London Restaurant Review - The Terrace

Words & Photography by Felicity Spector

Holland Street, W8, is one of those roads where everything is just so: a branch of Ottolenghi. A rather smart gallery. A cobbled, winding pathway leading to a small mews, strewn with climbing roses. And now, a new neighbourhood restaurant; itself so bijou and beautifully turned out it could have come straight from the pages of Vogue Living.

The Terrace on Holland Street has been transformed by Leith’s graduate Sara Adams – the cooking talent behind the highly regarded Kensington Square Kitchen – and her husband Chris Hodgkinson, a former chartered surveyor who has clearly had a big hand in the stylish refurb.

Image courtesy of The Terrace

The kitchen is run by head chef James Kelly, who is aiming to put together a small but seasonal menu of “British inspired” dishes – it will change frequently, although customer demand seems to mean there will always be a place for a properly done steak and chips.

There are just 20 covers at The Terrace, although if there is any warm weather there’ll be double that, thanks to a rather lovely outside terrace. Chris told me there had been one outside lunch service so far, on the single day the sun managed to drag the temperatures to more springlike levels.

But on the night we visited, on the invitation of The Terrace team, it was definitely a night for sitting indoors. Everything was very comfortable, the decor a tasteful dove grey, and as I arrived, slightly late, my niece was happily enjoying a glass of sauvignon blanc. “This place is lovely!”

As we looked over the menu a waiter arrived with some slices of warm treacle soda bread, with some deliciously creamy butter: one of the best breads I’ve had for ages. A very good start indeed.

The starters all looked so tempting I decided to have two instead of a main: asparagus with an eggs mimosa style topping, followed by seared mackerel fillet with a smoked mackerel bonbon (and who could resist one of those?) with a little beetroot and blood orange salad.

My niece went for the crab on toast, with a twist of apple and fennel salad, and then sea bass with asparagus and crushed potato, mainly because she liked the sound of the blood orange hollandaise it came with.

I loved the asparagus: cooked just right, with a scattering of chopped roasted hazelnuts on top of the finely diced egg, to add a bit of texture. The crab on toast was just right, generous without being too rich.

When my mackerel arrived I wished I had taken up the waiter’s offer to upsize it to a main course portion. It was really well balanced, with a sharp tangle of beetroot and orange to cut through the oily fish, and as for the bonbon, soft, fluffy in a crunchy crumb – if only all fishcakes were as well made.

My niece made short work of the sea bass and especially loved the much-anticipated blood orange hollandaise, resolving to try making it herself at home.

I couldn’t resist a chocolate fondant for pudding, which came with a ginger creme anglaise and some honeycomb, although I prefer my chocolate pure and simple, so I asked for the fondant on its own.

There is that moment, when a fondant arrives, when you wonder if this is one of the ones which works: will there be that essential ooze when you cut into it? This one certainly didn’t disappoint: the centre spilled out onto the plate in a reassuringly liquid pool, the chocolate was dark and rich. My niece, who fancies herself a bit of a cocktail maven, asked for an Old Fashioned instead of dessert, which kept her happy.

The team take great care sourcing the best produce, much of it from local suppliers – and as much attention goes into the wine list, which they promise will be updated regularly.

All evening, we were surrounded by a sort of contented hum: the other customers, many of them locals, seemed more than happy with their new neighbourhood gaff. Service was friendly and relaxed, and prices seem reasonable for the area.

I normally only head for High Street Ken to hang out at the big Whole Foods Market down the road. Now there’s a new place worth crossing town for.


THE TERRACE
33C Holland Street
London, W8 4LX
T. +44 20 7937 9252
info@theterraceonhollandstreet.co.uk

London Restaurant Review - Brasserie Chavot

Name: Brasserie Chavot

Cost: £35-£40 per person on average for a 3-course meal excluding drinks (starters priced from £7.50 to £11.75, main courses from £16.50 to £24, and desserts from £6.50 to £7.50).

About: Few restaurants have attracted so much attention lately, and I think deservedly so in the case of Brasserie Chavot. Eric Chavot's cooking is exceptional as I found out just a couple of weeks ago. Simple, unpretentious and flavoursome, his food is some of the best brasserie-style French cooking I have experienced for a while in London.

Located on plush Conduit Street, the restaurant is elegant with a stunning mosaic tiled floor, red leather seats, and chandeliers galore. Service is friendly and well measured and despite all the glitter, it does not feel stuffy but rather is a good place for a special occasion dinner or lunch after a morning's shopping.

What We Ate: A good steak tartare is always a favourite, and this is what I ordered - Chavot's steak tartare (£9.50) was beautifully seasoned and delicious, despite the slightly unimaginative presentation.

Dr G's deep fried soft shell crab with whipped aioli (£11) was as light as air and greaseless like the best tempura I have tried in Japan. The saffron-infused aioli was a novel accompaniment, which worked well.

For main course, we shared a daube de boeuf, garniture grand-mere (£19.50).   This was a rich, slow-cooked piece of beef in a richly concentrated broth, with 'grandmother's garnish' of lardons and chopped herbs.

I had the beef ribeye with bearnaise sauce (£24). Perfectly cooked, and accompanied by a piece of roast bone marrow - the perfect steak and frites (£3.75).

For dessert, we had the Mont Blanc (£7.50) - a delightful concoction of blackcurrant, plain white meringue and chestnut ice cream.

We also had the rhum baba (£6.50) - the pastry was well made, firm on the outside, soft and airy inside, having soaked up the intensely flavoured rum syrup,  and served with thin shavings of fresh pineapple and a quenelle of Chantilly cream.  A French classic, expertly rendered.

What We Drank: We were in the capable hands of the sommelier that evening who made all the choices for us, we were not disappointed. We started with a glass of Moët et Chandon Champagne (£13.70 per glass) and then had four different wines (2 whites and 2 reds) to partner our dishes. 

The glass of 2012 Chateau Clement Termes, Gaillac (£5.50 per glass), a blend of mainly Mauzac and Muscadelle, was rich, full-bodied and with a distinct pear-drop note on the nose. It stood up nicely to my steak tartare, an unusual but excellent choice.

For Dr G's deep fried soft shell crab, he had a glass of 2008 Aladame Montagny Premier Cru (£12 per glass), by celebrated winemaker Stéphane Aladame, one of the rising stars of the younger generation of French vignerons. We thought this was a well made wine with pronounced minerality, although somewhat austere.

For the main courses, we had a glass of Le Main Martin, Vieilles Vignes, Bordeaux (£7.50 per glass).  A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this had a good weight of black fruits and cherries, and hints of dried herbs. 

We also had a glass of Le Grain de Folie 2011, Fronton, Chateau Plaisance (£6.50 per glass). Made from the Negrette black-skinned grape native to this part of southwest France, blended with Gamay, it was soft and round, with raspberry fruit and a silky finish.
  

Likes: the deep-fried soft shell crab was to die for, the rhum baba was also very good as was the rib-eye steak, bone-marrow and frites combination. I enjoyed the unusual but well-chosen wines selected by the resident sommelier.

Dislikes: it would be nice to be offered some bread with meals, a basket of bread is currently charged at £2.25.

Verdict: Great central location in plush setting, with some impeccable French brasserie-style cooking by Eric Chavot. Reasonably priced and highly recommended.

Belazu Foundation – a win-win solution for charity-minded foodies

Words by Simeen Kadi

Fancy eating at some of London’s best restaurants while helping children get a solid start in life through education? Join the Belazu supper club and you could do just that. While you may be familiar with the Belazu brand of olives and other delicious Mediterranean sauces and condiments, the company’s foundation has been quietly working in the background to support some of the communities from which they source their ingredients.

George Bennell, founder of The Fresh Olive Company and Belazu, set up the Belazu Foundation to help children and women in the rural, Berber regions of Morocco receive an education and be better prepared to earn an independent living. Belazu matches funds raised by the foundation through events like their supper clubs.

Recently, around 80 diners enjoyed a multi-course dinner at Hix of Mayfair in the company of George Bennel of Belazu and Mark Hix himself, with all profits from the evening going to the foundation.

We started with some excellent smoked salmon which Hix smokes on the roof of Selfridges, I was reliably informed. The charcuterie was Mediterranean in flavour but made by Moons Green in Kent.

After mains of English rose veal, sweetbreads and rosemary-skewered lamb’s hearts we heard from George about the progress the foundation is making with children in Morocco. 

Over 4 million people in Morocco live in poverty, with 3 million of them living in rural areas.  In these rural communities, as many as 66% of 15-24 year olds are entirely uneducated. While Belazu helps these communities economically by buying ingredients such as Argan oil, The Belazu Foundation complements this by raising funds and donating money directly into the communities, working closely with teachers and local women.

The informal atmosphere and the excellent wines that flowed all evening made for a lively night in the company of fellow foodies. Helping give children a chance of a better life through education while still having a great evening out is a model that we can all get behind. The Belazu Foundation hosts dinners at top restaurants in London every month and has already dined at Quo Vadis, Terroirs and even on the Towpath in Hackney.

Read more about the Foundation and join the supper club http://www.belazu.com/about-us/the-belazu-foundation/ 

The Mal on Sunday

Words and Photography by Marina Benjamin

The Malmaison Hotel in London’s Charterhouse Square must be one of the loveliest locations in the capital – and still pretty much an open secret. So if you’re keen to be on the inside of a good thing, go read this review somewhere quiet. Better still, pull down the lid of your laptop like a clam shell and then burrow beneath it. Because you might not feel like sharing.

I confess that I didn’t expect the new Mal on Sunday brunch to be quite the treat that it is. Mainly I was put off by the all-you-can-eat buffet, or ‘Chef’s Table’, where you can snaffle up as many cold cuts, pates, smoked fishes, salads, chutneys and cheeses as you like – to say nothing of the frying station, where omelets, pancakes and waffles can be rustled up in minutes. And all this before calling in your main. But, in fact, the bounty of this brunch is a beautifully managed thing; staggered through a procession of meandering courses, consumed at leisure; with friendly staff in attendance; and in the company of well-mannered customers, many of them with children. I can’t think of a nicer way to while away the hours of a weekend afternoon, eating, talking and reading the papers. Malmaison has hit on a winning formula, it seems; and it is all about gentle surfeit, not greedy grab’n’go. Cornucopia, not pig’s trough.

The hotel restaurant is in the basement, and despite having light wells that admit shafts of sunlight from the street, the feel is cosy and club-able, more nightclub than dining room. The club privée effect is enhanced by deep velvety chairs and banquettes, which is very accommodating for ye olde hangover. Perhaps that’s why Bloody Mary’s feature so prominently on the menu?

My 10 year-old girl was in her element, revelling in the wealth of choice available, particularly when a freshly pressed waffle arrived, encircled with maple syrup and topped with berries. Inside it were melting M&Ms. Yes, it was custom-made, and yes, I did say maple syrup and M&Ms.

But she’s only 10, and her parents were at least trying to fly the flag for moderation – slowly sipping Mercier champagne (you order by the glass for £10.50), while in His case spooning up some fresh-tasting red pepper and tomato soup, and in Hers, nibbling at a plate of cured meats and fish and smoky fire-roasted vegetables.

My girl ordered steak frites for her main course and received a juicy piece of mallet-struck meat, pink and tender in the middle, accompanied by proper French Fries that were thin rather than stringy, and with a nubbly crisp crust that gave way to a hot potato-y middle. I’m ashamed to say that I pilfered more than a few of these golden batons, and also used the excuse of cutting up her meat to divert a number of delicious mouthfuls my way. But that was only because my wild mushroom risotto was the least accomplished of our mains. Though nicely bosky and oozing aniseed flavour from tarragon, texturally it was wrong, too clumpy and richly cloying for my liking.

King of the main courses was His fishcake – a light and fluffy affair, topped with buttery wilted spinach and a poached egg and dripping with creamy grain-mustard sauce. The flavours in this dish hit 11 and balanced out beautifully, leaving an after-taste of luxurious silkiness in the mouth.  I have no idea why anyone would order a Sunday roast here, which, of course, you can, the main courses all being ‘classics’. But the top and tails of this particular outing aspire to greater refinement.

Next came a Mediterranean-style pause. Even the sun shone, a novelty amid this Spring’s wind and bluster. As our thoughts turned to things cheesy, I finished off a smooth-tasting glass of Argentine Malbec, while He enjoyed a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc full of watermelon and peachy zing. The cheese board was not especially extensive. But it was nicely crafted; it even included a buttery Lancashire Bomb, which you don’t come across all that often. We chose a ripe slice of goaty log, some tangy yarg and a creamy French blue, and we had some grape chutney and quince on the side.

My girl claimed she still had room for pudding but I didn’t quite believe her, until she polished off the last of the cheese. We sampled small glasses of Portuguese Tawny port and some ‘sticky’ Chardonnay form the à la carte menu. These came in dinky 50ml glasses – just enough to form a judgement  and then confirm it. The sticky Chardonnay was new to me, and a very pleasant discovery to boot. It was sweet as Muscat but with the dignity of a Sancerre, and not sticky like maple, that smacks you up front with sugar, more sticky like toffee, well-rounded and ending on a slightly burnt note. 

Speaking of toffee, the sticky toffee pudding I shared with my girl was airy and light, its hot caramel sauce spiked with chopped pecans, and its side of vanilla ice-cream served at just the right temperature. Meanwhile, He ordered an equally light and perfectly brûléed crème (appearing on the menu with all three accents) that didn’t really need the cinnamon spiced madeleine clinging to its side like a shy sibling.

The Mal on Sunday was altogether a delight. We spent three hours there, grazing rather than gorging, and left the table feeling pleasantly sated. The good news – and remember, ssshhhhh! – is that Malmaison’s quality brunch rings in at a mere £19.95 per head, and only £7.95 for children under 12. Even with drinks we spent little more than £100. This is exceptionally good value for money anywhere. But in austerity London it is little short of a steal.

Young Chefs to Watch: Rising Star Aaron Ashmore

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi

At 21 Aaron Ashmore has achieved more than most. He has worked in the kitchens of Angela Hartnett’s Murano, competed in Masterchef, The Professionals, making it to the tough semi-finals and, more recently, bagged himself a highly prized place in the kitchen of Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley. And all this has happened not simply through Aaron’s steely determination and commitment to hard graft – but because he is a very good cook.

While at the Berkeley his skill is put to good use in delivering Marcus Wareing’s culinary vision, I recently had the chance to experience Aaron’s cooking in a 7-course meal devised entirely by him. Helped by his friend Michal Majewski, another aspiring chef currently at the Ritz, Aaron showed 40 diners some deft culinary technique and flavour combinations. The evening was organised by Grub Club, a new dining venture on the London scene which aims to connect new, creative chefs with food lovers at pop-ups in interesting and unused venues around the capital.

Our first course was Smoked Egg, Cod Brandade and Hazelnuts with the egg yolk smoked just enough so as not to be too heavy when mixed into the brandade – the flavours matching beautifully. The hazelnuts were there to take away some of the richness.


Cured salmon came with a topping of ikura sprinkled with horseradish and a slick of grassy olive oil. The chicken was the best dish for me, the meat poached so it was moist and full of flavour. It came in a baked potato consommé which has to be my favourite way of enjoying a baked potato – all the earthy flavour with none of the stodgy carbs. The dish was helped along with generous shavings of truffle.

A crisply fried cube of spiced pulled pork worked very well with thin slices of fennel and a crackling hat.


The first dessert of pineapple, chilli and Prosecco was too heavy on the Prosecco cream with not enough chilli; a good enough pudding but not as exciting as it sounded on the menu. 
Then came a dish of marinated cubes of watermelon with a cucumber and lemon sorbet. Refreshing and clean flavours which belied the work put into achieving it.


Finally, we had a rich chocolate cream spiced with cardamom and served with a ginger and caramel tuile. The banana and peanuts were a good flavour addition but were slightly too blunt served in their natural state – but a lovely sweet all the same.


To match the meal, we enjoyed wines from Domaine Saint Hilaire, a wine estate and gorgeous Bed & Breakfast in the Languedoc owned by a British family. Son Daniel James was on hand to give us a light-hearted introduction to the wines.

Add to the mix some amazing card tricks from the magic genius Darius Ziatabari and we had all the makings of a great night out.

Find out more about Grub Club here
Follow Aaron Ashmore on @a_ashmore

Calçotada & Truffles, Wine Tastings and an Epic Dinner in Somontano

An area in the northern part of the province of Huesca in Spain, a few hours' drive from Barcelona, Somontano is a young and dynamic wine-producing region whose Denominación de Origen was established as recently as 1985. It has since then succeeded in earning a fine reputation for its boutique wineries and excellent wines. Viñas del Vero is one of these producers, and I was lucky enough to be invited to visit their cellars earlier this year.

Taking its name from the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, Somontano (literally translated as "at the foot of the mountain") is an area of rolling hills and chalky soil, with cold, harsh winters and hot but short summers offering very good growing conditions for vines. The landscape in this part of Spain is breathtaking, dominated by the towering Pyrenees, the River Vero, and beautiful vineyards, olive groves and almond trees.

Part of the Gonzalez Byass Group (better known in the UK for their range of sherries like Tio Pepe), Viñas del Vero is Somontano's leading winery. The region's microclimate, with an average temperature of 11°C, and the diversity of soils like clay, chalk and limestone mean that a range of different grape varietals can be successfully planted and vinified there. I never associated Riesling or Gewürztraminer with any wine making region in Spain but was pleasantly surprised to see and try wines from these varietals in Somontano, produced by Viñas del Vero.

The Gewürztraminer was in fact quite a revelation, showing unmistakeable floral and citric notes typical of the grape, and good, refreshing acidity. A great wine to be enjoyed in summer which will go down a treat with any fish or seafood, but also most Asian and Oriental dishes.

A reputation for over-production, high yields and low quality table wines in the 1980s and 90s have unfortunately turned many people away from drinking Spanish wines. More recently, the country's most reputable wine makers have been turning this situation around by tackling some of these issues. Wines from areas like Priorat and Somontano can today rival some of the best in France or Italy. At Secastilla Valley, a delightful enclave of 7 villas and castles in Somontano, 100-year old garnacha vines are organically maintained and heavily pruned, the vines are stressed and their grapes carefully hand-picked to control yield and quality, producing some of Viñas del Vero's best, award-winning wines.

The Secastilla Valley is also where we went truffle hunting for the day, a great experience as the local expert and his trained dog managed to find us quite a few sizeable nuggets.

We then headed to the stunning Secastilla Vineyard where we had a selection of cheeses, cold hams, tomatoes and tortillas as well as barbecued lamb chops and sausages. The perfect spread to partner with Viñas del Vero's 2008 Secastilla label, made from those well-pruned 100-year old garnacha vines. This had intense, dark fruit tones, smooth tannins, and great length, all in all a very well structured wine.

Once a year, Viñas del Vero invite journalists, opinion leaders, and people from the wine industry from around Europe for their annual celebration entitled "Days of Wine and Truffles". It was a thrill to be among those invited to experience, in addition to truffle hunting, a magnificent 16-course truffle dinner prepared by Michelin starred chef Carmelo Bosque from Lillas Pastias Restaurant at Viñas del Vero's flagship winery Blecua.

The Blecua estate dates from the end of the 11th century, when it was used as a retreat by French Benedictine monks. Set in 14 hectares of vineyard, it was restored by Viñas del Vero to create a new winery for the sole purpose of making its top label wine: Blecua. Making Blecua involves a triple selection process - of the best seven vineyard sites, the best grapes (Garnacha, Tempranillo, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon), and the best barrels for the final blend. Unfiltered, the wine is aged for 20 months before being bottled. The production is thus limited and represents the best of Viñas del Vero winemaking. Unsurprisingly, Blecua retails at £62 in the UK.

The meal prepared by Carmelo Bosque was of epic proportions, and one of the most enjoyable I have had lately. Some of the highlights below.

Truffle macaron - I can still taste that truffled butter filling!

Truffled black olives with truffle shavings - spheriphication of black olive juice flavoured with truffles.

Lukewarm vegetable pot with truffle - dried, crumbled black olives and truffles as "earth", this was my favourite course of the dinner.

Jerusalem artichoke cream and caramelised salsify.

Potato skins with eel and onions.

Salad of "Gran Reserva" capon cooked in a glass bottle - local, free-range chicken, meltingly tender.

Oven baked "calçots" with crushed truffles and caramelised orange - calçots is a local variety of allium.

Rice "pasta" with truffle shavings and baked pancetta.

Fried black cod with civet and truffle - it was wonderful to try black cod in something other than a Japanese meal, the civet and truffle sauce was utterly delicious.

Gigot of beef with a buttered truffle purée.

Cheese with a black sesame syrup.

"Snow" truffle on a muscovado cream.

The meal was also an opportunity to taste Viñas del Vero's top label - the aforementioned Blecua. The 2005 vintage was released as late as October 2011, and is indeed a magnificent, full-bodied wine with deep cherry colour, well rounded tannins, sweet spices, liquorice and a fantastic length. A complex nose and well-structured wine, it is not surprising that it's been named as one of the four greatest wines of Spain.

It was a very slow start the following morning for everyone, but we made it in good time for a visit to Vilarnau Cava Winery before flying back home. Gonzalez Byass' Cava brand, Vilarnau is a state of the art winery, specialising in long-aged, small scale cavas. In addition to the three typical cava grapes, Parrellada, Xarello and Macabeo, the winery also blends Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Trepat in its wines.

We were welcomed by the bubbly (no pun intended) Eva Plazas, the estate's head winemaker for a tour of the winery and full tasting. But before that, we tried a Catalan delicacy called "calçotada".

This is a dish made from char-grilled calçot, a local allium resembling something  between a spring onion and a leek, but milder in flavour and less bulbous. The grilling brought out the sweetness of the onion and imparted a delicious smokiness which went well with the romesco sauce they were dipped in. It can be rather messy (but fun) getting stuck into a "calçotada", but luckily we were all wearing bibs!

The Aftermath...

We had the Brut Rosado D.O. Cava with our calçotada, a blend of Trepat and Pinot Noir, aged We had the Brut Rosado D.O. Cava with our calçotada, a blend of Trepat and Pinot Noir, aged for 12 months in bottle. Richly coloured, it had strawberry on the nose, and red, fresh fruit on the palate. It was a refreshing, uncomplicated and easy going cava (Ocado £10.99).

Of the 5 Vilarnau cavas available in the UK, ranging in price from £10.99 to £19.50, Vilarnau 2009 Gran Reserva (£19.50) was undoubtedly in a league of its own. Made from Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it had a rich, golden colour and fine, persistent bubbles. Aged for 36 months in bottle before degorgement, it developed a long brioche aftertaste and ripe fruit, peach and apricot on the palate.

Bubbly Eva - Head Winemaker at Vilarnau

It was fascinating to discover that there is so much more to Gonzalez Byass than just the ubiquitous Tio Pepe, much as I love a bone-dry fino.  The well made wines by Viñas del Vero in Somantano were a revelation. Blecua was exceptionally good, as were also the more affordable wines from the portfolio, particularly from the Secastilla range.  As a region, Somontano is breathtaking, and I would urge anyone interested to visit the area, and book a visit to Viñas del Vero winery to try some of their range.  Visits and tastings can be arranged via this link.  If you are lucky, you might even get to try some calçotada, which I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Gonzalez Byass and R&R Drinks for inviting me to Somontano.