It’s a bit of a trek out to The Viet Grill – a tube to Liverpool Street, then a jerky bus ride up the Kingsland Road and into the badlands of Hackney. Apparently people do live out here though and when they tire of being artistic the Viet Grill is where they go to spend their dinner money.
Dining for the Devastated
In aid of survivors of January’s earthquake in Haiti – the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere – Foodepedia’s Sabrina Ghayour masterminded a fundraising banquet at Le Bouchon Breton restaurant, Spitalfields Market. She talks to Douglas Blyde.
The Cheesemonger’s Tales – Arthur Cunynghame
This is a charming, authoritative read that makes you feel you know Arthur personally. With his lack of ego and warm friendly ways, Arthur makes you want to rush out and buy lots of cheese straightaway. And, of course, some wine to go with them.
Romance the one you love with Garlic and Wine Mussels,Poached Salmon with Chilli Lemon Linguine and Chocolate Brownies
It’s that time of year again when the lucky in love ponder how to spoil that special someone on February 14th. What better way to show someone you care than by whipping up a deliciously romantic home cooked meal? Light the candles, open a bottle of wine and follow these yummy healthy and balanced recipes from Clover (which has half the saturated fat of most butters*) to make a three course Valentines treat to remember.
Kenza, Devonshire Square, London
I can see why it appeals to the City crowd so much, with very few exciting restaurants in area, Kenza stands out and perhaps deservedly so. The interior design alone is well worth a visit. Well… it’s cheaper than a flight to Morocco, surely?
Block Party – Leerdammer gets bigger and tastier
Born in 1977 Leerdammer now outsells rival Emmenthal in France. Over here we have been slower to pick up on this popular cheese but with new easy to grate sizes and a Mature option, this versatile cheese should become much more of a family favourite. We take a taste and offer up some tasty recipes too.
Apple Crumb Cake
When the Vermont power goes out midway through her baking, Carol Egbert can’t even see to paint let alone save her crumb cake. Four hours later and with the cake suffering a less than perfect oven experience, she finds it still tastes great for breakfast or dessert.
Empress of Sichuan, Soho, London
There’s a trend to big up Sichuan food right now. It’s all about having the guts to eat tripe, as well as the testosterone taste buds to take on fearsome amounts of chilli and the mouth-numbing effects of the Sichuan pepper itself. What helps the trend is that some of the better Sichuan restaurants are cheap and cheerful places that appeal to the post-backpacking, job-in-New-Media, type of person. What’s missing though is somewhere a bit posher, and located a bit more centrally, somewhere that we older chaps can take the good lady wife. The Empress fits that bill nicely.
Lime Wood – an impressive country retreat
Lime Wood had the travel, food and business press all a little bit hot under the collar when it opened at the tail-end of last year – the main reason being that it was one of the most interesting projects to launch in a long time. The newly-restored Georgian hotel is set in the deepest depths of the New Forest and looks like it could become the definitive country pile for visiting tourists.