Boozy Chocolate and Orange Brownies

We love chocolate brownies in all their various forms in our house, but these boozy chocolate and orange brownies are strictly for grown ups. 

They're rich, decadent and the intensity of the chocolate flavour, if you use a good chocolate is just wonderful. If you follow the below, you end up with a glossy topping that is slightly cracking, but a soft and squidgy, fudgey centre - just wonderful. 

I tend to use Cointreau as it's something I always have in stock, but you could substitute for another orange liqueur such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Blue Curacao or Mandarine Napoleon. You could equally switch for a shot of Tia Maria or whisky if you prefer, in terms of taste, but the chocolate and orange works really well together. 

Boozy Chocolate and Orange Brownies

Here's how:

• 185g salted butter
• 200g dark chocolate of at least 85% cocoa solids
• 80g plain flour
• 50g cocoa
• 3 eggs
• 275g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 orange 
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbsp Cointreau or alternative orange liqueur
• 50g white chocolate
• 50g milk chocolate
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Fill and boil the kettle and then pour into a small saucepan on a low heat. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a baking tin or dish and set aside.

Break up the dark chocolate and place into a bowl with the softened butter and gently melt over the saucepan. 

Once fully melted, remove the dark chocolate and butter from the heat. Grate the orange zest and add to the chocolate alongside the Cointreau, mix to combine and then set aside away from the hot water and allow to fully cool.

Roughly chop the white and milk chocolate into small chunks and set aside. 

Sift the plain flour and cocoa into a small bowl and set aside for a moment. 

Now in a mixing bowl add the sugar and eggs and whisk vigorously - if you have an electric whisk, it will take about five minutes, or by hand a good eight to ten. You want there to be a thick and creamy feel to the texture, as if you was making mousse. 

Now gently pour in the chocolate mixture and combine as carefully as you can, trying not to knock the air out that you have just painstaking whisked in. 

Once combined, sift over the cocoa and flour, now use the figure of eight method of mixing in, again being careful to be as gentle as possible.

Once it has formed a wet batter, add the chocolate chunks and stir through - try not to over-work here as you will knock the air out. 

Now pour into the greased, lined baking tin ad try to even out as best you can.

Place into the oven, on a middle shelf and allow to bake for 28 minutes exactly. 

Remove from the oven and give a good bang, if there is no wobble in the middle, the brownies are done, if there is a wobble return for a few more minutes then check again.

Once out of the oven, keep in the tin and place somewhere cool. Allow the brownies to cool completely before you attempt to remove them.

Cut into your preferred sized portions whilst still in the tin, and before serving dust with a little icing sugar for a final flourish. 

These will keep in an air tight container for up to a week, however I doubt they last that long; they are very moreish. Enjoy!

A few other bakes you might like to try:
Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Cake
Apple Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Coffee & Walnut Traybake with Vanilla Latte Icing
Peach Upside Down Cake
Lemon & Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries
St Clement's Drizzle Cake

Creamy Chocolate and Nut Porridge

This seems like an apt post for a Saturday morning, it has an indulgent feel to it from the chocolate and yoghurt that make it super creamy; but it is still packed with goodness, from the fibrous slow-release energy from the porridge oats, to the good fats and numerous health qualities of pecans. I add just a little dark chocolate to each portion to make it feel like a real luxurious treat, but you can always omit that.

This is a crowd-pleaser in my house, and if you've been training hard all week, I can assure it feels like such a reward breakfast. The below makes enough for x5-6 portions.

Creamy Chocolate and Nut Porridge

Here's how:

• 200g porridge oats (I use the Lidl Simply range)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150ml milk (I use semi-skimmed)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder (Green & Black's or the Cadbury's Bournville one are great quality)
• 2 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt
• 80g pecan nuts
• 2 squares of dark chocolate per portion

First pour the porridge oats into a heavy-bottomed pan, and pour on the milk. Place on a low heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Allow to cook at a low heat for three to four minutes, until the oats absorb the milk well.

In the meantime, take half of the pecans, and roughly chop and set aside.

Now remove the porridge from the heat and add the yoghurt and stir well. The porridge should take on a creamy texture now, and be cooled enough for little ones to eat right away.

Divide into bowls and scatter over the chopped nuts, and a few halved pecans.

Finally add the chocolate into the middle and allow each recipient to stir the chocolate through their bowl of porridge to add that final flourish of luxury. Enjoy!

A Vegetarian Afternoon Tea, Hix at Selfridges

My friend Larni and I are going to New York in a mere five weeks for six days of fabulousness and we have been doing a lot of shopping to prepare for our Big Apple wardrobe, a lot! A recent West End retail jaunt on a Sunday was completed by taking in a pre-arranged vegetarian afternoon tea at Hix Restaurant & Champagne Bar at Selfridges.

We planned our shopping trip to finish up in Selfridges and then relax over tea and cake  and as I’m not a vegetarian, I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy a selection of savouries minus the meat, but I needn’t have worried as it was all very appetising.

We each got our own stand filled with treats and at the price of £21.50 per person, it  represented really good value for money. There was a good selection of teas to choose from, although Larni and I are not the most sophisticated when it comes to our tea and just opted for an ordinary breakfast blend. I was a little disappointed that we were presented with chipped tea pots that I felt should have been replaced, but this was the only down point we noticed at Hix.

The savouries included finger sandwiches with a duck-egg mayonnaise, Larni really enjoyed these but I bypassed as I don’t enjoy eggs unless they are baked into a cake. We also each had a naughty but nice mini cheese toastie which was lovely and it was nice to have a little hot savoury alongside the other cold options.

The other two savouries included a tomato crostini topped with a sliver of hard cheese – not the most creative, but certainly tasty. And finally, my favourite - a little sourdough toast topped with delicious homemade guacamole – wonderful.

Onto the sweets,  the most exciting part of the tea – five portions of utter deliciousness. Firstly we each had half of a plain and a fruit scone topped with the obligatory clotted cream and some strawberry jam. The scones were cooked perfectly with the perfect balance of sweet and savoury and were offset beautifully with the accompaniments, they were, for me a very welcome introduction into the sweet coma I was about to enter.

We had been advised to eat one of the treats quickly – this was basically the equivalent of a fancy Tunnocks Teacake  but with a twist. It had a biscuit base, was filled with a glorious pistachio ice cream and then encased with delicious dark chocolate and then finished with some sweetened pistachio shards. Unusual but divine and great to have something I’ve never encountered when having afternoon tea elsewhere before.

We had a mini lemon meringue pie too which was equally impressive. The pies were tiny little pastry confections filled with a rather fluid citrus centre, only a couple of bites to eat, but the kind of bites where you really savour the flavour. The meringue topping was OK as a contrast in texture but was a little bland.

The final confection was the finale for both Larni and myself, and what a showstopper. A rather perfectly portioned wedge of rich chocolate cake, that was moist, unctuous and almost gooey in texture, with a gorgeous flavour of chocolate and topped with a silky chocolate ganache. This is the type of cake that usually I would have a dollop of cream with, but you just didn’t need it, it was pure poetry on a plate – perfection.

Service was perfectly polite at Hix and we were seated with a view down onto the ground floor of Selfridges which was great for people watching and there’s nothing better than enjoying an indulgent afternoon tea at your own, slow pace whilst watching the world frantically go by.

 

Frith Street's Finest - Arbutus

Arbutus

Last Wednesday evening me and the boy were in Soho deciding where to grab some dinner when we stumbled across Arbutus. I'd been before but a good three years ago and as it was 730 and busy I doubted we'd get a table. I was right to doubt - however we were accommodated in the bar area on a high table for two.

Sitting right in the area that every diner had to walk through to get to their table meant I was able to enjoy my favourite sport - people watching. I marvelled immediately at the mixed bag that Arbutus attracts, there were the suited types, couples, groups of friends and real arty types - plenty to be nosy at. We were off to a good start.

I chose the squid and mackerel 'burger' with razor clams and sea purslane to start. The 'burger' was a small, moist and absolutely delicious patty full of wonderful sea flavours and very well seasoned. The razor clams were the first I've ever had and actually enjoyed - as well as the flavour they were devoid of that awful rubbery texture that I've come to expect. The plate was presented very prettily too which made it all the more appetizing.

The boy had the crispy pigs head with salad and again this was artfully presented and the flavours matched the presentation. The pork was chunky and had an exceptional, almost sweet flavour with some crispy, crunchy bits which were a delightful contrast. What was most surprising was how utterly gorgeous the salad was - sliver's of soft turnip and radish which I can only presume had been poached in something sweet, syruppy and lovely. Wonderfulness on a plate.

The boys' main was slow cooked lamb with cannelini beans, apricots and almonds. The lamb was apparently tasty and tender to the point of melting in the mouth (it certainly didn't last long). The accompaniments were good - however the boy decided this was a bit of a delicate plate for him and he said he'd have preferred something a bit heavier. This would be perfect for a smaller appetite though.

Mine was the opposite and the boy ended up finishing it anyway. I had the roast rabbit which was roasted with pancetta, artichokes and sweet, baby carrots in a the most delicious, garliccy juice - heaven. This came with a 'shoulder cottage pie' which was frankly the best comfort food - creamy mashed potato over tender shoulder of rabbit. A very satisfying, if filling dish.

Even though I was stuffed i couldn't resist ordering pudding. The dessert menu had me drooling, every single item on that menu sounded fabulous and it was eventually the waiter who twisted my arm, ever so easily into the cold chocolate fondant.

I've been lucky with desserts recently and it appears my luck continues - this was sensational. As well as looking fantastic the fondant itself had a richness of flavour but was as light as a feather. It came with crispy, caramelised chocolate wafers and a small helping of salted caramel ice cream, pure bliss. It was finished with a little shaving of pretty green pistachios. It really was a dessert to die for.

Throughout our meal the staff were incredibly attentive and friendly - the great thing which was so clearly obvious was that the staff here genuinely care about the food served. You can sense their pride and passion and it only adds to the overall dining experience.

The meal was around £75 without wine, but for this level of food I think it's reasonable - we didn't have a single complaint.

It's hard to believe Arbutus opened it's doors over five years ago as I seem to remember it and that would imply I'm getting on - however judging from our faultless meal and the swarms of mid-week diners rushing through the doors it's clear that Anthony Demetre and Will Smith continue to get it right. They really have managed to achieve that winning formula, what's more they have it down to a fine art - well-executed hearty classics, great service and a good balance between smart and casual dining. I certainly won't be leaving it another three years before I return.

http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/

Rich Mocha Cake

This is a rich, moist and deliciously decadent cake. I’ve used Green & Blacks Dark cooks chocolate in the cake and their Dark Chocolate for the ganache topping. The coffee flavour running combined with the rich chocolate makes for a very grown-up indulgent cake. A slice with a tea or coffee in the afternoon will certainly perk you up. (It worked for me).150g Caster Sugar150g Salted Butter
3 Eggs
150g Self Raising Flour75g Dark Chocolate
2 tsp Baking Powder
1tbsp Hot Water
1tbsp Instant Coffee
100g Dark Chocolate
100ml Double Cream
Firstly make your ganache topping by breaking up the 100g dark chocolate into a dish, pouring in the cream and melting over a hot pan. Once melted, whisk vigourously until you’re left with a thick, glossy velvetty sauce. Leave in the fridge while you prepare the cake.

Preheat the oven to approximately 170C.

Whisk the caster sugar with the softened butter until it’s pale and fluffy.

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the sugar and butter mixture slowly – each time adding a little of the flour, folding in gently. Continue untill all egg and flour is added. Also add in and mix the baking powder.

Melt the chocolate in same way as before, and gently fold into cake mixture.

Dissolve the coffee in a little boiling water and add this to the cake mixture – ensure you give it all a good stir.

Pour into a greased cake round – I used a spring form for ease – and back for 25-30 minutes.

Once cake is baked – leave to cool on a wire rack.

Once cake is cool enough – remove ganache topping from the fridge, give it a stir and then gently spread over the top of the cake using a pallette knife.

Bistro du Vin Clerkenwell

I was recently invited to dine at Clerkenwell's relatively new Bistro du Vin courtesy of the lovely people at The Cullinary Guide. This is one of the newest members of the popular Hotel du Vin family so I was keen to see how it matched up and what it had to offer.

I took the boy again and as it was just over a week since we'd been to Les Deux Salons, I was slightly worried he wouldn't be keen on more French fare. I need not have worried though he'll try anything and luckilly he had a very enjoyable meal.

Like Les Deux Salons this place had the buzzing atmosphere that I think is essential to any French bistro-style venue in London. What I thought gave Bistro du Vin the edge was the fact it's slightly more compact therefore created a very intimate setting. Overhearing the chatter from the neighbouring tables does, for me, put me in mind of a French restaurant. It was very busy with a mixed bag of diners and there was just a genuinely good vibe about the place. Also the decor is very chic and stylish, I was suitably impressed.

The menu has a good selection, but not an overbearingly long list and it didn't take me long to opt for a fishy feast. I chose the potted crab to start and it was sublime. Simple but perfect. A delicious round of white, dressed crab meat topped with an amost paste-like brown crab meat and served with delicious, crispy, lightly grilled sourdough slices which tasted as though they had been rubbed all over with garlic, salt and pepper - it was lovely. A little large for one person perhaps, but this turned out to be a blessing.

The boy chose the lamb sweetbreads - like the snails the week before, this offal dish is something he'd never tried before. They were fantastic, well seasoned, cooked to tender perfection, full of delicious flavour in a sticky berry jus and topped with a little coriander. Once again this was a large portion for an entree, however for the boy with his larger appetite, this was not a problem.

For his main the boy went for a sirloin of steak cooked medium rare and I have to say it was truly cooked beautifully. Flavoured with a subtle hint of garlic and with an almost crust of salt on the outside it was melt-in-the-mouth gorgeous. He had some chips on the side, which were good, and which I naturally stole a few of.

My main course was, unfortunately, a bit of a let-down to an otherwise excellent meal. I'd ordered the Sole Veronique, which promised to be sole cooked in a creamy white wine sauce with mushrooms, clams and mussels. The sole was cooked well and did have a lovely fresh flavour, taking in all of the contributing flavours from the sauce and the shellfish and the sprigs of parsley that were plentiful. So far, so good. I'd ordered some new potatoes and a mixed leaf salad which were also good, the salad was dressed in a nice, simple oil.

The disappointment came when I first tried a clam. I'd had probably the best clams I've ever tasted a couple of weeks earlier at Fino, but these would probably have still been as good, as the flavours seemed fine, however as I took a bite, my mouth was filled with gritty bits of sand. Not good. I would have been willing to put this down as a bad one that had slipped through the net, but I tried another and once again my teeth came down on sand, very, very unpleasant. The realisation that these hadn't been cleaned properly didn't fill me with joy.

I tried to persevere as the sole really was very good, and after a few enjoyable mouthfuls I plucked up the courage to try one of the mussels. These were the same as the clams and unfortunately it was the final nail in the coffin for this dish for me. I was beyond put-off. Clearly you don't ever want to take a chance with shellfish anyway and I was suprised that a restaurant of this standing could fail in such a basic way.

At least I had room for pudding (every cloud and all that). To be frank the dessert I chose was alone worth visiting the restaurant for. It was gorgeous - a valrhona chocolate tart with honeycomb and a vanilla chantilly cream. The pastry was the best I've ever tasted in England by a mile sweet, light and delicate with a filling to die for. The chocolate was creamy, rich and almost velvetty - it literally had me making 'mmm' sounds out loud about three times. The cream and delicious, crunchy honeycomb were the perfect partners for this chocolate perfection.

The boy had a strawberry and cream affair which was nice, but not a patch on mine.

Aside from the main course of mine, we enjoyed a great meal and I can see Bistro du Vin's Clerkenwell joint going from strength to strength. They were bursting at the seams and as I mentioned they really had a great atmosphere.

The presentation wasn't amazing. It was good and all looked appetising, but as they say on their website they're not trying to be pretentious, merely provide wholesome, hearty food and I think they have achieved this well - with a few adjustments in the kitchen (especially where cleaning out clams and mussels are concerned) I think this will become a front-runner on the London restaurant scene.

What I think makes this superior from other bistro-style restaurants I've visited in London is the centre-point open plan kitchen with bar-style seating. Diners are able to take their dinner at the bar and enjoy the theatre of watching their dinner being cooked - wonderful.

Service on the whole was good throughout - the head waiter in particular took his time to welcome us. Also the wine waiter was very attentive and good at explaining what would make a good pairing to various parts of the meal, which I found impressive. Towards the end of the meal we did find we had to fight for attention a little bit and certainly we waited a while for our empty dessert plates to be taken away. But to be fair to the staff it was very busy in the restaurant at this time - I'd put this down as a teething problem.

Bistro du Vin's Soho sister is due to open shortly and I for one will definitely be booking a table to see how this matches up - although I may give shellfish dishes a miss!

For more information or to book a table please visit the website at:

http://www.bistroduvinandbar.com/

Two Ways With.....

Peanut Butter and Chocolate

People often have things constantly in their fridge or store cupboard that only get used in the conventional fashion. This new regular slot is aimed at offering readers alternative or new ways of using up ingredients. The first post has also helped in my ambition to improve my baking skills and try cooking new treats.

Peanut butter is something that is constantly in the cupboard and is generally only used to spread on toast. Chocolate is certainly a regular item in my cupboard (never fridge) and I generally indulge in the normal way, breaking off a piece, enjoying, and then breaking off a few more until the bar's finished.

The first item I'd been keen to experiment with for a few weeks, since my birthday afternoon tea, a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Brownie. I found a recipe on BBC Good Food and have adapted it ever so slightly, adding in some coarsely chopped dry roasted nuts for a bit of crunch and added flavour, and a smidgen of booze too.

I used a jar of Whole Earth Crunchy Original Peanut Butter as it has no additives or nasties and I used two 100g bars of Asda Dark Chocolate. Most recipes tell you you must use chocolate of over 70% cocoa solids, however in baking, where chocolate is not the main or only ingredient, this isn't essential by any means. This chocolate is 60% cocoa solids and I can vouch that is did the trick beautifully here.

Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Brownies
225g Crunchy Peanut Butter
280g Light Brown Sugar
200g Dark Chocolate, broken up
3 Medium-Large Eggs
100g Self-raising Flour, sifted
1 tsp Amaretto
50g Dry Roasted Peanuts, coarsely chopped (chop inside baking parchment to avoid mess)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and line a baking tin with baking parchment and grease with a little butter to avoid sticking.

In a pan, over a low heat melt 180g of the peanut butter, 150g of the chocolate and sugar until it has all melted and formed one consistency.

Turn off the heat, and beat in each egg one-by-one with a wooden spoon then gently stir in the flour.

Add the amaretto and the chopped nuts, mix and then pour into the baking tin.

In a new pan melt the remaining peanut butter and drizzle over the brownie base.

Bake for 30 minutes until the peanut butter on the top forms a crust.

Melt the remaining chocolate and pop in a piping bag (if you don't have one handy just snip a small slit in the corner of a sandwich bag and drizzle chocolate over the brownie and leave to cool.

Leave in the tin to cool and then gently remove and cut into squares ready to eat. These are incredibly tasty and go particularly well with either a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream.

The second, and equally simple recipe is for Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies. The base for this recipe comes from the Australia Woman's Weekly; The Cake Stall, a book I was kindly sent recently. I will be trying out a recipe or two from each section of the book and then reviewing here. Again I adapted this slightly, mainly in adding in the chocolate, and in my opinion improving the biscuits.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies

125g Butter, softened
70g Peanut Butter
165g Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
225 Plain Flour, sifted
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
70g Dry Roasted Peanuts, chopped
70g Dark Chocolate, chopped into chunks

Pre-heat the over to 180C and line two baking trays with baking parchment, and grease.

Beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and egg till smooth.

Stir in the sifted flour and baking soda and then the nuts and give a good mix.

Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into a ball and place onto the baking sheet. Repeat placing each cookie at least 5cm apart.

Using a floured fork flatten each ball and bake for 10-12 minutes.

So here are two very easy recipes, both with a delicious outcome using two cupboard staples. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Fino

A Spanish SensationAfter an incredibly glutinous week of celebrating my own birthday, it was time to pass the birthday baton over to someone else - my wonderful Dad. He's long been a fan of Spanish fare since his and my Mum's very first trip abroad together to Majorca nearly 30 years ago and has even gone to the trouble of purchasing an authentic and very large paella pan from a catering supplier. He has perfected a mixed meat and seafood paella which is only for special occasions and which I can vouch is quite sensational.
Fino on Charlotte Street was the allotted venue for our celebratory meal and we were booked in early last Saturday evening, 630, the earliest and in fact the only table we could get.
We were led down to the smart basement restaurant and invited to begin with a drink in the bar. We ordered a jug of their Cava Sangria and this was a refreshingly fruity and colourful affair, very pretty to look at and the kind of drink that would go down well all evening.
We were also brought over two little ramekins of plump, firm and very tasty green olives. They were divine and as two amongst our 6 detest olives, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit the other four of us demolished these in a couple of minutes flat. Happily these were soon replenished by the friendly Spanish barman.
We had ordered one of the specials, half a suckling piglet, prior to our visit, so our plan was to get a few little dishes or tapas to whet our appetite for the main event. However we found it difficult to resist ordering a lot of dishes, so many sounded great.
We began with a platter of cold Spanish meats, prawn croquettas and red pepper croquettas with bread and oil. The meats were all tasty, particularly the Serano and chorizo. Both croquettes were good but the red pepper ones won my flavour vote by a margin, these were sweet, hot and extremely moreish, I could have easily eaten a whole portion.

Vanessa, our impeccable waitress, was an excellent source of knowledge, she gladly advised us on the specials, her favourites, and explained what certain things were on the menu that we hadn't before experienced. Also when the bread arrived and we requested some aioli as well as the oils, she obliged quickly and approvingly.

Our next course was a medley of seafood, and if the first course was good, this was incredible. My family are real fish and seafood fans and this did not disappoint. We had clams, razor clams, sardines and squid and it is fair to say that when they arrived our mouths were collectively watering, not only did it look great, the smells were enticing too.

The clams were frankly the best I've ever had. They were slightly salty, but this was complemented by the rich and creamy garlicy butter that they'd been cooked and served in, it was an amazing taste and I'm not ashamed to admit I dipped bread straight into that sauce as if I were eating in the comfort of my own home, it was too good not to.
The squid was also good, it was crispy in a light batter and we agreed we thought it was very similar to the way squid is often prepared in Chinese cookery - with salt and pepper and a little chilli heat. These also had the hint of paprika which gave a lovely smokiness. They were great dipped in the aioli too.
I must confess sardines are one of my Dad's favourites, however I've generally found them to be far too bony and fiddly, with not very much meat on them to bother with, and never carrying much flavour. I've decided they deserve a second chance after tasting the juicy, garlicy wonders we were presented with. They were very easy to de-bone and quite big compared to others I've had - to be honest even if they were tiny the flavour of them would have been well worth the effort. As well as garlic there was a little parsley and some citrussy lemon and lime to. The simple flavour combination worked perfectly and this was yet another dish that didn't last very long at all.
Finally on the sea-front, we had razor clams. I'm afraid these were not for me, but I've never enjoyed these whenever I've had them before, despite them being a bit of a favourite in my family, especially in Chinese food. I find them too rubbery a texture to enjoy. General agreement around the table was that they were in fact excellent, so don't be deterred if you're a fan, its more personal preference than anything else.

Next up was our piece de resistance, the star attraction of the meal, our suckling piglet. At risk of sounding like an advert for the restaurant, this too was just fantastic. The crackling was gorgeously crispy - I always feel crackling's such a naughty indulgence anyway it almost adds to the enjoyment, like a guilty pleasure. The meat was pierced with sprigs of rosemary and there was mint and parsley present too which gave the tender meat and the beautiful juices it was cooked in some truly wonderful taste sensations. The mint was subtle enough to just enhance the flavour without overpowering as it can easily do.
Alongside the meat we had some olive oil mash - creamy and delicious if a little cooler in temperature than we'd have liked, some 'Fino Chips' which turned out to be just chips, nothing to write home about, a mixed green leaf salad which had a fabulously simple citrussy dressing on and some kale, which like the chips was a bit of a non-event. It was a good main course, although the half (£75), recommended for up to 6 people, was still quite large, and it's probable we'd have enjoyed more of it had we not had quite so many dishes leading up to it.

Only the ladies managed dessert and between us we had a crema catalina, a chocolate shot and chocolate soup. Mum had the crema catalina, and it was large enough for two people, which was good as we all got to try some. It was lovely with an orangey, Grand Marnier flavour. The chocolate soup was just that; dark chocolate, warm, runny and heavenly with a good dollop of vanilla chantilly cream for good measure. I'd opted for the white and dark chocolate shot, and while it was a taste treat to say the least, it was a mere mouthful and greedy me was left slightly disappointed and wanting more - nothing new there.

Some deliciously dry Spanish Moscatel sherry completed the superb meal for the men.

Fino is the rare London gem, a restaurant that is expert in one area and doesn't deviate or try to juggle too many balls. The food throughout was exceptional, and as I mentioned our waitress was a dream compared to many of her clueless contemporaries I have encountered in the capital.

The meal came in at just under the £300 mark, including a £31 service charge, so isn't cheap at around £50 per head, but we did order in excess of what was essential, after all this was a celebration. And Daddy picked up the bill - as I stated at the beginning of this post, he is wonderful!
Fino, 33 Charlotte St, London, W1T 1RR. 0207 813 8010

www.finorestaurant.com