North road

The wonders of modern technology means that sometimes you don't have to follow hot new restaurants... they follow you.

Having visited Fig in the summer, the gent was added to their email list. A couple of weeks ago they emailed the news that they were opening a new restaurant in Farringdon / Clerkenwell: we went to a drinks reception in the paint-fresh new venue. Then came a missive bearing the irresistible news of 50% off food and wine for their opening week.

The North road menu wasn't online when we booked, but a few days later we were able to peep at the Scandinavian-inspired list of deliciousness - although we questioned just how 'Nordic' it really was. We were accompanied by a couple of friends who had also experienced Fig and were keen to see the bigger, shinier brother.

I gorged on wonderful ox cheeks with pear, Jerusalem artichoke and endive. Then launched into mutton: I will confess my ignorance and admit I thought mutton would only be good in a long, slow-cooked situation. I was wrong. This was mutton loin cooked outside, dark velvety red within and utterly... utterly. To give the full description it came with 'onions in textures, wild cabbage and broth'. It was at the fancy-pantsy end of the scale but cor lummy was it tasty.

I paused, briefly, to taste the gent's scallops and very much enjoyed his 'Norfolk deer' - plus the ensuing, inconclusive debate over why it wasn't called venison. The only complaint around the table was that the food was very slow coming out of the kitchen: we were there about an hour and a half before the main meals arrived (did I get that right, gent?!).

Despite the deliciousness, and the sophisticated tastebuds of our dining companions, we were all frankly frightened by the dessert menu. Paul spoke for us all when he declared he wanted neither another vegetable course, nor breakfast*, and so three rounds of B&BP** and the caramel and liquorice 'in textures' were ordered. Next time I would be braver, or order the cheeses, which were wonderful at Fig.

The decor was fresh and minimal, the lights a bit mesmerising; the bathrooms trendily uni-sex cubicles. I know, it's uncouth to mention such things, but you can tell how far from Hoxton you are by the uni-sexness of things.

I was reminded of Texture in the (slight) Nordic influence; the crisp skin starting nibbles, and of course the all those 'textures' in the menu! Fancy-pantsy would be my final word. Perhaps a little too much 'burnt hay' and 'texture' for my personal liking, and for this reason I preferred the little sister Fig Bistro. But each to their own, and now there is more Fig to go round.

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After all that talk of rich food, you might be in need of a digestif. And to go with your post-prandial coffee how about a peruse of the latest edition of Fire and Knives? I just spotted Tim Hayward tweeting about this - what a social media day it has been! - and now I am trying to find out where I can get my hands on a copy...



Unnecessary notes:
* Jerusalem artichoke and sunflower seeds; organic sheep milk yogurt, scent of fir pine and muesli. There was also 'flavours of woodland'

**as dear Agnes used to call it, in my youth. Bread and butter pudding to those less familiar with my grandmother's household.

sacred times

Sacred continues to top the coffee charts for me. It is something about the coffee, something about the chat, and a little bit of high convenience thrown in. I begrudge not a penny of the extra money it costs.

This week Michelle is in the kiosk and I find it amazing how, using the same ingredients and machine, and with the same training, coffee can taste ever so slightly different when made by a different person. Incidentally, I struggle with the right word for the person who makes coffee. I believe 'barrista' is the Costabucks term but I shy from using it to the experts - nay, magicians! artists! - that craft beans into heaven.

I always want to ask a new coffee purveyor where they trained as a [coffee-magician / bean-artist / insert your own term]? So my regular question is 'where did you learn to make coffee like this?'. It needs sharpening up, I'll admit, but it does. Never is there an easy 'two days at company x' answer: always a story ensues - which is why I ask, of course. My favourite stories start with 'back in the day...' and relate to travelling or Saturday jobs, or a lifetime in the catering trade - one even contained the words 'Melbourne coffee guru'.

So if you want to make the very best coffee, it seems it can't be taught in a day: years of practice are needed to hone the craft. And, just perhaps, a little help from a guru.

figs and honey

Grey skies, dark morning, a chill in the air: all counteracted by a ray of the Mediterranean for breakfast.

Fat figs, split open, flesh bursting forth, under a hot grill with a dab of brown sugar for a couple of minutes. Then drizzled with 'caerlaverock honey' (not for sale yet, people, but take a look at the bee-keeper's book) and indulged in. The gent, living up to his name, spooned the seedy flesh up, whilst I became sticky of finger and juicy of face.

There was a small dish of plain yoghurt each, and a pert espresso of Monmouth coffee to wake our senses.

Then away on our bicycles, like a two-man fleet of earnest Londoners, sweeping south across the city, to work.

two-stage breakfast

First, 'pomegranate infused granola' (no, I didn't invent that) with Greek yoghurt and raspberries. Then a pause whilst the gent fetched newspaper and bread, then onto the second stage: sausage sandwiches with plastic bread and tomato ketchup. It is my ongoing battle to resist understanding the term 'Tommy K'.

Coffee was Monmouth - as ever - and in my yellow tea-cups. Strictly speaking not the right vessel, but the canary yellow can't help but make me feel wonderful. Sort of queenly combined with headmistressy, but with a sausage buttie in hand.

And my laptop arrived this week: I'm back online! Ketchup all round.

sacred coffee

My coffee of choice these days is made and poured (or rather, crafted and sculpted with panache) by the friendly Umberto at Sacred.

I had been to this coffee stall a few times over the years and thought it good, but was often with a friend and in need of a seat. Most usually, a seat out of the wind, rain or snow. However this summer has been glorious, the flat white has sprung up all over London - even in the dark recesses of corporate brands like Costa - and one fine day Melly Bo took me back to Sacred... and I got hooked on their perfectly balanced, strong coffee.

For those who like to sit down, maybe have a muffin with their coffee, then Sacred also have drink-in cafes; I have noted their location and am reassured that should I be persuaded to the Westfield centre, then at least I can get a good coffee to keep my spirits up!

cold war stores

It is always the least glamorous foods that get to me. My new fad? Tinned tuna.

Last week I had it in oil (which I didn't drain off, just lifted it, dripping, onto the plate) with olives, avocado, a squeeze of lime, and salad from the veg box - a little stump of cucumber, a few leaves of curly lettuce. This week's version is tuna in brine, as it's shopping basket neighbours were sweetcorn and mayonnaise: this combo can be a bit greasy with tuna in oil, but perfect when from brine. The addition of baby gems and avocado takes it to the passe side of retro - but also raises the nutritional value, too.

Of course when I say sweetcorn, I mean tinned ... in fact, my bag was pretty heavy as there were also cannellini beans in there. I don't mean to start a rush on tined goods, but the stack next to my work desk makes it look like I have received notice of a possible 3-minute warning - as my Mother recalls it, from the fifties or sixties.

But we live in more peaceful times and can enjoy tinned food on its own merits. Humble, yes, but very delicious.

morsels

So much to say, so little time, such a broken lap top!
So a lunch-break blog, squeezed in. This will do the past week no justice, unfortunately, but...

Felicity Cloake was talking about chocolate mousse recipes on the Guardian 'Word of Mouth' recently: a satisfyingly thorough exploration of different recipes, concluding in Elizabeth David's being crowned the winner. Must remember to pass on the vegan-friendly recipe for Liz - or even better, cook it for her.

I am trying to catch up on reading all the new blogs I find at the 'UK Food Bloggers Association' (UKfba to make life easier) - of which I am now a member. I have no home computer at the moment so am frustrated in this effort. I love blogs and the window onto other peoples lives they offer: so many industrious people out there, running pubs, raising families, selling ham - and all finding time to write about it. As soon as I am back online properly I will post links to some!

Excellent food in my 'summer house': I am being kindly put up by three men for the summer and my goodness they have a good time! Post-work Monday evening saw Prosecco, hummus and bread, fried chorizo... then chicken fajitas and, my offering, passion fruit pavlova. All this and it was only Monday - imagine what meals will be like come the weekend!

A wonderful meal at 'Fig' in north London with friends. Cosy, charming with lovely staff and great food. I recall, only sketchily: smoked scallop with gooseberry jelly, burnt butter sauce and some herb (the gent won out with heavenly sweetbreads) ; then we all had the stuffed quail (?) with girolles, a paste of roasted onions and divine bits and bobs. We should really have thought to order some sides of vegetables and potatoes; instead the gent and I were left with room for both dessert (meringue, strawberries, ice cream - all delicately put together) and a cheese courses. The cheese was really wonderful - two from Sussex, which warmed my heart - and the big debate was whether to have cheese before or after dessert. What would you do? The gent and I chose differently according to our own taste. The waitress allied herself with my view, but my sister, more kindly, suggested the gent preferred the 'French style'. The boys chose a really excellent wine, I would trust them with the wine menu any day.

A seminar on trends in the food industry, held at the ever-superb British Library (this time in the IP and Business centre). I wrote pages of notes and whipped myself up into a frenzy of enthusiasm for starting a business. Most encouraging was that if asked what I thought beforehand, I would have loosely been along the right lines in predicting trends, and I also knew of many of the businesses and Web 2.0 technologies that were talked about. A bit more clued up than I thought - phew. My only furrowed brow came about dropping trends: there was no mention about arriving late and getting in on something already oversubscribed. Many of the trends mentioned - locally sourced foods, novelty or pop up restaurants / bars / etc. have already gone mainstream making the small, unpolished late-start-up less likely to thrive. In my completely uninformed opinion -!


22nd July 2010