GOOD KAI

Coconut and Jam Bites So after last weeks fracas of coming up empty in finding new great restaurants locally, it looks as though this dry spell is continuing for a bit so I am enjoying recapturing and making some of the food I love to eat from New Zealand. This week we have a truck load of relatives coming to stay for a few weeks from New Zealand and Florida. I thought I would rustle these up as a sort of welcoming treat. It's an adapted slice recipe that my mum used to make all the time when I was a kid growing up in New Zealand.  Coconut Jam Bites They were my favourite thing to eat. As a kid I wasn't really that interested in food (that has changed). My uncle used to call me 'sticks' because I was mostly skin & bone (that has changed too!) and spent most my time running around outside with the rest of the neighbourhood kids during the warm summer evenings.  It was the 80's and life was safe in our little corner of the globe. Coconut and Jam ...

NZ Mussel Fritters I've been here and there and everywhere the last week or so looking for middle range eats in Twickenham town centre, that I haven't found already, and I've come up empty handed. I've tried Reuben's Bakehouse - good pizza but filthy glasses & pitiful starters, Blue Smokehouse - had decent smoked ribs, great service but their other food was dreadful, oxidised vege and poorly executed hot dogs that were re-heated and almost cold - the cheese hadn't even melted. NZ Green Lipped Mussels (benisland.co.nz) I know all the restaurants in Church street are fairly good but they're just that, good - not awesome! One reprieve however is what I call the 'York Street crew' - Ben Than, Chicago Rib House & Atithi but we've all been there a load of times before and yeah there pretty good but not awesome! So with all this deflating of awesomeness, juxtaposed with the fabulous weather we're having, I figured I'll damn wel...

The Petersham Hotel Restaurant Richmond Things are looking up for Petersham Hotel, they have a new Head Chef Adebola Adeshina who seems to be proving a winner for the restaurant, and I was to discover why.  Adebola is a popular chap (fanboy's in my twitter stream confessing their love), he is most certainly friendly, has oodles of experience to match and it is understandable why, he is an all round nice guy. Adebola worked at a number of top London eateries, starting out at Gordon Ramsay's first restaurant, Aubergine before moving on to Gordon's 3 Michelin star restaurant on Hospital Road. He's also worked with Marcus Wareing at Petrus, Philip Howard at the Square, ...I mean, what more could you possibly want? Mise en bouche - Pre Starter, Petersham Hotel Restaurant, Richmond I was lucky enough to score an invitation to discover the new chefs cuisine, and as usual I always like to have full disclosure that this was a sponsored visit. I have however...

Jamies Trattoria, Richmond, London This post is my re-visit to Jamie's now that the med-styled tapas have been replaced by a more traditional starters option. Sometime's when I visit Jamie's it can be quite busy, so rather than wait we opt to sit at the bar and eat. Sometimes I like this more informal style of eating, and its a more social way of dining. Plus its a chance to get a spot away from the front - it can get cold there so try to wrangle yourself a seat down the back of the restaurant - they also have a lovely patio area. Jamie's Rosso Vino House Red, Bar Styled Eating I do wonder at times why folk on TA aren't rating Jamie's as well as they should, at the end of the day it is a good casual styled eatery with a modern twist on fresh Italian food. Its priced well and the service is great - consistently. Oversized, cheese and cream filled stodgy pasta dishes won't be found here (this is where I think the disappointment comes in) the fla...

High Tea with a Twist, Scones (foreground) &  Jubileumstårta I was recently having lunch with a couple of pals at our Swedish friend's newly landscaped outdoor garden patio when she whipped up this amazing Swedish Sandwich (Jubilee) Cake -  Jubileumstårta . In Sweden this Jubilee cake can be ordered any most bakeries and is often used as a celebration cake for anniversaries, graduations etc. I bought along some of my freshly made scones (Mary Berry recipe) as an after-sweet but to be honest this sandwich cake is a fabulous and opulent divergence from your everyday high tea. It is impressive and I was surprised at how simple it is to put together, so I've put the recipe that my friend used below. Enjoy! Jubileumstårta - Sandwich Cake You are aiming for a sandwich that literally follows this format: Bread Tuna Filling Bread Egg Filling Bread Tuna Filling Bread Start with the bread first and layout three pieces for the bottom layer. Put half the t...

Le Salon Prive Restaurant, St Margarets, Twickenham La Salon Prive (The Private Lounge) is actually a newly re-invigorated, and much needed refurbished Brula - a French Bistro restaurant based in St Margaret's, Twickenham for over 15 years. The restaurant went through an ownership change back in January (the former owners having connections with other Richmond restaurants, La Buvette and A Cena, as well as Covent Garden restaurant Joe Allens). The new proprietor happens to be the same owner of a very popular Italian restaurant, Bacco, in Richmond. Bacco is one of my top Italian fine dining eats and here's a  review of Bacco  here. Entrance to Le Salon Prive, Dining Room La Salon have kept the lovely glass stained windows but have totally redone the inside. Formerly the restaurant resembled something similar to your geriatric granny's living room - it might seem charming but it really felt like it had been under-invested, incidentally a similar theme also exist...

View out to front of Rock and Rose Curiously, it says on Rock and Pose sorry Rock and Rose's website that they are an award winning restaurant which is intriguing, after my visit I felt this is definitely not a place for folk with discernible palates. Rock and Rose is full of promise, they have an exciting web page with the usual high res pics of a beautifully decorated eatery. The owners have done a wonderful job in creating a cosy, monochrome styled restaurant that oozes fun, but it is, without a comparable menu. R&R attract a demographic more consistent with that of a celebration or hen's night destination, and if that is their objective then more power to them! Haloumi starter Sashimi of Tuna & Salmon For me its perhaps unintentionally(?) more of a faux glamour environment - not really true sophistication but wonderfully popular nevertheless. I figure R&R serve adequate food for folk who are there to enjoy great cocktails, create a fun evenin...