tasty treats!

At long last, after many months of anticipation (only prolonged by the wretchedness that is British Gas), Alan Yau’s budget Chinese-style noodle bar has opened in Soho. The man himself was present all night, and the atmosphere was jovial. I’ll be keeping mum about what I think about the food until the Time Out review comes out, but in the meantime I’d love to hear what you all think.

Sherry tasting at Bodega Sánchez Romate

Hola from Jerez! (Edit: this was written on the second day … and not finished or posted until now!)

We arrived yesterday (Tuesday 29th) and got straight into sherry tasting, in the Bodega Sánchez Romate. As someone who had never drunk a drop of sherry in her life, the experience was an enlightening one, and I think I’ve become a convert! The cool, dark bodegas are stacked with thousands of barrels of sherry by the solera system (where barrels are stacked in rows at least three barrels high, with the oldest blend of sherry at the bottom, the suelo, followed by the younger barrels on the upper layers, the criaderas). I won’t bore you with the details, though it certainly is interesting how the quality of the sherries are kept consistent by constantly topping up each layer with the sherry from the layer above it, each time an amount (a third) is drained from the bottom barrel.

It’s fascinating how the wide the spectrum of sherry varieties spans - from light, crisp and dry fino (one of the more commonly known sherry types in the UK, alongside Harvey’s Bristol Cream) to deep, dark and syrupy Pedro Ximénez. In between, manzinilla (slightly salty, and the drink of choice in the seaside location of Sanlúcar, where we went on our last day), amontillado, oloroso (the last of which was very much a favourite among the group, thanks to its smoothness and nuttiness!). Then there’s the very special, and very rare palo cortado, which has the freshness of an amontillado, but the smoothness and richness of an oloroso.

We were very lucky because at this time of year the region plays host to the Feria del Caballos, a week-long festival celebrating three of Jerez’s best known elements - sherry, horses, and flamenco. Held in a massive fairground a few kilometres from the town centre, the Parque Gonzalez Hontori on Avenida Alcalde Alvaro Domeque, people flock from all around Jerez (and from neighbouring regions as well, as Jerez’s feria is known to be one of the best, while there are also ferias held in Seville and El Puerto) to eat, drink and be merry. Beautiful Andalucían white horses parade throughout the streets and into the grounds, pulling elegant black carriages carrying equally regal-looking men and women (many of them in colourful Sevilla flamenco dresses). There really are no two Sevilla dresses alike in this town - the saying goes that you can know a woman from the kind of dress she wears.

Many of Jerez’s restaurants, bars and clubs set up as casetas (stands/booths or tents - some of them with proper facades!) and basically we just flitted from caseta to caseta, indulging in tapas and sherry. In the afternoon, we were lucky enough to be taken under the wing of the Romate company and we wiled away the hours eating delicious nibbles in the shade, watching the colourful people and horses of Jerez waltz by.

We also discovered the joy of rebujitos (a popular refreshing cocktail of dry fino mixed with lemonade), which quickly became a tipple of choice under the hot Spanish sun, when even dry sherry seems too heavy. If they introduce this in the UK, perhaps sherry drinking would become more acceptable. I thought I spotted rebujito being served at Barrafina the other night, but when I asked was met by a curt “no” (on a side note, Barrafina’s service seems to be getting arsier these days).

The first thing to arrive on the table was a heaving platter of fresh seafood - crab legs, prawns, langoustines, crayfish, and small crab claws. Salty as the sea and juicy and fresh to boot. I honestly was in heaven.

And what is a trip to Spain but a chance to indulge in the country’s best exports? I’m not sure if the above constitutes as a tortilla or not, since it was a bit… deconstructed, with the eggs and potatoes seemingly just scrambled together - someone needs to enlighten me on this. And of course, there was a big plate of Jamón Ibérico - my personal favourite, as a fan of all cured hams! I have to say, the nuttiness of jamón matches perfectly with dry sherry.

And of course, there was the ubiquitous manchego cheese and crunchy-outside, gooey-inside croquetas de jamón.

After a long afternoon of eating and drinking, we soon headed back to the hotel for a power nap to recharge ourselves for the night at the feria (more eating and drinking!), which brings me to the end of this entry (and when I originally started writing it)!

City girls like me are easily excited at the prospect of seeing animals down on the farm. And if the farm just so happens to be a mere DLR ride away, even better! So last Sunday I dragged my flatmates off “to see the aminals”, and they obliged like a pair of world-weary parents. It just so happened that I really wanted to go eat at Mudchute Kitchen as well, what with all the good reviews it has gotten for its simple but really delicious food (and apparently the best cream tea this side of the river).

Tasty Treats! I saw it as a sign… literally. Ha ha ha!

It was the day of the London Marathon, and unfortunately for both the runners and us, it was pouring. Still, my enthusiasm couldn’t be squashed, and we went around squeaking at the cows, goats (even if they have evil square eyes), chickens, turkeys, bunnies, guinea pigs, ducks, ferrets and more! A sprawling land of greenery, it’s hard to believe you’re in London - until you see the silver skyscrapers of Canary Wharf peeking out over the hills, that is.

As it would have it, the moment we had finished roaming the farm and were about to take refuge from the rain and gloom, the sun came out and shone for the rest of the afternoon. Still, we happily trooped into Mudchute Kitchen (near the horses’ stables) and pondered over the menu that features rustic, homecooked dishes and phenomenal desserts - the coffee and cardamom cake with the jewel-like pomegranate seeds caught my eye immediately, though I ceded it to C, who gobbled the entire slice up within minutes (not before I had a massive mouthful myself - what gorgeous cake. Soft and creamy with the icing, and the cardamom blending perfecly with the coffee flavours. I bought a slice to takeaway with me when we left).

Ravenous as I was, I had to go for something filling and delicious - a bacon tart with radish salad sounded perfect, though I never expect much from tarts. To me, they’re always too dry, too mushy or just bland. But I was hungry, and the other special, houmus, really wasn’t going to cut the mustard at that point.

But what a delightful surprise this bacon tart was - a giant fat slice appeared on the plate, and every bite was bursting with savoury and substantial pieces of bacon and fragrant herbs, with just the right amount of cheesiness. Quite possibly the best thing I’ve had in a while. And you can’t really go wrong with a crunchy, refreshing radish salad on the side made with good-quality, fresh ingredients. There was no trace of bitterness from the radishes, which can often happen with old or poor quality versions; every bite was sweet and crisp. Wow, this is getting a bit too poetic.

And it didn’t end there: I stole a bite of L’s lemon poppy seed cake (above right), and it was also magnificent. Fluffy, moist cake with subtle citrus flavours and fragrant vanilla. Again, gobbled up before I could steal a second bite. All this food was washed down with a wonderfully brewed homemade chai tea, which was rich with plenty of cardamom (you could see them swimming in the teapot), cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Smooth and creamy and generally faultless. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than enjoying the treats at Mudchute Kitchen after a day’s frolicking with the animals.

Addendum: just to reiterate a fact from before, goats have square eyes (or square irises, if you’re being technical). All in all rather disturbing (as cute as the baby goats were).

Mudchute Kitchen
Mudchute Park & Farm, Pier Street, Isle of Dogs
London E14 3HP
020 7515 5901
www.mudchute.org

While I welcomed the snow on Sunday with open arms (literally, in my backyard), the resulting cold seems to have contributed to a slight bout of illness. I feel exhausted and as if my head feels full of cheese.

I have friends who lose their appetites when ill, but it seems that mine gets even more voracious. So for lunch, I settled for something simple, but filling and delicious. I had a chicken leg that had been marinating in a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil, so I bunged that in the oven and put on the rice cooker. I had a tub of miso and some leftover daikon (from making buta no kakuni - braised belly pork - a blog post on that later!), so I decided to make…. daikon miso soup! Thinly sliced daikon cooks quickly in the broth, so that was ready in no time. A perfect soothing broth with juicy, tender daikon was just the thing I needed.

The rice was topped with some maguro furikake. The chicken leg was so flavoursome from being marinated for so long, and the meat was tender and juicy. Overall, a simple and good meal. And now, I must nap… before thinking of what to eat for dinner (or do you think I can get someone else to cook for me and bring it to me in my bed?).

I really need to invest in some new tea towels/placemats!

I should have mentioned this weeks ago, but Amazon are doing a 40% off Le Creuset’s satin blue range. I ordered my 18cm one and am super happy with it (the only problem is that I think I should have shelled out for the next size up - it’s perfect for cooking for myself - posts to follow about what I made with it! - but not for more than one hungry person!), and I adore the colour. Thank god it’s not 40% off Le Creuset’s blinding orange range, which just isn’t my cup of tea… I love how Amazon just sent me a dedicated email announcing the sale; I really must have been clicking around on the homeware section more often than normal!

If anyone has some good tips or recipes using their Le Creusets, please do share them.

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Also, the booking period for London Restaurant Week (London Restaurant Fortnight, really!) began today. You can get two courses for £15 at lunch, or three courses at £25, at some pretty spiffy restaurants. I’ve got my eye on Nahm, David Thompson’s acclaimed Michelin-starred Thai restaurant. Get booking if you so desire!