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34 October April/May 2015 2011 Dining Out Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today www.KCWToday.co.uk Northbank One Pauls Walk, London EC4 3QH I’m going to slightly upgrade the great Fay Maschler’s thoughts that Northbank offers “Good food and a great view across the Thames” Let’s start with the food. This needs to go up to somewhere in the region of ‘fabulous’ and despite the pervasive blandness of the concrete wall protecting you from swirling waters below, the view could probably stand an upgrade to ‘wonderful’ or thereabouts. Being on a pedestrian path off High Timber Street, and part of the relentless batch of buildings penned by architects whose only god is the slide rule, there’s no pretence at ‘olde worlde’ charm on this stretch of the embankment. It’s all glass and modernism, and my approach was greeted by the chuffing of a vent, pouring out a sweet caramelised smoke. Just as I thought this might be a restaurant version of the old supermarket trick of piping the smell of baking bread around their stores, the alarm went off. This was joined by a few spats of rain, and for a moment I feared for my table. As there was no sign of an evacuation in progress, I headed straight to the bar for a restorative beer whilst her ladyship’s cab fought its way across town. The alarm peeped once more, but was swiftly dealt with, and Madame made her entrance. A champagne & rhubarb cocktail was first on her list. Next, she handed me the wine list, with an imperious “Choose something big and bold, red” ..“and make it snappy” echoed the voice in my head. So I did. Having dispensed with that pleasurable task, an amuse bouche of truffle and celeriac soup arrived, delivered by a charming Bulgarian waitress. It was brilliant, and Miss Bulgaria came back 5 minutes later to take our orders, telling us her favourites. It’s good that the staff get to taste a bit of what is served, and charming when they can genuinely recommend something. Before the first course I suddenly noticed the wall paper, which is a series of little cameos of what appears to be London’s urban and parkland life, from a silhouetted character holding up a white soul boy with a gun, to a couple of winos on a bench, and a group of 3 dudes chilling out by a clocktower. Eclectic, bonkers, pithy comment on modern life, ironic? Take your pick. I’m on the beautifully subtle Lobster and chicken tortellini with grilled langoustine that is nicely tied together by the fresh tarragon, and Madame is happily tucking into the Smoked Ham Hock, hogs pudding and cob nut terrine. For the mains I have a perfect medium-rare Galloway Fillet, chilli and garlic spinach, and some minted new potatoes. Miss Bulgaria told me she preferred chips, but I held out, twice cooked or not. M had wavered between the fish special and the lamb, but had ended up with the lamb, and she didn’t regret it for a moment. The lamb was spot on, the kidneys in suet glorious, and the potato terrine and truffle sauce earned a gold star. Christian Butler, the chef patron here is Cornish, and his modern British menu references this without being obsessive. As we hadn’t had anything uniquely Cornish so far, we went for a shared plum crumble with Cornish clotted cream ice cream. Time to surreptitiously adjust one’s belt, tilt back a little in the seat, and smile contentedly. Northbank had led us from slightly tetchy cross-town travellers to supremely chilled out and happy in less than a couple of hours, which, as a certain advert goes, is priceless. The food’s not cheap, but it’s not crazy either, and a window seat watching the ebb and flow of life around the river is wonderfully therapeutic. David Hughes Northbank reservations: 020 7329 9299 Photograph © Northbank East Street Restaurant 3-5 Rathbone Place London W1T 1HJ East Street Restaurant on Rathbone Place cannot really be put into any one box, although thankfully its takeaways can. Its tagline is; ‘Fresh Pan Asian cooking’ and it is certainly fresh and it is certainly Pan Asian, but that is where definitions stop. The restaurant doesn’t defer to any particular cultural parameters, and while in some scenarios this can end up in an ungodly mess (I’m looking at you, Cobham Services Global Food Hall), here it is deft and lightly done. The interior is stylishly put together (though a wee bit sterile) and does give the feel of the East, or at least ‘The East’ that many a former backpacker will know. There are low hanging bulbs, brightly lit business signs, the facade of an Asian Photograph © East STreet supermarket, red plastic baskets filled with soy and chilli condiments and those curiously uncomfortable chairs that were in every bar ever when I last ventured over to Thailand - because, who needs comfort when authenticity is king? Luckily, the food manages to knuckle down both comfort and authenticity and is delicious and generously served. Though it’s not the absolute cheapest place to eat (starters are between £4-£7 and mains are £10-£15) the nosh reminds me of excellent street food. We had the sharing platter to start with, demolishing the thing in a few minutes washed down with Asahi beer (served in a chilled pint glass!). It’s a great end to an evening with your mates, and their Vietnamese coffee is perfection in a glass. So much so, I’m now occasionally treating myself to a generous helping of condensed milk in my freeze dried - thanks for the ensuing dentist bill East Street. East Street reservations: 020 7323 0860
020 7738 2348 Food & Flowers October 2015 Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today 35 online: www.KCWToday.co.uk This month’s recipe By Limpet Barron Apple Tarte Tatin You will need an all-metal ovenproof frying pan for this dish, ideally 10 -12” across Ingredients 5 - 6 large, crunchy, and not too sweet eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced vertically into 1 cm wide strips. Granny Smith work well 50g butter cut into small cubes 100g golden caster sugar 100 ml of Calvados or Armagnac 1 vanilla pod / tsp of vanilla essence 500 g puff pastry Photograph © Irene Brown Foodie treats The slight chill tells us autumn is arriving, and that a whole host of delicious foodie treats are coming into season. On the plate Blackberries & autumn Raspberries Pears, Plums, and Quinces Salsify Leeks Beetroot Main crop Potatoes Marrows Squash and Pumpkins Wild Mushrooms Walnuts Fish Brown Crab, Squid, Scallops, and Bream Meat and Game Rabbit, Grouse, Pheasant, Partridge, and Venison In the vase Chinese Lanterns Mini Cymbidium Crab Apples Method On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about 4mm thick, sufficient to overlap the edges of your frying pan by about 25mm. Put your pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Calvados/Armagnac, and butter until they are beginning to form a light golden caramel. Take the pan from the heat and using tongs place the crescents of apple into the mixture, overlapping each segment slightly with its neighbour. Return to the heat for approximately 4 to 5 minutes until the apple is just beginning to soften, then carefully place the puff pastry over the pan, tucking in the edges. Put into a pre heated oven at 200 C for approx 20 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and is golden brown in colour. Allow to stand for a couple of minutes before placing a large plate or serving board over the pastry and spinning it over to turn out the dish. It’s advisable to use a long oven glove for this as even a few drops of escaping hot caramel can cause burns. Allow to cool slightly for a few minutes before serving with ice cream, custard, or crème fraiche. Blackberries Scallops Physalis Venison
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