Lunch at The Waterside Inn (Menu Gastronomique)

My family came to visit me yesterday just as my Easter vacation had begun, and this was the perfect excuse to take them to The Waterside Inn earlier today. Indulgent, I know, especially since it'd been barely a week after my birthday visit! We were very fortunate with the weather - it was one of those all-too-rare sunny spring days in England with clear blue skies.

Another waiting room near the door which I hadn't spotted
during my first visit. True countryside opulence!

A huge chocolate Easter creation, made
by the supremely talented pastry team.

We were greeted very warmly at the door by Diego, who happened to be walking back from the river bank, and subsequently by the wait staff in the restaurant who recognised me (but of course!). It is so easy to forget that this cosy restaurant holds some of the highest accolades in the industry.

As expected, we were presented first with an impressive canapé platter with varied textures and flavours, containing (from front to back): king prawn fritter (great texture - crisp on the outside, and springy & succulent within) with a sweet and spicy sauce, cheese sticks with anchovies (very light, with chewy & savoury bits of anchovies), blue cheese cream with chopped chives and hazelnuts in celery leaf (very rich and pungent, well complemented by the fragrant and nutty flavours of the garnishing), foie grass mousse on a pancake base and topped with plum chutney and pickled plum (very smooth and creamy, well balanced by the mildly acidic plum toppings). Close-ups of the prawn fritter and foie gras mousse (my favourites) follow the main picture.

All of us went for the Menu Gastronomique, which despite its name is really a lighter three-course lunch option that changes regularly according to availability of fresh produce. There are two choices for each course.

Starter: warm cos (Romaine, as Americans call it) lettuce velouté garnished with diced slow cooked braised pork cheeks.

This was a light and wholesome start to the meal. Romaine lettuce, with its intense green colour and subtle sweetness, is believed to be the most nutritious of all lettuce varieties, and this soup contained all the essence of this humble vegetable. A textural and savoury dimension was provided by the tender pork cheek dice. Simple but delicious.

Starter: slices of chilled salmon fillet coated with sauce verte, Belle de Fontenay potato salad seasoned with a dressing of shallots, chives and flyfish roe.

This was a truly stunning dish with perfect harmony of colours and flavours. The salmon had been cooked to perfection, flaking effortlessly and retaining its moist, succulent texture. The sauce verte that had been spread on top was chock-full of the aromas of fresh herbs (parsley, coriander, dill, tarragon etc.), and its creamy texture complemented the salmon very well. The potato salad felt extremely light and non-starchy, and the garnishings provided aromatic (shallots, chives) and savoury (roe, capers) depths. I thought that the flyfish roe was a particularly ingenious touch for the way in which fit into the overall colour scheme (the first time I've seen it, and I had to ask a waiter what the green roe was). Two juicy and subtly sweet pieces of beetroot completed this extremely sophisticated take on salmon salad.

Main course: roasted Gressingham duck breast glazed with honey, crispy wafer filled with seasonal vegetables, mixed spice flavoured sauce.

This was a very solid dish, with incredibly tender and thinly-sliced pieces of duck paired with sweet and crunchy vegetables (the asparagus tips give a real seasonal feel), in a light and crispy wafer cone. The excellent sauce and purée lifted the dish with aromas of cinnamon (very strong), cloves and star anise (the French title translates as 'four spices' but I couldn't tell what was the last).

Main course: monkfish fillet roasted on the bone, puff pastry case filled with asparagus and morels, pea purée, wild garlic flavoured sauce verte.

Despite its unassuming presentation, this is not the easiest dish to execute. Monkfish is naturally very meaty, and even if slightly overcooked, becomes very tough, rubbery and unpalatable. This was, however, a piece that all chefs should aspire to - so fresh, succulent and juicy that I was lost for words. The texture was firm and delightfully springy. The other aspect of this dish that really struck me was its aromas, from the seasonal morel mushrooms as well as the subtle garlic sauce (ail d'ours in French). A sweet pea purée and crunchy asparagus tips completed this picture of culinary perfection.

Beautiful Saturday afternoon with cheerful banter all around.

Dessert: warm almond and hazelnut sponge cake with candied griotte (sour) cherries, almond ice-cream.

Sitting in a pool of luxurious and fragrant almond cream, the cake was delightfully moist and light, with intense nutty flavours complemented by naturally tart and juicy cherries.

The ice-cream was excellent - very smooth, creamy, and intensely flavoured, with a hint of vanilla to round out the characteristic taste of almond.

Dessert: light banana cream served on a Sacher sponge, rum flavoured banana ice cream.

A very rich and stunningly presented dessert with alternating layers of banana cream and dark chocolate, on a moist base of dark chocolate sponge. The banana ice cream was expectedly stellar, and just rightly enhanced by the rum without being overpowered by it (as can happen with inferior rum-in-ice-cream examples).

We decided that we hadn't had enough, so we ordered an extra dessert from the à la carte menu to share. This is the restaurant's pièce de résistance: a selection of classic desserts created by Alain Roux and his father Michel.

(From the top): raspberries in a biscuit sandwich topped with vanilla cream (good pairing, with the rich cream aptly balanced by the acidic raspberries); apricot sorbet (very light, smooth, fruity but not too sweet); ginger-infused crème brûlée (velvety, slightly runny texture, enhanced by the subtle spiciness of ginger - truly a standout and one of the best examples of this dessert I've ever tried); white chocolate cream with fresh rhubarb, raspberries and pineapple (solid combination similar to the first dessert); vanilla ice-cream (generously flavoured with the presence of real vanilla pods - excellent); apple and almond cake with alternating layers of Granny Smith jelly, sponge and almond cream, with a topping chopped almonds and apple ball (another standout - combination of jelly, light sponge and cream was a winner in terms of texture, while the fruit-and-nut pairing was delightful for its flavours); finally, the classic French rum baba, essentially rum-soaked sponge with whipped cream (very intense and heady, great for rum lovers I suppose, but a little too much for me - an acquired taste perhaps).

The customary petit fours to finish an excellent meal, plus more pictures of the idyllic surroundings on this beautiful day:

Private yacht available for guests with lots of spare cash! 

Peek into one of the gazebos

The beautiful and iconic swans on the river, property of
HM the Queen and carefully taken care of. 

Gourmand tasting menu at Rasoi by Vineet Bhatia

Late last year, a fantastic offer came up on the Groupon UK website: 50% off the Gourmand tasting menu at Rasoi, one of few Michelin-starred Indian restaurants in the UK, run by husband-and-wife team Vineet and Rashima Bhatia. Not knowing very much about the subtleties of Indian food besides the curries I've had at more casual places, I was naturally keen to experience what the best of Indian cuisine could offer, and bought a couple of Groupons in anticipation of my family's arrival this morning. We went to Rasoi in the evening for a somewhat different culinary experience. The restaurant is quite close to Sloane Square tube station in the posh Chelsea neighbourhood; not too difficult to locate at all.

The discreet façade of Rasoi at the end of Lincoln St.

Intricate woodcarvings of Indian deities
adorn the sides of the entrance hallway.

Very small but cosy place.

As one would expect in an Indian restaurant, we were offered the customary pappadums (tapioca crisps) to start, with mango chutney (sweet and slightly spicy) and a green sauce made of parsley, coriander, watercress and mint (very fragrant and refreshing) to dip them in. On the side, there were also some water chestnut fritters, which were delicious - crispy on the outside, and moist and crunchy inside.

First course: sambhar soup (a South Indian vegetable broth based on tamarind, pigeon peas and red lentils), idli chaat (steamed South Indian rice cakes dressed in savoury North Indian spices). This was a substantial and full-flavoured start to the meal, with spicy and subtly sweet soup paired with a good portion of rice cakes marinated in a tangy-salty sauce. The generous use of coriander gave a real aromatic depth to the dish. This was surely a dish to cleanse and excite the palette for the courses ahead.

Second course (vegetarian): baked flaky asparagus-carrot parcel, Achari pumpkin upma and herb chutney.

This was very satisfying, like a giant samosa, with a thin and crispy pastry layer concealing a most substantial filling of sweet and crunchy shredded asparagus, carrots and other herbs. The upma (a South Indian semolina paste) was subtly sweet and salty, whilst the pumpkin-flavoured purée was somewhat sour and spicy, presumably to balance the overall richness of the dish. Very strong flavours which somehow managed to work together.

Second course (non-vegetarian): Gilafi lamb seekh, lamb Shammi kebab, Achari pumpkin upma and herb chutney.

This was really fragrant, well-seasoned and delicious. Two versions of North Indian-style kebab are on this plate: seekh, which is minced meat with spices grilled on skewers in a tandoor (a traditional clay oven), often served with mint sauce or chutney (as is the case here); and shammi, also minced meat but with an additional paste of lentils, onion, coriander and green chillies added, then kneaded in a disc-like shape and fried. The generous use of herbs not only ensured an incredible aroma, but also provided a refreshing and essential balance to the rich and potentially overwhelming taste of lamb.

Third course: wild mushroom and truffle oil laced khichdi (a North Indian concoction of creamed rice and lentils), tomato 'makhni' (a Punjabi term meaning mixture of tomatoes, cream, butter and yogurt) ice cream. 

This was a truly excellent and comforting dish. The earthy flavours and aromas of mushrooms were fully present and intoxicating, and the mound of rice was delightfully sticky and creamy. The texture of the ice-cream was excellent - smooth, velvety and slightly chewy, just like a good gelato. Its mild acidity also complemented and balanced the richness of the rice very well, and the contrast in temperatures between the ice cream and the warm rice was delightful. My only complaint would be that this dish was on a whole a tad salty, but certainly not to an intolerable extent.

Fourth course: grilled gunpowder (spicy roasted lentil powder that accompany various South Indian dishes) crusted sea bass, curry leaf potatoes, beetroot moilee sauce (a thick sauce of coconut milk, turmeric, curry leaves, mustard seeds and onion) and coconut chutney.

This was one of my favourite courses of the meal - the sea bass was fresh, moist, and coated with a nice fragrant top of lentils and sesame. The strong presence of coconut added a touch of richness and aromatic depth to this dish, and complemented the natural sweetness of the fish very well. Pure comfort food for lovers of fish and coconut - never imagined them to work so well together!

Fifth course (palate cleanser): melon and black pepper sorbet.

This was relatively disappointing considering all the excellent dishes that had preceded it. The main letdown was the texture and temperature - served way too cold and hard, and with remnants of ice crystals within (i.e. not as smooth as it should be). The flavour combination was very novel and well-intentioned (something fruity to cleanse the palate and also mildly spicy to prepare for the next course), but somewhat watered down as well - more sugar than melon, methinks.

Sixth course: Smoke cloud Punjabi herb chicken tikka, aubergine caviar, Tadka dal sauce (a South Indian lentil stew with spices) and 'Salli' potatoes (deep fried potato straws).

Dramatic presentation

Once the smoke had cleared... voilà!

Thankfully, the disappointment did not continue and we were next presented our next excellent dish with a fanfare. Obviously designed to impress, intoxicating smokey aromas were unleashed the moment our waiter lifted the covers, and we waited in eager anticipation of what lay in the dish. This turned out to be another of my favourite courses - the chicken was extremely tender and well seasoned with smokey flavours lingering within the flesh. The creamed aubergine was rich and sweet, while the lentil sauce provided complex flavours from the multiple spices being used. The figurative icing on the cake were the deep fried potato straws, which were amazingly light and crispy.

Dessert: 'chocomosa' - warm marbled chocolate samosa, rose petal & vanilla ice cream.

An indulgent end to an excellent meal. It is unusual to see a samosa in a dessert, and this large warm piece was full of rich dark and white chocolate cream - almost too much of a good thing. This was complemented by a lighter ice cream which was equally appealing, with its smooth texture and solid pairing of subtler flavours. Very very good indeed.

On the whole, it had been a fascinating journey into the different culinary characteristics of the Indian subcontinent. Simple everyday dishes were elevated by sophisticated twists in flavour combinations and presentation. This is an intense cuisine which may not be immediately to everyone's liking, but go with an open mind and you'll be richly rewarded!

Lunch at Sally Lunn's, Bath

I was in Bath for the day to play for a singers' competition organised as part of the Mid-Somerset Festival. In the 3 hours or so between the semi-finals and the finals, my participating schoolmates and I decided to head to this famous institution for a late lunch.

This wasn't actually my first time. As an undergraduate many years ago, I had once visited Bath on a day trip with my mother and eaten here. Their legendary buns remained amongst my strongest foodie memories, and I was indeed very excited to return.

This building also happens to be the oldest
existing building in Bath, dating from 1482.
Its foundations are far more ancient though,
like much of this historic city.

Very English and cosy interiors

Some kind of ancient title deed or royal decree?

Much has been said and written about the origins of this restaurant and its famous bun (click here for the official version) so I won't go into the whole history. While the following dishes might seem rather run-of-the-mill and not particularly blog-worthy, as they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the 'bun', a common thread running through the menu, is reason enough for a trip to Bath. Closer to a crisp and fluffy French brioche (due to its Hugenot inventor) than typically soft and soggy English sandwich bread, it goes well with almost anything. Its feather-light texture and memerising aroma have to be experienced personally to be believed! We didn't have their cream tea today because we were here for lunch, but if things haven't changed too much from my first visit many years ago, I can certainly recommend it as well.

(N.B. All patrons are entitled to a free basement kitchen museum visit, which shows part of the foundations and the remains of the refectory and kitchen of a 12th-century Benedictine abbey complex that once extended to where Sally Lunn's now stands.)

Toasted club sandwich - half Sally Lunn bun, with fillings of smoked chicken breast, smoked bacon, mature cheddar cheese and mayonnaise. Served with crisps and a mixed leaf & cherry tomato salad on the side. A generous portion and a lovely take on a classic sandwich, chock-full of humble but tasty fillings. This was pure comfort food.

Toasted smoked salmon sandwich - also made with a half Sally Lunn bun, accompanied by crisps and a salad as above, with a slice of lemon for extra freshness to the fish. A luxurious sandwich with generous fillings of Scottish smoked salmon, dill and cream cheese - a deeply savoury and aromatic combination with which you can't go wrong.

Butternut squash soup with a quarter Sally Lunn bun. I actually enjoyed this the most because I could fully appreciate the wonders of the bun as I had during my first visit, taking the cream tea. Nothing was added to the bun here except for some light buttering, which further enhanced its lovely aroma. The rich and velvety squash soup was great too, and the parsley garnish aptly freshened the palate, but for once it was the 'accompanying' bread that took centre stage.

Historic trencher dish: casseroled pork cheek with a traditional English ale gravy. Served on a half Sally Lunn bun with seasonal vegetables. 

Trenchers are a type of plate commonly used in medieval cuisine. The first trenchers were flat round pieces of bread on which food was served, before versions made of metal or wood appeared around 1500. The bread could be eaten with gravy at the end of the meal, or given as alms to the poor. The practice of using bread as trenchers remained popular throughout Georgian England, and one might reasonably deduce that the round Sally Lunn bun had been part of this tradition as well. Today, of course, for the purpose of hygiene, this historical re-creation comes nicely presented on a real ceramic plate.

The trencher dish before me looked authentic enough; two chunks of meat on a round slice of bread, with gravy poured generously all around. I couldn't get enough of the pork cheek; this is a relatively scarce cut, which I actually prefer over pork belly in terms of flavour and texture. Here, the perfect balance of fat and lean parts ensured a tender and juicy bite, while the mildly bitter gravy aptly enhanced the pork cheeks' lovely rich taste. However, I was disappointed, though perhaps not surprised, by the bun's soggy texture. Its legendary lightness and fluffiness had all but disappeared, being soaked in the gravy, and it became just another slice of bread with toppings (as with the other trencher options, I would think). This was definitely not the best way to enjoy a Sally Lunn bun but at least the meat made up for it!

Traditional Somerset apple pie made with Bramley apples, sultanas, and a touch of cinnamon. Served with local Ivy House clotted cream.

I found this rather disappointing. The pie crust was very thick and dry, and had a strong dough-y aftertaste instead of a lovely oven-fresh aroma. It didn't help either that this slice of pie had been served rather cold. The filling was significantly better, but again could have been more moist. The clotted cream on the side was palatable enough but had also been served a little too cold and hard; perhaps allowing it to sit and warm up a little prior to serving would have unleashed the full extent of its silky luxuriousness. On the whole, this was not a dessert I would recommend.

Despite some kinks in the food, this was still on the whole an authentic and satisfying experience. Service from an old gentleman was polite and personable, in true English fashion. I surely wouldn't mind returning again for a couple more hours in more relaxed circumstances, if I had the opportunity to do so!