Plaice with nori, ginger and then ox cheeks with chickpeas in the background at Nopi
13 December 2012
Link to this story Delicious beetroot salad with liquorice dressing at Newman Street Tavern
6 December 2012
Link to this story Newman Street Tavern opens its doors in Fitzrovia
5 December 2012
Newman Street Tavern on the corner of Goodge and Newman streets is now open for lunch and dinner serving carefully considered dishes using seasonal, specialist and wild British produce at its very best. Chef Peter Weeden changes the menu daily depending on the ingredients delivered to his kitchen door.
Starters might include fresh, plump cockles served with laver, diver caught scallops with garlic and Pernod butter, Game tea with faggots or lamb scrumpets.
Mains feature Blackface lamb with anchovy potato, John Dory and gurnard stew, Quail, caraway cabbage and bacon or Roast Galloway beef, beetroot and horseradish. And classic desserts include Ayrshire custard tart, Almond tart with almond ice and Sticky toffee pudding with thick Jersey cream.
Dine downstairs in the 'tavern' and enjoy oysters from the raw bar with a pint of Hackney Wick stout or glass of Champagne, or upstairs in the elegant dining room with vintage Edwardian furniture.
Link to this storyHake, cauliflower & brown shrimps on the Christmas menu at Upstairs at The Ten Bells
27 November 2012
Link to this story Bespoke Hampers from The Modern Pantry for Christmas
27 November 2012
The Modern Pantry, Anna Hansen’s celebrated restaurant and pantry in Clerkenwell is this year offering a selection of Christmas hampers that can be tailored to include any selection of The Pantry’s delicious homemade jams, pickles, relishes and spice blends, as well as the decadent truffles and treats including cinder toffee and biscotti. Copies of The Modern Pantry Cookbook, signed by Anna Hansen, vouchers for Afternoon Tea in the restaurant, and a huge range of wine are also all available as Christmas gifts. Perhaps ...
Winter Warmer: £55
The Winter Warmer package includes a bottle of red wine and a muslin mulled wine spice bag; a choice of three jars from The Pantry with a recipe card; a signed copy of The Modern Pantry Cookbook; a choice of truffles, cinder toffee or biscotti. Everything is perfectly wrapped and packed into one of The Modern Pantry’s signature printed cloth bags.
Afternoon Delight: £45
Afternoon Delight includes a voucher for The Modern Pantry’s legendary Afternoon Tea for two people; a choice of two jars from The Pantry with a recipe card; a choice of truffles, cinder toffee or biscotti. You may add two glasses of bubbles to the Tea, or a bottle of Prosecco or mulled wine kit to the selection for just £10. Everything is beautifully packaged up with cellophane, ribbons and a printed cloth bag.
Wine at The Modern Pantry
Every bottle on The Modern Pantry’s award winning wine list is available for sale through the restaurant at incredible retail prices, and with a discount of 15% on purchases of 12 or more bottles – including mixed cases.
The Modern Pantry is offering two set menus, priced at £40 and £50 throughout the festive period, as well as a special New Year’s Eve feasting menu. The restaurant is closed from December 23rd, re-opening on December 27th, and will be closed on New Year’s Day.
Link to this story
OTTOLENGHI Christmas Hampers galore!
23 November 2012
This year OTTOLENGHI has three gorgeous Christmas hampers available online and will deliver for free anywhere in the UK.
The Ottolenghi Hamper priced at £105 -
- Ottolenghi Christmas cake
- Ottolenghi Mince pies
- Rosemary spiced nuts
- Jars of Ottolenghi jam and cranberry and apple relish
- Ottolenghi dark chocolate brittle with raspberry and pistachio
- Bags of Ottolenghi shortbread and soft amaretti biscuits
- A jar of Ottolenghi flavoured salt
- Prosecco Garbel, Adami
The Cook's Hamper priced at £60 -
- Organic pumpkin seed oil
- Valdespino sherry vinegar
- Coarse freekeh
- Dried barberries and Green pistachio kernels
- Palestinian za'atar
- Piquillo peppers
- A jar of Ottolenghi flavoured salt
The Sweet Hamper priced at £70
- Halva with chocolate beans
- Ottolenghi Christmas cake
- Jar of Ottolenghi jam
- Ottolenghi pecan snowballs and Ottolenghi salted caramel chocolate brittle
- Turkish delight
- 6 Ottolenghi macadamia caramels
For orders please visit the online store and for more information and images please contact us directly.
Christmas at Upstairs at The Ten Bells
23 November 2012
Upstairs at The Ten Bells are extending their opening hours for Christmas, which simply means more opportunities to eat Isaac's Buttermilk Fried Chicken in Pine Salt! The dining room will now be open for lunch Tuesday to Sunday each week, and for dinner Tuesday to Saturday, from 27th November.
The special Christmas menu will be available from 27th November until 23rd December and will begin with a Hendricks cocktail and snacks - this time with Buttermilk Fried Pheasant in Pine Salt - two options per course, coffee or tea and petit fours for £39 per person (lunch will be £34 per person without the cocktail).
Reservations can be made here
Hendrick's Cocktail
Buttermilk Fried Pheasant & Pine Salt
Cayenne & Cheddar Puffs
Oysters
**************
Chestnut and Truffle Soup, Brussels Sprouts & Chanterelles
or
Treacle Cured Smoked Salmon, Kohlrabi & Chervil
*************
Roast Old Spot Pork, Cider Apple Sauce & Red Cabbage
or
Hake, Cauliflower & Brown Shrimp
**************
Warm Chocolate Pave, Ice Cream & Pecans
or
Baked Apples, Calvados & Sour Cream
**************
Caravan Coffee or Fresh Mint Tea & Petit Four
Link to this storySpread a little DISHOOM this Christmas!
20 November 2012
This festive season, Dishoom is brushing off the icicles and serving up Christmas 'Bombay style', with three dedicated set party menus that bring a little bit of Bombay’s sizzle to London. Dishoom’s Head Chef, Naved Nasir, has put together the Feasting Menus that also include a range of wickedly delicious seasonal cocktails including Chai Egg Nog, Desi Mulled Wine, and the now legendary Bollybellini. The menus are served as large ‘Thaals’, delivered to the table for guests to help themselves, and will be available in both restaurants from 15th to 23rd December.
Dishoom Shoreditch’s signature dish of Lamb Raan (a whole leg of lamb marinated in a blend of spices and slow cooked overnight before being finished on the flame grill) is given a festive makeover, and Turkey Raan is the centerpiece of the Christmas menus. Turkey Raan is a glorious celebration dish - rich, warming, and delicately spiced – and offers the perfect alternative to the ubiquitous roast turkey.
The sumptuous Thaals start at £30 per person and include Dishoom’s famous Turkey Raan with all the trimmings, Biryani with Chicken or Vegetables, and a range of delicious side dishes. Desserts include Mince Pies with Spiced Custard, and Dishoom favourites Kala Khatta Golaand Kulfi on a Stick.
Reservations@Dishoom.com
Link to this storyThanksgiving at Chiswick's American bakery Outsider Tart
19 November 2012
The boys behind all-American bakeshop Outsider Tart in Chiswick will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a special menu full of traditional American favourites.
Served ‘family style’ with all dishes presented to tables to share, Thanksgiving Dinner at Outsider Tart is available on Thursday 22nd November and Saturday 24th November. As there will only be one sitting per evening, booking is highly recommended to secure a spot at this highly anticipated dinner.
The Thanksgiving menu is £50 per person, or £70 with American wines matched to each course. Highlights of the menu include traditional Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy, Cherry Cornbread, OD’s Famous Mac n’ Cheese as well as 'Hush Puppies', Shrimp & Grits and a selection of puddings including Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake and Banana Pudding.
The evening will be hosted by the Two Davids in their own inimitable style – expect plenty of laughter, jokes, and generous American hospitality.
Link to this story
Newman Street Tavern to open in Fitzrovia
13 November 2012
Opening at the end of November, NEWMAN STREET TAVERN in Fitzrovia celebrates the very finest seasonal, specialist and wild produce from around the British Isles served alongside a preeminent list of wines available by the glass, pot and bottle.
Head Chef and Partner Peter Weeden, previously of Paternoster Chop House and The Boundary, runs a traditional kitchen in its fullest sense: whole carcasses such as Galloway beef, venison and Scottish Blackface lamb are matured and butchered in-house; the bakery produces bread and pastries, game is properly hung, and fish is delivered daily from the day boats off the Cornish coast.
Situated on the corner of Goodge Street and Newman Street, the Tavern’s ground floor bar, raw bar and informal first floor dining room provide a welcome respite; a place to enjoy half-a-dozen West Mersea Native Oysters and a seasonally brewed ale, or a glass of wine (from Albarino to Zinfandel) with Blackface Scrumpets or Potted Rabbit. Newman Street Tavern’s raw bar – a 2-metre long salvaged and restored enamel trough – holds a selection of oysters from the British coast as well as clams, whelks, cockles, crab, langoustines and sea urchins, dependent on the catch that day. Using a range of trusted suppliers forged over many years enables Newman Street Tavern to have the best produce available from around the country on any given day.
Newman Street Tavern will be open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday, while items from the raw bar along with other staples will be served throughout the afternoon. On Sunday the Tavern will open for brunch at 10.30am and lunch will be served until 5pm.
“We have been planning Newman Street Tavern for a while now and I am so excited to open the doors and welcome everyone to our tavern and dining room where we will be cooking and serving some wonderful British food in beautiful surroundings at a great location.”
Peter Weeden, Chef and Partner of Newman Street Tavern
www.newmanstreettavern.co.uk
Link to this storyAkuri, spicy scrambled eggs, at Dishoom Shoreditch for breakfast.
12 November 2012
Link to this story Coconut marinated wild seabass, candy beetroot, pickled walnut, pink peppercorn & lemongrass dressing at The Modern Pantry
9 November 2012
Link to this story Picture perfect: goat's cheese between gingerbread biscuits, beetroot & more at Galvin at Windows
31 October 2012
Link to this story 
Ottolenghi launches Online Store
23 October 2012
Ottolenghi has redefined the way we cook and eat, introducing intriguing, exciting and vibrant new ingredients to our kitchens. Now these Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients and foods can be bought directly from Ottolenghi in the new online store – webstore.ottolenghi.co.uk – and delivered across the country and overseas.
Ottolenghi started this online store after feedback from customers showed that they struggled to find some ingredients locally. The hassle is over then – everything you need, especially for the new cookbook Jerusalem, is just a click away.
Ottolenghi now sells an abundance of essential pantry items online including spices, grains, syrups and oils as well as homemade jams and chutneys, chocolate and sweets, cookies, cakes, specially selected wines, cookbooks and gifts of packaged items or vouchers for Ottolenghi and NOPI restaurants.
This is not only a store but also a resource for the adventurous cook who wants to learn more about different ingredients and how best to use them. Each pantry ingredient is explained and a dish is suggested with a link to the recipe online or to a recipe in one of the cookbooks. And, there will also be the opportunity to shop online via the new Ottolenghi App that has a direct link to the store.
So, at last, aspiring cooks up and down the country can now buy Middle Eastern and hard-to-find Mediterranean ingredients to their heart's content!
Stunning cauliflower dish at Nopi, who ever thought this was a boring vegetable!
21 October 2012
Link to this story Upstairs at The Ten Bells
17 October 2012
I am very pleased to be able to announce a new client, a group of exceptionally talented young men who are set for gastronomic stardom – Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith of Upstairs at The Ten Bells.
Upstairs at The Ten Bells began life as a temporary project above an historic pub in Spitalfields where the young chefs and front of house team experimented and challenged standard restaurant etiquette. The project soon extended its time and evolved into its current form, a permanent dining room but under a different guise. Three of the originators, Young Turk Isaac McHale with Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith of The Clove Club, continue to run the dining room and oversee the young team along with Head Chef Giorgio Ravelli.
The dining room at the Ten Bells is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch Thursday to Saturday, serving a concise a la carte that begins with a Hendricks cocktail and the ‘snacks’ which they are now so known for.
Anna triumphs with her 'Rendang Burger' for Burger Monday!
12 October 2012
Burger Monday, brainchild of Daniel Young of YoungandFoodish.com, has become quite the Monday night institution. Set in Andrew's Cafe in Kings Cross and a proper old school caff, Daniel invites chefs to create and make their perfect burger, whatever that may be.
On Monday evening, 8th October, Anna Hansen from The Modern Pantry created her burger, and what a fine burger it was! The mighty Rendang Burger was made with beef, lamb, venison and a multitude of tongue-tingling spices and calming coconut. The burger was soft and succulent and topped with spiced greengage relish and a plantain fritter, and accompanied by som tam and amchur dusted cassava chips. What's not to love?
But there was more ... the burger was preceded by Anna's 'Singapore style krupuk crusted soft-shell crab, coconut, lime and green chilli sambal, and Pineapple tart tatin, miso caramel, Greek yoghurt and turmic sorbet acted as the finale.
I'm not sure I can now go back to a plain ol' beef burger!
Photo credit: Jonny Pile!
Link to this storyDishoom Shoreditch opens its doors!
11 October 2012
An eccentric old Irani Café recently arrived, East London.
“One day, an old Irani Café, creaking slightly at the seams, made the long trip from Bombay c.1970 to London in 2012. Tired from the long journey, it shuffled into an empty space in Shoreditch and made itself comfortable.”Dishoom Shoreditch opens its doors on 19th October, straddling the space between Boundary Street and Shoreditch High Street, Dishoom Shoreditch includes a Permit Room bar, bakery, kitchen dining room and covered courtyard.
Expect Dishoom's much loved dishes such as House Black Daal - slow-cooked for over 24hours, smoky Gunpowder Potatoes, Skate Cheeks Koliwada, Lamb Raan on the bone and Lamb Raan Bun served with Dishoom slaw and Sali crisps.
Dishoom Shoreditch’s 'Permit Room' bar menu will serve a range of drinks that imagine what an accomplished Bombay barman might have served in that era – Juleps, Sours, Fizzes, Flips and Punches – and of course Dishoom’s well-loved range of Naughty Chais – chai with an added extra tipple.
Dishoom shows a deeply felt reverence for the Irani Cafes of old Bombay through its design by Russell Sage Studio. The cafés often contain a slightly incongruous layering of Bombay’s Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles against ageing furniture and disheveled décor. Opulent detailing is frequently juxtaposed against antique furniture and worn-outfittings; a marble-topped bar with copper edging sits next to simple old bentwood chairs and tables with chequered table cloths under glass in the dining room.
There are many references to the Irani cafes in the design of Dishoom Shoreditch, bringing the old cafes to life in a new home in East London.
Outsider Tart Davids become cover stars!
4 October 2012
The 'two Davids' grace the cover of West Side magazine this month as they talk about the opening of their new 'soul food joint' Blue Plate situated next door to their much loved American bakery Outsider Tart. Expect authentic, soulful southern cooking in this corner of West London, opening on 1st November.
Hake with seafood nuggets in a dual pool of bouillabaisse & liquid saffron potato at Pollen Street Social
29 September 2012
Link to this story Fry up anyone? The tomato purée tasted just like baked beans! Middle course at Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social
29 September 2012
Link to this story I have devoured a mountain of chickpeas while in Barcelona, but these have to be my favourite, in La Boqueria.
21 September 2012
Link to this story More sardines but simply grilled with garlic & parsley at Cova Fumada Barceloneta
20 September 2012
Link to this story Fresh raw sardines with orange, 'crumbs' and fresh wasabi at Comerc24 Barcelona
20 September 2012
Link to this story Big chunk of baccalau with chickpeas at Cafe de L'Academia Barcelona
20 September 2012
Link to this story My salivatingly good 4th July Hot Dog at Bubbledogs - wrapped in bacon, BBQ sauce, slaw!
13 September 2012
Link to this story Sarit's incredible 'cheesecake' at the tiny but perfectly formed Honey and Co.
11 September 2012
Link to this story 
A Modern Artisan Baker: Lily Vanilli launches second cookbook Sweet Tooth
3 September 2012
Since she started selling her cakes at a market in East London, Lily Jones (aka Vanilli) has gone on to become one of Britain's best-loved artisan bakers. With a star-studded client list, Lily's bakes are famous for their unique flavour combinations, spectacular design and exquisite taste. In 2011 she opened her bakery 'Lily Vanilli's Bakery & Flour Market' off Columbia Road and has now published her second baking cookbook 'Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth'.
Sweet Tooth is a selection of delicious recipes from cakes and pastry, biscuits and tea cakes, meringues, chocolate, sugar and ices. Lily also explains the key scientific stages and techniques in baking and reveals her skills that have made her one of London's most talented bakers and cake decorators.
"Some grapes aren't bad, they're just grown that way", as that well known wine lover Jessica Rabbit might have said.
3 September 2012
The Modern Pantry 'Bad Press Grapes' Wine Dinner, 18th September.
The restaurant's resident wine buffs, Candi Giacchetti and Bill Knott, thought it was about time some of the wine world's most vilified varieties got a fair crack of the pip.Their choices have been expertly matched with delightful dishes by The Modern Pantry's chef patron Anna Hansen. The dinner is £80 per person, places are limited.
Fried quail egg, rendang mince on toast
2010 Muller-thurgau, Eisaktaler
Sudtirol- Alrto Adige, Italy
…
Bee pollen, goats curd, dandelion, poppy seed crisps, lemon vinaigrette
2009 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Zarache
Abruzzo, Italy
…
Cotechino, fennel seed & feta lentils, liquorice jus
2010 Lambrusco Rosso, Camillo Donati
Emilia Romagna, Italy
…
Miso marinated onglet, creamed sweetcorn panisse, cumin salt
2010 Gamay, Domaine de la Bergerie
Loire, France
…
PX soaked Medjool dates, turmeric yoghurt sorbet, Torta de Aceite
PX, Cardinel Cisneros, Bodegas Sanchee Romate,
Jerez, Spain
Baileys liqueur cream chocolate truffle
Link to this story
The Modern Pantry's beautiful Rendang mince on toast with fried quail's egg.
28 August 2012
Link to this story I love Spanish restaurant Trangallan's trio of desserts, each was perfect.
19 August 2012
Link to this story Pizza for lunch at Story Deli, thin, thin crust w mascarpone, chorizo, toms, mozzarella & rosemary oil.
12 August 2012
Link to this story Seared prawns, kohlrabi, cabbage, smoked bacon sauerkraut & jalapeño sauce. Just one of the new dishes on NOPI's menu.
8 August 2012
Link to this story 
Mizithra goat's cheese by Aikaterini in Paxos. 1st - fresh & delicate, 2nd - (whey) nutty, 3rd - steeped in olive oil for a year
3 August 2012
Link to this story A simple salad of feta, tomatoes, pungent oregano, olive oil & sea salt. Lunch with Spiro at Taxidi, Paxos.
2 August 2012
Link to this story An hour later after being in the olive wood-fired oven, the bread is ready for the village bakery.
1 August 2012
Link to this story Up at 5.30 this morning to see the baker at work in Loggos, Paxos. Dough rising in pleated linen.
1 August 2012
Link to this story DISHOOM to open in Shoreditch
29 July 2012
An eccentric old Irani Café recently arrived, EastLondon.
“One day, an old Irani Café, creaking slightly atthe seams, made the long trip from Bombay c.1970 to London in 2012. Tired from the long journey, it shuffled into an empty space in Shoreditch and made itself comfortable. This old Café had for some time been corresponding with its slightly more showy cousin who had made a similar trip and had found a home in CoventGarden.”
The team behind the well-loved Bombay café DISHOOM in Covent Garden is delighted to announce that they will open DISHOOM SHOREDITCH in October 2012.Tucked away on Boundary Street in the heart of Shoreditch, the space will include a bar, café, kitchen dining room and courtyard.
Dishoom pays loving homage to the Irani cafés that were once part of the fabric of life in Bombay. Opened early last century by Persian immigrants, there were almost four hundred of these cafés at their peak in the 1960s. Now fewer than thirty remain.
Dishoom Shoreditch will show a deeply felt reverence for these old cafés through its design by Russell Sage Studio. The design team and Dishoom founders spent many days in the remaining cafés (too much eating, too much chai) listening to the stories of the owners, seeking inspiration from the original designs, fixtures and fittings and trying to understand the eccentric personality of each café.
The space in Shoreditch will remain true to its existing architecture, but will act as stage set for the café, bar and kitchen dining room. Those familiar with the Irani cafés will recognise myriad references to specific cafés. The overall atmosphere is intended to feel true to the comfortable and lived-in old cafés, which – if they were to somehow make the long journey – might even feel at home in East London.
Outside, there will be a courtyard with tables and chairs leading to an airy bar space, bakery and café seating, and a kitchen dining room on the lower ground floor. As ever,the Dishoom kitchen will be open all day from breakfast through to dinner serving Head Chef Naved Nasir’s much enjoyed Dishoom menu, taking its inspiration from the Irani cafes, Bombay street grills and food of south Bombay. The bar will serve the kinds of cocktails that would have had currency in a pre-independence Bombay – Flips, Gimlets, Sours, Old Fashioneds and Juleps, their herbs and botanics nodding to journeys between the continents.
Dishoom Shoreditch is looking forward to settling in to its new home and welcoming you there!
Link to this storyThe perfect breakfast on a sunny day: Nopi's black rice, mango, banana, coconut milk & palm syrup.
26 July 2012
Link to this story Beetroot cured bream w coloured beets & horseradish cream for a lovely sunny lunch at Rocksalt Folkestone
23 July 2012
Link to this story The Eagle's famous steak sandwich for under a tenner, drippingly, oozingly good!
16 July 2012
Link to this story 
Beautiful Lavosh crackers with smoked aubergine purée, just a lovely little snack at NOPI
12 July 2012
Link to this story 
Perfect arrangement of perfect cherry bakewells at Lily Vanilli Bakery & Flour Market
8 July 2012
Link to this story 
"United Cakes of America" - Outsider Tart reveal the secrets to a perfect Cheesecake
4 July 2012
To celebrate Independence Day the two Davids from American bakery Outsider Tart in Chiswick cook the perfect cheesecake for Metro, with a bit of Britishness thrown in via clotted cream! Chloe Scott gives a bit of history into the cheesecake and the Davids give their recipe for a classic, and wow does it look tasty!
Here's a link to the online version on MetroUK - http://bit.ly/LRHsI1
Link to this storyNOPI's Head Chef Ramael Scully launches new A La Carte
3 July 2012
NOPIrestaurant opened over a year ago just north of Piccadilly, its perfectlyformed bold and colourful small dishes reflecting contemporary London withingredients from around Britain and flavours from the Mediterranean, MiddleEast and Asia. NOPI’s surprising ingredient combinations conjure comfort,elegance and ultimately taste sensations, served in their brasserie-styledining room of marble, brass, tiles and wood or in front of the buzzing kitchenon the lower level.
Overone year on and NOPI’s Head Chef Ramael Scully has launched a new menu for lunch and dinner. The menuhas been reconstructed to offer, in addition to the existing ‘Vegetables’,‘Fish’ and ‘Meat’ dishes to share, Nibbles, new Main course and side dishes. Amonth on and this combination has proved to be hugely popular.
Sample new menu
Nibbles – vegetable crudités,avocado and yoghurt dip / Ottolenghi roasted spicy nuts / Lavosh crackers,butter bean and lemon puree.
Mains – Seared 30 day dry agedScottish rib-eye steak, asparagus, pickled ginger / Cornish lemon sole, burntbutter, nori and ginger / Smoked ricotta rotolo, Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds /Lamb rump, vanilla endive, sorrel pesto.
Sides – Organic red quinoa,tropea and watercress salad / Sautéed spring greens / Herb salad / CrushedNoirmoutier potatoes, caperberries, roasted garlic
Dishes to Share or Starters– Burrata,flat white peach, coriander seeds / Roasted aubergine, black garlic, harissa,pine nuts / Fried courgette flowers, ricotta, schneeflockli cheese, datemolasses / Mackerel, nettle vichyssoise, green apple, wasabi fish roe / PresaIberica, peanut mango acar, pickled pomelo.
Puddings – Chocolate and almondcake, apricot kernel cream / Lavender labneh, roasted rhubarb, pine nutbiscotti / Farro pudding, orange blossom, sesame brittle / Apricot and pandanfinanciers, coconut passion fruit cream / Caramel and roasted peanut ice cream,chocolate sauce.
Pre-theatre menu
NOPIalso serves a pre-theatre menu, a great success given its enviable theatredistrict position. The set menu of sharing plates is priced at £21.50 perperson or £24.50 including dessert. Sample dishes from this menu includeRoasted cauliflower, ricotta, golden raisins, capers / Crispy baby squid,almond tarator, lime relish / Slow cooked pork belly, coco bean cassoulet,salsa verde / Chargrilled broccolini, skordalia, chilli oil / Caramel androasted peanut ice cream, chocolate sauce.
Breakfast
Breakfast isserved every day at NOPI, serving exquisite food such as Borlotti bean stew,chorizo, fried Italian egg / French toast, star anise sugar, berry compote,orange yoghurt / Black rice, coconut milk, banana, mango / Shakshuka (braisedItalian eggs, piquante tomato sauce, smoked labneh) / Courgette and manourifritters, lime yoghurt. With its elegant, light and airysurroundings matched with attentive service, a varied and enticing menu and abuzzing atmosphere, but still quiet enough to conduct a fruitful meeting, NOPIis the ideal setting for the business breakfast.
Link to this storyBlack bream, aubergine purée, courgette ribbons, roast garlic & perfect slithers of lemon, from the talented Helena, Skylon.
29 June 2012
Link to this story Oranges that made the best fresh orange juice for breakfast. Turkey.
22 June 2012
Link to this story 
Beautiful rhubarb bakewell tarts by the extremely talented Lily Vanilli.
15 June 2012
Link to this story A Time Out top 100 dish - Dishoom's Bacon Naan Roll with spicy tomato sauce, as good as it looks!
8 June 2012
Link to this story MEATMarket in Covent Garden, loved the location, loved the burgers, will be heading back!
4 June 2012
Link to this story British Food & Design Champions CANTEEN open in Covent Garden
30 May 2012
Following the success of Canteen’s temporary ‘restaurant in residence’ in Covent Garden’s Piazza, the popular mini-chain confirms that another permanent restaurant – its fifth – is about to open its doors.
Canteen Covent Garden is located on the ground floor of the Lyceum Theatre. The entrance on Wellington Street is to the right of the theatre and is one of the gateways to Covent Garden that attracts over 50 million visitors a year. The restaurant and bar design reflects Canteen’s now recognisable signature style - contemporary, democratic and welcoming.
The site may be new but the philosophy remains the same: all day dining from breakfast to dinner, with lunch and afternoon tea in between, allowing customers to enjoy reasonably priced food that is good quality, freshly prepared and seasonal.
Canteen’s mission is to raise the standard of British food on the high street, and it does so by serving high volume but at high quality, because it never compromises on its ingredients sourced from around the British Isles.
Canteen works directly with some of the UK’s best food producers. All its meat is ethically sourced, its fish is supplied from day boats on the South Coast and everything is made fresh in the Canteen kitchens, including all jams, chutneys, cakes and ice-creams.
Canteen is celebrated not only for its all day menu but also for its progressive approach to design. The restaurant group designs and produces its own furniture, through British design studio Very Good & Proper.
With the original façade of the building dating from the 1830s, Canteen’s contemporary design is juxtaposed with the ornate molding around the tall windows and front doors. The bar area is sleek and inviting with its zinc bar top, Very Good & Proper designed bar stools and chairs and reclaimed Victorian mosaic floor tiles.
A slope leads down to the large oak herringbone-floored dining room with booth seating lined against a tiled wall (original tiles used by London Underground); the ‘Covent Garden Chair’ in various colours sits at the round tables, while the brushed brass Canteen Utility Chair lines the long tables beneath the windows.
Link to this story
Just look at those brownies, & tropical bakewell tarts in the background at Lily Vanilli Bakery.
27 May 2012
Link to this story A perfect way to start the morning, Climpsons & Sons coffee made for me by Ben, at home!
25 May 2012
Link to this story A lovely lunch at L'Autre Pied, I loved my Garganelli stuffed with crab, broad beans, peas & shoots & almonds
15 May 2012
Link to this story Helena Rizzo & Daniel Redondo's Sao Paolo restaurant MANI
3 May 2012
On Monday 30th April the 50 Best Restaurants in the world were announced, and just outside this list at no.51 is MANI restaurant in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and I am delighted to announce that we are now representing MANI run by husband and wife chefs Daniel Redondo from Catalunia and Helena Rizzo from southern Brazil.
Helena and Daniel met while working for the second best restaurant in the world - El Celler de Can Roca in Girona Spain. Together they bring inspiration from their heritage and past experience while showcasing their unique local produce and transforming traditional Brazilian dishes into their innovative and contemporary style.
Helena is noted as one of the best chefs in Brazil, and MANI is just one of three Brazilian restaurants included in the World's 100 Best Restaurants.
Oh, and their website is gorgeous! http://www.manimanioca.com.br/
Link to this storyVINI ITALIANI, the home of Italian wines in London
27 April 2012
I am very pleased to announce our new client 'Vini Italiani', an exclusive wine store in South Kensington. Vini Italiani is the first and only wine store entirely dedicated to Italian wines in London offering the largest selection of quality labels from the renowned celebrated vineyards to the lesser known boutique wine makers.
Spanning two floors the stunning space features polished concrete floors, a 'Salotto' (drawing room) for private wine tastings, 'Aula' (class room) for wine courses and tastings often with guest chefs pairing foods with the wines, and two cellars dedicated to the fine wines of Tuscany and Piedmont.
Vini Italiani holds more than 500 individual wines from all of the 20 regions in Italy spanning from the elegant Barolo of Piedmont in the West to the crisp Collio and Pinot Grigio of Friuli Venezia-Giulia in the East, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco of Trentino Alto-Adige in the North to the Nero D'Avola and passito of Sicily in the South.
The store is run by fully trained sommeliers headed up by award-winning sommelier Simone Semprini.
Further information on Vini Italiani and its creators will follow, but for further information please don't hesitate to get in touch.
www.vini-italiani.co.uk
The 'Pepino' cocktail at La Bodega Negra: tequila, mescal, cucumber & jalapeño!
25 April 2012
Link to this story Gorgeous sandwich selection at 1 Lombard Street as we taste lots of Rare Teas
20 April 2012
Link to this story NOPI's famously addictive courgette & manouri cheese fritters w lime creme fraiche
18 April 2012
Link to this story Gorgeous nibbles on new NOPI menu: veg crudités, avocado & yoghurt dip with dukkah
18 April 2012
Link to this story Sakura Maru at Ceviche Soho: thinly sliced salmon in 'Nikkei tiger's milk'!
12 April 2012
Link to this story Easter Weekend Feasting 3 - milk-fed baby lamb from Farmer Sharp, thanks Andrew!
10 April 2012
Link to this story Easter Weekend Feasting 2 - mackerel fillets pan-fried with saffron potatoes & braised peas & lettuce
10 April 2012
Link to this story Easter Weekend Feasting began with whelk fritters by Ben, surprisingly delicious!
10 April 2012
Link to this story La Bodega Negra - 'best Mexican food in London' - so says Fay Maschler
10 April 2012
The 'best Mexican food in London'? Probably.
These 'Al Pastor' tacos are certainly very moreish and are served in both the cafe (with cowboy beans & green rice for a tenner) and restaurant & tequila cellar at La Bodega Negra.
The pork is marinated in chilli and spices and then layered on a spit with pork fat and topped with a whole pineapple, allowing the juices to drip down over the pork. The Al Pastor tacos are served with roasted pineapple on a soft corn tortilla. Add the arbol chilli sauce at your peril!
www.labodeganegra.com
Soul Food Supper by the two Davids at Outsider Tart, sticky BBQ beef brisket, cheesy macaroni & ham hock greens.
28 March 2012
Link to this story With the Girls!
20 March 2012
It was such a great pleasure to work with Angela and Fiona and the team at 1 Lombard Street for the 'Girls Night Out' dinners earlier in March. A fantastic idea to bring together such culinary talents, and all women, naturally.
It was an honour to meet the chefs from overseas - Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune restaurant New York, Helena Rizzo from Mani restaurant Sao Paolo and Margot Janse from Le Quartier Francais in South Africa, each paired perfectly with our own talented chefs - Angela Hartnett, Anna Hansen and Clare Smyth.
Let's do it again next year ladies! (and thanks to Chris Terry for taking photos of us all, legend!)
An eye-popping, mouth-watering selection of cakes & savouries at the delightful Outsider Tart.
16 March 2012
Link to this story Such beautiful salads & sourdough, getting ready for lunch service at NOPi today
16 March 2012
Link to this story 
Divine Tea Tasting at The Modern Pantry with Lalani&Co and Riedel glassware
15 March 2012
Link to this story La Bodega Negra Cafe on Moor St in Soho is open for business serving tequila, mescal, tacos & much more!
14 March 2012
Link to this story Refreshing lunchtime cocktail, non-alcoholic of course, from NOPI, apple mojito
5 March 2012
Link to this story The very lovely copper bar at Mele e Pere on Brewer St Soho here I had a lovely Italian lunch today
24 February 2012
Link to this story Light & fluffy ricotta pancakes with berry compote & creamy creme fraiche, a perfect breakfast at The Modern Pantry
17 February 2012
Link to this story Dinner last night - the 'mighty aubergine' w saffron yoghurt dressing, from Ottolenghi cookbook
16 February 2012
Link to this story Sea Bream with oregano & lemon and oven baked potatoes, lovely Sunday lunch at The Eagle, Farringdon
12 February 2012
Link to this story Butterflied hake's head with garlic & peppers at the wonderful Pizarro, thank you Jose!
10 February 2012
Link to this story Warming and comforting lamb stew at Ducksoup for lunch yesterday
10 February 2012
Link to this story 1 Lombard Street looking stunning today for 'City says I Do' wedding show
6 February 2012
Link to this story Authentic Mexican comes to London
4 February 2012
La Bodega Negra is an exciting new Mexican restaurant project opening in a prime Soho location in early 2012.
The brains behind La Bodega Negra are New York nightlife legend Serge Becker, London's celebrated restaurant operator Will Ricker, and serial entrepreneur Ed Spencer Churchill.
Featuring a dramatic subterranean 100-seater restaurant and bar, a road side taqueria, and all-day contemporary Mexican cafe, La Bodega Negra promises the most authentic Mexican fare in town in a sumptuously designed complex of spaces. The menu will feature staples such as ceviches, tacos and tostados, as well as rotisserie dishes and specialties from the wood-burning grill. Spicing and ingredients will be painstakingly sourced to ensure a magical and authentic culinary experience. A selection of bespoke cocktails including margaritas such as Hibiscus Margarita and Tamarind Margarita and a definitive tequila menu will complement the food.
www.labodeganegra.com
New dish on the menu at NOPI - wood pigeon w burnt miso butterscotch sauce/walnuts/pomegranate/skordalia, a taste sensation!
2 February 2012
Link to this story Gorgeous squid/puntarella salad, rabbit/pork pie, shortbread biscuit sandwich w goat's curd, lemon curd, marmalade at Quo Vadis
2 February 2012
Link to this story Oysters & scallops at 1 Lombard Street, getting ready for guests to arrive!
24 January 2012
Link to this story A 'meal to die for' from Chef Helena Puolakka at Skylon as Southbank celebrates Festival for the Living
16 January 2012
“The Ultimate Equalizer, The Grim Reaper, The Blessed Release; one thing is certain – we all have death in common … “ At the end of January, Skylon restaurant joins in with the celebrations ‘Death: Southbank Centre’s Festival for the Living’ by serving a tasting menu ‘to die for’. Executive Chef Helena Puolakka’s final meal is a culmination of extravagant and luxury ingredients matched with fine wines, certainly creating a meal to die for –
Lobster – butter poached with salad, quinoa and maple syrup vinaigrette
Caviar – warm buckwheat blini and traditional trimmings
Foie Gras – port wine poached, squash and beetroot mosaic
Salmon – warm smoked, pickled cucumber, mousseline sauce
Granite
Lamb – with swiss chard grain and griotte marmalade
Cheese – vacherin mont d’or
Heavenly Cloud Dessert – the very final offering …
The tasting menu is £59 per person and £47 for the wine pairing. For reservations go to www.skylon-restaurant.co.uk
Link to this storySelection of butters at new Tom Aikens: no.1 is fennel, no.2 cep, no.3 bacon & onion.
12 January 2012
Link to this story 2012 begins with an honour indeed for chef Anna Hansen.
2 January 2012
Huge congratulations to Anna Hansen, chef patron of The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell, who was awarded with the prestigious MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honour list. Very well deserved.