Terroir Wine Bar: A Hidden Gem in the Heart London

If you could dream up the perfect wine bar then this would probably be it: an atmospheric little place tucked away on a small street between the Strand and Covent Garden in the heart of London's West End, serving great food and wine at terrifically reasonable prices. Opened in 2008 by Guildford-based wine merchant Les Caves de Pyrene, Terroir serves sensational tapas, charcuterie and small plates that while mostly French, have some Spanish, Italian and British touches and the occasional Middle Eastern influence, with a menu of ever-changing dishes such as Christian Parra Boudin Noir with Polenta and Chanterelles, Lincolnshire Smoked Eel and Celeriac Remoulade, Pluma Iberia with Pommes Purée, Cavolo Nero and Sage Butter Sauce, and their signature Pork & Pistachio Terrine. And then there's the wine — to say its pivotal is an understatement. Terroirs’ wine list is impressive, with an intimidatingly long wine list of natural wines, many of which are organic and biodynamically produced, sourced from small scale, artisan winemakers — in short wines that encapsulate the notion of 'terroir'. The length and unfamiliarity of the list might be momentarily overwhelming, but one of Terroirs' knowledgeable group of sommeliers are soon at hand, perching on the corner of a neighbouring table to talk us through the options, which included some sensational open bottles from a special Aussie Wine Night the previous evening. With warm, friendly and professional service, inspired menu and excellent wines, Terroirs has become a firm favourite with theatre goers and workers in the area, and it's easy to see why.  

Terroirs' daily lunch special featured on the outside board

Terroirs menu is short but sweet, offering an excellent selection of fish, shellfish, duck, 

cheese and charcuterie

Artisan sourdough bread from E5 Bakehouse in East London,

made with organic, locally-sourced ingredients

Hackney Wild Country Loaf and Semi-Sourdough Baguette from E5,

an independent, organic bakery

I let our waiter make the wine suggestions and he did a marvellous job serving open wines from a recent Aussie Wine Night like this Tussie Mussie Pinot Gris from Quealy Winery, Melbourne

The luscious Aussie Pinot Gris from Quealy Winery outside of Melbourne

A perfectly ripe Camembert de Normandie, one of four spectacular cheeses at Terroirs

Lincolnshire Smoked Eel with a mustardy celeriac remoulade

Creamy Burrata with Samphire, olive oil and lemon zest

Steak Tartare

Heritage Cauliflower with Pine Nuts, Mâche and Autumn Truffles

Venison Ragu with Soft Polenta and Girolles

Mackerel à la Plancha with Salsa

terroirswinebar.com

Smoked Eel, Pickles Beetroot and Horseradish

Serves 6

Recipe courtesy of Terroirs

2 red beets, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandolin 

1/2 cup olive oil 

7 tsp white wine vinegar 

1 oz mild honey 

1 tsp white sugar 

6 thyme sprigs, plus extra leaves to serve 

3/4 cup whipping cream 

2 oz fresh horseradish, finely grated on a Microplane 

1 tbsp cider vinegar 

6 pieces of smoked eel, about 2 oz each 

1 loaf of crusty bread

Place the beets in a non-reactive container and set aside. Stir the oil, vinegar, honey and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat to dissolve sugar, about 3-5 minutes. Cool slightly then pour over the beets. Add some thyme, then cover and refrigerate for the flavours to develop, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Whisk the cream into soft peaks in a bowl, then fold in the horseradish and cider vinegar. Season to taste and refrigerate until required.

Drain the beets, reserving the brine, and arrange on serving plates. Top with eel and spoonfuls of horseradish cream, then drizzle with a little reserved marinade, scatter with extra thyme and season to taste; serve with crusty bread.

Wright Brothers Soho: From Sea to Plate

One of my favourite seafood restaurants in London to indulge in oysters, whelks, winkles and razor clams, Wright Brothers relaunched their Soho restaurant since our last visit, with a major redesign of the interiors by English designer Brady Williams, and introduced a new chef Sasha Diverts, who has given the shellfish emporium's classical seafood dishes a new Asian twist, such as Cornish Mussels with Panang Curry Sauce and Grilled Madagascan Tiger Prawns with Garlic Aioli. Thankfully, the menu still retains its emphasis on serving the highest quality seafood and extensive menu of raw dishes presented as pure and simple as possible, including classic fruits de mer, ceviche and tartare, alongside an extensive variety of oysters served ‘naked’ or ‘dressed’, sourced from their own Duchy Oyster Farm, as well as from Scotland, Ireland, France, the Channel Islands and Canada. Seated at Wright Brothers' opulent new Brady Williams red leather banquette, another design feature is the ‘oyster cage’, a unique private dining area with open kitchen, surrounded by an enormous structure modelled on the oyster cages that Wright Brothers use on their own oyster farm. A family business which started in 2002 selling oysters to many of the best restaurants in London, Wright Brothers now has four restaurants across London plus The Ferry Boat Inn on the Cornish Helford River which dates back to the 16th-century. Hopefully one day, with a dedicated perseverance, I will walk along the Helford River overlooking the beds of the Wright Brothers’ Duchy oyster farm and feast on the freshest fish and seafood straight from the boat — one has to dream.

The new private banquette at Wright Brothers Soho

The oversized candelabra on the stairs beside the banquette

Wright Brothers' stylish new Victorian townhouse conversion with soft leathers 

and ceiling pendants hanging like a fisherman’s catch

'The Cage' is Wright Brothers' unique new private dining area with enormous structure modelled on the oyster cages that the Wright Brothers use on their own Duchy oyster farm

Seafood Mosaic across from our table

Wright Brothers menu with the best seafood in London

Bamboo basket of fresh bread

Glass of Pinot Grigio

Platter of Whelks, Razor Clams and half dozen each of Morecambe Bay Oysters 

and Jersey Rocks from the Channel Islands

Grilled Whole John Dory

Avocado and Microgreen Salad with Asian Wonton Crisps

Light and flakey Asian crisps

Chargrilled Tiger Prawns

Green Beans, Baby Gem and Curly Kale with Shallot Butter

www.thewrightbrothers.co.uk/soho

Crispy Squid with Fiery Sea Pepper

Serves 4-6 as starter

Recipe courtesy of Chef Sasha Ziverts, Wright Brothers Soho

2 1/2 lb fresh squid, cleaned; or 4 1/2 lb uncleaned

10 oz cornflour

1 oz Cornish Sea Salt Fiery Sea Pepper

1/3 oz Cornish Sea Salt

1 bunch coriander, picked and finely chopped

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil for deep frying

Clean the squid by removing the head, innards, body tube and ink sac then remove the skin membrane. Cut the squid in half and then lengthways, into 1/3-inch wide pieces. Place the squid in a colander and rinse under cold running water for five minutes, then pat dry.

Place the cornflour in a bowl and add the squid, liberally coating them and leave for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 180°F. Shake off any excess cornflour. If the flour is really wet, re-coat with some new flour — the squid needs to be coated but not caked.

Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a piece of squid into the oil – if it bubbles and fries at an even rate you are good to go.

Deep-fry the squid in batches for 2 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season straight away with Cornish Fiery Sea Pepper and Sea Salt. This will ensure the seasoning will stick to the coating. Toss through with coriander and spring onions.

Serve with your favourite chilli sauce and lots of lemon wedges. Or, for a variation, add a small amount of chilli sauce to mayonnaise.

London's Borough Market & Fish! Seafood Restaurant

London's oldest and most famous food market, Borough Market is a gourmand's delight with a mouthwatering range of fresh food stalls under its Dickensian wrought-iron roof. Known in its heyday as London's Larder, the market has been a part of London's food culture since the 13th century and has existed at its current location since 1755 — there was even a market here in Southwark at the time of the Roman conquest in the 5th century. Located on Borough High Street, just south of Southwark Cathedral, on the southern end of London Bridge, the Market draws over 70 organic farmers, artisanal producers, world-class bakers, and gourmet food importers from all over the world, in addition to local favourites Neal's Yard, Monmouth Coffee, Mrs King's Melton Mowbray Pork Pies plus a fabulous selection of restaurants such as Wright Brothers Oyster & Porter House, Elliott's, and Iqbal Wahhab’s award-winning Roast in the stunning Floral Hall building overlooking the Market. With traditional British produce sitting alongside regional specialities from around the world, its riot of colourful produce and mouthwatering aromas of Jamaican curries to melted raclette on Poilâne bread, wandering through Borough Market is always a highlight of every trip to London.

Borough Market has existed at its current location since 1755

Fresh baked bread at 'Bread Ahead', a bakery and school which offers a range of baking and pastry skills courses for both amateurs and professionals

A wooden barrel of plump, sweet and juicy Cerignola olives — so delicious that we bought a small pot to take back to our suite at The Draycott 

Pungent wheels of Emmental and little pots of golden hued truffle honey

Shuckers from Richard Haward’s Oysters with heaping mound of Colchester Natives 

Enormous Black Tiger Prawns

Ready to eat — small tubs of Folkestone Whelks, Morecambe Bay Brown Shrimp 

and Poached Pink Shrimp

Massive pan of Seafood Paella at Furness Foods

Authentic Melton Mowbray Pork Pies from Mrs. King's in the heart of the market

Wrapped up and ready to take back to the Draycott to be portioned out as appetizers

with a bottle of white wine we brought back from Prague

Duck Confit served as a sandwich, wrap and served with sangria

Black Pudding Scotch Eggs from 'Scotchtails' which sells artisan scotch eggs at the market

Chef Patrick Williams serving Jamaican Chicken Curry from 'Soul Food'

Beautifully prepared baskets of exotic mushrooms from 'Turnips' which supplies 

some of London’s top restaurants

A spectacular selection of mushrooms from 'Turnips' including Black Trumpet, 

Chanterelle, Girolle and Pied Bleu

Restaurateur Tony Allan’s seafood restaurant, an impressive glass and steel pavilion 

resembling a giant fish tank

Starting life as an old 18th-century Victorian pea-shelling warehouse, celebrity restaurateur Tony Allan opened his first restaurant Fish! in Borough Market in 1999 and soon became a huge hit with businessmen to tourists alike, serving top quality, ‘posh’ fish and chips and fresh reliably sourced fish and shellfish delivered fresh each morning by Allan's long-established fishmonger, Jarvis of Kingston upon Thames. Recently redesigned and rebranded earlier this year, the restaurant’s impressive glass and steel pavilion resembles a giant fish tank with a large heated outdoor terrace open all year with gorgeous views of the market, Southwark Cathedral and The Shard. Executive Chef Nick Melmoth-Coombs has created an outstanding menu with everything from Whole Grilled Lobster, Dorset Dressed Crab and Steamed Scottish Langoustine, to Thai Fish Cakes with sweet chilli sauce, Organic Smoked Salmon, and of course Beer Battered Fish and Chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce. 

Fish! Restaurant's outdoor terrace in Borough Market overlooks Southwark Cathedral

Fish Restaurant's menu of fabulous fresh fish, seafood and of course their famous Fish & Chips

A cold glass of crisp 2015 Gavi di Gavi by Luigi Tacchino from Piedmont, a perfect match with fish

Dorset Rock Oysters with mignonette sauce

Organic smoked salmon fresh from Jarvis the Fishmonger at Borough Market

 Rope Grown Shetland Mussels Marinière with Cream

Grilled scallops with black pudding, bubble & squeak with red wine fish gravy

Southwark Cathedral has been the Borough Market neighbourhood's church since the 1200s

Interior of Southwark Cathedral, the oldest cathedral church building in London

www.fishboroughmarket.com

Scallops with Bacon and Bubble & Squeak Cakes

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Tony Allan, owner of Fish Restaurant

12 hand-dived scallops

12 thinly cut dry-cured smokes bacon rashers

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Bubble and squeak cakes:

1 lb leftover roast potatoes

1/2 lb leftover cooked greens, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts or spring greens

A little semolina or flour, for dusting

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Red wine vinaigrette:

8 tbsp good-quality vegetable oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 small hard-boiled egg, shelled and chopped

2 tbsp capers, rinsed, drained and roughly chopped

2 cocktail gherkins, finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped mixed tarragon, parsley and chervil

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper, then remove the corals and set aside. To make the bubble and squeak cakes, finely chop the scallop corals and put them in a bowl with the roast potatoes and greens. Mash with a fork until the mixture begins to hold together and then season well to taste. Divide the mixture into four and shape into cakes. Dust lightly with semolina or flour and chill for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette, by whisking the vegetable oil and red wine vinegar together. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

Wrap a bacon rasher around the edge of each scallop and secure with a cocktail stick, then set aside. Heat a frying pan, add the vegetable oil and fry the bubble and squeak cakes for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Keep warm until ready to serve. Heat a ridged griddle pan until hot, put the bacon-wrapped scallops in it and cook until the bacon is golden all over, rolling the scallops over with tongs to colour it evenly. Then lay the scallops flat and cook for one minute on each side. Put the bubble and squeak on 4 serving plates and arrange the scallops on top. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.