection of raw fish flown in from Greece daily, it is surely one of the most impressive in London. Diners make their choice of fish and seafood, these are weighed there and then and cooked as requested.
The menu is 90% fish and seafood, and includes some classic Greek dishes, executed with great finesse and artistry and using excellent Greek produce. Beyond the fish and seafood, noteworthy on our visit were the tomatoes – these are also flown in from Greece daily, and were so sweet and flavoursome as only Greek tomatoes can be.
Estiatorio is the Greek word for a restaurant that is more upmarket than a family-run taverna.
What We Ate: After some freshly baked bread with Greek extra-virgin olive oil and fresh oregano, we kicked off with the simple but stunning-looking Milos Special, made from lightly battered, fried slices of courgette and aubergine, served with tzatziki (cre and Kafalograviera cheese (£29). Light, crunchy and delicious, this was a centre-piece dish.
The Greek Ceviche (£32) had seabass and a selection of Mediterranean flavours beautifully presented - wild herbs, Kastoria white beans, tomato, cucumber, red chillies and feta cheese. This was zingy, refreshing and a great start to our dinner.
Next up was the langoustine sashimi from the Raw Bar - with yuzu kosho (a Japanese condiment made with yuzu rind, green chillies and salt), olive oil, lemon juice and red amaranth, this was fresh and delicately flavoured with a hint of chilli from the yuzu kosho.
The raw oysters were from Lindisfarne, they were rich, creamy and ultra-fresh.
Mediterranean cuttlefish came simply grilled, dressed with aromatic olive oil, micro basil and coriander, and served with blank ink risotto (£29).
Our Greek salad (£18) came dressed traditionally - just in Greek olive oil and sea salt. A staple Greek salad, combining feta cheese with the sweetest Greek tomatoes, cucumber, raw onion and parsley, this was without a doubt, the best Greek Salad I have eaten.
The Carabinieros (£149 per kg) were huge Spanish red prawns, served with vintage sherry. The way to enjoy these is to pour the sherry into the head of the prawns and suck their content, which we did with gusto. The prawns were so creamy and delicious, I still think about them to this day!
For our main course we shared a grilled red snapper, and a platter of griddled vegetables and cheese. This was a superbly meaty fish, served simply with lemon, parsley and capers, the best way to appreciate its flavour and freshness.
The caramelisation on the vegetables left a wonderful charred flavour, this was a great accompaniment to the fish.
For dessert, we shared a deliciously creamy Greek yoghurt, served with thyme-honey from Kythira and black cherries (£15), and some seasonal fresh fruit including blackcherries, the sweetest chilled black grapes, melon and peach. This was a sublime end to our dinner.
What We Drank: The wine menu has a strong focus on Greek wines, but has also a wide range of French, American and international wines. There is a good selection of wines by the glass. The entry level white is a Tinaktorogos, Brintziki, Ilias 2014 at £45 while the entry level red is an Agiorgitiko Driopi from Nemea 2013, priced at £39. Prices head north steeply, with the majority costing three figures, but sommelier Alexandros was luckily on hand to advise. We started with a couple of the special martinis on the menu. The cucumber martini (£17) was gin-based, with fresh cucumber and lemon juice. The Ginger Martini (£17) was vodka-based, with ginger, honey and lemon juice. They were both well made, strong and very refreshing.
With our meal, we shared a bottle of Museum Collection 2014 (£85), Gerovassiliou, Epanomi, a blend of 5 varieties made especially for Milos in London with a total production of 2,500 per year. It is a blend of 2 Greek (Malagousia, Assyrtiko) and 3 French (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier) varietals. The winery is at 450 metres altitude, near Mount Olympus, and has cooling winds from the sea, with steeply sloping vineyards. An elegant, well made wine, this was rich in tropical and stone fruit flavours - pineapple, mango, apricot, nectarine, peach and mineral. Complex and with a long finish, this was superb with our selection of fish and seafood dishes.
As a digestif, we had a glass of Mastika (a very traditional Greed drink, they even flavour ice cream with it), made from sap of the tree from which chewing gum was first made - herbaceous and gently aniseed flavoured, this was a great digestif.
Likes: The Milos Special is a wonder to behold, the Lindisfarn oysters were magnificent, as was the grilled snapper. The tomatoes, the fresh fruit were so sweet and delicious. Excellent, friendly and well informed service-staff. Dislikes: Prices quoted by kilo, at the fish and seafood counter, are frighteningly expensive (£99/kg for white fish); perhaps, prices should be quoted by 100g? The restaurant should have tasting menus available for groups of 2 or more. Verdict: For some of the most exquisite Greek food in London and North America, there is a great deal to like about Estiatorio Milos. The Greek produce and wine are of outstanding quality. Highly recommended but be ready to crack open that wallet!
Spain is hardly a tough sell for the Brits; there seems to be a never ending appetite for the country’s gorgeous beaches and climate, the glitz and glamour of Barcelona and Madrid, not to mention the incredible food of San Sebastian and the Basque region, my own personal food Mecca which I wrote about here and here.
But in my quest to get to know this country in a little more depth, I have been lucky enough to visit other lesser-known regions of Spain (or at least lesser-known to me). Last year I spent a few fantastic days in the region of Castilla La Mancha and was blown away by the beauty of its capital Toledo and the incredible restaurants I got to sample there. I highly recommend it, as you can read in my features here and here. And more recently, I returned to the region of Galicia. There is so much to do and see in this part of Spain that I can’t stay away for a number of reasons. The glorious sandy beaches, natural scenery and cultural and historical sites would be enough to warrant a visit in their own right, and I will write about these in more detail in a separate feature.
In this post however, I would like to share a few thoughts on Galician fish and seafood, the local food specialties, and the Albariño wine for which Galicia is renowned.
The capital of Galicia, Vigo, is home to the largest fishing port in the world; it attracts fishing boats from across the seas to sell their catches, or as a starting point en route to other European destinations. The quality of fish and seafood in Galicia is unparalleled in Europe, and this plays a major role in the cooking of the region.
Galician Food and Cookery Class One the places I got to try Galician cooking at its very best was at Hotel La Quinta de San Amaro in the heart of O Salnes area.
A charming boutique hotel, it has 14 rooms with great views of the surrounding countryside, a restaurant and an outdoor swimming pool. Most importantly though, it offers Galician cookery classes with Chef Rocío Garrido Caramés of Cocina de Mi Abuelo.
It was here that I tried Arroz Caldoso (or Arroz Marinero) for the first time and fell completely in love with it. Arroz Caldoso is a Galician seafood rice, similar to a paella but more soupy (caldo means broth in Gallego), and with no chorizo, chicken or paprika. It is tomato and saffron-based, and it conjures up the aromas and flavours of the sea on a platter.
Rocio’s version, with prawns, clams, squid and mussels, was by far the best Arroz Caldoso I tried during this entire trip, and I got to order it at every restaurant I visited after eating hers. Rocio was kind enough to share her recipe with me, which I include at the end of this post.
Another wonderful Galician dish we got to cook was Empanada Gallega. Unlike other empanadas (small meat pastries), the Galician type is a family-style pie, made with a simple flour and yeast dough, stuffed with a variety of cooked fillings. At Rocio’s class, we used tuna, red peppers and onions.
More interesting though was an empanada we tried earlier that day with a delectable filling of cooked mussels, and pastry made from corn flour. The corn brought out a crisper texture to the pastry and a more interesting flavour.
Michelin-star Dining in Cambados, O Salnes Moving from home cooking to the glitz of Michelin-starred dining, the picturesque town of Cambados in the O Salnes region is home to the exceptional restaurant Yayo Daporta. The chef is a local celebrity, having been a judge in the Spanish version of Masterchef, and has held his Michelin star since 2008.
We had a fabulous seven-course tasting menu, priced at just €50 per person. In addition to the 7-course tasting menu, there is an option of any 4 dishes from the a la carte menu at €45 per person (2 starters, 1 main and 1 dessert). One outstanding dish for me was Yayo’s terrine of foie gras served with a delectable quince raviolo filled with yoghurt.
I also enjoyed the chef’s use of Japanese ingredients in his cooking as in his steamed hake dish with seaweed, mollusc jelly and clams, and the grilled mackerel with dashi broth and wakame.
Equally impressive was the selection of wines offered. The chef’s wife, Esther Daporta, is one of Spain’s top sommeliers. It was here that I tried a magnificent Xión 2013 red from Attis Bodegas y Viñedos in Rias Baixas, one of the rare red wines of the region. In fact 90% of the wines made in Rias Baixas are whites made from the Albariño grape.
Yayo Daporta is an elegant restaurant offering great cooking at very reasonable prices, and I highly recommend a visit. Hearty Fish & Seafood Cooking and Sparkling Albariños at Ribadomar Also in Cambados, Ribadomar was another noteworthy fish and seafood restaurant we visited. Family-run, Ribadomar offers excellent set menus ranging from €21 to €36 for a 6-course fish and seafood feast, with Albariño wine included!
After some excellent croquettas, I shared a big bowl of Arroz Caldoso (Galician seafood rice) and a super fresh, salt-encrusted, oven roasted seabass served with potatoes, which were delicious.
At Ribadomar I had my first sip of Mar de Frades Brut, to date Spain’s only sparkling Albariño wine. This had delicious white and yellow fruits, and was quite creamy with a refreshingly dry finish.
The food at Ribadomar is hearty, honest and unpretentious, portions are generous and the fish and seafood are of top quality. If you get to visit, I also recommend ordering the sparkling Albariño Mar de Frades here.
Where to Go Wine Tasting in Rias Baixas Where there is good wine, almost without fail there is good food. Many of the wineries in the region have restaurants where you have the opportunity to combine a wine tasting with a lunch of some local delicacies.
Adega Eidos One of these places was the state of the art winery Adega Eidos. We had a superb al fresco lunch here overlooking the Galician countryside.
We kicked off with Queenie scallops with parsley, garlic and lemon, paired with their entry level Albariño 2016, Eidos de Padriñán.
Next came clams in a rich marinara sauce, with a great depth of flavour, matched with a 2015 Veigas de Padriñán also made from the Albariño grape.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, the main course arrived – slow braised pork cheeks cooked in a sauce of tomato, mushroom, potatoes and radishes was heart-warming and nutritious. The pork cheeks were partnered with Eido’s 5 year old 2012 Albariño Contraaparade, one of the winery’s top labels.
A Few Words on the Albariño Grape The region of Rias Baixas in Galicia is synonymous with Albariño – 90% of wines here are made from this single grape varietal but they present different characteristics due to varying vinification (winemaking) and climate conditions.
Not quite an aromatic grape, a good Albariño will however share many characteristics with other aromatic varietals like Riesling and Gewürztraminer – bracing acidity, citrus and tropical fruit tones and ‘sweet-smelling’ aromas of almond paste and flowers. It is a great wine to go with food, particularly with fish and seafood and Asian cooking.
Not surprisingly Albariño is one of my favourite white wines, and one I always order whenever I spot it on wine menus in London. My first taste of it though was in Portugal where it is called ‘Alvarinho’ and is one of the grapes in the refreshing Vinho Verde. Galicia is bordered with Northern Portugal and the two regions share many commonalities including the language – the Gallego dialect is similar to spoken Portuguese.
There is never a better way to learn about a wine than visiting the regions where the native grape originates – be it Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Burgundy or Champagne, Viognier from Condrieu in the Rhone, Assyrtiko from Santorini in Greece - there is something quite memorable and distinctive about the experience itself that will stay with you forever.
If you want to drink the best Albariño and learn about this wine, Rias Baixas in Galicia is the place to go. The region has a large number of wineries and the wine-tourism infrastructure is some of the best I have seen anywhere in the world.
The ‘Pazos’ of Galicia Pazo Baion Many Galician wineries are housed in centuries-old mansions known locally as ‘Pazo’ - sipping a glass of Albariño at one of these historical buildings makes for very special tasting, as we discovered at Pazo Baion in Pontevedra.
With a gorgeous location, surrounding gardens and vineyards, Pazo Baion has one of the slickest set ups I have seen in Europe. It is a top winery housed in the beautiful Galician countryside.
Pazo Baion’s Albariño wines were refreshing and easy drinking, and the perfect accompaniment to the local cheeses and charcuterie we enjoyed at the winery.
Pazo de Rubianes Another stunning vineyard that is well worth a visit was Pazo de Rubianes in the region of O Salnes.
The Pazo is a 600-year old Palace built in 1411 and rebuilt 300 years later. It is still inhabited by the current Lord of Rubianes, the only lordship in Galicia, although nowadays he lives in Madrid.
The palace is surrounded by beautifully tended botanical gardens planted in the late 17th century. The gardens’ multi-coloured Camellia flowers attract as much interest to Pazo de Rubianes as their Albariño wines.
Visitors can enter some of the rooms within the palace and admire the exquisite artworks and furniture.
We had a tasting of their Albariño Pazo de Rubianes (€32/bottle) at the end of our visit. I found the wine surprisingly aromatic with tones of orange peel and pineapple, and aromas of white flower.
Visits to Pazo de Rubianes are free of charge but they must be booked in advance. For details on how to contact them, see the Travel Essentials section at the end of this post.
Palacio de Fefiñanes Back in Cambados, in the beautiful region of O Salnes in Galicia, the 17th century Palacio de Fefiñanes is another unmissable historical destination. Albariño wine has been made here since 1904 with their first commercial vintage dated 1928.
Another magnificent Pazo, behind the mansion there are the orchards where some of the 150-year old vines predating the phylloxera epidemic can still be found.
In the gardens, there are parts of an 18th century maze with two Baroque fountains and a large tower with great views of the town of Cambados. In the walled enclosure, there is also a forest, with rows of boxwood and hundred-year-old trees.
Bodegas Gil Armada It is also possible to visit the rooms within the palace and to end the tour with a wine tasting at Gil Armada Winery, housed within the Palacio de Fefiñanes.
I loved Gil Armada’s refreshing Albariño wines but was even more impressed by their fortified fruit liqueurs, particularly the one made from Albariño grapes. I bought a bottle to enjoy back at home.
The Rias Baixas Wine Route The Rias Baixas Wine Route in Galicia is an internationally recognized itinerary containing dozens of excellent wineries, restaurants and hotels. The wine tourism infrastructure here is second to none and is a great place to discover and enjoy the Albariño grape. For information about Rias Baixas Wine Route, visit their website: http://rutadelvinoriasbaixas.com/
In addition to the region’s wines, O Salnes in Galicia is a fascinating destination for its history and culture, for its beautiful natural scenery, not to mention its local delicacies Arroz Caldoso and Empanada Gallega. I can’t wait until my next visit.
Arroz Caldoso - Galician Seafood Rice Recipe by Rocío Garrido Caramés of Cocina de Mi Abuelo Ingredients (serves 4 people): 300g arroz bomba (bomba is a type of short-grained rice that is typical of Valencia, the paella region of Spain) 10 medium-sized prawns 200g squid 150g clams 150g mussels 6-8 razor clams 2 tomatoes 1 red pepper 2 spring onion or chives 2 garlic cloves 1g saffron 1l fish stock or reserve water from steaming the mussels Olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley Method: 1. Wash and steam the mussels to open them up and set aside. 2. To make the fish stock, peel the prawns and sauté the shells in a sauce pan with a dash of olive oil for five minutes. Add water and let simmer for 20 minutes. 3. Meanwhile wash and finely chop the vegetables: the red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and spring onion. 4. Put the paella pan on the stove with a small amount of oil and add the vegetables as follows: first the onion and garlic and then the peppers and finally the tomato. Let it sauté well. 5. Clean the squid and cut it into slices. 6. Add the squid to the sautéed vegetables and then the rice. Let this cook while stirring for a couple of minutes, add the saffron and the fish stock. Let it cook for 10 minutes then add the clams and the razor clams. Then add the prawns. 7. Cook for another 5 minutes and then place the mussels on top. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Add a little bit of milled pepper and chopped parsley. Turn off the stove and let the rice rest for a few minutes before serving. The #InGalicia campaign was created and sponsored by the Spanish Tourist Office and O Salnes Tourism Board in partnership with iambassador. The London Foodie maintains full editorial control over all content published on this site as always. Travel Essentials For information about Rias Baixas Wine Route, visit: http://rutadelvinoriasbaixas.com/ For information about Rias Baixas Wines, visit: http://www.riasbaixaswines.com For more information about Wine Tourism of Cambados, visit: http://www.cambadosenoturismo.com/?lang=es Hotel La Quinta de San Amaro Calle San Amaro 6 (exit number 14 on Salnes motorway, Meaño direction) Meaño- Pontevedra Postcode 36968 http://www.quintadesanamaro.com/en/
One of my favourite regions of Spain, there is so much that draws me back to Galicia – Albariño wine, great fish and seafood, not to mention their scrumptious Empanada Gallega and Arroz Caldoso (the Galician seafood rice) all of which I have written about in detail in my earlier feature here.
Much as I love writing and talking about Galician food and wine, today, I am detailing another facet of this Spanish region and some of the things I got to do between meals. Sailing around the Island of Arousa My third time in Galicia, this visit was primarily to the area of O Salnes, home to the beautiful Island of Arousa. With sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, this is where Gallegos come to unwind at the weekends or spend a few hours fishing.
We spent a great afternoon here sailing around the Island of Arousa, taking in the beautiful scenery and learning about the farming and fishing of seafood such as scallops, mussels and oysters.
Fresh, good quality fish and seafood is in every Galician’s DNA – it is served and consumed everywhere from the most modest of eateries to Michelin-starred restaurants, making Spain one of the top 10 countries for its consumption of fish.
Meeting Las Mariscadoras – The Women Seafood Harvesters On the shores of Cambados, the harvesting of clams and other shelled seafood has been done by women for generations. Until just a few decades ago, the women would collect the seafood to eat and to trade with farmers for other types of food. Today, over 250 licensed women do this back-breaking work earning on average €1,000 a month.
We are on a tour with Guimatur, the Cultural Association of the Sea Women of Cambados, that works to spread the fishing culture carried out by the ‘Mariscadoras’ or shellfish harvesting women in the region.
From the beach we ended our tour at the fishing market plant where the seafood harvested by the Mariscadoras are classified, weighed and cleaned to make them ready for resale.
This fascinating tour was a glimpse into a world I was completely unaware of making me reflect on the provenance of, and the work that goes into sourcing, the food on our plate.
Las Pedras Negras Wooden Boardwalk Not far from Island of Arousa, on the mainland, we went for a stroll along the wooden boardwalk that runs from the Pedras Negras Marina to the Con Negro area.
The long, winding path took us around cliffs to discover rugged seascapes, rock formations and various groves and stretches of sandy beaches along the Sea of Arousa.
A perfect location for walks and relaxation, Las Pedras Negras wooden pathway was one of the most stunning places I experienced in O Salnes, and I highly recommend a visit.
We were there to meet the man himself, Manolo Paz, the Galician artist world famous for his large open-air sculptures made of stone and other natural materials.
One of his most impressive works was a collection of granite sculptures, which Manolo Paz created in 1994. Inspired by the Neolithic menhirs, or standing stones, that are found throughout the Iberian Peninsula, visitors come to view the sunset or the Atlantic Ocean in the distance, framed by square holes cut through the monumental stones.
Coming from a small village where people were busy in the fields with no connection to the world of art, Manolo realized that if potatoes and corn could be planted in the area, then sculptures could be too. His idea was to have a place where he could both work and exhibit his works of art integrated into the Galician landscape.
The Manolo Paz Foundation is a unique space in Galicia - it receives visitors from all over the world and has placed Cambados squarely on the international artistic route of sculpture parks alongside those of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Isamu Noguchi. Miss it at your peril!
The #InGalicia campaign was created and sponsored by the Spanish Tourist Office and O Salnes Tourism Board in partnership with iambassador. The London Foodie maintains full editorial control over all content published on this site as always.
Words and Photography by Greg Klerkx and Luiz Hara In the jungle of London’s hyper-competitive restaurant market, claims to be the best of the best are as common as threats of a Tube strike. Few enough restaurants can make this claim in the first place with any hope for consensus; those that make the whispered short-list – ‘one of the best in the city’ – rarely stay there, whether done in by hubris, transient talent or just changing times.
It’s all the more remarkable, then, that Knightsbridge stalwart Zuma finds itself celebrating 15 years in business still among that happy few at the top of the pack. Pick your blog or guide; pick your year of review. There you’ll find Zuma, unwavering in its place as the go-to spot for inventively Japanese cuisine.
That’s something worth celebrating and we recently did just that at the invitation of Zuma’s founder Rainer Becker and his team, who’ve put together a 15-year tasting menu – an exclusive collection of the most iconic dishes from the past decade and a half.
Spoiler alert: there was absolutely nothing on this menu that was anything less than delicious. Not a duff note when it came to presentation, creativity or flavour. That makes for a potentially dull review, so we’ll work the thesaurus hard to find creative superlatives to describe what crossed our table.
First, like London buses, came a trio of starters. Suzuki no sashimi (thinly sliced sea bass with yuzu, truffle oil, and salmon roe) was so delicate that it practically levitated off its dish, the nearly translucent sea bass held in gravity’s check by a fine balance of tangy yuzu and earthy truffle oil. The salmon roe added that touch of the sea, and not a little complication to the balance, yet not a flavour was out of place.
The second dish, chu toro no osasshimi kousou fuumi (thinly sliced semi fatty tuna, chilli, coriander and sesame), was something like the sea bass’s cheekier cousin; the flavours turned up a notch, the spark of chilli held in check by aromatic coriander and sesame. It was almost a relief to tuck into the hourensou no goma ae (steamed spinach with sesame sauce), which hit our tastebuds like an earthy palate cleanser.
All three starters paired nicely with the Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV, slightly flinty but with a long finish that cradled each of our starters with loving care. Next arrived a favourite dish of the afternoon, and how could it not be? Wagyu no tataki, kuro toryufu ponzu gake (freshly seared wagyu sirloin tataki with black truffle ponzu) was every bit as unctuous and complex as its long title suggests, the black truffle ponzu – a palate-dazzler all on its own – bringing out the wagyu’s notes of summer grass and, well, pampering. We had the thought that if an Earth-annihilating meteor struck at that very moment, this would be a fine dish to go out on.
As with the starting trio, the wagyu/truffle juggernaut was accompanied by a simpler, more restrained dish, in this case piri kara dofu to abokado salada (fried tofu with avocado and Japanese herbs). The Wieninger ‘Wiener Gemischter Satz 2015, an Austrian speciality a-brim with gorgeous grapefruit and stone fruit yet with sufficient acidity to ensure it wraps nicely around the decadent flavours and textures of the wagyu.
Zuma wisely shifted gears at this point in the menu, offering a selection of nigiri sushi, premium sashimi and ‘chef special’ maki rolls, all made to the high standard of everything that’d come before. This beautifully presented array was paired with Kimura Junmai Ginjo, a clear, crisp sake hailing from one of Japan’s most venerable producers. Taken alone, this combination would have made us happy at most other Japanese restaurants in the city.
Our final three savoury dishes felt like the last burst of fireworks at an epic Guy Fawkes display, where what’s left in the arsenal is lobbed into the sky in one, spectacular go, the intention to dazzle and amuse. Ainame no koumi yaki to kousou (grilled Chilean sea bass with green chilli, ginger dressing) and gyuhire sumbibiyaki karami zuke (spicy beef tenderloin with sesame, red chilli and sweet soy) seemed like a reprise of our first course, with that much more body, depth and punch.
The straight man in this lively trio was shitake no ninniku fuumi (shitake mushroom with garlic and soy butter), so deep and flavourful it was practically another meat dish. Castello di Albola Chianti Classico Riserva 2013 made for a snappy, peppery match across all three dishes. It was a marvellous display, and we felt somewhat bereft that it was finished.
Becker surely anticipated such a let down, because the real sky blossom was still to come. Describing our pudding as merely ‘Deluxe Dessert Platter’ is somewhat like calling Big Ben a clock. Our recommendation is to savour the photo here, though you unfortunately won’t be able to savour the mango and raspberry sorbets, the carmelised banana cake, or the variety of tunnel-dark chocolate offerings; ganache and fondant and more. It was a symphony of sweetness in a playful suit, matched with Yume no yado, Yuzu shu, a cheeky, sharp sake reprising the yuzu notes we began with.
It’s hard to know what else to say about Zuma at 15, except perhaps the obvious: here’s to at least 15 more years of inventive, precise, exquisite Japanese cuisine.
A mere 80 minutes from London Heathrow, Zürich is much closer and more accessible than most Brits imagine. But with so many other choices within Europe, why should you visit Zürich?
Situated in the heart of Europe and at the foot of Swiss Alps, Zürich is Switzerland’s largest and most populated city. With an enviable public transport infrastructure and an airport offering connections to over 170 destinations across the globe, Zürich is also an ideal base from which to explore other parts of Switzerland or the world.
I spent 48 hours in the Swiss metropolis and was surprised to discover a multi-ethnic (32% of inhabitants are from overseas), culturally vibrant place, and most importantly, a city that offers great food from gourmet street-food to top notch, Michelin-starred fare to suit most budgets.
There are two distinct areas of Zürich I highly recommend to visit – cutting-edge Zürich-West and the charming Old Town. To facilitate this, make sure to buy a 24 or 72-hour ZürichCard when arriving in the city. The card allows you unlimited use of 2nd class travel on the public transport system as well as many other discounts. I give more details of both neighbourhoods and the ZürichCard in the What to Do and Getting to and Around Zürich sections below.
Whether you love food and want to discover some of the best Swiss produce and cooking, or enjoy nature strolling along the gorgeous Zürich Lake or the City’s Botanical Gardens, or even party the night away in Niederdorf or make the most of the LGBT scene in Langstrasse, there is something for everyone in Zürich for an enjoyable weekend get-away.
Food Zürich Festival In its second year, Food Zürich Festival, taking place for about 1o days in September, is a celebration of the region’s finest produce and cooking with hundreds of participating restaurants, artisan producers and food retailers. There are lots of foodie activities on offer, from cookery classes and demonstrations, to pop-up markets, special festival menus, and even their own Zürich Street Food Festival.
And I was lucky to be in Zürich to experience some of this. Much like London, street food in Zürich has been making great strides in the last few years, with vendors serving excellent quality food that goes far beyond the usual burgers and fried onions.
One of the major highlights of the Food Zürich Festival is its Street Food Fest. With hundreds of food outlets under a single roof, this is a great place to spend a whole day or weekend familiarizing yourself with Zürich’s eclectic food scene.
Here, I got to learn about and try some of these offerings. Luma is one of Zürich’s top butcher delis, founded by two long-standing friends, Lucas Oechslin and Marco Tessaro. They are known for a patented process of dry-ageing Swiss fresh meat with a noble mould. The mould is said to give beef, pork and veal a nutty quality and a rich depth of flavour.
Luma’s dry-aged beef burger (£12) served with mayo and beetroot sprouts had a distinct gamey quality to it. The meat was richly flavoured and delicious although for my taste it was a tad overcooked.
Better still was Sanfish’s Louisiana Lobster Roll (£12) – Sanfish’s original restaurant is based in Vienna, Austria and their lobster roll was nothing short of outstanding - the brioche bap was fried in plenty of butter and filled with fat nuggets of lobster meat, salad and a sweet seafood sauce.
For dessert, I tried Austrian’s Kaiserschmarren. This is a light, caramelized pancake made from sweet batter which is then fried or baked in butter.
The pancake is broken up into small pieces as it is being fried, then sprinkled with icing sugar and rum-soaked raisins, and served hot with apple sauce and a plum compote. This was my first time trying Kaiserschmarren; it was a deliciously warming and substantial dessert and will look out for it again now that it is on my radar.
There were also many other foods to try at the festival. There was a stand selling Japanese taiyaki for example, this is a traditional Japanese snack shaped like a sea bream fish (tai), made of sweet batter and filled with red adzuki bean paste.
I spotted other Japanese-themed stands too, selling okonomiyaki (cabbage pancakes), takoyaki (octopus fried balls) and yakisoba (stir-fried noodles with vegetables and meat).
Chinese and Thai sellers were offering everything from bao sandwiches to dumplings and curry. There was also the Dutch Royal Cocos, a stand dedicated to old-fashioned coconut macaroons with flavourings from pineapple to chocolate, and many others too.
There was a fantastic looking crepe stand I had my eyes on too, as well as other enticing offerings - Spanish churros, British fudge and even South American foods like Peruvian ceviches, Brazilian cheese bread and Colombian arepa! I was impressed.
The Food Zürich Festival takes place in September, and this is a good time of the year for foodies to visit the city. The Street Food Fest is one of the major attractions of this citywide festival, bringing to life the quality of ingredients and the ethnic diversity and cooking styles of Zürich.
Where to Eat in Zürich Zürich is home to the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world – Hiltl. Founded in 1898 by Ambrosius Hiltl, the restaurant is now at the heart of a large group of vegetarian establishments, but is still privately owned and managed by Rolf Hiltl, the 4th generation of the family.
I had a lovely lunch at Hiltl. The buffet has over 100 vegetarian dishes from all over the world including cold salads as well as hot pasta, rice and other dishes. Diners select whatever they want from the buffet and have their plate weighed at the till - my plate weighed 333g, and cost me £12 (£36/kg).
I enjoyed the food at Hiltl– it was fresh and well-seasoned and made use of interesting ingredients. Noteworthy were the edamame, soba noodles and hijiki salad (a type of Japanese seaweed), the Thai curry with a rather dense type of tofu which was delicious, the well-textured dried French bean salad, and the deep-fried Jalapeño chillies filled with cream cheese.
With various restaurant locations across Zürich, Hiltl also has a food shop, a nightclub and a cookery school, and at the latter is where I learnt how to make their popular Hiltl Tartar. More information about my cookery class at Hiltl Akademy in the What to Do in Zürich section below. Though I did not eat at Smith and de Luma Restaurant on this trip, I tried and was impressed by their beef burger at the Street Food Festival. I did get to visit Smith and de Luma to attend a sausage making class, which I also describe in the What to Do section below.
Smith and de Luma opened recently serving the noble mould, dry-aged Luma meat they are famous for. The restaurant has an industrial look with plenty of wooden surfaces, exposed lights and plumbing making the restaurant feel both modern and warming. There is also an excellent wine shop adjacent to the restaurant.
The menu is surprisingly short, and well thought out with only a handful of choices for starters, mains and desserts. I look forward to eating at Smith and de Luma on my next visit to Zürich.
Located on the first floor of a Guild House dating back to 1315, Zunfthaus zur Waag is an elegant restaurant with great views over the historic town square of Münsterhof and the Fraumünster Church with its famous Chagall windows.
The restaurant serves traditional Swiss dishes and offers a lunchtime 2-course menu priced at £36, and this is what I chose. I started with lightly smoked pieces of raw artic char (same family as salmon), served with horseradish cream, apples, herbs and nuts; this was refreshing and beautifully flavoured.
For main, I had veal steak in breadcrumbs served with pasta, vegetables and a red wine reduction, which was also well-made and delicious.
I enjoyed my meal at Zunfthaus zur Waag, the food and service were faultless and its beautiful location is ideal to explore other sites in and around Zürich’s Old Town.
What to Do in Zürich Gin Tasting at Turicum Gin Distillery I had a fascinating visit and gin tasting at Turicum Gin Distillery, the only gin distillers in the city of Zürich. Opened as recently as two and half years ago by friends Oscar Martin, an ex-marketeer and designer, and Oliver Honegger, a former chef and bartender turned distiller, they have now been joined by two other partners, and together produce over 4,000 gin bottles a year.
I loved their story and enthusiasm for Zürich gin – using only natural Zürich water and 12 different botanicals, many of which come from the city itself like lime blossom and pine needles. They have certainly put Zürich in the gin map of the world.
You may like to know that Turicum has a gin lab where visitors can try out different styles of gin and also create their own by blending different gins macerated with single botanicals. Noteworthy was their Bacon Gin!
Due to the founder’s background, Turicum is heavily involved in various pop-up dinners and gastronomic events across town where you have the opportunity to try a selection of dishes with Turicum gin-based cocktails. For more information about these events and Turicum gin, check out their contact details in the Travel Essentials section at the end of this post and start planning your visit.
Exploring the Old Town With narrow cobbled streets, colourful old houses, and quaint little shops, Zürich’s Old Town (Kreis 1 or District 1) is must-see for any visitor. It spreads over four different quarters - Rathaus (town hall) and Lindenhof (lime trees courtyard) which correspond to the parts of the medieval city left (west) and right (east) of the Limmat River, and Hochschulen (universities), and City which include the area of the Early Modern city west and east of the medieval walls.
I spent hours walking around this part of Zürich along the gorgeous Limnat River, and among the many distinguished buildings and winding cobbled streets I came across, I stumbled on a charming, old-fashioned food store called H.Schwarzenbach.
This family-owned specialty store has been trading in the Old Town for over 100 years, and is now run by the 5th generation of the same family who founded it.
They sell a huge variety of teas, coffees, dried fruits and pasta, confectionary and artisan products from Switzerland and abroad. Entering H.Schwarzenbach is like entering a time-capsule where the decades seem to have passed unnoticed. It is a magical place with wonderful coffee aromas wafting through the air, and I highly recommend a visit.
Discovering Cutting Edge Zürich-West Zürich-West is the former working-class and industrial neighbourhood of the city (Kreis 4 and 5 districts), which has been turned into an ultra-trendy quarter with plenty of shops, restaurants and entertainment options. Zürich University has a large campus here so the area is full of young students making it one of the most vibrant and happening places in Zürich.
Here you will also find the Im Viadukt– the viaduct is an area made up of a series of train arches, which have been completely refurbished and turned into a number of shops, restaurants and other commercial units.
Markthalle Im Viadukt is the covered market area within this viaduct, housing some excellent food sellers and restaurants. One of these is Berg und Tal, a Swiss food store owned and run by András Németh. I briefly caught up with András for a chat about Swiss food.
Due to its proximity to the Swiss Alps he explained, Zürich people spend a great deal of time on long treks in the countryside communing with nature. In doing this, they acquired a love for game and turned it into their much-loved dry and fresh sausages. Berg und Tal had a number of these sausages on sale alongside various local cheeses (perhaps Swiss’ no.2 favourite food - think Swiss fondue).
Talking of cheese, also at the Markthalle Im Viadukt, I got to meet British cheese specialist, cheesemonger, and writer Michael Jones. Jones set up his cheese shop in 2007, selling exclusively British cheeses and products like clotted cream, jams, chutneys, and crackers.
Michael Jones is a real champion for British cheeses in Switzerland - Jones explained that Great Britain is the world’s largest producer of cheese measured in different styles (a fact I am yet to verify), and that British cheeses are not better than Swiss cheeses, they are just different.
But Zürich-West is not all about food. Beyond the Im Viadukt, the neighbourhood is also home to the CityWave and the achingly trendy FREITAG Flagship Store. CityWave is a large undulating pool with fast running water that creates artificial waves ideal for surfing. The pool was closed on the day I visited though online videos (see link in the Travel Essentials section) make it look a lot of fun in the summer months.
The FREITAG brand of bags was created in 1993 by graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag who were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work. Inspired by the multi-colored heavy traffic that rumbled through the Zürich transit intersection in front of their flat, they developed a messenger bag from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes and car seat belts. This is how the first FREITAG bags took shape in the living room of their shared apartment – each one recycled, unique, and costing an alarming £400 or thereabouts.
Today there is a range of over 70 different FREITAG bags designed in various sizes, shapes and colours (each bag is still unique in its composition) and available in 16 F-STORES in Switzerland as well as at over 450 resellers around the world. I loved their story and the backpacks I saw in their flagship store, though be prepared to prise open your wallet if you decide to pay a visit.
Sausage Making and Craft Beer Tasting Classes – Smith and de Luma In addition to their flavoursome meats and wines, Smith and de Luma also host cookery and drink events at their Taste Akademy. I attended one of these as part of Zürich Food Festival, and had a go at making Swiss sausages and learning about the thriving local craft beer scene, followed by a tasting.
The “Wurst” (sausage) making class was headed by Markus Bühler (The Sausage Maker - http://www.derwurstmacher.ch/) and was a hands-on event that involved everything from preparing the sausage stuffing to filling the casing and cooking it.
It was great chatting to Markus and hearing his story – a trained chemist and physiotherapist, Markus left his day job to dedicate himself to the love of sausage making, and he is doing very well at it. His class was informative, well-paced and most importantly, his sausages were delicious!
Marku’s class was followed by a craft beer tasting from Doppelleu for their Chopfab range. I loved their beers, they were incredibly well-made and flavoursome, particularly their oak-aged Oak Wood Red Ale and also their Chocolate Stout, both wonderful.
I would have liked to say more about Doppelleu’s beer tasting, but as it was conducted entirely in Swiss-German with no English at all being spoken, there wasn’t much else for me to do than get drinking!
I recommend the cookery and drink events at Smith and de Luma, but do make sure before signing up that events are catered for English-speakers. Vegetarian Cookery Class - Hiltl Akademy The Hiltl Akademy is the cookery school of the renowned vegetarian restaurant Hiltl, reputedly the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world, which I wrote about in the Where to Eat in Zürich section above.
With various restaurants in Switzerland and abroad, the Hiltl promotes vegetarianism through its many cookbooks and cookery classes and events at the Hiltl Akademy. This is where I learnt how to make the dish they are most famous for – their vegetarian tartare, a heavily guarded recipe that was only made available to the public two years ago.
The two important ingredients in this recipe are okara (soy bean pulp, a byproduct of tofu making) and beetroot powder. Other ingredients include roasted aubergine flesh, ketchup, mustard, red onions, capers, salt and pepper.
Hiltl’s vegetarian tartare had a surprisingly meat-like texture but it was lighter, it tasted fresh and tangy, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
For Hiltl Akademy’s full programme of classes and events, visit their website, details can be found in the Travel Essentials section at the end of this feature. Globus Food Hall – Zürich’s Finest In the basement level of Globus Department Store you will find Globus Food Hall, Zürich’s finest food store.
Here you will find some of the very best of Switzerland’s produce – vegetables, fruit, cheeses, meat and wines as well as ready-made food and hot meals.
Similar to Selfridge’s Food Hall, prices are in keep with the quality on offer, so approach with care!
Strolling Along Zürich Lake Promenade The huge, long Lake Zürich stretches far beyond the city of Zürich itself, in fact the metropolis is only found at its far western-end corner. Lake Zürich used to be a route for traffic and transport in the past, but today it is a popular place for excursions and boat trips.
There are a number of cruise companies that provide round-trip excursions, the Lake Zürich Navigation Company is one of them. Recommended by the Zürich Tourism Board, a Lake Zürich boat-trip with this company can cost as little as CHF 5 if you have a ZürichCard.
I would love to do a boat-trip on my next visit to Zürich but with 48-hours in the city, I had just enough time to enjoy the views over a relaxing stroll along the lake’s beautiful promenade. I spent a peaceful couple of hours here, taking stock and people watching. I highly recommend it.
Visiting the Gorgeous Botanical Gardens I love visiting Botanical Gardens around the world, and was surprised to discover that Zürich has not only one but two of these gardens – the Old Botanical Gardens right in its city-centre and the Botanical Gardens of the University of Zürich in the Weinegg Quarter, District 8 of the city. I visited the latter.
Open in 1977, the gardens occupy 5 acres of land, including three huge domes filled with the most exotic of tropical plants, flowers, insects and birds.
The grounds are also a sight to behold, with different styled gardens and small lakes. I spent a couple of fascinating hours here marveling at greatness of nature and recharging my batteries for the trip back to London.
Getting To and Around Zürich Zürich’s international airport lies seven miles north of the city centre and is well served by SWISS (0845 6010956; swiss.com) from Heathrow, London City, Birmingham and Manchester. British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) flies from Heathrow and London City. EasyJet (0330 365 5000; easyjet.com) flies from Luton and Gatwick. I flew with SWISS in economy class, out of Heathrow returning via City Airport – the flights were surprisingly short at around 80 minutes duration each, and complimentary drinks and a sandwich were offered.
On arrival, I recommend purchasing a 24- or 72-hour ZürichCard, priced at £17.50 and £35 respectively. The card allows unlimited use of 2nd class travel by bus, train and cableway in the city of Zürich and surrounding region, as well as short boat trips and the Limmat river cruise for £4.
The train fare from the international airport to the centre of Zürich costs as much as half the price of a 24-hour ZürichCard, making the card excellent value for money.
In addition to unlimited use of the public transport system, the ZürichCard also offers free or reduced admission to the majority of the city’s museums and a 50% discount on the tour “Stories of the Old Town” operated by Zürich Tourism. A ZürichCard brochure is supplied with every card sold detailing all participating museums, art galleries, restaurants, shops and other outlets with their corresponding discount offers. I made great use of my card in the 48 hours I was there. For more information on where to purchase a ZürichCard, visit their website here.
Interesting Facts & Figures about Zürich Did you know …
Municipal Districts and Quarters - The City of Zürich is divided into 12 municipal districts and 34 quarters.
Lake Zürich is 28km (17 miles) long, up to 4km (2.5 miles) wide and max. 143m (469ft) deep.
With a population of over 400,000, Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland.
The spoken language in Zürich is the Swiss German dialect; High German is the official written language.
Drinking Water Everywhere You Go - Zürich has the highest number of public fountains in the world (1,224). The majority offers the same high quality mix as the local tap water – 70% lake water, 15% ground water and 15% spring water
The mean maximum temperature in summer is 22° C (72 °F) and in winter, average temperatures range between –2 and 3.5° C (–28 and 38 °F)
Renting is In - The majority of Zürich residents are tenants; only 7% own their own home.
Birthplace of the Dada Movement - The Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich is the birthplace of Dadaism. In 2016, Zürich celebrated the centenary of the Dada movement.
Important Employer - One out of every nine jobs in Switzerland is in the City of Zürich. In addition, 74 of Switzerland’s 270 banking institutions are domiciled in Zürich.
Creative Sector - The cultural and creative sector is the second most important economic pillar in the Canton of Zürich after the finance industry. Every 8th Swiss cultural or creative enterprise is based in Zürich.
Cosmopolitan and Multicultural - At the end 2016, 32% of Zürich’s population were foreigners, representing a total of 169 different countries.
Roots in the Reformation - The Reformation in the 16th century gave rise, among other things, to the Anabaptist movement. Nowadays it exists in the form of Amish, Mennonite and Hutterite communities, which are principally to be found in the USA.
James Joyce on Zürich - “This city is so clean that if you were to spill your minestrone soup on the Bahnhofstrasse, you could eat it up without a spoon”.
Discovering Zürich via @thelondonfoodie Instagram Page:
The #VisitZurich campaign was created and sponsored by My Switzerland, the National Tourism Board of Switzerland. The London Foodie maintains full editorial control over all content published on this site as always. Travel Essentials Zürich Food Festival https://www.foodzurich.com/en/infos/about-food-zurich Zürich Tourism Office Stampfenbachstrasse 52 CH-8006 Zürich Phone +41 44 215 40 10 zuerich.com Haus Hiltl (Hiltl Vegetarian Restaurant) À la Carte Restaurant, Buffet, Self, Take Away, Café, Bar/Lounge & Seminar Sihlstrasse 28 8001 Zürich +41 44 227 70 00 https://hiltl.ch/en/home Hiltl Akademie Cooking Studio, Further Education, Events, Kitchenpartys, Chef's Tables & Yoga Sihlstrasse 24 8001 Zürich +41 44 227 70 13 https://hiltl.ch/en/home Smith and de Luma Grape Street 27 8045 Zürich Switzerland (0041) 77 411 31 22 https://www.smithanddeluma.ch/
Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara Name: Galatoire’s Residency at The Colony Grill, Beaumont Hotel Where: The original Galatoire’s is at 209 Bourbon St, New Orleans, USA, LA 70130 - http://www.galatoires.com/ The Galatoire’s residency took place at The Colony Grill, The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton St, London W1K 6TF - https://www.colonygrillroom.com/ Cost: A three course meal from the Galatoire’s menu at The Colony Grill cost on average £50-60 per person, not including drinks or service. Starters were an average of £15, main courses ranged from £20 to £40. New Orleanian cocktails, given new flair by The Beaumont’s American Bar, were priced at £15 each. About:Galatoire’s is probably the most famous restaurant in New Orleans. Founded by Frenchman Jean Galatoire in 1905 the restaurant still serves the classic dishes that it used to make for regulars such as Tennessee Williams.
Like Jean Galatoire, current Executive Chef, Michael Sichel, spent more than a decade learning the culinary techniques of France. He honed his skills in Provence, before returning to America and moving to New Orleans because, as he boldly stated to us when we interviewed him - “Lousiana has the greatest cuisine in North America”. We were very intrigued to learn more.
Galatoire’s specialises in the cuisines of New Orleans and Louisiana. Both are heavily influenced by Cajun influences, which came with the French-speaking Acadian people when they were forced from Canada by the British, and Creole cooking, which combines French and African influences. These cuisines gave us classic dishes as different as Oysters Rockefeller and Jambalaya - that can be incredibly difficult outside of the US.
The beautiful rooms at The Colony Grill, host of Galartoire's Residency in London
Sichel also told us that he fell in love with London when he was here to cook for the US Olympic team in 2012, and so couldn’t resist when he was invited back to take up a residency at The Beaumont to celebrate the NFL Series games taking place in London. These games mark the start of the NFL season, and draw Americans, and fans of Americana alike, to the city. What We Ate: We started by sharing two of Galatoire’s most iconic dishes. Oyster’s Rockefeller is near enough impossible to find in the UK, so they just had to be ordered. We had six large oysters from Carlingford on Ireland’s East coast, grilled and decked with the emerald-green Rockefeller topping - made with creamed spinach and herbsaint, an aniseed liqueur famous in New Orleans. The topping was rich and buttery and flooded the palate, so to best savour the salty mollusc underneath.
Our second starter was no less iconic. Sticks of fried aubergine, coated in breadcrumbs, were soft on the inside, but firm enough to withstand double-dipping: first into a perfectly tart Bearnaise sauce, and second into a pot of icing sugar. This unconventional but addictive dish is a Galatoire’s classic, and it looked perfect when served in The Colony Grill’s dainty porcelain.
We shared one more starter of Seafood Okra Gumbo, made with jumbo lump crabmeat, prawns and oysters. Gumbo is a Louisiana stew - the Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a dark roux or both. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is made with shellfish or fowl. In the Galatoire’s version, the dark stock was thickened with okra making it more refined, light and glossy. Soft flakes of white crabmeat and large, fresh prawns were folded into the silky white rice. This was a great introduction to Creole Gumbo!
Our first main course was crabmeat sardou. In appearance, it resembles the classic brunch dish of eggs royale, poached egg on an English muffin served with smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce. In this classic Galatoire’s brunch dish, however, crabmeat and creamed spinach are served on a base of artichoke heart, and blanketed in Hollandaise. The classic New Orleanian combination of rich butter and sharp flavours, present in the Oysters Rockefeller, worked well again here in the main course.
Our second main was Dover Sole Yvonne, Chef Sichel’s Cajun take on The Colony Grill's Grilled Dover Sole. The Colony Grill serves their Dover Sole with a rich Bearnaise sauce, but Sichel used a much simpler Meunière, made with brown butter, parsley and lemon. The depth of flavour came from a finely balanced Cajun rub that coated the Sole.
Cajun cuisine came from the French-speaking Acadian people, who were forced by the British to move from Canada to Louisiana, and the Cajun rub balanced the heat of bell pepper with softer flavours like onion and parsley, bringing warmth and a light heat to the Dover Sole and the savoury mix of crab meat, artichoke hearts and mushroom. For dessert, we shared a bread pudding. Made from rich brioche bread, this classic New Orleans dish resembles a traditional British bread and butter pudding. The major difference, however, came with the Banana Foster sauce that accompanied it, a dark caramel made with cinnamon, rum, and soft slices of banana. The sauce is a fantastic New Orleanian invention, its richness softened by the fresh banana, but for us the pudding was too soft, compared with its British cousin.
What We Drank: The Beaumont’s American Bar served a number of Southern American cocktails to accompany the residency.
We started with The Sporting Life, a Beaumont invention combining Old Forrester Statesman bourbon, Chambord and Amontillado sherry, in a light and sweet cocktail, perfect as a pre-dinner tipple. The competing bourbon and fruit flavours were as strong as each other, making this an excellent choice.
We followed this with a Sazerac, a New Orleans classic that combines whisky, cognac and absinthe in a punchy but sophisticated drink, best served as a digestif at the end of a meal. It looked like a darker Negroni, and tasted even punchier.
Likes:The Colony Grill is a brilliantly designed dining room, with spacious semi-circular red leather booths along one wall, beautiful lighting and iconic American murals on the walls. Galatoire’s is one of the most prestigious addresses in New Orleans, and The Colony Grill was the perfect place to enjoy this great North American cuisine.
Michael Sichel’s okra seafood gumbo was a revelation. The addition of the okra gave the whole thing a silky gloss, and the decadent combination of prawns, oyster and thick lumps of white crabmeat worked perfectly. Dislikes: We’d have loved to see more desserts from Galatoire’s make it over the Atlantic, such as their Sweet Potato Cheesecake, Black Bottom Pecan Pie or the Key Lime Tart. Verdict: The Galatoire's residency was the perfect introduction to New Orleanian cuisine, and classic dishes such as Oysters Rockefeller and Crab Sardou that are hard to find in the UK. I highly recommend Galatoire’s for your next trip to New Orleans, I can’t wait to try it for myself!
Discovering Galatoire's and The Colony Grill via @TheLondonFoodie Instagram Page:
Name:Chotto Matte Brunch Menu Where: 11–13 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 4RB, http://www.chotto-matte.com Cost:£50 per person for brunch with alcoholic drinks, or £45 per person with non-alcoholic drinks, available on Saturdays and Sundays only, between 12 and 4pm. About: This was a revisit to Chotto Matte, a Peruvian Nikkei restaurant set on Soho's busy Frith Street, you can read my first Chotto Matte review here.
Born from the Japanese diaspora living in Peru, Peruvian-Nikkei cooking is much more than just a trendy fad – it was born out of necessity in the early 20th century as most Japanese immigrants lacked the necessary ingredients to cook their home fare. Instead, they resorted to using the fantastic produce of Peru, from Pacific fish and seafood to the high altitude vegetables of the Andes, and the fruit of the Amazon. Today, Peruvian-Nikkei cuisine is very much part of the mainstream diet in Peru, with dishes like Tiradito and Maki Acevichado being just as popular as ceviche or causa.
Set over 3 floors with an outdoor seating area great for people watching, Chotto Matte has an uninterrupted funky soundtrack that certainly makes for a party atmosphere. The décor is bright and colourful with plenty of natural wood, stone and glass. On the ground floor, there is a vast, UV-illuminated mural created by Tokyo-based graffiti artist Houxo Que. Chotto Matte is undeniably a beautiful restaurant.
What We Ate: There are two choices of brunch menus - one featuring fish and meat, and another for vegetarians. We tried one of each. We kicked off with a ceviche of seabass sashimi, served with sweet potato, crunchy Peruvian corn, coriander, chive oil and a zingy leche de tigre (tigers milk – the dressing used to ‘cook’ fish in ceviches and tiraditos).
The vegetarian opener was Chotto Matte’s famous paper-thin vegetables – a crunchy and refreshing medley of daikon, carrot, beetroot, quinoa, physalis, lime and chia seeds.
The fish sushi had a selection of fish, each topped with its unique seasoning. Tuna, scallop, and yellowtail were delicious, and I particularly enjoyed the salmon with dots of aji amarillo, and seabass with truffle cream.
The vegetarian sushi selection was equally good and very creative – this included tamago omelette, nasu (aubergine), avocado, shitake mushroom, courgette and yasai (vegetable) truffle roll.
The tempura course was Nikkei Sepia - calamari with an aji amarillo and yuzu emulsion (a Japanese citrus) with sugar and mayonnaise. I loved this but wished the portion was a tad more generous.
The vegetarian tempura featured tender stem broccoli and shiitake mushroom, with a delicious scattering of tempura diced chilli. Though the batter was light and crunchy, the broccoli was slightly overcooked.
From the robata grill, Asado de Tira was in our opinion the best of all dishes on the menu - a wonderfully tender beef short rib with asparagus, purple potato puree and teriyaki jus.
The Pollo Den Miso (chicken with a miso-based sauce) was also excellent – this had deliciously smoky charred chicken, carrot, daikon and yellow chilli salsa.
The vegetarian robata grill equivalent was Calabacin al la Parilla – this was a platter of chilli courgette, pickled shallots and crisp-fried sweet potato. We enjoyed this although we felt this was a little uninspiring and more like a side dish than a main course in its own right.
The Nasu Miso was cubes of aubergine marinated in Japanese miso, with apricot, puffed soba, and sesame seeds.
Both robata grilled options came with sake-sautéed broccoli with Huacatay sauce. I enjoyed this particularly for the sauce, a deliciously zingy one made with the Peruvian huacatay, a mint-tarragon type of herb which is the base of this sauce together with the fruity aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli).
For dessert, both menus had an intensely rich, creamy and bitter chocolate pot, frozen mochi balls of mango, and of yuzu, with a passion fruit brûlée topped with pomegranate seeds. The desserts were very well conceived - rich and intensely flavoured. The menu offers a choice of tea or coffee.
If you visit the restaurant, not everyone in the table needs to order the same menu. For example a couple can order one menu each containing the vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Even tough I felt that the non-vegetarian menu was the strongest menu, this way you would get the best of the variety that the restaurant can offer. What We Drank: There is a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails on the brunch menu, and we opted for the Bloody Mary – made with Belvedere vodka and Chotto Matte’s own cocktail mix.
With the food, the menu includes a choice of a half bottle per person of a Prosecco, an Albarino or a Rioja Reserva. We chose the Albarino, Irexario de Saiar, Bodega Sucesores de Benito Santos, Spain, 2016. Crisp and refreshing, this had plenty of citrus, apricot characteristics to balance the flavours on the plate.
Likes: The robata beef short rib was for me the highlight of the meal. We also enjoyed the sushi and particularly the vegetarian sushi platter. The Bloody Mary was refreshing and spicy. Dislikes: Some of the vegetarian courses were weak including the grilled courgettes, I would have felt short-changed if that was meant to be my main course. Verdict: Chotto Matte's brunch menu is a great opportunity to try a range of the restaurant’s signature Nikkei dishes, a cocktail and ½ a bottle of wine per person. At £50pp, the quality and variety of food offered makes it a good deal not to be missed. Recommended.
For the Shokunin in Japan, craftsmen who specialize to an extraordinary degree to be masters of their profession, the search for excellence and even for perfection is a never-ending journey. Ninety-one year old Jiro Ono is Japan’s highest expression of Shokunin; he has worked tirelessly from the age of 7 to become the greatest sushi craftsman alive today. Ono is still to be found at his sushi counter at Ginza station, serving up perfect morsels of vinegared rice, yet his drive for perfection is far from finished.
Reading about Hestan’s founder Stanley K Cheng in Napa Valley USA, I found a lot of resonance with the work of Jiro Ono and hundreds of other Shokunin I have encountered in Japan and across the world.
Cheng’s lifelong quest has been to innovate and excel in the cookware industry. Since the 1970s, he has been at the cutting edge of his field, including the introduction of non-stick surfaces to hard anodized aluminium, the breakthrough which led to non-stick cookware. Today, his company (Hestan and Meyer Corporation) is the largest cookware distributor in the USA and the second largest in the world. Cheng has created a culture of excellence around the Hestan name that goes far beyond its cookware. There is the Hestan Vineyards in Napa Valley, as well as Hestan Commercial and Hestan Outdoor cooking appliances. Hestan Commercial reinvented the restaurant kitchen with a lineup of well-designed commercial cooking equipment, one of their most notable advocates is Head Chef and Shokunin Thomas Keller of the 3 Michelin-starred restaurant The French Laundry.
Most intriguing for me though is the Hestan Barn, a culinary “think tank” and laboratory that brings together a team of outstanding chefs, engineers, designers and winemakers to revolutionise cookware and think of different ways to cook. It was here in the Hestan Barn that the USA team trained for the most prestigious international cookery competition, the Bocuse d’Or, winning the gold medal in 2017.
It was also here at The Barn that Stanley Cheng and his team developed a new cookware range with Hestan’s NanoBond™ technology. With 14 global patents, NanoBond technology uses a triple-bonded construction: thousands of titanium-based nano layers bonded directly to stainless steel, itself wrapped around a central core of pure aluminium.
The resulting super-dense cooking surface is said to be stain and scratch-resistant, and the titanium coating to last a lifetime. It does not use any chemicals or coatings that might wear off over time like what happens with standard non-stick pans.
Pans with NanoBond™ technology are also said to have 35% better heat conductivity and to be 400% (four times) harder than stainless steel pans. They certainly have a gorgeous design, with elegant ergonomic handles and flush rivets. Besides this, Hestan states that their NanoBond™ technology results in pans that: -are ‘stick resistant’ rather than non-stick -maintain their titanium lustre and beauty for a lifetime -have no limit to the heat they can withstand -do not affect or react with foods -are easy to clean -are highly resistant to oxidation at high heat -have five times the lifespan of a normal stainless steel or aluminium-clad cookware. Launched in the USA in January 2017, the NanoBond™ range is sold exclusively there by Sonoma-Williams, and in the UK, you will only find it at Harrods, where it was launched in September 2017. I was approached by Hestan to put some of their claims to the test with four of the range of pans, and have been doing just that over the last five months. The Hestan pans I used for this review included: 28cm frying pan - £269 - https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/hestan/frying-pan-28cm-p000000000005730165?bcid=1504779447433 20cm saucepan with lid - £299 - https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/hestan/covered-soup-pot-20cm-p000000000005730181?bcid=1504779447433 26cm stockpot with lid - £449 - https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/hestan/stockpot-and-lid-26cm-p000000000005730180?bcid=1504779447433
36cm wok - £499 - https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/hestan/frying-pan-28cm-p000000000005730165?bcid=1504779447433 First Impressions Count The pans feel really sturdy and solid, substantial without being too heavy. On closer inspection, the design is beautiful with a pewter-grey tinge to the surface. The surfaces are silky smooth, and even the rivets binding the handles to the pan are recessed to avoid food getting stuck and making them very easy to clean.
The handles are ergonomically designed from case stainless steel, being wide and flat to enable a good grip without risking them over-turning.
The Hestan logo is beautiful, written in full at the base of the handle, and with an embossed H at the tip. Frying pans and saucepans have an oval slot in case you want to suspend them from a hook, or alternatively they stack efficiently.
Performance under Pressure During my time at Le Cordon Bleu, I got to use and was impressed by top quality cookware from the American firm All Clad, and by de Buyer from France. Top professional kitchens around the world will be familiar with these, as they have been considered to be the best of their type and to deliver consistent cooking results. Hestan's is, however, aiming to raise the bar by introducing its NanoBond™ technology to their pots and pans.
Today at my supper club events and cookery classes, my Hestan pans get heavy use and are bashed around a lot. Even though I do not have Le Cordon Bleu’s budget, I have always looked out for cookware that is well made, and of as good quality as I can afford.
Beautiful as new after 5 months use!
The Hestan pans I have used over the last five months still look nearly as perfect as they did when I first came out of their boxes. Though they have not been scratched or dented, I noted some colour tarnish at the bottom of the pans.
Light colour tarnish
Stick Resistance From my years of cooking experience, I know that fried food does not stick if the pan has either a non-stick coating or if it has been proofed with a built up layer of oil and salt over time.
Although not completely non-stick, I found that Hestan’s 28 cm frying pan’s surface was indeed ‘stick resistant’, and this did not wear off over time, as non-stick coatings do sooner or later in my experience.
The Dreaded Non-Stick Egg Frying Test
Though there were some desirable signs of food caramelization visible on the surface of the pan, food did not stick. There was rapid heat conduction on either my Aga hot plate or a conventional gas flame, and even fried eggs cooked uniformly and came away smoothly from the pan.
Image courtesy of Hestan
Heat Conductivity and Evenness But for me, the major advantage of the Hestan pans was the evenness of heat distribution and the rapid conductivity of heat. Don’t you hate it when you are cooking something and parts get burned while other areas are still not cooked?
Image courtesy of Hestan
This was definitely not the case with Hestan’s 36cm wok – with no limit to high heat and improved conductivity compared with other standard pans, Hestan’s wok quickly achieved searingly high heat, just ideal for imparting that desirable ‘wok-breath’ (a wonderful charred flavour) into my stir-fried food.
Versatility – From Hob to Oven and Table Hestan’s range of pans are all metal, with no plastic, rubber or other materials, making them ideal for use in the oven as well as on stove. In many professional kitchens, steaks and other meats are usually caramelized in the pan over a high flame (pan-fried), and then finished in the oven to complete their cooking under an even heat. Hestan’s range are well designed for this purpose, while looking great on the table too.
Image courtesy of Hestan
The Verdict Over the five months I have used Hestan’s pots and pans at home and at my supper club events, I have been reassured that the company’s claims really do stack up. With great heat conductivity and evenness, the pans are also durable and will probably last many years. They are sturdy, well-designed and gorgeous too.
A decent, well-designed pan can make or break your meal. Choosing the correct vessel (for both its quality and size) to cook a dish is an important decision that will help you make the most of your cooking. With busy working lives and less time now spent in the kitchen, pans like Hestan’s will make this time count giving you consistently good cooking results.
Image courtesy of Hestan
Hestan pans are not cheap, but good quality equipment never is. If you want the best pans you can afford in your home and business that will last a lifetime and take up that up that precious kitchen cabinet space, consider buying Hestan’s.
Image courtesy of Hestan
You do not need to be a Shokunin or 3-star Michelin chef to cook a great meal at home. But in your pursuit for kitchen excellence, Hestan is here to help along the way. To discover more about Hestan and their range of cookware, visit their website here - https://hestan.uk.com/. To purchase Hestan cookware, visit the Harrods store or website here - https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/designers/hestan. WIN A WEEKEND TRIP TO PARIS WITH HESTAN To celebrate the launch of the luxury cookware brand in the UK, Hestan is running a competition for a chance to win a gastronomic weekend in Paris!
The prize includes flights for two from any UK airport, a 2-night stay at the prestigious hotel in the centre of Paris, La Maison Champs Élysées and a gourmet culinary experience at Le Jules Verne, Michelin star restaurant owned by the most renowned chef of his generation, Alain Ducasse. For more details and to enter the competition, visit their website here - https://hestan.uk.com/2017/10/16/weekendinparis/ This review feature was commissioned and sponsored by Hestan. The London Foodie maintains full editorial control over all content published on this site as always.
Name: The Duck and Rice Where: 90 Berwick Street, London W1F 0QB, http://www.theduckandrice.com/ Cost: A meal at this restaurant costs on average £50 per person, not including beverages or service. Starters range from £6.50 to £16.50, main from £6.50 to £45. There is a small, largely ice-cream-based dessert menu, priced from £4.80 to £6.50. About: A former Soho pub converted with no expenses spared by Alan Yau's team (who is no longer affiliated with this restaurant), The Duck and Rice still has an all-singing, all-dancing pub on the ground floor, featuring massive copper coloured beer tanks, filled with fresh and unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell imported from the Czech Republic. There is also a long list of ales, stouts and porters, and even a beer cocktail list.
Upstairs, the dining room is decked out in gorgeous bespoke stained-glass windows, discreet wood panelling and lighting and huge, hand-painted blue and white ceramic tiles, more like wall panels, which were commissioned specially for the restaurant.
The look is modern, elegant but unstuffy, and the atmosphere buzzy and lively at pretty much any time of the day. The Duck and Rice is one of my favourite dim sum eateries in London, and I visit it often. This visit however was to experience their evening, dining menu. The menu has a mixed-Asian feel, with plenty of Cantonese dishes, but also featuring a few dishes from Japan, Singapore, Korea and Vietnam.
What We Ate: We started with wasabi prawns (£10.50) – this featured deliciously fat sweet prawns deep-fried in batter, served with a delicate wasabi mayonnaise coating, topped with salted almond flakes. This was delicious.
Next up was the salt and pepper squid (£10.50) - well seasoned and crispy, despite the dull presentation, it was served deep-fried with spring onions, caramelised garlic and red chillies. We enjoyed this, though the portion was not terribly generous, I expected more at this price point.
The signature Duck & Rice (£15.50) is my favourite dish of the house, and one I order on every visit. A quarter Cantonese roast duck, with the finest, crispiest skin, this was sensational and served simply over steamed jasmine rice and slices of cucumber. Heavenly.
Jasmine smoked pork ribs (£16) looked sensational, with a tempting glaze. The meat was tender, with aromatic, smoky flavours, but for me the ribs were excessively sweet and sticky which sadly detracted from the overall dish.
Things looked up with the crispy duck fried rice (£9.50) - this was richly flavoured with the poultry and edamame beans.
The Kung Po chicken (£12) was a stir-fry of chicken, cashew and peanuts, spring onion, Sichuanese peppercorns, and dried red chillies. Kung Pao or Po is one of my favourite Sichuanese stir-fries, I love it spicy and gutsy, though The Duck and Rice’s version was again intensely sweet and with none of the heat I was so much expecting.
Our vegetable choice was slow-braised Japanese aubergine, tofu and shiitake mushroom served in claypot (£12.50). This was an exquisite dish, with silky textures and surprisingly intense flavours from the black bean sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar.
For dessert, we shared a black coconut ice cream, made from coconut and coconut ash for a startlingly black finish. Served with toasted coconut shavings, this was creamy, intensely tropical and refreshing.
What We Drank: We started with a Hayman London Dry Gin, with Fever-Tree elderflower tonic, blueberry and raspberry (£10.50) - refreshingly aromatic with luscious red berry aromas. Equally good, the Negroni (£11) was classic, powerful and well made.
With our meal, we shared an excellent bottle of Franciacorta Corteaura (£42). Franciacorta is a fantastic sparkling wine from Italy (rivalling some of the best Champagnes in France), and this was a great example at a reasonable price for a restaurant, with elegant citrus fruit notes.
Likes: Standout dishes for me were the signature Duck & Rice, the claypot dish of aubergine, tofu and shiitake mushroom and the wasabi prawns. The wine list is small but well thought out and surprisingly reasonable value for money. Dislikes: Whether by accident or by our poor choices, the dishes we selected were almost all intensely sweet, which did not make for a balanced meal. The jasmine smoked pork ribs promised so much but under-delivered in my opinion, as did the Kung Po chicken and the salt and pepper squid. Verdict: The Duck and Rice is one of my go-to eateries in London whenever I crave good quality dim sum. Though their evening dining menu was a mixed bag – some dishes were exquisite while others excessively sweet and gloopy. Still I would love to return and order some different choices. Recommended. This restaurant feature is a collaboration with This Is Soho (http://www.thisissoho.co.uk/) which aims to highlight this exciting West End district as well as some of its best eateries. Soho is one of our favourite areas of London, although in writing this feature, The London Foodie retained full editorial control over its content as always.
Name: Céleste Restaurant at The Lanesborough Where: The Lanesborough Hotel, Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA https://www.oetkercollection.com/destinations/the-lanesborough Cost: The 4-course game tasting menu costs £110 per person, or with paired wines at £190 per person. About: Céleste is a restaurant set in the gorgeous Lanesborough Hotel, an Oetker Collection Masterpiece Hotel. The hotel itself is spectacular, a grand mansion overlooking Hyde Park Corner just a short walk from Knightsbridge’s Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and within a few minutes walk of Park Lane and Mayfair.
The restaurant’s setting could hardly be more sumptuous, with a domed glass roof, huge crystal chandeliers, powder blue walls and a Spode-like frieze of white figurines below the high ceiling.
Florian Favario is Executive Head Chef at Céleste, which is celebrating the award of its first Michelin star in October 2016, which was renewed in October 2017. Having spent five years working at the 3 Michelin-starred restaurant at Le Bristol Paris, Chef Favario’s restaurant offers a three course menu for £42 per person, or £72 with matching wines, a 5-course tasting menu at £110, or a full à la carte service. I was there to try their autumnal game menu, a celebration of British heritage and provenance, which is available for a very limited period: from 20 - 30 November 2017.
What We Ate and Drank: We opted for the 4-course game tasting menu (which in fact turned out to be a 7-course dinner), priced at £190 per person with matching wines. The amuse bouche were exquisite: a crispy quail egg stuffed with juniper mayonnaise, a smoked haddock tartlet with squid ink spherified "caviar", and in another example of spherification, a pumpkin and mandarin sphere. Deliciously crusty bread was served with smoked, salted whipped butter.
A second amuse-bouche of game brioche, cleverly rolled in doughnut dough and deep-fried to resemble an egg, was served with a delicate juniper sauce on a nest-like bed of pine twigs.
The first starter was hen pheasant, served with foie gras, black truffle and Jerusalem artichoke terrine, hazelnut oil and Tartuffon white truffle cream. Served with toasted country bread, this was a celebration of the rich, savoury flavours of autumn.
It was paired with a Chinon Philippe Alliet 2015. A 100% Cabernet Franc from the Loire, this had a stalky nose, and gamey notes with blackberry fruit and fine tannins – a delicate wine but with more than enough structure to compliment the pheasant.
Next came wild duck pie, served in very light and buttery puff pastry with black truffle and giblets, a wonderfully intense roasting jus and a fresh herb salad. Served daringly pink, the duck was tender and deliciously gamey.
It was served with a glass of Assisi Sportoletti 2012, from Umbria - a "Super Tuscan"-style blend of Sangiovesi with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wine had a rich nose redolent of ripe red cherries, with violets and vanilla on the finish and soft tannins.
Hare à la royale with foie gras was intensely meaty, velvety and rich, served with a glossy, concentrated jus, and with celeriac and chestnut ravioli glazed in horseradish.
A dish like this needs a powerful wine, and happily the Cheval des Andes, from Argentina’s Mendoza Valley was no shrinking violet. A collaboration between the fabled Chateau Cheval Blanc from Bordeaux and the Argentinian winery Terrazas de las Andes, this was a Bordeaux blend with plenty of black fruit and supple tannins. Massively concentrated and powerful, this was an excellent choice for the hare.
A pre-dessert of cucumber and elderflower granite with a green apple cream, topped with a purple shiso leaf was just what we needed to cleanse and refresh our palates after a rich medley of gamey dishes.
To end a meal celebrating all that is wonderful about autumn, what better than a dish of glazed Aubenas chestnuts, fondant chestnut cream topped with gold leaf, crushed pear and blackberry?
The dessert wine was an Austrian Burgenland, Beerenauslese, Kracher 2013. A late-harvest, botrytised Reisling wine, this had luscious sweetness balanced by high acidity, with nutty caramel and apricot aromas, making for a complex, satisfying wine.
Likes: Every dish and matching wine was worth savouring, for the high level of skill and the excellence of the ingredients. The setting is elegant, perfect for a celebratory meal. Dislikes: None. Verdict: The game tasting menu at the Michelin-starred Céleste Restaurant in the Lanesborough Hotel is available for a few more days, until 30 November. It is a celebration of all that is rich and plentiful in autumn, and in the hands of the Chef Favario, is an exquisite variation on a flavourful theme. Very highly recommended.
Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara
Name:Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar Where: London Marriott Hotel County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB, http://gillrays.com/ Cost: The Gillray’s Bottomless Brunch is available every Saturday and Sunday, from 12-3pm, for £40 a head. Diners can choose two courses from the extensive menu, which is organised into four sections: Cereals, Eggs, Meats and Treats. This will be accompanied by an unlimited number of glasses of Cordoniu Brut, a light and refreshing cava that is perfect for an early afternoon sitting. Side-dishes are available for £5 extra, and include a Bloody Mary, triple-cooked chips, and cauliflower and truffle bake. About: I last reviewed Gillray’s in 2013, when I came for a sumptuous steak dinner, complete with oysters and cocktails. I recall that meal well and looked forward to my return visit for their new weekend brunch. You can read about it here.
The restaurant is named after the 18th Century political caricaturist James Gillray, and this impressive spot in the South Wing of the Marriott Hotel County Hall boasts great views across the Thames to Westminster.
The beautiful wood-paneled, large-windowed dining room is a welcome respite from the tourist rush outside, but it’s also the perfect place to enjoy a brunch before seeing a matinee at the National Theatre or Old Vic, or a film at the BFI.
The Bottomless Brunch offers some signature dishes from the evening menu (sirloin steak and a thick bacon chop) alongside brunch favourites such as eggs royale, pancakes and chia-seed pudding. It is good value and a lot of fun. When I came here last, I mentioned that it would have been good to see more affordable options on the wine list, and I'm happy to say that the brunch menu now gives you the opportunity to enjoy a Gillray’s meal with a good-quality free-flowing cava, Cordoniu Brut.
What We Ate: We started with a complimentary hors d’oeuvre from the kitchen, miniature Yorkshire puddings, filled with melted cheddar, and accompanied by a horseradish and creme fraiche dipping sauce. This innovative take on a Sunday Roast classic was such an improvement on the original! The cheese adds texture and flavour, and the fresh dipping sauce went perfectly with the light pudding batter. They were so good, we asked for more!
One of the first courses was the quinoa porridge, made with almond milk and topped with raspberries, pomegranate seeds and honey. Beautifully presented, it was a healthy way to start, with the almond milk ensuring that the dish wasn’t too rich.
Next was the Eggs Royale - an English muffin topped with smoked salmon, poached eggs and a rich Hollandaise sauce. It’s a brunch classic, and the Gillray’s version was so generous that they even folded an extra slice of smoked salmon between the halves of the muffin. The grilled lemon halves were yet more proof of Gillray’s attention to detail, this dish made for a decadent start to the meal.
The second course was a 200g sirloin, topped with a fried egg. It was accompanied by a side dish of flat cap mushrooms with rosemary. Unusually for a restaurant in an international hotel, Gillray’s prides itself on its local suppliers. The Aberdeen Angus steaks come from Darragh O’Shea’s farm in Scotland, and this shows in their depth of flavour.
The second main course was the Gillray’s Steak Burger. This enormous stack, containing a 280g patty, cheedar cheese, onion rings and gherkin may have taken their generosity to a fault! It was hard to tuck in to, and even harder to finish! Sadly, the thick patty could only be ordered well done, it was flavoursome if a tad dry. The onion rings were crispy on the outside, and the hash brown nuggets were a brilliant and addictive invention, served alongside a delicious red onion and bacon chutney.
What We Drank: Our meal started the way every good brunch should, with a Bloody Mary. In the Gillray’s version, the spiciness of the Tobasco is softened by slices of fresh cucumber and lemon, and the addition of celery salt.
After that, we started on the unlimited bubbles. Cordoniu Brut is the perfect choice of cava for the Gillray's brunch. It's dry and light, and the prominent apple notes give it a sweetness that works perfectly with the dishes.
Likes: The incredible cheesy Yorkshire puddings that came as a complimentary hors d'oeuvre, and the generosity that continued throughout the meal. Dislikes: We would have liked to see some more imaginative sweet dishes on the menu, other than the usual staples such as pancakes and waffles. Verdict: The Gillray's Bottomless Brunch is the a great weekend treat, especially for meat lovers who want to have the Gillray's experience, with a view of the Thames and unlimited bubbles at a great price.
I don't know about you, but I get childishly excited about Advent Calendars - and St James’s is most likely the ultimate of its kind this festive season, with a fabulous gift giveaway each day in the run-up to Christmas! Forget milky chocolates, we are talking men's fashion, wine tastings and other super-luxe prezzies!
To welcome in the festive season, the St James’s Market Pavilion has been turned into a giant advent calendar. When each new advent window is opened, one lucky person will win and the surprise revealed each day via @StJamesLondon Instagram Stories.
St James's is widely recognised as the original home of menswear in London and the stomping ground of the well-dressed, so it was a natural choice to ask London Fashion Week Men to curate a selection of the twenty-four gifts.
Each beautiful present has been gifted by a different one of St James’s unique and exceptional retailers, restaurants, art galleries or hotels. For a full list of participating St James's retailers and a flavour of gifts on offer, take a peek below.
HOW TO WIN: For a chance to win one or more of these fabulous gifts, visit the St James's site at https://stjamesslondon.typeform.com/to/rD5749 and enter your details in the entry form. From today, the 1st December, each daily gift will be revealed on @StJamesLondon Instagram stories. Follow @StJamesLondon to stay up to date and take part. Participants can enter daily for a chance to win each prize. From Champagne afternoon tea for two, to a fitted Barbour jacket, will you be lucky enough to win one of the bespoke gifts from St James's esteemed retailers? Brands include: Lou Dalton Berry Bros. & Rudd Fortnum & Mason Aspinal of London Arc'teryx D R Harris Emma Willis Cubitts Smeg Barbour Int The Ritz Harvie and Hudson Trickers Budd N.Peal Tiger of Sweden Mint Leaf Jigsaw New & Lingwood Sims Reed Lock & Co Grenson John Smedley Floris Maille Sunspel Villandry Haymarket Hotel For more information about St James, the Advent Calendar and what is going on in this exciting neighbourhood of the West End of London, visit their website here - http://www.stjameslondon.co.uk/.
