http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/30/tour-of-the-world-in-whisky

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Dec 2011

Address: 397 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0LR

Telephone: 020 7352 4146

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 29 December 2011

Costs: Set lunch:  £14 for 2 courses, £18 for 3 courses. A la carte:  £30 plus for 2 courses

Wines and beer: Peroni £3, house red (Chanti) and house white (Saove) under £20 a bottle.

Likes and dislikes: Decent  neighbourhood restaurant – pretty cramped. Beware of cover charge (£1 per head) as well as 12.5% service on top of the cover charge!

Cuisine: Italian

Summary:

I met my friend CK for lunch.

This is a small restaurant at the Fulham end of Kings Road. There is metered parking outside.

The place seemed to be frequented by regulars as they all seemed to know each other. Apparently, this place is also frequented by Chelsea FC players, hence all the signed shirts. There is a sort of “high” communal table at the back – I presume that is where the players sit.

The set lunch was full of choices. I had the fritto misto followed by veal with mushroom whilst CH had parma ham with figs (he asked for a change from melon) followed by grilled chicken. We also ordered a bottle of sangiovase (£29.50)

The fritto misto had prawns (shrimps), mussels, calamari and whitebait in it. It was ok and the quantity was pretty big but the texture suggests that it was previously frozen. The tartar sauce was home made.

For main course, my veal was excellent but it came with saute potatoes, beetroot (golden) and Brussels sprouts which were not typical Italian vegetables. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone eating pasta although it was on the menu – set lunch and a la carte.

It was an OK meal at OK prices for this part of the world but no more. CK was good company.

Total bill for 2 including a Peroni came to £73.23 including service.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/8977960/Debunking-a-myth-when-red-wines-and-cheese-dont-mix.html

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Dec 2011

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/recipes/Soft-melt-in-mouth-Sandesh-recipes/articleshow/10943623.cms

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Dec 2011

Eddie and Damian

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8970054/Deep-fried-butter-balls-and-other-Scottish-delicacies.html

Or how to get your day’s calories in one meal.

Philli cheese steak is another one!You will be NFL size if you eat this on a regular basis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak

http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/top-10-spots-for-authentic-philly-cheesesteaks/

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Dec 2011

http://www.japancentre.com/recipes/grilled-tuna-with-miso-and-mayonnaise-marinade

Really easy recipe that is very tasty. Try it with salmon!

Miso is available in Oriental supermarkets, Japan Centre etc. You can also get it under the Clearspring label (jars) in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

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Dec 2011

Yes, after deep fried mars bar and pizza, you can now have

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/8969592/Deep-fried-butter-served-up-in-Scotland.html

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Dec 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/20/how-cook-christmas-turkey-barbecue

or deep fry it

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/video/2011/nov/23/how-to-deep-fry-turkey

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Dec 2011

Address: Henley road, Medmenham, Bucks, SL7 2HE

Telephone: 01491 571 362

Website:  www.thedogandbadger.com

Date of visit: 20 December 2011

Costs: Around £20 for 2 courses. Most starters under £6 and most main courses over £10

Wines and beer: Rebellion and Fullers on tap. £3.40 for a pint of London Pride. Basic wine list with a few wines under £20 a bottle.

Likes and dislikes: Lovely pub, friendly landlord, excellent food and beer. Unfortunately, the tables are slightly sticky. Nothing that a spring clean can’t put right.

Cuisine: British

Summary:

I went shopping at John Lewis (High Wycombe) as it was an out of town site with ample parking. To my surprise, it was not as big as it looked from theM40. It was significantly smaller than the John Lewis in Reading.

The last 2 weeks before Xmas is a difficult place to eat out as most places are booked up for Xmas hospitality and staff dinners. The only ones that you can still get in are country pubs.

I have driven pass this Pub many times. It is on the main road between Marlow and Henley. The car park is usually nearly full. The Pub is listed as a lucky dip in this year’s good pub guide.

I was first in at 12.00 when the car park was empty. The pub is long with dining areas to both sides of the bar. There were trival persuit quiz cards on the tasble. The landlord explained that the quiz cards get most people “talking”. I got 4 questions out of 5 right on the first card and I decided that it was time to stop whilst the going wwas good.

I had a pint of London Pride and it was very good. In fact it was so nice, I had another.

The food here is fairly basic – fish and chips, steak, sausages and mash etc. Sandwiches are available from £6.

I settled for the haddock and chips (£12.50) and was surprised when it came. It was nicely presented with a medium size piece of fish sitting on top of a pile of mushy peas; there was a small side salad and a tube of thick chips and a light smear of vinegar around the mushy peas. It was one of the best presented fish and chips meal I have ever eaten. The food was not bad either. The fish excellently cooked. The chips – well they were a bit thick so it was like boiled potato with a crispy outside – roast potato. The tartar sauce was home made. This would certainly rank in my top 10 if not top 5.

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