Posts by Tom Johnston
Baklava with Pistachios and Walnuts
For the last few weeks we have been wandering through the Middle East. Last week we sweetened up with a honey cake. I had thought at that time of including baklava, that tooth achingly sweet confection, which comes from…? Larousse Gastronomique describes it as a Middle Eastern creation: it seems to have been present throughout…
Read MoreA Taste of Honey – Bermondsey Bees and Honey Loaf
Whisper it, but I’ve never, up until now that is, been a great fan of honey. It just tastes, well, sweet. At my advanced age it is just wonderful to be able to stumble on new, exciting food experiences. I wrote the other week about attending Sudi Pigott’s food writing course in Bermondsey. That took…
Read MoreLe Plongeoir by Donnie Marshall
60 Boulevard Franck Pilatte, 06300 Nice, France +334 93 26 53 02 www.leplongeoir.com The Bill (Euros) Set Lunch (Not weekends or public holidays) 2 courses 25€ | 3 courses 35€ A la carte Starters: 19€ – 26€ | Mains: 31€ – 37€ | Desserts: 12.50€ The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 2/5 | Flavour 2/5…
Read MoreMichael’s Grill & Seafood Place
15 – 19 Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh EH1 1 DR 0131 557 2635 www.michaelsteak.co.uk The Bill Lunch menu (Monday to Friday) 3 courses £11.80 A la carte Starters: £6.95 – £13.50 | Mains: £14.95 – £32.00 | Desserts: £4.00 – £8.00 The Score Cooking 4/10 | Service 2/5 | Flavour 2/5 | Value 2.5/5 TOTAL 10.5/25…
Read MoreMiddle Eastern Breads – Pitta and Taboon
Last week we looked at a couple of walnut based sauces of Middle Eastern origin. Although the tahini was used to dress a carrot salad, it could easily be used as a dip. That needs something to spread it on. In a horrible culture clash we are as likely as not to serve such dips…
Read MoreNew Chapter
18 Eyre Place, Edinburgh EH3 5EP 0131 556 0006 www.newchapterestaurant.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch 2 courses: £16.95 | 3 courses: £21.95 Set Dinner (Mon – Thu 1730 – 1830) 2 courses: £17.95 | 3 courses: £22.95 A la Carte Starters: £8.50 – £14.00 | Mains: £18.50 – £23.00 | Desserts: £5.50 – £7.95 The Score…
Read MoreThe Ship on the Shore, Leith
24 – 26 The Shore, Leith Edinburgh EH6 6QN 0131 555 0409 www.theshipontheshore.co.uk The Bill A la Carte Starters: £7.00 – £12.50 | Oysters: £8.00 – £12.00 | Mains: £12.50 – £24.00 | Desserts: £3.50 – £7.50 Seafood Platters: £20.00 – £130.00 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 4/5 | Flavour 3.5/5 | Value…
Read MoreWalnuts – Muhammara, Roasted Carrots and Tahini
One or two things inspired this week’s column. Firstly, by a certain good chum, not be named (yet), who has been promising me a recipe for months, and recently embarked on a jaunt to Israel. But secondly, I was sucked into the orbit of the stellar force that is Sudi Pigott, foodie extraordinaire. More on…
Read MoreMark Baird’s Rovellini
This week’s guest recipe comes from friend and fellow foodie, Mark Baird. Mark is known in Tom Eats! circles as the RCI, Retired Captain of Industry. Before his recent retirement he ran Diageo almost single handedly, despite one or two people who claimed to be further up the corporate ladder (Head of Alcohol in Society/Head…
Read MoreNational Waiters’ Day
Last Sunday was National Waiters’ Day. I jest not. Who, I hear you ask, thinks these things up? If I tell you that the ubiquitous Fred Siriex is involved you probably won’t be surprised. Perhaps of more interest is the fact that this goes back about 100 years, to Paris and the annual race, the…
Read MoreGlazed Raspberry Tart
2019 has been a horribly disappointing year for strawberries, due, no doubt, to the lack of sun. Raspberries, on the other hand, have been loving the damp and relatively cool weather. The quality has been fantastic, and I don’t remember having such a long season. This week’s recipe is a showstopper to celebrate the great…
Read MorePrawns Part 2 – Thai Broth and Kerala Prawn Curry
Last week we left things hanging with what to do with the heads and shells of the glorious langoustines which, I seriously hope, you did not overcook. The answer, in a word, is stock. If I had to pick one single difference between a pro and an amateur kitchen, I would point to the permanent…
Read MoreLa Bruschetta
13 Clifton Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5DR 0131 467 7464 www.labruschetta.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch (Tue – Sat) 2 courses: £16.95 | 3 courses: £19.95 Set Dinner (Tue – Fri) 3 courses: £23.95 A la Carte Stuzzichini: £4.95 – £6.95 | Antipasti: £5.95 – £10.95 | Primi: £11.95 – £20.95 Secondi: £15.95 – £26.95 | Desserts:…
Read MoreBeaumartin The Cottage
156 Milngavie Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 3EA 0141 258 1881 www.beaumartinthecottage.co.uk The Bill Market Menu (includes coffee) 1 course: £13.50 | 2 courses: £18.50 | 3 courses: £22.50 Sunday Roast (includes a glass of fizz) 1 course: £16.00 | 2 courses: £19.50 | 3 courses: £23.50 A la Carte Starters: £5.50 – £9.50 | Mains:…
Read More10 Greek Street
10 Greek Street, London W1D 4DH 020 7734 4677 www.10greekstreet.com The Bill A la Carte Starters: £7.00 – £13.00 | Mains: £15.00 – £35.00 | Desserts: £7.00 – £9.00 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 22/25 – Do you know whereabouts this place is? asked my…
Read MoreUbiquitous Chip
18 Eyre Place, Edinburgh EH3 5EP 0131 556 0006 www.newchapterestaurant.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch 2 courses: £16.95 | 3 courses: £21.95 Set Dinner (Mon – Thu 1730 – 1830) 2 courses: £17.95 | 3 courses: £22.95 A la Carte Starters: £8.50 – £14.00 | Mains: £18.50 – £23.00 | Desserts: £5.50 – £7.95 The Score…
Read MorePrawns, Langoustines – What’s In A Name?
What we’re looking at today is the wonderful Nephrops norvegicus. I first encountered these in Wester Ross in the late 1960s when they were known to fishermen and consumers alike as prawns. Once we started to be inundated with imports from all over, the naming became confusing. The term Dublin Bay prawns was common –…
Read More(Not) Bouillabaisse – But A Good Fish Soup
So you want to cook bouillabaisse? Well, you can’t. Says who? Says The Marseillle Bouillabaisse Charter, issued in 1980 by a group of restaurateurs in the city. The stated objective is to specify the elements of a good quality Bouillabaisse, with the goal to make this local dish better known among customers, while at the…
Read MoreIn Memory of Jim Kendall
Yesterday, two unthinkable things happened. Firstly, I discovered that L and I both had a completely empty calendar. Ladies and gentlemen, in the month of August, this is something which does not happen. With a few mouse clicks I soon remedied that. Three Fringe shows and a bite of dinner (The Outsider on George IV…
Read MoreNoto
47A Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DY 0131 241 8518 www.notoedinburgh.co.uk The Bill Plates: £6.00 – £16.00 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 22/25 This eagerly awaited opening sees Stuart Ralston of Aizle fame with his first restaurant in the city centre. I have never visited Aizle,…
Read MoreRustom Restaurant
2 Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh EH12 5BT 0131 337 7920 www.rustomrestaurant.co.uk The Bill Starters: £2.95 – £6.95 | Mains: £8.95 – £25.95 | Desserts: £4.00 – £4.95 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 21/25 What’s in a name? Since I’ve started checking out the meanings of the…
Read MoreFennel
I am taking my first faltering steps to learn the Czech language. People tell me it’s difficult, but my guess is that learning English pronunciations must be a nightmare. Take for example the words, therefore, plant, pack, female pig: so, sew, stow, but sow. Or, things in a line, type of deer, propel a boat,…
Read MoreBertie’s Proper Fish and Chips
Eusebi Deli 152 Park Road, Glasgow, G2 9HB 0141 648 9999 www.eusebideli.com The Bill Starters: £4.00 – £12.00 | Mains: £12.50 – £24.00 | Desserts: Didn’t get there The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 23/25 A long, long time ago, in a place very close to here,…
Read MoreVietnam – Spicy Chicken and Carrot Salad, and Sweet Chilli Sauce
Vietnamese Chicken and Carrot Salad A few weeks ago, we looked at warm salads. At that time I commended the cuisines of the east for the vibrancy of their salads. Now that we are at last getting a bit of heat, this is a good time to venture there. This one is adapted from a…
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