Chin Chin Laboratorists is London’s first nitro ice cream parlour and a theatrical delight! I read that the owners Ahrash Akbari-Kalhur and his wife Nyisha Weber have left their corporate careers and started this venture – which I am more than happy to support.

It’s a simple concept – you choose your base flavour out of Madagascan vanilla bean, Valrhona 66% chocolate (bonus points for top quality raw materials!), and a daily special which was Alfonso mango and black pepper on the day we visited.  Ahrash then dispenses the liquid nitrogen into a metal jug before mixing it into the custard ice-cream base. The resultant ice cream is frozen within a matter of seconds. Chemistry class was never this fun! Ahrash is quite the entertainer also – describing the process as if I was the first person to ever ask how it all works. He explained that the method of freezing the mixture so fast results in no ice crystals and hence a denser and smoother ice cream.

We move to the next counter where Nyisha gives us the option to customize our nitro ice cream delights with sauces and toppings from beakers, flasks and other chemistry-looking jars. We select from either a caramel, raspberry or blueberry compote, and then some crunchy toppings such as chocolate pop rocks, slivered almonds, honeycomb, violet marshmallows, or brittle. Chocolate and raspberry are a match made in heaven which I just cannot go past and the chocolate pop rocks added to the experimentation of the place.

This nitro ice cream is definitely on the creamier side of ice cream – sorbet this is not, but such an experience to be enjoyed by all! I really hope this takes off, it’s such a great idea!

There are also cupcakes for sale that are made by a friend of theirs who happens to be a pastry chef, yum!

The Chin-Chin Laboratorists
49-50 Camden Lock Place
London NW1 8AF

tel. 07885 604 284

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Biarritz is a fantastic location for a short summer stint. It’s a short flight from London and we were lucky enough to have 30 degree sunshine everyday for a week. The water was even a pleasant 22 degrees!

I wasn’t expecting gastronomic delights in this seaside town, but I was pleasantly surprised and feel they should be shared!

Firstly, as mentioned before – the ice cream! There are so many ice creameries scattered around town, many of them close to the beaches for that beachside refreshing snack. The big ones are Regaliz and Glacier – which both happened to be on the walk from our flat to the beach every day! See below for the list of flavours available at Glacier on Rue Mazagran. Highlights were the mint (menthe) chocolate which tasted like fresh Moroccan mint with slivers of rich dark chocolate and no artificial mint taste. Praline which was like the middle of a piece of Guylian and framboise with chunks of fresh raspberry were also winners.

Regaliz further up on Rue Port Vieux has additional flavours such as violet, rocher, chilli chocolate, marshmallow and lemon meringue tart which is topped with a layer of whipped meringue – divine! With so many to try, it’s lucky we were there for a week!

A sure fire way to gauge the quality of a restaurant is by how popular it is. An added bonus is if there is a tasty smell in the air! The small Le Glouby pizzeria on Rue Port Vieux always had a crowd of people at their limited pavement and inside tables and had a strong garlic and oregano aroma which makes your tummy rumble. The vegetarian pizza was simply divine with finely sliced aubergines (eggplant), mushrooms, tomatoes, mozzarella and a herb sauce. Bon Appetite!

Other savoury highlights were the crumbed goats cheese salad (which was requested sans serrano of course!) from La Santa Maria on Esplanade du Port Vieux, and the chicken and sundried tomato risotto with fabulous presentation from the Italian restaurant Al Dente on rue Gambetta.

The bar/cafe at the top of the stairs to Cote de Basque beach called Les 100 Marches serves up a range of salads and sandwiches but what impressed me was their range of quiches and tarts. Now they are just a small building overlooking the beach and I think they have done a great job with their menu as it consists of meals that are able to be easily assembled in their small kitchen. I’m assuming they have their quiches and tarts delivered in the morning and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Their spring tart made of layered onion, leeks, courgettes, carrots and broccoli was a sure fire hit. The slices were absolute massive too and accompanied with a simple yet tasty salad.

We stumbled on Le Pim’pi on Avenue Verdun by chance and were hosted by a delightful French lady who spoke to us entirely in French as she knew we wanted learn. I ordered the Pesce St Jean which happened to be Merlu from Saint Jean. It was served grilled with a not-too-creamy sauce, sautéed veggies and a soft, velvety mash. My initial nerves of a menu lacking “no red meat” options were laid to rest, although full vegetarians would have struggled.

Le Pim’pi has one of most refreshing and balanced rosé wines I have ever tasted and have made a note of it in case I see it again – Domaine Montrose which is of course French. Keep your eyes peeled for it!

And it must be mentioned that the Basque region in France has a specialty Basque tart which comes in crème and cherry varieties. The patisseries and bakeries all have a version but it wasn’t until I saw a chocolate version that I thought it would be a good idea to try one. While the edges were crumbly, there was an inner layer of soft, gooey chocolaty goodness that made it all worthwhile.

The absolute gastronomic highlights of Biarritz would have to be Miremont patisserie and Le Clos Basque restaurant. However, I feel they deserve a separate post so stay tuned…

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