Posts by Tom Johnston
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
This is a variation on a recipe which I found on the internet. I’m always suspicious of those recipes which call for luscious ripe plum tomatoes. I suspect their authors are still harbouring memories of summer holidays in Italy or Spain. I use the tinned variety. As an aside, am I alone in refusing to…
Read Morenumber one, The Balmoral, Edinburgh
number one The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2EQ 0131 557 6727 website 3MBSbzB The Bill 3 course Dinner Menu (Thu/Sun/Mon) £85 7 course Tasting Menu £115 The Score Cooking 8.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 22.5/25 Should Chef Mathew Sherry and any of his ultra talented…
Read MoreAll Rise
Making hot cross buns at the weekend, my thoughts turned to yeast. Why, I pondered apart from breads and enriched breads, (traditional buns, croissants and the like) is yeast used so little these days? I then researched it a little. I found hundreds of recipes using the stuff. Back to the drawing board. So instead…
Read MoreHot Cross Buns
I say, I say, I say, what do you get if you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole? Hot cross bunnies! Boom, boom! I thank you! Well it made my nieces laugh – when they were about three. As I hinted on Wednesday, today’s recipe is for hot cross buns. (On Good Friday? Where…
Read MoreSugo Pasta, Glasgow
Sugo Pasta 70 Mitchell Street, Glasgow G1 3LX 0131 258 1650 www.sugopasta.co.uk The Bill Sides £3.50 – £6.50 | Mains £7.50 – £12.90 Desserts £3.50 – £5.50 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 20.5/25 In the 1980s, under the flamboyant Provostship of Michael Kelly, Glasgow…
Read MoreEaster Food: Why and Why Not?
On Sunday I attended an excellent performance of Bach’s St John Passion at St Giles Cathedral, the choir in extra fine form. It was sung in the original German. Fortunately the programme included a translation. With Easter approaching, I got to thinking about its traditional food and the symbolism. If you were brought up in…
Read MoreBeef Rendang
After musing on the delights of the rijsttafel the other day, I thought this might be a good time for an Indonesian recipe. Google Indonesian food and by far the most common dish is nasi goreng. Well I did that on the old site – seven years ago, I discover – and, to be frank,…
Read MoreThe Old Fire Engine House, Ely
The Old Fire Engine House 25 St Mary’s Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4ER 01353 662582 www.theoldfirenenginehouse.co.uk The Bill A la carte Starters £7.70 – £8.70 | Mains £21.50 Desserts £8.80 – £9.50 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 20/25 Do spirits move you? In our increasingly secular…
Read MoreThe Rice, The Table and The Asparagus
It’s Indonesian, but you won’t find it in Indonesia. You’ll find it in the Netherlands, but it’s not Dutch. If you’ve been to Amsterdam, you’ll know I’m referring to the traditional feast known as the rijsttafel, a very large number of tiny plates of Indonesian food served with rice. I ate this on my first…
Read MoreBread and Butter Pudding
The Milkmaid by Vermeer In this country we’re not too inventive with bread once it’s past its best. On the continent they’re much more creative, though it does help if you are in a country rich with good quality oil, and ripe tomatoes. A supply of breadcrumbs in the freezer is always useful for a…
Read MoreIncanto, Amsterdam
Incanto Amstel 2, 1017AA, Amsterdam 020 423 36 81 info@restaurant-incanto.nl The Bill A la carte Antipasti €18 – €21 | Primi Piatti €20 – €29 Secondi Piatti €24 – €36 | Dolci €12 – €15 The Score Cooking 7.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 5/5…
Read MoreChef Watch Featuring Martin Orr of Dine Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Chef Watch Featuring Martin Orr of Dine Murrayfield, Edinburgh How long have you been a chef? I’ve been a chef for 30 years this year. Why did you become a chef? My parents had a small B & B in the village I grew up in. I would help my Mum cook and…
Read MoreMark Baird’s Penne Norcina
Mark Baird is well known in Tom Eats! as the Retired Captain of Industry. His post of Head of Alcohol in Society of Diageo together with his natural Italian charm (not everyone knows of his proud ancestry) made him hugely influential and respected in the drinks industry. Both he and his lovely wife Liz are…
Read MoreThe West End Brasserie, Edinburgh
The West End Brasserie 2 Hope Street, Edinburgh EH2 4DB 0131 226 6669 www.westendbrasserie.com The Bill A la carte Snacks £4.00 – £5.00 | Starters £6.00 – £12.00 Mains £14.00 – £26.00 | Desserts £6.00 – £7.00 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 19/25 …
Read MoreWhy Sourdough Won’t Be The Climax of Bread Month
Yes, one of mine I know, you were expecting Tom Cooks! Bread Month to come to a dramatic conclusion with a sourdough fanfare. I do appreciate that many of you get fairly excited about the stuff. And if we’re looking at the economic benefits of home made, making your own really scores here. Assuming you already…
Read MoreBridges, Amsterdam
Bridges Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197,1012 EX Amsterdam, Netherlands +31 20 555 3560 www.bridgesrestaurant.nl The Bill Menu du Chef 5 courses €105; 6 courses €115; 7 courses €125 A la carte Starters €30 – €45 | Mains €34 – €110 Desserts €17 – €22 The Score Cooking – Amuse Bouche 8/10; Rest 4/10 -…
Read MoreBread Rolls
By making your own rolls at home you really start to get some economic benefits. We’re going to start by turning that first batch of dough you made from a few weeks ago into rolls. A standard morning roll weighs about 80g, which means you’ll get at least 10 of them from your dough. Remember…
Read MoreDeposit Return Scheme or Diabolical Ruddy Shambles?
In a previous existence I spent much of my time advising the licensed trade. When it came to law reforms affecting licensees, many hours were spent trying to persuade governments of the unworkability of many a scheme, and hundreds more ranting after those protestations were ignored. Lorna Slater MSP These days I live an untrammelled…
Read MoreWell, Did You Make The Loaf?
Your first attempt at bread. Congratulations. Now while I hear that many of you were delighted, some of you had problems. Let’s consider some of them. My dough went into a sticky mess and I couldn’t work with it Getting the amount of water right is tricky, even when you follow a recipe. While the…
Read MoreThe Magnum, Edinburgh
The Magnum 1 Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3PY 0131 557 4366 www.themagnumrestaurant.co.uk The Bill A la carte Starters £6.90 – £17.00 | Mains £17.00 – £36.00 Desserts £7.00 – £9.00 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 21.5/25 Just a pub lunch, said the lady. I’m fed…
Read MoreFound A Buffalo?
Sounds like part of a bad joke, doesn’t it? Readers of a certain vintage will remember this one. – How do you know if you have an elephant in the fridge? – You can see its footprints in the butter. Sarah and Steve Mitchell Substitute buffalo for elephant and it works just as well/badly. In life, how…
Read MoreLocanda de Gusti, Edinburgh
Locanda de Gusti 102 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2DW 0131 346 8800 www.locandadegusti.com The Bill A la carte Starters £7.95 – £10.95 | Pasta £12.95 – £28.95 Mains £14.50 – £30.95 | Desserts £6.95 The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 3.5/5 TOTAL 17/25 In 1940 You Can’t Go Home…
Read MoreTom’s Food! Challenge – Make One Loaf
So you’ve never made bread before. No problem, that applies to millions of you. We’re into February, so I’m not trying to get you to make resolutions. Assuming you eat bread, and buy some or all of it as part of your supermarket shopping, I give you one very small challenge. Follow this column and…
Read MoreBread Month and Review of Do Sourdough
Now I know this column likes to keep up with the seasons and, to a lesser extent, with food trends, but I had no idea it was blessed with the gift of prophecy. Readers of Tom Cooks! will be aware that for the past two Fridays we have been giving you joyous things to put…
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