Taste of London 2014

I went to Taste of London last week. For those who aren't familiar, Taste is a restaurant festival showcasing some of London's most exciting places to eat. Each restaurant has 3 or 4 showstopping dishes on the menu for you to try. Plus lots of bars, foodie stalls and giveaways!

I did spend most of my time wandering around completely wide eyed but I managed to snap a few pics to share with you.

Starting with Meatliquor. You know I love Meat Liquor, and Meat Market and Meat Mission. All the Meat boys endeavors. We had Cheeseburger Sliders and Monkey Fingers (buffalo chicken strips) - juicy, moreish and meaty.

 

From Plum and Spilt Milk, I had an Elderflower and Berry Jelly with Clotted Cream. I'm not normally a jelly fan, but this was fantasticly fresh, fruit and indulgent.

We had fresh Strawberry ice cream Gordon Ramsey's Maze, covered in popping candy! Almost looks too good to eat.

Next up was Italian fare from L'Anima. They were shaving huge truffles everywhere! 

I tried the Burrata (my favourite cheese at the moment) with pomodoro and anchovies. I was a little disappointed by this one - the cold tomato sauce left a little to be desired.

 

 

There were lots of chefs to fangirl over. Here are some that I took photos of :) 

 

Thomasina Miers

Michel Roux Jr.

 

 

Gizzi Erskine

We also saw Monica Galetti and Valentine Warner. I was grinning like an idiot with excitement.

Time for a VIP champagne break with Laurent Perrier and a free promotional recipe book. 

Next onto my newest obsession - Duck and Waffle. I had Barbecue Crispy Pigs Ears. They were so tasty, but I couldn't eat the entire bag. Luckily I saved it and we shared them later in front of the telly. It was very romantic.

 Now for my absolute favourite thing I ate. A creation by Andre Garrett. This was a Peanut Butter Parfait with Chocolate Mousse and Meringue Topping and a secret core of salted caramel. Heaven.

 

We finished off our summer excursion with a cocktail. I had the French Spring Punch, which tasted like an alcoholic lemonade. Perfectly refreshing in the summer sun.

Blanchette Soho

Imagine you're sat in a beautiful little bistro in Paris and you're about to embark on tasting a variety of French delights. Now imagine that a group of Shoreditch hipsters are running said bistro. What do you have? Blanchette. 

I don't say this is a negative sense by any means. Blanchette's visual quirks and rustic feel are all part of its charm. From the mismatched crockery to the Gerard Depadieu cookbook, it's exactly the kind of place where you could cosy up into a corner with an old friend on a Friday night, consuming a lot of cheese and wine before merrily stumbling towards the last tube. 

 

As for our visit, we smugly passed the long queue for The Breakfast Club (every weekend guys, surely you can cook your own pancakes?) and were greeted with a relievingly cool and stylish, yet moderately empty restaurant. We were seated at a 'widescreen' (as my partner so appropriately put it) table, where our knees could touch but there was still plenty of room for food. Unfortunately I must prologue this visit by saying that I had a stonking cold, however I was determined to enjoy the first outing Rob and I had managed to organise in a while. This did mean that I decided not to drink any alcohol. It was astonishingly painful to look at the wine and cocktail menu knowing this. I could only imagine the taste of their classic Grey Goose and Tanquery Martini or Loire Valley Savignon Blanc on my tongue.

Blanchette's classic and simple dishes work in a similar way to tapas, and they recommend 3 dishes per person.

We started with Fresh Bread and Butter. The butter was perfect at room temperature (Sorry, Chris) and absolutely delectable smeared onto the warm bread. Although served in a slightly odd paper bag, Rob states it was one of the highlights of the meal.

In true French style, we ordered the Crispy Frogs Legs with Bois Boudran Sauce.

Crispy Frogs Legs

The breadcrumb coating was flavourful and the meat was juicy and tender, and the sauce was the perfect accompaniment to cut through the richness. 

Unable to resist Chacuterie at any time of day, we ordered the Coppa, an Italian cured ham (usually made from pork neck or shoulder). A generous plate, the meat was delicate yet packed with flavour and a smoky finish.

Coppa

For our hot dishes we ordered Braised Lamb Shoulder with Anchovy, Rosemary and Soubise Sauce / Grilled Beef Rump with Nicoise Relish, Grelot Onion and Rouille / Smoked Duck Breast Salad with Heritage Tomato Vierge and Baby Artichoke. Before you ask where the vegetables are, Rob didn't want any of the vegetables and he was paying. So it was a meat fest.

Smoked Duck Breast Salad

Braised Lamb Shoulder

Grilled Beef Rump

Of the three dishes, the lamb is the stand out champion. With orgasmicly tender and melting meat, sweet roasted garlic and a sauce I would bathe in, this is simplicity at it's best. The duck salad was fresh, sweet and the mixture of textures were incredibly pleasing. Finally, the beef rump was the work of a chef who knows exactly how create a dish from lots of little ingredients whilst still letting the delicate and thin beef sing as the star.

By this point I was pleasantly full. But we opted for dessert anyway. As each dish had been fantastic in it's own right, it would be a crime not to. We ordered the Chocolate Marquise with Salted Caramel Puffed Rice and Pistachio Ice Cream and Tart Lemon Pot with Strawberry, Gin and Parlsey Sorbet. 

The lemon pot was creamy and moreish with a beautifully refreshing 'summer on Hampstead Heath' sorbet that contained just the right amount of gin and the parsley was a great palate cleanser. The accompanying twilles were delicate and generously sugared. The marquis was a wholly different beast, rich and indulgent with the ice cream giving a pop of colour to the dish and texture from the puffed rice.

With dishes between £6 and £8, it's impossible not to feel spoilt in Blanchette. 

We were kids in a magasin de bonbons. 

June Snack Pick!

I wanted to share my discovery with you today as someone always on the lookout for new and exciting products. My snack pick for this month is Marks and Spencers Chocolate Coated Wasabi Peas!

I'm a huge wasabi pea fan and I'm also particularly excited by anything with a salty and sweet combo. The first thing I notice is how beautifully tempered the chocolate is, super shiny and tempting. The choice of dark chocolate means that a couple of peas is enough at a time - no binge eating here.

I'm not sure whether the wasabi element has been toned down or the chocolate counter acts the heat but it's missing a little bit of the usual wasabi kick... But the crunch from the pea mixed with the smooth dark chocolate more than makes up for it. It was a good balance of sweet and salty and I think this bag is going to last me for a couple of days!