12. Dabbous

Lets get the obvious out of the way first. Yes it was good, bordering on great and it seems silly looking back to know that there was a time when this restaurant had empty seats during certain services. That was in February. What’s the waiting list now? December 2014? If there is truth to that silly booking policy, I think they should consider reviewing it and to limit it to a two month look-ahead. I never tried going back, but if you happened to snatch a seat, try not to read too much into the hype.

12 Highlights from 2012

Last year was definitely exciting with the number of new openings, pop-ups going permanent, burgers, ribs and things like that. I was sure that this year wasn’t going to match the relentlessness of the past two, but I guess I was wrong, especially with burgers – there’s never more choice and of such high quality. You can even get a decent burger in a supposedly Thai cafe, by someone who won a michelin star cooking Thai food. Next year though, we will get Shake Shack, but till then, I think the toast for the time being is Patty & Bun.
2012 has also entertained the rise of Ramen. The three pioneers Tonkotsu, Bone Daddies and Shoryu between them have amassed their own set of loyalist, which is great, and so it’ll be interesting to see how this gathers pace. It must also have been a banner year for Pitt Cue Co, really they do fantastic ribs, and maybe they’ll have made enough to afford a bigger place to fit us all in.
But what I’m most happy about is the re-emergence of the French Brasserie – truly back with a vengeance. LOVE Garnier & the impossibly affordable Zedel. About the only new trend, I didn’t get were the Peruvian offerings. Maybe next year.
Anyway, so for what it’s worth, as I do every year, here are twelve moments in my calendar that stood out from the rest…

Cullen skink

Ingredients

• 30 g butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped
• splash white wine
• 500 ml fish stock
• 110 ml cream
• 1 smoked haddock fillet, chopped
• chives, snipped, to garnish

To serve

• 1 small crusty loaf bread

• Method

  1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 2 minutes over a medium heat.
  
  2. Toss in the leeks and fry for another 3 minutes before pouring in a splash of wine and stirring well to mix the cooking juices.
  
  3. Pour in the stock and cream, add the haddock and let the soup simmer gently for 4-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  
  4. Sprinkle with chives and serve with rustic crusty bread.
   

Best ever cupcakes

There's always room for a cupcake! How about carrot cupcakes, cherry chocolate or perhaps lemon sherbet? They're all here in our favourite cupcake gallery.

Fancy a whole cake? Check out our best chocolate cake recipes.

 

Gingerbread latte cupcakes

These cupcakes, from Lola's, are a great festive treat but good to eat all year round too

See the cupcake recipe

Shepherd's pie with leeks, goats' cheese and parsley

   

Ingredients

Shepherd’s Pie with Leeks, Goat’s Cheese and Parsley

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1/2 swede, finely chopped
• 450 g minced Welsh lamb
• black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 275 ml veal jus,
  or stock

For the topping

• 2 large leeks, cut in julienne
• 1 kg Desirée potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 50 g butter
• 100 g soft goats' cheese
• small bunch parsley, chopped

Designer fish and chips with pea emulsion

Ingredients

For the batter

• 225 g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300 ml water
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp bitter ale
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

For the fish

• 400 g brill fillet, skinned and bones removed
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• chinese five spice
• 50 g plain flour

For the chips

• 4 large large baking potatoes, peeled
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the pea emulsion

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp frozen petit pois, thawed
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil

To serve

• sea salt
• malt vinegar

 

Roast rib of beef with yorkshire pudding

   

 

Prep time:

1 hr

Cook time:

2 hrs 15 min

Serves:

6-8

For a traditional Sunday lunch, what could be better than Frank Bordoni's rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding

Ingredients

• 1 x 4.5 kg beef ribs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• black pepper

For the Yorkshire pudding

• 300 ml milk
• 4 large eggs
• 250 g plain flour

For the roasted vegetables

• 500 g mixed root vegetables, (eg turnips, parsnips, small potatoes, carrots)
• 1 bunches asparagus
• 2 courgettes
• 2 large leeks
• 2 bulbs fennel
• 1 bulbs garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the gravy

• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 175 ml red wine
• 200 ml beef stock