New York: lunch at the Spotted Pig.

Well, actually, it didn't quite turn out like that.

Courtesy of Continental, our flight was delayed by two hours which completely through a spanner in the works. My plan had been to go to the spotted pig for lunch, so HI could have the infamous burger and I, the Cubano. As you know the sandwich is my favourite form of food so a chance to have a face off with these two couldn't be missed.
The problem was that the Cubano was only served before 3pm. We were meant to get in at 12 noon giving us plenty of time to get there but, being late it was looking out of question. In an act of desperation and I thought genius, I phoned the pig from Newark airport in the hope that my sob story would elicit a little sympathy and they would maybe put one by for me.

But oh no, no such sympathy.

The lady on the other end did me the courtesy of asking the kitchen but came back rather promptly with a reply in the negative. 'No, it's not possible' I however heard "No Cubano for you!"

Aghast at being turned down, I said thank you and hung up. I take it as a sign of maturity that, instead of throwing a hissy fit and then making a mad dash from the hotel to get there in time, I calmly took stock of the situation and said damn them they won't get my money if they can't give me no honey. Or words to that effect. I was jet lagged, I have an excuse.

So, instead we made our way to our hotel to check-in, in a leisurely manner. Our room which was meant to be non-smoking had a distinct pong to it, so after a discussion with the reasonable front desk we headed off to Spitzer's another 'gastropub', but American this time, whilst our new room was made ready. HI had researched this place and given it was practically next door to our hotel, must have thought he was in Heaven. Spitzer's prides itself on its vast beer selection which HI set to investigating.

I love all things pickled and especially those that are sour to boot.



These were apparently from Guss' but were a little tame for my liking.

To get into the way of things we had the sliders


which were pretty tasty and came with great spicy crinkle cut fries.





HI was re-acquainted with his beloved Hitachino ale which he had first encountered in Ssam bar last year. More on Ssam bar later.

Suitably fortified we headed back to the hotel where our room still wasn't ready. I didn't kick up a fuss but they were happy to buy us a round of drinks and a 'snack' in the nattily but poncilly acronymed THOR bar.

It seems it pays to question your room.

Two cocktails $16 each and a veal slider $14 completely free. Nice.


The veal slider was pretty tasty too. Had sauteed leeks on the bottom.

A very good start to our trip.

New York, New York.

(You may recognise this post from a couple of weeks ago. I moved it here to jog my memory and too see how the actual trip went compared to my master plan).




What a city. A city of opportunity, of endless promise.

So much so, it actually sends me into a bit of a panic.
We have been fortunate enough to holiday there every year for the last four years. Every time I leave, I can't wait till the next time we visit.

You probably won't be surprised to know that on my daily blog read list are at least four or five New York based blogs, the reading of which enables me to update my 'list' for the next visit.
Sadly, the older I get, the smaller my stomach seems to get. Me Hobbit no more. It used to be I could factor in first breakfast, second breakfasts, elevenses, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and then supper. Those were the days. Aaah..

Now it seems I have to content myself one one meal a day, whether it be lunch or dinner, with some snacks in between. So, in a city of such untapped promise this poses a bit of a problem. It helps that I run every day to burn off the calories, and with jet lag, my day starts at five am, but it still means I need to plan each day carefully.
So, over the year I cross reference Chowhound, egullet, NY Mag with my favourite NY food blogs: Amateur Gourmet; Wandering Eater;the girl who ate everything; NYC food guy and Flyboyz, which has sadly been put to rest. Armed with all this info I then create my 'list' which is refined and refined until the day we actually leave. I also create my 'map' which, thanks to Google maps, now takes a fraction of the time and a lot less sellotape!
Given we will be staying in the LES, a place which abounds with tasty treats, I map everything according to it's proximity to the hotel. It's also handy to plan things in areas, so a day's worth of eating in the LES, the UES, in Soho, Midtown etc. All this prep means that I don't need to worry about missing out, and means that no matter where we are I will know if there is somewhere worthwhile eating at or drinking at nearby.
This might seem a bit excessive and a slight tad obsessive, mock me all you like but I am not alone!! The girls from wandering eater and TGWAE make up spreadsheets of dishes they want to eat at places according to popularity and cost. Now that's dedication.

My wish-list/hit-list looks something like this:

Friday
Spotted Pig
Pegu Club
Arturo's

Saturday
Roasting Plant
Donut Plant
Russ and Daughters
Telepan
Bemelman's
Burger Joint
Death and Co
Ssam Bar

Sunday
Ino
Gramercy Tavern
angel's share
Grand Sichuan International

Monday
Yasuda
Employee's only
Babbo

Tuesday
Le Bernardin
Please Don't Tell
Casa Mono

Wednesday
Di Fara's
Balthazar
Bemelman's
L'Atelier

Thursday
best of the best.

To ensure I got all these reservations, my calendar was prepped and ready to go two months ago..
And yes there is a worrying sense of achievement from visiting all these places.
New York here I come!!

La Valle Blanche III.

Hurrah!!



A posh-ish dining establishment in Glasgow that actually delivers the goods. Well, that's a bit unfair, Abode is pretty good but it is a little too stark with it's contemporary design and favours the miniscule portion side of things, and of course Hotel Du Vin is mighty nice but is in the special occasion bracket.

That's not to say La Valle Blanche is cheap, as it's not. It's maybe a once a month kind of place but it has earned it's place on my very small list of old reliables in Glasgow. It passed my new test. I will give anywhere 3 goes but if on the third try they don't win me over, they are gone, out of here.

We had gone for dinner with Choiti and Chris. It was meant to be our Glenapp weekend, but for the second time in a row I was foiled, so given Kitchin in Edinburgh seemed too much effort we settled on La Valle Blanche, primarily, as Choiti had not yet been there.

La Valle Blanche seems to be getting better with time. Maybe Neil has settled into the kitchen and found his groove? I also noticed, and am not big-headed enough to think it's because of me, that they have pared things down a bit. Neil's elegant, not to mention charming, wife is still front of house, but they have cut the number of floor staff down quite a bit. The service has not suffered as far as I could tell so they have got the balance right. The female sommelier was not there that evening and although I would not wish anyone out of a job I didn't see how the cellar was large enough to merit one. They still give you canapes, freshly baked bread and soft butter with salt. They still give you petite four with your coffee. All the wee touches that make you feel you are being spoiled. If Neil is looking for a star then he is doing all the right things.

And then there is the food.

As I said it is getting better with time. What is more, it is pretty, tasty and satisfying which is a hard combo to get right it seems.


smoked mackeral with horseradish-very umami, could have eaten lots more of these.



Does this look familiar? It reminded me very much of that guy Chris Horridge's GBM creations. However, I am sure that Neil is much nicer than Chris Horrible. He seemed such an unptight, cold, control-freak, who gave Elijah no credit. His food may look pretty but it can't taste good. Food should be made with love. Sorry, rant over.
The only thing I would say is that I agree with Pru, Oliver and Mathew. The slate looks pretty but is not very good at retaining heat. The pig's cheeks were moist and tender and tasty but but the time we were half way through they were cold. I would change this.


HI's beef carpaccio with truffles. Hi likey. Me likey.




Choiti's Tarbert crab tartlet. I like the play on words I don't think it was intentional however.



This was a standout dish. It was called rabbit and sausage stew on the menu but as you can see is far more sophisticated than that. We were expecting some bowl of rustic peasant fare but got this beautiful almost deconstructed 'stew'. The rabbit was tasty and moist, a feat hard to achieve, and the liquor and accompanying sausage delicious. Thank goodness I have eschewed my own rule of not ordering the same dish as HI for I would have lost with this one.



Chris's Barnsley Lamb chop. I have never seen a Lamb chop like this before. It looks very manly, which is just as well as Chris is that kind of guy. I think he even picked it up an knawed at the bone. Of course we egged him on. He stopped at sooking the marrow out though.



Choiti's Aberdeen Angus fillet steak which came rare as requested. It was practically moo-ing on the plate.
My only gripe is there are no chips on the menu!! If only they could replicate the Pommes Pont Neuf from Hotel Du Vin then this steak would be heaven.



After my souffle incident with John at the Square I steered clear of this, but Chris said it was good. I just don't get souffles.

So, an intensely satisfying meal in beautiful surroundings with good service. It is a pretty good combination. Even if Michelin don't rate it, I do.

Random beauty.

From the trip up North.







Makes you feel proud.

Cafe Zique III.

Brunch.

At the mo my favourite place for brunch is Heart Buchanan, but in the spirit of things Rachel and I thought we would give Cafe Zique a try. The lattes were good and served in glasses that, although reminiscent of Sydney, are a little impractical.

The eggs Benedict featured Puddledub bacon, a brand neither Rach or I had heard of before, and which was very tasty, on a level with Ramsey's of Carluke. My problem was with the hollandaise. It was not a patch on the HB stuff, being a bit runny and not lemony enough, and the rocket was a little past it's best.
Cafe Zique is also 2.20 more expensive than HB,with portions that are smaller, so this round goes to HB!

Inverlochy Castle

We were on our the way back to Glasgow from Torridon when I realised that we would drive right past Inverlochy Castle. Never one to pass up an opportunity for some fine dining we stopped in for Sunday lunch as we probably would not be in the area again. I could tell Inverlochy was pretty posh because of the Bentley sitting in the drive.

The chef Matt Grey had been on TGBM and his dish of gin poached venision looked great Michelin and the AA seem to rate him too.

We were shown to a lovely drawing room to enjoy the view whilst we waited for our table. The interior of Inverlochy is stunning: old-school and dignified, the staff polite and unobtrusive. We were shown through to an antique laden dining room, where it turned out we were the only people for lunch. We pretended we were Lord and Lady of the manor.. The food was refined, light of touch and excellent.



My starter of rabbit with it's own consomme. Excellent.



Now, this was a much better interpretation of smoked eel and foie gras than the one at Maze.



HI's duck, it was lovely.



My lamb, perfectly cooked.

For two courses at £30 it's not cheap but for food of the level it seems about right. It is a shame it's so far away but maybe just as well for the wallet. A lovely place for a special occasion.

Torridon Hotel.

The whiskey bar.



We were here to celebrate the marriage of HI' sister Catriona, to Ivo. Loch Torridon is in the back end of beyond and felt like were were in some alternate universe that was a cross between Narnia and Middle Earth.
It was stunning.
The Torridon put up a buffet on the Friday night which should actually have been called a feast. Oysters, Langoustine, Mussels, Smoked Salmon, five salads, roast beef and some amazing roast vegetables from their kitchen garden. All this followed by an amazing cheese table and lemon tart.
Excellent.


Oysters and then some.


The spoils.


Lemon tart!


The amazing cheese table


Bambi's da.


Our bath in our swanky room.
As you can see the hotel is pretty swish. They have managed to keep the traditional construct of the house with a refined contemporary interior.
I definitely recommend this place.

Applecross Inn.

I had fond memories of this place from a visit about eight years ago. Time had also dulled the memory of the most scary road I have ever driven. To drive this road voluntarily, there must be something good at the end of it to make it worthwhile, especially as driving means a stiff drink is out of the question. Unfortunately, as with most places revisited out of nostalgia, it didn't live up to my misty memories. It is a quaint, pretty place and even when the wind is blowing a gale and the rain is horizontal it still looks lovely.

I optimistically ordered the oysters


and it was not till I had thrown back my second one that I noticed a little beastie in the remaining shell. Hmmm as sign of it being either really fresh or not that clean I thought.
I passed the rest over to HI.

He had ordered a haggis, drambuie and cream starter



which was a rich as it sounds. For my main I had the scallop dish.



This was what I had been waiting for. In my memory it was served in a shell with wild rice, chunks of bacon and tasty little scallops. The version I got was tasty but not as refined. HI ordered the Venision sausages which were ok but not that tasty.


It wasn't cheap either. That and a beer came to £40 which I thought was a bit steep but i suppose we did have oysters.

Some places are best left as memories..

New York, New York.

What a city. A city of opportunity, of endless promise.

So much so, it actually sends me into a bit of a panic.
We have been fortunate enough to holiday there every year for the last four years. Every time I leave, I can't wait till the next time we visit.

You probably won't be surprised to know that on my daily blog read list are at least four or five New York based blogs, the reading of which enables me to update my 'list' for the next visit.
Sadly, the older I get, the smaller my stomach seems to get. Me Hobbit no more. It used to be I could factor in first breakfast, second breakfasts, elevenses, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and then supper. Those were the days. Aaah..

Now it seems I have to content myself one one meal a day, whether it be lunch or dinner, with some snacks in between. So, in a city of such untapped promise this poses a bit of a problem. It helps that I run every day to burn off the calories, and with jet lag, my day starts at five am, but it still means I need to plan each day carefully.
So, over the year I cross reference Chowhound, egullet, NY Mag with my favourite NY food blogs: Amateur Gourmet; Wandering Eater;the girl who ate everything; NYC food guy and Flyboyz, which has sadly been put to rest. Armed with all this info I then create my 'list' which is refined and refined until the day we actually leave. I also create my 'map' which, thanks to Google maps, now takes a fraction of the time and a lot less sellotape!
Given we will be staying in the LES, a place which abounds with tasty treats, I map everything according to it's proximity to the hotel. It's also handy to plan things in areas, so a day's worth of eating in the LES, the UES, in Soho, Midtown etc. All this prep means that I don't need to worry about missing out, and means that no matter where we are I will know if there is somewhere worthwhile eating at or drinking at nearby.
This might seem a bit excessive and a slight tad obsessive, mock me all you like but I am not alone!! The girls from wandering eater and TGWAE make up spreadsheets of dishes they want to eat at places according to popularity and cost. Now that's dedication.

My wish-list/hit-list looks something like this:

Friday
Spotted Pig
Pegu Club
Arturo's

Saturday
Roasting Plant
Donut Plant
Russ and Daughters
Telepan
Bemelman's
Burger Joint
Death and Co
Ssam Bar

Sunday
Ino
Gramercy Tavern
angel's share
Grand Sichuan International

Monday
Yasuda
Employee's only
Babbo

Tuesday
Le Bernardin
Please Don't Tell
Casa Mono

Wednesday
Di Fara's
Balthazar
Bemelman's
L'Atelier

Thursday
best of the best.

To ensure I got all these reservations, my calendar was prepped and ready to go two months ago..
And yes there is a worrying sense of achievement from visiting all these places.
New York here I come!!

Konaki.

It was a cold wet night, much like any other, and we needed food.

The kitchen is out of commission and we had eaten soup the last four nights in a row so we decided to venture out, but didn't end up very far. Konaki was close by and I had heard good things about it, so feeling brave, we decided to go it a go.

The entrance is deceptive and hides a huge dining room at the back. It was a Wednesday evening and it was relatively busy. It has a homey feel and the service is pretty attentive.
But what about the food. Hmmm.
Well, I know that Greek food can be really tasty but what we had was a bit hit and miss..
I normally love hummous but what we had was a bit runny, a little too tart and not garlicky enough for me. The tomato and onion salad was marred by dried oregano and, tomatoes that were frankly not that tasty.



I love tomatoes and onions and can eat huge quantities of each but again, as with most things, I think it depends on the quality of the produce to begin with. Then there were the whitebait.



They came with an intensely garlicky puree but were a bit soggy. I suppose my benchmark were the crispy little buggers we devoured in Barcelona.

My Stifado, slow cooked beef stew, was quite tasty and good for a cold night and I ate all of it, but HI's Sikoti me kremidakia-slow cooked liver was quiet disappointing.


Stifado at the front, Liver at the back.

As you know the pan-fried liver dish at Italian Caffe has been declared the best dish in Glasgow by HI and I think he was hoping for a contender but the liver was a bit stringy and had not been steeped in milk so had that overt offal-y taste that is the reason I don't ever eat it.

Looking at what other folk were ordering I wonder if we should have stuck to the grilled meats to start with and then some of the less adventurous cuts for mains.
Would I go back? I don't know. Maybe in a big group or with people who know it well and know what to order but there are other places that hit the spot more consistently.

Fifi and Ally redux.

What does Ron Mckenna know? I asked myself. 'Well, he has a column in the Herald so that ought to be worth something.' I replied.

But does is it?

I guess I was just going to have to find out for myself. What the hell am I talking about you may be asking yourself. Why FiFi and Ally of course.You know how I feel about this place, so I won't repeat myself. But what I will say is that I was pleasantly surprised.

I think there were a number of reasons. First off we went to the big space in Wellington St, and we went for dinner. Both of these things could only mean that the service had to be better then the usual shambles experienced at the Princes Square location. That, and the fact that the place was relatively quiet meant that we got to pick our table, sit side to side, and not have to wait ages to get served. Another plus point is that from Wednesdays to Friday they do a very good value dinner offer of two courses plus a glass of wine for £16. The only discrepancy is that on website pdf it says a large glass but, at the restaurant it says a small glass. If I was in quibbling mood I would have gone armed with a printed copy to see how they responded. But I wasn't, so we will have to fight that fight another day.



HI had a pleasant seafood chowder which was tasty but not as good as Fanny's in HI's opinion.



I went for the steak which came as asked, medium-rare and quiet tasty. The standout was the Bearnaise which I normally eschew but on this occasion I ate all of it. I must point out that neither of these dishes were on the early bird special but I intend on going back to try that out.

Claridges.

This was inadvertently our third GRH, or if being pedantic, second GRH meal of the weekend, and unfortunately, it turned out to be a farce, primarily because the service was so bloody slow. It took two hours from being seated to the middle of our mains.

Now, I am all for a leisurely Sunday lunch but this was a bit too much. So, much so we have to leave half way through our mains to make our way to the airport to catch our flight home, a flight which we missed.

I hold our waiter responsible.

It's been a long time since we have had a waiter so disinterested and snooty. It's quite sad, as the rest of his colleagues were lovely. He let them down and he let the restaurant down. It's a grand old dame of a place and there is a sense of occasion. The food was good and quite old school as you might expect. Pity I didn't get to eat my pudding. I just hope Neill and Emma ate all four.




Soup



Mackerel salad


Terrine

At £30 for three courses it's great value, pity one person's attitude spoiled what was meant to be a lovely lunch catching up with some friends.

The Fumoir, Claridges.

Before lunch we went to the Fumoir to have a drink. Back in the day you used to be able to smoke cigars in here, now you can't which despite the health benefits of not, is a shame. It still is a lovely place to sit a while away the hours.




I had an excellent Millionaire and HI had an excellent Sazerac.
One of my favorite places.