Frieze Sculpture Park

Last year I went to the Frieze and the first ever Frieze Masters like a good art world supporter should. See the full post here. This year we only made it as far as the sculpture park. A hectic work week and sniffly nose meant that I couldn't face the hum drum of inside the Frieze Art Fair tent.

The Sculpture Park itself is a wonderful part of what the Frieze brings with it every year - in part because it is free and open to the public, but also because contemporary sculpture is the best response to the philistine journalism about how awful and irrelevant the contemporary art scene is. Sculptures have impact, sculptures are relevant, sculptures are... well they're just there in the world. You can't mess with that. People respond to them (see below for the typical response - it's almost as though they're at a concert).

Frieze marks the beginning of Autumn for me - when I used to study History of Art, it meant going back to school, my mind fresh with the visions of the most important art galleries in the world. Now that I'm just a leisurely art follower, it means kicking up the leaves in the sculpture park.

Connoisseurs...

The Frieze is only on for three days a year, so if you missed it this year, be sure to look out for it next. If you want people watching and a touch of glamour, the hefty £35 a ticket to the main tents is worth it, but if you're looking for a more chilled out affair, the sculpture park is for you.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Quick Review: Flesh and Buns

Flesh and buns somewhat pretentiously describes itself as an Izakaya (a sort of fast-moving, rough and ready Japanese bar which serves food alongside alcohol and is generally stuffed with world-weary workers). During my month in Tokyo I wandered through alleyway after alleyway of these and joined the one with the longest queue, in the hope that the locals knew best. I was never disappointed and would sit with a glass of Umeshu (ume fruit liquor) and soda, grazing on simple chicken yakitori, stuffed onto a lemon grass stalk or grilled vegetables before moving onto the next. Flesh and buns, with its oppressively loud music and vast communal canteen table doesn’t really approach the crowded but intimate atmosphere of your typical Izakaya. It sells food and drinks with a Japanese heritage which is pretty much where its likeness to an Izakaya ends.

Moving on to the food… the flesh and buns name is in reference to the Taiwanese street food dish of gua bao (steamed rice flour buns filled with meat), which I don’t think is a traditional Izakaya dish either…. rant over…  These have been around in London for quite some time, specifically East London (see Yum Bun, Bao London and Jubo for example), but have been made ‘trendy’ by this...ahem... "izakaya's" 'does what it says on the tin’ name and the conversation / confusion that creates (I bet some of you were expecting another burger joint). I have to admit, these gua bao were new to me too, and I was intrigued to try out the most talked about ones. I wasn’t however prepared to queue for them so turned up  late on a Wednesday evening following a couple of rounds of cocktails at the Donovan bar (try a whiskey sour with rose syrup and you won't regret it!).

For me the small sharing dishes were the better than the buns: the spicy tuna sushi was original because of the crispy crumb coating it - I am not sure quite what this delicate crumb was made of but it tasted a bit like crushed tempura batter. In the middle of it, the spicy tuna was firm and fresh, if a little under-spiced. The deep fried spider crab was another highlight. Just the right level of crispy exterior and fresh, fleshy centre, served with a creamy horseradish sauce instead of wasabi. I liked this little touch that conjured up memories of Sunday lunch in an incongruous context. The crispy squid was good to begin with but so, so salty I found myself drinking an entire pint of water soon after – I could have shared a couple of those crabs instead. The grilled asparagus were the right antidote to the deep fried dishes. Sweet, a little crunchy and lathered in an authentic miso-based sauce.

The buns part of the meal was somewhat less pleasing. The flesh was all very good - we shared the crispy piglet belly which was divine on its own  - but when combined with the sauce and bun it all became a little bland and cloying. The pickled apple was a good addition but there wasn’t quite enough of this to cut through the bun. I ended going without but understanding why they hadn’t just called themselves ‘Flesh’, which would be rather creepy.

When it came to drinks I was very disappointed at the lack of Umeshu but had an ume flavoured Sake instead, Ume No Yado, which was actually great (but not cheap). By the time I came to dessert I was too stuffed to order anything but envious of the gimmicky but fun marshmallow toasting going on around us.

 

All in all Flesh and Buns was a mixed experience. While I would happily go there again, I felt it was rather overpriced so I couldn’t just relax and order everything I wanted (I spent just under £40 on 2 small dishes, half a ‘flesh and buns’ main and a drink). I think I will be venturing further East for my buns fix in the future

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One for the boys: Wolsey

When out and about shopping I often feel sorry for men - restricted to a few set silhouettes, the high streets offering often feels tired and formulaic, like a half formed after thought. A new kid on the block has got me very, very jealous. Wintertime knits that have the quality and detail of something your great grandmother might have made but a contemporary, aspirational feel... I am praying for  a women's capsule collection...

Wolsey, the brand in question, first set up shop in Leicester 1755 (see timeline here) and opened its London flagship in March 2013. With an extensive pedigree, supplying underwear to arctic explorers and receiving a royal warrant in 1935, it is now gracing London with its presence. Tucked between a few trendy boutiques on Brewer street, it's stripped back, utilitarian chic shop fits right in but is free of any of the associated pretensions. The down to earth vibe comes from their friendly and knowledgeable shop assistant, fantastic quality and value (trousers around £100, shirts £90 and jumpers £100-£150). Although this is not exactly cheap, when you see and feel the quality it is clear that everything is built to last. 

What has got excited is their sumptuously textured knits and refreshingly subtle but unusual palette. That along with the fact that their tailoring seems spot on and it's great to be proud of a British business. Here are a few of my favourite pieces:

Clockwise from top left: Deep cordovan crew neck, £150; Adam's chunky crew neck, £199; Midnight navy panno double breasted peacoat, £395; wool colour blocked sock, £18; Elgin long sleeve cotton flannel checked shirt with contrast trim, £89; forest green plaid arami wool jacket, £445

They have some stuff in store that isn't online and it is worth checking out their discounted online outlet too. 

Elle's Simple Sea Bass supper with cheat's creme brûlée

Sea Bass and Fennel are both great Autumn buys. They are also both incredibly good for you and make for a refreshing, healthy-yet-indulgent feeling supper. I got my Bass from a supermarket fishmonger. Don't forget to ask them to gut, scale and clean your fish for you and always rinse it again when you get it home and take it out of the bag. 

This meal is a great way to impress at a smallish dinner party without having to do much preparation or even much washing up (shh.. don't tell my friends). When cooking for company, you can't beat a well put together one pot, baked in the oven with a one dish desert to follow. My cheat's creme brûlée barely even needs cooking, just a few minutes under the grill at the end, so you can prepare it whilst your bass bakes. 

Start with the fish dish:

Ingredients:

200g Anya potatoes

1 medium white onion

2 fennel bulbs

Handfull of cherry tomatoes

4 Sea Bass 

1 cup of white wine

1 cup of chicken stock (either made with a cube, or if you have some fresh then use this.)

3 tbsp olive oil

One rosemary sprig

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 190°C on the Fan setting. Finely cut your onion and your fennel into rings, lay them at the bottom of a deep baking tray. Finely slice the anya potatoes to about 3mm thickness. Layer over the fennel and onion and add the cherry tomatoes on top. Pour over the wine and the stock, then Sprinkle with salt and the rosemary. Place in the oven for 15 minutes before removing and adding the fish for another 30-40 (check for the flesh coming easily away from the bones). 

 

Whilst your bass bakes, prepare the cheat desert:

Ingredients:

4 white peaches 

6 Amaretti biscuits

300g Creme Fraiche 

Demerara sugar

Cut your peaches into 6 slices. If they are already ripe, then use them fresh but if they're not, then boil them in water with a few tbsp of sugar until tender. Lay in the bottom of a glass oven-proof dish. Place your amaretti biscuits into a ziplock bag and bash with a rolling pin until you're left with a bag of fine crumbs. Cover the peaches with these evenly, then layer the creme fraiche on top. Heat the grill and cover the top in an even coating of sugar. Only do this immediately before grilling or it will mix with the creme fraiche and not caramelise as well. Place under the grill for 3-5 minutes and watch it closely for over-burning. You can also use a blow torch if you have one after you've gotten an initial sugar crust going. The sugar will get harder as it cools so it's best to do this before serving the main course.

When you're done, all you have to clear up is your two dishes, the plates and a chopping board. Nicely done.

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Review: Fino in Fitzrovia

I first went to Fino two years ago with a very good friend and his dad. As regular customers they knew just what to order and the food was fantastic. So when I was invited there by a couple of friends on Friday night I resolved to get through my work as quickly as possible to join them. I was in one of those moods where nothing really mattered apart from having a good time. I ordered with my eyes and left feeling full to the point of nauseous. I don't regret it for a moment and am very happy to have tried such a huge array of dishes.

If the name rings a bell it may well be because it made it to the semi final's of Gordon Ramsay's 'Best Restaurant' TV show in 2010. I don't know about it being the best but it certainly is very good and consistent. My one criticism is that there are just too many things on the menu where you aren’t really sure what the dish is. Its nice for getting to know your waiter but annoying since there are too many to ask about (and there is no reception downstairs for Googling!). At the risk of exposing my own ignorance, here are some examples, morcilla iberica (black pudding), pluma iberica (pork shoulder), corvina (a type of fish), morcón iberico (a type of chorizo), mil hojas (mille-feuille), santiago tart (almond torte)… you get the picture… but hopefully this review will be useful reading to anyone wishing to go there!

With tapas it is often hard to know how much to order but I would aim for one of the para picar (small dishes) per person and two or three of the bigger dishes. We tried the crab and the ham croquetas and found the crab croquetas to be much better. They had a satisfying sort of lobster thermidor cheesiness to them whereas the ham had too much béchamel for me. The pimientos de padron were good as always and the potato and chorizo chips were nice but not really chips at all! They were more of a crispy chorizo spring roll.

The clams were, I think, the nicest dish we ate (hence the lack of photo - they smelt so good I got over excited, ate them and forgot!).  The pancetta wrapped squid was also delicious, perfectly done but a bit samey – we had one between two whereas I think one would easily serve four. Unfortunately  the 'crispy' pork belly was more chewy than crispy but the meat itself was tender. 



The pork shoulder with confit potatoes was good but not stand out and the black pudding and quails eggs was extremely overpowering. It was like black pudding chorizo with a very smoky farm yard smell and flavour. 

If you like tortillas Fino's are very good with totally liquid centres. They are extremely filling if you don't want to spend too much. The roast aubergine and prawns sounds delicious but again had way too much béchamel and was a little sickening. The crisp fried artichokes on the other hand were absolutely scrumptious. They were young, tender ones with just the right amount of crisp and a beautifully glossy aioli on the side. 

I also had the plate of manchego since I remembered that theirs is very good and it didn't disappoint. To finish we had the Santiago tart and mil hojas.  The Santiago tart is a bit of an acquired taste but the mil hojas were pretty good. I unfortunately forgot to take a picture again... (must think before I eat!)

We ate a lot and spent around £45 each including a very pleasant bottle of house red. You could definitely eat there for less though if you aren't feeling excessive.