Archive For March 2016
From BBC Food You can use fresh crab or pre-prepared crabmeat for this deliciously simple crab pasta recipe. Ingredients For the brown crab 1 x 900g/2lb cooked brown crab, 350g/12oz fresh crabmeat For the pasta 315g/11oz linguine 25g/1oz sea salt For the sauce 55ml/2fl oz olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely…
The Charing Cross Road near Leicester Square Underground Station has not been famed for quality Indian restaurants. I confess I had never heard of Lotus but I arrived with high expectations as I had done my homework. This is a neat 65-cover contemporary restaurant in sophisticated grey tones. It’s in the heart of the West…
It seems a bit early for pondering Christmas presents but, trust me, it’s not. If you have a passionate food lover in your near vicinity you might want to ditch the summer holiday brochures for half an hour and consider a masterclass. There is a compelling reason why your Christmas (or birthday / anniversary /…
It’s a buzz-word these days: Umami. It’s a very familiar taste, flavour, sensation on the taste buds but we have only relatively recently put a name to this savouriness, this deliciousness. But how do we view it with regard to sake? This was originally a Japanese word and it’s all about a particular taste: of…
Oxford Street is one of London’s retail arteries. It’s a ribbon of fashion outlets from the celebrated and well-established Selfridges to a flourishing number of stalls selling trashy T-shirts and even more dubious souvenirs. The world of both good and bad taste can be your oyster. So you have perhaps enjoyed splashing the cash on…
Every three years hundreds of square miles of countryside in north western Japan are transformed into a sprawling and many-faceted art installation. More than 150 of the world’s most-celebrated landscape artists, sculptors, and architects display their work in a couple of hundred villages, fields and rice paddies. It’s a liaison between art, people and nature…
I first met Chef Gopalakrishnan when he was working at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London; a smart and charismatic young man who is known by his friends simply as Gopal. He was born in a small village called Sholingur in Tamil Nadu, 100km from Madras (now Chennai) into an orthodox Brahmin family who were vegetarian…
Sure, the world of sake is new and mysterious to most of us. Japan’s national beverage is made of few ingredients but there are many styles and each one has its own history and its own character. We are being offered a wider range of sake in Japanese restaurants but it’s a shame that non-Japanese…
This recipe is embarrassingly simple but will likely get you a heap of compliments. Anyone who enjoys a dab of wasabi with their sushi will appreciate the heat, the spice and the flavour of these truffles. 100g dark chocolate (70% or the best quality you can find) 100ml double cream 10g butter 1 – 2…
The name intrigued me. It was either a reference to the bend in the River Thames at Bankside or an indication that this restaurant takes pride in its meat dishes. As it turned out it was both. OXBO restaurant at the Hilton on Bankside has style. The foyer exuded character with contemporary furnishings that I…
by Chrissie Walker This recipe suggests using cod but almost any white fish will do. It’s a simple preparation which can be tweaked to your own taste. I use a tall steamer with 4 plastic trays but a traditional bamboo steamer is just as good. Make sure there is space around the plate for…