RESTAURANT FILE – Page 26

Dinner at U Maje i Tonke, Korcula, Croatia

Published on September 4, 2013September 4, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

Gaby and I realised about halfway through our time in Croatia that we had holidaying down to a T. We planned our days really well, explored the things we wanted to see and even managed to pick the best weather for each activity; the only day with a clear blue sky we spent at the beach and the cloudier ones exploring the city of Split.

But what we were even better at was finding good restaurants with absolutely no prior information.

This cosy place, U Maje i Tonke, in Korcula was one of those restaurants we just stumbled upon. The food is simple but well cooked, the menu cleverly written (in English) and the tables laid with mismatching flowery tablecloths adding to the cosy atmosphere. And, as all Croatian restaurants, it offered good value for money.

We chose to share the two dishes we were both deciding between. They look similar and have several ingredients in common yet tasted completely different. This is a polenta gratin with cured ham, tomato sauce and mild goat’s cheese. Absolutely lovely and fresh! And a new way for me to prepare polenta.

We also had aubergine rolls with cured ham, a sharper goat’s cheese and tomato sauce – absolutely lovely and my favourite.

The restaurant’s signature dish is a board with a selection of starters that looked amazing, and although we were a bit too hungry for that to be enough yet not hungry enough to have that and a maincourse, I do wish we had tried it. Next time…

A glimpse into the kitchen where two ladies cooked all the food from scratch. Definitely worth a visit!

U Maje i Tonke, Trg korčulanskih klesara i kipara 2, 20260 Korcula, Croatia

Dinner at Boccadoro, Vis town, Croatia

Published on September 3, 2013September 3, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

Vis town is a really cosy town I wish I’d had some more time to explore. But we did the best we could with the time we had there; exploring one end of town during the day and the old town in the other direction in the evening. There were plenty of gifty shops and art galleries open in the evening but it didn’t feel very touristy (thankfully).

There were also plenty of restaurants to choose from but Gaby and I were very happy with the chouse of Boccadoro. Our skipper recommended it and they offered us a complimentary drunk, not bad.

The restaurant was very romantic with different dimly lit rooms in the courtyard to gice some privacy so I definitely recommend going here with your significant other. However, it wasn’t awkward for us two friends to have dinner here; the other guests were both couples and larger groups.

We shared a starter as we’d learnt by this point that portions are quite large in Croatia. This particular starter wasn’t but the maincourses were generous in size.

The starter consisting of seared tuna, chicory and watermelon was light and fresh and together with the delicious bread and different flavored olive oils to dip it in it was more than enough as an appetizer.

Gaby had the very succulent lamb with gnocchi in a creamy sauce. Absolutely lovely!

I (for once) fancied something lighter and chose the baked seabass en papilliote with vegetables.

The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the abundance of fresh vegetables made it an excellent meal.

This type of cooking is not difficult but especially when I am on holiday I crave this type of straight forward cooking from good produce and when it is seasoned well and cooked to perfection it actually requires a lot of skill.

Boccadoro, Petra Hektorovica 2, 21480 Vis, Croazia

Lunch at Njutbar, Malmö, Sweden

Published on August 22, 2013August 31, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

Even though I go home to Sweden to visit fairly often (at least according to my colleagues) it is difficult to make time for everyone I want to see and everything I want to do. So when I realised that I had time for a lunch in Malmö with my best friend before a joint makeup session (our birthday present to each other) and a dinner party I had to choose carefully. There are quite a few new exciting places in Malmö nowadays and I am way behind in trying them out. Top of my list is Saltimport Canteen, but it was closed the week I was in Skåne so instead we decided on an old classic; Njutbar.

I used to live around the corner from it and I even knew one of the chefs back in the day and I am so happy this place still exists. It is small but cosy, has a deli section with nice charcuterie and cheeses as well as filling delicious salads to choose from and soup to start off the meal. And decent wines too.

As it was a hot summer’s day we decided on a nice salad and a glass of white wine. And when they brought out already chilled glasses with the wine so it would keep cool longer we were so pleased! It is the little things that counts, and by going that extra mile we could enjoy our glass of cold and refreshing wine throughout the meal.

The salad, their version of a chicken Caesar was really lovely and perfect for a hot day! The chicken was incredibly moist, the bacon crispy and the salad substantial with lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cabbage. Instead of croûtons it came with toasted breadcrumbs and their homemade dressing. Lovely!

Njutbar, Stora Nygatan 23, 211 37 Malmö

Dinner at Fortunen Bar & Spiseri, Copenhagen

Published on August 18, 2013August 15, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

Copenhagen is only 20 minutes away from Malmö by train so you can imagine how many Swedish people there are in Copenhagen any given day. A lot of Swedes work here and lots come as tourists. And although I love to visit Copenhagen myself, I don’t like feeling like a tourist here. I feel I have spent too much time here and know it too well. Plus the language isn’t a problem; I can even count in Danish (which is a bit tricky for some).

Although very cosy and nice, I didn’t want to run the risk of ending up in Nyhavn where all Swedes hang out. It is by the riverfront and lovely but I have yet to find a nice restaurant that isn’t a tourist trap there. Instead I did some research on aok.dk (All about Copenhagen) to find somewhere low key with nice food and suitable to bring a baby to. Fortunen had all that and we really enjoyed our evening here! And the secretly enjoyed being the only Swedes in the restaurant despite the very central location.

It was super windy here by the river so we sat outside and had a drink but went downstairs into the cosy restaurant to enjoy our meal.

The menu consists of small plates (which I love) and you could choose any three for DKK 250 which we thought was great value for money. Maria and I chose the same dish to start and absolutely loved this creation of girolles, corn, potato foam and pickled onion.

Daniel chose the poached egg (which was very lightly poached and therefore when you stirred it became a sauce) with beetroot, yellow beets, peas, charred leek and parmesan. Also very nice!

The next dish for Maria and I were the hanger steak (onglet) with seaweed, shiitake (?) mushrooms and a soy jus. A great combination of flavours that really worked. And the meat was fabulous – one of my favourite cuts.

Daniel had cockrel with lentils and little gem lettuce and really enjoy the whole dish but the jus from the lentils was amazing.

After these dishes Maria and I were quite content and could move on to pudding, but since the dishes weren’t that big we completely understood that Daniel might need something more. He was so considerate that he ordered what he estimated was the quickest dish on the menu (all cold ingredients) so we didn’t have to wait too long. It was mackerel with buttermilk, broadbeans and dill and looked super fresh and light but might have been even better to start with than after a warm dish.

Then it was time for pudding. This time Daniel and I chose the same one; olive oil icecream with strawberries, beetroot meringues and white chocolate. It was incredibly nice!

Maria’s dish was even more interesting with the combination of vanilla icecream, buckthorn, caramel and dried black olives. It was gorgeous too!

I can highly recommend this restaurant. I love the mix of gourmet food combinations (that work) without the fuss, the nice ambiance and attentive service (at least from our waitress, not sure about the others).

Fortunen — Bar & Spiseri
Ved Stranden 18
1061 København K

A day in wonderful Copenhagen

Published on August 15, 2013August 14, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

Growing up int he south of Sweden and it is safe to say that I know the Danish capital better than the Swedish one because of the close proximity to Copenhagen. We also had Danish TV channels growing up and I still feel like part of me is Danish.

When I was at University in Lund my friend Maria and I went to Copenhagen for the day quite often, just wandering around looking in shops and having a nice time. It is a small city but it has a lot more to offer than Malmö or Lund and the vibe is so very different.

With me living in the UK now I have less time to visit Copenhagen, even though I try to fit it in sometimes, and this summer Maria, Daniel and I decided it was time to go together again. We also had their son Otto coming with us. And as it was a really hot day it was handy to blame the baby for all the pitstops we did when we needed refreshments or to sit down.

We drove over the pretty Öresund bridge (as in The Bridge) and after having found parking and a quick walk it was lunch time. We opted for the outside tables at Wanna B and their burger (also the lunch special) but their avocado salad with cashew nuts looked lush too. The burger was really nice, served with cheese and bacon in a ciabatta bun with chunky fries and a chilli dip.

Then it was time for some shopping. We made a stop at Kirk an interior shop at Strædet that I really like. The style is quite British and masculine.

We also discovered Hay House, one of the two shops in Copenhagen from the very popular brand. Hay House has apparently been in the same spot for the last four years and yet neither of us has noticed it. It is well worth a visit though. The shop is set in a large flat with decorative molding on the ceiling, parquet floors and large windows. It would be great to live here but it works as a shop too, displaying their lovely designs in the different rooms. We also had coffee and cake at Illum and dinner in the evening, but that restaurant review will get its own post.

(Birthday)Dinner at Mele e Pere, Soho

Published on August 9, 2013July 31, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

I wanted to celebrate my birthday with my girls around nice but unpretentious food just having a good time. And Mele e Pere offered just that. And they had decent prosecco on tap! Amazing!

One of my friends can’t eat wheat and the staff were really sweet trying to amend the dishes to suit her.

We started off with some prosecco and rosé at a table in the bar before sitting down in the restaurant sharing lots of starters.

We had two burratas (one with a tomato sauce containing bread and one with just cherry tomatoes and olive oil), ricotta with peas and broad beans, octopus scewer with potatoes, melon and San Daniele ham, vitello tonnao and gnocchi with speck and parmesan.

Octopus scewer with potato and a lovely purée

Ricotta with peas and broad beans

Min plate with all the different dishes

After all that we were quite happy to order small portions of our mains, which were just the right size. The different take on spaghetti carbonara with ravioli (above) looked delicious and I can’t wait to try that next time.

This time I had the lobster risotto which was amazing too! Absolutely loved it!

I really enjoyed our dinner here. It was quite spacious so you could just sit and talk about whatever without feeling like the table next to you can hear every word. The staff was friendly, utterly helpful and efficient and the atmosphere is laid back and relaxed. Can’t wait to go back. Soon. Very soon.

46 Brewer St, Soho, London W1F 9TF

Dinner at Copita, Soho

Published on August 9, 2013August 10, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

I met my friends Laura and Jess at Copita in Soho the other night for a belated birthday dinner. Sadly Jess was unwell and only had bread while Laura and I shared a selection of dishes.

Copita is a sister restauran to Barrica and although they both serve tapas style small plates, the vibe in the two restaurants are quite different. Copita is more buzzing and feels like a wine bar with very nice snacks where as Barrica has some proper tables and serves more traditional tapas, making it feel more like a restaurant.

I like both, however and food wise they are quite different to compare as their menus differ a lot.

The scallops (above) with broad beans and a creamy sauce were probably my favourite dish of the evening. Very pretty too, but just lovely in taste.

Almost as nice were the mushroom croquetas with oozing mushroom bechamel in the middle and a nice and crisp shell keeping it in place.

The aubergine with harissa and mint was nice, but not extraordinary.

The octopus with paella style rice I really enjoyed but it was pretty sparse with the fish.

Gnocchi with saffron, butternut squash and almonds was a nice and fresh dish, although I wanted another dimension with different textures. The almond slivers didn’t quite to the trick, maybe some crisp breadcrumbs or chopped hazelnuts would have worked butter. Otherwise great in flavour!

The duck breast with beetroots, apple and raisins was probably my least favourite, but only because I have a fobia for raisins in food so I couldn’t fully enjoy it. The meat was lovely and rich in flavour though and super moist and the thin apple slices worked well with it.

Drink wise I was really tempted by a proper G&T with Hendrick’s gin, but we decided on wine instead and had a caraffe of what they called super fresh, which we thought was quite funny. It was indeed a fresh wine and it worked well with the different dishes.

Copita, 26-27 d’Arblay Street, London W1F 8EP

Dinner at Clarke’s, Kensington

Published on August 4, 2013July 31, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

After a cultural afternoon at Kensington Palace our little trio (Laura, myself and birthday girl Gaby) went out for dinner at Clarke’s in Kensington, a restaurant very special to Gaby as she need to come here often with her parents when she was a little girl.

I really liked Clarke’s with its fresh produce and fuss free approach to food. Everything we had was delicious and very well prepared.

Gaby chose the warm goat’s cheese with crispy crumbs on top, lettuce, chopped nuts and soft apricots to balance the flavour. Delicious!

Laura had the smoked salmon with pheasant egg, lettuce and sour cream. It looked great and was very fresh.

I chose the San Daniele ham with figs and although this dish requires no cooking, the ingredients were exceptional. The figs were lovely and sweet, a far cry from what the supermarkets have to offer and the ham was delicious too.

Both Gaby and I had the beef tonnato; thinly sliced rare roast beef with the famous anchovy dressing and capers served with crispy chips and some lamb’s lettuce. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and thought it was a great way to serve beef in the summer.

Laura had the duck leg which was melt-in-the-mouth fantastic and served with cabbage and cherries.

Although full we still ordered starters. Gaby’s deconstruced cannoli with noozy ricotta and strawberries was delightful and Laura got the most amazing cheese plate with oat cakes.

I went for the lightest of the puddings, a summer fruit jelly with cream on top and delicate cat’s tongue biscuits (and a piece of chocolate cake and a candle because Gaby told the kitchen it was my birthday and not hers. Luckily no one sang!).

I simply adore this place and can’t wait to go back after the big refurbishment. The restaurant will be closed for five weeks altogether, opening again in the beginning of September.

Clarke’s, 122 & 124 Kensington Church Street, London W8 4BH

Lunch at Massimo, West End

Published on July 31, 2013July 30, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

What started off as a girlie lunch, just coinciding with my birthday turned into a lunch for four and was sort of a birthday lunch as my lovely colleagues gave me a card and a gift. Thanks guys!

We decided on having both starter and main course as we were in no rush to get back to the office. Luckily July is pretty quiet. Three of us started off with the raw scallops flavoured with orange and vanilla salt and it was utterly delicious, fresh and fragrant.

Ria, less fond of raw seafood, opted for baked prawns instead which were also delicious. In fact, the whole crudo and antipasti menu looked wonderful.

We all had pasta for our main course, Rich and Caroline chose the crab and tomato linguine which looked really fresh and nice, but they were a little bit disappointed flavour wise.

Ria and I had the spaghetti Carbonara with lightly baked egg and truffle which sounded delicious. Unfortunately it was really oily and a bit too salty. I was quite disappointed but will give Massimo another chance as I know people who have had delicious pastas here.

The service was nice and efficient which weighed up a little bit and the art deco interior with pillars and large lamps is quite extraordinary and creates a nice setting for any meal.

Massimo, 10 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AE

Dinner at Sushisamba, The City

Published on July 30, 2013 by Hanna1 Comment

Sushisamba (featured in Sex and the City as you may remember?) opened up their London branch about a year ago but it took me a while to visit. In fact, it was trying their delicious sasa roll at Taste of London earlier this year that really made me want to go.

The restaurant is located on the 38th floor of Heron Tower in The City and as you can imagine, the view is quite something. The interior is too, with two outdoor spaces and lots of glass walls.

I went here with my Caroline (who also has a food blog), my usual restaurant buddy, and we had a few dishes to share. Although it doesn’t look like that much I was almost too full to move afterwards.

The yellowtail sashimi with yuzu and black truffle oil was delicious and amazing in texture. One of my favourites.

Also the calamari with crisp plantain, pico de gallo and tamarind was lovely and the squid was both crisp and melt-in-the-mouth soft at the same time.

samba6

The maki roll with soy marinated salmon, asparagus, onion, chives, tempura and wasabi mayo was OK but nothing special. It was crispy and fresh but it was difficult to make out the flavours.

samba5

The sasa rolls, however, were just as amazing as I remembered them. Shrimp tempura, coriander, red onion, shishito and spicy mayonnaise in a delicious combination. I can highly recommend it!

Caroline introduced me to Peruvian corn which is whiter and has bigger kernels than regular sweet corn. It is also chewier and less sweet. So nice!

The barbecued flank steak with aji panca chilli was pretty full-on flavour wise and parts of the meat was stringy so I wasn’t that impressed with it. I guess I had high expectations when walking past the lovely smelling barbecue on the way to our table.

Although quite unimpressed with two of the dishes I really like Sushisamba. The three dishes I enjoyed were absolutely delicious and although the other two didn’t impress me there was absolutely nothing wrong with them.

The staff was also friendly and very much on the ball, the interior feels very New Yorky and the outdoor space as well as the view is spectacular. This place is well worth a visit!

Sushisamba, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY