Some Like It Rare....

The Classic

Hmmm, well, it's more that I like it rare, but it was a lunch with the girls and we were swinging on a rare pendulum.  The venue - the deliciously beefy Byron.  Having said that they do have a veggie option on their menu - what I trust would be a juicy portobello mushroom and, weirdly, to my mind at least, a chicken option.  The mushroom I can understand, cooked well, a large portobello can be firm and juicy - but chicken?  Naturally, it's a fillet and quite frankly, what's the point?  Unless it is cooked absolutely perfectly it will almost inevitably dry out - and there are no dietary requirements (whether cultural or religious) I can think of which would not be met by a nice mushroom in favour of a chicken.  Still, I'm sure it's lovely if you like tomato mayonnaise and baby spinach with a piece of chicken fillet on a bun.



The Skinny


But we're big girls- that is we are all over the age of 21 and we are mature in our appetites and knowledgeable about what pleases us - nor are we afraid to say so.  All in all, delightful companions.  Armed with the aforementioned qualities we cut a swathe through the menu and the burgers.  There was the skinny.  A fine choice (but not mine).

 

There was the Classic, another excellent choice - still not mine, though.  And there were our side orders.  More coleslaw and why not? - when it looks like this and tastes exactly as the perfect coleslaw should - a light but creamy coating of crisp vegetables. 

Truly wonderful onion rings, defined by crispy, light batter.  A closer inspection revealed that the batter had been seasoned.  On reflection I suspect this was the secret to the excellence of the onion rings.

There were some very nice skin-on fries - greaseless and serviceable - perhaps not as crisp as they might be, but a very decent, respectable kind of chip - the kind you'd be happy to take home and introduce to your loved ones. [Franklins' chips the other week were better.]  Although you'd be lucky to find a chip which even approached Byron's around here.  Usually this would spark off a wee rant about the dearth of decent restaurants in Crouch End - that's restaurants rather than nice places to have cake like Sable D'Or, or indeed, the newly-opened Riley's and their wonderful home-made sorbets and quite nice ice-creams.  I'll save it for some other time.  Besides there are lots of delicious places down Green Lanes and up towards Finsbury Park.  Also, it's not as if I'm deprived of lovely food, ho-ho.  All I can say is, thank goodness I go to the gym - that, and the fact that I'm Stroud Green and proud of it.  I just visit Crouch End, probably because I feel sorry for them and I'm a charitable kind of person.

   

A Byron

So, finally, here it is - my eponymous burger.  For the record, both of my companions had their burgers cooked medium rare (this is as standard at Byron, anything else is by special request).  Suffice to say, usually I would hesitate, but Byron does what they do very well, their provenance is good, their beef is of excellent quality which means, for once, I can have a burger cooked precisely the way I like it. 



A rare Byron



I should correct myself and say, for twice, because this is the second outing for me and for one of the other lunchers.  The first was the King's Road branch and this second visit was to the Covent Garden branch.  Stunningly consistent and delicious as was my Byron which I did indeed have served rare!

To be honest, there wasn't much room left after lunch, so for supper I just managed to squeeze in a tomato and olive salad.  Reasurring, I know, to have evidence that I do actually eat the tomatoes, not just buy them - and they are particularly delicious with the olives from Budgens in Crouch End - with herbes de Provence and minus their stones.  Simple and quite perfect.

My friend who art in Hackney...

and who is equally fond of fish.  A man who knows how to appreciate a nice herring and other pescatarian delights.  My friend, whom I shall refer to as Dalston to preserve his modesty, had identified a fish restaurant for us to try.  Sadly, I did not record this occasion with photos, although I undoubtedly will in future.  Clever Dalston!  He has indeed discovered a jewel amongst fish restaurants which, it seems, few others have.

Kumkapi is on the corner of Stoke Newington Road (no.50) and Arcola Street.  It would be absolutely perfect as a venue to eat before or after a performance at the Arcola Theatre even in its new location, or the Vortex Jazz Club in nearby Gillett Square.  It's open late (although it's not clear how late) and is Bring Your Own Bottle - not a problem in the slightest given the availability of off-licences nearby - it opens at 12 noon, seven days a week.  Although there's a wealth of good restaurants nearby, Mangal and Evin Cafe spring to mind, Kumkapi would be the fish restaurant to go too.  We had Kalamar to start - delicious and, whilst I thought the batter (which was crispy) looked a bit dark which made me think it might be overcooked, I was totally wrong, it was lovely and tender.  It was accompanied by Carrot Tarator, the yoghurt carrot salad, and bread which were complimentary.  We followed with sea bass for me, whole, perfectly cooked - and the most gorgeous, plumpcious little anchovies arranged in a circle on the plate, heads facing outwards. 

Think of a stargazy pie, but just anchoves on a plate in the prone position and you're there.  The anchovies came with what looked like a delicious beetroot salad (which I didn't taste - although I did snaffle an anchovy).  My sea bass was accompanied by a couple of leaves of rocket (3 leaves do not a salad make but I appreciated the thought), a few lovely grilled spring onions and some very nice looking potatoes.  We chose a Coban salad - the fine dice of tomatoes, cucumber, onion and pepper which also in this version included dill and some of the sliced spring onion (green part) not used for my grilled accompaniment (excellent - waste not, want not) - which was delicious.

We left as the sun was setting (around 9.15pm - it is summer after all) over Stokey, sent on our way with complimentary tea and a menu each with 10% off for the next time, and repaired to Evin cafe for coffee and cake.  This was their own cake as it happens which both Dalston and I enjoyed and would also recommend, a mixture of chocolate cake, with pistachios and honey, but not too sweet and lovely and moist.  Beware the portion size though.  There was only one slice left we were told - and we found it an elegant sufficiency cut in half providing a piece for each of us!  Happy in Hackney indeed!

Maybe it's because I'm a (North) Londoner...

that I love North London.  Well, that's not exactly earth-shattering is it?  I mean there must be some of you who remember the (in)famous Time Out London edition - North/South London Sucks! [delete as applicable].  You can guess which copy I bought!  I always think the thing to do with prejudice is to acknowledge that we are all prejudiced and we need to be aware of our prejudices and combat them.

I'm trying, honest I am.  And it's largely thanks to wonderful friends like PRE (Peckham Rye Eats) that I am, I hope, succeeding in becoming a more accepting and tolerant person.  As with all prejudice, it's occasioned by fear.  I'm afraid that when I cross the river to go down South where you'all live, I'll get lost - presumably in Savannah or the Everglades the way I'm carrying on right now, just like Scarlett - which raises the question - where's Rhett when you need him? - or, alternatively, a St Bernard complete with brandy to guide me to my destination. 

Yep, I'm just a scaredy-cat.  However, friendship draws me South and to Peckham I have been, and not for the first time either.  It's much better now that I've worked out the simple way to get to where I need to go (the 141 to London Bridge and then the 343 does it for me).  Enough of the rambling, and more of the reason for the ramble.

I came, we played with a gorgeous kitten newly ensconced in a loving home, we went to Franklins restaurant in East Dulwich.  Those who live near to Lordship Lane will know that there's also a deli, which is very nice, has delicious comestibles, and is very expensive.  Mind you, it's worth going in to have a gander and, in my case, on a previous occasion, to sniff the summer truffles - sniffing is free and it's the best bit of a truffle really.  One can't underrate the olfactory sense in my view.  As well as truffles, a friend and I have been known to Algerian Coffee Stores in Old Compton Street to sniff the coffee - and to satisfy our respective urges with what must be some of the best espresso in London.  Franklins the restaurant is equally delightful in terms of food and service, and very reasonable.  It was a weekday, we had the set lunch.  If I lived nearby, I'm sure I would be tempted to cajole my lovely friend into making this a regular (weekly/fortnightly?) event.

We started with smoked salmon, cucumber and creme fraiche, flecked with dill as you can see.  It looked and I'm reliably informed tasted delicious.  I had the ox heart with red cabbage which was extraordinarily good.  Now, I see ox heart here and there, as does my Peckham friend, blessed as she is with Peckham High Street (which I love, I'd move to SE15 just for Peckham High Street, seriously - I mean, I love North London, I know great places on Green Lanes and elsewhere, but wow - that is one great High Street).  So, I've seen ox heart, but I never knew what one could do with it and trust me, at Franklins, they work magic to warm your heart - and the one you're eating.

 And this is what we both chose for our main course.  Calves' liver, with delectably crispy fried onions, and beetroot in a red wine sauce.  Ooh, it was divine.  And my goodness, they serve a fine chip too - just the one portion between the two of us. Crisp, fluffy, tasting of potato - exactly as a chip should be.  The calves' liver which I asked to be served pink wasn't pink, but it was perfectly cooked and, as it was thinly sliced, the lack of pinkiness can be forgiven.

For pudding, my companion had the pistachio and polenta cake with poached rhubarb - slightly dry, it was soon moistened with a shallow pool of single cream - quite delicious.  And I had the Yorkshire curd tart which came with lovely thick, vanilla-speckled whipped cream which, to my mind, was wholly unnecessary.  As you can see by this stage I'd forgotten about my blog - do you know, I think we were just enjoying ourselves too much until it was too late - as in we'd eaten our puds.  Clever friend though suggested that I take these pictures to convey to you how truly enjoyable they were.  A lovely afternoon, great company and great food.

I shop, I eat - I cook?

OK.  I shop.  I eat.  But do I cook?  The answer is yes, I do.  However, I prefer to cook for others and as I live by myself, and I have a teeny-tiny studio flat, and I'm addicted to buying books (wonderful charity bookshops in the vicinity), I don't entertain much.  The current state of the (no) job market at the moment explains my budgetary restrictions, but as a rule I'm eating much more healthily than when I was working.  Then the temptation was, particularly living by myself, to stop off after work/drinks, pick up a shop-bought (there it is again), made who knows where lasagne/shepherd's pie/whatever, cram oneself into a First Capital Connect (there's a misnomer if ever there was one), and on arriving home bung the thing in the microwave.

Now I buy gorgeous, fresh, food with crunch where it should crunch and softness where it should be pliant and yielding, and all the textures in between.  Food to savour.  A (free range) chicken is roasted.  A tranche of (responsibly farmed) salmon is baked.  Both of these items do for several meals and replenish the energy used up in the gym.  Vegetables are raw or roasted - asparagus is steamed (as is broccoli).  Supermarkets are not visited often but are chosen for the deals they can offer.  Time is taken to trot happily from local shop to shop, looking at what's best to eat and in price.  Seasonal is always to be preferred, but seasonal stretches thanks to the propinquity of wonderful minority ethnic food shops to food from the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and the Near and Middle East, as well as Africa and Asia (the latter in bottles or preserves rather than fresh - although there is an exception to be made for mangoes).

It's summer, so to be honest there's not a lot of cooking going on, but there is food to eat.  Apricots just coming into (early) season, a warm spring everywhere including the Mediterranean is paying off.  £1.99 for a kilo of them - downy skin, smouldering orange cooling to yellow (to paraphrase a poet I'm lucky enough to know) - slightly firm to the touch, ripening at home to soft luscious yielding fruit, sweet but slightly tart - perfect.

Here's the aforementioned roast chicken (leftovers), torn up into bite sized pieces, with medium dice cucumber (currently 4 for £1 from Fairline, Green Lanes), and a liberal dousing of chilli oil (with those wonderful chilli dregs).  Perfect.  Chicken - still soft because it has been properly roasted not carbonised - have you seen the cooking times recommended by the supermarkets on the label? - and of course, it's free range, a concession to the recession, I'll forego organic but there's no way I'd stoop to something caged in a shed, no matter what they call it.  Free range is the minimum standard and if it's too expensive then none at all.  Cucumber for crunch.  Chillies for spice and added savour.

Then there's my other favourite summer meal.  N.B. these two dishes comprise three ingredients each.  Good and simple.  It is of course the herring - you've been waiting for it, I know, after all, I can't just be buying and talking and writing about herring again and again without actually eating any, can I?  So, herring, horseradish (Kren/XPEN), and beetroot (Lidl, lovely big packs of beetroot for £0.59 a pack, not a smidgen of vinegar in sight).  Delicious, nutritious.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Pursued by Buckwheat Honey!

,

This is not a joke.  I'm beginning to think I'm being pursued by buckwheat honey, the taste of the moment.  It's just a very long moment because I still have a goodly amount left in that large jar I bought.  Recent shopping expeditions have taken me to old haunts, like EFC Food Centre and Fairline for fruit and vegetables which have featured on previous occasions.  However, on this occasion, I spotted the self-same honey in Labas, 203 Seven Sisters Road.  It was however a different brand and I think, although to be honest being more than sufficiently provided for in the buckwheat honey department I didn't check, it was of Lithuanian origin, whereas I think but couldn't swear to the fact that the 500g jar I bought (it didn't come in smaller amounts) is Ukrainian. 

This is when I have to own up that my ability to decipher Cyrillic is a bit limp.  I'm especially slack when it comes to capital letters.  Although the lovely folk at Labas (which I believe means good in Lithuanian - Labas Ryutas is good morning according to the Wikitionary) did ask if I was Russian on the basis of my ability to decipher and pronounce XPEH.  You are of course there before me - it's Kren.  I can only assume that they thought I was Russian because I pronounced it correctly but am obviously not Lithuanian and everyone knows Russia is (still) a huge country and (still) has many minority ethnic communities (thanks, Stalin).  No matter, XPEN, ok then, Kren, is the real deal.  Tempted by supermarket or even upmarket (that's a jar with provender in the title, folks) horseradish - don't be!  Nip out to your local multi-ethnic store/East European delicatessen and I guarantee you will find Kren at a good price - I defy you to spend more than £1.25 on a 200g jar.  Obviously this is no use to you at all if you live in the countryside, but if you live in a large town or near a city and there are any people from Eastern Europe living near to you at all, there will be a place for Polish (Bulgarian, Lithuanian et al) provender.

It also accounts for the herring on offer (both at EFC Food Centre and Labas - EFC is cheaper by around £1).  So that would be 1kg of herring, lovely, plump, succulent herring costing at most (Labas) £6.70 or at EFC on Green Lanes £5.80 (700g net).  Although just to be aware that Labas is a more reliable supplier of good herring than EFC.

For example, I purchased some really lovely herring from EFC a couple of weeks ago which is out of stock at the moment.  Utterly delicious, less salty than the Litvak herring sometimes is while not being Bismarckian.  A practically perfect herring (right) at £1.70 for 500g.  Not only perfect, but also Jewish.  That's right, it is Jewish sliced herring from Poland, helpfully and accurately translated on the label listing the ingredients.  Happy the herring which is also kosher, although it does make one wonder what a conversion process would consist of - a goy mit gefiltefisch gefuellt?

Obviously, this is really only of any use to you if you like herring.  If you don't then the religious or other origin of the fish is not going to be of any interest whatsoever.  Never mind, there are plenty of other fish in the sea.  And thankfully there are also lots of other types of delicious things to eat and lovely shops to visit.  But before we do just one last gasp or I fear I shall flounder and fail to notify you of something new (to me anyway).  Cod's liver.  Not cod liver oil.  But actual cod's liver.  Delicious (thanks EFC).  The foie gras of the fishy world.  £1.39 a jar.  Here it is in the jar.

And here it is on the plate. Now, I must admit, it's a difficult food item to make look enticing - perhaps if I'd sliced it thinly and placed it on black rye bread?  No matter, it is luscious and very good for you as you'd expect.  It is by no means overpowering but is rather reminiscent of the taste and texture of uni/sea urchin - firmer, but with a bold fish taste.  If you get the chance and you're OK with offal, I recommend it very highly.

There are a couple of kitchen staples which I'm rarely without.  I have a very fine selection of chillies in most forms - dried (different types, Turkish, flakes, whole, bird's eye, Kashmiri - yes, really, I bought them in India), pickles (many of these), other preparations and types (adobe chillies in oil, sambal olek) and so on.  Two of my favourites are Chilli oil - the same kind as one gets in Chinese restaurants when they bring chilli sauce and chilli oil for dipping.

Helpfully, this brand (left, made by Sun Wah) comes with chilli dregs, and includes dried shrimp for that little extra umami.  I buy mine (720g jar, cost c.£8) from New Loon Moon in Gerrard Street - see how, lah.  It is extraordinary useful, au seul and also if mixed with some Heinz Tomato Ketchup (yes, I am brainwashed by brands - not wholly, but I have the same thing with baked beans) reduced salt and sugar to make a chilli sauce which can be adjusted to your own chilli strength/taste.  It is also less expensive to make up one's own chilli sauce in this way in my view than to buy proprietary brands.  Having said that, I have a weakness (which I've recently indulged) for Yeo's sauces - their hot and sweet chilli sauces are truly sublime and worth the price.  The Yeo satay sauce is the only satay sauce I've found (in a jar/bottle) which actually tastes like satay sauce, though a bit milder than if I were making it at home or, better still, eating some that some Nonya wizard has made up at home. 

This brings me to my own particular addiction to Crispy Prawn Chilli which I can and do eat by the teaspoonful straight from the jar.  The best brand I've found is made by Tean's (pictured) and this jar was almost empty when photographed.  It is now empty.  I have no more left.  I am bereft and the last time I checked at what has to date been a faithful supplier See Woo, Lisle Street, there was none in stock.  I bought some dried chilli with shrimp the other day from the Chinese supermarket on Seven Sisters Road, but it's not the same, I know it's not.  Never mind, I'll check See Woo again the next time I'm in Chinatown, in the hopes that it's just a supply/stock issue (it's happened before).

Chillies are not only fascinating in their variety, they are incredibly good for you.  They are not only rich in Vitamin C, but also B vitamins and minerals such as potassium and manganese.  Chillies contain an alkaloid compound, capsaicin which gives strong spicy pungent character. Early laboratory studies on experimental mammals suggest that capsaicin has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties. It also found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels in obese individuals.  Chillies are also said to have anti-congestion properties and can be useful for people who experience nasal congestion or sinusitis.  The analgesic or pain-killing properties of chillies have been linked to their ability to release endorphins, neurotransmitters which not only have pain-killing properties but also provide a sense of happiness.  Endorphins are most commonly associated with those who undertake vigorous and regular exercise.  I wouldn't say that exercise plus chillies equal happiness, but they may well make you feel happier and healthier!

And finally, Tahini, another must-have, and at least it takes me away from my chilli obsession.  The most delicious tahini I've found is from Butcher El Baraka.  Lovely people, luscious tahini, made in Lebanon.  Lebanon the home of the best food in the Middle East, truly, I've been there - and to Syria, Jordan, North Africa, Oman...  Here, it's a healthy snack, raw carrots (batons not julienne) with Tahini, and undoubtedly a lot of other things which could be made with Tahini of this lusciousness and quality.  Enjoy!

   

Kam the cook, Kam's curries, Kam's carrot halva - a triple Kam-my!

How extraordinarily fortunate I am in my friends.  Not only are they lovely, kind, generous, clever, funny and good-looking - they are all au fait with the finest food.  Please note, not the most expensive and certainly not the most pretentious or trendiest - but almost invariably comestibles that convey contentment.  Take, for example, the talented and lovely Kamila the cook.  Unfortunately (for them) an earlier lunch date had proceeded without two friends who were both unwell (nothing serious thankfully) which meant on that occasion I was treated to lunch by myself.  As a result, I made a special request this time round which Kamila the fairy godmother granted.  More of that later.  First to the main course, which was really good, as you can see for yourself.

  

Check out the mustard seeds nestling in the carrots - truly delicious.  Everything was wonderfully and delicately spiced and sang with freshness.  A tribute to Kam's skill not just in cooking but in shopping too.  Whilst we're lucky to live nearby to Green Lanes and its myriad shops selling good and fresh fruit and vegetables, they were also perfectly cooked.  The okra, usually known for their mucilaginous properties, retained a crunch with not a gummy one in sight - again beautifully spiced with coconut and curry leaves. 

It seems only fair to treat you to the whole ensemble, including a lovely mild aubergine and yoghurt dish and potatoes very simply but effectively spiced with black pepper. 

If you ask an Indian person they will generally be of the view that whilst the mango is the queen of fruit (that is, Alfonso mangoes), pepper is the king of spice and in this potato dish you can see why...

All together now, a plate of delicious, delicately spiced food, pure veg and all prepared with skill, love and care, shared with friends.  Can there possibly be anything better - with or without roti?

 

Oh yes, I hadn't forgotten - really, I hadn't.  As I'd been lucky enough to sample the delights of Kam's cooking on a previous occasion I was cheeky enough to make a special request - pudding-wise.  Quite simply the best carrot halva I've tasted, not least because being home-made it is much less sweet than shop-bought versions.  Doesn't that sound quaint, in a 19th century, Little House of the Prairie type way? - reminiscent of frontier types eschewing commercially produced, shop-bought goods in favour of the homespun and home-made.  Truly, Stroud Green is the final frontier, complete with the battle for Crouch End Clocktower - that will be a fight to the death with the squirrels destined to end up on the butchery counter of Thorntons Budgens.  But enough of dead squirrels and back to carrot halva...

Notice the whole, split, fresh cardamom (left, centre right), imparting scent as well as savour to a yummy pudding, with or without ice cream.

So, many thanks, Kam - you're both a star and a star cook.  For the record, the recipes were from the faithful Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cookery, except for the okra and coconut dish which was from a South Indian cookery book.  Everything was cooked from scratch by Kam with the exception of the ice cream, which was Green & Black's vanilla (very nice too).

It's been delicious, but....

I have been here, really - it's just that I've been out and about, and eating more than I've been blogging.  So, now it's catch-up time, and I'll do my best to bring you up to date with my yummiest moments of the past few weeks.  I'll start with my lovely friend, Kam, of whom many marvellous things could be written but for the moment let's concentrate on...