the salt & pepper diaries

I’ve had a couple of meals now at this canal side, eco-friendly eatery, one dinner and a lunch and on both occasions I haven’t been disappointed.

photo | G Travels

First of all, the earth-loving principles are very much a simple acceptance of the fact that this is the only responsible manner to run a food business, or any business by that token and the team has rightly opted not to drive the point home to guests. This is just the way things are, and short of just the odd hint that this place is really doing a lot to operate sustainably, it’s not the reason that gives it the edge over the competition.

The edge though is provided by the outstanding offer of simple yet wonderful dishes. The menu, using only seasonal ingredients, follows on from sister restaurant Acorn House. It’s flavour packed with a few surprises that are worth a try. Begin with a selection of Anti Pasti then follow with a choice from the six starters and six mains. Stand out starters included Burrata, a pure, rich mozzarella cheese made with cream that tastes so good you feel guilt with every mouthful, served on bruschetta with taggiasca olives. The Ravioli of ricotta and spring herbs with sage butter was fresh and filling and may also have been selected as a main.

I wanted however, to save room for the grilled leg of lamb, tender and so full of spring flavours, served with purple sprouting broccoli and a punchy, piquant salsa verde. The belly of pork with glazed carrots and silver onions also looked special, but was so quickly devoured by a friend I can’t comment on the taste! I did though get a sample of the spaghetti of sustainable prawns, fennel, tomato and chilli – the pasta was as good as the ravioli with large meaty prawns accompanied by the warm heat of the chilli. Perfect.

The interior and design is again similar to Acorn House. Simple, modern and devoid of any ‘green’ frills. The odd bag of potatoes or bowl of pears saves storage space in the kitchen and adds to the charm. There’s a long spacious bar and in the summer, sliding doors open to reveal a small terrace with seating and a view of the  canal.

You will have to look for this one though. It’s tucked down a side street off Kingsland Road and makes up part of a modern housing project, so keep your eyes peeled when looking for it. The day we had lunch saw only ourselves as diners, so perhaps others weren’t as prepared with their directions. One thing this restaurant will never benefit from is passing trade – I really hope this isn’t a problem.

Do make the effort and after that, head down to Acorn House for a similar experience. These two are amongst my favourites in London currently.

Water House
10 Orsman Road
London N1 5QJ

Tel: 020 7033 0123

I’ve developed quite a routine for each visit to New York. First an email goes out a few days prior to leaving to a few people, requesting any hot-tips, the feedback is cross-referenced against the usual sites (mainly Frank Bruni’s latest thoughts) and then the week is planned around how to make sure I get a chance to make room for a nice dinner. This week though, none of the prep was possible and I turned up on Tuesday with no plan and feeling anxious.

Why worry though, NY’ers love food and love talking food and are never short of recommendations. So, the tip I picked up for Wednesday night was Smith’s NYC in Greenwich Village. My friend Michael practically insisted we go and without reservation we turned up and managed to get two seats at the bar.

Smith’s is the result of a partnership between two NY restaurant ‘names’ – Cindy Smith of Raouls and Danny Abrams of The Mermaid Inn. They’ve managed to create a wonderfully informal yet elegant dining space. The main restaurant is smoothly designed with black leather banquettes, booths and antique mirrors. The space is long and slim and walking beyond this, you arrive at an intimate bar area, with space for 10 people to sit and eat. This is the preferred option for me – it’s quieter, the bar lady is chatty and knows her wines and it just feels right.

What also felt ‘right’ was the food. This place is something else with some very special treats that cannot be missed. It’s American cooking but with some interesting twists. We started with the Steamed Egg with Creamy Anson Mills Polenta and Gorgonzola – a joy to see as well as eat; it’s delicate, bubbling egg white dome hiding a silky and rich polenta centre. Portuguese Sardines with Parmigiano Reggiano, Tomato Confit and Olive Oil were done to perfection as well as luxurious chilled Pea and mint soup.

An entrée of Roast Lamb Saddle followed with Tomato Red Pepper Ragoñt and Parmigiano Purèe. Beautifully tender meat served medium rare with little fuss.

Smith’s must have been through its ‘the place to be’ period, as it was fortunately devoid of any pretension and aloofness amongst the diners. The staff are friendly, experienced and create a very relaxed atmosphere. A real pleasure to have been there and the first of many trips.

Smith’s NYC

79 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012
Tel: 212.260.0100

So, I’ve been very, very lazy and this is the first post for over a month. Bad form, but fortunately I haven’t gone hungry in that time and have quite a backlog of places to talk about.

photo | bubbyspieco (their own Flickr site!)

The most recent however is a unique place called Bubby’s Pie Company deep in Tribeca on Manhattan island. This place is such a find, but is most definitely not a secret. The place has apparently been rolling since 1990 when chef Ron Silver, 28 at the time, decided that New York needed some American home cooking and began knocking out all sorts of pies, to the delight of the artists, down and outs and assorted freaks of a pre-DeNiro’d Tribeca.

It’s not just pies though. Ron soon opened up to providing great breakfasts and a full daily menu. American cooking like this is a joy, pure comfort food that puts you in a very comfortable frame of mind. The Grits topped with cheese is enough on its own, but this comes as a sideshow to support the eggs, bacon, home fries and sausage. The other recommended option is Huevos Rancheros – eggs on soft tortillas and black beans and topped with a fiery salsa, cheese and avocado, so very good.

If you return for lunch the next day - yep, I did – the options expand to Buffalo wings, Trout cakes, Fried chicken served with Black-Eyed Peas and Hush Puppies or a Bourbon Flank steak.

“Save room for the Pie” screams at you from the menu and freshly available yesterday were New York State Apple Whiskey pie or a Michigan Sour Cherry pie. Think of the scene that gives American Pie 1 it’s name and you have an image of the pies on offer, large and round with criss-crossed pastry crust with the fruit oozing out – although I wasn’t tempted to put my ‘old fella’ in these ones.

photo | bubbyspieco

Please visit if you get the chance. My preference is the morning for breakfast, but anytime of day is good. It’s a little out of the way, but worth it.

Bubby’s Pie Co.
120 Hudson Street in Tribeca
NY
Tel: 10013, 212.219.0666