RESTAURANT FILE – Page 11

Eating NYC: the wonderful Minetta Tavern

Published on September 28, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

I can’t remember where of from whom I heard about Minetta Tavern the first time, but when I asked people for restaurant recommendations leading up to my holiday everyone told me come here. So of course I did.

This extremely cosy one Michelin-starred restaurant in Greenwich Village was just as nice as I had hoped it would be. It gives you the impression it’s from a different time with red sofas, lots of mirrors and soft lighting.

Considering the size of New York portions, we started our dinner with a drink (espresso Martini for Sinead and a glass of tatty for me) and then went straight for the main courses. Sinead had the roasted chicken with Swiss chard and fries. It was super simple but stunning!

A decent portion of fries, as you can see.

I decided on the steak frites, but substituted the fries for pommes Anna, and received one of the best steaks I have ever had! Just amazingly good!

Not a small portion of pommes Anna either… but very good!

We ate as slowly as we could to savour every bite but also to be able to eat as much as possible, so we were more than full when they cleared the table. But after some wine and a breather we decided to try the chocolate caramel tart with sea salt our waiter so highly recommended. And I’m so glad we did. It was pure perfection! I’m not even a pudding person but this was to die for. You simply must order it when you go.

Minetta Tavern, 113 MacDougal St., New York, NY 10012 (Betw. Bleecker & W. 3rd Street)

Eating NYC: breakfast at Balthazar

Published on September 27, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

Not jet-lagged at all while in the US, we actually overslept breakfast at the hotel every single morning and had to find breakfast elsewhere. An easy feat in New York, but also a little bit tricky if a donut from Dunkin’s (they’re everywhere!) doesn’t constitute breakfast in your opinion. One day we just happened to walk past Balthazar and decided to try our luck. We got a table straight away. A small one in a corner. But still, we were hangry and breakfast was near so it was perfect!

I had my favourite egg dish; Eggs Benedict, and this was a great version. More rustic than The Wolseley’s but almost as nice. And in my ravenous state I loved the addition of the fried potatoes. Sinead had a lovely omelette, also served with fried potatoes, so we were both very happy with our menu choices. An hour and breakfast here put us in a good mood for the rest of the day. I would still like to try the breakfast at the hotel as it seemed great, but that’s for another trip.

Balthazar, 80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Eating NYC: Emilio’s Ballato

Published on September 26, 2016September 26, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

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When my friend Sinead and I arrived in New York, all we had booked was the flights and the first hotel. It was easily the most unplanned trip I’ve ever been on, but it was fun to try to travel like this (it was so last minute and we were so busy we didn’t have time to plan beforehand) and also strangely liberating.

Our first night in the city we had dinner quite late, without booking and just tried our luck at Emilio’s Ballato, an Italian restaurant food writer Diana Henry recommended in her New York special in The Telegraph.

The interior was charmingly dishevelled in a New York sort of way and we could tell the guests were enjoying themselves; drinking wine, sharing both stories and food. We shared a bottle of wine and dove straight into the starters as they arrived just a few minutes after the waiter had taken our order. Sinead had this huge portion of crispy, warm calamari and was almost too full for the next course.

My starter, baked clams with breadcrumbs, parsley, butter and a little garlic, was a lot smaller but just as nice.

We both chose pasta for the main course; Sinead had the excellent Pnne all’Arrabbiata…

…while I enjoyed spaghetti with a summery ‘raw’ tomato sauce. It was all really nice and well-cooked but not outstanding. But despite this, I really liked the place. It all comes together as one really nice experience; the food, the ambiance, the interior, the staff.

Emilio’s Ballato, 55 E Houston St, New York, NY 10012

Pudding at Paté Paté, Copenhagen

Published on September 19, 2016September 27, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

After our underwhelming dinner at Kødbyens Fiskebar, we wanted to have pudding elsewhere and decided on invitingly cosy Paté Paté that we walked past on our way to the other restaurant.

Even though we just wanted dessert and a drink the staff was really welcoming and took good care of us, so our moods immediately elevated and we had a nice evening.

Maria chose a Pavlovaesque dessert, which was really nice – just enormous! Daniel had the über-chocolately cake thoroughly recommended by our waiter and it was absolutely lovely. I decided to go for savoury instead and had the cheese plate which was also very satisfactory.

What a difference between these two restaurants! The first one with staff as cold as the interior and inferior cooking, the second warm and friendly and easy, but lovely, food. We obviously should have come to Paté Paté to begin with and can’t wait to come back for a whole meal.

Paté Paté, Slagterboderne 1, 1716 København, Denmark

Dinner in Copenhagen’s meatpacking district

Published on September 15, 2016September 15, 2016 by Hanna1 Comment

A standing tradition for when I go home to Sweden in the summer, is to spend a day in Copenhagen with my dear friends Maria and Daniel. We’ve done this countless time, and seem to be perfecting the ideal day. Nowadays we always have lunch at Torvehallerna (a wonderfully modern food market just 10 minutes away from the central pedestrian street), usually a few pinxtos at Tapa del Toro and Danish smørrebrød at Hallernes. After lunch we usually have coffee somewhere and decide what we want to do. This year we went shopping for a bit, had coffee and then decided to go for dinner in Kødbyen (Meatpacking district), a for us new area.

I had heard a lot of good things about a fish restaurant called Kødbyens Fiskebar so we decided to have dinner there.

It started well, with us getting seated straight away without having a reservation. And the oysters Daniel and I had to start were lovely as was the fried cod bites with carrot purée. The service was a bit so-so, but they were busy so we didn’t think more of it.

But as the dinner progressed it got worse and worse. Our main courses were not nice at all. The fish ‘n chips was mediocre and the remoulade it came with was pretty awful. My halibut with kohlrabi, cucumber and sheep’s yoghurt looked great but was incredibly bland. The service also got worse and in the end we just decided to have pudding somewhere else and try to salvage the evening that way.

I really don’t like to get disappointed when I eat out. Sure, everyone can have a bad day but this was something else. Maybe they were too busy? Maybe the chef was new? Whatever the reason I hope this was a blip because we were all was seriously underwhelmed.As much as I don’t like giving a negative review, this is our experience and if we’d known the food to be like this we would never had come here.

Kødbyens Fiskebar, Flæsketorvet 100, 1711 København V, Denmark

Great lunch at Hörte Brygga, Southern Sweden

Published on September 8, 2016September 8, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

Living abroad, I sometimes find it hard to keep up with things both here in London and back home in Sweden. I miss out on parties, christenings and other gatherings. And restaurants, actually. It’s obviously just the food blogger in me who feels deprived of that, especially as I have all the great restaurants in London on my doorstep. But, when I left Malmö the area wasn’t this booming. So much has happened in the eight years I’ve lived abroad and it’s difficult trying to keep up with everything the few weeks I come home to visit.

That’s why it took me two whole years (yep, they opened already in 2014) to visit Hörte Brygga, by the little harbour in Hörte on road 9 between Trelleborg and Ystad. Basically everyone I know have been by now, including my parents’ friends. But that’s OK, this is definitely a place for everyone, not just foodies. The restaurant has a super relaxed and friendly atmosphere but at the same time the staff is thorough, efficient and keeps a high standard. (Yes, it ticks all the boxes).

I arrived here one windy day in August to have lunch with my parents. While we decided on what to have (the lunch option of smoked fish) and drink (wine for mummy and I, a soft drinks for daddy who was driving) and paid, the basket with the food was prepared and ready for us to take to the table straight away. Oh, how I love the Swedish efficiency!

Unpacking our basket at the table inside it felt like having a picnic and we could examine everything we were having; three types of sauces, three types of pickled, the smoked fish (both cod and mackerel), bread and butter.

Everything was very good and the food was smoked just right (i.e. not too much). We loved the sauces, and the pickled radish (?) cut through the fat and the smoked flavour of the fish perfectly.

We all really liked the place and can’t wait to go back. It’s a great concept and it’s executed very well. I can’t wait to come here for dinner one summer’s evening and sit outside watching the sea as I tuck into good food and wine with my friends.

Hörte Brygga, Hörte Hamn, Dybäck 465, 274 54 Skivarp, Sweden

Taste of London 2016

Published on June 27, 2016June 27, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

The week before last, Taste of London, the restaurant festival I visit every year, was on in Regents Park. It was nice like always, but I was still a bit disappointed. Some of the restaurants were not as exciting as previous years and didn’t deliver amazing dishes. Previous years it’s been a higher standard on the whole, so I hope it gets better again last year. With that said, I still tried some great dishes, but also a few disappointments. Reviews below.

Parmesan and polenta croquetas with truffle dip from Duck & Waffle: crispy, seriously cheesy, far too rich and not enough truffle flavour. Pretty dull actually.

Fettuccine with broad beans, Grana Padana and black truffle from Sartoria: nice pasta and generously ~~sprinkled~~ covered with black truffle it still didn’t impress.

Barbecued lamm cutlet from Roka: really nice!

Grilled pork belly with miso marinade, also from Roka: very nice!

Soft shell crab taco from Champor Champor: not very nice, but like the idea.

Baked scallop with mustard, chilli and cheese, covered with puff pastry from Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen: nice and different! But very filling.

Raw red prawns with black curry and coconut crème from Restaurant M: nice flavours but the curry slightly overpowered the lovely sweet prawns.

Bao with duck from Chai Wu: alright but now wow.

Hotdog with truffled mac ‘n cheese bites from Bubbledogs: nice hotdog but couldn’t really taste the truffle (oil).

Lamm meatballs with sheep’s curd from Seacontainers: OK, but nothing spectacular.

Fried chicken burger with Asian slaw from Chicks ‘n Sours: nice!

48 hr short rib with lovely trimmings from Restaurant M: absolutely lovely and in a class of its own!

Bacon and cheddar burger from Shake Shack: nice enough but it doesn’t beat their Shackburger.

SASA roll from Sushisamba: really nice! I’ve had it lots of times already, but it’s still great!

Restaurant M was a nice acquaintance, and having had the (two) SASA rolls I can’t wait to go back to Sushisamba soon, but some of the other restaurants were a bit disappointing. Hope it gets better again next year.

Taste of London, Regent’s Park – annual restaurant festival

Breakfast at The Wolseley

Published on June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 by Hanna2 Comments

Despite having lived in London for 8 years now (yep, time flies) I haven’t had the pleasure to eat breakfast at The Wolseley until this year. Bad planning on my part, obviously. But at least I’ve been there for several lunches, dinners and afternoon tea. But there is something special about breakfast in this fabulous art deco space with perfect eggs and perfect service. If you fancy reading up on the subject (and get the recipes), I highly recommend A.A. Gill’s book Breakfast at The Wolseley, it’s very good.

For me, this is the ultimate breakfast experience because it’s so different from having breakfast in your own kitchen. There are lots of waiters and they’re there to pour water, take your order, serve the food and fetch you whatever you want. Their attentive and efficient and together with the perfectly executed food it makes it such a special experience.

I had breakfast here with two of my best friends from Sweden when they were visiting. We needed some morning luxury and thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast here with Eggs Florentine (spinach, poached egg and hollandaise sauce on a toasted English muffin) and an excellent bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

We also enjoyed cappuccinos and freshly squeezed orange juice, and to finish this lovely basket of pastries. My favourite was the plain croissant, wonderfully buttery and flaky. If you also need this breakfast experience in your live (you do), I urge you to book a table well in advance as it’s a very popular weekend treat.

The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB

Meat feast at Zelman Meats, Soho

Published on June 14, 2016June 14, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

The team behind the amazing meat restaurants Goodman (and Beast and Burger & Lobster) opened a new meat restaurant in the space where the fish restaurant Rex & Mariano (also owned by the same company) used to reside. In fact, they still use the Rex & Mariano crockery.

Zelman Meats (after the founder Mikhail Zelman) is a mid-market steak restaurant offering “All we do is beef, and we stick to what we know best” according to the website.

The menu is simple, with just a few starters, four different cuts of beef, sides and a few puddings. I like this simple no-fuss approach, which also makes the ambiance relaxed. It’s not white table cloths like Goodman, just good steak and sides in a relaxed restaurant.

This is where to go to pig out on great steak, because the bill won’t be that bad and the meat is just as nice here as at Hawksmoor or Goodman. Take your date or a group of friends and just let your hair down. The staff is really friendly and relaxed but with a sincere passion for steak so they can guide you through the cuts and let you know what’s best served rare or medium.

I came here with two colleagues for lunch, and as only one of us has a big appetite we ordered modestly to begin with, some delicious picanha and amazingly smoky and tender short rib. Once that was demolished we ordered more of the same and enjoyed it with crispy chips, salad and the two sauces on the menu. It was great and even the least meat eater out of the three of us (obviously not me) loved every bite!

Zelman Meats, 2 St Anne’s Court, London W1F 0AZ

Rosendahls Garden Café, Stockholm

Published on June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 by HannaLeave a comment

Our last day in Stockholm was sunny and warm, so our plan of spending the first part of the day at Djurgården was perfect.

We took the ferry there from Slussen, walked around and then stopped for fika and rosé at Rosendahls Trädgårdscafé, a lovely garden café. I had a roll with cheese while mum and dad had a cinnamon bun each. Sadly, we were too full to have the proper lunch as we were still full from the hotel breakfast buffet of bacon, scrambled eggs and pancakes. But at least we had room for rosé! It was so lovely to sit outside enjoying the sunshine and sipping wine in beautiful surroundings.

We had a look in the nice shop and walked around the garden before heading back to central Stockholm with the tram.

We still had some shopping to make before heading to the airport. It was such a lovely long weekend and I recommend anyone thinking of visiting Stockholm to go during spring or summer when the weather is (generally) nice.

Rosendahls Trädgårdscafé, Rosendalsvägen 38, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden