The World's Largest Salad
Pulpi, in the Almeria province of Spain has entered the record books for having tossed the world's largest salad.
It contained 6,700kg of vegetables, and took 20 chefs over three hours to prepare it.
The salad was prepared in a container 18m (59ft) long and 4.8m (15.7ft) wide.
The salad was distributed to restaurants in Pulpi, to provide free to their clients, Mr Navarro told reporters.
Showing posts with label salad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salad. Show all posts
Monday, October 01, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Restaurant 7 Portes
Restaurant 7 Portes
Paseig Isabel II
Barcelona
Spain
Phone 93 319 30 33
Website www.7portes.com
Overview
Whilst Eva and I were on holiday in Spain we took the opportunity to study the hotel guidebook of recommended restaurants, and Eva came across the Restaurant 7 Portes.
Here is how they describe themselves on their website:
"Originally called "Cafe de les 7 Portes", this establishment opened in 1836. Its over 150 years of excellence since then have made today's "Restaurant de les 7 Portes" the most classic of Barcelona's eating-places. It is housed in the "Portics d'en Xifre", a building declared a national monument that was, incidentally, the first place in Barcelona where running water was installed and the back drop for the first photograph ever taken in Spain, In 1942, it became the property of Paco Parellada, founder of one of the fore most dynasties of restaurateurs in all of Catalonia.
At "7 Portes", any time without interruption from one in the afternoon to one in the morning every day of the year, you can enjoy the finest Catalan cooking in an intimate setting or in one of the spacious banquet halls, accompanied by Spain's best wines and "cavas" (sparking wines) from the well-stocked cellar."
With a write up like that we simply had to go along and try it out for ourselves.
By the way, the list of famous diners is quite entertaining eg; Bo Derek, John Wayne and Yoko Ono have all dined there.
Ambience
We went along on a Friday evening, rather boldly without booking. We were a tad concerned on arriving to see that there was a queue of people waiting outside the restaurant, being marshaled by a doorman and head waiter. The restaurant, as could be seen through the window, was very large but also very full. The question dominating our thoughts was whether we would get in or not.
Within two minutes of arriving in the queue, the head waiter appeared and took our names and placed them on a list. Less than five minutes later, he came out again and called us to a table.
Excellent!
Quite clearly the flow through of people, and size of the restaurant means that waiting times are not at all excessive. The additional plus point being that 7 Portes is open until 1:00. However, I would recommend that if you are in a large group you make a reservation, just to be on the safe side.
The 7 Portes has a number of private dining rooms (accommodating from between 2 to 70 people) and the main public dining room, which is fashioned in the style of a grand Victorian cafe. Absolutely delightful, bright, cheerful, stylish and full of energy and life. Cafe style dining of the "old school".
The tables were laid with linen clothes and napkins, and the waiters dressed in the white uniforms reminiscent of ships' stewards. All adding to the atmosphere.
Menu
The menu offered a magnificent selection of Catalan dishes including; ham, "Esqueixada" (salt cod salad), cannelloni, salt cod fritters, Black rice Emporda style (with cuttle-fish and its ink), paella, Senyor Cortina's oven-baked langoustines, black or white sausage with haricot beans, roast suckling pig, roast shoulder of kid etc.
The portions were of the hearty variety, I am pleased to say.
I was therefore quite concerned to observe the English gentleman on the table next to us, meandering around a most excellent and succulent sirloin steak in a most unsatisfactory manner. This place is not for people with poor, unhealthy appetites.
Service
The service was absolutely first class, efficient, friendly and polite. As already noted, we were handled very professionally at the door even though we had not made a reservation. Our waitress was absolutely delightful, complementing me on my incredibly poor grasp of the basics of the Spanish language (yes, I am easily flattered).
She was also very helpful with regard to Eva's special request for a paella without seafood but with some chicken, this was no problem at all (even though it wasn't on the menu).
Full marks, we couldn't have had better service.
Food
I started with the cannelloni, which was made in the "Spanish way" with pork. I have to say, this was a delightful starter; a good sized portion of pork mince flavoured with herbs, rolled in pasta bathed (not drowned) in a light bechamel sauce.
Splendid!
I chose the roast shoulder of kid for my main course. This was heaven on a plate. A truly magnificent joint of meat was presented to me, slow cooked so that the meat fell off the bone but cooked in manner that the meat was not dry. It had been infused with rosemary, which complimented and brought out the flavour of the kid magnificently. It came with saute potatoes and assorted vegetables.
I thoroughly recommend this dish.
Eva chose the Torronada for her starter. This was rather a jolly dish consisting of fried egg and ham, served atop a mound of fried mashed potato. I thought this rather reminiscent of an English breakfast, which in my view often makes rather a good starter for dinner.
Eva then had the specially made paella, which was a vegetable based paella with chicken pieces. It was both filling and flavoursome, a nice version of paella if you or your stomach is a little tired of seafood.
The meal, including a bottle of Torres Del Veguer, came to 93Euros.
Overall Opinion
In our view this is one of the best restaurants we have dined, in whilst in Barcelona. It has everything that you could could wish for; ambience, good service, good food and energy.
Under no circumstances miss out on the opportunity of dining there, if you ever have the good fortune to be visiting Barcelona.
We most certainly will be coming back!
Paseig Isabel II
Barcelona
Spain
Phone 93 319 30 33
Website www.7portes.com
Overview
Whilst Eva and I were on holiday in Spain we took the opportunity to study the hotel guidebook of recommended restaurants, and Eva came across the Restaurant 7 Portes.
Here is how they describe themselves on their website:
"Originally called "Cafe de les 7 Portes", this establishment opened in 1836. Its over 150 years of excellence since then have made today's "Restaurant de les 7 Portes" the most classic of Barcelona's eating-places. It is housed in the "Portics d'en Xifre", a building declared a national monument that was, incidentally, the first place in Barcelona where running water was installed and the back drop for the first photograph ever taken in Spain, In 1942, it became the property of Paco Parellada, founder of one of the fore most dynasties of restaurateurs in all of Catalonia.
At "7 Portes", any time without interruption from one in the afternoon to one in the morning every day of the year, you can enjoy the finest Catalan cooking in an intimate setting or in one of the spacious banquet halls, accompanied by Spain's best wines and "cavas" (sparking wines) from the well-stocked cellar."
With a write up like that we simply had to go along and try it out for ourselves.
By the way, the list of famous diners is quite entertaining eg; Bo Derek, John Wayne and Yoko Ono have all dined there.
Ambience
We went along on a Friday evening, rather boldly without booking. We were a tad concerned on arriving to see that there was a queue of people waiting outside the restaurant, being marshaled by a doorman and head waiter. The restaurant, as could be seen through the window, was very large but also very full. The question dominating our thoughts was whether we would get in or not.
Within two minutes of arriving in the queue, the head waiter appeared and took our names and placed them on a list. Less than five minutes later, he came out again and called us to a table.
Excellent!
Quite clearly the flow through of people, and size of the restaurant means that waiting times are not at all excessive. The additional plus point being that 7 Portes is open until 1:00. However, I would recommend that if you are in a large group you make a reservation, just to be on the safe side.
The 7 Portes has a number of private dining rooms (accommodating from between 2 to 70 people) and the main public dining room, which is fashioned in the style of a grand Victorian cafe. Absolutely delightful, bright, cheerful, stylish and full of energy and life. Cafe style dining of the "old school".
The tables were laid with linen clothes and napkins, and the waiters dressed in the white uniforms reminiscent of ships' stewards. All adding to the atmosphere.
Menu
The menu offered a magnificent selection of Catalan dishes including; ham, "Esqueixada" (salt cod salad), cannelloni, salt cod fritters, Black rice Emporda style (with cuttle-fish and its ink), paella, Senyor Cortina's oven-baked langoustines, black or white sausage with haricot beans, roast suckling pig, roast shoulder of kid etc.
The portions were of the hearty variety, I am pleased to say.
I was therefore quite concerned to observe the English gentleman on the table next to us, meandering around a most excellent and succulent sirloin steak in a most unsatisfactory manner. This place is not for people with poor, unhealthy appetites.
Service
The service was absolutely first class, efficient, friendly and polite. As already noted, we were handled very professionally at the door even though we had not made a reservation. Our waitress was absolutely delightful, complementing me on my incredibly poor grasp of the basics of the Spanish language (yes, I am easily flattered).
She was also very helpful with regard to Eva's special request for a paella without seafood but with some chicken, this was no problem at all (even though it wasn't on the menu).
Full marks, we couldn't have had better service.
Food
I started with the cannelloni, which was made in the "Spanish way" with pork. I have to say, this was a delightful starter; a good sized portion of pork mince flavoured with herbs, rolled in pasta bathed (not drowned) in a light bechamel sauce.
Splendid!
I chose the roast shoulder of kid for my main course. This was heaven on a plate. A truly magnificent joint of meat was presented to me, slow cooked so that the meat fell off the bone but cooked in manner that the meat was not dry. It had been infused with rosemary, which complimented and brought out the flavour of the kid magnificently. It came with saute potatoes and assorted vegetables.
I thoroughly recommend this dish.
Eva chose the Torronada for her starter. This was rather a jolly dish consisting of fried egg and ham, served atop a mound of fried mashed potato. I thought this rather reminiscent of an English breakfast, which in my view often makes rather a good starter for dinner.
Eva then had the specially made paella, which was a vegetable based paella with chicken pieces. It was both filling and flavoursome, a nice version of paella if you or your stomach is a little tired of seafood.
The meal, including a bottle of Torres Del Veguer, came to 93Euros.
Overall Opinion
In our view this is one of the best restaurants we have dined, in whilst in Barcelona. It has everything that you could could wish for; ambience, good service, good food and energy.
Under no circumstances miss out on the opportunity of dining there, if you ever have the good fortune to be visiting Barcelona.
We most certainly will be coming back!
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.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Restaurant Ria De Vigo
Restaurant Ria De Vigo
Sevilla 84
Barcelona
Spain
Phone 932 215 131
Overview
Eva and I were recently in Barcelona on a well deserved holiday. We decided to pop into Rio De Vigo, one of the numerous restaurants/cafes that are by the sea at Platja de Sant Miquel, for lunch.
It was a glorious sunny day, and we decided to sit at a table outside under one of the sun umbrellas.
Rio De Vigo serves a mixture of seafood and meat dishes, using local ingredients.
Ambience
Rio de Vigo is a pleasant restaurant near the seafront. The outside area, where we sat, was clean fresh and well shaded by the umbrellas. Although it was busy, the tables were not packed together too closely to make it feel unpleasant.
Menu
The menu provided an excellent selection of seafood and meat dishes including; the obligatory paella (in various guises), locally caught fish, steaks and pasta.
Service
The service was very friendly, efficient and courteous.
Food
I started with green peppers fried in olive oil and generously salted with sea salt. A most excellent dish, piquant and flavoursome.
I chose a sirloin steak for my main course, garnished with peppers and fires. The meat was of good quality, tender and had a decent layer of fat.
I have no complaints at all.
Eva started with fried prawns. This was a most excellent starter, consisting of a generous plateful of prawns in their shells that had been dipped in flour then fried in olive oil. The taste was piquant and fresh.
Eva then chose the veal escalope for her main course. This was covered in bread crumbs and fried, and garnished with fries and a salad. It was a reasonable effort, not the best that I have seen (as the meat was a little darker and drier than I would prefer); however, it was perfectly adequate.
The meal, which included a jug of Cava Sangria, a beer and two Irish coffees (well, it was our last day!), came to 88Euros.
Overall Opinion
A perfectly decent and fun seaside restaurant, worth visiting on a hot day.
Sevilla 84
Barcelona
Spain
Phone 932 215 131
Overview
Eva and I were recently in Barcelona on a well deserved holiday. We decided to pop into Rio De Vigo, one of the numerous restaurants/cafes that are by the sea at Platja de Sant Miquel, for lunch.
It was a glorious sunny day, and we decided to sit at a table outside under one of the sun umbrellas.
Rio De Vigo serves a mixture of seafood and meat dishes, using local ingredients.
Ambience
Rio de Vigo is a pleasant restaurant near the seafront. The outside area, where we sat, was clean fresh and well shaded by the umbrellas. Although it was busy, the tables were not packed together too closely to make it feel unpleasant.
Menu
The menu provided an excellent selection of seafood and meat dishes including; the obligatory paella (in various guises), locally caught fish, steaks and pasta.
Service
The service was very friendly, efficient and courteous.
Food
I started with green peppers fried in olive oil and generously salted with sea salt. A most excellent dish, piquant and flavoursome.
I chose a sirloin steak for my main course, garnished with peppers and fires. The meat was of good quality, tender and had a decent layer of fat.
I have no complaints at all.
Eva started with fried prawns. This was a most excellent starter, consisting of a generous plateful of prawns in their shells that had been dipped in flour then fried in olive oil. The taste was piquant and fresh.
Eva then chose the veal escalope for her main course. This was covered in bread crumbs and fried, and garnished with fries and a salad. It was a reasonable effort, not the best that I have seen (as the meat was a little darker and drier than I would prefer); however, it was perfectly adequate.
The meal, which included a jug of Cava Sangria, a beer and two Irish coffees (well, it was our last day!), came to 88Euros.
Overall Opinion
A perfectly decent and fun seaside restaurant, worth visiting on a hot day.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Sakura
Restaurant
Sakura
Luntmakargatan 59
113 58 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 673 45 55
Website www.sakura.gastrogate.com
Overview
Eva and I, whilst we were in Stockholm the other week, decided to go Japanese and tried out Sakura.
Sakura is a Japanese restaurant and karaoke bar.
Ambience
Sakura occupies two floors; the ground floor contains the main restaurant and the basement contains the karaoke bar and a smaller function room for private karaoke parties.
It is laid out and decorated in a traditional Japanese manner, with cherry wood tables (each containing a small grill cut into the centre) and wooden fittings. However, chairs are provided so you don't have to sit in the more traditional Japanese manner on the floor.
The restaurant was quite busy, but given its size there was no problem with fitting two more guests in. Although both karaoke bars were in full swing, the noise from downstairs was not intrusive.
Menu
The menu offered an excellent selection of Japanese dishes including; sushi, small grill dishes, sukiyaki and a few Western style grills dishes. The menu was in English and Swedish.
Service
Our waitresses were very friendly, efficient and pleasant. They helped us understand what was what on the menu, and explained how to cook and enjoy our main dish.
Food
We started with two dishes from the small grill menu, scampi and ox tongue; together with salmon, beef and sweet shrimp sushi.
The grill was heated up and we placed our cut pieces of scampi and ox tongue on the grill to cook. These came with soy sauce and some salad. The meat and the scampi were tasty, tender and succulent; it was rather fun to cook them ourselves, and made the meal more enjoyable being able to share the dishes.
The sushi were absolutely first class, my own favourite being the shrimp.
We chose to share the sukiyaki for our main course. This consisted of thin slices of raw beef, fresh mushrooms, cabbage, glass noodles and other vegetables.
All of the ingredients were raw, and needed to be cooked in the sukiyaki sauce that was placed in a stew pot in the grill on the table.
When this had become hot enough we placed various ingredients into the pot, a few at a time, then (when cooked) dipped them into raw egg and ate them with the accompanying boiled rice.
There were ample portions of both meat and vegetables, all of which were fresh and tasty. The sukiyaki sauce was unctuous and did not overpower the flavours of the ingredients.
We thoroughly enjoyed our main course, and would most certainly chose it again.
The bill, which included a bottle of Mateus Rose and a bottle of sake, came to 827SEK before service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid evening in a splendid restaurant, well worth visiting again.
Sakura
Luntmakargatan 59
113 58 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 673 45 55
Website www.sakura.gastrogate.com
Overview
Eva and I, whilst we were in Stockholm the other week, decided to go Japanese and tried out Sakura.
Sakura is a Japanese restaurant and karaoke bar.
Ambience
Sakura occupies two floors; the ground floor contains the main restaurant and the basement contains the karaoke bar and a smaller function room for private karaoke parties.
It is laid out and decorated in a traditional Japanese manner, with cherry wood tables (each containing a small grill cut into the centre) and wooden fittings. However, chairs are provided so you don't have to sit in the more traditional Japanese manner on the floor.
The restaurant was quite busy, but given its size there was no problem with fitting two more guests in. Although both karaoke bars were in full swing, the noise from downstairs was not intrusive.
Menu
The menu offered an excellent selection of Japanese dishes including; sushi, small grill dishes, sukiyaki and a few Western style grills dishes. The menu was in English and Swedish.
Service
Our waitresses were very friendly, efficient and pleasant. They helped us understand what was what on the menu, and explained how to cook and enjoy our main dish.
Food
We started with two dishes from the small grill menu, scampi and ox tongue; together with salmon, beef and sweet shrimp sushi.
The grill was heated up and we placed our cut pieces of scampi and ox tongue on the grill to cook. These came with soy sauce and some salad. The meat and the scampi were tasty, tender and succulent; it was rather fun to cook them ourselves, and made the meal more enjoyable being able to share the dishes.
The sushi were absolutely first class, my own favourite being the shrimp.
We chose to share the sukiyaki for our main course. This consisted of thin slices of raw beef, fresh mushrooms, cabbage, glass noodles and other vegetables.
All of the ingredients were raw, and needed to be cooked in the sukiyaki sauce that was placed in a stew pot in the grill on the table.
When this had become hot enough we placed various ingredients into the pot, a few at a time, then (when cooked) dipped them into raw egg and ate them with the accompanying boiled rice.
There were ample portions of both meat and vegetables, all of which were fresh and tasty. The sukiyaki sauce was unctuous and did not overpower the flavours of the ingredients.
We thoroughly enjoyed our main course, and would most certainly chose it again.
The bill, which included a bottle of Mateus Rose and a bottle of sake, came to 827SEK before service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid evening in a splendid restaurant, well worth visiting again.
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.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Scary Salads
Scary Salads
Seemingly you can take a fast food addict to salad, but you cannot make him eat it.
That at least is the conclusion of McDonald's, which have lost its core UK customers by putting a new range of healthy salads on its menu
The McDonald's UK chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, said that the chain intends to go back to basics by concentrating on burgers.
Mr Easterbrook said:
"In the past we have seemed somewhat apologetic about who and what we are, but you have to believe in the brand.
Our menu has evolved, and we now have a much broader range of salads and sandwiches. But we were alienating customers by pushing our salads."
People find salads boring, that's the trouble.
Seemingly you can take a fast food addict to salad, but you cannot make him eat it.
That at least is the conclusion of McDonald's, which have lost its core UK customers by putting a new range of healthy salads on its menu
The McDonald's UK chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, said that the chain intends to go back to basics by concentrating on burgers.
Mr Easterbrook said:
"In the past we have seemed somewhat apologetic about who and what we are, but you have to believe in the brand.
Our menu has evolved, and we now have a much broader range of salads and sandwiches. But we were alienating customers by pushing our salads."
People find salads boring, that's the trouble.
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.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Restaurang Moldau
Restaurant
Moldau
Bergsunds Strand 33-35
117 38 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 84 75 48
Overview
Eva and I are in Stockholm this week, and the other night tried out Restaurang Moldau; an Austrian restaurant and bar, which serves traditional Austrian food.
Ambience
Moldau is quite large, and is fashioned in the manner of a rustic Austrian country bar and eatery. Heavy craved wooded tables and chairs, with soft cushions scattered around, set off by traditional decorations hanging on the walls. It is an exceptionally cosy and inviting environment.
Unfortunately for us, it was the day before Mid Summer, and as such there were only two other people in it.
It offered a very pleasant atmosphere for an intimate evening, or for a larger gathering with friends.
Menu
The menu offered a good selection of Austrian food including; Weiner Schnitzel, sausages, ham hocks and Goulash soup.
Service
The owner was pleasant and efficient, offering me three different types of potatoes to go with my schnitzel.
Food
Eva started with a salted pretzel and green pepper, as she did not want to spoil her appetite.
I started with the Goulash soup, which was excellent. It was well flavoured, but not too spicy, and contained a generous portion of meat and potatoes.
I asked for eggs with my Wiener Schnitzel, which initially caused a "sorry we can't do that reaction" until I said Holstein Schnitzel (the official Austrian name for the dish) then there was no problem.
The dish consisted of a very generous cut of veal breaded and fried, it literally could not fit on the plate. It came with two fried eggs, two different types of potato salad and saute potatoes.
The meal was absolutely first class, the meat was tender and flavoursome and the potatoes excellent.
It is fair to say that I was well sated.
Eva's schnitzel, sans eggs, was equally large and delicious. It came with rosti potatoes.
The meal, which included a bottle of good Austrian wine and a schnapps, came to 884SEK before service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid restaurant, we heartily recommend it.
Moldau
Bergsunds Strand 33-35
117 38 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 84 75 48
Overview
Eva and I are in Stockholm this week, and the other night tried out Restaurang Moldau; an Austrian restaurant and bar, which serves traditional Austrian food.
Ambience
Moldau is quite large, and is fashioned in the manner of a rustic Austrian country bar and eatery. Heavy craved wooded tables and chairs, with soft cushions scattered around, set off by traditional decorations hanging on the walls. It is an exceptionally cosy and inviting environment.
Unfortunately for us, it was the day before Mid Summer, and as such there were only two other people in it.
It offered a very pleasant atmosphere for an intimate evening, or for a larger gathering with friends.
Menu
The menu offered a good selection of Austrian food including; Weiner Schnitzel, sausages, ham hocks and Goulash soup.
Service
The owner was pleasant and efficient, offering me three different types of potatoes to go with my schnitzel.
Food
Eva started with a salted pretzel and green pepper, as she did not want to spoil her appetite.
I started with the Goulash soup, which was excellent. It was well flavoured, but not too spicy, and contained a generous portion of meat and potatoes.
I asked for eggs with my Wiener Schnitzel, which initially caused a "sorry we can't do that reaction" until I said Holstein Schnitzel (the official Austrian name for the dish) then there was no problem.
The dish consisted of a very generous cut of veal breaded and fried, it literally could not fit on the plate. It came with two fried eggs, two different types of potato salad and saute potatoes.
The meal was absolutely first class, the meat was tender and flavoursome and the potatoes excellent.
It is fair to say that I was well sated.
Eva's schnitzel, sans eggs, was equally large and delicious. It came with rosti potatoes.
The meal, which included a bottle of good Austrian wine and a schnapps, came to 884SEK before service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid restaurant, we heartily recommend it.
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.
Friday, December 02, 2005
The Dangers of Salads
The Dangers of Salads
Those of you who think that you are being virtuous by having a salad in a fast food establishment, may have to think again.
Tests by Which? of items bought at McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, have revealed that three salads were the saltiest options on the menus.
Each contained over 3g of salt per salad portion, this is over half the recommended maximum daily intake of 6g.
Which? also noted that the websites of Burger King and KFC were inaccurate, in respect of their food's nutrition content.
The report noted that there was in fact 19g of saturated fat in a Burger King Whopper and regular fries, which was 6g more than the 13g stated on the company website.
A KFC Zinger Crunch salad had 6.7g of saturated fat, almost treble the 2.4g stated by KFC. The company told Which? that discrepancies could be due to "over portioning" at some stores.
Which? editor Malcolm Coles said:
"Don't assume that a salad is always a healthy option - you could be getting a large helping of fat and salt on the side. Although fast food companies now offer more choice, it's hard to know what you're really getting."
Burger King said in a statement that the company website gave "typical" nutrition figures, intended as a guide for customers.
Fluctuations in ingredients used by staff could lead to some variations, it said.
The lesson here is, that if you are in fast food place, stick to the fries, burgers and chicken; at least you will feel full.
Those of you who think that you are being virtuous by having a salad in a fast food establishment, may have to think again.
Tests by Which? of items bought at McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, have revealed that three salads were the saltiest options on the menus.
Each contained over 3g of salt per salad portion, this is over half the recommended maximum daily intake of 6g.
Which? also noted that the websites of Burger King and KFC were inaccurate, in respect of their food's nutrition content.
The report noted that there was in fact 19g of saturated fat in a Burger King Whopper and regular fries, which was 6g more than the 13g stated on the company website.
A KFC Zinger Crunch salad had 6.7g of saturated fat, almost treble the 2.4g stated by KFC. The company told Which? that discrepancies could be due to "over portioning" at some stores.
Which? editor Malcolm Coles said:
"Don't assume that a salad is always a healthy option - you could be getting a large helping of fat and salt on the side. Although fast food companies now offer more choice, it's hard to know what you're really getting."
Burger King said in a statement that the company website gave "typical" nutrition figures, intended as a guide for customers.
Fluctuations in ingredients used by staff could lead to some variations, it said.
The lesson here is, that if you are in fast food place, stick to the fries, burgers and chicken; at least you will feel full.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Stallmastaregarden
Restaurant
Stallmastaregarden
Norrtull
113 47 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone:- +46 8 610 1300
Website www.stallmastaregarden.se
Overview
Eva and I celebrated Midsummer in Stockholm this year. As the weather was exceptionally fine, we dined alfresco at the Stallmastaregarden (Stable Master) Restaurant.
Stallmastaregarden is Stockholm’s oldest inn, and features a hotel and several restaurants.
Stallmastaregarden Inn has been in existence since the 17th century and is one of Stockholm’s, as well as Sweden’s, most well known restaurants. Many famous Swedish chefs began their careers there. With an emphasis on Swedish produce of the highest quality together with their very own smokehouse, rotisserie and grill, traditional Swedish cuisine is kept alive with inspirations from the present day.
Ambience
The restaurant and hotel is made up of several buildings, styled in the manner of an 18th century inn.
There are a number of dining rooms available; some for private functions, a water front café (The "Lill-Stallis café" by Brunnsviken bay), a main dining room with an open terrace overlooking the water front and the “lust” house, a stand alone dining room that can accommodate up to six people.
We dined on the open terrace of the main restaurant.
The atmosphere was cosy and inviting; the fact that it was summer, and that most diners were on the terrace, gave the place a more informal and relaxed atmosphere.
Menu
The menu (presented in both English and Swedish) contained a variety of Swedish and European dishes including; a herring buffet, lobster salad, asparagus and crayfish, halibut, chicken, veal served with duck liver sauce and lamb.
The homemade bread presented to us in a bread basket, whilst we perused the menu, was of a good quality; consisting of a variety of Swedish crisp breads and dark rye breads,
Service
The staff were very friendly and helpful, they were attentive but not intrusive. As you would expect in a good quality Stockholm restaurant, their English was impeccable.
Food
I chose the smoked tenderloin for my starter. This consisted of wafer thin slices of delicately smoked beef, served with roasted cashew nuts and a Dijon mustard dressing. It was a delight to eat, the taste was sublime; it proved to be an ideal starter for a warm summer’s evening.
I chose the lamb for my main course. This consisted of a variety of cuts of lamb, including cutlets and carved shoulder.
The lamb was cooked to perfection, and was succulent and flavoursome. The lamb was served with jus, pickled onions and avocado cream; these complimented the delicate flavour of the meat without overpowering it.
The dish was accompanied by sauté potatoes and vegetables; an excellent combination.
Eva chose the grilled chicken, with morel cream sauce, for her main course. The chicken was moist and perfectly cooked, the flavour enhanced by the morel sauce. The dish came with a delightful potato cake and fresh asparagus.
I indulgently concluded my repast with strawberries, marinated in Grand Marnier, served with homemade vanilla ice cream.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to SEK1840 including service.
Overall Opinion
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and evening there, and will happily visit again. We recommend that you visit it the next time that your are in Stockholm.
Stallmastaregarden
Norrtull
113 47 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone:- +46 8 610 1300
Website www.stallmastaregarden.se
Overview
Eva and I celebrated Midsummer in Stockholm this year. As the weather was exceptionally fine, we dined alfresco at the Stallmastaregarden (Stable Master) Restaurant.
Stallmastaregarden is Stockholm’s oldest inn, and features a hotel and several restaurants.
Stallmastaregarden Inn has been in existence since the 17th century and is one of Stockholm’s, as well as Sweden’s, most well known restaurants. Many famous Swedish chefs began their careers there. With an emphasis on Swedish produce of the highest quality together with their very own smokehouse, rotisserie and grill, traditional Swedish cuisine is kept alive with inspirations from the present day.
Ambience
The restaurant and hotel is made up of several buildings, styled in the manner of an 18th century inn.
There are a number of dining rooms available; some for private functions, a water front café (The "Lill-Stallis café" by Brunnsviken bay), a main dining room with an open terrace overlooking the water front and the “lust” house, a stand alone dining room that can accommodate up to six people.
We dined on the open terrace of the main restaurant.
The atmosphere was cosy and inviting; the fact that it was summer, and that most diners were on the terrace, gave the place a more informal and relaxed atmosphere.
Menu
The menu (presented in both English and Swedish) contained a variety of Swedish and European dishes including; a herring buffet, lobster salad, asparagus and crayfish, halibut, chicken, veal served with duck liver sauce and lamb.
The homemade bread presented to us in a bread basket, whilst we perused the menu, was of a good quality; consisting of a variety of Swedish crisp breads and dark rye breads,
Service
The staff were very friendly and helpful, they were attentive but not intrusive. As you would expect in a good quality Stockholm restaurant, their English was impeccable.
Food
I chose the smoked tenderloin for my starter. This consisted of wafer thin slices of delicately smoked beef, served with roasted cashew nuts and a Dijon mustard dressing. It was a delight to eat, the taste was sublime; it proved to be an ideal starter for a warm summer’s evening.
I chose the lamb for my main course. This consisted of a variety of cuts of lamb, including cutlets and carved shoulder.
The lamb was cooked to perfection, and was succulent and flavoursome. The lamb was served with jus, pickled onions and avocado cream; these complimented the delicate flavour of the meat without overpowering it.
The dish was accompanied by sauté potatoes and vegetables; an excellent combination.
Eva chose the grilled chicken, with morel cream sauce, for her main course. The chicken was moist and perfectly cooked, the flavour enhanced by the morel sauce. The dish came with a delightful potato cake and fresh asparagus.
I indulgently concluded my repast with strawberries, marinated in Grand Marnier, served with homemade vanilla ice cream.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to SEK1840 including service.
Overall Opinion
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and evening there, and will happily visit again. We recommend that you visit it the next time that your are in Stockholm.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Veggie Burgers
Veggie Burgers
Kellogg Co. said Tuesday its Morningstar Farms unit will make a vegetarian "burger". This veggie burger will be sold at Burger King restaurants in the United States.
Burger King is the only fast-food restaurant to offer a vegetarian burger nationally in the USA.
Fast-food restaurants have been increasingly offering more health-conscious menu options like salads and fruit.
McDonald's does sells a vegetarian burger in some places, but has not announced plans to expand it nationwide.
Burger King has approximately 7,700 mostly franchised restaurants in the United States.
Burger King also recently launched another new product in the USA, an Enormous Omelette Sandwich.
The sandwich has one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon.
The calories content of this gut buster works out at 730 calories and 47 grams of fat; this is more than a Whopper sandwich, which has 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.
Question, do Americans really need to add calories to their diet?
Kellogg Co. said Tuesday its Morningstar Farms unit will make a vegetarian "burger". This veggie burger will be sold at Burger King restaurants in the United States.
Burger King is the only fast-food restaurant to offer a vegetarian burger nationally in the USA.
Fast-food restaurants have been increasingly offering more health-conscious menu options like salads and fruit.
McDonald's does sells a vegetarian burger in some places, but has not announced plans to expand it nationwide.
Burger King has approximately 7,700 mostly franchised restaurants in the United States.
Burger King also recently launched another new product in the USA, an Enormous Omelette Sandwich.
The sandwich has one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon.
The calories content of this gut buster works out at 730 calories and 47 grams of fat; this is more than a Whopper sandwich, which has 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.
Question, do Americans really need to add calories to their diet?
Thursday, March 31, 2005
The Rib Room and Oyster Bar
Restaurant
The Rib Room and Oyster Bar
The Carlton Tower Hotel
On Cadogan Place
London
SW1X 9PY
Phone:- 0207 235 1234
Website www.carltontower.com/dining/
Overview
Eva and I were intent on celebrating the launch of my new company, and so decided to push the boat out and try the Rib Room of the Carlton Tower Hotel in London.
The Rib Room was established in 1961, and is renowned for serving the tender Aberdeen Angus beef and fine traditional British cuisine. There is also an Oyster Bar, which serves a variety of oysters and caviar.
Ambience
The Rib Room harkens back to a bygone era of elegance and opulence, rarely seen these days in mainstream restaurants.
The dining room and bar were spacious and calm. The walls lined with dark wood panelling, the bar modern and comfortable, with deep sofas. There was a piano in the corner, but as this was a Good Friday no pianist was on duty.
The dining room had a warm, intimate interior and was decorated with bronze statues, pyramids and artworks by Feliks Topolski. It had more of the feel of an ocean liner from the 1950’s.
The tables were laid with linen cloths, napkins and silver cutlery. There was also a loaf of home baked granary bread, in the centre of the table, which was light and crusty.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and not overtly formal.
Menu
The menu is traditional British, with a fine selection of; oysters, caviar, Cornish crab, goose liver, beef, duck chicken and lamb on offer.
Service
The staff were friendly, efficient and very welcoming. We partook of a few drinkies at the bar whilst perusing the menu, and lingered for an hour before being escorted to our table.
Our waiter was very attentive and accommodating, he happily conveyed my request to the chef to ensure that my beef was not trimmed of its fat.
Food
I chose the Cornish crab to start with. This was a delightful arrangement of dark and white crab meat in a crab shell, interspersed with a generous quantity of chopped egg. This came with a small side salad.
In my view this was an ideal starter, an excellent combination of flavours and textures.
I chose the 454g roast Aberdeen Angus rib of beef (one of the signature dishes of the restaurant) for my main course. This was absolutely superb, it had been cooked medium as requested and was so tender and succulent it just melted away in the mouth. It was absolutely unctuous!
The beef was accompanied by Yorkshire pudding, sauté potatoes and cauliflower cheese. I was absolutely delighted with my meal, and unashamedly “pigged out”; let’s be honest I could have opted for just 250g, but I am a greedy piggy!
Eva started with the scallops on pureed parsnips. These were delightful. Three tender moist and succulent scallops, served atop of pureed parsnips; an excellent combination. She was very pleased with her choice.
Eva then had the spit roast duck for her main course. This was a leg, thigh and carved breast of duck. The meat was tender, flavoursome and succulent; it had been well cooked as requested. Eva chose creamed potatoes to accompany the duck. These were rich and smooth; utterly indulgent.
We demurred on the tempting desserts, and instead had liqueurs and coffee.
The entire bill, which included pre dinner champagne a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to £249 including service.
Overall Opinion
Whilst the Rib Room is not cheap, the meal was definitely one of the best that we have had. Whilst we will not be visiting every week, we will most definitely be dining there again. In our view, if you want to have a special evening then the Rib Room is certainly one place that is worth visiting.
The Rib Room and Oyster Bar
The Carlton Tower Hotel
On Cadogan Place
London
SW1X 9PY
Phone:- 0207 235 1234
Website www.carltontower.com/dining/
Overview
Eva and I were intent on celebrating the launch of my new company, and so decided to push the boat out and try the Rib Room of the Carlton Tower Hotel in London.
The Rib Room was established in 1961, and is renowned for serving the tender Aberdeen Angus beef and fine traditional British cuisine. There is also an Oyster Bar, which serves a variety of oysters and caviar.
Ambience
The Rib Room harkens back to a bygone era of elegance and opulence, rarely seen these days in mainstream restaurants.
The dining room and bar were spacious and calm. The walls lined with dark wood panelling, the bar modern and comfortable, with deep sofas. There was a piano in the corner, but as this was a Good Friday no pianist was on duty.
The dining room had a warm, intimate interior and was decorated with bronze statues, pyramids and artworks by Feliks Topolski. It had more of the feel of an ocean liner from the 1950’s.
The tables were laid with linen cloths, napkins and silver cutlery. There was also a loaf of home baked granary bread, in the centre of the table, which was light and crusty.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and not overtly formal.
Menu
The menu is traditional British, with a fine selection of; oysters, caviar, Cornish crab, goose liver, beef, duck chicken and lamb on offer.
Service
The staff were friendly, efficient and very welcoming. We partook of a few drinkies at the bar whilst perusing the menu, and lingered for an hour before being escorted to our table.
Our waiter was very attentive and accommodating, he happily conveyed my request to the chef to ensure that my beef was not trimmed of its fat.
Food
I chose the Cornish crab to start with. This was a delightful arrangement of dark and white crab meat in a crab shell, interspersed with a generous quantity of chopped egg. This came with a small side salad.
In my view this was an ideal starter, an excellent combination of flavours and textures.
I chose the 454g roast Aberdeen Angus rib of beef (one of the signature dishes of the restaurant) for my main course. This was absolutely superb, it had been cooked medium as requested and was so tender and succulent it just melted away in the mouth. It was absolutely unctuous!
The beef was accompanied by Yorkshire pudding, sauté potatoes and cauliflower cheese. I was absolutely delighted with my meal, and unashamedly “pigged out”; let’s be honest I could have opted for just 250g, but I am a greedy piggy!
Eva started with the scallops on pureed parsnips. These were delightful. Three tender moist and succulent scallops, served atop of pureed parsnips; an excellent combination. She was very pleased with her choice.
Eva then had the spit roast duck for her main course. This was a leg, thigh and carved breast of duck. The meat was tender, flavoursome and succulent; it had been well cooked as requested. Eva chose creamed potatoes to accompany the duck. These were rich and smooth; utterly indulgent.
We demurred on the tempting desserts, and instead had liqueurs and coffee.
The entire bill, which included pre dinner champagne a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to £249 including service.
Overall Opinion
Whilst the Rib Room is not cheap, the meal was definitely one of the best that we have had. Whilst we will not be visiting every week, we will most definitely be dining there again. In our view, if you want to have a special evening then the Rib Room is certainly one place that is worth visiting.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Restaurant
The TreeHouse
78 South End
Croydon
CR0 1DP
Phone:- 0208 688 9837
Website www.treehousepeople.com
Overview
Eva and I were in the TreeHouse bar on Sunday, having a drink, and decided to try out their restaurant.
The Treehouse is a bar and restaurant, serving imaginative dishes far removed from traditional wine bar and pub fayre.
Ambience
The TreeHouse is a quirkily decorated bar and restaurant, occupying the premises of a former pub. The outside of the building is illuminated by a wall of white fairy lights.
Inside, the ceiling is also illuminated by a “net” of the same fairy lights interspersed with tree branches. The emphasis of the décor is wood, wood and wood. The chairs in both the bar and restaurant range from an eclectic mix of traditional wooden four legged affairs to exotic carved tree trunks.
The bar is cosy and positioned at the front of the Treehouse, the restaurant is open to the bar yet secluded and intimate.
We sat by the fireplace, which had been decorated with a mosaic of broken crockery. The intimate ambience of the restaurant was enhanced by the fact that it was illuminated by a bountiful number of candles.
A live Latin band played in the corner of the bar, the music was good and not intrusive.
The bar was quiet, but the restaurant was quite busy; unusual for a Sunday night in Croydon.
Menu
The main menu had a variety of gourmet dishes including; gigot of lamb, scallops, ribs, vegetable shepherds pie, pan fried fillet of sea bass and smoked bacon & stilton salad. There was also a blackboard list of specials.
Service
The staff, in both the bar and restaurant, were very friendly and welcoming. I was particularly pleased that our waitress was honest enough to advise us not to have the lamb, as it was apparently a little tough.
Food
I chose the beetroot and pine nut risotto to start with. This was superb, the risotto was creamy and rich. The taste was a well balanced blend of nuts, rice and cream; topped off with a few shavings of Parmesan.
I decided to try the calves liver for my main course. This was excellent, thick and succulent. The liver had been cooked pink, just as I like it, and was exceptionally tender and flavoursome. It was served on a bed of hazelnut mash, with bacon slices. The mash was delightful.
Eva started with the scallops and peppers. These were lightly poached in white wine, and served with a piquant medley of peppers.
The scallops were excellent, tender and juicy; the portion was just right for a starter.
Eva then opted for the guinea fowl for her main course. This dish consisted of a breast and leg of guinea fowl, stuffed with black pudding; roasted and served on a bed of garlic crushed new potatoes.
The dish was first class, the black pudding complemented the tender and succulent guinea fowl; and the potatoes were a delight.
I will have that myself next time we go there.
We pigged out, and had a side dish of hazelnut mashed potatoes as well; this of course was not really required.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to £83 including service.
Overall Opinion
This is definitely one of Croydon’s better restaurants, and one of the few that does not serve reheated or microwaved food. We heartily endorse The Treehouse, and will definitely be visiting it again.
The TreeHouse
78 South End
Croydon
CR0 1DP
Phone:- 0208 688 9837
Website www.treehousepeople.com
Overview
Eva and I were in the TreeHouse bar on Sunday, having a drink, and decided to try out their restaurant.
The Treehouse is a bar and restaurant, serving imaginative dishes far removed from traditional wine bar and pub fayre.
Ambience
The TreeHouse is a quirkily decorated bar and restaurant, occupying the premises of a former pub. The outside of the building is illuminated by a wall of white fairy lights.
Inside, the ceiling is also illuminated by a “net” of the same fairy lights interspersed with tree branches. The emphasis of the décor is wood, wood and wood. The chairs in both the bar and restaurant range from an eclectic mix of traditional wooden four legged affairs to exotic carved tree trunks.
The bar is cosy and positioned at the front of the Treehouse, the restaurant is open to the bar yet secluded and intimate.
We sat by the fireplace, which had been decorated with a mosaic of broken crockery. The intimate ambience of the restaurant was enhanced by the fact that it was illuminated by a bountiful number of candles.
A live Latin band played in the corner of the bar, the music was good and not intrusive.
The bar was quiet, but the restaurant was quite busy; unusual for a Sunday night in Croydon.
Menu
The main menu had a variety of gourmet dishes including; gigot of lamb, scallops, ribs, vegetable shepherds pie, pan fried fillet of sea bass and smoked bacon & stilton salad. There was also a blackboard list of specials.
Service
The staff, in both the bar and restaurant, were very friendly and welcoming. I was particularly pleased that our waitress was honest enough to advise us not to have the lamb, as it was apparently a little tough.
Food
I chose the beetroot and pine nut risotto to start with. This was superb, the risotto was creamy and rich. The taste was a well balanced blend of nuts, rice and cream; topped off with a few shavings of Parmesan.
I decided to try the calves liver for my main course. This was excellent, thick and succulent. The liver had been cooked pink, just as I like it, and was exceptionally tender and flavoursome. It was served on a bed of hazelnut mash, with bacon slices. The mash was delightful.
Eva started with the scallops and peppers. These were lightly poached in white wine, and served with a piquant medley of peppers.
The scallops were excellent, tender and juicy; the portion was just right for a starter.
Eva then opted for the guinea fowl for her main course. This dish consisted of a breast and leg of guinea fowl, stuffed with black pudding; roasted and served on a bed of garlic crushed new potatoes.
The dish was first class, the black pudding complemented the tender and succulent guinea fowl; and the potatoes were a delight.
I will have that myself next time we go there.
We pigged out, and had a side dish of hazelnut mashed potatoes as well; this of course was not really required.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to £83 including service.
Overall Opinion
This is definitely one of Croydon’s better restaurants, and one of the few that does not serve reheated or microwaved food. We heartily endorse The Treehouse, and will definitely be visiting it again.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Restaurant
Die Ecke
Tegelbacken 6, Box 195
Stockholm S-101 23
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 4123400
Website www.sheratonstockholm.com/en/restaurants/die_ecke/
Overview
Eva and I were in Stockholm last weekend, doing some pre Christmas partying, we decided to try out Die Ecke; a Bavarian bierstubbe, which serves traditional Bavarian food.
Ambience
Die Ecke was exceptionally cosy and inviting.
It was modelled on a typical Bavarian bierstubbe; with a wooden panelled dining room and a small bar, where you could enjoy the many German beers on offer.
The style of the restaurant was German rustic, of the “old school”. Wooden tables, chairs and panelling abounded.
It offered a very pleasant atmosphere for an intimate evening, or for a larger gathering with friends.
Menu
The menu offered a good selection of Bavarian food including; Weiner Schnitzel, sausages, ham hocks and Goulash soup.
In addition to German wines, there was an excellent choice of good quality German beers.
Service
The staff were exceptionally friendly, welcoming and efficient. They spoke German, Swedish and English; and I guess a few other languages as well.
Food
Eva made a pre meal “attack” on the salad bar, which was available to all diners at no extra cost; this provided a good selection of green salads and tomatoes.
We both started with the Goulash soup, Eva had a small bowl (which was quite large) and I had a large bowl (which was very large!).
The soup was excellent, spicy and flavoursome. It contained a good quantity of meat and peppers, and made a most excellent starter.
I chose the Bavarian platter for my main course. This consisted of a generous selection of various Bavarian sausages (fried and boiled), meatloaf and ham. This was served with a healthy dollop of creamy, rich mashed potato.
My meal was excellent, hearty and tasty; definitely to be recommended.
Eva chose the Wiener Schnitzel for her main course. This was a generous sized escalope of tender succulent veal, bread crumbed and fried. It was served plain with a lemon wedge, and boiled potatoes.
She was delighted with her choice.
The meal, which included several bottles of good quality German beer, came to 852SEK before service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid restaurant, we heartily recommend it.
Die Ecke
Tegelbacken 6, Box 195
Stockholm S-101 23
Sweden
Phone (46) (8) 4123400
Website www.sheratonstockholm.com/en/restaurants/die_ecke/
Overview
Eva and I were in Stockholm last weekend, doing some pre Christmas partying, we decided to try out Die Ecke; a Bavarian bierstubbe, which serves traditional Bavarian food.
Ambience
Die Ecke was exceptionally cosy and inviting.
It was modelled on a typical Bavarian bierstubbe; with a wooden panelled dining room and a small bar, where you could enjoy the many German beers on offer.
The style of the restaurant was German rustic, of the “old school”. Wooden tables, chairs and panelling abounded.
It offered a very pleasant atmosphere for an intimate evening, or for a larger gathering with friends.
Menu
The menu offered a good selection of Bavarian food including; Weiner Schnitzel, sausages, ham hocks and Goulash soup.
In addition to German wines, there was an excellent choice of good quality German beers.
Service
The staff were exceptionally friendly, welcoming and efficient. They spoke German, Swedish and English; and I guess a few other languages as well.
Food
Eva made a pre meal “attack” on the salad bar, which was available to all diners at no extra cost; this provided a good selection of green salads and tomatoes.
We both started with the Goulash soup, Eva had a small bowl (which was quite large) and I had a large bowl (which was very large!).
The soup was excellent, spicy and flavoursome. It contained a good quantity of meat and peppers, and made a most excellent starter.
I chose the Bavarian platter for my main course. This consisted of a generous selection of various Bavarian sausages (fried and boiled), meatloaf and ham. This was served with a healthy dollop of creamy, rich mashed potato.
My meal was excellent, hearty and tasty; definitely to be recommended.
Eva chose the Wiener Schnitzel for her main course. This was a generous sized escalope of tender succulent veal, bread crumbed and fried. It was served plain with a lemon wedge, and boiled potatoes.
She was delighted with her choice.
The meal, which included several bottles of good quality German beer, came to 852SEK before service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid restaurant, we heartily recommend it.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Restaurant
La Barca
80-81 Lower Marsh
London
Phone:- 0207 928 2226
Website www.labarca.co.uk
Overview
Last Thursday Eva and I, having quaffed an ale in the nearby Firestation pub in Waterloo, wandered off to La Barca to have a meal.
La Barca is a traditional Italian restaurant, situated near to The Old Vic theatre.
Ambience
La Barca was very busy that evening, being crowded with theatregoers from The Old Vic. However, despite the fact that we had not booked, we were found a comfortable table without any delay.
La Barca was decorated in a cosy and welcoming manner; red tiles on the floor, linen tablecloths, wine bottles stacked on racks around the walls and a wooden beamed white ceiling.
Since the restaurant was located near to The Old Vic, there was an extensive array of photos of stars (past and present) who have dined in the restaurant.
The atmosphere was lively and stimulating.
Menu
The menu contained an extensive array of Italian meat, fish and pasta dishes including; Gamberoni Burro e Aglio, Insalata Tricolore, Gamberetti Cocktail, Pate della Casa, Bresaola Con Parmigiano, Pollo all’Agrodolce, Pollo Luciano, Pulcino Pasquale and Guelfi e Ghibellini Toscani.
There was also a very tempting cold buffet counter, which offered a good choice of starters; for those who wished to mix and match a taste of Italy for themselves.
Service
The staff were friendly and efficient. We were offered a bowl of excellent garlic olives and bread to munch on, whilst we perused the menu.
Food
I started with the Guelfi e Ghibellini, which was lasagne and cannelloni served together “half and half”. This was excellent. The two dishes complimented each other, without either one overpowering the other. The sauce was rich and creamy; whilst the pasta was succulent and moist, and was generously stuffed with meat seasoned with basil and garlic.
I chose the spring chicken in olive oil, flavoured with chillies, for my main course. This was decently cooked; the bird being succulent and tender. The oil and chilli did not overpower the delicate flavour of the poussin. The dish was accompanied by roast potatoes, green beans and carrots.
I was very happy with my choice.
Eva started with the crab, prawn, mango and avocado salad; which was well presented, and tasted superb.
Eva then chose the fillet of veal with truffles for her main course. This dish consisted of a tender, thinly cut fillet of veal, cooked with truffles in a white wine cream sauce. The dish was very rich and unctuous, but not overpowering; the ingredients, again, complimented rather than overpowered each other.
Eva also chose the roast potatoes, green beans and carrots.
We eschewed, as we were full, the dessert trolley. However, I would say that the variety of desserts on offer looked excellent; both well prepared and tempting.
The meal, which included a robust Barolo and liqueurs, came to £102 including service.
Overall Opinion
I am happy to recommend this restaurant. We will certainly be returning.
La Barca
80-81 Lower Marsh
London
Phone:- 0207 928 2226
Website www.labarca.co.uk
Overview
Last Thursday Eva and I, having quaffed an ale in the nearby Firestation pub in Waterloo, wandered off to La Barca to have a meal.
La Barca is a traditional Italian restaurant, situated near to The Old Vic theatre.
Ambience
La Barca was very busy that evening, being crowded with theatregoers from The Old Vic. However, despite the fact that we had not booked, we were found a comfortable table without any delay.
La Barca was decorated in a cosy and welcoming manner; red tiles on the floor, linen tablecloths, wine bottles stacked on racks around the walls and a wooden beamed white ceiling.
Since the restaurant was located near to The Old Vic, there was an extensive array of photos of stars (past and present) who have dined in the restaurant.
The atmosphere was lively and stimulating.
Menu
The menu contained an extensive array of Italian meat, fish and pasta dishes including; Gamberoni Burro e Aglio, Insalata Tricolore, Gamberetti Cocktail, Pate della Casa, Bresaola Con Parmigiano, Pollo all’Agrodolce, Pollo Luciano, Pulcino Pasquale and Guelfi e Ghibellini Toscani.
There was also a very tempting cold buffet counter, which offered a good choice of starters; for those who wished to mix and match a taste of Italy for themselves.
Service
The staff were friendly and efficient. We were offered a bowl of excellent garlic olives and bread to munch on, whilst we perused the menu.
Food
I started with the Guelfi e Ghibellini, which was lasagne and cannelloni served together “half and half”. This was excellent. The two dishes complimented each other, without either one overpowering the other. The sauce was rich and creamy; whilst the pasta was succulent and moist, and was generously stuffed with meat seasoned with basil and garlic.
I chose the spring chicken in olive oil, flavoured with chillies, for my main course. This was decently cooked; the bird being succulent and tender. The oil and chilli did not overpower the delicate flavour of the poussin. The dish was accompanied by roast potatoes, green beans and carrots.
I was very happy with my choice.
Eva started with the crab, prawn, mango and avocado salad; which was well presented, and tasted superb.
Eva then chose the fillet of veal with truffles for her main course. This dish consisted of a tender, thinly cut fillet of veal, cooked with truffles in a white wine cream sauce. The dish was very rich and unctuous, but not overpowering; the ingredients, again, complimented rather than overpowered each other.
Eva also chose the roast potatoes, green beans and carrots.
We eschewed, as we were full, the dessert trolley. However, I would say that the variety of desserts on offer looked excellent; both well prepared and tempting.
The meal, which included a robust Barolo and liqueurs, came to £102 including service.
Overall Opinion
I am happy to recommend this restaurant. We will certainly be returning.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Restaurant
L’Alsace
39 Avenue Des Champs Elysees
75008 Paris
France
Phone: - 01 5393 9700
Website www.restaurantalsace.com
Overview
Eva and I were in Paris on the 60th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation. We decided to try one of the many restaurants on the Champs Elysees, and opted for L’Alsace.
L’Alsace is a restaurant specialising in the cuisines of the Alsace region of France, and is open an impressive seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It is described as the ambassador of Alsacian cuisine.
Ambience
L’Alsace was an enormous restaurant and bar, with dining areas on both the ground and basement levels; plus a lively alfresco dining area on the Champs Elysees.
We opted for an open window seat, on the very edge of the Champs Elysees. This afforded us an excellent view of the hustle and bustle of this most famous of Paris thoroughfares. Which, even though it was close to midnight, was packed with people.
The décor of L’Alsace was opulent and elegant. The ceiling was dark panelled veneer contrasting with the mirrored walls, the tables were laid with linen cloths.
Even though the restaurant was enormous, it was heaving with people; and had an excellent atmosphere.
Menu
The menu was a homage to Alsace cuisine, and contained a splendid array of sausages, pigs totters, pork, calf liver escalope with parsley and garlic, breast fillet of duck with peaches and tagliatelle, rib of beef grilled on the bone, Veal Paillard in breadcrumbs and seafood dishes. The menu was in English and in French.
Service
The staff were friendly, efficient and spoke English.
Food
We both chose the quiche for our starters. This was a splendid dish, a generous cut of home made quiche; prepared with cheese and local ham, served with a good quality salad.
An excellent way to start our gastronomic tour of Alsace.
I chose the Choucroute Maison, the house speciality, for my main course. This was partly cooked on a primus stove near our table, and consisted of boiled potatoes, a massive quantity of well flavoured sauerkraut, four different types of regional sausage, boiled smoked fatty bacon, a boiled ham hock, a slice of gammon and smoked ham.
The serving was so large, that half of the dish came on a separate silver platter resting on a hot plate.
I was impressed with this hearty feast, maybe my cardiologist would not have been so impressed at my eating this at 11:00pm; but life is for living!
The meal was excellent, the meat tender and flavoursome; complemented by the cabbage with mustard seeds and potatoes. I managed to finish it all, just!
Eva went for a boiled ham hock for her main course. This was well cooked, the tender ham falling off the bone when teased with the knife. As an added bonus, the hock had been shaved.
It came with a rich sweet honey sauce and mashed potatoes.
Absolutely superb!
We decided that we could not manage a dessert. No surprises there then.
The meal, which included a very good bottle of Gewurztraminer, came to 76 Euros before service.
Overall Opinion
A first class restaurant, make sure that you have a healthy appetite before you go though.
L’Alsace
39 Avenue Des Champs Elysees
75008 Paris
France
Phone: - 01 5393 9700
Website www.restaurantalsace.com
Overview
Eva and I were in Paris on the 60th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation. We decided to try one of the many restaurants on the Champs Elysees, and opted for L’Alsace.
L’Alsace is a restaurant specialising in the cuisines of the Alsace region of France, and is open an impressive seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It is described as the ambassador of Alsacian cuisine.
Ambience
L’Alsace was an enormous restaurant and bar, with dining areas on both the ground and basement levels; plus a lively alfresco dining area on the Champs Elysees.
We opted for an open window seat, on the very edge of the Champs Elysees. This afforded us an excellent view of the hustle and bustle of this most famous of Paris thoroughfares. Which, even though it was close to midnight, was packed with people.
The décor of L’Alsace was opulent and elegant. The ceiling was dark panelled veneer contrasting with the mirrored walls, the tables were laid with linen cloths.
Even though the restaurant was enormous, it was heaving with people; and had an excellent atmosphere.
Menu
The menu was a homage to Alsace cuisine, and contained a splendid array of sausages, pigs totters, pork, calf liver escalope with parsley and garlic, breast fillet of duck with peaches and tagliatelle, rib of beef grilled on the bone, Veal Paillard in breadcrumbs and seafood dishes. The menu was in English and in French.
Service
The staff were friendly, efficient and spoke English.
Food
We both chose the quiche for our starters. This was a splendid dish, a generous cut of home made quiche; prepared with cheese and local ham, served with a good quality salad.
An excellent way to start our gastronomic tour of Alsace.
I chose the Choucroute Maison, the house speciality, for my main course. This was partly cooked on a primus stove near our table, and consisted of boiled potatoes, a massive quantity of well flavoured sauerkraut, four different types of regional sausage, boiled smoked fatty bacon, a boiled ham hock, a slice of gammon and smoked ham.
The serving was so large, that half of the dish came on a separate silver platter resting on a hot plate.
I was impressed with this hearty feast, maybe my cardiologist would not have been so impressed at my eating this at 11:00pm; but life is for living!
The meal was excellent, the meat tender and flavoursome; complemented by the cabbage with mustard seeds and potatoes. I managed to finish it all, just!
Eva went for a boiled ham hock for her main course. This was well cooked, the tender ham falling off the bone when teased with the knife. As an added bonus, the hock had been shaved.
It came with a rich sweet honey sauce and mashed potatoes.
Absolutely superb!
We decided that we could not manage a dessert. No surprises there then.
The meal, which included a very good bottle of Gewurztraminer, came to 76 Euros before service.
Overall Opinion
A first class restaurant, make sure that you have a healthy appetite before you go though.
Monday, August 16, 2004
The Guinea Grill
Restaurant
The Guinea Grill
30 Bruton Place
London
Phone:- 0207 409 1728
Website www.theguinea.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I took a trip to Mayfair the other evening, to try out The Guinea Grill; a restaurant, just off Berkley Square, famous for its steaks and award winning pies.
It is attached to a 19th century pub, The Guinea, and is open Monday to Saturday. The Guinea has a loyal customer base going back some years since it was established in 1952, and is very popular, I advise you book at least 24 hours in advance.
Ambience
The Guinea Grill is nestled in a small alleyway just off Berkley Square, near the Rolls Royce and Bentley showrooms.
The tiny entrance, attended by a uniformed doorman, leads into the reception and grill area. This is where we got our first inkling of the style and quality of the restaurant. Just in front of the open grill was a chilled glass counter; which displayed a selection of 28 day aged steaks and fresh seafood.
The dining area was cosy, and decorated in the traditional manner of a pub/dining room from the 19th century.
The walls were half wood panelled and half painted sunset yellow, they were decorated with oil paintings. The carpet was tartan check, and the tables were laid with linen cloths and napkins.
The restaurant was busy, and tables were placed close to each other (but not uncomfortably close). Eva sat with her back to the wall on a bench, which provided seating for the tables on either side of us.
I would note that the one part of the décor that was definitely not 19th century, was the air conditioning unit in the ceiling. This, unfortunately, was situated directly above us; and we felt the full “benefit” of its output. We had to ask for it to be turned off, as we felt we were sitting in a refrigerator.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was very jolly, and not at all “stuffy”.
Menu
The Guinea is noted for its steaks, and its pies which have won national awards. Needless to say, the menu was dominated by steaks, lamb and pies. However, there was also a good selection of fish, chicken and seafood on offer; and an impressive wine list.
Service
The staff were very professional and courteous. We were even asked what types of gin we would like in our pre dinner cocktail. Old school service!
Food
I started with half a cold lobster (there were hot ones on the menu as well), served with a salad and mayonnaise.
The flesh of the lobster had been fully “de-shelled”, so I had no need to employ the shell cracker that had been laid on the table; I confess that I was rather disappointed at not having to “work for my lobster”!
The lobster was fresh and fleshy, it was a good choice for a starter.
I chose the 12oz sirloin for my main course, with chips and gratin tomatoes.
The meat was cooked medium (as requested), and was tender and flavoursome; as it should have been, given that it was hung for 28 days. The layer of fat around one side, which is essential for flavour and moisture, had a most excellent smoky flavour from the grill.
The chips were homemade, not frozen fries from a packet, and had a good flavour and texture. The tomatoes were topped with grated cheese, and provided an ideal accompaniment to my meat.
Eva started with the crayfish and prawn avocado salad. This was a generous helping of prawns in their shells and crayfish, served with chunks of ripe avocado in a good quality salad.
The dish was fresh and flavoursome. During this course Eva indulged herself in the bread basket; which contained an excellent selection of home baked breads, including a particularly flavoursome bread made with sultanas.
Eva chose one of the award winning steak and kidney pies for her main course. She was not disappointed. The pie came in its own dish, and was a good size. The pastry was flaky and light, the gravy rich, piquant and flavoursome; the meat and kidneys very tender, and generous in quantity.
As a side dish Eva chose the baked potato. This was a very good sized potato which had been baked, not micro waved; it was fluffy, and was served with a good dollop of sour cream.
Eva was delighted with her choice.
The meal, which included cocktails, a very good bottle of Chablis and liqueurs came to £158 including service.
Overall Opinion
A very enjoyable evening, and good quality restaurant. I can well understand why it has a loyal customer base, we would like to add ourselves to that list.
The Guinea Grill
30 Bruton Place
London
Phone:- 0207 409 1728
Website www.theguinea.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I took a trip to Mayfair the other evening, to try out The Guinea Grill; a restaurant, just off Berkley Square, famous for its steaks and award winning pies.
It is attached to a 19th century pub, The Guinea, and is open Monday to Saturday. The Guinea has a loyal customer base going back some years since it was established in 1952, and is very popular, I advise you book at least 24 hours in advance.
Ambience
The Guinea Grill is nestled in a small alleyway just off Berkley Square, near the Rolls Royce and Bentley showrooms.
The tiny entrance, attended by a uniformed doorman, leads into the reception and grill area. This is where we got our first inkling of the style and quality of the restaurant. Just in front of the open grill was a chilled glass counter; which displayed a selection of 28 day aged steaks and fresh seafood.
The dining area was cosy, and decorated in the traditional manner of a pub/dining room from the 19th century.
The walls were half wood panelled and half painted sunset yellow, they were decorated with oil paintings. The carpet was tartan check, and the tables were laid with linen cloths and napkins.
The restaurant was busy, and tables were placed close to each other (but not uncomfortably close). Eva sat with her back to the wall on a bench, which provided seating for the tables on either side of us.
I would note that the one part of the décor that was definitely not 19th century, was the air conditioning unit in the ceiling. This, unfortunately, was situated directly above us; and we felt the full “benefit” of its output. We had to ask for it to be turned off, as we felt we were sitting in a refrigerator.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was very jolly, and not at all “stuffy”.
Menu
The Guinea is noted for its steaks, and its pies which have won national awards. Needless to say, the menu was dominated by steaks, lamb and pies. However, there was also a good selection of fish, chicken and seafood on offer; and an impressive wine list.
Service
The staff were very professional and courteous. We were even asked what types of gin we would like in our pre dinner cocktail. Old school service!
Food
I started with half a cold lobster (there were hot ones on the menu as well), served with a salad and mayonnaise.
The flesh of the lobster had been fully “de-shelled”, so I had no need to employ the shell cracker that had been laid on the table; I confess that I was rather disappointed at not having to “work for my lobster”!
The lobster was fresh and fleshy, it was a good choice for a starter.
I chose the 12oz sirloin for my main course, with chips and gratin tomatoes.
The meat was cooked medium (as requested), and was tender and flavoursome; as it should have been, given that it was hung for 28 days. The layer of fat around one side, which is essential for flavour and moisture, had a most excellent smoky flavour from the grill.
The chips were homemade, not frozen fries from a packet, and had a good flavour and texture. The tomatoes were topped with grated cheese, and provided an ideal accompaniment to my meat.
Eva started with the crayfish and prawn avocado salad. This was a generous helping of prawns in their shells and crayfish, served with chunks of ripe avocado in a good quality salad.
The dish was fresh and flavoursome. During this course Eva indulged herself in the bread basket; which contained an excellent selection of home baked breads, including a particularly flavoursome bread made with sultanas.
Eva chose one of the award winning steak and kidney pies for her main course. She was not disappointed. The pie came in its own dish, and was a good size. The pastry was flaky and light, the gravy rich, piquant and flavoursome; the meat and kidneys very tender, and generous in quantity.
As a side dish Eva chose the baked potato. This was a very good sized potato which had been baked, not micro waved; it was fluffy, and was served with a good dollop of sour cream.
Eva was delighted with her choice.
The meal, which included cocktails, a very good bottle of Chablis and liqueurs came to £158 including service.
Overall Opinion
A very enjoyable evening, and good quality restaurant. I can well understand why it has a loyal customer base, we would like to add ourselves to that list.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Restaurant
The Gaucho Grill
29 Westferry Circus
London
Phone:- 0207 987 9494
Website www.thegauchogrill.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I braved the terrorist threat and took a trip, via river taxi, to Canary Wharf. We went there to try out The Gaucho Grill, an Argentinean steak house situated on the banks of the Thames.
Ambience
The Gaucho Grill had both inside and outside seating. The inside was bright and glitzy, with a bar and dining area decorated with cowhides. The outside dining area, on the riverbank, afforded a splendid view of London.
It was a sunny, and warm, day and the outside dining area was packed with a lively and jolly mixture of tourists and local office workers. However, we managed to get a table outside; under the trees that marked the boundary between The Gaucho Grill and the riverbank boardwalk.
The chairs were moulded plastic, and reasonably comfortable. However, the tables had been set on a support in order to stop them wobbling on the gravel (which was used to surface the al fresco dining area); as such they were an inch or so too high for the chairs. It might be better, in my view, to dispense with the gravel and use paving slabs instead.
During the course of our meal, I did battle with a rather persistent wasp; which I eventually, and heroically, managed to despatch to the next world.
Menu
A meat lover’s paradise! The menu offered a very good range of steaks; sirloins, rump, fillet, rib eye that you could order to any size you wished.
There were also chicken and fish dishes, as well as oysters, black bean soup and prawns.
Service
The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Our waiter was very amiable and knowledgeable. He explained each of the cuts of meat, with the aid of a platter on which the different cuts of raw steaks were displayed.
Food
I started with the chicken and beef empanadas. These were 2 medium sized filo pastry parcels, one filled with beef and the other with chicken; served with salad of red and yellow cherry tomatoes.
The beef empanada was pleasant, if a little bland. However, the chicken was very well spiced and had a good smoky flavour; this was my favourite one out of the two.
I chose a 300g Chorizo sirloin for my main course (I resisted 400g). This melted in the mouth like butter, and had a good flavour and succulence.
I chose a good sized baked potato with butter to accompany it, together with Corn O’Brien as a side dish. This consisted of sweet corn which had been sautéed with butter spring onions, and a little red pepper; it made an ideal accompaniment to the steak.
Eva started with the exotically named Gambas Ceviche. This was a small dish of fleshy prawns and avocado, in a piquant tandoori flavour sauce. Rather perversely the dish came with a side dish of popcorn, apparently this was to cool the pallet. We found the dish to be very mild, and the popcorn’s alleged cooling effect unnecessary.
Eva chose a 225g rib eye, with béarnaise sauce, for her main course. This was good cut of meat, marbled with succulent fat. It was splendidly tender and flavoursome.
Eva chose pureed potatoes to accompany the meat. These were very special, as they were exceptionally rich and creamy, and had been pureed with a red pepper. This gave the dish an orange hue, and a piquant flavour.
Eva was delighted, who wouldn’t be having me as a dining companion?
The meal, which included cocktails, a good bottle of Merlot and liqueurs, came to £117 before service.
Overall Opinion
Our verdict?
Jump on a river taxi, and indulge your flesh eating fantasies. We will definitely visit The Gaucho Grill again.
The Gaucho Grill
29 Westferry Circus
London
Phone:- 0207 987 9494
Website www.thegauchogrill.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I braved the terrorist threat and took a trip, via river taxi, to Canary Wharf. We went there to try out The Gaucho Grill, an Argentinean steak house situated on the banks of the Thames.
Ambience
The Gaucho Grill had both inside and outside seating. The inside was bright and glitzy, with a bar and dining area decorated with cowhides. The outside dining area, on the riverbank, afforded a splendid view of London.
It was a sunny, and warm, day and the outside dining area was packed with a lively and jolly mixture of tourists and local office workers. However, we managed to get a table outside; under the trees that marked the boundary between The Gaucho Grill and the riverbank boardwalk.
The chairs were moulded plastic, and reasonably comfortable. However, the tables had been set on a support in order to stop them wobbling on the gravel (which was used to surface the al fresco dining area); as such they were an inch or so too high for the chairs. It might be better, in my view, to dispense with the gravel and use paving slabs instead.
During the course of our meal, I did battle with a rather persistent wasp; which I eventually, and heroically, managed to despatch to the next world.
Menu
A meat lover’s paradise! The menu offered a very good range of steaks; sirloins, rump, fillet, rib eye that you could order to any size you wished.
There were also chicken and fish dishes, as well as oysters, black bean soup and prawns.
Service
The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Our waiter was very amiable and knowledgeable. He explained each of the cuts of meat, with the aid of a platter on which the different cuts of raw steaks were displayed.
Food
I started with the chicken and beef empanadas. These were 2 medium sized filo pastry parcels, one filled with beef and the other with chicken; served with salad of red and yellow cherry tomatoes.
The beef empanada was pleasant, if a little bland. However, the chicken was very well spiced and had a good smoky flavour; this was my favourite one out of the two.
I chose a 300g Chorizo sirloin for my main course (I resisted 400g). This melted in the mouth like butter, and had a good flavour and succulence.
I chose a good sized baked potato with butter to accompany it, together with Corn O’Brien as a side dish. This consisted of sweet corn which had been sautéed with butter spring onions, and a little red pepper; it made an ideal accompaniment to the steak.
Eva started with the exotically named Gambas Ceviche. This was a small dish of fleshy prawns and avocado, in a piquant tandoori flavour sauce. Rather perversely the dish came with a side dish of popcorn, apparently this was to cool the pallet. We found the dish to be very mild, and the popcorn’s alleged cooling effect unnecessary.
Eva chose a 225g rib eye, with béarnaise sauce, for her main course. This was good cut of meat, marbled with succulent fat. It was splendidly tender and flavoursome.
Eva chose pureed potatoes to accompany the meat. These were very special, as they were exceptionally rich and creamy, and had been pureed with a red pepper. This gave the dish an orange hue, and a piquant flavour.
Eva was delighted, who wouldn’t be having me as a dining companion?
The meal, which included cocktails, a good bottle of Merlot and liqueurs, came to £117 before service.
Overall Opinion
Our verdict?
Jump on a river taxi, and indulge your flesh eating fantasies. We will definitely visit The Gaucho Grill again.
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