An Edible Voyage

June 2020 Japanese is one of my most loved cuisines, and although there is a time and a place for delicate, exquisitely crafted plates of food, give me simple, comforting food cooked well and I'm in heaven.  When a friend told me about a small, homely place in London that seemed to tick all these boxes, I was excited to visit. The menu appears to be fairly simple but the flavours are anything but.  The mackerel Balanced Bowl with noodles and a rainbow of fresh salads and vegetables, elevated with the flavours of Japan was not only absolutely delicious, I could feel the goodness being soaked up inside me. I couldn't choose between the tempting desserts so I went for two... Light as a feather Japanese cheesecake and Kuromitsu (Japanese black honey) ice cream sprinkled with little pops of bee pollen.  Even the coffee was unexpectedly delicious, with the flat white silky smooth and flavoursome. Find all these Japanese treats and more at Kissa Wa, Hig...

May 2020 Niall Keating.  The name may ring a bell...  The much celebrated winner of the Great British Menu 2020 and the Executive Chef of The Dining Room at the exclusive Cotswolds manor house, Whatley Manor.  This is the brain behind the Paradise Carriage, a converted trailer food truck which he used to deliver meals to key workers during the Covid lockdown around his home town or Stoke on Trent, before taking it to Whatley Manor to act as a drive through, gourmet style.   The menu changes weekly and fellow chefs make guest appearances to host pop up nights.  The food is comforting, using the simplest of ingredients but of the finest quality, think the humble kebab elevated to the highest of levels.   I sampled the anything but plain fish finger sandwich.  Melt in the mouth, juicey Cornish turbot in the crispest of batter with tangy gherkin and lemon mayonnaise and peppery watercress, bursting from a rich brioche roll.  Finge...