Tapas Fantisticos; Indeed!

A fun-filled weekend for me, and there was no brunch involved.

On Saturday I attended the first day of "Tapas Fantasticos" organized on behalf of Spain's Rioja wine producers who got the chance to showcase their varieties of Rioja (and more) to London wine enthusiasts (and others). There were some 30-odd wine booths, each with 2-4 offerings, and about 14 tapas stalls scattered around Ely Yard to accompany all the drinking that was going on.

The deal was you spend £2 on a small wine glass that allowed you up to visit 8 booths for samples. Most vendors dutifully stamped each visitor's card but naturally if you were all stamped out it was only in their interest to give you a taste anyways, in the hope that you'd stick around, buy a full glass for £2-6 and make their brand that much more memorable on your next wine buying expedition.

I was honestly surprised that more vendors did not have any type of promotional material available to aid guests to recall their brands after they left the sanctuary of the festive parking lot. I know I certainly could have used more leaflets so that I would have a better idea of all that I'd tried... Most are a bit blurry 2 days later... oh well! Let that be a lesson to you, the organizers and producers.

The tapas were pretty darn entertaining as well, and lots of folks were into the flamenco performances and demonstrations, although I personally found it more useful to spend time checking on which booths were giving bigger tastings :) All in all I had 9 tastings, some as big as half a glass and others just a wee sip. Also had a lovely full glass, one of the first I tasted, but I kept my wits about me with the help of the tapas I tried: bocadito with serrano ham and some sort of cheese (good), bruschetta-type toast with tomatoes, goat cheese and anchovy (great), chorizo rice (not bad), and then (for balance) I had some Malaga ice cream. Don't know what made it 'malaga' per se but it was nice nonetheless given how much warmer the sun felt on Saturday after all the whites, reds and rosés.

Round of applause overall to the organizers. It was well worth the 30 minutes in line to get in.

Qype: Tapa Room @ The Providores in London

London - Restaurants - International

Good brunch in the Tapa Room of the Providores, which is the ground floor level of the restaurant. The breakfast/brunch menu has the standard dishes you'd expect from a celeb chef restaurant like greek yogurt and granola and fry ups with a twist to them, such as one with black pudding and roast apple for a tenner. What's more notable though, are the not-so-standard dishes such as the brown rice porridge, apple, maple, miso porridge or French toast with banana and pecans (still standard there) with vanilla verjus syrup and thick slices of bacon.

There are a few interesting egg dishes as well, one being 'turkish eggs' (poached, with whipped yogurt and hot chilli butter) and poached eggs atop spinach, hot smoked salmon and walnut toast, with yuzu hollandaise. I had the latter and but for the salmon I really enjoyed it. I now know that tea-smoked salmon tastes just like regularly cooked salmon, which i dislike, and not at all like smoked salmon, which I adore... unless they made a big fat booboo here and I got the overcooked end of the stick.

Brunch gets busy, as I can see happening all day at the Tapa Room given the trendy but cozy feel they've managed to attain, and the fact that the all-day menu also sounds delicious for bites big and small. Brunch should run about 10-15 quid with coffee (Monmouth!) unless you also go for a cocktail or one of the blended juices that seem quite popular with the in-the-knows. Worth a visit, and I'll be going back for wine and small bites next.

Check out my review of Tapa Room @ The Providores - I am CaribQueen - on Qype

Sake, shochu and sushi tasting with Qype

Last night a small group of Qypers and London foodie bloggers attended a very exclusive sake, shochu and sushi tasting event that was co-hosted by Akashi-Tai brewery and held at recently opened Tsuru, a recently-opened Japanese restaurant in Southwark near the Tate Modern.

Learning, eating, and drinking. Three of my all-time favourite things! All being done at the same time! Brilliant! I was happy as clam, so happy I could almost hear the Sound of Music soundtrack streaming in the distance…either that or I was subconsciously humming it to myself… possible, and scary in retrospect.

Round 1:

The evening began the way the best evenings usually do. With cocktails! We were given the choice of Tokiwa Rhubarb Fizz (shochu, rhubarb puree I believe, simple syrup, soda and mint) and Kappa Saketini (shochu, sake, and a cucumber slice). The rhubarb fizz was lovely; light-bodied and rose-coloured, with a slight tanginess reminiscent of summer afternoons… on a front porch …overlooking a garden perhaps. It’s so drinkable that it’s dangerous. That I didn’t get the recipe is part blessing, part curse.

Completely different yet just as intriguing was the cucumber-flavoured saketini. I only sampled the saketini (twice) because I’m not the biggest fan of cucumbers, so although it was tasty and as refreshing as you’d expect a cucumber cocktail to be I stuck with the fruitier rhubarb concoction. Servings of chilli-sprinkled and edamame were brought out and devoured at what was surely a record-breaking pace. Great way to start the night.

Round 2:

We then took our seats to hear from both co-sponsors of the event about the good things that were to come next. A pairing of Carpaccio of Seabass with not one, but two chilled sakes. The seabass was exquisite. Fresh, delicate, and just the right temperature to truly appreciate the flavour of the fish (call me crazy but it drives me mad when sushi/sashimi is served too cold!).
This was first paired with Akashi-Tai’s Daiginjo, a cold sake with a light-to-medium flowery start and dry finish. My untrained palette did not pick up on the lemony flavours described by our host Wakana, but once we moved onto the second sake the difference in body and flavour helped to distinguish the first all the more. We were then treated to the award-winning Junmai Daiginjo. This variety’s more pronounced citrus undertones and smoother finish made it a clear favourite of the group. Apparently this second variety is less familiar to the Japanese palette but has been doing very well in exports to the European and North American markets.

Round 3:

Our hosts at Tsuru then served Nasu Dengaku, broiled Japanese eggplant with a sweet miso paste on top, simple and delicious, and well paired with warm Akashi-Tai Honjozo. I realized, however, that I preferred cold sake so I opted for more Junmai Daiginjo.

Round 4:

Genmai aged sake served with free-range chicken yakitori skewers. Akashi-Tai experimented with using brown rice rather than polished white rice for this sake, and when it was originally produced, it was no winner. But that was back in 2002. Fast-forward to 2008 and the years of aging have turned it into something truly innovative and pleasing. The warm honey coloured sake has lingering hints of caramel and cocoa and should be considered comfort food in my book. I can easily imagine pairing it with dessert as an alternative. (Apologies in advance if that breaks any rules of sake drinking!)

Round 5:

Just when I thought we were nearing the end of the tasting we were presented with large sushi platters of hamachi, tuna, shrimp and other assorted pieces. Our last sake experience of the night with this course was the Honjozo Genshu, a distinctly creamier sake that had a sort of oakiness in aroma and taste that I found to be a perfect finale to the evening.

I had not been exposed to sake on many occasions before last night but thanks to the informative host from Akashi-Tai I’m well on my way to becoming an aficionado. I predict a Qype sake group in the making very soon!

Qype: Ichi Riki Sushi House (Sushi House) in London

London - Restaurants - Japanese & Sushi

From the outside I can see how easy it would be to miss this place altogether as I knew pretty much walked right by the doorway without noticing it. This is one of the hidden gem highlights of London eating in my opinion. It's literally a hole in the wall type of place that seats maybe 40 people, maybe, if crammed in there at each table and around the sushi bar.

From the moment I walked in I anxiously waited for the goodness that I knew would come. I ordered a mixed sushi plate with a tuna roll, salmon roll and 3pcs of a california roll, with miso soup, for just £10! The fish was exceptionally fresh, definitely the best I've had in London so far and better than some of my most frequented stops in NYC as well.

Throw in some edamame to start, and a new convert to green tea ice cream and I'd say it was a pretty successful meal! They also have Kirin, Sapporo and Asahi, and a list of cold and warm sakes, and refillable hot tea for a quid if that's more your thing.

Check out my review of Ichi Riki Sushi House (Sushi House) - I am CaribQueen - on Qype

A Day in Oxford

I went to Oxford yesterday and spent the day walking, sightseeing, eating, and doing more walking. It is such a lovely town and it completely fulfilled my expectations. The old buildings, churches, cobble-stone streets, and multitude of colleges that form the University of Oxford, were truly worth visiting, and I fully intend to go back to Oxford to see more, and revisit the places I already want to call my Qype favorite. Whether for another day trip (on a Saturday and NOT Sunday when the Covered Market is closed!) or a full weekend, I already have a list together of all the places I'll be trying to cram in.

In fact, I already started my Guide on Qype of what I plan to do on my next ride up with the Oxford Tube, which was so quick and convenient that I'm still baffled as to why it took me several months to make the trip. I may have to skip any real food in order to fit in all the cookie, cake, and ice cream shops that I'm listing but it would be for a just cause if they all live up to the 5-stars of George and Danver's Ice Cream. (I dare say 'twas the freshest waffle cone ever!)

Still need to investigate 'bunting' so hopefully between that and lots more walking I can somehow work up an appetite every 2-3 hours. Ambitious? Maybe. Greedy? Likely. Impossible? Remains to be seen!