Posts by Tom Johnston
Book Reviews: Stuffed; Silent Spring
STUFFED A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain Pen Vogler Atlantic Books pp453 £22 The Godfather; Back To The Future; Beverly Hills Cop.…
Read MoreCuisses de Poulet Grillées aux Riz à L’Orientale
The linguists among you will have realised that we are continuing the chicken theme. Unless, however, you are a student of Escoffier and used to have your own table at Le Gavroche, you may be unfamiliar with today’s delicacy. But you may know it better as grilled chicken and fried rice. And to make it…
Read MoreSalerno Pizza, Edinburgh
Salerno Pizza 405 – 407 St James Crescent, Edinburgh EH1 3AE 0333 011 5381 www.salernopizza.co.uk The Bill Pizzas £8.35 – £14.65 | Sides £3.75 – £8.50 Desserts £3.75 – £6.95 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 3.5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 16.5/25 Dolly the Sheep was created just outside Edinburgh. The original…
Read MoreSome Chicken Thoughts
When writing the Caesar Salad recipe last week, I began to discourse on Chicken Caesar. I had got as far as a rant about grilled chicken, then realised I would end up with an article twice the required length. The more I thought about it, the more I thought some chicken musings might be appropriate.…
Read MoreCaesar Salad
On Wednesday we looked at the genesis of the Caesar Salad. What happened next? After the end of Prohibition Caesar moved back to the US. He had realised what he was on to, and befoe long he was bottling the dressing it and selling it at Los Angeles Farmers’ Market. His daughter Rosa, who went…
Read MoreSushisamba, Edinburgh
Sushisamba, W Hotel 1 St James Square, Edinburgh EH1 3AX 0131 287 1450 www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/ediwh-w-edinburgh/dining The Bill A la carte Appetisers £5 – £8 | Small plates £9 – £20 | Raw £12 – £17 Robata £9 – £70 | Large Plates £18 – £120 Samba, Nigiri, Sashimi £8 – £40 | Desserts £10 -…
Read MoreWho Doesn’t Love A Good Centenary?
Cesare “Caesar” Cardini I notify you of this a week in advance so you have time to prepare. To gather the ingredients, to deck the halls. But to celebrate what? Let’s think of all the things that happened in 1924. In January, Ramsay Macdonald became the UK’s first ever Labour Prime Minister (though he…
Read MoreWendy Barrie’s Farmor’s Panbiff
I think this may be a first for Tom’s Food! I’m certain we have had featured guests in On The Side who have provided recipes for Tom Cooks!: but never ever in the same week has Tom Eats! reviewed a restaurant from the same family. A hat trick for Wendy Barrie. Hold the front page! On…
Read MoreHendersons, Edinburgh
Hendersons 7 – 13 Barclay Place Edinburgh EH10 4HW 0131 202 1635 www.hendersonsrestaurant.com The Bill Lunch Deal (Monday – Friday) £10.00 A la carte Starters £6.50 – £9.00 | Mains £6.50 – £18.80 Desserts £6.00 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 20/25 Are your recollections…
Read MoreWendy Barrie and The Scottish Food Guide
We’ve met Wendy Barrie before in this column. That was in a feature about Slow Food Scotland. Despite it having been in existence since 2002, I have to confess I knew little about her core business, the Scottish Food Guide. This lady has many strings to her bow. So it was back to Aberdour. This…
Read MoreSpanakopita
I think it’s because I didn’t fancy drinking turpentine. Ouzo, raki, that sort of thing. That’s about the only reason I can think of for never having visited Greece. And lots of people tell you bad things about the food. Lukewarm, greasy, salmonella added at no extra cost. All of which sounds as sensible as…
Read MoreRagù Pasta, Edinburgh
Ragù Pasta 92 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3DF 0131 526 3939 www.ragupasta.co.uk The Bill A la carte Sides £4.00 – £7.50 | Mains £8.00 – £14.00 Desserts £4.50 – £6.00 The Score Cooking 4.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 3.5/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 17/25 Is this another good thing arriving from the west? You…
Read MoreDiana Thompson Uncorked
Diana ThompsonPicture by Phil Wilkinson If you’re interested in wine and don’t know the force of nature that is Diana Thompson, you are a disadvantaged person. Fortunately help is at hand. Come to the Assembly Roooms in Edinburgh’s George Street on Saturday 1 June when Diana is running the second annual Edinburgh Uncorked Wine Fair.…
Read MoreThe Citizen, Glasgow
The Citizen 24 St Vincent Place, Glasgow G1 2EU 0141 222 2909 www.thecitizenglasgow.co.uk The Bill A la carte Starters £6.95 – £9.95 | Mains £15.95 – £36.95 Desserts £5.95 – £7.95 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 3.5/5 TOTAL 16.5/25 In spite of Humphrey Bogart films, I seriously doubt…
Read MoreSorbets and Granitas
Sorbet In 2024 I hesitate to commend anything whatsoever about Moscow, but during a visit a few years ago, something struck me. When the wife of an important person went out, she was invariably accompanied by a large man with no neck. Given the circumstances which gave rise to the inspiration for my recipe today,…
Read MoreS is for … Sorbet
The recent spell of half decent weather has cheered up the general population – but not nearly as much as it’s brought a smile to the faces of ice cream makers and sellers. Observing the eating of ice cream in the street is very much like watching the growth cycle of the average homo sapiens.…
Read MoreDa Etta, Rome
Da Etta Piazza in Piscinula 42 – 47, 00153 Rome +39 06 581 6249 www.ostepercaso.com/da-etta The Bill (Euros) A la carte Antipasti €12.00 – €24.00 | Pasta €14.00 – €18.00 Secondi €20.00 – €26.00 | Dolci €8.00 – €10.00 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 19/25…
Read MoreAsparagus Soup
How profligate, I hear you cry. Taking something which is delicate, delicious and downright dear, and turning it into soup? Nay, best beloveds, nay. Imparting culinary knowledge to my bambini has always been a source of pleasure, never more so than when it related to today’s star veg. Having been asked how far down one…
Read MoreA Grand Day Out with the Guild of Food Writers
I suspect we all suffer from impostor syndrome from time to time. In my case I had it in spades a week or so ago, finding myself on a bus with a bevy of beauties, food professionals all. Thanks to the lovely Cat Thomson, journalist and hen keeper extraordinaire I found myself invited on a…
Read MoreHot Smoked Salmon Salad with Beetroot, Grapefruit and Horseradish
I’ve long been a fan of the way the French put together a salade composée. The British style of having a few ingredients laid out on a flat plate always looks sad, and usually tastes that way as well. While the base for today’s offeriing will always be leaves (well dressed of course), you can…
Read MoreThe Old Mill Inn, Pitlochry – Guest Reviewer Miranda Heggie
The Old Mill Inn Mill Lane, Pitlochry, PH16 5BH 01796 474020 www.theoldmillpitlochry.co.uk The Bill A la carte Starters £5.95 – £13.50 | Mains £17.95 – £32.95 Desserts £7.50 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 3.5/5 TOTAL 19.5/25 Miranda Heggie I always find meal timings a bit tricky…
Read MoreThe Tasting Menu is Back: Discuss
Back? Did it ever go away? And where did it come from? Maybe it was just in my newspapers of choice (yes, paper ones, and yes, I do know how that dates me) but I’ve been reading a lot about this recently. Stuart Ralston is one of Scotland’s most influential chefs (Aizle, Noto, Tipo and…
Read MoreI Tried To Give You New Ravioli, But I Failed
Overseeing school dinners very many years ago in an unnamed establishment outwith Edinburgh, L asked what the day’s veg was. Ravioli, came the reply. In our enjoyment of pasta in Britain we’ve come a long way since then, but when it comes to the stuffed stuff, we’re still a long way behind the home country. Shop…
Read MoreTom Eats! In Rome
Tom Eats! in Rome For a reviewer, four, I think, is the magic number. Sample any fewer plates and you can’t be sure you’re getting a representative sample. Four folk each having three different courses is ideal, but life just isn’t normally like that. Dinner at Casa Johnston tends to be a one course…
Read More