Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Deep Fried Butter Balls
From the nation that gave you deep fried Mars bars, comes deep fried butter balls.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Dangers of Oysters
Be warned, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), 75% of British-grown oysters it tested contained the winter
vomiting bug norovirus.
.
.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Voici Le Demi Poulet!
In June this year I wrote about the demise of that bastion of the Cafe Rouge menu, the Demi Poulet.
I am very glad to report that, following many complaints from customers across the country about its absence from the menu, the good people of Cafe Rouge have reinstated it.
Tres bien!
I am very glad to report that, following many complaints from customers across the country about its absence from the menu, the good people of Cafe Rouge have reinstated it.
Tres bien!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Shout Out To Aggi and The Team at Nasza
A special shout out and thanks to Aggi and the team at Nasza (22 St James Street, Brighton) for looking after us (Eva, myself and two good friends) so well last night.
The food was great!
My compliments to the chef who produced some excellent pork, dumplings and pirogi.
Additionally, Aggi and her staff went the extra mile to look after us even though we arrived late in the evening.
Nasza is well worth a visit!
The food was great!
My compliments to the chef who produced some excellent pork, dumplings and pirogi.
Additionally, Aggi and her staff went the extra mile to look after us even though we arrived late in the evening.
Nasza is well worth a visit!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Pub With No Name
A jolly gang of four of us dined in Pub With No Name (58 Southover St Brighton) last night.
As the pub's website says:
"Pub With No Name is housed in a rambling building no architect could possibly have designed. You just keep on finding nooks and crannies and interesting places, and another comfy sofa to sit on. Art and photography decorate the walls. And there are screens for sport, too. Upstairs the function room leads onto a split-level beer terrace.
The bar features cask ale, foreign beers and a shots menu, while Rich’s Kitchen provides Mexican food during the week, making way for The Pub With No Name’s famous Sunday lunch."
Lat's night's specials were a "smorgasbord" (yes I know it's the wrong country!) of Spanish Tapas dishes including; cold meats, meat balls, spicy potatoes, tortilla etc etc.
We had every dish from the menu...because we were greedy pigs!
Our conclusion?
Bloody marvellous!
My compliments to chef Rich.
The dishes all arrived within minutes of each other (no tedious wait) and tasted absolutely great.
We were well pleased, well fed and well stuffed.
I have no hesitation at all in recommending Pub With No Name for its food, atmosphere and friendly staff and service.
We shall return!
As the pub's website says:
"Pub With No Name is housed in a rambling building no architect could possibly have designed. You just keep on finding nooks and crannies and interesting places, and another comfy sofa to sit on. Art and photography decorate the walls. And there are screens for sport, too. Upstairs the function room leads onto a split-level beer terrace.
The bar features cask ale, foreign beers and a shots menu, while Rich’s Kitchen provides Mexican food during the week, making way for The Pub With No Name’s famous Sunday lunch."
Lat's night's specials were a "smorgasbord" (yes I know it's the wrong country!) of Spanish Tapas dishes including; cold meats, meat balls, spicy potatoes, tortilla etc etc.
We had every dish from the menu...because we were greedy pigs!
Our conclusion?
Bloody marvellous!
My compliments to chef Rich.
The dishes all arrived within minutes of each other (no tedious wait) and tasted absolutely great.
We were well pleased, well fed and well stuffed.
I have no hesitation at all in recommending Pub With No Name for its food, atmosphere and friendly staff and service.
We shall return!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Shout Out To Chef Craig at The Sir Charles Napier
A special and well deserved shout out to Craig, who is the chef at one our very special local pubs The Sir Charles Napier at 50 Southover Street, Brighton (a place that I wrote about in June this year).
The menu that the pub now offers changes regularly, and uses locally sourced good quality ingredients. Aside from staples such as sausage and mash, burgers and home baked pizzas there are specials such as beef casserole, scampi and fish cakes.
Unlike some chefs, Craig does not throw a hissy fit if a customer turns up just before the kitchen is meant to close (9PM) and stands by his post until the meal is finished (including offering a desert).
I would also make special mention of the fact that if a customer (as we did last night) asks for a couple of sausages as a starter (sans mash) neither the staff nor Craig throws a "wobbly".
Eva and I had a great meal last night, kicking off with two excellent smoked pork sausages on a leaf salad (to share), then beef casserole with mash for myself and scampi with mash for Eva. Craig was so worried that Eva wanted mash instead of chips, that he made a special salad as well for her, in case it wasn't enough.
We were even offered a desert (apple strudel), which we shared, well past kitchen closing time.
The food is great, the portions decent and the staff and atmosphere are warm and welcoming.
Go there and try it for yourself!
The menu that the pub now offers changes regularly, and uses locally sourced good quality ingredients. Aside from staples such as sausage and mash, burgers and home baked pizzas there are specials such as beef casserole, scampi and fish cakes.
Unlike some chefs, Craig does not throw a hissy fit if a customer turns up just before the kitchen is meant to close (9PM) and stands by his post until the meal is finished (including offering a desert).
I would also make special mention of the fact that if a customer (as we did last night) asks for a couple of sausages as a starter (sans mash) neither the staff nor Craig throws a "wobbly".
Eva and I had a great meal last night, kicking off with two excellent smoked pork sausages on a leaf salad (to share), then beef casserole with mash for myself and scampi with mash for Eva. Craig was so worried that Eva wanted mash instead of chips, that he made a special salad as well for her, in case it wasn't enough.
We were even offered a desert (apple strudel), which we shared, well past kitchen closing time.
The food is great, the portions decent and the staff and atmosphere are warm and welcoming.
Go there and try it for yourself!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
El Bulli Closes
El Bulli, the world's "most revered" restaurant (which each year saw two million hopeful applicants for just 8,000 dinner reservations at the restaurant two hours drive from Barcelona) has now closed for good.
Its legacy will be the elBulli foundation, a "gastronomic think tank" dedicated to creativity and expanding knowledge of the pioneering culinary techniques created within the restaurant across the globe.
Its legacy will be the elBulli foundation, a "gastronomic think tank" dedicated to creativity and expanding knowledge of the pioneering culinary techniques created within the restaurant across the globe.
Friday, July 08, 2011
The Restaurant at Hana
Phoenix Commercial Ventures Ltd is proud to announce that Hana Electronics JVC (a 50/50 joint venture based in the DPRK) completed and moved into its new headquarters based near the T’ongil Market in Pyongyang in Q1 2011.
Having moved in and set up its production facilities, Hana has now opened a restaurant (“The Restaurant at Hana”) and related leisure facilities (swimming pool, sauna, hairdresser, bar, gym etc) in its headquarters.
The restaurant (which comprises a main dining room and several private ones) and leisure facilities are open to locals and foreigners alike. Food for the restaurant ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs sourced from local markets.
A video and photos of the restaurant can be viewed on the Phoenix website.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Sir Charles Napier
My compliments to the Sir Charles Napier pub of Southover Street on their recently expanded food menu.
Alongside their homemade pizzas (genuinely homemade) and locally sourced sausages and mash (a very nice dish), they have added a variety of hamburgers and a Rogan Josh curry with rice and garlic bread.
I had the Rogan Josh last night, and it was pretty decent in both taste and portion size. Eva had the Carne Misti pizza (tomato, Mozzarella, Parma Ham, pepperoni, spiced beef, spiced pork), the topping of which was flavoursome and generous sitting atop a light base (a welcome change from the stodgy rubber like creations of other establishments).
The pub itself is very friendly and has a lot of character in the true "traditional English pub style".
It is well worth a visit.
Alongside their homemade pizzas (genuinely homemade) and locally sourced sausages and mash (a very nice dish), they have added a variety of hamburgers and a Rogan Josh curry with rice and garlic bread.
I had the Rogan Josh last night, and it was pretty decent in both taste and portion size. Eva had the Carne Misti pizza (tomato, Mozzarella, Parma Ham, pepperoni, spiced beef, spiced pork), the topping of which was flavoursome and generous sitting atop a light base (a welcome change from the stodgy rubber like creations of other establishments).
The pub itself is very friendly and has a lot of character in the true "traditional English pub style".
It is well worth a visit.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Cafe Rouge - Ou Est Le Demi-Poulet?
On a visit to Cafe Rouge last night I was very disappointed to discover that my favourite dish (which they did very well), the demi-poulet (half a chicken), is no longer on the menu.
Come on Cafe Rouge, bring back the demi-poulet!
Note: Cote serve a most excellent half chargrilled "Breton" chicken (corn fed chicken from Languidic in the north of France). Therefore, in future, whenever I fancy French I will be dining in Cote.
Come on Cafe Rouge, bring back the demi-poulet!
Note: Cote serve a most excellent half chargrilled "Breton" chicken (corn fed chicken from Languidic in the north of France). Therefore, in future, whenever I fancy French I will be dining in Cote.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Old Bank Steak & Ribs
Restaurant
The Old Bank Steak & Ribs
120 St George's Road,
Kemptown Village,
Brighton,
East Sussex
BN1 1EA
Tel: 01273 682200
Website The Old Bank Steak & Ribs
Overview
Last Friday evening Eva and I decided to walk to Kemptown village, to try out The Old Bank Steak & Ribs restaurant that is housed in the old Barclays bank building.
As the name implies, the restaurant specialises in steaks (all aged 28 days) and ribs.
Ambience
The restaurant is a large cheerful, bright, lively, unfussily decorated establishment with tables and booths and an open view of the kitchen.
Menu
The menu offers a good selection of steaks, ribs, chicken and burgers. There is also a smattering of daily fish specials.
Service
When we arrived, at around 8:45, as we hadn't booked we were told that it may well be an hour before we could be seated. Given that we had walked for all of 15 minutes we decided that we would wait, rather than give up at that juncture, and were advised to take a drink in the pub opposite and wait for the restaurant to call my mobile when the table was ready.
We were very impressed and pleased to receive a call within 15 minutes, at 9:00, to tell us that we could come on over!
The welcome and service was excellent, efficient and friendly.
Owing to a misunderstanding/miscommunication with the kitchen my steak came basted in barbecue sauce. I do not actually like barbecue sauce that much, and prefer my meat unfettered. However, our waitress was extremely apologetic and offered without any hesitation to replace the steak. Given that the offer was made without any fuss, and that the food was not inedible and would have resulted in a steak going to waste I declined. The offer made to replace the steak was ample demonstration of good customer service.
Food
I started with the wholetail scampi served with tartare sauce. These were very decent, and decidedly more chunky/meaty than some other establishments serve.
I opted for the rib eye steak for my main course. Not withstanding the barbecue sauce issue (see above) the meat was very tender, tasty and had been cooked medium as requested.
The steak came with chunky chips, which were good. I also ordered onion rings (which were very good, crispy and not greasy) and a dish of green beans fried with garlic and tomato (which was not particularly inspiring, ie bland).
I would recommend that, as this is a steakhouse, side dishes of grilled beef tomato and grilled flat cap mushrooms also be offered (as they are both great accompaniments to steak).
Eva started with the spicy chicken wings. These were very good, both in terms of taste/spiciness and quantity. They came with a first class blue cheese dip.
Eva then opted for a half rack of ribs as a main course. She was delighted with them as they were particularly tasty and succulent, and they came with a most unctuous baked potato.
The meal, which included a decent bottle of champagne, came to £67 including 10% service.
Overall Opinion
A very enjoyable meal, and I am happy to recommend this venue. However, if you don't like barbecue sauce make sure that you state that when placing the order; as the "basting" comes a standard.
We will return, but I will next time ensure my meat is not basted.
The Old Bank Steak & Ribs
120 St George's Road,
Kemptown Village,
Brighton,
East Sussex
BN1 1EA
Tel: 01273 682200
Website The Old Bank Steak & Ribs
Overview
Last Friday evening Eva and I decided to walk to Kemptown village, to try out The Old Bank Steak & Ribs restaurant that is housed in the old Barclays bank building.
As the name implies, the restaurant specialises in steaks (all aged 28 days) and ribs.
Ambience
The restaurant is a large cheerful, bright, lively, unfussily decorated establishment with tables and booths and an open view of the kitchen.
Menu
The menu offers a good selection of steaks, ribs, chicken and burgers. There is also a smattering of daily fish specials.
Service
When we arrived, at around 8:45, as we hadn't booked we were told that it may well be an hour before we could be seated. Given that we had walked for all of 15 minutes we decided that we would wait, rather than give up at that juncture, and were advised to take a drink in the pub opposite and wait for the restaurant to call my mobile when the table was ready.
We were very impressed and pleased to receive a call within 15 minutes, at 9:00, to tell us that we could come on over!
The welcome and service was excellent, efficient and friendly.
Owing to a misunderstanding/miscommunication with the kitchen my steak came basted in barbecue sauce. I do not actually like barbecue sauce that much, and prefer my meat unfettered. However, our waitress was extremely apologetic and offered without any hesitation to replace the steak. Given that the offer was made without any fuss, and that the food was not inedible and would have resulted in a steak going to waste I declined. The offer made to replace the steak was ample demonstration of good customer service.
Food
I started with the wholetail scampi served with tartare sauce. These were very decent, and decidedly more chunky/meaty than some other establishments serve.
I opted for the rib eye steak for my main course. Not withstanding the barbecue sauce issue (see above) the meat was very tender, tasty and had been cooked medium as requested.
The steak came with chunky chips, which were good. I also ordered onion rings (which were very good, crispy and not greasy) and a dish of green beans fried with garlic and tomato (which was not particularly inspiring, ie bland).
I would recommend that, as this is a steakhouse, side dishes of grilled beef tomato and grilled flat cap mushrooms also be offered (as they are both great accompaniments to steak).
Eva started with the spicy chicken wings. These were very good, both in terms of taste/spiciness and quantity. They came with a first class blue cheese dip.
Eva then opted for a half rack of ribs as a main course. She was delighted with them as they were particularly tasty and succulent, and they came with a most unctuous baked potato.
The meal, which included a decent bottle of champagne, came to £67 including 10% service.
Overall Opinion
A very enjoyable meal, and I am happy to recommend this venue. However, if you don't like barbecue sauce make sure that you state that when placing the order; as the "basting" comes a standard.
We will return, but I will next time ensure my meat is not basted.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Exploding Watermelons
I am gemused to read of problems in China wrt exploding watermelons.
Seemingly, as a result of using certain chemicals to promote faster growth, there has been a spate of exploding watermelons in China's eastern Jiangsu province.
The affected watermelons begin to split near the top, and within minutes burst open to reveal a jaundiced yellowish-pink flesh. In one Jiangsu town, a watermelon exploded as an elderly woman was cutting it open.
Unsurprisngly the chemicals used aren't terribly good for the human digestive system either!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Pop Up in The Eye
The world's first six Michelin star restaurant in the sky will "pop up" in the London Eye for four days, during the London Restaurant Festival in October.
The cost of dining in the Eye will be £15K per ten person capsule.
Pre dinner drinks will be served at The Savoy, followed by a boat journey to the Eye.
Post dinner accommodation in the Savoy is also included in the price.
The cost of dining in the Eye will be £15K per ten person capsule.
Pre dinner drinks will be served at The Savoy, followed by a boat journey to the Eye.
Post dinner accommodation in the Savoy is also included in the price.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Gordon Ramasy Eats Beating Snake Heart
Gordon Ramsay has managed to offend a few people, nothing new there, by eating the beating heart of a cobra on TV.
The stunt was pulled in Vietnam, where eating snakes (live ones) is deemed to enhance male virility.
The stunt was pulled in Vietnam, where eating snakes (live ones) is deemed to enhance male virility.
Friday, April 01, 2011
The Royal Wedding Trifle (aka The Royal Trifle)
Following on from the recipe for the Unbaked Chocolate Biscuit Cake (similar to the one being served at the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton) that I featured on this site a few days ago, here is a version of the Heston Blumenthal Royal Wedding Trifle (soon to be sold by Waitrose under the name of The Royal Trifle).
Ingredients
- Between 1/2 - 1 pint of double cream (note: the amount of cream depends on how rich you like your Royal Trifle)
- A teaspoon of saffron (crushed to a fine powder)
- 1lb of strawberries (destalked and halved)
- 1 vanilla pod split lengthways
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon of kirsch
- A packet of Amaretti biscuits (crumbled, not crushed)
- A slug of brandy (Heston uses Marc de Champagne)
- 6-8 large meringues (broken roughly)
- a few rose petals (washed thoroughly, make sure also they have never had chemicals sprayed on them)
- Dried strawberries
- Caramel almonds
Method
- Mix the saffron into the cream, and leave in the fridge overnight to infuse
- The next day heat a heavy frying pan, add the vanilla pod and heat for 20 seconds
- Add the strawberries and heat for another 30 seconds
- Add the sugar and gently fold into the strawberries with a large spoon. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the kirsch and heat for another 30 seconds.
- Remove the vanilla pod
- Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a clean container. Leave to cool, then place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours
- Place the strawberry compote (for that is what the above has made) into a suitable glass trifle serving bowl
- Add the slug of brandy to the biscuits and allow to soak for 10 minutes
- Add the soaked biscuits to the strawberry compote
- Whip the cream until it is stiff and spoon onto the top of the compote
- Pile the broken meringues on top of the cream
- Scatter the dried strawberries, almonds and rose petals on top
Voila!
Note: if you want to vary the look of the Royal Trifle, then do not mix the biscuits with the compote; instead spoon the whipped cream on top of the compote, then scatter the biscuits over the cream before topping off with the meringues.
The "look" of the Royal Trifle is very much up to the artistic licence of the chef!
Don't forget to visit Accountants Can Cook which contains anecdotes of my travels around the world, together with 120 of my favourite recipes amassed during 40 years of travelling, eating and cooking.
Ingredients
- Between 1/2 - 1 pint of double cream (note: the amount of cream depends on how rich you like your Royal Trifle)
- A teaspoon of saffron (crushed to a fine powder)
- 1lb of strawberries (destalked and halved)
- 1 vanilla pod split lengthways
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon of kirsch
- A packet of Amaretti biscuits (crumbled, not crushed)
- A slug of brandy (Heston uses Marc de Champagne)
- 6-8 large meringues (broken roughly)
- a few rose petals (washed thoroughly, make sure also they have never had chemicals sprayed on them)
- Dried strawberries
- Caramel almonds
Method
- Mix the saffron into the cream, and leave in the fridge overnight to infuse
- The next day heat a heavy frying pan, add the vanilla pod and heat for 20 seconds
- Add the strawberries and heat for another 30 seconds
- Add the sugar and gently fold into the strawberries with a large spoon. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the kirsch and heat for another 30 seconds.
- Remove the vanilla pod
- Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a clean container. Leave to cool, then place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours
- Place the strawberry compote (for that is what the above has made) into a suitable glass trifle serving bowl
- Add the slug of brandy to the biscuits and allow to soak for 10 minutes
- Add the soaked biscuits to the strawberry compote
- Whip the cream until it is stiff and spoon onto the top of the compote
- Pile the broken meringues on top of the cream
- Scatter the dried strawberries, almonds and rose petals on top
Voila!
Note: if you want to vary the look of the Royal Trifle, then do not mix the biscuits with the compote; instead spoon the whipped cream on top of the compote, then scatter the biscuits over the cream before topping off with the meringues.
The "look" of the Royal Trifle is very much up to the artistic licence of the chef!
Don't forget to visit Accountants Can Cook which contains anecdotes of my travels around the world, together with 120 of my favourite recipes amassed during 40 years of travelling, eating and cooking.
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