Bar Boulud

There is little unique about the launch of a new London restaurant by a French chef laden with stars and accolades. The twist here is that Daniel Boulud's success has, to date been entirely in the US so whilst his casual dining venture attached to the Mandarin Oriental focuses on French Bistro classics, he offers burgers on the side.

The atmosphere buzzes with a genuine west side hangout feel and the charcuterie is excellent. I would encourage anyone to sample the mixed plate with two different terrines, rabbit and slow cooked lamb, a light salami, brawn jelly and a fine duck liver pate. The Fries are nondescript and whoever has the job of salting them is overenthusiastic in the extreme but the NY burgers are, I have to admit, outstanding. The Piggy is beefy and juicy, layered with BBQ pulled pork and green chili mayo.



The tables, whilst well spaced are too small for four people and since they serve a lot of elbows out finger food, the feeling is a little cramped. Service, on our visit was polite but not without flaws. The speed and enthusiasm applied to filling our wine glasses turned what could have been a nice service touch into an exercise in wine sales.

Overall then a nice juicy well broiled slice of Manhattan hangout in a 'look at me' postcode. Just don't ask for a shake to go with your fries.

Corrigans

Expectations are always high when one visits an eponymous restaurant, above all when it's chef has won a Michelin Star, published books, has his own tv series and to top it all has won the Great British Menu. One rarely expects to see evidence of the chef behind the stove but Richard Corrigan was cooking that day, walking through the bar to shake a few hands, even stopping to re-arrange a stack of cookbooks for sale at the entrance to the restaurant.

Service is formal and efficient and the dining area is at the end of a bar in a long clubby but well lit room. Whilst the cooking is robust as one might expect from a chef who wears his home county of Meath on his sleeve there is real technique here as well. A starter of Pigeon was classically presented whilst sweet melon was coddled in Parma Ham, proving why some food combinations, no matter how old fashioned they may seem are timeless for a reason when the ingredients are at their best.

A main of Guinea Fowl included a perfectly pan fried breast with a confit of leg, pressed bread stuffing and creamy mash whilst the venison dish was rich and unctuous. A salted caramel chocolate offering was artful and a little plate artistry even elevated carrot cake on to a pedestal with a bed of sweetly marinaded slices of carrot and ginger ice cream.

Possible one of the Best value set lunches in Mayfair and "like the best roast dinner ever" we concluded. I've already booked a return visit.

A Foodie Manifesto

Foodies spend a lot of time worrying about provenance and there are a plethora of seals, signs and phrases that seem to confuse more than they convince. What if you could always tell where your food came from, what it was made of, how it was made and above all, how good it tastes?

Well, there's a simple answer. Protected Designation of Origin is the European Law that that protects all of these things for you. Whether it's the salty tang of Parmagianno Regianno that acts as a lactic seasoning for much of the Italian palate or the sweet porcine meaty hit of Parma ham, everytime you pick up a PDO product you know what to expect.

Unlike the grading standards that give us perfect but tasteless peppers and acidic watery tomatoes, this kitemark is about quality and what that really means is "it tastes of what it is supposed to". Try a cheap block of cheddar side by side with a sliver of Montgomery's from Gloucester. The first one is bland, rubbery and requires a thick layer of pickle to make it come to life in your mouth. The real thing is a royal, tangy, crumbly luscious cheese packed full of unami that nearly moos in your face when you taste it. They are both cheddar but one of them has PDO designation and is called "West Country Cheddar". You can guess which.

And it's not just restricted to your dinner plate. The wines of Burgundy, the Douro valley and Port are all PDO products.
This is the power of legislation in retaining food culture. The reason that foodies everywhere use these products is because they taste great. The reason they taste great, is because there are laws that protect the way they are made. They are the sign of a society that has pride in its produce, hasn't yet succumbed to the march of agricultural monoculture and values it's artisan producers.

Always been to busy eating and drinking to get round to championing a cause? Well, now's your chance. Keep a food tradition alive and every time you wander down the shops, buy PDO.

Summers over

Summer is over. lets face it. The heating will soon be switching on in houses across the land and though we haven't seen the last of the sun it will now be low in the sky and crisp rather than bathing us in yellow warmth.

On the upside, this clearly means it's time to ditch the salad spinner and tuck into something a little more warming. Here's my vote - maybe more of an Autumn dish but a great excuse to pull out some more powerful wines to go with it.

Pan fried Duck Breast with braised Red Cabbage, apple and sultanas with Baby Roast Potatoes

50g butter
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 dessert apples, peeled, cored and sliced
half a red cabbage, finely sliced
50g sultanas or raisins
50ml sherry vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a casserole dish or saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion in then add the apple and cabbage. Once softened, add the sultanas and sherry vinegar.
Place a lid on the pan and cook for an hour, until all the vegetables are tender.

Throw some new potatoes in a hot oven in a roasting dish with a little oil for 45 minutes, season your cabbage to taste with salt and pepper, replace the lid and continue to cook until the cabbage is tender and all the liquid has evaporated.

Now pan fry your duck breast, skin side down with salt and pepper but no oil since the fat on the duck will baste the breast as it cooks. Don't move the duck in the pan until the skin is well cooked and turn to finish for a few minutes in the pan. Let the duck rest for a few minutes before serving. No cooking times for the duck I'm afraid as it all depends on it's size and your preferences.

Paella

There is, of course no definitive recipe for a Paella. Across the whole of Spain, from the valleys of the Basque Provincias to the Andalucian coast, every person you speak to will argue over the "correct" recipe for this dish. As long as you have Calaspara rice, saffron, peppers, onion, garlic and a decent stock, the rest doesn't matter. I prefer the Valencian approach but you should you find your own recipe, if only so you can join in those arguments next time you go to Spain.

Ingredients
•4 chicken thighs, deboned
•2 tbsp olive oil
•1 shallot, chopped
•1 garlic clove, chopped
•½ tsp smoked paprika
•½ red pepper, chopped
•250g Calaspara rice
•A pinch of saffron strands
•500ml hot chicken stock
•150g green beans
•Pinch Chopped Rosemary
•A squeeze of tomato paste
•Salt and pepper

Preparation method

1.Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the chicken thighs until browned. Add the shallot, garlic, paprika and red pepper until softened.

2.Add the rice and stir until coated in oil. Add the tomato paste.

3.Add the saffron, green beans and stock (enough to cover the rice). Season generously and simmer for 10 minutes, add the butter beans, then simmer until most of the stock has been absorbed.

Red Red Wine

Must think up more eye catching titles for posts even especially when it's the lazy option of a restaurant review. This is a poor starter for 10, but I couldn't help it - UB40 are playing nearby on their 30th Anniversary signing off tour and I've just bagged tickets. There you go, all in one I've given away my age and my musical taste. This post marks a change. I have finally signed up to study the Wine Spirit and Education Trust Diploma, an 18 month immersion in the world of wine at a professional level. "What will it qualify in?" was my mothers concern. "Er... drinking" I replied unhelpfully.

I have been blagging it for many years on the wine front and took matters in hand last year completing the certificate and advanced certificate qualifications. This of course was dangerous. Before, I thought there was a lot I knew about wine. Now I know what a vast amount there is too learn.

In truth, I was a little worried when the textbooks arrived. Five leaf bound A4 books, one per unit looked achievable but then I spied the Oxford Guide to Wine. Surely the 840 page tome was for reference? No - its part of the curriculum. Still, if you want to acquire an encyclopedic knowledge of wine guess what they are going to send you?

I must remember this is for pleasure, not work, so cheers!

And how was the weather?

So in the height of summer we took ourselves to A Grelha for the second time. Since we went last July this may be the start of a tradition. We booked the table and kept a close eye on the weather forecast since this is one of London's few open air restaurants which runs each summer on the patio of The Gun Pub in the Docklands.

The idea of recreating the experience of a beach side Portuguese restaurant is a great one and on our first visit we enjoyed a wonderful long evening filled with fish dishes and light Portuguese wines. What was the magic ingredient we wonder. The Fresh fish bought from Billingsgate each morning? The huge charcoal grill? No, I can confirm it was the weather. This time the sun scurried behind a cloud, the temperature plummeted and all the little niggles took over. The waiter was vague on the menu, didn't know if fish could be filleted, offered to put up an umbrella and disappeared for half an hour whilst more than one of our starters was lost in action and never made it to the table. You could argue that all of these failings are authentically Mediterranean and with perfect weather and a long wine list in front of you wouldn't care.

The wine list however is genuinely Portuguese so we tucked in as the the days of flavourless Vinho Verde are long gone and the countries wines are beginning to show some real character.

Fontanario de Pegões White, Palmela DOC



Made from 100% Fernao Pires grapes which are the most planted in Portugal, this is a clean simple citrusy, slightly spicy and peachy aromatic fresh white ideal for hot days. Good with food or as an aperitif, it is a great example of what a modern refurbished cooperative and an experienced winemaker, in this case Jaime Quendera, can produce. One of the new wave of straightforward but well made Portugese whites. At around £7.50 a bottle retail, it's an interesting summer alternative.



Reguengos de Melgaco Alvarinho Vinho Verde 2009



A fresh, aromatic peachy wine with some real compelexity and minerality, this was commended by Decanter for the 2007 vintage and shows some serious depth. Vinho Verde made from Alvarinho grapes have always had an excellent reputation within Portugal but the rise of the Rias Baixas region in North Western Spain has won this grape many friends in the UK.

In retrospect then, given that the food is all cooked on a barbecue and is served simply with boiled potatoes and salad, I think this restaurant makes me want to ban the burgers put in an order at the local fishmongers, get in a case of Portuguese coolers and invite everyone over to my mine. A Grehla a casa next year perhaps?