Cuisine de Pompey

Wine Talk

2012-01-09T21:14:00.002Z

I had a few glasses of De Bortoli 'Windy Peak' Pinot Noir at a friend's house yesterday, which was really lovely, with classic Oz Pinot characteristics of cherry fruit on the palate and bonfire notes on the nose. Reminded me very much of Yering Frog from the Yarra Valley. Buy it from Majestic at £7.99 for a 2 bottle deal. The Frog can also be found there at £7.19 for 2.

Another good Australian find is Wolf Blass Silver Label Shiraz-Cabernet, which is the next step up the ladder from their ubiquitous Yellow Label line. This is a very big wine with blackberry fruit and body from the Cab and spicy softness from the Shiraz, and if you like huge approachable Aussie Shiraz's with finesse then this is for you. Between £9 - £12 from all the majors.

One to miss is 'Roc du Lussac' Lussac St Emilion 2010. All the taste of a dozen of your granny's cold teabags with half the charm. You'll often see this 'reduced' from £14 to £7 - please don't ever buy it at the full price, and give it a miss at the reduced one.

Terravina

2011-12-22T14:00:00.008Z

We left the kids with my parents last week-end and drove down to the New Forest for a night at Terravina, the groovy boutique hotel owned and run by Master of Wine Gerard Basset and his wife Nina. Basset is the co-founder of Hotel du Vin and bought the hotel that was to become Terravina in 2007 after he sold the HdV chain, but more of all that later.

Terravina

It was only a few days ago, but already the thought of the week-end gives me a warm nostalgic glow. It felt like being in one of those glossy video commercials for Gant or Mulberry, where annoyingly groomed people meet up in beautiful surroundings for idle chatter by roaring log fires, and for once the reality lived up to the fantasy. Six of us met to celebrate the (undisclosed) birthday of our lovely friend Pat - between two couples we'd managed to relocate four kids for the night, which was a feat in itself, and the bit they never show you in the commercials - and Helen and I met Pat and her husband Chris in Lymington before meeting up with kid-juggling couple number two at the hotel. Now Lymington is a fine Hampshire town and we had a drink in the excellent King's Head at the bottom of the High Street before wandering its festive streets - a bit of snow would have completed the Georgian Yuletide fantasy, but fine as it was. We left town as it got dark, Pat having no idea where we were spending the night, but as a veteran of many a country house hotel (including Chewton Glen) expectations were high for such an auspicious (undisclosed) birthday celebration.

Our terrace

Terravina has been created out of a relatively small Victorian country house, totally renovated by Gerard and Nina in 2007, and you can read all about it on their comprehensive website, including video interviews with Gerard, virtual tours, etc. There are only 11 rooms, and downstairs there's the Napa-style dining room with open kitchen, a bar with a snug, a private dining room and a small guest lounge, so the overall feeling is of intimacy and chic cosiness. Our room was one of the smaller ones on the first floor, but it had a large walk-out terrace overlooking woodland and was classic, modern, tasteful throughout. Little touches like fresh milk and an espresso machine are thoughtful.

Wine gifts

But besides the accommodation and the atmosphere, the big draw here is food and wine, and the expertise that Gerard and his team brings to the dining experience. I need to point out that, although this is fine dining, it's not at all stuffy or formal - the dining room is pretty casual, with a large two-sided 'banquet' seat in the middle with tables around, and the service is never fussy. Whilst Gerard was crowned 'best sommelier of the year 2010', we had the pleasure of the 'UK sommelier of the year 2009' Laura Rhys looking after us. I guess we must have looked as if we knew what we were doing, as Laura let us browse the list and match our wines without a look of concern when we ordered, although she would have matched wines to our meal with ease, and the next time we come (there will be a next time) I think it would be interesting to be guided. Pat herself has a vast knowledge of Spanish wine - she's visited most of the major Rioja bodegas and more - so she ordered a FOS Rioja Reserva (2006?) which is very full-bodied and forward. My wife thought it one of the nicest wines she'd tasted in a long time. I went off-piste with a Lebanese Massaya Classic Red from the Bekka Valley - softer and more approachable than Musar, velvet and smoke to the fore, and I thought this was a fantastic wine.

Dining room looking towards wine cellar

Both bottles went well with the food. Without detailing everything, there were starters of scallops with black pudding, game birds (with fried gizzards!) and fresh artisan breads. I can't remember everyone's meals but I had a rib steak cooked to perfection, and there were shins of beef and fillets of fish too. It was all done very nicely - clever but not too artistic, lacking the finess perhaps of a Restaurant 27 but that's not so much what Terravina's about - it's winning on the quality of food, along with the wine experience and the ambiance, and I liked all three of those. We finished with coffee and drinks (ah the 21 year old Highland Park!) in the lounge over a game of 'His and Hers' (we let the women win...hmmm)

Breakfast in the morning was all you'd expect (although sadly disappointed with the Welsh Rarebit, which was more like cheese on toast) and we followed it with a long walk in the forest before we packed up and paid the (not too outlandish compared to other New Forest hotels you could mention) bill.

New Forest in the morning

I've nothing bad to say about Terravina. My wife's comment on their guest sheet that the lighting's too dark in the bar and dining room is very true, and it makes it difficult to read the wonderful wine list. I didn't have my glasses so it made it even more difficult in that light, but next morning I saw pairs of trendy reading glasses laid out and available for guests to borrow - what a touch (and what a good reading of their demographic perhaps!)

Chris, Pat, Helen (Mrs CdP), Jane and Jason

We'll go back to Terravina in the new year - I think it would make the perfect summer week-end break with the kids too as there's a swimming pool and plenty to do in and around the Forest. Last week-end made for a perfect run-up to Christmas, and thanks to Pat for letting us share in her birthday.

Fortified for Christmas? Release the Old Fogey Within

2011-12-16T16:28:00.001Z

I suspect that there's a rakish Old Fogey in all of us waiting to get out - one who's desperate to put on a well-worn tweed jacket, jump into an Alvis and leg it to a country pub for a schooner or two with someone they shouldn't be with. When it comes to drinks, Sherry and Madeira have always had a touch of the smoothy oldster about them, but they're far too good to dismiss just because they've been around for a few hundred years.

By all accounts, the TV drama 'Downton Abbey' has had a positive influence on Sherry sales - never seen it myself but apparently it's all heaving bosoms and chaps in fashionable spats drinking a tifter of Fino before breakfast, which sounds so unlike the homelife of our own dear Queen.

I find that I gravitate to Sherry and Madeira when I'm not sure what to drink, either before or after dinner, and want to get a bit excited about what's in the glass. Unlike Port, you can drink old and exotic Sherry and Madeira at a reasonable price, with some of the older wines in 'soleras' of Sherry (the continuous topping up of the casks with new wine vintages) going back a hundred years. Neither do they spoil like old wine (and even old Port if you're unlucky) and Madeira is virtually indestructible due to the heating process it goes through in the making (Estufagem)

So, here are some options for your pre and post-prandial enjoyment - and not just at Christmas, although the sweeter wines are true winter warmers.

Pre-Dinner

Cold, bone-dry sherry is the order of the day. The failsafe choice is Tio Pepe, (£8 Tesco) which is hard to beat when served chilled in a 'bumper' accompanied by some almonds and stuffed olives. A more interesting alternative could be Lustau Fino 'la Ina' - very crisp, very dry, very nutty (try Fraziers £11.25) This year we're sticking with The Wine Society's Fino at £5.95.

With Dessert

Pour out a glass of Henriques Y Henriques 10 year old Malmsey (£17 Wine Society and others) with your mince pies - sweet and sticky but with a refreshing underlying tanginess which is exclusive to Madeiras. Hidalgo Pedro Ximinez Viejo 'Napoleon' would suit any pudding, even poured over ice cream or whatever you fancy, as they don't come much sweeter than this Christmas cake of a Sherry (£11.99 Majestic)

Afterwards, with a Hoya (if you're lucky)

We're going with the Society's Exhibition Viejo Oloroso Sherry (£10.95) but I have to say that for contemplating the fire once the kids have gone to bed you really need a Port - try Taylors LBV Vintage2003/4 (Waitrose £10.29) for a taste of vintage with a softer palate ("for more informal occasions")

New England - Wine and Beer Round up

2011-11-15T16:44:00.001Z

Not much to report on the wine front when we were in New England a few week's ago. Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon was a stand-out amongst a number of fairly ordinary supermarket wines purchased for eating in (though Berenger Zin was also pretty good) - big blackberry, plum, and chocolate tastes combined nicely with smooth tannins and easy approachability.

Also bought a magnum of CK Mondavi Cab Sauv (for $12) which is really a jug wine. Robert Mondavi had a parting of the ways with his brother Peter and while Robert went on to produce high quality wines, culminating in the world-famous Opus 1, Peter went the mass market route. It's fine with pasta but don't be fooled (okay I was) that CK Mondavi is part of the Robert Mondavi planet. It's not.

More luck on the domestic beer front. There are so many microbreweries operating in the States now that it's easy to forget how once everything was awash in a sea of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Brewery and sister company Smuttynose Brewery produce amazing beers from our alter ego across the water. Loved the Star Island Single (medium bodied and hoppy with honey tones - a 'session' bitter at 5.1%) and tried the Pale Ale ("Our interpretation of an English beer...") which is quite bitter and bready, closer to a beer like Ringwood's Old Thumper maybe. Also enjoyed a few pints of Cambridge Seasonal, and my Father-in-law fell for Anchor Steam Beer on tap (available in bottles over here) Sam Adams on draught always hit the spot too (also available in bottles over here, but I only ever see the Boston Lager)

Favourite wine of the trip was an Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir (2008) from Santa Barbara - this was a restaurant wine at $40 and drunk with pulled pork Carolina BBQ, corn bread, fries and really worked (as the BBQ style is subtle and the pork similar to a hog roast) Well-balanced pinot with no Burgundy pretensions. We also had a really good Zinfandel bought from Hanniford's supermarket but I can't recall the name! Might come back to me.

Closer to home, we took a bottle of Noble One round to a friend's house for dinner on Saturday night. An amazing pudding wine (vintage 2002) it was full of prune and honey and nuts...highly recommended for the Xmas pudding...or better still drunk with a good Melton Mowbray Stilton.

Finally, a bottle of Marques del Romeral Reserva Rioja (2005) bottled for M&S (£9.99) on our first week-end back impressed with its classic style (good balanced fruit, subtle vanilla and cigars)

October Wine Purchases

2011-10-03T10:43:00.001+01:00

Taylors LBV, Barolo & Musar line up

I bought a few bottles of wine with John Lewis vouchers I got for my birthday, which meant I could be a bit silly and justify buying with abandon (all wines Waitrose)

1. Port - Taylor's LBV 2004 (bottled 2010) is a failsafe option. Taylors created the LBV style and still do it best. Just under £14.

2. Barolo is a luxury wine and when I buy more expensive Italian wines they tend to be from Tuscany rather than Piedmont. This one from Terre da Vino should be in the modern style, ie drinkable now at 5 y/o, but will probably need food to go with it. I've yet to be blown away by a Barolo but feel the need to keep on trying now and again. This bottle £14.

3. Chateau Musar (current vintage 2004) Introduced to Musar by my friend Hugh back in the mid 80s when we were callow youths and he'd bought a case at some ridiculously low price (probably late 70s vintage, which today would be £130 a bottle!) Very distinctive, Bordeaux-like wine from the Lebanon, revered by wine anoraks all over the world. Still a bargain at £19 but really 2004 is too early to drink.

Bandol and 2 Sangiovese

A few week's back I bought some Sangioveses for a wine tasting and have a couple of bottles left. Passoni from the towered city of San Gimignano is rich and mature, similar to a good modern Chianti, with soft tannins and lots of cherry. This wine was the favoured red, especially by those red drinkers who like big wines such as Riojas (£13 Majestic) Another interesting Sangiovese, Mandrielle from Banfi based in Montalcino (Banfi are producers of very good Brunello) - woody on the nose, medium bodied, plenty of fruit. Maybe better with food, while perhaps the San Gimignano is easier to drink by itself.

My parents brought back from France a bottle of La Suffrene Bandol 2010 - Bandol is my favourite wine of all, which is a good thing because it's accessible and still affordable, though not very easy to get hold of in the UK. I've never tried anything from Domaine la Suffrene so am looking forward to reporting back.

These wines arrive just in time for autumn Sunday lunches, where lamb and casseroles feature. Wines like these are certainly a treat but worth investing in once and a while for those special lunches with family and friends.

The Ferry Restaurant at Bursledon

2011-09-26T13:03:00.000+01:00

My wife's birthday's on the 24th and mine's today, and as the in-between day is always good for a family celebration we booked a table at the Ferry in Bursledon for 1.30pm, allowing for recovery time as we'd had an Italian- themed party for 22 guests on the Saturday night. The Italian party came complete with enough food to sink Venice - yesterday's leftover count was 2 x large lasagnes (1 donated to friends and neighbors), a huge roasting tin's worth of Pollo alla Cacciatore, and sundry salamis, stuffed peppers and garlic breads. There was a fair amount of booze too - we'd had a wine tasting and nobody spat out - so a walk along the seafront and a coffee at the Coffee Cup on the beach just about sorted us out.

Ferry Entrance

At 1pm we set off for Bursledon in convoy - parents-in-law and one kid in one car, wife's auntie, wife and another kid in the next, and me up front (this sounds environmentally unfriendly, but said auntie was driving back to Birmingham after lunch, hence three cars) Auntie continued the Italian theme with her Fiat 500 tucked in behind me, but by the time we got to the M27 westbound the 500 was struggling and, sniffing the autobahn, the big German car insisted on breaking free. Well, we all knew where we were going, so no worries about those behind getting lost, right?

Wrong! I arrived at the Ferry at 25 past and the rest of them turned up just after 2pm after numerous phone-calls and missed turn-offs - it was getting to the point where I thought I might as well order! It's tricky finding your way around Old Burseldon, and my wife was pretty sure she knew how to get to the Elephant Boatyard, but those lanes are deceptive and there aren't any signs to the waterfront. Anyway, after 35 minutes of my sitting there like a lemon they turned up distressed and confused and ready for lunch.

The Ferry is one of the old chain ferries / floating bridges that ploughed their way between Woolston and Southampton across the River Itchen from 1836 to 1977. You can read all about it on the restaurant's website, while we concentrate on the food. It's a very atmospheric place with a decor that slightly harks back to the 70s or 80s - compounded with the added nostalgia of being moored in the Elephant Boatyard, site of Jack Rolfe's fictional Mermaid Boatyard in the 'Howard's Way' TV series, and a stone's throw from the Jolly Sailor, site of many an intrigue between Jan Howard and Ken Masters. Best of all, the food at The Ferry would do the shady characters of Tarrant proud.

Smoked Haddock Dariole and Prawns

The menu is a la carte with the addition of a roast on a Sunday - this week it was pork, which both children had - tender meat and potatoes, veg and gravy all present and correct as it should be. Only my F-in-L and I had starters - veg soup for him and seared scallops in a 'garlic and sun-blushed tomato butter' for me. Scallops can go either way, but this way they were four beautifully cooked, soft and distinctly tasty shellfish floating in a nice garlicky and tomato reduction. Besides the roasts, our mains were confit of duck, fish pies, hake in a saffron cream sauce and my smoked haddock and prawns. Everything was freshly cooked and well presented, generous fish pies (F-in-L commented he could have done with more hake) the confit crisp and succulent in a red wine jus (see what I mean about 80s?) and my haddock and prawns was a pleasant surprise - it's a smoked haddock dariole (a moulded dish, usually a pudding) which turns out similar to a souffle, floating in a rich whisky cream sauce with prawns, new potatoes and finely diced veg. Outstandingly delicious, and the dariole was a highlight that I didn't want to finish too soon, so good it was with the sauce.

We had puddings which continued the standard, though they weren't as memorable as the savoury dishes, and two of us had a glass of the red and white wine respectively - a north Italian Merlot and a Pinot Grigio. The wine list is short but well matched to the menu.

Outside Deck

So the Ferry is an interesting, atmospheric, potentially romantic (in the evening) restaurant with a distinct and unique personality. The cooking is excellent, the service is friendly and relaxed, and I can heartily recommend it to you - I think a Saturday evening with twinkling lights and the sounds of the boatyard would be very evocative (perhaps of a shoulder-padded Avril Rolfe walking down the gangway arm in arm with Charles Frere?) Just don't forget to take a map, sexton and compass or you'll steer to leeward!

The Elephant Boatyard

Family Lunch (LtoR) Poppy (wearing my sunglasses), Niamh, Wife (ducking), MiL, FiL, Auntie in Law

Spice Village @ Emsworth

2011-09-08T15:41:00.000+01:00

My Dad, my cousin and I went out for an all-too-rare curry last night - all-too-rare because work commitments usually nix mid-week fraternising (or paternising and consanguinising I should say) But despite my cousin Stuart needing to emerge for work at 5.30am he braved a trip to darkest West Sussex on a mid-week evening, all in the name of curry.

Last time my Dad and I went currying we ended up at the excellent Spice Cottage in Westbourne, but tonight, on recommendation, we took the shorter route to Spice Village in Emsworth. It's an ex-pub on the corner of the Market Square and when we arrived there was a fellow being treated on the pavement by paramedics, who we hoped hadn't just been dining. Very big place inside all decked out in 70s orange, with strange lights which intensified and dimmed throughout the evening giving the impression of being in a jack-o-lantern. We were greeted and seated...then depleted...as no-one came near us for ten minutes - no menu, no offer of a refreshing lager or poppadoms, no recognition that we were there whatsoever, which was disconcerting. I eventually had to call over a waiter who seemed surprised to see us. He gave us menus and disappeared, then the bloke who sat us down eventually wafted over to take orders. Everyone was walking around as if they were balancing a baby on their heads - and a sickly one at that. Very odd.

Eventually we got our order in and out popped starters of chicken tikka, bhaji, and sheek kebab. Nothing out of the ordinary, but no drama, except for the over-application of sweet fried onions liberally spread over everything.

The mains were next - we had Goan King Prawn (Dad), Chicken Tikka (no sauce - Cuz) and Assam King prawn (me) The Assam KP was astoundingly good, cooked as it was in a hottish sauce with spiced butternut squash pieces and aromatic cardamon pods. Stuart's Tikka was pronounced very tasty - came with a nice fresh salad which he loved because he's a bit of a salad guy - and Dad's chicken was just the right degree of hot for him (he rarely gets to have curries - my Mum doesn't do curries - so he likes to push his boundaries and get some spice when he's at it)

The SV is owned by the same people who own the Indian Cottage(s) in Portsmouth - the one on Highland Road is my nearest curry house and is still hard to beat - so it has an excellent pedigree. Despite the weird doings of the staff and the eerie lighting it comes fully sanctioned by CdP, and although there be dragons near by (West Sussex) the good town of Emsworth is still within God's Own County so you can sup light-heartedly.

Find Spice Village on Google Maps

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Autumn Relaunch for Cuisine de Pompey

2011-09-05T11:51:00.000+01:00

6 years on, and despite numerous facelifts CdP has remained consistent in content and delivery. But as the local food scene matures, and ever more food commentators and reviewers emerge, it's beginning to feel that the time is right to review the Cusine de Pompey vision and mission.

I'm impressed and inspired by the blogging that's happening in the city - Southsea Food Social and Portsmouth Food Lovers both spring to mind -and they've certainly overtaken CdP in areas such as food photography, up-to-date restaurant reportage, and networking with collaborative scenes such as music and art. I'd suggest that after 6 years of blogging, an element of complacency set in and CdP has slipped from the moorings somewhat.

So, lessons learned, and over the next few weeks we'll be taking a long, hard look at our demographic, our delivery and our relevance. We need to look at our core strengths and determine how to capitalize and build on them. This may lead to a tidy-up of our long-standing and well-established design points - better photography, timely reviews, better attendance at local food related events - or it may lead to a more radical revamp of the whole site. At this point I'm not sure which way the wind will blow, but if we're to continue for the next 6 years and retain your attention and our enthusiasm then now is the time to take stock.

If you have any ideas, comments, requests, words of encouragement or good constructive criticism, I want to hear them. Thanks for reading.

Bests...Bill

Moroccan Prawn Curry

2011-09-01T11:04:00.001+01:00

This is a simple dish that's perfect for those Friday night suppers when you're cooking and chatting to friends at the same time. The recipe was adapted from a North African cookbook, and has undergone a few changes to bring down the calorie count to about 450 per person (the recipe caters for 2 - double the ingredients for 4 but adjust the spices to 1.5 tsp rather than 2) It's very aromatic, pretty hot (cut down on the chillies if you want to cool it slightly) and 100% foolproof.

Goes well with a very chilled white Rioja or a Verdicchio from the Marche in Italy. Don't spend a lot of money on the wine though. Olives and the like for 'mezze' before the curry natch.

Ingredients :

20 raw king / tiger prawns
1 x red onion thinly sliced
1 x red pepper thinly sliced
5 x chestnut mushrooms sliced
3 x cloves garlic crushed
6 x ripe tomatoes (or 1 can tomatoes)
200ml chicken (or veg) stock
1 x tsp dry chilli
1 x tsp cumin
1 x tsp turmeric
1 x star anise
1 x bayleaf

Method :

Saute the onion and pepper in 1 tblsp olive oil until soft and the onion transparent. Add the raw prawns and cook gently for 5 mins with the onion/pepper mix. Add the garlic, bayleaf and the spices, mix and cook gently (lowest heat) for another 5 minutes. Add the shrooms and the tomatoes - turn up the heat and cook a little until everything is mixed and bubbling before adding the stock. Stir well and leave to simmer on a lowish heat for appx 20 or until the sauce reduces 50%. Season with black pepper (no salt) and garnish with chopped coriander or parsley if desired. Serve with pittas or brown rice.

Durleighmarsh Farm Shop / The Coffee Cup Kiosk

2011-08-15T12:11:00.002+01:00

Some nice local experiences to savour this summer and autumn (not yet...not yet!)

We went fruit picking at Durleighmarsh on Saturday, whose shop and farm is on the Midhurst Road towards Rogate as you leave Petersfield. We picked wonderfully sweet blueberries, tart blackberries and nice juicy raspberries, but there's so much more - sweetcorn, calabrese, beans, carrots, courgettes - so check their website for seasonal availability. The shop sells good cheese (I spotted Lyburn Old Winchester!), very tasty bread from the Haslemere Granary, and plenty of other locally sourced products, including meat, dairy, and drinks.

It's all set off nicely in beautiful countryside and it makes for an idyllic few hours picking amongst the crops.

Out with the kids and some friends on Sunday, we stopped for coffee at the Coffee Cup kiosk on Eastney Esplanade (I don't think I knew it was called Eastney Esplanade!) where there's a pretty deckchair area and a sandpit (the only sand you'll find on Southsea beach?) It's a nice spot - even if their iced coffee was too warm to be considered iced - and a pleasant place to sit for half an hour with your paper.

Pleasant staff too - a contrast to the Caffe Nero experience we had on Saturday in Petersfield, where we were served by two of the slowest 'baristas' ever to grind their beans. I'd asked for a 'Grande' (ridiculous term) and two regulars and got three Grande's, and when I mentioned this he offered to make them again, only smaller this time! As I couldn't wait another 2 hours I told him he could just charge me for 2 regulars. Seriously!

Relentless

2011-08-07T22:25:00.007+01:00

There's been a buzz surrounding Relentless since it opened in March 2010 - hip young gunslinger chef Scott Matthews opens surf n' turf restaurant next door to much-loved Southsea institution, Rosie's Vineyard; Coca Cola take him to task over perceived purloining of their energy drink logo; word of mouth splits between 'must go' and 'don't go'; TripAdvisor reviews teeter-totter between good and bad...

Never knowingly on-trend, CdP left it a year or so before visiting - so maybe things had calmed down a bit.

Our party met over a bottle of rosé or two in Rosie's, where we went a bit over time and sent word to Relentless that we'd be slightly late. They met our request with easy nonchalance, so 20 minutes later we were greeted by a professional Frenchman who eased us to our table with good grace and Gallic humour. By all accounts, Matthews has recently changed his front of house staff due to multiple pile-ups on the customer care front, but more of that later.

Any menu that lists cuisses de grenouilles, escargots, live (soon to be dead) lobster, ribs, whole crab, etc is a winner, and this is one of the more exciting menus I've come across in a while. We'd just returned from France, where a local menu listed Assiete de Bulots (sea snails) served with mayo, which is just the kind of dish I can imagine appearing on the Relentless carte. But it's good to test out a restaurant's flexibility, for example by ordering off menu to see whether there's versatility and commitment to customer service - in this instance it was an easy ask - can you give me 6 snails as a starter rather than the 4 listed as an appetizer? No problem, and I was charged appropriately.

Other starters - fish cakes, baby squid, scallops, oysters - were well presented. I tried the calamari and it was delicious, and my snails were tender, served in a simple garlic oil. I chose ribs and lobster for the main course - a neat rack of ribs with plenty of meat, low on the sauce (but that's to personal taste and cooking style), and the half lobster was sweet, meaty and delicious. It's easy to recall lobster disasters over the years, so I often face lobsters with anticipated disappointment, but not this baby. Others had steak, tilapia (in place of monkfish), and a huge crab - take off the shell and the meat's prepared, leaving you to crack open the limbs (our waiter described this dish as 'fun on a plate') - and there were no complaints from the trenchermen and women at our table.

We didn't do desserts or coffee, preferring the US trend of moving elsewhere to finish the evening. Unfortunately this isn't New York and everywhere in Southsea was closed!

I didn't spend much time over the wine menu - some wanted more rosé and there's a choice of 3 (get that white Zinfandel off the wine list!) The red drinkers went straight for The Black Shiraz from Eden Valley in Oz - 100% Shiraz and a rich choice, perfect for the meat and well received by everyone regardless of their meal.

And that's where the only annoyance of the evening occurred - 2 bottles of Shiraz ordered, 3 bottles appeared on the bill. No problem, mistakes are made, but our waiter was way too insistent that we were the ones making it. He even went as far as to suggest how unlikely it was that we'd only drunk two (implying just what exactly? :-) It seems they count the empties, and there were three, but the third had been drunk at another table. I then came back from the loo to find the waiter sitting in my place tallying the corrected bill, which annoyed me too.

I don't normally tell a restaurant that I'm reviewing, but Scott Matthews was standing outside as we were leaving, and I introduced myself to say everything was pretty splendid. He was quite indifferent, and perhaps that's the insouciance of youth, but it's useful to get an inside feel from the restaurateur - we have good relationships with many local teams so it'd have been nice to have had a conversation. Hey, we're all busy I guess.

To all the naysayers and bad reviewers, I'd suggest you try Relentless one more time and see if the new FoH staff makes a difference. You can't argue against the food, which is really what it's all about, but you need to look at a restaurant 'in the round' and that includes service and an unflinching respect for the customer (without whom etc...) If this was missing in the past then bad reviews are inevitable. No restaurant can afford to be complacent or to go on the defensive, yet some of the owner's responses to the TripAdvisor reviews have been so - you simply have to take it on the chin and fix it.

Ultimately, Relentless is one of the rising stars on the local scene. I hope they manage to keep the FoH in check and keep focus on the food.

Relentless Steak & Lobster House, 85 Elm Grove, Southsea, Hants. tel. 023 9282 2888

(as well as the website they have a Facebook page)

Coteaux du Tricastin

2011-07-17T21:20:00.000+01:00

Coteaux du Tricastin is a smallish appellation at the northern end of the Southern Rhone (not the southern end of the Northern Rhone) and still remains reasonably obscure amongst Rhone wines. They make very drinkable reds - mainly from Grenache, Cinsault and a touch of Syrah - hailing from a variety of producers and a number of co-operatives. Tricastin was upgraded from a VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieur) to an AOC in the Rhone back in 1973 and resembles its near-neighbor Cotes de Ventoux in being relatively light, soft and (too) easy to drink.

This example, from Cellier des Dauphins (Waitrose under £6) is one of the nicest wines I've drunk in the past few months, and at the price it's incredible. Soft and supple for sure, but there's structure and weight in the mouth, and it slips down your throat like silk. The nose has cigarbox and patchouli tempting you in, and once you're there the fruit is full and subtle raspberry with lots of white pepper spice following it up. It really is delicious, and at 13.5-14% it fools you too easily into drinking a bottle without realising the consequences.

Buy a bottle or two and try it on its own, or with some hard cheese (good Parmesan or Lyburn's Old Winchester) and you'll be heading to Waitrose Direct for a case or two by the end of the first bottle. One interesting aside - Tricastin nuclear power plant had a uranium leak in 2008 and the wine producers asked for a new appellation name to disassociate themselves from the area and the accident - the new name from 2010 is Grignan-Les Adhemar - but don't let a few rods of uranium put you off this wonderful wine :-)

Wine round -up

2011-06-27T13:43:00.000+01:00

It's a beautiful day here in Southsea, and if it wasn't for the fact that I'm not drinking during the week it'll probably be a perfect evening for drinking a bottle of Inycon Fiano.

The Fiano grape is produced in Campania (where the Fiano di Avelino DOCG resides) as well as Sicily, where this Inycon IGT wine hails from. The grape is considered a 'classical' variety by wine historians, and is probably Roman in origin, but as it has fairly low yields it became more profitable for winemakers to abandon it for higher yield varieties like Trebbiano, which caused the cultivation of Fiano to decline to levels of near extinction in the late C20. Fortunately there's been a revival of interest in the older indigenous varieties, and Fiano has seen a resurgence in the last 20 years. What's it like? Well, lovers of light Italian whites beware - this is no Pinot Grigio. It has that subtlety of perfume Italian whites have in common, but in the mouth it's a much more powerful proposition - honey, pear and almonds all at the front, with good minerality behind - and it's amazing with fish (paired it with a salmon en croute yesterday and the richness of the wine didn't overpower but rather enhanced the flavours of the ginger and currant filling, while still retaining its structure against those distinct food tastes) This Inycon is a great introduction to the variety at under £6 in most supermarkets, and gives a launch pad for the more complex and expensive Fiano di Avelino, usually in the £10-£20 range.

Other great wine finds this week include a staggeringly good Cahors (Malbec du Clos 2008) from award winning winemaker Jean-Luc Baldes. Dark, juicy, spicy and softened by 2% Merlot this is an amazing wine for under £10.

I picked up a bottle of Chateau Ka (Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2007) but haven't tried it yet. Hopefully it'll follow in the tradition of the sainted Chateau Musar - i.e. Bordeaux style with a Lebanese terroir uniqueness - but the review (linked) compares it to a cross between Bandol and Bordeaux, which sounds like heaven to a confirmed "Bandol is the best red wine in the world" type like me. Ka is a much newer winemaker, first producing in 2005, and priced nearer the second wine of Musar (Hochar) at around £11, and as an avid Musar fan who can't always justify the price I'm very excited about this one.

Looking forward to the weekend and getting out the corkscrew again......

Jamie's Italian @ Gun Wharf Quays

2011-06-10T16:03:00.001+01:00

So we tried Jamie Oliver's new Italian in Gun Wharf a few weeks ago. It's massive and noisy and very very new, all of which is as intended, because you don't open something this big by accident. Considering it was only day 3 after opening, the staff dealt amazingly well with the number of customers and showed calmness under pressure, which is a tribute to the quality of staff hired and the training process. As for the food, well I was only half convinced on this visit.

We had nice bread with olive oil & balsamic to start, along with what's going to become the 'go to' appetizer, 'Italian Nachos' - essentially deep fried ravioli with a salsa sauce, which were moreish and an idea I've never come across before. They didn't have my Dad's choice of main - Risotto Milanese - but they did have risotto with truffle and one with squid ink, so why couldn't they make the simpler Milanese? I guess it's because they cook from those catering bags known as the 'sous vide' method and they'd run out. My Mum had ricotta ravioli, which looked good and she said it was, and I opted for the Fritto Misto. This was ling, squid, sprats and Dublin Bay prawns...correction, prawn, because there was only one of them. The ling was nice and the squid was ok, but the sprats were as big as sardines and very bony - difficult to navigate - and the prawn was lonely. All in all I wished I hadn't ordered it and had stuck to pasta. My Dad had an 'Italian' burger which was pretty mediocre. However, there were polenta chips!

The wine list is very good - small, intelligent, not too expensive - and we had a Primitivo di Salento from Puglia at an okay £16.75 (it was an excellent Primitivo)

I liked it - I liked the menu and the wine and I even liked the canteeny feel to the place. It's a nice place to spend time with friends, or with the kids, and to eat some interesting food. It'll get better and slicker over the coming weeks, and I'm looking forward to going for lunch outside in the sun - some bread and ravioli, prawn linguine, and a bottle of Fiano di Avellino Campania (the 'It' grape of the moment) Just don't expect an intimate meal for two!

Sakura is Oishii Desu

2011-05-30T14:30:00.000+01:00

Oishii desu...or 'very tasty' in Japanese...that's what we say when eating at Sakura, Southsea's first Japanese restaurant. There's now a Yo! Sushi and a Wagamama's at Gunwharf Quays, and a new place has opened at the other end of Albert Road, but Sakura was Portsea Island's first venture into Japanese food, and it's been a big hit since it opened.

It's taken me a while to visit, but I finally had lunch there with my two girls a few weeks back, while Mrs CdP and her pals ate at the other Japanese place - Nara - which had only recently opened and perhaps merits a review once it's established itself somewhat.

My girls went through the usual 'yuks' and 'gross' when we talked raw fish but they were hugely satisfied with the noodles and chicken dishes we ordered. I played it safe with tuna nigiri and a 150cl flask of hot saki, and we shared chicken katsu and chicken noodles (they like chicken!)

Food was delicious, the nigiri in particular was amazing, and next time I'll major on sushi with noodles on the side. Good to have warm saki in Southsea! The atmosphere is very casual, but exotic enough and authentically Japanese - reminds me of the great little noodle bar that used to be in The Cut at Waterloo (still there?) It's a confusing menu if you're not versed in Japanese cuisine (which I'm not) so I suspect it takes a few visits to get things right.

I'm looking forward to going back, and the girls really enjoyed it once they put raw fish out of their thoughts and concentrated on making their chopsticks work. Arigatou Sakura :-)

There's now a website at Sakura - 9 Albert Road, Southsea, tel. 023 9275 1103

Touareg

2011-05-18T17:10:00.001+01:00

Touareg - Berber nomadic tribe, Volkswagen 4x4 and North African restaurant in Elm Grove, Southsea - and loving Moroccan, Tunisian, Algerian food, culture, people etc I'd been looking forward to trying out this eclectic looking restaurant for ages.

Annoyingly, we didn't realise that they had a BYOB policy or I'd have brought along a bottle or two of Hochar from the Lebanon (not knowing any Moroccan wines, though I hear they can be excellent) As it was they had a selection of two underperforming Californian reds which had to suffice. The mezze was very good - merguez, a pastry with almonds and chicken (?) and others were nicely presented and I could have made a meal out of those. We had various tagines and cous cous dishes to follow, and my merguez cous cous was pretty good - very filling - but lacked some spice. In Parisienne couscousseries you often get a pot of hot harissa-inspired sauce to ladle over your basic sauce, and that would have been a good idea here, as the sauce was very mild-mannered. No puddings for us but wonderful Turkish coffee in a lovely old pot, which, expertly poured, left no grains in the cup.

I really liked the laid-back cafe-style atmosphere, exceptionally charming waitress, interested chefs who wanted to know if everything was alright because the couscous went back unfinished (just too full) and I'd like to go back for a long lunch, bringing an authentic wine and a focus on the mezze. I'll skip the hubble bubble.

Touareg is at 165 Elm Grove, Southsea, Tel. 023 9273 0033

Mummies get the Yummies for Casa de Castro

2011-05-11T15:02:00.000+01:00

It's the mummies' new favourite coffee hang-out - Casa de Castro in Albert Road (near the lights) is tiny but with its cosy suntrap courtyard garden and great coffee and cakes you can gaze up at the wee cross on the St.Swithun's Church roof and almost conjure up the Med! Loving that holiday feeling ... Mrs CdP

And here's a review from Carol Godsmark of The News

Family Barbecues

2011-05-05T13:09:00.004+01:00

Barbecue is a different gig in the southern States where I grew up as a kid / teenager - in North Carolina it refers to pork cooked slowly using one of two sauces (kind of like the hog roasts that are now popular over here) See NCBBQ.Com for details. This kind of BBQ is eaten in BBQ joints, like the classic Clyde Cooper's in downtown Raleigh, served with slaw and hush puppies (not the Ken Clarke variety)

However, the 'suburban' style is also popular, when families give it the full burger and dogs at week-ends and national holidays. As a kid I loved those week-end trips to the state park where we'd BBQ on the provided grills - there were usually four or five families with assorted kids, a mix of Brits and Americans, cooking and playing soccer / baseball / whatever, and those are very fond memories. That's why it's great that our kids are experiencing a similar ritual with friends and family right here in the Hampshire heartlands (the county is renowned for its porkers of course!)

You can BBQ freely on Southsea Common or the beach - although I'm not sure about the burn marks left on the grass every summer - but for the full-on US style family BBQ experience then Queen Elizabeth Country Park is a good destination. You can book a static BBQ in one of the fields surrounding the park for £5, drive your cars pretty much up to the grill and 'tailgate' with your drinks coolers. Downsides are that the grills are not US size/standard, and if you get a huge family group taking over 75% of the area (as we experienced last Monday) it can be a challenge. However, we had a lovely time with four families and all our kids - building teepees, playing cricket (I got hit for four my first ball...by a girl) and BBQing good food (chicken marinaded in honey, lemon juice and olive oil with thyme, skewered with courgette and mushroom; prawns marinaded in harissa sauce, skewered with pepper) We even had an Australian with us, who went native - like in 'Lord of the Flies' - as soon as he sniffed the charcoals (he burnt the sausages tho :-) Happy Cooking!

Aussie (right) BBQs with confidence

Food!

Outcome of Aussie over-confidence

Niamh and a sausage in a bun

My Bento Delivers!

2011-04-04T22:39:00.001+01:00

I have to declare member's interests before I start this review, as I was chosen to receive a 'review copy' of my particular bento box. Nevertheless, you'll have to trust CdP to stay true to our mission of impartial and honest reportage.

So at the allotted time My Bento box (Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry my choice) was delivered by the charming Sheila Lim who runs the business from Twyford Avenue in Portsmouth. Sheila is driving My Bento towards a slightly upmarket 'lifestyle choice' lunch demographic- delicious, healthy and attractive food that outplays a sandwich every time, and at a good price point of £4.49 - £5.49. For this reasonable outlay you get a very pretty compartmentalised box (see picture) with your main dish, salads, rice, etc, and a pair of wooden chopsticks.

The chicken was delicious - lightly breaded, juicy sliced breast - and I really liked the sweet pepper salad and the 'sticky' rice. The shredded salad was topped with a slightly incongruous 'Thousand Islands' style dressing which they should quickly lose and replace with a soy and honey / sesame dressing or whatever more in keeping. But the big issue is how they'll keep the food hot when delivering - I did have a good old chat with Sheila, which probably allowed my food to cool a bit, but the box is a simple plastic affair with no heat retention, so perhaps she'll need a pizza-style insulated sleeve to keep things warm.

So My Bento is a fun, delicious and relatively well priced lunchtime option that I recommend you try at least once instead of that all-day breakfast sandwich. And that's my unbiased opinion, all interests declared :-)

Barnabys in Southsea

2011-04-04T22:02:00.003+01:00

It's been around for a while, and plenty of locals have a soft spot for it, yet last week was my very first visit to Barnabys in Osborne Road.

The food was good. I had whitebait with aioli - 7 or 8 biggish sprats fried tempura style, very tasty, although the aioli was really a garlicky mayo. This was followed up with cajun spiced chicken breast which was excellent, just the right side of hot dry spiciness, and matched with nice big chunky chips. Mrs CdP had prawn cocktail followed by leek and mushroom pie, which she said was generously filled and delicious. £10.50 for two courses (earlybird menu available lunchtimes12.00-2.15) is good value, and a glass of Yellowtail shiraz added 5 quid or so.

And yet I'm not sure I'll rush back too soon - the atmosphere is distinctly 80s / early 90s and generally everything, including the food, is fine but uninspiring. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Barnabys but it's either your bag or it isn't, and if you're looking for the 21st century equivalent of a chop house then this is for you. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it'll appeal to those who prefers a traditional English eatery offering quality food in a safe setting.

Blogger@jaded_palate.com

2011-03-14T22:01:00.001Z

Went to the sainted Restaurant 27 last week-end and had a very nice time - good company, great service, a favourite Zinfandel and beautifully cooked food. But......maybe I just wasn't in the market for the carrot veloute with licorice foam, and my clam and maize chowder was not memorable...yet the shin of beef steamed pudding was lovely. Helen's salmon came with a pearl barley minestrone, but the carrot in there didn't spark with the fish...and yet again our friends loved their belly pork with scallops.

Not trying to make any point, but if there is one then it's that you sometimes need to be in the mood to eat like this.

New Rimjhim @ Port Solent

2011-03-14T21:32:00.000Z

16 of us tripped up at the New Rimjhim in Port Stolen the other day, and at least one of us wasn't too impressed. In summary, I felt we were paying for the Boardwalk rents rather than the 'world class Indian cuisine', but let's stand back for a moment and work this through. I started with a "Gilafi skeek kebab" which was okay really, but no advance on previous kebabs bought and eaten, and the Hyderabadi fesh herb chicken curry was chicken in a bland green herb sauce - not spicy, not tasty, not unpleasant but not memorable.

Which kind of sums up New RimJhim.

With so much competition from great restaurants downtown and scattered around, Indian restaurants can't stand on their decor, and the Rimjhim experience isn't up to the mark of an Aubergine, Bombay Bay, et al. I didn't poll my fellow diners, and some of their meals looked more interesting than mine, so make up your own mind, but at an average £12 a main / £4.25 starters it's an expensive option.

New Rimjhim website

New Facebook URL

2011-03-10T13:19:00.001Z

You can follow Cuisine de Pompey on Facebook (155 fans and counting) via the link on the right sidebar, or by bookmarking www.facebook.com/CuisinedePompey.

Like a Tea-Tray in the Sky......

2011-02-07T16:03:00.009Z

"Twinkle twinkle little bat, How I wonder what you're at, Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky......"

The Bat" was the nickname of Professor Bartholomew Price, a Don at Oxford and a former teacher of Lewis Carroll's, and this parody of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' is from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'.

And that's where the name of this new tea shop in Southsea derives from, should you be wondering.

Located at the windward end of Osborne Road, across from the Queen's Hotel and handily near my doctors should I ever need a reviving cup of tea after a consultation, LATTITS is a wonderful addition to Southsea's tiffin set. Nice and unfussy inside, with two distinct sections - front more tea-roomy, the rear more sofas and slouchy, with a drop of art and crafts for sale (nice to see Jan and Chris's Caravan Gallery postcards on show)

The menu is tea, coffee and cakes cakes cakes...I know it's all about the tea, served in lovely vintage pots and cups, but they also have a beautiful cream coloured coffee machine which serves up very nice latte - though I'd suggest a slightly bigger cup for coffee than for tea, even for a normal sized latte. But small matter really, as the cakes are delicious (Poppy is modelling a chocolate fudge cup-cake in the picture) the staff very friendly, atmosphere most relaxing, and everything just the way we like it.

So, a new Saturday Southsea routine - quick shop in Knight & Lee, pop in to LATTITS for tea and cakes, then down to Waitrose for a bottle of Villa Antinori, some organic chicken breasts for a cacciatore, and a copy of the Saturday Guardian, and finally a look in Fat Face before wandering home, smugly congratulating yourself on having the foresight to live in such a fantastic seaside 'village'. A new middle-class tribe - the La Tits? Could catch on......

Clootie Dumpling made in the Microwave

2011-01-31T10:53:00.004Z

Better late than never, but too late for Burns Night. Anyway, here's the alternative to hours of steaming your dumpling in a clootie, and there's no need to use suet. Sorry about imperial-only measures, but of course this microwave recipe has been handed down through the generations :-)

Recipe :

1/2lb plain flour
1/2lb currents / 1/2lb sultanas
1/2lb margarine
1/2 pint water
2oz sugar
2 eggs beaten
2tsp mixed spice
2tsp cinnamon
2tbls treacle (optional)
tsp bicarbonate of soda

Put water, margarine, fruit, sugar and spices into a pan, combine and bring to the boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes before adding sieved flour and bicarb. Fold in well. Add whisked eggs and keep stirring. Add the treacle if using.

Line any microwave-suitable pudding bowl with clingfilm (the cling should overlap the sides of the bowl) and pour in the mixture. Don't cover the top with cling. Cook in the microwave for 9 minutes (850w) or 12 minutes (650w) Once cooked the dumpling will come out of the bowl clean, remove cling and leave on a plate to cool.

Not quite as intense as the real thing, but lighter and more cake-like, and perfect with custard.

Wines for Christmas

2010-12-20T15:04:00.004Z

Some wines to consider for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and beyond!

Xmas Eve is much more enjoyable than Xmas Day. If you have kids there's the anticipation, the stocking hanging, the building of extremely complex toys/bikes/etc after a few sherbets at the 11th hour. These should help you enjoy it even more :

Henriques Y Henriques Single Harvest Madeira 1995. Honey, Christmas cake fruit, toffee, and a long finish. Perfect with the mince pies. (Waitrose or locally at Fareham Wine Cellar)

Gran Barquero Pedro Ximinez, Montilla. Waitrose has this not-a-Sherry-but-a-Montilla for £8.54 (50cl) As above really, but less unctuous possibly.

Glenfarclas 12/15 Year Old Scotch. The 12 year old is lovely, the 15 year old a dream. CdPs favourite whisky (and CdP hails from the west coast of Scotland d'ye no ken?) Once the kids have gone to bed pour 'Santa' one of these and his lum'll never reek :-)

Christmas Day

White wine to start, then ease into something interesting but not too heavy.

Chablis 1er Cru or la Source, La Chablisienne. One of the best cooperatives around, and their dealings with Marks & Spencer now makes it readily available. Classic and classy crisp Chardonnay.

San Gimignano Sangiovese 2007 Passoni. More famous for its whites. but this is a nice Sangiovese from the beautiful Citta - smooth, well structured, spicy. and a good alternative to a Chianti.

Louis Jadot Bourgogne or Clos La Marche Mercurey, Louis Max 2006 both available from Tesco. The Louis Jadot is light enough to drink with turkey, and is a nice example of a pinot from a respected producer. The Mercurey is elegant and well structured, with vanilla and berry fruit. Drink it from soup to nuts. About £10 and £16 respectively.

King Cobra, Southsea

2010-12-17T13:53:00.003Z

After Chewton Glen and Hotel du Vin, we're back down to good old Southsea earth with a visit to King Cobra in Albert Road. It's up at the King's Theatre end and handy for a pint in Porters, though it's a bit of a trek from Parc l'Eau de Grue a pied.

I'd heard great things - even good old Carole Codspark from The News had given it a 5 star rating, and our correspondents on the CdP Facebook page were posting positive words. So to King Cobra four of us went on a cold December Monday, to be greeted by a friendly waiter and an expanse of...emptiness...and it stayed empty until we left at 10pm. I can only guess that these restaurants make their money from takeaways on the slow nights, but to entice us out of our homes the weekday deal is any starter, main dish (except fish) and rice/naan for £9.99. People should be flocking there, as the food and the price are absolutely right.

Hold on though, my starter wasn't so great - mixed kebab (with an onion bargee) was brought on a sizzling platter, which was fine for the kebab and the dressing, but managed to crisp up the bargee into a tasteless golf ball. The kebabs were okay but I've had tastier. Next up was the main dish (as usual I've forgotten what it was called, and there's no on-line presence to help me remember) which was chicken with honey and lemon in a medium spiced sauce. This was very good. The pilau rice was nice and aromatic too. Portions were excellent and everyone else really enjoyed their meals - so I was the only one disappointed with their starter, but hey. A pint of Kingfisher, coffee and my part of the tip brought the damage to £14.50. By the way, the staff are great and the service is perfect.

I'll go back - next time to try something I can gauge against other restaurants, like a pathia or a dansak - but not just yet; unlike Aubergine or the late-lamented Curry Naz, I didn't have that feeling that I wanted to book for next week the minute I left.

King Cobra
17 Albert Road , Southsea
tel : 023 92 730067 (no website)

CdP Score : 6.9 / 10

Newlyns Farm Cookery School

2010-12-17T12:41:00.005Z

I got totally lost looking for Newlyns Cookery School in North Warnborough - I'd set the controls for the heart of north east Hampshire, but the s(h)at nav dumped me in the middle of the countryside where it's too dark for us city slickers to see. Some more useless technology helped me make a call to the school, who could only give me the vaguest of directions, so after driving blindly for a while a local publican showed me the way, and thankfully it was close by. If you put me in a space shuttle fully loaded with navigation equipment and pre-pointed at the moon I'd still end up in some village just north of the M25 (say Coulsdon)

So I was late and my fellow cooks were already kitted out in aprons and nervous expressions, our chef for the evening was in the middle of making a dough for rosemary and blue cheese bread, and a very kind woman gave me a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. I knew I was going to like this place!

I'd signed up for the 'Taste of Italy' 3 hour course, a gift from my sister-in law a year previous, and I guess it was trepidation that made me delay attending, especially as I'd be going on my own. It's daunting to be faced with unfamiliar equipment, new recipes and the unspoken sense of competition that a cookery course inspires in amateur cooks - let's call it the Masterchef Paradigm - but within a few minutes you lose any anxiety and become absorbed in the recipes and techniques.

The three course meal we were cooking consisted of the aforementioned bread, homemade tortellini (stuffed with roast pumpkin and goats cheese) with a sage butter sauce, and a panettone tira misu. I don't make bread at home, so this really was a new skill and the dough making was more fun and much easier than I thought it would be. I stuffed the dough with a blue cheese made by Alex James of Blur (Blue Monday?) which was amazingly good, then left it to prove for a couple of hours. Pasta making was easy enough once the pasta dough was at the right consistency, but folding the little buggers into tortellini isn't a natural skill. The sauce was very simple - melted butter, fresh sage, seasoning (I'd have liked a little garlic in there too) The Tira Misu recipe had too much cream-to-mascarpone ratio in my opinion, making it a little soft, but substituting panettone for sponge fingers is a masterstroke and just smells of Christmas. Would work just as well in bread and butter pudding.

Everything's at hand in the kitchen, nice ladies wash up your pots and pans, the chefs are there to guide and help, and the wine is up to you to drink or not. We ran to just over 3 1/2 hours (£60) and packaged up our creations in tinfoil boxes to take home. For me, the bread was the big success, perfectly risen, delicious and so simple to make.

I'd recommend Newlyns to anyone interested in expanding their skills and repertoire, and who want to push themselves to do something that bit different with their cooking. I'd like to take my daughter on the cooking for 8-11 year olds course next year, and I'd happily sign up for a day of fish cookery. Just leave yourself enough time to get there, ditch the sat nav and look at a decent map of 'ampshire!

Sopley Mill & Chewton Glen Round Up

2010-11-29T12:00:00.004Z

I'm way behind on the blogging front - using the Facebook page is too easy and immediate, but it should be an accompaniment to the blog and not the entree - so let me share a couple of recent experiences worth recounting.

A few months back we went to Sopley Mill for lunch with my dearest friend Nigel, his wondeful partner Nikki and his two fine lads Jamie and Charlie. They emigrated to Oz a couple of years ago so this was our first meet-up since July 2008, and we miss them a lot. We met at the village of Sopley, in the extreme west of our home county of Hampshire, on the Dorset borders. It's a beautiful area, with the Hampshire Avon running through it, and Sopley Mill sits on a millstream running off and rejoing the Avon. The original mill machinery is still in existence on the ground floor, but Sopley stopped milling in 1955 and now hosts an individualistic, unpretentious and downright delicious restaurant.

It so happens that Nigel's younger brother Steve Lavender is the head chef at Sopley Mill, and with a string of successful chefdoms behind him (Fishworks, Waterford Lodge Hotel, and many others) he's an accomplished and talented cook. His smoked cream of chicken soup was unique and delicious, the fishcakes with parsley sauce amazing, and everything he puts his hand to (homemade bread, shortbread with the coffee) is done with skill and passion. The restaurant's ambiance is very laid back and great for long leisurely lunches with or without kids (there's a menagerie of animals on the grounds for them to torment, and gardens to play in) and I can't recommend it enough if you're spending a day around the New Forest - it's a short drive west of Brockenhurst to Sopley, and a good alternative to the Forest hostelries - or making it a specific destination for lunch or dinner.

In October we took my Mum and Dad for afternoon tea at Chewton Glen, that most famous and exclusive hotel in New Milton (the New Forest again!) We'd been for lunch a few years back - bumping into Gerri Halliwell as you do in such places - and my parents had dined there a few times in the past. Afternoon tea seemed a nice thing to do with the kids in tow, especially on a sunny autumn day when they could run free range around the grounds and play in the tree house in safety. Afternoon tea will set you back £22.50 per head but there are enough sandwiches, scones and cakes to see you past the dinner hour, and two kids can share in the bounty. We asked for some specific sandwiches for the children and were charged £9 per child for the privilege, which was really a bit unnecessary on both our accounts. CG has a lovely atmosphere, and is quite laid back considering how stiff with money the place is. One or two minor complaints - we had tea in the late afternoon and some of our sandwiches were on the hard side - there's no excuse for that in a place like CG - and the staff of youngish chaps was perhaps a bit too casual. Anyway, we all enjoyed it and my girls loved it - Poppy wanted to live there (she'll need a pop star career to match her tastes that one) - and for a special treat it's a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Who put the 'Lemon' in Lemon Sole?

2010-10-12T12:29:00.003+01:00

The Lemon Sole has closed down. Well, based on my last meal there it's no bad thing, but how sad to see an Old Portsmouth institution dying on its fins, and shame on those who let it.

Under Richard Buswell the Sole was a decent restaurant - and Crofts a great little winebar / bistro - even if it didn't always get it right. When Richard sold on, the new management seemed to lose their way and things became undone - I remember commenting in this blog a few years ago just how expensive (and rubbish) Crofts had become.

Anyway, farewell and rest in peace Lemon Sole, and perhaps the ghost of its predecessor The Talisman will rise from the grave and once again make 123 High Street Old Portsmouth the destination restaurant it was in the 1980s.

Fareham Wine Cellar & Napa Valley Wines

2010-10-04T12:29:00.004+01:00

Fareham Wine Cellar is an independent wine shop located in Fareham's old Georgian High Street, and it wouldn't have looked out of place 200 years ago, probably selling similar Grands Vins de Bordeaux and Riojas from venerable Spanish bodegas. Inside it's packed with cases and bottles, and it's all a bit precarious as you toddle around the narrow passageways between them. But what an Aladdin's Cave! I was there for one thing, and one thing only, so I didn't spend too much time outside of my mission focus, but I spotted a collection that takes in old and new, table and fortified, affordable and not so affordable. On the whole it's fine wine territory, and repays time and contemplation.

The mission? Well, my passion is wine from Napa Valley and Sonoma, and it's hard to come by a decent list of mid to high-end bottles over here, so the Wine Cellar's list was very exciting. Here it is in full. My friend Ken in Greensboro gave me a steer on a few of these, and I'm sure he'll be happy for me to quote him :

"Bonny Doon makes interesting wines and the Cigare Volant is a favorite of mine--very earthy, French style (Provencal in character). Their inexpensive wines are often house wines for us, but they may be using different label names in the UK. Give them a try though. I like Cline's wines, particularly the Zins. The Domaine Drouhin is a winner. Newton Unfiltered Merlot is outstanding. You cannot go wrong with the two Ridge wines--try the least expensive one first. The Domaine St Michelle sparkler is a staple in our house. The Joseph Phelps Insignia is supposed to be fabulous but way too expensive for me to know first hand!"

I was tempted by the Ridge and I'll return for a few bottles of that and the Drouhin before Xmas, but I kept to my budget and picked up two well loved and truly missed old favourites - Frog's Leap Zinfandel 2006 from Rutherford in Napa, and the classic Clos du Val Cab Sauv 2005 from Stag's Leap, also Napa. These two wines will repay you with length and depth, and will blow the mind if you haven't previously experienced what Napa Valley can achieve.

It's worth taking time - and saving money! - to get to know Californian (and Washington State and Oregon) wines. If you're trying US wines for the first time then entry level shouldn't be less than Mondavi Woodbridge, Ravenswood Zin or Bonterra Organic varietals- stay away from Gallo and Turning Leaf, as they'll give a false impression - and a whole new wine world is waiting for you. This is hobbyist territory, as befits the Land of Opportunity, and once you're hooked, well, you're hooked. Be warned!

Wine Tasting at ABarBistro

2010-10-03T20:27:00.004+01:00

I've blogged ABarBistro / The American Bar too many times in the past, and recently it's been hit and miss, but the supper we had post wine tasting last week-end was the best I've had there since, oh, the late '90s. My poussin (the bird, not the painter) stuffed with garlic and sausage meat, alongside red cabbage and mashed potatoes was amazing, and I think everyone else enjoyed their nosh too.

To be honest, I can only remember my own meal as we'd drunk deep from the bottles selected for our pre-supper wine tasting, led by owner / wine lover David Moore. We'd devised a tasting of 6 bottles / 3 varietals / Old and New World - hence there was a NZ Sauvignon Blanc and a Sancerre; a Chilean Merlot and a St Emillion; an Aussie Shiraz and a Cotes du Rhone Villages. Of course in every tasting the Old World wines won hands down - or at least in my own absolutely unbiased tasting notes - but all six wines (with the exception perhaps of the Chilean Merlot, which tasted like a supermarket wine) were good examples of their kind. The star for me was the Cotes du Rhone (Les Coteaux CdR Villages) but the Australian version (Mr Smith) was an interesting wine and grudgingly I'd highly recommend it.

It was an informative evening - Dave seems to favour New World, but he really knows his raisins - and regardless of his praise for Stelvin screwtop closures and Oz wines (!) I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the bottles and the atmosphere up in the tasting room. We even ended the night with a Tasmanian sparkler and a wonderful birthday cake made by Mr James O'Reilly! Top evening and absolutely recommended to everyone. They also do themed tastings (food matched to wine) and I'm up for the Italian event whenever you are!

Truffles Update

2010-10-03T20:09:00.003+01:00

Dined recently at Truffles in Southsea after a break of a few years. They've updated a bit, getting rid of the farming implements, sepia prints and most of the atmosphere. Oh well, after 30 years maybe it's time for a change. So, in with the white table linen and a new menu...but...helas pas de escargot! In fact pas de most of the old traditional menu. Instead we have scallops on a plate gone all artistic.

The food was up to past standards, more or less, but my rump steak took a bit of cutting and I wasn't asked how I wanted it (in the event it was okay) Have to admit I was taken aback by the new modernised Truffles, as I'd come primed for a dozen snails and the tournedos of wild boar and venison fillet; so yes, I was disappointed, mainly because my expectations and anticipations weren't met.

Interestingly, I happened to be in Fareham the next weekend - visiting the wonderful Fareham Wine Cellar - and the menu at that branch of Truffles is still the much loved original version, so looks like it's a trip out of town if I want my fix of real French cooking old school stylee...

Fire & Stone at Gunwharf Quays

2010-09-12T19:58:00.002+01:00

This restaurant has such a great location on the canal side at Gunwharf Quays, sitting well back from the hoi polloi across the bridge. There's a stirring view of the Spinnaker Tower from the 1st floor and yacht masts bob in plain sight of the huge terrace, which must be a fantastic place to sit on a warm spring evening. The decor is contemporary-cool, befitting F&S trendy Covent Garden antecedents, and we loved the electronic map on the wall.....oh God, do I have to talk about the food?

Fire & Stone is a contemporary pizza and pasta joint not too unlike Strada or a dozen others in design, and it really is pleasantly situated and put together. As for their pizzas, the menu is divided into geographical 'zones' - Africa, Americas, Asia, Australasia, Europe - each with toppings that often defy not only convention but the laws of accepted taste. Take for example the Koh Samui from the 'Asia' section - Thai yellow coconut curry sauce, roast sweet potato, crisp fried Thai shallots, mozzarella, red chilli, mange tout, baby sweetcorn and basil, drizzled with toasted sesame seeds. It's the addition of mozzarella and basil that really turns me off!

Still, it's an angle, and people like angles, so I tried the San Sebastian - tomato sauce, spicy chorizo sausage, grated mozzarella, garlic and rosemary roast potatoes, fire roasted red peppers topped with aioli and chopped chives. I liked the idea of the roasted potato, but they really dominate this pizza's texture - it's covered in hundreds of tiny (industrially chopped) potatoes so the overall bite is one of softness and starch. The potatoes themselves were fairly tasteless, while the chorizo and peppers were good, but the topping (sauce, cheese, chives) was overly sweet and the aioli quite intense. The real problem however is that their pizza bases are very salty, and that dominates the whole deal.

So, I kind of loved / hated my pizza - loved the idea but hated the execution, which could have worked with some strategic roast potato in slices, less or no alioli, and a base that did justice to their famous pizza ovens.

Mrs CdPs Israeli Cous Cous Salad was overwhelmed by red onion, and it was cold by design when you might have expect warm. The starters (I almost forgot we had starters) were okay but the prawn wontons I suspect were bought in, although the chorizo and potato salad was good. The kids enjoyed their kid's menu of pizza, drink and ice cream and we enjoyed the fact that kids eat free!

Wine list starts at £15 and goes up to £30 for both red and white, with nothing special to show. I asked for a Coors but was told they didn't have any, so ordered a Leffe, then was told they didn't have any. I had a Peroni in the end.

To be fair, the price (with 'kids eat free') was a very reasonable £45, and I'm sure that ongoing experimentation would yield some good results, but I really couldn't be bothered, and it just reinforces the maxim that good pizza starts and ends in Naples. Everything else is just marketing.

Fire & Stone - Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, tel. 0844 371 2553
CdP Score = 5/10

Watermark / Strada round-up

2010-08-19T17:12:00.003+01:00

Had lunch with my Dad last Friday - obviously he needed to literally drag me away from my office and frog-march me into Watermark at Port Solent. My choice of venue as a) Port Solent is near the office, and b) Watermark normally sets the right lunchtime tone. In fact, with a window seat overlooking the yachts there's a distinct "Howard's Way" ambiance, and I expected to see Jan Howard and Ken Masters 'at it' in a dark cosy corner - ah, how I once had such a crush on Lynne Howard (Tracey Childs - see gratuitous picture)

Wine order was taken and we had a very good Pays' d'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon (Barton e Guestier) The food order (1 x steak sandwich / 1 x bacon & brie) came next and that was the last we saw of our waitress for about 30 minutes! We weren't in a rush but seriously, all that time for two sandwiches? When it came it was very good - they've replaced the ciabattas with wholemeal bread, and the sandwiches came with decent salad and tasty chips. Espressos followed then back to work for me / yet another day's retirement shenanigans for my old man. Good good good but slow slow slow!

Following evening saw us en famille at Strada in Gun Wharf (seriously, we don't eat out this much, it just all happened at once last week, what with Monsoon Thali and all) I'm very suspicious of chain places, and I'm never sure what's freshly cooked or otherwise...but I'll happily take Strada's word that their food is freshly made because I had a delicious (note : delicious...not used too often around these parts) Pollo con Funghi (cream, mushroom, porcini mushrooms & thyme sauce...butterflied chicken, roast potatoes) and an amazing spiced chocolate tart to follow. Tried my daughter's pizza and it was as good as they come. Very impressed and highly recommended.

Monsoon Thali House

2010-08-19T12:56:00.005+01:00

Pedalled down to the Monsoon Thali House on Albert Road the other night, where we said goodbye to one of our 'work experience' interns (a wonderful euphemism for hard labour) Two of our IT students spent the first 20 minutes sitting in the Citrus Cafe next door, wondering why there was a distinct lack of poppadoms, flock wallpaper and, well, colleagues, until finally realising they were in the wrong place. Ah, youth! The professionals of the future, who will be the primary carers of my dotage!

The Monsoon Thali isn't flocky - it's a contemporary space serving a mix of classic and thali dishes, and is more akin to Aubergine across the street than to more traditional Indian restaurants. Service was slow to start (drinks orders took a while / had to be requested) but everyone was friendly and they got their act together once our party had found their way in from next door (!)

The thalis look good - not served in traditional tin dishes but artfully arranged on plates, with your choice of naan or rice - and although on paper they don't read very substantial (3 dishes in various combinations) on the table they're more than adequate. I didn't have a thali, but those who did were happy - instead I was drawn to the evocatively named Bengal Star which consisted of chicken and king prawn in a medium spicy sauce of mushroom and red peppers, which I enjoyed at the time but it wasn't really memorable. I personally and all by myself drank a bottle of Pinot Grigio (£13 or so and passable) at first thinking that someone might share with me - but no - so good news on taking my bike, complete with a new front light that illuminated my weave back home.

Monsoon Thali House - 54, Albert Rd, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 2SJ. Tel: 023 9282 6343
CdP rating = 6.5 / 10

Mother Kelly's Fish & Chip Restaurant

2010-08-10T20:04:00.003+01:00

I'm probably not the best person to review a fish and chip restaurant as I'm not their biggest fan, but Mother Kelly's got such a good review from people we know that we had to make a visit.

It's in an odd location for starters, on the road that leads from Cosham to Portchester, just past the very top of Portsmouth Harbour and near the Kwik Fit centre. The boxy building has the benefit of a car park and reminds me of those restaurants in the US perched in anywheresville (in small open malls, at the side of highways) which often house spectacular cuisine but take advantage of non-downtown rents. In fact MKs has a kinda Stateside feel to it and is a close approximation of an honest roadside diner - perhaps one in Maine where plenty of seafaring iconography wouldn't look amiss.

As for the food, well we all had chips and fish and I'm told it was very good. The chips were nice and dry and the fish tasted like fish, but for me the batter was far too crispy (I'm told that's a matter of taste / style) The kids scoffed theirs, and as it came in the shape of a fish as opposed to a fish finger I'm inclined to believe that they were seduced by the taste.

Equally famous for their steamed sponge puddings, we shared one (toffee? can't remember) and while it was passable I don't believe it was hand crafted by Ma on the premises. The kids got a Chuppa Chup lolly which made the world a better place for them, and there's wine and beer available for those that want it. I had a nice cup of tea just like you're supposed to. A nice touch was a free meal for our 3 year old, and good size kid's portions too.

Best bit for me - cool little twist-top tartare sauce packets and friendly, efficient staff. Fish and chips over for another year though.

Nicholson's Tapas Restaurant

2010-08-02T13:07:00.009+01:00

Nicholson's sits near the junction of Festing and Albert Roads, and you'd be forgiven for passing by on a rainy day due to its modest frontage and inauspicious location between Carole's Cafe and the fitted bra shop. However, you'd be doing yourself a disservice, as this is a little Southsea gem that you need to know about.

First, let's contemplate their mission statement :

“We will serve great tasting food. Authentic Spanish Tapas and wholesome main courses in relaxed and informal surroundings at a price that means a modest profit for us and great value for our customers”

That's the kind of mission statement so many restaurants have canned in favour of pre-prepped main courses, served in frenetic environments at a huge profit to themselves and no value whatsoever to the customer. And the good news is that Nicholson's pretty much lives up to this statement of intent.

There were 4 of us adults with a combined 4 little girls aged between 3 and 13. We'd booked for 5.30ish, but as it turned out we were delayed till 6pm, which wasn't a problem as we'd been pre-allocated a nice long table near the bar. Service to begin with lived up to the mission statement of 'relaxed' and 'informal' and they could have taken our drinks order a bit sooner, especially with slightly frenetic kids to placate. I think they were giving us space to get ourselves together, what with repeated kid toilet visits prior to seating ourselves, and the usual paraphernalia surrounding children, and it's safe to say that the hot day and longish wait was perfectly sated via a huge jug of decent Sangria, complete with added brandy, so all was well in the adult camp!

There's a good selection of tapas and main dishes - we stuck to the earlybird tapas deal of 5 for the price of 4, which worked out well as we ended up with 20 plates between us - and although some are identifiable to patrons of La Tasca, there are more authentic dishes on offer here, such as Chipirones (fried baby squid), Pinchos Morunos (pork skewers with paprika, cumin, garlic) and Boquerones (biggish deep fried whitebait) We had a wide selection - skewers of chicken and chorizo in balsamic dressing being one of the stand-outs - and the overriding impression was one of freshness and cooking to order. A bottle of rose supplemented the Sangria (well, it was a hot day!) and the kids enjoyed their food and drink every bit as much as the adults - chicken wings in bbq sauce, patatas fritas, garlic ciabatta (!)

Nicholson's is a great find amongst the (often excellent) Indian and Thai restaurants that dominate Albert Road, and I'm looking forward to a relaxed lunch there in the near future. Although the service was slow at first, it picked up well and was never less than friendly, and we can recommend everything without hesitation - great tapas, Sangria on tap, guaranteed sunny weather (!) and 5 minutes walk from 'leafy Craneswater'. Southsea just gets better and better!

Scott's Bakery RIP

2010-06-29T11:59:00.003+01:00

Sad to hear that Scott's Bakery in Devonshire Avenue has closed down. Scott's opened in 1903 and served the community for 107 years before closing its doors and damping down its ovens this May.

Besides being able to buy bread and bakery goods direct from their on-site outlet (well, you could hardly call it a shop :-) they supplied a number of local shops, including the deli and the health food shop in Albert Road. Both have subsequently found a new supplier, so you can still get a fix of artisanal bread from these outlets. The eggs from the health food shop are excellent too.

Anyway, what a shame, but I believe the owners have retired so let's wish them all the best for their future.

Camber Wines

2010-06-24T11:57:00.007+01:00

It's taken me a while to visit Camber Wines, so I'm sure most of you have already discovered their delights and have been buying wine there for months - but although I'm seriously behind the curve I've finally made the connection - and better late than never.

People like me always complained that there were no independent wine merchants on the island - even Oddbins in 'Southsea's Little Chelsea' Marmion Road (TM) had to close a few years back, which begged the question whether there's a market here for the good stuff. We'd have to travel to Heaton's Wines in Romsey or the Wine Cellar in Fareham for a shop fix, or buy on-line from specialists, or go 'good corporate' with Majestic. Now Camber gives us another option - buy great wines at excellent prices from nice people who let you try before you buy...and it's on our doorstep. Too good to be true? Well......no....

Camber Wines is integrated with Abarbistro in Old Portsmouth - a restaurant written up many a time in this blog so we'll pass on further comment - and sits in a little room above the eating areas. I kind of knew this but wasn't sure how things worked - I'd planned to pop in and browse around, but it's not quite that simple on your first visit. For a start I couldn't work out how to get up there, so one of the waiters directed me to Jose (pronounced 'jo-see' not 'ho-say') who runs the show upstairs. She took me up to the tasting room, where bottles line the walls and a central unit acts as a tasting centre complete with 'spittoon' basins (see stolen image) and that's where the journey begins.

Jose will let you try just about any bottle - with the exception of Chateau Yqem and other choice pieces - which is a great privilege, for how often do you buy something interesting and end up very disappointed? Too often - so this is the perfect antidote to that dilemma. Not that you're likely to find anything untoward for sale in Camber - all their wines are well selected, often unusual, and in good condition, based on my tastings and purchases. Jose is friendly, knowledgeable, and has a job that every wine lover would kill for - to ensure her continuing knowledgeability and to keep au courant with the stock, she has to try everything that Camber stocks, which must be a hardship.

In fact, Camber are so willing to let you try their wines that you find yourself saying "no no I couldn't possibly...oh well, if that's okay then..." The first time you experience this willingness it's a bit disconcerting.

But I tried (and bought) some excellent and reasonably priced wines - I was looking for everyday bottles at a good price, which is where independents sometimes let you down. First up was a Chardonnay from Piemonte (Araldica) - it got the nod from Jose so we poured a bit from an already opened bottle which still had plenty of life. This is an unoaked Chard made in steel vats but with plenty of pear and melon fruitiness combined with a (reasonably) mineral backbone - it's light and pretty perfect for summer drinking (BBQ king prawn kebabs!) The companion red was a Barbera (Riva Leone) which I've fallen in love with - berries, subtle tannins and so soft in the mouth. This is a great wine for just under £7 and I'm off for more when my 4 bottles run out. I also bought a big Malbec (Niento Senetiner 2008) - a plummy, figgy, smokey number which needs meat - and a Picpoul (Duc de Morney) bought on spec so can't comment on just yet.

The conclusion - it's very nice in Camber Wines and now that I understand how they operate I'll feel comfortable going back. Compared to a regular wine shop set-up it's a bit daunting at first, but please go in and talk to the people - they'll guide you through with dexterity and expertise. The other service they offer is a wine tasting - see their website for details - and I anticipate a mob-handed visit in the autumn!

* apologies for pinching the photo from their website :-)

Vida Nova - "the Cliff Richard Wine"

2010-06-06T20:29:00.009+01:00

Sir Cliff may be many things - a Bachelor Boy, Wired for Sound, trying to find out where Carrie lives these days - but he's also a producer of Portuguese wines. Vida Nova and its compatriots hail from the Algarve region of Portugal, where SC has owned property for many years. It so happens that my Aunt Rosie and Uncle Joe also live in that neck of the woods, and a few years ago SC had the pleasure of being followed around by my mother and her sister - probably the worse for a few glasses of Porto - much to his displeasure and to their conclusion that he's just a grumpy old pop star. Well, you can't blame the bloke really.

Because Cliff didn't succumb to their charms that fine day, my aunt and mother wanted to demolish the reputation of his wine on this very blog, looking for me to dissemble poor SC's grog to all and sundry. Last month, Rosemary brought over a bottle of his 2005 Vida Nova with a 'drink and destroy' mission for CdP, and while I've nothing against the chap personally I'd heard he'd been given a blind taste of his own wine on Hell's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay and he'd declared it boak-worthy, so I wasn't expecting much.

I should have taken into consideration that Cliff probably only ever drinks first growth Bordeaux and magnums of Chateau Petrus. So, unfortunately for Mum and Rosemary, the 2005 Vida Nova is a good wine - in fact it's a very good wine indeed. It consists of grapes you've never heard of (indigenous Portuguese ones natch) with a splash of Shiraz for good measure. The winery is state of the art and the people making this stuff know what they're doing. It's hot down there but there's no jammy dodger element, and it's clean on the palate with a touch of oak from some barrel ageing. It's very powerful too, but doesn't overwhelm with alcohol (14.5%) which is testament to its smooth tannins and rounded feel in the mouth - in fact I demolished most of the bottle on Friday night and wondered why I felt so rough the next morning. There's plum and spice and soft fruit and everything's quite harmonious.

Portuguese wine is coming on leaps and bounds - some great stuff coming out of the Duoro (not literally from the river of course) and the quality is improving to the point where it's a great place to look for wines and experiment on your friends. Cliff's Vida Nova is not to be dismissed as the frippery of a rich entertainer - if anything, guys like him look for the opportunity to invest huge amounts of money into labours of love, and usually with plenty of passion.

So Sir Cliff - I apologise for my mother and my aunt, and when I finally make it to that part of the world I'll gladly take a tour of your vineyard and taste what else is on offer. Does the cafe do Espresso Bongo?

Paris In My Heart

2010-05-09T19:38:00.008+01:00

Paris has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It was the first continental European city I ever visited (with my parents when I was 10) and it seduced me with its style, smells, beauty and atmosphere even then. Subsequently I lived in Paris for a while in my 2os, and in later years my job took me there on a regular basis. I don't get over as much these days, but I spent three working days there last week and took the opportunity to visit some old haunts.

There are plenty of good restaurants in Paris - not to mention lots of bad and indifferent ones - but when you only have a few days it's wise to rely on your list of the tried and tested. My list includes a restaurant that's been in existence since 1930 and over its 80 years it's hosted the great, the good and the very wicked. Roger la Grenouille is a traditional restaurant on the Left Bank, just across the Pont Neuf in the 6th arrondisement at the end of a dark narrow street (Rue des Grands Augustins) It was once an old cobblers shop, and from the outside there's not much to recommend it, but once inside everything changes. To begin, the staff are everything you want them to be - charming, discreet, humorous and very French - and perhaps they've always been there, a paradise for the ghosts of waiters who have been very good in life. And the food...! There's an a la carte and a fixed price, with changing specials, and our 24 Euro 3 course dinner started with an amuse bouche of salmon creme with paprika, then came lovely crisp fresh bread and kir for aperitifs. I had 6 beautiful snails in shells, oozing garlic and herbs, followed by slices of beef with an unctuous wine sauce and sautee potatoes. Dessert was a trio of mini puddings - sorbet, chocolate tart and a rhum baba - and wine was just a half bottle of Bruilly as we'd had a long hard day. I really believe that Roger is my favourite restaurant in the world, and I'm at my foodie happiest when I'm there.

The next night I took 6 of us to Le Petit Retro, located in the hallowed avenues of the 16th at Place Victor Hugo. A pretty little restaurant in a building dating from 1900, the food here is also amazing - a perfect mushroom tart was followed by 3 lovely French cut lamb chops and an amazing hot chocolate cake. Two bottles of Lalande de Pomerol took the bill up to 55 Euros a head, which is indicative of the location, but the food justified the price even if wine mark up is high. A very different experience from Roger, which can only be compared on the food, and both stand up very well on that count.

I found Paris expensive last week - the Euro doesn't help, but two beers in regular city centre cafes ranged from 3 Euros for a demi (domestic on tap) and a ridiculous 6 Euros for a bottle of Heineken. But it's still the most beautiful city on earth, and I miss it already.

Chateau Lachesnaye

2010-04-23T16:25:00.003+01:00

I've often said that buying Bordeaux is a difficult task, especially lower down the price scale, and it's exacerbated by the fact that people these days will benchmark against New World reds. Bordeaux is much more subtle by comparison, and while it can be disappointing there are few better wines with food.

Small chateaus who bottle their own wine ('mis en bouteille au chateau') are good places to look for decent quality at reasonable prices, and the oft maligned Cru Bourgeois classification can yield some exceptional bottles.

Majestic has bought a parcel of wine from Chateau Lachesnaye, which fulfills both of the above criteria, being a small chateau and a cru bourgeois. One of 3 chateaus owned by Domain Bouteiller, this is a Haut Medoc wine with 50% merlot content, which smooths its character and makes it drinkable without food. The 2001 is probably just about coming into its own, while the 2004 - also on offer - needs a few years yet. Red berries on the nose, well-developed tannins and classic characteristics make this a good buy for those wanting to try Bordeaux without spending a fortune - £9.99 per bottle or £7.99 if you buy two or more.

CdP on Facebook

2010-04-23T16:14:00.002+01:00

We have a Facebook page! You can find a direct link over on the right hand side where it says 'Cuisine De Pompey's Fan Box'.

Villa Romana Fareham

2010-04-21T21:33:00.005+01:00

You just can't get the Italian trattorias in Portsmouth these days, so for a hit of Old Italy off we went to the Villa Romana in Fareham, which sits in the pretty old town amongst the Georgian terraces and a number of up-market restaurants. Villa Romana is located in an 18th century coach house with plenty of oak beams and nooks and crannies more akin to ye olde English pub than downtown Bologna, but food-wise it wears its heart very much on its Emilia-Romangnase sleeve.

We liked the atmosphere - it could go either way, casual or formal, depending on the day, time, clientele, etc - but on the night we were there ( mid-week, 8pm) it was busy with family groups, couples, foursomes, you name it. It made me want to be there with my children, which for me is the essence of an Italian restaurant. We started with Rotolini di Melanzanie - aubergine parcels stuffed with mushroom and smoked cheese - and Gamberoni All' Aglio. The prawns were big, succulent and garlicky and Mrs CdP devoured the Rotolini with gusto - mind you, Italian starters are her forte. We followed with Garganelli con Salmone - pasta with fresh salmon and courgette - which came as a generous portion beautifully cooked, and I had an amazingly tender Filetto, with Parma ham and dolcelatte sauce - very intense flavours but much to my taste. Everything was well cooked, well thought-out and very satisfying. The wine list is interesting too - including Antinori's Tignanello at £90! - but we settled on a light and okay-ish Valpolicella at £15. If anything, the wine list is a bit overpriced, but that's up to you.

Service was informed, friendly and efficient - but pouring my wine for me is a pet hate and they were onto that 'allegro assai' - please desist! That aside, this is a great restaurant, not cheap but for Italian food of authenticity and buon gustaio it's the place to go.

Rosies for Mother's Day

2010-03-16T16:54:00.003Z

We took the mums to Rosie's Vineyard for Mother's Day, and a nice time was had by all. I've reviewed Rosie's in the past so won't linger long here, but the atmosphere in the downstairs area was bright and busy and it felt like a proper celebration. The kids had room to squiggle and draw, and - although elbow room for adults was tight - our table was in a nice position near the wine cellar and uncrowded by our fellow diners.

Food was good. I started with potted smoked salmon and blinis, which kicked off well (smoked salmon pieces in a mayo and something sauce) but got a bit heavy near the middle. The kids had garlic bread (happiness for them) and what seemed to be the only kid's option - roasted chicken on a bed of cous cous - the chicken nice and moist and the cous cous gently flavoured with lime and coriander. Three of the adults had Rosie's long-serving Beef Wellington with roasted veg - I thought it was fine but others found it heavy on the salt, but we all agreed that the beef was tender and I loved the aniseed flavours running through this dish (roasted fennel I guess?) My mum had sea bass with no complaints. Chocolate waffles followed, belts loosened.

Wines are supplied by (among others) Russell Paine at Broadmarsh Wines - Restaurant 27, Montparnasse, etc, not to mention my last birthday party - so they're high on quality if not necessarily on value. We ordered a bottle of Crowded House NZ Sauvignon Blanc, but in fact got a Chilean SB (Sierra Grande) with no by your leave. It was fine, if a bit sour, and as it was £4 cheaper I kept it, assuming they were out of the Crowded House - but it would have been nice to have been told. The red was a Rioja (Artesa 2008) - soft, smooth, simple to drink but over-oaked for my taste (it was like vanilla ice cream on the follow through)

We paid a £30 deposit and forked out another £150 on the day - £180 for 4 adults and 2 kids isn't cheap at £30 a head, but we had a good meal and a relaxed Mother's Day so no regrets. Rosie's seems back on form and I think we'll try a quiet lunchtime a deux in the spring to get its full measure.

Penfolds 'Seventy Six' Koonunga Hill 2008

2010-02-15T14:35:00.008Z

I'm not overly fond of Australian wines, but there have been exceptions, the most notable being Wirra Wirra's 'The Angelus' McClaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon, which we first tasted about 12 years ago dining at the Old Bridge Hotel in Huntingdon. This wine's now called 'Dead Ringer' in the UK market (due to a dispute over the name with Chateau L'Angelus from St Emillion) but as it sells for about £30 for a hard-to-find bottle, this makes for a rare treat.

Lower down the price range - at the £8-9 price point - Aussie reds can be very disappointing. I've persevered over the years with the likes of Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cab Sauv, and been rewarded from time to time with a great food wine, but recently even that old stalwart's jammed itself up, and the latest bottle I opened was as thick as grape juice. I had a glass of their Red Label Shiraz yesterday, and that was depressingly ordinary.

But despair no more, as the titular Penfolds is a revelation! The 'Seventy Six' Cabernet-Shiraz is a big step up-market from standard Koonunga Hill, and the 2008 vintage is the first of the three produced that's available in the UK - the 2006 and 2007 were for Oz only, available at the winery or in selected restaurants. It's exceptionally elegant, with cassis, chocolate and leather in the mouth, backed up with some Shiraz spice, and it has a wonderful purple-red colour that sticks to the glass when you swirl it around. The nose is integrated, quite mild, with little oak apparent, but it has depth and promise. Penfolds have blended this wine in homage to the first vintage of Koonunga back in (you guessed it) 1976, and it has an old-fashioned feel to it - no jammyness , no overt fruit-driven nose or taste. This is a fantastic wine for £8.99 (and even better at £6.99 when you buy +2 bottles from Majestic!)

I've read a few blogs / reviews that are a bit sniffy towards this wine and felt it was pretty ordinary - maybe it's the lower-down-the product-range Koonunga Hill label they can't get past - but I couldn't disagree more. Let's hope that Penfolds continue to produce the 'Seventy Six' (and sell it in the UK) over subsequent vintages, and that Majestic don't sell out of this vintage before I can pick up some more!

The Lunch at the Kitsch n'Dor

2010-01-29T13:31:00.007Z

Sorry...the title's an unsuccessful attempt to reference 'The Girl at the Lion d'or' by Sebastian Faulkes...let's move on.

I recently had lunch at the Kitsch with two fellow trustees from Art Space after an extensive round of interviews for our annual sponsored studio award. I mention this because I urge you to take a look at our new-ish web site and check out what we do, but it's not totally irrelevant to the lunch either - we needed a convivial setting to discuss candidates over some decent food and a glass of wine, somewhere with a Left-Bank feel, and reasonably cheap. Et viola!

They do a £5 lunch menu, which I'd heard good things about, but found hard to believe that you could get decent restaurant food for the price of a McDonald's meal deal. Well, it's true. The menu is similar to a lunchtime prix fixe in a small French bistro - half a dozen starters and mains to choose from the blackboard - and I had an excellent garlicky and herby minestrone followed by a pork loin chop with Madeira sauce and veg - plus two glasses of a very palatable house red that went down well.

All I can say is go and try it for yourself - good food, decent wine, casual ambiance, and all for a fiver (plus your wine etc of course) Magnifique Monsieur Stanley!

Restaurant 27 in Southsea

2010-01-20T14:24:00.023Z

Restaurant 27 is in the vanguard of restaurants hoping to bring haute cuisine to Portsea island, and going by last Thursday's dinner visit, it might be the only ship in the flotilla guaranteed to make it to port.

Owned by Kevin and Sophie Bingham, late of Montparnasse, 27 has raised the bar considerably, and there's no doubt that Kevin is aiming Michelin-wards. All the tell-tale signs are there - fixed price menus, clever canapes, jocular amuse bouches ('beans on toast') pre-desserts, home-made breads - all check in. The staff, fronted by impeccable maitre d' Stuart, are trained to know the menu and advise intelligently on the wine list. They've tasted everything that comes out of the kitchen and the cellars, which is good news, as Kevin's creations aren't always easy to decipher and it helps to have a walk-through.

Scallops with shrimp sand and oyster foam
The food is unimpeachable and we couldn't find any reasonable fault. Starters were Butter Roasted Scallops, with brown shrimp sand, & oyster foam, Whipped Goats Curd, pine nut crumble, black olive oil, and Quail umami with shitake dashi and miso emulsion - all were beautifully executed, with each ingredient complementing the main component of the dish. For me the quail was the ne plus ultra of the evening - gamey, savory, subtle, delicious.

Two of us had Fillet steak, braised shin of beef, crispy pancetta and foie gras, and the others had 30 hour Belly of Pork with a taste of apple. The beef was quite unique - the fillet sits on a braised shin you could break with a spoon, and the soft sweet fois gras gels the two together.

Fillet, braised shin, pancetta & fois gras
Desserts were up to standard, a menu highlight being Whisky Cappuccino & doughnuts - three doughnuts (lemon, ginger and chocolate) to dip into a frothy cream and whisky cappuccino - but I was surprised (and slightly disappointed) to find that this is a cold dessert - it would take on a different meaning were it hot.

Gamboling alongside the menu dishes are various delights - canapes, then an amuse bouche - in our case the aforementioned 'beans on toast' (a cup of bean soup with melba toast on top) - and finally a pre-dessert. The pre-dessert is superfluous, as by this stage you're anticipating your pudding and don't need the distraction of another dessert, especially as accompanying the coffee is a selection of petit fours, the star amongst them being a chocolate and peanut butter cup with sea salt.

apple crumble ice cream & cone
There are two wine lists - one that's perfectly accessible and affordable, and one that isn't, and I'd advocate reviewing, revising and combining the two. We chose Coppola 'Directors Cut' Zinfandel from Sonoma and Chateau D'Arvigny Haut Medoc, both in great condition.

The restaurant itself is modern and minimalist, and if there's any criticism of 27 it's found here. The bar area somehow impinges on the eating area - or vice versa - and the bar is a serving hatch with bottles artlessly lined up on the shelf behind, which began to annoy me as I faced it all evening. The lighting also needs tweaking - it's slightly desolate and 60 watt bulb-ish

So is this enough for Monsieur Michelin? The food is impeccable and the service is informed and enthusiastic, but there's a little work to do on the ambiance. Pricing's good too - £35 for 3 course dinner ex coffee, £25 for Sunday lunch - and for my money, there isn't another restaurant in the city serving food close to this standard.

The Binghams' have launched a navigational beacon in the foggy waters of Southsea fine dining, and there are plenty of people who'll be drawn to it. Restaurant 27 must therefore lead and inspire the local food scene, as we need more than one ship in the battle to bring quality dining to this town,

2010 And All That

2010-01-12T10:13:00.004Z

A belated Happy New Year to Cuisine de Pompey readers everywhere. I've been neglectful of the blog for the past month or so, but we're speeding up 2010 activity from this point onwards (I'm trying hard to rid myself of that dreadful term 'going forward(s)' which seems to have spread like a rash throughout the corporate community) We'll be reporting on a visit to Restaurant 27 this coming Thursday, and a lunch outing to Sakura (Southsea's first Japanese noodle and sushi bar) is in the planning stages.

In the meantime it's been a while since we covered wine and spirits, and as we've just emerged from the festive season it's a good time to reflect back on the Christmas wine choices. In these constrained financial times CdP didn't have the resources to chase after truly classic wines for the Christmas table, but instead found some excellent bargain Bordeaux, an Australian beauty, and a very affordable and approachable Chianti Riserva to see us through.

The first of the Bordeaux was Chateau Prieure les Tours Graves 2002 (Majestic £9.99) which is a ready-to-drink and perfectly matured wine, with that elusive cigar/smokey nose, and bramble and spice in the mouth. As good as many a 2nd wine or Cru Bourgeois. The second, Chateau Meaume 2005, is owned by English couple Alan and Sue Johnson-Hill, and allegedly it's a bit of a cult wine here in the UK. The vineyard is located north of Pomerol and the wine is 80% merlot, so it's soft and easy to drink young, but firmed up with Cab Sauv and Cab Franc to give backbone and potential for further maturing. everywine.co.uk have it for £116 a case.

The Aussie was Nepenthe 'Charleston Vineyards' Pinot Noir 2007 from the cool climates of the Adelaide Hills (£9.99 Majestic and others) Medium bodied, as a pinot should be, and herby, cherry, spicy on the palate - we drank this with a prawn risotto, which worked okay, but I think it would be great with turkey or duck.

Finally, that bargain Chianti - Villa Dante Riserva 2005 (Majestic £6.99) is a great buy for a (slightly) matured Sangiovese. Okay, it's rustic and needs food - pasta, grilled meats, bangers and mash or veal marsala would work - but with a taste of berries, bonfires and chocolate going on in there it's a great house red for the winter months.

A quick mention too of the CdP house whisky - Black Bottle - which for my money (about £14 usually) is the finest non-deluxe blend available. It contains all 7 Islay malts (with a heart of Bunnahabhain) so it's relatively peaty and smokey, but smooth as a baby's bum and very drinkable straight - though a little splash of ginger wine makes it the perfect winter's drink.

We'll return soon with a full review of Southsea's latest fine dining restaurant, but in the meantime be safe and warm in the ice and snow. Slainte!

Ghandi in North End

2009-12-11T15:42:00.004Z

North End, Portsmouth - once a mildly fashionable area in Edwardian times (Laburnum Grove was known as 'brass button alley' due to the number of Naval officers who lived there) but now a slightly forlorn part of the city. Its main artery is London / Kingston Road, which on the whole doesn't inspire food confidence, and unless you have a pressing engagement with Kwik-Fit or another local car servicing business it's likely you'll avoid its ridiculous amount of traffic lights and buses and find another way through town.

One beacon on this road to anywhere is The Ghandi Indian restaurant, which is where we found ourselves on Tuesday last. North End feels far away from Southsea - about 3 miles as the crow flies to be fair - and it doesn't have the feel-good factor on a wet December's evening, but the Ghandi has a fine, retro-esque feel to it - white leatherette banquettes, chairs covered in white linen, down-lighting around the bar. This isn't unpleasant and it takes the chill off the air outside. However, the food's the thing here, and people come from miles around to eat in and take out.

The menu has a good array of starters, a 'specialities' section, regional styled dishes, biryanis, tandooris and classic curries. We started with a Mangsho Daka Dim (whole egg covered in spiced lamb - kind of like a Scotch egg) and Pani Puris, which are little parcels of chick pea, onion and potato. Both were delicious and different from the usual, and those little parcels are worth traveling for. The curries were good too - I had the Rajasthani chicken (chillies, coconut milk, spinach) which was reduced quite a lot and had a slightly overcooked taste devoid of the coconut I'd expected, but on the whole tasty and nice and spicy; Mrs CdP had a Dum Ka Biryani, which was served in a traditional metal pot with a whole egg and a vegetable curry. I liked the biryani rice, which had a taste of haggis about it (!)

Two starters, two mains, one rice and 2 pints of Kingfisher came to a reasonable £34. The food was worth braving the elements for, and we'd recommend that you try this slightly off-piste Indian when next considering an evening's curry outing.

To find North End and the Ghandi go to Google Maps here

Al Forno, Southsea

2009-11-23T12:44:00.003Z

As our children seem to equate eating out with pizza and get grumpy when it's not on offer, and to break the routine of Pizza Express, Mozza Joe's, et al, we thought we'd try Al Forno in Osborne Road's 'restaurant row' last Saturday evening. If ever there was a night to stay indoors it was Saturday - wind, rain, dark, gloomy - but since we braved the elements I sorely wish we'd headed back to the old faithfuls.

On the plus side, Al Forno is nice inside - an odd but not unpleasant hybrid of Italian bistro and Moroccan furniture, with a long bar and an open kitchen area. Our waitress was friendly and helpful, winning herself one of Poppy's original drawings, signed by the artist (we made her take our phone number off as it might convey the wrong message!) And so, with a view to some good, warming Italian cooking we settled our wet and slightly frazzled selves down.

Alas, on the minus side, we didn't get the good Italian cooking we anticipated. The starter menu is pretty traditional - garlic bread, minestrone, baked mushrooms, anti pasto, etc - none of which appealed, so I ordered the 'special' of salmon fishcakes with a tomato and herb mayo, while Mrs CdP ordered up the chicken liver pate. The pate was tasteless, but what taste it had was on the bitter side of liver and the crostini it arrived with was stale, while my fish cakes were heinously burned on both sides where they'd hit the too-hot pan. There's no excuse for this in a professional kitchen - a shame because the fishcakes were otherwise tasty and the mayo was better than ok.

Mrs CdP's Cajun calzone was slightly odd - full of chicken, bolognese, mushrooms, which she said was fine, but with an extremely sweet dough. To be fair, my penne chicken pesto was good - the pasta was cooked well and the sauce (a cream and pesto mix) was pretty delicious.

The kids had the £4 children's menu - drink, main and ice cream - and eldest daughter pronounced her pizza 'ok' but nothing special (and she's an expert!) while youngest daughter eats anything. We had a bottle of house Bardolino (£11.95) which was thin and had an aftertaste of sugar (chaptalisation I suspect)

I wanted to like Al Forno, and I've read reviews where it's been stated that for the price point it's very good - but with wine and tip we spent £58 on a dreary Saturday evening and I think we'd have spent similar at Strada, Zizi, PE or a dozen others for a better experience. No return visit planned.

Sussex Brewery Emsworth

2009-10-29T13:09:00.006Z

I had a quiet supper with my parents in the bar of the Sussex Brewery last night. Famous in the past for its O'Hagan's sausages, old world atmosphere, sawdust floors and desolate dining rooms, I believe it's recently been taken over and those dining rooms refurbished. It still majors on pub atmosphere and sawdust and the menu boasts 20 meat sausages - including pork curry, kangaroo meat and a tribute to the battle of Trafalgar filled with rum and garlic (!) It doesn't mention O'Hagan's anywhere so perhaps these bangers have a different provenance.

Dad and I forsook the sausages for the peppered beef pie, which came with an unctuous gravy, choice of potatoes and mixed veg. This was true home-made autumn / winter comfort food, the steak tender and the pastry soft and lucscious. Mum had a veg lasagne with huge slabs of garlic bread, and the fact that she finished it (excepting the bread, as she never finishes anything) was testimony to its greatness. We had very lovely pints of Young's Special from the barrel and a glass of Chilean merlot - though 2 pints and a regular glass of wine came in at just under £10 which seemed steep to me. Food was around £9 for mains which was justifiable.

Friendly pub, roaring fire, atmospheric bar area, good food, decent beer - what more can you ask? - and all within a mile of my parent's new gaff, which means many happy returns I'm sure.

Find the Sussex Brewery on Google Maps

Las Iguanas / Italian Bar & Grill

2009-10-27T19:20:00.001Z

Had a very pleasant meal at Las Iguanas in Gunwharf Quays a few weeks ago. We had the kids with us so it was early doors and an opportunity to take advantage of their happy hour / two cocktails for the price of one deals - Margaritas and Long Island teas are good, and the food is that bit different too, bringing in cuisine from all across South America and Spain. I had my first ever goat dish - ensopado de carne - a kind of mild goat curry with coconut, tomato, chilli and carrots (!) served with rice and plantain, and it was delicious. They do a good line in what they call Latin street food - fajitas, burritos, etc - plus grills, tapas, etc. I guess like a lot of these places it gets filled out in the evenings / weekends with large groups, but there 's plenty of room and if you choose your time it's a good bet for something a little different. Kid's meals were interesting too. Service was very friendly if a bit slow - might be a problem when the place is busy, but settle down with your cocktails and just wait it out would be my advice.

We booked another early table at the Italian Bar & Grill in Great Southsea Street - in what used to be the Tiffin Room / India Arms - and first impressions weren't favourable. It's a big space with a soulless feel to it, high walls and stark decoration, and it feels awkwardly attached to the old pub area. It was very bleak and barren on an October Tuesday at 6pm and to be honest my heart sank when we walked in. However, I was cheered by the food and the service, both of which went well above my expectations. My rib-eye steak was cooked properly and the meat had real flavour, and the starters, pastas, deserts were all well-executed. The chef / owner is undoubtedly accomplished, the waitress was extremely pleasant and efficient, and prices are good - but I'm not sure that's enough to lure me back to that big room with its red tablecloths and uneasy relationship with the bar area next door. I'm sure things would be different on a busy night, so maybe it does require a revisit, as the food certainly outplays many others vying for similar territory on the island.

Find Las Iguanas on Google Maps

Find Italian Bar & Grill on Yell map

Restaurant 27

2009-10-12T15:11:00.004+01:00

Cuisine de Pompey is pleased to report that Restaurant 27 is about to take its place in the firmament of Hampshire's fine dining establishments.

27 is the latest venture of Southsea uberchef Kevin Bingham, ex chef-proprietor of Montparnasse, and is situated in Burgoyne Road just off Southsea seafront, where Kevin has purchased and refitted the old Mai Thai restaurant (which was once home to Murrays, a much-loved Southsea fine dining landmark in the '"Howard's Way" 80s)

We can expect modern cuisine based on the classic elements of great taste combinations, locally sourced fresh ingredients, and the pride and dedication of this chef and his staff. Personally I can't wait - we had the pleasure of Kevin's cooking (for 25 people!) at a recent party in my house and to say my oven now treats me with disdain whenever I cook is an understatement :-)

Full report to follow once we've made our first visit.

Up In Michigan

2009-09-13T20:49:00.010+01:00

To be exact, Hemingway's 'Up in Michigan' was set much farther up in Michigan than we travelled in August - Petoskey is on the northern shores of Lake Michigan while we languished on the balmy south west coast, in the lake resort of South Haven, approximately 3 hours drive from Chicago, our start and end point for this trip.

I'm an unashamed fan of the United States, which stems from my living there on and off between the ages of 9 and 17, graduating high school, and doing all the things that American teenagers get up to. I'm not blind to its faults - just as I'm aware that the UK has its good and bad - but I get a feeling of 'home' whenever I make that Atlantic Crossing.

The 'Mid-West' isn't familiar territory for us, but the southern shores of Lake Michigan were a revelation. We were blessed with fantastic hot days and rainy nights which cleared the humidity, and South Haven is a beautiful town - a river runs off the lake ending in a marina, and there are long golden beaches, good eating, drinking and shopping. It's one of a number of up-market lakeside towns along that coast, one of which is our new favourite place, Saugatuck & Douglas.

As for the food, as always in the States you forget how big the portions are and how much they think you can eat - the doggy bag is a way of life - and it's easy to forget that the food can be fantastic, fresh, innovative and delicious (it's not all fast food and burgers, though the right burger always hits the spot) I don't intend to review the places we ate at in Michigan and Chicago - with the exception of two - but my observations were that eating out has become more expensive over the last couple of years and probably beyond what you'd pay in the UK in similar style restaurants - we were over $100 most evenings for two adults and two kids. Supermarket shopping is similar to UK prices, but surprisingly wine is a good deal, especially European e.g. Marques de Caceres Rioja Crianza was slightly less than in the UK.

Wines of note were a very fine Merlot from Washington State's Snowqualmie Vineyards, and a Napa Cab Sauv from Franciscan Vineyards, which my friend Ken brought along to the house - it had all the complexities you'd expect from a well-crafted Cabernet. Unlikely they'll be available here, but I'll have a look.

I'll comment on two places - Pizzeria Due in Chicago and the Crackerbarrel Country Stores, which are prevalent throughout the US. Due is the sister restaurant of Pizzeria Uno, the original purveyor of Chicago deep pan pizza - and as we couldn't get into Uno we walked the short distance to Due and got a table relatively quickly. My God, these pizzas are good but they're huge! We ordered a small for the kids and a large (8 slices) for us, and I managed two slices while Mrs CdP stoically chomped through three. I washed mine down with a very nice Chianti, but it was all too much.

Crackerbarrel is fantastic - we love these places! The original Crackerbarrel was 'created' 40 years ago in Lebanon, Tennessee as a perfect reconstruction of an old time country store, and the chain of restaurant / stores that bear the name are at the high-end of the chain experience. They consist of a store selling everything from Americana to rocking chairs, to old time candy and foodstuffs, to Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations, to clothes and hats. Then there's the restaurant that serves real down-home food - like fried chicken, bbq pork (wet or dry) meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn bread, and all the fixin's you need at great down-home prices. I think lunch there was the best meal we had on the whole trip and I urge you to stop on by next time you're on i90 or wherever.

So yet another great trip to the States and we're planning our next one already. I wonder if we can get those doggy bags through UK customs!

Shorties

2009-09-06T20:58:00.002+01:00

Cuisine de Pompey is back from summer vacation! We spent time in the States, and there's plenty to report back from the Land of Plenty, but we've some unfinished review business to attend to first.

Before we took off for the summer break we found ourselves looking for a family friendly early dinner option that wasn't Mozzarella Joe's or Pizza Express - in fact somewhere completely pizza free as our kids were starting to think that's all you can eat outside of the home. Mrs CdP suggested Shorties, which majors on American-style food - good practice for the summer - and always looked busy whenever we'd passed by, so we booked a table for six pm - opening time - and it's just as well we did as the place was heaving by a quarter past! Sure it was a Friday evening in July, but what a crowd - couples, families, foursomes - any combination you can think of crowded in - and, we suspect, a high proportion are regulars.

Inside you're transported back to the late 70s - never mind the Time-Traveller's Wife, this is his dinner! Tyrolean tables and wood panelling set off the menu to perfection - onion rings, breaded mushrooms, prawn cocktails and other classics to start with, followed by steaks, burgers, and...oh you can look at the menu yourselves, but let's do the time-warp again. Nothing wrong with that - many US restaurants are lauded for their grills and classic eats - more of that later - but I think Shorties is unique on the Portsmouth food landscape.

My dinner was passable. I had the blessed breaded mushrooms to start - radioactive hot but tasty - followed by a highly anticipated sirloin with pepper sauce and the usual trimmings. Unfortunately the (rare to medium) steak was medium-well and tough, but worst of all it was tasteless, which no sirloin should ever be. The pepper sauce was gloop, pure and simple. Mrs CdP's Steak Diane on the other hand was pretty good - if you eat here then order that - and my folks had burger / scampi respectively, which they deemed to be okay. The poor kids were reduced to classic kid's menu food - they'd have been better off with the pizza in the end.

Shorties is relatively inexpensive and the portions are good - that could be the real draw of this place for some - but for my money I'd buy a couple of fillets and cook them at home.

Shorties, 8-9 Bellevue Terrace, Southsea, Hants. Tel. 023 9283 1941

Secret Chef Kevin Bingham

2009-06-30T13:34:00.005+01:00

Chef Kevin Bingham, late of Montparnasse in Southsea, and the driving force behind their lovingly crafted cuisine, is currently offering a 'Secret Chef' service. Kevin will cook restaurant quality food in your own home, any day of the week and for all occasions. Menus and arrangements will be discussed with the host/ess prior to the event, but the estimated cost for a 3 course dinner with canapes is approximately £25 per head, subject to menu choice.

If you're interested in creating the perfect dinner party you can contact Kevin on 023 9229 8296 or mobile 07831 536419

Kevin and his partner Sophie are in the process of opening a new fine dining restaurant in Southsea, and we'll keep you posted as soon as we receive more information. CdP hopes to be one of the first through the door!

It'll be interesting to watch the fortunes of Montparnasse in Kevin's wake, as it hasn't built its reputation on food alone and is justly renowned for its atmosphere and excellent service, which is something Kevin's ex-business partner John Saunders knows how to provide. CdP wishes both ventures every success for the future.

Southsea Farmers' Market

2009-06-24T21:22:00.019+01:00

I like farmers' markets, and I like the Southsea visitation once a month, but wouldn't it be good if we had a market like this twice a week where we could buy ingredients fresh and ready to cook, at prices more in line with everyday cooking? Well, I suppose that would be Cherbourg and not Southsea, so we should be thankful that farmers' markets exist and come to this slice of paradise that is Palmerston Road.

I'd never covered the market for CdP so I took a camera and my family over there on Father's Day to browse around and spend a couple of quid. The only essential item on my shopping list was 'wet' garlic from the Isle of Wight garlic guys The Garlic Farm, and they were there to supply me with a bulb of new season garlic for a pound fifty, which will do me for two weeks.

But markets are for experiencing the products and we ended up with a litre of perry from Mr Whitehead's C ider Company - made from Conference pears because Perry pears are hard to come by apparently. This is the first perry I've ever tasted, and I'm looking forward to a big cold glass on a hot day soon. We also picked up some Old Winchester cheese from Lyburn Farm, which is sweet, nutty and dry, and similar to Parmigiana. It's a slightly acquired taste, so perhaps their regular Winchester is a better bet for bread and cheese etc.

We rounded things off with a tomato plant, a large white bloomer, and a chocolate cake to share between the girls (it was a big one)

There's a good variety of produce on offer - the late season English asparagus looked nice but we wouldn't have used it this week - and there's a good selection of organic meats (at organic prices) perfect for a special meal - pity the market's on a Sunday and not a Saturday. It's very well-attended, and I suspect the majority of punters are regulars, Southsea Towners, and broadly middle-class - there's nothing wrong with that, but I'd love to see the market have a wider reach, attracting people from across the island. However, it's nice to bump into people you know, and without a doubt Southsea is a village for those fortunate enough to live here.

Southsea farmers' market is an exciting part of local food life, and it's good to dip into once in a while, but let's not forget Portsmouth's other hard-working market, where the veg is fresh and at prices everyone can afford. Perhaps Charlotte Street and Palmerston Road define this city and it's many contrasts and paradoxes.

Southsea Farmer's Market is every 3rd Sunday of the month
Charlotte Street Market is weekly every Thursday, Friday and Saturday all year round

Spice Merchants in Southsea

2009-06-04T15:49:00.004+01:00

'Spice Merchants' brings to mind East India Company ships ploughing through the waves and docking with their wares in Bristol, Glasgow and Southampton, where Lascars jumped ship and set themselves up as cooks in those ports - so I was easily seduced into trying the restaurant of the same name situated in the less exotic climes of Osborne Road, which is arguably Southsea's very own Spice Trail.

The restaurant is modern Anglo-Indian, with light coloured walls and abstract art hanging alongside tv monitors showing Bollywood videos. It was also deserted on a temperate Thursday night at 8pm, but since we were a table of 10 the lack of atmosphere was reasonably lost on us; however it's a wonder so many restaurants of a similar ilk manage to stay in business in Southsea when trade isn't quite so brisk - I can only imagine that take-aways, week-ends and after-pub visitors make up for the slack evenings.

The menu has some noteworthy chef's specials - Rajasthani, Darjeeling and Goan regional specialities sit alongside arcane dishes such as Nihari Lamb (leg of lamb marinaded in herbs and spices then roasted in the oven) and of course the usual suspects are also present. My Darjeeling chicken was cooked in mint, mathi, bay and coriander and was a slightly unprepossessing greenish colour (the mint I guess) It tasted fine, if a little bland, but I'd searched out a not too spicy dish and that was what I got. Others seemed to enjoy their meals, but I didn't enquire too far.

The staff were friendly - very unobtrusive - and the service was absolutely fine. I did like this restaurant and recommend you give it a go, but I'll need to go back and try an old favourite such as a Dhansak or Pathia for a proper comparison. There are just so many good curry houses in Southsea that it's impossible - and undesirable - to hoist a flag on any of them, but 'Spice merchants' should certainly be on your list of 'ones to try' as you do the rounds.

Spice Merchants, 44 Osborne Road, Southsea

The Old House at Home in Chidham

2009-06-02T12:44:00.002+01:00

My folks are finally about to settle in the 'Emsworth River Delta', home of the Blues (Tories that is) and we've set about introducing them to some fine pubs in the area.

Along the old A27 there are some terrific places - at one end you have the unpretentiously named Anchor Bleu at Bosham harbour, and at the other the 'sausage pub' aka The Sussex Brewery, while in between and round about there's a plethora of decent country and 'tidal' pubs waiting for them to visit.

We took them to the Old House at Home in Chidham (turn right just after Nutbourne and follow to the midde of nowhere) which way back used to be a wonderfully grungy bucolic old place fitted out with one of the finest jukeboxes in the area - very 70s rock oriented it must be said. No more, no more...it's now a civilised 'restaurant' pub - and we knew this because we'd visited a while back - fitted out in the best country-sophisticate style. If Jan Howard and Ken Masters out of Howard's Way had lived nearer Chichester then this is where they'd have met for a cheeky lunch pre 'how's your father'!

According to their website the food is freshly prepped on the premises and locally sourced where possible. In our experience it's of a very high quality - both on this occasion for lunch and at a previous dinner visit we were impressed. Not cheap - restaurant prices prevail - but then again their target clientele don't do cheap. Good range of beers and wines by the glass, and an added bonus when we visited was Chucklehead Cider on as a guest. Chucklehead is made by old friends of mine in Devon - although they're based locally - and it's strong, sweet and addictive scrumpy. They ran out during our second (half) pint (be careful - it's 7%) and then Liz turned up with a new batch (nice to see her after quite a few years) so I hope it's going to be a regular thing.

Our only complaints - staff were not massively friendly to non-locals, and although it's listed as a 'children friendly' pub on a local website it's no such thing - no children's menus, no highchairs, no real concessions except for the garden.

But it's a lovely spot and a nice pub - go there to eat, or to sit in the garden on a hot summer's evening with a pint (of Chucklehead of course) and you won't be disappointed.

Old House at Home, Cot Lane, Chidham (near Bosham) West Sussex

Chateau Guyon La Roseraie 2006

2009-05-18T12:34:00.004+01:00

Bordeaux wines are expensive, and the ones that aren't usually don't stand up against their New World (Chile, Argentina) or Old World (Spain, Italy) competition. If you're spending £6 or £7 pounds on a bottle of wine then Bordeaux isn't the first place you'd look.

A few years back you could take reasonable aim at 'Cru Bourgeois' wines - most of which had a fair degree of 'terroir' and quality at more affordable prices - but the Cru Bourgeois classification was annulled in 2007 (currently being revised I believe for an amended reintroduction) and Bordeaux is as much a vinous minefield as ever.

Perhaps true value in Bordeaux comes from so-called 'Petit Chateaux' where the wine is produced from their own vines and bottled (where possible) on the estate. The label tells you almost everything you need to know, and if you find a sub £10 Bordeaux look for the chateau name, the AOC, and whether the wine is 'Mis en Boutille au Chateau' or bottled off-site (which could simply mean that the vineyard doesn't have bottling facilities) The rear label will tell you more about the viticulture and history of the chateau.

One of the best 'petit chateau' we've come across for a long time is Chateau Guyon La Roseraie, 2006 AC Bordeaux (£6.99 Majestic) This is classic Bordeaux made from Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and its herby, plummy taste and medium-soft tannins are absolutely made for food (try with grilled lamb chops, garlic mash, English asparagus)

Majestic also have stock of Chateau Bessan Segur (Cru Bourgeois) 2002 at £7.99 a bottle. I've yet to try this, but would expect a rich wine with smooth tannins now that it's 7 years old.

The Much Easier CdP Wine Quiz

2009-05-15T20:13:00.002+01:00

If the CdP Wine Quiz is just a bit too hard then try it's little sibling, the 'Much Much Easier CdP Wine Quiz'. This one really shouldn't be a problem :-)

TAKE THE QUIZ!

The CdP Wine Quiz #1

2009-05-14T12:16:00.006+01:00

Try the very fiirst Cuisine de Pompey wine quiz. You can use Google to answer the questions, but give yourself the vinous respect you deserve and take it blind.

Take The Quiz!

Gruner Veltliner is Extra Special

2009-04-29T12:32:00.007+01:00

Underwhelmed by many a white wine recently, I'm excited about Asda's Extra Special Gruner Veltliner 2007 from Austrian producer Lenz Moser, made from 100% hand harvested Gruner Veltliner grapes.

This dry, crisp and fresh spirited wine was the perfect accompaniment to crepes filled with ham and mushroom in a bechamel sauce, topped off with cream and Gruyere (so healthy! so slimming!) It's a lightish wine but with enough character to cut through the strong flavours of the crepes without overwhelming them. Probably the perfect wine for your next recherche fondue or raclette party! Sells for around £6.50, which I think is a bit of a bargain.

Not to be recommended is Majestic's Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie 2008 Domaine de la Tourmaline (£6.49 or £5.99 for 2 or more) I bought a half case of this because I like Muscadet very much and the price was right - unfortunately it has a dose of the sour grapefruits and a fizz that builds towards indigestion. Avoid.

King Street Tavern

2009-04-28T21:11:00.006+01:00

As best kept secrets go the King Street Tavern isn't high on the list, but once you've 'discovered' this gem of a pub it feels like you've been initiated into a society known only to the favoured few. In fact it won best pub/wine bar in Portsmouth in 2008!

This Victorian corner boozer resides alongside two other well known Southsea establishments - the Eldon Arms and the Kitch 'n'd'or - both being slightly further down Eldon Street (just to confuse things, the KST is actually on Norfolk Street, adjacent to King Street) and on the outside it looks like a nice old local - but like so many old pubs in Portsmouth and Southsea who knows what lurks within? In this case it's all Bohemian shabby chic, today's Guardian, old fashioned bar games and comfy sofas. It packs a friendly owner at the bar and a general arts friendly ambiance, which, when we visited for lunch, made us want to stay, and read, and sup a pint or two till someone came and carted us off to bed. It really is that relaxed, and we were with a 6 year old and a toddler!

Food is (at lunchtime anyway) fairly limited, but consists of home-made soups and wonderful hams and ploughmen. Things are locally sourced, and the ubiquitous Buckwells supplies the meat - I had ham with gorgeously buttery bubble and squeak and a duck egg on top (£1 extra and worth it) And to top things off they serve Bishop's Tipple, one of my favourite cask beers. All in all there's no reason to leave in a hurry. They also do jazz (nice) every second week-end, which may or may not be a draw depending on your musical taste, but I'll drag my dad down there as he's a fan.

Although it's slightly hidden off of the Kings Road, the KST is pretty easy to get to from central Southsea by foot (there's limited on-street parking too) and as much as I hate to give away secrets, this is the best of pubs and deserves to be loved by everyone in town. If awards are anything to go by, it already is, and well deserved!

King Street Tavern - 70 King St, Southsea, PO5 4EH - 0871 962 9256

Ashby's

2009-03-29T20:12:00.003+01:00

I've come across the odd comment here and there, the general gist being that CdP's somehow lost the plot, and I can only imagine that readers feel we're travelling too far from our core constituency, what with wine tastings in Romsey and poshing it up at Claridges. Yet CdP's never really been about Pompey restaurant reviews - although we've done our bit - but always about the food experience, be it home or away. I don't begrudge these comments - always interested to know what people think - but I hope most readers feel there's more than a nod to the local food and wine scene.

So on Friday night we went to Southsea's most talked about joint - Ashby's "Boutique Hotel & Gastropub" - looking to fulfil the mission of up-to-date and local.

Ashby's feels like a hotel - a nice one - and the restaurant grows organically from the bar backwards into a kind of holding area (where we were seated) through to a larger, more formal room with a bad carpet and baronial fireplace. We had a drink in the clubby bar, where we were told that our table was waiting, but no rush. Ten minutes later we were politely asked if we could in fact rush and take our seats, as there was a large party due to arrive and - oh, whatever, we went to our table, which was by the toilet door, so we moved. I'm not sure what all this meant, as in the end the table of 10 came 30 minutes later and caused very little fuss - but it means something, and it's probably a lack of confidence in their ability to gauge service.

The a la carte menu was reasonably limited - 6 starters / 6 mains - but nicely balanced between meat, fish, fowl and vegetarian. Plates came as described and veg was ordered seperately. We started with a cream of leek and potato soup - nicely presented - and cod and crab cake on a general purpose coulis and salad tower. The fish cake was home made and I could taste the freshness of the crab - the coulis was slightly thick and nondescript, but I liked the cake for all that. Next up was a vegetarian Mille Feuille for Mrs CdP, with mushroom and asparagus, and she enjoyed it with a side of jenga-style fries. I had spatchcock chicken, which was nice and gamey and served with an excellent Potato Dauphinoise. We nixed dessert in favour of an extra glass of wine for Mrs CdP and coffee and a couple of Amaretto's over ice for me.

Shorts and liqueurs were pretty reasonable at a couple of quid a go, but not so the wine list - by far the most disappointing aspect of Ashby's for me. The apparently new list is generally uninspiring and very overpriced - only a couple of bottles come in around £16-£18, while the majority are in the £20-£30+ range. We opted for a Montana Pinot Noir at £18 - a choice made on an equation of price, food match, and managing mediocrity - and it was neither here nor there - an overpriced supermarket wine.

That aside, we liked the food very much - the service was friendly (slightly too much "is everything all right"-ing going on, but put that down to newness) and the dining rooms are comfortable and interesting - I especially liked the bar area. There was a very mixed clientele last Friday night - some residents, a glam party table, suited and booted foursomes, fleece-casual couples - and it'll be interesting to see how things settle down for Ashby's. We wish them well and will be back for their lunch deal in the not too distant future.

Ashby's Hotel and Gastropub, 4 Aukland Road West, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 3NY. (023) 9282 3497

CdP Score = 7.5 / 10

Gordon Ramsay Restaurant at Claridges

2009-03-18T11:48:00.012Z

The gastronomic journey starts when we catch a cab to Mayfair, with minutes to spare before our 12.30 lunch reservation at Gordon Ramsay Claridges. The liveried doorman opens the cab door and beckons us into the foyer, and we scrabble around for 5 minutes trying to find the discreet entrance to the Ramsay restaurant - I guess you're supposed to know - but we're soon swept up by waiting staff and seated at a table near the window. The original art deco design is elegant without being overwhelming - it's like stepping into one of Anthony Powell's 'A Dance to the Music of Time' novels - perhaps 'The Kindly Ones' - and the waiting staff seem genuinely pleased to be there, to see you, and to help in every way they can.

The first beacon of light to approach us is the sommelier, who deposits a wine list akin to an encyclopaedia (or perhaps a book of fairy tales - Grange, LaTour, Sassicaia, Opus One, Petrus are all in there somewhere) We choose a 2002 Bandol Rouge (one of my favourite wines) La Suffrene, which the sommelier suggests not decanting and brings instead two wonderful mini-fishbowls to help open up this relatively young wine. All the cedar and woodsmoke you ever wanted comes to the fore, and the nose and palate changes subtly throughout the meal.

There are 3 menus available - the weekend lunch menu (3 courses £30) the a la carte (3 courses £70) and the Menu Prestige (6 courses £80) Needless to say, the weekend menu was our choice, and we'd have happily chosen every item on there.

Mrs CdP had a starter of Mosaic of boiled beef, carrots and foie gras, date chutney, and toasted sourdough (pictured) while I kicked off with sage gnocchi with roasted butternut squash, baby gem lettuce and a Parmesan veloute. The mosaic was a perfect little picture on a plate, with soft boiled beef and contrasting flavours from the foie gras and the chutney; the gnocchi was medallion shaped - not the usual potato bullets you'd expect - and the star of this dish was the little silver salver of Parmesan sauce that was poured over them. Before the starters arrived we were presented with an amuse-bouche of white cabbage and truffle soup with herb croutons, which tasted like velvet and cream.

For her main course Mrs CdP had the herb-baked fillet of Cumbrian lamb, fricassée of broccoli and anchovies, with sauce palois, while I had sirloin steak with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and a beef jus. The sirloin was cut into two 1cm thick slices, cooked medium rare and melted in the mouth (the jus was poured from another silver salver) Mrs CdP enjoyed her lamb but felt there could have been more to accompany it - the fricassee was quite paltry - and she needed some of my roast potatoes to help things along.

We finished off with treacle tart and a double espresso, and the bill came to a surprisingly mellow £88 - very surprising, as on second glance they'd forgotten to add the wine to the bill! But of course honesty prevailed and the final tally was £148. Quite a bit of money for a 2 hour lunch, but this is special occasion stuff and something you don't do very often.

So, at the end of the journey there were no disappointments - perhaps just the lack of substance in Mrs CdP's lamb dish diminished her pleasure. Head Chef Mark Sargeant and his team have created a wonderful modern European menu at Claridges, and if you take everything else away, £30 per head for the experience of eating this amazing food is a reasonable price to pay.

Top Cotes at Heaton Wines

2009-03-08T20:16:00.016Z

Heaton Wines is a small, independent merchant in Romsey, run by ex management consultant Paul Dawkins. Paul is a passionate advocate of good, interesting and diverse wines with real character, from small producers and within a wide price range. His list runs exclusively to French wines (wonderful!) but extends to aperitifs, digestifs and spirits, not to mention Cuban cigars, wine books and wine accessories. Yes, it's our kind of place!

Heaton also runs monthly wine tastings and gastronomic tasting dinners - we attended the 'Top Cotes' event last Wednesday night, held in King John's House, a Tudor cottage once part of Romsey Abbey. Suffice to say that the set-up and the atmosphere was perfect, that we met some very nice people and had a great time - so let's get onto the wines.

This was the running order for the 9 wines, with my tasting notes :-

1. Champagne Brut Bland de Blances, Cuvee du Melomane, Bouzy, Grand Cru Herbert Beaufort (£23.49)

"Biscuits and bread as expected. Marrowfat peas (?) Smooth and creamy, but shouldn't be drunk too cold. This temp about right."

2. Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc, Domain Azan 2007 (£7.90)

"Too much pear - turning into nail polish remover! Disappointing."

3. Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne Blanc, Castel Mireio, Domaine berthet-Rayne, 2007 (£13.50)
"So unusual. Mothballs? Camphor? Mint? Old ladies' coats! Started off bland then began to really open up - so elegant. Then to liquorice allsorts and now truffles! Very sexy! Fades a bit on palate but what a wine!

4. Savigny-les-Beaune, 1er Cru en Redrescul, Doudet-Naudin, 2005 (£19.33)

"A serious serious white. White shoe polish on the nose. Elegant and fine. Doesn't need food."

5. Bordeaux Rose, Chateau le Tertre de Leyle (£9.30)

No notes - not my kind of thing at all.

6. Cotes du Rhone, L'Insense, Domaine du Pourra, 2005 (£8.76)
"Great shiraz smell, all spice and barrels . Very powerful and deep. Looking forward to buying and drinking with roast pork or somesuch."

7. Beaune, Clos du Roy 1er Cru, Doudet-Naudin, 2004 (£23.50)

"Fireworks (literally) on the nose - gunpowder, treason and plot! Smooth, light, pinot noir at its best. Lovely!"

8. Cote-Rotie, Domaine Philippe Faury, 2004 (£29.31)

"This is a bargain - really! What a wine! Smokey berries. Undoubtedly the star of the show. Delicous."

9. Rasteau Rancio, Domaine Bressy-Masson (£13.45)

"They don't get much untrendier or (imho) more interesting than sweet red wines! Fanstastic! Madeira-like. 100% wonderful."

All of the wines were provided in decent quaffable quantities, and each tasting was accompanied by an erudite and entertaining overview from Paul. And all for £10 a head, plus some 'money off' vouchers that you could spend on the night or in the shop! We went back on Saturday and bought the Cotes du Rhone, the Rasteau, a bottle of Haut Cotes de Nuits, and some King's Ginger liqueur. And we'll be back for more of everything throughout the year. Long may shops like Paul's live and prosper, making the world a better place for mankind.

Richard and Claire, if you're reading this, it was a delight to meet you both and we'll no doubt see you at future tastings- enjoy those Burgundies.

HEATON WINES LTD - 35 Church Street, Romsey, Hants. 01794 830330

Oddballs

2009-03-08T19:45:00.005Z

Sometime around 2006 Oddballs changed its name (can't remember to what) adopted white tablecloths and generally tried to grow up. Fortunately in 2008 it changed its name back to Oddballs, kept the tablecloths and - if dinner a few Friday's ago is anything to go by - reverted to shabby chic and (mostly) to the bistro wonders it's loved for.

I've always had a soft spot for this place - we used to take Poppy here when she was a baby and a toddler (she'd walk around cleaning their tables with a napkin without being asked) - and I remember two very fine dishes - lentil, coconut and chilli soup, and a salmon pasta with basil and balsamic vinegar. A variation of the soup was on the specials board when we visited, but passed over in favour of breaded butterfly prawns in a dipping sauce - very edible but slightly disappointing, as they seemed to be of the bought-in variety.

I also suspect that my mother's too perfectly shaped souffle en croute wasn't made on the premises - and who'd want to make such a thing to order? It was a pastry case filled with mushrooms and cream (and souffle!) and to give it its due, very much enjoyed by the old mater. My dad had slow roasted pork belly, which was well received, and I opted for sausages in a lovely mash, swimming in wine gravy. Now, this pork belly and the sausages is what Oddballs does best - bistro food with knobs on - and the more the specials board sticks to this style of cooking the happier we'll all be.

Wine was an amazingly good Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc - crisp, fruity and dry, with a hint of pears and almonds - and remember that this is a very very trendy wine right now and can disappoint, but not this one. Shame I can't remember the producer. Service was very friendly and we couldn't fault the ambiance or the good intentions of the owners/staff, plus the coffee was out of a nicely maintained expresso machine. Thus I have to give Oddballs a nice big hurrah! - for providing decent food, excellent wine, and all round good vibes. Just get rid of the catered foods, bring back the salmon pasta, and we'll keep on coming back.

ODDBALLS - 12 Clarendon Road, Southsea, Hants. 023 9275 5291

Indian Cottage

2009-03-01T20:39:00.008Z

There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of Indian restaurants in Portsmouth and Southsea - there are a lot in Albert Road alone - but one of the first and best I ever ate at was The Indian Cottage and I'm pleased to say that it's still up to the mark, even as the tides of stiff competition (Naz, Bombay Bay, Aubergine et al) surge around it.

10 of us arrived for an intimate meal last Thursday night, and as usual the waiting staff were unfailing in their efforts to look after us - these are very professional and capable people - and everything was as it should be. Cobras in hand we sized up the menu and made our choices - I'm not going to recite the persuasions of 9 of my closest work colleagues so I will only speak for myself on the matter of food. First up was the usual 'off menu' request for a rashmi kebab - this one was a moist and spicy lamb patty wrapped in a truly fluffy omelette, and possibly the ne plus ultra of rashmi kebabs eaten so far. High praise indeed. This gem was followed by a Goan king prawn curry, and although tempered with coconut it had a hell of a bite! But still there was subtlety and delight in the sauce, not just heat, and the prawns were very succulent indeed. Pilau rice was perfunctory but well cooked - no cinnamon sticks or cloves, just a lone bay leaf - and set off the Goan curry well.

I'm not sure I've ever had a disappointing meal in the Indian Cottage - certainly never a bad one - and I'm delighted to continually recommend this classic (and classy - it's one of the best presented in town) curry house. Long may it prosper, and the fact that it's so close to home can only be a bonus.

THE INDIAN COTTAGE. 257 Albert Road, Southsea, PO4 0JR, 023 9282 6010

Half Term Round Up

2009-03-01T19:16:00.002Z

The Wellington, Old Portsmouth

The first Saturday of half-term found youngest daughter Niamh and I in the Wellie having lunch with my folks. I've always liked the Wellington for its unpretentiousness in a 'village' of over-egged and under achieving pubs, although I still favour The Dolphin above the rest. Anyway, the beer was very good and I had an omelettte and chips. Enough said really - the omelette was reasonable and the chips were fine. The lunchtime atmosphere's a good reason to come, along with the child friendly (and friendly) landlord, not to mention the well conditioned beer. Worth devoting a lunchtime to.

WELLINGTON. 62 High Street, Old Portsmouth. 023 9281 8965

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

A day out in Brighton on the Tuesday, and as we'd deposited ourselves in the North Lanes we jumped straight into GBK. They have a lot of restaurants in London and eight in the south - Brighton and Basingstoke being our nearest outposts - and they do what they do very well. There are plenty of tables and although we arrived at a busy time we were seated quickly and menued up. You order and pay at the counter and soon enough drinks appear on the table, with the food a wee bit longer coming - well, it was very busy, and everything's cooked fresh (open kitchen) so that's fine. The burgers were great - my 'Classic' had the seared, charbroiled taste and smell that's redolent of a great American burger - comparable with Ed's Easy Diner burgers, which is high praise. Maybe GBK is just an upmarket McDonalds, but if you enjoy the occasional burger and fries then this is the baby - not cheap though - we were well over £30 for a plain burger, chicken and advocado burger, two 'junior' chickens and requisite drinks. Happy Meal prices these ain't.

GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN. 44-47 Gardener St., Brighton, BN1 1UN, 01273 685 895

Gourmet Pizza Company

Another day, another gourmet version of a classic, this time in London, where I traipsed the kids all over the place while Mrs. CdP tried out as a contestant in a game show (!) I worked in town for years and my inbuilt London 'sat nav', though wonky, still works reasonably well - so we crossed Waterloo Bridge, down the Strand (past Simpsons....mmm) to see Nelson's Column and the fountains, down The Mall to visit the Queen, onto a C1 at Victoria for the Natural History Museum. Phew! After the interview, and once we'd spent most of our energy, we met up en famille back at Gabriel's Wharf on the South Bank, where Gourmet Pizza's been plying its trade for a long time.

I think they've got other restaurants now, but I've been eating at this GP for almost 20 years, and nothing's changed, except perhaps the prices and the size of the pizzas - but that's par for the course, along with Pizza Express et al over the years. The quality of the ingredients is high, the use of wild mushrooms, goats cheese, etc was unique all those years ago and still exciting now, and the service is pleasant considering how busy it was at 6pm on a Saturday night. We were shuffled into the outside bit with the plastic roof and windows (quite Italian really) but catch this place at the right time - maybe an early afternoon in April, inside with a view of the river, just after the lunchtime crush - and it's a great place to sink a bottle and eat some very fine pizza indeed.

GOURMET PIZZA COMPANY. Gabriels Wharf, 56 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PP, 020 7928 3188

February Wine Bargains

2009-02-20T14:13:00.006Z

A troll around the supermarkets last weekend yielded the following true bargains -

Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz 2006 (Sainsbury £4.65 down from £7.19) A big saving on this tried and tested Californian Shiraz - Mondavi makes superior wines, and while Woodbridge is their 'everyday' range they've put in the effort to make it characteristic of their more expensive wines. It's smooth and full bodied, with blackberry and spice on the palate, and recommended with grilled meats (perfect with a homemade burger for example) The bottle is clear glass, which is very odd to see when you start to pour!

Kumala Zenith Merlot-Pinotage-Shiraz blend 2008 (Sainsbury £3.99 down from £7.99) An odd one for me, as I don't normally like New World blends, and Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz sounds too much grape for one bottle...however...it's tight as a drum when first opened yet soon blossoms into a smooth operator, with similar nose and taste to the Mondavi, but with the smoky cigar and vanilla turned up to 11 on the wine amp. 24 hours after opening, half a bottle was at its peak but faded away somewhat by the last glassful. There's a perfect point to drink this wine, and it's worth finding.

Famiglia Terraccia Chianti Riserva (Tesco special offer £5.69 saving about £3 a bottle) Made by the Baroncini family from San Gimignano, with grapes picked from their 5 estates, this is a pretty classic (not Classico!) Chianti at a great price - smooth tannins, typical cherry notes with a soft spicy feel. We drank it with home-made pizzas (salami, mushrooms, mozza) and while I thought it was a fine bargain, Mrs. CdP (the Italian wine expert in our casa) wasn't so sure - thought it was a bit non-descript - but hey, under 6 quid for a riserva is always going to have compromises.

Rioja Gran Familia (Asda and others @£5.59) "The fastest growing Rioja brand in the UK..." by some accounts. Grapes from Rioja Alta picked by hand, fermented in stainless steel then racked in American and French oak for 8 months. Not much to dislike there, but I confess I'm yet to open a bottle, so here's a quote from Jamie Goode of the Sunday Express - "This could well be Spain's best value wine. It shows fresh, vivid, dark cherry and raspberry fruit with a subtly meaty, spicy edge. Less oaky than many Riojas, and better for it"

Fortify Yourself

2009-02-03T10:34:00.008Z

Siberian weather conditions have arrived in the UK, but what are we drinking to stave off the cold and weary winter? The icy air has reduced wine temperatures to below cellar levels, and it takes time to get a bottle back to room temp - honestly there's not much inspiration to drink table wine in the snow. Well, it's time to turn to fortified wines, poured by a log fire and filled with their own unctuous warmth. Forget granny's Bristol Cream and enter the winter wonderland of these two beauties :-

Henriques & Henriques Fine Rich Single Harvest Madeira 1995 - all toffee apples and dates on the nose, with sweet toffee and burnt caramel on the tongue, and that Madeira freshness underlying all the luxury. Made from Tinta Negra Mole, this is perfect with puddings, strong cheese (not creamy or Cheddars, but blue cheeses like Roquefort) or just on its own as you dream of summer to come. (£12 various retailers, but you might have to hunt around)

Lustau East India Solera Rich Oloroso Sherry - made in the style of the old sherries lashed to ship's masts as ballast on journies from India which developed a smoothness and complexity quite unique from others kept in the hold. Raisins, nuts, creme brulee flavours, and the smoothest, velvetiest mouthfeel ever; it also packs a big punch and is guaranteed to scare the vicar. (Waitrose £7.99 50cl bottle)

Carol Godsmark as Reviewed by Her Public

2009-01-30T11:46:00.007Z

You must read this review by Carol Godsmark, the restaurant critic for The Portsmouth News. Carol was obviously in a bad place when she wrote it, but not half as bad as she must have been after reading the pages of vitriol written in response by her loyal followers. She'd attacked a Venerable Portsmouth Institution and the mob had risen! Very funny.

I don't agree with Carol that often either, but she knows her food and the difference between mass market lumpengrub and good quality ingredients, lovingly crafted by a real cook, and served with a sense of pride. I can't comment on Pizza House (wouldn't dare!) but I believe it's a critic's divine right to appraise a restaurant according to their particular experience, and in the spirit of honest judgement.

They've never publicised CdP or given me as much as a nod or a wink, but to be gracious I'll recommend Carol's reviews page, as she gets out a lot more than I do. Interested to try 'That Great Place' in Gunwharf, 'Field and Fork' in Chichester, and a new set-up at Wickham Vineyard called 'Vatika'.

What's In Your Lunchbox?

2009-01-29T10:54:00.006Z

'Anonymous' (come on, show yourself!) said in 'comments' that we should be focusing on packed lunches and sandwich fillings in these austere times. Well, CdP takes sandwiches to work in a Tupperware box, while the little CdPers take packed lunches to school and nursery, so there's some roadtesting going on.

Besides the classic ham and cheese, corned beef, etc, I've been delving into bought sandwich fillings - not the meat paste variety, although they were a staple of my childhood, but the 'deli box' from the cold counters at supermarkets. So far we've tried, and debated, the following :-

Waitrose Coronation Chicken - delicious, sweet chicken, but such a wee box you've never seen taste = 9/10 value 5/10

Asda Cheese and Onion 'lite' - too watery, and pretty tasteless taste = 1 value = 0

Asda Cheese and Onion - better, you can taste the cheese and mayo in this one taste = 7 value = 9

Asda Egg and Bacon - bit on the bland side, but okay taste = 6 value = 6

Many more to try, but of course the home-made version will always be a healthier, tastier (and cheaper) option - make your own egg mayo, grill some streaky bacon and you're off to the races. I love corned beef - it's perfect with Baxter's Albert's Chutney - and a smoked ham and cheese butty (try the German smoked hams from Lidl - I kid you not!) always hits the spot. Team your filling with a roll as opposed to a sandwich and it'll keep better throughout the morning - nice big sub or ciabatta.

You'll also need your crisps and a choc bar (if you're a fat boy) or your side salad and Ryvita (if you're not) and it's the anticipation of these pleasures to come that makes a brought lunch so exciting :-)

Let's be hearing from you - what's your favourite filling? what comes after the sandwich? Oh, and what to drink? I favour a chocolate Yazoo or a Juicy Water myself.

Luncheon Is Cancelled

2009-01-26T17:02:00.011Z

There's something fishy going on in the area's restaurants, and I don't mean cockaleekie. My folks wanted to book a table for lunch this coming Friday - they tried Truffles, Oddballs, Montparnasse, 8 King's Road - and none of them are open for business. In fact they were told that 8 King's Road is closed for a few weeks, and it seems that Oddballs only opens on Saturdays (?) Truffles and Montparnasse said they'd consider opening (for a party of 4?) and in the end they booked at the American Bar...sorry...AbarBistro!

Not sure if the recession's hitting our favourite restaurants, but it looks like lunch may be off the menu at some of the city's best eateries. I'll keep you posted, but if any of you have similar experiences then please let me know.

New Look

2009-01-23T16:41:00.008Z

A new year and a new look for Cuisine de Pompey. It's still work in progress, but we need to change the format from time to time. It also means I can take advantage of the new Blogger widgets, so from the sidebar you can subscribe to CdP, answer various surveys to help us keep on track, read my Twitter entries, and become a 'Follower'. Press those buttons now!

La Piazzetta

2009-01-20T12:03:00.004Z

We met up with a friend just before Christmas who was visiting his mother in Petersfield, and fancying a trip out of Portsmouth we decided to eat at La Piazzetta in that fair town. The fact is that Portsmouth and Southsea no longer sports a traditional Italian restaurant, with the exception of the Pizza House in Hilsea, which is a pretty expanded place these days and lacks the intimacy you associate with a trattoria; so if the owners of La Piazzetta ever consider expanding southwards we'll welcome them with open arms.

When it's full, La Piazzetta is intimate, but that's part of the charm and doesn't detract from the experience. The staff are friendly and efficient, and during a full service 2 days before Christmas we were given due care and attention. The food is exactly what you want from a local trat, and we went very traditional with the antipasti - cocktail di gamberetti, calamari fritti, and caprese - the calamari was tender and light, just as it so rarely is. Mains of salmon pasta, risotto primavera (with asparagus, sun dried tomato, spinach) and vitello funghi were happily devoured, although the vitello was slightly disappointing, with chewy veal and a too rich sauce.

We had one bottle of vino and that was the house red, a Barbera Piemonte, at £11.95, medium bodied with soft tannins and plums on the palate. You need no more than this to accompany such wonderfully simple food. With water, two coffees (good expresso) and tip, the bill came in just north of £70 which is pretty good old fashioned value.

It would be wonderful to have La Piazzetta in Southsea - perhaps nestled somewhere near The Strand for a brisk walk from my house - but until that day it's only 20 minutes to Petersfield, there's ample parking in The Square, and you won't be disappointed that you made the trip. Buon Appetito!

La Piazzetta, 2 The Square, Petersfield, Hants. tel. 01730 260006

CdP Score - 8.0/10

ABarBistro

2008-12-22T13:21:00.005Z

ABarBistro is the new moniker for what was the American Bar. It doesn't float easily off the tongue, nor does it do anything particularly for the image of this once-excellent Old Portsmouth staple. The 'New England' rebrand looks a lot more interesting on their website than it does in real life, but the simplicity of the decor sits well with the ambiance of the pub (?)

I was there with a group from work, and like many other local restaurants at this time of year (eg King's Road) the menu on offer was limited. Starters are £5 (exception of garlic bread. olives etc) and mains £13, and with pudding I paid £23 - no coffee - which I thought was high for what was on offer. I started with a souffled smoked haddock mousse - forgettable, bland - followed by a decent salmon en croute with a dribbling of dill sauce, a small handful of potatoes and a few carrots - c'est tout! In the old 'American Bar' days the veg came in quantity and was served separately, so we weren't impressed by this new-found veg stringency - ok I know there's an economic meltdown, but we weren't paying austerity prices.

What was the pudding? Oh, creme brulee, which was good enough but too rich and creamy and lacking in subtlety.

The chosen wine was very nice, a good Julienas at £14 - and that was that really - I'd had an okay meal. But I can remember the great days of the American Bar when we first landed in Old Portsmouth in the late 90's, and although it's always remained a good place to eat, I think the quality has diminished with every passing makeover. You can make up your own mind about this latest incarnation.

ABarBistro, 58 White Hart Road, Old Portsmouth, tel. 023 9281 1585

Bangkok Cafe

2008-11-28T14:22:00.004Z

Wednesday night was my first time at the Bangkok Cafe, accompanied by three old colleagues from work. Mrs CdP has been many a time with her mum cronies, yet I'd only ever had a takeaway, so I was looking forward to the meal and the novelty of bringing my own booze.

After a drink in the Wine Vaults (I can't warm to that place...not sure why...) we hauled an 8 pack of Belgian beer and a bottle of Macon Blanc across the street to a relatively busy Bangkok Cafe. It's a nice eclectic mix of Thailand, the Tyrol and a Victorian Albert Road shop, what with Thai fixtures and fittings, Swiss chalet woods, and nice old fireplaces from its bygone days - but it's decidedly comfortable and friendly, with plenty of light and space to park yourself and your vat of bring-your-own Vodka, if that's your idea of an aperitif.

But the food...the food! I started with 6 big fat steamy dim sum of pork, water chestnut and prawn in a dipping sauce, and I would happily eat these every night until I'm 80. I followed up with a King Prawn Gaeng Ped (red curry) that was hot yet subtle (but hot!) and a shared Pad Thai which was just right. This is the kind of food that you've been looking for on a cold November night.

A word of caution - bringing your own wine is still permissible, but we were told that beer's no longer a bring your own option, though they let our beer drinkers off this time. Another word of caution - if you're worried about turning into a three-eyed sci-fi nightmare then watch out for the GM warnings on the menu.

I loved the food; I loved the fact that I had to drink a whole bottle of Macon by myself; I will return with haste!

Bangkok Cafe, 64-66 Albert Road, Southsea, tel. 023 9242 9922

Virtual Wine Appreciation Society

2008-11-28T13:18:00.010Z

We have a social networking website at work, which is used to engender a sense of community amongst teams spread far and wide - it's an opportunity to share interests, form clubs and communicate with like-minded individuals - not exactly Facebook but a nice, gentle corporate tool.

Within the organisation I work for we've started a (virtual) wine appreciation society. The idea is to share wines we've tried and liked, encourage new directions, and discuss the consequences on a Monday morning. The most successful idea to date is the weekend wine tasting - someone suggests a bottle to try over the weekend, then it's critiqued the following week, and the results stored in tables on-line (eg. New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs)

So far we've tried the following easy to find supermarket wines (I've only added my tasting notes, as they're the only ones I can vouch for) :

Campo Viejo Crianza (most majors £6) - I find this wine pretty lifeless at the best of times, and no change for this tasting; thin, young, probably better off cooled for a summer evening ( a Rioja?) Not my bag.

Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 (majors, about £6.99) - A classic choice in CdP land if you're a regular reader; big tasty cherry and berry on the palate, soft wood and vanilla on the nose... though I felt that this vintage was too hot (slightly stewed) and wasn't that happy with it.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (majors, £7.99) - Nice big Sauv Blanc, and if you like New World fruitfulness - gooseberry, passion fruit - then this is a great example. I don't, so back to the Loire for me!

Finca Las Moras Black Label Shiraz 2005 (Co-op £6) - Didn't get to try this one! Co-op £9.99 down to £6. By all accounts a bit of a belter, with big tannins and spice. Must look out for it.

Finca Flichman Oak Aged Reserva Shiraz 2005 (Waitrose £6.49) - Juniper and blackcurrant, slightly austere on the palate; not nice on the nose at first, all fruits and fizz, but 2nd day came out with tobacco and leather, some cloves. Much much better opened up for a good long while.

CUNE (or CVNE) Rioja Crianza 2005 (Sainsbury, £7.99) This weekend's wine, but we know this one well, don't we? Consistently excellent Rioja from this superior producer. Crianza is good for hearty dishes such as Lancashire Hotpot, but Riservas / Gran Riservas amazing and waiting for your steak au poivre and Potato Dauphinoise.

So it's fun, but I'm considering upping the ante around Christmas. I've already dropped Chateau Musar into the conversation, and perhaps a splash on a Bordeaux (2nd wine of Leoville-Barton for example) could catch fire? The interesting thing is, most of the people involved are normally hooked into Australian Shiraz or blends - hey, maybe it's time for Penfold Grange!

The Harrow Inn

2008-11-04T12:04:00.004Z

Took the day off last Thursday to play golf with my Dad and old pal Richard up at Petersfield. This is no golf blog so I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say that off the tee and the fairway things were spicy, but very bland around the greens. It was a beautiful autumn day, smelling of Halloween and mellow fruitfulness, and we had plenty of time for lunch at one of the county's most unspoilt pubs, The Harrow Inn, near Steep.

The Harrow really is unspoilt - two small bars, one Tudor and the other a 'modern' Victorian addition - serve beer straight from the barrel (Ringwood, Bowmans, Hopback, etc) and truly homemade food, cooked 'on solid fuel Rayburn and electric cookers, strictly no microwaves' according to the website (not too traditional for web based communications though) Two golfers had lentil and vegetable soup with chunks of bread as big as the divots we churned up on the course, whilst the other had freshly cooked hot Scotch eggs with salad, followed by apple and blackberry pie with clotted cream. Hole in one, etc!

The Harrow sits in beautiful countryside, but it's been cut off from Petersfield by the A3M motorway and can be a challenge to find, although their website provides comprehensive directions. Alas, it's strictly no children inside, as the bars are bars and don't have restaurant status. Alas? No, this is a pub for grown-ups, golfers, ramblin' men (and women) and should be approached on an autumn or winter's day with a healthy appetite and a sense of history. The Harrow's been in the same family since 1929 - and the fixtures and fittings since 1729 by the looks of it - and long may it remain a beacon for traditional English pub values.

The Harrow Inn, Steep, nr Petersfield, Hampshire, tel 01730 262685

West Dean Apple Festival

2008-10-28T21:35:00.003Z

The Apple festival was good news all round really. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos, and the sights and smells were what made it such a nice place to be. The orchards and walled gardens are amazing, growing fruit of all sorts, including over 70 varieties of apples, but also chillies and huge cabbages and suchlike. We bought a kilo or two of Bramleys and made a big sticky apple crumble the following Sunday.

There were cooking demonstrations, plenty of food stalls and lots of kid's activities - the Sussex Barn Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of the photographer Lee Miller, which is pretty stunning - and West Dean's worth a visit whether there's an event or not.

Amongst all the fruit and fol-de-rol I found a stall selling spiced apple juice, which I can't resist in the colder months, so I thought I'd try out a recipe of my own :

1 litre of good quality (non-concentrate) apple juice
100ml water
3 star anise
3 cloves
1 or 2 crumbled cinnamon sticks
touch of nutmeg?
1 sliced lemon

Heat in a pan till hot but not boiling, then leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Try a few variations until you get it as you want it, and I'll bet it's nice with an added tot or two of Calvados!

Aubergine

2008-10-28T20:52:00.003Z

I've been lax on the blogging front lately - it's over a month since we went to Aubergine in Albert Road, so I hope I can remember the little nuances that left us feeling it was worth a return visit.

First of all I liked the name, with its echoes of Gordon Ramsey and its nice street frontage. I'm not a great fan of Albert Road - which is obviously heresy in these times of "Love Albert Road" days blah blah - so I'm grateful for anything that makes the place look / smell better, and Aubergine is a little beacon of welcome in the wilderness. Inside it's nice and simple, and intimate enough without being claustrophobic; the staff are friendly and informative, and the menu boasts the usual suspects along with some slightly more eclectic choices - by no means is this the Madhuban, but they have their specials, including Bengal fish (machher) which I also spotted at Memories of India the other week, and hear that it's well worth trying when you find it.

As it's so long ago Mrs CdP can't remember the name of her dish, but it was supposed to be lamb and they changed it to chicken for her, it was fairly hot and definitely delicious. I made a very unadventurous choice of King Prawn Tikka Masalla, which was creamy and spicy and had plenty of nice fat prawns swimming happily around the dish. Starters were good too (what were they? I had a sheek kebab I think) and they came all artistically dressed up around the plate, just like Gordon would do it.

We said at the time that the food was up there in the top quartile of Southsea Indian restaurants, but obviously we need to go back and check out the more esoteric dishes, and write them up slightly quicker than this - sorry to waste your time and all - but if you're looking for a classier kind of curry joint to sup in, then Aubergine's a good bet.

Aubergine, 93 Albert Road, Southsea, 023 9282 0116

West Dean Gardens Apple Fair

2008-09-23T12:19:00.003+01:00

Advance warning of the West Dean Gardens apple fair on 11 & 12 October. We've never been to the apple fair but we wandered around West Dean Gardens earlier this year, and it's a beautiful place to visit after a long Sunday lunch. I'm always on the lookout for apple jelly and American style applejack, just in time for mulling at Halloween, so this is the place to be.

You could always have lunch at The Fox Goes Free in Charlton, just down the road. See you there!

Memories of India

2008-09-22T12:59:00.002+01:00

It's just as well we booked a table, as Memories of India was buzzing on Saturday night. It's a big restaurant with a big car park, but we struggled to park and we'd have left empty handed if we hadn't reserved.

Sited just off the old A27 Portsmouth to Chichester road at Bosham, the restaurant consists of the original building and a large glass extension overlooking the road. The view from the conservatory is quite cool, as it reminds me of restaurants in the US, which are often situated off highways in their own 'lots', and I fancied that the cars driving by were pick-ups on a beer run, or families in their Chevy's and Buicks on their way to the Red Lobster (now that's a US chain restaurant I wouldn't mind seeing in the UK, along with Crackerbarrel!)

Memories of India didn't disappoint. The menu is reasonably standard, especially the starters, but it still has room for a number of interesting recommendations. We kicked off with two times dahl soup, an onion bhaji and a sheek kebab - decent portions competently cooked, but perhaps no better than those found in most other good quality Indian restaurants. The main courses were much more interesting. One of our party had a well executed vegetable Biriyani, and Mrs CdP had a nice hot chicken Dhansak, but the focus was on the two Goan dishes - Jingha Bahari and Murgh Bahari.

The Bahari is the sauce - which was billed as 'rich, spicy, sweet, tangy', and to be fair it lived up to that description - the Jingha denotes king prawn, and the Murgh is chicken. Those prawns were huge and you got three of these freaks of nature on a platter. They were tasty enough but honestly, their size put me off, and the texture in the middle was a bit too smooth and scallop-like for me. However, both these dishes were interesting, and all four main meals were well above the average.

It took some time for the main courses to arrive - I know they were busy but it was the best part of an hour - but we weren't in any rush, and it was nice to spend time in company. Service was good, slightly perfunctory, a little bit rushed at the beginning, but nothing to worry about. I'd like to try MofI at a quieter time, maybe on a week night, and see how the service and experience differs, but we recommend you give it a try, especially if you have a designated driver, as there's no other way to get there other than by yacht!

Memories of India, Main Rd (A259), Bosham, Chichester, West Sussex, 01243 572234 (or book on line)

AllRecipes Website

2008-09-18T14:43:00.005+01:00

I was contacted earlier this week by the marketing people behind allrecipes, a new food and recipes website recently launched in the UK. Looks like fun, and they're currently running a competition to win £100 of groceries.

Just need to mention that CdP is not responsible for the external sites we link to, their contents or their competitions. We merely point you towards interesting food related sites, and the rest is between you and them.

Suffolk & The Lakes

2008-09-01T12:56:00.005+01:00

This year's jaunt to East Anglia, followed by a few days in the Lake District, didn't yield a great deal of culinary blogging. We spent a week in an ancient cottage amongst the combine harvesters, somewhere between Halesworth and Bungay, and we didn't eat out much, but there were a couple of notable foodie experiences amongst the Fens.

We discovered a great deli-come-bistro in the market town of Beccles, called 'Baileys' - run by a Spanish family, it stocks a good selection of meats and cheeses from Iberia and beyond, and has an amazing selection of rare and single vineyard Spanish wines, mostly at the higher price scale. They operate this part of the business as BaileysWines, which is an offshoot from the deli. Food upstairs is daytime only, but amongst good paninis and soups there were a number of Spanish dishes, like a bean and chorizo dish with pork belly and a very dark, aromatic sausage I can't remember the name of!

Fish and Chips was provided by the Promenade Cafe on Southwold Pier (see left) We arrived in Southwold just after Gordon Broon left, so we didn't get the chance to compare culinary notes. Huge, delicious portions of haddock and chips eaten in a force 10 gale, or so it seemed, but excellent Adnams is provided to warm you up (the brewery's in town)

And that was about it for Suffolk. I'm sure there are a number of fantastic eateries, but with two kids and the necessity to get them to bed at a reasonable time, eating in was the better option.

I've covered our trips to the Lake District before - we stay at the wonderful Lyzzick Hall Hotel just outside of Keswick, where again Spanish wine is king and the food's never short of excellent (see posting from Sep '06)

This visit we tried four wines from their selection, all outstanding.

Pata Negra Gran Reserva (Valdepenas) 2002 - we've had this before and it never fails to impress; a nice big wine for food with lots of toasty wood and subtle fruit. £114 per case from Everywine

Alabanza Crianza (Rioja) 2004 - from Bodegas Alejos, this is a very up-front modern Rioja that doesn't veer too far from the traditional. Spices, vanilla, great to drink with or without food. 2001 available from Barrels and Bottles @ £9.35 a bottle

Alabanza Reserva (Rioja) 2001 - softer, more complex, rich and smooth. Fantastic wine. Again from B&B at £12.89 a bottle

Dogajolo IGT Toscana Rosso (Carpineta) - excellent value mini super Tuscan from Carpineta, up there with Antinori's IGT Rosso. £57 per half case from Everywine

Weather and petrol prices might conspire against a holiday in the UK, but, with 5 million of us choosing to do so this year, there's never a shortage of variety. However we'd better take advantage of the US$ before it firms against the Pound! Roll on next hols!

Mozzarella Joes

2008-07-30T11:38:00.005+01:00

Mozzarella Joe's Californian-style pizza and pasta joint used to be the Blue Oasis, a strange half-bar, half-canteen with Karaoki, situated on one of the best stretches of coastline in the south. We often commented that if only this strange hybrid would morph into a half-decent eatery it could clean up, as there are no other restaurants - barring Rocksby's Cafe - directly on the beachfront.

The food gods must have heard us and opened up Joe's.

The view from the extensive patio area is one of the best in Southsea - the IOW hovercraft glides in and out on one side, straight ahead is the Solent in all its yachting glory, and on the other side is the beach. Fortunately the food is also very good, the service friendly and efficient, and the prices not bad at all; so everything's in harmony - sun, sea, shingle, pizza, and beer. We had pizzas all round and they were well above par - my 'Texas BBQ' (unavailable in Naples!) came with shredded pork, meatballs, mushrooms and red onions, using the same BBQ sauce as my starter chicken wings. Best of all the base was not too thin or too thick, too crispy or too soft. Their pizza oven does the job well.

2 starters, 3 pizzas, 3 Peroni's, and a couple of glasses of squash came in at £40, which isn't bad considering the quality, decent service and the beachside ambiance. Great for families, highly recommended by this one, and all set for a repeat visit while the summer's still baking away here in the south. I recently picked up a copy of Dennis Wilson's 'Pacific Ocean Blue', perfect music for the stereo at MJ's when you're waxing down your surfboard, watching the bushy bushy blonde hair-do's, and wishing they all could be Californian Girls. Get gnarly, hang 10, and be amped about this shack dude, etc.

The Taswell Arms

2008-07-28T12:10:00.004+01:00

We very rarely go to pubs in town, and when we do it's normally back to our old stomping ground of Old Portsmouth (The Dolphin or the Still & West, sometimes the Wellington) or to the Wine Vaults in Albert Road. Unfortunately we need to drive to OP, and even the Vaults is a bit of a fag to get to, except on warm summer evenings. However, the Taswell Arms is very near our daughter's school, and therefore less than 10 minutes walk from our house. Mrs CdP attended a PTA meeting there a few week's ago and pronounced it acceptable, so I wandered up there with my pal Jan Jan the ex-Fireman last week.

The 'Tassie' is a classic Southsea corner boozer, much given to local use, and has retained its character pretty well. The outside is probably unchanged since its origins in the late C19 while the inside is pleasant and spacious, kind of old world proper mixed with old world 'moderne'. We drank Summer Lightening which was in very good condition.

Few were indoors on this warm summer evening, so we sat on the Taswell Rd side, on a table behind the little retaining wall (see pic borrowed graciously from the Portsmouth Pubs excellent website). One drawback was the addition of some loud sweary types, but hey! it's a local pub in Southsea, so it's hard to complain. I'm sure we'll return on future occasions, and the walkability factor makes it more attractive - maybe a future post could cover all pubs within a 10 minute radius of Craneswater!

We Are Three Today!

2008-07-14T11:47:00.002+01:00

Happy Third Birthday to Cuisine de Pompey, and thanks to all of our regular readers who make the hard slog of sampling good, bad and indifferent food and wine worth the while. Somebody has to do it for the common good...

Montparnasse

2008-07-11T14:28:00.009+01:00

We couldn't get a booking at Montparnasse on our 13th wedding anniversary back in March, so we booked early to celebrate my parent's Golden Anniversary earlier this month - you really need to call at least a week in advance, as the restaurant quickly filled, even on a nondescript Thursday evening in early July.

The interior's had a make-over since our last visit a few year's back, and the new look is classy, cool and contemporary, if slightly formal; but any formality is overlayed with friendly and professional front of house staff, including co-owner John Saunders who steers the ship effortlessly throughout the evening. His partner, chef and co-owner Kevin Bingham, is a fine cook, but he also has an attention to detail that comes from a love of the job and knowledge of the craft, which became apparent as we worked our way through the menu.

So what did Kevin cook and John facilitate for us last Thursday night?

Peach and pomegranate champagne cocktails kicked off procedings - sur la maison - in commemoration of the big anniversary (Mrs CdP and Mrs Bingham know each other from various mummy groups, so thanks to Sophie for remembering the celebration) along with amuses bouches of hummus, olives, mayonnaise dip and melba toasts. The menu was a teaser, and we were hard-pressed to rule anything out, finally settling on smoked haddock soup, smoked duck, wild mushroom risotto (with cocoa!) and a special mini-breakfast starter - fried quail's egg, crostini, Italian ham, home-made baked beans - attention to detail! No-one was disappointed - soup, duck and breakfast (see pic) were pronounced excellent, and the cocoa in the risotto was just enough to set off a chain reaction of flavours in the mouth.

Main courses were two times fillet steak and Kobe beefburger, a fish dish with a fruit and chilli dressing (sorry, can't remember if it was sole or sea bass, or some other) and 24 hour cooked belly of pork. I tried a mouthful each of the Kobe and the fillet, and they were perfectly done, medium rare - Kobe is beef from Wagyu cattle, reared in a certain way (including beer in their diet) very tender and with a distinct flavour. My pork belly was spoonfully good, although slightly fattier than I'd have liked.

The desserts were right up there with the starters and mains, with a distinction for the '20 minute wait' chocolate pudding - rich sponge with a depth of dark sticky chocolate within - and the 'special anniversary edition' creme brulee (see left)

So, Montparnasse's food is some of the best in town, but just perhaps, and maybe just for now, we'll concede 8 King's Road as the brand leader by the shortest hair - I had a similar pork dish there, and it had the edge. However, the overall experience of Montparnasse puts it ahead for service, for atmosphere, and for creativity. Eating here isn't something you'll regret - even at £200 for four, although that included a very decent Mercurey and a good bottle of Muscadet - but you'd certainly regret paying that kind of money and not leaving with a spring in your step and a warm feeling everywhere else. Pas problem a Montparnasse!

Sticky Fingers

2008-06-16T11:49:00.008+01:00

<--Daughter #2 holds down some chords at Stickies

Pass the 'Brown Sugar' please...

Bill Wyman's Sticky Fingers restaurant (or 'Stickies' to its habituees) is a great place to take the kids for lunch. A decade or so back this would've been a surreal statement if uttered by myself or the Notting Hill singletons I'd regularly spend my week-ends with. 'Stickies' was one of a few 'wind down' eateries we would frequent on lazy Sunday afternoons, shooting the breeze over a Sticky Burger and relaxing with a pitcher of Margueritas as we dissected the previous night's (in)action. The fact that we were die-hard Stones fans made it all the more desirable - 'Wild Horses' couldn't drag us away'!

Ah but how times have changed. I entered Stickies yesterday lunchtime as a dad of two, with so many other dads who I imagine may also have spent their last flush of pre-marital Sundays here over a few beers with their mates. Now we asked for high chairs and sent our children to get their faces painted (free...nice touch)

What hasn't changed much is the decor - Bill's old guitars, signed album covers, Stones memorabilia, same tables and chairs - and of course the menu. Which is no bad thing, because, like the Stones themselves, Stickies does what it does best and keeps on keeping on doing it. Great burgers, amazingly tasty ribs and barbecue (just like BB King's in Memphis...without the live music) big salads with great dressings, sticky puddings, and even a kid's menu that supplies a deal of interest for younger musicians. My wife and her mate Julie had salads of various hues, pronounced very good with excellent dressings etc, whilst eldest daughter had spaghetti and a 'Sticky Sundae' off the kid's menu. I couldn't resist the ribs & chicken BBQ combo with chips (too few sadly) and great 'slaw. The BBQ was, well, sticky and unctuous and delicious, washed down with a couple of beers. No desserts, just coffees, and the bill came in at £64 which is fine for big portions in London W8 . Children's menu at £7.50 is probably a bit steep, but the portions again were of a good size, though that's not always relevant for kids.

So, as the song says (written by me I have to admit)

"Every day's like a day in June
We're going to Stickies on a Sunday afternoon
Don't want to to get drunk too soon"

Gmaj to Cmaj x2 then to Am to C to G...awright Keef I think you've got it man...!

Bill Wyman's Sticky Fingers, Phillimore Gardens (off Ken High St) London W8, 0207 9385338

Loire Whites, German Riesling & Bargain Beaujolais

2008-06-09T20:23:00.005+01:00

It's been a while since we last discussed wines found, loved, loathed, or just liked, and now that the weather's taking a nice turn, what better time to discuss white wine from the Loire?

My tastes in reds and whites are turning towards the lighter side - Loire, Beaujolais, Burgundies - and I've pretty much given up worrying about New World wines - with big exceptions, sure, but I know that in the realms of reality wine drinking it'll take a hundred bottles' worth of attempts just to discover one gem, when all I have to do is point myself south-west of Paris for instant happiness.

And so to Majestic - who always do well with the French regions - where I picked up two more than reasonable Loire whites at reasonable prices.

Pouilly-Fume 'Les Cascadelle' 2007 (£9.99 or £7.99 for 2 or more bottles) is a cooperative produced Pouilly with the right amount of classic Sauvignon Blanc qualities, albeit catering slightly more to the New Zealand 'gooseberry' model, but with a backbone of dry mineral bite. This is a pretty good price for a P-F, especially the twofer offer. Tried with a seafood crepe and it worked very well.

Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine 'Chateau La Touche' 2006 (£5.99) is a bargain. Nice 'sur lie' floweriness, musty on the palate, but fresh too. Has a slightly decayed aftertaste, but for the money this is a good example of a wine that's somewhat forgotten and unfashionable (?) Serve it very cold and it's good with fish, cheese and grapes (not all at once).

I picked up a brace of (take a deep breath) Wehrener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett (Weingut Hauth Kerpen) 2004 from the Mosel-saar-Ruwer region. I'm so interested in German wines, mainly because I know next to nothing about them. This is an off-dry 7.5% Riesling with plenty of complexity - slightly lacking in acidity, but flavourful and fruity - and perhaps it's actually more off-sweet than off-dry to palates unused to this style of wine. Chill it down and drink as an aperitif before dinner, or with some smoked cheese. Quality German wine is an acquired taste, and without doubt a whole new wine hobby spreads out before me!

Back to reds for a minute. I'm really enjoying decent Beaujolais Villages - Georges duBoeuf BV 2006 @ circa £7.50 is a perfect example, and I was really taken by Asda's 'Extra Special' Villages, under a Fiver and even better on day two after opening - light, complex, smooth, but with backbone. Nothing to dislike here. A summer house wine.

Rosie's Vineyard

2008-05-08T14:44:00.007+01:00

Rosie's has been a Southsea institution since 1983 - famous for its relaxed ambiance and live jazz, it's also one of the very few places open for food on a Sunday night, so we took Mrs. CdP's sister and b-in-law there last weekend. We hadn't been to Rosie's for ages, but after 25 years of continuous operation we suspected it would be much the same.

And so it proved - although recently under new management the house style remains very much in place. If you're in a slightly grumpy mood, feel the need for a bottle of wine and quiet conversation, then don't go to Rosie's! If you don't mind lots of ambient noise, an eclectic clientèle of (recently graduated) students, sparkly dressed girls, bohos and middle aged geezers just like you vying for bar and elbow space, and you're feeling relaxed with the world, then sit yourself down sir!

Fortunately we were in the latter category, and our table next to the bar, complete with said boho ex-student sparkly geezers, was an intimate place to be. No matter, as the wine list is interesting enough (smaller and much more expensive than it needs to be though) and a bottle of current CdP wine of choice, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, fuelled the bonhomie - along with a glass of Crowded House sauv blanc for S-i-L.

Starters were good all round - mezzes, tomato and pepper soup, pork and goose rillette. Mains consisted of their classic Beef Wellington (very rich jus, very garlic potatoes, heap of indigestion) and chicken wrapped in Parma (bit crispy). Puddings were exceptional - sticky brioche pudding in maple syrup, big chewy chocolate brownie, creme brulee. No qualms about the food whatsoever - very good bistro+ cuisine - cooked and displayed well. Not a huge menu but rather that than try to be over-ambitious like so many others.

£130 for 4 without a tip, but included a bucket of bread, coffees, teas, and a Courvoisiere. Not cheap, but the wine was £20 of that, and a nice example it was too.

In conclusion, Rosie's Vineyard is highly recommended, but choose your moment well and don't go if you haven't got a smile on your face and a tolerance for your fellow man.

CdP Score = 8.5/10

Dublin

2008-05-07T21:01:00.000+01:00

The Easter schools holidays gave us an opportunity to spend three nights in Dublin, a city I've visited for work but never just for fun. Despite the usual rigmaroles at Heathrow - shoes off, bags emptied, buggies collapsed and children close harnessed - we finally boarded our BMI flight to Dublin with great expectations.

(Oscar Wilde in Merrion Square)

Sadly, great expectations were dashed when Mrs. CdP came down with the worst tummy bug this side of Tipperary and was confined to the hotel room from Wednesday evening to Friday morning, and even then she only surfaced through dogged determination not to miss every day of the holiday. So it was left to me to search out and report back on Dublin's culinary delights as best I could with a 5 y/o and a 1 y/o in tow.

We stayed at the Ballsbridge Inn & Towers, in leafy Dublin 4, which is the old Jurys hotel reopened whilst waiting redevelopment. Full information on D4 website. I liked it. Although it's positioning itself as a luxury hotel at budget prices (i.e. no frills, no breakfast included, etc) the amenities were fine, rooms were large and well-fitted, the Dubliner pub served excellent food and provided good service (ice supplies, free bananas for baby) and the location's great if you have kids and don't want to be bang in the city centre. It's an easy walk to Trinity / Grafton St, and the number 7 bus takes you into town in 5 minutes, while Ballsbridge itself is full of great restaurants, bars, and the wonderful Herbert Park for walks and swings.

Obviously food and drink reporting can only be rudimentary, but here are a few discovered highlights.

Eddie Rockets City Diner - apparently there are 25 of these franchised throughout Ireland, and now the UK. The original South Anne St diner, just off Grafton St, was our Thursday lunch stop, and provided hot dogs, hamburgers and chips for eldest daughter and me, and a child's sausages & mash (a la The Three Bears) for baby. Similar in style and execution to the great Ed's Easy Diner in London, but food perhaps not as authentically '50s Americana. Still, great for kids and incredibly busy. I have a soft spot for retro diners!

Al Boschetto - in Merrion Rd, Ballsbridge. We managed to entice Mrs CdP out of her sickbed on Friday night for food and sustenance. Al Boschetto is a deceptively large trattoria serving great quality Italian food - authentic tasting pizzas, fresh pasta and sauces, and a handy half bottle of Valpolicella for non-sick husbands, and we left feeling well catered for. Modern Italian surroundings, good service and a varied menu make this the kind of restaurant you wish you could find in every town.

Roly's Bistro - 7, Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin 4. An institution in Dublin, we had breakfast here on the Saturday morning we left - which was a fine full Irish concoction (well, for me anyway!) and it has a very interesting and eclectic menu of modern Irish and world cuisine. Looking forward to a return visit under better circumstances.

The French Paradox - 53 Shelbourne Rd, Ballsbridge. I 'discovered' this fantastic wine shop and winebar while out with eldest daughter, searching for a wine to take to my friend Melanie's, who was hosting us for dinner that night (sadly without Mrs CdP) An incredible selection of producer-sourced wines from all over France, a wine bar selling dozens of wines by the glass alongside charcuteries, etc, and a dining room above. I wanted to stay - my daughter wanted to play in the park - she won!

We made the tiniest scratch on the Dublin food surface, but we'll be back to experience all that this fantastic city, with its wonderful friendly people, has to offer. And we didn't even get to the Guinness brewery - we saw it from the tour bus that we caught so Mrs CdP could get a feel for Dublin - but it's true that the black stuff tastes better over there than it does in Blighty, which is another compelling reason to return.

(Guinness Storehouse)

Bangkok Spize

2008-04-25T17:05:00.001+01:00

Mrs CdP gets out and about while CdP stays home.

I was already irritated by the spelling, but as the sister restaurant to the consistently reasonable Bangkok Café in Albert Road we gave it a try last time the Mummy Massive went out. The menu is the same, you still have the option to take your own wine, and the food is well priced for what you get.

But the atmosphere is lacking - a bit too bright, open and café-like and not much Thai sparkle. I left wondering if this is what an updated Wimpey bar in Athens might look like.

Truffles (again)

2008-03-27T11:42:00.003Z

We tried to book a table at Montparnasse for our wedding anniversary , but nothing available on Easter Saturday, so we booked into Truffles (just for a change!) Quite disappointed about Montparnasse, as I've heard such good things, but we'll try again soon.

I've reviewed Truffles too many times, and wasn't planning to do so...but......

They've changed their chef and the old fixed price dinner menu has gone! We're all a la carte now. Wine list is different too. Gone is the 95% French selection, replaced with an international list that isn't particularly interesting - we ended up with a Chianti Classico that was just okay.

The food was excellent as always - 12 lovely snails in garlic oil (although the fried bread that went with it was over greasy) and a tasty trio of salmon for starts, then stuffed pork loin medallions and a very tender smoked fillet of beef. One change certainly for the better is the provision of an expresso machine - they didn't have room for one in the old days, but expansion into the bistro next door has brought good coffee in its wake

Still highly recommended by CdP. Plus ca change, plus la meme choses!

The Tiffin Room

2008-02-29T12:14:00.003Z

A review by Mrs. CdP

I'd go back to The Tiffin Room at the India Arms. Mind you, I don't get out much these days so would thank you for any old curry night.

We've sampled a fair few of Southsea's Indian restaurants and this makes a nice change. No kitsch tatt on the walls but it avoids feeling too canteeny c/o some rather lovely accessories that wouldn't be out of place at home. My chicken rajesthani with chillis, spinach and coconut milk was subtle but very tasty, we shared a fine selection of sides and rices, and my mangscho daka dihr (possibly misspelt) starter of whole egg coated with spiced minced lamb and deep fried ... well it was an Indian scotch egg, but again it was nicely cooked and presented. And the tamarind dip is a welcome alternative to lime pickle. It was pretty quiet for a Friday night and leaving at almost midnight we weren't that flattered by the comments of the clientele in the pub area but definitely one to try again.

(Editors note : the Tiffin Room is next door to the 'Hole in the Wall' pub, much recommended by anyone who's been there)

Tiffin Room at the India Arms, 30 Great Southsea St, tel. 023 92852971