Stigand
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Posts posted by Stigand
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Wonderful report, Percy. I am curious about the shrimp "pil-pil" that you had. Pil-Pil is generally made with salt cod and olive oil and a fairly involved cooking process. Would you happen to know if this was a real pi-pil to which they substituted shrimp after the sauce was made, or a variation that they called "pil-pil" because of a textural resemblance?
I can't intelligently compare the Gambas "pil-pil" I had to the version you reference, since I have not tried the Bacalao pil-pil. Though there was olive oil, I don't remember any Cod in the version I got and would not be surprised if they took a few short cuts compared to the Bacalao pil-pil from Basque, however, for comparision, the sauce of seemed to have a much more complex flavor than the typical Gambas tapas I have ever tasted.
A few years ago I posted on the Spain and Portugal board about a small cerveceria in Andalusia where I frequently ate, among other things, a dish the restaurant described as 'gambas al pil-pil' - prawns stewed in a terracotta dish of garlicky, guindilla-y olive oil. My post attracted withering scorn from the local experts who pointed out that this dish was in fact 'gambas al ajillo'.
Either way, it was very good. -
Anything new on this subject? We're going to be in Oxford in January and need to take some friends out to dinner. We'd very much prefer to stay in town. What's Fisher's like? How's Brasserie Blanc now that it is owned by the Loch Fyne chain - i.e., has it improved under new ownership? Has anything of note opened? The menu at the funny Malmaison hotel in the ex-prison seems, at least, coherent - has anybody been?
Thanks.
In the twon centre, my choices would be:
i) Chiang Mai, a good Thai restaurant near Carfax
ii) Cafe Coco's, just over Magdalen Bridge, for a slightly superior Pizza Express-style experience.
Quod wasn't bad when I was there last - but that was over a year ago, and it was a bit boring: I felt I could have been eating the same thing at any number of so-so places in London, which for some reason I don't feel at Chiang Mai or Cafe Coco.
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Chilled fino sherry is my favourite with smoked salmon.
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Premium Private Label has been an important feature of UK Supermarkets for many years now.
Tesco's "Finest" range has been around since 1998, and equivalents, such as Sainsbury's "Taste the Difference" range, about the same amount of time.
What makes the UK market interesting is that the one supermarket that ONLY sells private label goods, Marks and Spencer, has been traditionally regarded as the market leader for quality for several decades.
From Interbrand:
Retailers in the United Kingdom have been private label innovators in many respects. Take the supermarket landscape as a case in point. Since the UK consumer buys a significant proportion of his weekly purchases from one store, the competitive focus is at the store level and this is where it has been imperative for retailers to create a persuasive consumer connection. In order to accomplish this objective, retailers have had to elevate themselves above competitive retail outlets by having a comprehensive offer. They would develop their portfolios and provide proprietary products in categories where national brand manufacturers’ offerings did not suffice. -
Chicken schwarma mit scharfes at L'Emir Sandwich in Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt.
The toasted Montogomery Cheddar sandwiches on Poilane bread at London's Borough Market. Not to mention Brindisa's chorizo roll, just around the corner.
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Does anyone have any recommendations for short Italian cookery courses (~1-2 weeks), conducted in English (or Italian and English) running over the summer?
I've read with interest the thread on the ItalCook/Slow Food cookery school; I'm curious to know what opther options exist.
Thanks for your help.
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I've been given a nice end-grain wooden chopping board to replace my knackered old IKEA plastic one.
I know from other EGullet discussions that to keep it in good shape I should oil it regularly with 'USP mineral oil'.
But I seem to be encountering a language barrier. I've gone to DIY shops, chemists and supermarkets, and asked them all for mineral oil, and have got nothing - despite being offered everything from olive oil (no good - will go rancid) through linseed oil (toxic - so worse than useless) to Tung oil (probably OK but not quite what I'm after).
Is 'mineral oil' one of those things like Scotch Tape, Hoovers or Polyfilla for which there are different British English/American English words? If so, can anyone tell me what I should be asking for?
Thanks for your help.
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My Norwegian relatives often have reindeer at Christmas, and it has always been a tradition at my parents' house. Since Norwegian Christmas dinner takes place on Christmas Eve, this allowed me as a child to curdle the blood of my younger cousins by telling them they'd get no presents that year, since we'd eaten Rudolph
They'd generally pot-roast the reindeer. Great depth of flavour - as you imagine very lean, intensely flavoured meat.
Of all the traditional Norwegian Christmas options, I think this is far preferable to lutefisk...
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I absolutely agree that we should be aware about where our meat comes from.
But just because one finds the death of an animal unpalatable or difficult to watch doesn't immediately make it morally wrong. There is a difference between one's possible revulsion seeing an animal killed and one's moral assessment of whether it's justifiable.
Consider changing a nappy (a diaper). It's a pretty unpleasant task from an aesthetic point of view, but no-one would argue that looking after children is therefore morally objectionable. Similarly caring for the very sick, and any number of morally praiseworthy acts. The key thing is not to automatically associate instinctive discomfort or even revulsion with immorality. To judge whether it's right or wrong to kill animals for meat, the rights and wrongs of the issues matter more than squeamishness.
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There's a sandwich bar in central Oxford called Heroes. You can see a picture of it here, about half way down the page on the left.
Its logo is the word "Heroes" written in the white cursive font on a green background. I remember the double-take I had when some presumably drunken student decided to paint an extra white stripe on the sign, turning the "o" into a remarkably realistic "p".
Edited to add: for what it's worth, it's a good place to stop for a sandwich if you're in the centre of Oxford.
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On another note, does anyone have any experience eating at the White Horse at Parson's Green, Fulham?
This answer comes a bit late, but I had dinner at the White Horse a year or so ago. Good quality sausages and mash with a nice meaty onion gravy, tasty but not from what I remember anything beyond what I'd make at home. I'd describe it as well-executed food that paired well with the excellent beer, rather than wildly accomplished and creative.
Good pub food rather than gastro-pub food, perhaps?
Sorry to hear about the Havelock.
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I tried a bit of grouse off someone else's plate at the Blueprint Cafe on Wednesday of last week - it was very tender but (?not surprisingly on the 17th?) not particularly high.
I got my own grouse at lunch at River Cafe yesterday. Good - again, not the gamiest I've had, but very satisfactory.
On the other hand, both were pretty expensive (around the £40 mark
). At those prices, that's probably my lot for this year...I haven't really thought through the ethics of eating grouse in a scarce year - is it bad (because it encourages overhunting/depletion) or good (because it provides some kind of livelihood for the people struggling to maintain the supplies and encourages further husbandry)? I had a brief explanation from a shooter the other day basically saying 'keep on eating', but would be interested to hear more.
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Went here last night.
Refurb complete, everything looking very new and shiny.
Started with langoustine & cock's kidneys, then pork belly with razor clams, then cheese. All excellent. Innovative and intelligent food.
Service great - Helen was running FOH single-handedly because a member of staff wasn't around (if I recall correctly) but made us feel very welcome.
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In Earl's Court you're not far away from Mohsen. This is an inexpensive Iranian place that's wildly touted by pretty much everyone except me (it's a wild favourite on Chowhound - I thought it was a bit blah, but the rice was good). If I were you I'd give it a try on the grounds that I am, apparently, in a minority of one in not thinking it's London's best restaurant.
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I had a really sound Italian lunch at Enoteca Turi on Putney High Street, near the bridge. This was years ago (before they expanded), and I'm afraid I've forgotten what I had, but the fact that I occasionally hear positive noises about it in the papers suggests it's still good.
They also had an interesting selection of Italian wines by the glass.
I'd go here again like a shot if I was in Putney.
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Sad, chicken has now become a luxury dish.
My understanding from my grandparents is that this is exactly what it used to be. It's factory farming that has made chicken into the cheap, anonymous, flavourless protein it is today.
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Perhaps more of a typo than a malapropism, but today's menu at St John Bread and Wine features
Braised Rabbi, Onion & BaconI guess this is about as treif as a dish can be.
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The falafel stall is one that's been moved. I tried one of their sandwiches a couple of Sundays ago and it was a shadow of its former self, partly no doubt because it was produced in a high-pressure production line. Its main problem was that the falafels weren't properly cooked, but its assembly was slap dash, sort out your own salad, kerching, next please...
I had a felafel sandwich at Spitalfields market a few weeks ago that was truly execrable. Mealy and flavourless (could have been at least partly caused by undercooking) - god it was awful. I wonder if this was the same place? You certainly had to fix your own toppings. Sort of in the middle of the market, facing east, but closer to the north side of the market than the south, if that's any help.
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I'm a big fan of Noura, although the real Lebanese experts seem to think Ishbiliya in Knightsbridge is a bit better.
Both the mezze and the grilled meats are good. I tend to order one of the set meals (even the "light" meal has plenty of food; the "Noura" menu leaves me full to bursting, and the "Gourmet" meal is so large that the waiters have always discouraged me from ordering it
).A few simple things about Noura that make me happy are the silky, smokey babaghanoush, the potent but fresh-tasting toom that comes with the grills, and the pistachio ice cream.
In any case, I'm very envious.
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I don't know anyone who's acquired a taste for Marmite or Vegemite as an adult, having grown up without exposure to it. But that's an easy one.
Weirdly, I used to hate Marmite. The taste, the smell, the irritating glee with which its fans would consume it... And then, about three months ago, I tried some again (purely for medicinal reasons: I'd heard that eating it would make my skin less palatable to mosquito bites - which I could easily believe). And... I really liked it. The yeasty flavour that I used to find overpowering seemed somehow mellowed by the saltiness and the brown toast I was eating it on. So I suppose that makes me a Marmite convert.
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I think that balsamic with the olive oil is an American thing. I certainly ran into it first when I moved to the US in 1999 - in chain Italian restaurants. Not really a fan either.
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Agree with you in general about Thresher but Louis Jadot stuff can actually be pretty decent.
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Has anyone tried Leaping Salmon lately? I think they are still sold at Thresher stores. I am curious if they are still around and if the quality has gone down since they were acquired by Thresher.
I live near a Thresher. It has gone through a series of odd, Leaping-Salmon-related transformations but has now come full circle, suggesting LS didn't pan out as they hoped.
Step 1: the lavish shop-fit. The small off-licence was kitted out with new fridges to display the LS goodies. The wine selection seemed to be stripped back even beyond the usual appalling selection to focus on 'branded' wines - Louis Jadot, Turning Leaf, etc.
Step 2: Leaping Salmon stuff started to change. Fewer 'cook it yourself' kits and more of what looked like standard ready meals, more crisps and more (Green & Black) chocolate.
Step 3: Return to normal. LS stuff now totally gone. Fridges now full of wine. Only crisps available, with G&B chocolate relegated to the sweets shelf.
I really dislike my local Threshers - a crappy choice of wine (much worse than the local Sainsbury's or Tesco's), surly service and a cramped atmosphere. I go there occasionally because it's close and always wish I'd gone slightly further down the road to Oddbins. Judging by my local store, the attempt to move upmarket into posh cooking kits has failed. Perhaps they should concentrate on selling some decent booze instead.
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A pleasant twist is to mix it with ginger ale rather than lemonade.
I think borage is the traditional accompaniment, but cucumber is a good substitute and avoids the embarrassing phenomenon of guests asking you why there is a hairy plant growing in their drink. Slices of orange and lemon good too - you can marinade the fruit in the Pimm's for a few hours before adding the mixer. I like some mint too, but I'm not sure how traditional this is. Strawberries are over the top, as far as I'm concerned.
I also like Plymouth Fruit Cup, which is stronger than Pimm's and has a more bitter flavour.
I never knew Pimm's was popular in New Orleans. You go, New Orleans!
"Ethical" Food Bad for the Planet
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
The argument is:
1. Most production of goods like coffee takes place in large plantations; this is unlikely to change
2. Most workers who grow and harvest coffee are employed by these plantations
3. Fairtrade schemes are not open to large plantations - only to small cooperatives
4. Therefore paying higher prices for Fairtrade coffee will bring no benefits to the majority of coffee plantation workers
If coffee plantation workers could simply leave jobs on plantations and go to work for higher-paying, Fairtrade-endorsed cooperatives, then wages might rise on large plantations too. But I suspect the coffee plantation labour market doesn't work that way.