The Urban Garden Cook

for some reason I never published this post when I wrote it a year ago ….hoping that none of the restaurants have gone out of date here it is ….. re-reading it makes me want to go back to Miami on this cold February morning in London!

 

Over the years we have visited Miami several times, and every time we visit we find something new and always have a sense that it is a city that is constantly evolving and changing.  It is a multicultural city and it makes a virtue of its multi ethnicity and cultural heritage past and present and future.

It is a city bursting with street art as this mural below demonstrates.  It can be found in the Design District.

We had a great day exploring all the trendy shops in the Design District and stopped off for lunch at BVB Bistro & Deli which is a French style cafe and deli.  The majority of the serving staff appear to be French and are extremely charming and helpful with the menu.  Ironically for a French cafe we shared a Greek Salad which was served with  delicious french bread and excellent coffee.  Inside is a cabinet with an array of tempting small french pastries and treats.

Later that day we went to Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink this was in the heart of a trendy mall and despite it being surrounded by swanky shops the restaurant itself felt incredibly relax and very family style atmosphere.  There were lots of children there and the waiting staff were excellent at keeping the little ones entertained and feed and making sure the adults had plenty of amazing appetizers and excellent wine list.  We had falafel and pickled onions followed by wood roasted aubergines chickpeas and preserved lemon.  The pita bread was particularly good and very fluffy.  For mains we had octopus that was wood roasted and had a sticky chili sauce and crema and fenal and pecorino salad.  Excellent selection of wines by the glass.  There was lovely jazz music in the background which meant we stayed much longer than we had intended to and it was a good vibe.

 

Next day we went to the Wynwood and started the day at Panther Coffee.  This is a locally run coffee store that roasts its own coffee beans in small batches.  The coffee shop reminded me of places in Shoreditch in London or Meat packers in NY.  It had very dark interior with lots of grungy music but exterior it had plenty of space to sit and watch the world go by and eat their delicious Danish pastries.  From the coffee store we wondered around the area and checked out the amazing street art such as this

For lunch we went taco and went to Coyo it had the longest queue so we thought that it must be the best place to eat in the area.  It was great.  You could choose 2 tacos and you place the order at the bar and then take a number and find a spot to sit down.  We ordered 4 by mistake and this was plenty! Fresh flavours included quinoa and coriander and chilli grilled fish and avocado and chilli.  Very busy atmosphere and tacos come out in metal trays.

 

In South Beach itself we went to Beach Craft which is chef’s Tom Colicchio latest offering.  It is set inside the rather glitzy One Hotel (rather liked the hotel bar which was full of artificial trees lit up with twinkle fairy lights).  Colicchio prides himself on using only organic and as far as possible local ingredients.  The meal itself was very vegetable focussed and we started with rocket, perrino and pear and pumpkin seeds and squash marinated in walnut oil and pumkin seed oil.  octopus blacken with apple match sticks coriander celery leaves and chilli.  2 flat breads with green goddess with kale pine nuts and ricotta cheese on chargrilled flat bread like a pizza easily enough as an entrée so delicious very attentive service not sure they know about the food though as when questioning the waiters they seemed a bit lost.  Saving the best for last was the Meyer lemon tart on a deconstructed shortbread biscuit and olive oil gelato and italian meringue blobs on the side.

Three Fold Cafe  is a great Australian owned cafe in Coral Gables.  The only day it rained on our trip and we ended up reading the New York Times for 3 hours in this cafe, we progressed from breakfast with more panther coffee to more coffee and then finally lunch.  Highlights were the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon with dill and onions.  Really good service and very friendly.

 

Another good all day breakfast and coffee place is Dirt which again sources food locally and organically.  It is set up a like a fast food place with counter service and then taking a number to a table.  Again the bread was by Zak the baker who is the baker in Miami.  This link to info on

Zak the Baker

 

On our very last night in Miami we went to Fooq it has been described as one of the most romantic restaurants in Miami and I can understand why.  It is a gorgeous little restaurant and is candle light and has cushions scattered around to sit on.  It serves a mixture of French and Persian food.  The flavours are delicious I had a starter of soft goats cheese and walnuts and apples all very fresh and small portions which is great for America,  There I had a mix of vegetables flavoured with Za’tar on a bed of rice that was all crispy and soaked up the juices of the vegetables perfectly.  The waiters were very knowledgeable about the food and very tempting in their descriptions of the food.  Would highly recommend and I will certainly return,

Overall Miami from a foodie perspective really surprised me, it was packed with small boutique restaurants and cafes all trying to cook organically and seasonally and locally.  If you get away from the central stripe and the glitz of South Beach and go to the neighbour hoods you will find a great foodie scene.  

We have just returned from a magical 4 days in Cornwall, where we stayed at the Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes, overlooking the sea on the south side of the Roseland Peninsula.  This is a lovely hotel designed by the legendary Olga Polizzi.  It has about 30 rooms, all of which look out towards the peaceful harbour.  I can’t think of  a better sound than the gentle lapping of the sea outside, and the soft tinkle and chatter of people enjoying themselves on the terrace below.  Is there a nicer place in the world to be lulled into an afternoon snooze and then to wake, rested, revitalised and ready for a great meal in their restaurant.

 

The hotel has a terrace that overlooks the bay, and you can have breakfast, lunch and an all day menu there, including an evening meal in warmer weather.

The restaurant is run by head chef Paul Wadham and he serves locally sourced food with an emphasis on fish.  An interesting fact about Paul is that his brother is Simon Wadham who is also a chef (at Rivington Grill in Shoreditch – another one of our favourites).  Paul served his time at the old Atlantic Bar and Grill run by Oliver Peyton, before getting the call to Cornwall and the Tresanton almost 12 years ago.    His food is elegant and uses simple ingredients.  The linguine with squid and chilli was sublime and the flavours of garlic, chilli and parsley were in perfect harmony.  There are nice little touches with the main meal, such as peppery olive oil with the bread, instead of butter, and the coffee comes with two little dark chocolate squares.  With the candlelit room supplying a magical atmosphere, a meal here makes for a tasty and memorable night.

THINGS TO DO AND OTHER PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK.

The first day we went on a stunning walk to Nare Head & Portloe from Veryan.  This is only about 7 miles, but it is deceptively hard due to the steep hills along the coastal path.

A great way to start the walk is at the The Nare Hotel, which prides itself as Cornwall’s only 4 star hotel and offers a premium service.  If the coffee and biscuit we had on the beautiful terrace is anything to go by, then it deserves its rating and would be a nice alternative base to the Tresanton.   The walk starts off by following the coastal path and about two thirds through The Lugger Hotel in Portloe is a great place to stop for lunch.

We sat on the terrace and, as you can see from the picture above, the view was spectacular.  This whitewashed 17th Century inn has a dark history. In 1890, it’s landlord, Black Dunstan, was sent to the gallows after his second career in smuggling French brandy was uncovered. These days, the 22 bedrooms have a New England vibe, with cream sofas, white furniture and of course that amazing view of the sea. If the weather is inclement you can sit inside and eat in the oldest part of the hotel, under 17th century wooden beams.

Apparently the hotel has been the home to several celebrities from Morrissey, who celebrated his birthday here a few years ago, to David Cameron,who, rumour has it, went for a post lunch swim in the bay pictured above.

The lunch was maybe a bit more fancy than what we wanted (we had just walked almost 5 miles) but nonetheless it was delicious.  I had a fresh crab salad and it was great.

Refreshed from lunch we headed inland towards Veryan, where the reward for completing the walk was a great cup of tea in the grounds Elerkey Gallery and Mill

It is then a short walk back to the start and the Nare Hotel.

DAY OUT IN FOWEY – just along the coast from St. Mawes (about an hour’s drive away).  This is such a beautiful Cornish seaside town.  It has the ubiquitous coloured houses, smart shops and even nicer cafes, delis and food places to try.  What is not to like about this place?  Spoilt for choice over places to eat, we decided on the Fat Cap and Brisket at the Toll Bar for lunch.  

 

 I had two veggie starters –  a ricotta and spinach spring roll and then tomatoes and basil on toast.  Both would have sufficed by themselves as a decent, light lunch. The flavours were really fresh, the setting was charming and the staff friendly.  Although we sat at the front, the back tables are the best, with another beautiful harbour view.

Keen readers may also wish to know that Fowey was the home to the great local novelist Daphne du Maurier, whose prodigious output included ‘Rebecca’, made world famous by Hitchcock’s film version.  A nearby bookshop stocks all her work if you want to read something set locally during your stay. I can see the draw of this place. It is easy to get lost in the verdant woodlands behind the cove and spend hours wandering around the town.

We look forward to returning soon!

 

 

 

This Easter weekend we took the opportunity to try out some new wine bars in London that specialise in natural wine.  The first was Sager + Wilde, which is based in Hoxton (literally a short walk from Hoxton overground).  This wine bar specialises in natural and organic wine, as well as tasty small snacks.  Before we get onto the wine, the bar snacks were great.  What is definitely not to be missed are the cheese toasties made with a variety of ingredients including jalapeno peppers and another with spring onions.  We both drank wine by the glass and had a variety of red and white wines.  The highlight for me was the Aligote Love and Pif by a Burgundy wine maker called Yann Durieux.  I haven’t drunk his wines before (he is based in Cote de Nuit near to Villers – La – Faye which is close to Beaune (north east) but will certainly look for his wines now.  I loved the way he turned this “secondary” grape of Burgundy into something so interesting.  The aligote tasted slightly oxidised as I know a lot of natural wines have a tendency to do, but where it really came into its own was the combination with the aforementioned cheese toastie.   Wanting to find out more about this wine maker, I found a wonderful wine site Living Wines which is an Australian site and gives you lots of information about natural wine.  One of the interesting facts I found out is that PIF is the French slang word for wine.  I can’t wait to try it out in my next French class.   I also saw his name crop up on one my favourite wine bars in Paris – Vivant.  Clearly Yann is a wine maker to watch out for.

The following day we tried Elliots in Borough Market.  We just popped in for a drink, rather than something to eat (although if you follow the link above it will take you to their website and a rather good promotional video which makes their food look absolutely delicious).  I had a glass of the Colfondo Casa Belfi which is a sparkling white wine made with the glera grape more commonly known as prosecco.  Don’t be put off by the fact that this wine comes to you cloudy and with not a lot of fizz, it is absolutely delicious and a great aperitif.  Elliots is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by as it is right by the busy Borough market, and has a good selection of other wines by the glass.  The staff were very friendly and we loved the exposed brick work.

 

 

 

 

This weekend we decided to do a bit of exploring, and unbelievably we have never visited Maltby Street market, nor the road parallel to Maltby Street – Druid Street (photo below).

We started off in Druid Street, first visiting an Italian deli called L’Emporio.  It was like a cavern of all the finest things you can find in a deli in Italy itself.  It even had the owners children running around to add the sense of a real neighbourhood shop.  Samples of lovely oils were displayed, and displays of meats and cheeses filled the cabinet, behind which stood the warm and welcoming owner who invited us to taste superb coppa, mortadella and Gorgonzola cheese.  We bought a bagful of goodies for that evening’s supper and the bill was about half what you would pay at a similar place in town!  The quality and price make this a destination in itself.  But there was so much more to discover down this small parade of converted garages under the arches.

Outside the deli was a lovely coffee stand and next to this was a stall selling one of the best salted caramel brownies I have ever had. Fatties Bakery is run by a young woman who, reading from her website, was a graphic designer in a previous life.  Thank goodness she has decided to give this up and concentrate on her sweet treats, as they are really something to experience, with a number of different fancies expressing the divine qualities of salted caramel in a very divine way!

This just whetted our appetite for the main event (well for me it was) – a visit to Monty’s Deli.

 

I had been wanting to visit Montys Deli for a long while (I think I first read about it in a foodie magazine) and I realise now what all the fuss is about.  It could stand proudly alongside some of those great New York Jewish delis in my mind. I love this type of food.  It is a real reminder of my childhood when my Grandma would make me latkes and my mum would frown at the fact that I was eating fried food.  Monty’s latkes were just like Grandma’s but they had the added benefit of being served with the traditional apple sauce and sour cream.  We didn’t go for the obligatory salt beef sandwich ,which apparently Mark the owner makes from a secret recipe, inspired by his grandfather (the ‘Real Monty’) and which the chef Tom Ketteridge recently declared ‘the best value lunch in London’. Instead we plumped for another grandma worthy dish – the matzah  ball soup.  Despite the draughty nature of the interior on a cold day, it is so worth a visit. For those of you who have Jewish parentage, it’s a throwback to one’s childhood and for those who don’t, you can just enjoy it as a small taste of New York in Bermondsey!

The parallel street is Maltby Street and what is known as the Ropewalk. This is now a hot alternative to Borough Market, with an eclectic mix of street food stalls and cafes tightly packed into yet more railway arches.To me however the genuine excitement in the area was Druid Street.  It was slightly quieter and had a feeling of up and coming talented chefs and foodies all merging together.  We liked it so much we went back to L’Emporio again on the way out to get a few more cheeses for what was a lovely cold plate supper.

 

We have just come back from a wonderful short break in Burgundy.  The idea was to go to the house in Meursault and make sure everything was good for the season ahead.  Despite a “petit” problem with the boiler all is good.  The “petit” problem meant that we had to stay in Beaune in the delightful  Hostellerie Le Cedre.

It is perfectly located for exploring Beaune, as it is on the ring road and makes walking into the town centre a doddle.  I heard one guest asking for a taxi which made me laugh, as you can literally get to the Hospice in 5 minutes – it is that close.

Being forced to stay in Beaune meant that we had plenty of opportunities to discover some new foodie and drinking establishments and re-visit some favourite haunts.

One street that is packed with excellent choices for eating and drinking is Rue du Faubourg Madeleine.  You can literally walk or waddle from one amazing wine bar or restaurant to the next.  Here are some highlights:

The first stop has to be

Not really Rue du Faubourg Madeleine but so close it has to count!  The food Les Popiettes cooks is modern but beautifully executed, and thankfully not enormous portions.  We both started with chickpea soup flavoured with tiny bits of lardons and celery, and then for main course I had the beef bourguignon.  Such a classic dish, but it was done so well.  The meat was tender and the mash potato that the beef was sitting on was perfect.  We had a few of the excellent wines by the glass up go with it of course.  The decor is very modern, with a central long sharing table with modern chairs and lights.  I would highly recommend this.  I spotted that they did a Sunday brunch.  We didn’t try it this time, but will definitely make it a stop next time we are in Beaune.

Continuing down the road proper you come to the best wine shop in Beaune.  Mes Bourgognes

We always go here to check out the latest natural wine makers in the area and they have a great selection at very reasonable prices.

Caves Madeleine is a superb simple bistro.  The cooking is great, but the real pull is the wine list, well to be more accurate the array of wine bottles surrounding you on shelves that you can inspect and then choose to accompany your dinner.  This is definitely a wine makers/buyers go to restaurant, because on a number of occasions we have been here and ear wigged on great conversations about the wine industry.  Almost next door is L’Ardoise; which again serves simple food extremely well cooked and presented.  Across the street is a wine bar call Le Bout du Monde.  We went on a Friday night for a quick pre-dinner drink that turned into several.  The place was buzzing.  They serve great wines by the glass and I particularly liked the house cremant.  They do small plates of charcuterie that looked really tempting, especially if you have over done it at lunch time and just want a light snack with the wine of choice for the evening.  It was child friendly (well at least the night we were there), so it is a good option if you want the little ones there too.

Also along this stretch is 

which as the name suggests highlights great food stuffs from the Jura (that is Dave by the way checking out some more wines no doubt).  If we had been staying longer we would have definitely made some purchases to enjoy chez moi.

The end of the road is one of the top flight restaurants in Beaune, but the photography I am about to share really makes me laugh because it makes it look awful.  Here it is:

L’Ecusson is an amazing experience of fine French dinning, but the fact that it is off a busy roundabout and the front of the restaurant looks a bit shabby really shouldn’t deter you.  We didn’t go this trip but have been before and it is really exceptional food.

We are returning to Burgundy in the Summer, so check back then for more updates and new additions.  Hope these restaurant/foodie suggestions are of help.

 

The best days to do this walk is either a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or a Saturday morning.  By doing the walk on these days you will be able to take in the Union Square Green Market .  It is a shame to miss this market as it is an unique experience to see over 140 stalls all selling locally source produce.

We have often done this walk and we always start the walk with a good strong cup of coffee from Amy’s Bread in Chelsea Market.  If you are early enough you can grab a stool in the window, and eat a pastry from the shop whilst staring out of the window at passerby’s walking through the market.  Amy’s Bread prides itself on making from scratch pastries and breads.  I always find it difficult to choose one thing to eat, as everything looks so delicious.  Trying to be healthy I decided this time around to go for some oatmeal.  The combination of the cinnamon and freshly grated apple, worked so well, I didn’t feel deprived that I didn’t go for the almond croissant that Dave had instead.

Take your time wandering through Chelsea Market, there are always new shops and restaurants to explore.  I should do a whole blog on it one day, but for now just take it from me you would really want to hang out there for a LONG time!  Whatever you do, do make time to check out the bookstore Posman Books, who ever does the staff picks on the table at the front, is always spot on, as we have always picked up some really good books there.  I could spend hours there ….

But tearing ourselves away, walk across town along 14th Street towards Union Square.  Take in the Green Market.

Depending on the time of year, there will be lots of different types of seasonal produce on sale.  When we visited just after New Year, it felt like almost every stall was selling hot apple cider.  Very welcome on the chilly day we visited.

From here it is a short walk to Eataly, up Broadway towards Madison Square Park.  It is only about a 5 minute walk.  At Eataly it is fun to wonder around the store and just look at all the amazing Italian produce you can buy, and if you are lucky to find room have an espresso at the front of the store.  I have never been there when it hasn’t been busy, and you have to admire the people behind the store to have thought up the concept and to run it so well.  There is a good selection of cook books (predominately Italian) at the back (and incidentally near the toilets).

From there, hop on the subway at 23rd and 7th Ave take line 1 to 79th Street and go to THE best kitchen store in New York – Zabars.  On the ground floor is a busy deli/grocery store stocking every kind of cheese, meat, spice etc that you can think of and upstairs it is full of kitchen supplies.  I always come out of the shop, swearing that I can’t buy another thing but end up with another kitchen implement that then becomes invaluable over the years.

This is a great walk and a great way to see various different areas of New York.  Don’t get put off about hoping onto the subway.  It is really easy to navigate and it gives you a welcome chance to sit down before bracing yourself for the Zabars experience!

 

Lunch time in New York was a bit of a challenge, as we didn’t want to eat so much that it would ruin our dinner but at the same time we were on the hunt for healthy options.  As lunch had to fit in and around touristy things we were doing, we weren’t always flooded with choices.  The stand outs were Blossom du Jour, (convenient for Upper West side)  Amy’s Bread (for Chelsea Market) and Edward’s Dinner (for visiting the 9/11 Museum).

Blossom Du Jour – has various locations in and around Manhattan.  We went to the cafe on the Upper West side, mainly because we couldn’t get into the much hyped vegan restaurant – Peace Food Cafe .  Blossom is also a vegan cafe (well really a counter service take out sandwich bar with a few stools to sit on).  The food was delicious despite the cramped setting, I had a bean and smoked avocado wrap with a smoothie made with strawberries, bananas and apple cider.  But health doesn’t come cheap and this for two people (we had the exactly the same) came to just over $40 and worth noting no toilet facilities (well at less at the Upper West Side location we visited).

Also worth mentioning, if you are shopping in Bloomingdale’s, it worth checking out David Burke at Bloomindales.  Burke has several restaurants in and around the city, but this small cafe on the ground floor of the department store, is really lovely and you get really good quality food for not too bad prices.  I had a chopped kale salad with shallots, dried berries, coconut flakes and crispy chickpeas.

 

I have just come back from a wonderful week of eating my way around New York.  Here are some of the highlights from my trip and then future posts will be of some recipes inspired from my trip.

GOOD BREAKFAST STOPS ……..

Buvette 42 Grove Street, West Village

 

We stumbled upon this place on our first day in New York and went in for a quick coffee and croissant.  We didn’t realize how lucky we were to bag a table as this is apparently the “hot” breakfast spot in the West Village.  I can see why.  It is styled like a French cafe, really cosy and full of waiters charging around in their long white aprons.  But what really stood out was the coffee.  It was excellent.  We only had two small croissants and strawberry jam, but looking around I could see people tucking into lots of different egg dishes and the like.  The cafe turns into a wine bar later on and I could imagine it as a lovely refuge from the bustle of New York later on at night with a glass or two of fine French wine.  If you can get in I would highly recommend this cafe.  They also have a sister cafe in Paris – which I am definitely going to check out the next time we are there.

Ruby’s 219 Mulberry Street was our next stand out breakfast.  So this was an Aussie style cafe, sans the surf boards, but full of breakfast items such as Vegemite and avocados.  I loved the laid back atmosphere, and yet again the coffee was superb.  I had banana bread with passion fruit butter – which was a bit like lemon curd but made with passion fruit instead.  This was another cafe that morphs into lunch time fare and then into evenings.  Again extremely popular and we were lucky to get a table.

Other good coffee stops are Toby’s Estate, with several outlets all around Manhattan and Brooklyn, if you see that an establishment is serving this coffee it is worth stopping by.  And another recommendation is StumpTown Coffee which again serves excellent coffee and nice pastries.