L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon London

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a name that needs little introduction with the spectacular French dishes created by masterchef Joel Robuchon winning hearts the world over. Joel Robuchon is the most Michelin starred chef of all time and holds no less than 25 Michelin stars across his nine restaurants around the world. The London L’Atelier, a one Michelin star restaurant, can be found on West Street in the West End and upholds the sleek black and red look that is the hallmark of an L’Atelier restaurant.

There are several levels to the restaurant. On the ground floor is a stunning Japanese-inspired counter with bar seating where diners can watch the chefs go about creating their works of art in the open kitchen. On the first floor is the restaurant area that hosts a more traditional seating arrangement with well-spaced tables, and on the second floor is the bar and terrace that serves an impressive array of cocktails and spirits.

The head Chef is Xavier Boyer who has worked with Joel Robuchon for 13 years and previously led the kitchens at the L’Ateliers in both New York and Taipei. Xavier was involved in the 2006 launch of the London L’Atelier, so this is a home coming of sorts for him. I recently got to try Boyer’s cooking when he was the chef-in-residence during the 10 days of the London in the Sky pop-up and his food was absolutely delicious.

The amuse bouche was a royale of foie gras with white truffle, port reduction and a parmesan foam. This was a gorgeous combination, with the unctuous rich flavour of foie gras pairing beautifully with the deep sweetness of the port. The use of nutty overtones of the parmesan was also a lovely contrast to the foie gras as well.

Royale of foie gras

The menu at L’Atelier is very much designed for sharing, and so we shared a variety of dishes, starting with a soft poached egg with white truffle (￡49). A beautifully cooked egg sat inside a brilliantly crispy kadaif pastry, and when you cut into it, it revealed a runny egg with a vibrant yellow yolk. The combination of the light crunchiness of the pastry with the softness of the egg made for a delightful combination, especially with the intoxicating aroma of the truffle.

Soft poached egg

Pan seared duck foie gras oozed with the lovely fatty richness that makes this such a great thing of beauty. It was perfectly cooked, and alongside the foie gras was some caramelised fig which worked wonderfully with the foie gras.

Foie gras with fig

Roasted Scottish lobster (￡49) was sweet with a firm texture, and accompanied by some young spinach leaves, peppers, a pepper sauce and an aromatic bay leaf cream emulsion, both of which provided an interesting contrast to the lobster. This was a really nice dish, although the spinach itself, cooked with a wasabi dressing, was a little peppery.

Scottish lobster

We enjoyed the gyoza of braised veal shank with harissa (￡21) as it was a pleasant dish. The filling of veal shank was tender and tasty, and the use of harissa provided a touch of spice to the gyoza. Also on the plate were some beautifully cooked mushrooms, sweet tomatoes and some rich teriyaki sauce that brought all the flavours of the plate together nicely. It was a really nice plate of food, but conceptually this dish didn’t quite have the sophistication as the other dishes. For me, this was just gyoza.

Gyoza

Free range quail stuffed with foie gras (￡34) and served with mashed potatoes was a delight to eat. The quail was beautifully cooked and wonderfully tasty with a velvety smooth foie gras stuffing and a soy honey glaze. The creamy, buttery mash is an L’Atelier signature and was a little taste of heaven. It was a beautiful plate of food that included a small fresh herb salad garnish.

Roasted quail

All the desserts were extremely well executed, prettily presented and delicious to eat. A strawberry mousse (￡12) was lovely and accompanied by a light and zingy lemon sorbet and fresh strawberries. A lemon tart (￡12) was zingy and nicely tart. It sat perched on a very thick (perhaps too thick) buttery biscuit base and was served with some lovely pieces of meringue. Finally a beautifully made chocolate macaroon (￡12) filled with thick chocolate ganache was good and decadent and rich.

Strawberry mousse

Lemon tart

Chocolate macaroon

It is virtually impossible not to enjoy a meal at L’Atelier. Time and time again they produce exquisite dishes that sing with finesse, elegance and a refined touch. The presentation is beautifully done, the staff are knowledgeable and attentive, and every time you go you can be assured of a fantastic fine dining experience.

Summary Information:

Food rating: 4.25/5
Service rating: 4/5

Prices:
Lunch and pre-theatre menus range from ￡31 to ￡41.
Three courses from the a la carte menu range from ￡56 to ￡122 (excluding the caviar).
The truffle tasting menu is ￡230.
Small tasting plates range from ￡19 to ￡49.
There is also a bar menu.
Prices excludes drinks and service.

Website: http://www.joel-robuchon.co.uk/

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DIRTY OLD LONDON

Victorianist Jackson (Walking Dickens’ London, 2012) demonstrates the unimaginable filth that permeated London during the 19th century.

During the industrial age, it was not just dust and smoke from factories that affected life in the city; in fact, 19th-century reformers felt that was just a part of life. London was plagued year-round by manure, ash, mud and rotten garbage, and the summer months, which “created their own obnoxious cocktail,” were especially bad.?The generally accepted thought was that the source of sickness, including cholera and typhus epidemics, was miasma, the foul smell of degrading organic material.?The sewers and cesspools of London continually overflowed, and while the “night soil” men pumped out waste and sold it for fertilizer, they couldn’t keep up with a population that increased sixfold in the period from 1800 to 1900. Finally, with Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) leading the sanitary movement, a great sewer project was built to divert raw sewage and eliminate cesspools. The situation regarding ash and cinders ran into a similar problem, as dustmen sold the waste from coal fires to brick makers but couldn’t keep up with the population explosion. Reformers managed to curtail the output of smoke from the many factories, but the domestic grate of a “man’s castle” continued to fowl the air well into the 20th century. The author thoroughly covers the various pollutants plaguing the city, including the most prevalent in the early years: manure. London required 300,000 horses to keep the city moving, and their manure, mixed with ash and mud, created a vile substance covering nearly every street.

A well-researched, if unpalatable, picture of a filthy city and the different factions fighting for and against reform using class distinctions, gender inequality and horrendous poor laws. Jackson strongly warns us that the problem isn’t solved; the great sewer project is desperately outdated, and the “clean air” is anything but.

View the original article here

DIRTY OLD LONDON

Victorianist Jackson (Walking Dickens’ London, 2012) demonstrates the unimaginable filth that permeated London during the 19th century.

During the industrial age, it was not just dust and smoke from factories that affected life in the city; in fact, 19th-century reformers felt that was just a part of life. London was plagued year-round by manure, ash, mud and rotten garbage, and the summer months, which “created their own obnoxious cocktail,” were especially bad.?The generally accepted thought was that the source of sickness, including cholera and typhus epidemics, was miasma, the foul smell of degrading organic material.?The sewers and cesspools of London continually overflowed, and while the “night soil” men pumped out waste and sold it for fertilizer, they couldn’t keep up with a population that increased sixfold in the period from 1800 to 1900. Finally, with Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) leading the sanitary movement, a great sewer project was built to divert raw sewage and eliminate cesspools. The situation regarding ash and cinders ran into a similar problem, as dustmen sold the waste from coal fires to brick makers but couldn’t keep up with the population explosion. Reformers managed to curtail the output of smoke from the many factories, but the domestic grate of a “man’s castle” continued to fowl the air well into the 20th century. The author thoroughly covers the various pollutants plaguing the city, including the most prevalent in the early years: manure. London required 300,000 horses to keep the city moving, and their manure, mixed with ash and mud, created a vile substance covering nearly every street.

A well-researched, if unpalatable, picture of a filthy city and the different factions fighting for and against reform using class distinctions, gender inequality and horrendous poor laws. Jackson strongly warns us that the problem isn’t solved; the great sewer project is desperately outdated, and the “clean air” is anything but.

View the original article here

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon London

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a name that needs little introduction with the spectacular French dishes created by masterchef Joel Robuchon winning hearts the world over. Joel Robuchon is the most Michelin starred chef of all time and holds no less than 25 Michelin stars across his nine restaurants around the world. The London L’Atelier, a one Michelin star restaurant, can be found on West Street in the West End and upholds the sleek black and red look that is the hallmark of an L’Atelier restaurant.

There are several levels to the restaurant. On the ground floor is a stunning Japanese-inspired counter with bar seating where diners can watch the chefs go about creating their works of art in the open kitchen. On the first floor is the restaurant area that hosts a more traditional seating arrangement with well-spaced tables, and on the second floor is the bar and terrace that serves an impressive array of cocktails and spirits.

The head Chef is Xavier Boyer who has worked with Joel Robuchon for 13 years and previously led the kitchens at the L’Ateliers in both New York and Taipei. Xavier was involved in the 2006 launch of the London L’Atelier, so this is a home coming of sorts for him. I recently got to try Boyer’s cooking when he was the chef-in-residence during the 10 days of the London in the Sky pop-up and his food was absolutely delicious.

The amuse bouche was a royale of foie gras with white truffle, port reduction and a parmesan foam. This was a gorgeous combination, with the unctuous rich flavour of foie gras pairing beautifully with the deep sweetness of the port. The use of nutty overtones of the parmesan was also a lovely contrast to the foie gras as well.

Royale of foie gras

The menu at L’Atelier is very much designed for sharing, and so we shared a variety of dishes, starting with a soft poached egg with white truffle (￡49). A beautifully cooked egg sat inside a brilliantly crispy kadaif pastry, and when you cut into it, it revealed a runny egg with a vibrant yellow yolk. The combination of the light crunchiness of the pastry with the softness of the egg made for a delightful combination, especially with the intoxicating aroma of the truffle.

Soft poached egg

Pan seared duck foie gras oozed with the lovely fatty richness that makes this such a great thing of beauty. It was perfectly cooked, and alongside the foie gras was some caramelised fig which worked wonderfully with the foie gras.

Foie gras with fig

Roasted Scottish lobster (￡49) was sweet with a firm texture, and accompanied by some young spinach leaves, peppers, a pepper sauce and an aromatic bay leaf cream emulsion, both of which provided an interesting contrast to the lobster. This was a really nice dish, although the spinach itself, cooked with a wasabi dressing, was a little peppery.

Scottish lobster

We enjoyed the gyoza of braised veal shank with harissa (￡21) as it was a pleasant dish. The filling of veal shank was tender and tasty, and the use of harissa provided a touch of spice to the gyoza. Also on the plate were some beautifully cooked mushrooms, sweet tomatoes and some rich teriyaki sauce that brought all the flavours of the plate together nicely. It was a really nice plate of food, but conceptually this dish didn’t quite have the sophistication as the other dishes. For me, this was just gyoza.

Gyoza

Free range quail stuffed with foie gras (￡34) and served with mashed potatoes was a delight to eat. The quail was beautifully cooked and wonderfully tasty with a velvety smooth foie gras stuffing and a soy honey glaze. The creamy, buttery mash is an L’Atelier signature and was a little taste of heaven. It was a beautiful plate of food that included a small fresh herb salad garnish.

Roasted quail

All the desserts were extremely well executed, prettily presented and delicious to eat. A strawberry mousse (￡12) was lovely and accompanied by a light and zingy lemon sorbet and fresh strawberries. A lemon tart (￡12) was zingy and nicely tart. It sat perched on a very thick (perhaps too thick) buttery biscuit base and was served with some lovely pieces of meringue. Finally a beautifully made chocolate macaroon (￡12) filled with thick chocolate ganache was good and decadent and rich.

Strawberry mousse

Lemon tart

Chocolate macaroon

It is virtually impossible not to enjoy a meal at L’Atelier. Time and time again they produce exquisite dishes that sing with finesse, elegance and a refined touch. The presentation is beautifully done, the staff are knowledgeable and attentive, and every time you go you can be assured of a fantastic fine dining experience.

Summary Information:

Food rating: 4.25/5
Service rating: 4/5

Prices:
Lunch and pre-theatre menus range from ￡31 to ￡41.
Three courses from the a la carte menu range from ￡56 to ￡122 (excluding the caviar).
The truffle tasting menu is ￡230.
Small tasting plates range from ￡19 to ￡49.
There is also a bar menu.
Prices excludes drinks and service.

Website: http://www.joel-robuchon.co.uk/

View the original article here

Scuffles Break Out as Students Protest in Central London

Scuffles broke out and missiles were thrown at police as thousands of students marched through the center of London on Wednesday to protest against a rise in higher education fees.

Some 5,000 demonstrators marched to Parliament Square where a small group broke away and breached temporary barriers to confront police outside the Houses of Parliament.

"Various missiles were thrown at the officers," Scotland Yard said in a statement. Three officers suffered minor injuries. By mid-afternoon there had been no arrests, it added.

The breakaway group later attacked a nearby Starbucks coffee shop and threw chairs from another restaurant at police, witnesses said.

Wednesday's march was the first mass protest by students in the British capital for three years.

Four protests against Prime Minister David Cameron's austerity measures shortly after he came to power in 2010 led to clashes with police, assaults on public buildings including the headquarters of Cameron's Conservative Party, and almost 400 arrests.

Students are angry at Cameron's government decision to hike tuition fees and they have been joined by other campaigners unhappy with spending cuts.

"Today we are marching through London in what is likely to be the biggest demonstration in several years," the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts said on its website. "We could well be on the verge of a new wave of student activism."

It addition to Wednesday's march, students were also planning walkouts and occupations of campus buildings.

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Springsteen revisits Glory Days in London

By Angus MacSwan

LONDON (Reuters) - Bruce Springsteen treated his fans to a complete performance of "Born in the USA", the 1984 album which shot him to global superstardom, as the centerpiece of a three-hour show in London on Sunday night.

The Boss and his E Street Band played the 12 songs in the same order as the original, kicking off with the Vietnam veteran's lament of the title track and serving up rollicking versions of "Glory Days", "No Surrender," and other favorites.

The enormous success of "Born in the USA" raised Springsteen's popularity and fortune when it was released, selling 30 million copies worldwide and making him one of the biggest acts of the era.

It also has a special place in Springsteen lore - when then U.S. President Ronald Reagan praised the title song as a patriotic anthem, he earned a public rebuke from Springsteen, who said he had misunderstood its message.

Three decades on, it still delighted the crowd at the Hard Rock Calling festival at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, close to the venues of last year's Olympic Games.

Nils Lofgren's fiery guitar solo on "Cover Me" was a highlight of the set. For "Dancing in the Dark" - still a regular feature in his concerts - he brought out his mother Adele as his dancing partner.

Sunday's show featured crowd-pleasers such as "Badlands" and "Born to Run" when the grey-clad Springsteen worked the crowd with an energy that belied his years.

He also played three songs from "Nebraska", the mournful acoustic album which confounded fans when it was released in 1982. The E Street Horns changed the mood, turning the murder ballad "Johnny 99" into a New Orleans-style party.

The numbers from Springsteen's latest album "Wrecking Ball" showed he is still writing great songs and bringing in a range of influences from Gospel to Irish jigs.

The show's most poignant moment was the epic "Jungleland" from "Born to Run". Springsteen sang the quieter passages to a hushed crowd and Jake Clemons, the nephew and replacement for the late E Street Band stalwart Clarence Clemons, raised the roof with an extended saxophone solo that would have made his uncle proud.

And nobody pulled the plug this time. At last year's Hard Rock Calling, which took place in Hyde Park, the power was switched off by curfew-minded staff just as he and former Beatle Paul McCartney launched into "Twist and Shout".

Now aged 63, Springsteen is in fine fettle. His reputation stands as arguably rock's greatest performer and he still fills stadiums, arenas and parks to deliver his marathon shows.

He and the E Street Band are now into the second year of the "Wrecking Ball" tour, which has seen him go back and forth between Europe and North America and which ends in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 21.

(Reporting by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)

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