Author Archives: Qin Xie

Piccolino, Heddon Street

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Published on View London on 19th August 2011:

Piccolino has a reputation of being a venue with great service, and while that proves to be true there are a couple of hang ups with the food.

The Venue
Piccolino is a chain of twenty two Italian restaurants with venues across the country. It promises neighbourhood dining in a chic yet informal setting and the Heddon Street branch encapsulates that with a rustic charm that’s given a contemporary hit from brass lighting, red leather banquettes and brushed wood chairs.

Being close to Regent Street, its central location is easily accessible for shoppers and tourists alike and the size of the restaurant easily accommodates the passing trade. Outside is a sheltered alfresco area that shares the buzzy atmosphere of other nearby venues, while inside is an open plan space with views into the kitchen.

The Atmosphere
At the start of the evening the restaurant is filled with families but as the night progresses, the clientele gets younger with small groups of friends starting to drift in. Further on into the evening you’ll see those who’ve finished work and had a few drinks in the nearby bars start to take their seats for a late supper, but no matter what time it is, there’s a steady stream of guests entering, maintaining a pleasant hubbub. Despite being so busy, the staff still seem to be able to take time to smile and joke with the customers – there’s even the occasional wink.

The Food
Some Italian restaurants seem only to serve pizza and pasta; Piccolino is definitely not one of these. But while the menu is extensive, the food can be a touch hit and miss.

A starter of grilled asparagus with a neatly trimmed poached egg makes a healthy alternative to the calamari fritti, which is a little greasy. For mains, the A3 menu offers the staples of pizza, pasta, risotto and salads for only a few pounds more than the starters, and there are also fish and meats to choose from at around the £20 mark. The nodino di vitello (veal chop on the bone) offers an authentic taste of the homeland with a parmesan and rosemary breadcrumb crust, though you can also have it grilled with rosemary and lemon butter. There are of course the usual – and perfectly decent – cuts of steak on the menu, with ribeyes, sirloins and fillets being the most popular. The accompanying chips are matchstick thin but not quite crispy enough to be fries.

For around £7, you can choose from ten desserts or for around £6 there’s a decent selection of gelatos and sorbets. The torte di limone delivers a sharp tang thanks to a limoncello filling that’s balanced out by sweet candied lemons sitting on top. The panna cotta is richly flavoured with vanilla (which is certainly no bad thing), but it does overpower the slightly over poached rhubarb somewhat.

The Drink
There’s a good selection of table wines here, from sauvignon and chenin blancs to riojas and merlots, with a fair few options available by the glass and the carafe – a trend that’s always nice to see, especially when they extend to proseccos and champagnes too. Coffee is, as expected of any Italian restaurant worth its salt, very good indeed. And it packs a powerful caffeine punch – just what you need with a belly full of pasta.

The Last Word
If you’re looking for the neighbourhood restaurant with great service and undemanding food, this would be it. But if you were looking for great gastronomy, then you’re probably unlikely to find it here.

Fifteen, Cornwall

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Published on Blue Tomato on 16th August 2011:

View out to sea at Fifteen, Cornwall

Expectations:
Although a subsidiary of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Foundation, the Fifteen restaurant in Cornwall is actually owned by the Cornwall Foundation of Promise. This means that while the restaurant is influenced by Oliver’s passion for fresh produce and Italian cuisine, it should have its own identity. Given Oliver’s influence, we expected simple rustic food with a tonne of good quality olive oil and fresh salads.

Experience:
Fifteen Cornwall, has been blessed with a stunning view that its counterparts could only dream of. We sat on the balcony – front row seats to the keen surfers’ twilight wave-riding, framed by the setting sun shimmering over the bashing waves. Below, dog walkers pat along the beach before it’s engulfed by the incoming tide.

The food on offer was set out on a tasting menu but with room for choice and optional matching wine alongside. Before we got down to the choosing, our waitress explained what the different ingredients were, where they were sourced and how they were cooked. For seasoned diners, this was a little over explained although for the less gastronomically experienced, it proves to be a good insight.

To start was the obligatory nibble of bread with olive oil but also Puglian olives and courgette flowers. As we opted to skip the insalata, the first set of mains to arrive were the raviolo of Lee Carter’s lobster and aged carnaroli risotto. While the fairly small portions were nice, they didn’t do too much to impress. That said, the raviolo seemed more ‘cheffy’ than the usual Oliver style.

What arrived next was the pan fried fillet of John dory and hand dived Cornish scallops. The scallops, though perfectly cooked, didn’t excite our taste buds. At least not like the panzanella which came with the John dory – the perfect tart side to the fish and the hot weather. We certainly wouldn’t object to another portion of those.

An Amedei chocolate cake and the Amalfi lemon tart made a rewarding finish to the meal, whether shared or savoured individually.

Evaluation:
It’s interesting to see the fine amalgamation of Cornish and Italian ingredients together on a plate. Though the delicious food wasn’t extraordinary, the quality of the ingredients and the care in preparation was certainly impressive. Added to that mix is the fabulous view and excellent and knowledgeable service. The tasting menu makes it hard to have a simple meal but we would definitely go back when there’s good weather and buoyant appetites.

Orrery

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Published on View London on 25th July 2011:

In the first floor of a converted stable block is an airy French restaurant which overlooks Marylebone Church Gardens. The perfect blend of décor and views takes you somewhere that’s very far from the heart of Marylebone village.

The Venue
Orrery: A mechanical model of the solar system. Named after Charles Boyle, Fourth Earl of Orrery (1676 – 1731), for whom one was made.

That’s the first thing you will see on the menu but the restaurant isn’t really mechanical at all. The windows on the ceiling and all along the main wall allows plenty of natural light to flow in, providing a sense of the outdoors without any of the bother from insects and the weather.

The elegant venue is effectively split into two sections, the booths and the tables. The tables reside by the window with lush carpeting underfoot and views to match. The booths offer more privacy with panels intersecting sections of the restaurant. Both are equally well filled at dinner times.

The Atmosphere
Early diners may find the restaurant a bit library-like. The staff exchange in whispers and with few people around, the guests also find themselves talking in hushed tones. After 8pm however, things really start to pick up. Groups of well-heeled guests arrive in groups, presumably straight from work. The food is ferried out of the kitchen and down the aisles at top speed but despite the efficiency of the service, you might still find yourself waiting on your mains due to the volume of demand. At least there’s plenty of complimentary amuse-bouche between the courses to keep you going, should that happen.

The Food
The menu is set, rather than a la carte, but there’s a good selection to choose from nonetheless. The set menu starts at £30 and goes up to £48 for three courses depending on which of the offers you are taking up. There are also tasting menus available for £55 and £59.

A wild garlic velouté with garlic croutons makes an easy introduction to the meal or if you like, a pâté de Campagne with apple chutney and toasted brioche. There’s just the right amount to fill you with anticipation for the next course. For main, there’s a hearty roast rump of beef with shallot tart and red wine jus, or perhaps a creamy soft herb risotto with shaved Parmesan. It must be said that the menu isn’t terribly adventurous but fits well with the elegant French theme of the restaurant. To finish, the orange panna cotta with blood orange sorbet makes a fine palate refresher, although there’s also an excellent selection of cheeses from the trolley.

The Drinks
There are cocktails like the Kir Royale to choose from but wine is their main gig. The drinks list at Orrery is very extensive, containing vintages of wines and Champagnes, as well as everyday tipples. Prices start from around £20 a bottle and go up to almost a thousand pounds at the top of the range. The sommelier walks the floor and is happy to recommend wines according to the menu. Most wines are only available by the bottle but rest assured that they are expertly decanted.

The Last Word
Although service by individual staff is more than hospitable, as a team there is definitely room for improvement especially when it comes to the speed of the service. The food, although not overly inspiring, has been carefully considered and crafted.

Chinatown

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Published on The Arbuturian on 20th July 2011:

It’s curious, the life of a Chinese expat – if indeed you can call me that. Despite being born in China and raised in a typically Chinese fashion, to the beating drum of the Tiger Mother, I have lived in the UK most of my life and hold only a British passport. When the Census comes round and asks me how I describe my “national identity”, I want to say “a citizen of the world” or failing that, at least “none of the above”. The reality is I probably copped out with something standard like British Chinese.

Soup dumplings

The thing is, no matter how British you are, if you’re Chinese there’s no denying it. For one, you look Chinese. At best, you can pretend you’re Japanese or something but where’s the sense in that? While I haven’t done my best to embrace my Chinese heritage, I don’t exactly reject it either. I’m Chinese but not really Chinese, like being Jew-ish rather than Jewish.

The other thing about being Chinese is that people automatically assume that you know all the best Chinese restaurants to go to, especially when they discover that you write about food. The reality, of course, is very different. I almost never visit Chinese restaurants for fear of spoiling fantastic memories of Chinese food. Also I firmly believe that my mother can do better.

You see back in the 90s when I first moved to the UK, my parents thought that visiting Chinese restaurants was like a taste of home. It was said that wherever there were people, there was a Chinese restaurant and more often than not, it appeared to be true. Unfortunately in those days the food was just so awful – everything seemed to be sweet and sour gelatinous orange blobs, resembling some grossly exaggerated bacterium from Pluto. It really pained me to go to these restaurants and I made a point of avoiding them like the plague.

Lamb skewers

Fast forward a decade or so, I found myself going to my first sort-of Chinese restaurant for a review (Goldfish, Gresham Street) and I wasn’t horrified by it. In fact, I was even impressed by some of it. I was beginning to warm to the idea of Chinese restaurants again – the food has certainly improved and gained an air of authenticity. A few more choice spots later (Yauatcha and the likes), I felt like I was finally ready to step into Chinatown, where there is the highest concentration of Chinese restaurants in London, for something other than the Prince Charles Cinema.

Coming from the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu, I am familiar with and often crave its restaurant and street food so I made a beeline for the Empress of Sichuan where spicy is the word. At the Empress of Sichuan, the chilli oil didn’t disappoint and neither did the quality of their Sichuan peppercorns. If you can brave the chillies, the pork in spicy soup is the thing to have but otherwise go for the milder lamb skewers.

If you can’t handle spice at all then it’s probably best to go for something milder, like the soup-filled dumplings (Xiu Loung Bao) at Dumpling’s Legend. Each hot-pocket of deliciousness is hand made in the kitchen, to order, and comes in a whole selection of different flavours. There is an etiquette to eating these, I am told, for both grace and safety.

You see the snowy steamed pastry holds a piping hot filling as well as its cooking juices, scoffing the whole thing in one go will surely leave you an injured tongue. So the thing to do is to carefully pick up the dumplings by their pointy top and place its base on to the Chinese soup spoon provided, then bite off only the top section in your first attempt. This will release some of the steam trapped inside and allow the cooking juices, or the soup, to cool a little. I suppose this helps you to savour the flavour too.

For a real mixture of Chinese cuisine, both the spicy and mild, Leong’s Legend is a good choice. The menu isn’t extensive at this cosy little venue but you can order the Xiu Long Bao and some of the spicier dim sums too. But of course there are lots of others offering a similar selection in the vicinity.

Assorted skewers

What is surprising is that it’s not all Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, there are also a fair few Japanese restaurants. Take Ikkyusan on Gerrard Street for example, it’s quite well known for shabu-shabu, a Japanese variation on the Chinese hot pot, but it also serves some impressive sushi. The “dragon roll” is the house special and tastes as good as it looks. And then there’s Sushi Ga Ga round the corner which serves sushi and ice cream in a much less informal environment. Neither is Chinese and yet, somehow, they feel quite at home in Chinatown.

Am I pleased about these gastronomic discoveries in Chinatown? Definitely. The Chinatown today certainly serves up a much more impressive fare than it did some ten years ago. And with an abundance of other venues to explore, there’s plenty of opportunities for experimentation. As to whether I’ll be embracing Chinese restaurants from now on, I’m still not sure about that one. But at least I feel a little less afraid of venturing in and giving it a go.

Partridges Food Market, Chelsea

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Published on The Jellied Eel on 14th July 2011:

The Partridges food market on Duke of York Square is luxe without seeming ostentatious.

Given its Chelsea location – with the Saatchi Gallery on one side, the Partridges store on the other and King’s Road on yet another – it’s easy to imagine a market that’s all cup cake and no substance. But while the produce on sale is grown up, there’s also a focus on sustainability.

Rainforest Creations at Partridges Market

The first food market was gathered on the square by Partridges on the 29th of October 2005, inspired by the desire to tap into the world of British foods. The market was aimed at bringing to Chelsea ‘family businesses that would never have an opportunity to trade in this part of town’.

Since then it has grown to attract some 150 stalls, averaging 45 regulars every Saturday. The aim has also shifted to focus more on attracting local producers, along with growing the educational aspects of the market, and John Shepherd, managing director of Partridges, says they are currently trying to develop a demonstration section where producers can show how they make their food.

Most of the stallholders are small speciality food companies. There is the odd stall selling fresh fruit and vegetables or aged meat from the farm, like at a farmers’ market, but you will also find a big selection of locally-produced but ethnically diverse food, for example La Tua Pasta, artisan produced pasta made in north London without preservatives or additives.

Aside from sourcing interesting food, the market is also very grazer-friendly with many stalls selling cooked products, making it a handy stop for snacks or lunch while shopping along the famous King’s Road.

Featured stallholder – Rainforest Creations

Ingo and Khi, the owners of Rainforest Creations, see organic agricultural methods as ‘a way of preserving, nourishing and enriching the land’, so all their offerings are organic. They have rustled together a large selection of flans, salads and cakes which are dairy and sugar free. Their speciality is tropical, raw and organic foods but they’re also often recommended by vegetarians and vegans for their extensive use of fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables.