Posts by Tom Johnston
Nick’s Bridge of Allan – Guest Reviewer David Dickson; Nick’s at Port of Menteith
Nick’s, Bridge of Allan (currently closed) 28 Henderson Street, Bridge of Allan, FK9 4HR 01786 831616 www.nicksonhendersonst.com The Bill Starters £3.00 – £8.00 | Sandwiches £7.00 – £8.00 Mains £12.00 – £24.00 | Desserts ? The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 4/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 19/25 To those of who…
Read MoreChef Watch – Willie McCurrach OBE FIH
Chef Watch Featuring Willie McCurrach OBE FIH, formerly Head of School, City of Glasgow College, Food Technology How long have you been a chef? I have been a chef for a total of 50 years and loved every minute of my career. I started as a student at Aberdeen Technical College and was really impressed…
Read MorePartridge with Wild Mushrooms
We really aim to be seasonal here, and today we hit double top. The partridge season started at the beginning of September. While it has been a rotten year for grouse, partridge are plentiful. September is also prime time for wild mushrooms. If you forage for your own, you won’t need me to tell you…
Read MorePepe Nero, Edinburgh
Pepe Nero 1 – 3 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh EH4 1HU 0131 332 9977 www.pepenerostockbridge.co.uk The Bill Starters £2.95 – £8.95 | Mains £8.50 – £24.50 Pizza £8.95 – £11.50 | Desserts £1.65 – £6.95 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 4.5/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 19.5/25 Shall we begin with the…
Read MoreMusings On Being A Restaurant Reviewer – Seven Years On
I awoke with a start and an itch. Something, I could tell, was beckoning. History, as it transpired, seven years’ worth to be precise. This month marks the seventh anniversary of the first ever Tom Eats! review. It came to pass after I had abandoned any plans to trade under the banner of the then…
Read MoreAlison Doody’s Coconut Flapjacks
This is a recipe for those of you with a sweet tooth. It comes courtesy of sister-in-law Alison, whose company we are currently enjoying, the first time in two years. As most of you know, baking, bread excepted, is not really my thing, so I’m forever grateful to the guest contributors such as Alison who…
Read MoreThe Potted Lobster, Abersoch, North Wales
The Potted Lobster High Street, Abersoch, Pwllheli, LL53 7DS, North Wales 01758 431432 www.thepottedlobster.co.uk/abersoch/ The Bill Starters £8.00 – £12.00 | Mains £9.00 – £45.00 Desserts £2.50 – £9.00 The Score Cooking 6.5/10 | Service 4.5/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 (Decor 5/5 | Health and Safety 0/5) TOTAL 20/25 I don’t usually…
Read MoreThe Food Producers – Byam Trotter of Trotter’s Independent Condiments
Eat Safe: Use A Condiment It’s not entirely certain whether this warning, which appears on the lids of our hero’s products, has the backing of the World Health Organisation, but it’s not a bad strapline. It’s also an indicator that this is a business with a smile. Don’t, however, confuse that with something that is…
Read MoreSaltimbocca alla Romana
Or, if you want to translate literally, jump in the mouth as the Romans do. You can see why, even on British menus, they stick to the original. I mention it in today’s Tom Eats! so I thought I might include the recipe. It’s incredibly easy to make. The fact that my last attempt wasn’t…
Read MoreRico’s, Edinburgh
Rico’s 58A North Castle Street, Edinburgh EH2 3LU 0131 332 6750 www.ricoristorante.co.uk The Bill Antipasti £9.00 – £16.00 | Primi Piatti £16.00 – £25.00 Secondi Piatti £18.00 – £32.00 | Dolci £6.50 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 7.5/10 | Service 4/5 | Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 20.5/25 Here’s a Q and A…
Read MoreChef Watch – Dean Banks of Dean Banks at The Pompadour, Edinburgh
CHEF WATCH Featuring Dean Banks of Dean Banks at The Pompadour, Edinburgh How long have you been a chef? 18 years. I started when I was 15. Why did you become a chef? I’ve always had a love of food. I started helping in the kitchen when I was growing up, making cakes and biscuits,…
Read MoreIce Cream
Well, I couldn’t tantalise you with a brief history of the stuff (see Wednesday’s On The Side column) and not give you some to eat, could I? You know by now about the cream allergy, so you’re not going to be getting any of the rich stuff, nor one of these unctuous ones where you start…
Read MoreThe Raeburn, Edinburgh
The Raeburn 112 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh EH4 1HG 0131 332 7000 www.theraeburn.com The Bill Starters £6.00 – £8.00 | Mains £11.50 – £28.80 Desserts £5.00 – £8.00 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 3/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 16/25 In life, sadly, there are winners and losers. The good news this…
Read MoreI is for Ice and Ice Cream
Well, no prizes for guessing what the I was for. I did think about focussing on ice alone, but doubted you would let me away with it. Ice is defined as a food in the UK food legislation, and should be handled as such. The few times I’ve had a dodgy tummy out east can…
Read MoreCrispy Duck Lettuce Wraps With Pickled Carrots
Yesterday was the so called Glorious Twelfth. Depends on your viewpoint, I suppose. Less than wonderful if you’re a grouse, as it’s the start of the shooting season. I came to grouse late in life, and I can certainly see what the fuss is about, but prices are always inflated immediately after twelfth in the…
Read MoreStravaigin, Glasgow
Stravaigin 28 Gibson Street, Glasgow G12 8NX 0141 334 2665 www.stravaigin.co.uk The Bill Starters £5.50 – £8.00 | Small Plates £6.50 – £14.00 Mains £14.00 – £18.00 | Desserts £3.50 – £8.00 The Score Cooking 7.5/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 21.5/25 Stravaig – To wander; to go about…
Read MoreKnives and Knife Skills
Can you tell your tang from your bolster*? In the aftermath of the Tokyo Games, what is the major difference between Japan and Europe? Read on, and I’ll explain. I am sometimes accused of being blunt – not today. Having suspended publication (but not writing) for a month, I became complacent. Having a lot…
Read MoreTwo Fine Tomato Dishes
At this time of year, many of you may be enjoying (or suffering) a glut of tomatoes. Here are a couple of recipes. The first is for a soup which is good at any time of year, but has a beautiful summery colour. A word of warning: the tomatoes need to be quite sweet, though…
Read MoreKerridge’s Bar & Grill, London
Kerridge’s Bar & Grill The Corinthia Hotel 10 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AE 020 7321 3244 www.kerridgesbarandgrill.co.uk The Bill Starters £15.50 – £95.00 | Mains £28.50 – £49.50 Desserts £13.50 – £16.50 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 2.5/5 TOTAL 19/25 Proper lush! That seems to be a catchphrase…
Read MoreThe Food Producers – Andrew Whitley of Scotland The Bread
If there are any budding Messiahs out there, I have a word of advice for you. Arrange to meet Andrew Whitley of Scotland The Bread, persuade him of the benefits your cause, then appoint him as your first apostle. In the eighteen months or so since I started this feature it has been my pleasure…
Read MoreCranachan
Scotland, we are told, produces the finest soft fruit in the world. We do, do we? Well, not on the basis of the strawberries I’ve had this year. At the beginning of the season the quality could be forgiven because of the lack of sunshine: no such excuses now, and I still haven’t had any…
Read More45 Jermyn Street, London
45 Jermyn Street St James’s London SW1Y 6DN 020 7205 4545 www.45 Jermyn Street.com The Bill Starters £9.75 – £76.00 | Mains £17.50 – £52.50 | Desserts £4.50 – £14.25 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 5/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 22/25 I’m occasionally (well, very occasionally) asked how I choose places…
Read MoreChef Watch – Kamil Witek, Aurora modern eatery, Leith, Edinburgh
CHEF WATCH Featuring Kamil Witek, Chef Proprietor, Aurora modern eatery, Leith, Edinburgh How long have you been a chef? I have been a chef on and off for 15 years. I started when I was 18 in 2006, working in the summer in Blackpool. After taking a few seasonal jobs, I started working in…
Read MoreInvisible Ingredients
An invisible ingredient? I hear you repeat in wonder. How can this be? Now, I concede that, out there, there exist people with palettes so refined, that they can detect everything. Some of you may be among them: but you are rare. Alice Waters of the legendary Chez Panisse in California set a challenge to her…
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