My thanks to the good people of Clark's Meat and Poultry for a most excellent boned, rolled shoulder of new season Sussex lamb.
I roasted it and the joint was tender, succulent and the taste sublime.
Showing posts with label lamb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lamb. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2021
Roast Boned, Rolled Shoulder of New Season Sussex Lamb
Monday, February 08, 2021
Boned and Rolled Shoulder of Sussex Lamb
Rather than expose yourselves to the risk of COVID19 in an overcrowded supermarket, buy produce from your local shops which are plentifully stocked and are not crowded with people standing cheek by jowl.
My thanks to the good people of Clark's Meat and Poultry for delivering to me a splendid boned, rolled shoulder of Sussex lamb.
It roasted a treat, and was sublime!
Monday, December 07, 2020
Boned Rolled Shoulder of Sussex Lamb
Rather than expose yourselves to the
risk of COVID19 in an overcrowded supermarket, buy produce from your
local shops which are plentifully stocked and are not crowded with
people standing cheek by jowl.
Here is a fantastic boned, rolled shoulder of Sussex lamb that I bought from my good friend Derek Stott of D and D Family Butchers, his shop operates a strict policy of no more than one person in at any one time.
It was excellent, very tender, moist and full of flavour!
Monday, October 12, 2020
Boned Rolled Shoulder of Sussex Lamb
My thanks to my good friend Derek Stott of D and D Family Butchers, for this magnificent boned and rolled shoulder of Sussex lamb.
Friday, April 17, 2020
Shop Local - Roast Lamb
Rather than denude the supermarket shelves, and expose yourselves to the risk of COVID19 in an overcrowded supermarket, buy produce from your local shops which are plentifully stocked and are not crowded with people standing cheek by jowl.
Here is a beautiful shoulder of Sussex lamb that I bought from my good friend Derek Stott of D and D Family Butchers, the other day.
NB: his shop operates a strict policy of only one person in at any one time, and he will deliver for free locally.
The lamb was exceptionally tender and succulent. I made a most flavoursome tagine with the leftovers.
Shop local!
Monday, April 08, 2019
Roast Leg of Sussex Lamb
I bought this splendid leg of Sussex lamb from my good chum Derek Stott (of D and D Family Butchers) and roasted it with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
The Setting Sun Brighton
Eva and I haven't been to the Setting Sun (1 Windmill Street, Brighton, BN2 0GN 01273 626192) for quite sometime, so we popped in last night to try the new menu.
The Setting Sun is more of a wine bar/bistro rather than "pub" in the strictest sense of the word. It has light wood flooring, large leather sofas, bistro style wooden tables, a conservatory and a patio that affords stunning views of Brighton (if you can find seat there in the summer).
Sarah the manager took it over in 2014, there having been quite few changes in management in the previous years which caused chaos with the menu and the general running of the place. Sarah has brought stability and a friendly customer service attitude to the place, she also spruced it up with newly painted decor in 2014. In addition to Sarah there is Oggy, who is dog in residence and a very friendly cheerful little fellow.
The new menu includes soup, mussels, lamb shank, chicken breast, burgers, fish, halloumi, sticky toffee pudding etc; along with specials on certain days, such as sausage and mash.
We shared a bowl of mussels (moules mariniere, if you want the official name) as a starter, these were quite decent and came with a couple of chunks of bread.
We then each had the lamb shank (see photo above), which comes with pearl barley and roasted winter vegetables. To our view the dish needed mash in order to make it complete, and so we ordered a bowl to share. The meat was well cooked, and came cleanly off the bone. The stock which it was served with was flavoursome and not overpowering, and gave some much needed flavour to the pearl barley. The mash completed the dish and, to my view, should be made a standard part of this particular course.
Oggy was delighted to be gifted my lamb shank bone when I had finished with it, and proudly carried it off to a corner to munch on.
The bill came to around £63; this included a bottle of Pinot Rose, a coffee and two large Cointreaus.
Strip out the booze portion of the bill and, in my opinion, it is high when compared to the other pubs that serve food in Hanover. However, as noted, the Setting Sun isn't really a pub; so trying to compare it with the pubs in the area is not comparing like with like.
Saturday, February 08, 2014
First Class Lamb Curry
My compliments to recently returned chef Greg of the Sir Charles Napier (50 Southover St, Brighton), for bringing the food menu back to life at this excellent local hostelry.
Aside from serving homemeade pizzas during the week, on Fridays and Saturdays there is an a la carte menu offering dishes such as scampi, homemeade meatballs, gammon etc.
The menu changes each week, and last night one of the dishes was a lamb curry.
The curry was first class, tender lamb in a rich spicy curry served with basmati rice and nan bread. I can also commend the boar and beef meatballs.
On Sundays traditional roasts are served.
Aside from serving homemeade pizzas during the week, on Fridays and Saturdays there is an a la carte menu offering dishes such as scampi, homemeade meatballs, gammon etc.
The menu changes each week, and last night one of the dishes was a lamb curry.
The curry was first class, tender lamb in a rich spicy curry served with basmati rice and nan bread. I can also commend the boar and beef meatballs.
On Sundays traditional roasts are served.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Great Chops At The Sir Charles Napier
My compliments to chef Craig of The Sir Charles Napier at 50 Southover Street, Brighton who sourced and cooked great couple of Barnsley chops last night.
They were tender and tasty.
The gammon steaks and vegetarian cannelloni also went down very well too!
They were tender and tasty.
The gammon steaks and vegetarian cannelloni also went down very well too!
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Terraces (Brighton) Revisited
The Terraces (Brighton) Revisited
Eva and I revisited The Terraces on Saturday evening, and had a splendid meal.
My chorizo and poached egg starter was sublime, and my rack of lamb tender, succulent and unctuous.
Eva's fish, chips and mushy peas were cooked to perfection.
The service was first class, and very friendly. We were offered blankets when the wind became chilly, and were found a table inside when the elements finally defeated us without any fuss.
There was even a free firework display by the pier (not laid on by the restaurant) that topped the evening off.
I wish the new manager (who started a couple of weeks ago) all the very best.
Well worth visiting!
Eva and I revisited The Terraces on Saturday evening, and had a splendid meal.
My chorizo and poached egg starter was sublime, and my rack of lamb tender, succulent and unctuous.
Eva's fish, chips and mushy peas were cooked to perfection.
The service was first class, and very friendly. We were offered blankets when the wind became chilly, and were found a table inside when the elements finally defeated us without any fuss.
There was even a free firework display by the pier (not laid on by the restaurant) that topped the evening off.
I wish the new manager (who started a couple of weeks ago) all the very best.
Well worth visiting!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Albert's Table
Restaurant
Albert's Table
49B South End
Croydon
CR0 1BF
Phone 0208 680 2010
Website www.albertstable.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I visited the newly opened (so new the smell of paint was still in the air) Albert's Table a fortnight ago, and gave it a "test drive".
Albert's Table opened on the site of a Chinese restaurant on Tuesday 29th July, and serves, to quote their website:
"..dishes created from quality British ingredients chosen when they are in season and at their best. There are so many farmers in the UK producing world class meat, dairy and vegetables and these are the ingredients that we will be using at Albert's table.
The style of food is very much British, but with a slight modern take to include some of the best influences from Europe.
Our fish is all British and delivered daily. We work with the fishmongers very closely to ensure that we get the freshest fish every day and when we use farmed fish it is always organic."
Joby Wells, the head chef, has worked at some top restaurant in London including; The Square and The Orrery.
Ambience
The restaurant is bright, white, spacious and modern. Decoration is minimalist, and the room is well lit. When we went there is was reasonably busy, which gave the place atmosphere.
As with some other restaurants Albert's table suffers from excessively cold air conditioning, I am of the view that less is more.
Menu
The menu offers meals of two and three courses for £25 and £27.50. The dishes offered include; traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, warm duck salad, short crust tart of Dorset crab, chicken breast with lasagne and pork belly dry marinated in lemon.
Service
The service was very efficient, and extremely attentive. The bizarre issue over the mashed potato (see below) was resolved by our waitress, who persuaded the chef that the customer has a say in what goes on the plate.
That being said, there seemed to be a rather lengthy delay between the first and second course; newly opened teething problems in the kitchen I assume.
Food
I began with the traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, served with cider jelly & gooseberry compote. The pie was first class, a quality pork lightly seasoned with herbs surrounded by a light pastry. However, the compote that accompanied it was far too strong, and totally overpowered the dish. I believe that good quality dishes such as this do not need their taste destroyed, they are good enough to stand alone on the plate.
My advice would be to either tone down the compote, or present the pie with a small salad, or quail's eggs.
My main course was saddle of lamb which, according to the menu I could not have this with mash (even though mash was available with the beef) which I wanted. I was told that the chef only allocated a certain number of pritons of vegetables per day, and does not like to swap the vegetables between dishes.
Quite ridiculous!
It was highly unlikely that there would be sudden rush of new customers at that time of the evening. Additionally, I am of the view that the chef is there to serve the customer not the other way round.
Our waitress managed to persuade chef to allow me to eat mash with the lamb.
That issue having been resolved, I settled down to enjoy my main course when it arrived. I am pleased to say that the lamb was first class, succulent and tender with just the right amount of fat to add flavour; as was the mash.
Eva began with baby artichokes poached in white wine and olive oil, with shallots, Parmesan and a poached egg. Absolutely delicious!
She chose the organic roast salmon with potato gnocchi, leek hearts & grilot onions with béarnaise sauce for her main course. This was excellent, the salmon was cooked and flaked to perfection and was well complemented by the gnocchi and leeks.
We, rather rarely for us, then chose a dessert (the posset). The posset (a mixture of cream, egg yolks and booze) was a delight, and was accompanied by fresh raspberries.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and some coffees/liqueurs, came to £104 including service.
Overall Opinion
In our view the food is first class, once initial teething troubles (eg air conditioning and mash servings) are addressed, this restaurant is worth visiting.
Albert's Table
49B South End
Croydon
CR0 1BF
Phone 0208 680 2010
Website www.albertstable.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I visited the newly opened (so new the smell of paint was still in the air) Albert's Table a fortnight ago, and gave it a "test drive".
Albert's Table opened on the site of a Chinese restaurant on Tuesday 29th July, and serves, to quote their website:
"..dishes created from quality British ingredients chosen when they are in season and at their best. There are so many farmers in the UK producing world class meat, dairy and vegetables and these are the ingredients that we will be using at Albert's table.
The style of food is very much British, but with a slight modern take to include some of the best influences from Europe.
Our fish is all British and delivered daily. We work with the fishmongers very closely to ensure that we get the freshest fish every day and when we use farmed fish it is always organic."
Joby Wells, the head chef, has worked at some top restaurant in London including; The Square and The Orrery.
Ambience
The restaurant is bright, white, spacious and modern. Decoration is minimalist, and the room is well lit. When we went there is was reasonably busy, which gave the place atmosphere.
As with some other restaurants Albert's table suffers from excessively cold air conditioning, I am of the view that less is more.
Menu
The menu offers meals of two and three courses for £25 and £27.50. The dishes offered include; traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, warm duck salad, short crust tart of Dorset crab, chicken breast with lasagne and pork belly dry marinated in lemon.
Service
The service was very efficient, and extremely attentive. The bizarre issue over the mashed potato (see below) was resolved by our waitress, who persuaded the chef that the customer has a say in what goes on the plate.
That being said, there seemed to be a rather lengthy delay between the first and second course; newly opened teething problems in the kitchen I assume.
Food
I began with the traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, served with cider jelly & gooseberry compote. The pie was first class, a quality pork lightly seasoned with herbs surrounded by a light pastry. However, the compote that accompanied it was far too strong, and totally overpowered the dish. I believe that good quality dishes such as this do not need their taste destroyed, they are good enough to stand alone on the plate.
My advice would be to either tone down the compote, or present the pie with a small salad, or quail's eggs.
My main course was saddle of lamb which, according to the menu I could not have this with mash (even though mash was available with the beef) which I wanted. I was told that the chef only allocated a certain number of pritons of vegetables per day, and does not like to swap the vegetables between dishes.
Quite ridiculous!
It was highly unlikely that there would be sudden rush of new customers at that time of the evening. Additionally, I am of the view that the chef is there to serve the customer not the other way round.
Our waitress managed to persuade chef to allow me to eat mash with the lamb.
That issue having been resolved, I settled down to enjoy my main course when it arrived. I am pleased to say that the lamb was first class, succulent and tender with just the right amount of fat to add flavour; as was the mash.
Eva began with baby artichokes poached in white wine and olive oil, with shallots, Parmesan and a poached egg. Absolutely delicious!
She chose the organic roast salmon with potato gnocchi, leek hearts & grilot onions with béarnaise sauce for her main course. This was excellent, the salmon was cooked and flaked to perfection and was well complemented by the gnocchi and leeks.
We, rather rarely for us, then chose a dessert (the posset). The posset (a mixture of cream, egg yolks and booze) was a delight, and was accompanied by fresh raspberries.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and some coffees/liqueurs, came to £104 including service.
Overall Opinion
In our view the food is first class, once initial teething troubles (eg air conditioning and mash servings) are addressed, this restaurant is worth visiting.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The TreeHouse Revisited
The TreeHouse Revisited
Eva and I dined again in the TreeHouse last Saturday, and had another excellent and thoroughly enjoyable meal. We feasted on cauliflower soup, crab cakes, baked cod and lamb shank shepherd's pie.
Unlike some restaurants, the TreeHouse prepares and cooks fresh ingredients on the premises; it does not reheat or microwave its food.
The TreeHouse produces consistently good quality fresh food, in a lively and friendly atmosphere.
It is well worth visiting.
Eva and I dined again in the TreeHouse last Saturday, and had another excellent and thoroughly enjoyable meal. We feasted on cauliflower soup, crab cakes, baked cod and lamb shank shepherd's pie.
Unlike some restaurants, the TreeHouse prepares and cooks fresh ingredients on the premises; it does not reheat or microwave its food.
The TreeHouse produces consistently good quality fresh food, in a lively and friendly atmosphere.
It is well worth visiting.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Sedna
Sedna
Paseo Colon 5
Barcelona
Spain
Phone 93 268 9372
Website www.restaurantesedna.com
Overview
As noted earlier, Eva and I spent our summer vacation in Barcelona this year. Here is another place that we dined in during our time there in July.
We were ambling around late one evening and came across Sedna, which afforded us the opportunity to eat outside.
Restaurante Sedna is located on the ground floor of an 18th century building, that has been catalogued by UNESCO as Gothic Catalan art heritage. It is in front of Port Vell (Old Port) in the oldest part of the Barcelona sea facade, and is surrounded by monuments and historical buildings eg; the Colon's Monument (1888), the Church of La Merced (XII centure), the Duke of Medinaceli Place (1851), the Militar Government (1847), the Post Office Building (1927), the Via Layetana Street and the Palau Place.
It is, according to the restaurant website, the place where Don Miguel de Cervantes author of the novel Don Quijote de la Mancha went to write when he lived in Paseo Colon.
Sedna has both inside dining, for 45 persons, and outside dining for 52 persons in the terrace.
Ambience
Sedna was lively and busy, both in the terrace and inside, even though it was quite late (around 23:00).
The atmosphere was friendly, the terrace comfortable, pleasant and the tables laid with linen clothes.
Despite the fact that it was quite late, and that it was busy, there was no problem in finding a table and ordering a meal at a leisurely unhurried pace.
Menu
The menu offered a variety of Spanish dishes ranging from Tapas to main courses of meat, fish and paella. I would note that in contrast to some of the other restaurants that we visited the food, although Spanish, had been given more of an "international" twist in its presentation/style (ie more attention to presentation, and slightly less hearty than some other establishments).
The menu included such dishes as; goat's milk cheese & lettuce salad with honey and pine nuts vinaigrette, salad of mozarella bufala and pesto with tomatoes and small lettuces, Iberico cured ham, Magret of duck roasted with apples and Calvados, entrecote with small vegetables, ham croquettes, mussels vinaigrette style and grilled small blood sausages with onions etc.
Service
The service was very friendly, attentive and efficient; I could not fault it. Our waiter was happy to have chat with us about Barcelona and the food.
Food
I started with the Gazpacho soup, which was refreshing and piquant.
I chose the lamb for my main course. This consisted of four lamb cutlets served with vegetables and potatoes. The lamb was perfect, tender and succulent cooked just right. However, since I had been spoilt on my holiday, and had enjoyed some rather hearty portions of meat in other establishments, I couldn't help but feel that another couple of cutlets would have been in order. That, of course, is just me being greedy!
Eva opted for a selection of Tapas dishes that evening; croquettes, hams, chorizos and cheese. All of which were of good quality and fresh.
The meal, including a bottle of Vinasol, came to 91Euros.
Overall Opinion
Sedna is a good quality restaurant, located in a nice part of town. It is worth a visit should you happen to be in the area.
Paseo Colon 5
Barcelona
Spain
Phone 93 268 9372
Website www.restaurantesedna.com
Overview
As noted earlier, Eva and I spent our summer vacation in Barcelona this year. Here is another place that we dined in during our time there in July.
We were ambling around late one evening and came across Sedna, which afforded us the opportunity to eat outside.
Restaurante Sedna is located on the ground floor of an 18th century building, that has been catalogued by UNESCO as Gothic Catalan art heritage. It is in front of Port Vell (Old Port) in the oldest part of the Barcelona sea facade, and is surrounded by monuments and historical buildings eg; the Colon's Monument (1888), the Church of La Merced (XII centure), the Duke of Medinaceli Place (1851), the Militar Government (1847), the Post Office Building (1927), the Via Layetana Street and the Palau Place.
It is, according to the restaurant website, the place where Don Miguel de Cervantes author of the novel Don Quijote de la Mancha went to write when he lived in Paseo Colon.
Sedna has both inside dining, for 45 persons, and outside dining for 52 persons in the terrace.
Ambience
Sedna was lively and busy, both in the terrace and inside, even though it was quite late (around 23:00).
The atmosphere was friendly, the terrace comfortable, pleasant and the tables laid with linen clothes.
Despite the fact that it was quite late, and that it was busy, there was no problem in finding a table and ordering a meal at a leisurely unhurried pace.
Menu
The menu offered a variety of Spanish dishes ranging from Tapas to main courses of meat, fish and paella. I would note that in contrast to some of the other restaurants that we visited the food, although Spanish, had been given more of an "international" twist in its presentation/style (ie more attention to presentation, and slightly less hearty than some other establishments).
The menu included such dishes as; goat's milk cheese & lettuce salad with honey and pine nuts vinaigrette, salad of mozarella bufala and pesto with tomatoes and small lettuces, Iberico cured ham, Magret of duck roasted with apples and Calvados, entrecote with small vegetables, ham croquettes, mussels vinaigrette style and grilled small blood sausages with onions etc.
Service
The service was very friendly, attentive and efficient; I could not fault it. Our waiter was happy to have chat with us about Barcelona and the food.
Food
I started with the Gazpacho soup, which was refreshing and piquant.
I chose the lamb for my main course. This consisted of four lamb cutlets served with vegetables and potatoes. The lamb was perfect, tender and succulent cooked just right. However, since I had been spoilt on my holiday, and had enjoyed some rather hearty portions of meat in other establishments, I couldn't help but feel that another couple of cutlets would have been in order. That, of course, is just me being greedy!
Eva opted for a selection of Tapas dishes that evening; croquettes, hams, chorizos and cheese. All of which were of good quality and fresh.
The meal, including a bottle of Vinasol, came to 91Euros.
Overall Opinion
Sedna is a good quality restaurant, located in a nice part of town. It is worth a visit should you happen to be in the area.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Barcelona
Barcelona
Eva and I have just returned from a most excellent and enjoyable holiday in Barcelona, where we tried out some more superb local restaurants.
We also had time to pop into a couple of old haunts, and are happy to say that they were as good as before.
el Yantar de la ribera, which specialises in oven roast baby lamb, was again absolutely superb; we had a sumptuous meal of peppers, sausages and lamb (wine, food and liqueurs came to 105Euros).
Mi Burrito y Yo (My Donkey and I), a charming and lively steak house, was also a pleasure to revisit. We had a lovely meal of tortilla, soup, succulent barbecued chicken and barbecued pork; including wine, this came to 78Euros.
I will update the site with details of the other restaurants that we visited over the coming days.
Eva and I have just returned from a most excellent and enjoyable holiday in Barcelona, where we tried out some more superb local restaurants.
We also had time to pop into a couple of old haunts, and are happy to say that they were as good as before.
el Yantar de la ribera, which specialises in oven roast baby lamb, was again absolutely superb; we had a sumptuous meal of peppers, sausages and lamb (wine, food and liqueurs came to 105Euros).
Mi Burrito y Yo (My Donkey and I), a charming and lively steak house, was also a pleasure to revisit. We had a lovely meal of tortilla, soup, succulent barbecued chicken and barbecued pork; including wine, this came to 78Euros.
I will update the site with details of the other restaurants that we visited over the coming days.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Lilla Pakistan
Restaurant
Restaurant Lilla Pakistan
Sankt Eriksgatan 66
113 20 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 30 56 46
Website www.lillapakistan.com
Overview
Stockholm has a paucity of good quality Indian/Pakistani restaurants, usually the food is too bland or the decor is that of a cold and uninviting cafe. After some considerable searching on the net, for anything resembling quality, Eva and I came across Restaurant Lilla Pakistan which we decided to try out a few weeks ago.
Lilla Pakistan was established in the early 1990's, and specialises in Pakistani food.
Ambience
Lilla Pakistan is a small, intimate restaurant with dark polished wooden tables, mirrors on the walls and a part open kitchen all of which contribute to a pleasant and inviting atmosphere.
Menu
The menu provided a good selection of Pakistani main courses; fish, meat, chicken and vegetables. However, there were only three appetisers to choose from.
Service
The service was professional and friendly, and advice was also on hand should we have needed it in respect of which wine to accompany our meal.
Food
I chose the Mezban Kae Teen Shorbe to start with. This consisted of 3 different types of soups seasoned with fresh herbs. The soups came in miniature bowls and were excellent. However, one was tomato soup and I would question as to what this really has to do with Pakistani cuisine.
Eva chose the Golshan Barre to start with. This is described on the menu as:
"Lentil dumplings soaked in yoghurt served with freshly chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies, herbs and chaat masala."
Quite honestly this was a complete disappointment, the dumplings were minuscule and hard to detect within the mound of chopped onions etc. Eva was not happy with her choice.
To our view, the appetiser section of the menu requires more attention in terms of choices of dishes on offer, and what actually goes into them.
Fortunately our main courses were better!
I chose the Zafrani Pasanda Fruita; which consisted of marinated tender chunks of lamb roast in a saffron gravy, garnished with fried fruits with ginger, roasted Pakistani pine kernels, with marinated cheese. This was first class, the meat was exceptional tender and flavoursome and was well complemented by the fruits and ginger.
Eva chose the Dahi Gosht for her main course. This was beef cooked in garam masala and yoghurt, a fine dish spicy and stimulating.
To accompany our meal we had Sabzi Ka Pakwan vegetables, potatoes baked with raisins,
fresh herbs and mushrooms; together with two nan breads and rice.
The meal, which included a bottle of sweet German wine, came to 1230SEK before tip.
Overall Opinion
A good quality Asian restaurant, one that Stockholm badly needs. However, as noted, we do feel that the appetisers need more work in terms of choice and content.
Restaurant Lilla Pakistan
Sankt Eriksgatan 66
113 20 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 30 56 46
Website www.lillapakistan.com
Overview
Stockholm has a paucity of good quality Indian/Pakistani restaurants, usually the food is too bland or the decor is that of a cold and uninviting cafe. After some considerable searching on the net, for anything resembling quality, Eva and I came across Restaurant Lilla Pakistan which we decided to try out a few weeks ago.
Lilla Pakistan was established in the early 1990's, and specialises in Pakistani food.
Ambience
Lilla Pakistan is a small, intimate restaurant with dark polished wooden tables, mirrors on the walls and a part open kitchen all of which contribute to a pleasant and inviting atmosphere.
Menu
The menu provided a good selection of Pakistani main courses; fish, meat, chicken and vegetables. However, there were only three appetisers to choose from.
Service
The service was professional and friendly, and advice was also on hand should we have needed it in respect of which wine to accompany our meal.
Food
I chose the Mezban Kae Teen Shorbe to start with. This consisted of 3 different types of soups seasoned with fresh herbs. The soups came in miniature bowls and were excellent. However, one was tomato soup and I would question as to what this really has to do with Pakistani cuisine.
Eva chose the Golshan Barre to start with. This is described on the menu as:
"Lentil dumplings soaked in yoghurt served with freshly chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies, herbs and chaat masala."
Quite honestly this was a complete disappointment, the dumplings were minuscule and hard to detect within the mound of chopped onions etc. Eva was not happy with her choice.
To our view, the appetiser section of the menu requires more attention in terms of choices of dishes on offer, and what actually goes into them.
Fortunately our main courses were better!
I chose the Zafrani Pasanda Fruita; which consisted of marinated tender chunks of lamb roast in a saffron gravy, garnished with fried fruits with ginger, roasted Pakistani pine kernels, with marinated cheese. This was first class, the meat was exceptional tender and flavoursome and was well complemented by the fruits and ginger.
Eva chose the Dahi Gosht for her main course. This was beef cooked in garam masala and yoghurt, a fine dish spicy and stimulating.
To accompany our meal we had Sabzi Ka Pakwan vegetables, potatoes baked with raisins,
fresh herbs and mushrooms; together with two nan breads and rice.
The meal, which included a bottle of sweet German wine, came to 1230SEK before tip.
Overall Opinion
A good quality Asian restaurant, one that Stockholm badly needs. However, as noted, we do feel that the appetisers need more work in terms of choice and content.
Friday, November 10, 2006
La Habana
Restaurant
La Habana
Sveavagen 108
113 50 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 16 64 65
Website www.lahabana.se
Overview
Eva and I were in Stockholm last week, and decided to try out La Habana; Stockholm's first Cuban restaurant. La Habana is open Monday to Saturday 17:00-01:00, it contains a restaurant, bar, salsa club and cigar club.
Ambience
La Habana occupies two floors; one bar and the main restaurant being on the ground floor, with the other bar and salsa dancing area being in the basement.
It is charmingly rustic; wood being the material of choice for walls, bars, tables and chairs.
As we went there on a Friday night is was absolutely packed, and you are strongly advised to book in advance.
We were warmly welcomed and, as we had arrived early, partook of some cocktails in the downstairs bar. I should point out that rum is the drink of choice in La Habana, they have a variety of dark and light rums which make jolly agreeable cocktails.
I would make one observation about the door policy, there is a 20SEK charge per person for leaving your coats. This may be fine if you are just coming in for a drink. However, given that this is not the Savoy, I feel that to have to pay for leaving your coat, when you are paying for dinner as well is excessive.
I would also note that, because of the proximity of the main door to the restaurant, everytime someone entered or left there was a draft. I would recommend some form of curtain that shields the diners from this draft.
La Habana had a great atmosphere both downstairs and in the restaurant, lively and fun without being intrusive.
Menu
The menu offered a good selection of simple Cuban food including; ensaladas, fried chicken, tuna, swordfish and lamb.
I would note that the menu was not in English. However, the staff all spoke good English and would be more than happy to help explain the menu.
Service
The service was very good; efficient, friendly and prompt. I would also note that despite the fact that the place was full, we were shown to our table exactly at the time that we had reserved it.
Food
Eva started with the scampi sauteed in olive oil and garlic. These were fresh and tasty, neither too much oil or garlic had been used to overpower the taste.
I chose the chicken "Pio Pio" to start with. This was deep fried chicken breast with banana chips and a spicy side dip. The chicken was good, if a little dry (it needed the sauce to dip). However, I would say that the banana chips did nothing for me. I feel that fresh banana served with this dish would be better.
Eva, for her main course, chose the chicken "Pio Pio". Oddly, although the banana chips were again served with it, a fresh banana had also been added which did work well. The dish was accompanied by dark rice with black beans, this made an ideal compliment to the chicken and Eva was well pleased with her choice.
I chose the grilled breast of cockerel for my main course. This was a fine piece of meat, not overcooked but tender and unctuous. It was accompanied by green rice (cooked with basil), salad and a paprika sauce. Absolutely first class, and thoroughly enjoyable.
The meal, which included a bottle of Moet and liqueurs, came to 1545SEK including tip.
Overall Opinion
A great place for a good night out, we will definitely return.
La Habana
Sveavagen 108
113 50 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 16 64 65
Website www.lahabana.se
Overview
Eva and I were in Stockholm last week, and decided to try out La Habana; Stockholm's first Cuban restaurant. La Habana is open Monday to Saturday 17:00-01:00, it contains a restaurant, bar, salsa club and cigar club.
Ambience
La Habana occupies two floors; one bar and the main restaurant being on the ground floor, with the other bar and salsa dancing area being in the basement.
It is charmingly rustic; wood being the material of choice for walls, bars, tables and chairs.
As we went there on a Friday night is was absolutely packed, and you are strongly advised to book in advance.
We were warmly welcomed and, as we had arrived early, partook of some cocktails in the downstairs bar. I should point out that rum is the drink of choice in La Habana, they have a variety of dark and light rums which make jolly agreeable cocktails.
I would make one observation about the door policy, there is a 20SEK charge per person for leaving your coats. This may be fine if you are just coming in for a drink. However, given that this is not the Savoy, I feel that to have to pay for leaving your coat, when you are paying for dinner as well is excessive.
I would also note that, because of the proximity of the main door to the restaurant, everytime someone entered or left there was a draft. I would recommend some form of curtain that shields the diners from this draft.
La Habana had a great atmosphere both downstairs and in the restaurant, lively and fun without being intrusive.
Menu
The menu offered a good selection of simple Cuban food including; ensaladas, fried chicken, tuna, swordfish and lamb.
I would note that the menu was not in English. However, the staff all spoke good English and would be more than happy to help explain the menu.
Service
The service was very good; efficient, friendly and prompt. I would also note that despite the fact that the place was full, we were shown to our table exactly at the time that we had reserved it.
Food
Eva started with the scampi sauteed in olive oil and garlic. These were fresh and tasty, neither too much oil or garlic had been used to overpower the taste.
I chose the chicken "Pio Pio" to start with. This was deep fried chicken breast with banana chips and a spicy side dip. The chicken was good, if a little dry (it needed the sauce to dip). However, I would say that the banana chips did nothing for me. I feel that fresh banana served with this dish would be better.
Eva, for her main course, chose the chicken "Pio Pio". Oddly, although the banana chips were again served with it, a fresh banana had also been added which did work well. The dish was accompanied by dark rice with black beans, this made an ideal compliment to the chicken and Eva was well pleased with her choice.
I chose the grilled breast of cockerel for my main course. This was a fine piece of meat, not overcooked but tender and unctuous. It was accompanied by green rice (cooked with basil), salad and a paprika sauce. Absolutely first class, and thoroughly enjoyable.
The meal, which included a bottle of Moet and liqueurs, came to 1545SEK including tip.
Overall Opinion
A great place for a good night out, we will definitely return.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
el Yantar de la ribera
Restaurant
el Yantar de la ribera
Roger de Flor
08013 Barcelona
Spain
Phone 93 265 63 09
Website www.elyantardelaribera.com This contains a video of the chef cooking.
Overview
As noted previously, Eva and I went to Barcelona a few weeks ago for a well earned holiday. Despite being on holiday, we managed to continue on our mission to seek out new dining experiences and tried out a number of very enjoyable restaurants and eateries.
One of my personal favourites was this restaurant, situated near the Victory Arch some 30 minutes walk from the harbour.
el Yantar de la ribera is a traditional rustic restaurant, that specialises in Castilian cuisine cooked in open wooden fired ovens.
Ambience
el Yantar de la ribera is tucked away on rather quiet and unassuming road, unless you knew where you were going you would miss it. The entrance is modest, a thick old wooden door, behind which is a rather pleasant small entrance vestibule.
The entrance vestibule leads into the main dining rooms, one for smokers the other for non smokers. Now here is a tip, if you like to smoke you will need to book; as they reserve that part for their regulars, who come in at around 10:00pm, and stay to the small hours smoking and drinking after their meal.
The dining room resembles a rustic wine cellar, the tables were neatly laid with white linen cloths and towards the far end of the dining room the chefs laboured in the open plan kitchen (the wood fired oven clearly visible).
The restaurant is clearly very popular with local families, many of the tables were occupied by family groups of varying ages, Eva and I were the only non Spaniards there that evening.
Menu
The menu offered a most wonderful selection of hearty Castilian dishes; black pudding, roast lamb and suckling (spelt sucking) pig were on the menu. I saw no evidence of any form of vegetarian offerings.
Service
The service was of a high quality, although the staff had only a modest command of English. That being said we had no trouble ordering, as the menu was in English and we had a phrase book. I would also point out that of course I speak no more than a few words of Spanish, so it is not my place to criticise.
We were though made to feel very welcome.
Food
We both started with the selection of regional specialties these being ; black pudding and two types of chorizo (one spicy the other mild).
This dish was presented in one large dish in the centre of the table, from which we helped ourselves. The black pudding was rather like haggis, and the chorizos both spicy and mild provided a juicy and flavoursome contrast to the pudding.
The freshly baked bread that accompanied it was an unnecessary, but very pleasant, indulgence.
We selected another dish to share for our main course, this time the house specialtiy; a whole quarter joint of lamb (leg, ribs and shoulder) roasted in the oven.
The cooked joint was proudly borne to our table on a large earthenware dish by one of the staff, who asked us to approve it before he took it away for carving.
Given the size of the portions, the restaurant does not offer vegetables or potatoes as an accompaniment. Instead they provide a rather good quality green salad which, together with the bread, provides a more than adequate accompianmnt to this most noble of dishes.
The lamb itself was absolutely unctuous. The meat tender yet full of flavour, juicy and oozing with goodness; culinary heaven.
I make no apology in stating that we pigged out on this, and enjoyed sucking the bones dry at the end.
Quite unecessarily I opted to try the egg custard to round off my meal. This was rather an interesting dish, as it resembled in taste and texture a traditional school egg custard and a creme brulee all in one. Rather jolly I thought.
When we had finished our meal, we were rather impressed to see that the liqueurs consisted of a large wicker basket of quarter bottles of various spirits (such as vodka) that was deposited on our table together with two ice chilled shot glasses.
The basic idea being that we could have as much as we wanted, at no extra cost.
Now there's something that you don't encounter every day!
We managed a couple, then reluctantly decided that it was time to call it a night.
The meal, which included a bottle of good bottle of Cava and the basket of spirits, came to 80Euros before service.
Overall Opinion
An outstanding restaurant, you would be very foolish not to visit it if you have the opportunity.
el Yantar de la ribera
Roger de Flor
08013 Barcelona
Spain
Phone 93 265 63 09
Website www.elyantardelaribera.com This contains a video of the chef cooking.
Overview
As noted previously, Eva and I went to Barcelona a few weeks ago for a well earned holiday. Despite being on holiday, we managed to continue on our mission to seek out new dining experiences and tried out a number of very enjoyable restaurants and eateries.
One of my personal favourites was this restaurant, situated near the Victory Arch some 30 minutes walk from the harbour.
el Yantar de la ribera is a traditional rustic restaurant, that specialises in Castilian cuisine cooked in open wooden fired ovens.
Ambience
el Yantar de la ribera is tucked away on rather quiet and unassuming road, unless you knew where you were going you would miss it. The entrance is modest, a thick old wooden door, behind which is a rather pleasant small entrance vestibule.
The entrance vestibule leads into the main dining rooms, one for smokers the other for non smokers. Now here is a tip, if you like to smoke you will need to book; as they reserve that part for their regulars, who come in at around 10:00pm, and stay to the small hours smoking and drinking after their meal.
The dining room resembles a rustic wine cellar, the tables were neatly laid with white linen cloths and towards the far end of the dining room the chefs laboured in the open plan kitchen (the wood fired oven clearly visible).
The restaurant is clearly very popular with local families, many of the tables were occupied by family groups of varying ages, Eva and I were the only non Spaniards there that evening.
Menu
The menu offered a most wonderful selection of hearty Castilian dishes; black pudding, roast lamb and suckling (spelt sucking) pig were on the menu. I saw no evidence of any form of vegetarian offerings.
Service
The service was of a high quality, although the staff had only a modest command of English. That being said we had no trouble ordering, as the menu was in English and we had a phrase book. I would also point out that of course I speak no more than a few words of Spanish, so it is not my place to criticise.
We were though made to feel very welcome.
Food
We both started with the selection of regional specialties these being ; black pudding and two types of chorizo (one spicy the other mild).
This dish was presented in one large dish in the centre of the table, from which we helped ourselves. The black pudding was rather like haggis, and the chorizos both spicy and mild provided a juicy and flavoursome contrast to the pudding.
The freshly baked bread that accompanied it was an unnecessary, but very pleasant, indulgence.
We selected another dish to share for our main course, this time the house specialtiy; a whole quarter joint of lamb (leg, ribs and shoulder) roasted in the oven.
The cooked joint was proudly borne to our table on a large earthenware dish by one of the staff, who asked us to approve it before he took it away for carving.
Given the size of the portions, the restaurant does not offer vegetables or potatoes as an accompaniment. Instead they provide a rather good quality green salad which, together with the bread, provides a more than adequate accompianmnt to this most noble of dishes.
The lamb itself was absolutely unctuous. The meat tender yet full of flavour, juicy and oozing with goodness; culinary heaven.
I make no apology in stating that we pigged out on this, and enjoyed sucking the bones dry at the end.
Quite unecessarily I opted to try the egg custard to round off my meal. This was rather an interesting dish, as it resembled in taste and texture a traditional school egg custard and a creme brulee all in one. Rather jolly I thought.
When we had finished our meal, we were rather impressed to see that the liqueurs consisted of a large wicker basket of quarter bottles of various spirits (such as vodka) that was deposited on our table together with two ice chilled shot glasses.
The basic idea being that we could have as much as we wanted, at no extra cost.
Now there's something that you don't encounter every day!
We managed a couple, then reluctantly decided that it was time to call it a night.
The meal, which included a bottle of good bottle of Cava and the basket of spirits, came to 80Euros before service.
Overall Opinion
An outstanding restaurant, you would be very foolish not to visit it if you have the opportunity.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Motorway Service?
Motorway Service?
The consumer magazine, Which?, has taken to the roads and reviewed the food at many of Britain's much lambasted motorway "service" stations.
It is fair to say that many do not come out with flying colours. The Cullompton service station on the M5 near Exeter, was named as the worst in Britain.
It was described as "little more than a McDonald's next to a petrol station".
Quote:
"It provides the bare minimum required but we reckon these days people have the right to expect more when they see a great big sign directing them off the motorway."
Other service stations to be lambasted include; Bothwell on the M74 east of Glasgow ("dreary and cluttered"), Trowell on the M1 near Nottingham ("dull, uninspiring, noisy and gloomy") and Magor on the M4 near Newport ("a truly miserable experience").
However, one station did meet with the approval of Which? Tebay is named the best in Britain.
Which? awarded it five stars.
Quote:
"An attractive wooden building with terrific far-reaching Cumbrian views and a duck pond make a great first impact.
A decent restaurant, well-stocked shop with quality kids' toys and free phone calls to a good local hotel all impressed. But it was the local produce shop that sealed the deal."
Fridges were stocked with local lamb and beef, stuffed pheasants and Cumbrian organic chicken. The deli sold regional chutney and jams, the cakes and sandwiches were freshly made in the kitchens.
So you see, if the service stations bothered to try they could improve. The problem is they don't give a stuff about the customer.
The consumer magazine, Which?, has taken to the roads and reviewed the food at many of Britain's much lambasted motorway "service" stations.
It is fair to say that many do not come out with flying colours. The Cullompton service station on the M5 near Exeter, was named as the worst in Britain.
It was described as "little more than a McDonald's next to a petrol station".
Quote:
"It provides the bare minimum required but we reckon these days people have the right to expect more when they see a great big sign directing them off the motorway."
Other service stations to be lambasted include; Bothwell on the M74 east of Glasgow ("dreary and cluttered"), Trowell on the M1 near Nottingham ("dull, uninspiring, noisy and gloomy") and Magor on the M4 near Newport ("a truly miserable experience").
However, one station did meet with the approval of Which? Tebay is named the best in Britain.
Which? awarded it five stars.
Quote:
"An attractive wooden building with terrific far-reaching Cumbrian views and a duck pond make a great first impact.
A decent restaurant, well-stocked shop with quality kids' toys and free phone calls to a good local hotel all impressed. But it was the local produce shop that sealed the deal."
Fridges were stocked with local lamb and beef, stuffed pheasants and Cumbrian organic chicken. The deli sold regional chutney and jams, the cakes and sandwiches were freshly made in the kitchens.
So you see, if the service stations bothered to try they could improve. The problem is they don't give a stuff about the customer.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The New Maharajah's
Restaurant
The New Maharajah's
17 Forrest Road
Edinburgh
Phone:- 0131 220 2273
Website www.thenewmaharajahs.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I spent a few days over Christmas in Edinburgh this year. We arrived on Christmas Eve and, with absolutely no plans, decided to pop out for a drink then something to eat.
Having imbibed of a few welcome drinks, we found that rather disconcertingly many of the restaurants we looked in on were in fact closed. The night was getting cold and we had almost resigned ourselves to returning to our hotel, and eating in, when we came across The New Maharajah's; an Indian restaurant serving Tandoori, Mughlai and Bengali cuisine.
The restaurant, situated near the famous Greyfriars Bobby pub, is under new management and claims to have been recommended by Egon Ronay and the Good Curry Guide.
Ambience
The restaurant was bright and cheerful, not one centimetre of flock wallpaper was in sight! Most especially welcome, on that rather cold damp night, it was warm and comfortable.
The walls are painted a light cream colour, the floors wooden parquet. The chairs are red velvet backed, comfortable to sit on and the tables laid with linen clothes and napkins.
Unlike many Indian restaurants, the background music was not a the usual selection of "Asian style" mood music, but an eclectic mixture of disco and Motown from the 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's. In fact we rather enjoyed naming the tunes, but would note that the music was not intrusive.
Menu
The menu offered a good range of Tandoori, Biryani and Mughlai dishes; additionally there were a number of house specials and standard curries.
As with many Asian restaurants the New Maharajah offers a take away service as well.
Service
The staff were friendly and welcoming, even though it was 9:00pm on Christmas Eve they showed no sign of trying to rush us through our meal.
The service was attentive and efficient, and the staff were happy to explain the dishes when asked.
Food
I chose the lamb baja for my starter. This consisted of a most excellent and succulent chapatti, stuffed with minced lamb and spices. I was very impressed both with the taste and texture of this dish. It was, to my view, an ideal starter.
I chose the Jhallfrezie chicken for my main course, this is a marinated Tandoori chicken with fresh green chilli, coriander and garnished with ginger. It was spicy and flavoursome.
I had plain boiled rice and allo jeera (potato with cumin) to accompany it.
Eva started with the lamb kebab; this was a dish of succulent and tender Tandoori cooked lamb chunks in yoghurt and medium spices, served with a salad. The meat was good quality, and the spices not overpowering
Rather bravely, for her main course, Eva chose the chicken Balti Rooflifter. This dish, not surprisingly was very hot, I guess it had been created especially for the Scottish palate. It consisted of pieces of chicken in Balti spices, chopped onion, green pepper, mint, yoghurt coriander and Kashmiri massalla.
She chose pilao rice to accompany it.
She was delighted with this dish, even though it was by far the hottest that she has ever had.
It is fair to say that it opened the pores!
The meal, which included a good bottle of Pouilly Fuisse and liqueurs, came to £48 including service.
Overall Opinion
We had a splendid meal, and are more than happy to recommend the New Maharajah's as a place worth visiting when in Edinburgh.
The New Maharajah's
17 Forrest Road
Edinburgh
Phone:- 0131 220 2273
Website www.thenewmaharajahs.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I spent a few days over Christmas in Edinburgh this year. We arrived on Christmas Eve and, with absolutely no plans, decided to pop out for a drink then something to eat.
Having imbibed of a few welcome drinks, we found that rather disconcertingly many of the restaurants we looked in on were in fact closed. The night was getting cold and we had almost resigned ourselves to returning to our hotel, and eating in, when we came across The New Maharajah's; an Indian restaurant serving Tandoori, Mughlai and Bengali cuisine.
The restaurant, situated near the famous Greyfriars Bobby pub, is under new management and claims to have been recommended by Egon Ronay and the Good Curry Guide.
Ambience
The restaurant was bright and cheerful, not one centimetre of flock wallpaper was in sight! Most especially welcome, on that rather cold damp night, it was warm and comfortable.
The walls are painted a light cream colour, the floors wooden parquet. The chairs are red velvet backed, comfortable to sit on and the tables laid with linen clothes and napkins.
Unlike many Indian restaurants, the background music was not a the usual selection of "Asian style" mood music, but an eclectic mixture of disco and Motown from the 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's. In fact we rather enjoyed naming the tunes, but would note that the music was not intrusive.
Menu
The menu offered a good range of Tandoori, Biryani and Mughlai dishes; additionally there were a number of house specials and standard curries.
As with many Asian restaurants the New Maharajah offers a take away service as well.
Service
The staff were friendly and welcoming, even though it was 9:00pm on Christmas Eve they showed no sign of trying to rush us through our meal.
The service was attentive and efficient, and the staff were happy to explain the dishes when asked.
Food
I chose the lamb baja for my starter. This consisted of a most excellent and succulent chapatti, stuffed with minced lamb and spices. I was very impressed both with the taste and texture of this dish. It was, to my view, an ideal starter.
I chose the Jhallfrezie chicken for my main course, this is a marinated Tandoori chicken with fresh green chilli, coriander and garnished with ginger. It was spicy and flavoursome.
I had plain boiled rice and allo jeera (potato with cumin) to accompany it.
Eva started with the lamb kebab; this was a dish of succulent and tender Tandoori cooked lamb chunks in yoghurt and medium spices, served with a salad. The meat was good quality, and the spices not overpowering
Rather bravely, for her main course, Eva chose the chicken Balti Rooflifter. This dish, not surprisingly was very hot, I guess it had been created especially for the Scottish palate. It consisted of pieces of chicken in Balti spices, chopped onion, green pepper, mint, yoghurt coriander and Kashmiri massalla.
She chose pilao rice to accompany it.
She was delighted with this dish, even though it was by far the hottest that she has ever had.
It is fair to say that it opened the pores!
The meal, which included a good bottle of Pouilly Fuisse and liqueurs, came to £48 including service.
Overall Opinion
We had a splendid meal, and are more than happy to recommend the New Maharajah's as a place worth visiting when in Edinburgh.
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