Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberries

Although I have a sweet tooth, I'm not very keen on baking. So many ingredients and accuracy is very important. Needless to say of course all the calories involved. Don't get me wrong, I don't calorie count but still. So how do you make a cake which is easy, fast and the calorific content does not reach four figures per portion? I like ricotta and once a colleague brought a ricotta cheesecake to work. After extensive research and experimenting with different recipes I have finally come up with my own version.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

500g ricotta
3 medium eggs
125ml single cream
120g caster sugar
2 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (if you don't have any at home-don't worry about it!)
Blueberries- as many as you like! You can replace these with strawberries if you prefer them
For the base
6 digestive biscuits
50g unsalted butter

You will need a loose-bottomed cake tin, 20cm diameter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (gas mark 4)

Grease the bottom and sides of the cake tin.

Crush the biscuits finely until they form very fine crumbs-you can do this in a food processor. Add the melted butter and mix in. Press down in the bottom of the tin to make an even layer. Part 1 done!

Now for part 2: Put all the other ingredients except the blueberries in a bowl and using a hand blender mix together for a few seconds until runny and smooth-alternatively you can use a food processor.
Poor into the tin and gently shake so that it forms an even layer. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly on top.
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until it just starts turning brown. If not leave for a little longer.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before leaving in the fridge overnight or a few hours. It should be come out of the cake tin easily- if not run a knife around the edges

TIP: I line the bottom of the cake tin with grease proof paper, which I cut to the same shape and grease that. It makes it so much easier to take the cake off the bottom of the tin!

As Greek As It Gets, Earls Court, London

I always think of London as a foodie's paradise. You can find any cuisine you look for. However, I do think there is a lack of good Greek restaurants. Maybe it's because I grew up with it which may make me more judgemental, maybe it's just because I am always after good food. My Greek friends agree, there is no quality Greek cuisine. Those of you who are familiar with Greek restaurants in London will be thinking that there are numerous ones of which there are some extremely well known. Believe me, these feel like imitations, not even worth it for starters.

There is however one notable exception that I know. As Greek As It Gets. It's a small place on Earl's Court Road. Walking in the decor is refreshingly modern. None of that old fashioned pantry look with tablecloths on the walls. Lines of wooden spoons decorate the staircase leading to the mezzanine level. Black and white portraits on the wall give this a very homely feeling. This is as laid back as it is homely. No need for extravagance.

The menu is extensive. There is a fantastic selection of starters, proper meze. These range from the prawn saganaki, dolmades, cheese pies, spinach pies and so on. The main courses are equally delectable. Choices vary from the moussaka to kleftiko. You can opt for a selection of meze to share or just a few as tasters and a main. The service is efficient, with the Greek waitors adding to the authentic experience.

From the meze I had, amongst others, the beef cooked in honey. As a main I had the Yiaourtlou, the home made beef burgers which come on yoghurt. Although they looked excellent, this time I had no space for dessert. Next time for sure though.

As Greek as it Gets is true to it's name. Look no further.

Cost of around £30pp with a glass of wine each

As Greek As It Gets, 233 Earl's Court Road, London, SW5 9AH, Tel 020 7244 7777 http://www.asgreekasitgets.co.uk/

Volupte, London

Have you ever found yourself with the difficult task of being responsible for organising a night out for a fairly large group? I was in this position recently. A stressful job, but to my good fortune it was a fun group which was appeasing. After much research I found Volupte. This is the 'More' part of Food and More. The website describes it as 'London's Burlesque Cabaret Club'. I opted for this as it seemed to offer decent food and cocktails along with entertainment.

With an upstairs bar, the downstairs Cabaret Salon is where it all happens. The decor is unspectacular but the the diners were dressed up with many following the suggested dress code of 1920's/1940's. Large groups, mostly of girls in this instance and some couples eagerly awaiting the show.

And what could be more entertaining than a burlesque show, accompanied by food. Our food consisted of our choices for from the Spring menu. To start I has the brown crab a gratin. Presented on a bed of rocket. I loved the texture of the gratin, but found it too salty. The girls who opted for the salad agreed on the level of salt. For mains I had the whole baked sea bream. Well I was impressed with the quantity of the food. In terms of the quality, let me say this, I expected that it would be bland and basic. This was not the case. I enjoyed my sea bream which came with mash potato and rocket. Similar comments came from the rest of the group. The ladies who had the sirloin steak (£23) seemed especially pleased with their choice. The service was also of note, our waitors had the right amount of both charm and humour and although at instances slightly elusive, did make the whole experience a better one- thanks Michael!

In terms of the show, I won't give too much away, but I will say that tassels and feathers were involved. Such fun! The idea of a supper club with a burlesque show is a novel one.

Volupté, 9 Norwich Street, London, EC4A 1EJ, Tel: 020 7831 1622 http://www.volupte-lounge.com/

Kyashii, Covent Garden, London

Located in Covent Garden, Kyashii is a glamorous Japanese restaurant with a bar upstairs, private rooms in the basement with the main dining room on the ground floor. White leather sofas and chairs with a yellow illuminated bar furnish the ground floor. The upstairs bar has a sexier feel with a similar decor but themed in black.

I was with a group of around 16 so were in a private dining room. The same sleek decor as the main dining area but here the walls are an endless fish tank, making it feel very spacious and bright.

With so many of us, it was difficult to concentrate on the food. But with two set menus to choose from, one for £45 and the other for £35, together with an a la carte menu there was sufficient choice. In spite of the size of the group we weren't limited as to our choice. The sushi rolls were excellent as was the remaining selection-although my salmon was overcooked and dry.

Our waitors deserve a mention. They were ever so patient with us and very efficient. They gave and impressive service in spite of a loud and slightly indecisive group!

Kyashii is worth a visit, even if just for a cocktail and the sushi rolls!

Kyashii, 4a Upper Saint Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9NY, Tel: 020 7836 5211 http://www.kyashii.co.uk/

The Waterway, Maida Vale, London

I've been to this place a few times, and I have fond memories. The first time I remember, yes in spite of all the alcohol, was for a friends 30th birthday, going back a few years-in case any of you are wondering, this friend is older than me! Located on the canal it makes for a beautiful setting in this leafy part of London. With plenty of outside space, the lovely terrace makes it ideal when the sun is shining.

This time we made the journey to the waterway for lunch. In terms of riverside places this ranks I'm sure amongst the best in London. The leafy surroundings overlooking the canal make it a perfect place for a boozy afternoon. We arrived and although our table was not yet ready, it would be prepared in 25 minutes. We took the opportunity to get a bottle of wine and sat in the garden to enjoy the sun. The place was buzzing, with a smart crowd who all seemed to be around for hours.

We were lucky enough to have an outside table so made ourselves comfortable with a second bottle of wine.

Although polite I did find the service a bit slow. But on a positive note, it seemed to add to the vibe, we weren't in a rush to go anywhere so we had more time to enjoy the sunshine and the company.

  

We opted for a selection of starters to share and being the easy going people we all ordered either the burger (£13.50) or the salmon (£15), there was seven of us-you would have expected a more diverse selection! I was very impressed with the starters especially the greek meze. I avoid these because usually it's a selection which resembles what you would get from a discount section at the supermarket. Not at the waterway, I can assure you. The taramasalata was the best I have had at any restaurant (including greek ones). It was white in colour, which is exactly how good quality taramasalata should be. Our mains were also very good and hit the spot. I would also recommend the vanilla panacotta.

It was such a fun afternoon and I would recommend this, both for the setting and the food. Just make sure to book well in advance, it's always extremely busy.

The Waterway, 54 Formosa Street, London, W9 2JU, Tel: 020 7266 3557 http://www.thewaterway.co.uk/