Introducing.....

Just a little something....

Switched over to a new version of blogger, and it's stuffing me around as I can't always load my damn photos on here!

But let me introduce you to the first of my newest two friends- There's Giraffe. He bites.

Saw him at Spitalfields Market around the time between Christmas and New Year. Giraffe spent a couple of weeks working with me at the bank. He annoyed a lot of people. Made a few credit decisions ("Giraffe says NO"). But he's home, now. Annoying Matt.

Matt's birthday dinner at L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon

Coming up to Matt's birthday and I ask him what he'd like for his present. The tv that we had in our living room had developed the sulks- for no apparent reason, the screen would go blank. Usually when Matt's watching cricket or soccer... I USED to giggle, whenever it happened, as mild-mannered, quietish Matt would chuck a very loud tantrum at the tv. However, it started happening one too many times, and finding a replacement tv ended up being a birthday request.

A couple of generous friends (Dave and Nicky, you know who you are) decided that we could have their 32 inch tv in exchange for a couple of bottles of wine and a chicken parmagiana dinner(at Matt's and my insistence- will blog about this when it happens). So, what else could I have given to a person who had everything?

Ta-dah! Decided that Matt's birthday would be a perfect occasion to use the voucher that I'd won, in the Menu for Hope fund raising raffle. Johanna, from The Passsionate Cook provided the prize and kindly asked what I thought, of my dining experience there.

Here goes...

A quick trot from the tube station leads us to this quiet street off Covent Garden/ Leceister Square. It's all shiny black marble and impeccably dressed hostesses who enquired whether we'd like to sit at the counter, or at our own table. Having read in reviews that watching the chefs in the open plan kitchen is part of the fun, I don't hesitate in picking counter seating.

We're lead to the down lit counter, and it's a bit of a struggle for me, hopping onto the bar stools. But the wait-staff are friendly and we order some drinks as we peruse the menu. Lots of mini taster dishes, some asterisked to show that they are recommended as starter dishes.. A lot of interesting dishes, but we opt to both have the menu decouverte. An amuse bouche, 6 mini dishes and 2 desserts.

I picked the wine. Can't remember what it was- but it was a lovely, light red, from France.

Our amuse bouche- a platter with a deep fried, crumbed roll of foie gras (yum), a shot-glass of fennel cream garnished with a dab of sea urchin roe (which I loved... intense, sweet, and a taste of the sea), and a little toastie with some tuna tartare. All very different tastes and textures - Our tastebuds perked, we were looking forward to the next plate.



Crabmeat in a citrus jelly, and avocado. This came in a pot that looked like a ceramic egg. We were told to "dig deep" into the container to ensure we got a bit of everything. The crab sat on top of some tomato-ey puree, some red-flecked citrusy/ zingy jelly and some crushed avocado on the bottom. A more healthy version of your plate of nachos?


Next, a platter of pieces of potato pieces, drizzled with truffled oil, some salad leaves and shavings of truffle ("truffle chips"). I made Matt sniff the dish, before he tried a bite. Think this is the first time he's had fresh truffle... The potatoes were just cooked, and went well with the truffle. Flavour explosion!






The next course was to be a serve of frogs' legs, but we were told that it had to be replaced with a langoustine fritter- more the sweet flesh of the langoustine wrapped in a springroll-y wrapper and deep fried. Lovely fresh seafood, but I wasn't that fussed about it.




We then had the next course served in a martini glass- Eggs cocotte served with a wild mushroom foam. Searching on the internet, eggs cocotte are eggs which are baked in a water bath in the oven. This as beautiful- one of my favourite dishes of the night. The egg was still liquid and the yolk went so well with the flavoursome mushroom foam... and the random pieces of morels that we found in the glass were unexpected, but oh so yummy.

Another lovely dish. A Saint-Jacques scallop perfectly grilled, on a bed of pureed watercress. Simple, but effective.

With the last of our savoury courses (thank goodness, I was getting a little full by then).We had a choice of calf's sweetbread with a sprig of laurel or foie gras stuffed grilled quail served with truffled potato. So we got one of each. I had the quail first. Nice, but I was really too full to do it justice. I did prefer it to the sweetbread (slighly bland, compared to everything else we had tonight).

AND THEN, we had two desserts to get through.. and full sized ones, too! Some chocolatey mouse with white chocolate foam, and with crispy chocolate biccie bits throughout, as well as a citrus and liqour-y souffle which the waiters ceremoniously opened up and put a bullet of pistachio icecream. Nice. Bit bitter, warm souffle and cold icecream.










We sat next to this older American couple and had a bit of a conversation with them. Mainly about whether the older French gentlemen and his much younger dining companion was his daughter or his "Ma Petite Ami"!

Matt reckons that it's best dining experience he's had. I think I have to agree. Not saying that the food was the absolute best we've ever had, but the fact that everything worked together that night. The constantly changing plates and tastes, watching the chefs, dressed all in black, working together, weaving in and around each other kept us entertained. I reckon there was a tad TOO much food (never thought that I'd say that, either) in the taster menu!

I'd love to go back another time. Though, I'd only pick a couple of dishes and make sure that I leave enough room for dessert!!!!! I would definitely recommend that you head there, if you get the chance.


L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon, 13-15 West Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9HQ

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....

Weirdo weather, these past few days. It's been unseasonably warm all through December and January... there was a day, early Jan, where I was running around town just in my shirt-sleeves and trousers! I had to take my suit jacket off, and had already been carrying my coat!

AND THEN, it snows! It snows in London!!!!! It was so strange, yet strangely exciting to wake up and see the road, cars and parks covered in an inch or two of snow! It was especially cool to see our neighbourhood parks covered in white. Matt and I walked to work (Matt worried about falling on his arse, as his work shoes weren't the grippiest) and walked into the middle of a snowball fight! No casualties, thank goodness.

Anyway, without any further ado, here are the photos!

I am wearing my infamous ewok hat. Laugh all you want, my ears are toasty warm!

St Johns. Again.

Rav and Rob have never eaten at St Johns. We thought that we'd organise a lunch over at the Smithfields restaurant one day.

Rocking up on a Friday, we're sat at our table. Fergus Henderson isn't in the kitchen today, though, I don't think he does lunches.... Had a look on the net for their on-line menu and I had been looking forward to ordering the ox heart and chips. However, we get there and they'd changed their menu.

I ended up ordering both entree and main from the specials of the day.
Duck hearts and mashed parsnips (?) Found the dish boring. Think it was more me than the dish - I like my taste strong and punchy... The duck hearts were chewy in texture but there wasn't all that much taste- the sherry reduction wasn't enough to lift the dish. Mashed, unidentifiable veggies... blah.... Rav had the roast marrowbone and parsley salad. I didn't take a photo, as I'd had the dish before. Rob didn't have a starter, but he did try some of Rav's and liked it.

Mains- Rob ordered the tripe and chips!!!!! As he said himself, this, coming from a person who'd normally go for a steak and veggie dish- this was a far outside his comfort zone as it ever could be... What you can see- breaded and fried tripe pieces, some chips and in the bowl are shallots pickled in some vinegar.

Rav had a pair of slip soles. We thought they were some sort of footwear... Nothing of the sort. Just a pair of really fresh fish, pan fried in butter.

I had another option off the specials of the day. Roasted woodcock. (I can already imagine the jokes). Kinda like a pigeon. It had been roasted whole, then the liver, sweetbreads... etc had been taken out, deglazed with sherry, then squashed and spread onto a slice of toast. The head was then split so that I could get at the brain with a little silver spoon.

Kinda okay. They roasted the bird till it was rare, so it made it hard to get at the meat. However, it was rather tasty. Just a bother to hack at. The brain... tasted like brain... FYI, it's almost three times the size of a chicken's brain. Shows how dumb chickens are, in comparison...

We skipped dessert and went back to work. Waaaaay too much rich food in one go, that's for sure.