Roasted Parsnip and Potato Soup

 

Ingredients

-parsnips chopped and peeled

-potato peeled and chopped

-garlic

-cumin

-turmeric

-smoked paprika

-coriander

-chilli pepper

-salt/pepper

-olive oil

-chicken stock

Method

-put the parsnips, potato, garlic, cumin and chilli in a roasting pan

-pour over some olive oil

-season

-roast for 30 minutes at 180

-put the ingredients into a saucepan, add stock

-simmer

-blitz

Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Soup

Ingredients

-pumpkin
-two heads of garlic
-bay leaves
-onion chopped
-olive oil
-butter
-chicken stock
-sea salt/pepper
-nutmeg

Method

-halve the pumpkins and discard seeds/stringy bits
-score and season
-place garlic and bay leaves in each half and drizzle with olive oil
-roast at 180 for 1 hour
-soften onion in olive oil and nutmeg
-scoop out cooked pumpkin and add to onion
-squeeze out garlic and add
-discard bay leaves
-add stock
-add a good sized knob of butter
-blitz

Lovely and warming for a winter's evening!

Pumpkin and Apple Veloute - The Independent Brighton

Kudos and respect to Chef Sam Ireland and the good people of the Independent, for this splendid soup (yes, I call it soup;)) which I had last night.

It was bloody marvellous, flavoursome and silky smooth.

Ideal for an autumnal evening!

Morrisons' Lentil and Bacon Soup

Morrisons' Lentil and Bacon Soup

Those of you who want to spend a warm dry evening inside, instead of venturing out to a restaurant, may be tempted to have a nourishing bowl of soup.

In that event, I strongly suggest that you avoid Morrisons' Lentil and Bacon soup.

I tried a bowl of it this weekend, and found the taste bland in the extreme.

Were it not for the label, and pieces of tasteless ham in it, I would have assumed it was a rather bland mushroom soup.

Avoid!

World's Largest Soup

World's Largest Soup

Following on from Edinburgh's largest bowl of porridge, Venezuela have claimed the world record on Saturday for making the largest pot of soup; a giant cauldron of stew, prepared by President Hugo Chavez's government.

The soup was prepared outdoors in downtown Caracas, and contained about 3,960 gallons of "sancocho" stew. The current record-holder listed on the Guinness World Records Web site, a pot of 1,413 gallons of spicy soup prepared in Durango, Mexico, in July.

The soup, called "Bolivarian stew", was enough to feed 60,000 to 70,000 people.

It contained 6,600 pounds of chicken, 4,400 pounds of beef and tons of vegetables.

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.

El Cafe D'en Victor

Restaurant El Cafe D'en Victor
Tapineria 12
Barcelona
Spain

Phone 93 310 2872

Overview

One particularly fine and warm evening in Barcelona Eva and I decided to dine alfresco, and descended upon El Cafe D'en Victor.

El Cafe D'en Victor is a restaurant with outside terrace, near the old town.

El Cafe D'en Victor serves a mixture of traditional Spanish dishes and Tapas, using local ingredients.

Ambience

El Cafe D'en Victor is a pleasant lively restaurant near the old town. The outside area, where we sat, was busy but we were able to find a table that afforded us a decent view without being "plonked" in the middle of the passing tourists or wandering musicians.

Menu

The menu provided a good selection of Spanish dishes ranging from Tapas to main courses of meat, fish and paella.

Service

The service was very friendly, good humoured, efficient and courteous.

Food

I started with the Gazpacho soup. This was a most excellent dish, chilled to perfection, it was generous in portion and in body. The taste of tomatoes was stimulating but not overbearing.

Eva started with a tortilla potatas (potato omelet), which was firm and well stuffed with potato. The taste and texture was just right.

We accompanied our starters with bread rubbed with tomatoes, garlic and drizzled in olive oil.

We both chose paella for our main courses. I had the chicken paella and Eva the fish.

My paella was absolutely first class, a very generous portion served in an iron paella pan. There was a more than ample portion of tender chicken pieces in the rice, which itself was cooked in chicken stock and was unctuous and delightfully claggy.

I was thoroughly delighted with my choice.

Eva's seafood paella was equally good, again served in an iron paella pan. The rice had been cooked in a seafood stock that was flavoursome, but not overpowering. The paella itself contained a variety of fish; prawns, squid, mussels etc.

An excellent meal!

The meal, which included a bottle of local wine, came to 68Euros.

Overall Opinion

A very pleasant meal and restaurant, it is ideal for lunch or dinner alfresco.

Barcelona

Barcelona

Eva and I have just returned from a most excellent and enjoyable holiday in Barcelona, where we tried out some more superb local restaurants.

We also had time to pop into a couple of old haunts, and are happy to say that they were as good as before.

el Yantar de la ribera, which specialises in oven roast baby lamb, was again absolutely superb; we had a sumptuous meal of peppers, sausages and lamb (wine, food and liqueurs came to 105Euros).

Mi Burrito y Yo (My Donkey and I), a charming and lively steak house, was also a pleasure to revisit. We had a lovely meal of tortilla, soup, succulent barbecued chicken and barbecued pork; including wine, this came to 78Euros.

I will update the site with details of the other restaurants that we visited over the coming days.

Lilla Pakistan

Restaurant

Restaurant Lilla Pakistan
Sankt Eriksgatan 66
113 20 Stockholm
Sweden

Phone (46) (8) 30 56 46

Website www.lillapakistan.com

Overview

Stockholm has a paucity of good quality Indian/Pakistani restaurants, usually the food is too bland or the decor is that of a cold and uninviting cafe. After some considerable searching on the net, for anything resembling quality, Eva and I came across Restaurant Lilla Pakistan which we decided to try out a few weeks ago.

Lilla Pakistan was established in the early 1990's, and specialises in Pakistani food.

Ambience

Lilla Pakistan is a small, intimate restaurant with dark polished wooden tables, mirrors on the walls and a part open kitchen all of which contribute to a pleasant and inviting atmosphere.

Menu

The menu provided a good selection of Pakistani main courses; fish, meat, chicken and vegetables. However, there were only three appetisers to choose from.

Service

The service was professional and friendly, and advice was also on hand should we have needed it in respect of which wine to accompany our meal.

Food

I chose the Mezban Kae Teen Shorbe to start with. This consisted of 3 different types of soups seasoned with fresh herbs. The soups came in miniature bowls and were excellent. However, one was tomato soup and I would question as to what this really has to do with Pakistani cuisine.

Eva chose the Golshan Barre to start with. This is described on the menu as:

"Lentil dumplings soaked in yoghurt served with freshly chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies, herbs and chaat masala."

Quite honestly this was a complete disappointment, the dumplings were minuscule and hard to detect within the mound of chopped onions etc. Eva was not happy with her choice.

To our view, the appetiser section of the menu requires more attention in terms of choices of dishes on offer, and what actually goes into them.

Fortunately our main courses were better!

I chose the Zafrani Pasanda Fruita; which consisted of marinated tender chunks of lamb roast in a saffron gravy, garnished with fried fruits with ginger, roasted Pakistani pine kernels, with marinated cheese. This was first class, the meat was exceptional tender and flavoursome and was well complemented by the fruits and ginger.

Eva chose the Dahi Gosht for her main course. This was beef cooked in garam masala and yoghurt, a fine dish spicy and stimulating.

To accompany our meal we had Sabzi Ka Pakwan vegetables, potatoes baked with raisins,
fresh herbs and mushrooms; together with two nan breads and rice.

The meal, which included a bottle of sweet German wine, came to 1230SEK before tip.

Overall Opinion

A good quality Asian restaurant, one that Stockholm badly needs. However, as noted, we do feel that the appetisers need more work in terms of choice and content.

Cafe Piastowska

Restaurant

Cafe Piastowska
Tegnergatan 5
111 40 Stockholm
Sweden

Phone (46) (8) 21 25 08

Overview

Eva and I tried out the Cafe Piastowska, a Polish restaurant in Stockholm, the other week.

Ambience

Cafe Piastowska has been in existence for quite a few years in Stockholm and is run by a Swedish gentleman and his Polish wife who have, shall we say, a rather distinctive style and approach to the restaurant trade.

It consists of two floors, the ground floor bar and restaurant area and a basement which is a veritable rabbit warren of nooks and crannies.

The walls were decorated with all manner of knickknacks and artifacts, including Polish imperial flags. Red velour was very much the dominant texture, complemented by the white lace table cloths placed on top of crimson cloths.

We sat downstairs for our meal, then retired upstairs for our coffees and liqueurs.

The atmosphere created by the basement decor and candlelight was very romantic, even though Eva's part of the sofa that she was sitting on collapsed.

You are advised to book, as the owners tend to open and shut when they please. Indeed, the owner was happily going to bar us from entering (even though it was not full) until we told him that we had in fact made a booking.

Menu

The menu was very limited, and only offered soup and three main courses; schnitzel, steak and another dish that I have forgotten.

Service

The service was rather eccentric. When we sat down we were almost instantaneously served a bowl of potato and leek soup, before we had even seen the wine list. It was evident that you had to make sure that you repeated the order to ensure that the staff grasped fully what you wanted.

Rumour has it, that if they don't like you they make it very clear to you indeed.

When we were upstairs, partaking of our vodkas and coffees, we entered into a rather lengthy chat with the owner and his daughter who were sitting on the next table. Evidently we had passed "acceptability" test.

Food

The soup was good, but I found my main course of steak with egg and horseradish to be a little disappointing. The steak not being that high quality, and the potatoes underneath being a little greasy.

Eva managed to persuade them to serve her a blinis to start with. This was rather a bizarre form of blinis, as it came smothered with a variety of ingredients (poached salmon, egg and caviar) and was rather greasy.

Eva chose the schnitzel for her main course, which was rather better than her starter in terms of quality.

The meal, which included a bottle of Chardonnay 3 vodkas and 6 Irish coffees (yes, we "did it large" that night), came to 1340SEK before tip.

Overall Opinion

A romantic, eccentric restaurant; if you want to go out and get drunk in a cosy environment, then this is the place for you. However, don't expect the food to be that exciting.

Mi Burrito y Yo

Restaurant

Mi Burrito y Yo (My Donkey and I)

Paso de la Ensenanza, 2
Barcelona
Spain

Phone 93-318-2742

Overview

Eva and I went to Barcelona last week 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 these being Mi Burrito y Yo (My Donkey and I), a charming steak house near La Rambla.

Ambience

The surroundings were very quaint and rustic, the specialties on the menu were roast meats cooked on an open fire at the entrance level. Downstairs was a small dining room and bar area (with a most sucullent smoked ham sitting atop the bar) upstairs was a larger dining room with a piano for entertainment.

Menu

The menu offered a good selection of steaks, pork, fish and other Spanish dishes.

Service

The service was friendly and efficient, the menu was in English and although our waitress did not speak that much English we had no trouble making ourselves understood.

Food

We were given a large basket of freshly baked bread, two fresh tomatoes, two large fresh garlic cloves and a bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the outset.

The idea being to cut the tomatoes and garlic up, place them on the bread and drizzle the combination with oil and vinegar (DIY brushetta).

What may seem to be rather simple idea was in fact absolutely glorious on the taste buds, and is something that we are inclined to institute at home for our own meals.

Having munched our way through our "Spanish canape", we then proceeded with the serious business of eating our meal.

Eva started with a hearty bowl of vegetable soup with fried croutons. This was a splendid dish, not too thick but neither was it too watery. The balance of vegetables and potatoes were just right, with the croutons added a crunchy texture to the dish.

I started with the tortilla, a homemade omelette filled with cheese and mushrooms. This was unctuous, the omelette (as it should be) was still a little runny and combined perfectly with the mushrooms and cheese. An ideal starter.

Eva chose a light dish of carpaccio for her main course. This being Spain it was not that "light", and consisted of a good sized dish of thinly sliced beef interspersed with cheese shavings and drizzled with olive oil. She was very happy with this dish, the more so because the soup had been very filling.

I chose the pork fillet for my main course. This consisted of two very generous cuts of pork, seasoned with herbs, which had been cooked on the open barbecue. The taste was superb, and the meat very tender and succulent. In my view it had been cooked to perfection. The dish was accompanied by a baked potato and grilled tomatoes.

The meal, which included a bottle of good bottle of Spanish wine, came to 70Euro before service.

Overall Opinion

A splendid restaurant, we heartily recommend it.

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.

Christmas Ham Made Simple

Christmas Ham Made Simple



Here is an easy recipe for a gorgeous and succulent Christmas ham.

Select a good quality smoked gammon joint, plenty of fat and not skinned, not less than 2kg.

-Soak overnight in cold water

-Bring to the boil in fresh water

-Simmer for 20 minutes per pound

-Skin (put the skin in the stock, and use for making split pea soup)

-Stud the fat with cloves

-Smear the fat with a paste of brown sugar, egg yolks and English mustard

-Cover this with breadcrumbs

-Put in a pre heated oven (180 degrees) for 20 minutes, or until golden brown

-Allow to cool

-Eat when cold

Absolutely delicious!

Roast

Restaurant

Roast
The Floral Hall
Borough Market
Stoney Street
London

Phone:- 0207 940 1300

Website: www.roast-restaurant.com

Overview

Eva and I decided to try out the newly opened Roast restaurant in Borough Market last Friday.

Roast is the brainchild creation of Iqbal Wahhab, who founded The Cinnamon Club in Westminster. Roast has 120 seats, and is constructed on the site of Britain's oldest surviving food market, by London Bridge.

Edward Barry designed the Floral Hall in 1858, to house flowers for resale by the market traders; the upper floor now houses Roast, whilst the ground floor will house market traders.

Roast serves traditional British food in a modern lively setting, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I would advise you to book, as the restaurant was packed when we went there.

Ambience

Roast is situated on the first floor of the Floral Hall of Borough Market. It consists of a large split level dining room and open fronted spit roast kitchen, together with a bar placed mid centre of the main part of the dining room.

The building has been given a stunning frontage in the form of the portico of the old Covent Garden flower market, which offers diners views onto the market on one side and over into St Paul's Cathedral on the other.

If you like the colour scheme white, then you are in for a treat; white is the order of the day for the walls and high ceilings, together with the linen napkins and tablecloths.

This, coupled with the large glass windows, gives Roast an airy and spacious atmosphere.

The layout of the restaurant means that those diners who are placed on the upper split level by the windows are afforded an excellent view of the market and St Paul's, whilst many of those on the lower level are afforded an excellent view of the bar and kitchen.

I would therefore advise you to specify your preference when booking your table.

As noted the restaurant was very lively, bright and spacious; as such it may not be first choice for a romantic cosy meal for two.

We were given a very good table on the "upper deck" by the window. I was more than pleased to note that, despite the fact the restaurant has a high ceiling and large glass frontage, it was not cold.

Menu

The menu was unashamedly British, and contained a variety of traditional dishes such as; roast pork with black pudding, potted shrimps, roast pheasant, steak and fish.

However, rather bizarrely for a restaurant that calls itself Roast, the one dish that was missing was Roast Beef!

I find this omission to be more than a little daft, and indeed said as much to the staff.

I really would suggest that this dish, that is widely regarded as the national dish of Britain, should be included on Roast's menu as soon as possible.

One other point that I would suggest that Roast address, is the fact that their website does not at the time of writing have a sample menu uploaded. The key feature of any well designed restaurant website is the menu page.

Service

We were warmly greeted, and promptly shown to our table.

The staff were very friendly and efficient. The service and attention to detail was smooth and well co-ordinated as it needed to be, given the number of covers.

Eva's dropped butter knife, was replaced immediately without prompting.

Food

I started with the green split pea soup with salt beef and vegetables. This was a little too thin and watery for my taste; I have been brought up eating yellow split pea soup, which had a much thicker consistency.

I would also suggest that the split peas and vegetables could have benefited from being cooked for a little longer; as they were, to my view/taste, a touch underdone.

I chose the roast suckling pig with black pudding for my main course.

This consisted of several slices of good quality pork, a good cut with just the right amount of fat and crackling, served with a thin slice of black pudding which had been placed atop half an apple.

The pork was very good, the taste and texture was first class.

I would, however, make two observations:

• The majority of the crackling did not crackle



• The pork was luke warm rather than hot, I suspect that it had been left a little too long on the plate before being taken from the kitchen to our table

I chose roast potatoes and roast pumpkin to accompany the dish. These were both excellent, the potatoes had been cooked in dripping and were crunchy on the outside, but soft and yielding within.

Unlike the pork, they were hot.

The slices of roast pumpkin were splendid, and had been roasted to perfection.

Eva started with the potted shrimps, which came with a lemon wedge and a little toast. They were delightfully indulgent, rich, tasty and filling.

Eva then chose the roast pheasant for her main course, she chose mashed potatoes to accompany it.

The pheasant consisted of a generous portion of both breast and leg, served on top of sherry glazed parsnips. The bird had been well, but not over, cooked. It was succulent, tender and had a delicate game flavour. The size of the portion defeated Eva; so we made off with the remainder in a doggy bag, and had it the next day in a sandwich.

The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy, and had a better taste and consistency than many that we have had elsewhere.

The meal, which included a bottle of Pinot Grigio (unaccountably they had no Chablis on the wine list) and a liqueur, came to £100 including service.

Overall Opinion

We enjoyed our evening; once the few “teething” issues that I have raised above are addressed, Roast will enjoy commercial and culinary success.

Disney Lands In The Soup

Disney Lands In The Soup

Disney has managed to get itself into hot water, over its plans to serve dishes such as shark's fin soup, sea cucumber and abalone in its hotel restaurants in its new theme park in Hong Kong.

Clarus Chu, of the World Wildlife Fund in Hong Kong, said:

"Promoting these marine species is not responsible because they are not sustainably harvested. Disney should have the social responsibility to promote responsible consumption...Serving these in wedding banquets will also make the bride and groom feel they are not doing something right."

The Chinese consider these dishes to be a sign of affluence.

Disney is quoted as saying that it will serve the dish "upon request".

Quote:

"Hong Kong Disneyland takes environmental stewardship very seriously and we are equally sensitive to local cultures..It is customary for Chinese restaurants and 5-star hotels to serve shark's fin soup in Hong Kong as the dish is considered as an integral part of Chinese banquets."

Waiter There's A Tongue Piercing In My Soup!

Waiter There's A Tongue Piercing In My Soup!

It seems that the diners in Cheyenne, Wyoming USA, have more than just hairs in their soup to contend with.

It is reported that a city health inspector has said there had been "several cases" of tongue rings, and other facial jewelry, found in the food in the city's restaurants.

This has caused a minor panic in the Governor's Food Safety Council, as such they have recommending banning facial jewelry for restaurant workers who prepare food.

This may be a culinary first!

Jon Cecil, of Cheyenne Health Department, reportedly told the Food Safety Council in January:

"We've had several cases of old ladies finding tongue rings and rings and whatnot in their food..We actually had a lady at one of our finer restaurants in town and ... she found a tongue ring."

Seemingly nose rings could transmit staph bacteria. However, the nose ring would have to sit in a plate of food for hours before a sufficient population of bacteria built up to spread the disease.

It may be more important to concentrate on the basics of hygiene, such as washing your hands regularly.

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.

Restaurant

Jardin de Provence
40-42 South End
Croydon
Surrey

Phone:- 0208 255 0045

Website www.lebienmanger.com

Overview

Eva and I decided to try out Jardin de Provence, which has been taken over by the owner of what was Le Bien Manger, on Friday.

Jardin de Provence serves their interpretation of French style cuisine.

Ambience

Jardin offers seating for around 250 people, in a modern and stylish setting. There is a bar running down and a main dining area, part of which is elevated; then there is also a private dining area.

We sat in the elevated section, which afforded us a view of the bar and the kitchen; which could be seen through a large glass window.

The tables were laid with linen cloths and a selection of glassware, for wine and water. The atmosphere was busy and lively, as there was a private dinner in the adjacent function room.

There were café prints and glass mirrors on the walls. The off white ceiling was subtly contrasted by the orange pillars.

Our welcome was warm, and the atmosphere comfortable.

Menu

The menu contained a reasonable selection of French style food including; onion soup, oysters, scallops, snails, duck breast and sole. Rather perversely Jardin serves pasta as well, which of course has nothing to do with French cuisine.

There were some specials on a blackboard, as well as the a la carte selection.

I would say, that for a restaurant to describe itself as French, it needs to offer a little more traditional French food than Jardin has on its menu; eg lamb cassoulet, beef bourguignon and chicken chasseur.

Additionally, I would suggest that plain grilled steaks and cutlets are also offered; aside from those on the menu which are covered in sauces.

Service

The staff were very friendly, efficient and prompt.

One member of staff bore a striking resemblance to Oliver Letwin (Tory party Shadow Chancellor), given the Tories ratings in the polls it is entirely possible that he was working there.

Food

I started with the leek soup. This was good, hot and creamy with a good taste of leeks.

I chose one of the specials for my main course, braised lamb shank. This came in a rich red wine sauce. Now whilst there was nothing wrong per se with it; it is fair to say it was not the best lamb shank that I have ever had. To my view it had been cooked at too high a temperature, rather than the low long braising that is required. The result was that it was a little dry, and the meat did not slip gently off the bone as it should do.

Eva started with the scallops, these were sautéed with mushrooms, herbs and cream; they were presented on a bed of mashed potatoes. These were excellent, and she was very pleased with this dish.

Eva chose the chicken breast stuffed with spinach, in a tomato sauce. Whilst it tasted alright, it was not exceptional; Eva felt, and I concur, that the chicken was bland and dry.

The meal came with sauté potatoes and a selection of vegetables.

The meal, which included a bottle of Pouilly Fume and several liqueurs, came to £76 including service.

Overall Opinion

In our opinion, whilst the atmosphere is good, the food needs a little more attention and imagination.

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.

Restaurant

Garbo’s
42 Crawford Street
London

Phone:- 0207 262 6582

Overview

As you know from my Self Introduction, I have spent five years in Sweden, and my partner is Swedish. Therefore I have picked up a few of the customs and habits from the Nordic area.

Friday was Walpurgis, the day when Sweden celebrates the coming of spring by lighting bonfires and drinking heavily. In the absence of any suitable bonfires, Eva and I went to the Swedish section of London for a drink and a meal.

We started off with a drink in the Harcourt Arms in Harcourt Street; this is near to the Swedish Embassy, the Swedish church, various other Swedish organisations and Garbo’s. The pub is a very cosy and jolly establishment frequented by Swedes; many of the bar staff are Swedish, and it even has “Swedish Salong” (a small room painted yellow).

However, I digress, the real object of our trip was to try out Garbo’s which is London’s only Swedish restaurant. This has been owned and run by Ake Lindholm for a number of years.

Ambience

Garbo’s is very cosy inviting Swedish restaurant close to Baker Street.

It had a “bistro like” atmosphere, but the quality and attention to detail of a quality restaurant. It was cosy, cheerful and intimate. The floors were polished wood, the walls were painted white and decorated with a large amount of memorabilia including; pictures of the Swedish royal family, copious prints of Great Garbo and a very large moose’s head (the eyes of which seemed to follow me around the room).

The tables were laid with linen cloths and napkins, with a touch of the IKEA in the condiment display. There was a fresh carnation on every table.

Crisp breads and rolls were placed on the table in a basket, with a good-sized portion of butter on a side plate.

Downstairs the restaurant had a private function room which, at the time of our visit, was hosting the Anglo-Finnish Society.

Menu

The menu offers an excellent selection of Swedish and Nordic cuisine including; pea soup, Gravad-lax (cured salmon), Jansson’s Temptation (potatoes and anchovies in a cream and onion sauce), herrings, sole, seabass, meatballs, veal, Kaldolmar (stuffed cabbage and lingonberry sauce) and Pytt I Panna (diced meat, potatoes and onions with a fried egg).

The restaurant also caters for parties, both in the function room and outside.

The menu, explains the contents of each dish; so there is no need to worry about the strange names of some of the dishes.

Service

Our Swedish waitress was very friendly and efficient. I even tried out my rusty and basic Swedish, and was told that I had good pronunciation

Food

I started with the crepe stuffed with chicken and mushrooms. This was very agreeable, it was a good size for a starter; and tasted rich and creamy, without being stodgy and “claggy”. A good way to start the evening.

I chose the Wiener schnitzel with two fried eggs for my main course. This was a good sized piece of meat, tender and succulent. It had been breaded and fried golden brown in butter. The eggs added a richness, and oomph, to the dish. I chose sauté potatoes and mushrooms to accompany it. My compliments to the chef, a good piece of meat well cooked and presented.

Eva started with Skagen Toast; this is a dish of prawns and roe served in a dill mayonnaise sauce on top of butter fried bread. I commend this dish to you, it was presented exquisitely on the plate; the prawns neatly piled on top of the toast, and the roe neatly on top of the prawns. It tasted absolutely perfect.

Eva chose Kalvrullader med Lingon for her main course, this was veal filled with onions and gherkins served in a mustard cream sauce. This dish was very rich and definitely unctuous, superb! She chose rich butter mashed potatoes and broccoli to accompany it. She was absolutely delighted with her choice.

The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and some Irish coffees, came to £68 before service.

Overall Opinion

In my view this restaurant is better in terms of food and atmosphere than many in Stockholm. We will most definitely be returning, and commend others to dine there as well.