Tacos are definitely the fine dining cliche from the last 2 or 3 years. It’s the strangest thing, but I’d swear that three quarters of the tasting menus I’ve eaten lately have included some form of taco. There’s no real point I’m heading for here, I can’t really mock the trend or fall in love …
Category Archive: Fine dining
Review: Aulis, Soho
It’s great when you come away from a meal inspired. In this case I’m both inspired and armed because chef Charlie Tayler has taught me how to make herb flavoured oils! Take equal parts of herb and oil, then whiz them in a blender. Whiz them long enough that the blender heats up, gets really …
Review: The Mash Inn, Radnage
I had no idea the Chilterns were such proper countryside; only a stone’s throw from London but with proper twisting lanes, bosky woods, hilltop views and bucolic villages. In one of them, Bennett End, is the old red brick Mash Inn, a restaurant with rooms. We stayed overnight in a garden room with dinner and …
Review: Cornerstone, Hackney
I’ve been wanting to get to Cornerstone for a while, but it’s in Hackney. And I’m south of the river. Pretty much always have been. For those who don’t know, there really do seem to be two worlds in London and you either belong to one or t’other. I can tell you all about Clapham, …
Review: Mana, Manchester
My favourite thing at Mana. They made a fudge by reducing down 120 litres of cucumber juice to a mere dollop. It no longer tasted of cucumber exactly, but still had a green note along with a deep sticky-sweet flavour a bit seaweedy. This blob made a superb relish for some insanely well cured sea …