Gaby’s, Covent Garden.

Due to my work I find myself spending more time in London. I always enjoy visiting, but always with the knowledge that I escape (usually within a few days) the masses and apparent chaos. London is busy. I usually spend some time in the West End (Leicester Square) which is always full of tourists and theatre goers. In some ways a concentrate for commercial industry – my latest visit I must confess to spending a good 20 minutes perusing the curious offerings of the multi floored M&Ms store. The mind boggled, yet packed to the rafters! Alas, the same shops everywhere as in most city centres and commercial outlets. A real shame if like me you wish to find something different, unique and individual. There is, however a very great sanctuary, even amongst this behemoth of corporate banners….

Gaby’s Deli is located in the heart of London’s West End, yet once inside you would have no idea of its prime location. The décor is reminiscent of (to put it bluntly) a greasy spoon cafe, the hospitality is somewhat long in the tooth yet humble and the food is hearty, healthy, homely and vibrant.

I am so fond of this quirky eatery that I fully intend to pay many more visits in order to follow up my initial heads up review and will detail the wonderful foodie delights on offer at this non-Kosher Jewish deli which feature cold and hot salads, stews and global dishes.

Aside from the fine food, this place maintains a true identity within the local community and in particular the theatre community who have, in recent years, campaigned against increased rents in order to sustain their favourite hangout. In the true character of Gaby’s unpretentious condition you are very likely to encounter familiar famous faces, few tourists and no website.

Christmas at 10 Feet Tall

Festive wanderings in Cardiff…

Last week I was lucky enough to sample the Christmas Menu at 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. There were plenty of tasty treats to choose from on the stylish menu. Cardiff was full of Christmas ambiance, with the lights having been switched on and the warmth and festive glow of 10 Feet Tall was a welcome alternative to the nippy outside.

On arrival, the lovely barman (Rich), created some bespoke Christmas Cocktails to our personal tastes, as we were seated by the attentive waitress Alice, at our candlelit table. I sipped on a Christmas Collins (including fresh Clementine, gin, Demerara rum and pineapple), as my partner in food tried a very adult cocktail featuring top-shelf rum, plums, apple juice, the venue’s own Christmas Bitters, topped with fresh fruit. If you have a sweet tooth you can’t go wrong with this syrupy-sweet delight. The Christmas Collins Clementines reminded me of the Clementine sneaked into my Christmas stocking, as a child.

A tasty bespoke Cocktail

Christmas Collins

To start, I chose a Baby Prawn Tian with Avocado. This was a re-invented and updated take on a traditional Prawn Cocktail. The sweet prawns were well complimented by the colourful baby salad shoots, fresh, smoky tomato salsa and zingy sauce. My fellow diner went for the Gammon Hock & Apple Rillettes. This more-ish dish tied together all the seasonal treats, including the Christmas Ham – pulled and served with grated Pink Lady apples, on crisp toast with chutney.

Baby Prawn Tian with Avocado

Gammon Hock and Apple Rillettes

Following the starter we enjoyed a mini course (well another cocktail) – ‘Lavender Lady‘ which was a unique twist on a ‘White Lady’ cocktail. This smooth and fragrant tipple featured home-made lavender syrup, which gave it a refreshingly nostalgic kick and was stylized with aromatic dried lavender.

The Lavender Lady

The main courses swiftly arrived – Turkey stuffed with Apricot and Sage and a Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese Parcel. The turkey (Norfolk Black) was tenderly wrapped in smoky bacon and served with Brussels sprouts and crisp Pancetta. The parcel was a fantastic vegetarian alternative – light, buttery pastry, full of the sweetness of the medley of pumpkin, chutney and creamy goat’s cheese. The baby leeks were perfectly paired. Both courses were also accompanied by sumptuous roasties and roast vegetable crisps.

Turkey with Apricot and Sage Stuffing

Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese Parcel (v)

And then there was the dessert… It would have been rude not to have sampled a Christmas pud. The mini pud with Brandy sauce fit the bill well and the dark and rich chocolate tart with a yummy Salted Caramel Ice Cream was soon polished off!

Christmas pud and Brandy Sauce

Dark Chocolate Tart

I have to say we were rather spoiled by the venue.

It is evident that a personal touch is key to 10 Feet Tall’s approach.

For Christmas parties they offer a selection of luxurious Christmas Punches (that won’t break the bank), cleverly categorised under Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold. We tried a citrus-filled gin-generous Oranges and Lemon punch, very festive Old Fashioned Punch (with spicy nutmeg and a good slosh of American Bourbon).

But my top tip is for anyone who visits this Christmas, to try the Christmas Rumbullan. This smooth and smoky cocktail is really special – and the Caramelised apple slices were the icing on the cake!

10 Feet Tall’s Christmas menu is very reasonably priced (if you book before September – £14.95 for 2 or £17.95 for 3 courses) and buffets from £9, £12 or £15 per head. The bespoke punches are served in vintage crystal bowls and contain 20 servings working out at £1.25/£1.75 and £2.25 per head – simply so need to leave once you’ve satisfied your bellies then and brave the Christmas crowds at these wallet-friendly prices.
Click here for the full 10 Feet Tall Christmas Menu including the drinks menu.

How The Daffodil Got Its Trumpet

I recently visited The Daffodil restaurant in the heart of Montpelier, Cheltenham for a performance by The Ben Thomas Trio. The Daffodil is certainly a unique venue – formerly an art-deco style picture house, opened in the 1920’s. Following an extensive restoration by Mark Stephens in the late 90s, The Daffodil was brought back to its former vibrant glory as a stylish restaurant and venue.

The music was beautiful and atmospheric, and filled the bustling dining room, as I watched from the luxurious Circle Bar (positioned on the former balcony, with a fantastic view of the band). Before me, delicious dishes were served by attentive staff and high Afternoon Teas demolished.

Being enveloped in the mood of the place, I decided on a ‘Breakfast Club’ Cocktail. The name intrigued me and the quirky ingredients – Marmalade Vodka and Cotswold Marmalade. I had a lovely surprise when the cocktail arrived served in a marmalade jar, complete with chequered linen. Absolutely sumptuous!

The Breakfast Club Cocktail

Following a fresh and contemporary set from the trio, (featuring pianist Alex Steele and guitarist Mark Lawrence’, I finished the afternoon with a rich and smooth coffee. I was very with the beautifully blended Brazilian and Columbian mix), was just what I needed. The coffee can also be bought in the newly opened attached deli ‘ The Chef’s Pantry’, where plenty of tongue tingling nibbles can be found, including my sneaky treat – handcrafted, fragrant peppermint marshmallows. I would definitely recommend visiting this venue.

Live Jazz nights are regularly held on Monday Nights and Saturday lunchtimes.

The Breakfast Club Cocktail – with a homemade feel.

(Blog title taken from an informative Oxford University article)

Moreish Mexican Magic Medicine

I eat healthily these days, I suppose it’s a state of mind, but I do enjoy re-visiting my student comfort meals and giving them a healthy re-invention. In the days before I started cooking, perhaps my first few years of university, I was partial to the odd burrito. Before then, I’d tried my fair share of veggie chili, but never anything more adventurous than that, perhaps because then soya mince seemed like a bit of a cardboard cop-out. Rather lazily my first port of call was a certain O.E.P, burrito kit. Easy… cook the mince, add the spice and sauce, cheese, pre packed salad and you’re good to go. Still I was left wondering why I felt like I had a food-hangover the next day.

Needless to say, now a little more worldly, my health is not something I’m taking for granted and I’m keen to make meals that are full of colour and taste, but to source this from more natural and balanced ingredients. So here we have my accidentally healthy Mexican Magic Medicine. OK so there’s no real magic here but it is full of natural medicines – vitamins, ginger, garlic, spices… which do seem to magically make me feel good.

The first step was the burrito filling – I used pork mince (lean) here. A personal preference – I find beef a little heavier and pork more flavoursome. I cooked the meat in a frying pan until browned and crisp (more meaty flavours in the sauce this way). Then I added my spices – ground cinnamon, cumin, pepper, salt, and borrowing from other traditions a bit of smoked paprika. I cooked the crisp mince a little longer with these, then adding some fiery grated garlic and ginger (adding the garlic later on so as not to burn it as it turns bitter). Next I threw in a roughly chopped red onion and half a finely chopped sweet pepper. This was followed by a good squeeze of tomato purée, a cup of mixed tinned salsa beans (any tinned beans will do, even baked if you’re desperate) and a dash of Worcestershire Sauce and the remaining Tawny Port I had left (Worcestershire Sauce brings out the meatiness due to the anchovy content).

After cooking a little longer, in sploshed a tin of chopped tomatoes, a bouquet of coriander roughly torn, a crumbled chicken stock cube, a desert spoon of hot chocolate (yes I used instant hot chocolate powder) and a spoonful of instant coffee (decaf – the decaf is irrelevant – I just don’t consume caffeine). This was left to simmer as I blackened a sweet pepper and a few corn on the cobs, before grating a fine covering of cheese and finishing in the oven.

Shortly after this I steamed the rice that I’d forgotten about. I decided on an everyday rice – a nice fluffy long grain, as opposed to a Basmati. It has a softer more fragrant taste. I steamed 1 cup rice, to cups water, a pinch of salt and some honey for about 9 mins (covered) in the microwave. When finished I added some torn coriander. Keeping things simple here as there were quite a few flavour combinations going on elsewhere.

Whilst the rice steamed away happily, I made a quick salad of torn lettuce, sweet pepper, red spring onion and yellow and red baby plum tomatoes – dressed with olive oil and cider vinegar. Also accompanying the dishes was a freshly whizzed up guacamole (two ripe avocados (do remove the massive stone), half the juice of a lemon and a pinch of paprika and salt (served in the avocado shell).

The burritos were served with warmed wholemeal wraps, grated vintage cheddar, low fat crème fraîche (healthier than soured cream) and red jalapeños. How and in what manner a burrito is wrapped is not something I can advise on – fold it roll it, deconstruct it – if it tastes good its worked!

Note: This can be made entirely vegetarian, by substituting the mince for soya mince (pre soaked in stock and veggie Worcester Sauce), or Quorn mince or similar and the Chicken stock for Vegetable stock or Mushroon stock for a meatier taste.

Whisked Away – Chivas Whisky Tasting Session at 10 Feet Tall – Cardiff

Yesterday was a first for me. Rather intrigued by the prospect, I had booked myself on a whisky tasting session at Cardiff’s 10 Feet Tall. Now it should be known that I am not an avid drinker of Whisky, sticking more to Port, Brandy – drinks that I had thought a little easier on the palette. But the thought of trying a few different types of this tipple and learning a little in the process, seemed like a reassuring step into another world of taste.

10 Feet Tall, was as usual, full of very friendly staff, I was quickly led to the second floor, where things kicked off to a tasty start – A sweet and citrusy ‘Blood And Sand’ Daiquiri, accompanied by a canapé of black pudding and a juicy Duck bonbon. Some real thought had gone into the pairing, which perfectly accentuated the Chivas Regal Whisky in the cocktail – sampling 10 Feet Tall’s expertly made cocktails is a must! Following the more-ish nibbles, we were led to the tasting room, in the top floor of the venue. The whole room was laid out in a way that really set the scene … we were given tasting sheets, plenty of mixing tools and of course plenty of whisky.

Black pudding and a sweet duck bon bon to complement the Blood And Sand daiquiri.

The session was led by Phil Huckle – Brand ambassador for Chivas Regal and John-Paul Podvoiskis – brand ambassador for Pernod Ricard – a globally successful producer of premium spirits, of which Chivas is a part. Both were very enthusiastic hosts and clearly very passionate about the brand. Phil gave a brief but enlightening talk on the blends of Scotch Whisky we would experience – Speyside, Islay, the Highlands and Lowlands and also the Grain Whisky or ‘Mortar’ which would prevent the grains overpowering each other. With a few helpful pointers we were left to our own devices to mix a blend to take away with us at the end of the night – very generous! The room bustled with excitement and curiosity.

Single malts and grains are mixed and tasted, with water to aid the tasting.

The whole evening was a lot of fun and things were made even more interesting with a little bit of competition (best blend name and best tasting blend). I have to say (even with prior warning from Phil), I mized a little on the smoky side adding quite a bit of the peaty Islay blend – maybe romancing too much about the smell of wood fires. Another on my table went a little more subtly down this route, naming her blend ‘Dragon’s Cough’ – swiftly swiping the best name prize of Strathisla 12 (single malt Speyside). I have to say that the winner for me was ‘The Point Of No Return’, which was a lovely sweet mix, with more of the delicate notes of the Lowland blend, it contained a high proportion of the grain whisky, which gave it a beautiful brandy like tone – reminiscent of Christmas time.

Phil had earlier given a nod to the fact that blended whiskies are sometimes associated with being the poorer cousin of the single malt. The evening definitely served to highlight that blended whiskies can indeed be a flavour sensation and offer as much if not more than single malts. I’ve never really paired whisky with food, but the canapés and the array of different colours and flavours has definitely inspired me to use them more both in and to accompany my cooking. A great evening was finished with a rich and warming sip of the some of the more aged whiskies. Definitely give Chivas 18 or 25 a try! The event was clearly enjoyed by all who attended and there was a definite buzz about the place that night. The momentum was maintained throughout and there was plenty to entertain and no shortage of tastes to tingle the tongue. I would definitely recommend booking a place on one of 10 Feet Tall’s tasting events!

A finished personal blend from one of the attendees. A loving leaving memento.

The First Mouthful

The first of many more morsels… A few years ago, I started a food blog, whilst living in Cardiff. I found myself immersed in a bustling city full of tasty experiences and decided to share a little of my experiences, from visits to local eateries to my own cookery creations. Having returned to Cardiff, a little more worldly, following a fantastic cultural interlude in the beautiful Wye Valley, it seemed an opportunity missed not to see how things have developed and take a look at some of the places I’d yet to visit and to once again envelop myself in what my local surroundings have to offer. So here we have the relaunch of my musings.

Recent Encounters –

Bunkhouse:

Bunkhouse is situated on St Mary Street, Cardiff and conveniently very near Cardiff Central Station. An interesting find, as the name suggests, as well as a cosy meeting place its is a reasonably priced bunkhouse/hostel. Bunkhouse offers an eclectic and very welcoming experience. It is full of comfortable sofas and day beds and more quirky fairy lights and parasols that brightly dress the interior, making it a great, bustling place to meet friends.

It has a European ‘café-culture’ feel about it, the people inside were deep in conversation, and there was an over-all very relaxed feel about the place. I was (in all honesty) there to try the Beer among other things, having read a recommendation – I’m always on the hunt for an alternative to the pub to sample local or indeed more exotic brews.

Greeted with a friendly smile from behind the bar, having asked a few questions about what was on offer, I was swiftly offered a few samples of beer, to aid me in my choice. A good call really as one was a little to dark a beer for my liking. In the end I settled on a beer called ‘Delirium Tremens’, a heady blond Belgian fermented  beer (8.5%)- attentively served in the appropriate glass. I also couldn’t resist trying some of the fruitier ‘Floris’ beers on offer  (also made by the ‘Delirium’ Brewery, Belgium) – ‘Fraise’ and ‘Passion’ both amber beers (3.6%). Having recently been introduced to Baccus Cherry Beer (a West Flanders Kriek beer), I was intrigued to see how these other Belgian beers would compare. ‘Fraise’ had a very strong Strawberry taste – perhaps a little on the perfumed side for me, but ‘Passion’ was refreshing, aromatic and light. They were good appetisers, perfect for a summer’s day and well suited to their light and colourful setting. Great to see too that Bunkhouse also stocks ‘Celt‘ beers, made by a Caerphilly based Welsh craft brewery.

I would definitely recommend Bunkhouse,  as a relaxing alternative to some of Cardiff’s heaving bars.

10 Feet Tall

I have to say that in all the time I’ve lived in Wales and indeed in Cardiff, I had never ventured into 10 Feet Tall (Church Street Cardiff). More of a frequenter of cafés and coffee shops, I perhaps, rather to quickly concluded that it was just another bar. However, on a recent trip to Cardiff, whilst passing the market, I made my first visit.

On entering, I soon found a lovely, comfy seat by the window and made my way to the bar to take a peek. There were plenty of places to sit (or stand), as the place is rather generously spread over three floors. My beer choice was gladly helped along by a fresh (and complimentary) bowl of hot, sweet popcorn.

The bar man was knowledgeable on the choice of beers available and having given a few mysterious clues as to what types of tipple I enjoyed, he was able to decipher this and suggested some of ‘Celt’s‘ locally brewed beers. Some of those I tried were – ‘Lammas Harvest’  (a Berliner Weiss style Beer) and ‘Goddess Of The Spring’ (a Farmhouse Saison). ‘Lammas Harvest’ promised Gooseberry and Thyme and boy did it deliver. Full of punch and tang, this tart beer was crisp, refreshing and sharp with the subtle hint of herb tying the bouquet together – not to be missed this one, and would go great with fish. ‘Goddess Of the Spring’ was a little more subdued in the Strawberry sense, but was again a pleasantly fresh beer.

On a second visit to the venue, I sampled some of the food on offer. Choosing a sharing platter (as with friends), there was a good choice of food, from standard style nibbles (very moreish onion rings) to something a little different (Steamed Coconut Bao Buns). All great comforting food, made by passionate staff.

I would very much recommend 10 Feet Tall, a great place to meet and immerse yourself.

10 Feet Tall, also offers a variety of music/club nights and other creative activities, including life drawing , run by ‘Cardiff Life Models’ and has a tempting daily 2-4-1 cocktail offer.