Voyage with Adam Simmonds, London NW1: ‘A bit like eating at a weight-loss camp’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

It takes thousands of hours in a hot kitchen to cook like thisKing’s Cross in London is a place where a million voyages begin and end, each and every week. Which may explain why so much cash has been thrown at the area around the station to turn it into “an aspirational lifestyle destination”, rather than somewhere to stomp through grumpily while dragging a suitcase.By and large, however, this proposed glow-up has failed – the Euston Road will always be an unlovable, multi-laned traffic snarl-up – although now, if you creep into the Megaro hotel, you’ll find a minimalist Scandi restaurant, Voyage with Adam Simmonds. This plain, dark brown, oak-panelled room sits rather incongruously inside the recently restyled Megaro, which now has a Britpop, Austin Powers-esque, rock’n’roll theme and suites boasting names such as Groove Britannia and Pop Diva; Backstage Britannia comes complete with acid smiley face pillows.If the Megaro is a celebration of the 1990s London party scene, however, Voyage is a post-party detox in Gällivare, Sweden

Get a head: brassicas top Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for April

The price of leafy greens is also falling, while an apple, pear and persimmon crumble will make use of the month’s best fruit all at onceCauliflower and other brassicas are the highlight of early autumn veg, according to Dean Lamb from Watts Fresh in Kyneton and trader at the Melbourne markets.“A lot of growers will change from summer to winter varieties. If you pay attention, you’d notice the flower is tighter and whiter – you tend to get a bit of discolouration through summer,” he says.Try cauliflower in Nigel Slater’s cheesy cauliflower with ham hock and parsley or Meera Sodha’s roast cauliflower doused in herbs and spices to kickstart the crop’s new season.Brassicas generally are cheap: broccoli is about $4

How to cook the perfect roast whole new potatoes – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to cook the perfect …

When I pitched the idea for today’s column, my editor’s response was underwhelming to say the least. “Is that even a recipe?” he asked, which is exactly the attitude that inspired me in the first place. Often the simplest dishes feel in the least need of an actual recipe, yet surely I can’t be alone in thinking that the leathery, greasy roast new potatoes that turn up so often on tables at this time of year show some room for improvement.I used to be of Jane Grigson’s opinion that “new potatoes should either be steamed or put into boiling water with sprigs of mint” – after all, they’re so good, and their season so short, from April to August, why meddle with perfection? But, having recently enjoyed crisp-skinned, buttery- fleshed beauties from a restaurant oven, I’d like to add them to my repertoire, too. While anyone can roast a potato, doing it proper justice clearly requires a little more thought

Noor Murad’s recipes for Gulf-style rice

The Gulf countries are known for their elaborate rice dishes, many of them inverted, so the bottom becomes the top and the top the bottom. Some of the best and most traditional ones are cooked over charcoal and palm wood in deep underground fire pits, so the smokiness takes over every grain. That isn’t practical in most homes, but I like to think we can still produce the most wonderful rice dishes with just simple ingredients and a lot of love.The name of this uniquely Bahraini dish means “bottom of the pot”, which is where all the good stuff happens. The meat (or fish or vegetables) is left to steam and cook gently without any liquid, and the rice is piled on top

What’s the difference between all the various paprikas? | Kitchen aide

Sweet, smoked, hot … What’s the difference between the various paprikas? And are there any substitutes? “Paprika brings warmth, it brings colour and it brings another layer of flavour,” says Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa. “Even just a sprinkling over goat’s cheese on toast, hummus or any kind of dip, along with a bit of olive oil, will bring it to life.” Crucial to both Spanish and Hungarian cuisines, paprika is made by drying peppers (generally speaking, Hungarian varieties are air-dried whereas the Spanish stuff is smoke-dried) and grinding them to a fine powder. The taste, meanwhile, depends on the variety of pepper used, although, as Linton points out, not all tins of paprika specify that.The Guardian’s journalism is independent

Crispy Dreams and Cotton Candy: why are there so many new kinds of grape?

When I first tried a Cotton Candy™ grape, I did a double take. Did someone swap out my fruit for fairy floss? The burst of sugary sweetness was so unexpected, it felt like I should have been picking at it from a stick, not plucking it from a bunch. This wasn’t nature playing tricks – it was the result of careful breeding.A steady stream of new grape varieties are popping up in Australian supermarkets and green grocers. “More than 15 new varieties have been available in Melbourne markets this season alone,” says Thanh Truong, Fruit Nerd and author of Don’t Buy Fruit and Veg Without Me