(Update: You can read Part II Here)

Yes I dropped the ball on the Friday review, did anybody miss me? I have a very good excuse though and I’ve been hard at work on producing something a little different.

The basic premise was simple really – I wanted to feel what it was like to produce food at a London restaurant, and have the chance to document that process. It is the part of me who aspires to documentary photography in the tradition of the great Magnum photographers, who amongst them, are my heroes. Of course, I’m no photo journalist and I’d never done something like this before, and so nervously sent out emails to see if anyone would grant me the kind of access I was looking for. Fortunately, Gazette thought it was an interesting proposition, and they gave me the opportunity to spend a Saturday evening service at the restaurant. Gazette being a lovely neighbourhood French brasserie in Battersea.

It’s about time the restaurant collector stepped behind the stove to watch the action from the other side. An enriching experience, a personal project of sorts and a bit of a labour of love. I hope you’ll enjoy this two part series folks.

Welcome to the Kitchens of Gazette.

As I pass through the doors for the first time, my senses are immediately saturated. The kitchen – as expected – is bustling, chatter and clatter and the rich smell of butter. Overwhelming excitement took over, I felt alive…. time to let that shutter rip…

…but not before the ‘No Pictures’ shot.

And now we go to the characters in the kitchen, starting with the main man – Chef Pascal – gathering his troops at the start of the evening service.

After a quick prep talk, the stove heats up, water begins to boil and the chef starts work on them beautiful steaks.

During the pauses of energy, the Chef introduced himself and his staff to me before he explained that they were prepping for a catering order. He zips back into his food, this time meticulously trimming what looks like a brisket to me.

On the other side of the kitchen, whole chickens were stripped of their meat, while two staff look to discuss their cooking plans ahead.

As much as I tried to remain invisible (as per my instructions to the kitchen), they couldn’t help but notice this fly on the wall and occasionally gave me a smile or two. The kitchen is calm so far, I am still disconnected but slowly jiving to the rhythm. Here’s hoping I don’t get in the way.

Like a well oiled machine, the cogs talk to each to keep the machine chugging along, by now this machine was near its peak performance and there was a good feeling around the kitchen. The kitchen is completely French so they could be taking a piss out of me for all I know, but they talked to each other and that camaraderie was evident. Warming.

The Chef is a busy man it seems, as the kitchen settles into its groove, it is time for him to tend to other matters. Gazette is based in two locations, this one in Battersea and a newer location at Balham.

Like the calm before the storm, all was quiet at half past seven, so I decided to sneak into the larder….

The kitchen is now business as usual…

… I first watched this guy prep the snails, and then watched him prepare the terrine starters.

Starters.

Here’s a little cameo from front of house, the restaurant manager and the co-owner, sneaking into the kitchen for a quick bite before service. You’ll see more of them in Part II.

My eyes kept peeling away from the characters to all the rich detail in the kitchen. The pots and pans, the blenders, the oven and all that steel.

Here, we follow the steaks again, this time, looking alot more cooked.

Here’s a close up of the awesome piece of meat resting.

At eight o’clock the restaurant is really buzzing. Outside it is completely packed out, and the kitchen is now keeping more and more pots cooking simultaneously.

I managed to squeeze into the hot area for a quick snap before pulling out again. It’s hot, but man does it smell good.

The obligatory shots of the green & reds.

The waiters are now bringing in more and more finished plates and at 8.30, the kitchen was so busy, there was hardly any room or corners left for me to squeeze into to take my pictures.

Oh yes, before I forget: The finished product.

As I stepped away from the kitchen, my clothes and my camera were infused with the smell of butter; Food was now flying out of the kitchen. I catch a moment where one of the waiters were sending them out. It was an intense three hours, and I somehow felt a sense of achievement, even though I hadn’t actually slogged it out. I was happy to have had this experience. It was certainly a contrast to watching unfolding kitchen nightmares on TV and swearing chefs and I think there really is abit of magic in such an atmospheric environment….

This story is far from over. In Part II, we follow the front of house and their efforts to cope with the busy service. You can read it here.

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There are two Toms in London who appeal to me. Both are men of food and both have legends written about their conquests in the kitchen. “Why yes of course I would like to sample an all expense paid meal at Tom Ilic” when their hype department called. Can we stop calling this food blagging and call it a blag-pass instead? It sounds rather more palatable.

Read at your peril.

I know very little about Wandsworth, or much of south London for that matter. I am however aware of its significance in culinary legend since it is home to Chez Bruce and the very same site was formerly Harveys; the restaurant where a certain Scotsman shadowed the effervescent gastro genius of his time. The same genius who later retired from the kitchen, dramatically renouncing his three coveted stars. A different era altogether, I’m sure I would have enjoyed eating food made with Mr White’s incendiary pans.

North of the Common is Tom Ilic – the restaurant widely acknowledged as the frugal man’s gastro getaway. I had arrived for a Thursday night dinner, the rain pissing down and soaking into the bottoms of my trousers. I was greeted with a humble setting not unlike an 80’s hotel lobby, and firmly rooted in reality. The sombre tone was a welcomed change from the rhythmic dribble outside the door. I sank into the armless chair and the rain which followed me inside, slowly but surely soaked into the carpeted floor. The resourceful ambiance was apparent from moment I walked in, and the economy was pleasing when I saw the prices on the menu. £16.50 for two set dinner courses – palatable in today’s climate. The ala carte describes a similar story with three courses made from attractive measurements: £7/£13/£5. The inviting prices were attached to delectable descriptions, both seemingly out of sync. Started had sautéed sweetbreads boudin blanc & truffle; Cured, roasted & tartar of Salmon; Mains included trio of lamb; baked fillet of cod with aioli and anchovy fondue and a saddle of rabbit with a tempura of frog legs. I was in wanderlust of what was to come, wary though, since I have been fooled by words before.

We start with a salad of Cornish crab with avocado and a chilled gazpacho.

I can still taste crunchy shells, I interpreted that positively suggesting fresh, handpicked crabmeat. The fragrant seafood leaked juicy flavours into the gazpacho, which was an appetisingly raw vegetable flavour; the zing was completed with a oily mouthfeel, to which I guess is olive oil. Heavy in garlic and a mild peppery end – the cold of the dish cooled the intensity of the soup, with avocadoes bringing a creaminess to texture. It was a light start, one that I enjoyed although I noted the sharply marinated celeriac at the bottom. Too much acidity and it was killing the mellow crab and gazpacho dynamic. I scrap to the side.

The alternative starter was seared scallops with couscous, grapefruit with lemongrass vinaigrette.

The scallops were seared so well it was almost bovine, the prevailing seafood was contrasted well against the cool acidity of the grapefruit and in the harmony of that balance was an appreciably simple scoop of coucous which soaked up all the flavours.

I can’t quite decide if I want to like either dishes or not as both didn’t excite the buds but I am leaning toward the former. The first mains to arrive were the fillet of kettyle Beef, Braised Oxtail ravioli, horseradish soufflé, roast bone marrow and spring vegetables. (£15)

The marrow was fattiliciously flavoursome; I spread the fully matured blobs onto bread and it was miles more exciting that the starters. The next element was tremendously good oxtail ravioli, and what a great choice of cut (offal?) as well. Deep beefiness, a silken texture to go with vanilla like fragrance, so far so good – I was prepared for a big time fillet. But those hopes were dashed with something overcooked; it was verging on being well done when we had asked for it to be medium rare, merely ordinary meat finished with a very tarty jus. The final element of this dish was the horseradish soufflé, digging in, it looked like a cheese puff and it gave off a sharp aroma. Tasting it had me popping eyeballs as it knocked the intensometer off the scales. It was so rich, so sour, so cheesy that I could not stomach more than a couple of bites – the whole roof of my mouth suddenly felt like it was on fire, horseradish smoke was coming out from my nose….

A difficult dish to call, I think it was trying to do too much. Better cooked meat with more ravioli and marrow, less of the tart and soufflé would have had me singing its praises, instead of fanning the flames.

Next: Assiete of Pork from the British Isles, Chorizo, white cabbage, caramalised apple. (£13)

A rather complex looking dish, lots of elements and it must be said that for the price, this is an achievement in itself.

There is an assortment of cuts on this dish, and I was sampling the different ‘regions’ by spinning the plate around. Starting with the far left hand side, and we have belly of pork, a little too firm for fat, I felt very concious about chewing on fat. Moving to the right, we have a fried pig’s head roll resting on top of trotter cake (I think) – This combo was very good; buttery, matured flavours fully enraptured in an oily coating. I didn’t quite agree with the next combination of very bloody tasting black pudding resting on top a very nicely caramalised apple. The mash tasted too processed and the crowning pork fillet was tough and forgettable. Things got a bit worse as the sour cabbage was too sour and it overpowered all meatiness in the dish. Overall I felt that this dish, again, tried to do too much as conflicting elements were pulling it apart. Parts of it was good, but the lack of focus made it a chore to eat.

We finished the meal with a satisfying ginger infused crème brulee. A runny custard that had pure sugary goodness, the madeline verging on being awesome but the highlight of the dish – and the meal – was the warming rhubarb compote with a citrusness that was reminiscent of a natural 7up fizz, so ethereal that it evoked memories of Peter Pan wishing for a colourful meal.

Overall, a tough one to call, ‘He loves me, he loves me not’. There were flashes of brilliance which grabbed me by the scruff; and then there were moments of flaccidity that released me from the same hold. Bogged down with too much on one plate, things were simply overdone. Let’s not forget the emphasis on value though, and for the price, Tom Ilic is a great local restaurant. But that’s where it stands for me, merely a good local, not enough genius at play to compel me to come back for more. I’m all for value but I feel that one need not bombard to impress, sometimes less is indeed very much more.

The Gist of It

Tom Ilic Official Site
123 Queenstown Rd SW8 3RH 020 7622 0555
£40 per person and a bellyful.
Verdict: Excellent value for money, but some dishes had too much which made eating it a little distracting.

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We start with the long bus journey from Waterloo station (bus 77, 35 minutes) past Battersea and into Lavender Hill in search of the supposedly hidden gem of an Italian restaurant. And I’ll take this opportunity to address a topic that’s been brewing among the twitterati of late.

When I got my first invites I was ecstatic, I thought of it as a kind of recognition that restaurants would invite me to do reviews. When it came time to write them, yeah there’s tremendous guilt and its difficult trying to come across as objectively as possible.

Bloggers are talking about it and its no secret that foodbloggers do get invitations from PR people to review their restaurants, with the restaurant covering the costs of the meal. I’ve covered this before in my past restaurant invites, and I make it known to everybody that I get invitations to write reviews. Is it awkward to write them? Yes of course it is. I do put down money for tips with every free invite, I know it won’t replace the cost of the meal, but I do try.

I chose to fully disclose the background to everything I write. Hence the segregation between ‘invites to review’ (comped by the restaurant) and a ‘review’ (which I paid for myself). I haven’t been afraid to pan invites which didn’t fly (Nahm and High Timber) and I have gone to try places, and indeed paid for the meal myself (belgo lobsterfest) after reading up on other blogger’s invited reviews.

I’m not a professional writer or critic and I have never claimed to be. I have never claimed to know everything about food, and I am simply someone who loves to eat and I am merely documenting my dinners. When I get invited to something, I go along to it and then I write about it. At the end of the day, its up to the reader to decide whether my stuff is useful or not.

As for the blogging bit itself, I try my utmost to review restaurants as objectively as I can; I spend about four hours on each write-up, and a further four hours on the pictures. As a result from this foodblog, I’ve taken an interest in photography and have since invested in camera gear. I do spend abit of time taking pictures of the food with every meal just to get a really good shot, all just for a blog post. I jot down notes of everything I eat, just so it’s all properly recorded as it happened, and finally maintaining an attractive, up to date blog design. And yes, I still have to tend to my day job which actually pays the rent. Alot of work goes into one review, and every single review takes alot out of me. Yeah, it’s become a little obsessive, I do put in alot of time and effort into this blog, and I spend alot of time with the blogposts because I want to write/photograph as best I can, partly because I want to create something entertaining for readers and partly because I am hoping that it will become useful to whoever picks it up.

The PR people behind Donna invited me to do a review, and I accepted it. Following the first visit, I returned to the same restaurant a week later for a meal I paid for personally, hence the wonky title. And so this will be abit of a combo review with dishes from two visits.

Actually, that’s two return visits in two weeks, Donna as well as Sketch. With Sketch, they offered me a £50 gift voucher and that was something that was publicly available (and still is). And both times, I went back because I liked the restaurant, and gladly returned as a paying customer.

That’s my position with these ‘invites’. I know I can’t please everybody and I can only do the best I can, so I will let my reviews speak for themselves. If you want to pass judgement over me, I welcome you to do so. Afterall, my reviews criticise the hardwork of restaurants, and I should be able to take criticism accordingly.

If my reputation is to be tested, then so be it.

I have always spoken plainly and openly. I don’t hide behind my blog and I don’t claim to be an expert. I am someone who enjoys eating. Inspired by, I look to emulate the illustrious foodbloggers who have come before me and I’m sharing my passion with anyone who cares to listen.

Donna in two

Phew, ok so that’s the political bit, back to eating. And just when I was beginning to think that the restaurant was imaginary, I noticed a string of restaurants and spotted Donna. Standing by the entrance was the head waiter. A bearded Italian Stallion – stern looking fella’ – whose frown quickly melted into a warm smile as he ushered us to our table. We arrived early at 6.30 on a friday, but the restaurant quickly filled up by 8pm.

The restaurant is richly adorned with all sorts of nostalgia-ware, football jerseys and B&W photographs; so much so, I regretted not taking more pictures of the décor. It screams local eatery and even has that musky smell of a restaurant that’s been there for too long. The restaurant prides itself in serving Neapolitan food, which by their own account is a result of a criss-crossing of several cultures which has affected the cuisine and resulted in a style that’s a halfway house between being refined and folk. Sounds good to me, I was just completely intrigued with their claim about the pizzas… but first, some appetisers.

Swimming

My family loves fresh seafood, especially the old man, he loves anything that’s still ‘Yau Siu’ (swimming).

Hmm.

Swordfish Carpaccio, rocket salad. The fish was quite a tough texture, almost like a robust tuna, it was chewy as opposed to being a puffy marsmallow. I assumed it was raw (Salted? Raw? Unsure, help?), but it tasted as if it was medium rare. It did carry a silky juiciness with it. It was zestified from the lemon juice but overall, the bold flavours of the fish dominated, which was a good thing. I love raw fish, and can only appreciate a good Carpaccio. A rustic start, if rather uneventful.

Next up: Deep fried calamari and sicilian prawns served on a bed of mix leaf salad.

The crusty exterior of the squid rings were extraordinary. I wasn’t expecting much of anything, but these were great as they reminded me of my mum’s recipe (she really knows best). Instead of a crunchy batter; this one was light, and almost powdery, interestingly enough, what made it tremendously delicious was an inherent eggyness that went really, really well with the squid. There was an openness about it, and the fresh approach made the deep fried calamaries a breeze to wolf down.

Similarly, the prawns were fried crisply and the natural seafood flavour was intensified with a sort of eggyness in the mix. The recipe somehow reminded me of Chinese prawn crackers, you know, a certain umaminess to the dish.

Best pizza in London?

Ok, I know what everybody is thinking: Franco Manca. That cannot be ignored, the benchmark for pizzas in the capital surely has to be measured against the Brixton Institution. So it won’t come as a surprise that I would be comparing DM with FM.

I was served the margherita (tomato & mozzarella & fresh basil ) on first visit (£5.90) and on my 2nd visit, I tried the Marinara (tomato, garlic and oregano £5.50) and the San daniele (parma ham, tomato, parmesan £7.95). Let’s start with the all important dough.

Ok, FM has competition. The pizza base is thin, thinner than FM and it is softer and rather more delicate. I also noted that it was served warm, as opposed to piping hot at FM (not sure if it was rested first or if the FM ovens were warmer). The base is very appetising and there was a silky bounce and subtle consistency to it, as opposed to a sizzling bang and a terrific pillow like chew which the FM pizza exhibits. Its very difficult to call, both pizza bases are very good indeed, but I may just give it to FM for better flavour and more chewiness and bounce as well as an overall wow factor. Having said that, I actually appreciated DM’s mellowness. As I said, a tough call.

Next: The tomato paste. I immediately noticed the freshness of the tomato paste, it was so fragrant that you could smell all the aromas. Eating it was a real pleasure, as I was tempted to just slurp the sweet juices off the pizza, it was fresh, bright and the highlight of the pizza. Very open flavour and the intensity was just right. Not too sweet, not too tangy, subtle and just the right balance of acidity. Coupled with the creamy mozzarella produced a fantastic body, with the rich tomatoes blending oh so well with the creamy cheese. I give this one to DM.

Thirdly: Toppings. Alright, I didnt sample everything on the DM menu. All three pizzas at DM were subtly flavoured and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The margherita was an instant classic but my favourite was the marinara as the garlic brought an understated punch to the juicy tomato base. I tried four of the FM pizzas and I have to give this one to Franco. The toppings are rich flavoured and one can really taste the intensity, I refer to the ricotta and artichokes; the anchovies and olives, as well as the brindisa chorizo which FM uses. Bursting flavours and sheer wow factor, I give this one to FM.

So is it the best in London? Erm, its pretty darn close. I think it’s comparable to FM pizzas although it is of a different style. I’ve been scratching my head over how to describe them, and the difference is abit like comparing an able Australian Shiraz against a subtle Burgundy. FM’s wow factor and big flavours, as well as the sizzling heat it is served with makes it akin to a classic Penfolds vintage, everybody will be in agreement that it’s a great pizza. With DM, its silkier, its more subtle, its juicier, its more fragrant, its mellow, its abit more complex and like a great bottle of Nuits St Georges (erm, Im leaning toward David Duband), I could stick a straw in and drink in any day and any night.

I think it comes down to a matter of choice, which do you prefer? Big robust flavours, or something abit more subtle? Both are very good.

Am I by the Sea?

Right, 1400 words and we’re only about half way through. Time for some pasta: O’paccher e`pusillipo, Paccheri pasta with prawns, mussels, porcini mushrooms, rocket, aubergine,Cherry tomatoes, basil and a touch of chilli.(£10)

The juices from the seafood has saturated the pasta, giving it a full flavoured fragrance, its very appetising, and its as if the entire ocean has been distilled into the dish, that is has become a sumptuous gravy. The dish is further coloured with the sweet cherry tomatoes and there is just a very faint hint of spice. Above all, the paccheri pasta was amazing. It was a dense noodle, very thick and rich in eggyness. The heaviness of the pasta soaked up a lot of the juices and every bite brought out bursting seafood flavours. I’m impressed with this one – it is very good indeed.

On my second visit, I had to try more seafood and I plonked for the A’grigliat ro’ Fusaro , (Plate for two) which is a char grilled selection of fresh fish served on a bed of mix salad (£35)

Normally its served with fresh whole seabass, squid, king prawns, mussels, clams and octopus, but they ran out of seabass on our visit. Everything is chargrilled to absolute perfection. The scallops and prawns were so sweet, my tummy was positively rumbling. The smoky grilled flavours were very evident, and there wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t delicious on this plate – I love every bit of it. At £35, the most expensive thing on the menu, and since we were there as a table of six, they spread the portions out over two plates.

Pudding? what?

The lemon brulee was rather good, it was made with a lemon sorbet underneath the custard, but overall I thought the desserts were merely so so. The tiramisu was utterly forgettable, and the torte carprese – almond and chocolate – was merely ordinary.

This could well be one of the most comprehensive reviews I’ve written, and I can safely say that Donna Margherita is good. Its not going to win any big awards, and in a way, that’s a good thing. The classical style is rustic and its just straightforward good Italian food. In particular, the pizzas are wonderful, almost as good as Franco Manca and the pastas as well as the seafood stand out. Its unbeatable when it comes to price, primis at £6 ; pastas at £11; pizza £8 ; meat/fish £13-£15 ; Dolce £4.

My only problem is that 35 minute bus ride. Otherwise, it’s Napoli in London.

The Gist of it

Donna Margherita official site
183 Lavender Hill SW11 5
(020) 7228 2660
£20pp
Verdict:Great Pizzas, lovely seafood and heartwarming pastas. An excellent Italian restaurant in the City.

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