~* Battle of the Italians!*~

Happy New Year!!! First post of 2013!!

In this post, I wanted to blog about 2 popular Italian restaurants in my hometown of Washington (Tyne & Wear, UK) - Fiume, which I have blogged about before, and Amiro's.

I picked these 2 particular restaurants to write about for a couple reasons. One, because I have just recently visited both and two, because if there are any restaurants in Washington that are in competition, it's these ones. Please note that these reviews are purely personal, and are based only on recent visits to each restaurant.

Let the battle of the Italian restaurants commence!!

Amiro's (www.amirosrestaurant.co.uk)

Seafood Risotto
 

Amiro's is a fairly new restaurant which I believe has been open for just under 5 years, and is situated just past Bonemill Lane in Harraton/Rickleton (for those familiar with this area, it used to be the Old George pub). It is quite a popular little restaurant, attracting people of all ages for any type of occassion, and the elegant setting and soft lighting helps create a very calm, romantic mood.

My last visit to Amiro's was my third one. I came with 2 friends of mine for dinner, and since it was going to be our last meal together before the new year, we decided to treat ourselves by spending a bit more than usual (which is not a lot - we are a tight bunch ;))

First of all, we ordered our starters, which we decided to share amongst each other. We ordered a portion of Calamari, potato skins and a Caprese salad (basil, tomatoes and mozzarella). Amiro's is known for their generous sized portions, and they certainly didn't disappoint that night. What they did disappoint us on however, was the quality of the potato skins. The Calamari and the Caprese salad were fine, very tasty and fresh, but the potato skins were far too salty. I am a big believer in only lightly seasoning food at cooking stage then letting diners season to taste as they please, but this was just too much. Such a shame considering the other 2 dishes were so delicious, and I am surprised we didn't end up leaving the restaurant with severe sodium poisoning :-s For our mains, my friends ordered pasta dishes (I can't remember which ones though, sorry :( ) and I went for my all-time favourite Italian dish - Seafood Risotto. Again, the portions were massive which of course we were happy with, but because of the size of the starters, we weren't sure if we could even finish our mains.

My Seafood Risotto was tasty, but not the best I have ever had. If anything, it was UNDER seasoned; ironic after complaining about how salty our potato skins were!! Nevertheless, there was a good mix of seafood in there so it actually looked and tasted like a Seafood Risotto. My friends seemed to have enjoyed their pasta dishes too, but unfortunately, a lot was left on the plate as we were all so stuffed from the starters!



OVERALL VERDICT: 7.5/10. Don't get me wrong, I would recommend Amiro's to anyone as it is not one of those places I would never ever visit again, however it could be improved by balance and consistency. Everytime I have eaten at Amiro's, my opinions have been different each time. The first time was awful, the second time was brilliant and the third time was OK. Though I am a fan of large portions, the starters are big enough to eat as a main, so it would be good to see the size of those decreased *ever so slightly*. With regards to the taste of the food - GO EASY ON THE SALT ON THE POTATO SKINS!!

VALUE FOR MONEY:  Very good. Reasonable price, large portions, OK food (which has the potential to be excellent food).

AMIRO'S
55 New Road,
Washington
Tyne & Wear
NE38 9AT

Fiume (http://www.popololeisure.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=195)

I have blogged about Fiume before (in a post about eating Sunday Lunch there), but just to give a bit of background, it is a small Italian restaurant situated in the village of Fatfield, and is upstairs to one of the most popular bars in Washington, The Riverbar.

Like Amiro's, Fiume attracts a wide range of customers and it is very common to see people celebrating birthdays and other special occassions here. With the restaurant being upstairs to The Riverbar, as well as being in close proximity of a pub and another popular bar, the location is ideal for those who want a bit of alcoholic fun after their meal without having to travel too far.

My most recent visit to Fiume was with Kris, after we realised we didn't have a lot of food in the house and were too late to go food shopping.

Fiume always has great special deals before 7pm, so we decided to take advantage of this and treat ourselves without spending a fortune.

Our meal deal consisted of a starter (at £2 each) and a main (ranging from £4.95 - £7.95, depending on what it was).

For starters, I ordered a Caprese salad, and Kris ordered a Minestrone soup with bread. Both dishes were incredibly delicious, and the portion sizes were generous enough without them being too filling. I have ordered Caprese salad from Fiume in the past, and it is by far my favourite starter - it is always so good!! Of course, I took a cheeky taste of Kris's Minestrone, and it was superb.


Minestrone Soup
 



Caprese Salad
 

For our mains, I ordered a small portion of Al Salmone with spaghetti and a side salad (£5.95), and Kris had Pollo Picante with vegetables (£7.95). Al Salmone is my "safe choice", as I have eaten it before and everytime I do eat it, it gets tastier and tastier. By having it with side salad, I felt less guilty about having a cream-based dish, but it wasn't too heavy anyway - I think the chefs have perfected this dish wonderfully :) Kris's Pollo Picante was also very nice, however due to the spices that were in the dish (I am no good with spice :( ), the kick it had was a little too much for me, but was perfect for Kris, who loves spice.

 

Al Salmone
 

Chicken

OVERALL VERDICT: 9/10. The meal both Kris and I had in Fiume was excellent, but this was no surprise as the food there is consistently at a high standard.Unlike Amiro's, the food tends to be seasoned well, not too much and not too little, and we very rarely find ourselves adding any salt or pepper to our dishes. Fiume still remains our "go to" place where we are guaranteed a good meal for a good price, and I would definately recommend it to anyone who has never been before.

VALUE FOR MONEY: Very good. Though slightly pricier than Amiro's, the quality of the food is usually excellent, and the meal deals which are on offer before 7pm (Sunday - Thursdays) are reasonable. It is the perfect little treat for anyone wanting to go out for a meal without having to dig too deep into their pockets.

FIUME
16 Bonemill Lane
Washington
Tyne & Wear
NE38 8AJ

~*Xmas in the Household! - 2012!!*~

Merry Xmas everyone!! :)  I hope you all had a great one!!

Now that everything surrounding the festive season is starting to slow down, I finally have time to blog and share with you all how we celebrated Christmas in our household and most importantly, what we ate!
I'm a big believer in the STRICTLY NO DIETING rule during the Xmas & New Year season, and I definately stuck to this!!


Every year, we spend Xmas day at my parents' house, and they set out a lovely buffet-style spread for dinner. As we have a mix of east (Japanese and Filipino) and west (English) in our family, they try and cater for everyone by having a mixed menu - this usually consists of a traditional English Xmas Dinner, Sushi and also Filipino foods. Instead of everyone sitting around the table with identical meals, we just pick what we want from the buffet of food before gathering together to eat.

This year, Kris and I were put in charge of the veg to serve with the traditional English Xmas Dinner. For those unfamiliar with a typical English Xmas Dinner, this consists of turkey (or any type of meat!) and "all the trimmings" - vegetables, stuffing, roast potatoes, "pigs in blankets"(chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon) and Yorkshire puddings, doused in gravy.


Preparation of the Xmas veg!


 

We chose to cook boiled carrots, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, roasted parsnips and mashed potato (which I put Kris in charge of, and he now reckons he is the "Mash King" :-o!)

As a little addition to the table, we also cooked asparagus wrapped in Parma ham (seasoned with butter, salt and pepper) - delicious!! 



Asparagus and Parma ham
 

When we got to my parents' house on Xmas morning (at about 10:30am), the buffet was already laid out.

As always, there was a mix of Japanese/Filipino/English foods to choose from.Some dishes which we had for Xmas included:

•  Sushi
• Turkey (with veg and of course, Kris's mashed potato!)
• Spring rolls (Filipino Lumpia)
• Jamonado (a sweet Filipino ham)
• Lucban Hardinera (a type of meatloaf that originated in the Quezon Province in the Philippines)
• Chicken drumsticks
• Calamari 

Sushi!



Sushi!



Lucban Hardinera
 

We also had a selection of sweets to choose from to have as dessert, which mainly consisted of popular Filipino treats, such as:

 

•  Leche Flan (a very sweet milk flan)
• Polvoron (a powdered sweet which is individually wrapped)
• Yema (individually wrapped sweets made from egg yolk and condensed milk)
• Buko Pandan (a very popular Filipino dessert which consists of green gelatin, pandan leaves,tapioca pearls and "nata de coco", which is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the fermentation of coconut water)

 


Polvoron and Yema

Buko Pandan

Leche Flan

 

Needless to say, we all took advantage of such a wide selection of food and, especially with the STRICTLY NO DIETING rule, we went back for seconds (and thirds, fourths and even fifths!!)

I hope you all enjoyed your Xmas dinners too - I am sure that all families have their own Xmas traditions which they follow regarding food - what's yours?

*~ MERRY XMAS!!~*

 
 
 



~* Dining out in Krakow (Poland)!!*~

Hello all!!

Kris and I have just returned from our annual December Christmas break (our 4th one!), and this year we ended up in the beautiful city of Krakow, in Poland.

To be completely truthful, we struggled a bit to find somewhere we thought was "wow". Krakow has a massive selection of restaurants and cafes which apparently serves "authentic" Polish food, however in some places, it was evident that the effort was not put in to show us tourists what real Polish food was all about. That's not to say that we didn't enjoy every meal though!

Here is a list of places we went during our 4-night stay, and what we thought...

Day 1: Dinner @ Staropolska (Polish Restaurant)
Staropolska is a quaint little restaurant situated in the main market square. Beautifully presented with homely interior, Staropolska has a lovely selection of Polish foods on offer for a very reasonable price.
I ordered a Pork Shashlik (served with bacon and onions), which (stated on the menu) came with either bread OR potatoes. I asked for potatoes only, without the bread.

Kris ordered a Hunter's Stew ("Bigos"), which came with bread.

The Pork Shashlik was AMAZING. So gorgeously cooked, I would recommend this dish to anyone.


Pork Shashlik
 



Bigos

 

Kris also enjoyed the Bigos, and was very pleased with the generous portion size for the price (approx. £3.50). The only thing that let this food experience down was the service.

When we first walked into the restaurant, 4 male workers, who I believe made up the musical entertainment for the evening (who were sitting near the entrance), all very indiscreetly turned and stared at us while we waited for assistance. Very rude, very intimidating and far too obvious! Next time, we will be sure to give them a photo.

When getting the bill, we noticed that there were some sneaky additions on the tab, which consisted of 2 small beers and a portion of potatoes. We would have been more understanding if the restaurant was super busy, however we were 1 of only about 3 tables. Plus, the menu stated that my dish came with potatoes OR bread. And they charged me for the potatoes?!?!



Me at Starpolska Restaurant

 

Food was excellent, service was mediocre.

FOOD RATING: 8.5/10


OVERALL RATING: 7/10

STAROPOLSKA
Rynek Główny 44 31-017 Kraków,  Poland

Day 2: Breakfast @ Pergamin Cafe

Pergamin is a small cafe which is tucked away in one of the small back streets, just off the main market square.

We were given a leaflet by one of those people who try and lure you in for business, and after seeing that the cafe offered Polish breakfasts for an amazing price of 18 PLN (about £3.75), off we went inside.

And we were not disappointed. We didn't know what to expect as neither of us had ever had a Polish breakfast before, but we were very pleased.

The Polish breakfast we ordered was very continental, and consisted of cheeses, hams, bread, honey and a cheeky croissant. This was served with tea or coffee, and an orange juice.

Polish breakfast @ Pergamin
 

The portion size was great, the food was amazing and the service was also very good. We left the cafe very happy (and very full!!)

FOOD RATING: 10/10
OVERALL RATING: 10/10

PERGAMIN
ul. Bracka 3-5,
31-005 Kraków,
Poland

Day 2: Dinner @ Il Forno (Italian Restaurant)

The last thing we wanted to do was eat Italian food in Poland, however typically, Kris and I couldn't decide where to eat and by the time we had thought, "let's just go anywhere authentic!", they weren't serving anymore!

So we ended up in Il Forno, an Italian Restaurant just off the main market square and about a 3 minute walk from our hotel (which was the Wyspianski Hotel).

We ordered a large pizza (can't remember the name, but had Parma ham and egg toppings) and pasta with salmon and cream sauce.

The food was so-so, not brilliant but it wasn't awful either - it got us by. The service was a bit of a let down though, as we were put into a small, separated section of the restaurant which meant we were forgotton about, and that wasn't so good when I was desperate for a glass of water.

Overall, not sure if I would recommend it to anyone visiting Krakow, maybe it's just one of those places I would direct people as a "last resort".

FOOD RATING: 6.75/10
OVERALL RATING: 6/10

IL FORNO
Mały Rynek 2 Kraków, Poland

Day 3: Dinner @ Cafe Art
Following our Italian dinner the night before, we were dead set on having some Polish food on day 3.

We stumbled across Cafe Art, which is a hidden restaurant on the main market square. This was not our first choice of restaurant, as we had heard that a restaurant called Gospoda Koko was THE place to go for cheap, home-cooked Polish food. However, when we arrived there, it was like we didn't exist. The staff didn't even look at us, offer us menus or even acknolwedge the fact that we were standing there, open-mouthed, thinking "IS THIS FOR REAL?!", not to mention they were eating their dinner as they were serving! I was so disappointed, as I had read some excellent food reviews for Gospoda Koko, but out of principle, we were not prepared to give them business with their attitude!

OK, so back to Cafe Art. Our disappointment for Gospoda Koko wouldn't have been so deep if Cafe Art mended our broken hearts. Unfortunately, it just pick-axed at them a little deeper.



Chicken breast, coleslaw salad, beetroot and potatoes @ Cafe Art
 

Kris ordered a Polish stew served in "bread", and I ordered a chicken breast with spinach and feta filling, served with potatoes, coleslaw salad and beetroot. Kris managed about 3 spoonfuls of his stew before he gave up. It was incredibly bland, so bland that it had no colour to it at all, and the "bread" it was served in looked and felt like stone. I had suggested seasoning the stew so it was edible, however there was no salt or pepper on the table. My dish was slightly more bearable, thanks to the coleslaw and beetroot, which were delicious (and probably taken from a packet). The potatoes were also lovely, but the chicken breast left my mouth feeling like the Sahara Desert, it was that dry! As the for spinach and feta filling, they were obviously there for show only, as I was unable to taste it.

Kris annoyed at his poor stew!

The service was very much like the food - bland. I don't think we heard the waiter speak at all, but I am not completely sure, since Michael Jackson "Live in Concert" was blasting through the restaurant. I am however, very sure that we didn't hear a "Thank You" when we paid the bill.
FOOD RATING: 2/10 (but only because of the coleslaw salad, potatoes and beetroot).
OVERALL RATING: 3/10 (for the reasons stated above, plus a good selection of Michael Jackson songs).

CAFE ART
Main Market Square 23 31-008 Kraków, Poland

Day 4: Lunch @ Yummie (American Steak House)

For lunch on day 4, we ended up at an American Steak House called Yummie, which is situated in the main market square. Again, we had wanted to stay Polish, however at 16 PLN (just over £3) for a selection of dishes from the lunch menu, plus 2 super hungry bellies, we weren't too fussed.

I ordered pork ribs in a BBQ sauce, served with french fries and coleslaw salad, and Kris got a pork neck steak seasoned with herbs with Tzatziki and french fries.

The portions were massive, so for the price we were paying, we certainly weren't complaining! The quality of food was great and the service was also very good. The waitress serving us was pleasant and polite, and the restaurant itself was clean and well-presented.

I must add, the Polish have got it 100% right when it comes to coleslaw salads!!

FOOD RATING: 8.5/10
OVERALL RATING: 8.5/10

YUMMIE
Main Market Square 25 31-008 Kraków, Poland

Day 4: Dinner @ Restauracja Pod Gruszka

Our last dinner in Krakow, we really wanted to go Polish!!
Restauracja Pod Gruszka is situated just off the main market square, tucked away in a little side street. It isn't difficult to find, as there is always someone trying to get you inside.

The interior is classic and elegant, and from the first instance, it looks very expensive and some people may be intimidated at the assumption of how costly the food may be.

The restaurant menu is impressive, offering a wide selection of traditional Polish dishes at a reasonable price. As we were to learn later on, the portion sizes are incredibly generous too!!


For starters, we ordered traditional Polish meat dumplings which we shared.

Polish dumplings, yummy!!

For our mains, I ordered Królik a la zając, ryż, buraki zasmażane (Rabbit a la hare, rice, fried beetroot salad in Old Polish style), and Kris got Łosoś z zielonym pieprzem, kopytka, mix warzyw (Salmon with green Poppe, potatoes, mix of fresh vegetables).



Salmon, potatoes and vegetables
 

The food was delicious, very traditional and presented neatly on our plates.

Rabbit, rice and Polish style beetroot
 

The waitress who served us was lovely, very polite and accommodating, and after reading positive reviews on Trip Advisor about an "adorable waitress" at this restaurant, I would highly assume it was
her. 



I would definately recommend Restauracja Pod Gruszka to anyone visiting Krakow. Not only is the  food and service wonderful, you also walk away knowing you paid less than £20 (including drinks, red wine for Kris and mineral water for me), so not too heavy on the wallet.

FOOD RATING: 8/10
OVERALL RATING: 8.75/10
RESTAURACJA POD GRUSZKA
Szczepańska 1
Kraków, Poland

~~**Beef Caldereta (Kalderetang Baka)**~~

Ooops, I have been really rubbish and not updated this blog for over 2 months now :( It's been a very busy couple of months, and now things have started to calm down, there's no excuse for me not to update on a much more regular basis!

Anyway, I have just come home from my parents' house, where I had a really delicious dinner cooked by my mum. I was watching her cook it, which spurred me on to get back on here and blog about it.



Beef Caldereta cooking in the pan!

She cooked a dish called Beef Caldereta (or Kalderetang Baka in Tagalog), which is a popular Filipino stew most commonly served either at home or during festivities and gatherings. It is a Spanish-influenced dish (which is more commonly referred to as "Caldereta" in Spain), and is made up of beef (though chicken, pork, goat or even fish can be used), potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce and liver spread/pate. It has a canny resemblence to a typical English Beef Casserole, only in my opinion, Caldereta is richer and miles tastier.

I believe this was the second or third time my mum had attempted this dish after getting a recipe from a website, but already she has somehow become a pro in making it! Her first attempt was for a house-gathering she had with friends (Filipinos love to socialise and eat!), and they seemed to be very impressed!!

Unlike English Beef Casserole, which would typically be served with boiled or mashed (or any type of!)potatoes and vegetables, we did it the Asian way and of course, served it with rice. My mum also boiled some broccoli to serve as a healthy side.

And here is how is looked on the plate! It went down very well, and I am looking forward to trying to cook this myself, though I doubt it will be as good as this (coz mothers do it the best, right?)

Amen!
 

P.s. For the Japanese speakers out there, no this is not "Idiot Stew", "baka" (or "vaca" in Spanish) is cow (or beef in this case!) xxx

~* Ursula's Spanish Tortilla!!*~

OK, I had to share this because I am so proud!


One of my best friends, Ursula, who is new to the cooking world, promised to make a Spanish Tortilla if Spain won the Euro 2012 Football tournament. Luckily, Spain won, and I did not hold back badgering Ursula to keep her promise and whip up the Tortilla for me.

Ursula had made Spanish Tortilla before, however even though I thought it was really good, she was hard on herself and wanted to better her last efforts.

And she did!

On the morning of my birthday, I found a plate with "Surprise" written on it, waiting on my desk, and there it was - Ursula's Spanish Tortilla!!
I thought it was delicious!! I took some home for Kris to try too and he also agreed. I am now looking forward to Ursula delving deeper into the cooking world and trying to make more Spanish dishes for us to enjoy :)

~* Happy Birthday to me!!*~ The Millhouse

On July 5th 2012, I celebrated my er...21st (this is not true :-p) birthday. Unfortunately, I spent the whole day at work, but luckily for me, my lovely friends made my birthday in the office a very pleasant one, so it wasn't so bad after all :)

In the evening, Kris took me to one of my favourite local pub restaurants called The Millhouse. The Millhouse is a quaint little joint with traditionally English decor, and the atmosphere is usually very relaxing and tranquil (I say "usually" because the night I went for my birthday meal, they didn't light any table candles, which is the main factor of setting the ambience).

On the night, we ordered a special, which was 2 meals for £20 - this consisted of 2 "Soup of the Day"s (which was Carrot and Coriander, yum!), 2 Steak dinners and a choice between a small glass of wine or a soft drink. As a treat, Kris also ordered me a side serving of 6 oysters, served with lemon juice and vinegarette. Kris is not a fan of oysters, so they were all mine :D < - very happy face!

The meal was lovely, especially the oysters and the Carrot and Coriander soup, however there were a few downsides.

- I had ordered my steak to be cooked "rare", however I found the texture to be on the "medium" side. Kris also had the same problem - he had ordered "medium" but got "well done", which made the meat a little too dry to please his pallette.


- There was no bread to go with the soup starter! The waitress told us there was no bread after we had ordered, and blamed the fact that it had been a busy night. Understandable, but my thought was since there is a supermarket just down the road, they could have sent someone to buy bread before the entire batch was gone. Failing that, they could have offered us a small discount as a gesture of good will (which I had expected, but did not receive).

Overall, I guess for The Millhouse, we got what we paid for.I had expected much better, as they are usually spot-on with meals, but that night was a bit hitty-missy for me. In saying that, I can't say I didn't enjoy the meal, because I did, but not as much as I had wanted to. 

The Millhouse
Birtley
Chester-Le-Street
DH3 1RE
U.K

~* Office Banquet!*~

The people in our office at work are super generous.

Last Friday (29/06/2012), to celebrate a birthday / wedding / leaving / the fact that is was Friday, a few colleagues brought in some fabulous food to share around the office. It really was a true Office Banquet!

There was sushi, Spanish Tortilla, fried rice, bread and a lot of chocolate and cake!!

Sushi!

Needless to say, we all took advantage of all of this amazing food and we were left feeling very full - it was worth it though, because it was all so delicious! Plus, no dieting on Fridays,
right?

Fried rice and Spanish Tortilla