El Bulli: the making of a legend

I may not have managed to get a table at the fabled El Bulli before it finally closed its doors to the paying public, although I still relish my rejection letter, but I have been lucky enough to experience something of the legend by visiting the recent exhibition at Somerset House.

It was an interesting experience, although not in the way that I expected from the people behind the five time best restaurant in the world. It began with a history lesson,  the restaurant was everything from a crazy golf course to a michelin starred destination well before Ferran Adria arrived. The rest of the exhibition, though, was more akin to a business school lecture on the process of creativity  - unsurprising really, as Adria is currently a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Business School.

His avant garde approach was to throw away the cook books and focus on learning new techniques rather than recipes as he believes every new technique leads to a thousand potential new dishes (e.g. the invention of puff pastry created as many fruit tart recipes as there are varieties of fruits). This approach, allowed El Bulli to offer a constantly changing 50 course tasting menu.  Reviewing the list of new techniques pioneered by the El Bulli team over the years demonstrates this in amazing clarity, from the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze ice creams, dehydration techniques to create fruit pastas and spherification to name just a few.

I took the El Bulli ethos on board and left clutching a magic kit allowing me to create warm jellies, flavoured "airs" and liquid cherries. Let's see if any of the Ferran Adria spirit has rubbed off...

Ferran Adria: the ultimate celebrity chef

Gastronomic heaven - this way

The El Bulli approach to creativity: learn techniques not recipes

Every dish since the restaurant began

Ferran and Bart

All you need to know to cook the El Bulli way

My reservation rejection

RESTAURANT REVIEW: The Square

Fine dining comes in many forms, from the magicians at the Fat Duck to the foraged-fare turned out by Noma, but classic French cuisine still has its place at the top table, and one of the very best practitioners is Philip Howard.

Every plate of food that leaves his award winning kitchen is testament to his culinary upbringing. His obsessive use of the best seasonal ingredients, simply cooked, a clear nod to his time under Simon Hopkinson. Combine this with the craft he developed during a stint with Marco Pierre-White and you have the foundations of something special - although if you’re after “nitro poached crocodile eggs” you probably need to look elsewhere.

His multi-Michelin starred flagship, The Square, sits in the midst of Mayfair and has been serving the local glitterati for more than twenty years. Like the food, everything about the restaurant - from the décor to the service - is understated but embodies quality.

In terms of the food, the crab lasagne is one of Howard’s signature starters. Consisting of silky smooth parsley pasta discs, interweaved with crab and hand dived scallop mousse, swimming in a sea of rich shellfish “cappuccino”. Some critics would argue that no dish should be allowed to remain on a menu as long as this, but they should eat at my local “gastro pub” where the menu changes daily, depending on the microwave options available. The fact is that this endures because it tastes great.

A beautifully cooked piece of turbot, drizzled with black truffle butter, provided a sophisticated and decadent main event. Whilst for dessert, the “tasting of rhubarb” left me almost speechless. The vibrant sorbets, jellies and poached fruit a million miles away from the appalling stewed rhubarb I remember from my school days.

Phil Howard’s victorious appearance on Great British Menu saw Jason Atherton, a Michelin starred chef who’s worked with Ferran Adria and Gordon Ramsey, looking visibly uncomfortable at having to judge his peer’s food. If he is that highly regarded by the cream of British cooking, you can be sure that you will eat exceptionally well at his restaurant. I did. In fact I struggle to remember ever having eaten a better meal. So if you are looking to celebrate a very special occasion, or if you’re on a particularly generous expense account, you’d be crazy not to consider this superstar of the London restaurant scene.

 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Tanners Restaurant

Chris and James Tanner’s restaurants are different from most with a television chef association – as well as having their names above the door, you’re actually likely to find the brothers behind the stove.

In addition to their well documented television careers, the Tanners also have an impressive fine-dining pedigree. Chris served his apprenticeship under the Roux Brothers, whilst James learnt his craft from the multi-Michelin starred Martin Blunos.

Their flagship eatery, Tanners Restaurant, first opened 14 years ago, winning the AA’s UK restaurant of the year, and remains one of the highlights of Plymouth’s increasingly competitive gastronomic scene. Gary Rhodes and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have both added Plymouth restaurants to their empires in recent months and Mitch Tonks has one on the way. With so many new additions, some have questioned whether the Tanner boys can still cut it.

As soon as you walk in, any concerns are laid to rest. The restaurant is situated in the stunning Prysten House, Plymouth’s oldest domestic building. Built in 1490, it houses an original limestone well and medieval courtyard creating the perfect backdrop for that special meal.

As you'd expect, the menu shows off the best the South West larder has to offer. On the night we visited, the starters demonstrated the benefits of locally sourced seasonal produce with wild garlic, mackerel and new season asparagus taking pride of place. Of the main courses, the lemon sole stood out with perfectly-cooked simplicity whilst rolled Gloucester old spot was lifted to new heights with butter poached lobster and sweet roasted pineapple. Our meal concluded with an intensly flavoured banana and passion fruit mille feuille and a salted peanut parfait. Combined with an impressive wine list, this was fine dining in every sense.

Tanners Restaurant has been in town for more than a decade but it is difficult to fault this particular combination of great ingredients and high quality cooking served in such an inspiring setting. I have yet to sample what the new boys on the block have to offer, but it is clear that they have some work to do to push the current incumbents off the top of the tree.

 

This review first appeared in the Ashburton Cookery School newsletter. 

The Hand & Flowers: best pub in the world?

Recently, I was lucky enough to be treated to a birthday dinner at the Hand & Flowers in Marlow. Opened in 2005, this was famously the first pub ever to be awarded two Michelin stars by the men from the little red book.

In the past, I’ve been lucky enough to eat at a few similarly decorated establishments, and they have all felt pretty special - the sort of places where a top hat and tails wouldn't be out of place.

On first inspection the Hand & Flowers doesn't feel particularly special. It feels like a pub. The sort of pub where you can buy a decent pint and you might spend an enjoyable afternoon with your mates, but a pub.  

Of course, this is exactly what it's meant to be.  Super-chef Tom Kerridge felt that he had served his time in the rarefied world of fine dining and “just wanted a village boozer with nice food". 

To be perfectly honest, our experience didn't get off to a great start. When the menu arrived, there wasn't a single vegetarian main course.  In an effort to help, the waitress said they could offer a very nice omelette and chips to which my better half replied that she hadn't just driven 30 miles for an omelette, even a two Michelin starred one...

Luckily, things got better. A lot better. I started with the crispy pigs head with artichoke puree and pancetta, followed by the 2010 Great British Menu winning main course of slow cooked duck breast. As if to blow away any notions of a highly trained palette, it was the accompanying duck fat chips that really stood out.  They were amazing, even beating local rival Heston Blumenthal's triple-cooked efforts in my ongoing quest for the ultimate fries. The kitchen also rustled-up a magical hake dish for Jay, which cheered her up immensely.  Of the desserts, a velvety chocolate cake with a feuillantine base, fondant centre and muscavado ice cream was the clear star of the show…cheering Jay up even more.

To top it off the man himself came out of the kitchen after service and was happy to join our well-lubricated discussions on the realities of approaching middle age.  He also filled us in on his upcoming plans for the restaurant, which include a new bar area to make the time spent waiting for your table more comfortable and to allow locals to try the food without having to compete with the visiting tourists for a proper table. 

Given the celebrity chef association, and its plethora of awards, this place is really good value for money.  We paid less than £60/head for three courses, including drinks and a tip, and, if you can get there for lunch, they even have a three course fixed price menu for less than £20!

All-in-all we had a great time, partly due to the food, partly due to the unpretentious environment and partly due to the engaging but self-effacing Tom Kerridge.  At the end of the day, this is a great pub with two Michelin starred grub, at an affordable price - what's not to like?