I'm back: stop talking about me.
So, you'll be glad to hear that I found out what Honami is doing (remember, she was the wonderful sommelier at Cocoon).
She's now the wonderful sommelier at NOPI, Ottolenghi's latest place. I haven't been yet, but the menus and wine list look perritty good, so it's surely just a matter of time, eh?
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Not a misteak
I expect you have all been dying to know how I got on at the Albannach. What do you mean, not really?
Well, it was quite a while ago and I can't entirely remember but I know it was pretty good and I wasn't disappointed by the food. I didn't much like the table we were given or the atmosphere, and the wine list was a big let-down. A restaurant serving hearty meals such as haggis, lamb shank and venison steak should offer some decent full-bodied red wine (preferably French) under £35 a bottle.
So, the food was by far the strongest point, which I suppose is fairly crucial for a restaurant! I ate a trio of cured fish for starter (mackerel pate, tea and whisky cured salmon and sardines), then the rib-eye steak with Dauphinois potatoes. The fish was amazing and tasted 'properly Scottish', while the steak was classic and unfussy in its presentation and flavours. I'd find it hard to choose something different from the menu if I went again!
Oh yeah - pudding. I can't honestly remember what I ate or whether it was nice, so perhaps I didn't have one. I suspect it was the cheeseboard, because I know I drank a lovely glass of port with it!
I'm glad I tried this restaurant and I commend the chef for the thorough 'Scottishness' of the menu. Would I go again? Hmm ... we'll see. Perhaps in the winter.
Well, it was quite a while ago and I can't entirely remember but I know it was pretty good and I wasn't disappointed by the food. I didn't much like the table we were given or the atmosphere, and the wine list was a big let-down. A restaurant serving hearty meals such as haggis, lamb shank and venison steak should offer some decent full-bodied red wine (preferably French) under £35 a bottle.
So, the food was by far the strongest point, which I suppose is fairly crucial for a restaurant! I ate a trio of cured fish for starter (mackerel pate, tea and whisky cured salmon and sardines), then the rib-eye steak with Dauphinois potatoes. The fish was amazing and tasted 'properly Scottish', while the steak was classic and unfussy in its presentation and flavours. I'd find it hard to choose something different from the menu if I went again!
Oh yeah - pudding. I can't honestly remember what I ate or whether it was nice, so perhaps I didn't have one. I suspect it was the cheeseboard, because I know I drank a lovely glass of port with it!
I'm glad I tried this restaurant and I commend the chef for the thorough 'Scottishness' of the menu. Would I go again? Hmm ... we'll see. Perhaps in the winter.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Port authority
I've just come back from a holiday in Portugal: land of no cuisine. I'm prepared to stand corrected, but as far as I can tell there is no good food in the whole country. The national specialities appear to be greasy, fatty pork and biscuit cake with ice cream (eet's a cooookie, we've been told!).
We did spend most of the time in Porto, so the majority of restaurants cater firmly for tourists and offer nothing more exciting than 'frying pan steak' and 'frog-fish rice'. I did, however, have a chance to visit the 'real' Portugal (the north-east, near the border) and I can confirm that the food situation doesn't improve away from the Ryanair track. Apparently the locals make caldo, a revolting cabbage soup, every day.
During the holiday I had a chance to venture into Spain for a day. This was incredibly exciting because it meant we could visit a tapas bar and eat some real food! We dined gratefully on excellent Spanish jamon, bread and ensalada russa (Russian salad, which contains tuna, potatoes and vegetables with a creamy sauce).
What Portugal lacks in food it makes up for with wine, though. Red wine from the Douro region is particularly nice. We also visited some Port cellars to learn how Port is made and, of course, to sample some into the bargain. I'd recommend this is practically the first thing you do once you're off the plane in Porto: hot-foot it down to the river, cross the Eiffel bridge and get yourself into a cellar, preferably the Calem one. For about five euros you get an interesting tour and two decent-sized glasses of delicious Port to taste. But be warned: it certainly works up a craving for cheese and there's none to be found, so take your own!
We did spend most of the time in Porto, so the majority of restaurants cater firmly for tourists and offer nothing more exciting than 'frying pan steak' and 'frog-fish rice'. I did, however, have a chance to visit the 'real' Portugal (the north-east, near the border) and I can confirm that the food situation doesn't improve away from the Ryanair track. Apparently the locals make caldo, a revolting cabbage soup, every day.
During the holiday I had a chance to venture into Spain for a day. This was incredibly exciting because it meant we could visit a tapas bar and eat some real food! We dined gratefully on excellent Spanish jamon, bread and ensalada russa (Russian salad, which contains tuna, potatoes and vegetables with a creamy sauce).
What Portugal lacks in food it makes up for with wine, though. Red wine from the Douro region is particularly nice. We also visited some Port cellars to learn how Port is made and, of course, to sample some into the bargain. I'd recommend this is practically the first thing you do once you're off the plane in Porto: hot-foot it down to the river, cross the Eiffel bridge and get yourself into a cellar, preferably the Calem one. For about five euros you get an interesting tour and two decent-sized glasses of delicious Port to taste. But be warned: it certainly works up a craving for cheese and there's none to be found, so take your own!
Sunday, 1 June 2008
Wining on
We celebrated English Wine Week by visting a couple of local vineyards. Chilford Hall, in Cambridgeshire, is fairly well-known locally as a conference centre and civil wedding venue. Unfortunately, this was the focus of the tour rather than the wine itself, which didn't make for a particularly interesting visit! We did get to see the wine-making equipment; their wine is mostly processed and bottled on-site in a small but highly organised 'shed' on the estate!
Of course, the major draw of any vineyard visit is the tasting session and we eagerly awaited our chance to sample the award-winning wine. The white wine, primarily made with Reichensteiner and Schonburger grapes, is fairly successful; I liked the Chilford Dry 2006 and the Schonburger 2006 in particular. I wasn't overly impressed by any of the reds or their sparkling wine, though. There's something too harsh and a bit yeasty about both the white and rose sparkling ones.
At the end of the week we visited Sandyford vineyard in Great Sampford (close to Saffron Walden). It immediately has a different feel as it's part of a farm and it's the home of owners Sue and Mike, who are always around to greet visitors. There's no wine production on site; the grapes are sent off to larger vineyards to be fermented and bottled. We had a stroll down to look at the vines themselves - again, lots of Reichensteiner grapes but also Bacchus, Rondo, Regent and Triomphe d'Alsace.
We've been here before so I already knew which wine I liked and I was looking forward to the tasting. Again, the red wine isn't very impressive; our climate just isn't suitable. The English rose, on the other hand, is amazing and completely converted me to pink wine! I am also a big fan of their sparkling wine - expensive, but as good as a medium quality Champagne for certain. It's made from Bacchus and Reichensteiner grapes in the traditional method (the same as Champagne) and has the typical English gooseberry/elderflower flavour. It's amazingly refreshing and uplifting on a summer's day.
English wine is now a far more common sight in supermarkets and it's well worth spending a little more - particularly if you're lucky enough to live in Essex and spot the Sandyford wine on the shelves.
Of course, the major draw of any vineyard visit is the tasting session and we eagerly awaited our chance to sample the award-winning wine. The white wine, primarily made with Reichensteiner and Schonburger grapes, is fairly successful; I liked the Chilford Dry 2006 and the Schonburger 2006 in particular. I wasn't overly impressed by any of the reds or their sparkling wine, though. There's something too harsh and a bit yeasty about both the white and rose sparkling ones.
At the end of the week we visited Sandyford vineyard in Great Sampford (close to Saffron Walden). It immediately has a different feel as it's part of a farm and it's the home of owners Sue and Mike, who are always around to greet visitors. There's no wine production on site; the grapes are sent off to larger vineyards to be fermented and bottled. We had a stroll down to look at the vines themselves - again, lots of Reichensteiner grapes but also Bacchus, Rondo, Regent and Triomphe d'Alsace.
We've been here before so I already knew which wine I liked and I was looking forward to the tasting. Again, the red wine isn't very impressive; our climate just isn't suitable. The English rose, on the other hand, is amazing and completely converted me to pink wine! I am also a big fan of their sparkling wine - expensive, but as good as a medium quality Champagne for certain. It's made from Bacchus and Reichensteiner grapes in the traditional method (the same as Champagne) and has the typical English gooseberry/elderflower flavour. It's amazingly refreshing and uplifting on a summer's day.
English wine is now a far more common sight in supermarkets and it's well worth spending a little more - particularly if you're lucky enough to live in Essex and spot the Sandyford wine on the shelves.
Friday, 23 May 2008
English Wine Week
I love where I live for many different reasons, not least because of the excellent food and drink produced in the area. Several vineyards can be found a short drive from my house and, from what I've tasted, the wine they produce is of a pretty good quality.
This is my main reason for supporting English Wine Week, which starts tomorrow (Saturday 24 May). I love to see bottles of local wine on sale in our supermarkets - it fills me with a bit of East Anglian pride (which sounds as if it should be a local ale)!
English wine is usually a little more expensive than wine of equivalent quality from other countries, because it costs more to produce. It's all done on a smaller scale and often the grapes are sent to other vineyards to be processed, which adds up. We can, however, bring the cost down if we support it and buy English wine when we find it for sale. It's worth our support, I promise!
This is my main reason for supporting English Wine Week, which starts tomorrow (Saturday 24 May). I love to see bottles of local wine on sale in our supermarkets - it fills me with a bit of East Anglian pride (which sounds as if it should be a local ale)!
English wine is usually a little more expensive than wine of equivalent quality from other countries, because it costs more to produce. It's all done on a smaller scale and often the grapes are sent to other vineyards to be processed, which adds up. We can, however, bring the cost down if we support it and buy English wine when we find it for sale. It's worth our support, I promise!
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Christmas, Christmas, ching, ching, ching
Oh, those sleigh bells! That roasting turkey smell! The constant feeling of bloatedness and indigestion ... yes, Christmas time is here again!
My traditional dinner didn't disappoint. This year I added some sort-of mulled red cabbage (from Nigella's Feast book, but massively changed to suit my own tastes and ingredients!). I shredded some red cabbage and cooked it in a saucepan with red onions, red wine, sultanas, cinammon, black pepper, nutmeg, brown sugar and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. I have no idea of the quantities - just keep bunging it in and tasting as you go along! It's great because you can just put the lid on, leave it on a very (very, very) low heat and come back in about an hour and a half! Also, I tend to leave it in the saucepan overnight and heat it up again for Boxing day, to go with the cold meat and bubble & squeak.
My other exciting discovery this year is champagne cocktails, made by heating a little bit of brandy with cinammon, cloves, nutmeg, a bit of sugar, some star anise perhaps ... all the things normally used to make mulled wine, basically. You then leave it to cool before adding a teaspoon to each glass of chilled champagne, with a splash of Angostura bitters. It gives champagne an extra Christmassy kick and looks really pretty in the glass, too!
I also discovered Loyd Grossman's nuts. He doesn't show them on his website so I can't provide you with a link, unfortunately. For about £3 one can purchase a decent-sized bag of mixed roasted nuts with caramelised red onion; I bought them from Tesco but I think most supermarkets probably sell them. They've probably got a lot of added salt, but they're delicious and it *is* Christmas, after all!
My traditional dinner didn't disappoint. This year I added some sort-of mulled red cabbage (from Nigella's Feast book, but massively changed to suit my own tastes and ingredients!). I shredded some red cabbage and cooked it in a saucepan with red onions, red wine, sultanas, cinammon, black pepper, nutmeg, brown sugar and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. I have no idea of the quantities - just keep bunging it in and tasting as you go along! It's great because you can just put the lid on, leave it on a very (very, very) low heat and come back in about an hour and a half! Also, I tend to leave it in the saucepan overnight and heat it up again for Boxing day, to go with the cold meat and bubble & squeak.
My other exciting discovery this year is champagne cocktails, made by heating a little bit of brandy with cinammon, cloves, nutmeg, a bit of sugar, some star anise perhaps ... all the things normally used to make mulled wine, basically. You then leave it to cool before adding a teaspoon to each glass of chilled champagne, with a splash of Angostura bitters. It gives champagne an extra Christmassy kick and looks really pretty in the glass, too!
I also discovered Loyd Grossman's nuts. He doesn't show them on his website so I can't provide you with a link, unfortunately. For about £3 one can purchase a decent-sized bag of mixed roasted nuts with caramelised red onion; I bought them from Tesco but I think most supermarkets probably sell them. They've probably got a lot of added salt, but they're delicious and it *is* Christmas, after all!
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Spanish rose
My new favourite wine is this rather nice Gran Familia rioja rose, available from Tesco. It's made with Tempranillo grapes and is as good quality as any red rioja I've ever tasted.
It's surprisingly dry for a rose wine and has some lovely fresh berry flavours. I think it tastes great chilled but not as icy cold as I'd have a white wine. I'm not going to spout any nonsense about what food it goes with - drink it whenever you like!
It's surprisingly dry for a rose wine and has some lovely fresh berry flavours. I think it tastes great chilled but not as icy cold as I'd have a white wine. I'm not going to spout any nonsense about what food it goes with - drink it whenever you like!
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