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Foodie Gifts in London


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Hi there, I've recently moved to london and have to buy a present for my fella who is an absolute foodie - not cooking, more dining out. I want to get him an experience, ie. a meal or something similar, rather than an object. He's tried all the top restaurants like Fat Duck, Nobu etc etc, and I'm just wondering if there's anything else interesting out there, for example in the US there is the world's most expensive hamburger with wagyu beef which as a concept appeals to him. He's had something similar here with foie gras that's like a famous dish in harrods I think, not sure. Does anyone else know of anything else like that in London, or perhaps a less well known restaurant in the countryside that I could take him out to that is still mind blowing? Thanks!

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I seem to remember Cliveden being mentioned recently as doing as massively expensive sandwich/burger. How about a great wine tasting, a bread workshop or a chocolate tasting at somewhere like Demarquette.

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He's had something similar here with foie gras that's like a famous dish in harrods I think, not sure.

Oh wow, sounds like we've found someone who had the Selfridges wagyu sandwich thingie. A-mazing!

Other foodies vanity projects in London? Errrm the obvious ones that spring to mind would be the white truffle pizza at Gordon Ramsays's Maze joint (though a) you'd probably have to wait until white truffles start up again in Oct/nov and b) it was probably just a publicity stunt anyway so sod knows if they will put it on again).

There is a foie gras and veal hamburger at Boxwood Cafe (although to be honest I thought it was insipid, probably not a patch on the DB Burger though I haven't tried it)

To be honest your best bet is to find some cheapo Eurostar tickets and jump on the train to Paris. Plenty of choices there. If you can wait until next December the black truffle pasty (ok, feuillette) at Ambroisie comes highly recommended.

ta

J

PS but to be honest if you were are real foodie wouldn't you rather have a nice simply plate of perfectly cooked asparagus instead? English asparagus just coming into season...

And you'll also have that rare window of opportunity soon when asparagus, jersey royals, morels and lambs sweetbreads are all in at the same time. Just sautee the bastards in a dab of posh butter and be done with it. Much cheaper too...

More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
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I have never tried it, but I read about a knife skills course in Billingsgate, so if he is interested in some hands on stuff, this could be interesting.

Welcome to eG Forums btw.

Or take him to the Japanese Knife Centre, get Jay to fix him up with some kind of gorgeous, handmade Samurai number and give him a lesson on how to use it.

If he doesn't think that's the sexiest thing ever - divorce him and call me :biggrin:

Tim Hayward

"Anyone who wants to write about food would do well to stay away from

similes and metaphors, because if you're not careful, expressions like

'light as a feather' make their way into your sentences and then where are you?"

Nora Ephron

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The ludicrous Sketch is a suitably leftfield option. A critical mauling means that even the most well-travelled foodie usually stops short of stumping up for the Lecture Room, making it the London culinary equivalent of the dark side of the moon.

Umu -- again, so expensive it makes you want to cry -- occasionally hosts kaiseki and saki parings nights. Or there's Pearl , which is a bit cheaper and carries a dedicated following, although is off the radar of most punters. It does a Saturday daytime tasting thing hosted by the head chef and sommelier that looks a good laugh.

Edited by naebody (log)
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These are all fantastic, thank you SO much, and thanks for the welcome. I understand it's a ridiculous ask, and yes, I personally would prefer the asparagus, so am doubly grateful for the options. Thanks.

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  • 1 month later...

Last week i finished using the last of a foodie Christmas present, and this got me wondering what are the best, most unique, original foodie based gifts that people have received?

At Christmas, I was presented, totally by suprise, with 2kgs of large fresh white truffles from Alba together with 2kgs of perfect spaghetti made the same day in Bari (Italy). I finished the last of the truffle oil i made from the trimmings last week!

Taste is everything

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?

At Christmas, I was presented, totally by suprise, with 2kgs of large fresh white truffles from Alba together with 2kgs of perfect spaghetti made the same day in Bari (Italy). I finished the last of the truffle oil i made from the trimmings last week!

Off topic I know but have you seen the Truffle Oil thread? Serious business.

Two kilos of white truffle? Phew.

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?

Off topic I know but have you seen the Truffle Oil thread? Serious business.

Two kilos of white truffle? Phew.

serious is an understatment. I couldn't get the image out of my head of patrick's 2 kilo truffle stuffed inside a chicken.

Great topic & pretty hard to beat a present of a 2kg truffle but for what its worth its between my sisters squash chutney and my lemon marmalde. It reinforces my view that natural home grown/produced produce is infinitely better than anything manufactured - truffle oil included!

Edited by beepop (log)
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a copy of larouse gastronomique - i always get something foody in the stocking from mother... safron i think last year, morels the year before.

www.naturalfarms.co.uk ~ our wholesale butchery

www.sussexfarms.blogspot.com ~ our pie kitchen

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River Cottage hampers for Christmas. The Pig-in-a-Box based around a large ham was particularly well put together. Everything in the Three Bird Roast hamper a couple of years later was delicious (especially the Roast!) but the fun of the "theme" was missing. Mind you there was a lot of fun in telling the Christmas guest in charge of wine that she was required to match chicken-duck-and-partridge.

Catherine

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I was given a vac-packed entire lobe of fresh foie gras for my birthday.

The present was all the more special for having come from my girlfriends food-phobic brother, who considers anything other pizza, spaghetti bol, and chicken with the skin off 'weird'.

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