Water – My piece for Caffeine Magazine

Posted on June 16, 2013 by chloe

Most of you that are interested will have already read my piece in the second issue of Caffeine or downloaded the app and read it there, and if not, why not? It was my first, and hopefully not my last, piece in actual, real life, old school print and I’m more than a little proud of it. Now that issue no. 3 is on the way I thought I’d pop it on here too, in all it’s un-edited and un-tidied gory detail.

I was in Boston when issue 2 was distributed and, bleary eyed, straight off the red eye flight and back out to work with not a minute of sleep, it was the first thing I hunted out. Treating myself to an espresso to attempt to jolt me into the land of the living, I was treated to that rare moment of seeing my face peering back at me (missing the credit that I asked to be added, sorry Paul) from the pages of a magazine I admire, in my local Fee and Brown. It’s a funny feeling and one I enjoyed more than I expected to. I hope you’re enjoying the magazine as much as I am, and I hope you don’t mind that I’ve been asked to write some more features for it.

“You have fresh beans. You have a grinder. You have scales. You have your chosen brew method; be that a dripper, aeropress or french press. You’re all set to be a home coffee brewing maestro; tasty coffee in minutes, any time you fancy. Now I don’t want to rain on your parade, but have you tasted London’s tap water recently? It tastes bad right? It will follow through then that even the most illustrious and expensive coffee beans will taste equally bad when this is used to make your cup of coffee.
I attended a cupping held by James Hoffman, owner of Square Mile and 2007 World Barista Champion, where he illustrates this point with all of the clarity our London water lacks; a range of interesting coffees are cupped in the usual way, we slurp and make informed comments. At the end we’re encouraged to share our thoughts on the different beans with James finally bringing our attention to the last two bowls. What do we think? We unanimously enthuse of one, delight in notes of caramel and toffee with a little burst of lemony citrus, muse on the individual clarity of flavour notes. The other? Dull, mucky tasting, flat and lifeless. The difference? Exactly the same beans, brewed in exactly the same way. One using bottled water, the other with common or garden tap. The difference astonishing.

We’re talking purely taste here, but rest assured it does equally filthy things to your equipment. London tap water is hard as nails and will scale up expensive state of the art machines in the time it takes to say reverse osmosis filtration system. When water is around 98% of your cup of coffee, as you might imagine, coffee shops take the matter of filtration very seriously indeed. There’s no point beating about the bush here, as James states in a recent blog post titled What To Do About Water, a reverse osmosis filtration system (RO) is essential  “In a commercial environment I now consider these to be absolutely essential, and you’re opening or operating a coffee bar in London without one then I strongly suggest getting one installed as soon as possible”.

An RO washes away all the minerals from your mains water supply leaving very soft water. However pure RO, or very soft water, does not make nice coffee, you’ll find it’s acidic, harsh and too bright; almost extracting too much of the coffee’s character, in the similar way that conversely having too many minerals, or a high TDS (total dissolved solids), doesn’t allow enough space for the coffees flavours to shine through, resulting in a flat and dirty tasting brew. The genius of RO’s aimed at the coffee industry is that a small amount of tap water is blended back into the stripped back water to a desired level; that ideal range is around 80-120 TDS, this is the point at which a balance is achieved where coffee is extracted to an optimal taste level, but also low enough to prevent scaling up those pieces of art we call espresso machines. This is trying to explain things very simply, but essentially an RO changes the makeup of your water in a way that a Brita style filter cannot, these merely remove bad flavour and odour but do not significantly reduce TDS levels.

Sadly, an RO system is not really a realistic option for home use, you’d have to be seriously into your coffee to have one installed, irrespective of cost – and they’re not cheap, it requires full on plumbing. The other issue is environmental; as you’re effectively washing your water, depending on the system, you could be flushing away almost three times the amount of water that you use.

What are the options then?

One option, and it’s an excellent one if we’re talking purely flavour, is bottled water. Many relatively cheap, own brand bottled waters will produce a really good cup of coffee; the mineral and hardness levels aligning perfectly. The main downside being the negative impact to the environment – so quite a big one then, and I’ll admit I find the idea of buying pre-packaged water frankly abhorrent. However, when you’re spending all that money on wonderful beans, sourced responsibly, roasted to perfection and brewed using equipment purchased to enhance them, it suddenly becomes an issue you might turn a blind eye to, and pretty much everyone I know that’s serious about coffee swears by it as a solution.

I asked a number people whom I chat to on twitter, who I know also make coffee at home using bottled water, their preference (thanks @joecoelho7 @comminsooncoffee @leegazeprophets). Tesco’s Ashbeck unanimously came out in first place, with Volvic coming in a close second, both being good all round options, for consistency and price as well as being readily available. I spoke to brewers cup champion James Bailey, currently working in a quality control position for Workshop Coffee and he recomended slightly pricier Duchy Originals and Voss for exceptional flavour and clarity. The rule of thumb generally though is to check the dry residue value at 180%; you’re looking for a TDS level of around 80-120 and a fairly neutral PH level, so around 7.

James Hoffman brought up an interesting idea in the same blog post I mentioned earlier, suggesting that cafe’s might offer their RO water to customers. Certainly, I use RO water where I work and transport it home for when I’m there. It’s a nice idea and could be thought of as a sort of aftercare service in the same way that I’ve seen shops grind beans for customers that don’t yet have a  grinder. If you’ve ever spoken to your barista about coffee you’ll watch as they come alive, for many it’s not just a job, but something they’re genuinely passionate about and if you’re buying your coffee beans from them, I think I can safely say that not one will be happy for you to destroy them with bad water.

Could the solution be for shops to sell branded bottles that could be refilled for a minimal charge?

I asked Gwilym Davies, 2009 World Barista Champion and owner of Prufrock what he thought. He told me it made him very uncomfortable that beans sold by him, after careful husbandry and roasting were being misrepresented simply due to bad water, especially when results are so dramatically different with good water. When I asked him if it might be viable for shops to offer their own RO water, he told me that he is already working on a solution, a way of selling it for a small charge.

This is exciting news for the future of home coffee brewing, and where Prufrock leads, hopefully more will follow. In the meantime, when you next buy your beans, why not take a plastic bottle with you and ask nicely if you might have some of your local independent coffee shops water. Chances are that they’ll be delighted the coffee beans they’re selling will be allowed to reach their full potential.

If I haven’t lost you yet, and assuming you were using tap or brita filtered before, I have some excellent news; be prepared for the coffee you’re making at home to taste dramatically better.”

 

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Soho Food Feast 2013

Posted on June 13, 2013 by chloe

Soho Food Feast still stands out as one of my highlights of last year, so many things fell into place to make it’s success unavoidable; cheap, central and with some of the absolute best local restaurants and bars involved, the weather was balmy and it was all for charrideee to boot. I raved about it back then too.

What are the chances? But once again, the planets aligned to grant us the weather of champions. Bigger and better than the previous two years, this one boasted a whole weekend of feasting, doubling the length, and although the price of entrance far higher than previous, with just a £5 difference between a day and weekend pass, the decision was an easy one. Even more restaurants were involved with a different selection of participants on each day, meaning the Saturday and Sunday sessions were quite different beasts. The charity, Soho Parish Church, clearly has friends in high places as Sean Bean was multi spotted enjoying the fun and food.

It’s all very well and good trying to employ a strategy for this sort of event, and everyone seemed to sport a different technique, however my tendency to amble and eat, as and when I stumble upon something, waiting for cues from my stomach was clearly not the approach to adopt on this occasion. This list of restaurants involved is a lengthy one and panic set in fairly quickly for a couple of reasons; dishes were selling out FAST and how the hell was I going to eat all the food??? I was clearly going to have ignore sensibilities, over ride normal instincts and keep feeding that belly.

I was quickly able to narrow my choices down by scrubbing out fish or seafood dishes, of which there were numerous over the two days, and then the length of queues required tactical thinking; were they long because of hype or because the dish was really worth having? Finally, I always find it hard in these situations to ignore old favourites and make room to try something new; HOW I implore you to resist one the delightful miniature squishy, swishy, MEATmarket cheeseburgers or indeed a St John doughnut?! Luckily on day one the decision was taken out of my hands as both were sold out by the time I arrived.

Day one is brightened by that contrary ball of yellow in the sky that makes the English come over a bit funny, lends an edge of excitement and casts a polarised effect over photos. I head first to Koya, reasoning that anything they were offering was bound to be worth it. Luckily they have an alternative to their battered cod, and I scarf down a fabulous first dish of deep fried asparagus, tender in an ethereally light batter, with clever little crunchy udon fries and proper chip shop curry sauce; fun and genius Japanese inspired fish and chips.

I’d seen Polpo tweeting pictures of the prettiest bruschetta and to be fair they were always going to be one of my selections, I love what they do and their meatballs and asparagus last year were a hit. I head there next, always with the FEAR in the back of my mind that things I want are going to have sold out. I feed in softer than expected bread, lightly toasted and crammed with an overture of ingredients to compliment the bright sunshine; sweet broad beans and peas tumble across whipped goat’s cheese with slivers of radish and fresh mint.

Stopping off at Lina stores rewards me with a surprise free brownie, all wrapped up to take home as a treat later. It’s the pasta that I’m here for though; four ravioli pillows are dressed in the sheerest of sauces, butter and sage cling elegantly to toothsome pasta that’s just the right balance between softness and bite. The filling is as good as that heavenly combination of aubergine and scamorza can be.

For Saturday’s finale I go to Cabana, mainly based on the memory of the excellent chicken I had the previous year. It’s as good as I remembered, a good portion, juicy, saucy with some of the best, crispy sweet potato fries I’ve tried.

A friend and I waddle to The Dean Street Townhouse for a digestif as you do…

I approach Sunday and day two with a hunger that has me fearing for my expanding waist line, I’d better not get used to these long and lingering lunches. Who am I kidding, this is no lunch, this is verging on competitive eating and, sod it, I start with a burger. That burger I missed out on yesterday, neatly swerving the chain names. Ok, it’s a miniature version, but it’s still not doing much for my arteries and it’s as delicious as I’m expecting, a perfect scaled down replica.

There are two quail dishes on offer, I had intended to try both but don’t remember to go back to get the Rochelle Kitchen one, however the Dock Kitchen dish I try is a triumph of spicing; sumac, chilli and rose petals mingle to create an exoticism that enhances the rich, crispy and tender meat below.

It was the grating of fresh and pungeant black truffles that caught my eye at Mele e Pere and I thoroughly enjoyed my generous scoop of nicely stodgy, creamy risotto, dredged in parmesan and topped with that dark luxury.

I’d seen that Pizza Pilgrims were there but told myself sternly that I needed no more pizza in my life this week, it’ll simply fill me up and I definitely ate more than my share just a few nights earlier at Forzawin. Mmmmmm pizza. But I’m feeling strong. Until someone tells me they’re serving PIZZA FRITTA. All sensibilities go out the window as I join the end of the queue all a quiver at the thought of my deep fried delight.

I know some may turn their noses up at deep fried dough but WHAT DO THEY KNOW? I’ve been bemoaning the lack of this Neapolitan delicacy on our streets, I had high hope for Coppa who have a cart and lovely roof top restaurant in London Fields but they failed to have the goods when I rocked up, and I’ve been bugging my local pizza restaurant who seem to finally be cracking under my pressure….anyway, LOVE the boys for pulling this out of the bag – I see lots more pizza fritta in my future. Oh yes; puffed up, crispy exterior, molten and gooey middle, fragrant with basil and salami and doused in a lively tomato sauce. Glorious. I wash it down with a Fog Horn from The Travelling Gin Co, a particularly refreshing combination of Sipsmith gin, ginger beer and lime accessorised with a jaunty stripey straw.

Stuffed, but with tickets burning a whole in my pocket I scout the stalls for something to take back home, zoning in on the brown sugar and honey tarts from 1 Leicester Street that seem to draw comments of awe from all who’ve tried them. Spending my very last ticket on a pisco sour I join my friends for a final half hour, resting my tarts carefully in a napkin for protection.

Imagine my horror then when I look down to see one of my tarts is missing. Who could have whipped it away from under my very nose? Confused, I scrutinise my friends, peering from one to the next, trying to detect a guilty halo of crumbs. After much brow furrowing and peering around from me, a group of men sat at the table where we’re standing admit theft. Not with an apology or with remorse but with a cheeky delight that they’d gotten away with the crime. At first, quite amazed I assume they’re joking until one of them produces a discarded crust. Horror. Frankly shocked and disgusted, trust me they were more than old enough to know better, I’m left gawping like an old fish wife until one of the party feels at least guilty enough to buy me a glass of champagne as the tarts are now sold out.

Anyway – sorry about that. My singular tart was certainly worth waiting for, and possibly even worth theft…. Once I’d regained enough appetite later that evening and whilst watching the fabulous new The Returned, I savour that deep honeyed sweetness encased in a rich and crumbly case; utterly divine. Shame I had to share it…

In retrospect I don’t think I did too badly, despite forgetting entirely to go back to the lush looking goodies on the Natoora stall and simply not having room for a Galupo ice cream cone or one of the ice cream and salted caramel sandwiches. You can’t eat everything right?! It’s hard not to resort to holiday mentality and down bottles of prosecco like a loon in these situations, especially when the weather is as glorious as it was on Saturday, but I maintained an unnusual calm and saved room on both days for actual grazing supplemented by gentle sipping.

I topped and tailed the feast with coffee; first one at Daily Goods in new Kinoko Cycles on Golden Square – LOVE this place, please all go- and finishing with one in my old faithful Rapha. It does beg the question as to why there were no stalls at the event though. There’s no shortage of cafes in the area that could have participated, and an abundance of coffee carts that I’m sure would have been willing. I like an alcoholic drink as much (more) than the next person but the lack of coffee, even an iced coffee option, here was obvious and most puzzling. Maybe something that could be rectified for mark 4….

Soho food feast 2013, coffee grumbling aside was another roaring success. Where else can you graze on dishes from some of the best restaurants in town, for just £2 a pop, whilst mingling with friends old and new, in the space of two sun soaked afternoons? Not to mention the booze – £4 very generous measures of prosecco, £10 pints of cocktails, dainty pisco sours and the most lethal margheritas I’ve tasted.

If you know, tell me!

 

 

 

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Gin Garden at The Hoxton Hotel

Posted on June 10, 2013 by chloe

I’ve found myself back at The Hoxton Hotel more than a few times recently for various events, doesn’t hurt that it’s a doddle to get back home from, my usual gripe, being situated a short stroll from Old Street Station.

The launch of a collaboration with urban and affordable bike brand Mango saw us drinking rather a lot of new Scottish gin Caorunn whilst admiring their very own Hoxton branded bespoke bike paint job.

More recently I rocked up to a seriously swishy launch party for their brand new Soho House meeting rooms, where I sipped passion fruit martini’s along to live bands in the most seductive surroundings. If I were the sort of person that held power meetings or had functions *this* is where I’d hold them; a network of rooms decked out to imitate a, very fancy, chic and styled, apartment. Rooms are adorned with jars of sweeties for sugar coating that hard sell, and a glamorous kitchen at it’s heart, with all important bar, has anything you might need for more relaxed gatherings, launches and functions. Impressive. Actually, sod work, I’d quite like to live here.

The latest and greatest addition to the hotel is a pop up gin garden – I know, oh my! Just my sort of thing. The Gin Garden is an actual travelling, well, gin garden. Imagine. Popping up in unusual, urban spaces, the garden teams up with distilleries to mix and serve cocktails using local ingredients to complement both the chosen gin’s botanicals along with the location. They then hold fun and boozy workshops in newly sprung garden.

I braved the tumultuous weather a few Fridays ago to experience one such workshop. Led past reception and behind the Hoxton Grill I find myself at the door to a beautiful and tiny courtyard with a tree at it’s centre, strung with hanging lights. Greeted with a goldfish bowl of a G&T, I nibble on miniature burgers and edge towards the more sheltered peripheries of the garden when the weather insists on playing dirty. As a group we’re guided through the ten different botanicals of chosen gin, Bombay Sapphire, encouraged to touch, taste and smell, and even brought a warming gin hot toddy when our host fears he’s losing us to the elements.

Second or third drink in, hic, things take a turn for the exciting when our attention is drawn to a pair of wardrobes behind us, filled with vessels containing colourful concoctions that we’re told are gin infusions. These range from the more traditional aromatics like rose and ginger to more quirky pairings; I spy pear drops, vanilla & basil, blueberry and bay, cardamom and sweet pepper. We’re encouraged (it doesn’t take much) to grab a glass which we fill to the brim with ice and stir to chill, draining off any dilution, then go wild with the gin infusions. Ok, he didn’t actually say quite that, but we take it as license to mix and taste gins with wild abandon, some more successfully than others. We take our bespoke, nearly finished drink, to the bar where we choose from a selection of garnishes and finally from a cart filled with Fever Tree tonics (I take slimline to counteract the burgers…). At this point I’m not really paying much attention to what my drink tastes like but it is a rather attractive sky blue pink. Pretty!

Packed off with a goody bag including our own bottle of gin, there’s homework, but that of the best kind. To drink gin! Well eventually, but first we’re encouraged to make our own infusion.

I have ideas of grandeur, but I’m saving these for another project, so keep it relatively classic. I pop into my bottle the crushed seeds from a couple of cardamom pods, a handful of edible rose buds and some lemon zest. It’s pretty girly, pleasantly aromatic and floral and works very well in a G&T. I’ll admit a G&T is not generally my favourite way to imbibe gin, I prefer a more concentrated martini or any one of a number of aperitifs. However, I can see the benefit of this style; the large bulbous shape allows the flavours to open up, whilst an abundance of ice retains chill and stops dilution, I go for a smidge under the recommended 100ml of excellent Fever Tree tonic which delivers a truly crisp and refreshing drink.

I’ve just been informed there’s still workshops available for the next three Tuesdays (11th, 18th & 25th June), and even better, they’ll be held within the modern luxury of the apartments.

I’d get in quick – you can get tickets here – http://www.gingarden.com/#0eb/custom_plain

 

 

 

 

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Brunch at Barrio East

Posted on May 30, 2013 by chloe

This invitation to brunch came at a most fortuitous time as to coincide with the recent long bank holiday weekend, even better, a damp squib of a week perked up at just the right moment, meaning we approached the restaurant from Old Street in an unexpected flush of warmth. I’ve walked past Barrio East a number of times but never really considered it somewhere to head to for food, looking far more geared up for raucous drinking from external appearances. Not to mention the fact that I tend to remain loyal to my coffee shops and independent cafe’s for weekend treats and caffeine consumption. But who am I to resist something a bit different for a change?!

Once inside, we instinctively gravitate back out towards the large windows flung asunder to welcome in a tease of Summer warmth, sit back and sigh in relaxed ease. Being here for brunch, we’re automatically drawn to the bloody mary menu, assisted by our chirpy waitress. Now, I think I’ve got to the point now where I’m going to have to admit defeat and say I don’t really like Bloody Marys; cold tomato juice, booze, usually too many bits, all just succeeds in turning my stomach slightly. I’m curious then to try the alternative amongst these which turns out to be a fine decision – a combination of pineapple, mint and coriander that you add your choice of spirit to, naturally mine is gin. It’s actually delicious; refreshingly long and fruity with a savoury edge and little boozy kick.

Food is a harder decision to make, a veritable orgy of brunchy favourites with a spicy Mexican twist. Brunch calls for eggs, possibly bacon, maybe avocado, definitely some bread and there’s myriad combinations on this menu. There’s a burrito, beans on toast, a nod to the full English, mushrooms, ensalada, lots of optional cheese and chorizo and even an apologetically healthy fruit and granola lurking at the very bottom of the page.

The boy picks Huevos Rancheros as I hope he will, a messy plate stacked up with tortillas, refried beans, eggs, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. My eyes are clearly bigger than my belly and although I think I’m hungry enough for the Chivito Sandwich, billed as a meat lovers paradise from Uruguay, I’m not fully prepared for the full on assault from what appears to be an entire back of pig in bacon form that is stuffed into a large olive bun, along with some nicely cooked thin rump steak, sweet onions and red pepper, an artery clogging cloak of white melty cheese, all topped off with an elegantly draped fried egg. Did I mention the potatoes? No. It also comes with a side of addictively herby fried potatoes. I don’t even come close to touching the lid, but that’s possibly not the worst idea, as I notice it’s smeared in more of the mustard that is a touch too prevalent on the sandwich base.

Service is keen and friendly but not too intrusive, in fact the whole vibe here is relaxed, sunny Sunday perfection. Decor is loud, bright and cheerily brash, a trip to the ladies has me flash backing to nights out clubbing; a long bar with barmen poised to create something less recovery and more party, party, black floors and a large space at the back that has dance floor written all over it, a lengthy corridoor down to the toilets almost physically vibrates with the bass from memories reverberating off the walls. I sneak back to that bright and breezy spot by the window for now, sip my drink and can’t help but think the cocktails may well be worth returning for…

Not flashy or fancy or perfect, but exactly what was needed for a lazy, sunny, Sunday brunch.

 

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Kokopelli’s

Posted on May 22, 2013 by chloe

Oooops – I’ve just found this post loitering amongst my drafts, I’d written it rapidly with sticky little fingers in a whirl of excitement at discovering such DELIGHTS at The Chocolate Festival and then clearly promptly forgot all about it once the focus of my latest affection was scoffed. Sorry. No matter how busy I am, and I am hence this forlorn blog post, I always endeavour to make it down to The Chocolate Festival, held twice a year around the chocolate calendar corner stones of Christmas and Easter, it may be getting bigger and more crowded as each goes by, but I continue to persevere in the hope of coming across chocolates like this to get excited about.

I’ve been following Kokopelli’s progress on Twitter for some time, well the lovely Steph anyway, she’s only been making chocolates commercially for a short period, slowly swapping days in the office for days making chocolates, until eventually it’ll become a full time business. I’ve heard impressive things from trustworthy source Chocablog, and so I leapt at the chance to try some of her range for myself when I heard she was exhibiting at the festival.

I find Steph swaddled from the cold and fidgeting to keep numbness at bay, she’s cheerful and helpful beyond the call of duty, even in the face of my dithering, and the appalling weather. It has to be said though, that the chocolates themselves are no doubt happier than the previous year, that in stark contrast to this, was melty hot. I eventually settle on a pre-madeup box with a couple of her Easter specials swapped in. All the chooclates are made from Valrhona couverture and fresh ingredients, packaging is stylish and I cannot wait to get them home to savour (hoover them up).

I wrote these notes very quickly as I was eating them, over a couple of evenings back a couple of months ago, so I’ll leave them as they are, I’m sure you’ll get the gist…

Ginger Triangle – I love that these chocolates are PUNCHY. A milk chocolate shell goes some way to tempering a full on dark ganache literally exploding with ginger, both fresh and with a dash of liqueur too. This is incredible and everything I want but never get in other supposedly ginger chocs, I congratulate myself on finding a second of these in the box.

Sea Salt Caramel – Dark shimmering chocolate is the foil for this super buttery, sultry caramel number made slightly savoury with that hint of salt. Grown up.

Roasted Hazelnut – I dip in and out of my love for praline’s, they can become very samey, most too sweet or just lazy cheap box fillers, but this has rekindled my love with relish. What starts as a simple and classic nutty praline flavour, soon develops a lick of salt, then deepens and develops toasty hazelnut notes, the finish long and satisfying. A white chocolate shell perversely lifts the richness and adds a sweet point of difference.

Peanut Butter Praline – This has a perfectly tempered and decorated shell and yet on biting through I’m slightly surprised by what appears to be a very dried out in texture filling. However it’s surprisingly good, a, slightly on the fondanty side, praline, it’s pleasingly gammy as I think any peanut butter chocolate should be. There’s something about the sophisticated dark shell that baffles me and I feel as though I’d like a smidge more salt; I’m just not sure that old American sandwich stolwort can ever be elevated too far above the trashy…Mind you, this is an excellent attempt!

Malted Milk Egg – Oh, this is unbelievable dreamy. Inspired by an Askinosie bar of the same ingredient, Steph wondered if she could push that malty flavour further. She can and she has, it’s a brilliant bauble of milky malty heaven ganache in a glossy milk shell. Seriously comforting.

Lemon Caramel Egg –  This is another winner for me, I find I’m liking citrussy chocolates far more as I age. No idea what that’s about?! Here, a dark shell with burnished golden sheen contains a tart, curd like, lemon caramel filling. I think I could eat these all evening…..

Raspberry and Black Pepper – This is the only one I’m not enamoured of; I find the raspberry slightly jarring with savoury pepper against the rich dark chocolate. It’s more than possibly just me, but I often find dark incarnations of this combination a little too full on, like I’m getting too much of the bitter pip flavour and wanting the sharp raspberry notes mellowed out.

My funny taste buds aside – this is an astonishingly good selection; it’s refreshing to find such a confident use of flavours paired with clear skill in how to work with them. I’ll certainly be buying them again for gifts and, rather more likely, my own greedy indulgence.

Despite my earlier aside re. ‘hoovering’ them up, I’m actually very restrained when it comes to eating chocolate, never indulging in more than one or two. These, THESE, lasted all of two evenings. That probably tells you all you need to know.

 

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Bread Class at E5 Bakehouse

Posted on May 17, 2013 by chloe

Bread. My love. My nemesis.

I’ve been aching for this class at E5 Bakehouse ever since I made the frankly unrivalled decision to book it, and lucky I didn’t dither any longer as it was literally the last bread spot available, they also do a pizza and a cookery one. I clapped myself in glee whilst feeling a twang of guilt that my friend couldn’t join me – I’d been meaning to book a place for ages but never quite clicked that button, an inspiring chat with Bittersweet Bakers however one evening at a party had me all fired up – and we’d hoped to spend the day together.

My history making sourdough is a short one; I managed to get a starter going, following never quite simple enough instructions garnered from a vast number of references, all slightly different. I fed it, and fed it some more, loved it, nurtured it and then one day I came home to find it’s little glass home all empty and clean, sitting forlornly on the kitchen sink draining board. With a tremble of my bottom lip I asked the boy where our little fella was, his response knocked the wind out of my sourdough sails – his Mum had apparently had her eye on it for a while and could stand the mucky jar no longer, my little innocent baby was washed away. I started another, but this coincided with the time I left the boy for a period, and the same fate, I can only imagine, suffered my second attempt. Clearly I am a bad, bad starter mother.

I haven’t had the heart to start again. Until now. What better fresh start than to put myself in the hands of the creators of arguably the absolute best sourdough in London and certainly my favourite; Hackney Wild. That stuff is absolute flour based narcotic and dangerous deliverer of dairy, sometimes I up the ante with a smear of glorious London Borough of Jam. In fact the first time I tasted that particularly effective combo was at the utterly charming 46b Espresso Hut, one of my favourite coffee spots, I dream wistfully of it being closer….

The morning of the course arrives and I’m brimming with excitement, looking forward to the prospect of wielding the real alchemy of sourdough at home. I’ve tackled most other types of bread with varying success, but sourdough has remained out of my reach, a palpable, whiskers breadth of confidence from my grasp.

Without giving you a blow by blow account of the day, suffice to say it was worth vastly more than it’s price tag of just under a £100, seven hours of intense, hands on tutoring, a huge vegetarian, wholesome lunch, coffee (Nude and tasting pretty good, the level of care and ‘slow’ ethos permeating everything they do here) and teas, afternoon cakes, no shortage of samples throughout the day, mother and four different bakes, not to mention the confidence garnered from hands on help. I’ll go into more detail when I, hopefully, master each different recipe.

First of all, owner Ben is a fabulous and patient teacher, answering all our benign and multiple questions over and over, never condescending, always crystal clear and concise; he simplifies things in a way that my brain would find unfathomable. We’re secreted for the day in a large arch parallel to the active shop and bakery, privy to much of the activity and all the stomach nudging aromas of the bakehouse. We start with pleasantries and quickly launch into full on bread making; weighing, measuring, mixing, squidging, squelching, folding, kneading, shaping and generally revelling in every stage of the process. Unlike some classes, this is a complete immersion in the bread making process, apart from the leaven which, in some cases, has to be started several days in advance, we make each of the four breads from scratch. More than once we look at each other in amazement and wonder at the magic we’re creating.

There are, as you might imagine, a number of revelations and joys I experience on the day. Although I feel I’ve enjoyed a certain amount of success up to this point with bread at home, it’s been mainly with flatbreads, pizzas, soda bread, corn bread and sweet baking. The moment we start wielding this sourdough enriched beast the difference is clear, it acts as though alive, there’s an effervescence and shifting that almost suggests it’s a living, breathing alien being. The ciabatta dough is particularly alive with bubbles; a pillowy, writhing cloud that needs the merest of nudging to manoeuvre into shape as it ripples and wrinkles alluringly beneath my hands. Manipulating the dough for the round loaves into shape from it’s final knead is an absolute joy, like the polishing of an unruly child at finishing school, stroking and spinning tactile dough until it becomes an engorged orb, full of potential.

There’s a build of tension and excitement that reaches a cresciendo with tangible suspense as bread enter the furnace and we wait. Wait, for our very own batch to re-emerge. We claim our babies, coo and embrace and then swaddle them in brown paper bags, scooping up espresso cups of mother and one last home work project, the hallowed Hackey Wild that will be ready to bake the following morning….In the mean time the next level of joy is in the pleasure of eating, not just superior bread, but that which has been baked with my own hands. There’s something about that. Deeply satisfying.

Of course, the real challenge will be in mastering the whole leaven thang and maintaining a healthy mother, not to mention momentum whilst hopefully creating beautiful and successful bread at home. My plan is to master the basics and then put my usual spin on those, I’m already whimpering at the thought of the sourdough doughnuts that are now so close within my reach along with all manner of twists on bagels and sourdough bread. I’ll attempt to blog my bread journey and share the recipes once I’ve overcome each, assuming I don’t run out of steam, though that will naturally be determined by my success or lack of…

I’m pretty pleased with the results of the Hackney Wild loaf I took home, refrigerated and baked in my own oven. It didn’t have a great journey home and wasn’t refrigerated till late but I did at least take Ben’s advice and rise an extra hour early this morning to bake it after it’s optimal proving time – there was a long moment where laziness nearly won out. So, fingers crossed, I’ll have a fabulous loaf awaiting me for dinner later, I’ve bought some tasty salted butter in preparation and I *will* eat it regardless of deliciousness (it *will* be delicious).

I’m very much looking forward to the next stage which will be going through the whole process myself and making my own tweaks. I expect (know full well) there’ll also be some experiments with reverse osmosis water and varying levels of TDS to see what effect that will have on the end products. Fun times!

And so, with new knowledge potentially comes my downfall; already a fully fledged member of bread addicts anonymous, with heavenly sourdough at my fingertips, the chances of my ever being skinny again are looking about as likely as my giving up coffee or gin, chocolate or deep fat frying….

 

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Netil Market – Terrone and Cooking Cooks

Posted on May 13, 2013 by chloe

I do struggle to disassociate Netil Market from Lucky Chip. For Lucky Chip was, in the early days, the sole reason for my traipsing that far East and the only way to get my hands on those burgers. A small group us, clearly addicted and desperate for messy hits of salty slippery gobfuls, would meet as often as we could coordinate ourselves for clandestine boozing to accompany feasting on famous names made even more prolific within a small and, I’ll admit, weirdly focused circle.

Of course, Lucky Chip now have their own Slider Bar in Soho, along with long standing residencies at The Sebright Arms and more recently The Grafton, as well as maintaining their spot here every Saturday. Netil Market has also moved on from those early days and there’s now quite the atmosphere on a Saturday, especially when the weather is as buoyant as the one before last. An eclectic selection of traders including quirky and/or vintage jewellery and clothing stalls, the verging on the twee juice and cakes options jostle for space alongside serious food mongerers. Although some of the arts and crafts traders are around all week, jollied by the guys at Cycle Pit Stop, it’s Saturdays that the market really comes into it’s own.

I’m here to see Terrone and to get them finally added to London’s Best Coffee App, now that they’ve taken Nomad Espresso’s spot as caffeine provider for the market, so I try to stay blinkered to distractions for at least a few moments. I spot Edy buying his lunch at The Cooking Cooks hut, a handsome looking bowl of meatballs and a plate of aubergine parmigiana on sourdough of which I manage to steal a delightful forkful. I end up spending the best part of the afternoon back at his shipping container hanging out and soaking up the laid back, sunny, almost festival, vibes of the market.

Having recently survived a pretty devastating fire, the container is looking better than ever; Edy’s added to the front a rather beautiful sign he had made for short lived pop-up at Brixton market, a couple of fancy light bulbs add glitz, a little rack of pastries if you’re feeling peckish and a short menu of espresso based drinks are made at a La Marzocco. The beans are their own blend roasted in small batches, once a week, in Italy and they make a great espresso, sweet and rich with a hint of fruity acidity, helped no doubt by the talented baristas behind the machine – keep an eye out for Callum aka Young Barista who often does a guest shift.

Terrone adds an Italian passion to proceedings, rather than Italian style coffee, nestled in the centre of the market, amongst a vibrant, almost party like energy that mingles happily in the atmosphere with a cacophony of different sound systems battling for dominance and more than a little tempting nostril teasers.

I do a couple of circuits of the market trying to decide what to have for lunch, stopping briefly at OFM (Official Fry-up Material), home of the pimped McMuffin, but decide to save that for the hangover it is clearly designed for and swoop back around to where I started, to linger over a bowl of those meatballs I’ve been dreaming wistfully of from the beginning. Served out of a cutesy wooden shack, the Cooking Cooks counter is prettified by those stunning Sicilian lemons that look like our versions but with gigantism, over sized and knarly knobbly, that Edy tells me they eat like bread back home, whole minus the external zest, and ash coloured squid ink dried pasta nests sit awaiting a hot bath.

My meatballs are hearty, comforting and rustic. Pasta is presumably handmade, I make this assumption based on it’s irregularity of shape and challenging texture, no silky slippery strips but a satisfying rustic chew, doused in rich, herby tomato sauce and soft yielding meatballs, deceptively light but juicy as they collapse into the success of the over all dish.

My dismay on missing out on any given Lucky Chip opportunity duly appeased on this occasion; I have to admit there’s more to Netil Market these days.

 

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Roof Top Pursuits for Sunny London Evenings

Posted on May 6, 2013 by chloe

The first things my simple mind turns to once the sun makes it’s first appearance, poking a bright and cheery head through the glum, lingering dregs of Winter are; flip flops and outdoor drinking. Add to that a rooftop and I’m laughing.

Last week I was invited to the launch of Background Bars latest project, their return to Dalston Roof Park for a summer stint, serving a refreshing selection of cocktails inspired by teas and made using fruits and herbs from their own edible garden allotment. With a rotation of new and up and coming street food vendors, music and a blow up roof should the British weather behave predictably. What’s not to love?!

I sampled a savoury sounding concoction involving gin, green tea and sage, and I forget what else, but it hit the spot, lubricating a blissfully balmy evening dancing far above the East London streets. The cocktail menu also boasts some fruity little punchy numbers perfect for lazy weekend drinking.

I should probably have told you about this before the long, sunny bank holiday weekend but I’m afraid I was far too busy out enjoying it for myself. Don’t fret though, you’ve got six months worth of (fingers crossed) warm, languid evenings to get yourself up there to enjoy the London summer where it’s at it’s best, with a drink in hand and a few stories closer to those illusive rays.

While we’re on the subject of roof top pursuits, the brilliant Forza Win are returning at the end of this month for a second round of pizza parties at a secret location using Pizza Pilgrim dough. Expect lots of that pizza, entertainment, a cocktail, dessert and starter for just £30. These sold out really quickly last year so book your tickets quick! One NOT to be missed, who can resist a pizza party up in the clouds?!

 

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Taylor Street Monument and an Anouncement

Posted on April 23, 2013 by chloe

I’m delighted to announce I’ve just started writing for London’s Best Coffee App. A dream job really, I don’t think I could possibly have picked a better app to write for. To give you some idea of how good it is, even technophobe I, with just the absolute bare essentials of Twitter and Instagram have it on my phone. Hand on my heart I’m not just saying this, but it’s an indispensable resource for anyone who’s ever found their mind go blank wandering around London and in need of a decent caffeine fix, need never be stranded and gasping again. It also means I have a valid excuse to hunt out all the new cafes; yippee!

With my sparkling new coffee app head on I stride out of Monument Station on my first assignment; Taylor Street Gallery and Training Centre. I only heard about their latest branch in Monument maybe a week or two ago and it caught my attention because it sounded as though they were doing things a bit differently, they were also critically open weekends.

Taylor Street Baristas are probably the largest collection of independent cafes in London, with eight right now and growing. Many of their quality locations are hidden away unobtrusively, quietly in busy city locations, perfectly placed to service office workers and coffee guzzlers with a standard far and away above what they might be more accustomed to. I guess this is why I’ve never felt overwhelmed to write about them, as the caffeine tourist that I am, despite glowing reports from all over as well as top class drinks consumed first hand.

It’s a refreshingly sunny, beautiful Saturday afternoon and I navigate the shadowy streets behind till I find the familiar logo beside a doorway, tucked away, hidden from prying eyes. At first, as I walk into an empty room, I fear we might have our facts not quite straight, it doesn’t feel like a cafe at all, more a training room or school. In fact both head barista Alex and part owner Andrew look up at me expectantly, waiting for me to speak. It transpires I’ve lucked out and stumbled in shortly before a public cupping they hold every Saturday at 2pm.

Admittedly possibly not the best decision based on the amount of caffeine I intend yet to imbibe that afternoon, I still want to try a coffee and soak up a bit of the ambience. Although a proffered menu declares beans from Square Mile, I’m told they happen to have a particularly good Union geisha micro lot around and so I’m made one of these. Without question a cup of the beans is brought for me to inhale, my V60 is carefully prepared and served in almost a tea like manner from a little pot into a dainty open mouthed cup. The coffee itself matches that delicate announcement; clean tasting, full of gentle stone fruit flavours, an exceptional drink indeed.

I settle into a faded plush sofa as a slow trickle of customers arrive for the cupping, seemingly ranging from an experienced staff member from one of their other stores to a pair of complete novices. I watch on as the cupping process is explained in a way that manages not to be condescending but inclusive and accessible for any level, clipboards are handed out with forms for informal and personal note taking. I can’t resist diving in when asked, and relish trying coffees roasted from all over the world, my favourite on this table is a Palma Real natural from The Barn in Berlin.

Now, my earlier confusion was not completely unfounded, for the Monument branch is styled as a gallery and training space. I got Alex to explain this for me after the cupping. The idea is, I find, thrilling; a constantly evolving space that holds ‘exhibitions’ that dictate what you will find, and learn about, from one month to the next. The current exhibition is ‘which brewing method are you?’. What this means to you or I is that the menu simply has four options; V60, aeropress, cafetierre and clever dripper, and one coffee; Square Mile La Buitrera. You have the choice to enjoy and pay for each filter coffee at a time for £4 using your chosen method, or to pre pay for all four which can then be drunk whenever you like, and when you get to the end you get a small bag of beans to take away and a 10% discount on the brew method you enjoyed the most.

There’s not currently an espresso option, although there are three two group Nuova Simonelli’s in the training space downstairs so the potential is there should they decide they need one for another exhibition. In fact, the potential is there for much, it feels like quite a brave move – I certainly can’t think of anywhere that has quite the same format. Each time I ask a seemingly straight forward question I’m rebuffed with ideas, potential and non parameters that I find so very appealing to me. The room itself is little more than that, plain walls, wooden floors and stripped back lights, merely a background for those exhibitions. Nothing is fixed; naive paintings are hung by bull dog grips and strings, blackboards and shelving are temporary and again strung for now from strings until the next rotation. The atmosphere is surprisingly calm for such a simple and inspiring space with no fixed rules, you’d imagine done wrong it could feel quite unsettling, however it reminds me a little of Dunnefrankowski at Protein, it has the same air of education, an urban classroom if you like.

Oh, and don’t miss the toilet downstairs. A veritable igloo made from vegetable crates!

 

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Smoke and Mirrors in Milan

Posted on April 19, 2013 by chloe

You may have noticed me banging on about coffee even more than usual recently. This is partly because I’ve taken on a new role within the company I work, developing a new division supplying the speciality coffee industry (fingers crossed – I’m only just launching) with reverse osmosis filtered water. This not only means I get to work in an industry that really inspires and excites me but I get to tackle a very key issue that faces anyone serving coffee with less than perfect water. Let’s face it, as wonderful as it must be being able to brew straight from the tap as the lucky sausages in Norway, for the vast majority of us this is simply not an option. Without boring you completely with work stuff, and trust me I won’t do this often, I was able to work on an extremely interesting project recently.

The idea came about in the after mass of a cupping comparing different waters and their effects on coffee. London tap water as expected produced a dirty cup, dull and mucky tasting and carbon block, Brita style filtration was just dull in comparison to the RO brewed coffee that sparkled with flavours. However it was the variations between the different levels of TDS water that was really interesting, different coffees extracting in slightly different ways, responding not generically well to just one. This started an interesting debate and raised the question; wouldn’t it be interesting if a bar were able to offer a variety of different TDS levels of water in order to extract different coffees at their optimal level. I understand this is a completely unnecessary experiment, but one that fascinates me none the less as I delve into the frankly mind blowing intricacies of the world of water.

It was at this point that Hoi Chi revealed that he’d been asked by design magazine Wallpaper* to design a coffee bar for their imminent exhibition at gallery Leclettico in Milan as part of design week and the furniture show. I quickly jumped on the band wagon, offering up my water filtration system to supply the bar with a thought provoking set up. It was billed as a ‘bar raising and pulse raising coffee stop’ and Coming Soon Coffee pulled out all the stops to step up to the job, revealing the finished design and concept just days before the launch.

Being part of a design and furniture exhibition, naturally the form had to match the function and architect Hoi Chi did an absolutely stellar job, using quality materials to create a conceptual project that was as stunningly beautiful as it was explorative and educational. It was my first project as Bespoke Water and I felt thoroughly proud to be part of something so inspiring, lending two of our small reverse osmosis water filtration systems to provide water at two different TDS levels for a number of outlets.

In a disappointing turn of fate I wasn’t able to attend the show itself and missed out on witnessing the reactions I was so keen to see, as the dates clashed critically with already booked Specialty Coffee Show in Boston. Damn. I had a couple of days to play with so I figured if I flew out to help set up I’d at least lend my support and be there to document and step in if anything went wrong (god forbid), it did however produce a bit of a tight schedule. In the end I arrived in Milan early Sunday evening, flew back to Gatwick late Monday night and back out to Boston Tuesday afternoon with a quick whizz around Milan, faulty phone, terrible service from Vodaphone, and thrilling set up in between.

Without boring you with the details, Monday started off slowly as installations took form around us and finishing touches were put to the glorious bar that won me over in every possible way. Flourishes of silver grey sparkly titanium, beautiful natural wood, sleek and shiny equipment galore and WINGS and STARS flitted across all surfaces. The effect was ethereal, cloaked in mystery and seductively magical.

As the day developed, time quickly accelerated and a leisurely start became fraught with time constraints. Electricity took an age to be set up, water even longer, so by the time we had everything hooked in and ready to go I was in danger of missing my flight. What we thought was a water leak added necessary drama to the last few minutes and that last hour was a measure of our calm. Finally ready to go, Hoi Chi took to the stage, pumping water through the group head, messing around with the steam wand, the press swooped in with cameras and I managed to take some dramatic and pretty cool shots before I literally ran the 15 minutes to catch my coach to the airport with seconds to spare, heart racing, adrenalin pumping.

I’m only wistful that I wasn’t able to document the reactions to the complete sensory experience offered to visitors of the exhibition, these weren’t coffee lovers or aficionados (though some may have been), these were on the whole not even familiar with third wave coffee or London’s independent coffee scene, but an eclectic selection from a different demographic of designers, art, furniture and design lovers, Italians. This almost increased my curiosity for we offered quite an experience, showcasing an illustrious selection of beans from their natural state through three brewing processes; espresso and as pourover using water at 125 and 160/180 TDS levels, unbrewed water was also offered to taste at both levels.

The genius bar design, with mirror suspended precariously above and parallel to the front allowed a transparent view of the workings behind, adding theatre and magic to the process of coffee making, allowing the customer to vicariously enjoy the show whilst engaging with barista. In retrospect it reminds me somewhat of the idea behind the much discussed just launched Modbar, removing the smoke and mirrors from the coffee making process whilst also removing a physical barrier to free up customer/barista interaction. In our case the smoke and mirrors and drama is still at the espresso machine, but the real magic and subtle comparative action is at the less showy, but admittedly pretty snazzy, pair of über boilers.

It’s always a real shame to visit anywhere so fleetingly, I fear I got almost nothing of the essence of Milan and so can’t do so many of the things I’d like to talk about justice. What I did notice were some stunning looking little meat shops and deli’s in passing, stuffed with displays that could turn even the most ardent vegetarian. No primly packaged unambiguous lumps of eats and cheese here but bold cuts staunchly redolent of their ancestry, all displayed in the quaintest and decrepid looking little shops. Antique coffee equipment and crockery took my fancy as did vast counters filled with colourful pastries and fancies. I wasn’t expecting local coffee to please my palate but what I ventured to try was so astringently bitter and burnt tasting I struggled to keep a remotely composed face. However a lunch of simple ham and cheese croissant was splendidly delicious in every way, small but perfectly formed with an addictive seasoning dancing across flaky surface, a teeny tiny iced sponge creation was superbly sweet, light and moist.

I’m hoping to gather some more feedback from Matthius and Hoi Chi from Coming Soon, but initial reports were encouraging; plenty of locals were surprised with the quality of the coffee and an impressive number even chose to forgo their usual milk or sugar, as a sip of straight coffee was delicious and sweet enough. I’m hoping to gather some more information on visitors thoughts on the coffee brewed with varying TDS waters, but I’d love to hear your thoughts until then if you have any?

You can read more about the project on the Bespoke Water Blog and Coming Soon Coffee

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