Restaurant Reviews - Dine Online

THE 2009 BRITISH BBQ CHAMPIONSHIPS AND FESTIVAL AT LAVERSTOKE PARK FARM, HAMPSHIRE

Sunday 26 July marks the return of The British BBQ Championships and
Festival, this year hosted by Sainsbury’s at Laverstoke Park Farm, home to
Formula 1 champion and pioneering organic farmer Jody Scheckter.

The 2,500 acre biodynamic farm, which supplies meat to the likes of Heston
Blumenthal, Raymond Blanc and Abel & Cole, will provide the perfect backdrop
for the family-focused festival. Visitors are invited to explore the grounds, meet
well-known chefs and enjoy the day’s entertainment including the main highlight
of the Festival, The British BBQ Championships.

The Championships is a colourful competition introduced last year to Ilminster,
Somerset. Teams of up to five people compete in a contest judged by a range of
professional chefs, including Antony Worrall Thompson, for the Championship
title and a £500 or £1000 cash prize. Contestants enter as either professional
or novice, and a third option allows budding BBQ-ers to compete against amateur
teams representing countries across the globe. All teams will cook a joint of
Laverstoke organic buffalo and another of their choice on an open fire BBQ
provided by Blistering Barbeques. Professional teams currently include The
Brasserie at The Aviator Hotel at Farnborough, Roast of Borough Market,
Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Blistering BBQ’s & Chicago Rib Shack.

A full programme of family entertainment will include: Laverstoke’s own buffalo &
hog roasts, jazz band, fantastic farm tours, a bouncy castle, magic show, coconut
shies, cork shoot, dunk tank & other fete classics. Guests are also encouraged to
BBQ within the grounds and proud event sponsor Sainsbury’s will be product
sampling from their SO Organic range to complement visitors’ picnics.

One Meaty Day Out! Tickets are now on sale, and start at just £15 for a car
and its passengers.

Opening times: 11am-6pm. For further information on the
event and the BBQ Championships visit www.britishbarbequefestival.com or
contact organisers Single Market Events on 0208 948 5522.

Chef Heston Blumenthal Launches Kitchen Innovation Challenge

World–Leading Chef And Gastronomic Alchemist Heston Blumenthal Spearheads A Nationwide Search For The British Innovator Of The Future

World-leading chef and culinary innovator Heston Blumenthal is spearheading a nationwide search for the British innovator of the future.

Heston Blumenthal is heading up the expert judging panel and is inviting the nation to get behind their passion for kitchen perfection and innovative design. Entrants need to submit a new idea that they believe could be the invention to revolutionise the future of culinary life and the way we live and work in the kitchen.

The competition is inviting Britons of all ages to unite in their passion for kitchen perfection and innovative design. The overall winner of the challenge will be awarded a once–in-a-lifetime package estimated to be worth £50,000. The winning package includes a £10,000 cash prize, as well as the opportunity to develop the product and work towards putting it on sale, with the winner receiving royalties on any future sales nationwide.

For more information and further tips from Heston, visit www.Finish.co.uk

Gordon Ramsay’s food magazine show
The F Word is coming back
and we’re on the hunt for
The F Word’s Best Local Restaurant.

We’re on the hunt for local restaurants run by people with a passion for food who deliver great food, great service and a great atmosphere. At the end of the next series of The F Word we’ll be crowning The F Word’s Best Local Restaurant.

We want you to tell us about the place where you love to eat. A well known hotspot or a hidden gem – anywhere you think deserves to be crowned F Word’s Best Local Restaurant. Plus, once you’ve nominated you’ll be able to apply for a seat in The F Word restaurant

Please visit www.channel4.com/food/f-word/nominate
now to give us your suggestion as soon as you can.

Nominations close at midnight on July 17th.

And please spread the word –
we want the whole country to get involved.

Phil Vickery Continues To Impart His Pudding Wisdom

Step into the Kitchen with Phil, as he show’s how to make a quick and easy Cheesecake

Everyone has their favourite pudding but not everyone knows how to make them! However, help is here in the form of Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery. Phil is here to impart some pudding wisdom and help you create 12 fantastic classics, one pudcast a month. This time please join Phil as he gives step-by-step instructions on how to make the pudding classic: Cheesecake.

Why not logon to www.carnation.co.uk where you can look through a variety of Phil’s tasty recipes and download the pudcasts.

AUTHENTIC CARIBBEAN RUM AND ROCOCO CHOCOLATE TASTING

Ian Burrell, representing The True Rum Campaign, and Chantal Coady, founder of Rococo chocolates, have combined to create a range of authentic Caribbean rum and fine chocolate pairings. An eye opener to some of the truly fine rums of the Caribbean. These include Angostura 1919, Appleton VX, Chairman’s Reserve, El Dorado 15, English Harbour 5 and Royal XM. I have been a dark chocolate fan for many years but, again, my palate was introduced to some new variations with the cocoa being carefully sourced (parallel to variations of grapes for wine).

The Angostura 1919 is a medium gold rum with hints of spice, vanilla, caramel and oak. It was balanced with a candied orange and geranium milk chocolate artisan bar. The flower and the fruit in the chocolate tamed the fire of the rum with the vanilla notes both blending flawlessly. The El Dorado 15 year old also has a beautiful medium gold appearance and produces an aroma of dark coffee, candied orange, almonds, dark chocolate and rich vanilla. A spread of flavours covers the palate with a smoky finish. It was paired with passion fruit and mango chocolate. The exotic fruit flavours in the chocolate served to enhance the tropical flavours of the rum.

As Ian Burrell says,

‘Of all the spirits you can match with chocolate, none offers the diversity and versatility of aged Caribbean rum. The subtle complexities and richness of these unique spirits brings out the full flavour of the chocolate and vice versa’.

A luxurious rich rum and hot chocolate was also sampled, together with a rum and chocolate cocktail. I would recommend the fine rums alone either for the cocktail hour or to be indulged in with fine chocolate after dinner.

For more information on Authentic Caribbean Rum visit www.truerum.com and for more information on Rococo chocolates visit www.rococochocolates.com

Alistair Marsella. June 2009

Azur at The Marina Pavilion Marina

Reviewed by Mr Hon Yip

Azur at The Marina Pavilion Marina,
St Leonards on Sea East Sussex,
TN38 0BU

Web: http://www.azurmarinapavilion.com

For several years, this sea front positioned restaurant-bar of
Azur’s was the butt of many a complaints from its local clientele. Azur’s
has recently been awarded ‘1066 Business Winner 2009′.

On a recent visit to Azur’s, this establishment may be a business winner but it is not I’m
afraid a restaurant winner. The foods offered by Azurs are mainly set
meals, straight forward English cuisine. Having paid my £15.00p fee
(excluding service charge) for a night of ‘BBQ and Swing Band‘ at the
Azur, I was left with bitter disappointment.

The barbecue (gas cylinder operated) was set on the pavements on the sea front which the rear of the
Azur’s ran along. Being a nippy night there were no heater-warmers, the
vegetarian food on offer were simply made up jacket potatoes, salad and
breach rolls. On my initial visit to the barbecue stand only a few burgers
and sausages were on offer. During my second visit the cook informed me
that there were no chicken left, which I found amused because behind the
cook was a several pan loads of chicken thighs and fillets. Finally, on my
third visit to the now famous ?Barbecue Block? I did receive some chicken
and was told that the meat had to be oven cooked.

When asked by a member of the staff at the barbecue of “how is your evening going Sir?” I replied
“fine, except I had to pay a third visit to this barbecue stand to finally
get some chicken”. The part owner of Azur’s (a woman named Allison) who
was standing next to me, replied “just enjoy your life and take it easy -
just chill out”. Obviously such rude response from a proprietor left feel
fuming. The band promised to play any requests the audience favour so I
and a friend asked for a total of two Ella Fitzgerald songs to be played -
which the band promised would be played soon. However, the songs requested
were never played. Azur has a reputation for its people not being customer
focus, lacking in general people and communication skills. Its staff had
recently been trained to improve their customer services skills but
obviously the training is lacking for some its employees. However, the bar
staff generally seem friend and attentive, and the young doorman was very
polite. To sum up Azur’s: food is basic and uninspiring (Azur’s website
advertises ‘wonderful meal’) service is average with ‘no extra mile’
approach; price was extortionate for the event in question; venue is a
somewhat outdated large room with a bar one end - when paying for drinks
on credit or debit card one had to exit the venue room to pay on the
payment machine at the reception counter at the lobby.

Overall, a disappointment in entertainment, service and food.

Little Captain Café, Melbourne, Australia - Restaurant Review

Jacklyn Swiecicki Reviews…

In Melbourne, café culture is rife with trendy little eateries where customers feel like they have to get dressed up and actually put a comb through their hair before they attempt to eat out in public. Now I don’t know about you, but some weekends I am feeling energetic after having a gruelling Saturday morning jog (not often!), and some Sunday mornings I am a little groggy from the previous nights festivities, I am however, hardly in the mood to have to dress up to go out for a nice breakfast or brunch to curb my morning hunger.

Welcome to Little Captain, a cosy little café situated in the quieter streets of St. Kilda where locals filter in throughout the day to enjoy perfectly delicious, guilt-free fare without all the snobby pretensions attributed to many St. Kilda cafes and restaurants.

Staff member Kim Douvoisin enthuses that all staff help with preparing new dishes daily to inject a splash of their own innovation and personalised input into the café. This effort creates a happy atmosphere where staff seems genuinely interested in what is going onto your plate. Without fussing too much, the atmosphere at Little Captain is perhaps what is most enticing. As a diner you feel relaxed, comfortable, well fed and well looked after.

Deliciously displayed are comforting egg and bacon pides, colourful hearty salads, granola cookies and lush berry muffins that look mouth-watering with chunks of fresh apple bursting from the muffins surface.

The highlight for me was the roasted vegetable lasagne. Jam-packed with perfectly roasted veggies, tasting fresh and cheesy – without any visible cheese floating in an all too familiar pool of grease.

Indeed Little Captain is a sweet little café, but venture outside to the courtyard and you will see plenty of locals enjoying this foodie find that offers simple and wholesome food.

Little Captain
353 Inkerman Street
St.Kilda
Melbourne,
Australia
Tel: +61 03 9527 5207

Jacklyn Swiecicki

Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery Continues To Impart His Pudding Wisdom

The Pudding Master Class Continues And This Month It’s An Italian Classic With A Healthy Twist - Tiramisu

Everyone has their favourite pudding but not everyone knows how to make them! However, help is here in the form of Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery. Phil is here to impart some pudding wisdom and help you create 12 fantastic classics, one pudcast a month. This time please join Phil as he gives step-by-step instructions on how to make a healthy version of the Italian classic – Tiramisu

With one in five Brits having never attempted a home-made pudding, according to research by Carnation, it must be time to join Phil in his kitchen and get cooking!

Why not logon to www.carnation.co.uk where you can look through a variety of Phil’s tasty recipes and download the pudcasts.

EXPERIENCE SCOTLAND WITH WEBSTER HOTELS

Holiday on your own doorstep – that’s the message this year as many people seek out short breaks and UK holidays that offer something familiar but yet different close to home. Which is why David and Verity Webster, the owners of Webster Hotels, a group of individually owned luxury country house hotels located in popular tourism locations across Scotland including Perthshire, Angus and Royal Deeside have introduced multi-centre packages in addition to their popular single centre stays to offer travels greater flexibility when they visit and tour Scotland.

A four night stay on sharing a room on a dinner bed and breakfast is just £275 per person and an upgrade is available for just £55 per person. This represents a saving of up to £300 off the normal rack rate and gives guests the option to tour around the country and see some truly stunning scenery.

For longer stays of six nights the price is £425 per person on a standard room on a dinner bed and breakfast basis and a superior bedroom is just £65 more per person. This represents a saving of almost £400 off the normal rack rate and additional night stays can be added if required at a pro rata rate.

Their three luxury hotels include:

Raemoir House Hotel on Royal Deeside, close the to Queen’s Balmoral estate – the house stands in 3500 acres of parklands and is a working estate which offers country pursuits including walking, shooting and fishing. Its just 30 minutes from the historic granite city of Aberdeen and visitor attractions in the area include castles some of which have spectacular gardens such as Dunnotar Castle (where Mel Gibson’s Hamlet was filmed), Crathes and the majestic National Trust property Fyvie Castle, which is a definite must for gardening enthusiasts. Other activities include golf on some of the finest championship golf courses and Speyside whisky distilleries. During the summer months several Highland towns and villages will host Highland Games – in particular the Braemar Highland Games which takes place in August each year.

Just over an hour’s drive along the GlenShee road through the Cairngorm National Park and you reach the small Perthshire town of Alyth and the Lands of Loyal Hotel. When staying at the hotel your nearby attractions include Scone Palace, the seat of Scotland’s crowned kings, Blair Castle and the House of Bruar, a unique Scottish retail experience. Other activities include Perth Races and the summer series of events held at popular Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

From Lands of Loyal it is not far to journey to Castleton House Hotel, the third hotel in the group, which is just over the border in Angus. In the locality attractions include Glamis Castle, the childhood home of the late Queen Mother and Kirriemuir birthplace of Peter Pan author JM Barrie. The coast and St Andrews, the home of golf are less than half an hour away far away as is the city of Dundee, the final resting place of Discovery the Antarctic explorer vessel and the beautiful towns and fishing villages of the Fife coast.

The terms for booking the four and six night packages are simply that you stay at least one night at one of the other Webster Hotels. Ends 31 October 09. With enviable gateway connections by air, ferry, rail and road Scotland offers visitors value for money, good food and a range of accessible visitor attractions it’s easy to see why visitors might be tempted to stay in all three. And obvious benefits to holidaying in the domestic market include no exchange rate, reduced travel time in getting to your destination and a wealth of summer activities including festivals, car rallies, historic properties, concerts, exhibitions and sightseeing.

For more information please log onto www.websterhotels.co.uk or call

Raemoir House Hotel, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB31 4ED Tel: 01330 824884 hotel@raemoir.com – the property has 20 bedrooms

Castleton House Hotel, by Glamis, Angus, Scotland DD8 1SJ. Tel: 01307 840340. hotel@castletonglamis.co.uk – the property has 6 bedrooms

Lands of Loyal Hotel, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Perthshire. PH11 8JQ. Tel: 01828 633907 – the info@landsofloyal.com – the property has 17 bedrooms

SHOPPING HEAVEN AT SPIRIT OF SUMMER FAIR

WITH HOUSE & GARDEN

THURSDAY 14TH MAY - SUNDAY 17TH MAY 2009
GRAND HALL OLYMPIA
LONDON W14 8UX

The Spirit of Summer Fair at Olympia promises to provide our shopping loving nation with the great excuse get spending again. With hundreds of ideas for the summer and alfresco living that include a huge array of gifts, fashions, stylish accessories, demonstrations, talks, plus a gourmet food hall.

For the foodie lovers there is the added attraction of appearances from several Michelin Starred Chefs who will be holding workshops for the first time at the event. Including
Ed Baines, (Randell &Aubin,Thurs 14th May), Anthony Demeter, (Wild Honey & Arbutus, Friday 15th May), & Tom Aikens (Saturday 16th May). A fun packed day out all under one roof.

To book tickets visit www.spiritofsummerfair.co.uk or call 0844 412 4623
Advance Adult £14.80 Advance Child £6.50 (under 12’s) *Calls charged at national rate
Booking fee applies.