Last week I found Sable black grapes in M&S. The flavour took grapes to another level.
Having tried red grapes (maybe black grapes), sable black grapes take coffee enzoni to another level.
– sable black grapes
– 20ml Brettos coffee liqueur
– 20ml Campari
– 20ml Topaz Blue London dry gin
– 20ml fresh squeezed lemon juice
– 10ml Monin Muscavada sugar syrup
Shake with ice, strain into chilled crystal rock glass, garnish with three sable black grapes.
I visited Stray’s 21 January 2024 when it opened at The Ossington
I’ve visited bad coffee shops but Stray’s has the accolade of being one of the worst coffee shops I’ve ever had the misfortune to visit. It’s so bad, it’s in a league of it’s own.
Where else can you order
– espresso martini made with cheap vodka
– a cappuccino that looks disgusting
– coffee beans dark roasted and burnt
Where wait over 30 minutes to place an order and have to chase staff more than once. That is after on walking in have to wait until allocated a seat. Most people ignored the sign and walked in. Had to wave to catch the attention of a waiter and point to an empty settee.
Where when chase a waiter to take an order, shouted at to sit down and someone will come to the table. Not, sorry sir, can I take your order?
Where wait more than 30 minutes once ordered for the order to be brought to the table and have to once again chase staff.
Wrong order brought. It then went round every table. No takers. The coffee looked disgusting. Maybe a cappuccino, milk not frothed correctly, wrong size cup.
When order finally arrived, I’d long forgotten what I’d ordered, but what arrived, no idea what it was, and one sip, it was disgusting. A vile nasty taste in my mouth I could not get rid of. No water was brought to the table.
Water brought to the table with a coffee is called service. The norm in good coffee shops.
Looking around, the cappuccino brought to other tables looked disgusting.
Another long wait for the bill, once again staff chased. I went to the bar to ask if I could pay the bill? Told to sit down and someone would come to the table.
The bill was wrong. No one came back to enable the bill to be paid. Again long wait, staff had to be chased. Big argument ensued. Waiter had to be brought to the table and his attention drawn to what had been ordered. Also drew his attention to a tea pot, not ordered, previous customers, no one had cleared or cleaned the table. Then back to the bar, the bar where previously told I could not pay, to point out on the screen, to indicate what items, to ensure the bill was correct.
The previous bill he kept and would not hand back, he crumpled and threw in the bin.
It would have been quicker to hop on a train to Lincoln or Nottingham for a coffee. And get far better coffee.
Stray’s, according to the mural on the wall, established 2003. Twenty years on, and they still don’t know how to make coffee or know what constitutes good service.
A seating area alongside the bar. Further in a dining area. If this long to wait for a coffee, how long if order food?
Jazz was playing, loud, distorted, unpleasant, impossible to relax and hold a conversation. The problem was, piped around the building. Why not play in the dining area and let it drift around the building?
Whilst waiting for the bill, I asked the barista of the beans. They roast their own. He filled an espresso cup with beans. I took the beans back to the table to examine.
The beans I buy, have a wonderful aroma. These beans a very unpleasant aroma. Dark, over roasted, a slightly oily sheen. A note of burning embers from a wood fire.
The menu shows cocktails. Not a clue.
Stray’s had a coffee shop in the centre of Newark. I visited maybe four years ago. The coffee was undrinkable the service appalling. Nothing has improved.
The coffee shop in the centre of Newark went into liquidation a couple of years ago. The staff were not paid. Have they paid their staff monies owed from when they went bankrupt?
For coffee, make a trip to Lincoln or Nottingham or Butler’s in nearby Bingham.
For jazz and cocktails, visit Lincoln Jazz Cafe.
I revisited Stray’s a couple of weeks ago. No surprise to find empty.
Lincolnshire sausages roasted in the oven on a bedΒ of red pepper, red onion and new potatoes.
ingredients
method
Cut red onion, red pepper, potatoes into small chunks.
Potatoes in a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Simmer for five minutes. Drain.
Vegetables in a pan, toss with olive oil. Season with salt and ground pepper, a pinch of herbes de Provence. Prick the sausages, lay on top of the vegetables.
Fan oven for sixty minutes, until the sausages are cooked, turning occasionally.
thoughts
OMG this takes Lincolnshire sausages from Redhill farm shop ( the best in the country) to another level.
The flavours of the red onion, red pepper, Lincolnshire sausages compliment each other.
I found it needed longer than 60 minutes to cook the sausages.
Accompanied by a glass of Greek red wine.
My riff on the espresso martini hard shake.
β 40ml Sapling wheat vodka
β 20ml Licor 43
β 10ml Monin vanilla syrup
β two shots WiseCup Colombian espresso
β three drops cacao bitters
β 80ml raw milk
β garnish dark chocolate shavings
Shake with ice, strain into chilled glass. Shave dark chocolate as garnish.
The use of raw milk takes to a whole new level.
A dismal market outside Lincoln Castle, this time of year, about as good as it gets.
The market was quiet. Though I was told it was busier earlier. Why are these markets always busy when I’m not there?
Tomato plants off one stall. Heritage varieties.
Cheese and raw milk and creme fraiche off the cheese stall. Cornish yarg and Colston Blue.
Dressed crab off the fishmonger.
Chicken and mushroom pie off the pie stall.
A new stall festooned with Great Taste award stickers. Either peddling crap under the guise of award winning, or quality produce giving credibility to a consumer scam.Β Half a dozen small lamb sausages for a tenner.
Why did I buy a bottle of milk from Redhill Farm shop when I’d bought raw milk from the cheese stall?
Why was there a stall selling hot dogs?
Haddock and chips at Elite on the Bail.
Walking down Steep Hill, a lot of visitors are about.
Once down in the city centre, gangs of drunken scum. Each Saturday it gets worse.
I didn’t stop for a coffee. I just wanted to escape from the city centre as quickly as possible.
Last Saturday, a visit to Doddington Hall farm shop.
Impressive farm shop. I visited Henry’s a few weeks ago. I was not impressed.
Doddington Hall, high quality, but expensive.
On leaving Mare Street Market and Netil Market, I headed to the street food market outside the front of King’s Cross Station.
I always get to King’s Cross Station early to allow time to wander around the market. I had hoped to visit Caravan and Redemption behind King’s Cross Station, but no time.
It used to be the people who owned the businesses manning the stalls. Now I never see the same people twice.
One stall had music blaring out. Not acceptable. Whoever is responsible for the market needs to deal with this.
I noticed at least two stalls had the Great Taste Award consumer scam black stickers on their stalls. I queried this with one stall. The unpleasant woman manning the stalls turned very nasty, refused to answer my question on the pie I was pointing to, then snatched out of my hand what I was about to buy. Rip off on bottles of water, Β£1-50, elsewhere 50p.
I mentioned her action to another stall. He said it was not acceptable behaviour. He’d been happy to talk to me earlier.
On leaving Mare Street Market, I was directed to Netil Market around the corner. A street food market.
A collection of semi-permament food stalls, including one serving specialty coffee.
Hidden, off the beaten track.
I did not eat, as I had already eaten.
Keithpp's Blog 