Eating Out

Southbank Centre Real Food Market

/ Libby Millier / Leave a comment

We were in London the weekend just gone for a friends birthday and stumbled on this amazing little food market while wandering around Waterloo station before catching our train home.

The market is just outside the station on the way to South Bank and we were so surprised to see it! It was really busy when we visited (about 12.30pm on Saturday) and we immediately jumped in to start exploring the stalls. It needs to be mentioned that we were both pretty hungover after taking full advantage of London’s generous drinking opportunities and the discovery of a food market was perhaps more enthusiastically received than it would usually have been.

Grow your own mushrooms! Amazing!

After sampling some rich, aged balsamic vinegar and various types of cheese and bread, we stumbled on this wondrous sight – Arancini Brothers. I have seen arancini on so many food blogs recently but I’d never had the chance to try them so I was beyond excited to see this stall! For those that don’t know, arancini = fried risotto balls. Yum!

You can see the arancini waiting to be fried to dizzyingly crisp heights on the right here –

Ben was overjoyed by the prospects of this stall and immediately gave the guy (an Arancini brother?) his order – two arancini in a salad wrap. The guy set about making his wrap and we watched in stomach-growling fascination.

For an extremely reasonable £3.50 Ben got a deliciously fresh wrap crammed with two arancini and accompaniments of cucumber, tomato, sliced apple, crispy onions, chilli tomato chutney and homemade garlic mayonnaise. Upon receiving the wrap he clutched it to his bosom, visably drooling as I dithered about what to order for myself. I decided to just go for the two arancini on their own, which came with the tomato chutney and garlic mayo for an even more reasonable £1.50. They came very thoughtfully presented in a little bamboo dish with generous lobs of the sauces and a wooden fork for easy eating, always a bonus in my eyes. We thanked the Brother profusely and scampered over to a nearby table to stifle our hungover stomach lurches with our snacks.

Arancini Brothers arancini are seriously good. They were hot throughout; crispy on the outside and sticky and soft in the middle. Each ball had a generous amount of breadcrumbs on the outside, providing a perfect contrast to the gooey cheese in the centre which was flavoured with flecks of spring onion, garlic and chilli. Both the chilli chutney and garlic mayo were delicious too and to be honest toward the end I was using the arancini more as a vessel to get the sauces into my mouth. Mmmm. Ben’s wrap was gone in a matter of minutes and he announced in a sorrowful voice that he wished he’d got the large, which came with 4 arancini. We have learnt from our mistakes and will be ordering much higher quantities next time.

We seriously debated going back and buying additional fried items but we had a train to catch and wanted to see what wonders the rest of the market held.

This focaccia looked and smelled incredible. We were offered a lot of samples from the various stalls as we wandered round, the atmosphere was really friendly and jovial and you could tell all the stall owners were really passionate about their food. Always great to see!

This garlic that made up this paste was roasted for a full 5 hours! I tried a sample and the flavour was so intense, I felt like I needed a sit-down! I really love garlic and I wish I’d bought a jar, we’ll have to go back so I can.

Once I’d eaten my sample of slow roasted garlic it was unfortunately time to head back to the hustle and bustle of Waterloo Station. I felt like we had travelled miles away when we were wandering around the market; the enticing smells, relaxed atmosphere and sounds of laughter and music made me forget I was in Central London and for once, the wait for a train was a pleasure rather than a chore 🙂

Disney’s California Grill

/ Libby Millier / 2 Comments

I am actually slightly incredulous that this hasn’t come up yet on the blog….but I have a confession to make.

I like Disney.

A lot. Like, really a lot. I’d say any time I’m not thinking about food, I’m thinking about Disney. Disney holidays, to be specific. I won’t go into my entire back-story and tell you how and why this came to such a big part of my life (not sure if anyone is ready for that) but suffice to say I’m a little bit obsessed. My parents first took me to Walt Disney World when I was 7 and we went back numerous times as a family right up until I was 16. I was at college then and went on other non-family holidays to New York, Amsterdam and France but I never stopped thinking about Florida. I went to Disneyland Paris when I was 14 with a friend and her family and my parents surprised me with a wonderful trip for my 18th birthday. When I was 20 and just about to go to Uni, me and Ben went to Disneyland Paris for a short break, he loved it as much as I did and we returned in 2010 for an even longer break, staying on-site this time! Very exciting.

On arrival back from our 2010 Disneyland Paris trip, I felt it was finally time to start thinking about going back to Florida (I say ‘start thinking,’ I’d never actually stopped) and we began researching. We both had full time jobs and for the first time there was actually a glimmer of light at the end of the Mickey-shaped tunnel.

Fast forward a year and we flew to Orlando on 6th October 2011 for 15 amazing, incredible, unforgettable nights.

I planned our trip for a whole year and think I could possibly go into business as a successful Florida travel agent now. We had a pretty packed itinerary. 7 nights on International Drive, 1 night at Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel and 7 nights at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. We visited all four Disney theme parks, 1 water park, both Universal theme parks, Seaworld and Discovery Cove. It was a crazy, hectic fortnight but it was the best fortnight of our whole lives.

And, more importantly, we ate the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten in my life! Which I’m going to share on the blog as I photographed pretty much everything we ate. It was a lot, trust me. I won’t post everything, just the best of the best. And, the absolute best, and a perfect starting point, was an amazing dinner at California Grill, a Signature Disney restaurant right at the top of the Contemporary Hotel.

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Disney’s California Grill

I was so unbelievably excited for this meal. It was my birthday a week before the holiday and I had added this to my reservation at the restaurant (ADR – Advance Dining Reservation, the only way to guarantee eating at many of Disney’s very popular restaurants. I had made our California
rill ADR 180 days before we ate there!) I also just have to share the beautiful roses that Ben had delivered to our hotel room the day of the dinner. Cute!

Our ADR was at 7pm and we checked in at the podium on the first floor of the Contemporary. We were then taken upstairs in the elevator and led through the gorgeous dining room to a lovely table near the window. I was facing the window and I could clearly see Cinderella Castle changing colour in the distance which was fabulous 🙂 And look! Our table was decorated!

 

Starters first! After much deliberation of whether or not I was going to try some of California Grill’s famous sushi, we decided to share the infamous goats cheese ravioli and the heirloom tomato flatbread. Once we had ordered, the bread arrived which was really lovely, real butter with salt on top and fresh sourdough bread. I’m a bit of a salt fiend so having salt on my butter was a huge treat and it tasted so good! Lets just say this was all gone quite quickly.

Shortly after this our starters were brought out and Ben started with the flatbread while I had the ravioli and we planned to swap half way through.

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli – With sun dried tomatoes, pesto, shiitake mushrooms and basil. I eagerly tucked in…but it was not to be! I didn’t like it! Disaster and very unusual as I do not meet many foods I don’t like. Also, I absolutely LOVE goats cheese and will slather it on just about anything normally. It was just too strong for me, I’ve never had anything like it. Ben had eaten half of the flatbread by now and barely spoken during this time only to breathlessly declare it “one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life” so we swapped. And he loved the ravioli! So each to their own.

The flatbread however, oh my lord. This was heaven on a plate. Brick oven Fired Flatbread – Chef’s Garden Heirloom tomatoes, baby mozzarella, tomato Jam, micro basil.

It was so delicately flavoured, I have never had tomatoes that taste like that before, wow, and the micro basil just took it to the next level! It literally took me seconds to eat my half of the flatbread.

Our server then came to clear our plates and he came back to ask us what we wanted for our main courses. I had known what I was going to have for approximately a year, CG’s signature Oak-Fired Fillet of beef. Done!

While I was dreaming of the steak, Ben was musing over his options. That’s right, options plural! He could have had the veggie dish of the day which I believe was a fettucine affair, or a plate of vegetarian sushi. But, I was really trying to persuade him to ask about a dish I had read about a few times on various Disney vegan/vegetarian dining reviews and thought Ben would love…the lesser-spotted Vegetarian Unplugged! Basically it’s a plate made up of 4 little plates that each holds a different dish that gets passed around the kitchen and made by 4 different chefs. He decided to go for it and very bravely said to our server “I’ve heard about a dish called Vegetarian Unplugged…are you serving it tonight” and the server was like of course! Coming right up! With that he was off, leaving us to wait in almost unbearable anticipation.

Excciiiiiiiteddd!

And luckily, we didn’t have to wait long. Our main courses arrived with a flourish and we sat staring at them for a good while before we tucked in.

Here is my absolute beauty of a steak…Oak-fired Filet of Beef – Mascarpone Potatoes, Blue Lake Beans, Arugula Oil, and Teriyaki Barbecue.

It was incredible; tender, flavourful steak, delicious, fluffy mashed potatoes and a rich barbecue sauce. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life, it definitely warrants three photographs!

And Ben’s main was also incredible, he was so pleased he chose it! I’ve had to guess what each dish is as we weren’t told but I think I’ve pretty much got it from studying various menus.

From top right and going clockwise –

Top right – I’m pretty sure this was the side dishes of the pork tenderloin, minus the meat. Goat Cheese Polenta, Roasted Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze and Sage which was fabulous as I got to try the very tasty goat cheese polenta.

Bottom right – recognize this? It’s the heir loom tomato flatbread that we had for a starter! Ben could seriously have not been more thrilled by this as he hadn’t wanted it to end!

Bottom left – I think this was the Heirloom Apple Salad . . . Fourme d’Ambert, Spiced Pecans, and Apple Vinaigrette. Delicious!

Top left – Can’t see anything on the menu that looks like this but I believe it was rice with lots of stirfried veggies on top with a soy and ginger dressing. Very refreshing and light.

Phew! What a dish! We both ate every single bite of our mains even though I was starting to feel so full. Even though we were both very full, we had desserts included as part of our Disney Dining Plan so we each ordered one before heading out onto the viewing platform that surrounds the restaurant. It was time for ‘Wishes’ fireworks!

The view on the platform is really stunning and it was incredible watching the fireworks from such a great height. We had a perfect view and although it was a little chilly, it was very romantic snuggling up together to stay warm.

Once the fireworks were finished we headed back inside to our table to find our desserts waiting for us! Perfect!

S’Mores Valrhona Chocolate Cake – Warm chocolate cake with molten center, Tahitian vanilla marshmallow, graham cracker sable, and peanut butter gelato.

It was my birthday a week before we flew out and I added it my ADR – California Grill really went all out to make our dinner special by giving me a birthday badge when I arrived and then adding this amazing solid chocolate plaque to my dessert! Wow! (They actually added it to Ben’s as well which we thought was hilarious, I think there was some confusion in the kitchen about whose birthday it was! Good result for us!)

Bananas and Caramel – Crispy baked phyllo squares layered w/banana, caramel, mascarpone mousse, and caramelized banana.

I took a couple of bites of my dessert and it was seriously amazing, if you like peanut butter even a tiny bit then this ice-cream will be your new best friend. However, I was really full at this point and had to take the dessert home with me all boxed up. Ben was able to eat the majority of his dessert and he really enjoyed it.

We declined coffee and finished our drinks before paying the bill which cost us 2 x Table Service credits each on the DDP. However, if we’d have been paying ‘out of pocket’ this meal would have been incredibly expensive, my steak alone was $44! I’d visit the restaurant without the DDP in a heartbeat though as the food is just out of this world.

Who says Disney is all hamburgers and fries? 😉

Friends Indian Restaurant – Bishops Waltham

/ Libby Millier / 1 Comment

Last night me and Ben went for dinner at Friends Refined Indian Cuisine in Bishops Waltham. We’ve wanted to go there for ages, having previously only sampled their food in takeaway format (which is amazing!!) and we booked a table for 7.15, planning to go for a couple of drinks at a pub nearby beforehand.

We were actually slightly late for our reservation due to having to go to a further away pub than originally planned but this was not a problem. We were greeted warmly and led to a lovely little table for two at the back of the restaurant. The dining area is quite small and according to the website seats 50 which sounds about right. There was a table next to us which was really quite close and I was hoping nobody would be seated there, luckily it remained empty throughout our dinner.

First things first, drinks! Ben opted for a Cobra beer while I chose one of the only wines available by the glass which I think was a Chardonnay. We also got some water for the table.

There was a really nice atmosphere in the restaurant – there were only two other tables occupied which made for minimal noise and there was some music playing quietly in the background. We guessed that the restaurant does most of it’s business through takeaways as there was a steady stream of people coming in to collect their food throughout our meal.

We opted against starters as we are valiantly trying to be a little healthier what with it being January and all and we also know from takeaway experience that the portion sizes are not to be scoffed at!

We ordered a curry, rice and naan each and onion bhaji’s to share as Ben said they were the best he’s ever tried, high praise indeed! We waited a while for our food to come but it wasn’t an issue as we were chatting and enjoying our drinks. I think they were waiting for us to signal we were ready or something as at one point one of the lovely guys came over and asked if we were “ready for our mains?” which confused us slightly as we hadn’t had starters! But it didn’t matter.

After that, a steady stream of food was bought out to our little table and it was time to feast!

I ordered the Lamb Pasanda, described on the menu as the “next step up from a korma” as I am slightly unadventurous and not a huge fan of spicy curries.

Apologies for the less than ideal photos, I only had my iPhone and it was super dark in there!

I also got a peshwari naan which is my absolute favourite, lots of scrummy coconut and almonds in the middle. As you can see I really lean toward the sweeter options when having a curry; there is something about the combination of a slightly spicy sauce and the sweetness of coconut and almond that just works perfectly in my opinion.

In a stroke of genius I opted against the usual basmati rice and instead bravely got the exciting sounding keema rice, containing cooked lamb and fried onions. It was seriously amazing. I was worried that lamb curry + lamb rice might be, dare I say it, too much lamb…but obviously I came to my senses as you can actually never have too much lamb. It was perfect, ensuring a taste of meat in every bite, a difficult feat with some curries that contain less than generous ratios of meat to sauce. Happily this is not the case at Friends and even if I’d gone for plain rice I think I would have had more than enough lamb to last me through!

The lamb pasanda was amazing. The flavour was so rich and intense, I could really taste the almonds and cream and there was a hint of spice that kept me on my toes! Combined with the rice and the naan I was in absolute heaven! We hardly ever get Indian takeaways or go out to restaurants but I think we will be going to Friends a lot more often now. We quite often cook kormas and tikkas at home using Quorn chicken pieces or fillets but the flavour is never there. Even in really good ready-meals (if there is such a thing!?) that we very occasionally buy, the flavour is always just lacking. I have been seriously impressed by the food at Friend’s and it has proved, to me, that Indian food is one of the only cuisines we just can’t replicate accurately and needs to be sampled at a restaurant.

Benji got a Vegetable Dopiaza as he was fancying something a bit spicy. He got mushroom rice and a plain naan to accompany his curry.

The mushroom rice was crammed with fat, juicy mushrooms and he said the rice had absorbed all the flavours making it tasty enough to eat on it’s own!

His dopiaza was full of perfectly cooked vegetables and there was a sizeable heat to the dish which Ben really enjoyed. There were no complaints with regards to the naan, not a crumb was left on that plate when he was finished!

We also got a starter sized dish of onion bhaji’s which we asked to be served with our meals. These were absolutely delicious and we cleared the dish with no problems!

I was actually really impressed with the portion sizes overall; when eating out I often can’t finish my food and end up leaving a lot but at Friends I was able to eat it all which was very exciting! It could have been because we went without starters, something we don’t normally do but is obviously beneficial!

Overall we had an absolutely delightful evening at Friends and will definitely be back, I actually suggested we go back tonight but Ben understandably told me to calm down. The service was really friendly and nice and we felt well looked after and not at all rushed. The dinner came to £41 which included two Cobra beers and a glass of wine and we felt this was reasonable. We like the convenience of being able to walk down to the Village from Ben’s house and saving money on train/taxi fares into town which is always good.

Finally, I saw this on the website and just had to share it:

The name “Friends” comes from the fact that a group of friends own and run the restaurant.

How adorable is that!?