Bu-Be Footprints: April 2014

Saturday, 5 April 2014

Brunch at The Garden by Simon Radley, Chester

Time of visit: 29 October 2013

I had brunch with my daughter, RB. I was very excited because it was my first time to sample Simon Radley's creation. He is a Michelin starred chef who has been successful at Grosvenor Hotel restaurant, Chester.

Verdict: nice place, great service, tasty starters, "weird" taste on desserts, lacking a wow factor, unfortunately :(

Love the setting.

Would be nice in Summer.

The menu.

Bread. Nice!

Starter: smoked salmon, broad beans hummus, red pesto,

Starter: chicken liver parfait, mango chutney, croutes.

Main: gnocchetti, goats cheese, creamed peas, tomato confit. Quite tasty.

Main: marinated chicken breast, sweet potato mash, hot and sour cabbage. Nothing special about this dish.

Dessert: treacle tart with pistachio ice cream. There was something tasted very strong, I could not figure out what it was. Could be ginger mixed with cloves or.. I don't know. I didn't like it.

Pannacotta, basil infused, with fresh berries. Basil in pannacotta was not up to my taste, I found it weird. Didn't like it.

Delicious Dinner at White Hart Brasserie, Lydgate - Oldham

Time of visit: October 2013

One of my 3 favourite restaurants

I was recommended by my friend, TD, who lives in the area. When I made the booking, I found out there were 2 restaurants in the same premises: one was called 'restaurant', the other was 'brasserie'. Because the menu of the brasserie looked more interesting, we decided to go to the brasserie. I also found out that the restaurant had a special offer for Monday night, 5-course meal for two people for only £39.95. Mr Be treated our daughter, RB, to go with her JG to try it out. They said it was superb!!

Back to the brasserie.. Basically the place is like a pub with some seating to dine. But with tie and black coated staff it gave the impression as a rather formal fine dining eatery.

Don't get me wrong.. The staff didn't make you feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. They were all very nice. The food was superb!!!! The portion on each course was just right, not too much. You were given some breads and butter as well while waiting for your food to come.

I thanked TD for telling me about this place. For few days after the event I kept writing on my Facebook how good White Hart was.

I was really impressed with the venison steak (well, actually with the starters as well), one of the best dishes I have ever eaten, that is why I raved about this continuously.

While I was writing this, I was talking to Mr Be and discuss when we are going to revisit White Hart. Perhaps in June, for our wedding anniversary. Next time we will try 'the restaurant'.

Table setting

My starter: crab, mango, coriander.

His starter: tuna.

My main: venison (deer meat) with pears, orange, blackberries etc.

His main: ribeye steak.

His dessert: sticky toffee pudding and guiness ice cream.

My dessert: blackcurrant souffle and liquorice ice cream.

Friday, 4 April 2014

Pasteis de Belem, Lisbon, Portugal

Time of visit: October 2010

I have been using Tripadvisor to gather information, get advice and read reviews to plan my trips. One of suggested places to visit in Lisbon is Pasteis de Belem to try their pastel de nata. It is regarded as a very famous and historical cafe with a long line of people in front of it, every day all year round. Further reading, I found out it was established in 1837, chefs working there are under oaths not to reveal the recipe. They produce more than 1,000,000 pastel de nata every day! Whether the stories are true or not, I was determined to go there. I had never tried pastel de nata, so my curiosity was really high -later I tried the same cakes at Nandos and Chinese bakery in Manchester, but nothing was the same as Pasteis de Belem's!! I still think about them every now and then, and miss Lisbon.

On the left, Pastel de Nata. Next to it is
spinach pasty.

Pastel de Nata. More-ish!!!

Almost Famous, Yes!!

Time of visit: February 2014

The best burger in Manchester.

Burger was not my thing in the past. I eat burger at McD or Burger King occasionally, well .. very rare. But if I go to a restaurant with burgers on the menu, I would prefer to choose something else. I was convinced though, eventually, when my daughter told me about Almost Famous. I tried it at LLLB (click here). After that I tried burgers at various places -Hard Rock Cafe, Blackhouse, Solita. I concluded, burger at Almost Famous is the best! Simply delicious. Their fries is also special.
I have visited Almost Famous a few times, February 2014 was my last visit.

I am a convert, I am a burger lover now :)

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Ventimiglia, Italy

Time of visit: October 2013

Ventimiglia is a small town in Northern Italy, not far from Genoa.
We had a short visit during our Cote D'Azur Tour with Newmarket. The highlight of Ventimiglia for me was the longest open market I have ever seen. It was like no end, we gave up ... we couldn't walk until the other end.

Ventimiglia's open market.

Ventimiglia's open market. Various pasta.

Ventimiglia's open market.

A Balenciaga lookalike @Ventimiglia's open market.

A Chloe lookalike @Ventimiglia's open market.

Ventimiglia's covered market.

Weird looking vegetables @Ventimiglia's covered market.

Very expensive mushrooms, truffles. They are only small but very expensive.

Maison Martin et Fils Restaurant, Menton, South of France

Time of visit: October 2013

We were on a Cote D'azur Tour with Newmarket and based in Menton. Menton is a very beautiful place, not far from Monaco, in the border of France and Italy. I was seriously dreaming of owning a house in Menton. I am in love with Menton.

Maison Martin et Fils Restaurant is one of restaurants we visited during our stay, it is located right next to the market. I loved the market so much, I went there so many times. Sometimes in the morning when Mr Be was still getting ready, sometimes in the afternoon when Mr Be was having a rest. I bought street foods from a vendor outside the market, or just wandered around the market.

Anyway, these are the photos I took during our dinner.