Foie Gras
Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat. Especially their livers. Délicieux or diabolique, foie gras is an issue gastronomique which engages the passions; the question is, can the contentious means ever justify the gustatory end? Clarissa Hyman investigates…
Read Clarissa Hyman's feature on Foie Gras
Extending the Boundries of (Good) Taste
It used to be that culinary marriages were sacrosanct whether chicken and morels, salmon and sorrel, foie gras and sauternes or oysters and champagne. Thrillingly, in the brave new world of contemporary cuisine, culinary boundaries are being extended and conventions challenged - all good news, in careful hands, for those of us with inquiring, ever curious tastebuds.
Read Sudi Pigott's feature
Top 10 places to spend Christmas Day
Ask Mario’s Top 10 places to spend Christmas Day or celebrate New Year’s Eve in style. Prices are per person unless otherwise stated.
Read our Top 10
Chelsea’s glamorous new Malaysian(London)
Malaysian-born Eddie Lim, who already owns the excellent Mango Tree Thai restaurant in Victoria, has just opened this smart contemporary restaurant based on his native cuisine. With most ingredients imported from Malaysia and a head chef from Langkwai, the menu offers a large selection of traditional curries, soups, grills, and stir-fries, plus vegetarian options. An innovation is the Satay Bar, with 14 stools, where diners can watch the chefs at work preparing dishes such as corn-fed chicken, Asian butterfish, salt-water tiger prawns, and tofu and capsicum, all served with a classic spicy peanut sauce. Roti canai (traditional Malaysian-style flat bread) comes with either a red curry sauce, or dahl curry sauce and is not to be missed. £80 for 2.
Awana, 85 Sloane Avenue, London SW3, tel: 020 7584 8880
Brown’s Hotel is relaunched (London)
The much-awaited relaunch of Brown’s Hotel happens this month following a £19 million renovation overseen by Rocco Forte’s sister, and Director of Design, Olga Polizzi. The hotel’s restaurant, which was London’s first hotel restaurant, has been stylishly refurbished introducing specially commissioned 1930s style Italian lights, moss green leather seating, and cream linen Roman blinds, but keeping the original wood panelling. Called The Grill, it will be under the watchful eyes of London’s most famous maitre d’, Angelo Maresca, who was at the Savoy Grill in its heyday. Executive chef is Laurence Glayzer’s (ex Harry’s Bar, The Ritz, Savoy Grill) and his menu includes a daily roast from the carving trolley. £85 for 2, 3-course set L £25.
The Grill, Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle Street, London W1, tel: 020 7493 6020
Isis goes from Moroccan to Lebanese (London)
Though the name Isis is synonymous with Egyptian deities, this was previously a Moroccan restaurant. While retaining the name, it has undergone a complete change of direction, and character. It’s now a Lebanese bazaar of a restaurant with draped curtains, pretty lanterns, sequined cushions, with a mix of classic and contemporary Lebanese cooking. The chef is from sister restaurant Ishbilia in Knighstbridge and among his favourite dishes are aubergine fatoush, and lebneh from the cold mezze. Among the hot mezze are cheese sambousek, and manakeish isis (grilled Lebanese pastry topped with halloumi cheese and thyme. Main courses include lahem meshwi (grilled cubes of lamb with tomato and onion) and farruji mussahab (chargrilled whole boneless chicken). The carte is served to 11pm, then mezze until close. Open till 3am Mon-Thu, and 6am Fri, Sat. £50 for 2.
Isis, 50 Dover Street, London W1, tel: 020 7409 0822
Seriously French at The Royal Exchange (London)
The aptly-named Grand Café and Bar that takes centre-stage in the fabulous Royal Exchange building, gets a sibling on the 8th December. Occupying the south mezzanine and therefore overlooking the Grand Café, Restaurant Sauterelle will offer simple but classic French bourgeois cooking. The carte will include dishes such as bisque de homard, feuilleté au Gruyère, and tarte au fromage de chèvre, oignons confit, followed by tronçon de turbot, sauce hollandaise, and château grillé, beurre au vin rouge, and to finish chocolat fondante tiède, langues de chat or fruits d’hiver rôti, glace à la vanille. The menu du jour is noteworthy, too, for the likes of rillettes d’oie et porc, rèmoulade, cornichons, and ballotine de pintade fermier, gateau de choux, sauce aux cèpes. £65 for 2, set menu from £23.
Restaurant Sauterelle, Mezzanine, The Royal Exchange, Bank, London EC3
tel: 020 7618 2483 www.conran.com
Devon
Darron Bunn, who made a name for himself at the Greyhound, Stockbridge has relocated to beautiful Orestone Manor, just outside Torquay. The hotel enjoys a lovely location and diners can sit in candlelit elegance in the quite formal dining room or, come summer, sit on the terrace overlooking the sea. The menus read well, with a choice of 6 well-balanced combinations in each course. Typical starters could be tian of Dartmouth crab and avocado with tomato vinaigrette, and terrine of Lathy Farm ham hock, potato and foie gras with apple and celeriac rémoulade. Mains might be fillet of local John Dory with fresh linguini, oyster beignets and oyster cream, or stuffed saddle of rabbit with crispy confit rabbit ravioli and parmesan jus. Desserts include spiced pear tatin with vanilla ice cream, and passion fruit soufflé with pineapple sorbet. About £80 for 2, set L from £14.75
Orestone Manor, Rockhouse Lane, Maidencombe, Torquay, Devon, tel: 01803 328098 www.orestone.co.uk
Surrey
Standing alongside the A283 some 2 miles south of Chiddingfold, this inn which dates back to the 18th-C has been totally revamped yet retains some characterful original features to create a space that in winter offers a large open fire in the bar, and a cosy wood-burning stove in the restaurant area. As well as a choice of simple tapas-style dishes the menu offers a modern British menu that takes in dishes such as grilled goats’ cheese with walnut brioche, fig and mustard dressing and duck samosa with asian vegetable slaw and hoisin dressing to begin, followed by pan-fried bream with surf clams, tomato, saffron and fennel, and roast lamb cutlets with date couscous, spiced aubergine salad and basil sauce. Desserts include cherry parfait with apricot sherbert, and peach and amaretto crumble with raspberries and pistachio cream. £55 for 2, tapas 3 for £5.
The Mulberry Bar & Grill, Petworth Road, Chiddingfold, Surrey tel: 01428 644460 www.mulberrybarandgrill.com
West Yorkshire
Anthony Flinn's first expansion out of his award-winning basement in Boar Lane is a superior all-purpose café/restaurant with panoramic views on top of the designer clothes store Flannels. Open shop hours (Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Mon) to sync in with the well-to-do shoppers in the adjacent Victoria Quarter, it does kippers with anchovy butter for breakfast, a three-course budget lunch, an all-day brasserie menu, and delightful cream teas. Anthony's trademark precision is loosened up by chef Chloe Ford's easy flair from succulent rib-eye steak to punchy mushroom risotto. Lounge in comfy chairs or sit up smartly. The long white attic room is a great space and the food does it justice. All day menu £50 for 2, set 3-course L £15.
Anthony's at Flannels, 68 Vicar Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, tel: 0113 242 8732, www.anthonysatflannels.co.uk
Cornwall
Brother and sister Harry and Lucy Crabb have taken over this 19th-C pub and converted it from a ‘dining-only’ venue into a real country pub serving great food. Lucy’s career began with the legendary Franco Taruschio at the Walnut Tree Inn, Abergavenny. She then went to work for Simon ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories’ Hopkinson at Bibendum before becoming head chef at Conran’s Blueprint Café. A stint at the Leaping Hare Wyken Vineyard was followed by one assisting Delia Smith revamp the catering at Norwich City FC. Lucy’s unfussy menus rely mainly on seasonal local produce offering dishes such as dressed Cornish crab with lemon mayonnaise, monkfish with Serrano ham and minted pea purée, South Devon sirloin steak with béarnaise sauce and chunky chips, and steamed lemon and sultana sponge pudding with lemon sauce. Closed Mon except B Hols. £50 for 2.
Boot Inn, Fore Street, Calstock, Cornwall, tel: 01822 834866
web site under development
Bedfordshire
Martin Lee was head chef at the Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon and now he’s moved a few miles south to this old pub located on the B660. His early experience with the likes of Raymond Blanc (Great Milton), and Marc Veyrat (Megève, France), enable a high level of confidence when it comes to cooking. Menus have a classy Mediterranean slant and feature dishes such as wild mushroom risotto with wood pigeon and juniper, seared scallops with cauliflower purée, sultana and caper dressing and thyme to begin followed by osso buco a la milanese (with it classic accompaniment: saffron risotto), and loin of Denham Estate venison with fondant potato, girolle mushrooms, shallots and red wine sauce. Desserts include sticky toffee pudding with date and walnut sauce and vanilla ice cream, and hot chocolate fondant with clotted cream. Wines (a good selection under £25) are listed by character and supplemented by short tasting notes. £60 for 2, set L from £11.
The Plough, Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire, tel: 01234 376274 www.bolnhurst.com
Scheduled to open around the second week of this month (December) is Stephen Terry’s latest venture, The Hardwick. Located about a mile south of Abergavenny alongside the old A40 (now the B4598), what was once a homely roadside pub has been transformed into a place certain to put the town back on the map once more as a destination for people in search of fine food now that the Walnut Tree has lost its edge. The original character of the place has been retained, but there’ll now be a menu of simple, locally-sourced produce like Gloucester Old Spot, and cheese from Usk. A typical special during the week could be roast rib of beef, while at the weekend brunch will kick off at 11.30am with corned beef hash, and eggs Benedict. £50 for 2.
The Hardwick, Old Raclan Road, Hardwick, Abergavenny, Gwent, tel: 01873 854220
Scotland
The sudden demise of the much-loved Martins restaurant has given Tony Singh, of that hip Edinburgh venue, Oloroso, the chance to offer a completely different vibe, eschewing both size, great views and eclectic food, for an intimate dining room with minimalist décor and just 9 tables with modern Indian cooking. Typical dishes include: chargrilled quail with spicy potato salad, seared halibut with South Indian coconut and vegetable stew with beetroot wafers, and pancakes filled with carrot compote, with rosewater sorbet and warm orange syrup. D only Tue-Sat. £50 for 2.
Roti, 70 Rose Street North Lane, Edinburgh, tel: 0131 225 1233.
| Subscribe. If you like the Ask Mario newsletter, why not pass this email to a friend. Unsubscribe Want to unsubscribe? Click on the link. Ask Mario. Ask Mario for restaurant, café, gastro pub (and more!) recommendations |