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Jamie Oliver’s The Big Feastival – Great Combination of Food and Festival!

July 4, 2011 By glampacker 4 Comments

It’s hard not to like Jamie Oliver. He’s in your face with his big brand, personality and unadulterated, fun, messy cooking style. Jamie pretty much has everything – restaurants, food lines, TV shows, cook books, a magazine, the list goes on! Recently added to the list was The Big Feastival – a festival which combines eating, drinking and live music all into one!

I was lucky enough to win tickets to attend Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival in Clapham Common. The Feastival was held all in the name of charity – the Prince’s Trust and the Jamie Oliver Foundation.

On a very sunny Sunday we entered the Feastival and got to see Jamie in the flesh straight away cooking in the Big Kitchen tent. It was a bit hard to see at first, he does attract a large crowd! Jamie showed off an easy peasy smoked trout with a Tuscan bread salad. He was assisted by Gennaro Contaldo who added lots of olive oil to every dish. Lovely!

Also in the Big Kitchen was Rachel Allan showing off how to make a Flirtini and white chocolate trifle.

Kiwi chef Peter Gordon taught us the correct way to cook cous cous – do not use boiling water and do not cover it! Use water at room temperature otherwise it gets lumpy and sodden. He mixed up cous cous with pureed broccoli as a side to accompany pan fried clams with chilli and lemongrass. For dessert he prepared a rice pudding with strawberries and vanilla. We had a taste of the clams which were juicy with a hint of spiciness.

The Big Feastival worked on a token system for the major food stalls which included well known chains like Wahaca and Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen and Barbecoa and restaurants like Mango Tree and Canteen.

There were lots of food sampling in the Artisan Food Markets and a big bake off in the WI Tent – which celebrated domestic goddesses with demos, knitting, art and crafts, brownies by the Beehive Bakery and a vintage clothing stall with items from Lily Allen’s store Lucy in Disguise.

What did we eat?

Corn-fed chicken satay with roti from Awana

Tagliatelle from Locanda Locatelli

Haggis with potato mash

Okonomi-yaki from Abeno

This was washed down with Aperol Spritz, which I had previously in Milan, and pear cider!

Other than eating, there were lots of fun things to check out like:

Big music stage featuring Rockaoke – amateur singers belting out the latest hits regardless of pitch or tone!
The Funfair featuring a carousel and mini ferris wheel
Psychic readings in the Gypsy Caravans
The Kitchen Garden – helping non-gardeners learn how to grow an edible garden

The Kitchen Garden Scarecrow

The Big Feastival was lots of fun with great food served up all afternoon. I purchased a Big Feastival recipe book to cook my own feast at home, with proceeds going to charity, without using hot water in my cous cous of course!

Thank you for the lovely time, will definitely be back next year!

Filed Under: food, london Tagged With: clapham, drinking, festivals, jamie oliver, london, summer

A Glamorous Michelin Star Lunch at Le Restaurant de L’Hôtel, Paris

June 21, 2011 By glampacker 1 Comment

I’ve always wanted to dine at a Michelin starred restaurant but unfortunately a glampacker’s budget doesn’t usually stretch that far. When you’re travelling on a budget usually the first thing you sacrifice is eating at fine restaurants. Once in a blue moon, or for a very ultra special occasion, you have indulge in a fine dining experience.

The occasion? Seeing my best friend in Paris, who I hadn’t seen for nearly 18 months, celebrating her birthday and the beginning of her first European adventure.

On a quiet street in Saint Germain is a boutique hotel. It has an unassuming exterior, which perhaps suggests nothing grand or luxurious about the hotel or restaurant inside.

The main restaurant is a medium sized salon with heavy ornate chandeliers, gold gilded mirrors and cushioned upholstered armchairs. Breaks of sunlight filtered in through the sun roof, during a rather bleak and rainy day. Our table overlooked a small courtyard with a giant clam shell fountain. Perhaps in the 18th century the salon hosted grand literary debates…

The service was extremely attentive at the restaurant, though we arrived for an early lunch at 12.30pm with a Top Table reservation, the easy-on-the-eye waiter sat us down in the lounge before preparing our table. They whisked away our shopping bags and coats before leading us to a table on the edge of the salon.

Le Restaurant has a set menu as well as ala carrte, with drinks being an additional cost. The entrée and main meal was 42 euro and entrée, main and dessert was 53 euro altogether. We deliberated over the two set menus – would we be tempted by dessert? Would we have time to go have afternoon tea and eat macarons elsewhere? With much willpower, we resisted dessert – tart or pistachio crème cherise or fromage (cheese board).

“Would you like to start with champagne?” the waiter asked before taking our order. There’s only one answer to that question!

We toasted with our Rose and Blanc Champagne to a summer in Europe and were soon presented with an Amuse Bouche – to amuse the palette. Two small morsels of a pastry encased cheese and grand manier infused prawn with sauce. We also started on the bread, crusty though soft on the inside with heavy handed slatherings of butter.

To cleanse our palate before our main course we were served sorbet. At least I thought it was sorbet! It turned out to be cream with tomato and ginger finely chopped which was refreshing.

Our entrees were red mullet and lamb sweetbread. I was dubious about sweetbread as I knew it was a euphemism for lamb innards. However it was well cooked with a chewy interior complemented by a spinach sauce. My red mullet was served cold dressed with flower petals and a light tart sauce. It was a light starter which was too pretty to eat!

We were also offered wine to complement our main and I received a recommendation from our waiter to have a Loire Valley blanc which was rather fruity. Only one waiter spoke English to us and the other waitstaff served us in French, it was neither rude nor patronising although my dear friend understood more French than I did!

The main salon had a few other guests who were mostly locals enjoying the set menus although a mature couple were indulging in the degustation – seven courses accompanied by four wines. One day I may come back for this, even though I’m not certain that I could finish seven courses!

For our mains we ordered roasted veal and black cod, prawn and chicken with rice. It was a bit strange to have chicken and seafood on the same plate! Nevertheless the cod was steamed perfectly so the fillets smoothly fell apart when cut. The veal was well done yet remained tender.

After polishing off all of this we felt sated but not overly full. Instead the Champagne and wine combination was allowing us to melt away into our salon chairs. When our waiter cheekily asked us if we had changed our minds about dessert, it was impossible to say non!

It was a decision that we could not regret – the dessert was the finale of the meal. Pistachio crème with cherries sliced in half on top a piece of shortbread-like biscuit and caramel slices. It was great for sharing even if the greedy part of me wanted it all to myself.

With such a grand finale we thought the meal was over until we were served with petit fours – a mini macaron, a citron tart with a gold leaf and a small vanilla tapioca-like cake. Even after completing the feast we didn’t feel like we were bursting but rather well-fed like French ariostocrats or ladies of leisure.

In great timing the sun had finally arrived for an afternoon of shopping as we stepped back onto the streets of Saint Germain to enjoy the Parisien lux lifestyle – if only for a day until we returned to glampacking by night.

Filed Under: food, paris Tagged With: dessert, lunch, michelin, summer, weekender

Traditional Italian Food Explained: Pizzoccheri

June 1, 2011 By glampacker Leave a Comment

Pizzocheri is buckwheat pasta with luxuriously gooey cheese. It’s a northern Italian dish with heartwarming carbohydrates including potatoes and ‘coste’ which is similar to chard. The sauce is made using butter and sage. The ingredient which completes the dish is melted cheese called ‘bitto’ – the typical cheese from the Alps.

The pasta itself is short and is flecked with brown pieces. Overall the dish is Italian comfort food at its best, tasty, cheesy and leaves you feeling extremely satisfied.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: culture, italy, milan

Fun Things to do on a Day Trip to Milan, Italy

May 11, 2011 By glampacker 2 Comments

Rarely have I had the pleasure of being escorted around a city by a local. Usually I’m following a well worn path of other travellers guided by books and hostel advice. In Milan, I had an Italian tour guide – my friend Chiara who had lived and worked in Milan. Her family home in Civate is only a leisurely 50 minute train ride from Milan.

Apparently locals have a love/hate relationship of Milan. Given that most locals live around the towns near the great Italian lakes, such as Lake Como, or within the backdrop of the Italian Alps it’s probably not a surprise. Milan is on all surfaces a densely populated city without much greenery. Nevertheless Milan has a reputation of style and glamour, it is after all the city that hosts Fashion Week each spring and autumn.

On a limited timeframe of seven hours it is possible to see the main highlights of Milan and still have time for shopping and happy hour cocktails.

Fun Things to do on a Day Trip to Milan, Italy

1. See the Duomo

The Duomo is a gothic cathedral that stands square in the centre of the city. The golden Virgin Mary perches at the highest peak of the Duomo, watching over the daily lives of the city’s citizens. It’s dark and somber inside the cathedral with most natural light beaming through the stained glass windows. Each day at 12 noon, weather permitting, rays of light mark the calendar month by shining on one of the zodiac symbols aligned along the main entrance.

2. Drink at an espresso bar and browse in La Rinascente

A hit of espresso is the real Italian way to start the day. Rather than entering through the bright lights of the ground floor of La Rinascente, the biggest department store in Milan built in 1887, we took the elevator straight to the seventh floor. We stepped out into the foodhall, which sold cakes and sweets, gourmet foodstuffs and also bottles of sparkling water for over 150 euro – due to the diamonds encrusted on the bottles. There are also various cafes and restaurants, including a champagne bar which overlooks the Duomo. My espresso cup came with a serving of frozen cream, which delicately softened the blow of the strong coffee!

3. Have a long Italian lunch

Restaurants and boutiques in the side streets of Milan have names like Fiori Chiari which translates to Clear Flowers. Patrons dine alfresco underneath umbrellas whilst twirling aldente pasta around their forks. The pappardelle ai funghi I had for lunch was cooked through so well I had difficulty picking it up with my fork. During lunch I practised sentences from my Italian phrasebook on Chiara’s friends, like che lavoro fa?

4. Hit the shops to buy local handmade leather shoes

Milan is well known as its status as the fashion capital of Italy and the locals helped to perpetuate this idea. On the cobblestoned streets outside La Scala opera house, a model was helped into 10 inch high heels, striking a pose in a maxi dress for a photo shoot. In a trendy hair salon a fashionista was getting her hair done whilst her bulldog slept next to her on a big cushioned bed. On the city’s most luxe, most glamorous and stylish streets and shopping areas like the ritzy Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, shoppers giddily swung paper bags bearing big brand names. Glampackers like myself stepped into the boutiques just to breathe in deeply the smell of leather. There was one activity high on the top of my list of fun things to do on a day trip to Milan, Italy – shopping!

On the ‘budget’ boutique end – I discovered a small shop called Walter Calzature on Ponte Vetero where the shoes spoke for themselves. In the window the shoes perched proudly showing off the handmade leather craftsmanship. The helpful sales assistant brought out more and more shoes in different sizes, pandering to my indeciviseness and colour deliberations. Blue wedges? Black court shoes? Would I dare choose style over practicality. The answer is, in Milan shoes will take you on your own adventure. The damage? Two pairs of shoes – lilac ballet flats and beige platform sandals.

5. Visit Castello Sforzesco

A little further out from the Duomo, Castello Sforzesco stands tall. Victoria Beckham once declared she wanted to live opposite the castle when David Beckham was playing for AC Milan, which was vigorously scoffed at by the locals. The 14^th Century castle was once one of the biggest citadels in Europe and had been demolished and rebuilt over time by many conquering rulers, including Napoleon. It’s now owned by the City of Milan and hosts art exhibitions. It’s free to enter and wander the grounds, once you exit you’ll end up the pleasant greenery of Parc di Sampione, the largest urban park in the city centre.

6. Enjoy Aperitivo during Happy Hour

There is only one fitting end to a stylish day in Milan. Enjoying aperitivo with a cocktail in one of the many bars along Via Giuseppe Francesco Piermarini. Given it was only 5pm, locals would probably say it was a bit early to start happy hour. When you’re on travelling, this doesn’t matter! We perused the bars, juding each buffet even as some were only beginning to be set up. Finally we settled on what we believed to be the biggest and best buffet on offer at Cream Lounge. The cocktails were a little pricey at 10 euro for white wine spritzers. However the buffet is complimentary for drinkers! Admittedly, in the busier evenings when Milan’s finest comes out to play it’s not so obvious to the waitstaff and other patrons how many times you’ve gone back to the buffet. Consider it a compliment to Cream Lounge that the aperitivo is a gluttonous experience with fresh salads, pastas and pizzas on offer, it’s just too hard to stop at one plate. Given the size of the glasses, it’s probably a good thing we kept eating!

Filed Under: europe, food, italy Tagged With: budget, culture, Day Trip, Food, shopping, tips

A Traditional Italian Easter Feast in Civate, Italy

May 3, 2011 By glampacker 1 Comment

A delicious Easter feast in Italy needs no translation.

Main course: Roast lamb and rabbit with polenta

When my Italian friend Chiara invited me to spend Easter with her and her family – I didn’t hesitate in accepting. Even missing my original flight didn’t deter me (due to a multitude of escalating transport related-events) from traveling on Good Friday. I longed for a real, authentic taste of Italy. In my previous Italian adventures I’d been on tours, stayed in budget hotels in city centres buzzing with people, cars and other travelers.

In Civate, a small town near Lake Como, a one hour drive away from Milan, the pace of life is serenely suburban. There are mountains on one side and Lake Annone on the other. Church bells ring on the hour, every hour. The community is your extended family.

The Easter feast was beautifully prepared by Chiara’s family with homegrown organic salads, slow cooking polenta and Tuscan Chianti. Despite my lack of Italian, great food crosses cultural barriers and is appreciated in universal silence.

I’m icing a red velvet cake with style!

A special saucepan for cooking polenta

The first course was bruschetta, olive tapenade and artichoke pate with tuna stuffed tomato and insalada. The main course was juicy, well cooked lamb and rabbit with polenta with a dash of gravy. I hate to say it but rabbit tastes a bit like chicken, even the meat looks like chicken.

After a lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate – dessert was a traditional ‘Dove’ cake with warm cream sauce and a red velvet cake made by myself and Chiara. The chocolates on top were ‘chicks’ from Hotel Chocolate in London.

Dessert was washed down with sparkling wine and a nip of limoncello.

A big grazie mille to Chiara and her lovely family for their kind hospitality over Easter. Buono Pasqua!

Filed Under: food Tagged With: civate, culture, Easter, italian, italy, spring

Secret London Cafes – Princi

April 13, 2011 By glampacker Leave a Comment

There are lots of bakeries in London but there is nothing quite like Princi. There are rows of gleaming fruit tarts, icing sugar dusted cannolis, freshly baked breads and even steaming dishes of lasagne and pasta.

Princi is not just an Italian bakery and café in Wardour Street. It’s a slice of Italy in London. It has a nice blend of organized chaos and a decadent array of gourmet delicacies.

First of all, you have to clamour to get the attention of the shop assistants. You need to elbow your way through the crowd, mark your position and order up. With so many cakes, savoury treats and biscuits to choose from this can be a difficult decision. Once you order you need to find a position to perch at while you sip your espresso. Or if you’re lucky enough to find a seat, hold onto it!

I selected the strawberry slice aka crostata di fragole. It was glazed with just the right amount of gelatine and sweet custard. The crust was buttery and crumbled evenly when sliced through.

You can also stare into bakery, watching the easy-on-the-eye bakers knead their magic.

Princi may not be the biggest secret café in London given how busy it is, but it’s definitely a place to savour an Italian sweet on a Saturday afternoon.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: afternoon tea, bakery, cafe, london

Budget Bites: Macarons from Manchester Markets

April 7, 2011 By glampacker Leave a Comment

In the heart of Manchester in Piccadilly Square, the culinary scene seems to be dominated by chain restaurants facing the fountain. Searching for a local taste of Manchester, I spotted the Real Food Market.

It’s a small compact group of stalls on the edge of the square offering sweet treats, sizzling burgers and sausages, curries and stews and macarons. I admit that I have a weakness for macarons. In Paris last year I had one macaron a day. I’m glad I spent most of my time in Paris walking off each one I ate!

Macarons are a fine art style. They should be at room temperature and not have icing that’s too cold or crumbled. Macarons should break delicately when you bite into them, be light, not dense and hard like a meringue.

Macarons at Manchester Market

The English Rose Bakery has many macarons in all shapes and sizes. The little bags of mini macarons was only £2.50 and gave me a little sampler of them all like Chocolate Orange, Black Cherry, Pistachio, Raspberry and Lemon.

During a break at the Travel Blogger’s Unite conference I devoured one and then another and then…mini macarons require self control. They are sweet, crisp and have the right amount of slathered icing. On the train ride back to London, my macarons were the perfect way to end an eventful weekend.

The Real Food Market in Piccadilly Gardens is on every second Saturday.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: budget bites, eating, manchester, train, uk

Borough Market for Food Lovers

March 6, 2011 By glampacker Leave a Comment

Borough Market is quite simply, the best market in London to visit if you’re a food lover. I use the term ‘food lover’ because you don’t have to be a masterchef in the making to appreciate Borough Market. You just need to appreciate good food when it hits your tastebuds.

As soon as you step out of London Bridge tube station into Borough Market, the food starts to taunt you. There’s sizzling burger patties, the distinctive smell of fish and a mountain of brownies stacked a metre high. Where does one even begin?

Start your market experience by tasting free samples at any stall that takes your fancy. All the stall holders are chipper and proud of their produce, they’ll happily explain why mushroom pate is good for you or why olives infused with oranges are meant to be tasty. Even if you’re not convinced, you may even be offered a second tasting just in case you change your mind.

There’s so much food at Borough Market that it’s difficult to decide what to eat for lunch. I chose to eat Raclette – a dish made of cheese, hot gooey melted cheese that oozes over baby potatoes, gherkin and onion. “It’s an alpine dish,” the stall holder of Kappacasein explained. In other words it’s categorised with Swiss fondue and foods served in ski chalet. The cheese is intoxicating, it’s fascinating watching it sizzle under the specially made grills and the deftly way it’s skilleted over the potatoes. My raclette attracted a lot of food envy – at least I hope it was envy and not horror at the amount of cheese I was about to consume!

Southwark Cathedral

It gets very busy at Borough Market on a Saturday, so once you’ve picked up your lunch find some peace in the garden beneath Southwark Cathedral to savour your gourmet bites.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: budget, Food, london, Markets, uk

Secret London Cafes – Cocorino, Marylebone

February 11, 2011 By glampacker 1 Comment

On Thayer Street near Marylebone High Street, Cocorino is an Italian café which offers freshly made food with a homemade feel. All the food is laid out on the counter, just to tempt you! I imagine the hearty lasagne and salads would be served for Sunday lunch in many Italian homes.

We all know that it’s hard to find decent coffee in London. I like my coffee hot, not lukewarm but steaming. This lovely skinny latte had hot milk, not that you would know as the funky glass protects your hands from getting burnt.

I also indulged in a brownie, which was dense without being too chocolatey. It had pistachio nuts and a top which delicately crumbled when sliced with a fork. It was just the right size and sweetness without making you feel too guilty afterwards.

Cocorino is a tiny little shop best for a quick bite, takeaway or a quick coffee fix. I have yet to try the gelato at it’s sister shop next door but it will definitely be next on my list!

Filed Under: food Tagged With: cafe, coffee, london, sweets, uk

Top 3 Decadent Desserts To Try in NYC

January 4, 2011 By glampacker Leave a Comment

1. Lemon Curd Tart from Three Tarts

Three Tarts in Chelsea screams cute from the moment you enter the door. The boutique and bakery sells delightful petit tarts that lets you indulge your sweet tooth without feeling too guilty. You can sample three tarts for $4.50USD. I shared the lemon curd, pine nut and cinnamon ‘apple-crumble’ tart. Each featured a crust both crisp and light. The lemon curd tart was a standout with smooth lemon filling with a hint of zest and a dolloped meringue top.

2. Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes

Famed for its cupcakes that were edible extras in an episode of Sex and the City, Magnolia Bakery now has an organized but chaotic location near Rockefeller Centre. The standard varieties are $2.75 with a generous lashing of pastel buttercream icing. Seasonal cupcakes include the Rockette Red Velvet and a one off 2011 New Year cupcake with gold flakes. Rather than eating on the street at the takeaway bakery, my friends and I took a moment to appreciate the sugary wonders by sitting down by Rockefeller Centre. This caused more than one tourist to ask, “Where can I get one of those cupcakes?”

3. The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

This Spring Street café makes a big statement in its name – but can it deliver? I’ve tasted lots of chocolate cake, homemade and store-bought, and this cake does rate highly. It has a rich mousse top layer and a lighter, meringue bottom layer and is topped off by chocolate glaze. It’s sweet without being overpowering and is best accompanied by a cup of coffee. Is it the best in the world? As I have yet to travel the entire world, I’d safely say it’s the best chocolate cake I’ve tried so far in NYC.

Filed Under: food, NYC Tagged With: budget, cafe, coffee, desserts, winter

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