Posts by Tom Johnston
Strawberry Pavlova
Having spent a couple of years bemoaning the quality of British strawberries, I am cautiously pleased by what I’ve eaten this year. Early in the season of course. I’ve always associated the good old strawb with my birthday in July, but that’s modern growing methods for you. A week or two ago I mentioned Eton…
Read MoreChef Watch, Featuring Peter McKenna of Bistro 1155, Glasgow
Chef Watch Featuring Peter McKenna, Chef and Co-owner Bistro 1155, Glasgow How long have you been a chef? I stepped into my first professional kitchen at the ripe old age of 14 as a kitchen porter. Over the years that followed, I progressed to working within the kitchen team of a local Monaghan hotel and…
Read MoreChicken Katsu
As we’re on a Japanese theme this week, it seemed appropriate to stick with that for today’s delight. After our eastern jaunt three years ago I gave you recipes for teriyaki and tamagoyota, and explained how to make your own sushi – I’m sure you do it better than I. Later today is going to…
Read MoreIchiban, Glasgow
Ichiban 50 Queen Street, Glasgow G1 3DS 0141 204 4200 www.ichiban.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch Main Dish £10.80 | Main Dish and Side £14.90 A la carte Sushi £4.80 – £ 7.60 | Main Dishes £13.00 – £15.90 Sides and Sharing Plates £5.00 – £9.00 The Score Cooking 4/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 3/5…
Read MoreKnives from Nippon
Forget sweetie shops. This overgrown kid can easily pass them by. But a shop selling knives and kitchen equipment? That’s another matter. In Edinburgh, Nisbets in the West Port has often sucked me in with some strange, magnetic-like force. Purchases started small: tiny inconsequential pieces of kitchen ware. Then, as with any addict,…
Read MoreSpaghetti alla Casa Johnston
Seasonality? Not easy here in Britain. We saw the sun early in the month. The first asparagus came with spring promise. Our sojourn in London wasn’t of the warmest, but in the gentle heat of our last day I was contemplating dishes with which to tempt you. Something light to be eaten al fresco, perhaps,…
Read MoreLa Locanda, Edinburgh
La Locanda 61 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BS 0131 622 7447 lalocandaedinburgh.co.uk The Bill Starters £10.95 – £16.90 | Mains £19.90 – £29.90 Desserts ? The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 3.5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 1.5/5 Total 15.5/25 Cockburn Street Edinburgh in the summer can assume a surreal, sometimes magical quality. The surrealism…
Read MoreLondon Food: What is London Food?
On our regular jaunts to the capital we enjoy a couple of principal activities. Food obviously is one of them. Purely, you understand, in the interests of keeping you informed, dear reader – and this trip has yielded three yet to be written articles. We also spend much time wearing out shoe leather following the…
Read MoreThe Baring, London
The Baring 55 Baring Street, London N1 3DS 0207 916 5861 www.thebaring.co.uk The Bill Starters £10.00 – £15.00 | Mains £25.00 – £39.00 Desserts £9.00 – £10.00 The Score Cooking 7.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 5/5 | Value 5/5 Total 22.5/25 If your first question wasn’t, where on earth is The Baring?, I’d be surprised.…
Read MoreAsparagus & Prawn Frittata
There are fewer pleasures greater than the arrival of the first British asparagus. And as with much of life, simplest is often best. Steamed (never boiled, please), grilled, barbecued, baked. With melted butter or Hollandaise sauce, with lemon juice, with Parmesan shavings, with a poached egg. All the obvious ways, but no less delicious for being…
Read MoreThe Malt Shovel, Edinburgh
The Malt Shovel 11 – 15 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BP 0131 225 6843 www.belhaven.co.uk/pubs/edinburgh/malt-shovel-inn The Bill Starters £5.75 – £8.45 | Mains £13.45 – £20.95 Desserts £6.25 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 4.5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4.5/5 Total 18/25 Fish and chips since 1860. That is the remarkable, not to say…
Read MoreDiana Thompson on Wine: Italy
On more than one occasion I have been asked why the blog doesn’t contain a fourth column, Tom Drinks! There are a number of reasons. What do you think I am, a professional journalist? Putting together three columns a week is quite enough work, thank you. But the main reason is quite simply that I don’t…
Read MoreGamba, Glasgow
Gamba 225 West George Street, Glasgow G2 2ND 0141 572 0899 www.gamba.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch Wed – Fri: 2 courses £30.00 | 3 courses £35.00 Saturday: 2 courses £40.00 | 3 courses £45.00 (includes glass of wine) A la Carte Starters £15.00 – £25.00 | Mains £32.00 – £40.00 Desserts £10.50 The Score …
Read MoreAn Authentic Brown Lentil Dahl
You may or may not recall a recent On The Side column on the subject of dahl. These are usually followed up on the Friday with a recipe; however, I was on a roll with the sandwich series and didn’t want you to get crusty if I interrupted it. But today is the day. Now…
Read MoreNational Cherry Cheesecake Day – What?!
That’s tomorrow, that is. I kid you not. Much harmless amusement can be gained from a Google search (other search engines are available) on national food days. It is not unfair to say that most of the weirder stuff comes from the States. So let’s consider this further. A cheesecake day. One might consider this…
Read MoreLiz Turnbull’s Smoked Bacon, Spinach and Blue Cheese Tart
Thanks to good friend and ace cook Liz Turnbull for today’s recipe. A tart – definitely not a quiche. The history of this dish is of some interest (well, to geeks like me). In Britain we have had savoury tarts for centuries. One can trace recipes going back to medieval times. Originally they were made…
Read MoreThe Spence, Edinburgh
The Spence Gleneagles Townhouse 39 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2AD 0131 332 3780 www. gleneagles.com/townhouse The Bill Bread & Snacks £8.00 – £10.00 | Seafood £18.00 – £24.00 Starters £16.00 – £19.00 | Mains £24.00 – £55.00 Desserts £12.00 – £14.00 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4/5…
Read MoreCooking: The Book(s) That Influenced You
Getting something On The Side is ticklish. Note I used the capitals to stop the sniggering in the back rows. Childish. Really! The point is the varying degrees of difficulty presented by each of the columns in the blog. Food is infinite. If I felt the urge and, more importantly, if I thought your boredom…
Read MoreOld Pal Bar & Kitchen, Edinburgh
Old Pal Bar & Kitchen 28 West Maitland Street, Edinburgh EH12 5DX 0131 305 1981 www.oldpal.uk The Bill Small Plates £10.00 – £12.00 | Sliders £7.50 Mains £16.00 – £22.00 | Desserts ? The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 Total 19.5/25 Not what you expect, and not where…
Read MoreSandwich Makers of the World Unite – Part 3 Viva Italia!
Last week I advanced the proposition that the American sandwich as we know it today has its roots in Italy. An Italian food lover would, I suspect, turn up his nose in disdain at the transatlantic fare, choosing instead to marvel at what his country has to offer. Let’s explore. Tramezzini In the past couple…
Read MoreFood Alphabetical: D is for Dal/Dhal/Daal
If you go to an Indian* restaurant and don’t have a side of dhal**, you are really missing the point. It’s a dish which most Indians other than the poorest will eat probably twice a day. At its best, it’s sublime, but there are inherent dangers. Singed lentils, for example, are disgusting. As when you…
Read MoreSandwich Makers of the World Unite – Part 2
Properly let down I am. Disappointed, nay, betrayed even. After last week I was expecting an inbox filled to the brim with your inspirations for The Great Tom’s Food! Sandwich. One miserable response! (Thank you, GS.) You will all be familiar, I’m sure, with the story of how today’s hero came to be. The 4th…
Read MoreFrenchie, Edinburgh
Frenchie 14 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3RH 0131 556 5333 www.barfrenchie.com The Bill Bites £5.50 – £13.50 | Bowls/Salads £7.50 – £18.50 Plates £17.50 – £23.50 | Desserts £3.50 – £11.00 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 4.5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 Total 21.5/25 Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. I…
Read MoreA March Miscellany
Unfortunately, my guest contributor who was scheduled to fill this week’s Food Producers column has been ill. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. So instead, some food snippets for your information, delectation and delight. Wild Hearth Bakery, Comrie John Castley, Wild Hearth Bakery You may recall that the other week I mentioned them and their…
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