Well Done Noma!

San Pellegrino Top 50 Best Restaurants in the world is out for 2010 and congratulation to Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark! A little sad for El Bulli and Fat Duck. Rene totally deserves the No.1 spot for his friendly, non-pretentious, casual attitude. El Celler and Mugaritz, see you in June!

Spring in London & Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester

It must have been the first 20 degree day in London for 2010. Making sure that we do not let this momentous occasion pass, we walked pretty much all of West London until our feet were bruised from the pounding of the pavement. A milestone we achieved today was our first afternoon tea in London. Yes, after nearly 2 years we finally made the effort to have tea, scones, sandwiches, and pastries at the very lavish Dorchester. All you can eat sandwiches and scones, so you can bet that we were stuffed and waddling out by the end.

Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley

Marcus Wareing was a place I just had to try before we left London. Having watched him on the Great British Menu and Michelin Stars - The Madness of Perfection, I was enthralled by his commitment and dedication to his food and restaurant without having been engulfed by the lures of empire and money. The setting in the Berkeley was plush but unpretentious, with very attentive staff even though some of our other diners said there was the woft of B.O. from one of them. Accompanied by a bottle of 2003 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino, we dove into the 8 course Prestige Menu. Every dish was executed perfectly. Beautifully presented and showcased the balance of flavours and ingredients that makes Marcus Wareing a 2 star Michelin chef. 

Hibiscus Restaurant

We were full of anticipation to try the long awaited 2 star Hibiscus Restaurant. Rocking up in the classic London cab, we were surprised with the bland facade of the restaurant. Stepping in, there was not much different from the outside. So the decor and decoration are boring and uninspiring, but we are here more importantly for the food. Bring on the blind tasting menu and blow me away. 1 course, 2 course, 3 course passes with each course hacking away at the expectations we had of the restaurant. Being the optimist, I am still waiting for that 1 course that I can still say... it was worth it. It was like buying your lotto ticket, you are full of hope and when the results come out you find out that it is all over and you are out of pocket. In this scenario, we were really really out of pocket. In contrast to the mood we came in when arriving in the black cab, we left in the same transport cursing our way shaking our heads.

Apologies from my food photographer. She had her day off. She did not miss out much.

MMMmmmMMM... Can you say Umami?

Came across this in my local Waitrose and just had to see what it can do? We added it to a tagliatelle with bolognese ragu and it lifted the dish to a different level... the fifth level. Umami is referred to as the fifth taste after sweet, sour, bitter and salty. I would refer to Umami as the X factor for food.

Easter in Cornwall

With my passport in for renewal, we grasped the opportunity to visit more of the UK. The options that we had was Scotland or Cornwall. In retrospect we definitely made the right decision as it was snowing in April. Yes, for all those people down under, that is snowing in mid Spring! Easter weekend, and there is the uncertainty of how much traffic will there be? What should have been a 5 hours drive turned to a 7 - 8 hour drive. We stayed at a very cute 4 rooom B&B called the Lower Barn just to the left of woop woop land. After dropping our luggage, we set our sights on indulging in all the creamy goodness of Cornwall. Cornish ice cream, Cornish fudge, Cornish butter, Cornish cream, Cornish fairings ... the list goes on. We did try to obtain an even balance of the food and exercise (90/10 split?) with some sight seeing around Lizard (England Most Southern Point) and Kynance Cove. Another highlight was dinner at Rick Stein's restaurant in pictureque Padstow. Marisa's obligatory food pictures above.

After 2 nights in Cornwall, we broke up the return trip with a 1 night stop at the Rectory Hotel, Malmesbury. Malmesbury is regarded as the oldest town in the UK and resides within the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds villages is likened to your favourite movie. You can keep visiting them, but you never get sick of it and never fails to enthrall you. It is a beautiful thing to see the villages keep their character over the centuries to allow you to fall back in time and feel that bit more British. "You know what I mean!"