Sushi isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the high desert of Utah. In a place where the only significant body of water is the near-lifeless expanse of the Great Salt Lake, one could easily make the assumption that seafood isn’t road worth exploring. And so it is that most people visiting Utah for the world-class skiing, or to see the Mormon Temple square, get their buffalo burgers and their southwestern food fix and never look twice at places like Takashi.
LA SALSA RESTAURANT - Bolton
This review may be a litle wooley... so apologies - it's pretty difficult to write a review two days on from way too much pre-Christmas booze with and after a meal - but here goes...
I booked La Salsa for myself and a couple of friends in lieu of a "real" Christmas get together, as circumstance and family commitments have meant we needed to celebrate early. Bolton is hardly the nerve centre of gastonomy, and so I wasn't expecting much of tapas in a Bolton style.
This review would have been somewhat easier if I had written a few notes - but La Sasa isn't that kind of place. It's a nice medium size eaterie, with a good, sort of, relaxed party atmosphere. Even at 7pm it had a good buzz and full tables. The staff are very friendly and helpful too, which adds a little something to the atmosphere.
They have a "special", all you can eat for £13.50 deal - which in the spirit of three guys out for a night of drinks, seemed appropriate. It turned out to be great value (I'm somewhat dubious about the concept of "all you can eat", as psycologically, I fear it will be horrendous, cheap, abbatoir scrapings - the good news is that at La Salsa, it wasn't). Our lovely (Latvian - we played guess the nationality with her) waitress was a little confused when I handed her the menus and said "surprise us". After the bemused clarification that we would eat whatever the chef chose for us, she went away for a couple of minutes and sent out the manager to double check... it seems that nobody had done that before. He appeared to be happy with this and started to bring out the food.
I can't say I was blown away by anything in particular, it was all pretty good - there weren't any bad dishes, just nothing outstanding. As I noted earlier, specifics are a little hazy at this point, but we were served a nice selection of chicken, fish, prawns, mussels, a little feta salad, paella, potatoes, a little beef stew, meatballs and mushrooms. My only real complaint was the bread served with olives and dip - just too lightweight and thin.
So... La Salsa.... not really a place to take the missus or to go on a date to, but a cracking, good value, pre night out with a few friends joint. Two rounds of tapas for threee plus two bottles of house red (very drinkable) came to a nudge over £60 - we chucked £25 a piece in, which seemed right and set us up for the night ahead.
"TOTAL" Greek Yoghurt
I've been asked to do a little consumer review of the Fage brand "Total" greek yoghurt (why do some people spell it with an "h" - I usually don't, but as Fage do, so will I, for this review anyway.
So... yesterday, a bag landed on my desk full of yoghurt - the "full fat", 2% and 0% (and a couple of twin pots with honey - which stayed there for lunch time dessert this week)
Over the next week or so, I wil add to this post my thoughts on the product and some notes and pics of what I've tried with it.
here goes....
SWEET MANDARIN - Manchester
A five minute walk from train, tram or secure parking, just in the super trendy Northern Quarter of Manchester is the Sweet Mandarin restaurant - contemporary Chinese food, cooked up and served by three smart and cool anglo-Chinese sisters, Lisa, Helen and Janet Tse.
I've had the pleasure of chatting via Twitter and email with Lisa over the last few weeks since starting my blog, and recently read Helen's touching account of her familys journey over the past 100 years from rural China to present day Manchester, in her first book; Sweet Mandarin.
All of which left me eager to go eat there.
It seems I made my reservation just in time - a few days before the girls appearence and convincing victory on Gordon Ramsey's "F Word" show - I hear the phone has been ringing off the hook with reservation requests since the show aired earlier this week. Judging by the amount of turn-aways at the door on Saturday evening too, I confidently predict that SM will continue to go from strength to strength.
so.. on to my review;
We arrived ten minutes early on a freezing Saturday night, walked in to be greeted by a really sociable buzz, not too loud or boisterous, but enough chat circulating to know that this was a casual, happy and hip place (a diverse age group of people all sat eating and talking - for me, always a good sign). The ever smiling Helen greeted us and quickly had one of her waiting staff sort out our table - no messing, no waiting - 10 out of 10.
We both had a cocktail - my girlfriend had a tasty "Orchid", whilst I decided on the more macho sounding "Snake Blood" made using Snake Liquor. Both were delicious and fruity, although I'm not convinced that the Snake Liquor brought anything other than an exotic idea to the drink - but for me, they weren't alcoholic enough...
We ordered a pleasant bottle of house red and then onto the meal.
For me, Beijing Dumplings, served with a little vinegar, delicious and morish - to be perfectly honest, I could imagine sitting in front of the TV with a mountain of these silky smooth, meaty, veggie, parcels and being tempted, Mr. Creosote style to keep eating them until the inevitable explosion. The vinegar dip worked perfectly. My girlfriend had the Tempura Prawns - again, totally delicious. The super crispy batter wasn't exactly my idea of tempura, it was more like the best fish&chip shop batter you've ever tasted, light but dense with a real crack to it. A purist may well sniff, but both my girlfriend and I loved them (although the soy dip was a little over-powering in salt'ness for my taste - I would have liked a sweet chilli instead).
For main course, there were two obvious choices on a first visit to the SM for anyone who has read the book - and being an obvious sort of chap, I went for Lily Kowk's Chicken Curry, my gf had Mabel's Claypot Chicken.
The chicken curry, invented by and named for, the girls maternal grandmother, was very pleasant - nothing too challenging or surprising, but still good stuff. I never find that Chinese curry is as complex as a good Indian, but Lily's sauce works perfectly with the simple but excellently cooked chicken and still slightly toothsome onions - with soft noodle, this is comfort food of the highest order. The claypot chicken, again a family recipe, this time from the girls mum, was, I quote my gf "the best Chinese I've ever had". Again, a simple dish made using well prepared, well cooked, good ingredients with no place to hide in their light broth - the flavours were both individual and in harmony with each other (this was the dish that smashed the competition in the F Word).
In all, we had a lovely meal, in a dining room that was modern and welcoming (two things that can be hard to achieve at the same time), the waiting staff were excellent - they are either just lovely people or were glad to see the back of me - I've never left a restaurant, or tbh anywhere, when so many people wished my a good night, smiling and waving as I went. Helen is a superb host; she takes the time, even on a busy Saturday to waltz around all the tables to say hello to everyone and make sure that she has a room full of happy punters.
So - two cocktails, a bottle of wine, two starters, two mains, £70 - pretty decent value in what is now my favourite Chinese restaurant. will I be going back? Hell Yea - and you should go too!!!
Gastronaut by Stefan Gates
Listen, and understand, Stefan is out there. He can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And absolutlely will not stop, ever, until... he's eaten it all.
In short, Stefan Gates is The Terminator of the foodie world - albeit wrapped up in a little, smiley, cheerful package. Don't let him fool you, he ISN'T human, he can't eat what he eats and live
This is pretty much my take on Gastronaut, a real "must read" for anyone who likes their food.
Gastronaut is part recipe book, part science text, part History & Travel guide - and totally good fun. Stefan travels in time and the globe to offer up some strange and even extreme foodie offerings. From make your own margarine, through notes on breast milk, to eating insects - If you want to hear how to stage a Bacchanalian orgy or a Brief History of Washing up, you will not be disappointed, its all here, in one place.
I loved this book, start to finish and can't wait for Gastronaut 2 - he'll be back!
LEON by Allegra McEvedy
Nigella Lawson is often seen as a purveyor of food porn, a view that I suspect she quite likes and plays up to, no other author can describe eating a pork chop and make it sound XXX rated.
Allegra would seems to be a whole other kettle of fish - but under closer examination, they have very similar kettles and identical fish... Albeit in a more 1950's style "Health & Efficiency", than 90's Hustler.
Leon: Ingredients & Recipes, is what I call a bed book (something to thumb through on a lazy Sunday mornings alongside the newspapers), split into two sections, as the subtitle indicates, Ingredients and Recipes. At first glance of the cover you could be excused to think that this is a vintage title under re-print, then the style inside carries this forward a little but with a truly "noughties" typographical twist. It's a little like a scrap book: complete with stickers and pull out sheets - albeit it a very stylish one. This book is modern and retro at the same time, but a kind of retro that mixes multiple decades - it should be an appalling mish-mash, but it isn't. IT IS FAB!
Content wise there are no big surprises, the descriptions of ingedients are well thought out and presented in a nice, informal way, with hints on what to look for when buying and how they are best suited and matched. The recipes, in the same style, have a handwritten, family cookbook overtone.
It isn't so much that Leon makes you hungry as you read, as it makes you appreciate what can be done with food in fresh, simple ways - I found it to be more of an inspiration in the sense of "mmmm... Black Eyed Beans, I wonder if...?" than the type of book that you sit on your kitchen island whilst following a recipe (for that type of book, Delia is the Queen, hands down, no contest).
So... if you want a great foodie read, look no further, go and buy Leon: food porn with little cut out stars stuck over the more explicit bits.
SWEET MANDARIN - by Helen Tse
Sweet Mandarin is not a cook book - but it is a food book...
This multi-generational story of a Chinese family, starting in China, 1918, through Hong Kong in the 30's and finishing in present day Manchester, is an emotional and very personal journey with many twists and turns, but one constant - a love of food. From subsistance level soy sauce production through to a modern day restaurant, this is one family that lives and breathes food.
Although this book tells the story of four generations, the story revolves around the amazing life of one remarkable woman - a woman I suspect would consider herself to be perfectly normal and not special at all, which I think is the beauty of the tale - Lily Kwok.
A tough childhood, and an even tougher adulthood, filled with almost impossible choices and unimaginable sacrifices, which seems to have acted as a filter to pass on a better life for her children and grandchildren.
This is a true life rags to riches story. It made me laugh and it brought a tear to even my cynical eye. It also made me hungry.
Helen, a first time author, is one of Lilys grandchildren, which, for me, makes this book all the more special - whilst the writing may not have the polish or style of an experienced writer, the thing that shines through and genuinely captivates is the passion, the heart and more than anything else, the love.
Go buy it and when you've read it, raise a glass to Lily and her girls - GAMBEI!
"POD" Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup (review by Jonny of Souper Review)
Big soup, with free bread - £3.50
Star rating 4 (for me, others may say 1)
The first thing that hits you with this soup is the wiff of tropical coconut gliding across the office’s air conditioned breeze. The second thing I noticed was the heat hitting the back of my throat. This soup may look harmless, but the radiant orange liquor packs a punch.
You’ll know whether you’re going to get on with this dish almost immediately as the first spoonful is virtually identical to the last. There’s nothing hovering under the surface, just mouthful after mouthful of puréed, blended goodness.
If you are a fan of Indian Kormas (it has more than kick than most) then this is for you. My complimentary slice of bread was transformed into a spongey nan bread on contact. The sweet bounty delivers big taste and each spoonful stokes the taste buds with a rich heat.
Note: POD have 5 locations in London - http://www.podfood.co.uk/
Star rating 4 (for me, others may say 1)
The first thing that hits you with this soup is the wiff of tropical coconut gliding across the office’s air conditioned breeze. The second thing I noticed was the heat hitting the back of my throat. This soup may look harmless, but the radiant orange liquor packs a punch.
You’ll know whether you’re going to get on with this dish almost immediately as the first spoonful is virtually identical to the last. There’s nothing hovering under the surface, just mouthful after mouthful of puréed, blended goodness.
If you are a fan of Indian Kormas (it has more than kick than most) then this is for you. My complimentary slice of bread was transformed into a spongey nan bread on contact. The sweet bounty delivers big taste and each spoonful stokes the taste buds with a rich heat.
Note: POD have 5 locations in London - http://www.podfood.co.uk/
How To Eat - Nigella Lawson
The original "food porn", light on pictures, heavy on looking fab - and Nigella's prose would make the most faithful man's meringues go stiff.
FrancisFrancis X1 Coffee Machine
This really is a super cool piece of kit - more than just a kitchen appliance, it's almost a work of art. The retro looking X1 with old fashioned style toggle switches and analogue temperature dial comes in a choice of colours, from funky Orange and Yellow, to more sedate red, Black and Almond - there's a colour for all tastes.
And then there's the coffee... one word! WOW. I've had this new version (the model has been around for about 10 years, with various internal tweaks along the way) for a few months now, and must say, it is superb - great espresso with impressive crema, easy frothing with the steam wand and easy to clean. What more could you want?
Go on and spoil yourself rotten - you're worth it.
Available from http://www.ilovecoffee.co.uk/ (AKA - CraystoneShop) from £385 including delivery
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