Gonzalez Byass Sherry Feast Menu at Morito

Name: Gonzalez Byass and Morito

Where: Morito, 32 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QE, http://morito.co.uk/

Cost: £50 per person including 6 courses of 9 tapas dishes, accompanying sherries and service. The menu is available only on Sundays, with sittings at 5pm and 7.30pm.

About: Gonzalez Byass has teamed up with Morito, one of my favourite tapas bars in London (reviewed here), to create a Morito Sherry Feast Menu.

Designed to highlight Gonzalez Byass’ range of Spanish sherries from Fino to Pedro Ximenez, with some top notch tapas.

What We Ate and Drank: The menu kicks off with a glass of Tio Pepe Fino. Pale gold in colour, with savoury aromas, this is bone dry, crisp and light in body. Traditionally partnered with salted almonds, at Morito it was served with 4 different tapas including marinated olives, smoked Marcona almonds and a delicious pan con tomate (sourdough bread topped with chopped tomatoes, avocado and anchovy).

The fino was also served with some heartier starters including a delectable clams with grilled leeks, parsley and garlic, and baked bacalhao (salted cod) with potatoes, thyme and paprika.

Next came a glass of Tio Pepe Fino 'En Rama'. Bottled unfiltered and unclarified, this sherry is about as close as you can get in London to drinking the sherry straight from the cask. Pale gold, it had a richer, more complex nose than the Fino, and was served with a generous tuna confit in olive oil and sweet onions.

Amontillado sherries are allowed some contact with air to give partial oxidation during their maturation, and Gonzalez Byass 'Del Duque' , aged for 30 years through the solera system, was no exception. With a rich amber colour, caramel and creamy vanilla aromas, this was a superb dry sherry. Morito partnered it with a delicious dish of seared oyster mushrooms with pancetta Iberica, fresh oregano and Marcona almonds. My favourite dish of the evening.

Next up was a glass of Palo Cortado. These sherries are initially aged under a layer of 'flor' yeast, which imparts a savoury character, but then the yeast is removed to permit a degree of oxidation. The 30 year old Apostales Palo Cortado was a deep amber colour, with aromas of dried fruits, cedar and caramel. Showing great depth of flavour and concentration, this delicious sherry was served with charcoal-grilled horn peppers and secreto Iberico - a particularly succulent cut of Iberico pork (solely fed on acorns, giving the meat a deliciously marbled, nutty quality).

Moving on to the sweeter end of the sherry spectrum, in which Pedro Ximenez (PX) grapes are used in addition to the Palomino varietal, the penultimate wine was a magnificent Matusalem Oloroso Dulce. Aged for over 30 years, this luscious sherry had sweet raisin and fig flavours, balanced by savoury Oloroso characteristics of spice and candied peel, giving a drink of great complexity.  This was expertly matched with a couple of fine Spanish cheeses – Romero (a goats cheese from Murcia) and Picos de Europa (a bold and salty blue cheese from Castile-Leon). The combination of sweet sherry and salty cheese was delicious, and one I look forward to trying again at home.

Finally, with Morito's deliciously simple signature dessert of Malaga raisin ice cream, we were served a glass of Noe – 100% PX. Again aged for 30 years, this viscous sherry had a deep brown colour, and flavours of dried fruit, spice and treacle. Sweet and richly complex, this was a great end to the meal. Despite its age and pedigree, I poured a little over the ice cream and it made an excellent partner.  I was surprised by the freshness of this PX – it was not cloyingly sweet as so many can be, and this reflected the long oak-aging of the sherry.

Morito has a fine spread of sherries on its regular drinks list, including fino, manzanilla, amontillado, palo cortado, oloroso and pedro ximenez options, so it is well worth dropping in to try them. 

Likes: It was great to try the full range of sherries from the driest to the sweetest in one meal. I loved the Tio Pepe with baked salted cod, the Spanish cheeses with sweet Oloroso, and the sweet but refreshing Pedro Ximenez over the Malaga raisin ice cream.  

Dislikes: I love Morito on Exmouth Market but we hardly had space to breath in it!

Verdict: Every time I drink sherry, I think I should have it more often. There is such a spectrum of flavours and it is an ideal partner to Spanish and Japanese food, as well as other cuisines. Recommended. 

Moro - A Taste of Al-Andalus in Clerkenwell

Name: Moro

Where: 34/36 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QE, http://www.moro.co.uk/

Cost: Starters range from £8.50 to £9.50, main courses from £16.50 to £22.00, and desserts from £6.50 to £9.00. Wines are largely from the Iberian peninsula, with whites from £19.50 for a Venas del Vero, Somontano, Spain, and reds from £22.00 for a Bobal - Tempranillo blend from Utiel-Requena, Spain. There is an extensive and well-priced sherry menu.

About: Moro is a Clerkenwell institution, opened by Sam and Sam Clark in 1997. With its little sister Morito next door (reviewed here), with a more casual tapas-style menu and no reservations taken, they have been the top choices in Clerkenwell for Iberian and North African food for years.

Moro has a laid-back feel about it, with wooden floors and bare tables, and an open kitchen with an old fashioned wood oven contrasting with gleaming stainless steel. The food is uncomplicated, relying on good ingredients prepared with minimal fuss.

I have been using Moro's cookbooks for years, they are among the few I have returned to over and over again - lately even more so since getting hold of their latest Morito cookbook, which has some wonderful recipes. I highly recommend their cookbooks -   you can find out more about them here.

What We Ate: With their comprehensive list of sherries, we could think of no better start than with some aperitifs and a glass of chilled sherry. We kicked off with some salted Marcona almonds, olives, some crusty bread and a couple of glasses of bone-dry  amontillado and an oloroso.

For starters, we shared the roasted quail ajillo (i.e. cooked in garlic), served in a fragrant jus of white wine and garlic, with shavings of black truffle (£9.50). The sweet quail meat had soaked up the garlic, butter and white wine, and made a great start to the dinner.

The other starter was a platter of chopped calves liver (£9.50), over fresh greens and herbs including chervil, and a smattering of toasted, lightly crushed hazelnuts. The dish had a wonderful combination of flavours and texture which I really enjoyed - creamy liver, crunchy nuts and refreshing green herbs.

The mains were quite substantial and wholesome. The wood-roasted Herefordshire pork (£19.50), was served with slow-cooked cabbage flavoured with chorizo pieces, and whole roasted chestnuts. The pork crackling was crisp, and the meat soft and flavoursome with hints of paprika, and a deliciously rich red wine jus.

Better still was the charcoal grilled lamb with Moroccan salads and chermoula (a sauce of coriander, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil) (£21.50). Served rare as ordered, the lamb was tender and the flavour lifted by the accompanying chermoula and salads. I loved the salads, and there were three - wafer-thin turnip with orange blossom and mint; celery with olives, tomatoes, cumin and ground ginger; and finally soft carrots, roasted with cinnamon and paprika. The flavours were fresh and aromatic, and were a great accompaniment to the lamb. I would love to have this dish again.

To finish, we had a delectable yoghurt cake with pistachios and pomegranate (£7.00). One of Moro's classic desserts for many years, this was light and creamy with refreshing acidity from the yoghurt.

But perhaps Moro's most famous dessert is the Malaga raisin ice cream (£6.50). Served with a luscious Pedro Ximenez sherry, the ice cream infused with plummy raisin fruit and a prominent hit of alcohol, this was vanilla ice cream like no other.

What We Drank: After a couple of excellent sherries, we shared a bottle of Sino da Romaneira 2010 (£42), from Douro, Portugal. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinto Cão, this had a surprisingly restrained nose, but on the palate, plenty of red fruit, structured tannins and a long finish. It was weighty and complex enough to be a good partner to the richness of the meats. 

Likes: A small but well thought out menu which changes daily, top-notch ingredients, serving some of my favourite flavours from the Iberian peninsula and North Africa. The place has a casual vibe, and was heaving on the Wednesday evening of our dinner. 

Dislikes: None

Verdict: Top ingredients, expert cooking with little fuss, reasonable prices - no wonder Moro has been a favourite for Iberian and North African food in London for years. And judging by my latest visit, it would not suprised me if it continued to be for years to come. I can't wait to return. Highly recommended. 

London Restaurant Reviews - Paesan

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi and Luiz Hara

Name: Paesan

Where: 2 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4PX, http://paesanlondon.com/

Cost: Antipasti from £4, small plates are around £6 and mains from £8 to £13

About: Paesan aims to extol the virtues of ‘Cucina Povera’; a cuisine styled from the humble meals of Italian peasants. Taking over from the corner site previously housing Dollar Grills and Martinis on Exmouth Market, this is a fairly large, unadorned space which caters to the drinking and dining crowds that line the pavements of this party street.

What we ate: Paesan is one of a few London restaurants that have been spawned from the Polpo template. While I don’t think they actually share any DNA, they have a similar aesthetic and menu – although I would add that Polpo would win any bout of sibling rivalry.

The menu is broken up into manageable chunks with Antipasti, Piccolo (ie small plates) Pasta, Fish and Meat. We started with a plate of charcuterie including Coppa di Testa, Wild Boar Mortadella and Lardo. The Lardo was sweet and deeply flavoured, the coppa was also very good, especially when wrapped around spicy Puglian bread rings. The mortadella, although tasty, did not have a discernable flavour of gamey wild boar. The Caponata was rich and velvety – a great example of inexpensive ingredients given some va va boom.

The Focaccia we ordered to accompany the meats was topped with delicious caramelised onion but was woefully undercooked and doughy.

From the Piccolo section of the menu we ordered the Burrata which came with more of the delicious caponata – the burrata was fresh and bright but could have been creamier.

Calabrian Trippa & Steak Ragu with Chilli and Pecorino tried to appeal to squeamish British diners with a thinly veiled use of the Italian for tripe. The dish was peppery and both the tripe and the steak were tender.

The Crochette Schiacciatina (try saying that after a couple of Negronis) were two crispy patties with a filling flavoured with anchovy and parmesan – dense and well seasoned. It came with a tomato salsa that was one dimensional and tasted vaguely of preservatives.

The pasta dish that I had been waiting to try was Hand Cut Pappardelle with Slow Roasted Suckling Pig Ragu. Sadly it was sold out, so we opted for the Orecchiette with Nduja, Pancetta and Cavolo Nero. Nduja, the fiery hot spreadable sausage made from pork and lots of chilli, was a key ingredient for 2013, featuring in neo-Italian bacare as well as in menu-bending fusion street food stands across the capital. Here, it was tempered by the cabbage and coated the pasta ears to give a rich, pleasing mouthful.

We also tried the Fritto Misto – always a good barometer for the skill of a kitchen. Here, the batter was light, crisp and well seasoned. The fish was mostly Calamari, which was lightly cooked and tender. There was the odd chunk of Red Mullet which was also well cooked in the batter. The accompanying aioli lacked the zing of a squeeze of lemon.

For dessert, we enjoyed a large serving, best shared, of perfectly good toasted Panettone with Grand Marnier and Vanilla ice cream.

What we drank: The Negroni we ordered while perusing the menu was watery, due to the addition of soda – an absolute sacrilege. To make matters worse, the olive in the drink was raw and hard as a bullet.

With our meal we drank a 2012 Montelpuciano d'Abruzzo by Farina which lacked depth or balance, but had plenty of fruit as such a young wine would. A completely forgettable bottle.

Verdict: Paesan has a great location on a vibrant street teeming with great food. A greater focus on using quality ingredients, however humble, and more care in the kitchen and the bar should elevate this restaurant to a neighbourhood favourite.

London Restaurant Reviews - Morito

Name: Morito

Where: 32 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE, 020 7278 7007, info@morito.co.uk

Cost: It was a nice surprise to see how well priced the menu is at Morito. The average cost for a tapa dish from the current menu is £5 to £6 whilst the Seafood Festival Menu options range from £3.50 to £8.50. Commendably, the house wine is priced at only £17 with a few other excellent options below the £30 mark.

About: Morito is a tapas & mezze bar next door to sister restaurant Moro on Exmouth Market. Founded by Sam & Sam Clark in 2011, Morito is small but perfectly formed, vibrant and funky sort of place serving some of the best tapas I have tried outside of Spain.

I use Sam & Sam’s cookbooks often and have eaten at Moro on a number of occasions. Despite it being around for what seems a very long time in restaurant terms, food at Moro has never failed to impress me - it is innovative, fresh and bursting with flavour.

Morito is no exception. I visited it this week to try their 2013 Seafood Festival menu, available from 24 September – 6 October 2013. Morito is offering, alongside their current menu, a specially created seafood tasting menu with matching sherries, inspired by Sam & Sam’s latest trip to Galicia.

What we ate: We had nearly every dish on the Seafood Festival menu, they were all excellent, very expertly cooked with some beautifully fresh ingredients, what a joy!

Salt cod croquetas & aioli (£4) - lovely, and just like the Portuguese “bolinhos de bacalhau” which I adore.

Vieiras - scallops with albariño (£8.50) - this was one of the highlights, the scallops were sweet and so fresh they were melting in the mouth, sashimi quality in my opinion.

Ceviche - sea bass, seaweed, sesame & cucumber (£6) - slightly Japanese(y) in concept, it tasted similar to a popular Japanese salad I eat sometimes with wakame, pickled cucumber and prawns.

Puntillitas - deep fried baby squid (£8.50) - these were terribly moreish, crispy yet so soft and delicious.

Arroz negro - black rice with cuttlefish and preserved lemon (£6.50) - another highlight, we both loved this dish. It was incredibly creamy, with delicious heady citrus undertones from the preserved lemon, a magnificent dish.

Palamos prawns & mojo verde (£7) - this was in our opinion the weakest link. The prawns were grilled but served on the shell which gave out a lovely aroma but were a bummer to eat as they were so tiny. Delicious but just a little fiddly to eat.

Pulpo, fava bean and potato puree (£7) - grilled and very tender octopus pieces flavoured with paprika and olive oil, simple but so amazingly good.

Crab and oloroso montadito (£8.50) - another favourite, the crab meat was fresh and seasoned with oloroso sherry, olive oil and fresh parsley and served on thin sourdough bread toasts.

For dessert, we had a fantastically light, creme catalana (£5.50) which had been infused with a number of spices including cinnamon and also their Malaga raisin ice cream (£4.50). The ice cream was equally good - top quality vanilla ice cream with plump raisins soaked in Pedro Ximenez sherry (the sweetest in the sherry spectrum), all doused in more luscious PX for good measure.

What we drank: We had all three Gonzalez Byass sherries recommended on the seafood menu. They were all different in style, but I cannot think of better matches to the dishes we had that night. The sherries included Solear Manzanilla (£4.75 for a 100ml glass), Tio Pepe Fino (£4.50) and a fabulous Amontillado (£5.50). With dessert, we also had a glass of Oloroso Dulce (£6) a beautifully balanced sweet sherry with plenty of acidity and great length which went down very well indeed.

Likes: We enjoyed every single dish we had, but highlights were the black rice with cuttlefish and preserve lemon and also the seared scallops with albariño. Service was very friendly and knowledgeable, the staff seemed to know pretty much everything on all the dishes we asked them about.

Dislikes: Having a no-booking policy for dinner is a tad annoying.

Verdict: Morito is my latest foodie discovery in London. The food is beautifully made, bursting with flavour with some super fresh, top quality ingredients that really shine through. Very well priced, it is also not going to break the bank. This is a gem of a place, and I cannot wait to return. Very highly recommended.