Brian St. Pierre's take on food and wine in London http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:57:06 +0100 http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/i/bspF.png http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com 88 120 Brian St Pierre - Food and Wine in London The Modern Pantry, 47-48 St. John’s Square, London EC1V 4JJ. Tel: 020 7553 9210; www.themodernpantry.co.uk]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1333709826 Franco’s, 61 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6LX. Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 2211; www.francoslondon.com.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1333365249 No Place Like Home was actually written by Rowley Leigh, and it’s first-rate. In addition to being chef-patron at Le Cafe Anglais, Rowley writes a cookery column every week for the Financial Times, one of the few really useful ones. The book has been out of print for a long time, and its return in a new format is most welcome; it’s a series of literate essays on aspects of cooking, interwoven with recipes, so it’s a pleasure to read as well as cook from. My original version is quite sauce-splattered and beaten up—the sure sign of usefulness and affection. No Place Like Home, Clearview Publishing, London, £9.99.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1332835214 5 Pollen Street, an established Italian, which has now hired a new chef and assembling a splendid, mostly Italian wine list. The new chef is Massimo Tagliaferri, whose CV includes a stint as head chef at Putney’s Phoenix restaurant (established by the legendary Franco Taruschio) and then Enoteca Turi, one of London’s best Italian restaurants. The wine list covers Italy, but Piedmont and its Barolos have a section all their own. Tel: +44 020 7629 1555; www.5pollenstreet.com. ]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1331885860 La Porte des Indes, 32 Bryanston Street, London, W1H 7EG www.laportedesindes.com]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1331021128 Le Cordon Bleu London, 15 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1; www.cordonbleu.edu/london ]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1330522072 Blue Elephant, The Boulevard, Imperial Wharf, Townmead Road, London, SW6 2UB, www.blueelephant.com/london]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1330082905 Le Pont de la Tour on Butler’s Wharf, is giving a series of classes on French cooking at the restaurant, on Saturday mornings, starting from April 28. “I’d like to take the fear factor out of French food for my guests by showing them dishes that they can recreate in their own kitchens, without needing fancy gizmos and obscure ingredients,” he says. Each session will begin at 10am with coffee and pastries, followed by a 2-hour demonstration, then lunch at 12.30pm with wines chosen by master sommelier Nicolas Clerc. Classes are limited to 10 guests. The first class, on Saturday April 28, will focus on classic French desserts. Places are available at £65p.p. Then, on Saturday May 26, it’s all about seasonal luxury, featuring grilled scallops and asparagus, classic lobster thermidor and Valrhôna chocolate moelleux. Price, £75p.p. On June 29, it will be about seafood, including oyster preparation (shucking and condiments), how to prepare salt and pepper squid, and pan-fried sea bass with confit fennel and tomato. £65p.p. Le Pont de la Tour, 36d Shad Thames, London; tel: 020 7403 8403; www.lepontdelatour.co.uk]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1329728176 Benares. First up is Anna Hansen, of The Modern Pantry, on 21st February until 5th March, then Richard Corrigan, of Corrigan’s, on 20th March until 2nd April, David Thompson, Nahm, on 16th April until 29th April, and Nigel Haworth, Northcote, on 3rd May until 16th May. Each chef will collaborate with Kochhar to prepare a menu of small plates, consisting of 12 dishes designed to share--3 dishes at £21 per person. (Atul’s individual selection will include dishes like apricot stuffed tandoori cottage cheese in pickling marinade, chilli-marinated tandoor-roasted cauliflower, and chicken tikka tangy onion salad.) Dishes will be complemented by Benares' signature cocktails, though it looks as if there's also room for some Rieslings or Gewurztraminers from the restaurant’s very good wine list. Benares, 12A Berkeley Square, London, +44 (0)20 7629 8886.]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1329476239 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 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 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.galvinrestaurants.com]]> http://www.foodandwineinlondon.com/news.php news1276245039