Photographic food highlights from the weekend...

We took some fun food photos from our culinary ventures this past weekend in London. The above oozy chocolate cake is one that David ate for dessert at Galvin at the Windows, a restaurant at the top of the Hyatt Hotel Park Lane. There is a great set lunch menu there, and as the restaurant's view above London is gorgeous, we decided on it for our leisurely late Sunday lunch. We had a lovely New Zealand Gerwurtraminer, both the starter and our mains were delicious. I had the cheese platter for dessert -- great selection of French and English cheeses, generously served -- and David had the chocolate cake. He enjoyed every bite of it:

For dinner, we went to Hakkasan for old time sake. Since it was David's last night in London before going off on his casting tour, and he and I will not be in London together in the foreseeable near future, we committed to eating at our favorite places in London. Hakkasan is the fancier, trendier sister restaurant to Yauatcha, and we used to go there quite a bit while we were here casting the show last year, as it is (1) close to the Radisson Mountbatten Hotel, where we stayed (and where I currently stay); (2) it is open late; and (3) it has the best soft shell crab dish we have ever had. This soft shell crab dish is the only dish of which David and I MUST order two -- we generally share very well, but with the Hakkasan soft shell crab dish, our relationship best benefits if we EACH order our own. Currently, soft shell crabs are in season, so the dish was particularly delicious on our most recent trip -- crispy exterior with a spicy kick and a soft interior that consisted of plump, creamy meat that seemed to melt in our mouths. Everything about this dish appeals to us, from the flavors to the textures (there are crumbly bits of...something on it sits, we are not exactly sure what they are), to the fresh, succulent yet crispy crab that is never greasy.

While Yauatcha is terrific, and our most recent dining experience there, we felt, was the best of all the times we have been there, Hakkasan is, we think, ultimately the superior restaurant. Although it is also pricier, the service is great, the dishes are well balanced and more refined, and even the cocktails have a more sophisticated quality -- fresher ingredients and better balance of various liquors and liqueurs used. The lighting in the restaurant is also excellent, dark and intimate yet each table is lit so that one could clearly see one's food, but the light is never in one's eyes. The lighting is so good, I was able to take photos of our cocktails that look as if they were heavenly concoctions with no Photoshopping:

And here is a close up of my deliciously potent Saketini:


And a photo of us, very happy with our food intake:

It turns out we were very wise to have a great culinary weekend: David's first day working in Dusseldorf today has already taught him not to expect much in the way of delicious or particularly nutritious food. The only food item on offer for lunch at the cantine in Dusseldorf was spaghetti bolognese, which was warmed up in a microwave. For his dinner at his hotel, David ordered fish, which, only upon its arrival he realized was battered and fried -- he concluded that the most nutritious item he consumed this evening was a glass of wine. He now looks forward to being in Hamburg, where at least he knows a few places with edible food. I, here in London, went out today to find a Japanese restaurant that would have sashimi take-away. I found such a place, got such a take-away, the people were Japanese and very nice, but the food wasn't. I picked at the sashimi and ate the seaweed salad, which was tasteless and rubbery. I am now hoping that my Tesco-bought Hunter Valley Semillon (e.g. cheap and not very good, but will do the trick) will kill bad things in the fish so that I will not get sick. I have not eaten by myself outside of New York in a long while.

At least David and I will have this past weekend to remember when the going gets tough food-wise this week... and of course, there is always wine.

TM