courgette gratin

Usually by the time Sunday evening rolls around we’re feeling more than a little guilty from all the calories we’ve racked up over the course of the week. As a result we favour closing the week with a light, and often vegetarian (more to do with what’s left loitering in the fridge than choice) supper. Last Sunday’s meal was a simple yet satisfying Courgette Gratin (adapted from Sauce and Sensibility), served with some spelt penne and a lightly dressed salad. Granted if you factor in the double cream it’s not all that saintly, but at least it is meat-free!

Courgette Gratin
Serves 2 (or 4 as a side)

3 medium courgettes, sliced lengthwise into strips
2 leeks (white parts only), thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup double cream
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).

Heat the butter in a pan on a medium flame and sauté the leeks for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are tender. Take the pan off the flame, then add the garlic and stir through. Spread the leek mixture on the bottom of a rectangular oven-proof dish.

In the same pan heat about a tbsp of the olive oil and fry the courgette slices in batches, for a couple of minutes a side, until golden. You will need to oil the pan between batches.

Arrange the courgette slices over the leeks, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of thyme leaves as you go along. Once all the courgette has been used, pour over the cream then sprinkle over the grated parmesan.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbling. Serve immediately.

grilled tahini chicken wings

Meals featuring a multitude of dishes (tapas, dim sum, mezze) really appeal to me – I like the feast-like quality and the choice it affords me (or perhaps I’m just greedy). These moreish chicken wings from the kitchen of East London restaurant Moro, are a breeze to prepare and would be a hit on any mezze spread. Ideally these would be cooked outside, in the sunshine, on a barbecue, but since we’re in the midst of one of the coldest British winters ever, the oven had to do (and they still came out great). The original recipe suggests serving them with a Tahini Sauce but I found that a mild cool Garlic Yogurt made a more successful pairing, given the wings were already marinated in tahini. Why not make both and see which you prefer? (recipes below)

Grilled Chicken Wings with Tahini
(from the Moro Cookbook)
serves 4, as part of a selection of mezze

12 chicken wings, tips removed
a generous pinch of salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl and mix well to form the marinade. Toss in the chicken wings and mix well to coat then leave to marinade at room temperature for an hour, or in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (425°F), on the grill setting.

Spread the chicken wings out on a large baking tray and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning them halfway. If the wings should be golden and slightly charred, but if they start to colour too much, turn the oven down to 200°C (392°F).

Serve hot or at room temperature with the tahini sauce, garlic yogurt and lemon wedges.

Tahini Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp water
black pepper
sea salt

Combine all sauce ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Garlic Yogurt

200ml natural greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature.

linguine with prawns & garlic in a prawn oil

Sometimes we may cook from a recipe which calls for prawns but have no use for the shells. In our household those scraps never go to waste – B often uses them to create a prawn bisque, simmering the shells gently to coax out all the lovely shellfish flavours. Another thing he likes to do is make an intense prawn oil which is wonderful drizzled over soups, risotto or a warm salad of freshly grilled seafood. Last weekend he brought home some magnificent king prawns from the Kensington Fish Shop, stripped the shells to make a prawn oil, then simply pan-fried the prawns with garlic, and tossed it all together with some linguine. The fragrant oil really accentuated the sweetness of the meaty prawns and the caramelised garlic added a slight crunch and a warm nuttiness. If you follow the below quantities you’ll be left with a good cup of extra prawn oil which can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

Linguine with Prawns and Garlic in a Prawn Oil
serves 4

16 large prawns, deshelled and deveined (reserve the shells)
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
500ml rapeseed oil
1 bay leaf

2 tbsp olive oil
450g linguine
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper
salt

First, make the prawn oil. Into a large heavy-based pan, add 2 tbsp of the rapeseed oil and sauté the carrot, onion and celery until soft. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf and then the prawn shells and cook for a further 5-6 minutes. Be sure to bash up the shells, especially the heads, with a wooden spoon to extract the flavour.

Pour in the remaining rapeseed oil and leave on high heat for 3-4 minutes than lower to a bare simmer and cook for at least 90 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, strain into a container and discard the solids.

Sauté the prawns and garlic in the olive oil on a high heat for 5-6 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through, taking care not to burn the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile cook the linguine according to packet instructions, until al dente, then drain.

Assemble by adding 3-4 tbsp of the prawn oil per person to the pasta and then tossing through the prawns and garlic. Season to taste again before serving.

london streetfood: whitecross street

Last Friday B and I hit Whitecross Street in EC1 for another round of curbside eating. A few minutes walk from Old St and Barbican tube, the Whitecross Street Market is one of the oldest in London, dating back to the 17th Century. There’s a general market that runs through the working week, and a speciality Food Market that opens every Thursday and Friday. Given its location, the food market is understandably popular with the nearby office folk so we aimed to get there early and avoid the rush.

We arrived just before midday with rumbling tummies (having skipped breakfast) and ready to eat. Our first stop was the union jack adorned Eat My Pies stall selling a selection of British classics – Handmade Pies, Sweet and Savoury Tarts, Yorkshire Pud Baps, and a whole smorgasbord of Scotch Eggs (including Thai Red Curry, Smoked Haddock and 3 Bean Veggie versions).

Everything looked lovely but it was the unusual Scotch Egg varieties that intrigued us, and upon owner Andy’s recommendation we bought one of the black pudding numbers. He kindly halved it for us, revealing a perfectly soft boiled egg (hurrah!) with a bright orange yolk. Unfortunately it had been sitting out so was a bit cold, but there was no denying that it was a quality Scotch Egg. A thin breadcrumb layer giving way to well-spiced pork meat laced with just enough black pudding to flavour but not overpower.

As we nibbled on our scotch egg we decided to walk the length of the market to check out the wide array of food on display while the street was still relatively empty. The cuisine on offer spanned the globe – there was a German stall selling Curry Wurst and Stollen (above), an Indian food truck dishing up Chicken Tikka and Roti-wrapped Kebabs, a small stand offering sizzling Chorizo Sandwiches (opening image) and of course, the obligatory Hog Roast stall, amongst many others.

By the time we had reached restaurant Ravello’s impressive Italian spread and the Tofu-Burger-peddling Veggie Table, the city crowd had started filtering in. It was time to get properly stuck in, so we turned back and paused at Brazil Flavour, lured by the smell of beef searing on the grill. We ordered a Picanha (rump cover) Sandwich, a Coxinha de Galinha (a Brazilian chicken appetizer) and a can of Guarana (a carbonated drink with apple and berry notes) to wash it all down with.

The vaguely warm coxinha was basically a deep-fried chicken croquette, pretty tasty and not too greasy but could have been (much) crispier. The Picanha sadly did not come up to scratch, for a cut that wikipedia describes as “considered to be the best part…even better than fillet mignon (in South America)” it was disappointingly full of sinew – so much so that I physically could not swallow it, even with the help of the refreshing Guarana.

After chucking most of the Picanha sandwich away, we went in search of better eats and noticed that Luardo’s, which we had passed earlier, had a healthy 20-deep queue forming. We headed hopefully towards the pretty mint-hued van and joined the throng in wait of some tex-mex nosh.

We ordered a Carnitas (pork) Burrito with lashings of hot sauce and boy was it good! Soft, pliable flour tortillas bulging with tender slow-cooked pork, toothsome rice and beans, fresh salad and a zippy guacamole (which we added for an extra 50p). It was pretty substantial (good for a satisfying lunch, not so good for two people attempting to taste all the food market wares) and hands down the best food we tasted that day.

Another stall which the crowds flocked to was the Lebanese Hoxton Beach which sold falafel wraps. I had a peek at them being made, and although they did look good we were mindful of our stomach capacity, so gave the crunchy chickpea treats a miss.

We moved on to sample three different chicken and rice combos (purely coincidental), all of which were pretty mediocre. The least offensive was probably the Chicken Curry with Rice and Peas from the Caribbean Stall, the chicken was at least flavoursome but unfortunately very dry despite being cooked on the bone, and the gravy could have done with a lot more heat.

The Pollo Catalana (served with Saffron Rice) from the Spanish stall however was a real let down flavourwise – the chicken and accompanying red peppers were bland and seriously under-seasoned. Such a shame as the enticing smell surrounding the stall was so promising.

The worst of the lot however, was the shockingly bad Chicken Massaman Curry from Lek’s Thai Food. We were initially going to bypass the stall (especially after the lady behind the counter gave me and my camera the evil eye) but thought we should give the only Oriental stall in the market a try. What a mistake. The generic tasting curry sauce lacked any depth of flavour and was a rather unappetising shade of mustard. Not inedible, but not a Massaman Curry either.

With that last disaster we wanted to end on a high and we knew a coffee from Britain’s Barista of the year would not disappoint. Gwilym’s expertly-made flat whites were without fault and went superbly with the luscious chocolate fudge brownie we picked up from Artisan Foods on our way over to the coffee cart.

There may have been a few duds, but all in all we enjoyed the stalls at Whitecross Street. Luardo’s Burritos are worth a return visit at some point, as is Gwilym Davies’ coffee cart, and I’m itching to sample the rest of Artisan Foods’ tantalising cakes and pastries. No doubt I will also be trying Eat My Pies’ Yorkshire Pud Baps with rare roast beef and a falafel wrap from Hoxton Beach next time I’m there.

Whitecross Street Food Market
Islngton, EC1

Open Thursdays and Fridays, 11am – 5pm

pork and prawn pot stickers (gyoza)

I’m not sure what it is – maybe it’s the short winter days, but it feels as if January has just flown by. I glanced at my calendar the other day and realised I only had a matter of days to get my monthly Gourmet, unbound post up. Luckily something from the archives caught my eye straight away – a recipe for shrimp and pork pot stickers from the February 2006 issue of Gourmet. Also known as guō tiē in Chinese, which literally translates to “pan stick” (hence the American name of Pot Stickers) or gyoza in Japanese, these little pan-fried dumplings are a real treat. While both versions are quite similar, the guō tiē usually contains mostly pork and chinese chives, while gyoza may contain a myriad of fillings, hence I have named these after the latter.

I have tweaked the Gourmet recipe a little – changing the ratio of prawn to pork and adding some shiaoxing wine and cornflour. I’ve also added some shredded ginger to the dipping sauce for extra freshness. To save time I bought ready-made dumpling wrappers, although making your own seems pretty straight-forward (instructions to do so can be found within the original recipe). The secret to perfect pot stickers is in the cooking – don’t move them once they touch the oiled pan so they can be left to develop lovely crusty bottoms, I’ve also included a second addition of oil which I find makes them extra crispy. The portion below will serve four as a starter but once you start you won’t be able to stop popping them so I’d advise you to make a little more – you can always freeze any uncooked gyoza for later use.

Pork and Prawn Pot Stickers (Gyoza)
(adapted from Gourmet, Feb 2006)
makes 20

1 packet round dumpling wrappers*
2 tbsp vegetable oil

filling:
150g (1/3 lb) prawns peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
100g (1/5 lb) ground fatty pork (preferably from shoulder)
3 spring onions (scallions), chopped
1/2 tsp shiaoxing wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornflour

dipping sauce:
1 1/2″ piece of ginger, julienned
1 tbsp chinese black vinegar
1/2 tsp asian chilli oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water

Place all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well with a metal spoon until just combined. Cover and chill for 10 minutes.

While the prawn and pork mixture is chilling prepare the dipping sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature (for up to 3 hours) until ready to serve. Stir again briefly before serving.

Line a large baking sheet or rectangular dish with paper towels and dust lightly with flour. Place a wrapper on your palm, then put 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre of the round. Moisten the edges with a wet finger and fold it over in half to form a half-moon shape. Using your thumb and forefinger press to form 10 to 12 tiny pleats along the edge to seal. Shape the dumplings so that the base of the dumplings are flat. Place finished dumpling on the floured surface and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then carefully place the dumplings on the pan, seam sides up. Fry dumplings for 2-3 minutes, until bottoms are pale golden then add 1/2 cup water and quickly cover with a lid. Leave the dumplings to steam until all the liquid has evaporated (about 5-6 minutes), if the pan is dries up quickly and the seamed edge still appears white and uncooked add a little more water and replace the lid.

Remove the lid and add the remaining oil, swirling the pan a little so that the oil reaches the bottoms of all the pot stickers. Let them continue cooking (uncovered) for a couple more minutes, then lift with a spatula to check that bottoms – once they are crisp and golden they are ready.

Serve dumplings immediately (but be careful when you bite in – they will be hot!), with the dipping sauce.

Note: Dumplings can be made a day in advance and kept (uncooked) in the fridge. Place on lightly floured paper towels, not touching and loosely covered with more paper towels, in an airtight container. If you wish to keep them longer than a day, then freeze them – when you wish to cook them do not defrost, just cook straight from frozen, leaving them in the pan a minute or two longer than you would from fresh.

*can be found in the refrigerated section of any Oriental supermarket, they should be white – do not use the yellow wonton wrappers as they taste different and don’t pan-fry well.

vietnamese chicken sandwich (bánh mì)

Our recent visit to the Golborne and Portobello food stalls has got us so excited about London’s street-side grub we’re already planning our next outing, and if all goes to plan we’ll be hitting Whitecross Street Food Market tomorrow. We’ve also set our sights on Borough, Broadway, Exmouth and Greenwich Markets, as well as Brick Lane where I heard there’s a pretty good Bánh Mì (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) stall. Obviously it’s going take us a while to eat our way across London, so to tide us over I thought I’d recreate some street fare at home. I found a Chicken Bánh Mì recipe on epicurious that looked promising, so decided to give it a go. It was relatively easy to put together and came out well – the five-spiced chicken set off nicely by the sharp pickles. Not being a massive fan of coriander and raw onions I left those out, and replaced the sliced chilli with a smidgen of green chilli paste (it’s powerful stuff!) B’s mum had brought over for us from Mauritius. Probably not as good as the ones found along the streets of Saigon, but still a mighty satisfying lunch for two.

Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches (Bánh Mì)
(adapted from a Bon Appétit recipe)
serves 2 generously

pickled vegetables:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
pinch of salt
1 cup carrot, julienned
1 cup daikon, julienned

3 skinless chicken thigh fillets
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp five-spice powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 star anise
vegetable oil

to serve:
1 baguette
mayonnaise
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
1 green chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
fresh coriander, roughly chopped (optional)

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar (1/4 cup) and salt and stir until dissolved. Marinate the carrots and daikon in the liquid for 2-3 hours, then drain and keep refrigerated until needed (the pickled vegetables will keep, covered and chilled, for up to 5 days.

In a large bowl mix the shallot, garlic, star anise, five-spice, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and remaining sugar with the the chicken thighs. Toss to coat well, then leave to marinate for at least an hour (at room temperature), or overnight (in the fridge).

Heat an oiled griddle pan on a medium heat and grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. If the meat starts to burn (the sugar in the marinade will inevitably cause it to char) then turn your heat down a touch. Remove from heat and leave to rest for a minute, then slice into 2cm wide strips.

While the chicken is cooking warm your bread in the oven. Slice the baguette in half, then split it again lengthwise.

When you’re ready to assemble the sandwiches, open up the baguette and spread liberally with mayonnaise. Top the bottom halves of bread with chicken slices, followed by a large handful of pickled vegetables and shredded cucumber. Scatter over the red onion, sliced chilli and coriander if desired.

Pop on the top of the baguette, squeeze firmly together with your fingers and eat immediately.

london street food: golborne & portobello roads

I had originally planned to do a street food crawl across London but quickly realised that my stomach could not possibly process that much food at one go, so am instead breaking up the culinary exploration into bits. We began the food tour last Saturday by venturing onto nearby Golborne and Portobello Roads, a stone’s throw from our flat.

Golborne Road is like a Little Portugal and Morocco rolled into one, lined with Morrocan and Portuguese eateries and grocers. The pavements are dotted with makeshift stalls selling bric-a-brac, and a large selection of food stalls selling anything from falafel and kebabs to tagines and grilled seafood. The stalls here are not as bright and shiny as the ones found in portobello market and mostly serve locals rather than tourists, in fact many didn’t even have signs, leaving us clueless as to what they were selling.

We strolled down the road, bypassing the falafel stand, a mobile serving fry-ups and a group of Carribean women chatting in a stall, bare except for 3 covered trays (we assumed this was the Jerk Stand). Halfway up Golborne we found a kebab stand which is apparently popular with the locals and I had expected a queue but there was just one customer and a bored looking vendor.

Unperturbed we went ahead and ordered a lamb and chicken kebab in pita (there’s a choice of pita or baguette) with salad, a squirt of chilli sauce and a dollop of mayonnaise. It was messy to eat but very tasty – the meat smoky and tender. Having whetted our appetite with the shared kebab we wandered a bit further, past the vegetarian stall to the Moroccan Fish stall, drawn by the heavenly smell of grilled seafood.

The stall was a hive of activity, with groups of regulars huddling around the counters and chatting in Arabic. The two chefs were busy grilling fish but would occasionally join in on the conversation.

The seabass cooking on the open grill looked fantastic so we asked for one and it came with a side of chips, salad, baguette and a warm tomato and onion sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked, with soft, flaky flesh and crispy charred skin – a steal at £6. We will definitely be back to try their mini fish tagines, but today we had to press on.

With our appetites dwindling we decided to move on to Portobello Road, but not before getting a large flat white from the Australian-run Market Espresso stand serving smooth, robust Square Mile Coffee.

Once we hit Portobello Market the stalls become much flashier, and a whole lot more crowded. We knew we couldn’t eat much more and I had a hankering for the burgers at the German stall, so headed straight there. On the way we did pass a few enticing stalls, including one dishing up chorizo and bean stew, another selling hog roast, and the festive Jamon Jamon Paella.

After wrestling with the crowds, we finally got to the German stall. The queue gave us plenty of time to agree on what to order – we were torn between the grilled chicken leg (which I’ve had in the past and from what I remember, was pretty darn good) and the chicken burger that many seemed to be having and looked pretty amazing. We settled on the burger (top image) which, although flavourful and juicy, disappointingly a tad underdone. I think next time I’ll stick with the chicken leg.

At this point we were both pretty well-fed, but as always wanted to finish on a sweet note so backtracked to the Churros Garcia stall (next to Spinach and Agushi, made famous by Raymond blanc’s BBC series, The Restaurant).

The churros were delectable – crunchy, not too greasy and loaded with sugar. The hot chocolate it came with was only lukewarm and went cold really quickly, but I preferred it with just the sugar anyway so wasn’t that bothered. The perfect ending to our delicious afternoon of snacking!

nigella’s clementine cake

As I mentioned in my apple cake post a few days back, I have been wanting to make Nigella’s clementine cake and this weekend I rounded up the stray clementines in the fridge and did just that. This unusual gluten-free cake contains whole clementines (skins, pith, fruit and all) which help to lubricate the cake so there is no need for butter or oil. It really is one of the simplest cakes to make – apart from boiling the fruit for a couple of hours, everything can be prepared with just a blitz in a blender or food pro. The resulting cake was super moist and smelled divine while baking. Don’t expect it to have the texture of a flour-based cake though, it comes out wetter and denser, but pleasantly so.

Nigella’s Clementine Cake
(adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe)

5 seedless clementines* (about 365g/0.8 lb)
250g (0.55 lb) ground almonds
1 heaped tsp baking powder
225g (0.5 lb) sugar
6 large eggs

Place the clementines in a pan with enough cold water to cover and bring to the boil. Cover pan with a lid, then lower the heat to medium and leave to cook for 2 hours. Check intermittently and top up with boiling water if needed.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF).

Drain the clementines and leave in the colander to cool completely. Give the fruit a light squeeze to remove excess water then pop into a blender and blitz to form a smooth purée (you can mash it by hand if you prefer small clementine bits in your cake).

Throw all other ingredients into the blender, give it a quick stir then blitz again until smooth (again, you can whisk by hand then fold in the fruit pulp for a rougher textured cake).

Pour the cake batter into a buttered and lined 21cm (8.3″) loose-based or springform cake tin and bake for an hour. After 40 minutes, check the cake and cover with foil if the top is browning too much.

When an inserted skewer comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool on a rack. Once cooled completely, flip the cake out onto a plate to serve. The cake can keep for several days and actually tastes better a day old.

* if using clementines containing seeds, cut open the fruit after boiling and remove the seeds by hand before blitzing.

eastside inn

I’ve read many a favourable review of Eastside Inn since it opened its doors back in May 2009. Run by husband and wife team Bjorn and Justine van der Horst, Eastside Inn boasts a casual bistro with an open kitchen, as well as a separate restaurant serving more refined cooking. Chef van der Horst is no newcomer to the London fine dining scene, having worked as executive chef at the Greenhouse and more recently, the short-lived Ramsey venture, La Noisette. While researching BYO in London restaurants earlier this month, I learned through Justine that they did not charge corkage – a real anomaly for high-end establishments in the British capital. With many good bottles at home ready for drinking, this discovery compelled me to make the trek to East London and finally cross Eastside Inn off the ‘To Do’ list.

I arrived at the restaurant on a wet Friday evening, bottle of Romanée-Saint-Vivant (Nicolas Potel, 2000) in hand and was greeted cordially but somewhat unenthusiastically by the front of house. The sparsely-furnished dining room was completely empty and its drab interiors did little to improve my first impressions, nor did the fact that the waiter failed to offer me a menu to peruse while waiting for B. I sat for a good 15 to 20 minutes switching between staring into space and fiddling with my blackberry – the noise filtering in from the bustling bistro next door made me feel like I had wound up at the wrong party.

Thankfully the diners began to trickle in, elevating the ambiance a touch, and with the arrival of B and a glass of brut I was a lot more jovial by the time we were presented with our menus. Unlike the bistro which has a standard format menu, Eastside Inn’s “gastro” offers a choice of 2, 3 or 7 courses created from the Market Basket – a list of 13 or so ingredients that changes daily depending on what is fresh and available. You can of course advise the kitchen of any dietary restrictions, likes or dislikes, but as there are no descriptions as such, everything brought to the table is a surprise. The novel concept was one we approved of; not only was it fun but it also meant we were theoretically treated to the best of the market’s bounty.

We went with 3 courses and choose to forgo dessert, with the request for the food to be tailored to complement the burgundy we had brought along. Our opening amuse bouche (top image) was a rather forgettable stodgy cheese scone filled with bacon cream. The sliced Ballotine of Foie Gras on toast which followed however was melt-in-the-mouth and everything foie gras should be – sweet, rich and velvety. Anxious that our wine had remained sitting on our table unopened, we called over the sommelier who I was convinced had been avoiding our table like the plague ever since I walked in with my own bottle (although B attributes it to the service being traditional, and very French). He uncorked and tasted the wine, poured for us, then swiftly left to make his recommendations to the chef. The Romanée-Saint-Vivant was soft and succulent with red berry and violet undertones. Admittedly it could do with 2 or 3 more years in the cellar but it was drinking very well nevertheless with the tannins coming through on the finish, yet still elegant and rounded on the palate.

When our starters arrived we were delighted to find they were different, allowing us to taste a wider selection of what the kitchen has to offer. B’s was a Seared Scallop and Spare Rib, with Carrot Purée, Liquorice and Lemon Oil – the scallop perfectly caramelised and the braised ribs tender and perfumed with star anise. Each element tasted great on its own but as a whole it was a little unbalanced, more acid would have helped to bring all the intense flavours together.

Mine was a Winter Salad of Smoked Duck Ham, Duck Gizzards and Black Truffle. Not something I would naturally pick off a menu but I did enjoy the almost rare gizzards (soft and not at rubbery) and the proscuitto-like duck ham with the refreshing mélange of grapes, carrots, apples, endive, walnuts and pomegranate.

Next up were two offal dishes – Veal Sweetbreads with Brussel Sprouts and Calf’s Brains with Fennel. The sweetbreads were slightly heavy on the salt, but paired well with the bitter sprouts, red cabbage and luxurious bone marrow sauce.

The calf brains served with a fennel salad and crunchy croutons on the other hand, was not as successful. Despite being well-balanced texturally, the dish somehow managed to be bland yet overly acidic at the same time.

With regards to our main however, there were no complaints. Wheeled to us on a trolley and presented whole at the table, the John Dory to share came dressed with clarified butter, grapes, hazelnuts and lemon. The fish was lovely and moist, benefiting from the wonderful smokiness of the toasted hazelnuts and the sweetness of the grapes. It was served with a side of new potatoes and the impeccable creamed spinach (possibly the best I’ve ever tasted).

Two cappuccinos and a selection of petits fours rounded off our meal. The silky coconut square with a brownie base and chocolate covered macadamias were the standouts, while the caramel and hazelnut praline and the slightly odd granny smith and bubblegum lollipop were just ok.

So did Eastside Inn live up to the hype? The cooking is indeed refined, albeit slightly patchy, but at a steep £170 for two (3 courses, 2 glasses of house champagne and 2 cappuccinos), it is hardly value for money. It would seem we aren’t the only ones who thought so as the small restaurant was not even half full – pretty poor showing for a Friday night. Apart from the high price point, the service is a real let-down and one would expect a much slicker operation for an establishment with michelin-star aspirations. The stiff and lacklustre wait staff were a stark contrast to the bubbly Justine, who floated in and out throughout the course of the meal like a breath of fresh air. Her warm farewell at the door left us with every intention of returning, not to the restaurant, but the relaxed environs of the adjoining bistro.

Eastside Inn
40 St John Street
London, EC1M 4AY

t. 020 7490 9230

cinammon apple cake

When I bake it’s often unplanned. I could be lounging on the sofa flipping through a magazine, or at the mac clearing emails when I’m just struck with an urge to bake. The problem with this is that I have to use whatever I can scrounge up, and usually it’s not much. Yesterday the baking bug hit again and after a quick rummage through the fruit drawer, I found a few apples and a bag of clementines – something to work with! I’ve wanted to make Nigella’s clementine cake for ages but there were no ground almonds in the cupboard, so I scoured the internet for something apple-ly and Smitten Kitchen’s Apple Cake popped up. I made the cake in a loaf tin as I could only whip up half a portion with three apples – just as well seeing that I don’t have a tube pan anyway. I was worried about the long cooking time, but apart from a few burnt bits of apple it came out really well – moist spongy cake, full of soft cinnamon-scented apple chunks, with a pleasingly chewy crust. Turns out B doesn’t like apple desserts… shame, more for me I guess!

Cinnamon Apple Cake
(makes 1 loaf cake*)

3 apples (I used braeburns)
1 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1 3/8 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup rapeseed (or vegetable) oil
juice of 1 clementine
(or 1/4 cup orange juice)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Peel and core your apples, then cut into large cubes. Toss with the cinnamon and 2 1/2 tbsp of sugar and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the oil, clementine juice, sugar and vanilla extract. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, then add the eggs one at a time, using a spatula to mix well.

Grease and line a standard loaf tin, then fill with half the cake batter. Cover with an even layer of apples (use half of the fruit), then pour over the remaining batter. Finish with another layer of apples, the pop in the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Take the cake out of the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes on a rack. Turn the cake out onto the rack (face up) and leave to cool completely before slicing to serve.

* to make the cake in a tube or bundt pan, just double-up on all the ingredients.