Arbutus - A Soho Legend which Changed my Mind

My best friend (who has known me for over 30 years) calls me wilfully independent - which is a concept that I embrace.  I'm the one in the corner of the bar talking to someone interesting, who gets up early to try the "best coffee in London" and thinks hell is the well trampled streets of Benidorm.   Different? Difficult? Individual? - Hell, yes!

And, I take this approach to eating out.  So, if everyone has already visited a restaurant, loved it and it has been written up in the Evening Standard, I am sceptical - if not occasionally hostile.  I want something undiscovered, ethnic or a hidden secret that London only reveals to those who take a chance.

So, when my boss announced that our teams Christmas lunch was going to be at Arbutus - a Michelin starred contemporary bistro in the heart of Soho - my heart sank.  Would it be overpriced and pretentious?  Would they make you feel as though they were doing you a favour by letting you in?   Would this be a missed opportunity for a culinary adventure?

With these questions buzzing around in my head, I handed over my coat to the elegant but surprisingly friendly hostess and we were shown to our table.  The dining room is full of elegant lines, glorious wood, comfortable chairs and an airy light atmosphere.

Used with thanks to Squaremeal

No pretension in sight - although it did have the feel of a 'nice establishment'.  One of the features of Arbutus is that you can order NICE wine by the carafe so we carefully considered the menu as we sipped a crispy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to start.

The menu is small and perfectly formed with enough variety to cater to a coeliac and a vegetarian.  I chose Squid and mackerel ‘burger’ with Cornish razor clams.  As a South African, I am picky about seafood but I didn't have anything to complain about when this delicious work of art arrived - well cooked, perfectly seasoned with a hint of the sea.

My colleagues ordered the country terrine and purple sprouting broccoli which vanished in record time with very little discussion.  A sure sign of a tasty meal.  I then opted for the Braised ox cheek, cauliflower and smoked bacon purée with winter greens which my boss insisted I try with Hungarian Bull's Blood.

The wine and the beef worked perfectly together as the alcohol deepened the unctuous, sticky heartiness of the beautifully braised meat.  My colleagues tried the cod and the lamb - I aggressively resisted any suggestions about sharing.  

Now I am not a dessert person but it is Christmas so I opted for the Cold chocolate fondant, salted caramel ice cream which is better than sex (at least with a couple of my ex boyfriends). Chocolatey goodness with a kick of caramel and salt.

And as we tumbled out into chilly pre-Christmas afternoon Soho, I was sorry to leave and annoyed with myself because in my wilful independence, I had almost missed a Soho gem.  So Arbutus, I salute you for creating glorious food in a great atmosphere that even I am not stubborn enough to decline in the future

Lx

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Spicy Chocolate Orange Sponge

So the office is having a bring your Christmas Treats day and the question becomes – what do I bring?  Do you bake something that you have baked before or do you try something new?

Well, what should drift across my online desk but this gorgeous recipe for Spicy Chocolate Orange Sponge from the nice people at Cafe Direct who sourced it from Cake Liberation Front ( brilliant website for those commited to baking without animal ingrediants).

Now I am not vegan so I did adapt the recipe slightly to include organic milk and I also didn't have the right sized tin so went to down the route of a single large round tin!  Lazy, I know but I am having Christmas panic so needed to compromise to ensure my mental health remains relatively steady.

So here is the amended recipe with thanks to the Cake Liberation Front

Ingredients -

200g (8oz) plain flour

50g (2oz)  Drinking Chocolate

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch of chili 

1/2 teaspoon salt

350g (12 fl oz) soy or rice milk (I used organic milk instead)

100ml (4 fl oz) sunfl ower oil

6 tablespoons orange marmalade

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200g (8 oz) caster sugar

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4. 
• Grease and line the bottom of 2 round cake pans (or a single big one in my case with baking powder.
• Sieve the flour, Drinking Chocolate, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt together and mix.  I also added a pinch of chilli as I think it adds a nice zing.

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir well.
• Pour the mixture into the tins bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean then leave to cool.  I had to leave it a little longer as my tin was deeper and when I took it out I could see the middle wasnt done enough

Now the Cake Liberation Front suggests creating a glorious orange liquer frosting (See full recipe here) but as it was rather late and I was tired, I stuck to simple chocolate icing with a touch of Christmas Glitter.

Everyone at work loved it and I didnt even manage to get a photo before they dived in!

Definately rolling this one out again

Lxx

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