Posts by Tom Johnston
Salade Niçoise
The short but welcome blast of summer weather has got many of us reminiscing of classic meals eaten outside, probably seeking shade from the hot Mediterranean sun. Think south of France, and you probably think about Nice. The Larousse Gastronomique will tell you that à la niçoise is simply the name given to the style…
Read MoreThe Rabbit Restaurant, Marine Troon
The Rabbit Restaurant Marine Troon 8 Crosbie Road, Troon, Ayrshire KA10 6HE 01292 314444 www.therabbitandseal.com The Bill A la carte Starters £5.00 – £13.50 Mains £12.00 – £42.50 | Desserts £7.00 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 8.5/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 21.5/25 Salmon with Fennel and Sorrel Rabbit. Why…
Read MoreThe Food Producers – Whirly & Gregorie Marshall of Blackthorn Salt, Ayr
Whirly & Gregorie Marshall Salt: essential for human life; one of our senses of taste. The stuff which makes our food worth the eating. But there is more: much, much more. Did you know that there are over 14,000 things you can use salt for? Whirly Marshall does, and her husband Gregorie can probably tell…
Read MoreThere’s A Strawberry In My Soup
The strawberry season is well under way. How have your experiences been? I rate it a bit better than last year, but that’s not saying much. We’ll have to wait and see if the two warm days this week represent our entire summer. With luck the red beauties will soon get the sun on their…
Read MoreNoble Rot Mayfair, London
Noble Rot Mayfair 5 Trebeck Street, Shepherd Market, London W1J 7LT 020 7101 6770 www.noblerot.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch 2 courses £22.00 | 3 courses £26.00 A la carte Snacks and Nibbles £4.50 – £16.00 Starters £9.00 – £16.00 Mains £28.00 – £48.00 | Desserts £9.00 – £12.00 The Score Cooking 8.5/10 |…
Read MoreThe Food Producers – James Robb of East Pier Smokehouse, St Monans
This must be a pretty easy life, I said to myself. Although it’s his day off, James Robb has served me a bite of lunch in the East Pier Smokehouse, hard on the water’s edge at St Monans, in the part of Fife known as the East Neuk. Not a cloud in the sky; the…
Read MoreClaire Macdonald’s Asparagus Timbales with Hollandaise Sauce
Claire Macdonald Just over a year ago at the Masterchefs’ Lunch, I met one of my food heroes, Claire Macdonald. Not only is she delightful, she gave me permission to reproduce her recipes. We try to stay seasonal here, and ingredients don’t get much more seasonal than British asparagus. I’ve written about it before. As…
Read MoreGlaschu Restaurant & Bar, Glasgow
Glaschu Restaurant & Bar 32 Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow G1 3AB 0141 248 2214 www.glaschurestaurant.co.uk The Bill Market Menu 2 courses £25.00 | 3 courses £30.00 A la carte Appetisers £3.50 – £7.00 | Starters £10.00 – £18.00 Mains £23.00 – £42.50 | Desserts £8.00 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service…
Read MoreO is for… OXO
Well some Food Alphabeticals are easier than others, and time was short for today. Even the mighty Larousse Gastronomique has only 10 pages for the letter O. Despite the illustration on the left, today’s choice is not based on a favourite ingredient of mine. What I prefer to feature is something which has a bit of history,…
Read MorePasta with Pesto, Parmesan, Pecorino and Pistachios
This pleasantly alliterative recipe is my take on a dish which I ate at Valvona & Crolla, which was reviewed last week. It is laughably simple. Like pesto itself, you can play about with the ingredients, but if you omit any, you’d have to rename the dish, obviously. You can use any pasta you like,…
Read MoreDavid Bann, Edinburgh
David Bann 56-58 St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SX 0131 556 5888 www.davidbann.co.uk The Bill Set Menu 2 courses £20.50 | 3 courses £25.50 A la carte Starters £5.95 – £7.45 Mains £12.25 – £15.50 Desserts £6.50 – £7.50 The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 3/5 Flavour 3.5/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 16/25 Don’t do…
Read MoreThe Food Producers – Nick Sinclair of The Edinburgh Butter Co
Most of us go on holiday for a break. Nick Sinclair is not like most of us. When in Australia with his wife Hilary, he spotted a van advertising the company wares, artisanal butter. Becoming a big thing in Oz, his friends told him. So on their return to Scotland, the two of them started…
Read MoreCoronation Fare Part 2
Last week we had a wee history lesson: this week brings us up to date. Today’s recipe is for Coronation Quiche, devised by Royal Chef Mark Flanagan, apparently in consultation with the King and Queen Consort. Critics of Coronation chicken were heard to mutter that with its curry flavour it was hardly British. I can…
Read MoreValvona & Crolla Caffè Bar & Restaurant, Edinburgh
Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar & Restaurant 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh EH7 5AA 0131 556 6066 www.valvonacrolla.co.uk The Bill Antipasti £7.00 – £16.00 | Panetella (Flatbread Sandwiches) £12.00 Pasta £18.00- £20.00 | Primi Piatti £16.00 – £26.00 Dolci £4.00 – £7.00 The Score Cooking – Pasta 7/10: Other 4/10 – Average 5.5/10 Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5…
Read MoreChef Watch Featuring Mathew Sherry of number one, The Balmoral, Edinburgh
Chef Watch Featuring Mathew Sherry Head Chef, number one, The Balmoral, Edinburgh How long have you been a chef? 15 years, since 2008. Why did you become a chef? From a very young age I knew, I just always loved food and wanted to cook. Favourite ingredient My favourite seasonal ingredient at…
Read MorePaesano Pizza, Glasgow
Paesano Pizza 94 Miller Street, Glasgow G1 1DT 0141 258 5565 www.paesanopizza.co.uk The Bill Pizzas £6.90 – £11.50| Sides £3.50 – £6.50 Desserts £4.50 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 19/25 Take recommendations from wherever, but treat those from untried sources with care. What then do you make of this…
Read MoreCoronation Fare Part 1
Now don’t start complaining that we still have a couple of weeks to go. When it comes to matters royal, the art of preparation knows no bounds. I can tell you that contingency plans for the late Queen dying in Scotland started some 15 years ago. We have only 15 days. Time to start practising.…
Read MoreTom Eats! To Be Replaced
Impending redundancy is a nasty, invidious thing. It seeps into you and shakes your sense of self worth. Fear, generally, impacts on your well being and your capacity for logical analysis. This has never happened to me before. Shall I rage against the machine, like Ned Ludd and his fellow 19th century weavers, smashing up…
Read MoreRoasted 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…
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