What a find.  Rotunda Restaurant & Bar in the swanky new Kings Place behind Kings Cross Station hosted a very special foodie evening last night.   Spring Lamb Dinner.

Our evening started with delicious canapes and wine on the terrace and a short talk from the farmer.  (I love knowing exactly where my food comes from).  How refreshing to hear about a farming practice where they truly farm in an organic style.  No pesticides or nasties that can affect the meat product.  He was also hugely enthusiastic about his family farm and proud as punch with the lamb we were shortly to eat.

Next up we had a butchery lesson.  The chefs talked us through butchering a whole lamb followed by a Q&A session.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t know some of the cuts of meat nor the best way of cooking them.  I’ll certainly be ordering parts of lamb at the butchers that I’ve not ordered before.

And finally, the dinner.   Oooh, food heaven in every course!

Incredible.  Thoroughly recommend the annual Spring Lamb dinner.  Or if you can’t wait until next year, there’s a number of other events coming up.  Rotunda Events

I’ve mentioned my friend Issy before and fulfilling her List for Life now also known as her ‘Phuck-it List’.  Whilst we were away in Verona last year we plotted how we would achieve a number of other adventures on her list.  One of the things she said she’d love to do would be to dine at The Square in London’s Mayfair.  How fortuitous that the very talented 2 Michelin star chef is my cousin (well 1st cousin once removed but who’s counting), Phil Howard.

Since our Verona trip we have spoken of this dinner on many occasions but the urgency of organising it was brought to the fore a few months ago when it was decided that Issy’s treatment was to cease.

Rather than being a small intimate dinner for Issy and a couple of friends we asked Phil if Issy could have the private dining room at The Square.  This would enable Issy to invite friends and family to share the magnificent dining experience with her.  During chemo Issy, like so many others in treatment, had found it difficult to taste food properly and certainly to enjoy or savour it.  With no further treatment Issy has been enjoying tasting food once more and at every opportunity in the most glamorous of places, however her appetite is much smaller.  So Issy thought a tasting menu would be perfect!

I cannot express how truly wonderful and kind Phil has been in orchestrating a tremendous and memorable dinner for Issy.  Phil spoke with Issy directly to discover her ingredient/food loves, likes and dislikes.  He then created dishes based on their discussions and sent Issy the menu for approval.  I could almost hear the joyful whooping from her when she shared the menu by email with tonight’s dinner guests.

We met early at The Square in Mayfair.  A glass of bubbles enjoyed whilst the party arrived.  A buzz of excitement from our dining posse.  It was very evident that each of us had put a little bit of sparkle whilst dressing and so honoured to be sharing this experience with Issy (and to dine at The Square!).  We were then shown to our private room where Issy had laid out our name cards.

During the incredible amuse bouche we took turns to introduce ourselves to the table and say how we know Issy.  What a perfect spectrum of guests from her childhood, from school, London, work, partying, cancerland and, of course, her family.  The guests had travelled far and wide to be at this dinner – from Cheshire, America, even one chap from Hong Kong and of course London and surrounding areas.

I know that chefs hate ‘public’ taking photos of food.  I’m an uber amateur and no ‘food stylist’ so apologies as the next pictures truly don’t do any of it justice.

Believe me when I tell you each and every mouthful of the entire tasting menu was utterly incredibly deliciously beautifully unique and special.  Phil had also paired each and every dish with wine… spot on with every sip.

I can’t thank Phil enough for creating such a perfect dining experience for us all.  For allowing Issy to share it with her friends and family.  For making it such a special memory laden evening for each and every one of us.

Thank you Issy for inviting me to your exclusive dining experience and allowing me to, once again, be part of your List for Life.

If you’d like to follow Issy’s journey, she’s writing for the Huffington Post.  Follow her progress here.

I am so very very sorry… that I’ve been past this restaurant many many times and not actually eaten here…  until tonight.  I’m sorry because quite frankly I’ve missed out on some extraordinarily fabulous French cuisine.

This unassuming French restaurant is situated on the Trinity Road, a busy road which goes from Wandsworth to Tooting.  Not a great place of note for fine food and not, perhaps the most enticing exterior.

However one peek inside and you’ll see the typically French decor.  The simplistic layout of the interior.  You’ll probably notice that there’s always someone dining.  If you’re within earshot you’ll no doubt hear French being spoken by the staff AND the diners.  It’s always a great sign to hear native speakers in any restaurant.

Tonight I met with some girlfriends here for dinner.  They do a Prix Fixe menu of two courses for £20 and three courses for £24.  Each of the courses has a choice of three well balanced and chosen options.

We chose the 2 course menu and between us had the delicious prawn and beetroot salad starter; charcuterie; and fish soup. All well balanced, perfectly sized and so very delicious. The choices of main course was a roast chicken with smooth mash and peppers; mushroom risotto; or sea bass on a bed of asparagus. Great choice and all perfectly cooked.

BUT…. then…. the cheeseboard…. Oooh how happy would any cheeseoholic be with this vast selection of goodness?

The wine list is great with a good variety of reds, whites, fizz, rose in a variety of sizes, glass, carafe or bottle.

The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The interior was comfortable, clean and French chic. Reasonable prices for great ingredients and well prepared food. Excellent all round.

We will be back so very soon, perhaps for a long leisurely French brunch or lunch.  I am however kicking myself and am truly sorry it took us so long to discover it!

I’d never tried Peruvian food but am now a convert!  Ceviche was buzzing on a Tuesday night in London’s Soho – we were pleased we had booked a table!

The food is all excellent. Between the four of us we chose a lot of different small plates to share and think we did a pretty good job of trying most dishes. All great but my particular favourites were Don Ceviche (sea bass) – so fabulously fresh. Choclo Corn Cake with Avocado. Sakura Maru (salmon sushi-esque style). Pollo en Panca (chicken in chilli, orange and pepper jam).

The staff were friendly and the tables relatively well spaced. There appeared to be some high long tables where you could join up and eat with others as a two or solo diner.

Definitely returning here.

I didn’t know there was a food festival on this weekend.  Of course I’d noticed a few marquees being erected on the Park but no obvious signage to tell me what it’s for.  There’s often sporting events starting and ending there so marquees are regularly on the Park.

Apparently I wasn’t alone in not knowing what was going on.  Very disappointing on the part of the Foodies Festival‘s PR/marketing team.  I found out late on Friday when I received a tweet from an exhibitor asking if I was going.  It’s my local tube station and I pass that spot regularly.

However today I went along at midday having tweeted, texted, facebooked and spoken to a number of friends who live nearby or are foodies that I know would enjoy the event.

On arrival I was met by a very old friend, Andy Fussel who owns Fussel Fine Foods.  They produce some incredible rapeseed oil together with a number of infused oils, dressings and sauces.

Here’s Andy and my friend Verity at his stand.

I also met up with another friend, Nova, whom I met whilst doing the Leith’s Food Writing course.  Nova said she already uses rapeseed oils to cook with and particularly to create homemade mayonnaise.  Nova couldn’t resist buying a bottle and tweeting a picture of the glorious yellow mayonnaise she made when she got home today.

From this:

to this:

The ladies and I decided to wander  around the food outlets to find out what’s on offer and then to purchase some lunch.  The smells of wonderful creations was too much for any mere mortal to resist.

There was plenty to choose from… in fact probably too much choice!  We felt it would have been wonderful to have smaller plates and perhaps to lunch on a couple of choices.  Verity had roast pork sandwich; Louise chose a Lebanese wrap with felafel, hummus, halloumi and salad; Nova and I both chose the crispy duck wraps from The Duck Truck.

Having now eaten lunch we wandered up and down the stalls, sampling all sorts of goodies on the way.  Lots of chutneys, chilli oils and wines.  But also some interesting cheeses from No 2 Pound Street including a blue from Alex James’ farm and a delicious goats cheese and chilli from the Wobbly Bottom Farm.  I loved it so much I had to buy some for supper.

We made a quick stop at the Nitrogen Icecream stand:

Verity and Louise had to then leave us and head off to the theatre.  Leaving Nova and I to explore the rest of the festival.  It’d be fair to say that we sampled something from most stands and managed to resist buying too much to take home… well except the most delicious chocolate from Doisy & Dam.  If you look at the ingredients, it’s really quite healthy and damn it’s tasty!

We also found the most delightful young chaps who were selling their dressing, or should we say ‘Granny Tigg’s‘.  A really rich dressing that I could imagine accompanying many more food types than simply salad.  Fish, meat, cheeses etc.  I just loved that the product was named after their Granny too.

There was plenty of entertainment at the Festival, ranging from DJ music, live bands and singers and, of course, the Rock Choir.

There were also cookery theatres demonstrating Aga use, cake and bake, drinks, children’s cookery and BBQ.  We only poked our heads into the demonstrations but the audience certainly looked hooked!

Nova had a wonderful idea that she would love to do – cookery demonstrations at these festivals that showed off the produce being sold by the exhibitors, signposted the audience to buy the products there and also gave them a couple of recipe cards that incorporated the use of these products.  A great way to encourage people to cook with new ingredients and also help the exhibitors get their niche products to a larger customer base.

All in all a very wonderful day.  I left with a large bag crammed with goodies – cheese; chocolate; Fussel’s rapeseed oil and a couple of bottles of Fussel’s awesome chilli oil.

I’ve heard good reports about Bucci restaurant in Balham. Described as a favourite local Italian restaurant often and recommended widely. I was therefore looking forward to trying it out and tonight we did. Our reservation was at 8.30pm and we, unusually, were on time!

I was so pleased that we’d booked a table as when we arrived there wasn’t a seat to be had in the place. Obviously a very popular choice. There was a large party of Italians on two of the big tables – clearly a family gathering of some sort as the ages ranged from a few weeks old to Papa! What became evidently clear however was that this family had priority in the restaurant tonight.

We quickly ordered a bottle of wine from the comprehensive wine list… not too many but a great selection to choose from. Shortly after the wine arrived we sought out a waitress to order our food. Orders placed we waited, watched and chatted amongst ourselves. It was quite some time when we needed to replenish the wine on our table and it was at this time that we started to hear our tummies rumbling. Service was slow to our table but I was able to see that the family party were being well catered for! It didn’t really matter except that we were now very very hungry and getting a little pissed! Somewhat annoyingly after waiting for an hour and a half from when we ordered our starters I had to approach the ‘serving’ area to find a waitress and ask how much longer we would need to wait before our starters arrived. Told a few minutes I went back to the table. Some minutes later another waitress approached our table and asked if we were waiting for our main courses – she seemed somewhat surprised when I said we were STILL waiting for our starters! Another bottle of wine was ordered. Disappointing that there wasn’t any apologies for the delay.

Following this our starters arrived and shortly after clearing the plates away, our mains. We were offered desserts and coffees relatively quickly afterward too…. but by then the large family party had left the restaurant (as had many of the other diners). It wasn’t long until we were the only ones in the restaurant.

What a shame the food took so long to arrive and we felt somewhat neglected by the staff. The food was fabulous. We all commented that our choice of dishes was exactly as we’d wanted. Great flavours, good portion sizes and, tasting, authentically Italian.

I’m sure we will return… but perhaps not on a busy Saturday evening!