Archipelagos

So my birthday surprise this year was a dinner out at Archipelagos, a restaurant I had had my eye on for a while now for its rumoured exotic and fun outlandish menu.  We arrived, the first for the evening sitting and had to give a 'password' for our table, which was "the smiling budda" if I remember correctly.

Our menus were presented a scrolls and the contents of the menu looked fantastic.  i decided to go for an Australian theme so I had Crocodile fillet seared in vine leaves with a plum sauce, followed by kangaroo marinated in zhug with water spinach and choi.

Between myself and my family we had wildebeast, zebra, ostrich, duck, crocodile, crickets, locusts and probably some other delights I can't remember.  However the deserts are what I was really excited by, especially when I saw something with rose was on the menu as I am a sucker for floral flavours.

The desert menus were printed in old hard back books, with a wax stamp over the page, a really fun quirky touch I thought.

Although none of my family had formally requested the wonderful waitress had got wind of the fact it as my birthday, so my desert came a top with a sparkler!....As it was bought out my family begun the embarrassing sound of an attempted "Happppyyyy Biiiirthday" I hushed them up before it had begun, however the very jovial (and slightly inebriated) table behind of 20 strong saw my horror at a public happy birthday and thought it would be great to start it up again.  It ended up that the whole restaurant sang it, I blushed a lot but it was a lovely place with lovely people and added to the atmosphere and fun.

I ordered a rose water brulee with lemon and lime tuille and a baby bee.  Yes it was actually a baby bee.  The brulee was amazing, light, sweet and flowery and the honey comb the bee was served on was in fact white chocolate moulded around what I think was probably bubble wrap to give that effect.  The lemon and lime tuille cut through the sweet softness of the chocolate and the bee? Well, you'll have to ask my boyfriend, insect eater extraordinaire.

My boyfriend, Tom also ordered an ominous sounding 'visit from the doctor' on the deserts menu...We were not entirely sure what this involved but it sounded fun.  We were right, it was a lot of fun!  Our waiteress appeared with a medicine box full of an array of different 'medicines' ready to repair any ailments of the patient.

She thought best to prescribe him something rather strong....She poured it out...

Two shots of...python absinthe...

Better him than me!  It was a wonderful evening and a brilliant meal made wonderful by exciting food and attentive,  fun service.  I'll be back! 

August Bakes

So I made a Key Lime Pie!

It was lovely but next time I intend to add an extra lime.  Also, the lime part called for eight egg yolks....which left me with eight egg whites.  Far too much for meringue so I called upon Nigella.

I made a fatless hazlenut cake made with egg whites!  It was a bit dry so I topped it off with some vanilla buttercream.

I made banana bread too...

And a loaf of white bread!

And then my family said enough baking! So I began to plan a cake stall for my local table top sale :)

Paul A Yum-Young

I made a trip to Paul A Young's new flagship store on Wardour street in Soho.  A very dangerous location as it is an area I am around a lot, and how his treats are always within reach!

I absolutely loved the shop fitting.  The room is spacious and light with a sizeable round table in the centre showcasing the beautiful plates of chocolate creations.  I loved this layout as it's much more refreshing than having to peer through a glass counter whilst the assistant would wait expectantly for you at order.  Paul's new store is somewhere I feel I can just pop in and have a look.

However, the chance of me looking and not buying is unlikely.
I allowed myself a select box of four to taste and review.

The first I tasted was a 67% ganache truffle.

I found this chocolate fairly mellow, with a slight spice.  Its texture was light, with a runny but smooth ganache which became bolder in taste after a moment in the mouth. The initial hit was from the cocoa dusting followed its warm softy middle and finished with a slight bitter, dry cocoay finish.  I didn't love this chocolate but that is probably because I love Paul for his unusual flavours...

My second selection was an orange and cardadom chocolate.  

Wow!  I think I could detect a very slight armomtic smell before I bit into the shell but I could have just imagined it! The milk shell was filled with a delicious dark chocolate and the immediate hit of cardomon arrived through the nose with the crunch of chocolate.  This was followed by a citrus citrus burst of  sunshine sweetness.  This cardamon wave followed by orange sweet repeated with the second bite and the flavours rose together.  The centre of this chocolate was firmer than the truffle I tried previously. Fresh yet warm.  Yum.  Can I have another?

I went for one which I couldn't imagine the flavour of, a Balsamic vinegar, pepper, and strawberry.

This chocolate made me say wow, a lot but I can't figure out if it was for the right reasons.  The flavours really did say wow and I found it a really interesting chocolate to try but whether or not I would enjoy to eat several or whether it would be one I would lust over again (orange and cardamom..........orange and cardamom..mmm.) I am unsure.    I popped it in and it kind of did a crazy song in my mouth. BAM smack of balsamic, wave of pepper then a big sweetness not obviously strawberry.  In the second bite the flavours came together for a moment but I was still reeling from the punches of different flavours.  The aftertaste was very peppery and the consistancey was great.  I understand the idea of acidic balancing sweet...and all the flavours were great in the own way but I am out on this one.  Great to taste, but not a firm fav. 

The final selection was easy.  Paul had made a batch of limited edition Soreen Loaf truffles.  A big fan of Soreen meant it was a must.

The smell reminded me of a really rich sugar beat smell. On popping it in to taste there was a rising maltiness teamed with the crunch from the exterior which seemed to be flaked crumbed sugary soreen.  I loved the simplicitic impact of this truffle.  It did what it said, bought all thouse malty fruity warm flavours back but with extra added chocolately goodness. Delicious! 

 

The Whoopie-What pie?

So, on a recent wander around  South Kensington I stopped to once more try and understand the Whoopie Pie at Hummingbird Bakery.

This time I went for a pumpkin one, they are pretty huge and I couldn't finish it but it was my lunch after all!  the flavour was really really subtly spiced, sort of cinnamon flavours and warming with (as always) the great cream cheese frosting.  I couldn't really find the pumpkin behind the frosting.

I am sure as far as Whoopie Pies go, it was great but I just don't understand the point of the Whoopie.  I am told (wikipedia, naturally) that a whoopie pie can be considered as a cookie, pie or cake, and was invented in America as wives and mothers used the left over cake batter to make mini cakes for their husbands and kids lunch boxes (which resulted in a Whoopieee! of excitement).

Pie, I understand.  Outer casing and tasty inside.  However, maybe I am being pedantic but a pie is more about the filling than the crust (to me anyway) and this Whoopie seems about the 'outer' sponge and 'inner' frosting in equal measure. So Pie it is not, in my humble, British opinion.

But, nor is it a cookie.  I need to eat it either with both hands or a fork. And cake?  Well, it's heavier and not nearly as fluffy.  

I suppose I am trying to digest what the Whoopie offers me that a cake, cookie, or pie doesn't.  It is more a muffin with cream or a simply, fun, reworked idea on the cake I guess.  I don't hate it, I just don't love it, and can't think when I would go for one over a slice of carrot cake.

Rant over.