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travels for friends, food and wine - in exactly this order
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San Sebastian, Spain
Born
July 21
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- Gerhard Huber added a new top list The destination restaurants in the UK
The last two weeks we toured the UK from Cornwall to all the way in the North of Scotland. We discovered some extraordinary places which are well worth the effort to get there.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Joro Restaurant at Jöro with Neil Walker
Another surprise on our tour through the England, this time in Sheffield. This time it is a dinner in a container, literally. Luke French, the Chef, choose to put up a restaurant in a cube built out of container. And they did a great job in converting this space into a restaurant.
His cuisine is very nordic, heavy on the vegetables (out of 14 servings... More
Another surprise on our tour through the England, this time in Sheffield. This time it is a dinner in a container, literally. Luke French, the Chef, choose to put up a restaurant in a cube built out of container. And they did a great job in converting this space into a restaurant.
His cuisine is very nordic, heavy on the vegetables (out of 14 servings two meat courses and one fish). However, the combinations of flavours are very unique and every dish is perfectly executed. This guys has an excellent palate, wich gives him the ability to calibrate the dishes to perfection and even more so, his techniques enables to pull them all off. For example, the tartare of beetroots and pumpkin seeds, simple yet complex. Enough acidity to have the beetroot come through superbly.
Great place, I am looking forward what this young Chef will come up with in the future. Less
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Delightful lunch right at the kitchen bench. Lovely setting in a nice park. The food is well executed and well sourced.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Inver Restaurant at Inver with Neil Walker
Inver is trying to become a destination restaurant. In my view they are miles away from it and loads of things need to be changed before becoming one.
Don't get me wrong, the location is stunning, right on the sound overlooking a beautiful castle on the other side of the water. The house being nestled into the slope down to the water, their pods where... More
Inver is trying to become a destination restaurant. In my view they are miles away from it and loads of things need to be changed before becoming one.
Don't get me wrong, the location is stunning, right on the sound overlooking a beautiful castle on the other side of the water. The house being nestled into the slope down to the water, their pods where you can sleep, well designed and welcoming. The dining room is warm and a vinyl record player giving you a nostalgic feeling.
However, the services lacks the warmness you need to make guests, who went through considerable length to get there, feel welcome and home.
The food is hyperlocal, but execution lacks behind ambition. There were some good dishes there, like the halibut and the cockles but overall you not leaving with a deeply satisfied feeling. The wine pairing was done by the owner (his wife cooks in the kitchen), the wine list is dominated by natural wines and the owner has, to my dismay, a messianic approach to his wines.
This places has potential, loads of it, but it is not there yet, by far! Do I regret hiking up there, no not really, I am a curious person, but would go there again any time soon? Certainly not, unless I hear several reliable accounts of it being significantly better than the current version. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Alchemilla at alchemilla with Neil Walker
Ultra-cool space in a not so good part of Nottingham. An underground vault with sparse inventory. On the weekends this place must be hopping and deafening loud.
Ambitious menu with some faults but overall a nice execution. The pork jowl melted in your mouth with a very good flavour (even though I am not a great fan of Kimchi). As an Austrian, the... More
Ultra-cool space in a not so good part of Nottingham. An underground vault with sparse inventory. On the weekends this place must be hopping and deafening loud.
Ambitious menu with some faults but overall a nice execution. The pork jowl melted in your mouth with a very good flavour (even though I am not a great fan of Kimchi). As an Austrian, the cabbage dish chimed with my DNA.
Only downside were the three deserts, none of them worked for me, but my fellow dinners seemed to like them a lot. The white chocolate was completely overpowered by the cep and kombu, so it degenerated into a cream of undefined taste.
Very fun meal in a very hip space! Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at John's House at John's House with Neil Walker
John Duffin cooks in the house he grew up, a tiny restaurant with about 24 to a maximum of 28 covers.
The ingredients are sourced locally but there is without any doubt international influence, the use of Yuzu and Curry Spice indications for this.
Every dish is executed to a high standard but I think Mr. Duffin excels at the dessert, his carrots... More
John Duffin cooks in the house he grew up, a tiny restaurant with about 24 to a maximum of 28 covers.
The ingredients are sourced locally but there is without any doubt international influence, the use of Yuzu and Curry Spice indications for this.
Every dish is executed to a high standard but I think Mr. Duffin excels at the dessert, his carrots sorbet being an unusual dish which eats very well.
The service is managed by some young female food enthusiast and it shows when they come and describe the dishes.
A very pleasant meal and a solid one-star restaurant. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms at Ynyshir with Neil Walker
Now sometimes even I get surprised.
There we are, travelling up to east coast of Great Britain on an eating trip organised by my friend Neil (@Achefabroad), arriving at an old Manor House in the middle of nowhere for a lunch. I had no clue what to expect.
And then there was Gareth Ward, a North English natural phenomenon from County Durham, but... More
Now sometimes even I get surprised.
There we are, travelling up to east coast of Great Britain on an eating trip organised by my friend Neil (@Achefabroad), arriving at an old Manor House in the middle of nowhere for a lunch. I had no clue what to expect.
And then there was Gareth Ward, a North English natural phenomenon from County Durham, but now literally cooking up a storm in Wales.
He and his young team took over the Manor House Ynyshir and converted it from a Hotel with rooms, to a Restaurant with rooms. He only sells you his rooms for one night only. It is meant to be a resting place for dinners and not for vacationeers.
The most choice he offers to his guest in this tasting menu only restaurant is the location of where to eat. There is the restaurant, a dining room with five tables, the kitchen table, a communal table seating up to 10 people eating together inside the kitchen and last but not least, the Pass Bench, an elevated bench for two, right in the middle of the kitchen. Luckily, my friend Neil (@achefabroad) choose the latter.
Once Gareth starts his full-on assault with his 20-course menu, you just need to lean back and indulge. His food is ingredient driven, with a heavy emphasis on meat, melting local and Japanese influences into a flavour thunderstorm. Some of his dishes are super creative and somewhat molecular, but always perfectly executed.
My favourite dish was the Welsh Wagyu Burger & Salt Wagyu Rib Shiitake Seaweed. It is small, 2-3 bites only, but I was begging Gareth to give me another one. Sublime!
After the meal, we were so overwhelmed that we asked to stay on for dinner. And again the flexibility of a place which does not have an industrial ensemble line approach to their menu came through. Not all, but a lot of the dishes in the evening were different.
What a place? The one star in the Guide Michelin can only be an oversight, blame it on the remote location, but in my book Ynyshir is worth a journey.
Forget Fäviken, if you want a road trip, go there!
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at Chez Panisse at Chez Panisse
Paris in Berkeley. A bistro with excellent food, efficient service and good prices.
Cannot get better in this category.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at La Petite Colombe at La Petite Colombe
The little sister of the flagship in Constantia fares very well. Located in a beautiful building in Franschhoek it serves a modern cuisine with local products, all well refined and excellent flavour combinations.
The wine pairing is very well constructed and goes well with the dishes.
Definitely worth a visit.
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