2013 was the year of hyrid baked goods (did you try a Duffin or Cronut?), even more burger places (escaping any horse in them),
speakeasies continued to be not so secret, Negronis were everywhere, and there seemed to be lots of new Korean and Peruvian openings.
As it’s nearly 2014, I thought it
was apt to give a round-up of my food highlights in 2013 – this list is a
mixture of my favourite recipes, books, restaurants and trips (no particular
order). What were your food and drink
highlights of the year?
1) Best birthday meal at Midsummer
House – I was treated by my mum for lunch at Midsummer House in Cambridge (with
its 2 Michelin stars). This was the best
meal of the year – faultless and inventive cooking, and not stuffy – they even
gave us a tour of the kitchen at the end.
The lunch menu is brilliant value, and you must have a cup of tea or
coffee at the end just for the bottereaux (little beignet/doughnut diamonds)
and the chocolates – a giant wooden box with rows of various intricately made
treats.
2) Some of your
5 a day at Grain Store – Grain
Store was one of my favourite
openings of 2013. Bruno
Loubet’s menu focuses on vegetables rather than the meat or fish, for a
refreshing (and affordable) restaurant in the airy King’s Cross site.
Feta Cheesecake at Honey & Co |
3) Fabulous (feta) cheesecake at
Honey & Co – I loved the whole meal at the tiny, fragrant and delicious
Honey & Co. You must try the falafel
(I’m a sucker for good falafel) or the whole of the giant mezze selection, but
the cheesecake was the best bit. A crispy
nest of kadaif pastry underneath a dollop of mascarpone, honey and non-salty feta, with white peach and Greek oregano.
Berners Tavern |
4) A number of Social openings,
along with a Tavern – Jason Atherton’s places in London are consistently excellent,
with a spate of new openings this year. In
2013 the excellent Pollen St Social was joined by Little Social nearby (cosy
bistro food), then Social Eating House (I love the bar upstairs, with its
classy snacks) and finally Berners Tavern (one of the most beautiful dining
rooms in London). Some of my favourite lunches
out this year, with the rooms, food, service and drinks spot on.
5) More easy. delicious recipes from Nigel Slater – He is one of my favourite food writers, who crops up a number of times on my cookbook shelf (the photography and food styling is beautiful too). Do go out a buy a copy of Eat – it’s a little book packed with simple and tasty recipes, some with only 2 or 3 ingredients. Really accessible, and the most useful and used book of my collection. Other books I’ve used a lot this year included Fuschia Dunlop’s Every Grain of Rice, Bill Granger’s Easy Asian, Rick Stein’s India and the Polpo cookbook.
5) More easy. delicious recipes from Nigel Slater – He is one of my favourite food writers, who crops up a number of times on my cookbook shelf (the photography and food styling is beautiful too). Do go out a buy a copy of Eat – it’s a little book packed with simple and tasty recipes, some with only 2 or 3 ingredients. Really accessible, and the most useful and used book of my collection. Other books I’ve used a lot this year included Fuschia Dunlop’s Every Grain of Rice, Bill Granger’s Easy Asian, Rick Stein’s India and the Polpo cookbook.
Snegl & Hot Chocolate in Copenhagen |
6) Hotdogs and cinnamon pastries in
chilly Copenhagen – The city is very chic, shown in all the restaurants, cafes
and bakeries. We survived the cold with lots
of thick hot chocolate and cinnamon pastries, and had the best hot dog ever –
search out the truck at the bottom of one of the towers. Do go to the meatpacking area for trendy bars
and restaurants too.
7) Different (often cheaper) cuts of
meat – I liked experimenting in the kitchen with new cuts of meat (especially
pork cheeks, and beef shin). I loved the
bacon rib at Foxlow, and the short-rib bourgignon at Smokehouse. In 2014, I’d recommend going to your local
butcher (my Clerkenwell favourites are McKenna on Theobalds Road, and Turner
& George on St John Street), and trying new cuts, which are often much
cheaper than the usual joints/fillets/breasts etc.
8) Perfect (and cheap as) chips at
the Regency Café – The reward for best value meal of the year goes to this
archetypal café. There’s a massice
choice – any kind of breakfast you could want, along with excellent fish and
chips. A London institution, and rightly
so.
Gelato in Milan |
9) Lots of Gelato in northern Italy –
My first trip to Italy was to Milan and Lake Como. Milan was filled with aperitivo – lots of
snacks to accompany Prosecco and Aperol spritz (all free when you buy a drink,
generally between 5 and 7ish in most bars).
The daily ritual in Lake Como involved gelato – chalky green pistachio, cocoa-rich
dark chocolate and nutty hazelnut my favourite.
It really is the best ice-cream.
Biryani at Gymkhana |
10) The best curry at Gymkhana –
Voted by my family as perhaps the best Indian restaurant (and we have tried a
few). Faultless cooking and expertly
fragrant and spiced dishes. Do try and
get a table (and try the biryani) if you can – it might be a little tricky, as
all the critics loved it too.
11) Moorish Moro
and Morito on Exmouth Market – After cooking lots from the books (my favourites
are fish tagine and the patatas bravas), I finally made it to the lovely Moro,
where I discovered the multiple carb koshary.
Morito next door is still one of my favourite tapas places in London –
my favourite dish is the humble sounding yet delicious fried chickpeas.
Taralli & Aperol Spritz in Puglia |
12) Puglia, the tastiest part of Italy
– The best week of food goes to Puglia.
The boot is where lots of vegetables (especially olives are grown) – all
were deliciously fresh (I loved the white aubergine). If you go, make sure to have a bowl of the
little taralli, orrecchiette pasta and burrata cheese.
13) Porridge, but a little more
interesting – It’s not the most glamorous of dishes, but I start most mornings
with a bowl. This year I experimented more – try almond or coconut
milk, cook with grated apple or blueberries, or top with seeds, honey, berry
compote or roasted plums/pears.