Short Reveiws: Bam-Bou, Percy / Charlotte Street

A lovely little* Asian fusion place close to perfection, and Goodge Street.

The duck, smeared with plum sauce so think and sweet it was like jam, sprinkled with sesame and drizzled with tamarind was moist and tender and some of the best I've ever had, the sticky coconut rice was extra sticky and coconutty and the prawns and squid were excellent too.

The service was some of the best I've ever encountered, perfectly timed, knowledgeable and polite. What's more, our waitress didn't try to sell us more than we needed, even when prompted.

* Bam-Bou feels small and intimate but is actually quite big, three or four floors.

Recipes: Chocolate Pots

Along with Salmon en Croute this recipe has one of the highest simplicity to deliciousness ratios I know.

1. Melt 200g butter with 200g chocolate*.
2. Whisk 6 eggs with 150g sugar until light (both in colour and density) and fluffy. This can take a surprisingly long time, but be patient.
3. Stir in the butter and chocolate and 150g plain flour.
4. Pour into 6-8 ramekins and bake at 180C for about 10 minutes, until the top begins to crack. In my opinion it's much better to undercook them and have a runny centre than overdo them and let them go solid and a little bland, as I did tonight.
5. Serve with ice cream. The fruit is optional.

*Try using half flavoured chocolate such as Green and Black's Mint or Maya Gold.