Sunday, February 24, 2008

Birthday lunch at the Manoir

My 30th, so off for lunch at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire


The four of us decided to go for the ten course tasting menu for lunch


A pre-starter of olives to limber up for the big event. The atmosphere was great - relaxed and friendly, and neither stuffy nor quiet as some fancy restaurants can be


Canapes included crab, parmesan crisps and a goats' cheese concoction

Salted and unsalted butter for each person to go with a choice of breads which included mashed potato bread


First proper dish was a tartare of langoustines, and was suitably delicate and amazingly flavoured. Some relief from around the table at this point as we realised that the dishes were suitably sized.


A confit of Landais foie gras with seville orange and sourdough. Foie gras was excellent, and went wonderfully with the oranges. On reflection afterwards, one of the best dishes we had.


While some had scallops, I had a salad of black truffles and baby onions. I was really impressed with the way the kitchen effortlessly dealt with all our little whims about what we could and couldn't eat!


By this point the dishes were starting to blend into one another in an excellent way - the pacing was perfect, and you had enough time to appreciate the dish that had just gone, without getting impatient for the next. This was a pached egg with mushrooms and Jerusalem artichokes.

Another memorable dish - Brill with a wasabi foam and an oyster. The sauce had a flavour I've only ever tasted with fish in very expensive restaurants, so I'm guessing it was something in the fish stock, but may never know. Any suggestions welcomed!


We moved onto a really good Chateau Vieux Sarpe 2000 at this point


A perfectly cooked piece of Gressingham duck with chicory and yuzu fruit to follow


And on to the dessert wines - a glass of Torcolato for me


The best dish of the day, albeit one of the simplest. A carpaccio of blood oranges with a blood orange sorbet


Technically very impressive, with great flavours - a fruit 'ravioli' with lime leaf and coconut sorbet. Great until you realised that they'd inadvertently replicated the exact flavour of a mango solero!


Final proper dish was an apple pie

Finished with fresh mint tea and fruit petits fours in the lounge.

An amazing meal, and a great experience. Cost was in a different league to almost any other restaurant, but then so was the food, and so was the experience.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Tartiflette

Frying off onions

Added pancetta, boiled potatoes, cheddar and parmesan

In the oven for half an hour

Served with a green salad
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Lunch in town

Lunch at Itsu sushi. Salmon Sashimi

Salmon nigiri

Tuna sashimi 'new style'

Duck with hoisin sauce
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Spanish chicken

Browning some organic chicken thighs

Chicken with potatoes, garlic, thyme and sherry
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Monday, February 18, 2008

Dinner

Bourdain's mignons de porc a l'ail with cabbage
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Breakfast

Scrambled eggs and bacon, fruit salad, tea, coffee, juice
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Dessert

Lemon and chocolate cheesecake
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Mezze

Tomato and feta salad

Babaganoush, houmous with ground lamb
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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentine's day dinner

Fillet steak in a cream, brandy and peppercorn sauce, served with lambs' lettuce and goose fat fried potatoes
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

A new London restaurant

Dinner at the Norfolk Arms near Kings Cross. We ate great food from the tapas menu. Tortilla, babaganoush and artichokes shown

Followed by sticky toffee pudding
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Curry

A pleasant, if not particularly photogenic curry, followed by a stunning coffee warmer
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Monday, February 11, 2008

Lunch with work

Lunch at an Italian restaurant in Ealing. Butternut squash ravioli
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Lamb chops for tea

Crisping the fat on some tasty lamb chops
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