Top 5 things to eat heartily in Boston & Cape Cod

I'm back - and definitely bigger - after a truly gastronomic trip to New England. Beautiful weather, boisterous locals and big portions just about sums up this little corner of the States. We ate long and we ate hard - here's a summary of some not-to-be-missed local eateries and eats:

Clam chowder
Why have I wasted my time with any other soup? Oh creamy, be-clammed gloop of loveliness, you have ruined me for all other broths. We ate this liberally out of mugs, with a side of oyster crackers, in both Boston and Cape Cod, but the best version was in the Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard.

Canolli
Fat cigar-shaped shells (chocolate dipped or not - your choice) filled with cream, custard, ricotta, chocolate cream, chocolate mousse or... the list goes on. The Italian North End area of Boston provided the greatest selection, namely at Modern Pastry Shop or the more traditional Mike's Pastry (we tried both) where the queues were literally out the door.

Lobster Rolls
In London, lobster is a delicacy. In New England, it's a God given right. We did not see one menu sans lobster throughout the region, including one memorable lobster-stuffed chicken in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. But no dish could match the power, the sheer juicy, mayonnaisey, messy joy of the basic lobster mayo roll. Our first one was enjoyed in the foodie mecca of Faneuil Hall in Boston and we didn't look back. Another truly memorable version served on a soft, fresh, lightly toasted brioche was enjoyed in the harbourside Legal Sea Foods on our last day - bittersweet indeed.

Softshell Crab
Now my favourite London place to enjoy this eight-legged delight is Ealing Broadway's Hare & Tortoise, but New England is in a softshell league of its own, particularly as the critters were in season (June). I was served a curried softshell crab laksa in a vessel that would have qualified as a salad bowl in any British home. And ate it all - plus starter and dessert. Try Pearl in Nantucket for this and many other seafood gems, including fabulous sushi.

Oysters
As with lobster, it's all about the oysters in this part of the world. We had a double whammy of oyster magic on our second night in the Back Bay area of Boston at Island Creek Oyster Bar. Deep fried oyster sliders to whet the appetite (little 'burgers' on toasted brioche buns - heavennnnn) and then half a dozen of the most exquisite oysters I have ever tasted, accompanied by their recommended shot of vodka.

Special mention should be made of some pretty spectacular brekkies. The legendary Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe kicked off our holiday with blueberry pancakes the size of my head plus bacon plus lashings of syrup plus home fries - way to start the day heartily, if not heart failurely. I also fell hard for the banana bread on Nantucket, enjoyed the same way as Sydney locals do - slightly warm, no butter, with your morning coffee.

Cycling the coastal paths on Cape Cod & walking the Freedom Trail on Boston helped to work off the above grub, but essentially I'm living it large after one of the greatest culinary weeks ever - go Patriots.

Easter cupcakes to die for

A few months ago I awoke to the sound of my sister's laughter coming from the lounge. This was unusual for two reasons: (a) It was way too early for anyone sane to be both awake and in good spirits and (b) we'd had a pretty festive evening the night before and the resultant hangover was no laughing matter.

I hauled myself out of the guest bedroom to investigate and found my sister creasing up in front of... Lorraine Pascale's baking show? The reason turned out to be the bizarre intro montage of her show - 'Model! Paris! Car Mechanic! Oven!' - which probably says more about my sister's odd sense of humour than it does Lorraine's production company. Nevertheless, what stuck with me was not the shots of the stunning Lorraine against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower but her damn fine buns that came later in the programme. I resolved to try one of her recipes asap.

Asap turned into 2 months later, when I came across a drop dead delicious-looking Oreo cupcake recipe in the April Observer Food Monthly, courtesy of Le Lorraine. So I kept it and made it for Easter Sunday yesterday - and they were a hit!

One thing I will say is that these little guys were butter-tastic and filling as anything, so if you happened to be saving room for Easter lamb or any other such grub, operate a go-slow policy. And if you ever want a figure like Lorraine's, ditto.

The Pepper Tree - emphasis on pepper

If you haven't tried The Pepper Tree, you haven't lived... in Clapham. It's a Sunday night staple, when you're depressed about the state of the world and the state of your wash basket, and all you want is a warm hug of a meal to ease you into the week.

On this particular Sunday we'd just endured the harrowing film '127 Hours' and were a little on edge. 'Pepper Tree?' suggested my shaken boyfriend. 'You're darn tooting,' said I.

With The Pepper Tree, you're in and out, sharpish, which suited us fine. Slide your derrière on to long, Wagamama-style benches, order your grub, then see you later alligator [unsure of culturally appropriate animal here]. No time for dilly-dally, can I have extra this or that - but it's good, filling, tasty tucker, albeit lavished with condiments (pepper by name, pepper by nature, as you'll have noted on the beef above. OK maybe you haven't, my pic isn't great - I was hungry, damnit...).

It's seriously good for value for money, too, coming in at around £16 for our two large portions of steamed rice and chicken and beef stir fry platters, swimming in sauce and meaty goodness. A must for any visitor to the marvellous selection of not-loud-or-scary-at-all pubs that abound in that part of the Clapham High Street.

Bellies full, we headed home to warm PJs, cosy beds... and a long night of nightmares about hideous canyon falls and severed limbs.

Get me here, stat!
The Pepper Tree
19 Clapham Common Southside
London
SW4 7AB
Tel: 020 7622 1758

La Cuisine at Joël Robuchon

The day started well. Scored a goal at my Saturday football league! Then spent a blissful afternoon in front of the West Wing with multiple cups of tea. But the best was to come...

My boyfriend announced he'd booked a surprise dinner - Leicester Square, my only clue. We took a left at the Tube exit and he lead me around the corner - I spied the Ivy, but he lead me past, took another left and ta daaa! There was the slick, black exterior of Joël Robuchon. When I'd finished squealing unbecomingly on the street outside, we entered.

The building boasts L’Atelier on the ground floor, La Cuisine one floor up and a terrace bar on the top floor. We were whisked upstairs to La Cuisine, and seated among the bizarre apple sculptures (as in the fruit, tons of them). Carta di musica - crisp shards of salty, herby Italian bread - were served with butter and heavenly olive oil. Followed by a small amuse bouche of foie gras mousse topped with a Parmesan foam - 'mmmmm, like Marmite', pronounced my partner.

There's a choice at La Cuisine - a tapas-style tasting menu or an à la carte menu. I went for two tapas-sized starters, the Iberian ham and the langoustine fritter with basil pistou. The ham was silky and melt in the mouth; as for the langoustine, I can't tell you - I was instead served the chicory salad, topped with shaved truffle and apple. I hate chicory. Nuff said.

For mains I went for the quail stuffed with foie gras and truffled mashed potatoes. A lot teenier than I imagined, it was scrumptious beyond imagination. I also lapped up the little Le Creuset pot of mash, so smooth it was almost liquid; on reflection I think it was probably meant for my boyfriend. C'est la vie.

Another little freebie.... a to-die-for white chocolate & lemon ice cream lolly. Magnum-esque in texture, there was the added surprise of popping candy embedded in the chocolate. (I know it's no longer the unique gimmick it once was, but I ruddy love those types of Heston-ish devices).

To round off my evening of surprises, I ordered La Boule Surprise - billed as 'pistachio cream, caramelised spiced pear, vanilla ice cream from Tahiti'. It arrived... a chocolate egg with a teeny blow hole at the top. A mini jug of hot, salted caramel was poured over it and the entire creation just melted before my eyes, to reveal the ice cream and pear globes within. I'm drooling as I write this - it was toooooo good. My boyfriend narrowly missed getting a spoon shoved up his nose when he attempted to lean in for a bite.

I can't reveal the price as it was a treat i.e. the bill was hidden from my view. But here's the menu with prices for those human calculators.

Beam me up!
La Cuisine
13-15 West Street,
London
WC2H 9NE
Tel: 0207 010 8600