• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Press
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Love it or hate it: Marmite at The Underground Restaurant

May 31, 2009 8 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Prepping the fish…

Gary Rhodes coffee icecream recipe with liquid glucose, which I’ve never used before

Prepping the veg

Marmite on linseed toast with crispy seaweed: the caramel flavour of the seaweed and salty Marmite worked well together

Thyme and garlic butter with Marmite baked mushroom

Rocket, spinach and watercress salad with Marmite and lime vinaigrette, plus violas to decorate

A crowded room, summer nights

Empty Bloody ‘marmitey’ drinks

Welsh rarebit smoked haddock with marmite roasted tomatoes and green parsley, the colours of a Marmite jar

Coffee ice with chocolate Marmite sauce, a kind of deconstructed frappuccino

Vintage shoes

Guest in vintage dress and Porridge lady in shell-like silk

Petra chocstar and her crew. Petra was going to smother herself in fake tan in homage to Marmite…
It had to be done. With a moniker like MsMarmitelover I had to do a Marmite evening (and I didn’t even offer the option of Vegemite). But I promise it was a one time thing …
This evening’s dishes probably took more practising than any other night. Marmite is such a strong distinctive taste and I was conscious of one guest writing to me, only half joking, saying that he would bring his high blood pressure medicine just in case…
The menu was rather daunting…Marmite in every course. My approach was to use Marmite as a seasoning, as a replacement for salt. In terms of matching flavours, I thought of Marmite as akin to soy sauce, which is why I conceived the idea of adding lime juice to the Marmite vinaigrette. 
The smoked haddock rarebit needed several goes before I was happy with it. I abandoned Gary Rhodes recipe, too complicated and it looked messy and unappetising. In the end I merely spread English mustard and Marmite on each undyed piece of haddock then grated cheddar cheese on top, adding green pickled peppercorns.
I also, as well as thinking of Marmite as an ingredient, thought of the iconic pot and label design when presenting dishes therefore the main dish was yellow, brown, green and red.
The Bloody Mary Marmite drink went down well, one table asked for seconds.
On another table, one man and his Spanish friend admitted to hating Marmite, but they enjoyed the Marmite on toast appetiser.
Two people cancelled by email at 19.35 pm asking if they could come another time.

“Very sorry but it really is too late” I replied.

A home restaurant has no walk-in business. I’ve bought and cooked the ingredients already. It’s a fixed menu. The theme was posted up weeks ago.

Anna @PorridgeLady did front of house superbly for a first timer. It was an eye-opener for her in many ways. We discussed how it is seen as a profession in France. One has to assume a certain body language, upright and confident. You serve but must remain in control.

“You taught me that I have to focus on getting the dishes out when they are hot and not get waylaid by customers asking for, say, water. As the evening went on, I realised that I must make eye contact and keep my head up, be polite but firm”. 

Unlike in a normal restaurant, there isn’t a team coordinating things, on this occasion just myself and Porridge lady. We discussed what makes a good team; one element is that while front of house must let the kitchen know if there are problems they should not stress the chef who has enough on their plate.
Paul A Young provided little packets of Marmite truffles for everyone. Calling me over, Paul was convinced that another guest was somebody famous. Peering over,  this guest did resemble Roman Abramovich, the owner of ‘Chelski’ football team who had just lost at Wembley, up the road. What a coup! I thought. He comes to my living room to drown his sorrows. I sidled up to this guest, but when a posh English accent came out from his mouth rather than a Russian accent, this fond fantasy fell away…
One thing did surprise me…after all those Marmite courses, several guests did in fact want the hot Marmite drink at the end rather than coffee…now that’s lovin’ it! 
People did drink more water than usual. The weather or the salt?

Recent posts

guacamole Pic: Kerstin Rodgers

Halloween/Day of the Dead supper club October 29th

August 10, 2022

Emily O'Hare serving pasta at an al fresco dinner in La Torre Alle Tolfe, just outside Siena in Tuscany pic; Kerstin Rodgers

Visiting Tuscany, Chianti, sommelier Emily O’Hare and the world’s most famous butcher

August 4, 2022

The Palio in Siena, Italy: curses and horses

July 28, 2022

Previous Post: « Porridge lady
Next Post: Serendip by Peter Kuruvita »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helen

    May 31, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    I think you did really well to get that Marmite menu out. Personally I love it too. I’m going to give the salad dressing a go.

    Reply
  2. Kavey

    May 31, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    Inspired menu, would have loved to make this one, but we were out of London for the weekend.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    May 31, 2009 at 7:09 pm

    Chelsea won! I only know this because my flatmate is an Everton WAG. Noooot too much of a marmite fan, but I’m glad it went well. And good call on the last-minute cancellation, that was not on.

    Reply
  4. JohnnyFox

    June 1, 2009 at 9:10 am

    You thought he was Ambramovitch, I thought he was more Putin-like. Puttinesca, perhaps.

    Reply
  5. MsMarmitelover

    June 1, 2009 at 9:12 am

    You are right Johnny! Yes he was very puttinesca!
    Hows the blood pressure?
    x

    Reply
  6. JohnnyFox

    June 1, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    responding to treatment, thanks 🙂

    I should have said we all really loved the linseed toasts with crispy seaweed, and I could certainly have eaten a second mushroom although I missed the pre-advertised marmite creme fraiche. Did that not ‘work’ in the experimental trials?

    Mr Abramovitch/Putinesca necked 3 of our marmite vodka cocktails too, which added to his Russian credentials.

    Reply
  7. MsMarmitelover

    June 1, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    Found creme fraiche in fridge afterwards.

    If you particularly like something, ask front of house to have a word with chef, she might have some extras!

    Reply
  8. Michelle Newell

    June 1, 2009 at 7:49 pm

    Glad you loved my vintage shoes! They almost fit with your marmite colour scheme 😉

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Kavey Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
For sale on my Etsy shop, apple clove ‘cheese’ For sale on my Etsy shop, apple clove ‘cheese’. Using vintage jelly moulds, these are lovely for a special cheeseboard (Christmas?). Different sizes, different prices. Go to Msmarmiteloversells on Etsy. Mould not included. #fruitcheese #cheeseboard #etsy ( will eventually put them up for sale here when I can remember how)
Corn, cheese, courgette fritters in the air fryer. Corn, cheese, courgette fritters in the air fryer. When it’s hot, I want salads yes but also fried things. See my piece and the Recipe on @hamandhigh https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/things-to-do/food-reviews/air-fryer-recipes-9207650 #recipe #airfryer
Tonight’s dinner: Caesar salad with coddled egg, Tonight’s dinner: Caesar salad with coddled egg, anchovy, Parmesan dressing & pine nuts; roast apricots with mozzarella, roast peppers with garlic & tomato; grilled sweetcorn with honey, butter & espelette pepper dressing; smoked mackerel pâté with dill. #alfresco #summerlovin #dinnertonight
Grilled Manouri cheese (like halloumi but not rubb Grilled Manouri cheese (like halloumi but not rubbery and less salty) with watermelon, spruce oil and tarragon. #salad #summervibes
I went to @hide_restaurant in Piccadilly, they are I went to @hide_restaurant in Piccadilly, they are now doing breakfast & brunch. The restaurant design is stunning in itself, from the gaudi-esque central staircase, to the table decorations, to the uniforms of the waiting staff. Chef @olliedabous has developed an incredible menu: from standards like avocado on toast (beautifully presented with edible flowers & 2 lightly poached eggs), pain au chocolat (buckwheat), french toast with blueberry compote ( cloud-like, soft, light), British @exmoorcaviar with sourdough, mango with kefir lime zest, an extraordinary tea & coffee menu ( Brazilian single estate coffee) Yuzu indigo tea. You can spend a lot. Or a little. Worth it for the design, the baking, the feeling of experiencing a rare treat. #london #breakfast #brunch #review #invitation
My niece @rachaelrodgers wedding to Luca Venezia @ My niece @rachaelrodgers wedding to Luca Venezia @cursesforever. It’s been featured in US vogue. Style, good food, great music, stunning backgrounds of mount vesuvius & Naples were the order of the day. Or should I say 3 days which is how long it lasted. The bride wore white but it was a vintage @viviennewestwood corset (one of only 5 existing, the other 3 are in fashion museums), and a flowery bikini to cut the delicious rose 🌹 and cherry 🍒 cake. Hawaiian barbie & La Cicciolina were inspirations. The guests were equally stunning. #naples #wedding #bridestyle
Air fryer recipe: aubergine sticks with yoghurt an Air fryer recipe: aubergine sticks with yoghurt and tahini sauce. Aubergines 🍆 soak up a lot of oil so an air fryer is a great way to minimise the calorific content. They tasted just as delicious! Recipe here: https://msmarmitelover.com/2022/06/air-fryer-recipe-aubergine-sticks-with-yoghurt-tahini-sauce.html I only used a couple of tablespoons of olive oil rather than a gallon. Going to play about with some other recipes. #airfryer #recipe I got my air fryer here: https://www.very.co.uk/electricals/cooking-appliances/fryers/e/b/4571.end it’s an extra large with 2 drawers.
This is a new dish I’ve invented called, ahem, p This is a new dish I’ve invented called, ahem, patatas nachas. Underneath is a layer of potatoes fried in olive oil. On top nachos with cheese, salsa, guacamole, creme fraiche, rajas. It’s a mash up of patatas bravas and nachos. There is a brilliant book out with 75 nachos variations by @tfimb called nachos for dinner. Nachos are quick tasty & if you add other elements- filling. #nachos #dinner
Ciambotta which is an Italian version of ratatouil Ciambotta which is an Italian version of ratatouille but with fried potato. Recipes here: https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/things-to-do/food-reviews/three-neapolitan-vegetarian-recipes-9147040 #naples #recipe #vegetarian
Aqua Sale, a fisherman’s meal in campania. ‘Yo Aqua Sale, a fisherman’s meal in campania. ‘You take dry bread, put it in a colander, put it in the sea, drain it, add tomatoes, oil, oregano and this is a meal. Every family had a dried bread drawer.’ I was told. I used basil and made my own ‘sea water’ by adding salt to fresh water. Recipe in the @ham&high and on the blog soon. #aquasale #breadsalad #cucinapovera #tomatoes #heatwavefood
Zeppoline, deep-fried pizza doughnuts with seaweed Zeppoline, deep-fried pizza doughnuts with seaweed - a Neapolitan dish I had in a local trattoria in a sweltering narrow street. Served hot in a basket, I tore them up and dipped them in oil & lemon juice. Recipe in the ham and high and on the blog soon. #recipe #naples #fried
Being silly at last night’s picnic for my sister Being silly at last night’s picnic for my sister in laws birthday in waterlow park. A rolypoly race. 
I’ve not been feeling great the past few days, sniffles, headache, sore throat. I took a test after the picnic just to be on the safe side & sure enough I finally caught the dreaded covid. 
When I feel better I’ll return to Italy.
This vegetarian met the worlds most famous butcher This vegetarian met the worlds most famous butcher @dariocecchinimacellaio whose shop is located in Panzano, Tuscany. He trained my favourite food writer @bill.buford in butchery. I told him I didn’t eat meat & he twinkled ‘to beef or not to beef’. He has a Clark Gable elegance: moustache, slicked back hair, charm, & a designer shirt depicting cows from @cotondoux paris. I instinctively wore a red & white striped dress which matched the colours of his shop, the red & white of the surgeon. They serve you glasses of Dario’s own Chianti Classico complete with straw bottomed ‘fiasco’. Now where else do you get that? When I return I will try the vegetarian menu at his restaurant opposite. #butcher #panzano #tuscany #chiantishire #chianticlassico #foodsiena #foodreportage
On a very steep street in siena, Tuscany. They’v On a very steep street in siena, Tuscany. They’ve had to be creative with the table legs. We went to the Palio horse race in the shell-shaped piazza where the passion & downright enmity of the different contrada or districts, each represented by an animal or mascot, was on display. The riders go bareback. It’s the horse that wins not the jockey. A riderless horse can win. There are many false starts, a massive explosion going boom in the square each time which led kids to cry. We waited for hours in the cheap seats- the burnt ochre brickwork of the centre. While tourists at windows paid 600 euros for the privilege. I loved the singing, like football chants but operatic- lots of finger pointing at each other. After I went to a contrada dinner on the streets of Siena, a rare opportunity. For 35 euros you attend the largest ‘supper club’ ever- 800 people, 4 courses, generous helpings of chianti. The servers are local teenagers. I wore my ‘Oca’ or goose scarf around my shoulders, looking like a girl guide. A bucket list item ticked off. I only wish my daughter @siennamarla was with me. #travel #food #italy #chiantishire #siena #palio #supperclub #oca #contrada
Looking at vegetables in Italy. Photo by @loredana Looking at vegetables in Italy. Photo by @loredanaparisi72
My piece in the @hamandhigh about the 3 day @heat My piece in the @hamandhigh about the  3 day @heathostile training course. Incredibly interesting & challenging. Link: https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/things-to-do/hostile-environment-training-9037980 to read more #hostileenvironmenttraining
Supper club dishes from Saturday: pickled beetroot Supper club dishes from Saturday: pickled beetroot eggs, cheeseboard, stracciatella & cucumber, tomato/strawberry/peashoot salad with real balsamic & spruce oil, home cured dill gravlax, smoked salmon, homemade sourdough crisp bread, potato salad with wild fennel & lots more! #supperclub #midsummer #eattherainbow (miss you @linnsoederstroem)
Last nights supper club. My first supper club in 2 Last nights supper club. My first supper club in 2 years was great fun. I’m pleased with my food, the guests were lovely, it looked magical in the garden. But the weather! I even had to bring my duvets from the bedroom out. They looked like refugees. But this brought even more laughter! Next event September
My first supperclub in two years will take place t My first supperclub in two years will take place this Saturday 18th June starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £50 byo you can book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsommar-supper-club there are still a few places left. Pescetarian menu. Scandi and botanical influences. #gettingbackonmyfeet #postpandemic #smallbusinesses #supperclub #london
I recently completed the 3 day @heathostile train I recently completed the 3 day  @heathostile training course. On the last day I was kidnapped by ex-special forces for a few hours & learnt how to deal with compliance training & a hostile environment. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. 3 intense days of combat first aid, navigation & how to survive in a war zone. I handled short, long guns, mortars, grenades, bullets, and tourniquet & bandaged an amputee. I learnt where to sit in a car, where to hide from a bullet, where to protect myself if in a car. It was brilliant. Highly recommended for any journalists, photographers, cameramen, charity workers, paramedics going into any difficult environment say a disaster or war. The stories from the tutors & the other participants were so interesting. My piece on it out soon. Book a course: https://hostile-environment.co.uk/  They also do jungle & desert training. I’d love to join the Antarctic expedition. Anyway that’s me hooded in the front. #adventures #het #hostileenvironmenttraining #experiences #travel
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2022 msmarmitelover