Monthly Archives: July 2012

Why We Love Britain

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The Olympic Opening Ceremony in London was quintessentially British and bonkers. It was completely chaotic at times, like a flash mob running wild. At other times it felt like the world’s biggest inside joke. As I watched, I wondered whether it made any sense to people outside the UK. On occasion I worried that the whole thing would descend into expensive anarchy. Yet, somehow it worked. Somehow it appears to have charmed the world.

The Queen-tessential image of the Opening Ceremony

What outsiders may not realize is that the whole country runs a bit like the Olympic opening ceremony. Britain seems to always be on the verge of breaking down chaotically, but somehow soldiers on rather charmingly. Its economy, its politicians, its sports teams, its infrastructure all appear ready to implode. Yet, the country gives it the old college try, fixes itself another gin & tonic and muddles through.

The UK is an enormously creative place. In an Olympic year it was pointed out that eight of the top ten global sports were invented here. It doesn’t mean that the UK is actually good at any of them.

Take football (a.k.a. soccer), the national sport. It seemingly has a bigger budget than the Department of Defense. Yet, England hasn’t won a trophy since 1966 (to be fair neither has the Department of Defense unless you count the Falklands). English football lurches from crisis to crisis; the manager is fired because he can’t speak English, the captain is fired for sleeping with another player’s girlfriend, a star player pays grandmothers for sex. You can’t make this stuff up. Yet, the adoring fans keep the faith and the sport muddles on: as does the rest of the country.

However, this quirky place really does have the stuff of genius. Some of the most revolutionary ideas were born here, from the steam engine to the World Wide Web (unless you are American and believe that Al Gore invented everything). Yet, while the British are good at coming up with great ideas, it usually takes an American, a Japanese or a Chinese to figure out how to make money at it. The British inventor eventually gets to meet the Queen.

Despite all of this, or perhaps because of it, London is a delightful place to live. It continues to welcome foreign people, ideas and capital – long after New York City wrapped itself in a frightened, protective cloak. It is cosmopolitan; 34% of Londoners are foreign born, more than half have a foreign born parent. The art galleries and museums are free, the bars and restaurants are top notch and if you get tired of the weather – continental Europe is at your doorstep. Having lived all over the world, I moved here some 15 years ago and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

The sun was shining and all was right with the world when I invited a group of British friends to a Martini Mandate vodka tasting. Each brought along a boutique vodka; Potocki (Poland), Belvedere Intense (Poland), Adnam’s Longshore (UK), Chase (UK) and Crystal Skull (Canada). I provided Grey Goose (France) as a flavor benchmark. This was an international selection, reflecting vodka’s standing as the world’s most popular spirit – remarkable given that vodka was not consumed outside Europe before the 1950s.

The Martini Mandate Vodka Test. From Left to Right; Chase, Adnam’s Longshore, Belvedere Intense, Crystal Skull, Potocki, Grey Goose

Long Tall Sally arrived at the martini tasting straight off a flight from Asia. The other drinkers included Mini Me, the Rugger Bugger, Snow White (she has a thing for dwarves) and the Lasher (the only straight man to wear false eyelashes). They are all good friends and serious martini drinkers.

We started with prosecco whose slightly sweeter bubbles work well with spicier foods. I had used mum’s recipes to prepare several Sri Lankan dishes, while getting my countrymen at the Hopper Hut in Wembley to make stringhoppers (a steamed vermicelli made with rice flour, formed into discs) and a rather special cashew curry. Our stomachs suitably lined we got down to the serious business of drinking…

The Potocki Rye Vodka (established 1784) won our taste test hands down. The vodka is unfiltered and distilled just twice to prevent the flavours being stripped away. My friends described Potocki vodka as rounded, with a good aroma. My lasting impression is of a creamy smoothness. Several mentioned the flavor of the rye itself as a tasting note.

Proving that there is no right way to make a good vodka, Crystal Skull vodka is quadruple distilled and then filtered six times – three times through charcoal and three times through diamond chips. Skull came a solid second in our taste test, being described as complex and crisp. Dan Akroyd, star of the Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters, produces the vodka. The bottle, in the shape of a human skill, has something to do with the legend of the 13 crystal skulls. You can view Akroyd’s explanation here. He may have been drinking.

The Taste Testers somehow ended up on the roof amongst the chimney pots

Grey Goose the first super premium vodka, took third place. This is still the benchmark vodka; the flavor is clean, full in the mouth and evenly balanced on the tongue. Chase, which took fourth place in our test is my favourite potato vodka. I find potato vodkas to be extremely creamy, especially in a martini. Chase is made by William Chase, a man who knows his spuds, having made his first fortune making Tyrrells crisps.

Adnam’s uses barley, wheat and oats in making their Finest Cut Longshore vodka which came fifth in our test. Adnam’s is best know for its beers; ales have been brewed at its site in Suffolk since 1345. I like their vodka, it is a complex mouthful of flavor with an undercurrent of toffee. It is polarizing, however. Several of my friends found the three grain wash made the flavor too complex for their liking, commenting that “there was too much going on” in one glass.

We didn’t like the Belvedere Intense vodka. It has an intense, over-fermented flavor with a trace of anise that was not pleasant on the tongue.

The last word: my 18 year old daughter happened upon the taste testing and was encouraged to provide some input. She politely tasted all the expensive vodkas on offer and opined – “They don’t taste that different. I’m a student. I like whichever’s cheapest.” This is either an inter-generational difference of opinion or someone just noticed the emperor’s new clothes!

Wherever you may be, enjoy the Olympics! If you are in London, enjoy this most fabulous city. Many of the vodkas mentioned can be tasted at the bars mentioned in The Best of London: Olympic Edition. Cheers!

Further Reading

If you are interested in conducting your own testing or wish for a more data driven approach Find the Best has some excellent statistics.

The Best of London – Olympic Edition

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The Olympians are in London!  I see them walking the streets ready to chase their dreams. Good luck to them all!  As the motto says, citius, altius, fortius; faster, higher, stronger!  Thrill us. We will share your joys, shed your tears, but most of all we will prepare to be amazed.

Now for the rest of you who are here to witness the spectacle, a few words of advice. You are not athletes. You really should not wear sporting attire, especially if the furthest you’ve run recently is to the refrigerator door.   Sneakers should not be seen outside the gymnasium. It is not acceptable to wear baseball caps indoors.

This is an exciting city with some wonderful bars and restaurants.  Please frequent them.  I know it is exciting for you to be here. Please contain yourself.  We don’t really need to hear your conversation. Yes we know London is expensive and it rains a lot. We really don’t need you to tell us that either.  I know you love your kids. I love mine too. I leave them at home when I go out.  All decent hotels in London have babysitting services.  They employ very beautiful Eastern European girls who speak no English, so your kids won’t bother them.

The Tower Bridge proudly displays the Olympic rings

When the sun is shining in London, as it is now, there is no finer city in the world.  Despite their stiff upper lips, the natives are friendly.  Be warned however, that they will drink you under the table.  Have a helluva time! Here are my current favourite bars and restaurants:

The best martini in London is to be had at Dukes Hotel. This is a tiny hotel and the bar is a small traditional affair. All the tables are marked reserved.  Allesandro Palazzi, the bartender, will size you up.  If you are a serious drinker there is already a table reserved for you. If you order something silly like white wine they’ll banish you to a lesser bar. Ian Fleming sat here and wrote Casino Royale.  Legend has it that the phrase “shaken not stirred” was invented here.  Don’t even think about taking your kids.

Another favourite martini haunt is the Connaught Bar at the Connaught hotel.  It is only open in the evening.  The Dukes Hotel is for serious drinkers.  The Connaught is for serious drinkers to see and be seen. It is glamourous.  They have an excellent range of home made bitters with which they will delicately flavour your martini.  I like the lavender bitters in a Plymouth Gin martini. If you want to taste a £40 ($60) martini ask for their super premium vodkas.

Some of you may make it to London with someone you actually like versus someone you happen to get married to after you got drunk together during senior week. Take the person you like on a cocktail date to the Beaufort Bar at the Savoy Hotel.  It’s dark and sexy, all black with gold leaf accents.  The cabaret stage features live music from a venue where the likes of George Gershwin broadcast over the then newly launched British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).  There are 27 champagnes available by the glass.  The bar counter is by Rene Lalique.  The cocktails are serious.

The magnificent Beaufort Bar at the Savoy

If you want to explore a proper drinking den without venturing too far outside central London I recommend the Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) in Chinatown.  The entrance is unremarkable except for the bouncer guarding it.  Upstairs are two floors of shabby chic, a combination of fin-de-siecle opulence and antique store finds.  The drinks are reasonably priced at £10 (US $16) although you can push the boat out and order a £150 (US $230) martini made with 1950′s Gordon’s Gin. I’m not sure gin actually improves with age – more likely its a marketing gimmick to take advantage of finding a case of unopened gin in granny’s attic.  The crowd is young, hip and beautiful.  Whilst you are in London do try the most exciting new spirits houses – Sipsmith and Sacred Spirits are both brewed in London and both make an excellent London Dry Gin.  Sipsmith also makes a very good vodka. Chase’s makes my favourite potato vodka. All of the bars mentioned in this article stock them.

London’s food scene is cosmopolitan and exciting.  Unfortunately most good restaurants get booked early.  Go in the early part of the week or book lunch which tends to be less crowded (and frequently better value).

If you are going out to eat in London you must taste the best of British cusine:

  • Fergus Henderson at St John Hotel near Leicester Square (plus his original Michelin starred St John Bar and Restaurant at the Smithfield’s).  Don’t take your muslim friends here.  Fergus celebrates eating the pig, every part of the pig, in what he calls “nose to tail eating”.  He serves up inner organs in big exhilarating dishes that combine high sophistication with peasant roughness.
  • Jason Atherton at Pollen Street Social in Mayfair.  Atherton won a Michelin star at Maze and it won’t be long before his solo venture receives the same accolade.  This is sophisticated but fun food, served in a bright space with great cocktails.  Moreover there is a bar where you can eat the same food if the restaurant can’t find you a table.
  • Mark Hix at Hix in Soho.  I also like his new restaurant Tramshed in Shoreditch.  There is a daily changing menu of seasonal British food.  The emphasis is on beef and shellfish, particularly oysters.  The art is by Damien Hirst and a revolving panoply of British talent.  The bar downstairs is exceptional (see my review in Bombay Rolls, Persian Lovers and a Bit of Hanky Panky)

Cigarette Girls in their prime at Quaglino’s

If you’ve forgotten to book early, look for a large restaurant with a bit more space.  My favourite last minute haunts are Quaglino’s in Mayfair and Le Pont de la Tour in Shad Thames (by the Tower Bridge). These are both establishment restaurants that have stood the test of time.  John le Carre’s spies met their handlers at Quaglino’s.  My friends in the intelligence community suggest it still is favoured by James Bond types.  The cigarette girls who sashay amongst the tables no longer offer cigarettes, but they still sashay.  Quaglino’s offers a classic brasserie menu.  Le Pont de la Tour offers a French menu, a waterfront setting and fabulous views of the Thames and Tower Bridge.  There are no cigarette girls at Le Pont de la Tour but the service is impeccable with an old world courtesy rarely seen in busy restaurants.

Before Margaret Thatcher kicked socialism into the long grass and put the Great back in Britain, the food here was atrocious.  It was said that the only edible food you could find in the UK was Indian.  London still has some of the best Indian food in the world.  Amaya in Knightsbridge serves some of the most creative Indian food in the world.  It is better than anything I’ve tasted in India, plus the waiters smell nicer.  Amaya was one of the first Indian restaurants in the world to be awarded a Michelin star.

If all else fails drop me a comment on this site and I’ll suggest some alternatives.  I’m keeping the home bar going for all visiting friends. No baseball caps please.

Further Reading

This fabulous tube map of some of London’s best cocktail bars was put together by the Gin Monkey.  Click for a larger image.  The list of bars mentioned is also available on Foursquare; handy if you want to meet people once you’ve had a few drinks and feel irresistibly attractive to the opposite sex.  You can find a very reliable list of London’s top 40 cocktail bars at Class Magazine, produced by the Difford’s Guide

Tube Map of Cocktail Bars – copyright The Gin Monkey (ginmonkey.co.uk)

My Dinner with Nigella

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Being the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a.k.a Finance Minister) is a shitty job. In hard times you get blamed for the tough decisions that have to be taken. In good times everybody else takes the credit. Being the child of a reviled public figure can’t be much fun. Most such offspring shun the limelight and move to the country to do whatever people do in the country. I’m told that cow tipping and wife swapping are popular pastimes in the shires.

Nigel Lawson was an outstanding Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher. He was part of the Tory tribe who liberalised capital markets, lowered taxes, busted the unions and saved Britain from becoming the basket case of Europe. They helped turn Britain from a nation of whining Fabian socialists to a shining beacon for free market capitalism. The hemp and lentil brigade who’d rather we live on welfare, recycle cigarette butts and subsist on roots and seeds, hated him. His daughter Nigella’s riposte is to live well, surely the best revenge. Some of you may have seen a version of the email below:

Living well is the best revenge

Nigella was dining at the next table from mine at Dabbous, Ollie Dabbous’s eponymous new restaurant. My dinner companion used to be a professional diving instructor before he came up for air and got sucked into the city.  Long years of diving have given him perfect, virtually Vitruvian proportions.  Vitruvian man wistfully commented that Nigella looked twenty years younger than her pictures. Her Earth Mother meets Marilyn Monroe looks have that effect on most people. The ultra hip wait staff, straight and gay, went doolally around her.

Ollie Dabbous trained with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, staged at The Fat Duck and cheffed at Texture. These are all Michelin starred restaurants. He is young (31) and adept at the modern scientific methods of cooking perfected by Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck. You wouldn’t know it however, from the way the food is presented; it is unpretentious with no overweening explanations of technique. The overwhelming impression of Dabbous is of youth, confidence, technical brilliance and unmitigated joy in serving very, very good food.

The Coddled Free Range Hen Egg at Dabbous. Never known a cock to lay one.

We had the tasting menu. It included a coddled egg; the egg is lightly scrambled and mixed with wild mushrooms and smoked butter before being returned to its shell. These are flavours that were made for each other. It looked amazing and tasted divine. Critics rave about the barbecued Iberico pork. I could go on about the food, but the Bacchanalian delights are what I came for.

The restaurant on the ground floor has an industrial warehouse décor circa 1990. It’s dark with cold surfaces and hard edges. The basement bar is even darker; Oskar’s Bar is run by Oskar Kinberg formerly of the Cuckoo Club. He has developed a kick ass cocktail list. The Mellow Yellow had a base of Cazadores Blanco tequila, with Cointreau, cigar syrup, lime juice mellowed with yellow pepper, served in a whisky rinsed glass. There’s a lot going on in this drink and plenty that could go wrong, but it worked. I had a fleeting hint of cigar on the nose before tasting a very rich margarita. A masculine drink. The Accomplice is made with Diplomatico Blanco rum, greengage liqueur, elderflower cordial, lime juice, agave syrup and bitters, served straight up and rubbed with sage. There is a nice sharpness on the tongue from the greengage with sage and bitters after-notes.

Dabbous has been open since February 2012, but has already gained a reputation for serving the best Negroni in town. Charlie who was bartending, reached for a special barrel of Negroni he’s been ageing for six weeks. Ageing cocktails is not new, but it is of the moment – the ingredients oxidise and react with the wood in the barrel to create a more complex, but still recognizable drink. Charlie uses Sacred gin (a British boutique gin brewed near my home) and Antica Formula vermouth in his Negroni. The drink was pleasantly bitter in the mouth with a long finish. We had it straight up. I’d never known ice to do much more than chill a drink. However, when Charlie introduced ice into the mix, the flavor actually changed. The drink tasted wetter, the ingredients somehow bound together more tightly, the flavor was smoother. I think I had three.

Industrial chic

Dabbous is accessible, friendly and shockingly inexpensive. Starters cost around £7 (US $11) and mains are around £15 (US $23). The drinks were mostly around £8.50 (US $13). The foodie staff knows how good the food and drink is and want you to enjoy it. They don’t turn the tables here – there is just one sitting for dinner. You are encouraged to dally. This is also the hottest restaurant in London. The chances of Silvio Berlusconi being appointed to run a home for recovering nymphomaniacs are greater than your ability to get a reservation here before March 2013. It is worth the wait. Nigella loved it.

Further Reading

Blogger reviews of Dabbous from Eats, Treats and Leaves and Twelve Point Five Percent. Mixologist Jeffrey Morganthaler discusses ageing cocktails and provides directions for barrel ageing Negroni cocktails.  You don’t have to fill an entire whiskey barrel with booze – most bars in London use small wooden barrels of a few litres in capacity of the type traditionally made by Eastern European Coopers.
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