Express Pasta Masterclass at La Cucina Caldesi

One of the offers as part of the Marylebone Food Festival was a Pasta Masterclass at La Cucina Caldesi. I had heard about them before, but I was hesitant to spend upwards of 100£ on a cooking class without knowing what to expect. So this 30 minute express class was a great way to check them out.

The cooking school is in a separate building from the restaurant (2 doors down).

As I entered, I saw that it has a proper set up for classes. 2 long wooden tables for participants to work at and a long counter with induction cooking hobs. Since they specialise in Italian cooking and pasta and pizza which need cool surfaces to work on, this is a perfect set up.

Our tutor for the evening was Chef Stefano Borella. He greeted us as we walked in. They have a large closet in the adjoining room, to drop bags and hang coats on hangers, before scrubbing up, putting on an apron and getting set to begin.

Given that this was an express class, the dough and filling had already been prepped, but after Chef Stefano demonstrated the technique, we all got to try our hands on the pasta rolling machines, and to stuff and make our own ravioli.

Once we were all done, our raviolis went into a large pot of boiling salted water. The sage was warmed in melted butter and the cooked ravioli was tossed around in this sauce. This was then garnished with toasted pine nuts. We all got to try a few pieces of the ravioli sprinkled or smothered with grated parmesan cheese and I have to say that it was absolutely delicious.

Since the servings were already in takeaway boxes, I carried half for my husband who was meeting me at Marble Arch for dinner. Given the weather, it had cooled down, by the time I met him. It was still tasty, but not half as good as it was when it was hot and fresh off the pan. It however, was good enough for him to tell me to go ahead and book a full day class with La Cucina Caldesi and to buy a pasta machine if I was serious about making fresh pasta at home.

Chef Stefano has a wonderful sense of humour and is very encouraging. If the other chefs who teach here are equally patient, I heartily recommend this cooking school even if you are a complete novice to the kitchen. They are helpful, non-threatening and make cooking a fun, relaxing endeavor, not a stressful one. About 20 of us did this class and were in and out within 30 minutes. Not once did we feel any kind of time pressure, nor did I feel rushed.

There was one participant who said that she was lactose intolerant. They got her some plain spinach filling without the ricotta and made a sauce with olive oil and sage for her. This was right on the spot. If you sign up for their other classes, they check for food allergies and intolerance at the time of sign up and prepare for that too.

They have their own series of cookbooks, each with a focus on a different region in Italy. These can be bought directly on their website: http://www.caldesi.com/caldesishop/cookery-books-1

I absolutely loved the experience and I would love to go again for a whole day pasta masterclass.

Rating : 5 / 5

Lecture - Demonstration at Hankies Marble Arch

As part of the Marylebone Food Festival, Hankies Marble Arch at the Montcalm offered a demonstration of two of the most popular items on their menu - the bhindi bhel and spinach roomali stuffed with spiced feta, roasted tomato and homemade garlic herb oil.

This was a much smaller group than the other events that I attended during the Marylebone Food Festival, so it was easier to keep an eye on and listen to Chef-Founder Anirudh Arora.

Hankies first opened as Hankies Cafe on Shaftesbury Avenue. I had ordered home delivery from this location and found the flavours quite authentic, despite their unusual twists. So I was quite excited at the chance to view the Chef in action.

We were greeted by his wife Ishita as we entered the rather stylish looking restaurant. There is plenty of Indian work on display, from the stunning portrait at the entry to the beautiful crockery and glassware. All of it is very beautifully curated with an eye for detail without being in the least bit kitschy.

The name Hankies comes from the literal translation of their star dish - the Roomali/Rumali roti. Roomal in Hindi means a handkerchief. While the Chef's interpretation is that the name comes from the way that the bread is folded, I have heard another interpretation which says that the name comes from how thin the bread is - as fine as a linen handkerchief. No matter the etymology of the name, this is not an easy bread to make. Chef Anirudh said it took him a year of practice to be able to make this himself. I do not know of any households in India, that make roomali rotis at home. This is a bread best eaten at highway dhabhas or at restaurants that specialise in it.

Bhel Puri is a standard street food in India. The ingredients and flavour profile vary across the length and breadth of India. It does however contain a few basic ingredients, no matter where you eat it. Its the proportion of each flavour that varies. The base is the puffed rice and deep fried gram flour (roasted and powdered chickpeas) noodles. To this is added freshly chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies and corriander (personally, I love bits of boiled potato and leave out the tomatoes). The twist here is that they add spiced, fried okra/bhindi to this mix.

Then comes the tamarind sauce and the coriander + mint sauce. All tossed up and sprinkled over with chaat masala powder. A final garnish or fresh pomegranate and nylon sev. A crispy confection, just beginning to get a bit soft with the addition of the sauces and wet ingredients. The flavour is an explosion of salty, spicy, sour and sweet.

Since the puffed rice mix and the chaat masala can be bought from most Indian stores, this is an easy dish to make at home.

The roomali roti however, is a completely different ball game. At Hankies, they flavour the dough with a bit of spinach water to give it the lovely green colour. Its a joy to watch the chefs in action, and if you visit this location, you will always get to see it for yourself as they have a live counter for the roomali rotis in the dining area.

The stuffing is a unique twist, because feta cheese isn't native to India. However, the salty smoothness of the feta, pairs well with the roomali roti and the herbs and spices are beautifully balanced in this stuffing. One stuffed roomali roti is quite filling and I suspect that 2 of these with a side of dhal will be a full meal.

I loved the food and will return soon. We often have guests who want to eat at Indian restaurants and Hankies has now made it to my very short list of authentic Indian food in London.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Leave the Herd Behind - Coffee Masterclass - Black Sheep Coffee

I was so excited when Jane offered an opportunity for a Coffee Masterclass at Black Sheep Coffee at Regents Place.

I hadn't heard of the particular brand before, but this weather is perfect for fueling my caffeine addiction and I quickly said yes.

The evening began on a perfect note. As we signed in, we were handed freshly made espresso martinis and cups of popcorn. Very practical for participants like me, that had survived the whole day on just coffee, snicker bar, a piece of fruit (all true stories).

I caught up with some of my friends, Joanne from Love PopUps London, Joice and Jason while sipping our cocktails and waiting for the others to arrive.

While Black Sheep Coffee functions as a coffee shop during the day, they also have a couple of bar tenders and depending on the day of the week, they start filling in cocktail orders whenever their mainly office going customers request them for it. They have a huge space that's quite comfortable for business meetings, so they said that they have people who come in for meetings requesting coffee and as they get don with work, they segue to the alcoholic drinks. What an amazing concept!

Black Sheep Coffee has quite a few branches around town, mostly concentrated in the business districts. I can't wait for them to come to Paddington.

Once everyone was assembled, we were addressed by Tony and Monia. They showed us how to smell and taste coffee and gave us a few tips on what to look for when buying coffee grounds. We did the slurp test to try out a couple of different varieties.

We were then split into 2 groups. Our group headed to the heavy machinery first. Matt here was extremely patient with us as we tried our hands at some latte art.

Hint : Its not as easy as your Barista makes it look! Both your hands have to constantly move, but in completely different motions. Tougher than playing the piano I tell you.

We then returned to our table with our lattes. We now learned how to use a simple filter at home and a few tips to make better coffee at home.
1. Brew coffee at 93C. Anything higher burns out the sugars in it.
2. Let all the bubbles dissipate from your kettle before you pour hot water on your coffee.
3. 7 gms of coffee per 100 ml
4. Use really good quality coffee beans.
5. Coffee should be light caramel colour
6. Coffee loses taste and aroma within 15 minutes of grinding. So best to grind freshly when you want to make some coffee.
7. Brew for 3.5-4 minutes.
8. The longer you brew your coffee, the higher the caffeine content.

Through this whole process, we kept sipping on coffee and cocktails. The velvet martini was outstanding.

I have to say that the coffee was amazing. We sampled the Love Berries, Robusta Revival, Blue Volcano and Swiss Decaf. While I loved the smell of the Decaf, taste wise the Robusta Revival was my favourite.

They have a coffee that is combined with coconut oil for a whole day slow release of caffeine that sounded very intriguing. The peanut butter hot chocolate also piqued my interest. I will have to return soon, to try these out.

I'd definitely recommend the coffee here and if you have the chance to attend a masterclass, I'd say 'jump at it' and 'leave the herd behind'

Rum Masterclass at Cottons, London

Rum is my normal drink of choice. If I have to have alcohol, (my frequency and quantity has been drastically reduced voluntarily. I know friends who knew me from before, may not believe that I barely drink alcohol once or twice a month now) in the summer its cider or beer and in the winter its rum.

I love my alcohol sweet without being too fruity. My absolute favourite is Old Monk and Thums Up. Yes! Still! Even after 22 years! I also prefer rum based cocktails like dark & stormy, mojito, bushwhacker, daiquiri, caipirinha and hot buttered rum in the winter.

So when Joanne from Love Pop Ups London mentioned that Cottons at Vauxhall (the newest of four branches - opened last month) was looking for some bloggers to sample one of their Rum Masterclasses, I jumped out of my eating/writing ennui and applied.

The setting of the restaurant itself is absolutely serene and beautiful on St George's wharf. And I suspect their outdoor tables will be heavily coveted on warmer days. They also have a huge indoor area which is well lit and very comfortable with bar seating and table seating.

We started the masterclass at the bar. Barry was in charge. The wealth of information that he has regarding rums is mind boggling. Rum tasting is as complex and complicated as single malts. Their origins could be from anywhere, where sugarcane is grown.

Then its a matter of distilling, fermenting, ageing, shipping etc. This branch of Cottons has over 250 varieties of rum, their Notting Hill branch has 372+.

We started with a 5 year old Plantation Rum from Barbados. This was aged twice. First in Barbados for 3 years and again in France in Cognac casks for 2 years. Plantation Rum, are originally from different Caribbean islands (original island clearly marked on the bottles), but the company is based in France. This particular rum had its own sweetness from its contact with the cognac casks.

We next sniffed at a Goslings Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum. 151 proof makes it an overproof rum with 75.5% alcohol. Barry recommended that this one would go best with ginger beer and its also a great rum to flambe with.

 

The Angostura 1919 is a Trinidadian Rum. After a fire in 1932, which destroyed the Government Rum Bond, the master blender of Fernandes Distillers, bought the charred casks, only to discover they had been filled in the year 1919. The prized rum was skillfully blended and called "1919 Aged Rum." Even today this rum is aged in charred Jack Daniels casks. So while the rum itself is fruity with vanilla flavour, the undertones are markedly woody. This particular one is aged for 8 years.

This limited edition Venezuelan Rum from Diplomatico has won best rum 4 times. This rum is made from sugar honey which makes it sweeter than the other rums that we tasted and is aged for 12 years. This was my second favourite rum of the evening.

Barry also produced some lovely home made dark chocolate chunks which added so much to the flavour of the following rums. I suspect that I may have enjoyed the chocolate much more than the rum.

We next tried a Demerara Rum from Guyana - El Dorado. The rich soil and Demerara river lend their name and flavour to these rums. This particular one is aged for 15 years. While it had a lovely taste, I found it a bit on the heavier side. More suitable as a liqueur than for pre-dinner, for me.

Since we specifically asked about rum agricole (we were in a Caribbean bar after all) which is made directly from sugarcane juice (rather than its molasses), Barry recommended the Clement XO from Martinique. This is an Extra Old 7-8 year old rum and because it has been aged for so long it can be drunk on its own, unlike younger agricole rums. Given the smooth seductive tastes of the the other rums that we had sampled, this one tasted lovely, but felt much harsher on the throat and in its after taste.

The 20th anniversary Plantation Rum was our last taster of the evening and also my absolute favourite.This rum is blended from 12-20 tropically aged rums from Barbados and then aged again in cognac casks in France. While I could taste vanilla and citrus, there were also hints of cinnamon, cocoa and other christmassy spices.

Every single rum that we tried was amazing enough to be drunk on its own. The experience has forced me to rethink rums as just an alcoholic base which needs a mixer, to something that can be savoured on its own. They are great in cocktails and some rums go partuicularly well with certain specific mixers - like Ginger beer. But a lot of them can be slowly sipped on and enjoyed for just what they are.

There's such a large variety out there, that an experience of a masterclass like this one really helps start you down a wonderfully interesting path. Priced around £20 per person for rum masterclass only or £35 per person which includes a 2-course dinner after the class, its money well spent.

After we were done with the class, we were allowed to choose a cocktail from their menu. This was a tough choice as the menu had some of my favourites, but also some very intriguing new ones. My curiosity won out and I ordered a Strong Back - with dragon stout, Jamaican Wray & Nephew Rum, condensed milk and nutmeg. This was like a lovely iced dessert. I was surprised at how much alcohol was in the cocktail and everyone else at the table said the same about their drinks too.

We also had some nibbles to share at the table. Caribbean food served in style. I've previously eaten Caribbean food at the Notting Hill Festival - a disaster, and some really tasty places in Brixton which focus on food rather than seating / atmosphere etc.

The salt & pimiento squid was lovely and really did not need the accompanying pesto sauce. The pork ribs with the rum and molasses glaze was outstanding as was the ebony wings. I've had much better salt fish fritters made by Vanessa Bolosier, so I found these a bit dry and too tightly packed to enjoy the flavour. But the others at the table did like them and also raved about the whole grilled prawns (I'm allergic)

The sweet potato patties and the chick pea patties were lovely, so I'd say the vegetarians could enjoy the food here too.

Great rum, exciting cocktails and finger licking food. Definitely a place to bookmark and visit. The Notting Hill location is much closer to me, so maybe I'll try that one next. But I'm definitely returning here on a warm sunny day to enjoy the outdoor location.

Joanne has made a lovely video of our experience and its up on youtube.

Cottons -Vauxhall.
Unit 12 Flagstaff House,
St Georges Wharf,
Vauxhall, SW8 2LE
-
T: 0207 091 0793

Schweppes Laboratory Experience

Schweppes’ Alchemy Bar
21 Slingsby place
London
WC2E 9AB

The invitation to the Laboratory Experience said :  
"Schweppes Alchemy Bar invites you to explore the curious world of the original alchemist, Jacob Schweppe.

Coming to Covent Garden 2nd - 8th October to celebrate London Cocktail Week, the Alchemy Bar hides many secrets and is offering you the chance to delve into the wondrous science of cocktail making.

Dive into over 200 years of bubble-making expertise and book your place in the Schweppes Laboratory Experience. You’ll create your very own sparkling concoction and learn the secrets of flavoured bubbles from London’s revered experiential mixologists, Smith & Sinclair. From colour-changing gin & tonics to inhalable gin-based clouds, the Schweppes Laboratory Experience will take you back in time as well as giving you a glimpse into the future; that’s if you can find Jacob’s secret study of course. Schh!"

For £10, I thought this would be a great way to take a break, since I've gone back to studying for a bit and needed a rest. I thought I'd spend an hour listening to some interesting facts, maybe get to try some concoctions of my own and maybe meet a few new folks. To be honest I wasn't expecting much.

But when I got here, I realised that an entire full fledged bar had been set up at this spot. Once we registered, at the appointed time we were taken into a classroom with 5 tables where we could work in sets of two.

It was great fun, we donned leather aprons, inhaled alcoholic clouds, mixed some cocktails, bantered a bit, made some boba style bubbles (woohoo)and drank the coctails we had made.

I was quite happy with this itself, but then we were led to a secret bar - 1783, where we got to taste a couple of the new flavours that Schweppes is coming out with. I can't wait for the cucumber one to hit the market, it is amazing!

We also had a choice of cocktails mixed for us and got a chance to hang out and chat with other people in our group. I'm still curious about the group who popped in on their lunch break, did they get any work done after returning to office?

#ultimatemixer

Yelp Gets Handsy With The Guac - Chipotle, London

Chipotle
101-103 Baker Street
Marylebone
London W1U 6HQ
020 7935 9881

I'd seen the ads for chipotle in plenty of tube stations & I love chipotle peppers, but in my mind I thought of them as just another fast food chain until Yelp organised an event here and I was stripped thoroughly of my misconceptions!

What an amazing evening with Everton, Mith, Aita and the rest of their team.

Freshly made Margaritas greeted us as soon as we walked in. And the evening got progressively better from there.

All the meat is sourced from free range farms, every item on the menu is prepared fresh on location. No central kitchen, pre packaged, frozen stuff here.

Everton gave us a quick glimpse into the philosophy behind Chipotle before showing us a short video by Steve Ells the founder.

We were plied with nachos and dips through the entire presentation.

We then got a quick glimpse into their refrigerator and the kitchen, before we got a chance to choose our own burrito/dish/salad.

I've never eaten at chipotle before and their focus on freshness is amazing. I had dismissed them initially as just another fast food Tex-Mex place, but this evening was an eye opener.

I had a bowl with the carnitas, brown rice, pinto beans, veggies, guacamole, sour cream and topped with cheese. I also supplemented this with the fine sauces from Tabasco - chipotle & green pepper.

It was so yummy and felt extremely healthy too (not counting the cheese) The meat was soft & tender, vegetables were freshly cut, not wilted. Guacamole was all fresh.

So yeah, if there's a chipotle in the vicinity, I'd definitely consider them for a quick lunch and if it's an early dinner it can even be paired with Mexican beer & maybe a margarita!

Loving this series of master classes via #Yelptoberfeast and hope to enjoy more of them

I forgot to mention that we had the whole basement area to ourselves for the event and there were enough lulls between the presentations and demonstrations for us to have a good chat. I think this was the first Yelp event where I was able to have a conversation with almost everyone who attended.

Rating : 4 /5