Chicken Shop ...... food for thought

Adding to the wave of focused menu offerings within the restaurant sector popping up all around London is the newly opened Chicken Shop in Kentish Town, North London - a venture executed by the Soho House group. If in doubt of who they are - remember Geri Halliwell's cameo in the Sex and the City film where she talks of going to Soho in NYC for cocktails, yep, well that's them! Just after their first week of opening I popped in for a bite to eat ........... 

walking north from Kentish town station up Highgate Road with it’s blocks of industrial style buildings and scattered run down shops, which for the most part seemed only to be ventured up by myself and an ex-colleague and good friend , I anticipated turning a corner momentarily, upon which would be a newly redeveloped section of street with a selection of cool bars and restaurants serving the local, albeit very hidden, residence. Alas no; a lone restaurant on the far corner drew near, with it’s al fresco dining and large awning, like a mirage in the desert, which on closer focus was Pizza East. Through quick memory shuffle the dots joined and I thought it odd to have two restaurant of the same company so close, in such an apparently barren part of town. 

How close I didn’t realise until I caught the most indiscrete signage for the Chicken Shop, on a planter outside the most rustic set of open doors just left of Pizza East itself. Nothing else to draw your attention to it and had it not been my mission, the entrance and restaurant itself would easily have fallen by the waist side.

This rustic feel continued down the stair case with ceiling tiles reminiscent of an old student house with leak staines and rust encrusted. But there was a warm feeling to it as the anticipation grew to see what lay beyond the corner at the bottom of the stairwell. As we turned and entered it felt as though we had just stepped out of Marty McFly’s time travel machine arriving at some time in the 50’s, possibly somewhere mid State.

A warm welcome greeted us at the foot of the stairs, from the waiting maitre’d, with a back drop to tightly placed, off white lacquered, diner style tables and leather padded chairs and an open plan kitchen - now when I say open I mean open. A ‘Churrascaria” style rotisserie, housing up to 25 chucks, adorned the back wall, with solid fuel flames bitting at the rotating rows of birds, filling the room with the most mouth watering, home cooking aroma. 

Dividing the diner seating area and the open kitchen was the most magnificently large farm house kitchen table; with it’s multi functionality, it did it’s craftsmen proud - though I failed to see the tie between essentially the american diner seating area and the almost european country style kitchen table. Serving as the main work station for the open kitchen at the centre, a bar a one end and a service station at the other and both theatrically and purposefully utilised as additional seating, kitchen facing. 

Dim lighting, low ceilings and dark interiors, coupled with being in a basement gave merit to it’s opening hours of 5pm to midnight, 1am at weekends.  

With chefs chopping up steaming hot, fresh from the fire chicken and apple pies sporadically placed in front, the kitchen table seating instilled fond memories of family meals at my grandparents house, deep in the heart of the Irish country side.

Service was friendly and attentive, though with a 50 seat restaurant and 12 waiting staff anything less would be shameful. The menu, set on a wall at an eligible angel, was delivered verbally by our waitress. As a virgin customer, though expressed with confidence, the service lack direction and clarification and took longer than usual to order, albeit, on a second visit it would be a much faster process due to the simplification of the menu offering. Of which consisted of chicken, sold in 1/4, 1/2 or whole though served in pieces of 3, 6 and 12 in mirrored price banding of £4, £8 and £14.50, respectively. Four sides were on offer, corn on the cob, ‘slaw, crinkled chips and a salad, all at £3 a go with the disappointing exception of the salad at £4. 

We ordered a 1/2 chicken to share and one of each sides, 1/2 pint of draft beer and a glass of wine. Bottled, both still and sparkle were offer though the adequate thames water label was ordered. Each table is supplied with Chicken Shops own brand condiments, a hot sauce and a smoky sauce. Ketchup and aioli were brought separately with our food.

Though the visual implications are that of being served rotisserie cooked chicken the reality is far from. Marinated for 24hrs in 3 differing paprikas and oregano with the addition of a secret something the chicken is then steam cooked before being finished on the open fire: a very theatrical finishing touch, creating this mouth water aroma which touches the most intimate of senses though personally fails on delivering a finish that on feasting is as appetising. As I bite though the burnt skin and though outer meat, my mouth filled with charred skin, found memories of good ole home cooking disappear, quickly replaced with those of burnt dinners prepared by a younger sibling  through their student days. The corn was on the tough side, the crinkly chips reminiscent of adverts for McCanns oven chips, were about all that, and the salad, at £4 a plate, consisting of whole layered lettuce leaves with cubed avocado drenched in a mustard dressing, seemed excessively plain both for a salad offering and the price. 

Camping bowls, or jail bowls as my friend referred them to, though I have no knowledge of her experience of the such, were quirky alternatives to serving dishes, though lean towards the cheap side. The apple pies, constantly in view on the kitchen table in front of us, kept my "sweet tooth alert" on high throughout our meal and when it came to the desert offer, it was in addition to chocolate brownie or cheese cake. My friend opted for the chocolate brownie whilst I ordered the apple pie. “would you like vanilla ice-cream with this” my waitress asked, “what choices do I have” I replied to her in my cheekiest tone, on which she picked up on and replied back in form, as though competing for the driest humour, “with or without”. With ice-cream it was to be as we shared in her celebration of winning the competition with laughter that filled half the kitchen table, unbeknownst to her she had also won best waitress award.

With the highlight of a 3 cover turn day within it’s first week, chucking out 130 birds - 2 diners sharing a whole chicken with 3 sides was not out of the norm and what you don’t finish, on request, can be packed up for take away - it had caught the attention of local media and residence. Arriving at 6.30pm the restaurant had equal amount of customers to diners and the ambience lacked, though it filled up quickly and maintained momentum throughout our visit, which lasted until 8.30pm, with a constantly flow of chicken rotating, chopping and plating going on in impressively timed execution.

A launch party on it’s second night of 300 guests, coupled with visits from the likes of John Torode to Richard Bacon and Jamie Teakson, it was more shoreditch hype infiltrates north west london than quality local eater.

All in all, service was spot on, relax, informal yet efficient, the ambience was alive when full and though the menu was focused in terms of simplicity it lack in quality. 

Would I return? Probably not, mainly due to it's location not being en route to other destinations, e.g. a cinema, and the food not qualifying the restaurant as a destination feature - unless of course you want to join the celebrity watch

Bolognese recipe

ooh the aromas filling my kitchen and mu subsequent senses are tantalising to say the least! My bolognese has been on the stove no for, oh .... 40 mins or so. One of my favourite slow cook dishes, especially for large batches as it's just so versatile to use, spaghetti bolognese, shepards pie (well a beef version), stir in some dark chocolate (yes I said it!) and some kidney beans and serve with nachos or simply eaten with flat bread over a bottle of fully bodied red wine with friends :)

Everyone has their own version of this great classic and here's mine, in bulk version of course - it's a great dish to freeze and use later.

some ingredients;

2 big carrots (finely chopped)

2 large onions (finely chopped)

3 celery sticks (finely chopped)

2 bay leaves

a glass or 2 of red wine ;)

1.2kg mince beef

1.6kg chopped tomatoes (I prefer this to passata)

ooh and a nice big knob of butter

Now, in a big pot over a medium heat melt the butter

add the onion and let it soften, almost translucent

add the carrots and celery and stir over the heat for 3/4 mins

turn the heat up high!

break in the mince beef and seal it all over

In goes the tomato and your wine - give it a good stir and then some

in with the bay leaves

pinch of salt to enhance those

another big stir, lid on, reduce the heat to a low

the longer the better but a good 3 hrs will do ...... if you're anything like me you'll be nibbling away throughout so have some bread :)

Oh, don't forget to remove the bay leaves when you're done! :) 

Honey glazed duck breast recipe

Family celebrations are one of my favourite of occasions. Though my roots are across the Irish sea and therefore I miss many of them, mainly because I'm just not that strong of a swimmer, I'm lucky to have half my family hear with me in London and we more than make up for it here! Recently we celebrated my eldest brothers finest hour of leaving behind his thirties and entering into his glorious forties! :) What better way to note this special moment than to have a dinner party. The initial idea was to have a conventional dinner party at his house, where I was going to cook dinner with the strong assistance of my wonderful sister in law Maria, whom shares my love of food and cooking. This idea was quickly thrown from the hot pan into the fire when my youngest brother, with his adventure seeking nature, suggest we all cook separate dishes in the style of a cook off!! So a cook off it was, with each guest sampling 3 different starters and 3 different mains. Surprisingly enough it all went very smoothly in the kitchen that evening, with 3 chefs cooking 3 different meals, creating an array of beautiful dishes.


To start I served a salmon tartar in cucumber with rocket, as shown

and for main I served honey glazed duck breast, potato puree (it is an Irish family after all) and roasted plums on oat cakes - the flavours were just divine!! Now the following recipe was for 8 guests however because of the cook off, each dish was a small portion so this is more accurate for 4 guests.


You'll need;
for the duck
3 Gressingham duck breasts - roughly 240g each
2 Tbs honey
200ml port wine
50ml beef stock
for the potato puree
3 large potatoes, peeled and halved
knob of butter
milk
for the plums
8 plums
1 tsp sugar
pinch of cinnamon
for the oat cakes
100g oats
100g plain flour
130g sugar
140g butter (softened)
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon


Prep'
Start with the potatoes, putting them in a large pot of lightly salted water, bring to the boil and simmer


Now, turn to the duck. Place a frying pan on a low heat. 
Season the duck breasts with salt then place skin-side down in the dry pan. 
Allow the fat to slowly render off, tipping off the excess a couple of times. 
Cook until the skin has browned and the majority of the fat has rendered off (this should take around 15 minutes).

Pour off the fat, then add the honey to the pan with the duck and allow to brown. 
Turn the breasts on to the flesh side for around four minutes then remove and set aside to rest.

For the oat cakes - preheat oven to 160C

Mix all the ingredients together so they are fully incorporated.

Spread mixture out on a parchment lined baking tray, it should be biscuit thin.

At the same time prepare your plums by halving them, removing the stones and on a baking tray sprinkling them with some sugar.

Bake the oat cakes on the middle shelf and the plums on the lower shelf in the oven for 15 mins.

Bring the duck back over a low heat
Add the port wine and slowly cook until port is reduced
Add the beef stock and again reduce it to really concentrate the flavour
I like to thicken my sauce by adding a good knob of butter


Now everything should come together.
Remove the biscuit and plums from the oven, cutting the biscuit into squares whilst still hot.
Drain and mash the potatoes, when you think you've mashed them enough, mash them some more - add a knob of butter and mash that in - only after all this can you add a dash of milk and mash it through. Never add the milk to your potatoes before you add the butter when mashing - It's a serious Ciaran's Kitchen sin!! :D


Then we assemble the dish and are ready to serve, et voila!!

Lamb Ragout recipe

The rain starts to fall, a drop at a time but before long it's bucketing down as if gods sink had blocked and in a desperate attempt not to flood the heavens he's got every saint and sinner chucking buckets of water on to earth - so I cook and let him get on with it.

Lamb is, it has to be said one of my favourite meats. I wasn't too keep on it as a child but I can still remember where and when I feel in love with it. For those who know me and have dined with me know I love small, quirky, independent restaurants, especially French ones. It was in one such restaurant on Berwick street in London where the love affair began and in no better format than that of a shank. Lamb is at it's best around early summer, after giving them time to graze (at their on pace), allowing their meat to develop flavour. So when it's "out of season" slow cooking is my preferred method as it really draws out the full flavour. My executive decision of the day, there has to be one in every day, was to have lamb on the menu. This is a great winter warmer, simply yet full of flavour and mmmm oh so moreish!!

You need;
1kg lamb shoulder
4 medium onions
small glass of white wine - keep the rest for dinner ;)
4 garlic gloves
2 large tomatoes
400g white beans (or similar)
1pt water
bouquet garni - I like to use it fresh from my herb garden but I also have the bought version in my cupboard for the winter months when my herb garden has wilted - which I used today
olive oil

Prep
Tim the lamb of excess fat and cut meat up into chunks
Slice up the onions
Chop the garlic cloves
Peel, seeded and chop the tomatoes - if you want to know the best way to do this check out instructions on my post "homemade pasta with sausage and chili tomato sauce"

Heat 2 Tsp of oil in a large pot then add the chunks of lamb and brown all over
Remove lamb for pot, reduce heat and throw in the sliced onions
cook onions until they are soft, stirring regularly - 10 mins or so
Add the wine and water (sounds like something from the bible)
Add the chunks of lamb again, with the bone - this helps give a great flavour and it's also a special treat for my dog :)
Add the garlic, bouquet garni and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper
Sit back with a glass of wine and let it simmer for an hr or so.
Then add the beans and again leave to simmer for another hr or so.
Remove the bouquet garni and your ready to serve.

This is great with rice or mashed potatoes but equally as good on it's own

Why January is not the month for dieting and extreme detoxing

After weeks of celebrations - work do's full of over indulgent nights of festive meals and copious alcohol - time with friends, utilising the season of goodwill to celebrate what we should all year round, with shopping, shots, suppers and for those who are inclined or profusely drunk, singing galore, and this is all before we get to sit down with family for what includes 3 days of none stop drinking, eating and for most fighting. Then with the week build up to new years we continue the indulgence in part because the country seems to come to a halt with the exception of the same heart-beat increasing activity of exercise; January sale shopping!!!Then comes the ultimate in celebrations, the end of one and the beginning of a new year. A night that is celebrated to the max - though whether this is for a fantastic year just gone, a year best left behind or the beginning of something new, a new beginning, a new start, a once in a year chance to start to follow our dreams and live a happier existence - is purely dependant on the individual. No matter what the reasons, the celebrations are just as extravagant and indulgent.

Though, in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day has been and gone - 21st December, which in 2010, due to the lunar eclipse, was the shortest day in nearly 400 years - spring is far from here. The cold wintry days of northerly winds and icy rain will undoubtedly continue through January and into February. With no "reason" to celebrate, the self induced pressure to change for the new year and the continued darkness in the days it is now that we need to love our bodies more than ever. Tiredness, lack of motivation, extra weight and forms of depression or SAD are all too common. Starving our bodies or putting them through extreme changes in diet is a recipe for disaster. January is a month of re balance and nourishment, both for our bodies, which have gone through weeks of debauchery, and our minds, which with the continued lack of sun light, rolling bills, vast drop in celebrations, increase in VAT, etc, need essential nutrients to cope. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming the cure for depression or financial pressures, I'm just sharing, from personal experience, how food plays an important role in helping us cope through.
February, for all those who wish, with the longer days and warming sunny mornings, is a better and albeit more likely to succeed time to alter your diet.
So for now, let's re balance our bodies and fuel our minds with some good wholesome food recipes for January

On Sunday I roasted a chicken for dinner, stuffed with chunks of onions and whole garlic gloves and plugged with an apple which was accompanied with mango rice - I was a bit over the veg after the Christmas feasting and there was a mango sitting in my fruit bowl staring at me for days, wondering if I was ever going to take any notice of her. Well I did and she married very well with the rice :)

As if by magic, Monday morning I wake with the sniffles!! I had watch over the previous month as everyone close to me fell foul to one bug or another, sympathising with their pain but not daring to empathise for fear of tempting faith! Alas, it had caught me but really at no better time, as the chicken carcase was still fresh and on the verge of chucking to be made into a wholesome heart chicken soup. As much as I love home made chicken soup and swear by it's miraculous powers of well being I was wanting for something different. Without a further thought out came some pine nuts, which I began to roast in my big boiling pot, as they were I quickly chopped up some onions in large chunks and just as the nuts began to golden and their sweet nutty aroma filled the room in went the onions on top, where I allowed them to soften, almost caramelise, a little bit of water added to deglaze the pot and lock in those flavours and them the chicken carcase which was then covered with water and seasoned, lowering the heat I left it to simmer away for a few hours. After a few hours, with the carcase fallen apart I began the rather boring task of "de-carcassing" the broth. So with my delicious chicken soup base which I brought back to a simmer I added what was left of some frozen veg (which I always have in the freezer in case I ever get snowed in) and noddles which I had a the back of my cupboard - even I get surprise at what I find back there sometimes!! 5 minutes later I was serving up the final dish, with it's subtle nutty flavour it  was divine, totally wholesome and ultimately body loving - Perfect January food!!

Arroz al Horno - rice in the oven

The last week or so has been inspiring, supporting and nothing short of exciting!!

Firstly I have a Spanish tenant - when building your own business you need to be very resourceful and I decided to rent out my spare room. Susana, my tenant, is a true joy to have around. Not only does she love food and consequently my cooking but she also brings a different dimension to my life. Never before have I had someone stand behind me, watching and taking notes of every dish I prepare. To add to this, as she is here learning English, I also need to describe what I'm doing in the clearest way possible so that she understands the recipes. She has said that she came to London to learn English but is delighted to have not only learned English but also had copious cooking classes too!! Though I wasn't letting here away with just taking my recipes, I wanted some of hers too!! :) Not only to learn some of her national and regional dishes but also to savour the beauty of being cooked for - it's a rare treat for me and were it not for my sister in law Maria (who's south American cooking I adore) it would be rarer than rare - blue in fact!! Under my watchful eye, Susana has prepared the classic Tortilla de Patatas Fritas, Arroz al Horno and, uncharacteristically, a Lasagna. Susana is a self professed disaster in the kitchen but I found her care free "add some of this to a bit of that" attitude to cooking rather intriguing and I must confess all dishes were simply delicious!! The Arroz al Horno - translated means "rice in the oven" - is a dish from Valencia, Susana's home town. Don't let the name fool you, this dish is more than just rice! I wanted to share this wonderful recipe with you but Susana doesn't work with quantities so I need to prepare it myself and write down the correct quantities before I share it with you :) I'll post the recipe in a few days

I wish I could say with all sincerely that life as a caterer was a glossy as cooking up some delicious dishes for people and tasting other peoples food creations but, alas, it is far from that. There have been many weeks trying to build or follow up on leads for events with what initially appears to be little response. It's to be expected, calling in the caterers is not something that you do every day. However by the end of this week I was genuinely humbled by the support of those I had discussed Edesia Caterers with and their proactive interest in building the business, drawing on their own contacts and embracing me and Edesia Caterers into their circles. Frances who runs Sanglier Wines, a wine merchant dealing directly with wines from the south of France and in particular the Languedoc region, was just one. Our businesses share the same business ethics which is why we are affiliated. If you care for good wine, responsibly source from a wine merchant with personal relationships with the vineyards then Frances at Sanglier Wines is definitely someone to keep in mind. She has an offer on some wines at the moment which I'd highly recommend, check out this link if you're looking for wines with a difference http://www.sanglier-wines.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=Special002

One special thing that came out of this week was that Edesia Caterers will be getting involved in our first charity event. The event, held on the 31st October, is the first of it's kind in London. Cupcake Camp London, is an open to the public event with what will probably be the biggest cupcake event ever!!! (don't quote me on that :) ) From Edesia Caterers, I'm donating cupcakes for the event which is to raise money for the North London Hospice. There is also a cupcake competition, with 6 different categories to enter into which I'll be submitting a special entry for - I think I've a winner on my my hands but I'll reveal what it is the day of the competition :) Check the event out at www.cupcakecamplondon.co.uk - put it in your diaries and make sure you get down there!! It's a very worth cause and bound to be a lot of fun and really!!?? who can resist a cupcake camp!!!

Speaking of which, back to my mixer I go to get the perfect cupcake!!

Quiche Lorraine recipe

It's been a busy two weeks, for many of us. What with the August holidays coming to an end, getting ourselves back into the swing of our work routines and dropping the kids off to the first day of school term, transport strikes and the likes.  I laughed when I heard one friend describe the reaction of her son as she drove up to the school front, "oh no, not this place again", he moaned! A classic line, I had felt the same, deep in my gut at the beginning of each school term but had not the courage to ever let it pass my lips - or did I? No doubt my mother could recall, though the advantage to being from a large family of 8 is that as adults, though she remembers things being said or happening, more often than not she can't recall exactly who where the culprits :)

As for not being able to recall things, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to keep tabs on who comes and goes from my house. The thought of putting a sign-in sign-out book had crossed my mind but then again how anal can someone really get!!! Don't get me wrong, that is in no way a complaint, I love a full house. The hustle and bustle, the constant chatter and laughter and of course, food being prepared and eaten!! Take last Friday for example where I had a busy morning costing out some recipes for Edesia Caterers with full expectation of having a friend pop in for afternoon tea and later family over for dinner. It was to be a simple Quiche Lorraine and salad for dinner and I thought I should whip up something sweet at some point too, considering I had a stream of visitors over the next 24 hrs. There had been a carrot cake on my mind for the past 3 days. You know that constant niggling feeling, that little craving deep inside, the one the harder you try to push away the strong it comes back, eventually resorting to playing visual mind games with you, where by the book you are reading suddenly becomes a carrot cake, moist and rich with the sweet aroma of carrot, cinnamon and walnut filling the air you breath. Well that's what I had, and no longer could I put up with the embarrassment of longing looking at a book while sitting in my local cafe, mouth open, on the verge of salivating (had I not forgot my manners) so carrot cake it was going to be.

Now the art to life is timing. From being in the right place at the right time with the right attitude, albeit not always an easy feat but that's why it's so important to start each day focusing on the positive we have been blessed with. The same goes for food and my day had been planned out to incorporate my guests timings and my own work. However, flexibility in life, especially in a cosmopolitan lifestyle, is also key, as I undoubtedly found out this very day. A panic phone call from my afternoon tea guest profusely apologising but in desperate need of a cake, as she herself had a dinner party to attend after our catch up. Well I knew what I had to offer and that it would go down a treat at her dinner party but to have it all ready, including cooling time for icing the cake so it could travel and stay in one piece plus have dinner ready was going to be a challenge. I couldn't leave a damsel in distress, now could I!?

I would like to be able to say it all went without a glitch but I would be lying. In a desperate attempt to get the cake to cool down as quickly as possible so I could ice it and have it set and ready for travel I removed it far too soon from the cake tin and it FELL APART!!!!!! Needless to say my guest, who had arrived at this point, was in fits of laughter at my miss fortune - and what could have been hers!!! But here's the beauty of icing!! it can cover up a million sins, and create a few new ones too. So like a child's big piece jigsaw I pieced the cake back to one and let cool on a wire rack. A while later it was iced and boxed and ready to go and no-one, except myself and my friend (and now you incidentally), knew any different. I hear it went down a treat at the dinner party. Hurray!! :)

Now in between all this I had a Quiche Lorraine  to prepare, which needed use of the oven 3 times!!, twice for blind baking the pastry and once for the final bake, at a different temperature to the cake too, so they had to play musical ovens, so as to speak. But all in all it was a success. The quiche was divine, here's the recipe so give it a try.

Quiche Lorraine recipe - serves 4

Shortcrust pastry recipe (or you can buy ready made shortcrust pastry)
You need;
170g plain flour
100g butter - at room temperature
salt - just a pinch
1 egg yolk
ice cold water

Sift flour with salt in a large bowl
With your fingers rub the butter through the flour until all the butter is incorporated - it should then look similar to a bowl of breadcrumbs - kids love this part so get them involved!
Beat the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of  the water
Pour the egg/water mixture over flour/butter and mix to a firm dough
Wrap dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins
Roll your dough out and line your flan tin (8 inch) with it - again refrigerate until dough is firm
In a preheated oven of 200 degrees blind bake your pastry

wet

For the filling you need;
a nob of butter (roughly 10g)
1 large onion - sliced
80g of bacon - roughly cut
150ml milk
150ml single cream
2 eggs - beaten
1 egg yolk
60g cheddar cheese - finely grated
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
salt and pepper to season

In a sauce pan over a low heat melt the butter and add the onion
Cover with a lid and cook until onions soften - do not over cook the onions
Then add the bacon and cook through - but again do not over cook the bacon, they should be cooked through but not browning
When cooked remove from the pan
In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients and season
Put bacon and onions into your baked pastry case and pout over the egg/cream mixture, filling it to the brim
Place quiche in lower part of a preheat oven at 170 degrees for 40 minutes

tip: different ovens vary so make sure the filling has set

Great served hot or cold with a fresh salad