Month: July 2009

Dinner was quite an unusual dish for me. Firstly, I took a large field mushroom (pictured) and removed the stem. I placed this upside-down on an oven tray, then covered the surface with Red Leicester cheese. On top of this, I put some green beans, which I’d sliced into...

I spent the other evening with a friend at a wine tasting at King’s Parade Wine Merchants. It started at 8pm on one of the hottest days of the year, and there was no air-conditioning in the shop. Instead, they had a rather weak fan, and only one, which...

I don’t know why I fool myself into thinking it’s a good idea, but I often do. Once again, I bought a wine that was intrinsically linked to Italy, it being Sicilian. I suppose the fact that it didn’t even say what grape it’s made from ought to have...

Alas no photographs as I did not take my phone charger on holiday with me! My brief 8 night stay in Venice got off to a delightful start when on the second night we had dinner at the Michelin starred restaurant of the Metropole hotel. Despite the menu being...

This was also a Colombard Chardonnay from 2007, but this time far, far better than the immediate previous one I mentioned. It’s called Lorimer, is also labelled ‘de Bortoli’ and is similarly from South Eastern Australia. It was 13%, so a dash stronger than the previous wine, and hadn’t...

Bushland Colombard Chardonnay from 2007 was something of a disappointment. I spent an extra pound on it compared with the usual selection from the same place, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. It was bland and dull, reminding me somewhat of wet cardboard. The strength was 12.5%...

It doesn’t take much to make a good salad except interesting ingredients, nicely balanced. This contained prosciutto (Italian ham) plus walnuts and a very creamy gorgonzola cheese. Also featured were red peppers, cherry tomatoes, raw onon and rocket (but not too much of it). It looked appetizing and tasted...

I was walking from James Street off Oxford Street towards the Cork and Bottle in Leicester Square to sample some decent white wine after a disappointing chenin blanc. Who should I encounter saitting on a bench at the side of the street but these two guys! I didn’t disturb...