Chocolate Making and Decorating Workshop at MyChocolate

I was recently invited to an Organic Chocolate making and decorating workshop by MyChocolate, an organisation with a very lovely vintage themed kitchen located just off the famous Leather Lane market near Chancery Lane tube station, in Central London. 

MyChocolate have been working on spreading love for the sweet and wonderful brown stuff for the last 8 years. Their workshops are aimed at individuals, groups (friends/hen parties/work team building) and can be tailored to your experience and interest. 

We started off with an ice breaking and fun activity of mixing Chocolate Martini cocktails. 

The glasses were decorated with top quality molten dark chocolate, by swirling the glass whilst dripping chocolate on them. Here is one of my workshop mates having a go:

I will confess, this is much harder in practice than it sounds on paper; it is one of those skills like rubbing your tummy whilst patting your head that takes a bit of practice to perfect. However, it didn't matter as we had the chance to consume and therefore eliminate the evidence!

If you want to try making your own Chocolate Martini, here is a recipe: http://www.mychocolate.co.uk/2013/02/chocolate-vodka-martini/

We then were guided through the fascinating history of chocolate. Our Chocolatier, Jordan, was full of knowledge and happy to answer our questions. 
 

Jordan, our Chocolatier, in action!

Jordan also talked us through the process of making chocolate  from the harvest of the bean to the making of the bar.

We had the opportunity to sample cocoa nibs (crunchy, tasty, but unlike chocolate itself) and 100% pure chocolate (really quite bitter, unlike 75% or 80% cocoa solid chocolate).

We then had the opportunity to make a personalised giant organic chocolate button. We were provided with lots of wonderful toppings and the use professional chocolate dipping forks to create a marble effect. Again, another thing which sounds easy, but proves to be more difficult when attempted! 

My workshop mates did really well, as you can see here:

We then learnt how to make chocolate truffles by making our own chocolate ganache (using molten dark chocolate and cream), using a piping bag to form the truffles, allowing to cool and then dusting with cocoa powder. 

Finally, we exercised our full creativity by making our own organic chocolates, making truffles, chocolate coated truffles and decorating them using white and pink chocolate flakes, caramelised hazelnuts, transfers, and breadcrumbs. 

After waiting for them to dry, we were able to package our handmade chocolates in ribbon tied bags. 

How impressive, eh?

I found the workshop enjoyable. The Martinis are delicious, learning how to make and work with the chocolate is fun, and the people at MyChocolate turn a blind eye if you dunk a marshmallow in the molten chocolate, as long as you use a chocolate fork and not your fingers!

The staff at MyChocolate are really warm, friendly and welcoming. They are more than willing to help you with anything you might be finding unfamiliar or challenging.

My only warning is that the chocolate starts to solidify much faster than you would think. So you have to move forward quickly and with confidence. If drizzling or dipping, you need to move them to prevent the bases becoming thick. If you don't follow this advice, your final results will look unattractive and lumpy.

I was particularly impressed that the class was able to cater for people who had dietary requirements. One of our attendees had lactose intolerance, and as a result, a special molten chocolate made with coconut milk was prepared especially! If you have a nut allergy, I would advise you to contact the people at MyChocolate, details below.

Cream and coconut milk to make chocolate mixes for different dietary requirements

If you want more details about available workshops, please see: http://www.mychocolate.co.uk/

MyChocolate workshops can also be booked through Experience Days Ltd: www.experiencedays.co.uk

  

MyChocolate

Unit B1
Hatton Square Business Centre
16-16A Baldwins Gardens
London, EC1N 7RJ 

0207 269 5760. Offices open Monday to Friday, 9:30am-5:30pm 

Snigdha attended the MyChocolate workshop as their guest.

Guest Post - Catford Broadway Supperclub and monthly market

Many of you will already know that I am a South Londoner. I have made no secret of this fact.
 
However, to be more exact, I am a person from a place called Catford. This is a place I lovingly call "the Nation of Catford", since we are a highly individual and characteristic part of the fabric of South London. Culturally diverse, and full of people of every age and social background, I regard us a somewhat exotic and special corner of the London Borough of Lewisham. We are most famous for our large and decorative black and white cat, which adorns our shopping centre. We used to be famous for our greyhound track, which met its demise with the decline of the sport over the last 5 to 10 years. 

South London has long had an image problem amongst London folk, and unfairly so. As a result, it is my pleasure to host this post by someone on the team responsible for reinvigorating Catford Town Centre who is a proud Catford resident for the last 10 years. 

My guest blogger works for the London Borough of Lewisham and has been instrumental in creating and running both the Catford Broadway Monthly Market and the Catford Broadway Supperclub. It's an exciting and fresh approach to bringing together a community and resurrecting local pride.    

Lewisham Council has ambitious plans for Catford that will completely change the face of the town centre. Plans include new shop fronts, repaving and pedestrianisation of Catford Broadway which have already begun.

One of the first Council initiatives was the Catford Broadway Monthly Market. Held on the first Sunday of the month from 10am–4pm, it balances the artisan and authentic, with traditional Trinidadian canteen sitting comfortably alongside vegan cupcakes, Sardinian charcuterie and handmade pasta.

Celebrating its first birthday last month, it’s fast becoming a ‘gastro hotspot’. Traders for the next market include ‘Colonel Tom’s Gumbo’, ‘Two Hungry Bees’ Vietnamese street food and ‘Ulrike’s Bakery’ offering the best salted caramel macaroons you’ll ever taste.  There are also non-food stalls including ‘Sylvia’s Vintage Gems’ and handmade dolls of all hues by ‘Verona C’.

The Catford Broadway Supper Club was built on the success of the market after seeing all the culinary talent in the market.  Initially ‘a summer experience’ the club has been so successful that it has been extended for the rest of the year and will be moving to an inside location in the autumn.

The Catford Broadway Supper Club kicked off in May with Forest Hill’s Mama Wangs Kitchen’s ‘Terracotta Nights’, a menu inspired by Chinese street food from Xi’an. Then in June there was Catford’s very own DB Foods - presenting 'The Ubuntu' Experience’  - taking diners through South Africa’s rich culinary history.

The third event in July was a pizza and beer night from Sydenham’s ‘Van Dough’ and the ‘Brockley Brewing Company’. The next event, all the way from Croydon, is ‘Yummy Choo Eats’ offering home-cooked food from the tropical Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.

Catford is one of the only places in south east London that doesn't have a society or improvement group so the supper club brings local people together.  It also introduces non-locals to Catford – in fact, some travelled from as far afield as Brighton, Haringey and Petts Wood.

The most rewarding part of the project so far has been to prove that it can be done. Catford isn’t the ‘hippest’ part of the borough - we don’t have the ‘Ginger Line’ and not everyone sports an ironic moustache or skinny jeans. But we’ve proved that interesting things can still happen.  There are plans for a cinema club, a food bank and we’d like to see a pan-Catford group of local ambassadors raising civic pride and getting things done.

If it can happen in Forest Hill, Sydenham, Ladywell and Hither Green it can happen here!

Catford Broadway Monthly Market  - First Sunday of the month
Catford Broadway Supper Club  - Third Thursday of the book.  Book in advance at  www.grubclub.co.uk
The next Catford Broadway Monthly Market is Sunday 1 September

Join us on Twitter https://twitter.com/CatfordBroadway

Join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Catford-Broadway-Market/143688855771066

Snigdha would like to thank her guest blogger for this informative and entertaining guest post, and thank the London Borough of Lewisham for the pictures used here. Snigdha has not received any sponsorship, gift or incentive for hosting this post.

Shoryu St James/Regent Street

I have long dreamt about going to Japan. Since I was about 6 or so, and first saw silk kimonos, sake flagons and cups and other paraphernalia at the now long-gone Mitsukikku shop in South Kensington, I've been fascinated by the art, food and culture of the land of the Rising Sun.....

I nearly had the chance to see it for myself. Him Indoors and I had booked everything; digs in Tokyo and Kyoto, a pass on the Shinkansen... flights... All was ready. And then the terrible and tragic events where Japan was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake, its subsequent tsumami which caused terrible damage to the now infamous Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant meant that the Home Office deemed it unsafe for UK nationals to travel to Japan. So sadly, we had to cancel everything. 

I've long been hearing about the new wave of authentically Japanese eateries taking off in London; Bone Daddies, Tonkotsu, and Shoryu have been leading the way. Serving typically “everyday” tasty, real food rather than fine dining, this is the food of Japan you might struggle to find on a holiday. I have been keen to try it for some time. 

So I recently decided to visit Shoryu with Him Indoors. We decided this due to the hearty recommendations I've received from friends. There is a strict no reservations policy, which I completely understand given the small size and sheer popularity of the place. We arrived at 12:30 on Saturday, and found ourselves queueing! Reservations always means a risk that punters may not show, and with this small a number of tables, that is not really an option. 

In fairness, we did not have to wait for long to be shown to a table, so I have no complaint whatsoever. The atmosphere on arrival was one of informal, warm friendliness. The other customers happily nibbling, chewing or slurping away in the manner of people having food they are genuinely enjoying. 

Shoryu's speciality is soup noodles, specifically Tonkotsu. The Japenese word “Tonkotsu” means “pork bone broth ramen”. The stock has to be made over many long hours of slow simmering, to concentrate its flavours. 

What did we have to eat? Let me tell you.....

Chicken Kara Age (crispy deep fried soy, garlic and ginger marinated chicken) £5.00

Chunks of chicken which have been battered and deep fried. Sounds familiar, right? Please dispel any ideas that these are chicken nuggets! These morsels were marinaded before being battered and fried. The result is spicy chicken, with crisp batter on the outside and moist, yielding chicken on the inside. The flavoured mayonnaise dip added sweetness to make this a very pleasant nibbly starter, perfect to share.

Tezukuri Smoked Salmon Okura Rolls (Isle of Ewe smoke salmon with Ikura wrapped Okura with sweet vinegar and yuzu dressing) £7.00

I will confess, I had expected a sort of sashimi sushi dish when I ordered this. I was very surprised when it came out. Thin slices of salmon wrapped around okra, garnished with microherbs and topped with ikura (salmon roe), served with a special soy-based dipping sauce and spirals of daikon gratings. I don't think I have ever had okra which has ever been so fresh. Bright green, without any of the fibrey toughness you can sometimes get with okra, and no slime! It was a pleasure to eat it raw with the salmon. An intriguing surprise of a dish which was a delight to discover.

Hirata Buns 2pcs £6.00

You can choose one each of either belly of pork, chicken, salmon or prawn tempura, the Hirata being steamed buns filled with shoryu spicy meat or fish, greens & qp mayo.

We chose the chicken and pork belly buns. The bun itself is steamed, yet fluffy and light. 

The filling generous for the price. Both meats were marinaded before cooking, investing them with bags of extra taste. I personally preferred the pork, but the chicken was also very good indeed. Forget burgers, this is meaty and satifsying finger food worth travelling across town for. Watch out, these buns frequently sell out!

Those were the starters. Onto the mains.....

I ordered the Shoryu Ganso Tonkotsu for £10. 

This was described as "our signature ramen; a tonkotsu & miso broth with added spinach". Bearing in mind that Shoryu say that their "tonkotsu ramen (excl. Naked Tonkostu) comes in a rich tonkotsu pork broth with bbq pork, nitamago egg, kikurage mushrooms, beansprouts, spring onion, sesame, ginger, nori & mayu (caramelised black garlic oil)", this meant I was going to have lots of interesting textures and flavours in my dish.  I was not disappointed. Mouthfuls of noodles and both with the varying flavours and textures of sour pickled ginger, crispy nori, crunchy beansprouts, and tasty, toothsome pork made this a satisfying main course both for belly and tastebuds. If you've had insipid noodle soups in noodle bars or elsewhere, don't be shy, give this a go. It is not what you are expecting at all, this is a big flavour experience.

Piri Piri Tonkotsu £10.90 

As the name suggests, this is a tonkotsu soup with a spicy chilli kick. This dish was not my choice, so I was only able to try a small amount. The heat made itself known but was not overpowering. The result, a highly  enjoyable variation on the regular tonkotsu. 

To drink, you can have beer, Sake, Shochu, Umeshu, cocktails, whisky, wine, soft drinks or tea. 

Him Indoors elected for the Kirin Ichiban Shibori beer £3.70.

I was initially indecisive and then decided to go for broke!

I started with a glass of chilled Kobai Umeshu plum wine by Geikkekkan, Kyoto, £3.70. This was smooth with ripe, fruity sweetness. A wonderful aperitif, with my only complaint being that it went far too quickly. 

Geikkekan, who made the Umeshu, are more famous for their Sake production. Founded in 1637, Gekkeikan has been producing royal warrant sake for over 350 years in Fushimi, a district of Kyoto. Having had their basic grade Sake hot in restaurants and at home for many years, I was eager to try their other Sakes, including their chilled varieties.

I chose the Nigori Sake bottle, 300ml, £8.90. This was a chilled Sake served in a glass flagon in its own ice bath.

The Sake had a fruity aroma, and its flavours were skilfully balanced making it very easy to drink. 

We had a great lunch at Shoryu. If you don't go crazy and order copious starter and have only a noodle soup and tea, you could have a lunch which represents excellent value for money and leave with tickled tastebuds and a full belly. As it was, we were happy to pay for what was interesting food we would have struggled to find made with such quality in mind elsewhere. The vibe of the place is friendly, with staff providing kind and professional service without being in your face. I have read that other reviewers have experienced poor or indifferent service. That was not our experience at all.

One of my favourite little things about the place is how the staff beat a little drum when each customer leaves. It's little flourish which makes each visitor feel valued after they pay their bill.

I would recommend Shoryu as a great place for informal lunch with family or friends or a sneaky lunch on your own to refuel in style.

Him Indoors and I gladly paid in full for our meal. 

Shoryu Ramen

9 Regent St

London

SW1Y 4LR

(No telephone number owing to the no reservations policy)

BBQ Whisky Beer at the Wargrave Arms

Sam Daffin started BBQ Whisky Beer at a boozer on Shepherd's Bush's famous Goldhawk Rd as a pop up restaurant, and after looking for a more central location, has now moved to the Wargrave Arms in the Marylebone/Edgware Road area. There's been a great deal of buzz about the place, so when I was asked if I would review it, I was only too pleased.

The Wargrave Arms is a lovely pub. How it has escaped the modernisation and blandification that has blighted many pubs, I don't know. It has bags of character; stained glass, tiffany lampshades, panelling, bar stools and high tables. Well done to brewery Youngs for not subjecting it to the sterile makeovers of the 1990s and Noughties.

 

Aiming to deliver some of the most famous American Barbeque favourites, like chicken wings, roasted ribs, burgers, pulled pork, Mac Cheese, barbeque pork, roast chicken etc, the team are passionate about the food they serve. Just chat to any of them, and they've all tried the entire menu, know how each dish is made and what it contains in unbelievable detail. They want to recommend their favourite dish, or work out what's the thing you'll love the best. And their genuine joy when you tell them you are enjoying your food just can't be faked. 

Sam is something of a barbeque and outdoor cooking expert, having learnt his craft over many years. His stories about cooking on the beach, using wood fired sand pits with smoking tunnels to channel heat and smoke made me realise that whilst fun, this type of cooking takes a lot of practice and skill. Many people find home cooked barbequed food a little lacklustre; burnt on the outside, raw on the inside. Little wonder, when we only dig out the barbeque on a rare sunny weekend. We just don't have the nous! 

Before coming, I had been advised that several dishes were stand out, such as the beef burger, pulled pork burger, wings, and both the pork and beef ribs. I had wanted to try everything, but being a rather diminutive woman, this was not going to be possible. The eyes are willing, but the stomach too small! So it was a question of prioritisation. Him Indoors came out with me to offer his meat-loving company and meat eating chops. We did our best to partake of the menu... 

We began with the starters.... 

Hot wings, Blue cheese dip and celery, Small £6 (if you want large, it is £10)

The wings arrived in a zinc bucket, piled high. We could hardly believe how many little winglets there were in the bucket! The BBQ Whisky Beer team take each whole chicken wing and cut them into 2 parts, but unlike many other establishments, count the two parts of the original whole wing as a wing (if that makes sense!). So 6 wings means 12 luscious bits of chickeny goodness. Goodness, even KFC are guilty of the Great Chicken Wing Robbery! So, what did we think of the wings? They were glazed generously with a lovely roasted texture on the outside, but soft and moist on the inside. The sauce was... incendiary! We needed the blue cheese mayonnaise dip to quell the satisfyingly tasty but powerful heat. A must for chilli lovers.

Fryer trash, Pulled pork, BBQ sauce £5

I really wanted to try the pulled pork, having heard much about it. It is lovingly cooked for 24 hours! But I knew that if I were to have the pulled pork burger, I would end up getting filled up on the bap and accoutrements within, leaving me less space for the meaty treats to follow. So Him Indoors and I thought that the Fryer Trash, pulled pork on top of triple cooked chips, was the best way of getting a portion of pulled pork without any drama. When the portion arrived, we nearly fell off our seats! It was massive! Heaps of pork on top of a pretty substantial portion of fries. The pork was cooked low and slow, and was tender as can be. The chips were crunchy and crispy. It's not the typical English way to do chips, but I enjoyed the combination of the crunch with the moist pork. The BBQ sauce brought the whole thing together in a wonderfully naughty way. All this was just £5 and was more than enough for 2 to share as a single starter. 

I should tell you that BBQ Whisky Beer produce all of their own sauces, glazes, dips and marinades. This is impressive, not only from the point of view of the effort required, but they are also so well matched to the food overall. A real labour of love. 

The starters were very big, very tasty... but we were beginning to fill up by now... how were we going to manage a main course each? 

One thing Him Indoors and I hate more than anything else, is food waste. It is insulting to the cooks, it shows disregard for the ingredients themselves and with many in the world unable to enjoy a ready supply of food it's just plain insensitive. So ordering two main courses would have resulted in lots of food going uneaten. We were not going to do it. But we SOOOOO wanted to try the award winning ribs. What were we going to do?

We decided to (somewhat sheepishly) ask Sam if he could do us a modestly sized portion of the Jacob's ladder trimmed award winning beef ribs. So this picture is NOT what you would get if you order the £12 portion. 

****THIS IS A SMALL SIZED PORTION MADE ESPECIALLY FOR LITTLE OLD ME****

****YOU WILL GET A PROPER SIZED PORTION WHEN YOU COME, NO WORRIES! ****

The ribs are smoked and then grilled. Somehow they are lightly blackened with a crust on the outside, but retain tenderness and moisture (and hence flavour) on the inside. It's ribtastic! We understood completely why they had won the ‘Great British Rib Champion 2013′ award at Ribstock 2013. It was a pleasure to eat this tasty, flavoursome finger food. And we didn't need to care about the mess as the staff had provided us with a big box of wet wipes to help us keep our hands clean!

I then got tempted with puddings. Very full, I was still curious. Part of me didn't want to order a pudding and not eat it, but part of me was not wanting the experience to end. Sam found it easy to tempt me, so in the end, I elected for the Brownie....

Chocolate Brownie, Dulche de leche ice cream £5

Indulgent, chocolaty and full of home made charm, this is a lovely end to a lovely meal. The ice cream was a lovely foil to the richness of the brownie. 

I should give a mention to the drinks, given that this is BBQ Whisky Beer. There are many types of Whisky - 2 pages, in fact. They are sourced from around the Whisky making world. You will find varieties from the USA, Ireland, Japan, England and Scotland. I am not an aficionado so I can't comment further suffice to say that if the same care is taken on the food, then the chances are the Whisky list is excellent.

In relation to beers, since The Wargrave Arms is a Young's pub, they are only able to serve Young's beers. 

The wine selection is small but select. I did not have any difficulty in finding something very pleasant and drinkable.

Informal and unfussy food like this appears easy to make. The proliferation of "posh" burger and "classy" fried chicken joints shows that many restaurateurs think this kind of food can garner them a big profit margin while riding on the coat tails of this current food trend. But I would say that unless you really know what you're doing, steer well away. Nobody wants dry, burnt ribs that taste like your colleague Dave's last BBQ experiment. This food might be not be complicated, but it certainly isn't simple.

BBQ Whisky Beer will continue its residency at The Wargrave for the forseeable future. However, I am sure they have ambitions to open their own establishment. Keep your eyes and ears open!

Snigdha and Him Indoors dined at BBQ Whisky Beer as guests.

The Wargrave Arms, 40-42 Brendon St, London W1H 5HE