Brit on a Trip's Profile
Best eats in Birmingham?
Not a city I know well, but there's Hotel du Vin & Bistro which are normally reliable (I've eaten at the one in Harrogate).
Good Food Guide lists two Indians. Itihaas appears to put an East African spin onto North Indian cuisine which sounds interesting. www.itihaas.co.uk. Lasan is recorded as marrying the traditional with the experimental (whatever that might mean). www.lasan.co.uk.
All are in the B3 postcode which I think is pretty much city centre.
John
Best "Taste of London" in 3 days - Help!
I see you're well versed in the joy that is a Barnsley chop, Simon.
Another Northern lad by any chance?
John
Dined alone. Tip added to bill!
And a happy new year to you, my NJ friend.
Have a good trip - I'll look out for your report on the UK board (I may have changed my username by then - but I'll still be banging the drum for our regional produce.)
John
Dined alone. Tip added to bill!
Hey, Cat Chow, we Europeans love it when you Americans are not up to speed on our tipping customs.
We pay a serving staff a proper wage; add our 12.5% service charge to the bill and then, when you don't know our customs, you go and add a further 18% tip. Please keep coming to European tourist hotspots - our servers need you for the luxuries in their lives.
Best "Taste of London" in 3 days - Help!
And, in terms of breakfast, you might find this site helpful (and an insight into our nation's fascination with the morning fry-up). Reviews of all sorts of Lodon breakfasts - the good, the bad and the very ugly.
http://londonreviewofbreakfasts.blogspot.com/
John
First trip to London! Where to eat?!?! (Coming from San Francisco, LA and Chicago)
It won the first "Fish & Chip Shop of the Year" award back in 1988 (awarded by the National Federation of Fish Fryers). No winners in the London area since then.
http://www.federationoffishfriers.co.uk/pages/207.htm
Lunch at Roast - what's your view?
Thanks to all.
I've just been reading limster's other BM thread and I think I might convince Mrs Brit that a grazing lunch on the hoof wouldnt go astray, particularly if we also buy the wherewithall for "afternoon tea" on the train home.
John
First trip to London! Where to eat?!?! (Coming from San Francisco, LA and Chicago)
Can't help with the name, I'm afraid. I've no idea even where Muswell Hill is. But I assume from your description that the place was more seafood restaurant than chippy.
John
Title
Hey, no insult taken. It's the problem with any international board that uses English as its language - it's not possible to know which country folk are coming from unless they say. I also understand what you mean - I think of New York as the Empire State Building or Macy's, not dinner.
I only visit London occasionally, and then as a tourist, but you're going to find some very fine dinners for £100 a head and, indeed, for half that. This board is very London-centric so you will definately find many previous threads that will help.
I rarely pass up an opportunity to recommend my favourite London restaurant - Passione - three courses will cost you around £45, plus drinks and service charge. http://www.passione.co.uk/
I'm also a great fan of Noura - for Lebanese food. http://www.noura.co.uk/.
However, as this is your first trip you might want to search out places that offer a distinctive British cuisine.
Bear in mind when considering prices that, in the UK, tax is already included in the menu price. Many London restaurants adopt the European method of adding a service charge (around 10 - 15%) to the bill and, in these places, no extra tip is required. The menu should clearly state if a service charge is levied. If it isn't, then a 10% tip is normally perfectly acceptable - perhaps a little more in very upscale places..
John
Tenby area, South Wales
Nothing from personal experience, I'm afraid, nor in Tenby itself. But the Good Food Guide has a couple of places within a few minutes drive:-
Cors at Laugharne - www.the-cors.co.uk. Menu apparently changes daily which sounds fun.
and the Old Kings Arms, 13 Main Street, Pembroke, which seems to major on local produce/dishes (e.g. cockles with laverbread and grilled bacon).
Title
I think it's one of those issues that plague any international board, June. Such a subjective matter.
Looking back on my notes of my recent US trip, I see that we had two $200 meals - only slightly cheaper than I'd expect to spend at, say, the Lindsay House in London.
kittycatkid - perhaps you could help by indicating the sort of place & price range you visit in Paris. Like most capital cities, it (and London) tends to be more expensive than the rest of the country. I rarely visit Paris and find it quite expensive - but I eat in Calais and Boulogne most years and find great value.
Title
"Extremely expensive" ? I suppose much will depend on where you are coming from. If, say, Scandanavia, then you'll find it a real bargain.
You'll find many threads on this board asking exactly the same question as you do. The answers are there as well.
Have a good trip.
Lunch at Roast - what's your view?
Thanks, Simon.
BK looks more the business. Your review of the Garrison reminds me of places I know well in Greater Manchester - unfortunately.
J
Lunch at Roast - what's your view?
Thanks, Simon. However, it will be a Saturday visit. Any other thoughts for somewhere very close - we'd probably want to go straight from lunch to Euston, without much diversion.
BTW, nice to see your blog amongst the Good Food Guide's Top Ten food sites. Richly deserved, IMO.
J
Lunch at Roast - what's your view?
We're planning a couple of days down south (Hibiscus and somewhere yet to be decided for dinners) and will probably go to Borough Market on our last morning.
I like the idea of a nice leisurely lunch before getting a late afternoon train back to the frozen north. Roast seems to be on the plot and fit the bill. Am I right?
John
Good Food Guide goes Regional [Moved from U.K./Ireland board]
Father Christmas left a copy of the 2008 Guide in my stocking yesterday.
And, in contrast to previous editions, it's presented by region or county.
London still remains a separate entry but, even there, is now divided into central, north, south, west and Greater London.
Outside of the capital, restaurants are listed by county, or metropolitian area (such as my own Greater Manchester).
Overall, I think this is a very welcome move which will help folk find good eats near them.
I've only quickly flicked through but there seems to be more places listed as "also recommended" without any cooking score. This is good encouragement for new restaurants - or, perhaps, a dig in the ribs for places which were previously listed with a score and are now effectively downgraded.
I know the GFG doesnt always meet with universal approval (and can be idiosyncratic in some of its ratings) but you are not going to find another guide which so comprehensively covers the length and breadth of the UK. And, IMO, for anyone venturing outside of the major conurbations, it's essential
Turnip/ Rutabaga
mmmmmm, indeed.
But now I need to know whether to use turnip or swede. Let's be clear what we mean in the UK (except the Scots, who do everything differently). A turnip is smallish and has white flesh. A swede is much larger, yellowish flesh and bit sweeter. I think the Scots call both a turnip so if you are offered "neeps and tatties" - you're going to get potato and turnip/swede.
Now which do I need for my latkes?
Also kosher salt isnt something I've come across. How does it differ from ordinary salt - presumably it's something different from just being, erm, kosher?
John
Ploughman sandwich?
Will
In which case, the Oxford English Dictionary would certainly like to hear from you.
The Wordhunt Project (and it's related BBC programme) only managed to date the phrase back to 1960 with documentary evidence of the minutes of a meeting of the English Country Cheese Council. The phrase was previously generally credited to its chairman, Richard Treherne, and the BBC programme obviously supports that. Prior to the project, the OED had only dated the phrase to 1970 in the sense of how we know it. Its earliest actual reference to a "ploughman's lunch" was from 1837 but this was in the sense of "lunch for a ploughman" if you see what I mean.
You're right about the sandwich though. Tesco would take some pappy white bread, add tasteless cheese and cheap pickle - and call it a "cheese & pickle" sandwich.
John
Ploughman sandwich?
You probably mean piccallli. Mainly cauliflower and onion. Thick mustard flavoured sauce.
Other posters are correct. There is no Brit ploughman's sandwich but there is a ploughman's lunch. Allegedly invented by our cheese industry in the 1960s as a marketing ploy.
At its simplest and best, it's a plate of good strong cheese, good bread and butter, pickle (Branston would be the classic brand - I make my own) and pickled onions. You could add to the plate a tomato or an apple.
It's classic pub lunch food. And, unfortunately, often done very badly by pubs using cheap bland ingredients and insufficient care. Such a meal can be a great disappointment. Get it right and it's winderful.
Turnip/ Rutabaga
I grate rutabaga (or swede as we call it in the UK) along with carrot, parsnip and thinly sliced leeks and steam them together. Very simple,colourful, fresh tasting veg to accompany some rich protein.
Any leftovers get stirred into eggs and become frittata.
Mashed carrot and swede is a fairly common UK dish. Just treat like mashed potato - but no milk or cream - lots of pepper.
Montreal Steak Seasoning
I'd certainly be interested to hear. It crops up in a number of US cookbooks I have and it's not something that appears to be available in the UK and I have no idea at all what it tastes like. Anyone give me a clue, please?
TIA
Easy Homemade Truffles
Take 150gr good chocolate (70% cocoa solids) and whizz it in the food processor. Heat 150ml double (heavy?) cream, 25gr unsalted butter and a slosh of rum or brandy in pan and pour into the processor with the motor running. Whizz till it's mixed.
It will look much too liquid at this stage and you'll think it's gone wrong. It hasn't. Chill overnight. Roll teaspoons of the stuff. I like to cover some in cocoa and others I mix in some very finely chopped stem ginger (the type that comes in jars with a sweet syrup). Keep in the fridge.
Couldnt be easier.
First trip to London! Where to eat?!?! (Coming from San Francisco, LA and Chicago)
Wow. I'm really sorry that you must have had such a disappointing eating experience during the rest of your trip to our capital.
"Traditional" English Christmas dinner?
You're right (roast pork or chicken was always our family Christmas dinner).
But intensive battery farming over the last 40 years now means turkey (and chicken for that matter) is now a very cheap meat in the UK. Even if it has become tasteless and is unethically raised.
You can buy organic or free-range birds from the supermarket, but they are not cheap. For a 10 pound organic bird, cost is about £60 ($120). It's what we'll be having.
"Traditional" English Christmas dinner?
I know sausages are traditional but they've never been a part of our meal - but bacon rolls are (forgot to mention earlier). Standard American style bacon is ideal - just roll up the rasher and roast for a bit.
Tayyabs. Why all the recs?
I'll try and suss it out soon, although I've gone off Rusholme recently. It just seems to be going through a seedy phase. Sanam's still a pretty good place to eat though. I'll be interested to see your report back on the area next time you make it over this side.
Meat & Vegetable Pasties
The veg for pasties is usually cut very small - no more than 5mm cubes - and will cook in the 20 minutes or so that it takes to pastry to cook, but without going into a much.
Definately no gravy - for the reason you mention. Pasties are hand-held food
"Traditional" English Christmas dinner?
Almost without exception, Christmas dinner in the UK will be turkey.
"Standard" accompaniments would be roast potato, carrots and spouts with chestnuts. There would also be at least one, possibly two stuffings - sage & onion and chestnut (if you're not having chestnuts with the sprouts). And bread sauce.
"Stir up Sunday" is traditionally a month before Christmas so you won't now have time for it to mature. But the "light pudding" on this link might well work:
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/selections-gallery/christmas-recipe-gallery-pudding-perfection,959,RS.html
Aged Balsamic?
Mixed with olive oil to dip bread in, as a very simple starter.
In the UK, it's becoming difficult to avoid balsamic in restaurants. It crops up in everything. I'm sick of it.
Looking for a recipe with Pomegranate [moved from Manhattan board]
If you're planning on using pomegranate syrup, there's no finer recipe than that recommended by rumple.
If using the actual seeds of the fruit, my favourite is in a simple salad - cook wild rice (or, if you can get it in the US, Camargue red rice), mix with the seeds, some roughly chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) and chopped parsley. Make a dressing of olive oil, lemon and orange juice, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a bit of salt.
