I didn’t know anything about ceviche or Peruvian cuisine before I happened across Martin Morales on Twitter. Previously working at both iTunes and Disney, Martin quit his job in 2010 to launch Ceviche in February 2012. I don’t know what it was about his tweets that drew me to want to try the cuisine, especially as ceviche is normally the kind of cuisine that would send me running for the hills, but want to try it I did. So when the opportunity to travel to London arose and the brief was to eat somewhere “different”, Mr Morales’ new place immediately sprung to mind.

So, what exactly is ceviche? Well, basically, it’s a seafood dish popular in coastal regions of central and South America. It is made by marinating freshwater fish in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spicing with chilli. As no heat is used the fish must be prepared fresh. The origin of ceviche is disputed, although Peru claims it as its own.

We arrived at Ceviche, 15 minutes early, to find that it was hopping! So busy was it that there was no room to wait at the bar whilst they prepared our table, and so we detoured to the Hotel Chocolate opposite much to the delight of the female members of our party. On our return, our table was ready and we threaded ourselves through the bar,into the restaurant area at the rear and to our table.

Loud and exciting, this is not the place to come for a romantic dinner for two, but although deep and meaningful conversation was difficult, we were soon caught up in the atmosphere and with the help of a few Pisco sours (a traditional Peruvian cocktail) having a thoroughly good time.

The easiest way to describe Ceviche’s concept, is to think of it a little like “big tapas” or “little dishes”. Basically you would start with something from the ceviche bar and follow it up with a further two or three dishes per person. The dishes are very easy to share and so everyone can try a bit of this or a bit of that.

To start we ordered the Don Ceviche, Fresh seabass ceviche in Amarillo chilli tiger’s milk, limo chilli and red onions. I thought this dish was absolutely amazing, the quality of the fish was superb and the taste was clean fresh and vibrant.

Don Ceviche

We also ordered Drunk Scallops, Tiradito of thinly sliced king scallops, pisco, pomegranate, limo chilli, lime and coriander.

Drunk Scallops

On the side we had Yucas, Fried cassava with Huancaina Sauce. Chicken Saltado Tequeños, Wonton fritters filled with Chifa style chicken and vegetables and also Cheese and Chard Tequeños, this time filled with melted cheese, fresh chard and Botija olives.

Yucas and Cheese & Chard Tequenos

Chicken Saltado Tequenos

From there we moved on to some more familiar South American territory, grilled skewers (Anticuchos) and what were billed as classic favourites (Recuerdos).

We had skewers of Corazón, Tender beef heart marinated in panca chilli, anticucho sauce with choclo corn and Pulpo, braised octopus marinated in coriander with chorizo chunks served with a warm creamed quinoa.

Pulpo

Corazon

Paiche Amazon Fish, Marinated in Amarillo chilli, with sweet potato salad and alfalfa sprouts garnish.

Paiche Amazon Fish

From the daily specials we had a couple of portions of Peruvian short pork ribs in a spicy marinade.

Pork Short Ribs

We also ordered Huancaína Macaroni, Peruvian cheese and Amarillo chilli sauce macaroni pasta.

Huancaina Macaroni

For me the food delivered not only on flavour but they also introduced me to some interesting new combinations, scallops and pomegranate for example.

Even though there were five of us, we didn’t need to go overboard on the number of dishes we ordered, as they really are quite generously proportioned. In fact, not everyone had room for dessert. We tried two different desserts, the first being from the special board and unfortunately I can’t remember its name and the second being Encanelado de Pisco, which is cinnamon sponge soaked in Pisco spirit syrup served with Dolce de Leche ice cream.

The Dessert with no name!

Encanelado De Pisco

I would happily go back to Ceviche again if I was in London and looking for somewhere casual with bags of atmosphere. Recommended.

Ceviche
17 Frith Street
Soho
London
W1D 4RG

Tel: 020 7292 2040
Email: welcome@cevicheuk.com
Web: http://www.cevicheuk.com

Beetroot & Chocolate Cake

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to spoil that special someone. If you’re planning a romantic dinner at home, indulge in the perfect home-made dessert with a little help from G’NOSH  – Beetroot and Chocolate cake – made using two of the finest aphrodisiacs known to man, chilli and chocolate, which are bound to set the pulses racing.

The cake also includes the gorgeously purple G’NOSH Beetroot & Mint dip, this delicious iron-rich ingredient containing 73% beetroot and is full of antioxidants, making it a not-so-guilty pleasure. The dip adds extra depth to a classic, and keeps this rich chocolate cake wonderfully moist.

The recipe is devised by award winning Chef, Pâtissier and Chocolatier, Waitrose Consultant and media personality – Will Torrent, who works closely with top celebrity chefs including Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty.

Serving tip: Serve a large slice on one plate with two spoons to share

Valentine's Day Dessert - Chocolate & Beetroot Cake Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to spoil that special someone. If you’re planning a romantic dinner at home, indulge in the perfect home-made dessert - Beetroot and Chocolate cake – made using two of the finest aphrodisiacs known to man, chilli and chocolate, which are bound to set the pulses racing.

Author: Will Torrent on behalf of G’NOSH

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• For the cake
• Ingredients:
• 75g cocoa powder
• 180g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 250g G’NOSH Beetroot & Mint dip
• 3 free-range eggs
• 100ml olive oil
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the ganache
• 100ml beetoot juice
• 10ml olive oil
• 100g milk chocolate
• 100g dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180C
2. Sieve the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the caster sugar
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the G’NOSH Beetroot & Mint dip, free-range eggs, oils and vanilla extract until it comes together.
4. Add the beetroot mixture in with the dry ingredients and mix together and then pour this in to a pre-lined 8” cake tin or 12 individual cupcake cases or domes.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is springy to the touch. The smaller cakes will take less time.
6. For the ganache: place the beetroot juice and the olive oil into a sauce pan and bring to the boil.
7. Once boiled, pour over the chocolate and mix together. You could use a hand blender to do this to emulsify the ganache.
8. When the cake is cooked and cooled, pour over the beetroot ganache before serving

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In October 2012 there was a BBC news report stating that research shows that a large number of people prefer to buy meat in a supermarket because they are intimidated by butchers. Today, the headline news is that Tesco, amongst others, has been selling selling beef burgers with approximately 29% horsemeat and also 21 other beef meal products including cottage pie, beef curry pie and lasagne which contained pork. Tesco claim that they did not know that their food producers were putting horse meat and pork in their beef products and have tried to assure the public that these products are not harmful to consumers. But heck, if they did not know what was going in their products, how do they know what the quality was and that they really did not, or would not, cause any illnesses. In addition, what if you have an allergy to pork or horsemeat and you eat Tesco beef burgers and beef ready meals, I dare to say that would be harmful to your health.

So I just feel the need to really encourage anyone who happens on this blog post, if you care about what you eat, please try out your local butcher or farmers market. Don’t be intimidated to go to your butcher just because you may not be familiar with all the different cuts of meat. A good butcher will help you decide what cut of meat is best for you and how to cook it. So if you want a steak but not sure what kind, tell him/her what you like in a steak i.e. you like to cook it well done or rare, you like a bit of fat or no fat. If you want to make a stew or roast, a good butcher can suggest a good cut. If you just see a piece of meat that looks good, they will be more than happy to suggest ways to cook it.

Many butchers will be able to tell you where they source their meat from and usually make their own mincemeat and burgers. Ask them if they make it themselves, most do.

As I get around Wales, I go to several butchers. In Cardiff, I love Martin Player High Class Butchers  located on 10 Park Road Whitchurch Cardiff CF14 7BQ 02920 6094. Martin Player sources his Welsh beef locally as possible from farms in Carmarthenshire or the Vale of Glamorgan. All of their producers adhere to strict working practises and animal welfare. They sell less expensive cuts like ox cheek (one of my faves  for stews) up to the more expensive fillet. They make their own sausages and burgers which are award winning. Martin and his staff are happy to help you decide what to buy and give cooking suggestions.

Martin Player Butchers

Same goes for my favourite butcher in Brecon, Morgans Family Butchers, 102 The Struet, Brecon, Powys, LD3 7LT. DH and I make a pilgrimage to Brecon to stock out freezer with beef at least once per quarter. Steve Morgan’s family raise Welsh Black Beef, and Welsh lamb and I must say his beef is superb! Their beef, lamb and home-made sausages have won many awards at the Royal Welsh Show and Steve proudly displays his ribbons in his shop.

When near Raglan, I enjoy going to N.S. James Family Butchers, Crown Square, Raglan, NP15 2EB. Over 90% of the meat they supply has travelled less than ten miles to their premises. In addition, they have their own licenced slaughterhouse.

I also encourage you to check out your local farmers market. Cardiff has 2 fab markets one in Riverside, the other in Roath. I also frequent the markets in Usk and Brecon. If you live in Wales, go to http://www.fmiw.co.uk/ to find a farmers market near you. The stall holders at farmers markets we frequent, take pride in the quality of their produce and food products. So many people think that butchers and farmers markets cost more than a supermarket. Some things are, many things aren’t; I encourage you to investigate for yourself.

To Tesco, I say shame on you! You say you did not know that so many of your beef products contained horsemeat or pork. It’s unbelievable that a major organisation like you does not have sufficient quality control and systems to protect your customers. There is no excuse for this lack of quality control other than the mighty £££ was more important to you than your customers. Millions of people have trusted you, I don’t think you deserve our trust any more. I think it’s time that we shopped more at our local butcher and farmers markets. They really care, not only, about what they grow, produce and sell but also about their local customers.

I’m all for an easy life, me. So although I do as much shopping as I can at farm shops and farmers markets and we always try and cook rather than open a ready meal, sometimes you just want to open a container and leave it at that.  Of course, that doesn’t mean I want to compromise on quality. I still want what’s in my container to be fresh and natural and not full of E’s, sugar and salt.

So I was interested to learn about G’NOSH.

G’NOSH is the brainchild of Charlotte Knight, a mother of two, and former marketing leader from the Banking & IT sector, who wanted to combine a life long passion for food and entertaining with her ambitions of becoming a foodie entrepreneur.

Formerly from New Zealand, Charlotte spotted an obvious gap in the UK market for fresh, natural flavours and seeking inspiration from the dips back “down under”, she saw the opportunity to create a distinctive brand for her gourmet dips. G’NOSH was born.

They sent along this recipe for me to try, and although I haven’t had the chance to make it yet  it does sound rather fine and so I thought I’d just go ahead and share it.  If any of you get the chance to try ot before I do then please let me know how it goes.

Soy Blackened Mackerel with a G’NOSH Smoky Black Bean Risotto

Soy Blackened Mackerel with a G’NOSH Smoky Black Bean risotto

 

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The dish is made using a fusion of beautiful Asian flavourings and an abundance of healthy ingredients to kick start the New Year diet including the G’NOSH Sweet Black Bean Dip, which is not only protein rich and full of fibre but also provides a delicious smoky touch to the risotto. The dish also uses the oily fish mackerel, which is rich in omega-3 and is an excellent source of Vitamin D, and chilli to optimise your heart health and improve cholesterol levels.

Author: Will Torrent on behalf of G’NOSH

Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian fusion

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 fresh fillets of mackerel
• 5tbsp soy sauce
• 5tbsp sesame oil
• 1 stalk of lemon grass, broken in two
• 2 red chillies, finely shredded
• 15g grated ginger
• 1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 limes
• 1 big bunch of coriander (stalks and leaves)
• 1 litre vegetable stock (for every 100g risotto rice)
• 100g arborio risotto rice per person
• 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
• 1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small glass of white wine
• 1 pot of G’NOSH Sweet Black Bean Dip
• 10g pickled ginger
• 25g toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Place the mackerel fillets in to a bowl or tray and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, broken lemon grass, one chilli, grated ginger, half of the chopped spring onions, juice of one of the limes and the coriander stalks
2. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight to marinade
3. To make the risotto, heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan
4. In a separate saucepan, add the olive oil and gently fry the banana shallots, garlic and the ginger
5. When the onions become translucent, add the risotto rice, and coat the grains in the oil
6. Add the glass of white wine and reduce, stirring all the time. Once reduced, add a ladleful of stock and simmer, stirring again until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and ‘al dente’
7. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the G’NOSH Sweet Black Bean Dip, keep warm
8. Heat a frying pan and add a touch of oil. Remove the marinated mackerel fillets from the fridge and fry for about a minute on each side. The soy sauce will darken and crisp the mackerel
9. Once cooked, remove the pan from the heat and break up the mackerel fillets into pieces, keep warm
10. Spoon the G’NOSH Sweet Black Bean risotto onto a plate and top with the broken mackerel fillets
11. Finish with the remaining chilli, some picked ginger, spring onions and coriander leaves.
12. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds, drizzle with sesame oil and serve with a wedge of lime

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Charlotte Knight was recently shortlisted for the 2012 Red Magazine’s Hot Women Awards start-up category, which celebrates women in the workplace.

G’NOSH Muhumarra Spicy Red Pepper Dip was recently shortlisted for ‘Best Vegan Product’ in the 2013 Cook Vegetarian Magazine Awards

I’ve never really paid a lot of attention to the small part of the supermarket aisle dedicated to gluten free products, not being gluten intolerant myself. Although I’ve seen a few small producers championing their gluten free ranges, which I’m sure are excellent, I doubt I would have chosen a gluten free product over a standard one. So despite the fact that I’m aware that there are increasing number of such products available, they have still remained something that I’ve very little interest in.

However, when an old friend brought his American, gluten intolerant, wife over to the UK to stay with us for a few days it wasn’t long before the question of where can we source gluten-free products was raised. Fortunately, our local supermarket stocked a reasonably good range.

I was quite surprised to learn that in comparison to America, not only did our little Valleys supermarket stock an excellent range of gluten-free goods, but that, in her opinion; they were infinitely superior to the ones she was able to source back in the USA. Whilst I admit to a smattering of British pride, in this age of globalised food brands I couldn’t quite believe this to be so, nevertheless she assured me that it was true.

So when the nice people at Sainsbury’s offered me the chance to try some gluten-free sweet Mandarin sauces, I was keen to take them up on the offer. Manchester based Sweet Mandarin, is owned by sisters Helen, Lisa and Janet Tse and was the winner of the best local Chinese restaurant on Gordon Ramsay’s F word for 2009 – 2010. Sweet Mandarin produces three varieties of sauce: Sweet Chilli, Sweet and Sour and also Barbecue.

Twin sisters Helen and Lisa appeared on Dragon’s Den and secured £50,000 worth of funding from Dragons Duncan Bannatyne and Hillary Devey in exchange for a 40% stake of their sauce venture. The sauces were developed in response to demand from customers suffering with coeliac disease. Gluten triggers a reaction in people with this condition and so the sauces are gluten-free and contain no monosodium glutamate, artificial colourings or preservatives. All of the sauces are made of the restaurant with 1000 bottles a day currently being produced. They also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Whilst branded as dipping sauces, they can also be used in a variety of other ways such as marinades. At the end of this post I’ve even included a recipe for a Bloody Barbecue Mary. We chose to use the sauce as a marinade for pork, but skipped the traditional Sweet and Sour and opted for a Sweet Chilli instead.

As this was the first time we tried the sauce, we decided to use it straight from the bottle with no enhancements in order for us to be able to judge the true flavour. We simply took some pork chops from our local butcher and marinated them in the sweet chilli sauce for about half an hour. We then seared them on both sides, in an ovenproof frying pan. We then added a little water to thin the sauce and stop it ‘catching’ before transferring the pan to a hot oven (200° C) for about 10 min.

The sauce worked very well with the pork chops, producing a sweetness with a nice mild chilli heat. I was pleased that the heat from the chilli was mild, as it’s much easier to add extra chilli if that should be your taste than to try and take it away if it isn’t.

Pork with Sweet Mandarin Sweet Chilli Sauce

The more adventurous cooks amongst us will find that the sauces are also a great base to build upon. You could easily thin them with oil or soy sauce, add extra chilli, lemon, lime or coriander to make many variations on the theme.

One thing is for certain, you don’t need to be gluten intolerant in order to find these Sweet Mandarin sauces a useful addition to the store cupboard.

Sweet Mandarin Sauces are available from branches of Sainsbury’s UK Wide.

And now the barbecue bloody Mary recipe I promised you:

Bloody Barbecue Mary

 

Print

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

2 mins

 

A great way to dispel the morning after blues!

Recipe type: Cocktail

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 part vodka
• 2 part tomato juice
• 1 part Sweet Mandarin Barbecue Sauce

Instructions

1. Pour into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake it and then shake it again for luck.
3. Pour and drown your Hangover.

3.1.09

The Sweet Mandarin Sauces used in this post were supplied free of charge by Sainsbury’s.

Rustic Indian – Authentic and healthy curry bases in four mouth-watering varieties

Rustic Indian is a new range of four fresh, chilled Punjabi spice blend bases for home cooking, using the finest blends of authentic ingredients and traditional Punjabi recipes prepared from scratch.

Forget the gloopy, bland, preservative-packed jars of ready-made curry sauces which currently saturate the supermarkets: Rustic Indian promises to revolutionise this category with nutritious, healthy sauces, chilled to keep their fresh flavour intact for your kitchen.

Rustic Indian is the brainchild of Vini and Bal Aujla, husband and wife team and self-confessed food-nuts. The couple first bonded over a love of food and their shared passion for authentic, delicious flavours of the Punjab region. They remain committed to making family recipes passed down to Vini through generations in small batches, by hand, with the finest, freshest ingredients and love.

Rustic Indian provides a deeply flavoured, richly spiced foundation for classic curry recipes. The sauces are also a versatile base for global culinary inspiration: whether stirred into soups, a seasoning for stews or casseroles, a marinade for meat, an accompaniment to meatballs, a topping for toast or a sandwich filling, Rustic Indian always delivers a full and punchy, authentic Punjabi flavour.

All four sauces are vegetarian and gluten-free with absolutely no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, incorporating ingredients such as rapeseed oil, which is traditionally used throughout India and contains healthy Omegas 3, 6 & 9 and essential fatty acids.

The Rustic Indian range includes four mouth-watering cook-in sauce varieties (£3.99 RRP):

Shahi

Meaning “royal”, Shahi is the most decadent and creamy of the Rustic Indian range: mildly spiced, indulgent and sophisticated. Subtle, fragrant spices including coriander, cardamoms and bay leaves combine in a gentle, silky sauce perfect for marinating salmon steaks or a classic ‘Palak Paneer’ with cubes of paneer cheese and baby spinach.

Jeera

Jeera, or “cumin”, is integral to Punjabi cooking with its distinctive aroma and warm, earthy, smoky taste. Rustic Indian Jeera sauce is a celebration of cumin, expertly toasted and spiced with medium hotness.

Wonderful with lamb or to jazz up a chicken & mushroom pie.

Tharka

Meaning “seasoned”, Tharka is the traditional base for many classic North Indian dishes. Rustic Indian Tharka sauce has medium levels of heat, allowing the heady flavours of fenugreek, black cardamoms and cloves to come through. Excellent with seafood or in a classic ‘Tharka Daal’ with lentils.

Fiery Mirchi

Mirchi means “chilli” and Rustic Indian’s Fiery Mirchi is the most potent of the Rustic Indian range, guaranteed to stimulate your palate. The heat is balanced and the flavours rounded by a complex blend of fragrant spices. Makes a brilliant butter chicken and can give an interesting edge to lasagne.

About Vini & Bal

Co-Founder Vini started young in the kitchen, helping her mother and grandmother grind fresh spices with a pestle and mortar.

Soon after marrying, Vini and Bal realised that the delicious Punjabi food that they grew up enjoying was not readily available in the UK market.

Despite working in comfortable city jobs (Vini worked on private investments at RIT Capital), they decided to take the plunge and create a range of spice bases to allow everyone to enjoy authentic, home cooked flavours – without spending hours in the kitchen.

Vini said: “The inspiration for Rustic Indian came when we first realised how different the perception of Indian food was to the reality. It was impossible to find anything resembling authentic, fresh Punjabi home cooking in restaurants or shops.

“We began cooking our families’ beloved recipes in large batches to share with friends and colleagues and had a phenomenal response, which inspired us to take the leap of faith and create Rustic Indian.”

Bal said: “Vini and I never take any shortcuts when we prepare our Rustic Indian sauces from scratch, just like our mothers and grandmothers. This means when it gets to your kitchen, all the hard work is done and just final flourishes are needed to create your favourite recipe.”

More information about Rustic Indian

From every Rustic Indian sauce sold, 5p will be donated to Magic Bus  to support their mission to take a million children in poverty-stricken communities in India from childhood to livelihood using the unifying medium of sport.

Stockists

Rustic Indian sauces are available nationwide via 120 Budgens stores.

Partridges of Sloane Square stock the full range of sauces.

Planet Organic & Wholefoods will be stocking the Rustic Indian sauces from Jan 2013.

Find Them Online

Website (www.rusticindian.com)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/RusticIndian)

Twitter (https://twitter.com/rusticindians)

Although this is primarily a food blog I thought, as it was Christmas, I’d diversify a little and recognise that it’s also a very stressful time of year, what with menu planning, present shopping and wrapping to contend with. So what better time than to take a little bit of “me time” and pamper yourself for a change.

The nice people at Sainsbury’s have given me one of their exclusive Nip + Fab Ultimate Pamper Kits to give away to one lucky reader.  This kit contains all of your pampering must haves and is presented in a fabulous blue tote bag. The kit contains: Nip + Fab’s body wash, body lotion, facial wash, hand cream, day cream, eye cream, relaxation mask, hydrating mask and facial scrub and is valued at £40.

Nip + Fab Ultimate Pamper Kit

The easiest way to enter is to scroll to the bottom of this post and leave a comment. You simply need to tell me who you would give the pamper set as a gift to this Christmas and why.

You can also enter via Twitter by answering the same question. Please note if you enter via Twitter your tweet must include a link to this blog post and the hashtag #ChristmasDays.

The nice people at Sainsbury’s will judge all the entries, decide the winners and take responsibility for hamper delivery. You have until midnight on Sunday 16th December 2012 to enter. The winner will be chosen on Monday 17th December – this means the pamper set should be with the winners in time for Christmas. (Sorry UK Residents only).

Good Luck!

On the 3rd December, ffresh at the Wales Millennium  Centre launched it’s program of events for Christmas 2012 with a Christmas Music Night. This is the latest event in series of live music nights where diners get entertained by members of the Welsh National Opera Chorus in between courses.

MrsA and I were fortunate enough to be invited along to sample the event and so we set off to the WMC looking forward to the festive fun. Apart from a slight mix up with the menu, which meant that the one that was published here earlier became a more traditional Turkey dinner, we settled down to enjoy the evening’s entertainment.

Starters took the form of a smoked salmon dish.  A fresh salmon mousse, wrapped in smoked salmon it was generously portioned. MrsA thought it was well seasoned  and the punchiness of the fresh micro greens and spicy horseradish gave a  nice balance. She would have liked a bit more toast though.

Smoked Salmon Starter

Not being a lover of salmon, I switched to the vegetarian starter of Pear and Blue Cheese Salad. Again generously proportioned the cheese was really punchy, just how I like it.  The baby pears were a little on the hard side but had good flavour.  The whole thing was sitting on top of a kind of carrot coleslaw, which was just unnecessary and only served to confuse the dish. It would have been better to leave out the carrot and add more pear.

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Before our mains we were treated to the first recital from PEDW4R, the operatic quartet, who began with Winter Wonderland. Now I’m not the worlds greatest lover of opera and to my untrained ear I thought it took PEDW4R a few songs to hit their stride.  Once they had, they managed to put a novel spin on a lot of old favourites and brought smiles and enjoyment to their audience.

Our main course was a traditional turkey dinner with stuffing, pigs in blankets, sprouts, baby potatoes and carrots, parsnips cauliflower and cranberry sauce. The turkey was very moist and the gravy was lovely and rich, there just wasn’t enough of it. A separate jug of gravy would have been ideal. Gravy aside, everything was nicely cooked and the veg retained its flavour.  Although it was traditional it was very well done.

Traditional Turkey Dinner

After another round of carols and Christmas themed songs from PEDW4R, it was time for dessert.

PEDW4R Meriel Andrew (soprano) Sian Meinir (mezzosoprano) Michael Clifton Thompson (tenor) and Martin Lloyd (bass)

It was a shame but the pre-made individualised Christmas pudding portions were a real let down. Rubbery with no flavour or texture and splash of white sauce they didn’t match the high notes of PEDW4R.

Christmas Pudding and White Sauce

Despite the poor pudding both MrsA and myself enjoyed the ffresh Christmas Music Night. It was an idea way to kick start ourselves into the Christmas mood. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves too and quite a few tables (MrsA included) were signing along to the carols.

The WMC has a number of other Christmas themed events running during December and you should also look out for any more ffresh music evenings.  Details can be found on the WMC website here.

ffresh
Wales Millennium Centre
Bute Place
Cardiff Bay
CF10 5AL.

Tel: 029 2063 6465
Email: ffresh@wmc.org.uk 

We attended the event as guests of ffresh and as such the evening was complimentary.

The first thing you notice when you walk into the new Pilot is the chairs. Although there appears to be consistency in the tables, the chairs appear to have been sourced from the end of line aisle at <insert your favourite furniture retailer here>. Faced with the prospect of spending the evening sitting on some white plastic thing that appeared to have escaped from the garden centre, we swapped tables to one with nice sturdy wooden chairs and seat cushions. These were much more suited to the corpulent posteriors!

It’s a pity really because the rest of the décor is really well done. A nice modern fire burns invitingly, there are some comfy sofas, the décor is clean and modern, and the whole place is very nicely set out.

Views Inside The new Pilot

Owners Knife & Fork Food Ltd also own the new Conway and you can see that this is where the inspiration for the new Pilot comes from. As at the Conway the menus take the form of the blackboards on the walls chalked up with the classic favourites and seasonally changing dishes.

The other similarity with the Conway is unfortunately one that I find extremely irritating. Should you require to “open a tab” i.e. pay for your food and drinks in one fail swoop at the end of the evening then they require you to physically hand over your credit/debit card which they keep behind the bar, presumably to stop you doing a runner. Now I’m sorry but as someone who has in the past been the victim of credit card fraud there is absolutely no way in the world I’m going to give you sole charge of my card for a few hours. For as much as you obviously don’t trust me, then let me tell you I trust you even less. At the Conway I point blank refused to hand my card over, pointing out that should I do a runner the chances of a fat fifty year old being able to outrun a twenty something bar person was pretty slim. They capitulated; I didn’t run and paid my bill at the end of the meal just like I normally would.

Now I do appreciate that you could of course ‘pay as you go’ but as there is a minimum spend for each transaction of £10, that extra pint could get expensive.

Okay, enough of my quibbles, let’s get on to what I actually came for and that’s the food.

MrsA chose the ‘Flaked, Smoked & Poached Mackerel with Beetroot, Apple Salad’. She liked how the nice, oily smoked mackerel contrasted against the tartness of apple and earthiness of the baby greens. The crunchiness of the home-made croutons, adding the needed texture; makes for a starter with a lot going on. However, the smoke, sweetness and crunch come together to form a nice balance of flavours and textures. A good start!

Flaked, Smoked & Poached Mackerel with Beetroot, Apple Salad

I opted for the ‘Chicken & Pancetta Terrine with Cherry Tom Mayo’. A nicely prepared terrine, quite fatty but, because it’s predominantly chicken, fairly bland. The mayonnaise does help to lift it but also being quite fatty isn’t really sharp enough. The toast gives a nice crunch, but there’s nothing to cut through the fat. It needs something to give a bit of sharpness like a caper, a gherkin, or some little pickles just to give it a lift. With no flavour from the pancetta, the dish just comes across as tasting like a chicken mayo. A little disappointing.

Chicken & Pancetta Terrine with Cherry Tom Mayo

For mains MrsA went for the ‘Marinated Lamb Rump, Carrots, Mash with Pea and Mint Dressing’. The lamb was a nicely cooked medium. If the jus were reduced a just bit more and so allowed to develop a richer depth of flavour, then this would have been a perfect dish. As it is, it comes really, really close.

Marinated Lamb Rump, Carrots, Mash with Pea and Mint Dressing

I plumped for the ‘Pork Belly with Boston Beans’. Crispy, flavourful pork, very moist, a great match with the barbequed flavour of the beans with the ham hock. MrsA thought it needed a little green on the plate, but that was not an issue for me. The pork works well with the side of mashed potato, which could be a little creamier. A good dish that I would be happy to eat anywhere.

Pork Belly with Boston Beans

My dessert, ‘Baked Alaska, Sorbet, Cake & Meringue’ was very nice; the meringue was very light, moist, not dry and powdery. But the cake base was quite dry, very dense, and could have been a lot lighter and less cloying. Ice cream centre was very nice and tasty; there were some berries around it that, based on the taste, we struggled to identify (they turned out to be blackberries). The ice cream sorbet was sharp, tart and cut through the sweetness of the meringue. A bit of work on the cake base would lift this from good to great.

Baked Alaska, Sorbet, Cake & Meringue

The ‘Trio of Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Pannacotta & Coffee Caramel’ was really a duet as the Coffee Caramel was actually just a sauce. The chocolate ganache was made from a nice dark chocolate, not over sweetened, and still had that chocolate bitterness which was nicely balanced by the sweetness in the pannacotta and the caramel. Textures are all very smooth, the tastes nicely balanced, not over cloyingly sweet. All in all a very good dessert.

Trio of Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Pannacotta & Coffee Caramel

With starters and desserts priced at £5 or less and main courses between £8.50 and £19.00, with many being in the £10-£12 range there’s no doubt that the Pilot offers really good value for money. Service was friendly and accommodating and our waiter, Alex, did a really good job.

The £9.50 classic Fish & Chips proved to be exceedingly popular, with a steady stream of diners popping in to consume it during the course of our visit.

Quibbles aside, and they really are quibbles, I’d be very happy if Knife and Fork decided to open a similar venture at the end of my street. Any concerns about leaving a card behind the bar are easily sorted with a trip to the cash point, after all, and the food is good enough that I’m prepared to forgive them their foibles.

If you’re in reasonable travelling distance of Penarth and you’re looking for decent food that won’t break the bank, then I don’t think you’ll go far wrong with the Pilot, just take a cushion. 🙂

The new Pilot
67 Queens Road
Penarth
CF64 1DJ

T: 02920 710615
E: pilot@knifeandforkfood.co.uk

Disclaimer: We were invited to dine at the new Pilot by Working Word PR and as such our food was complimentary, however we paid for our own drinks.

To launch their new cake venture, Red Hot World Buffet in Cardiff invited me and a few other food bloggers to a ‘Red Hot Cake Off’. If you have never been to a Red Hot World Buffet, check out our previous write ups here and here.

If you are celebrating a birthday or any other occasion which calls for a sumptuous and beautiful cake, Red Hot World Buffet now offers delicious cakes to end a meal or even to take away! Head Pastry Chef, Darshan Choudhari has created a wonderful range of cakes that will appeal to all cake lovers: Dark Truffle Cake, Carrot Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Florida Gateau, Caramel and Brownies Sensation, Black Forest Gateau, Pineapple Passion. The price for a cake ranges from £11.49 to £15.99.

Celebration Cakes

To celebrate the new cakes, we were given a demo by Chef Choudari on how to make the perfect cheesecake, and it really was the most mouth-watering cheesecake!

Making a Cheesecake

After our demo, we were invited to create our own cake using the same fine ingredients that they use for their cakes. Of course, ours did not look as beautiful but they tasted great, as we had good quality ingredients to work with: fresh fruit, rich chocolate ganache, freshly whipped cream and light and moist sponges.

Cake Ingredients

My cake tasted fab but looked a disaster! I definitely need more than a morning session to learn that art! I used their ingredients to create a chocolate berry cake using chocolate sponge, ganache, mousse, fresh berries, slivered almonds and a white chocolate shard.

Great Taste, Shame About The Look.

Others were more successful decorators as you can see from the photo.

Some other efforts.

As a matter of fact, the well deserved winner of the ‘Red Hot World Buffet Cake Off’ was a proud young Charlie.

The Winner!

If you need a cake for that special celebration, do consider one of the speciality cakes from Red Hot World Buffet!

You could win one of these.

Now, lucky reader, it’s your chance to win one of their fabulous celebration cakes. Please note, that if you win, you will have to go the Cardiff Red Hot World Buffet to pick up your cake. There are five ways to enter. You can leave a comment on this post, go to Facebook and ‘like’ our page, follow @babettesffest and/or @gomezadams on Twitter or tweet about our giveaway.  Why not do all five and increase your chances of winning. Our competition runs until October 29th and the winner will be announced on October the 30th. To enter simply use your facebook details or email address to login into the giveaway box below, where you’ll find five simple ways to enter.  Increase your chances by entering in more than one way. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway