chicken Archives - Page 15 of 25

September 16, 2014

Fancy a salad

There are many places to grab lunch in Oxford, I have walked past the Art Café quite a few times as it is quite close to where I work.

The Art Café in Boon Square in Oxford, as well as being a café also does a takeaway service. I’ve not yet eaten upstairs, but have had the odd sandwich from them too. They have a nice selection, with a range of breads, interesting fillings and they are quite tasty too.

This time I chose the Chicken Pesto Salad, which includes chicken breast, mixed salad leaves, green pesto, mozzarella and pinenuts.

It did look very nice. It comprised a bed of a variety of crisp lettuce leaves, quartered tomatoes, slices of cucumber, some slices of chicken and mozzarella. On top was, what I thought was a small amount of pesto, enough for the chicken, but not really enough for the salad, and a scattering of pinenuts.

Probably the best way to describe the salad was okay. It wasn’t disappointing, neither though was it good. It was a good sized portion for the price, however I think the main issues was that the salad, as in the lettuce and tomatoes looked good, but lacked flavour. If there was more of a dressing, this might have made up for the blandness of the salad.

Overall I much prefer the sandwiches and baguettes they sell at the Art Café and I am not sure if I will get a salad again.

August 30, 2014January 20, 2024

Sasi’s Thai

Within the Oxford Covered Market are many places to grab lunch, either to eat there, or to take back to the office.

One place I like for lunch is Sasi’s Thai in the Oxford covered market. They serve a variety of Thai dishes, as well as salads, cakes and coffee.

They have a counter, the food is cooked in an upstairs kitchen, and a range of tables, chairs and soft chairs. It can get busy, so you can’t always get a seat. It’s quite a nice and busy environment, with a pleasant ambience. If it is too busy you can always do take away.

My usual choice is either a single selection from their range of dishes or two served with rice.

This time I chose the chicken with cashew nuts and the crispy pork with basil.

The chicken dish was fresh and tasty with good flavours and I always enjoy the crunch of the cashew nuts. The crispy pork consists of deep fried pork belly combined with Thai basil, peppers, onions and chilli. Tasty combination of flavours and textures long with a nice bit with the chilli.

If I was to make one criticism I do think that sometimes their portions are a little on the small side, but that is just a minor point. The day I took the photograph above, the dish was a good size.

Their range of dishes include green and red curries, egg and cinnamon soup, pad thai I have also had some quite nice fish dishes too.

I’ve not yet tried the salad or even the coffee, but the food is great and well worth checking out.

August 20, 2014

Chicken in a Barbecue Sauce

This recipe can be used to grill chicken on the barbecue, or as I did, finish off in a hot oven.

For me, the key to tender moist barbecued chicken is to avoid leaving it on the grill for too long, otherwise it will dry out. However this leaves the risk that the chicken is not properly cooked and could cause food poisoning. My solution is to poach or steam the chicken first, and then finish off on the barbecue, under a hot grill, or in a really hot oven. The end result is crispy tasty skin, and moist tender chicken.

Taken some chicken thighs, I much prefer chicken thigh, there is more flavour. Place them in a pan of boiling water, and bring back to the simmer. Poach for 10-15 minutes, remove from the pan and leave on a warm plate for a minutes. This is mainly to let them dry, you can speed up this process using some kitchen towel. I usually drizzle some olive oil on the chicken before placing it on the barbecue, under the grill, or placed into a hot oven.

For the chicken in the photograph I made my own barbecue sauce, basted the chicken in it along with onion and sliced peppers and placed it under the grill.

The sauce was a quick one, made from a mix of tomato ketchup, tomato puree, golden syrup, balsamic vinegar, cajun spices and flakes of chilli. Another sauce I use now and again is the Reggae Reggae Jerk Sauce.

Overall I have been using this method for a while now and have had good results.

July 23, 2014May 18, 2020

Coffee at Caffé Veneto

Having had some good coffee at the Portivo Lounge in Gloucester I have for a while been meaning to try out the Pinto Lounge in Banbury. Having some time for lunch, I took a walk down to the centre of Banbury to have a look at the Pinto Lounge and see if it was a good place to have something to eat. Having had a look over the menu, I wasn’t that inspired, not that there was an issue with the menu, just that there didn’t seem to be anything that really took me. Maybe another time…

Having a quick wander around the area, I found the Caffé Veneto, this is an independent coffee shop with an continental feel to it, that only opened in April 2014.

Caffé Veneto

Entering the place you immediately feel that this is a comfortable environment for drinking coffee. There is the bar, but unless you are taking away, then sit at a table and your order will be taken and presented at your table. This is quite an Italian thing, whenever I was in Italy I would often order coffee whilst sitting in a café and was waited upon. The concept of ordering from a barista and then waiting for your coffee, is much more an American way of ordering coffee. The decor is not very traditional Italian, but has wooden floors, round tables and chairs and a range of coffee sacks attached to the walls. It’s a calming environment, and sitting down you feel relaxed and comfortable. Service was friendly and efficient and you were made to feel very welcome.

Sat at the table I looked over the menu, there isn’t a huge amount of choice, a range of sandwiches, panini, lasagne and salad.

I quite liked the idea of a salad, so I went with the chicken caesar salad, along with an espresso.

Espresso

I enjoyed the espresso, but I am not really a fan of drinking out of, what is basically, a shot glass. Glass conducts heat really well, so it’s not easy to lift and drink a hot coffee. Despite that it was a really good coffee, and the little biscotti was a nice touch.

The salad was good, nice plate of cos lettuce, chicken and olives. The dressing was tasty, just the right amount, not too much and not too little either.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Overall I was pleased with the food, the service and the ambience. I think they should reflect on their menu and possibly add more options for lunch, but I may be missing the point, it is first and foremost a place for coffee, rather than a place for lunch.

January 14, 2014

Cooking the Turkey

Well the Christmas dinner was a real success this year, really pleased with the end result. I like to write about it so next year I can remember what we had, what we liked and what I should avoid.

We had a fair few extra people around so I cooked two roasts, one was the four bird roast from Aldi (which costs just £10) and a more expensive roast from Morrisons, comprising turkey breast wrapped around a smoked pork tenderloin and then covered in pork crackling.

Both roasts were simple to cook and were both full of flavour. Turkey can often be dry, but I managed to avoid that, but that was probably much more down to the style of the roast, it wasn’t a whole bird.

The Aldi four bird roast was a little skimpy on the goose and duck, but I did expect that for a £10 roast. The stuffing was okay, but was slightly overpowering and could probably have down with less herbs.

Alongside the main dish I served a range of vegetables, including a brussel sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta. Timing I find is quite critical with this kind of meal, so I had done a fair bit of preparation in advance, so things went smoothly. For example I had made and prepared my stuffing the night before, I had already trayed up the pigs in blankets and cocktail sausages.

Overall the meal was a success and enjoyed by all.

November 8, 2013

Eat beautiful?

I hadn’t heard or seen an itsu restaurant or shop before, but I was out in Oxford and found their branch on Cornmarket Street. They have been in London for a while, since 1999 according to the website.

The blurb says

The early pioneers of Pret are the creative force behind itsu.

Years of listening and reacting to customers encouraged us to build a new type of food place dedicated to skinny but delicious food; sixty two dishes- light, green and good for you.

Apparently the secret to Pink Floyd’s breathtaking music is as much about what they left out as what they put in; a bit like itsu, less fat, more bounce.

There was a lot of choice and within the different types of food on offer lots of variation. It was quite difficult to decide on what to choose.

The salads looked great, well presented, as did the sushi. The food looked fresh and inviting. The shelves were well stocked and there was a lot of choice.

I was tempted by a box of sushi, but as the weather outside was cold and wet, I went with the chicken and rice “potsu”. It is described as chargrilled chicken, ithai sauce, kombu relish, brown + wild rice & seven veg.

It was rather nice, filling and tasty. The chargrilled chicken was full of flavour, and the vegetables were fresh and had a nice crunch. The sauce was very spicy and in some ways I could see how some people might find it overpowering, but I did like it. It was nice to eat something very different for lunch, something that wasn’t a sandwich or the ubiquitous panini.

It was an interesting environment in which to eat, there were raised communal tables with high stools. It certainly is a good place to go if you are in a group, and I am sure in a place like Oxford with lots of students they are trying to attract that market. The decor and colours are best described as bright and colourful, very different from the dark and wood you find in coffee shops.

I enjoyed the food, quite liked the environment and was inspired by the menu. I will certainly go again.

October 15, 2013

I rarely go with the chicken

When I go out to eat I rarely go with the chicken, not that I don’t like chicken, on the contrary I cook it a lot when I am at home, as you can see I have written a lot about it on the blog. The main reason I don’t choose chicken is that, it is something I do cook at home and where possible when eating out I prefer to go with something I don’t normally cook at home. I also don’t choose chicken is that often the dish is chicken in some kind of sauce, or topped with stuff. In these dishes, the chicken is not the star of the dish, merely playing a bit part to the sauce. Another reason I don’t choose the chicken, is that generally the chicken used in restaurants is bland and lacks flavour, at home I usually go with thighs and legs as they have more flavour.

So even I was little surprised with myself when I recently had dinner at the Brasenose Arms in Cropredy and I chose the chicken.

I will say it wasn’t my first choice, I did in fact want to have the roasted pork belly that was on the specials board, but that had sold out. So I chose the chicken, pan fried with lemon and oregano and served with crushed rosemary new potatoes and green beans, it was priced at £9.95.

The chicken was delicious, beautifully cooked and full of flavour, I liked the combination of lemon and oregano. I have to admit I was less impressed with the potatoes, they were nice, but were a little dry for me. I enjoyed the green beans. Overall I was really pleased with the dish, it was tasty, fresh and cooked with style and flair.

I liked the ambinance and friendly service that I had, I will certainly go again if I have the chance.

September 15, 2013January 6, 2020

Pret A Manger Italian Chicken Salad

I’ve not really frequented Pret A Manger in the past, when I have been looking for coffee or somewhere to eat, I usually eliminated the chain as it was more of a sandwich shop and less a place to while away a hour over lunch, or before a meeting. Also if I am going to a coffee place, I like a real cup, not cardboard. As Pret seems to be more suited to the takeaway market this didn’t match my needs. Also in the places I have worked or visited there hasn’t been a Pret, so then it wasn’t even an option.

Now I am working in a different city and quite liking the idea of a salad for lunch, as I ventured down one of the main shopping streets I saw Pret A Manger and went hmmm, I wonder if they do some nice salads. They had a really nice selection, all looking very fresh, well presented and with a good choice of ingredients in each salad. After looking over the choice, I went with the Italian Chicken Salad.

This consisted of “grilled” chicken, selection of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, pistachio nuts, red pepper and a small tub of dressing. It tasted fresh, had flavour and the overall experience was very nice and tasty. I thought it was good value at £4.25 and would certainly have it again.

May 15, 2013

Simple Roast Chicken

So for Sunday lunch I cooked a simple roast chicken. I took a carrot and sliced it lengthways before placing the chicken on top. I took some halves of garlic and fresh parsley which I placed inside the chicken. Then I added some olive oil.

This was placed in a hot oven for ten minutes and then roasted in a medium oven for another forty minutes.

I then added to the roasting pan: onion, pepper, mushrooms and courgette. The chicken was then cooked for another forty minutes or until the juices run clear.

Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes and then carve and serve. During this time, after draining any juices from the roasting pan, I finish off the stuff I put in the oven, turning the temperature up a bit.

As well as the roasted vegetables, I also served the chicken with roasted potatoes and steamed green vegetables.

May 9, 2013

Cooking Chicken over Charcoal

We don’t seem to get much nice weather these days, seems to be ever rarer when it’s a bank holiday. So it was a pleasant surprise to not only have a dry sunny day and on bank holiday monday.

So while the roads clogged up with traffic we decided to light the barbecue.

We went with some simple burgers and sausages, but I also really liked barbecued chicken.

I took some wings, legs and thighs and made a marinade of garlic, parsley, white wine, vinegar and olive oil. The chicken was left to marinade for an hour or so.

The wings I cooked over charcoal with mesquite wood chips, whilst the rest of the chicken was cooked more slowly over plain charcoal.

The wings cooked reasonably quickly and were delicious, they had lovely crispy skin, but were still tender and moist.

The legs and thighs, which were cooked for longer, despite not having the mesquite had a deep smokey flavour.

I served the chicken with a range of salads.