Spuntino - Food Find

Spuntino is ‘Snack Bar’ in Italian.  New from the team behind the excellent Polpo and Polpetto it is similarly priced and, again, deep in Soho.  The theme is American, though it is small-plate dining European style.  Popcorn followed by Sliders of Beef with Marrow, Battered Soft Shell Crab with Tabasco alioli, croque monsieur, aubergine chips with Fennel Yoghurt, Beets with Salted Ricotta and Pistachios are a flavour of what to expect.  Relaxing jazz and bluegrass music encourages lingering round the congenial bar.  Good, but the American way with coffee is a step too far for me.  

Spuntino

Paris Chocolatier - Pierre Cluizel's Un Dimanche à Paris

Un Dimanche à Paris

Our latest trip to Paris did not start well.  Nothing to do with Eurostar, which for me remains the best way to reach France.  It was the jaw-dropping exchange we witnessed en-route.  A fiery French red-head, irritated by the 20-something Brit gobbling crisps in the seat opposite, finally exploded.  With exquisite rudeness she informed the, rather slim, girl that if she continued she would triple her size by the time she was 40!   The whole carriage was now on fight alert.  Presumably in shock, the Brit flounced off to the buffet - perhaps not the best choice in the circumstances.  I'm sure she spent the rest of the day thinking up pithy responses she could have made, rather than the predictable "ugly" and "old" adjectives she tossed over her shoulder.  We, meanwhile, sucked in our tummies as we thought of our plans for a gastronomic blow-out day in Paris.

We visited some old friends and found some new.  This is a new one, and what a find.  For me the old, venerable Parisian chocolate shops can be a bit stuffy and predictable.  The new generation can be style over substance, but this one delivers on all levels.  I was alerted to Un Dimanche à Paris by the Paris-based pastry chef and writer David Lebovitz.  Having worked at Berkeley's Chez Panisse, he knows a good thing when he tastes it.  Pierre Cluizel, son of Michel, has spread his wings and opened what is best described as an all-about-chocolate store, or "concept store" if you must. 

On the ground floor is a chocolate shop/bar/pâtisserie where you can enjoy a daily changing hot chocolate while you narrow down what you want to take away.  A glass-fronted kitchen sits alongside where the chocolatiers demonstrate their technique.  Service in the shop is utterly charming and seductive. There is also a restaurant with a chocolate themed menu and upstairs a salon for coffee and teas, and that chocolat chaud served in china pitchers, if you want to linger over the delicate pâtisserie.  To top it off you can order a cocktail mixed to help you better appreciate the subtleties of chocolate. Oh, I almost forgot, and a teaching kitchen offering courses in working with chocolate.

Having enjoyed the superb hot chocolate at the Bar and sampled the truffles we moved on to a Macaron Cassis.  I can now vouch for how good the pâtisserie is, though the exquisite filling was perhaps a little too generous.  Les gâteaux looked amazing but would have to wait for another visit.  It was the simple truffes au chocolat rolled in cocoa powder which truly seduced us.  Mindful of Madame's warning and with memories of a delicious lunch, our petit paquet de truffes remained on the luggage rack until we could eat them at home ... in private ... and sparingly of course.

Un Dimanche à Paris
4-8 Cour du Commerce Saint André
Paris 6^ème (Metro: Odéon)
www.un-dimanche-a-paris.com/

Wild Garlic - Food Find

Spring is here at last.  Look out for wild garlic leaves.  If you can't collect your own, or buy local, Tony Booth at 60 Druid Street SE1 will have them for the next few weeks.  Wash, roughly chop and wilt in hot butter for a few seconds, add cooked Pappardelle pasta and serve with grated Parmesan.
Bermondsey Trail
Maltby Street

Zucca Restaurant SE1

Zucca Restaurant

Zucca is a spin-off from the nearby Maltings Cafe on Tower Bridge Road.  They say they aim to serve "good food at moderate prices".  I call it very good value for money, especially when you know the chef/proprietor is ex-River Cafe and Bibendum chef Sam Harris.  The influences on the food are clear but, thankfully, not on the prices.

Plain white tables and chairs, exposed concrete, the whole softened by a little wood.  Brown carpeting dampens down any clatter from the open kitchen, and the colour palette is enlivened with the orange of glass beakers and, of course, pumpkins (zucca in Italy).  Zucca is relaxing, rather than relaxed.  Staff are happy to see you, work well together and maintain focus right to the end of service.  There is great attention to detail and the prices are low for food of this quality.  It's fresh, it's seasonal, it's simple, and that's just what I want. 

Excellent fresh Italian breads - three types including a wonderful crispy focaccia - were brought to the table with a good grassy Planeta olive oil for dipping.  Generously a fresh basket of bread was offered (and accepted).  The food is big on seasonality and in its portions.  Starters are £3.95-£4.95.  Sardines in Saor were exceptionally good, a generous plate of Zucca Fritti - thick slices of pumpkin and whole sage leaves dipped in a beautifully light tempura batter were crisply fried and perfectly salted.  The carpaccio of veal disappointed only in that we expected it to be thinly sliced, rather than diced like a tartare, which results in quite a different texture, I think.  Mains are priced around  £14.00.  The veal chop looked delicious but we tried Ox Liver with lentils and chicoria topped with a punchy herb salsa verde, and Pollock with Cime di Rapa and Fennel in a light herby broth.  Both were more than good, in fact the Pollock was the best I have had and finally converted me to this much championed substitute for cod.  Our puddings were generous - a slice of  light Almond Cake with a blood orange reduction, and a good Affogato.  Both were well worth making room for.  With 3 glasses Falanghina and 1 of Volpolo the bill came to £72.00 excluding service but we could have spent less.

Maltings Cafe is about a 10 minutes walk away at 169 Tower Bridge Road.  It's a neighbourhood cafe which is open from breakfast until the end of the working day. The menu is limited - a pasta dish, a frittata and, perhaps a lamb Kofta alongside sandwiches on good bread - but it's a great place to eat-in or take-out. 

With Gergovie Wines already open in Maltby Street, and the imminent arrival of José Pizarro's sherry and tapas bar on Bermondsey Street, only a few doors along from Zucca, Bermondsey is becoming ever more interesting.

http://www.zuccalondon.com/

Puntarelle Heart Salad

Puntarelle Heart Salad

Normally I'd expect to see Puntarelle on sale between November and February.  This member of the Chicory family (Chicoria Catalogna) being a cool weather crop, I can only assume the weather in Italy is mirroring our own this winter as there seems to be lots of it around.  I don't know about you but I'm getting pretty jaded with cabbage, celeriac, parsnips and leeks, which are our seasonal veg in the UK at this time of year.  It's been so cold my "early" purple sprouting brocolli is reluctant to sprout this year, which means my "late" brocolli will probably emerge at the same time and I'll be inundated with it in April.  In the meantime I picked up a head of Puntarelle for a change.

Italians generally use the whole of the Puntarelle in a salad, patiently slicing the heart thinly lengthwise and soaking it in cold water until the leaves curl up.  But this is a cold winter's day in London, time is short, so this is my way with Puntarelle.  I use the outer leaves as a vegetable accompaniment to meat - the bitter quality is, I think, particularly good with a beef casserole and mashed potatoes, which I have planned for tomorrow (Cut the stems into manageable 10cm lengths, place in a pan with a knob of butter, a couple of tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes until they are softened and the water has disappeared).  The knobbly, juicy heart and the inner leaves make a refreshing salad lunch.  Anchovies pair well but this time I've used bacon for that salty hit and the tiniest capers for piquancy.  Crisp bread croutons add a satisfying crunch to the juicy, slightly bitter chicory heart.

Puntarelle Heart Salad
(Serves 2)

1 Puntarelle
100g bacon, cut into lardons
2-3 slices of sourdough bread, cut into cubes
1 tblsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of capers (drained of any brine)
A little salt and pepper
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Strip away the outer leaves of the Puntarelle and save for later use.  Pull away the juicy little nodules from the heart, slice each of them lengthwise into 3-4 pieces and place in a bowl of cold water.  Mix the last four ingredients to make the dressing in a lage salad bowl.  Fry the bacon until crisp then remove and add the bread croutons to the same pan (add a little olive oil if necessary), cooking until lightly browned.  Drain and dry the Puntarelle well and add to the salad bowl, mixing well with the dressing.  Add the cooked bacon and croutons and serve.

Lina Stores

Lina Stores

Lina Stores is one of the best reasons I can think of for visiting Soho, though some would have other reasons for an outing.  This Italian deli is right in the heart of lively Soho, surrounded by flashing neon and haunts such as Taboo and Madame Jojo's.  However, even the old red-light district has a villagey side to it, and Lina's personifies that aspect of the area.  In fact, Brewer Street is being talked up as a residential hot spot right now, and a few unexpected shops are here, like Fresh and Wild, Anything Left Handed, and Cox Cookies & Cakes (UPDATE-NOW CLOSED)

Ask anyone for the place to buy Italian ingredients in the area and they'll either send you to Camisa or Lina Stores.  Of the two I'd have to come down in favour of Lina's.  Very much a family business, Lina's has been on Brewer Street since the 1930's and is currently run by the 3rd generation of the same family. 

The shop's closure last August caused some dismay until shoppers realised it was only for refurbishment.  What a lovely job they did of it too, echoing the 50's green-tiled exterior inside with paler green tiling relieved by natural wood and a white marble counter.  Still absolutely recognisable as the much-loved Lina's but the space has been opened up.  You no longer feel anxious that you might brush something off a shelf as you move around.  A freshen-up, clear-out and re-focus has rejuvenated the place but retained its friendly, welcome-to-browse feel.  In fact I was there today, looking for the hard to find Garganelli pasta which I know Lina's stocks.  They had run out but, without my having to ask, they made a call and told me they'd have it later this week.  That's what I call service, and it's Lina's way.

You'll find hessian sacks of rice, lentils and pulses, spices sold by weight, honeys including the excellent Seggiano, cured meats, a great range of dried pastas, polenta, pestos, cheeses, olives, truffles, pannetone and biscotti.  What makes it particularly special for me is that Lina's keeps the more difficult to find things like good filled pastas such as veal-filled tortellini, squid ink pasta filled with crab, Spinach and ricotta Tortolloni.  Then there's the practically impossible to find things such as fresh yeast, chestnut flour and veal stock.  Whether you want to pick up some roasted peppers, anchovies mozzarella and fresh plum tomatoes for an easy to prepare meal, or some double O flour to make your own pasta, you'll find it here.  Long live Lina's.

LINA STORES
18 Brewer Street
Soho, London W1F 0SH
Tel:  020 7437 6482
Monday-Friday 09.00-6.30pm
Saturday 09.00-5.30pm
http://www.linastores.co.uk/
(Site under construction)

Gergovie Wines - Food Find

In the railway arch 40 Maltby Street is a new addition to my Bermondsey Trail.  Raef Hodgson and Harry Lester have created a great wine bar/tasting room showcasing a new generation of natural winemakers.  Open Saturdays only, there is also an expanding range of food and off-sales. 

Gergovie Wines

Bread and Butter Pudding



Bread and Butter Pudding

After two days of leaden skies we need cheering up.  The kitchen beckons and it's too horrible even to go shopping for ingredients.  A rummage around unearths a drying end of pain de mie (sounds so much better than sandwich bread).  I know I have a pot of use-me-now half-price double cream in the fridge which I couldn't resist buying yesterday, and I always have eggs.  I keep a jar of dark rum in a cupboard which I top up with raisins or sultanas ready for times like these.   Perfect ingredients for a traditional English Bread and Butter Pudding.  Not to be confused with Bread Pudding, which is an altogether different dish, this dates from the early 18th century.

You can use left-over fruit bread or pannetone instead of bread, then the added fruit in this recipe would be unnecessary.  For me, best of all is to replace the bread with brioche which makes for a fantastically light and moreish pudding.  This recipe is based on that of Swiss-born chef Anton Mosimann, which he perfected in the 1980's working in England.  Mosimann became famous for his Cuisine Naturelle and still cooks in London.  This recipe is difficult to better, but having played with the ingredients, quantities and cooking times over the years I have been making it, this is my version.  Placing the dish in a bain-marie (water bath) ensures the custard mixture doesn't overcook.  It should have a slightly wobbly quality when you take it out of the oven.

Bread and Butter Pudding
(Serves 4)

170ml (6 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
170ml (6 fl oz) double cream
Half a vanilla pod
A pinch of salt
30g (1oz) unsalted butter
2-3 medium slices of white bread or brioche
2 large eggs
85g (3oz) caster sugar
A level tablespoon of sultanas or raisins, pre-soaked in sherry or rum but drained
A heaped tablespoon of apricot jam, mixed and briefly warmed with a level tablespoon of water
A little icing sugar

Preheat oven to 160C.  Butter a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish.  Butter the slices of bread/brioche and place, buttered side up, in the dish.  Scatter the raisin/sultanas over the bread.

Split open the half vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into a  pan containing the milk, cream and salt, then add the vanilla pod if you like.  Bring to the boil whilst you are mixing together the eggs and sugar until pale, remove the vanilla pod if using then add to the egg/sugar mixture stirring continually.  Pour the mixture into the dish (the bread will float and that's fine). 

Place a couple of sheets of newspaper in a roasting tin before placing the pie dish in the tin.  Carefully add boiling water to the roasting tin until it comes halfway up the sides of the pie dish.  Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. 

Warm the jam and water in a pan and brush the glaze over the cooked pudding.  Serve warm, dusting with a little icing sugar just before eating.

Pasteis de Nata - Food Find

Look out for the Pasteis de Nata on the Borough Market Rainha Santa stall (Stoney Street, outside Ginger Pig/Brindisa) - only £1.00 and the best I've found in London.  More about Rainha Santa Portuguese products later. http://www.rainhasanta.com/

Brawn Wine Bar and Restaurant

Brawn Sample Menu

'Brawn' is the new offshoot from the team who set up 'Terroir' wine bar and restaurant just off Trafalgar Square a couple of years ago. Inspired by Parisian natural wine bars, they proudly offer rarely seen natural wines, some biodynamic, from small producers.  Co-owner Eric Narioo is the wine expert, often disarmingly referring to the wines as "cloudy reds and murky whites".  Their stated aim is to serve food and wine which is natural, free of additives and from artisan sources, in a relaxing, friendly environment.  Terroirs has quickly built up a loyal following for both its unusual wines and its hearty food so a new venture in Hackney was something I had to check out.

Though only a few weeks old, Brawn has been receiving some very positive reviews.  Its location on Columbia Road may prove a bit more challenging than its West End parents' site.  There are certainly plenty of potential customers around on Sundays when the well-known Columbia Road Flower Market, and the interesting eclectic mix of entrepreneurial shops, is in full swing.  Weekdays it is currently rather quieter.  However, with the nearby Old Street area of Shoreditch being talked up as the UK's answer to Silicon Valley, and only a stroll away, maybe it's a smart decision.  Decor-wise it certainly fits right in with the Hackney/Shoreditch style - mismatched tables and chairs and a slightly worn recycled look for this former wood-turning workshop.  Nothing wrong with that if they can deliver, and here they mostly do.  It's a no-fuss, sit where you like sort of place and at a weekday lunch staff were friendly and laid-back (but thankfully not too laid back).  The two dining rooms look out onto lovely London Plane trees across the road.

The name alerts you to the fact that there is plenty of that noble animal, the pig, on the menu and it was reassuring to recognise the provenance of the charcuterie.  It comes via the trader I buy my own carefully sourced cured meats from.  The Jesus du Pays Basque of Pierre Oteiza has a sweet, porky depth and a silky texture spiked with cracked black peppercorns, whilst the Saucisse Seche has a drier, pleasingly chewy quality.  The Piero Montali Prosciutto is, in my view, the best you will find in London.

A commitment to seasonality is clear and careful, and sourcing is sometimes very local, including the bread with a delicious, crunchy-crusted, Hackney Wild Sourdough from the E5 Bakery in close-by London Fields.  With a range of delicious sounding small dishes on offer the difficulty is in choosing.  On a cold winter's day a creamy Abruzzo Bean Soup served with a slug of excellent Valentini olive oil hit the spot.  Baked Field Mushrooms spread with bone marrow, garlic and parsley were juicy and unctuous  - nice to have the earthy flavour of the undervalued field mushroom.  Mussels from the Shetland Isles were plump and tasty served with a leek and bacon broth, and Chanterelles on toasted sourdough were made lipsmackingly good with the addition of a duck egg yolk.  As you would expect, there is Tete de Veau on the menu, served with a classic Sauce Ravigote but that will have to wait for another time.  For pudding, the  Crepes were a little resilient, though the Salted Butter Caramel sauce was gorgeous.  With treacle tart and Yorkshire Rhubarb Crumble currently on the menu, it's a tough choice.

Wines here, as mentioned, need to be approached with an open mind, or as Terroir/Brawn put it regarding the "truly natural" wines they offer, take "a walk on the wild side".  A couple of 175ml carafes of Ferme Saint Martin Cotes du Ventoux "La Gerine" came to £13.00.  The vineyard is certified organic and this Grenache grape wine is an naturally produced one.  The first taste was odd but ultimately rewarding.

The menu changes daily, always a good sign.  On Sunday a set-lunch for £25 per head is offered.  Our bill, with a couple of espressos came to £56 for two including service.  Overall, good value and very good food and I'll definitely be back, though something tells me I may not just be able to walk in off the street for much longer.

Brawn
49 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Tel: 020 7729 5692
http://www.brawn.co/index.html

http://www.terroirswinebar.com/index.htm