Entrance to Benihana, Chelsea

If you’re American, Benihana needs no introduction.You’ve already probably been to a Benihana at some time in your life. If however you’re not American, you may have heard of Benihana through popular culture references -it was mentioned on “The Office” U.S. version as an “Asian Hooters” and model/actor Devon Aoki’s family owns it.

Benihana’s Wall of Fame

Benihana, named after a red safflower, was started by the smiling man-permed Rocky Aoki (the perm reportedly done to make him look more distinctive), a former wrestler who sadly passed away recently. It features a carving fork and knife wielding chef on a Hibachi (or Teppanyaki grill as we know it in Australia) who chats and jokes with guests, while cooking the food and perhaps throwing it at you.

Matching full lips!

Celebrities flocked here as attested to by the feature wall, even the Kings Road branch in Chelsea features pictures of George W. Bush, Angelina Jolie (with a similarly fulled lipped waiter) as well as other famous bodies.

We had booked into Benihana for a quick meal before seeing the Broadway Musical Wicked, at the Apollo Theatre (one of the highlights of our  trip). We were told that there would be absolutely no problem with the 7 course menu and leaving early for the theatre. Walking in, we’re struck with how large the entrance steps are and how much it looks like a casino interior. We get the feeling that it’s definitely seen better days.

They have lost our reservation but no matter, the place isn’t full. The waitresses english is very limited and we are told that for the 7 courses there is no menu but what we did get (on the poster outside) is as follows below:

7 courses for £18:

• Onion Soup A La Japanese
• Benihana Salad with Ginger Dressing
• California Roll
• Hibachi Vegetables
• Hibachi Rice
• and a choice of any two from the following six: steak, chicken, prawns, salmon,black cod and seabass

Onion Soup A La Japanese

Since there are 3 of us, we opt to try each of the 6 meats/seafood. Before we know it, the soup has arrived, a delicious broth full of beef stock and onions and small pieces of mushroom and other unknown tasty but sparse morsels.

Benihana Salad with Ginger Dressing Read More

For Christmas this past year, my sister gave me a book on Borough Markets. I flicked through it eagerly going first to the recipes and even made a couple of them. I didn’t realise that only a 6 months later I would actually be at Borough Markets sampling some of this very fine produce that I was reading about. Borough Markets are London’s oldest markets, incredibly since Roman times when they built the London Bridge, they have been at this location for 250 years and is a market steeped in history and pride of the storekeepers. Artisanal is a term that comes to mind when walking through these stalls (although I hope Artisanal is not a term that become abused as I suspect it might, look out for McDonald’s “Artisan burger” )

Fresh pasta made 15 hours ago

Various cheeses on offer

Mmmm sausages!

Various baked goods

The day after arriving, our first stop is here. We’re taken by my sister’s friend Candy who is an expat from America who has lived in London for 4 years. She shows us around Borough Markets, which are huge, much bigger than I ever envisaged. There are throngs of people everywhere. It seems that either half of London is on holiday or that the neighbouring offices house a great number of people that pour out into the markets every lunch time to wait in long queues to eat delicious home grown locally made produce.

Huge slabs of chocolate and truffles

Pick your own truffles

Nuts, dried fruit and chocolate coated goodies

Prices vary but on the whole they’re generally at a premium. Most of the providores are artisans proud of their produce and there are many samples proffered to the waiting public in an attempt to seduce.

Huge mounds of butter

Slices of cakes, eclairs and strudels

Delicious sounding jams

Along with picture perfect fruit and vegetables, there are vividly coloured flowers and a range of seafood, some of which I’ve never seen before like the long cylindrical clams.

Wild things!

Seafood on offer

Huge lobsters

Big crabs with fat claws

Impressive mushroom medley

Different kinds of tomatoes

How perfect do these tubs of redcurrants look?

Even French food gets a look in

“Harry Potter No. # 3 filmed here” You didn’t think I’d miss the chance for a Harry Potter moment?

There’s even a sign near the pub saying that a scene from Harry Potter was filmed here-one look at the pub and you can definitely see that it could have been.

Free range Basque Pig Salami

Enough of this browsing, we’re ready to eat and it seems so are most of the markets as the queues stretch out long for most of the hot food. We tried to get a table at Tapas Brindisa to no avail so we settle with one of their Chorizo rolls (a double with two sausages £4.75). I line up at another stand whose name escapes me, just look for the queue, and get a roll filled with Wild Boar sausage and a Devils on Horseback roll filled with cumberland sausages wrapped in bacon and prunes (both £4.00 for large £3 for small). The Wild Boar sausage was guaranteed at least 90% meat which is a refreshing change for English sausages from what we’ve seen on The F Word.

Brindisa’s stall-for those who can’t get a table at the restaurant, which is… everyone

Brindisa’s Chorizo roll (double sized) £4.75

The chorizo roll is small-ish although the double amount of chorizo is good for chorizo lovers like me. It’s a good sausage although I feel as though something is missing from the roll. My husband and Candy however are thoroughly impressed by it.

Devils on Horseback roll £ 4

The Devils on Horseback roll with cumberland sausage wrapped in bacon and prunes is very good and absolutely enormous filled with caramelised onions and salad. The roll however is very floury and we find ourselves leaving the roll behind and eating the filling.

Wild Boar sausage roll £4

The Wild Boar sausage on a roll, also filled with onions and salad is a strongly flavoured and very meaty as promised. Adding a cranberry sauce to it helps to sweeten it and ease off the intense edge off it.

We dust the flour off our face and hands, stomachs full of all sorts of exotic goodies.

Borough Markets

Southwark Street London SE1 1TL
In front of London Bridge subway station, use “Borough High Street” exit.
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/
Thursdays: 11am - 5pm
Fridays: 12pm - 6pm
Saturdays: 9am - 4pm

My husband is what I affectionately refer to as a “fruit bat”. He is simply mad for the stuff, in dried or fresh form, his request for Christmas every year is a fruit basket and a fruit cake. And forget eating a dainty slice with tea, the whole cake can and has been consumed in less than a day. We recently went to a lunch after friend’s baby’s baptism and they brought out a lovely home made fruit cake. I placed a firm hand on his arm and said “NO honey, leave some for everyone else” and like a puppy chastised he looked sheepish and sank back down in his chair. I’m sure he had dreams of taking that cake and running away with it.

I had originally bought him the jar of mincemeat for him to eat with a spoon and a grin on his face but I forgot about it in the cupboard. And lucky I did as I needed it to whip up a quick fruit cake. Nigella’s recipe is a ludicrously easy fruit cake at that that you could possibly whip up with what you have in the cupboard plus a jar of mincemeat (I’m not assuming everyone has mincemeat in their cupboard). I looked at another of Nigella’s recipes and it required 2 weeks of soaking that I didn’t have so this was an easy decision. The cake itself is not exactly like a fruit cake in look although a bite into it and it does taste very fruit cakey. I didn’t find that there wasn’t quite enough fruit so I’d suggest adding either more mincemeat or soaking some fruit briefly to plump it up and then adding it in. Still, for the amount of effort, it’s a pretty good cake. I loved the look of Nigella’s Jewelled cupcakes so I used her cues for decorating it.

It was also a good choice to take with us on the long 6 hour drive to the snow for his birthday as it transports easily and is a “hardy” choice (i.e. no delicate layers, no cream). Other fantastic goodies that were cooked up to stave off the Winter chills were Swedish Mulled Wine by my Sister in Law and Finnish Split pea soup by my Mother in Law. I couldn’t have asked for better or more delicious ways to warm up after a day in the snow.

I intersperse the recipes with some photos of the snowfall-apparently, this years snowfall was the best in five years!

Ribena Snow Cone using fresh powdery snow!

Read More