The Hinds Head, Bray

The Hinds Head in Bray is a pub which dates back to the 15th century and was converted into a restaurant in the 1920's. In 2004 Chef Heston Blumenthal purchased the pub and this quickly made it infamous amongst foodies and fans of the TV chef alike. This gastro pub has since come to stand on its own and in September of this year it was awarded its first Michelin star. Needless to say, we were more then excited to see how Hestons usual molecular gastronomy was to be replaced with traditional British cuisine.
Upon arrival and presentation of the menus our host for the evening, David talked us through the variety of cocktails available, their origins and how they are trying to introduce a varied cocktail menu which will incorporate some of Heston's diverse flavour combinations into drinks as well as food.

We decided to try the Savoury Raspberry (9.50), which was a fusion or raspberry vodka, balsamic vinegar and basil strained over crushed ice (£9.50)  which my partner thoroughly enjoyed. The Savoury Strawberry Drupe (£9.50) was far more to my taste and the unexpectedly sweet combination of strawberry, olives lime juice was divine. Our starters arrived whilst we were still enjoying our first drink, I had to give the Heston famed Pea and Ham soup a try (£7.50), which was complete with whole peas and cubes of ham hock, the taste of the flavoursome soup was accentuated by its vivid colour. My partner had the Smoked Guinea fowl and foie gras terrine with spiced apples (£9.95) the gamey taste of the terrine was perfectly complemented by the sweetness of the spiced apple.

After ordering our main courses we moved on to try a couple more cocktails, I chose the Rhubarb champagne fizz which was made with a home made rhubarb and vanilla compote, Chase rhubarb liqueur and topped with Deutz champagne (£12.50) it was delicious and refreshing. My partner tried the Charles Dickens, a sweetened brandy with rum and citrus flavours which was them flamed and strained (£13.50) the cocktail was served in a hidden flask within the centre of a book which made the tasty drink even more charming.

Before we knew it our main course had arrived and the five spiced duck breast (£22.50) which I had ordered looked superb, the pink meat was served with pak choi and a sweet five spice sauce (£22.50). My partner chose the Pure bred Hereford 10oz Ribeye Steak (£28.95) which was tender and flavoursome, served with a bone marrow sauce and triple cooked chips. We also tried the side dish of parsnips, chesnuts and bacon which was simply delish, and sure to be a combination we will be repeating at home this Christmas.

After the perfectly proportioned dishes we comfortably moved onto dessert, I opted for the chocolate wine 'slush' and millionaire shortbread (£7.95) which even came with a card detailing the origins of chocolate wine. The millionaire shortbread was rich and buttery and perfectly completed the sweet chocolate wine. My partner had the chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream (£7.25), the tart itself was equally as rich, but the creamy ice cream made for an excellent accompaniment.

The service during our visit was first class and both the host and sommlier for the evening could not have been more helpful and knowledgeable on the dishes, ingredients and drinks available. Our overall experience at the Hinds Head was enjoyable and interesting and unexpectedly opulent.

Yo! Sushi

Windsor

 Seated in a booth at the back of the restaurant we had a great view into the kitchen, allowing us to see all of the dishes being freshly prepared in front of us.  Surrounding the kitchen runs an authentic Japanese style conveyor belt (known as a Kaiten) which was offering up a variety of tantalising different options for diners to pick from the belt at their leisure.

Along with the changing dishes on the belt, there is also an extensive menu to order particular dishes directly to your table. We started by trying a couple of dishes off the belt (purely for the novelty of it), we picked a Spicy Chicken ISO (£3.00) which was a Chicken Katsu Sauce and Shichimi powder (Japanese chilli) it was delicious, fresh and made us eager to try more.

We then decided to order some dishes from the menu, I opted for the Prawn Yakisoba (£4.00) which was pan fried Japanese noodles in a mildly spiced and tangy sauce with vegetables and prawns. The prawns were perfect cooked and made for an excellent starter. My partner decided to dive straight in and went for the Chicken Teriyaki (£3.50) the chicken was grilled and coated in a sweet, sticky soy based sauce, he accompanied this with some Duck Gyoza and a Moromi Miso sauce (£4.00). The duck dumplings had a crisp coating with a soft tender meat inside which was also cooked within the moromi miso sause. Alongside the dishes we ordered some soft drinks (priced at £2.15 per bottle), however they offered a variety of Japanese Beer's, wine's and juices.

After some contemplation of weather to try something sweet or continue with a couple more savory snacks, we switched on our table light (which lets the staff know that you need their attention) and ordered a couple more savory dishes. I went for the Salmon Dragon Roll (£4.00) which was a sushi roll filled with crabstick, avocado, mayonnaise, schichmi powder and topped with a piece of salmon, the avocado and salmon were delicious together and the dish was so fresh and slight that it made it one of my favorite dishes of the night. My partner opted for the Chicken Tsukune (£4.00) which consisted of a grilled minced chicken breast skewer with ginger, onion and a sweet sticky soy sauce.

The overall experience was fun, tasty and accompanied with some great customer service. The restaurant operates a price per color coded plate, with plates costing between £2.00 for a green plate and up to £6.00 for a yellow plate, the system also makes it easy to calculate how much you have spent.

 Eighteen

Castle Hotel, High Street, Windsor

When we arrived at The Castle Hotel in Windsor we were instantly taken back by the grandeur of the building and it's location. With a secure (and free to guests) car park that is just a two minutes walk from the main gate of Windsor Castle makes this hotel perfect for exploring Windsor and all it has to offer.



 After arriving a little early for dinner we decided to get comfortable in the big leather sofa's of the hotel bar, enjoying a relaxing drink while we perused the menu presented to us by the friendly and polite staff.  With so many delicious choices it took us a little longer then usual to make our decisions, but once we had ordered we were asked to continue enjoy our drinks in the bar as we would be called to our table when our first course was nearly ready.

Once seated we were brought a pre-starter of Fois Gras Terrine which was smooth, soft and melted on the tongue, totally dispelling any initial perceptions which we had of the dish.
We then moved onto our starters selected from the menu; I had chosen the Goats Cheese Fondant with poached baby pears and cherry syrup (£7.50), the goats cheese was rich with a smooth buttery taste. My partner went for the Seared Atlantic Scallops served with Granny Smith apple purée, pancetta and black onion seeds (£8.50) the scallops were plump, perfectly cooked and tasted delicious with the apple and pancetta.

Our waiter then spent some time with us discussing the wines available and offering for us to taste a couple of options which he would recommend and thought we would enjoy.

After a brief break to soak up the atmosphere of the AA Rosette restaurant, we moved onto our main courses. I opted for the Pork Wellington served with apple purée, baby apples, pancetta and red onion marmalade (£17.50) the pork was cooked to perfection  and the combination of the light buttery pastry with red onion marmalade and apple purée was glorious. My partner chose the Sirloin steak served with plum tomato, field mushrooms, thick cut chips and hollandaise sauce (£18.50) our fantastic waiter discussed the cut of steak with us and could even tell us the Scottish farm which the meat was sourced from. The dish was well seasoned and the steak was exquisite, perfect in texture, taste and appearance, rivalling steaks I have had in top steak and grill restaurants for a fraction of the price.

We then moved onto our desserts, to which I indulged in the Praline Opera butter cream made of chocolate sponge and crème anglaise, served with a pistachio ice cream (£6.00), where as my partner decided to go for the Vanilla Creme Brulee, served with a buttery viennese biscuit and a sweet mango coulis. As stuffed as we were the whole experience was so fantastic that we decided to spend the rest of the evening slowly enjoying a delightful Cheese Board and Cappuccino.

We felt truly spoilt during our evening at The Castle Hotel and would highly recommend a visit to anyone looking for a really special evening, in fantastic surroundings and at more then reasonable prices.

''How to Feed a Man'' by Stasha

With a title like 'How to Feed a Man' this cookery book will no doubt ruffle a few feminists feathers, but try not to take it too seriously. This Fun and quirky collection of recipes, poems and photos makes for a great light hearted read.
Different from many of the cookery books out there today, Stasha features ingredients in her recipes that you are likely to currently have stashed in your kitchen cupboards, putting an end to searching the supermarket aisles with a long list of inaccessible ingredients. The recipes are delicious, simple to make and all with relatively short preparation times. For those inexperienced cooks this book will show you how to make some simply yummy dishes, and receive those ohhh and ahhhs around the dinner table that you are looking for.