Belgo Centraal, Covent Garden - Oktoberfest

Moules mariniere

The Peanut Gallery had his heart set on going to Oktoberfest this year. We didn't go. Fortuitously, however, I made it to Belgo Centraal in Covent Garden to try its Oktoberfest 2010 menu. I'm not sure TPG regards this as sufficient compensation, but it worked out rather well for me.

Every Wednesday night during October, Belgo (at branches Centraal, Noord and Kingsway) is offering a beer and food pairing masterclass - 3 courses, 3 matching beers, big communal tables shared with like minded guzzlers, for £33 per person. They call it the "Wednesday Night Pilgrimage". Belgo's expert Masters of Beer want to educate you about the variety of beers that Belgium has to offer.

October's all about the beer

Yes, yes, I know, Oktoberfest is a German thing and Belgo is a Belgian thing. No matter. Beer is the common thread here, people. And beer is something Belgo does well. There's a full cellar of fruit beers, Abbey beers and potent Trappist brews to have you skipping home so merrily you won't care which country you've just been in.

The special menu includes 3 choices for each of the 3 courses. The line up includes a champagne, duck and truffle terrine (with De Koninck Blonde beer), parsnip and ginger soup (with Jupiler Pilsner), moules mariniere (with Belgo Witbier), a Belgian chocolate pudding (with Westmalle Double) and a fine Belgian waffle with chocolate ice-cream and white chocolate sauce (with Mort Subite Gueuze).

Moules Portugaises

Beef carbonnade

Belgo does the staples best - it's a fine place for moules, frites, beer and waffles. The steaming bowl of Moules Portugaises with plump mussels and roast chorizo in a tomato, garlic, olive oil and paprika sauce is a hearty beer soaking feast. I also enjoy the Beef Carbonnade - the beef is braised in Faro beer, nutmeg and brown sugar. It's sweet and hearty, if not as tender as it could be. The hot, crispy frites that come with are, as anticipated, fabulous. All matches beautifully with the Witcap Stimulo beer.

Things go slightly more pear shaped when we go off piste - such as with the mushroom bouchee, a puff pastry case filled with wild mushrooms in an Orval beer and truffle cream sauce, with asparagus spears and buttered onions. It does taste better than it looks.

Exhibit A: The Mushroom Bouchee

But you won't go wrong with the moules, frites and a good ol' Belgian waffle. (Poor TPG - Oktoberfest with waffles... this is really going to hurt.)

The Belgian waffle in all it's glory

Service is friendly and knowledgeable, the setting hectic, noisy and fun. Unless you don't like hectic, noisy places. (I do.)

During Oktoberfest, Belgo is also offering 2 different buckets of Belgian beer, each comprising a variety of 4 bottles on ice for £15/bucket.

Book ahead during October, requesting the "Wednesday Night Pilgrimages" and don't hold back on the frites.

Belgo Centraal, 50 Earlham Stret, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9LJ (Tel: 020 7813 2233)

Greedy Diva was a guest of Belgo Centraal.

The Modern Pantry, Farringdon - Anna Hansen with Frances Atkins of The Yorke Arms (London Restaurant Festival, 10-10-10)

Seared saddle of venison with a polpettino,
pandan, coco beans, beetroot and red wine sauce

A top London chef working with one of the UK's best out of towners, serving Sunday lunch right here on my doorstep? Don't mind if I do...

As part of London Restaurant Festival celebrations, on 10th October 2010 some of London's top chefs teamed up in their restaurants with the a selection of the best chefs from around the UK - to create Amex Express' 10-10-10 event.

By way of example, Raymond Blanc collaborated with Bruno Loubet to create a special menu and work side by side at Bistro Bruno Loubet, and same goes for Tom Kerridge of the Hand and Flowers with Anthony Demetre at Arbutus, and Alain Roux of the Waterside Inn with Claude Bosi at Hibiscus. Fabulous idea.

I was happy to be invited to lunch at The Modern Pantry in Farringdon, where head chef Anna Hansen would be working side by side with Frances Atkins of The Yorke Arms. To set the scene, some CVs...

Anna Hansen, a New Zealander, was one of the founders of The Providores before setting up The Modern Pantry. She has worked in the kitchens of both Fergus Henderson (of St John Restaurant) and Australia's beloved Stephanie Alexander. The Modern Pantry has 2 AA rosettes and was listed with Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide 2009.

The Antipodes meets the north with the addition of Frances Atkins, one of only 6 female Michelin Star chefs in the UK. Her Yorkshire restaurant, The Yorke Arms, has held a Michelin star since 2003, along with several other accolades.

Yes, I was looking forward to my lunch.

It's a gorgeous sunny day (although please don't give me that "Indian summer" pallaver - 2 sunny but merely mild days does not a summer make) and the light streams in to the modern, airy upstairs dining room. Our amuse bouche is a shot glass containing a shaving of truffle nestled atop a gorgeous, warm truffled turnip veloute. A tiny dollop of cold vanilla ice-cream has sunk to the bottom beneath a thin, crisp slice of warm pancetta. A really interesting, unexpected and enjoyable combination.

Then, a starter sized cassava, squash and pickled walnut "kofta". It's like a really good pasty, but with firm crunch and exotic spice. It works well with a robust prune carraway relish and some Belgian endive for added bite. Overall, it's "nice".

For mains, we both forgo the "rosemary gnocchi, grains and seeds with lime and ginger marinated plum tomatoes" for what sounds like a winner - the seared saddle of venison with a polpettino, pandan, coco beans, beetroot and red wine sauce. Unfortunately, it's cold, and we notice another table send theirs back, presumably for this reason (it later returns and they eat it). The venison is tender and well cooked but lacks the full flavour we expect - the sweet, red wine sauce goes some way to saving it in that respect. The serving is noticeably small. The polpettino is well seasoned - but, for both dishes, the lack of heat does this pretty course no favours. The coco beans add more exotica in the description than they do on the palate.

Ironically, we both comment that the main dish is the only thing on the menu that jumps out at us as something we would normally order, but it's the biggest disappointment of the day.

Surprisingly (for a savoury tooth like me), the dessert is the biggest hit. A small quince and parkin crumble with a dollop of clotted cream is a lovely balance of tart but sweet, with crunchy crumble giving way to warm and soft autumnal fruit. It is accompanied by a creamy, pistachio brulee with a blackberry and liquorice sauce.

The Modern Pantry has a great wine list, and after a glass each of Billiecart Brut/Extra Brut champagne (£9.50/£9.95 each), we order an absolutely terrific bottle of Sonoma Zinfandel, Sonoma County 2008, Seghesio (£43). It's velvety and smooth with a touch of spice - it matches perfectly with the venison. Love, love love. Why are you still reading this and not drinking one?

We finish with coffees, which are included with bread (there's a lovely bread basket) and bottled water in the £50 ticket price. (Although, when I ask about the price earlier, a waitress goes away to find out, and returns to tell us tickets are £15 - that's quite a difference.) Wine and service are extra.

To summise, this was a nice, enjoyable lunch - consistent with my previous visits to The Modern Pantry (in the downstairs cafe), where everything has been nice, but nothing has really blown me away. But £50 (plus the extras) worth of nice? Clearly a premium was being charged at The Modern Pantry for the privilege of having 2 chefs collaborate for the occasion. Unless you are a die hard follower of one of them, at least in respect of my lunch, I think there's better value to be had in the set lunch menus offered by many of London's Michelin star (and other top) restaurants at £20, £25 and £30 per head. But maybe you're happy to pay extra for something different - a unique collaboration and local access to an acclaimed out of town chef.

The 10-10-10 lunch is a brilliant concept and one that the participating chefs can take as an opportunity to really dazzle their guests and have them hankering to return to both restaurants for more.

The Modern Pantry, 47 - 48 St John's Square, London, EC1V 4JJ (Tel: 020 7553 9210)

Greedy Diva was a guest of Amex.

Tapped & Packed, Fitzrovia

While we're on the subject of coffee, it doesn't come much better than at Tapped & Packed, where the cool kids hang in Fitzrovia.

The coffee is seriously good - the house blend espresso comes from Climpson & Sons, but there's a range of blends available from trusted roasters such as Square Mile and Union. Different single origin blends are on offer daily. Tapped & Packed are particularly known for their filter brews and have coffee brewed by siphon, aeropress, pour over and cafetiere. It is the kind of place, I suspect, that will be right on top of whatever else emerges as the latest thing in the coffee universe.

There's also an excellent array of hearty sandwiches, cakes and salads available at lunch. I love the salt beef baguette with cream cheese, salad and a hint of gherkin in there somewhere - I now crave it regularly. The crayfish on granary bread is also a favourite. Sandwiches are generally priced at around £3.50-£4.50, while a flat white or latte will set you back £2.20. There are pastries, fruit salads and sandwiches at breakfast - although I've never made it that early, TPG texts me in glee to announce he just paid 50p for 2 slices of toast "with jam, lots of jam" on his way to work.

The mood is casual, with a media/office-y crowd. Big wooden tables are laden with those mysterious types who seem able to conduct their business meetings with laptops in cool cafes all day long (just what do they do, and how can I join?). Or, you can sit up at the bar with a paper and watch the coffee machine work its magic.

Tapped & Packed was a runner up in Time Out London's Best New Coffee 2010 category.

Another fine London coffee haunt to add to the list.

Tapped & Packed, 26 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 1JD (Tel: 0207 580 2163)

The Brewed Boy interview - He's back with a new New York Style coffee trolley

Brewed Boy is the second person I see every morning.

Or, more to the point, Brewed Boy is one of only 2 people who have the misfortune to see me before my morning coffee. Yes, the gods smiled upon me one day, and Rob of Brewed Boy set up his excellent coffee trolley just moments from my front door.

I first blogged about Brewed Boy's welcome arrival on the Soho street scene, back in March 2010. Since then, the cute little grey van has gone, and a larger New York style coffee trolley (making room for excellent chilli choc brownies) has taken its place. Rob's great coffee and ever friendly nature have won him legions of happy customers, and mentions in both Time Out (London's Best Coffee Carts) and The Independent (on British Street Food).

And just when he thought the accolades couldn't get any higher, now he's being interviewed on the Greedy Diva.

So, here it is folks - the interview you've all been waiting for. Greedy Diva and Brewed Boy go head to head on Rupert Street....

So, Brewed Boy, what inspired the move to make us your wondrous coffee brew?

I lived in Australia for a number of years and coffee is the only thing they take seriously. It became a big part of my life so when I came home I realised having a coffee cart was the only way I could guarantee getting a good brew.

Why Rupert Street - was it the red light, edgy vibe or the proximity to Prowler?

All of the above. Plus there is a place just round the corner where they attach electrodes to your nipples.

How did the snazzy New York style trolley cart come about?

I found a lock-up just around the corner and while my old van was cute it wasn't a great work space. Plus now I can take advantage of SoHo's many drinking dens after work.

What coffee and machine do you use?

Coffee is by Square Mile. They roast in Bethnal Green and they are at the top of their game. My machine is a Bezzera - one of Italy's oldest espresso machine brands. The logo is a snake eating a child. Not sure what that has to do with coffee.

What's the secret to the perfect brew?

It's never perfect. To be honest half the time I'm thinking "what the hell is it doing now!". All you can do is care, use the best beans and milk you can find, grind fresh for every cup and be reactive to the constant fluctuations that come with working outside. Piece of cake.


In the early days, there were some underhand high jinx from some local traders, desperately trying to curtail Brewed Boy's world domination. Have you found the local Soho community to be more supportive since then?

Those guys were definitely a minority. Trying to remove the competition with threats rather than the quality of their product says a lot about the way they approach their business. Meow! The sense of community has been one of the most surprising things about SoHo. Whether it is an invite to the local primary school play or the peep show girls kicking arse when I got robbed, there is definitely a sense of family.


Who's your most colourful Rupert Street customer?

There are a few but Billy springs to mind. He is a rather large homeless chap with an impressive beard who writes compulsively in binary. I give him a coffee most mornings but when he has cash he pays and often guards the cart when I dash to the loo.


How many coffees do you drink in a day?

Today I have had five. It is usually more. When my eye starts twitching I know I have had too much.


Is tea just for old ladies?

It's also good for people with twitchy eyes.


Will you be in your wellies and hat winter uniform again this year?

I'm already in a camo deer-stalker but the wellies will definitely be back. I love walking through SoHo looking like a farmer. It is very disturbing for the city folk.


What are your favourite places in Soho for food or drinking shenanigans?

I eat from the stalls on Rupert St most days. They are all good. But I love Polpetto. Great sharing food and lively vibe. I quite enjoy sinking a few breton ciders downstairs in the French House too. And I've been known to munch on a bagel or pastel de natas from the bread stall on Berwick St.


Where else can the astute Londoner find you when you're not lighting up Rupert Street?

I have recently joined a great street food collective called Eat St. We go all over with most of the destinations being announced via the eat.st blog or Twitter. The next one is in a rubblely carpark by the canal opposite the Towpath Cafe in Dalston.


Are there any other exciting events/changes/offerings in store from the Brewed Boy coffee cart this year?

I don't even know what is happening next week! But it will be exciting.


Oh! I'm about to put out the first edition of a short story magazine called Pitch 1202. It has free adverts in the back for the street traders and stories, drawings and articles from SoHo residents and workers. Including a nice one from Billy.


Most embarrassing/shocking/horrendous Brewed Boy moment?

I was having a bad day and had been getting some hassle from some of the local crackheads. I could feel someone hovering behind me so when they asked if I had any change I snapped. I spun around and said: "can you please just fuck off!". My eyes settled on a twenty pound note in the poor bloke's raised hand and I realised he was just checking whether I could split it. Service with a smile.


I swear, he's not normally that scary. In any case, the coffee's worth the risk...


Brewed Boy - you can catch him on Rupert Street, Soho, London - Monday-Friday. See Rob's blog at www.brewedboy.wordpress.com