~pjgh

“Let’s go to Inn Cognito”, I said.

We’d not been for a good couple of years, the couple of times previous we found the place a little tired. The menu offers a good standard of Mexican, Italian, steaks, burgers and so on but felt a little too much like a posh chain, rather than an individual restaurant. The specials board is always interesting and of a good standard, too.

The specials board was full of interesting options which we both ate from, but could not pass up one of their tomato and garlic pizza breads for a pre-starter. Awesome! So simple, so perfect!

Greeted after all this time by a massive smile and a gratuity from Stephen, the Chef. The place felt good. We were seated near the hatch into the kitchen and could see and hear a lot of what was going on in the kitchen - hard work, basically. It was also good to hear how courteous the Chef was to his staff when asked if he wanted another drink and during a quieter time later on explaining to the waitresses what was going into a pie he was making that was no doubt destined for the specials board the following day.

Starters? Well, my wife decided to go straight for a main but I could not pass up on the Warm Salad of Duck and Black Pudding. In a word, fantastic! I loved it. I know … I know … it’s not hard to slice some duck, fry from black pudding and pop it over some salad leaves with a little jus over the top,  but this is exactly what the Chef does so well - classic combinations without messing it up by over complicating or crowding the ingredients.

Mains? My wife had a Chicken Piri Piri and I went for the Lamb Kleftico which arrived in a paper bag still sizzling away with the oils inside.

Wow! Wow to both - the Chicken Piri Piri was accompanied by some small sauteed potatoes, tossed with chorizo slices. There were a few fresh vegetables alongside, too - you know, mini corn on the cobs, mange tout and carrots. Classic, simple and just perfect. Perfect and HUGE!

My lamb was just stunning - a very generous piece of meat cooked to absolute perfection and accompanied with slices of potato and whole mini carrots cooked in with the meat. The slow cooking made a sumptuous dish that was sheer perfection for me … and when the richness of the meat got too much, there were the little pieces of feta in there, too which pierced the dish with little shards of astringency at exactly the right moments.

Fantastic! Afters? What better than an assortment of ice creams - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Baileys liquer coffee for the Mrs.

Both stuffed, very happy and more so that the place seems to be back on its feet after what felt like a flat line for a couple of years. Chef Stephen Bray has got his groove back and after more than 25 years in the same place, that’s no mean feat!

The cost was just over £50 which included four pints of Guinness and an orange juice. The orange juice was for me LOL! Oh, go on, then yes … the Guinnesses were for me!

I happily give the place 8/10 - it was quite late when we ate, having arrived at just after nine in the evening. The standard menu is the staple of the place - easy, varied and always of a good standard. The specials board is varied, interesting and just full of classic combinations done well, not over-complcated and on the whole exactly what you want for a good night out.

I’m sorry, but I have to say that this is one of the worst meals at this kind of price I have eaten in a long time. We decided to try La Rue again after some years where previously we had not enjoyed it; not enjoyed it on more than one occasion.

“It’s changed”, say people.

The place was full, which boded well. A little hot for a summer evening, but comfortable and thankfully the music was not on too loud to hear each other.

Had it changed? Well, it hadn’t! From the outset, the choice of pre-dinner drinks was abysmal and the poor waitresses had no idea about anything other than, “there’s beer” pointing to the lager and “… erm … some shots”. Great! I’ll have the German Pils, the only draught beer, which clearly tasted of maize and so could not be a German Pils. Oh well … let’s hope the food is better.

What a bizarre menu! I’m all for adventurous, but taking a classic combination and sticking a polar opposite from out in left field just because, well it just doesn’t work. That went on through the starters to the mains. Scrabbling for something that I could eat, I opted for a Kofta starter with some out of the bottle chilli sauce and a tzatziki without the ziki! My wife had a smoked haddock and pea tart, which turned to the be pureed, rather missing the point of beautiful flakes of smoked haddock and rather tasted of baby food! My good lady said she enjoyed it, though. Oh, the Kofta was on a tortilla! What? Yes, I know …

The mains faired no better. I had lamb shank in a roasted Mediterranean vegetable jus with garlic potatoes. Gorgeous, except for the flavour … which jarred between the roasted vegetable jus and the creamy garlic potato gratin. Nooooo … crushed garlic potatoes. Did I say, classic combinations with a left field entry?

My wife had a piece of salmon, which could have been good if it had been cooked in butter to bring out the sumptuous flavour of the fish and was served with an utterly tasteless risotto. Tasteless? Yes, clearly no use of a good stock made from left over bones, most likely water, salt and perhaps a splash of wine. Even lemon juice would have lifted it a little.

Puddings. How can they mess this up? Well, I was so fed up by this point, I asked for a mix and match from a couple of dishes so as to avoid the bizarre combinations and opted for a custard tart with some vanilla ice cream rather than the chocolate ice cream it was billed with. Finally, I’d found something on the menu that worked, yet I’d had to put it together. I forget what my wife had, but she left it. Just reading this through, apparently it was cheesecake and “one of the worst cheesecake”, no make that “the worst cheesecakes” she’s ever had!

How disappointing!

I got a decent grappa at the end to take the taste away and my wife had a coffee, which they’d manage to burn. Oh well, we won’t be going there again.

Sounding most pompous, I should suggest that the chef find a culinary primer course in classic combinations and stick to it - the basics are good, but when put together simply do not work.

Cost? About £65 including the wine at £20 ish.

I can’t even give the place 1/10 - there were no saving graces. I simply cannot recommend this to anyone. No, in fact, I can give it 1/10 for the really good Georges DeBoeuf Fleurie we had with the meal. That was good.

From PicasaWeb - Cuisine 2007

Here’s an English take on Minestrone Soup.

Cube some root vegetables, such as carrot, swede, parnsip, turnip and potatoes and start to par-boil them.

Meanwhile, soften an onion and some garlic in a little butter and pour on one can of peeled tomatoes, a chicken stock cube, some white pepper and a little water.

Whizz up the tomato mixture until it is pureed (and strain through a sieve if you fancy). Adjust the acidity of the tomato “soup” to taste with a little natural honey and some skimmed milk. Drop in some pasta, like ‘Angel Hair’, linguine, or fusilli, in short pieces if you are using straight pasta. Stir in well. Pour the par-boiled vegetables into the pan, along with a can of pulses, like chick peas, mixed beans or even green lentils. Stir in.

Remove from the heat and leave for a few minutes for the pasta to soften.

Check for seasoning and serve with some rustic bread, preferably infused with garlic butter.

From PicasaWeb - Cuisine 2006

Here’s a new take on the classic sauce Hollandaise.

In a ‘Baines Marie’, drop in three egg yolks. Rind half of the red grapefruit into the ‘Baines Marie’ and then cut the grapefruit in half, squeezing the juice into the mix. Prepare the Hollandaise as normal, whisking constantly over a gentle steaming heat until a firm consistency is felt.

Remove the ‘Baines Marie’ from the heat and settle onto the work surface on a tea towel, or non-slip mat. Drop in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and whisk. Ensuring the ‘Baines Marie’ dish is securely held, whisk constantly and drop in a constant stream of olive oil until the sauce is loose enough texture to merely coat a spoon.

The sauce will keep for a few hours, but cover in a dish if you intend to use it (or leftovers) the following day.

From PicasaWeb - Cuisine 2006

Truly beautiful knives …

… at a staggering price, but at around 300 USD off the normal price at the moment … maybe one to consider?

Korin - Fine Japanese Tableware and Chef Knives

Nom! My favourite curry, made better by my favourite fish.

This is exactly what this time of year is about: fresh mackerel, grilled, a splash of lemon and a cold glass of beer. How can that be improved? Simple … pop it on top of a light, fresh curry.

One of my other favourites for mackerel is with a spicy red pepper sauce on cous cous with small chopped vegetables. A simple rice or, better, rice and peas is also stunning.

So, to the Mutter Paneer … what’s that, then? Well, it’s the Indian name for the combination of food - peas (mutter, or matar) with cheese (paneer). The cheese is made by bringing milk to the boil, stirring in lemon juice until it curdles upon which the cheese is strained and the curds pressed overnight; the whey is discarded. I did not make the cheese, by the way … this cheese can be readily procured from your local supermarket.

How is the curry made, then? I start with a deep frying pan and some butter (ghee would be better, of course), the spices which I used cumin powder, coriander powder, celery salt, Indian black salt and a little white pepper & chopped onions. Fry the onions until they go soft.

Meanwhile cut a cross into the bottom of a small number of tomatoes (three to four is fine) and drop them into boiling water. Retrieve after a minute, or so and peel, then chop, discarding the pips. Combine the chopped tomatoes into the onion mixture and continue to fry on a low heat - this will produce and interesting complex of the spices, the tomatoes and the onions. Add a little tomato puree, if you like, but take care - we don’t want it to be overwhelmed by the tomato flavour.

Next, raise the heat and pour in some ginger beer. I like the ‘Old Jamaican’ variety, otherwise use an fiery brand, or just mince some fresh ginger and water and maybe a little sugar. I find this increases the complexity of the spicy onion mixture and lets it out a little, ready for the cheese.

Cube the paneer and drop the cubes into the wet mixture. Cook on a low(ish) heat for a good five minutes before adding the peas and cooking on for another few minutes. Add water at any stage the curry is getting too dry. The water will evaporate. Just before you are ready to serve, stir in some well chopped fresh coriander (dhania), stir and place on to the plate.

Erm … while all this is going on you’ve been grilling your fish, right? Of course you have - between five and ten minutes per side, having stuffed it with lemon beforehand. The mackerel should be still nice and oily, but with a fresh tang from the lemons. Pop the fish onto the curry, drop a few fresh coriander (dhania) leaves over and place a lemon wedge on the side of the plate.

Pour out a glass of cold beer and enjoy! Simple …