Scilian Night...

... at Rosemarino last Wednesday with my very good friend Cat.

The menu...

 

The evening was all about Scilian food and wine... There were some nibbles to start with - Stuzzichini - but I was too busy sampling to remember to take a photo! Swordfish Carpaccio & Shaved Fennel, Mortandela & Red Onion, Mozzarella & Sun-blushed Tomato were there for the trying. (The mortandela was my favourite.)

Next up was the Antipasto course of Arancini... why fried saffron risotto balls filled with beef ragu of course! Filling, but lush. A more restrained person would have just had one, perhaps two. Those of us with greedy bellys scoffed all three, even though...

... they were followed with the Primo course: Bucatini con Sarde. The bucatini pasta with fresh anchovy, saffron & fennel seeds was a tasty beast of a dish full of strong heady flavours.

Secondo was Bistecca di Tonno con Couscous... Seared tuna steak with pequillo pepper & lemon thyme couscous salad with a minted salsa rossa. Ummm! Although by this point I was almost full to busting, but...

 

... everyone has a pudding space. Don't they? The meal was finished off with a trio of traditional Scilian sweets: Tris di Dolci: Cannoli, Cassata, Pasta di Mandorla. After polishing off that last plate of food I was beyond replete!

There was a different wine for each course, but while it was lush it didn't really hang around in the glass for very long. I'm hoping that Mr T will interject and tell you all about the vino selection

Discovering Hendrick's gin and other things

Sunday brought glorious sunshine and high temperatures. Light relief after the typically British weather we've been having. T and I spent the morning boxing off odd jobs in the garden.

At the moment we are mostly tackling the garage cum potting shed at the end of the garden. It has potential to be a cute little hide-away (although I'm maybe leaning more towards a cheeky shisha den for double apple delights), but right now it's a bona fide dumping ground for junk, scavenged furniture and tools. That's all for another post though.

Bristol was hosting Foodies Festival.

Was this ripe foraging grounds for two DIYers in need of good food and refreshments? Alas no, not really. But we did discover some gems that are worth talking about.

First up were swordfish patties care of this amazing lady. No, sorry no photos. We were too hungry by far and wolfed those patties down!

I followed this with bay leaf ice cream. Dangerous... I'm seriously thinking about getting an ice cream maker so that I can try this again.

Post-prandial drinks were our next prey... and we snagged some fine ones care of the "Hendrink's Kiosk of Curious Concoctions". A little oasis of civilised drinking in amongst the mediocrity.

Gin infused with cucumber and rose petals was music to our tastebuds.

Here's to some bloody fine tipple!

A bottle may have somehow found its way home. Really not sure how! I found it nestled between some vinho verde, white port and game pies. A happy coincidence as I read this homage to Hendrick's over at "Not without Salt" later in the evening. I now have an urge to try a Bee's Knees. Honey, lemon and gin? Sounds like a winner to me!

Friday night at the Star & Dove

I love this pub! It is our local and since the previous owners went onto pastures new back in January, T and I have been bereft. It's now being run by three talented chefs who reopened in April and the pub has reclaimed its place in our social lives.

Holy shit can those guys cook. Crab on toast... and this is just the bar food!

Feast at Rosemarino

T and I met up with some friends and spent the evening enjoying charcuterie at Rosemarino.

On the menu...

Canapés: Rillettes, Brawn Remoulade, Chorizo Persillade served on crostini

Appetiser: Delice de St Antoine with boudin noir & caramelised apple

Charcuterie platter: Pate de Campagne, Coppa, Fennel & Garlic Salami, Pate en Croute, Cured Ham

Main course: slow roasted neck of pork braised with pineapple & chilli served with pilaff rice

Dessert: rhubarb panna cotta with poached rhubarb & shortbread




Obviously there were the usual accompaniments.

I could come out with a host of superlatives to describe the food, but I'm hoping the pictures speak for themselves. Suffice to say the food was lush and a good evening was had by all.

Sods law...

Says that when you have time off from work so does the sun! We spent a chilly morning in the garden sowing seeds and building a table for the allotment out of scrap wood, so T and I consoled ourselves with a late lunch at the Souk Kitchen.

Lamb kofta tagine.

Rosewater flavoured cous-cous, caramelised onions and pomegranate syrup.

Chicken, green olive and fennel tagine.

The lush food we found there put a smile back on our face, but I'm hoping the sun comes back and puts some hours in soon.