Penny Reviews Restaurants: Truffles of Southsea

On a brilliant sunny Thursday afternoon, I went for lunch with my nan to a restaurant that she would like, so we ended up in Southsea at a restaurant that I've been to before and had nothing but good experiences, Truffles of Southsea.

We arrived at 1:15pm, so well within time for the lunch time set menu. We settled down into the somewhat empty restaurant, with a lack of people it seemed a little chilly. There was a woman who was serving who was extremely polite and offered to take our coats for us. She allowed us to sit wherever we wanted to and asked us if we wanted a drink, an americano and a diet coke later. We settled on reading the lunch special set menu, which was really good value for money (£9,95 for two courses and £11.95 for three courses). I was impressed with the quality of the menu and ordered a cured salmon as a starter and seabass fillet with parmesan polenta and a beurre blanc sauce for my main course, with a side of triple cooked chips. 

The waitress asked if we needed the heating on and we said yes, sadly the air conditioning wasn't behaving correctly, so we had to sit a little chilly. The wait for the starters was perfect and presentation was lovely, with great attention to detail. The taste of the cured salmon was perfect, it reminded me of a sashimi texture, not raw however but not quite cooked. There was a beetroot and radish spread on the plate which added colour as well as flavour to the dish. Light and tasty as a starter. 

The starters were left on the table for about 2 minutes before being taken away by the polite waitress. She asked if we enjoyed the starters and made she we had enough to drink. She didn't linger too long at the table to make it awkward, as she cleared away our plates. 

We didn't need to wait too long for the main course, approx 10 minutes at the most. The seabass fillets were cut into angles, which made it look very contemporary. The parmesan polenta added colour to the dish and the beurre blanch added a richness that really brought the dish together. The issue I had was I found three bones my fish. I know that fish have bones and of course, there is never a guarantee that fish fillets will be completely boneless. Its a hazard that you have to take when you eat fish, however its still a little off putting. Even though the dish was nice, I felt a little more beurre blanc sauce would have been appreciated. The triple cooked chips were an absolute delight, a perfect mix of soft middle and crunchy outside. I also noted that there was a little flavour of truffle on the chips, which was a really nice touch.

We didn't opt for dessert or a drink as we felt that we wanted to leave because we were so full as well as being a little cold still. The waitress gave us the bill and we paid, but not without a little conversation. For £25.90 for a quality 2 course meal, drinks and a side dish, its a good price for a great lunch. 

Monday Catch-Up: Halloween is Over...Let Christmas Begin...

Its the weekend after Halloween and two weeks after my last Monday Catch-Up, and as most of you now if you've read it, I've been suffering with a bad back. Its been really holding me back from doing everyday stuff. So I've learnt that you really need to look after yourself or it just gets a million times worse. Don't make my mistake, just take care of yourself when you're poorly.

I've had a busy week, I've been baking quite a lot for Halloween including salted caramel brownies, pumpkin pecan bars, pizza chunks and chocolate cupcakes (all gluten free btw-Your welcome Zoe) with Sugar and Crumbs "sugar and spice" icing sugar, that I got from the Cake and Bake Show this year.

Rob and I had a little bit of a 'get together' at our flat, for Halloween and as a house warming, where the drinks flowed and tacky games were played, it was such a laugh and I think everyone had a good time. It was a moment to be enjoyed and we forgot to Instagram any of it. It is a good thing as it proves that we didn't need to document that moment in our lives because we were living it!

My mum also dropped by last weekend, in which we went shopping and had lunch :) which was lovely! I haven't seen her in 3 months and she was so excited to see me and Rob. 

I also had a side trip to Lush Poole, which I got a couple pre-Christmas gifts (for myself...).I'm also pleased to let you all know that I'm almost done with all my Christmas shopping. Its only the 3rd of November and I've got 3 more gifts to buy and I'm fully done! Woo! So when the shops are crammed in December, I'll be at home with my cup of herbal tea and a cookie all snugged up and smug because I did my Christmas shopping ridiculously early. Is it wrong that I've done my cards as well... that's not wrong... is it?

So now that Halloween is done... Bring on Christmas!

Fat Friday #10 Pumpkin and Cheese Muffins

October=Pumpkin Season. That's one of the facts of life. It happens every year. Its just all over the place. Pumpkin all over the place... Its not one to argue with a fun tradition. For this weeks Fat Friday, we're going savoury. These muffins are an acquired taste and are best served from the oven while there still warm :)  Don't forget I'm at the Cake and Bake show tomorrow, I'll tweet as I go!

(Penny Note:You'll have some pumpkin puree leftover, so why not make some Spiced Pumpkin Syrup for your coffee?)

Recipe: Makes 12 Pumpkin and Goats Cheese Muffins (Recipe Adapted from Muffins Galore by Catherine Atkinson)

• 300g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100g goats cheese, diced
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 225g pumpkin puree (I used about half a can of Libby's)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 150ml natural yoghurt

Equipment:

• Bowl
• Jug
• Cupcake Tin filled with 12 muffin cases
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Wooden spoon

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/Gas Mark 6. Line the cupcake tin with muffin cases. 
 2. Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.

3. Stir in the goats cheese. 

4.Chop 2 tablespoons of the pumpkins seeds, and add to the flour mixture. Put the other 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds aside.

5. In a jug, whisk together the pumpkin puree, yoghurt, eggs and oil.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

7. Spoon the batter into the muffins cases, dividing it easily. Sprinkle the tops with the pumpkin seeds.

8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and risen.
9. Cool in the tine for 10 minutes and then put on a wire rack. Serve warm with a side salad if you moonching this for lunch.

Penny's Top Ten Tips #4 How to Write a Restaurant Review

Its Thursday! You know what that means? Its time for Penny's Top Ten Tips! This week its: How to write a restaurant review! 

1. Know a little about the place your eating at-
You most likely do this already but check out and research your restaurant before you go. Do they have an interesting back story? What is the chefs inspirational story? (because all chefs have stories like that..) Keep a note of all of these things when writing up the review.

2. Book a window seat to maximise light-
Unless its really cold that is. By sitting near the window you'll be able to fully use natural light to your advantage when taking a picture with your smartphone or camera. By the way, turn the flash off. There's nothing more frustrating when you've got a snap happy dinner guest taking pictures using a flash. I want to see my food not little bright spots in my face.

3.Keep the palate arranging to a minimum-
Don't mess with the chefs work. Leave the plate as it is. Whether its picture perfect or otherwise, just leave the plate alone if you want an honest representation of your dish.

4. Take a notebook, pen and camera-
Obviously, so you can make some tasting notes...

5. Make notes as you go-
I'm not joking with this one. I've eaten a 3-course meal and stuffed it so fast I didn't put pen to paper and didn't make a single note. I wanted to write up a good review and couldn't remember the names of dishes or what I enjoyed the most about the experience.  

6. Aim for independent restaurants-
Again this is a no brainer but avoid branded chain restaurants such as Loch Fyne. There are some great places to dine out that are just down the road from you, just itching to be discovered!

7. Grab a dictionary-
Everyone is guilty of this. We all use repetitive words such as yummy, delicious, scrummy etc. It may take a couple of reviews to expand your vocabulary and really get into the swing of things. 

8. Be honest- not harsh or too fluffy
When I used to write reviews I was too nice and kind. I could be smacked in the back of my head with a plate in a restaurant, without an apology [its happened], had sub-par food and flat atmosphere AND I still tipped and written a decent review because I'm a soft spot... but on the other-hand, that doesn't mean I can a totally arse-butt about it! You can't then stream out really bad stuff because your outraged about your white wine being too cold.... 
It's best to keep yourself balanced and the review will remain balanced.  

9. Try something different-
Your going out for a meal, scanning the menu and do you often find yourself leaning to something comfortable and familiar? Well push the boat out and order something you can't make at home or don't normally have. This will then give you something interesting to write and hopefully, you can find a new foodie favourite. 

10. Enjoy the experience-
Try not to get too bogged down in the reviewing process. Enjoy the meal for what it is. Its a fun food review not an essay

Have you written a restaurant review? Share in comments!

Caramelised Onion Tart (Pissaladiere)

Traditional, a pissaladiere is pizza-like based caramelised onion tart, topped with anchovies and olives, which is often served in Italy and France. The tart itself makes an excellent packed lunch or dinner (served with a salad). All I'm saying is give it a try, I know caramelised onions sounds like it will take ages to cook, and yes it does when you're starving, and the end result is worth the effort.

Serves 2 (or one greedy person-like me) (Recipe Adapted from Little Book of Lunch)

• 1/3 sheet puff pastry, you can used pre-made or make your own (if using pre-made puff pastry, remove from the freezer a day before)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• knob of butter (about a 1 tbsp)
• 1 large tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 2 spring thyme
• 6 anchovies
• 6 black olives
• A little milk for brushing
• a glass of water
• salt and pepper

Equipment Needed:

• Baking sheet lined with baking paper
• Frying Pan
• Wooden Spoon
• Pastry Brush
• Small bowl
• Glass
• Rolling Pin
• Fork
• Chopping board
• Knife

1.Turn the oven to 400f/200c/Gas Mark 6 and remove the pastry from the fridge. Grease and line your baking sheet.

2.Add the oil to the frying pan, place on medium heat and add the onions. Stir occasionally.
3.Add the butter, sugar, salt and pepper to the onions. Add the water to create a saucy consistency and to prevent burning.
4.Add the thyme and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes. Keep topping up the water occasionally and adding it to the pan.

Once the butter, sugar, salt and pepper has been added, the colour should start changing:

 

After 6 minutes

After 15 minutes

After 20 minutes

Ta-Duh! Done! Brown colour and soft onions that have reduced in size.

5.Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry to fit your baking sheet. Trim or cut to fit. Place on the baking sheet and fold over the sides about 1cm to create an edge. Prick (or if you want to be all expert and pastry about 'dock') the base with a fork to let the steam out and prevent rising.
6.When the onion are soft and a dark brown colour (as seen in the last onion picture), take off the heat and spoon the mixture onto the pastry base taking care no to go over the 1cm edges. Smooth this with a knife.

7.Place the anchovies on top with a criss-cross pattern and add the olives in the middle of the pattern.

8.Brush the edges (with a pastry brush, not an old paintbrush. Don't worry its my version of a pastry brush so its clean.) with milk for a nice colour and bake for 12 minutes, until the pastry is crispy and golden.

Variation:

Ok if you're not a fan of anchovy or olives then that's fine. You can make a nice alternative by skipping out the thyme during cooking and crumbling over 50g feta cheese and THEN adding the thyme by sprinkling it on top.