Lamb Tagine

In honour of Noy, earlier this week I made a lamb tagine. Actually, Noy doesn’t like lamb but I think this dish would work well with other meats too. I do not have an actual tagine, so this was less traditional that one might like but worked very well in a regular pot.

It being Spring (kind of, when it feels like it) there’s much made of lamb coming into season and I very rarely cook it so took the plunge.

The resulting meal was a success, I’ll make a few changes when I cook it again, like adding the chickpeas and squash later on so that they have more bite and I’d add more harissa, to provide more heat. Better still to use dried chickpeas instead of canned and soak them first. There was plenty left over and it freezes well so I’ll do that when we have the rest.

I resisted the urge to put peas in it, I want peas with everything at the moment but they wouldn’t have worked. I would also add more seeds, possibly also pine nuts to the cous cous for more of a crunch.


Lamb Tagine (serves 4 maybe more but we’re greedy)

900g Lamb, leg or shoulder meat
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 good pinches of saffron strands
1 small tin of tomato puree
3 tsp harissa paste
400g plum tomatoes
3/4 pint of lamb stock
1 small butternut squash, chopped into 1inch cubes
1 tin of chickpeas
200g cous cous
1 packet of fresh coriander
1/2 packet of fresh mint
25g sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tub 0% fat total greek yoghurt

- Brown the lamb in the oil in batches and put aside.
- Fry the onion until soft with the remaining oil.
- Add the garlic, and spices and fry them off until the aromas are released
- Pour in the tomatoes, tomato puree, harissa and stock and simmer for 1 hour
- When 30 minutes have passed, add the chickpeas, the squash and 1/3 of the herbs.
- Add 200g of hot stock (I used lamb) to the cous cous and allow to soak for around 10 mins. Fluff with a fork, add 1/3 of the herbs, the lemon juice and the seeds.
- Serve the meat and sauce on a bed of the cous cous with some greek yoghurt or similar on top. Also, a wedge of lemon to garnish and squeeze over.

Thanks to Lizzie for suggesting cooking the cous cous with stock, obvious really but I’m not generally a fan and so have only made it once or twice before following packet instruction. Using stock really helped. It’s a good alternative for those days when you find you’re a little bored of pasta and rice. Neither would really work with this dish. Many recipes suggest the addition of honey or dried fruit but I don’t really think it’s needed.

Rivington Grill

For Nibs' birthday brunch, us girls head to Rivington Street to sample the delights on offer at Rivington Grill, a restaurant and bar that is part of the Caprice Holdings collective, also encompassing The Ivy and J Sheekey amongst others (read my thoughts on J Sheekey here). Such credentials and a fine review from Krista meant I was certainly looking forward to this.

We arrived promptly at 1pm to find a virtually deserted restaurant but it very soon filled up and was bustling by the time we left. Service was relaxed and polite and we had a pleasurable and leisurely brunch sampling a diverse selection of their food.

We each selected a tipple, I had a brunch-tastic bloody mary which, to my surprise, had fresh horseradish pieces in it, and was very good indeed. The bread was served next whilst we deliberated over the menu. It was warm and served with just the right amount of butter, I find that happens all too rarely, and we were given 2 between the 4 of us whilst a later arriving foursome, Noy noticed, were given only 1.


I was most chuffed with my choice of Cornish crab with toast and mayonnaise. This was a real crowd pleaser, when it arrived there were envious glances from the neighbouring table, one chap proudly declaring “that must be the crab,” didn’t exactly take a genius to reach that conclusion…


The toast was thick cut and white, which I welcomed but because it was warm by the time I got down to the 3rd and 4th pieces they had gone slightly chewy due to the heat and had lost most of their crispness. The accompanying mayonnaise was velvety and tasted homemade and the chopped egg (white and yolk separated and beautifully served in a small ramekin) was an unadvertised delight. The lemon provided a welcome tang and the crab itself, presented back in the shell was perfect, a generous portion of both brown and white meat sitting atop a bed of seaweed. I thought the dish was faultless.

As a starter the crab was relatively filling and so, instead of a main, I opted for a side of bubble and squeak which was interesting. To quote Nibs it was "heavily herbed" and very very green. The flavour was a bit all over the place with so many herbs that it was difficult to detect each flavour, rather an overall sort of fragrance. I liked that it had peas in it (I'm a bit obsessed with peas at the moment) and it was nicely crisp on the outside. Nibs fared somewhat better with her side of fries which were pretty great, crispy and thick and served in a little tin pot.


As well as this Nibs had the Evesham beetroot and goatscheese salad. Again, a major element to the dish was not stated on the menu, this time it was pears. The additions were entirely welcome but it's curious that a beetroot, goatscheese and pear salad would be under sold by the omission of one of the trio from the description. In any case, Nibs was happy, as she's a fan of pears but the chips beat her, lucky for us we were all able to have a few.



Kid, by far the fussiest eater among us and the least interested in food in general, went for the sausage and mash. For a small eater, she did very well, quietly scraping off the onions and declaring the actual bangers to be a bit too meaty. Again we all got a tatse and I thought they were good, rather solid and flavoursome, with a rich gravy and fluffy mash.


Noy felt like breakfast rather than lunch and here are her thoughts:

First up was Macroom porridge. This arrived to me in a pleasing, yet slightly sloppy state - not really sure what else I was expecting though! From the first taste I knew that, for me, it was far too sweet but I carried on. It had a comforting charm that made it really moreish. The oats in it were a perfect consistency and nice and big, too! Next up was my much anticipated drop scones with lavender honey and bacon.


Pleasing to the eye and to the taste, too. The three pancakes were perfectly drizzled with honey - normally I wouldn't opt for this as not much of a honey fan, but adding mustard to the dish really took the edge of the sweetness. The bacon was slightly fatty and could have been crispier but the ratio of pancake to bacon was spot on.

This is a perfect brunch venue. It's nice how the restaurant and bar areas are seperated. I shall be returning.

Rivington Grill
28-30 Rivington St,
Shoreditch, EC2A
8/10

Albion

I had very high hopes about this place, having read reviews of Boundary here and here. Terence Conran's new project comprising a hotel, numerous bars and three restaurants. Ambitious indeed and, thus far, apparently well received.

When the girls and I stumbled upon the place on a Saturday afternoon wander I almost convulsed with excitement and hurried inside to have a peek in the Albion shop. The displays are incredible, beautiful cupcakes, freshly baked breads and exquisitely presented products from many 'established English brands.' We decided to nab a table and a much needed bottle of wine, and a cake of two!

Sarah and I had a cupcake, with the lightest and butteriest icing these are just delicious. It wasn't the best sponge I've ever had but the sprinkling of rainbow strands made up for it. It was so pretty. The house white too was good though Noy wasn't a fan.


To add insult to injury Noy's fruit scone was stale. Served with raspberry jam and butter (cream if you prefer), it had obviously been part of the inside spectacle for most of the morning and was past it's best. Shame.

The main note I'd like to make is that we were served by possibly the rudest waiter I have ever had the misfortune to meet. He was rushing around, completely unnecessarily whilst about 5 others wandered around aimlessly, waiting for instruction. He actually shouted "quick" to Nibs from about 5 meters away having scarpered while she was still deciding what to have. It may be annoying when customers um and ah over their order but when there are barely a handful of other diners this rudeness is entirely uncalled for. In his defence the other girls didn't hear his "quick" comment, I may have been hearing things but his other shortcomings as a waiter did not go unnoticed.

£30 for 2 cakes, a stale scone, a kir royale for Sair and the bottle of white. Plus 12.5% (disgraceful) service charge.

We got the giggles midway through our stay, owing to the wine I daresay but I imagine others might not take this quite so well. The fact that a group of young women should be subjected to such substandard service is not okay in my mind. Terence, take note, sort your staff out.

Albion @ The Boundary Project
4 Boundary St,
Shoreditch, E2
5/10

Del Parc

On Friday night a group of friends and I dined at Del Parc, a small Spanish restaurant in Tufnell Park. Having eaten here a number of times I've been keen to post about it because I believe owners Alan and Steve are providing some of the finest food available in London.

Ingredients come from Brindisa and each dish is intelligently and lovingly prepared in the open kitchen amid the diners in the centre of the rustically charming room. There is an incredibly homely feeling about the eating experience here, Alan serving everybody single handed and one immediately gets a sense of an ingrained passion and knowledge of the food they prepare.


We were a large group and for ease we agreed with Alan when booking to have the chef selection. I did however make a special request for the marinated olives to be included, the best olives I have ever come across, marinated in smoked paprika, olive oil and many herbs. They burst with flavour and are almost meaty in consistency leaving a welcome pool of marinade to be mopped up with the delightfully crusty bread.


There were a number of changes to the reservation, times and numbers were altered and each change was politely accepted and that's one of the main charms of Del Parc, the owners are amazingly hospitable and are perfect hosts, genuinely polite and eager to provide an excellent evening of food and ambiance.

We selected a red wine, each bottle on the menu has been tried and tested to provide the perfect accompaniment to the dishes, Alan is more than happy to recommend something and again, demonstrates that he clearly knows what he's talking about.

The chef selection comprised of so many dishes that I believe I may be guilty of omitting some here but you'll get the general gist. Following the olives we were presented with an aubergine dip and warm pitta breads, toasted and light these were very moreish and were quickly devoured. Next up was this selection of various tasty offerings


From the top: white asparagus spears which were a tad soft, caper berries, roasted peppers, marinated cannelini beans, mushrooms (these were the crowning glory of the selection, deeply flavoursome with smoked paprika and a hint of sherry) and some artichoke hearts. The only problem we had with this was having to share between three, whilst all wanting to dig in with no reserve!

Then came the blue cheese mushrooms which I adored. They prompted even Thomas, who is allergic to blue cheese, to have a taste. They looked too appealing to miss out on. The cheese was amazingly pungent and salty, perfectly offset buy the chunky earthiness of the portobello mushrooms.


Served next were the serrano ham, goatscheese and fig rolls. Everything comes presented in beautiful earthenware dishes, adding to the homely experience with an abundant variety of flavours in smallish portions allowing everyone to try many different things.


These rolls are a prime example of the taste sensation offered by Steve's culinary skills. The ham, cheese and fruit working together to excite and pleasure every palate. With most of the food there is an accompanying salad of rocket and tomatoes with a simple dressing, such touches showing an above average attention to detail which really places Del Parc in a class of their own. Another of the highlights were fried goatscheese balls drizzled with honey. An unbeatable combination. We really were fighting over these!


They were every bit as good as they look. Oozing hot cheese, crispy batter and glistening sweet honey. We are always sure to have a portion of these when we dine here. To follow this was a creamy chicken dish which we had never had here before. There was tomato,flat leaf parsley, onion and a nutty hint. I was a little tipsy and full by this point but to my delight the food kept coming. Lots of bread for the sauce too.



Another dish we go for without fail is the marinated prawns. These are served shell on, with a sauce of garlic, pepper, lemon, a hint of chili or some spicy seasoning and butter. Another great sauce for mopping.


There were also lamb meatballs, topped with a yoghurty dressing, and sadly we had to decline the squid because we were all too full. There was room, albeit some time later, for some desserts, the chocolate pot topped with ginger ice cream and some raspberry ripple ice cream with coulis.

Both were great, particularly the ripple ice cream, brilliantly refreshing and tangy. All this for only 35 per head. I advise you to check out Del Parc, they have a loyal local following and are definitely ones to watch. Don't just take my word for it, there are rave customer reviews on London Eating

De Parc
167 Junction Rd, N19
9.5/10

Sushi Hiroba

Last night, accompanied by some colleagues following a few after work drinks, we went in search of Japanese, in the Holborn area.

I remembered vaguely having read of a recommended pizza place in the vicinity but this was far too vague to be of any use. Japanese it was and we found ourselves at Sushi Hiroba just a few doors along from Holborn tube station.

The signs were good, it was fairly busy, there were a fine array of dishes on show on the conveyor belt and we were seated immediately even though it was fairly late in the evening.


We selected a couple of portions of edamame to share and ordered our choice of main dishes individually. The edamame were good, I’m a big fan in general and it’s hard to get them wrong but I’ve had much better elsewhere. They were blanched and this was evident by the accompanying mouthful of water that came with each pod. Not unpleasant but unwelcome.


Thomas and I shared the Sashimi A next, a selection of 5 pieces each of salmon and tuna. This was faultless and came on a huge bed of finely sliced Daikon (Japanese radish) and cress. I adore sashimi and this was a fine example, gently dunked in soy and wasabi with pickled ginger which was presented immediately following our order, a nice touch.


For the main event a variety or dishes were presented, all looked appetizing, ranging from cucumber sushi rolls to tempura prawns and chicken teriyaki.


I went for the Seafood Yakiudon. This was very pleasing, flavorsome and hearty with thick udon noodles, glistening with soy. A liberal scattering of stir-fried green and red peppers provided a contrasting crunch and the seasonal seafood meant a good portions of prawns, squid and mussels. I liked this dish. Thick udon noodles rarely disappoint I find and despite my chopstick skills needing some honing to say the very least, I thoroughly enjoyed it.


The thing that ruined the evening was the service. Young, uninterested girls took our order and seemingly forgot about us, tucked out of the way in the far corner of the dining room. Perhaps they were downstairs enjoying the karaoke which I learnt from their website is offered in the basement. Our green tea was not refilled, Thomas waited and waited for his main course, the Big Teriyaki Chicken (with rice, vegetable and pickles), reminding them on a number of occasions that it had still not arrived, requests which were met with sniggers and giggles. Most infuriating. Some Chicken Teriyaki minus the accompaniying rice etc. arrived and being not what was ordered was sent back. When, finally, Thomas was presented with the correct ordered chicken, we had all long since finished. And, 15 minutes later, when paying the bill, intriguingly, they delivered a second attempt at the dish. Good to see communication between the waiting staff and the kitchen is of the utmost importance at Sushi Hiroba!


The actual dish was satisfactory but not worth the wait. In conclusion I advise you not to go here. Not because I wouldn’t like you to try the food but because the service is atrocious. At almost £20 a head without beer or wine, the price is beaten elsewhere, or matched with far more considerate sevice. And food served in good time. The 12.5% service which was added to the bill was wishful thinking on their part.

Sushi Hiroba
50 Kingsway, WC2
6.5/10

Ottolenghi

On Saturday night we set off towards Angel with much excitement about eating at Ottolenghi where I have been eager to dine for some time now.

I managed to nab a booking, via email late on Friday for 6:30 the following day for 4 people. Upon arrival the waitress denied all knowledge of any booking and asked whether I had a print out of the confirmation email. Three emails in fact I had received but printed none however I remembered the persons name, Basia, a detail which drew blank looks when offered.

It didn’t look good, a full restaurant and apparently no booking. We were offered a table at the bar area, for 2 not 4 and were informed that should we accept we would be taking a table that the manager would usually sit at to eat her dinner, for this we should have been grateful?

In the end, after all this, they managed to find a table for the 4 of us. We settled down with a bottle of merlot and ordered one dish from the counter and one from the kitchen each.

I started with the Grilled Aubergine with walnuts and pomegranate. When I had my first forkful, I was delighted with the taste combination. I would never have dreamed up this amalgamation of flavours and textures. The soft aubergine was perfectly complemented by the crunch of the walnuts and the sweet pop of the pomegranate seeds. I loved this.


Thomas had the Beef which was melt in the mouth tender and faultless.


The presentation of the dishes is appealing to the eye, Fabi was pleased with the Butternut Squash from the counter and Svenja had the Spicy Aubergine.

When the dished from the Kitchen arrived I think we were all a little taken aback by the portion sizes, considering the prices they are very much on the small side. Having said that everything I tried was delicious and so worth the price when considering the quality and freshness of the ingredients.

My main dish was the Monkfish with Chorizo and Mango which was probably the smallest of them all. The tartness of the mango and piquancy of the chorizo did overshadow the monkfish which did not really hold it’s own.


Thomas’ Duck main was more pleasing served with Cashews, Sweet Potato Puree and Pak Choi. The duck was cooked perfectly and the dish was much more rounded with meat, carb and vegetable elements to it but again, the portion was disappointingly small. Fabi too went for the duck.


Svenja was particularly pleased with her from the kitchen dish of Mushroom Pearl Barley. It’s interesting how barley is being used instead of rice more and more these days. On a visit to Saf last year I had a Pearl Barley Risotto, I have always loved it in casseroles and stews and welcome the less traditional use of it in other types of dishes.

The only good thing that can be said about the diddy sizes of the dishes from the kitchen is that there is of course room left for dessert. The array of sweet treats is the first thing to greet diners upon arrival with displays of cakes, pastries and meringues at the front of the restaurant.

Between us we had the Carrot and Walnut Cake, Chocolate Torte, Toffee and Macadamia Nut Cheesecake and a Fruit Tarte. They were all very good with special mention reserved for the Cheesecake, in my opinion the finest of those we tried.

The idea of this place in hindsight is to get a number or dishes to share, this would be much more sensible but didn’t seem obvious looking at the menu. The salads looked glorious too on the front counters and I only wished there was a branch in central London so that I could pay a visit come lunchtime. It was a suitable venue to celebrate Earth Hour but considering the booking mix up, and the fact that we were given the wrong bill (and subsequently charged a further £50, taking the price per head, with wine and service to £35) means that I probably shall not hurry back for dinner.

Ottolenghi
287 Upper St, Angel
7.5/10

Just Falafs

I had a wrap from Just Falafs today and I’m very happy to report that it was every bit as good as I expected it to be. The concept (choose a base, choose a salad, choose a sauce) makes for ample variety and it was packed with filling and very tasty.

I would like to say however, that I was somewhat thrown when, after gleefully stating I would like the free range chicken with beetroot and carrot with the yoghurt and minted cucumber sauce, I was asked to select an extra. Hang on a minute I thought, how much will that set me back?

I also thought, dear god, I hadn’t expected them to do a McDonald’s-esque would you like….. type thing, if I wanted, I’d ask. But this is for free. You can choose from garlic sauce, chilli sauce, red peppers or one other option which I forget. For the sake of those attending the same meeting as me this afternoon, I resisted the urge to go for garlic and had the chilli sauce.

This literally blew my head off and I had to take it very slowly but it was great. I won’t be so considerate next time I think, I’ll go for the garlic! The chicken was very good with a squash dressing and the sunflower seeds in the salad provided a more than welcome crunch. The wrap itself too was hugely enjoyable, slightly toasted and a little crispy on the outside.

This is a little more than I would normally spend on a lunch to eat at my desk coming in at £4.95 but it’s well worth it. If you’re in a hurry though it’s perhaps not ideal with only one person making the wraps. I went to the Covent Garden branch, perhaps this is not the case in Soho?

Just Falafs
27b Covent Garden, WC2E
6.5/10