tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35638626385715076362024-03-13T15:43:39.357+00:00Writing on BananasMy blog - featuring food, drink and randomness.Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-80001248211917339262012-12-27T18:15:00.000+00:002012-12-27T18:15:47.813+00:00Apsley's: A Heinz Beck Restaurant, The Lanesborough Hotel, Hyde Park Corner, London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The morning began with grumblings from Mr N, about our heading for lunch to a restaurant with a dress code. By noon he was appreciative that I’d insisted on proper shoes, as this was certainly the classiest dining experience of the year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.lanesborough.com/">The Lanesborough Hotel</a> in Knightsbridge (allegedly the most expensive in London), is a huge imposing building (formerly St George’s Hospital) opposite Hyde Park. Smartly dressed porters ushered us in from the rain, and suddenly we found ourselves in an oasis of festive calm. The manic two-days-before-Christmas fervour was soon forgotten as we relaxed in the luxurious bar with a beautiful open fire. We smartened up and marvelled at the art-deco bathrooms, and stashed all our wet-weather gear in the cloakrooms, and anticipated an exciting meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Michelin starred <a href="http://www.lanesborough.com/en/apsleys_restaurant_london">Apsley’s</a>, is the first Heinz Beck restaurant outside of Italy, and the restaurant itself was bathed in light despite the dark and drizzly weather. Elaborately shiny plates with mosaic motifs decorated the tables as the extremely courteous staff seated us (and much to our delight, bought us a stand just for P’s handbag to be placed on!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We were here on a reduced price lunch offer, but you would never have guessed it from the exceptional level of service we received. But the deal was well worth it. We began with a glass of sparkly Franciacorta, and then we had a moment of Food Geek joy as the Olive Oil was formally introduced to us. Formalities over, we soaked it up with the perfectly baked focaccia and olive bread.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After an amuse bouche it was time for starters proper. The lunch menu was small but perfectly formed, and we’d each chosen a different option. My zingy pumpkin and ginger soup was poured at the table into a dish of crispy taleggio ravioli, maintaining the different textures of crispy and soupy, and tasting amazing, D’s Octopus salad with couscous and P’s lamb starter were equally well presented and quickly devoured.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Keeping in the festive spirit, myself and P had opted for the Norfolk Bronze Turkey, being sure that it would be distinctly different to anything we’d eat on Christmas day. We were not wrong. Served with mustard seed, celery, apple and beetroot (and some surprisingly tasty Brussels sprout outer leaves), this was tangy and satisfying. D’s halibut main course looked like classy fish fingers coated in paprika, with three brightly coloured accompaniments of which the aubergine was proclaimed to be the best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dessert looked fantastic and tasted even better. Cocoa sable was brittle dark chocolate biscuit with the most intensely fruity strawberry ice-cream I’ve ever tasted, combined with a subtle hint of liquorice. P’s muesli crumble with yoghurt with yoghurt foam and blueberry sorbet looked like it should be breakfast, but P loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Very well fed, we decided to take our tea in the cosy bar. A tray of intensely chocolatey petit fours, with heavy silverware and pretty crockery enjoyed on comfy sofas by the fireplace, made it feel like a special occasion, which is absolutely was in every sense. An affordable pre-Christmas treat this was a real gem of an experience!</span></div>
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Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-1587918456586817062012-10-03T22:28:00.001+01:002012-10-03T22:29:22.346+01:00Tapas Y Mas, Rechtstraat 83, Maastricht, The Netherlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gosh, I love Maastricht! It’s my first time visiting this historic and compact Dutch city on the border with Belgium, and I’m really enjoying the feel of the place, with its pretty shops, restaurants and relative proximity of everywhere (it feels like a real luxury to be able to walk to and from the office)! We had the benefit of L’s local knowledge as we headed out to dinner. We tried to visit the local Indonesian restaurant, but alas, it was packed on a Wednesday night, so we opted instead for the nearby <a href="http://www.tapasymas.nl/">Tapas Y Mas</a>.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was a welcome escape from the wind and rain, with the warmth and cosy décor adding to the atmosphere. We took the opportunity to enjoy the delicious house white wine in an unconventional decanter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The menu is extensive, and everything looked appealing to our hungry eyes.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We decided to sample one option from each section of the menu, and ended up with a diverse and delicious range. It started with the simple: bread with garlic mayonnaise and incredibly tasty mixed olives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then we moved to the vegetarian dishes, with the sweet and crispy fried eggplant with cheese and honey, and the roasted tomatoes with goats cheese.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As we tucked in the dishes got even more exciting with a rich and deeply flavoured lamb stew, a substantial tortilla with smoked salmon and shrimps in olive oil and garlic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Outside of Spain I’ve often found tapas to be disappointing, but there was no compromise on all the flavours we tasted. Each dish was much enjoyed, we were very pleasantly surprised by how much food we had for really excellent value. Would very strongly recommend for an authentic and super-tasty tapas experience!</span></div>
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Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-46821613041933499862012-09-29T08:36:00.000+01:002012-09-29T08:36:47.100+01:00Mo-zam-bik, Brooklyn, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was tricky as a solo business traveller to South Africa, to really sample authentic cuisine. Luckily for me though, one of my hospitable local colleagues took me to one of her favourite restaurants, </span><a href="http://www.mozambik.co.za/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mo-zam-bik</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> in Brooklyn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The traditional theme was immediately obvious from outside, with the hut style building (‘baraca’), busy already in the early evening. This continued inside with rustic touches such as paper on the tables, glass soft-drink bottles for candle holders and condiments, and most excitingly, instead of bread on the tables, there were warm ‘monkey nuts’ wrapped in paper cones on the tables. The atmosphere was relaxed (the restaurant aims to transport you to the beaches of Mozambik), and the service as it was everywhere in South Africa, was amazingly friendly. Our servers – Elizabeth and Beauty, could not have been more hospitable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I ordered a Grape Fanta, and perused the wide ranging menu which offers seafood, steak and chicken, and also some moments of comedy: the no- chilli option was referred to as a ‘girls sauce’. There was also ‘chicken for Girls’ which had no bones and was ‘easy to eat’ – one of my sisters in particular would approve! Comedy aside, there was so much to choose from, I needed advice, and was recommended the Zambeziana ‘baby’ roast chicken with coconut milk, chilli and lime with spinach and rice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This was no baby chicken. A huge plate arrived soon after, and I was thankful that we’d skipped starters. The chicken was delicious – the sauce zingy and the coconut milk comforting. The chilli sauce was up to my standards! Hotter than you’d find in the UK and with a good flavour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I polished off as much as I could of the huge dish, but sadly then could not even contemplate dessert. I hope I get an opportunity to go back to sample more of the delicious cuisine!</span></div>
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Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-20306323812658050312012-09-28T20:35:00.005+01:002012-09-28T20:35:35.949+01:00Turkish Delight, Chorlton cum Hardy, Manchester<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love places where the exterior hides a gem of a place. From the outside, Turkish Delight is a kebab shop. It looks entirely ordinary. Yet walk past enough, and you’ll notice that this place always has a queue of punters, clearly in on the secret. Venture through the door and you’ll be transported into a different world and a very special Turkish Restaurant. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_4NKYeu1maw/UGX6UZHcAsI/AAAAAAAAA8E/mJuw9WbPTUE/s1600/IMG_3788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_4NKYeu1maw/UGX6UZHcAsI/AAAAAAAAA8E/mJuw9WbPTUE/s320/IMG_3788.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We had our hosts to thank for suggesting a visit, and I for one, couldn’t resist after hearing the name! Our expansive late lunch meant we savoured the deeply satisfying red Turkish wine (Buzbag), skipped starters, and went straight for main courses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The huge menu satisfied both the carnivores and myself the temporary vegetarian. The way the dishes were presented completely confounded the idea that we were in a glorified kebab shop. D’s slow cooked knuckle of lamb looked good, but I was delighted by my vegetarian mousakka. It was not in the least bit greasy, and there was no heavy layer of white sauce, as so often found in greek counterparts. The potato was delicately sliced and cooked in the herby tomato sauce, which combined comfortingly with the melt-in-the-mouth aubergines. The home-made chilli tomato salsa, added extra spark to proceedings along with the finely chopped salad with red onion. There was plenty in the way of carbs with fragrant rice and complimentary chips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Everything was perfect. I just wish we had all been hungrier so we could have tried more variety!</span></div>
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Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-11154822142466239712012-09-24T18:28:00.001+01:002012-09-24T18:28:53.325+01:00Katsouris Deli and Café, 113 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2BQ<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The intense sunshine rendered Manchester completely unrecognisable. Tired and hungry after an active morning exploring the shiny MediaCity and The Lowry, and then enjoying a drink in the courtyard of Mr Thomas’ Chophouse, our stomachs were rumbling and we were in need of sustenance. Quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was still in the midst of my temporary vegetarianism, and beginning to get a bit fed up at the limitations this was imposing. We tried a high street sandwich chain, but the shelves were disappointingly empty given that it was far past lunchtime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Lee had a plan. With his trademark quick pace he decisively led us to Katsouris, which was a feast for the senses. The busy café had delicious looking food everywhere! Everything smelt so good and immediately we were overwhelmed with choice. There were carvery options, a huge salad bar, extensive boards detailing exotic sandwiches and behind the counter were a whole selection of sweet treats and cheeses. It was amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Unsurprisingly this deli is a Manchester institution. It is close to Lee’s heart, having originated from the World famous Bury Market. The building looked grand on Manchester’s busy Deansgate, but the interior was functional. Normally huge queues snake around the large room, but here our lateness proved a real advantage as the queues were small and tables were not too hard to find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was the perfect place to take a grumpy reluctant vegetarian. Whilst the others went for hot meaty sandwiches (heeding the warnings that “a half is not small” and therefore spending only a couple of quid each), I splashed out on a Vegetarian Meze Platter for a princely £4.95.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was rewarded with the largest plate of food that I have seen in a very long time. All my favourites were on there: grilled halloumi, Greek salad, spicy couscous, spicy pepperdews (my absolute favourite), stuffed vine leaves, hummus, tzatziki, mediterranean vegetables, sundried tomatoes, and olives. Vegetarian heaven! I couldn’t believe my luck, and hoped that I’d have space for it all, when suddenly there was the extra bonus of warm ciabatta added to my already heaving plate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Needless to say, every item was full of flavour and tasted authentically fantastic. The value for money was astounding and the variety made me feel joyful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I now wish I lived in Manchester. Katsouris absolutely made my day.</span></div>
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Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-43889840822544145322012-09-24T18:18:00.003+01:002012-09-24T18:18:31.033+01:00The Commonwealth Kitchen, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AP<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was a moment to savour – I had finally discovered an exceptional restaurant in the most touristy part of London! Minutes from Trafalgar Square, <a href="http://www.searcys.co.uk/the-commonwealth-club/commonwealth-kitchen/">The Commonwealth Kitchen</a> is the holy trinity of special, affordable and fantastically located. Part of the Commonwealth Club, K had the pleasure of having visited previously due to her Foreign Office connections. If you weren’t in the know, you’d walk right by, (perhaps reflected in the fact that we were the only guests in the restaurant on a Tuesday night). However, the restaurant is open to non-members, and a long running special offer on <a href="http://www.toptable.co.uk/the-commonwealth-kitchen">this website</a>, or the alternative of a bargainous set menu, makes it incredibly good value.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The restaurant is modern and sleek, but retains character with its artwork and eye-catching features, including a huge clock elevated over the dining room. We may have been the only diners in a large space, but it didn’t matter – the nicely designed circular booth counteracted the vastness of the room, and the friendliness of the staff ensured the atmosphere was relaxed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We chose from the a la carte (which changes monthly), although the set price menu would also have been absolutely fine. Even though the menu was short, it offered many exciting options, even for me, the temporary (and somewhat reluctant) vegetarian.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We’d barely received our excellent glasses of Chardonnay, and Slovenian Quercus Pinot Bianco, when we were treated to complementary nibbles of parmesan palmiers, and a tasty hand-made crisps. This nice touch was followed by another, when we chose from a selection of beautifully presented bread. Far more exciting than your usual selection, I had a chilli option, and K some pain de campagne (country bread). The excitement didn’t end there; as we were then presented with an amuse bouche of a cherry tomato stuffed with mozzarella, which was simple but special.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finally, we got onto mains proper. My chilled cucumber and mint soup was good for the warm evening, and presented like a drink! The richness of Westcombe cheddar scones (which were three cute little squares of sesame seed topped cheesy goodness) were a scrumptious contrast to the cool minty flavour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">K’s Soya barbeque Rhug estate pork belly, with pickled Norfolk radish, green tea and apple puree, was prettily presented with bite sized pieces of pork, topped with delicate slivers of radish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We’d both opted for vegetarian main courses. K’s bubble and squeak, with glazed shallot, caramelised English chicory and butternut squash, had a brilliantly home-cooked flavour, but my main course won the prize for the best presentation! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Looking like a sweet cheesecake with a raspberry coulis, my tastebuds were confounded by the deeply savory St Tola goats cheese cake, with beetroot, toasted pine nut hollandaise and swiss chard. Truly, this had top marks for presentation, and was a huge portion size, especially considering the richness of the creamy cheese, which was tempered by the beetroot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Utterly stuffed, we didn’t have room for a dessert, but our curiosity got the better of us. We’d both been eyeing up the suitably summery strawberries gratin, blondie, champagne sabayon and balsamic ice cream, and finally decided that sharing one between us wouldn’t hurt (we convinced ourselves that portions would be small).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We were of course wrong, as a very generous portion of dessert (which looked like a main course), arrived. It was just too tasty to be concerned about being full. The sweetness of a blondie (a sugar version of a brownie of course), a foamy sabayon and coolness of the ice-cream was utterly divine with the strawberry pieces. It was a fantastic dessert – far more exciting than options found on most menus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All in all, this really was one of the best meals I’d had in a long time. Being vegetarian hadn’t been an issue at all, and the entire experience was lovely from start to end. The staff were exemplary and all the food had been exciting and extremely tasty. I will certainly be coming here again!</span></div>
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Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-40350992412671752662012-09-10T21:07:00.002+01:002012-09-24T18:35:05.102+01:00Guest Blog Post from Lee: Electrik, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0AE<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Many thanks to Lee for this guest blog post...</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yesterday I found myself in the right place mentally for a certain experience. I was not hungover, yet my insides betrayed a certain post-alcohol delicateness. I was in that right place where it's too late for breakfast but not yet time for dinner.* </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I found myself in the right place physically, for there are only 4 institutions where you can sample this wonder of culinary engineering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found myself in <a href="http://www.electrikbar.co.uk/">Electrik</a> in Chorlton, a convenient stumble from my flat. It's Danish inspired cafe by day and bar by night, with a free jukebox that only has good music on it. It's the kind of place that has worked very hard to look very low key; lots of bare wood and smatterings of bold orange. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And on its food menu, in the light bites section, is the Manchester Egg. The Manchester Egg has <a href="http://manchesteregg.com/">its own website</a> on which it describes itself as "a hearty commodity worthy of a gentleman". It's a pickled egg wrapped in Bury Black Pudding and premium sausage meat with a golden crumb. It's a Scotch Egg, but better. It will make you look upon Scotch Eggs in sorrow for their blandness; lacking in the warmth and gentle spiciness of the Mancunian version.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm biased of course. I live in Manchester and I hail from Bury. Bury only has two things to be proud of: firstly it was the birthplace of Prime Minister, Corn Law Repealer and founder of the police force Sir Robert Peel and second, of course, the Bury Black Pudding. The Peel family soon moved away from the mills and soot that brought their fortune - the pudding at least stayed put and two companies fight it out on Bury Market with a third elbowing in on the trade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pictures of this wonder are here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Needless to say it did the trick and set me up for the day. I sat in Electrik for a while longer and enjoyed a mint and chilli tea from <a href="http://www.makeusabrew.com/showscreen.php?site_id=20&screentype=site&screenid=20">Mr Scruff's</a> range. Good times!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">*a.k.a. lunch</span></div>
Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-17084858163229997512012-08-13T21:00:00.002+01:002012-09-24T18:35:40.050+01:00Tummies Cookery School, Station Road, Cippenham, Slough, SL1 6JJ<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tummies.net/restaurant-specials.php">Tummies</a> is a bit of an institution. An oasis of good food in a desert of urban sprawl, I've been a frequent visitor to their deli and restaurant (particular highlights of which are the sun-trap of the back patio, and the colouring pencils on every table - the many walls are plastered from ground to ceiling in the best submissions from the last 24 years).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">However, this latest visit was more than just a meal. It was an all day extravaganza! I was taking part in the Cookery School, enjoying what was the perfect gift of watching a fantastic feast being cooked, which I knew I'd then get to eat!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The set up was excellent. The demo kitchen is bright, professional but still homey, and our small group was looked after by co-owner Tammy, who provided endless drinks, whilst we watched Head Chef Claude Mariuax create a three course meal, imparting the knowledge (and recipe cards), for us to be able to replicate it at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The starter was a goat's cheese pastry, topped with seasonal asparagus which was wrapped in parma ham, and served on a bed of rocket. It seemed pleasingly straightforward to assemble, but the rich and contrasting flavours belied the simplicity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Speaking of rich, the individual ramekins of dauphinous potatoes, were made with a heavenly combination of whipping cream, butter, gruyere and garlic. The flavour was so enticing that despite the amount we'd eaten, we had no problems finishing it, along side the main course of roasted rump of English lamb, cooked in a delicious red wine sauce! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The richness was tempered by the colourful and sweet roasted vegetables that made up the french style ratatouille. It certainly changed my perception of ratatouille, as it wasn't cooked in a tomato sauce, but instead cooked and cooled down quickly in a way where the veg didn't release any water and stayed firm and delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Despite a break before dessert, I was still sure that I wouldn't be able to manage the limoncello curd cake after eating such a large meal. I sampled the tiniest of bites, and was struck by the beautiful lightness, and the moist and zesty flavour. I'm normally a fan of chocolatey cakes, but this lemony wonder was perhaps the very best cake I'd ever tasted! I managed far more of it than I ever would have imagined - the creme fraiche it was served with adding to the deliciousness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As I cycled home (slowly and not very steadily after the delicious wine), I contemplated how much I'd enjoyed the whole experience, and how it was almost more delicious because it felt like home cooking rather than restaurant food. It certainly was the best of both worlds, and was an unforgettable treat.</span>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-2271450124398584902012-08-12T20:16:00.002+01:002012-09-24T18:36:02.395+01:00Cabana Brasilian Barbeque, Westfield Stratford City, London, E20 1GL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As we anticipate (with a little sadness), the Closing Ceremony, I'm very happy to say that I did finally make it to the environs of the Olympic Park today (to pick up my Paralympics tickets and to see the lovely L). It was brilliant to experience first-hand the atmosphere and marvel at the spectacle, although without any tickets for today, the rest of this blog post of course focuses on the food (although we did later made the most of Newham's big screens, seeing GB's final Gold in the sunshine).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.cabana-brasil.com/restaurants">Cabana</a>, is one of Westfields' many swanky restaurants (there's one other in Covent Garden).. From it's atmospheric outdoor terrace, we could watch athletes shopping before they head home, squaddies enjoying a drink, friendly policemen posing for photos, and of course happy looking tourists and locals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Specialising in Brasilian BBQ, the menu is short and simple - focusing on what they do best. L highly recommended the meaty skewers that smelt tantalisingly good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I started with a zesty and refreshing Amazon Ice Tea, with mint, apple juice, and something called 'wild leaf cordial'. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">L's 'Biro Biro' rice, was next to arrive. It looked exciting with it's combo of garlic, herbs and shallots, but quite frankly, nothing could compare with my deliciously hot and crispy, sweet potato fries, lightly dusted in paprika, and then dunked in Cabana's signature Malagueta sauce. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The sauce, whilst not firey, had a lot of flavour, and a definite warmth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'd opted for two different types of chicken on a skewer, and both were blissfully good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first skewer was perfectly tender and juice chicken cooked in the aforementioned Malagueta sauce with sweet red peppers. The second had the sublime flavours of bacon and pineapple, which was a fantastic combination!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">L had opted for the steak option, and we were both delighted with our choices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Service was generally attentive and good (a little too attentive towards the end after some initial confusion). It was a busy lunchtime, and so we didn't linger too long over the meal, but the quality and taste were fantastic, and should you be on a visit to Westfield Stratford City, be it for the Paralympics or the shopping, I'd strongly recommend a visit!</span>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-75426713251512005642012-08-07T22:17:00.000+01:002012-08-07T22:17:28.266+01:00Tea Gardens at Exmoor Owl and Hawk Centre, Nr Porlock, Somerset, TA24 8HJ<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">On a glorious, unexpectedly sunny day, the expanse of blue sky above West Lynch Farm (home to <a href="http://www.exmoorfalconry.co.uk/">Exmoor Owl and Hawk Centre</a>) in the idyllic National Trust village of Allerford, genuinely made me feel that nothing could match the beauty of an English Country Garden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: small;">But not just a garden! We were here for a multi-activity day. Flying owls, walking Shetland ponies, admiring chickens, alpacas and birds of prey - plenty of excitement to keep both the adults and kids occupied for hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: small;">All the fresh air definitely helped build our appetites, and I was delighted by the quality of the food on offer in the tea gardens. Both lunch and cream tea were included in the activity day fee (a bargain at £25 for an adult), the ability to eat outdoors in beautiful surroundings, made a special day even more memorable!</span></div>
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<br /></div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-22196784567906614592011-12-11T21:28:00.001+00:002011-12-12T22:16:53.649+00:00The Sun Inn, Mill Road, Kislingbury, Northampton NN7 4BB<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A beautiful sunny but cold Saturday, I was driving up north with D. Looking for a place for lunch near the motorway, armed only with a copy of CAMRA’s 2012 Edition of The Good Beer Guide, D expertly navigated us to the picturesque village of Kislingbury near Northampton (and just a few minutes from the M1.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On a tiny narrow lane we found <a href="http://www.kislingburyonline.co.uk/thesun.php">The Sun Inn</a>. Looking beautifully rustic with it's thatched roof, </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we found it to be warm and cosy inside and without any pretensions. Old-fashioned and friendly with a good number of real ales on the pumps and some ciders too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We experienced lovely hospitality from the landlady and once we’d ordering some substantial lunch from a small menu of big pies, we settled down in one of the three seating areas (it was nice to have it to ourselves) with the paper, and relaxed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After assembling a wide collection of condiments, and enjoying a giant cup of tea and a pint of 'Gobblers', our food arrived. My stilton, peppered mushroom and onion pie was ultimate comfort food, and served with delicious gravy and the homemade cottage pie was also huge, and very much enjoyed by D, who felt the cabbage was also very tasty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A lovely discovery. We would have happily whiled away an afternoon there. Well worth a visit should you be near Junction 16 of the M1 and very much recommended by ourselves as well as CAMRA.</span></div>
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<br />Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-15311660957351642022011-12-11T20:35:00.001+00:002011-12-11T21:13:50.744+00:00The Brunswick House Café, Vauxhall<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Two minutes from Vauxhall tube station is <a href="http://www.lassco.co.uk/index.php?id=129">Brunswick House</a>; an architectural salvage shop. A quirky building, covered in old-fashioned enamel signs (including one advertising Wethereds Ale and Stout from my home town of Marlow), stone features and a huge cast iron ‘saloon bar lounge’ sign. Amongst all these eye catching features, you can easily miss the small sandwich board advertising the café inside, but that is not really an issue, as this café is gaining a reputation, having </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">received rave reviews from the <a href="http://www.lassco.co.uk/lassco-news/2011/11/brunswick-house-cafe-is-one-of-the-most-memorable-places-to-eat-in-london-says-lander-in-the-f-t/">FT</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/14/brunswick-house-cafe-london-review?INTCMP=SRCH">John Lanchester in The Guardian</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Being huge Guardian fans, myself and K had decided to take advantage of <a href="http://brunswickhousecafe.co.uk/">Brunswick House Cafe</a> extending its opening hours to Tuesday and Wednesday evenings (it still doesn’t open on Monday nights). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The place was not very busy with just a couple of other diners in the slightly chilly main dining room. I was intrigued by the chandelier and lights hanging from the ceiling, the ‘stage’ at the back of the room, and the assortment of pictures and signs covering the walls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was advised that the simple daily changing menu consisted of small tapas style plates (and helpfully I was told which were the dishes served hot! An important point on such a cold evening). The cocktail list and wine list was extensive and we opted for a very drinkable French red with an unusual name. The wine was served in tumblers rather than wine glasses which was fitting for the relaxed style of the place, but there were important and impressive touches to the service, with water and (absolutely delicious sourdough) bread being bought to the table for without us even asking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We ordered 5 dishes between the two of us, with the intention to share everything. The menu had no elaborate descriptions but it all sounded tasty. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our choices included ‘Sprouting Broccoli and Pumpkin Romesco’ - a simple dish of crunchy greens with tasty pumpkin sauce and ‘Chestnut, sage and pear’, which was a pleasing variety of flavours and textures and not just served as simple individual ingredients. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">However the real highlight was the warm ‘Cauliflower, red onion and stichelton’ (having researched in advance, I knew it was a blue cheese but unlike ‘stilton’ it is not made with pasteurised milk. It cannot therefore legally be called ‘stilton’, so instead it is called ‘Stichelton’ - the original name of Stilton village). I was expecting something like cauliflower cheese, but this was something entirely different. The marinated crunchy cauliflower was elevated to divine levels of tastiness with the piquant cheese. It was heavenly.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-so7sH0YmNvo/TuUcUkCo5pI/AAAAAAAAA28/GNG70WXaBZA/s1600/chickpeas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" mda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-so7sH0YmNvo/TuUcUkCo5pI/AAAAAAAAA28/GNG70WXaBZA/s320/chickpeas.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The two more substantial choices were bought to the table with perfect timing – the chickpeas and chorizo had warm and comforting flavours, and the chicken and mushroom pie was again, quite different to what I was expecting. The chicken seemed like it had come straight from a very well marinated roast and so each piece was rich and highly flavoured, with strong flavour from the beautifully cooked mushrooms. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It really was perfect, and we were so full that we couldn’t even manage dessert, but instead enjoyed some tea. Served in very cute, colourful teapots, my lapsang souchong was delicious. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The service had been fantastic and the atmosphere nicely relaxed, although it was a shame that it was not more busy in the dining room. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The ability to try such a variety of tasty dishes in unexpected surroundings had been very pleasing, and I would recommend a visit to anyone looking for somewhere which is just that little bit different, which will be sure to delight!</span></div>
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<br /></div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-85124038686128105822011-12-08T08:51:00.001+00:002011-12-08T12:10:21.122+00:00Cake of the day: Soho's Secret Tea Rooms<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sohossecrettearoom.co.uk/">Soho's Secret Tea Rooms</a> was an ideal place to hold a surprise vintage afternoon tea for Sofia’s super-classy, 1940s themed hen do. Amie had expertly organised every detail, and I was thrilled as I'd been looking for a reason to visit ever since I'd heard of the place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The 'hidden' location, gave a fantastic surprise element, as our bride to be was definitely bemused as we walked her into the Coach and Horses Pub in Soho (not a particularly salubrious location), and slipped behind the bar and up a narrow staircase to the very top of the building.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She was met with a delightful sight! We had our own private room, very prettily decorated with thoughtful vintage touches. The atmosphere was relaxed as we were made to feel welcome by a dedicated and attentive member of staff. Bubbly, sixteen varieties of tea and ample supplies of cake, scones and dainty sandwiches, made for a most memorable start to the party. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: xx-small;">Thanks to Fi for the great picture above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-81176013511780211342011-12-07T10:27:00.001+00:002011-12-07T13:45:37.398+00:00Cake of the day: Christmas Gingerbread and Delicious Victoria Sponge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I apologise for the lack of posts in recent months. Planning my wedding has taken up far more time than I ever imagined.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">However I'm certainly marrying into the right family! Visiting D's gran this weekend, we were treated to a sumptious afternoon tea, of Christmas Gingerbread and a divinely light and delicious home-made Victoria Sponge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I thought I'd share this with you all to make you hungry on this Wednesday morning!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Whilst super close to the <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/">Tate Modern</a>, it was tucked away from crowds, and pleasantly quiet when we arrived. It was a warm afternoon, so discovering the small outdoor area at the back was particularly great. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The choice and quality of the beers was very good (a lemon beer being a particular highlight for D), which is to be expected given that we’d found the pub in the <a href="http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=192602">CAMRA Good Beer Guide. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Being a former English Lit student, I was admittedly a bit snobby about the quality and authenticity of the Dickens’ memorabilia. But, this was saved by the food. With all the meat provided from nearby<a href="http://www.smithfieldmarket.com/"> Smithfield</a>, the very simple British pub food, was totally in keeping with the atmosphere and feel of the pub. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Huge pie, throughly enjoyed by D's Dad</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fantastic chips with my chicken (above), and D's steak, (below)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Very reasonably priced with large portions, and fantastic quality, everything was good. Service wasn’t always as attentive as it could have been, but it was friendly and little touches such as condiments being bought without us needing to ask, were definite plus points. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If I had to mention a negative it would be the lack of dessert menu. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Even with the Dickensian theme, this didn’t appear to be a pub that pandered to tourists, avoiding the prices and pretensions of most places in Central London. Would certainly visit again!</span>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-74050499556653660702011-09-04T21:49:00.001+01:002011-09-04T21:51:47.020+01:00Moro, 34-36 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QE<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love food and eating out, but have a tendency to be completely oblivious of famous and fashionable places to dine.</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.moro.co.uk/moro/restaurant/default.asp">Moro</a> in Exmouth Market has been hugely popular since it opened in 1997, and it continues to be, demonstrated by the fact that we had to book around two weeks in advance. Nigel Slater is a big fan (as he writes <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/mar/22/moro-restaurant-nigel-slater">in this review</a>), and in 2009 it was named 'Best Restaurant' by the Observer Food Monthly. Despite all this, until K told me she had been wanting to eat here for years, I'd not heard of Moro, which specialises in Spanish and North African cuisine, and was created by chef couple Sam(uel) and Sam(antha) Clark.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Located in <a href="http://www.exmouth-market.com/">Exmouth Market</a>, there was a buzzing atmosphere in the area, even on a tuesday. It looked like a great location, full of exciting looking places to eat with diners and drinkers enjoying the late summer evening from outdoor tables. I spotted Moro's new sister tapas bar <a href="http://www.exmouth-market.com/morito-tapas-bar.html">'Morito</a>', before I spotted Moro proper.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Spotting K was more difficult, given how busy the restaurant was (but luckily she found me). Tables were packed in close together, however, this didn't seem to matter, given the buzzy vibrancy of the place. The decor gave the place an exotic air, and the menu was a single page, changing on a weekly basis. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I can see why Nigel Slater gave such high praise to the bread. It was like nothing I'd ever tasted before, with a tangy (almost lemony) sourdough taste, and a dense, heavy texture. It was utterly divine and simple all at once, and perfect with olive oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Everything on the menu looked delicious, but the prices were on the high side, so we decided to share a starter of Morrocan bread salad with argon oil, grilled peppers, olives and tomatoes. It was a light, summery dish with heavily flavoured with the punchiness of coriander, red onion and harissa. The bread element of the salad took the form of uber-crunchy croutons, and there was even the odd pomegranate seed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our appetites whet, expectations were high for the main course. Given how busy it was in the restaurant, we knew there would be a bit of a wait. I sipped a fiery and refreshing <a href="http://www.fever-tree.com/drinks.php">Fever Tree ginger beer</a>. (I'm a huge fan of ginger beer, and this one definitely met my approval).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our mains arrived, looking even more appetising than we could have imagined. Portion sizes were good, and I loved how each plate was full of exciting looking accompaniments to the perfectly cooked meat. The dishes, even though they were very well presented, looked more like home-cooked cuisine, rather than the cheffy, overwrought, small portions you expect at trendy restaurants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was delighted with my charcoal grilled lamb, with caramelised marrow, lemon, lentil pilav and yoghurt. The warmth of the flavours and heartiness of the dish, again reminded me of home-cooking. The lamb was juicy and tender. The marrow melting and perfect. The lentil rice was delicious, particularly with the thick and tangy yoghurt. Everything tasted perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">K's dish, was also fantastic; wood roasted pork with chanterelle and oyster mushrooms 'a la plancha', white beans and alioli. Again, there was a slight heat to the flavours, and the variety of the elements and textures that made up the meal, (from juicy mushrooms to crunchy crackling) worked perfectly together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We ate so well, that sadly there was no room for dessert. Instead we ended the meal with fresh mint tea, served from a glass teapot. The mint leaf flavour was more delicate and refreshing than the stronger flavour of peppermint tea, and ended the meal fantastically.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">On a final note, we loved the toilets. The presence of l'Occitane toileteries and a huge map, (two of K's most favourite things), was a nice touch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was so enamoured with Moro that as soon as I got home, I ordered one of their books. I can't wait to visit again, and would implore you to visit as soon as you can, because this is a place that is even better than the hype.</span>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-8924221638087436462011-08-31T21:00:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:00:44.567+01:00Albannach, 66 Trafalgar Square, London. WC2N 5DS<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pre-theatre dining can be a tense, rushed affair. Set menus are limited. Service is too fast to be pleasant. Atmosphere can be lacking. <a href="http://www.albannach.co.uk/">Albannach</a> on Trafalgar Square was none of those things. It proved to be an oasis of calm, in the Bank Holiday Monday early-evening slot before mine and H’s theatre trip. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's a quirky place. A highly contemporary style, isn't one that you would normally associate with a Scottish bar/restaurant, which boasts a huge collection of single malt whiskies. The huge white-sparkly-deer-antler décor, was much to H’s liking, and it was happy hour, so rather than whisky, we happily indulged in champagne cocktails at a mere £4 each. Service was courteous and professional, and not at all rushed. Prices are high (expected given the location), but we were dining on a 50% off offer, which made everything very reasonable, particularly as we could choose anything from the a la carte menu, and weren’t limited to a pre-theatre set menu. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Whilst the food wasn’t ground-breaking (and sadly, I wasn’t hungry enough to order the haggis – which is a shame- I love haggis), it was certainly very prettily presented, and warrants a few pictures. Enjoy! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WOZ3gfeXGII/Tl6LKzTYO9I/AAAAAAAAAzw/ttLL8Ob_nJk/s1600/IMG_1466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WOZ3gfeXGII/Tl6LKzTYO9I/AAAAAAAAAzw/ttLL8Ob_nJk/s400/IMG_1466.JPG" width="400" xaa="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Seared Cornish Scallops, with butternut squash, pea puree and crispy bacon</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rated as Michelin Pub of the Year in 2011, I wasn't sure whether it would be more like a pub, or a restaurant. Our booking was at 8.45pm on a Friday, but it was very busy as we arrived, and it certainly did seem like any busy pub at upon first appearances. We were a little early, but we were immediately shown to our table in the much more tranquil restaurant upstairs. A cosy, low-timbered room, with a warm atmosphere, the majority of the tables were full, but we'd been given an optimal large table in the corner of the room, so we had plenty of space. It reminded me of a </span><a href="http://writingonbananas.blogspot.com/2009/08/restaurant-molzmuhle-wegberg-germany.html"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">brilliant place I'd eaten at in Germany, in a watermill. </span></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Everything exuded quality and attention to detail, from the service, to the super-light, shapely water glasses (lovely, the waitress agreed, but a nightmare to clean). The dinner menu looked great but eye-wateringly pricey (steak and chips for £26 - although nothing compared to The Fat Duck's offerings at £180 per head), but the three course set menu, with two options for each course was bargainous in comparison, at just £27.50 each.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Naturally, we took great pleasure in ordering "everything from the set menu," as it all looked appealing, and we intended to each try a bit of everything. Having heard so much about the triple-friend chips, we ordered one of those too. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The service was spot on: very friendly and incredibly professional. (Although perhaps re-folding my napkin when I was away from the table was a bit too much!) We admitted that our plan was to share, and we were immediately bought enough cutlery to be able to share each of the six dishes we'd ordered between us. We were assured that "anything is possible at The Hinds Head" and it certainly seemed that was true.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Although there was no mention of beer on the drinks menu, when we passed the downstairs bar, D had spotted locally brewed (in my home town of Marlow) </span><a href="http://www.rebellionbeer.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rebellion's </span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Smuggler, which was in very good condition. I went for pink and fizzy </span><a href="http://www.allaboutwine.co.uk/shop/details/292/117/sparkling/italy/rose-de'salici-brut-col-de'salici-nv"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rose de'Salici Brut Col de'Salici </span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- a delightful fruity prosecco.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uUv6TKEmYQc/Tll3cFym8KI/AAAAAAAAAzE/3upKuECOg6k/s1600/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uUv6TKEmYQc/Tll3cFym8KI/AAAAAAAAAzE/3upKuECOg6k/s200/soup.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There was bread to nibble on, but it wasn't long before the starters arrived. These were truly excellent. The Pea and Ham Soup was the ultimate comfort food. Very green (and served in something was was not dissimilar to to a mini-cauldron), it was full of very fresh whole peas, and delicious chunks of ham. The flavour, texture and quality of ingredients were astounding. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-01f55kOHuuk/Tll3dh2d6yI/AAAAAAAAAzI/jkaTySqZkSE/s1600/salmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-01f55kOHuuk/Tll3dh2d6yI/AAAAAAAAAzI/jkaTySqZkSE/s400/salmon.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was so good, I wasn't very keen to share it, but I'm glad I did, as I got to sample the other starter - the Tea-Smoked Salmon with Soda Bread, which was exquisite. D described it as the best smoked salmon he'd ever tasted, and I could see why. It had a complex, delicate flavour and almost melt-in-the-mouth consistency. It was quite brilliant. (We also very much liked how the wedge of lemon was ingeniously covered in a little 'jacket' to catch the pips as you squeezed it). </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With truly top-notch starters, the bar had been set very high. When mains arrived, we were perhaps a little concerned that pie looked a little... petite. The macaroni dish looked impressive - not at all cheesy, but beautifully gratinated with tiny pasta, so that it almost looked like rice, with a poached egg delicately balanced on top.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The fears of the pie being too small were completely unfounded, given the richness of the dish. Lovely pastry packed with the chicken and ham - there was very little sauce, just really good quality ingredients. The macaroni was in a different universe to the tinned macaroni cheese of my childhood (which holds a special place in my heart as comfort food). The tiny pasta shapes, were bound with such flavoursome wild mushrooms, that they almost tasted fruity. The dish sung with flavour, but was very rich, so again, I was glad we were sharing, as a full portion would have been difficult to eat single-handedly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The triple fried chips were chunky, salty and very very crunchy.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oKXXEqRLNlk/TlsubZ-2JMI/AAAAAAAAAzU/KGPL3zmqrM8/s1600/chips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oKXXEqRLNlk/TlsubZ-2JMI/AAAAAAAAAzU/KGPL3zmqrM8/s200/chips.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Utterly stuffed, we asked for a little break before dessert time. We enjoyed the ambience and relaxed feel of the restaurant, and marvelled at how close it was to Maidenhead Rail station. We commented on how the toilets were the second best D had ever seen (he said they lost a point for not having real fluffy handtowels), but we both agreed the cool 50s style made for very nice bathrooms.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In preparation for dessert, we were handed this introductory note for the 'Quaking Pudding':</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qjOAymyK9IQ/Tlsyw1rSOUI/AAAAAAAAAzs/1l5vePL4VBo/s1600/IMG_1446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qjOAymyK9IQ/Tlsyw1rSOUI/AAAAAAAAAzs/1l5vePL4VBo/s640/IMG_1446.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I still wasn't entirely sure whether a 17th Century pudding was going to be tasty, but I knew there was always going to be the fallback option of the blackberry fool (and in normal circumstances, I was too full for dessert anyway).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The desserts then made their grand entrance. The pudding was as promised 'quaking' and wobbling away, as if it had a life of it's own (whilst the blackberry fool looked more conventional), but had the unexpected added bonus of pistachios. </span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzvxlMyLk70/TlsyK5eI00I/AAAAAAAAAzk/mbMm33PuC7Y/s1600/fool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzvxlMyLk70/TlsyK5eI00I/AAAAAAAAAzk/mbMm33PuC7Y/s320/fool.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9FRJmUVlONI/TlsyNpamnuI/AAAAAAAAAzo/Cvw0I6fWZkE/s1600/quaking+pudding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9FRJmUVlONI/TlsyNpamnuI/AAAAAAAAAzo/Cvw0I6fWZkE/s320/quaking+pudding.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Forgetting how full I was, I dug into the Quaking Pudding, and was almost taken aback by how familiar the taste was. The warm flavours of cardamom, cinammon, a hint of ginger, in a milky base, meant it tasted exactly like '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai">chai</a>' (indian tea, just like my mum makes). It was quite disorientating to taste something that was so reminiscent of home in such a restaurant, but it was absolutely delicious. Ingeniously, it was served with what looked like cucumber, but was actually delicate slivers of sweet and tangy sugared apple. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The blackberry fool was very creamy, but well punctuated by the blackberries, pistachios, meringue pieces and a hint of aniseed - delightful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We'd come to the end of our food extravaganza. Expectations had been high but the food, service and atmosphere were absolutely perfect, and I couldn't recommend The Hinds Head highly enough. </span><br />
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</div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-56988170582750772372011-08-23T21:54:00.000+01:002011-08-23T21:54:44.651+01:00Cake of the day: Cel's Chocolate and Banana Cake of Joy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> After cooking us a Sri Lankan banquet, Cel told us there was no dessert..."apart from some cake", lowering expectations with the tone of her voice.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ws-khLlxqao/TlQQOrd35VI/AAAAAAAAAy0/zgDw65O4qHM/s1600/IMAG0428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ws-khLlxqao/TlQQOrd35VI/AAAAAAAAAy0/zgDw65O4qHM/s320/IMAG0428.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But this wasn't any old cake. Cel makes amazing cake, and this huge tray bake was warm, gooey with chocolate and moist with chunks of banana. Rich, comforting and delicious, it was a proper pud. As full as we were, we all found space for a generous helping. It was wonderful!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNBTkUDBigs/TlQRMn1Wo6I/AAAAAAAAAy8/OUnTUSqDibc/s1600/23bb559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNBTkUDBigs/TlQRMn1Wo6I/AAAAAAAAAy8/OUnTUSqDibc/s400/23bb559.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-20004741746968533502011-08-18T23:45:00.001+01:002011-08-18T23:48:12.776+01:00Canteen, Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love </span><a href="http://canteen.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Canteen</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> - I love how it avoids being pretentious or over-priced, even after winning numerous awards, and even when all four of it's restaurants are located in the most central London locations. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But it is of course, this simplicity that is central to Canteen's ethos, as well as an emphasis on British, seasonal good quality ingredients.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This was my second visit to the Canteen at the Southbank centre location. Sitting outdoors, surrounded by all the appealing aromas and hustle and bustle of the weekly food market, made for a fantastic atmosphere, even though it was a strange time to eat (5pm on a Sunday). This isn't a problem at Canteen, who advocate "casual all day dining". My previous visit had been just for tea and cake, which wasn't a problem at all to the friendly and efficient staff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">D was delighted by the real ale selection, particularly due to the appearance of several dark beers. His choice of </span><a href="http://www.moorhouses.co.uk/history.html"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">'Moorhouse's Black Cat' </span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- is award winning, and impressive as it's one he has only ever previously seen at beer festivals. He very much enjoyed it's chocolately, malty taste, whilst I was more than happy with my restorative pot of </span><a href="http://www.teapigs.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Teapigs</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Earl Grey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The menu consists largely of various daily specials. There is a daily soup, pie, roast and 'day boat fish', as well as all day breakfast/brunch dishes, traditionally British mains and puddings. Sensibly, children are offered half portions at half price. Fantastically, there is a separate 'cakes' section, on the menu.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">D went for the roast of the day, which was beef, and he felt the quality was excellent. He liked how it was presented in a tower with roast potatoes, carrots, cabbage, gravy and the largest yorkshire pud I have ever seen. (It's non-perfect shape was pleasing). The beef was very tender and each of the components tasty and well cooked. There was only one thing D would change...he remarked that "most people would probably want less cabbage, and young men with hearty appetites (like me) would want one more potato." Specific feedback indeed!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Mine was a posh chicken and chips (but not being very posh, I ate it with my hands. The best way to enjoy food). They roast a free-range chicken at lunch and dinnertime, and serve it first come first served, with garlic mayo and super crispy chips. It was heaven on a plate. Perfectly cooked, crispy skin, generous in portion size. Wonderful!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Very sadly, I found myself without a camera, or room for dessert. But not to worry, here's a picture of the incredible chocolate and beetroot cake, sampled upon my last visit with K. The cake was almost velvety in nature, and very soft and moist as a result of the beetroot. It's still on the menu. You should go and try it.</span></div><br />
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</div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-60231206480810090292011-08-18T22:38:00.000+01:002011-08-18T22:38:43.788+01:00Sorbitum Ices at The Real Food Market, The Southbank Centre<a href="http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/markets/real-food-market-at-southbank-centre/whats-on-in-august?option=com_exhibitors&view=exhibitors&task=listexhibitor&exhibitor_id=382"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sorbitum Ices </span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> is such a small operation, I can't even find a website for it. Exhibiting from a retro caravan at the <a href="http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/markets">Real Food Market</a> at <a href="http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/">The Southbank Centre</a>, their board, advertising 'Dark Chocolate Sorbet' immediately grabbed my attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've become a bit of a sorbet connoisseur of late, having taken up a dairy-free diet. Fruity sorbet is great, as is boozy sorbet, but chocolate? I'd never seen such a thing before! So how could I resist?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A small variety of exciting flavours (some ice-cream), were on offer, all home made by the seller. Made with 70% dark chocolate, the sorbet had the consistency of ice-cream, and tasted darkly delicious. Dairy-free but with a creamy texture and flavour. It was entirely wonderful! £2 for a generous scoop, it was the highlight of the entire market for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, whilst I can't direct you to a website, or even a photo, you too can sample this yumminess, as the </span><a href="http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/markets"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Real Food Market </span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> is currently running weekly, from Friday to Sunday outside the Southbank Centre! Go find the Sorbitum caravan of joy!</span>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-80623415766471747302011-08-09T23:09:00.001+01:002011-08-09T23:13:12.125+01:00Foodies Festival, Battersea Park, 29 July 2011<em>Many thanks to Kathleen for providing all of the photographs</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2011 had taken me to numerous beer festivals, but <a href="http://www.foodiesfestival.com/">Foodies Festival</a> was the first gastronomic festival experience of the year. The weather could not have been better in lovely Battersea Park - perfect for some Pimms, which we sipped as we gained our bearings.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mimHwDm8jvQ/TkGvraWesuI/AAAAAAAAAyY/lpjYXn7c_2I/s1600/IMG_8312_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mimHwDm8jvQ/TkGvraWesuI/AAAAAAAAAyY/lpjYXn7c_2I/s640/IMG_8312_1.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Smaller than the ubiquitous Taste festivals (which I do enjoy, but which can end up very pricey, especially with their festival ‘currency’ feature), the atmosphere at Foodies was relaxed, and more focused on small producers, rather than big name restaurants. We’d got bargainous tickets through a discount website, so we were open-minded without high expectations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We snuck into the back of one of the demonstration tents, (and even got a seat), and felt like we were watching a live version of Saturday Kitchen! We learned a handy hint for accessing whether meat was cooked – by sticking a metal skewer into the meat for 10 seconds, and then placing that skewer on your lips to feel if it was hot. A bit risky for my liking, but as the chef pronounced, “if you overcook meat, you deserve burned lips!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nibbling on a variety of free food samples (some yummy chilli jams, slivers of scotch eggs, sweets), we found places we wanted to try for lunch. On the way, we also sampled some exciting beverages – the highlight being <a href="http://www.stgermain.fr/index2.php">St Germain</a> – wonderful elderflower liqueur served with white wine. Classy and beautiful!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">K settled on Nigerian food, being unusual enough for her not to encounter in everyday life. She opted for very red jollof rice with beef and plaintain. She loved it – the rice was very moist and tomatoey and the whole dish was full of flavour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My lunch choice was paella – not with the usual ingredients, but instead with apple and pork! My £5 bought me a huge portion, which I couldn’t even finish of the best paella I’ve ever tasted. There were wonderful deep flavours, from the sweetness of the apple to the savouriness of the rice which was also packed with aubergines and peas as well as the pork. A perfect mix of textures and bold flavours made this wonderful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The heat was increasing, so dessert needed to be cold. We headed to <a href="http://www.yeekwan.com/www.yeekwan.com/Home.html">Yee Kwan’s</a> ice-cream stall, and tried a sample of flavours before settling on our favourites. K had cardamom ice-cream which was divinely different to any kind of ice-cream she’d ever had. My mojito sorbet was perfect for the heat of the day, tangy and fruity in an understated way. We found a shady spot under a tree, and felt all was good with the world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rsr9FUYY0zs/TkGteSFVbxI/AAAAAAAAAyI/eEn9l613P8A/s1600/IMG_8347_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rsr9FUYY0zs/TkGteSFVbxI/AAAAAAAAAyI/eEn9l613P8A/s640/IMG_8347_1.JPG" width="425" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After all the eating, we needed a rest. As ever, when I am in need of fortification I find myself drawn to tea. <a href="http://tregothnan.co.uk/">Tregothnan</a> didn’t just offer any old tea though – far more excitingly, they allowed you to make your own blend of tea! You could mix traditional black teas, earl grey, manuka, lemon verbena, peppermint, nettle and chamomile – most of which I did mix, with slightly over-potent results. K was far more restrained, and her blend of nettle and peppermint was a delightfully refreshing affair.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3KJR2Ni5JQ/TkGw5WWc2LI/AAAAAAAAAyc/-6bADdbS8Q4/s1600/IMG_8354_2_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3KJR2Ni5JQ/TkGw5WWc2LI/AAAAAAAAAyc/-6bADdbS8Q4/s400/IMG_8354_2_1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After a cuppa, it was time for some education. We snuck into a demonstration tent to watch a wonderful demonstration of how to make lavender and vanilla infused chocolate truffles by <a href="http://www.scioltichocolates.com/">Fiona Sciolti</a>, Artisan Chocolatier. She demonstrated mixing double cream and honey, bringing to the boil, and then infusing overnight with lavender and a vanilla pod. Then, straining through some muslin (or a clean jay cloth), she added melted dark chocolate, along with some soft butter. Once cooled, the mixture was piped or scraped into truffles with a spoon, and then rolled in a mixture of cocoa and icing sugar. I was inspired, but perhaps more tempted to just buy some that she prepared earlier.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All that chocolate and made us hungry again, and we tucked into a final treat from The <a href="http://www.thedessertdeli.co.uk/shop/">Dessert Deli</a>, a local Battersea purveyor of delights, created by Laura Amos. All the products were gorgeously presented. I went for a shot of Belgian chocolate mousse with crunchy home made honeycomb topping, which was wonderfully dark and creamy, whilst K went for a summer berry tartlet, which was also highly recommended.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All in all – a wonderful discovery of a food festival – we left utterly stuffed and very happy!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-33417999019977632512011-07-11T20:23:00.038+01:002011-07-11T21:01:50.693+01:00Brunch at The Lounge, North Road, Bedminster, Bristol<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thelounges.co.uk/website/">The Lounge</a>, has become a regular feature for slightly-hungover sunday brunches during my visits to Bristol, (particularly because it seems to be the only place in Bedminster which meets R's requirement of serving hash browns with their cooked breakfasts). This 'Lounge' is the original, more have sprung up since 2002, has a very chilled-out independent feel to it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all good here, so it is always packed. Strangely though, it was uncharacteristally quiet on a late sunday morning, making service attentive and speedy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Orange juice is freshly squeezed and delicious. Breakfast options consist of a full english option, a veggie version, a healty museli option, an eggs benedict version and perhaps most intriguingly, something called 'an egg and bacon stack' - eggy bread served with bacon and...maple syrup! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">How could I resist?</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-88TOyRq0_0o/ThtWlGIGZgI/AAAAAAAAAwc/0avlvCaeqCE/s1600/IMG_1358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" m$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-88TOyRq0_0o/ThtWlGIGZgI/AAAAAAAAAwc/0avlvCaeqCE/s640/IMG_1358.jpg" width="640px" /></a></div>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-54636960789010860342011-07-11T13:41:00.000+01:002011-07-11T13:41:52.669+01:00Cake of the Day: Joanna's Casino Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i6fdYCHMvGQ/ThrqcIx64sI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/rD32op0O-_Q/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" m$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i6fdYCHMvGQ/ThrqcIx64sI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/rD32op0O-_Q/s400/cake.jpg" width="350px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We all know that Joanna's talents in the kitchen are impressive and far-ranging, given her previous life as a chef.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">However, by all accounts, Jo completed excelled herself with this amazing birthday cake for Rachael, perfectly themed to match our murder mystery evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The attention to detail was astounding - edible handmade dice, not-so-edible shiny coins and of course the champagne candle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Tastewise, the cake was fantastic. Squidgy and chocolatey without being overly heavy, it was moist and delicious.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGz9WSwcIIM/ThrqpAeRBzI/AAAAAAAAAwU/ItDksdp31rc/s1600/IMG_1332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" m$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGz9WSwcIIM/ThrqpAeRBzI/AAAAAAAAAwU/ItDksdp31rc/s640/IMG_1332.jpg" width="480px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Should you be lucky enough to live in the Bristol area, and desire an extra-special cake for a special occasion, Joanna may well be willing to create one for you at a very reasonable price. Leave a comment through the blog!</span>Ushihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16553415152934581417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563862638571507636.post-39513900894846291212011-06-26T20:48:00.000+01:002011-06-26T20:48:00.332+01:00Cake of the Day, The Butterleigh Inn's Butterleigh Brownie<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6-QdLEyMzs/TgeKvmfB6fI/AAAAAAAAAwI/-F58ZpzlkXM/s1600/IMG_1307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6-QdLEyMzs/TgeKvmfB6fI/AAAAAAAAAwI/-F58ZpzlkXM/s640/IMG_1307.jpg" width="640px" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The highlight of my brief trip to Devon was this warm and deeply chocolately brownie at <a href="http://www.butterleighinn.co.uk/">The Butterleigh Inn</a> in the delightful village of Butterleigh (near Cullompton). It had a spongy consistency, rather than feeling heavy and dense, and served with clotted cream it was heavenly. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I had it instead of lunch!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9ECa7D-SHc/TgeK8wipwAI/AAAAAAAAAwM/asP4OagEIPk/s1600/IMG_1306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" i$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9ECa7D-SHc/TgeK8wipwAI/AAAAAAAAAwM/asP4OagEIPk/s400/IMG_1306.jpg" width="300px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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