All posts tagged: food

Braised shortrib with Roquefort

This is an unrepentantly indulgent comfort food dish which balances melt-in-the-mouth beef with creamy, cheesy, potato and lightly sautéed mushrooms. The natural astringency in the reduction sauce from the braise plus the light vinaigrette on the mushrooms really lifts the dish and stops it being way too heavy. Roquefort loves beef but also brings a satisfying acidity which also helps balance the whole thing out. Ingredients: (Serves 2) 500g beef short ribs Marsala, a splash Onion, bay leaf for the braise Sherry, a dash 2 baking potatoes 100g Roquefort Double cream, to taste Mushrooms Herb oil (optional) Method: 1.  Get your braise on. The longer you cook this the more unctuous and delicious the end result. And because it’s a very low oven you can let it cook on its own all day whilst you do something else. In a heavy le creuset-style casserole dish/Dutch oven heat a tablespoon of oil until it’s smoking then add the ribs. Brown on all sides very well. Now throw in a chopped onion and bay leaf, and let …

Daalder

(16.25 / 20)  From a food perspective at least, Daalder, the bistro-come fine dining spot, is already encroaching on some of the starred restaurants in town. And service (for us) is certainly at a new level. This is delivered still at a very sensible price point. But at what point does the food outgrow its surroundings, start demanding fewer covers, more space for its diners, and pressurise prices? Its going to be very interesting (and a lot of fun) to watch how this story progresses… 

Pork Fest

Pork is such an amazingly versatile meat and one from which many of my favourite things are derived. Black pudding, jamon, brawn, and pork chops! You can literally use every thing on this noble beast from head to tail, and after all if you are going to kill an animal to eat it, the least you can do is to make use of every single last bit.

Ciel Bleu

(16.75 / 20) A relatively uninspiring menu in an extraordinarily over-the-top setting. The food is perfectly good, but overall lacks personality, and is disappointing for a two star – especially one that was once hoped to be Amsterdam’s first restaurant with 3 macarons. The vegetarian offering was simply not good enough, and we were left with the distinct feeling that the exorbitant cost of dinner went more towards the glamourous lighting and the luxurious carpet than what was actually on the plate. In fairness on previous visits it has been better, but Ciel Bleu needs to move with the times to keep up with the other top restaurants in town – and that will mean transforming more than just its dining room.

Celebration of chicken

Forget steak and foie gras, the main reason I’m not vegetarian is chicken. To live without the deep savoury umami of a decent roast chicken is to live in grayscale. Today I’m turning up the saturation to fill tilt by cooking every part of the bird, both to showcase its versatility and to get the maximum usage out of this noble animal.