Salt House Tapas, Liverpool

I finally got round to a long planned day out in Liverpool on Saturday. Good intentions of spending some time in assorted museums and galleries were curtailed by the glorious weather, so I actually spent most of the day strolling the streets, loafing in parks, and stopping off for refreshments here and there.

Tapas had been part of the plan for a while, having not had any decent Spanish food for a while, and having received glowing recommendations for both Salt House and Lunya. On the day there was little to choose between the two, but Salt House won on account of its outdoor tables being in the sun rather than shade.

Things didn't get off to the best of starts. I was sat at the table for a good ten minutes, and watched a couple arrive after me, sit down, peruse the menu and order all before anyone seemed to notice I was there. A waitress eventually came over and said 'Are you waiting for someone?' 'No, just me' I replied. 'Oh', she said, 'can I get you something?' 'Perhaps a menu?' 'Ok', she wandered off, looking a bit surprised. Maybe solo dining is still unheard of in these parts, it's still quite uncommon in a lot of places, and can be an uncomfortable experience. I've long since stopped caring though, if I'm out and about alone and want a good meal then why not. I'm not going to get Iberico ham at Greggs am I?

Fortunately things improved rapidly from thereon, the menu arrived swiftly and the waitress was soon back to take my order. I chose from the lunch special menu (3 tapas plates and bread for £8.90) and added a half plate of acorn fed Iberico ham (£7) from the main menu. To drink, a glass of manzanilla sherry.

Before we proceed further, I need to make this clear. Sherry is categorically not just for your Gran at Christmas time. Anyone who still thinks this is true is missing out. Try a glass of chilled dry sherry (Manzanilla or Fino) with just about any savoury dish, you might be surprised. With a plate of good quality ham it's a match made in heaven.

The Iberico ham at Salt House was excellent, carved properly in thin slivers, each morsel delivered an intense flavour that was somehow both deeply savoury and sweet at the same time. The fat was rich and creamy, slowly melting on the tongue to release layer upon layer of flavour. This in combination with the cold, dry, slightly salty tanginess of the sherry is just perfection. I sound like I'm getting a bit carried away here, but it really is that good.

Once I'd stopped salivating over my ham, I did eat some of the other food that had arrived. A piece of mackerel with piquillo pepper sauce was excellent. Spankingly fresh and cooked accurately so that the skin was crisp and the flesh soft, moist and sweet. The portion was perhaps a touch stingy, I know it was from the lunch menu, but it was mackerel which is usually cheap as chips.

Which leads me on to fried potatoes with bravas sauce, which are basically chips of a sort. This was the only duff note of the meal. The potatoes were fried nicely, but the bravas sauce was a bit bland, having only a very mild tomatoey flavour. Something with a bit of chilli in it, or at least a more concentrated tomato taste would have been better.

A cos lettuce salad was simple and perfectly pleasant, it came dressed with olive oil, manchego cheese (I think), and a couple of anchovies. The sourdough bread with oil and vinegar was also fine.

I still had some ham left after finishing the other dishes, so I ordered a Mahou lager and sat back sipping my icy cold beer, nibbling on bits of ham, feeling the warm sun on my face and generally thinking I was in Madrid. I wasn't of course, but on Saturday afternoon Liverpool made a very fine substitute.

A great meal topped off by what turned into great service. After the initial hiccup my waitress became increasingly chatty and turned out to be a lovely Liverpudlian lass. This little conversation we had as I paid the bill made my day:

Waitress (hands me the card machine to enter my pin): Here you go.
Me (no option to leave tip on the machine): I'm not sure if I have any change, do you still get the tip if I add it on here? If so can I add it on here?
Waitress: Yeah you can, but you don't have to give me a tip.
Me: No that's alright, I want to. I've enjoyed it.
Waitress (not taking machine back): Nah, don't be daft I haven't done anything special, I don't expect one.
Me (entering pin then checking wallet for change): I used to live in London, I'm used to places adding 12.5% whether they deserve it or not.
Waitress: Well that's out of order that, I think it should be up to the customer if they want to leave a tip. I'm just doing my job.
Me (finds coins, leaves generous tip): I agree, I'm leaving a tip though 'cos it's been really good.
Waitress: Aww, cheers.

As far as I can recall that's the first time the staff in any restaurant I've been in have tried to turn down a tip!

In total the bill was £23 not including service. Good value for top notch ingredients and a generally high standard of cooking. Service was friendly, efficient and completely lacking in pretension. Highly recommended.

8/10

Salt House
Hanover Street
Liverpool
L1 3DW

http://www.salthousetapas.co.uk/ 

Vnam Café, Manchester

I love Vietnamese food, but it's a bit difficult to find it in the North. There's Little Saigon in Newcastle, Pho68 in Sheffield, Vnam Café in Manchester, and that's about it as far as I'm aware. I don't think there is a single Vietnamese restaurant in West Yorkshire. I'd love to be proven wrong here, so if anyone knows otherwise I'd love to hear from you.

I went to Vnam last summer and was a little underwhelmed, to the extent that I hadn't returned since. Someone kindly reminded me of its existence the other week and I thought I'd give it another shot. It wasn't bad before but I think things have definitely improved.

First up, Vietnamese style barbecued quail. Quails are not the strongest tasting birds, they aren't particularly gamey so benefit from livening up with plenty of spice and a good chargrilling. Most of the fun is to be had in gnawing the flesh from the bones caveman style. These were pretty good, not overcooked so the flesh remained moist. Dipped in salt and pepper with a good squeeze of lemon they were really enjoyable, although the skin would have benefitted from being a bit crispier.

And for the main event, Phở bò. This is the quintessential Vietnamese dish of beef noodle soup. The single most important thing in a good Phở is the beef stock used for the soup, it should have a real depth of flavour from long boiling of bones, and be aromatic with spices, particularly cinnamon and star anise. The stock base at Vnam was what really seems to have improved since my last visit, this really hit the spot whereas before it was weak and watery. The beef had plenty of flavour, but was cut into pieces too large to eat in one mouthful which made things a bit tricky.

 
The plate of greens and other accompaniments to add to your taste (I usually chuck the lot in) was also better than I remembered, with generous quantities of chilli, beansprouts, mint and coriander. Only a tiny wedge of lemon though, where a big chunk of lime would be better.

Vnam Café is well worth a visit, the food is good and it's cheap too. My meal came to £12.50 but I did choose the most expensive starter on the menu (£6 for the quail whereas summer rolls will only set you back £3). The staff are friendly too. It's a bit of a trek up Oldham Road from town, so why not combine a visit with a pint in the splendid Marble Arch round the corner.


7/10

140 Oldham Road
Manchester
M4 6BG

http://vnamcafemanchester.com/

A few good things to eat (volume 3)

In volume 3 of my 'Good things to eat' series, a sweet treats special. I never used to have a sweet tooth, but seem to be developing one over the years. It's getting to the stage where I'll have tea and cake at any available opportunity, and don't like to finish a meal without dessert of some sort.

The first two of these are relatively new businesses that I think could fairly be described as labours of love. They are both making a high quality product with care, and are building loyal local fanbases through the modern mediums of farmers markets and Twitter. They deserve your support.

The third is an old stalwart, completely unfashionable but always there, and always good.

Ginger's Comfort Emporium

An ice cream van for grown-ups. That's how the website describes Ginger's Comfort Emporium, and it seems like a fair description to me. Ginger makes ice cream in unusual and rather delicious sounding flavours and sells them from the van in various locations around Manchester. I went to try some in Chorlton the other week.

This is the honey and tahini ice cream. Very dense textured, very creamy. Not overly sweet. The tahini lends it an almost savoury edge, which is nicely balanced with the sweetness from the honey. This was really quite special, so I'm keen to try some of the other flavours (Chocolate marble malt and Extra virgin olive oil with smoked sea salt are particularly tickling my fancy).

The van can be found at Chorlton and West Didsbury street markets, and I've just spotted that they'll be at the Northern Quarter street party that's taking place on the 29th April bonus bank holiday (or Royal Wedding Day for those of you with an interest). Selection packs for home delivery are also available.

http://www.gingerscomfortemporium.com/

Hashtag Brownies

I'm usually a bit indifferent when it comes to Brownies, but these are really, really good brownies. I had a sour cherry and bourbon one (with a cup of tea obviously) last weekend and was impressed. Really good quality chocolate offset by little fruity explosions of flavour. Perfect brownie texture too, crisp edges and a fudgy interior.

 
They are on sale in various outlets in Leeds, and also have a stall at the twice monthly farmers market.

http://www.hashbrownies.co.uk/

Longley Farm Yoghurts

I hope I'm not the only one who loves these. They're thick, tart and creamy. The fruit flavours are chock full of fruit and not too sugary. My favourites are blackcurrant and rhubarb. I've been eating them for as long as I can remember and they never fail to please.

I also like the fact that they haven't got the marketing people in to 'posh up' the brand. They could easily upgrade the packaging, double the price and compete with the supermarket posh ranges and the likes of Yeo Valley. They haven't done this, and I hope they never do.

Available all over the place, especially in the North (but also in the South, I used to buy them from Morrisons in Thamesmead).

http://www.longleyfarm.com/

Oxtail Stew

I bought some oxtail from the farmer's market on Sunday, and turned it into a rather delicious stew. As I was attempting to be both frugal and healthy I served it with a baked potato and some purple sprouting broccoli. For a more decadent meal some buttery mash would be great.

The total cooking time for this is about 3 and a half hours, but for 3 of these hours the stew is sat in the oven minding its own business. There's very little actual effort involved, so it's perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

Here is my recipe. Enough for 2-3 people.

You will need:
800-900g oxtail
1 tbsp flour
1 pint stout
boiling water
6-8 shallots
250g mushrooms 
2 cloves garlic
1 beef stock cube
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp tomato puree
handful fresh thyme, chopped
2 bay leaves
oil (olive, groundnut, sunflower, any will do really)
butter
salt
pepper

1. Check the oxtail pieces and clean them if necessary. Set the oven to 160 deg C (320 F or gas mark 3).

2. Coat the oxtail pieces in seasoned flour, then put a knob of butter and a drop of oil in a casserole (or any sort of pot with a lid that's suitable for the hob and oven) over a medium heat on the hob and brown the meat for around 10 minutes.

3. While the meat is browning chop the shallots into chunky pieces, and the garlic finely.

4. When the meat is a nice golden brown remove it from the pot and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan and fry for 10 minutes or so, then add the garlic and fry for another minute.

5. Now return the meat to the pot, give it a stir, turn up the heat and pour in the stout. I used a bottle of Meantime London Stout, because that's the only one they had in individual bottles in the supermarket. A good choice though because it's lovely.

6. Allow it to bubble over a high heat for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol, then add the bay leaves, the thyme, the mustard powder, the stock cube and the tomato puree.

7.  Add about 100ml of boiling water, give it a good stir, put the lid on then put it in the oven.

8. Leave it well alone in the oven for 2 hours. Don't bother checking it, it will be fine.

9. After 2 hours have passed, remove the pot from the oven and take a look. There will probably be a rather substantial layer of oil at the top as a lot of fat will have rendered out of the oxtail. Skim most of this off and discard it. There should still be plenty of liquid left, just starting to thicken a little. Add some more water if it looks too thick. Have a taste, it should be intensely beefy already.

10. Roughly chop the mushrooms, add them to the pot then return it to the oven for another hour.

11. After the hour has elapsed remove from the oven and you should be ready to serve. Skim some more fat off if necessary. The sauce should have thickened to the consistency of a good gravy with all the gelatinous goodness from the oxtail, and the meat should be just starting to fall from the bones in tender shreds. It should taste even beefier.

This was pretty good but would probably have been even better with the addition of carrots and celery with the shallots. I also put the leftovers to very good use by cooking them up with a small pot of leftover chilli con carne from the freezer. Oxtail chilli. Delicious.

Pin, Leeds

Located on Dock Street, Pin is part of the small but expanding Leeds Brewery group of pubs and bars. I stopped off on a mini pub crawl with a mate on Saturday, and after a pint of Leeds Pale we decided to stay on and sample the food.

The menu is a concise list of pub grub staples. There are various sandwiches on offer, as well as sausages, burgers, fish and chips and the like. We both opted for the Pin burger with added cheese (£10).

The burger was made from good quality beef, quite coarsely minced. It was thick, juicy, well seasoned and retained just a hint of pink in the middle. I'd have liked it pinker, I know this isn't too everyones taste with a burger but it would be good if they asked how you'd like it cooked. The bun was just right, soft and yielding but holding its shape despite all the beefy juices. The inclusion of gem lettuce, roast tomato and cheddar kept things nice and simple (I'm not a big fan of some of the more outlandish burger additions out there. Guacamole for example. Just wrong). I didn't really see the point in the beetroot relish though, it just tasted of chopped up boiled beetroot. Nothing unpleasant, it just needed something acidic to give it a lift.

The chips were lovely, perfectly crisp on the outside with soft fluffy insides. They reminded me of home made chips, a rare treat. (I don't own a chip pan or deep fat fryer these days. If I did I'd accidentally use it every day). The side salad was largely irrelevant, but was at least dressed.

We also shared a very interesting beer, a large bottle of Gyle 479 (£8). This is a limited edition beer brewed by Leeds Brewery and then aged in Islay whisky casks. It's a sweet, rich, quite malty beer with a really quite pronounced whisky aftertaste, sort of smoky and earthy. Lovely stuff, and well worth seeking out. Just remember to drink it like wine, sipped from small glasses. You don't want to be necking pints of the stuff at 8% alcohol.

I rather like Pin. The food was good, and service was great. They serve drinks as well as food to your table, which is always a pleasant change in this country, and makes for a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. I'd probably rate the food a seven, but for the friendly service, good drinks and general all round pleasurable vibe I'm going to give them an eight. A great place to while away a couple of hours.

8/10

Pin
24 Dock Street
Leeds
LS10 1JF

http://www.pinleeds.co.uk/

A pair of negative reviews

A friend commented recently that since I started this blog I've written very few negative reviews. I think the primary reason for this is that I tend to research where I'm going to eat in advance, so I generally have a fair idea that I'll be going somewhere that's to my taste. The secondary reason is that I can't always be bothered writing up negative experiences, particularly if I never expected them to be good in the first place (bad experiences when I was expecting good are a different matter). Here are a couple of examples from this week:

Sainsbury's Café, Sale

Things didn't bode well as soon as I walked in here. The guy behind the counter looked more than a bit dishevelled and had something fairly large stuck on his face. It was either a food remnant (pastry?) stuck in the stubble, or a colossal yellowheaded spot. Nice. Trying to banish unpleasant thoughts from my mind I ordered a cappuccino and an iced cinnamon bun.

The cinnamon bun wasn't. There was definitely no cinnamon in it and it tasted weirdly of artificial lemon flavouring (like a Mr Kipling lemon slice or somesuch). It was also very stale. The coffee wasn't actively offensive but didn't really taste of anything.

I tried to read the paper but my mind kept wandering back to the pastry/yellowhead. What if it ended up in my coffee? I left the rest untouched and scarpered.

Plus points: inexpensive
Minus points: see above

2/10

Sainsbury's
Curzon Road
Sale
M33 7SA


The Copper Pot, Knowsley

The Copper Pot is one of those inexplicably popular new build dining pubs often found squatting next to roundabouts, usually somewhere near a Premier Inn. This one is on the edge of Knowsley Industrial Park, a place I have to visit often with work. And so it was that I found myself in there for lunch the other day.

The menu is one of those lengthy affairs, the idea being that 'there's something for everyone'. It's also 'two for one' on all main courses, the main advantage of this being that if your meal is shit, at least it will also be cheap. Unless of course you are sad, lonely and dining alone, in which case it will be shit and expensive.

I ordered the fish and chips, which turned out to have one or two redeeming features. It was a good sized chunky piece of fish, not overcooked and the batter wasn't too thick. The skin had been left on though, which I'm not a fan of, and there were also bones running right through it. Someone wasn't paying attention in filleting class. So, narrowly avoiding the Heimlich maneouvre, on to the rest: the mushy peas were claggy and horrible, and the chips were limp and flabby. Service was indolent.

Plus points: inexpensive, I wasn't paying, the fish
Minus points: the fish, the chips, the peas, the service

4/10

Coopers Lane
Knowsley
L33 7TT
http://www.copperpotpub.co.uk/


So there we have it. I rather doubt that those reviews will be of use to anyone, but I rather enjoyed writing them. I might do it more often.

Caribbean Flavas, Salford

Amazing jerk chicken alert. In Salford.

Good jerk chicken is absolutely gorgeous, but bad jerk chicken can be truly terrible. The trouble is it can be difficult to tell by looking at it. The bad stuff might be burnt, dry, stringy, bland and lacking in spice. The good stuff should be smoky, fiery, fruity, moist, crispy and utterly delicious. I've eaten both good and bad that look pretty much like this:

Doesn't look particularly enticing does it? This, I'm pleased to say though, is the good stuff. Beautifully smoky, crisp skinned chicken fragrant with allspice and scotch bonnet chilli. The flesh beneath the skin was moist and the flavour had permeated through suggesting a long, slow marinade. It was also very spicy with a slow burning, lip-tingling heat.

The accompanying rice and peas were also good, rich and sweet from stewing in coconut milk. The vegetables were rubbish (mushy and tasteless) but they're really not the point and are optional. £4.00 for a small jerk chicken meal (a fiver will get you the large which probably includes twice as much chicken). Thoroughly recommended.

A few final notes:
- They have a video on YouTube where the camera pans slowly over fried plantains and dumplings and stuff while music that sounds like it's from the emotional bit of a cheesy 80's film plays. Brilliant.
- The website claims it's in Manchester, but it's very much on the Salford side of the river, next to Salford Central station.
- Finally, I can't take the credit for being the first to find and blog this place. Flavours of Manchester went first and gave me the idea. Thanks again to them.

8/10

Caribbean Flavas
187 Chapel Street
Salford
M3 5EQ

http://caribbeanflavas.co.uk/