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The Rant
January 2008
A Taste of London
 I’ve just returned from London, England and can confirm that there’s more to British food than the boiled broad beans and other bland dishes I experienced there twenty odd years ago. Recently I spent an entire day at Regent’s Park, in Central London, for the gala opening of A Taste of London. A Taste of London is a three-day event where forty of London’s top restaurants serve small samples from their menus. The event also featured some of Britain’s best-known chefs like bad boy Gordon Ramsey, dashing Jean Christophe Novelli, Antonio Carluccio the avuncular Italian and Ken Hom, a master of Chinese cuisine. Thanks to their television shows, all of these chefs have an international following.
One of the first booths I visited was Fifteen’s. Fifteen opened its doors about four years ago on the heels of a Channel Four television series that documented Jamie Oliver’s efforts to create a restaurant that would exclusively employ underprivileged youth. Oliver, arguably Britain’s most famous chef, was not present when I visited. However, I did meet and chat with the young people who currently work at Fifteen.
These young people, led by executive chef, Steve Booley, impressed me with their enthusiasm and friendliness. They were not slouches where food knowledge was concerned either. Each of them seemed to have a firm grasp of the ingredients and preparation methods for each dish. Steve Booley told me he was keen to learn about what was happening at other London kitchens and abroad. Asian cuisine was of particular interest to him.
Funky salad
I enjoyed three of Fifteen’s offerings. First was a buffalo mozzarella salad with Italian peaches and funky greens, including dandelion. The salad was dressed with twelve-year-old balsamic vinegar. The balsamic was like nectar, sweet, smooth and rich. Then came a creamy risotto of smashed peas, broad beans, mint and ricotta. The ricotta had been very finely grated and used as a topping for the risotto. Finally I tried a simple but superb fruit salad of strawberries and orange bits neatly arranged inside a scooped out orange. For additional flavour the fruit had been doused with a good swig of limoncello liqueur.
Steve Booley’s interest in Asian cuisine led me to try something from one of London’s few Japanese restaurants. Roka served scallops on the half shell with yuzu, ponzu and spring onion. Yuzu is a bright lemon-like Japanese citrus and ponzu is a soy sauce flavoured with lemon juice or rice vinegar. Needless to say, the tender scallop had a definite tartness about it. The grill set up beside Roka’s booth provided a heat source to cook the scallops in their shells. It was also used for grilling lamb cutlets.
Roka’s lamb cutlets in a hot pepper paste and sesame had been marinated for eight hours in a mixture of chili peppers and plenty of garlic. Salivating Londoners in smart, dark suits and fancy frocks stood patiently as these delicious looking cutlets were then grilled and eventually plated for them. Mine were tender, smoky and garlicky beyond belief. I loved them.
Star chefs
Two of Britain’s most intriguing chefs are Jean Christophe Novelli and Antonio Carluccio. I met Novelli - who replaced Gordon Ramsey on the famous Hell’s Kitchen cooking series - at the V.I.P. enclosure. The forty-five year old is a nice guy who seemed to have time for everybody. His career has had its ups and downs. He came from a very poor French family, began cooking in France and eventually moved to England where he rose through the ranks to earn his first Michelin star. He’s known to create amazing desserts. After opening a string of his own restaurants he went bankrupt in 1999. Since then Novelli’s star has risen again. He is in demand on television and now operates his own cooking school called, Novelli Academy.
 Antonio Carluccio is Britain’s leading authority on wild food. He has become an expert at finding all sorts of edible plants and berries in England’s countryside, as well as - believe it or not – London parks and building sites. Naturally, mushrooms are a favourite. I own one of his mushroom books, an excellent reference and recipe volume called The Complete Mushroom Book. I met him while he was preparing food at A Taste of London. He was charming but appeared a tiny bit tired after a long day of cooking and chatting. I tasted his saltimbocca di pollo - chicken and parma ham skewers with sweet red pepper sauce. It was good simple food ideal for outdoor grilling.
A trendy food this year in Britain and America is pork belly or belly pork. Ironically this was one of the cheapest parts of the pig that our ancestors consumed because they couldn’t afford anything else. Now it is being flogged in the best restaurants for many pounds and dollars. Tom Aikens, a restaurant owned by a famous London chef of the same name, offered braised pork belly at its booth. It was fatty, as you’d expect but also a tad dry, not a gastronomic experience. I failed to see what all the fuss was about.
Foamy dessert
Foam has also been trendy these past few years and still seems to be in some circles. I tried a coffee yoghurt with lemon foam dessert that was quite delicious. Foams are usually made by mixing a syrupy liquid with gelatin, then foaming it in a mixer. Pearl, another of London’s great restaurants, made the dessert so I wasn’t surprised by the beautiful result of combining the best coffee, the creamiest yoghurt and the freshest lemon juice - in the zesty, bubbly topping. As my English friends would say, “It was brilliant mate!”
 By far the best food I tasted came from Le Gavroche, one of London’s finest French eateries. It was daube de boeuf a l’ancienne or braised beef with dauphinoise potato. The beef was rich, dark and extraordinarily smooth and tender, made more so by the red wine that was the braising liquid. The creamy potato mixture was superb as well.
For a food professional A Taste of London was an invaluable experience. It gave me an opportunity to meet and learn from some of Europe’s best chefs, caterers, wine experts and industry suppliers. For the average punter or food enthusiast it was a perfect day out. What could be better than strolling in one of London’s great parks, sipping tasty wines and having bites of truly wonderful food?
Next week I’ll tell you about my meeting with one of Britain’s up and coming culinary stars. His name is Oliver Rowe or “Ollie” as his friends call him. I predict you’ll be seeing lots of him in the future. Until then, cheers mate!
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