After almost 6 months of absence, I am back!!!
Not that I have not been enjoying (or not) food in the past few months. It just meant that I have been very busy enjoying lots of good food, and the other way round, whilst travelling!
In the next few posts, you will see cuisines of all sorts from different places like the British Cotswolds, Switzerland, Barcelona and Malaysia.
So stay tuned and look out for upcoming posts about more great food adventures!
NB The next few posts will be posted retrospectively according to the dates they were experienced in.
Thursday 18 October 2012
Monday 13 August 2012
The Kingham Plough, again!
A little gem found in the countryside within Cotswolds. My friend and I have dined here before in 2011.
We enjoyed our last experience in the Kingham Plough and thought that the food was fantastic where local resources were used and the fresh ingredients well utilised.
Despite recent reviews (on Tripadvisor), some good, lots bad, I decided to bring my parents there based on my previous experience.
This pub/restaurant serves food which is a cross between fine-dining and pub grub. Food you normally find in a pub, carefully decorated like one can find in a fine-dining restaurant.
The tables were presented in a rustic way, like you would find in some of Jamie Oliver's restaurants.
Nothing better than nice warm bread with a big spread of creamy butter to start the evening.
For starters.....
We had the cockle and sweetcorn chowder with new potatoes. It came beautifully presented with a pot of fragrant chowder and a colourful array of yellow sweetcorn, green parsley, little cubes of new potatoes and dainty cockles.
The cockles were very fresh and the sweetness of sweetcorn subtlely coming through the light and fresh chowder.
Then for the main course.......
The chicken breast was well seasoned, soft and tender with a nice crisp skin. The stuffed chicken leg was really juicy and sweet with a smoky and salty flavour coming from the bacon. I loved the hashbrown made with lots and lots of thin potato strips then fried into a biscuit, giving a very crisp texture!
The poached haddock was really fresh and nicely cooked through. The fritter was an absolute delight, fried to perfection with a very tasty batter which gave a nice crisp.
And the star of the night......
Rump of Hereford Beef topped with a big round slab of horseradish butter (melting on the hot steak), served with triple cooked chips!
We ordered the steak to be medium-cooked. The chargrilled steak was very juicy, tender, sweet and had a fragrant 'BBQ-smoky' flavour. The rich and creamy butter melting on the steak was just the perfect compliment and one would not need any sauce of any kind to enjoy this steak!
The chips, TRIPLE COOKED CHIPS, were mmmmmmmm.........mmmmmmmmmmm......mmmmmmmm......delicious!
If you have watched Heston Blumenthal cook triple chips on TV before, you will know what I mean.
A super crispy outer layer that goes 'crack, crack, crack' as you take each bite, with a super fluffy and soft inside. This is what I call the most delicious chips you will every try!
We thoroughly enjoyed our food within a light-hearted and relaxed environment!
We enjoyed our last experience in the Kingham Plough and thought that the food was fantastic where local resources were used and the fresh ingredients well utilised.
Despite recent reviews (on Tripadvisor), some good, lots bad, I decided to bring my parents there based on my previous experience.
This pub/restaurant serves food which is a cross between fine-dining and pub grub. Food you normally find in a pub, carefully decorated like one can find in a fine-dining restaurant.
 |
| Outside the Pub |
 |
| On the table |
The tables were presented in a rustic way, like you would find in some of Jamie Oliver's restaurants.
 |
| Lager |
 |
| Bread and Butter |
Nothing better than nice warm bread with a big spread of creamy butter to start the evening.
For starters.....
 |
| Cockle and Sweetcorn Chowder with New Potatoes |
We had the cockle and sweetcorn chowder with new potatoes. It came beautifully presented with a pot of fragrant chowder and a colourful array of yellow sweetcorn, green parsley, little cubes of new potatoes and dainty cockles.
 |
| Chowder |
The cockles were very fresh and the sweetness of sweetcorn subtlely coming through the light and fresh chowder.
Then for the main course.......
 | |||||
| Madgett's Farm Chicken Breast, Sweetcorn and Baconstuffed Leg, Hash Brown and Alan's Stick Beans |
 |
| Poached Cornish Haddock, Smoked Haddock Fritter, Samphire and Butter Sauce |
The poached haddock was really fresh and nicely cooked through. The fritter was an absolute delight, fried to perfection with a very tasty batter which gave a nice crisp.
And the star of the night......
 | |
| Rump of Hereford Beef, Horseradish Butter, Triple Cooked Chips and Daylesford Leave |
Rump of Hereford Beef topped with a big round slab of horseradish butter (melting on the hot steak), served with triple cooked chips!
 |
| Medium-cooked |
We ordered the steak to be medium-cooked. The chargrilled steak was very juicy, tender, sweet and had a fragrant 'BBQ-smoky' flavour. The rich and creamy butter melting on the steak was just the perfect compliment and one would not need any sauce of any kind to enjoy this steak!
The chips, TRIPLE COOKED CHIPS, were mmmmmmmm.........mmmmmmmmmmm......mmmmmmmm......delicious!
If you have watched Heston Blumenthal cook triple chips on TV before, you will know what I mean.
A super crispy outer layer that goes 'crack, crack, crack' as you take each bite, with a super fluffy and soft inside. This is what I call the most delicious chips you will every try!
We thoroughly enjoyed our food within a light-hearted and relaxed environment!
Wednesday 8 August 2012
Lunch at The Stonemill
It was a random encounter with this lovely restaurant, tucked in the beautiful countryside of Wales.
The short story goes like this.
We were on our way back from a visit to an organic farm somewhere in Monmouthshire. Being very hungry as it was already lunch time, our plan was to head towards Monmouth town, find a pub/restaurant then settle for a nice pub lunch.
We were driving along long, winding country roads with tall bushes, trees and some random cottages on both sides of the road. Then, as we passed some stone buildings by the road, we were engulfed by very aromatic smell of FOOD!
We could not stop in time to turn into the road by the buildings, so we drove past and discussed whether or not to turn back. About half a mile later, being very hungry and still quite some way away from Monmouth town, we decided to make a U-turn and head towards the nice smell of food!
Hence, we arrived at The Stonemill Restaurant @ Rockfield.
A nicely decorated interior with a 'Barn Theme' complete with a stonemill right in the middle of the restaurant, hence the name.
This restaurant uses local produce and even grow their own vegetables to ensure the freshest food is served to customers!
They even make their own bread, jam, pasta etc.
The house-made buns were incredibly tasty, very soft and easy to tear. Perfect with a dip of good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil!
To start -
We had a nice, light starter of smoked salmon complimented with the very refreshing chive salad which always goes well with seafood. A very nice summer dish to start our lunch.
We also had the sweet potato soup which was not too sweet. The white truffle oil added a very fragrant taste to it and the soup is very well seasoned with smoked sea salt. A delight to have as a starter to increase one's appetite. Also perfect to dip your bread into.
The pan roasted tenderloin of pork was very well cooked. It was very tender and had a pleasant char-grilled taste to it. I loved the silky smooth mashed potato with a rich taste of butter and the bed of ratatouille was simply filled with flavours of stewed vegetables.
The highlight of our lunch was the roasted breasts of wood pigeon sourced from Mr Arnell in Monmouth. It has a very nice gamy taste to it and was perfectly cooked still a bit pink to prevent the meat from getting too tough. The bacon added some smokiness to the dish and the addition of green peas make the entire dish like having pigeon in the woods!
A very enjoyable lunch indeed.
We were just glad that we followed our noses and found very good food!
The short story goes like this.
We were on our way back from a visit to an organic farm somewhere in Monmouthshire. Being very hungry as it was already lunch time, our plan was to head towards Monmouth town, find a pub/restaurant then settle for a nice pub lunch.
We were driving along long, winding country roads with tall bushes, trees and some random cottages on both sides of the road. Then, as we passed some stone buildings by the road, we were engulfed by very aromatic smell of FOOD!
We could not stop in time to turn into the road by the buildings, so we drove past and discussed whether or not to turn back. About half a mile later, being very hungry and still quite some way away from Monmouth town, we decided to make a U-turn and head towards the nice smell of food!
Hence, we arrived at The Stonemill Restaurant @ Rockfield.
 |
| Outside The Stonemill |
A nicely decorated interior with a 'Barn Theme' complete with a stonemill right in the middle of the restaurant, hence the name.
 |
| Inside The Stonemill |
 |
| The Menu |
This restaurant uses local produce and even grow their own vegetables to ensure the freshest food is served to customers!
They even make their own bread, jam, pasta etc.
 |
| House-made Breads |
The house-made buns were incredibly tasty, very soft and easy to tear. Perfect with a dip of good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil!
To start -
 |
| Smoked salmon, new potato & chive salad, crème fraiche |
We had a nice, light starter of smoked salmon complimented with the very refreshing chive salad which always goes well with seafood. A very nice summer dish to start our lunch.
 |
| Sweet potato soup, white truffle oil, smoked sea salt |
We also had the sweet potato soup which was not too sweet. The white truffle oil added a very fragrant taste to it and the soup is very well seasoned with smoked sea salt. A delight to have as a starter to increase one's appetite. Also perfect to dip your bread into.
 |
| Pan roasted tenderloin of pork, creamed potatoes, ratatouille, red wine jus |
The pan roasted tenderloin of pork was very well cooked. It was very tender and had a pleasant char-grilled taste to it. I loved the silky smooth mashed potato with a rich taste of butter and the bed of ratatouille was simply filled with flavours of stewed vegetables.
 |
| Roasted breasts of wood pigeon, summer vegetables, smoked bacon, saute potatoes, red wine jus |
The highlight of our lunch was the roasted breasts of wood pigeon sourced from Mr Arnell in Monmouth. It has a very nice gamy taste to it and was perfectly cooked still a bit pink to prevent the meat from getting too tough. The bacon added some smokiness to the dish and the addition of green peas make the entire dish like having pigeon in the woods!
A very enjoyable lunch indeed.
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