Why is it so bloody hard to get good sushi in the UK? We're an island! We have some great fish so why doesn't some of it make it into Japanese restaurants and end up as great sushi? We have Scallops, Crab, Clams, Eel, Sea bass, Salmon, Haddock, Sole, Trout, Monkfish, Langoustines, Shrimps and Mackerel. If it wasn't 10.00pm at night and if I hadn't already had a rather strong cocktail (at The Rummer) and a rather large bourbon (Heaven Hill from Grape and Grind) I'm sure I could name more. Maybe. 1 or 2.
So I don't get it. I don't get why sushi restaurants don't get their hands on some great raw ingredients and use them to make some great, er, raw, stuff. Sushi, sashimi, you know.
Obento in Bristol has been around for ages and I assume that any restaurant that's survived the last few years must be doing something right. Maybe they are, but it's not making good sushi. Our temaki were far, far below average. Chewing on the nori wrapping was like trying to eat clingfilm. Not exactly pleasant. And really, Salmon, Avocado and mayonnaise do not sushi make.
It's so frustrating because it's not cheap either. Why a slither of fish on a thumb size bit of a rice costs a quid is beyond me. And iced green tea really should not be over 2 quid.
That's not to say that we didn't eat anything nice. The miso was tasty and the Eel was very nice. But still, for £40 I want it all to be nice.
To be honest, we've been eating out a lot recently and this meal may well be the last for a while. For £40 we can get some nice ingredients and cook ourselves a nice meal, and wash it down with a very good bottle of wine. I'm happy paying for stuff I can't do or think of (like at Souk Kitchen), and more than happy to take advantage of the deals on offer (like The Riverstation and Cowshed) but I'm not happy paying good money for average meals which seems to happen too often.
Maybe it's not such a bad thing - it'll mean I can write about some of my own cooking for a change.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
The Riverstation - Bristol
I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that The Riverstation Cafe Menu is the best eating deal in Bristol. £9 gets you a really good meal and either a glass of wine or a beer. The idea is, obviously, that you try the deal and become impressed and go back and eat a la carte. The thing is, the cafe deal is so good it's hard to bring yourself to go back an pay more!
Me and the missus ate there a couple of weeks ago. The weather was nice and we fancied a nice meal in a nice place. The Riverstation ticks both boxes. The situation of it, right on the river, gives it a relaxed feel. On a evening with the right weather sitting out on either the upstairs or downstairs terraces is a treat, watching the swans roam around the boats as the sun goes down slowly over the boats and cranes of the docks.
The menu at the time offered Confit duck leg with Potatoes and Kale, which was a about as far as I got. The missus considered things a bit more and went for the Smoked haddock risotto with poached egg. It's fair to say that both were excellent. It would be easy to worry about the portion with duck leg, but of course this the restaurant's way of enticing you in, so they have to be generous. Thick, dark meat, fall-off-the-bone tender with crispy, juicy skin. Great stuff. And the duck remained the star off the dish, with the potatoes, kale and red wine jus all playing their supporting roles very well.
The Smoked haddock risotto was similarly satisfying. Rich, creamy and smoky with good chunks of fish and perfectly poached egg, the yolk yielding a delicious sauce, enriching the risotto further. I've seen some places serve a risotto that has been little more than a smear across the bottom of a bowl, but The Riverstation don't do that.
And they're clever. When the food is this good it is very hard to resist when they offer the dessert menu. But resist we did. As it was the meal provided a sharp contrast to our meal at The Pumphouse. For £18 we'd both eaten really well at The Riverstation. £18 at The Pumphouse paid for a pretty disappointing sea bass dish. You pays your money and you takes your choice - my choice would be The Riverstation.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
Me and the missus ate there a couple of weeks ago. The weather was nice and we fancied a nice meal in a nice place. The Riverstation ticks both boxes. The situation of it, right on the river, gives it a relaxed feel. On a evening with the right weather sitting out on either the upstairs or downstairs terraces is a treat, watching the swans roam around the boats as the sun goes down slowly over the boats and cranes of the docks.
The menu at the time offered Confit duck leg with Potatoes and Kale, which was a about as far as I got. The missus considered things a bit more and went for the Smoked haddock risotto with poached egg. It's fair to say that both were excellent. It would be easy to worry about the portion with duck leg, but of course this the restaurant's way of enticing you in, so they have to be generous. Thick, dark meat, fall-off-the-bone tender with crispy, juicy skin. Great stuff. And the duck remained the star off the dish, with the potatoes, kale and red wine jus all playing their supporting roles very well.
The Smoked haddock risotto was similarly satisfying. Rich, creamy and smoky with good chunks of fish and perfectly poached egg, the yolk yielding a delicious sauce, enriching the risotto further. I've seen some places serve a risotto that has been little more than a smear across the bottom of a bowl, but The Riverstation don't do that.
And they're clever. When the food is this good it is very hard to resist when they offer the dessert menu. But resist we did. As it was the meal provided a sharp contrast to our meal at The Pumphouse. For £18 we'd both eaten really well at The Riverstation. £18 at The Pumphouse paid for a pretty disappointing sea bass dish. You pays your money and you takes your choice - my choice would be The Riverstation.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
Monday, 19 March 2012
The Pumphouse - Bristol
We ate at The Pumphouse on Saturday night. I like the place. It's in a great spot in Hotwells, right on the river which gives it a nice feel, and inside enough original features exist to remind you of how it got its name.
We had been really excited by the menu and thought we'd treat ourselves to the a la carte menu rather than going for the deal, 3 courses for £20. If it wasn't for my main of Mendip Fallow Deer that could almost be seen as a mistake.
Things did not get off to a good start. I ordered Mackerel with Rhubarb. I got mackerel and rhubarb. Very well presented, but a tiny, meagre, stingy portion. It seemed a confused little dish really. 2 slim pieces of cold sashimi style mackerel, which tasted like it had been soused, sat along-side a marginally bigger piece of freshly cooked mackerel. If the menu had described it as that, I would never have ordered it. And, worse, it clashed with the generously portioned and very well cooked Wood Pigeon that my missus chose. I felt a bit cheated.
And so I didn't know whether to be excited about my main course or not. As it turned out I had no need to worry. I ordered the Rare Saddle of Mendip Fallow Deer which, according to the menu came with Venison sausage, spiced red cabbage and new season wild garlic. The menu didn't mention the gorgeous pieces of marrow, nor the ridiculously tasty Mirabelle Plum sauce and it didn't say that it would be a sauce of new season wild garlic. I like to know what I'm getting, especially when it's all of that!
Ok, so I had to remind the waiting staff about the red cabbage, but that was a small distraction. This was one of the best dishes I've ever eaten. The wild garlic sauce was insanely good. That sauce, and the Mirabelle Plum sauce created mouthful after mouthful of rewardingly complex tastes - sweet, rich, smoky, iron-rich and meaty. Superb. My disappointing starter soon became a distant memory.
To be honest it seemed like whoever was doing the fish courses was having an off night. My missus went for the Butter Roast Cornish Sea Bass which, although not as underwhelming as my starter, was not a patch on the pigeon she'd enjoyed beforehand. It lacked imagination, and, it has to be said, taste. For the most expensive dish on the menu it failed badly to live up to its status.
We were, however, both very happy with our choice of desserts. We both ordered a freshly cooked option. My missus went for the Bitter Chocolate Fondant and I chose the Apple Tart Tatin which came with some very moreish cinnamon ice cream (and sadly some forgettable, weakly-flavoured Calvados custard). The dish was a winner without the custard, especially with the nice touch of the waiter serving out of the hot pan for me. My partner's chocolate fondant was another treat and showed some real skill. The accompanying gingerbread mousse and burned butter ice cream worked nicely with the rich and bitter chocolate.
If I'd been disappointed at the start of the meal my partner was left offended at the end of it. I think it's a basic requirement for waiting staff to say thank you when the bill is paid. A pity then that our waiter couldn't bring himself to do so, instead waving my partners credit card rather dismissively in her direction after taking payment. Rude. And please, please don't add a tip to my bill before I've decided I want to pay one. Why do places assume you'll tip? It's infuriating.
Would I recommend The Pumphouse? There's a lot that's good about it. Some of the food is very, very good. But some of it isn't. Some of the staff are very nice, sadly some aren't. Some of the prices reflect very good value and others don't. So, would I recommend The Pumphouse? I don't know. Which isn't exactly a yes.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
We had been really excited by the menu and thought we'd treat ourselves to the a la carte menu rather than going for the deal, 3 courses for £20. If it wasn't for my main of Mendip Fallow Deer that could almost be seen as a mistake.
Things did not get off to a good start. I ordered Mackerel with Rhubarb. I got mackerel and rhubarb. Very well presented, but a tiny, meagre, stingy portion. It seemed a confused little dish really. 2 slim pieces of cold sashimi style mackerel, which tasted like it had been soused, sat along-side a marginally bigger piece of freshly cooked mackerel. If the menu had described it as that, I would never have ordered it. And, worse, it clashed with the generously portioned and very well cooked Wood Pigeon that my missus chose. I felt a bit cheated.
And so I didn't know whether to be excited about my main course or not. As it turned out I had no need to worry. I ordered the Rare Saddle of Mendip Fallow Deer which, according to the menu came with Venison sausage, spiced red cabbage and new season wild garlic. The menu didn't mention the gorgeous pieces of marrow, nor the ridiculously tasty Mirabelle Plum sauce and it didn't say that it would be a sauce of new season wild garlic. I like to know what I'm getting, especially when it's all of that!
Ok, so I had to remind the waiting staff about the red cabbage, but that was a small distraction. This was one of the best dishes I've ever eaten. The wild garlic sauce was insanely good. That sauce, and the Mirabelle Plum sauce created mouthful after mouthful of rewardingly complex tastes - sweet, rich, smoky, iron-rich and meaty. Superb. My disappointing starter soon became a distant memory.
To be honest it seemed like whoever was doing the fish courses was having an off night. My missus went for the Butter Roast Cornish Sea Bass which, although not as underwhelming as my starter, was not a patch on the pigeon she'd enjoyed beforehand. It lacked imagination, and, it has to be said, taste. For the most expensive dish on the menu it failed badly to live up to its status.
We were, however, both very happy with our choice of desserts. We both ordered a freshly cooked option. My missus went for the Bitter Chocolate Fondant and I chose the Apple Tart Tatin which came with some very moreish cinnamon ice cream (and sadly some forgettable, weakly-flavoured Calvados custard). The dish was a winner without the custard, especially with the nice touch of the waiter serving out of the hot pan for me. My partner's chocolate fondant was another treat and showed some real skill. The accompanying gingerbread mousse and burned butter ice cream worked nicely with the rich and bitter chocolate.
If I'd been disappointed at the start of the meal my partner was left offended at the end of it. I think it's a basic requirement for waiting staff to say thank you when the bill is paid. A pity then that our waiter couldn't bring himself to do so, instead waving my partners credit card rather dismissively in her direction after taking payment. Rude. And please, please don't add a tip to my bill before I've decided I want to pay one. Why do places assume you'll tip? It's infuriating.
Would I recommend The Pumphouse? There's a lot that's good about it. Some of the food is very, very good. But some of it isn't. Some of the staff are very nice, sadly some aren't. Some of the prices reflect very good value and others don't. So, would I recommend The Pumphouse? I don't know. Which isn't exactly a yes.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Baked Vanilla Cheesecake with Stem Ginger and Fresh Passionfruit
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| Vanilla and stem ginger cheesecake with fresh passionfruit |
For the base
150g melted butter
250g (1 pack) of digestives, thoroughly crushed
Heat your oven to 180c/350f, grease the bottom and sides of a springform or loose bottom cake tin. Add the melted butter to the crushed biscuits and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
For the cheesecake
115g caster sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour (yes, tablespoons)
900g full-fat cream cheese at room temp
2 large eggs
115ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, scored lengthways and seeds removed (use a pod, I used essence and it just didn't have enough vanilla taste)
zest of 1 lemon and zest of 1 orange (I don't know if this is strictly necessary)
Heat your oven to 200c/400f. Then you basically mix everything together in a big bowl. Start with the sugar and cornflour, then add the cream cheese. You'll save yourself an aching arm if you do this with an electric whisk. When that's all mixed add the eggs and beat well. Gradually add the cream, and then add the vanilla, and zest if using. I also added a whole heap of chopped stem ginger and its syrup. Turn your oven up to 200c/400f. Pour the cheese mixture over the cooled biscuit base, smooth it a bit then stick it in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
When you take it out stand it somewhere cool for 2-3 hours to give it time to set. It gets firmer the colder it is so stick in the fridge for another hour after its cooled to room temperature if you want to.
I served my cheesecake with some fresh passionfruit. I thought ginger and passionfruit would work nicely together. Which they did, but the stem ginger had lost some flavour during the cooking. Next time I think I'll use ginger nuts for the base to get the ginger taste in there. Still, it was very, very nice.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Steak and Gidleigh
That's Gidleigh Park, of course, Michael Caines' restaurant in Devon - http://www.gidleigh.com/.
Apparently Ruby and White - http://www.rubyandwhite.com/ - supply the beef to Gidleigh Park. Which must mean that the diners there really enjoy their steaks because the ones we ate tonight were very, very good. As they should be, 2 8oz rib-eyes and a 6oz sirloin cost little shy of £20. This is not supermarket meat.
And that's a good thing. A very good thing.
It's been a long time since I've eaten steak as tasty. I'm not one for basting in half a pound of butter, which would do a lot to give even the most meagre steak a nice taste. I simply seasoned and griddled mine over a high heat and gave it a few minutes to rest afterwards. This made for a really tender steak with a surprisingly intense, robust meaty taste which was supremely satisfying.
When eating as simply as this - we had some potato wedges and mushrooms with our steaks - it seems to make so much more sense to spend this kind of money on good ingredients to cook at home rather than go and spend the same amount or more at a restaurant where you couldn't guarantee getting the same quality.
Apparently Ruby and White - http://www.rubyandwhite.com/ - supply the beef to Gidleigh Park. Which must mean that the diners there really enjoy their steaks because the ones we ate tonight were very, very good. As they should be, 2 8oz rib-eyes and a 6oz sirloin cost little shy of £20. This is not supermarket meat.
And that's a good thing. A very good thing.
It's been a long time since I've eaten steak as tasty. I'm not one for basting in half a pound of butter, which would do a lot to give even the most meagre steak a nice taste. I simply seasoned and griddled mine over a high heat and gave it a few minutes to rest afterwards. This made for a really tender steak with a surprisingly intense, robust meaty taste which was supremely satisfying.
When eating as simply as this - we had some potato wedges and mushrooms with our steaks - it seems to make so much more sense to spend this kind of money on good ingredients to cook at home rather than go and spend the same amount or more at a restaurant where you couldn't guarantee getting the same quality.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
The Thali Cafe - Easton
Well, the times they are a-changing. It used to be that a visit to a curry house involved flock wallpaper, luminous mango chutney and piped ravi shankar. But no longer, at least, not at the Thali Cafe in Easton. It definitely has more of the cafe about it in terms of appearance than it does an Indian restaurant. There are even sofas.
The menu, which makes me smile just by looking at it, doesn't go in for the standards. You won't find a tikka masala here. What you will find is an evening menu which offers a range of thalis which focus on regional Indian cooking and meat and vegetarian options.
The lunch menu offers a different range of curries, and luckily we went with a couple of friends so it meant we got to try quite a few of them!
I chose the Lamb Kofta, which wasn't really a kofta because I didn't get meatballs, but it was all the better for that. What I did get was a very nice lamb curry which was a lot tastier than your average bhuna, with a thick, rich gravy spiced with cinnamon and clove. I would suggest though that in future they remove the big lumps of cinnamon before serving, bark isn't high on my list of eating pleasures. But I couldn't fault the taste.
The missus went for the Masala Fish Fry with some Bombay Potato Chips. As enticing as it sounds this was probably the weakest dish on the table. It just didn't live up to the promise. There wasn't enough spice in the batter and the chips were lukewarm. It seemed to lack a bit of effort.
But then things improved. One of our friends chose the Saag Paneer which was very tasty with a thick, luscious sauce and generous chunks of paneer. Apparently it's their favourite in the tiffin box that they regularly get from the Thali Cafe, and it's easy to see why.
The best dish of the day though was the Goan Fish Curry. It was easy to see the spicing that had been put into the curry, lots of mustard seeds and turmeric, which gave it real authentic flavour. If I hadn't had my lamb curry I might have been just a little bit jealous.
One notable thing about all the curries we had was that none were swimming in oil, which can often be the case.And the portions are generous. The menu might describe the curries as light lunches, but you won't leave wanting more. Which I mean in a good way! Everything costs less than a tenner as well, so you can have a really satisfying lunch and still have a couple of pints afterwards without breaking the bank. Which is what we did, and it capped off a very nice Saturday afternoon. Curry first and then the pints? The times really are a-changing.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
The menu, which makes me smile just by looking at it, doesn't go in for the standards. You won't find a tikka masala here. What you will find is an evening menu which offers a range of thalis which focus on regional Indian cooking and meat and vegetarian options.
The lunch menu offers a different range of curries, and luckily we went with a couple of friends so it meant we got to try quite a few of them!
 |
| Lamb Kofta |
The missus went for the Masala Fish Fry with some Bombay Potato Chips. As enticing as it sounds this was probably the weakest dish on the table. It just didn't live up to the promise. There wasn't enough spice in the batter and the chips were lukewarm. It seemed to lack a bit of effort.
But then things improved. One of our friends chose the Saag Paneer which was very tasty with a thick, luscious sauce and generous chunks of paneer. Apparently it's their favourite in the tiffin box that they regularly get from the Thali Cafe, and it's easy to see why.
 |
| Goan Fish Curry |
One notable thing about all the curries we had was that none were swimming in oil, which can often be the case.And the portions are generous. The menu might describe the curries as light lunches, but you won't leave wanting more. Which I mean in a good way! Everything costs less than a tenner as well, so you can have a really satisfying lunch and still have a couple of pints afterwards without breaking the bank. Which is what we did, and it capped off a very nice Saturday afternoon. Curry first and then the pints? The times really are a-changing.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Souk Kitchen - delivers every time
I'll come clean now, the Souk Kitchen is my favourite restaurant in Bristol. I get excited at the thought of eating there. Even when I'm actually eating there I'm excited about visiting again.
Me and the missus ate there on Friday. We had booked early, 6.30pm, as we were going straight from work but we weren't the first there. That's a good sign. We'd booked in the expectation of ordering from the specials board, but then we got the menu and choices on there were just too tempting.
We started, as we do, with dips and flatbreads. We had these the last time we went and would have been happy having the same again. But clearly the kitchen like to make sure they keep offering something new. These little plates are so moreish. We had white bean and feta which was soothing and pleasingly salty, split pea and chermoula which tasted like a fine indian dhal and carrot and rosewater topped with pomegranate seeds - their sour sweetness accentuating the savoury carrot and balancing out the heady rosewater. To be honest, they're worth the trip themselves.
And so to mains. This is where I get greedy. There's too much on offer on the mezze menu for it to be possible for me to choose one main dish. I love being able to order 3 or 4 dishes which can offer a wide range of tastes and textures. And, in this instance, a very, very pleasant surprise.
First up, Fried cauliflower with almonds, sweet onions, sultanas and tahini. I would never, never normally order a dish of cauliflower. Ever. I'm so glad I did. It becomes a completely new experience here. The almonds, onions, sultana and tahini all seem to accentuate the nutty, sweet and slightly sour notes tastes of the cauliflower, elevating it to heights completely unexpected of a vegetable grown in the flatlands of Lincolnshire.
Next, Pan fried lambs liver with cumin salt and pomegranate onions. That instantly sounds appealing. I'm a fan of offal, but would never think to serve it like this. Which is obviously the reason I enjoy going to Souk Kitchen so much. Again it's easy to see the chef's working with sweet, sour and salty tastes to work with the main ingredient. Very tasty.
Now we start getting into unfamiliar and exciting territory. Pumpkin kibbeh with zhoug yoghurt. If you've ever watched Masterchef, and given that you'll only read this blog if you're into food so I'll take it that you have, then you'll have heard Gregg Wallace describe food as being 'like a cuddle'. That's the first thing that sprung to my mind when I tasted this. It was full of comforting, reassuring warmth. Like being tucked up on the settee under a duvet when you're 7 years old and have a cold. Like a father's arm around your shoulders. This dish just says "Everything's going to be alright". There's some food ponce creeping in here, isn't there?
The Char-grilled haloumi, roast quince and honey turned me into a complete food ponce. I might even have said to the missus that eating this made me feel humble. I'm not rolling in cash (certainly not now my offer on a flat has been accepted - woohoo!) but I've eaten occassionally in 'starred' places: Michael Caines' Priory in Bath; The Pony and Trap at Chew Magna. This haloumi dish would not be out of place in either, in my opinion.
This is what I love about eating out. Being able to sit down in a restaurant and confidently pick things that are unfamiliar safe in the knowledge that whatever you order is going to be good.
The missus did the complete opposite to me. She ordered a chicken tagine. To be precise it was Chicken, preserved lemon, chestnut and apricot tagine with rose couscous and onion confit. It was presented in a topped tagine which allowed a waft of wonderful aromas before being revealed by the waiter.
A hearty, wholesome dish. Well spiced so that we could taste all the individual ingredients but which delivered a taste greater than the sum of its parts. Clever cooking. The rose couscous which came with it was some of the nicest couscous I've had.
When we evetually left and headed home I didn't mind that it would take us about an hour and half to get home. Or that some of the time was spent walking in the freezing cold. I'd make the same journey time and time again, and can only suggest that you make the effort to go there as well.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
 |
| Chef @soukkitchen |
Me and the missus ate there on Friday. We had booked early, 6.30pm, as we were going straight from work but we weren't the first there. That's a good sign. We'd booked in the expectation of ordering from the specials board, but then we got the menu and choices on there were just too tempting.
We started, as we do, with dips and flatbreads. We had these the last time we went and would have been happy having the same again. But clearly the kitchen like to make sure they keep offering something new. These little plates are so moreish. We had white bean and feta which was soothing and pleasingly salty, split pea and chermoula which tasted like a fine indian dhal and carrot and rosewater topped with pomegranate seeds - their sour sweetness accentuating the savoury carrot and balancing out the heady rosewater. To be honest, they're worth the trip themselves.
And so to mains. This is where I get greedy. There's too much on offer on the mezze menu for it to be possible for me to choose one main dish. I love being able to order 3 or 4 dishes which can offer a wide range of tastes and textures. And, in this instance, a very, very pleasant surprise.
 |
| Fried cauliflower with almonds |
 |
| Lambs liver |
 |
| Pumpkin kibbeh with zhoug |
 |
| Haloumi and quince |
This is what I love about eating out. Being able to sit down in a restaurant and confidently pick things that are unfamiliar safe in the knowledge that whatever you order is going to be good.
The missus did the complete opposite to me. She ordered a chicken tagine. To be precise it was Chicken, preserved lemon, chestnut and apricot tagine with rose couscous and onion confit. It was presented in a topped tagine which allowed a waft of wonderful aromas before being revealed by the waiter.
 |
| Chicken tagine |
When we evetually left and headed home I didn't mind that it would take us about an hour and half to get home. Or that some of the time was spent walking in the freezing cold. I'd make the same journey time and time again, and can only suggest that you make the effort to go there as well.
Thinking of eating out in Bristol, read more reviews of Bristol Restaurants.
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