Food news of the week:
I wanted to visit Dinner by Heston Blumenthal ever since I saw him on a TV food tour years ago. I was captivated by his whole molecular gastronomy vibe and focus on multisensory experience. Really excited to write about that for next week after the delightful opportunity to go recently. For today, it’s a review on Pot and Rice, which took over the kushikatsu spot Daichi (fried small plates) on D’Arblay Street, of which sister restaurant is the famous Angelina in Dalston. shiitake mushroom extract
I couldn’t get a nice spot at the main bar in Claridge’s so we went to The Painter’s Room instead, which turned out to be the best accident. I had the sultriest smoky cocktail Gamboge, of Michter’s bourbon, dry vermouth, drambuie (scotch whiskey), saffron and cacao. It hits you like a brick in the best way possible.
Last week we did a deep dive over at Biomes and Brains into the history and effectiveness of antidepressants, and new strategies for mood disorders. Still putting out plenty of content in the form of our blogposts, and we appreciate everyone who reads these!
I was in The Netherlands for a relative’s wedding recently and the after party was held in a cave– Valkenburg, the part of the Netherlands we were staying at, has these caves that were used as shelter during the world wars and still bear inscriptions from that time. They now host the sounds of gay abandon, having transformed into cultural hubs and event spaces for things like Christmas markets, and, well, weddings.
If you like cake, you’ll like cakelets. And if you like black sesame, you might be obsessed. Earthy black sesame and sweet cream cheese– the best.
Black Sesame Cakelets with Cream Cheese Frosting (makes around 8 3-inch wide cakelets)
25g (around 2 1/2 tablespoons) black sesame powder, or the same amount of black sesame seeds ground into a paste using a food processor/mortar and pestle
57g (4 tablespoons) softened, unsalted butter
110g (half a cup) white sugar
75g cream cheese, at room temperature (take out and leave on the counter for a while before using, or microwave for half a minute if cold from the fridge)
crushed oreos/ sprinkles/ dark chocolate/ whatever you want!
Preheat the oven to 177C (350F) and line and grease 2 cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, sieve (yes, a sieve is necessary here!) the flour, baking powder, salt and black sesame powder. In another medium bowl and with a whisk or handheld electrical whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla extract, egg and milk mixture. Pour this wet mix into the dry mix and stir with a tablespoon or wooden spoon until just combined and the batter has a nice dropping consistency, and is not too wet or thick. With 2 tablespoons or an ice cream scoop, dollop the batter into little circles onto the cookie sheet, spaced at least an inch from each other. Pop into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes. Mine took 8 minutes exactly. Whilst they bake, make the frosting. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Beat until all is nicely incorporated.
Once the cakelets are done, a toothpick inserted into the centre of one should come out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack, which will take around 10 minutes. Frost the tops with cream cheese frosting using a knife, then top with whatever toppings you desire. These cakelets gave me feels.
I was surprised to see such a quick takeover at this spot on D’arblay Street, which, aside from having my favourite white chocolate miso cookies from Creme, used to host one of my favourite unique Japanese spots that specialised in fried courses– Daichi (大吃 ).
First up came the sides, which were easy to dismiss. The cheongfan, or rice rolls, were pale chewy snakes laden carelessly with ‘pan fried’ foie gras. I had anticipated this topping the most, but it proved disappointing—limp in texture and greasy on the tongue. Foie gras when not pan fried hard or long enough results in this flaccid texture with an unrefined taste since the fat has not been rendered, so the outside isn’t nice and crispy to contrast the creamy interior. Tenderstem broccoli with miso ginger dressing offered a creamy, sharp flavour, though it leaned a bit too sweet. For added taste, pour some extra sauce over your claypot rice.
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