What makes bibimbap so special is the contrast. Crisp vegetables sit alongside tender beef. Sweetness balances spice. Freshness cuts through richness. Every topping brings something different to the bowl, and once everything is mixed together, those individual flavours become something entirely new.

There are countless variations across Korea and beyond, but for me, the beef is where the dish really becomes memorable. Ground beef is common and convenient, but if you’re making this at home, I highly recommend taking the extra step and using thinly sliced ribeye. It caramelises beautifully, stays incredibly tender and turns the dish into something that feels genuinely special.

A few things to know before you start

• Beef: The choice is yours, but thinly sliced beef is always going to be superior. Freeze prior to slicing for clean, even slices.

• Seasoning: We want contrast. Season each component slightly differently.

• Mushrooms: Don’t rush. They need time to release their moisture before they begin to brown properly and crisp up. Texture is everything.

• Sauce: The sauce should taste slightly stronger than you’d normally want. Once mixed through rice, vegetables and egg yolk, the intensity softens considerably.

• Timing: Prepare every topping before cooking the beef. The beef only takes a couple of minutes and is best served immediately.

Serves: 2

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There are plenty of dishes across Europe that sit somewhere in the comfort food hall of fame, but few do it quite as elegantly as Hachis Parmentier. At its core, it’s a simple combination of slow-cooked beef and mashed potato, but like many French classics, the magic comes from the attention paid to each individual component. Put simply, this is a really good French cottage pie.

In this version I make a few tweaks to the traditional recipe whilst staying true to the components that make it so special. The result sits somewhere between a great cottage pie and a luxurious beef bourguignon. Deeply savoury, rich without feeling heavy and exactly the sort of dish that rewards a slow Sunday afternoon in the kitchen. Make it once and you’ll understand why it has remained a staple of French home cooking for generations.

A few things to know before you start

• Wine marinade: Not traditional, but it really helps deepen the flavour of the beef and gives the finished sauce a richer colour and character.

• Sear: A lot of the flavour in this dish comes from properly caramelising both the beef and vegetables. Don’t rush, take your time.

• Reduce: The filling should be rich, glossy and concentrated. If the sauce is too loose, the finished pie will lack structure.

• Potatoes: Bake over boil. This keeps excess moisture out of the mash and gives you a fluffier, more intensely flavoured topping.

• Rest: It may feel like torture after all that work, but resting allows everything to settle and makes serving much easier.

Serves 6

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Welsh rarebit is basically cheese on toast, but with way more personality. This British classic really hits the spot when you want something comforting made from just a handful of ingredients, but the cheese you choose is everything. You want something with punch here. Something mature, sharp and properly savoury.

The combination of cheese, ale, mustard and gentle spice creates something deeply rich and comforting, and it’s exactly the sort of thing you want on a cold day at home.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Cheese: Use something you genuinely love eating. Extra mature cheddar works beautifully, but combining two cheeses gives you a much more rounded final flavour. More on cheese later.

• Roux: You want the butter and flour mixture to cook until it smells almost biscuity and toasted. That deeper golden roux gives the rarebit a nuttier, more savoury backbone.

• Ale: Guiness is best, but any ale will do. Just don’t add too much.

• Chill: The mixture needs time to fully set and intensify in flavour. A few hours works, but overnight is ideal if you want the best texture.

• Heat: An aggressive pizza oven gives incredible colour fast, but it can also force some of the fat out of the cheese mixture. A grill is gentler and gives a slightly cleaner final bite.

Serves 4

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There are very few salads that compare to a real Thai beef salad. Done right, it’s got to be one of the most beautifully layered salads there is, and much of that comes down to the dressing. It’s sharp, sweet, salty and spicy, with an interesting combination of ingredients that ticks almost every box.

The balance is everything here though - you want the sweetness, acidity, salt, spice and savouriness, all fighting for attention without one dominating the other. We will hand crush and grind a lot in this recipe, so get yourself a good molcajete or coarse pestle and mortar. If not, just use a food processor which honestly is much easier anyway.

In this recipe, I’ll run you through all the important elements and techniques, from the balancing out this potent dressing, through to making the toasted rice powder and crispy garnish. The rice powder may seem minor, but it completely changes the salad. It adds nuttiness, texture and body whilst helping absorb excess dressing, so everything clings properly instead of becoming watery.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Rice powder: You need to use a specific type of rice for this. Once toasted, it adds an amazing flavour.

• Lemongrass: This isn’t traditional, but we will use it in two ways. It adds a lovely citrus aroma and freshness that works perfectly with the grilled beef.

• Taste: Adjust the dressing once everything has been combined to suit your taste. More on this later.

• Steak: You can choose whichever cut you like – but marbling is important. Extra fat is welcome here.

• Dressing: Don’t overdress the salad. Add some dressing first, toss, then adjust. The vegetables and herbs release moisture as they sit.

Serves 2

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Knowing how to make a proper bolognese is something every home cook should have under their belt. This meat sauce is one of the most comforting and satisfying things you can make, yet despite the depth of flavour it delivers, the process itself is incredibly simple. It just relies on patience more than anything else. Good ingredients, proper caramelisation and several hours of gentle simmering quietly transforming everything into something rich, glossy and deeply savoury.

Whenever I make bolognese, I make a large batch. Not only does it freeze exceptionally well, but it genuinely tastes even better the next day once all the flavours have had more time to settle and deepen. Having portions of proper homemade ragù sitting in the freezer means restaurant-quality pasta is never more than 20 minutes away, whether it’s a quick midweek dinner or something easy to throw together when people come round.

A real bolognese also shouldn’t be aggressively tomato-heavy. This is a meat sauce first and foremost. The tomato paste is there to deepen and support the ragù rather than dominate it. The richness comes from reduction, rendered fat and proper caramelisation, not from throwing loads of tomato into the pot and hoping for the best. Every stage of this recipe slowly compounds flavour onto the next, which is exactly why the final result tastes so rich and complete.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Meat: Use a variety of meats for maximum flavour. More on this later.

• Batches: Sear your meat in stages for proper caramelisation

• Mirepoix: An ultra fine mirepoix gives you a maximum flavour infusion and a much more cohesive final ragu

• Reduce: continue reducing till your ragu is thick and glossy before adding pasta

• Pasta: finish the pasta directly in the sauce for proper emulsification and a glossy, rich consistency

Makes 6 generous servings

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There’s something about this combination that just works on every level. Good sausage, bright greens, al dente pasta, and a sauce built with intention. It’s simple on paper, but like a lot of Italian cooking, the difference between average and exceptional comes down to how you handle each stage. Colour on the sausage, control of the fond, and finishing the pasta properly in the sauce are what take this from a quick midweek dish into something far more refined.

What makes this version stand out is the use of chicken stock as your cooking medium. Instead of just salting water, you’re building flavour into the pasta itself, and in turn creating a deeply savoury, starchy base for your sauce. Paired with the richness of the sausage, the sharpness of the wine, and the freshness of the broccoli, everything lands exactly where it should - balanced, glossy, and full of depth without feeling heavy.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

Sausages: This dish lives and dies on the sausages. Go to a proper butcher if you can. You want something well-seasoned with a decent fat content.

Fond: Browning of the sausage is where the base of flavour comes from, but it can burn quickly. Deglaze lightly with water as you go to manage the colour.

Pasta: Using chicken stock instead of water gives you a much richer base. The pasta absorbs flavour as it cooks, and the leftover liquid becomes liquid gold for your sauce.

Al dente always: Pull the pasta a couple minutes early.

Broccoli: You want it bright green with a bit of bite. Work quickly once it’s in. Overcook it and it goes dull, soft, and lifeless. Timing here is key.

Serves 2

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Spaghetti al limone is one of those ultra simple but deeply satisfying pasta dishes that relies on just a handful of ingredients. The key is balance. You want the lemon, butter and cheese working together so the sauce is creamy, bright and ever so slightly sweet. Too much lemon and it becomes sharp and aggressive. Too little and it feels flat. Texture matters just as much. Properly al dente spaghetti, coated in a glossy sauce, finished with that fine snowfall of Parmesan over the top.

What makes this version work is how the sauce is built. You’re not just tossing pasta with butter and lemon, you’re creating a proper emulsion using starch, butter and cheese, layering it in stages so it becomes silky and cohesive. The ultra-fine Parmesan is key here. It melts instantly into the sauce and gives you that clean, creamy structure without turning grainy.

Done properly, this is bright, rich and incredibly refined.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Parmesan: Grate it on the finest setting. You want it almost powder-like, so it melts cleanly into the sauce.

• Pasta: Undercook the pasta. You want to pull it well before it even gets to al dente and finish it in the sauce.

• Heat control: Keep the heat gentle when adding cheese. Too hot and it splits.

• Emulsion: Butter and pasta water go in stages, not all at once. This is the key to building a cohesive, creamy sauce.

Serves 2

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Pad Thai is one of my favourite Thai dishes. There’s a lot going on in what looks like a simple plate – a sweet, sour, slightly sharp sauce, layered wok-fried proteins, and a base of properly cooked noodles and aromatics that carry everything. Get each of those elements right and it becomes something genuinely impressive.

What I love about Pad Thai is that it forces you to build flavour at every stage, whilst still coming together quickly. You’re not just throwing things into a wok, you’re layering. Browning the proteins to create fond, building aromatics on top of that, reducing the sauce until it grips, and then finishing everything together so it eats clean rather than heavy. The combination of chicken, prawns and tofu gives you contrast - fat, sweetness and texture - which makes it far more interesting than relying on just one. The only drawback to this dish is the ingredient sourcing, but once that’s done, the rest is simple.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Noodles: This is where most people go wrong. Variety and preparation method matter. You need dried, flat rice noodles. More on this later.

• Heat: Medium-high is your base, but you need to adjust at each stage. Too hot and things burn. Too low things steam, which is even worse. You’re chasing an active sizzle.

• Sauce: Taste your tamarind. Some are much sharper than others. You’re aiming for a balance of sweet, salty, sour and umami. Make sure sauce and adjust as needed.

• Proteins: Cook proteins in batches. Overcrowding kills colour and you lose that base layer of flavour.

• Timing - Once the noodles go in, everything moves quickly. Have everything prepped and within reach.

Serves 2

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During the week I like to keep things as clean as possible, and this is one of those recipes that ticks a lot of boxes. High in protein, packed with good fats, balanced carbs, and some clean greens on the side to finish it off. It also doesn’t skimp on flavour and is great for prepping ahead!

You can get everything in place earlier in the day and just bring it together when you’re ready to eat. It scales well too, so if you’re cooking for a few people and want something healthy without overthinking it, this delivers.

Once you understand the process and technique, this will be one you will come back to time and time again + the same marinade works great for chicken too. Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Marinade: make this first and adjust till it’s perfect, then add the protein.

• Marination Time: An hour is fine, but the longer the better. I like to prep in the morning so that I can have it for dinner.

• Greens: Keep the seasoning simple. The salmon has a lot going on already!

• Cooking: I don’t bake my salmon, nor do I pan fry. I’ll explain what and why a little later.

• Reduce: The marinade can be brushed on during cooking + reduced into a glaze for drizzling.

• Rice: Sushi rice works great but make sure you rinse well. Get a rice cooker too for easy meal prep.

Serves 2

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There’s something quite satisfying about taking a product that’s already been carefully made and pushing it one step further. Saucisson, with its deep seasoning, fat content and gentle funk from curing, already sits somewhere between snack and centrepiece. Treat it like tartare, and it becomes something else entirely. Rich, punchy, sharp, and unexpectedly refined.

This is not about reinventing tartare, it’s about borrowing the structure. You’re essentially building a classic tartare profile - acid, heat, umami, fat - but swapping raw beef for cured pork. The result is more intense, more forgiving, and far easier to execute. No knife skills here, just a food processor and balance of ingredients.

I like to serve this one with something crunchy (in contrast to what I filmed), so I’ll give you some ideas on what could work well. Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Saucisson - different brands vary massively in salt, spice and fat. Taste it first before blitzing and buy a couple varieties to see what you like.

• Don’t over-blitz - you’re aiming for something coarse and textured, not a paste.

• Balance is everything - acidity, fat and seasoning need adjusting at the end. A touch of honey can add sweetness if you want to round things out.

• Egg yolk = richness - but it also loosens the mix, so add sparingly.

• Contrast - the contrast is what makes it work. Serve with something crunchy over the brioche I used in the video. I’ll suggest some options below.

Serves 2–3 as a starter

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This is a super simple, Japanese-inspired tuna rice bowl. It’s quick to prepare and relies on just a couple of techniques that I think are important to add to your arsenal. This one lets the tuna do all the talking and consists of three key components: a bowl of seasoned sushi rice, a few cuts of high-quality tuna (served in three different ways) + a beautifully marinated egg yolk.

Nothing here is overly complicated, but every component needs to be handled carefully. The rice needs to be seasoned just right, and the tuna should be sliced and marinated delicately.

What I like about this version is the contrast. You’ve got clean, raw slices of tuna + lightly torched pieces where the fat just begins to render and pick up a bit of smoke. In the centre, a lightly seasoned tuna tartare brightened with ponzu, and a cured egg yolk that ties everything together when it breaks. It’s rich, but not heavy. Clean, but still indulgent.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Tuna: Sushi-grade fish is important when eating raw. It’s been handled and frozen in a way that reduces parasite risk and gives you clean flavour and texture.

• Cut: I love otoro, but for this dish akami / chutoro work best. I’ll run you through some options on sourcing the best in your area.

• Rice: Short grain sushi rice is best here - you want that signature chewy, slightly firm texture.

• Seasoning: Don’t over season the rice. Use the measures I set out below for perfectly seasoned rice every time.

• Torching: You are not cooking the tuna, a few seconds is all you need.

Serves 2

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My favourite steak sauce is one that doesn’t distract from the steak itself. No cream, no unnecessary seasoning - just a few clean ingredients that enhance what’s already there. This sauce sits somewhere between a classic jus and a more aggressive, fire-led reduction, built on hard char, proper fond development and disciplined reduction.

The key idea here is to extract as much depth as possible from inexpensive ingredients. A cheap cut of beef works perfectly - you’re not cooking it to serve, you’re using it as a flavour engine. Paired with heavily charred shallots, garlic and caramelised lemon, then reduced with wine and stock, you end up with something rich, glossy and intensely savoury, with just enough acidity to keep it balanced.

It’s the kind of sauce that transforms a piece of steak into something far more complete. Once you’ve made it properly, it becomes a bit of a staple.

NB: I made this originally on the BBQ, but I have written this recipe to require just a pan.

A few things to know before you start

• Hard Sear: You want deep, aggressive browning on both the beef and aromatics.

• Beef: Don’t overthink the cut. Something inexpensive is ideal.

• Work in stages: Sear → char → deglaze→ simmer. Build the layers.

• Simmer: Gentle extraction and reduction is important, no boiling.

• Finish: Those final adjustments are everything. Finish to taste.

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Kibbeh is something I order whenever I see it on a menu. These crispy meat-filled ‘dumplings’ are a delicious snack to have in the middle of the table, surrounded by lots of other mezze like hummus, Fattoush, tabouleh and mutabal.

It’s a dish with deep roots across the Levant and every region / household has their own variation, but the core idea generally stays the same: bulgur and meat, worked together to form a dough that is stuffed with a delicious meat filling. Some versions use beef, whilst others use beef + lamb. That decision is up to you and both are great!

Getting Kibbeh right ultimately comes down to texture more than anything. The outer layer needs to be smooth, cohesive and just elastic enough to stretch / mould without cracking. It then needs to crisp up whilst frying whilst the inside stays juicy and rich.

In my version, we will be making a tasty filling using ground ribeye mixed with toasted nuts and spices. Grinding your own meat is always good but this recipe works well with store-bought ground beef too. Controlling the fat content is important! On the side, a bright, citrusy tahini and yogurt dip to round out all the flavours.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Meat: Beef and lamb work great, but you can use either. Whatever you choose, it’s important to use different meat for the shell and filling – more on this later.

• Bulgur: The bulgur wheat you choose is very important, i’ll show you what to look for.

• Shell: You need to knead the bulgur and meat it until smooth and slightly elastic. It should be soft / slightly springy - not dry, not wet.

• Ice: Adding ice is a traditional trick that introduces moisture slowly while keeping the mixture cold - this helps everything bind properly.

• Filling: No need for aggressive browning here. You want the meat and onions to sweat and infuse together.

• Shaping: You want a thin outer layer. Too thick and these become stodgy. Too thin and they become fragile. You’ll feel the balance after you make the first couple.

This recipe yields roughly 15-20 pieces depending on size.

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I love stretching leftovers into something that eats like a completely new dish. The other day I made a pretty big batch of ratatouille (see recipe here).

I ended up with a lot of that fire-roasted tomato and red pepper sauce left over, so figured I’d use it as the base for a midweek pasta. It turned out great and felt worth sharing.

Here, we’re building a quick cream-enriched sauce, layering in extra flavour from shallot, garlic, wine and tomato paste. It’s finished with parmesan and crispy pancetta - rich, glossy and properly comforting, but also super simple.

On the side, a simple tomato and onion salad to keep things fresh and balanced. The dressing here is one I use for all sorts of salads – sharp, sweet, and well balanced. Enough talking, let’s get into it.

Serves 2

NB: This is a quicker, less detailed recipe than what I usually post, but it doesn’t need much more than this. Let me know if you like this style of quick-fire recipes too as I’ve got lots i can post!

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Fire. Smoke. Seafood. Rice. Cheesecake. It’s a city that has it all.

I knew the food scene in Madrid was good but didn’t know it was THAT good. The city has this confident, unfussy way of cooking. No gimmicks. No over-engineering. Just elite produce, fire where it matters and an amazing casual-chic vibe wherever you go.

Here’s where I ate on this short trip, what I loved and my honest view on each spot. If you’re heading to Madrid and you care about food, save this post!

1. Los 33

Neighbourhood vibe: Salamanca area. Smart, polished streets. Feels affluent but relaxed.
The room: Dim lighting, roaring parrilla, tight kitchen energy. Intimate but buzzing.

When you walk in, the energy hits you straight away – people eating and drinking at the bar with lots of tables scattered around and the roaring parrilla right at the back.

Start with the chuletitas. Thin, bite-sized riblets of bone-in beef, cooked hard over the fire. Smoky, charred around the edges, almost bacon-like in appearance but richer. Slight sweetness running through them. I couldn’t tell if there was sugar involved or just heavy caramelisation, but they were addictive. Proper meat candy. I’d order two plates next time without hesitation.

The cacio e pepe morels were knockout. Earthy, meaty mushrooms glazed in a glossy, peppery sauce, pecorino-laced sauce. Fire-grilled peas came blistered and sweet, still fresh but kissed with smoke. The anchovy butter crostinis were outrageous too – salty, rich and deeply savoury without tipping over.

And their famous bikini (a bikini is basically Spain’s answer to a grilled ham and cheese sandwich – but done properly), crisp and smoked on the outside and molten in the middle, did exactly what it needed to do. No fuss, no overthinking. Just confident cooking and simple ideas.

The chuleta itself had a mature, nutty flavour and a serious crust. Slightly fatty and not the most tender steak I had all week, but flavour-wise? A winner. This is the thing with older cows – consistency is a little more difficult and so sometimes you just need to order and see what turns up!

This is confident fire and smoke cooking. Highly recommend. I’d definitely go back.

2. Charrúa

Neighbourhood vibe: Also in Salamanca.
The room: Two dimly lit dining rooms, each built around an open fire grill. Raised mezzanines, depth, drama. It’s a stunning set-up. Perfect for date-night.

The room is dark and moody, low ceilings, textured walls, warm pools of light hitting the tables and the glow from the embers doing the rest. You can smell the wood smoke before you even sit down. Both dining rooms revolve around the fire, so wherever you’re placed you feel connected to it.

We ordered well – Galician chuletón, melted provolone bubbling in a cast iron dish, paper-thin cecina with incredible marbling, turbot off the grill and a steady flow of starters and sides. The provolone came molten and stretchy with that smoky crust from the fire. The cecina was silky and savoury, the kind of thing you keep picking at between bites of everything else. The turbot had beautiful flavour from the embers, garlic running through it, though maybe a touch over cooked for my liking. The chuletón had good flavour but was slightly chewy.

But if I’m being honest? Nothing quite blew me away. Especially having hit similar fire-led spots across the week, but as for the place, it’s one of a kind. Food was good, but not incredible.

Wine-wise, we opened a bottle of Bodegas Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2020 – young, velvety, beautiful.

Would I go back? Yes. I loved the vibe. It may just have been one of those nights where the mains missed slightly. Still a killer spot.

3. Estimar

Neighbourhood vibe: In the heart of the city but tucked just enough away from the chaos.
The room: Clean, minimal, produce-led with a beautiful seafood display.

If you’re serious about seafood, this is a must.

Chef Rafa Zafra (also behind Casa Jondal Ibiza - one of my favourites) understands restraint. When the seafood is this good, you don’t need to mess around too much.

Anchovies plated perfectly – silky, glistening fillets, seasoned just enough to sharpen their natural salinity without drowning them. Grilled bread topped with caviar, warm and lightly charred underneath so the smoke lifts the brine of the roe. Langoustine carpaccio, sweet and delicate, dressed with precision so nothing masked the clean flavour.

Much of the cooking runs through the Josper, which is key. You get that gentle kiss of charcoal and heat, a light smokiness that adds structure and depth, but it never bullies the main ingredient. The seafood still tastes like itself, just amplified.

The must order here is the turbot pil-pil. Prepared very simply in the josper and doused in the most incredible sauce made with the resting juices of the fish and natural collagen. It’s an incredible thing and I’d come here just for that.

Precise. Balanced. Refined.
Sit at the kitchen table if you can, it’s really special.

4. Filandón

Neighbourhood vibe: Countryside energy.
The room: Huge. 650+ covers. Yet somehow still feels intimate and homely.

This is where you go with a group. It’s the kind of place families gather on a Sunday and the scale is impressive – hundreds of covers – yet it doesn’t feel corporate. There’s warmth to it. Proper service, big plates, classic dishes done their way. Not chasing trends. Just doing Spanish cooking at volume, confidently and doing it well.

We started with Cinco Jotas jamón Ibérico and crystal tomato bread. Juicy clams from Carril. Parrilla vegetables.

Then the akami tuna with onion, soy and fried quail egg. This was special. The akami tuna cut thin and clean. Buttery tuna, salty soy, sweet caramelised onion, and then that rich yolk breaking over everything and bringing it together. Sweet, salty, acidic, rich. Complete. One of my favourite bites of the trip without question

For mains we went big. Wagyu chuletón with a proper crust, deep red centre and that clean beefy flavour. Then the rice dishes – arroz carabinero and arroz with Iberian rib and jamón. The rice here is exactly how I like it, not paella, much drier and deeply reduced. Crispy at the base. Intense savoury flavour and that proper chewy texture from the reduction. The iberico rice was my favourite. Super meaty. Ribs falling off the bone. Massive depth.

Big menu. Go in numbers. Order aggressively.

5. Lana

Neighbourhood vibe: Salamanca - nice area.
The room: Refined steak house with serious beef on display.

Voted one of the best steak restaurants in the world and it shows.

I asked them to pick their favourites, and they handled the full order. The Wagyu cecina arrived first – translucent, delicately sliced, melting on the plate. Incredible depth of flavour. The best Cecina I had on this trip was here.

Grilled sweetbreads with caviar were recommended. Crisp outside, buttery inside, clean flavour. No overcomplication. Just elite ingredients. These melted on the tongue were so delicious. Then came the Argentinian cuts from La Pampa. My favourite? The rib cap. Perfect crust. Deep blushing centre. Smokey. Juicy. Beautifully dry-aged. Just salt and it sang. It beat the strip for me despite the lower marbling. Really incredible steak.

Exclusively Argentinian wine list with serious options.

If you like beef, this place is non-negotiable and I highly recommend it.

6. Alex Cordobés

Cheesecake so good I could have had this every day. Arguably one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had. Super creamy, with a just-set centre and ever so slight wobble. Deep caramelised top. Sweet but balanced. Proper texture. Not gimmicky, just perfected.

If you’re in Madrid you must stop by. Sometimes there are queues, so go early.

Final Thoughts

I only managed to scratch the surface on the Madrid food scene. Fire is everywhere, but it’s controlled and these chefs know how to bring the best out of the local produce. There’s very little ego on the plate, even at the high-end places.

If I had to narrow it down?

• For steak: Lana.

• For fire-led atmosphere and drinks: Los 33.

• For seafood: Estimar.

• For big group Spanish classics, family style dining: Filandón.

• For cheesecake: Alex Cordobés.

Madrid is a serious food city. Not flashy. Just very, very good. I’ll be back soon to explore more very soon, but for now, i hope you enjoy this recap of my most recent visit.

NF x

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There’s something about ratatouille that feels deceptively simple. On paper, it’s just layered vegetables and a stewed tomato base, but when you really lean into the technique, it becomes something far more refined. This version is built around depth of flavour, clean structure and proper control over texture - each component treated individually, then brought together in a way that feels intentional and elevated.

The key shift in my recipe comes down to the sauce. Instead of a traditional stewed tomato base, everything is hard roasted first - tomatoes, peppers and shallots pushed to the point of caramelisation before being simmered and blended. That one step changes everything. You get sweetness, smokiness and a much deeper backbone rather than a flat, one-note sauce.

From there, it’s all about precision. Even slicing, tight layering, controlled moisture and proper resting. Done right, you end up with something that holds its shape, eats cleanly, and delivers flavour in every bite.

A few things to know before you start

• Slicing: Use a mandolin if you have one to ensure ultra consistent slices.

• Moisture: The vegetables in a ratatouille are full of moisture and it’s important to draw out any excess. A quick salt treatment will give you a less watery result and stop the sauce from becoming diluted as everything bakes.

• Roast: Hard roasting and caramelisation = flavour. This step is important. A short blast under the broiler will give the sauce much more depth.

• Cartouche: Better than a lid here. It controls moisture and ensures even cooking without drying out the top.

• Resting: A quick rest will allow for cleaner plating and better eating.

Serves 4 as a side

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This is one of my favourite deserts. There’s something so satisfying about eating this and it’s a feeling you can only appreciate once you’ve tried it. At its heart, it’s a balance of just three components: fragrant sticky rice, rich coconut cream and perfectly ripe mango. But like many traditional dishes, making a memorable version lies in the small details: the rice you choose, how you cook it, and the way you build flavour into the coconut syrup.

In Thailand this dish is called Khao Niew Mamuang, and it’s a staple of street markets and dessert stalls across the country. The rice is steamed rather than boiled, then soaked in a sweet coconut syrup until every grain becomes glossy, sticky and aromatic. It’s served alongside ripe mango and finished with a lightly thickened coconut cream. Simple, but incredible.

In this version I add a few small touches that I personally love. The rice is soaked with pandan leaf which perfumes the grains beautifully, and the finishing coconut drizzle gets a small addition of white chocolate which melts into the sauce and gives it a slightly richer, silkier body. It is subtle, but it works incredibly well and is totally optional.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Rice: The rice you choose is the most important thing. There is only one variety you should use here. It has a much higher amylopectin content which is what creates the signature sticky texture once steamed.

• Rinsing: Even though we want a sticky result, rinsing removes surface starch and dust which would otherwise make the texture gummy.

• Soaking: The 4-hour soak allows the rice to hydrate and cook evenly during steaming.

• Steaming not boiling: This is essential and allows the grains to cook while staying separate and glossy.

• Pandan: This may be tricky to find, but it’s often described as Southeast Asia’s equivalent of vanilla – it brings a subtle grassy, floral aroma that pairs beautifully with coconut.

• Timing: Mixing warm rice with warm coconut syrup ensures the rice absorbs the liquid properly.

Serves 2-3

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A good leek and potato soup can be one of the most comforting things to eat, but like most simple dishes, the difference between a decent version and a really good one comes down to how you build it. This is not just a case of boiling a few vegetables and blending them up. The way you prep the leeks, the time you give them to soften, the way you control the stock level and the final additions of cheddar and cream all make a big difference to the final bowl.

In this version we use the whole leek properly. The whites form the backbone of the soup, while the greens are turned into a vibrant green leek oil and a crispy garnish for texture. There is also crispy bacon for a salty punch and cheddar toast soldiers on the side, which turn this into something far more satisfying than a simple bowl of soup.

It is still simple at heart, but with a few small touches that make it look and taste much more special.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• Leeks: Whites for the soup. Greens for the oil. We use everything.

• Aromatics: Slice them finely. More surface = more flavour extraction.

• Sauté: Give them time. This step develops sweetness and builds depth in the soup. Don’t add the potato and stock too early.

• Thickness: I’ll outline how to adjust the texture of your soup a little later. There are two ways to do this depending on your desired texture.

• Stock: Chicken or vegetable, just enough to cover the base.

• Cheddar: Optional, but recommended

Serves 4

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There are some dishes that rely on time. Long reductions, slow braises and hours of patience.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is the opposite. This dish is all about speed and precision. Building layers of deep flavour, fast and with intention. It’s a powerful combination of pantry staples that packs more punch than I can describe. A magical mix of anchovies, olives, capers, garlic and chilli, all melted into olive oil before being combined with tomato to create a sauce that tastes sharp, savoury and structured. Every element is distinct, but nothing dominates.

In this version, we stay rooted in tradition for the method, but with the deliberate addition of a white wine deglaze. This subtle move doesn’t change the essence of the dish, but lifts the entire sauce and sharpens the backbone beautifully.

A few things to know before you start:

• Olives: Variety matters. I’ll run you through some options below, but make sure to buy olives that are not pre-pitted.

• Anchovies: Don’t like them? Don’t worry. When cooked and layered in this way, they add so much flavour without dominating or turning things fishy.

• Chilli: Any red chilli will do, but my favourite for this is Calabrian chilli paste.

• Al dente: Pull the pasta early and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce.

• Olive oil: Finish with olive oil and emulsify it into the sauce for an almost creamy, glossy finish.

Serves 2

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There’s something so satisfying about reconstructing a classic - and in today’s recipe, we’re taking on one of my all-time favourites: The Lasagne.

A traditional lasagne is layered, sliced and served in a large baking dish. Here though, we take all of those same components - a slow cooked ragu, silky béchamel and molten cheese - and compress them into individual pasta shells so that each bite eats like a complete lasagne.

It is rich, indulgent and deeply comforting, but also slightly playful. Instead of cutting neat squares, you spoon up golden, bubbling shells that are crisp on top and creamy in the centre. Every element is deliberate. The ragu is reduced properly. The béchamel is infused and glossy. The filling is balanced and creamy and the shells are perfectly al dente.

It is lasagne, just reimagined. Let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start:

• Meat: We will use a trio of meats for maximum depth in our ragu. This can be adapted to suit your taste.

• Sear: Brown your meat properly. Colour equals flavour. Don’t rush this step and follow my process below.

• Reduction: Reduce well. A loose sauce is not the goal here.

• Bechamel: Keep it classic. No cheese, just aromatics. The filling is where we add cheese.

• Pasta: Use XL shells and cook them al dente.

• Wine: Use a nice red in the sauce that you can serve with the meal too.

Serves 4

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