Simple Family Lunch

Heading to the countryside after a night ending at the Haggerston I was to help my at the innaugaration of my folks' moving into their new home I barkeep'ed for a couple of hours and after the village people ;) left cracked on with some hangover curing lunch...

Roasted tomatoes with anchovies, drizzle oil oregano etc. 

Quick fryed some scallops and served them together with a simple romaine salad.

And a few britney spears of asparagus simply grilled

Found out labradors like asparagus (yeah weird!):

Late September

As the last of summer burned itself out in a few days of amber mornings and hot evenings I took a trip down to the coast with a friend and her dog. After attempting to vandalise some of the work of the Folkestone triennial we were chased out of town and across the Kent lanes to Whitstable. A lucky cancellation at Wheelers had me take a table booking the night before. Self satisfaction was enhanced by the couple next to us talking about a 3 month waiting list.

It's still bring your own from the offy across the road. A cold bottle of pouilly fume, some of the seasons first native oysters and charming tea room style service from teenagers (no sarcasm) gives it an unfussy charm. I ate scallops to start; four juicy molluscs cooked with an incredibly sticky, almost unctuous parmisan ravioli, (more like a delicious, unfinished roux- however unappetising that sounds) and slithers of pig cheek, salty, juicy and properly porky. Another bottle of chablis, a lobster and a dressed crab were downed before wandering onto the beach for a couple of whiskys in the fading light and sea wind. An end to make you feel that your want for summer has been sated and the promise of a proper, auburn Autumn has whetted the whistle for October to begin.

Jazzy's Clams

Last night Jazzy of 3M&ABL fame ;) hosted a seafood feast.

Highlight were the clams in Borough wine.

Clam liqour was deliciously salty.

A rear guard of haddocky fish pie then cheese and whiskies, sheer awesomeness on a Wednesday.

Making do

Really, by several sets of circumstance I should be in Umbria or the South of France. But shackled to London I make do with a deliciously cosy roast at the ever excellent Canton Arms (not sure about the crisps on the bar.. bit Spanish but with none of the other, better tapas). You don't get roasts this pink outside of someones home kitchen most of the time. Had a lovely terrine to start and a couple of pints of pale ale to finish, then off to snooze through a triple bill at the BFI.

Later in the week a Jerk chicken feast. Peppers and Spice off Dalston has it's moments though it's no Cumin Up. Really we were so close to Stoke Newington train stations finest House of Jerk (Giles Coren's favourite) we should've eaten there. Slightly dull Jerk was made up for in quantity, good Festivals and the bbq chicken being mad slow cooked.Couple of Guiness Exports slipped down wellll.

Off to NYC in a couple of weeks, already counting the hours for one of Marthas Lobster Rolls!
Stockwell/ Grasse

Stokey/ Cap Ferrat

Queens of Seafood

East London Line spat us out at Canada Water's Tesco. Quick supermarket sweep with the Persian, picked up some wine and got mini-cabbed into Bermondsey past fishy signs for the Queens of Cue'Seafood Feast. Their awesome artist loft location was the one corner of surrey canal street with squint and its NY meatpacking district going for it.

Glass of ice tea & gin then onto the bbq terrace where the evening started. Ruth had the barbecue going as we tucked into maple syrup cashews, the Queens' own smoked salmon & smoked mackerel tasty stuff with the salmon infused with orange - mmmm mmmmmmm.

Under cheery bunting with sun going down and loads of new people to meet all was good in the hood.

Next were platters of crayfish sourced from Crayfish Bob fresh & some with the added roe suprise like getting the good toy in a kinder. Alongside the seafood our table was also full of good chat and a lot of laughs.

I tucked into my Razor Clams buttery garlicy Monkfish, Bream with Samphire and vegetable potjiekos and smiled with each new flavour & texture.

A bit more chat drenched in b.y.o then some BBQed minty pineapple before our Carrageen, Salted Caramel & "sand" pudding pot - loved the carageen!

Coffee, finished the wine and people seemed in good spirits as we all made our way from the Queens of Cue.

Then at the station the weirdest part of the night - a woman with a lavender plant swinging between her legs dressed in black cocktail dress reebok classics and driving gloves tried giving us the plant before snatching it back each time whilst singing shirley bassy numbers - surrealy great end to a great night.

Queens of Cue's next supper club is a Game (Venision not Quiz) night:

http://queensofcue.wordpress.com/

kräftskiva!

So as August draws to a close and the first twinges of Autumn begin to set in, it's time for a Crayfish Party. Swedish friends held an incredible one last night, with 10 kilos of live crayfish bought from Billingsgate on Friday and cooked until the early hours of Saturday. Potatoes, rye bread, home made aioli and lots of dill made quite a spread. Many bottles (!) of white wine c/o Borough Wines and the weather relenting from horizontal rain for the evening meant it felt like one of the best outdoor eats of the summer!

Robert and Sam who put on yesterdays evening will soon be opening a cafe with lots of cold Scandi treats and some delicious coffee very soon. SKÅL!!

There were also a couple of buttery, salmon quiches alongside that TUB of cray fish!
My first plate. I got through a lot more. Though nothing to rival the 40 odd shells one enthusiastic Swede managed.
The Swedish Chef!

Below artwork (C) 2011 Martha Pym. Note her attention to detail on the claw juice spilling out as this delicious limb is snapped from the crayfish body and ready to be eaten. Roll on next year!

Fabulous Ferdie's Food Lab

Ferdie's Food Lab last night was great fun. I arrived with my three friends with fellow diners arriving like murderers at Midsommer or aristocrats at a weekend retreat hosted by Suchet's Poiroit.

The location of Toynbee Hall was weird and great with busts of Profumo & Dr Evil style portraits on the wall amongst shields.

All of this theatre played into the evening and as we all were led through to the dining hall we buzzed around the seating plan like flies around ganache (more on this later).

We sat down already buzzed on a couple of lagers we'd had in the Golden heart and first tucked into bread and White emulsion of tomatoes.

I'm the 1/3rd of 3M&ABL who doesn't eat meat so missed out on the liquorice infused beef.

Our wine was Italian Gavi and it was delicious and lubricated the conversation.

Next was Serrano ham and leaves but again I had the vegi option which was curd & strawberries.

Then fish course was king crab - juicy and sweet hunks of lobster like meat.

A main course of lamb & potatoes was served in giant pots with great bit of showbusiness as it was laid out in the banqueting tables but my asparagus & carrots in passion fruit tasted nice but didn't have the gusto of the others' meat & potatoes.

Pudding was an awesome banana tart tatin followed by olive ganache and Seville Zebras - jellied orange & blancmange halves that I think can't have been vegi/Pesci friendly.

It was great fun, with great people, good table wines and tasty crab and pudding. As an unhelpful fish eating vegi i must have seemed like the obnoxious American in a miss marple episode and I understand it's a bore to cook for different requirements.

A great evening, but I couldn't review most of the food as I didn't eat it.