Lunch at Comptoir Libanais, Westfield

At lunchtime one is definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to finding something to eat at Westfield. Over recent trips I've had Tortilla Soup at Wahaca, Mezze at the Real Greek, Pho and Bun at Pho, Noodle Soup at Jom Makan and Papdi Chaat at Tiffinbites. Today I fancied Lebanese, so headed for Comptoir Libanais, one of the counters making up the 'food court' on the balcony area at Westfield.

After a quick perusal of the dishes on offer I chose the Chicken Taouk Wrap Platter - sliced marinated chicken breast, tomato, pickled cucumber and garlic sauce, wrapped in a flatbread, and served with houmous, tabouleh and pickles. The wrap was tasty enough, though rather too much when combined with the salads - the Wigmore St branch offers a 1/2 wrap platter, which would have been a better option here. I asked for harissa, and was told they'd run out (eh?!), but I could have tahini instead. It was only when I'd paid that I realised a tiny dollop of tahini (in the small pot next to the drink, above) had cost an extra 65p. A tangy apple, lime and mint drink completed my order, which came to just over £10. Definitely not a cheap lunch option, especially compared to some of the great deals to be had in Central London (eg the Mooli's fabulous £5 lunch deal!) but very fresh-tasting and nicely prepared, with a good mix of flavours.

Seared Halibut and Spicy Veg Noodles

After a heavy Saturday night dinner at a restaurant in Bedfordshire (too dark for pics) we were ready for something lighter on Sunday. A quick trip to Waitrose yielded a beautiful piece of halibut fillet, which was simply prepared by dusting with a mix of plain flour, cayenne, celery salt, garlic salt and pepper, then quickly fried in a little butter.

The veg noodles were equally simple - some garlic, ginger and chilli in a wok, followed by broccoli, red pepper and shitake, a splash of soy and a squeeze of hoi sin, then a pack of fresh egg noodles, finished with a little sesame oil.

The result was delicious soft fish with a slightly spicy and crisp coating, and a savoury/spicy colourful noodle accompaniment, with both the noodles and the veg retaining some bite.

Best of all, the dish took less than 10 mins from fridge to plate!

A new butcher and Saturday brunch

While shopping in Chiswick yesterday afternoon, I wandered into the new Wyndham House butchers on the High Road. A lovely new addition to that end of the road road, amongst the plethora of phone shops and big-chain coffee shops. As yet it doesn't appear to be posing much of a threat to Chiswick's other much loved meat-institution, as only one other customer came into the shop while I was there, but the selection of meat on display looked superb - notably some rather fine looking dry-aged ribs of beef, a wonderful piece of sirloin ready for slicing, meaty racks of lamb and marinaded spatchcocked chickens.

The shop also sells a large selection of cooked meats and cheeses, as well as various store cupboard deli items - hopefully trade will pick up as more people discover it.

Despite the huge choice I was presented with, I came out with a rather small bag containing just some chicken for last night's dinner, plus 6 rashers of their home cured smoked back bacon. The big joints will have to wait for another time - the sirloin will be wonderful on the barbecue when the weather sorts itself out!

And so this morning, while I tried to drag myself awake in front of Saturday Kitchen, my lovely husband transformed the bacon into a very fine brunch. Perfectly creamy scrambled eggs, crisply fried bacon, sauteed mushrooms, griddled tomato and toasted muffins. A glass of OJ, fresh coffee and the Saturday papers alongside. Heavenly!

It doesn't get better than...

A great Negroni - this is the Dorchester's version, with Tanqueray 10, Carpano Antica Formula and Campari. Heaven in a glass...

Shabu Shabu Sunday

I'm lucky enough to live very near Atari-Ya - a wonderful Japanese supermarket in Acton, which caters for the needs of the large local Japanese population. This means I have access to superbly fresh sashimi, marinaded fish, Japanese vegetables and a plethora of ingredients, most of which I still haven't been able to identify. The staff are lovely, and have been very helpful each time I've turned up with a list of unpronounceable ingredients to find for a new recipe.

We headed off to Atari-Ya last Sunday to buy ingredients for our evening meal.

I enjoy Shabu Shabu. It's a 'lazy' meal for me, in that all I need to do is chop a few veggies, fry some tofu and put things on plates. It's also, however, a lovely meal to linger over, and each person can cook the ingredients they most enjoy.

I started by frying some firm tofu (having pressed it for an hour or so between sheets of kitchen paper, weighted by a few tins). I sprinkled some Togarashi on the tofu before frying to give it a bit of a kick.

Next the meats were arranged on a plate - I bought beef and pork, both labelled as Shabu Shabu cuts. Cut beautifully thin, this would take real patience to reproduce at home!

To make the stock, Kombu seaweed needs to be steeped in water for a few hours

Next, the veg plate. Shimeji and Shiitake mushrooms, Japanese leek, Chinese leaf, Udon noodles and the fried tofu.

The two classic dipping sauces (Goma Shabu and Pon Shabu - the former is sesame and the latter a seasoned soy) My Marmite XO sneaked in to the back of the picture, in rather better focus than the two bottles!

We started with Sashimi, also bought from Atari-Ya. A small selection, just salmon and smoked salmon tataki. The green salad front right is Hijiki seaweed.

The pot was then put on its base and switched on - the noise when it heats is like a very loud kettle. As it comes to the boil, the Kombu is removed, and any scum scraped from the top of the stock (known as Kombu-Dashi). It's then time to start dipping!

Dipping sauces ready to go!

Table view showing veg, dipping sauces and sansho, yuzu and Togarashi for extra sprinking.

Little nets for dipping the food

And after all that I only managed 2 photos of things cooking, neither of which is very attractive! I think I need more practice at being a blogger!