Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

On The Menu: Chicken's feet; Prashad: Indian Vegetarian Cooking; Flahavan's porridge oats; Dom Perignon

 

Samuel Muston
Thursday 20 September 2012 23:01 BST
Comments
Chicken's feet, the delicacy that Yauatcha serves, 'came slow-cooked and spiced, looking like something from pre-history'
Chicken's feet, the delicacy that Yauatcha serves, 'came slow-cooked and spiced, looking like something from pre-history'

This week I've been eating... Chicken's feet

Yauatcha, the Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, is a funny collision between east and west. It looks like a nightclub and has a bouncer that wouldn't shame the Minisitry of Sound. But go past him and it's top-flight Cantonese dim sum. The food is impossibly dainty and pretty, so you almost feel bad eviscerating it. But the rewards for the blasphemy are big. The three-mushroom cheung fun is a joy of contrasting textures. Har Gau dumplings came bursting with prawn. And it serves a delicacy I'd wanted to try for some time, having heard its joys enumerated by the Chinese food writer Fuchsia Dunlop – chicken's feet.

They came slow-cooked and spiced, looking like something from pre-history. But the flesh slid from the bone, and once you silence the thin vinegary voice in your head complaining of the texture, they become something approaching a joy. Dont believe me? Try for yourself, if you dare.

Chop chop

I become forgetful at lunchtime, my brain is quite often still at my desk as I walk out the door. This manifests itself in one particularly annoying way: when I pop out, as most weeks I do, to pick up some sushi, I hardly ever remember to pick up chopsticks. No tragedy of course, but it does tend to make for a messy lunchtime. Which is where the new Twin One from Lekue comes in. The set is both a washable knife and fork set – good for the environment – and an easy-to-use pair of chopsticks , which is good for your shirt front, too. £10, jwpltd.co.uk

Indian idol

The best Indian food is often vegetarian Indian food, something not lost on Kaushy Patel, the author of new cookbook 'Prashad: Indian Vegetarian Cooking'. Patel's tiny Bradford curry house was a big hit on Channel 4's 'Ramsay's Best Restaurants' in 2010 and now she's brought together a selection of her tastiest recipes for us all to have a bash at. Some were taught to her by her grandmother in southern India (garlicky purple yam) while others (pea and cauliflower curry) come from closer to home – either way, they're all pretty much unremittingly brilliant. £25, saltyardbooks.co.uk

Oats so tasty

The nights are drawing in and the weather has started to pinch, but there is one consolation: it's time to start eating porridge for breakfast again. But with the stash from last winter long past its best – which to buy? The very best around comes from the family-owned firm Flahavan, which make thick-cut golden Irish oats, which create a porridge of such extreme creaminess and deep flavour that I'd be happy to eat just that for breakfast until next summer. £4.99, tesco.com

Vintage Lynch

The partnership between director David Lynch and Dom Perignon is an eccentric one – but it bears fruit. First he produced an ice-cool video for them, and now he's designed a bronze shield for the marque's 2003 blanc vintage. Possibly the ultimate Christmas gift for the boozy 'Blue Velvet' fan. £130, domperignon.com

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in