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2November 2019 THE WEEK

Food & Drink

LEISURE

What the experts recommend

Voujon1-3ChurchStreet,LongBuckby,

Northamptonshire(0 1327 -84 357 1)

Icannolongerentermyfavouritelocal

Indianrestaurantonaccountofthe

obscenelygarishnewdecor,saysWilliam

SitwellinTheDailyTelegraph.They’ve

installedahideouslightfeature–covering

almostallthewallspace–inwhich

bubblesofvariousluminescentcolours

flowdownlikeapsychedelicwaterfallof

colour.“Evencollectingatakeawaythere

rendersmeaestheticallyinjured,sountil

theycometotheirsenses”,I’vebeen

castingaroundforanewcurryhouse–

andalreadyI’vefoundacracker.Voujon

willwinnoawardsforits“airport-lounge-

chic”styling,butthefoodisfab.Savefor

anunderwhelmingchickenchaatstarter,

weenjoyeda“gloriousarray”ofdishes,

each“burstingwithcolourandflavour

anddistinction”.Iespeciallylovedawet

andsoupyyellowtarka dal(“just how I

likeit”)anda“zesty and hot”chicken

jalfrezi. And the stupendouslamb chops

werelightly charred attheedges,themeat

softand infused with garlicandginger:a

“dream”.Dinnerfortwo£40plusdrinks.

The FlintHouse13 Hanningtons Lane,

Brighton(01273- 9163 33)

If you don’t live in Brighton, you probably

won’t have heard of chef Ben McKellar

and his partner Pamela, says Jay Rayner

inTheObserver.Butforthepast 21 years,

this pair have runanumber of great

restaurants, often with “ginger” in the

name–atribute to McKellar’s “once

luscious head of russet hair”. At the

Gingerman, and later the Ginger Fox, I’ve

savoured the skill ofachefwho can “raise

the humble to the extravagant”. At their

“shiny” new venture, The Flint House,

there’s an upstairs dining room and

cocktail bar, while downstairs there’s a

fully open kitchen and counter “for those

who likeabit of nerdy cooking theatre”.

We watch hispi cabbage being seared until

the edges are browned and toffee-like; it is

served withathick, mustardy sauce and

“autumnal leaf fall” of crisped golden

onions. Cured ox cheek with toasty onion

puree; lamb’s belly served on the freshest

of peas; and later chocolate and pistachio

parfaits with cherry cream–all impress

and delight. “Every town really could do

withaplace” like this.Mostdishes £4-£17.

Whereto eatin Bristol

It’snothard tofindsomethinggoodto eat

inBristol,saysJanOstle, headchefat

acclaimedlocalrestaurant Wilsons,inthe

FT. The trickybitischoosingbetweenso

many“amazing”options.Forbrunchor

lunch,goto Dela,onMivart Streetin

Easton. Theopenkitchenturnsout

delicioussharingboardsof“fantastically

fresh”foodin alargeconverted factory.

For Chinesecooking,goto Mayflower

nearthebus station.It’s often“full of

expats” and Iespeciallyrecommendthe

deep-fried pig’sintestines,withpickled

vegetables and hoisinsauce, and the salty

fishauberginehotpot.My top food

shoppingtipisPopti&Beastbutchers and

bakeryin StWerburgh’s.It sellssomeof

thebest(locally sourced) beefand pork

I’vehad,andalsomakessuperbtoasties.

Southof the river,on NorthStreet, Oowee

Diner “smashes outsomeoutrageously

filthy burgers”andisopenuntillate.

Andmy absolutetopBristo lpickisthe

defiantly“not-on-trend” Wilks,where

JamesandChristineWilkscook inan

“unapologeticallyclassical” Frenchway.

“Perfect ingredients,perfectcooking and

perfect service–how wonderfullyuncool.”

The Flint House: every town needs one

• Putthesugar, water, basil and lemon
  juice intoa32.5cmstainless-steel sauté pan
  and stir overagentle heat to dissolve the
  sugar. Bring toasimmer.


• Meanwhile,start on the pears. Peel, halve
  and core the pears, and as you finish each
  one pop it into the simmering syrup, cut-
  side uppermost.


• Cover the surface of the pan withapaper
  lidand then the lid of the pan, and cook
  gently for 20-30 minutes, spooning the
  syrup over the pears every now and then.


• Plate the pears, then pour the syrup over
  them and set aside to cool. Serve chilled.
  The poached pears will keep for several
  weeks, covered, in the fridge.


• Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can try
  the following delicious variations:
  
  
  • Poachedpearswithsaffronsyrup
    Replacethe basil with six lightly crushed
    whole cardamom pods andaquarter of a
    teaspoon of good-quality saffron threads.
  
  
  • Lemon poached pears
    Replace the basil with the thinly pared rind
    and juice of one Amalfi lemon.
  
  
  • Sweet geranium poached pears
    Replace the basil with 3-4 large sweet
    geranium leaves (pelargonium graveolens).
  
  
  • Lemon verbena poached pears
    Replace the basil with 4-6 lemon verbena
    leaves.
  
  
  • Ginger poached pears
    Replace the basil witha2.5c mpieceoffresh
    ginger, cut into thin slivers.
  
  
  
  

Six delicious ways to poach apear

Serves 42 00g granulated sugar 450ml water 6-8 basil leaves 45ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

4firmpears, such as Conference, Doyenne du Comice or Bartlett

Many pears needalittl ehelp from aromatic herbs or spices to enhance their flavour, says Darina Allen. This recipe for

poached pears infused in basil syrup is well worthatry –and I’ve also included lots of variations you can experiment with

once you’ve mastered the basic method.

Taken fromOne Pot Feeds Allby Darina Allen, published by Kyle Books at £20.

To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweek.co.uk/bookshop.

©X

AVIER D. BUENDIA; LIZZIE MAYSON