Home-grown and another trip to the fantastic Roger Hickman's!

Today we were suppose to be heading to London to go to Jason Atherton's new restaurant Pollen Street Social and catch up with friends, but unfortunately due to the recent riots we decided to stay away. A quick look around my garden before heading to Roger Hickman's in Norwich proved fruitful spotting my first sweet pepper and a bumper crop of tomatoes!

We then went out to Roger Hickman's, Norwich's finest restaurant (in my opinion). I've reviewed it before and you can read that here. It was a shame we couldn't make it to London, but lunch at Roger Hickman's definitely cheered us up! We've been twice before and it just keeps getting better. Lunch today was simply sensational and incredible value at only £20 a head for the set menu. You can clearly see why this restaurant won the Good Food Guide restaurant of the year for the East of England.

We started with an amouse bouche - pea and mint soup, which was silky smooth and full of flavour. The starter was one of the best starters I've ever had a warm salad of fillet of beef with truffle and pickled mushrooms. The fillet of beef almost melted in your mouth, and combined with truffle was simply divine.

A main course of Pork Belly, Pork Loin, with cabbage and bacon and mushrooms in a creamy but light mustard sauce was superb. All the pork was cooked to perfection and the dish was beautifully balanced.

Dessert was also a show-stopper! Poached cherries with cherry jelly and chocolate mousse, with an added spark of popping candy. A really great dessert to round off a superb lunch. Service each time has been impeccable and they can always cater for gluten free, this restaurant really deserves all the plaudits it gets.

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A Mexican Classic: Fajitas!

I've not eaten fajitas in a long time as the tortillas they sell in the shops may read 'corn tortillas' but are bulked out with wheat flour. But my girlfriend managed to source these fantastic gluten free tortillas at www.mexgrocer.co.uk. And what a find they were! As they are pure corn tortillas and not bulked out they taste really authentic. Having been to Mexico, they really brought back memories of the tacos we used to get from street vendors in Puerto Escondido! They do come in batches of 30 but are great value and freezable.

We used a BBC Good Food recipe for steak fajitas which was very tasty. The recipe uses rump steak, which was full of flavour and great value. If you like it spicy just up the pinch of cayenne pepper. We served them with a tomato salsa, guacamole and sour cream. An awesome dinner which took no time at all to make!

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Moroccan Chicken Wings with Herby Quinoa

Chicken wings tend to get over looked, but with the right marinade they’re extremely tasty… and cheap too! My girlfriend made this fantastic recipe for Moroccan wings as featured on BBC Good Food. The recipe uses Harissa, which is made form chilli, spices and citrus which originates from Tunisia and has a delicious warm and smoky taste. You can get in the supermarkets and a little goes a long way. With the syrup and citrus used in this recipe there’s a great balance of sweet and savoury flavours. We followed the cooking instructions in the recipe and grilled the wings but these would be a great addition to any barbecue.

As you can see from the title we substituted the couscous for quinoa a grain which has the advantage of being gluten free. It takes around 15 minutes to cook, but once done, just follow the same instructions as the couscous. A fantastic and simple dinner!

Full link to recipe:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1358637/moroccan-wings-with-herb-couscous?binderbox=showlogin

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Perfect Portugese Piri Piri

Having just got back from the Algarve, I couldn't wait to share this recipe! Frango Piri Piri (Piri Piri Chicken) is hugely popular in Portugal and when it's done right, I can see why. Unfortunately, our first experience of Portuguese Piri Piri wasn't a good one - a touristy restaurant in Albufeira where the chicken was dry and tasteless. However we then found a recipe in our villa which tasted incredible full of flavour and with a tasty kick to it. We did both chicken and prawns on the BBQ in this marinade. Anything between 2 and 6 hours in the marinade is plenty. You can obviously cook this in the oven but for best results it has to be the BBQ!

Piri Piri Chicken - We did thighs, wings and breast on skewers!

Piri Piri Prawns! Chorizo and Steak also great on the BBQ!

Recipe - Piri Piri Marniade
Mix together the following and smother over chicken, prawns or whatever else takes your fancy:
250ml olive oil
Juice of 4 lemons
1 tablespoon of Piri Piri powder or Cayenne Pepper
5 teaspoons paprika
5 teaspoons ground cumin
5 teaspoons dried oregano
4 crushed garlic cloves

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Eating out for Gluten Free Pizza!

A really quick post aimed at the gluten free readers! Restraunts are rapidly catching up with changing dietary requirements and now Bella Italia do gluten free pasta and pizza. I've tried some great gluten free pasta at both Jamie's Italian and Carluccio's but gluten free pizza was a first. They were really quite good as well, I had the Pollo Picante, a tasty chicken and chilli pizza with a thin and crispy gluten free base. My girlfriend also went for the gluten free pizza base, (mainly because I usually eat any leftovers!) with pepperoni and she said she wouldn't have known the difference. It's just really good to be able to go out for a pizza now and again rather than having to make your own (although there are some great pizza recipes). Hopefully more restaurants will follow this trend!

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Return to the Last Wine Bar, Norwich

I originally reviewed the Last Wine Bar in Norwich on 5th February where it was severely let down by poor service. On that occasion I was asked to fill out a card with my details and they said they would 'see what they could do'. A couple of months later, a letter arrived through the door stating that I had 'won a 3 course meal for 2'. Either, I flukely won the prize draw or they gave it to me so that we would come back. You can make your own mind up! I think I'd have much rather they had acknowledged the poor service delivered on the first occasion and asked me to return. In the end however, who am I to turn down a free meal?!

My girlfriend and I went back with high hopes, the food had been really good the first time round and surely the service couldn't be as disastrous. It was much improved, in fact, we had to take a break between our main and dessert as they had been so prompt throughout. On the other hand, it wasn't perfect. There were a few tempting specials on offer but instead of these being delivered with a true knowledge of what they were serving they were read by the waitress off a scrap of paper she had in her pocket. Only a minor niggle but just detracts from the overall experience.

Seared scallops on a bed of sweet potato and kaffir lime purée with curried popcorn.

The food was again good. I started with one of the specials, seared scallops on a bed of sweet potato and kaffir lime purée with curried popcorn. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the purée was smooth and light and had a real zingy flavour. The popcorn was as random as it sounded though, it tasted great and was a nice idea but just felt a bit out of place with the overall dish. My girlfriend had the char-grilled king prawns, vegetable curry, cumin popadoms and mango salsa which she said was 'very tasty and a nice balanced dish'. I then wanted the roast cod with crab velouté but as I'm gluten free this wasn't an option because, 'the chef thickens all his sauces with flour'. So instead, I opted for the lemon sole with caper, and sundried tomato butter, served with new potatoes. The fish was again beautifully cooked and the butter a beautiful accompaniment but it's a shame the butter wasn't on both sides as eating the second half of the fish was a little bland. The sirloin steak, with Dijon mash, watercress and a balsamic and red onion jus was my girlfriend's choice and received a good write up. For dessert I had a raspberry and basil panacotta which was good if lacked a little wow factor. My girlfriend opted for the passion fruit cheesecake with passion fruit syrup. The cheesecake was described as a 'little bland' but the passion fruit syrup was 'wonderful' so another decent dish.

Char-grilled king prawns, vegetable curry, cumin popadoms and mango salsa

With the bill only coming to £23, this was pretty incredible. Had I been paying full whack, I think I may have been left with a slightly sour taste in my mouth. The service was much improved but at these prices it should be at the top of it's game. Likewise, there were some good dishes and a few that just didn't quite hit the mark. At the moment, this restaurant is being outclassed by better establishments in Norwich.

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Jamie Oliver's Italian, Glasgow

The Jamie Oliver brand is going from strength to strength, I've got his pans, flavour shakers, pestle and mortar, cook books and I even saw Jamie Oliver tomato plants in homebase! There was a question on the TV show Million Pound drop the other night asking which celebrity chef out of Blumenthal, Ramsay and Oliver hadn't won a coveted Michelin star. The answer is of course Jamie Oliver, but that's not what Jamie is about. Jamie's Italian was exactly what the naked chef is all about, great food, great flavours, served in a relaxed atmosphere.

Jamie's empire is expanding rapidly and there are now around 18 restaurants up and down the UK. We went to his Glasgow restaurant in the very impressive old GPO building in George Square. We went around 2.30pm and only had to wait a few minutes for a table. There is a real buzz the moment you walk in and the smells were fantastic. We opted for the seasonal meat antipasti plank to share, which was a selection of seasonal cured meats, Italian cheeses, pickles and a crunchy salad. Highlights were the buffalo mozzarella which was superbly creamy and the curly pickled green chilli's which were packed with heat and flavour. The presentation was stunning, with the plank placed across two large tins of chopped tomatoes!

For main course I went for a special of blood orange, chargrilled artichokes, creamy gorgonzola and toasty pine nuts. This was a great, perfectly balanced salad, the only criticism would be that I was expecting more chunky artichokes where as the waitress claimed these were finely sliced through the salad which meant the flavour was masked. The gorgonzola and blood orange were a fantastic combination. My girlfriend, knowing I'd want to steal a taste, went for the carbonara but with gluten free pasta! All the main pasta dishes are available with gluten free pasta which was as good as any normal pasta. The carbonara was creamy and the smoked pancetta gave it a delicious flavour. All in all Jamie's Italian was fantastic food and at an affordable price, who needs a Michelin star?

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Passage To India, Norwich

Found a fanstastic Indian restaurant in Norwich over the weekend which really catered for gluten free. It shouldn't really be that difficult, as most Indian food uses little flour, and where it does, this tends to be gram flour (made from chickpeas) or coconut flour, both of which are gluten free, but you need to be certain. The first restaurant I phoned was far from certain and when I asked if they catered for gluten free, I was just given a response of 'We do Indian food", which wasn't hugely helpful. However, I then phoned Passage to India, where I was informed that most things on the menu were gluten free and they would be able to let me know if not.

We went early on Saturday evening and were the first people in. The decor and crockery were a little dated, and the food was equally as traditional but tasted fantastic. It was great value for money too, we had popadoms and a pickle tray, Chicken Tikka Massala, a Dopiaza, Saag Paneer, Pilau rice and drinks all for under £25. The Saag Paneer was really well spiced and the Tikka and Dopiaza distinctive and full of homemade flavour. The service was attentive and welcoming. Quite comfortably the best Indian I've had in Norwich so far!

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Delicious Gluten Free Cupcakes!

Spending Sunday at work is never ideal, but when you get to come home to delicious gluten free cupcakes it makes the day a whole lot better! I was a little sceptical when my girlfriend said she was attempting to make gluten free cupcakes and I said she should make some regular ones as back up. I definitely should have had more faith, because they were absolutely amazing...

The recipe is adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook to make it gluten free, there's also a sprinkling of edible glitter!

For the cake:

• 120g Doves farm gluten free plain flour
• ½ tsp xantham gum
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 120ml whole milk
• 1 egg
• ¼tsp vanilla extract
• 1 quantity vanilla frosting
• hundreds and thousands or other edible sprinkles, to decorate
• a 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

For the vanilla frosting:

• 250g icing sugar, sifted
• 80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 25ml whole milk
• a couple of drops of vanilla extract

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer (my girlfriend's got a kitchen aid which is awesome!) with a paddle attachment and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
3. Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated. Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth, careful not overmix.
4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until half full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
5. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
6. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the vanilla frosting on top and decorate with hundreds and thousands.

For the vanilla frosting:

1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
2. Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk is incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
3. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Published by Ryland Peters & Small
Text © Tarek Malouf and The Hummingbird Bakers
Photography copyright Ryland Peters & Small

By The Hummingbird Bakery

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Jamie Oliver's Chicken Satay in under 30 minutes?!

Chicken Skewers, Amazing Satay Sauce, Fiery Noodle Salad and Fruit & Mint Sugar... in under 30 minutes? Definitely not. It's well documented from blogs to watchdog that Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals are impossible. I attempted the skewers, satay and salad the first time and I was well into hour 2 and that doesn't include the time to clear up the collateral damage caused during the process. Jamie's approach of chop everything using a blender may be quick, but when you take into account assembling the blender and cleaning the blender, a simple knife and chopping board becomes a much more attractive proposition.

Having said all that, I went back to Jamie's Chicken Satay recipe tonight because all the 30 minute recipe's I've tried so far taste fantastic. I'll copy the bits of the recipe I used tonight below, we served it with egg fried rice and a little gem lettuce salad which were perfect accompaniments. The satay is the best I've ever tasted, packed with a freshness that you'll only get if you make your own. Cleaning the blender in this case is definitely worth it!

Chicken Satay (Serves 4)

Put half a small bunch of fresh coriander, 1 fresh red chilli (de-seeded), half a clove of garlic, 3 teaspoons of crunchy peanut butter, a lug of soy sauce (tamari for those who are gluten free), a 2cm piece of peeled fresh ginger and the zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1 into a blender. Blend until you've got yourself a paste. Taste it and see what you think, if you want more of a particular flavour, just add to taste. With the chicken, Jamie has some complicated way of skewering it... I found it easiest to chop the chicken breasts (4) into chunks and then place on a baking tray and smother over the satay sauce. Put into an oven preheated to 180 (fan). I cooked for around 12 minutes but its worth slicing through the biggest piece to check they're cooked.

Salad Garnish

The chicken is perfect with the salad garnish from Jamie's book. This is as simple as peeling and washing some little gem lettuce leaves and then sprinkle over some fresh lime juice, soy sauce and coriander. These cut through the bold flavours in the chicken satay and give the dish a real freshness.

Egg Fried Rice

The fiery noodles in the book are excellent but tonight we went for some simple egg fried rice. Cook some long grain rice according to the packet instructions. When the rice is cooked, heat a large frying pan over a high heat with some ground nut oil (or whatever oil you prefer). Whisk 2 eggs with some seasoning and add to the pan and stir quickly. As they start to scramble, add the rice, some sliced spring onion and a few dashes of soy sauce and fry for a couple of minutes. Very tasty, very simple.

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Midsummer House, Cambridge

I've always been slightly sceptical about Michelin stars. The whole process is shrouded with mystery and can seem more focussed on pretence than food. This was my second experience of Michelin starred cuisine and my first trip to a two starred restaurant. The first had been to Maze by Gordon Ramsay which was spectacular food in a fairly, informal, trendy London setting. The setting of Midsummer House in Cambridge, where my girlfriend and I decided to celebrate our anniversary, couldn't have been more different, but the food was equally extraordinary.

Midsummer House is a small cottage on the edge of Midsummer Common, situated on the river Cam in Cambridge. We were seated in a large conservatory area with pristine white table cloths and beautifully set tables. It felt very formal but the staff were friendly, especially when I mentioned that I was gluten free. Although, I was fairly certain that some of their staff were putting on their French accents!

We began with an amuse bouche of Parsnip and Cumin Veloute with Honey Jelly which was full of flavour. It was light but really got the taste buds going, perfect as an amuse bouche. We both then had the Beetroot Salad with Corned Beef and Horseradish Ice Cream. The Horseradish Ice Cream absolutely stole the show, I've never tasted anything so extraordinary and it worked incredibly well with the rest of the dish. The beetroot was finely sliced with two different textures of corned beef, all presented beautifully. I then opted for the Daube of Beef with Pommes Puree, Mushrooms and Onions with a Red Wine Sauce. The beef was melt in the mouth tender and all the accompaniments packed with flavour and each cooked to perfection. I loved the little extras like the crispy pancetta and onion rings My girlfriend had Poached Pollack, Puy Lentils, Root Vegetables and Braised Celery. It was served with confit lemon which she said made the dish; attention to detail that seems to make a Michelin starred experience really stand out. We both then went for the Warm Cherries with Pistachio and Chocolate sorbet but both dishes looked very different as they had kindly modified mine to ensure it was gluten free. Both were simply stunning and once again the presentation was fantastic.

We had to have a tea and coffee because we couldn't resist the opportunity to choose home made chocolates from the large chest they rolled to the table. I picked a truffle chocolate that was actually made with real white truffle! These were also served with a type of Spanish Churros with salted caramel sauce and vanilla custard, and they gave me some marshmallows to ensure I had a gluten free option!

Whether you believe in the Michelin rating system or not it doesn't really matter, what you get when you come to Midsummer House is simply stunning food in a beautiful setting.

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Amazing Ribs!

One of my favourite foods has to be ribs, and when they're done well, they are truly awesome! I've been to the home of great ribs, America, a couple of times and had some incredibly tasty, BBQ ribs. There's a show on Good Food which has a bit of a cult following, Man vs Food. We were lucky enough to visit a place called Papy's Smokehouse in St Louis Missouri, which featured on the show. It was an hour and a half wait in the Missouri midday sun but it was worth it, some great BBQ smoked ribs. Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa also did some of the best ribs I've ever tasted, equally as smoky but with a punch of heat as well.

Food at Papy's Smokehouse - seriously worth the wait!

But if you want to cook some truly great ribs at home, which my girlfriend did last night, then this is a great recipe from Delicious Magazine - Sticky Spare Ribs. We don't have a pressure cooker, so did them in the oven and got some truly great results. Unfortunately they were gone too quick for me to even take a photo, so you'll just have to trust me on this one!

We served them with Jamie Oliver's Fiery Dan Dan Noddle recipe. I've made this before and it's a great recipe with bags of flavour. We obviously made it without the crispy beef as we had the ribs instead and they worked great together. For any gluten free readers, we substituted the wheat noodles for rice noodles; just make sure you adjust the cooking time. Enjoy!

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Graffiti, Hotel Felix, Cambridge

My girlfriend and I went to Cambridge this weekend for our anniversary and stayed at the excellent Hotel Felix, a modern, elegant hotel on the outskirts of the city. Graffiti, the hotel's restaurant was equally modern and elegant with attentive service. We'd booked it well before I found out I was gluten free, so this was going to be the first test, and I was very impressed. The menu had a star next to all the dishes which were suitable for coeliacs and a diamond against those that they could adapt to make gluten free. The menu wasn't restrictive with the majority of dishes already gluten free.

The menu was also very inventive. For starter, I had Baby Squid stuffed with Chorizo on a bed of Tomato which had real tasty Spanish flavours. My girlfriend had Ballotine of Goose with Roast Pear, Port Syrup and Goose Scratchings which was equally as good. The main courses were the real highlight. I had Roast Breast of Mallard, Confit Leg Boudin, Potato Rosti, Brussel Sprout Chiffonade and Plum and Orange Jus. The breast was cooked perfectly and the Leg Boudin (a duck sausage) was sensational, absolutely packed with meaty flavour. The Rosti was all caramelised on the outside and had a great texture. My girlfriend had Fillet and Braised Blade of Tilbury Beef, Shallot Tart Tatin, Crisp Bone Marrow and Cavalo Nero which received equal plaudits. The only let down of the dish was the Bone Marrow which was a crispy nugget, lacking any real filling. Neither of us could resist the Bitter Chocolate Delice with Rapsberry Ripple Ice Cream and Salted Caramel Sauce which tasted as fantastic as it looked.

The restaurant clearly seemed to have a gluten-free influence and with an increasing number of people eating gluten free they're on to a winner. Providing me with a gluten free bread roll was real attention to detail and the bread is probably the best wheat free bread I've tried!

Links

Hotel Felix
Graffiti

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Gluten Free!

So, last weekend I finally took the decision to go gluten free. I have been recently diagnosed with coeliac (or celiac as it's spelt across the pond) disease, an intolerance to gluten. When most people think of gluten, they think of the obvious things like bread, pasta, etc. but it's in a lot more than you think! Checking packets of crisps, I can eat plain Pringles but not prawn cocktail and at restaurants, sauces can be difficult as they are often thickened with flour. The blog, therefore, is probably going to have a bit of a change of direction. It gives reviewing restaurants a whole new dimension - how accommodating to a gluten free diet are they? 

When you make most things from scratch, gluten can be easily avoided, and my girlfriend has already bought a variety of gluten free flours such as potato flour and even coconut flour (see www.goodnessdirect.co.uk). In some respects, my diet has probably become more interesting, lunches especially. No longer is it a sandwich everyday! The majority of recipes are gluten free anyway and most are easily adaptable. They're also perfectly suitable for anyone on a normal diet because you'll get more than enough in everything else you eat. 

One of the foods that I would say I'd miss the most is pizza. My girlfriend and I frequently visit Pizza Express but unfortunately their menu is somewhat restrictive for me now. However, my girlfriend made a great gluten free pizza last week and you couldn't tell the difference. The base was a little lighter but tasted great and the tomato, mozzarella and pepperoni topping was a delicious classic. She cooked it on the pizza stone I got her for her birthday which cooked the base evenly and gave it a crisp finish.

Gluten Free Pizza Base

We didn't have any dried milk but it didn't really need it, she just added a little extra flour to get the right consistency.

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Roger Hickman's Restaurant, Norwich

I've been keen to dine at Roger Hickman's restaurant in Norwich ever since I began to use the website, trip advisor. Based on 48 reviews it has an average of 4.5 stars and out of 175 restaurants, it's Norwich's no.1. Now on day 5 of my girlfriend's birthday (don't ask) we sat down with high hopes and expectations.

The restaurant is small, but tastefully decorated, the large tables and crisp white tablecloths ensure you don't feel cramped and the size ensures a very attentive service. I noted that our waiter served my girlfriend's Gran first, attention to detail which is often overlooked.

The attention to detail was equally apparent in an incredibly high standard of cuisine. We all started with a curried parsnip soup amuse-bouche, which had a smooth, rich, creamy flavour, with a kick that really awakens the palette for the rest of the experience. I then opted for the Roast Scallops with Pork Belly and Shallot Purée, which was fantastic. The Scallops were some of the best I've ever had and the Pork Belly beautifully cooked. The Shallot Purée was the perfect accompaniment, with a real rich, caramelised flavour which brought the two components together. The Wild Duck Breast with Foie Gras Mousse, Plum Purée  and Crispy Egg also received excellent reviews.

My main course of Braised Beef Cheek with Horesraish Pomme Puree with wilted spinach and confit garlic was a real winner as well. The Beef was beautifully slow cooked ensuring that it was tender and succulent and I loved the confit garlic which was a deliciously sweet side. The only criticism would be that the horseradish was not quite strong enough for me, but I think this is very much down to personal taste and the overall balance of the dish was excellent. My girlfriend had the Roast Partridge with Pear Boulangere, Roast Parsnips and Chestnut Sauce. The Partridge was unfortunately rather tough, which let an otherwise good dish down. This may have been down to the meat itself, rather than how it was cooked since everything else had been cooked perfectly. She did mention this to the waiter who, having spoken to the chef, offered us a port or liquor on the house, which was a nice gesture.

Before desserts were served we were each given a pre-dessert which was a very clever pallet cleanser - a passion fruit egg yolk. No egg is actually used in it, but the passion fruit has the exact texture and look of an egg yolk and when you taste it, it bursts in the mouth providing a a real refresher. Although there were some tempting dessert choices, I decided I couldn't resist the cheese board, and it was quite a spectacle. Cut at the table, there were eight cheeses available, each explained by the waiter and not being able to choose, I went for a little of each. Both the Poached Rhubarb Tart with Vanilla Crème Brulee and Orange Sorbet and the Chocolate Fondant with Tonka Bean Cream and Hazelnut Ice Cream with secret popping candy were hits and looked fantastic.

 

Overall this is a top class restaurant and from what I've seen, merits the accolades it has received. Roger Hickman's definitely met those high expectations and is definitely somewhere I would go back to for a special occasion.

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Birthday Meal!

So on Monday it was my beautiful girlfriend's birthday, which meant it was my turn to cook! I enlisted the help of my girlfriend's mum for the dessert and I was to do the starter and main. My girlfriend has a huge folder of recipes from various food magazines so I used this for my inspiration.

We kicked the meal off with Sticky Pork-Stuffed Peppers, which were a real hit. The Romano peppers roasted in the oven were sweet and juicy whilst the filling was flavoursome and full of different textures. Personally, I'd have liked a bit more of the sweet chilli and soy flavour and if you're following the recipe I'd suggest doubling this if you like a real hit of flavour, but these were perfect for my girlfriend's gran who was even asking for the recipe!

Moving on to the main, I chose Jerk Spiced Ribs as my girlfriend is a real fan of ribs. The ribs were slow cooked in stock for 2 hours before draining and adding the marinade and then roasting. The slow cooking process meant the ribs were tender and succulent, with the meat practically falling off the bone. However, I probably wouldn't do the jerk marinade again. The cloves and allspice were a little over-powering and it lacked the kick of a decent jerk marinade. The cooking process was perfect though so next time, I think it'll be a case of smothering them in BBQ sauce before roasting for the perfect BBQ flavoured ribs. I served the ribs with sweet potato wedges and coleslaw. I just cut the sweet potato into wedges and dusted them with a mild chilli powder, salt and pepper, drizzled over olive oil and then roasted for 45 minutes. The outside has an awesome caramelised effect but keeps the sweet potato soft and packed with flavour on the inside. A friend makes a cracking coleslaw, and this is her recipe: chop some white cabbage, then using a vegetable peeler to get strip of carrot, dice some onion and then heaps of mayonnaise and drizzling in some balsamic vinegar and season to taste.

The dessert was a real show-stopper, raspberry meringue pie! Served warm the raspberry filling had the same tartness of it's lemon counterpart and the meringue was perfectly crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle. Honestly, I haven't had too many better desserts, although it did cost rather a lot in raspberries so you'd be advised to wait till they're in season!

Links to the recipes


Jerk spiced ribs
Sticky Pork-Stuffed Peppers
Raspberry Meringue Pie

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The Last Wine Bar

The Last Wine Bar in Norwich is currently celebrating it's 20th anniversary, but if the service we experienced was typical, it'll struggle to celebrate another 20 years. Michel Roux has recently had an excellent show on the BBC (Michel Roux's Service) where he said that if you can serve ok food with excellent service you've got a good restaurant, but if you serve great food with poor service, customers won't go back.

The food in the Last Wine Bar was excellent, we sat in the bar where you can choose from a more sophisticated evening menu, as well as a bar menu. The informal setting creates a relaxed atmosphere and the décor is that of a tasteful brasserie. To start I had marinated wood pigeon breast, with celeriac purée, roasted baby turnips and vanilla oil which was perfectly cooked, with beautifully complimenting flavours. The vanilla oil really elevated the starter from a good restaurant dish to something a bit special. The king prawns in kateifi pastry with hoi sin dressing received rave reviews and I stole a taste of the duck and fois gras terrine which was equally moreish. To follow, I opted for the char-grilled sea bass with brown shrimp and caper butter and new potatoes which was really well done. I shared a side of roasted butternut squash and beetroot in a chilli dressing with my girlfriend, who also had nothing but praise for the rib eye steak ordered from the bar menu.

However, as hinted, the excellent food was let down by poor management. As we arrived, the restaurant had just seated a table for 25, which seemed to take the entire waiting team to serve. This ultimately lead to us having to wait well over an hour to even order starters. Our waiter was apologetic and did everything he could to try to ensure we had a positive experience but he was let down by a rude manager who seemed unconcerned with the service they were delivering. We would have liked to have sampled the desserts, but we were informed these would take at least 20 minutes and it was already 10.30pm, so it being a school night, we decided to call it a day.

I've heard some really good things about this restaurant, so hopefully this was a one off, and the waiter did discount the bill and take my details to see 'what he could do' with my feedback. The food definitely meant that this restaurant merits a second chance, where hopefully the service will be what is expected of a restaurant celebrating 20 successful years.

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Japanese Feast!

Wagamama's is a fairly unique restaurant in the UK. Not many restaurants would get away with seating you on long, Victorian school dinner tables whilst serving you courses 'when they're ready', but you can certainly excuse it when the food is as tasty as Wagamama's. However, it's not everyone's cup of sake, and a great way of having the food but without the novel experience is to 'do it yourself'.

Since we got the Wagamama's cookbook for Christmas my girlfriend has made some great Japanese food. Last night, we had home made Cucumber Maki Sushi and Chicken Miso Ramen which were both delicious. The home made sushi tasted fantastically fresh compared to the supermarket versions and the soup was full of flavours and textures.

Girlfriend's Chicken Miso Ramen Recipe

Stir fry chicken (2 breasts, thinly sliced) and garlic (1 clove finely chopped) for 4 minutes. Add a large handful of beanspouts, 2 to 3 chopped pak choi for a final 2 minutes and add a splash of soy sauce and chilli oil. Meanwhile,  make up 320ml Miso Soup (2 sachets, you can get them in supermarkets) and add 500ml chicken stock - bring to the boil and add 2 bundles of ramen noodles (blue dragon from www.theasiancookshop.co.uk), until cooked. Put the noodles in bottom of a large bowl, ladle over the hot broth and top with the stir fry. Add sliced spring onions to serve.... ps. I like mine with a little kick so you can add chilli oil to taste after you've served it!

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Haggis, Neeps and Tatties!

Scotland's not always renowned for it's culinary expertise, when most people think Scotland, they think battered Mars bar. But Scotland has some of the finest smoked fish, meats and above all whiskies. And then there's the Marmite of Scottish foods, Haggis. I think the tag, you either love it or you hate it is a little unfair. It seems more like you either love it or you hate the thought of even trying it! And you can understand why... Haggis is basically minced sheep offal (heart, liver and lungs), with onions, oatmeal, spices and seasoning encased in the animal's stomach. What's not to like? But what you actually get is a dish with incredible flavour and texture. The Haggis was brought back from Scotland but I'm sure you can request if from your local butchers - the fresher the better.

My girlfriend's family are Scottish so last night we celebrated a belated wee Burns night, where the dish of choice is Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Neeps are turnip and tatties are mashed potato. We also had a whisky sauce accompaniment, made from double cream, shallots and whisky which gave the dish a perfectly rich finish. The sauce would go excellently with any steak as well. A very economical but tasty Scottish supper.

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Barbecoa!

So after a trip around the weird and wonderful Ripley's Believe it or not Museum in London, we headed to St Pauls to experience Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Long's new homage to great American food, Barbecoa.

Barbecoa is situated in a new shopping development near the iconic St Pauls called One New Change. It hosts predominantly high street stores, such as All Saints and Topshop and both Jamie and Chef Ramsay have decided to open new restaurants there.

Barbecoa is a rare breed in London, unpretentious, perfectly cooked, reasonably priced food. Jamie Oliver has become something of a household brand and as a huge fan I was concerned this might be something Jamie had merely put his name to. But the food definitely echoed Jamie Oliver all the way through. The three of us decided to share a trio of starters. The first, Charred Hot Wings served in a chilli, ginger and sesame marinade had a combination of American and Asian influences which tasted fantastic. Not quite as successful were the Crispy Pig Cheeks. They had more of a terrine texture than the crispness that the menu suggested but paired with a traditional English picallilli once again proved an great combination of flavours. The final starter was a triumph of the American classic Baby Back Ribs. The meat was beautifully tender and the BBQ sauce smoky with just the right amount of heat, the ribs were superb. There was a huge range of tempting main courses but we each decided to opt for the signature Barbecoa Burger, which was outstanding. The decor and atmosphere were just right, the service absolutely spot on and the overall experience excellent. This is definitely somewhere I'd return to!

Total Bill including drinks for 3 people approx £100

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Introduction - The Hungry Boyfriend

I suppose I better introduce myself... I, the hungry boyfriend am a 25 year old guy and thanks to my girlfriend's culinary talents, a joint love of eating out, and a ridiculously healthy appetite, get to taste some fantastic food. I suppose the aim of this blog is kind of a hybrid restaurant review, recipe review and a general way to share my love of food. Due to budget constraints, it's not exactly going to be the new Michelin guide, but I do get to eat at some exceptional eating establishments. On the opposite of end of the scale it may be a mystery bag of ingredients for a fiver! Recipe's we've tried, whether from Jamie's 30 minute meals or from Heston's Big Fat Duck Cookbook (yeah right), I'll try to critique, from "actually it was a 60 minute disaster" or "you've got to try the snail porridge" (yeah right).... As for my literary skills, this is my first foray into the world of blogging - I'd appreciate your comments and let's see where it goes!

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