Some pointless food-related nonsense I wouldn't mind finding under the Christmas tree on December 25th. Maybe some of it will be suitable for the foodie in your life?
Ninja Bread Men - Play.com (£5.00)
I'm a terrible baker and maker of cakes, biscuits and, generally, anything sweet. Next year's resolution is to get better and I think the opportunity to make ninja-shaped cookies might be the inspiration I need.
Scrabble teatowel - The Literary Gift Company (£9.25)
Any cook knows that washing up the piles of pans, pots and plates is the worst part of any kitchen experiment. Maybe this excellent Scrabble tea-towel will make it more bearable? Handy if you cannot afford to buy a dishwasher.
A Welsh food hamper - The Welsh Hamper Company (various prices)
Too many selections to list here, but I'd be quite partial to the wine and cheese hamper or the afternoon tea one. Great to showcase some of Wales' best food and drink.
British Gastronomy Map Print - Not On The High Street (£25)
As someone with a limited grasp of geography and a keen interest in food, this would look excellent on the wall of my kitchen or study. It's also incredibly awesome for those who do know their Derby from their Durham.
Retro Sweet Tuck Box - Handy Candy (£6.99)
I'm not sure if the retro sweet fad is over and, frankly, I don't care. As a reminder of my childhood, this is a perfect gift. There's also boxes and sweet hampers for the Christmas period.
Blood Energy Drink - Firebox.com (£4.99)
The sort of gift that would be amusing for Christmas Day but probably no further. But as a fan of vampires, I'd laugh when I removed it from the wrapping paper. And then probably never drink it. (Also available in green Zombie blood flavour).
Vampire Chutney Gift Pack - The Garlic Farm via Firebox.com (£12.99)
Another vampire related gift. This time, one I would probably actually eat.
A Recipe for Murder cookbook - Amazon.co.uk (£8.99)
Confession - I already own this but it's another great present for foodie friends of a more macarbre disposition. Featuring recipes inspired by Dracula, Lady MacBeth and other fictional legends, it's also a very easy-to-use and beautiful book.
Cupcakes and cocktail experience - Lastminute.com (£47 on offer)
I'd love to be whisked off to London, taught how to decorate some lovely cupcakes and to make some cocktails. Sounds wonderful.
Christmas Goody Bag - Hotel Chocolat (£17.00)
Some may balk at paying so much for a bag of chocolate but for us, a goody bag or a giant cracker from Hotel Chocolat is a Christmas tradition. Much better than your usual selection box.
Cottage Delight Creative Cooks Mexican Kit - John Lewis (£15)
I love cooking and eating Mexican food but never get much more adventurous at home than ripping open an Old El Paso Fajita Dinner Kit. This might help with that.
Thursday 17 November 2011
Sunday 13 November 2011
Days out don't get better than this: Experiencing Masterchef Live
MasterChef Live
11-13 November, 2011
Olympia London
http://www.mastercheflive.com/
Like many people with more than a passing interest in food, I am a self-confessed Masterchef addict. I'll watch any version; the normal one, the celebrity one, the Professionals, heck, I've even enjoyed John Torode praising spag bol on the Children's Masterchef. It follows then, that I've wanted to visit Masterchef Live for a few years but have never quite managed it. This year, however, my trusty friend Project: Goddess and I set off for Kensington Olympia armed and ready for a day of foodie fun.
Offical publicity shot of day one
The basic ticket cost around £20 but we also signed up for sessions in the Chef's Theatre where Gold tickets set you back a tenner and the back rows a fiver. Our first session was with Michel Roux Jr, a man we both love to watch on the Professionals. His recipe of gnocchi with wild mushrooms looked delicious and easy to replicate. He was interesting and informative as well as being much funnier in the flesh than he is allowed to be on Masterchef where he is positioned very much as a man to be feared.
Waiting for Roux
At the end of the half hour slot, it was announced that Michel Roux would be doing a book signing which led to an enthusiastic stampede of foodie fans rushing to purchase copies of his 'Cooking With the Masterchef' tome. Meeting him was a true delight, he's genuinely a lovely bloke and this was the undoubted (and unexpected)highlight of our day.
After this, we tried out the Masterchef Restaurant Experience which offers the chance to sample small plates of dishes from a range of restaurants. Firstly we tried the Cola-Braised Pork Belly, Carmelised Celery, Fondant Squash, Roasted Baby Turnips, Shelled Peas, Miso Mustard and Dashi Sauce from 2011 Masterchef champion Tim Anderson which was flavoursome and well cooked.
I then tackled a Cape Sante in Padella – pan fried scallops served in their shell with lentils de Castelluccio, pancetta, red chilli, parsley and chopped wild rocket (5DC) from Theo Randall and was especially thrilled to see Randall himself cooking away in the tiny kitchen! Project Goddess sampled an apple crumble and custard from Gregg Wallace's Wallace & Co and reported it to be delicious, as you might expect from a man so famously in love with puddings. The restaurant experience isn't cheap - the dishes we tried were 5 DC (dining currency) each which equates to £5 of normal money, and the accompanying wines are also priced at 5 per glass. It's a fun experience though, allowing you to work out what types of food you want to try, and which restaurants you'd like to add to the do-to list.
Scallop by Theo Randall
Our second chef's theatre session was a cook-off between Tim Anderson and 2010 Professionals winner Claire Lara. It was hosted by Gregg Wallace and John Torode and characterised by a great deal of banter between the two. Claire cooked a red mullet dish with potatoes and braised lettuce whilst the ever-quirky Tim produced an edible hen's nest (!). He was judged the winner and we were just disappointed that we didn't get to try either of the dishes for health and safety reasons.
After this we wandered the veritable banquet of stalls and suppliers on offer, sampling a good range of cheeses, wines, liquers and oils. It's tempting to spend hundreds of pounds on the produce but I came away with some artisan chocolate, some Shropshire blue cheese, and some banana and garlic chutney from The Garlic Farm for the other half. You can easily while away several hours on the producers' stalls, and if you're in the market for gifts it does offer some unusual options.
Our final chef's session was a cook-off between John and Gregg. Both made fairly predictable dishes - John went for beef and Gregg a pudding, knocking up a fabulous looking Christmas Yule Log. Like the earlier session, they were hilarious, keeping the audience entertained whilst also offering some good tips on how to cook perfect steak or whip up the ideal butter cream.
The show at dusk
As the day wore on we began to flag a little but found the Masterchef demonstation stage to be a little oasis of calm. At this point, many people were starting to leave but we enjoyed demos from recent Masterchef contestants Sara Danesin, who created a venison and chocolate dish, and James Perry who produced some interesting looking chocolate spring rolls. Feeling a little peckish again, I tried a Rice Noodle & Beef Salad with Mint & Peanuts from the stand from John Torode's Smiths of Smithfield restaurant and found this full of fresh mint and crunchy nuts.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the day and were especially impressed with how much contact you can have with the stars of Masterchef. Admittedly, whilst John and Gregg and possibly Michel Roux Jr are recognisable to the wider public, not everyone would be as excited as we were to see Tim Anderson or Alexis Gauthier walking around or to have a photo taken with Monica Galetti. Throughout the day we caught sight of these and others including Michael Caines, Nick Pickard, Andi Peters, Jackie Kearney, and Tim Kinnaird and even John Torode was freely roaming around, giving us a cheery "hello" at the book stand. If you know who all these people are then you can see why we had such a good time. If you don't, then I think you'd still enjoy the live shows, the competitions and the food stalls.
We're already planning next year's trip and maybe this will inspire some of you to go along as well.
PS - Apologies for the cheesy title but I couldn't resist.
11-13 November, 2011
Olympia London
http://www.mastercheflive.com/
Like many people with more than a passing interest in food, I am a self-confessed Masterchef addict. I'll watch any version; the normal one, the celebrity one, the Professionals, heck, I've even enjoyed John Torode praising spag bol on the Children's Masterchef. It follows then, that I've wanted to visit Masterchef Live for a few years but have never quite managed it. This year, however, my trusty friend Project: Goddess and I set off for Kensington Olympia armed and ready for a day of foodie fun.
Offical publicity shot of day one
The basic ticket cost around £20 but we also signed up for sessions in the Chef's Theatre where Gold tickets set you back a tenner and the back rows a fiver. Our first session was with Michel Roux Jr, a man we both love to watch on the Professionals. His recipe of gnocchi with wild mushrooms looked delicious and easy to replicate. He was interesting and informative as well as being much funnier in the flesh than he is allowed to be on Masterchef where he is positioned very much as a man to be feared.
Waiting for Roux
At the end of the half hour slot, it was announced that Michel Roux would be doing a book signing which led to an enthusiastic stampede of foodie fans rushing to purchase copies of his 'Cooking With the Masterchef' tome. Meeting him was a true delight, he's genuinely a lovely bloke and this was the undoubted (and unexpected)highlight of our day.
After this, we tried out the Masterchef Restaurant Experience which offers the chance to sample small plates of dishes from a range of restaurants. Firstly we tried the Cola-Braised Pork Belly, Carmelised Celery, Fondant Squash, Roasted Baby Turnips, Shelled Peas, Miso Mustard and Dashi Sauce from 2011 Masterchef champion Tim Anderson which was flavoursome and well cooked.
I then tackled a Cape Sante in Padella – pan fried scallops served in their shell with lentils de Castelluccio, pancetta, red chilli, parsley and chopped wild rocket (5DC) from Theo Randall and was especially thrilled to see Randall himself cooking away in the tiny kitchen! Project Goddess sampled an apple crumble and custard from Gregg Wallace's Wallace & Co and reported it to be delicious, as you might expect from a man so famously in love with puddings. The restaurant experience isn't cheap - the dishes we tried were 5 DC (dining currency) each which equates to £5 of normal money, and the accompanying wines are also priced at 5 per glass. It's a fun experience though, allowing you to work out what types of food you want to try, and which restaurants you'd like to add to the do-to list.
Scallop by Theo Randall
Our second chef's theatre session was a cook-off between Tim Anderson and 2010 Professionals winner Claire Lara. It was hosted by Gregg Wallace and John Torode and characterised by a great deal of banter between the two. Claire cooked a red mullet dish with potatoes and braised lettuce whilst the ever-quirky Tim produced an edible hen's nest (!). He was judged the winner and we were just disappointed that we didn't get to try either of the dishes for health and safety reasons.
After this we wandered the veritable banquet of stalls and suppliers on offer, sampling a good range of cheeses, wines, liquers and oils. It's tempting to spend hundreds of pounds on the produce but I came away with some artisan chocolate, some Shropshire blue cheese, and some banana and garlic chutney from The Garlic Farm for the other half. You can easily while away several hours on the producers' stalls, and if you're in the market for gifts it does offer some unusual options.
Our final chef's session was a cook-off between John and Gregg. Both made fairly predictable dishes - John went for beef and Gregg a pudding, knocking up a fabulous looking Christmas Yule Log. Like the earlier session, they were hilarious, keeping the audience entertained whilst also offering some good tips on how to cook perfect steak or whip up the ideal butter cream.
The show at dusk
As the day wore on we began to flag a little but found the Masterchef demonstation stage to be a little oasis of calm. At this point, many people were starting to leave but we enjoyed demos from recent Masterchef contestants Sara Danesin, who created a venison and chocolate dish, and James Perry who produced some interesting looking chocolate spring rolls. Feeling a little peckish again, I tried a Rice Noodle & Beef Salad with Mint & Peanuts from the stand from John Torode's Smiths of Smithfield restaurant and found this full of fresh mint and crunchy nuts.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the day and were especially impressed with how much contact you can have with the stars of Masterchef. Admittedly, whilst John and Gregg and possibly Michel Roux Jr are recognisable to the wider public, not everyone would be as excited as we were to see Tim Anderson or Alexis Gauthier walking around or to have a photo taken with Monica Galetti. Throughout the day we caught sight of these and others including Michael Caines, Nick Pickard, Andi Peters, Jackie Kearney, and Tim Kinnaird and even John Torode was freely roaming around, giving us a cheery "hello" at the book stand. If you know who all these people are then you can see why we had such a good time. If you don't, then I think you'd still enjoy the live shows, the competitions and the food stalls.
We're already planning next year's trip and maybe this will inspire some of you to go along as well.
PS - Apologies for the cheesy title but I couldn't resist.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
The Garden by the Sea - Penarth dining to-do list
Since moving to Penarth last year, I've tended to frequent the same few places to eat; the new Pier 64 in the Marina, the tiny Japanese San Kai which I constantly rave about, La Marina at the Custom House, and Ocho Lounge in the town centre.
However, Penarth is teaming with other places to visit so in the interests of research, I'm going to make a more concerted effort to try some new places and report on their foodie offerings.
So far, I've amassed the following. Do let me know if there's anywhere brilliant you think that I should try.
* The Fig Tree - I've heard mixed reviews but am intruiged by their chef's evenings and vegetarian Mondays. I'm also a sucker for places with sea views so their spot, on Penarth Esplanade, is enough to tempt me in.
* Cafe des Amis - Only noticed this place nestled next to the Washington Gallery a few weeks ago. Tea and cakes by day, candlelight and some tasty-sounding dishes by night mean that this is probably number one on my list.
* North Meets South cafe - Located at the top of Windsor Arcade this offers a range of interesting burgers and dishes from various cuisines and South African theming. Intruiging.
* Villa Napoli at the Glendale Hotel - The website promises an award-winning Italian experience whilst the menu offers a comprehensive range of dishes and a well-priced set menu.
* Neale's Restaturant at Holm House Hotel - A confession: I've looked for this hotel on Marine Parade a few times and never been able to find it. But once I do I'll be raring to try their Welsh inspired menu including dishes like Wild Sewin, or Welsh Pork Filler with Gwnt Y Draig cider, Carmarthen ham and mushrooms.Grady Atkins was their Head Chef before his recent move to the Park House in Central Cardiff.
* Jaflon - A Bangladeshi restaurant on Albert Road that was recommended in a Wales Online survey of best Indians in the area. They say "The lamb tikka starter is beautifully sweet and crispy on the outside and tender all the way through. The side salads are perfectly presented, the main course curries all haveconspicuously different, and interesting flavours and the service is polite and friendly". And that's good enough for me.
* Last but not least, The Olive Tree on Glebe Street. Recommended in the 2011 Michelin Guide and with a Head Chef trained by a chef from Le Gavroche, it's certainly on my do-to list asap. There are the usual A La Carte menus, an epic looking Sunday Lunch, and an early-bird option of 2 Courses £13.50 and 3 Course £17.50 before 7pm or 2 Courses £18.50 3 Courses £22.50 after 7pm.
If you've never ventured to Penarth to eat before, I recommend it. There's a range of choice and cuisine on offer as well as some great places to drink. That, however, is for another post...
However, Penarth is teaming with other places to visit so in the interests of research, I'm going to make a more concerted effort to try some new places and report on their foodie offerings.
So far, I've amassed the following. Do let me know if there's anywhere brilliant you think that I should try.
* The Fig Tree - I've heard mixed reviews but am intruiged by their chef's evenings and vegetarian Mondays. I'm also a sucker for places with sea views so their spot, on Penarth Esplanade, is enough to tempt me in.
* Cafe des Amis - Only noticed this place nestled next to the Washington Gallery a few weeks ago. Tea and cakes by day, candlelight and some tasty-sounding dishes by night mean that this is probably number one on my list.
* North Meets South cafe - Located at the top of Windsor Arcade this offers a range of interesting burgers and dishes from various cuisines and South African theming. Intruiging.
* Villa Napoli at the Glendale Hotel - The website promises an award-winning Italian experience whilst the menu offers a comprehensive range of dishes and a well-priced set menu.
* Neale's Restaturant at Holm House Hotel - A confession: I've looked for this hotel on Marine Parade a few times and never been able to find it. But once I do I'll be raring to try their Welsh inspired menu including dishes like Wild Sewin, or Welsh Pork Filler with Gwnt Y Draig cider, Carmarthen ham and mushrooms.Grady Atkins was their Head Chef before his recent move to the Park House in Central Cardiff.
* Jaflon - A Bangladeshi restaurant on Albert Road that was recommended in a Wales Online survey of best Indians in the area. They say "The lamb tikka starter is beautifully sweet and crispy on the outside and tender all the way through. The side salads are perfectly presented, the main course curries all haveconspicuously different, and interesting flavours and the service is polite and friendly". And that's good enough for me.
* Last but not least, The Olive Tree on Glebe Street. Recommended in the 2011 Michelin Guide and with a Head Chef trained by a chef from Le Gavroche, it's certainly on my do-to list asap. There are the usual A La Carte menus, an epic looking Sunday Lunch, and an early-bird option of 2 Courses £13.50 and 3 Course £17.50 before 7pm or 2 Courses £18.50 3 Courses £22.50 after 7pm.
If you've never ventured to Penarth to eat before, I recommend it. There's a range of choice and cuisine on offer as well as some great places to drink. That, however, is for another post...
300 Dishes Around the World: Red Hot World Buffet
Red Hot World Buffet
03-06 Hills Street
St David's
Dewi Sant
Cardiff CF10 2LE
Tel: 029 2034 2499
http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/redhot_cardiff.html
We all have our expectations of all you can eat buffet restaurants. They often involve lukewarm food congealing slowly under hot lamps, being elbowed out of the way by people jostling for tepid onion rings, and dishes often lacking their key component due to people shovelling the best bits of the dish onto their plates with gusto. A king prawn noodle dish without any king prawns, anyone?
Along with a range of other guests, I was invited to the launch night of Cardiff’s latest buffet restaurant Red Hot World Buffet but, due to other commitments, was unable to attend. You can read some thoughts on the launch on the blogs Cardiff Bites and Corpulent Capers . However, I was invited back to try the place on another evening and so ventured along with my other half last Friday night.*
Although located down on Hill Street, which is primarily an walkway linking the original St David’s shopping centre with the monolith that is the newer St David’s 2, Red Hot looks inviting from the outside with some dramatic flames and the ability to see inside through the huge glass windows. It was busy throughout the evening but didn’t feel too cramped, despite its size and capacitty. We were greeted by Sachin Bajpai, the Head of Brand and Corporate Marketing at the Red Hot company, who gave me a tour of the restaurant and introduced the mission statement of wanting to take all the good elements of a buffet and make them better. The emphasis is on service and quality of food, and he illustrated the ways in which the food is replenished and cooked with a focus on the customer being able to watch the dishes being created in front of their eyes.
In comparison to other Cardiff buffets there is logic to Red Hot that seems designed to prevent you from the usual all you can eat sin of throwing together random dishes onto a plate. A macaroni cheese taco experienced this year in America is a fine example of such culinary confusion. The flow of the food area presents salads and the sushi and fish first, before moving fairly logically from the Italian section of fresh from the oven pizzas and a live cooking pasta bar through to the British section (including some tasty cottage pie), the more typical fare of Indian and Chinese dishes, to the Tex Mex section and to the ready prepared desserts. The only lack of logic seemed to me to be that the live cooking dessert section was oddly located on the opposite side of the food area to the smaller desserts.
So, to the food. In the press release before the launch Helen Dhaliwal, Director of Red Hot World Buffet & Bar gave this comment; “At Red Hot, we aim to turn the image of the all-you-can-eat buffet on its head. Many people associate buffets with sub-standard cuisine, with vast vats of food that have been stewing all day. At Red Hot, our five-star chefs will cook food freshly to order in front of our customers’ eyes, so they can enjoy food of a very high standard.” How much does the restaurant live up to this aim?
Well, it's certainly better than any current buffet in Cardiff. Some dishes are obviously better than others but highlights were a freshly prepared creamy pesto pasta, the fresh salads, the Tex Mex tacos, and a small dish of lamb with spicy couscous. The sushi was slightly disappointing, however, and was the only thing that seemed like it had been sat out on display for a while. There had also been a case of shrimp theft by over-zealous eaters since the mooted shrimp and vegetable noodle dish only contained vegetables when I began to eat it. Not being a dessert lover I don’t feel qualified to pass judgement but my partner enjoyed the fresh waffle and banana ice-cream.
I’d return to Red Hot again in the future and its certainly somewhere I’d chose to go for a meal before the theatre or cinema, or whilst on a shopping trip. I like the policy of offering dishes in small ready-sized portions in bowls , like canapés, and there’s enough variety to ensure that a future visit would allow me to try the other cuisines on offer. It seemed to be very busy and I’m sure it’ll be a success. It may not be to everyone’s taste but it’s certainly a promising alternative to the existing buffets in the Cardiff area.
Costs: from £7.99 for lunch and from £12.99 for dinner.
• In the interest of transparency, our food and drink was complimentary on the night of our visit.
03-06 Hills Street
St David's
Dewi Sant
Cardiff CF10 2LE
Tel: 029 2034 2499
http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/redhot_cardiff.html
We all have our expectations of all you can eat buffet restaurants. They often involve lukewarm food congealing slowly under hot lamps, being elbowed out of the way by people jostling for tepid onion rings, and dishes often lacking their key component due to people shovelling the best bits of the dish onto their plates with gusto. A king prawn noodle dish without any king prawns, anyone?
Along with a range of other guests, I was invited to the launch night of Cardiff’s latest buffet restaurant Red Hot World Buffet but, due to other commitments, was unable to attend. You can read some thoughts on the launch on the blogs Cardiff Bites and Corpulent Capers . However, I was invited back to try the place on another evening and so ventured along with my other half last Friday night.*
Although located down on Hill Street, which is primarily an walkway linking the original St David’s shopping centre with the monolith that is the newer St David’s 2, Red Hot looks inviting from the outside with some dramatic flames and the ability to see inside through the huge glass windows. It was busy throughout the evening but didn’t feel too cramped, despite its size and capacitty. We were greeted by Sachin Bajpai, the Head of Brand and Corporate Marketing at the Red Hot company, who gave me a tour of the restaurant and introduced the mission statement of wanting to take all the good elements of a buffet and make them better. The emphasis is on service and quality of food, and he illustrated the ways in which the food is replenished and cooked with a focus on the customer being able to watch the dishes being created in front of their eyes.
In comparison to other Cardiff buffets there is logic to Red Hot that seems designed to prevent you from the usual all you can eat sin of throwing together random dishes onto a plate. A macaroni cheese taco experienced this year in America is a fine example of such culinary confusion. The flow of the food area presents salads and the sushi and fish first, before moving fairly logically from the Italian section of fresh from the oven pizzas and a live cooking pasta bar through to the British section (including some tasty cottage pie), the more typical fare of Indian and Chinese dishes, to the Tex Mex section and to the ready prepared desserts. The only lack of logic seemed to me to be that the live cooking dessert section was oddly located on the opposite side of the food area to the smaller desserts.
So, to the food. In the press release before the launch Helen Dhaliwal, Director of Red Hot World Buffet & Bar gave this comment; “At Red Hot, we aim to turn the image of the all-you-can-eat buffet on its head. Many people associate buffets with sub-standard cuisine, with vast vats of food that have been stewing all day. At Red Hot, our five-star chefs will cook food freshly to order in front of our customers’ eyes, so they can enjoy food of a very high standard.” How much does the restaurant live up to this aim?
Well, it's certainly better than any current buffet in Cardiff. Some dishes are obviously better than others but highlights were a freshly prepared creamy pesto pasta, the fresh salads, the Tex Mex tacos, and a small dish of lamb with spicy couscous. The sushi was slightly disappointing, however, and was the only thing that seemed like it had been sat out on display for a while. There had also been a case of shrimp theft by over-zealous eaters since the mooted shrimp and vegetable noodle dish only contained vegetables when I began to eat it. Not being a dessert lover I don’t feel qualified to pass judgement but my partner enjoyed the fresh waffle and banana ice-cream.
I’d return to Red Hot again in the future and its certainly somewhere I’d chose to go for a meal before the theatre or cinema, or whilst on a shopping trip. I like the policy of offering dishes in small ready-sized portions in bowls , like canapés, and there’s enough variety to ensure that a future visit would allow me to try the other cuisines on offer. It seemed to be very busy and I’m sure it’ll be a success. It may not be to everyone’s taste but it’s certainly a promising alternative to the existing buffets in the Cardiff area.
Costs: from £7.99 for lunch and from £12.99 for dinner.
• In the interest of transparency, our food and drink was complimentary on the night of our visit.
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