king of the sea

I miss seafood. I really do. 

Our dinners most nights consist of chicken, chicken and then more chicken with the occasional lamb chop thrown in here and there. Oh and did I mention we're having chicken for dinner tonight?

So when friends from London came visiting last month, I got excited. Not excited because my friends were coming, excited that I now had an excuse to take them to the new oyster bar that had just opened in town.

Zdeněk's oyster bar opened earlier this year to mixed reviews. Mainly that it is overpriced and that the seafood isn't all too 'fresh'. If you are going to offer New Zealand mussels, one would think that after travelling halfway across the world, there are other adjectives to describe said mussel than 'fresh'. 'Jetlagged', 'limp', 'tired' all spring into mind, but definitely not 'fresh'.

But I wasn't there for the mussels or the prawns or whatever else they had in the freezer. I had read that the redeeming feature of the oyster bar was its lobster roll. Big juicy claw meat with smaller chunks of lobster meat stuffed on a warm crusty buttery roll with a side of roasted new potatoes, gazpacho and dill mayonnaise.

This was definitely the star of the show and at 395czk, the price was easy to swallow too.

zdeněk's oyster bar
malá štupartská 636/5, 110 00, praha CZECH REPUBLIC
tel. +420 725 946 250
www.oysterbar.cz

Zdeněk's lobster roll

sugar baby

I don't usually have a sweet tooth. I prefer savouries to sweeties any day but on Wednesday night I was craving something sweet in a bad way. With no ice cream or anything remotely sweet in the pantry, I figured the only way to pacify my need for sugar is to make something myself.

The day before, I had just received the October subscription of the Food and Travel Magazine featuring all things Spanish and recalled a churros recipe that looked simple enough.

The recipe called for 435ml of water mixed in with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some self raising flour. My immediate thought was that 435ml was such an odd amount. Nonetheless, Food and Travel Magazine has never failed me before. I've tried a few recipes of theirs and they have always proven successful. 

The first attempt was an utter fail. I should have had a batter that was "soft but sticky" but instead I had a batter that was sticky but also extremely runny. Additionally, I was suppose to be able to "roll" the batter into a log like shape. That wasn't achievable either.

Thinking there was a typo and that they meant to say 345ml instead of 435ml, I started mixing another batch, this time using 345ml of water. I can't say I was too impressed with the end result. The batter still didn't feel right and it was more donut than churros but I put that down to not having the churreria (special contraption/mould for producing churros).

I'm going to write to Food and Travel and see what they've got to say about this recipe. Lucky for them this donut satisfied my craving for the night.

sunny, with a chance of watermelons

I've been known to eat half a watermelon in one sitting. This was back in my heydays when  I was young and I could eat anything and not put on weight. When we were living in London, we only had mushy, watermelons that were past its prime and lacking the sweetness of the ones found back home.

These watermelons were found during our trip to Puglia, near the town of Ostuni, just sitting innocently by the road. We were tempted to stop and take one for dessert that night. It's amazing not more watermelons go missing as a result of roadside theft.

what's up doc?

I love Bourke Street Bakery. I used to live across the road from them (not the original but the one at Alexandria) and became hooked ever since.

I now live about 16,000 km from my closest Bourke Street Bakery or about a 23 hour plane ride away. To say I'm frustrated that I'm not getting my weekly dose of carrot cake or sausage rolls is putting it lightly. So when they released their much anticipated book last spring, I got my hands on a copy earlier this year and have been giving some of their recipes a test run.

I love carrot cakes and especially love BSB's version. I think the fact that meringue is added gives it a nice airy texture and a crisp top which makes its quite different to any other carrot cake I've ever devoured.

I've added a bit more cream cheese, icing sugar and carrots than what is called for in the original recipe so you may also wish to adapt as per your taste buds.

super moist cake base

cream cheese filling

the finished product

the humble carrot cake
adapted from Bourke Street Bakery book
created: 22 August 2011


[ingredients]:

for the cake

• 165g          carrots (peeled and grated)
• 150g          self raising flour
• 170ml        extra light olive oil
• 75g           walnuts
• 1/8tsp       baking powder
• 1/8tsp       bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4tsp       ground cinnamon
• 1/8tsp       ground cloves
• 1/8tsp       ground nutmeg
• 1/4tsp       salt
• 2              egg whites
• 60g           castor sugar (for egg whites)
• 1              egg
• 1              egg yolk
• 160g         castor sugar (for egg yolks)

cream cheese frosting

• 20g           butter (softened)
• 25g           icing sugar
• 200g         cream cheese (I used philly)
• 50ml         whipping/pouring cream

[method]:

• Preheat the oven to 200⁰C (fan force oven).
• Grease one 20cm round cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper, allowing the baking paper to protrude about an inch above the cake tin.
• Place the walnuts in a baking tray and roast for around 3-4 mins or until lightly toasted. Allow to cool and roughly chop the walnuts, taking care not to chop them too fine. 
• Sift the flour, baking soda, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt and repeat to ensure an even mix. 
• Place the egg whites in the mixing bowl of the electric mixer. Ensure bowl is scrupulously clean, otherwise the meringue will not form properly.
• Whisk the egg whites on high setting until soft peaks are formed, all the while slowly adding the sugar while the motor is running. Do not add the sugar all at once, otherwise your meringue may fail.
• Transfer to a clean bowl, taking care not to over handle the mixture.
• Place the egg and egg yolk in the mixing bowl of the electric mixer and whisk on high setting for approximately 3 minutes, all the while slowly adding the sugar to the eggs. When the mixture has doubled in volume, slowly pour the oil into the mixture in a steady stream. Take care not to rush this step as it may result in the mixture splitting or deflating considerably.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold through the carrots and walnuts. Finally, quickly and gently fold through the meringue. You do not need to mix this through, instead you should still be able to see streaks of meringue through the mixture. 
• Transfer into the cake tin and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour. You may need to reduce the temperature from 200⁰C to 180⁰C if the top starts to brown too quickly within the first half of the baking period.
• Test with a skewer at around 50 minutes and if it comes out clean, then the cake is baked through and you may end the baking process, otherwise continue until the hour is up or until the cake is baked through.
• Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes in the tin before turning it onto a cooling rack. Cool for another hour.

• For the cream cheese frosting, cream the butter and icing sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. 
• Then add in small amounts of the cream cheese, allowing each portion to be completely incorporated before adding the next portion. 
• Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure a smooth even mixture.
• When all the cream cheese have been incorporated, add the whipping/pouring cream and mix well. The mixture should be spreadable and not too runny.

• To assemble the cake, slice the cake horizontally into 2 even halves and fill with the cream cheese frosting. Lightly dust the top of the cake with icing sugar.

Serves: 8


Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes

a green thumb

I love Richmond. Richmond in London that is (not the dodgy Richmond in Sydney)

It's pretty in summer when the sun is shining, it's pretty in winter when the snow covers the side walks and trees. It's pretty no matter which season you visit. 

So when i heard that there was a cafe situated within the greenhouse of a working nursery I was curious.

Petersham Nurseries Cafe is headed up by Skye Gyngell who was raised in Sydney but moved to Paris when she was eighteen to pursue her love of food. It opened back in 2004 but has only recently come under the media spotlight due to the achievement of its first michelin star. The food is no nonsense, hearty British fare and whilst it errs on the side of expensive, the portions are large. On a sunny day, its a great place to enjoy good food and wine with great friends.

I ate at Petersham Nurseries on two occasions, once in spring and again in summer. Both times we were blessed with glorious weather and the food was immensely satisfying.

petersham nurseries
church lane, richmond, tw10 7ag UNITED KINGDOM
tel. +44 208 605 3627
www.petershamnurseries.com

[entree] torn bread salad with proscuitto

[entree] dorset crab cakes

[main] new season lamb, yellow beans, sweet potato & pesto

[main] grilled scallops, borlotti beans and spinach

[entree] mozzarella salad

[entree] clams with fresh borlotti beans

[main] pan fried sea bass with asian dressing

[main] roast spatchcock, sweet potatos, beetroot

sampling the sampler

We almost didn't make it to dinner on Friday night.

Two crazy storms had decided to pummel Prague on Friday and left me feeling rather lethargic and lazy. I'm usually unaffected by the weather. After living in London for three years, you learn to ignore the constant stream of rain and lack of sunshine.

The sun began peeking its head out around six and by seven any trace of the two storms had almost disappeared - just in time for our reservation at La Degustation at eight.

As the name suggests, La Degustation does not offer an a-la-carte menu but instead two degustation menus - one internationally themed and the other, Boheme Bourgeoise. On this occasion my husband and I decided to select the Boheme Bourgeoise menu, with the intention of coming back another time for the international tasting.

For 2,250 czk, you are offered seven amuse bouches and seven tasting plates. Quite good value considering something similar in London would have set us back almost double that amount.

Probably by far the best meal I've had in my time here. But the prices also reflect that.

la degustation
haštalská 18, 110 00, praha CZECH REPUBLIC
tel. +420 222 311 234 email. boheme@ambi.cz
www.ladegustation.cz

Individual printed menu of the day

[amuse Bouche #1] chocolate peanut praline with seasalt

[amuse bouche #2] rice biscuit with
parmigiana and bottarga

[amuse bouche #4] steak tar tare

[entree] prague ham, sumava bread, pickled shallot, honey
mustard

[soupe] veal soup, beef marrow, green peas

[poche] beef oyster blade, braised potato, creamy sauce
with fresh dill

[poche] poached trebon carp, lemon sauce, almonds,
cucumber

[amuse bouche #5] fish & chips

[fume] freshly smoked beef tongue, chickpea puree,
marjoram, pickled chanterelles & cepes

[braise] 12 hours roasted pork belly, elderberry sauce,
roasted onion, red bell  pepper, cabbage

[amuse bouche #6] watermelon and cucumber shot

[fromage] olomoucke tvaruzky, caramel, beet root, yarrow

[amuse bouche #7] white wine foam with raspberry
granita

[sucre] potato sisky, pear, organic cottage cheese

[petit four] white orange chocolate with chocolate cookie

death by mushroom

There's no denying that mushroom foraging is one of the Czech Republic's favourite national past-time, second to beer drinking that is.

Whilst the majority of these mushrooms are safe to eat, there are quite a number that have been known to cause violent illness and in some extreme cases death.

On our way to dinner last night, we found what we thought may be a garden variety of the button mushroom. It looks harmless enough, but we weren't taking any chances. 

which roast?

Up until about a year ago, I wasn't a coffee drinker. I'd spend my afternoons and evenings sipping tea and would try all sorts of new blends and seek out new tea houses. I even have the assortment of teapots to prove how much of a tea drinker I was.

One day I came to the realisation that I needed to stop limiting my taste buds and start entertaining the possibility of an alternative form of caffeine consumption. I was walking along Broadway Markets, London one sunny Saturday when I saw a small line forming outside the Climpson & Sons coffee cart. One taste, what have I got to lose? 
Ever since that sunny day at Broadway Markets, I've been a big fan of their coffee. I've tried many different roasts since then from Monmouth to Caravan and Allpress but I keep coming back to Climpsons. I recently ordered two bags of whole beans on my trip back to London - The Baron and the Seasonal Espresso Blend.

Not only does it smell amazing, it tastes as good as it smells.

climpson & sons
67 broadway market, london, e8 4ph UNITED KINGDOM
www.webcoffeeshop.co.uk

nipping at the heel

Living la dolce vita.

That was my life during the first week of August this year. For the rare times during the year when my husband is allowed to take time off work (two weeks in summer and two in winter), we seized the opportunity to vacation in Puglia after reading many glowing articles on its rugged beauty.

Located in the 'heel' of Italy, Puglia is often known as the poor South or the forgotten cousin to the more popular Tuscany. We've travelled around Tuscany earlier this year and whilst beautiful in its own way, Puglia has a more rustic charm which entices alot of northern Italians during the European summer and foreigners wanting to experience the 'real' Italy.

Due to year round sunshine, you will find an abundance of vegetables grown and eaten here. Vegetables we have neither seen or heard of due to its uniqueness to the region. However, there are a handful of vegetables that will feature prominently from menu to menu. Some of which are fava beans, chicory, artichoke and of course olives. Puglia is also famed for its super fresh seafood as well as fresh hand made pasta known as orecchiette which literally translates to 'little ears'.

I can go on and on about the beautiful towns we visited and the extremely friendly people that we met during our time here, but at the end of the day, this blog is about food.

We had many many meals in Puglia and in Basilicata (we spent two nights in Matera) and at times we thought we would lapse into a food coma given the copious amount of food ingested. I'll only share the ones that left an impression on us. I won't bother with words, instead I'll let the food do the talking.



LE BACCANTI (via sant'angelo 58, 75100, MATERA, italy)

Our second night in Matera, we decided to trust some reviews we read on TripAdvisor. Le Baccanti wasn't the easiest place to find and after a few missed steps we headed down into a cave like restaurant. It was typical Apulian cuisine with a modern twist. So much better than the dinner we had the previous night at La Botteghe. The Angus beef left us salivating for more.


[Antipasti] Salame piccante di Palazzo San Gervasio



[Primi] Lagane fritte su purea di fave e cruschi



[Primi] Maltagliati al ragu di cinghiale



[Secondi] Tagliata di Angus*

* This piece of steak was almost on par with my all time

favourite piece of beef devoured in San Sebastian in 2008 

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TRATTORIA IOLANDA (via montanara 2, LUCUGNANO, italy)

On our first night in the Salento Coast, our host at Palazzo Mellacqua Emanuel and two guests (who became our drinking buddies) - Paolo and Emanuela, drove down to the local trattoria which was immensely popular with the locals. This was evident when we turned up at 10:30pm to a queue!
We had by far, the best orecchiette con cime di rapa in our entire time in Puglia and we've had many versions. Simply bellisimo!


[Antipasti] Deep fried courgettes, aubergines

& peppers



























[Antipasti] Marinated fava beans, artichokes & sundried

tomatoes



[Primi] Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

[Secondi] Arrosto misto del "Rosso"

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PALAZZO MELLACQUA (via pisanelli 4, 73030, CASTIGLIONE D'OTRANTO, italy)

We spent 3 unforgettable nights at Palazzo Mellacqua and our host Sonia made us two excellent seafood dinners. Not only did we eat well here, we met some amazing people who we will remember for many years to come.
Who can forget the nicknames we were christened with when we left this place sadly 3 nights later ~Adriana e Adriano~



[Antipasti] Fresh oysters



[Antipasti] Mixed seafood salad

[Primi] Scampi & mussel linguine

[Secondi] Salt baked fish

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IL FRANTOIO (s.s. 16km. 874, 72017, OSTUNI, italy)

A truly memorable meal in every sense. We booked the seven course meal based on a recommendation from a friend and were not disappointed.

From the tour of the masseria before dinner to the detail presented in each dish followed by a rather passionate narration by the owner. All courses with the exception of the main were freshly prepared using vegetables grown within the masseria. I wish I remembered where we placed the printed menu that we were presented with after the meal, but I'm sure the pictures itself will tell its own story. 

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OSTERIA DEL COCO PAZZO (via arco mastrovito 18, MARTINA FRANCA, italy)

We ended our final night on a high note with a meal at Osteria del Coco Pazzo. Six antipasti courses and a 1.3kg entrecote later, we managed to roll ourselves out of the osteria and back to the masseria to pat our newly developed food babies.



[Antipasti 1]



[Antipasti 2]

[Antipasti 3]

[Antipasti 4]

[Antipasti 5]

[Antipasti 6]

[Secondi] Grilled entrecote