Category Archives: Print

42Raw, Mayfair

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published in Scout London Magazine November 26 – December 02 2012 Issue number 18:

London’s restaurant scene isn’t short of Scandinavian influence, and this is another concept to hail from Copenhagen. Recently opened as a café/restaurant at the Royal Academy, the idea is that everything it serves is either raw or “cooked” to below 42ºC. The menu is filled with healthy lunch options (it’s only open to 6pm) that are boxed up and ready to be taken away. Raw noodles of carrot and courgette are served in a sauce made of curry, chilli, ginger and coconut oil, while the “lasagne” is made up of courgette slices, tomato sauce, nut pestos and baby spinach. A Thai soup is unique on the menu for being both hot and delicious, but the rest, unfortunately, leaves us cold. Still, if you’re in a rush, their selection of healthy juices will certainly give you a boost.

 

La Mancha, Putney

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Published in Scout London Magazine October 12-21 2012 Issue number 12:

La Mancha, Putney, Scout London

Running for some 20 years in Putney, this locals’ favourite has had a menu overhaul of late. There are now more than 50 tapas dishes on the menu, plus mains, sides and desserts. And if you thought tapas were small plates then think again. Here, the portions are generous enough to share happily – five dishes are recommended for two people. As a strangely large amount of the food is fried, things can get a little greasy, especially when it comes out faster than you can make room for it. But that’s nothing a cold sherry, icy Spanish beer or a frozen daiquiri can’t fix. A drip-feed of Jamon Serrano with pan al ajillo (that’s garlic bread for those of you whose grip on Spanish is less than basic) will keep you chatting for hours over those cool drinks, and you’ll probably feel like a siesta afterwards. Go on, take it easy – there’s always mañana.

The Rookery, Clapham

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published in Scout London Magazine June 19 – 25 2012 Issue number 6:

The Rookery, Clapham in Scout London

With a seriously busy bar and the feel of a converted pub, The Rookery doesn’t immediately seem like somewhere to eat. Packed to the nines until at least 9pm, there’s quite a commotion to contend with in order to get fed, but provided bumping elbows with your neighbours and talking over the hubbub is something you’re comfortable with, there’s some serious cooking to be found on the neatly condensed menu. Cornish smoked mackerel, Dexter beef and Gloucester Old Spot pork paired simply with asparagus, broad beans and fennel shout loudly about being British and seasonal but quietly get on with their job on the plate. A patriotic cheeseboard is about as showy as it gets and having devoured it you’ll be convinced of this modest venue’s potential. In light of this, the fact that by far the biggest menu is the drinks list is slightly disappointing.

Simon Hulstone

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Published in Food and Travel Magazine May 2012 Issue number 146:

Simon Hulstone in Food and Travel

From a Roux Scholarship to captaincy of the English and British Culinary teams, there are few accolades that the head chef of Torquay’s Michelin-starred The Elephant hasn’t picked up. He talks to Qin Xie

My father was executive chef at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay and I started working in his kitchens when I was just 14. I always liked being among chefs – I loved the camaraderie. When he was at Forte, I would join him when he took chefs to Ecole Lenotre to train. I guess if I didn’t become a chef then I would probably have gone into the army.

When I was a kid, I was a very fussy eater so we didn’t really go anywhere on holiday except maybe Pontins and Bournemouth. Nowadays, we go to St Mawes in Cornwall for holidays as it’s too expensive to fly anywhere with the kids. My girls, Tansy and Cicely (and hopefully our new arrival Betony) love the adventure, the sea and the rocks down there.

I’m addicted to looking for morels growing on the woodchips in car parks – they are the best places to find them. I also take the kids up to Haldon Woods, near Dartmoor, and Berry Pomeroy to forage for ceps. When it rains, I’m always excited about the mushrooms that will grow afterwards. Phil supplies our mushrooms and taught us all about picking them in the wild.

Ode in Shaldon is one of my favourite restaurants. It’s focused on organic and biodynamic food (odetruefood.co.uk). Ode is the restaurant’s postcode but it’s also a tribute to true food. The Hare & Hounds, in Kingskerswell, (thehareandhounds.co.uk) do an award-winning carvery and great ales. I like visiting Nathan Outlaw (nathan-outlaw.com) and Paul Ainsworth (number6inpadstow.co.uk) too.

The best ever fish and chip place will be my own. I am very picky about my fish and chips; I hate it when the fish comes with skin on. We almost bought a fish and chip shop a while ago so that’s definitely still on the cards. In the meantime, I go to Chandler’s Chippy in Torquay as it’s the least pretentious. I just have fish and chips; no fancy stuff – it is a chippie.

All the boys in the kitchen save up their tips and every four months we do a little tour of restaurants. Our last trip was to Copenhagen and the beef tartare with wood sorrel at Noma (noma.dk) was amazing. I really enjoyed Geranium (geranium.dk), Nimb (nimb.dk) and Geist (restaurantgeist.dk).

We’ve dined at Le Meurice in Paris on a few occasions (lemeurice.com) as well as Pierre Gagnaire (pierre-gagnaire. com). Le Meurice is about doing modern takes on classics, whereas Gagnaire is about pushing boundaries; he’s not afraid to experiment with unusual flavour combinations. Tasting menus give good insights into what restaurants are doing.

Scooters are what you’d call my hobby. I got into that because I liked mod music. I am a member of the South Devon Showmen scooter club; it’s where I never talk about food. I own six scooters – I even have a Michelin one.

Balfour Castle, Orkney Islands

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Published in Food and Travel Magazine April 2012 Issue number 145:

Balfour Castle in Food and Travel

Take a peek at life in a stately home. This, the world’s most northerly castle hotel, is also an occasional private residence. Located on the island of Shapinsay, Balfour is filled with much of its original and beautifully restored antiques, but boasts all mod cons too. The spacious chandelier-adorned rooms have sleigh beds, and bathrooms decorated with hand-painted wallpaper. The view’s not bad either – look out over the landscaped garden or spot the islands across the strait. Tinkle on the Steinway upright in the drawing room, enjoy a massage in the treatment room or explore the castle’s picturesque grounds. Chef Jean-Baptiste Bady makes jams from the kitchen garden’s fruit, and uses flowers from the same source to garnish dinner plates. A good selection of wines are available from the cellar.