Dinner by Heston

I'm on a podcast, visual consciousness, an excellent kimchi pancake

Heady prawn head soup is back, at the wonderful and consistent Kikuchi

Food news of the week:

I’m a fan of the pistachio and matcha lattes over at Blank Street, but have you tried their pistachio creme cookie? Because it’s insanely good, gooey on the inside and heavy on the pistachio flavour. More importantly, one of my favourite sushi places Kikuchi has brought back their red prawn head soup, after a long bout of just shimeji mushroom miso soup to accompany their sushi sets. I am so so happy– these heads make the soup so rich and creamy. I sometimes get an allergic reaction to prawns… and I still would risk it for this.

Science of the week:

I had the privilege of being on my friend Joe’s podcast, where I talk about all things gut-brain-mood axis, mental health, and how men are not as likely to report mental health symptoms as women are. Still weird to hear my voice, but this was so fun, and Joe is an excitable and inquisitive host!

Insight of the week:

Also kind of sciencey but I came across Christoph Koch in a podcast, who has made significant contributions to our understanding of visual consciousness. His research and part of his book The Quest for Consciousness explores how neural processes in the brain, like the integrated activity of neurons in specific brain areas like the posterior cortex, give rise to conscious visual experiences.

Recipe of the week:

Seared dates, olive oil, and ice cream

Lord. Not one from the archives this time, but rather one so simple and well-frequented by moi that I didn’t think to put it in here at all… Until now.

I’ve been doing a lot of this seared date situation lately: Take 2-3 soft dates, the kind that seem like they will totally disintegrate if you press just a little too hard, and place them in a pan on medium-high heat and wait for them to caramelise a little and drool around the edges. Place them on some good vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle with a glug of olive oil. Perfect for these searing hot London summer days, inspired by the post Sunday Roast olive oil ice cream at Quality Chop House in Farringdon.

Restaurant of the week:

I finally made it to dinner at Dinner. By Heston, that is. I’ve heard about his meat fruit and tipsy cake for actual years and have only just had the privilege of seeing what the hype is about. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait.