Tucked inside the entrance to Athens International Airport.
Is the cheese and spinach pie hot? Yes.
It wasn’t. Nor was it very good. Nowhere as good as from Gregorys.
Posts Tagged ‘food’
coffee + bites
March 19, 2023Dried fruit and nuts
March 14, 2023Outside Athens Central Market a row of shops with dried fruit and nuts, halva, spices, chocolate.
I bought nuts, chocolate, dates. The quality of the nuts and fried fruit for higher than would find in the UK.
Large urns which I assumed contained olive oil. No, peanut butter. The man lifted the lid. Wonderful aroma. I was tempted, but no jar. A jar was found for me. The smallest jar 500g, the next size 1kg.
Not permitted to sell olive oil in bulk. Has to be in a bottle or can. This makes sense. I would not buy from a bulk container. Oxidised, rancid
Cafe St Paul’s
January 9, 2023Where once a Thai restaurant at the back of Bailgate, now a café, though actually a restaurant. Why call a restaurant a café?
They face two problems, lack of football, and no one can see inside.
Last week whilst outside, two people asked me what it was like. I had to admit I did not know as I had not ventured inside.
Today, two hours late into town a long wait at a bank, I was too late for Olé Olé, Elite on the Bail not open, I thought I’d give Café St Paul’s a try.
The entrance was white, inviting, now painted battle ship grey (well actually brown) singularly uniniviting, made worse by a wooden bench seat.
Walking in was very surprised how large. And to learn there was seating upstairs with a balcony overlooking Lincoln Castle. Solid wooden tables.
Let down though by the food, pricey and poor quality.
I ordered a burger. A burger can be high quality, though rarely so. This was not one of those rare occasions.
Poor quality burger, ok not a McShit burger, but not a quality burger. Poor quality chips, and a little salad doused with God knows what which gave it a vile taste.
Everything was very salty, though that may have been my fault. When nothing appeared to have come out of the salt cellar, tried again.
Music too loud. Not thudding out but nevertheless loud.
Cold. I was glad I was wearing a warm jumper. And was sitting adjacent to a radiator, albeit luke warm.
I only saw two staff members. Kitchen and bar. The guy behind the bar was friendly and helpful.
I was the only diner. When I arrived there was a guy taking photos.
Coffee LaVazza. Coffee ground .and sitting there for ever.
Sitting on the shelves Martini. Vermouth does not keep, once opened should be kept inaridge.
On the shelf a local coffee liqueur. I tried. It was undrinkable. Addition of simple sugar syrup made it marginally drinkable.b
This would make an excellent coffee shop serving speciality coffee.
I was the onlyfiner.
Cocona
November 8, 2022On leaving the National Garden, the route I usually take through Kolonaki to Taresso was being dug up. Rather than retace my steps, I took what I thought was a shortcut.
Hence I stumbled across Cocona.
A street food outlet.
Curiousity got the better of me. I did not need to eat but decided to try one if the dishes.
Not pies. But what? I would describe as dosa. But not dosa.
A small pastry ball put through a pasta machine. Repeatedly put through until a thin sheet.
Cooked minced beef sciooped into the doungh. Folded in half, cooked on a domed hot plate, heated from beneath by a hot flame
Sliced into small pieces, served with yoghurt in a paper tray.
Delicious.
Junk food travelling circus
September 9, 2022The junk food travelling circus is back.
My relief Tuesday, the Cornhill Cove finally dismantled, somewhat short-lived as already replaced by a junk food travelling circus.
Both are an example of Lincoln BIG squanders money squandered from local businesses.
The stench of junk food mingling with fumes from diesel generators.
Factory cheese. Visit The Cheese Society, too of the High Street, turn left.
Flavoured coffee. Visit Coffee Aroma or Madame Waffle
Meatballs with tomato sauce and rice
August 18, 2022What to do with meatballs from Redhill Farm shop?
meatballs
Hot pan with olive oil. Turn frequently.
tomato sauce
Thinly slice lengthways red chilli, strip out seeds, slice into small pieces.
Chop two garlic cloves
Add chilli and garlic to a hot pan with a splash of olive oil.
Empty can of tomatoes, break up the tomatoes, add a little water to the can, empty in the pan, stir and leave to simmer. If wish, a handful of peas.
rice
Half a mug of rice. Mug of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer.
thoughts
Too many mistakes.
Compared with meatballs in rice at Ole Olé last week, a disaster.
Meatballs nowhere near as good. That is probably down to my cooking.
Tomatoes sauce, did not not need half a can of water. A little water, of iNt.
Too much seasoning. Did not need added salt and pepper, and no eat paprika.
Pasta Evangelists psst wanna buy some cheap meat guv?
June 18, 2022A strange e-mail from Pasta Evangelists offering a job lot of meat half price, well almost half price, £32 for what was claimed to be £60-60 worth of meat.
It was like a spiv during rationing in WWII offering me a job lot of meat. Or maybe down at the docks, laundered horse meat burgers.
But why was a company selling fresh pasta offering a job lot of meat?
- 8 Jumbo Pork Sausages
- 6 Butcher’s Pork Sausages
- 6 Chipotle & Cheese Sausages
- 4 Classic Seasoned Steak Burgers
- 6 Lamb Koftas
- 4 Extra Trimmed Rump Medallions
- 2 Aberdeen Angus Burgers
- 2 Fillet Steak Burgers
- 2 Pork Loin Steaks
And what was I to do with all this meat?
I let Pasta Evangelists know I was not interested. I buy quality meat from local family butchers.
I would rather buy from my local family butcher, which will be better quality.
Their reply bizarre. Gibberish, does not address what I have raised, followed by unsubscribing me from their newsletter. It was news to me that I had subscribed.
Thank you for this valuable feedback.
I have looped in our Head Chef who will most certainly take your feedback on board and discuss with the CEO if changes need to be made. As a small business, your feedback is really important to us.
We often trial new dishes as we feel it is important for us to showcase the wealth and variety of Italy’s pasta heritage, as well as allowing our customers to taste lots of different dishes. Whilst this is something we’re proud of, we do understand that these don’t always match all of our customers’ tastes and preferences.
This will be taken seriously as an opportunity of improvement for us. We look forward serving you better and making 5-star meals in the future.
I have forwarded your email to our tech team and they will arrange the removal of your account.
I have removed you from our newsletter so you should not receive any more emails from us.
A few days later, another e-mail, invited to attend a butchery course. Stranger still, butchery and pasta making
My curiosity piqued, I clicked on the link to find it is not Pasta Evangelists offering the meat, I am directed to a catering supply butcher, Donald Russell, award winning butcher.
When you see ‘award winning’, always ask what award? The entirely worthless Great Taste Award, which pay for.
Donald Russell owned by food conglomerate Vestey .
Why is Pasta Evangelists pimping for a catering supply butcher, Big Business?
Do they also own Pasta Evangelists cf Mindful Chef owned by Nestle?
Pasta Evangelists claim to be a small business. They are not. They are a typical start up, hype, Vulture Capitalists, hype, then sell to Big Business.
Pasta Evangelists were sold in 2021 to Barilla for a reported £40 million.
I then asked local butchers to give me a ball park figure for this job lot. The first £36 the second £40.
What I do not know, shipping costs if any.
Cross selling is one way businesses are now abusing customer data for profit.
Natura Well
April 26, 2022A tiny, barely more than a kiosk, takeaway.
A classic Diet for a Small Planet: cornucopia of vegetables, fruits, seeds, pulses, grains, nuts.
Fake meat, ultra-processed crap, bad for health, bad for the planet.
Food for Thought in Covent Garden, sadly no more, would never have dreamt of insulting clientele with fake meat.
Superfood a meaningless claim.
Deliveroo, worker exploitation. Those who have taken the trouble to visit are treated as second class citizens. A long wait whilst Deliveroo serfs granted priority is not acceptable .
Staff trial half a day shift unpaid is one way of getting free labour.
When I visited, empty, a staff member emerged from the back, no customers. Contrast with common complaint, long wait for order.
Location not good. Ten minutes walk from city centre to Coffee Depot, a few more minutes down the road to the takeaway. A better location would have been a side street in the city centre.
If wish for a coffee, visit a coffee shop. If wish for vegetarian, try Bailgate Deli.
Super Lincs
April 22, 2022Rough end of the High Street, large supermarket with excellent selection.
Ronanian, Bulgarian, Asian aisles, bakery, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Excellent supermarket in an otherwise run down area of the High Street.
I wanted sauerkraut. The only place I could find that stocked
Polish owner very helpful. I wanted for Ukraine recipe slow-roast belly pork from Summer Gardens by Olia Hercules. Helpful owner recommended with carrot.
Dinner for Ukraine
April 14, 2022Hosted by Jamie Oliver at Jamie Oliver HQ.
You are going to get to try some very authentic Ukrainian food. — Jamie Oliver
No more beautiful way to speak out against the war than through food. — Alissa Timoshkina
After drinks on arrival, shown to our tables, Jamie Oliver welcomed everyone and explained Cook For Ukraine. He then passed over to Alissa Timoshkina and Olia Hercules co-founders of Cook for Ukraine.
Cook for Ukraine was founded by Alissa Timoshkina and Olia Hercules, with the help of Clerkenwell Boy.
Their aim was to celebrate Ukrainian and Eastern European food while raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis facing Ukraine as well as emergency funds.
Alissa Timoshkina expanded on the founding of Cook for Ukraine.
Olia Hercules gave an emotional account of relatives in Ukraine and her fear for their safety.
Dinner for Ukraine a fundraiser for Cook for Ukraine.
By the side of each invited guest, a menu and cutlery wrapped in a yellow or blue ribbon.
The food prepared by Jamie Oliver and a Ukrainian chef Yurii Kovryzhenko, served by a team of willing helpers, all volunteers.
On the table a large plate of fermented vegetables. Help yourself, washed down with Dima’s vodka, a three-grain Ukrainian vodka.
Followed by soup, borscht, a beetroot soup.
Followed by slow roast belly pork served with new potatoes.
Followed by dessert, dumpling filled with I think apricots, together with cream and raspberries.
Part way through the dinner, a lottery draw, with prizes which included a complete set of signed Jamie Oliver cookbooks. Myself and my guest twice missed by one number, then me by two.
I have never tried Ukrainian food before, I had no idea what to expect, the names meant nothing. Would I even like?
Menus wrapped in ribbons, alternated blue and yellow along the table and across the table.
The food was amazing. As was the white wine and vodka.
Special thanks to Jamie for an amazing evening, excellent food, and to all his willing helpers, who volunteered their time for free.
I had spoken to Jamie earlier, I have an idea. We like ideas, we must discuss later. But sadly did not see later to discuss or to explain the idea.
Last year I met Mad Heads, a coffee roastery in Kyiv. Excellent coffee. I have have been in contact with them recently. Yes, they can ship coffee to Ukraine.
i would ask, please talk to your local specialty coffee shop. Would they like to stock and serve Mad Heads as guest coffee?
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