Author Archives: Qin Xie

For art lovers – The Royal Academy

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Published on The Times website on 10th March 2011:

The new restaurant at the Royal Academy is an art lovers’ delight with  golden-lit sculptures at the heart of the room and plush red armchairs in  contrast to the slate floor. It’s very chic, very Parisian. The nuances of  texture and colour are also reflected in the afternoon teas. “The Joshua” offers a choice of cold-cuts including fine-grained wild boar mortadella and  country terrine, salami and dry cured ham. “The Royal”, meanwhile, offers  fresh Mersea Island oysters, sea bass carpaccio, cured salmon and prawn  cocktail. For those in search of tradition, “The Classic” has a daily  changing assortment of finger sandwiches. Chocolate cake, banoffee tart and  mini scones accompany all three on a three-tiered stand, with Cornish  clotted cream, Peyton and Byrne jam and a berry trifle to the side. Let’s  not forget the tea – with 15 black, green, white and herbal blends on offer,  there’s plenty to choose from.

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD; tel.  0207 300 5608; www.royalacademy.org.uk.  The Classic, Joshua and Royal Afternoon Teas are available from 3pm – 5.30pm  daily at £16.50, £19.50, and £25 respectively. There is the option of  upgrading with either prosecco (Manzanilla for Joshua) or champagne.

Making Japanese cocktails at Watatsumi

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Published on Foodepedia on 3rd March 2011:

Have you been to Watatsumi? It’s a bit fishy in there.

No, not in that “there’s something suspicious going on” sort of way but rather, they’re a bit fish obsessed.

You see I was recently invited to an evening of cocktail making at Watatsumi, the high-end Japanese restaurant at The Club Quarters Hotel. It was a great opportunity to hone my cocktail making skills, try a few drinks inspired by Japanese food and sample some of the seafood on their extensive menu.

The informal masterclass was held at the bar on a quiet Tuesday evening. You knew it was informal because there were guests sitting on the other end of the bar listening in – but that’s great because it means they’re not afraid to show off their skills. Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for the participants – I know I made more than a few mistakes! But more on that later.

We started off with a Momji – a champagne cocktail made with Midori, rose liquer, Campari, Momiji (a spicy vegetable paste made with daikon) and of course champagne. One lucky volunteer, Tania, went behind the bar to start us off.

First, you shake up 15ml of the Midori, rose liquer and Campari with half a bar-spoon of Momiji in an ice filled cocktail shaker. Then, after double straining into a champagne flute, you top up the glass with champagne. To create a tiered effect, you need to pour in the champagne gently and it’s best achieved with a swizzle stick that has a perpendicular base. To finish, slip in a few shreds of cucumber and daikon. Et voilà, a champagne cocktail with an unexpected kick. We were having some salmon maki rolls and that kick matched rather well with the wasabi.

I started browsing through the drinks menu to find out exactly what we were drinking and to see what else was available. But alas, all the cocktails we were making were new additions to the menu so I couldn’t find them in print, yet. But I did spot shoals of fish swimming happily around the sake list and darting between the pages to the wines.

The second cocktail of the evening was a Shiso martini. We were introduced to another new ingredient – the Shiso leaf. It’s like a mint but bigger, thinner and more delicate in aroma. Unfortunately that also makes transportation and storage a nightmare and consequently this means a reflection in the price.

For this second cocktail, Amy was the volunteer. And to make it, you measure out 50ml of Disaronno, 20ml of yuzu juice and 25ml of sake into an ice filled cocktail shaker. If you haven’t come across yuzu before, it’s an aromatic citrus fruit found in Asia that tastes like a cross between orange, grapefruit and lemon. Then you take two Shiso leaves and slap them in the palm of your hand to bruise them slightly, thereby releasing their aroma, before adding them into the cocktail shaker as well. Give the whole thing a good shake before double straining the contents into a martini glass. It’s very refreshing with the calamari.

I tried to avoid being chosen for the final cocktail by admiring the lights. And it was very impressive too – a school of fish swimming around the light casting fish shadows across the room and when it’s quiet enough, create a wind chime effect. But it was no use. The final cocktail of the evening was made by yours truly and it was a Japanese mojito.

Having had many a mojitos in my time, I was off trying to add double shots of rum to my glass. Then of course I spilled the sake everywhere. In reality however, you should be muddling four Shiso leaves with some sugar, 20ml yuzu juice, 25ml rum, and 50ml sake in a glass filled with crushed ice. Top with more ice after the muddling and a splash of Chambord to serve. Mine was a little strong but that’s ok, it tasted pretty good.

Cocktails made, drinks had and dinner consumed – it was time to head off. But not before one last one for the road – a shot of lychee liqueur with ice cream covered in glutinous rice. Hic.

Watatsumi is at 7 Northumberland Avenue Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5BY www.watatsumi.co.uk

Marmalade Breakfast at Fortnum & Mason

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published on Foodepedia on 22nd February 2011:

With marmalade appearing in the news here, there and everywhere, you’d think it was in vogue. But it’s not. The truth is, it never really went out of fashion.

If you’re a champion of the citrus preserve then you will surely have been delighted to hear that the fall in marmalade sales is because more people are making it at home. But the chances are you are already familiar with the annual Marmalade Awards held at the Dalemain Estate, Cumbria, where every year, professionals and amateurs alike enter the Marmalade Awards in the hope of winning recognition for their prized recipes. The competition is fierce too, with over 1,100 entries this year.

The Awards, now in its 6th year, took place on the weekend of 12th and 13th of February. And as the sponsors of the Artisan category, it was only natural for Fortnum & Mason to further promote the cause by celebrating the conserve in store during its Marvellous Marmalade Week.

And what would a Marvellous Marmalade Week be without a Marmalade Breakfast?

So producers, judges and journalists were invited to The Gallery Restaurant to sample some of the winning marmalades. As a special challenge for journalists, we were also invited to bring our own jar to the table. I’m not usually one to turn down a challenge, but even I had to admit that making preserves wasn’t something I was brave enough to attempt without hand-holding from a professional. Just as well I chickened out given the great selection of marmalades that we tried.

There was the ‘Three Fruit Marmalade’ from the Ludlow Food Centre with its grapefruit tang; the mellow sweet ‘Clementine Marmalade’ by Susie’s Preserves; the peels and gel of the ‘Seville Orange Marmalade’ curtsy of Bentley’s Fine Foods; the ruby-hued ‘Blood Orange Marmalade’ of Cranfield’s Foods; and the ‘Seville Orange and Ginger Marmalade’ made by Purple Laura Creations which hit me with a memory of the seaside. Not to forget of course the marmalade from Marmalade Maker of the Year – Environment Minister Lord Henley.

All these preserves were served with toast, freshly made crumpets and a marmalade infused breakfast washed down with orange juice, fine teas and strong coffee.

While on my way home, I contemplated the probability of having eaten my weight in citrus. They talk about the breakfasts of champions which is all very well but I can safely say “there’s no way I could catch a cold after a breakfast like that”.

If you fancied trying these marmalades yourself, a selection will be available for purchase in Fortnum & Mason in the next few months.

For more information, visit www.fortnumandmason.com

Namaaste Kitchen, lunch like no other

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Published on Foodepedia on 3rd February 2011:

When you get invited to sample the menu at a new restaurant, you sort of expect to try a few things that define the restaurant and make up your mind based on that. Generally, they’re the most interesting things on the menu anyway but you will almost always walk away more than satisfied. On this occasion, I was invited to sample the new menu at Namaaste Kitchen – a restaurant so new, even finding its website on Google had been a struggle. But they do have one, it’s at www.namaastekitchen.co.uk.

Being new doesn’t necessarily mean that they are lacking in experience of course. On the contrary, the head chef Sabir Karim has had over 20 years of restaurant experience working for the likes of Chutney Mary, Red Fort and British Airways. Plus, this is the second restaurant from Karim and his team – the first being Salam Namaste in Bloomsbury.

But that’s just the research talking – I’ve never been to Salam Namaste, and with my fair share of average Indians under the belt, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Certainly the long trek to Camden wasn’t doing it any favours.

Having been presented with the first course – an amuse bouche sized plate where one side is salmon on some sort of crispy blini and the other is a lamb shish wrap, I was beginning to warm to the restaurant. “The starter’s a bit small” I thought, “but it tastes good”. Plus, the dips served with the poppadoms as a prelude to the first course had been positively divine.

But the real starter put me firmly into my place. In essence, we were getting to try the entire starter menu and that menu wasn’t small. On each serving plate was a small selection of starters, like the Tandoori Portobello mushroom, in miniature. The rest of the starters were served on bigger plates to share – I suppose you can’t really shrink those spicy soft shell crabs without getting premature baby crabs.

Trying all the subtly different blends of spices was like taking my taste buds on an assault course, in a good way. And the Pinot Grigio we drank held its own remarkably well. I certainly can’t complain about the lack of choice, and for once the spread is definitely bigger than both my eyes and my stomach can handle. That said, I did glance over at the next table to see what they’re eating – lamb shank in a pie of some sort.

I needn’t have worried about missing out – the Dumpukht lamb biryani, as it’s really called, was brought to the table along with all the other mains. Instead of having canapé bites of food this time, we each had a Goan style sea bass with the other mains to share. The char grill Jingha was incredible and you definitely won’t want to miss out on the dates and ginger naan. But the real show stopping piece, for me, has got to be the lobster in Malabar spice with its vibrant colour, impressive style and, naturally, fabulous flavours.

With an afternoon of meetings lined up, dessert still beckoning and no room to spare, it was time to throw back the last of that Pinot and make my excuses. Next time, I will be bringing my spare stomach and an empty schedule.

Namaaste Kitchen is now open at 64 Parkway, Camden, London NW1 7AH.

Haggis and whisky tasting at Boisdale

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Published on Foodepedia on 22nd January 2011:

Andy Rose at BoisdaleAhead of Burn’s night on the 25th of January, I was invited to a lunch time blind tasting of haggis and malt whisky at Boisdale of Belgravia.

Boisdale is, for some, synonymous with Scottish food. The owner, Ranald Macdonald, is a Scotsman whose family’s roots can be traced back to the 14th century. His father, also Ranald Macdonald, is the 24th Chief and Captain of Clanranald – a branch of one of the biggest clans in Scotland. With these strong Scottish ties, it’s only natural that the restaurant takes an air of, well, Scottishness. That bit is obvious as soon as you enter the restaurant and see the tartan chairs.

Tartan aside, the restaurant is eccentric to say the least. Every wall is filled with something framed – be it painting, drawing or photograph. Each room also embodies some quirky characteristic. And there’s certainly plenty of character to choose from, with the Macdonald Bar, a courtyard garden, a back bar, the Auld restaurant, the Jacobite room and a cigar terrace. Perhaps that’s why it’s also the perfect venue for events such as live jazz, cigar nights and whisky tastings, which Boisdale runs regularly.

The haggis and whisky tasting is one such event. On this occasion, the attendees were a mix of members (the restaurant has its own member’s club), their guests and regular diners of the restaurant. The restaurant’s head chef, Andy Rose, presided over the tastings and introduced the haggis. We also enjoyed a recitation of “An Address A Haggis” by a descendant of Robert Burns.

Haggis at BoisdaleWe each had a sample of six whiskies and six haggises to taste. The idea was that we would taste them all in turn and pick our favourite haggis, whisky and haggis/whisky combination. In practice however, the events were a little more lively. That is not to say, of course, that people didn’t take it seriously. On the contrary, some took it very seriously in fact and tried to guess the whisky according to its defining characteristics. But others were simply content to taste some fine whiskies with some delicious haggises. And when you gather a room full of strangers over drink and food, things, inevitably, takes on an air of “Come Dine With Me”.

But back to the haggis and whisky.

It was my very first taste of haggis and I have to say, I rather liked it. Each haggis had a very distinctive taste and texture, with its own unique blend of spices. My favourite was from Mogerleys of Dumfries for its slightly more meaty flavour. We also tried Crombie’s of Edinburgh, Macsweens, Ramsay of Carluke, Findlay’s of Portobello and Boisdale’s own, specially created by Andy Rose.

Whisky at BoisdaleOn the whisky front, we had Johnnie Walker Black Label 12y.o., The Macallan 10y.o., Talisker 10y.o., Gelnfiddich 12y.o., Glenmorangie The Original 10y.o. and The Glenlivet 12y.o. Of these, the Glenfiddich 12y.o. came up tops for me although both of my neighbours had different ideas. Such is the nature of personal taste.

After that jolly lunch, some retired to the bar for more drinks, others stayed for more haggis and conversation. And if you’re me, you would have gone out searching for coffee to try and counter the inevitable intoxication.

Boisdale of Belgravia is at 15 Eccleston Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 9LX. To find out more about Boisdale and its events, go to www.boisdale.co.uk