food, reviews and of course coffee
This photo appeared in David’s photostream recently from his holiday in France. It reminded me of the typical French picnics I use to eat in France when I was young and on my last visit there (back in the 1990s). There is something very French about a French flute or baguette, pate, cheese and fresh tomatoes. Maybe some saucisson sec or other dried salami. Washed down with a small bottle of French lager or possibly a glass of red wine. Just hungry thinking about it.
A fine ale from the Badger Brewery.
I was a bit wary after a while back buying Golden Glory, that was one weird beer with a “foral peach and melon aroma” though it smelt of a cheap old lady’s perfume! That was a ghastly beer.
So what of Fursty Ferret, originally brewed at the Gribble Inn, it became part of the Badger Brewery range when the Brewery bought the Gribble Inn in 1991. It’s a really nice refreshing bitter and very tasty. I will be getting it again.
Out of all my local pubs and eateries, coffee shops aside, I have probably been to the Summerhouse more than any other.
A few years ago it went through a phase of poor quality and a lack of imagination, but on a more recent visit, the magic seemed to be back. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a gastropub or a magnet for foodies, this is a pub that sells pub food. It’s of decent value and my experience recently is that it is also of decent quality.
One of the nice things about the menu, are the specials, and though these disappeared a few years ago, they have been back on the menu now for a while. The main menu alongside the traditional pub fare has a few things that raised my eyebrows. Kerlan Cod, a cod loin covered in a Keralan sauce made with coconut milk, mussels, spinach, green chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Greek Lamb, tender lamb with cherry tomatoes, raisins, aubergine and black olives in a red wine and mint sauce, served with cous cous.
On a recent visit, though tempted by the specials, I in the end opted for the ribeye steak with chips. A very traditional pub meal and one that really shouldn’t be a problem for any decent pub kitchen.
Well so how was it?
I asked for my steak to be cooked rare, and it was cooked just how I like it, medium-rare. It was a good steak and was quite tender. The chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside. These were traditional chips, no french fries here (though I do prefer fries). The mushroom was grilled, as was the tomato and worked well. The peas were peas and nothing special there.
I got what I ordered, it was cooked well.
Alongside my steak I had a pint of Marston’s Pedigree, there is a wider choice of beers in the bar area, and you could have one of those if you wanted.
As for the service, it was just right, not too intrusive and there just when you needed it. That is quite a challenge, sometimes the service can be too “in your face” which is a style that has come over from America, that doesn’t always work too well here in Blighty, or you have the other extreme, where you can never find a member of the waiting team when you need them.
Overall we enjoyed our experience and food and will be going again. It’s as though the magic has returned to the Summerhouse.
For the first time in ages today I went into Pret A Manger in London (on Great Peter Street) and ordered a Flat White. I don’t know why, but I never seem to go to Pret, I can’t recall the last time I was in one. Trying to recall if I have even had a coffee in one of their branches. It’s not as though there aren’t a fair few about.
Well I was in and ordered a Flat White, could they get this right?
First issue was that, they only had takeout paper cups. That’s probably why I don’t go there… I am not a great fan of spending a small fortune on coffee in a paper cup. I do do that, but not when I am drinking inside the coffee shop; I then want a proper china cup!
Well paper cup aside, it was actually a very nice coffee. Just the right strength and not too foamy. Pleasantly surprised.
So what of the service?
It was friendly, it appeared very chaotic, but it was quite speedy and I got my coffee very quickly. Unlike other places I have visited recently which had lots of staff and slow service, here there seemed to be lots of staff doing stuff, but they were in fact doing stuff.
Would I go again?
Well I did a couple of hours later and ordered another flat white! Wonder if this is consistent in their other branches, well I better try one somewhere else.
I like pasta dishes and this was a quick and easy recipe. I took some linguine pasta and cooked it for ten minutes in boiling water. I never add salt or oil and never have a problem with cooking time, flavour or pasta sticking together.
When the pasta was cooked, I drained and then immediately added a beaten egg, creme frache and grated parmesan cheese. This was then served with a little freshly ground black pepper.
My current favourite place for coffee these days is Caffé Nero, in the main as I really enjoy the coffee. The environment is nice too., tables and chairs or comfy sofas depending on what you want or need to do. Good service too, making sure you get what you want and provided efficiently and quickly. I have had consistently good service from the different branches of Caffé Nero I have been to across the country. The coffee is great, but is quite strong, much stronger than a similar coffee at Starbucks or Costa. However you can ask for a weaker coffee if that is your preference.
Alas there are not as many Nero branches as they are of the other two, but I have managed to find them in most major cities.
I go through phases with houmous, sometimes I like it and buy it on a regular basis and other times I think, nah, no thanks.
I am also pretty conservative when it comes to houmus, I much prefer the plain version and ignore the versions with olives, tomatoes or other added flavourings.
I have made it in the past, using chickpeas, olive oil and unfortunately way too much garlic… as a result I now rely on the version you can buy in the shops.
As for eating it when going out, usually I ignore it.
So are you eating houmus?
I don’t go to as many conferences as people often think, but I do probably photograph my food at most of them…
Recently I was attending a review meeting at Aston University and we had dinner the night before at the Aston Business School. Unlike a lot of conference dinners we had a choice, which is always nice. Also not only a choice, but we could choose on the night. Normally choice is either completely limited to a single choice, or if there is a choice you have to make that choice weeks in advance. I’m not a fan of that as often what tickles my fancy weeks ago, is not what I want to eat on the night! So having the choice on the evening I am eating is a real treat.
For my starter I went with the warm tartlet of chorizo, mushrooms and roasted shallots.
In other words a quiche! It was quite tasty and very nice. It was well presented too.
For the main dish, I went with the slow cooked blade of beef with a bourguignon sauce, served with dauphinoise potatoes and green beans.
The beef was very tender and was full of flavour. I would have liked more sauce, as in places the beef was a little dry. The potatoes were great and the beans were beans.
I was tempted by the other dishes on the menu, the slow braised shoulder of Moroccan lamb with North African cous cous when it arrived on the table looked really nice.
The cassoulet of beans with Gorgonzola polenta and roasted aubergine also looked great.
What was nice was that there were two vegetarian options, most times you have the single choice of a mushroom risotto.
So what about to finish with, well I am a sucker for cheese and biscuits and went with that.
Very nice, even with the large amount of celery, which I never eat. I did feel that if you provide four biscuits it would be nice to have at least four pieces of cheese. I felt short-changed with the cheese, it needed more cheese, or more different cheeses.
Must mention the excellent service, any place which has a table of twenty as we did and know who ordered what is a real bonus. The food came out and was served to the correct people. So much nicer than someone holding out a dish and calling out “who ordered the fish?”
Overall it was a really nice meal, nice to have a choice, cooked well, great service and nice surroundings.
At a recent event I was at there was a jar full of sweeties for delegates consisting of Wham and Refreshers chews.
I don’t recall eating Wham chews when I was a kid, but did certainly eat Refreshers.
So grabbed a handful and ate them on the train journey home.
Thoughts?
Way too sweet… though the nostalgia of the sherbet was nice.
Two years ago I wrote up about a visit to a branch of the Soho Coffee Co.
Back then I asked
Let me ask you a question, is it really so difficult in this day and age, for a coffee shop to take coffee orders and then make the coffee?
I also said
Recently I went to the Soho Coffee Co and was frankly appalled by the level of incompetency shown by the six staff behind the counter in undertaking the coffee making and serving process.
I finished off by stating
Anyway as a result it will be sometime (if ever) I go back to the Soho Coffee Co.
Well, here we are two years later and I have never gone back to that branch of the Soho Coffee Co.
Just shows the importance of decent customer service and efficient serving. I have visited many coffee places close to that branch, but have not been back.
So what of other Soho Coffee Co branches, well I did visit one once at a motorway services, but only the once. I do recall that service was okay, but not fantastic!
The thing is for me, I know the staff are poorly paid and overworked, but from what I can see the problem is not staff, but management and the management of systems. If some coffee places can get it right, why can’t all of them get the little things just right.