The East Village's Wave of Vietnamese Food

The great wave of Vietnamese restaurants that washed across the East Village late last year left casualties in its wake. Witness, for example, the high-water mark around the bleached bones of Chao Chao—known briefly for its slick cocktails and its live d.j.—stranded on the shores of Avenue A, with a "For Rent" sign in the window. Thankfully, like seeds scattered by the storm, others have survived, thriving in what Eater has called a "great new era for Vietnamese food."

Each of the new restaurants makes an appeal to New York's cravings for authenticity, offering variously "traditional" or "quintessential" dishes, albeit in obligatorily hip settings. Madame Vo, on East Tenth Street, is loud and searingly bright, and bristles with life. The flavors are as brazen as the lighting, and many dishes burn with chili—after a while, you don't know what to do with the piles of peppers garnishing the softshell crab. Not that this bothers the trendy couples crouching over marble tables laden with bowls of pho and garlic noodles, recording every moment of their meal for their friends.

A bit farther south, Hanoi House also aims to transport diners to a simulacrum of Vietnam. On a recent evening, a waiter informed a couple that the establishment had run out of trout. Luckily, they were about to be edified: "Seafood in Vietnam is traditionally served with scallion oil and peanuts," a waiter explained, recommending, instead, a dish of clams and congee, which also came with the oil-and-peanut seasoning, yet managed to taste sprightly and oceanic. In fact, most of the food here is light and carefully flavored. Take, for example, a summer roll, in which pieces of cucumber float on an impossibly aerated slate of pork sausage.

Where Madame Vo is bright, Hanoi House revels in shadows. With the right Insta-filter, you can just about capture the Vietnam of Catherine Deneuve in "Indochine," the dark wood and slatted shutters calling to mind an opium den in the early twentieth century, though with a strictly reggae soundtrack, and sans the colonial violence. At this restaurant, however, sixteen-hour-stewed pho is the drug of choice. The steaming, perfectly balanced broth is remarkably light and simply trance-inducing. Follow the waiter's advice, add a few slabs of oxtail on top, or a marrow bone, and feel yourself dissolve into the evening.

Delicious food, bold elegance

A luxurious dining experience. That is what to expect at what is easily one of Nairobi’s more exclusive eateries. Its Italian name; Oro, does after all translate as gold in the English language. Oro is a family business run by Italians whose roots are in Milan, one of the fashion, style and food capitals of the world, a background which in itself lends to the majesty of this restaurant. Furniture at Oro is not the run-of-the-mill kind that is ubiquitous in most establishments of its kind. Large tufted dining and suede accent chairs with studded perimeters demonstrate a flair for the dramatic which I absolutely love. I mean, if I am going to pay to eat out, you might as well make it worth my while.

The rapid speaking Italian proprietors are friendly and are always on site to ensure standards are maintained by their well-trained kitchen and wait staff (whether this actually happens is a different matter altogether).

 The establishment boasts a bold elegance where décor is concerned and features striking antique pieces. Oro’s unique cutlery and crockery make for great food presentation and the gold theme is recurrent through the entire restaurant.

Perched at the top of a building which hosts luxury furnished and serviced apartments (Suite Life) at the corner of Dennis Pritt and Nyangumi Roads, Oro has an indoor dining room, well-stocked bar and open area which is fantastic for watching the sun set on Nairobi over cocktails.

 In the evenings, you can enjoy the company of a friend in the relative privacy offered by the canopies and potted plants on the terrace. The loom style wicker chairs are comfortable and when the inevitable chill strikes, there are Maasai blankets available on request.

While all this might sound quite exciting, be warned that Oro gives first priority to residents of the apartments and registered members so before you go there, you might want to call ahead and see if they are admitting walk ins.

As long-time members, my cousin and I had for some strange reason not eaten at Oro for an inordinately long time, so we agreed to meet there for dinner a few days ago. Our reception was warm, and we quickly got ourselves settled with our cocktails of choice. The waiter assigned to us, who might have been a trainee though his badge didn’t say, was a mess of wrecked nerves and didn’t seem to fully understand the menu so we abandoned the idea of requesting him to suggest options. Because I was ravenous, I ordered the Molo Lamb Chops with a side of chips with basil and almond pesto sauce but when it was served, I threw a fit so severe, I felt my veins start to throb. The chops looked like they had been carved from an emaciated animal and there was hardly any meat on them. I considered requesting an extra portion but changed my mind considering how long I had waited for the first serving.

 That said, I was not disappointed by the quality of the food. The meat was tender and packed with juices. The marinating had obviously not been done for too long as I could hardly lift the flavours but the lamb was well aged and the pesto rather fresh which when as hungry as I was is all that matters. It was served on a bed of carrot and zucchini sticks which I gobbled up with glee. Happy with both our meals, we moved outside to watch the city lights with a large pot of tea and agreed that the team at Oro was still very much in the game.

Miso salmon: easy and delicious

Salmon season has arrived, and the markets are brimming with gorgeous wild varieties which are perfect for grilling, poaching or even simply cooking in a lightly oiled pan.

With summer here, fire up the barbecue and master the grilled salmon - it's an incredibly versatile blank canvas that you can use in everything from light salads to heady curries to spicy tacos. And grilling salmon is quite easy, as long as you follow the rule to pull it off the grill just a minute before you think it's actually done.

Coat salmon fillets with a little oil, salt and pepper, and cook until the salmon is almost opaque; "cook until flaky" is bad advice that will leave your salmon overcooked and strong-flavored.

One of our summertime favourites is Easy Summer Miso Salmon, which pairs miso with refreshing lime juice to create something between a creamy sauce and a citrus vinaigrette.

Miso, or fermented soy bean paste, adds a ton of savoury flavour ('umami') and depth, while the lime juice keeps the recipe bright and summery. Serve with brown rice, grilled veggies or a bunch of vegetable 'noodles' for a filling and healthy summer supper.

Miso paste comes in various colours, with white and yellow being the mildest varieties, and perhaps the most widely available ones at the local supermarket. Keep a container of miso in the fridge (it lasts for months), and you can try adding a spoonful to soups, stews, dressings and dips, or even just stir it into a cup of boiling water and add a splash of soy sauce and rice vinegar for a warming quick broth.

Miso is low in calories, and offers a little protein and a smattering of minerals, including sodium, so you won't likely need additional salt when using miso paste. Try this week's recipe and add two new tools to your repertoire: grilled salmon and miso.

Easy Miso Salmon

Servings: 6

Start to finish: 20 minutes


INGREDIENTS



Salmon:

11/2lb wild Alaskan salmon fillet

1tsp neutral oil, like olive or grapeseed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper



Sauce:

1tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1tsp fresh minced ginger

3tbsp white miso paste

1tsp raw honey

1/4 cup lime juice (or lemon juice)

3-4tbsp water

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


Method



Heat the grill to medium and lightly oil the grates. Rub the salmon all over with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cook the salmon flesh side down first, (skin side up), until almost cooked through, about 7-10 minutes total, flipping halfway through. (Internal temperature will be about 140?F, and it will rise to 145?F as it rests.)

Meanwhile, make the sauce (or can be made in advance): heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small saute pan and cook the shallots until tender - about three minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook another minute. Add the miso paste and mix with a wooden spoon for another minute or two, or until very fragrant and the miso paste begins to deepen a little in color.

Remove from heat, cool a minute, and then place in the blender with the honey, lime juice, water, mustard and black pepper and blend until smooth. Add extra water if needed. Spoon the miso sauce on to the hot salmon and serve with brown rice or veggies.

Chef's Note: The sauce can be made into a salad dressing by thinning with more water and lime juice.

The weekend cook: Thomasina Miers’ recipes for cassoulet and chocolate mousse

At last, a reason to celebrate: Easter is just a week away, and spring buds and blossom are all around. Goodbye winter, hello spring and a fresh cycle of life. Over the holiday, I intend to see friends and family, and not be hidden away in the kitchen the whole time, so I’ll be cooking simple but fun food. For Easter Sunday, I’m planning a light take on cassoulet, using neck of lamb instead of more traditional meats, and at a fraction of the cost, but still with that fantastically rich flavour. I’ll lighten the dish with some small spring onions, radishes and carrots, and give it a kick with a gutsy salsa verde made from wild garlic and watercress, both of which are in full season. As for pudding, I’m not looking much beyond a classic chocolate mousse with a scrunch of sea salt and a sprinkling of honeycomb.

Spring cassoulet with neck of lamb, borlotti beans, radish and watercress
At this time of year, lamb is tender and mild-tasting, so if you prefer something with more oomph, ask your butcher for hogget or mutton instead. Serves six.

1 whole head garlic (or 1 large bunch wild garlic leaves)
200g dried borlotti (or flageolet) beans, ideally soaked overnight in cold water
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
600g neck of lamb
3 medium carrots
25g butter
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
300g radishes, topped, tailed and halved
2 bunches spring onions, topped, tailed, trimmed and cut in three lengthways
3 bay leaves
2 large sprigs rosemary
500ml stock
500ml white wine

For the salsa verde
1 large bunch watercress, large stems removed and discarded
1 handful wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
1 large handful mint leaves
2 baby shallots, peeled and quartered
1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
100ml extra-virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 2½. Bash the head of garlic once with a rolling pin, to separate the cloves, then peel them. Put the beans in a pan and add enough cold water to come a finger’s length above the top of the beans. Add the bicarb and half the garlic (if you can get wild garlic, use half a bunch instead of the garlic cloves). Bring to a boil, then leave to simmer gently for 60-90 minutes, until the beans are very soft.

Meanwhile, cut the lamb into five or six pieces and season all over. Peel the carrots and cut them into bite-sized chunks roughly the same size as the radishes.

Heat a heavy casserole on a high flame, then add the butter and oil. When the fat is sizzling, add the lamb pieces and brown on all sides for a few minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate, tip the radishes, spring onions, carrots and the rest of the garlic into the pot, and saute for six to eight minutes, to colour. Add the herbs, browned lamb, stock and wine, bring to a simmer, then half-cover and transfer to the oven to cook for two hours, turning the meat once halfway through.

Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. Blitz all the ingredients bar the oil, in a food processor, then slowly stir in the oil until you have a loose-ish and vividly green sauce. Season to taste and put in a bowl.

Serve the lamb in shallow bowls with new potatoes or mash, and top with a dollop of salsa verde.

Chocolate mousse with honeycomb

To give this rich pudding an even more grown-up edge, add a tablespoon or two of dark rum, brandy or mescal to the beaten egg yolks. Serves four to six.

200g 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Sea salt
5 eggs, separated
250ml double cream
50g caster sugar

For the honeycomb
200g caster sugar
5 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp baking soda

Put the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl is not in direct contact with the water), stir with a wooden spoon until melted and glossy, then season with a few pinches of salt. Put the egg whites in a large, squeaky-clean bowl, and whisk to stiff peaks.

In another bowl, whisk 100ml of the cream until it’s just thickening: if you whip it too much, it will make the mousse turn grainy, so you want to take the cream to the point where it just slides off a spoon in dollops.

In a third bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture doubles in volume. Whisk in the chocolate, then gently fold in the thickened cream with a large metal spoon. Fold in a third of the egg whites, then fold the lot back into the remaining egg whites, taking care not to beat out too much air. Spoon the mousse into four to six ramekins or one large glass bowl, then refrigerate for a few hours, to set.

To make the honeycomb, oil and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Put the sugar and syrup in a deep saucepan and, over a low heat, stir until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and simmer until the mix turns a pale golden amber, then take off heat and whisk in the bicarbonate of soda (it will foam and fizz on contact, so take care). Pour out the mixture on to the prepared baking sheet and leave to set.

Serve the mousse with the rest of the cream softly whipped and chunks of honeycomb scattered on top.

Magnificent seven: easy, speedy weeknight pasta sauces

Felicity Cloake’s piece last month on Britain falling out of love with shop-bought pasta sauce garnered more than 1,000 shares and twice as many comments. Proof – if it were needed – that when it comes to sating our collective hunger, pasta enjoys a default position few other foodstuffs ever will.

What is less obvious, though, is why ready-made pasta sauce became so comprehensively embraced in the first place for there to be such a nationwide falling out. Making your own sauce from scratch, as Cloake put it, is laughably simple. And many take little longer than the time it takes to boil the pasta itself.

So here are our pasta quick fixes, perfect for the midweek post-work scramble to get dinner into tiny tummies before all semblance of domestic composure is permanently obliterated. They’re just ideas, endlessly adaptable, so long as you have a few things in your fridge and a few tricks up your sleeve. Any veg, steamed (broccoli, sweet potato, butternut squash) or roasted (tomato, cauliflower, beetroot), can be mashed in to a paste and enlivened with garlic, capers, olives, lemon zest; even miso.

Be sure to drain your pasta over a bowl: the cooking water is a useful thinner for thick sauces. Thin sauces can be thickened with cream of any kind – cheese, cream cheese, tahini ... Herbs and toasted nuts (hazel, pine, walnuts, almonds) bring colour and flourish to plated pasta. And with olive oil, salt, lemon juice and parmesan on the table, you’re sorted.

1 Sweetcorn

Stir a drained canful with one of tuna into a pan of seasoned bechamel. Mix in a handful of chopped curly parsley and some grated parmesan.

2 Cherry tomatoes

Roast a punnetful until caramelised and collapsing. Mix with steamed spinach and toasted pine nuts. Season and dress with olive oil.

3 Beetroot

Roast until tender (or use ready-cooked) and mix with seasoned cream cheese, toasted cumin seeds and lemon juice. Garnish with dill.

4 Sweet potato

Steam thick rounds until tender then mash with tahini and sweet white miso. Garnish with finely chopped chives.

5 Aubergine

Char whole in a dry pan then bake at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 until completely soft. Scrape flesh from skin, chop finely and mix with lemon juice and zest. Garnish with crumbled feta.

6 Broccoli

Steam florets until tender then fry in olive oil with garlic and chilli flakes, mashing everything together. Stir in lemon zest and juice.

7 Cauliflower

Roast half a head until tender and slightly charred. Mash with creme fraiche and lemon juice, season to taste and garnish with toasted hazelnuts.

How to make baked aubergine with lemon, thyme, feta and olives

One variegated thyme plant – that’s all that has survived the winter (so far) in a pot in my back garden. The other two thyme plants are either dead or doing a fabulous impression.

But the one that is hanging on is reason enough to venture out and pick fresh herbs.

It’s a small thing but it lets me (briefly) ignore winter and pretend (briefly as well) that spring is here.

This is especially welcome as thyme screams summer as if it can’t be bothered to acknowledge that either winter or spring even exist. Its aroma says Greece and southern France and sun and outdoor dining. With not a holiday in sight, these are important memories to savour.

Thyme is a grand partner for many ingredients including lemon and garlic and aubergine. Bake them together and dot with some black olives and feta cheese and you have a lovely side dish or a satisfying vegetarian meal: a bit of sunshine when the weather forecast is less than accommodating.

Baked aubergine with lemon, thyme, feta and olives

Sometimes (not always), garlic will turn blue when it’s cooked with an acid like lemon juice. Not to fear – it’s safe but if it should happen you can remove the garlic before serving if the colour bothers you. I use lovely Italian striata aubergines as they’re longer and thinner and fan out better. Small Japanese aubergines would work well too.

Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main

400-500g aubergine, about 2
1 lemon, rinsed and sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
4-5 tbsp olive oil
small bunch of thyme
50g black olives, pitted
60g feta or goat’s cheese
Sea salt
Chilli pepper flakes, to garnish (optional)
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to garnish

Pre-heat oven to 160C. Slice the aubergines lengthwise, keeping the stem attached so it creates a fan shape. Each slice should be about ¾-1cm wide. Lay a large piece of aluminium foil in a baking dish that is large enough to hold the aubergines comfortably side by side.

Place the aubergines on the foil and brush the outer skin and cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Place a slice of lemon and garlic in between each slice, along with a sprig of thyme. Wrap the aluminium foil around the aubergines to create a foil parcel. Place in the oven and bake until the aubergines are cooked through and fragrant with the herbs and lemon – about 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, open the parcel and dot with the cheese and olives and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the cheese is softened and warm. Garnish with chilli pepper flakes if using and a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Top restaurant critic sparks outrage after writing a zero-star review of progressive fast food restaurant

A recent review by The New York Times, however, has bucked the trend and sparked outrage across the internet.

NYT restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote a scathing zero-star review of one branch of LocoL in California and has received a backlash as a result - some people have even canceled their subscriptions to the paper.

Part of the reason people have responded so strongly is that LocoL is a restaurant with honourable intentions - the idea behind the mini-chain is to offer good quality, healthy food at affordable prices to some of the poorest, most neglected neighbourhoods of the US.

But Wells is used to reviewing fine-dining establishments, and he was not impressed.

He slammed both the service and the menu, claiming what he ate tasted “like hospital food.”

The biggest offender for Wells was the chicken: “LocoL’s chicken is an amalgam of chicken bits invisibly bound together.

“Inside a thin sheath of fried coating, this composite of ground meat is mysteriously bland and almost unimaginably dry,” he wrote.

It’s not all negative though, and the critic does commend LocoL’s wider mission, but that didn’t stop the furious reaction the review provoked.

Fans of the restaurant jumped to LocoL’s defence, arguing the critic had been unnecessarily harsh.

“Lovely takedown piece on a small company genuinely trying to make underserved communities better through food, innovation and employment,” commented one person on Facebook.

Another claimed that the restaurant was an example of west coast food scene being “too innovative for the suits on the east coast.”

But LocoL chef Roy Choi managed to take the high road, writing a lengthy response to Wells’ review on his Instagram account: “I welcome Pete's review. It tells me a lot more about the path. I don't know Pete but he is now inextricably linked to LocoL forever,” he said.