3.12.2014

走遍英國的歲月 - Edinburgh Farmer’s Market


之前說過要介紹英國的市集,現在終於的起心肝寫第二篇。雖然還有很多倫敦的市集未寫,但今次想先跳到愛丁堡,介紹其最著名的市集—Edinburgh Farmer’s Market
雖稱為Farmer’s Market,所售的不只限於農產品,還有芝士、自家製果醬、麵包、朱古力和熱食等售賣。The Chocolate Tree 是當地有名的朱古力店,水準亦不俗,值得一試;而之前提及的烤豬堡Oink亦在此設有餐車(詳文見此:http://empresswantscoffee.blogspot.hk/2014/03/blog-post.html )




當中自然少不了當地產的士多啤梨,我到訪的時候雖然非士多啤梨當造之時,仍能看到其蹤影,個人覺得蘇格蘭的士多啤梨比英格蘭的甜,可能是氣候的關係吧~

CM和我特來此吃午餐,他買了份水牛漢堡,而我則試了當地人的自家製scone。牛肉漢堡就食得多,原來水牛肉更美味,牛味更濃,肉質比較煙韌結實。再煎得久一點,可能就會老了,幸好檔主掌握得好。加上大蘑菇和燒烤醬汁,實在惹味非常。 


我的scone就很一般了,我覺得我做的比她更好。梳打粉味重,質地亦過於鬆散。Clotted cream亦只屬一般貨色(不過我在香港高級超市見到,小小一瓶都要五十多元),但士多啤梨果醬很清新,用新鮮水果製的果然不同凡響,如果能保留更多果肉就更好了。





這市集每逢星期二早上9時至下午2時營業,想知道更多可參見:

3.06.2014

More than Fish and Meat (by invitation)



Like Blue Butcher, another restaurant by Maximal Concepts, it is difficult to get a table in Fish and Meat even months after its opening. With the success of Blue Butcher and the Brickhouse in mind, I surely expected a lot from Fish and Meat. My experience at F&M confirms that this restaurant group is among the best in Hong Kong.

The decor of Fish and Meat followed the simple but cozy industrial style of Blue Butcher this kind of style is getting more popular in Hong Kong. The biggest difference is probably the semi-open kitchen where the dinners (mostly with camera) can have a glimpse of the cooking process.

















To start with, we had roasted bone marrow crostini and sea urchin with lardo bruschetta. Roasted bone marrow was sinfully good. Who could resist the crunchy crostini soaked with some melted bone marrow. The sea urchin was very fresh; its sweetness was brought to another level of complexity by the saltiness of the lardo. It was indeed a lovely combination!

















After that, I was nearly filled up by the rosemary hand-ground Dutch veal and pork meatballs. More tomato sauce and melted cheese for the meatballs would make it a remarkable dish.

I then had a rather light and refreshing Pepperoncini cocktail to clean my palate. It contained Ice Fox vodka, Lillet blanc, jalapeño and cucumber. The apricot and cucumber smelled and tasted strong, while the expected spiciness from jalapeño went nearly unnoticed. It was a perfect substitute to the lemonade. 
For the main dish, we first had fresh tagliatelle in fontina and pepperoni sauce with chicken skin & truffle emulsion. The tagliatelle was a little soft; the chicken skin was very crispy. A simple truffle cream sauce was good enough for a decent homemade pasta.

The cocktail here was really a trap for women. I finished it amazingly quickly! I had another signature cocktail, Pesto martini. Pesto was my favourite companion of bread and pasta, and it turned out to be great with cocktail. Compared to the previous one, this cocktail tasted stronger and had a distinctly creamy texture and a hint of basil aroma. Again, the cocktails of the restaurants under Maximal Concepts did not disappoint.
You can hardly miss fish and meat in a restaurant that is named after them. Of what was offered, the roasted French turbot with carrot puree, brown shrimp, and smoked prawn was my favourite. The turbot was perfectly seared. Its slightly crispy edges and the tender and flaky meat were pretty enjoyable. Even the shrimp was full of the taste of seawater. Fish lovers must not miss this dish.  

 Another main dish, Peter’s Farm Dutch veal chop 'Milanese' was heavily seasoned on the skin, but it was a bit overcooked, at least to me.


Although I had had a lot of carbo, I could hardly resist the sweet corn polenta. It was very sweet and light. A little less watery would perfect it. 


By then, I was pretty satisfied with the whole meal, but the best had yet to come. The country clotted cream whipped mascarpone "cheesecake" with raspberry and shortbread crumble forcefully challenged the idea that cheesecakes are always heavy. The one I had was silky and light. 

Dark chocolate fondant with salted caramel and homemade Tahitian vanilla ice cream was quite nice too; would be better if the chocolate was more bitter and richer.
The best was the last to come. The Sicilian lemon tart was definitely worth fighting for. The tangyness and sweetness, and the proportion of the tart base and the lemon curd was perfectly balanced. I would be the first one to join if the pastry chef of F&M offers a baking class.
 

Like her sister restaurants, F&M offers great food; but it is the fabulous dessert that makes her stand out. There are several dishes that I would like to try, such as the duck egg ravioli and the chocolate pot. I shall arrange with my husband... 
Fish & Meat 
2/F., 32 Wyndham street, Central

Food: wwwwwwww
Service:wwwwwwww
Environment: wwwwwwww

3.03.2014

走遍英國的歲月 - 到愛丁堡必試的烤豬堡

為是趟愛丁堡短遊搜集資料時,便被這烤豬堡的相片吸引。我素來不太喜歡豬肉,除了叉燒和少數烤豬扒,但看到那皮脆肉嫩的烤豬,不無心動之理。



從城堡步行下山,穿過樓梯,便嗅到烤豬的香氣。循著香氣行,很易找到那小店,粉紅色的招牌醒目又富趣味。



烤豬彷彿從櫥窗向我們招手,怎有不嚐之理?

豬堡分三種大小—Piglet, Oink & Grunter,我倆剛食完早餐不久,胃納有限,都點了最小的piglet size (£2.80)

熱烘烘的麵包,拿在手中,傳來陣陣溫暖。麵包極為軟熟,有點像我們的餐包,可惜落單後才發現有麥包可供選擇;烤豬肉頗為嫩滑,肉汁豐富,沾了肉汁的麵包極為好食。我的豬堡跟蘋果醬,酸酸甜甜的,中和豬肉的油膩,蘋果粒帶點咬口,層次更豐富。蘋果蓉和烤豬是我最喜歡的配搭,兩、三口就吃光了。

CM的加了chili relish,比較重口味一點,但就更能帶出其燒烤的香味,更為惹味。


另外還有芝士、洋蔥醬和haggis等配料可供選擇,應該不難找到你喜歡的配搭。啖啖肉,而且肉嫩多汁,最合我心意,下次再去愛丁堡,我也會再訪~

Oink
34 Victoria Street
Grassmarket

Edinburgh, EH1 2JW
1100-1700

Food: wwwwwww1/2w
Service:wwwwwww
Environment: wwwwww