Egg Custard

Lamb Neck

Marron

Perfect Pasta

Petit Fours

Pudding

Spanner Crab

Trumpeter

Wagyu

Sarah

Dinner at Momofuku Seiobo, Sydney- 12th January 2012.

Massimo Bottura by Per-Andres Jorgensen

Massimo Bottura shared his menu for the day with us, including the reason behind each of his chosen dishes which are a compilation of his favourite hits over the years.

Menu

“dall’osteria all’Osteria”

“from osteria to Osteria”

Riccordi di un panino alla mortadella 2001

Memory of a mortadella sandwich

“This plate recalls a strong memory of the mortadella sandwich my mother threw into my backpack for school snack. Nothing tastes better than memories. I’ve tried to capture the essence of that sandwich with warm mortadella foam on crunchy bread. Since 2004 we no longer add heavy cream to the mortadella foam but distill mortadella water instead to capture pure flavor with no added fats. When I eat this ‘one bite’ sandwich, I feel fourteen again.” M.B.

1993 – 1999 – 2002

Cinque stagionature di Parmigiano Reggiano in diverse texture e temperature

Five ages of Parmiagiano Reggiano in different textures and temperatures

“I began making this dish even before Osteria Francescana was opened. The challenge was to make a dish using one element – in this case Parmigiano Reggiano. We put the emphasis on the aging process natural to Parmigiano and worked on creating different textures and temperatures to distinguish the cheese. In 1998 was a three component plate expressing the various characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano. I wanted to show people just what an amazing cheese this is. Over time I was able to add other textures and ages of the cheese. In 1999 we added the chilled Parmigiano foam with a 30 month aged cheese. In 2002 I added the Air of Parmigiano with the oldest 50 month aged Parmigiano to create a sensation of ‘invisible but intense flavor’” M.B.

2001

Compressione di pasta e fagioli

Compression of pasta and beans

“A classic Italian peasant dish transforms into a parfait of pasta and beans, a literal compression of my personal gastronomic hisotry in 2001. At the time I called the plate: “where does pasta fagioli think its going?”

At the base of the glass is a crème royale which pays reference to my French culinary traiining from Coigny to Ducasse. At the top, air of rosemary to acknowledge Adrià. In the middle, between the two, where the egg pasta should be, there are crust of Parmigiano Reggiano – boiled and sliced like maltagliatti. Between Ducase and Adria – there is my grandmother who put the crust in broths and soups. This is the emotional part of the pasta and fagioli; the part that connects me not only to my terrain but to my family.

Hats off to all my masters, one and all.” M.B.

2005

Bollito misto … non bollito

Bolito misto … not boiled

“Just like Lucio Fontana’s decision to cut through the surface of a painting, a simple reflection can change everything.

Working with heroic farmers and butchers has taught me to ask :

“Does tradition respect the ingredients?”

Afterall, ethics and aesthetics go hand in hand.

For this reason we use sous-vide technique to realize ‘bollito misto … non bolito’.

Do we have to follow centuries of tradition and boil extraordinary meat in water?

Can we find a way to express our traditions and perhaps improve upon them at the same time?

That is what “Tradition in Evolution” means to me. M.B.

2010

Filetto di capitone lacata con la saba con crema di polenta, succo di mela verde e polvere di cipolla brucciata

Saba lacquered Adriatic eel with cream of polenta, sour apple jelly and burned onion powder

“This plate tells the story of the Este family who reigned in Ferrara from 1200 to 1600. The sudden death of Alfonso II allowed the Papal state to claim not only the Castello Estense but the territorial fishing rights along the Delta of the Po and the Adriatic. The Este Family was granted dukedom in Modena and took up residence at Ducal Palace.

The story is told through an eel who takes a journey from the lagoons of Comacchio to Modena. Along the way the eel picks up ingredients from the neighborhing towns – polenta, campanine sour apples, onions and saba. As the eel enters the canals of Modena it lathers itself in saba and bronzes in the sun, burning, of course, the onlons….” M.B.

2000

Croccantino di foie gras con cuore di Tradizionale Aceto Balsamico di Modena

Cruncy foie gras bar with liquid center of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

“Here I just wanted to have fun with the most snob ingredient in international cuisine – foie gras. My approach was purely childish. I wanted to serve my guests an incrediible foie gras terrine without a fork and knife but on a stick like an ice-cream bar so that they could return to being children and enjoy all the flavor without the pomp and circumstance.

To complete the illusion, we filled the center will Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and coated the outside with carmelized hazelnuts from Piemonte and almonds from Noto, Sicily. In this way, the terrine is Italianized from the North to the South and even at the heart – Modena.” M.B.

Massimo served up the meal to around 150 people. Pictures to follow….

Ailsa

A Scandilicious Smörgåsbord !

One of our favourite food writers- Signe Johansen aka Scandilicious has announced that she will be hosting two brunches and two suppers at her North London home. Dishes will be mainly from Signe’s first book Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking… Scandilicious but a few tasters  of her new book, Scandilicious Baking will also be included.

Signe says, ‘Think an abundance of great Scandi fare – both classic and modern – shared around a large table in a cosy north London home.’ Sounds delicious!

Menus will change for each event but here is a taster of what to expect:

For brunch (£30 per person) think baskets heaving with fresh baked cinnamon buns, rye breads, Scandi cheese, baked eggs, platters of home-cured gravadlax, fresh juices, smoothies and other Scandi treats – both sweet and savoury.

For supper (£40 per person) we’ll be serving dishes such as Toast Skagen, hot-smoked trout salads, home-cured pickles, tasty breads, and platters of seasonal Scandi favourites like meatballs and roast lamb to accompany the very best of  seasonal British vegetables. Expect dessert, and plenty of it.

Each meal includes a specially made cocktail as well.

Menus will be emailed a week before the event so please warn in advance of allergies/ dietary requirements.

All the details, including dates and how to book can be found on Signe’s blog.

The paintings have recently been on display at the Melbourne Food and Wine festival in Martin’s native Australia. They will soon travel to the UK and be displayed at London’s Guildhall during The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards sponsored by S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.

In addition to this, the Back of House adventure was also turned into a television series for the Australia Television, combining art, food and travel.

The result is a feast for the eye, the senses and the sensibilities of those who like to get behind the scenes to appreciate the best of the best.

To find out more about Jeff Martin’s work:

http://www.gouldgalleries.com

http://www.jeffmartin.com.au/

At the Artist’ Feast in Melbourne, Australia, on the 13^th of March a mural Martin has painted for Da Noi will be on display and one guest will have a chance of winning a painting valued $5000.

For more information visit : http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2593

Jeanne.

At a Spoon HQ tasting session last week we were impressed by the sincerity found in both the restaurant’s cooking and service.  Stand out dishes that we have tasted so far are the comforting Borsht served with smoked beef and sour cream, Caviar Blinis and Beef Stroganoff served with buckwheat and a touch of theatre. Our out and out favourite however were the seafood Pelmeni dumplings.

We are very close to having some photography (we are shooting early next week) so will have something to show you very soon. In the meantime, the restaurant’s lavish chandeliers, welcoming entrance hall and bejewelled trinket-filled cabinets have been captured on the Mari Vanna blog for you to look at.

With the Maslenitsa Festival (the largest celebration of Russian culture, art, music and food anywhere outside Russia) taking place at the end of this month, Russian Fashion Week celebrations taking place at the V & A and Faberge’s Big Egg Hunt taking place in the weeks leading up to Easter, it seems as if the whole of London is embracing all things Russian.

The Spoon team is bursting with Russian recipes and ideas for pancake day, Easter, lavish parties and comforting home-cooking alike and are armed with some of Russia’s finest caviar, vodka and beetroots to help us on our way. Do get in touch if you need help sorting your Harcho from your Hashapuri.

We are looking forward to welcoming you into this jewellery box of a restaurant and inviting you to sample some true Russian hospitality.

Sarah, Alice and Ailsa and the rest of the Spoon team x

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE:

HOMELY MARI VANNA RESTAURANT SET TO OPEN IN LONDON IN

MARCH 2012

Situated in the heart of Knightsbridge, Mari Vanna is set to open its doors on the 1^st March 2012. The Mari Vanna menu will offer “babushka cooking” – homely cooking in the time honoured tradition. Russian dishes with influences from Armenia, Georgia and Uzbekistan are presented with a fresh, contemporary look. Transported to the most elegant area of the city, the restaurant will display true Russian hospitality, a rare find inLondon.

Situated on the doorstep of One Hyde Park and the Bulgari hotel, and with an audible buzz of pre-opening excitement, the restaurant is set to become both a local neighbourhood restaurant and a hit with international aficionados. With extraordinary attention to detail, Mari Vanna will transport each guest into a retrospective style Russian home where shelves are adorned with matryoshka dolls, trinkets and tchotchke. A traditional Russian Pechka oven, prominent in many Russian tales, takes pride of place in the dining room. Set against a fine backdrop with high ceilings adorned with elaborate chandeliers, Mari Vanna displays cosy details within an unparalleled and delightfully comfortable setting.

The menu shows Russian cuisine in a new light. In addition to wonderful cakes and plentiful tea assortments, traditional dishes such as Pelmeni (Russian veal dumplings with a light herb sauce) and Borsch with Pampushka (a beetroot soup with smoked beef) feature on the menu alongside dishes such as Harcho (a rich Georgian lamb soup with rice), Adjika (a spicy tomato sauce) and Ukrainian Galubtzi (meat and rice encased in cabbage leaves).

A wide range of vodka varieties awaits the connoisseur at the bar, and the Mari Vanna cocktail menu turns old classics into contemporary creations inspired by all things Russian.

Launched initially in St Petersburg, where it is said that a mythical woman named Mari Vanna welcomed guests and travellers into her kitchen for home cooked dishes and a cosy retreat from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, Mari Vanna has sister restaurants in Moscow, St Petersburg and New York. Similar to these outposts, regular visitors will receive the mysterious ‘Mari Vanna Key’ which unlocks every restaurant from Russia to London to New York City on Mondays.

Mari Vanna is co-owned by Vadim Lapin & Dmitry Sergeyev, founders of restaurant and hospitality holding company Ginza Project, and Luca Del Bono. Luca Del Bono has operated in the hospitality industry for over 15 years, whilst Ginza Project is one of the most established players in the world of Russian dining, with in excess of 70 restaurants between Moscow, St Petersburg, Rostov on Don, New York and now London. 

    MARI VANNA SAMPLE MENU

 Soups

Borscht – traditional Russian beetroot & vegetable broth with smoked beef

Harcho – Georgian lamb soup with rice and Adjika (spicy tomato sauce)

Mushroom soup – wild forest mushrooms with potato and sour cream

Salads

Salad Olivier -traditional potato and vegetable salad with Russian kielbasa

Herring Pod Shuboy (herring under a fur coat) – salted herring, beetroot and potato with a mayonnaise dressing

Vegetable salad with crab meat and poached egg

 Starters

Blinis with red or black caviar

Hashapuri – Georgian pie baked with Suluguni cheese and egg

Pirozhki - small stuffed Russian pies with cabbage, meat or seabass

 Mains

Galubtzi – cabbage stuffed with meat and rice

Beef Stroganoff – Russian beef dish with buckwheat and mushrooms

Pelmeni – Russian seafood dumplings

 Dessert

Berry custard

Napoleon – layers of puff pastry and Napoleon cream

Smitannik – sour cream cake with strawberries

 FACT SHEET

Website:                                   www.marivanna.co.uk

Address:                                    Wellington Court, 116 Knightsbridge,London, SW1X 7PJ
Reservations:                           +44(0) 207 581 5920
Seating Capacity:                     116
Executive Chef:                        Alexander Belkovich
Opening Times:                        Everyday for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner
7am-1am

March seems like great a month to visit Melbourne. The city is hosting it’s annual food and wine festival, during which over 300 events take place in a variety of venues as well as spilling into the rest of the region of Victoria.

Spoon client Massimo Bottura will be appearing at the festival on Sunday 11th March giving a special ‘Theatre of Ideas’ lecture, revealing the inspirations and ideas behinds his food and cooking. other names presenting lectures as part of the series are Rene Redzepi, David Chang and Ben Shewry.

Another highlight of the festival is on Saturday 18th March at 12pm. The Melbourne Food Festival have joined forces with Cinema Nova to present a unique, adults only ‘food on film’ experience titled Debased, Devilish & Delicious.

Described as a sumptuous food and film experience to titillate, tempt, tantalize and tease ALL your senses, the event will involve a screening of Peter Greenaway’s THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (R 18+), with a fabulous feast that promises a melting pot of gastronomic and cinematic craziness…

For more details on the Cinema Nova event please click here and for details including ticket prices and full events listing for the festival itself, please visit their website.

Paulo Barata / Guerrilla Food Photography

Massimo in the kitchen. Photo by Paulo Barata / Guerrilla Food Photography

Photo by Vasco Célio / Stills

'A Compression of my Gastronomic Life in the Shape of Pasta and Bean' Photo by Paulo Barata / Guerrilla Food Photography

'Ice Cream Bar: Foie Gras, almonds from Noto, Igp Hazelnuts from Piemont as a Crust and Heart of Traditionale Balsamic Vinegar of Modena' by Vasco Célio/ Stills

Not Grilled Veal Fillet: cooked in Aromatic Ashes by Vasco Célio / Stills

Massimo Bottura with Juston (Vila Joya PR) by Vasco Célio / Stills

by Vasco Célio / Stills

Ailsa