Welcome to Ask Mario's February 06 Newsletter
We've finally done it. After years of talking, the Ask Mario website is up and running. Since our (soft) launch early in November, the response has been phenomenal: chatter on egullet.com, a mention in Olive magazine, a rapidly growing list of subscribers for this newsletter, and an astonishing response to our restaurant recommendation service. As those of you who have tried us know, this is no cookie-cutter restaurant listing service. Last month we recommended Anthony's at Flannels (Leeds), Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, and Luciano (London), Jesmond Dene House (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) - all newly opened places that you won't find in the 2006 restaurant guides. So far we've only been stumped by one request - take it from Ask Mario, there are no restaurants in the UK specialising in purely Indonesian cooking, well not ones we can recommend, anyway. Meanwhile, if you want to know where to eat right here, right now, consult us - it's free and impartial as we only recommend places known and liked by the Ask Mario team.
Elizabeth Carter, Editor
Canned Eats
Parkes Restaurant in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge was famed throughout the 60s and well into the 70s as the most innovative and fashionable of London's restaurants. Mario Wyn-Jones looks back on a totally different food philosophy…
Read Canned Eats, a feature by Mario Wyn-Jones
Truffles
They're black, they're white and they cost loadsamoney, they're also sexy, sensual and highly seductive. For those who can't tell a truffle from a turnip, truffle and fungi expert Josphine Bacon offers a user's guide to these fabulous objects of desire.
Read Josephine Bacon's feature on Truffles
Sardinian Sundays in Primrose Hill (London)
Sardinian specialities can now be had on Sundays, too, with the launch of a special set Sunday lunch (£23 for 3 courses) at this Primrose Hill neighbourhood restaurant. And as it's available from midday right through till 10pm, it's perfect for late risers. Typical choices include a wooden platter of meats and cheeses to share: Sardinian salami, goose salami and Pecorino cheeses; followed by roast veal with sautéed potatoes and carrots, or traditional Sardinian pasta with aromatic sausage and tomato sauce. Finally for dessert, you could choose panna cotta with fresh berry sauce, or warm chocolate and almond cake. In true Italian fashion, children are welcome.
Sardo Canale, 42 Gloucester Avenue, Primrose Hill. London NW1, tel: 020 7722 2800 www.sardocanale.com
Belgravia's new gastropub (London)
The former Joiner's Arms in Belgravia has undergone a transformation emerging in early January as the area's newest gastropub. It is named after the man responsible for, among many notable projects, the front of Buckingham Palace, and whose son, George, also happens to be the great grandfather of Camilla Parker-Bowles. The head chef comes from Harry's Bar, and though Italian, has created modern British menus, which are available in the relaxed downstairs bar, the street terrace or in the upstairs dining rooms. The bar menu includes dishes like Denham Estate pork and apple sausages, and 100% organic beef burger, while upstairs you'll find stuffed Guinea fowl breast with veal and thyme jus, and whole roast Dover sole with marinated cherry tomatoes. Bar £30 for 2, Upstairs £80 for 2.
Thomas Cubitt, 44 Elizabeth Street, London SW1, tel: 020 7730 6060 www.thethomascubitt.co.uk
A Very British menu in Old Soho (London)
A 6-course tasting menu of top quality locally sourced ingredients including British rare breeds has just been introduced at this Soho newcomer. The first course is a terrine of confit red leg chicken with goose foie gras, followed by seared hand-dived Scottish scallops with lentils and curried belly pork rillette. The fish course is whole stone-baked baby red mullet with sauce gribiche, and for the main course it's Dexter beef cooked three ways accompanied by Wymondham Stilton pie. After hot chocolate fondant with cardamom ice cream, the finale's Sharpham rustic cheese with warm home-made Eccles cake. £50 per person plus 12.5% service.
Boulevard Bar & Dining Rooms, 55-59 Old Compton Street, London W1, tel: 020 7287 0770 www.boulevard-dining-room.co.uk
Chef moves (London)
Andrew Turnerleaves 1880 at The Bentley Kempinski, SW7 on February 3rd. On March 6th he takes up his post as Executive Chef at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Surrey, a grand early Victorian mansion set in 120 acres of parkland.
Celebrity chef Paul Merrett, who first came to prominence at The Greenhouse, Mayfair, has left The Farm, an acclaimed Fulham gastropub to open his own place in West London. Watch this space for more details.
Ian Pengelley's eponymous restaurant on Sloane Street has closed after less than a year. It suffered from generally poor reviews, but it could also be partly due to its location, as Monte's, Jamie Oliver's earlier collaboration with the talented Ben O'Donoghue, didn't last long either on the same site.
Novelli's White Horse comes to life (Hertfordshire)
Jean-Christophe Novelli's long-awaited gastropub, The White Horse, has opened to restaurant goers, apart from the editor of the AA Restaurant Guide, Janet Street-Porter and Michael Winner, all of whom have been banned. The rest of us can enjoy ‘A Touch of Novelli' from breakfast through to morning coffee, lunch and dinner, with a special brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays. Prices may be a lot lower than they were at Brocket Hall, but the quintessential JC style remains, including his signature dishes: chargrilled baby squid, salmon and king prawn lemongrass kebab with beetroot and blood orange oil; and four-hour braised oxtail with liquorice stick, white almond and cauliflower mash and dried pancetta. Nearby is JC's cookery school, Novelli Academy, rated in the Top 25 in the World (Waitrose Food Illustrated).
The White Horse, Hatching Green, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, tel: 01582 713428
www.atouchofnovelli.com/harpenden.htm
French chef wins Chef of the Year (Hertfordshire)
The Publican Food Awards have nominated a Frenchman, Claude Paillet, as their Chef of the Year. Claude, who trained at Michelin three-starred restaurants in France is head chef at this 18th C free house and has created a menu that combines regional British produce with French haute cuisine. Typical dishes include pan-fried foie gras with roasted apples and sherry jus, and fillet of mature Scotch beef with a choice of black peppercorn or Diane sauces. £60 for 2
Bricklayers Arms, Hogpits Bottom, Flaunden, Hertfordshire, tel: 01442 833322 www.bricklayersarms.com
Staffordshire's new destination restaurant (Staffordshire)
With little serious competition for many miles, the people of Newcastle-under Lyme at last have a classy new restaurant. Decorated in shades of ivory and chocolate, it has a cool, urbane atmosphere and a modern French menu prepared by Simon Potter, ex sous chef at Gleneagles (newly awarded a second star in Michelin 2006). The current winter menu features starters such as ballotine of pork with celeriac rémoulade and sauce gribiche; crab salad with cucumber jelly and dill; and game terrine with trompette des morts (horn of plenty fungus), baby leeks, foie gras and quince chutney. Among the mains you'll find pan-fried wild sea bass with Jerusalem artichoke purée, asparagus and red wine butter sauce, and stuffed saddle of rabbit with fondant potato, parsnip purée, oven-dried tomato and tarragon. About £70 for 2
Ivory Restaurant, 13a Brunswick Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire,
tel: 01782 710580 www.ivory-restaurants.co.uk/
It's RED in Worthing (West Sussex)
Daniel Clarke, former head chef at Bailiffscourt Hotel, Climping, and Le Talbooth, Dedham, Essex, has decided to open his own modern European brasserie style restaurant. The location is a pedestrianised area a stone's throw from the sea, and it will make a great place to eat al fresco in the summer. RED stands for relax, eat and drink, and to match the name there are red and cream leather banquettes and paintwork. The daytime menu offers light dishes like honey roast ham and hand cut chips (£8.95), and Thai style fish cake with pickled cucumber and coriander sauce (£6.95/£9.95), as well as a bargain express lunch. Dinner is more ambitious, featuring dishes such as spicy chorizo with spring onion and parmesan risotto and mango sauce; braised blade of beef with horseradish mash and crispy parsnips, and caramelised coconut rice pudding with poached pineapple. £50 for 2, (pre/post-theatre £19.95 for 3 courses).
RED, 14 Montague Place, Worthing, West Sussex, tel: 01903 823823 www.relaxeatdrink.co.uk/
Leeds Foundry opens wine bar (West Yorkshire)
The regeneration of the old industrial area at Holbeck, known as the Round Foundry, is developing into one of Leeds' most promising new food quarters. It began with the Cross Keys gastropub followed by the Pickled Pepper deli and café, and now the Foundry Wine Bar, opened last month by ex-Leodis front of house manager, Phil Richardson and his chef and business partner Shaun Davies. Décor is 80s wine-bar chic - wood panelled bar, exposed brick, bentwood chairs, subdued lighting and snaps of Leeds United stars in their heyday - with a retro, largely English menu to match: devilled lambs' kidneys, white onion soup, prawns in garlic butter to start; steak, rack of lamb with garlic cream, braised beef and dumplings, halibut and Dover sole, to follow. Puddings of brandy snaps and cream or banoffee pie confirm the theme. Capably cooked food, a serious wine list, attentive service and an easy atmosphere make this a useful addition to the city. About £55 for 2.
The Foundry Wine Bar, 1 Saw Mill Yard, Round Foundry, Water Lane, Leeds, tel: 0113 245 0390 www.thefoundrywinebar.co.uk
Winning team's new Cardiff area pub (Wales)
Craig Thomas, formerly of Junction 28, Bassaleg and The Three Salmons Hotel, Usk, and Graham Wheatley, winner of several bar awards, have teamed up to open this pub, on the A48 between St Mellons and Cardiff. The menu offers a huge choice, ranging from bacon butties (£2.50) for breakfast, through to more substantial dishes later in the day, including pan-fried venison steak with red wine, mussels in tomato and herb sauce, fish and vegetable pie, roast duck breast with orange sauce, and bread and butter pudding with custard. £40 for 2, Mon-Thu 4pm-7pm, 2 courses £9.95
Port O'Call, 140 Marshfield Road, Marshfield, Cardiff, tel: 01633 680171
www.ultim8catering.co.uk/u8c_poc_restaurant.html
Michael Caines' new Abode in Glasgow
First there was The Clarence, Exeter, and, later this spring, The County, Canterbury, will become an ABode Hotel, all part of Michael Caines' and Andrew Brownsword's successful partnership. For now, Glasgow is under the spotlight - The Arthouse having just re-opened as ABode Glasgow. Original features like the stained glass windows and the cage lift have been incorporated into the contemporary design. The restaurant, on street level, showcases Michael's modern European creations: cannelloni of langoustine with savoy cabbage, pancetta, and langoustine and basil scented consommé; roast pheasant with Stornoway black pudding, Puy lentils, roasted parsnips, button onions and red wine sauce; and cranachan soufflé with raspberry sorbet. £85 for 2. There are also 60 bedrooms in four room categories: Comfortable (£125), Desirable (£140), Enviable (£165), and Fabulous (£225).
Michael Caines at Abode Glasgow, The Arthouse, 129 Bath Street, Glasgow,
tel: 0141 221 6789 www.abodehotels.co.uk/glasgow
Star Trek - Michelin 2006
It's nice to see that some of our favourite restaurants have at last been recognised (well done Tristan Lee Mason, the Hare Restaurant, Lambourn Woodlands, and Adam Simmonds at Ynyshir Hall), and what a welcome quick result for the excellent Hand and Flowers in Marlow. But this star system does seem a bit of a lottery. For example, what is Michelin's problem with Anthony's in Leeds? Against all expectations, the extraordinarily gifted chef Tony Flinn - ex El Bulli and Vineyard at Stockcross - has once again been ignored. As if to add insult to injury, he's not even been included in the list of rising stars for 2007. And, here's news from the Ask Mario team - the Edmund's they list in Henley-in-Arden became an Indian restaurant last December - well, that's printed guides for you. To see the full starry list, boldly go to
www.michelin.co.uk/travel/red_guide_2006/press_pack.htm
AA Roadside Cafés and Truckstops guideWhen a new guidebook comes out, most people tend to look up places they know to gauge the quality. With the AA's latest offering, Roadside Cafés and Truckstops, we looked in vain for Ask Mario's top roadside pit stop, the Farmcafé on the A12 at Marlsford, Suffolk (free range eggs, locally produced bacon and sausages, fresh crabs, great homemade cakes). So we tried the only motorway service station worth stopping at - the privately owned Tebay Services on the M6 in Cumbria - named last month as the Breakfast Champion of the North West for its use of regional produce. Not in. So what is in? InRestaurant Magazine, AA author Bill Dickenson listed the Airport Café at Sellinge, Kent among his top five roadside eateries. So we went for breakfast. Our verdict? While it was spotless and very friendly, the food was just so so, purchased on price not quality and there was no sense of regional pride. We were particularly unimpressed by poor quality crusty white bread (for which we paid extra), which came smeared with margarine, and some rather nasty sausages called Korker. Not used to the additives, the whole experience left us with a nasty taste in our mouths. If this is among the top, what are the rest of the establishments like? Caveat trucker!
Farmcafé, Main Road (A12) Marlesford, Suffolk tel: 01728 747717 www.farmcafe.co.uk
Tebay Services, just north of junction 38, M6 (both sides), Old Tebay, Cumbria,
tel: 015396 24505 www.westmorland.com
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