The Renaissance Epicurean...: 2012

lunches at Plateau...

Plateau in Canary Wharf has always been a bit of a stalwart in the Wharf's firmament, though arriving somewhat later than many of the restaurants. It boasts good views over the Wharf, a bar, grill, restaurant, and a glass encased kitchen which acts as a room divider. I'd eaten endlessly in Plateau when I lived in the Wharf, but hadn't been back for some time - certainly not in the time of Allan Pickett, the current Head Chef. OboTheClown (sic), Valerie and I were looking for somewhere to meet up, and the one thing we all know the Wharf has is parking, very good transport links, and lots of eateries. It seemed like a good opportunity to revisit Plateau.

Crudites, with a blue cheese dip

We met Tom Kitchin at the Cube pop-up earlier in the year, and were seriously impressed by both the simplicity of his dishes, and the complexity of his flavours. Tom has years of classical training, and brings those skills to bear on the excellent seasonal produce close to his restaurant in Leith. Indeed such is the pride in the provenance of produce that diners are presented with a little map of Scotland detailing exactly where ingredients have been sourced...

Forget Keat's 'time of mellow fruitfulness', I want his 'season of mists'. For me it signifies a time of abundant fungi, and particularly truffles. I look forward to fresh alba truffles from Piedmont, and black truffles from Périgord... I've been using summer truffles for months, and can't wait for some of their more heavily scented cousins to arrive... Until the supply kicks-in in earnest, Hubby and I have been seeking out the first of the new season offerings on Alyn Williams' truffle tasting menu.

At last the talented Tony Fleming has launched Angler, at the newly opened South Place Hotel. As Executive Chef Tony is responsible for several spaces in the hotel, including three bars, all the private dining, and two restaurants. Angler sits upstairs and has it's own outside terrace - so you'll know where to find me next summer... It even has a summer kitchen, so that some foods can be prepared outside. We sat towards the back of the restaurant, where one of the tables overlooks the kitchen. From there you can see all of the action, and the precision with which they plate at the pass.

l‘Arpège is the tiny Lalique-panneled restaurant owned by the legendary Alain Passard. In 2001 Monsieur Passard declared that he would be be focussing on a more vegetable driven menu, but more importantly a seasonal, home-grown menu.

This statement seems to have lost something in translation, because in 2012 it seems perfectly reasonable, indeed appropriate. But in Paris a decade ago, turning your back on a very protein-heavy menu, seems to have caused considerable ripples. Alain had held three Michelin stars since 1996, but maintained those stars after swapping over to his new style - clearly the inspectors felt that the standards were maintained.

Perched high above the South Bank, The Cube pop-up was sponsored by Electrolux. Many of our favourite chefs, including Daniel Clifford, Simon Rogan and the very lovely Tom Kitchin held weekly court at The Cube for several months in 2012, providing a snapshot of their usual menu.

The Royal Oak is a quaint Michelin starred pub out in Paley Street, close to Ascot, Marlow and Bray. The chef, Dominic Chapman comes to the Oak via the Hinds Head at Bray, and the manager, Mo Gherras is ex Petrus.

Lots of my chums had been to the Royal Oak at Paley Street, and I was very happy when Steve Whitelock suggested we meet there.

Dining at racecourses can be a bit of a hit and miss affair, and is a very difficult thing to get right. Over the years I've eaten in many different courses, and at many different levels - from the sandwich stalls to lobster, and everything in between. For the last couple of years we've used the Parade Ring restaurant at Ascot, and I continue to be impressed by their commitment to innovate, titivate, and more importantly facilitate dining between races. This is much harder than it sounds, and the task falls to the in-house management team and to Sodexo, who are the main caterer at Ascot.

In one of Manhattan’s few green and open spaces lies the world-famous Union Square Market. Established 36 years ago, the farmer’s market runs four times a week and is a must for local shoppers and foodies. Open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, there’s ample time for a visit in even the briefest of schedules. It’s also open all day, but jet-lagged Europeans can head there early to see the stallholders setting up - it’s the perfect way to start your day. It’s also just one of dozens of markets run in the city by the non-profit New York Greenmarket initiative.

I'm in New York - hurrah! City to some of the finest restaurants in the world, and a mecca for foodies everywhere. Every street corner boasts a diner or deli, and with produce coming in from all over the country and overseas, it's no surprise that it also has restaurants like Aquagrill.

On the day that we visited, Aquagrill had no less than 27 kinds of oysters available on its huge ice-packed counter... And that's just the oysters. There were also countless kinds of fish, produced in a myriad of different ways.

The Harwood Arms is the perfect kind of local pub. Set in a nondescript street in Fulham, it looks completely unassuming and decidedly local. People were popping in and out all afternoon, and from what I saw, the majority appeared to be on foot and knew the staff well. The interior is all stripped down wood and feels airy, and light. However, a quick glance under the bonnet reveals a much racier engine - Harwood is actually a joint collaboration between Mike Robinson, chef patron of the Pot Kiln pub out in Berkshire, and Brett Graham of the Ledbury.

I felt somewhat apprehensive about booking a table at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - it feels as though everything that can be said about the experience, has been said. Yet as a technical cook any Blumenthal offering surely had to be on my list to try. So at the prescribed hour I duly rang, got straight through, and very quickly made my booking.

I was surprised to discover that the Hampshire Life 2011 Restaurant of the Year, and Chef of the Year awards belonged to a little fish restaurant about ten minutes from my house in the Forest. I'd had recommendations for Verveine, but somehow it had landed in my radar with more of a plink than a splash. Given the lack of a decent fishmonger in our area (ridiculous when you live on the coast), Verveine went straight onto my to-try list..

This is my second visit to Roux Parliament Square in as many months. Last time we ate here we were dining with chums, and we wanted to come back on our own to try the latest seasonal menu. I also wanted to make a trip up to the fabulous bar, as it had somehow passed me by before!

Upstairs we had a lovely glass of fizz, and some little bar snacks including some excellent gordal olives, some honeyed cashew nuts, and a home-made seed mixture with fennel and pumpkin seeds - it smelt absolutely amazing.

Ben's menu for the evening

Appalling photographs I appreciate - but I wanted to put them on the blog to show the inventive talents of Mr @benspalding1. Ben did a one-night-only popup at Ben's Canteen, and these photographs are from that event.

I've been a huge admirer of Ben since I tasted his food at Roganic - I've even been the proud owner of Ben's mince pies for the Mince Pie project. There was never any question that Ben would find his way in the world, and though this meal wasn't perfect, I'm amazed he was able to produce anything at all from such a ridiculously tiny kitchen. I'd follow Ben anywhere to eat his food, and nothing has changed that opinion!

Midsummer House in Cambridge is the star attraction of Cambridge's growing food scene. Owned by Chef Patron Daniel Clifford, the restaurant has held two Michelin stars since 2005, and has recently undergone renovation.

Having eaten Paul Foster's GBM Menu the night before, we moved on to his tasting menu.This is a better reflection of both the ethos of the kitchen, and of their technical skill. Ingredients can be foraged from the meadows around the mill and the emphasis is very much on local and seasonal produce. Paul is a very accomplished chef, and here you get a better sense of his vision and his developing style.

By happy coincidence I found myself booked into Tuddenham Mill whilst Paul Foster, the Mill's Head Chef, appeared on the Great British Menu. Even better, Paul's menu was already available to guests, and we were able to try the complete menu before some of the dishes had even aired.

Some months ago I attended the pisco fuelled launch of Martin Morales' Ceviche. I'd been following Martin's progress for months on twitter, and as a ceviche addict was particularly looking forward to getting my hands on some great raw fish. That night we found ourselves at the far end of the room and very little food made it to our table - as the waiting staff piled trays high with succulent beef, and raw fish, greedy hands grabbed at dishes as soon as they entered the room. They did manage to get great glasses of pisco to us, and bottles of beer, and we quickly divided up any morsels which did survive long enough to reach us. These morsels merely whetted my appetite, and it took some weeks before I was able to get a booking to try Ceviche for myself.

Based in Cambridge, Alimentum joins the small but growing band of fine dining restaurants in the city. Mark Poynton, the Chef Patron, came from Cambridge's Michelin starred Midsummer House, before moving to Alimentum as Head Chef in 2008, and becoming the Chef Patron in 2010.

Whipped caraway butter and bread

Alyn has quickly become one of my favourite chefs, but sometimes there isn't sufficient opportunity to record each dish in great depth - in this instance we had hot-footed our way from the Gaucho Polo Tournament at the O2, and arrived at the Westbury after 10pm, with guests in tow. Alyn had very kindly put together a number of dishes for us, and they were so delicious that I want to record them here, if only visually. For the full Alyn Williams experience you need to head to the Westbury Hotel for yourself, for what I still think is one of the best-valued menus in town at just £55.

We all know the Roux family - you'd have to be living in a culinary vacuum not to have heard of Le Gavroche and the Waterside Inn - but how often do you hear people talking about Roux at Parliament Square? Unlike Le Gavroche, which I find far too twee, in terms of decor, Parliament Square has a clean, modern interior, and the food is a balance of fine French cooking and modern molecular techniques. The Head Chef, Toby Stuart, has worked in some great kitchens, including Cliveden, Orrery, The Square, Richard Neat (in Cannes), and Galvin at Windows. Toby is joined by Steve Groves, the winner of Masterchef: The Professionals in 2009. I'd originally booked a table for two, but at the last minute we were joined by Kristen and Alan who live in New York and are very keen diners themselves.

I'm fortunate to live part of the week in the New Forest, with its outstanding produce, gorgeous landscape and free roaming pigs, ponies and cattle. There's an increasingly significant food and wine scene developing here, with a notable number of fine hotels and food festivals.

Today the Breakfast venue is Browns. Arguably, the first hotel in London, established in 1837, the website says that this five star establishment welcomes guests that are 'in the know'. I have no idea what that means, so I must be completely clueless. Armed with that knowledge, I'm expecting to be greeted by a doorman extending a hand for some secret handshake, or worse expecting me to deliver a password, the failure to deliver either resulting in me being thrown out onto the street. Disappointingly, I'm asked for neither, and am shown to the Hix restaurant.

Ben's Canteen sits on St John's Hill, one of the busiest restaurant streets running between Wandsworth and Clapham. Alongside The Ship down the road, the Canteen is a regular favourite of SW cooks, bloggers and foodies - I'd been hearing lots of good things about it. I'm not generally a burger and scotch egg kind of girl, not a surprise to my regular readers I'm sure, but when we heard that Ben was hosting a Mark Lloyd pop-up featuring game, our interest was definitely piqued.

It's best if I declare that I've been talking to Tony Fleming, the Executive Chef at Axis, for months now. In those conversations we've established that over the years I've been following Tony around London. I've eaten in almost every restaurant he's has cooked in, and that list includes the Criterion, the Oak Room, Escargot, Richard Neat and the Great Eastern Hotel. When we did finally speak, it was because Tony appeared on ITV's Britain's Best Dish cooking a blackberry soufflé... Well. I'm a bit of a soufflé obsessive, so it was inevitable that this would be the thing that would draw us into conversation.

I've been trying to get along to Spuntino for some time now, and let's face it, hundreds and hundreds of people have managed to get along before me to write about it. Still, Nicola and I are both ardent food lovers, and there's always something to be learnt by having the experience first hand. We pitched up in Rupert Street straight from the Hockney exhibition, and spotted Spuntino just in front of us. Rather marvellously its artfully dishevilled window treatment was propping up two fluorescent and garish policemen, which somehow utterly set it off to perfection. How I wish I'd taken that photograph!

My guest today suggests we meet at the Wolseley, a venue I have been to before, but only because of its proximity to Green Park tube station. The favourite haunt of footballers, politicians, hedge fund managers, tourists and journalists, it inspired A.A.Gill to create his book Breakfast at The Wolseley. The Wolseley quotes Gill's introduction on their web site, he writes "Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life". I wholly subscribe to this.

It's cold, and John and I are standing in the street, shivering... We're right in the middle of Abbeville Road, and we are completely surrounded by restaurants. We're supposed to be here to try a new restaurant, but John mentions that he's heard good things about Abbeville Kitchen. We look at the menu. Wow. Good olives, charcuterie, etc, looks very inviting. John insists we look at the other menus, although I'm sold on the first glance. Nearby is very appealing food, well plated food, but really we're after chat, and variety, and lots of picky things...

Breakfast number two of the week and today the venue is the Lanesborough on Hyde Park Corner. An impressive 19th century building which is now a small, but luxurious hotel, in the heart of London. Originally built as a hospital (St. Georges) in the 18C, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1827 by William Wilkins. The hospital itself transferred to Tooting in 1980, and the building fell into disrepair until 1991 when it was refurbished and re-opened, and now is arguably the most expensive hotel in London.

Whilst Goodman Mayfair may resemble a NY steak joint, I'm wondering how many of those have a steady stream of diners descending to the meat locker to gawp at their wares... There is so much interest in steak at the moment that steak joints have become destination restaurants - the breeds, the sourcing, the cooking, all to be endlessly poured over.

I may be apart from the majority of people when I say that I consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. A good breakfast puts a smile on my face, and helps prepare me for the onslaught of the day.

So, given that, it's only natural that I eat breakfast out on a regular basis, and when I see 'Breakfast Served at all Times' I can't help myself emulating the comedian Steve Wright and ordering "French toast during the Renaissance".

Galvin at Windows is a bit of a favourite in our house, not least because it's wonderfully friendly and relaxed. Add to that the near 360o views of London from its high perch on the twenty-eighth floor of the Hilton at Hyde Park, and it's difficult to beat.

The kitchens are run by Head Chef André Garrett, now well-known for his appearances on The Great British Menu, and Chris Galvin is the Chef Patron.

Alyn Williams is a chef's chef. I know this, because when I ask a Tony Fleming where I should be eating, he pointed me in Alyn's direction and said what a great chap he was.

Formerly head chef at Marcus Wareing's restaurant in the Berkeley, Alyn's pedigree also extends to time at Royal Hospital Road - so two of our favourites under his belt, but here with his own menu and flair.

Just occasionally a restaurant eschews a fancy name, and says what it serves... Burger & Lobster, part of the Goodman steak chain, does exactly that. Its menu has proved so popular that the restaurant is now moving nearly two tons of lobster a week - and as the lobsters are roughly a 1kg each, that's nearly two thousand lobsters every seven days.

In order to ensure a consistent supply, Burger & Lobster are taking delivery twice a week from Nova Scotia into their three tiered holding tank in the basement, holding around 900kg of lobster at any one time*. It's the biggest lobster tank in the UK, and they think perhaps Europe...

Roganic is one of the few restaurants where I really, really want to see what's new on the menu, and regret it when someone tries a dish that I didn't have... Simon, Ben and the team have an incredibly sensitive palate and a very inventive use of seasonal and foraged ingredients. Last time I was at Roganic they were still using all of the glorious summer produce, with delicate herbs, edible flowers and the freshest ingredients. A winter menu is much more challenging for the kitchen - to truly stay seasonal, with a very limited range of produce, a kitchen has to be particularly inventive.

The St James Hotel and Club is hidden away in right in the heart of St James, and despite knowing the area well, I was surprised to discover the gated courtyard hidden at the end of Park Place. The hotel is discreet and eminently well-placed, and I can imagine would appeal enormously to wealthier tourists. The hotel's restaurant, Seven Park Place, is run by Christophe Thuilot, formerly at Capital and William Drabble, previously at Aubergine is the Executive Chef. Excellent credentials then, and as we were attending a viewing of the Impressionist sale at Christies in King Street, it seemed a very convenient choice for dinner.

LawrenceofArb and I wanted to grab lunch - the kind of lunch where you can talk loudly, have a quick drink - and shoot the breeze. None of my usual haunts then. As I was coming straight from a meeting at No. 1 Aldwych, LoA suggested Mishkin's, the latest offering from Russell Norman and the Polpo team. Mishkin's serves (non-kosher) Jewish deli food and also cocktails - a perfect choice.

I adore the Square - the staff are warm but the service impeccable; the food excellent; and I'm assured of a good evening. I haven't written about the Square before, but conscious of my posts on poorer experiences recently, I really wanted to share the restaurants I love. It was lovely to return to familiar surroundings, to see Cesar the charming manager, and Reynaud, the sommelier.

Age has its drawbacks, but it also brings its rewards. I'm lucky enough to have eaten in each of Pierre Koffmann's London restaurants - one meal at La Tante Claire remains on my favourite five meals of all time. Pierre now presides over a lower key restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel, and remains on my list of favourites. As I was organising a lunch to meet my new chum Charlotte Lynham and we had lots to discuss, I wanted a room which where the food would be delicious, but where conversation could flow. Frankly, I rarely need an excuse to go back to visit Monsieur Koffmann, and so the booking was duly made.

We were introduced to the Cheyne Walk Brasserie abut three years ago now, and eat here regularly. But no matter how often I mention it, it appears no-one else is aware of it. It's always busy, there's a fabulous wine list, and the steaks are cooked over a huge open fire in the restaurant.

It is elegant, stylish, and very... French...

For absolute months now I've been looking forward to meeting up with fellow blogger ElizabethonFood at the Hand & Flowers. Elizabeth and her lovely husband, Xavier, had been there before and we were all very excited to catch up in convivial surroundings! Could the Hand & Flowers ever live up to those expectations?

As much as I love my dear Michelin chefs, the place I eat the most in London is undoubtedly Tsunami. There is something terribly comforting about finding a good local restaurant, who always greet you with warmth, and where you trust the chef implicitly.

I don't say the latter lightly - if you're going to eat raw scallops or sashimi, you need to be confident of the kitchen's sourcing. I'm often frustrated by diners who complain about the prices at their local Japanese restaurants - sushi grade fish and shellfish does not come at a knockdown price.

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