Grainger Market - Cheese, Cheese and More Cheese!

On average, I'd say I visit Grainger Market at least once a week. I buy all my fruit and vegetables there because it's ridiculously cheap. My favourite thing about Grainger Market by far is the cheese counter. I have discovered some very unusual cheeses there, some nice and others not so nice.

My first discoveries were; sticky toffee pudding cheese with dates and raisins and white stilton with strawberries and champagne. I wasn't too keen on the white stilton, it left an odd taste in your mouth. The sticky toffee pudding cheese was delicious. Although, you wouldn't want to eat too much of it as it could quickly become sickly as it was rather sweet. However, it is a very clever cheese, when you can't choose between a pudding and cheese you can now have both!

My second discoveries were; cheddar with walnuts, Wensleydale with pineapple and white stilton with mango and ginger. The first two were incredible! However, I wasn't overly keen on the white stilton again. I think I will avoid it from now on!

I decided to make a lunch-time omelette with the cheddar. I made it using 3 eggs, a little milk, some spinach and black pepper. It was different but surprisingly nice. The cheese added flavour to the omlette and the walnuts added texture.

The Hand and Flowers - 25/07/11 and The Crazy Bear 26/07/11

I went to stay with my friend Tegan who lives is High Wycombe for a few days during the summer. Herself and her family are huge foodies so I knew some good food would be on the cards.

On the Monday night we went to The Hand and Flowers in Marlow. The Hand and Flowers is a 2 Michelin starred pub, the first of it's kind! Tom Kerridge's food is SENSATIONAL!

Quail tart with green olives, chicory and aged gruyère

Breast of Suffolk chicken with pistachio crumble, lovage poached celery, soft polenta and spring truffle

Essex lamb “bun” with sweetbreads and salsa verde

Warm pistachio sponge cake with melon sorbet and marzipan

Raspberry soufflé with muscovado ice-cream and mint sauce

On the Tuesday night we went to The Crazy Bear in Beaconsfield. What a fantastic place! Great food and the décor is incredible.

Pan-seared Lyme Bay scallops with cauliflower puree, pickled pears and crispy kale

Trio of farm reared lamb - rack, shoulder and kidney with dauphinoise potatoes, pea purée, rosemary and garlic jus

Salted butter caramel served with dark chocolate sorbet and peanut and corn snow wafer.

Clearly I Eat at The Crabmill Far Too Much!

Moroccan butternut, chickpea and pinenut strudel with tabbouleh and mint yoghurt

Sweet potato cornbeef hash with deep fried boiled egg and brown sauce

Italian tuna carpaccio with olives, capers, parmesan, lemon and rocket

Apple and cinnamon ice-cream with toffee apple and berry compote sundae

Raspberry mousse with chocolate jelly and crème fraiche sorbet

Baked Oxford blue cheesecake with hazelnut and oat biscuit base with red pepper jam

Seared scallops, crispy parma ham, asparagus, tomato and basil salsa

Barbeque chicken, chorizo and smoked applewood panini

Smoked haddock, chorizo and spinach macaroni cheese

Pork tenderloin wrapped in parma ham, roast beetroot, courgettes and pear with hazelnut dressing

The Crabmill - 31/05/11

I had never been to the Crabmill at Preston Bagot before but I had heard good things about it. It is situated between Henley-in-Arden and Claverdon and it is what I would call a modern dining pub. I would say it is a fairly sophisticated venue, yet the atmosphere is informal and relaxed and you immediately feel welcome and at ease. The décor is a mixture of old and new. The interior has been styled in a particularly charming and unique manner. The bar area is spacious yet cosy at the same time. The restaurant area has been split into four sections, all of which are individually decorated. The chairs in each of the sections are different, one section has white and black leather chairs, another has wicker like chairs, with arms, that are covered in grey fur and another has a leather bench running down one side of the table, this being in the narrower section of the restaurant. There are old beams which I adore. They give the place character and the feel of a ‘proper’ pub. The beams are complemented by antique mirrors and open fires. There is a small outside area where you are able to drink or dine al fresco. Dogs are allowed in the bar area, where there is a glass jar of dog treats awaiting them. The place is always busy which indicates its popularity. My only initial criticism was that there was a waiter wearing shorts, skater trainers and white socks. It just looked SO wrong. He looked like he belonged down the local skate park, not at work. Smart, converse like, pumps have become good friends to waiters and waitresses feet, but trainers, for me, are just a huge NO NO!!! However, they have their own staff t-shirts which is something I really like.

My brother, James, and I visited the Crabmill at lunch-time. The menu was fantastic, I didn’t know where to look first as I was handed three menus; the a la carte, a specials menu and a lunch-time snack menu. The a la carte menu would have been enough on its own, but by no means am I complaining, it’s lovely to have so much choice, although it does make ordering very difficult when there are so many delicious sounding dishes to choose from. I think I was practically drooling as I read the menu. The menu changes on a regular basis which I love. The snack menu wasn’t just simply sandwiches, you had; paninis, bagels, pittas and chapatti. I was beginning to think this place was a little bit unique and something quite special.

We ordered 3 starters because the menu was that good that it just HAD to be done. We opted for; Smoked haddock gnocchi with spinach, bacon and applewood cheese, Salt and pepper whitebait with straw chips and tartare sauce and Seared scallops with English asparagus, parma ham and hollandaise. Whilst we were waiting for our starters we were given some bread. It was really soft and fresh and it was served with a really interesting and tasty butter. The butter consisted of sun-blushed tomato, spring onion, onion and black pepper. It was only a small adaptation but it made such a refreshing change. The gnocchi was extremely good. It was of a particularly generous size and was neither stodgy nor overly creamy. You could taste each individual ingredient and no ingredient was more prominent that another. You didn’t have to go ‘fishing’ through the dish with your fork to find pieces of haddock, there was plenty. The applewood cheese flavour didn’t overpower the dish, it was quite subtle and it complemented the smoked haddock really well. The bacon gave the dish a bit of texture as it added a crisp element to the softness of the dish. Some gnocchi can be overly filling but this dish was spot on. The whitebait was a really intriguing dish in terms of aesthetics. It was like a miniature fish and chips presented in a unique and imaginative way. Whitebait isn’t something I would usually choose but I am glad I did. The whitebait had been battered in flour and salt and pepper and you could really tell that it had been done in-house. The pepper gave it a little kick when you bit into it and this was then cooled by the refreshing tartare sauce, which red onion had been added to. This was a really lovely twist and gave it the edge over bog-standard tartare. The straw chips were like ultra-thin dried chips that were perfectly salty. It was served with lime instead of lemon which I liked. It was both a brilliant concept and starter. The scallops looked incredible. The dish sounded quite unusual when I read it on the menu. I had never seen scallops done with asparagus before but it worked beautifully. The dish consisted of four scallops and the corals had been left on. So many places don’t leave the coral on. It is a delicious part of the scallop, it adds a little colour and I think scallops look more appetising with it on. The scallops were cooked to perfection. It was an amazing dish with lots of different flavours and textures that complemented one another perfectly. You had the softness of the scallops, the saltiness of the parma ham and the crunchiness of the asparagus, which was gorgeously fresh. What pleased me the most is that there wasn’t too much hollandaise on the plate as it can sometimes be too rich and overpowering.

For main I chose the; Gressingham duck breast with dauphinoise potatoes, roasted courgettes and red pepper and tomato salsa and James chose the; Parmesan and caper crumbed lamb rump with dauphinoise potatoes, samphire and basil jus. My duck was unbelievable, it just melted in your mouth. It was cooked to perfection, pink as I’d asked for. I thought salsa was an odd thing to serve with duck, which is what intrigued me to order it but it worked beautifully as it complemented the flavour of the duck. The salsa was exceedingly fresh. It was made from red pepper, tomato, spring onion and fennel seeds. The fennel seeds gave it a slight aniseed taste and a bit of a kick. The dauphinoise potatoes weren’t too creamy or garlicky. The roasted courgettes were lovely and still had a slight crunch to them which gave the dish texture. The courgettes also worked well with the salsa. The jus served with it was lovely and light and didn’t overpower the salsa. I had a taste of James’ lamb and like my duck it was amazingly tender and just melted in your mouth. I’ve never seen samphire served with lamb before, I’ve only ever seen it served with fish. However, it worked as the saltiness of the samphire complemented the saltiness of the lamb’s parmesan and caper crumbed crust.

You would think by this time we were fit to bursting but oh no! I’ve talked about that separate space in your stomach for pudding before and this was still definitely the case, even after three starters and two mains between the two of us. Quite frankly, it’s rude not to have pudding. In true ‘Staite’ style we ordered three puddings. We ordered;Strawberry ice-cream and chocolate sundae (we saw one arrive at another table and had to have one, who says looks don’t matter?), Warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream and Baked blueberry cheesecake with rhubarb compote.  The sundae was my favourite out of the three. It had lots of hidden elements to it which I loved. The chef had put exotic fruits in it which gave it an interesting texture. You would get a soft piece of chocolate brownie and then the crunch of a pomegranate seed. It was yummy. The chocolate brownie was fairly average. It was lovely and gooey and not overly rich. The cheesecake was a bit of a let-down. The rhubarb compote was unnecessary as it completely over-powered the cheesecake. The blueberry flavour wasn’t apparent throughout and the base was a little soft and soggy, I prefer it to have a crunch to it.

All in all; a stunning place, impressive and unique food, reasonable prices and outstanding service. The staff were attentive, friendly and knew their stuff. If I asked them a question they could answer it without running off to ask the chef. The Crabmill is definitely now a strong contender for the title of ‘my favourite place to eat in Warwickshire’.

Dinner at Cafe 21 - 23/05/11

What better way to celebrate finishing both my last exam and my first year of university than a meal at Café 21. Some would rather go out and get ‘mortal’ (a Geordie word I have picked up), whereas I would rather drink fine wine and cocktails, whilst eating good food. This was to be my last meal at Café 21 for 4 months, due to me going home for the summer, so I thought I’d make the most of it by ordering off of the a la carte menu. At the end of the day, what’s a student overdraft for? I would probably get a huge shock if I had kept all of my restaurant receipts from September. Half of my loan and part-time wages have probably been spent on food alone. However, food is my passion and it makes me happy therefore, I feel it is justified.

For starter, I chose the rare salmon spring rolls with citrus/soy dipping sauce. Due to the number of times I have now eaten at Café 21 I have nearly eaten or at least tasted everything on the starters. I’d only had a bite of the salmon spring rolls when Tegan had ordered them once before so I was intrigued to try them properly. The dish consisted of three decent sized salmon spring rolls and a little round dish of soy/citrus dipping sauce. They were delicious, the salmon was perfectly rare, it didn’t verge on being sushi-fied or cooked through, it sat perfectly in the middle. It was lovely and pink. Coriander was very apparent in the spring rolls but it didn’t overpower the salmon, it gave the spring rolls a really fresh flavour. They weren’t at all greasy, they were lovely and crisp. The sauce wasn’t bitter like you might expect it to be and it complemented the spring rolls beautifully. Soy and salmon work really well together. Katie and Sophie both had a bite of them and agreed that they were scrumptious.

For main, I chose the medallions of Northumbrian venison with cherries, grapes and walnuts. It was probably the best dish I have ever eaten at Café 21. I couldn’t fault it at all. The venison was cooked to perfection. It was pink in the middle and it just melted in your mouth. The texture and flavour within the dish was unbelievable. You had the richness of the venison, the sweetness and softness of the cherries and the grapes and the crunchy texture of the walnuts. It was served with a juniper berry jus, which was to die for, and a butternut squash puree which added wonderful colour to the dish. There were also a couple of pieces of pancetta on top of the venison medallions which again added an extra element and flavour to the dish. The venison came served with gratin potatoes which I adore. They are similar to dauphinoise potatoes. They are extraordinarily creamy and were the perfect accompaniment. The venison was served on green beans and cabbage which added extra colour to the dish. It was a really warm looking dish that you couldn’t help but to want to eat. The reds, yellows and dark greens created a welcomingly appetising dish. I really didn’t want it to come to an end and I would have quite happily licked my plate had I not been in public. I did have to use a spoon to make sure every drop of the juniper jus was devoured.

For pudding, I chose the Yorkshire rhubarb crumble soufflé with ginger ice cream and the raspberry and fromage blanc vacherin. The reason I chose two is because I was intrigued by both and couldn’t make my mind up. The pudding menu offers a wonderful choice of original desserts, hence why my decision was so difficult. I wanted to try the lot. I did share the vacherin with everyone else though, I’m not THAT greedy. The soufflé stood proud in the coffee cup it was served in, this was a lovely visual element. The soufflé was pink and the crumble topping sat on top so you had this light and fluffy soufflé with the crunch of the crumble topping. It was a wonderful contrast in texture. The rhubarb taste wasn’t apparent in the soufflé itself, the rhubarb was hidden at the bottom of the cup. The raspberry vacherin was gorgeous. It was so refreshing, especially after eating two courses. It is a semi-frozen dessert so the raspberry takes the form of a sorbet and is moulded with the fromage blanc and crushed meringue. There were little pieces of thyme sprinkled around the plate which added an interesting but delicate flavour to the dessert.

Katie, Sophie and Lucy ate off the early evening menu. Katie had; Terrine of Northumbrian venison with a pickled beetroot salad, roast fillet of cod with tomatoes, pickled cucumbers and capers and petit pot au chocolat with churros. Sophie had; a salad of poached salmon with Jersey royals and pea shoots, grilled chicken breast with wild mushrooms, watercress salad and mustard dressing and palet d’Or of wild Bolivian chocolate with hazelnut ice cream. Lucy had; garden pea soup with gran reserva ham, minute steak with herb butter, chips and salad and petit pot au chocolat with churros. I’ve had the chocolate pot before. The idea behind it being that you dip the churros, which are Spanish strips of fried dough dusted with sugar or cinnamon, into an espresso cup filled with dark chocolate and orange. It’s yummy but very rich and it can get messy, not ideal for a first date, just like camembert.

Dinner at Cafe 21 - 13/05/11

Café 21 is by far the best place I have found to eat in Newcastle so far. It’s slightly pricier than other restaurants in Newcastle but it’s worth shelling out the extra pennies for. I never leave feeling disappointed. I just leave with a dented bank balance. Tegan and I started our evening off with two Cosmopolitans, this has become our standard procedure. It’s our favourite cocktail and you can always taste the vodka in it. We decided to eat off of the early evening menu as it is excellent value for money - 2 courses for £16.50 or 3 courses for £20.00.

To start with, I opted for the soft boiled hen’s egg with asparagus soldiers. Tegan opted for the peppered venison salad with celery hearts and grapes. I felt that my dish looked a little sparse. The egg cup was served on a fairly large plate which left it looking lonely. There wasn’t quite enough asparagus to dip into the egg but I loved the concept of the dish and still thoroughly enjoyed it. I tasted the venison salad and it was delicious, the venison just melted in your mouth. The walnuts added texture to the dish and the grapes added a sweet element that complemented the venison.

For main course, I opted for the roast loin of pork with summer vegetables and mashed potato. Tegan opted for the ricotta gnocchi with sage and browned butter. My pork was delicious. It was so moist and flavoursome. It was served on spring cabbage and green beans and there were a few slices of pancetta hiding underneath the pork which was a nice little surprise. It added a slightly smoky flavour to the dish. The mash was so smooth and creamy. Café 21 definitely does the best mash I have ever tasted. I had a taste of the gnocchi and you could tell it was home-made. It was the best gnocchi I have ever tasted. It wasn’t at all stodgy, the ricotta just oozed out when you cut into it. It was served with a rocket and parmesan salad and didn’t require a sauce as the browned butter kept it moist.

For pudding, I opted for the vanilla parfait with rhubarb. Tegan opted for the baked apple crumble cheesecake. My pudding was gorgeous. I love iced parfait. This one had a thin base on it which I’ve never had before but it added texture to the dish and was incredibly light. The rhubarb wasn’t overly sweet and the dish was served with toasted pistachio nuts which again added texture to the dish. Tegan wasn’t overly satisfied with her pudding. She thought it was more like an apple crumble pie than a cheesecake, especially because of the pastry case it was served in. I tasted it and there was an apparent lemon taste to it, the apple was more of a hidden flavour. She enjoyed it, it just wasn’t what she expected.

We finished our meal off with two Moscow mule cocktails and a cheese plate. I am a big cheese lover, so much so that I sometimes wonder if I was a mouse in a previous life. The cheese plate was substantial. There were five pieces of different cheeses as well as grapes and celery. It was the perfect round off to a delicious meal. 

The Broad Chare - 06/05/11

It was the opening night at The Broad Chare and the place was alive. The bar area was absolutely rammed which created a real buzz when you walked through the door. We headed straight upstairs to the dining area. It isn’t an overly large space which creates a really cosy atmosphere, as does the bar area downstairs. The specials and fish dishes were written on blackboards and mirrors around the room. I thought that was a really nice touch and in-keeping with the interior of a pub. Each day there is a dish of the day which includes typical pub grub, such as; pies, fish and chips, steak and kidney pudding and stews, all at a reasonable price of £11.50. They serve traditional bar snacks with a twist; pork pies, scotch eggs, crackling, pig’s ears, oysters and cauliflower fritters. However, overall the menu choice was smaller than I had imagined.

To start, Tegan and I both had the dressed crab which was on the blackboard.  It was presented like a tian, in that it was moulded into a circle and had the white crab meat layered underneath the brown crab meat. The brown crab meat had been mixed with tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and English mustard. I felt it overpowered the white crab meat a little as it became quite rich after a few mouthfuls. The white crab meat, however, was deliciously fresh and delicate. The crab was served with salad leaves and a wholegrain mustard celeriac remoulade. The mustard was very apparent and again I felt that it was slightly too overpowering when combined with the delicate crab. I felt the crab was over-shadowed by all of the other flavours. The remoulade was gorgeous on its own though. We also tried the cauliflower fritters with curry mayonnaise. They were scrumptious. They were perfectly crisp and weren’t at all greasy. The curry mayonnaise wasn’t too hot and complemented them perfectly.

For main course, I chose the grilled dayboat plaice with brown shrimps and capers. Tegan chose the calves’ liver with bacon and onions, which I’ve had before, but at Café 21. My dish consisted of four small fillets of plaice, which was plenty as plaice is quite a rich fish. The plaice was accompanied by a lovely herb butter and served with new potatoes. The plaice fillets themselves were sat on cabbage leaves. My only criticism was that I felt there weren’t enough brown shrimps. The plaice itself was gorgeous. I had a taste of Tegan’s liver. The liver was lovely and soft and flavoursome but not quite pink enough. Tegan felt the crispy onions that were served on top were a little too salty and I agreed.

For pudding, I chose the custard tart and Tegan chose the Vahlrona chocolate mousse. Both puddings were £5 each, which I thought was amazing value. The tart contained more filling than pastry which is how it should be and the pastry was lovely and light. The tart itself wasn’t overly sweet. The custard flavour was very apparent and the sweetness of the home-made vanilla ice cream, it came served with, complemented it perfectly. I have never tasted vanilla ice cream like it, it was amazing! The scoop of ice cream came served on a sprinkle of crumble topping which added texture to the dish as it contrasted with the softness of the tart and ice cream and gave the dish a little crunch. I had a taste of Tegan’s chocolate mousse. Tegan didn’t want to eat it because it looked so gorgeous. It was served in a circular terracotta dish with a huge home-made chocolate fan on top. It wasn’t too sweet but it wasn’t bitter either nor was it overly rich or thick like some mousses can be. It was smooth and light and didn’t become sickly after eating spoonful after spoonful.

The food at The Broad Chare is a modern and sophisticated twist on ‘pub grub’ and is very reasonably priced. Definitely worth a visit!

Dinner at Marco Polo - 15/05/11

I am a massive fan of Marco Polo in Newcastle. I have been there to eat on numerous occasions. I’d say out of all the restaurants that I’ve eaten at in Newcastle I have eaten at Marco Polo the most. It’s an Italian restaurant but the menu offers so much more than just pizza and pasta.  The food is really good and it’s excellent value for money. I tend to go there with my parents for lunch when they are dropping me off or picking me up as it gives them a nice break between journeys and they love it.

I have nearly sampled the whole menu but I chose the chargrilled lamb cutlets with baked goats cheese, baby spinach, sun-blushed tomatoes and salsa verde. Tegan chose the grilled swordfish with tomato, mint and white crab linguine. Lamb and goat’s cheese aren’t two things that you often find on the same plate but they complement one another beautifully. The goat’s cheese didn’t overpower the flavour of the lamb at all or make the dish overly rich, as lamb is a fairly rich meat anyway. The goat’s cheese was deep-fried. The crisp texture of the outside of it contrasted with the smooth and soft texture of the lamb, whereas the gooey inside complemented it. The two flavours were in perfect synchronisation. The lamb was served pink and was deliciously juicy, tender and flavoursome. The three lamb cutlets came served on top of broccoli, green beans and baby spinach. There was a really minty taste to all of the vegetables which gave the whole dish a really fresh flavour. The salsa verde was served on top of the chops and was a little too vinegary for my liking.

For pudding I chose the roast rhubarb and white chocolate panna cotta. Tegan chose the pear sorbet. The pear sorbet came served with a piece of dried pear on top which was a nice touch. The panna cotta was absolutely amazing. It was so light and creamy and you could really taste the white chocolate. It wasn’t overly sweet and the rhubarb complemented the white chocolate beautifully. It was served with an Italian wafer which added texture to the dish and was fantastic for scooping up the panacotta with. The roast rhubarb wasn’t in the panna cotta itself, it was served as a compote in a little kilner jar which I thought was a really lovely touch in terms of presentation.