KUROBUTA LONDON

On Valentine’s Day, I treated my boyfriend to a meal at Kurobuta, the latest pop-up to charm London and handily located (for us) on the Kings Road. A preview of the main premises opening in Marble Arch this year, the pop-up is in its second innings and, I’m pleased to add, is available to book online. How refreshing.

We love Japanese food so it was a real treat and, I might hasten to add, one that we would love to repeat again, finances permitting. Kurobuta is an informal, izakaya (pub)-style restaurant headed up by former Nobu head chef, Scott Wallsworth, and food is served in small plates designed for sharing. Like Nobu, the food is insanely fresh and well-prepared, with interesting flavour combinations like soft shell crab sushi with kimchee mayonnaise or a jalapeño dipping sauce with the herb-spiked salt and pepper squid. Also like Nobu, the prices can easily run away with you. We only ordered four dishes and could easily have eaten another four, but our budget didn’t stretch that far so we had to be very restrained!

First up were flamed edamame beans with lemon and salt. These were nothing like the perfectly tasty boiled ones you get in your average London sushi joint - they were juicy and sweet with a tantalisingly salty crust and such a rich depth of flavour I had to ask the waitress if they were cooked in beef fat as the first bite tasted like a steak (they’re not, btw). For our main dishes we had delicious soft shell crab tempura maki with kimchee mayonnaise (my favourite), paper thin beef tataki with spring onions and garlic crisps (his favourite), salt and pepper squid, which I felt there could have been more of, given the portion size I saw of the rock shrimp tempura and the much-hyped about pork belly buns which were a great filler, but not particularly Japanese. D also had a bowl of steamed rice for a little extra bulk (boy’s gotta eat!).

The total bill came to £90, including (seemingly non-optional) added service. To drink, I had a Chelsea ice tea cocktail and my boyfriend had a pint of Kirin and a small glass of sake. The sake was a little disappointing as we thought for £10 it might be a small flask as you would get in Japan, with perhaps two small glasses in it, and I think he would have preferred to spend half the money on another beer instead. The drinks definitely pushed the price up, but added to the festive occasion. If you want to spend less, go at lunch time. I also wanted to add that this is by no means a regular occurrence for us, but I felt that the meal was worth it. The food is so delightful and, though some of the dishes are a little on the small size, I don’t feel that they are bad value. They are just pricey. 

The restaurant has a lovely, cosy and informal atmosphere and the service was nice and relaxed. We were sitting in the downstairs part which felt a bit like a thoroughfare as it was right next to the open kitchen, but I really liked seeing the chefs at work, and even think head chef Scott was there himself, casually chopping tuna tartare!

VALENTINE'S FRIDAY

To Livy on her thirtieth birthday

Hartford, 27 November 1875

Livy darling,

Six years have gone by since I made my first great success in life and won you, and thirty years have passed since Providence made preparation for that happy success by sending you into the world.  Every day we live together adds to the security of my confidence, that we can never any more wish to be separated than that we can ever imagine a regret that we were ever joined. You are dearer to me to-day, my child, than you were upon the last anniversary of this birth-day; you were dearer then than you were a year before - you have grown more and more dear from the first of those anniversaries, and I do not doubt that this precious progression will continue on to the end.

Let us look forward to the coming anniversaries, with their age and their gray hairs without fear and without depression, trusting and believing that the love we bear each other will be sufficient to make them blessed. So, with abounding affection for you and our babies, I hail this day that brings you the matronly grace and dignity of three decades!

Always Yours

S. L. C (Mark Twain)

COOKBOOK CHALLENGE

As my cookbook collection continues to grow, I find that I acknowledge them less and less. I appreciate their colourful covers and have a flick through over a cup of tea every now and then, but when it comes to cooking, I usually make my own recipes up as I go along or find a recipe on the internet when I'm finishing up at work. This year, my goal is to cook a new recipe (following it to the letter) at least once a month, cooking one from each book before I continue adding to my collection. I can't wait to discover some new dishes that will hopefully make their way into my regular rotation.

A ROMANTIC (and free!) VALENTINE'S DATE IDEA

Whether you'll be marking the occasion or not, I thought this would be a fun date idea for Valentine's Day. If it's a clear night, grab your love, throw on some cosy layers and head outside with your phone for a bit of star gazing. My brother showed me the awesome Sky Map app that logs your location using your phone's GPS and helps you spot the stars, planets and constellations that sparkle above you. Knock up a flask of Rosie's salted caramel hot chocolate and enjoy the view.

Plus, a few cosmic-inspired gifts:

{1 / 2 / 3 / 4}
Sky Map is available on iPhone and Android.

THE WORLD'S EASIEST TOMATO SOUP

Apart from opening a tin of Heinz Classic Tomato and sticking it in a microwave, I think this tomato soup is not only the easiest, but the tastiest one going. It’s a recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, but I like to cook it longer to let the flavours really intensify. 

Grab a selection of tomatoes - I like lots of sweet cherry tomatoes, a few plum varieties and some fat vine-ripened ones. The beauty of this soup is that you can add whatever you like and you literally just throw it in a large tray with a glug of olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. I usually follow the recipe and use a couple of small red onions and lots of garlic. Roast in the oven at around 190C for as long as you like (at least 20 minutes), until the tomatoes start to burst and your home smells heavenly (thanks to the garlic for that one!). 

Then, simply transfer to a blender, or use a hand blender if you have one, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins, throw in a handful of basil, whizz up as smooth as you like and transfer into a pot on the hob to keep warm until serving. We usually eat ours with cheese on toasts or a hunk of crusty baguette. You could even squeeze a few of those molten roasted garlic cloves onto your bread. Trust me, it’s awesome. 

The best part is you can easily switch up the ingredients for a different flavour - add chilli for a bit of heat, switch out the basil for coriander and you have yourself a Mexican version or throw in a few bell peppers for extra sweetness. 

WANDERLUST FRIDAY

I bought my boyfriend a scratch-off map* for Christmas and it's been an awesome present that we both love. Currently hanging behind our kitchen table, it fills us with wanderlust every time we sit down for dinner. I travelled a lot as a child, moving every couple of years with my parents, and despite having family in South East Asia and Canada, by the time I was 16 I just wasn't that keen on heading outside of Europe. But D's excitement for discovering new countries has inspired a new passion for travel in me, made all the more intense by sharing the experience with the person I love. In a couple of weeks I'm heading to Kuala Lumpur and Cambodia to visit family and in October, we're planning a trip to Vietnam!

Here's a few travel-inspired links I loved this week:
Tania's first thoughts on Sydney
This holiday (and a photographer boyfriend), please
I could read Ashley's travelogues for days
Jenny's SE Asia career-break in instagrams
Breathtaking pictures of India

*the map works like a giant scratch card, where you scratch off the countries you've been to. As a couple we are quite well-travelled, but after scratching off the places we've been, it's completely apparent that there's still over 90% of the world to see!

READING LIST: the food memoirs

Food memoirs are one of my favourite genres, and I regularly read the books above again and again. Offering totally immersive and utterly delicious accounts of life from some of the world’s finest foodies, they are so easy to dip in and out of. Reading them just feels like a big hug.

Toast by Nigel Slater – “It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you. People’s failings, even major ones such as when they make you wear short trousers to school, fall into insignificance as your teeth break through the rough, toasted crust and sink into the doughy cushion of white bread underneath. Once the warm, salty butter has hit your tongue, you are smitten.” My ultimate comfort book, I read this whenever I’m feeling a little sad.

Sharks Fin & Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop - This colourful memoir of a journey through the cuisine of China is so amusing and it is testament to Fuchsia's writing that even the most unsavoury dishes (duck tongue and frilly kidneys, anyone?) are described in a way that makes your mouth water.

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl - Ruth's stories of her time as the chief restaurant critic at the New York Times is a riot of hilarious disguises and obnoxious dining experiences, peppered with comforting recipes that melt away the stresses of a trying day at the office.

Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch - The other side of the coin to Garlic and Sapphires, Phoebe draws on her experience as front of house staff at one of New York's most prestigious establishments. A fascinating look behind the scenes at a top notch restaurant, I love wondering whether she and Ruth might have crossed paths at one stage or another.

Follow me on bloglovin'

PLASTER WALLS

Bare plaster was never something intentional that we chose for our bedroom, but when they say that living with a builder means your house is always the last on the list, they aren't lying! While we were getting around to re-painting our bedroom after a much-needed fresh coat of plaster (me deliberating about the colour, him getting around to doing the undercoat), we kind of decided that the plaster was a thing of beauty in itself. A craft in its own right, done well it is beautifully smooth and patterns develop as the walls continue to dry over a matter of months. With a fresh coat of paint on the skirting and cornicing, I love the way it looks perfectly undone, while our lofty high ceilings look extra regal. I kind of like that it feels like a French palace in disrepair, don't you think? It reminds me of this magical blog post by sfgirlbybay.