Otto's: old-school charm

Okay, I'll pin my colours to the mast straightaway. I absolutely love Otto's. If you're interested in food, drink and especially cooking there's a great deal to love here. Even before we entered the restaurant on a quiet stretch of Gray's Inn Road, the eye-catchingly glamorous empty bottles in the window got the juices flowing. Once inside, there was a palpable buzz from diners all delighted to be there, witnessing the spectacle of classic, old-school restaurant service, expertly led from the front of house by Otto Albert Tepassé who has 43 years' experience gleaned in starry dining rooms such as La Tour d'Argent, Plaza Athenée and Maxim's in Paris. His young chef, Eric Jolibois, has manned the stoves at the Hotel Bristol, Carré des Feuillants and Taillevent in Paris and Maison Troigros in Roanne.

We'd had to book a couple of months in advance to have the dish for which Otto's is most known: canard à la presse (i.e. pressed duck) as the duck press can only be used a couple of times per sitting and the ducks are ordered in advance from Burgaud in Challans, the same supplier as La Tour d'Argent. I first came across this fabled dish reading Brideshead Revisited (see here) and as soon as I heard that a London restaurant was serving it, I just had to go, willing husband in tow. We were greeted warmly by Otto and immediately offered glasses of Ayala Champagne while we settled ourselves in for a memorable evening.

Another table were also having pressed duck which gave us the chance to observe the spectacle before it was our turn. In the meantime we ordered a couple of starters (to be honest, unnecessary given what was to follow, but they helped fill the time). I had smoked salmon, hand-carved at the table (£12.50) and N had snail and creamed garlic ravioli with parsley sauce (£9.50). These were washed down by some cleansing Cuvée des Evêques Pinot Blanc by Hugel (£24). It also gave us the chance to deliberate over which red to have with the duck. As you might expect, the wine list is strong on Burgundy and not greedily priced. We opted for Beaune Premier Cru les Siziers 2005 de Montille (£65).

As we ate our starters, we were shown (introduced to?) our duck – large, plump and complete with feathered head. This is not for the squeamish. It is then taken away to be roasted before reappearing at the table, cooked, for flambéing, carving and, ultimately, pressing. In the meantime the sauce base is made by firstly melting a brown sugar cube and allowing it to caramelise which is then flambéed with Cognac. Port and red Burgundy follow and are reduced to a syrupy consistency, then stock from a previous duck (enriched with veal bone) is added. After a lot of whisking over heat (a burner in an large ice bucket) the chopped liver from our duck is stirred in, plus some Sercial Madeira. After a lot more reducing, the sauce is strained twice.

Shortly afterwards we are served an appetiser of duck liver crostini with a little cup of Malvasia Madeira: a great little taste of what was to come. Rich and complex.

Our duck, now roasted, is brought back to the table and is then doused in Cognac, flambéed and carved. The legs are removed and returned to the kitchen and the breasts removed from the carcass and set aside to keep warm. The skin is gently eased away from the breast meat with a spoon. Now for the main event. The carcass is put inside the silver-plated duck press (made by Christofle in the early 1900s) to be crushed, extracting all the tasty duck gunk which is then whisked into the sauce for pouring over the breast meat. The result is dark, glossy and deeply flavoured, with layer upon layer of complexity and amazing with the gamey meat.

Pommes soufflés – something we'd never seen before – came as an accompaniment. These little air-filled potato pillows are made from finely sliced (2mm) potatoes (in this case the very dry Agria variety) deep fried three times, each time for 20 minutes, until they pop and expand. Imagine the fanciest game chips turned into crisp little bubbles. Apparently, many don't behave properly and are discarded. No wonder you don't encounter them much.

We were getting very full by this point, but two more duck dishes followed – there was a wonderfully rich creation made from the leg meat and then a bowl of tasty crunchiness like duck scratchings made from the skin. There was so much to eat.

However, we managed a palate cleansing dessert – pineapple, coconut cream and lychee sorbet with some dainty little madeleines. Otto joined us with a rather special bottle of Mosel Riesling, Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2000 from J J Prum which rounded off the evening impeccably.

Of course, something this laborious and luxurious doesn't come cheap, but £120 for the canard à la presse for two (plus drinks, although several of ours were included) seemed perfectly reasonable for a special evening out. We'll certainly be going back – there are more classic culinary adventures we look forward to sharing with Otto before he calls it a night.

Otto's
182 Gray's Inn Road
London
WC1X 8EW
Tel 020 7713 0107

Quality Chop House: quality indeed

Last month I finally got along to the Quality Chop House in Farringdon a year after this historic site was taken over by *Will Lander and Josie Stead. Our timing was fortunate as they were still celebrating this anniversary and offering some rather special wines by the glass – Krug Grande Cuvée was a great way to kick off our meal (and, as it was the day after my birthday, difficult to refuse!)

We kept things simple by opting for the set dinner with accompanying wines. A selection of small starters including crab toast, chickweed, lemon; breaded lamb, green sauce (deliciously crunchy and tangy) and, particularly memorable, wild mushrooms, parfait, walnuts – a luscious autumnal combination. These were great with a naturally made Chenin from Touraine in the Loire Valley, Clos du Tue-Boeuf Touraine Petit Buisson.

My friend Neil had the main on the set menu – Tamworth pork, fennel, beetroot, celeriac, purple kale and I had the special, roast mallard. Both dishes were cooked fashionably rare (I must say, I do get a bit squeamish about under-cooked pork, but it tasted beautifully tender and flavoursome). The mallard was rich and gamey, if a little bloody, but it came with more of the gorgeous parfait. I'd cooked mallard at home recently so I couldn't help comparing it with this, but our glasses of Blaufrankisch did both dishes real justice with its earthy fruit and crisp acidity.

We nibbled some cheese and sipped some amazingly mature Rivesaltes (Château Sisquelle 1946 – a bargain at £8 for a 50ml glass) before finishing with an elegant slice of clementine and almond tart with cream and grapy, refreshing Moscatel from Malaga in southern Spain, 2007 Bentomiz 'Ariyanas Naturalmente Dulce'. A great end to an excellent meal. 

The set dinner costs £35 and the fascinating selection of wines is affordably priced with small margins. As soon as you walk through the door you feel you are in safe hands and it was a pleasure to be eased through our meal a such a charmingly capable manner. Just go for it. (Which is what we did – despite me leaving my wallet at home and arriving red-faced, so a huge thank you to Neil for treating me!)

*Will Lander is the son of Jancis Robinson and Nick Lander, ex-restaurateur, consultant and Financial Times columnist, so quite a pedigree.

Piper heralds Christmas

Last week I got my first proper taste of Christmas when I emerged from Sloane Square tube station and gazed at all the glamorous Christmas decorations. The trees in Sloane Square sport large tasteful twinkly stars and Peter Jones in the background is draped with lights. My short walk up Sloane Street was just as festive as I headed to Le Cercle restaurant as a guest of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne.

Piper has had quite a playful, partying image, however, cellar master Régis Camus recently received the International Wine Challenge Sparkling Winemaker of the Year trophy for the eighth consecutive time. New owners EPI, who bought the house from Rémy Cointreau in 2011, seem keen to place more emphasis on the quality of the wine itself – we were served several with dinner and they stood up beautifully (much better than the simple party pop you might have expected in the past). The wines are Pinot dominant and a generous proportion of reserve wine is included in the blends resulting in richer, complex tasting fizz closer in style to stable mate Charles Heidsieck (also run by Régis Camus).

The wines all showed well, but the highlight of the evening was Piper-Heidsieck's prestige cuvée Rare from the 2002 vintage. This was served with foie gras crème brûlée, lemon brioche and cardamom crust: all very luxurious. Finely structured with layers of complexity and, although drinking well now, it will age magnificently for several more years. (It's currently in this rather blingtastic bottle, although the new owners might tweak the packaging in future.)

The main course, roasted monkfish, glazed celery and lovage, was served with the soon to be released vintage 2006: although it was overshadowed by the Rare 2002, it was rich and muscular and a good pairing with the fish. The cheese course, chic carnation like rosettes of Ossau Iraty with mandarin (and a 'smoked Lillet' foam), worked very well with Cuvée Sublime (demi sec).

The dinner ended with the classic French pairing of pink fizz and dessert (in this case white chocolate parfait with frosted strawberries). For me, this never works as the wine isn't sweet enough, but I was really taken by the deeply coloured, bold vinous style of the Piper's Rosé Sauvage. I could imagine it with charcuterie, steak tartare or at a smart picnic. Distinctive stuff.

Piper-Heidsieck have other events planned for the Christmas season including tastings with cheese and charcuterie at Searcy's Champagne Bar at One New Change at 6.30pm on Tuesday 10th and Monday 16th December (£39). For more information mail: events@searcyschampagnebars.co.uk. Searcy's Champagne Bars will also be serving a broad range of Piper-Heidsieck by the glass.

I attended as a guest of Piper-Heidsieck and First Drinks. For information about future wine dinners at Le Cercle check their website. This tasting dinner cost £49 per head.

Piper-Heidsieck retail stockists
Brut NV Waitrose £31.99
Rare, Vintage 2002 Harrods £175
Vintage 2000 Harrods £64.95
Cuvée Sublime TheDrinksShop.com £38.69
Rosé Sauvage Waitrose £24.99

A new home and a taste of the good life

It's been a busy few months. We've bitten the bullet and in early August moved further out of town from Tufnell Park to High (AKA Chipping) Barnet on the outskirts of London. The lure of a bigger garden and spacious green surroundings proved too much, yet we're just as close to the tube and a busy high street.

Almost as soon as we arrived some friendly neighbours from across the road came to introduce themselves bearing produce from their allotment. The first meal I cooked in our new home featured locally grown courgettes. After a three week holiday in France (more of which to come) we returned to our own fruitful harvest – blackberries, followed by apples and more recently grapes. What's more, our next-door neighbours have hens, so we've had eggs in exchange for home-made marmalade. Result!

So, I've had a busy few weeks preserving, juicing and freezing – my Bramley lemon curd is a particular hit and the bramble jelly as good as ever. So far so Good Life...

(Not a common sight in Tufnell Park!)

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught

I'd been a bit undecided about this restaurant as the reviews had been so varied. Anyhow, we decided to give the set lunch at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught a go for my brother's birthday earlier this month. The £42 deal includes a couple of glasses of (pretty decent) wine but, once you've added water and coffee, you're looking at at least another £10 per head.

Anyway, that said, our lunch had some memorable highlights and we were happy to relish this level of Mayfair luxury and slick service on a grim late winter day. 

The highlight for me, as I just love eggs was my rather inspired starter: Jerusalem artichoke with egg yolk, roasted veal sweetbread, hedgehog mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano foam. The egg yolk worked beautifully as an additional sauce. Chablis 2011 from Tremblay, poised and fresh, was an easy-going and versatile partner. As it's almost Easter, here are some pictures of this eggy corner of heaven... 

We also loved the little platters of Bayonne ham served with bread soon after we sat down, which helped make up for the rather small main courses, as did the generous selection of chocolates and goody bags at the end of the meal. Other nice touches were the the Champagne rhubarb and radish pickle served with the starter of chicken rillettes with foie gras, and the cheese course – three cheeses served with individually matched relishes. My petite main course of braised Aberdeen Angus beef cheek in Madiran included kumquat for a tropically tangy lift and was lovely with some Abstemes S'Abstemir 2008 (Maisonneuve-Cosse)  – a gutsy Gamay from France's Cahors region (produced naturally I believe). 

There's some tough competition out there at this level, but, despite Ms Darroze having been retained in Paris by the snowy conditions, the kitchen performed well in her absence. (The mains were a bit mean though.)

Greenberry Café

As a north Londoner, I felt a bit sad when I heard that Trojka in Primrose Hill was closing. It had real personality and an earthiness that's become rare in a part of London that has become self-consciously cute. Anyway, I hadn't thought about it much until I recently heard about Greenbury Café which has opened on the site. The name comes from the fact that Primrose Hill was once known as Greenberry Hill after the notorious hangings of Green, Berry and Hill who had plotted against Charles II.

What made my ears prick up was the realisation that Morfudd Richards is the force behind the Greenbury Café. Over the past couple of decades or so, Richards has been closely involved in the London restaurant scene, working at Marco Pierre White's Harvey's and for Chris Corbin and Jeremy King at The Ivy and Le Caprice (Fay Maschler's piece about her here reads like a potted modern history of the London restaurant scene). She went on to open Lola's in Islington in the 1990s where chefs included Juliet Peston (sister of Robert) and Hywel Jones. I lived nearby and just loved Lola's for the way it combined excellent food and drink with a warm, relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Unlike many restaurants at the time, it was never up itself.

So, I was delighted to hear about Greenbury Café. It's open all day and the eclectic menu takes in British delicacies (even from London), interesting global dishes (Imam Bayildi, kitchari), charcuterie and comforting classics like eggs benedict, salt beef sandwiches and steak and chips. The drinks list is equally varied, offering an array of sherries, craft beers, imaginatively chosen wines and proper grown-up soft drinks. The coffee sounds great too, using a specific blend called 'Baron' from Climpson and Sons.

For my starter I really got into the local vibe and had Stoke Newington smoked salmon with soda bread and Camden Wheat Beer (see pic above). You'd never expect it, but this turned out to be a terrific combination. My friend Neil had sea bream ceviche, passion fruit and avocado – zingy and appetising and fabulous with Tim Adam's Fairfield Block Single Vineyard Semillon. I stuck with fish for my main course – roast cod, herb and olive quinoa, tamarind purée, and the Semillon hit the spot again. Neil chose a lamb dish from the daily specials and a glass of gutsy Jumilla. We couldn't resist pudding, so Neil had some of Morfudd's home-made vanilla ice cream with Pedro Ximenez poured over and I had roast and raw pineapple, pain d'épice, coconut and limeleaf sorbet (with a glass of Arneis Passito). All excellent.

Our bill came to about £90, eating à la carte, but they offer a prix fixe during the week for lunch and dinner: £9.50/£11.50 for two/three courses. As it is open all day, I presume you could pop in for whatever you fancy or perhaps stay put and work your way right through the menu. Now that's a thought...

Brasserie Zédel: Paris comes to London

If you love Paris and classic French brasserie food, then you will love Brasserie Zédel. You'd need to really, as it's practically a Parisian theme park. It's certainly right up my street (or boulevard) and, given how busy it was when we visited recently one Friday evening, it's clearly a crowd pleaser.

I'm sure the location helps Zédel's popularity, being seconds away from Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square in the basement of the Regent Palace Hotel, the same premises of the old The Atlantic Bar and Grill. The main restaurant is big and buzzy in a grand fin de siècle style and there is a more chic and intimate art deco Bar Américain for cocktails. Brasserie Zédel opened in 2012 courtesy of Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, the slick team behind The Wolseley, The Delaunay and now also Colbert on the old Oriel site in Sloane Square.

As we hadn't booked, we had to wait a while for a table, but, once seated, we were immediately impressed by the quality of the food and service. Given the enormous scale of the place, this is quite an achievement. We really enjoyed our starters – spinach tart (£4.25) and egg mayonnaise (£3.25). The tart had a beautifully thin, crisp crust and the eggs ticked all the right retro boxes. My husband enjoyed his seafood with saffron sauce main course (Friday's dish of the day, £12.75) and my hanger steak with shallots and red wine sauce was particularly good (£10.95 including fries). We finished by sharing some nougat glacé which had an interesting, seasonal garnish of poached cranberries (£3.95). This was all great value for money – especially the steak. Presumably prices need to be reasonable to keep pulling in the punters. It's a huge space to fill. Wine isn't such an obvious bargain, but, helpfully, all but two of the 28 bottles on the nicely edited French list are also available by the glass and carafe. What's more, there are some keenly priced quirky French apéritifs including one my favourites, Pineau des Charentes.

Une très bonne adresse!

Brasserie Zédel
20 Sherwood Street
London
W1F 7ED
020 7734 4888

Caravan Kings Cross

Christmas is now days away and if I could head out for a big festive night out I'd head straight to Caravan in Kings Cross. (This might not be on the cards with a small child and a hefty to-list before hosting the big day for my family, but who knows...)

The original Caravan in Exmouth Market was impressive enough and I mentioned it on this blog a couple of years ago. But – and big but – Caravan Kings Cross is very good indeed. It helps that it is located by the Regent's Canal in the stylishly renovated Granary Building that also houses Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design. This big, buzzy industrial space feels awesome – and, to be honest, feels like the kind place that London has been waiting for for decades. (I'm a bit biased as I live nearby in Tufnell Park, so feel very excited about the redevelopment of this part of London and the proximity of Eurostar.)

Like the original branch, it is open all day for breakfast, brunch and dinner, offering notably good food and especially coffee (which they roast themselves). However, what I liked most was the drinks list. Creative cocktails include Martinis (pictured above) made with Sacred Gin (produced at home in Highgate by Ian Hart): 'Dirty' with basil and 'Clean' with cucumber (both £8). The seasonal Spiced Apple and Pear Daquiri sounded good (£6.50). Champagnes included Gimonnet Blanc de Blancs (£9.50 a glass, £50 a bottle) – a particular favourite and what we served at our wedding – and magnificent Jacquesson 734 (£50 a bottle). Prosecco is offered on tap for £4.50 a glass and there are a couple of beers from local Camden Brewery: Hells Lager and a Pale Ale brewed exclusively for Caravan. The list is fleshed out by many other tempting options, so tempting, in fact, that I paid the price the next morning.

Caravan will be closed between 24th December and Wednesday 2nd January, so try and get there this weekend if you want to treat yourself to a well-deserved festive drink (and some tasty food). Merry Christmas!