An evening fit for a foodie! L’atelier des Chefs launch Mobile Kitchen

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Kesh

One of the best things you’ll find about being a writer is the occasions when you get to review a restaurant or get invited to an event which involved food and drink but unlike the usual, L’atelier des Chefs wanted us to cook our own dinners and what a treat it was!

L’atelier des Chefs are the guys that want you eat well but learn while you’re doing all the eating. Their service have two static Kitchens located in the West End of London where they offer events a public cooking classes. ‘Mobile Kitchen’ is now L’atelier des Chef’s latest offer with a chance for you to bring your kitchen to a venue of your choice be it a hotel, outdoor space or your workplace making it an ideal team building or party opportunity. With no limit to how many guests you can have, this is also perfect for a super special date too. The highly trained chefs well then teach you to make a variety of dishes and cocktails too! All abilities welcome, you can get as interactive as you want and with the chefs providing everything you need, this takes the stress out of possibly having to cater your own dinner party! Your guests will be blown away and very very jealous.

We checked out the launch which was hosted at the iconic Oxo building. With St Pauls in the background as the sun was setting, It was such a perfect and unique ocation for a cooking event and not so daunting for those who would feel a cold sweat at the thought of being in a professional kitchen. On the menu was something with everything from Sushi to Seabass Ceviche, there was even a mixologist who taught you to make your own cocktails which was followed by a desert menu which featured, Crêpes, Chocolate Truffles and Mille Feuille to name a few. A personal highlight was actually getting to make the Sushi and finding out all the tricks from the pros something I will definitely be trying out at home and that’s exactly what made the experience so versatile and great value, you get to utilise those skills back in your own kitchen and you might surprise yourself and find that you could be the next Gordon Ramsay… well not quite but by the end of the night, you will definitely feel like a pro.

What was all the more special and brilliant about this event like was that it was such a social and interactive experience giving us a chance to fully revel in our good efforts! I found myself quite the Sushi making master but equally having a laugh at a failed Mille Feiulle after a few cocktails was definitely a good talking point. So swap the sadly catered food at the Christmas Party for a Mobile Kitchen event and who knows who you’ll bond over a burger with… one that you’ve made yourself!

All of the recipes we made can be found at http://www.atelierdeschefs.co.uk/en/recipes.php as well as details on their other cooking classes at the cookery school with prices starting from £15

And if you’re running to your phone to book a Mobile Kitchen event contact Veronica Suess on 020 7659 9961

Happy Cooking!

Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar Review

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar is one of London’s gems. Not only is it the perfect place to have one of their amazing cocktails, it also has a stunning location. Right near the London Eye, the view while you eat is something to behold. Which brings us to the food.

When you sit down you will be treated to one of Gillray’s famous Yorkshire Puddings. They are huge, delicious and come with perfect horseradish sauce. They also have cheese in them. My mouth is watering just writing this.

To start I have the Pan fried scallops with brussel tops, crispy ham and cauliflower purée. My colleague has the soup of the day: Cauliflower and truffle. The scallops are perfectly cooked, the crispy ham is just that and the purée gives a very different touch. I am unsure at first but it works. My colleagues soup is also delicious. I have a great mocktail, proving that Gillray’s can still deliver without alcohol and my colleague has a glass of wine that she really enjoys.

For our mains I have the Gillray’s Steak Burger. It comes with chips and a wonderful marmalade. The tomato sauce and brown sauce is made especially for Gillray’s, it tasted great and comes in very cute jars. My colleague has the South Coast Lemon Sole with Parsley Butter. On the side she has the Cauliflower Cheese. All is superb.

For dessert my colleague has the Gillray’s classic Traditional Sherry Trifle: layered sponge fingers and red fruit soaked in sherry, covered with custard and topped with whipped cream. It is different, fun, mouth wateringly tasty and you even get the recipe to take away with you. I have the Chef’s Ice Cream. You get three scoops and I choose mint chocolate chip, valrbona dark chocolate and raspberry ripple. The ice cream is yummy. Just as I expected.

We finish with an English Breakfast tea for me and an Espresso for my colleague. They go down perfectly after our superb meal. I will definitely be returning to Gillray’s again. I think I will try their afternoon tea next.

Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar

Gillrays’ Steakhouse & Bar,
London Marriott Hotel County Hall,
Westminster Bridge Road,
SE1 7PB

020 7902 8000, email enquiry@gillrays.com

Restaurant Review: Southern Eleven, Spinningfields – Manchester

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Keeley Watts

I’ve visited Southern Eleven before for drinks but never to eat. I’m not sure why but it is never somewhere that automatically springs to mind when thinking of where to go and eat. So when they asked me to visit and review for Frost I was quite excited to see what they were really like.

Located next to Pure Gym in the upmarket Spinningfields area you are promised Southern style charm with locally sourced slow cooked meats in a more relaxed setting than other restaurants in the Spinningfields area, I mean look at the amazing bear who greets you on your way in!

The atmosphere is relaxed with low lighting and café style tables perfect for dining with family or in a big group. There is very little mobile reception in here and the wifi access is very hit and miss. When trying to keep up to date with social media and work commitments this can be frustrating.

Onto the food and we went for the taco tray to share as our starter. The popcorn chicken with blue cheese was my favourite, the chicken with a lovely heat from the spice and the blue cheese giving it a creaminess. The pulled pork with red cabbage was also tasty as I am a huge fan of pickled cabbage! The short rib with sour cream was a little dry and would have benefited from more sour cream. At £8.95 I thought they were quite expensive for the size of the portion but a nice way to get our tastebuds going before our main course.

Onto the mains and I chose the pulled pork mac n cheese whilst my friend decided to try one of the meat plates with ribs, pulled pork and brisket which came with fries, slaw and sauces. As a huge fan I also ordered some corn bread to share, it was too tempting not to.

The mac n cheese was the star of the show. A lovely lightly toasted crust with soft macaroni bound in a light cheese sauce with chunks of soft pulled pork. So many versions of this are thick and gloopy but this one has lots of sauce, perfect for dunking the corn bread. The corn bread was a little dry but had a lovely texture and soaked up the cheese sauce beautifully. The meat plate was a bit disappointing as a whole. The ribs were perfectly slow cooked with the meat falling off the bone and the brisket soft. Unfortunately because they had been piled together the flavours had merged so it was difficult to identify the individual flavours. The slaw was light and fresh whilst the fries were a bit dry. The meat would have benefited from being served separately rather than all together.

Onto dessert and the churros were pretty good. Slightly underdone so still a bit too soggy in the centre yet with a lovely crust on the outer to make up for it. The chocolate dipping sauce was rich and not overly sweet helping to balance the dish out. There was a lot of them too which is always a bonus. The pecan pie sundae would have benefited from more of the dark rum caramel but then I am a sucker for rum so this will always be the case. The pecans were lovely giving the ice cream a nice crunch. This was a nice dish and something I haven’t seen anywhere else in Manchester.

Unfortunately for me Southern Eleven is missing something. The majority of the dishes are being done elsewhere for less. That could be because of the location in the affluent Spinningfields area and I think if Southern Eleven can stick to its roots and find a niche they’ll be a leader in the area.

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar Review

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Few building in London are as iconic as Somerset House. Staggering in its beauty, it really is the perfect setting to eat, drink and be merry. We headed to the Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar. It has only been open since November in the New Wing.

The Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar is as beautiful and classy as the rest of the building. It is the perfect setting for dining and catching up with friends.

We take our seats and decide on the pre-theatre dining menu. This consists of a sharing board of Mushroom on toast, Beefeater salmon with pink radish, Egg and ham on toast and Fudge. It costs £25.50 per couple and comes with a glass of Prosecco per person. It is available Mon-Fri 5pm-7pm and Saturday all day.

The beefeater salmon with pink radish is glorious, just very superior salmon. It goes well with the radishes, the egg and ham on toast is delicious and the parma ham is perfectly seasoned. The mushroom on toast is also good and has cheese on top. The bread itself is good and everything works well together. The fudge is also yummy. It is in a bag for the pre-theatre crowd, making it handy to take away with you.

I had some curiosity cola and my colleague had a glass of prosecco. We loved the food, the ingredients were very high quality and everything was perfectly seasoned. Everything worked well together and this was definitely a first-class meal. Our only complaint is that there was not enough of it and we were still hungry after the meal.

The Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar also have an a la carte menu. The service is good, the food is superb and the setting is wonderful. I can highly recommend it.

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar
New Wing
Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA

Tel: Pennethorne’s +44 (0)20 3751 0570

Email:

Michela.Mastella@pennethornes.co.uk

Grill Market Lomax Review

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

For those healthy bunnies in West London, there is a new place in Chelsea to fill your body up with the best British produce. This is the second Grill Market site and it is situated on the ground floor of the Lomax’s flagship location. All the meat is free range, British and bred to the strictest welfare standards. Fish carries the MSC certificate and all the veg is supplied by Covent Garden. This is a unique collaboration with Lomax Chelsea and I would definitely pop in as the food is not just healthy, but also delicious. There is strictly no membership policy so anyone can drop in. Everything is free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar whenever possible. I had the free range spiced chicken with pomegranate glaze and a mix of all of the salads. It was yummy and I will definitely be going back.

We will also be reviewing an exercise class soon, so watch out for that.

Lomax Chelsea
293 Fulham Road
SW10 9PZ
@grill_market
@Thelomaxway

Parts & Labour Whitechapel Restaurant Review

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Parts and Labour is the new restaurant that has just opened in Whitechapel within the Qbic London City Hotel. Parts & Labour serves modern British food and offers all day dining within a cool and vibrant space. The decor is fresh and funky, featuring Scandinavian design influences. Channelling the Jewish heritage of the Whitechapel area, Parts & Labour also serves an array of traditional Jewish dishes such as Toasted Rueben (a hot salt beef sandwich, with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese), Chicken soup with dumplings and Sabich (flat bread topped with egg, aubergine and salad).

My colleague, Paloma, and I take our seats and I order a coke. Paloma goes for a Spanish Rioja which smells amazing. She likes it. The menu looks great and it takes us a while to decide. In the end I go for something traditional: Ham & Cheddar Croquettes with Herb Mayonnaise and Paloma has the Chicken Liver Pate, Apple Chutney and Brioche. The chicken liver is creamy and soft with a delicate hint of metallic flavours. It has little chunks of onion and spread over the sweet, sticky and toasted brioche, with a lick of chutney combined gives all the right textures and tastes. My croquettes are delicious, the filling is perfect and they are just the right size. The herb mayonnaise is gorgeous and goes perfectly with the croquettes.

For our mains I have the 6oz Cheeseburger, Onion Marmalade and Chips and Paloma has the Salmon Fishcake, Buttered Spinach and Brown Shrimp Butter Sauce. My burger is AMAZING. Really good. The onion marmalade goes perfectly and you can’t go wrong with chips. The tomato ketchup comes in a cool, retro tomato. The salmon fishcake was beautifully browned and fluffy inside. The sauce was delicious, salty butter fused with spinach.

For dessert we have the Apple & Rhubarb Crumble with Custard and Chocolate Marquise with Prunes, Pistachio and Meringue. The crumble is crispy and sweet which complimented the sour taste of the rhubarb. It is tasty indeed. The Chocolate Marquise is something to behold: I don’t normally order anything with prunes or pistachio but this dish is amazing. The Chocolate Marquise is divine, the pistachio mousse is mouth-watering, the meringue is perfect and the prune sauce is good. It works well together and is a really wonderful desert. I want to eat it again.

The food is great, the hotel is quirky and cool, and the service is excellent. We loved Parts & Labour. I might even go again despite living on the opposite side of London.

https://london.qbichotels.com/en/enjoy-our-bar-and-restaurant.html

For reservations 0203 021 3300 or email: reservations@partsandlabour.london

Qbic London City Hotel
42 Adler Street,
London,
E1 1EE

Mayfair Pizza Co Restaurant Review

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

The Mayfair Pizza Co is in a truly beautiful part of Mayfair, Lancashire Court. One of those little hidden gems of London. I arrived on a sunny day with a friend to review. The restaurant is beautiful, refined and classy. It is a happy and relaxing setting. I order a coke and my friend has some water and we order some olives to get us going. The olives are delicious and fresh and come with salted almonds.

To start I have the Dorset Crab Salad with Apple, Avocado and my friend has the Salt & Pepper Squid with Saffron Aioli. My crab salad is very unique and comes in a crab shell. It has lots of different textures and ingredients that go together wonderfully. It is unique and tastes great. My friend, Lynn, is a fan of her squid and says it is good. She would have liked a plate however. Overall presentation is great and the service is first-class.

What we don’t have for our mains is the hottest pizza in town. The Mayfair Pizza Co have the spiciest pizza going at the moment. I didn’t try it as I am heavily pregnant and didn’t want to go into labour but it sure looked good. Read all about it via the above link. Executive Chef Michael Lecouter’s latest creation is must-try for any discerning pizza connoisseur.

For our mains I have the Chicken Milanese with Rosemary Potatoes, Red Onion Jam & Tender Stem Broccoli. Lynn has the

Fiorentina pizza which comes with Mascarpone, Spinach, Soft Boiled Egg, Parmesan, Ex Virgin Olive Oil. My chicken is good, the rosemary potatoes are perfect and so yummy, the red onion jam goes well with everything and is delicious, as is the tender stem broccoli which is perfectly cooked. Lynn loves her pizza. The soft boiled egg, rather than the traditional fried egg on top throws us initially, especially as it is cold. The pizza is good however and the soft boiled egg gives a different touch.

For dessert I have a Trio of Gelato. The ice cream is delicious. It tastes home made and if I wasn’t so full I could have had seconds and thirds. Lynn wimps out and doesn’t have dessert. In her defence she is going swimming later and I have eaten so much I would sink.

The Mayfair Co is a wonderful place to eat. Beautiful, classy and relaxing. Even the loos are beautiful. The food is top-notch and the service is impeccable. Go and see for yourself.

Mayfair Pizza Co.

4 Lancashire Court, New Bond Street,

London W1S 1EY

www.mayfairpizzaco.com

@mayfairpizzaco

The Drift Restaurant Review

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

The Drift is located in the rather trendy Heron Tower. The place is bustling with city workers and has a great vibe about it. The decor is great and has a cool, quirky and up-market feel.

Heron Tower on Bishopsgate is a rather beautiful building in the heart of the city. The Drift is brimming with quirky collectibles, hidden alcoves, a mixology table and fine dining nooks. Add in Drake & Morgan’s renowned creative cocktails and seasonal food to the mix and this is a great place to have brunch or let your hair down after a long day and enjoy some food and drinks.

We start off with some mocktails, the Zero- Raspberry and Mango Fizz. My colleague has the Juiceology- fresh orange and cranberry. Both the mocktail and juice are delicious, fresh and different.

I have the Chicken Satay with peanut sauce and prawn crackers and my colleague has the Peking Duck Flatbread with hoisin sauce and cucumber ribbons. The chicken is well cooked and succulent, the sauce is good and I like the brown prawn crackers. They add to the dish rather than feeling like a filler. The duck is an amazing, unique dish. All of the ingredients really work together and the sauce is great too.

For our mains I have the Wagyu Beef Burger. It comes with blue cheese, tomato chutney and chipped potatoes. I change the blue cheese for cheddar which the restaurant are nice about. My colleague has the Suffolk Farm Lamb Shank with Sweet Potatoe mash, rosemary jus and harissa. My burger is great and cooked well. They ask you how you like it done, this isn’t McDonalds. The tomato chutney is fresh and tastes homemade, yum. The chips are perfect and the tomato sauce and mayonnaise that comes with also tastes fresh and homemade. This is a running theme of The Drift. Things taste homemade and like they have just been cooked. My colleagues lamb is well cooked. The portion is good and the sauce is a great mix that really works.

For dessert I have the Chocolate brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and my colleague has the Wagon Wheel: toasted meringue, raspberry sorbet and shortbread. My brownie is delicious and warm. Just yummy and the ice cream goes perfectly with it. My colleagues dessert is sublime and original. So much so that I end up eating half of it. Don’t judge, I share my brownie in return.

We liked the food at The Drift. The service is excellent, the food is fresh and tasty and there is a great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

http://www.thedriftbar.co.uk/
10 Bishopsgate
EC2N 4AY
0845 468 0103
info@thedriftbar.co.uk

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Category Archives: Restaurant & Hotel Reviews