Taste of Jamaica at Taste of London

A stellar line-up of restaurant stars announced for

T

Taste of London 2011

ASTE OF London is celebrating what is arguably its best restaurant line-up to date, totaling an impressive eleven Michelin stars.

Scott’s, Le Caprice, Petrus, Skylon, Gauthier Soho and Bocca di Lupo/Gelupo are just a handful of new restaurants involved for 2011, promising to delight over 50,000 visitors across the four days at London’s Regent’s Park between June 16 and 19.

Sitting alongside Taste of London favourites such as Le Gavroche, Rhodes 24, Maze and Benares, a total of 40 restaurants will serve up dishes from around the world with classic British, modern European and infused Asian offerings from world class chefs.

International talent including Helena Puolakka (Skylon), Tamas Khan (ORA) and Alexis Gauthier (Gauthier Soho) will be joining homegrown household names such as Gary Rhodes and Michel Roux Jr. Small plate menus have been specially designed, allowing visitors to taste more than a handful of dishes in one sitting. Classic icon dishes will return, from Rhodes’ famous Jaffa Cake Pudding to Roux’s Lobster and Truffle Cocktail and will be put to the test with fresh competition from ORA’s Sticky Rice with Thai Honey Mango and Skylon’s Butter Poached Lobster.

Gauthier Soho’s, Alexis Gauthier is looking forward to joining the strong line-up at this year’s Taste of

London: “The last year, since opening Gauthier Soho, has been an incredible journey, so it seems like a fun idea to decamp to Regents Park for a few days this summer for Taste - why not? We’re looking forward to the event, to being in such good company and to sharing our food with a host of like-minded food fanatics.”

Taste of London visitors can dine from 37 of the capital’s top restaurants, try and buy from 200 food and drink producers, enjoy fine wine tasting and watch some of the world’s greatest chefs demonstrate their skills live on stage.

One hundred and fifty speciality food and drink producers are expected to delight and inspire 50,000 visitors at the event alongside live cooking demonstrations and interactive features sponsored by Waitrose, AEG, Meet Jamaica and Peugeot.

New for 2011 is The Secret Garden which will be tucked away in an exclusive enclave of Marylebone Green. The beautiful gastronomic oasis will play host to a line of world class chefs including Silvena Rowe, Gary Rhodes, Michel Roux Jr, Chris Galvin, Theo Randall and Jacob Kennedy and provide a stage for the much anticipated British BBQ Championships where 18 of the UKs most renowned chefs including Tristan Welch (Launceston Place), Paul Merrett (The Victoria) and Atul Kochhar (Benares) will battle it out on the coals to impress a line-up of revered food critics.

British Airways is once again on board and will be offering some first class service at its Exec Club Lounge whilst Masterclasses with Laurent-Perrier, Estrella and San Pellegrino will introduce guests to an indulgent tasting experience.

Taste Festivals has set a new benchmark for food and drink events worldwide. In 2011 there will be 14 Taste Festivals across the world all based on the flagship event, Taste of London.

Taste of London runs from 16th ‹ 19th June in Regent’s Park, London. Tickets are on sale now.

RESTAURANTS AT TASTE LONDON 2011

Asia de Cuba - Awana - Barrafina - Benares - Bentley’s - Bocca di Lupo / Gelupo - Chef Collin Brown Club Gascon - Corrigan’s Mayfair Fino - Fouronine - Gaucho Gauthier Soho - Kai Mayfair Launceston Place - Le Caprice - Le Gavroche - L’Anima - L’Etranger Maze - Melati - Opera Tavern - ORA - Paramount - Petrus - Quo Vadis Refettorio - Rhodes 24 - Roux at The Landau - Satay House - Scott’s Skylon - Suka - Tamarind - The Cinnamon Club - The Modern Pantry - The Ritz - Yauatcha - York & Albany

PRE-PURCHASED TICKET PRICES • Standard (entry only) £22.00 • Child (entry only) £12.00 Premium (entry + £20 of Crowns) £38.00 • VIP (fast track entry + VIP area, glass of champagne & £20 of Crowns) £55.00 • Laurent-Perrier Masterclass (VIP benefits + entry to one LP Masterclass) £75.00 • Secret Garden Pass: (Secret Garden benefits + canapés, glass of champagne & £20 of Crowns) £95.00

Crowns are the official Taste of London currency used to purchase food and drink consumed at the event.

r Tickets at: Buy You

stefestivals.com/london www.ta

FILE Guests at a Taste of London event

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www.jamaica-gleaner.com

JUNE 9 - 15, 2011 • 13

feature

Taste of London launches the

Taste Wine Awards

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N A bid to complement its indulgent menu of Michelin starred food, the UK’s most popular restaurant festival, Taste of London, announces its first ever Taste Wine Awards.

An official celebration of its most diverse range of wines to date the awards will take place on the eve of the festival at the official preview night, where chefs, press and celebrities will rub shoulders in London’s

Regent’s Park (Wednesday June 15). Sponsored by London’s premier eating out guide, Blue Tomato, the Taste Wine Awards will be a chance for the most celebrated wines of 2011 to take centre stage.

Over 75 wines will be assessed and judged in a series of blind tastings ahead of the event lead by Taste of London’s wine expert, Neil Philips. Having worked with the event for a

number of years, Philips insists that the time is now right to celebrate the multitude of vinous delights represented at this year’s show. “The quality and diversity of wine producers exhibiting at Taste of London this year is unprecedented with producers like Freixenet, Laurent Perrier, Berberana and George Duboeuf setting the bar extremely high.

Chapel Down will be flying the flag for English wines

with old and new world wines well represented including New Zealand’s St. Clair Family Estate, South Africa’s Beyerskloof, Spain’s Chivite and Chateau Civrac from France.�

THE THREE CATEGORIES FOR THE TASTE WINE AWARDS 2011 INCLUDE: • Taste of Summer Wine Award

• The ultimate wine to be drinking this summer • Foodies Wine Award • Wines which demonstrate the structure, flavour and textural qualities for great food-matching • Indulgence Wine Award • Wines which are luxurious treat for the palate The Taste Wine Awards will be announced alongside the annual Best in Taste Awards, where iconic dishes from each of the 40 restau-

rants involved for 2011 will be judged by a panel of revered critics, with the winner announced ahead of the show. Last year’s winning dish, Pigs Trotters by Adam Byatt of Trinity restaurant, sold out in record time and became the most talked about dish at the four day festival.

For more information about Taste of London visit www.tastefestivals.com/ london

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EDWARD JOHNSTON is one “We feel we are re of the co founders writing the rule and the MD of book when it comes Port Royal to ready meals. We Jamaican Patties. compare ourselves He has teamed up to a good Jamaican with a high quality takeaway in terms of meal manufacturer taste quality and Chris Gill to create Edward Johnston value. In fact we Kingstontown authentic made sure that we offered Jamaican Meals. These more than the takeaways meals have been trialed in we sampled. By offering 12 Tescos since our meat on the bone is November2010 but willl be also a risky no mans land launched into 50 Tescos in terms of supermarket later this month. We have meals. To be authentic we also been listed into 27 have to be on the bone ASDA’s since May 2011. however as you can defiMeal Titles nitely taste and feel the difJerk Chicken with Rice and ference. At 450 grams, our Peas meals will satisfy the Oxtail with Rice and Peas biggest appetite. We mariCurry Goat with Rice nate our meat two days Trinidad Tamarind Chicken before cooking which is Trinidad Coconut Chicken just not done by any of the Jerk Chicken Wings large food manufactures. I think Bighams, which I Edward Johnston on really respect, is probably the new thrust the only manufacturer which takes the love and Why are you seeking to care with their food as we create “authentic do. The Jerk Chicken is as Caribbean products� rather close as you can come to than the “fusion taste� an open barbecue taste. sought by many of your Due to the strict supermarcompetitors? ket food standards our E.J “I personally feel Jerk has to be cooked in very passionate about the oven but we have perauthentic food, especially fected a technique which authentic Jamaican food. makes it stand out from all Fusion dishes can end other oven baked Jerk pleasing no one very easily.

Chicken.

Not everyone will like our authentic meals but I feel How will someone new there is a large market that to Caribbean will love it. Many types of Cuisine recogethnic food make concesnize what is sions to the new country authentic and and market they are supwhat is not? plying. Chicken Tikka I think Masala is a classic exammost people ple. At Kingstontown we will see the are striving to avoid such whole concessions. I think we will spices, meat be the first to supply Curry on the bone Goat on the bone to a and chunks of Major Multiple and we are vegetables and extremely proud of this.� recognize that this is something different. Even What is different about the titles are as you would www.jamaica-gleaner.com

find them in a Jamaican restaurant. Curry Goat for example rather than Curried Goat or Goat Curry. The non Jamaican tasters we trialed loved the taste of most if not all our meal offerings.

Which herbs & spices would you say creates a unique Caribbean taste?

There is a consistent use of Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Thyme, and Allspice also known as Pimento.

Coconut also plays a part along with the usual suspects of garlic bay leaves and ginger. All chefs have their unique take on the various meals so it is quite difficult getting the universally accepted recipe.

Which of your new products will have the biggest impact on the market and why?

Jerk Chicken is by far the most recognized and is crossing over to the mainstream market even as we speak. We feel this meal with its quality Rice and Peas will be our biggest seller. However the surprise has been the Curry Goat followed by Oxtail which both taste sensational and will be attractive to curious foodies everywhere.

Kingstontown Oxtail cooked on the bone

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feature Five super chefs join forces to create THE MENU by Taste of London

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LFRESCO DINING will be catapulted to a spectacular new level this summer as five of the world’s most talented chefs serve up an exclusive dining experience at the Taste of London restaurant festival (16 – 19 June at London’s Regent’s Park).

Michel Roux Jr, Gary Rhodes, Pierre Koffmann, Chris Galvin and Silvena Rowe have collaborated for the first time under the direction of Tim Hughes, Chef Director of restaurant group Caprice Holdings, to create THE MENU by Taste of London – an ultimate tasting menu to reflect London’s vibrant restaurant scene.

Topped as the most exclusive ticket of the summer, a limited number of guests (400 across four sittings) will be treated to an exquisite dining experience in the festival’s new Secret Garden, where they will be served in a stunning restaurant-style enclosure. Each chef will introduce their individual course in person, and a top sommelier will pair every dish with the very finest wines.

Tim Hughes, a veteran on the London restaurant scene, worked alongside Urban Caprice and their Executive Chef, Steve Gibbs to oversee the creation of THE MENU. He initially contacted each of the five chefs about the project in January; “I wanted to work with five talented people who could bring individual

strengths to the table. You put together chef heavyweights like Galvin, Rowe, Koffmann, Roux Jr and Rhodes and you’re bound to come up with something exciting, innovative and, above all, delicious.”

SIMPLICITY “My priority was to showcase the talent of each chef, whilst serving up truly fantastic food. The seeming simplicity of Chris Galvin’s dish (Tomato Essence Consommé) is a great introduction to THE MENU ‹ clean, incisive and flawlessly executed. Silvena’s knowledge of East meets West comes through in her choice of ingredients (Sautéed Baby Artichokes, Black Truffle and Tahini Hollandaise) fol-

lowed by Koffmann’s pure and simple masterpiece (Scallops and Squid Ink).

“Michel Roux Jr never fails to disappoint with his precision and innovation (Braised Beef Cheek Provenéale, Polenta and Olives) which is made complete with an exciting Gary Rhodes flourish to finish on a high (Lemon Chiboust with Raspberries).”

Plantation Inn Caters is your first choice for service We offer a reliable and competitive catering service beyond the confines of our delicious Caribbean cuisine.

We offer you quality service while catering to the menu of your choice.

We also offer décor services, from divine floral arrangements to eye catching ambiance.

Our catering service ranges from small family gatherings to large banquets.

Plantation Inn Caters specialises in:

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THE MENU BY TASTE OF LONDON • • •

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Laurent-Perrier Grand Siécle Champagne and Canapé Reception Essence of Heritage Tomatoes By Chris Galvin English Asparagus, Black Truffle Hollandaise and Black Truffle Za’atar By Silvena Rowe Scallops and Squid Ink By Pierre Koffmann Braised Beef Cheek Provenéale Polenta and Olives By Michel Roux Jr Iced Lemon Chiboust with Raspberries By Gary Rhodes

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JUNE 9 - 15, 2011 • 19

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