Lentil Curry

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

This is a very easy, simple and staple dish in our house and we create this on this days when its drizzly outside. When the wet weather sets in its time to get those spices out and rustle up a big pot of hot and delicious happiness. Whats great about this recipe is that its a vegan meal that can be adapted for sides, or of a whopper of a main meat eaters meal. All you need to do is add a little extra sustenance towards the end of the cooking time. The best bit though I have saved till last….And thats that this dish is ultra kind on those hips as I didn’t you any oil or fats when cooking.

To create this meal for 4 people you will need the following list of ingredients.

Lentil Curry Ingredients

4 cups of Lentils
1 bunch of coriander
2 onions
6 carrots
4 tbs Curry paste
2 tbs of Tomato puree
1 pint od water
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 tsp of ground Garlic or 2 bulbs of the fresh kind
1/2 a bag of Rice
2 Naan breads

Lentil Curry Method

Now here is the best bit….Its a one pot wonder that takes minutes to prepare and is wildly amazing.

Chop up the onions and carrots.
Then drop them into the pan. No need for oil as this is an ultra healthy dish.
Add all the other ingredients and bring to the boil.
Let it all simmer for about 1 hour and keep checking to make sure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Then boil the rice and serve with the Naan bread. Simple and so easy.
Add cooked meat to the mixture 10 minutes before serving if your a carnivorous type!

Its a great recipe if your new to cooking or a student. Go have a go and let us know how you get on. For more recipes head over to SLB Style.com

Holborn Dining Room

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

The Holborn Dining Room is a beautiful classy and chilled establishment. The interior is splendid but isn’t as impressive as the outside area in when the sun is shining. We headed out for a wander mid afternoon to grab a few drinks and stumbled upon this place. The menu was basic, delicious, and very impressive. We plumped for good old fish finger sandwich and a classic chicken and bacon salad. Washed down with a few Gin cocktails.

With seasonal, locally sourced British cuisine on the menu this place will go down very well when needing to impress a lady or friends. Grab yourself a pint of local lager a burger or a glass of fizz and a pint of prawns. Fine wines are on offer at this renowned restaurant.

Holborn Dining Room is a welcome find for us. London life is so very grand when you find places just like this to share with all of you. It’s possibly one of the nicest bars on the scene in the city.

The first cocktails we tested where the Hendricks and the G Vine. The G Vine was simply amazing flavoured with elderflower tonic and garnished with grapes. I happily sat and sipped while we waited for the food to arrive. This place is where you need to chill and soak up the amazing atmosphere. Their is no rush, just take your time to relax.

Another cocktail before we ate… This one was the Smooth Amber, garnished with cinnamon and orange zest. Pocky and pretty darn good. Ian went for a more simple one. The sipsmith, flavoured with juniper, lemon and orange. Both had us feeling chilled in a matter of moments! Ready for some food by this point and we where not disappointed. Out came our dishes served by a lovely waitress. We chatted for a few moments about how grand it would be to stay in one of the many rooms on offer. You can actually rent an entire floor in the hotel, POA of course! Other rooms start from around £250 per night if you are tempted.

Who would have thought a simple chicken and bacon salad could look this divine and taste so utterly wonderful. A side of chips as thats just how we like to roll! Ian’s fish finger sandwich was severed on sourdough bread. A little fiddly to eat but impressive none the less. It was garnished with horseradish and by all accounts was really rather a good choice. The menu is made up of simple dishes with a twist. All the other dishes being served to various tables looked and smelt divine. This is most certainly one place we need to come back to review the evenings offerings.

Well worth a little trip very soon if your in the area. The prices reflect the area and the quality of the food. Not an everyday treat for some but possibly the nicest of afternoons you could have. We spent the rest of the day wandering back home with full bellies and happy smiles.

Find them at NO 252 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM WC1V 7EN

5 Sizzling Steak Tips

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Aidan

Having ‘grilled’ one of England’s top top beef scientists, we bring you tips that will make your barbecue season so much tastier. ‘The Science of Steak’ at The Meridian Hotel in London’s Piccadily involved some serious steak sampling, and whilst munching on Waygu and Aberdeen Angus, Carol Muskoron spoke to Dr Phil Hadley of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board to discover some compelling steak advice.

Why you don’t always need steak mince.

Do you walk proudly by the budget mince and head straight for the steak mince? Budget mince is the best mince for making burgers. With more fat than leaner mince, it gives a burger extra flavour and succulence and helps it hold together better too. Go for the mid-range mince if you like a little less fat, but you really don’t need to opt for steak mince if you’re making burgers. What should you use steak mince for? Lasagne or spaghetti bolognese of course.

Steak doesn’t have to be bright red when you buy it

You know those brownish, vacuum-packed steaks you tend to avoid in the supermarkets – well, it turns out that they’re just as fresh as the bright red ones. We might prefer our steak to look red and bloody when we buy it, but it makes no difference to the steak at all. Want proof? Take it out of its pack and leave it for half an hour and it will turn nice and red again once its re-oxygenated. Or just cook it – the colour won’t affect the flavour.

When NOT to throw out your steak

If your steak has turned a bit brown on the outside that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s off. Steak does brown as it gets older but it’s usually perfectly okay to cook a steak that has a brown tinge. And remember, if you’re pan-frying or barbecuing you’ll be heating it up so high that it will kill any small amounts of bacteria on the outside. The sell-by date is a good indicator of freshness but may not be accurate – the real test is to smell it. A steak that is off will make its presence known to your nostrils – it will smell bad!

Ageing – what’s that all about?

When you go to a restaurant and 35-day aged steak is on the menu, what does that mean? Should you be excited or horrified that a mouldy old lump of meat will turn up on your plate?! Ageing simply means storing meat so that the flavours and tenderness improve – it’s kept in a constant and very cool temperature under UV light to keep it fresh during the process. It’s common practice to age steak for 14 days, as flavour and texture both improve up to that point. After 14 days the texture won’t improve any more – it’s as tender as it’s going to get – but the flavour will move on and become more meaty (more game-like).

Grain-fed or grass fed?

Again, on a menu or in a butcher’s you might see this information. What should you make of it? In England, most of our cattle is grass fed, and the English consumer seems to mostly prefer grass-fed steak. In taste tests we say grain-fed steaks taste fattier. But give an American a grass-fed steak and they may well complain that it tastes off! Really, this seems to be a case of liking what you’re used to. FYI: Argentinian steaks are grass fed – and that may well be why so many of us love our Argentinian steak restaurants here in the UK.

Fnd out more at http://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk.

Hardys Shiraz Langhorne Creek 2014 & Kumala Cabernet Shiraz 2013 Review

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Frostie

Hardys Shiraz Langhorne Creek 2014

This shiraz is a smooth, full-bodied red wine with intense autumn fruit flavours of fresh blackberry & mulberry. Accompanied by rich black pepper & vanilla spice. It is well balanced and delicious.

Goes well with pasta, meat and cheese. This wine would be perfect with roast beef, steak and at barbecues.

Kumala Cabernet Shiraz 2013

This shiraz is a South African Wine. A dark ruby red in colour. It is full bodied and has glorious spicy barbecue notes which are complimented by forest fruit flavours. A rich, high quality wine full of wonderful tastes. Smooth and goes down well.

Surrounding South Africa’s Legendary Table Mountain is a place of lush fertility and natural beauty. This is the home of Kumala, where the company make quality wines that are full of character.

Can be enjoyed on its own or with red meat dishes, at a barbecue (of course) and with cheese.

Red wine should be served at room temperature. Red wine is graded from A (light) to E (full bodied).

Qu’ils mangent de la brioche

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Christian Gott

The popular misconception is that Marie Antoinette’s famously said of the starving French peasants at her gates, “Let them eat cake”. What she actually said was actually “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche. In France, the home of this delicious enriched dough, brioche is properly served as a breakfast cake. In fact brioche is a hybrid, it is made in the same way as you make bread, with the addition of eggs and butter and can also have extra sugar added for a sweeter flavour. The technical term for this pastry cum sweet, buttery dough is Viennoiserie, which include all of those lovely, if rather naughty breakfast treats, like pain aux chocolate and croissants.

I love the stuff, brioche is a amazingly versatile and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner, used as a pastry and the basis of many desserts . Golden brown, freshly baked brioche can be filled with raisins or chocolate chips, simply spread with extra butter and strawberry or apricot jam or as is increasingly popular as a wonderful bun for a burger. As a pastry brioche reaches a height of culinary naughtiness and a decadence that maybe would have shamed even the haughty Marie Antoinette. Wrapped around Cervelas de Lyon, truffle flavoured sausages, fillet steak or luxurious foie gras mousseline. The most celebrated brioche recipe, Coulibiac, is a type of Russian pie filled with sturgeon, buckwheat, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, onions, and dill. Brioche in history was truly fit for kings and queens even if they did not live to enjoy it.

For my recipe, I need you to get hold of four large brioche buns and resist any temptation to toast them and spread with pate or jam. We are going a little 1970’s and using them as a bowl to be filled with plump mussels and clams in a full flavoured broth. Old fashioned it may be be, but it is a show stopper and terrifically tasty to boot and once you’ve done it I am sure it will become a favourite. Fresh quality mussels and clams are readily available at all good fishmongers.

Preparing mussels and clams is not a difficult job or something to be scared of. Under a slow running tap scrape off any limpets or items stuck to the shells with a small sharp knife. Some mussels may have a small bushy beard pushed out of the shell. Grabbed between the knife blade and your thumb, a sharp tug should remove it. Wash all of the prepared mussels and clams under the tap for a couple more minutes and drain. You can store then in the bottom of your fridge covered with damp kitchen paper until needed.

Mussel and Clam Stew stuffed Brioche Buns serves 4

4 Brioche Buns

1 kg Fresh Mussels

½ kg Fresh Clams

6 large Banana Shallots, peeled and finely diced

3 cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed

A small handful of fresh Dill

200 ml thick double cream

50 ml of Vermouth ( White Wine is a great substitute )

25 ml Olive Oil

25 gr Butter

1 fresh Egg

Juice of one fresh Lemon

Freshly ground Black Pepper

In a large, heavy bottomed pan ( with a tight fitting lid ), melt the butter and add the oil. Over a medium heat soften the shallots for ten minutes without colouring. Add the garlic and cook out for two or three minutes stirring continuously. Tip in the mussels and clams and add the Vermouth place on the lid add steam the shellfish for five to six minutes. Carefully holding the pan with a heat proof cloth remove from the heat. Place a colander in a large glass bowl and tip in the mussels and allow to cool. Reserve the cooking liquid to be used to make the final sauce.

Preheat the oven to 325 F / 160 C / Gas Mark 3. Very carefully using a bread knife cut the top quarter of your brioche buns off to form lids. Using a small knife cut into the bottoms of the brioche buns then scoop out the majority of the interior. This can be save to make sweet bread crumbs to use on desserts. Whisk the egg with a little cold water in a small bowl, then brush all over the inside, outside and lids of the buns. Place on a silicon baking tray and bake in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes.

When cool pick the majority of the mussels and clams from their shells leaving a handful for garnishing. Carefully pour the the cooking liquid through a fine strainer into a small pan and place on a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce the volume by half. Add the cream and simmer for a couple more minutes before seasoning with a generous grind of pepper. Add the mussels and clams and gently heat in the sauce. Take care not to boil or the shellfish will toughen, add the lemon juice and finely chopped dill, taste and add more pepper if required.

Place the brioche rolls onto a deep lipped plates or bowls and carefully spoon in the picked mussels and clams. Fill with sauce and top with the prepared lids. Spoon around a little extra liquid and the retained shellfish in shells and sprinkle with a little extra dill to garnish.

Ling Ling in Mykonos, at Hakkasan, Hanway Place

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

The first of the Hakkasan realm of restaurants, Hanway Place plays host to a celebration of food, drink and dance (known as the Izakaya concept) with its limited edition summer menu.

Mirroring the dishes launched in Hakkasan, Mykonos in Greece, diners will be able to opt for one of three choices from the Ling Ling menu:

– Fish and seafood

– Meat and seafood

– Vegetarian.

And this week we sampled the variety of Cantonese-style dishes which are “perfect for island living and late night revelry”.

But on our own English island and in the heart of London, the vibe was fun, the food had flair and the drinks were flowing. While we sipped on bubbly, a signature cocktail to accompany the dishes has also been released – the Ling Ling Collins.

My favourite was the grilled Chilean seabass in honey, oozing with taste and textures. The seabass slithered on the tongue; it was smoky yet sweet which contrasted with the crispy deep fried mushroom nestled on top.

Next the spicey prawn with lily bulb and almond left an explosion in the mouth – hot but moreish and the plump prawn was beautifully juicy.

The homemade pumpkin tofu was deep-fried and a rather nice alternate dish among the seafood dishes. Crispy on the outside and squidgy on the inside, there was just the right hint of pumpkin to mask the distinctive flavour of the tofu.

And the steamed dim sum platter of scallop shumai came beautifully presented in the bamboo steamer.

The array of macarons were a feast for the eyes, each with their own distinct flavour. I bit into a pink macaron which radiated flowery tastes in the palate, a rose-water-like tang.

And I also sampled a macaron filled with sweet chocolate, ending the evening on a sugary high.

The limited edition Ling Ling summer menu will be available at Hakkasan Hanway Place and Mayfair until 31 August, priced at £35/person and £45/person respectively.

A Weekend In Rome: Fall For The The Eternal City In 48 Hours

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Holly Thomas

by Holly Thomas. All images copyright Holly Thomas [Twitter, Instagram: @HolstaT]

Rome might not have been built in a day, but with enough pizza bianca under your belt you can sure fall for it in one. Here are a few unmissables you should squeeze in between slices…

The Walk up the Via dei Fori Imperiali

[Make this your route to the Colloseum, and in ten minutes you’ll see enough of Ancient Rome to make your trip worthwhile]

Start early at the Piazza Venezia. Avoid the overpriced ice cream (tends to be better when found down a side street), and start down the Via dei Fori. On your right you’ll pass the Altar of the Fatherland, which looms massively over the square, a fantastic titan-scale monument honouring the city’s fallen soldiers.

Trot a little further and on your left, you’ll see the Foro di Augusto, the ruins of a forum which once served both as a temple to Mars, and space for legal proceedings. It’s classic Ancient Rome, slick efficiency coupled with due deference to conquest. If it’s dry, you can head down the steps below street level and wander through the remains.

[I never cease to be impressed by the gumption of national heritage sites which allow this – tourist footfall must be eroding the SHIT out of everything, surely?]

A little further up on your right, past the Julius Caesar statue, you’ll see the Roman Forum. It’s architectural excavation on a huge scale – like a valley of ruins overlooked on all sides by 2000-year-old temples, government buildings, and palaces. Get a guide to explain all this to you properly (on which more later).

Next on your right is the beautiful Basilica SS Cosma e Damiano. A very lovely building, but by this point you’ll be having trouble tearing your eyes away from the main event…

The Colosseum

It’s staggering, no hyperbole. This was my favourite thing in the city. See the Colloseum, and you’ll understand why the Romans thought so very much of themselves for 500 years. Even beyond the scale and majesty of the building itself, it encapsulates an idea of Rome (my apologies to Ridley Scott), that no number of churches can match. It’s brutal, imperial, clever, showbusiness, business business, it’s everything you want it to be.

Book a tour

Give yourself up to the socks and sandals legions. Ruins are very lovely to look at, but they take on such greater significance when someone explains what exactly you’re seeing, and this is history. A good guide can tell you how the cunning Romans drained their valley-straddling city, where the centre mile is (all roads lead to…), where the citizens had to apply for planning permission, and how one vestal “virgin” evaded being buried alive when she discovered she was pregnant. Go to the top of the hill where the orange trees grow for a stunning panoramic view of the old city, and don’t be shy to ask your guide to pause while you take the pictures it deserves.

Make sure that your tour includes both the under-stage level of the colosseum and the third tier. It’s a little more expensive, but a worthwhile education. Stand on the lights in the tunnels and imagine yourself one of hundreds of slaves preparing hundreds of desperate, dangerous animals for their moment in the spotlight. Then when you’ve climbed to the top, you can better imagine the view of the gladiators – the most expensive beasts in the Colosseum – making their bloody names on the stage.

Go to lunch at Al Cardello, which is tucked away behind the guide office. It’s small and sweet, with the modest seating open onto the kitchen. Diners speak softly to preserve the peace just a stone’s throw away from the busiest tourist area in the city. It helps that the food (the traditional menu you’ll see everywhere – grilled vegetables, pesce, carne, pasta) is prepared with great care, and quite delicious enough to command your full attention.

After eating, you can nip around the corner to see Michelangelo’s Moses at Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli.

Take a wander towards the Spanish Steps. If you’re parched for green space, continue beyond the steps and into the park behind. Aim yourself at the Temple of Asceplius for photos opps. Be sure to get back to the top of the steps in time for sunset, though…

The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Well, obviously, but might as well if you’re in the neighbourhood, right? It’s €16 for the museum and chapel. Give it a good half day – if you were to attempt to look at everything in the Vatican you’d be camping there a month, but a few hours will give you a good sense of the place, and get you comfortably to saturation point on the fresco-and-sculpture front.

Of course, you’ll also drop into The Basilica of St Paul. If you’d rather do so without buying the full Vatican ticket, you can enter via the Roman square, but get their early (before eight) to avoid the staggering queue. Bear in mind that the Pope likes to swing by without forewarning sometimes, and when he does, the church is closed to the public.

If you have some time to kill…

… and are in the mood for a little educational Schadenfreude, head to the Museo Criminologico. This former prison now houses the most satisfyingly macabre collection you could wish to lose an hour or so gawping at. Observe, the spiked iron collar placed on “chattering” women in the seventeenth century! The skeleton of some poor bastard left to die suspended in a metal cage! The torture seat which had a fire lit underneath! I loved every minute in this place.

Sip & Learn – The New Way To Enjoy Wine

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Frostie

We love wine at Frost, reviewing all varieties to bring the best to our readers. Sip & Learn caught our eye as it not only delivers wine straight to your door, but also comes with a booklet that tells you all about the wine. It is a brilliant idea. Sip & Learn is a new monthly wine subscription service on a mission to make wine fun and accessible to all.

Each month, two seriously good bottles of carefully chosen wine will arrive at subscribers’ doorsteps accompanied by a booklet that tells you everything you need to know about the wine. Sippers will embark on an entertaining and educational tour de force in which they will learn about a range of subjects, from grape varieties to how wines are made, and all from the comfort of their own home whilst enjoying a delicious glass of wine.

So if you enjoy wine, or know someone that does, Sip & Learn is the perfect way to put the fun factor back into learning about wine.

RRP £35 per month (incl P&P). Subscriptions are ongoing or on a 3, 6 and 12 monthly basis. www.sipandlearn.co.uk

Sip & Learn was set up by French duo, Marie-Anne and wine expert Sylvain in December 2014.

‘I love wine but tend to panic when asked to taste or choose it. I used to call my friend Sylvain or text pictures of wines to get his help all the time. I’ve always wanted to learn about wine but going to classes sounds too scary and pompous. So together with Sylvain, we started thinking about how we could help people like me discover and understand how wine works without getting bored or feeling shy at a wine tasting class. The result: Sip & Learn. We hope you enjoy it.’

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