Porky's BBQ, Bankside, London

It was time for the monthly team lunch again and one member of the team who has been hankering on about Porky's for ages was assuaged by the rest of us with an agreement to visit the newly opened Bankside restaurant. Table booked for 10 (that is also the only way you can make a reservation) we arrived to find the cavernous interior vacuous, although it didn’t stay that way for long. We sat down and perused the already online-consulted menu.

 

With a name like Porky’s it was never going to be up for debate what the star of the show would be. The many variants of pulled pork, the ribs of the burgers that come with pulled pork? However, they do also do salads, the burgers are beef and they have the odd vegetarian option thrown in (a salad or bean burger). So, a bean burger it was going to be for me. As we went round the table, everyone order something slightly different. The last to order was my colleague who was the great Porky’s enthusiast. Much to all our amusement and consternation he ordered the bean burger!

Many sighs of exasperation and roll of eyes later, it was enquired as to why he wanted to come there, he just wanted to try it and doesn’t eat much meat normally (this is true). Luckily for him, he did get to sample some of the ‘tips’ from another colleague’s pork ribs and tips, which he said were meat-ful. Others enjoyed their large burgers and pulled pork with a bap. Portion sizes were vast.

 

 

My burger was fine. It was a solid bean burger, I added cheese to fine and the fries were very good. So in essence, if you come here with a bunch of carnivores there will still be something acceptable for you to eat. However for me as a vegetarian, I found the smell of the pork that permeated the whole building slightly off-putting. Probably more one for the meat eaters.

 

 

Pearl barley, roasted squash and fennel salad

This recipe is one based on Hugh F-W's in 'Veg', however, I felt that his simpler receipe needs more kick and oomph and have refined it to add maximum flavour and punch. Pearl barley does not have much flavour itself, but will soak up the flavours of what it is cooked with, with that in mind, this is where I focused my concentration and the addition of more garlic and chilli to the roasting veg is an absolute necessity to lift this dish.


What you will need
1 small butternut squash
2 bulbs fennel (fronds reserved)
A handful of cherry tomatoes
50g walnuts
200g pearl barley
300-350ml vegetable stock
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tea spoons dried chilli flakes
20g parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley


Firstly, peel and cube the butternut squash. Toss in olive oil, season with salt and place in an oven at 190 degrees for 15 minutes

Meanwhile, slice the fennel into chink lengthways and toss in the oven with the squash, crushed garlic and chilli flakes. Connitue to roast for another 20 minutes.

Whilst the vegetables are cooking, place the pearl barley on to cook with the vegetable stock. This should take about 40 minutes.

After the 20 minutes further cooking for the vegetables, add the walnuts and tomatoes and cook for a further 8-10 minutes. When the vegetables are cooked through and caramelised remove from the oven.

Drain the pearl barley when cooked and toss with the roast vegetables and all the cooking oils.

 

Finally, squeeze in the lemon juice, add the zest, parmesan cheese, the chopped fennel fronds and parsley and serve. 



Za'atar baked feta and lentil salad

We have been having a heat wave and there is nothing better in the sunshine than London Town. In this type of weather, there is also nothing more satisfying than a delicious salad, usually with some wonderfully soft, nutty and salty cheese to reinstate salt lost from the body in the heat. With that and the fact I didn’t want to spend much time curled over a hot stove, I knocked up this easy salad with the minimal amount of effort. The secret is to have a jar of the herby ready made (Middle Eastern) za'atar easy to hand.

What you will need

200g puy lentils

275ml vegetable stock

1 table spoon tomato puree

1 tea spoon chilli flakes

1 tea spoon paprika

1 table spoon cider vinegar

1 bay leaf

200g feta cheese

1 clove garlic

2 tea spoon za'atar

1 table spoon lemon juice

Mixed salad leaves

Pomegranate molasses

Begin by placing the lentils into the pan with the vegetable stock, tomato puree, chilli flakes, tomato puree, cider vinegar and bay leaf. Cook on a medium heat for 20-25 minutes until the water has evaporated and the lentils are cooked through (add more water as necessary).

Meanwhile, place the feta cheese in a roasting dish and pierce with several holes. Next slice the clove of garlic and place into the pierced holes in the feta cheese. Sprinkle over the zatar, add the lemon juice and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes until softened and browned.

Serve the lentils on a bed of mixed leaves and then top with half the feta cheese. Finally, drizzle over a generous helping of pomegranate molasses to counterbalance the salty herby feta cheese.

The Oval Restaurant, The Wellesley Hotel, London

It feels like its been a long time since we've been for our regular monthly Michelin-style meal. This is perhaps because we indulged greatly whilst on our road trip in May. So, I was very happy to get back on to that horse and head off this Saturday to the Wellesley in Knightsbridge for a spot of lunch. The restaurant was, as the name describes, oval. It was also sumptuously clad in leather wall covering and gilted in the art deco style. The chandelier in the centre of the room off-set the cream and gold décor beautifully; the perfect setting for a modern Italian meal.

We arrived and were offered a table for two or a larger table, we opted for the latter. I was quite surprised that there weren’t more people in there for lunch, but the lounge opposite was doing a roaring trade; as well as serving the a la carte menu, it also serves afternoon tea. We were at the Oval for the set menu and started with a glass of bubby Prosecco. As we have become accustomed to, we received a wonderfully still warm selection of breads and delightful hors d’oeuvres before our three courses. This involved the classic combination of mozzarella, pesto and sundried tomato on the olive oil crisp bread.

 

I followed this with the wonderfully fresh sounding garden pea soup with a mozzarella cream. This dish came out dressed delicately and fragrantly with flowers and the mozzarella cream, before the waiter topped with the soup. I was sadly too slow to snap the dish before the soup was poured in. The whole dish was sweet and fresh and the mozzarella cream, rich and slightly elastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it with the wonderful fresh breads we had to dip.

Gipsy Spread had the duck salad which was pulled from its bone and served in a balsamic dressing and raspberry sauce.

Mozzarella was clearly my ingredient of the day as I couldn’t resist the burrata mozzarella ravioli in a Norcia black truffle sauce. It came out as before presented beautifully, looking like a selection of scallop shaped pasta in a foamy sea. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, with the creamy and salty mozzarella oozing out when cut. It was rich, but also delicate and fragrant.

 

 

Gipsy Spread had the sea bass in a squid ink breadcrumb crust, something he had not come across before. His crumb was crisp and flavourful and the sea bass moist and meaty. We both thoroughly satisfied with our meals, but knew there was more to come.

I went for the light(ish) option of the artisanal ice creams and sorbets, whilst Gipsy Spread opted for the rich white chocolate mousse, which also came with ice cream. My dessert of chocolate and nutella ice cream was rich and creamy, whilst my lemon sorbet was sweet and tangy, the perfect palette cleanser. Gipsy Spread’s dessert was sweet and light and rich from the ice cream.

The final surprise was a selection of petit fours brought out to us in an old enabled cohiba box on a bed of chocolate chips. This was a wonderful bit of flair and offset the delicate little fancies inside to our joy. We both tried to sample all of them, passing them round left to right. Each was delightful and decadent; very much in keeping with our surroundings.

 

Suffice to say we had a fabulous meal and fancy coming back on a Friday or Saturday evening for some live jazz and the a la carte menu which includes pizza – this is an Italian restaurant after all. The service was fantastic, friendly and efficient and the décor glamorous and beguiling. It’s well worth a trip to the Wellesley Hotel to sample this hidden gem of a restaurant.