Archive For February 2016
I was expecting a great book from this well-respected chef, Will Torrent. I wasn’t expecting the volume to have that overwhelming feel-good factor. That comes from a reminder of traditional sweet treats in the recipes, bringing comforting memories. And contemporary innovations bringing the realisation of ‘I can do that’ dusted with a smug ‘won’t the…
Tokyo is a vibrant modern city but tradition is still evident. We might be looking for the latest technology in Akihabara or fashion and pop culture in Takeshitadori; but we all need food and many of us need sake. You’ll find that all around this sprawling town if you know where to look for it….
This is a unique book considering a cuisine little known in Europe. How frequently do we say “let’s go out for a Filipino”? Not often, although the dishes would indeed appeal to Europeans as well as Asians. The Philippine archipelago is part of Southeast Asia and its location has allowed for cultural and culinary influences…
This rather smart little book looks at the unique traditional food and cooking of the Philippines. But many of us know little of these islands and probably even less about its culinary heritage. The Philippines are a cluster of islands with its nearest neighbours being Vietnam, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. Its geographic proximity to those…
It’s raining in Kensington and we are hungry for brunch. Yes, that convivial meal twixt brekkie and weekend dinner that allows for a broad menu over which to pore. Kensington is posh and I would venture to say that Dirty Bones has the only entrance in the area that resembles that of an iffy dive…
From BBC Food Treat a loved one to breakfast in bed with these decadent pancakes topped with creamy scrambled egg and smoked salmon. Ingredients For the blinis 85g/3oz buckwheat flour 1 tsp baking powder salt and freshly ground black pepper 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk 1 tsp mustard powder 70g/2½oz cheddar cheese, grated small…
I am not naturally an early-morning person. I am not naturally a morning person of any time classification, but I do love breakfast – as long as I am not cooking it. If you are going to go to the trouble of sitting down to a meal at that time of the day then it…
A few years ago our culinary ethnic horizons extended to a Friday night curry and perhaps the occasional Chinese dinner of sweet and sour pork. Often made at home from decent cookbooks, but not often pushing geographic food boundaries. But how about Japan and Korea? These days we are exposed to many more restaurants and…
Awamori is the celebrated spirit originating in and unique to the Ryukyu Islands (Nansei Islands in Japanese) of Okinawa. It is made from long-grain Thai rice, which historically has been used in this region. The Ryukyu Kingdom was independent and ruled most of these islands from the 15th to the 19th century. The name Okinawa…