Douglas Blyde

Douglas Blyde

A former documentary man, Douglas Blyde is utterly gripped by gastronomy: driven by a love of good taste and fascinated by that almost nocturnal, nervously energetic breed known as chefs. He longs, one day, to own a pristine restaurant, boutique hotel, almost mythically revered vineyard and a vast chocolate factory

  • Ondine to open in Edinburgh

    Friday August 28th, 2009

    Chef Roy Brett is so excited by his latest venture that he can hardly sleep. Named ‘Ondine’ after the water sprite who marries a mortal in Sir Frederick Ashton’s ballet, the 80 plus cover seafood bar and restaurant opens soon in Edinburgh. Douglas Blyde went to the building site to see him.

  • Coach & Horses

    Monday August 24th, 2009

    Two foraging carnivores have modestly gentrified Clerkenwell’s ‘Coach & Horses’ into gastropub territory. However rather than tick box diners expectant of Michelin frippery alongside a beer garden / sprog storage pen, it now draws genuinely hungry foodies craving good value, hearty quality.

  • Taking a shot at The Glorious Twelfth

    Tuesday August 18th, 2009

    Livers fried with shallots, brandy and fresh thyme until soft, breasts cooked to pink perfection.  Douglas Blyde stalks, shoots and eats the first grouse of the season in the company of South African Chef, Pete Gottgens

  • On-Site Parking: ‘Frank’s Café and Campari Bar’

    Monday August 17th, 2009

    Through sculptures, lighting and curious sounds, the otherwise derelict top tiers of a Peckham car park have been transformed into polished decay and dreamy decadence.‘Bold Tendencies’, is the third summer showcase from the local but far-reaching, ‘Hannah Barry’ gallery.

  • Wheelers of Whitstable

    Monday August 10th, 2009

    To secure a sitting at Wheelers at either 1pm, 3pm or 5pm at the Formica counter, or past a curtain, the demob-demure dining room, you must be dogged. I tried for months, finally capturing a cancellation with hours to spare.

  • Cultured Milk: ‘Frae’

    Friday August 7th, 2009

    Rather than silver spoons, two Glaswegian entrepreneurs were seemingly born with biodegradable starch ones in their mouths. We investigate the craze coming to a high street near you – virtuous yet decadent, frozen yoghurt.

  • From Roulette to Rillette: ‘Murano’ on Celebrity Equinox

    Sunday August 2nd, 2009

    From working at Washington’s ‘Watergate’ to opening Las Vegas’ ‘Playboy Bunny’, Jacques Van Staden now has a new ambition - for his upmarket restaurant on ‘Celebrity Equinox’ to be the first at sea to win a Michelin star. In advance of its naming,Douglas Blyde made haste to Southampton to appraise the newest and most environmentally friendly cruise ship.

  • Due South

    Sunday August 2nd, 2009

    The title of this restaurant worried me. Not only does it have ‘Carry On’ connotations, it also sounds like the title of a hellish, low budget, box-ticking sitcom.

  • An Arran Adventure - waterfalls, lochs and lots of whisky

    Monday July 27th, 2009

    TV Presenter turned ‘Godhead’, David Icke predicted that by Christmas 1991, great earthquakes would obliterate Cuba, Greece and the Isle of Arran. Despite evidence of volcanic activity some 60 million years ago, I am glad to report that my recent visit to what has been branded ‘Scotland in Miniature’ proved his prognosis ‘marginally faulty’.

  • Tabbouleh recipe from London's Ozer

    Sunday July 26th, 2009

    From humble beginnings in rural Turkey, the charismatic Huseyin Ozer has become known for overhauling London’s approach to Turkish cuisine. In addition to hearty grills and roasts, his menus offer a lighter range of game and seafood dishes and even a ‘healthy set menu’ of sprightly mezze including subtly spiced falafel, leafy tabbouleh and virtuous broad bean salad…

  • Semplice

    Sunday July 26th, 2009

    As the name suggests, Semplice is about (meticulous) simplicity. A generous starter of fat pappardelle was glossily spun with racing green baby spinach and earthy, springy chicken livers. Such an unequivocally peasant Italian effort ironically came from head chef Marco Torri’s Japanese sous chef. Despite their lobster plates, it warranted envious looks from my à la carte friends.

  • Saltoun Supper Club

    Friday July 17th, 2009

    ‘The Saltoun Supper Club’ takes place each week at Arno’s home in Brixton, converted into a prop for pleasure dining. The décor bears testament to an artists eye – a nude of a tall, girlie figure by Tracey Emin clings, arms by sides, to the hall wall; on the stairs, a moneybox by Gilbert & George invites financial fuel with the words, ‘pay up and f*** off’.

  • Levi Roots – I Slayed it My Way

    Monday July 6th, 2009

    Following a memorable musical pitch, Levi Roots, 50, won BBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ with his potent ‘Reggae Reggae’ sauce. In exchange for a 40% stake in his business, he secured the support of millionaire ‘Dragons’, Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh – not to mention £50,000. We skanked ove to talk to him

  • The Waffle House

    Monday July 6th, 2009

    Catching jasmine scents beside a stream, I sipped a thick malty milkshake from a narrow straw, which thoughtfully slowed the flow. Organic flour is ground upstream between French Burr stones. These contain quartz crystals meaning sharp grinding edges which won’t chip into the flour. With every tinkle of the service bell, hungry anticipation grew.

  • Rowley Leigh - Toast 'Anchovy'

    Monday July 6th, 2009

    Rowley Leigh, the chef portrayed by critics and colleagues as a ‘founding father of modern British cooking’, generously takes time over lunch to expound his philosophies. Just don't ask about bloggers though

  • Freggo

    Friday July 3rd, 2009

    Timely for our heat-wave. Bedecked in purple, marble and mirrors and brought to you by ‘Gaucho’ Freggo represents the first U.K. outlet of the South American staple, known there as ‘Freddo’.

  • My Path: Richard Bigg of Camino

    Saturday June 27th, 2009

    Richard Bigg, 46, has been described as ‘the grand druid of hip hangouts’. He founded Shoreditch’s  ‘Cantaloupe’ bar in 1995 followed by ‘Cargo’, ‘Market Place’, ‘The Big Chill’ and ‘Camino’. He lives in Sussex with his wife and two young children. Douglas Blyde meets him at Camino in Kings Cross, London, in his  Observer Food Monthly’s Bar of the Year 2008, over silken octopus, gooey croquettas and succulent veal belly…

  • ‘40:30’

    Friday June 26th, 2009

    Expecting ‘Pea’ and mint soup, my father looked startled when he received almost bare crockery (albeit by Thomas Keller). He soon relaxed when this was flooded at table with chilled, softly textured liquid that captured the verdant spirit of an English garden. It came with a crusted tuille of polenta and fresh, yielding Parmesan custard, served separately. Inspired and invigorating

  • Franco Manca

    Sunday June 21st, 2009

    Noisily chatting in a great many accents, the long queue of hungry customers snaked towards a funk of odours. Amidst the scaly perfume of a fish counter beached in sunshine.They came for this: the cosy, welcoming, tempting aromas of sourdough momentarily torched at 500 degrees…

  • Is Prosecco Worth Prosecution?

    Monday June 15th, 2009

    Our man with a taste for wine Douglas Blyde looks beyond the bubbles in the land of Prosecco. A cheap alternative to champagne? Maybe we've been drinking the wrong stuff