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Quick bites in January: Helene Darroze party, vegan restaurants in London, a Rasta funeral

January 27, 2014 4 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Helene Darroze Galette des Rois party, Bruno Loubet, Raymond Blanc, Fergus Henderson,Jeremy Lee, Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmitelover

 There aren’t actually that many people in the food scene. It’s like 150 people, Dunbar’s number. When you start as a blogger, you are so excited at first to get free food and drink, you go crazy and attend everything. If you live in London and go out to every event you are invited to, you see the same people time and time again, more often than your own family.
I don’t go out much anymore. I know I won’t get any work done, I’m long past the days where I could drink all night and start work in the morning. So I’m kinda picky about my invitations. I only accept ones that seem interesting and unique. The invitation to have champagne and galette des roi at the Connaught hosted by chef Helene Darroze was one of those occasions. I didn’t realise this was actually an invite to one of the foodie events of the year, a party stuffed full of Michelin star chefs: Bruno Loubet and his wife Catherine, Isaac McHale of The Clove, the enormous 7 foot Nathan Outlaw, Pascal Aussignac of Le Comptoir Gascon, (all the French chefs bien sur), the charming Jeremy Lee of Quo Vadis in a velvet suit, Fergus Henderson in a butcher stripe suit (looking very George Melly), Allegra McEvedy, Mikael Jonsson of Hedone, Tom Kitchin, Ravinder Bhogal, Sophie Michell. Lots of important restaurant type journos: the Hot Dinners bro and sis duo (I always thought they were a couple), Stefan Chomka of Restaurant magazine, the ever lethal Susan Sharp (now I’m not on the receiving end I quite enjoy her barbs). I met Chef Raymond Blanc for the first time and he was lovely, open and friendly. A few years ago I tried out for his show The Restaurant but was rejected at the last hurdle. I was disappointed but had a lurking suspicion that the producers didn’t want candidates who could cook. He confirmed this saying ‘the producers only wanted joke candidates’ which was comforting. I also met Liberty London Girl for the first time, her first book is coming out later this year. I once went to the Helene Darroze restaurant to eat lunch, which was a good deal for a michelin star restaurant. 
The highlight of the evening for me was that I became the queen when I won a ‘feve’ figurine in the galette des roi which was the BEST I’ve ever eaten, created by Helene’s pastry chef, Kirk Whittle and containing tonka bean and lemon zest. I won a prize of a weekend at the Connaught. Here is my old recipe for galette des roi, which is eaten in France in January to celebrate epiphany.
Vanilla Black, vegetarian and vegan restaurant, London

January is also when I have my birthday: to celebrate, I went out for two vegan meals, at two of the most highly reputed vegan/vegetarian restaurants in London, lunch then dinner.
Lunch was at Vanilla Black, I was taken by WineTrust100 honcho John Valentine. (I will soon be contributing regularly to their site, recipes and thoughts on wine from a non-wine expert). I had the vegan menu and John had the vegetarian menu. Our meal started off well, I had a smokey yellow pea and marmite soup. John had a brie ice cream starter with tangy blackberries, which I tasted, it was flavoursome, unusual and well presented. John had never been to a vegetarian restaurant before and was pleasantly surprised. For main course, I had cauliflower with cashew nut potato (although not sure what that bit was on my plate, I like food to look like what it is), cumin crisps and tamarind paste. Although the food tasted good, the presentation and the colours were that veggie cliché, a khaki plate. John had a goats’ cheese and toasted cauliflower millefeuille main which was also delicious.
Puddings, however, were disappointing. This is a restaurant that is trying to ally the tools of fine dining, deconstructing dishes and whispy plating techniques, to the rather lumpen and worthy reputation of vegetarian/vegan food. However this is not a method that works well with pudding. My peanut butter cheesecake in the form of sticks with cracked cocoa bean and caramelised banana purée didn’t hit the P-spot, the pudding spot, which is generally a whole lot easier to find than the g-spot. You know that surge of sugary ecstasy, followed quickly by a sigh of relief, a relaxation, a discarding of all your cares and woes, that a great pudding delivers. It wasn’t there. Nor was it in John’s chocolate cake. Just cos you are veggie/vegan, it doesn’t mean that dessert should be unsweet and unsatisfactory. We asked the waitress for vegan wines and she had “to go ask”. They need to educate their staff on this issue. Vegan wines are very important for vegans. Believe it or not, many wines contain fish, egg whites and blood.
Manna vegan restaurant, Primrose Hill, London
Dinner took place at Manna restaurant in Primrose Hill. The place soon filled up with posho veggies, the Gwyneth Paltrow gang. Guests, for the main part, were female. However food was heartier at Manna than at Vanilla Black. Taste was their goal rather than presentation.
Manna was a vegetarian restaurant, it’s now vegan. According to vegan author, John Davis of The Vegetarian Society, most new vegetarians are vegans.
I went with the ‘rents’ and we had the mezze for starters, three for £20: the jalapeno cashew ‘cheese’ fritters and raw lasagne (more like a terrine) were very good but the Indian pizza, curry on a poppadum, was underpowered, lacked spice and salt. We ordered the vegan rosé champagne.
For my main course I tried the chef’s special, a southern soulfood version of tempeh, a fermented soy bean cake. It was the second time I’ve ever eaten it, and to be frank, I didn’t like it the first time but gave it another chance. Now I realised I really didn’t like it. It’s very strong and with a weird mouthfeel. I couldn’t eat it.
My father had wild mushroom ragu and chestnut polenta. The polenta was very light, one of the best I’ve ever had. Basically I stole it from my dad. Mum ordered the organic spaghetti and ‘veatballs’. She said there was too much sauce and not enough pasta but it was not bad. But pasta is one of those things that you can mostly make better at home. I didn’t like the ‘veatballs’ because I don’t believe in TVP, textured vegetable protein. It has a horrible texture and who wants imitation meat? I don’t like processed food, whether it be normal or vegan. The main courses were enormous, the other end of the scale from Vanilla Black. You want something in between rather than loads of food piled up which is off-putting. The vegetables however were all very well cooked, al dente and full of flavour.
Pudding was substantial. My raw hazelnut chocolate cake was too heavy for something that wasn’t very sweet. My parents ordered better than I did, although I cannot recall the name of the dish.
The waitress was very kind, when she saw that I barely touched my dessert, she offered to take it off our bill.
Going to the toilet, a man was leaving and I couldn’t help but smell an invisible cloud of fart trailing behind him. The toilets had a LOT of incense sticks in jars. Perils of the plant-based diet.
In summation: there is a lack of good vegetarian/vegan restaurants in London, the choice is minuscule. When are we going to take vegetarian/vegan food seriously here, as they do in New York and California?
rasta funeral, Westbourne Grove, London. Nine nights.
I also attended my first Rasta funeral at the tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove. I’ve mentioned the Nine Nights of mourning in African/Caribbean culture in a previous post. After a coconut rum punch, there was enough food to feed an army of ‘dreddies’; much of it was vegan, intrinsic to the Rasta diet. The vegan food must take precedence and be served separately from the meat. We had ital stew and roti, roasted sweet potato wedges, fritters. No Caribbean occasion is complete without a cake: Trevor, the Rasta that had died, had his face reproduced in the middle of an enormous confection of red, gold and green icing. I watched as the cake diminished, first his hat, then his dreads, then his eyes, and finally just a big smile and a few crumbs left on the platter.
A local drummer energized the event with a call to prayer, beating up the spirits. We sang Rivers of Babylon “carry me away from captivity”. People started to sway.
The cost of funerals it turns out, is phenomenal. Just the plot of land costs £4,000, while a cremation is only £800. At the funeral parlour, and there are specialists for Caribbean funerals, you are given a catalogue to choose the casket. I think I’d like to be buried in a wicker hamper, surrounded by Fortnum and Mason goodies. 

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Comments

  1. a little lusciousness

    January 28, 2014 at 10:39 am

    I've never understood people who eat a veggie or vegan diet, yet eat tons of TVP or imitation meat, fake hot dogs etc. They must have more ingredients and additives in that meat itself!

    That cake looks amazing, what incredible icing colours!

    Rosie xx

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      January 28, 2014 at 12:33 pm

      Me neither. I'm writing a book on vegan food right now so I'm interested to see what is out there in terms of restaurants..remarkably little. Anyone wanna back me?

      Reply
    • The Beach Hut Cook

      January 29, 2014 at 11:23 am

      I love going to eat out at vegetarian and vegan places as they put so much effort into everything I feel like I've got my money's worth! Does that sound cheeky? Nah thought not. Elinor x

      Reply
  2. theundergroundrestaurant

    January 29, 2014 at 11:42 am

    That's so true Elinor, it's far more work to prep veggie/vegan food!

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

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

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Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouey curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christ Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christmas leftover cheese board. I’ve used @paxtonscheese truffled brillat-savarin and a mystery hard cheese that’s lost its label. Plus cream and topped it with samphire fried in butter. Haven’t bothered with making a roux- this is the lockdown lazy version.  #lockdownlazy #lockdown3 #supperclub #macandcheese #macaronicheese #truffledcheese #leftovers #leftovercheeseboard #londonlockdown #breakfast #coronaloner
Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan d Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan dashi stock, it’s perfect for veganuary. How to make dashi: put a piece of kombu seaweed in water. Soak for half an hour then simmer for half an hour (don’t let it boil). Then mix 2 cups of dashi with 2 tbsps of mirin and 2 of soy sauce.  For the tofu: press soft tofu with weights for half an hour, then cut into cubes. Dust all over with cornflour.  Then deep fry the tofu cubes in 180C veg oil until they float. Set aside to drain, then place say 3 cubes in small bowl. Pour the sauce around and top with spring onion and daikon and togarashi 7 spice.  #easypeasyvegan #veganuary #agedashitofu #tofu #japaneseveganrecipe #newyearsday #freshstart #supperclub #londonsupperclub #msmarmitelover #visforvegan #recipe
Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford proper chinoiserie so I make do with fakes. The gradual doing up of my flat proceeds apace. Need to start on main bedroom. Looking for a storage ottoman (velvet?) bench to turn into a horizontal filing cabinet.  Any ideas? Above is a map of london based on the A to Z map which a minicab office was tossing out. Remember when we all carried mini A to Z books in our handbags? Before google maps? #nocrushedvelvet #chinoiserie #supperclubrefurb #londonapartment #londonflat #norfweezy #decor #organising #storage #interiors
My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @k Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @kit.eats.uk. Took only a couple of minutes to cook(see stories) and very good. I’m trying a few meal kits of late to see how hospitality has adapted to the great reset. As a cook I’ve always thought why would I need these but now I get it: it’s like going to a restaurant- the pleasure of food prepared by someone else. Getting jolted off of your normal repertoire, so it’s teaching cooking too.  #mealkits #vegetarian #homecooked #hospitality #covid #takeawayfood #foodpackaging #laksa #ramen #supperclubchef
Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
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