Jamie's Kitchen

Where? Jamie's Kitchen (Oxford CBD, Oxford, England) Map Menu

When? Wednesday March 8, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Italian

I've been told by many people that English food is bland. I tried to keep an open mind when coming here but sad to say, this is mostly true. Finding good food seems to be difficult here. Chinese restaurants that I walk by have those gross food warmer trays filled with food cooked 8 hours ago, just simmering nicely for the salmonella smorgasbord special. Fish and chips from this pub in Brixton, London had no salt and even the tartare sauce was lacking in flavour. Steak from Leicester Square was average and I could have done better at home. It was almost inedible until I asked for mustard. And I take exception to not just the quality, but the price as well. Things are quite expensive here. Yum Cha is more expensive dollar-to-dollar than New Zealand! Of course this is not true for all establishments, just the majority of the ones I've tried. With so many celebrated chefs like Nigella and Gordon and Jamie, why is the food scene here so dreary?

Well, as he's lent his name and face to a host of restaurants, I thought I'd check out Jamie's Italian in Oxford CBD. I'm here before the dinner rush, so still eligible for the three course lunch menu special for £13.95

Antipasto

Silky Pâté Bruschetta - Italian chicken-liver pâté, pancetta, vin santo and Parmesan
A very generous serving of pate with some sliced pancetta to add saltiness. The pate is rich and creamy, with a pleasant smooth texture, and the cheese is subtle but adds to the richness. Good start!

Pasta

Oxtail Tagliatelle - Our freshly made pasta with a slow-cooked oxtail & Chianti ragù, topped with aged Parmesan & crispy rosemary
It smells good when it's placed in front of me. Rich and hearty, and a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan on top that starts to melt into the pasta. It's tasty, but perhaps the meat is slightly too salty. Other than that, the balance of flavours is very good - a touch of rosemary for that fresh herb taste, the sauce has plenty of wine and tomato and onion, and a little bit of cracked pepper on top and I'm very pleased. The meat is soft and falls apart nicely and the pasta is smooth and al dente. The portion might be a bit small, but it is quite rich.

Dessert

Tiramisu Pavlova - Coffee-rippled meringue topped with dark chocolate ice cream, smashed hazelnuts and hot chocolate sauce
I might not like coffee but I am a sucker for tiramisu at Italian restaurants. This however is a pavlova, the New Zealand national dessert, except it's been smashed into pieces and used as a base for this dessert. So not a pavlova. In fact it's not even really a tiramisu and doesn't really taste like one. It's not unpleasant but this is definitely the weakest course. The hazelnuts are my favourite thing about this.

So how did Jamie do?

Not too bad actually, this is one of the better meals I've had in England. There was flavour and texture, and it's reasonably priced as well. The only let down was the dessert, but it wasn't inedible, just not a tiramisu...or a pavlova. I would come here again - the prawn linguine sounds promising!

Posted by Jeremy at 2:42pm on Friday April 28, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

Old Iceland

Where? Old Iceland (Laugavegur, Reykjavik, Iceland) Map Menu

When? Thursday February 23, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Traditional Icelandic

I tried coming here a few days ago, but this small cosy restaurant was fully booked and had no space even for single diner me. I made a reservation and here I am, back again, hoping for a solid Icelandic meal experience.

Entree

Cured Salmon - picked cucumber, dill mayo, dulse and microgreens
Deliciously fresh, well seasoned and has that lovely acidity and sweetness from the cucumber pickle. The greens balance out the creamy sauce perfectly. Great starter!

Mains

Fillet of Lamb and Slow Cooked Shoulder - artichokes, carrots, beetroot, potatoes and demi-glace
Lots of well seasoned root vegetables and rich sauce with a swirl of cream, this is a classic winter dish. Very hearty and comforting given today's awful weather. The lamb is nicely cooked, pink in the middle, and is succulent and tender, but the fat could be rendered a bit more.

Dessert

Brownie - caramel sauce, roasted oats, vanilla ice cream and strawberries
Again, great comfort food, very homely. Decadent chocolate brownie with lots of fresh fruit to cut through that richness and oats for that added crunch. What looks like a slice of capsicum is actually a large strawberry. In hindsight, I should've ordered a dessert wine with this but I'm satisfied nevertheless.

The meal cost me 7990 ISK, or "$79.90", which is on par with how expensive everything is in Iceland, but I am quite full and happy to have had an enjoyable last meal here in Reykjavik.

Posted by Jeremy at 2:13pm on Friday April 28, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

The Food of Iceland

Food, like everything else here, is expensive. There is an abundance of seafood all year round, but Icelanders also pride themselves on lamb, as it is the most common farm animal. The national dish is the Kæstur hákarl (treated shark), which smells worse than a durian. The shark meat is fermented and cured, then dried for several months. Wikipedia says it has a "large amount of ammonia and has a strong smell, similar to many cleaning products" and a quick Google search reveals several blog posts about how it is "the worst thing I have ever eaten" or "the worst tasting food in the world". (Un)fortunately for me, I've run out of time to find hákarl, but as it is available all year round, I'm sure I'll be back to give it a go, at least once.

As it is winter as well, the meals are very traditional comfort foods; winter warmers with lots of rich, creamy sauces and soups, or plenty of root vegetables like potatoes, beetroot and carrots.

Here's a selection of what I've eaten so far:

Lobster & Stuff

Panfried Plaice a la Muniere with Canadian Lobster

Lemon, artichoke purée, white asparagus, crispy small potatoes and pickled green apples
The restaurant, Lobster & Stuff, has a wonderful quote from George Bernard Shaw on its outside wall - it reads "There is no sincerer love than the love of food." As I passed by, I immediately thought how great it would be to have lobster, and then had cravings for it as I was exploring the waterfront, so I returned after my short walk and settled in for the plaice and lobster.

Plaice is very common here. It's a simple fish, much like the New Zealand snapper, with a white, tender flesh. The lobster is solid as always, a rich, chunky piece of meat, with natural sweetness and saltiness. A few drops of the lime over the seafood and the dish is lip-smackingly good.

Gamla Vínhúsið

Minke Whale Steak

With pepper sauce, baked potato and vegetables
Yes I ate whale! This particular species is listed as "Not as Risk" by COSEWIC, and G5 by NatureServe, which means the species is secure on the global scale.

I'm surprised with the first bite. It tastes very much like red meat, but it is chewier and very lean. I was expecting something a bit fatty, with perhaps some fishiness to it. They've done a good job with the gravy and vegetables, and it's got that "winter warmer" feel to it. I'm impressed with the baked potato too.

Icelandic Skyr

With baked apple, caramel sauce and whipped cream
Skyr is a traditional Icelandic dairy dessert that is very much like yogurt, but lacks the sharp acidity - it's much milder than yogurt. The texture is very similar, almost bordering a consistency of custard. The pieces of spiced apple and cinnamon strewn through the dessert, and the gingerbread biscuit on top, makes this a pleasant dessert and a nice way to end the meal.

Kol

Soup of the Day: Sunchoke

I had to do a double take when the waiter said "sunchoke". It's more commonly known in New Zealand as the Jerusalem artichoke, but what was interesting for me here is the sourdough served in a cloth bag.

Charred Tuna

With watermelon, avocado, chilli and wasabi
Classic flavours here, but the wasabi is milder than I would have liked. The tuna is fresh and has a good bite to it, and a little sprinkling of nuts on the table gives the dish some crunch. I really like the slightly sweetness that the watermelon adds. I'm also amused by the odd plate, which cements my conclusion that I'm in one of Iceland's most hipster cafes.

Posted by Jeremy at 8:08pm on Friday February 24, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

Tempura Hisago

Where? Tempura Hisago (Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan) Map

When? Sunday February 5, 2017

Who? Solo Traveller Me

Food Style? Japanese Tempura

After another exhausting day, Amy has another recommendation for me. This time for tempura in Akihabara, inside a shopping mall, and it's a bit more foreigner-friendly than the last restaurant I wrote about. This one comes with a handy guide on how to eat tempura, and how to use the various condiments.

Base Set

I order a tasting menu. The base set comes with salad, rice, miso soup, and various saucers for the condiments available - tempura sauce, lemon and rock salt.

Shrimp Tempura

The tempura is light and crispy on the outside, with the seafood maintaining a good texture on the inside. This is very good quality, and doesn't feel oily at all. The lemon goes really well with the shrimp, giving it that familiar acidity and sweetness to accentuate what it already has.

Fish, Broccoli, Eggplant, Squid

The next batch arrives. The food is served slowly so that they remain hot and crispy, and it doesn't go soggy in between. There's also a tempura fish tail which I forgot to take a photo of; that's how delicious the food was.

Prawn Fritter, Pumpkin

The final batch, the largest of them all, arrives. The fritter is almost too cumbersome to pick up with my chopsticks but somehow I manage.

I got nine pieces of very good quality tempura for just 2750 yen. To be perfectly honest, it really isn't hard to find good food in Japan, and lots of places are quite friendly towards foreigners, especially since they are gearing up for the 2020 Olympics.

Posted by Jeremy at 7:59pm on Friday February 24, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

Nakameno Teppen

Where? Nakameno Teppen (Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan) Map

When? Saturday February 4, 2017

Who? Solo Traveller Me

Food Style? Japanese Grill

I was wandering around Shibuya and needed to look for a Lawsons to print out tickets to the Square Enix Cafe (which is a story in itself) but nearby was an assuming restaurant recommended by Amy via Taeblog. I'm told this is a traditional Japanese grill. I followed Google Maps to the location but I have no idea whether I was actually at the right place because there's no English signage. It's a very quiet street, pretty dark and deserted, but I know I'm in for an experience so nerves or not, I enter and am seated by the bar. The menu is in broken Engrish, so at least I know kinda what I'm eating.

I get asked what drink I want, and I'm not feeling like alcohol at the moment, especially since I'm so far away from everything, so I ask for a green tea, thinking I'll get something to warm me up. What I get given, however, is an ice cold green tea. Oh well.

I've ordered a flurry of things, and have to be told to stop, and that what I've got is enough for one person. While I'm waiting for the food, I'm watching the chefs cook, and it brings a smile to my face because I love watching food being prepared in traditional ways. I find it fascinating.

Appetiser

Chilled vegetables with cheesy miso sauce
I'm hungry and this is very tasty, so it vanishes quickly. You dip the vegetables into the sauce and have a good time.

Eggplant

The eggplant comes first and it is long. Really long. Juicy and tasty though, especially with the bonito flakes and soya sauce. The staff have limited English (but it is still better than my Japanese) but they manage to explain how to eat it to me.

Pumpkin

Delicious. Buttery and perfectly grilled, the pumpkin melts in your mouth, with a hint of smoke and crispiness at the edges.

Mackerel

The mackerel arrives and it's massive but I tuck in anyway. It's really tasty and fresh. Soft and delicate on the inside, crispy on the outside. I'm glad they told me to stop ordering because this is too much food, even for me.


I may be an ignorant foreigner, but my handywork with the chopsticks lets me pluck away at the flesh of the fish without disturbing the main bone like a pro.

Salmon

The salmon is last. It's a thin slice of meat, with mostly skin, but it's perfectly crispy and again, tasty and fresh.

I'm really struggling to finish but I refuse to bring shame upon my name and my family, so I power on and am victorious. I'm rewarded with a minted hot towel and a 4000 yen bill. For what I ate, that's not too bad. Two people could have had what I ate for the same price. As I leave, they give me a packet of miso soup for the morning. Arigato gozaimasu!

Posted by Jeremy at 7:46pm on Friday February 24, 2017 :: 0 comments ::