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9th May 2008
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| John's Page |
9th May 2008 |
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Personal thoughts from the Festival Director - not necessarily endorsed by the Festival Organisers. Notes for the Month - May, 2008 Corned Beef Hash We had some corned beef slices left over from a recent birthday party on the boat and I decided to make it into hash, as I hate waste. Turning to the internet I found a wide variety of recipes and styles. My chef friend David had some suggestions too but said he had never made any himself. I decided to make corned beef rissoles. Here is how. I diced some potatoes and put them into boiling water. After a couple of minutes I added some diced carrots and then 5 minutes later some frozen peas. These were cooked after another 5 minutes, so I drained them and added them to some onions which had been finely sliced and softened in butter. After lightly mashing them I added some chopped corned beef and stirred. I made these into balls and then flattened them and fried until light brown on each side. Really tasty. The Meal What makes a good restaurant? What makes a good meal? Clearly there must be good food and good service. I guess ambiance must enter into it as well, but what else? I set about thinking of my top 10 eating places. I have listed these below in alphabetical order. You may find some surprises. Why not email me with your list? Anchor & Hope - The Cut (near Waterloo Station, London) This is currently my favourite place in London. In addition to offering a choice of 4 sherries, an excellent wine list sensibly priced and fantastic service, they serve what I believe to be superb innovative cooking in a kitchen which is open to the punters so you can check. Technically a gastro-pub, you cannot book here, so get there at noon or 6.00 to be sure of a table. Seems full all the time and definitely not expensive. Casa Romana - Albion Street, Leicester Roberto never advertises and there is no sign outside to tell you have arrived, but this family-run Italian restaurant is always full. Only disadvantage: they are not open Saturday lunchtime or Sundays! My Italian friends tell me it is the only place outside Italy you can get real Italian food. Chez Moi Not sure about including this but at the end of the day I CAN cook, at least to my satisfaction, so as regular readers of this page will know, I was happy serving 12 a 7 course dinner for my 65th, and am equally happy cooking for Helen and myself on several evenings a week. Why not come to one of our Festival Dinners to get the idea? Gordon Ramsey Having eaten at several very up-market places, including some that others claimed to be "the best ever" I did think that Hambleton Hall, near to me, produced some of the finest meals I have ever experienced. However, a couple of visits to Gordon Ramsey's in Chelsea, proved to me that there was better and that the place richly deserved the 10/10 in that year's Good Food Guide. Hambleton Hall Definitely one of the best food experiences ever. Although the food does not quite have the variety of techniques that Gordon Ramsey's does, the ambiance overlooking Rutland Water makes this one of the best packages out. Turn up for lunch on a Spring or Autumn day, sit out on the terrace for canapés and post meal drinks, eat off the set lunch menu and you will have an experience that is quite unforgettable. Eat à la carte, spend a little more, and the food is sublime. The owner, Tim Hart, has opened a restaurant in Nottingham, named, not surprisingly, "Harts". Here you will eat food that is not quite so complicated, in an ambiance that is in the middle of a large city but that nevertheless will leave you wanting to come back for more. Keep it for ever Tim. Halli - Leicester Halli Restaurant authentic Southern Indian vegetarian cuisine has roots from Udupi, a village(Halli) in Karnataka. The menu is 100% pure vegetarian food with over 50 items to choose from. Some wonderful dishes here which even my staunch carnivore friends enjoy. Excellent service and cheap as well. Lambs Stratford upon Avon is a busy, touristy town well known for its links to Shakespeare. There are a large number of restaurants, most of which seem very over-priced or run-of the mill chains. However, we always visit Lambs, on Sheep Street, where the service is good and the food excellent. Leigh on Sea - Osborne's Cockle Sheds I have been going here for 65 years (since a baby!) and it doesn't seem to have changed. Freshly boiled cockles (or a selection of other sea food, just as fresh) washed down with a pint of beer from the Crooked Billet pub which shares the eating space with it. Wonderful! Moshi Moshi Sushi (Liverpool Street) Japanese Restaurant I first experienced real sushi here. Get there early and sit by the conveyor belt; choose your food as it goes by and watch the chefs at work in the centre. Wetherspoons Why do I include a chain? Simply because we have found that despite the possible problems of fast food, in general it is consistently tasty, well served and utterly reliable. If you have to eat out in a strange city, here is the place to try. |
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