Category: Eating out

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Cave du Cochon

Mr Frivolitea and I have been waiting in anticipation for some time for Cave du Cochon to open, knowing that if it had even a fraction of the passion and flare Le Cochon Aveugle has then it was going to be a winner.  Oh boy, we were not disappointed.   We have been in the last few months to a couple of wine bars that offer wine flights, bar snacks and  platters. Cave du Cochon offers the same idea but with unique flare. We really couldn’t fault it. 

We decided to go for the wine flight each. This came as 5 X 75ml glasses of wine and we decided to let the barman choose a flight of white for me and a flight of red for Mr Frivolitea.  In hindsight sitting in the window was not the best idea as those walking past I fear thought we had a serious drink problem and this looked much worse once the wine was consumed and here was a lot of empty glasses on our table! 

I really enjoyed the selection of wines we had, they were all new to me and all interesting and challenging in their own ways.  I really like the idea of wine flights and someone else choosing the wines, it’s a great way to try new wines and learn more about wine. The barman was really helpful at explaining the wine to us. Later on in the evening he encouraged us to sample a couple of other unusual wines, his love and knowledge of wine was clear to see and that’s what makes this place extra special.

 Our flights consisted of 

White :      

Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine Morin-Langaran (Languedoc, France)

Costlier de Nimes Blanc, Chateau Vessiere. (Rhone, France)

Soave Castelcerino, Cantina Filippi (Veneto, Italy)     

Gruner Veltliner Handcrafted, Ma Arndorfer. (Kamptal, Austria)

Screaming Betty, Delinquente (Riverland, Australia)

Red:

Ciello Rosso IGP (Sicily, Italy)

IGP Saint-Guilhem-Le-Desert, Domaine Coston (Languedoc, France)

Castillon-Cotes-de-Bordeaux, Chateau Beynat (Bordeaux, France)

Beck Ink, Judith Beck (Burgenland, Austria)

Malbec Sin Sulfito, Bodega Cecchin (Mendoza, Argentina)

We chose a selection of bar snacks to accompany the wine including pork scratchings with apple sauce , curried peanuts and pig terrine with homemade piccalilli.  The pig terrine was particularly wonderful and I was nearly tempted to order a second! 

We also, thanks to the advice of the barman, opted for the ploughmans platter as this enabled us to sample some of the other bar snacks and a nice selection of the cheese and charcuterie.  It was a thing of beauty and consisted of beetroot pickled pheasants egg, Scottish smoked salmon, pork rillette, breakfast radishes with aioli, Saucisson, Corsican lonzo, Mimolette cheese and another cheese that I annoyingly can’t remember the name of!  All accompanied with their homemade sourdough and homemade butter. 


The food offering was delicious, and recognisably Cochon. This is a great place to go whether you just want to pop in for a drink or linger longer. We really enjoyed our evening and will certainly be paying a return visit soon not least to have a glass of the La Amistad we sampled as we were leaving. More of that when I write up the next visit.  

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The Poacher’s Pocket

One important thing my dad and I share, well two things, is a love of food and particularly a love of seafood.  Any visit home will include going out for lunch or dinner somewhere and trying something new.   My dad is often telling me of somewhere he has tried on his weekly trips out for lunch with friends and so the list of places I want to try when I visit just gets longer and longer.  Somewhere that has been on the list for a while is The Poacher’s Pocket at Lisbane. So on this flying visit (literally) mum and dad took me for lunch en route to the airport. 

The main reason for wanting to come here is the pudding but more of that later…

The Poacher’s Pocket is one of a small group of restaurants that Danny Miller is involved in.  The Parson’s Nose being one that I have written about already.  Like the others in the group there is a real focus on local produce. Finnebrogue venison and local seafood make regular appearances.   As you would expect from me (and my dad) we went for seafood.  In fact dad and I chose exactly the same things! I am most definitely my father’s daughter. 

For starter we had the crab cakes.  These little cakes were so tasty. And the lightly pickled cucumber that accompanied it had a lovely sweetness. 


For main course, we chose the special: Megrim and triple cooked chips.  We both chose this as it is a fish neither of us had tried before.  I particularly liked the very light ‘batter’ that coated the fish and the fresh tomato dressing that sat beautifully on the plate. This was a really impressive dish and I would certainly choose Megrim again. 


And then came pudding… The main reason for coming here. We didn’t need the menu, we knew exactly what we wanted. Pannacotta.  My dad calls it the best pannacotta in the world and I think he’s right. It is the most deliciously creamy pannacotta I have ever had. It came with lovely minted strawberries and crushed cookies but they could have just brought a simple plain pannacotta and we would have been happy….If I had not been so full and having to get on a plane I would have ordered another. In fact typing this I now have a pannacotta craving. 


Next time I visit I will definitely be having pannacotta and I will also leave room in my suitcase for a visit to the Poacher’pantry adjacent to the restaurant and stock up on all the amazing local produce they sell!

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The Ship Inn, Low Newton on Sea

Mr Frivolitea and I make an annual pilgrimage here for one simple reason (well two) a crab stottie (Mr Frivolitea usually has Swallow’s fish cakes) and a pint of Ship Inn beer.  This is a short blog post as there’s not much to say. It’s perfect. A free house that doesn’t faff about. Short simple menu, beer brewed on site and a fantastic view. That’s all that we require and it’s why we keep coming back!

The view towards the beach


Crab Stottie


Swallow’s fish cakes 


 It’s  worth saying that they do an occasional special and on this visit they had chocolate mousse cake with cardomom honeycomb. Wow! It was amazing. Mr Frivolitea has decided all honeycomb should be cardomom flavoured from now on. 

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The Old Boathouse, Amble

Northumberland has been generous to us this weekend both in terms of the weather the bounty of seafood on offer.  We decided as a last adventure to head to Amble. Somewhere on my list but not yet visited.  I had heard that the Old Boathouse was the place to eat and we got lucky.  We called in. No table but they could give us a table in 45 minutes. Excellent! A  wander around the lovely harbour pods that showcase local food and artists then we would eat. 20 minutes later they rang to say it was ready early. Even better. This service alone impressed me before we even got to the food.


We realised how fortunate we were when everyone else who arrived that afternoon without a reservation walked away disappointed. The great thing about this place is  that it really focuses on local seafood.  They have a regular menu but the excitement lies in the specials board based on local catch available that day.

We decided to share a portion of salt and chilli squid to start. Simple and delicious. The crumb on the squid was beautifully light.


When we had walked in earlier I had spotted a lady with a huge bowl of langoustines.   I couldn’t get them out of my head so that’s what I ordered.


I was not disappointed. They were  deliciously sweet and juicy.  I made a mess but I thoroughly  enjoyed my dinner!

Mr Frivolitea had whole wood roast seabass stuffed with orange, chilli and tarragon and served with an olive and sunblushed tomato salad.  This was also really beautifully cooked and full of flavour.

One thing I do know is that on our next trip to Northumberland we will be booking a table here. What a discovery!

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Beaches Seafood Shack

You have probably worked this out already but I absolutely love seafood. Any opportunity to eat it I will take.  Today we spent the morning birdwatching on Staple Island and decided to go somewhere different for lunch in the afternoon. We decided on Alnmouth. Not far south of where we were staying and the promise of lovely views and the beach.  A quick search led us to the Guardian and an article they posted  last year about cheap eats in the area including mention of a seafood shack.  So off we went and I am REALLY glad we did.

This place is very unassuming with a hand painted sign and hand written notes and menu outside, but it delivers in abundance.


The note on the door sealed it for me….read it for yourself….


The hand written menu inside made me grin from ear to ear, the only difficult bit was deciding what to have.  Actually it wasn’t that difficult.


They had half lobster and fries for less than a tenner. Decision made.  (Ten minutes later they sold out) We chose to eat in as there were three little tables inside and watched a number of people come in for takeaway.  It is clearly a popular place.
My lobster and fries was perfect. That’s all I can say. It really was.


Mr Frivolitea ordered the smoked haddock Mac n cheese in a pot.  He was delighted and is planning his next visit.


What a find this place was! I can’t wait to see what is on offer next time we visit.

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The Parson’s Nose, Hillsborough

On a short visit home recently, mum, dad and I took the opportunity to visit the Parson’s nose for Sunday lunch.  The Parson’s Nose do a great Sunday lunch offer with a set price menu of two or three courses.  It offers really great value and has a lot of local produce at the heart of the menu. 
For starter I chose the beetroot cured Glenarm salmon, chives creme fraiche and crispy fish cake. This was a great dish. The smoked salmon was really good and the little fish cake added a great bit of texture to the plate.  My dad had the smoked haddock, bacon and scallion chowder. (Scallions are spring onions for my English readers!) The chowder came with wheaten bread and Abernethy butter which is the most delicious local butter. I highly recommend you try some. I mean Heston uses it….


For main course mum and dad had the roast beef. The beef just melted in the mouth! I had the roast fillet of hake with lobster cream sauce and charred lemon. Simple and delicious. 

For pudding dad and I had the buttermilk pannacotta, spiced gingerbread madeline, and orange syrup.  I really loved the creaminess of the pannacotta (dad always compares any pannacotta to the Poacher’s Pocket where I haven’t yet been. He said this was nearly as good) I also loved the spice of the gingerbread. It added a lovely warmth to the dish.


I’d certainly a visit to The Parson’s Nose.  The food was influenced by local produce, was high quality and it was fantastic value for three courses. 

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Kingston Arms, Cambridge 

A brief blog! We were in Cambridge over the weekend with friends and decided to go to their local pub, tucked away off Mill Road for Sunday lunch before the drive home.  Oh how I wish our local was like this. A fantastic free house, serving great beer and with a really decent menu.  The menu includes regular specials including a fish specials board. Wow. We couldn’t decide. And so shared a couple of specials.

Smoked salmon, horseradish potato salad and side salad. Simple and delicious and just right for a hot summer’s day.


A slice of cold pork and mushroom pie with chips and side salad. Another really tasty dish

Mr Frivolitea also enjoyed his sticky toffee pudding 

What I loved aobut this place was it’s honesty. It serves delicious plates of food with no prevention. It doesn’t need to add anything because the quality speaks for itself and it also has a great selection of beers. What a find!

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Mountain Cafe, Aviemore

For many years we have made the long (long long) trip to the Outer Hebrides. It is worth every second of the long journey but more of that another time. For the last 5 years, thanks to a recommendation, we have stopped at the Mountain café in Aviemore en route. I love this place, the walls and ceilings are decked with climbing gear and the cake counter is a thing of beauty. The café’s popularity is clear to see from the many awards on the walls and the queue to get in. The food is fresh and creative with plenty of healthy and vegetarian options. 


 One of my favourite dishes (the one I have usually ordered) is the New Zealand style sweetcorn fritters (the chef patron is from New Zealand). 


 When we visited this time I had a mild panic as it wasn’t on the menu. However, I then spotted curried cauliflower fritters with sour cream and mango chutney on the menu. Panic over. Cauliflower is my favourite vegetable and this dish did not disappoint. Wonderfully light fritters packed full of flavour. The mango chutney and sour cream really brought the dish together. 


On our  journey back from Lewis we stopped again, this time queuing for 20 minutes ( I told you this place was good). This time I had the special – chilli coriander haggis pakoras with minted yoghurt and mango chutney. Words cannot explained how wonderful this was. Really stunning. I’m craving them now as I type.


You need to visit here, really you do.

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Le Cochon Aveugle – photo blog

I’ve written about Le Cochon Aveugle before. I love it. Josh Overington is a genius. Here’s what we had this week when we visited. ( we went for the carte Blanche option)

A peche egg ( at least I think this is what it was called but who cares it was delicious! ) 

Whitby crab and apple, Potato chip


Radish with fermented pepper mayonnaise


English and white French asparagus, almond gazpacho, lemon zest


Lamb tartare, oyster emulsion, cider granita 


Homemade tagliatelle with wild mushroom ragu 


Blowtorches mackerel, goats curd, melon veloute  


Lobster ( I was so excited about this course I forgot to write down what it was!)


3 part main course – Duck consommé with beer, Foie gras, citrus jam, cracker , Sous vide Duck, aubergine, tear drop peppers, tasty paste 


Strawberry, wild strawberry strawberry mousse, pistachio ice cream, cream of wasabi 


Roasted pineapple, caramel sauce, Szechuan pepper, truffle ice cream, fresh truffle ( my favourite and a great way to end the meal )

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The Barn Bistro, Burniston

What a find this was. We are staying at the camping and caravanning club site nearby and The Barn is a short walk away. As it is Easter Sunday we thought it would be nice to book Sunday Lunch. Boy am I glad we did. This place really knows how to provide high quality food. Sunday Lunch was £20.95 for 3 courses. An absolute bargain in my opinion. 
   
 For starter I had the seafood trio: cured salmon and crab cocktail, chilli and kaffir lime leaf fish fingers, Thai prawn and rice cake. This is my kind of food. I love seafood anyway but this was creative and bursting with flavour. The Thai prawn and rice cake was a particular favourite. 

  
Mr Frivolitea had Chicken, pork, wild mushroom and leek terrine with poached pear and rosemary focaccia toasts. Again another super tasty dish. Even the butter was delicious!

  
For main course we all had Roast lamb. Well, it’s Easter Sunday so you’ve got to don’t you! It was rolled shoulder that had been clearly cooked long and slow and it just melted in the mouth. What I particularly liked about the main course was the love and attention that went in to the vegetables. This was no ordinary roast dinner. We had roast potatoes, beetroot and carrots, pea, broad bean, asparagus and leek gratin and celeriac and apple purée. All cooked exquisitely and packed with flavour.

  
   
For pudding I had orange tart and mango sorbet, just the right quantity and refreshing after a big roast.
  
Mr Frivolitea had sticky toffee pudding, treacle toffee sauce and vanilla bean ice cream.
 The Barn is open for lunches and also has a number of themed evenings throughout the year. We will certainly be back, with that level of quality, why wouldn’t we!