Winter Jewels At La Fromagerie

I’ve been wanting to visit any of the branches of La Fromagerie for a long time and finally dove in tonight with their winter supper themed around “WINTER JEWELS: Forced Rhubarb & Blood Oranges Supper”.

The planned menu was:

• Seared Scallop, Barba dei Fratte & Blood Orange zabaglione
• Slow Roast Leg of Lamb, Rhubarb & Mint Compote, Boulanagere Potatoes, Glazed Heritage Carrots
• LA FROMAGERIE CHEESE BOARD (Elrick Log, Lanarkshire, Unpast Goat. Veg Corra Linn, Lanarkshire, Unpast Ewe. Veg Beauvale, Nottinghamshire, Past Cow)
• Blood Orange & Rhubarb Almond Cake, Blood Orange Sorbet

and with my love of rhubarb and blood oranges I had to snap up a ticket!

The shop itself is worth a visit with so many delights on offer (and of course a cheese room) and I will be back again just to shop.

But the highlight of the evening was the meal.

I started with a glass of Vin D’orange (a blend of bitter oranges, Rose wine, eau de vie and vanilla) and it was delicious and I drank it whilst googling recipes so making this will definitely be in my future.

The first course was the scallops and these were astounding. I love scallops but these were the best I’ve ever had. So perfectly cooked and served immediately so they were warm, soft and juicy. The Barba di Frate (also known as Salsola Soda, Agretti and Roscano was very nice and like a less salty/ briney samphire. The bllod orange zabaglione was the perfect accompaniment and its creamy sharpness worked well with the scallops and vegetable.

Next up was the lamb (sadly no good photos to share) and just as with the starter the sharp accompaniment (rhubarb and mint compote) paired perfectly with the rest of the dish (the lamb and potatoes) and each was cooked perfectly

I accompanied the main course with a glass of red wine which was recommended and was just the right drink – I’ll be sure to listen out for their recommendations in the future.

Third was the cheese course and it was really nice to try 3 new cheeses (and lots of delicious crackers) and I was glad I had lots of the rhubarb compote left from the main course as it paired with them all perfectly.

Last (but definitely not least) was the dessert of blood orange & rhubarb almond cake with blood orange sorbet. By now I was really full but enjoyed this a lot and the rhubarb was extra special. It was still very firm and tart but not too tart.

Every step of this meal was not just about really good produce but also about it being cooked & served perfectly and I can’t wait to return.

 

 

 

Negroni

If ever I’m craving a specific drink it’s inevitably this one.
If ever I fancy a drink and don’t know what to make it’s this I turn to.
And if anyone asks me what my favourite drink is, although I’m not sure I really have one, this name is always what I answer

It’s a Negroni- simple to make, easy to source all the ingredients and ways delicious.

I first had one of these at Quo Vadis (if you order one there it’s worth asking if you can have it without one of their ridiculously large ice-balls that make it impossible to enjoy your drink) and although I’ve had many since I don’t think anyone does them better

The recipe is simple- equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth stirred together with ice- so can be whipped up in a matter of seconds.

The taste is equal parts sweet and bitter with a strong fruit/ citrus flavour reminiscent of orange or grapefruit,

Though perfect as an aperitif this drink can be enjoyed at any time and if needed can be lengthened with orange or grapefruit juice or even soda or tonic water

Tuscan Shandy

Another great thing about Incanto is that they introduced us to a great non-alcoholic drink- the Tuscan Shandy.

The Tuscan Shandy

It may be known by other names but a Google search is getting me so where so as well as stealing their drink recipe (or my guess at it) I’m stealing their name.

The ingredients are simple: equal parts lemonade, ginger beer & orange juice. Add a dash (or a big glug if you’re me) of Angostura Bitters and serve over ice- refreshing and tasty heaven in a glass.

I’ve learnt over time that orange juice with no ‘bits’ or long-life from concentrate is best to stop it ‘separating’ and all the ‘bits’ floating to the top.

Over this summer we seemed to have a large jug of it permanently in the fridge and it’s a great standby for when friends are round and you want to serve more than regular soft drinks to anyone who wants some non-alcoholic hydration.

All the ingredients can be kept in the cupboard and just stirred with ice at a moments notice making it a great go to.

Back To Incanto

I’m always looking for an excuse to visit Incanto and a friend coming to visit was just perfect.

As always the service and atmosphere was fantastic and we were keen to try out the new menu and the new chef.

Of course we weren’t disappointed.

Two of us chose the set menu and one the a la carte- both are amazing value and offer so much choice we struggled to make any decisions.

Once we’d finally ordered we were treated to some wonderful bread (I really can’t rave about the bread this restaurant serves nearly enough) an amouse bouche of a soup plus an incredible concoction of (I’m guessing now as I can’t remember all the ingredients) cracked rice and egg yolk. It was savoury, salty and delicious- imagine a more flavourful, textured and nuanced cracking and you’d be on the right track.

A dirty martini accompanied by the delicious bread and amazing concoction

I began with Roasted leek and gruyere cheese soup served with garlic croutons (this soup was outstanding. I expected it to be ‘chunky’ but it was as smooth and textured as milk but the amount of flavour packed into the misleadingly thin liquid was incredible).

My main course was Guinea fowl breast, salted baked celeriac, smoked potato purée, caramelised onions. This was cooked to perfection and the different textures and flavours worked really well together.

Guinea fowl breast, salted baked celeriac, smoked potato purée, caramelised onions

Lastly we all shared Conference pear, pistachio granola, salted caramel ice cream and Textures of mandarin, burnt honey cream, honeycomb. Both were exquisite and we were sad to be so full we couldn’t finish them between us.

 

 

Rita’s

A visit to my sister in East London offered us the opportunity to try somewhere new to eat tonight and after a bit of Googling (and discovering the amazing phrase ‘Mareditch’ made in an effort to bring spread some of the hipster vibe from Shoreditch to Mare St) we settled on Rita’s.

I began with a Palmero (Tequila, Campari and grapefruit soda) which was refreshing, bitter and tasty. The perfect drink to cleanse my palate and whet my appetite for the food.

 

Rita’s cocktail menu

 

The Palmero

 

To eat I chose steak which came with horseradish sauce and a green salsa. The entire plate was delicious with the salsa and horseradish both brimming with fresh flavours and accompanying the perfectly cooked steak well.

The steak main course

As a side dish we shared green chili macaroni and cheese which was a combination that really worked with the chili adding a mild heat and fresh flavour to cut through the rich cheese sauce.

For desert we shared Dulce De Leche beignets and foie gras. The Foie Gras was shaved onto the hot beignet and melted in and its saltiness paired well with the sweet desert, when you could taste it, and although we all enjoyed it we agreed it needed more to really work.

All in all we loved the food and drink and if you’re looking for something a bit different amongst the great Turkish restaurants and the abundance of chicken shops then Rita is somewhere to head for.

 

 

Hix at Selfridges

After a nightmare day shopping in the West End Hix at Selfridges seems like a magical oasis.
Situated within the store, looking down on the noise and chaos below, you manage to seem removed from it all and the space amazingly feels private despite all that’s around you.

With an extensive drinks list, and some tempting cocktails on offer, I began with a cocktail containing watermelon and chili. Sadly I forgot to take a photo of the menu and their website is very out of date so I can’t tell you what it was but I was long, fresh and tasteful with just a subtle hit of warmth. It went perfectly with the smoked salmon and soda bread i ordered.

One drink wasn’t enough so I ordered a Negroni and even though what I got annoyingly had one of those ubiquitous overly large ice-balls the drink itself was good.

If ever you find yourself in the west end and need an escape and/ or a drink then this is a friendly and satisfying place to head to.

Quo Vadis

Quo Vadis in Soho has long been one of my favourite places to go. Sadly between it being slightly more awkward to get to now we’ve moved and geenral travelling and busy-ness we don’t go as much as we used to.

The food, drink and service are alays exceptional and no their ‘theatre set’ menu runs all evening it’s an affordable option for a fantastic experience.

Tonight we began with a Gin & tonic and a Hemingway’s Breakfast (Belvedere grapefruit, maraschino, grapefruit, lime)

Then I had chilled pea soup followed by roast goose- all delicious and all worth making a trip for.

Back to Incanto

It’s 80 hours since we were there but we were pleased to be back at Incanto
The risotto was so good the other day I had to have it again and followed it with hake and then despite being tempted by the panacotta the lure of the rhubarb was too strong to resist.

Lunch at Incanto

Incanto in Harrow has recently become my favourite restaurant and on our first Saturday together, and not working in what feels like ages, it felt like the perfect way for Mr Bitter and I to treat ourselves.

From the second you walk in here you can’t help but  enjoy yourself. From the friendly welcome to the light and airy dining room as soon as we sat down we began to relax.

Incanto offers a fixed price menu for lunch Tuesday- Saturday and dinner Tuesday- Friday. They also offer a full ala carte menu and 2 tasting menus. The fixed price at lunch is just £17.95 for 2 courses or £19.95 for 3 and at dinner that rises to just £19.95 and £23.95 respectively. But good value is no good without good food and I have to say that fortunately Incanto excel themselves at food and it is then you realise just how good the prices are.

Today we ate:

3 varieties of delicious bread served with olive oil which I washed down with a very tasty Rhubarb Bellini plus an amuse bouche of asparagus foam with polenta chips

We then both had an incredible risotto which managed to combine fresh spring flavours (it was packed with of peas and spring greens) with intense creaminess.

My main course was goats cheese ravioli, whilst Mr Bitter had chicken breast. By now we vere too busy raving over the food to remember to take a photo.

For desert I had their delicious, and beautiful, olive oil cake served with rhubarb (god I love rhubarb and no matter what else on the menu tempts me I just can’t seem to resist it) and rhubarb and custard ice-cream. The cake was warm and moist- on the cake side of a nice light brioche and not too sweet or dense. In fact it was light as air and combined nicely with all its accompaniments. Mr Bitter had a variety of home made ice-creams including a chocolate one whose light appearance belied just how strong a chocolate flavour it held.

Fully satiated I finished with a coffee and sad to say we were just too full to enjoy the incredible petit fours which came out at the end (ok we each found room for one of the little custard filled cream puffs)

I really can’t urge you enough to visit Incanto. The food is extraordinary, the servce wonderful and the surroundings beautiful. I can’t wait to return.

Return To Hawksmoor

Hawksmoor is one of my favourite restaurants to visit (any branch will do tonight we were at Air Street) and tonight they didn’t let us down.
Of course we were there for the food (pictured are the fried Queenies we began with) but the drinks aren’t a mere second here. The cocktail menu was the first we asked for…

I began with a Hawksmoor Collins (Gin, Campari, Orange Bitters & Lemon, topped with Soda) and ended with a Sherry Cobbler (Manzanilla Sherry churned with Citrus Fruits). Both were delicious but the cobbler was unlike any drink I’d had before-wonderful and weird at the same time.  As I sipped my mouth was filled with sherry, then fruit, then sherry, then fruit and so on., The two flavours didn’t seem to mix at all which was unexpected and unusual.

I can see I might have to return to try another and see if it’s just as strange and addicitive.