Ben's most...

Favourite food of all time: Foie Gras- This is a controversial choice given the nature in which it is produced. I am an animal lover also (just ask my friends about my collection of reptiles) but, in all honesty, when something tastes as good as Foie Gras I am willing to tolerate the process. Rick Stein once said that “it’d be wrong to pretend this sort of food production doesn’t exist…” and there you go. I haven’t. If there are those of you with objections, please feel free…to keep them to yourselves.

Favourite cheese: Brillat Savarin with truffle- I first encountered this cheese at Chapter One, in Kent and is also the restaurant which took me on as a summer-stage worker. The cheese itself is the creamiest rich cheese you’ll ever taste, and the layer of truffle that is placed in the middle and allowed to infuse into the main body of the cheese gives it a strong, earthy aroma that is just fantastic.

Favourite vegetable: pumpkin/squashes- There is something about a good squash that you can’t ignore. Whether it be blitzed into a creamy veloute or crushed as an alternative to potatoes to accompany meat, it is a wonderful and comforting vegetable option.

Favourite meat: beef- how typically British of me, which is ironic because I have eyes that go sideways and skin the colour of Homer Simpson. (yes I AM allowed to say that, because it’s true.) Nothing can beat a great piece of beef. My signature dish features this very beast, which I’m sure I’ll share with you further on in the blog.

Favourite gamebird: quail- delicate little birds which, if done really really well, can blow your freaking mind. Try quail with the breasts roasted on the bone and removed after cooking with ballotine of leg with Foie Gras, wrapped in pancetta. I guess the whiny hippie types from above could replace the Foie Gras with chicken mousse but then again if you are a whiny hippie type I guess blending chicken isn't really your thing either...

Favourite gamebird: grouse- okay, quail doesn’t count as it can be farmed now. Grouse is the wild bird of choice; Fast flying, lean and delicious. Best eaten in the traditional manner but many have had updated proverbial ‘stabs at it’. See the menu of Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley for details. That will be all.

Favourite wine: two options- 1) whatever is cheapest. 2) Whichever James Flewellen texts me and also happens to be on the winelist/on the supermarket shelves. You heard, I am THAT uncultured.

Favourite method of cooking: Steaming- it is healthy and underrated in western cooking. As you know I am Asian and we Asians like our steaming, usually fish though. Try steaming a piece of salmon with soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, crushed ginger, lime leaves, lime juice and cracked black pepper. 8-10 minutes should do it in one of those bamboo things over a wok. There are, of course, modern white-man alternatives.

Favourite fish: options- 1) If cooked by me, Mackerel. Only when fresh, nasty when not. 2) If cooked by someone else, Halibut. Not because it is expensive, but because it tastes so damn good wherever you have it.

Underrated herb: tarragon- now, I know what you’re going to say. “Tarragon is so aniseed-y”; yes it is. I hate aniseed normally (liquorice is the dried nasal mucus of Satan) but tarragon goes so well with so many things. Think of steak without bernaise sauce. Terrible right? Try tarragon over fresh pasta with browned butter and capers. No need for meat. Yes- I just said that, but I guess it shows how much I rate the stuff.

Hated food-stuff: cous-cous- (a lot of hyphens but necessary) Many of my friends have heard me saying the same line over and over about how much I hate the stuff. “Cous-cous is the work of the devil. When Saint Michael kicked Lucifer out of Heaven, he threw cous-cous with him.” And it’s true. Anything that requires stock to prevent it tasting of silicon beads you find in new briefcases can’t be good. In fact, it’s the worst thing in the world. No, roasted peppers don’t make it better and neither does meat.

Favourite meal: onglet with crushed squash and long stem broccoli- a last minute addition to the Du Jour menu at Chapter One, once upon a time. This was one of the simplest things I’ve eaten, comprising of only four components, but it was delicious. Josper-roasted meat with crunchy ‘Al-Dente’ broccoli (sorry, I went there) with rich, buttery crushed butternut squash and sauce Bordelaise. Quote Greg Wallace; “cooking, doesn’t get better than this.” Better yet, it is so easy you can do it at home. Just griddle the onglet/hanger/skirt steak (depending on your butcher’s/supermarket’s lingo. Usually beef skirt in this country. Tesco, Morrison’s etc) to your liking and serve; fancy sauce not necessary.

Favourite restaurant: Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley- the best service one could hope for. Dimitri Bellos leading front of house team ensures that everyone makes you feel like an old friend every time you walk through the door. This is only exceeded by Restaurant Gordon Ramsay where everyone seems to know your name before you even enter the reception… it’s really weird. Anyway, off topic. The food is superb and innovative, whether you eat the great value lunch menu or the extravagant tasting menu. I can only think of one reason why that place hasn’t got its third star yet and that’s the pressure from the Jr. Sommelier to have champagne and wine. Sometimes, I just want to eat without the booze.

Best value menu in London: The Greenhouse Restaurant, Hayes Mews- 2 star food from a 2 star chef at less than 1 star price. The food is contemporary, whacky and delicious, focusing on a lighter style of cooking. Expect to be dining amongst chic clientele and glitterati. I regularly sit next to the same three Taiwanese supermodels that are in every Friday lunch. The lunch menu, priced at £29 for 3 courses at time of writing, is astonishing in its content. The menu is changed every fortnight and focuses on seasonal ingredients and Chef Arnaud Bignon’s masterful interpretation of food.

Favourite dessert: lemon tart- the good sort of tart you can get from M&S and tell everyone you made it yourself. I’ve never done it because most people know my pastry is awful but the citrus-sweetness really is a lovely way to end a meal, or start afternoon tea. Your choice when you have it, but please have it; you DESERVE it. 

Weirdest thing eaten: Pig's penis and testicle noodle soup- grammar faux pas aside, this meal was weird but delicious. This sounds odd but the soup had a certain masculine quality to it due to the earthy notes of pork, five spice and mushrooms. Kuching, Sarawak is the place to go for this wonderful treat. I can't recommend it enough. Daisy Fannin, eat your heart out. You thought VELO noodles were weird...