Last Friday I went to Taste of London and left inspired by some of the things I sampled and terrified by others.
Armed with a healthy appetite, I entered what I personally consider to be a pretty good reproduction of Heaven.
First stop was the Absolut Vodka bar which one would think was instigated by the prospect of a well-mixed drink, but in fact the guys at Absolut had decided to hand out little samples of the dish their chef had created for the show and that little smoked chorizo sausage laid on a bed of pumpkin puree and topped with pumpkin seeds and sauteed peppers was delicious!
It was so delicious it sang and it sang so well that I had to go back for a full portion.
Stimulated, I started looking for L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon having seen advertised on the menu a foie gras burger I wanted to get my hands on. The disappointment that gave me!
The burger was just bite-size and it came with a hefty price tag too; with all due respect to Joel Robuchon, I have a robust appetite and can get a whole block of foie gras for that same price.
Luckily the good folk of Hereford Road had set up shop next door and their Lamb sweetbread with lamb’s tongue, parsley, mint and pearl barley definitely cheered me up.
Cocoon’s crispy aromatic duck rolls with hoi sin and their Wagyu beef on hot rocks with champagne teriyaki also helped in the cheering up department with the latter being The Discovery of the show.
The only thing I would say is that the rolls could have been a little crispier, but seen as they were not being prepared in your standard kitchen I will oversee this fault.
Not being one for passing Chinese cuisine either I proceeded to the Wanchai Ferry stand where eager waiters handed out the most sapid dish of sweet and sour chicken ever produced in history. Let’s try the one with chowmein sauce? No, I passed and recommend you do too.
Goodbye Wanchai, hello Angela Malik where the reps suggested we use red curry paste for Bolognese sauce: someone should be trained on flavour and cultural associations before being sent to face the foodies. That’s all I’m going to say.
Next thing I know I was the crazy lady trying to catch a tube at Great Portland street lugging an enormous bag filled with Madeleines, tubs of the Arabica Food & Spice Company basil hummus and wedges of blue stilton, winging about the little time I’d had.
I can’t wait for Taste of Christmas…
P.S. I must thank Clwyd and Anne from Elwy Valley for giving me some delicious devilled Red Leicester. You’ll be glad to know it was duly disposed of the following day!
