Food Discovery from Italia

On a quick weekend away to Rome, we had a lovely dinner in the Trastavere district.  An antipasti plate came with the typical fare of meats, olives and cheeses - but there was one unique combination I'd never tried before.
   

Pecorino with truffle honey - it's a revelation!  Such an incredible combination of flavours - the Pecorino, a hard, salty, ewe's milk cheese ... mixed with the sweet (yet savoury) taste of truffle honey.  We picked up a jar of truffle honey while in Rome now serve this winning combo as a nice starter for dinner parties.   The best part is that such a small amount of effort (chopping up some cheese and spooning honey from a jar) can deliver such a big wow factor!
It's the first time we've successfully replicated the exact food we've had while on holiday.  Enjoy!

When in France...

Some good friends who are planning their honeymoon just asked for some tips on France.  I figured I might as well pop it up on the newly formed blog!:

For a short driving holiday in France, there's nothing better than taking in two of the best regions for both wine and cheese..... Champagne and Burgundy.  Take the car ferry from Dover to Calais and first take in some sights and imbibe some local potions from Champagne.

While I can't highly recommend the hotel where we stayed for its romantic atmosphere or memorable views, I can recommend it for its location right next to a champagne house, its ode to frugality, and its Spartan decor.
This Hotel Porte Mars was in a walkable location to the centre of Reims and offered parking close-by so we could keep an eye on all the wine stored in the boot!  We didn't have the chance to stay in Epernay (everything was fully booked when we were headed there) but I have heard that it's quite a nice place to stay - and walking distance to some of the big champagne houses.... we made a trip there to Moet et Chandon... it was nice to see the caves underneath Epernay and any of the big champagne houses would give you this chance.

Here's two champagne makers we really liked:
Henry Bourdelat - not to be confused with the other Bourdelat just across the road from this one.  This is a small family-owned business, as most of them are... We knocked on the door and it a took a while for anyone to come as Henry and his mother and father were in the middle of labelling  bottles downstairs in the basement.  Henry junior walked us all around explaining how they make champagne - thankfully my partner speaks French but I think Henry can speak a little bit of English (enough to give you a tasting!).... he ages his champagne for far longer than the legal minimum most big champagne houses use....  his champagne's delicious and we left with many cases.
Here is their website which might help find them.
They were sweet enough to pose for a photo:

Also Waris Larmandier - not only do they have excellent champagne (including a nice blanc de blancs - made from 100% Chardonnay grapes) - but their bottles are hand painted and each one is like a piece of art!  Sadly the husband of this family business passed away about a year ago - he was the mastermind behind the champagne-making and now his brother (also very knowledgeable) has been pitching in to continue to business... The wife is an artist and this is why there are such beautiful bottles.  Here is their site


While in Champagne, you're really close to the home of Epoisses cheese - a glorious wash-rind cheese.... buy some, leave it at room temperature for 2 hours, cut the lid of it off and dip in with bread, veg or fingers - delicious, fondue-like cheese. The St Marcelin was also a standout.  Both are terrific for picnics.

Cheese Glorious Cheese!!!
                                                  

Making sure to buy our cheeses, meats and breads before the shops closed, we had quite a few picnics - it was easy enough to find a hilltop and a view.  We also hired bikes one day in Cluny and had a great time biking along a flat green path.

 (We cycled from Cluny to Cormatin - our curiosity somehow took us on some wrong turns and we ended up cycling through a big industrial bakery!... looking at the map every now and again probably would be helpful)

Next head down to Burgundy... Beaune is a lovely town to stay in.. if you decide to stay overnight - definitely dine at Cheval Noir - my review here.

The vineyards in Burgundy are plentiful as are the various regions - it can be pretty intimidating due to how many little regions there are.  A book that really helped us to know which regions sounded good for our tastes was: French Wines by Robert Joseph (Eyewitness Companions). We also used it when we came back with all our wine - as it tells you how many years wine from various regions should be put down before you drink it.... some regions are drinkable quite young but some really need 3-10 years before they are at their best. We enjoyed wines from Cote de Nuits Villages, Nuits St Georges, Macon, Meursault for whites, Morgon for reds, Pommard, Saint Amour, Volnay, Vosne Romanee... and the whites on the Aloxe Corton are quite good - though we could only afford a few of those! - These were the regions that worked for our taste, but again - the book explains what each small region offers and then you can choose which places are best for you.

As you continue further South, you likely will pass through an unassuming big town called Tournus.  One of the best meals we had in France was at an off-the-beaten-track resto across the river there.
First explore the town, but then definitely drive across the river and enjoy an incredible lunch here.

But for le grand finale of your trip, I'd recommend staying in St Amour at the Auberge du Paradis - a bit of a splurge but worth it!

It's just lovely and you must book one night, if not two, at their restaurant which is memorably delicious.



Bon appetit et Bon Voyage!

Borough Market - The Best Day Out in London, hands-down

I get it that visitors to London have a few sights that they need to see to check the box - Westminster Abbey / Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London... there's also likely a few quintessential English foods and drinks that need to be tried such as fish & chips, a Sunday roast, and some English lager.  But I'd be hard-pressed to think of a better day out in London than making a trip to Borough Market.  A food market, yes, but like no other I've seen before - vendors from all over Europe set up stalls here and it's open to the public Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (check the hours before you go).  I recommend getting there on Saturday before 11am or be prepared for some serious crowds.  There's the direct way of doing Borough Market (get to London Bridge Station, and walk to market), or the recommended indirect way of doing it - taking in some great views of London and seeing some parts of the city that could otherwise be missed.

So here's the recommended Best Day Out in London, rated as such by sample size of 1.
Get to Waterloo Station and then head to the Thames.  Stay on the southbank and head East along the water.  You'll pass by the Royal Festival Hall (you can pop in for a takeaway tea or coffee if needed), then the National Theatre which hosts outdoor theatre/art installations from July-September in an area called Watch this Space (http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/wts), eventually you'll pass a lovely alfresco secondhand book store - nice for a brief wander.  Continue walking along the bank, taking in sights of London to the north such as St Pauls.  You'll eventually pass the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre...  the Thames path ends at a nice pub called Anchor Bankside.  Follow all the rest of the people weaving their way down a road that continues eastward... after you pass London Dungeon, take a right and you are at Borough Market.  It might not look like much from that first angle you're entering - but 2 minutes of exploring it will start to enthuse the senses!
I could write several entries about all of my favourite stalls - but here's some pics I took on my first visit there to whet your appetite.

You can sample some prepared foods there or take some of the fresh meats, seafood, cheeses, and produce home for a scrumptious meal!  Once your senses are satiated, you can head back to the pub on the river (Anchor Bankside), grab a beverage and sit on the water for a bit of relaxation.  Once refreshed, head back along the Thames path (the way you came) until you get back to the Tate Modern  You might want to pop in this museum as much of it is free and worth a look, even if to ponder how some pieces made it into the permanent collection.
Next, walk across the Millennium Bridge, called the wobbly bridge by locals as it was improperly built the first time round and wobbled to the point that they had to close it down for some years before re-opening to the public.

You might wish to pop into St Pauls for a look - they do charge you to have a wander but it's worth it if you brave the steps to the top for a stunning panoramic view of London.
Get to the Thames path along the northbank and now head West until you get to Embankment Tube Station. Walk through it and head up the small road, typically filled with pedestrians and the occasional car.  On your right, look out for Gordon's Wine Bar - London's oldest wine bar. After braving the narrow steps down, head to the bar for a glass of wine and then try hard to get a seat in the "cave" - you will know it when you see it.  After 3pm on any day, the cave tends to fill up with people - but if you lurk near one of the entries to it, you shouldn't have to wait too long for a seat - it's well worth the wait (and the shame of being a lurker)!

And this concludes the Best Day Out in London - after all that walking and wine drinking, a siesta is highly recommended... no, we're not in Spain, but with places like Borough Market and the atmospheric Gordon's, you won't feel like you're in London either.