toptable - tabletalk

New to toptable: Gordon Ramsay's York & Albany in Camden Town

Tucked away from Camden’s bustling high street, the York & Albany sits at the top of Parkway, close to Regent’s Park. Part boutique hotel, part restaurant-bar; it’s a joint venture from Gordon Ramsay and Angela Hartnett, who is chef-patron at the Michelin starred Murano.

To match the elegance of the dining room, the menu is modern European with an Italian flourish to reflect Hartnett’s family roots. Start with seasonal soups or classics like poached guinea fowl before moving on to sumptuous mains like Cumbrian lamb or the Casterbridge cote de boeuf for two.

The restaurant is perfect for Ramsay fans who can’t afford to blow the budget on dinner at Maze or Claridge’s every night of the week. The set menu – available at lunchtime and until 7pm Monday to Saturday – is a bargain at £20 for three courses. Sunday lunch is great value at £25, so why not take the family along? Yummy mummies will love it!

The York & Albany is perfect for lunch with friends or a cosy dinner date, especially for North London foodies who don’t want to trek into the West End. The bar is great for celeb spotting and ideal for cocktails before a gig at the nearby Dublin Castle or Jazz Café. Locals can also pop into the restaurant's deli and stock up on gourmet goodies like home-cured meats, cheese and freshly baked bread.

Click here to book a table or check out more Ramsay restaurants.

MasterChef Live 2009: Food festivals don't get better than this!

It’s all change at the BBC Good Food Show this year, as the event has been renamed MasterChef Live and will bring the best of the popular TV show to London’s Olympia. From 13th-15th November, fearless foodies can battle it out in live Invention Tests, watch past winners like Matt Follas and Thomasina Miers compete head-to-head in the Cookery Experience, and attend a Q&A session with this year's Masterchef: The Professionals winner Steve Groves.

Famous faces like Gregg Wallace, John Torode and wine expert Olly Smith will be in attendance, and there will be live demos from celeb chefs like James Martin, Valentine Warner and Michel Roux Jnr. Food fans can also drop into the MasterChef Theatre throughout the day and watch Theo Randall, Helen Puolakka (Skylon) and Stuart Gillies (Boxwood Café) cooking live.

Other highlights from this years three-day food fest include some great food and wine tasting sessions, Hot Tip pods, Flavours of Japan and – as usual – an incredible market where some of the UK’s top food producers will be selling their home-grown goods.

Unsurprisingly, our favourite part is the Restaurant Experience – a rare chance to sample signature dishes from some of London’s hottest restaurants without breaking the bank. Most dishes range from 3-6DC (£1 = 1 dining currency) and restaurants already confirmed include Blue Elephant, Launceston Place, Skylon, Min Jiang, The Ivy, Le Caprice and Boxwood Café. There will also be a MasterChef restaurants where fans of the show can sample dishes like Mat Follas’ lavender mousse and Steven Wallis’ lemon sole with chanterelles, oysters and white wine sauce.

It’s guaranteed to be a great show and a wonderful way to stock up on Christmas gifts for your fellow foodies. Remember, tickets booked in advance cost less so get online and book now or click here to win one of 5 pairs of tickets we have to give away.

Black Cab drivers get more banger for their buck at the S&M Cafes

To celebrate British Sausage Week the S&M Cafés have launched their biggest ever promotion, specifically targeting official London cabbies. The designer greasy spoon chain, founded in 2002, gave away free sausage sandwiches to 22,000 black cab drivers. S&M have also launched a 25% off ‘Cabbie Card’, which offers a discount to all official black cab badge holders for life.

Owner Kevin Finch explained, ‘S&M Café is all about celebrating what is best about Britain. The good old British banger is right up there with the traditional Black Cab when it comes to Britain’s favourites. Times are tough, and I like to think that between us, S&M and Black Cab drivers keep London going.’

You can visit the original S&M Café on Portobello Road, or one of their sister branches in Islington, Smithfield, Spitalfields, Leadenhall Market and the O2 Arena. Check out their special offers here.

Book review: 'Valvona & Crolla'

Mary Contini, together with husband Philip and daughter Francesca, owns and runs Valvona & Crolla - Scotland’s oldest delicatessen and Italian wine merchant. Founded in 1934, the business grew from humble beginnings to become one of Europe’s finest specialist food shops. In 1996, the family opened VinCaffe - a buzzing restaurant and wine bar in Edinburgh’s city centre which has won several awards and continues to draw in local foodies looking for homely Italian cooking.

Contini’s new book, subtitled ‘A Year at an Italian Table’, takes the reader on a culinary journey through the seasons. You can almost picture the fresh produce changing in the family deli as the months roll on. There are over 200 recipes in total, starting with the comforting flavours of winter which Contini showcases in dishes like pan-roasted quail, creamy chestnut soup and hearty home-made pastas.

To celebrate spring, there are fresh leafy salads and traditional snacks like zucchini fritti and arancini (fried risotto balls). The summer recipes are perfect for sharing - imagine friends and family tucking into antipasto and aperitifs in the garden. There are ideas for porcini mushrooms and rosé veal, while fresh fish and seafood comes into its own with classics like langoustine risotto and grilled squid.

Finally, autumn, with its truffles, venison and roasted squash. The beef in Barolo is a rich and meaty dish, infused with full-bodied red wine and simple herbs. Desserts are equally indulgent, from the ‘French toast’ panettone to the simple but delicious chocolate hazelnut cake.

Valvona & Crolla is a feel-good read, full of beautiful photographs and personal stories imbued with warmth and local knowledge. Contini’s passion for food and family, Italy and Edinburgh, is apparent on every page. You can believe that this is the food she shares with friends and it only seems right to share it with your own.

60 seconds with … Stuart Gillies

Chef Stuart Gillies, British-born and Scottish by heritage, discovered his passion for cooking in the kitchens of Rome, New York and Stockholm. Back home, after working at celebrity haunt Le Caprice and the Connaught alongside Michelin-starred Angela Hartnett, Gordon Ramsay chose him to run the Boxwood Café in Knightsbridge, and oversee Plane Food at Terminal 5 and the reopening of The Savoy Grill. His television appearances have brought him public attention – and not before time. In an era of big-name egos, Gillies is one passionate, highly accomplished chef you'd be glad to have living next door.

Keith Floyd died not long ago. Was he a hero of yours?

Funnily enough in an interview years ago I mentioned Keith as one of my food heroes even back then. His programmes were way ahead of their time for entertainment value and I think he brought out the best in food culture and made the whole process fun. He was one of a kind.

Who else inspired you to take your cooking to a higher level?

My time in Rome was a huge inspiration - working there taught me to love food. Working at Daniel (world-famous, three-Michelin-starred restaurant) in New York took my cooking to a more ambitious level.

What's the most amazing thing you've ever eaten?

Probably Ferran Adria's olive spheres. They are liquid, but look like green olives in a jar of olive oil. The moment the sphere bursts in your mouth when you try to bite it is just incredible, you can't help laughing.

You opened the Boxwood Café with one of the most famously high-energy, perfectionist chefs in the world - Gordon Ramsay. Are you a great match?

Are Gordon and I a great match? I'd like to think so! My background and style of cooking are much more relaxed than Gordon's and this combination makes for a good relationship.

You're the father of three boys. Do you take them to restaurants? Do you cook for them at home?

They love going to Chinatown for crispy duck - it's such an experience for them! At home we all cook together. This weekend we made nettle and potato soup, which they love as they picked the nettles with me. Their favourite thing to make is honeycomb, which we turn out on to paper and they stand beside me blowing it to cool it down quicker!

Say a toptable diner is coming to the Boxwood Café this evening. What should they absolutely be sure to order?

The sales of aged rib eye on the bone with beef marrowbone and shallots us taking us all by surprise. So if you ask my manager then rib eye. Me, I'd say the foie gras burger.

To book a table at the Boxwood Cafe, click here.

Mamma Mia! Secret family recipes on the menu at Rossopomodoro

Simone Falco, Managing Director of Neapolitan restaurant chain Rossopomodoro, has ‘imported’ his own mother all the way from Naples to make sure his chefs can cook her ragu sauce properly. Bianca La Montagna, aged 66, has spent a week helping the head chefs recreate the family favourite her son has been enjoying for years.

“I was delighted when my mother finally allowed us to use the recipe,” Simone explained, “I’ve been enjoying this dish all my life and up until now, the family has kept the recipe a closely guarded secret.”

The dish, named ‘A Tagliatella’ on the new menu, is served with tagliatelle made in Gragnano, a small town just outside of Naples. The meat ragu sauce is made using carefully sourced ingredients from the Neapolitan region of Campania. As well as the expected San Marzano tomatoes and olive oil from the Sorrento peninsula, Signora Falco uses some surprising additions to achieve the delicious flavour of the sauce, but refuses to reveal her methods.

The Rossopomodoro team is fanatical about staying true to its culinary roots - even the water used to make its pizza dough and coffee comes from Naples! You can book a table at their Notting Hill branch here.

A taste of history: Five Benedictine cocktails to try at home this winter

Tired of Tequila? Bored of Bacardi? Why not give Benedictine a try during the colder months? Created by a Benedictine monk back in the 1800s, this historic tipple is a complex blend of over 27 herbs and spices from all over the world. Exotic ingredients like vanilla from Madagascar, cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cardamom from India combine to create a unique mix of citrus, botanical and spicy flavours.

Traditionally enjoyed on the rocks as a digestif, it also works well in contemporary cocktails like the Singapore Sling and the Big Ben (with whisky and ginger ale). Here are five of our favourites for you to mix up at Bonfire Night bashes and Christmas parties:

Café Benedictine – An indulgent treat from Normandy. Add a generous splash of Benedictine and some sugar to black coffee. Top with whipped cream and grated dark chocolate – perfect after dinner.

Singapore Sling – A fruity classic from the Far East. Shake 1 shot of Benedictine with 4 shots of gin, 2 of cherry brandy, plenty of ice, a squeeze of lime and a dash of Angostura bitters. Strain into a chilled glass and top with fresh pineapple juice and a cherry.

B&T – This simple but delicious drink combines 2 shots of tequila with 1 shot of Benedictine. Shake with ice, strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a lime zest twist.

Brighton Punch – Fruity with a vicious kick. Shake 1 ½ shots of Cognac, 1 ½ of bourbon, 1 ½ of Benedictine, lemon and pineapple juice and ice. Serve long and garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry.

Aztec – Stir 2 shots of bourbon with half a shot of Benedictine, a splash of white Crème de Cacao liqueur, ice and 1 drop of Tabasco sauce. Strain into a Martini glass and enjoy after dinner.

The last three drinks are adapted from the new Diffords Cocktail Guide – a must for any cocktail aficionado's Christmas wishlist. You can buy Benedictine at most good off-licenses and online at TheDrinkShop.

New to toptable: Charlotte Street Blues, Green's, Pho 18 and more

Struggling with autumn food fatigue? Can’t face another takeaway? Wrap up warm, call your friends and head for one of these great new and notable restaurants, now bookable on toptable.

Green’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar – City slickers looking for a new business lunch spot are in luck with the new branch of Green’s near Bank. Set in a former Lloyds banking hall, it’s a seriously impressive space and the menu is full of classics like rock oysters, fresh fish and sirloin steaks.

Charlotte Street Blues – If laid-back blues and USA-style comfort food is more your style, head for Charlotte Street where this great new bar serves over 80 different types of bourbon and live music seven nights a week. With soul food favourites like BBQ ribs and pulled pork sandwiches on offer, it’s a perfect post-work hang-out.

The Terrace at the Headland – At this relaxed hotel brasserie in Newquay, you can tuck into Cornish mussels and homemade burgers whilst enjoying the view of Fistral Beach. If it’s a traditional roast you’re after, we’re also taking bookings at the hotel’s Sand Brasserie – another popular eatery with great sea views and family-friendly Sunday lunches.

The Warehouse Brasserie – Looking for dinner with a difference in Colchester? Phil and Sue Hirst have transformed a former Methodist chapel – complete with original pews – into a charming neighbourhood restaurant. We love the locally sourced ingredients, homemade puds and the regular live music and wine tastings.

Pho 18 – Romford foodies are in for a treat at this stylish but relaxed restaurant on South Street. Bringing the fresh and spicy flavours of Vietnam to the heart of Essex, Pho 18 serves traditional dishes like bun cha ha noi (BBQ pork loin with rice noodles) and steaming bowls of pho bo (fragrant noodle soup with strips of wok-fried beef).

Nothing catching your eye? Get in touch via Facebook or Twitter and we’ll help you find somewhere to feast during the winter months.

Book review: 'The Italian Cookery Course' by Katie Caldesi

Having married into the world of Italian food 12 years ago, Katie now co-owns Caldesi in Campagna, Caffe Caldesi and La Cucina Caldesi (London’s only Italian cookery school) with her husband Giancarlo. In her new book, The Italian Cookery Course, she has put together 500 recipes inspired by her travels around Italy, from the rice fields of the Northern provinces to the lemon groves of the South.

Broken down into straight-forward chapters like ‘soup’, ‘fish’ and ‘cheese’, it’s the type of book you can use everyday to feed the family. There are simple recipes for traditional soups and pastas, as well as dinner party dishes like slow-cooked calamari and beef carpaccio with rocket, parmesan and lemon. The recipes are hand-picked to showcase the best of Italy’s diverse regions and they don’t call for expensive or hard-to-find ingredients – just fresh, seasonal produce.

The book also features a series of masterclasses on Italian staples like gnocchi, ciabattas, antipasti and classic pasta dishes. Katie’s tips for perfect risotto are great for beginners and she insists there is no one correct method – just make it as you like it. If you haven't made it before, her simple saffron risotto is a great place to start.

If you want to cook up an Italian feast this autumn, the book will be in the shops on 29th October, priced at £30. In the meantime, why not visit Caffe Caldesi in Marylebone for lunch or dinner after work?

The Daily Mail names toptable as their Website of the Week!

In case you missed it, toptable were voted The Daily Mail's Website of the Week last week! Journalist Fred Mawer said that our website should be your first port of call when deciding where to eat.

                  

The article praised our 'enticing special offers', 'pithy' summaries and the 'clear, practical' information we provide for the restaurants featured on site. Our Content Team work hard to keep this stuff up to date so it's great to hear that people find it helpful.

You can read the article here. Let us know if agree with the comments!