To enter: follow @intothefworld on twitter, “Like” the Facebook page and/or tweet about the giveaway, or leave a comment on the blog (full T&Cs below). 

The winner will be extracted via Random.org and announced on June 7th. Good luck everyone! 

Signed copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway prize: “Curries of The World” book

I love spices, I love curry, and even just looking at the recipes makes me happy- and hungry. The book features over 100 recipes from all around the world- not just the familiar Indian and Thai curries, but also recipes from Africa, Morocco and even the US (bison buffalo curry anyone?).

In “Curries of the World” introduction section, chef Atul explains the origin of the curry in different geographical areas, the terminology (is curry the spice powder or the dish?) and some basic techniques. The recipes are easy to follow and most of the time only require ingredients that can be found in a good supermarket or specialty store. Substitutions are also suggested for more exotic ingredients (gazelle meat? not sure), and most curries can be made using more than one type of meat or fish.

Amongst the recipes, my personal favourites- a bit of a sentimental weakness here- are the Malaysian and Indonesian curries. Rendang, nyonia curry, satay…their complex blend of spices and their chilli kick just hits the spot for me.

Of course, the beloved Indian (and Anglo-Indian) classics like Korma, Jailfrezi and even the humble Tikka Masala are covered in “Curries of the World”. In short, there is something for everyone.

And as a big plus, this copy here is signed by chef Atul – a nice touch which makes this prize even more covetable.

One of Atul Kochhar recipes as served in his restaurant Indian Essence in Kent- image courtesy Cottrell & Klar

The giveaway

I announced in April that I’d be having a few surprises for my readers to celebrate “Into The F World” blog turning one- and here we are again! Apologies for the delay, but the last few weeks have been very turbulent for me, with travelling to and fro Italy because of family troubles.

As always, food and friends are the things that keep me going through happy and hard times alike. Thanks to a friend,  recently I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of “Curries of the World”. Chef Atul Kochhar (who’s just as lovely in person as he sounds on TV) signed  for me two copies of this beautiful, colourful book. One is proudly displayed in my growing cookbook collection. The other one…I want to share it with my readers!

There are three ways to enter the giveaway and you can repeat them daily- all you need is to have a Facebook or Twitter account. Good luck!

Entering the blog giveaway is very easy and each of the methods below count as one or more additional chances to win :

• “like” Into The F World Facebook page (+2 entries; commenting not required, but it’s nice
• follow @intothefworld on Twitter (+2 entries)
• tweet about the giveaway (+2 entries)
• if you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account, you can enter by leaving a comment on the blog telling me what’s your favourite curry (+1 entry)

Curry lovers…unite!

Boring legal stuff aka T&Cs

• Entry reserved to over 18 years old UK residents
• Deadline for entries: midnight GMT Friday 7th June 2013.
• The winner will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
• Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
• The prize is a signed copy of the “Curries of the World” book by Atul Kochhar (hardcover version) and includes free delivery within the UK.
• The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
• For Twitter entries, winners must be following @intothefworld at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like The F World Facebook page at time of notification.
• The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

Thanks to master blogger Kavita of Kavey Eats for letting me use her T&Cs.

The post Win a signed copy of “Curries of the World” by chef Atul Kochhar – giveaway appeared first on The F World.

But I still think that Tumblr is still much, much better than Pinterest to discover things which are bit less…ehm…cupcake-y – also, some great food blogs are hosted on Tumblr, like the always up-to-date LondonTastin. And then, from time to time you come across some really cool stuff - not just another recipe for Sunday roast or salted caramel brownies, but some edgy art (remember the “we had sex in this room” prints?) and even food- related art, like the “Delicious City prints“.

Or like these “Secret Lives of Chefs” illustrations made by Brooklyin-based artist Lisa Hanawalt. Aren’t they just great?

There’s Julia Child using brown roux to write letters, and bechamel as moisturiser (not so far fetched- I am a fan of edible skincare myself, like concoctions of argan oil, honey and milk) ...

…Ferran Adria’ playing with foams and shapes in a fantasy “El Bulliland” fairground, whilst Wylie Dufresne uses liquid nitrogen as a weapon.

My favourite though is Mario Batali – who allegedly goes around with a gangster-style briefcase which contains “pizza fixings” instead, and uses Crocs as pasta makers. The idea is at the same time slightly repellent, totally wacko and brilliant, which sums up this series as whole for me.

The illustrator Lisa Hanawalt will publish “The Secret Lives of Chefs” in her book My Dirty Dumb Eyes (Drawn & Quaterly, out end of May). I hope Amazon ships it in the UK!

What do you think? Can you imagine your favorite chef in a surreal fantasy scenario? Mine involves Gordon Ramsay and a “the king is naked” caption…

P.S. If you were thinking Tumblr is even too awesome, curb your enthusiasm- rumour has it it’s being bought my Yahoo. Yes, Yahoo still does exist.

Credits: all illustrations copyright Lisa Hanawalt, courtesy of Lisa Hanawalt via the Lucky Peach Tumblr (go follow it, it’s great if you like food and arts).

The post The Secret Lives of Chefs – less celebrity, more fun appeared first on The F World.

The interiors are designed by Judy Hutson

After a very pleasant hour in the garden, it’s time for lunch, served in a picturesque conservatory covered in ivy and furnished with coloured tiles, mismatched crockery and every other possible shabby chic staple you could think of- minus the pretentiousness.

What I really liked about the place and the atmosphere is that it’s literally “picture perfect”, but not so much that you feel like you’ve stepped straight into an Ideal Homes catalogue. It’s clearly been designed, but not overly so – and the same applies to the service. Staff are knowledgeable and polished as you’d expect, but also genuinely passionate about what they’re doing here, bursting with enthusiasm as they explained the “25-mile menu” – yes, everything and literally everything comes from a 25 mile radius if it’s not made on the premises. Having just seen 1.a meat smoker 2.seasonal vegetables 3.happy, free range animals, I was expecting nothing short than some above average fare, and I was not disappointed.

Without getting to scientific about food miles and sustainable menus, I am sure you are all familiar with how much difference the freshness of fruits and vegs makes to the taste – not to even mention the way they’re grown and the amount of manipulation involved in the process. When a forkful of green almost eclipses the main event – tasty lamb, delicious fresh eggs and of course, pork- it’s because they’re really something else. Well, simple sides like buttered steamed sprouts, Chantenay carrots and green salad tasted like nothing else I have had in months- not even from the poshest London grocer.

Nibbles: wonderful scotch egg with fresh quail eggs, pork cracklings and pork belly…for pig lovers

As you can see from the pics, the kitchen at The Pig is not just resting on the laurels of this gorgeous produce, but it’s actually working hard at making thing look as great as they taste, with edible flowers, vegetable crisps and pickles adding colour and texture to the dishes.

Blame it on the cocktails – original recipes from homemade herb-infused spirits – and the hefty portions, but I was experiencing some serious post-prandial slump by the time the clock ticked on our lovely country escapade. Time flew, literally, and coming back to London at rush hour, eyeing commuters bite into limp sandwiches and “freshly defrosted” pastry rolls actually made me depressed instead of excited.
I must book myself there for a couple days next time to try every single thing on the menu – even with a night stay, everything at The Pig is very reasonably priced compared to London, or to other more famous countryside gastropubs (££££ in Bray anyone?).

Also, if I can ever save some space by not eating my weight in pork cracklings, the idea of The Pig afternoon tea (and a scone or two) next to those fireplaces looks very alluring. Cocktails and flatbreads from the brick oven in the garden doesn’t sound bad either. The plan is to lobby one of my engaged friends to get married here- plot is on…

Well now you know – if you ever get stranded out of your London bubble but still want great food AND stylish surroundings, look no further than The Pig for a restaurant in the New Forest.

Hats off to you, British countryside – you can be lovely. Peace is made, in the name of pig. I’ll see you again very soon!

The post A restaurant in the New Forest – The Pig review, part #2 appeared first on The F World.

Joking aside, I know the English countryside has much more to offer than meat and three veg in a ‘80s looking roadside motel called “country house” in the brochure. I just needed an excuse to reconcile myself with it and getting excited about life outside London again. And a day out at The Pig was just the perfect occasion, although it took some persuasion to get me out of the TFL area so soon (actually, they got me at  ”walled garden” and “locally bred pigs” but I am playing hard to get). In fact, it was just so perfect it is hard to believe I am not making this up – even the pictures are brilliant although I am no photographer. Yes, the sun did help a bit but the place it’s indeed utterly beautiful and worth the trip- that is, if you can part yourself from Shoreditch chic for a day, and deal with live animals rather than taxidermy ones.

The Pig is a Restaurant-with rooms in Brockenhurst, in the midst of the New Forest. But this doesn’t mean you have to prepare for a long journey- after all, yes we do want nature but most of the time it’s in the form of a bunch of peonies from Columbia Flower Market so we’re not ready to trek for hours. We got on the train from Waterloo at 10.30 and got there just in time for lunch, after a 10-minute cab ride from the Brockenhurst station.

We were greeted by the Head Chef, James Golding, who explained to us what The Pig is all about – the 25 mile menu (see below), the seasonality, the herbs garden, the locally bred cattle etc. If I was just a tiny bit skeptical about how a chef who’s worked for Le Caprice, J Sheekey and the Savoy could do in the midst of the countryside, I was just about to find my explanation. The Pig estate IS a chef’s playground and a food lover’s paradise.

What really sets The Pig apart for me, having been to a number of country hotels where the only “country” you could actually enjoy without a car was a purely decorative artificial pond and a couple of flower beds, was the surrounding farm and the walled garden which is not just decorative but makes the “from farm to fork” ethos a reality.

We did have a tour of the impressive grounds and the walled garden with James and Jo, the resident gardener for The Pig. All guests can enjoy the same tour- in fact, you can even go on a foraging tour in the New Forest with The Pig resident forager and pick your lunch, literally. In the walled garden, traditional British vegetables like rhubarb and cabbage grow alongside continental and exotic varieties- I spotted some Italian herbs, radicchio, arugula and even “agretti”,  a specialty of Roma similar to samphire. There were also species I had never heard of, like sea celery; it grows in the shadows, and even though it looks a bit like celery the flavour and smell are completely different, similar to kelp or algae – in fact, it reminded me of the typical “beach in winter” smell in my seaside hometown.

Walking amongst the allotments, picking leaves and eating them raw to enjoy the pure, unadulterated smell and flavour of fresh vegs (who knew Red Mizuna can taste so good?) made me feel twenty years younger – and also quite hungry thinking of the lunch that would be cooked with them.

Same goes- sorry vegetarians- for the pigs, quails and hens raised on the premises, including a rare breed of Kune Kune pigs. I think it’s very true that happy pigs make good pigs, and definitely not just the the piglets but all animals here are having a good life.

The Pig also has possibly the smallest spa in the world – it’s called The Potting Shed, a tiny, cute shack on the pond, where you can enjoy massages and facials disturbed only by the ducks quacking. Personally, I’d save my dosh for more of the amazingly fresh food, but if you’re into this kind of things this is certainly a spa like no other.

(more on The Pig on the next post- this time, it’ s all about the food!) 

Disclosure: I was a guest of The Pig for lunch and travel.

The post Hotel review: The Pig, New Forest, Brockenhurst – part #1 appeared first on The F World.

I am guilty of excessive Instagramming as much as the next food blogger – I try to contain myself to one, hopefully good, picture a day, although sometimes enthusiasm pushes me to break my self-imposed rules (cue spectacular multi-courses dinner which I know I’ll never have the patience to blog before months but looks oh-so-good with a Mayfair filter).

There’s no excuse for the compulsive, continuous use of Instagram by a foodie: it’s lazy, it’s navel-gazing, it’s annoying, it’s unhealthy (try to eat a salad while looking at an endless stream of yummy food). But…some creative markejting person thought- what if your social media addiction could do good? Like, for instance, making you think about food-related issues, like food waste and its counterpart, hunger due to food scarcity? US-based charity Action Against Hunger has an app for that.

The “Auction against Hunger” launched by AAH in the UK is now all the rage on Twitter, although only the happy few can hope to bag prizes lots such as ‘going to a restaurant for a review with Jay Rayner . Whilst I am sure this must be good fun if Jay’s conversation is as entertainingly sarcastic as his reviews, and would do almost anything to be pals with Marina O’Loughlin and discuss Italian food, I think me bidding would involve selling a kidney so I’ll pass.

Overseas, instead, things are a bit less highbrow so Action Against Hunger has come up with a clever idea to give a charitable makeover to our favourite self-indulging hobby. Give Your Calories is a free smartphone app which invites you to snap what you’re eating, calculates (roughly, I hope) how many calories are in there, and then prompts you to donate a proportional amount of money - $1 for less than 200 calories – a rare feat on Instagram unless you’re shooting flowers or cupcake crumbles- $2 up to 300, $5 up to 400 and then $1 more for each extra 100 kcal. You can also scan barcodes or ‘educate” your app to recognise foods you consume often.

So far, Give your Calories (made by Belgian digital agency Happiness Brussels – a company whose name is an oxymoron has recorded 185,000 calories worldwide and given Action For Hunger not just money buth also buzz and space in the media.

Personally, I am in two minds about this initiative. On one hand, I don’t like charities trying to elicit donations by making me go on a guilt trip (and this one is a Road 66-proportion trip, making you think of both YOUR growing waistline and OTHER PEOPLE’S starving). On the other hand, as a marketing person I appreciate the creative twist, and joking aside both over-nutrition and under-nutrition are serious issues, so anything raising awareness and money is welcome.

What’s your take? Tell me in the comments (and of course, let’s follow each other on Instagram -I’m @TheFWorldBlog)

Bonus: a cute infographic profiling the “Instagram Junkie” (to take with a pinch of salt and self-irony).

Infographic credits: Flowton and Columnfivemedia (original here)

The post Instagram, food, social good- there’s an app for that appeared first on The F World.

These days, you and I probably get most of our food and new openings news from Twitter or other online sources- as great as that is, it’s still a welcome surprise to actually “discover” something in the non-virtual world, as in literally bumping into it on a street, not in a retweet from some better-informed-than-you blogger. I recently moved to Shoreditch and I do spend lots of time around the Hoxton/Kingsland Rd area- mostly looking for something different from the overrated, lookalike Vietnamese restaurants, burger joints and bars full of people so young I feel maternal instincts towards them. Walking past Hoxton Overground Station, I noticed that three of the brick arches under the railway were been refurbished and was immediately curious – of course, googling was the inevitable next step and so I found out there was already quite a lot of buzz about Beagle London.

Left- pigeon terrine and red cabbage; right: grilled squid and aioli

Beagle has a bar area, serving cocktails and British craft beers, whose main attraction is what the Standard review calls “a secret weapon” (mixologist Myles Davies, formerly at Hix and Viajante) and a restaurant with about 40-50 covers, run by head chef James Ferguson (you may remember him from Rochelle Canteen). The bar doesn’t take bookings and serves bar food, restaurant does. We went to Beagle London on a Friday night and it was packed on both the bar and restaurant area, with a nice vibe, unspoilt by the occasional noise and trembling from the train tracks. I must say, as fleeting the deifnition of “vibe” is, for me Beagle “has it”. It feels buzzing and “now” without trying too hard – no scensters, gimmicks, secret doors, circus freaks + wannabe models staff and the whole Shoreditch shebang. Also, the clientele is as young and trendy as you would expect but slightly more grown up than nearby venues and for me this is a good thing, old bitter lady that I am . We sipped a couple well-crafted cocktails (I am not an expert, but making something “pine-infused” not taste like WC wash takes skills) before heading to our table.

The decor is fairly minimalistic, with dark wood nicely complementing the brick walks and soft warm light helping to mask that Friday night tired-after-a-hard-week look (at least, mine). The kitchen is partially visible under another smaller arch, and and always I tried to get as close to the action as possible. I didn’t see the wood grill, but I certainly tasted it on my steak and possibly on the squid started as well.

The food at Beagle seems to be as quietly brilliant as the settings- I guess the correct label for it is “modern British”, with the required “seasonal” twist (cue wild garlic and other spring greens). The menu is unpretentious, with safe crowd pleasers such as steak and chips and pork chops as mains, and more inventiveness displayed in starters (pigeon terrine and a kohlrabi and radish salad) and desserts. I liked the fact the wine list is reasonably priced and offers a bit more variety than usual, with an Italian wine from my region as well (Pecorino – although not a great label and hard to pair with such hearty food).

Highlights were a perfectly cooked squid – deceptively simple to make, as it toughens up easily when on the grill-  with pungent aioli, and the tasty onglet steak with an interesting umami kick from the anchovy sauce. Chips in duck fat were equally satisfying and very crisp- I make it a point of only eating chips when they’re worth the calories and these definitely were.

On the other hand, a pigeon terrine was a bit too gamey, with big chunks of fat which I think not even the craziest venison-lover would have enjoyed, and the lovely, moist braised veal was slightly spoiled by a weak polenta – which was a bit on the watery side. Pistachio ice cream was nice enough if not mind-blowing. But I am being very critical. Overall, the food was tasty, fresh and plentiful and for all starter well under a tenner and mains mostly <£15, very very good value.

Accompanied by friendly and knowledgeable service (a rare breed in Shoreditch – oh and did I mention my pet peeve for uber-hypster “I am cooler than thou” staff? Did I really? Ok sorry) our dinner at Beagle London was thoroughly enjoyable and I can definitely see myself becoming a regular – especially when the so called British summer finally kicks in and the outside area opens. That should also help with the difficulty of actually dining there at the moment- we tried a walk-in on Wednesday night at at 9.30 PM there was not a single free seat. I can definitely see why but I really hope I can be back at Beagle soon.

Have you tried Beagle London? Any other suggestions for place in Shoreditch/Hoxton serving honest, good value food in cool settings? Let me know in the comments 

Related articles

• New London restaurant and bar openings, March 2013 (telegraph.co.uk)

The post Beagle London Bar and Restaurant appeared first on The F World.

Where?

The Clove Club at the Shoreditch Town Hall. During the day, the space is even nicer as it’s flood by an amazing light (yes, even in this not-so-springy-Spring) and the period details are highlighted. Lunch is served in the bar area, whilst the main hall is closed to the public.

When?

On a Saturday lunch. The Clove Club has just started lunch service and it is working Tuesday to Saturday, with dishes from the bar menu plus two or three mains. We booked on a Tuesday and got a lovely table near the window, but I suspect this is going to be a popular spot so recommend to book well in advance (details and hours here). The good news is, you can also eat at the bar counter if tables are full.

What?

As said, The Clove Club lunch menu is a selection of sharing dishes and mains- one meat, one fish and one vegetarian (not depicted on the menu above); strangely, I was very tempted by the no-meat option as duck egg and morel mushrooms sounded quite good. We went for a starter we loved our our first dinner visit- a light plate of fresh radishes with a gochujang cream and black sesame. The star of the show, though, was the wood pigeon sausages and homemade ketchup dish; not one for the faint-hearted as it was definitely gamey and rich, but one of the most delicious incarnations of a sausage I have ever had. And even thought Heinz is in most cases all you really need in terms of ketchup, here the hint of chilli in the sauce balanced the musky taste just right.

Mains: the rib cap of beef with mushroom sauce and aioli, which also appeared in the tasting menu, had a different presentation this time which we liked even more, with thinner slices of perfectly pink meat and some seriously crunchy/creamy potato croquettes. I chose the hake and was afraid I would get “steak envy” (the well known phenomenon of going for the “healthier option” and then ending up drooling over your fellow diner slab of meat). I cannot vouch for my fish to be healthy – as I mentioned, The Clove Club chef does love his dairy, but so do I – but dear, it was tasty, with its sumptuous sauce of cream, bacon and onions and a pretty ribbon of celeriac. Alas, my favourite dish from the first visit, the black leg chicken, was not available so I will have to go back for more!

Coffee and desserts were good- nice choice selling eclairs by the unit if you don’t feel like eating a whole pudding.

How much?

With a £40 bottle of wine (an agreeable and too very easy to drink Nero D’Avola from Sicily), the whole feast came up to just under £100 for two, which is very reasonable if not exactly cheap. It seems to be priced to the same level as the Corner Room, which has a well-known bargain lunch menu, and the Sunday lunch at Brawn; both are my local favourites but definitely the Clove Club is now on my “autopilot choices for post-Friday meals” radar.

The open kitchen at The Clove Club is a joy for the eyes and a welcome addition of warmth to the room

Why? Yay or nay?

Before somebody thinks I’m on the restaurant payroll, I’ll say it one more time – YES, the Clove Club lunch is a great food experience and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Curious about it? Read my review of the dinner tasting menu at the Clove Club

The post The Clove Club Lunch- a Food Memo appeared first on The F World.

This blog is turning one year old (!) and we’ll be having a bit of a birthday celebration over the month of April for its many -many more than I ever expected- loyal readers, and also for the occasional ones.

You can win yourself a brand new copy of Gizzi’Erskine new book “Skinny weekends, weekend feasts” – hardcover, a lovely heavy proper book ready to be splattered all over with stains of food as you cook Gizzi’s moutwatering recipes in your own kitchen. The red Chinese lions are not up for grabs in the giveaway, sorry- although they’re friggin’ cool I know.

And when I say mouthwatering recipes, I don’t mean just the “Wicked” weekend recipes- you’ll be surprised to discover that even the so-called skinny weeks include yummy dishes and none of the silly fasting which seems so en vogue now. Much better than the sad cup of cardboard diet cereals we’ve all been scoffing for dinner at some point in our lives to try and stave off those extra pounds (being a food blogger doesn’t help, but so doesn’t sugary processed carbs from the cereals).

Entering the blog giveaway is very easy and each of the methods below count as additional chances to win :

• log in with your email and answer this question: what’s your favourite cookbook? It can be a chef/restaurant cookbook or even your Mum’s scribbled notebook (+3 entries)
• “like” Into The F World Facebook page (+1 entry); commenting not required, but it’s nice
• follow @intothefworld on Twitter (+1 entry)
• tweet about the giveaway (+2 entries); the tweet is generated automatically by the magical tech  elves of Rafflecopter and you can do this every day (+2 entries each time).

Easy- peasy. I will draw a winner on Saturday April 6th and ship the prize as soon as it’s claimed. One lucky person will get to enjoy not just some great recipes from Gizzi but also the colorful, quirky design of this cookbook- including some seriously rockin’ illustrations in pure B-movie style. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

From food porn to food punk? Why I chose this book

In case you were wondering- why this book for the blog giveaway? I recently wrote about my post-binge nausea with TV cooks and cooking shows, so this may sound a bit contradictory. But I like Gizzi’s “food punk” just as much as I’m growing to dislike “food porn” as we know it. I don’t know her personally (why wouldn’t I, not being much of a food socialite) but I find her, her personality and approach to food refreshing.

Just today, the Guardian depicted her as slashing fellow women chef on TV and some controversy arose on Twitter. I am sure some journalist looking for some extra clicks may have twisted her words- but even if it wasn’t so, go Gizzi! It’s about time someone rebels against this not-so-invisible divide where men on TVs are “chefs”, manly butchering chops of meat or experimenting with foams and nitrogen, whilst women “cooks” make wee cupcakes and bake biscuits (how revolutionary!). Now- I like cake as much as the next girl, and many of my online and offline friends – male and female- bake great stuff, but let’s move over the idea that to be a woman you have to like pastel-coloured icing , ok? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do “the boys’ thing”!

So, I hope you enjoy this blog giveaway- if this first one gets a good response I may consider holding more, so let me know what your favourite cookbook is and it may be the next prize! Good luck everyone…

THE BORING LEGAL STUFF (RULES & DETAILS)

• You must be over 18 to enter this competition.
• The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Saturday 6th April 2013.
• The winner will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
• Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
• The prize is a copy of the “Skinny Weeks, Weekend Feasts” book by Gizzi Erskine (hardcover version) and includes free delivery within the UK.
• The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
• One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. One Facebook entry per person only. You do not have to enter all three ways for your entries to be valid.
• For Twitter entries, winners must be following @intothefworld at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like The F World Facebook page at time of notification.
• Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
• The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

The post Birthday blog giveaway: win Gizzi Erskine’s cookbook appeared first on The F World.

I recently visited Shoryu again- and again (I am very thorough in my quest for the best ramen in London, hard work I know) and thought of writing a little update. I visited with a group of blogger friends (including Kavey Eats, Mr.Noodles, London Tasting, Feast To The World and Feed The Tang) and we noticed several differences, additions to the menu and some improvements – and some things still to improve as well.

In short:

- many new items on the menu: most notably, a new type of Tonkotsu (Karaka Tan Tan Tonkotsu, which sounds a lot like Bone Daddies Tan Tan Mien) spicy and with minced pork- I had it, and it’s very very good; new miso-based broths; a smoked salmon noodle salad and a wider selection of noodles including gluten- free ones.

- fresh ramen noodles (hosomen or hakata noodles- thin, square and chewy) are available to buy for a very reasonable price, if you want to replicate the ramen at home – or more realistically in my case to dress with spring onions and soy sauce and eat them Chinese-style

- lots of new sides/starters: we tried the wakame salad with cucumber and avocado and the Shishito (AKA roast padron peppers), both very nice additions; for the rest, we sticked to the classic dumplings and fried chicken (good but frankly unmemorable). I am very curious to try more on future visits, especially from the selection of sushi and sahimi dishes, and homemade onigiri. 

You can see all of the changes on the Shoryu website so I won’t bother you further.

About the ramen itself- I liked it first time, but like many others (including authoritative voices like Guardian’s Marina O’Loughlin and Asian food guru blogger ‘Eat Love Noodles’) had noticed that the toppings didn’t match the quality of the tonkotsu broth. As I said previously, Shoryu manager Tak Tokumine has been laudably open to feedback from customers and has since the opening made many tweaks to its recipes and suppliers, and even in this case things have changed for the better. 

On my last visit the cha siu pork slices, if still not extraordinary, were a nice mix of fatty and lean layers, and are now served in a separate bowl with other toppings. Even the nitamago egg was now properly soft inside- because obviously, you need an egg yolk into a 20-hour-cooked pork broth with pork slices and minced pork, right? well I do especially when I am breaking my 5:2 diet fast day (but that’s another story). I am not sure if there has been a change in the tonkotsu broth itself, after some critics suggested it was somewhat weak and not flavoursome enough- I honestly found it excellent both times, so haven’t much to say on this front.

Speaking of changes and improvement- credit also goes to Bone Daddies, the ramen bar in nearby Soho, for listening to customers and always trying to improve. Competition is always good, and competition to be the best ramen in London is even better I hear that the almost overwhelming saltiness-porkiness of the broth has been rebalanced, so I’ll be revisiting Bone Daddies soon to see if my impression from the first two visits has to be updated too.

Although I refuse to face reality cant’ be arsed to compute the calories from a recipe couldn’t find anywhere reliable info on how many calories a bowl of tonkotsu ramen may have, my gut feeling is more than enough for a meal (not to talk about things like saturated fat and salt) – with so many places to try out and try again, and my hate of the food bloggers’ religion fo running, now you see why I need the 5:2 AKA the fast diet? Seriously, if anyone has info on the nutritional values for ramen, how many calories in tonkotsu/miso variety? please shout in the comments…

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• Ramen (patriciaangelika.wordpress.com)
• Collection Spotlight: Best Ramen in NYC! (mytapin.com)

The post Still the best ramen in London? Shoryu new menu appeared first on The F World.

Where?

Cocoro is a Japanese restaurant in Marylebone, not far from Bond Street station and from the way more famous (at least amongst trendy London foodies) Patty and Bun. I bumped into a huge queue of people shivering in the cold outside the burger joint, whilst Cocoro was only half- full. I am not sure when Cocoro opened, but my guess is more than a few years ago as the place looks quite “lived in” and is not as upscale as you could imagine for a Marylebone address. The restaurant has two floors, the upper one pretty nondescript, the lower one with the characteristic low tables and tatami sitting in cubicles, next to a small bar area. There’s where we sat, next to an inordinate amount of sake bottles…

When?

On a drab Friday night in January (which might as well have been a March night), myself, Pooja- the charming writer of Table For One blog – and a friend met to try a lesser-known ramen in our quest for the best ramen in London, after having visited the obligatory new London spots – Tonkotsu, Bone Daddies and Shoryu ramen. The three of us had to sit at the bar as every other table was full, mostly of Japanese families and businessmen.

The spicy tonkotsu at Cocoro looks a fiery red, but it’s actually milky white underneath. Topping are quite scarce and the nitamago (poached egg) was overcooked

What?

Pooja and I were in just for one reason: tonkotsu ramen! So we couldn’t help but order it, although the sushi menu seemed tempting. The comparison game is quite addictive after you’ve tasted a few ramen you start being quite fussy about dissecting the elements (broth, noodles and toppings) to elect the “best ramen”… So it was tonkotsu and spicy tonkotsu for us with a side of soft shell crab, whilst our fellow diner had takoyaki (octopus balls) and char siu pork.

Sides were unremarkable, on the verge of dull, and in quite small portions. The slathering of mayo didn’t really do much to help (cue- I hate mayo).

The tonkotsu at Cocoro comes naked, with all the toppings on the side- so it’s easy to notice that the pork portion is VERY tiny (especially for the Marylebone price tag) and not looking very appealing- however, it was tasty and with a good fat/meat balance. I like the sprinkling of black sesame as well.

The tonkotsu broth was a winner- not as salty as in Shoryu, but tastier than at Tonkotsu and as creamy as the one at Bone Daddies, although less smacking-lips-fatty. The spicy version had just enough hotness in it for me. What really made it for me was the ramen- I wouldn’t know what it is, but the hakata (thin, wavy ramen) at Cocoro beat even the good one at Shoryu. It’s chewy, springy and tasty…too bad there’s only about a ladle of it! If I had a bigger stomach and wallet I’d easily ask for seconds.

How Much?

Too much. At £14 for a smallish bowl of tonkotsu, this was probably not the best ramen in London but certainly one of the most expensive noodle dish I ever had  - although it’s a filling £14. The problem really comes with the sides and the other dishes- in our case, they weren’t good and two tiny starters and a meat main plus two ramen and water (no booze!) amounted to almost than £30 per head. You can do plenty with that money in any of the other ramen joints, including some serious cocktails, or at classics like Koya – with much better side dishes. I kept looking at the nearby tables where groups feasted on endless trays of sushi and couldn’t help but think of the bills- sorry, I am unredeemably working class, a bit like Grace Dent but just not rich now

Why? Yay or Nay? Is it the best ramen in London?

Not really. Too bad for the noodles, which at Cocoro are really delicious, and the broth. But unless you’re stranded in Marylebone with some pounds burning a hole in your pocket, there are probably better options (not last, the nearby Providores if you go easy on the wine, or Patty and Bun if you like queues). As much as I wanted to discover the “hidden gem” amongst the London ramen, I am afraid Cocoro has been surpassed by the newer joints in terms of quality, vibe and value for money.

Those noodles at Cocoro, though…were dreamy. Does anyone knows what makes hakata noodles soo good (or bad?) 

Related articles

• Ramen Anatomy (ramenrun.com)
• Tonkotsu. That is all there is. (nicolarichmond.wordpress.com)
• The Battle Of Tonkotsu (eatlovenoodles.com)

The post “Best ramen in London” part 3: Cocoro, Marylebone appeared first on The F World.