Kokoon (Gourmet Chick in Belgium)

During our Little Break to Belgium we headed to Leuven to dinner, a university town which is half an hour by train from Brussels. I lived there for six months a few years ago and was keen to revisit the town. First things first, we went for some drinks on the Oude Market which is lined wall to walls with bars selling Belgium's fabulous beers. Then, onto dinner at Kokoon which is a cosy little restaurant where chef Guy Vantoortelboom promises to serve up traditional Belgian cuisine. The menu doesn't stop there though and includes some rather bizarre dishes such as bison served with vodka and also a kangaroo dish. I am fairly confident that neither bison or kangaroo could be characterised as Belgian produce.

The town hall in Leuven

The look is modern with sturdy square tables and chairs which are dotted with flickering tea light candles. Complimentary appetisers of olives and salami are served at each table and we choose from the wine list which spans Europe and the new world. A bottle of Sangiovese at €26 is a well priced option with a mild but peppery taste.

There is a set menu available, including wine for €55, however we opt to order a la carte. To begin, pumpkin and carrot soup served topped with a splash of cream provides a perfect blanket for your insides. After that, a huge pot of mussels (€22) provides the quintessential Belgian meal. The mussels are cooked in a simple tomato and onion sauce which doesn't overwhelm their briny flavour. Another good option is the leg of lamb which is served with a dark tarragon flavoured sauce. Its a nicely judged sauce and the indulgence factor is increased by the accompanying small casserole of potato gratin. It's all hearty, comforting food of the sort you crave when it is cold outside.

Leg of lamb with tarragon sauce

From the dessert menu the simplest dish is probably the best: a plate of fresh figs, halved and served with good quality vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Which just goes to show that if you can avoid the more eccentric menu options you can dine well at Kokoon. Besides the mussels, the menu was not as identifiably Belgian as promised. However if you think of Belgian cuisine as rich and sustaining, then Kokoon probably fits the bill.

Essentials

Details: 1 Meierrstraat, Leuven, Belgium 3000 (Ph +32 (0)16 230 726)

Damage: Pricey

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my post on eating in Brussels. If you feel like mussels, you can try my recipe for moules marinere here.

Gourmet Chick travelled to Belgium on the Eurostar as a guest of the Little Break campaign, all food, drink and accommodation was paid for personally. A Eurostar ticket to Brussels includes free train travel within Belgium and return fares begin at £59.

Blaggers Banquet - Tickets on Sale

On November 15^th, Londons’ Food & Drink Bloggers will be taking over Hawksmoor, the revered steakhouse in Liverpool St, for the Blaggers’ Banquet.A first for Londoners – the Blaggers’ Banquet will be an exciting five course dinner with matched drinks, created entirely by food and drink bloggers, and using only food and drink that they have blagged. All proceeds will go to Action Against Hunger.

Bloggers will be the cooks and the sommeliers, front of house and the prep folk, the kitchen porters and the cleaner uppers. We’ll staff the bar, make the cocktails and make the coffee, and best of all diners can review us when we are done (I'll be on Canape making duty).

The menu will feature Chapel Down sparkling wine on arrival, Wagyu Beef and sustainable yellow kingfish among other produce. There will be music and canapés. Vegetarians and people with dietary restrictions will be catered for.

There will also be a blaggers’ auction, where we will be auctioning exciting items we’ve blagged. This auction will be two fold, a portion of it on the night, and the rest in the weeks following. Thanks to lots of generous support the prizes are amazing and include Michelin star dinners, a Kitchenaid mixer and a cooking lesson at Konstam. Tickets for the Blaggers Banquet are on sale now in pairs for £150 and one table of 5 for £375. 5 pairs of tickets will be auctioned starting from £75. Tickets are available on ebay.

For any further information, please contact me or Niamh Shields at niamheen@gmail.com or visit Eat Like A Girl.

Aphrodite

Plaster of Paris statues, faded black and white photos along with a random assortment of urns, Aphrodite in Bayswater has perfected the Greek taverna shtick. It may not be very cool, but it does feel homely and immediately whets your appetite for plates of mezze and fresh seafood.

As soon as you sit down a plate of juicy, fat green olives is brought over along with a small plate of chick pea salad and some toasty hot pita bread. A £1 cover charge per person is imposed for these snacks but it is money well spent in my view. I am at Aphrodite with my friend Lucy for a girly catch up dinner so of course we order a bottle of the house white wine and begin putting the world right.

We also supplement the mezze with a bowl of creamy tzatzki (£4.20) before moving straight onto mains. The seafood at Aphrodite is quite reasonably priced and always good so we order the grilled calamari (£13.75). The shimmering white, almost translucent tubes of calamari are ever so lightly grilled so that they still taste fresh from the sea. The moussaka (£10.50) looks the goods with its golden cheese topping and layers of minced lamb and egg plant, but it does not have that rich strength of flavour that you get from a really good slow cooked moussaka. All mains are served with vegetables which means that sides are not really necessary, but we also order a generous serving of Greek salad (£5.00). Aphrodite's Greek salad is served with actual salad leaves which of course you would never find in Greece itself but is pretty standard in London. (Of course in Greece a Greek salad is referred to generally as a "Country" salad, just as it is hard to find Brussels sprouts in Brussels!).

This is about my fourth visit to Aphrodite and for the price you pay the food is good and the atmosphere homely. Nothing will startle, and the food is predictable, but sometimes that is exactly what you want. It is a real family run restaurant which is not worth crossing town for, but which I am very glad to have in my neighbourhood.

Essentials

Details: 15 Hereford Road, Bayswater, W24AB (Ph: 020 7229 2206) Tube: Notting Hill Gate

Damage: Reasonable

7/10

Links

If you are in the area, right next to Aphrodite on Hereford Road is the brilliant "Modern British" restaurant, Hereford Road. Otherwise why not try this recipe for beef and pork moussaka which is always a winner.

Gourmet Giveaway

And... the winners of the competition for a copy of Michel Roux Jr's A Life in the Kitchen are Lex Eat (who won by random number generation by virtue of being the sixth comment) and Greedy Diva who won for funniest comment. Winners have been contacted and a copy of the book will be winging its way to them shortly thanks to voucher.codes.uk.

48 hours in Brussels (Gourmet Chick in Belgium)

It's no secret that I love to travel. So you can imagine my excitement when Eurostar offered me a Little Break to Belgium last weekend as part of its Little Break, Big Difference campaign. MTV boyfriend and I got to travel in Leisure Select on Saturday morning and return on Sunday evening to London. Those better at maths than me will realise this is less than 48 hours, but who want's to spoil a good title. It is going to be hard to go back to cattle class/economy on the Eurostar after luxuriating in the space of Leisure Select, working our way through the complimentary newspapers and magazines, a meal and best of all, free flowing champagne. Little Break, Big Difference is all about taking a break on the Eurostar for just a day trip or short trip and return fares are offered from London for as little as £59.

Belgium is known for its beer, friiten (French fries, although the Belgiums claim they were invented by the Belgiums, not the French), mussels and chocolate. I lived in Belgium for six months a number of years ago, so I was well placed for some friiten feasts but I actually managed to surprise myself with my self restraint this time. Most of my little break visit centred on pastries and chocolate.

Raspberry tart at Gaudron

Gaudron

First stop in Brussels was Gaudron to meet a friend Sophie who has lived in Brussels for the past few years. Gaudron is Sophie's favourite brunch place and as soon as I walked into the light airy space lined with shelves of goodies such as Gaudron's own jam I realised why. One wall is occupied by a large deli cabinet which is filled with an assortment of salads and meats. You can order a selection of three of the salads with one piece of "protein" for around €14. The protein on offer on our visit included slices of roast beef and tomato stuffed with minced veal. The salads were light and bright although I thought they were on the pricey side for what you got. Sophie insisted that we also try some of Gaudron's pastries which are highly regarded in Brussels. The raspberry tart was loaded with juicy berries all encased in soft, buttery pastry. As for the Belgian chocolate brownie, what can I say, there is a reason that Belgium is famous for it's chocolate after all and that reason was perfectly evident in Gaudron's dusky, decadent and very adult brownie.

Details: 3 Place G Brugmann, 1050 Brussels, Belgium (Ph +32 (0)2 343 97 90)

Damage: Pricey

6/10

The interior of Arcardi

Arcadi

Tucked away just off Brussel's famous covered shopping arcade, Arcadi is a Brussel's institution. The interior is from another time, ancient biscuit tins line the shelves and old postcards are pinned to the walls. Nab yourself a window seat on the leather banquettes with a tiny rickety table and try and flag down a waiter to order one of Arcadi's famous quiches. There are about fifteen different sorts on the menu. The quiche Lorraine (€7.50) is probably the pick of the bunch with a crisp crust of pastry and a creamy filling peppered with pieces of bacon. The tomato, basil and parmesan quiche (€7.50) is a little heavy on the tomato (to the extent that it is a brilliant red colour) but otherwise vibrant and slightly peppery. MTV boyfriend also has a vanilla milkshake (€4) which he swears is the best milkshake he has had all year.

Details: R D'Aremberg 18, Brussels 1000, Belgium (Ph 02 511 3343)

Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve.

7/10

Restauration Nouvelle - MIM

The Restauration Nouvelle occupies prime position. It teeters on the top floor of the Old England Art Noveau building Brussel's Museum of Musical Instruments. The views of Brussels are amazing so of course you have to pay for the view rather than the food. It serves to reason that the best bet is to order coffee and cakes rather than an actual meal. MTV boyfriend had a reasonably good (but not brilliant) cappuccino and I had some fresh mint tea but the real show stoppers were the cakes: tarte tartin was silky smooth and perfectly caramalised but a tepid temperature while the decadent chocolate tart suffered from the same problem.

Tarte Tartin at Restauration Nouvelle

Details: Rue Montagne de la cour 2, Brussels, Belgium (02 502 9508)

Damage: Pricey

5/10

Pierre Marcolini

Belgium is famous for it's chocolate shops but Pierre Marcolini is widely regarded as the best in Belgium. The shop looks like you are in an art gallery rather than a chocolate shop, with pieces of chocolate displayed individually amongst a background of stark white. Flavours change seasonally keeping chocolate lovers hooked. Although my friend Sophie is devastated at the demise of the Pierre Marcolini chocolate coated marshmallow, I found plenty to rejoice in upon tasting Marcolini's distinctive saffron infused dark chocolate.

Details: 1 Rue de Minimis, Place du Grand Sablon, Brussels, Belgium (00 32)2 514 02 516

Damage: Pricey

8/10

Gourmet Chick travelled on the Eurostar as a guest of Little Break, Big Difference. All food and drinks were paid for personally.

Launceston Place

The phones are ringing hot at Launceston Place following chef Steve Groves's victory in Master Chef the Professionals. While I am sure Head Chef, Tristan Welch, is delighted for Grove's success it must be somewhat irritating to have patrons asking for their menu to be autographed by the junior sous chef on a night that both Welch and Groves are in the kitchen (which did happen on our visit).

Salt marsh lamb

The restaurant was booked out on Friday night when MTV boyfriend and I went there for dinner. I was called three times to confirm my reservation with the final message threatening to cancel my reservation if I did not reconfirm my 2.30pm. This seemed on the extreme side but Launceston Place enforced the threat in relation to another couple who arrived at the same time that we did. They were told that there were no seats available as their booking had not been reconfirmed despite the booking being made weeks in advance and for a birthday celebration. The couple claimed they had not received the telephone call asking for reconfirmation. It got to the stage that I was almost going to offer the couple our booking, however luckily a table was found. I couldn't help but feel that Launceston Place didn't handle the situation well and it left a bad taste in my mouth. Since when did restaurants become such sticklers for reconfirming?

Admittedly, this was the only glitch in service for the night which was otherwise faultless. When we arrived we were seated in the bar area which serves as a holding room for the restaurant where we had a glass of the house Roeder champagne (£14) and some of restaurants signature parsnip crisps tied in bundles with Launceston Place ribbon. From there we went into the restaurant proper which is quite dramatic with black walls and moody paintings.

The dinner menu is a reasonable £55 for the tasting menu or £45 for three courses. The food is decidedly modern British. There are classics listed such as fish pie and rice pudding, but you can bet that they are going to be served in a way that is different and exciting. We opted to dine a la carte and there were plenty of bonus extras which meant that we had certainly eaten our fill by the end. To start, an amuse bouche of what our waiter described as "hot and cold" leek soup. This was a shot glass of warm leek soup topped with a cold foam of leek. The sensation was strange but not unpleasant.

Fresh water fish pie

With the help of the sommelier we chose a bottle of the Bandol Suffrene (£38) to accompany our meal which lived up to our request for a less full bodied red wine perfectly. From there it was time to turn our attention to the food. Of the entrees, the West Coast scallops hogged the spotlight. Three large, juicy specimens were served still clinging to their pearly shells. They were sprinkled with "aromatic" herbs and a light dressing that highlighted rather than hid their natural briny flavour. The partridge cooked in whisky, heather and oats was an architectural triumph. It was served on a board (as were the scallops, there seems to be an obsession with boards in restaurants at the moment) and included a leg of partridge and a piece of breast arranged alongside daubs of sauce. This dish tasted as good as it looked, conveying a fantastic gamey flavour.

Onto the mains, imagine if you will, a deconstructed fish pie. The pie itself was served in a small copper saucepan topped with golden brown piped mash, while pieces of crustacean along with a smear of broad beans and peas sit on the plate. This dish was whimsical and fun while still delivering a hearty serve of creamy pie. More allocades, this time for the Salt Marsh lamb which was served in slices of blush pink fillet topped with generous pieces of fat and accompanied by some slightly bitter red cabbage. It was a simple dish but still satisfying and well executed.

A pre dessert of a lemon and strawberry sorbet was a refreshing precursor to our shared dessert of tarte tartin. This was a more traditional and conservative dish and I could not help but be slightly disappointed after the fireworks that had come before. Still, the tarte tartin was perfectly executed with the apples caramalised until they were golden and soft.

Whether it was the established talent of Welch or the rising star of Groves who was responsible for the cooking on our visit, the food at Launceston Place was sensational. Given the calibre of the food the prices were also quite reasonable. My only hesitation is the over the top attitude that the front of house staff displayed in relation to reservations. Perhaps the restaurant has had a problem in the past with no shows or cancellations however the staff's attitude did not seem to be warranted.

Essentials

Details: 1 Launceston Place, Kensington W8 5RL (Ph 020 7937 6912) Tube: High Street Kensington

Damage: Pricey

8/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in another restaurant flying the flag for British cooking in London, Hereford Road. Or you may be interested in this post about a cooking demonstration I attended given by Tristan Welch the head chef at Launceston Place.

Gourmet Giveaway - Michel Roux Jr's A Life In the Kitchen

Announcing a new irregular feature on Gourmet Chick... Gourmet Giveaway! Everyone loves something for free and today the lovely people at Vouchercodes.co.uk have given Gourmet Chick two copies of Michel Roux Jr's book Michel Roux: A Life In The Kitchen. The book is Roux Jr's autobiography and also includes recipes.

Roux Jr is the chef at Michelin two star restaurant Le Gavaroche in London and I am sure that I am not the only person to have been completely charmed by his appearance on Master Chef. The Daily Mail describes him as quite a silver fox. I saw him in action at the Taste of London festival where he was dishing up the food from his restaurant himself.

To win one of two copies of the book valued at £17 each all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your favourite Master Chef comment. Copy your comment and send an email containing the comment, your name to missgourmetchick[at]gmail.com so that I can contact you if you win. The first copy of the book will go to the person who has left the best comment and the second winner will be chosen randomly so that everyone has a chance. Winners will be announced in one weeks time so make sure to check back to see if you are successful.

The competition closes at 5pm on Thursday 5 November 2009. Winners will be announced on Friday 6 November 2009. Only one person per entry will be accepted. Duplicate entries will be deleted. No personal details will be forwarded to third parties.

This prize was provided by vouchercodes.co.uk. They have two for one restaurant vouchers, vouchers for Tesco or Sainsbury and Hotel Chocolat.

Porta Rossa (Gourmet Chick in Spain)

Let's face it, when you are spending a weekend in Spain you generally want to eat at Spanish restaurants. However, due to a rather misleading description of Porta Rossa as "a combination of Tuscan and Sevillian" in an otherwise excellent article in The Guardian, we found ourselves eating at what is actually a proudly and solely Italian restaurant. Perhaps I would have preferred to eat at somewhere more "authentically Sevillian" but I have to admit that the food at Porta Rossa is excellent.

Statue outside the bull ring in Seville

Located on the edge of the old town, near the bull ring, Porta Rossa is in a modern building and the interior is decked out in inoffensive muted colours. The tables are covered in good quality white linen and the glass ware sparkles. You pick up an immediate sense of pride when you enter Porta Rossa. On our visit, we were a noisy table of twelve so we started by sharing big platters of charcuterie featuring some delicously spicy salami. Moving on to the entree section of the menu the must order dish is the gnocchi Porta Rossa which features six perfectly round, light and fluffy balls of spinach gnocchi arranged in formation on a plate. The pasta is made by hand here, and you can certainly tell from the gnocchi.

From the mains, the meat and fish options were much more interesting than the pasta. Spaghetti con pure di zucchini e coda di gambera was light on prawns and the spaghetti was swathed in a forgettable creamy sauce. In contrast, the Entrecotte all aceto balsamico di modegna featured a generous and tender piece of steak doused in a rich balsamic sauce. The Filetto al pele Nero e Wodwka was equally good. The pairing of a thick beef sirloin fillet with a vodka and black pepper sauce was a perfect combination. I am not quite sure of the point of using vodka in a sauce, since good vodka is supposed to be tasteless but this sauce was deliciously creamy.

Chocolate mousse

Make sure you save room for dessert, the best of which is the velvety chocolate mousse served in a ramekin and proudly wearing a pastry cigar. Like all true Italian restaurants wherever their location dessert was followed by a complimentary shot of limoncello. Just what we needed before heading off into a long Spanish night. Throughout our dinner, service was friendly and when it came to the end of our meal we agreed that it we didn't really matter that we ended up eating at an Italian rather than a Spanish restaurant.

Essentials

Details: Porta Rossa, c/Arenal 5, Seville, Spain (Ph 954 21 6139)

Damage: Pricey

7/10

Tips

If you are in Seville you absolutely must go for a drink at the EME hotel. The views of the cathedral are amazing and the whole set up is incredibly cool.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my post on tapas in Seville. If you are looking for Spanish food in London you can try Galacia for a cheap and cheerful Spanish fix.