Posts by Tom Johnston
Fabric
2 Canmore Street, Dunfermline, Fife, KY12 7NT 01383 733430 www.fabricdrinkanddine.co.uk The Bill Lunch and Dinner 2 courses: £13.95 | 3 courses: £17.25 A la Carte Starters: £5.25 – £6.95 | Mains: £8.95 – £26.95 | Desserts: £4.95 – £5.25 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 4.5/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL…
Read MoreLeeks
This week’s column was inspired by finding a puddle of creamed leeks hiding below some slices of beef at The Peat Inn, the subject of next week’s Tom Eats! column. I am very fond of leeks, but it occurred to me that my use of them tends to be in leek and potato soup, for…
Read MoreRoast Beef No More – Blame The Railways
From time to time I have mused idly as to why we talk today of roasting beef in an oven, yet baking potatoes. The latter term is correct. Traditionally roasting is done by exposing food to a naked flame, either on a spit or grill. Until watching a recent BBC programme on the history of…
Read MoreL’escargot bleu
56 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3SA 0131 556 1600 www.lescargotbleu.co.uk The Bill Set Lunch 2 courses £12.60 Set Dinner (pre 18.45) 2 courses £14.90 A la Carte Starters: £6.00 – £14.00 | Mains: £14.00 – £24.00 Desserts: £6.00 – £7.50 The Score Cooking 7.5/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 5/5…
Read MoreBeef Hough
Just outside St Andrews in the Cupar direction, you will find Balgove Larder. Farm shops are pretty common these days: this one, pun intended, is a cut above. There is a deli, there are books, of course there is a cafe/restaurant. The latter was choc a bloc, with a long queue for tables. But, best…
Read MoreRestaurants: The Economics of The Madhouse
My mother was the worst of all. In addition to having a great head for figures, she was a very talented cook. No, those weren’t the failings. But take her to a restaurant, then unless she took an immediate like to the place or the people (this happened about 25% of the time) she could…
Read MoreAnd Another Daft Thing!
One of the great things about social media is being able to hear so many of the unbelievably stupid things heard in restaurants, principally (but not exclusively) said by diners. Please let me have examples, the dafter the better. Thanks to Janet Hood for this example from her chef husband Alastair, concerning an organic,…
Read MoreSweet Potato, Chilli and Coconut Soup
Some types of guilt are easier to shake off than others. I blame myself, I really do. Not only did I allow her to go out alone, unchaperoned, I even encouraged it. It was a Friday. We had just come back after a couple of days away. The house was short on provisions and I…
Read MoreHaar Restaurant
Kinnettles Hotel, 127 North Street, St Andrews, Fife KY6 9AG 01334 473387 www.haarrestaurant.com The Bill Dinner Tasting Menu 5 courses: £50 A la Carte Starters: £11.00 – £16.00 | Mains: £20.00 – £35.00 Desserts: £9.50 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 20/25 There is something about…
Read MoreChef Watch – Dan Ashmore, Head Chef Elect at The Strathearn, Gleneagles
This is the first of a monthly series about chefs of note. Do you have a favourite you think should be featured? Let me know. Why did you become a chef? I’ve always enjoyed cooking and felt if I was going to do something for the rest of my life it might as well be…
Read MoreUsing the Search Facility
When the site was launched, I mentioned that there were still a couple of glitches which had to be ironed out. Many thanks to Alan Tomkins of Alpha Tango, and his tecchy man Adrian for resolving them. There are two separate search facilities. While they are straightforward enough, if you haven’t encountered the wonderful world…
Read MoreSpaghetti alla Puttanesca
I’ve been making this for years, generally none too well. Today, by accident, I made one of the best ever. While all pasta sauce has to be big enough to flavour a lot of carbohydrate, puttanesca is huge. Why so? Ah, how to explain without offending the sensibilities of your maiden aunts, should they chance upon…
Read MoreLe Bistrot by Patisserie Maxime
59 – 63 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1RN 0131 225 4021 www.lebistrot.co.uk The Bill Table d’Hote Lunch 2 courses: £13.95 | 3 courses: £16.95 Dinner A la Carte Starters: £5.95 – £9.95 | Mains: £12.95 – £32.95 Desserts: £5.95 – £6.95 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 3/5 | Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5…
Read MoreShopping in Vietnam – How Much Is That Doggy?
The eyebrows of anyone who knows me are likely to rise considerably at the notion of my penning an article on shopping. As a leisure activity it scores as highly in my book as watching ethnic dancing or having bamboo shoots inserted under my toenails. But, dear reader, you have still got to get the…
Read MoreWhy Tom’s Food! Will Never Be Trendy
Now I bow to no one in my admiration of Nigel Slater. In addition to his writing and broadcasting, he is editor of the Observer Food Monthly, which I take from time to time. The latest edition which I read contained The 8th Annual OFM 50 – Everything We Love In The World of Food Right…
Read MoreGrand Marnier Soufflé
This blog is posted for Valentine’s Day. Making a romantic dinner? A light last course is always to be recommended, You also want something that shows you’ve made an effort. Soufflés aren’t as frightening as you might think, once you’ve made one or two. With a larger unruly dinner party, the timing can be an…
Read MoreCafe Royal Oyster Bar
19 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA 0131 556 1884 www.belhavenpubs.co.uk/pubs/midlothian/cafe-royal-circle-bar The Bill A la Carte Oysters(6): £12.00 – £15.00 | Starters: £6.00 – £12.00 Mains: £13.00 – £35.00* | Desserts: £6.00 – £7.00 * Lobster is market price, probably higher The Score Cooking 2.5/10 | Service 3/5 | Flavour 2/5 | Value 2/5 TOTAL…
Read MoreIs Chef In? Does It Matter Who Cooked The Food?
When a chef has acquired a degree of celebrity, people’s attitudes seem to change. One of the most common questions posed to waiting staff is whether the great one is on the premises or whether he personally prepared that terrine/fish/panna cotta. When the answer is in the negative, this often results in hurt feelings. In…
Read MoreLamb Shoulder with Onions, Leek and Potatoes
Sometimes I think that in a previous life I must have been a French housewife. Or have I just spent too long reading and watching Nigel Slater? When food shopping there are times, especially if you have planned a dinner or other event, when you know exactly what you want to buy, and precisely what…
Read MoreTwo Fat Ladies in the City
118A Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EG 0141 847 0088 www.https://twofatladiesrestaurant.com/citycentre The Bill Table D’Hote Lunch 2 courses; £16.00 | 3 courses £19.00 Table D’Hote Dinner 2 courses; £18.00 | 3 courses £21.00 A la Carte Starters: £5.00 – £11.00 | Mains: £16.00 – £22.50 | Desserts: £6.50 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 7/10 |…
Read MoreVietnamese Banh Mi
At the end of this, you are going to look in incredulity and say, all this column just about a sandwich? Well yes, but please bear with me. Not just any old sandwich but one that the late Anthony Bourdain, no less, declared the best ever. Once you’ve embarked on a food tour in Vietnam,…
Read MoreDuong’s, Ho Chi Minh City
Duong’s Restaurant Saigon & Cooking Class 27 Dong Du Street, Ben Nghe Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam www.duongrestaurant.com The Bill (£1 = 30,000 Vietnamese Dong) Set Menus: £15.00 – £36.50; A la carte Starters £3.50 – £13.00; Mains £9.00 – £25.00; Desserts £4.00 – £5.00 The Score Food 5/10; Service 2/5; Flavour 4/5; Value…
Read MoreChar Siu Pork – I don’t think so
For reasons that will become clear next week, I acquired a sudden urge to cook the dish which we know as Char Siu. The more I considered it, the less likely the name seemed to be. Hands up anyone who has never done a bad impression of a Chinese accent. Really? I don’t know whether…
Read MoreThe Marshall Trewin House of Fun
The Marshall Trewin House of Fun Somewhere in Norfolk Reservations: Strictly By Invitation Only Guest Reviewer Ross Marshall The Bill Incredibly cheap The Score Cooking 8/10* | Service 2/5** | Flavour 6/5*** | Value 5/5**** TOTAL 21/25 It’s Friday and Tom’s oxtail recipe has just dropped into my phone. Looks interesting – though, clearly, it’s…
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