Displaying items by tag: restaurant foodie

Lunch today was at Josef's Vegetarian Cafe in Bury St Edmunds.  This cafe reminds me of the late 70's and 80's.  Days of Bagwhan and the Rajneeshees when they were resident at their commune in Herringswell.  Bright decor and the smell of patchouli with a slight hessian look going through to the Lizard Room.  The food is very good.  I ate the Felafel with spicy salsa, cucumber and yoghurt raita in a warm hummus pitta.  The salads which were not mentioned on the menu were particularly good.  But oh, the service.  So laid back man. 

Inspector X has been busy judging the entries for the Customer Service Award for the 2012 EADT Suffolk Food and Drink Awards. Tomorrow the winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony to be held at Wherstead Park. Good luck to everyone who has been shortlisted - there are some real food and drink superstars out there.

Last Friday night, late - nearly 10pm, suffolkfoodie and gang felt peckish and had to think hard where to get a good late night snack in Bury St Edmunds.   Then we remembered the newly opened Graze... We were welcomed with a smile and enjoyed some impressive small plates of excellent food.  One of our favourites were the Haggis and Rabbit Bon Bons. The wine was good too!

Off we go again to sample the delights of the Restaurant Show trade fair at Earls Court. Our first mission - to get the best coffee we can find, as fast as possible, and free. Inspector X won. Then to lunch at the the disappointing street food area (this years theme) where I had the worst 'street food' I have had all year, I should have realised - there was no queue! Then off to taste Orange wines. Here are some of the pics - starting with Tuddenham Mill chef Paul Foster doing a demo.

On Saturday night Cambridge was hit by flash flooding which forced most restaurants in the centre of the city to close, including Jamies Italian and The Cambridge Chop House. Forced to search elsewhere for supper we spotted Fitzbillies, famed for Chelsea Buns and for having Stephen Fry as a fan. The 1922 vintage facade gave us no clue that anything other than afternoon teas were served.  On closer inspection we saw diners inside so went in.

A hesitant Maitre D' thought carefully before allowing us a table (we thought they must all be reserved, but in fact weren't) The main courses were simply presented and included a pork chop with roast fennel, cherry toms and new potatoes, and grilled mackerel with courgettes, saffron and organo which I chose. Portion sizes varied wildly from a Ploughmans size starter of Potted Venison, pickled redcurrants and sourdough, to a three mouthful plate of Goose Ham and melon (yes, we asked, it's cured and dried goose breast) No culinary masterpieces but well cooked and fresh ingredients.

The service is laid back here and the staff appeared to be having a good time on their own table. One of our puddings is pictured - Filo, layered with chocolate cream and raspberry, but the best part of the meal was undoubtedly the discovery of a delicious Boekenhoutskloof ( Franschhoek. Cape Wine.)  The Wolftrap. delicious...buy yourself a case. I will.

Paul Foster is making his name with restaurant critics and is due to appear on The Great British Menu on TV next month.  He's Head Chef at Tuddenham Mill. Lunch today was very good indeed with the menu featuring some interesting herbs, some of which I believe are foraged locally.  Pictured is my main course of potato terrine, artichoke, mushrooms and watercress. I am pretty sure the plate has chickweed on.  What does everyone think?

A set lunch is £20 for two courses and £25 for three courses, with both an amuse bouche and very generous plate of home baked breads.  A bit of a treat for a Monday!

Proper leaf tea and fresh homemade cakes all served at 5.15pm when Southwold usually closes up for the night.  Winter afternoon teas are served at Tillys until 6pm.  Thank you Tillys!

Whether you approve or not the Wetherspoons Brand is making its' mark here in Suffolk. The controversial new one due to open in the beautiful Corn Exchange in Bury and the Willow Tree,  just opened in Stowmarket, specialise in budget food and drinks at remarkably low prices. I went to see for myself how Stow was getting on. It was packed on a Friday lunchtime - families with babies in pushchairs, office workers and lone drinkers. My daughter went to the bar and ordered two cokes. A male customer stopped her and asked if if she was on her lunch break, pulled a hip flask of rum from his pocket and offered her a shot in her coke!

I tried the Sweet Chilli Noodles.  Described on the menu as egg noodles tossed in a sweet chilli sauce with red peppers, spring onion, choy sum, bamboo shoots and carrots.  £3.30 for 356 calories.  What arrived was something called Yuk Yuk Yuk   so I saved those calories for another day.

The new Head Chef at the White Lion, Jason Shaw has dedicated himself to creating a dynamic menu, offering everything from tapas to a hearty dinner. The restaurant and the menu reflect the Suffolk coast with the freshest fish caught on the White Lion’s doorstep. Here Jason gives his recipe for a delicious starter or supper dish, or you could make them a little bit smaller for a canapé at a party.

Camembert and wild garlic beignets – makes 24

450g of strong flour

8 whole eggs

226g butter

1pt water

150gm camembert cheese peeled and roughly chopped

50gm wild garlic blanched and finely chopped

salt and pepper

Method

Bring the water to the boil and add butter. Add flour and mix well. Cook out for 1-2 mins on the heat.

Cool the mixture and then add the eggs gradually, beating all the time until the mix is glossy.

Fold in the Camembert and wild garlic and season to taste. Leave mix to rest for one hour.

Using 2 dessert spoons shape the beignets into Quenelle’s. Heat the vegetable oil and deep fry until golden brown for roughly 4-5 minutes. Drain and serve. At the White Lion Jason serves his with Balsamic caramelised onions, Thorpeness leaves and fresh pomegranate with fresh pomegranate syrup.

Maison Bleu are running their month in Provence special menu, which is very good value at £29.95 for three courses; the restaurant in Bury St Edmunds specialises in fish dishes. Granny took the suffolkfoodie offspring for dinner and this is what they said...

"A very good choice with at least six options for each course.  Yummy food with all courses being beautifully presented and delicious."

" The staff were friendly, chatty and responsive - they all had personality"

Pictured here are the Sardine and Mackerel  Rillettes, with shallots, parsley and capers and toasted bread.