Meat Uneasy

I've suffered a grave blow at the hands of a meat patty and I'm finding it hard to recover.

Having spent most of the year banging on about the genius of Yianni and Co's Meateasy/Meatwagon burgers to anyone who would listen, last night I found myself chewing a mouthful of disappointment. And it tasted just like Mcdonalds.

These are harsh words, I know, and it pains me to type them (me being the biggest fan of the pink, charred, juice running down your chin experience that was the original Meatwagon burger). When they popped up in New Cross earlier this year, I was there once a week. I loved the food (which was consistently brilliant) but I equally loved that the burgers came with a side of effortless cool (I tried to make that sound as ungeeky as possible but saying cool is not cool). The space was genuis, the cocktails that came in old jars magic, and the vibe, well it made you want to get pissed and dance like you just didn't care.

So, having made the pilgrimage to The Rye in Peckham (one of the current venues for the MW crew) to re-aquaint myself with my favourite food experience of 2011, I'm sure you can imagine my expectations were pretty high.

And they were shot down.

This was supposed to be a quick, non-rant post so I wont go on. I will just say this. The patties were smaller, with no sign of pink in the middle, the iceberg lettuce soggy and the plastic cheese (which seemed cheerfully kitsch at Meateasy) less ironic when it's the only thing you can taste.

I sincerely hope that when I return (I don't give up that easy, particularly if there's meat involved) last night's hiccup was a mere fluke of the grill. Otherwise Peckham is going to see a few tears.

Was There Any Ponte?

From time to time, particularly when you have little or no contacts of your own, it is only fair to piggyback on the opportunities of others. Which is why, when my food writer friend Neil (or The Lambshank Redemption to many) invited me to be his plus one, I brought my camera.

Cantina del Ponte has the same happy location on Shad Thames as my previous entry, The Blueprint Cafe, meaning lovely views of Tower Bridge. We sat outside which is always agreeable and, despite the fact it rained (where are you summer?), it was nice to take advantage of the location from beneath the awning. If I had been allowed to smoke it would have been quite perfect.

Nicotine addiction aside, we enjoyed a good meal. As Neil quite rightly said, "You wouldn't go to Tokyo looking for the perfect Pork Pie." i.e one shouldn't expect perfect Italian food in London, particularly if, like me, you have recently returned from said country.

We kicked the meal off with some bread and olive oil. I love bread and I love olive oil.

Bocconcino Di Capra Con Confettura Al Peperoncino

Otherwise known as warm goats cheese which was runny and delicious, chilli jam which was sweet and spicy and homemade foaccia (I love bread). I'm letting the fact that it was served on a black plate slide and calling it old-school.

Spaghetti Allo Scoglio

I had this dish practically every night in Italy and it was, as I feared, a poor cousin. Not terrible exactly, just not great.

Crostatina Di Ciliegie Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia

Mmmm warm cherry pie. I'm not entirely sure the pastry was perfect, but the cherries were sweet, the ice cream creamy and I'd had half a bottle of house white and a glass of prosecco by this point, so it was definitely marvellous. Again enjoyed the old-school dusting of icing sugar.

Cantina del Ponte does not serve perfect Italian food *falls over in shock* but the service is good, prices keen and it does have great location. It wouldn't be my first choice in Shad Thames, or my second, but you could do a lot worse along that riverside stretch (All Bar One, I'm looking at you).

Cantina Del Ponte

36C Shad Thames

SE1 2YE

Blueprint Cafe

The afternoon before dining at the Blueprint Cafe, I happened upon an interesting conversation with a friend whose boyfriend is a chef. Apparently he HATES people who come into his restaurant and order the set menu. This irritated me.

Sometimes *steps up on to her soap box* people want to eat in fancy restaurants and sometimes those people can’t afford to pay £30 for a main course. So what *raises her voice an octave* is wrong with getting part of the experience. Surely better than no experience at all.

I realise that I fall into the above category, so my opinion is a little one sided, but I do loathe the shame that taints the set menu, which is why the experience that followed it was so sweet.

The Blueprint Cafe is housed on the second floor of the Design Museum, just past Tower Bridge, on the river, rewarding diners with some rather lovely views. The interior is cute; round tables, big windows, the odd stripe (my friend said that it felt a bit 90s in a good way).

The food was good. Not get up and do a little dance good, but definitely do a little smile at the first mouthful good. The website tells me that Scottish chef, Jeremy, has been there for 16 years and is much praised for his 'seasonal, uncomplicated cooking' (which is exactly how I would have described it had they not got there first).

Lettuce and Loveage Soup

I would never usually order soup in a restaurant, particularly one containing only vegetables but this was brilliant. Vibrant green, it couldn't have looked more pleasing and it tasted like a summer garden. It did need a generous shake of salt but this was forgiven once I realised it came with fresh sourdough and a slab of creamy butter. Mmmmm.

Leg of Lamb with a Mustard Crust

I was surprised when this turned up in a mini casserole dish. Not that I minded, but I had expected something more akin to a steak than a stew. The slow cooked lamb was studded with sweet peas and topped with a tangy mustard crust. We splashed out and ordered a side of vegetables (£4) and were delighted with the huge bowl of minted courgettes and runner beans, and an equally large bowl of crispy new potatoes.

Raspberry Shortcake

I didn't actually get to taste this but it looked pretty which is always a good start. Mouth full, my dining companion informed me 'the raspberries are nice and tart, the shortcake light and buttery and the cream not too sweet'.

This was a good meal, and perhaps it would have been a great meal had I ordered from the main menu but so what. The staff are clearly well schooled because I was never made to feel like a tramp, I got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset in one of my favourite parts of the Thames, and I got to eat a meal in a restaurant I might think twice about visiting if I had to pay full price. So, until I can afford to stop being a cheapskate, I've found a place where it just don't seem so bad...

Set Menu: £15 for two courses, £22 for three courses

Butlers Wharf
28 Shad Thames

SE1 2YD
020 7378 7031

Italy

Two weeks, two bikes, two regions, one mountain and countless calories; I'm going to tell you a little story called how to eat your way round (some of) Italy and not put on a pound.

From the burger we greedily gobbled on the first night, to the huge plates of spaghetti we scoffed on the last, two weeks on the Adriatic coast proved to be quite the lesson in wanton gluttony. I could write verses about the tomatoes, pages about the bread, and an entire book on the olives but instead I shall narrate this rather marvellously greedy journey through the medium of photography. Enjoy.

Pleased to Meat You

Am feeling very sorry for myself this week. No money means no meals out and an empty fridge. Were it not for my apocalypse store of puy lentils, chicken stock and a selection of spices, I would be tres miserable. With nothing but soup in sight, thank god for the memory of last week's meal at Goodman to get me through...

Despite what my current eating habits will have you believe, I am resolutely a meat girl and Goodman is the meat place. Which is why I finally got around to going, after at least a year of people telling me to. I dined in the company of my editor who also happens to be a ‘let’s get two things and share’ kind of gal. Lucky, as I had already decided what we were having long before we entered Goodman's welcoming doors.

Goodman Burger with Truffle Chips

Being a huge Meateasy fan, (when the pop up came to New Cross earlier in the year, I took it upon myself to become their most regular customer) this burger had some pretty incredible memories to erase. Taste wise it was probably on par, but, as my editor said, it was a "neater version”and I liked it less. The messy chaos of eating a Meateasy burger, greased ketchup running down my arms and chin, proved too strongly embedded in my mind.

The chips though, were ridiculous. Crunchy, salty chunks of deliciousness; indecently flecked with truffle oil. I would love to test these side by side with the ones at Heston’s Dinner. It would be the ultimate chip competition and, I suspect, a rather close call.

Bone in Rib-Eye

Medium rare, charred on the outside, this cow had been treated like royalty from the field to my gob. I can only describe the experience of eating these ruby slices as, well, a party in my mouth. I'm glad I was not sitting at the table with me because I imagine I looked like the woman in the Halls Soothers advert.

The wine was great but a bit pricey (though I do usually buy bottles based on it being labelled '3 for a Tenner'), the staff lovely, the restaurant buzzing and most importantly, they know how to cook their meat. I have spent most of my adult life being extremely careful with my limited income. Now I’m going to spend it on eating steak at Goodman.

Particularly Good

There is something appealing about food being served on something other than a plate. Call it nostalgia, call it novelty value but we all know fish and chips tastes better directly from the paper. I once ate in a restaurant in Sydney where they served all manner of fried goods in baskets made from twisted newspaper. I was beside myself.

This brings us rather neatly to The London Particular, a charming café in the ever-eclectic New Cross which just happens to be my home. I have been meaning to go since it opened almost a year ago and, last weekend, I finally got around to popping in. The tiny space is bright and airy, much like the staff (who happily let us sample the cakes before we settled on a slice of spectacular pear and ginger loaf)

So far, so good but a café is a café. This was my opinion until two things happened. One, our tea and slices of cake were presented to us on vintage tiles (adorable). The second being that all dishes from the menu are served in a bowl, from home made quiches to beans and toast (to dunk, obviously). Call me crazy, but the simplicity of dishing up breakfast, lunch and dinner in a single curved vessel made me want to weep with joy.

Weird obsession with alternatives to the plate aside, this is a gem of a place. And, if the thought of tea served on a tile or beans in a bowl caused a similar spasm of elation, then go immediately.

The London Particular

399 New Cross Road

London SE14 6LA

020 8692 6149

An Impromptu Feast

Last Friday and an intimate dinner for four; including me, my house mates (two old queens whom I love dearly) and our friend Jen. Being a food geek and follower of Delia from a young age, I had prepped on Thursday and my carefully planned menu was good to go. Or would have been...

Bloody housemates. Whilst I was prepping, they were busy drinking free gin and doubling our four to eight. Cool as a courgette, I did a mental recalculation of the food, a calculation of my bank balance plus what we had in the freezer and a slightly mismatched, but delicious dinner party was born. Hurrah!

(terribly murky images to be blamed on excessive wine consumption plus only having an iPhone camera at my disposal)

Stuffed Peppers with Beef and Rosemary

A hybrid of a Nigel Slater recipe featured the last Observer Food Monthly which, due to Asda only doing mixed peppers, my obsession with thyme and our friend Elauen not eating pork, I followed only vaguely. Here’s what I did (not that I am suggesting mine to be better than Nigel’s, which would clearly be absurd).

Large Red Onion

Two Cloves of Garlic

500g Minced Beef

50g Breadcrumbs

6 Mixed Peppers

3 Sprigs of Rosemary, finely chopped

3 Sprigs of Thyme

3 Tomatoes

Good Squeeze of Tomato Puree

Pinch of Sugar

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan

Preheat Oven 200 degrees.

Cook onion over low heat in olive oil til soft. Add rosemary, thyme, garlic and season, cook for a few minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until broken down, then add sugar and tomato puree.

Meanwhile halve and deseed peppers then simmer in boiling water for about 8 minutes of until starting to soften. Drain and put skin side down on baking tray.

Add beef and breadcrumbs to tomato mixture, give it a good stir and take off the heat. Fill peppers with mixture and top with grated parmesan. Cook in oven for around 30 minutes.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Red Onion and Feta Salad with Cous Cous

This started off as a salad, but extra guests meant bulking out with carbs was necessary. The ‘Moonblush Tomatoes' are from Nigella and her Nigella Express; basically turn up oven as high as it goes, quarter tomatoes, coat in oil and season well, turn oven off, put tomatoes on baking tray with a few sprigs of thyme and leave overnight. In the morning you will have something akin to a sundried tomato, which can be thrown into most salads and taste brilliant. Thanks Nigella!

Large Sweet Potato

2 Red Onions

Four Cloves of Garlic

Four Dried Chillis

One Chilli, finely chopped

8 ‘Moonblush’ Tomatoes

Bag of Baby Spinach

Juice of One Lemon

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

250g Cous Cous

200g Feta

Parsley

Preheat Oven to 240 degrees

Chop sweet potato into large chunks, quarter red onion (leave skin on), smash garlic cloves and dried chillis. Mix together in a bowl with generous glug of olive oil and season. Transfer to baking tray and cook until potato is soft and the onion is starting to blacken at the edges (around 40 minutes).

Meanwhile, prepare cous cous (aka follow the pack instructions)

Prepare dressing by mixing lemon, olive oil, fresh chilli, salt and pepper.

Combine sweet potato, onion (discard skin and chop roughly), cous cous and two thirds of the dressing in a large bowl until everything is nicely coated.

On a large plate layer spinach leaves, then cous cous, then tomatoes, finishing with chopped parsley and the rest of the dressing.

Turkey Stuffed with Thyme and Cream Cheese Wrapped in Bacon

Again, this is a variant on a recipe shamelessly stolen from another chef (I like to think they all taught me how to cook in lieu of a domestic mother), this time Gordon Ramsey who uses chicken, parma ham, ricotta and sage. However, I had to think on my feet and use what was lingering in the fridge/freezer/cupboard and these weren’t bad either.

4 Turkey Steaks

8 Rashers of Streaky Bacon

5 Sprigs of Thyme

4 Cloves of Garlic

Pack of Cream Cheese

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 190 degrees

Mix cream cheese, salt, pepper, crushed garlic and thyme in a bowl, set aside. Smash turkey steaks until thin with rolling pin then fill centre with a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture, fold in half and then wrap in bacon. Repeat.

Brown turkey parcels in a hot frying pan, around five minutes on each side. Finish in oven (15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steaks)

Slice before serving so everyone can share.

To my main dishes, I added new potatoes which were par boiled, coated in a garlic and herb butter (handful of basil, handful of parsley, 3 cloves of garlic and 300g butter) and then roasted in a hot oven for 15 minutes, and lots of crusty bread (which I didn’t make, girl's got to have time to sip her wine).

Being a Friday night and everyone coming after work at random, people gathered in the kitchen drinking whilst I cooked. This was a blessing, by the time we ate (at about 9.30pm) everyone was merry, starving and extremely complimentary. A success.