Wednesday 12 January 2011

Two whole years of Essex Eating!


Happy New Year to all (three) of my readers, and Happy Birthday to Essex Eating. That’s right, the blog I started in January 2009 (The only New Year’s Eve resolution I’ve ever actually kept!) is two years old today. Tres exciting!

And what a momentous year 2010 has been eh?
I started it off living in Essex, working in London, employed in I.T… and ended the year living and working in Bristol and employed in cheese mongering. (I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how exactly that happened).
Along the way I started a supper club with ‘E’, ‘
The Montpelier Basement’ which has been doing pretty well…. I cooked some lovely food (and some rubbish food), I met loads of nice people, and I ate in some amazing restaurants (and also some that weren’t so good).
So here it is – my best and worst of 2010…


Best Food Blog event I attended in 2010
Without a doubt the best event for food bloggers I attended in 2010 was vodka tasting at Bob Bob Ricard. To sit in the private room, eating excellent food all matched with vodka ranging from reasonably priced to eye wateringly expensive with the charming and debonair ‘Bob’ & ‘Ricard’ themselves, was a real treat. Despite ending the evening thoroughly drunk, I left learning a few things about vodka and with a real appreciation for BBR. I’ve since been back a few times at it never ceases to charm and amaze me. It remains one of my favourite restaurants in London.


Best meal I ate in 2010
Tough one, I ate out loads in 2010. But I finally made it to The Ledbury in December for my birthday (‘E’s treat) and it was amazing (I’ve yet to write it up here on the blog, but it’s coming). The food was exquisite, beautifully put together, incredible to look at and exciting to eat. The tasting menu at Cinq Sentits in Barcelona was equally jaw dropping, so much so, that to be honest – I’d find it hard to pick one over the other. Although saying that, I had an amazing boozy lunch at the new Hawksmoor in seven dials with ‘E’ and Niamh from ‘
Eat like a girl’ which for me was a really memorable meal for completely different reasons. Although it’s not quite in the same Michelin starred bracket as the previously mentioned restaurants, it was a hell of a lot of fun, the Kimchi burger was awesome, and the cocktails left me practically crawling out of the place on my hands and knees.


Best Dish I cooked at home 2010
loads of home cooking this past year (Although I don’t seem to write about is much as I did last year). I think Stevie Parle’s Chana Masala from ‘
My Kitchen – Real food from near and far’ was certainly a revelation when it comes to simple, home cooked food. The book was left on the shelf for so long, but when I finally had a read and cooked this dish from it…its bloody amazing and dirt-cheap too. It’s become a firm favourite.

But I’m probably most proud of some of the dishes we’ve cooked for The Montpelier Basement, not just because they were nice, but also because to cook and serve up pretty good food on a fairly large scale whilst under pressure feels like such an achievement. I particularly liked the Baked Cornish haddock with pumpkin crust, leeks and white wine sauce; it was perfectly cooked, tasted incredible and looked so neat and professional. On the other hand bavette with triple cooked chips and béarnaise for 17 was cracking as it involved so much last minute work to produce and obviously béarnaise is notorious for splitting, if you just look at it the wrong way, but it all came out really well. (No photo of this I'm afraid, was just too damn busy at the time to get one!)
I’m really proud of so much of the food we’ve cooked.



Worst Dish I cooked at home 2010
I was struggling to remember, perhaps it’s been a vintage year with regards to home cooking this past 12 months, and then suddenly it hit me. Barbecued sweetcorn with anchovy butter. It was bloody awful – truly foul. OK, it was a mistake. We forgot that the ‘herb’ butter leftover in the fridge had anchovy in it. But nevertheless, bleugh! (I think the bullet point here is – anchovy and sweetcorn = No).

It’s all coming flooding back now, ‘poached cherries with almond cream’ from the Moro cookbook failed entirely. I think I put too much liquid in whilst making the almond cream, and instead of just binning it and starting again (the ingredients cost money right? AND I was making dinner to impress ‘E’) I tried to save it with all the culinary cunning that I possess. Needless to say it remained a grainy inedible ‘soup’ and I ended up throwing it all away.


Best Booze I drank in 2010
Sadly, I often don’t remember what I drink whilst eating out. I think it’s something I should pay more attention to. I’ll try and remedy that on the blog in 2011. Nevertheless, the whole wine list at The Gurnards Head in Cornwall stands out as being memorable for the fact that it’s so good combined with being awesomely cheap (their lack of any real marking up is to be applauded). A bottle of Picpoul De Pinet we had at Source Food Café matched with crab was bloody good. Oh, and the whole cocktail list at Hawksmoor is bloody awesome, beautifully researched and interesting. Finally, in December a bottle of Rodenbach beer matched with excellent Pheasant at The Draft House Tower Bridge was certainly a surprising booze combination that worked beautifully


Worst Dish I ate out 2010
It pains me to say it, as I love, love, love The Ginger Pig and The Ginger Fox, but back in June their Brighton based newly opened, red-headed stepbrother The Ginger Dog provided one of the worst dishes I ate in 2010. Un-set freezing cold potted rabbit which I described at the time as “Meaty chunks of rabbit and vegetables swam past grimly, like survivors from a shipwreck as I plunged my spoon into in a sea of freezing cold, barely gelatinous fluid.” And “This wasn’t just a solitary errant miss, my dining companion “Mr Graphic Foodie” had ordered the same dish, and his rabbit was equally awash within a sea of arctic, jizzmesque liquid slipperyness.”
Here’s hoping this was just a 'bad night' and things have improved since then.

Another contender would have to be a fried quail with peaches starter I ate at the Gordon Ramsay Gastro-Pub, The Warrington (So Kentucky fried quail yeah?). It was bloody awful, thickly coated in breadcrumbs with the delicate meat completely lost within, it just didn't work at all, it ate like deep deep fried bones basically...and from memory it was something like twelve frigging quid!! God knows why I chose it.



Best Dish I ate out in 2010
This is really hard, but The Restaurant at ‘St Pauls’ certainly served up the best dessert I ate in the shape of their stonkingly good ‘Regents Park Honey Ice and Gingerbread Sandwich’ Although saying that, on the dessert front the incredibly moist ‘Rhubarb and ginger Bakewell’ I was served at St Werburghs City Farm in Bristol was almost equally as good. A starter of ‘Lyme Bay scallops with garlic and white port roasted in the shell over the charcoal fire’ I ate at The Seahorse in Dartmouth back in March was frankly amazing too and the Raviolo of Beef Short Rib with Cep consommé, Truffle and Parmesan I ate at The Ledbury in December has to be up there. But, wracking my minuscule brain it’s the simpler pleasure of a beautifully cooked pheasant with all the trimmings, eaten with thick snow visible on the ground outside whilst in the warm at The Draft House Tower Bridge in London that stands out as the best thing I ate last year. It truly was sublime, even the accompanying sprouts were awesome.

Weirdest Google searches that have led to my Blog 2010
Car Sick South Cornwall
Hiring a bodyguard in buenos aires
How do i cook pock cheak
Places in essex that sell fernet branca
Scotch egg heat supermarket
Small petite porn tube

Best Recipe book 2010
I guess the cookbook I’ve most enjoyed this year has been Stevie Parle’s ‘
My Kitchen – Real food from near and far’ Most of the more exotic dishes have been new to me, the book is quite a fresh exciting mish-mash of this and that. And the recipes have produced excellent results.
On a different note – despite featuring many, many…many photos of a disturbingly hobbit’esque Tom Kitchin relaxing in various states of outdoor garb, holding dead animals and trying to look sincere, but instead looking smug (there’s even a picture of him in a frigging diving suit for crissakes!) His book ‘
From nature to plate’ is cracking, I’ve cooked a few recipes from it and they’ve turned out really well.
Oh, and despite knocking out some bloody awful formulaic, bandwagon jumping recipe books in the last couple of years, Gordon Ramsay’s '
Great British Pub food' is a surprisingly brilliant one featuring loads of useful recipes for cheap meat cuts such as ox and pork cheek. I highly recommend it.


Strangest things I ate in 2010
Basically a whole years worth of strangeness in one meal at Chilli Cool (Intestines, ears, tendons to name but a few body parts on the menu) and Duck Hearts (again) at Southville Supper club in Bristol (although not so strange I guess the second time around, and once again – bloody tasty) and finally, jellied pigs head at St Johns Tavern in Archway.

Must visit restaurants 2010
This is last years list, and I’ve only really crossed one off (The Ledbury) apart from that I’ve drank at Terroirs, Hix & Rules (All on numerous occasions but no food). Eaten the famously good Scotch Egg at The Harwood Arms (but nothing else) and the rest of the list has been errrr….pretty much bypassed entirely.

Anchor and Hope
Terroirs
The Ledbury
The Bull and Last
Racine
The Sportsman - Whitstable
The Kitchin - Edinburgh
Hix
Harwood Arms
Rules
Theo Randall


The King is dead, long live the king!
My new, sexy updated must visit restaurant list for 2011 reads like this….

Anchor and Hope - London
Racine - London
The Sportsman - Whitstable
The Kitchin - Edinburgh
Magdalen Arms – Oxford
Brawn – London
Casamia – Bristol
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road – London
St Johns

So that’s it, my second year here at Essex Eating.
Here’s to an exciting third year in 2011. ‘The Montpelier Basement’ should feature heavily as ‘E’ and I move on with that. We’ve had some very interesting offers, and we’ll see where it all leads. I of course will continue to eat out as much as I can afford. And talking of money, (after being made redundant in 2010) I guess I should find a real job – hopefully something involving food.

All offers gratefully considered!

So, stay tuned in 2011 for more of the same.

PS Don’t forget to comment. I love a comment me, doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. It’s the thought that counts…. or something.

Mwah Mwah

Dan
Essex Eating

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your second birthday! Keep the great posts coming.

Gary

millerdesignuk said...

Many Happy Returns! and many more to come - v pleased you made the move to Bristol. Mwah Mwah Mwah

Anonymous said...

Wow what a difference a year can make. Still very exciting times ahead for you.Makes me wonder what this year will hold for me? I'm hoping for a sea change too.

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Essex Eating. Glad to have met you and 'E' in tail end of 2010 and hopefully will see more of you guys in 2011.

The Ample Cook said...

Happy 2nd anniversary Dan. Well done for keeping up a consistently entertaining blog.

Cheers!

Dan said...

RoastPotato - Thanks mate.

Millersdesignuk - Thank you Helen mwah mwah mwah back.

VintageMacaroon - I know it's crazy. If I learnt one thing last year it's take nothing for granted. Everything can turn on its head in weeks.

Restingchef - Likewise Danielle :)

The Ample Cook - Awwww thank you Jan. Really glad you find it entertaining :)

Robert Giorgione said...

Happy 2nd Birthday Dan! My blog is now approaching 4 years. Hopefully, 2011 will be a wonderful year and will bring us all we deserve. Best wishes

Graphic Foodie said...

Wow, what a year! Proud to have accompanied you on your "Worst Dish I ate out 2010". Hopefully next time you're in Brighton I can take you out for another crap meal?

And no, it seems the Dog hasn't learned new tricks.

Great blog mate, one of my favourites. Look forward to the next year and seeing where the Basement takes you. x

Hungrybecs said...

Happy Birthday, I've only been reading for a few months now but love every post!
Becs

Dan said...

Robert Giorgione - Wow, 4 years! That is impressive. And thanks, totally agree here's to 2011 being a wonderful year for all of us.

Graphic Foodie - Hahahaha worst dish perhaps, but a great night all the same. We'll have to come down to Brighton again soon and do it again...just hopefully somewhere a bit nicer! Shame that The Dog is still not firing on all cylinders, I just cant understand it when the other restaurants in the group are so good.
Thanks Fran. Speak soon about coming down to Brighton for a visit :) x

Dan said...

Rebecca - Thank you, thank you. What a lovely thing to say :)

Anonymous said...

Really enjoy reading your blog - am loving the look of the Montpellier Basement - and really pleased to have more awesome food bloggers in Bristol :)

nancy knits said...

small petite porn tube. bahahaha. i've starred your bob bob ricard post from earlier in the year and will try and get there this year. it was the champagne button that seduced me. happy blogging birthday dan! n x

Su-Lin said...

Happy blog birthday! Keep those posts coming!

Anonymous said...

Happy 2nd birthday! Lovely post - more please!

PDH said...

Happy Birthday Essex Eating and once again well done for not having a heart attack, which is suprising considering all the food and you know... the massive amounts of boozing! Well done and keep up the good work :D

Ailbhe said...

Happy birthday Dan Hope 2011 proves just as exciting for you with more good food, drink and love. Cheers : )

Sasha @ The Happiness Project London said...

Happy birthday! Really interesting choice of restos and a lot which I want to go to as well. From last year's list I adored the Bull & Last and Terroirs, and I'm lucky enough to be going to the Ledbury tonight - hurrah!

I'm also back home to Edinburgh in March and definitely hope to check out The Kitchin. Look forward to hearing more and hope you're raising a glass tonight! :) x

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday! Definitely recommend Casamia...and I'm off to the Sportsman on the 28th so will report back! :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! I'm celebrating my first this January... how it flies, and yet what did I do with my time before the blog?

I continue to love your blog - great writing, and always interesting. This is another cracking post.

Good luck with 2011. I'm hoping to be in a job in food by this time next year too. Pass on any offers you reject per favor!
xx

Helen said...

An excellent year there Dan. Oof! Really well done on the basement too - a brilliant achievement.

Unknown said...

Happy second bday Dan and here's to another great year of blogging! I do have plans to come and check out the basement at some stage will have to make it to Bristol first though.

E said...

I'm very proud of you. What a year, eh? Here's to the next. 'Citing! xx

Dan said...

Funkabubble - Thanks. Glad to have joined the ranks of the Brizzle based bloggers.

Nancy Knits - BBR is awesome, you really need to go next time you're in London. It's a wonderous place, and you can't describe many restaurants like that!

Su-Lin Thanks, and I'll try :)

Ginandcrumpets - Thank you x

Pavel - Thanks mate. Touch wood the heart holds out for another year of eating and boozing eh?

Ailbhe - Awwww lovely thing to say, likewise! here's hoping 2011 is a fantastic year for you too.

Sasha - The Ledbury is excellent, have a lovely time. Be interested to hear how The Kitchin is if you get there before me. Will certainly be raising a glass tonight x

BristolBites - Thanks, and be really interested to hear how you find The Sportsman.

FeedetGastro - I know, it's incredible how quickly time flies. Thanks very much, flattered :)
Likewise good luck in 2011 - and likewise - pass on any offers you reject too x

Helen - Awwww Thanks, if you're ever over the way you'll have to visit The Basement.

Gourmet Chick - Thank you. I'd love to see you at 'The Basement', Bristol's not so far. Well worth the trip!

Neil Kilbey said...

Many happy returns! You have to make it to Anchor and Hope this year, it's well worth the effort! (it's not as much hassle as people make out). I'm planning on planning trips to The Sportsman and Dinner by Heston to, maybe i'll see you there.

Dan said...

'E' - Indeed, here's to the next xx

Mr Mussel - Thanks and first of all, cracking name! The A&H almost made it there a few times, just never quite came off. Yep - maybe see you at The Sportsman or Dinner by Heston :)

franmouse39 said...

Missed this yesterday - many happy returns, Dan! And so glad things are going well in the city of my birth. Hope you do get to visit the Sportsman this year...you're going to love it. Don't forget to order the bread and butter as soon as you arrive.

tehbus said...

In all honesty, I find a lot of round ups a little dull but thoroughly enjoyed yours. It definitely has been an exciting year for you, and I look forward to hearing what happens to you next (especially what you are planning for M'Pellier BST next week!)

Food Urchin said...

Happy Birthday o' bearded one, what a great year you've had, what with moving to Brizzle and the burgeoning success of MB and all.

But this is all just a taster......for The Hole(tm)

Don't ever forget about The Hole(tm)

Katy Salter @ Pinch of Salt said...

Happy 2nd birthday!
If I'm ever car sick in South Cornwall, I now know which website to turn to...
K

ani said...

*Small petite porn tube* any ideas why???
Mr S-T is just telling me from the other side of the room that your blog has 1 star on stumbleupon.com
this is good, me tinks! x

Unknown said...

just wanted to add my comments to the list of 3 followers... well done for your second year... I may rarely comment but I always read and it's always very good, so thanks for eating out for us! x

Ute@HungryinLondon said...

Congratulations! For what reason ever I have missed your blog up until now but now that I have discovered it on your 2nd birthday I shall pay you regular visits.

ricketyjo said...

Happy New Year Dan! And well done on 2 years!

I do very much enjoy seeing the photos and reading the writeups, and the whole post about cheese made me very happy. Also you've given me some great ideas for places to go and eat, so thank you for that.

Hope 2011 is a good one for you :o)
Jo

Dan said...

Fran - Thank you. The Sportsman...this year for sure, and bread & butter tip is noted.

Tehbus - Thanks mate. Glad you didn't find my roundup dull! Montpelier Basement menu to be announced later today ;)

Food Urchin - Thanks dude. The Hole TM - always....it's just on the back burner, simmering.

Salty - Ta! hahaha it's a public service as well as food blog!

Ani - small petite porn tube - I'm baffled. 1 star on stumbleupon? is that good then? I have no idea, but thanks for letting me know!

Dom at Belleau Kitchen - Always glad to hear to hear from one of my three followers! Thank you, what a lovely thing to say. I take comfort that you're out there....watching. x

Ute - Thanks. Glad you've found me now! regular visits, superb. I'll look forward to it.

Ricketyjo - Happy New Year back and thanks! I'm really glad that you enjoy the blog and find it useful. Likewise, here's hoping 2011 is a great year for you too!

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Ha - so not just a food whore, but a comment whore now, too, huh? ;)

An interesting read, Dan, as ever. Bring on 2011's hits and misses...

If/when you and 'E' (*smirk*) revisit the Sportsman, perhaps you'd like to give me a shout? Oi lives down that way now, innit. Would be great to meet up.

In the meantime, keep up the good work! :) (Oh, and maybe try doing some REAL work? No?)

Nora said...

It seems churlish to ignore that requests for comments, so here's one more! Congrats on the anniversary - and on having one of the most entertaining, readable blogs I know. Great round up of the year. It's always good to hear about the bad as well as the good. Sweetcorn and anchovies does sound pretty grim!

Dan said...

Aforkfullofspaghetti - Total comment whore ;) thanks for your kind words. Will certainly give you a shout when next down your way, hopefully we'll get to visit The Sportsman soon. Real work? Shurly not.

Nora - Awwww what a lovely thing to say! Thank you very much :)

Anonymous said...

thanks dude, you've just saved me from making same mistake on moro almond cream (i.e. keeping first batch and hoping for the best). husband now off to shops for more almonds.