The Ledbury, Notting Hill

Roast cod, truffle puree, cauliflower, parmesan gnocchi & sea vegetables

Within a few weeks after we first moved to London 4 years ago, The Peanut Gallery was researching London restaurants for my birthday dinner. The man does not hold back when it comes to restaurant research, and he hit on a place in Notting Hill that sounded like the goods. And so it was that The Ledbury set my benchmark for London fine dining.

It's still my favourite place for a posh lunch or dinner. I've been back twice since - once with friends for the great value set price lunch (at £33.50 for 3 courses) - a terrific way to experience the brilliance while the sun flirts in through the huge surrounding windows. The second revisit was just last week to catch up over dinner with Aussie food blogging friends, Gourmet Chick, Catty and Vintage Macaroon as well as the lovely Claire from Australian wine maker, d'Arenberg. What better place to meet than over the fine food of Australian head chef, Brett Graham, drinking terrific Australian wines kindly contributed by D'Arenberg (thanks Claire) and Katnook Estate (thanks Jo).

Jo (who couldn't join us in the end) made contact with Brett Graham, who put together a special tasting menu for us, tweaked to match our wines.

Deep fried quail egg

Over a bottle of champagne well chosen by the sommelier to meet our request for something reasonably light and crisp, we start with the pretty, mousse-like foie gras canape followed by the amuse bouche - a deep fried quail egg with Jerusalem artichoke puree and shaved truffles.

Our waiter called it "broccoli on toast"

Firm broccoli stem with natural yoghurt and tiny, sweet Falmouth Bay prawns in brown butter and vadouvan (a mixture of onions, shallots and garlic with Indian spices) is one of my favourite courses. This dish highlights the kitchen's dexterity for textures and combining vivid flavours in well balanced harmony. Basically, it's clever, and it tastes brilliant. Who knew broccoli could be this good?

We drink the 2009 Katnook Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Coonawarra - a Sauv with body and lots of zesty citrus and apple.

Hampshire buffalo milk curd, Saint-Nectaire & grilled onion broth
(Truffle toast not pictured)

A shallow soup bowl is presented next. Across the base is a thin layer of Hampshire buffalo milk curd with uncooked French cheese, Saint-Nectaire. Small clusters of grilled onions and mushrooms are dotted around the plate. At the table, an aromatic, delicate broth of grilled onions is poured over the top and, on the side, waits a toasted brioche topped with large thin disks of earthy black truffle and puree. Again, there are delightfully balanced layers of flavour at work - just gorgeous.

With this, we drink d'Arenberg's 2008 "The Last Ditch" Viognier from McLaren Vale. It's exactly the type of wine I love. It's been aged for 6 months in French and American oak, and has a lovely, big honey and cream character.

Root vegetables

Next up, a colourful arrangement of root vegetables, a nutty, sweet and earthy mix, baked in salt and clay with roasting juices, hazelnuts and Lardo di Colonnata (the silky pork fat from pigs having spent their lives feasting on acorns and chestnuts in Tuscany). Oh my. What better way to turn vegetables into pure, indulgent gluttony? Our accompanying 2005 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has rich fruit and tannin, but is light enough so as not to overpower this dish.

A plump, moist fillet of roast cod glistens beside a mellow truffle puree, cauliflower, parmesan gnocchi and, for some extra umami, sea vegetables. Again, it looks pretty and it's a perfectly executed delight to eat.

Roe deer

Finally, the loin of roe deer is baked in Douglas fir (coniferous tree) with beetroot and malt. There's an accompanying venison sausage, which is rich and gamey. The loin is tender and, although I think it lacks some flavour, it's topped with an oozy blob of rich marrow which adds depth.

We accompany it with the 2002 d'Arenberg "The Dead Arm" Shiraz. This is a big, gutsy Aussie Shiraz, with intense fruit, chocolate and spice. It's a gorgeous match for our rich, autumnal game dish.

Brown sugar tart

Before dessert, we cleanse the palate (ok, any excuse) with a tart passion fruit concoction in a shot glass, before finishing with a fantastic, sweet brown sugar tart. It looks like a long slab of foie gras and, praise the lord, is almost as rich. It comes with muscat grapes and a stem ginger ice-cream.

Coffees and teas at the end are matched with our choice from a delicious selection of jellies, merigues, macaroons and chocolates.

Although we didn't try it, the cheese trolley - or, more accurately, the smell of the cheese trolley - deserves a mention. Fantastic. When it moves about the room, it's like you just wandered into the cheese room at La Fromagerie with your nostrils fully flared. Save room.

Service was, as always, professional, knowledgeable and friendly without a shred of stuffiness or irritating fuss. Brett Graham wasn't in the kitchen on the night we ate (he was shooting in Scotland), and so our fantastic meal only goes to show what an all round strong team this is. Even the loos are good - mainly for featuring my favourite (Melbourne based) Aesop geranium leaf hand wash. It seems I'm bound to love this place right down to the finest detail.

Together, with service, water and corkage of £50 (which amounted to £12.50 per bottle) our bill came to £102 per head. The standard dinner tasting menu (6 courses plus amuse bouche and pre-dessert) costs £85 per head (or £130 per head with matching wines) and there's also a vegetarian tasting menu for £75. The set lunch menu is £27.50 for 2 courses or £33.50 for 3 courses. And, of course, the a la carte options are always available.

At just 30 years of age, Brett Graham has obtained 2 Michelin stars at The Ledbury and is part of the collaboration behind the 1 Michelin starred pub, The Harwood Arms in Fulham. That alone is enough to make you sick. But even more impressively, at The Ledbury, he has created a consistently excellent restaurant, brimming with easy going confidence, originality, finesse and food which is a joy to eat. It deserves all the praise it gets.

The Ledbury, 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AQ (Tel: 020 7792 9090)

Leong's Legends

Leong's Legends is one of the better places to eat on a small budget in London's Chinatown.

Decor is simple but smart - dark wood, low lighting; it's like a busy teahouse. The Taiwanese fare - while it might not always blow you away - is a cheerful skip ahead of most of its near neighbours. And it's a nice change in style from the tide of Cantonese restaurants in the area.

Service is fairly swift and impersonal, but not rude in my experience (although there have been reports of frostiness in the past) - which to my mind is perfect for a good value, tasty meal in Chinatown. I'm not expecting anyone to fold my napkin when I go to the loos.

TPG can not go anywhere without trying the duck. The crispy, aromatic duck has good flavour, if a fraction dry on our recent visit. A plentiful serve of pancakes, spring onion, cucumber and a sweet hoisin sauce accompany it.

The ma po tofu adds some spice to our table - it definitely has a kick. The ginger chicken is sweet and tender, with crunchy slithers of ginger and onion to liven up the textures. The sweet, tender braised pork belly is also one to try.

Leong's Legends is any easy contender for a regular budget haunt in Chinatown. It has a good reputation for dim sum too, and particularly the xiao long bao (steamed soupy, meaty dumplings). Just watch out for the queue if you arrive during prime time. Expect to pay just over £20 for 2 people.

Other favourites are the slightly more upmarket Empress of Sichuan and - for bargain basement - Young Chen.

Leong's Legend, 4 Macclesfield Street, Chinatown, London W1D 6AX (Tel: 020 7287 0288)

There is also a newer Leong's Legends branch in Bayswater.

Bistrot Bruno Loubet with Green & Blacks and the new "Ultimate Chocolate Recipes" book

I can't decide if I like cheese best or chocolate.

Fortunately, no-one's holding a gun to my head and forcing me to choose. Yet. But should a desert island scenario arise, I feel it would be wise to be prepared.

Until a few years ago, I would have put my hand up for another Lindt ball. But as my crows feet grow deeper, so does my penchant for all things savoury, and nothing more than a fine smelly cheese. The mouldier the better. And if there's a hint of cauliflower taste about it, get me a room.

But sometimes only chocolate will do - in that way that eating 500 pieces of raw carrot at 4pm is just not going to cut it when your body wants melt in the mouth fat and cocoa. Recently it was Chocolate Week, and that only further fuelled the flame.

I went to a scrumptious chocolatey afternoon tea, and Green & Blacks took me out to dinner at Bistrot Bruno Loubet (a restaurant I love) where I drooled over their new cookbook and discovered a fresh favourite that sleeps on TPG's pillow when he's off on business trips - the salted caramel chocolate Peanut Bar. Yes. Salted. Caramel. Chocolate. Peanut. Bar.

The Green & Blacks Peanut Bar - in civvies

It's only available in the USA at present, but a sample found its way to my gullet. We need it here in the UK. Desperately. Let the campaign begin. (I urge you to join me in support with a comment below - they can consider this a petition).

I also met Green & Black's head of taste, Micah, who - aside from having the really awful job of tasting & developing chocolate flavours - has recently edited the new Green & Blacks Ultimate Chocolate Recipes cookbook. Oh, and the man can also eat whole desserts face first.

The cookbook is a gorgeous, colourful compilation of tempting recipes for such gourmet delights as chocolate meringue pie, chocolate and cardamom muffins and (hold me down) a velvet salted caramel chocolate torte. Favourite recipes have been contributed by chefs, food writers and others. This is one book set to inspire quite the chocolate dinner party extravaganza at Chez Greedy.

Quail and pistachio dodine with spinach and egg raviolo

So, what of Bistrot Bruno Loubet? Since my last review, it was high time to repay it a visit. As usual, service was easy, relaxed and knowledgable and the food was a delight. My starter of a miraculously light guinea fowl boudin blanc on a pea soup was comforting, with lovely, subtle but moreish flavours (£7.50). For my main, the quail and pistachio dodine with spinach and egg yolk raviolo was cooked perfectly - a rich, tender and satisfying dish (£17.00). I dipped into various desserts around the table, none which moved the earth for me, but all were perfectly nice.

Bistrot Bruno Loubet really is one of my favourite places to eat for excellent French cooking with a bit of flair. I was happy to see it recently recognised with the Best New Restaurant Award at The National Restaurant Awards 2010.

We finished off with several excellent cheese platters while greedily scouring the pages of the new chocolatey cookbook - ahhh, all bases covered.

"Green & Blacks Organic Ultimate Chocolate Recipes, The New Collection", edited by Micah Carr-Hill,  is available for around £16.99 RRP online and at various bookshops.

Bistrot Bruno Loubet, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 5RJ (Tel: 0207 324 4455)



Greedy Diva's dinner was provided by the very fun team at Green & Blacks.

Fernandez & LeLuu, London Supper Club - Vietnamese feasting at its best & "Fight Hunger Eat In" with Action Against Hunger & Unearthed

The beef pho

I have 2 good reasons for writing about London supper club, Fernandez & Leluu.

1. They cook some of the best Vietnamese food I've tasted in London.
2. They recently hosted a charity dinner with Unearthed in support of Action Against Hunger. And I love the idea behind this new campaign.

Simon and Uyen have been hosting their supper club from their East London apartment since late 2009. Uyen's mum, who is Vietnamese, along with the gorgeous Gail from One Million Gold Stars, were helping in the kitchen on the first night I rolled up for my Vietnamese feast.

A Vietnamese chicken salad is both juicy and packed with fresh, zingy flavours. Bountiful platters of spring rolls follow, crammed to bursting point with prawn, crab, tender octopus and pork. They're a terrific mix of contrasting textures and the flavours bounce off each other well.

A bowl of beef pho with flat rice noodles is wonderfully aromatic and, although mild, there's some interesting layers of delicate spice at work.

The tuna sashimi that stole my heart at the Fernandez & LeLuu summer picnic at the Henley Royal Regatta features again at the supper club. We finish with pork cutlets and rice, before moving on to a coconut and Cointreau sorbet as a refreshing end to an excellent, fun marathon meal. No one leaves hungry.

This supper club is dancing on the tables, barrels of laughs, type fun. There's a huge energy in the tiny room and it tends to work to a slow crescendo as supper clubbers share their wine freely around the table. The crowd is mostly fun loving folk in their 20s and 30s and generally everyone brings 1-2 bottles of wine.

Yes, Fernandez and Leluu is BYO with no corkage fee. The suggested minimum donation is around £35 plus tips.

"Fight Hunger, Eat In" - Action Against Hunger & Unearthed

I returned again more recently for a charity dinner hosted by Fernandez & LeLuu with Unearthed, to raise awareness and funds for Action Against Hunger. Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organisation committed to ending child hunger. Their new Fight Hunger Eat In campaign follows its recent "Fight Hunger Eat Out" campaign spearheaded by some top chefs and restaurants.

The idea is to encourage food lovers to host a dinner party and invite their friends to make a donation in return for a great meal. Hosts pick a menu, invite their guests and cook away. Action Against Hunger has prepared lots of tips and materials, invitations and recipes which are available for hosts to download to make it all as easy as possible.

Simon Day, founder of Unearthed, hosted the evening I attended at Fernandez & LeLuu. Apart from being a lovely guy, Simon has what just might be the best job in the world - he travels around Europe & elsewhere in search of excellent products from great producers which might not otherwise see the light of day in the UK market. Unearthed products include things like rillettes, olives, cooked and cured meats, white bean tapas with Manchego and panettones. The products are sold at Waitrose and were the foundations of the meal cooked by Fernandez & LeLuu at this charity dinner.

We start with a tasty selection of Unearthed's potato omelette with pork rillettes, duck mousse, oyster mushrooms and garlic bread. I particularly love the rillettes from Le Mans and find myself happily placed between 2 large platters of the stuff. These are clearly quality products, and from the snippets I caught on the subject, they seem to come at very reasonable prices (eg. the rillettes are £2.49 at Waitrose).

A velvety sweet corn veloute with chorizo film had me at "sweet corn".

Next are some flamenquines -  meaty fried parcels of pork, pepperoni and ham with mustard and herb dip. Completely addictive.

Then, pork meatballs (again from Unearthed) with Fernandez & LeLuu's Russian salad. Fernandez & Leluu do a cracking Russian salad (again, it's one I sampled before at their Henley Regatta picnic), and the meatballs are a sweet, juicy counterpart.

Finally, we feast on Unearthed's Serrano ham with F&L's own champagne poached pears and a watercress salad. A gorgeous combination.

I missed the churros and chocolate - and I'm still kicking myself.

I love the spirit of this supper club, and the Action Against Hunger campaign, combined with the joint efforts of Unearthed and Fernandez & LeLuu, was inspiring. If you are interested in hosting a dinner party in support of Action Against Hunger, you can see their website here. You can book for other supper club events at Fernandez & LeLuu on their website.


Fernandez & LeLuu, a mystery location in East London.