TheKua Does Food

I’m always excited to find a new place that looks like it does decent coffee. I stumbled across this one when walking around Covent Garden, noting it down for a try next time I was in the area and looking for a coffee. From first appearances, it looks promising – great comfy couches, a warm cafe vibe and a name that declares it a home for the coffee aficionado.

I stood patiently in line behind a few other people, noting the prepacked sandwiches and ordinary looking cake and pastry selection. When my turn came, I ordered a small latte and it didn’t take long for the barista to prepare it. When I paid the average priced coffee (£2-ish from memory) he also handed me a loyalty card without any prompting. I thought this was a nice service-oriented touch. As I was walking outside, I noticed the cup becoming unbearably hot so I quickly slipped on my gloves before moving anywhere else. Cautioned, I took a small sip and found the latte excessively bitter and the milk far too hot to drink at all.

I really wanted to like this place. After all, London can always do without any of the chain coffee places and better boutique espresso-based cafes. Unfortunately I couldn’t even finish the coffee, ending up at Monmouth’s on the other side of Covent Garden.

Name: Double shot coffee
Found at: 38 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7PB

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I’ll put my hand up. I’ve been obsessed by beef rendang ever since having Vanessa’s slow cooked version at our gathering back in November. I was a bit worried because they used a slow cooker, tenderising the meat something over like eight hours of cooking. Although they aren’t particularly expensive, I really don’t need a slow cooker in the kitchen just yet. Looking around on the Internet, there are plenty of versions of beef rendang. Here’s the version that I used (it’s a slightly modified version by that provided by John Torode here).

Ingredients:

• 1 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (peanut, or olive is fine)
• 1 1/2 large onions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 red Thai bird’s chillies, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and chopped into very fine slivers
• 1 thumb-sized piece galangal, peeled and chopped into very fine slivers
• 1 bay leaf
• 750g braising steak cut into 2.5cm cubes
• 400g canned coconut milk
• 250ml strong veal or beef stock, heated

Directions:

• For the beef rending, pound the lemongrass to a pulp using a pestle and mortar. Tip the lemongrass into a small bowl.
• Heat the frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin seeds and turmeric and dry fry until fragrant. Tip the spices into a spice grinder or the pestle and mortar. Grind the spices to a powder if using a grinder, or pound in a pestle and mortar until the spices are as smooth as possible. Set aside.
• Fry the onions, garlic, chillies, ginger and pounded lemongrass to the pan in the heated oil and cook gently until the onions have softened and the mixture is fragrant.
• Add the reserved ground spices and the bay leaf and fry for a few minutes more.
• Add the meat and increase the heat so that it browns on all sides. Stir until the meat is completely coated with the spices – this will take a few minutes.
• Add the coconut milk, bring to the boil, then add the hot stock.
• Turn the heat down low and continue cooking for at least 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally until the sauce becomes thick and coats the meat well.

I changed some of the preparation and ingredients to John’s recipe. I added the fresh galangal because I wanted a bit more of that gingery flavour it imparts and another dimension is always great in a curry. I also extended the cooking time on a slower heat because I wanted the flesh to fall apart. I didn’t reduce the liquid until the meat was already soft to ensure that all the pieces had a chance to sit and boil equally in the liquid. I also added another chilli, figuring that it would still retain its partial heat but not overpower it.

Serve with freshly steamed vegetables and some white rice. Enjoy!

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Another great find by some work mates, The Punter is definitely a true gastropub. The relatively recently renovated interior is beautiful with exposed wooden beams (mind the head) and artful wallpaper and artwork for sale hanging from the different walls.

This place is definitely worth booking as it is is definitely popular with locals for good reason. They have a great selection of wines (over 90) and with an ever changing menu from light bites to big meals, it is a perfect spot for trying something new.

On the day that we went, I started the meal off with a stilton broccoli soup accompanied by plenty of well crisped croutons to give some more contrast to the dish. The flavours were deep and bold and was a perfect way to start a dinner on a cold evening in Cambridge.

I then went for the Hunter’s chicken pie which was a hearty, massive pie dish filled with a luscious pie filling. Rather than chunks of chicken, they’d opted for a deboned version with small strands of chicken floating around in a creamy sauce with vegetables. I had to order a side of their wonderfully crisp, fluffy chips as well which was perfect for dipping in this divine sauce. I was pretty full and probably shouldn’t have ordered dessert, but my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach that night…

So I still ordered the cardamom creme brulee for dessert. It was quite a nice brulee with that perfect set custard texture and a caramelised, but importantly not burnt sugar crust on top. Unfortunately it, too, was such a large serve that I couldn’t finish it that night.

We had a really great time at The Punter. It’s a great gastropub with lots of character and awesome food. Whilst service wasn’t as prompt as one could hope for, it was still very friendly and hospitable considering how busy it seemed that night.

Name: The Punter
Found at: 3 Pound Hill, Cambridge, CB3 0AE
Website: None but you can see a review here.
TheKua.com Rating: 8 out of 10

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For the last three months of 2009, I was travelling to Cambridge for a project. Unlike Marlow, I only stayed over two or three times during the project. Cambridge has a much greater variety of foods than Marlow, and Restaurant 22 is one of those little gems worth visiting for dinner. Excuse the poor photos in this post since they were taken with my iPhone.

The restaurant looks more like a supper club, with the owners converting an old house into a restaurant. The seating capacity is quite small with only the ground floor entrance as the main dining room (seating about 30ish people) and then a private room seating about 8 or 10 about. It’s even one of those British houses that still have carpet in their toilets! Fortunately the whole place is very well kept and spotless. They focus on providing a two or three course meal for a reasonable amount, and with an extensive wine list to pair with all the dishes.

We were given an amuse bouche, of a small cup of a creamy cauliflower soup with some basil oil drizzled on top. Considering that it was so cold outside, this small surprise added a great start to the meal. Unfortunately none of my photos of the rabbit terrine with an apple chutney and toasted brioche turned out. It was a cold starter, and the you can at least tell the terrine was home made with hearty chunks of rabbit.

Another surprise arrived shortly afterwards with a small palette cleanser in the form of a scoop of pear sorbet. This was deliciously fruity with tones of honey throughout.

My main meal soon arrived shortly afterwards, being a Blackened Sea Bream with Winter Vegetable Casserole. The fish was nicely cooked with a crisp skin and still soft flesh that fell apart with the fork yet still remaining juicy. The winter vegetable casserole was nice and hearty as well.

Dessert was a perfect ending to a great meal, a sticky date pudding with ice cream. Who doesn’t like those sensations of hot and cold mixing together with a light cake surrounded by a rich sauce. Delicious.

I’d highly recommend dining at the Restaurant 22. It’s a nice little find and its intimate and unique atmosphere definitely has a lot of charm. It’s admittedly not great for parties over six or more and perfect for tables of two to four.

Name: Restaurant 22
Found at: 22 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4 3AX
Website: http://www.restaurant22.co.uk/ (bookings recommended!)
TheKua.com Rating: 9 out of 10

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Located far out in near Canary Wharf, The Gun is a gastropub located directly opposite the O2 centre across the Thames. Brightly lit with large windows, the whole place is heaving for a Sunday late lunch at 2pm. Walking there from Canary Wharf was pretty confusing, with the best not not exactly the way that Google Maps directed us to. Fortunately they were okay with people being slightly late and they hadn’t given our table away.

It was such a nice day when we went that their outdoor patio, complete with dining chairs was full up. At least their interior seemed just as bright as their outdoors, warm and comfortable. Service started out reasonably but as the whole place filled up, it definitely slowed to a crawl with our water not being topped up, and us having to flag some people down to get them there.

I started with a pea soup, garnished with some blue cheese toast. The soup was definitely hearty although I found it a little bit overseasoned for my taste. The blue cheese was delicious and I think could have gone much better with the soup had it not already been overseasoned. All that additional sodium is really unnecessary.

For the main, I ordered the pork belly. I’ll admit the Sunday roast looked just as appetising but I think good pork belly is hard to find. I now know why. Unfortunately The Gun’s version was mediocre with the skin being really thick and not even well crisped. For me, the Smiths of Smithfields one still wins out as the best. It was obvious the belly hadn’t been cooked long enough as well since we really had to dig in with the butter knives that we had, instead of, what should have been, most more succulent flesh.

Unfortunately the chocolate tart was also a bit mediocre with the best part about it being the butterscotch ice cream that went with it. Like one of my dining companions, I probably should’ve ordered just the ice cream by itself.

I really wanted to like The Gun. After all, it’s very nice for its very odd location in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. I’d maybe consider coming here more often if I happened to be stuck near the Isle of Dogs, or wanted somewhere with a bit more space on a summer’s day. Unfortunately there are much better gastropubs and restaurants serving much better food and much better prices. It’s a great location for something different but it’s the location that puts it over the top for me, seemingly inaccessible by any real public transport. Still, it was definitely a nice experience if you’re out that way.

Name: The Gun
Found at: 27 Coldharbour, London E14 9NS
Website: http://www.thegundocklands.com/
TheKua.com Rating: 6 out of 10

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For our thanksgiving feast, I decided to make some fresh bread rolls. I wanted something with a bit of bite, so I tried out this recipe and it turned out really well. I’ve repeated it here just in case the other page disappears.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup minced seeded jalapenos
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg beaten

Directions:

• Heat milk and sugar to 115° F stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Stir in yeast then let stand 5 minutes.
• Combine flour, cheese, jalapenos and salt in electric mixer bowl
• Add yeast mixture and 2 eggs then beat 2 minutes on low speed scraping side of bowl as necessary.
• Beat at medium-low speed for 7 minutes
• Place dough in lightly greased bowl then cover with towel and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough then divide into 12 portions.
• Place on two parchment-lined or greased baking sheets and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
• Allow to rise 45 minutes (as shown above)
• Preheat oven to 375
• Brush rolls with beaten egg then bake 25 minutes and cook on wire rack

The finished product:

The great thing about these bread rolls is that they have a warming sensation from the chillis. I ended up using two different types, a normal chilli minced up roughly with a Thai bird’s eye chilli really finely chopped up to provide a warming sensation throughout.

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One of my favourite memories of Singapore was trekking across to the east coast and enjoying in the famous Singapore Chilli Crab. Looking on the net, there are plenty of ways of making it, but here’s one that I’ve tried using a few elements from various recipes.

I’ve found a decent place in Chinatown that sells fresh crabs that I kill and clean at home. I’m not sure how it would turn out with the frozen variety. Try fresh as much as possible!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon of oil (any vegetable oil is fine)
• 3 tablespoons of minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1/2 chopped onion
• shao xing wine
• 4 birds eye chillis
• 1 bottle of pureed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1 spring onion chopped up
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon coriander chopped


Method:

• Fry ginger, garlic, onion in the oil
• Add chopped chillis and shao xing wine
• Saute crab until pink

• Add tomato and chilli sauce
• Add spring onion
• Pinch of salt
• Cook for a bit covered
• Just before serving, crack a scrambled egg into the sauce and mix together
• Serve and sprinkle with fresh coriander


When you’re done, serve the crab with freshly steamed Man Tao – you should be able to buy these in any Chinese supermarket in the frozen section. They only take five or ten minutes steaming. Alternatively you can fry them but it’s probably healthier not to.



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