tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43701056291302343462024-03-16T03:27:08.264-07:00The Insatiable EaterLet's Eat!Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-59998109761122038972018-05-20T06:06:00.002-07:002018-05-20T06:06:20.016-07:00Hide: run, don't Hide Above<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide exterior</td></tr>
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I wish we were reacquainting under better circumstances dear reader, but I'm back with an important PSA. To call Hide the worst restaurant I've been to in a long time is an overly generous assessment of this temple to disappointment. What happened to Ollie’s cooking? It was elegant and light and flavour-forward, but no longer. It’s been replaced by a safe, corporate vision and a production line approach of largely quick-to serve-dishes, necessitated (I guess) by the vast number of covers in this expensive corner of Mayfair. In the move from Fitzrovia, the kitchen left behind all traces of flavour. I’ve never encountered inedible dishes in a £100-plus tasting menu. Hide gave us two: suspiciously mushy blue fin tuna and a king crab devoid of all flavour and texture. Elsewhere the famous Dabbous coddled egg has been revamped for the worse and the great bread has morphed into a tasteless variety basket. We were trapped in this tasting menu mediocrity and only marginally comforted by modest markups on the expansive wine list. I suspect the professional pundits will praise it and Michelin will anoint it with a star (for the staircase alone), but Hide is no Dabbous. That place (RIP) was a breath of fresh air when it opened 5 years ago, but Hide just leaves you gasping to get out.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I’ll take the shit sandwich approach to this blog post: you know, start with some positive observations, follow with the negative and finish on another positive. The staff, predominantly male and French, impressed. They were already pretty well drilled on the menu despite being officially open only a few days (post weeks of “soft opening”). But what’s with having a single female server in the dining room? And why would you dress her in faux French farm girl garb with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qWFSBqAxR4" target="_blank">Seinfeld-esque puffy sleeves</a>. She looked ridiculous and uncomfortable next to the elegantly attired gents.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: pickled / preserved vegetables</td></tr>
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That's the positive (ish) side of things. Now the food. <b>Vegetables / Flesh & Bone / Bread & Broth</b>: The tasting menu at Hide Above, begins with pickled veg. Carrots, turnips, beets and friends with slightly different styles of pickling all artfully arranged. Very Nordic, a little nouvelle, but...snore, not very original. Leave this style to the Danes, who do it better. The house made cured meats – goose and pork – were pleasant enough, but weirdly served wrapped around feathers and fake bones. I guess it distracts from the small sized serving. A small bowl of mushroom broth was also served along with the bread basket (I'll get to that later).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hQfyykfjaofz243LuU4Ze-4L0aBVx_8emD7OxSqXdJT6IMnjXsa7f32Tg0KpNTBiWzElJA-iJwXBmB1YuI1_LTVKYGjFHh6ERFYHgW7GQ0kj57AWOEasz_wWuh5dB6CAu25ptcTW4g_C/s1600/IMG_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hQfyykfjaofz243LuU4Ze-4L0aBVx_8emD7OxSqXdJT6IMnjXsa7f32Tg0KpNTBiWzElJA-iJwXBmB1YuI1_LTVKYGjFHh6ERFYHgW7GQ0kj57AWOEasz_wWuh5dB6CAu25ptcTW4g_C/s640/IMG_0118.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: what's avocado doing on a modern British menu?</td></tr>
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<b>Celeriac, avocado and angelica</b>: a dish that maintained the cold pickled theme. A thin shaving of celeriac encased chopped avocado, and then surrounded by a chilled broth. The presentation was reminiscent of dim sum "money bags", which would have been tastier than this. A fair dish, but unless it's on toast, avocado has no place on a British menu. Food miles and seasonality be damned apparently.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: inedible tuna</td></tr>
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<b>Raw tuna with prickly ash and Exmoor caviar:</b> I'm convinced this dish was prepared well before serving since the tuna had a mushy texture and I question the quality of the caviar too. After a mouthful, we all stopped eating this. To his credit the <i><span class="Y0NH2b CLPzrc">maître</span> d'</i> asked why we did not finish, but suggested the tuna was from the same supplier as that to three-star Araki and delivered daily, so we must be wrong. I hate wasting food, but this was inedible. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: nest egg with Campbell's Soup consistency</td></tr>
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<b>Nest egg:</b> I was looking forward to reacquainting with the coddled egg, one of the signatures at Dabbous, but what
once was luxurious and creamy has turned to stodge. Imagine the
thickness of concentrated <a href="https://www.campbells.com/campbell-soup/condensed/cream-of-chicken-and-mushroom-soup/" target="_blank">Campbell's cream of mushroom soup</a> and you've reached the consistency of this serving. It left an unpleasant coating on the tongue. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4079qq0lDTMY4U9KCXK-75JZ9DBereKHu9WPa6ziszpCnEsbTyUM6y7az81jmVktpl4Mq6TTp2PBEHTiFQrPOYZ2xLiixEE3x8gicP6a4-jFizaxEdSHozxP5IOhWweIGKr0yeQUwqNei/s1600/IMG_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4079qq0lDTMY4U9KCXK-75JZ9DBereKHu9WPa6ziszpCnEsbTyUM6y7az81jmVktpl4Mq6TTp2PBEHTiFQrPOYZ2xLiixEE3x8gicP6a4-jFizaxEdSHozxP5IOhWweIGKr0yeQUwqNei/s640/IMG_0120.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: snore-worthy sashimi</td></tr>
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<b>Two servings of Cornish fish (£16 supplement)</b>: After two really dud dishes in a row, our expectations went south. The sashimi, adorned with sea veg, wasn't particularly memorable. The squid noodles were served with a warm broth. Fine, but again fairly ho hum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: strange-textured squid</td></tr>
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<b>Roast king crab, turnips, camomile honey and salted butter</b>: How the kitchen managed to suck all the flavour and texture from the crab is mind boggling. What was served had the texture of a crab stick from a Chinese takeaway, but with less flavour. Where was the natural sweetness of the crab? That ridiculously luxurious texture? That a crab had to die for this dish is an absolute travesty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKikqMftn1LCyMMZt_9r694fYwCtIqGEXfgNQIqKOK3ngBQgdHkJuJMyNJmM4IckBE2L8ZUY-B-LB8iWc94LDSeY9cr286d4b_FefEhnOjmnKV8_eqNMZ4A6GswAmJvPmZo6bs3e5sIYOP/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKikqMftn1LCyMMZt_9r694fYwCtIqGEXfgNQIqKOK3ngBQgdHkJuJMyNJmM4IckBE2L8ZUY-B-LB8iWc94LDSeY9cr286d4b_FefEhnOjmnKV8_eqNMZ4A6GswAmJvPmZo6bs3e5sIYOP/s640/IMG_0113.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: that a crab was killed for this dish is a travesty</td></tr>
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<b>Barbecued organic Herdwick lamb, charred asparagus, savoury pine nut praline</b>: uniformly cooked, probably sous vide, the lamb had no hint of the barbecue about it. Lamb fat is sweet and crispy when it touches a naked flame, but this was just soft and flabby. To an Aussie like me, serving lamb like this is sacrilegious. Ollie has kept the praline that was served with the Iberico pork dish at Dabbous (acorns then), but the pine nut flavours added little to this serving.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnj9B1IbMa_650FoZ02eqoXbmwoeGijpRNkiKGQo8p_PIprfhazDHkovwHCdsfQwXw-j2ltlE_Hi1uVFZHyk9RQWJq1Tudr63gFhVHhTlXJpwCMva_qpntYs76e6qoyu4kMu72w7C1xYw/s1600/IMG_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnj9B1IbMa_650FoZ02eqoXbmwoeGijpRNkiKGQo8p_PIprfhazDHkovwHCdsfQwXw-j2ltlE_Hi1uVFZHyk9RQWJq1Tudr63gFhVHhTlXJpwCMva_qpntYs76e6qoyu4kMu72w7C1xYw/s640/IMG_0111.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: not-barbecued barbecued lamb</td></tr>
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<b>Garden ripple ice cream</b>: when the pick of the dishes is the pre-dessert you know there's a problem. Fresh and bright and a little peppery, this was a clean, fresh break from the savoury courses thankfully. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuHmXCFxwMvIpd2qihZmVOPpGzfG9cf-QtXfhpeAMB19VsA9VgAZ8rNptKHc3TfxE-9sjcBG67pckvnLV8-AJh7Yvq581nt-agFSmCUNYVgGqNbx-WE4T7DjT3V3RA8BTxrbN9S8joxxP/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuHmXCFxwMvIpd2qihZmVOPpGzfG9cf-QtXfhpeAMB19VsA9VgAZ8rNptKHc3TfxE-9sjcBG67pckvnLV8-AJh7Yvq581nt-agFSmCUNYVgGqNbx-WE4T7DjT3V3RA8BTxrbN9S8joxxP/s640/IMG_0112.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: When the pre-dessert is the best dish, something is really wrong.</td></tr>
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<b>Hide Jasmine & Wild Peaflower Religieuse; cold brew Jasmine Tea:</b> You can salvage a meal with a killer dessert, but not at Hide. The cream filling of the choux was powdery, grainy and had separated - a sign that it was old. As an aside, what happened to the baker? At Dabbous, the bread was served in dinky, date-stamped paper bags, still warm and moreish. At Hide, the approach to bread is more-is-more with various
rolls, baguettes and slices in the basket, none of which had any flavour. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTcPwJdaru6rghso5fXdhhgRPvLN88zmfDPHNn_icdLnMq9PK_1NgP6ltM9ht7xsnZ772okhPqChd0HTkAxI394_17tpRkNBtZ0IOJxPBwtq1rLp9ML1qtmiBQqAHctms1B3UCZMWNzzP/s1600/IMG_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTcPwJdaru6rghso5fXdhhgRPvLN88zmfDPHNn_icdLnMq9PK_1NgP6ltM9ht7xsnZ772okhPqChd0HTkAxI394_17tpRkNBtZ0IOJxPBwtq1rLp9ML1qtmiBQqAHctms1B3UCZMWNzzP/s640/IMG_0115.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide Above: good choux, terrible split cream filling</td></tr>
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So, that's a lot of filling for this sandwich, right? Time for something positive again. To its credit, Hide is a great place to drink. The wine list has the lightest mark ups over retail I've encountered. We drank a bottle of Jacquesson champagne at £75 a bottle, which is in my local bottle shop at £55. You would easily pay £150 elsewhere. The full Hedonism list is only 15 minutes away at £30 corkage. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-Vik9kEVb3vT3nIzHhpMs1CwCkR1ssqLwps_4w56wKIU7oaqC_k6mTz_U5lGFAiQMSto8dvG68a5KLtjGi3co8bRYMSSP-ly_eTvjSMpn_nY5-CnQ-EU-L3R7rbmOSaKgsKRx9_dBlwL/s1600/IMG_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-Vik9kEVb3vT3nIzHhpMs1CwCkR1ssqLwps_4w56wKIU7oaqC_k6mTz_U5lGFAiQMSto8dvG68a5KLtjGi3co8bRYMSSP-ly_eTvjSMpn_nY5-CnQ-EU-L3R7rbmOSaKgsKRx9_dBlwL/s640/IMG_0121.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The staircase is lovely</td></tr>
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So how did Hide end up here? I'm assuming economics. There are 250 covers split over the three levels and it feels like at least 100 of them are Above. As a consequence, the tasting menu needs to set a pace, hence the prevalence of cold dishes. It feels more about co-ordination than cooking. Dabbous set a bar of expectation for Hide, and when it falls so far short - with inedible dishes and misjudged updates to classics - it's just so disappointing. As a great philosopher once wrote, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxwbhkDjZM" target="_blank">ain't nobody got time for that</a>.<br />
<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-49505250485295325742016-02-27T01:56:00.001-08:002016-02-27T01:56:40.251-08:00Lurra: not quite a Basque Grill<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9ukMwEuiJxlGWKYd7LmhG-bqOMYFv200zGa3X1HQzGXsd__0VtoXrmkISWXsTr5GxwSXbVdImCGEDiZMchHZmRCJTgotTdn1Tvb3M_-BDkz1lxqTxXRJx7oXoBb-6oZ4ef0Acgtudn2V/s1600/thumb_IMG_0643_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9ukMwEuiJxlGWKYd7LmhG-bqOMYFv200zGa3X1HQzGXsd__0VtoXrmkISWXsTr5GxwSXbVdImCGEDiZMchHZmRCJTgotTdn1Tvb3M_-BDkz1lxqTxXRJx7oXoBb-6oZ4ef0Acgtudn2V/s320/thumb_IMG_0643_1024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rubia Gallega at Lurra</td></tr>
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Donastia, Lurra's sister restaurant, has the
honour of being on my list of banned London restaurants. Oh yes, the list is real and it is lengthy. I wanted
to like Donastia when it first opened but, a bit like Lurra, some of the
dishes failed to hit the mark. Donastia's overcooked pluma was unforgivable while their mini wagyu burger was a pale imitation of the drool-worthy iberico burger at Opera Tavern. That's not the reason for the ban though. Donastia
is the only restaurant in London where the staff turfed me
off my table at the end of my allotted 2 hour dining slot. We were
handed the bill and our coats with the last bites of dessert while a couple stood next to the table.
Needless to say, I haven't been back. Lurra wasn't like that though, but to invoke a sporting analogy to describe the food, there are a lot of swings, a few hits but no home runs.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Lurra subtitles itself a Basque Grill. It's not really, but it makes a
decent attempt at replicating the dishes you will find around San
Sebastien and the hills of Bilbao. I'm not claiming to be an expert on the rustic dishes of
the Basque, but my meals there benefited from being cooked in close contact with burning embers. The food at Asador Etxebarri was so memorable because of the
nuanced use of smoke in most of the dishes. Lurra adds old vine twigs to
its fire, but they imparted little to the flavour
of the dishes I had there. It's a missed opportunity to create something incredible. I'm being a bit picky, but by and large I liked Lurra and plan to return. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZB0PaMfUkjjmOMj-fXTsZ74QxsZEy5cFlS6qLUvlUknigR8cVMtGU0Ct8ZkVYWJPs2clV7IvxtFMyfF-Io13IFZvQ8BOr89N6VkYZapgLn7l-i5VM-Bnw9gcXImj-NBMtqgSSvVRqSA5/s1600/thumb_P2200010_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZB0PaMfUkjjmOMj-fXTsZ74QxsZEy5cFlS6qLUvlUknigR8cVMtGU0Ct8ZkVYWJPs2clV7IvxtFMyfF-Io13IFZvQ8BOr89N6VkYZapgLn7l-i5VM-Bnw9gcXImj-NBMtqgSSvVRqSA5/s640/thumb_P2200010_1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courgette flower stuffed with cod brandada at Lurra</td></tr>
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We started with a number of small plates. A courgette flower stuffed with cod brandada lacked lightness with an oddly thick coating. The filling was quite substantial and this size made it slightly too large to eat solo, but it was also a messy mouthful to share as a tapa. The brandada had a decent fishy flavour though. For £7.50 each, this dish was overpriced by about £2 in my view, and there are better courgette flowers in London. Salt Yard charge £4.50 for their brilliant version stuffed with goats' cheese. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_htETLfokf_XnU-G8WtKBrjidurPZlmJxn7M_vhoXG5ouHjv1M4A4I_SrT3MQZS6GiLHdX2-G9ShGiVAE7ZwnOQPRbUrVJcbHjsXjMHs5LRNhRIsqRHcDrG10GBUg331jsIjXbZkbSoJk/s1600/thumb_P2200027_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_htETLfokf_XnU-G8WtKBrjidurPZlmJxn7M_vhoXG5ouHjv1M4A4I_SrT3MQZS6GiLHdX2-G9ShGiVAE7ZwnOQPRbUrVJcbHjsXjMHs5LRNhRIsqRHcDrG10GBUg331jsIjXbZkbSoJk/s640/thumb_P2200027_1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squid stuffed with prawns and chorizo at Lurra</td></tr>
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Squid stuffed with prawns and chorizo (£13) promised much but lacked on the execution. The squid body was stuffed with small prawns and chunky hunks of well spiced chorizo, but I thought it was a little on dry side. I probably wouldn't order it again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwEIf-QpgH3h7YYFiQPsWYv1kQAe-Iop4bIKrtHPW7oH0XyRTt0z8qpwRrDmiuf0xk0fr8ZeaaUfS2X202_glVbzryTO0yLLZEfjIB2liX5xnXVw9I7vRsMMwOBh2nBH3wosiEzlcYaKt/s1600/thumb_IMG_0641_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwEIf-QpgH3h7YYFiQPsWYv1kQAe-Iop4bIKrtHPW7oH0XyRTt0z8qpwRrDmiuf0xk0fr8ZeaaUfS2X202_glVbzryTO0yLLZEfjIB2liX5xnXVw9I7vRsMMwOBh2nBH3wosiEzlcYaKt/s640/thumb_IMG_0641_1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koktxas pil-pil at Lurra</td></tr>
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We got back on track with the hake koktxas pip-pil (£7) which were terrific. The gelatious cod throats were very tender and the pil pil sauce was plate-lickingly good. Bread and butter, is charged at £3 for three half slices, but the quality was a far cry from the sourdough you get from Hedone via the Antidote Wine Bar for £4. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfmk64EViQoUQcNb93G0CvEkrnZ9W8ACMkiHF694Zb1gsQyBWZYpgb57axtcZ6h4RVBnsS-GJcdPMH_KKl0ma0ZodlqJEhHe3OGwwAd0eXBx7gD0UR7uvUiaJ5vxjJl3e_qxF7VDqZdcQ/s1600/thumb_P2200017_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfmk64EViQoUQcNb93G0CvEkrnZ9W8ACMkiHF694Zb1gsQyBWZYpgb57axtcZ6h4RVBnsS-GJcdPMH_KKl0ma0ZodlqJEhHe3OGwwAd0eXBx7gD0UR7uvUiaJ5vxjJl3e_qxF7VDqZdcQ/s640/thumb_P2200017_1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled octopus with piquillo sauce at Lurra</td></tr>
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The striking grilled octopus was almost a ten out of ten dish. The tentacles and head were tender but still juicy and the dish would have been a complete knock out had there been a more noticeable whiff of smoke about it. The piquillo pepper sauce was great, but to be honest I'm not a huge fan of squeezy bottle drizzle plating. It looks a bit too Duck & Waffle to me (evidence <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCIqslsJQDR/?taken-by=duckandwaffle" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/6pkLu2JQJt/?taken-by=duckandwaffle" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/42l-xAJQPF/?taken-by=duckandwaffle" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/4Xbdy9JQIN/?taken-by=duckandwaffle" target="_blank">here</a> but I could go on). I'm also not a fan of multiple blobs of sauces or gels or vertically placed vegetables, but I digress.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTfU_0eKchmzAUCQkBHqbFvEKte3j7Yw43QOVwYsn_n9RcWdOVm842AK16RCfs39Zz5hvqNRV6ldcfL9IUTLY5WJG5OiUbzc8TN7M6eM4mICOqRV1ahG3SaZ-VLedS6UuUsm8man5HXi1/s1600/thumb_P2200037_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTfU_0eKchmzAUCQkBHqbFvEKte3j7Yw43QOVwYsn_n9RcWdOVm842AK16RCfs39Zz5hvqNRV6ldcfL9IUTLY5WJG5OiUbzc8TN7M6eM4mICOqRV1ahG3SaZ-VLedS6UuUsm8man5HXi1/s640/thumb_P2200037_1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 year old Rubia Gellega Prime Rib, Grade 9</td></tr>
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The two large sharing plates, which are the climax of the menu, evoke the famous dishes of the region. We chose the Galician Blond prime rib (£71) over the turbot and added some side dishes. I don't think I've had a better tomato salad than the one at Lurra . It must be the Feo de Tudela tomatoes. Even at £6, I'd order it again. The grilled red peppers were similarly sensational (£6). I wasn't won over by the fries though - maybe it was the price (£6!). The kilo of beef was grilled nicely and cooked rare and juicy, but once again I couldn't really taste any smokiness to it. Still, it is a terrific cut of meat with a huge flavour. Is steak worth £71? Probably not, but I'd be happy to eat this again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLaoowPwFSEubAhksRIZZn-nZnkDN0ntC_ETRfoH_nTGd8R3TWbLJPZsds47w3LILPZAU3S2G1riSpabNuhBhsdaAxqt8DIaCLLjoFhXt-a8-Roi6TTpoqQtIkouZ40pMcYi_NRB99m7l/s1600/thumb_P2200049_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLaoowPwFSEubAhksRIZZn-nZnkDN0ntC_ETRfoH_nTGd8R3TWbLJPZsds47w3LILPZAU3S2G1riSpabNuhBhsdaAxqt8DIaCLLjoFhXt-a8-Roi6TTpoqQtIkouZ40pMcYi_NRB99m7l/s640/thumb_P2200049_1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate fondant at Lurra</td></tr>
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How we had room for dessert I have no idea, but we kept it relatively light. A scoop each of wonderfully flavoured banana ice cream and rhubarb ice cream (£2 each) really hit the spot. The chocolate fondant (£5.50) had a lustrous molten shine once the set shell was pierced. It was glorious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkGl6oQ9fThc9UGCrX4oC85Z-YapD6105A8u8z9JiQjNj421TJX6td1-9iBVIZRmJkWpKOkW_H6VNQdWkOuTY1eCgvP9IU1amqtvS_ldQBukiPzlkvLvPfchbMzN4QRxleKqYKDVEcPm3/s1600/thumb_P2200052_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkGl6oQ9fThc9UGCrX4oC85Z-YapD6105A8u8z9JiQjNj421TJX6td1-9iBVIZRmJkWpKOkW_H6VNQdWkOuTY1eCgvP9IU1amqtvS_ldQBukiPzlkvLvPfchbMzN4QRxleKqYKDVEcPm3/s640/thumb_P2200052_1024.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhubarb ice cream at Lurra</td></tr>
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We drank a fair amount which pushed up the bill, but I was catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in ages. The Placet (£49) and the Remelluri Reserva (£59) were both great, and we finished with a few glasses of PX, although at £6 for a small pour it was priced a bit on the steep side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtRKlYSxTzxuBKk4KoQxoykdFMwWYFtan34w7-SgdGnx3Pe704IqkITvO8_J82VnLX0XtQQ8PfexeGCSI4xMlIdCN6Kyj0KZin8P4WAOXkrEOxu5z27lJ6UvQ4sgZsggncqnFOzJNTmtt/s1600/P2200053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtRKlYSxTzxuBKk4KoQxoykdFMwWYFtan34w7-SgdGnx3Pe704IqkITvO8_J82VnLX0XtQQ8PfexeGCSI4xMlIdCN6Kyj0KZin8P4WAOXkrEOxu5z27lJ6UvQ4sgZsggncqnFOzJNTmtt/s640/P2200053.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The measure of Pedro Ximenez at Lurra</td></tr>
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I'm happy to say
the service at Lurra did not invoke the trauma of Donastia, although the
largely Spanish staff were a bit over-eager. If there are ever a few stray
prawns or chorizo on a plate, I will eat them. I'm not called the Insatiable
Eater for nothing. I found myself mentally slapping the plate-reaching
wrists of the Lurra staff and I worry that one day I actually will lash out and probably end up with an assault charge. Watch this space.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/london/lurra-marble-arch" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Lurra, Marble Arch and other Restaurants in London"><img alt="Lurra Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/17831063/biglink" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurant/lurra?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Lurra"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/Views/DynamicImages/BlogSmallImage.aspx?restaurant=7e3235ea2afa406e99d7bea668016c36" height="90" width="170" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-44871309796892205292016-02-20T01:56:00.002-08:002016-02-20T01:56:32.911-08:00The Sportsman, Kent - Just do it<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aJWiZ4kOVkZFnhH_QlDcAytehGsDVYSk7XUNq39PASVepMsokkgcvgsF6feL6uPaQZvJIJpGIEeYJCrfpBYSZCf6GLzea7n6lZYJ8h0j4JYNW4Fr9j5Y_QZufpsThRTtyhyphenhyphenoiIw5cmvx/s1600/IMG_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aJWiZ4kOVkZFnhH_QlDcAytehGsDVYSk7XUNq39PASVepMsokkgcvgsF6feL6uPaQZvJIJpGIEeYJCrfpBYSZCf6GLzea7n6lZYJ8h0j4JYNW4Fr9j5Y_QZufpsThRTtyhyphenhyphenoiIw5cmvx/s320/IMG_0614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sportsman</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Sportsman</a> is one of those seemingly mythic restaurants existing beyond Zone 2 that always seemed unreachable to this non-car owning city slicker. Yes I know there are trains but really, who would entrust their <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/mild-frost-on-sunny-winter-morning-causes-chaos-on-london-commuter-trains-a3178751.html">punctuality</a>, or <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/20-southeastern-trains-to-london-cancelled-a-day-after-firm-is-named-among-worst-in-uk-a3166951.html" target="_blank">anything</a> else for that <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/southeastern-trains-blames-bright-sunlight-again-for-rush-hour-delays-a3164311.html" target="_blank">matter</a>, to SouthEastern Trains? The four hour lunchtime tasting menu at The Sportsman kicks off at midday and I'd prefer not to have to leave home at 6am to reach Whitstable in time thanks very much. So we bit the bullet, hired a car, organised a shady mid-week hookie day from work, et voila, found ourselves in Kent on a frosty mid December day. For some reason, I had thought the focus of the meal would be solely on seafood given the proximity to the coast, but I was wrong. The seafood courses were my favourites, but vegetable-only and meat-based dishes held their own. There was very little to fault in the meal and with the relaxed and friendly service, I'd even brave SouthEastern to get another taste of the terrific brill braised in vin jaune sauce. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The meal starts with a number of snacks. I liked the pickled herring on soda bread with a lovely jelly the most with the cheese and lamb kidney bite a close second. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starter snacks at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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The second snack was a magnificent poached egg yolk bathed in a horseradish cream with smoked eel and a parsley sauce. It was like a warm hug and a smack in the mouth at the same time. Lightly smokey and very creamy, but with freshness from the parsley and a kick from horseradish. A lot of raw dairy products are used at The Sportsman, giving the dishes a wonderful bracing tartness too. The 2.5 hour drive from west London is quickly forgotten with each mouthful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjrAiU1Loah4F-PqWvBSEJDRTrggCKaCe-8R2nzy_U3zEEuXs-mMGSnGG8N-GRAD3josYQ4pO1kA9IVSW_gNqANCtTBWBmSHXYCNnREFjgU38aUxsonJ3OpNfzq2bzI1gJidJJcy2QTrM/s1600/IMG_0617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjrAiU1Loah4F-PqWvBSEJDRTrggCKaCe-8R2nzy_U3zEEuXs-mMGSnGG8N-GRAD3josYQ4pO1kA9IVSW_gNqANCtTBWBmSHXYCNnREFjgU38aUxsonJ3OpNfzq2bzI1gJidJJcy2QTrM/s640/IMG_0617.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poached egg yolk at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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If it were possible to lick an eggshell clean I would have, but I don't have the most dexterous tongue.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCj1vEdwmS-r6RpKUpEMX9UGxVKOLwvSqfiRb507kJo_lqWGpkYldeQZb9xHK9MgKOeoKe5VAblzhgAKLTq4QtgYeP76lcWvaP3GKiGMdLZdF-pouu5Tmvzg41ASXGbRk7wCWT1ehV0Gb/s1600/IMG_0618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCj1vEdwmS-r6RpKUpEMX9UGxVKOLwvSqfiRb507kJo_lqWGpkYldeQZb9xHK9MgKOeoKe5VAblzhgAKLTq4QtgYeP76lcWvaP3GKiGMdLZdF-pouu5Tmvzg41ASXGbRk7wCWT1ehV0Gb/s640/IMG_0618.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poached egg yolk at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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Since you're a stone's throw from Whitstable, oysters make an appearance. The native is served with chorizo (in the middle of the pic below), while two rock oysters complete the trio but in different preparations. One is ever so gently poached, slathered in a buerre blanc and topped with caviar, and another comes with a Bramley apple granita.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWC9yPJd7-LnGBjFFyr_dlwmrFDxHBBmIwDUufSF2gIhx0trKA0w5rhzctbEMp2p576MnZVHuk5hbS560pEMvGTDvkHavWaThiJZanBYfsKOVWjbjDXqwQWXIKcvUtA2xfdvzeUm3zGoI/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWC9yPJd7-LnGBjFFyr_dlwmrFDxHBBmIwDUufSF2gIhx0trKA0w5rhzctbEMp2p576MnZVHuk5hbS560pEMvGTDvkHavWaThiJZanBYfsKOVWjbjDXqwQWXIKcvUtA2xfdvzeUm3zGoI/s640/IMG_0619.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oysters at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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A terrific vegetal interlude followed. The pot roasted red cabbage had a great ntensity of flavour which was emphasised by an apple balsamic. Some
stewed apple amplified the tart and sweet notes of the dish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DQzHyyi5emHb8IsXVnP-AIOjSPx4Ml6Biq40yNmK-_wDwF8-FeQA0LfirHbWo8_Iw0e_-vNK2eSPUkNqYsqbKMXhPNFt8yLehJIdNVbDK3Oty9CLx7T0nr1_Ta0xMONhNUHJ1iEWrhMb/s1600/IMG_0620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DQzHyyi5emHb8IsXVnP-AIOjSPx4Ml6Biq40yNmK-_wDwF8-FeQA0LfirHbWo8_Iw0e_-vNK2eSPUkNqYsqbKMXhPNFt8yLehJIdNVbDK3Oty9CLx7T0nr1_Ta0xMONhNUHJ1iEWrhMb/s640/IMG_0620.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pot roast red cabbage at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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Arguably The Sportsman's signature dish is a slip sole slathered in an umami rich seaweed butter, but I wasn't exactly bowled over by it. Perhaps that's the thing with expectations, you're bound to be somewhat disappointed that the Insta-hype doesn't match reality. I found the texture of the fish a little too dense and just a touch dry. <br />
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The rich slice of mallard breast changed the pace of the meal up a gear. A richly delicious bread sauce matched it, but was tamed a little by a rosehip sauce drizzle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMy4OdAxSz0AosbSmQPVNPUiC2p0chTmxtuHAT-8tBtnJC2cI1mAZXCRGvL-_51PcqpaTUU3q948BgWIXmyt8C7wCOoojBmV8je3haCDHwasEp5cA_VsuCOtvaq7PA_tkbjoZnZMouOgeE/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMy4OdAxSz0AosbSmQPVNPUiC2p0chTmxtuHAT-8tBtnJC2cI1mAZXCRGvL-_51PcqpaTUU3q948BgWIXmyt8C7wCOoojBmV8je3haCDHwasEp5cA_VsuCOtvaq7PA_tkbjoZnZMouOgeE/s640/IMG_0622.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mallard at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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My favourite dish of the meal was the braised brill in a vin jaune sauce with smoked pork. This sauce was, quite simply, sensational. The fish was flaky and tender, the fatty pork was gently smoked and added a different texture to the dish and nestled underneath the fish were some stewed leeks for sweetness. This dish is all about the sauce though, and you'll want to lick the plate clean.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Braised brill and smoked pork at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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Dairy cows are having their moment aren't they? Take your pick of the current crop of hipster hangouts like Kitty Fisher's or the Chiltern Firehouse which are ripping off the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/47I6NLF10j/?taken-by=insatiableeater" target="_blank">Etxebarri</a> classic trying to serve the oldest moo in London. So I was slightly surprised to see it on the menu in deepest Kent. This was described as a retired dairy cow and was served with a solidly-made mash and a blob of tarragon sauce. It's a rich flavour, slightly chewy too, and the fat has a butteriness that isn't really pleasant from the get go. I loved the Etxebarri chop, but the few slices served here were definitely enough. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzOMPHk5J_bOCiTiHLg8Q2Hgrj6N0jlba5uOKVUooPmIncheZ4rVdD18PovO4Ssp9loFUN81vrXUvYeeRzmwnld1ewTGCCrHxuDjnhMiLVlTqKVI_bDZpDc80X6_SD87UxgbHD4ngC4Aw/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzOMPHk5J_bOCiTiHLg8Q2Hgrj6N0jlba5uOKVUooPmIncheZ4rVdD18PovO4Ssp9loFUN81vrXUvYeeRzmwnld1ewTGCCrHxuDjnhMiLVlTqKVI_bDZpDc80X6_SD87UxgbHD4ngC4Aw/s640/IMG_0624.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retired dairy cow at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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This was the third relatively rich dish in a row, so dessert was a more than welcome change of pace. The whimsical pear popsicle coated in gingerbread crumbs was a perfect palate cleanser. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoyFVuI6F9956rFKN0cW4zjKlf8OvVo7GLpID5cxD04Y0NZlG_nuPPDXcjyz0_6WIn_MF8VeY3ufZpPeoRZ0HZFqk_CO6Ih9G4xB5EkJMrJppeu5grHPFxLMGvTab6exv-_KVP-6-gx_q/s1600/IMG_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoyFVuI6F9956rFKN0cW4zjKlf8OvVo7GLpID5cxD04Y0NZlG_nuPPDXcjyz0_6WIn_MF8VeY3ufZpPeoRZ0HZFqk_CO6Ih9G4xB5EkJMrJppeu5grHPFxLMGvTab6exv-_KVP-6-gx_q/s640/IMG_0615.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pear popsicle at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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The meal finished with a Bramley apple souffle and a slightly too-salty-for-me salted caramel ice cream. The souffle wasn't the lightest or airiest I've ever eaten but it had a great acidity to it, like a digestive after the long meal. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1a4mS_aAXYBoKSTDFVr5dqBTuKJx7lkZ3E2pkt8oVWJFwN6tJkVaYxHAqecwWDcmIkSCFQLux6nZ_xHIPzScdqlvZqxH_L4uEP7ecuLjotWNvNbTDZTD6k5S_YkFAXJGzxJygpVjoRUi/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1a4mS_aAXYBoKSTDFVr5dqBTuKJx7lkZ3E2pkt8oVWJFwN6tJkVaYxHAqecwWDcmIkSCFQLux6nZ_xHIPzScdqlvZqxH_L4uEP7ecuLjotWNvNbTDZTD6k5S_YkFAXJGzxJygpVjoRUi/s640/IMG_0626.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bramley apple souffle and salted caramel ice cream at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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The whole experience at The Sportsman is relaxed, informal and great value with the tasting menu a very reasonable £65. The wine list is also very approachable with what seemed to be very modest mark ups. The most expensive red is a Rioja at £80. The only drawback of such an enjoyable day out is that if you're a day-tripper you have to fight the peak hour traffic back to London or, worse, put your faith in that train company. Talk about returning to reality with a thud. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2-2EBMoFqhmZCy9frjO6rav7EN_J78FvbSgXPdhwAspHvaX6VPHpX5QetafoI2qB9GjjgAyy5UK-RtUJvfUquPHAtOTIsXPx7-Ej6tXsANsJIdvkLPv8XQLEKd7dk6ZYGFxBaEhNRDWk/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2-2EBMoFqhmZCy9frjO6rav7EN_J78FvbSgXPdhwAspHvaX6VPHpX5QetafoI2qB9GjjgAyy5UK-RtUJvfUquPHAtOTIsXPx7-Ej6tXsANsJIdvkLPv8XQLEKd7dk6ZYGFxBaEhNRDWk/s640/IMG_0625.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bramley apple souffle and salted caramel ice cream at The Sportsman</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/south-east-england/sportsman-canterbury" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Sportsman, Canterbury and other Restaurants in South East England"><img alt="Sportsman Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/16686436/biglink" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0; width: 200px;" /></a> Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-86296436380438262222016-02-13T02:22:00.002-08:002016-02-28T06:47:53.508-08:00Frenchie Covent Garden: not one for sharing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutIXaOltLnZXeA3HWFTlC4DmkmkPN6jOVai6pJpBRISact9tC6Qyx2eLlAZSmyoSAxIsX3lGzF1GvhYXhq2kYDCasCeVZl6qWlmozdI0b0DeJ7nBhnRlkVBJ5m_eFQ_uas8Zc_Lmz4xSD/s1600/IMG_5267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutIXaOltLnZXeA3HWFTlC4DmkmkPN6jOVai6pJpBRISact9tC6Qyx2eLlAZSmyoSAxIsX3lGzF1GvhYXhq2kYDCasCeVZl6qWlmozdI0b0DeJ7nBhnRlkVBJ5m_eFQ_uas8Zc_Lmz4xSD/s320/IMG_5267.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duck foie gras at Frenchie</td></tr>
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It was a rookie error really and considering I can no longer honestly tick the juvenile box on questionable questionnaires, I have no one to blame but myself. <a href="http://www.frenchiecoventgarden.com/" target="_blank">Frenchie</a>, newly landed from the Rue du Nil via Eurostar in Covent Garden, suggests that dishes from its confusingly structured menu can be shared. Well of course they can be shared, but it doesn't mean they're suitable for sharing. Portion sizes are on the, shall we say, modest size. This means you'll need a couple of their foie gras dishes at £14 a pop unless you're happy with a thumbnail-sized mini mouthful. Likewise, pasta dishes can be shared, but only if you fancy smearing some ragu across the metal tables. So, my advice is to ignore the advice on the menu. These dishes aren't for sharing. Treat Frenchie like a three course (ok probably four) kinda place and you'll enjoy it. The food is well executed, the wine is good, the space is open and light and service is...let's say the service is still a work in progress.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The top row of the menu is snack-based so we chose smoked anchovies with Neal's Yard salted butter (£6), Bacon Scones with Cornish clotted cream (£5) and Clarence's Court Egg Mimosa (£3 an egg). The anchovies were indeed lovingly smoked but this effect was tamed by some pickled onion and the oiliness of the fish itself. Order them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GwvVY19yV9l1gcrXl-hOC0VTXQPte4ZjLgIdAjoUE9UCSxrzcBccEyHzPiZ1M_ZHSI-BAJPgHTx4RmwEWlfxb2lizcXKyWD9wiLDtEyLgU07BQdGI7inX61TeGyMwKW8TfEVl13OZpM7/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GwvVY19yV9l1gcrXl-hOC0VTXQPte4ZjLgIdAjoUE9UCSxrzcBccEyHzPiZ1M_ZHSI-BAJPgHTx4RmwEWlfxb2lizcXKyWD9wiLDtEyLgU07BQdGI7inX61TeGyMwKW8TfEVl13OZpM7/s640/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked anchovies at Frenchie</td></tr>
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Bacon scones were a hit, as you might well imagine. Like shooting fish in a barrel really. Imagine crispy, chewy lardons amped up to taste like very bacony bacon, interspersed through a slightly crumbly dough. The effect was reminiscent of American candied bacon to these somewhat traveled tastebuds. The clotted cream served little purpose apart from making it more calorific. Thankfully the half scone I had was gone in two dainty bites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLNv1FE2rVJG7SyKV4-vdY4NRVJTG-SmNTJP77IVx61Rd9a0sWkAa2dLORMf85IKfBil8mqARUGPxQEdHJSvB5Gu6PCfidfOtkdPwSMjIDStLmaOVD5iS2Cswrx5V-ZxQ0d3GR6WAZZVj/s1600/FullSizeRender-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLNv1FE2rVJG7SyKV4-vdY4NRVJTG-SmNTJP77IVx61Rd9a0sWkAa2dLORMf85IKfBil8mqARUGPxQEdHJSvB5Gu6PCfidfOtkdPwSMjIDStLmaOVD5iS2Cswrx5V-ZxQ0d3GR6WAZZVj/s640/FullSizeRender-1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bacon scones at Frenchie</td></tr>
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The hard boiled eggs were lovely little morsels but I couldn't work out the ingredients apart from the egg, obviously. Unfortunately there was no champagne nor orange juice in there. Still, the seeds scattered on top added some texture to these light bites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVx56JzxZna3Stfm83JRiwMCaUfjqaalQ2DeKqDKHc5o81YNtVKAI1rJt4Y54RcFVk5iExOck58QhqHXHH_tkMmQZlxbyFmYQNwEr4UQ6OLJtl8P_-D6YWQY-1ttaQacfF-C_23B34Q7k/s1600/IMG_5295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVx56JzxZna3Stfm83JRiwMCaUfjqaalQ2DeKqDKHc5o81YNtVKAI1rJt4Y54RcFVk5iExOck58QhqHXHH_tkMmQZlxbyFmYQNwEr4UQ6OLJtl8P_-D6YWQY-1ttaQacfF-C_23B34Q7k/s640/IMG_5295.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg mimosa at Frenchie</td></tr>
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We shared duck foie gras with smoked eel and rhubarb (and a shamefully uncredited supporting role from slivered and pureed beetroot - £14), roasted carrots with vadouvan, medjool dates and barley (£12) plus the two pasta dishes. The foie dish was a highlight. The small, I mean really small, cubes of eel tasted like your clothes might smell after sitting by a campfire toasting marshmallows for an evening. The smoke had imbued every fiber of the eel but left no lingering acrid note. The rich foie, some sweet beet and a counterpoint of a square centimetre of acidic rhubard created The Perfect Bite. 14 quid though and between four eaters my share was the size of my thumb...but barely to the knuckle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOxLzsmkQNjwgDVFIPTDjh0bOovjaYEskTyCb7PyV3rEvEy0YozalVj6iJtWWjLvX91EigNtCAJWj9Mx_94SIPCrg2KOSqJ1aVDciiKNNyrbXAPARdpWtDnEaD0vR2FTf2HVoX9Fveogy/s1600/IMG_5286-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOxLzsmkQNjwgDVFIPTDjh0bOovjaYEskTyCb7PyV3rEvEy0YozalVj6iJtWWjLvX91EigNtCAJWj9Mx_94SIPCrg2KOSqJ1aVDciiKNNyrbXAPARdpWtDnEaD0vR2FTf2HVoX9Fveogy/s640/IMG_5286-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted carrots at Frenchie</td></tr>
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The carrots were probably the best of the night, but are the best example of why the sharing concept doesn't work. The smell of the dish was heavy on the curry powder as it was served but this aroma floated away with a bite of the roasted, blackened veg. As I was munching my share of carrot I noticed the pureed date blob hiding on the other side of the plate. I took a little more than my fair share of carrot and smeared on the date and it was like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0084985/quotes" target="_blank">pow, pow, pow Fourth of July time</a> in my mouth. It was only now that the dish really worked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAyAD53B2ichad2HgysR-T1vJ_mTdamd3Mo763ZX6MF8aIMgE2i98Oj4w_8na4JuP96cgTY_7_R4zOv0aZ1rEpslxR4ytpourBxqamkqM2pzkEcIxr5Crj_N9lLWvlgU6vZKD7G-B8Mg5/s1600/IMG_5290-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAyAD53B2ichad2HgysR-T1vJ_mTdamd3Mo763ZX6MF8aIMgE2i98Oj4w_8na4JuP96cgTY_7_R4zOv0aZ1rEpslxR4ytpourBxqamkqM2pzkEcIxr5Crj_N9lLWvlgU6vZKD7G-B8Mg5/s640/IMG_5290-1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veal and scallop tartare at Frenchie</td></tr>
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Another dish that proves the sharing advice at Frenchie is broken is the tartare of veal and scallop with miso, endive, Parmesan and Piedmont hazelnut (£14). My first helping of deliciously coarsely chopped meat and bivalve was tasty but weighted more towards surf than turf. The second bite I took was just a mouthful of miso which had been blobbed onto the plate. The balance of the dish, along with its suitability for sharing, would have been more apparent if it had been better mixed before serving. Frenchie isn't aiming for peasant rusticity, so let's mix it up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ricotta tortelli at Frenchie</td></tr>
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Our waitress recommended the pasta dishes but they left me a bit underwhelmed. The ricotta tortelli with lapsang souchong tea and lemon caviar (£14) was five, very al-dente pasta parcels bathed in a sauce that was more mushroom umami than smoky tea, but no complaints from me. The lamb pappardelle with kalamata olives and espelette was a challenging dish to split between four. Pulled lamb shoulder topped the robust pasta but the whole didn't really pop for me. It was more comfort food oriented than other dishes on the menu.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb ragu at Frenchie</td></tr>
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We ordered all three desserts (at £9 each) and I would do so again. The deconstructed banoffee pie was sweet and rich, the new season rhubarb with Brillat-Savarin was actually a delicious deconstructed cheesecake of sorts while the Lemon, yuzu, kalamata olive and honey dish was a polenta cake topped with honey ice cream. All were unusually light. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desserts at Frenchie</td></tr>
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So, that's 11 dishes between four of us and the meal came to £62 a head with two bottles of wine at £50 each (the cheapest pinot on the menu and actually pretty good). We were reasonably sated but that's probably only because we started the evening at Barrafina ordering their crab croquettes. With four famished people you could comfortably order the entire dinner menu. The weight you put on from the food would be easily countered by the lightness of your wallet. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhubarb with Brillat-Savarin at Frenchie</td></tr>
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Service was slightly manic yet altogether Gallic. I could barely pierce the accent of the sommelier nor our waitress but that was partly due to the pumped up background music forcing its way into the foreground. When Chef Marchand asked "Ça va bien?" on my way back from the toot, I had to remind myself that I was a stone's throw from the Punch & Judy. I replied "oui chef, very good" and meant it. I'm confident that Frenchie is not going the way of Chabanais, which closed faster than I could gather any interest in it. Don't take your time to visit though. It's worth heading down while Marchand is in town overseeing the early days.<br />
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<i>The Insatiable Eater did not dine as a guest of the restaurant but is open to the idea. He also apologises for the iPhone photos</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurant/frenchie?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Frenchie"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/Views/DynamicImages/BlogSmallImage.aspx?restaurant=71d56fc87d904a18a0d4605225de51ef" height="90" width="170" /></a>
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/london/frenchie-covent-garden" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Frenchie , Covent Garden and other Restaurants in London"><img alt="Frenchie Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/18273124/biglink" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0; width: 200px;" /></a>
Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-91812251432675377072016-01-16T01:57:00.000-08:002016-01-19T11:40:36.195-08:00Eating Well (and other fun things) in Kanazawa, Japan<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The impressive torii at Kanazawa JR Station</td></tr>
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Little here is original. I'm afraid that when I visited Kanazawa in March 2015, the internet lacked much in the way of help for the non-Japanese tourist wanting to visit the area. I think that was partly because travel connections to Kanazawa from the east coast weren't that user friendly until the opening of the high speed line just a few weeks before my trip. The train from Tokyo now takes as little as 2.5 hours, although I would suggest breaking the journey in Nagano to visit the terrific temple precinct and to drop in on the Snow Monkeys (oh and also check out the brilliant <i>oyaki</i> purveyors in the train station). Without many blog posts to rely on, I planned my eating in Kanazawa with the help of an <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/adam-liaws-insiders-guide-to-kanazawa/story-e6frg8rf-1227018056795" target="_blank">article</a> I found penned by Adam Liaw, the Aussie Masterchef winner with personal links to the area. Kanazawa was a refreshing break from the bigger and more well trodden cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. We enjoyed world class sushi, an intimate kaiseki meal, plenty of noodles, more wagashi breaks than you could hope for and it was topped off with gold leaf covered soft serve ice cream. With top quality food, as well as a number of interesting districts to visit, Kanazawa warrants a good three days to appreciate.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Where to Stay</b><br />
I lodged at the MyStays in Kanazawa, but suggest you look elsewhere. While the room was great because the hotel was still very new, the location was a little out of the way. It was a shortish 10 minute walk from the train station, but in a direction away from most of the places you are likely to be interested in. Also, booking restaurants really needs the help of a good concierge in most parts of Japan, and the services here were frustratingly lacking. I would choose somewhere on the east side of the JR station, rather than the west.<br />
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<b>Where to Eat</b><br />
Kanazawa is uniquely placed in Japan for the quality of the food it has access to. It might have something to do with the intensely changeable weather. In mid March we had rain, snow, hail, wind and even a bit of sunshine, so pack appropriately. I think this weather contributes to the quality of the fertile and mountainous land around Kanazawa which lends itself to the famous kaga vegetables, while the proximity to Toyoma and the Sea of Japan brings unique seafood into Kanazawa before it reaches elsewhere in Japan. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet potato soft serve in a donut cone from the Omicho Market, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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<b>Sushi</b><br />
Otomezushi (no website that I could find) has such a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. I think it might be down to the combination of the affable master Kazuhiko Tsurumi, who effortlessly took care of the sushi, and a female "sous chef" who looked like a total bad ass while carving up chunks of fish with her massive knives or while tending the binchotan grill. Maybe it was this yin/yang, or perhaps it was the more regional location that made Otomezushi such a fun meal.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otomezushi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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There are about 8 seats at the sushi bar and a small private room. Very little English is spoken by Tsurumi-san, so expect a fair amount of sign language or fall back on your knowledge of Japanese fish names which you can pick up pretty quickly. We happened to strike up a conversation with a diner from Tokyo who said Otomezushi was her favourite sushi-ya in Japan. We asked for the omakase selection when we booked via our hotel, but our new friend ordered some other interesting items that we added to our meal, like sea cucumber ovaries. A good amount of sake means I'll try anything.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otomezushi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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My photos from Otomezushi didn't turn out that great, but from the collage above you get the picture, so to speak. The meal encompassed sashimi such as hirame (a flat fish), buri (amberjack), some local sweet shrimp, squid with its guts, delicate sayuri (needle fish), sea snails and some murasaki uni. Of course there were firefly squid, since the season had just started and Toyoma Bay is so close by. They were so delicious even though they were simply marinated in soy sauce.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otomezushi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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One thing I did notice as the sushi part of the meal progressed is that the wasabi started to become more noticeable. We had a chu-toro maki which was so sweet, but quite heavy on the wasabi kick. I'm not sure if that was intentional. There were some grilled items like nodoguro (a type of perch) which we
encountered in many places on this trip. It was deliciously rich with a
soft, gelatinous flesh. We finished with an unagi hand roll and a miso soup with a chunky crab dumpling.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otomezushi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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I mentioned the sea cucumber ovaries (<i>hoshiko</i>), which are pictured above, top right. The ovaries are harvested then pressed together and dried. Apparently one batch takes around 200 sea cucumbers to make, so it is a laborious process. A sliver was cut for us from a larger portion, and then lightly grilled over charcoal. The texture was chewy and the flavour was rich and intensely fishy. It was kind of like ovary jerky, but great with sake. Otomezushi is the only place I've seen them served so it was fun to try something completely new.<br />
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It's not an inexpensive meal though. The cost for two with a lot of food and a reasonable amount of sake was just shy of Y30,000. This is cheaper than a similar meal in Tokyo though. We exited into a hail storm, breaking the enchantment of the evening with a cold thud. I told you Kanazawa was unpredictable.<br />
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<b>Kaiseki</b><br />
<a href="http://www.zeniya.ne.jp/english/kanazawa.html" target="_blank">Zeniya</a> was our blow out kappa kaiseki meal in Kanazawa. Chef Shinichiro Takagi is highly regarded in Japan, although it wasn't him overseeing our meal but his brother. Their mother was one of the staff, as was the chef's wife, so it's clear that the passion for food runs in the family. The room is very simple with around seven seats facing the open kitchen where the preparation and grilling takes place. The tiles reminded me a little of 70s Australian kitchens so it's not the most modern of settings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zeniya, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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I think the setting is deliberate, as it makes you focus on the food that is artfully constructed and presented, sometimes in bowls or boxes that date from the Ming Dynasty. We started with some green spring vegetables called nano hana before moving to an ethereal soup preparation. The rare Ainame (fat greenling) was steamed with sakura leaf and topped with some numbing kinome. The heady fragrance of the sakura made this dish so memorable. Plus, look at the gorgeous sakura blossom bowl it's served in! A small dish of sashimi followed including sea trout, a slightly crunchy sea snail, and a sweet and creamy prawn. The quality was superb.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zeniya, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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An interactive dish of stone-grilled torigai (Japanese cockle) followed. The chef took a slice of torigai and added it to the searingly-hot stone and turned it after about 10 seconds. I had eaten torigai as sashimi at Sushi-ya in Tokyo a few days earlier and thought the texture was a little challenging. However, here, the heat really brought out the sweetness in the flesh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWULLEny-Qkhnx0pVxcF1CGI6hbVJsE77ut270rkkOtOU1-kjhulYLzq-r92VNMadPe7fiBIyt2xTlAlaWGSBmRODzbAF0wSuyY0on8H7ZAfZvUAIbB3kG1hyHFPcKr5namCCxYjqeBpX/s1600/zeniya+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWULLEny-Qkhnx0pVxcF1CGI6hbVJsE77ut270rkkOtOU1-kjhulYLzq-r92VNMadPe7fiBIyt2xTlAlaWGSBmRODzbAF0wSuyY0on8H7ZAfZvUAIbB3kG1hyHFPcKr5namCCxYjqeBpX/s640/zeniya+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torigai at Zeniya, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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A box of treats followed with four interesting dishes including barbecued cockles, unagi and tai (red snapper) shirako. Sea cucumber intestines were served with potato, while there were also firefly squid with dried mullet roe and a sea bream nigiri. Salted abalone liver was served in the smallest dish and used as a condiment.<br />
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One of the best grilled fish dishes I've ever had followed. While we had nodoguro at Otomezushi, the preparation at Zeniya was astounding. It was topped with corn starch and kinome and had been grilled and basted for what seemed like a long time. The fish remained tender and had incredible depth of flavour. I don't really think the soft-boiled egg added that much to the dish, but what's not to like about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSjlPN0gyZr0aUBd4tM9kAAyFbRymzJOFaRAEKQW81INOci6oquQVgiauffLvyXIQENSYEZ-gTzDBYHNtZUHqu1_cNYUVFyy0weBuGp2zGxQqINM0zjUXuC-g6MfwW6azBoXAE_1eNDVf/s1600/P3230050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSjlPN0gyZr0aUBd4tM9kAAyFbRymzJOFaRAEKQW81INOci6oquQVgiauffLvyXIQENSYEZ-gTzDBYHNtZUHqu1_cNYUVFyy0weBuGp2zGxQqINM0zjUXuC-g6MfwW6azBoXAE_1eNDVf/s640/P3230050.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shabu shabu at Zeniya, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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The meal had another interactive moment with shabu shabu of local beef and wild vegetables. Look at the marbling in the beef! The meat was merely draped through the stock for a few moments and then dunked in the egg and radish sauce. This was a simple dish to showcase local produce to great effect. The rice course rounded out the evening before desserts (custard apple from, oddly, California followed by matcha and wagashi of fresh peas). The anago rice was another beautifully textured dish. The rice was fragrant with herbs and full of gelatinous eel skin and flesh. Of course I had seconds. <br />
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Very good English was spoken by the staff, making Zeniya an easy option for foreign tourists, but there's no getting around the fact that it is expensive. We chose the top Y23,000 menu, which hit almost Y60,000 for two with sake, tax and service. The food was high quality and the service was charming, but I feel like I had better value meals at this price point elsewhere in Japan. With that said, I would still recommend Zeniya.<br />
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<b>Noodles</b><br />
<b><i>Ippudo</i></b> is a great quality standby wherever you are in Japan. On a freezing evening a bowl of ramen really hits the spot. I had the premium Akamuru set and I rate their fried gyoza as some of the tastiest I've eaten too. The <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/%E4%B8%80%E9%A2%A8%E5%A0%82+%E9%87%91%E6%B2%A2%E9%A6%99%E6%9E%97%E5%9D%8A%E5%BA%97/@36.5608338,136.6546802,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x5ba6223497488d1c?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwv87GmarKAhXDsh4KHchSB5MQ_BIIbDAK" target="_blank">location</a> is central making it an easy pit stop for a cheap and cheerful lunch or dinner. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ibr3wIYg_fYHk5sjP9sMj14-yLSYF10DvzfMReVjjhGtle4dQpV6aMvfqbzUl5j-JNPJwVEqzctZDvj3oSC1LU_pvGxL_6r0-fdFhf8FvdngDGN7PYwf9FMBhYOTbpNCGV_wXqclgprC/s1600/ippudo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ibr3wIYg_fYHk5sjP9sMj14-yLSYF10DvzfMReVjjhGtle4dQpV6aMvfqbzUl5j-JNPJwVEqzctZDvj3oSC1LU_pvGxL_6r0-fdFhf8FvdngDGN7PYwf9FMBhYOTbpNCGV_wXqclgprC/s640/ippudo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ippudo, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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I love udon, and <b><a href="http://www.omotenashi-kanazawa.com/index.php/shop/detail/teishoku/fuku-wa-uchi/" target="_blank">Fukuwauchi</a></b>, which is not too far from the Higashi Chaya district (see below), dishes up slurp-worthy bowls at reasonable prices. We found this spot in a guide book, but despite that you won't find any English spoken and you'll need to rely on the google translate app for an approximation of the menu.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqdueuA3b4c11eWhrqWB4X1h6cUUWsaPhs86nFVpK_27SIySLG-LgkUWYUdk2UjPlthDz3ngH-OiKbTU_mrQNit_7lTBZ0r3G8MjZj4H8CQaGdorwSyKz7ZZXFQ04CgUlBIC5pfUxnVkW/s1600/IMG_0810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqdueuA3b4c11eWhrqWB4X1h6cUUWsaPhs86nFVpK_27SIySLG-LgkUWYUdk2UjPlthDz3ngH-OiKbTU_mrQNit_7lTBZ0r3G8MjZj4H8CQaGdorwSyKz7ZZXFQ04CgUlBIC5pfUxnVkW/s640/IMG_0810.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken and mushroom udon at Fukuwauchi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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Actually, there are three or four different restaurants in this complex so finding the one you want might be hit and miss, but persevere and you'll be shown to the cosy tatami room upstairs. I ordered a fantastic mushroom udon hot pot which really warmed me up on the cold day. Mr B went with a classic udon set with rice, pickles and salad. It's all good value with the prices well under £10. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqqva7_U3sTf7zVXJvraSpU6GYQ3UDZPQYM5Subjjng7CeHixok1Xz6doHAHCiu9w6JyplKgERBFCWMAaM__KtvapQG4wT_oqef7T9eCQHx33G8Jsft-eLnf6qq8AAlWzcdxaLEZzmAdv/s1600/P1170914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqqva7_U3sTf7zVXJvraSpU6GYQ3UDZPQYM5Subjjng7CeHixok1Xz6doHAHCiu9w6JyplKgERBFCWMAaM__KtvapQG4wT_oqef7T9eCQHx33G8Jsft-eLnf6qq8AAlWzcdxaLEZzmAdv/s640/P1170914.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Udon set at Fukuwauchi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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<b>What to See</b><br />
The Kanazawa tourist information <a href="http://www.kanazawa-tourism.com/" target="_blank">website</a> is very useful so it's a good place to start your planning. I run through my favourite spots below. There are other high profile attractions to visit, but I didn't really love the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. I think this was because they were rehanging part of the space so there was little of interest apart from the cool swimming pool and the, umm, somewhat vaginal <a href="https://www.kanazawa21.jp/data_list.php?g=30&d=5&lng=e" target="_blank">Anish Kapoor installation</a>. Also, I didn't think the Nishi Chaya geisha district was worth the trek. We did find some tofu ice cream nearby, but apart from that there really wasn't much to see. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAGV9T7xYgdi5y2gv8iryKCJznZWYjEy4r27cCd1WekSMEdoxaeyGzovOxcvE9boKOXAoGkq2fLrSm4FmwObm2ZoVX6OtdzEj6AxeC_rU9kuhfHY56CTlubMuBRvVd9JjrD8dieWtnPB4/s1600/P3240185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAGV9T7xYgdi5y2gv8iryKCJznZWYjEy4r27cCd1WekSMEdoxaeyGzovOxcvE9boKOXAoGkq2fLrSm4FmwObm2ZoVX6OtdzEj6AxeC_rU9kuhfHY56CTlubMuBRvVd9JjrD8dieWtnPB4/s640/P3240185.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leandro Erlich's The Swimming Pool at the 21 Century Museum of Contemporary Modern</td></tr>
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<b>Kenroku-en Garden</b><br />
The Kenroku-en garden is considered one of the three most beautiful in Japan. Unfortunately when I visited, it was about a week or two before the cherry blossoms would bloom, so much of the park was still pretty barren in the frigid wind. The plum blossoms were out though and the lovely grove with multiple varieties was a great place to wander. It was also fascinating to inspect the interesting method for protecting the branches of the ancient trees that you can see in the photos below. Kanazawa receives a lot of snow in the winter meaning the tree branches could collapse under the accumulated weight, but the intricate rope work prevents this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hAKUrnmhUq6zfSLxafOYDdwX2g0qCIJ0NBN5qFOs86L3AtEJdktw3Jt07fFC7pjTAHD70hpJFOhmzoloRUXB90vvN_P4XMiZSKXbL1mCuKgOGhQJJ5ykbUfogCp2eYXgSvmi0rsYCcdu/s1600/Kanazawa+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hAKUrnmhUq6zfSLxafOYDdwX2g0qCIJ0NBN5qFOs86L3AtEJdktw3Jt07fFC7pjTAHD70hpJFOhmzoloRUXB90vvN_P4XMiZSKXbL1mCuKgOGhQJJ5ykbUfogCp2eYXgSvmi0rsYCcdu/s640/Kanazawa+Garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from Kenrokuen garden in Kanazawa</td></tr>
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There is a small tea house (<a href="http://www.miyoshian.net/" target="_blank">Miyoshian</a>) by one of the lakes near the garden entrance (the one closest to the Modern Art Museum) where you can grab some matcha and a wagashi at a fairly reasonable price. It was pretty quiet when we visited, so it was a pleasant place to rest our feet and gaze on the water for a while.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKxKiYx26A_nYRGXGsw1-UERS6srkjSXCayGwEGAE5QInXr5oT822fkUG2NyVDNGOrbkOCkPivQhfb_eTFuY1jjiU4_SZ-h1OVmW_UNqpo4N7gXcVgm9rXQhh_qLwVYztzYEmo-p0S2y1/s1600/IMG_0727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKxKiYx26A_nYRGXGsw1-UERS6srkjSXCayGwEGAE5QInXr5oT822fkUG2NyVDNGOrbkOCkPivQhfb_eTFuY1jjiU4_SZ-h1OVmW_UNqpo4N7gXcVgm9rXQhh_qLwVYztzYEmo-p0S2y1/s640/IMG_0727.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wagashi in the Kenrokuen Gardens, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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<b>Naga-machi Buke Yashiki District (Samurai district)</b><br />
Although it sounds twee, the well restored samurai district was actually one of my favourite spots in Kanazawa. I enjoyed wandering over the small bridges and around the streets with their earthen walls and weathered wood. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwMtXLoFeVzyJrd1H01v2unCoPYrQ8W1KVoZwuyiNQ2JN2XgYPB559YJ1M3eyvv69g9_p_xci_WXxxtrU1UPH3oP6cf-crK4u1ysWC1o3v2iGi2eos7KLwW6lgFGThN8qfWjXjZhU-D-i/s1600/P3240085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwMtXLoFeVzyJrd1H01v2unCoPYrQ8W1KVoZwuyiNQ2JN2XgYPB559YJ1M3eyvv69g9_p_xci_WXxxtrU1UPH3oP6cf-crK4u1ysWC1o3v2iGi2eos7KLwW6lgFGThN8qfWjXjZhU-D-i/s640/P3240085.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mud walls in the Samurai district, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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Mostly though, I really enjoyed the <a href="http://www.nomurake.com/" target="_blank">Nomura Samurai Family Residence</a>, which is a must-visit attraction in this district. The beautiful gardens are worth the small admission price with the different rooms opening onto unique vistas. The serene music, water features and compact composition made this one of my favourite gardens of my trip. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66a_V3PEBLxB89iU6G8mh7iQdADP5MKypkVIeA-ogwdIf1x2vXqgXy1aRXIAhHw1FigjMEkbuM0kXZmGezCA7b6udHCANadlaz6JU0l2uLdnYu2zRuFQYKsl2LU5bAer6MfzAE9l-IwFJ/s1600/P3240124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66a_V3PEBLxB89iU6G8mh7iQdADP5MKypkVIeA-ogwdIf1x2vXqgXy1aRXIAhHw1FigjMEkbuM0kXZmGezCA7b6udHCANadlaz6JU0l2uLdnYu2zRuFQYKsl2LU5bAer6MfzAE9l-IwFJ/s640/P3240124.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden view at the Nomura Samurai Family Residence</td></tr>
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Here's another angle of the small, but beautifully formed garden... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-yT_EI2Q4hCMzubNcgYV8DgQgk38frCNwHTx_sUpwxUD-03oy8hx7LyWmG5ymXe-4IiSGs457Fi86pMpMytJD8-Yw0ZlRqht8B0qou4oehbTb3FGrxdO6nWWgNEFmN89h2Yawalikv-z/s1600/P3240134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-yT_EI2Q4hCMzubNcgYV8DgQgk38frCNwHTx_sUpwxUD-03oy8hx7LyWmG5ymXe-4IiSGs457Fi86pMpMytJD8-Yw0ZlRqht8B0qou4oehbTb3FGrxdO6nWWgNEFmN89h2Yawalikv-z/s640/P3240134.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden of the Nomura Samurai Family Residence, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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...and this shows some of the interior screen paintings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hxl7ejgy4ZbdS1HIjEvKKg5bkgyviYUGm-S9jtkHKKktFq1vNn7MAnpiNhSVWMOMMF7YKZK1h4V6nXs9X7k52hKeoT7Yd5HsYREwfOuIXK4IcUrPWuEm8BcVO3PGoKQqxc2gZZRwkujk/s1600/P3240112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hxl7ejgy4ZbdS1HIjEvKKg5bkgyviYUGm-S9jtkHKKktFq1vNn7MAnpiNhSVWMOMMF7YKZK1h4V6nXs9X7k52hKeoT7Yd5HsYREwfOuIXK4IcUrPWuEm8BcVO3PGoKQqxc2gZZRwkujk/s640/P3240112.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screens at the Nomura Samurai Residence, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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There is also a small teahouse serving, you guessed it, wagashi and matcha. From the two rooms, with just tatami matting to rest on, there is another pleasant view of the garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjh1y03BXCP-I1phA8FtneYIEKx9e40TXmBbYYIT9v3-3y1IgIRmXQtkwj-oe5W8AP1Iy7Rqz_qCGPKLNgbEUSojuY8lGU4mJ5vHgNEH0vdiYDegLVyf1u-nalfrX9uZnzeIwZWv0BMttW/s1600/P3240151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjh1y03BXCP-I1phA8FtneYIEKx9e40TXmBbYYIT9v3-3y1IgIRmXQtkwj-oe5W8AP1Iy7Rqz_qCGPKLNgbEUSojuY8lGU4mJ5vHgNEH0vdiYDegLVyf1u-nalfrX9uZnzeIwZWv0BMttW/s640/P3240151.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wagashi and matcha at the Nomura Samurai Residence, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>Omicho Market</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2Y9grIx0N5wwUOR2XxhMuY1YKP9ChpiI7TSPZBFeoh6wFRqAgFsnDrN0KIaV2x2O4tbASGhWCl6QzjDM-EALUEktzfWlw7E716S3yp1b_84KaHn-_ClvrkoapouhGWScy-bNArA5wt4j/s1600/P3221505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2Y9grIx0N5wwUOR2XxhMuY1YKP9ChpiI7TSPZBFeoh6wFRqAgFsnDrN0KIaV2x2O4tbASGhWCl6QzjDM-EALUEktzfWlw7E716S3yp1b_84KaHn-_ClvrkoapouhGWScy-bNArA5wt4j/s640/P3221505.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omicho market, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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I always make a bee line for food markets when I visit somewhere new and the Omicho market is definitely one to explore. The market is made up of many small alleys, so it is easy to get disoriented, but that's the best way to stumble across something interesting. Crab season was definitely in full swing when I visited. There are many spots to eat in the market, with some serving oysters or sea urchins from their shells, but we just wandered around and picked up some soft serve ice cream and some tea, so I can't recommend anywhere specific to eat in Omicho.<br />
<br />
<b>Higashi Chaya district</b><br />
Higashi Chaya retains the charm of the Edo period and is where you will find traditional tea houses being tended by geisha. It is said to be a more manageable version of Gion, but we didn't spot any geisha when we were there. Maybe it's more atmospheric after dark. Despite this, the area is definitely a must see to check out the weathered architecture and the number of independent artisan stores there. I bought some beautiful handcrafted wood items like chopsticks and a presentation bowl as well as a ceramic vase from <a href="http://kihachi-web.com/" target="_blank">Kihachi Kobo</a> which is one of the oldest producers of wood-turned products in the region. There are also quite a few teahouses to stop at. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Higashi Chaya district, Kanazawa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We randomly chose one place which happened to be <a href="http://www.morihachi.co.jp/" target="_blank">Morihachi</a>, which is one of the oldest in the city dating back to 1625. There was a small queue but it didn't take long to be shown to a table next to the small internal garden. A pot of hojicha and a wagashi can be restoring for the bones when you're out walking much of the day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wagashi and hojicha at Morihachi, Kanazawa</td></tr>
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The Utatsuyama temple district is just a short stroll away from Higashi Chaya, and we walked between the many temples (with intermittent snow storms!) which afford some decent views over the city. While it did not seem possible to visit the temples, there were many beautifully tended gardens that were worth exploring, even in the early Spring.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post snow shower in the Utatsuyama district, Kanazawa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Did you know that Kanazawa also produces around 98% of the gold leaf in Japan? It appears they have a surfeit of it, because as well as picking up a small jar to take home you can also have it sprinkled on soft serve ice cream. We stopped by <a href="http://www.ukokkei.co.jp/fs/ukeian/c/08" target="_blank">Ukeian</a>, which is a short stroll from the pedestrianised area. It specialises in products from the Ukokkei chicken, which has weirdly mesmeric silkie feathers. The shop uses the eggs in loads of products, so we bought a castella cake (topped with gold leaf, obviously) to take home but also had a yolk-flavoured soft serve topped with a liberal sprinkling of gold leaf. Even though it was about 10 degrees outside, we were definitely on cloud oishii. I can think of few better ways to top off a day in Kanazawa.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold leaf ice cream from Ukokkei in Higashi Chaya, Kanazawa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-62724178513009749282015-12-29T10:57:00.001-08:002016-02-15T10:37:19.071-08:00Eating Well in Austin, Texas<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepUvI9rnEbG1mrSn4PDGEwDZa62BTd_oRSnW02NB9lxCmgUISChX6VTV-4KE_SaBFx6WHg-x1Z9ydp0sHeXN-N8y7pI6GfSMcFw79_eMH04R4SpmWtIXwb62TPJt-A3WleXc0B9Yo3HWn/s1600/IMG_3620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepUvI9rnEbG1mrSn4PDGEwDZa62BTd_oRSnW02NB9lxCmgUISChX6VTV-4KE_SaBFx6WHg-x1Z9ydp0sHeXN-N8y7pI6GfSMcFw79_eMH04R4SpmWtIXwb62TPJt-A3WleXc0B9Yo3HWn/s320/IMG_3620.JPG" width="320" /></a>Texas is all <a href="http://www.bagofnothing.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/016266062.jpeg" target="_blank">big hair</a>, <a href="http://www.liketotally80s.com/2014/04/shoulder-pads/" target="_blank">shoulder pads</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF5Xh5BXkqc" target="_blank">bitchy pool-side cat fights, right</a>? No? What about <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58298-2005Feb2.html" target="_blank">oil money</a>, the <a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3308.htm" target="_blank">Bush family</a> and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2286616/Disastrous-raid-Branch-Davidians-compound-near-Waco-quietly-remembered-20-years-later.html" target="_blank">crazy cults</a>?
Wide of the mark again? Well, if your perception of the Lone Star State is all (bad) 80s TV references and the less salubrious side of life,
then you should head to Austin. You may still see some big hair and
probably a cat fight or two (it is a university town after all), but Austin is
a great spot to spend a few days particularly if you want to eat well. I
enjoyed a long weekend there in mid September when the weather was just a few
degrees cooler than Hades, so pack your sunscreen and let’s talk where to eat.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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In only a few days I couldn’t sample everything that
Austin has to offer so had to whittle down my wishlist to spots without significant waiting times - if you’ve come for pics and rhapsodic
prose on Franklin’s I apologise but hopefully still won't disappoint. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRCkAiA5UXvPl4qTAW8BNDnDCmRzkhnsSAom7q9BDAQe_P1SeiSb2Uj3-BmnJjU9LLsy-TChJBikxYWjiVY1LK_dBf0fwmifmAh2W_IAvRSzVktj9N7Tre0NU94nT8rI6rdtnxBFWTKyj/s1600/P9180344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRCkAiA5UXvPl4qTAW8BNDnDCmRzkhnsSAom7q9BDAQe_P1SeiSb2Uj3-BmnJjU9LLsy-TChJBikxYWjiVY1LK_dBf0fwmifmAh2W_IAvRSzVktj9N7Tre0NU94nT8rI6rdtnxBFWTKyj/s640/P9180344.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Trancas for tacos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For a successful food trip, you should choose where to stay wisely. I highly recommend the area around East 6<sup>th</sup>, where I rented a loft via VRBO.
You’ll be walking distance (clearly anathema to most Americans and I can kind
of understand when it’s so damn hot) from most of the places I list here. The area also has a great relaxed vibe with loads of bars and live music, but you're also a quick cab ride from downtown or the gorgeous Barton Springs when you need to cool off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Barbecue</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s start with Barbecue. It’s what this part of
Texas is known for. I saw an Instagram pic of the juicy ribs at Franklins
and the pit at Salt Lick and knew that one day I would come to Austin. I have to admit though that in baking 37-degree heat (Celsius, or a whisper away from 100F),
a huge mound of meat loses its appeal. Sorry but it’s true. Anyway, I persevered and was able to check out a couple of great spots. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY12AT2D8iGDPuj8zGRYAnUjzuqA6pBDjbjaz5v0bSdQjzBUkzUQUU4Vv0Rgv0T2G74ZEExw_5a0VMJvy9rOe3_UlclajX0-gG0eHHMg8SvQjN56BTjEPUqkv8h2maHYkAy0IH_mHVQoR/s1600/P9190380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY12AT2D8iGDPuj8zGRYAnUjzuqA6pBDjbjaz5v0bSdQjzBUkzUQUU4Vv0Rgv0T2G74ZEExw_5a0VMJvy9rOe3_UlclajX0-gG0eHHMg8SvQjN56BTjEPUqkv8h2maHYkAy0IH_mHVQoR/s640/P9190380.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Mueller: epic beef ribs</td></tr>
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<b>John Mueller Meat Co</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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An Instagram friend raved about <a href="http://johnmuellermeatco.com/home/" target="_blank">John Mueller</a>, so it was high
on my eat list. We arrived shortly after opening to no queue and were not disappointed. A
huge slab of beef ribs appeared, and one was carved off for us. A hunk of brisket to
sample convinced us to order a few slices too. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvTkf2nfEVil3odjxI4rzEdkkpUuC6JsjxAclXDkRYshxE0zRx08S-nPCtS2vkEiqT4UT7RLf5Dl2OyzcB3MgbTdKLnqRAx8YQxnFhsymWgRiqfpgQZyiR3pXKZLCjD9Rv8sQqRoGCaRG/s1600/IMG_3552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvTkf2nfEVil3odjxI4rzEdkkpUuC6JsjxAclXDkRYshxE0zRx08S-nPCtS2vkEiqT4UT7RLf5Dl2OyzcB3MgbTdKLnqRAx8YQxnFhsymWgRiqfpgQZyiR3pXKZLCjD9Rv8sQqRoGCaRG/s640/IMG_3552.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Mueller: best beef ribs in town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The ribs were truly glorious. The meat slid cleanly from the
bone and there was a depth of flavor I didn’t get elsewhere. The brisket was
slightly tough in spots, but didn’t detract from the flavor. Maybe because it
was our first stop, but I liked John Mueller a lot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>La Barbecue</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsFSREPnE1jzFNgiQE3A2Lkf3yRkv7abQPSeHLsmUqfrU2WEDqEFTG-x9iu7TqQHmLn_ypsb67Td6oqTLQTHogN69b8Xq3VNUAY6WbJwajGs_H1aYSx6SjRQ37LxLXKPJxOfcyXMJzDuP/s1600/P9190424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsFSREPnE1jzFNgiQE3A2Lkf3yRkv7abQPSeHLsmUqfrU2WEDqEFTG-x9iu7TqQHmLn_ypsb67Td6oqTLQTHogN69b8Xq3VNUAY6WbJwajGs_H1aYSx6SjRQ37LxLXKPJxOfcyXMJzDuP/s640/P9190424.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eager BBQ fans at La Barbecue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Timing is everything. We arrived at John Mueller shortly
after opening and didn’t queue at all. After that early feast, we didn’t manage
to get to <a href="http://www.labarbecue.com/" target="_blank">La Barbecue</a> until around 1pm. An hour and three quarters later we got
to the front of the queue
to find that they had sold out of ribs, sausages and some sides leaving just
chopped brisket and pulled pork. At least it made the choice easy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqJ8N6thIy7P-bpJJYETsIkGGyWmZCgAGhwy_THlwXozLhwVGTRyhAxdvw9xQjYUrUJWu8t5-sUJF-l02-hNcvoKQzh3l89dxWVwwTTo1p8tEY3OFa1SzHKOZ9lhTz6txnleVESFUaS7B/s1600/P9190430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqJ8N6thIy7P-bpJJYETsIkGGyWmZCgAGhwy_THlwXozLhwVGTRyhAxdvw9xQjYUrUJWu8t5-sUJF-l02-hNcvoKQzh3l89dxWVwwTTo1p8tEY3OFa1SzHKOZ9lhTz6txnleVESFUaS7B/s640/P9190430.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Barbecue: pulled pork, chopped brisket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had a (literal) handful of each, but after standing
in the heat so long, I wasn’t really in the mood for a meatfest. Still, the
pulled pork was truly some of the best I’ve eaten, but I thought the chopped
brisket was a little on the salty side for my taste buds. Of the sides, I loved
the pinto beans, and the slaw was good but not great. I think because we missed out on some of the classics like the ribs and sausages I didn't get the full La Barbecue experience. Time was short though, so there was no possibility of a repeat visit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Salt Lick, Driftwood</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsj4uBoOtr-UKNFdqQNL1hcKqpxJTlwponT06t9qWf0i_v41KiTRtpIgNkG4iyXjQ0D7Hu2AKPAZ7o3NxlE0PPMwxdQH6Ge4ZhtH_zE0Cvzi9FasrFVqz-jelFr8eNSdL9A4VNt6nbhcP/s1600/P9210536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsj4uBoOtr-UKNFdqQNL1hcKqpxJTlwponT06t9qWf0i_v41KiTRtpIgNkG4iyXjQ0D7Hu2AKPAZ7o3NxlE0PPMwxdQH6Ge4ZhtH_zE0Cvzi9FasrFVqz-jelFr8eNSdL9A4VNt6nbhcP/s640/P9210536.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salt Lick BBQ pit is worth the trip </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<a href="https://www.saltlickbbq.com/" target="_blank">Salt Lick</a> is probably the most famous BBQ in the area. It’s
been featured on countless TV shows (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLnsXechOWc" target="_blank">Man V Food</a>) and the pit, cunningly
positioned in full view as you enter, is worth the 30 min drive from Austin.
But…but…I didn’t love the food. The style is different to the other BBQ I
tried. Salt Lick is a saucier affair and the meat is basted with
a slightly-too-sweet-for-me concoction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AF9oowJVIANUdY7i_8p-ZWFaF9XelFUmx-M9q-5pUoWLAYtzrcpvDJ6aIpKkadFSCCE0Lo_32xMpySGbi4Ild16gskNeK9QMfOPCVyeXqEWi2mtPNAW5ETJ7xB57hbCW53LUFXN78V1P/s1600/P9210553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AF9oowJVIANUdY7i_8p-ZWFaF9XelFUmx-M9q-5pUoWLAYtzrcpvDJ6aIpKkadFSCCE0Lo_32xMpySGbi4Ild16gskNeK9QMfOPCVyeXqEWi2mtPNAW5ETJ7xB57hbCW53LUFXN78V1P/s640/P9210553.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salt Lick: Thurman's Choice with brisket, pork ribs, sausage, potato salad, cole slaw and beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We chose tasting plates which come with various
sides and give you an opportunity to sample a bit more. It was a sloppy presentation, but I enjoyed the tender pork ribs and sausage while the brisket was okay. The sides weren't particularly memorable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0fvnmL_2WtTAFBC2bxz8mJVvhjjfA-lZbT_SfRXlEXWVlZTv893-11IM6XTBWa_RzHfTMAk9mLc-wf2NMwTKXq_Ohs_nf6ynYEc5rh6iAO9FdoeDtRgaA5FU8eggVK8H1QHKpfX89ifp/s1600/P9210548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0fvnmL_2WtTAFBC2bxz8mJVvhjjfA-lZbT_SfRXlEXWVlZTv893-11IM6XTBWa_RzHfTMAk9mLc-wf2NMwTKXq_Ohs_nf6ynYEc5rh6iAO9FdoeDtRgaA5FU8eggVK8H1QHKpfX89ifp/s640/P9210548.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salt Lick: disappointing double cut beef rib</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the glorious beef ribs at John Mueller, the ones at
Salt Lick were almost inedible. The meat was tough and sinewy. Even my expert gnawing, honed over the years on lamb chops, could barely scrape the meat away. Given the mixed experience, I probably wouldn't revisit The Salt Lick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Restaurants</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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You could eat very merrily with just street food in Austin
(the BBQ joints were all trailers, and tacos are easy to score on the street), but sometimes it’s nice to just sit down, kick back and be
served. I was knocked out by the quality of the spots I list below, which comfortably hold their own against anywhere internationally.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Gardner<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This was my last meal in Austin and one of the best bang for
the buck deals in town. On a Monday night, <a href="http://gardner-austin.com/" target="_blank">Gardner</a> has a great value four course set
menu at $28 (there’s a couple of supplements which can bump the price up a bit
more, but let’s not quibble over a few bucks).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4OrCsuMABDm75tueGsL9W2D5JA_iAFRwmVCYXqFKvTZRff2CxadW28oNo2x3jWTJHWNz0dTcjuE3NYbsnVG0Xb32HoIX2og4EXGwbGUVIfjfrgjzCPRO835vVG8Rk8nvNLlFZopSJrB-/s1600/Gardner+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4OrCsuMABDm75tueGsL9W2D5JA_iAFRwmVCYXqFKvTZRff2CxadW28oNo2x3jWTJHWNz0dTcjuE3NYbsnVG0Xb32HoIX2og4EXGwbGUVIfjfrgjzCPRO835vVG8Rk8nvNLlFZopSJrB-/s640/Gardner+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardner: one of my favourite spot in Austin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dishes included juicy shrimp with corn, chicken skin and peppers, a beef tartare with red cabbage, toasted grains and shiso, a refreshing watermelon with celery root, fermented peanut and beet as well as butternut squash with matsutake mushrooms, pine & huckleberry. Desserts were on point too, with the chocolate, buttermilk, sesame and almond combination, pictured below, a favourite.<br />
<br />
It’s a well judged
and sized menu with interesting preparations and terrific presentation. I enjoyed Gardner a lot.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtJidp7SiS3I_WPjk7J7HRcjP2hw5U0MFH7asZHq16BFxl3BtZ0xjn_EirzbI15lz-6TMW3-9IZH6ZOZyxTSBPzsaOwqLVo1IWlNWnxeqlqgyxuMVNv-6PRlapn25VbC26gFqFpC9SUbJ/s1600/IMG_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtJidp7SiS3I_WPjk7J7HRcjP2hw5U0MFH7asZHq16BFxl3BtZ0xjn_EirzbI15lz-6TMW3-9IZH6ZOZyxTSBPzsaOwqLVo1IWlNWnxeqlqgyxuMVNv-6PRlapn25VbC26gFqFpC9SUbJ/s640/IMG_0001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardner dessert</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Qui<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The chef at <a href="http://quiaustin.com/" target="_blank">Qui</a> is a bit of a celeb, with appearances on the US show Top
Chef. Having not seen the US version of
this show, the only credential I cared about was if he could cook. And cook he
can, although I only tried (most of) the patio menu (Pulutan), not the tasting menu
available inside the restaurant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVJA8Vd8_iWgGlSf8sShMBHm6zDkrlrSGoBHjPX6ByWJau7hNU6pp1IxszMVfcPloxjCPe8hzDmFm1ISl9hvyAujX33_hxPL8RrtkKMgBwN_Otlx3wIwe3M_Z2Z47teIt4x2nRHrPfCPp/s1600/Qui+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVJA8Vd8_iWgGlSf8sShMBHm6zDkrlrSGoBHjPX6ByWJau7hNU6pp1IxszMVfcPloxjCPe8hzDmFm1ISl9hvyAujX33_hxPL8RrtkKMgBwN_Otlx3wIwe3M_Z2Z47teIt4x2nRHrPfCPp/s640/Qui+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I couldn’t fault the dishes we had. From the tacos to the
“ceviche”, to tender pork skewers, the squid adobo and the peanut curry (kare kare) with Filipino influences, I
enjoyed it all. I'm guessing Qui is quite unique in Austin, with its take on Asian flavours but with a local slant. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliW6k8dzpJXZsvo2EKJNVXP2scu2qa3AiodIRUdVdBTqGaSSXnX4t_k4pmAi-bCYHAY6C2C76LC-qPYsuv2gfJxN7TOA6oWjHPai0kR5OuifiuegvJIW2juCyZbvFYfjafHcd-SJFAPAz/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliW6k8dzpJXZsvo2EKJNVXP2scu2qa3AiodIRUdVdBTqGaSSXnX4t_k4pmAi-bCYHAY6C2C76LC-qPYsuv2gfJxN7TOA6oWjHPai0kR5OuifiuegvJIW2juCyZbvFYfjafHcd-SJFAPAz/s640/IMG_0011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qui: cheddar cheese ice cream sandwich</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The must have dessert is the cheddar cheese ice cream
sandwich. The ice cream is wedged between two crispy waffles and topped with
shavings of cheese. It’s a curious combination of savoury and sweet that works.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0VEdBcnE2F8nTq1fFQxQqGawjWK4CL54Q8yEDELlRTrO4d_pb2hWjBy6mRjwuv8yadjXbTfX2QID_478vQbubtPugyycZPiMQDfAreWX-BSQHTzpEISzGOC89P5k9AinmxAeWl6iEa0j/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0VEdBcnE2F8nTq1fFQxQqGawjWK4CL54Q8yEDELlRTrO4d_pb2hWjBy6mRjwuv8yadjXbTfX2QID_478vQbubtPugyycZPiMQDfAreWX-BSQHTzpEISzGOC89P5k9AinmxAeWl6iEa0j/s640/IMG_0010.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qui: cut through of the cheddar cheese ice cream sandwich</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Service at Qui was great (like everywhere in Austin to be honest) and
the cocktail list was very tempting. I liked the relaxed vibe and the food at Qui a lot, making it my favourite eat in Austin. <br />
<br /></div>
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<b>Dai Due<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.daidue.com/" target="_blank">Dai Due</a> is my kind of place, and is very Austin. It
champions local produce, even down to the wines (for better or worse), and is a
nose to tail kind of spot. They bring in their own animals, breaking them down
for sale in the butcher shop/deli at the front of the venue, and serving them
in the restaurant too. A lot of the meat is cooked over wood on grills like you'll find at Asador Etxebarri near Bilbao. The passion for quality is obvious.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn1hT8cppglUl1C_WSeljzEU4iTbC_5HHYbRWs6bkh6mOkGySFmrLm-0PxmaoDc1wCktea_DiTILKJ6Xoms5u2pQe9lr2CyCDEuza7PI_zLdLrIJMCnaDihPUmeG7R0_nGjC_um1NQzb1/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn1hT8cppglUl1C_WSeljzEU4iTbC_5HHYbRWs6bkh6mOkGySFmrLm-0PxmaoDc1wCktea_DiTILKJ6Xoms5u2pQe9lr2CyCDEuza7PI_zLdLrIJMCnaDihPUmeG7R0_nGjC_um1NQzb1/s640/IMG_0009.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dai Due: fried chicken supper club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I planned my Dai Due visit to coincide with the Sunday night
supper club when fried chicken is on offer. Our helpful waiter suggested that since the supper club menu (chicken, dessert,
coffee) is pretty substantial, we should share that and order a few dishes from
the a la carte menu to round things out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The chicken was super crispy and juicy, without any trace of
greasiness. It’s cooked in a mix of tallow and lard – byproducts of the
carcasses I referred to above. The chicken is definitely finger lickin' but I would have liked it more with a more seasoned coating. At Root & Bone in NYC,
which is my gold-standard when it comes to fried chicken, you'll find a little lemon zest added which brings the dish to life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9drzkuCDZ57nwwXZQbym5y3hIRj2iK5n4DRCk3YVM5_GtHJvysuwoTR17Z8hEwnkAWqtsejUb0OSrkKf0IWK4YxiBcF3D5SLQ3Efbf4i0viDSg-l9bHSE8neoiq_-oNNBCE7IaP2UjY1/s1600/IMG_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9drzkuCDZ57nwwXZQbym5y3hIRj2iK5n4DRCk3YVM5_GtHJvysuwoTR17Z8hEwnkAWqtsejUb0OSrkKf0IWK4YxiBcF3D5SLQ3Efbf4i0viDSg-l9bHSE8neoiq_-oNNBCE7IaP2UjY1/s640/IMG_0008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dai Due: pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We also shared some well cooked blue crab cakes with a basil mayo and pickled corn and finished off with an apple pie served with Mexican cinnamon cream. The pastry was made with lard, again showing the respect for the whole animal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For me, the downside of the hyper-local focus is the lack of
variety on the wine list. Dai Due has no licence to sell spirits either, so
don’t plan on cocktails. There’s an extensive beer menu though, which seems a
more apt accompaniment to the fried chicken anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>TACOS</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Las-Trancas-307145385983596/" target="_blank"><b>Las Trancas </b></a><br />
Given its reputation for great Mexican food, I really didn’t
eat enough tacos in Austin. However, I loved the ones I did get to eat. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_n6gV9fAK8U12n8vf031lYmaDsFoFXiGIe7SoLJF61sVadd3IoP0hQxDtMYasjJy1tw_l4qHLCCTquSaQXFVdlZOP70fyz91JBfI5AOwF4BoDULC7Am_C08eCXjsXBviJqdehiGf4-4k/s1600/P9180362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_n6gV9fAK8U12n8vf031lYmaDsFoFXiGIe7SoLJF61sVadd3IoP0hQxDtMYasjJy1tw_l4qHLCCTquSaQXFVdlZOP70fyz91JBfI5AOwF4BoDULC7Am_C08eCXjsXBviJqdehiGf4-4k/s640/P9180362.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Trancas food truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My first stop in Austin was a food truck on East Chavez. It was hot and
humid, even at 10pm, but the chilli heat from the condiments seemed to help a
bit, or perhaps the flavours just distracted me from the oppressiveness of the
weather (living in London all these years, I’ve lost my Australian ability to
deal with heat). For $1.50 each (a bit
more for the crispy fried tripe bites), you could not ask for anything more. I really liked the fresh corn tortillas and the punchy flavour of the sauces.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKoTirJv-3_jJl3so6H6ZGbW6Qqw4peMDF3AxDivZjoXB45fjG9R_soD1ByZvmjq2DD2YVRdEIXhW61WyQUbiJFMubwG4Yv_f8MJvnL1xspU3hH1DzxnJ65VrCrZD16Si4YMoLXn5OddA/s1600/P9180352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKoTirJv-3_jJl3so6H6ZGbW6Qqw4peMDF3AxDivZjoXB45fjG9R_soD1ByZvmjq2DD2YVRdEIXhW61WyQUbiJFMubwG4Yv_f8MJvnL1xspU3hH1DzxnJ65VrCrZD16Si4YMoLXn5OddA/s640/P9180352.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Trancas: beef cheek and pork tacos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b>Bomb Tacos at The White Horse<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.thewhitehorseaustin.com/" target="_blank">Bomb Tacos</a> is also a must-visit because it reflects the microcosm
that is Austin. Bomb is located at the back of The White Horse, past the crowds of folks two stepping to live music and the blokes jamming with an accordion and playing the spoons
in the small patio area. You could interpret this as either peak hipster or an everyday
Austin occurrence (I went with the latter). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswYcqiXM7Abiz42dD9zf6BOzuOzo7v7F3wBNkSCXuG5mznVZKnKgtGPSpwPAdMbJgAVJ4_WOf_exfOivTVqfex3B88Wq1-SK171NJIHiJ3yZIx_Mc4vlEgWvLf9a3tvuR3uNy23bKQw3e/s1600/IMG_3524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswYcqiXM7Abiz42dD9zf6BOzuOzo7v7F3wBNkSCXuG5mznVZKnKgtGPSpwPAdMbJgAVJ4_WOf_exfOivTVqfex3B88Wq1-SK171NJIHiJ3yZIx_Mc4vlEgWvLf9a3tvuR3uNy23bKQw3e/s640/IMG_3524.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bomb Taco: fish taco and breakfast taco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I only took a dodgy photo of the glorious fish taco at Bomb. Imagine crispy fish, a soft tortilla, spicy sauce plus cold beer and you get the picture. You may be asked to indulge a partner in a little two step
to the country music kicking off inside, but consider it as a condiment or
little bonus. Make sure you take your ID with you if you look anything younger
than 50.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Tamale House East<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Breakfast tacos are a big deal in Austin, especially if
you’ve hit the town the night before, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tamalehouse.east/" target="_blank">Tamale Houst East </a>is a bit of an institution. Walk in, order your taco, grab a number but before taking a seat swing by the condiments fridge and pick up the green sauce. It'll really give your morning tastebuds a kick. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcd1_PrKqI1VBw_hh27e5OsbjBNB9cIT3g3-bWHNck2g67IToNFO5EpDaVBrrPrve77kOKgswXDErEy5NsXad_sAtvmN1ddWIv4p0Txpsdzf2gqcCNwXoFyVZDEmpFIlOivWvoWyVu-3wu/s1600/IMG_3583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcd1_PrKqI1VBw_hh27e5OsbjBNB9cIT3g3-bWHNck2g67IToNFO5EpDaVBrrPrve77kOKgswXDErEy5NsXad_sAtvmN1ddWIv4p0Txpsdzf2gqcCNwXoFyVZDEmpFIlOivWvoWyVu-3wu/s640/IMG_3583.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast tacos at Tamale House East</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We ordered a variety of stuff, but I really liked the taco with black beans, avocado, bacon and cheese. You can't beat their migas either.<br />
<br />
<b>JUST FOR FUN</b><br />
<b>1886 Cafe & Bakery<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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If you’ve never visited Texas, then something kitsch like a
Texas-shaped waffle has got to be good. I saw this on the instagram feed of the
chef Bo Bech, who is the man behind Geist in Copenhagen (by the way, you can see my list of top Copenhagen tips <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2013/11/eating-well-in-copenhagen.html" target="_blank">here</a>). The pecan maple waffles at <a href="http://www.1886cafeandbakery.com/en/1886-cafe-home.html" target="_blank">1886</a> were not too sweet, and the addition of fruit takes the edge off the maple. 1886 is in the lobby of the very classic Driskill hotel and is worth a visit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pecan maple waffles at 1886 Cafe & Bakery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/driftwood-tx/the-salt-lick-driftwood" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about The Salt Lick, Driftwood and other Restaurants in Driftwood"><img alt="The Salt Lick Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/16913782/biglink" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0; width: 200px;" /></a>
Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-83735751873859751442015-05-17T12:33:00.000-07:002015-05-17T12:33:47.396-07:00The cracking Bonnie Gull Seafood Masterclass<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUlTx8sltmsFeq7K9AuHdLCHyJh7EimwhNQ6B-xrcMBgbYRT6zDUUWAr1xUvEupJz_Zmo2pIQgpBq0L9H6qZkAoJEveyy4TJ4tYNrfhj1CpC-z0z2zi1BN_Lg3rri5TOp_buxO5dui-l_/s1600/P1250536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUlTx8sltmsFeq7K9AuHdLCHyJh7EimwhNQ6B-xrcMBgbYRT6zDUUWAr1xUvEupJz_Zmo2pIQgpBq0L9H6qZkAoJEveyy4TJ4tYNrfhj1CpC-z0z2zi1BN_Lg3rri5TOp_buxO5dui-l_/s1600/P1250536.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: my crab is bigger than yours</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I won something! Seriously, I never win anything. My mum is the lucky one in the family. Every Christmas, she'll win the ham and most likely something else. It's uncanny. Me though, always diddly squat. But the stars must have aligned before Christmas because I won a Seafood Masterclass from the lovely people at <a href="http://www.bonniegull.com/" target="_blank">Bonnie Gull</a> in Exmouth Market via a Twitter competition. Colour me amazed and excited! I'm a pretty good cook (he says modestly), but seafood is an area that I don't tend to dabble in at home since it can be a bit daunting. No one wants to eat overcooked fish. Knowledge begets confidence though, so being given the chance to learn some tips from the professionals was keenly appreciated. Along with a three course lunch with matched wine plus a cocktail, the afternoon was hugely enjoyable. Granted it was a freebie, but I would definitely shell out the very reasonable £80 for this experience.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Over a spicy Bonnie Mary topped with a freshly shucked oyster, we were introduced to the Executive Chef,<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=luke%20robinson&src=typd" target="_blank"> Luke Robinson</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/gavingordon2" target="_blank">Gavin Gordon</a>, the Head Chef of the Exmouth Market location who talked us through the structure of the afternoon. Both were affable chaps and more than happy to answer the many tedious questions I threw at them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslGjNbWAdVkoH4sqzAlj5nG47adFrtq7p5BKxnkj-NQsjWvrSTN7Uw3BonPAGYF95AQcTzN7njoojIjTQ1APvO4ohxy5gWX6_Nmub3ayZM6B5oTBctq9T-pacmcsAx3L8SleObthAwWAn/s1600/oyster+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslGjNbWAdVkoH4sqzAlj5nG47adFrtq7p5BKxnkj-NQsjWvrSTN7Uw3BonPAGYF95AQcTzN7njoojIjTQ1APvO4ohxy5gWX6_Nmub3ayZM6B5oTBctq9T-pacmcsAx3L8SleObthAwWAn/s1600/oyster+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: Oyster preparation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We started with an introduction to various oysters from a few locations around the UK. Dorset Blues, the lovely Porthilly, favoured by <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2012/03/seafood-maestro-nathan-outlaw.html" target="_blank">Nathan Outlaw,</a> and the big Rock oysters from Carlingford. We were walked through the process of storing, opening, checking for freshness and, of course, tasting them. There's a bit of a knack to opening them, and getting hands on was a first for me. It felt quite an achievement opening up an oyster without completely brutalising it, and slurping down the little sucker. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN08J41T1fvg1UMo_3W3ex6M9Xn9m5gBPRjrlQYouBps7PLnXBaUHF6bHStPOlcLGsi4CaR1xvOEN2YPJ3KEoY619rzcoQ_La6p_Su7PTbApFjaSSD1cv48tN93JxlVBYIRQZgSTjtUFqE/s1600/Salmon+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN08J41T1fvg1UMo_3W3ex6M9Xn9m5gBPRjrlQYouBps7PLnXBaUHF6bHStPOlcLGsi4CaR1xvOEN2YPJ3KEoY619rzcoQ_La6p_Su7PTbApFjaSSD1cv48tN93JxlVBYIRQZgSTjtUFqE/s1600/Salmon+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: preparation of gravadlax (1)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the starters on the menu at Bonnie Gull is a delicious Loch Duart gravadlax and we were shown how to make it. Clearly good produce makes a difference here, but chef Luke explained some variables in the recipe like the thickness of the fish on the timing of the cure. The preparation was pretty straightforward, with mustard, dill and orange juice the main ingredients. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsw5DhMHC4Jqrpi3q0VUqU0I_PyRKHXLoxpWQhV06XQtFdv8hQnFOeBP-UDGhM0uTxcVJ3AtkPwEAJ5aCYwgMaDBXKCy3EC_b57INQaLO6GkMGlOp83v-0qOHnuLhrE5DXBn-zLUb8dKR/s1600/Salmon+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsw5DhMHC4Jqrpi3q0VUqU0I_PyRKHXLoxpWQhV06XQtFdv8hQnFOeBP-UDGhM0uTxcVJ3AtkPwEAJ5aCYwgMaDBXKCy3EC_b57INQaLO6GkMGlOp83v-0qOHnuLhrE5DXBn-zLUb8dKR/s1600/Salmon+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: preparation of gravadlax (2)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The finished dish, served with a tart little fennel salad and some
toasts was a beautiful opener, particularly paired with a glass (OK,
two) of Vire-clesse - a chardonnay from Burgundy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JdPeckMD9T_OrHV3BEErNKji3iiaso8BrObHHzoO4L8YHszvFUgXMvEXPwMjQr-ZLLnwS_TBpuXWFM5J9_mJT5Jqe31WpxHA4xy5d8hti-yUNPCkrhPl66rznZH6X0mKK4ZpTt7ruxDr/s1600/IMG_9982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JdPeckMD9T_OrHV3BEErNKji3iiaso8BrObHHzoO4L8YHszvFUgXMvEXPwMjQr-ZLLnwS_TBpuXWFM5J9_mJT5Jqe31WpxHA4xy5d8hti-yUNPCkrhPl66rznZH6X0mKK4ZpTt7ruxDr/s1600/IMG_9982.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: gravadlax</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We moved on to some examples of filleting fish. Did you know, for example, that a hake's spine is horizontal rather than vertical? As a result, a hake requires a skilled hand to fillet it. Sea bass is a more regular shaped fish and we were shown how to scale and fillet the big sea bass, looking out for the pockets of little bones that can easily be missed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24MyYE8M3chPJfWTuJaM0W4pp3dqIlYqraN7K7Bp3Mt-jpCvE23CUNsyTXMNaxfO5B_-q0CuP8XUS7UAYMrBfOUev44U7RzTY3ytydPJzSlBP7pgjJHSw_COXaITbR1587bnYsnXp40Ws/s1600/Fish++fillet+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24MyYE8M3chPJfWTuJaM0W4pp3dqIlYqraN7K7Bp3Mt-jpCvE23CUNsyTXMNaxfO5B_-q0CuP8XUS7UAYMrBfOUev44U7RzTY3ytydPJzSlBP7pgjJHSw_COXaITbR1587bnYsnXp40Ws/s1600/Fish++fillet+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: filleting fish (1)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sadly we didn't get to eat the sea bass (one of my favourites), but I couldn't complain because we moved on to crabs!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBjZzSfEAbB1ZLGOAX3XPHWxobuvVnfhJLFuV6eUprOgBPOmONJD8ZMNsEZG0wYMBeOiWQNpCiYkeNplvccK8OQrYQ7LxiQV2gQbzneWjXmkjD9lLywp-BA9o_9fUdqpwH_ksAJc1BXFb/s1600/Fish+fillet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBjZzSfEAbB1ZLGOAX3XPHWxobuvVnfhJLFuV6eUprOgBPOmONJD8ZMNsEZG0wYMBeOiWQNpCiYkeNplvccK8OQrYQ7LxiQV2gQbzneWjXmkjD9lLywp-BA9o_9fUdqpwH_ksAJc1BXFb/s1600/Fish+fillet+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: Filleting fish (2)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was a drawer of crabs at Bonnie Gull, all gently dozing away due to the cold temperature. We learned how to identify male and female crabs, how to cook them and prepare them. The crabs were huge specimens from Devon. Look at the size of the claws! After they were cooked (roughly 10 minutes), chef Luke showed us how to break it down and painstakingly pick out the meat from all the nooks and crannies, while chef Gavin showed us how to prepare the brown meat from the shell the Bonnie Gull way. A bit of mustard, some chilli powder all gently whisked together and served back in the shell. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvh0YJNXBzQnSU9RX3W5hL5iGHXThfLC-l24Fk9KU46PpADWdQPj3ZxR7VzvgDQ3utwCE0pMki5i4c5SLf6O378KSgz87SzM598zGO7WicpewEvCYaqUD2Ba1jGRKUmBiJjgXVj7M13mJ/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvh0YJNXBzQnSU9RX3W5hL5iGHXThfLC-l24Fk9KU46PpADWdQPj3ZxR7VzvgDQ3utwCE0pMki5i4c5SLf6O378KSgz87SzM598zGO7WicpewEvCYaqUD2Ba1jGRKUmBiJjgXVj7M13mJ/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: crab preparation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final product was a show stopper - served on a board with the big claws to crack open. It was so big though, I cheekily asked if we could take the rest of the claw meat home with us. I'm thinking of adding it to a congee. We drank a lightly chilled Italian red (Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato) with the crab, which was perfect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8r134G-emjLeZSxkKkOjaaIRYmoZr90VXbTFCFaJ4W4oJwcOFhD2vixx5AAt76vzHYSvQ2rOoNz0lhn364CK5clCeZ3wZ1NRQT9ifKOK58sbD2PXHfxTZh68-9m3Lu0xSpKvwPmFtUAMy/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8r134G-emjLeZSxkKkOjaaIRYmoZr90VXbTFCFaJ4W4oJwcOFhD2vixx5AAt76vzHYSvQ2rOoNz0lhn364CK5clCeZ3wZ1NRQT9ifKOK58sbD2PXHfxTZh68-9m3Lu0xSpKvwPmFtUAMy/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: smash your own crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dessert was a simple but tasty 99-style soft-serve ice cream studded with frozen berries. I was stuffed and a bit merry by the time we stumbled out into Exmouth Market late in the afternoon. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q7j3p6CAPp0WrgcBaRdgPVAMvX7GujdnV9aATHwkW6wuvf5_5GTY9DzOp7ZSq_FjwnChDWhte7X78fnotVwVKBKlChmyYtObjn9ZrMRmiJZNVnyay0uaNwq1YyF44yGkF2O_ooULQZab/s1600/IMG_9992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q7j3p6CAPp0WrgcBaRdgPVAMvX7GujdnV9aATHwkW6wuvf5_5GTY9DzOp7ZSq_FjwnChDWhte7X78fnotVwVKBKlChmyYtObjn9ZrMRmiJZNVnyay0uaNwq1YyF44yGkF2O_ooULQZab/s1600/IMG_9992.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Gull: dessert</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started the year with a goal to learn more about food rather than just cooking and eating it. I've done a cheese making course via Neal's Yard and a lamb butchery class at the Ginger Pig (both highly recommended). It's important to realise that this is not a cooking class, with the only hands on being the oyster shucking, but I don't consider that a drawback. The Bonnie Gull seafood masterclass was a great addition to my knowledge of fish, crabs and oysters. I imagine the content will change with the seasons too meaning you could easily try it out a couple of times a year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1828604/restaurant/Clerkenwell/Bonnie-Gull-Seafood-Bar-London"><img alt="Bonnie Gull Seafood Bar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1828604/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-22262738490963736762015-01-31T02:35:00.003-08:002015-01-31T02:35:57.588-08:00Kurobuta Marble Arch: let's do the time warp<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKlyBcLX5euK1kIuzU__75lRVLu7dtXEobd35Bd4LI-1xAavZqk4lJNoMmoBtKPBaFVfQDIKuYJDR8xcSKdBU8t_c2lLWqBmDkxsFSmVpaq8kde0BLtbD-exiRw9z2XrkvDma8f3EJIf6/s1600/P1240374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKlyBcLX5euK1kIuzU__75lRVLu7dtXEobd35Bd4LI-1xAavZqk4lJNoMmoBtKPBaFVfQDIKuYJDR8xcSKdBU8t_c2lLWqBmDkxsFSmVpaq8kde0BLtbD-exiRw9z2XrkvDma8f3EJIf6/s1600/P1240374.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: wagyu sliders £19</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do you remember the late 80s? In Tokyo? No? It's pretty vague for me too, but if you take my hand and come with me to Kurobuta in Marble Arch, you'll <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg-vgGuTD8A" target="_blank">time warp</a> to find Aussie chef Scott Hallsworth recreating the excesses of the rampant consumerism of the bubble economy in the <strike>ludicrous</strike> ambitious pricing of his Japanese-ish restaurant. You'll find pricing as lofty as those Tokyo apartments (pre crash obvs) and nouvelle-ish portion sizing presented by fresh-from-Sydney staff. The space is pretty relaxed with a mash up of Aussie culture in the music (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEUWib71Q4c" target="_blank">early 90s indie-punk Ratcat</a>?) and the posters (umm, <a href="http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/warwick-capper-1988-1990.854500/#post-21802041" target="_blank">Warwick Capper</a>, anyone? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS6f1MKpLGM" target="_blank">Bueller</a>?). The food though is actually pretty good and in some cases excellent, but I couldn't really get past the pricing. I mean, a can of Old Jamaica ginger beer that you can pick up at the Kwik-E-Mart for 50p costs £4.50 at Kurobuta. The mark up is astonishing and lingers longer than a gulp of that ginger beer. Clearly, there's a
reason why Kurobuta has locations in Chelsea and Marble Arch and not further east: it's aimed directly at the moneyed classes. In
Marble Arch I was surrounded by lots of very real fur trim on the winter
coats of plucked mothers plus their undisciplined whining children. In Chelsea I'm sure there's more than a fleeting pair of red trousers. If that's your thing, I'm sure you'll have a great time at Kurobuta. For me, it'll take a generous benefactor emulating the feted (or hated) 80s to make me return.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I mentioned the food was good, and it generally is. Our friendly Aussie waiter, Seano, suggested six courses for lunch since we weren't hugely hungry. We ended up ordering seven, but weren't stuffed by the time we left. Seano was helpful throughout and I appreciated the staggered serving of dishes rather than the usual serve-when-it's-ready style to most "tapas" places (Seano's words, not mine). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb5tXFe0IIbl5hRrV81aLxIIkae_X1l4zVWkZv7xt-qJdOK5b3QgWHUjfJPHr1GiOPohkN29q5JjVZQLmwLylZW6QggWsYKqwBbzAgsFd2USn_l8AQsfjIdvW6tsbnrRYwYQTyXMS4NX1/s1600/P1240357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb5tXFe0IIbl5hRrV81aLxIIkae_X1l4zVWkZv7xt-qJdOK5b3QgWHUjfJPHr1GiOPohkN29q5JjVZQLmwLylZW6QggWsYKqwBbzAgsFd2USn_l8AQsfjIdvW6tsbnrRYwYQTyXMS4NX1/s1600/P1240357.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: hijiki salad</td></tr>
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The hijiki salad (<a href="http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_02_08.html" target="_blank">just ignore the arsenic warnings)</a>, was nicely textured and not thirst inducingly salty like they sometimes can be. The small bowl was £6.50. Pumpkin tempura with pickled pumpkin and "creamy spicy shiso dressing",
was light, sweet and moreish. Six bites for £6.50 seemed a bit toppy
though, especially compared to the huge bowl of dressing that we hardly
dented despite repeated dunkings. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oQsRVPoSDJ_44a3XjBRdTMneQd5GMl4ZBe9UBKbgiocqRo580UnClcDBennz0a7-QKuPlHEJAGOhZn-nwVjACciGPku58Roo8ej8AvowtrZTSNi8yZqXicrVH9_ehoj0PqEA9WReWuOM/s1600/P1240358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oQsRVPoSDJ_44a3XjBRdTMneQd5GMl4ZBe9UBKbgiocqRo580UnClcDBennz0a7-QKuPlHEJAGOhZn-nwVjACciGPku58Roo8ej8AvowtrZTSNi8yZqXicrVH9_ehoj0PqEA9WReWuOM/s1600/P1240358.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: pumpkin tempura</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wanted to try the "BBQ pork belly in steamed buns with spicy peanut soy" (hirata buns) to see how they compare to
others I've eaten around London and those that I sometimes <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2014/01/chinese-new-year-recipes-dong-po-rou.html" target="_blank">make at home</a>.
They were top notch with juicy pork and soft buns, which had been torched for
some reason. Seano advised opening up the buns and stuffing as much
spicy peanut soy into the middle before eating. The sauce was more sweet
and caramel in flavour than spicy though, and I would have loved a
squirt of sriracha to give it a bit more zing. It was £13 for these two. Just so you know, Ippudo charge £3 a piece, albeit in a more stripped back fashion. The ever popular Bao sell for around £3.50. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF6i6oDpwnE4eMhCNM-6S6esajl6ka-Co6FZJoo0ZFRbKppuZ_YpdPZaR3a1L2iSdnem3xcNVXm0pH1PMbUl_ilHWxbKsibLC9bJkef2u9LlAOxXti3a8Yat6p-pYmi0RZsNcAklL3dmI/s1600/P1240363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF6i6oDpwnE4eMhCNM-6S6esajl6ka-Co6FZJoo0ZFRbKppuZ_YpdPZaR3a1L2iSdnem3xcNVXm0pH1PMbUl_ilHWxbKsibLC9bJkef2u9LlAOxXti3a8Yat6p-pYmi0RZsNcAklL3dmI/s1600/P1240363.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: BBQ pork buns with spicy peanut soy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even though I raised an eyebrow and my eyes watered at the pricing of the wagyu sliders (steamed bun, crunchy onions, pickled cucumber, umami mayo), I'm a sucker for a little burger and these sounded good coming from the Junk Food Japan section of the menu. The patty was smaller than I expected but was wagyu-juicy even with a gristly chunk in mine. The onion ring had been tempura fried which was a fun touch. The fluffy steamed bun had been torched, but I'm not exactly sure why. I guess for £19 for two, you have to do something cheffy.<br />
<br />
The best dish of lunch was probably the aubergine "Nasu Dengaku; Sticky
Miso Grilled Aubergine with Candied Walnut". For the more bargainous
price of £8.50, the aubergine (and frankly with the pedigree of the
place it should be called eggplant) was well cooked with none of the fibrous chewiness that under cooking can leave you with. The crunchy textures from the walnuts were a nice touch. "How'd that go down?" the waitress (not Seano) asked. Very well indeed was the reply.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPlUmRVcNAxkP7yXHsEyJY-OBzIx9vDNPKtbvKYyJqccdc6_rmfTA7DDKIXCjHYGVXTTuPteL2D2ggfc8Vfvze8SoB3urf4RcIHG7V-yHo-wIj0vuHQKdTHiPjQNFMiqH_WWnZLz45nEK/s1600/P1240381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPlUmRVcNAxkP7yXHsEyJY-OBzIx9vDNPKtbvKYyJqccdc6_rmfTA7DDKIXCjHYGVXTTuPteL2D2ggfc8Vfvze8SoB3urf4RcIHG7V-yHo-wIj0vuHQKdTHiPjQNFMiqH_WWnZLz45nEK/s1600/P1240381.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: nasu dengaku</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We decided to try some sushi, so went with Diver Scallop with Ginger
and Black Bean. The two morsels were £8. The kitchen obviously
loves its flame thrower because the scallop was torched (see wagyu slider and hirata buns above), as was some of the rice. If you look closely, the scallop appears dry either from the
flame, or from sitting out a bit too long, but was actually pretty juicy
and sweet. I thought the black bean may overwhelm, but it was actually a good match. The pickled ginger mound was bigger than the nigiri however.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7iDbrUSUhwEu4VOPvt4fwoKmEOpSOLHLTio4CQVfWxVMQSUDlr7DX7AMF7oUltZNrNU1FX5mAPdLwJmswNOgAULj9dZ6nMG-ycHmrAT7F5VbIhBawbYfrTjN5t5ddae1tf3qgwfW1bb_/s1600/P1240389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7iDbrUSUhwEu4VOPvt4fwoKmEOpSOLHLTio4CQVfWxVMQSUDlr7DX7AMF7oUltZNrNU1FX5mAPdLwJmswNOgAULj9dZ6nMG-ycHmrAT7F5VbIhBawbYfrTjN5t5ddae1tf3qgwfW1bb_/s1600/P1240389.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: diver scallop with ginger and black bean sushi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thankfully, the spicy tuna maki escaped the flame and hit the right spicy notes that I wish were in the pork buns. The rice was pretty well cooked, as you'd hope for a dish priced at £8.50.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKqW-yzepJSG5tSf1b2mw15eIyhvrdvd-byjqqR_EXfzKwFfWuvNxC2fF0Y8VOF8DMWf62MlplNUtvYjBH5Qxh_Vaia7l0gbR6P6B84P5G8LVcCGXSjdPyyt3pu12xIGcGJX92f1deCiN/s1600/P1240395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKqW-yzepJSG5tSf1b2mw15eIyhvrdvd-byjqqR_EXfzKwFfWuvNxC2fF0Y8VOF8DMWf62MlplNUtvYjBH5Qxh_Vaia7l0gbR6P6B84P5G8LVcCGXSjdPyyt3pu12xIGcGJX92f1deCiN/s1600/P1240395.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobuta: spicy tuna maki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lunch for the two of us, with no booze, came to £95 which is frankly way overpriced. I mentioned the price of the ginger beer in the opening but a limeade - you know, a squeeze of lime, some
sugar and soda water - was a fiver. I've laboured the point, but seriously, I don't think it can go uncommented. Still, the food is generally enjoyable, but just not worth the asking price given the laid back style. I'm afraid I'll be jumping to the left, stepping to the right, putting my hands on my hips and walking past Kurobuta in future.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1773115/restaurant/Bayswater/Kurobuta-London"><img alt="Kurobuta on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1773115/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurant/kurobuta-marble-arch?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Kurobuta Marble Arch"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/Views/DynamicImages/BlogSmallImage.aspx?restaurant=e62dc442abc248ddb72ba12bc25178c1" height="90" width="170" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-6248692327219832072015-01-10T01:46:00.001-08:002015-01-10T01:46:14.962-08:00Kyoto travels: the unmissable Miyako Odori followed by ice-cream at Kinana and stunning wagashi at Kagizen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLJ1OnVqbuark9dhQzKljWmniKxJfDYdoqEQac2xlUOUDBtxu9chkUVPC_Y_46VIgd9kMMI-BXEL_P69StartVYgoD5YIdQmcs3bDiQxhnJ4G-kzX1Ct_ifCWCK7O7oTC7OYynaSO9l9N/s1600/P1110187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLJ1OnVqbuark9dhQzKljWmniKxJfDYdoqEQac2xlUOUDBtxu9chkUVPC_Y_46VIgd9kMMI-BXEL_P69StartVYgoD5YIdQmcs3bDiQxhnJ4G-kzX1Ct_ifCWCK7O7oTC7OYynaSO9l9N/s1600/P1110187.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea ceremony before the Miyako Odori</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're in Kyoto in April, you're very lucky for a couple of reasons. Aside
from the abundant, but fleeting, cherry blossoms, April is the only month
that the <a href="http://www.miyako-odori.jp/english/" target="_blank">Miyako Odori</a>
takes place. Hmm, I sense an ephemeral theme. The Miyako Odoro is a unique
theatrical experience with dance, music and song performed by the geiko
and maiko of Gion. Its origin dates back to the 1870s and draws local
and international tourists by the score. Don't be put off by this though
because it's one of the most unique events I've enjoyed, and that's
from someone who's typically not really that into traditional song and dance. You'll leave
utterly spellbound by this unmissable experience. Just make sure
you take advantage of the tea ceremony ticket which, in addition to the brief ceremony itself, gives you access to
the theatre's garden. Following the performance, you'll probably feel like a treat, so check out the array of ice cream flavours at Kinana or the beautiful wagashi at Kagizen.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>You might be familiar with some elements of the Miyako Odori dance from the movie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_TXEEgNiWE" target="_blank">Memoirs of a Geisha</a>, although the acting in that film was more wooden than all the buildings in Gion and with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=452Uo_3Ekwg" target="_blank">fight sequence</a> that Dynasty would have been proud of. In any case, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63FxLM3AQt4" target="_blank">scene</a>
in which Sayuri performs her unusually interpretive Snow Dance looks to me
like it was filmed in the Kaburenjo Theatre where the Miyako Odori takes
place. Ignore that slightly OTT Snow Dance though, because the
performance you see is much more traditional as shown in the video highlights below, shared via the <a href="https://twitter.com/Miyako_Odori" target="_blank">Miyako Odori Twitter feed</a>.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPa0E3pkw2o" target="_blank"> </a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bPa0E3pkw2o" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
Booking
tickets for the show is pretty straightforward, but do it early since
there is a lot of demand. Ask your hotel concierge, or use the booking
form on the website. There are four performances a day which last an
hour. The basic ticket with allocated seating costs around 4,200Y, but I would recommend choosing the ticket that combines the performance with the tea ceremony since it adds greatly to the overall experience and it doesn't cost that much more (4,800Y).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46Uh0mhrUxOfBS0HTX5cHkg_4vJ9TcP4bLsJICpihRahdPuXbcLFNJykSQJoVzHkMxxej4ft6KKhQJN0f3H9ZheEZxR9VTFrYtfYmfE5r3F4eZTzbupmII50K0smkbsNubmQ2n7W2nAuk/s1600/P1110171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46Uh0mhrUxOfBS0HTX5cHkg_4vJ9TcP4bLsJICpihRahdPuXbcLFNJykSQJoVzHkMxxej4ft6KKhQJN0f3H9ZheEZxR9VTFrYtfYmfE5r3F4eZTzbupmII50K0smkbsNubmQ2n7W2nAuk/s1600/P1110171.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Internal garden at the Kaburenjo Theatre </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Arrive well before your appointed performance time, because the ticket
gives you entry to the stunning gardens in the inner courtyard of the
theatre. I could have spent much more time here investigating the ancient trees, but the performance was drawing near. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCqq-AkOeNiuRIyjiAdNfGVjoDWyx1e7ND2zj2xzy39uKkqTS5p7_TH0ZAolGFZom8f-L6FS78SvvUFAMoAgX8Q24GuVN1PQ183w8FYS4cAYw9ZNo-5BENDhyi3P9Lr2ok0ZWb4LYlZS1/s1600/P1110156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCqq-AkOeNiuRIyjiAdNfGVjoDWyx1e7ND2zj2xzy39uKkqTS5p7_TH0ZAolGFZom8f-L6FS78SvvUFAMoAgX8Q24GuVN1PQ183w8FYS4cAYw9ZNo-5BENDhyi3P9Lr2ok0ZWb4LYlZS1/s1600/P1110156.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Internal garden at the Kaburenjo Theatre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After wondering around the gardens, join the queue for the tea ceremony. The ceremony lasts hardly 5 minutes (it has to
be a fairly rapid turnover to get the 1,000 or so people into the
theatre on time for the start of the performance), but at least it's a
quick glimpse into the tradition.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinCkFxpg62K01zWR37y4w1SNgNk5aeqSXpT1xt8FS05NbvK_AxNZLj3k11uNuj9B7Sg3LBwUApMc3iLo8uLJeSGABmKbTFUt9UfXqrF2-v05mzIgdIsg1YMyGpT2laCdGslb10VzQ4si6/s1600/P1110168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinCkFxpg62K01zWR37y4w1SNgNk5aeqSXpT1xt8FS05NbvK_AxNZLj3k11uNuj9B7Sg3LBwUApMc3iLo8uLJeSGABmKbTFUt9UfXqrF2-v05mzIgdIsg1YMyGpT2laCdGslb10VzQ4si6/s1600/P1110168.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Internal garden at the Kaburenjo Theatre / Miyako Odori</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We happened to be at the front of the
queue when our group of probably 80-100 people was ushered into the chamber where the ceremony
takes place and took our seat on the front table. We were served a
small sweet red bean treat and watched the graceful tea preparation. You get to keep the cute little plate that the wagashi is served on too.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVejleYS9V56o74mftBiGrJzJ5rYh2xCweZPSFFD5qcVbn5huKf1gn2sFch_FQjU2zrieVZD9zdutHb9Tj7J37w3BPvncjLiQKXQILyKxEuz0FmfxeSs1QMv24T5YA03tZtval-x83ZB8E/s1600/P1110183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVejleYS9V56o74mftBiGrJzJ5rYh2xCweZPSFFD5qcVbn5huKf1gn2sFch_FQjU2zrieVZD9zdutHb9Tj7J37w3BPvncjLiQKXQILyKxEuz0FmfxeSs1QMv24T5YA03tZtval-x83ZB8E/s1600/P1110183.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miyako Odori: tea ceremony before the Miyako Odori performance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Part of the ceremony involves serving tea to the first woman and the first man in the front row. As I mentioned, we were on the front table and I happened to be the first man in the row, so I was a little surprised when this happened. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxpwXPC3JFvEYgMHobtlMAH59s_DexLLNNISdLS7N-HDtrRG0MIEv9H1oWdGBBgkCYFywD4916F_362E7T4' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Perhaps if you're on one of the tables towards the back of the room or to the side, the experience will not be as impressive, but I snapped some great pics and was surprised at the personal attention I received. As you move on from the ceremony, you'll pass through a museum with a stunning kimino exhibition before hitting some stalls selling souvenirs and then entering the theatre itself for the performance.<br />
<br />
The whole show lasts about an hour and although I didn't really understand
exactly what each scene was about, I was mesmerised by the choreography, the beautiful kimono, the instrumentation and stage production with its impressive lighting and backgrounds. No photography is allowed inside the theatre, so sit back and be transported to old Kyoto.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD78z_s20LLlu8Jeha2QrNj8dYIlyfWNrbMGEB9l28qc7o88Aoe6LkSNlE-J7gyQdWYgu8ZqEW7xgcspUDS_a9-Bw5zlyXxTrPZJ80OrxI7ljW6bmRcQzEhj2h3ZafcjL9MIg_HLIRwPD/s1600/P1110199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD78z_s20LLlu8Jeha2QrNj8dYIlyfWNrbMGEB9l28qc7o88Aoe6LkSNlE-J7gyQdWYgu8ZqEW7xgcspUDS_a9-Bw5zlyXxTrPZJ80OrxI7ljW6bmRcQzEhj2h3ZafcjL9MIg_HLIRwPD/s1600/P1110199.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blossoms in Kyoto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the performance, you'll be in need
of somewhere to recap what you've just seen and I've got two suggestions quite
nearby. The closest is <a href="http://www.kyo-kinana.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Kinana</a> (祇園きなな), which serves some of the best ice cream in
Kyoto. It's located on one of the back alleys near the theatre barely five minutes walk away (address: Japan, 〒605-0074 京都府京都市 東山区祇園町南側570−119). Although there is no English signage, the understated entrance looks like this.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0CLl3ZZTtR_bC9OxHs4WDNdB1YjGqkq7m806QdZ_4Jcj3MY_T2_XwGciAzlPre7rwFoHPS53YA2eNizPVzkDpB86Gg6MBgB_X_-ihjrbOWR0CyruJfBDYadyKH3H3ARAzmHLhW0rhdxA/s1600/P1110210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0CLl3ZZTtR_bC9OxHs4WDNdB1YjGqkq7m806QdZ_4Jcj3MY_T2_XwGciAzlPre7rwFoHPS53YA2eNizPVzkDpB86Gg6MBgB_X_-ihjrbOWR0CyruJfBDYadyKH3H3ARAzmHLhW0rhdxA/s1600/P1110210.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinana: the unremarkable entry to some remarkable ice cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Upstairs is a small seated area serving interestingly flavoured scoops of the smoothest ice cream or a more decadently constructed parfait. I chose brown sugar, caramel and mugwort (800Y) ice cream. Although not exactly cheap, it was a nice break from the crowds and gave us time to savour the Miyako Odori performance. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI8qtjmWwcvmOuUUOvdKN9b_r4zS09Eeatg0uLh074qTetRnsiPQqqZYEHIyP1Wh79mcsqCOkAhvWz2pxBJkcnXsFkm_kJyOMq1irTWFIA9edQhqPhB2YoF6Zt_0hEE7Ra7MbqWeH1uPj/s1600/P1110207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI8qtjmWwcvmOuUUOvdKN9b_r4zS09Eeatg0uLh074qTetRnsiPQqqZYEHIyP1Wh79mcsqCOkAhvWz2pxBJkcnXsFkm_kJyOMq1irTWFIA9edQhqPhB2YoF6Zt_0hEE7Ra7MbqWeH1uPj/s1600/P1110207.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinana: trio of ice cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's also an option for just two scoops with some mochi for 700Y.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvr3sa8b4y_bt4S49jVcYPbsC5ohM1V0ge5p74TrgUqtpG5t0XD8WvyTRdmFnHiJ60rRHfoOeZ1b-UgdsFMsc5wu_wNutFXt4h1b2b8PrfVtRW20jRlg-k3Yn58wKFZzlr_eoH4OMKjP9/s1600/IMG_0259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvr3sa8b4y_bt4S49jVcYPbsC5ohM1V0ge5p74TrgUqtpG5t0XD8WvyTRdmFnHiJ60rRHfoOeZ1b-UgdsFMsc5wu_wNutFXt4h1b2b8PrfVtRW20jRlg-k3Yn58wKFZzlr_eoH4OMKjP9/s1600/IMG_0259.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinana: ice cream with mochi and red beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A little further walk away on the Shijo Dori is <a href="http://www.kagizen.co.jp/en/" target="_blank">Kagizen Yoshifusa</a> (address: 京都市東山区祇園町北側264番地), which is a little more zen-like than Kinana and serves a wide selection of more refined wagashi. Tucked away beyond the dark wood counter selling takeaway treats, is a tea house which looks onto a small enclosed garden. I ordered kanro-take, which is a jelly (mizu-yokan) served in a small bamboo shoot. It's essentially red bean jelly, and quite beautiful, even if it does look like a lipstick.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe55c1nBnEuiq6t9PO0vujwfJNKPkbkqR7Z4rvYvlrUst7mLYow5Fph69LUdeVFKtEnWhdo_nHBM-MN3SOmgZXxJEeloDJIlz5q2DxiGTey2Mo8FA8YM1Oh6DJAA9mRV1n5fe87pbCV7bb/s1600/P1120139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe55c1nBnEuiq6t9PO0vujwfJNKPkbkqR7Z4rvYvlrUst7mLYow5Fph69LUdeVFKtEnWhdo_nHBM-MN3SOmgZXxJEeloDJIlz5q2DxiGTey2Mo8FA8YM1Oh6DJAA9mRV1n5fe87pbCV7bb/s1600/P1120139.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kagizen in Kyoto: kanro-take</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But the prettier dish was the stunning sakura wagashi.With the beautiful light streaming in from the garden, Kagizen is a perfect pit stop on your tour of Gion whether you've been to the Miyako Odori performance or not.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkiw1yf1HxqYNTXxZiiGENi1sdRT0xE-j774k2DRuhhrsLG51WxY4QAzyUll2gESDpxEGyed-OXB-p_y04iP6Tfg_zGan5eg-Aed2Pjf4WmtDEqE27Ul4Nv2fm_-gXFJenIODIKZLj-eN/s1600/P1120142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkiw1yf1HxqYNTXxZiiGENi1sdRT0xE-j774k2DRuhhrsLG51WxY4QAzyUll2gESDpxEGyed-OXB-p_y04iP6Tfg_zGan5eg-Aed2Pjf4WmtDEqE27Ul4Nv2fm_-gXFJenIODIKZLj-eN/s1600/P1120142.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kagizen in Kyoto: sakura wagashi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-19697980488134070042015-01-04T09:50:00.000-08:002015-01-05T10:43:13.283-08:00Kyoto travels: the best bang-for-your-yen lunch at Roan Kikunoi <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QSTj-sjbqE1Iw7rH-msqr52UybdSZSAzYicgEE3iXxDoLn_TkL6m0QBQNx1e-YT0kVRVu0BqtuVJ1FjorcRWQ3FpM3-5dcXuSQew0RyBqI35b6pt6ihzuih_RcMt4Dc8I0ebsK5SGG26/s1600/P1120173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QSTj-sjbqE1Iw7rH-msqr52UybdSZSAzYicgEE3iXxDoLn_TkL6m0QBQNx1e-YT0kVRVu0BqtuVJ1FjorcRWQ3FpM3-5dcXuSQew0RyBqI35b6pt6ihzuih_RcMt4Dc8I0ebsK5SGG26/s1600/P1120173.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: smoked cherry trout</td></tr>
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There are only so many meals that you feel you can do justice to with a blog post and I'm afraid time has usually got the better of me for most of them. I'm not one of those bloggers who is satisfied writing down "I went here and I ate that" and sending it out into the ether of the internet. It's boring to write and boring to read. But there are some experiences I've had that I really want to share, even if it is belatedly and with more brevity than usual (hurrah, I hear you cheer!). Anyway, my mind has recently returned to Japan, and Kyoto in particular, since I've just booked another holiday there. Japan is one of those places that gets under your skin and Kyoto, more than others, is somewhere that never leaves you. I've written of some memorable meals (<a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2014/07/kyoto-travels-noodling-about-with-ramen.html" target="_blank">noodles</a>, <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2014/05/unforgettable-shoraian-arashiyama-japan.html" target="_blank">tofu</a>, <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2014/05/kyoto-travels-fushimi-inari-shrine-and.html" target="_blank">unagi and Fushimi Inari</a>) from the visit to Kyoto in April 2014, but so far I've left out the blockbuster two and three Michelin star spots that I ate in. One of the most enjoyable, and best bang-for-my-yen, meals was lunch at <a href="http://kikunoi.jp/english/store/roan/" target="_blank">Roan Kikunoi</a> - the two-star kappo sister to the flagship three-star Kikunoi.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: dinner preparations</td></tr>
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With the help of my hotel concierge, we scored lunch reservations at Roan Kikunoi on our final day in Kyoto. I chose the 10,000Y menu, since I wanted to experience the best that was on offer, but lunch can be had from just 4,000Y. At dinner, the menus run from 10,000Y to 18,000Y plus tax and service. The counter seating (kappo style) means an interactive kaiseki experience, with the chefs adding finishing touches to most of the dishes. I've always enjoyed watching passionate chefs cook. Since we had a late lunch seating, the staff moved on to some preparation for the evening meal too. We gawked at the incredibly skilled fish filleting and some prep of the seasonal firefly squid.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: Tai milt tofu with ponzu jelly</td></tr>
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The meal started with a sake aperitif, infused with cherry blossom leaf, served in a shallow bowl. A fresh mouthful of red sea bream milt tofu with a ponzu jelly followed. The aromatic flavour from the milt (fish sperm sac) was enhanced by the tart sweetness of the ponzu. This rather inconspicuous dish is actually incredibly seasonal, since sea bream only spawn once a year. <br />
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The Hassun course followed: a beautifully presented dish of various seasonal seafood and vegetables, accented by the last of the cherry blossoms. Small mouthfuls of ikura (salmon roe) and octopus with its eggs (better than the overcooked version at Chihana) were outstanding. The tai sushi was incredibly fresh, but was let down by overcooked rice, however I loved experiencing the vegetables I'd never seen before like mountain yams, udo stalks (a mountain asparagus) and lily roots (Yurine).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: Hassun course</td></tr>
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Sashimi followed. Spanish mackerel (sagoshi), paired with a similarly cut slab of ponzu jelly was incredibly tender with lingering fresh flavours. The red sea bream (tai) had a firmer texture which was a nice counterpoint to the creamier mackerel. The freshness of the fish and the preparation was outstanding.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: sashimi of Spanish mackerel and sea bream</td></tr>
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A Kikunoi signature sashimi dish followed: baby tuna (koshibi) with a marinated egg yolk sauce. Again, the fish was incredibly tender. When draped through the yolk sauce and punctuated with the small blob of mustard on the fish, the mouthful left a vibrant but delicate heat. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: baby tuna with egg yolk sauce</td></tr>
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Preparing the tuna...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: finishing touches added to the sashimi course</td></tr>
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A steamed course, again presented in beautiful lacquer-ware, was next. The gelatinous soup contained a cherry leaf encasing some tender tilefish (guji) which was wrapped around glutinous rice. There were some salt cured cherry blossom petals in there too, contributing to the heady aroma released from the bowl as the lid was lifted. Small cubes of tender bamboo and some ground rice crackers added texture. The dish was topped with delicate warabi (bracken fern) and a little ginger kept things fresh. This was quite a substantial course, but I enjoyed the progression of flavours from the punchier tuna sashimi to this one, which seemed simpler (but far from simple) and earthier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: steamed tilefish in a cherry leaf with sticky rice</td></tr>
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My favourite dish followed and is considered another Kikunoi classic. The smoked cherry trout was presented adorned with only a cherry blossom on a rustic plate (see picture at the top). For all its simplicity, the dish leans heavily on the quality of its ingredients and skill in preparation. The scroll-like construction was tender, gently smoked and fantastically juicy and sweet. Another stunning dish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: grilled tofu with kinome miso</td></tr>
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Continuing in the grilled vein, two small tofu skewers followed. The silken tofu was smothered in kinome-miso giving each bite a wonderful herbaceous and slightly numbing essence. The tofu was incredibly delicate and really melted with each bite. The sweetness, coupled with a hint of the charcoal over which it was cooked, meant this was another inspiring dish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: hot pot</td></tr>
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A cleansing hotpot full of seasonal regional ingredients appeared fresh from the steamer, shrouded with a cloth. The lid was theatrically lifted to unveil an infusion of intricately cut bamboo, seaweed, fish (more tai) and herbs (more kinome). Clean flavours and a mixture of textures were all present and correct. I could linger over bowls of this. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: hot pot with bamboo, seaweed and fish</td></tr>
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The rice course was not simply an afterthought, but rather it was a sensational vehicle for showing off the best seasonal produce. The rice was presented by the beaming chef and the fabulous fragrance of bamboo shoots and herbs wafted out. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAINnTIZE4UHWKkzkuA4QypH6XUbVGYbHcBKITDufH2aaE6SJLnaXPs3zFZ4VckBTPMUA9cZZ-aMncz9UoqDjxGH7CVaBF6rvelyVMpLBwvGwuKx-eg8pZ4cDHuOesXCIpE-vQdNyviLHj/s1600/P1120197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAINnTIZE4UHWKkzkuA4QypH6XUbVGYbHcBKITDufH2aaE6SJLnaXPs3zFZ4VckBTPMUA9cZZ-aMncz9UoqDjxGH7CVaBF6rvelyVMpLBwvGwuKx-eg8pZ4cDHuOesXCIpE-vQdNyviLHj/s1600/P1120197.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: bamboo shoot rice with kinome</td></tr>
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The warming rice was spiked with freshly cut kinome giving each mouthful a slight peppery numbness. The course was completed with various pickles (some sweet, some sharp and tart) and a green pea soup containing a fried minced shrimp ball.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjWEsG1Ex4O745nmUaorEuC5lDYZDt9ggbBsFFpr3ImO4Bss5q1HFJX4SRxXSlh7Pvg-PxjJbqtCWV0CMjc04Rs-qBQdRx_D7IfX8On6pVkVO3jl-NsZnERIGzl5gRIFmXTxK0H9XselT/s1600/P1120200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjWEsG1Ex4O745nmUaorEuC5lDYZDt9ggbBsFFpr3ImO4Bss5q1HFJX4SRxXSlh7Pvg-PxjJbqtCWV0CMjc04Rs-qBQdRx_D7IfX8On6pVkVO3jl-NsZnERIGzl5gRIFmXTxK0H9XselT/s1600/P1120200.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: rice, pea soup and pickles</td></tr>
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We ended with a pure palate cleansing dessert and it was a stunning finale. The chilled basil seed soup with an almond jelly topped by two fragrant strawberries was as refreshing as it sounds. The basil seeds had been soaked in almond water, giving a natural gelatinous consistency to the "soup". <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge34-XVilhHGv6Xh1xKle6jZCMqb6XG9EJczCP9TB4pvHIotfZ1vuK4_b1IMu15jva6O-bHC5ng1-fzeY-djl5FMIzOwun-wPGF-uFg9_SgyshFL6HiItCSsNWp9AYD3A3FYuf0EnK7dSZ/s1600/P1120218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge34-XVilhHGv6Xh1xKle6jZCMqb6XG9EJczCP9TB4pvHIotfZ1vuK4_b1IMu15jva6O-bHC5ng1-fzeY-djl5FMIzOwun-wPGF-uFg9_SgyshFL6HiItCSsNWp9AYD3A3FYuf0EnK7dSZ/s1600/P1120218.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: almond jelly with basil seed and strawberry </td></tr>
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So there you have it. 10 outstanding courses, several of which come straight from the main Kikunoi ryotei. For the price of lunch, I think it's an experience hard to beat. Almost everything was perfect - from the thoughtful sequence of the dishes and the echo of certain ingredients in various courses, to the
small touches like packing up the uneaten rice for an o-nigiri snack
later on, showed an element of warmth and hospitality which I think was lacking from my
dinner at three star Chihana. The English skills of the staff were good throughout, making Roan Kikunoi a great destination for the western tourist, and I think the bolder flavours are more suited to Western palates than the more subtle dishes I had at Chihana. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnr26zBlgVaF12TcEPyJmkSi91Ov9VFi-eyYKcc4TFrJICGGPHqFsc2bTMIVM-eDzw5IfkCqwS9QC8NuirYq9kz_Wv_CNyc4bIBq7yBmSW5hZ0Uky73gcgl3jqsUburzNJ6SeVrg1Y-RmY/s1600/P1120220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnr26zBlgVaF12TcEPyJmkSi91Ov9VFi-eyYKcc4TFrJICGGPHqFsc2bTMIVM-eDzw5IfkCqwS9QC8NuirYq9kz_Wv_CNyc4bIBq7yBmSW5hZ0Uky73gcgl3jqsUburzNJ6SeVrg1Y-RmY/s1600/P1120220.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roan Kikunoi: the entrance to the dining room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's hard to believe that this oasis is only metres away from bustling downtown Kyoto. On my upcoming return trip, there's really only one place I want to revisit, and it's Roan Kikunoi.<br />
<br />
By the way, if you are at all interested in Chef Murata and kaiseki, I highly recommend his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1568364423/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1568364423&linkCode=as2&tag=theinsaeate-21&linkId=3J6IHCE5CXWC7ZEC" target="_blank">Kaiseki: The Equisite Cuisine of Kyoto's Kikunoi Restaurant</a>. Several of the dishes that I ate above are featured in the book with detailed descriptions of the ingredients and preparation methods. I find that knowing more of the story behind each dish really adds to my enjoyment. I find I use his home-style <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1568365551/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1568365551&linkCode=as2&tag=theinsaeate-21&linkId=MXECNXCJNZ6EAM37" target="_blank">Japanese cookboo</a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1568365551/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1568365551&linkCode=as2&tag=theinsaeate-21&linkId=MXECNXCJNZ6EAM37" target="_blank">k</a> a lot for meals at home too. Basically, I'm a fan boy!<br />
<br />
PS - in hindsight, I wasn't as brief as I thought I could be! <br />
<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-3840798651330575082014-11-01T03:45:00.000-07:002014-11-01T03:45:44.097-07:00Crocker's Folly: new kid on the block<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAY3__t2Cy9rWicdmtV-1LGwDaqPj2juylmJyF7MN43qL8WEW2pb_RqZop533zlks-XZz6midBUGGcnrTKmwfyTA6OS169hD3O3IxaiqsirlrDWi4DIpkgZ125EpLgO7VIUzvHjK3noTd/s1600/IMG_8838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAY3__t2Cy9rWicdmtV-1LGwDaqPj2juylmJyF7MN43qL8WEW2pb_RqZop533zlks-XZz6midBUGGcnrTKmwfyTA6OS169hD3O3IxaiqsirlrDWi4DIpkgZ125EpLgO7VIUzvHjK3noTd/s1600/IMG_8838.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crocker's Folly tavern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently opened <a href="http://instagram.com/insatiableeater" target="_blank">Crocker's Folly</a> isn't exactly the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbIEwIwYz-c" target="_blank">new kid on the block</a> - the building dates back to the late 1800s - but it certainly feels like it. It has been empty for an age and more recently boarded up while undergoing a loving and
painstaking renovation which has restored the venue to glory. As
you'd expect from the Maroush Group, purveyors of (good) Lebanese food up and down Edgware Road and pockets further afield, there is an element of bling in
details like the impossibly-light chandelier and the well-buffed marble that greets you at every turn.
It all has a shiny new feel to it. The food is polished as well, with the menu devised by a talented chef who has worked in some serious kitchens like Pollen St Social and noma. But the investment in the rooms and the food comes at a cost, with prices that I consider punchy for a neighbourhood spot. So, is it all fur coat and no knickers?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I visited for lunch on the Sunday after Crocker's official opening. I'd been keeping an eye on the place for a while since it's in my neck of the woods (although I live on the other side of the Edgware Rd tracks), and the teaser shots of the interior were swoon-worthy. Ahead of the opening, I saw a few pics on <a href="http://instagram.com/insatiableeater" target="_blank">Instagram</a> of the soft launch to whet the appetite too. But despite being "open", the menu was still the limited soft launch one. A fuller offering, including bar snacks in the tavern, is expected over the coming weeks. Prices on Sunday weren't soft launch-worthy however (they were giving a free oyster to each diner though). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr9Y9gvwcaIbBG6E8esBOvr5RL5XiKuu2QOPR8hP4RTUef4LxCvXijMDBB12m7AVhyb4V3Lml3LMPts6FHBkvCb2vOvDZ1-9arnPDSYc0memAKCSCI8WgwyObi2iR91I0ikDDaWcxM674/s1600/IMG_0172_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr9Y9gvwcaIbBG6E8esBOvr5RL5XiKuu2QOPR8hP4RTUef4LxCvXijMDBB12m7AVhyb4V3Lml3LMPts6FHBkvCb2vOvDZ1-9arnPDSYc0memAKCSCI8WgwyObi2iR91I0ikDDaWcxM674/s1600/IMG_0172_2.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josper-grilled rib-eye (£24) served with triple cooked chips and peppercorn sauce. Photo credit: <a href="http://instagram.com/sirbakealot/" target="_blank">@Sirbakealot</a></td></tr>
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The food was uniformly good with unusual twists like the miso purée with my crispy-skinned tender lamb and heritage carrots. We aren't in average Sunday pub lunch territory are we? The 350g rib eye was flavoursome and cooked as asked, although the peppercorn sauce had a slightly odd smokiness to it. The triple-cooked chips looked like they had missed the third cook however, and were on the sallow side, lacking crispiness. The chips, like the rest of the savoury dishes however, were perfectly seasoned.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikr0KVddPoFboSiFnS8hU8ygkVqPKsysr_rZQB3Unwsji5s08dMN-61gsD4V0-nrAVwOrxEQ2qPp-m-oF7l23WPjt63dUQRkFZqkumdxY1l0RyuPMrimAtoJfpOxytUwnFzyRjonVG66Si/s1600/IMG_8835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikr0KVddPoFboSiFnS8hU8ygkVqPKsysr_rZQB3Unwsji5s08dMN-61gsD4V0-nrAVwOrxEQ2qPp-m-oF7l23WPjt63dUQRkFZqkumdxY1l0RyuPMrimAtoJfpOxytUwnFzyRjonVG66Si/s1600/IMG_8835.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matured lamb, miso puree, celeriac & heritage carrots (£19)</td></tr>
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Desserts were perfect for what they were - a sweet, albeit deconstructed, cheesecake served in a glass, and a disc of rich chocolate mousse with a pineapple granita, although it lacked the perfume of the tropics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RP-2MC5iYVSoDRYTxNsCa7aMZzJ2JUncvYZwYldQJyqch9Z6vugLPsnSL6Z8G7UefXLrIkLJPdmVs89k0TYweG0Pdlwps5RstQfPDjlHhQdkK0-0tRi_uemh47a9YOTDthBS0tS7dRyq/s1600/P1160442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RP-2MC5iYVSoDRYTxNsCa7aMZzJ2JUncvYZwYldQJyqch9Z6vugLPsnSL6Z8G7UefXLrIkLJPdmVs89k0TYweG0Pdlwps5RstQfPDjlHhQdkK0-0tRi_uemh47a9YOTDthBS0tS7dRyq/s1600/P1160442.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate mousse, pineapple granite (£6.50)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Service was nervous and anxious which made me nervous and anxious on
occasion. Thankfully, lightening reflexes prevented a fork from
skittering across and scratching the new wooden floors at one point. On another, our lovely waitress was shaking so
much when she delivered a cocktail that I thought I might wear it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BNLxOviEZfsXbJAQ8_Pze5Lw__dZFDsqTa0z44G1s_CrYWQhnZVZfiZUCYVxh_-XPUBuwZVdpr0UPv17u7brmlvI6kT-qQ4PCpbxkj1iQRPkoS6N2v1Z8DBQnpDynx6ZM3YLbCcoDIQb/s1600/IMG_8840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BNLxOviEZfsXbJAQ8_Pze5Lw__dZFDsqTa0z44G1s_CrYWQhnZVZfiZUCYVxh_-XPUBuwZVdpr0UPv17u7brmlvI6kT-qQ4PCpbxkj1iQRPkoS6N2v1Z8DBQnpDynx6ZM3YLbCcoDIQb/s1600/IMG_8840.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft orange cheese cake (£6.50) </td></tr>
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With entrées over a tenner and mains pushing the £20 mark and over (for the Josper-touched meats), it's far from a cheap meal. Perhaps the folks on this side of Edgware Rd can afford a regular £75 Sunday lunch (for two people, 2
courses each plus a cocktail and a fruit punch) but I kind of baulk at that. I did see a couple of diners
with young kids leave, I'm guessing because the menu doesn't cater to the average punter. Maybe the upcoming expanded menu will include a more accessible Sunday roast.<br />
<br />
Still, while I get that the renovations cost a bomb, I really think Crocker's should have invested in a more experienced front of house, which is currently the weakest link in the proposition, to justify the prices being asked. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dm1vKHSskQUYKzZTnHg6w9p-OKz9EFZA38zlgS-aeIx0xPquDmy_5EWkeXkFyWm1V-B1FJCxQlrCAMWky1l9EKpQMFYu2ffE9UKqLVX7XhMDQZZ-h_XCSRsaPIbB2981oD5H-GkBUWO5/s1600/P1160436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dm1vKHSskQUYKzZTnHg6w9p-OKz9EFZA38zlgS-aeIx0xPquDmy_5EWkeXkFyWm1V-B1FJCxQlrCAMWky1l9EKpQMFYu2ffE9UKqLVX7XhMDQZZ-h_XCSRsaPIbB2981oD5H-GkBUWO5/s1600/P1160436.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grand dining room of Crocker's Folly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, is Crocker's all fur coat and no knickers? When it comes to the food, definitely not. My lamb had loads of flavour and the steak was great. But as for the whole package, I think time will tell. I'll go back for a cocktail or two in the future and check out the bar menu as well. Hopefully the staff will have found their feet and the place will buzz with the confidence the building deserves. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1893449/restaurant/St-Johns-Wood-Lisson-Grove/Crockers-Folly-London"><img alt="Crocker's Folly on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1893449/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-83672216951529239892014-07-29T13:46:00.001-07:002014-07-29T13:46:03.990-07:00Kyoto travels: noodling about with Ramen at Ippudo, Soba at Misoka-an and Udon at Omen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULdq_Zvk_ZJCJQdTYDiv95qQs0UIRIOvICvJlCd37WL-DXcve50GI94GETyIxY5OGJsX0vqYoT5-4UhPNC4wyHGR6uaCmPkGVLbXpJZ5Cx1pFAuIA25nxV5VoSYcevGoql9HsISNYrVeQ/s1600/P1120089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULdq_Zvk_ZJCJQdTYDiv95qQs0UIRIOvICvJlCd37WL-DXcve50GI94GETyIxY5OGJsX0vqYoT5-4UhPNC4wyHGR6uaCmPkGVLbXpJZ5Cx1pFAuIA25nxV5VoSYcevGoql9HsISNYrVeQ/s1600/P1120089.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ippudo ramen, Kyoto</td></tr>
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I don't know about you but I reckon certain types of noodles have personalities. On my scale, soba is the introverted quiet one in the corner of a crowded room having a peaceful conversation, while in the middle of the party, ripping off its shirt, chugging beers and generally in everyone's face is ramen. Subtle couldn't be further from the truth. Udon is somewhere between these two extremes with a generally mellow vibe but is quite open to being led astray. Although I lean toward soba and udon most of the time, I was so excited to be in Kyoto that our first meal there really had to be a steaming bowl of ramen from Ippudo. On other days I enjoyed an excellent cleansing soba in the terrific machi-ya of Misako-an and a stunning udon at Omen, a short stray from the Philosopher's Path on the way to the Silver Pavillion. All come highly recommended on any trip to Kyoto.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Ippudo - ramen</b><br />
If you know noodles, you don't
need me to explain Ippudo's fame - it has locations spread from NYC to
Sydney. It opened in 1985 in Fukuoka and has gone on to conquer the world except, oddly enough, London. Word on the street is that it's finally planning to wipe the floor with the current crop of London pretenders in the near future. Ippudo's Kyoto location is a short walk from the end of the Nishiki market. We waited a brief time with a mix of tourists and locals before sharing a bench, ordering and tucking in. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezF0XNvaQCPSD3BoeUxkf0HoJ4MarRe0ntAaB6f_Ywl5-OZw7xM9nqhM4ouRb6IKoXVHYZ761LLl7Anue2nJpqp71kgx8elPQt6py6-leGlo9toRP9n9fzoX1At54dIj39Fpay6XAMBgH/s1600/ramen+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezF0XNvaQCPSD3BoeUxkf0HoJ4MarRe0ntAaB6f_Ywl5-OZw7xM9nqhM4ouRb6IKoXVHYZ761LLl7Anue2nJpqp71kgx8elPQt6py6-leGlo9toRP9n9fzoX1At54dIj39Fpay6XAMBgH/s1600/ramen+collage.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ippudo ramen Kyoto:Akamura, Shiromaru, gyoza and self help condiments</td></tr>
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The menu selection is fairly brief with just four ramen variations to choose from and a couple of starters. The gyoza were terrific bite size mouthfuls served with a punchy little smudge of chilli sauce which I wanted more of. I ordered the Akamura special which was nose-runningly spicy and Dracula-warding with its garlicky oomph. Layered with charshu, three types of seaweed, bean sprouts, tomago and black fungus, it was a brilliant way to stave off jet lag. Mr B tucked into the classic hakata-style Shiromaru Special - the original milky tonkotsu broth with similar toppings to the Akamura bar the garlic - and slurped his bowl clean.<br />
<br />
The menu is in English and the staff are friendly, efficient and also speak English. True to its noodle personality, Ippudo is open late.<br />
<br />
<b>Misoka-an Kawamichi-ya </b>- <b>soba</b><br />
A little tip about the soba specialists in Kyoto is that they close early. I planned to try Daikoku-ya, but it was closing up at 8.30pm when I dropped in despite being smack in the middle of the Pontocho entertainment district (Diane Durston's Old Kyoto book lists it as open until 11pm, but it's not). I guess it reflects that shy, retiring noodle personality I referred to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5qNaqEO-5G7iuwFOfplGtkffPUDaW0by76aCYht5IutCzMKzKF4LMKBM20OA3GI6UIHw-SIXLOVbcuAXg6Lv5b0B1BiiIPD3lpN7dVaiCitJfkWuWM4IzaNfq8AM4Hm-bZ3nNboyMYt0/s1600/soba+collage+again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5qNaqEO-5G7iuwFOfplGtkffPUDaW0by76aCYht5IutCzMKzKF4LMKBM20OA3GI6UIHw-SIXLOVbcuAXg6Lv5b0B1BiiIPD3lpN7dVaiCitJfkWuWM4IzaNfq8AM4Hm-bZ3nNboyMYt0/s1600/soba+collage+again.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misoka-an Kawamichi-ya - soba specialist Kyoto in a beautiful machiya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The one soba purveyor that I managed to try in Kyoto was <a href="http://www.kawamichiya.co.jp/soba/english.htm" target="_blank">Misoka-an</a> and it's a must visit just to check out the building. I visited mainly due to reading about it in Old Kyoto which chronicles Kyoto's slowly fading machiyas or the traditional wooden stores used by the myriad merchants throughout the city. We sat at the back of the building which has stone floors, shoji screens, lots of foliage and an open ceiling in parts. It's a wonderfully atmospheric building. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGei4pcGF4TIzWdaeghKCEbZ8gpOPKHWbNjOMRhFNgO0NDelnskSqOogTblNrsrHDSomKbdO8yWFrCPZP3SbMz8WZ3x3i2uUE8XJ2BzHAnclkXyIZfgA7ym0pMyJONqZFLP_R3dPtTEFfZ/s1600/soba+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGei4pcGF4TIzWdaeghKCEbZ8gpOPKHWbNjOMRhFNgO0NDelnskSqOogTblNrsrHDSomKbdO8yWFrCPZP3SbMz8WZ3x3i2uUE8XJ2BzHAnclkXyIZfgA7ym0pMyJONqZFLP_R3dPtTEFfZ/s1600/soba+collage.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misoka-an: Shippoku soba noodles, soba-maki </td></tr>
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We decided to start with the peculiar maki rolls filled with soba noodles. They weren't an instantly likeable concoction to be honest - cold noodles wrapped in nori - but interesting to try nonetheless. As for the noodles, I picked the Shippoku soba. The small bowl was filled with yuba, shinjo (a fish paste), spinach, boiled quail eggs and some mushrooms. These are clean, bright but warming flavours.<br />
<br />
<b>Omen </b>- <b>udon</b><br />
We missed the peak of cherry blossom season by about a week, but weren't too disappointed since the previous year we experienced the full blossoming in Tokyo. The Philosopher's Path is meant to be a stunning, if crowded, stroll at the peak of the season. We saw a few straggling trees with blossoms on the turn when we walked the stretch, but I was more looking forward to the udon noodles than the flowers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omen udon: seasonal special udon, Nadai udon, sake, pickles.</td></tr>
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A short meander from the path will bring you to <a href="http://omen.co.jp/" target="_blank">Omen</a>. As you enter, there's a large tatami section to the right (which rapidly filled up with ravenous school kids) although we headed for the bar where one of the staff was sculpting small mountains from the vat of pickles. It's definitely got an old school vibe to it. I ordered the seasonal special udon called Wild Plant and Sakura Shrimp Noodle Soup for Y1,300 (£7.50 or so). Mr B took the house special noodles, Nadai Omen, served cold since it was a warm day.<br />
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My beautifully balanced broth came with all the fantastic spring vegetables that we saw in the various markets and on menus that week like shredded burdock and bamboo. The sakura ebi, baby shrimp, were flash fried and added to the broth along with spring onions and small sansho fronds with their peppery numbing impact. The noodles, of course, were excellent - firm yet bouncy and elastic without being chewy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omen: Kyoto's best udon noodles</td></tr>
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Mr B raved about his set. The cold noodles could be dipped into the soup or sprinkled with sesame seeds. The meal was made complete with an excellent pickle selection. For Y1,150 (not even £7) it was a bargain. Omen is run by third generation noodle makers and the attention to detail shows in each bite. We left hugely satiated with enough ballast to battle the thickening crowd on the approach to the Silver Pavilion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyoto's Silver Pavilion. Serenity now.</td></tr>
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<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-46852589995211918482014-07-27T14:08:00.000-07:002014-11-05T13:32:52.138-08:00Barrafina Covent Garden: it's flantastic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrafina Adelaide St: instant classic Bocadillo de Calamar</td></tr>
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You've never really needed me to tell you to go to Barrafina have you? It's a given. When it opened on Frith St it was an instant classic. On one of my visits, Keira Knightley was in there chowing down on quail. Who'd of thunk it eh? She eats. Clearly then, that should be recommendation enough - if it's good enough for someone who probably only eats a meal a week, then it's definitely good enough for those of us who aren't perpetually hungry. The only problem with Barrafina is that it became a victim of its own success. I've seen people queue before it even opened just to score one of the stools, meaning my visits became more sporadic. I'm not good with paramilitary planning when it comes to food. Joyfully, they've decided to share the Barrafina love and open a second location, which miraculously, improves on the experience at the big sister.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The new space sits on the edge of Covent Garden up the road from Terroirs and across the street from Les Deux Salons. Happily it's also opposite the lovely pub The Harp (where they happen to serve real ales and bangin bangers - I mention it only for future reference since you're here for Spanish food). The area is now quite the destination rather than just somewhere you pay a cursory glance to as you leg it down to Charing Cross Station for that last train. You'd never be able to tell there was a semi-dodgy gay bar on the site for a number of years. Kudos to the designers for remodelling the space into something that feels airy, spacious and light, which is something that can't be said for the original Barrafina if you're wedged in next to the toilets with a hungry queue behind you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bustling Barrafina Covent Garden: jamon and the seafood and vegetable specials</td></tr>
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Having just opened to <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/restaurants/fay-maschlers-fivestar-review-of-barrafina-adelaide-street-9608748.html" target="_blank">rave reviews</a>, I arrived just after opening time at 5pm and within half an hour all stools were taken. If you do arrive when the stools are full, your name will be written on a mirror with the time that you arrived and an approximate waiting time - it could be 30mins or it could be an hour. The queue is expertly managed by the guy who had that patience-stretching function at the Frith Street location. On the service front, I can only say that it shines - friendly, knowledgeable, unobtrusive. The procession of dishes are timed so that you never wait too long or have too many in front of you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrafina Covent Garden: oysters ceviche</td></tr>
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So to the food. You'll notice that the menu is mostly different to the one at Frith St. The larger space at Adelaide St allows room for a coal-fired Josper Grill and much of the menu is touched by the smokey oven. Toast with alioli (£3.00) is mandatory with a cold glass of Estrella. The crispy oyster ceviche (£3.80) is not really ceviche in the traditional sense (and comes under the Frituras section of the menu) but has a light tempura batter and is served with a refreshing clean dressing. It's a delicious amuse bouche.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrafina Covent Garden: grilled asparagus with romesco sauce, grilled turbot, prawn and mushroom tortilla</td></tr>
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They've created a dish that will probably never leave the menu in the Bocadillo de Calamar Encebollado (picture at top, £7.50). I love anything stuffed into bread, and the crusty bun here is layered with an onion confit and topped with squid that has been grilled on the plancha before being finished off in the Josper. It's got maximum texture and flavour for such a small bite. <br />
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I think Barrafina create a better tortilla than most places in Spain and the versions at the Covent Garden location differ to those at Frith St. The tortilla with prawns, garlic and mushrooms (£7) gives the one with prawns and piquillo peppers at Frith St a run for its money. The perfect construction shows in the set egg shell while the interior oozes with flavour. One of the daily specials was turbot cooked in the Josper with a coating of fennel-spiked breadcrumbs. We ordered a quarter (£28) and were presented with meaty, juicy flesh which easily flaked from the bones. The crumbs and judicious seasoning lifted each mouthful.<br />
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Another special we picked was the thick-stemmed asparagus (£6.80) simply grilled in the Josper and served on a romesco sauce with plate-licking depth. The asparagus was topped with shavings of manchego cheese which melted deliciously over the dish. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrafina Covent Garden: chicken wings with mojo picon sauce</td></tr>
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The chicken wings (£6.50) at Barrafina are so extraordinary they should be served with a 70s-style finger bowl because you'll be picking them up and sucking the bones. Once again touched by the Josper, the wings are juicy on their own but when coated with a mojo picon sauce - think tomato, smokey paprika, fennel seeds, chilli and sherry vinegar - you're launched into finger lickin' territory.<br />
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I had one of the most enjoyable flans on holiday in Menorca recently and I thought it would never be bettered, but Barrafina once again proved me wrong. This wobbly specimen (£6.50) will invoke groans of Meg Ryan proportions. The caramel was toffee-sticky with a sweet smokiness that I love. There was a mild coffee kick in there too. I'm likely to order this dessert every time I visit. I had a glass of semi sweet Alameda sherry (£5.50) with it and think it matched perfectly. Mr B went with some simple refreshing summer berries (£6.80).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrafina Covent Garden: the best flan you'll eat in London</td></tr>
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All up, the bill came to £112 but you could easily get away for under £100 since the turbot came to £28 for the portion we had. We also had three glasses of wine (a great Verdejo at £5 a glass and the sherry I mentioned) and a beer (£4.50). It's not cheap, but I don't begrudge paying for quality ingredients that are expertly handled. God knows I've paid more for less satisfying meals in London.<br />
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You know what? I'm fed up to the eyeballs with London's restaurants churning out pimped up dude food or poor homages to Americana. Frankly you can shove your "guilty pleasures" up your wazoo. That's why Barrafina Covent Garden is a breath of fresh air. Yeah I know, it's not breaking new ground, but rather it builds on the foundations of what I thought was an already close to perfect experience. Everything from the food to the service to the buzzing atmosphere meshes together beautifully to make eating at the new Barrafina a joy. I want to be here every day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrafina Covent Garden: summer berries</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/117871/Barrafina_Covent_Garden?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Barrafina Covent Garden"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/117871/get-blog-review/image/large.png" height="125" width="230" /></a>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1883961/restaurant/Covent-Garden/Barrafina-London"><img alt="Barrafina on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1883961/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-25803089339967376412014-05-26T08:24:00.003-07:002014-05-26T08:24:44.718-07:00Kyoto travels: Fushimi Inari shrine and Unagi at Nezameya<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nezameya - grilled eel specialist near Fushimi Inari Shrine</td></tr>
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The Fushimi Inari shrine is one of the most iconic images of Kyoto. Row after row of vermillion Torii, tightly packed and stretching up Mount Inari draw the tourist crowds for good reason. It's a must see and was one of the reasons why I planned a visit to Kyoto in the first place. It's possible to leave the crowds behind you if you wind your way further and further up the sacred mountain but it's not an easy climb, and on a warm day make sure you take something to drink. One of the benefits of climbing the stairs up the mountain is that you'll work up quite an appetite. Walking to the shrine from Inari train station, you'll pass a number of tempting restaurants but the one that caught my eye was Nezameya - the smell and smoke from the long fillets of eel being grilled on the street drew me over.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The Shrine itself, established in the 8th century, is dedicated to the God of rice and sake called Inari and is the most important shrine in Japan to this God. You'll see lots of statues of foxes<i> </i>scattered around the mountain which are thought of Inari's messenger. The foxes generally carry a small key in their mouths which signifies access to stored rice and other grains. Even without understanding the intricacies to the background of the shrine, it's an impressive place to wander around.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fushimi Inari: some playful statues</td></tr>
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The thousands of torii are donated by various businesses or organisations and their names are engraved in black on the back of each gate. It's a visual feast climbing the mountain which is punctuated by a number of small places to worship or to grab a bite to eat. The colours change depending on the concentration of torii and the surrounding trees. We visited mid morning, when the lower gates were heaving with the tour bus crowds, but persist onwards and you'll be rewarded with a view over Kyoto around half way up and relative serenity from the thinner crowds.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwxkG0eut5UzNlCO8xTF7UNlzPDT-YKGehWS62Q2kVyl4gOuObYhkGMesRB5eriPuy7P_OuB6rkcbpF8zr_cce3ENq8zYgvqFe3wFysTbN7M3VSq6drW-tQH_1GQyO4RQu6HYMeWzV19p/s1600/inari+collage+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwxkG0eut5UzNlCO8xTF7UNlzPDT-YKGehWS62Q2kVyl4gOuObYhkGMesRB5eriPuy7P_OuB6rkcbpF8zr_cce3ENq8zYgvqFe3wFysTbN7M3VSq6drW-tQH_1GQyO4RQu6HYMeWzV19p/s1600/inari+collage+4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning Fushimi Inari torii</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Making your way back down the mountain, you'll probably still be thinking about the grilled eel that you passed on your way in, but have a look at the stalls selling food just outside the grounds too. We picked up some fish-shaped taiyaki filled with custard fresh off the presses, since the line for the takoyaki man looked a bit too long and my appetite at the time was, well, insatiable. At Nezameya we were shown to an upstairs room which was split into tatami mats on the left and small tables on the right. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd4dn6Qq0egT8PGsmX1AYr1f8u5redogH9L3Mbeo1R3fUhi6weKBHiuNYcMkH5LGLLpNjgFiFE0GmvjnFFM9mawZ6L3DH-xz7ldzNd9yHzvHHQ5erAXC3K6rRdLdKcsa_Nsc4gekynUju/s1600/inari+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd4dn6Qq0egT8PGsmX1AYr1f8u5redogH9L3Mbeo1R3fUhi6weKBHiuNYcMkH5LGLLpNjgFiFE0GmvjnFFM9mawZ6L3DH-xz7ldzNd9yHzvHHQ5erAXC3K6rRdLdKcsa_Nsc4gekynUju/s1600/inari+5.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nezameya: (clockwise) Juicy freshly grilled eel, unagi-don, grilled quails, taiyaki</td></tr>
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I ordered an excellent unagi-don set, which showed the skill you'd expect from a restaurant with more than 400 years of history (it was established in 1592). The eel was smokey and delicious with the right amount of fattiness which was soaked up by the rice. Each mouthful happily melted away in my mouth. The meal came with pickles and a soup which cleared the lingering unagi flavour. It wasn't exactly cheap at around Y1,700 given the two small pieces of eel, but I enjoyed it. Mr B ordered the oyakodon - chicken and egg on rice - but wasn't that impressed. We also chose a side of freshly grilled quail, but it was a bit chewy. Conclusion: stick to what Nezameya seems to do best - the delicious eel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgca6iEGimBajL_yWUMGIK_Wi62dzs5EaN5LeFTBifqTNCWZqZJmb9-S-FQgnNWDzBVr9Stk6S0jMYQLjSldSx9ieMOG9dtM-tuSgg5w4KU08dgssdTE0326aen8xeC1A8WAMKXyIh5FL11/s1600/Inarii+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgca6iEGimBajL_yWUMGIK_Wi62dzs5EaN5LeFTBifqTNCWZqZJmb9-S-FQgnNWDzBVr9Stk6S0jMYQLjSldSx9ieMOG9dtM-tuSgg5w4KU08dgssdTE0326aen8xeC1A8WAMKXyIh5FL11/s1600/Inarii+3.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fushimi Inari gates, cherry blossoms on Mount Inari and a shrine entrance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-72199098728620429802014-05-25T07:52:00.000-07:002014-05-25T07:52:16.894-07:00Unforgettable Shoraian, Arashiyama Japan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ma8qa6PA0QVoDEIVJZqYB_0tdQxIhMPBtVyQ88gGQPUVhSjVCWavtIcRpC8JMuuoDWKZbhoqY1oDJuYTV0MJSXfklaVDU2qkVLUSvxWVhnytgDUTiNUaaAi_Og_urqdgfukFrs_nFDBx/s1600/IMG_7772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ma8qa6PA0QVoDEIVJZqYB_0tdQxIhMPBtVyQ88gGQPUVhSjVCWavtIcRpC8JMuuoDWKZbhoqY1oDJuYTV0MJSXfklaVDU2qkVLUSvxWVhnytgDUTiNUaaAi_Og_urqdgfukFrs_nFDBx/s1600/IMG_7772.JPG" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoraian yudofu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're visiting Kyoto (and you really must), then Arashiyama just west of the city should also be on your itinerary. The setting by the Hozu River is tranquil once you get away from the busy, and a bit touristy, main street, even in the midst of the masses around cherry blossom season. The world famous Bamboo Forest casting its haunting green glow into the sky is there, along with the stunningly serene Tenryuji Temple. You might know that Kyoto has a reputation for some of the finest tofu in Japan, and hey presto, Arashiyama can help you out there too. <a href="http://www.syouraian.jp/" target="_blank">Shoraian</a> (also Syourian), nestled on the side of a mountain a short walk from the main street, specialises in tofu but it's not vegetarian. The location, food and service at Shoraian contributed to one of the most memorable meals of my trip to Kyoto. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I had read a few blog posts before getting to Kyoto which warned that Shoraian is a hard place to
find, so I left plenty of time to get there. Ignore the other posts
because it was a cinch, really. We caught a bus from central Kyoto (from Maruto-machi dori at the bottom of the Imperial Palace gardens where we spent the morning) right to Arashiyama Station. It only took around 35 minutes and cost about Y150. With Arashiyama Station to your back, walk left down to the river where you hang a right and walk
along the water's edge until you can't walk any further. It'll take 10 or 15
minutes considering you'll want to take some photos of the boats on the
gorgeous jade green waters and the colourful trees. You'll eventually come to
some roughly cut stone stairs heading up the mountain on your right hand side and then the sign, in
Japanese, which points along the stone path towards the restaurant on your left. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQ3BKZD6mAMARls8dgIOqjfVY4F8-rv-yOqSwXVdOe94qV4H6BkkoQM4FbgGFUlrFn6QADTlRraPei3nAXHKkei_rjhDP4LFx0lndIQ0R9UTDnTejR7U_xugK6DpYhNAJg4GrpW3UXele/s1600/Shoraiain+entry+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQ3BKZD6mAMARls8dgIOqjfVY4F8-rv-yOqSwXVdOe94qV4H6BkkoQM4FbgGFUlrFn6QADTlRraPei3nAXHKkei_rjhDP4LFx0lndIQ0R9UTDnTejR7U_xugK6DpYhNAJg4GrpW3UXele/s1600/Shoraiain+entry+collage.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arashiyama scenes and the entrance to Shoraian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you do arrive early though, follow the sign up the hill to a beautiful lookout which has a view up the river and out over the mountains. On a sunny day it's stunning. Booking a table at Shoraian can be a bit of a challenge (the website has no English option and the menu has to be pre-ordered), but with the help of our hotel
concierge we managed to get a Thursday lunchtime reservation and chose
the Y5,800 menu which came to 11 courses. Including tax and service
(sometimes excluded from the advertised menu price) and tea, the meal
for two came to Y12,528 (£75 or so). For the entire experience, I consider it good value for money.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj8ekoxcwu7gY35p5Y6h7jLAVb9-YiRL4VpBZs6c3ILrOTOitpsn9J9ruXqLLQEyH9CyTwlay11qvQHuEJkwRvbkZ6zWVBRxMM1dfqSTxAU0N4LYs7SGmRXNAP8Mi9cj6zyd9mKzLkiyF/s1600/Shoraian+collage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj8ekoxcwu7gY35p5Y6h7jLAVb9-YiRL4VpBZs6c3ILrOTOitpsn9J9ruXqLLQEyH9CyTwlay11qvQHuEJkwRvbkZ6zWVBRxMM1dfqSTxAU0N4LYs7SGmRXNAP8Mi9cj6zyd9mKzLkiyF/s1600/Shoraian+collage+3.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoraian: from top left Assorted specialties, Yuba, Layered yuba with wasabi, Tofu and burdock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our meal started with a palate cleanser of sorts - a scoop of chilled silky smooth tofu topped with a goji berry and a sprinkling of salt washed down with a glass of crisp plum wine. On the hot day that we spent in Arashiyama it was a brilliant beginning. A large plate of assorted specialties followed and focused on seasonal mouthfuls like a squishy firefly squid, two gorgeously tender bamboo shoot preparations, and a "maki" of salmon wrapped around daikon and mustard with a shiso wrap. Less successful was a piece of grilled fish, which was overcooked and dry.<br />
<br />
The proprietor of Shoraian is an accomplished calligraphist and we were presented with a postcard of one of her recent works, which was then reflected in the playful dish resembling the cherry blossom tree. The fluffy tofu blossoms were ethereal and light, while the slightly crunchy burdock root trunk had hints of soy and vinegar. The second dish in this course was a fantastic layered yuba preparation dressed with a light soy and topped with some grated wasabi.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K9iTL10AJ8vICWLFoHMc0EzK4Arbva9x2_aG9SDmPsWD4TnaI_suoVpRJ6O5DaUrbQChgFoej90Rcso-QQ-AmszUPbXkNM-8TZn_ncW39_BdEWUfHIATrHwM4_9AnLE59exV0oz9Y2ZI/s1600/tofu+collage+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K9iTL10AJ8vICWLFoHMc0EzK4Arbva9x2_aG9SDmPsWD4TnaI_suoVpRJ6O5DaUrbQChgFoej90Rcso-QQ-AmszUPbXkNM-8TZn_ncW39_BdEWUfHIATrHwM4_9AnLE59exV0oz9Y2ZI/s1600/tofu+collage+4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoraian: Yudofu preparation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next came the yudofu - blocks of silken tofu were simmered for three or four minutes in a pure kombu-spiked broth to warm through before we spooned them into our bowls. To this we added flavourings like spring onion or a scoop of a spicy and numbing pepper preparation (see first picture in this post). With the Y5,800 menu you can order a refill of the tofu, which, of course, we did. I love the simplicity of yudofu, since it lets the quality of good tofu shine. I had a very enjoyable tofu meal in <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2013/07/a-feast-for-eyes-at-tofuya-ukai-tokyo.html" target="_blank">Tokyo</a> on an earlier visit to Japan, but I think this simple yudofu was better.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9YWwTES8sDgeispkqxwsJ4DX_n6ftnIJpU5TqJTjN0wFrN0Jq30-Pi8QF8qGti9At3v4JhSDKrDv7MCe5vD_AUdD8yWXWqgvCAnV7PyCF5m60JPqTOCZqMQ4ZwS0URylGzCc-4v4HlUl/s1600/tofu+collage+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9YWwTES8sDgeispkqxwsJ4DX_n6ftnIJpU5TqJTjN0wFrN0Jq30-Pi8QF8qGti9At3v4JhSDKrDv7MCe5vD_AUdD8yWXWqgvCAnV7PyCF5m60JPqTOCZqMQ4ZwS0URylGzCc-4v4HlUl/s1600/tofu+collage+6.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoraian: the wonderful tofu gratin with its hidden gems and the fragrant toyuba tempura course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We moved onto "Toyuba tempura" with crunchy deep fried yuba and a terrific preparation of ebi sakura - the baby shrimps in season at this time of year - cradled on a shiso leaf. What a great mouthful of sweet shrimp and fragrant shiso onto which we sprinkled matcha salt. Tofu gratin sounds crazy, but the preparation was quite incredible. The small ramekin hid treats like firefly squid and a block of namafu, which is used a lot in Buddhist vegetarian cooking. A few chunks of daikon and some aubergine were also hiding in there. The tofu itself was gooey and rich, like a warm hug on a cold day.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjkJRO4Dm6IsVmGzxvuQ6Fq_QDuGatrsl35ui256stjd9Fk1J95xLUylkDT5OLo4XYW5Pur549jsVOZ79Pae0LEI6FPtwb8lDWXwK39atbIjZuK6X_OZMOyIOiV8C2jjmEkDgXHyu7FSE/s1600/tofu+collage+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjkJRO4Dm6IsVmGzxvuQ6Fq_QDuGatrsl35ui256stjd9Fk1J95xLUylkDT5OLo4XYW5Pur549jsVOZ79Pae0LEI6FPtwb8lDWXwK39atbIjZuK6X_OZMOyIOiV8C2jjmEkDgXHyu7FSE/s1600/tofu+collage+5.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoraian: Grilled wagyu, Agedashi tofu, rice with fragrant peas and fried baby fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So far, so full, but there were a few more courses to come. The menu we chose came with a meat dish. Grilled to medium perfection, the slightly fatty wagyu was deliciously tender. Under the mound of meat, which was topped with grilled spring onions, was some grilled aubergine. There was a wasabi and soy dressing to go with this simple dish. A perfect example of agedashi tofu followed. The fried tofu was incredibly delicate, barely holding together, and came in a slightly viscous sauce. Finally, the rice course arrived. We topped the rice, smelling of fragrant fresh peas, with the small bowl of fried baby fish. Pickles included some spicy turnips.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r8IrOiIdTb4srk4mCLQ1smFTcwsYUDQBxNMJDcGn44RuxHCugsZBA5q52yh-eHpvQoByPn-DXO-J8v_Z45AOkAcv5W4cBMpBhqH0sKWa75UbhhK9CmSOnHII2bD1gQAartGF1lZCjb6i/s1600/tofu+dessert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r8IrOiIdTb4srk4mCLQ1smFTcwsYUDQBxNMJDcGn44RuxHCugsZBA5q52yh-eHpvQoByPn-DXO-J8v_Z45AOkAcv5W4cBMpBhqH0sKWa75UbhhK9CmSOnHII2bD1gQAartGF1lZCjb6i/s1600/tofu+dessert.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoraian: desserts were tofu ice cream in a caramel sauce and a rose bavarois</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before dessert, we rested for a bit with a glass of hojicha and enjoyed the view from our seat by the window looking out at the trees and river. The sweet finale was thankfully small and light. I chose the tofu ice cream in a light caramel syrup, which was topped with a square of mochi. Mr B went with the rose bavarois, which was light as air. I preferred the refreshing ice cream to the fruity bavarois though. <br />
<br />
We were the only western tourists at Shoraian during the meal but the staff were welcoming and spoke enough English for us to understand each course. The restaurant itself is only small, with three tables arranged by the window, and a larger one that was occupied by eight elderly Japanese. They had supported seating instead of the tatami mats that we made ourselves comfortable on for the two hour meal.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzB1aVKprLZdkl_gb9aIMay24Px0gihRhySjLIBIn_vM6HftcvWytsMSvlhtP0Wtpdmqf5REhMnSfromecSr3sUUYO_tFTLeyVOvXzn5F9D0G0I9nOfih5D2oDGCSF1iK1MFMVFJprWEq/s1600/Temple+collage+Shoriain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzB1aVKprLZdkl_gb9aIMay24Px0gihRhySjLIBIn_vM6HftcvWytsMSvlhtP0Wtpdmqf5REhMnSfromecSr3sUUYO_tFTLeyVOvXzn5F9D0G0I9nOfih5D2oDGCSF1iK1MFMVFJprWEq/s1600/Temple+collage+Shoriain.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arashiyama: Tenryuji Temple and gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I would go back to Shoraian in a flash and suggest that it's a must
for anyone visiting Kyoto who is looking for something a little
different from the city. As I mentioned at the start of this post,
Arashiyama is famous for the bamboo forest (think House of Flying Daggers) and the stunning gardens of the Tenryuji Temple. I was struck by the Zen gardens in many of the Buddhist temples I visited in Kyoto. It was a beautiful setting to gaze on the water and contemplate the unforgettable meal at Shoraian.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsndl-IPQ6LwZ8sarLrCe_W4cPnQHBYEAVVwqtUxpRjwePnX01ZJKUFWjltNJf-yKL8MmSfmfhFvlN3iaYkmxcnH6gpOdPWhHV7lI9BZU-GeJUzzAEeKP-62aBls2u6SAGDAnSXJV208g/s1600/P1120002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsndl-IPQ6LwZ8sarLrCe_W4cPnQHBYEAVVwqtUxpRjwePnX01ZJKUFWjltNJf-yKL8MmSfmfhFvlN3iaYkmxcnH6gpOdPWhHV7lI9BZU-GeJUzzAEeKP-62aBls2u6SAGDAnSXJV208g/s1600/P1120002.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The towering Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-77212236812437419902014-05-18T13:11:00.000-07:002014-05-18T13:13:36.637-07:00Hing Kee in Hong Kong<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhLQ2zffy7-Vov97nvOR-CnnvOCn_aTYBC_lCIv9a6K-K4StMvp9sHFhd37MXquFySGNFIlbm5y7T9KJSrrBcdBONv6GLHpwNTkIIaMLQezDZKXTUCSsTRMK7FHq-8Sy46qfNONP5Ot5K/s1600/IMG_7677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhLQ2zffy7-Vov97nvOR-CnnvOCn_aTYBC_lCIv9a6K-K4StMvp9sHFhd37MXquFySGNFIlbm5y7T9KJSrrBcdBONv6GLHpwNTkIIaMLQezDZKXTUCSsTRMK7FHq-8Sy46qfNONP5Ot5K/s1600/IMG_7677.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hing Kee: Typhoon Shelter Crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I really think you need local knowledge when looking for places to
eat in Asia so I'm here to give you some. Hing Kee in Hong Kong (has
quite a ring to it dontcha think?) is one of the best
restaurants that you probably don't know about. I'm not a HK local but I
tapped into the taste buds of the
best there when I had a short stopover en route to Japan on a recent
holiday. I came across Hing Kee via a HK-based <a href="http://instagram.com/insatiableeater" target="_blank">Instagrammer</a> that I
follow (hey <a href="http://instagram.com/little_meg_siu_meg#" target="_blank">Little Meg</a>!)
who went there with some friends and had what looked like an incredible
meal. I saw some pics of an amazing crab dish that just screamed, "eat
me"! It's really my kind of food - hearty Cantonese with big flavours
that really leave an impression (and I'm not just talking about the
garlic with that crab). Sensing my enthusiasm, Little Meg reserved us a
table and even ordered the meal in advance and I'm eternally grateful
since Hing Kee is definitely not geared for tourists.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
It's
on the first floor of a building on Nathan Road with little signage, up a small rickety
elevator. From the street, you would easily walk
past and never know what you're missing, although you might be diverted by the popular purveyor of HK-style waffles (a perfect dessert!) just outside. Out of the elevator,
you're likely to be assaulted (not literally of course) by a throng of
people jostling for room in the small vestibule which fronts the
restaurant.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vTrZBRCNMvXTNxraZa9m-JQS4S4BA_qrLyTkZeJmOSTUXeQxTuUeae1yExVTfvWFxmeoJwsQBBtZ3EI2I3SYXDISW1QgHlN1qmPVaSfxqVU_al-mbYrz5irUSN_bdBHLks96Kg64DoqC/s1600/hingkee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vTrZBRCNMvXTNxraZa9m-JQS4S4BA_qrLyTkZeJmOSTUXeQxTuUeae1yExVTfvWFxmeoJwsQBBtZ3EI2I3SYXDISW1QgHlN1qmPVaSfxqVU_al-mbYrz5irUSN_bdBHLks96Kg64DoqC/s1600/hingkee1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Kee: poached squid (L), roast duck soup with hand cut noodles (R)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I
flagged down a waitress and tried to explain that I had a reservation
but let's just say that the service is somewhat...curt. There's not a
lot of English spoken, but I understood that I should wait with the others even though we had a
reservation. It seems like you put your name on a waiting list and hope
for the best. We waited half an hour, although I flagged down the woman
who looked like she was in charge of the not-seemingly-co-ordinated chaos to
make sure we weren't forgotten. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnswNHSveWFGTLh0PFhYLXaiOg6nkzaxbSJ0bvy5bj5d_gK9D7We4LrJ4sGeRE9BOhXv4PCxZx2N4NvUNmD-zxoi6k7kygsV0He1m24_-voscHrNCGTe0_LvpltgClt3OElGpdRo80YkyH/s1600/IMG_7679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnswNHSveWFGTLh0PFhYLXaiOg6nkzaxbSJ0bvy5bj5d_gK9D7We4LrJ4sGeRE9BOhXv4PCxZx2N4NvUNmD-zxoi6k7kygsV0He1m24_-voscHrNCGTe0_LvpltgClt3OElGpdRo80YkyH/s1600/IMG_7679.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hing Kee: steamed jumbo razor clams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We weren't and all
was forgotten once the food arrived. If you don't have a Chinese
speaking friend kind enough to order for you, most of the menu items you
probably want to eat are pictured on the walls (sans price though) or
on the paper place mat on the table. I also find pointing at other
tables a good way of ordering. This is Hong Kong after all, and a bit of
looking about to see what's good is expected. I'd suggest agreeing a price for the seafood before you order though, to avoid any nasty surprises when it comes to paying the bill.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_I3DbIQfUjXDeLJ8HSkq7_lucDn31q-7_lnGCZ1YqGF0TPPo7J3GAUenu-DpLVQCDtOp6XUn_a4bC5rs1ZjcquAcp-JdWKSvX78dhtdFJlBW-MPqYmACej4hk9XNcLSepo0qqFQFb2jwj/s1600/IMG_7681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_I3DbIQfUjXDeLJ8HSkq7_lucDn31q-7_lnGCZ1YqGF0TPPo7J3GAUenu-DpLVQCDtOp6XUn_a4bC5rs1ZjcquAcp-JdWKSvX78dhtdFJlBW-MPqYmACej4hk9XNcLSepo0qqFQFb2jwj/s1600/IMG_7681.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hing Kee: the most delicious clams with fermented black beans </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We started with a flurry of small dishes - some poached cuttlefish, which was a little crunchy, along with some stir fried gai lan and a small plate of nuts to pick at. Then came the first stop-in-the-tracks moment with the roast duck soup. The broth was pure and clean, the duck rich and smokey and the hand cut noodles were slippery and delicious. These noodles. Wow. I just wanted a bigger bowl to bathe in the flavours. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15zic6O5oARlfYulEJtmwmaOlZtTI6J5hW5thqMwo9uY2eqnmMTUcLyswAGKiFwetwJOqvS2zQfI-4GNiBALlTS9MjWPUm6xx9n6R3c5K4yiTSwPYmpGhbBoViLaFpY6_a0O0VGOCrxWX/s1600/P1100640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15zic6O5oARlfYulEJtmwmaOlZtTI6J5hW5thqMwo9uY2eqnmMTUcLyswAGKiFwetwJOqvS2zQfI-4GNiBALlTS9MjWPUm6xx9n6R3c5K4yiTSwPYmpGhbBoViLaFpY6_a0O0VGOCrxWX/s1600/P1100640.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hing Kee: Typhoon Shelter Crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span data-measureme="1"><span class="null">Two steamed jumbo razor clams followed and were slipped from their shells into our bowls quicker than it took me to photograph them. They were prepared with fried garlic and vermicelli noodles and coated in a slurpable soy dressing. The next dish of sweet, fresh clams stir fried with chilli and fermented black bean sauce was sensational. We basically licked every shell clean, even the empty ones.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-measureme="1"><span class="null">Then the highlight of the meal came with the Typhoon Sheltering Crab. The sandy-looking goodness surrounding the crab is primarily a mix of fried garlic and black beans, which were clumpy in texture, but incredibly delicious. As with the clams, there was a pleasant chilli heat to this dish. The crab claws were hiding beneath the mound of fried garlic and black bean. Although the claws were cracked open allowing the flavours to penetrate the sweet meat, the shell on the smaller legs were tender enough to bite through and suck out the meat. This is definitely finger food, so take advantage of the boxes of tissues under the table.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-measureme="1"><span class="null">All up, the meal cost HKD983 (which is about £75) for two
including the charge for tea. Of course you can eat cheaper than that in HK, but for the quality and freshness of the food, plus the experience,
you would be hard pressed to beat it. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtw6BKXwR3iSrnEKMefS62BQtHT52xHAw1WE9SDOTMD2NRAMWt-JHgKKE8eR_ehOXi4fsqHMh4tfAZzx6KViR6G85O0KgWwIx3Qf8eZ2msKKGYvAh0WkInG1KDVVnSUnXB-PEmbKlGiVw/s1600/P1100622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtw6BKXwR3iSrnEKMefS62BQtHT52xHAw1WE9SDOTMD2NRAMWt-JHgKKE8eR_ehOXi4fsqHMh4tfAZzx6KViR6G85O0KgWwIx3Qf8eZ2msKKGYvAh0WkInG1KDVVnSUnXB-PEmbKlGiVw/s1600/P1100622.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only signage on the street directing you to Hing Kee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-47763637518555205892014-05-18T11:23:00.000-07:002014-05-18T13:12:18.731-07:00Rotorino: west meets east<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkzuJ7KcazAmbcr5c2KcjWHA4_5J7LOcwR9OEB8cBy5U4Ps0sOFZ7E1iJtI2JGGqgASAgx0CeNxsSKzV3Na23dQnP-RpzSV3Owc4Y5rNjwQAG2XXJqQ7M-Zjbnhu3GdWh4ii0MkEnv4K_/s1600/P1120778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkzuJ7KcazAmbcr5c2KcjWHA4_5J7LOcwR9OEB8cBy5U4Ps0sOFZ7E1iJtI2JGGqgASAgx0CeNxsSKzV3Na23dQnP-RpzSV3Owc4Y5rNjwQAG2XXJqQ7M-Zjbnhu3GdWh4ii0MkEnv4K_/s1600/P1120778.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotorino: Buffalo mozzarella, smashed broad beans, mint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't often find myself in East London these days and it generally takes a bit to convince me that the hour travel is worth it. Don't get me wrong, I watch the constant string of restaurant openings with a tinge of jealousy and a mental note for the "must visit one day" list which is ever-lengthening, but then remind myself why I moved west and enjoy the relative quiet of my leafy street rather than the smog and grit of the Kingsland Road. Anyway, a sudden craving for bread from Fabrique after a recent trip to Sweden, <i>et voilà</i> I'm back in the thick of it. <a href="http://www.rotorino.com/" target="_blank">Rotorino</a> has a decent pedigree with Stevie Parle from the <a href="http://www.dockkitchen.co.uk/" target="_blank">Dock Kitchen</a> (and time at the River Cafe - hooray for West London!) behind the food, which has a Southern Italian bent to it. Think of great ingredients with a light touch and you're pretty much there.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>We ordered four dishes from the menu which is split into sections with headings like First, Second, Third, Stove and Sweet. With prices per dish well below the £10 mark, the menu structure is perhaps a little confusing, implying that you'll need at least three dishes each, with the option of something sweet or cheese (under another heading) to round out a meal. The four dishes we had were enough for a light lunch for two, with the total bill, including an espresso but no other drinks, coming to a reasonable £33. The wine list looked interesting, with enough price points to suit many budgets.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu_LEnSDr7xUR1jWRclU1J1o0U10FHp73ME3FIB4Mwv2LLX9gF4x37bVAubrgAxdbLoLHqKFIgmHcKx8KSxYd418PU93bB_Hf21giZAt0f67QjST63ThNjdPRQRVJ-_WHAjstqtoY2QbB/s1600/P1120772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu_LEnSDr7xUR1jWRclU1J1o0U10FHp73ME3FIB4Mwv2LLX9gF4x37bVAubrgAxdbLoLHqKFIgmHcKx8KSxYd418PU93bB_Hf21giZAt0f67QjST63ThNjdPRQRVJ-_WHAjstqtoY2QbB/s1600/P1120772.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotorino: pork and veal meatballs with tomato sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The dishes all came out together and I tucked into the Buffalo mozzarella with smashed broad beans and mint first. The texture of the dish was great, with the broad beans mashed into interesting chunky mouthfuls contrasting nicely with the creamy mozza. A lovely fruity olive oil and a shake of chilli added some depth to the dish. I liked the addition of the fresh broad bean pod - we popped out the contents and munched on those too. Ah Spring!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriUv2uOtYFbGT1Du4IDVltxwrcQN2ctRPocww0f4J3OIxEFeywY7PXqwTsKXACEn7dftJNLYXNV1gqtXzLyOxCm48_MXc466lP_HikEaREy3I4eBrMuJSBk4qrvxsCKrEsfuxYhVDoy-A/s1600/P1120780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriUv2uOtYFbGT1Du4IDVltxwrcQN2ctRPocww0f4J3OIxEFeywY7PXqwTsKXACEn7dftJNLYXNV1gqtXzLyOxCm48_MXc466lP_HikEaREy3I4eBrMuJSBk4qrvxsCKrEsfuxYhVDoy-A/s1600/P1120780.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotorino: pea gnudi with buffalo ricotta, peas, crispy sage, parmesan and butter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The pork and veal meatballs in tomato sauce were intensely porky, kind of overshadowing any delicate flavour of the veal. The texture of the meatballs was good though, with the mince not too fine. The tomato sauce had a nice sharp tang, tempering the rich balls. I liked the pea gnudi with buffalo ricotta, peas, crispy sage, parmesan and butter. The delicate little mouthfuls were pillowy soft with bags of flavour, but I thought the dish could have used some pepper. I think I read somewhere that the Coppa is cured locally and is all the better for it. The small wedges of crunchy sweet and sour fennel were a nice counterpoint to the richness of the roughly hewn meat.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNeXTcjOP-MBonRBV3KU5tT3rI_e7164Up-RfKwXegvtdGs7Zk27CNwXZOXGyIMpxpo3RfTyvqviuCJrP0qmnFL-XyRafNDCLH3Ba8jw0_uAimgPcVXs2C7oZHivq6kcjtmkLj5RZKYUF/s1600/P1120779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNeXTcjOP-MBonRBV3KU5tT3rI_e7164Up-RfKwXegvtdGs7Zk27CNwXZOXGyIMpxpo3RfTyvqviuCJrP0qmnFL-XyRafNDCLH3Ba8jw0_uAimgPcVXs2C7oZHivq6kcjtmkLj5RZKYUF/s1600/P1120779.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotorino: coppa with sweet and sour fennel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Service was particularly good from our friendly waiter Caspar and there is generally a pleasant casual vibe to the place. But maybe I'm just a cynical bugger, because there's more than an element of
the cookie cutter about the place. No signage? Check. Exposed bricks?
Distressed metal? Check, check. Tattooed bar staff? Check. In it's favour, Rotorino does stand out on probably one of the least likeable strips in London, but I cant help thinking that the guys hawking the second hand TVs, drill bits and the odd stolen bike just outside are unlikely to be popping in for the gnudi. <br />
<br />
It's easy to like Rotorino, but at the same time I find it hard to be effusive about it although I kind of doubt that's the point. It's more of a neighbourhood place (albeit one catering to the upwardly mobile locals) rather than a destination one. The dishes I sampled were all tasty examples of Southern Italian food but are generally something you could knock up yourself at home without too much effort. That means that I probably won't be making the journey back East too quickly, but if I lived locally I'd be happy to pop round to Rotorino for a plate or two and a glass of something interesting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb28gJALwHnAL0Lt3T-72Kp-xBnwMTcBPL3yASsqmu6iXUvDrXNqbYocmlSZWC7n4gcP2kGdknirpjfM4HguhHecdgJJqg8LDQDKcxQHW8ZaXBY2Ub6T2x3wzH65VR9So2-qcImvy3yPBm/s1600/P1120769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb28gJALwHnAL0Lt3T-72Kp-xBnwMTcBPL3yASsqmu6iXUvDrXNqbYocmlSZWC7n4gcP2kGdknirpjfM4HguhHecdgJJqg8LDQDKcxQHW8ZaXBY2Ub6T2x3wzH65VR9So2-qcImvy3yPBm/s1600/P1120769.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotorino interior</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/121005/Rotorino?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Rotorino"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/121005/get-blog-review/image/medium.png" height="90" width="170" /></a>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1836456/restaurant/Hackney/Rotorino-London"><img alt="Rotorino on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1836456/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-89197598123229340402014-02-02T13:41:00.000-08:002014-02-02T13:44:05.047-08:00A Wong: Not Your Grandma's Chinese<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uP9G0oqpVtyFFSlkX3pdw8tsWJjMZ3pHc-w_gY5kymPPyLZFNHkA-BkgOYO5p8hqeiJ6V53wbbEa36R1C2xao7oxb3mJm0YwsvHR15xC5h9J5FJZWCeNxrIzIbM8rERlgkZjJ3c_kPXM/s1600/IMG_7079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uP9G0oqpVtyFFSlkX3pdw8tsWJjMZ3pHc-w_gY5kymPPyLZFNHkA-BkgOYO5p8hqeiJ6V53wbbEa36R1C2xao7oxb3mJm0YwsvHR15xC5h9J5FJZWCeNxrIzIbM8rERlgkZjJ3c_kPXM/s1600/IMG_7079.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Wong: Quail egg croquette puff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You have to love what's going on at A Wong. It's not often you get an utterly original take on traditional Chinese dim sum that, more often than not, works. This is Chinese food rooted in tradition, but taken up more than one notch. It's definitely not your Grandma's dim sum (if your grandma was Chinese that is, which mine is not, but you know what I mean). I went in early January to meet up with some <a href="http://instagram.com/insatiableeater#" target="_blank">Instagram</a> chums from Denmark and we ordered a decent chunk of the dim sum menu which is only available at lunch. It's a fairly small venue but we snagged a table by the window looking out onto Wilton Road, which is only a 5 minute walk from Victoria station. It's not the most atmospheric of locations but make the trek from Chinatown and you're bound to have a fine meal.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Between the four of us we managed to sample a good deal, but there's more that I'd return for on the "Snacks" section of the menu and other options like a Peking Duck Feast too. My test of good dim sum is always ha gaw - prawn dumplings. You can
tell if the ingredients are fresh by the taste of the
prawns, while the thickness of the wrapper will tell you about the
attention to detail of the chef. The ones at A Wong passed my litmus
test on both fronts, but I thought the citrus foam unnecessary. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShkLGqbWMjAbBK19MmC64Kb5pb_VDtvaCRVr3aXXSXE2eX3Fr-cpuAufVaIrYMleEY9iaWEyER91eZWIkB8USQqQgDPWpEmVLEyY7mdOGt4p_P9FgJzFWhT8-efWSTJpdCsdL9jVe5DUa/s1600/AWONG+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShkLGqbWMjAbBK19MmC64Kb5pb_VDtvaCRVr3aXXSXE2eX3Fr-cpuAufVaIrYMleEY9iaWEyER91eZWIkB8USQqQgDPWpEmVLEyY7mdOGt4p_P9FgJzFWhT8-efWSTJpdCsdL9jVe5DUa/s1600/AWONG+3.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YunanA Wong: Clear shrimp dumpling, sweet chilli sauce, citrus foam; Yunnan mushroom, pork and truffle dumpling; Crab seafood and beancurd cannelloni </td></tr>
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There was more success with other dumplings though. The Xiao Long Bao were some of the finest I've eaten in London (see my thoughts on probably the most famous ones in the world <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2013/05/dumpling-delights-at-din-tai-fung.html" target="_blank">here</a>). The XLB's came in several variations (the mushroom, pork and black truffle version filled the table with heady aromas) and had some of the thinnest wrappings I've had in London. Perhaps they were too thin since the casing pierced more than once spilling the precious contents into the bamboo steamers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Wong: Chinese chive pot stickers; Foie gras sticky sesame dumpling; Scallop puff with XO sauce</td></tr>
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Other favourites were the foie gras sticky sesame dumpling and a playful riff on Wu Gok, or fried taro dumplings, with the quail egg croquette puff - each little mouthful a perfectly judged textural treat. I was also lucky enough to bag the last scallop puff in XO sauce of the service (because as I've mentioned before <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2014/01/recipe-lobster-noodles-in-xo-sauce.html" target="_blank">I love anything in XO</a>). I thought the pastry here was just a touch too thick, but this was still a great mouthful. If there was a dish I didn't love, it would be the pot sticker dumpling, despite the gorgeous lattice of the wrapper. It was served with sharp pickled cockles, the acidity from which overwhelmed all the other flavours.<br />
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The dumplings are generally priced per piece and our waiter recommended a choice of around 8 for a reasonable sampling of the menu. Overall, the pricing is a step up from the higher end dim sum places in London like Bright Courtyard or Royal China Club but its not outrageously priced. Typically I average around £20 a head when I eat dim sum and this was closer to £30 (with chrysanthemum tea), but I thought it was worth the extra price for the ingredients, techniques and inventiveness on offer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDim8vlaHnOfydKQwBQ99oubj7zwd-MKtQ_MS4dU40PB_3U1hg9JHQlBMnR37qf3dlglA3KB5qmkEXo10cW519SWvQLd1KwRIE8UmQTd2ii1DYmckx6dEwUqKSTXcEd8a0t16xioXnVovM/s1600/P1090674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDim8vlaHnOfydKQwBQ99oubj7zwd-MKtQ_MS4dU40PB_3U1hg9JHQlBMnR37qf3dlglA3KB5qmkEXo10cW519SWvQLd1KwRIE8UmQTd2ii1DYmckx6dEwUqKSTXcEd8a0t16xioXnVovM/s1600/P1090674.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Wong: dumpling madness</td></tr>
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Service was helpful and friendly throughout, and like most dim sum places, the food comes out at a frantic pace. The menu continues to evolve with the chef refining the product and introducing new variations of old favourites over time. Follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/awongSW1" target="_blank">Twitter</a> to track the latest creations (I'm looking forward to the wonton noodle soup). For me, this creative, perfectionist spirit means a repeat visit is very likely.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1718517/restaurant/Pimlico-Victoria/A-Wong-London"><img alt="A. Wong on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1718517/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/113971/A._Wong?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of A. Wong"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/113971/get-blog-review/image/medium.png" height="90" width="170" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-53337546339711576842014-01-30T14:45:00.000-08:002014-01-30T14:45:08.140-08:00Honey & Co: Eating Against the Clock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqL0Z6yEYKwhngj-NGGclvWD2eTBQBrJUuqqiZ6tVXB9hFyPXgtvJLu1_Ln8DJBHR_1Y_8W4Bcume8crxMhKSu3oPWUOo21QO1RZd0VMUzIQSlGeweITlnL7GCQfuXmFxK4y0Eux6V224/s1600/P1100030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqL0Z6yEYKwhngj-NGGclvWD2eTBQBrJUuqqiZ6tVXB9hFyPXgtvJLu1_Ln8DJBHR_1Y_8W4Bcume8crxMhKSu3oPWUOo21QO1RZd0VMUzIQSlGeweITlnL7GCQfuXmFxK4y0Eux6V224/s1600/P1100030.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey & Co: Merguez sausage roll, fried egg, harissa</td></tr>
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I really don't know what happened when I went to Honey & Co for brunch on Monday, but it was a huge disappointment. I've not read a bad word about the place and had high expectations but the breakfast menu that faced me that morning was so uninspiring. I expected fragrant baked eggs rivalling the lovely shakshuka at Nopi, or some unknown-to-me-but-super-tasty new discovery. Sadly it fell well short. No shakshuka on the menu, and nothing eye-poppingly inspiring. Even our waitress recommended we come back for the lunch menu which she said was better. Probably, but I'm not really in a hurry. Speaking of time management, here's a funny story.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I booked a table for 11am because I'd heard of Honey & Co's immense popularity, but on a cold Monday the small room was only half full. Our waitress gave us the pick of the tables, but when we sat down she told us we could have the table until 12.30pm because it was booked for lunch. I was a little taken aback at the 90 minute slot, mainly because we had made a booking (and even the most regimented of spots let you have it for two hours), but also, come on it's just a cafe! Eating against the clock isn't something I enjoy.<br />
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The short menu had a number of dishes that weren't familiar to me, but most of what was available was on display in the window. The small savoury pizza-like dishes didn't really inspire me, so I went for the merguez sausage roll with the optional boiled egg and harissa despite the warning that it would take 12 minutes to prepare. Mentally knocking that off our allotted 90, I thought I'd use the time to enjoy my flat white and the fact that I had a day off while most people were at work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBfytNn5GelFBdQlsNoXWGkKyCn5IGawIrELKUaToQDbfZ2PUWjytTxJR-4dHPIZGXFEffHuwtlk-RM_t9Xe9r19pboO0i1u3puURQGfZk4FPXY5txNSpyGV6C_9Ad7BWTN3kW_b8Mi4Y/s1600/P1100032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBfytNn5GelFBdQlsNoXWGkKyCn5IGawIrELKUaToQDbfZ2PUWjytTxJR-4dHPIZGXFEffHuwtlk-RM_t9Xe9r19pboO0i1u3puURQGfZk4FPXY5txNSpyGV6C_9Ad7BWTN3kW_b8Mi4Y/s1600/P1100032.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey & Co: Potato herb and caper fritatta </td></tr>
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A few minutes later I was told that they'd run out of boiled eggs, but they could make me a fried egg to go with the sausage roll instead. Just think about that for a sec. The sausage roll would take 12 minutes, they had no boiled eggs, but they could fry an egg. I don't know about you, but I've been able to boil an egg in less than 12 minutes before. I know peeling them can be a faff, but it still doesn't take 12 minutes. It turns out that the eggs are boiled in the morning but they'd run out and were now prepping for lunch so could only fry. Don't get me wrong, I love a fried egg, but the situation kind of bordered on the absurd. <br />
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As it turns out, the sausage roll was just two thin, not particularly zingy merguez encased in a decent enough pastry with a fried egg draped over the top. The harissa was obviously homemade and perked up everything it touched including Mr B's bland frittata. Both dishes came with a small side salad too, but the olives were salty little bombs.<br />
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All up, our meal came in at about 60 minutes and £14.50. On reflection that's pretty cheap, for two dishes and two coffees. So here's some advice if you're thinking of going to Honey & Co for a mid week breakfast: don't. Save your visit for another time when the menu could be more interesting. Yes, despite my dodgy experience, I'd like to return because I love Med food like that at Ottolenghi, and, supposedly, Honey & Co.<br />
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Time permitting of course. <br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1699006/restaurant/Fitzrovia/Honey-Co-London"><img alt="Honey & Co on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1699006/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/109587/Honey_and_Co?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Honey & Co"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/109587/get-blog-review/image/medium.png" height="90" width="170" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-50890838378244291042014-01-26T11:21:00.000-08:002014-01-26T11:21:24.146-08:00Chinese New Year Recipes: Dong Po Rou and DPR Sliders<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-ZoHYAvYbJYswuyHsTBfpQ1V15rNGVMlLNiMPg8C4t36yJZp0iVHh5E-9NqB7T90EpnOcyiiR30rUsgTe8r4WTB9K5iiegXTLI5Ci1fOtyyvUKmbT1T_0a5niU_6ZSZ43nTeM4AaBFw5/s1600/P1090766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-ZoHYAvYbJYswuyHsTBfpQ1V15rNGVMlLNiMPg8C4t36yJZp0iVHh5E-9NqB7T90EpnOcyiiR30rUsgTe8r4WTB9K5iiegXTLI5Ci1fOtyyvUKmbT1T_0a5niU_6ZSZ43nTeM4AaBFw5/s1600/P1090766.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dong Po Rou</td></tr>
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This recipe was given to me by a Taiwanese colleague (hey Cindy!) when I asked what I should cook for a Chinese New Year gathering. It's her mum's version of Dong Po Rou, a braised pork belly, which is a dish that's typically served around Chinese New Year, although it's so good that I'll be eating it much more frequently than once a year. It's low maintenance food that, like all good dishes, relies on good quality ingredients. There's very little in the way of preparation and if you cook a fair amount of Chinese food, you're likely to have most of the cupboard ingredients on hand. I'd suggest trying to find Taiwanese rice wine instead of the Chinese Shao-Hsing which I think has a stronger taste that might overpower the dish. The Taiwanese wine is clear instead of the amber colour in most Chinese versions.<br />
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I've also given a recipe for using up any leftovers, but these sliders are so good that you'll probably want to make the pork just for these incredibly moreish little mouthfuls. It was a happy accident really - I went to the Chinese supermarket thinking I'd recreate the Momofuko pork bao but I could only find small mantau buns in the freezer, so went with that. Actually, I think the buns work best in small mouthfuls since the ratio of pork and other ingredients to bun is better. Whichever way you choose to use the pork you're really going to love this.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>What you need</b><br />
1.5k pork belly<br />
7 fat spring onions cut into three inch lengths, plus another, sliced to garnish<br />
3 star anise<br />
5 slices of ginger <br />
10g Chinese cinnamon<br />
Soy sauce paste or Oyster sauce<br />
200ml soy sauce<br />
50ml dark soy sauce<br />
2tbps Yellow Rock Sugar - it may come in a block so grind it in a mortar<br />
200ml Taiwanese rice wine<br />
2tbsp vegetable oil<br />
800ml water<br />
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Serve with steamed rice and your favourite Chinese green.<br />
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<b>What you do</b><br />
1. Cut your pork belly into squares of 4x4 or 5x5 inches. <br />
2. Tie the pieces with cooking string.<br />
3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and drop in the tied pork. Boil for 5 minutes.<br />
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4. Drain the pork pieces and run under cold water. Pat dry. Brush the pork pieces with soy sauce paste.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22mQa8bhpeWyhp3U1167nnytCtmnt1gsxisITfhoeKdoP1gpewm9QoLyFZw67EcjNMI2Pa-2Fl60Nt-WoKO8FydihqrGKirIMb8oaw_ouPmebt0WztUVElXTGD311ampQuqQ6HLbcYxgE/s1600/Pork+collage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22mQa8bhpeWyhp3U1167nnytCtmnt1gsxisITfhoeKdoP1gpewm9QoLyFZw67EcjNMI2Pa-2Fl60Nt-WoKO8FydihqrGKirIMb8oaw_ouPmebt0WztUVElXTGD311ampQuqQ6HLbcYxgE/s1600/Pork+collage+3.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork preparation sequence</td></tr>
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5. In a deep Le Creuset-style pan, heat the oil and gently fry the ginger, spring onion, star anise and Chinese cinnamon. Once it becomes fragrant, add the rice wine and 200ml of the water then sit the pork pieces on top.<br />
6. Mix the soy sauces together and pour into the saucepan. Now turn up the heat to a boil.<br />
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7. Once it reaches a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.<br />
8. After 20 minutes, uncover and add the remaining 600ml of water and sprinkle in the Yellow Rock Sugar. The point here is to ensure the pork is covered by the liquid so you may need more or less water depending on the size of your pan. The pork has a tendency to float too, so put a small plate on top to keep it submerged. Cover and simmer over a very gentle heat for 2.5 hours. You may need to turn the heat up a little at first to get the simmer going again, but ultimately you just want gentle bubbles to caress the pork. Try not to lift the lid too much, particularly for the first 45 minutes. You may want to turn the pork after an hour so that the skin side is down which will help with the burnished, lacquered effect on the skin.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aromatic ingredients; braising sequence</td></tr>
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9. After the 2.5 hour simmer, check the pork. A chopstick should easily slide right through the meat and the skin should feel sticky and gelatinous.<br />
10. Remove the meat and keep it in a warm place. Now it's time to reduce the sauce, so turn up the heat and boil. You could also take out a few ladles of the stock and place in a small saucepan and reduce. It'll be faster than boiling all of your liquid. The trick here is to keep tasting the sauce as it boils because you want it slightly reduced but not too salty. Really it's a personal taste thing, but I think that the fatty pork can handle a slightly saltier sauce than you might think.<br />
11. Now it's time to serve. Traditionally, the string on the pork is cut at the table with some
shears with the pork hacked into more bite-size pieces so that everyone
can dig in. It can be easier though, to slice the pork into thickish
slabs that you can easily pick up with chopsticks. Whichever way you choose to present the pork, drizzle over some of the reduced sauce, coating the skin. Sprinkle with some chopped spring onions and serve with a bowl of rice and a Chinese green like stir fried pak choy. Something fresh and green really helps to cut through the richness of the pork.<br />
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Whatever you do, keep some pork slices for the following recipe. Also, the leftover master stock is great stirred through some noodles, or used to braise something like chicken wings. <br />
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<br />
<b>Leftovers - DPR Sliders</b><br />
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<b>What you need</b><br />
Frozen Chinese buns (mantau) - get the small ones<br />
Leftover braised pork and some reduced stock<br />
A handful of salted radish or pickled mustard greens (soaked for half an hour)<br />
A handful of whole roasted, unsalted, peanuts (I just popped "monkey nuts" out of their shells)<br />
Sriracha - as much as you like.<br />
Sprigs of coriander<br />
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<b>What you do</b><br />
1. To prepare the buns, follow the instructions on the packet, which will usually say to steam from frozen for about 10 minutes. So place a metal trivet in a large saucepan and add some water up to about 1cm from the top of the trivet. Place a small plate on the trivet, cover the pan and bring to a boil. When it's boiling, place your frozen buns on the plate. Partially cover the pan and steam for 10 minutes until they are soft and pillowy.<br />
2. While that's happening, crush your peanuts. Place the nuts in a mortar and grind them to a coarse powder. Don't worry about removing the skins as they'll grind in to the powder nicely too.<br />
3. Heat a little oil in a small saucepan until hot and fry the radish or mustard greens until coloured then set aside.<br />
4. Reheat your pork slices<br />
5. Now assemble. Really it's up to you how you put it together, but you could try the following: Cut the buns in half (but not all the way through) and squirt as much sriracha on the bottom hinge as you like. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and lay some coriander on there too. Lay on a slice of warm pork and drizzle some of the reduced sauce over the pork and the top hinge of the bun. Another squirt of sriracha wouldn't go astray, but that's up to you (I like it hot!). Finally a few strips of salted radish or mustard greens to complete the perfect bite. Close up the bun and enjoy.<br />
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<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-6984793613535798822014-01-21T14:11:00.001-08:002014-01-21T14:16:52.009-08:00Dabbous: is it still worth the wait?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dabbous.co.uk/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0Ql7viF5rf1tPGSsyQkBWWRNpvLsPPAgg9Rmdemo6iDAe5w506E3ht09Ba7knSGMJImjDYb-9N-ew8yzcucyD1UytrI-YERqAdpl6KHwt-SRe_pJ830_gUef6wmHvT6DhdmolpNvE6cR/s1600/IMG_7141.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dabbous: Smoked Halibut and Pickled Celeriac</td></tr>
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<a href="http://dabbous.co.uk/" target="_blank">Dabbous</a> is still one of the hardest tables in London to secure. If you search the website for a prime time slot a month from now, you'll be told there are no tables within the next eight weeks and probably just give up. The reason for the supply/demand mismatch is that it's a relatively small room with a little more than a handful of tables meaning demand remains high two years after it opened. I went to Dabbous shortly after it opened, but the week before Fay bestowed a glowing five stars on it, and have never been able to get another table since without planning more than six months ahead. Frankly, I'd given up ever eating there again too. But one good turn on my part (an invite to join me at <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2013/06/sushi-tetsu-joy-of-sushi.html" target="_blank">Sushi Tetsu</a>) was repaid with reservations at Dabbous. See? Karma is a beautiful thing people, so be nice to each other out there.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I loved <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2012/02/dabbous-londons-best-new-restaurant.html" target="_blank">my first visit to Dabbous</a>, finding the food incredibly
refreshing and light and, in general, that deft touch remains today. The tasting menu I had this week contained only one repeat dish from my first visit (the final dessert), although I was secretly hoping that the coddled egg would be on the offer again (it was sadly taken off just before Christmas). This time around, I
found the menu slightly disjointed, with some
quite heavy courses (such as the Mash & Gravy) feeling a little out of place next to some of the lighter courses such as the delightful avocado starter, which I think is where the chef excels. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ13Tu2Fl_Xfbj7ifBW_p7zD07GcsC9c8kZ6wh0BVEdN89g52dBzsqDZckM0FGlEIwxFheFi7IG6D-I9TYTeH72_ZAZiMSBgZ_Pgpu8yZg0dBwgkYOraO205thyphenhyphenQ6jCoLO0vd2zV1MHrN/s1600/Dabbous+collage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ13Tu2Fl_Xfbj7ifBW_p7zD07GcsC9c8kZ6wh0BVEdN89g52dBzsqDZckM0FGlEIwxFheFi7IG6D-I9TYTeH72_ZAZiMSBgZ_Pgpu8yZg0dBwgkYOraO205thyphenhyphenQ6jCoLO0vd2zV1MHrN/s1600/Dabbous+collage+3.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dabbous: Course 1 Avocado, Basil and Almonds in Chilled Fig Leaf Broth; Course 3 Mash & Gravy</td></tr>
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We started on a dish called Avocado with Basil, Almonds in a Chilled Fig Leaf Broth, and it was the best course of the meal. The picture I've taken doesn't do the dish justice - hiding beneath the broth and the creamy ripe avocado were roasted almonds and various herbs. Each fresh mouthful had great texture thanks to the roasted nut and were sometimes punctuated with a fresh acidic herby burst. It was more like a palate cleanser. A little "hello, how are we doing today?" kinda dish. I loved it.<br />
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Course two kept to the deft touch with smoked halibut (first picture). They weren't shy in the smoking of the fish which I liked. The celeriac was cut into long julienne and stayed crunchy thanks to the light pickling. I wasn't quite sure what the perfectly boiled egg was doing there (that yolk looks like a stunning Machiavelli to me), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicP_trry0pRA67da_o3_57d8ZOF7nBGvVSBuIweblllY5F4t4bDUsT9SSW3kt1tnr7h7wtP_nySprTlfFr5NgCUUyeDt2eaZFufog-tGXg0_Q3Cnt4J8vrB8PnHRXnU2qapMwmZF3rfvi1/s1600/Dabbous+collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicP_trry0pRA67da_o3_57d8ZOF7nBGvVSBuIweblllY5F4t4bDUsT9SSW3kt1tnr7h7wtP_nySprTlfFr5NgCUUyeDt2eaZFufog-tGXg0_Q3Cnt4J8vrB8PnHRXnU2qapMwmZF3rfvi1/s1600/Dabbous+collage+1.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dabbous: Course 4 Cod wrapped in wood shavings with honey and turnip dressing. Course 5 (lower right): Roast goose with birch sap and white miso</td></tr>
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We then changed gears with a dish of Mash & Gravy. Imagine a silky purée of Joel Robuchon-richness and you're part way there. Smothered with a ladle of turkey gravy, I think this dish could evoke <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LaVzxHIR4Y" target="_blank">Ratatouille-like childhood memories</a>. A few delicious mouthfuls in and we were convinced that it contained cheese (a sort of take on the French aligot), but there was none - just cream, butter and nutmeg. A few more mouthfuls though and this dish hit the bottom of my stomach with a thud. Perhaps it is possible to have too much of a good thing.<br />
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In contrast, the next fish course was so gently cooked, the meat could be flaked apart with the gentlest of touches. It was presented encased in the overlapping wood shavings which we unfolded and dressed with a blob of the honey and turnip dressing. Delicate flavours that didn't overwhelm the cod.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-beoJJudfexnWbzJWhNJsKIDKyEU9EXajVLCR-RxQokxDeizY0WKXUvaFWB6yIKcLskHQybDwT-Km5nTthfLqV-qiexKVAKK4kX4lUMuhoujdXSmWrwpS7LdrUB1VSn2c0E6HTdNWFrdx/s1600/Dabbous+collage+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-beoJJudfexnWbzJWhNJsKIDKyEU9EXajVLCR-RxQokxDeizY0WKXUvaFWB6yIKcLskHQybDwT-Km5nTthfLqV-qiexKVAKK4kX4lUMuhoujdXSmWrwpS7LdrUB1VSn2c0E6HTdNWFrdx/s1600/Dabbous+collage+2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dabbous: Dessert 1 Yorkshire Rhubarb with Lavender and Ice Lettuce; Dessert 2: Chocolate & Hazelnut Ganache, basil moss, sheep's milk ice-cream</td></tr>
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Another rich course followed but I found the roast goose with birch sap and white miso to be too sweet for my liking. The goose was cooked rare and sliced thinly but presented shrouded in a cloud of deep fried chopped cavalo nero. Beneath the goose were thin slices of salsify. This was an interesting dish, and the first few mouthfuls had great textures but ultimately I found the sweetness (maybe from the miso preparation or a reduction of the birch sap) cloying.<br />
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Desserts saw us back in more familiar territory. Thinly sliced sweetly sharp rhubarb was bathed in a light infusion with the flavours occasionally interrupted by bursts of lavender. We flirted with grandma's soap territory here, but the slight citric tang from the ice lettuce kept us reasonably grounded. We rounded things off with the final dessert of Chocolate and Hazelnut Ganache with Basil Moss and Sheep's Milk Ice Cream. This beautifully constructed dish is a dense, rich finale to the meal. The freshness of the herbs (dill and basil) counter the ganache, while the ice-cream has a measured sourness. <br />
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There's a comfortable assuredness to Dabbous which makes it an enjoyable place to while away a few hours (we spent about three hours there without any pressure to move on). It's a well oiled machine with friendly, knowledgeable service on both the food and wine front. We drank a light and well matched carafe of Pinot Blanc from the Alsace (£15) and a few glasses of Jurancon (£7 each) with dessert. While the price of the tasting menu has crept up a smidge over the last two years it's still a relative bargain at £59 for the seven courses. With the wine, the meal came to £315 for four of us. Although there were a few courses that I didn't love, Dabbous continues to create some interesting (this is not a euphemism for bad!) food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6fLqzj2Ataew6XEBrz-QmL24f_R5BUm2jjmzx7d22cOZ1mlTtyRkwtw80OK569gzf3lbtNPOhAxIbaAUDK6ZP53f1QUzq31Ug2mY-kouqdXcuN43pM68cdq0KQHCnEK_KEPVGVccv17G/s1600/P1000480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6fLqzj2Ataew6XEBrz-QmL24f_R5BUm2jjmzx7d22cOZ1mlTtyRkwtw80OK569gzf3lbtNPOhAxIbaAUDK6ZP53f1QUzq31Ug2mY-kouqdXcuN43pM68cdq0KQHCnEK_KEPVGVccv17G/s1600/P1000480.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dabbous: Coddled egg with smoked butter and mushrooms (from my first visit)</td></tr>
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So is Dabbous still worth the long wait for a table? Well, competition is fiercer now than when Dabbous opened with places like The Clove Club, Kitchen Table and Restaurant Story doing innovative stuff and vying for your attention. Despite that, I'd definitely return because there are flashes of brilliance here. If you want to test the waters without the lengthy wait for a reservation, head for Oskar's Bar downstairs where selections from the menu can be ordered (including, sometimes <i>that</i> egg) along with a terrific cocktail. <br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1649602/restaurant/Fitzrovia/Dabbous-London"><img alt="Dabbous on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1649602/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/106908/Dabbous?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Dabbous"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/106908/get-blog-review/image/medium.png" height="90" width="170" /></a>Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-68836890765250684872014-01-12T09:01:00.000-08:002014-01-12T09:01:06.517-08:00Tommi's Burger Joint: my favourite cheeseburger in London<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5OtUfyatoarI5KsbPjuZ96OezdIh41O5ATT4Q-Fd-HQmzlcQpV5XjFjtaAf7KDZTzu-8c8NWVXV05dOwMf1am6qmiptwcmJJ2KqKVH4xFFvTukQzkQFmk9NiXfJADGMSbrBRYC-2Uh4S/s1600/IMG_6901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5OtUfyatoarI5KsbPjuZ96OezdIh41O5ATT4Q-Fd-HQmzlcQpV5XjFjtaAf7KDZTzu-8c8NWVXV05dOwMf1am6qmiptwcmJJ2KqKVH4xFFvTukQzkQFmk9NiXfJADGMSbrBRYC-2Uh4S/s1600/IMG_6901.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommi's Burger Joint cheeseburger</td></tr>
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You know a picture tells a thousand words right? Well if you take a looksee over there at that cheeseburger from <a href="http://www.burgerjoint.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tommi's Burger Joint</a> in Marylebone, I could probably finish this post right now. I'll go on though (but hopefully not for a thousand words). It looks delicious doesn't it? You just want to eat it and savour every glistening, juicy, cheesy mouthful. You might be able to tell that I like Tommi's a lot. While you could get lost in the burgeoning Bermuda burger triangle just north of Oxford Street, I'd like to resurface at Tommi's over MEATLiquor and Patty & Bun any day. The venue is light and bright (looking at you ML) and I prefer the Tommi's bun over that of the P&B crew. But if there's a food that polarises people more than any, I reckon it's a burger, given the many variables involved in its construction, so feel free to disagree.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Tommi's landed in London from Iceland last year in a temporary location before setting down roots on Thayer Street in Marylebone. There's no rags to riches story of food truck to permanent home, but I don't think that does the guys at Tommi's a disservice. They'd perfected the burger on their home turf first before getting stuck into the competitive London burger scene.<br />
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The menu is thankfully brief and focused. Four types of burgers, if you count the veggie burger too (and generally a monthly special - before Christmas it was a venison burger, natch), fries and drinks (soda's, shakes, wine and beer). You can customise your burger with additions like bacon or a bearnaise sauce, but I tend to take my cheeseburger as is (it comes with red onion, lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup and mustard) and play with the free condiments on offer like, pickles, hot sauce, caramelised onions and the like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vndXrkqn8I-BVmDYcmpO547uI7ykD1fpX5L2ucBV_bQxC96YPsowfyY4DvFYbZeGgZ1ckE8B0YeYx0YjXR4WhOEEdcarp2notKO5iypNYG63giPyjdz94QV9Mkt1ZCjwFgWY5xin_Wer/s1600/IMG_5589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vndXrkqn8I-BVmDYcmpO547uI7ykD1fpX5L2ucBV_bQxC96YPsowfyY4DvFYbZeGgZ1ckE8B0YeYx0YjXR4WhOEEdcarp2notKO5iypNYG63giPyjdz94QV9Mkt1ZCjwFgWY5xin_Wer/s1600/IMG_5589.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommi's Burger Joint cheeseburger bite through</td></tr>
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My cheeseburger patty has always been cooked to perfection with a flavoursome charred exterior hiding the juicy, medium-cooked, roughly-chopped meat. It's that texture that I like most. The bun is soft but hangs together long enough to finish the burger, unlike the slop that is usually left at MEATLiquor. To my mind, Tommi's just tastes lighter than the local rivals which put me into a food coma. I like that Tommi's offer shakes too, although I've had one that was so thick it was better eaten with a spoon. If I have a criticism though, it's the fries. They're a frozen McCain's job and could be much more interesting if they made their own. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57gxUpFm-54giJ8x8Iz5JJAIp9glL0ipnNczqyqmwB8tULyZsoY0gLR4IZdxBHArr5zxJOpHKsCihDgTFAMBGVgvGrqehP6RmGPhAMXVW6mC72ZS-LbkbZLuc8xPtifRbWxTOfW43j88p/s1600/IMG_5585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57gxUpFm-54giJ8x8Iz5JJAIp9glL0ipnNczqyqmwB8tULyZsoY0gLR4IZdxBHArr5zxJOpHKsCihDgTFAMBGVgvGrqehP6RmGPhAMXVW6mC72ZS-LbkbZLuc8xPtifRbWxTOfW43j88p/s1600/IMG_5585.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommi's Burger Joint Marylebone</td></tr>
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Tommi's is in the process of expanding to a couple of new locations. A venue is soon to open on the King's Road in Chelsea, while there was talk of an East London location too. More imminent is a pop up at the The Princess of Wales pub in Primrose Hill on 16 January. Spreading the Tommi's burger love can only be a good thing, even in the crowded London market.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1695922/restaurant/Marylebone/Tommis-Burger-Joint-London"><img alt="Tommi's Burger Joint on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1695922/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/109585/Tommi%27s_Burger_Joint?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Tommi's Burger Joint"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/109585/get-blog-review/image/medium.png" height="90" width="170" /></a>
Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-7385216469910614762014-01-11T03:55:00.000-08:002014-01-11T03:55:51.647-08:00Jackson + Rye: stick to brunch<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlzFfga14NdiEq4DpoFcycBTrIjFpcXESyc2CmuZL9h-J7Fx5zUtHTpJB6GKQWoZ-4gJXG2_-oGYbyikubVYVzOJXh8PBve5EdpUjPdxsPQFTw2WBk_aY-NqsBjJS-j2SkPkxbM_Uujhd/s1600/IMG_7008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlzFfga14NdiEq4DpoFcycBTrIjFpcXESyc2CmuZL9h-J7Fx5zUtHTpJB6GKQWoZ-4gJXG2_-oGYbyikubVYVzOJXh8PBve5EdpUjPdxsPQFTw2WBk_aY-NqsBjJS-j2SkPkxbM_Uujhd/s1600/IMG_7008.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackson + Rye: Scrambled eggs</td></tr>
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You would never know that Satsuma (RIP) was once on the site of Jackson + Rye. The sterile white and utilitarian wood (or latterly gaudy orange pods) has been swapped for darker woods, leather banquettes and muted mood lighting. The whole layout has been swapped around as well. Whereas Satsuma had the enormous elbow to elbow shared tables in the basement, JR's downstairs is now just a small - always empty - dining room next to the bogs and a large kitchen. Most of the action happens upstairs with the beautiful bar the focus of the venue. I say RIP to Satsuma, because it was one of the places I frequented when I first lived in London back in the late 90s. I also saw one of my favourite actors eating there - Rupert Graves (who played Freddy in A Room With a View dontchaknow) around the time he was on the stage in Hurly Burly. Anyway, I digress. You want to know about JR (good for brunch, less so for dinner, no need to read more I guess mainly because my pics are a bit rubbish this time sorry) and not my filmic proclivities.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I've been to JR twice now - once for brunch before Christmas and again for dinner this week. Based on what I've eaten I'd probably stick to brunch. I'm quite fussy with scrambled eggs and can think of nothing worse than dry, overcooked, lumpy ones. I requested runny eggs at JR and got exactly that with the oddly named Prison Eggs (which don't seem to be on the website menu anymore, although saying that, the all day menu lists the buttermilk chicken served with both a spicy coleslaw AND fries but actually you have to order the fries separately). My eggs were mixed with jalapeños, borlotti beans and spring onions giving it great texture and more than a bit of pep. At £6.95, it's a cheap start to the day but it's obvious from the somewhat muted colour of the eggs that we're not in gorgeous <a href="http://www.machiavellishop.co.uk/products-page/larder/machiavelli-italian-eggs" target="_blank">Machiavelli egg</a> territory here (check out <a href="http://raoulsgourmet.com/maida-vale.html" target="_blank">Raoul's</a> or the <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2012/04/londons-best-breakfast-at-golborne-deli.html" target="_blank">Golborne Deli</a> for the sunniest eggs in London).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLGoqz3ULs1SDrEYQalPgcpdhyphenhyphenvJpvGXDfd4RnRrO7pv2_UMN8OGPlXvpcYaF9PqxXhBwla3pVF2l7DkzcsNy_3l_Kk6YuwRpVCJKsmkDEqyvYVeiW_GxgS_W7VjT-utv61cTfVajDfuH/s1600/IMG_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLGoqz3ULs1SDrEYQalPgcpdhyphenhyphenvJpvGXDfd4RnRrO7pv2_UMN8OGPlXvpcYaF9PqxXhBwla3pVF2l7DkzcsNy_3l_Kk6YuwRpVCJKsmkDEqyvYVeiW_GxgS_W7VjT-utv61cTfVajDfuH/s1600/IMG_0028.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackson + Rye: Buttermilk pancakes, bacon</td></tr>
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The maple glazed bacon, ordered as a side, was insanely good but served as rashers rather than a slab as per the menu. Buttermilk pancakes were light and fluffy and altogether delightful. Coffee wasn't anything to write home about, with my flat white a bitter mouthful. Nip around the corner to Flat White or FoxCroft & Ginger for a better cup.<br />
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At dinner, crab cakes and fried buttermilk chicken both disappointed. The former were a little like fish fingers in flavour with the crispy exterior showing a (un)healthy nod to the deep fryer. The latter were two strips of, albeit tender, breast meat served is a semi flaccid batter. I really wanted super crispy chicken on the bone rather than the flavourless oversized chicken nuggets that I got. Perhaps I just like something to gnaw on. I liked the buttermilk tang but it could have been so much better with some seasoning in the batter. It's really a dish you could make more interesting at home for less than the £11.95 asking price (plus £2.95 for those fries).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackson + Rye: Shrimp & Grits, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Crab Cakes, Melting Chocolate Sundae and Frozen Soufflé.</td></tr>
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The best dish that we tried was the starter of Shrimp & Grits (£8.50).
The fried prawns were sweet and plump, and I liked the spike of chilli
to liven up the grits. Side dishes were underwhelming with shoestring fries lukewarm and unseasoned while the grilled little gems (£3.50) lacked the lovely smokiness that makes them memorable. Things picked up with desserts and I preferred the frozen soufflé (£6.25) which was basically a frozen raspberry parfait making it a bit lighter than the more indulgent hot butterscotch sauce covered chocolate sundae (£6.50). Dinner for three came in at about £80 (one house lemonade and a great rum float), whereas it was about £25 for brunch for two. Service on both trips was very chipper, but somewhat forgetful with drinks requested on both occasions going AWOL before being tracked down.<br />
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Given the accessible pricing, this probably isn't food that's meant to wow, but the place feels within touching distance of being good. I wonder, though, if it will always fall short or elements will be tweaked as JR matures. This wasn't the slice of Americana that I was
hoping for but that doesn't mean I won't return. I was able to get a table without a reservation on both visits and the location is great, with the view out onto the passing parade of Wardour St which was one of Satsuma's selling points too. You're just more likely to find me there in the morning.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/1796504/restaurant/London/Soho/Jackson-Rye-Greater-London"><img alt="Jackson & Rye on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1796504/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/120497/Jackson_and_Rye?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Jackson & Rye"><img alt="Square Meal" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/120497/get-blog-review/image/medium.png" height="90" width="170" /></a>
Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-76205290184532614422014-01-06T13:33:00.002-08:002014-01-06T13:33:38.597-08:00Recipe: Lobster Noodles in XO sauceWe happened to be in the supermarket the other day and the fishmonger had an offer of two frozen Maine lobster tails for a tenner. What the heck, we thought, and bought them thinking it would make a change from conjuring another use for leftover New Year's Eve roast beef. On the way home, I was thinking of what to do with the lobster and vaguely recollected a recipe for lobster with XO sauce, which is a classic Cantonese preparation. XO sauce is one of those condiments that I've become slightly addicted to. The flavour is compellingly unique and somewhat difficult to describe but the combination of the heat from the chilli and the texture from the dried scallops is ethereal. It's a great standby to have in the fridge for throwing into stir fries or dressing some steamed tofu.<br />
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I make no claim to authenticity with this recipe but it's an impressive and indulgent meal for two. It leaves you with a beautiful lingering flavour with the heat from the XO complimented by the sweetness of the lobster meat and the stir fried onions. I used scallop flavoured noodles because I had them on hand and thought the flavour would go well with the lobster. When I posted the photo of the completed dish on <a href="http://instagram.com/insatiableeater" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, it generated more comments than any other photo there, so I'm sure you'll impress yourself and others too. If you don't have any lobster, I think the recipe would work just as well with green prawns, or even chicken or pork.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>What you need (for two)</b><br /><br />
2 noodle nests - I absolutely love these <a href="http://shop.waiyeehong.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=0&keyword=Authentic+Scallop+Noodles" target="_blank">scallop flavour noodles</a><br />
2 lobster tails<br />
3 tbsp vegetable oil <br />
ginger - a thumb's worth peeled and cut into julienne.<br />
half a Spanish onion - sliced<br />
half a red pepper - chopped into small dice<br />
2 pak choy or other green Asian veg to your liking<br />
1 tbps Shaoxing rice wine<br />
3 tbsp XO sauce<br />
2 tsp soy sauce<br />
2 tsp sugar<br />
100ml chicken stock (try not to use a cube)<br />
half a teaspoon sesame oil<br />
white pepper<br />
1 spring onion - sliced into julienne<br />
coriander - a few tbsp of picked leaves <br />
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<b>What you do</b><br />
First cook your noodles in boiling water for two minutes. Stir with chopsticks to unravel the tight nests. Drain and keep aside.<br />
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Now prepare your lobster tails - a cleaver will help to cut through the shell. Cut them in half down the length of the tail which will fan open into two long pieces. It should reveal the black digestive tract that runs along the back of the tail close to the shell which you can scrape out. Now cut the lobster pieces into more manageable eating pieces - say two or three chunks per piece depending on how long your original lobster tail is. Rinse the lobster to get rid of any dislodged shell and dry the pieces.<br />
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Prepare the pak choy by slicing off the base and peeling away the leaves. Chop the inner core into halves or quarters if they are a bit large. Rinse out any dirt hiding on the leaves. <br />
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Get your liquid ingredients ready. Stir the XO, soy, sugar, stock and sesame oil together and keep at the ready.<br />
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Heat your wok until it is smoking hot and add 2 tbsp of oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the lobster pieces and stir fry quickly for only 2 to 3 minutes. You want the lobster meat to just go from opaque to white and the shell to turn a luminous orange. Remove the pieces and then throw in the cooked noodles and stir fry to soak up the excess oil flavoured by the stir fried lobster shells. It will only take a minute or so to give the noodles this treatment. Don't worry if some noodles stick to the bottom of your wok and get crispy. They will eventually be incorporated into the sauce and make it taste great. Remove the noodles and keep with the lobster pieces.<br />
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Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok and stir fry the ginger, red onion and pepper for two minutes until it smells fragrant, and then add the pak choy and stir again to combine. Add the splash of shaoxing and stir fry for a minute to wilt the pak choy and scrape any bits stuck to the wok. Tip in the reserved liquid ingredients that you prepared earlier - they should come to a rapid boil. Now return the noodles and the lobster to the wok and stir fry the lot to combine. The noodles should soak up the liquids and the lobster should be nicely coated with sauce. It only takes a minute or two.<br />
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Serve the noodles in a deep serving dish and top with the spring onions and coriander and a final shake of white pepper. You'll probably need to use your hands to dig the lobster meat free of its shell, but that just adds to the enjoyment of this dish.<br />
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<br />Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370105629130234346.post-22734700834876279632013-11-03T12:47:00.000-08:002013-11-03T12:47:09.067-08:00Eating well in Copenhagen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bocuse trio at Geranium</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">So you're going to Copenhagen and you don't have a table at Noma. Who cares?! There is so much for the food-inclined tourist to do in Copenhagen that doesn't require hitting the refresh button on a website on the slim chance of getting a table at the former World's Best Restaurant (TM). In recent years, a number of places have opened up clearly influenced by Noma and its "new Nordic" vibe, but have made the concept more accessible and affordable. Actually, on expense, it's a bit of a misconception that Copenhagen is eye-wateringly pricey. Well, it's true that if you wander too far onto the wine list of most places, your wallet will start to hurt, but it is possible to eat well and not remortgage. So in this post I've tried to highlight a mix of places at different price points. I've also only mentioned those that I've been to in the last 12 months including Geranium, Radio, Amass, Bror, Relae, Geist, Almanak and Manfred's (which means skipping good meals at AOC and Fiskebar). I've included spots for a quick bite like DOP and Hallernes too, while not forgetting tips on the best of the cakes and pastries. Oh, and I couldn't leave out Tivoli either. So here is my non-definitive guide to eating well in Copenhagen. </span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>GERANIUM</b></span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">There are plenty of places in Copenhagen where you can easily drop £200 a head on dinner and <a href="http://geranium.dk/" target="_blank">Geranium</a> is one of them. I ate here to celebrate a milestone birthday so was prepared for the cost, but equally, sometimes it's best not to think about it too much. Geranium is in a slightly odd location right next to the football field at Parken, but once you step out of the elevator into the foyer, it's a world away from the car park you arrive in. There's definitely a glamorous vibe, with huge, wide-spaced tables meaning you can have an intimate evening. The night we dined, a ferocious snow storm enveloped the city giving the experience a strange ethereal tone.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of dishes from Geranium including the razor clam tartare in an edible shell</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">The meal starts with a flurry of snacks before progressing to the "proper" courses which can be somewhat mind bending in construction. Dishes like the razor clams, pictured, add the right amount of whimsy without completely overwhelming you. I loved the dill stones and salmon roe which was a playful nod to gravlax. More challenging courses, like raw lamb sausage paired with a yoghurt and horseradish sauce sit alongside others like crazy heather-smoked, moss-covered turbot. Towards the end of the meal you're invited into the almost sterile kitchen for a pre-dessert and an up close encounter with the gold, silver and bronze Bocuse trophy set, just to make sure you're in no doubt as to the skill of the chef.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-5ZUo3prwmWtlqtEOzQ_5WgYp40EYWkUWRokoi7sxfqpmrLLMQ5CSb_wvWaoHzk2rIVs0jOqeOfPSKr5x2_KhAvAL8DALgavAj2KiAzXh0VwNlhGQirAURcY2VDKMptkj8HozS57rBhS/s1600/P1060142_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-5ZUo3prwmWtlqtEOzQ_5WgYp40EYWkUWRokoi7sxfqpmrLLMQ5CSb_wvWaoHzk2rIVs0jOqeOfPSKr5x2_KhAvAL8DALgavAj2KiAzXh0VwNlhGQirAURcY2VDKMptkj8HozS57rBhS/s640/P1060142_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of courses from Geranium</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">There's a reason that Geranium gained a second Michelin star this year. The food is exquisitely prepared with incredible attention to detail and served by a friendly and knowledgeable crew including the head chef Rasmus himself. A meal here starts at DKK1500 (about £180) without wine. The wine list is dauntingly enormous, but we were expertly guided through it at not-too-painful price points. There are flashes of brilliance at Geranium, but the precision can sometimes feel slightly clinical. Still, it has to be one of the best night's out in Copenhagen if your wallet can stretch that far.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geranium: Jerusalem artichokes and walnut oil</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>AMASS</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><a href="http://www.amassrestaurant.com/index.php?id=71" target="_blank">Amass</a> is a relatively new spot, opened in mid 2013 by head chef Matt Orlando who has a glittering career spanning Noma (most recently Chef de Cuisine), The Fat Duck, Le Manoir, Le Bernadin and Per Se. The huge space is housed in a fairly isolated location in an industrial part of Copenhagen best reached either by water or by taxi. At night, the bonfires are lit and cast a glow over the raised vegetable beds which supply the kitchen.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selection of dishes from Amass: Clockwise: Cod head rillettes / Raw shrimp, hot-smoked foie gras / bread / Salted Mackerel, grilled skin, young onion</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">There are a number of options to choose from with a set seven course meal, an extended 10 course or a limited a la carte menu. The wine list has a natural focus with glasses priced at a flat DKK95. We went for the seven course menu at DKK575 and had a few glasses of wine along the way. The menu started with cod head rillettes which were squished between crispy cod skin, followed by salted mackerel with burnt onions. The smokey char from the young onions sat nicely against the gentle saltiness of the chopped fish which was topped with a crispy disk of mackerel skin. Another course of shaved frozen hot-smoked foie gras smothered raw shrimp with each mouthful melting on the tongue. The highlight of the night was Danish squid with a muscle sauce served with sweet crunchy green beans and some acidic sour plums.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of dishes from Amass: Squid, beans, sour plums, marigold / Squash, lamb breast, baby corn / Burnt kale, chicken skin, almond</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">It's not just seafood though, the menu stepped up a notch with burnt kale and chicken. The chicken is actually 70 layers of chicken skin pressed together and cooked so that the outside is crispy while the centre remains richly fatty. This theme carried onto the fatty lamb breast which was paired with slivers of baby corn and corn silk cooked in brown butter.</span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Amass definitely has a lot of buzz at the moment with tables hard to come by so be prepared to plan your meal. There is a nod to democracy with a number of seats held back for walk-ins however, so you could try your luck. There are also two tables for two right next to the kitchen which is where I sat. These give a bird's eye view of the action which I really enjoyed. I find the rhythm of a well oiled kitchen quite hypnotic. I enjoyed Amass and I think it's a place that will get better over time.</span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>RADIO</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">I had a fantastic dinner at </span><span style="color: #042eee; font: 13.0px Arial;"><u>Radio</u></span><span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">. In fact, it was one of the best meals I've had in Copenhagen. Radio comes with a pedigree that spans some of the best kitchens in Copenhagen including Noma, Geranium and Geist so you know you're in good hands. The restaurant itself is very understated, being slightly cosy but warm and friendly with the cube-like kitchen space dominating a corner of the room. The chairs were also fantastically comfortable.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16qZFy4SV49qXcivpggZyQmM2Yq7eQzm6xEobjC2CUzepJwSxYtokwh1LgMbqSbTKrk6SM1q_Z2lHEuLT6r7_RkQaVZ8KjBspFVwtmkxGokT7PruGTtu8rsgkWM5KIZqDwh2Od9-F33PS/s1600/P1060036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16qZFy4SV49qXcivpggZyQmM2Yq7eQzm6xEobjC2CUzepJwSxYtokwh1LgMbqSbTKrk6SM1q_Z2lHEuLT6r7_RkQaVZ8KjBspFVwtmkxGokT7PruGTtu8rsgkWM5KIZqDwh2Od9-F33PS/s640/P1060036.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radio: Langoustine, carrot, rye bread, smoked cheese</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">We started the meal with roasted langoustines served with different textures of carrots, rye bread crumbs and a lightly smoked cheese. The bar was set incredibly high with this dish. I was amazed at how flavours were coaxed out of the carrots. We followed this with salt cod that melted on the tongue served with red cabbage and a mussel sauce. There was great balance to this dish with its tart and acidic notes tempering the gentle saltiness of the cod.</span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">There was a vegetarian course which was the essence of grilled cheese so it was obviously as fantastic as a warm hug - pearl barley, crunchy toasted wheat biscuit with peppery watercress and a thinnish cheesy sauce. The tender pork course was another revelation served with a celeriac purée and dehydrated apple. Such intense concentration of flavour in this dish made it hugely enjoyable.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaZFSahLLmqB6aePl-5tr41W_2jGdL72dRtlBgFKNWttZTwuuqo_1p0Y9NZCqP63FKJqc3gRyZ_jWkdOljME1-h-76SDM1hXtgX7cHeFbOCC51nyvXvC6MMoznyPC4PXIxZbGQhmwla2j/s1600/P1060040_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaZFSahLLmqB6aePl-5tr41W_2jGdL72dRtlBgFKNWttZTwuuqo_1p0Y9NZCqP63FKJqc3gRyZ_jWkdOljME1-h-76SDM1hXtgX7cHeFbOCC51nyvXvC6MMoznyPC4PXIxZbGQhmwla2j/s640/P1060040_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dishes from Radio: Salted cod, cabbage, mustard, mussels / Pearl barley, onion, cress, ho-cheese / Pickled quince, walnuts,liquorice, white chocolate / Pork, celeriac, browned butter, apple </td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Dessert was also sensational. Pickled quinces with sugar roasted walnuts and small flecks of raw liquorice had amazingly fresh, acidic tones and was a great end to the meal. The five course set menu is a reasonable DKK400 and there are wines to match at DKK400, although we drank a very good Austrian red (St Laurent similar in style to a pinot) recommended by our waitress which was reasonably priced. You can expect innovative seasonal and exciting dishes at Radio. That, in addition to the wonderful free form bread baked in house is reason enough to return and often.</span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>RELAE</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><a href="http://www.restaurant-relae.dk/en/" target="_blank">Relae</a> is another kitchen with the Noma pedigree and has a Michelin star to its name. When I dined here, I sat at the bar looking into the small kitchen which turned out dishes that seemed to revel in pushing the boundaries in terms of ingredients. If I had to compare the style between Radio and Relae, I'd say that I found Radio a bit more accessible. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFO2kt6JRBpSU_N3H7oPE16FRE1zMsD0pVpU7g9fKUo6h14IAkKz_BWOJxVvr_eFiU0GR-n3qIFxhs-7kqkBULPgpd7P0LoPCyYNTPSCQiyjSPWqkyc-i8nGWFaeTKrKDEV6tFHpNAnRo/s1600/P1040213_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFO2kt6JRBpSU_N3H7oPE16FRE1zMsD0pVpU7g9fKUo6h14IAkKz_BWOJxVvr_eFiU0GR-n3qIFxhs-7kqkBULPgpd7P0LoPCyYNTPSCQiyjSPWqkyc-i8nGWFaeTKrKDEV6tFHpNAnRo/s640/P1040213_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of dishes from Relae: Herb bouquet / Asparagus, buckwheat / Rhubarb, elderflower granita / Hake, bergamot</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">We started the meal with a wonderful bouquet of 11 different herbs and flowers alongside a glass of champagne. We progressed through dishes like hake poached so gently the fish was meltingly tender but lifted by a salted bergamot, through to a stewed asparagus with puffed buckwheat and a mint purée before hitting an interesting chicken dish. The chicken wings were still rosy pink, despite being simmered for 2.5 hours, and were served with the heart and liver of the bird encased in thick shavings of white asparagus. Dessert was a refreshing rhubarb compote with an elderflower granita. It was topped with thin strips of curled dried rhubarb which looked a little like bresaola. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzET2OirifMBUjrXH4hMDQqYAc-Gr5WdvzhrdUBQpC9aEWGiah7-R6OX8uDYU848fNYyc7kiFDL3CA3mUZN21kyKNGW7d6eq32gjZXeAjDPpjMMohyMuwcZXp8UkRb1X2_MliXjmfIYuD/s1600/P1040236_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzET2OirifMBUjrXH4hMDQqYAc-Gr5WdvzhrdUBQpC9aEWGiah7-R6OX8uDYU848fNYyc7kiFDL3CA3mUZN21kyKNGW7d6eq32gjZXeAjDPpjMMohyMuwcZXp8UkRb1X2_MliXjmfIYuD/s640/P1040236_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relae: chicken wings, heart, liver and shaved white asparagus</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Relae, like Manfred's across the street, is focused on natural wines, which I find a little hit and miss to be honest. Like most places you can match wine to the four course menu (both at DKK385) and we drank some, shall we say, interesting wines with our meal. Still, it's good to experiment and expand your horizons.I really enjoyed my meal at Relae, and would go back in a heartbeat.</span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>RESTAURANT GEIST </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #042eee; font: 13.0px Arial;"><u>Geist</u></span><span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"> is a terrific venue, although at night it's one of the darkest places you could dine and it gets a bit raucous in there too. I guess it's all about atmosphere. For choice, I'd opt to sit in the area which surrounds the kitchen, but that's because I always like my dinner with a bit of a show.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHyxAbH6GihsUi46oIDGkuB7zBS4Lp4nAjVvWJywwPnkyK3YCHppba34X3Xl_XchUM8MamZHqnni2avegVTVdvBmqFe5j8io7JpOf91op5rGtmoWLrXBCHM3ewUN9zuAqvj__T5eSXSBQ/s1600/P1060210_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHyxAbH6GihsUi46oIDGkuB7zBS4Lp4nAjVvWJywwPnkyK3YCHppba34X3Xl_XchUM8MamZHqnni2avegVTVdvBmqFe5j8io7JpOf91op5rGtmoWLrXBCHM3ewUN9zuAqvj__T5eSXSBQ/s640/P1060210_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of dishes from Geist: Oyster & Radish / Quail / Pork belly with artichoke and black truffle / Squid</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">I still remember my first meal here a few years ago. I started with a slab of roasted celeriac with a buttermilk sauce and had my taste buds knocked awake. Such simple but intense flavours were enlightening. There is a great roast pork dish I've eaten on two occasions. It's served with deep fried artichoke leaves and a smear of black truffle paste. I enjoyed the creamy Oyster and Radish dish too, which is actually nothing like it sounds. Daikon is shredded into spaghetti-like strips and then coated with an oyster mayonnaise, with the oyster more of a scent than an overwhelming flavour. Terrific stuff. Always save room for coffee or tea because it comes with an afro-sized aromatic cotton candy. Geist comes highly recommended from me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JMnUNAKeI9WCflThDBdISptlgdNx452ZUrtbRyCEO663a_h4ebOhrdKoldKG8rQ3Paj_TZ4UhaUDLqBiB08F320f3vmEl37g-vWSOhdWMDHtol_mX49o_7G3Y62hgZ7wbssmrDmxMVsj/s1600/P1060251_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JMnUNAKeI9WCflThDBdISptlgdNx452ZUrtbRyCEO663a_h4ebOhrdKoldKG8rQ3Paj_TZ4UhaUDLqBiB08F320f3vmEl37g-vWSOhdWMDHtol_mX49o_7G3Y62hgZ7wbssmrDmxMVsj/s640/P1060251_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geist: tea comes with afro-sized cotton candy</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>BROR</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">I wasn't bowled over by </span><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #042eee; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><u>BROR</u></span><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">, but I've included it here because I think it may have just been an off evening and because I've read lots of good reviews and seen many great photos on </span><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #042eee; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><u>Instagram</u></span><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">. There is a set four course menu (DKK350), which can actually change during the course of the evening, but you can also start with a few snacks (around DKK40 each) or just stick to a few plates from the more limited a la carte menu.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">We started with a few small dishes which included bulls' balls. You know, testicles. They were gently poached, then sliced, battered and deep fried. Served with a chunky tartare sauce the smallish disks probably could have been anything. There was a slightly offalish giveaway from the texture though.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5KGRRJzbNvHZMK3SIZ_guEhQ9NQrKfS6McAPpp5R7oFvK4imNp5FGJ-zkeSeNlsJh3PosLgBOlfSl0TeZALFYtF0Xrste9kbHtbuS9Z5vJHxuCZts-abMNFi1qOmSjDMCKNwkFC6KqM1/s1600/P1090086_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5KGRRJzbNvHZMK3SIZ_guEhQ9NQrKfS6McAPpp5R7oFvK4imNp5FGJ-zkeSeNlsJh3PosLgBOlfSl0TeZALFYtF0Xrste9kbHtbuS9Z5vJHxuCZts-abMNFi1qOmSjDMCKNwkFC6KqM1/s640/P1090086_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dishes at Bror</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">The first couple of courses were pleasant enough. Skate with a pickled plum sauce, with kohlrabi, watercress and cauliflower had some great textures and I enjoyed the tartness of the sauce. I also liked the roasted pork belly with endive and kale, although it was quite a fatty serving and felt out of kilter with the more subtle dishes before it. </span>On the night I visited, it was possible to pimp the set menu with optional courses. I chose the beef tartare which was roughly chopped and included blackberries. Again this was nice, but not really awe-inspiring. Overall, the dishes didn't leave much of an impression on me and I probably wouldn't head back with other choices like Radio. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>ALMANAK AT THE STANDARD</b></span><br />
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">The Standard is a just-opened venue established by Claus Meyer, the man behind the man at noma. The building, right on the water around the corner from Nyhavn, is a stunning refurbished art deco construction, and the interior gives you a hint of the warmly muted Danish colour palette. There are three restaurants and a jazz lounge in the venue but I ate at Almank, which is an all day dining venue which focuses on the classic Danish smorrebrod at lunch, but here it's taken to the next level. I wrote a separate post on it because I was amazed at the flavours of such a simple concept. The dinner menu sounds impressive as well. <a href="http://www.theinsatiableeater.com/2013/10/almanak-at-standard-next-level-smrrebrd.html" target="_blank">Check out my thoughts here</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCgpkQEmS1U498cRkQ0mZ3U2RyQw37wAegtG_chqjZvFWH-agQoh26dGHuNiCxNeKJC5Qb7zA0dOOZ_uG5WeGqBf_-8IVozMLmR2E-7XkVGsxkWlQYGfcpJC1IOiHfKXCW7OavRK5kpxi/s1600/P1090117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCgpkQEmS1U498cRkQ0mZ3U2RyQw37wAegtG_chqjZvFWH-agQoh26dGHuNiCxNeKJC5Qb7zA0dOOZ_uG5WeGqBf_-8IVozMLmR2E-7XkVGsxkWlQYGfcpJC1IOiHfKXCW7OavRK5kpxi/s640/P1090117.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almanak: Soft boiled egg, "Romo" shrimps, chicken skin, chickweed smorrebrod</td></tr>
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<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>MANFREDS & VIN</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">If you are doing a long weekend in Copenhagen, it can be hard to find somewhere decent open for Sunday lunch. Manfred's fits the bill perfectly though and you can book too. Don't expect anything fancy - it's a small neighbourhood place. After a weekend eating, I couldn't face another seven course meal so we opted to choose a few dishes from the good value small a la carte menu. The dishes we had were simple but packed with in-your-face flavours. My confit duckling legs were perfectly cooked with lots of flavour partly thanks to the acidity of the added bergamot, but the plate was a bit on the oily side. A simple roast cauliflower dish and some pickles were fine additions to lunch though.<b><br /></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vn727NT-cdP36hCIrztmeOCwcqs3-DtJPCd7d8opVOOfQBoLnHBQGWxQh-B1K1hzQ7kmofJ7LosuxUXuHo4EJTxTFmsdhCeAuZ28V9EFTFSLwJoVPu_XoasN__J1qcEBGetFngx5ZOku/s1600/IMG_6234_Fotor_Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vn727NT-cdP36hCIrztmeOCwcqs3-DtJPCd7d8opVOOfQBoLnHBQGWxQh-B1K1hzQ7kmofJ7LosuxUXuHo4EJTxTFmsdhCeAuZ28V9EFTFSLwJoVPu_XoasN__J1qcEBGetFngx5ZOku/s640/IMG_6234_Fotor_Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dishes at Manfred's<b><br /></b></span></span></td></tr>
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<b>LIGHTER BITES</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>DOP</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">You can't beat hot dogs in Copenhagen. They make a perfect light lunch and are cheap to boot too. By all means try out the carts that haunt most corners, but make a beeline for the Round Tower where the organic dogs from <a href="http://www.døp.dk/da/om-doep" target="_blank">DOP</a> will greet you. I think it's the interest added by the seeded bun that elevates it, but maybe it's the perfect construction and tasty meat used in the dog. Mine's always the ristet hot dog at about DKK35. This is a great pit stop when you're shopping or sightseeing and just need some fuel to keep going.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTf2hxsuRysskipmw_G_AMsZW__CG7cMAp-JWSrwuhUSJcfF9bgyfGlBiVIjIEhC1ofwC4P0x7YtRuVczNC-b40u06GB8B4ZAEGcPjc-Afet1REG709WwmGhu0DNxaH5gdZ8y8xU5RReTk/s1600/IMG_6117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTf2hxsuRysskipmw_G_AMsZW__CG7cMAp-JWSrwuhUSJcfF9bgyfGlBiVIjIEhC1ofwC4P0x7YtRuVczNC-b40u06GB8B4ZAEGcPjc-Afet1REG709WwmGhu0DNxaH5gdZ8y8xU5RReTk/s640/IMG_6117.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organic ristet hot dogs at DOP</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>CONDITORI LA GLACE</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><a href="http://laglace.dk/" target="_blank">Conditori la Glace</a> has to be one of the oldest cake shops in Copenhagen, founded back in 1870. The wood-panelled room with marble topped tables is a must visit despite the popularity which inevitably means a wait of some sort. My favourite cake is the one made specially for the Gay Games held in Copenhagen in 2009. The Stjernekraes has a light chocolate mousse atop a crushed chocolate base and has layers of hazelnut and almond praline with a surprise layer of tart apricot. It's rich but not cloyingly so. The best hot chocolate in town can be found here too, served in a tall silver pitcher with a side of fluffy whipped cream. It's perfect for a Danish winter...or any time of year really.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cakes and hot chocolate at Conditori la Glace</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>LAGKAGEHUSSET</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">This mouthful of a <a href="http://www.lagkagehuset.dk/" target="_blank">bakery</a>, has spawned stores all over the country, but I think the quality is still great. A pastry or two and some coffee makes a great to start your day and is probably a lot better than what is on offer in your hotel. I always tend to bring home a loaf or two of bread if my suitcase space permits - the one with five seeds is delicious.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastries at Lagkagehusset</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>MEYERS BAGERI</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">I have to thank <a href="http://www.onthefrog.com/" target="_blank">The Foodie Guide</a> (aka On The Frog) for highlighting the Hindbaer snitte (an insanely good raspberry slice) at <a href="http://www.clausmeyer.dk/da/meyers_bageri.html" target="_blank">Meyers</a>. There is a branch in the basement food hall of the department store Magasin du Nord where you can rest your weary feet and your credit card, while there is another on Jaegersborggade where you can fine Relae and Manfred's above. As the name suggest, this is another Claus Meyer concept - the man has a midas touch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>TIVOLI</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I couldn't mention Copenhagen and leave out Tivoli. If it's your first trip to Copenhagen, then it should be on your list of places to visit, even if you're not into the rides (although they're awesome). It's a great venue to wander around in, especially at Christmas when it is at its prettiest thanks to all the lights and special events that take place. Even at the height of summer, when there is still a faint light hanging in the sky when Tivoli closes at around midnight, the place is pretty special. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tivoli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Eating in Tivoli can be a hit and miss and expensive affair, but Madklubben Grill has been reliable on two occasions. It's not going to win any awards for creativity in the dishes, but what they do is done well. If my mum can vouch for the quality of the pork chop (best ever), then I think it's a safe bet. For Tivoli, the three course menu is an absolute bargain at around DKK200. It's a popular venue and it's a safe bet to book in advance if you're planning on eating even though it's a big venue. Just don't get on the roller coaster right after. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madklubben Grill at Tivoli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>TORVEHALLERNE</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">If you want a light lunch, <a href="http://torvehallernekbh.dk/" target="_blank">Torvehallerne</a> is a great place to go. There's a huge variety of independent shops to eat at or pick up fresh ingredients. When I visited, on a cold snow-covered January day, bonfires were keeping people warm as they went about their shopping between the two halls. I ate a gorgeous smorrebrod (marinated salmon with remoulade and lemon) at Hallernes, which has been voted Copenhagen's best. Torvehallerne also has a branch of the Coffee Collective and decent pastries from Lauras Bakery. Try the kanelsnegl, which is a light and flaky cinnamon and custard pastry.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smorrebrod at Hallernes in Torvehallerne</td></tr>
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Insatiable Eaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12804241510874034535noreply@blogger.com10