food, reviews and of course coffee
One of the last times Lidl had a French week they didn’t have Pommes Rissolées in their offer.
This time they did, so I picked up a couple of bags for the freezer. Makes it quicker and easier to cook pommes rissolées without having to peel and dice potatoes.
I was driving down the M4 one evening, when I decided I needed a break and I stopped off at Starbucks at Membury Services. Rather than go into the main services, I headed off to the Starbucks, which though a drive through, also has a large seating area. I prefer these to the coffee places in the main services building.
I was the only person at the counter, but it took a while for me to be served and then it took a while for my coffee to arrive. I guess they were busy with drive though orders, but even so, I wonder why one member of staff focuses on drive through orders and the other member of staff on the wall ups.
I had a flat white in a cardboard cup. It was, like a lot of Starbucks coffee rather bitter. However I had a nice break and then it was back in the car and time to continue the journey.
I was working in Bristol and had intended to pay a visit to Kingfin at the Finzel Reach Market to try out their new menu. However upon visiting the market they weren’t there. There wasn’t a stall that I did fancy getting my lunch from, mainly as I did quite fancy seafood or dish. Then I thought I know where I could go.
Back in December I paid a visit to the St Nicholas Market in Bristol and had some excellent calamari from the new(ish) Spanish staff in the market, La Lola.
La Lola took over the stall, Pure Pasta, an Italian pasta place.
I had enjoyed the calamari last time, so decided to head over there for lunch. It was a short walk over Bristol Bridge to the St Nicholas Market
They had a much wider menu this time, but as I was in the mood for seafood I went for the calamari. I placed my order and took a seat. It wasn’t very long before my food arrived. The squid was served with “chipped” potatoes, salad and aioli.
The squid as before was freshly cooked, nice crisp batter, tender squid and was delicious, served with a slice of lemon.
Like last time, I really enjoyed the squid. The “chips” were also really good, they used fresh potatoes. They were more like thick crisps, as they had cut the potatoes into slices (and cut the bigger slices in half). The aioli was light with a good taste of garlic. As before the salad could have been better, but was fresh.
Overall I did enjoy the dish and I am already looking forward to my next visit to La Lola.
One of our regular haunts for meals out is Wagamama at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. It was the last place we ate out at, before the March 2020 lockdown.
The restaurant environment is so different to other branches of Wagamama as it sits on a mezzanine at one of end of The Mall. Those with long memories will recall that the location was the home of the deli style eating establishment, Café Giardino. I quite liked the concept of Café Giardino and their sandwiches, but as I recall I didn’t eat there very much.
When we arrived the Wagamama, the place was full and there was a queue. We didn’t mind so much, so we waited patiently for our turn to get a table and eat some food.
It wasn’t long though before we were been shown to our table.
I looked over the menu, I did think about having a ramen, but in the end decided that I would have something that I wouldn’t usually choose, and went from a dish from the teppanyaki side of the menu.
I went with the yasai yaki soba. This was soba noodles with mushroom and vegetables, egg, peppers, beansprouts, white and spring onions. garnished with fried shallots, pickled ginger and sesame seeds.
It looked great. There was some great flavours in the dish and I really enjoyed eating it. I did feel though it could have done with a lot more mushroom. My son had the prawn and chicken maki soba and compared to my dish, he had a lot more prawns and chicken than I had mushrooms.
I think I will try and create this dish myself at home.
This was a Keralan Coconut Vegetable Curry that I cooked this week. I cheated by using a curry kit from The Spice Tailor.
A delicately balanced, mellow coconut curry from Kerala. Its gentle spicing and layers of flavours makes this a go-to for those who love milder Indian flavours.
I have been using this curry kit for some time now. The Keralan Coconut Curry from The Spice Tailor is quick and easy.
I prepared the vegetables, for this curry I used onions, peppers and butternut squash. I also had some sliced mushrooms and spinach.
I add oil to a large frying pan and then add the spices from the curry kit. I then added the onions, peppers and butternut squash. This is cooked until softened. I then add the mushrooms and coo for a few more minutes. I then add the sauce mix from the curry kit and stir it into the vegetables. On top I then add some fresh spinach. This is then covered with some (crumpled) grease proof paper. I cook it for five more minutes before stirring the curry.
I served it with plain white rice dressed with black sesame seeds.
Sometimes I like to roast cauliflower, sometimes I make cauliflower cheese, other times I like to pan fry my cauliflower.
I recently cooked some pan fried cauliflower florets.
These were cooked in butter with some Schwarz seasoning.
The key for me is to ensure that the cauliflower is cooked, but that it isn’t overcooked and falls apart.
I also slice the florets in half to have a flat edge when they go in the pan. I like a nice caramelisation on the edges which adds texture and flavour.
Well, just what we need in Weston, another fast food joint. Casual eating in Weston has got a little more casual.
The chain German Doner Kebab is opening a new branch on the high street in Weston-super-Mare in February.
Their food is described on their website.
Our kebabs are made from quality ingredients that are exclusive to Doner Kebab Restaurants. The great taste comes from the secret sauces that set our products apart, from our competitors. We use lean succulent beef and our meats are imported directly from Germany to maintain quality and consistency. We only use fresh, locally produced vegetables that are delivered and prepared daily along with our special “Doner Kebab” bread. These make the “Doner Kebab” a truly unique taste experience of our customers.
Reviewing the menu, you might have guessed they sell kebabs.
I have seen branches before in other places, but have not had the opportunity to try the food out. Will I try it out? Maybe, well probably not.
Now that the Frankie and Benny’s restaurant has closed on Flowerdown Retail Park. The site will become a Burger King with a drive-thru.
Planning applications posted to the council showed how the site will be converted into a drive-thru and local businesses were consulted on the change.
The restaurant was closed due to the pandemic restrictions put in place in March 2020, and by August with other restaurants now allowed to open, Frankie and Benny’s remain closed.
It never reopened.
I posted last August (2021) that the site was going to become a Burger King.
Now nearly six months later construction work has started on the site with the conversion of the restaurant into a drive thru and burger joint.
I ‘ve never being a great fan of fast food burger joints, so I think the chances of ever eating out there is very slim. If I am going out to eat I like the whole dining experience, queuing for a brown paper bag full of fast food, is not really my thing.
Combine this news with the new Tim Hortons drive thru opening up at the old Pizza Hut, the closure of Prezzo and Pizza Express, the eating out scene in Weston is slowly turning into one of fast food and drive-thru eating.
With all the exciting stuff that happens in Bristol on the food scene, it’s a pity that Weston is going down this fast food road.
Having got a food processor for Christmas one thing I wanted to try and make was some hummus.
I used this as the recipe for the hummus.
400g can chickpeas, drained
60ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml water
1-2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 lemon, juiced then ½ zested
3 spoonfuls of tahini
Drain and rinse the chickpeas in cold running water, and then place in the food processor with the olive oil.
Blitz until you get an almost smooth consistency. Then add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini and 30ml of water. Blitz again until you have a smooth creamy texture. You can add more water if it is too thick. Season and then transfer to a bowl.
I have made some variations. For the coriander hummus I added a handful of chopped coriander and then blitz again. For the red pepper hummus, I chargrilled half a red pepper on the gas hob. I then removed the burnt skin before chopping it up. This was added to the hummus and blitzed in the food processor.
I made some gluten free chocolate chip muffins following a recipe from my blog. It was only after I started making them that I realised I didn’t have natural yogurt. Rather than throw the initial mixture away or go out to buy some natural yoghurt, I used some creme frache I had in the fridge.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
I bought my paper cases from Amazon, though I later found similar ones in Waitrose.
Ingredients
100g unsalted butter softened, plus 1 tbsp, melted, for greasing
140g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs
140g creme frache
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
250g plain gluten free flour
2 tbsp of cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g of chocolate chips (dark or milk)
20g of fudge pieces to decorate.
Beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Then add the eggs and beat in for about a minute. You then need to mix in the yogurt, vanilla extract and milk. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl with ¼ tsp fine salt.
Add this into the wet ingredients and stir in. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and divide the mixture between the muffin cases.
Bake for 5 mins, then reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and bake for 15-18 mins more until risen and golden, and a metal skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then carefully lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
You can after a day or two, pop them in the microwave for 10-15 secs on high to freshen up.