FeedTheTang In Twenty Twelve

A slightly late round up of 2012. My personal highlight of 2012 was definitely the launch of my supper club - FedByTang. I had lots of questions when I started seven months ago. I was worried that the location would be a problem, what if no one wanted to come? More importantly, what if no one liked my food? Hmm... Did I say I am a worrier? Well there was only one way to find out, so I just went for it. It was a pretty nerve racking moment when I read the first review, so it was such a relief to find that it was positive! I have also met many lovely people via my supper club, and it has given me the opportunity to do things I never would have done otherwise. I am not going to bore you with details, but I will mention a couple below.

Back in February, I took a one day course making petit fours at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. It was quite an intensive course as we had to make macaroons, chocolate mousse, pistachio and almond financiers, chocolate and raspberry cakes, and creme brulee all in one day (from 8:30am to around 4pm). The chef was very knowledgeable and we were encouraged to do everything ourselves. I was quite pleased with my raspberry macaroons, although I have only successfully made them once since...

Le Cordon Bleu Paris
One day petite fours course 160 euros (2012)

We took an extra couple of days to stay behind. One of the most memorable meals I had this year was at a tiny bistro called Le Timbre. I rarely go for the same kind of meat twice but I could not resist the sound of crispy pig’s feet with red cabbage and black pig with winter vegetables. The meal costed around 25 euros each for three courses, which was very reasonable for Paris. Booking is a must.

Le Timbre

In April I took a food photography course ran by the well regarded food photographer Paul Winch-Furness. We shot around the Maltby Street Market and then had lunch at Bea’s Diner. Here are a couple of my favourite shots:

More photos here, Paul’s PhotoPopup course

We spent 4 days in Lisbon for a friend’s wedding at the end of April. I loved the trams, the hills and of course the Pasteis de Nata (Portugese custard tarts).

At the beginning of the summer I went to the Bea’s crawfish boil at Maltby Street Market. We swallowed 10 trays of crawfish, potatoes, sausages and sweet corn (+ lots of margaritas) that night. I hope they will do it again next summer as it was so much fun.

More photos here, Bea’s diner

Just before the Olympics kicked off, we went to Barcelona to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I remember sitting in the hotel room trying very hard to understand the inside jokes of the opening ceremony. Then suddenly the Queen jumped out of the helicopter, and nothing seemed to matter anymore.

In August I was invited to be one of the guest chefs at the Global Feast - a 20 night dinner party held at the Stratford Old Town Hall, featuring dishes from all over the world. For the Chinese night, I made soy sauce infused soft boiled eggs, crispy roast pork and a tofu and shallot canapes. Main was Sichuan peppercorn duck breast with stir fried Chinese broccoli and black fungus. It was not easy to cook for so many people but the hard work had paid off as I got a mention in Hot-Dinners!

My little brother left London for good early in September, to return to Hong Kong. We used to go to our favourite lunch spot, City Caphe, once a week. Sometimes we would eat in, sometimes we would just chat while waiting in the queue. Oh how I have missed those days.

But not long after he moved back I went back to Hong Kong myself for a three week holiday. We also went on a short family trip to Seoul during my visit. Seoul is not really an established food destination compared to other Asian cities such as Tokyo, Taipei or Hong Kong, but it’s an interesting city to visit nonetheless thanks to the abundance of K-pop, kimchi, soju and cosmetics shops.

One of the happiest moments came later in the year. I paired up with the Plusixfive supper club to hold a Singaporean/Hong Kong night at the School of Wok in Covent Garden. We had fun cooking, singing, and dancing in the kitchen. Our guests were well fed and we both felt that we had achieved something incredible that evening. One of my favourite reviews of the event is written by @Ailbhetweets. Loved the illustration of my steamed sea bass dish.

A few memorable meals I had in London this year, thanks to:
The Corner Room (remains my all time favourite)
Upstairs At Ten Bells
Dabbous
Sushi Tetsu
Kitchen Table At Bubbledogs
Ben Spalding At John Salt

Pretty good year huh? May there be more happy food adventures in 2013! Happy new year!

Jose Pizarro

Jose and Pizarro, Bermondsey Street

Jose Pizarro. A chef? A sherry bar? A restaurant? Actually it is all three. Jose and Pizarro are the two latest Spanish additions to Bermondsey Street. The ex-chef partner at Brindisa in Borough Market has opened two self-named eateries this year - Jose is a sherry and tapas bar with limited seating, and Pizarro is a proper restaurant that does a more conventional three course menu.

My first impression of Jose was that it was small. There were only a few seats along the windows and near the kitchen, the rest was standing only. We arrived before seven o’clock on a Wednesday, and it was already packed. A friendly waiter introduced himself, and then led us to a space next to a table which was about to become vacant. We opened a bottle of sherry to share during the wait, making the ‘queueing’ a lot more bearable. But looking at the specials written on the blackboard and the pretty looking dishes flying out from the pass, we could not wait any longer to try out the food...

Chorizo Ibérico Manuel Maldonado

Razor clams, chorizo, mint

Ham croquetas

Baby chicken, potato, Romesco sauce

Razor clams were taken out from a glass box next to the bar and straight on to the grill. The chorizo and mint sauce worked beautifully with them. I always think the best style of cooking shellfish is the Chinese way, but these juicy clams exceeded my expectations. The melt in the mouth croquetas were another must-order item on the menu. I can eat these little creamy crispy balls all day.

From top left clockwise: Squid and runner beans, Clams and jamon, Tortilla and Ibérico pork fillet

The chefs at Jose know their seafood, order any seafood item from the menu and you will not be disappointed. Both the squid and clams were incredibly fresh, they must have the best supplier in town. The pork fillet spoke for itself - rich, tender with a subtle sweetness. It was highly enjoyable, although the Ibérico pork at The Corner Room is still the best I have had.

We were standing the whole time during our meal, I did not mind that at all as the food and the buzzing atmosphere made it all worthwhile. Jose is not a destination for a big group nor a fine dining experience, it is best to come in a group of less than 4 to share a few plates of tapas and drinks. I can see that this would be a good place for single diners as well, I always find it hard not to stand out when eating alone in London restaurants.

If you feel uncomfortable about enjoying your meal while standing up, don’t worry, Mr Pizarro has it covered. A few doors down the road is the newly opened sit-down restaurant Pizarro. We went there to take advantage of the soft opening (last December), where everything on the menu was half price. Behind the wooden door is a L-shape dining area, decorated with dark wood furniture and red brick walls. There was a long table along one side of the room, and a few tables and bar seats on the other side facing the open plan kitchen.

The menu consisted of nine starters, six mains and four desserts, and with prices ranging from £6 to £16 per dish, seemed very reasonable even without the discount. We went for three courses each, although there is nothing to stop you ordering a few starter plates to share instead.

Ham croquetas

Duck livers, red onions, fino

And yes I ordered the croquetas again. The crust was so thin that only a small bite was needed to expose the creamy filling. Generous pieces of liver were slightly pink in the middle, just how I like it. Both capers and liver have a very strong flavour, but the chef had got the balance just right so they accompanied each other nicely.

Lamb, lentils, Radicchio

Secreto Ibérico, olive oil mash, Piquillo pepper

The lamb was cooked medium rare with a hint of salt and pepper. It was simple but my better half said it was one of the best lamb dishes he had ever had. The waiter said the cut they used for the pork was near the shoulder. I particularly enjoyed the fatty bits connecting the lean meat, together with the rustic olive oil mash and paprika, it was absolutely delicious.

Cava, pear sorbet

Chocolate, toast, caramel ice cream

Desserts were winners as well. The sorbet tasted almost like frozen pear, it was so fresh, and at the same time I got the tingling sensation from the Cava. I literally could not stop slurping after the first mouthful. The ball of chocolate mousse on toast with caramel ice cream was a sweet-savoury joy. The sea salt sprinkled on top of the chocolate was a nice touch which brought the dish together.

It was the first week of opening so service was a bit rough at the edges, but it was the food that really delivered. Pizarro is a treasure of Spanish comfort food, made using the best local produce. I am already looking forward to going back to try some new dishes very soon!

Jose Pizarro