The restaurants I've been to!

[Alexandria Profile]

Joan,

I thought the Chef ( Bernard Knoller ) was from Alsace, France too until I googled and found out he was from The Black Forest Región of Germany.

What a horrid incident .. However, as I mentioned earlier, this could happen to Chefs at any level.

They must be more cautious when employing ingredients such as wild mushrooms etcetra.

Surely, Chef Knoller must feel horrendous.

Have a nice weekend.

[Alexandria Profile]

Saturday Evening 23rd February.

This evening four close friends for many years, and my dear and I went to a favorite restaurant ..

Indochine ..
Chef Ly Leap ..
Cuisine: Cambodian & Vietnamese ..
Mutaner 42, Barcelona.

This venue is literally an exotic shrine of exquisite Cambodian & Vietnamese Cuisine.
The setting is an indoor Asian Garden that inevitably transports its visitors to Indochine.

A few of the various appetisers we all shared:

Prawns dusted with toasted sesame seeds and lightly sautéed & served with slightly spicy freshly prepared plum fruit salsa.
Red prawns steamed and served with a sweet Bio Soy Sauce from Cambodia.
A Cambodian Adobe Chili Marinated chicken breast sliced into strips.
Khmer, a classic Cambodian Soup prepared with Hibiscous.
A sublime exquisite veal marinated in citron and served with two rices, a Cambodian White and a Cambodian Green.
Dessert: Tropical Macarons prepared on the premises: Lychee with Rose, Mango and a dark Chocolate.

We had shared 2 bottles of Cava, Juve & Camps (and 3 bottles of Sparkling water per couple, during our meal.)

Definitely, a true pleasure if you are ever in Barcelona City.

[Renee Profile]

What a really special restaurant to visit Member 461. I have been to Vietnam, so am familiar with the cuisine, but I know nothing about Cambodian cuisine. The dessert sounds quite exquisite!

Here is the restaurant:

https://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en ... -leap.html

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

How someone can walk into a restaurant, and effectively not walk out is beyond me.
It's an unforgivable thing to do to a family, especially in these days of care, hygiene and information.

I have a feeling that investigators do get to the bottom of such cases. And thank goodness for that.
30 people have seemingly been put needlessly at risk with some form of food contamination.

It fills me with despair, especially having been on the receiving end some times.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

I worked in Cambodia for 6 months - the food was wonderful - mostly street food - the high end restos not so wonderful, too poncy & catering for tame westernised palates, rather like that restaurant review in Barcelona - bland beyond belief - food is never 'slightly spicy' in Cambodia, it is full on. The best meals were at shack no 43 - I'm not kidding it was a run down shack - I never once had any stomach problems tho' - it makes you think doesn't it?

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

Thank you very much.

It is a true gem of restaurant .. ( Indo Chine ) ..

What I also truly like is, the wait staff and Owner, Chef are experienced in top notch hospitality as well as cuisine.

They also ask, if you would like your dishes: mild, médium or spicy hot ..

We prefer mild and we are not too keen on heavily hot spicy cuisine of any type and avoid.

We know the owner and it is a restaurant we frequent with Friends quite often.

The ambiance is simply sensational as you can see from the website.

Have a marvelous day.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

It does make you think. In bali i ate street food sometimes, and not a wobble.
Interesting times for you working in Cambodia.
What was your favourite dish?

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Interesting times indeed...…!

I honestly couldn't say what my favourite dish was - it's a bit like asking what's your fav Vietnamese/Thai dish - lots of comparisons between them tho' with the cooked & fresh, sweet & bitter, salty & sour combinations. There's a lot of noodles & rice eaten with every meal - that's the Chinese immigrant influence except for breakfast which is very pho-like soup or surprisingly..... porridge!


The fish dishes did it for me - all freshly caught that morning then wood charcoaled grilled on little clay stoves, the smell is wonderful! There are always little side bowls placed on the table with sauces, or a bowl of herbs & sliced veg or a combination of fish sauce, chopped chilies/shallots & garlic/ palm sugar etc or a mix of black pepper, salt, and lime juice so you add what you want as you go along - never did try the tarantula tho' - chickened out!

Cambodia is a wonderful crazy place - such a shame about the corruption that still very much exists.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I remember NOT eating at a buffet in Morocco when others did but eating in the main street market.

We have have never ever been sick eating street food anywhere but on this occasion we were berated for eating on the street and not the buffet including by the very poor tour guide Next day we flew back to the UK. Who was throwing up all the way back and held at Heathrow for health checks ???
My principle is never ever eat from a buffet. They are also a huge source of food waste. I just won't do them - no matter how posh the hotel, ship or anything else.

[Renee Profile]

I absolutely agree with you there Joan! Street food is cooked and served immediately, so any harmful bacteria will have been killed off. However, not the same for buffet food, which has been hanging around for some time in a warm room. Bacteria double up every 20 minutes given the right conditions so a few can become thousands.

[Alexandria Profile]

Up, Up & Away with Three Michelin Star Chef Quique Dacosta ..

Restaurant El Poblet
Centre Les Marines
Km. 2.5
Dénia, Alicante
Reservations Required: (96) 557. 4179
Website: http://www.restaurantelpoblet.com

Chef Dacosta has been one of the skyrocketing new generation leaders of traditional Spanish vanguard signature cuisine since 2007. He has
been experimenting and researching for example, the uses of aloe vera plants in their embroyonic stage. He did not know that aloe vera was even
edible at that point during its development when he had begun his trials. However, he had known its emulsifying properties. He told us, it was simply
a process of trial and error until he managed to créate the delectably, edible. His investigative spirit has earned him global recognition, a host of awards and
well earned Three Michelin Stars.

Chef Dacosta is 4th generation Spanish Chef who embrace and expound gratitude for those who came before them. Being at the pinacle of the vanguard epicurean movement
in Spain, he continues to break free without boundaries and his design aesthetics are all a part of his flawless creations. He re - engineers and transforms live sensations from
the surf and turf, from the Montgó Nature Reserve and the Mediterranean Sea, utilising the most cutting Edge products on the market to do so.

Taster´s Carte:

Snack, Crackle & Pop Toast Snacks: Reggiano Parmigiano, Black Olive, Walnut, Greek Phyllo & Dried Fruits

White Truffles of Montgò: Filled with Reggiano, fresh cheese, and blended and sprinkled with truffle dust.

La Bruma: Steamed baby snow peas, aromatic herbs, pinenuts and Dénia Red Prawns (gambas).

Moshl: Cockles, Langoustines served in a broth of same ..

Impresionismo La Roca: Fresh Oysters and Baby Squid.

Expresionismo Rojo: Inspired by Painter Mark Rotho, red mullet with saffron.

Dessert 1: Budding cherries with crumbs of pastry.

Dessert 2: Persian Melon with Mandarin.

Wines: 5 White wines which paired perfectly ..


Definitely an amazing ambiance and sensational experience.

[dennispc Profile]

Buffets we've had.

A restaurant in Toronto where after collecting food, we were charged by weight.

Four Seasons (I think) overlooking Niagara Falls - choice beyond our wildest dreams - platters were refreshed regularly, well before they were empty.

No matter how high Americans pile their plates, they appear to eat the lot.

Can't remember the last time we stayed at a hotel which wasn't a buffet at breakfast.

Dessert buffet on the last Croatian cruise we did.

And many more.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I used to like #1 Chinese Buffet in Sheffield
And the buffet in the Beijing Hotel (in Beijing) was pretty amazing

But last night we went to Forman’s on Fish Island by the London Olympic Stadium. Forman (Forman and Field) is of course famous for London cure smoked salmon and the restaurant has all UK sourced food and a very well priced all British wine list

Service was charming

I had Forman’s smoked eel served warm with crushed new potatoes to start. My friend had the smoked salmon and crab salad. We both had the turbot as a main. We had a bottle of Chapel Down chardonnay and a complimentary glass of Chapel Down rosé fizz to start. Bread, East End Jewish style, was excellent

Recommended

[Alexandria Profile]

Petronius,

Yes, I have never stayed in a Hotel where there wasn´t a "Breakfast Buffet" ( and always included in Price of hotel as well ) ..

Have a nice evening.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

If we eat out, we don't eat buffet menus.
Just our preference of service, we like a menu with a starter, main and a pudding served at the table.

We've booked our ferry - cheap price - £215 to Bilbao in June.
When we eat at the restaurant, most people have the buffet menu. But we always take table service/ a la carte. It feels more of an eating out occasion for us.

Yesterday, we walked around the snowdrops show at Colesbourne. 350 varieties - who knew! I read in the paper that a new rare variety sprung up out of nowhere in Scotland and is worth £1000 per bulb.

It was my "old birthday" - 56 years. Most of you know about my twin sister - and I decided to move my birthday to May. And don't celebrate this old one any longer.
So we walked the gardens, and the lake. Excellent reflections in the water, which has been treated with that natural blue stuff that keeps it crystal clear of algae.

And took tea and cake - fruit cake of course for Tony, but it was too sweet. It invariably is when they use brown sugar.
And I had a custard doughnut for a change. Sticky sugar lips

[Joanbunting Profile]

Sounds lovely Gill but who stole my olive table cloth and my Danish friends china???

[Joanbunting Profile]

Petronius wrote " Can't remember the last time we stayed at a hotel which wasn't a buffet at breakfast."

The last hotel we stayed in - Masion Pic - there was table service at breakfast, some breakfast too including HM preserves, yogurts and viennoiserie and a choice of hot dishes all made to order. When we didn't eat all the , copious , basket of coissants, brioche etc etc we were asked if we would like to take them, and the fresh fruit which was also on the table, to have for the journey.
We accepted the second morning and were handed a beautiful bag of goodies with bottles of water and fruit juice and some little jars of preserves.

If there is a buffet. as there was at the last London hotel we stayed at, we just order breakfast in our room.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

It’s horses for courses
I wouldn’t normally pick a buffet restaurant - but #1 Chinese buffet was handy for large teams from work

And buffets are sometimes unavoidable in the context of hotels etc. On the Douro cruise we did, breakfast and lunch were served as buffets but dinner was table service.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Hahaha. I do like a bit of mix n match china.
(ours at home is mix n match white mostly).

We went to a buffet with family in Doncaster - a new concept I hadn't heard of, all you can eat buffet and sizzling plates to order, for £10 a head.
But if you do not eat everything, you get charged £20 per head.
One guest really likes her food, and we thought we'd easily eat everything with her at the table and ordered a-plenty. She wasn't however really hungry.

So we ended up paying the £20.
Fair enough for being too greedy.

[Wic Profile]

A few years ago, when staying at a very nice B&B in Newfoundland, there was table service for breakfast. I think it was all the usual stuff and perfectly OK, but my memory of that is eclipsed because of one of the owners appearing towards the end of the meal with a big platter of cut up fruit - oranges, mangoes, plums etc. She announced that she’d only just remembered it and bowled round the room, from table to table, plonking great handfuls onto everyone’s plates with a cheery, 'Scuse fingers!'

That’s not something you see every day ...