Perilla - Platform 1, East Dulwich

I have no illusions in saying that I am not the most typical/average/normal person in the world. I might even go so far as to say that I am positively strange in parts, but occasionally I am confronted with an approach that confuses, challenges or surprises even me. Hopefully, all at the same time. Such is the case with the latest buzz word to be thrown around the national press, food blogs, celeb endorsements and the such like. Clean eating is being called a trend (definitely not a diet) and has come to be popularised by eating small dishes that are 'good for you'  as well as being focussed on flavour.

So eating less food overall but more fresh fruit and veg than anything else. To be fair, I'm not sure we can call that a trend; Mr Motivator was saying it twenty years ago.

So why has this diet alleged trend confused, challenged and surprised me this time around? There doesn't seem to be much to confuse anyone in that approach does there? To answer the question, we must turn to Perilla on a lovely Saturday night where Mrs P, The Child and I were delighted to be joined by the Sister-in-law for dinner over our annual Christmas weekender. The s-i-l had enjoyed Perilla only a few weekends before and was so taken with it that she booked us a table before she had even finished her own meal! Under such a powerful recommendation, how could we go anywhere else?!

As is the nature of any pop-up restaurant the menu is under constant development with tweaks and changes happening on a very tight turnaround but from what we could see, Perilla clearly knew what they wanted to do and given the pedigree of the people behind the place you can see why. Ben Marks (formally of NOMA and The Square) and Matt Emmerson (manager of both Polpo and Polpetto) have serious credentials and when I say that Head Chef Ben is only 23 then you'll be forgiven for reviewing your own achievements and finding them somewhat lacking. The principle behind Perilla is described as informal fine dining. Certainly the venue at Platform 1 is anything but formal, the atmosphere is relaxed, the music is loud and dress code is non-existent. The bar has a great range of vino as well as cocktails often with housemade ingredients which more often than not come from the edible garden terrace out the back. So far, so 'modern Britain', I thought it was great.

So we know where they are, we know who they are and they know that they are good at what they do, but what is it exactly that they did do? First the flat bread with brown butter, served with a rosemary 'brush'. This was lovely, the s-i-l assured us that they were 'better last time' which would only convince me further that it was bloody brilliant.

We then moved on to 'Crisp Chicken Wing Stuffed with Mushroom', which at £1.50 seemed like an absolute bargain, so we ordered three. And then these arrived.

Suddenly 'bargain' wasn't quite the word I would use. Now don't get me wrong, they were crispy, chicken-y and absolutely delicious (although I'm not sure how much mushroom could have been stuffed into the 15mm by 15mm sandwich) but man alive, the value is certainly questionable*. Then we moved on to the starters and as there were three, we ordered... three.

First the cauliflower which was cooked effortlessly, beautifully and stylishly. The sauce was creamy, glossy and the cauliflower was treated with such skill as to demand the oohs and aahs that it elicited from those around the table. Top notch curding too and I don't like curd.

Then the duck egg with mussels was as green as the cauliflower was beige. The mussels were Michelin-ised by some very fine chopping and probably placed with tweezers or quinelled around one of the freshest duck eggs that has passed my lips. The green sauce was phenomenal and the whole bowl was rich with the adulterously thick yolk mingling with the salty mussel and the distinctive lovage. This was far and away my favourite of the lot.

Then there was the lettuce. Until now, grilled lettuce has for me, been the preserve of destined to fail Masterchef contestants and amusing anecdotes from other foodie friends. "Do you remember when we put the baby gem under the grill? Hahahaha, what were we thinking" etc etc. Now though, having tried the above bowl I can totally get it. Perhaps it was the cheese sauce, or maybe I had previously missed the point as it was, after all, still just various kinds of slightly burnt lettuce. To be honest, I don't really care because tasted absolutely cracking**.

Then came, what was described as the mains: mackerel, pork chop and the beans, again we ordered all three, but so engrossed with the conversation that I'm afraid you are left with only the following shot:

Beans in the foreground, then the sharing mackerel and finally the pork at the back. All were cooked magnificently with particular mention going to the perfectly cooked mackerel for being boned whole with the head still on when it came to the table. An absolute masterclass if ever I've seen one. The beans were creamy, well seasoned and happily layered under another scattering of greeny leaves and the pork with green sauce had been clearly selected for it's delicate proportions but what was there tasted very good indeed.

Puds were similarly expressed with a restrained cheese and toast number:

Which provided a brilliant balance of the salty, melty, cheesiness we needed along with those islands of honeyed grapes which were such a clever idea that I may even try to do it myself. 

We also had the poached pear which came in yet another green sauce and blended soft pear with tart, cooling creme fraiche and various herbage to give a very accomplished yet ultimately unimaginative dish. I'm afraid I just don't like the herb and pear combo, but that said, the others on the table were very complimentary.

The menu, on paper, was to feed three adults and The Child and certainly the s-i-l woke up the following day and decided against breakfast being as she was, still full from the night before. However, speaking for myself any meal that I finish being more hungry than when I started has some questions to answer. Despite fulfilling the Clean Eating brief, we were crying out for some kind of potato to help bolster the meal and the portion size simply wasn't going to cut it so we jumped at the chance after the meal when we were lucky enough to meet Ben and ask him about his style; he was really friendly and chatty as well as forthcoming in his skinny jeans, fitted t-shirt and fashionable haircut about the fact that he 'doesn't really like carbs'. Well, no kidding my disgustingly talented friend. 

Perhaps Clean Eating is for young Londoners who are already slim and maybe my dinner at Perilla is forcing me to admit that's just not me any more***, but I have no doubt at all that this team are well on course for Michelin stardom. Everything we ate here was executed incredibly well and bursting with freshness and the chefs absolute dedication to his craft. These dishes certainly have their place as part of a multiple tasting menu (with added potato please) and when considered against that Michelin star this menu absolutely represents value. But they don't have that star yet and so charging £1.50 for what is effectively a vol-au-vaunt (albeit a very nice one), is difficult to justify for those of use who live outside of the magical M25 circumference of expensification. 

So with all that being said, a total bill of £180 for three adults, a child and a very good bottle of wine is not extortionate by London standards, so I continue to count my lucky stars that my family live so close to so many different (and delicious) experiences. This may not be my favourite type of food but my God, this kid knows how to cook.




*that was the confusing bit.
**I was suitably surprised.
***now that's a challenge if ever I heard one.

Stew - the Corketts house

I never cook with dates, not because I don’t like them, but because I find them quite a one trick pony. I find that it’s difficult to use a date in any way other than as a cloying sweetener but then I was invited to a pre-christmas dinner party recently where a Middle Eastern inspired stew filled with dates, apricots and a variety of herbs and spices blended to a amazingly exotic cloud that bubbled away slowly in the corner. At first, I pretended not to notice but as the evening drew on and I got hungrier and hungrier I couldn’t hold myself back.

I hung around the stove looking longingly at the depths wondering if anyone would notice if I stuck a bit of bread or spare finger in to try it but I wasn’t left alone for long enough to find out. Instead I had to wait like everyone else, I mean seriously didn’t they know who I was…????!!!!

But worth the wait it was, deep, rich and moreish. I ran out of adjectives in the second mouthful and collapsed into simple grunts, moans and sighs. In my humble opinion, there is very little better than a stew lovingly prepared with time and thought to make the most out of the most humble of ingredients. That being said, there wasn’t much humble here; bobbing about in it’s bath of tomato, apricots, spices and those aforementioned dates, were huge chunks of beef fillet. Lamb, pork, rabbit or beef, I don’t care because I love a good stew. Beautifully soft and velvety, the gravy swirled around in thick whirlpools thanks in no small part to the use of those dates. Pockets of sweet fruitiness amid the savoury juices worked in amazing concert to bring what could have been a mere average dish alive. This was no restaurant dish, but instead it was something more. A hearty pan of sharing, conversation, laughter and meat which is the best way to eat pretty much anything in my opinion. 

The use of beef fillet was a little flamboyant for a stew perhaps, our host modestly conceded, but everyone around the table appreciated the extra effort as we consumed spoon after spoon of the softest, beefiest beef I’ve had for ages. And consume we did. That enormous vat fed nine of us with no left overs. But, when it came time to swap recipes as we chatted away the evening over the top of our fully satisfied bellies, our host suddenly became frustratingly tight lipped. Therefore and with no small amount of disappointment, I have no recipe for you all today, perhaps I can persuade them to give me a hint whilst enjoying a later date*.

*You see what I did there? Date the fruit and date the... date. I know, I amaze myself sometimes too.

The Hanoi Bike Shop (again) - Glasgow

I believe that I have, in the past, made it clear that I am a fan of The Hanoi Bike Shop. As such I’m not going to re-hash the great ambience, the amazing smells or the clean fresh flavours… OK so I might mention those flavours again, instead, I'll start this re-review with a recount of an absolutely true conversation that I heard from a couple on the table next door*:

Her: Ooh Jeremy, try this.

Him: Mmm, lovely.

Her: Jeremy, ooh that one, that’s lovely.

Him: Yes, lovely.

Her: Wow, Jeremy. Have some of this, it’s lovely.

Him: Delicious.

Her: Delicious Jeremy. You’re right, delicious.

Him: Delicious.

Classic.

  

Let's start this off by essentially showing you what a Vietnamese food coma looks like; starting off with prawn crackers with creamy peanut dip. Mmmmm, creamy peanuts.

Vietnamese BBQ Chicken with chilli and lemongrass oil. Smokey, soft and charred chicken with wilted greens smothered in garlic and fish sauce. This dish was, like the whole meal, beautifully balanced and a joy to eat. A jar of pickled veg (cauliflower cucumber and water chestnut) also turned up at this point and with a light, sweet freshness, it was a perfect accompaniment to the chicken. 

Spicy beef and belly pork with rice noodles and an incredible beefy broth as well as another load of greens in even more garlic (I was on my own for the evening which is probably for the best) came out last. The flat rice noodles were as soft and slippery as the beef and pork which was, quite frankly, a-maz-ing. The beef bone stock was frighteningly deep and although I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the ‘spicy’ pre-fix that the name suggests, it did come with additional chilli, coriander and thai basil to add as you wished. Which I did.

The menu recommends 3 to 4 dishes along with a couple of sides to share between two people. I had half of this and as you can see, it amounts to what I would like to describe as an absurd amount of food for one person. I did my damnedest but couldn’t quite finish the job. While I comfortably enjoyed my dinner settling in my tummy in the few moments at the end of my meal, I pondered on why I like this place so much. The atmosphere, the staff, the food? Yes, of course to all of those but more than that, I decided it was the little details that made this a go-to dinner destination for me when in the area. The home-made fish sauce on the table in a reused mineral water bottle, tastes as savage as it smells but sprinkle it (lightly) on a bowl of Pho and it transforms into the most magical of seasonings that brings flavours that you never thought possible to your lips. Similarly, the jars of chilli and lemongrass oil placed so innocently next to the chopsticks, invite you to stir and dash your bowl liberally. However, do so at your peril because behind the wonderfully fragrant citrus lies a punch that will keep you glowing for a couple of hours if you’re not too careful.

In short, I pretty much like everything about The Hanoi Bike Shop. I have no idea if the chef is authentically Vietnamese, classically French or anything inbetween. I don’t know if this will be the start of a chain that sucks the soul from the original, I’ve not even got anything to compare it to because I certainly don’t have the experience of what eating in Vietnam is like. What I do know is that if I’m ever lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn, I want it to be like this.

http://hanoibikeshop.co.uk
@hanoibikeshop

*Names have been changed for legal reasons.

The Smoke Shack - Stony Stratford

There are so many things wrong with British BBQ that I get angry just talking about it, but since you brought it up let's start with the fact that what most of us think of as BBQ isn't actually BBQ at all, it's grilling. It can be delicious, beautiful grilling, but it is grilling nevertheless. BBQ on the other hand is an amazing blend of sweet and savoury, smokey, soft and crusty. Pork, beef, lamb or chicken, they all become something much more when laid in the 'pit and kissed with smoke over the course of the day. 

So shouldn't we have some of that magical witchcraft of cookery in MK? Certainly the Smoke Shack is looking to ride the crest of a UK wave in restaurant quality BBQ cuisine that can only bring a much needed improvement to back garden grills and impromptu Summer parties. Based in Stony Stratford (which along with Wolverton is fast becoming the go-to location for much needed independent restaurants in the immediate area). It certainly looks fantastic, with character bulging out of every nook and cranny (so long as you look past the hilariously ridiculous brick effect wallpaper) and the smell coming from the kitchen is amazing but something just felt... off.

We started with nachos, we seem to be eating a lot of nachos at the moment and these ones were... OK. The guacamole was creamy and mild and the sour cream was as sour and creamy as the name suggested. The sauce was heavy with sugar and the jalapeños were warming and tart with pickle. The nachos themselves were suitably smothered in cheese and the portion size was absolutely fine, so what's the problem? The thing is; was it any better than anything that would come from a supermarket shelf? I'm afraid that I am unconvinced.

Then came the mains, it was a rib fest as Mrs P went for the baby backs and I had the beef long rib (although I'm not even going into the question of how long do long ribs need to be to be considered long?).

Unfortunately, Mrs P's ribs were dry with very little in the way of the deep, mix of flavour I was hoping for. They were chewy but not in a good way and alongside the huge portion of chips the coleslaw was just too mild to be anything short of a small bowlful of crunchy 'meh'. I was expecting something with a bit more oomph to stand up to the meat, but instead, it didn't fulfil anything other than the standard UK restaurant BBQ checklist:

Lots of meat - check
Wooden chopping board instead of a plate - check
Token salad garnish - check
Bottle of overly sweet 'Smokey' BBQ sauce - check
Bowl of coleslaw - check

My beef ribs on the other hand were certainly moist and tender but they just didn't taste of very much. I don't know if they used a rub on the meat before cooking but if so, I would suggest they look to change it. Otherwise my checklist was similarly in place.

We also had a side of the tampura onion rings as they are Mrs P's Achilles heel and they were again, consistently standard but also as much of the meal before it, didn't throw anything crazy at us. To be honest, by the end I was crying out for something to make us go 'wow', 'ooh' or maybe even 'eh'?.

We saw a couple of the puds go past to other tables, and they did look tasty but by then we were happy just to pay up and move on which is perhaps when considering Mrs P's penchant for the sweet stuff the most telling indictment of all. 

The Smoke Shack has a massive fan base, so much so that booking to get in here is certainly recommended. The place was packed out on the Wednesday night that we visited but for me, Smoke Shack is OK and not much more. Go to Bodeans, or look up The Rib Man and you'll see that it is flavour more than presentation that makes for real BBQ.