Beetroot Glaze Monday, May 6 2013

For the Henschke dinner I made this beetroot glaze to go with a stuffed lamb loin. As the lamb was quite fatty, the acidity in this beetroot glaze went really well with it and

cut through the fat. This is a recipe I have adapted from Masterchef tv show.

Stuffed lamb loin, rosemary and parmesan pommes anna, beetroot glaze

 

100g Beetroot, grated (I like finely grated, however coarsely grated is good too)

50 mls Port

50g brown sugar

40 mls sherry vinegar

40 sherry, pedro ximenez if possible

1 bay leaf

Place the brown sugar in a heavy based saucepan and caramelise slightly over medium heat.

Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat and simmer until the beetroot has softened and is cooked through. The liquid should have reduced to a thickish syrup.

Keep warm and serve with your desired meat.

 

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Penfold’s Wine Dinner Friday, May 3 2013

May 1st was our second wine dinner for the year at the Club. This time we chose Penfold’s and show cased some of the Bin Range. Considering the crazy Autumn weather we have been having here in Sydney I planned the menu with a cold starter before moving on to some heartier dishes that are a bit more filling and appropriate for the season..

Penfold’s Bin Range was established by Max Schubert in the image of his legendary Grange. From the Penfold’s website…:

‘Max Schubert believed that Penfolds needed wines crafted in the image of his legendary Grange. “Not the same,” said Max, “but similar.” Penfolds had long maintained a system of numbered ‘bins’ in the cellar where the finest wines, often for the exclusive enjoyment of the company’s directors, were stored. Max happily used this system to give clear and well defined identities to the new wines he was planning, starting with the famous Bin 28 of 1959.’ 

‘The range has grown and evolved since those early days and now includes some of Australia’s most highly sought after wines and their annual release has become one of the most eagerly anticipated in the wine collectors calendar. While there will only ever be one Grange, Max’s conviction that the Penfolds approach of sourcing the best fruit from the finest vineyards to marry regional and varietal character to the distinctive Penfolds style, maintaining an unwaveringly high level of quality, lives on in the impressive range of Bin wines. Many of these wines have long and proud histories, while others are newer adherents to that same ideal, but all of them share one thing in common. They are all classically Penfolds.’

In March Penfold’s released the 2013 Bin Range, whites from 2012, reds from 2010, 2011 and 2012. For our event we had the following wines Bin 51 Riesling 2012, Eden Valley, Bin311 Chardonnay 2012, Tumbarumba, Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Mystery wine was Bin 150 Shiraz 2010, Marananga(Barossa Valley sub region). For dessert we had a great port Penfold’s Bluestone Grand Tawny.

Entree was a seafood terrine inspired by one of my favourite recipe books and one of our favourite, although sadly closed, restaurants Banc. Layers of prawn, scallop, balmain bugs, tomato, roasted capsicum and leafy herbs, set in a crystal clear stock, with a fine leek exterior. Went superbly well with the 311 Chardonnay.

Scallop, prawn and Balmain bug terrine

Main course was a slow cooked Wagyu beef cheek, roasted garlic and parmesan puree, with the vegetables from the braising. Sauce was a reduction of red wine and the cooking juices from the braise. Well matched to the Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Slow cooked beef cheeks, roasted garlic and parmesan mash

Dessert was a seriously rich, yet light as air, steamed chocolate pudding with maple syrup anglaise, toffee strawberry, and toffee walnuts. Amazing with the Bluestone Grand Tawny.

Steamed chocolate pudding, maple anglaise, toffee strawberry and walnuts

Great reaction from our diners. I was a bit worried about what they would think of the terrine but it was well received with many positive comments. Over all a wonderful night.

Our next dinner is in June, alas I will be in New York, but I have left a menu that has two items from myself and the dessert by our Sous Chef Vince which is being used in the upcoming Clubs NSW Chefs Table competition that he and our apprentice Richard entered and got through to the finals.

Thanks for dropping by!

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Honey and Vanilla Pannacotta with Coffee Caramel Sauce Tuesday, Apr 30 2013

At our recent Henschke wine dinner we served this for dessert and it was quite a hit. Traditionally pannacotta is made with a base of cream and milk. Adding a some Greek style yoghurt gives it a nice zing, and lightens the overt creaminess. This recipe is adapted from a post by Lorraine Elliott of Not quite Nigella, originally prepared by Justine Schofield.

Honey and vanilla pannacotta, coffee caramel sauce, coffe almond brittle

Pannacotta:

250g Cream

150g Greek style yoghurt

100g Milk

4 Tablespoons good quality runny honey,

1/2 Vanilla bean

2 Gelatine, Titanium strength

Lightly spray 6 x 125ml moulds with canola spray and place on a flat tray.

Place the gelatine sheets in a bowl with cold water until soft. Squeeze to get rid of excess water.

Split the vanilla bean down the length and scrape into a saucepan with the honey, milk, cream and yoghurt. Warm gently to simmer point and remove from heat, gently whisk in the gelatine.

Strain through a colander in to a jug to remove the vanilla bean.

Gently pour into the prepared moulds, allow to cool. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Coffee Caramel Sauce:

220g Cream

180g Sugar

100g Unsalted, cultured butter

40g Espresso coffee

Place the cream and coffee together in a jug.

Place the sugar in a heavy based saucepan and caramelise to a dark golden colour.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and gently whisk in the butter, cream and coffee until all well combined. Pour in to heat proof jug and refrigerate until needed. It will thicken slightly in the fridge but take it out an hour before needed to come to room temperature.

 Coffee almond brittle:

60g Slivered almonds

175g Sugar

80g Water

1/2 Tablespoon Finely ground coffee

Place  sheet of silicone paper/Glad Bake on a cookie tray.

Place the almonds in a frypan and lightly toast to get a little colour. Scatter evenly over the prepared tray.

Place the water and sugar in a small heavy based saucepan and caramelise to a golden brown colour over a medium heat. Occaisionally use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to wipe the sides of the saucepan down. As soon as you reach the desired colour immediately pour over the almonds. Allow to set. When set break some in to nice pieces and place the remainder in a zip lock bag and lightly pound to break it up.

I also added some raisins that had been soaked in bourbon and maple syrup. After straining the liquid off the raisins you could reduce it down a little to pour over some icecream.

100g Raisins

80mls Bourbon (which ever brand takes your fancy)

80 mls Maple syrup (use pure not maple flavoured syrup)

Place raisins into a heat proof bowl that has a lid.

Gently heat the bourbon and maple syrup just to a simmer and the pour over the raisins. Leave to cool and then cover and leave for 2 – 3 days before using.

To Serve:

Using a paring knife, loosen the top edge of the pannacotta and then turn upside down. Using you finger tips gently prise the edge of the pannacotta away from the mould, which will allow  air to get between them give a gentle shake and it should pop out. Arrange on the plate.

Drain the raisins. Make a little pile of the crushed coffee almond brittle, top with a couple of the raisins. Lean the larger saved pieces of brittle against the panna cotta, pour some sauce around.

I hope you enjoy!!

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Henschke Dinner Monday, Apr 8 2013

Beginning of March saw the Club present our first wine dinner for 2013.

Menu for Henschke dinner

Renowned South Australian winery Henschke was selected and a menu was selected to complement the wines.

Table setting for Henschke dinner

The VIVA Room set for dinner

Unlike other wine dinners we have done, this time we kept it to 3 courses and were able to select wines that were a little more mature.

To start a wine I have not seen in retail Henschke Lenswood Blanc de Noirs NV. A selection of five canapes was offered along with the sparkling.  Unfortunately I only got photos of two of the canapes, the crispy bbq pork belly with bbq sauce and sweet potato and brie croquettes with coriander aioli.

Crispy pork belly with BBQ sauce

Little sweet potato and brie croquettes with coriander aioli

First course was a Peking duck roulade, rather than use the traditional pancakes, we used a crepe with finely chopped coriander leaves in the batter which gave a pretty spotted effect. This was served with Henschke Joseph’s Hill Gewurztraminer 2010.

Peking duck in a coriander crepe

Our second course was a stuffed lamb loin, on parmesan and rosemary scented pommes anna, green beans wrapped in proscuitto, beetroot glaze and rosemary jus. The lamb loin needed quite a bit of work, firstly to minimise the amount of fat over the flap and then after it was stuffed with spinach, garlic, rosemary and thyme I had to tie them all up( 12 loins in total). Talk about rope cuts!! We served this with Henschke Henry’s Seven 2005.

Stuffed lamb loin, rosemary and parmesan pommes anna, beetroot glaze

Our mystery wine was a wonderful 20 year old Cyril Henscke Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the oldest wine we have ever been able to offer our diners, and I think they really enjoyed it. I know I did!

For dessert  a honey and vanilla pannacotta, coffee caramel sauce, coffee and almond brittle. so much flavour and a great range of textures. This was served with Henschke Muscat of Tappa Pass 2010. For a dessert wine this was not overly sweet and had a nice balanced acidity to it. Yum!! I also added a few raisins soaked in bourbon and maple syrup to complete the dish.

Honey and vanilla pannacotta, coffee caramel sauce, coffe almond brittle

Over all everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great night. Even in the kitchen we had a smooth service of the food and we are looking forward to our next dinner in May.

Thanks for dropping by!!

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Brick, Tokyo Wednesday, Mar 20 2013

One of our regular places to go in Tokyo is a whisky bar called Brick. We stumbled across Brick during our first visit in 2008 and each time we have been since we head there for a whisky.

Brick during daylight hours

Brick is located a couple of lane ways off Ginza’s main street of Chuo Dori. Easiest directions are on Chuo Dori turn left at Shiseido at Ginza 7 Chome(Mont Blanc shop is diagonally opposite), walk down to Pronto restaurant and turn left again and it is a couple of shops down on the right. We always get lost the first night we try to go there, but never fear there is plenty to look at if you do get lost.

Here in Australia we have “no smoking” laws in enclosed places, Tokyo does not. While neither R or I smoke, we do enjoy the fact that cigar and cigarette smoke goes so well with a whisky. For this reason alone we are willing to put up with second hand smoke. Plus the smokiness adds to the ambience.

The decor at Brick is exposed brickwork, wood paneling and leather. Seating is at the bar or the kidney shaped table. The low lighting level gives a warm, cosy, intimate feel even when the room is busy.

Decor at Brick

A wood paneled bar stretches the 6 metre length of one wall, with three quarters of the length of the bar display solely dedicated to whisky. Who knew there were so many, and probably many more that aren’t used at Brick. Fortunately the whisky list is in English and has Scottish, Irish and Japanese whiskies along with around 15 bourbons from the USA. There is also the standard collection of spirits and a short but good selection of wine.

Some of the whisky selection at Brick

The bar at Brick

A small menu also helps for those wanting a little something to nibble on.

There is another level upstairs where they occasionally have live music. If you are in to whisky/whiskey or just want somewhere ‘cool’ to have a drink, Brick is a good starting point.

I have included a Google map in links to help you find your way to Brick. Unfortunately no yellow ‘Brick” road to help you get there.

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TY by Tateru Yoshino, Park Hotel, Shiodome, Tokyo Monday, Mar 18 2013

When we visit Tokyo our hotel of choice is the Park Hotel in Shiodome. Located a short walk from Ginza, the Shiodome area has easy access to transport, so handy in fact that last year, for the first time ever, we took the train from Narita Airport to Shimbashi station and walked to the hotel. The Park Hotel is located in the Shiodome Media Tower, on floors 25 to 34. The rest of the tower is occupied by Kyodo News. I really like the way the Japanese combine a hotel with businesses in their towers. The Park Hyatt is the same, offices on the lower floors and the hotel on the upper floors.

Shiodome Media Tower/Park Hotel

We usually book a room that looks out to Tokyo Tower(city view room) which when there is clear weather also includes majestic Fuji-san in the distance.

Early morning beauty shot. Tokyo Tower and Fuji-san

Tokyo Tower by night

We have never eaten in the hotel restaurant, usually because we are out so much taking in all that Tokyo has to offer. Last year we decided to finally give it a try.

This person is known not to have an aversion to champagne

TY by Tateru Yoshino is located on the 25th floor of the Park Hotel (Lobby floor). With panoramic views out over Tokyo and Tokyo Tower, it is an intimate, elegant and refined setting, white cloths, crystal, silver and dark woods. The room is a not overly large so there is no loud noise to compete with. Presenting a degustation menu where customers can choose some of their dishes is a great option, and means that you can have something different to your partner.

Amuse bouche of mackerel and petit flowers

Amuse bouche and the freshly baked bread

Mushroom soup

Scallop and prawn with a shellfish foam

A specialty of the house is the Assorted Seasonal Vegetables Presented in the Image of Monet. A delightful plate of baby vegetables, flowers and herbs with a light dressing.

Monet’s Garden

The first few courses we had were the same, mains however R had a beautiful slow cooked beef, while I had duck breast.

Slow cooked beef, caramelised onion,

Roasted duck, wild mushrooms

Before dessert we decided to have the optional cheese course. The waiter wheeled out a trolley with around 10 cheeses on it. We selected 3 which was enough for us.

Selection of cheese

Dessert was 5 flavours of chocolate. I nust remember to write things down, but there was cinnamon, coffee and well I guess I need to have pen and paper in future. Very delicious.

Five flavours of chocolate

Deciding to have a coffee we were greatly impressed with the selection of mignardises (petit fours) that was wheeled out. I think there were about 20 things to chhose from. Some fruit jellies, cannelles, churros, madeleines, coated nuts, and so many more.

Mignardises

R had a wonderful birthday dinner and we chose some great French wines to go with the meal.

TY by Tateru Yoshino was awarded one Michelin star for 2013.  Tateru Yoshino has another 2 restaurants in Tokyo (Ginza and Shiba) and he also chef/patron of the Michelin starred Stella Maris in Paris.

If you are in Tokyo I would recommend a visit to TY Tateru Yoshino in the Park Hotel.

 

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Around the World Part 3 – Zurich Thursday, Mar 14 2013

Leaving London behind we flew across the channel to Switzerland and our next port of call Zurich.

Coming in to Zurich

We stayed at the Swissotel, located at Oerlikon, just out of the city centre, a short tram ride was all it took to get to the city centre. A 24 hour pass for trains, buses and trams was around A$10 a person, it also allowed us to take some of the river taxis if we had felt like it. The Swissotel has an amazing pool located on the top floor giving panoramic views of Zurich and the country side around it, right out to the alps in the distance.

The breakfast buffet in the Swissotel is very extensive and a great range of food for all tastes is available. I counted 18 bread and bakery items, unfortunately that is too much for me to work my way through. There is also a vibrant bar and restaurant in the Swissotel, which we unfortunatley didn’t have a chance to try out, next time.

Twice a week the square behind the Swissotel becomes a fruit, vegetable and flower market, with some stalls also offering preserves made from their own produce. I wish I had taken my camera down as there were varieties that we don’t see here in Australia. It would also have been nice to have been able to have cooked with some of the offerings. Also handy was a supermarket where you could get some groceries and incredibly cheap mineral water. San Pellegrino 1litre for about A$1.05, back here it costs just over A$3.

Zurich City has a population of 400,00 within the city and 1.83 million in the whole canton(state). Which makes it a nice size to get around. After catching the tram in we just walked. So many beautiful old buildings with interesting architectural details. I really loved looking at the roof detailing on the buildings, so much more interesting than the triangle shape we mainly have in Australia. Lots of little streets to wander and explore. So many small jewellery makers located around town which was great to see. Craft skills seemed to be taken more seriously in Switzerland, whether it be jewellery making, lace making etc.

Lane way Zurich

Limmat Quai

We ate in the old town area several times. On two occasions having fondue at Adler’s Swiss Chuchi and also dined in a Bierhalle. While R tried some local beers I worked my way through the local white wines. A shame we have trouble sourcing Swiss wines here in Australia as they were very good. Down by Quaibrucke is a stand selling some great hotdogs and wurstli, just perfect for a quick lunch. Should you need chocolate there is no shortage of stores and cafes.

Inside our favourite bierehalle

Worked my way through most of the whites

Wandering the cobblestone streets, walking beside the river and lake was a really enjoyable experience. No-one seemed to be rushing and everyone was polite.

Street in Zurich

River side

Across the lake to the Alps

Sitting having a cocktail in a square in the old town was a nice way to relax.

Cocktails to wind down after a big day exploring

We also got to see a Youth Marching Band festival and a watersports festival which seemed to consist of teams on boats jousting. Obviously the winner was the one who didn’t get knocked in the river.

Solothurn Jugendmusik.

Water jousting

Water jousting

While Zurich has a long history there is plenty of new construction happening. But the real joy is exploring the old buildings and churches.

Looking up river with Grossmunster on the left

New construction going in

Grossmunster

The steeple of Fraumunster

 

The steeple of St Peter Church.

Grossmunster

We had a great time in Zurich and I look forward to heading there again in the future.

As they say in Zurich Vielen Dank for stopping by!

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Beau Rivage – Neuchatel Monday, Nov 19 2012

Part of the reason for our trip to Zurich was to go and visit the workshops of two high end, independent watchmakers, Greubel Forsey and Kari Voutilainen. This meant we would need to have an over night stay close to La Chaux-de-Fonds and Môtiers. Consulting Google we decided our base would be Neuchâtel and our accomodation the Beau Rivage Hotel. As we were being picked up and driven from Zurich to go to La Chaux-de-Fonds and then to Neuchâtel, it would only be a short return train trip for us to Môtiers.

Lac deNeuchâtel

The Beau Rivage Hotel is located on the edge of Lake Neuchâtel (AKA lac de Neuchâtel in French and Neuenburgersee in German) with views of the Lake and the Alps in the distance. Originally a grand town house of great elegance built in 1862, during the first part of the 20th century it was home to a famous restaurant,  the building was entirely renovated in 1993 to become the first 5-star hotel of the Three Lakes region. The Beau Rivage is a member of Relais & Chateau and is rated as 5 étoiles Supérieure, Gault Millau rating 14, and is in Guide Michelin.

Beau Rivage, Neuchâtel

Beau Rivage, bar and terrace

View from our room

 

Our room

After a full day visiting Greubel Forsey and touring the magnificent Musée d’Horlogerie du Locle, housed in the historic Château des Monts at Le Locle, we arrived at the Beau Rivage, checked in, freshened up and had a walk around the town. With Neuchâtel being in the heart of Switzerland’s watchmaking mecca it was not surprising to find watch references around town. Beautiful old buildings abound and the views of the lake and alps are spectacular. Someone was even water skiing which got me a bit jealous.

After our walk we went to dine in the hotel’s Restaurant O Terroirs. As the evening was spectacularly mild we were given the choice of dining on the lake side veranda or inside. Of course we decided outside would be nicer. Watching the sunset over Lake Neuchâtel while the dying rays of the sun tint the majestic Swiss Alps in shades of pink and grey while having a wonderful meal is truly a memory I won’t forget. Thanks to Greubel Forsey for our diner.

Sun setting on the alps, looking across Lake Neuchâtel

First up was an amuse bouche of crab, tomato and avocado….

Amuse bouche of crab and

R had an entree of seared foie gras…..

Foie gras, tempura onion rings, asparagus

I enjoyed a “cigar” of egg plant filled with goat curd, on a lemon sponge, olive oil ice cream…..

“cigar” of eggplant filled with goat curd

For mains R had lamb three ways, cutlet, loin, merguez sausage, with cous cous and  with while I opted for duck meat balls, proscuitto, potato crisps, artichokes……

Lamb three ways

Duck meat balls

Having had dessert at lunch we opted for cheese, all local to the region….

Local artisanal cheese board

As we were finishing our meal, the clouds rolled in, and a spectacular sound and light show(storm) rolled across the lake.

The next morning was light but drizzly. We had a lovely buffet breakfast in the hotel and caught our first Swiss cab to the station. Now  my French isn’t the best and I do know how to ask for “two return tickets to Môtiers’ unfortunately I don’t know the French for ‘which platform’. Luckily for us a young Swiss man spoke good English and was able to direct us. The train to Môtiers takes about 40 minutes from Neuchâtel, passing through lush green fields and mountains, stopping at  several lovely little towns. Arriving at Môtiers, we were met at the station by Kari Voutilainen and walked to his house a short way from the station. Not knowing much about Môtiers, we were surprised to find it was (and still is) a town with a history of Absinth production, apart from watch production. After a leisurely tour through Kari’s Atelier looking at his watches and production, he took us to lunch in the local cafe/hall/beer house. Unfortunately no photos, but we had the special of the day which was Chilli con carne( I know you, go all the way to Switzerland to have chilli con carne, but it was GOOD), followed by creme brulee. Seriously good, must be all that fabulous Swiss cream and free range eggs.

Bovet Absinth distillery, Môtiers

Saying good bye to Môtiers, we headed back to Neuchâtel to catch our train to Zurich. As the train wound its way through the country side we saw many vineyards that produce some great Swiss wines.

Thanks for dropping in!! Look out for my Zurich report.

Beau Rivage Hotel

1, Esplanade du Mont-Blanc, CH-2000 Neuchâtel

T +41 32 723 15 15

http://www.beau-rivage-hotel.ch/en/

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Le Relais De Venise – L’Entrecote, London Friday, Nov 9 2012

Sitting in the bar at the Marylebone Hotel, we noticed a long line of people lining up in front of a restaurant. Now this wouldn’t be unexpected but the time was 930pm. The next night we were in the bar again, same scenario, long line, 930pm. This got us intrigued. As I needed to get some washing done I decided see what the fuss was about on my way back to the hotel. The restaurant was called Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote, a little Googling on the Ipad got us some more information on it so we decided to go.

Despite having a good lunch at Bread Street Kitchen we decided to go out for dinner. Thinking the restaurant would open at 600pm we walked over at 610 to find they were closed and the queue had started and we were the the fourth group along. Just before opening we found out that some of the groups ahead of us rotate who stands in line while others go to the pub across the road.

Le Relais de Venise – L’Entrecote is based on a Parisian restaurant started in the late ’50′s by Paul Gineste de Saurs, who bought an Italian restaurant that was called Le Relais de Venise,ostensibly as a venue to sell his familiy’s wines. Already fitted out with a Venetian theme and with no restaurant training M. de Saurs decided to keep the operation simple, added a ‘L’Entrecôte’ sign outside and offered customers a no-choice menu of French bistrot favourites: a green salad with walnuts dressed with mustard vinaigrette, followed by classic steak frites with their secret sauce. The only choice you have is how you want your steak cooked. The children of M. de Saurs all run their own chains of restaurants under similar names but offering the same menu. If a recipe works why change it. The origianal restaurant in Paris’s 17th Arrondisemont and the chain in the UK and USA is run by Mme Helen Godillot.

The decorative windows with lacy half curtains, the red awnings  create an old school feeling. Upon entering we are greeted by predominantly French staff, smartly dressed in classic black with white crisply starched collar and apron. The room is a delightful soft sandy yellow, a large vase of bright yellow lilies sits on the back of the brown leather banquettes, dark wood chairs and panelling complate the decor. Bright Venetian themed paintings and antiqued mirrors line the walls and sparkly brass fittings and marble adorn the bar area. Light sconces with shades painted with images of gondolas and gondoliers are all around the room. Tables are topped with coloured cloths and then with butchers paper on which your desired doneness of steak is written.

Le Relais de Venise l’Entrecote interior

Light shades painted with gondolier scenes

Looking to the bar

The salad is light and tasty and the vinaigrette has a nice zing to it.

Salad with walnuts and mustard vinaigrette

The steak is bought out on a platter and sliced with half being plated then bought to the table along with some nicely salted crisp french fries. The other half is held back on a warming plate until you are ready for it and fresh fries are bought out. The sauce is still a mystery, but very tasty. There appear to be several attempts online to give a definitive recipe for the sauce but apparently they don’t quite get it right. The chips are cut daily in the tradition of the original, using Bintje potatoes and the beef is English with a minimum of 4 weeks aging.  There is a short wine list of mainly Bordeaux at extremely reasonable prices and very good quality.

Steak frites

Serving the second half of a steak

Desserts are another matter as there choice of 18, four of which are fruit sorbets, three types of ice cream and a cheese plate. The other desserts are a range of French classics. R settled on a Mont Blanc and I went for Vacherin de Relais. OMG can I tell you they were HUGE and delicious.

Le Vacherin du Relais and Mont Blanc(back)

After a fabulous dinner we left the restaurant to see the queue going around the corner. Is it worth the wait? You bet.

The queue around 730pm

Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote

120 Marylebone Lane

London

W1U 2QG

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Tamarind – a bit of curry in London Wednesday, Nov 7 2012

Having worked with a lot of English chefs over the years, I have always heard them say how great Indian food is in England. Before we left Sydney, we contacted one of R’s watch friends, Gush in London to get some recommendations from him. As we didn’t want to go far, he recommended Tamarind in Mayfair a short walk from our hotel. So on a drizzly evening we caught up with not only Gush but another watch collector, Kovacs. Watch collectors seem to not only have a thing for watches, but good food is another passion for them. When you look at some of the watch forums every second post seems to have food in it, especially a watch and food shot. This saves us a little time getting recommendations when we travel.LOL

Located in Mayfair, Tamarind is located in the basement of the building but is anything but basement like. A beautiful metal staircase curves down to a soothing room in colours of sand and gold, with dark wood highlights. At one side of the room sits the brilliantly lit, sparkly bar and across the room is a window with a view in to the kitchen. Taking centre stage in the window is the large Tandoor oven. The space is quite large but is in no way barn like, being broken with pillars and strategically placed huge vases of flowers. Lots of business and embassy types soon filled the room. You can always tell a restaurant with ethnic food is good when a lot of people from the specific ethnicity are dining there.

Entrance to Tamarind

The dishes at Tamarind are derived from traditional Moghul cuisine from North West India, where breads, fish and meats are cooked in a traditional tandoor oven.

We ordered several dishes to share, well actually we left it to Gush to order, which was good thing as there were dishes we have never seen here in Australia.

First up Papdi Chaat, Spiced chickpeas, whole-wheat crisps, mint chutney and sweetened yoghurt topped with blueberries and tamarind chutney. Surprisingly very delicious, the blue berries make it look like a dessert but it was  a great combination of flavours.

Papdi Chaat

 

We also had a selection of items from the tandoor, lamb cutlet in tandoori spices, marinated chicken and Aloo Tikki (Potato cakes with a sago crust and a filling of spinach, garlic and dried fenugreek leaves; tamarind chutney).

Tandoori cutlet, marinated chicken and Aloo Tikki

Gosht Dum Biryani AKA Lamb Biryani. Topped with a pastry lid and served in a gorgeous copper kadai.

Gosht Dum Biryani – Lamb Biryani

Along with the Biryani we had Murgh Mahkni(Chicken tikka in puréed fresh tomatoes flavoured with ginger, green chillies and crushed fenugreek leaves) and Kadai Subzi. Rice and breads were also on the table.

Murgh Mahkni – Chicken Tikka

Think this is Kadai Subzi

Naan

Of course we needed something to drink with our meal. We don’t really know a lot about matching wines to Indian foods and left it to Gush to choose. A bottle of Les Granieres de la Nerthe Chateuneuf du Pape 2009. I would not have thought to put a red wine up against the spices of an Indian meal, but it went really well.

Chateauneuf du Pape

In the end I personally thought the English Indian food was a little ahead of Australian Indian food. Will definitely be trying another Indian restaurant when we go next time.

Tamarind

20 Queen Street,

Mayfair, London W1J 5PR

Telephone: 020 7629 3561

Thanks for dropping by!

 

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