Off The Blog 4 - Comfort Food

The days are getting colder and the nights are drawing in. It's that time of the year when you want your grub to cheer you up so in this post I'll be looking at three great places for comfort food: a rather special pub, somewhere a bit posh and a good old-fashioned Italian.

Toulouse cassoulet @ The Gunmakers

Toulouse cassoulet is exactly the kind of food that soothes the soul and it's one of many hearty dishes served at The Gunmakers. Being a Northerner, I'm prone to moaning about meagre 'London portions' but I had no complaints about this mammoth serving.

However, it wasn't just the quantity that I was impressed with; I was also struck by the high quality of the ingredients. The haricot beans, ham hock, and pork shoulder were all top notch but a special mention goes to the Toulouse sausage.

I was quite full after this feast and it was a shame that I had to go back to work, as I could've done with a couple of pints and a kip. The Gunmakers is a cracking boozer and it's also worth mentioning that they serve a fine array of ales.



The Gunmakers, 13 Eyre Street Hill, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 5ET 
(Tel: 020-7278-1022) Nearest tube: Chancery Lane

Prawn cocktail @ Bob Bob Ricard

Bob Bob Ricard needs little introduction. This Soho restaurant has been blogged to death and this particular meal has already been blogged about by Catty and The Grubworm. The menu is full of heart-warming dishes like fish soup, beef wellington, pies and burgers. But to start, I couldn't resist the retro charms of the prawn cocktail. Mind you, part of me wishes I ordered the venison steak tatare.

Veal Holstein @ Bob Bob Ricard

For mains, my dining companions shared a roast leg of Elwy Valley lamb; I had a taste and it was damn good although my veal Holstein was none too shabby either. Served with anchovies, quail egg, truffled mash and secret sauce (not to be confused with special sauce), I loved it. The puds are good too and I couldn't say no to warm chocolate fondant.

I'm a big fan of the decadent dining room and the fact that everyone is seated in a booth. In addition to the classic comfort food, there's also a small selection of Russian dishes. I might try these next time with a shot or two of their vintage vodkas. Not that you need me to tell you but BBR is highly recommended.



Bob Bob Ricard, 1 Upper James Street, London, W1F 9DF
(Tel: 020-3145-1000) Nearest tubes: Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus

Ciao Bella

I can't believe that I haven't got round to blogging about Ciao Bella 'til now. This charming old school ristorante is a favourite office lunch venue of mine. I've been a regular for the best part of a decade and come to think of it, I've probably eaten here more times than any other restaurant. And whilst I've not seen him eat at Ciao Bella, it seems that Raymond Blanc is a fan too.

The menu doesn't push any boundaries but that's its appeal, as sometimes I don't want to think too much about my food. My favourites include spaghetti con polpette (spaghetti with meatballs) and scaloppa Milanese (I usually order this veal dish with a side of pasta instead of the usual potatoes and veg). But above all else, I adore their pizzas, in particular the prosciutto crudo.

Ciao Bella is always busy and booking is recommended. That said if you turn up without a reservation, they have an arrangement with the pub next door. You can wait in the pub and once a table is ready, they'll come and fetch you. If you haven't finished your drink then you can bring that through too. Now that's what I call service!



Ciao Bella, 86-90 Lamb's Conduit St, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3LZ 
(Tel: 020-7242-4119) Nearest tube: Russell Square

Riga - Part 1

I should know better at my age. I mean what would you do if you had just arrived in Riga for a wedding ? Of course the sensible thing would be to have a meal with a few gentle drinks before turning in for an early night. That's a bit boring though, much better to go mad and sample loads of turbocharged Belgian beer. Mercifully the groom was more sensible and knew when to stop drinking.

About the only wise decision I made was to share a metre of traditional Latvian sausage. This was top notch as was the accompanying salad, gherkins, and dips. Particularly worthy of mention was the potato salad.

I woke up the next day with a terrible hangover and the 50km coach trip to the wedding venue wasn't much fun although it was enlivened by some stunning scenery. The gods were on side for this big fat Greek-Latvian wedding as there wasn't a cloud in the sky for the outdoor ceremony.

As I'm not of the fairer sex, I lack the writing skills to describe the proceedings but needless to say El Greco and Mysterious Miss A's wedding went off really well. I particularly enjoyed the traditional games, customs, and challenges that the newlyweds had to go through.

I was still feeling a little tender so I was glad that there were nibbles with the champagne and I was double glad that these were substantial nibbles. None of that vol-au-vent nonsense – instead we had the Latvian take on the sausage roll as well as bread rolls with fillings such as bacon, egg, and mushrooms baked inside the roll. These were all excellent and strangely reminded me of Chinese bakery albeit with different fillings.

Onto the wedding breakfast and the speeches. These were expertly done with El Greco's newly acquired Russian language skills going down a storm with his in-laws. I also learnt some Russian that day, the word gorko. Whenever this was chanted, the bride and groom had to stop what they were doing and kiss until the chanting stopped. And by kiss, I mean properly kiss. I'm not sure the newlyweds finished their food as there were so many chants of gorko - even the usually repressed Brits eventually joined in (once the booze had kicked in).

For the meal itself, there was salad to start and tiramisu to finish but inbetween we had a selection of grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. These were passed along the long tables and I was very anxious as these platters were resting far from my grasp. I managed to bag my fair share and the accompanying sauces were tasty too. I particularly liked the tomato gravy thing but I didn't find out its name - give me a break, I was off the clock !

To drink, I kicked off with some white but switched to red for the main course. There were also bottles of Jameson whiskey and Russian Standard vodka. I wasn't going to touch the hard stuff but then Uncle Vodka came over. This guy was a force of nature, as he roamed from group to group to ensure we all toasted the newlyweds. When he came round to our group, I sipped my vodka. Whilst I didn't understand what he said, his look of bemusement tinged with disappointment said it all. There was only one way out and I quickly drained my glass. His mood immediately lightened and he seemed to take great pleasure that he had sent me on a one-way trip to oblivion.  

Consequently, the rest of the evening was a blur and I thought I'd dreamt some of the games and elaborate dance routines. At one point, it seemed like I'd gatecrashed a hallucinogenic drug fuelled fancy dress party, as the newlyweds were being driven on a pretend bus with dancers dressed up in costumes. The English commentary just made it seem more surreal and I was convinced the Village People were going to make a guest appearance.

Despite being a bit worse for wear, I still seemed to have the blog on my mind. Why else did I take a photo of the supper buffet ? I remember eating some fruit, as of course a few slices of melon and pineapple was going to save me from another hangover.  

Most of the other photos I took aren't really suitable for the blog but this one of the happy couple is. I should take more photos using the 'balloon' setting on my humble Casio.

All told it was a cracking wedding and everybody had a great time. So if you have a glass handy, please raise it to El Greco and his beautiful wife, the Mysterious Mrs A. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if it isn't neat vodka and don't down it in one !