After reading Chubby Hubby’s post a while back I was inspired to order ‘Off Duty - the world’s greatest chefs cook at home.’ Not only were the proceeds going to a worthwhile cause, The Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, it also boasted an impressive line up of international chefs, 48 in total, who are widely credited as the best in the world. To name all of them would be a laborious task but notable examples, from this country (UK), included: Gary Rhodes, Jamie Oliver, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.

It has proved to be excellent bedtime reading. The interviews conducted with each one are insightful and sometimes rather amusing; Heston Blumenthal sights butterscotch Angel Delight as one of his top ten ingredients, Thomas Keller votes sushi his favourite food, Giorgio Locatelli claims he never eats junk food, and most of them rightly concur that great quality, fresh ingredients form the basis for successful cooking.

The truly interesting aspect of the book however is the chef’s menu selection, which gives the reader a glimpse into what the world’s greats whiz up in the confines of their own kitchens. I particularly enjoyed Angela Hartnett’s offering comprising; pumpkin tortelli with amaretti biscuits, followed by braised halibut on red and yellow pepper confit, then roasted figs in red wine with zabaglione for pudding. Her formidable boss, Gordon Ramsay offered a delectable menu of; warm salad of smoked eel and new potatoes with horseradish cream, calf’s liver with sweet and sour mushroom and rocket marmalade, finished off with coffee panna cotta. Delicious.

Rick Stein’s recipe for marinated tuna with passion fruit, lime and coriander also caught my eye and served as the inspiration for last night’s supper. Whilst this was not strictly speaking a sashimi recipe (the tuna is partially cooked by the lime) it still required the freshest fish one could find, anything remotely smelly would have left you gagging. Bearing this in mind I headed for my nearest fishmonger, Steve Hatt, renowned for it’s excellence and friendly staff. I spied a ruby red tuna loin gave it a cautionary sniff and declared it perfect for the job. Next door, at the greengrocers, I grabbed the remaining ingredients and rushed home to see if I could recreate the dish.

Originally I was going to photograph my attempt but my slicing of the tuna left a lot to be desired and didn’t truly resemble the original. The sauce however was easy to prepare. The pomegranate – fruity and aromatic, counterbalanced the meatiness of the tuna. The end result, whilst not the prettiest, tasted magnificent.

I urge everyone to go out and buy this excellent book.

Marinated Tuna with Passion Fruit, Lime and Coriander – Rick Stein

3cm thick piece of tuna loin fillet – 400g
2 small ripe and wrinkly passion fruit
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 medium hot green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
5 turns of the black pepper mill

Put the piece of tuna on a board and cut it across into very thin slices. Lay the slices, side by side but butted close up together, on four 25 cm plates. Cover each one with cling film and set aside in the fridge for at least an hour or until ready to serve.

Shortly before serving make the dressing. Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop the pulp into a sieve set over a bowl. Rub the pulp through the sieve to extract the juice, then discard the seeds. There should be about 1 tablespoon of juice. Stir in the lime juice, sunflower oil, green chilli, sugar, coriander, salt and pepper.

To serve, uncover the tuna, spoon over the dressing and spread it over the fish with the back of the spoon. Leave for 10 minutes before serving.

I must admit I am a self-confessed meat eater. A couple of months ago my good friend and fellow neurotic, Andrew, who incidentally has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge about food introduced me to the wonders of the Porterhouse steak or T-bone as they are more commonly known – one side sirloin (full of flavour) and the other fillet (tender and delicate). He stressed the importance of the maturity of the meat that ideally should be at least 3 weeks hung and also salting it up to 8 hours before cooking so that the meat is thoroughly infused. His cooking method couldn’t be more simple – flash-fried in butter for no longer than 4 minutes (depending on thickness), in a non stick pan, not a griddle, and then left to rest for 8 minutes on a hot plate in order to retain the juices. His steaks surpassed anything which had graced my lips in the past – tender, succulent and with a sashimi - like consistency.

It goes without saying that the origin of the beast is also vitally important, organic is certainly preferable, if not mandatory and if you want specifics the meat at Northfield farm to be found at Borough Market is sublime. Employ a keen eye when your butcher carves, it should be a nice thick cut of at least one and half inches. This should serve two people.

Thanks to Andrew I have become hooked and need to indulge my meat fetish at least once a week. As stated before I usually pick the goods up from Borough Market however this week neither my husband nor myself felt like going and instead had to fulfil our carnal desires in another way. As luck would have it my brother’s birthday would provide the perfect opportunity. My parents had organised a soiree down the road at Smiths (the top floor), an establishment overseen by John Torode of MasterChef fame, renowned for sourcing the best quality, organic, rare beef. Alongside the A La Carte menu a selection of fine meats is also offered, one can choose between chateaubriand, fillet, sirloin or rump. I opted for the last – a longhorn rump, aged 26 days. Before that I started with scallops and artichoke puree which although nice was miniscule in size and failed to deliver anything deeply satisfying.

My hopes therefore rested with my steak, which alas were dashed upon arrival. Without even tasting the specimen before me I could tell that it was not going to live up to my now exacting standards. Instead of a nice thick cut, it was thin and morose looking. One slice into it confirmed that it was not rare, my stated choice, instead it veered towards medium. The depth of flavour I had hoped for was also lacking despite being cooked with a thick slab of fat that clung to its sides. Excellent side dishes of red cabbage and thick cut chips partially helped to ease my disappointment.

However it was not until dessert, not usually a course I am that excited by, that lifted the overall experience out of the doldrums. We all opted for the apple soufflé and were united in our effusive opinions on it. The apple offered a subtle accent to the fluffy texture of the soufflé, which was also accompanied with a wonderful honeycomb ice-cream.

I have eaten at Smiths a number of times both downstairs and also in the fine-dining option, on the top floor. Whilst it has never blown me away I have always enjoyed the fabulous views and warm service. Despite a rather disappointing meal this time it would not deter me from returning, although I will be sure to get my meat fix elsewhere.

I adore Borough market. Throughout the week I long for the frothy, creamy cappuccino served at Monmouth Coffee Company and lazy hours spent marvelling at some of the wonderful produce on offer. Its miserable detractors grumble that it’s relatively overpriced, touristy and on one food forum (that shall remain nameless) one of the members snidely pointed out that it had now been (horror of horrors) infiltrated by Fulham mummies. Yet for all the critiscm it attracts it remains the most infinitely enjoyable food shopping experience in London. For the sake of a few lousy pence it trounces most supermarkets and though relatively busy is large enough never to feel claustrophobic. Furthermore if you are a familiar with the stalls and vendors it’s easy to sort the wheat from the chaff.

The only complaint I can muster against it is that the encircling restaurants have as yet failed to live up to the greatness of the market. The three that I have personally tried; Brew Wharf, Fish! and Tapas Brindisa have ranged from the downright awful to the marginally above average.

Over the winter for some unknown reason we began frequenting Brew Wharf a rather characterless and sanguine establishment, serving a limited lunch menu but an extensive selection of beers that pleased my husband but left me indifferent. The surly Russian waitress provided a constant source of entertainment with her brusque, matter of fact manner. “What do you want to eat?” was her frequent opening gambit, accompanied by the customary hands on the hips. Yet for all its drawbacks we returned week after week lured back by its excellent pommes frites and the relative ease in securing a table. A level of complacency set in until one particularly disappointing meal constituting a soggy quiche and a bland onion soup led us to seek an alternative.

Initial impressions of Fish! were good. An impressive glass structure in the middle of the market provided excellent people watching opportunities and on our visit was brimming with diners seemingly enjoying their food. This however is one object lesson in never judging a book by its cover. Things got of to a bad start with the calamari, lifeless and covered in some pathetic excuse for a batter. Nothing however could have prepared us for the mains - out of four three were inedible and sent back. A piece of insipid, smelly and flabby Seabass slung above some rotten vegetables tasted as foul as it looked. The fish and chips were equally if not more vile, the haddock so old that a whiff of ammonia jumped out at every bite. To be fair the staff were gracious when we voiced our complaints, maybe they also recognised and were embarrassed by the offensive nature of the food served.

After this experience I didn’t want to leave anything to chance so avidly started researching other options. The general consensus leant towards Brindisa Tapas which had garnered favourable reviews by critics and diners alike. However because of its popularity one cannot walk in off the street and expect a table - either ring ahead or be prepared to put your name down on a waiting list and return in a couple of hours. The place itself is buzzy and full of the happy Borough market vibe. Nice looking waiters jostle between tables serving up a selection of tapas. We ordered around nine, half of which were delicious: the manchego cheese with orange blossom, the croquettes with Iberian ham and the selection of Spanish charcuterie. The remaining dishes ranged from ok: the Spanish potato tortilla and the pan-fried chicken livers, to the poor; underseasoned garlic prawns and a watery spinach tortilla. Whilst it was undeniably the best meal out of the trio and I remain in no doubt that I shall return, it does not warrant regular repeat visits.

The increase in foreigners visiting Borough market in some ways is a positive sign, the old myth that the English are not foodies or gourmands is completely dispelled when one sees the passion and energy the market elicits in both the vendors and the buyers. Unfortunately however restaurants such as Fish, the worst by a long shot, and Brew Wharf only reinforce old stereotypes that we as a nation are prepared to pay premium prices for disappointing restaurant food.

The search for the elusive Borough Market restaurant continues…