by Cedric | May 7, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
After a wonderful evening seeing one of my two musical heroes, Todd Rundgren, I needed something to de-contract. Afternoon tea in Kilburn set me right. I met a dear old friend at Maison de la Vie. There was only one cream scone left as we arrived rather late. Being a gracious host, I ate it before telling her.
I jest I jest, I let her have it. The tea leaves were infused with gin & tonic which made for quite a delightful cup of tea. As you might be able to tell, the texture of the scone was really quite unbelievable. Beautifully toasted, well made and good quality cream. What more could one ask for?
With my English Breakfast tea, I opted for the apricot slice. I had to eat it little by little because it was so delightful. Beautiful pastry, well marinated apricots. Full of flavour and not too filling, which is a winning combination in a dessert.
On a separate note, I saw this on my way into Kilburn and found it most amusing.
But overall, Maison de la Vie did give me back some life. I felt as infused as the tealeaves, but with joy rather than gin. This was a deeply impactful afternoon tea during which I came to admire the quality of time one can spend with their friends. I recommend it to those in the area who want an economical and good quality afternoon tea. You won’t be disappointed.
by Cedric | May 4, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
After a long day of walking around Split and recovering from the massive amounts of alcohol consumed at lunchtime, the gang and I decided to dine at Buffet Fife. Just to clarify, I am not the head of an infamous Croatian gang, I was merely referring to my friends.
Fife is characterised by its proximity to the harbour and the copious portions of its food. I was impressed by the quality of each of the dishes, especially the one I ordered.
Sauerkraut. There’s nothing quite like it. This dish takes forever to make and moments to consume. Fife did it wonderfully well, the dish was soft and not too vinegary. The pork and mashed potato worked beautifully together. This is a great choice for a light evening meal in Split.
The other two in my criminal(ly handsome) gang had fish dishes. Now, those of you close enough to me will know that I loathe fish. In light of this, I looked on wearily, casting my mind back to a solemn youth where fish was forced upon me. A scene flashed before my eyes when I was chased through a Carrefour by an octopus wielding fishmonger. That, if any, was the moment I decided fish was not for me.
From the muffled positive groans, I could tell they enjoyed their sea bass and prawns respectively. Now, the gnocchi I did try. As you can see from photographs above and below, they were homemade and quite delicious.
Try the Pašticada with the gnocchi. It fairly gnocched us out. See what I did there?
In summation, Fife was the perfect place for an evening meal. It was cheap, well located and excellent quality. The portions were copious and the service was relatively good. Do go there if ever you’re in Split.
by Cedric | May 1, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
Konaba Ma:Toni is one of the finest restaurants I have ever eaten at. Each course left me flabbergasted, and I am not readily flabbergastible. I won’t wax lyrical for the next paragraph, I’ll just get on with it and let you come to your own conclusions.
ŠUNKA OD JELENA | GF |
Smoked and dried deer ham. Fresh cheese with spring onion.
The deer ham was my first course. The quality of this dish is so high that it is difficult for me to put into words. Everything was sublime, from the fat to meat ratio to the flavour and assorted dressings. This is a winning dish which stole my breath. The unusual flavour of deer was brought to the fore in a spectacular way.
St Nick’s shirt went for the special of the day which was boar salami. I’ve had boar in many incarnations during my culinary life and this ranks most highly. The texture was a little tough, as most boar is, but the flavour was outstanding. If this is here when you visit please try it. All the meat is locally sourced which makes it even more impressive.
Now, normally I am not one for beef soup but Louise’s choice was the right one. Light and flavoursome in the best possible way. There was something delicate and lovely contained in this dish. When a dish feels like something your mother would have made during childhood, you know you’re onto a winner.
We went for the Zinfandel to accompany our mains. Given that Ma:Toni has its own dedicated wine store, I knew we were in for a treat and I was not wrong. the restaurant is renown for its wines, and this is no exception. A fine Croatian wine.
Louise went for the pork belly with the gorgeous mashed potato bed. For me this was the best dish of the day. The skin was crisp and the flavour ran so deep I almost teared up. 
I went for the other pork dish, whose name I cannot recall! Nor does the menu offer any clue. It must have been a special. But let me tell you the flavour will never leave me. the homemade sweet chilli relish paired beautifully and the roast potatoes were pure heaven.
St Nick went for the beef steaks in their homemade gravy and sensational mashed potato. The potato was a work of art for me. Though this is not one of the prettiest dishes, the experience of eating it made up for any aesthetic drawbacks. There’s something to be said for when a dish is so beautifully balanced that the whole feels like an orchestrated work in your mouth.
AFFOGATO | V* |
Vanilla ice cream with topping made of caramel, coffee and Baileys. Cramelized hazelnuts with Amaretti biscuits.
I went for the vanilla ice cream and was not at all disappointed. Luscious ice cream, mixed with some fine caramel and bailey’s coffee liqueur. This was totally brilliant. But the iconic dish, which we re-ordered when we had finished, was yet to come.
NONINA TORTA | V* |
Cake made of almonds and orange with simple syrup and vanilla ice cream scoop.
The oozing chocolate, fine ice cream, some of which is melted, beautiful syrup…. Words failed me at the time and they fail me now. This is an iconic dessert which will remembered as one of the finest I have ever eaten.
Overall, Ma:Toni was one of the highlights of my recent trip through the Balkans. I cannot speak highly enough of the professionalism with which we were treated as well as the high quality and ingenuity of the food. I remain utterly astonished by this restaurant.
by Cedric | Apr 25, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
After a peculiar Mass, I went out for lunch with my dear friend Emily. She chose the locale this time. I’ll admit a deep skepticism of opinions which are not mine. However, Kitchen at 149 was a delightful and impactful lunch. Not least for the high quality of the food to be had there.
In front of Emily’s terrific jumper are pictured two excellent mugs of coffee. This isn’t particularly pertinent to the review, I just wanted to write that first sentence and pay homage to a fine vestment.
This was an excellent burger. The patty was not a uniform shape which tells me it was fresh. This may seem trivial but it is very important. The sauce was delightful and the vegetables fresh. Of course it goes without saying that the brioche bun was masterfully made. I’ve never managed to achieve such depth of colour in my buns. For me the fries were a particular highlight. Beautifully crisp and flavoursome, perfectly salted, mushy in the middle and plentiful. Take notes.
Emily’s omelette was fine and deceptively light. I like omelettes where the structure is thin, so as to be filling but not make you feel overburdened. Though it is tempting to put oneself in a food coma on Sunday afternoons, this is to be avoided. The mushrooms inside were particularly well done. And the cream was not too disturbing. Overall two winning dishes.
If you’re in Finsbury Park, do saunter over to Kitchen at 149, they provide an affordable meal, great prices and lovely locale.
by Cedric | Apr 22, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
Our final stop of the day had to be the legendary Art Kavana. This house of cake is renown throughout Croatia as one of the best places to eat cake in the whole country.
We each had one slice, the first one was mine. It is pictured below. The beautiful raspberry cheesecake. I cannot form full sentences worthy of the softness of the mascarpone. The delight of the raspberry coulis, the light biscuit base. All together astonishing.
St Nick, in his in(de)finite wisdom, decided to opt for the most chocolaty of all chocolate cakes. The pistachio cake is well known in Art Kavana. So well known in fact that it was recommended to me by two different waitresses. The chocolate was dark and deeply affecting. It married perfectly with the pistachio. I wish I’d have chosen it.
Finally, Louise opted for the pear cake. Louise tells me that it was sweet and tasty. I shall go one further and say that I was impressed by the crumbly biscuit base and the chunks of pear in the filling. The pine nuts worked beautifully with the fruity filling to create an amalgam of flavour which almost saw me fall off of my chair.
On top of all of this, the coffee was beautiful. Honestly I cannot fault this exquisite cake shop. Please go there if ever you are in Zadar.
by Cedric | Apr 16, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
After a phenomenal meal at Jen’s, what more could one want than a delightful dessert. So ample and varied was the potential fare at the Chinatown Bakery that one is almost at a loss for what to order. Personally, the standout choice for me was the coconut pandan, which is pictured below. The dough was soft and easy to tear apart. While the pandan was green, it did not leave me feeling unwell. I was only ill when I thought about the 23 years I had to wait to sample it.
I gave my dear old friend Emily free choice on whichever delicacy she wanted. Being a woman of impeccable taste, both in friends and pastries, she went for the Deli Taiyaki with Nutella. I had a little bite of this delicious sweet fish and must saw I was deeply impressed. The texture was almost like that of a crispy pancake. Nutella is Nutella, of course, can cannot be more, but it worked well here.
Below is pictured more options one might elect for in this wonderful bakery. The one in the bottom right is the sausage bun. I can assure you, it is everything you hope it will be. Try it if you dare, utter delights ensue.
The last two things I opted for were the peanut mochi and the custard bun, both of which were oozing with flavour. I would say the mochi just tipped it for me. They are both pictured below. The peanut butter in the middle of the mochi was a little dry for my taste, but overall proved a superb treat.
The above picture is merely there to illustrate the level of artistry contained in this delightful bakery. I am so happy to be able to recommend it to you.
