Adrian

Lamezia Fresh Pasta & Pizza Restaurant Islington

May 29, 2019 by Adrian Leave a Comment

In another life I would have been born into an Italian family of restaurateurs. As a child we had family friends who ran a trattoria called 13 1/2 in Beauchamp Place behind Harrods and the Papa semi-adopted me and inducted me into the arcane mysteries of twirling pasta efficiently on a fork, eating gelato and foraging for tiny wild fragole (strawberries). These are memories that have never left me and so when asked to review family-run Lamezia Fresh Pasta & Pizza Restaurant in bustling Holloway Road, I approached it with a sense of benign benevolence.

The Calabrian Dell’aquila family are celebrating their 10-year anniversary at Lamezia with a makeover, some exciting new menu items and the daughter of the family, the charming Maria Dell’aquila, taking over the running of the restaurant. The family take pride in their Calabrian roots bringing in authentic ingredients and dishes. One of their innovations was to introduce Londoners to the delights of the spicy ‘nduja pizza ten years ago. But under Maria’s leadership the restaurant has created a ‘Progressive Italian’ menu featuring dishes such as London’s first Hemp Pizza with a brand-new turmeric one, too! With gluten-free pasta and vegan, gluten- and dairy-free cheese on the menu it’s finally possible to eat traditional Italian food that’s not only delicious but healthy too!

The interiors are relaxed ‘trattoria style’ with wooden tables and pink terracotta walls with family photos and delightful bric-a-brac from the eponymous southern Italian city of Lamezia adding atmosphere – and in a romantic touch I loved tthere were candles in Chianti bottles. With outside tables for a morning coffee or an alfresco lunch I could have been in Calabria and not Islington.

There has been a lot of debate about the Aperol Spritz recently but there is a time and a place for everything and my friend and I felt this was one of them. That hint of orange sweetness can give you a real lift before eating.

With pizza and pasta on the menu we went for a light starter. A simple Rucola (rocket) salad (£6.50) dressed with shaven Parmesan and extra virgin olive oil was perfect. The pepperiness of the rocket softened by the oil and the cheese.

All the pasta served at Lamezia is fresh. Rustic homemade large tortellini were stuffed with the savoury richness of porcini mushrooms and then slathered with a creamy mushroom sauce (£12) – delicious!

We had to try one of the new pizza bases and plumped for the turmeric which added an earthy note to the flavours. Our Vegetariana pizza featured tomato sauce, mozzarella, sliced peppers, artichokes, mushrooms and extra virgin olive oil (£12) so lots of flavour and texture sitting on a crisp base with a hint of char on the crust.

It’s rude not to have a dessert but we were quite full by now so we decided to share a cannoli. The crisp light outer shell was filled with a rich orange blossom scented ricotta filling. The perfect end to the meal…

Until Maria arrived with complimentary glasses of Mama’s limoncello and chocolate creams. The rich thick chocolate drink was like a turbo-charged Baileys and the lemon was simply lemony and creamy.

If I was an Islington local it would be perfect to have an unpretentious, reasonable priced trattoria like Lamezia in the neighbourhood. The food offer is health-oriented, generous and honest and the service has that old-school Italian warmth that is a selling point in its own these days. I want them to have a dessert trolley and then all would be perfect in the world!

LAMEZIA CONTACT DETAILS

Address: Lamezia Fresh Pasta & Pizza, 165 Holloway Road, N7 8LX
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lameziarestaurant/
Instagram: Lamezia
Website: lameziaitalianrestaurant.com
Customer bookings: 020 7609 6620
Deliveroo: https://deliveroo.co.uk/menu/london/holloway/lamezia-pizzeria

Caractère – Review Notting Hill

January 28, 2019 by Adrian

The word character has a variety of meanings. It can refer to an agglomeration of traits by which we define the essence of a person, artefact or organisation. Or it can be about a certain type of strength…Caractère is a new restaurant in Notting Hill that seems to me to be trying to redefine the notion of ‘bourgeois’ cuisine with an emphasis on Italo-French cuisine in a stylishly casual setting. Owned by Emily Roux, chef and daughter of Michel Roux Jr., and her partner Milanese chef Diego Ferrari, who worked with Alain Ducasse before spending three years as Head Chef of Le Gavroche. With that kind of form I’m expecting something special and am delighted to have been asked to review.Emily describes the restaurant as the ‘sort of place we wanted to eat in ourselves’ and Caractère is clearly a passion project for the couple. With its exposed wooden beams and brickwork and modern-retro light fittings the space has the feel of a Brasserie De Luxe with a contemporary twist and despite being the new kid on the block it has a certain timeless quality.The menu is delineated by six character ‘traits’: Curious, Subtle, Delicate, Robust, Strong and Greedy, in a fun play on the restaurant’s name; but the amuse-bouche should really have come under the heading of intriguing! Possibly referencing the proprietor’s pan-European heritage a Bourbon biscuit with sardine butter surprised with the chocolate bringing out the sweetness of the fish; and I’m always happy to see a Tigella, traditional disc shaped stuffed bread from the chestnut forests of the Apennine mountains in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, here stuffed with a vegetal parsley condiment; last but not least was a super-crispy polenta crisp topped with a subtle sliver of smoked ricotta.After some excellent bread and butter we started drinking! Our glass of Réserve Mont-Redon 2016 Côtes du Rhône Abeille-Fabre was full-bodied and bursting with blackberry flavour.It was a great match with our ‘subtle’ stunningly plated ‘Acquarello’ risotto – made with the highly nutritious aged Acquarello Carnaroli rice, cooked in water and not stock, flavoured with aged Parmesan and pimped up with a Marsala reduction, pink peppercorns, and a black carbon-infused Parmesan crumble. The water based cooking technique gave it a lightness of flavour highlighting the cheese and combined with the al dente rice it created an irresistible mouthful of pleasure.Celeriac is one of the veg du jour and in our second ‘subtle’ starter silky yet crunchy ‘lasagna’ sheets of the humble root were served “cacio e Pepe” style with splashes of extra-aged balsamic vinegar adding a luxuriant richness.Moving on to a light, peppery and intense glass of Les Montées, Côtes de Saint Lay, Pinot Noir, Côtes de la Charité 2015 we had another beautiful looking dish chosen from the three ‘delicate’ fish dishes- perfectly cooked and delicately flavoured steamed turbot accompanied by roast cauliflower, amaranth and dressed with parsley oil. This was a really well-balanced plate of food that tasted as good as it looked!Grilled monkfish was tender and with its more robust flavour was well served by the sprouting broccoli, piquillos and cockle jus accompaniments.At Caractère desserts come under the heading ‘greedy’. Fortunately so do I…the crisp Arlettes mille-feuille were softened by delicate, pink Yorkshire rhubarb and a hint of sweetness from dollops of diplomat cream – a lighter version of Crème Pâtissière with rhubarb sorbet adding a bit of mild astringency on the side.

The chocolate cake with hazelnut praline, vanilla and crème Anglaise simply tastes as good it looks! Rich and intense…that’s what I like…I mean the cake…With a soothing coffee we were presented with a light and fluffy brioche crème fraiche – a perfect way to end a great meal.There are a few people in the restaurant trade for whom an understanding of hospitality is etched into their DNA. For Emily and Diego the art and science of feeding people exceptionally well and giving them that glow of happiness which a good meal provides seems effortless. But of course a lot of work goes into that process which in turn shows …great character.It’s worth a trip to visit Caractère – you’ll enjoy it.

Caractère Restaurant

209 Westbourne Park Road, W11 1EA

T 020 8181 3850

Patri – Review

December 26, 2018 by Adrian

As a food writer I spend a lot of my time eating out in central London. More often than not I’m to be found chowing down in gastro hot-spots such as Soho, Mayfair or Fitzrovia although more recently there have been more forays to the ascendant east of town, visiting previously unlikely destinations such as Dalston, Hackney Wick and Hoxton where some of the most progressive cooking is to be found. But now things seem to be stirring in some of the lesser-known West London suburbs…Restaurateur Puneet Wadhwani has recently opened Patri in Northfields (near Ealing), a place whose name means ‘train track’ and which celebrates India’s diverse and extraordinary ‘railway food’ culture. From enticing sounding platform-cooked food passed to customers through carriage windows, to the on-train service with freshly prepared meals on board, Patri focuses on dishes from Puneet’s home town station of New Delhi as well as from the iconic 8-track Marwar Junction station in the Pali district near Jodhpur. It’s the second largest city of Rajasthan and home to the Rajputana style of cooking with its focus on gamey meats made with spicy marinades and elegant royal sweets as well as being the setting for the opening of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale ‘The Man Who Would Be King’

With Indian Railways moving over 20,000 passengers on more than 7,000 trains a day, feeding them is clearly a major gastronomic undertaking. Puneet, who is also behind Chai Naasto – purveyor of Indian streetfood in Hammersmith, Harrow and Beckenham – says that his mission is that ‘Each bite should take you back to India’ and he explains that he has brought in a top quality chef able to deliver that authentic made-from-scratch experience. So I’m very happy to have ben invited to review Patri to explore this railway cuisine.Patri’s interior is more trendy Soho than suburban Northfields with distressed brick, salvaged wood and corrugated iron being used creatively to give a ‘chic shack’ ambience. It’s a million miles away from the standard curry house experience and this sense of individuality also extends to the menus. The restaurant has invested in a Le Verre de Vin wine preservation system allowing better quality wines to be sold by the glass. With some crisp poppadums served with a ‘hot’ mint chutney we try a New Zealand white, Jealous Sisters Pinot Gris from Wairarapa. It’s full of nectarine and peach flavours and stands up to the food beautifully. There is also an interesting looking cocktail list and soft drinks including classics such as a saffron Kesari Lassi and a ‘Nimbu’ lemon soda. I try a non-alcoholic G&T made with ‘The Duchess’ non-alcoholic gin. Distilled with botanicals including orange peel, cardamom, all spice, cloves, star anise and juniper and made with natural quinine it’s less sweet than its main competitor Seedlip and the vegetal notes are a great match with the spice from the food.

The menu is divided into six sections; small ‘Streetfood’ plates function as starters, ‘Classics’ feature grills cooked on the Josper, ‘Signature’ dishes are a list of intriguing sounding curries, ‘City Specials’ and ‘Extras’ feature side dishes, soft drinks and snacks, and ‘The Train Specials’ complete the menu with meat and veggie mixed grills and thalis.And it is from the latter menu that we start our culinary Indian journey with the Old Delhi influenced Railway Mixed Grill. If you are a fan of Indian grilled meats then you should make a bee-line for this sharing dish. Tender chunks of tandoori chicken, a lightly spiced lamb seekh kebab, chicken malai tikkas and smokey paneer tikkas are marinated and then part cooked in the English clay tandoor before being finished on the angeethi brazier. Delicious!A lighter vegetarian option is the Platform Mix Grill, a vibrant plate of mouth-explosions consisting of a tangy bhel puri mix, hot little aloo (potato) samosas, cheeky chaat bombs that burst open in your mouth filled with mint water, kachori, smoky paneer tikka, the spinach-based hara bhara kebab, and the betel leaf infused paan patte chaat combo. It’s about as much fun as you’re going to have with your clothes on in Northfields!Next up arrived a quartet of dishes. From New Delhi Station came the chef’s signature dish – butter chicken on the bone known as Murgh Makhani – marinated chicken is part-cooked in the tandoor and then stewed in a sultry buttery tomato cashew nut gravy and then topped with fenugreek, honey and coriander. Perfect winter’s comfort food is the rich Black Daal Makhani – a creamy, luscious dish of black lentils slow-cooked overnight on the tandoor. A healthy option is the vegan Lasuni Chole Palak with burnt Garlic stir fried with chickpeas and spinach and spicing from fenugreek and ginger. The Shahi Laal Maas lamb curry is made with chilli and garlic and is full of heat as befits the favourite meat curry of Rajasthani royals.Our grand finale was a wonderful bowl of slow-cooked Rajasthani Safed Machi Mass monkfish cubes in a fragrant almond and cashew paste cream. This celebratory grand curry had a ‘royal’ white colour and came with a deliciously flaky butter naan. One of my dishes of the year!Cooling pistachio and mango kulfi ice-lollies were the perfect way to cool and cleanse the palate at the end of our fabulous culinary journey. If taking a train trip around India feels too ambitious at the moment the good news is that the Piccadilly Line runs out to Northfields and that Patri is just a hop and a skip from the station – and in the evenings there is even parking outside. So if you are in the mood for something exciting and new to eat it’s a great place to visit.

PATRI

139 Northfields Avenue, W13 9QT

0203 981 3388

Patri.co.uk

Villa di Geggiano – Review

September 10, 2018 by Adrian

Villa di Geggiano

66-68 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1SY

020 3384 9442/http://www.villadigeggiano.co.uk/

I spent my earliest years in the West London suburb of Chiswick. In those days it was considerably less well-heeled and on a corner of the high road sat a restaurant that was the epitome of sophistication to an impressionable six year old. It was called 007 and featured an enticingly mysterious sign featuring the silhouette of Sean Connery and his Berreta pistol. I’m back in Chiswick having been asked to review Villa di Geggiano, the London outpost of the eponymous Tuscan boutique wine estate located near Sienna; however there’s no sign of James, Shirley Bassey or even Q which is probably a good thing as even suburbs as smart as Chiswick tend to get flattened when they team up.Set back from Chiswick High Road the site occupied by Villa di Geggiano had in its previous incarnation been a restaurant with the dream-team of bad-boy chef Marco Pierre White and jockey Frankie Dettori as joint proprietors – what could possibly go wrong? But for the last four years the cellar has been filled with the all-organic wines from Villa di Geggiano, a label with tremendous history – they made the very first Chianti imported to the U.K. in 1725 by Berry Brothers & Rudd – whilst the kitchen focusses on Tuscan and classic Italian cuisine.Villa di Geggiano has five distinct areas. There is a rather chic bar…perfect for a negroni after work…an art focussed restaurant space dominated by an other-wordly turquoise tree……a comfortable looking lounge, a private dining and event space and a wonderful outside terrace where Fiona and I decided to eat and celebrate the waning power of the summer sun.But since it was Tuesday we started off at the bar for an ennervating glass of Prosecco Mani Sagge.Once settled on the terrace and after some delicate grissini and fluffy focaccia…we started on the tasting menu that had been prepared for us. Top quality burrata from Puglia was unctuously creamy, caressed by a mint and courgette sauce with a few croutons for crunchy contrast . Great ingredients stand by themselves when served simply. With the burrata we were drinking a dryish Sauvignon Meriggio Fontodi Blanc with crisp green apple notes and a nicely balanced acidity (something I aspire to).I’m a big fan of the Venetian fishermen’s dish of ‘saor’ where fish is cooked in vinegar and served with onions, raisins and pine nuts. In a take on the sweet and sour ‘saor’ this dish brought together lightly fried pickled mackerel with pickled vegetables, raisins and a dill mayonnaise creating a deliciously sophisticated take on the La Serenissima classic. The wine matching with a Pinot Grigio Livio Felluga 2017 from Friuli Colli Orientali with melon and glacé fruits on the nose was a lovely way to bring out the sweetness of the dish.Light compact gnocchi were doused in a sweet cherry tomato sauce, topped with Buffalo Mozzarella which added a lactic creaminess to the proceedings – perfect with our glass of Villa di Geggiano 2015 Chianti Classico. With well-structured tannins and a red berry flourish you could almost taste the history.A simply cooked piece of fish is all you want for your main dish within a classically constructed Italian meal. Pan-fried salmon was perfectly seared, full of flavour and served with green beans and almonds on a pea purée. The lime flavours and long finish of a Gavi di Gavi from Piemonte La Giustiniana was a sparky accompaniment.Campari Sorbet sweetened by Italian Cantaloupe melon balls was a light and refreshing conclusion to a great dinner. The green apple, peaches and melon notes of a sparkling Contero Moscato d’Asti added a celebratory feel…and I nearly forgot the smooth aged Villa di Geggiano Grappa which finished the meal and me off perfectly.Villa di Geggiano transports you out of the city in a way that is quite counterintuitive in W4. The combination of the spaces, the aesthetic and the quality of the food, wine and delightful service creates a Tuscan oasis that is really worth a visit if you’re not a local and if you are it’s a must do.

African Volcano @ Great Guns Social

August 30, 2018 by Adrian

96 Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 0EF

020 3475 0030/greatgunssocial.com

As we witness the decline of the traditional British ‘boozer’ it’s fascinating to see how those spaces reinvent themselves. Great Guns Social calls itself “a creative hub and restaurant” and is set in a converted pub on the Southwark Bridge Road. It has become well known for hosting a rolling programme of restaurant pop-up residencies curated by Chef Maria Elia. It’s a smart move that allows new talent a space to develop whilst creating variety for the local clientele.Resident chef until 8th September at Great Guns Social is Grant Hawthorne, bringing “Southern Grill by African Volcano” to the Borough hotspot. Grant and African Volcano are regulars at nearby Maltby Street Market but the “Southern Grill” offer is a new venture for him. He calls it “an exploration of Southern-style cooking the world over; from Southern America to South Africa and Southern Europe”. African Volcano began when South African Grant and his wife Julie launched their own Mozambique-style Peri Peri sauces in 2012 with the next step being the launch of African Volcano as a street food offer.With African Volcano having been named as one of the ‘top 22 things to eat in London’ by GQ magazine and listed in Buzzfeed’s ‘21 London streetfoods to eat before you die,’ I’m really excited to see what the “Southern Grill“ concept delivers.The interior of Great Guns Social is dark and sexy with a boho, rock’n roll edge. Filament light bulbs and exposed pipe work add to the atmosphere.But all this appreciation of the design has made me thirsty. Cocktails were surprisingly elegant and delicious. A spicy dry Mai Tai was a blend of house rums with dry Curaçao, whilst a light and frothy London Sour mixed Sacred Cardamon Gin, lemon juice, egg white with sugar syrup topped up with red wine in a local take on the classic New York Sour. We soaked up the drinks with moreish sourdough bread, studded with olive and rosemary (£4).The menu offers small plates as well as larger so we ordered a couple as starters. Rich, spicy southern Peri Peri prawns came grilled with a tomato pilaf (£9). The Peri Peri sauce added a real depth of flavour to the prawns without overwhelming them. This was the perfect dish for a cold and rainy evening. Eat your heart out Nandos!Rissois – Mozambique style crab croquettes (£9) – were delicious with a crisp pastry shell (imagine crabby samosas) and the brown crab meat flavour really coming through.

After cocktails it’s always wine time. A mineral Grillo and a smooth Malbec were great accompaniments for the mains which had to be burgers since Grant had won second-place in the prestigious National Burger Awards earlier this year – it would have been churlish not to try them.A mushroom burger with Emmental cheese (£10) was rich and juicy whilst the beefburger with Emmental cheese and Peri Peri sauce (£13) and crispy bacon was tender and full-flavoured. I wish someone would teach me how to eat burgers this big though – so different from the old days at the Wimpy…We also had an excellent mixed leaf salad which came with with summer tomatoes and a smooth balsamic cream (£5).And then dessert. A creamy Portuguese coffee flavoured custard flan (£6) tasted like a Tiramisu but with the classic Spanish flan consistency. I loved this as a traditional flan can be a little bland at times.

I’d love to have a cool hangout like Great Guns Social near me. With the guest pop-ups giving variety on the food front it’s the perfect local joint and a clever 21st century reworking of the traditional pub. African Volcano is well worth checking out for an authentic Peri Peri experience and those Southern and Mozambiquean flavours.

Morganti Caffè Bar Tornatora

July 24, 2018 by Adrian Leave a Comment

If you’re serious about coffee and cake…

Morganti Caffè Bar Tornatora

187 Tottenham Court Rd, Fitzrovia
London, United Kingdom W1T 7PQ

London is now the pre-eminent global gastro destination with cuisines from all around the world represented. However how do we know that we really getting something authentic? Italian cafés have been part of the London scene since the late 1950s with Bar Italia in Soho’s Frith St probably the best known example. But London’s café society is about to have a makeover with the opening of Morganti Caffè Bar Tornatora, a new Italian caffe-bar on Tottenham Court Road. It’s not the kind of retro-kitsch Italian joint that has a Vespa hanging from the ceiling. In fact the interior is rather restrained underplaying the fact that Caffe’ Morganti and patisserie A. Tornatora are two iconic Roman brands joining forces in London to offer a totally authentic taste of Italian café life.Caffe’ Morganti is the oldest coffee roasting company, founded in Rome in 1890 and offering a range of high quality, artisanal coffees and supplying top hotels and restaurants, royalty and even the Vatican.Patisserie A.Tornatora is a relative newcomer – a family business from the 1960s with 11 shops in Rome, run by four brothers and their families, renowned for their fine patisserie, deli foods, breads, superb gelato, all made in house from scratch. Their ‘cornetti’ – the Italian version of the croissant, but not as you know it, are legendary in Rome, with each shop selling around 1,000 a day.I visited for a late breakfast and sampled a delicious glass of rosé Prosecco (start as you mean to go on…) and then two coffee based drinks that were new to me. Crema di caffé is an ice-cream based coffee drink, creamy, cooling and sweet, given an extra kick by an added espresso shot. Espresso Granita is a supercharged caffeine slushy – a perfect summer pick-me up and almost a necessity in this city heat! Savouries include exquisite sandwiches (tramezzini), panini, lasagnas and salads but for me the highlight was..the homemade gelato including some of the best pistachio I have tried.So if you are in the West End and need a hot or cold caffeine fix or a bite to eat and want an upgrade from Starbucks or Costa, you should pop into Morganti Caffè Bar Tornatora for a slice of Roman Dolce Vita.

Beso – Review

July 23, 2018 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Beso Covent Garden

190 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JL

02039728888/https://besolondon.com/

Like many others I first became aware of Moorish food through Sam and Sam Clark’s restaurant Moro in Exmouth Market. They blazed a trail with their approach to grilled food and use of spicing and ingredients- yes there was a time when smoked paprika was exotic – introducing flavours and cooking techniques that caused a stir of excitement amongst even the most jaded of London palates. So I was really interested to be asked to review Moroccan chef Khalid Dahbis’ new restaurant at the Covent Garden end of Shaftesbury Avenue. He is taking culinary influences ‘from the colourful streets of Marrakech and Andalucía’ mediated through his own experience and creativity to create a contemporary but authentic take on Moorish cuisine. Talking with Khalid it becomes clear how passionate he is about the food and the space he has created, but will that enthusiasm transfer to the plate?I liked the interior at Beso a lot. It’s dark and sexy, channeling the mysterious North African Medinas, and has three distinct areas – The stunning mosaic Majorelle Garden table influenced by the exquisite Yves Saint-Laurent designed garden in Marrakesh which is perfect for a small party.Then there is the ground floor bar and 30 seater restaurant where you can walk in for cocktails and bites or a full meal in the presence of the androgynous kissing lovers from Peter Behrens’ painting “The Kiss”. And finally downstairs lie the ‘hidden’ caves and wine cellar – perfect for a romantic assignation…but I mustn’t get carried away as I’m meant to be reviewing the food.We started with a deliciously mineral bottle of Organic Sicilian 2017 Cantine Rallo Grillo (£37) that counterpointed the sweet, sour and spicy flavours of the food perfectly. First up from the Moorish Tapas menu was some sourdough bread with a herby, spicy Harissa butter (£3.50).Marinated anchovies with caper berries (£5.50) were the best I’ve had, a slippery fusion of sweetness and spice.     Crispy squid with an intense smoked crème fraiche sauce & lime    (£7) were super dry and hot from the fryer; but the highlight of the starters was the smoked mackerel pâté served with apple and walnuts and Melba toast (£8) which was fresh and citrusy.From the Earth – Land & Sea section of the menu came the  chermoula hake (a steal at £12). Chermoula is a sauce verte with added cumin which combined with a wild sorrel cream created a stunningly fragrant sauce that contrasted beautifully with the charred courgettes. A perfect summer dish!Tender poussin chicken (£10.50) was full flavoured, here served with cauliflower, whipped yoghurt, sumac and the sweet-sour crunch of pomegranate seeds. From the sides menu I was really impressed with a bowl of Taktouka fine beans (£4), served with grated goat’s cheese and tomatoes  - a great way to pimp up a simple dish of beans.   The white chocolate pannacotta was suitably wobbly and just rich enough..a bit like how I aspire to be…I wasn’t sure what to expect from Beso but found a restaurant with real character, integrity and soul which has a very individual food offer delivered at a very high level. With Soho so overcrowded Beso is a great West End option and deserves to succeed.

Street XO Sherry and food pairing menu

May 22, 2018 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Street XO Mayfair

15 Old Burlington Street,  Mayfair ,  W1S 2JR

streetxo.com

3 Michelin Star Chef Dabiz Muñoz is working with Tio Pepe to create a special 3-course menu that will run from 3^rd-17^th May to celebrate Spain’s world-famous Feria de Jerez (sherry festival) and I have been asked to review. I’m really excited about this as I’m a huge sherry fan and have wanted to eat Muñoz’s food for a long time.Munoz is Chef Patron of StreetXO London, StreetXO Madrid and DiverXO, Madrid’s only three Michelin-starred restaurant. Moving from Madrid to London in 2002 he learnt the fundamentals of Asian cuisine working at Hakkasan, Nahm and Nobu, returning to Madrid to open his first restaurant, DiverXO. StreetXO London has been open for a year and a half has a playful sexy rock’n roll vibe and is a great place to hang for a drink, snacks or an exciting dive into cutting edge gastronomy.Munoz and his team have created a special Cocktails de Feria de Jerez menu with sherry based cocktails and a “Liquid cuisine signature flight with Gonzalez Byass” which is “a selection of creative dishes beautifully combining Spanish and Asian flavours, each paired with a sherry from the Gonzalez Byass range.”Excited by this prospect we opened proceedings with a couple of cocktails. The Tokyo – Jerez (£14) with Palo Cortado was infused with a shiso Lapsang Souchong soda which gave it a real smokiness. It came with a caramelised shrimp. My instructions were to ‘suck the shrimp head’ (something I normally do for that über shrimpy hit) and then to ‘stir the cocktail with the caramelised shrimp body’! I love this integration of food and drink and it created an amazing sherry/Asian fusion. Our other cocktail was A Scottish Man in Jerez (£15) – blend of Scotch, orgeat and lime with an amontillado float and hazelnut oil – it was gentle and nutty.And then we were on to the Liquid Cuisine sherry flight from the Food & Gonzalez Byass sherry pairing menu (£28).A glass of last year’s Tio Pepe Fino En Rama (En Rama is raw, unfixed and unfiltered sherry straight from the barrel) had a lovely texture. It was matched with a dish named Irish Oyster on Holiday to Acapulco! I loved the saline creaminess of the oyster which was cooked on the robata grill and served with surprisingly mild jalapeño gazpacho.

The next pairing was Viña AB Amontillado with Hamachi Usuzukuri. The nutty Amontillado was a great match for the Hamachi carpaccio, served with a purple potato tempura and a slick of miso shot through with citric yuzu.

The final element of the trio was a delicious PX based Gonzalez Byas Solera 1847 Cream served with two creamy Kimchi croquettas “La Pedroche”. The first was topped with salmon sashimi, trout eggs and Lapsang Souchong, and the second with an oyster mushroom and tomato relish. At £28 for three very sophisticated bites matched with some great sherries this was pretty good value.At that point in the evening Head chef Lorenzo came and introduced himself suggesting that we should move into the main restaurant and try some dishes. It would have been churlish to refuse…Sherry is the gift that keeps on giving in my opinion and it was great fun to explore the flavour relationships between the dishes and these wonderfully varied wines. The new release Tio Pepe en Rama was much drier and saltier than the previous year’s iteration with a terrific minerality. We matched it with a sublime dish of hot smoked hand-dived Scottish Scallops (£16) with a creamy citrus ponzu coconut-kaffir lime reduction. Vine root had been used to fire up the robata grill giving the scallops an intense smokiness which was a real feature of the flavour profile of Muñoz’s cooking.A 12 year old elegant GB Leonor Palo Cortado came with the most amazing dish of the evening; called Octopus a la Gallega who spoke Mayan – tender tentacles of octopus were served with an emulsion of tamarilli, papas arrugadas, a yuzu aioli and mole creating a wonderful patchwork of flavour.I also loved the fillet of lemon sole in a Thai meunière sauce, flavoured with pink pepper and accompanied by charcoal grilled baby corn. The smooth, caramel notes of our Apostoles 30 year old Palo Cortado (a fino aged like an oloroso) was a luxurious match for the fish.Our final savoury dish continued the travel theme being entitled ‘A Scottish Cow visits Bankok’. Bringing together baked avocado with slow-cooked beef cheek, peas popping with freshness, broccoli, lemongrass and Kaffir lime in a green curry, it was a luscious Asian treat – and the complex flavours of Gonzalez Byass Alfonso Oloroso stood up to the spice perfectly.After this feast it was necessary to have some dessert. I wasn’t keen but Fiona insisted…Cheesecake with vanilla foam was a masterpiece of deconstruction.Whilst 7 textures of chocolate was a sultry exercise in texture and mouthfeel.A couple of cocktails finished us and the evening off perfectly. A rather grown-up Quillo The Manhattan was a blend of brandy, oloroso vermouth and orange bitters…my kind of drink…and the Ole Alexander was a sweeter option with brandy cream, orange blossom, PX, Apostles and nutmeg giving it a rich festive air.StreetXO London is well worth the trip to Mayfair. It’s great to have that transgressive Spanish vibe in a London setting and both the food and drink offers are really top notch and like nothing else in town. And if you are not a sherry drinker you really should be. With a diversity of flavours, its flexibility in food matching and for its unmatched quality at an affordable price point, it takes you on a hugely pleasurable journey through the taste palaces of Andalusia.

La Traviata @ the ENO

April 19, 2018 by Adrian Leave a Comment

A Fabulous Night At The Opera

London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4ES

020 7845 9300/eno.org

I’ve been going to the London Coliseum since the 1970s when my mother used to buy us season tickets. We used to sit through endless Hans Werner Henze operas which were stronger on Marxist dialectic than melody. As the Hedonist I’m not really keen on ideological purity and remember being relieved when the stage hands went on strike and ended a performance mid-show…I’m sure Henze would have approved.

As an counterpoint to Henzian rigour In my lower league pop star days I did a photo shoot on the Coliseum roof for an album cover; I remember sneaking into the Gods to watch a mature but still resplendent Nureyev rehearse L’Après-Midi d’un Faune. It was unrestrained and sensuous. Much more my kind of thing…

So in that spirit I was delighted to be invited back to an exclusive event at English National Opera to review the new seasonal menu at the London Coliseum restaurant before enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour of ENO, followed by a night at the opera, watching the new production of La traviata. First up was the tour. I love going backstage at theatres – it gives you a completely different perspective on the production. We were told that The London Coliseum opened in 1904 as an Edwardian Playhouse showing the best in Variety Theatre. It was designed by Frank Matcham- who also had the nearby Hippodrome and London Palladium in his portfolio – and as the name implies the design displays Roman influences.

Image by Karla Gowlett

With its 2439 seats The London Coliseum is the largest theatre in the West End. I hadn’t realised that the famous glass dome was originally designed to be raised by a cantilever system to function as a primitive air conditioning system. Sadly this triumph of Edwardian engineering was scrapped when it was realised that punters in the most expensive seats were getting rained on!I couldn’t resist playing conductor when we went down into the orchestra pit!After the tour we were taken to the American Bar Restaurant for drinks and dinner. It’s a handsome Edwardian wood-panelled room offering pre-performance and interval dining. There is a very reasonable Spring Menu at £20 for two courses, £25 for three courses, but prices are very keen given the quality.We kicked things off with a crisp glass of Charles Heidsieck fizz moving on to a bottle each of the tropical unoaked notes of a Tanguero 2017 Chardonnay and a classic 2016 Malbec from Kaiken for the table. Starters included a pert and rather sexy smoked salmon & Cornish crab parcel (£9) filled with créme fraiche and caviar and with an orange reduction for added va va voom.Seared scallops (£8) were perfectly cooked, caramelised on the outside but still plump and juicy and coming with butternut squash puree, chorizo and parmesan crisp.Seared hake fillet (£19)- a very underused fish in the UK – was meaty and full-flavoured and was served with shrimp & mussels, pickled shallots, purple sprouting broccoli – a perfect spring dish.Fiona’s fillet of beef (£20) with celeriac puree, cavolo nero, king oyster, red wine and truffle jus was cooked to order with the beef being meltingly tender – and she LOVED the jus. Then it was time for the show! The London Coliseum has the widest opera stage in Europe and with a 40 strong backstage team so it really is the destination for grand opera.La Traviata tells the story of the love affair between the courtesan (think upper-class hooker…) Violetta, played by clear-voiced Irish soprano Claudia Boyle and a naive romantic, Alfredo Germont, with mellifluous South African singer Lukhanyo Moyake making his UK debut in the role. Alfredo’s father begs the ailing Violetta to leave Alfredo to avoid his family being shamed.The opening act is visually stunning with ENO Artistic Director Daniel Kramer creating a decadent party scene interlaced with moments of intimate romance. Verdi’s score is one of the most loved in the operatic repertoire and conductor Leo McFall, making his ENO debut, did a fine job marshalling the award-winning ENO Chorus and Orchestra. And then it was time to return to the restaurant for dessert!Banana & pecan cheesecake came with luscious rum macerated golden raisins (£7). and a deliciously dark rich chocolate mousse was given a bit of crunch by maple rice cake, walnut brittle and sweetness by caramelised plum (£7).

The final tragic scene of La traviata is one of the most iconic moments in opera. Performing the role of the father Giorgio Germont is Alan Opie, celebrating 50 years since he first sang with ENO, and the playing out of the drama of reconciliation and loss saw between the three protagonists saw them all come into their own both vocally and dramatically. The subdued staging added to the emotion.

Grand opera is all about spectacle, emotion and high drama and the ENO’s production has all three in spades. If you have never been to the opera before the ENO’s productions are a great introduction and with a visit to the restaurant you have one of London’s most perfect nights out.

Padella – Review

March 26, 2018 by Adrian

Padella London Bridge

6 Southwark St, London, SE1 1TQ

http://padella.co/

I was with my 16 year old son near London Bridge. We had been to the DC comic exhibition at the O2 and it was snowing… quite heavily. We were hungry so the obvious thing to do was to queue for an hour in the cold to go to a pasta restaurant called Padella. Padella is on the edge of Borough Market. There are lots of other good places to eat in the neighbourhood including another pasta restaurant just over the road; so why on earth would we risk hypothermia for a plate of ravioli? Well, Padella isn’t any old pasta restaurant. It’s an offshoot of the much loved Highbury Corner staple Trullo (see my review) and since it opened has become one of the hardest to get into restaurants in London. With its no booking policy there are constant queues full of locals, tourists and the international Instagram food bloggerati. So on the basis that it was snowing I thought it might be just a little easier to get a table…An hour later after making friends with a venerable Chinese-American couple in the queue full of tales of their Scotch pilgrimage to Islay, Mr Freeze and The Ice Man finally made it inside. We were ushered into the rather cramped basement and soon realised from the other punters that the only way to keep your table long enough to defrost was to order lots of plates of pasta.Four plates between the two of us didn’t seem unreasonable but just to keep the health police happy we ordered a dish of Agretti with Amalfi lemon. Agretti are often listed on menus as Barba di Frate (monk’s beard) which is a damn sight sexier than the English name of Saltwort. The straggly succulent leaves with a chlorophyll tang and a citrus zing from the lemon were an effective mouth freshener for the upcoming carb fest.First up was a dish of pert Gnocchi slathered with an intense sage and nutmeg butter with the nutmeg adding a little sweetness to the astringent herb. I could sense the little dumplings’ joy as they danced down my oesophagus…Properly al dente Tagliarini came with a slow-cooked tomato sauce made with 2017 Confini olive oil. The pasta had terrific bite and the intense sauce had a deep rich southern Italian flavour that was somehow unexpected and almost shocking on a snowy day in Borough.Pici are hand-rolled ‘fat’ spaghetti from near Siena in Tuscany and at Padella are served in a Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) sauce. This simplest of dishes can turn into a claggy mess. But this was a full-flavoured lubricious delight.Last up was a peppery, caramelised and aromatic dish of Pappardelle with a 8 hour Dexter beef shin ragu – this was a perfect warming winter dish – rich and unctuous.There are only a handful of places in London that make great pasta dishes and Padella is one of them. With prices around the £7 mark per dish it is affordable and whether you want to brave the queues is strictly a matter for you. However, probably because of its popularity it does feel a little as if they are doing you a favour by letting you in; but that aside, if you like your pasta fresh, beautifully cooked and intensely flavoured then you should visit.