Bite This
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Food Stuff by Richard Browne
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Duck a'Lorange avec Beet Salad
Most pretentious title I could think of for what was a very simple little dish for Friday night. Amy had made some beet salad for a farewell to the school year lunch at my older daughters school - but I'd also done carrot salad and we ended up not taking it. Very simply mixed it up with some goat's cheese and layered it under some beautiful muscovy duck breast and blanched, halved and then roasted some brussel sprouts alongside it. The sauce was a very simple pan sauce, shallots, orange juice a touch of port and a splash of cassis reduced down and finished with a touch of butter.
Shellfish Duo
Serves 2
4 scallops
6 peeled and devined large shrimp
polenta roll
selection of wild mushrooms
olive oil
salt
pepper
For the Squash Puree
1 cup butternut squash (cut into pieces)
1 tablespoon chicken stock
1 teaspoon cream
1 sage leaf
half clove of garlic
knob of butter
salt
pepper
Steam the squash so it's nice and soft, add to a food processor and blend with the chicken stock, sage, garlic. When nicely pureed return to a pan and heat through, whisking in the cream and butter - a touch of salt and pepper to taste.
For the Red Pepper Puree
1 red pepper
1/4 Cup chicken stock (or more as needed)
half clove of garlic
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon cream
1 teaspoon (or less to taste) "Rooster Sauce" or Sriracha hot chilli sauce as its officially known
Cut and seed the pepper and chop into small quarter inch pieces, place in a pan with the chicken stock and simmer until the pepper is soft and most of the stock is absorbed or reduced. Transfer to food processor and blend with garlic and rooster sauce. Add the latter carefully - it will get very hot very quick! Add the cream to balance, salt and pepper to taste.
All that done, keep the purees warm somewhere while you heat up two sautee pans. Season the shrimp and scallops with salt and pepper, add a touch of oil to one pan and throw them in. Meanwhile in the other pan add oil and add four 1/4 inch slices of polenta. Flip the polenta and the shellfish after three minutes or so and finish. Remove to a warm plate to rest. If using wild mushrooms throw them into the polenta pan with a knob of butter and cook through while you plate.
Using a plating round (goose neck) spoon the squash puree onto one side of the plate, the red pepper puree to the other. Place two slices of polenta in the middle. Add the shrimp to the pepper side, the scallops to the squash side. Top with mushrooms and serve
RB's Ragu with Gnocci
This is a dead easy little favorite in the household - even the children will eat it!! I adapted it from one of the CIA's culinary teachings books on techniques - the addition of the cream at the end adds a wonderful luxury to it but is absolutely not necessary - my youngest is allergic to dairy so I just separate out a portion for me and the wife and add the cream to that!
3 slices pancetta (chopped into 1/4 inch pieces)
mirepoix (1/2 onion, 2 to 3 carrots, 2 to 3 celery stalks chopped into small pieces)
1/2 lb minced pork
1/2 lb minced beef
can of 6oz tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmug
2 or 3 shitake mushrooms, 8oz sliced mushrooms (optional)
salt
pepper
1-2 Tbls Heavy (Double) Cream
1 pack of gnocci (or any other pasta of choice)
Cook the pancetta over medium high heat in a decent size high sided skillet until fat is rendered and pancetta starts to crisp - then throw in the mirepoix and stir to mix, lower heat to medium and keep stirring occasional to stop from burning but to get the onions nice and golden and the carrots and celery start to soften. Add the shitakes (if using), then add the beef and the pork and cook through. Using your spoon, push the mixture to one side of the pan, tilt it and pour out or ladel out the excess fat.
Return to the heat and add the tomato paste, mixing it well, so it starts to carmelize on the bottom of the pan. Add the white wine, scrape up all the good bits of fond from the bottom of the pan and cook off. Using a microplane grate the nutmeg intot the pan, add the chicken stock, and then the sliced mushrooms (if using) and reduce to a simmer to get rid of the excess liquid (about ten minutes usually). Remove from the heat and add the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Note - I usually add a bit of s&p with the mirepoix, but be careful with the salt because of the pancetta).
Meanwhile have a pan of water boiling and throw in the gnocci waiting till it starts trying to escape from the pan, then using a spider pull it out and into the ragu. If using other pasta, drain and add to the pan. Mix and serve.
3 slices pancetta (chopped into 1/4 inch pieces)
mirepoix (1/2 onion, 2 to 3 carrots, 2 to 3 celery stalks chopped into small pieces)
1/2 lb minced pork
1/2 lb minced beef
can of 6oz tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmug
2 or 3 shitake mushrooms, 8oz sliced mushrooms (optional)
salt
pepper
1-2 Tbls Heavy (Double) Cream
1 pack of gnocci (or any other pasta of choice)
Cook the pancetta over medium high heat in a decent size high sided skillet until fat is rendered and pancetta starts to crisp - then throw in the mirepoix and stir to mix, lower heat to medium and keep stirring occasional to stop from burning but to get the onions nice and golden and the carrots and celery start to soften. Add the shitakes (if using), then add the beef and the pork and cook through. Using your spoon, push the mixture to one side of the pan, tilt it and pour out or ladel out the excess fat.
Return to the heat and add the tomato paste, mixing it well, so it starts to carmelize on the bottom of the pan. Add the white wine, scrape up all the good bits of fond from the bottom of the pan and cook off. Using a microplane grate the nutmeg intot the pan, add the chicken stock, and then the sliced mushrooms (if using) and reduce to a simmer to get rid of the excess liquid (about ten minutes usually). Remove from the heat and add the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Note - I usually add a bit of s&p with the mirepoix, but be careful with the salt because of the pancetta).
Meanwhile have a pan of water boiling and throw in the gnocci waiting till it starts trying to escape from the pan, then using a spider pull it out and into the ragu. If using other pasta, drain and add to the pan. Mix and serve.
Fois Gras at last!
So some weeks ago I finally got up the gumption to buy some Fois Gras (frozen from the wonderful Surfas in Los Angeles - (http://www.surfasonline.com/index.cfm). They came beautiful pre-prepared in a pack of three serving lobes, and to my delight I found inside that each of them was individually seperated out as well. About $35 for three, not cheap, but hey, once in a while you have to splash out just a touch. Trouble was I was a bit afraid of it to be honest - I've read up on cooking it and figured if I was unlucky I'd overcook $35 and leave a bunch of oil in a pan! Really there was no need to fear - it came out perfect.
I bought some brioche and cut some slices of about the right serving size for the fois ; I'd also purcahsed a nice Sauternes to accompany it. What was left was a question of sauce for it. In the end I went with a a fig and port combination - and cheated heavily at that. I've always leant quite heavily on St. Dalfour preserves and they've always repaid me in kind. When it comes to a nice sauce for duck I use their Black Cherry as a base . . when it came to the fois I decided upon the fig. Stick a couple of tablespoons in a pan with about a third of a cup of port and reduce. Heavenly - and the leftovers are now a nice fig and port preserve!
The fois I merely added a touch of fleur du sel and pepper to and then took it to a hot nonstick saute pan. Twenty seconds or so per side, removed to a platter - then placed the slices of brioche into the pan to soak up and toast in the left over oils from the fois. Plate the broiche, top with the fois and a drizzle of the fig / port reduction and serve with the Sauternes.
Very happy campers.
I bought some brioche and cut some slices of about the right serving size for the fois ; I'd also purcahsed a nice Sauternes to accompany it. What was left was a question of sauce for it. In the end I went with a a fig and port combination - and cheated heavily at that. I've always leant quite heavily on St. Dalfour preserves and they've always repaid me in kind. When it comes to a nice sauce for duck I use their Black Cherry as a base . . when it came to the fois I decided upon the fig. Stick a couple of tablespoons in a pan with about a third of a cup of port and reduce. Heavenly - and the leftovers are now a nice fig and port preserve!
The fois I merely added a touch of fleur du sel and pepper to and then took it to a hot nonstick saute pan. Twenty seconds or so per side, removed to a platter - then placed the slices of brioche into the pan to soak up and toast in the left over oils from the fois. Plate the broiche, top with the fois and a drizzle of the fig / port reduction and serve with the Sauternes.
Very happy campers.
The Perfect Burger Update - Asian Style
Having now made the Perfect Burger a few times my wife and I have decided that it's not the perfect burger at all and that the Asian flared alternative is actually even tastier. Basically do everything that's written below up to the part of adding the cream and onion. Rather than add cream and onion add some small diced shitaki mushrooms to the mix and then a little pour of teriyaki sauce. You can of course make that from scratch if you're feeling adventurous, but honestly I find Soy Vay's teriyaki just perfect.
It really makes a tasty burger.
It really makes a tasty burger.
Fettucini Bistecca
This was a great little dish I put together last night with a chunk of leftover flap meat that I'd grilled the day before. It's so quick and easy it's not true, and in the afternoon I'd been down our local farm and picked up a load of cherry tomatoes of an heirloom variety and felt that with the leftover steak and some fresh pasta I could do a nice dish.
Grab an iron skillet, slice the tomatoes in half and cover the bottom of the pan, skin side down. Grab three large fresh shitaki mushrooms, slice off the stalk and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Throw them on top of the tomatoes. Grab a handful of basil leaves, roll them up and chiffonade. Single clove of garlic, slice into three chunks. Throw that in and add a generous glug of olive oil over the lot, you can toss to coat, salt, pepper and then a good quarter cup of red wine. As I was using leftover cooked flap meat I just sliced it and threw it in the mix for the last ten minutes to heat it through, if making from scratch you probably want to slice it thin and throw it in now. Put it in a 400f oven, go and sit down and start on the rest of the wine!
You'll probably want to come back to toss the mix once of twice over the next half hour, meanwhile set a pan of water to boil and when ready add your fettucini. When it's cooked, drain, pull the skillet from the oven and toss the pasta in with the mix and use tongs to coat and cover. Serve into bowls, add a touch of grated parmesan, top with some more chiffoned basil and add a squeeze of lemon. Lovely.
1lb Flap Meat Steak
A dozen or so large Cherry/Plum tomatoes
Handful of Basil
1 Clove of Garlic
3 Fresh Shitaki Mushrooms (large)
2 tbls Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Drinkable Red Wine\
1 Package Fettucini
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese
1tbls Lemon
Grab an iron skillet, slice the tomatoes in half and cover the bottom of the pan, skin side down. Grab three large fresh shitaki mushrooms, slice off the stalk and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Throw them on top of the tomatoes. Grab a handful of basil leaves, roll them up and chiffonade. Single clove of garlic, slice into three chunks. Throw that in and add a generous glug of olive oil over the lot, you can toss to coat, salt, pepper and then a good quarter cup of red wine. As I was using leftover cooked flap meat I just sliced it and threw it in the mix for the last ten minutes to heat it through, if making from scratch you probably want to slice it thin and throw it in now. Put it in a 400f oven, go and sit down and start on the rest of the wine!
You'll probably want to come back to toss the mix once of twice over the next half hour, meanwhile set a pan of water to boil and when ready add your fettucini. When it's cooked, drain, pull the skillet from the oven and toss the pasta in with the mix and use tongs to coat and cover. Serve into bowls, add a touch of grated parmesan, top with some more chiffoned basil and add a squeeze of lemon. Lovely.
1lb Flap Meat Steak
A dozen or so large Cherry/Plum tomatoes
Handful of Basil
1 Clove of Garlic
3 Fresh Shitaki Mushrooms (large)
2 tbls Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Drinkable Red Wine\
1 Package Fettucini
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese
1tbls Lemon
Halibut with Pappardelle and Passion Fruit Sauce
A little recipe that I half conceived and half ripped off from Gordon Ramsey (yes, he's flavor of the month) which went down extremely well at the homestead last night where I was cooking for my wife and mother in law. The passion fruit sauce is quite astounding, my wife thought it was for dessert but it actually pairs with the halibut beautiful when used in small amounts.
The Halibut was very simply prepared, skinned filet pan fried to a nice crisp texture then flipped to cook through. Pappardelle, as one would expect, thrown in the water and cooked till al dente. The passion fruit sauce, a little more complex, but not really.
Take two passion fruit, halve them and scrape out the insides in a pan. Add 100ml dessert wine and reduce by half. Add 75ml of cream again reduce until you get back to a cream-like consistency. Strain sauce through a fine sieve. Return to the pan and prior to serving add a tablespoon or so of butter and whisk it in.
Pour just a touch of the sauce (there isn't much of it, and its very rich) onto your pappardelle and toss to coat. Plate using a serving fork, twisting the fork to create a nice presentation in the center of the plate. Place the halibut on top and laddle a small amount of the sauce on top. To add color you can serve with asparagus, either chopped and bundled in with the pappardelle or as spears alongside. I also use lightly sauteed brown mushrooms carefully place on top of the fish for an added touch.
1lb Halibut Filet
2 passion fruit
2 tbls butter
100ml Desert Wine
75ml Full Cream
Olive Oil for pan
Salt and Pepper for seasoning and to taste
1 Package pappardelle
Optional
Brown Mushrroms / shitaki / morel or chives to top for presentation
Asparagus
The Halibut was very simply prepared, skinned filet pan fried to a nice crisp texture then flipped to cook through. Pappardelle, as one would expect, thrown in the water and cooked till al dente. The passion fruit sauce, a little more complex, but not really.
Take two passion fruit, halve them and scrape out the insides in a pan. Add 100ml dessert wine and reduce by half. Add 75ml of cream again reduce until you get back to a cream-like consistency. Strain sauce through a fine sieve. Return to the pan and prior to serving add a tablespoon or so of butter and whisk it in.
Pour just a touch of the sauce (there isn't much of it, and its very rich) onto your pappardelle and toss to coat. Plate using a serving fork, twisting the fork to create a nice presentation in the center of the plate. Place the halibut on top and laddle a small amount of the sauce on top. To add color you can serve with asparagus, either chopped and bundled in with the pappardelle or as spears alongside. I also use lightly sauteed brown mushrooms carefully place on top of the fish for an added touch.
1lb Halibut Filet
2 passion fruit
2 tbls butter
100ml Desert Wine
75ml Full Cream
Olive Oil for pan
Salt and Pepper for seasoning and to taste
1 Package pappardelle
Optional
Brown Mushrroms / shitaki / morel or chives to top for presentation
Asparagus
How to cook a Chicken Breast
Well it's a simple thing, but I do have lots of people ask me when they come over for dinner how I cooked the chicken so perfectly - there honestly isn't anything to it, you just need a trusty meat thermometer.
Pre-heat the oven to 425.
Personally I love crispy chicken skin, so I always get deboned skin on ; salt and pepper on the skin, a touch of olive oil - depending on what I'm serving I often grate a bit of lemon or orange zest onto it too in order to give it a little unique flavor. Tablespoon olive oil into an iron skillet (my personal choice, regular pan should work though might not hold the heat as well) along with a knob of butter (I find the combination generates a nicer color to the skin) over high heat, melt the butter and when the pan is hot place the chicken in skin down. Drop the temp on the burner to medium-low - this allows for the skin to get high heat to crisp at first and then lower to render the fat while not burning it. In theory anyway. It works great with duck as well, another favorite, and one that requires to render for far longer. How long you let a chicken render its fat for is really down to the chicken, but five minutes should suffice. Flip the little birdy and then whack it in the oven and in it place not your faith or trust but your meat thermometer slap in the center of the widest point. Stand back and wait for the magic to happen.
161 fahrenheit is all you need. Some books say 163, some 165, to me that gets beyond moist and into the dry zone. 161 seems to be the perfect line of just not pink yet nice and moist. Take it out, let it rest on a board for five minutes before slicing. Or throwing onto a plate if that's your want.
To accompany? Well any range of vegetables ; last night my wife and I tried raddishes ; quite simply put them in the pan with the chicken and then roasted it all at 500 degrees fahrenheit rather than 425. Finished them with a couple of tbls of lemon juice and dropped in the greens to wilt with them - very tasty.
I also favor pea puree with chicken nine times out of ten. Take a quantity of frozen peas, whack them in the microwave to defrost and start cooking (couple mins) ; drop them into a small cuisanart with a handful of mint leaves and half a clove (or more if you so desire) of garlic and whizz away. When nicely chopped drizzle olive oil through the cuisinart spout until a nice puree texture is achieved. Lastly add a touch of parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper and BAM - lovely side condiment to the chicken. Sorted.
Pre-heat the oven to 425.
Personally I love crispy chicken skin, so I always get deboned skin on ; salt and pepper on the skin, a touch of olive oil - depending on what I'm serving I often grate a bit of lemon or orange zest onto it too in order to give it a little unique flavor. Tablespoon olive oil into an iron skillet (my personal choice, regular pan should work though might not hold the heat as well) along with a knob of butter (I find the combination generates a nicer color to the skin) over high heat, melt the butter and when the pan is hot place the chicken in skin down. Drop the temp on the burner to medium-low - this allows for the skin to get high heat to crisp at first and then lower to render the fat while not burning it. In theory anyway. It works great with duck as well, another favorite, and one that requires to render for far longer. How long you let a chicken render its fat for is really down to the chicken, but five minutes should suffice. Flip the little birdy and then whack it in the oven and in it place not your faith or trust but your meat thermometer slap in the center of the widest point. Stand back and wait for the magic to happen.
161 fahrenheit is all you need. Some books say 163, some 165, to me that gets beyond moist and into the dry zone. 161 seems to be the perfect line of just not pink yet nice and moist. Take it out, let it rest on a board for five minutes before slicing. Or throwing onto a plate if that's your want.
To accompany? Well any range of vegetables ; last night my wife and I tried raddishes ; quite simply put them in the pan with the chicken and then roasted it all at 500 degrees fahrenheit rather than 425. Finished them with a couple of tbls of lemon juice and dropped in the greens to wilt with them - very tasty.
I also favor pea puree with chicken nine times out of ten. Take a quantity of frozen peas, whack them in the microwave to defrost and start cooking (couple mins) ; drop them into a small cuisanart with a handful of mint leaves and half a clove (or more if you so desire) of garlic and whizz away. When nicely chopped drizzle olive oil through the cuisinart spout until a nice puree texture is achieved. Lastly add a touch of parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper and BAM - lovely side condiment to the chicken. Sorted.
Steaming!
Steaming food is apparently inherently good for you. Years ago I bought one of those little metal steamers to place in a saucepan so that I could steam food rather than boil it to buggery, as my dear Mother would put it, and of course retain all the Worldly goodness that vegetables tend to contain. The only issue was it has a hassle, frankly, to put the pan on to boil - even with a kettle handy it still makes for a load of washing up of the steamer and the pan as well. So I devised a cunning solution. The tupperware methodology!
It's quite simple. Get large piece of tupperware, fill an inch or so of water at the bottom, whack into a microwave for three minutes. Hey presto, steam. Get smaller piece of tupperware, put items to steam within, place that piece of tupperware into now steaming larger one, back in the microwave for a couple of minutes or recommended steaming time (covered) et voila - your vegetables are now steamed!
It actually makes life far simpler, not to mention the ease of doing it means I can easily use an old veal stock tub to stick cut fries into so that I can par cook my potatoes before over baking for nice golden fries.
It's quite simple. Get large piece of tupperware, fill an inch or so of water at the bottom, whack into a microwave for three minutes. Hey presto, steam. Get smaller piece of tupperware, put items to steam within, place that piece of tupperware into now steaming larger one, back in the microwave for a couple of minutes or recommended steaming time (covered) et voila - your vegetables are now steamed!
It actually makes life far simpler, not to mention the ease of doing it means I can easily use an old veal stock tub to stick cut fries into so that I can par cook my potatoes before over baking for nice golden fries.
Ramsey? At the London?
That was a bit subtle wasn't it? I kind of just dropped into my first blog entry the fact that my wife and I ate last weekend at Ramsey's, well, "forming" restaurant at the London Hotel in West Hollywood. I say "forming" because I'm not entirely sure exactly what Gordon Ramsey expects this place to be. First and foremost, out in front, I am a BIG fan of Chef Ramsey. His books (especially 3 Star Chef) are fantastic. They are a World away from the brash, arrogant, obnoxious character you see on TV. Gordon Ramsey (as anyone who has read his fantastic autobiography - Humble Pie - will know) is NOT that charicature that you see on Hell's Kitchen, especially NOT the US Hell's Kitchen which frankly my wife and I have stopped watching it's so crap. He is a chef of the most articulate nature, every single element of every dish is placed for a reason and the taste exceptional and based around making simple cooking the best it can ever be. There's really very few tricks or disguises, it's all there on the plate, just done to a quality unmatched before.
I have to admit that my only 'other' experience of Ramsey restaurants (opposed to his book, resume, etc) was Plane Food at London's Heathrow Terminal 5. That sounds pathetic until you understand that Plane Food is NOT just a Wolfgang Puck joint at SeatTac - it's a proper Ramsey restaurant with the quality required very evident. The menu is based around quick turnaround passengers, but there is no compromise to the food because of it. I've eaten at Plane Food twice, once for breakfast, once for lunch. Breakfast featured the most perfect English breakfast I've ever encountered - especially the eggs which resulted in a fifteen minute conversation about how eggs can be that perfect - to my lunch of an incredible fois / chicken liver pate followed by the most perfect roast chicken I've ever encountered. Food in airport isn't like that. It can't be. Well actually it can - I'd almost fly to Terminal 5 just to eat. Which place am I reviewing again? Oh yeah, at the London.
So as we always do, tasting menu, seven courses (sorry, can't do nine) - wine pairing for one (so we can both sample). The food started out with an Amuse Bouche that frankly highlighted the issue with the restaurant. Shitaki mushroom chawanmushi - beautiful Japanese custard (the chef, Andy Cook, is from Ramsey's Japan restaurant in the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo, the sous chef a 6' 2" Japanese man raised in France!) with an incredible shitaki base, bonito broth and sprinkled chives. Two issues. One - WAY too big. Not an egg cup, a cup. Too much. Tasty, yes, but very, very Japanese. Odd, to me, in a Ramsey restaurant in Los Angeles.
Next came the scallop carpaccio. OK, truth be told, no idea how they got such perfect slices of a scallop. Absolutely stumped, but that, appropriate salt, caviar, absolutely divine. It was a triumph. One of the dishes I have zero complaint with.
It was followed by a pressed fois gras (oh heaven) with fresh black truffle (not fair, my wife got a MUCH bigger vein of truffle than me), braeburn apple (multiple presentation) and a toasted brioche (delicate beyond belief). Unreal. The wine pairings were very good all round, this was probably my favorite course - Amy, my wife, probably put it second which as a closet (ex) vegetarian is crazy. Every little element on the plate just sang.
The favorite of our dishes was next. Tiger prawn ravioli, creamy fennel puree, light lobster bisque. LIGHT LOBSTER BISQUE??? No, absolute heaven. Oh my, it was like eating - I've no idea, no lobster has ever tasted that good. Best dish for both of us. Everything was perfect, Amy isn't even a great fan of fennel at all - but it blended it to perfection.
Then it went downhill. Surprisingly to me. Surely the main course would be unbelievable after that - but no, it reverted to Ramsey but without Ramsey - for me. You have a choice at the main, I chose short rib, my wife black cod. The rib was nice, good, but not spectacular. Braised Kobe beef short rib, baby winter vegetables, horse radish pomme puree. Comfort food? Yes, absolutely, as homey as his roast chicken at Plane Food. But interesting or spectacular? No, really very pedestrian. The cod - pacific black cod with honshimeji mushrooms, braised leeks (leeks or green onions . . . really?) and kalamansi lime broth. Again yummy, but frankly you'd get it at any decent mall in Tokyo. I was very disappointed at this point, the almost nervy quest for a high note took a massive dive, as if the chef got confused at some point.
On a low it didn't take long for Chef Cook (at this point I'd stopped thinking of it as Ramsey at the helm, it just isn't his food) to come back to form. A greek yogurt white chocolate panna cotta (wonderful) next to a fennel ice cream on a biscuit (too soggy to be honest) rang absolutely true. It took any gloom over the main course away, despite the texture of the biscuit not ringing true.
But that was just pre-desert. Shortly afterward a Chocolate cream savarin with malted milk (oh yes, seriously, oh yes) emulsion arrived with a touch of salted caramel ice cream that was perfection. It was a wonderful and beautiful ending to a meal that had SO many highs but a low or mid point that didn't sing Ramsey at all. Nice petite fours arrived . . .after our coffee which was the only low point of the service which on the whole was exceptional - fantastic Kiwi server looked after us, and furnished us with an extra take home serving of the incredible bacon bread for breakfast, Service, top notch.
All in all a wonderful, wonderful night. But I'd say Chef Ramsey - pay a visit. Chef Cook is doing stuff that's, well, just not you.
Oh, and the reasons for the question marks in the title? Well for all its quality it doesn't feel like Gordon Ramsey. It feels like Andy Cook's. Nothing inherently wrong it that, Chef Cook is superb at his best, but decor aside, it certainly ain't English. The other question mark is because the London is a new and little known hotel, and frankly everyone I've told about the place had no idea that Gordon Ramsey had a gaff in Los Angeles. Marketing needs work, as does the way too asian flair.
I have to admit that my only 'other' experience of Ramsey restaurants (opposed to his book, resume, etc) was Plane Food at London's Heathrow Terminal 5. That sounds pathetic until you understand that Plane Food is NOT just a Wolfgang Puck joint at SeatTac - it's a proper Ramsey restaurant with the quality required very evident. The menu is based around quick turnaround passengers, but there is no compromise to the food because of it. I've eaten at Plane Food twice, once for breakfast, once for lunch. Breakfast featured the most perfect English breakfast I've ever encountered - especially the eggs which resulted in a fifteen minute conversation about how eggs can be that perfect - to my lunch of an incredible fois / chicken liver pate followed by the most perfect roast chicken I've ever encountered. Food in airport isn't like that. It can't be. Well actually it can - I'd almost fly to Terminal 5 just to eat. Which place am I reviewing again? Oh yeah, at the London.
So as we always do, tasting menu, seven courses (sorry, can't do nine) - wine pairing for one (so we can both sample). The food started out with an Amuse Bouche that frankly highlighted the issue with the restaurant. Shitaki mushroom chawanmushi - beautiful Japanese custard (the chef, Andy Cook, is from Ramsey's Japan restaurant in the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo, the sous chef a 6' 2" Japanese man raised in France!) with an incredible shitaki base, bonito broth and sprinkled chives. Two issues. One - WAY too big. Not an egg cup, a cup. Too much. Tasty, yes, but very, very Japanese. Odd, to me, in a Ramsey restaurant in Los Angeles.
Next came the scallop carpaccio. OK, truth be told, no idea how they got such perfect slices of a scallop. Absolutely stumped, but that, appropriate salt, caviar, absolutely divine. It was a triumph. One of the dishes I have zero complaint with.
It was followed by a pressed fois gras (oh heaven) with fresh black truffle (not fair, my wife got a MUCH bigger vein of truffle than me), braeburn apple (multiple presentation) and a toasted brioche (delicate beyond belief). Unreal. The wine pairings were very good all round, this was probably my favorite course - Amy, my wife, probably put it second which as a closet (ex) vegetarian is crazy. Every little element on the plate just sang.
The favorite of our dishes was next. Tiger prawn ravioli, creamy fennel puree, light lobster bisque. LIGHT LOBSTER BISQUE??? No, absolute heaven. Oh my, it was like eating - I've no idea, no lobster has ever tasted that good. Best dish for both of us. Everything was perfect, Amy isn't even a great fan of fennel at all - but it blended it to perfection.
Then it went downhill. Surprisingly to me. Surely the main course would be unbelievable after that - but no, it reverted to Ramsey but without Ramsey - for me. You have a choice at the main, I chose short rib, my wife black cod. The rib was nice, good, but not spectacular. Braised Kobe beef short rib, baby winter vegetables, horse radish pomme puree. Comfort food? Yes, absolutely, as homey as his roast chicken at Plane Food. But interesting or spectacular? No, really very pedestrian. The cod - pacific black cod with honshimeji mushrooms, braised leeks (leeks or green onions . . . really?) and kalamansi lime broth. Again yummy, but frankly you'd get it at any decent mall in Tokyo. I was very disappointed at this point, the almost nervy quest for a high note took a massive dive, as if the chef got confused at some point.
On a low it didn't take long for Chef Cook (at this point I'd stopped thinking of it as Ramsey at the helm, it just isn't his food) to come back to form. A greek yogurt white chocolate panna cotta (wonderful) next to a fennel ice cream on a biscuit (too soggy to be honest) rang absolutely true. It took any gloom over the main course away, despite the texture of the biscuit not ringing true.
But that was just pre-desert. Shortly afterward a Chocolate cream savarin with malted milk (oh yes, seriously, oh yes) emulsion arrived with a touch of salted caramel ice cream that was perfection. It was a wonderful and beautiful ending to a meal that had SO many highs but a low or mid point that didn't sing Ramsey at all. Nice petite fours arrived . . .after our coffee which was the only low point of the service which on the whole was exceptional - fantastic Kiwi server looked after us, and furnished us with an extra take home serving of the incredible bacon bread for breakfast, Service, top notch.
All in all a wonderful, wonderful night. But I'd say Chef Ramsey - pay a visit. Chef Cook is doing stuff that's, well, just not you.
Oh, and the reasons for the question marks in the title? Well for all its quality it doesn't feel like Gordon Ramsey. It feels like Andy Cook's. Nothing inherently wrong it that, Chef Cook is superb at his best, but decor aside, it certainly ain't English. The other question mark is because the London is a new and little known hotel, and frankly everyone I've told about the place had no idea that Gordon Ramsey had a gaff in Los Angeles. Marketing needs work, as does the way too asian flair.
