Tom Ilic is our local, in fact if it wasn’t for the Argentinean restaurant next door it would be the closest place we can get food. We have therefore been there about five times, both in a group and as a couple. Therefore when R was trying to decide where to have the party for his 30th this was top of the list.
We had twenty-odd people for drinks in our flat first, and then eventually turfed everyone out to go and eat. We had a set menu with three choices for each of the three courses, which R and I had chosen from the a la carte menu. In the restaurant there are two rooms, and we had a big table down the middle of the far one, which I hope meant that we didn’t disturb everyone else too much!
I had the mackerel with horseradish soufflé to start with, then the sautéed fillet and roast belly of pork, pickled white cabbage, chorizo and caramelised apple. It’s only writing this down that I realise how similar this is to what I ate at Gordon Ramsey! Again it was lovely, and there were lots of other piggy bits with it as well, that were quite difficult to identify since they weren’t on the menu, but tasted great anyway. It wasn’t really the right setting to quiz the waiters about the food, which in the past I have done in great detail. I also need to make a particular mention of the soufflé, which I think is the most perfect accompaniment to the mackerel and has a lovely horseradish taste without being too powerful.
I followed this with the chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream, which I think is the only pudding I have ever had there, as I love it.
I was really impressed that they could deal so well with such a large table, even with a full restaurant. There weren’t any complaints about the food, and with nearly a bottle of wine a head the bill only came to £40 a head, which is a bargain for this quality of food.
We’ll be back again, although probably not with so many people next time.
Thursday 29 January 2009
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Gordon Ramsey, Royal Hospital Road
Bear with me, as this is a really long post, but I felt I needed to write everything down so that I can remember it. This was my first Ramsey and my first three Michelin star. In fact we have only eaten at a one star place before, Club Gascon.
I have been looking forward to this since long before we finally got a table, booked on 26 November 2008, i.e. exactly two months before we actually went. The excuse was R’s 30th birthday, and he knew nothing about it until we got to the door! I actually can’t believe that I managed to keep it a secret, as I was so excited!
It started the day before though, as I had asked my father to download the wine list for me and help me choose. He knows masses more about wine than I do, and even he said it was a difficult list as there was so much he didn’t recognise. We eventually went for a Gigondas, which came in about the right budget and I was pretty sure R would like.
So we walked over to Chelsea via Battersea Park, which was a lovely start. R did look at me a bit funny when I told him he had to wear a shirt and jacket to go for a walk, but he knew we were going somewhere for lunch.
The outside is very understated, and I might have walked past it if I hadn’t known where it was. Once through the door you walk along a corridor, which has wide-ish slits in it which show the view through into the dining room. On entering small bar we had out coats taken off us and then despite being a bit early (I over-estimated the walking time through a pathological fear of being late – I HATE being late!) we were shown straight to our table.
I knew the room was quite small, but it was definitely even smaller than I was expecting. The décor was very neutral, mostly cream with black touches and a grey carpet. I liked the fact that we were on a round table at the edge of the room, and it was set up so that we were sat the perfect compromise between sitting opposite each other and next to each other. This meant we could both see the room and each other, something R particularly appreciated as normally I get the view of the room (but he gets to look at me!).
Another good touch was once we had our champagne the maître d asked who was going to be hosting the table. This meant that I could treat R, and he got the menu with no prices on! I also got the wine list, and once I had ordered the wine it was brought to me to try. This sounds obvious, but you have no idea the number of times that I have ordered the wine and R has been given it to taste. It’s particularly annoying when he isn’t even at the table when I order and the bottle is then shown to him – how would he even know it is the right one?
We had the set lunch, as even for a special birthday we couldn’t stretch any further. This meant three courses for £44, with three options for each course. We decided we couldn’t possibly have the same thing, and R chose first as it was his birthday.
The first thing to arrive was some lovely bread, from which we both chose the potato and rosemary. There was also a choice of salted or unsalted butter, moulded into beautiful shapes.
Next was an amuse bouche. In front of us was presented a small raviolo stuffed with cream cheese and truffle on a bed of finely diced vegetables. The around this was poured a pumpkin veloute. The pumpkin was so smooth and intensely flavoured, although I got more of the truffle taste from the veloute than the raviolo. A lovely start though.
My starter was a crab and king prawn tortellini, with a lemongrass and chilli consommé. The pasta was beautifully light, and surrounded a mass of tasty crab and prawn. The textures of this were great, and then the consommé was incredibly light with the flavours from the lemongrass and chilli managing to be powerful without being overwhelming. R had artichoke and apple salad with chicken liver and foie gras croute. Again, this was a beautiful contrast of flavours and textures.
For main course I went for the milk-fed slow cooked pork belly, with pancetta, apple and chicory and a Madeira jus. The tart sweetness of the apple cut beautifully through the fatty pork, and in turn contrasted with the bitter chicory. The pancetta added some much needed crunch. This was a lovely dish, with the pork cooked so slowly it was melting, and just the right counterpoints from the other ingredients.
I didn’t try R’s braised Angus shin of beef with horseradish pomme puree, stuffed ceps and red wine jus, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying it, and it all disappeared. He did make me try the mash though, which was amazing. It almost disappeared in your mouth, leaving the horseradish taste behind. I made R laugh by calling it horseradish flavoured clouds, but honestly that is what it felt like!
We then had cheese, which was R’s choice. There was no way he was going to be able to resist when the cheese trolley kept being wheeled past us. It was rather odd being told the name of what turned out to be English cheese by a French waiter, as we were expecting them to be French and kept making him repeat himself. If we weren’t such regulars at Neal’s Yard I’m not sure we would have identified some of them. They were beautifully kept, and I loved the Muscat grapes that were served with it, and there was a great selection of biscuits and bread.
I’d had my eye on the chocolate and lavender tart with toasted milk mousse and milk ice cream since we had been given the menus, and R allowed me to have first choice of dessert. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful presentation. On one side of the plate there were three very thin strips of chocolate on the plate, each with a lavender flower at the top – really cute. Then OMG the tart. The filling was just at that point of not knowing whether it was solid or liquid and was incredibly chocolaty and smooth, and the pastry was meltingly soft with just enough texture to give you something to crunch. The toasted mousse on top worked well with the intensity of the chocolate, but I wasn’t very keen on the milk ice cream.
R had banana parfait with passion fruit and salted caramel ice cream. I loved the ice cream on its own, although it was right on the edge of being too much, and too powerful for an ice cream. I should then have stuck to my guns and not tried any more, as I am not the biggest fan of banana. However, R insisted, and I have never come so close to having to spit something out! That’s just my taste though, and R thought it was great.
By this time we were totally stuffed, and had been in the restaurant for two and a half hours. We had coffee as we tried to summon the energy to leave, and with it arrived the most amazing truffle tree. The truffles were silver, and stuck on spikes – really clever presentation. And then just when we thought we were done another petit four arrived in the form of a canister flowing with dry ice, containing strawberry ice cream enclosed in white chocolate. Finally a little scoop of the most intense raspberry sorbet was presented with a candle in it, for R!
Yes, it was expensive, but totally worth it for the quality of the food and the attentive service. It was an experience that took up the whole afternoon, and we really enjoyed it. I also think the chocolate tart was probably the best thing I have ever eaten, and I am dreaming of it as I type. Hopefully some time I will get the chance to try it again.
I have been looking forward to this since long before we finally got a table, booked on 26 November 2008, i.e. exactly two months before we actually went. The excuse was R’s 30th birthday, and he knew nothing about it until we got to the door! I actually can’t believe that I managed to keep it a secret, as I was so excited!
It started the day before though, as I had asked my father to download the wine list for me and help me choose. He knows masses more about wine than I do, and even he said it was a difficult list as there was so much he didn’t recognise. We eventually went for a Gigondas, which came in about the right budget and I was pretty sure R would like.
So we walked over to Chelsea via Battersea Park, which was a lovely start. R did look at me a bit funny when I told him he had to wear a shirt and jacket to go for a walk, but he knew we were going somewhere for lunch.
The outside is very understated, and I might have walked past it if I hadn’t known where it was. Once through the door you walk along a corridor, which has wide-ish slits in it which show the view through into the dining room. On entering small bar we had out coats taken off us and then despite being a bit early (I over-estimated the walking time through a pathological fear of being late – I HATE being late!) we were shown straight to our table.
I knew the room was quite small, but it was definitely even smaller than I was expecting. The décor was very neutral, mostly cream with black touches and a grey carpet. I liked the fact that we were on a round table at the edge of the room, and it was set up so that we were sat the perfect compromise between sitting opposite each other and next to each other. This meant we could both see the room and each other, something R particularly appreciated as normally I get the view of the room (but he gets to look at me!).
Another good touch was once we had our champagne the maître d asked who was going to be hosting the table. This meant that I could treat R, and he got the menu with no prices on! I also got the wine list, and once I had ordered the wine it was brought to me to try. This sounds obvious, but you have no idea the number of times that I have ordered the wine and R has been given it to taste. It’s particularly annoying when he isn’t even at the table when I order and the bottle is then shown to him – how would he even know it is the right one?
We had the set lunch, as even for a special birthday we couldn’t stretch any further. This meant three courses for £44, with three options for each course. We decided we couldn’t possibly have the same thing, and R chose first as it was his birthday.
The first thing to arrive was some lovely bread, from which we both chose the potato and rosemary. There was also a choice of salted or unsalted butter, moulded into beautiful shapes.
Next was an amuse bouche. In front of us was presented a small raviolo stuffed with cream cheese and truffle on a bed of finely diced vegetables. The around this was poured a pumpkin veloute. The pumpkin was so smooth and intensely flavoured, although I got more of the truffle taste from the veloute than the raviolo. A lovely start though.
My starter was a crab and king prawn tortellini, with a lemongrass and chilli consommé. The pasta was beautifully light, and surrounded a mass of tasty crab and prawn. The textures of this were great, and then the consommé was incredibly light with the flavours from the lemongrass and chilli managing to be powerful without being overwhelming. R had artichoke and apple salad with chicken liver and foie gras croute. Again, this was a beautiful contrast of flavours and textures.
For main course I went for the milk-fed slow cooked pork belly, with pancetta, apple and chicory and a Madeira jus. The tart sweetness of the apple cut beautifully through the fatty pork, and in turn contrasted with the bitter chicory. The pancetta added some much needed crunch. This was a lovely dish, with the pork cooked so slowly it was melting, and just the right counterpoints from the other ingredients.
I didn’t try R’s braised Angus shin of beef with horseradish pomme puree, stuffed ceps and red wine jus, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying it, and it all disappeared. He did make me try the mash though, which was amazing. It almost disappeared in your mouth, leaving the horseradish taste behind. I made R laugh by calling it horseradish flavoured clouds, but honestly that is what it felt like!
We then had cheese, which was R’s choice. There was no way he was going to be able to resist when the cheese trolley kept being wheeled past us. It was rather odd being told the name of what turned out to be English cheese by a French waiter, as we were expecting them to be French and kept making him repeat himself. If we weren’t such regulars at Neal’s Yard I’m not sure we would have identified some of them. They were beautifully kept, and I loved the Muscat grapes that were served with it, and there was a great selection of biscuits and bread.
I’d had my eye on the chocolate and lavender tart with toasted milk mousse and milk ice cream since we had been given the menus, and R allowed me to have first choice of dessert. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful presentation. On one side of the plate there were three very thin strips of chocolate on the plate, each with a lavender flower at the top – really cute. Then OMG the tart. The filling was just at that point of not knowing whether it was solid or liquid and was incredibly chocolaty and smooth, and the pastry was meltingly soft with just enough texture to give you something to crunch. The toasted mousse on top worked well with the intensity of the chocolate, but I wasn’t very keen on the milk ice cream.
R had banana parfait with passion fruit and salted caramel ice cream. I loved the ice cream on its own, although it was right on the edge of being too much, and too powerful for an ice cream. I should then have stuck to my guns and not tried any more, as I am not the biggest fan of banana. However, R insisted, and I have never come so close to having to spit something out! That’s just my taste though, and R thought it was great.
By this time we were totally stuffed, and had been in the restaurant for two and a half hours. We had coffee as we tried to summon the energy to leave, and with it arrived the most amazing truffle tree. The truffles were silver, and stuck on spikes – really clever presentation. And then just when we thought we were done another petit four arrived in the form of a canister flowing with dry ice, containing strawberry ice cream enclosed in white chocolate. Finally a little scoop of the most intense raspberry sorbet was presented with a candle in it, for R!
Yes, it was expensive, but totally worth it for the quality of the food and the attentive service. It was an experience that took up the whole afternoon, and we really enjoyed it. I also think the chocolate tart was probably the best thing I have ever eaten, and I am dreaming of it as I type. Hopefully some time I will get the chance to try it again.
Wednesday 21 January 2009
Sausages and puy lentils
Lentils seem to be one of the in things on restaurant menus at the moment, but R thinks they are for Ethiopians and refuses to eat them. I have never cooked them at home before, so it seemed like a good opportunity to try and convert him.
I searched the internet for a recipe, and there seemed to be a number of similar ones, so I made up a variation based on what I had read.
Serves 2 (plus enough lentils for lunch the next day)
200g Puy lentils
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Bay leaf
Olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 toulouse sausages
Heat the oven to about 200C.
Lightly coat the sausages in oil and place in a roasting tin lined with foil (saves washing up!) and cook for about half an hour until golden brown.
Meanwhile cook the onion gently in some olive oil in a saucepan. Keep the heat very low so that it does not burn. Once they are soft add the lentils and stir so they are coated with oil. Top up the pan with water so that the lentils are covered, and add the garlic and bay. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the lentils are done but retain some bite. Dress the lentils lightly with olive oil and the red wine vinegar.
Serve with a green veg (we had purple sprouting broccoli).
We found that we needed a strongly flavoured sausage such as the Toulouse, and it still needed some more flavour. Next time I think I might try something like the tomato salsa that Jamie Oliver suggests with his.
I searched the internet for a recipe, and there seemed to be a number of similar ones, so I made up a variation based on what I had read.
Serves 2 (plus enough lentils for lunch the next day)
200g Puy lentils
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Bay leaf
Olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 toulouse sausages
Heat the oven to about 200C.
Lightly coat the sausages in oil and place in a roasting tin lined with foil (saves washing up!) and cook for about half an hour until golden brown.
Meanwhile cook the onion gently in some olive oil in a saucepan. Keep the heat very low so that it does not burn. Once they are soft add the lentils and stir so they are coated with oil. Top up the pan with water so that the lentils are covered, and add the garlic and bay. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the lentils are done but retain some bite. Dress the lentils lightly with olive oil and the red wine vinegar.
Serve with a green veg (we had purple sprouting broccoli).
We found that we needed a strongly flavoured sausage such as the Toulouse, and it still needed some more flavour. Next time I think I might try something like the tomato salsa that Jamie Oliver suggests with his.
Tuesday 20 January 2009
South Africa - Part 2
I said there were going to be two places that I would describe from Cape Town, but I am going to have to squeeze in a third. This was at Sevruga, on the Waterfront, which I think is rather high-end. We made a last minute decision for lunch on our penultimate day, and involved the best sushi I have ever had. R is a bit of a sushi novice, so I ordered for those of us, and it was absolutely fantastic. Fresh, great flavours, and beautifully made. The problem now is that I am not sure that I will be able to eat sushi in the UK again, as it seems bound to disappoint! It also cost less than £15 a head, with two bottles of wine between the four of us.
The other place that we had a fantastic meal was Ginja. I had to book this a month in advance for a Saturday evening table, and it was a cab ride away from our hotel. R looked increasingly worried as the cab pulled over seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I think he thought I had totally lost it when we were directed down a long dark alleyway with assurances that was where we were supposed to be going!
Luckily we came out in a rather dark room, and were given the choice of the tables for two which weren’t taken, which was a nice touch. The restaurant is fusion, which we have never really eaten before, or certainly not in the way that this meant. The menu took a bit of getting used to, as it merely listed all of the ingredients in each dish with no indication of how they fitted together. However, we eventually made a decision, and I think we were both pleased with our choices.
I can’t do more than list the primary ingredients, as there were so many different aspects and flavours that there is no way I can remember, since I didn’t take notes and it was too dark for photos. I had prawns as a starter, which is one of their signature dishes, and then ostrich for my main course. The ostrich was interesting. It had quite a course texture, and actually one that I didn’t overly care for, but the flavour was amazingly rich and gamey. R particularly enjoyed his beef three ways as well.
We couldn’t manage pudding, but overall it was an amazing experience, which I don’t think I have done justice to here. The flavours and presentation were sensational, and the service just the right balance of professional and friendly. I hope I get the opportunity to go back.
The other place that we had a fantastic meal was Ginja. I had to book this a month in advance for a Saturday evening table, and it was a cab ride away from our hotel. R looked increasingly worried as the cab pulled over seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I think he thought I had totally lost it when we were directed down a long dark alleyway with assurances that was where we were supposed to be going!
Luckily we came out in a rather dark room, and were given the choice of the tables for two which weren’t taken, which was a nice touch. The restaurant is fusion, which we have never really eaten before, or certainly not in the way that this meant. The menu took a bit of getting used to, as it merely listed all of the ingredients in each dish with no indication of how they fitted together. However, we eventually made a decision, and I think we were both pleased with our choices.
I can’t do more than list the primary ingredients, as there were so many different aspects and flavours that there is no way I can remember, since I didn’t take notes and it was too dark for photos. I had prawns as a starter, which is one of their signature dishes, and then ostrich for my main course. The ostrich was interesting. It had quite a course texture, and actually one that I didn’t overly care for, but the flavour was amazingly rich and gamey. R particularly enjoyed his beef three ways as well.
We couldn’t manage pudding, but overall it was an amazing experience, which I don’t think I have done justice to here. The flavours and presentation were sensational, and the service just the right balance of professional and friendly. I hope I get the opportunity to go back.
Monday 19 January 2009
South Africa - Part 1
The really unexpected thing about South Africa was the food. I really didn’t expect it to be so consistently good – I don’t think that we had a bad meal the whole time we were there – and such good value.
There were two exceptional meals that we had whilst we were there. The first was when a group of six of us went to the Codfather in Camps Bay, Cape Town. You sit down in the quite bare room, wooden floors, no table cloths, and are given a wine list but no menu. The waiter then comes and explains the way the restaurant works. There is a sushi carousel, and then a huge fresh fish and seafood counter. The waiter walked us along the fish counter, telling us what everything was, with extra explanations where we didn’t recognise the particular fish.
After a lot of deliberation (and being distracted by the bride-to-be that we were all there to see get married) I finally went for half a dozen oysters to start, followed by a piece of blue marlin and three tiger prawns. R also started with oysters (cue lots of jokes about what we were going to get up to that night), and then had langoustine. It was all beautifully cooked, with sauces put down the middle of the table so you could pick and choose. It wasn’t cheap, but the quality was exceptional, and fish always tastes better when you can see and hear the sea!
There were two exceptional meals that we had whilst we were there. The first was when a group of six of us went to the Codfather in Camps Bay, Cape Town. You sit down in the quite bare room, wooden floors, no table cloths, and are given a wine list but no menu. The waiter then comes and explains the way the restaurant works. There is a sushi carousel, and then a huge fresh fish and seafood counter. The waiter walked us along the fish counter, telling us what everything was, with extra explanations where we didn’t recognise the particular fish.
After a lot of deliberation (and being distracted by the bride-to-be that we were all there to see get married) I finally went for half a dozen oysters to start, followed by a piece of blue marlin and three tiger prawns. R also started with oysters (cue lots of jokes about what we were going to get up to that night), and then had langoustine. It was all beautifully cooked, with sauces put down the middle of the table so you could pick and choose. It wasn’t cheap, but the quality was exceptional, and fish always tastes better when you can see and hear the sea!
Friday 16 January 2009
Pork Belly and Crackling
At the last minute we went down to my parents in Hampshire for the weekend. They were at a wedding on Saturday, and so we stopped at the butcher on the way down to buy steaks for supper. Cooked rare on the griddle pan, they were seriously good.
The Winchester Farmers Market (one of the largest in the country) was about a third of its usual size, presumably as all the producers recovered after Christmas. There was still enough to keep us entertained though. It took me ages to work out that Winchester was a particularly big farmers market, and that was the reason why all the others I went to seemed so small!
For Sunday lunch we had a big piece of pork belly. It was cooked slowly in a low oven, sat on a rack in the roasting pan so that it was not sat in the fat that rendered out. It was then finished off with a three minute blast under the grill to crisp up the crackling.
Served with goose fat roasted potatoes, cabbage and carrots, it was great. The meat was meltingly tender and a perfect contrast to the crispy, crunchy crackling. Followed by apple crumble and proper Jersey cream, this was a pretty much perfect winter Sunday lunch.
The Winchester Farmers Market (one of the largest in the country) was about a third of its usual size, presumably as all the producers recovered after Christmas. There was still enough to keep us entertained though. It took me ages to work out that Winchester was a particularly big farmers market, and that was the reason why all the others I went to seemed so small!
For Sunday lunch we had a big piece of pork belly. It was cooked slowly in a low oven, sat on a rack in the roasting pan so that it was not sat in the fat that rendered out. It was then finished off with a three minute blast under the grill to crisp up the crackling.
Served with goose fat roasted potatoes, cabbage and carrots, it was great. The meat was meltingly tender and a perfect contrast to the crispy, crunchy crackling. Followed by apple crumble and proper Jersey cream, this was a pretty much perfect winter Sunday lunch.
Thursday 8 January 2009
Perfect January supper
We are trying to eat healthily in January, after ten days in South Africa and Christmas I definitely feel like I need it. I also don’t like eating something too heavy after I have been to the gym, so last night I made Nigella’s mirin-glazed salmon. As I hadn’t made it before I followed the recipe exactly, except for making half portions as there were only two of us.
This is brilliant post-work supper, as the part that took the longest was cooking the rice. It tasted delicious, with that umami taste from the soy and the sweetness from the mirin. With steamed broccoli it was a great light meal and one that I will definitely be repeating.
This is brilliant post-work supper, as the part that took the longest was cooking the rice. It tasted delicious, with that umami taste from the soy and the sweetness from the mirin. With steamed broccoli it was a great light meal and one that I will definitely be repeating.
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Fox and Hounds, Battersea
I think there are two reasons why I have found it difficult to start this blog. The first is that I have read a lot of food blogs in the last couple of months, and I am finding it a bit intimidating.
The second is more prosaic. It is January, and we are attempting to have a detox credit crunch month, which means the food we are eating is unlikely to be very exciting.
Still, we decided January didn’t start until the 5th, when we went back to work. We therefore rewarded ourselves for clearing out the dreaded cupboard under the stairs with Sunday lunch at the Fox and Hounds in Battersea.
This pub is walking distance for us, but somehow I have managed to drink there on several occasions but never eat. I was quite excited, as it is owed/run by the same people as the Atlas in Fulham, where I have had a number of good meals.
It started off well, as I found it almost impossible to choose from the many great sounding things on the menu. In the end we started with what was billed as an antipasti plate to share. I think I would describe the contents as more like meze: merguez sausages with cous cous, tortilla, roast vegetables, very good hummous, and a couple of other things I can’t quite remember. All very good, but when my main course arrived I wished I hadn’t had a starter at all!
A huge chicken breast, swimming with tasty gravy, with butternut ‘smash’ and rocket salad. The chicken was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, and all the elements worked really well together. R’s smoked haddock risotto smelt amazing, but I was too intent on my chicken to try it.
We had to go and walk around the Park to try and digest some of it, otherwise I am sure we would have gone home and slept the rest of the afternoon.
I wish this pub was that bit closer to us that it could be a proper local, as it has all of the right ingredients. It is just as nice to have a drink in as to have the excellent food, and it has a small but perfectly formed garden at the back. Perhaps it is best it’s not any closer, as I am sure our wallets would be lighter and we would be heavier!
The second is more prosaic. It is January, and we are attempting to have a detox credit crunch month, which means the food we are eating is unlikely to be very exciting.
Still, we decided January didn’t start until the 5th, when we went back to work. We therefore rewarded ourselves for clearing out the dreaded cupboard under the stairs with Sunday lunch at the Fox and Hounds in Battersea.
This pub is walking distance for us, but somehow I have managed to drink there on several occasions but never eat. I was quite excited, as it is owed/run by the same people as the Atlas in Fulham, where I have had a number of good meals.
It started off well, as I found it almost impossible to choose from the many great sounding things on the menu. In the end we started with what was billed as an antipasti plate to share. I think I would describe the contents as more like meze: merguez sausages with cous cous, tortilla, roast vegetables, very good hummous, and a couple of other things I can’t quite remember. All very good, but when my main course arrived I wished I hadn’t had a starter at all!
A huge chicken breast, swimming with tasty gravy, with butternut ‘smash’ and rocket salad. The chicken was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, and all the elements worked really well together. R’s smoked haddock risotto smelt amazing, but I was too intent on my chicken to try it.
We had to go and walk around the Park to try and digest some of it, otherwise I am sure we would have gone home and slept the rest of the afternoon.
I wish this pub was that bit closer to us that it could be a proper local, as it has all of the right ingredients. It is just as nice to have a drink in as to have the excellent food, and it has a small but perfectly formed garden at the back. Perhaps it is best it’s not any closer, as I am sure our wallets would be lighter and we would be heavier!
Saturday 3 January 2009
The First Post
I'm not really sure how often I am going to post here, or even the nature of this blog, but am sort of going to start out and see how it goes...
I wonder how many people start a blog at the beginning of the year and it doesn't make it past the first couple of posts? This one may go the way of those, but I will wait and see!
I wonder how many people start a blog at the beginning of the year and it doesn't make it past the first couple of posts? This one may go the way of those, but I will wait and see!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
