The publication of our All In One Ultimate Restaurant List is just around the corner, and will as usual be filled with quotes from chefs, recipes and of course the list of London’s top 100 restaurants. As a mini-preview we asked some of the capital's best eateries to share their signature recipes with us. Bon appetit!
The Rib Room
Roasted lamb sweetbreads, caramelised cauliflower and toasted almonds
Now part of the swanky Jumeirah Carlton Hotel, the Rib Room has been serving classic British cuisine for over 50 years. To make this dish you’ll need to begin prepping a day in advance, but it’s worth it if you’re looking for a show-stopping starter.
500g lamb sweetbreads
500g cauliflower
100ml full fat milk
15g butter (unsalted)
100g mirepoix vegetables (a combination of celery, onions and carrots)
50g blanched almonds
0.025g lecithin (foaming agent)
5g thyme
20ml lamb jus
For the cauliflower
Remove all cauliflower stalks and julienne cut, then cook in the oven at 80C for 3 hours or until crispy.
Take one of the cauliflower heads, remove the small florets and blanch the head before refreshing in ice-cold water. Cut the blanched cauliflower into small even-sized pieces and put in a pan with the butter and a little salt before placing cling film over the top of the pan and sweating right down. Once the cauliflower is soft, add a little milk and cook for a further 10 minutes before blending the mixture and passing through a fine sieve. Finish with salt and lemon juice.
Place the remaining cauliflower in a pan with a little oil so that it starts to colour. Then add the butter and roast for a further 2 minutes before adding 5g of blanched almonds. When the almonds have coloured, remove everything from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, remove and roughly chop the roasted cauliflower, binding together with the puree - being careful not to make it too wet. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
For the almond milk
Infuse 100 ml of milk with some toasted almonds and thyme. Pass the mixture through a sieve and use lecithin and a little butter to make foam before serving. Season well.
For the sweetbreads
Soak in ice water for 24 hrs. Bring some water to the boil, season and add the mirapoix vegetables and the sweetbreads before gently simmering for 6 minutes. When part cooked, allow the sweetbreads to cool and whilst still warm, peel them and pat dry to remove the excess water. In a pan, add clarified butter and the sweetbreads, cook until they gently colour. When they have a good colour, sprinkle with icing sugar and caramelise. Remove the sweetbreads and chill, leaving the foaming butter in the pan. Finish the butter with lemon, salt and a bit of lamb stock.
Boqueria
Black rice
This tapas restaurant in Clapham focuses on traditional dishes from Catalunya. ‘Arroz negro’ or black rice is so-called because of the colour the squid ink turns the other ingredients. In its homeland the dish is almost as ubiquitous as paella.
For the rice
4 king prawns (peel the body, leave head and tail)
400g fresh squid
5 tbsp squid ink
1 garlic clove
1 red pepper
400g Bomba rice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch fresh parsley
3 grated tomatoes
For the stock
Hake, monkfish bones and king prawn shells
1 leek
1 tomato
For the stock
Place 2l of water in a saucepan with the prawn shells, fish bones, parsley, tomato and leek and boil for 20 minutes. Do not exceed this time to avoid the stock turning a darker colour or giving an excessively fishy taste. Strain the stock with a fine mesh strainer.
For the rice
Add olive oil to a large pan and heat. Finely slice the red pepper and lightly fry. Add the squid and sautée. When the squid turns white it is cooked.
Add the rice and lightly fry for approximately 3 minutes on a medium flame to release the starch. Add the 3 grated tomatoes and lightly fry for another 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and parsley and stir for 2 minutes, then add the squid ink to the stock.
Put the pan on high heat and add a litre and a half of stock to the rice (the stock must be boiling).Stir well until the ink is evenly mixed. Leave on high heat and stir frequently for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 8 minutes. The pan should be lightly shaken at intervals to move the rice but do not stir. Turn off the heat and leave to stand.
In another pan sautée the prawns on both sides. The prawns are then placed on top of the black rice and it’s ready to serve. It can be accompanied by ali-oli.
HKK
Drunken chicken
Part of the Hakkasan stable, HKK have done away with the a la carte at dinner time and instead offer a 15-course tasting menu. Head chef Tong Chee Hwee shared with us his recipe for this Shanghainese classic, which is served as part of the feast.
x12 pieces of boneless leg of Label Rouge chicken
600g homemade chicken stock
10g chicken stock powder
25g salt
110g Shaoshing rice wine
10g caster sugar
10g fresh ginger juice
First prepare the drunken chicken sauce. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, except the chicken, ginger juice and salt, mix well.
Ensure the chicken is clean and dry, then marinate the legs with the salt and ginger juice for around 2 hours. Flatten the legs and roll them using cling film (skin facing outside) individually, making sure it is very tight. Steam with the cling film on for 20 minutes. Once cooled down take legs out of the cling film and add the drunken chicken sauce. Roll the legs tightly with cling film individually again, making sure to keep the tube shape, and marinate for a further 3 hours before serving.