the restaurant, 72-73 St James’s Street, London United Kingdom SW1
the changing of the seasons is a marvelous thing. spring in london announces itself with a swelling of pink, yellow and white blossomed trees, carpets of daffodils and a palpable reawakening of every living thing.
yesterday chef matt lent me these books to read - books from places he’s worked and chefs he’s worked under. they’re out of print now, so its a tremendous gift. pierre koffmann at la tante claire had been one of marco’s mentors and in between periods of working for marco, chef matt later became head chef for him there. the pig trotter dish is one that koffmann did and made famous at la tante claire and which mpw later used and refined on his menus at harveys and beyond. there is a lot of inspiration and borrowing and sharing and refining, reinterpreting - it’s really interesting to see the “family tree” of where dishes came from and how they’ve evolved - and to see in these books what was cutting edge, the height of fashion 20 years ago. . at the end of the day, it is food. and it is fashion. but certain things never really leave the stage - because they are classics - little black dresses and apple tarts, trench coats and foie terrines…
paddington to the yew tree - this is a pub from the 17th century. the local pub is a building and an institution that is older than my country - brewing ales, shooting game in the woodlands - making simple delicious food and a place by the fire for locals and passers by… sunday supper this week was: potted rabbit with green peppercorns, steak and ale pie, sherry trifle wally ladd - and a local berkshire ale called “a bit of posh”. nearby is highclere castle, designed by the same architect who created the houses of parliament. wild deer roam here.
the tube
softly falling
FISH AND SHELLFISH FROM THE ATLANTIC - will add more as they come and go…
notes from the field
this week things are busy busy. rapidly improved in speed on shucking rock oysters.. fabricated whole halibut, made crepes and rolled out puff pastry for the beef wellington, learned how to make the foie parfait with madiera raisin sec, trimmed and stuffed lamb saddles and preparing cakes, puddings and the famous harvey’s lemon tart for valentine’s menu. today is sunday so that means rugby, sunday roast and pub quiz. i am making chocolate souffles. doing laundry. some favorite meals i’ve had so far in london are the staff meals at wheeler’s made by my indian and southern italian co-workers. they cook their mothers’ recipes and it’s better than any i’ve had in a restaurant. we take turns making the teas and espressos. every loose moment between hits, they run out to the old bomb shelter under the sidewalk and smoke cigarettes. the sicilian rolls his own. the sous chef sings as he works. this week it’s been a football anthem on loop. i think i have it memorized by now. natural leader - inner joy. the chef is feared and respected. defended me even when i was wrong and has allowed me to learn and make mistakes without putting down. a formidable human being - . the runners have learned they cannot hang around my station like vultures and eat my mise en place… we all get along and treat each other with respect. we’re like a pack of wild dogs. the new kid has to tread lightly but remain firm. it’s an interesting exercise in human behavoir. they’re all nice guys (i’m the only girl in the kitchen) and most have come from other places: spain, france, italy, cuba, algeria, russia… to learn english. but they’d all give the world to go to the states. the europeans are only here because they don’t need a visa, which makes me start to value something i always took for granted. there are two porters. both are named mohammad, but one has dreadlocks so he goes by ‘rasta’.
