THE LITTLE KITCHEN LDN: May 2016

12 May 2016

Review: Sosharu London, Farringdon

Jason Atherton opened up this Japanese joint recently, Sosharu London. I couldn't wait to try it out after constantly drooling over its Instagram pics. It was pretty pricey but I have to say it was totally worth it - the quality and the portions were brilliant. When they tell you the menu goes from little to large plates, they're not joking. Large is actually a normal size which sometimes you don't get in a higher end restaurant.

I would also recommend visiting the whisky bar downstairs. Japanese whisky to end the night of fantastic food - perfect.

A refreshing cocktail to start the proceedings

Salmon and tuna temaki. The little mayonnaise squeeze tube was a cute little touch.

The special was tempura asparagus with slow cooked egg and tomatoes. Surprisingly well done.

Grilled octopus was divine and really flavoursome.

I had to order the pork belly because it's my thing. And I'm so glad. It came with a udon noodle broth. And the crisp seaweed was lovely. Usually seaweed is pretty bland but this one was the perfect accompaniment.

The wagyu beef which is DIY self cook.

It was great to be able to mix it yourself and cook the meat to how you prefer it.

At work

The seafood rice pot arrived last and to be honest by this time we were both pretty full. The rice pot was really good though, lots of fresh seafood flavour and not just all full of rice with minimal seafoods. Just a shame we couldn't finish it.

My after dinner drink was slightly odd I have to say - neither sweet or alcoholic.

The other dessert. I think the cake was slightly too sweet but the ice cream was banana-flavoured which added to the dessert pieces.

The service we received was excellent, everyone was very friendly and vigilant. They did well to explain the menu and every dish that was served without being patronising. The food was outstanding - full of flavour and cooked perfectly and all very interesting dishes. The decor was all wooden but slick and in a fairly small room which felt quite cosy (in a good way, not in a sort of cramped way) but airy enough. The Japanese white wine we had was also very good.

Overall, it came to £174 inc service, which for the amount we had including drinks wasn't that bad. The food was excellent quality. I probably couldn't afford to go here again on a regular basis but for a special occasion this is well worth your money and experience.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

7 Tales - the bar downstairs
Again, friendly staff who will help you make your choice of whisky and cocktails. One of the cocktails even comes with picking your own sugar cube from a vending machine. That's how fun it is downstairs.

Also, just one final note - please visit the bathroom. They have the Japanese toilets installed - heated toilet seats and everything. Amazing.

11 May 2016

Bread Ahead bakery at Borough Market

I made - Rye Bread, Chelsea Buns, Brioche (huge) and about a million croissants.

I was rather excited when I received a full day voucher for Bread Ahead at Christmas. My main dilemma was which course to take! In the end, I went for the Enriched Dough workshop because it offered a range of recipes including the croissant, which I had tried to make once, and failed...badly.

I strolled over to the South side of London Bridge on a sunny but chilly Sunday morning and was greeted by the friendly staff. Our workshop was taken by Manuel, "a French person with a Spanish name" - his words. He was also sporting a beret just to make sure we didn't confuse his French accent with a Spanish one.

Where the magic happens

It was a thoroughly pleasant day. There was a mix of 12 people in the group all with varying degrees of baking experience and all different ages. Manuel and his assistants were very efficient with the change of equipment and cleaning round after us.

The actual bakery was extraordinary, I've never stepped into an industrial bakery before so it was just rather exciting for little old me seeing shelves and trolleys of bread. A mysterious room for proving the dough, the proper ovens through the doorway and even just the modern little ovens we used amongst all the wooden furniture.

Another use for shower caps

One great bit of usage was for the free shower caps you get at hotels - we used these for proving our dough - they fit perfectly round the mixing bowl and completely covered! Genius!

Overall, it was a fantastic day. It was hard work as everything we did was by hand but it was a great stress relief. It was so much fun and knowledgeable. Manuel was a great teacher and really helpful. We ran over slightly but they were very accommodating with the times to get our value for money. I would definitely recommend Bread Ahead for anyone who wants to learn, know or enhance their baking skills. I felt very comfortable and not at all intimidated. If you don't mind the tourists peeping in through the window that is.

Bread, bread and more bread

Lunch is also provided on the full day workshops, which they make themselves. In fact, I was really impressed that they hand-make everything themselves including the jam and lemon curd we got to try. Everything you get to taste on the day is from the baker's batch, everything you make, you get to take home...which is a lot!

The croissant by far takes the longest and needs the most patience, mine had some butter leakage but 100 times better than my first attempt. A great tip is to use French butter rather than English butter as that has less water content.