Tag Archives: cooking

Lilibet’s Restaurant Review

Posted on by under restaurant reviews, Restaurants

Opulent and impressive, with a side order of slightly camp, this restaurant celebrates the past and feels guaranteed to have a glorious future

An IKEA TV campaign, not so long ago, urged everyone to ‘chuck out their chintz’. It seems that much of it ended up in Lilibet’s. I’ve not seen so much of the stuff since my maiden aunt died at 97, the same day as Elizabeth II, and her house hadn’t changed since the 1940s.

This new restaurant is on the site of the building where Elizabeth (Lillibet) II began her life, although the actual house was demolished years ago.


Internally Russell Sage Studios have created what can be either called a loving homage of interior design trends back then, or an affectionate parody of the same. There are handwoven Gainsborough silks on the walls, and even the sort of fake fireplace once found in stately council homes. Usually accompanied by a car up on bricks outside.

I like it, everything about the place has a wry smile on its face and it’s extremely welcoming, comfortable and, yes, it is actually elegant. There’s nothing else like it in an area that has become very blingy, majorly catering to Russian and Middle Eastern tastes.

It’s not perhaps what you’d expect from Ross Shonhan, once Executive chef at Zuma London, and who created the iconic Bone Daddies ramen bars that for years were the talk of blogland, with people scrambling to get as much oily broth inside themselves as possible..

Here it’s fish, fish  and more fish across a very large space divided into zones. A bar, a marble topped seafood bar, (oysters and caviar feature, of course) a fish grill, and traditional seating to eat whatever you want. These seats are extra plush, and whilst the tables have no tablecloths, they are dark wood and so still feel upper class.

It’s a menu that could have you indecisively flicking back and forth for a month, but we know what we want.


Anchovy éclairs and crab tarts are more nibbles than full on starters, but they are both rather wonderful. I love anchovies, particularly the tinned brown fillets, but they do repel some people. The important thing is to get the best you can find – cheap anchovies don’t have the rich texture and deep umami that’s so present here.

I saw a recipe for these in the The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook (don’t judge me). So as a savoury they have been around a long time in posh circles. They’re usually made with puff pastry, here though it’s proper choux with the hollow space inside piped with anchovy parfait and on top sharp/sweet sauce. Gone all too quickly, but the memory lingers.

The crab tarts are equally impressive, small works of culinary art, super-fresh sweet crab enlivened by citrus and cosseted in pastry shells that are as delicate as the porcelain  Liz 2 probably had her afternoon tea served in.

Did I mention it’s a big menu? Well we dither over the Ricotta agnolotti,  lobster spaghetti, whole turbot pil pil as choices, but the “fish triptych,” fish served in three different ways – a crudo, a grilled main and a soup  – sounds too unique not to try.


From the fish of the day we have the Sea Bream. This arrives first as crudo – raw – dressed with olive oil, salt, lemon and perhaps vinegar, and liberally scattered with herbs. This really showcases the fish which is firmly ‘cooked’ by the acids to a divine buttery texture. My only caveat being that the fresh chili was rather too fierce at times.

Next from the same fish comes its fillets, cooked in the searing heat of the bespoke wood oven. A perfect piece of fish, the skin crispy and golden, the flesh gorgeously creamy. It is so naturally excellent that the mojo verde sauce is in some ways not needed,  but in other ways I need lots more. And a spoon, too. I could also do with some chips, but then I am common.

Lastly, the remains of the fish are cooked fast in a pressure cooker to create one of the best fish soups either of us have ever tasted, and yes we have been to the South of France.

It’s ladled out tableside, which is posh, and we boat it back with little oohs and aahs. There is some left in the tureen, so rather than summon a footman I top up our bowls myself. Sometimes one simply cannot wait to be served.


I now have to mention the Lobster Mash, after all everybody else has. Firstly it gave me an annoying earworm; I can’t stop hearing ‘Monster Mash’ in my head, and secondly it really is very good. Buttery, creamy, mash anointed with a lobster bisque? How can it fail?

It’s served after the soup, I’d have liked it served with the #2 fish, although that may not have been the best way to showcase either dish. Anyway, it is decadent, depraved and delicious. It’s a must have, a right royal treat.

They do a rather odd dessert here, a Prego sandwich. It’s a garlic steak sandwich, the word ‘prego’ in Portuguese means ‘nail,’ perhaps the nail in your coffin? It is actually a well-loved Portuguese snack that is often eaten after a seafood meal. I don’t really fancy it, but a twist on crepes suzette does sound good.

It arrives rolled up, topped with a sauce of caramelised sugar, orange juice and butter, plus thin candied orange peels, and yes, it is torched (or flambeed as they say in more refined circles) at the table. It’s a blast from the past and a very welcome one.

Lillibet’s really is something special in London; its interiors, its staff, its food all remind me of why I go out to eat in the first place, not to greedily catch a trend but to relax and enjoy time with friends and family in a place that believes in the basics. 

Lillibet’s I am sure will become as much a part of London’s history as Liz 2 was, and hopefully live just as long.

17 Bruton St, London W1J 6QB
lilibetsrestaurant.com

Swaledale Lamb. From The Dales to your door

Posted on by under Europe, food

If you don’t have a decent butcher on your doorstep don’t worry, you can still get the finest meat delivered

I don’t live in a ‘nice’ London postcode. Waitrose won’t set up shop anywhere near us and Ocado has an armed escort and throws the shopping at our door rather than risk stopping.

Well not really, but we do lack posh shops and the nearest proper butcher is many miles away. So we are at the mercy of the big supermarkets, and much as I like lamb, particularly at Easter, I have had too many expensive disappointments from supermarkets to ever buy it there again.

So Swaledale had me in interested with their talk of being an award-winning Yorkshire-based online butcher that works in partnership with small-scale, sustainable farms on The Dales. They specialise in heritage breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs, wild venison, and native game birds, supplying many a top restaurant.

The Dales are particularly noted for sheep farming, with hardy breeds such as Swaledale, Lonk, Dalesbred and Herdwick all foraging freely on the lush grass, herbs and flowers. The result is smaller, darker-fleshed lamb that tastes of the ‘terroir’, although I suspect many down to earth Yorkshire people would gag at such fancy French talk.

So we tried out some of their lamb by post. Lamb chops, because a perfectly cooked lamb chop chewed off the bone is one of life’s’ great pleasures. We also chose some Merguez sausages because we were intrigued to taste a Yorkshire merguez. Another great pleasure is eating merguez slapped into a buttery baguette, a staple snack at every French bric a brac market and always served with a barquette of freshly cooked from frozen frites and glass of raw vin rouge.

And just for ‘fun’ we also had some mutton chops. A lot of people give mutton a miss, it’s regarded as a bit old fashioned and can also be a bit too ‘gamey’ for modern tastes, but good mutton is well worth seeking out.

The lamb chops were excellent. The plan was to grill them on our new Weber, but while I factored in the weather I forgot it gets dark at 6pm, so we cooked them on a cast iron grill on the kitchen gas rings. Three to four minutes a side with the grill hot as Hades, the internal temp checked with the trusty Thermapen – overcooking lamb is a criminal offence, or should be.

The Merguez were the best I’ve tasted outside North Africa, quickly frying to an attractive gold colour and with a firm snap to the skins. We ate some cooked with red peppers dobbed with a poached egg, and the next day sliced into pieces in a couscous. My suggestion that we should also have them for breakfast was vetoed.

Finally the mutton chops. For these we thought we’d be a little adventurous and used the recipe from the take it easy chef for mutton chops karnatkas style. This involved pressure cooking the chops in some water and spices before adding a masala mix and simmering for twenty or so minutes.

Indian cooks use pressure cookers a lot, they’re fast and energy efficient. Here the cooker turned the meat very tender without taking hours of slow cooking. Lots of flavour and an authentic taste.

So we were impressed with Swaledale’s lamb. As traditional quality butchers become harder to find, and hard to afford, mail order meat is certainly a great way to go.

swaledale.co.uk






Yee-Hah! I sample SOUND London’s brand-new Americana menu

Posted on by under Europe, food, restaurant reviews, Restaurants

I’m not normally a fan of stereotypical American food, but I get kinda converted at a lavish preview

American food is often defined solely by the UK’s rather twisted lens. Watching TV we tend to think that all Americans ever eat is steaks bigger than plates and burgers so enormous you need to dislocate your jaw like an anaconda to fit them in.

Of course that’s not entirely unfair. Americans do things big and that includes food.

SOUND London is a very big space inside the Cumberland Hotel, so large it’s even got a London taxi in reception.

Walking in is like entering a classic bar in Florida, it’s all very colourful and bright and packed with people, and on the stage is a band. This is the kind of place usually called a Sports Bar where giant TV screens beam the big games with state of the art sound sound systems, and have live music at other times. The food is equallyloud and proudly Comfort American,

SOUND London at The Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch now has a brand new Americana menu with lots of small plates, burgers, BBQ meat platters with sharing sides and gravy, and the mighty 20oz Tomahawk steak for sharing served with mash, chilli greens, baked tomato topped with a garlic and herb crumble, as well as salsa verde and red wine gravy.

So I starved myself all day in anticipation.

We skirted around the sweet little robot server trundling cheerfully up and down, and nabbed a table in front of the stage where an acoustic trio were competently playing all the hits and more. Rather oddly the two seat tables are arranged so one of you has his or her back to the stage, it would be better surely to have seats side-on so you both can see?

The menu is not massive ,but it certainly inspires big hunger. We had a cocktail each and were undecided for starters between Stuffed jalapeño poppers, Jumbo prawns with spicy mango salsa, Grilled corn ribs, Buttermilk Chicken Tenders and the ‘Ultimate Onion Ring Tower’.

We had the peppers and the prawns and also succumbed to our server’s insistence to try the onion tower – well, when in the U.SA etc.

The peppers were great, ideal for accompanying drinks, ideally ice cold beers. The prawns fat and juicy, the batter crisp and fresh. And the onion rings? Well these were impressive and certainly towering.

They were also extremely, deadly, hot. We both had serious problems through taking too big a bite, the batter burning us and the onion inside annoyingly reluctant to be bitten through. We decided to let them cool down and concentrated on our other dishes. If your kids order the tower, and this is a kid friendly place, be careful.

We wanted the Tomahawk steak to share, who wouldn’t, but apparently it’s marinaded in red wine and J is allergic to tanins. We agree to share the The Smokehouse Platter instead – BBQ-glazed smoked beef feather blade, pulled pork shoulder, glazed pork ribs, Texas hot link sausage, grilled corn ribs, BBQ ranch beans, red cabbage slaw, pickles and tear ‘n’ share mezzaluna bread.

It’s brilliant, a real feast of America. The ribs fall apart perfectly, the shoulder easily falls to the fork and we devour it all hungrily as the band lurches into an acoustic version of Oasis’ Stand By Me.

Anyone not on the red meat train could go for the Big Bird Platter -BBQ-glazed skin-on chicken breast, slow-roasted chicken wings in a choice of BBQ or Buffalo Hot Sauce, buttermilk chicken tenders, grilled corn ribs, BBQ ranch beans, red cabbage slaw, pickles and tear ‘n’ share mezzaluna bread and it looks good,.

Sounds Big Burger

And if you want a burger well fear not because the Burger Studio has The London Double Decker, crispy buttermilk chicken Clucky and smokey BBQ Pulled Pork. And they are biggggggg!

We watch them go past rather wistfully, as we are now sated, and just about manage a House Apple Cobbler, and a thick Millionaires Brownie. We are stuffed and then some.

Take me home, country roads. Or rather, take me home Northern Line. I did enjoy our visit to America.

 https://sound.london/

@sound.london 

Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London, W1H 7DL 

For more information please visit: https://www.guoman.com/the-cumberland  

#HITPLAY 

Weber Forever. New BBQs To Get You Grilling

Posted on by under Europe


Looking out the window you might be forgiven for not thinking about barbecues right now, but summer is coming (honest) The BBQ Gods at Weber are getting all set with new products, now with the added ingredient of Jamie Oliver.

Jamie’s role is to be the front man, adding his cheeky chappy endorsement, as well as coming up with recipes encouraging people to move away from basic bangers and burgers and have more fun when it comes to outdoor cooking. It’s a good fit; after all if any famous chef seems genuinely at home with BBQ and cooking for friends, it’s our boy Jamie.

Weber really is the biggest and probably the oldest name in BBQs.  It was in 1951, that their original round charcoal kettle grill was built by George Stephen Sr., who part-owned Weber Bros. Metal Works a sheet metal shop in Chicago. All he was doing was trying to improve on the brazier he was using to cook outdoors at home.

The metal shop fabricated round buoys for shipping, so it was simple to take two of the sheet metal half-spheres, put a grill in one half and make the other the lid. A legend was born.

You can still buy the original style Weber Kettle Grill, as it was then called, and it’s still a very good BBQ, but Weber, now named the Weber-Stephen company, has a lot more to offer.

So what’s cooking this year? We went to the Jamie Oliver HQ in North London to see the new kit in action, plus eat some Jamie food.

Starting with the smallest, there’s the new Weber TRAVELER Compact Barbecue Grill

This looks at first rather like a fold up pram, but within seconds this mini version of the award-winning, Weber Traveler Portable Gas Barbecue is up and ready to go with an innovative, one-handed setup and assisted fold-down.

Its high-quality, porcelain-enamelled finish means it can take a lot of knocks and once folded down it’s easy to store in a small garden or to  overwinter indoors. Of course it’s also easy to take out with you on trips to the beach or countryside (where allowed).

It will be on sale soon in stores and at weber.com. We helped Weber’s team grill up some superb Jamie-style lamb chops coated in a pomegranate and olive marinade, which were done in no time. Seared on the outside, pink in the middle – perfect.


Gnawing on these, we next got to see the somewhat bigger all-new 2024 SUMMIT top-of-the-range smart gas barbecue. FS38X

This is, as Weber proudly states, the most technologically advanced, versatile, premium offering in the Company’s gas portfolio, a ‘high-performing culinary showstopper for outdoor space’.

Well you better have a good  bit of outdoor space because this is a big BBQ

A fancy new feature is its extra-large, colour, high-definition touch screen, or you can work the whole thing from your ‘phone or pad,

You can set and change the barbecue’s temperature, select the preferred cooking method – direct or indirect grilling – and based on the chosen setting, the SUMMIT barbecue will show you precisely where to place food on the cooking grates for perfect results.
 

You can also monitor quick start and preheating steps so you know when the barbecue is ready to use

And what’s more you can continuously follow the progress of a cook remotely but also, when needed, the SUMMIT barbecue will automatically self-adjust its heat levels to maintain an accurate temperature, or smoothly manage temperature changes with precision to ensure dishes are not over or undercooked,

I am not saying you should go to the pub and monitor dinner from there, although that would be a good idea, but at the very least you can sit down with guests and not have to constantly hop and down to go and check the BBQ.

Gas level is also  monitored so you know when it’s time to refuel, you get alerts when food is ready to be removed from the grill and you can shut down the barbecue remotely.

It has a top-down IR broiler to rapidly sear and caramelise dishes and  supersized FLAVORIZER bars, a cavernous cook space, r and the powerful PUREBLU burner system, it cooks as great as it looks.

Added features are extra-large prep and serve side tables, a side burner and NIGHTVISION motion-sensing lid-integrated LED lights that illuminate the entire grilling surface – from the side table to the grates.

All SUMMIT barbecues come in stainless steel or Weber porcelain enamel with a tuck-away rotisserie, soft-close cabinet doors, and a stainless-steel smoker box. Additionally, they come ready to use with the WEBER CRAFTED Outdoor Kitchen Collection of grillware, which includes a variety of accessories such as sear grate for the perfect sear marks on your steaks, pizza stone and many more options. 

From the classic One Touch we ate ‘beer can chicken’ using Weber’s special chicken roaster pan to make Barbecued Roasted Chicken with Salsa Verde. Delicious sharing food.

Summer IS coming, but even now cooking outside is possible, and pleasurable, with Weber’s range of time-tested and innovative BBQs. Turn up the heat!

All of these new products, including a massive new version of the ever-popular One Touch, will be available in the shops and at Weber.com soon, well in time for a great British summer.