Bel Canto

Intense. That is probably the best way to describe the experience at Bel Canto. You see, at Bel Canto, guests are served by waiters who perform opera at regular intervals. And in the relatively small room of the restaurant, that’s quite a lot of reverberations to take in.

A three course meal courtesy of Prince Charles, sort of.

You may remember that back in September 2009, Waitrose and Duchy Originals joined forces in a partnership deal which gave Waitrose exclusive rights to manufacture, distribute and sell Duchy Originals products. A year later, Duchy Originals from Waitrose has finally hit the shelves so Qin Xie got hold of a couple of products and tried to make an easy meal out of it.

Absinthe, makes the heart grow fonder?

I have to say that whenever absinthe is mentioned my mind goes straight to the little green fairy, played by Kylie Minogue at the start of Moulin Rouge and imagine that many other do the same. That little sequence in many ways summed up the reputation that Absinthe attained in the early part of the 20th century.

Luke Mackay’s Slow Braised Oxtail

Oxtail is my favourite thing to slow braise. And I slow braise a LOT. Swedes have just come into season and are amazingly sweet but with a wonderful earthiness. This is my little homage to Fergus Henderson. Less is more. No wine or any of that French nonsense.