Beef Rendang - so rich, so tasty.
Stuffed artichoke at The Magdalen Arms, Oxford - I kept meaning to recreate this but never got round to it, so it is now but a happy memory.
1.2kg bone-in ribeye at Hawksmoor, that I demolished in under 20 minutes as part of a bet. It still stands as the best steak I've had yet. It was bigger than my head.
Scallops with horseradish snow and kohlrabi, at The Ledbury. Pure joy.
Cheese souffle in double cream at Le Gavroche - unbelievably light and unbelievably decadent. Eating it was a happy memory.
I wailed when I found out that osso bucco was no longer on the menu at Polpetto, but its replacement, beef cheeks with polenta was a more than adequate substitute. How do they get their polenta so creamy? I love it.
Salted caramel butter. Holy shit, that was one sexy ice cream.
Cold udon with miso and walnut hot broth at Koya. I get weekly cravings for this and it's a favourite lunch spot.
Perhaps the most recent addition in that I ate it last night, but the Veal Holstein at Bob Bob Ricard truly is outstanding. The deeply savoury 'secret sauce' bursts out from underneath the breaded veal, lubricating the truffled mash.
The pork and century egg congee, from Hong Kong City, a few doors down from my flat. The pork is always gorgeously tender, and it's a life-saver having it so near; many a time I've staggered over in my pyjamas poorly concealed by an overcoat to get my restorative takeaway congee that soothes and nourishes.
So, they were my favourite dishes of 2010. And what about the worst?
That accolade can only go to Cantina Laredo's vomit-inducing chicken mole. Five months later and I am still traumatised.
HAHAHA that "mole"!!! HAHAHAHAHA. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI had that very dish at Koya on your recommendation. My only regret is that I only managed one visit before Baby GG made an appearance and curtailed my eating out :-)
ReplyDeleteANYTHING from The Ledbury makes my top 10 this year....the poached duck's egg wrapped in kataifi I had last time was A-MAZING
ReplyDeleteI don't even want to say what that mole looks like. I often have Koya cravings too - I like the beef best, although had the really good duck with hot soup and cold udon for the first time there this week.
ReplyDeleteI don't even want to say what that mole looks like. I often have Koya cravings too - I like the beef best, although had the really good duck with hot soup and cold udon for the first time there this week.
ReplyDeleteThat salted caramel ice cream you made makes me salivate every time I think of it. And I still haven't made it to Koya. Both are going on my to-do list.
ReplyDeleteHave you worked out a system on how to combine the cold udon and the hot broth without excessive splashing?
ReplyDeletePS: I second the veal holstein at BBR!
Oh that artichoke! That souffle! And oh, those turds. The trauma! the laughs!
ReplyDelete1.2 kilos of steak? That is one very impressive statistic :) Am absolutely schnitzeled out after five days in Berlin, but as soon as I can face breaded veal again, BBR is top of my list...
ReplyDeleteThat mole - how can anyone have put that on a plate and think: "Yep, that looks appetising. Send it out!"
ReplyDeleteEverything else looks great though. Plenty of meals for me to catch you up on in 2011.
Oooo, loving the look of that stuffed artichoke - sounds very tasty. I second the veal holstein - they have a seriously good cook at BBR. And as for the Ledbury, it seems like I can;t turn round without bumping into more rave reviews of the place. Methinks it is one to try out sooner rather than later. Good list.
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