Dunwell Brothers Band

I stayed at a hostel called Vagabonds wile in Belfast and it is by far one of the best hostels I have ever stayed in.  It had a lot of character and just an overwhelmingly welcoming feeling.  All the staff there were super friendly and helpful.  There was this chill out room filled with a few big couches, a bunch of  bean bag chairs and had huge pillows everywhere.  It was a very comfortable room to just go into and chill out for a bit.  It also had a couple of guitars, a bongo, as well as a didgeridoo for whoever wanted to or felt like playing.  So often when hanging out in this room, it would turn into a little bit of a jam session.

During my stay at this hostel a band called The Dunwell Brothers Band checked in for two nights.  They are a fairly new band out of Leeds, and are touring the UK right now promoting their debut album, I Believe I've Seen It All - I Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet.  There music is described as alternative acoustic rock, and all five band members are strong vocalists allowing the group to perform stunning vocal harmonies.  There sound is comparable to Mumford and Sons.

The two nights they were staying at the hostel, I ended up hanging out with them a bit, and they were a good group of guys.  I also went and caught one of there acoustics gigs at a local coffee shop.  They are great to watch live but what was even better was watching them just jam at the hostel while sharing a few beers.  It was lots of fun, they played some of their own songs but would play most anything anyone asked them to.  I ended up going to the pub with them one night, and talking music over a couple of pints.

If anyone is interested in lsitening to them here a couple links,

Elezebeth - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPKKHLZKr7k

Hide and Seek - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqzvfoJZ97Y&feature=related

Hockey Night in Ireland

After spending a couple of days in Belfast I was asking around about any local sporting events that would be going on during my stay and this British guy also staying in my hostel mentioned that the Belfast Giants usually play on Saturday nights.  I responded by asking if that was football (soccer) or rugby or something, and to my surprise he told me it was ice hockey.  After I got over my initial shock that there was a UK ice hockey league I did a little research.  The ELITE Ice Hockey League, I league made up of ten teams situated in Northern Ireland, Northern England, and Scotland.  Belfast just happens to be the number one team in the league as well with a 16-3 record.  Once I found this out I knew I had to go and check it out.  I was in luck there was a game on Saturday which was my second last night in Belfast.  I asked around the hostel to see if anyone else wanted to join me, the British guy I was talking with wanted to come, as well as an Australian couple.  

Saturday night rolled around and I made an early dinner and started to have a few pre drinks before the game with The British dude, whose name is Garith by the way.  Having a few beers and chatting I found out that Garith actually played hockey when he was in university, and the Australians were just in North America and went to a Chicago Edmonton game.  Garith actually surprisingly knew quite a bit about hockey and it was cool to have an informed discussion.  Right as we were about to leave, these two girls, one from Germany and the other from Belgium, asked if they could join us.  We were more then happy to have them, and the six of us set off to walk to the arena, which was only about fifteen minutes away.

We arrived at the arena and by the time we got our tickets, went in, and found our seats we were about five minutes late.  Too bad we missed the pre-game but we were there.  To me there is nothing quite like walking through the concourse and eventually through the corridor that leads to the actual playing field.  I love the moment you walk through and the whole arena comes into view.

Our seats were just a few rows down and to the right

on the end of the ice the Giants attack twice

The game was underway, The Belfast Giants, first place team, against the Dundee Stars who were second last in the league.  It may be a one sided affair but at least we should see some goals I said to Garith.  I was watching the game at the same time as browsing through the program I had bought on the the way in.  Out of the eighteen man roster eight of the players were Canadian, five were American, and the other five were from the UK.  They played a very North American style game, and talking with a few knowledgeable fans around me, I was told that the UK league was played very much in the North American style of hockey.  

I quickly noticed that the left winger on Belfast's top line was named Smyth, and he instantly became my favorite player on the ice.  Not just because his name was Smyth (no relation to Ryan Smyth) he played hard, going to net, mucking it up in the corners, and he is a point per game player.  

The game itself was very entertaining.  A six to four victory for the Giants, it was mostly a one sided affair but it was fast paced hockey, and the Giants moved the puck very well.  It was a physical game as well, lots of big hits and four fights.  Two players on the Giants, Shields and Hemingway, both got Gordie Howe hat tricks.  

During the first intermission I took a walk around the arena just to have a look around.  I ended up seeing quite a few interesting jersey's.  I saw a Flyers Pronger, a Calgary Iginla, a Tampa St. Louis, an old school Edmonton Hunter, and a Jagr but I was not sure on the team, Russian I think?  One of the most interesting I saw though was a Belfast Giants Theo Fleury and that is when I realized that the Belfast Giants were the team that Fleury went to play for in the 05/06 season.  I did a little research and Flury was named the player of the year by the league, he had 22 goals and 52 assists in 34 games.  In his debut with Belfast he had 3 goals 4 assists and a fight.  It is said that he is the best player to ever play in the league.

The atmosphere in the building was a lot like an Oil Kings game, lots of little kids around and lots of stupid shit going on between the play.  They had cheerleaders, as well as girls going into the stands and giving alot of things away.

These cheerleaders were on that stage behind

the far side night for the duration of the game

 During the intermission some of the top players on the Giants were out in the concourse signing autographs.  The only difference was the drinking was not like an Oil King game.  There was no limit to the amount of beer you could buy and most guys were coming down to their seats with this six pack of rink beers in these cardboard cutout things. 

At the end of the game both teams line up on there own blue lines and the man of the match for both teams is announced.  Then the teams shake hands with each other, the refs, and the all go to centre ice and salute the crowd.  

All in all it was a fun night, the hockey was entertaining and I had a great time.  It was nice to watch some live hockey, and made me feel a little bit like I was at home.  If I do end up working in Belfast I will definitely go to more games. 

Restaurant Review: Michel Bras

Delayed post from Thursday October 14, 2010

route de l’aubrac - 12210 Laguiole, France
tasting menu for two + two bottles of wine <400 Euro

Bras, the first stop in southern France on our culinary tour. We flew from London to Toulouse in the early afternoon and arrived just after five. By the time we went through customs, collected our luggage, and sorted out the rental car, we had about three hours to make it to our hotel, check in, clean up, find the restaurant, and make it in time for our reservation. Our tom tom said the journey would take just over two hours, so if everything went right and there were no "hiccups" we should be okay. Lets just say we did encounter a few "hiccups" along the road, but in the end we made it just in time for our reservation.

After stopping in the small French town of Laguiole to ask for directions at the local holiday inn we did eventually find out that Bras was just outside of town atop a hill overlooking the village.  It was a ten minute drive down a very dark road until we saw a very small but bright sign for the restaurant.  It was quite dark when we arrived so initially when we pulled up to the restaurant and walked towards the front entrance we did not realize the beauty in our surroundings.  We did go back the next day to look around and take some photos in the light.

The tree on the right is a the famous tree that is the logo for the restaurant, and you can see the part of the lounge.  The restaurant sits atop a hill overlooking the village of Laguiole, but any photo did not really do it justice

This is the path leading up to the front door

Bras is very much a family operation, Michel Bras is the owner and executive chef but the kitchen is very much ran by his son Sebastien.  Sebastien's wife is the Maitre'd.  The family lives on the property for the six months of the year that the restaurant operates.  Right in the middle of the kitchen there a big table where the entire family eats everyday before serves.

We were greeted at the door by Sebastien wife as we came running in and apologized for how late we were.  Usually you would take a seat in the lounge to have a drink and an aperitif before being taken to your table, but because we were so late they sat us right away.  The decor of the restaurant had very strong Japanese influences.  Everything was very modern and sleek looking. From the lounge to the dinning room was a long hallway that had a tiny stream flowing along the left side that you cross over to enter the dinning room.  The dinning room was long with two rows of tables, smaller two tops in the back row and a row of larger tables in the front along the window.  Outside the dinning room was a garden and has a view of the town itself, but unfortunately it was too dark to really see anything.

One of the small bridges to crossover into the dinning room

We finally sat down after what seemed like a long day of travel.  I did not really eat much all day and was feeling quite hungry.  I was tired and hungry and I think I being a little short with Kathy but we made it and it was time to put that all aside and enjoy the excellent meal we were sure to have.

Bras is open during the summer months of the year.  There are a few reason for this, firstly, most of there vegetables, herbs, and eatable flowers, they grow themselves right outside the restaurant.  Secondly the menu is completely seasonal, and is completely dependant on local producers.  Lastly the running of Bras is a twenty four hour seven days a week, non stop operation.  They go to local markets every day around four in the morning to get the freshest and best products available, the spend all day preparing for the evenings service, and then the are in the kitchen till fairly late at night.    

The menu had an a la carte section as well as three different tasting menus.  I of course picked one of the tasting menus while Kathy decided that would be too much food for her and had the help picking a few signature dishes.  Next the Sommelier came over and he helped select a very nice Burgundy that he told us we would probably not find anywhere but in France.  Shortly after the Sommelier poured our wine the amuse bouche arrived.  There were three each.

Amuse bouche

I forgot my notebook and lost the little paper that I wrote down what these were on and I honestly do not remember what was in each they were very tasty though.  The menu was in French, so I am going to translate it as best I can.

aujourd'hui classique 

Gargouillou of young vegetables

with seeds and herbs, and eggnog groundnut

This was Kathy's first course as well as a signature dish of Michel Bras.  It is a essentially a salad made it of over forty five different vegetables, micro green, and fresh herbs, all fresh from the garden outside the restaurant and from the local market.  The dressing was made up of ground flower petals, it was like nothing I have ever tasted.

Dite Jake be Little

Squash filled with Shellfish: mussels, clams, clam bouillion, and cinnamon Magelan

This was my first course, it was various seafood poached in clam bouillion inside a baby pumpkin.  The seafood flavor was quite subtle and the taste of the fresh pumpkin and other vegetables really came through.

d'eau de source

Char stuffed with onions and turmeric

Young leek, and peas

This was my second course, char stuffed with various fresh vegetables.  The char itself was very fresh and was poached, the flavor was very delecate and again the promenant flavors in this dish were of the fresh vegetables.  

Chez nous, on l'appelle l'oreille

Pan fried beef purebred Aubrac

artichoke leaf and truffle juice

This was Kathy's main course, seared beef tenderloin in a in truffle juice with fresh artichoke and greens.  The beef was very tender and had a wonderful delicate flavor.  The truffle sauce was not over powering the way truffles can be and complemented the natural flavor of the beef very nicely.

sens dessus dessous tout le jardin

parsnip, mustard, lovage

in a chestnut paquette sauce

This was my main course, a similar dish to Kathy's accept my beef was only seared on one side and was in a different sauce.  There were a few different flavors in this dish but nothing was overpowering.

Les fromages de l'Aveyron & d'a cote

Kathy and I shared a selection of cheeses from the cheese cart which was quite impressive.  It focused mainly on locally produced cheeses, 

dite William

oven roasted Prunin pear & pumpkin/liquorice ice cream

parlin pumpkin seed & jelly kernel oil

canailleries des cornets graines au gre de nos envies 

Bras was a very impressive dining experience from start to finish.  No detail has been overlooked, from its scenic location and modern architecture to the seasonal fresh ingredients and menu planning.  You can tell that a tremendous amount of thought has been put into everything and that it is essentially a restaurant that the Chef Michel Bras has dreamt of opening his entire life.  His passion is what makes it such an unforgettable experience.  It is very much a family run operation, and his passion filters down.  I would highly recommend visiting Bras, out of all the restaurants I went to it ranks quite high, and it would be one that I myself would definitely try to return to one day.

Decision Made

For those of you who have not heard yet, I did not end up taking that job at Summer Lodge.  I will say that I have some regrets on the events leading up to me making the decision but in the end I have no regrets about the decision itself.  I did not handle myself in the most professional manor and in the end it may have cost me much more then just a job.  With that said I made the right decision for me right now, I was not and am still not ready to start working.  When I thought I was going to take the job I just felt sick to my stomach, and after I decided against it I felt relived.  Their offer to me was not great.  I know that at this point in my career it is more about working in a good place and trying to learn as much as I can then making money but I think they really low balled me and tried to take advantage of me.  But at this point no need to point fingers one way or the other, what's done is done.  I will say, even though I was only there for a couple days, I did meet some great people and had I stayed there, and I am sure I would of made some great friendships.

The series of events leading to my decision and me leaving Summer Lodge saw me leave in the middle of the night.  I will not get into the specifics but lets just say I no longer felt welcome there.  I called a cab and left for Yeovil, I asked the cab driver to take me to a hotel close to the train station.  I arrived at a hotel, checked in, and went to bed.  I got up and checked out and then walked around Yeovil for a bit, I had a feeling it would be the last time I would ever be there.  Yeovil was a nice little city or town, I am not sure which.  I ended up walking around and finding the town center and a walking street with some nice shops.  I probably spend an hour there before I went to the train station.

So I left The Dorset area by train, heading back to London and eventually Ireland.  I will do some more traveling before I make any major decision about anything.  Try to gain a little perspective and figure out what it is I want.  

The London Leg of my Culinary Adventure

Delayed post from Wednesday October 14, 2010

My big culinary tour was broken down into three different sections, London, Southern France, and Paris.  I planed on writing a blog post after each section was complete just to reflect on what I ate, but also on the other things I did while in each various region.  I got so far behind in my posting though that I am only getting around to it all now.  Sorry for the tardiness of these posts.

With the London portion of my culinary adventure finished, what do I think of the trip so far.  Well I have done two restaurants now, and I was completely blown away by both of them.  The restaurants in question, Gordon Ramsay's Hospital Road, and Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck, were both spectacular but were very different.  If you are interested in specifics you can go back a few posts and I have written about both of them in detail.  While in London Kathy and I stayed with some friends of hers, Cam and Siobhan.   Cam and Siobhan were great too, very hospitable and accommodating.  Every morning we would get up early and take their dog Emily on a walk through Hyde park.  While staying there I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for Kathy and some of her friends and that went well.  I also got to see my old friend James and spend a couple of days hanging out and catching up while we toured London a bit.  Here are a few pictures of my time in London...

James and I walked around London quite a bit

this is us at Soho Square

This is a crazy cheese shop we stumbled upon

This is an Oscar Wilde statue that reads

 We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars

This is the oldest wine bar in all of London

Really cool place built into this like cave or something

Really good sandwich I had at some little cafe/bistro

Mushroom soup from the same place

So I guess I don't take very many pictures.  I have never really been a picture guy, I tend to only take pictures if I feel like they are going to be unique.  I don't like to take the same pictures at the same places that a million other photos have been taken, that won't do it justice in the end anyways.  I do like to take pictures of good food though.

Overall my time in London was good, I had been there before so I did not really do very many of the tourist things.  I mainly walked around and took in the city itself.  We lucked out in that the weather was very nice while we were there.  Lots of sunshine so, walking around and sitting in various parks and squares was a nice way to spend my time.

Restaurant Review: The Fat Duck

High Street, Bray, Berkshire, England

http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/ 

tasting menu for four + wine parings <950 Pounds

The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal's restaurant.  Currently the best restaurant in the UK, and third overall in the world.  A former number one in the world in 2005, and running up to El Bulli for the last four years.  The Fat Duck is famous for it scientific approach to cooking and has been highly influential in the molecular gastronomy movement.  This was the number one restaurant I wanted to go to when Kathy asked me send her a list of places I wanted to go.  Lets just say I had high expectations going in.

This is the sign outside, the only distinguishing marking to tell you where the restaurant is, other then that it is a very discreet building

The restaurant is located about forty-five minutes west of London in a town called Bray.  We, Kathy, Cam, Siobhan, and I, took the train from Paddington Station in London to Bray and then it was about a five minute cab ride from the Bray train station.  Or cab driver stopped by an unmarked old looking house and told us we had arrived, like I said the building was quite discreet.  At a restaurant of this caliber there is really no need to advertise, especially outside the building as there is no way they would take walk-ins.  We entered the building and took our seats.  First impressions were quite different from Gordon Ramsay's.  The dinning room was quite small with low ceilings.  We were told that the building itself was over two hundred years old, and use to be a farm house.  Overall it felt very warm and cozy, with the old wooden beams running across the ceiling and the fireplace across from out table.  Very different but still very nice and welcoming.

We sat and the sommelier approached out table and offered champagne.  He showed a menu first to Cam, and then to me, and we both pointed to give it to Kathy.  Kathy selected a bottle of champagne for the table.  The then Maitre'd came over to show us the set menu and said to go over it and they would make any changes if there was anything we didn't like or had an allergy too.  We went over the menu and our first reaction was how large it was.  We did not really need to make any changes to it, other then Siobhan being a vegetarian which they were alerted to when the reservation was made.  Next came time to select wine.  Now out of all the restaurants we went to The Fat Duck was the only restaurant with set wine parings, in the end it comes to about eight glasses of wine over the course of the entire dinner.  That may sound like a lot but you have to understand that this is not just some dinner, it is more then that.  I would compare it to a night at the theater and eating a meal here takes around four to five hours.  In fact the menu itself was inspired from Alice in Wonderland and followed that theme throughout the dinner.  It is a spectacle for all your senses.  Nostalgia foods as Heston Blumenthal puts it, he is trying to evoke feelings through slight, sound, smell, and especially taste.

Our menus were set, our wine parings picked, and our first glass of champagne done, let the theatrics begin...

A server approached our table with a cart.  On it was a container, a vat of liquid nitrogen, a pressurized canister of egg whites, and a bag full of flavorings.

LIME GROVE

Nitro Poached Green Tea and Lime Mousse

The liquid nitrogen was poured into the contained and then some of the egg white was shot into the nitrogen.  The extreme cold turns the egg whites into a mousse and it placed on your plate and the flavoring of green tea and lime is dabbed on.  This was just a palate cleanser, and it was very refreshing. Quite cold but warmed up quickly in your mouth and the fresh flavors of green tea and lime come through. Very interesting.

RED CABBAGE GAZPACHO

Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream

This was our first course, and again it was very interesting.  The gazpacho itself was quite sweet, but the mustard flavor of the ice cream came through to cut the sweetness and round out the dish.  Separately the two components are not very good, but once you eat them together it is a complexly different flavor.  Very well done and very interesting dish.

More theatrics for our next dish.  That is real moss in that box, and we were told to place the strip inside the container on our tongues as she sprayed a moss scent above our heads.

Next she poured liquid nitrogen into the box to cover the table in mist and we were told to dig into our next course.

JELLY OF QUAIL, CRAYFISH CREAM

Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss and Truffle Toast

WINE PARING

2002 Peter Lehmann, Riesling Reserve, Eden Valley

South Australian

This course was the first we had a wine paring with.  The quail and crayfish cream were quite rich but had a velvety smooth texture, and the sweetness of the riesling complemented it perfectly.  The toast was quite interesting, with the moss flavor and aroma already on our palates, the flavor of the chicken liver came through.  This was a course that played with all the senses, and it was a very interesting experience, and one of the most memorable of all for me.

SNAIL PORRIDGE

Jabugo Ham, Shaved Fennel

WINE PAIRING

2006 Collio Blanco, Klin, Primosic, Friuli-Veneza-Giulla

Italy

The snail porridge was again very interesting, see a theme developing.  The texture was like porridge but the flavor was completely different.  You could taste all the components separately, but also as one, I have having trouble explaining exactly how it tasted.  I will just say I am a fan of snail, and it still had the distinct flavor of snail but something else as well.  I liked the dish.

ROAST FOIE GRAS

Gooseberry, Braised Konbu and Crab Biscuit

WINE PAIRING

2008 Vouvary, Abbaye De Marmoutier, Vigneau-Chevreau, Loire Valley

France

Now over the last few weeks, I have had my fare share of foie gras, and I have developed quite the taste for it.  I love foie gras, and I have to say nothing really stood out about this foie gras.  It was good and well prepared.  The gooseberry complemented it nicely, but I have had better foie gras, and to me this dish did not stand out the same way the others had.

More theatrics with the next course, the bowl was placed in front of us without any liquid in it with a tea cup of hot water and then she opened a case with four pocket watches in it.  We were to take the pocket watch and dip it into our tea cups to let it dissolve and then pour the contents into the bowl.  This was suppose to resemble when the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland dips his pocket watch in his tea at the Mad Hatters tea party.

MOCK TURTLE SOUP (c. 1850)

"Mad Hatter Tea"

Turtle soup reached the height of its popularity in the 19th century in Britain but because turtle meat was prohibited and very difficult to import the alternative "mock" turtle soup was developed using calves' head and feet.  The tea that we had to make was a beef consume.  It was poured over an egg, a beef dumpling and a few fresh herbs.  The gold flakes you see are from the watch.  This consume was quite flavorful but because of the way it is served I felt that is was not hot enough.  Other then that this dish was quite good.

For the next course they really tried to play with your senses again.  We were given big seashells that had head phones coming out.  You were to put the head phones in and listen while you eat the dish.

"SOUND OF THE SEA"

WINE PAIRING

DaiGinjo Masumi Nanago, Miyasaka Brewery, Nagano Prefecture

Japan

This dish was a little over the top.  They would not tell you what it was until after we ate it.  We sat and listened to the sounds of the ocean, waves crashing, and seagulls screaming while we ate this dish that appeared to be sand, seaweed, and ocean foam.  The flavors and textures were nice, but it felt like a bit much with the headphones in and everything.  One thing I can say though is never has food changed a wine as much as it did for this dish.  The sommelier warned us not to drink the sake before we started eating this dish.  I had to see why, and the sake was very biter until you had it with the dish, it became very mellow and quite nice.  

SALMON POACHED IN LIQUORICE

Artichoke, Vanilla Mayonnaise and Golden Trout Roe

WINE PAIRING

2004 Quinta Da Falorga, Garrafeira, Dao

Portugal

Although this dish did not exactly stand out for me, it was quite interesting.  I have never tasted salmon like that before, in fact it did not taste like salmon at all.  It did have the texture of salmon but the flavor was completely different, the liquorice was quite pronounced.  The vanilla mayonnaise did round out the flavor though.  So like I said, this dish did not stand out among some of the others it did have an interesting and unique flavor.

POWDERED ANJOU PIGEON (c. 1720)

Blood Pudding, Potted Umbles, Spelt and Pickles

WINR PAIRING

2004 Val Di Cornia Suvereto, Olpaio, Rubbia Al Colle, Tuscany

Italy

Blood pudding, how many of you squirmed a little bit when you read that.  I have to admit when I saw it on the menu I did a bit too, but one thing when eating at a restaurant like this, you absolutely have to try everything.  Even if it is something you think you will not like, the truth is the chef most likely knows what they are doing and whatever it is in the dish, it is there for a reason.  I found this out, the blood pudding went wonderfully in this dish, it complemented the tender pigeon as well as the wine.

HOT & ICED TEA

Another dish that completely messed with your senses.  I am not quite sure how they did it but it worked quite well.  They placed the little cups in front of us and told us to take large sips but not to rotate the glass and keep it facing the same way.  As you sipped on it you had the sensation of hot tea at the exact same time as iced tea.  It was a very cool sensation.  Now we discussed it a bit and were not sure if it was like oil and water and one was sitting on top of the other because it felt like the two temperatures were coming from both sides of the cup.  Not sure how they did it, but it was very cool... and hot.

TAFFETY TART (c. 1660)

Caramelized Apple, Fennel, Rose and Candied Lemon

WINE PAIRING

2007 Grasevina Izborna Berba Prosusenih Bobica, Krauthaker, Kutjevo, Slavonija

Croatia

This was the first dessert course.  Now I don't know if it was because we had eaten so much by this point or if I was starting to get a little drunk but, the desserts did not stand out to me.  They were okay but it seem like they lacked a certain quality that the rest of the meal had.

THE "BFG"

Black Forest Gateau

WINE PARING

2008 Alella, Dolc, Mataro, Alta Alella, Catalunia

Spain

Again this dessert did not stand out to me.  The flavors were good, and the cake itself, was very soft and delicate but for me the wow factory that was present in all the other courses just was not there.  Although one thing that did impress me was how perfectly formed the quenelle was.

WHISK(E)Y WINE GUMS

These were little whiskey wine gums, made from various famous whiskeys from around the world.  They were good, tasted very much like whiskey, with a little bit of sweetness.  Kathy said she preferred real wine gums.

"LIKE A KID IN A CANDY SHOP"

The final "course" we received was a little bag of goodies.  It had four little treats in it.  I am not going to post the pics of them because this post is already long enough.  It came with Aerated Chocolate filled with mandarin jelly, Coconut Baccy coconut infused with aroma of black cavendish tobacco, Apple Pie Carmel with an edible wrapper, and The Queen of Hearts and she made some tarts.  All the little treats in this bag were excellent with very good flavors.

Now after all that bombardment of sensations, what did I think of The Fat Duck in the end?  Did it live up to everything I wanted it to be?  Well it is funny but, when we first left The Fat Duck and we were on the train back to London we discussed what we had just taken part in.  Initially and I am not sure why I was not impressed, maybe it was too much, a sensory overload, or maybe it was just too much to live up too, but what I really think it is, because now that I go back The Fat Duck was definitely one of the best restaurants that we went to on this whole trip.  I think they peaked too early, it was all the early dishes that impressed me the most, I only realized that when I went back and started to look at the photos and started to write about it.  Eating at The Fat Duck was most definitely more then just some meal, it was a  complex and well thought out serious of sensations designed to provoke certain sensations and memories.  In this sense it was like a piece of literature or art, the artist was trying to evoke some sort of emotion on the subject.   So in the end I think The Fat Duck could easily be the best restaurant I have ever been to in my life, and why wouldn't it be, it is the number three ranked restaurant in the world.

Restaurant Review: Gordon Ramsay's Hospital Road

Delayed post from Monday October 11, 2010

68 Royal Hospital Road, London, England

tasting menu for three + two bottles of wine <450 Pounds


This was my very first experience at a restaurant of this caliber and I was nervous to say the least. As we walked in I was quite and reserved, I didn't want to say or do the wrong thing. My first impressions of the restaurant were good. It was very classy, a man dressed in all black opened the front door for us and we entered a small hallway that lead to a even smaller area with a bar. We went through another door and into a dinning room with about fourteen tables mostly made up of two tops but with one table of eight in the center. They sat us at a table in the corner, I sat in the seat facing the entire restaurant, with Kathy to my right, and Siobhan to my left.

The sommelier approached me to ask if we wanted to start with apéritif.  Kathy immediately took the lead and said yes and asked about their selection of champagne.  Kathy then picked a bottle and ordered it for the table.  After the sommelier left a server approached our table with two apéritifs.

A small savory cone filled with a salmon mousse

(sorry the pic is awful the camera I was using at the time was not very good, I was also nervous about taking pictures in a restaurant like this.  I was not sure it was proper etiquette) 

Two thinly sliced potato's fried together with pesto in the middle

The sommelier then brought our champagne and another server brought over the menus, opened them up and handed them to us.  As she walked away the matradee came over to explain the menu.  There was a small a la carte menu as well as a two tasting menus.  I did not need to think twice I knew I was going with the tasting menu.  Kathy and Siobhan had decided that would be too much food for them, so they browsed over their menus while we sipped on our champagne.  Eventually the matradee came over again and took our order.  A few minutes later our amuse bouche course came out from the kitchen.

A puree of broccoli with lobster and caviar

The puree was velvety smooth and flavorful, the lobster was fresh and the caviar gave a perfect complement to make the savory dish.  Next came our appetizer course.

Pressed foie gras

 with peppered Madeira jelly, smoked duck,

 nectarine and almond crumble

This dish was the best foie gras I have ever tasted at the time, it was very rich but delicate and the nectarine and almond crumble smoothed out the dish wonderfully. 

Ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon

poached in a light bisque, with tomato chutney

This is one of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes.  The maratdee told us that it is a constant on all of Gordon Ramsay's menus.  I understand why, it was excellent, again some of the best seafood I have ever tasted, everything was cooked perfectly.

Fillet of turbot

with braised baby gem lettuce and cep sauce

This was the best piece of fish I have ever tasted, it was not necessarily the flavor itself, but it was very fresh and cooked perfectly, flakey and it just melted in my mouth, the flavor of the sauce did not over power the flavor of the fish.

Roasted pigeon from Bresse

with grilled polenta, smoked pork belly

and date sauce

This was my main course, it was the first time I have tried pigeon.  The whole dish worked very well together, the pigeon was cooked perfectly, very moist and tender.

Selection of cheese from the trolley

A very impressive selection of cheese from all over Europe, but mostly English cheese.  Kathy and I shared a selection of five different cheeses, that the server helped pick out for us, and honestly I do not remember what they were, I just remember it being a very nice selection.

Pre dessert

A traditional cream brulee,

with fresh squeezed apple juice

I am a huge fan of cream brulee it is probably my favorite dessert.  This was a simple cream brulee but was perfectly prepared, the custard was light but still had a very sweet flavor, that worked very well with the tartness of the fresh apple juice.

Mango, jasmine and passion fruit soup

This was a pallet cleanser course, of a cold soup, but it was quite sweet and tasted a lot like a smoothy. (Tim you would of loved it)

Bitter chocolate and hazelnut cylinder

with ginger mousse and blackcurrant granite

This was what I thought was the final course.  The chocolate was good and flavorful but this dish did not really stand out for me.  At this point in our meal Kathy explained to the matradee about our culinary trip and then asked if I would be able to go look inside the Kitchen and meet the Chef.  He said he would check with the Chef but he was said it would be fine.  He came back and told us we could all go in the back but not just yet and while we waited there would be a few more surprises.

Little bite sized carrot cakes

and mint jellies

Chocolate icecream

coated in white chocolate frozen with dry ice

When we were finished the final little deserts that were brought out to us, the matradee approached as again and asked if we would all like to go into the kitchen now.  I was feeling slightly intoxicated by this time as we had finished a bottle of champagne and two bottles of wine but that was alright because it helped take the edge off, I was nervous to go into the kitchen and speak with the chef.  As we entered the pastry chefs were finishing off some desserts and pushing out the final orders of the evening.  We approached Head Chef Clare Smyth.  She was very welcoming and we chatted with her for a little bit.  I thanked her for the meal and told her it was the best I have ever had.  Kathy told her I was a graduate of a culinary arts program in Canada and all about our trip.  She seemed very excited for me and we started talking about all the restaurants we were planning to go to and, she told us we had some very nice experiences coming.  After taking a few photos I thanked her again and we left.  The kicker was, as we were walking out of the restaurant the matradee handed me a copy of the menu that was signed by the Chef.

My experience, I call it an experience because it was much more then just a meal, and it was like nothing else I had ever experienced.  The attention to detail was impressive, absolutely nothing is over looked.  From the matradee and sommelier down, everyone is there to make sure the experience is one you will never forget, and I won't soon forget that evening.  I was absolutely on cloud nine afterwards, you could not wipe the grin off my face, It was, and this may just be because it was my first time dining somewhere of this caliber, one of the best nights I can remember.