A Carluccio's convert

I've been sitting on the fence about Carluccio's for quite some time.

Sure, it's a good idea - decent Italian food for a reasonable price with not so many frills. Antonio Carluccio is a fantastic ambassador and I like the idea of being able to shop for ingredients in the restaruant too. On the other hand, national chains always make me feel as if I'm eating in an airport or shopping centre. And I'd prefer them to change the menu more with the seasons.

But recently the branch near my office has started a takeaway lunch bar. Right inside the door there's a bubbling vat of soup, tempting salads, fresh bread and heaps of pretty cakes. Just behind there's hearty hot dishes - freshly-made pizza, risotto and smells-to-heaven lasagne. And, in the grand scheme of Smithfield eateries, it's not at all badly priced.

The cauliflower soup with parmesan and black pepper is wonderfully comforting on a cold day. Mozzarella and tomato salad is bursting with spring-like freshness. Focaccia crunches with chunky salt.

I'm a convert - can you tell?

Yummy sausage-based discovery

I'm always after new food ideas and I scour delicious magazine avidly each month. I fold over the corners for anything I fancy trying; I judge the success of each issue by how many foldy corners wadge together at the top.

Of course, many corners represent foolish pipe dreams - sashimi plates I'll never dare to make and ice cream for which I don't have the requisite equipment. But, each issue, there will be a gem. Usually noodly, sometimes salmony, but increasingly sausagey.

A couple of months back I found this: sausages with creamy lentils. It takes around 40 minutes to make, so it's just about achieveable as a quick mid-week meal. And, boy, is it easy! Minimal chopping, hardly any stirring, plenty of leave-it-and-see time. I pimped it slightly, of course - I didn't bother twisting the sausages into smaller versions (because that's just weird), I left out the garlic and fresh coriander and used creme fraiche rather than yoghurt. But whatever - do what you will. That's the joy of food, as far as I'm concerned - we all know how to make things for our own taste.

Anyway - go and try it. Get the recipe here: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/sausages-with-creamy-lentils

PS: makes good leftovers too.

Sake it to them

I'm back: stop talking about me.

So, you'll be glad to hear that I found out what Honami is doing (remember, she was the wonderful sommelier at Cocoon).


She's now the wonderful sommelier at NOPI, Ottolenghi's latest place. I haven't been yet, but the menus and wine list look perritty good, so it's surely just a matter of time, eh?

New favourite restaurants

My favourite restaurant - Cocoon - has closed down. But what can replace it?

I haven't yet had a chance to try out Senkai, the Japanese restaurant opened in Cocoon's place by the same team. I'm sure I'll love it, but I don't think it'll hit the top spot.

So step up to the plate good old Gordy! Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's bobbles on the horizon as the epitome of a swanky, luxury restaurant in London. Celebrity chef influence, plush hotel, good location, classic food ... and a hell of a reputation to live up to. But it does, with an almost irritating amount of ease!

Then there's kooky old Joel Robuchon. We ate at the first floor, La Cuisine, rather than at the well-known ground floor L'Atelier. But it's the same fantastic, brave food with eye-popping presentation and great wine. A slight lack of atmosphere and some rowdy fellow diners mean it isn't my favourite, but it's close.

Incidentally, this is the time of year when our friends, family and loved ones all seem to celebrate birthdays. And either of these excellent restaurants would be a prime celebration location, even though they come at a hefty old price. You'll need to sell a major organ for an a la carte dinner with wine and a well-deserved tip. But I'm here to tell you it's worth the money - so start dusting off that Wurlitzer and book now!

And have happy birthdays.

Alive and well and eating

I'm sorry - I haven't been in touch. I've been an erratic blogger. I said I'd be here with news, dear reader, and I wasn't. I didn't even tell you more about Madrid!

But I'm alive and awfully well. And I'm discovering the eating delights of Smithfield. If I were the kind to use the phrase foodie heaven (which I'm not), I'd use it to describe the Smithfield area. It's a gastronomic delight, and no mistaking.

Never mind the fact that every famous, modern lunch chain has a branch right on my doorstep. And never mind the fact that there's a plethora of beautiful traditional old pubs to hand. I'm not even counting those things.

A short walk away I've discovered The Modern Pantry - a cutesy, wholesome restaurant with a fantastic choice of takeaway options for lunch. If you haven't tasted their aubergine quiche and soba noodle salad you don't know real happiness.

Then there's Farm, home of the fish finger bap. There's lesser known chain Benugo, with their excellent Parisian panini. There's Abokado for wonderful sushi.

When evening rolls on, you can choose from Hix Oyster and Chop House (also a good lunch venue, for small snacks at the bar), posh old Club Gascon, and any number of swanky bistros and brasseries.

I might be some time.

Another one bites the dust

Remember when I listed my favourite restaurants earlier this year? Remember how there were three I added at the bottom - ones that would have been at the top of the list but had closed down?

Well, it would appear to be a curse.

Cocoon, my number one choice, has now closed. A modern Japanese restaurant is opening in its place this month, but that's not the same. Really, it's not the same.

Cocoon - I salute you. We had many a happy evening with you and you opened our eyes to Wagyu beef, black cod and (most importantly) good sake. Boo hoo.

PS: If anyone knows what's happened to Honami (used to be Cocoon's sommelier) please do let me know.

A slice of Madrid at home

So you knew it was just a matter of time, right? Before I got ideas above my station? And felt the need to recreate the Estado Puro tapas at home? Don't you hate always being right?

I didn't feel adventurous enough to try the tortilla in a glass. But I did try out the cute little patatas bravas with a swirl (or in my case, dollop) of sauce.

I consulted the Book of Tapas - otherwise known in my house as the 'big yellow book of chomps' - for a standard salsa brava recipe and followed it to begin. It's a bit of white wine vinegar, a dash of worcestershire sauce, some crushed garlic, chilli flakes and a whole load of paprika mixed together. But it wasn't thick or rich enough, so I took drastic steps.

First I added one teaspoon-full of salmorejo mixture, which I was making at the same time. Salsa brava doesn't traditionally contain tomato, but it feels as if it should! To thicken the sauce I heated it intensively, stirring constantly until it made a deep red paste. A quick taste - similar enough to the restaurant's original. I selected same-size, neatly shaped small potatoes (I can't remember which kind, but ones suitable for baking, not boiling). Once the potatoes had baked in their skins for about 40 minutes I took a scoop out of the top of each and plopped in some sauce. Another five minutes in the oven unites potato and sauce nicely, and they're ready to serve.

Also on my twee plate (pictured above): a small ramekin of salmorejo, asparagus spears, slices of tortilla, jamon iberico and onion-stuffed mushrooms. Yum, eh?

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