Albannach, 66 Trafalgar Square, London. WC2N 5DS

Pre-theatre dining can be a tense, rushed affair.  Set menus are limited.  Service is too fast to be pleasant.  Atmosphere can be lacking. Albannach on Trafalgar Square was none of those things.  It proved to be an oasis of calm, in the Bank Holiday Monday early-evening slot before mine and H’s theatre trip. 

It's a quirky place.  A highly contemporary style, isn't one that you would normally associate with a Scottish bar/restaurant, which boasts a huge collection of single malt whiskies.  The huge white-sparkly-deer-antler décor, was much to H’s liking,  and it was happy hour, so rather than whisky, we happily indulged in champagne cocktails at a mere £4 each. Service was courteous and professional, and not at all rushed.  Prices are high (expected given the location), but we were dining on a 50% off offer, which made everything very reasonable, particularly as we could choose anything from the a la carte menu, and weren’t limited to a pre-theatre set menu.

Whilst the food wasn’t ground-breaking (and sadly, I wasn’t hungry enough to order the haggis – which is a shame- I love haggis), it was certainly very prettily presented,  and warrants a few pictures. Enjoy! 

 Seared Cornish Scallops, with butternut squash, pea puree and crispy bacon

Scottish girolle open ravioli with sage butter and parmesan

The Hinds Head, High Street, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AB

It's exciting to go somewhere that you recognise from the telly!  It was a special occasion, and neither of us had ever been to Heston Blumenthal's Hinds Head in Bray, despite living so nearby.  Billed as his more accessible restaurant (ie, we only had two book around 10 days in advance, and hopefully the experience wasn't going to bankrupt us),  my parents and sister had already visited, and had given it rave reviews (my sister particularly raving about triple fried chips and the best pie she had ever tasted). 

Rated as Michelin Pub of the Year in 2011, I wasn't sure whether it would be more like a pub, or a restaurant.   Our booking was at 8.45pm on a Friday, but it was very busy as we arrived, and it certainly did seem like any busy pub at upon first appearances.  We were a little early, but we were immediately shown to our table in the much more tranquil restaurant upstairs.  A cosy, low-timbered room, with a warm atmosphere, the majority of the tables were full, but we'd been given an optimal large table in the corner of the room, so we had plenty of space.  It reminded me of a brilliant place I'd eaten at in Germany, in a watermill. 

Everything exuded quality and attention to detail, from the service, to the super-light, shapely water glasses (lovely, the waitress agreed, but a nightmare to clean).    The dinner menu looked great but eye-wateringly pricey (steak and chips for £26 - although nothing compared to The Fat Duck's offerings at £180 per head), but the three course set menu, with two options for each course was bargainous in comparison, at just £27.50 each.

Naturally, we took great pleasure in ordering "everything from the set menu," as it all looked appealing, and we intended to each try a bit of everything.  Having heard so much about the triple-friend chips, we ordered one of those too. 

The service was spot on: very friendly and incredibly professional.  (Although perhaps re-folding my napkin when I was away from the table was a bit too much!)  We admitted that our plan was to share, and we were immediately bought enough cutlery to be able to share each of the six dishes we'd ordered between us. We were assured that "anything is possible at The Hinds Head" and it certainly seemed that was true.

Although there was no mention of beer on the drinks menu, when we passed the downstairs bar, D had spotted locally brewed (in my home town of Marlow) Rebellion's Smuggler, which was in very good condition.  I went for pink and fizzy Rose de'Salici Brut Col de'Salici  - a delightful fruity prosecco.

There was bread to nibble on, but it wasn't long before the starters arrived.  These were truly excellent.  The Pea and Ham Soup was the ultimate comfort food.  Very green (and served in something was was not dissimilar to to a mini-cauldron), it was full of very fresh whole peas, and delicious chunks of ham.  The flavour, texture and quality of ingredients were astounding. 

It was so good, I wasn't very keen to share it, but I'm glad I did, as I got to sample the other starter - the Tea-Smoked Salmon with Soda Bread, which was exquisite.  D described it as the best smoked salmon he'd ever tasted, and I could see why.  It had a complex, delicate flavour and almost melt-in-the-mouth consistency.  It was quite brilliant.  (We also very much liked how the wedge of lemon was ingeniously covered in a little 'jacket' to catch the pips as you squeezed it). 

With truly top-notch starters, the bar had been set very high.  When mains arrived, we were perhaps a little concerned that pie looked a little... petite.  The macaroni dish looked impressive - not at all cheesy, but beautifully gratinated with tiny pasta, so that it almost looked like rice, with a poached egg delicately balanced on top.

The fears of the pie being too small were completely unfounded, given the richness of the dish.  Lovely pastry packed with the chicken and ham - there was very little sauce, just really good quality ingredients.  The macaroni was in a different universe to the tinned macaroni cheese of my childhood (which holds a special place in my heart as comfort food).  The tiny pasta shapes, were bound with such flavoursome wild mushrooms, that they almost tasted fruity.  The dish sung with flavour, but was very rich, so again, I was glad we were sharing, as a full portion would have been difficult to eat single-handedly. 

The triple fried chips were chunky, salty and very very crunchy.

Utterly stuffed, we asked for a little break before dessert time.  We enjoyed the ambience and relaxed feel of the restaurant, and marvelled at how close it was to Maidenhead Rail station.  We commented on how the toilets were the second best D had ever seen (he said they lost a point for not having real fluffy handtowels), but we both agreed the cool 50s style made for very nice bathrooms.

In preparation for dessert, we were handed this introductory note for the 'Quaking Pudding':

I still wasn't entirely sure whether a 17th Century pudding was going to be tasty, but I knew there was always going to be the fallback option of the blackberry fool (and in normal circumstances, I was too full for dessert anyway).

The desserts then made their grand entrance.  The pudding was as promised 'quaking' and wobbling away, as if it had a life of it's own (whilst the blackberry fool looked more conventional), but had the unexpected added bonus of pistachios. 

Forgetting how full I was, I dug into the Quaking Pudding, and was almost taken aback by how familiar the taste was.  The warm flavours of cardamom, cinammon, a hint of ginger, in a milky base, meant it tasted exactly like 'chai' (indian tea, just like my mum makes).  It was quite disorientating to taste something that was so reminiscent of home in such a restaurant, but it was absolutely delicious.  Ingeniously, it was served with what looked like cucumber, but was actually delicate slivers of sweet and tangy sugared apple. 

The blackberry fool was very creamy, but well punctuated by the blackberries, pistachios, meringue pieces and a hint of aniseed - delightful.

We'd come to the end of our food extravaganza.  Expectations had been high but the food, service and atmosphere were absolutely perfect, and I couldn't recommend The Hinds Head highly enough.   

Cake of the day: Cel's Chocolate and Banana Cake of Joy

 After cooking us a Sri Lankan banquet, Cel told us there was no dessert..."apart from some cake", lowering expectations with the tone of her voice.

But this wasn't any old cake.  Cel makes amazing cake, and this huge tray bake was warm, gooey with chocolate and moist with chunks of banana.  Rich, comforting and delicious, it was a proper pud.  As full as we were, we all found space for a generous helping.  It was wonderful!

Canteen, Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX

I love Canteen - I love how it avoids being pretentious or over-priced, even after winning numerous awards, and even  when all four of it's restaurants are located in the most central London locations.  But it is of course, this simplicity that is central to Canteen's ethos, as well as an emphasis on British, seasonal good quality ingredients.

This was my second visit to the Canteen at the Southbank centre location.  Sitting outdoors, surrounded by all the appealing aromas and hustle and bustle of the weekly food market, made for a fantastic atmosphere, even though it was a strange time to eat (5pm on a Sunday).  This isn't a problem at Canteen, who advocate "casual all day dining".  My previous visit had been just for tea and cake, which wasn't a problem at all to the friendly and efficient staff.

D was delighted by the real ale selection, particularly due to the appearance of several dark beers.  His choice of  'Moorhouse's Black Cat' -  is award winning, and impressive as it's one he has only ever previously seen at beer festivals.  He very much enjoyed it's chocolately, malty taste, whilst I was more than happy with my restorative pot of Teapigs Earl Grey.

The menu consists largely of various daily specials.  There is a daily soup, pie, roast and 'day boat fish', as well as all day breakfast/brunch dishes, traditionally British mains and puddings.  Sensibly, children are offered half portions at half price.  Fantastically, there is a separate 'cakes' section, on the menu.

D went for the roast of the day, which was beef, and he felt the quality was excellent.  He liked how it was presented in a tower with roast potatoes, carrots, cabbage, gravy and the largest yorkshire pud I have ever seen.  (It's non-perfect shape was pleasing).  The beef was very tender and each of the components tasty and well cooked.  There was only one thing D would change...he remarked that "most people would probably want less cabbage, and young men with hearty appetites (like me) would want one more potato."  Specific feedback indeed!

Mine was a posh chicken and chips (but not being very posh, I ate it with my hands.  The best way to enjoy food).  They roast a free-range chicken at lunch and dinnertime, and serve it first come first served, with garlic mayo and super crispy chips.  It was heaven on a plate.  Perfectly cooked, crispy skin, generous in portion size.  Wonderful!

Very sadly, I found myself without a camera, or room for dessert.  But not to worry, here's a picture of the incredible chocolate and beetroot cake, sampled upon my last visit with K.  The cake was almost velvety in nature, and very soft and moist as a result of the beetroot.  It's still on the menu.  You should go and try it.

Sorbitum Ices at The Real Food Market, The Southbank Centre

Sorbitum Ices  is such a small operation, I can't even find a website for it.  Exhibiting from a retro caravan at the Real Food Market at The Southbank Centre, their board, advertising 'Dark Chocolate Sorbet' immediately grabbed my attention.

I've become a bit of a sorbet connoisseur of late, having taken up a dairy-free diet.  Fruity sorbet is great, as is boozy sorbet, but chocolate?  I'd never seen such a thing before!  So how could I resist?

A small variety of exciting flavours (some ice-cream), were on offer, all home made by the seller.  Made with 70% dark chocolate, the sorbet had the consistency of ice-cream, and tasted darkly delicious.  Dairy-free but with a creamy texture and flavour.  It was entirely wonderful!  £2 for a generous scoop, it was the highlight of the entire market for me.

So, whilst I can't direct you to a website, or even a photo, you too can sample this yumminess, as the Real Food Market  is currently running weekly, from Friday to Sunday outside the Southbank Centre!  Go find the Sorbitum caravan of joy!

Foodies Festival, Battersea Park, 29 July 2011

Many thanks to Kathleen for providing all of the photographs

2011 had taken me to numerous beer festivals, but Foodies Festival was the first gastronomic festival experience of the year. The weather could not have been better in lovely Battersea Park - perfect for some Pimms, which we sipped as we gained our bearings.

Smaller than the ubiquitous Taste festivals (which I do enjoy, but which can end up very pricey, especially with their festival ‘currency’ feature), the atmosphere at Foodies was relaxed, and more focused on small producers, rather than big name restaurants. We’d got bargainous tickets through a discount website, so we were open-minded without high expectations.


We snuck into the back of one of the demonstration tents, (and even got a seat), and felt like we were watching a live version of Saturday Kitchen! We learned a handy hint for accessing whether meat was cooked – by sticking a metal skewer into the meat for 10 seconds, and then placing that skewer on your lips to feel if it was hot. A bit risky for my liking, but as the chef pronounced, “if you overcook meat, you deserve burned lips!”


Nibbling on a variety of free food samples (some yummy chilli jams, slivers of scotch eggs, sweets), we found places we wanted to try for lunch. On the way, we also sampled some exciting beverages – the highlight being St Germain  – wonderful elderflower liqueur served with white wine. Classy and beautiful!


K settled on Nigerian food, being unusual enough for her not to encounter in everyday life. She opted for very red jollof rice with beef and plaintain. She loved it – the rice was very moist and tomatoey and the whole dish was full of flavour.

My lunch choice was paella – not with the usual ingredients, but instead with apple and pork! My £5 bought me a huge portion, which I couldn’t even finish of the best paella I’ve ever tasted. There were wonderful deep flavours, from the sweetness of the apple to the savouriness of the rice which was also packed with aubergines and peas as well as the pork. A perfect mix of textures and bold flavours made this wonderful.

The heat was increasing, so dessert needed to be cold. We headed to Yee Kwan’s ice-cream stall, and tried a sample of flavours before settling on our favourites. K had cardamom ice-cream which was divinely different to any kind of ice-cream she’d ever had. My mojito sorbet was perfect for the heat of the day, tangy and fruity in an understated way. We found a shady spot under a tree, and felt all was good with the world.

After all the eating, we needed a rest. As ever, when I am in need of fortification I find myself drawn to tea. Tregothnan  didn’t just offer any old tea though – far more excitingly, they allowed you to make your own blend of tea! You could mix traditional black teas, earl grey, manuka, lemon verbena, peppermint, nettle and chamomile – most of which I did mix, with slightly over-potent results. K was far more restrained, and her blend of nettle and peppermint was a delightfully refreshing affair.

 After a cuppa, it was time for some education. We snuck into a demonstration tent to watch a wonderful demonstration of how to make lavender and vanilla infused chocolate truffles by Fiona Sciolti, Artisan Chocolatier. She demonstrated mixing double cream and honey, bringing to the boil, and then infusing overnight with lavender and a vanilla pod. Then, straining through some muslin (or a clean jay cloth), she added melted dark chocolate, along with some soft butter. Once cooled, the mixture was piped or scraped into truffles with a spoon, and then rolled in a mixture of cocoa and icing sugar. I was inspired, but perhaps more tempted to just buy some that she prepared earlier.

All that chocolate and made us hungry again, and we tucked into a final treat from The Dessert Deli, a local Battersea purveyor of delights, created by Laura Amos. All the products were gorgeously presented. I went for a shot of Belgian chocolate mousse with crunchy home made honeycomb topping, which was wonderfully dark and creamy, whilst K went for a summer berry tartlet, which was also highly recommended.

All in all – a wonderful discovery of a food festival – we left utterly stuffed and very happy!