The Commonwealth Kitchen, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AP

It was a moment to savour – I had finally discovered an exceptional restaurant in the most touristy part of London! Minutes from Trafalgar Square, The Commonwealth Kitchen is the holy trinity of special, affordable and fantastically located. Part of the Commonwealth Club, K had the pleasure of having visited previously due to her Foreign Office connections. If you weren’t in the know, you’d walk right by, (perhaps reflected in the fact that we were the only guests in the restaurant on a Tuesday night). However, the restaurant is open to non-members, and a long running special offer on this website, or the alternative of a bargainous set menu, makes it incredibly good value.

The restaurant is modern and sleek, but retains character with its artwork and eye-catching features, including a huge clock elevated over the dining room. We may have been the only diners in a large space, but it didn’t matter – the nicely designed circular booth counteracted the vastness of the room, and the friendliness of the staff ensured the atmosphere was relaxed.

We chose from the a la carte (which changes monthly), although the set price menu would also have been absolutely fine. Even though the menu was short, it offered many exciting options, even for me, the temporary (and somewhat reluctant) vegetarian.

We’d barely received our excellent glasses of Chardonnay, and Slovenian Quercus Pinot Bianco, when we were treated to complementary nibbles of parmesan palmiers, and a tasty hand-made crisps. This nice touch was followed by another, when we chose from a selection of beautifully presented bread. Far more exciting than your usual selection, I had a chilli option, and K some pain de campagne (country bread). The excitement didn’t end there; as we were then presented with an amuse bouche of a cherry tomato stuffed with mozzarella, which was simple but special.

Finally, we got onto mains proper. My chilled cucumber and mint soup was good for the warm evening, and presented like a drink! The richness of Westcombe cheddar scones (which were three cute little squares of sesame seed topped cheesy goodness) were a scrumptious contrast to the cool minty flavour.

K’s Soya barbeque Rhug estate pork belly, with pickled Norfolk radish, green tea and apple puree, was prettily presented with bite sized pieces of pork, topped with delicate slivers of radish.

We’d both opted for vegetarian main courses. K’s bubble and squeak, with glazed shallot, caramelised English chicory and butternut squash, had a brilliantly home-cooked flavour, but my main course won the prize for the best presentation!

This is NOT dessert

 

Looking like a sweet cheesecake with a raspberry coulis, my tastebuds were confounded by the deeply savory St Tola goats cheese cake, with beetroot, toasted pine nut hollandaise and swiss chard. Truly, this had top marks for presentation, and was a huge portion size, especially considering the richness of the creamy cheese, which was tempered by the beetroot.

Utterly stuffed, we didn’t have room for a dessert, but our curiosity got the better of us. We’d both been eyeing up the suitably summery strawberries gratin, blondie, champagne sabayon and balsamic ice cream, and finally decided that sharing one between us wouldn’t hurt (we convinced ourselves that portions would be small).

We were of course wrong, as a very generous portion of dessert (which looked like a main course), arrived. It was just too tasty to be concerned about being full. The sweetness of a blondie (a sugar version of a brownie of course), a foamy sabayon and coolness of the ice-cream was utterly divine with the strawberry pieces. It was a fantastic dessert – far more exciting than options found on most menus.

All in all, this really was one of the best meals I’d had in a long time. Being vegetarian hadn’t been an issue at all, and the entire experience was lovely from start to end. The staff were exemplary and all the food had been exciting and extremely tasty. I will certainly be coming here again!

Tummies Cookery School, Station Road, Cippenham, Slough, SL1 6JJ

Tummies is a bit of an institution.  An oasis of good food in a desert of urban sprawl, I've been a frequent visitor to their deli and restaurant (particular highlights of which are the sun-trap of the back patio, and the colouring pencils on every table - the many walls are plastered from ground to ceiling in the best submissions from the last 24 years).

However, this latest visit was more than just a meal.  It was an all day extravaganza!  I was taking part in the Cookery School, enjoying what was the perfect gift of watching a fantastic feast being cooked, which I knew I'd then get to eat!

The set up was excellent.  The demo kitchen is bright, professional but still homey, and our small group was looked after by co-owner Tammy, who provided endless drinks, whilst we watched Head Chef Claude Mariuax create a three course meal, imparting the knowledge (and recipe cards), for us to be able to replicate it at home.

The starter was a goat's cheese pastry, topped with seasonal asparagus which was wrapped in parma ham, and served on a bed of rocket.  It seemed pleasingly straightforward to assemble, but the rich and contrasting flavours belied the simplicity.   

 Speaking of rich, the individual ramekins of dauphinous potatoes, were made with a heavenly combination of whipping cream, butter, gruyere and garlic.  The flavour was so enticing that despite the amount we'd eaten, we had no problems finishing it, along side the main course of roasted rump of English lamb, cooked in a delicious red wine sauce! 

The richness was tempered by the colourful and sweet roasted vegetables that made up the french style ratatouille.  It certainly changed my perception of ratatouille, as it wasn't cooked in a tomato sauce, but instead cooked and cooled down quickly in a way where the veg didn't release any water and stayed firm and delicious.

 

Despite a break before dessert, I was still sure that I wouldn't be able to manage the limoncello curd cake after eating such a large meal.  I sampled the tiniest of bites, and was struck by the beautiful lightness, and the moist and zesty flavour.  I'm normally a fan of chocolatey cakes, but this lemony wonder was perhaps the very best cake I'd ever tasted!  I managed far more of it than I ever would have imagined - the creme fraiche it was served with adding to the deliciousness.

As I cycled home (slowly and not very steadily after the delicious wine), I contemplated how much I'd enjoyed the whole experience, and how it was almost more delicious because it felt like home cooking rather than restaurant food.  It certainly was the best of both worlds, and was an unforgettable treat.

A Proposito, Weena 505, 3013 AL Rotterdam, Netherlands

This Italian eatery just outside Rotterdam Centraal station, is a bit of an institution. I’ve only ever visited on weeknights and it has always been packed throughout the evening. The glass exteriors give it a slightly sophisticated air after dark, but on this summer evening, we were bathed in heat and light, giving it quite a different atmosphere. The wine glasses are the largest I have ever encountered. You can’t help but enjoy wine in these glasses, which resemble goldfish bowls on the thinniest stems imaginable.

Forget printed menus, large double-sided chalkboards are presented to each table on request. Antipasti, meat, fish, pasta and risotto feature, and non-Dutch/Italian speakers always have fun trying to translate each ingredient listed.

Requesting an unspecified selection of the antipasti was a wonderful decision! A phenomenal array of wonderful looking food arrived – buffalo mozzarella, pecorino cheese, parma ham, salami, sun dried tomatoes, rocket salad, roasted red peppers, very ripe melon, roast courgette – each one full of flavour. The bruschetta was far better and more imaginative (and to my taste) than any I’d sampled in the UK, with garlic, basil and red chilli added to the tomato.

The foccacia was the wonderful really fluffy stuff, joyfully warm and drizzled in olive oil.

 Portion sizes are huge. I barely had room for a main course, but managed to regain some appetite given the deliciousness of my spaghetti, which boasted capers, olives, garlic and sausage meatballs in a tomato sauce.

Service, whilst usually very good, was umm...interesting on this latest visit. Our nonchalant waiter couldn’t see the problem in only taking 4 of the 5 drinks orders of our party. He could however see a big problem with serving parmesan to the person who’d ordered pasta with scallops. When she asked him for it he took on the gravest of tones and said “it is very difficult for me to help you… fish and cheese…No.” And then he flounced off. (Needless to say we stole the cheese grater when his back was turned and helped ourselves).


Service aside, the food quality, the portion (and wine glass size), variety and flavour here are truly excellent and I’d strongly recommend a visit should you ever be in Rotterdam!

Restaurant Molzmuhle, Wegberg, Germany

The very best restaurant I have eaten at this year, was very nearly not documented in these pages. Hours of Google-searching different combinations of 'watermill - German - restaurant - near - Monchengladbach' proved fruitless in discovering the name or location of this wonderful place I'd visited in April with Rebecca (who is such a good hostess, it was the third time I'd been to stay with her in Germany). She couldn't help me either, being away with no internet access. I sadly resigned myself that this exquisite dining experience would remain unblogged, until I miraculously found a flyer for Hotel-Restaurant-Molzmuhle hidden amongst a pile of random bits of paper from various travels. (The flyer, like the website (and the menu) are entirely in German, but thanks to the powers of technology, an acceptably translated version can be found here - I say acceptable, but do notice the reference to 'erotic vegetables' on the translated menu page!)

So often when travelling, the restaurants you visit are the ones you walk past, but the joy of having a friend whose local favourite restaurant is in a forest in Wegberg, meant that I experienced a place I never would have found on my own, which was so good that it made me radically rethink my impressions of German cuisine.

The building is a beautifully restored 17th century watermill, and dinner was a candle-lit affair (would definitely score highly as a romantic location, but was no less lovely for a girly evening of indulgent food and drink), and the service was impeccable - the waiter didn't speak much English, but was very friendly and tried to be as helpful as possible. So this wasn't an issue - Bec helped translate the menu for me and we'd soon ordered. The wine was wonderful, and the bread was warm and served with exciting condiments.

My starter was a tart of french onion and gorgeously creamy and rich cheese. Bec's mushroom soup was one of the freshest and most flavoursome I'd ever tasted (she kindly let me sample some). Portions were generous and very artistically presented.

This was followed by an amuse-bouche of very small pieces of rabbit, which sadly didn't look very appealing. It wasn't quite to our tastes but we sampled it all the same.

Luckily, we were far from disappointed by our main courses. We were both delighted by our respective choices - seafood for Bec and roast chicken with incredible flavour for me. But the delight levels (already very high) went through the roof once we reached dessert. These were quite possibly the two most beautiful and indulgent desserts I've ever seen and tasted.

Apple strudel ice-cream.

Chocolate brownie with poppy seed ice-cream - lusciously chocolatey and gooey.

Overall:

Atmosphere: This place feels special (as being in a 17th century restored watermill should feel) - a good balance of relaxed and romantic.

Service: Attentive, professional and friendly.

Food quality: It looked amazing and it tasted even better.

Value for money: A three course meal with wine came in at EUR 50 a head, which is pretty good value indeed for the quality of what you get.

Overall: Highest mark possible 10/10

Contact details:

Restaurant Molzmuhle

In Bollenberg 41
41844 Wegberg

Germany
Tel.: 02434/99770
http://www.molzmuehle.de/
molzmuehle@t-online.de

Guest Food Blog: International Edition. Nostra Lunch Lounge, Rotterdam

One of the hidden secrets in Rotterdam has to be Nostra. It is far away from the shopping and fast food crowds and as soon as you spot this you know it is something special.

As soon as you walk through the door you will see the unique style of the interior: elements of Art Deco in combination with a modern lounge area with a plush red sofa. Here you can drink a fine espresso out of a cup from the Illy collection, freshly squeezed orange or grape fruit juice or an outstanding Italian or Spanish wine.

The menu is especially designed for a big lunch and offers many different sorts of salads, soup and assorted luxury bread rolls. The dishes are based on the Italian kitchen with healthy and fresh ingredients and when the sun is shining they have a small but cozy garden.

The salads and luxury bread rolls are full of fresh products and are positioned on the plate as if you are looking at a real painting. It is hard to even cut into this perfect composition but at the first bite you can't stop.

They have crammed in a few too many tables into this small room but they have a couple of round ones for bigger groups. Don’t expect any fancy cutlery or serviettes but it is all practical and does the job. There is even a little candle and a flower on the table.

This time we ordered a very nice and cold glass of Spanish white wine that would be accompanied by a goat cheese salad for Yvonne and a turkey salad for myself. The service is good and they deliver the food in a timely manner. You almost feel like sitting at home as there is playing nice music in the background and the atmosphere is such that you can talk to each other without having to shout.

The salads were very fresh and tasted amazing and with every bite you can taste a different fresh flavor in your mouth. The wine makes the whole lunch complete. As the salads are pretty big it takes a while before you have eaten it all (if you can get it all in) but due to the freshness you don’t feel stuffed.

Overall:
Atmosphere: Calm and intimate and a lovely romantic place
Service: Friendly young students who treat every customer as if they are at home having a Birthday party
Value for money: You pay a bit more as all ingredients are fresh and the wine could be a bit adding to the bill but in the end it is all worth it.
Overall I would rate the entire place as a 8.5

Stefan