Embrace your inner caveman!

Now the sun has shown its shining face we are once again swept with summertime fever. With the sun come images of BBQs and picnics, and my taste buds start tingling at the thought of it! BBQs and picnics are wonderful ways of sharing food and experiences with friends and family better than many other eating events.

I am keen on BBQs and picnics because of the link they have with the origins of cooking and eating. If we imagine our distant ancestors, the cave men, all they did were eat BBQs and picnics. It seems not to be a coincidence that the men of the family are always drawn to manning the fire and cooking the meat. BBQs especially are the epitome of simple but wonderful food. Most comprise meat, salad, bread and beer- a perfect combination for the modern day caveman. There is nothing fancy about a BBQ even if the host has tried to make it that way. Usually because of the fact at least one sausage has fallen into the charcoal, the Great British breeze will have blown something onto the floor to be snuffled up by the dog, and finally because of the constant threat of wasps chasing you and your food! I think it is important to remember our origins and keep in mind the first chefs who walked the earth.

Another summer tradition is that of picnics. They share links with ancient eating as well, mainly from the image of everyone sitting on the floor sharing the food that has been gathered together. When thinking philosophically about these summertime treats, I am drawn to the fact that they all come hand in hand with the thought of sharing and that they keep us tied to our distant relatives. Food has always brought people together and in summer it allows you to enjoy the great outdoors at the same time. I once studied a philosopher who believed happiness was brought by nature and an appreciation of nature. I believe enjoying food and nature whilst feeling connecting to the first men who walked the earth, doing activities that they could have done themselves, is extremely good for the soul. Although cavemen would not have sat around on gingham blankets with wicker baskets I am sure they would have liked a scotch egg or two!

Embrace your inner cave man, light a fire and enjoy some great food with friends and family! Welcome to the summer!     

Battle of the bloggers!

My boyfriend loves food just as much as me, perhaps even more because his appetite is bigger than mine! We both entered a competition to write a restaurant review and we both chose to write about Le Gavroche because it is the best restaurant we have even eaten at! The same meal, described in two very different ways, proving that a great meal is personal to the one eating it. Enjoy!

In Le Gavroche!

Restaurant review by Harriet-

As a birthday present I was taken to Le Gavroche and it is something I will remember for the rest of my life. As soon as you are greeted at the door you are made to feel like royalty. You venture downstairs and are met by an atmosphere which just tells you, you are about to have something extraordinary happen to you. I was lucky enough to experience the tasting menu where my personal highlights included the cheese soufflé in a cream sauce- the best soufflé I will definitely ever eat, and the snails and langoustine gratin. 

They may sound simple for a two Michelin star restaurant but the way that such simple combinations and ingredients were used and cooked to perfection made them even more fantastic than any flamboyant dish you may eat somewhere else. 

The dishes spoke for themselves but the staff and the restaurant brought the theatre to your dining experience. The main courses all were revealed by the lifting of giant, perfectly polished cloches; and the way the waitress produced a perfect quenelle of ice cream at the table just could not stop any guest who was dining from having a massive smile on their face. I would recommend anyone who likes food and understands good cooking to go to Le Gavroche. It is understated yet brilliant. I hope it will not be long until I am there again.  

Snail and Langoustine gratin

Restaurant review by Jamie-

We strolled by Le Gavroche, too embarrassed to go in because we were unfashionably early! But before we knew it the door was opened and we were guided down into a restaurant that was like the most prestigious London gentlemen’s club combined with a peaceful retreat from the bustling hubbub of the big smoke. We ordered their Menu Exceptional, as this was my birthday treat for the Mrs, and a more perfect treat for two greedy foodys you could not find! The cheese soufflé that started the gastronomic symphony we were about to enjoy was like a candyfloss cloud of melt- in-the- mouth cheesey deliciousness. The foie- gras terrine that followed was so perfect that any ethical dilemmas anyone may have had with eating it would have been forgotten the moment it touched their lips. Gazing around at my fellow diners gave one that feeling that all great restaurants should give you; feeling like you’ve really made it, just by eating there, and fearing that at any minute you will be found out for the charlatan-Mcdonald’s eating peasants that you are! Langoustines and snails, black pudding and crumbled egg, loin of venison all followed in this French feast. But the desert, the beautiful baba, soaked at the table in Le Gavroche’s own calvados, oh wow! Had that small, brandy-drenched cake been the last thing I had ever eaten, my stomach would have died content! Should anyone be writing a restaurant bucket list, Le Gavroche should be top of their list!

Apple and calvados baba

You are only as good as your last dish

The thing about food and whether you like it or not, is that it is subjective. I believe this is something people forget when dining out at restaurants which have reputations of serving excellent food. Although a massive cliché, a restaurant is only as good as the last plate of food it has served.  The best chef in the world could cook a dish but if the waiting staff deliver it to the wrong table or wait too long before taking it out of the kitchen then it will no longer be as perfect as how the chef wanted it. I believe people need to be braver when eating out and form their own opinions of the restaurant itself along with the food they are served. Just because it has received good reviews does not mean you are obliged to say how wonderful it is without thinking about the experience you yourself received.

                This leads on to the point I am keen to make, that the power lies in the hands of the guest of the restaurant, not the chef. If you compare the world’s greatest chef to the world’s greatest artist then there is a massive difference. A painting could be created and never seen for hundreds of years yet when it is found it could still be credited as the best work of art there has ever been. Yet if the greatest chef has no one to eat his food at the exact point it is put on the plate then he is no greater than me or you. The chef depends so much more greatly on his audience than any other form of artist. The only way his greatness can last longer than the time it takes to eat a main course, is in the minds and hearts of those lucky enough to eat his food.

                I know lots of people who are put off by Michelin starred restaurants or they just do not understand what all the fuss is about when eating there, so are reluctant to visit. I am urging them to think about it more deeply and see that by you going there, you are in control; you do not have to like every dish just because someone who is paid to eat for a living tells you that you should. Going out to eat is a very personal experience, it is different for everyone. Even if everyone likes the food, it will be for different reasons and when reminiscing later about the restaurant different people will remember different things.

                I love going to dinner, mostly because of the food but also because of the theatre of the whole evening and the memories that are created. It should not be an overwhelming experience. You must remember without the guests, the chefs are nothing. They are desperate for you to come and eat their food so they can express their creativity and skills and leave an impression that lasts longer than just that evening. The power is in your hands as the eater. Go out and fill your stomachs, and decide for yourself whether these chefs deserve the accolades they work so hard for- with everything in life, you shouldn’t just take someone’s word for it.

My first ever restaurant dish!