Mods and Rockers Get A Taste of Middle Temple Hall, Thanks To Harbour & Jones Events

Harbour & Jones Events is fast becoming a well-known and successful events catering company. Not only is the boutique caterer known for providing high end, quality food and service, it is also recognised for hosting events in top drawer locations such as the Cutty Sark, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Academy of Arts to name but a few.

Catering at these highly regarded sites has lead Harbour & Jones Events to being awarded a number of accolades including recently being named Event Magazine’s Caterer of the Year 2015.

 With all these highly acclaimed awards, Harbour & Jones Events is still aiming to be the best and most sought after events caterer in the business, and hosting a high-profile dinner at the prestigious Middle Temple Hall on Saturday 7 March has only helped their cause.

Middle Temple Hall itself is a remarkable piece of architecture, and the best I can describe it is that it’s like the great hall of Hogwarts. There’s so much history behind it, and to think that it has been untouched and survived a world war in which London was hit by the blitz is quite frankly, extraordinary.


 

Harbour & Jones Events hosted the event for London City Selection as part of their annual agents hospitality weekend. The theme being Mods and Rockers which was right up my street. Good food and classic old school rock, what’s not to love about that? It certainly got the crowd going, and at one point there was a group of well-choreographed dancers strutting their moves to a number of songs. Everyone really did get involved and it was great to see people letting their hair down having the time of their lives.

Harbour & Jones Events Creative Director, Jules Heckman Hughes, and Sales & Marketing Manager, Lucy Mears, were on hand to make sure the event ran smoothly, and they both worked effortlessly to organise an event to remember.

Director of Food, Gary Mckechnie, and Company Chef, Rob Milligan, (who I like to call the Top Gun chefs of the company) did an outstanding job on the food front creating a brave menu, and executing it perfectly.

Why was it brave I hear you ask? Well, from reading the menu there were a number of rich dishes that stood out for me such as the potted shrimp, Dorset crab and the Gressingham duck but all the components in each of those dishes were light and well balanced.

I also thought it was a clever menu with the sharing starter “Taste of the Great British seaside” a fitting tribute to the Mod classic cult film Quadrophenia as well as the album of the same name by The Who.


 

The wine kept flowing, the service was impeccable and the food was demolished with one of the guests, Sophie Wiseman, calling it “Simply delicious”. Sophie got it spot on with those words.

The canapés got tongues wagging and taste buds going, giving people a little teaser of what was to come. The starter was shared around and in no time the wooden boards were empty with everyone literally loving the seafood. When it came to the main course, the duck was succulent, pink and tender and was accompanied by a huge and hearty hotpot style potatoes. Pudding was definitely the perfect way to round off such an incredible evening of food and drink. The mousse within the chocolate delice was light and fluffy and the caramelised banana complimented it exactly.


 

Jules, Lucy, Gary and Rob did an outstanding job both front and back of house, with all the guests (including myself) leaving with a massive smile on their faces. And it was a nice touch from the event organiser to thank Harbour & Jones Events for the hard work and sublime service they provided that night. With more successful events like this, there is no doubt that Harbour & Jones Events will become an even bigger name in the events game.

Style Over Substance Is Exactly What Inamo Is All About

If I had to describe a restaurant that was "style over substance" Inamo would be that place.

A few weeks ago my homies and I went up to Chinatown to check out Chinese New Year and celebrate all good things to do with my culture. Not only that it has been quite a few years since I checked it out. I knew it was going to be mental with tourists wanting to get a piece of the action but I didn't prepare myself for what was in a nutshell just complete chaos.

Therefore myself and the rest of the gang made the wise decision of getting the hell out of there and head for Soho to get away from all the manic and mess. Moreover not only was the weather atrocious but the hunger pains were creeping in on us and most of us were hung-over from the night before.

Alex (yes that famous hipster that I've mentioned on previous blogs and half the time gets me trolleyed and takes me out on man dates) picked out Inamo bar and restaurant. Looking back it wasn't his finest moment picking this restaurant but at the time we were all starving and fed up of the rain.
.
We were greeted by a stunning waitress who to her credit was polite, welcoming and clearly explained how Inamo worked.
Okay, so I love gadgets and toys (not the ones that Quagmire from Family Guy uses...Giggity) and the idea of ordering from the table using touch screen had its appeal and moments of excitement but it lasted all of ten minutes.

 

 

 

 

The menu itself is very simple and straightforward. If you only want a light bite they offer smaller dishes such as gyozas and sashimi but obviously if you're wanting a full on meal they offer larger sized dishes like you're meat and fish as well as sides and desserts.

The interactive part is very easy to get to grips with and ordering food from there is plain sailing. I'm all for future trends and obviously being a Japanese restaurant Inamo want to incorporate the technology side of things but in my opinion it takes away valuable skills from the staff. For example giving diners a more personal experience, chatting to them, helping them out with any questions about the food itself or if they have any dietary requirements. I don't think any of those kind of issues were explained on the interactive table. However the staff themselves were quick with service and polite.

 

Not only does the table offer the menu but it also has other applications to get you hooked like playing old school games as well as having a live webcam of the kitchen. Again the fun lasts about five minutes before you lose interest.

 

The food itself was average. There's not a lot I can say about it which sounds very silly seeing that this is a FoodPunk blog but it seems to me that they're more interested in the technology side of things. This is what I had:

 

 

 

 

 

Miso Soup




Shrimp and vegetable dim sum, squid and spring onion dim sum and a lime and chilli relish



Tempura prawns with lime and chilli relish



Tuna sashimi



Barbeque glazed pig cheeks

 

As you can see by the pictures, there was the chilli and lime dressing on three dishes. There was nothing wrong with it as it was a nice accompaniment but there's only so many times I want to dip my food in it before getting bored. That to me shows a lack of ideas.  

The pork cheeks were tasty and the glaze had a lovely kick but the meat was a little dry and the stir fry vegetables (which you can't see in the picture) was covered by a forest of coriander.

 

Looking back I spent a load of money on what was a mediocre meal that I wasn't that much impressed with. I'll give it some credit, it did make me comfortably full and I did eat all of it but hey I'm FoodPunk and I eat for England.

 

Inamo is the type of place where you're looking for a quick bite to eat and to leave satisfied, which is fine, but like I said earlier to me they seem to care about showing off the interactive part of the dining experience rather than the food itself.

 

Unfortunately I probably won't be going to Inamo again but if you fancy giving it a go yourselves then click on the link below to check out the restaurant in more detail. Obviously you don't have to take my word for it.

 

http://inamo-restaurant.com/

 

 



Bobby Chinn And His House of Hoes ;)

The House of Ho is a fantastic Asian restaurant owned by the popular and boisterous Bobby Chinn. Located in Old Compton street in famous Soho, the restaurant is ever growing in popularity and gaining more and more recognition for the delicious food it produces.

I first saw Bobby on Sunday brunch and his colourful, likeable character immediately caught my attention. The way he cooks is so simple yet effective. He's full of passion and it's great to see him promote Asian food to a wider audience showing how fresh, simple and tasty the cuisine can be. Not only is he a fantastic cook, but he is also one hell of a funny guy, always having a joke here and there, not afraid to take the mick out of other chefs (obviously in a light hearted way).



Food punk with Bobby Chinn (excuse the photo bomb from the guy at the back )

When he first spoke of his restaurant I knew I immediately had to go and check it out for myself and it was definitely one of the best dining experiences I've had.

I went in thinking that his restaurant would reflect the kind of person he is, but boy was I wrong. I thought it would be a loud, hustle and bustle kind of environment. Instead it was cosy, sophisticated and had that high end look to it. You would definitely go to this restaurant if you wanted to impress your spouse. Not only that but his restaurant has history. It occupies the former site of The 2 i's coffee bar, otherwise known as the Birthplace of British Rock'n'Roll and the modern pop industry^. The 'Rock'n'roll Wall' has been preserved and maintained inside The House of Ho.

So what about the food?

The House of Ho offers a wide range of Asian cuisine including rolls, salads, steamed, grilled, braised and wok tossed all inspired by Bobby's background in Vietnamese cooking. All of the dishes on the menu are great for sharing around which means its a great opportunity to sample a little bit of everything off the menu and that's exactly what I did. Click below to see the menu.

http://www.houseofho.co.uk/menu/



 Here's what I had:

Wok tossed grass fed angus fillet marinated in lemon grass



Pickled vegetables rolls (herbs & rice noodles served with a peanut sauce)

Crispy Vietnamese 7 spice marinated squid

Pork cheeks braised in Ho's spice blend (very sorry about the picture quality)



Smokey aubergine in a warm scallion vinaigrette, scallions and crispy shallots

Vegetable curry, cellophane noodles, paddy herbs and chopped peanuts

Jasmine steamed rice

I thought all of the dishes were awesome. They were all perfectly balanced , light, clean and had bags of flavour.

If I had to pick a favourite dish it would have to be the pork cheeks. The meat was tender and just fell off with the slightest touch of the fork. Also the broth reminded me of a dish that I had in Malaysia called Bah kut teh. It was fragrant and flavoursome and it really gave the pork a different dimension.

The one dish that really surprised me was the smoked aubergine as it just melted in the mouth almost like a puree . The smokiness wasn't overpowering and I could definitely taste the natural flavour of the aubergine cutting through it.

The House of Ho is a restaurant that I will go to on a regular basis. The prices are affordable, the service is spot on, the food is bloody fantastic and Bobby himself is a top dude. His restaurant is a fantastic place to go if you're planning a date night or having a group night out. Its for everyone and I highly recommend it if you're looking for Asian food with an edge.

FoodPunk At Work Part 2

Hi everyone, last week my colleagues and I had a tasting for the new menu at work. Below are some pictures of the dishes that we did. I hope you like them.





FoodPunk ready for action




New dishes


 

Cornish Mackerel tartare, compressed cucumber, horseradish shoots, lemon gel, black garlic



Chicken noodle soup, burnt sweetcorn, choi sum, lotus root

Liquorice cured salmon, avocado puree, mascarpone powder, caviar salt, crispy skin, popcorn shoots

 

Butternut squash Agnotti, sage brown butter, trompettes, Barkham blue foam



Me on the left and my sous chef on the right cooking

 

Aberdeen Angus sirloin, tartiflette, kale, shallot, oxtail doughnut

Red Mullet, soft shell crab, mussel, Kerala spiced broth, saffron aioli, toasted coconut bubbles, batata vada

Burnt toffee venison, clapshot, haggis, wild nettles, granola

Salted roasted celeriac, ceps, young leeks, truffle gougere, vegetable fond

Salt marsh lamb rump, ginger goats curd, polenta, wild shoots, gentleman's relish

The next set of photos are the desserts and I think my good friend at work Courtney Gwatkin should get mentioned as she's the pastry chef who designed this part of the menu. Her hard work and creativity produced awesome dishes. Check these beauties out!

From top to bottom we have:

 

1. Spiced apple crumble and vanilla ice cream
2. Blood orange torte, passion fruit gel, white chocolate sauce, pineapple confit
3. Textures of rhubarb
4. Bergamot parfait, orange jelly, liquorice cream
5. Chocolate fondant, beetroot & blackcurrant puree, lavender milk

 

 











After two and a half hours of non stop cooking this happened.



The Jugged Hare in Barbican

Before I talk about this awesome pub/restaurant this is how it went down.

January is the month where everyone struggles with their finances and I am no exception, yet I still manage to get by. I say get by, it's my best friend the credit card who comes up with the goods to bail me out.

 

 

So a few days before pay day and the day before a work tasting menu, I perhaps foolishly met up with Alex knowing what the outcome was going to be, drinking gallons of beer, eating lavish food and spending a (insert swear word) load of money that I didn't have. However I hadn't seen Alex since the day before new years and a good catch up was in order, so naturally we were going to go to a few pubs and drink a few pints.

 Besides I had a long day at work and I definitely needed to neck a pint. The restaurant was booked at about half six and we met around four, so that's two and a half hours worth of drinking and knowing Alex that meant fifty pints would be consumed. People who know Alex knows that this dude drinks like an effing machine. We were in our element as we were drinking in what is perhaps our new favourite pub, The Seven Stars. Guys and dolls let me tell you right now that this pub is the bees knees. Great beer, great collection of books (my personal favourite, Tequila Mockingbird) and moreover a great menu. I haven't sampled the food, but come on, to serve chicken and barley soup and chicken and barley stew on the same menu is creative and ballsy. 

Anyways before I start going off in a tangent, The Seven Stars is now my new den and hiding place.
After running a reasonable tab on my credit card, Alex and I set off to another pub/restaurant that he recommended did awesome food. Yes ladies and gentlemen this is what the article is all about, The Jugged Hare in the Barbican area. Can I just say walking there is horrendous especially on a cold winter night and that google maps tells lies. But anyways we made it to the restaurant gearing ourselves up for some tasty food.

It was a lovely restaurant from top to bottom and we were probably under dressed seeing that its a place filled with men that look like Patrick Bateman but that doesn't really matter. What matters was how good the food and service was.
The Jugged Hare bases its menu mostly on game that they get from North Yorkshire but obviously if you're not a fan of game meats, there are other dishes to suit your taste.

Having an open kitchen really gives the restaurant a real buzz knowing that the chefs behind the pass are cooking everything to order, with lots of dedication and passion. Not to mention as well that they can show off their state of the art rotisserie and charcoal grill.

 The one thing I love when hanging out with Alex is that he's just like me. Order big, eat big.

To start we had wild boar croquettes and Cornish sprats with Tartare sauce. Both were delicious and set the rest of the meal up nicely. The sprats were ginormous, the croquettes had proper chunks of meat inside and the two sauces to go with them were perfect. No messing around with these bad boys and they were devoured in no time.

What followed was our starters, "sizzling" queenie scallops and chorizo and roast whole snipe, lentils, chanterelles, seared foie gras and game jus. Again both were fantastic dishes and the chorizo gave the scallops a real kick. I've never had Snipe before but it had a real pungent flavour.

Before I go onto the mains I went downstairs and all of a sudden a boozy young man points to me and said to his mate "It's Nick, It's Nick!, oh wait, it's not Nick".
I've encountered this a few times when going out, but can I ask do I really look like Nick Grimshaw? I really don't see it myself.

Anyways back to the food and the mains were banging. Top notch dishes executed very well. I had rare rib eye with triple cooked chips, cauliflower cheese, rotisserie gravy and green peppercorn sauce.

The steak was juicy, succulent, bloody and so easy to cut into. I drowned that behemoth with both of my sauces. It was FoodPunk heaven.
The cauliflower cheese was gooey, soft, rich and creamy and if I could I would have ordered another portion.

 
 
 
 

Alex had a whole bird roasted served with traditional garnish of game chips, liver pate, savoy cabbage and game jus. An old classic really and he tucked into it.

By the end of it, we were comfortably full.  We had everything from deep fried to roasted to cheesy dishes with lots of sauces and jus to go with them.
I would highly recommend this place if you're in the area. The service was impeccable and the food and drink is produced to a very high standard. It definitely gets the FoodPunk thumbs up.