Category: Restaurants, Bars, Pubs

‘Rest assured, my followers, I have returned!’

Amaro and Twisted sounded its last post in 2023, when after 28 years in Twickenham I moved to Norfolk – and went native.

The blog was then lost in transition due to technical problems I was unable to resolve – until now.

It seems the right time to recount my adventures as a contented resident of Norwich.

I have considered trying a new ‘Nom de Guerre’ – perhaps The Norfolk Chronicles….

 

But for the time being, ‘Rest assured, my followers, I have returned!’

 

Slovenia, January 2024

Norwich has a rich history and varied architecture…… 

The Cathedral Cloisters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…..and a buzzing food scene

Pie Night at The Steampacket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as exploring Norwich, ‘A Fine City’, I shall be bringing you a taste of my travels.

Among the highlights of the past 15 months have been a visit to Ljubljana, a return to Amsterdam, and holidays in Marche (eastern Italy) and Ibiza.

Olive trees in Le Marche

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The adventures continue – watch your inbox!

 

‘Think of the Takeaway as your friend’

This was the advice of a friend on how to deal with being housebound while recovering from surgery.

It was good advice, and we started by ordering from our local restaurants.

 

Then some kind friends realised our predicament; they introduced us to Dishpatch, and we haven’t looked back.

 

Dishpatch is a service which offers menus from top restaurants, delivered to your door, and available nationwide in the UK.

Your order arrives on Friday, by courier, in an insulated box, and practically all packaging is recyclable. There’s a detailed list of contents, with step by step instructions on how to finish your meal at home.

Menus change frequently; typically there’s a starter and a main event with optional ‘add-ons’, which might be a pudding, or something for breakfast or afternoon tea.

Everything is carefully thought through to ensure you have all you need to complete your meal. You won’t go hungry. Some of the participating restaurants will provide their choices of wine or cocktails to get your dinner party started.

The advice for all perishables is to enjoy them during the course of a weekend, but with common sense you can extend any leftovers for a day or two.

 

The introduction was the gift of a feast from Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano.

 

First was a fluffy focaccia with antipasti, a pleasantly bitter, smoky aubergine dip, and pickled vegetables; then an outstanding starter, Broad Bean Pesto with pine nuts, peas, herbs and Parmesan.

It came with a whole Burrata cheese to serve on top (I don’t normally set homework, but if you haven’t tried Burrata, find some immediately to rectify your omission, or I will mark you down for carelessness).

There was a little tub of pangrattato too, crisp breadcrumbs to scatter on top, for crunch. Weeks later, we still had a few left in the fridge, they were a gift that kept on giving.

 

I feel I should apologise that the photos that follow are blurred and poorly lit. Or both, we were SERIOUSLY OVER-EXCITED!

 

Buratta, Pangrattato, Broad Bean pesto

 

Main course was the leg and breast of a plump chicken, anointed with spicy N’duja sausage, star anise, rosemary and cardamom.  There were roast new potatoes to serve alongside, with sweet cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts.

 

Chicken, roast potatoes with artichokes & tomatoes

 

We finished with a sublime, intense chocolate ‘cake’, and a light pistachio cream.

 

Chocolate cake, pistachio cream

 

Emboldened by this success, we ordered my birthday treat from St John

 

I’m very fond of St John Restaurant. I know the white interior of the restaurant and the staff uniforms are reminiscent of an operating theatre, but it smells much more welcoming, and is infinitely more pleasurable.

Both the restaurant and the cookbooks have been a huge influence on chefs, particularly in Britain and the USA. They were the originators of ‘nose to tail eating’, a philosophy that respects the animals we eat by using every part.

Be reassured, any idea that you will leave the table up to your elbows in gore is misplaced.

It’s elegant, thoughtful and skilled cooking. By ordering from Dishpatch, you only have two jobs: to complete the process in your kitchen, and then polish off the results.

 

 

Chicken & ox tongue pie

 

 

A chicken & smoked ox tongue pie served two of us generously over two nights. It came with an enamelled pie dish, sufficient pastry for the top, and a length of marrow bone. The marrow enriches the gravy, while the bone serves as pie funnel.

(If you’re not a fan of tongue, the pieces are large enough to allow easy removal, once they’ve imparted their soothing smokiness to the pie).

 

 

Potted Pork with cornichons; tomato salad “model’s own”

 

 

As well as the pie, which we ate over two days, we ordered all the optional ‘add-ons’ to complete the treat: ‘anchovy gunge’ to nibble on, potted pork & cornichons to start.

There was ginger loaf, butterscotch sauce & clotted cream to follow.

There were Welsh rarebit and miniatures of Fernet Branca for the Morning After, and a chocolate brownie for tea. And an Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese. Just in case we got famished before dinner….

 

Our latest experiment? José Pizarro’s Paella Box.

 

You’ll find the full menu via the link below. The tapas provided were enough as dinner on Saturday, with some left over as a starter for the paella the following day. We chose the wild mushroom and artichoke paella, and were amazed by the intensity of flavour. The correct sized pan is included in the box, and can be re-used again if you’re tempted to reproduce the recipe yourself.

There was enough Alioli (garlic mayonnaise) for the Patatas Bravas as well as a transformative dollop to go on the paella.

 

Mushroom paella with artichokes; brown food, but in a good way.

 

If your tapas need deep frying, the instructions tell you roughly what size pan to use. There’s a tub of the right amount of rapeseed oil, and a little tin of Maldon salt, enough for a generous seasoning. There’s a chunk of sourdough bread in the box, for mopping.

Deep frying at home can be quite challenging, another time I (or, rather, The Carer) might try cooking the blue cheese croquetas in a hot oven, and using less oil for the Padron peppers.

The Basque cheesecake with lavender honey? We were speechless with admiration….

 

‘Beef and Liberty’ from Hawksmoor

 

Liberty? If only….

 

This was another gift, aimed more at the kitchen-weary carer, I suspect.

Hawksmoor is a restaurant group known for its beef; they offer their own service, delivering steaks, or in this case a Roast Beef dinner for two. The worry and stress of preparation has been lifted from your shoulders, just follow the instructions (intelligently!) and don’t get distracted!

The beef in question was a 35 day dry-aged rolled rump. Don’t be tempted to reduce the amount of salt they advise you to throw on it while searing before it goes into the oven – the end result won’t be over seasoned.

The rested beef didn’t throw out any blood or juice when carved. It was pink, moist and perfectly tender, with the aroma of well aged meat.

The meat cooked at 200° C, and conveniently everything else reheats at the same temperature, even the perfect (substantial!) Yorkshire puddings.

Everything on the plate tasted intensely of itself.

 

Roast beef with everything prepared and ready to finish in the oven

 

Potatoes were roasted in beef fat, with whole cloves of garlic that oozed mild sweetness when squeezed open.

Again, everything is included, the fat, the Maldon salt, even a piece of marrow bone to scrape into the gravy (don’t let it dissolve, just let it soften till the sauce ‘throbs’ on the heat). Chantenay carrots & buttered greens are provided, and a sticky toffee pudding.

We kept the cauliflower cheese to eat with the leftover beef the next day (it has no other part to play in a roast, in my opinion).

The meal reminded me very much of the fantastic restaurant ‘A.G.’ In Stockholm, where the steaks are generous, and you just want to keep eating everything. http://www.amaroandtwisted.com/2019/10/09/vegetarians-look-away-now/

 

Overview of Dishpatch

Dishpatch was founded in 2020 during the first lockdown. They work with London restaurants to create meal kits that can be posted anywhere in the UK. The restaurants do what they do best by preparing the food, while Dishpatch handles logistics, delivery and customer service.

Since starting, Dishpatch has delivered well over 75,000 boxes.

We’ve found their service excellent. On only one occasion we had a minor issue with a couple of products which we fed back to the support team at Dishpatch by email. They responded very quickly and professionally, with a partial refund as recompense, and a generous voucher to spend on a future order.

Prices are comparable with a local takeaway, ranging from around £25 for a one-course meal for two, to £70 for a complete dinner; if that sounds expensive, be reassured the contents of the latter will provide more than enough for a feast, or more likely two.

Our local restaurants do not include Mexican, Japanese or Korean among the options, to name just three of the cuisines in the Dishpatch portfolio.

 

https://www.dishpatch.co.uk/menu

 

Hawksmoor is not a participant in Dishpatch, you can find their menus on their website here: https://thehawksmoor.com/hawksmoor-at-home/

Pompette, Oxford

In November 2018 a new restaurant called Pompette opened its doors on the northern outskirts of Oxford. It quickly gained a reputation for being a welcome addition to the city’s food scene.

 

The terrace at Pompette

 

Pompette translates as tipsy, tiddly or squiffy – not drunk in an unseemly sort of way, but the rather charming state of a maiden aunt who has enjoyed an unaccustomed glass of champagne.

The restaurant looks and feels authentically French, but this is no slavish pastiche of a Paris bistro. The menu features Italian as well as French influences.

Most impressive is the eye for detail in what emerges from the kitchen; French bread can so often be a let-down. The Pompette Baguette & Burgundy butter is a thing of simple, crusty, sourdough beauty.

The charming waiting staff are friendly and efficient. You can tell they’re smiling behind their masks.

 

Friendly & efficient staff

 

 

We started with a salad of Roquefort, gem lettuce, celery & apple, perked up by spiced walnuts, and a flûte of Crémant d’Alsace.

 

 

Roquefort & spicy walnut salad

 

I chose Burrata & caponata with a glass of Vouvray, which trod a balance between richness and acidity that worked with the discreetly sweet and savoury notes of the aubergine dish and the luxuriously creamy cheese.

 

Burrata & caponata

 

For mains, Courgette, pea & broad bean risotto, mascarpone, lemon, pine nuts & mint was a comforting taste of summer on an unseasonably grey day.

 

Courgette, pea & broad bean risotto

 

I wouldn’t usually order beef at lunchtime, but this was to be my main meal of the day. Roast sirloin of Hereford beef was a thick slice, cooked to perfect rosy pink tenderness.

‘Duck fat potatoes’ were sliced wafer-thin, then moulded into thick ingots, fried or roasted to lovely softness, with a crisp golden crust. Watercress, shallots and a generous bowl of glorious Béarnaise completed the plate.

 

 

Roast sirloin, Bearnaise & duck fat potatoes

 

 

I asked for a carafe of Austrian Blaufrankisch to go with the beef, and was impressed that my order was taken without having to repeat it, or point out the wine on the list.

 

 

Blaufrankisch, Weingut Judith Beck, 2019

 

 

The set lunch is very good value, 2 courses for £26 or 3 for £32.

The wine selection is inventive, and with around 25 wines offered by the glass or carafe, you can afford to be adventurous.

Parking on the street outside is free for up to two hours; there’s also parking for a dozen cars behind the restaurant. It’s through a narrow archway which you might find challenging to negotiate after lunch, especially if you’re ‘un peu Pompette’.

 

 

Even Hercule Poirot is a little ‘pompette’ here

 

https://www.pompetterestaurant.co.uk/

7 South Parade,
Summertown,
Oxford, OX2 7JL 

01865 311 166

‘Service please!’

Socius, Burnham Market

 

We booked a table at Socius for lunch on Wednesday 19th May, which turned out to be their first service after lockdown.

They were ‘so thrilled to be back’, and so were we.

 

The view from Table 6

 

Husband and wife team Dan and Natalie describe their menu as ‘snacks and small plates to showcase a modern, British version of tapas’, allowing you to order as much or as little as you want.

Don’t expect the tapas to have a Spanish accent; the Socius style is more influenced by Scandinavia and Japan.

 

Socius Plates

 

We thought most dishes were good for two to share; we ordered four between us, and didn’t forget to have the focaccia on the side, it’s essential for mopping; light and fluffy with a savoury crust, it came with a herb butter, whipped to a light green creaminess.

We chose the sticky king prawns with chilli glaze (Natalie says ‘we’d get into trouble if we tried to take them off the menu’).

Tuna tartare is dressed with a loose mayonnaise seasoned with chilli and ginger, bringing a well judged background warmth to the dish; it comes with a crisp wonton to scoop it up.

 

Tuna tartare, chilli, ginger, wonton

 

‘BBQ beetroot, yoghurt, horseradish, cucumber, dill’ was elegant, earthy and sweet, a salad transcending the sum of its humble parts.

 

BBQ beetroot

 

Hasselback potatoes were earthy too, with nutty skins and warm fluffy flesh. They were served with asparagus ‘salsa’, charred to retain a slight crunch, and spiked with capers.

 

Hasselback potatoes, asparagus salsa

 

Everything at Socius is cooked and presented with precision.

 

We finished with an affogato (a scoop of excellent vanilla ice cream. ‘drowned’ in espresso).

Lunch, with a glass of manzanilla and a couple of glasses of fresh zingy Verdejo, came to £58.

If there are two of you, try to ask for Table 6 – it faces the pass and you’ll see pretty much every dish plated in front of you. When it’s ready, head chef Dan calls for ‘Service please!’

If you’re a group of four, Table 2 by the window is a good alternative. We booked it for a return visit, when perhaps we’ll share the aged beef rump; it looked too much for two to share.

 

Table 2 on the right

 

The building has been designed as a restaurant, and has an unexpectedly urban feel. It faces the new car park which serves Burnham Market – if you know the town, it’s behind Satchell’s, the wine merchant.

There’s a gallery above the main space, and a table with high stools next to the ‘Wine Wall’ by the entrance.

There are about a dozen staff, half in the kitchen headed by Dan, and half waiting tables, led by the ever-smiling Natalie.

 

It’s a wonderful addition to the North Norfolk food scene. Booking ahead is essential.

https://sociusnorfolk.co.uk/

 

 

I had my say in The Sunday Telegraph

The Telegraph was my parents’ paper of choice, and my sister still subscribes.

She tipped me off about the weekly writing competition ‘Your say’ in the travel pages on Sunday.

This week the brief was to describe a favourite sweet treat discovered on your travels, in no more than 150 words.

My entry was printed in a very slightly edited form. Here it is in full:

 

A favourite ‘sweet treat’ from my travels

 

Frìtole in Venetian dialect (frittelle in Italian) are traditionally devoured only during the Venice Carnival, a celebration of gluttony and excess which ends on Shrove Tuesday, before the austere days of Lent begin.

Days are often foggy and cold, and revellers seek out fried treats in the misshapen form of frìtole, found in pastry shops and cafés throughout the city.

They’re knobbly little doughnuts, studded with candied citrus peel, pinenuts, and raisins (which, if you’re lucky, will have been soused in grappa) then fried and dusted with sugar.

Carnevale is not only for tourists; on one night of our stay we managed to get seated in a crowded dining room of a busy Osteria. At the neighbouring table there was a party who were clearly Venetians, finishing a tray of warm frìtole: a Renaissance prince, a nineteenth century admiral, and a Mikado who started singing arias in Italian….

 

 

The Sunday Telegraph, 11 April 2021

Red Gingham Tablecloths

Red gingham is a bit of a cliché, the ubiquitous table covering of an unpretentious traditional bistro in provincial France. Or so I thought.

In 2013 I came across Ristorante Tromlin in the hills overlooking the Italian city of Turin.

Torino was the capital of the Kingdom of Savoy, which also ruled Nizza, now better known as the French city of Nice.

I developed a theory that perhaps the red-and-white check entered French culture through this historical back door.

 

Ristorante Tromlin

 

The bistros of Paris were opened by people from the countryside who migrated to the city, and classic dishes from the French regions, notably Beaujolais, Alsace, and (not forgetting) Savoie became staples.

One of my favourites is La Fontaine de Mars, where the menu is firmly rooted in the French Southwest. Jambon de Bayonne is freshly cut on the red enamel slicer that gleams at you as you’re shown to your table, to nibble as you decide whether to choose cassoulet or confit de canard.

 

La Fontaine de Mars

 

Last time we were there we startled our waiter by asking if we could have a green salad with the cheese course.

‘Une salade avec du fromage? Vraiement?(shrugs)

Vive la difference!’

 

(The tablecloths are red and white gingham in my memory, but when I found this photo I realised they are actually pink. Perhaps the effect of a glass too many of their finest Cahors).

 

Then there’s Polidor, the restaurant that time forgot. The blackboard proclaims that ‘we haven’t accepted cheques since 1873’.

Woody Allen chose it as a location for ‘Midnight in Paris’, when the lead character accepts a lift by a stranger’s car which transports him back to the literary heyday of the 1920’s, where he encounters F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway in the restaurant.

 

‘We haven’t accepted cheques since 1873’

 

 

 

I remembered a visit to Mamma Mia, an Italian restaurant in Dublin.

No mistake this time, the tablecloths are proudly chequered.

 

 

Mamma Mia

 

Maybe there’s something in my theory after all.

Savoie to Paris, by way of Dublin?

I look forward to resuming the necessary research.

‘Twas the night before lockdown

I was walking in the local park on Sunday 1st November last year when my mobile rang.

It was Laura calling from the 606 Jazz Club.

I had booked tickets for Saturday 7th to see Brandon Allen. I knew booking was a risk, we were expecting to hear that a third lockdown was due to be announced any day.

Sure enough it was announced on Monday, and the Lockdown would start on Wednesday 4th.

 

“I’m ringing round to say we’re trying to juggle the schedule. If we can make the numbers work, Brandon’s available to play on Tuesday….

 

“Would you be interested? We’d like to go out with one last hurrah!”

 

I said yes immediately, we had little else in the diary that week…..

 

The 606 promised to call me the next day to let me know the outcome. In fact they rang again about an hour later – the show was on!

 

The Brandon Allen Quartet

 

The Brandon Allen Quartet on stage, November 2020

 

‘Brandon Allen is arguably the most exciting tenor player in Britain today’  Jazzwise

 

We knew Brandon Allen as the saxophonist with the Kyle Eastwood Band. An expat Australian, he’s a highly regarded jazz musician in his own right, and the 606 was showcasing his own band, the Brandon Allen Quartet.

He’s played with many big names, and has also had an occasional side hustle playing with The Blockheads.

This show would take as its subject another sax player, Stanley Turrentine, featuring his work on the Bluenote and CTI labels, along with Turrentine’s renditions of rock and pop hits of the 60’s and 70’s.

 

 

The 606 Club

 

My first time at the 606 was almost exactly two years before, to see two more members of The Kyle Eastwood Band: Quentin Collins on trumpet and Andrew McCormack on piano.

 

Quentin Collins, 2020

 

Quentin Collins described the 606 as ‘the most authentic jazz room in London’, and he’s not wrong.

Even with social distancing in place we couldn’t have been much more than two metres from the stage. It’s all you would expect a jazz club to be, an intimate space in a basement.

 

Waiting for showtime at 606, 2019

 

This time the club staff were very welcoming, and handled all the restrictions and precautions really well and without fuss.

(We enjoyed a chicken curry with a bottle of wine – remember those days?)

Between sets we were able to browse some CDs and were advised by the manager to choose Brandon’s ‘Gene Ammons Project’, the closest to the style of music we were listening to that evening.

The last year has been a tough time for musicians who want nothing more than to play for a live audience, and for the venues that exist to enable them to do just that.

 

In the meantime, the 606 are broadcasting a series of state-of-the-art streamed performances.

To view their upcoming Live Streamed Performances, click here:

 

https://www.606club.co.uk/account/videos/live/

 

606 Online Premium Membership costs £12.95 a year, and allows you to access an archive of past performances, and a discount on 606 Live Streams.

The Brandon Allen Quartet live stream is showing again tomorrow, Saturday 20 February at 8pm, and will cost you the princely sum of £5.95.

You can also access his concert from August 2020 for just £3.50, and all Pay to View fees go directly to the musicians.

 

 

Brandon Allen, 4 November 2020

 

 

I’ll be there to enjoy some ‘swing, invention and stunning instrumental technique’ from saxophonist Brandon Allen…. 

 

 

 

 

Food Unlocked: A Pub, a Club and a Caff.

In the heady days of July, after lockdown lifted, we cautiously put our minds to where we might like to reconnect with the pleasures of….

Now, what was it called again, that activity we had been looking forward to for months?

Ah, yes! It was called ‘Eating Out’. 

We could leave home and go away for a few days. We would go to Norfolk!

We’d go the pub!

 

The Dun Cow, Salthouse

 

It’s a pub with a large garden, overlooking the marshes.

 

View from a window table

 

 

We booked a table for supper on the evening of our arrival; we unpacked the car, got ourselves organised, and then it was a few minutes drive away.

Norfolk had escaped the worst of the pandemic, so while restrictions were duly observed, the atmosphere in the pub was relatively relaxed.

We sanitised our hands on arrival, and waited to be shown to our table. The waiting staff weren’t required to wear masks then, but the menu and wine list were ‘single use’, and we were asked to order at the bar; there were no stools for customers to sit and drink there.

We had taken two or three bites from our starters when I put down my knife and fork. They were good, but I realised what was really remarkable: this was the first plate of food I had eaten in several months that had been prepared by someone who was not sitting at the table.

And behold, for it tasted good.

 

Carpaccio of Beef

 

Carpaccio of Red Poll beef with remoulade, truffle oil, Parmesan and ‘Blakeney leaves’

 

Crab and Cod ‘Bonbons’

 

Crispy fried crab & cod bonbons with chilli & coriander, lemon & sumac yoghurt

 

And to drink? It’s an interesting wine list for a pub.

 

Hungarian Furmint by the glass, anyone?

 

 

I met her in a Club down in old Soho

 

Back in London, to lunch at The Union, the members’ club in Soho.

After lockdown they asked their members to book twice, once in July and once in August. This would enable them to keep going through the summer.

We went during what then seemed to be the never-ending heatwave. The bar and dining room were empty, everyone had elected to sit outside on the small roof terrace.

We ordered a bottle of rosé ‘to show willing’, which came with glasses that had been frosted in the freezer.

Photography is discouraged in the club, but this is a view from our table, looking up.

 

 

Blue sky over Soho

 

I snatched another photo. 

 

The Upstairs Neighbour had gone fishing.

 

 

After a leisurely lunch we were able to repair to the cool shade of the bar (and enjoy the briefest snooze) before making our way home on an almost empty tube.

 

 

Inside The Union

 

 

 

….and a Caff (indulge me here)

 

During lockdown, many restaurants had asked regular customers to invest in vouchers which could be redeemed against lunch or dinner, when such activities became possible again.

We bought them for a couple of local independent places who we wanted to support.

A birthday was approaching, so we also decided to splash out at one of our favourites.

 

The River Café

 

Despite their masks, the staff were clearly enjoying being back in the business of looking after their customers.

The menus were disposable, and we had been encouraged to study the lengthy wine list online, and choose something before the Big Night.

 

I’m sorry the photos are a bit blurry; we were so excited!

 

Turbot, yellow pepper, gremolata

 

Simple and perfectly executed, as ever

 

Scallops, cod, clams, cannellini

 

After dinner, one of the floor managers made a point of coming over to ask how we had enjoyed our evening.

 

Words failed us.

 

 

Dreaming of a restaurant dinner

Today, 29th June 2020, is the 100th day of  Lockdown in the UK.

Restaurants in England will be allowed to re-open their doors from 4th July.

I find myself looking further back to what I think is one of the most singular dining experiences of my life.

In 2012 I was travelling alone on an exploration of Piemonte and the vineyards of Barolo. I had been unable to book a hotel in Turin for the first night of my trip, and found myself in a village in the hills overlooking the city, only ten minutes by cab from the city centre.

 

Overlooking Turin 026
Turin from the Hotel Magnolia

 

 

I had found an inexpensive hotel, ‘La Magnolia’, with quirky, purple 1970’s decor, an elderly proprietor, and the largest, furriest cat I think I have ever seen.

There was a restaurant in the village, and the hotel owner booked me a table for dinner.

 

‘It’s a typical Piemontese restaurant’, he told me. “one word of advice: there is no written menu, and they will start to bring you food’.

 

‘Do not feel obliged to accept everything they bring…. or you will not make it to the end’.

 

I walked to the village square to Ristorante Tromlin, where I was shown to my table, laid for one. The interior was panelled with dark wood, and the gingham tablecloths were typical of simple restaurants in Piemonte, red and white being the colours of the Kings of Savoy who once ruled there.

 

 

Ristorante Tromlin

 

 

Grissini, the local breadsticks, were already on the table, of course, along with a big basket of perfectly fresh raw vegetables, and some quails’ eggs.

And a bottle of Dolcetto, a simple red wine.

A smiling waiter brought a bowl of dressing for the vegetables. I thought I recognised a dish I had heard of, but never eaten.

“Bagna Càuda?” I asked.

Literally a ‘hot bath’ or warm dip of olive oil, wine vinegar, anchovies and garlic, usually served in autumn.

“No, bagna fresca”, he replied.

(It was May, so the ‘bath’ was served cold).

 

Bagna Cauda

 

Then a few strips of Lardo came, silky pork fat cured with rosemary, and a string of  little salame on a wooden stand, which was left at the table to cut as much as I wanted, while taking in my surroundings and fellow diners.

A waitress (also the cook, as it turned out) brought slices of Fritatta Erbette, a vivid green herb omelette, and a bowl of Primo Sale, a fresh, slightly yogurty cheese, simply dressed with olive oil and black pepper, and a couple of perfect anchovy fillets with olive oil, parsley, and a whisper of chilli.

 

By this time, I realised that the 20 or so diners in the room were eating exactly the same menu as me, at the same time, and drinking the same Dolcetto.

 

It epitomised the natural, sociable, Italian activity of Sunday evening dinner with friends and family. Very small children were drinking water with their meals, not sugary drinks, and were still perfectly behaved at 11pm.

A young blonde woman and (I assumed) her sugar daddy popped out for cigarette breaks between the many courses.

Two or three choices of pasta were offered from a trolley “or would you like some of each?”

There were two meat dishes, little chunks of roast rabbit with shredded green lettuce, or thinly sliced roast pork.

 

 

Pouring Dolcetto. Liberally.

 

 

The wine, Dolcetto Monferrato 2010, is a simple, plummy red. You could drink as much of it as you wanted.

 

The meal finished with slices of sharp apple in fritters, dusted with sugar and served with a hot cherry marmellata.

 

 

 

Apple fritters with hot cherry jam

 

 

The food was simple, fresh and generous, and dinner had been a life-affirming experience. By the end of the evening it had become my ambition to return and share it with friends. 

 

I was able to achieve this in 2016 with a diverse group of UK delegates from the Slow Food festival in Turin: four chefs, a farmer of rare breed pigs, a cheese producer, students from the University of Gastronomy, and a representative of London’s Borough Market.

 

We worked out how to split the bill over coffee, grappa and liqueurs.

 

It was easy; 38 euros each, for everything, drinks included. Cash only.

 

Ristorante TROMLIN, Via della Parrocchia 7, 10133 Torino. Tel 011/6613050

 

 

Wine & food matching at Murano

Not everyone wants to know what I’ve been drinking (so to speak).

I usually post this sort of thing on what’s categorised by WordPress, the template that’s the framework of this blog, as a ‘Page’.

The page is called “And to drink?” and you’ll find it here: https://wp.me/P7AW4i-aV

I update it as a cumulative drinks diary, so if you’re interested in the world of beverages, it’s worth checking in from time to time.

This time, with 8 wines, carefully chosen to go with 8 courses, (plus canapés, and salumi and breadsticks in case we left hungry) I thought the liquid aspect of dinner at Murano warranted a standalone Post.

 

We were greeted with a glass (or two. Well, several) of Champagne.

 

  • Canapés: Parmesan churros (a savoury doughnut); Mushroom & mozzarella Arancini: Mackerel tartare; Pickled beetroot.
  • A. R. Lenoble, ‘Intense’ Mag 15 Brut, non vintage.

The cuvée is unusually 45% Pinot Meunier (for fragrance), 45% Pinot Noir (for body) and 15% Chardonnay; a crisp and appetising apéritif with the canapés.

 


  • Vitello Tonnato followed.
  • Angela Hartnett’s 2017 Sangiovese Rosato, a dry, pale pink Tuscan from Tenute Fertuna.

Creamy textured; strawberry, white fruit & sour cherry notes cut through the richness of the veal.

 

 


  • Artichoke fagottini, pecorino fondue, Perigord truffle.
  • 2018 Greco, Pietracupa, Campania.

Declassified Greco di Tufo; savoury, nutty, orchard fruits & citrus, low acidity. A successful match for the difficult combination of Artichoke and truffle. 

 

 

 


  • Halibut, carrot, buttermilk, fennel & Pernod velouté.
  • 2018 I.G.T. Marche Bianco, ‘Terre Silvate’, La Distesa, Marche.

100% biodynamic Verdicchio: medium bodied, aromatic, with fennel notes and a salty, funky character.

 

 

 


  • Rare breed pork (roast loin & smoked belly), fermented cabbage, quince, mustard.
  • 2012 I.G.T Toscana, Póllera Rosso, Fattoria Ruschi Noceti, Tuscany.

The sommelier Ali told us this was a rare & obscure grape variety from somewhere in Italy. Emboldened by the champagne, I asked to taste it blind. ‘Pelaverga from Piemonte?’ I ventured? No. ‘Corvina from the Veneto, perhaps?’ No.

‘I know! A Sicilian from Mount Etna!’ I said with (ill-advised) confidence.

It turned out to be Pòllera, a grape native to Maremma in Tuscany (I’d never heard of it). The pork brought out flavours of cherry & plum in the wine.

 

 

 

 


  • Selection of cheese from La Fromagerie (Isle of Mull cheddar, Vacca Blue from Piemonte, Epoisse and Fleur Marie).
  • 2016 I.G.T. Vinetti delle Dolomiti, Teroldego, Foradori, Trentino Alto Adige.

Biodynamic wine, Teroldego is a relative of Syrah. Fresh acidity and dark fruit made friends with a fine selection of cheese.

 

 

 

 

 


  • Caramelised Amalfi Lemon tart, with a texture like crème brûlée.
  • 2016, Jurançon ‘La Magendia’, Lapeyre, Southwest France.

The intense acidity of the lemons went head to head with the orange and lemon citrus in the wine.

 

 

 

 


  • Chocolate marquise, confit orange. Chocolate mousse, rhubarb.
  • 2007 Passito di Malvasia, ‘Vigna dell Volta’, La Stoppa, Emilia-Romagna. 

Chocolate is notoriously tricky with wine. This unfiltered wine (decanted) worked a treat: nutty and savoury, intensely sweet with refreshing acidity.

 

 

There. We made it to pudding.