London's Worst Italian Restaurant

We went to the Chelsea Flower Show yesterday as a work outing.  Glorious colours, pretty plants and innovative sculptures with a glass of Pimms  - what more could a girl want.  We then wandered off to Made in Italy on the Kings Road and the evening went sharply down hill.

I eat out a lot.  I love Italian food.  Hell, I worked in an Italian restaurant, I should have loved this restaurant - and to be honest, the food wasn't bad.  However, the service was so shockingly awful, I would have preferred to pop to my local Chicken Cottage - at least the food arrives on time with a smile. 

But let me explain further, we arrived over a period of about 20 minutes as there were about 20 of us - so far so good.  However, they provided us with a table which to be frank, 10 anorexic 'Made in Chelsea' wanna-bees would have trouble fitting on - next to a TV blaring Italian rock.

After a slight discussion, we managed to add another table and then began the waiting.  We had pre-ordered starters and main course so after 25 minutes with no food and the table of 12 behind us getting theirs, the natives (i.e. the boys in the party) were getting restless.

So we waited and waited - and even asked the waiter several times.  His general demeanour varied between expressive but non-committal shrugs or blank looks.  All very impressive but it was over an hour before we got the platter of cold meats, aubergine parmigiana and meatballs.  Not bad - nothing I couldn't make myself in half the time.

And then the waiting began again!   Honey, I know how long pizza takes to cook, unless you were off making the mozzarella, it should not take an HOUR before we got the food.  By then those of use who lived in North or East London were starting to worry about getting home and - to be frank - just weren't hungry anymore.

Was the Pizza good?  Not bad but honest again not that good.  So Made in Italy (on the Kings Road) you are possible the worst Italian restaurant I have been to in London.  Location is all well and good but I cannot believe that anyone would put up with the appalling service and mediocre food.

Venting now done lol

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittlebitofwhatyouwant

Deeply Dippy About Beetroot Dip

Everyone likes a nice bit of wine tasting with friends on a Saturday night.  However, the question is what sort of nibbles should you serve?   Crisps, dips and fresh baguette with cheese and olives were the order of the day which gave me the opportunity to try a new recipe - Roast Beetroot Dip.

First, take 450g of fresh beetroot (not pickled) but it can be pre-cooked.  Chop into chunks and roast in a 200C/400F oven.  If the beetroot is fresh, check to make sure it is cooked through.

Cool the beetroot before adding to a blender and blitzing until very fine but still quiet course.  Move into a bowl and mix in 250g Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp of cumin an  tsp ground coriander.  Then add pepper and salt to taste as well as a little caster sugar if the dip is too tart.

Serve with lovely hot bread, cucumber, carrots or nice warm fresh pita

Lx

Follow me on Twitter @alittleofwhatyouwant

Arrogant or Insulted

I'm an avid addict of foodie programmes and currently really enjoying The Great British Menu.  For those of you who haven't seen it, essentially three chefs compete per region and are marked on their dishes over the course of a week before the two with the highest cumulative scores face the judges (the excellent Prue Leith, picky Oliver Peyton and wicked Matthew Fort) and then one goes through to represent their region.  This year the ultimate prize is to cook at a banquet for Olympians.

This week in the North West Heat,  Marcus Waring was the mentor / judge during the week and Johnnie Mountain one of the three chefs (the other two were Simon Rogan and Aiden Byrne) competing.  In the fish round, Johnnie looked to create a 'beach' with molecular gastronomy including seaweed, edible sand and set sea Jelly.  All good so far, except for the fact that Johnnie and Marcus have never got on and Johnnies dish was not perhaps the best interpretation of the brief.

So the marks are handed out and Marcus (looking rather smug) tells Johnnie that he only gets 2 out of 10.   Johnnie erupts, storms off and only returns the next day to taste his competitors dishes as he says he respects them (notably missing off Marcus).    So, the question is - was Johnnie being a child or did he have a point?

While I am a little biased, I believe that Marcus was in the wrong.  Why?  Johnnie had obviously read the brief, brainstormed and put a serious amount of effort into creating something that he was proud of.  Marcus decided he didn't like it and thus it was worthless.

Yes, he is a judge but he also needs to respect the work that goes into a dish.  Johnnie should have been more mature about how he approached it but ultimately, I respect him.   He had no hope of winning against what appeared to be a seriously biased judge so why keep going?

I realise that it probably isn't the 'British' thing but I respect the fact that he took a stand rather than simply smiling and watching someone belittle him.   Arrogant?  No, unwilling to be bullied.

What do you think?

Thanks

L x

Follow me on Twitter @allitleofwhatyouwant

Nice bit of Steak

If you are a foodie, the chances are that you are often on the look out for the 'next best thing' - that dish which captures a moment in food history or makes you stop in your tracks and try to guess that mystery ingredients.  However, there are still restaurants which we return to again and again - maybe even chain-restaurants - which give us the familiarity which is so comforting.

The Cattle Baron Chain in South Africa is one of those restaurants.   I particularly like the one in Cape Town in Tableview which is near the beach.   It isn't fine dining but 'd*mn, it does some good steaks' and some classics starters and sides.

Very few places have the b*lls to serve prawn cocktail, avocado ritz and calamari rings - and they do it well without an ounce of irony.   They know it isn't trendy but to be honest they don't care and neither do their customers.  

The mains are the real stars of the show with my favourite being the rolled beef escargot which is a lovely piece of beef topped with garlic sauce and snails.  Cooked to perfection - eaten with a nice glass of red wine as the wind howls outside the restaurant during a Cape Town winter - there is nothing better.

Other dishes include blackened peppered steak, t-bone steak and steak-roll.   Sides include onion rings, crumbed mushrooms, butternut and creamed spinach (which is incidentally amazing).

After a 600g steak, I don't tend to look at the desert menu but it touches on the classics such as tipsy tart and ice cream Sunday's.  All wonderfully retro.

Don't hesitate to try the Cattle Baron if you get a chance.

Lx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyouwant

Conquering your foodie fears

I am an instinctive cook.  I watch loads of cooking shows and read far too many recipe books so I understand the techniques.  Then I tend to follow recipes when I try something new but I'm not afraid to go off piste and create something new.

However, there are a few things that I've never tried as to be honest they look like they need to be too precise and are far too much of a faf.  Yes, I just don't ever think that souffle will be something I knock out on a weekend between feeding the cats and doing the washing.

Mayonnaise (or rather, what is in my opinion, the worlds best accompaniment to chips - Aioli) was also on that list.   But today is a bank holiday in the UK so I thought I would bite the bullet and try and it worked (doing happy little dance)

So, I took two egg yolks and added them to 4 crushed garlic cloves and a little salt.  Mix until creamy and gradually (i can't stress this enough) gradually add up to 250 ml of good olive oil. 

It took me over 15 minutes and I only ended up add in 150ml as I was happy with texture and taste.  I then added a squeeze of lemon and a little pepper and salt.  Mix and serve with fresh bread or crudities such as carrot or celery sticks.

Really quite good and not nearly as scarey as I thought

Lx

Don't forget to follow me @alittleofwhatyouwant on twitter

Radish Tzatziki

Dips are great.  Nice bit of salsa with your tortilla crisps.  Hummus with warm pita.  Taramasalata with plain crisps.  Yum!  However, they do add a few calories to your diet and as I'm trying to 'loose some junk in the trunk' as the Kardashians say, I'm trying to make my dips a little skinny.

That is why I was delighted to discover, Radish Tzatziki. Very simple, low calorie and tasty but (and I won't lie to you dear reader) a tad fiddly if you have long nails.  Start by grating 20 large radishes. 

Then drain them and squeeze until they are less wet.  This is a really quite important step as if you don't you end up with very loose Tzatziki indeed.  Add about 100ml of thick Greek yogurt and mix.

Then add a few chopped spring onions, salt and pepper to taste, very finely chopped garlic and a squeeze of lemon.   Serve with warm pita.

Lovely

Lx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyouwant