New pastries at Monmouth Coffee - Food Find

Parma Rose ham pastry
from the Little Bread Pedlar

Regulars at Monmouth Coffee in Covent Garden, Borough and Maltby Street will have noticed a quiet revolution over the past few months.  The main business of Monmouth is to select coffees from around the world, roast and sell them wholesale and retail, but you can also pick up a take-away or drink in.  They've long offered a little something to eat along with the coffee.  The food was fine, if a litte unexciting.  A rethink has led Monmouth to work with bakery The Little Bread Pedlar on a small but perfect range of morsels to complement the coffee.  Most are sweet but now a wonderful ham pastry 'Parma Rose' has been introduced.  My favourite coffee roaster paired with  one of the most interesting bakers in the capital could be bad news for my waistline. 

10 Greek Street

Sample menu at
10 Greek Street

Having been warned we wouldn't be able to get a lunchtime table at 10 Greek Street, we did what we normally do and just walked in.  It doesn't always work but more often than not my timing is right and on this occasion it was good enough to score a couple of seats at the bar.  For me, it couldn't have been better as I hate to miss anything and, with the chefs right in front of me, nothing escaped my scrutiny.  In a good restaurant this can mean you want to eat everything you see, and this proved to be the case here.  If you have no sense of restraint, my advice is don't sit at the kitchen bar.

Three young chefs and a barman all exuded friendliness and enthusiasm in the small open kitchen.  These guys clearly love working together and it shows in the welcoming atmosphere and well-run kitchen.  Three front of house staff work the tables but, as we ordered and were served straight over the bar, I can only assume the other diners were as well looked after as we were.   I've heard some criticism of noise bouncing around the hard-surfaced dining room but we weren't aware of it.

Things started well with a good choice of wines, all by the glass, carafe and bottle.   A very reasonable Allegrini Valpolicella at less than £4 a glass (£20 bottle) went so well with our dishes that we stuck with it.  A small plate of Fried baby squid with a saffron aioli and simply grilled Sardines with a spoonful of romesco and wedge of lemon were great openers.  The freshest of fish cooked perfectly, what could be better?   Then came the tender Grilled Poussin, served spatchcocked with Israeli couscous, raisins and almonds.  For once the addition of pomegranate seeds made perfect sense.  The use of these jewel-like seeds has become so ubiquitous that my heart sinks when I'm presented with a plate 'scattered' with them, but here they actually belonged on the plate.  Pancetta wrapped monkfish came on the bone, cooked just right and served with a soupy stew of pale lentils (Italian, I think pepped with a fresh salsa verde.  A good Lemon tart could have been great but refrigeration had softened the fine pastry.  A great shame as there is a talented pastry chef at work.  A light rye bread and a focaccia, made in-house, were delicious.

Prices are keen at this plain, 35-seater.  They have to be in the heart of Soho where competition is fierce.  Small plates and starter-size dishes range from £3 for olives or almonds to £8 for something like Queen scallops and chorizo.  Large dishes are priced around £12-18.  When we were there a Welsh Black rib-eye with truffle mash and purple sprouting broccoli, at £35 for two, was hard to resist.  Having seen it go out of the kitchen, I hope it's on the menu next time I visit.  Sides are £3-4 and puds £4-6.  The daily-changing menu is a straightforward description of what will come out of the kitchen. Everything on the plate is necessary to the success of the dish.  There is no unnecessary ornamentation.

Opened in February this year by Cameron Emirali, formerly head chef of The Wapping Project, and Luke Wilson, ex-Manager of The Ambassador at Exmouth market, 10 Greek Street has quickly attracted an informed following.   To my eye, staff dealt with a completely full restaurant with great efficiency and charm.  I really should have taken more notice of the wine list but, from other reviews, I gather there is a separate list of finer wines.  Like the food prices, all are extremely reasonable.  I look forward to getting even better acquainted with both very soon.

10 Greek Street
Soho
London 
W1D 4DH

Open: Monday-Saturday
Lunch - bookings taken
Dinner - walk-in only

Gauthier Soho

Monkfish with crisp chicken skin,
chicken jus, white asparagus and turnips
at Gauthier Soho

With all the new restaurant openings in London it's important not to forget the ones that impressed you a year or two ago.  New openings can ride on the crest of the buzz created by PR machine, bloggers and word of mouth and the old stalwarts have a loyal following, but it can be a tricky time for those whose honeymoon period has passed.  It's a time which sorts the wheat from chaff and restaurateurs have to be on their toes to build on their early success.  Gauthier Soho is one such.  A long overdue return recently reignited my enthusiasm for the classy French cooking of Alexis Gauthier. 

After covering all the bases in classic French cuisine, Gauthier entered the kitchens of Alain Ducasse and, as he puts it, learnt to cook by trusting his instincts rather than by following a recipe.  Carnivores are well catered for but Gauthier is also a chef with a love of vegetables and one who is not afraid to put them centre stage rather than as little background dressing.  This he does inventively with his 'Vegetable Menu', just don't expect it to be wholly "vegetarian" (unless you ask).  In fact four menus are offered - A la carte, a weekly-changing Seasonal Lunch/pre-theatre menu, Seasonal Tasting and Seasonal Vegetable Tasting menus.  Personally, I can do without the calorie count printed below each dish.  For those who care, Gauthier Soho has a Michelin star.

Yes the table linen is white and the napkins fine but the look is unfussy with all the attention on the food. This is not everyday eating, but it is real value for money. The £33 three course lunch including a half bottle of decent wine (£25 without wine), plus service is great value. You can also choose three courses from the a la carte for £40. A couple of small palate ticklers arrive unbidden during the meal but, mercifully, without any great fanfare.  The wine list extends to over 200 bottles with plenty of reasonably priced choices.  The menu changes weekly and though it's not everyday eating, it is great value for money. Gauthier's cooking is unmistakably French and the saucing is impeccable, but his passion for vegetables, and an enthusiasm for Eastern cuisines, brings another dimension to the cooking.

From the set -lunch menu comes a perfect Risotto starter made with the first English (grown under cover, surely) asparagus, a slick of chicken jus and a parmesan crisp. We could have chosen a Pea Veloute or a dish of foie gras. The a la carte tempted with a "Very Green Ravioli" which turned out to be a spinach (probably) ravioli with peas, asparagus, rocket and dandelion in a miso broth with Earl Grey tea and Yuzu.  Very light and virtuous but it didn't quite deliver the iron-rich hit I was expecting.

Set mains included Duck breast with an aromatic jus, and an Open Ravioli of Tofu. A comforting dish of Skate wing, served off the bone with fennel, both soft and crisp, and a light sauce was cut by lemon and capers.  It was the best use of this gelatinous fish I've ever experienced.  From the a la carte came meltingly soft Monkfish served with that gorgeous chicken jus, crispy chicken skin, white asparagus and baby turnips.

A tiny but delicious bowl of aerated yoghurt, poached rhubarb and fresh lime was served before dessert.  The chocolate pudding Louis XV is a fixture on the menu. It is undeniably good - a concoction involving praline, chocolate mousse and a chocolate couverture topped with gold leaf - and difficult to resist. But outside the sun was shining with a taste of spring so the first French Gariguette strawberries called to me from the a la carte menu. I know it's ridiculously early but Gariguette are always the first of the good ones so it was worth a try. They were served just warm in a lovely sticky sweet liquor flavoured with vanilla and star anise, which succeeded in bringing out their flavour. A delicate coriander tuille and a scoop of sharp lime sorbet on the side off-set the sweetness of the sauce.
 
Having taken over the narrow little townhouse, previously home to Richard Corrigan's 'Lindsay House', nearly two years ago Gauthier has created a warm and inviting little haven in the heart of Soho.  It's an awkward yet characterful space with great charm.  In its Lindsay House phase it never had that essential welcoming feel to me.  This could be something to do with being within earshot of a royal dressing down of some hapless chef in the kitchen on my last visit.  A recipe for indigestion, I think.  Gauthier Soho does not induce nervous tension.  On the contrary, the staff seem happy and confident.  Service is correct without any affectedness.  The ground floor dining room is a discreet and romantic space.  On the first floor the tables are a little more tightly arranged.  The quirkiness of the building allows for a number of small rooms available for private parties.

This lunch was a timely reminder to revisit those who not only start off promisingly but work hard to keep things fresh in the relationship between restaurant and diner.

Gauthier Soho
21 Romilly Street
Soho
London W1D 5AF
http://gauthiersoho.co.uk/

Maltby Street & Spa Terminus - the doors open

The Butchery
Arch 11 Dockley Road
Spa Terminus

There was an air of excitement, expectation and a little trepidation amongst the Maltby Street traders as the doors opened on their new Spa Terminus location on Saturday.  Excitement that they now have arches with secure leases which give them control over their environment.  Expectation of welcoming customers old and new to their new homes, and a little trepidation that those treasured customers might not find their way. 

The Ham & Cheese Co
Arch 10 Dockley Road
Spa Terminus

All concerns proved unfounded.  There was a great turn-out of existing customers, mingling with a large number of locals checking out the new Saturday food shopping scene on their doorstep.  Just five minutes walk east from the traders' old arches which were centred around Maltby Street, the new ones are now a five minute walk from Bermondsey Tube station.

Whilst a few of the Maltby Steet award winning traders will not be moving until later in 2012, phase 1 has seen over half of the traders move home.  From Spa Terminus they run their wholesale businesses, supplying some of the best restaurants and food shops in the UK.  On Saturdays only (9-2pm) their doors are opened to retail customers. 

The area is spread over Voyager Business Park and Dockley Road.  Just as at Maltby Street, to cover all the arches at 'Spa Terminus' you need to move from the north side of the railway line to the south side.  At Voyager, you will find Kappacasein serving up their unbeatable toasted cheese sandwiches and Raclette alongside Neal's Yard Dairy.  Their neighbours are Mons Fromages, selling quality French cheeses, sharing an arch with Aubert & Mascoli, specialising in French and Italian wines.  Alongside you will find South East Fruits and Ice Cream Union.

The Little Bread Pedlar
Unit 5 Dockley Road
Spa Terminus

A walk under the bridge to the other side of the railway line brings you to a narrow gateway to the Dockley Road part of 'Spa Terminus'.   Here you can follow the aroma of baking to the unit housing The Little Bread Pedlar for some of the best croissant and brownies (and other treats) in London. The London Honey Company is alongside for all things apiarian, and close by is Fern Verrow for top quality biodynamic fruit, vegetables and meats.  Arch 10 is the new home of The Ham & Cheese Co, selling a fantastic selection of Italian and Basque cured meats, mozarella and the very best parmesan cheese.  The Kernel micro-brewery is right next door, brewing and serving up excellent pale ales, stouts, porters and more.  Last but far from least, is the arch housing The Butchery.  Here Nathan and Ruth run their 'nose to tail' butchery, buying in whole rare-breed and free-range carcasses to prepare for the counter.  You can even learn butchery skills on one of Nathan's courses.

If week one was anything to go by, Spa Terminus is now the place for your Saturday food shopping.  Don't forget, Spa Terminus is only five minutes from Maltby Street.  You can still find Tayshaw (Tony Booth fruit & veg), Monmouth Coffee, 40 Maltby Street/Gergovie Wines, St John Bakery, Jacob's Ladder Farms, selling fantastic biodynamic and organic meats, Topolski for Polish products, Kase Swiss, and Boerenkass for Swiss and Dutch cheeses, at their old locations on Druid Street and Maltby Street until they move to Spa Terminus later in 2012. 

UPDATE AUG 2012 - Monmouth Coffee pop-up now at Unit 3 Spa Arches Northside

Here's a map

Spa Terminus, Bermondsey SE16 :
Kappacasein
Neal's Yard Dairy
Unit 1 Voyager Business Park SE16

Mons Fromages
Aubert  Mascoli
Unit 2 Voyager Business Park

South East Fruits
Unit 3 Voyager Business Park

Ice Cream Union
Unit 4 Voyager Business Park

The Little Bread Pedlar
Coleman Coffee
Unit 5 Dockley Road

The London Honey Company
Unit 6 Dockley Road

Fern Verrow
Unit 10 Dockley Road

The Ham & Cheese Co
Arch 10 Dockley Road

The Kernel Brewery    

Arch 11 Dockley Road

The Butchery

Arch 11, Dockley Road

Yorkshire Curd Tart (Take 2) - A recipe made for austerity times

Curd cheese, lemons & nutmeg

Some months ago I posted a piece on my search for the best Yorkshire Curd Tart recipe - Yorkshire curd tart - take 1.  The recipe I published fell a little short, I felt, and I was determined to continue searching.  The ill-documented history of this much loved regional tart made my research interesting and frustrating in equal measure.  After much exploration and inquiry, tasting and testing, I felt I was finally getting a little nearer to its origins.  I have, not without a little anxiety, published a recipe which comes close to my memories of this old English dish of my childhood.

Yorkshire Curd Tart

You can read the resultant article and recipe Waste not, want not - a short history of the Yorkshire curd tart on my favourite on-line food magazine The Foodie Bugle.  I hope you enjoy it and that you will try the recipe.  I'm sure those of us who are familiar with the Yorkshire curd tart have very different memories of it.  This being the nature of regional dishes born out of austerity - using what is available with a pinch of inspiration.  If you have your own family recipe I would love to hear from you.

I urge you to explore The rest of The Foodie Bugle which each month publishes articles on food and food related subjects.  The contributing writers are spread around the globe and write on a wide range of subjects,  making it an interesting and stimulating read.  The writing is often beautiful and the photography stunning.

Here is the article and recipe in full:

Yorkshire Curd Tart (TakeII)

In times of austerity most of us need to think a bit more deeply about what we spend our money on.  Whilst food shopping is the last thing I want to cut back on, the cost of food, food waste and food miles are much on people’s minds at the moment.  This set me thinking about how the home-cook coped in the past when money was tight and yet a sweet treat was called for which did not scream ‘frugal’.  The Yorkshire Curd Tart is a good example, but what exactly is it and why does it fit the bill? 

To a pot of curd cheese add sugar, a scattering of dried fruit, a pinch of spice, an egg or two and a little butter to enrich the mix, pour it into a pastry case and you have it.  Crunchy pastry, soft, sensuous filling and the fragrance of nutmeg filling  your kitchen as it bakes.  Balm for the soul on a cold winter’s day.  Simple it may be, economical certainly, but parsimonious it is not. Originally it may have been less sweet than later versions, given that cane sugar was heavily taxed until 1874.  It was not until the Napoleonic and First World wars that the growing of sugar beet in Britain took off, out of necessity.

A few months ago I wrote in another journal of my quest to find the perfect Yorkshire Curd Tart.  Versions can be found in many Yorkshire bakeries, particularly in the north of the county, but sadly many current recipes have drifted a long way from the original.   I titled my piece “Take 1” as it was my first attempt to capture the tart I remembered.  A trip to the London Guildhall Library for a browse through their extensive food history section confirmed to me that this dish has a little-documented history and there would be few pointers along the way to finding the definitive recipe. 

The narrative which resonates with me is that the Yorkshire Curd Tart was a happy by-product of the cheese-making process.  From a time when most smallholders would keep a cow and produce a few small cheeses, inevitably there would be some leftover curds and, well, in true Yorkshire style, ‘waste not, want not’.       

Clearly it originated in Yorkshire but the tart I remember from childhood came from a small County Durham bakery - now sadly no more.   A certain  amount of border-creep has taken place with this dish so it’s not uncommon to still  find it in Durham.  Joan Poulson’s book “Old Yorkshire Recipes” tells of them being traditionally served at “Whitsuntide”.  Thanks to PCD Brears' book “The Gentlewoman’s Kitchen – Great Food in Yorkshire 1650-1750” I learned of “Mrs Tasker” who took the trouble to write down her recipes.  Her notebook is annotated to show she lived in Brayton, near Selby close to the east coast of Yorkshire.  A recipe of 1741  tells of making the curd and, of “butter that is well-washed in rosewater”.  Whether the use of rosewater arrived in England with the Romans or we came to appreciate its delicacy after the Crusades  is debatable.  Both Romans and Moors have long histories of its use and rosewater as a flavouring was certainly documented in Elizabethan England.

I've tasted quite a few shop-bought Yorkshire Curd Tarts over the past few months, all made in Yorkshire .  As with most things, you usually get what you pay for.  The best of the bunch came from Betty's of York, but I've always had a taste for their version.  Good as Betty's is, I was hoping to find perfection somewhere out there.  My conclusion is that, these days, this is a tart best made at home.  I needed to put into practice what I’d learned.  Taking Jane Grigson's recipe in her book “English Food” as my starting point, I adapted it as my research took me deeper into the origins of the Yorkshire Curd Tart.  The pastry should be a fine shortcrust, the filling dominated by the soft, pillowy curd - not the egg -  and the fruit should, I think, be currants.  You will need much more nutmeg than you may think, unless you choose to add rosewater too – balance is all.  Some recipes call for breadcrumbs and, if your curd is very loose, I can see why but I prefer not to use any.  The addition of a little melted butter helps the tart acquire that rustic browning on top.  The following recipe is as near as I can get to doing justice to this singular tart.

Some writers advocate substituting “cottage cheese”  for curd.  Do not be tempted as the result will be nothing like intended.  Fromage frais is perhaps nearer to the texture.  The curd consistency is best when fresh (2-4 days old).  If you buy them from a cheese-maker the texture of this natural product will, of course, vary.  You could *make your own curds, or do as I did and get to know an artisan cheese-maker.   Now, just as way back then, they’ll have an amount of surplus curd just crying out to be made into a delicious, fragrant Yorkshire Curd Tart.

Yorkshire Curd Tart (Take II)

 Pastry:

(makes enough for 2 x 22cm tarts)

250g (10oz) plain flour

25g (1oz) ground almonds
150g (6oz) butter
75g (3oz) icing sugar
Grated rind of half a lemon
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons milk

Filling (makes enough for 1 x 22cm tart)

300g (12oz) curd cheese
2 eggs
125g (5oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) currants
Grated rind of half a lemon
A good pinch of cinnamon
Half a nutmeg, grated
1 tablespoon of rosewater (optional – if used, reduce the nutmeg a little)
25g melted butter

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the ground almonds.  Add the butter and rub in with fingertips.  Sift in the icing sugar, add grated lemon rind and mix.  Lightly beat the egg yolk and milk together and stir into the dry ingredients.  Mix until the paste just comes together, turn out and knead gently to smooth the surface.  (You will need half of this mixture for your tart so divide and freeze the other half for next time).  Cover and rest in fridge for 30 minutes.

Lightly butter a 22cm shallow tart tin.  Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface and line the tin with it.  Prick the base with a fork several times and rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan oven).  Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes.  Remove the baking beans and paper, turn down the oven to 180C (160C fan oven) and return the tart to the oven for another 4-5 minutes to fully cook the base.

Mix the curd cheese with the currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon rind (and rosewater if using).  Beat the eggs with the sugar then add to the curd mixture along with the cooled melted butter.  Pour into the pastry case and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and the filling set.  Once cooled, serve with no embellishment.

*Make a simple lactic curd by bringing 1.5ltrs  of whole  milk (“raw” if you can get it) to just below boiling point, add juice of 1 lemon, leave overnight in a cool place (not the fridge) then pour into a muslin-lined sieve to drain the curds.

Maltby Street & Spa Terminus

Don't forget, the Maltby Street award-winning traders are on the move. Saturday 31 March is the first day of retail trading at new arches and units for the traders affected in phase 1.

Check this link to find your favourite traders in their new homes:

Maltby Street award-winning traders

I hear there will also be a Monmouth Coffee pop-up at the new location.

www.maltbystreet.com has now been updated too.

GO HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE FIRST DAY OF TRADING 31 MARCH 2012

Garlic - Wet and Wild

Wild garlic tagliatelle

"Eat neither garlic, nor onions, for thy smell will betray the peasant in thee" Don Quixote admonishes his squire, Sancho Panza.  Garlic, or Allium sativum, a member of the lily family, has been cultivated for thousands of years.  Pliny the Elder praised it as a remedy for a host of ailments from asthma to insanity - though he also warned excessive use caused flatulence.  French biologist Louis Pasteur praised garlic's qualities as a disinfectant and recent studies have backed long-held beliefs that compounds in garlic reduce cholesterol levels in the arteries and thus protect the heart.  At one time despised in some countries as a poor man's spice, garlic is now an indispensable ingredient in so many cuisines. 

The arrival of the new season garlic, in its wet (green) and wild (also known as Ramsons, Buckrams, Wood garlic or Bear's garlic) forms, set me thinking about these two members of the allium family.  I grow my own garlic, mostly for drying and using over the autumn and winter months.  Usually my stocks run out around this time of year.  Much as I love the fact I grown my own, I'm happy not to have more stock as storing beyond this time imparts a harshness in flavour.  I look forward to buying the fat-necked green garlic bulbs which start to appear at markets in early spring.  Picked at this stage, the green garlic doesn't keep very well but it is at its sweetest.  You can, after peeling away a layer or two of skin, eat both the white and the pale green stem, discarding only the basal core. Green garlic is mild and sweet with none of the hot, pungent qualities of mature garlic.

Green garlic is perfect for roasting whole with a little thyme, olive oil and a splash of water.  Squeeze the roasted cloves to release the caramelised garlic.  Spread on a fried bread crouton or mix with some anchovies melted in a hot pan and some butter  to make the Italian dipping sauce, Bagna Cauda.  A broth of roasted garlic has long been considered a health restorative.  Whizz the garlic with some good chicken or other stock, salt and lots of pepper, adding a few chopped chives and a little parsley just before serving.

Garlic is very easy to grow and is very well behaved in the kitchen garden.  You need to start off with bulbs from a nursery or seed merchant as these will be certified free of disease.   After that you can grow from your own stock and they will adapt to your conditions over several years.  Garlic needs a month or two of cold weather to stimulate the bulb. In the UK, I find November is a good time to plant varieties like Solent  Wight and Thermidrome. Split up the dried garlic bulb into cloves and plant, root side down, 5-8 centimetres below ground and about 10-15 centimetres apart.  Each planted clove develops into a new bulb.  Harvest when the leaves turn yellow, in June.  If not using straight away, dry them a for week either outside or in an airy shed.  The bulbs will then keep for several months.

Wild Ramson, Allium ursinum, is a wild relative of chives.  Unlike garlic, they are somewhat thuggish and, being perennials and self-seeders, are difficult to eradicate once they take hold.  Better to allow them to rampage under a deciduous tree if you are lucky enough to have a garden where you can devote the space to it.  They like damp and shady conditions and will flower in early spring before the tree canopy shades out the light.

Wild garlic (Ramsons)

If you are into foraging you will find Wild garlic in deciduous woodland.  Take care to crush a piece of leaf between your fingers to release the distinctive pungent  garlic smell to confirm you have the right plant.  My friend Liz at Forage Fine Foods gives good guidance on foraging for wild garlic.  Do also use the flower buds along with the leaves.  The strength of flavour in the leaves diminishes once the flowers mature.

Ramsons have an affinity with eggs, so are wonderful added to egg-based dishes, such as omelette, and frittata - you will need only a few leaves.  They're also good added to soups.  I sometimes make a wild garlic pesto, but be aware that this treatment concentrates the pungent flavour so use sparingly.  I love to use wild garlic in a quick and simple pasta dish.  This is hardly a recipe at all, but I do like to make my own fresh pasta.

Tagliatelle with Wild Garlic
(serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main)

100g (4oz) 'OO' flour
1 large egg
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
A little polenta to help prevent sticking
50g (2oz) unsalted butter
A large handful of wild garlic, well washed and cut roughly

Put all the ingredients except the butter and wild garlic in a mixer, or use your fingers, to mix just until everything holds together. Either change to a doughhook and knead for 2 minutes or knead the dough on a work surface by hand for 10 minutes if you want an excellent work-out for your arm muscles (saves on gym fees). If you use a machine, knead the dough by hand for a final half minute (the warmth of your hands finishes it off perfectly). You will now have a smooth firm dough. Wrap it in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt the water.  Feed the pasta dough through the pasta machine on its lowest setting. Fold the dough and repeat 3 more times. Increasing the setting by one mark each time, feed the dough through the machine once until you reach its highest setting (if you are as short of kitchen space as I am you'll want to cut your rolled pasta in half part way through the rolling to make it more manageable, so you end up with 2 sheets of pasta).   Pass them through the tagliatelle cutter.  Boil the pasta for no more than 3 minutes. 

While the pasta is cooking,  Heat the butter in large pan and add the garlic leaves, salt and pepper.  Cook for one minute then take off the heat.  Add the drained pasta.  Mix in a tablespoon or so of cooking water to loosen slightly.  Serve with lots of grated parmesan.

Gresca - Barcelona at its best

Souffle
at Gresca

The problem with Barcelona is there is so much good food around that the choice can be overwhelming.  Good small-plate food is not hard to find - Cal Pep and Tapaҫ 24 for instance - but when you've had your fill of tapas and raciones, and a proper three-course meal regains its appeal, you need to give it some thought.  On this visit, one of my top finds was Gresca.  This understated 26 cover modern bistro restaurant came up with almost the best meal I've eaten so far this year (only outshone by the excellent Dabbous in London).

Some find the room too monastic but it suits me fine.  Paired down to hard, plain surfaces softened only by white tablecloths, there's an absence of frippery and a concentration on food and service.  For me the choice of restaurant was largely informed by a stated commitment to using local produce whenever possible and an emphasis on quality of ingredients.  Chef Rafa Peña has worked at Ferran Adrià's El Bulli (now closed) and Martin Berasategui's Lasarte so we expected a few surprises to the simply described dishes, and there were.  The cooking though is toned down in line with the Bistronomia movement, of which Peña is a leader.  There is an emphasis on Catalan classics updated by some modern techniques.

After the lightest parmesan wafers, a "soufflé" starter arrived as a beautiful flower of puffed egg-white unfolding to reveal a deep yellow yoke centre, set on a tagliatelle of potato and chive butter sauce.  Light, gorgeous to the eye, technically intriguing and delicious.  Tiny onions on a bed of deeply caramelised onion slices were paired with salty roquefort, the dish given another dimension by a disc of toasted (possibly macadamia) nuts as the base.  The tenderest rib of pork came with a pleasantly sweet sticky sauce; the richness cut with a sharp coleslaw - a refined take on 'ribs and slaw'.  Succulent squid was served with fondant potatoes and red onions, the dish brought together by delicate saucing.  A perfect light, warm chocolate pudding served with crème fraiche and a pretty, flower-strewn dish of citrus panna cotta coated with the thinnest slices of lemon and blood orange ended the meal perfectly.

Warm chocolate pudding
at Gresca

The wine list was reasonably priced, wide-ranging though predominantly Spanish.  A bottle of Catalan Les Paradetes 2007 Conca de Barbera from celler Escoda Sanahuja was delicious and well-priced at 24 Euros - and it was natural.  Natural wines appear less common in Spain although given the avid interest in them both in Paris and London, I am sure it is only a matter of time before they become the new trend in Madrid and Barcelona. 

Amazingly the restaurant remained empty, save for us, throughout a mid-week lunch service. Where was everyone?  Were we seeing recessionary Spain, which is being hit particularly savagely right now?  Or had a day and a half of pouring rain dampened appetites?  We were assured by both front of house, and by friends, that this situation was very unusual for Gresca.   Our bill of 72 Euros for two seemed a bargain to us.  On this day the unassuming Catalan chef Rafa Peña cooked just for us, and it was superb.  We will probably not be as lucky again.  Next time I will be booking ahead as the disappointment of being turned away would be too much to bear.  With a charming front of house and a soft background of jazz from Charlie Parker, we walked out into, finally, blazing Barcelona sunshine.

Gresca
 C/Provenҫa 230
08036 Barcelona
Tel: 934 51 61 93

New season garlic - Food Find

Real signs of spring.  I noticed wild garlic leaves (Ramsons) at market last Saturday and this week they've been joined by wet (green) garlic.  The Ramsons have a wonderful affinity with eggs so work well added to a frittata or omelette.  The stems of my home-grown garlic are barely a pencil's thickness so it will be another 10 weeks or so before I harvest them.  Having used up all but one bulb of my 2011 crop I plan to make the most of the wet garlic on offer.  It is best used within a week or so to enjoy its sweet, mild flavour.  You can use the stem as well as the cloves so it's an economical buy. 

Dabbous

Salad of fennel, lemon balm
and pickled rose petals
at Dabbous

Few restaurant dishes have reduced me to silence, and this was a salad for goodness sake.  It's true, Dabbous is extraordinary.  Having read two rave reviews, and ascertained prices were reasonable, I made a booking and thereafter avoided reading another word on the cooking of Ollie Dabbous.  I'm going straight to the food as this place surely deserves it - pausing only to apologise to my fellow diners for taking photographs of my plates.  How could I not when they were this beautiful?

A paper bag of in-house sourdough bread and a pat of home-made whipped butter delicately salted to just the right degree - could have been gimmicky if they hadn't been delicious.  Returning to the salad, oh yes, let's return to that salad.  The finest shaved fennel and a little cos leaf, a few translucent slivers of preserved lemon, finished with wisps of pickled rose petals and a lemon balm 'sand'.  It was juicy and zingy, the delicacy of the rose petals rising above the most gentle of pickling liquid.  It was sublime. 

Barbecued wild Ling, virgin rapeseed oil
mayonnaise, Jerusalem artichoke
at Dabbous

Next up was Barbecued wild Ling, a member of the Cod family.  A pearly lozenge with little more than a whiff of smoke was served with Jerusalem artichoke (too crunchy for me) and a rapeseed oil mayonnaise.  A scattering of bush basil and a 'soil' of something, which doubtless came via some coastal forager, brought the dish together wonderfully well. 

A meltingly soft Roast pork belly followed, crackling intact, nestled on an inspired acorn - yes, acorn - savoury praline.  Wilted turnip tops were alongside and an apple vinegar cut the rich sweetness of the pork.  

I could, and probably should, have stopped there as by now my expectations were stratospherically high.  At the end of a meal anywhere else the dessert would likely have seemed very good, but the two I managed to taste fell just a little short.  Barley flour sponge soaked in red tea was a beautifully light, moist cake sitting cosily on a bed of fluffy Tahitian vanilla cream - good, but lacking some texture.  Chocolate and virgin hazelnut oil ganache, basil moss and sheep's milk ice cream was stunningly presented.  The textures were well-balanced and the ice cream was a nice contrast but the basil - three-ways - dominated the dish.

Chocolate and virgin hazelnut oil ganache,
basil moss, sheep's milk ice cream
at Dabbous

That said, I haven't been this knocked out by a meal since an early visit to Alain Passard's L'Arpège in Paris.  For that reason I will, for old time's sake, be looking out for the coddled egg I saw on Dabbous' menu.  The words 'sand' and 'soil' in relation to food have, until now, not been in my lexicon but these textures are appearing on the plate more and more.  I think Noma led this trend.

Dabbous declare simplicity, restraint and a lighter style of cooking to be their objective, with an emphasis on fruit, vegetables, herbs, infusions and wild foods.  Chef, Ollie Dabbous, was picked out as a rising star a couple of years ago by those in the industry.  His CV includes Head Chef at Texture and short stints at Noma, The Fat Duck and more.  Dabbous has clearly put in the work in a short space of time.  Now, at the age of 31 he has his own restaurant and it's affordable and accessible. 

Service was unstuffy but professional from start to finish.  The very young sommelier, dandily dressed in velvet jacket and cravat, produced a lovely Touraine Chenin Blanc with delicious tangerine notes.  Our waiter was charming and enthusiastic.  I remember the dining room when it was a utilitarian internet cafe.  As Dabbous it has had an industrial design makeover.   Downstairs is a very individual bar serving cocktails and drinks such as 'Sloe Gin Punch'.

We ate from the Set Lunch Menu at £21 for 3 courses, £24 for 4 courses.  Portions are not large but if you have a hearty appetite it's easy to go off-piste and slip in a dish from the a la carte.  With prices of £5-11 for starters, £11-14 for mains and £4-7 for desserts the temptation is there.  There is also an 8 course Tasting Menu for £49 per person.  Normally I pass on tasting menus but here it does appeal.

Booking is currently 4 weeks ahead but undoubtedly it is going to become harder to get a table.  Much as I would love to see these prices held, it's not likely to happen.  I've already booked my next visit while the going is good.

Dabbous
39 Whitfield Street
London  W1T 2SF
http://dabbous.co.uk/