Tonight I must write an essay. I'm getting there - slowly but surely - about 1/4 done at this point. But this isn't about the pompous sentences recently recorded on paper, but rather the food that fed them.
This evening I needed a quick meal that also satisfied my need for culinary therapy after a long day. Ran over to Tescos (I know! No time for the market this afternoon, or my beloved Waitrose), grabbed cherry tomatoes and basil and ducked home. While the water slowly heated for linguine, I sautéed half a thinly sliced onion, the remainder of a red pepper and 4 cloves of garlice in a dash of olive oil. Chris is out drinking the night away, so I didn't need to spice it up at all - a welcome change, I must admit. Once soft, I threw in the the cherry tomatoes and left to simmer. As the tomatoes broke down I splashed in some of the reisling I happended to have in a wine glass and a squirt of tomato paste, leaving to simmer and melt together. When the linguine was nearly finished, I tore up about 10 basil leaves into the sauce and tossed the pasta in to finish it off. Served with a quick salad of rocket and tomato and the remainder of the wine, it took all of 30 minutes to prepare. Leaving me plenty of time to procrastinate writing my paper...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Great Restaurant Adventure
London is not known for its food. It's just not. There are days when I ponder why I ever moved away from the vast sumptuous array of Chicago restaurants. Or even Bozeman, home to a surprisingly marvellous mix of foodie joints. But London? To quote my friend, Pete, 'Meh.'
Chris and I cook just about every night, only dining out upon necessity (suffering starvation while out and about, or just too drunk after the pub). This has led to a string of mediocre meals at pubs and curry houses, only affirming my disappointment in the London culinary scene. Don't get me wrong, there is a vibrant culinary revival happening, but in places beyond my modest budget and Montana attire.
On a rare night out in November, Big Jo Thaps and I hatched a scheme. Whilst slurrping up delicious jellied mushrooms, fragrant eggplant and spicy prawns at Snazz! Sichuan, we decided to try one new restaurant a month. (Snazz being a notable exception. Thank you, Tony Grafton, for introducing Anna and me to this place! So good, so close to the British Library) Our scheme wouldn't be a happenstance affair, we would research, debating potential candidates, vetting the field much more stringently than, say, the McCain campaign with Sarah Palin.
DECEMBER ~ Aqua Kyoto
The cocktails were superb. The atmosphere and spaciousness, remarkable for central London. The food was good, but a little forgettable. I do fondly recall the braised octopus. That was delicious - but nothing more. More than anything else, this restaurant was bizarre. A cavernous space, filled with stylishly dressed 30 somethings. The excellent bar staff, but ill-informed waiters, who were unable to make recommendations. All this (along with the 4 hookers who entered as we departed) left us at a loss.
I guess the verdict is: Business Lunch (only go if it's on expenses)
JANUARY ~ Viet
Props to Liz for this joint. In a month of left-overs and perilously low bank balances, this place was the perfect choice. The massive bowl of Pho placed in front of me made my night. It was delicious, full of spice and ginger and garlic and all things nice. When out of the squid, the waiter rustled up a gorgeous onion pancake for us. The atmosphere was sparse and people line up outside jealously eyeing up your table, when you take too long over those last morsels, but the meal was honest and honestly delicious.
Verdict: Great cheap weeknight meal.
FEBRUARY ~ Il Bordello
This place is so good, I considered moving to Wapping just to have it as my local. Warm, lively environment, with great old Italian waiters and an overly keen wine guy, who smiles and winks and casually glances down your top. When you walk through the door, you're embraced by a warm gust of garlic and parsley and cheese. I wanted to eat the air. As this month is a bit better monetarily, we splurged on two nice bottles of wine. Massive plates of fried cheese, calamari and various pastas arrived and were passed between the three of us (Liz again recommended and joined in). I love Italian food and I like to think I'm fairly good at cooking it, but this had a heart and soul to which I can only begin to aspire. It's not that it was elegant, but that it was comfort food with the perfect blend of flavors. My stomach literally ached. There was a pleasant rumble of conversation around us, as patrons grew more and more expressive with each glass of wine. No music necessary.
Cheers, Liz, for an amazing night. I will be going back. Again and again and again...
Verdict: Go there. Now. Order everything on the menu.
Chris and I cook just about every night, only dining out upon necessity (suffering starvation while out and about, or just too drunk after the pub). This has led to a string of mediocre meals at pubs and curry houses, only affirming my disappointment in the London culinary scene. Don't get me wrong, there is a vibrant culinary revival happening, but in places beyond my modest budget and Montana attire.
On a rare night out in November, Big Jo Thaps and I hatched a scheme. Whilst slurrping up delicious jellied mushrooms, fragrant eggplant and spicy prawns at Snazz! Sichuan, we decided to try one new restaurant a month. (Snazz being a notable exception. Thank you, Tony Grafton, for introducing Anna and me to this place! So good, so close to the British Library) Our scheme wouldn't be a happenstance affair, we would research, debating potential candidates, vetting the field much more stringently than, say, the McCain campaign with Sarah Palin.
DECEMBER ~ Aqua Kyoto
The cocktails were superb. The atmosphere and spaciousness, remarkable for central London. The food was good, but a little forgettable. I do fondly recall the braised octopus. That was delicious - but nothing more. More than anything else, this restaurant was bizarre. A cavernous space, filled with stylishly dressed 30 somethings. The excellent bar staff, but ill-informed waiters, who were unable to make recommendations. All this (along with the 4 hookers who entered as we departed) left us at a loss.
I guess the verdict is: Business Lunch (only go if it's on expenses)
JANUARY ~ Viet
Props to Liz for this joint. In a month of left-overs and perilously low bank balances, this place was the perfect choice. The massive bowl of Pho placed in front of me made my night. It was delicious, full of spice and ginger and garlic and all things nice. When out of the squid, the waiter rustled up a gorgeous onion pancake for us. The atmosphere was sparse and people line up outside jealously eyeing up your table, when you take too long over those last morsels, but the meal was honest and honestly delicious.
Verdict: Great cheap weeknight meal.
FEBRUARY ~ Il Bordello
This place is so good, I considered moving to Wapping just to have it as my local. Warm, lively environment, with great old Italian waiters and an overly keen wine guy, who smiles and winks and casually glances down your top. When you walk through the door, you're embraced by a warm gust of garlic and parsley and cheese. I wanted to eat the air. As this month is a bit better monetarily, we splurged on two nice bottles of wine. Massive plates of fried cheese, calamari and various pastas arrived and were passed between the three of us (Liz again recommended and joined in). I love Italian food and I like to think I'm fairly good at cooking it, but this had a heart and soul to which I can only begin to aspire. It's not that it was elegant, but that it was comfort food with the perfect blend of flavors. My stomach literally ached. There was a pleasant rumble of conversation around us, as patrons grew more and more expressive with each glass of wine. No music necessary.
Cheers, Liz, for an amazing night. I will be going back. Again and again and again...
Verdict: Go there. Now. Order everything on the menu.
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