When in London yesterday ...

... We visited the pre-Raphaelite exhibition at Tate Britain.  A wealth of bright colour, fine detail and laden with symbolism - too much to take in in one session, but we did our best.  I've often wished a ticket to major exhibitions such as this one allowed for a return visit.  My favourite artists were Millais and the lesser known Scottish artist  Dyce, but this is Laus Veneris by Burne-Jones.

... Followed by the Turner Prize exhibition, which I would not normally have chosen to visit, but for a few quid more, and in the interest of keeping an open mind ...  Well, it was interesting.  No really!  Paul Noble's 'painstakingly detailed and engrossing drawings of the fictional metropolis Nobson Newtown' were fascinating, although not what I would chose to hang on my wall.  We didn't have the 93 minutes it would have taken to sit through Luke Fowler's documentary on the work of Scottish psychiatrist R D Laing, but it sounded promising.  Spartacus Chetwynd's performance started as we were preparing to leave so we only caught a few minutes of individuals dressed as zebras(?) manipulating rag dolls.  It may have become clearer as it progressed!  Elizabeth Price's winning entry, The Woolworths Choir of 1979, was the most accessible and I wish I'd been able to see it through from beginning to end.  There was a very informative section on church furnishings and once I got used to it the Clap Click soundtrack was strangely soothing.

... We walked along the Embankment and watched the (almost) full moon rise from behind The Shard.

... We ate at Wahaca, at the request of my elder daughter.  It's a Mexican street food restaurant founded by Thomasina Miers, a former Masterchef winner, whose television series on Mexican cooking I enjoyed.  We opted for a selection of small dishes to share and experimented with new ingredients and flavours including pibil pork, Mexican corn mushrooms and plantain.  It's a colourful, noisy restaurant.  The service was friendly but not always accurate and portions were small for the price, but maybe that's just Covent Garden for you.  We certainly had room for puddings.  The two pictured above were churros and chocolate and vanilla icecream with toasted pumpkin seeds and cajeta.  We left with a pack of serrano chilli seeds and I'd certainly return.

... We took a leisurely stroll back to Victoria Coach Station via Trafalgar Square and St James' Park, stopping to view the latest occupant of the Fourth Plinth - Powerless Structures Fig 101 by Elmgreen and Dragset is of a child on a rocking horse, symbolising a future to hope for and celebrating the everday battles of growing up.  I like it.

These post Christmas day trips to London are becoming an enjoyable new tradition.

Review: Piccolinos

On Sunday we celebrated my husband's birthday in Piccolinos.  It was our fist visit, we hadn't heard any reports and the main reason for choosing it was a £20 deal.  That, and our love of Italian food.

My first impression was of gloom, reminiscent of the set of Silent Witness.  The restaurant was very quiet, but perhaps not surprising for a wet Sunday evening.  We were greeted by a very friendly waitress, our coats taken and shown to our table.  The 'birthday boy' was served a glass of prosecco along with a small selection of bread.

We kicked off with an Antipasto Misto to share (crispy fried squid, bolognese arancini, caprese salad, fennel salami, peperonata, roast mushrooms with goats cheese and spinach and pork and beef meatballs).  Apart from the fact that we could have done with a slice or two of bread to mop up the sauces, this was a just the kind of dish I adore - a plateful of tasty morsels.

For my main course I opted unusually, for a salad, a Cesare con Pollo.  The chicken was moist and tender, the bacon crisp, the parmesan nice and salty and the dressing plentiful.  But again, a slice of bread wouldn't have gone amiss.  My husband chose the Risotto di Mare which was packed with seafood (squid, king prawns and mussels) and rich in flavour.  My daughter went for one of her favourite pasta dishes, Spaghetti alla Carbonara, which came topped with a soft poached egg adding extra creaminess to the sauce.

Being a starter rather than a dessert kind of girl I was about to pass on a third course in favour of a simple espresso until my husband pointed out the Affogato (espresso and amaretto poured over a single scoop of vanilla ice cream).  It certainly revived my senses but I would have preferred it without the Amaretto.  My daughter who hadn't managed to finish her spaghetti, settled for a hot chocolate to keep her warm on the walk home in the rain.  So it was left to my husband to keep the side up with a Panna Cotta, its silky creaminess cut with slices of poached rhubarb.

The service was attentive, perhaps slightly too much so.  I mean, how many times do I need to be asked how things are?  The cook misread 'frutti' for 'funghi' and prepared a mushroom risotto but the waitress spotted it just in time and it was hastily returned to the kitchen and the correct dish served fairly shortly afterwards.  Apologies were fulsome.

The toilets were stylish but just as gloomy.  My daughter and I loved the sea fennel scented toiletries.

Although overall an enjoyable experience, for me the food was let down by the atmosphere of the restaurant.  And without the discount I'm not sure I would have paid more to eat at Piccolinos instead of a a similar restaurant not a million miles away. 

Review: All Things Moroccan

Last night our humble parish church was transformed into a sumptuous casbah as Vincent Castellano and his team opened another pop up restaurant - All Things Moroccan.

The pillars were draped in shimmering silks, the tables lit by tea lights flickering in burnished lanterns, images of Moroccan life projected onto huge screens and the cupola above the altar, and the strains of North African music wafted over the heads of diners as they arrived.  Traders occupied one of the side aisles, spreading their carpets and displaying jewelled lanterns, polished leather, serried ranks of tagines and shelves of skin products to tempt diners as they milled around waiting for their friends.  

And what a feast it was.  Five courses - with ingredients sourced from as near as Bristol to as far away as Essaouira!

We started with a Salad Platter.  A tomato, cucumber and onion salad with argan oil dressing, carrot and orange salad with orange flower dressing, and a beetroot and cumin salad, served with sesame seed flecked flat breads.  As on previous occasions, platters were shared between diners to encourage conversation and add to the atmosphere.  It was the perfect opening to a Mediterranean meal - fragrant and refreshing.  Much was made of the argan oil but, to be perfectly honest, I couldn't detect its presence, except to say that whatever it was it tasted delicious.

We moved on to the Spicy Bits Platter.  Lamb meatballs, chicken wings, sardines with sultanas and capers wrapped in feuille de briouat, green and black olives and zalouk.  This is the sort of food I love, tasty morsels to pick and savour.  The sweet and sour sardines encased in filo pastry were a true revelation and the warm spicy aubergine stew packed an earthy punch.

To clear our palates in preparation for the main course, we were served shot glasses of fresh mint crushed ice tea with ewe's milk yoghurt.  The acidity of the yoghurt cut through the minty sweetness of the sorbet and left our taste buds tingling.

Just as well because the Couscous Royale was a feast in itself.  There was a hunk of tender slow cooked mutton, spicy chicken chermoula (stuffed chicken with a crispy spiced rub), a fiery merguez sausage, root vegetables stewed with ras el hanout and half a red pepper packed with couscous.  A side of aromatic honey and saffron chickpeas and carmelised onions was passed between diners.  The fact that I didn't quite clear my plate had nothing to do with the quality of the food but everything to do with my saving a tiny space for desert. 

  

While we waited for tables to be cleared and the next course to begin we were entertained by the Shiny Ladies, a delightful troupe of dancers who, given the number of costume changes during the course of the evening, evidently like dressing up as much, if not more than dancing.  They performed a variety of traditional, and original, Moroccan dances with great flourish.

The desert was worth waiting for.  A trio of ewe's milk cinnamon cheesecake with poached rhubarb in ginger syrup, spiced orange drizzle cake and sellou.  The latter is an unbaked Moroccan sweetmeat made from sesame seeds and almonds, akin to halva, but infinitely superior to any I've tasted before.

All it needed was a small espresso or a glass of mint tea to finish it off, but the lack of facilities making this impossible, I had to wait until I got home for the next best thing, that is a mint tea bag in a mug of boiling water!

Of course the food's important and, once again Vincent came up trumps, but it's about more than that.  It's the effort put into virtually transporting us to Casablanca, the attention to detail in the menu and service and, above all, the company.  The 160 guests were seated along four long tables, cheek by jowl with people they may have never met before and who they may never see again.  We found ourselves next to a French teacher who enjoys evensong at Bristol Cathedral, a young woman from St Petersburgh with her mother over on a visit and a Baha'i follower from Mexico who may very well have met my sister while living in Edinburgh..  We shared a magnificent meal together ... and went on our way.

Review: No 1 Harbourside

I've drunk at No 1 Harbourside on several occasions and attended a gig last summer, but today was the first time I'd ever eaten in this waterfront retaurant.

We met early to grab a bite before Exultate's Easter Mysteries' Concert (which was characteristically superb - if you've never heard them keep an eye out for their next performance).

The bar/restaurant/music venue is ideally located with a glass frontage overlooking the harbour and outside seating for when it's warm and sunny.  This evening it was neither so we sheltered inside.  My daughter and I arrived early, ordered drinks at the bar, and read until the others joined us.  I'd hoped for a glass of Apples and Pears but had to settle for a pear cider, which was almost as good. 

The menu appears to change regularly.  It was chalked up on the board with a fuller description on sheets of paper on the tables.  There were five mains and a couple of deserts.  Homemade soup comes free with every main dish. 

Three of us chose the duck (served with parsley mash, greens and a mustard sauce), while my daughter and I opted for the Cornish mackerel (butterflied and served with an onion, tomato and chilli salsa, and bulgar wheat).  Gammon, tempura purple sprouting broccoli and mussels were the other dishes on offer, with prices ranging from £8 to £10.

Food is ordered at the bar and tables identified with brightly coloured appliqued flags.  We were grateful for the quick service, starting with a bowl of delicious root vegetable soup and a slice of decent bread.

The mains were equally prompt and acceptable.  The duck was tender and juicy, the delicate pink perfectly set against the pale green of the mash and the darker shade of the kale.  Our mackerel had a crisp skin and soft flesh, its oiliness cut through with the sharpness of the salsa.  I relished every mouthful.  This is not fancy cooking but it's all the better for being simple and precise.

We didn't have time for desert and I'm afraid I cannot remember what was on offer but if the mains were anything to go by I'm sure they would not have disappointed.

Before I end I must mention the listing flyer, designed by the talented Hannah Broadway, which not only lets you know what's going on but offers a monthly recipe to try at home!  

Review: Woodes

My elder daughter, who is revising for her second year exams, declared that she needed a break from studying at home.  So we headed to the Central Library, she with her laptop and I with the book I need to have read for our reading group next Friday (Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife, if you're interested).

Reading and writing are hungry work so, after a couple of hours we stopped for lunch and headed across College Green to Woodes.

Established in 1966 this little cafe is a popular destination for people working or shopping nearby.  The polished wooden decor, the winding staircase and the tarnished mirrors are reminiscent of a Parisian cafe.  The atmosphere is bustling, warm and friendly.

We chose sandwiches from a selection just inside the front door and ordered hot drinks at the bar.  The cafe was packed but we managed to find a table upstairs and stuck into our lunch.  My daughter had brie and cranberry on an olive roll.  I had egg mayonnaise and cress on white bread.  The bread was soft and the fillings generous, and at £2.50 - £3.00 the sandwiches represented good value.  Takeaway prices are lower. 

I drank a cup of tea, no better or worse than could be expected from a tea bag in a mug.  I do prefer my tea poured  from a pot.  My daughter's hot chocolate was hot and chocolatey but was served in a ridiculously tall thin mug, which I had visions of overturning as I negotiated the winding staircase.  Why do proprietors feel the need to opt for style over practicality when it comes to crockery?

My daughter has a sweet tooth and so, after we'd finished out sandwiches, I popped back downstairs to find a slice of millionaire's shortbread from the cake display.  At 95p it wasn't as expensive as some I've seen, but this did little to compensate for the disappointment on biting into it.  It didn't appear to be homemade and it smelt and  tasted of playdoh.  The layers of caramel and chocolate were miserly.  A poor finish to what had otherwise been a perfectly pleasant lunch.

We didn't loiter, mainly because we wanted to fit in a visit to see Leonardo's drawings at the Museum and Art Gallery, but also because it's not the sort of cafe in which to linger.  The wooden seats don't invite you to lounge and the turnover, at least at lunchtime, is brisk.

It wasn't my first visit to Woodes and I'm sure it won't be my last.  But next time I won't bother with a cake!  

Review: The Old Bookshop

The Old Bookshop is one of the latest additions to 'the other end ' of North Street and a very welcome one too.  It opened it doors in autumn 2011 on the site of what used to be Circle Books, hence the name.

I liked Circle Books, which started out as a secondhand bookshop, but which expanded into a cafe, and was sorry to see it close.  A fondue restaurant opened and closed almost immediately before Ben Gatt transformed the corner shop into the exciting cafe/bar/restaurant/music venue it has now become.

The decor, outside and in, is vibrant and eclectic - antlers, old photographs, vintage typewriters, a wind instrument chandelier, bunting, mismatched crockery, a menu painted on a gold tea tray ...  It's tiny but every last inch is employed without giving the impression of being overcrowded.

The Old Bookshop is open all day every day except for Mondays when it is only open in the evenings.  I regularly pop in with my friend for a cuppa on our way home from South Bristol swimming pool, but today we stopped for Frunch.  This is a new lunchtime menu where, for the extremely reasonable price of £5, we were offered the choice between four dishes with a Gallic influence.  Actually we were only offered three dishes, the Cru Bag(?) (Brixham crab with Scottish smoked salmon, salad leaves, cucumber and a light horseradish lime mayonnaise) being unavailable.  My fellow diners went for the Coq Madame with Coronation Mayonnaise (roasted corn fed chicken breast in a tangy curry, mango and mayonnaise dressing with Mark’s bread) while I (prevented from eating meat by my Lenten fast) opted for the Moules et Frites (mussels in a thyme and cream sauce with chips).  The fourth option was a sweet potato, lemongrass and coconut chowder, again served with Mark's bread.

We requested tap water to drink and it arrived in a bottle with glasses containing ice and a sliver of lemon which was a nice touch.

The dishes arrived promptly.  The presentation was homely but the portions were generous and the quality was good.  My friend and daughter were both pleased with their chicken, the only criticism being that there was too much chicken.  This was from my daughter who has a small appetite so I wouldn't take it too seriously.  My mussels were juicy and there was plenty of creamy sauce.  I could have done with a spoon to sup it, and feel certain I would have been given one had I asked, but I made do with a mussel shell and a crust of my daughter's bread.  My only only criticism  would be that the chips although thin and well cooked were not crisp or crunchy.  In fact, were I to return, and I'm certain I shall, I would ask for a hunk of Mark's delicious bread instead of the frites.

After I'd cleansed my fingers in the bowl of water with lemon provided, we shared a pot of tea before setting off home.

In addition to Frunch The Old Bookshop offers a £5 Curry Night on Mondays, an ever-changing tapas menu from Tuesday to Saturday evenings and brunch at the weekend.  There are regular Saturday night gigs and on Wednesday evenings punters are invited to bring along their own classic LPs to share.

All in all a welcome new entry.

Photo courtesy of Bristol Culture

PS  I'm hoping reviews of watering holes/feeding stations I've visited will become a regular, if infrequent, feature of my blog.

PPS  For a second opinion read Mark Taylor's review in the Evening Post.