Miss Bat

Flute or a saucer?

2010-05-15T00:00:00.003+01:00

Although most favour the flute, I challenge you to find a more chic way to sip your Champers than from a saucer.

Miss SMBW and I rewarded ourselves with a cheeky glass of fizz at Kettners before a light dinner , which included goats cheese and asparagus.

What better way to start the weekend.

Lebanese delights

2010-05-09T09:43:00.006+01:00

Whilst shopping in town yesterday, DBFB and needed to make a refuel stop before braving Selfridges. We stumbled across Le Comptoir on Wigmore Street. A bright and cheerful canteen / delicatessen, the salads, tagines, wraps and delectable sweets in the counter drew me in straight away. Seated at the front of the restaurant you are surrounded by some of the foods to buy and the crafts from Marrakech (like an upmarket souk without the dust, heat and smells of the leather tanneries).

We ordered the mezze platter which came with hummous, baba ghanuj, tabouleh, moudardara (a salad of whild rice, lentils, cherry tomatoes and parsley) falafel and cheese samboussek (little cheesy parcels) which was yummy. All washed down with fresh mint tea.

DBFB at 31

2010-05-07T09:00:00.000+01:00

Work took me away from home for DBFB's birthday and during election week. So on May Day bank holiday we went off to celebrate at The Almeida in Islington.

Champagne to start the evening off - if you like a gin and tonic as your aperitif, then try the French 75 (Tanqueray Gin, lemon juice, gomme syrup, Champagne). As asparagus season has kicked off, I had it to start, followed by the sea bream. DBFB went for a much heartier meal with the morels, brioche, poached egg and beurre blanc starter and the slow braised suckling pig as a main.

Putting my new found Burgundy knowledge to test I ordered this: Chassagne-Montrachet Cuvée L’Estimée, Grand Vin de Bourgogne, Jean Noël Gagnard 2008:

From the Cote de Beaune, this was a complex combo of dark cherries, vegetables and was slightly peaty. Not the best choice with asparagus and fish, but perfect for the mushrooms and pork.

What to do in Belgium if you have 8 hours to kill

2010-04-27T10:34:00.003+01:00

I got stuck in Europe for a couple extra days. I managed to find my way home by train but I had 8 hours to fill in Brussels. So I contacted Mr & Mrs J (as Mrs J lived in Brussels for a number of years) and they gave me the perfect itinerary for a sunny Sunday.

I dumped my luggage at Gare Midi and went walkabout. Starting out along Rue Engeland (where I did think, 'Where have they sent me?') to Rue Blaes and then onto the flea market to Place du Jeu Balle - busy with antiques, clothing and homeware, it was a great discovery. I then wound my way through all the interior design shops and boutiques around Rue Blaes and Rue Haute to a fab little place called Le Perroquet. This perfectly formed cafe has great salads, stuffed pittas and by 11.30am (after almost 17 hours of travelling overnight) a welcome glass or two of wine. Get there early on a Sunday for a table outside and enjoy the food and people watching.

Just a stones throw away is the Place du Grand Sablon, where I bought some goodies for Mr DBFB. To end the comedy food run, I popped into the two-storey chocolate emporium, Pierre Marcolini for a box of macaroons and a slab of his Carre 2 Chocolate: the limited edition Grand Cru de Propriete Hacienda Chuao from Argua Venezuela 72% cocoa. Homemade and with a hint of fruit in the flavour.

Worth getting stuck in Brussels? Just this once!

Menu funnies from Poland

2010-04-26T09:07:00.000+01:00

Whilst in Poland I had some excellent food - pasta, sushi and cheesecake were all noteworthy. And I sampled excellent wild boar at the amazing Folkgospoda (you may want to turn the music off after about 30 seconds). But one of the most endearing things was the little language quirks on the menu that made me laugh.

Some of the best were:

Pear dip in chocolate mouse
Alkohole
Makaroney (pasta)
Cruncly fruit

Delicious cupcakes

2010-04-25T18:23:00.008+01:00

Miss Joey popped in to see us on Saturday evening. Oh how we miss her! She came bearing gifts too: 4 delectable cupcakes from Butterfly Cupcakes. Red Velvet, Coconut, Banoffee and Banana. Moist, with just the right ratio of sponge to topping, these are winners.

And a great alternative to Miss Bat Baking!

Check out their stores at Westfield, Bluewater (aka Satan's favourite hell mall) and Kensington. But if you don't live close by, they deliver to central London addresses. Perfect for that mid-afternoon office energy slump.

Before WiFi, there was...

2010-04-19T22:51:00.004+01:00

BiFi!

I had almost given up hope of ever finding more comedy food in Amsterdam. So it is a good thing I spent most of last week in Poland.

Despite being stranded there longer than anticipated, it did mean I could check out the nearest Carrefour to discover this little gem.

Clearly a rival to Peperami, Mr DBFB declared that it looked like a certain bit of anatomy from a male dog. Brings a slightly different meaning to "it's a bit of an animal."

The Royal Mints

2010-03-31T17:34:00.007+01:00

Last week's comedy foodstuff from Schipol Airport was the Wilhelmina Pepermunt. Nothing says "What ho! I'm a Royal, don't you know!" better than your very own extra strong mints, with your face on them.

Lovely packaging too. Just like a jumbo pack of Solpadeine (the upper classes over-the-counter painkiller of choice). Is it an act of treason to liken the Dutch monarch's confectionery packaging to drugs?

I did take a photo. But it's at home. But you can check out their glory here.

It's Maudy Thursday tomorrow, when Her Maj traditionally gives out alms to the poor. If Mr DBFB is super nice, he might get a few euros with this week's edible funnies. Just don't spend them all at once.

Not slightly damp...

2010-03-19T13:23:00.003Z

but Truly Splashy.

What is 'Singing in the Rain' flavour? Wet pavement, steaming tweed and essence of Gene Kelly?

And I thought Gangmakers from last week couldn't be beaten.

"All I want is a Gangmaker..."

2010-03-14T00:30:00.010Z

said Mr DBFB, "But I've already eaten two today."

Mr DBFB has been at a stag drinks tonight. With a belly full of beer, fake absinthe (sambuca and green food dye) and a cold meal from Masala Zone, he is craving sugary snacks.

What's a Gangmaker? It's this week's comedy foodstuff from Schipol Airport. For a bargain €1.59, 6 of these sponge cakes with chocolate topping and a spot of jam underneath can be yours too.

Evidently a winner in the snacks from the airport stakes. However, one question remains: why are they called Gangmakers? And do they really make gangs? If you share them with 5 of your mates do they qualify for gang membership? Another sleepless night pondering...

Death to the creepy reindeer

2010-03-06T21:40:00.004Z

Clearly driven by the lack of decent chocolate I've brought back for him from Amsterdam in recent weeks, Mr DB attacked the last of the Christmas reindeer. Say 'goodbye' to the creepy little bugger.

I did insist he start with the head. Less pain that way.

Crack and Wine Gums

2010-03-06T16:12:00.016Z

18 days into Lent and the lack of wine, gin and chocolate is less traumatic than I expected. Still to help keep me occupied I've been taking a different tack with the presents for Mr DB from my travels. Rather than buying him edible gifts that I know he'll like, I dash round Food Village at Schipol Airport, in the manner of Supermarket Sweep, trying to locate the most amusingly labelled food.

So far, I have brought back:

Crax

A tasty biscuit snack from Turkey, with a hint of chilli, that appealed a) to my playground sense of humour and b) due to the drug word play.

Total Loss

Who needs wine, when you can have automotive wine gums? With a bizarre name?

I bought these to serve Mr DB a reminder that he was a total loss at bringing me back any giftage when he was working in Paris regularly a few years ago!

Unlike British wine gums these have some odd flavours, including pineapple and licorice. I suspect these will linger at the back of the cupboard...

No wine, no chocolate

2010-02-22T22:28:00.003Z

I didn't manage my dry January this year. So I have vowed to forego wine and chocolate for Lent. My poor colleagues are going to discover that I am not a ray of sunshine and am, in fact, a petulant little madam fuelled by the lack of antioxidants and tannins in my diet.

So, my friends, I will have to drink vicariously through you and just spend my days watching Mr T in those Snickers adverts. Laughter is a good distraction.

Is it a custard? Is it a yoghurt?

2010-02-21T12:48:00.007Z

Working in Amsterdam regularly now affords me the opportunity of enjoying Dutch food. Whilst hotel food is pretty limiting, I have rediscovered vla!

A sort of light custard, this is a perfect snack and it comes in chocolate flavour or 'dubbel vla': a mixture of chocolate and vanilla. Miss SJ and I used to have 'vla o'clock' when we worked at Chello and topped it with chocolate sprinkles.

The only drawback? Due to the restrictions on liquids, the vla has to be checked in with the baggage and the flight back to the UK has a tendency to screw up the marbling affect.

A trilogy of scallops

2010-02-10T12:38:00.005Z

This week I have been in Warsaw for work and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food at the hotel I stayed at: The Westin Plaza.

I ate a 'trilogy' of scallops with a Sancerre.

All were delicious, except the one in the middle. You can have too much jam. (Well it wasn't called jam, but it was very marmalade-esque.)

You can also rank your hotel based on the free snackage in the rooms. Fruit and chocolate = yum. Though the prospect of giving up chocolate for Lent now has to become a reality after consuming all of this.

Cock of wine

2010-02-09T12:31:00.005Z

I had a lovely lunch at Miss SMBW's on Sunday. All the more comedic by the addition of this decanter:

To begin with, pouring a red liquid from the throat of a chicken seems like blood-letting. But then you realise how much hiliarity can be induced by offering people more 'cock wine'. Oh yes, purile playground jokes still get the most laughs.

Mr RF and Mr BB both stuck with white all day, but the rest of us consumed a sizeable volume of the following:

I promise to pop back and tell you all about them in a couple weeks. I need to find my notes. After an aspirin.

Winter warmer with a Pinot Noir

2010-01-29T21:20:00.004Z

Today has been sunny yet chilly and as I've been in snowy Amsterdam for the last few weeks, I've been craving comfort food. Tonight I cooked a Nigel Slater recipe: haricot beans and chicken bake. It's got rosemary, mushrooms, garlic, cream and parmesan to boot.

Wine choice: Pathway Pinot Noir 2008, 13%, Marlborough, New Zealand (£9.98, Morrisons).

It's raspberry red in colour and quite transparent, with cherries and a hint of American bacon on the nose and on the palate the cherries carry through with roasted hazelnuts.

Probably not quite interesting enough to drink on its own. But it is transformed with the food. The acidity and light tannins cut through the cream and really works with the dish.

Minty fresh

2010-01-29T20:32:00.007Z

Mr DBFB and I have almost finished eating the last of the Christmas chocolate (we have a Terry's Chocolate Orange lurking at the back of cupboard and one of those beady-eyed Lindt reindeer left).

But I did buy some strong after dinner mints from Fortnums on Christmas Eve which were screaming to be opened. So I obliged last night.

And guess what? You'd hate them. The packaging is rubbish, the minty-filling is strong and isn't too sweet. And the dark chocolate on the outside, well it's DARK CHOCOLATE.

You would just go, "bleurgh!"

I would be doing you a favour by not offering you one or recommending them at all.*

Not your cup of tea? Nevermind. Have a Party Ring instead.

* More for me then!

Buffalo chips

2010-01-24T19:47:00.007Z

I was in Buffalo NY at the start of January and got to try beef on weck (excellent, but couldn't eat one every day). However, there is one edible highlight for Mr DBFB on my return: Buffalo Chips.

These are chewy moist macaroons the size of golf balls, topped with dark chocolate. Billed as the 'ultimate macaroon', I can't say I've eaten a better one. Delicious with a strong coffee if you're quick enough to get one!

Asda Extra Special Fiano: does it live up to the label?

2010-01-24T19:30:00.005Z

Costing a whopping £5.98, this cheap and cheerful Asda wine is good value for money. It's simple, uncomplicated and makes a pleasant alternative to an unoaked Chardonnay. On the nose, ripe lemons and on the palate more lemons (like a lemon curd) and passion fruit.

We drank this with rainbow trout, celeriac mash and roasted veggies.

Three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge for my tea...

2010-01-23T20:59:00.010Z

Christmas is over, but partridge is still on the menu.

Friday night, Mr DBFB and I ate at the Only Running Footman in Mayfair. We had walked passed it about 6 months ago en route to the cinema and I spotted it on Top Table, so booked to eat there.

First thing to note: downstairs gets super busy in the post-work drinks on a Friday night. But the dining room upstairs is far more serene. On to the food and drink.

I had the partridge (very tasty) served with kale and melt-in-the-mouth potato dauphinoise. Mr DBFB opted for the chicken, so we drank a New Zealand Pinot Noir from the Sherwood Estate Vineyard on the South Island.

Not a wine I'd drink on it's own - it has some plum fruit on the nose but on the palate there is more of the vegetal (and slight hint of bark) flavours you get from Pinot Noir. But all of this complements the meat very well. And for a 2008, it has good length.

Can M&Ms get better?

2010-01-05T01:14:00.001Z

Yes they can.

Dark chocolate ones. Please can we have these in the UK?

Terroirs

2010-01-02T14:18:00.004Z

Mr DB and I had a long overdue catchup with Mr J and Mr D on Wednesday eve. We had dinner at Terroirs just behind The Strand on Mr J & D's recommendation and what a find! Although they had run out of a few dishes (our first choices) the food was fabulous as was the wine.

We drank the Clos du Gravillas 2008, produced by Nicole & John Bojanowski, from the Languedoc which is an organic wine made from a blend of 6 grapes including Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Counoise. Very fruity: ripe raspberry and blackberry with a liquoricey, mineral edge.

However, I was tempted to order this from the Minerve, just purely from the description: Fontédicto, produced by Bernard & Cécile Bellahsen:

One man, one woman, one horse.

The mind boggles. Definitely one for next time...

As for the food, the duck scratchings were amazing (hate to think of the calorie value!) and I had the bavette, rare. Cooked to perfection. Dieting in the new year is going to be a bitch.

The Wedding Cake

2009-12-20T22:54:00.004Z

More pics to come, but here's Mr & Mrs E's wedding cake. Cupcakes went down a treat and the beautiful top tier was the handiwork of Pat, cousin of Mr E's mum.

Just to keep it real, Mr E challenged me to a cupcake-off: stuff a cupcake into your mouth in one go... needless to say, since it was his wedding I let him win!

The first 12...

2009-12-18T13:13:00.001Z

Voila!