Restaurant Food You Can Recreate At Home: Dining at London restaurants is one of my favourite things to do. During the Coronavirus lockdown, restaurants have closed as we stay home to save lives. I’m not moaning about this because it is the right thing to do, and I’m happy to self-isolate. However, I am missing the delicious food, so with that in mind, I’ve picked ten simple vegetarian dishes to make. Read on to discover restaurant food you can recreate at home now that you have more time. These aren’t the official recipes; I am just improvising and using the photographs I took as inspiration.
My Favourite Restaurant Food You Can Recreate At Home
I’ll start with the delicious Breakfast/Brunch Plate I enjoyed at Stoney Street 26 Grains earlier this year (now closed). Boil an egg while you arrange the cheese slices, leaves with herbs, apple chunks and smoked salmon on the plate. See the featured image.
I remember taking Homeboy to the Malibu Kitchen at The Ned Hotel for his birthday breakfast last year. We shared the Quesadilla with creamy scrambled eggs and Portobello mushrooms inside. Cook scramble the eggs and additional mushrooms with cream. Place the mixture inside two shop-bought tortillas and grill so the top is slightly crispy. Scatter chopped spring onions on top and a garnish of coriander. Add soured cream, guacamole and salsa on the side, and you are good to go.
Creamy Scrambled Eggs Quesadilla
The Heirloom Tomatoes with Butter Bean Hummus was a tasty weekend brunch at The Dairy Restaurant in Clapham Town (now closed). Make your butterbean hummus by blending butter beans with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Toast slices of sourdough bread and spread on a thick layer of hummus. Chop up tomatoes and place these on top with a few sprigs of herbs.
Heirloom Tomatoes With Butter Bean Hummus On Sourdough
The Sourdough Flatbread with Chicory, Stilton and Figs at Flor in Borough Market (now closed) was memorable. Buy or make your own flatbread. Perhaps you can try a pizza base or rustic bread instead if you can’t find flatbread. Crumble stilton on top, add chicory, leafy greens or spinach and scatter a few figs on top, then grill.
Sourdough Flatbread with Chicory, Stilton, and Figs
If you purchase flatbread, you can also use it to create the Three Cheese Man’ousheh we ate at the Arabica Restaurant in Borough Market. Add broccoli, watercress, mascarpone, halloumi and goat’s cheese on the flatbread with garlic and toasted seeds. Lightly grill and add a squeeze of lemon.
Three Cheese Man’ousheh
At Emilia’s Hand Crafted Pasta Restaurant St Katherine Docks, the homemade pasta is lovely. If you are making your pasta at home, Andrew Macleod, Emilia’s restaurant founder, has given me a few tips to share with you. He recommends using semolina flour if you want a rough textured pasta that the sauce will cling to and Flour 00 for a smoother texture. When making egg pasta sheets, cover them with cling film to stop them from drying out. He advises against rinsing pasta after cooking because you will wash away the starch. If you need to add water to your sauce, use the starch water from the pasta pan, which will help thicken your sauce. One of the dishes I enjoyed at Andrew’s restaurant was the Casarecce With Creamy Walnut Sauce and Chestnut Mushrooms. Use a short-ridge pasta like Casarecce or Fusilli. Make the sauce by cooking mushrooms with a small amount of olive oil, pour the cream and scatter crushed walnuts on top along with finely grated Parmesan.
Casarecce With Creamy Walnut Sauce And Chestnut Mushrooms
If you want to make a side dish, try Fine Green Beans with Basil Pesto which I tried at Emilia’s or Carrots with Basil Pesto, sampled at the newly opened Café Murano on Bermondsey Street. Make basil pesto by blending basil leaves with finely grated parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, plus salt and pepper. Mix your veggies in the basil pesto and have a delicious side dish.
Carrots with Basil Pesto
I’ve selected a few salads I enjoyed at London restaurants which would be delightful for lunch or with an evening meal starter. The Radish Salad at Flour and Grape on Bermondsey Street featured crunchy radishes, pickled apple, a lovely crème Fraiche dressing with a sprinkling of chives.
Radish Salad
The Chicory Salad at the José Tapas Bar on Bermondsey Street comprises chicory leaves with orange segments, grated Manchego and pumpkin seeds.
Chicory Salad
The fennel, pear and radish salad with dill seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil was a favourite of mine when we stopped off for lunch at Barrafina Tapas in Covent Garden.
Fennel Salad
Restaurant Food You Can Recreate At Home Inspiration
If you want to recreate further London restaurant meals, look at the Eats Section on my blog. The emphasis is on vegan and vegetarian food, which covers breakfast, brunch, lunch and evening meals. I have collated pictures of delicious dishes on my Love London Restaurants Pinterest Board and the Savoury Food Collection Pinterest Board. Enjoy being creative in the kitchen!
Author: Homegirl London, who is self-isolating at home with her laptop! Pasta-making tips from Andrew Macleod at Emilia’s Crafted Pasta Restaurant. Photographs: Homegirl London.
