White linen, silver service, but not in Mr Michelin's book
Benares was the first ever true Indian fine dining restaurant I tried, maybe 14 years ago. I remember being knocked out by the elegance of the cooking while a symphony of spices were gradually building to a mighty crescendo on my palate. I’ve had a lot of fine Indian food since then but I’ve always …
I don’t usually go for wine pairings with a tasting menu. I find it ends up being too much booze and I can’t really pay attention to the later courses, often leaving the restaurant feeling a bit dyspeptic to boot. Now and again we make an exception and I’m very glad we did at Joro. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
