http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/8509901/Tried-and-tested-Favourite-Irish-food.html

The best smoke salmon is smoked Irish wild Salmon. It is normally available in Dublin Airport!

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May 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/may/11/how-to-make-bresaola

If you have a fried who works in a chemistry lab, nitrite and nitrate (Prague Powder)are easily obtainable – you butcher can also get it. Please note that the nitrate is a source for making explosives and weed killer.

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May 2011

Address: London Road, Great Missenden, Bucks HP16 0DG (A413)

Telephone number: 01494 862200

Website: www.nagsheadbucks.com

Date of visit: 13 May 2011

Approximate cost per head: Around £20 + for 2 courses. A bit more in the evening.

Comments on wine list/beer: Interesting range of real ale incl London Pride, Tring Brewery (Summer Time is £3.60 a pint!). Decent wine list, several by the glass and not over priced.

Cuisine: Gastropub – British, but they have a chef with a French name.

Like and dislike: Little bit pricy – especially the beer.

Summary:

In order to test out my theory that anywhere called “Crown” is on the pricy side, I travel to Amersham to test out the Crown Hotel. When I got there, I discovered that parking on the main road is limited so I went into the car park, a good 400m from the hotel.

When I got to the front of the Hotel, I discovered that it was closed for an event – more than likely another episode of Midsummer Murder. The annoying thing is that they have all the boards out on the pavement informing you of the deals and specials. Only when you get to the front door, you catch sight of a single sheet of A4 announcing the place is closed but will re-open at 5.30!

Checking out my copy of Sawdays, I realistic that The Nags Head is only 4 miles down the road in the direction of Aylesbury. The Nags head is in all the guides including Michelin’s.

The Nags Head is a very pleasant looking pub/ Inn (AA ****) by the main road, it has a large car park and a large garden – the garden was empty despite the fact that it was sunny. The car park had about 10 cars in it.

Inside the 16th  century building, you get the normal exposed beams – beware! I am less than 5 foot 9 inches and I nearly banged my head on the beams. There are tables laid out for lunch to the left and right of the bar. No table clothes but proper linen napkins.

I ordered a pint of the local brew from Tring at £3.60 a pint. I noticed that certain wines are available by the glass at over £5 a pop.

I was just going to order my usual fish and chips (£13.85) when I noticed the grouse – shot locally and  priced at £17.95  – done 2 ways, confit of legs and pan fried breasts with mushroom duxelles.  As the Grouse shooting season is from August till December, the bird that I am having was obviously frozen or it was over hung. The dish came with potatoes (dauphinoise) and no veg. a side order of vegetables here is normally for 2 at £2.95. They offered to do me a half portion for £1.95

As I was waiting for my grouse, I noticed that all the dishes that came out from the kitchen were fair size and well presented. When my grouse game, it was nicely presented – sitting on the stuffing with a pool of gravy. The potatoes and veg came in two scaloppini au gratin dish. The dauphinoise was pretty good and the veg just on the wrong side of al daunte but it was a melee of peas, sugar snap peas, carrots, courgettes and green beans. The grouse was interesting. The confit of legs were wonderful but the breasts a touch dry – not too gamey. Grouse is a dry meat and freezing it would have ruptured the cells to make it even drier. I would recommend that they confit both the breasts and legs. Use different rubs and different curing times to make the breast and leg taste different.

Everything here is just a touch on the expensive side but within reason. I actually enjoyed my meal – I am just critical for the reader’s benefit. Service was good and I was only asked once what I though of the food – the waitress was stunned when she heard my suggestion as above. I left my card for he monthly draw – meal for 2.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/may/12/cook-perfect-chilli-con-carne

Try this!

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May 2011

http://www.japancentre.com/recipes/158

Umami is the 5th taste – others being: sweet, salt, sour and bitter.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami

It was identified in 1908 but was not recognised until half a century later.

It means savory and is induced by glutamates – hence MSG (mono sodium glutamate).

It is normally found in meat and is prominent in stocks made from bones etc. Mushrooms are also good for umami hence the use of mushroom peelings in stock.

It is unusual to find a vegetarian recipe that is high on umani as a taste.

Bamboo shoots can also be found in most oriental shops – stay away from the horrible tinned ones used in Chinese takeaways.

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May 2011

Address: 22 Charterhouse Square, Smithfield, London EC1m 6DX

Telephone number: 020 7608 1609

Website: http://www.cafedumarche.co.uk/

Date of visit: 12 May 2011

Approximate cost per head: Fix price menu: 2 courses £28.50, 3 courses £34.85

Comments on wine list/beer: Reasonable mark-up for Central London at 4X. Plenty of decent bottles from £20. There are wines under £20

Cuisine: French Bistro

Like and dislike: Pretty decent food at a reasonable price for Central London, good service. Can’t fault it except for the spinach (see below)

Summary:

I went with my cousin K and my son O for lunch. They both work in the city and the area around the Barbican is a good rendezvous place.

This is supposed to be a French Bistro. Certainly, there are people going round with a “French” accent.

The place (upstairs) was nearly full by 1pm.

To be honest, I don’t recall too much – and it’s not the influence of alcohol – as to what O and K ate.

I had asparagus to start with – 4 strands of medium size with the bottom shaven and a good dollop of hollandaise sauce – pretty respectable.

Next, I had the kidneys in an intense gravy on a bed of spinach. The kidneys were great and some of it was still pink. They have also taken the membrane off. We were served with a big pile of pommes frites. The frites were excellent – crisp and not greasy. My only complaint is the bed of spinach that the kidneys were served on – it was sort of stringy and mushy. Spinach need to be served under cooked – best example is the raw spinach salad at Nobu – or chopped.

We washed down the meal with a bottle of Bouilly (Beaujolais) which was just over £20 – it does not appear on their site.

The bottom line was that this is a pretty good attempt at a French Bistro at London  price. By the way, K paid.

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My friend Demetris (Senior Wine Steward, SCR, Univ of Reading) has recently been to a Charles Taylor tasting with over 60 Bordeaux 2010 wines.

In  his view the wines are quite good. The best are from Pessac-Leognan & Graves and St Estephe.

The premieur  cru are likely to open at 10% above 2009 price – which was a record price.

The problem is that Bordeaux Reds are now an investment and no longer a pleasure.

Wines (affordable) that Demetris recommend are : Partache d’Aux, Chesse Spleen and Lafargue.

Of course, now is the time to buy older vintages – 2005, 2001 and 2000. 2003 and 2006 were ok for some wines but not all. Not only are they drinking now but they are ” cheaper”. For older vintagers, try Tanners, Berry Brothers and Armit – you can find their contact details under “Links” on Bottles and Cooks.

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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/executive-lifestyle/nice-as-pie/story-e6frg8jo-1226049660605

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May 2011

Address: Hinton Road, Hurst, Berkshire RG10 0BP

Telephone number: 0118 934 2599

Website: www.thegreenman.uk.com

Date of visit: 9 May 2011

Approximate cost per head: Around £10 for a main course

Comments on wine list/beer: Brakspaer on tap (£3.10 a pint). Simple wine list with all the favourites at reasonable price

Cuisine: pub grub

Likes and dislikes: Good value for money. Inter of Pub a bit dark for reading newspapers

Summary:

In the 70s, I use have have a few favourite pubs for food. The Black Boy (Shinfield) for Cottage Pie, The Six Bells (Shinfield) for sausage in a roll with fried onions, The Highwayman (Near Kane End) for sausages and pasties and The Green Man for burgers. Unfortunately, time has moved on and so is the menu.

I decided to give the Green Man  a visit to see how they are getting on – they have changed hands several times since the 70s.

As I drove into Hurst, I noticed that The Elephant and Castle is still trading – it has one car in the car park at 1pm. 400 meters later, I have arrived at The Green Man and the car park is nearly full with 20 odd cars in it – good sign?

The inside and outside of the pub has not changed very much but then it has not changed for several hundreds of years. The interior is as I remembered it with the addition of a “newish” sun lounge that is a restaurant. They have also upgraded the toilets.

The menu is basic pub grubs with all the favourites – pie, steak, scampi etc. On the the special board they had burgers (infused with coriander – it is a bolti kebab?) at £7.95, Ham egg and chips at £6.95 and a goats cheese wellington at £10.95.

I was going to have the scampi but at the last minute went for the fish and chips – my benchmark meal.

They had the 3 types of Brakspear on tap at the usual price and a wine list that has all the pubby favourites – Pouilly Fuisse at £20.95, Fleurie, Chilean Merlot and the top wine is an Amarone at £32. For some unknown reason, Amarone seems to appear in a lot of pubs at their top red. It is a very intense sweet red and and doesn’t go with anything other than a strong gamey meat. In fact, it is great with blue cheese.

Back to the fish and chips. When it came, it was a good size haddock in batter, normal chips, garden peas and bottled tartare sauce.

Well it was nothing special but it was also not bad. At £9.25, it was at least  £2 cheaper than most other pubs.

Well, the Green Man has not moved on and tried to re-style itself as a gastropub but then they are charging what I expect for a decent pub
meal.

On my way back, I noticed that The Elephant and Castle has 2 cars in the car park.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/08/nigel-slater-japanese-tempura-rice

Is this pukka?

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May 2011