N-Ice the world's first frozen food restaurant

Something a little different this week. I was invited to N-Ice, the world’s first frozen food gourmet restaurant at Westminster Kingsway College http://bit.ly/oTC7yO and what a treat it was. We were greeted with an ice sculpture with tiny white forks embedded in the ice. As you enter the ‘pop up’ restaurant, it’s reminiscent of Christmas with fairy lights and snow flake symbols hanging from the ceiling. The entire menu was created using mainly frozen ingredients including herbs and spices. Three celebrity chefs – Atul Kochhar, Simon Rimmer and Galton Blackiston devised signature dishes while the rest of the menu has been created by chef lecturers from Westminster Kingsway College, while the college’s students waited at tables.
The aim of N-Ice is to change the perception of frozen food, says Brian Young, director general of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), which opened N-Ice, “and get the general public to think about frozen food in a different way.” The ‘pop up’ restaurant, only open for a week, is totally sold out throughout the week with 600 covers booked. Questionnaires were handed out at the restaurant asking for opinions about frozen food and the dining experience at N-Ice.
The BFFF will collate the findings in liaison with Sheffield Hallam University and launch the survey results in a few weeks’ time. Frozen food has been supplied by 20 members of the BFFF including Brakes, 3663, Movenpick and Pidy.
The service at the restaurant is impeccable and prompt. To start with, I chose Atul Kochhar’s crisp fried spicy John Dory with grokha (cucumber and chilli jam) chutney. The fish was flaky and tender and the chutney gave a zingy flavour. For the main course, I enjoyed Atul Kochhar’s fragrant Kashmiri Lamb Curry. The chunks of lamb were tender in a thick curry sauce, but not too hot and spicy that you needed to grab a glass of water.
I couldn’t tell that the dishes had been created from frozen ingredients. They looked good, tasted fresh and flavoursome – so perhaps that’s the point! The perfect conclusion to the meal was petit pois ice cream from Gaston Blackiston with a strong pea and mint flavour, which melted in the mouth. Very refreshing after a curry.
The food was well presented in white bone china, offsetting the colours of the food. For example, the mango soufflé was served in an espresso cup.
The students demonstrated knowledge about the menu when I asked about certain ingredients as well as a friendly, fast and courteous service – better than at some restaurants I’ve visited!
The survey wanted to find out whether I would avoid eating at a pub or restaurant serving frozen food and after my experience at N-Ice, the answer would be no!
What a pity N-Ice is only open for a week. Perhaps there is scope for a permanent restaurant using mainly frozen food ingredients.

The challenge of eating out with food allergies

Welcome to the first world “eating out with allergies” challenge. Take one fifty something man with over 20 food intolerances – Ray - and his wife Jackie (that’s me), who is wheat intolerant, as they face the challenge of eating out, whether it’s a coffee shop or five star dining. What about eating at friends’ houses or, even more scary, being invited to a wedding or social occasion with a sit down dinner or buffet? So we have begun our journey into how to cope with eating out with these food intolerances and I don’t just mean in restaurants – I mean at friends’ houses, at functions, weddings, work events, everywhere.
Have you ever tried eating out with a food allergy? Ray suffers from food intolerances, but most people don’t know what “intolerances” are, let alone waiting staff in restaurants. So we generally use the term “allergies”, which seems to be understood universally.
The foods Ray can’t eat include lemon, oranges, grapes, melon, strawberries, blackberries, rhubarb, gooseberries, celeriac, parsnips, raspberries, apricots, blackcurrants, cherries, peaches, broccoli, celery, spinach, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, ice cream, eggs, butter, milk, cream, margarine, cheese
So you might ask – what exactly can he eat?
Fruit – only apples, pears, bananas, dates and figs (but only cooked figs); Olive oil instead of butter and salad dressing. Generally he can’t have any sauces because they tend to have cream in them.
Eating out in restaurants in a real lottery situation – some are sympathetic, while others clearly don’t care. I will always ring up in advance and explain the challenge. There are two extremes – either total incredulity at the end of the phone or someone who understands totally and assures me they can cater for these food intolerances.
When we turn up at the restaurant, however, it’s often a different story. They can deny all knowledge of the phone call. You learn from experience which restaurants to avoid – like the ones who serve Ray a steak with butter (after having been told Ray is intolerant to butter). We sent it back again – only for the same steak to reappear again minus the butter. We know the butter has simply been scraped off. How? Ray has to gallop to the lavatory after 20 minutes after the leaving the restaurant!
Enough said. It’s got to the point where I will taste something on his behalf and see if I can identify whether there is any butter remaining!