| So much to eat, so little time. But there
are some things we simply must make time for, if not immediately,
certainly before we leave this earth. But what is really worth
doing, and what can be happily left on the side of the plate?
To answer this quandry Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay, Tom
Aikens, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Terence Conran, restaurant
critics Terry Durack, Fay Maschler and Jay Rayner, and many,
many more list the things they feel passionately that everyone
should do. Be it drinking a glass of 1947 Petrus or eating
chocolate cake in Vienna, dining with a legend or poaching
a snail, this is the exclusive list of the ultimate foods
to die for...
Make
toast
Not just any old piece of toast, but that which has been cut
thick from a fresh, old-fashioned white loaf. It should be
toasted over the hot plate of an Aga, till the cut sides reach
only the palest gold, and the crusts have blackened very slightly
round the edges. It should be spread with salted (yes, salted)
Welsh butter and eaten before some of the butter has had the
chance to completely melt.
Eat the best
Simon Rogan, chef-patron of Michelin starred L'Enclume, and
several others of those in the know suggest the full symphonie
menu at La Ferme de Mon Père - Marc Veyrat's restaurant
in Megève. The owner was awarded three Michelin stars
for this faithful reconstruction of a Savoyard farmhouse in
the mountains of the Haute Savoie. Purpose-built to his own
design, the building is a homage to his peasant-farmer father
and his own roots, where every night the animals would be
brought into the stables under the house. And indeed at La
Ferme, where authentic farmyard smells permeate the eating
area, diners can look down through the glass panes in the
floor onto the flock of mountain sheep, a carthorse and a
flock of hens. I would agree with them all, except that I
have never been comfortable with being introduced to an animal
before I sit down and eat it.
• La Ferme de Mon Père, Megève, France
(00 33 4 50 21 01 01), 16 courses for approx £238
Dismember
a chicken
Nigella Lawson says that everyone should do this at least
once in their lives. It is actually quite easy when you get
the hang of it, and your supper will taste much better for
your having had a hand in it, so to speak.
Eat
lunch at Le Grand Véfour
Housed in a corner of the delicate stone arcade that frames
Paris's Jardin du Palais Royale, just up from the Comedie-Française,
Le Grande Véfour is literally the mother and father
of all restaurants. Véfour, once a chef to the French
royal household, founded the establishment that bears his
name back in the 1780s. Here you will eat Guy Martin's melt-in-themouth
raviolis de foie gras, an emulsion de crème truffé
from Limoges china and pore over one of the world's most revered
wine lists. At least that is what I am told by very informed
foodies. A word of warning: wear your dark glasses or risk
being blinded by the OTT decor and swirly carpets.
• Le Grand Véfour, 17 Rue de Beaujolais, Paris
(00 33 1 42 96 56 27) approx &euro200 a head
Boil
a new-laid egg
Our own Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests a freshly laid
egg from a self-raised hen, boiled for 4½ minutes and
served with well-buttered granary toast soldiers. Allergic
to eggs myself, I will just have to take his word for it.
You can have the egg Hugh, I'll have the soldiers.
Dine at the French Laundry
First you must devote yourself to getting through to reservations
at this Californian shrine - put the phone on redial and speakerphone
and be prepared to sit there for an hour or more. Then God
help you if you actually want a reservation on a specific
day at a specific time. The place itself is delightful, situated
in a small house that was once a French laundry (the only
reminder now is an old-fashioned wooden clothes peg attached
to each stiff white linen napkin). The restaurant has a charming,
lush garden - perfect for pre-dinner drinks, and the kitchen
is visible through huge windows so you can watch the chefs
praying over their minuscule towering creations.
• The French Laundry, 6640 Washington Street, Yountville,
California (00 1 707 944 2380)
Take
a dip
More precisely, dip into the warm cheese fondue at Watergate
Bay's Beach Hut in Cornwall after a morning's surfing. Converted
from a bucket and spade shop, the Beach Hut manages to combine
a slightly chaotic informality with fantastic food. The wooden
walls, wicker chairs, primary colours and reggae background
music create a colourful beach-shack ambience, while the views
are of endless sand and sea.
• The Beach Hut, Watergate Bay, nr Tregurrian, Cornwall
(01637 860877)
Dive
for sea urchins
Fino's Sam Hart would be happy to end his days diving for
sea urchins then eating them raw with a slice of lemon on
the beach. Certainly there are worse ways to go. If I were
a better swimmer I would join him, but I'm happy to make do
with the octopus platter at his London restaurant.
• Fino, 33 Charlotte Street, London (020 7813 8010)
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Pick
your own
Our forests and meadows are a valuable, yet under-exploited
food source. Fromlate spring till the first frosts, you will
find everything from chanterelles to puffballs just waiting
to be picked. For the best breakfast of all, head to the woods
with your camping stove and fry yourself a fine plate of freshly
gathered mushrooms, cooked briefly in a little butter and
eaten straight from the pan. Just make certain that you know
what you are picking.
Eat
fish on the Pampelonne
Club 55 is St-Tropez's most infamous beach hangout, put on
the map in the 1950s by Brigitte Bardot, and now loved by
celebs like Bono . Eating the restaurant's overpriced grilled
fish while wearing nothing more than a thong is now a rite
of passage for any aspiring model, actress or porn star. If
you can't get a table, try Le Voile Rouge up the beach. Of
course the food is irrelevant, but who cares?
• Club 55, Pampelonne Beach, St-Tropez (00 33 4 94 55
55 55)
Make
love in a vineyard
Don't all rush at once, but making love in a vineyard is at
the top of Tim Atkin's list. Not just any vineyard either,
not even any French vineyard, but in no fewer than all five
of the Bordeaux first growth vineyards. 'At night,' The Observer's
wine editor adds somewhat coyly. I guess it beats the ladies'
loo in All Bar One.
• Château Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour, and
Château Mouton-Rothschild all in Pauillac, Médoc,
Château Margaux, in Margaux, Médoc and Château
Haut-Brion, in Pessac-Cedex, Graves
Slurp
udon noodles in Takamatsu
Takamatsu, in the prefecture of Kagawa, on the island of Shikoku,
to the south of Japan is to noodle lovers what Mecca is to
Muslims. According to Terry Durack, restaurant critic and
author of Hunger, in this one little town, 300 noodle restaurants
all serve up bowls of big thick white, gloopy udon noodles.
He suggests you look for hand-kneaded udon, and tells us not
to worry about making a noise as we eat. You're supposed to
slurp.
Learn how to make a dry
martini
Mr Durack says the perfect ratio is six parts gin to one part
vermouth. He's right of course. He says that you pour the
gin and vermouth over ice in a chilled shaker, then mix and
strain quickly into a chilled martini glass. There are more
rules too: any more vermouth and it's a mixed drink. Any less
and it's a shot. Anything more than a green olive or a twist
of lemon and it's a salad.
Nibble
cheese-flavoured chocolates
Pascal Aussignac from Club Gascon and Le Cercle raves over
the cheese-flavoured chocolates created by Jean-Paul Hévin
in Paris. Combinations such as chocolate, walnut and Roquefort
or epoisses, (that's the stinky one) chocolate and cumin may
sound bizarre but the salt/sweet mix of flavours is to die
for. Intrepid eater I may be, but I think I'm going to take
Pascal's word for it on this one. Camembert and Terry's chocolate
orange anyone?
• JP Hévin, 23 Bis, Avenue de la Motte-Picquet
(00 33 1 45 51 99 64)
Tread
grapes in a laga
Tim Atkins gets his kit off again, but this time to tread
grapes in a laga inPortugal's upper Douro. He insists you
should have consumed a bottle of vintage port before you start.
16 Buy a turbot
Peter Weeden of the Paternoster Chop House suggests a trip
to Charlestown harbour in St Austell Bay, Cornwall, to catch
the day boats just coming in. He wants us to buy a whole,
fresh turbot and take it home to cook. Personally I can't
think of anything nicer, especially if someone makes a little
jug of hollandaise sauce to go with it.
17
Lick an ice cream in Sicily
So overrun are we by the choc-chip-fudge-crunch-style American
ice creams that it is easy to forget what the real stuff tastes
like. The ices at Corrado Costanzo in Noto, Sicily, are arguably
the best you can find anywhere in the world. Mandarin, made
with Sicilian oranges, is probably the most in-demand flavour
at this ice-cream and pastry shop but try also mulberry and
the jasmin sorbet that's made with flowers picked in the evening
when they are at their most fragrant. Chunky Monkey eat your
heart out.
• Corrado Costanzo, Via Spaventa 7, Noto, Sicily (00
39 931 835 243)
18 Shuck an oyster
Any excuse to slurp a decent oyster, but Racine's Henry Harris,
who has shucked a few in his time, recommends a platter of
'wild native oysters, from a forgotten oyster bed'. He is
right, of course, and I come across so many people who say
they don't like these delectably slithery, sexy little creatures
but, when pressed, have to admit to never having tried one.
Yet why do so many of us rank them as one of the all-time
greatest food on earth? Do I have to get down on my knees
and beg?
19 Order a Bellini in Harry's Bar
It is tempting to think that ordering a Bellini at Harry's
Bar is the Venetian equivalent of buying a kiss-me-quick hat
in Blackpool. It isn't. Everything about Harry's Bar is spot-on,
from the napery to the carpaccio. Pity about the prices.
• Harry's Bar, Calle Vallaresso, Venice (00 39 41 52
85 777) &euro14 for a Bellini
20 Wolf down a hotdog on Coney
Island
Martha Greene, the brains behind London's foodie haven Villandry,
has high praise for the hot dogs on New York's Coney Island.
But not just any old dog. She claims it must be from Nathan's
and you must eat it on the pier. And you don't argue with
Martha.
21 Poach a snail
Morgan Meunier of London restaurant Morgan M raves over a
particular snail dish served at Lameloise in Burgundy. The
chef first poaches the snail to remove its rubbery consistency
and then serves it in a sauce made from local wine breaking
from the tradition of serving it with garlic. So much for
me thinking they taste like bogies in garlic butter then.
• Lameloise, 36 Place d'Armes, Chagny, France (00 33
3 85 87 65 65)
22
Eat the first asparagus
We are not talking about the bargain-basement Spanish stu.
here, and certainly not the thick 'porn-star' Californian
spears either, but only the very first British asparagus,
poached and served with plain, melted butter. Fay Maschler,
the country's most experienced restaurant critic, insists
that it should be cooked immediately after picking. As usual,
she's right.
23 Order fish at Doyles
Watsons Bay in Sydney is best known for Doyles, probably the
most famous seafood restaurant in the world. There's something
virtuous about eating fresh seafood with the Pacific lapping
at your ankles. The view of Sydney harbour and skyline is
breathtaking, particularly in the late afternoon as yachts
begin to head for home, or moor in front of Doyles so the
crew can swim ashore for a drink at the adjacent Watson's
Bay Hotel.
• Doyles, Watsons Bay Wharf, Marine Parade, Watson's
Bay, Sydney (00 61 2 9337 2007)
24 Be cooked for by a legend
Marco Pierre White was the food world's first and best enfant
terrible. We miss his antics. But most of all we miss his
cooking. The Square's Philip Howard wants to lure the millionaire
restaurateur out of retirement so that he can once again taste
his signature 'tagliatelle of oysters with caviar'. Dream
on.
25 Sniff a white truffle
Almost every foodie I have ever met goes weak at the knees
at the mere mention of white truffles. Gordon Ramsay likes
his on scrambled eggs and toasted brioche while several others
like theirs shaved over risotto. Me, I am happy just to breathe
in their heavenly scent.
• Available fresh from Selfridges (08708 377 377) around
Christmas time, approx £3,500 per kilo
26 Dice with death
Eating Japanese blowfish is the food lover's answer to unsafe
sex. Prepared by careless hands this fish can kill you, and
the Japanese pay a small fortune for the frisson that goes
along with each mouthful. Gordon Ramsay likes it for the 'thrill
and the unusual sensation when you eat it'.
27 Eat chocolate cake in Vienna
The silver pot of hot chocolate, the delicate china cup, the
slice of richest most divine chocolate cake, and don't forget
the cream. Try it at the Hotel Sacher or maybe one of the
city's string of ancient pastry shop like Demels. John and
Yoko were right.
• Hotel Sacher, Philharmonikerstarasse 4, Vienna (00
43 1 514 560). Cafe Demel, Kohlmarkt 14, Vienna (00 43 1 533
5516)
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28 Dine at Jean Georges in New
York
This place was on several people's wishlists. I must admit
I found it difficult to keep my face straight at some of the
pretensions of this world-famous and currently fashionable
restaurant. Perhaps it was the white-gloved waitress with
her trolley of warm marshmallows which she then proceeded
to cut into cubes with grape scissors. Or was it the small
matter of telling me I was unsuitably attired when sitting
opposite me was a couple snogging so energetically I half
expected a waiter to bring them a condom on a silver tray.
Still, it would take more than that to distract anyone from
the sublime cooking, be it sea bass with enoki mushrooms and
star anise, or the heavenly chocolate dessert plate.
• Jean George, 1 Central Park West, New York (00 1 212
299 3900), seven-course truffle tasting menu $220 per head
29 Pod fresh peas
Restaurateur Sir Terence Conran is rarely happier than when
sitting in the sun, eating a dish of the first uncooked peas,
broad beans, tiny artichokes and French breakfast radishes
with some Malvern salt and a bottle of Batard Montrachet on
the side. And who can blame him?
30 Queue for fish and chips
A really good fish-and-chip shop is a rare treat, so if there
is a long queue you know there is a chance you are in for
something special. So get down to Aldeburgh in Suffolk, join
the (very) long queue, grab your hot parcel and whiz it off
to the beach, unwrap and eat with the sea breeze in your hair.
• Aldeburgh Fish and Chip Shop, 226 High Street, Aldeburgh,
Suffolk (01728 452 250)
31 Get up early and go to market
Preferably in Provence. The smell is a mix of pine and cigarette
smoke with the occasional strong hit of goat cheese. Cogniscenti
head for the Var area, particularly the markets of Cotignac
(summer only), the bustling town of Salernes (Wednesday and
Saturdays) and Aups (famous for truffles).
32 Shop till you drop
Terry Durack reckons that the food market at La Boqueria in
Barcelona is simply the best in the world. The place is an
absolute joy - full of life, colour, movement, bulls' testicles,
cod tripe, goose barnacles and tiny, tiny, baby broad beans.
And to think I didn't even know that geese could get barnacles.
• La Boqueria, Plaza de la Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain
(00 34 93 318 25 84), open Mon-Sat
33) Catch your own dinner
Uber-chef Tom Aikens votes for deep-sea fishing in Barbados.
'I went deepsea fishing for tuna, which we then barbecued
on the beach at sunset. The satisfaction of catching your
own dinner, the freshness of the fish and the stunning surroundings
made it an unforgettable experience.'
34 Push the boat out
Drink Domaine de la Romanée- Conti (around £250
a bottle), preferably at the vineyard in Burgundy. Tim Atkin
again.
• Try Corney & Barrow (020 7265 2400)
35
Grill a steak
A good steak features high in many people's lists, but Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests a Guernsey beef sirloin, aged
four weeks bought from Brown Cow organics, served with perfect
chips and Dijon mustard. Sir Terence Conran goes one further.
He says the most sublime of all is cooked by Michel Guerard
at his restaurant in Eugenie les Bains with the fat from foie
gras.
• Brown Cow Organics, Perridge Farm, Shepton Mallet,
Somerset (www.browncoworganics.co.uk; 01749 890298). Les Pres
D'Eugenie Michel Guerard, Eugenie Les Bains, France (00 33
558 05 06 07)
36 Drink a bottle of 1947 Cheval Blanc
Not a bad life is it Tim? Available from Fine and Rare Wines
Limited (020 8960 1995), approx £1,058 a bottle
37 Do the Grand Tour
Several of our contributors voted for a gastronomic tour of
the South of France, ensuring a visit to the restaurants of
Marc Veyrat, Les Troisgros, Michel Bras and the Pourcel brothers.
Oh really, can't you think of any other way to spend your
last few hourson earth than stuffing yourself with plates
of uptight 'towers and drizzles' cooking? Personally, I'd
rather have a nice plate of teacakes and a pot of tea at Bettys
in Harrogate.
• La Maison de Marc Veyrat, 13 Vieille Route des Pensieres,
Veyrie du Lac, France (00 33 4 50 60 24 00), Les Troisgros,
Place Jean Troisgras, Roanne, France (00 33 4 77 71 66 97),
Michel Bras, Route de l'Aubrac, Laguoile, France (00 33 5
65 51 18 20), Le Jardin des Sens (Pourcel Brothers), 11 Avenue
Saint-Lazare, Montpellier, France (00 33 4 99 58 38 38), Bettys
of Harrogate, 1 Parliament St, Harrogate (01423 502746)
38 Go
out for a duck
Jay Rayner recommends eating your own numbered duck at La
Tour D'Argent in Paris. Since 1890 this establishment has
been serving a whole Challandais duck for two people, in a
duck jus enriched with cognac, madeira and foie gras. Each
duck is numbered, and the tag presented to the diner. In 1921
Emperor Hirohito of Japan ate number 53,321, and returned
50 years later to enjoy number 423,900. The one millionth
duck was served in 2003.
• La Tour d'Argent, 15-17 Quaide la Tournelle, Paris
(00 33 1 43 54 23 31)
39 Visit Pierre Gagnaire in Paris
Not another bloody three-star yawnathon? Well, actually no.
Pierre Gagnaire's Paris restaurant is the real thing. The
most elegant restaurant imaginable continues to surprise and
delight with its constantly changing menu. The food there
just gets better and better.
• Pierre Gagnaire, 6 Rue Balzac, Paris (00 33 1 58 36
12 50)
40 Bake a loaf of bread
Sooner rather than later, you really must bake a loaf of bread.
There are few things that feel the same as having taken your
own loaf out of the oven, tapped its bottom and heard the
tell-tale hollow sound of a perfectly cooked loaf. If your
loaf is a true San Francisco-style sourdough then all the
better.
41 Visit Highgrove
HRH's perfect organic farm is how things should be in an ideal
world, from the humanely reared and slaughtered cattle and
pigs to the pesticide-free oats and reed-bed sewage system
for both humans and cows. However, most operators don't have
his bottomless pockets.
• To visit you must apply to the Prince of Wales Office,
St James's Palace, London SW1A 1AA
42 Take coffee at Caffé
Florian
OK it's a bit touristy, but there really is only one Florian's
(founded in 1720) and this is the place to sit and watch Venice
go by. You will pay dearly for your tiny espresso, and may
be even slightly disappointed, but you will still have taken
part in one of Europe's oldest foodie pastimes.
• Caffé Florian, Piazza San Marco, Venice (00
39 41 520 5641)
43 Attend Holi Festival
Atul Kochhar of London's Benares restaurant implores everyone
to experience Holi, India's spring festival. With the flowers
and fields in bloom, India goes wild with people running around
smearing each other with water and brightly coloured powder.
The festival celebrates good harvests and fertility so huge
bonfires are burnt in which new spring vegetables are cooked,
followed by a huge barbecue amid songs, dances, processions
and a general sense of abandonment. Sounds just like my local.
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44 Catch a lobster
Christopher Gilmour of Christopher's, the Enterprise and Pomino,
wouldn't want anyone to leave this earth with enjoying a freshly
caught, grilled lobster with melted butter on Nantucket Island.
45 Stuff yourself with caviar
A favourite pastime of Gordon Ramsay. He recommends the caviar
of the rare albino sturgeon (up to £22,000 a kilo),
served preferably on a warm blini with crème fraiche.
Presumably to the sound of angels playing trumpets.
46 Squeeze a fresh pineapple
Andrew Turner, executive head chef, at 1880 at the Bentley
Kempinksi says: 'If I didn't have long to live and had the
chance to do something special, it would have to be in Lanai,
Hawaii. I would be on the beach with the sun setting, sitting
looking out to sea with my family and friends. I would have
a local pineapple picker who has selected half a dozen chilled
super ripe/slightly fermenting pineapples bursting with sugar.
He would then press them and serve a long high ball of pineapple
cider. The taste is like no other in the world.'
47 Kill a pig
Fino, just off London's Charlotte Street is one my favourite
places. Sam Hart, the owner enthuses about Matanza, the mid-winter
Spanish tradition of killing the village pig then feasting
on its offal.
48 Milk a cow
Not just a humbling experience, but some say a sensual one,
too. Milking a cow is something I was certainly taught to
do at school, but now I am not sure most kids even know where
milk comes from, let alone how to get at it.
49 Catch an elver
Stuart Gillies, head chef at the Boxwood Café at the
Berkeley suggests fishing for elvers. These baby, or 'glass',
eels are available for a mere six-week season during the spring.
Fished at night from the river Severn in Gloucestershire they
are a rare delicacy, fetching upwards of £500 per kilo.
He offers them quickly fried with watercress butter on toast.
Fabulous! Sounds a bit like posh whitebait to me.
• Seasonally available from Severn and Wye Smokery,
Chaxhill, Gloucestershire (01452 760 190)
50 Go for a pee at Felix
Felix, at Hong Kong's Peninsula hotel is simply the place
to go for an after-dinner pee. Not only does the bar boast
a seductive interior with dining tables that glow, but has
spectacular views. Designing the lavatories was clearly what
interested Philippe Starck the most. The men's room has a
floor to ceiling glass wall offering dazzling views of the
Kowloon skyline with an all-glass urinal ranged along it,
for an authentic master-of-the-universe experience.
• Felix at the Peninsula hotel, Salisbury Road, Kowloon
(00 852 2920 2888)
And finally...fast
A last word of sound advice from Evening Standard food critic
Fay Maschler.
Copyright The Observer Food Monthly May 2005
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