Thursday 31 March 2016

Rob's Top Tips

When people realise that I write a food blog, they always ask me what my favourite restaurant is or what was the best thing I've ever eaten. These are, and I hope will forever be, impossible questions. There are so many amazing places and things to eat that I hope there will never be a single winner. It's also true that people ask Mrs P and I for recommendations to eat here in Milton Keynes and this is often also accompanied with a comment of: 'because there's not much round here is there? It's all chains.'

NO!!!

While it is true that we do have a lot of chains, so does London, and Manchester, and Birmingham, and Peterborough, and Leeds, and Edinburgh, and Cardiff, and Henley-on-Thames, and Bicester, and ... have I made my point? Little talked about is the fact that we also have a growing number of quality restaurants that shun the shackles of the industrial production line pre-made sauce and corporate-ised menus. Therefore, I thought I would throw out there what I consider to be a few of the best in my opinion. These are tried, tested and often enjoyed independent favourites that we've found in our local area. They are presented here in no particular order, some I have reviewed on this blog before and some I haven't; so sue me. If you agree/disagree, or if you think I've missed somewhere obvious then let me know and you can be sure I'll check it out. 


The Tai Pan - MK Theatre District


Hands down, for us the Tai Pan is the best Chinese restaurant in Milton Keynes. However, it's somewhere that Mrs P and I keep for super special occasions because it's also super expensive. The Tai Pan is doing it's best to keep the Theatre District alive with various theatre deals and their very good Dim Sum menu but the only confirmation you need is that it's really popular with our Chinese population, this is where the people who own your local takeaway go to eat. Please go and enjoy the food and ambience, but at about £80 for two people, just remember to load your wallet first.


The Bell and Bear - Emberton

The Bell and Bear are doing their very best to turn a good village boozer into a gastro pub worthy of being both gastro and a pub. I've had several memorable meals there and it impresses every time. It's currently my birthday dinner location of choice with proper local British grub, proper local beer and proper local locals; it has too many things going for it for you to miss out.


Cameron's Kitchen - Stony Stratford

Milton Keynes' very own fine dining restaurant, Cameron's is something a bit special serving up modern European dishes in a very intimate setting with flair and elegance. They seem to be slowly occupying Odels yard one unit at a time, which if you enjoy their food, can only be a good thing. With the tasting menu coming in at £45 for five courses it's great value too so the only problem you'll have is being able to get a table. For those not up to 5 courses, their adjoining Knife and Cork outfit provides a burger with a pint for £10, which is a complete winner in anyone's book.   


Papa J's - Oxley Park

I only discovered Papa J's recently from an off the cuff recommendation and now I am happy to pass this little secret on to you. A genuinely original Indian menu shows just how far away from your local balti hut you can get. Imagine all your favourites but done properly and turned up to 11, Papa J's doesn't compromise and offers dishes that you will like, rather than those you are told you should like. Unashamedly expensive but give it a go for something special and you won't regret it.


Mastee - Bletchley

Reflecting the popularity of Asian cuisine in Milton Keynes comes the second Indian restaurant in this list. Mastee brings with it a real breath of fresh air with their take on modern British Indian dishes. The tandoor gets a real work out and their willingness to experiment with bringing new flavours to your plate is a great sign. Indian food has too long languished in the balti dish of mediocrity and I'm just so glad the Mastee is here to wake us all up.


Akasaka - Wolverton

A really, really good Japanese restaurant in Milton Keynes, surely that's ridiculous and cannot be true? Allow me to introduce Akasaka, a fabulous contradiction from start to finish. How it has managed to survive in Wolverton I still have no idea but survive it has and it's success has started to put Wolverton on the Milton Keynes map. It's always full and with fresh sushi that puts the chains to shame and amazing bento boxes it's not that difficult to see why.  Some truly inspiring/challenging dishes that will open your mind to new possibilities, Akasaka is Milton Keynes destination dining. Go on, I know you're tempted!

There are a few notable omissions on this list such as Nonna's in Woburn Sands, Paris House in Woburn and The Crooked Billet in Newton Longville that we've heard very good things about but haven't visited yet, so I don't feel qualified to pass comment on.


Mrs P's Takeover... 
So, after much debate I refuse to let these recommendations go without mention of a couple of my personal choices (Yes, Mr P, even though it could be argued that some are chains!*).  

The Bell at Beachampton is a serious pub favourite of mine for their £30 Tuesday steak night which provides two generous steaks and a bottle of wine. What a bargain!  A lovely little picturesque pub with a pretty outdoor eating area, we look forward to having a quick drink here midweek in the high summer but it also has an amazing open fire lounging area where we've spent many a happy hour chatting away in the winter.  This place revives my love of the quintessential British Pub.

The Old Thatched Inn at Adstock is another independent pub favourite serving up some seriously tasty modern British food in a little village location.  This place is justifiably popular with the locals though, so be sure to book a table (even mid-week).  If you love the Bell or The Thatched Inn, be sure to check out the Swan Inn at MK Village or the Black Horse at Woburn - you won't go far wrong with any of these.  

Aqua Italia may well be a chain, (Mr P is arguing strongly that it is**), but in Milton Keynes there are few places with as nice a vibe for eating with a very fresh and modern Italian feel. It can be pricey but their rabbit ragu has many raving about it.

And finally, for a spot of afternoon tea grab a warm scone with lashings of cream at the Tea Rooms in Wakefield Country Courtyard - you can always pop next door to the Farm shop for some local produce too.  

And who said that MK had nothing to offer?! 


*They are chains and therefore should be immediately stricken from the list. However, marriage is all about compromise - happy wife, happy life. But don't push it too far.

**See comment *

www.taipan-mk.co.uk

www.bellandbear.net

camerons.restaurant

www.papajs.co.uk/milton_keynes.php

www.masteemiltonkeynes.co.uk

www.akasaka.co.uk

www.nonnaswoburnsands.co.uk

thebellbeachampton.co.uk

www.theoldthatchedinn.co.uk

theswan-mkvillage.co.uk

www.blackhorsewoburn.co.uk

www.aqua-restaurant.com

www.wakefieldcourtyardshops.co.uk


Thursday 24 March 2016

Urban Grilla - Milton Keynes

Passion. What is it? Have you got it? How do you get it? Do you even want it? I would like to think that, unless you are unfortunate to be on significant amounts of medication, everyone is passionate about something, although the opposite is also true that some misguided souls ratchet their passion levels to DEFCON 1. However, I firmly stand by the opinion that any form of extreme view is probably as unhealthy for you as it is for the unfortunate people who find themselves talking to you about the acceptable colour of wild duck eggs, why pencils are a health risk or the fact that it's perfectly fine to give kids an assault rife for Christmas. And I bet you thought Trump was the crazy one, right?

Milton Keynes is not somewhere famed for it's passion or zeal. It doesn't have the history and gravitas of London, Manchester or Edinburgh. What it does have though is a lot of people and people (in general) are amazing. We invent things, change things, challenge and develop things and so long as we don't fall into the trap as described above, this is an amazing and beautiful experience in life. One idea can change how we see the world and open up so many other opportunities we hadn't ever considered before. That's what I love about this place; the sheer weight of people here is starting to force creative entrepreneurism just as it did for all those industrial hubs before it and that is absolutely what I love about Urban Grilla.



Created by Gordon and Zena, a couple who are passionate in every sense of the word and in every aspect of their lives thanks to some significant Greek Cypriot heritage, Urban Grilla is a takeaway BBQ smokehouse that really lives up to it's name. There is BBQ, there is (a lot of) smoke and it's in their house. Their actual house. That they live in. That's bloody genius, that is.  Because, as the Council are pushing for higher rents, massive commitment and more red tape, people are finding new ways to get their talents and products out there. Needless to say that once I had the opportunity, I went round for some meat and a chat.

They are both properly dedicated to developing and uncovering the food talent in Milton Keynes and inbetween catering for weddings and birthdays, they run the Urban Grilla as a takeaway. Now, you know you're in for something special when you turn up and are asked to knock on the window to gain entry.



Once inside, we spoke about food, law and order, education, the Council and more food. Gordon and Zena share as many culinary views as Mrs P and I and you can always tell you're in good company when you end up talking about stuff you never expected to and have to arrange another date for lunch to cover all the stuff you didn't get to talk about. All of us waxed lyrical about the importance of recognising and supporting good cuisine and those who provide us with that. The rise of good local food here in MK is certainly gaining traction and if, like G and Z (see, we're friends already), you don't manage to get out as much as you would like then you want it to be worth the effort when you do. There are too many comestible sink holes of horror and barely edible black holes of culinary despair for anyone to risk trying anything new, and that, dear readers, we all can agree is a disaster. 

So, quite apart from understanding quite how dedicated, genuine and generous people Urban Grilla are, we should also talk about what they have to offer. The menu is limited but well organised and features the favourites as well as something different with some pulled lamb, sweet potato wedges and a whole spatchcock chicken available for your consideration. Mrs P and I had the pulled lamb, pulled pork and chicken sandwiches with a side of coleslaw which served us perfectly well and we weren't overly stuffed.



Immediately I liked the fact that the sauce came on the side, plus the fact it was bloody good sauce. Too often, BBQ sauce drenches the whole meal which a) makes it impossible to eat and b) hides the fact that the meat is too dry. The chicken wrap was good and succulent with enough filling to keep us from going hungry. The pork was massively deep and smokey, too smokey for Mrs P in fact but it took me straight back to Memphis with it's uncompromising declaration of intent. For my personal taste I would want more balance between the smokey and sweet, with a rub that brought a bit more to the party. But then considering the general lack of rub in British BBQ at the moment, I accept that I seem to be in a majority of one on that. The lamb was Mrs P's favourite and was certainly a really nice point of difference. Distinctive and full of savoury lamb-ification I know that Gordon uses is own blend of spices to whack up the seasoning and that really comes through. You'll never be able separate the individual flavours while you eat it but you don't need to, just relax into the enjoyment that someone has done all that work for you.

I know I've gone on before about authenticity and if you are ever in any doubt about what it looks like then here it is. I implore you to order, go and meet these people who are so dedicated to putting out something that they are proud of that they invite you into their own home to serve you. It's real, it's genuine and it's delicious. I can't give you a better recommendation than that.

https://www.facebook.com/ur8angrilla/

@UrbanGrillaBBQ


Sunday 20 March 2016

Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrasi - Istanbul

So, I had quite an eventful weekend this month. It went a little something like this:

Friday: fly to Istanbul, eat dinner (see below).

Saturday: up at 3:30am to fly to Ankara, fly to Ankara, meet brother-in-law's prospective in-laws/friends and try to impress them by pretending to be normal, drink tea, eat meze, eat cake, drink coffee, drink champagne to celebrate b-i-l's engagement to prospective in-laws daughter, go out for dinner, eat dinner, dance, eat more dinner, drink fermented carrot juice with added salt, dance again, go to bed at 1:30am.

Sunday: visit museum (I love a good museum me), eat turkish pede, drink more tea, get on bus, narrowly escape a massive terrorist car bomb by a few minutes, fly back to Instanbul.

Monday: fly home.

Now I know what you're all thinking and yes the fermented carrot juice was pretty horrific, needless to say, I couldn't finish the whole glass. 

In all seriousness, I feel I can't ignore the whole bomb thing as it made quite an impression on the world. Unfortunately, I had close encounters with a couple of life threatening events a few years ago and so I found myself to be filled with a familiarly unwelcome protective anxiety as it all unraveled around us. Perhaps I need professional assistance to try and reduce my perception of risk but I do feel that I am not entirely unjustified in my currently heightened guarded state. Plus, as I like to say; too much of anything is bad for you and in this case that applies as much to terrorism as it does to chocolate. Just perhaps in different proportions.

However, I digress and this blog isn't quite the forum to air such geo-political topics, so I'll leave that to Twitter and move on to the very positive experience I had whilst eating and drinking in Turkey, namely at the Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrasi. 

A quick note regarding the future in-laws of my in-law, they provided a top-notch spread with home made goodies-a-plenty, pede was a new one on me but if you ever get the chance to experience the rolled turkish pizza, give it a go - it's delish.

OK, so let's rewind back to Friday night. A few short hours after stepping off the plane and I was staring down the barrel of this massive tray filled with unknown and exotic potential treats.



I just didn't know what to choose, so I had as many as I thought I could get away with without appearing too rude, greedy or British. Creamy, rich hummous, sharp spicy chillis, tart pickles and proper pulses with vine leaves. It was like a savoury sweet shop which admittedly, is a bit of a weird metaphor to use but it's the best one I can think of. The smoked aubergine deserves an honorary mention as it had  Mrs P swooning at the table and while I must confess that we never eat it at home, I made a quiet little mental note to give that one a go myself. However one dish in particular was particularly good and believe me when say that I have eaten hummous up and down the UK as it's the mainstay of dodgy corporate buffet lunches which I endure by the truckload. But here it was buttery and beautiful, beckoning and bewitching. Essentially I think you get that I can't speak highly enough of this little beguiling bowl of bounty. 


And then this happened.



FIRE! This was a kabap (as opposed to a kebab), and was wheeled out with proper and appropriate spectacle. Mainly grilled minced lamb and chicken chunks with a few lamb chops thrown in for good measure, it came with a greater volume of veg than you would see in the UK. Seasoned grilled onion, tomatoes as well as the odd green leaf of parsley as a welcome fresh accompaniment. The dishes were great, and we polished it all off in very short order. It was exactly the sort of thing we needed after a day's travelling.

Bread was in plentiful supply with puffy, light flatbread proving to be anything but flat. The poppyseed crust also had a gloss sheen coating that crunched magnificently.



But we weren't finished yet, let's not forget a slice of this:



Syrup soaked cheesey cake. You read that right; not a cheese cake, but a cheesey cake. A cake made of actual cheese. During my brief time in Turkey, I noticed that they eat a lot of cheese; cheese for breakfast, cheese for lunch, cheese for snacks etc etc. So, I guess a sweet cheese cake with pistachios wasn't too much of a leap into the unknown. What can I say? It was lovely, gooey with cheese, crunchy with nuts and enough sugar to sate even Mrs P's raging sweet tooth.

In conclusion you can probably tell I'm in two minds. On the one hand, Turkey is full of amazingly friendly people who have an inherent kindhearted helpful nature that we really should develop to make all our lives that little bit better. The food that I ate was excellent, both home prepared and from the restaurants that we visited, a completely different and welcome shift from what we have here. I hope I can learn from this emphasis on simply prepared veg with different techniques that concentrate on keeping the ingredients as natural as possible while maximising their actual flavour. On the other hand, well, you have to go over to Turkey to eat it and at the moment, I'll leave that decision up to you.


www.hataymedeniyetlersofrasi.com
@MedenilyetlerSFR

Sunday 6 March 2016

Revolucion de Cuba - take 2

Avid readers may remember that my initial thoughts on Revolución de Cuba were not wholly positive. No one was more surprised than I therefore when I received an invitation in my bulging postbag to go back and try their new and about to be relaunched menu, this time with added chef.

I was invited to their press launch which, along with the fact that my previous thoughts are so clearly public, put me slightly on edge I must admit. Not just because everyone else there was 10 years younger and prettier than I am, but also because I'm always unsure of the protocol of such events and I invariably end up sitting in a dark corner, wishing that I hadn't driven over so I could ask for too many free drinks and not care when I inevitably make a knob of myself in front of a group of people I don't know. And so it was with these pressures bearing down on me that I grabbed my metaphorical Che Guevara t-shirt and headed off to see if I was ready to join my Communist comrades in arms.

First I was given this sticker with my name on it to distinguish me from the General Manager who was also called Rob.



Then I was plied with a stripy banana-ry and strawberry-ry cocktail which turned out to be really tasty and went down far too quickly. 



And it was about here that I had decided to give Revolución de Cuba 10 out of 10 for effort before the food even came out. The enthusiasm displayed by the unfortunate member of staff that had been volunteered to give us all a mojito making lesson in the face of a considerable enthusiasm deficit by the assembled associated press was admirable. Thankfully @powderpuff_room jumped in to help demonstrate the technique while the 'make-a-cocktail-whilst-blindfold-game' was taken well by the participants (MK locals @joeatsworld and @loubou) but still didn't seem to do the trick on the rest of the crowd which I would suggest is far more a reflection on the rest of the miserable buggers than RdC.



So having been suitably 'warmed up', we were led away and addressed by Rob (the GM) about the new dishes before they came out for us all to have a nibble on. To be honest, I did take a load of pictures but most of them were rubbish so I'll leave it to @joeatsworld to give you a much better view, she at least had the foresight to bring a proper camera. If she puts them up, I'll link to them here. UPDATE: I knew she had taken some proper pictures.

Instead, I'll talk about why I like what Revolución de Cuba have tried to do here. As I mention in my previous rambling opinion, they suffered an appalling misfortune just as they opened and they struggled to provide their punters with consistent quality from the kitchen because of that. The food they served wasn't good and in recognition of that fact they have adapted which is what good businesses do to remain commercial and goodness knows we need a few more of those if we are to keep the Theatre District alive here in MK. 

I can't help but be honest and say that the food we had here was not stella, there were too many bland dishes without enough salt, too much chilli powder, or dry balls and soggy buns (as the Actress said to the Bishop) that but I beg you not to be put off by this; for there were gems hidden on the menu and with their 2 for 1 tapas deal still going strong I hope that RdC is starting to find it's feet. Of the food I tried, the butternut squash in particular was one of my favourites and the chicken skewers weren't too shabby either, but it was the Spanish black pudding that is included on the brunch menu (I think) that was the most memorable. 



I'm not the worlds biggest butternut squash fan and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have ordered this if given the choice which is why I'm happy that I liked it so much. The chilli jam and goats cheese saucey thing actually worked really well and I have already recommended it to a couple of friends. If nothing else it should prove that it always pays to broaden your horizons! Similarly, I didn't mind the quesadilla's or the sardines too much either and they are both part of that tapas deal which is great for a couple of bites in between drinks.




I did mention the rubbish photo's didn't I.

So I surprised myself with being pleased and supportive of the effort RdC have put in to try and match the experience with the vision they originally had. There is still a miss-match but RdC is not out to attract people like me to go and rave about the food or at least I don't think they should be, they are a venue you should visit before you go out, rather than a place to go out to. It's perfectly placed to hit up some weird and wonderful cocktails, a couple of rum shots and a few mouthfuls to line the stomach before you salsa dance your way into the early hours. In my humble and thankfully amateur opinion, the bright young things of Milton Keynes that RdC should concentrate on are the people who want to eat something that isn't awful, that they don't have to pay through the nose for before they go and do whatever young people do these days. I think that this new menu is a step in that direction and if you visit with that in mind and choose your way around the menu sensibly, you'll get on all right.


www.revoluciondecuba.com
@RevdeCubaMK 


  

Tuesday 1 March 2016

185 Watling Street - Towcester

Can anyone tell me what is it with the British obsession for Sunday lunch? Don't get me wrong, I am as much a big Sunday luncher as the next man but why we all feel so much better with life, the universe and everything when we eat one is beyond a mere mortal such as I. Meat and two veg is something that we have all eaten, almost every pub in the country has their own version but unfortunately as we have all learned to our cost, Sunday lunch can be a real hit or miss affair and the search for the perfect combination of soft, juicy meat, crispy but fluffy roasties, veg in perfect proportion and a shiny, deep, rich gravy will go on ad infinitum.


So when the mood took the Family P to try and find the roast with the most, we turned to 185 Watling Street to step up to the plate and one thing was perfectly clear from the outset; 185 looks absolutely mint. From the first look of the visage to straight into the taxidermy studio/entrance hall, the whole building gives a very professional and classy first impression so long as you don't mind stuffed antelope heads or framed scorpions on the wall. Luckily the Family P and the Johnstons are made of stern stuff and the pull of Sunday lunch was simply too much to resist. After a nice drink at the equally impressive bar we were shown to our table, a very light and airy little number directly in front of the busy pass so we could be fantastically nosey at every dish that came out.



We decided to pass on the starters and jump straight to the only main event that counts, The Childs Sister chose the 'cod goujons'* and chips with peas which she devoured eagerly but seemed to me suspiciously mass produced and all too similar to the sort of coated chips and battered fish fingers that come out of bag marked 'McCain'.


The Child herself decided to stick with us and have a childs portion of the regular pork roast, as you can see, she made her opinion fairly clear.



Which shouldn't be taken as an opinion of the quality of the food itself more it's a judgment on the clearly RIDICULOUS size of that portion! For goodness sake people, I know everyone likes generosity but this just gave the impression that the kitchen plated up a full plate by mistake and couldn't be bothered to do the job properly. Understandably, she barely managed half and no-one wants to see needless waste like that.

Adult portions were more appropriate and we had the pork and lamb.




I have been known to say that a roast dinner lives or dies by it's roast potato offer and I stand by that, these were nice and crispy but fluffy in the middle, a very acceptable roast potato. Similarly the yorkshire puds were big and fluffy and the meat was plentiful, soft and good quality. The Johnstons mentioned that the meat to veg ratio was heavy on the meat but, personally I've never seen that as too much of an issue myself. The veg option was a mixed affair with the greens being suitably green but the cauliflower cheese not only suffering from a very thick and unpleasantly chewy cheesy skin but also some inconsistency in cooking. Mine was done well but The Child's were clearly under cooked and Mrs P's were almost raw. However, one thing I must now add to my list of good roast dinner must-haves is gravy and this is where 185 really let me down. Not only was the whole thing just a little bit cold but also take a look at that plate of thin, watery gravy. You don't miss it until it's gone right?

On pleasantly different note, Mrs P wasn't going to leave without a pudding and thankfully 185 managed to pull something out of the bag with this apple turnover.



Flakey pastry, gooey apple and lashings of custard; it made a for a good Sunday lunch pud which was excellently received by the whole table (we had more than one of them obviously).

So I'm in two minds about the experience we had at 185 Watling Street Bar and Kitchen. Is it rubbish, is it not? I can't decide, there were some clearly amateur errors but the place looks so nice, I mean just look at the private function rooms they've got upstairs:




Super cool, in a Edwardian throw-back kind of a way. So what do we do next? I think the only fair conclusion would be to go back during normal service and give them another go. The al a carte menu looks very appealing but will it suffer the same fate as the decor? We will have to wait and see but don't worry, your ever-hungry correspondents will report back as soon as we can.


*interesting point, does calling a fish finger a goujon really make it more attractive? I mean, really

www.185watlingstreet.com

@185watlingst