Food With A View

Happy Birthday To Me
When: November 2014
Where: Ting at Shangri-La at The Shard, London

A birthday is a time to celebrate and also a time to reflect on the year gone by and to look forward to the year ahead.  Originally I had planned to have this meal as a way to say farewell to living in London but it was not meant to be, instead it turned into an excellent birthday lunch.  We arrived in good time at London Bridge and got our bearings as to the entrance of the hotel.  As we still had some time to kill we did the only sensible thing and had a walk through Borough Market to whet our appetites.  Unlike the weekend zoo when all the stalls are open, a late weekday morning visit is an oasis of calm by comparison, time to take in the smells and sights, rather than shuffle through the stalls and long queues.

After a short walk we headed off to our destination.  On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by the door staff and passed the riff raff test and were allowed through.  We were warmly greeted at the front desk and the tone was set for an excellent lunch.  Our dining vouchers were exchanged and after a short bag check we were whooshing up 35 floors to the lobby area and Ting.  First impressions were strong.  As expected for a high end establishment the finishes and attention to detail were excellent.  Despite being a chain hotel in the middle of London there was a distinctly Asian feel to the design.

Like someone telling you the ending to a good book we knew the view was coming when the lift doors opened.  Yet despite knowing what to expect the view, like a good book still takes you by surprise.  It was a beautiful clear day and it was magnificent to see out across London.  We walked over to the restaurant entrance where our reservation was found, our coats taken and we were taken over to a nice secluded spot in the far corner, not far from the large open kitchen area.

We made ourselves comfortable, marvelled at the view and the lovely table setting.  We had a view of the railway lines and out towards the towers of Canary Wharf.  Menus came over and we decided to go with the set lunch and a bottle of red.

To start we had the Jerusalem Artichoke soup and the Black Cod.  The soup was creamy and flavourful with the surprise of the soft egg in the middle.  Lots of fresh sour dough bread and soft butter were available.

For our mains we had the Lincolnshire Pork Chop and the Plaice Fillet.  Both were cooked to perfection and my pork chop had a delicious cauliflower and garlic purée, with a lovely flavour of caramelised onion after-taste.

We finished up with the chocolate and citrus desserts which both rounded off our dinner very nicely.

A couple of strong and much needed coffees served up with some petit fours whilst we continued to enjoy the atmosphere and amazing views.

To conclude, we had a great meal at Ting, the food whilst not fine dining in the truest sense was excellent and well executed.  Service was friendly and genuine with a couple of very minor flaws, but considering the restaurant has not been open that long is understandable.  However, the view and atmosphere are quite unique and are well worth the cost of the meal alone.  Ting comes highly recommended for a special occasion.

Something Spicy
Where: Woodlands

After a busy day walking along the Southbank and onto Leicester Square we had to stop at our favourite Indian restaurant, Woodlands.  It was our first time back since our South India trip and after reading the menu it was almost an exact replica of much of the street food and breakfast buffets we'd enjoyed on that trip.  Still being slightly full from our indulgent lunch we went with some simple dosas, fresh, spicy and delicious, for a few minutes we were back at the Oberoi in Mumbai.

Sadly we left to a drizzly London night but a beautiful end to a perfect day.

Service and Street Photography

William Klein + Daido Moriyama
Where: Tate Modern
When: November 2012

I love a good bit of street photography and this exhibition didn't disappoint.  Split into two sections, one for each artist containing a mix of photography and films that both artists have produced.  The first half of the exhibition is dedicated to Klein and kicks off with a short film about Times Square that feels like being thrown into Travis Bickle's New York.  In fact the film was shot 15 years before Scorsese's masterpiece.  Then there are lots of small "candid" shots of his native New York and his adopted home in Paris.  Off to the side was a fascinating short film where Klein explains his working process for capturing the perfect moment on film, watching, waiting for the figure to line up with their environment.  There was then a selection of clips from a number of Klein's films.  The rest was a little forgettable and played with Klein's notions of image selection as per the earlier short.

Next up was Moriyama's work.  His photos felt more constructed but lacking Klein's excellent powers of selection.  For every inspiring misty road there was something that left you feeling a little bit "meh" for want for a better word.  Where as Klein was fantastic at capturing people, Moriyama seemed better at capturing the landscape and all it's wonderful light and texture.  Overall this was an inspiring and worthwhile exhibition to attend.  Additionally by going during the week it was an oasis of calm allowing you to slowly take in the works on display rather than fighting from frame to frame, shoulder to shoulder with every tourist in London.

Brawn

First impressions are important, but thankfully in my book they are not the be all and end all.  Whilst it's true that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, it is equally true that you have all the time in the world to make up for it.  I had read about Brawn on one of my favourite internet resources, Chowhound where it was talked up to be a nice, simple, reasonably priced French restaurant, the kind of place that never seems to exist outside of France.  Alighting the Overground at Hoxton we were faced with a less than helpful station map as google maps refused to tell me where I was.  We then faced a wet walk past what must have been about 20 Vietnamese restaurants only to double back on ourselves through a dark and lonely council estate before arriving at some closed shops and a restaurant with no sign above the door and not many more customers.  "Is this it?"  "According to google maps I think so, let's go in".  After being greeted by a wall of staff behind the bar, one who was practising his 1000 yard stare, the man furthest from us twigged none of his colleagues were going to welcome us in so stepped up to the plate, welcoming us warmly and getting us settled in.  After the initial glares the service was decent, though I did get the impression a few of the staff seemed more interested in having a chat behind the bar rather than helping their customer's maximise the dining experience.

Menu's are created daily and split into 3 sections, Pig, Cold, Hot and don't come with much description as to what makes up a meal or exactly what it is you are ordering, so you are not sure if you are over or under ordering.  My partner was not feeling particularly well and this was reflected in her choice of food.  I had a lovely, if not over priced glass of Ardeche Red, a Tuscan Bean Soup to start, Pork Belly for main and treacle tart to finish, with copious amounts of freshly cut sourdough bread to keep me topped up.  The soup was delicious and after a cold and wet trek to the restaurant it was just what I wanted, however from the portion size it was definitely a main course soup and not a starter.  The pork belly started off with a slightly to fatty first bite and then moved to perfection from every bite that followed, crisp skin, plenty of soft meat and only a little fat holding it together.  The cabbage was seasoned with sage and plenty of salt and cut beautifully through the fat of the pork.  Dessert was nice, a rich without being sickly treacle tart, served with what may have been a creme fraiche ice cream.

My partner went with a green salad followed by a Beef Bourginion and she followed this up with a chocolate mousse.

It was a long hard walk back to the Overground, an even harder walk to the bus stop.  I don't think I've eaten so much in a meal since Charlie Palmer Steak in Vegas, at least this meal didn't need a trip to the Grand Canyon to help walk it off!  In all, despite the bad start to the service, the food was fantastic and the price was more than reasonable considering you could easily spend close to the same amount of money eating inferior food at your local Cote.  If I can get over the slight hipster pretensions I will definitely return for another round of food.

William Klein + Daido Moriyama - Tate Modern: Exhibition - 10 October 2012 – 20 January 2013
Brawn -  49 Columbia Rd, Bethnal Green E2 7RG - 0207 729 5692

The Perfect Meal?

The Perfect Meal? - Le 7 
When - March 2012
Where - Le 7, Valence, France


There are a number of ingredients to my perfect meal but it is rare they all come together at the same time.  However, a few months ago whilst in France that was just the case.  We were celebrating my girlfriend's birthday with her family.  That meant ingredient one was already here, the right company.  As this was a big birthday we ended up going somewhere a little fancier then we would usually go and it was a really great choice, Le 7.   My second ingredient is of course the right place for the occasion.  Le 7 is famous for being the less costly sister restaurant of the famous three  Michelin star Pic located next door.  A pretty good choice if I may say so!  The third ingredient is service, we were warmly welcomed and shown to our seats, service was friendly, though perhaps a little brisk but it was also flexible enough to accommodate a vegetarian meal for one of our party despite the restaurant not offering one on the menu.  The fourth and often the most important ingredient is the food itself, which I will discuss shortly.  My penultimate ingredient is value for money, did you get what you pay for?  How did this restaurant compare with others at the same price point?  My final ingredient is how memorable the overall experience was.  Will this meal be forgettable, remembered fondly, or am I hoping to never return again?




Le 7 is a modern French bistro restaurant with tables packed closely together and a fast paced service.  The menu follows the theme of a culinary road trip across France from north to south.  After being seated on a nice table in the corner of the dining room we were given some complementary bread in a paper bag, which was very tasty.  After all no good French meal is complete without fresh bread on the side!  We followed the 30 Euro per person three course set menu which we washed down with a bottle of Argentinian Malbec that I sadly forget the name of.  Lunch started off with an amuse bouche of bread and hummus which was delicious. We then moved on to our starter of Pumpkin Soup with Coffee.  



The soup was smooth and velvety with a nice hint of coffee running through it, everything was just right with this course.



To follow the soup I had the Shoulder of Lamb with Seasonal Vegetables.  The lamb was soft, tender and slightly pink in the centre.  The vegetables were finely diced and melted magnificently in the mouth together with sauce.  There were some quiet complaints that the sauce was a touch too salty, but for me it was perfect. 



After that perfect main I had a feeling of contentment inside.  We had a short rest from the food and then it was time for dessert.  I went with the Chocolate Finger which was a sweet, dark, reinvention of the Black Forest Gateaux with a scoop of refreshing raspberry sorbet served on the side.

All good things must come to an end and lunch was sadly over. I have to say all the ingredients had mixed together nicely.  We had good company and a great place for this special occasion.  Service was a little brisk but it did not hamper our lunch one bit.  The value for money was excellent, it's very easy to spend £20-£25 per person on lunch/dinner and end up with an underwhelming meal.  At Le 7  the food was great across each course and I only wish I could eat this well and at this price so close to home here in London, hopefully my quest will not be in vain!  I won't forget this meal any time soon and hopefully we can go back again.  If you ever happen to be in this part of France than a visit to Le 7 should certainly be added to your itinerary, unless of course you can afford the three star restaurant next door!

Pic Valence - 285 avenue Victor Hugo, 26000 Valence - Drome
              Tel. +33 4 75 44 15 32