YumSugar

The London Opens in LA, No HK Chefs in Sight

partysugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:15:15 -0700

Gordon Ramsay's Los Angeles restaurant, the London, opened last night with a star-studded dinner service. However, the cheftestants from Hell's Kitchen were nowhere in to be found. This makes me wonder if the HK prize - to be chef of the London - is a little exaggerated. Perhaps they merely get to be a line cook there? Items from the menu are far more sophisticated than the dishes made on the reality show. The menu includes:

Baked foie-gras custard, crispy duck tongue, micro greens
Monkfish with crispy chicken skin, lemon-thyme consommé
Smoked pork belly with roasted Scottish langoustine, celeriac, and apple

For some reason I can't imagine Bobby, Jen, or Corey making any of these dishes. What do you think? Does one of the HK contestants really work at the London?

Source

Ramsay's Seeing Stars; Tom, Not So Much

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:27:11 -0700

I don't know if there's ever been a rivalry between "Hell's Kitchen" bad boy Gordon Ramsay and "Top Chef" judge Tom Colicchio, but there might be reason for one now.

The just published 2008 New York Michelin Guide struck a star off of Colicchio's Craft restaurant - bringing it to one star - and gave Ramsay's The London - his first U.S. venture - two stars.

Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret recently told Reuters about the ratings. Here's more:

On The London: "Gordon Ramsay deserved two stars, not because of his name and TV fame, but because of the consistency of the multiple visits by inspectors throughout the year."
On Craft: "It doesn't mean that the chef has less talent. It's just that the consistency was not there."
About the star ratings:One star means "a very good restaurant in its category." Two stars signify "excellent cuisine, worth a detour" and three stars tout "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."

So there you have it. Ramsay's The London, despite lukewarm reviews from critics, is worthy of a detour, while Colicchio's Craft is just "very good."

What do you guys think? Do you even care about star ratings? Which restaurant would you go to?

Source and Source

Covent Garden Cupcake Takes the Cake as World's Largest

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:00:15 -0700

The cupcake craze is hardly over. Yesterday, hundreds of cupcake consumers crowded London's Covent Garden to witness the cutting of what is now the world's largest cupcake. The oversized confection, which was baked and iced by acclaimed pastry chef Michelle Wibowo, was created to honor the city's Covent Garden Real Food Market, and weighed over 330 pounds. Other important statistics: The cupcake measured 1.25-x-1.2 meters (approximately 4-x-4 feet), and was designed to feed 2,000 people, requiring more than 50 hours of labor and 200 eggs.To make a pastry of such scale, Wibowo, over the course of five days, whipped up batches of smaller-sized sponge cakes, and layered them, eventually carving the masterpiece into a cupcake shape. "I dread to think how many calories it has," she remarked. I'm still attempting to wrap my head around the fact that a cupcake - which, by definition, is a miniature cake - can weigh in at over 300 pounds. Then again, I suppose, with all its layers, that the pièce de résistance is technically more cake than it is cupcake. Still, I'd love to get my hands on some of it. What do you think of the gargantuan creation?

Photo by flickr user BitchBuzz

At One London Restaurant, the Bill Is up to You

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:30:17 -0800

With the global economy floundering, restaurants have tried to come up with as many resourceful ideas as possible, from prix fixe dinners to built-in tips, to draw in diners and keep businesses afloat. At London's Little Bay Restaurant, however, one restaurateur has gone where few others have gone before: for the month of February, he's letting his customers decide how much they ought to pay for their meals - if at all. To learn why, read more.

"It's entirely up to each customer whether they give £100 or a penny. All I'm asking is they pay me what they think the food and service is worth," said Peter Ilic, the restaurant's owner, in a statement. "It just seemed the right thing to do with everyone . . . feeling pretty miserable."

This tactic sounds like it could be problematic, considering diners at the restaurant feast on such high-cost items as duck salad and caviar-topped haddock soup. But according to Ilic, the restaurant's made above its average spent per head over the last five days.

This focus on the honor code of customers isn't the first we've seen - last year, we told you about a San Francisco bar with a billing system that relies on the honor code. This is the first incident where I've heard of customers being given the power to decide how much they think a meal is worth. Since most of you said you wouldn't pay the full amount at an honor code-based system, I'm rather surprised by the news that the restaurant's seeing profits. After watching the clip below, tell me: Has Ilic put an admirable concept into practice, or is he simply setting his restaurant up for failure?

Source

Make a Salad With Fluxus Dressing

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:27:50 -0700

Experimental artist Alison Knowles is planning on serving up one giant salad. Her 1962 Fluxus performance piece, Make a Salad, is being performed at London's Tate Museum. The piece begins with a cellist playing a Mozart concerto, and once the music is completed, Knowles, along with five museum assistants, will begin chopping the salad. The main focus of the piece will then become the chopping sound, which will be amplified by speakers and then relayed around the gallery. When they're done chopping the salad - which will consist of lettuce, cucumber, carrot and tomato and will feed 300 people - it will be placed into a huge vessel and dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs.

Even though it's going to be a big salad - does anyone else think of that Seinfeld episode? - it's not going to be the largest. The Spanish town of Pulpi set the record last September and were then beaten by a community in Israel this past November.

Source

Biscuits You Can Share With Fido

YumSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:01:18 -0700

With the recent frightful pet food scare, many people have turned to making their own pet food or going to organic, high-end solutions. A London bakery has decided to take it to the next step by creating treats that can be enjoyed by pets and owners alike.

The Alldog Bakery is proudly stamping their products as, "made with human quality ingredients," and their range includes treats such as Honey Hearts (wholemeal flour, maize meal, milk, honey and coconut), Carob Crunch (heart shaped carob cookies), Liver Love (savory crackers with a hint of garlic) and Doggy Doughnut. All of which are made with natural ingredients, no preservatives or additives. They're good for you and your pup, but I don't know if your dentist would approve, apparently they're "much harder than human biscuits to suit dogs' teeth".

Source: Spluch and This Is London

Gordon Gets Chatty About Hell's Kitchen 4

partysugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:01:15 -0700

Although the fourth season of Hell's Kitchen doesn't begin until Tuesday, April 1, Gordon Ramsay has already begun hyping the show. This season the stakes are high and the competition is the most stressful to date for both the competitors and Ramsay. Unlike previous seasons, the wannabes are not competing to cook at some restaurant in a Vegas casino resort. This time around the winner will become the chef at Gordon's own, much-hyped restaurant, London West Hollywood in LA. I recently sat in on a conference call with the bad-boy chef. To hear what he had to say, read more.

On London West Hollywood:
Gordon Ramsay: I have to say, opening up in New York taught me a lot. London’s a tough market, Paris is a tough market, but New York, well, that’s extraordinary. Everything I learned and didn’t do in New York I would put into place here in the London West Hollywood. Here, in LA, trust me, there will be fireworks from the canapés right through to the desserts. It’s not going to be sedated, heavy, rich French cuisine; it’s going to be a light and American, California style with a bit of a Japanese influence.

The style, the feel and the décor of the dining room is vibrant. It’s very LA, very cool fabrics, lots of silver, lots of nickel, brushed stainless steel, and lots of cream fabric. It’s going to be fast, it’s going to be furious, and more importantly, we have that level of intimacy, that level of fun without being long winded. That’s really important.

On tasting the contestants crappy signature dishes:
GR: I get really frustrated because they know I’m coming. So when a chef is that incompetent or stupid or lazy in terms of health and hygiene. . . . When people say, “Oh, you’re doing that for the cameras,” no, I’m doing that because if you work in this industry and we’re going to spend 25 or 30 years in the kitchen trying to master our craft, how stupid do we have to be to put together a venison tartare with capers, shallots, parsley, lemon juice, egg yolk, and combine that with a scallop tartare with, again, ketchup, lime juice, and white chocolate bound together with caviar? What type of nut is going to actually come out and eat and pay top dollar for that level of stupidity?

It does hurt. You’d think they’d perfect it in a way that says right, keep it simple, focus on the ingredients, and when we go out for lunch or dinner, let’s be honest, it is the flavor that holds the memory. The presentation is one thing, but the execution of flavor is what draws you back to a restaurant.

On what celebrity he would absolutely love to cook for:
GR: I get excited cooking for anybody, to be honest. I’m cooking for Nelson Mandela’s birthday party in Hyde Park this summer. I suppose if I wanted something really fun and sexy, it’d have to be Cameron Diaz. She’s tall, she’s beautiful, and she loves pink meat.

On why he decided to give this season's winner a job at one of his restaurants:
GR: I cringe sometimes when everyone talks about a reality show with no integrity. So I thought about this idea of me looking for a chef. Is it promotional? No, of course it’s not! I’ve never been any form of marketing tool in order to promote my restaurant.

Sometimes I get a lot of criticism from the industry because it’s not the real deal. Well, it is in the premiere league. If you want to go to the top, then of course you have to weather the storm. It’s not all plain sailing, and it’s not all about creating little pitchers out of watermelons. I get very frustrated when things go wrong, clearly.

Putting my neck on the line and looking for a chef for my own restaurant was almost an investment, from my point of view, a way to make sure that we continue searching for talent and propelling it. Yes, I want to put my money where my mouth is and prove to the industry that any winner of Hell’s Kitchen is more than qualified and capable of standing alone in my kitchen, that’s for sure.

Source and Source

Gordon Ramsay to Open Second Restaurant in New York

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:17:44 -0700

With a handful of hit shows, an international restaurant group, and 12 Michelin stars to uphold, Gordon Ramsay keeps piling more on his plate. The chef announced he will be opening a second venture in Manhattan, his US version of a laid-back, relaxed gastropub.

The casual concept, Ramsay defends, isn't due to the failing economy: "It's not because of the credit crunch or holding back. I just love that kind of alternative."

Gordon Ramsay at the London, his first stateside spot in midtown Manhattan, opened in 2006 to mixed reviews from critics, but the restaurant has proved resilient, earning two Michelin stars.

No word yet on when the café is set to open. Ramsay does have other things going on, after all: The new season of Kitchen Nightmares premieres tonight on Fox.

Source

London Receives a Marmite Kiss

YumSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:28:56 -0800

This morning I asked you if you would eat a Marmite sandwich. Imagine my surprise when just a few hours later I discovered that London-based artist, Jeremy Fattorini, has created a giant sculpture made from it! His sculpture, which is a replica of Rodin's The Kiss, is 7-ft. tall and is made from 420 jars of the limited-edition "I Love You" Marmite. It was unveiled yesterday in London's Greenwich Park, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Source

Happy Hour: Desmond's Pleasure

partysugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:36 -0700

If you're a fan of Beefeater, you should definitely get your hands on the brand's latest release, Beefeater 24. The artisan gin, that's made in London, features 12 specially selected botanicals, including a rare Japanese tea and Chinese green tea. The spirit is brewed for 24 hours, hence the name. Unlike classic Beefeater, the 24 is distinctly smoother and more complex with a slightly floral aroma. It makes an excellently drinkable gin and tonic and an elegant rickey.

I recently enjoyed Beefeater 24 in a cocktail named for its creator, master distiller Desmond Payne, at Clock Bar in San Francisco. Crafted by one of my favorite bartenders, Steven Liles, this drink is full of tart citrus flavor. The combination of elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, bitter lemon soda, and Pimm's does not overshadow the Beefeater 24. Instead, it enhances and balances out the gin, resulting in a drink that is intricate and refreshing.

To look at Steven's recipe, read more.

Desmond’s Pleasure
From Steven Liles of Clock Bar

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. Beefeater 24
1/2 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. Lemon juice
3 dashes Fees Bros. Grapefruit Bitters
Fever Tree bitter lemon soda
1/2 oz. Pimm's No.1

Directions

Shake first 4 ingredients and strain into ice filled Collins glass.
Add bitter lemon soda and float pimm's over the top. Garnish with a long slice of lemon peel.

Makes 1 drink.

Print recipe with images | without images