Sat Bains at the Electrolux cube, London

The view from the cube

The table settings

   The cube is a mobile-ish pop-up restaurant created by Electrolux and temporarily getting installed on the rooftops of European cities and hosting some of the continents finest Michelin 1,2 and 3 starred chefs. The London instalment of this concept has been planted onto the roof of the Royal festival hall, overlooking the Thames, London eye, the houses of parliament and the rooftops of the city for as far as you can see.
   The 'restaurant' itself is glass walled on three sides, allowing stunning vistas of the city and it was a fantastic vantage point for the recent flotilla which travelled along the Thames to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee.Each time the cube moves it is taken apart and rebuilt at a huge cost, previously to London it was in Milan, and they are currently building a second cube in Stockholm to allow multiple cubes to operate at the same time. One of the best parts of the cube experience, is that as well as offering stunning views of London, you get the chance to watch top chefs in action, and chat to them and ask questions as you go.
  First British chef to use the cube to showcase his talent and ethos on food is Two Michelin starred Sat Bains of Restaurant Sat Bains with rooms, in Nottingham. This is is first venture into the Capital of any length, following a two day stint last year at Fortnum and Mason.While it is hard to transplant all the feeling and ambiance of a successful restaurant into a plain white and glass box on a rooftop in another city, Sat has taken up the challenge and given the cube a real flavour of what he is about. Simple, natural presentation, strong flavours, plenty of umami and most of all a sense of fun and memory.

NG7 2SA part 1

NG7 2SA part 2

    Upon arrival at the top of the six floor festival hall, we are greeted with the usual champagne, and also a cocktail which Sat has developed especially for the event and called NG7 2SA, a very refreshing sparkling drink-like a slightly cloudy champagne in appearance, but with a slightly bitter quinine taste, lots of herbs -notably lovage, and just enough chase vodka to make it interesting.
   Once inside the cube, and the obligatory photos of the views are taken, we are given another 'NG7 2SA', this time in canape form, a savoury horseradish ice cream sandwich with biscuit and herbs. at the restaurant, there is always a dish of this name on the menu using ingredients found in the restaurant gardens, or foraged along Lenton lane, where it resides. As the seasons progress, so the dish changes as berries, nuts and herbs come and go in and out of season. A nice touch, and indicative of Sat's philosophy of using iconic British ingredients and techniques from around the world to showcase them.
   The first course requiring cutlery is the third instalment of Sat's postcode, this time a delicate horseradish panna cotta is topped with a gentle wild garlic soup and a couple of baked croutons. Whilst horseradish and wild garlic are ingredients which can easily overpower a dish, they were both mild and vibrant in this dish, and the taste of the soup was not as intense as the colour. Subtlety of touch another element of the chefs signature here.

Sat welcomes us

the patio on the roof of festival hall

Scallop-vanilla-tomato-strawberry

   Next up was a simple looking dish of scallops, seared on one side only and dressed with vanilla scented sauce vierge with confit tomatoes and fresh diced strawberries. an elderflower mayonnaise, elderflower petals and torn basil completing the dish. a hint of raspberry vinegar in the vierge backing up the acidity of the tomato so this didn't become too sweet. Cooking the scallop on one side and then allowing the residual heat to warm the rest of the mollusc kept it incredibly tender, and this was a lovely summery dish, despite the grey day outside on festival hall roof.

Sat and his development chef, Emma

'Waldorf salad'

   Due to my Tuna allergy, which ironically I only discovered thanks to Sat, I was unable to have the next menu course, so an alternative was provided for me. This was a take on Waldorf salad, so all the components of the famous salad but not as you would know it- salted apple, raisin purée, pickled grapes, celery mousse and granité and a walnut nougatine shaved over the top. A clever and tasty interpretation of well known flavours. (Sadly the wine, which was paired with the 'proper' dish of Jersey royals cooked in dashi, was a less successful match to my dish.)

Jersey royals-dashi-onion juice-ham

 Although I couldn't eat it, the gentleman next to me on the table was happy for me to take a photo of his. Sat let me taste the ham, which was developed under his guidance- an air dried and aged ham made from pigs local to his restaurant. Amazing smoky and earthy flavour, and a luxurious mouth-feel from the plentiful fat. Also, the onion juice which is distilled from onions, spring onions and garlic had a light green colour and pleasant allium flavour which I'm sure would have been lovely with new potatoes.

Spring lamb-leek smoked-charred

   For our main course, Shoulder of lamb cooked in a pressure cooker is topped with a ragout of the trimmings which have been gently stewed with kombu seaweed for richness and a hint of umami. The flavour of both is very pronounced, without having the heavy stickiness normally associated with braised meat. Combined here with a black purée of charred leeks, a piece of grilled leek, an ash goats cheese mousse and a lemon emulsion, this again was a nice summery dish, perhaps missing a bit more vegetable or even some starch? Although it was a seven course menu, this was a very light meal.
   The wine pairing for this dish was a Moss Wood Pinot Noir, from the mornington peninsula, and for my limited wine appreciation skills, it worked well despite the acidic cheese and lemon elements, with a bold flavour which didnt overpower.

Banbury cake-beauvale cheese-port syrup

   Next we had a brief food history lesson from Sat, where he told us about the Banbury cake, which is similar to the Eccles cake but pre-dates the Lancashire one by a hundred years. To match up the Eccles/Lancashire cheese pairing, Sat has used Beauvale blue cheese, from Cropwell Bishop, one of the finest Stilton makers in the country. Beauvale is a soft blue, similar in texture to a taleggio, but with the salty flavour you expect from a blue. With the cake and the syrup of tawny port, this was a lovely example of what Sat serves as a 'crossover' at his restaurant, bridging the savoury dishes with the sweet.

Banbury cake-beauvale cheese-port syrup

Chocolate-yoghurt-cumin-lime

   Our first real sweet course was a small but perfectly formed chocolate 'cake', cooked in a very low oven (Electrolux of course...) without a fan, to create a very gentle environment for the cake, which was more like a soft ganache than a traditional cake. On top was a delicate set yoghurt, and cumin caramel, micro coriander cress and freshly grated zest of lime finished the ensemble. Sat explained that at the restaurant, he always serves chocolate as the penultimate course due to the mouth-feel of chocolate, and he likes to finish with the palate fresh and clean. This was lovely, and would be a fantastic dessert on its own, rather than as part of a multi course experience, as the other elements helped counter act the chocolate.

Treacle sponge-lemon-pine

    Our final course was again simple looking, but a lot of technique went into it. The sponge was created using el Bulli's Albert Adria's technique of cooking sponge in the microwave after forcing the batter through an isi cream whipper for lightness. This results in a delicate sponge which takes flavour very well. A surprising element in the dish was parsnip, which has a natural sweetness and with the douglas fir pine and apples in the dish tasted great. Instead of a wine pairing, we were treated to a first for me- sparkling saké. This was yeasty and had a slight apple flavour which matched up superbly- a great choice.

beetroot parfait-white chocolate-raspberries

    One final treat was bestowed on us, Sat/s version of one of his childhood favourites- the mivvi ice lolly. This version was a beetroot parfait cased in white chocolate, and then dipped in chopped dried raspberries. The beetroot flavour was delicate, but held its own with the strong raspberry.

   All in all, this pop up by Electrolux has gathered some of the most talented chefs in the UK ( Daniel Clifford of midsummer house is up next) and Sat Bains has set the bar very high. Although never matching the amazing multi course extravaganza of his own establishment, with the limitations of being in a box several floors up from your prep kitchen, he has shown why he is so respected in the industry.
   I look forward to the opportunity to check out what the other chefs- Tom Kitcin, Daniel Clifford, Claude Bosi and the Sanchez brothers- get up to on top of festival hall.
   As for Sat, he has a book out in September, and from what he told me about it, you will want to own this book!

The menu 

Noma- still the worlds best?

Ok, we all know about Noma, right? Rene Redzepi, foraging, Worlds best restaurant, two Michelin stars, local produce and so on.

 I am a lucky so and so, and recently I made my third trip there, and was treated to my best meal there yet. I say best meal THERE, because although it is an amazing, one off kind of a restaurant, and rightly voted the worlds best (twice), I have had better restaurant experiences, but not many!

The food is certainly unique, I have never eaten live shrimp masked in a warm butter emulsion before. Similarly, until I reached Noma I had never been offered a mussel in a shell and told to eat the whole thing, shell and all. It is also the only place, to this day, where I have been served distilled tree sap as a beverage for with my meal instead of tap or bottled water.

All of these factors, and a whole lot more, contribute to a fantastic experience, as obviously there is so much more to a restaurant than the food. At Noma, more than most other restaurants, the whole team buy into the philosophy and food on offer. Each member of the team has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the dishes and provenance of ingredients, and that makes a real difference. How many times have you asked a waiter about an element of the food, only to have them say " I'll just check with chef"? This feeling that it is a team effort really sets it apart, and is a huge inspiration for me as a chef, to make sure that I train anyone working with me to know all there is to know about the menu. 

Having said all of that, and to reiterate my feeling that it is a fantastic restaurant, with the 2012 'worlds best restaurant' awards coming up on monday (30th april) the question has to be asked- is it still the worlds best?

To help make my mind up, and hopefully yours too, here are a sample of some of the dishes I was treated to this time, along with a little insight to how they are created, and what makes them magical.

As ever, the first offering is on your table before you are sat, although you wouldn't be aware of it. In the small vase on the table, amongst the foraged herbs and shoots, are a couple of flatbread branches, similar to a crispbread, shaped like a twig and deep fried, then sprinkled with juniper and pine powder, which resemble a moss covered fallen branch in the woods. This is explained to you as the waiter, or very often one of the chefs, bring some soured cream for you to dip into

 Pork scratching, with blackberry leather and smoked sea salt. the rind of the pork is salted, rinsed and steamed under vacuum, then dehydrated for several hours before being deep fried. This process makes the scratching very light, aerated and crisp. The leather is made by puréeing blackberries and spreading it out and dehydrating. the natural pectin makes it set into a chewy leather. A slightly unusual flavour pairing at first, but as you eat it everything comes together and works very well.

 Savoury cheese cookies arrive in the sort of tin box my nan used to use, and in fact Rene told us that the tin which contained our cookies was given to him to use in the restaurant by his mother-in-law, and it is the only piece of equipment used for service in the restaurant which doesn't come from Denmark.
The cookies themselves are made with a Danish hard cheese, and are short, crumbly and intensely cheesy, and topped with a mix of herbs including lovage and parsley.

 The live shrimps. I wont dwell on them too much, in case any of you are squeamish, however, the kilner jar filled with ice is brought to the table with a couple of very lively shrimp, and a small pot of warm butter emulsion, like a a mayonnaise made with beurre noisette. All I can say is, you will never get fresher than this! (for the record, I love it!)

 tiny potato cakes sandwiching a chicken liver parfait/mousse, sprinkled with a powder made from dehydrated trompette mushrooms. Sublime textures and flavours, very rich and an intricate assembly.

 One of the classics- crisp chicken skin, smoked cheese and lumpfish roe filling, and a ryebread crostini on top. Great salinity from the roe and chicken skin, and great textural contrast.

 Steamed oyster, cooked in the shell and then sliced,  the juices are made into a white wine sauce, and all served in the shell with air onions and salted green (unripe) plums. We were informed the onion and plum elements were quite intense and that the best way of eating the dish was to mix all the elements together so each mouthful has a little of everything.

 This was one of the highlights of the meal, Danish brown crab, steamed very slowly to keep it moist, and served with its own pickled roe, egg yolk cured in tea, nasturtium leaves and a broth made from sul, a variety of seaweed. the crab was very sweet, the roe and yolk very salty, and the broth had a strong earthy umami flavour, and the leaves were very peppery. Again, perfect balance, and great flavours.

 Straight out of the development kitchen, the perfectly formed pea dish. raw and cooked pea halves on top of a fermented pea mousse, a slightly jellied herbal tea broth surrounds them, and the petals from peach flowers and apple blossom are very precisely scattered on top. Although we were told our feedback was appreciated as it was a newbie, they knew, as they always do with new additions, that it was spot on. the different levels of flavour offered up by the pea elements were jaw dropping, and the match with the herbal tea and fruit flower leaves was incredible. so much flavour from such a simple ingredient.

 I can only imagine having to make sixty of these twice a day, every day! curvy crostini topped with salted cod roe and herbs, and a duck crisp on top- made from the skin formed on a cooled down duck stock and dehydrated. Go on- try it...

 Another classic, the hay smoked pickled quail eggs. The eggs are soft boiled, so the yolk is still runny, and then they are pickled in apple balsamic vinegar. Brought to your table in a large egg shaped container on a little smouldering hay, allowing a little more theatre to your table, as you open the lid and get a waft of the vinegary smoke.

 Shaved frozen cod liver (think of a rich, fishy foie gras), frozen kelp and caramelised milk crisp. Intense, different and tasty.

 Carrot and sorrel. This is a classic example of a Noma dish which looks like its been thrown together in a few minutes, but actually takes great technique, precision and a lot of time. The carrots get the waterbath treatment for forty minutes, and then are chargrilled over a very low heat for six hours, being turned every twenty minutes. The carrots are served on a thin film of charred hay powder, and a sorrel emulsion is served seperately, with the explanation to roll the carrot in the emulsion, then in the hay ash again. The tastiest carrot I have ever had, by some stretch.

 More vegetables, and this chunk of cooked cauliflower is grilled over pine, served with horseradich cream and a broth of seperated yoghurt whey, and pine oil. Once again unusual, but very tasty.

 Grilled langoustine, parsley and oyster emulsion, sprinkled with seaweed powder and served on a huge stone, from the same beach where the langoustines are sourced. Simple, elegant and great flavour. the huge seafood is dunked in the emulsion and eaten with the fingers.

Seven pickled vegetables, each pickled in its own vinegar and flavourings. Served with bone marrow and a jus made from pork rib bones. Perhaps unsurprisingly, each vegetable does have its own flavour and the combination of the pork jus and the marrow is incredible. A definite winner.

 Roast turbot, brought to our table for us to see mid cooking. then a few moments later, served with its own roe, celeriac and a broth of mushrooms and berries. A great dish, and very seasonal with the turbot in roe.(this only happens for one month in the year.

Sweetened rhubarb juice, raw rhubarb, fresh cheese, red sorrel (oxalis) and brown cheese, which is made from the caramelised whey, and has a sweet flavour and shortbread like texture. Again, simple, clean and very well balanced.

Grilled pear, raw pear, wild herbs, frozen aerated pine parfait, and a sauce of caramelised pear and aquavit. fantastic technique, and clean presentation. freshness from the herbs and the raw pear stop this being an overly sweet dessert. 

After dinner, and the obligatory tour of behind the scenes, we had some coffee and a few sweet treats including this toffee made from smoked bone marrow, and presented in the marrow bones and wrapped in brown paper. a great way to finish the evening.

All in all, there is much to praise and very little to criticise. We weren't the only people in the restaurant that evening, but at times it felt like we were, such is the warmth and talent of the staff. 

Over the course of the meal, we had around 28 offerings (its hard to call them courses, when often you are served several at a time, and they vary in size from single bite to a generous fish course kind of size) and we must have had at least 12 different members of staff serve us at different times, from commis waiters to Rene Redzepi himself and his head chef Matt Orlando, and each and every time one of them approached us, we had their undivided attention.

So, Noma. Are you the Worlds best restaurant? I dont know, but I have to say, if there is a better one, I want to go there now!