Borough Market in London

The weekend before Valentine's Day, when I was in London, Ed and Betty took me to Borough Market, a huge open-air collection of food stalls south of the River Thames and London Bridge. 

The market goes back to at least 1276.  Its staggering size, about 85 stalls depending on the season, reminded me of La Boqueria in Barcelona.  Unlike Boqueria, though, Borough features a lot of fine food retailers – like the ones you see at Madrid’s Mercado de San Migel.  But there’s no analogy for the heavily sauced sausages, hot pies and stewed meats.  If you're looking for the full monty of Brit cuisine, Borough's the place.    

On a Saturday afternoon, the market is packed, despite its expansive territory.  Sometimes you're shoulder-to-shoulder with the other shoppers.  Not a new problem: in 1754, the market was causing so much traffic congestion that Parliament temporarily shut it down.

The market’s popularity these days makes it hard to imagine another closing.  I can’t report any celeb sightings, but Borough is supposedly one of the best spots for ogling your Jude Laws and Keira Knightleys.

I have a hard time picturing Keira diving into Borough’s extravagance.  The smoked meatball sandwiches, pork roast, asparagus soup, jamon (okay, that one isn’t so authentic), blood pudding, mashers and fresh cheese were all of highest quality and caloric content.  The highlights of the afternoon, though, were the hot pies, vegan roasts, wild rock oysters and reindeer burger - even though my request for the red-nosed variety was rejected by a humorless Brit.

We got the hot pies (and blood pudding) from the stall run by Sillfield Farm, which is located four hours away in Cumbria (northwest England).  The producer, Peter Gott, keeps no less than 150 rare breeds of pig.

Guess what they sold like

Not to be outdone were the oysters at the Haward stall.  The Haward family has been harvesting the waters of Essex since 1792, and their go-to items are the same now as they were then: Colchester native and wild rock.  I enjoyed both, although I'm not sure I agree with the Romans, who, according to the Haward website, declared 2000 years ago that wild rock oysters were the only good things to come out of Britannia.  

I wanted all of these

The vegetarian roasts, sold at the London Roast stand, are stuffed with beetroot, potato, carrot, apple and corn flakes, and seasoned with fenugreek, cardamom, cumin and sea salt.  Even better than their earthy taste is the shape of London Roast’s muffins, which are baked in clay plant pots.

Healthy stuff

We tracked down the reindeer burgers at the Ostrich and Exotic Meats counter.  Reindeer is the same type of deer called caribou in North America.  Prancer was tender and juicy.  More than 70 percent of reindeer that are slaughtered for meat are calves, which tend to have fatty, soft flesh.

Me, stunned at my good fortune in finding an exotic meats stand

A humorless Brit

Prancer burger

A bit knackered after our Borough feast, we got on line at a coffee shop, which was a ways from the market.  But cow monuments are always a good reminder that passionate meat purveyors are nearby.  Who is Valentine to judge the object of one's affection?

Where to Find Your Luxury Canned Food

Is there such a thing as luxury canned food? Is it an oxymoron that can only be eaten while wearing natural make-up in a room filled with deafening silence?

A&H Gourmet and Seafood Market of Bethesda believes that you can still be posh while working the pop-top.

In fact, on a placard in front of the store, right next to the fresh Siberian caviar, they had a picture of Conservas Ortiz Ventresca de Bonito del Norte. AKA, canned tuna.

But this isn’t your grandpa’s chicken of the sea. Imported from northern Spain, Conservas Ortiz uses the most tender part of the white tuna: the belly, or ventresca. Each tuna is line-caught by hand, which preserves the texture and flavor that are often missing from tuna that are subjected to the stressful process of net harvesting. The albacore is freshly cleaned and dressed, then hand-packed to ensure that the fillet stays in one piece.

Labor + parts + cool northern Spain cachet = $8.99 per can.

Of course, I had to try one. I also bought a can of Starkist tuna for a side-by-side comparison, and it wasn’t even close. As advertised, the most impressive trait of the Conservas Ortiz was its texture. Whereas the Starkist was predictably chalky and stuck to the mouth, the ventresca was delicate and light. The taste was slightly smoky. Usually I have to throw the Starkist in a sandwich or salad just to tolerate it, but the Conservas Ortiz satisfies by itself. I also noticed that the Starkist had a much fishier odor than the luxury model.

Two more items at A&H caught my fancy for fancy cans. One was Cofimar cockles in brine. Cofimar is a dry cargo company that is relatively unknown, and based on their cockles, I completely understand why. Imagine tiny tasteless bivalves sitting in water mixed with about four tablespoons of salt and a dash of sand. Now imagine throwing most of it away, as I did.

My third purchase was Goya’s Eelbroods of Surimi, the best of my buys at A&H. Yes, even better than the Conservas Ortiz tuna. In taste and texture, if not in appearance, the silver eelbroods reminded me of the glass noodles in chap chae bap – sweet and slightly chewy. And Goya packs them with enough garlic and cayenne for just the right amount of kick.

But when I looked at the ingredients, I realized that Goya had tricked me. These baby eels are born on a Goya assembly line. Which is to say, they aren’t eels at all. They are “surimi,” a mix of fish meat, water, white egg, vegetable flour, and, last but not least, “natural aroma of eel and ink.” Goya didn’t think the actual eel was important, but the genuine aroma of the eel – that was indispensable.

But what do you expect? It’s sold in a can.

AGAINN Celebrates the ‘Luck of the Irish’ With An All Day Happy Hour,

Immediate release from Heather Freeman:

WHAT: AGAINN is celebrating all things Irish with signature beverages and traditional fare this St. Patrick’s Day.  Happy hour specials will be available at the 19-seat bar including drafts of Harp Irish Lager, Guinness, Smithwick’s and Kilkenny, plus shots of Irish whiskey each priced from $5 to $6. Traditional Irish fare from a special St. Patrick’s Day menu will also be available with standouts including House-Smoked Scottish Salmon; Bangers and Mash; Fish & Chips; Lamb Stew and Sheppard’s Pie.  Additionally, guests will enjoy Irish tunes courtesy of O’Kane Mutiny who will be performing from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.  (A $5 cover charge will be in place starting at 4 PM).

For those looking for a more intimate gathering, the 14-seat private dining room, complete with plush chairs and flat screen television is also available for booking on St Patrick’s Day.  Priced at $2,500, guests will receive three bottles of Irish whiskey including Jameson, Bushmills, and Black Bush for the room along with a choice of two Irish beers per guest, unlimited food from the featured St. Patrick’s Day menu, and party favors.

WHEN: Thursday, March 17, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

WHERE: AGAINN is located on 11^th Street, NW (between K Street and New     York Avenue); phone (202) 639-9830.
.

WHY: St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated all around the globe to honor the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick.  Guests are encouraged to wear green to avoid being pinched on this festive night.

Curry Shrimp and Iranian Rice, German-Franco Style

This past weekend, Marcy and I were treated to a meal cooked up by Anja and Christian.  They’re a German/French couple.  Of course, the menu was curry shrimp and Iranian rice.

Ok, so they like to go outside their comfort zone.  Anja has spurned the kielbasa and tinkered with her curry shrimp for years.  Christian didn’t have to experiment.  His ex-wife was Iranian and spoon-fed him all the insider tricks to her country’s ancient rice recipe.

The curry shrimp was salty sweet comfort food with a kick.  The rice, called tadig or “pot bottom,” was cooked in a cast-iron non-stick sauce pan.  Christian used regular short-grain.  You cook it really slowly, then add boiling salt water and continue cooking until you hear a frying noise.  By the time you remove the lid, your rice has transformed into a cake.  Cake with a crunchy, buttery, saffron-infused crust, and an interior filled with perfectly fluffy grains.

Self-proclaimed tadig experts on Chowhound say you need to use basmati rice for a good tadig.  I know a French guy who puts them to shame.

Foodie Zombie at London Chinatown and Barshu

I’m back from London. 

My tongue did some serious work over in the honky motherland: Chinatown, Borough Market, a Gordon Ramsay corporate lunch spot called the Narrow, Thai pubs, all-you-can-eat bacon butty sandwiches, the first Indian and Thai restaurants in the UK to get Michelin stars, and more. 

Eating agenda, devoured.  

About an hour after landing in London, Betty and I were nearly devoured ourselves by the teeth of London’s Chinatown, which was crammed to capacity to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Think frowny old Asian men, dragon-masked dancers beating drums, little kids nailing each other with fusillades of snap-and-pops, and a bunch of mothers driving baby carriages into our calves. 

London Chinatown.  Simultaneously, a mother crashed her stroller into my leg and I was shot with a snap-and-pop as I took this.

As promised, grumpy old Asian man

Oh, and some of the best Chinese food in the world, like these hot, fresh, huge jiaozi, or Chinese dumplings.  We zagged through the crowd to Betty’s favorite jiaozi street cart, where I got two softball-sized food balloons, one stretched out with steamed pork, the other with mixed vegetables. 

Seeing me take my last bite of the second jiaozi, Betty said, “Ready for Barshu?”

I’d got only two hours sleep on the red-eye in.  And I was already full. 

I looked at Betty like she was crazy.  What kind of question was that?  Barshu is the best Sichuan restaurant in London!   

“Take me there,” I replied in a deep monotone, with both my arms stretched forward in the direction of the restaurant and my eyes rolled up towards the back of my head.  I moved on to my next foodie-zombie massacre with the remains of the previous one still at the corners of my mouth. 

Barshu was so damn good, lack of hunger proved irrelevant.  I thankfully stuffed myself even more; the flavor at Barshu rewards resilient appetites like the American Express Blue Cash program rewards a couple extra hours at the mall.  Betty and I made disappear pig knuckle, silky snake gourd, thinly sliced beef heart, chili-pepper flecked tofu, thrice-cooked pork, anything else presented to our table.  This fare was better than Sichuan I’ve gobbled in Rockville and New York because Barshu takes a measured approach to ma, the tingly numbness caused by Sichuan peppercorns.  They know I want just a hint of the ma, and a light touch with the reddish chili oil sauce.  I can skip feeling like my lips are swelling up like Faye Resnick.

A couple hours later I was at an Italian restaurant fork-wrestling grilled sea bass, and I finished off a proud day of eating at an expat bar called Jet Lag.  That’s where I watched the Super Bowl over nachos and cheese while a crew of native Londoners bought me shots of Freddy Kruger and over-explained the fortunes of their fantasy football teams.

I got back to the hotel at about 5 a.m.  My meetings started at 9.  I made a date for about 8:15 with a can of Red Bull in the mini-fridge, climbed into bed and had dream prophesies of kingfish kabobs, exotic meat purveyors at Borough Market, and the amazing Thai cuisine of David Thompson.

London Eating Itinerary

I'm off to London for work.  Seven days to explore the best pubs, Indian curry houses and Chinatown joints in a city where the food scene was ranked top five in the world by Food & Wine and USA Today. 
.
On my last trip to Europe, Marcy and I polished off a 30 page trip itinerary - about half of which was dedicated to restaurants, food classes, markets and other miscellaneous scarfing.

Following that precedent, I've put together a London eats agenda that only a man with four stomachs could hope to tackle.  Having only three and a half, I will do my best.  The highlights are listed below.  If I've left off any great London grub, let me know in the comments.  Please do so sooner than later because I'm leaving tomorrow!

Tamarind

The Sunday Times rated Tamarind was one of the top 10 curry houses in London.  The former Frank Sinatra hangout was one of the first Indian restaurants in Britain to get a Michelin star.  If Tamarind doesn't curry flavor with me, I'll be forced to join the tourist stampede to the famous curry houses of Brick Lane.

Borough Market

My friend Ed's been exploring London's food scene for the past year and he called Borough Market an "absolute must."  One of the largest food markets in London, Borough claims it's been around since Roman times.

Chinatown

Lately I've had a few storm-cloud-is-following-me moments.  Driving in Van Ness this past weekend construction blocked my left turn, so, in thick traffic, I kept going, turned around and tried to make a right turn at the same intersection - just in time for the construction site to move across the street and block me again!  So I was amazed at my luck when I discovered that the day I arrive, February 6, is the Chinese New Year - the best day to hang out and chow down in London's Chinatown.  It's reputed to be the biggest Chinese New Year celebration in the world outside Asia.

Barshu

Speaking of Chinatown, many say that its jewel is a place called Barshu.  This Sichuan restaurant seems most famous for a hot pot extravaganza that takes four hours to eat and includes everything from deep-fried pork to luncheon meat.  I'm also interested in checking out the "bear claw" (your guess is as good as mine), clay jar pork and ducks eggs that, according to the Guardian, are "fascinating for their weird translucency."

Princess of Shoreditch

Legend is that Shoreditch, an area in London's inner city, was named for King Edward IV's mistress, Jane Shore, who may or may not have died in a neighborhood ditch.  Shoreditch was recently gentrified and has sprouted lots of cool pubs like Princess, where the menu looks so rich and heavy that, after dinner, I might feel like crawling in a ditch and dying, too.

Archipelago

This place is the Noah's ark of London, with a menu that features peanut-crusted wildebeast rump, seared zebra and crocodile.  They're also known for creative vegetarian options like deep-fried, spiced beetroot ravioli with pumpkin and pine nut sauce.
.
La Fromagerie

Time Out London calls the selection of cheese here “stunning.”  Fromagerie also has an all-day “tasting café” with goose rillettes, foie gras and truffle terrine, jambon persille and snails in garlic butter.

Bok Bar
.
My co-worker Doug recommended checking out one of London's Thai pubs. With a pub on every corner I guess it's inevitable that a few would serve Thai food. Bok Bar's website says it excels at Thai and has a "great atmosphere" with live sports. Maybe I'll go there to watch the Super Bowl at 12 a.m. with a big bowl of kao pad Thai chili oil.
.
Okay, what am I missing?

Heart-Shaped Burgers at Z-Burger on Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day, you could get flowers and wine and dine her at a charming spot like Restaurant Eve or the Source.  But if you really want to be romantic, stop by Z-Burger at 4321 Wisconsin Ave for heart-shaped burgers.  The deal is one per customer while supplies last. 

To score Z-Burger’s heart burger, you need to do two things.  First, order a regular burger (it's buy-one-get-one-free).  Second, head to the cash register, where you must perform for Z-Burger employees by kissing your spouse, date, or person you befriended while waiting for the bathroom.  Full make-out session is optional.  No word on whether children under 13 will be allowed inside the restaurant to watch without an adult. 

I like the idea of heart-shaped burgers as well as the idea of punishing people for being lonely and unkissable by refusing to serve them the special burgers.  
.

The offer lasts from Sunday, February 13 until 4 pm on Monday the 14^th.