Duck, cherry and beetroot salad with Lambrusco

A couple of weeks ago we were treated to a particularly memorable meal at Quo Vadis that featured a main course salad of duck with cherries and beetroot, topped with crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. It was the perfect dish for a warm summer evening. Grown up and satisfying, yet not too earnest – large pieces of crisp, salty duck skin were a deliciously naughty touch.

We had friends round for dinner last Friday and I recreated it as a starter. Flicking through my new copy of Diana Henry's A Change of Appetite I noticed a recipe for goat's cheese and cherry salad in which she macerates the cherries in brandy or grappa, along with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. I used kirsch, olive oil and apple balsamic (I don't yet have any white balsamic) and found the dressing didn't need any lemon juice, leaving them for a couple of hours or so before combining with salad leaves, sliced cooked beetroot and the flesh and skin from duck legs I'd roasted earlier. The crunchy breadcrumbs were made by roasting chunks of bread in the pan used for the duck. Once they had dried out I scraped the pan thoroughly to incorporate all the tasty duck bits and then pounded the toasted bread in a pestle and mortar.

We enjoyed it with a bottle of Albinea Canali Lambrusco Ottocentonero from the Wine Society (a steal at £7.95) – dry, fresh and appetising with plenty of lush cherry fruit and spot on with the salad. It was a steal at £7.95, but has (not surprisingly) sold out. However, their other Lambrusco would also be worth trying, but keep an eye out elsewhere, especially while dining out, for proper dry examples (not to be confused with the naff sweet versions of the past). Following New York's lead, interest in this 'forgotten gem' is growing in the UK where, for example, Ottolenghi restaurants report booming sales. Great news for summer drinking.

The GrEAT British

Just around the corner from Oxford Street in North Audley Street is a new British restaurant, The GrEAT British. I'm not sure about the word play of the name, but I do like the what they're trying to do. The menu offers classic British dishes made with well-sourced ingredients, for instance Mrs Kirkham's cheese, smoked salmon from Pinney's of Orford, British Label chicken, Longhorn beef and Loch Duart salmon. The drinks menu offers a potted selection of British ale, cider and wine and Fentiman's soft drinks. Some Luscombe Devon cider was delicious with my main dish of pork belly and my husband enjoyed his glass of Bolney Estate Pinot Noir from Sussex with his sausages and mash.

Apart from the dish of the day at £10, the prices are a bit steep (ten minutes walk away is Quo Vadis offering remarkable value), but I guess this is Mayfair. However, there is a big gap in the market for a decent British restaurant chain and, perhaps, that's what's in store for The GrEAT British.

The GreEAT British
14 North Audley Street
London
W1K 6WE
Tel 020 7741 2233

Quo Vadis: that's where I'll be going

Quo Vadis is a Soho stalwart that has always had an alluring, magnetic effect on me. Timelessly elegant and stylish, it stands out as a serenely glamorous beacon in this energetic, often chaotic neighbourhood. For several years it was Karl Marx's home, so perhaps it's the socialist in me that's drawn there.

The premises have been used as a restaurant for several decades, going through a various hands – I recall about 15 years ago, when it was part of Marco Pierre White's empire, the good enough food and some interesting Damien Hirsts on the walls. More recently, soon after it was taken over by Sam and Eddie Hart, I went with a friend and it was good. Solid, but a touch stuffy and formal. However, late last year they persuaded Jeremy Lee to move there from the Blueprint Café and things have moved into a different gear. Jeremy Lee is one of the best exponents of seasonal British cooking and has the confidence and experience to let the ingredients speak for themselves. Certainly not cheffy and fussy. What's more, the restaurant itself has had a makeover, simplifying the decor and using lighter colours that make it feel much more airy.

Since Lee's arrival, I have been twice. Firstly to a wine lunch hosted by Australia's First Families of Wine and last month I dropped in for a spontaneous supper with some girlfriends. Looking at the menu, there is so much to tempt you – I've reproduced here as I think it's such a thing of beauty.

I love the design and layout, the little weather report and the clear boxes showing what's available on a particular day. It's simply, almost minimally worded – a contrast to so many overly descriptive menus. There are "bites", pie and mash, a couple of grilled meats, a braise, oysters and a few other goodies as well as the helpfully edited main menu and theatre set menu. I had the set menu which is generously available all day: beetroot and soft boiled egg salad, followed by a deliciously simple dish – lamb's onglet, artichokes and parsley crumbs. It was crunchy, juicy, earthy: very tasty and satisfying and good with our juicy and versatile Languedoc red. I finished with the almond cake – moist and just lovely with the fruit compote and cream.

I feel they get so much right here when so many places try way too hard and fail. What's more, there is a sense of goodwill that will keep people coming back. These are the kind of prices gastro pubs routinely charge, yet this is one of London's best and most distinctive restaurants. Enjoy!