Brian St. Pierre's take on food and wine in London http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:20:24 +0000 http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/i/bspF.png http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com 88 120 Brian St Pierre - Food and Wine in London Quo Vadis, 26-29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL,Tel: +44 (0)20 7440 1450. Open for lunch and dinner (from 5:00 p.m.) Monday-Saturday.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1323534025 http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1316801747 Texture, 34 Portman Street, London W1H 7BY. Tel: 020 7224 0028; info@texture-restaurant.co.uk]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1316429662 Zagat Survey 2012 results of London restaurants. With 5,497 diners reporting on 1,187 restaurants, it’s a fairly good snapshot of the scene. The Ledbury was up in several categories, number one for food (no argument from me there), and second for service (the Waterside Inn came first); it also entered the top-ten list for most favourite for the first time. Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant at Royal Hospital Road was down in all those categories—it led the food ratings for most of the last decade, but has now dropped to number eight. Also of note: The average cost of dining out has jumped by 6.3 percent—that’s slightly less than the average cost of dining in, judging by my market basket.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1316168957 Artisan & Vine, the award-winning London wine bar in Battersea, is launching a series of day visits to acclaimed English vineyards. “It’s clear that people are curious about English wine,” comments owner Kathryn O’Mara. “We thought it was a great opportunity to show Londoners how fabulous English wines and their vineyards are!” Vineyards on the schedule include Ridgeview Wine Estate in Sussex, Chapel Down Winery in Kent and Biddenden Vineyards and Ciderworks, also in Kent. The day trips will run once a month from July 2011 and are priced from £49, which includes pre-departure refreshments, luxury coach transportation to and from the vineyard, tours of vineyard and winery, a tasting of the vineyard’s wines, and a delicious local lunch. www.artisanandvine.com/wine-experiences/vineyard-tours/]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1305813346 http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1304507794 Paddington Champagne Bar, in that station. Notable houses will be represented, and prices will range from £8 a glass (there are 14 offered by the glass) up to £320 for a bottle of Dom Perignon 1990. (For a real indulgence, there is also a Balthazar of Laurent-Perrier Brut NV for £1,200.) The menu features small plates, tapas-style, designed to match with Champagne, including cured British meats from Trealy Farm, daily seafood choices, and fine cheeses. Sharing boards are also available; prices range from £4 to £29. Another feature is Tasting Flights, with selections of smaller glasses of different styles. There’s also a selection of Champagne cocktails including The Paddington Bear (Grand Marnier, bitters, Champagne and candied orange). The elegant bar is in art deco style, and open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1297154580 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, opened with even more publicity than Prince William’s engagement. Here’s a sneak preview of what he’s going to be up to with his menu, which executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts calls “historically linked.” It shows that, although this won’t be Fat Duck-style molecular gastronomy, some of the tricks they’ve learned there will come into play: They make a light but rich and smooth chicken-liver parfait, roll it into hand-sized balls, and freeze it, really deeply. Then they cook up a batch of spicy mandarin orange jelly and pour it over the meat, coating it. The jelly sets almost immediately, nearly freezing. With a green sprig tucked into the top, it looks just like an orange. The “oranges” are then slowly defrosted overnight in a fridge for service the next day. The combination of flavors—spicy orange and unctuous chicken-liver—creates a fascinating contrast. It’s witty, imaginative, and quite delicious.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1296646015 The Gilbert Scott, in early 2011 (possibly March) a “grand British brasserie” located in the heart of the much anticipated St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London. (Sir Gilbert Scott was the original architect of the stunning building, a Gothic Revival grand hotel—even in the days of splendid hotels next to train stations, it was very grand--in 1876; the restoration was helped by experts from English Heritage.) Wareing says, “This is not another Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, it is a very different venture and immensely exciting.” Expect an intriguing menu with a nostalgic array of great British classics. The menu will include dishes such as Tweed Kettle (sea trout with a nutmeg, herb and lemon crust), Dorset Jugged Steak (braised featherblade with pork, herb and redcurrent dumplings) and Manchester tart (caramelised bananas, custard and raspberry jam). The hotel looks gorgeous, another stage of the once-seedy neighborhood’s transformation. www.stprancrasrenaissance.com.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1294216390 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park (nomenclature notwithstanding, it also serves lunch) will open on January 31; the chef will be Ashley Palmer Watts, who has been with Heston at the Fat Duck for more than a decade. The menu will feature relatively simple, contemporary dishes inspired by Britain's historic gastronomic past and recipes dating as far back as the 14th century, such as Hay Smoked Mackerel, Lemon Salad and Gentleman's Relish; Roast Scallops, Cucumber Ketchup and Bergamot and Slow Cooked Beef Royal. In other words, no molecular gastronomy; from what I saw Ashley cooking at Identita London, the recent international chefs’ congress, the updated dishes will be stylish, with some startling but pleasant flavors (we pounced on the demonstration dishes as soon as the photo shoot was over, very happily). www.dinnerbyheston.com]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1293546647 www.barbattu.com]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1290517190 Ashley Palmer Watts, Heston Blumenthal’s executive head chef, will be in charge of their new restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, probably London’s most eagerly awaited opening (which, this year, is saying a lot). It will be called Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, and feature modern versions of old English recipes; they have been testing recipes for months, with more to come—the place doesn’t open till January. . .Jason Atherton led off the program by demonstrating some recipes he’ll feature at his new restaurant, which opens in October, his first venture since leaving Maze. Interestingly, the program mentioning the great chefs he’s worked under and learned from included Pierre Koffman, Marc Haeberlin, and Ferran Adria, but not Gordon Ramsay. Surely an oversight? Whatever, his new venture is also eagerly awaited.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1289902786 www.lecafeanglais.co.uk.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1284967926 http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1284967908 www.chutneymary.com]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1277725779 www.galvinrestaurants.com]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1276245039