Spuntino

Spuntino, Soho

I have heard so many things about this place, on Twitter, in newspapers, on various food blogs... I had got the impression that people either loved it or hated it. It was my turn to try it last Friday, and I LOVED IT.

Since the restaurant does not take reservations, our plan was to arrive early to beat the crowd. We arrived at around half past six, and there were four empty seats at the bar (from what I could see, all the seats are at the bar, except for a small table at the back), so we got to sit down straight away. We were given a mug of popcorn, and some tap water while we read the menu. I have to mention that the popcorn was delicious - I think it was salt and butter.

I like the atmosphere a lot, very much like a tapas bar. Customers were chatting away with a few drinks, and sharing plates of snack-size dishes. The bar was very busy, but the staff were patiently explaining the menu to customers. By the time we had decided what to eat, there were already ten people queuing up behind the bar. Apparently the waiting time for two people had gone up to 45 minutes.

Now on to the food...

Eggplant chips. Inside the spiced crunchy breadcrumb coating was melt-in-the mouth aubergine. The fennel yoghurt dip which came with it was light and refreshing.

Pulled pork and pickled apple slider (Left). Slices of pickled apple were carefully arranged on the bottom of the burger, topped with a generous amount of pork, and some pieces of crackling. Ground beef and bone marrow slider (Right). It was very enjoyable, cooked medium-well - juicy and oozing with rich meaty flavours. Perfecto!

Truffled egg toast. I had high expectations of this toast, so I was a bit disappointed to find that it was rather bland. A thick slice of white bread was nicely toasted. It was crispy on the outside, with a soft egg yolk in the middle, topped with truffle oil. It looked amazing but sadly I could hardly taste the truffle, and it also lacked the richness from the yolk that would have brought the dish together.

Calamari with chickpeas and ink. A very colourful dish - lightly cooked squid with rocket, tomato, chickpeas and squid ink. It was a mild, comforting dish in contrast with some of the the other heavier dishes we had.

Brown sugar cheesecake and drunken cherries. A smooth and creamy caramel cheesecake, the perfect way to finish our meal. 

I am not sure why some people find this restaurant overpriced. I would not say that it is a bargain, but for an average £6 per dish, I would be happy to come back again (and again). There are places in the West End serving gimmicky food without real substance - but this is certainly not one of them. Spuntino, in my opinion, is unique in London, and honest about what it has to offer.

Spuntino

Viajante Bar

Viajante Bar, Bethnal Green

I went to the Viajante Bar with two of my best friends a few months ago. I literally picked up the phone to make a reservation as soon as the bar posted the cocktail tasting menu on their Facebook page - only realised at the last minute that I had a first aid assessment on the following day... I vaguely remember practising bandaging on my friend, when a member of staff came over to see if we were ok. Oh well... things happen :P What I do remember was the wonderful cocktails, all carefully prepared by the friendly and attentive bar staff. I couldn't wait to go back.

So, I went back for 'seconds' last week. Here are the highlights:

The first drink we had is called 'Shiso-Lovely'. It was a new drink that was not available on the regular menu yet. Very refreshing - the fragrance of the Shiso leaf came through nicely with a bit of minty kick. 

Served with the drink was Tuna crudo, grapefruit, lemon and bergamot granita. The whole dish came together nicely, excellent quality tuna, the grapefruit was not overpowering. The sauce tasted like a very light soy sauce  with mirin and a hint of Shiso.

Next up was 'Galaxy'. This sweet and sour fruity drink was my second favourite of the night. It went beautifully with the lamb belly, artichoke and black olive.  

I had a bite of the melt-in-the-mouth belly, then a sip of the slightly sour drink, which cut through the richness of the meat, so I just wanted more meat to compensate the sourness, it was like a cycle, leaving me wanting more at the end of the course.

The next course 'Cordon Blazer' was the highest point of the night, not only it was the strongest drink, we were also treated to an amazing 'fire display'. 

This was a brandy based cocktail, with fresh berries and orange peel. Before serving, the alcohol was "flambéed", there was a wonderful fruity vapour coming from the glass. This would make a perfect Christmas drink!

The cocktail was served with pig's tail, tofu and barely broth. Although I didn't really think this dish went with the drink, I was extremely impressed by the tofu. It ticked all the boxes - soft, smooth and with a definite bean flavour. 

And finally the last course, 'Rosey Posey'. Isn't it the most beautiful cocktail? The drink was light and silky, full of the fragrance of roses. Just what we needed after the previous course. 

The dessert was an interesting combination. Celery granita on its own would be a bit dull, tasting just of - as you'd expect - celery. But somehow the brain behind the dish managed to make it work, by combining it with marzipan ice cream and rice crispy praline.

We had a great evening in the Viajante Bar. I can't think of anywhere else in London which serves a tasting menu like this, and it was simply amazing value for money. Just consider how much time and effort they put into the menu. I will definitely pay another visit, perhaps prior to a meal at The Corner Room.

Viajante Bar

Big Fat Pig Sunday - Part 2

Braised pig's trotters with Shanghainese noodles

Pig's trotters are very popular in the Far East. They are braised for a long time, until the texture becomes soft and slightly elastic - almost like eating a mochi (Japanese glutinous rice cake). In Taiwan, they call this "Q".

Apparently pig's trotters contain a lot of collagen, which is good for the skin and hair. Traditionally Chinese women follow a special diet featuring braised trotters in sweetened vinegar after giving birth. I was told that the women who had the trotters recovered faster than the ones do not. I'm not sure if the effect is exaggerated, but if it tastes good and it makes my skin and hair look good, it sounds like a pretty good deal to me :)

There are many different ways to braise the trotters. You can braise it with sweetened vinegar, oyster sauce, or with dried plum etc. For this recipe, I'm cooking it in a soy sauce based stock called "Lo Sui". 

Braised pig's trotters with Shanghainese noodles

Serves 4

2 Pig's trotters

1 Spring onion, cut in 4

Thumb sized ginger root, cut into thick slices

For the Lo Sui

2 Star anises

Half of a small cinnamon stick

Thumb sized ginger root, cut into thick slice

2 Spring onions, cut in 4 each

2 Gloves of garlic

1 tbsp Whole black peppercorns

1 tbsp Brown sugar

80ml Light soy sauce

20ml Dark soy sauce

50ml Chinese rice wine

600ml Water

Wash the trotters, remove any visible dirt (especially under the toe-nails) and hair. If you have a blow torch, use it to burn the hairs if necessary, this will make them easier to remove. You can ask your butcher to cut the trotters into chunks, or you can run a sharp knife down the middle to split it in half.

Fill a wok or a big saucepan up with water, around 3/4 full. Bring it to boil. Put the spring onions and gingers into the boiling water, followed by the trotters.

Bring the water to boil again and then let it simmer for 5 minutes. This will help to get rid of the blood, and the earthy taste of the trotters.

Take the trotters out of the wok, then put them straight into iced cold water. Let them cool down. Pat dry with kitchen paper.

Put all the Lo Sui ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Add the trotters, bring it to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Cover it then transfer to the oven at 150C for 2 hours, or continue to simmer for at least 2 hours at minimum heat.

Remember to taste the sauce to adjust the flavour to your liking. The sauce should thicken up, and get richer in taste. Take the meat off the bones when ready, and cut it into chunks.

You can buy Shanghainese noodles in most of the Chinese supermarkets - I am using the thin ones. Put the soup base into a bowl, then add boiling water until half full. Add the cooked noodles. Lay the trotters on top, and use a big spoon to pour the sauce over the trotters. Deliciously Q! 

Big Fat Pig Sunday - Part 1

Roast Loin Of Pork With Crackling

Last Sunday was the Wimbledon men's final, so I thought I would prepare a Sunday roast to go with some quality tennis.

I bought a beautiful piece of pork loin from a local butcher, and also picked up a couple of trotters. I had never cooked trotters before, so it was quite an interesting experiment. You can find out more in part 2 :)

Roast pork is actually quite simple to cook: herbs + salt + pepper + rub + roast. The key is the crackling. In this recipe, I took the crackling off while the meat was resting. Then cooked it in a high temperature oven to achieve the perfect crunchy texture. I feel like cheating a bit taking the crackling off... I remember seeing the perfect crackling in the roast hog dish made by Tom Kerridge from this year's Great British Menu - it was perfectly intact with the meat. One day... hmmm... maybe I can do it as well.

Roast Loin Of Pork With Crackling

Serves 2

For the pork

1kg Pork loin, at room temperature

1 tbsp Rapeseed oil

A couple of sage leaves

1 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper

Lots of sea salt

For roasting

2 medium onions

2 medium carrots

A handful of sage leaves

Preheat oven to fan 220C. Use a sharp knife to score across the skin diagonally. The scoring has to be quite deep, but without cutting the meat.

Pad dry the pork with kitchen towels, it has to be absolutely dry. After drying, I normally wrap the pork in kitchen towels, and then leave it by the window for 20 minutes before seasoning. 

Drizzle the rapeseed oil on the pork, give the meat a gentle massage all over with some salt and pepper.  Tear the sage leaves in half to release the flavour, continue to massage the pork until you can smell the sage from the meat itself.

Get a handful of sea salt, rub it into the skin where the scoring is. Be generous with the salt. Sprinkle some more on top when done.

Peel the onions and carrots, then cut them into chunks. Put them in a roasting tray together with the sage leaves, a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Place the pork on top of the vegetables, then put into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the skin turns golden and starts to crisp.

Lower the temperature to 150C, then roast for further 2 hours.

When the pork is done, run a knife between the crackling and the meat, the crackling should come off easily. Move the meat to a plate/tray, cover it with foil, then rest it for 20 minutes. 

Turn the oven up to 220C. Turn the crackling over, then cut the thick layer of fat attached to the the skin. Don't remove it all, leave around 1 to 2mm of fat to ensure the texture is crunchy yet slightly chewy. Place the crackling on a tray, and return to the oven for 20 minutes.

You can make a gravy from the roasting vegetables and juices while waiting for the crackling to cook. 

Perfect with some apple sauce.

Enjoy!

The Cinnamon Club

The Cinnamon Club, Westminster

I was not a big fan of Indian food before I came to live in the UK. Actually ‘fan’ is the wrong word, as I didn’t really know much about Indian cuisine. There are not many Indian restaurants in Hong Kong, and most of them serve their own interpretation of curry. I have almost given up, after getting bland dishes with some sort of meat swimming in a yellow-orange sauce, on several occasions. Saying that, I would still love to try out the Michelin guide recommended restaurant – ‘Hin Ho’, on my next trip to Hong Kong.

After coming to the UK, I was overwhelmed by how much British people love eating Indian food. There must be at least 5 Indian restaurants on most London high streets (closer to 10 on our local high street). Several upmarket Indian restaurants have emerged over the past few years. They offer Indian influenced cuisine, combining seasonal British ingredients with Indian spices. The Cinnamon Club, Benares and Tamarind have all been very successful in this field.

To celebrate the Taste Of London festival, The Cinnamon Club introduced a special offer on their tasting menu – 8 courses for £50, for 2 weeks after the event. To me, it was too good to miss :)

Tucked away in a back street of Westminster, situated in the fabulously refurbished old Westminster library, The Cinnamon Club provides an open spaced, semi-formal environment to dine in. We arrived quite early for dinner which was an advantage because we could still enjoy the peace and formal atmosphere before the dining room filled up with couples, business people, and office parties – which then turned the dinning room into this fun and buzzing ‘food court‘– we quite liked that as well.

Now on to the food…

1st course -  Carpaccio of cured salmon, tandoori salmon and green pea relish

A very refreshing starter. The saltiness of the cured salmon was spot on, topped with green roe which gave a bit of crunch to it. Crispy charred skin Tandoori salmon, soft and slightly pink in the middle. Two pieces of salmon, two different flavours and textures.

2nd course - Grilled Scottish king scallop with cauliflower puree

It was a nice surprise when we saw that the scallop came with spicy squid on top. This ordinary dish was immediately transformed into something much more interesting and colourful. Both scallop and squid were perfectly cooked, not at all chewy. Although the spiciness of the squid slightly overpowered the scallop.

3rd course - Steamed chickpea cake

I had never had a cake in the middle of the meal before! This little sponge cake was very light but moist. The red savoury chutney on top gave a real kick to the whole dish, which brought it nicely together.

4th course - Tandoori breast of Anjou squab pigeon

When I looked at the menu, I expected this dish to be the best. While the pigeon was good quality, tender, and cooked well, I thought that the mango sauce didn't really go with the pigeon, or the crispy rice cake.

5th course - Lime and mint sorbet

What a good idea to clean your palette using a sorbet between courses. It was almost like an iced Mojito.

6th course - Baked wild African prawn with 'kadhai' spices

I almost cheered when I saw the dish, I would never expect to see such a big prawn served in a tasting menu. Not only was it cooked to perfection, it was a treat for the eyes as well. Such a beautiful dish. The sauce played an important part, the sourness together with the juicy spiced meat were heavenly together.

7th course - Saddle of 'Oisin' red deer with sesame tamarind sauce

Probably the best dish of the menu (although I still think the prawn had the wow factor). Tender, cooked medium rare, with a deliciously tangy sauce. You could still taste the flavour of the meat through all the spices.

Pre-dessert - Coconut parfait with mango and blackcurrant coulis 

It looked like a hard ice cream or sorbet, but when I stuck the spoon in, it was crumbly  almost like coconut 'sand'.

8th course - Saffron poached pear with lemon and pistachio mousse 

This dish was an Indian take-on a popular western dessert. The saffron added a bright orange colour and added its special aroma to the pear.

Based on the food, I would say that The Cinnamon club is right up there with the other high end Indian restaurants in London. The service was a bit slow at times, but all requests were handled professionally. The meal would have been very expensive without the special offer, although not many restaurants can boast such a high level of creativity, and unique combinations of flavours.

The Cinnamon Club