OSBORNE ROAD WEDNESDAYS

I received the following information this week and thought it would be of interest to some to publish this:

Now with Osborne Road Wednesdays you don't have to travel for miles to taste the world.  Every Wednesday you can eat drink and be merry with one of the fabulous offers printed in The News.

The top places to eat and drink in Osborne Road have come together with regular offers every Wednesday for you to save money and try something different!  Look out for the full-page feature in The News on Tuesday, April 5 where every one of the businesses below will be giving you a mouth-watering offer.

Happy Eating!

Chez Choi~Steki~Barnaby's~Rancho~Belle Isle~Shenanigans~Istanbul~Spice Merchant~Grosvenor Casino~Noble House~Jewel in the Crown~Kingsley's

Noorish finally open!

Noorish had a stall at last years Southsea Food Festival, and since then I have been keenly keeping an eye out for it's opening which was yesterday (29th March 2011), and due to unforeseen personal circumstances they had to delay the opening.

If you like the idea of making your own curry dishes then this place is for you.  They have created different spice blends for you to take home and add your own ingredients to.  Also recipe cards will be available to follow along for those of us (me included), who are less experimental with Indian food.  The boutique store also offers pre-cooked food using the unique spice blends such as samosas, spicy wraps, potato patties and chickpea salad.

They are easy to find and are located off Marmion Road opposite Waitrose (down the side street which is Winton Place)

www.noorish.co.uk
(website appears currently unavailable)

Zizzi - GWQ

Chain restaurants!  Love them or loath them, they are convenient, and at GWQ there is not much else to be found.  I recently read a review in a respected food magazine on chain restaurants where Zizzi came quite high as one of the better ones, so I thought I would give it a try.  It was heaving in there - people must love the place.  I had not booked and it was a Friday night.  The only table left was one that had been brought in from outside, crammed in to accommodate more customers. 

Anyway, I will keep this one brief.  The food although appealing to the taste buds from the menu description - and well presented was bland!  Gorgonzola gnocchi starter with barely a taste of any cheese and a lemon chicken breast for mains which barely kissed any lemon (although to look a the picture below you would never know).  £42.50 for 1 calamari, 1 portion of olives, 1 gnocchi, 2 lemon chickens and 2 soft drinks.  I wished I had gone elsewhere.

I don't want to give all chain restaurants a bad name, as some are quite good, but there is always the dreaded fear of wasting your money on bland food for the mass British public who seem to have inactive taste buds!  I'm sure the Italians would not say this was authentically Italian. 

Southsea Food Festival 2011

The dates are now in for this years event which will be taking place on Saturday the 18th and Sunday 19th of June 10am-4pm.  It promises to be bigger and better than last years!  Well let us hope so, as I blogged about this event last year after it happened and although it was a good event for us locals to attend, I'm sure if more local food businesses took part it could be a really fantastic day out and put Southsea on the map!

So get these dates in your diary and hope that the British summer is kind to us that weekend!!!

Soprano's - Palmerston Road, Southsea

Last Saturday I thought it would be a good idea to have lunch at Soprano's, so I parked on the seafront, paid the £2 parking fee only to find when I got there it was full, and many tables had been booked!  I was disappointed that on a Saturday lunchtime it would seem you can't just expect to walk off the street and get a table for lunch.  This must be a sign of a good eatery!  I was not to be beaten by this so in the week I called to make a reservation for Saturday lunch.  When we arrived there were several spare tables (typical), although this said, they soon started filling up even as late as 2pm.

The 'Ristorante' looks to have approx. 30 covers, and it appears to have a very loyal customer base.  You get the distinct impression that everyone knows everyone, as the staff were chatting to the customers on first name terms and vice-versa.

It was just a quick lunch date so no starters, snacks or puds - just straight into the mains.  I had the daily special which was pan fried mackerel fillets on roasted baby new potatoes and tomatoes with olives and a caper and lemon mayo at just shy of £10.  My dish was tasty, especially with the lemon in the mayo which really helped to cut through the oily and rich nature of the fish.  A very well balanced dish and nice to also have a few salad leaves on the plate too. 










The other dish my partner ordered was the Polpetti Spaghetti which is homemade beef meatballs with a spicy rich tomato sauce at £7.95.  Both dishes were very reasonably sized portions.  He enjoyed this, I found the meatballs a little dense and solid, rather than being succulent and flavoursome.  The sauce however delivered nicely on the spicy notes.

During Monday-Friday Soprano's offers a lunchtime special which is 2 courses for £6.95.  I would be interested in trying this next time, and would hope that the portions are as good in size and flavour as the full price menu.

I think the main menu is missing a trick - I would have liked to have seen some home made Gnocci dishes and perhaps dishes which feature Polenta (grilled as a starter with Porcini mushrooms for example).  Both these ingredients are very Italian and very current and I feel would make Soprano's even more contemporary and trendy...so here's hoping!!!!

Would I go again?  Yes - I will be back, if only for the excellently priced lunch menu.

Tip:  Try the salads as every salad that came out from the kitchen looked fantastic!

Like a Teatray in the Sky - Art Cafe - Osbourne Road, Southsea

This quirky new Cafe has just recently opened and it's owners Sam and Nicky Foot also of The King Street Tavern have branched out (so to speak) and opened a vintage tearoom. 

Not only can you purchase a scrummy piece of cake (with several beautifully displayed to choose from) and a pot of tea, but there is also the opportunity to purchase items from local artists and designers.


They are currently looking for artists, designers, illustrators, photographers etc to get in touch with a view to selling their work in their shop and tea room. Please contact Sam for further details – sam@thekingstreettavern.co.uk

I'm backing this place all the way, as Sam and Nicky are two lovely people with a good eye for what the locals want, with the Tavern a roaring success as proof of this fact.

I wish my local landlord and landlady all the best with this new venture!

My appearance on Saturday Kitchen January 2010

Well - this one just has to get a mention as it's not every day your fortunate to be invited to appear on this show!!  Having written in several times to be guest, to my surprise I had a phone call inviting me on.  I had to write a bit about why I was interested in being a guest before I was chosen (as they had other guests they were considering too), so without hesitation I hot footed it home, wrote a brief biography, and the rest is history!

It was a fantastic experience, I was so pleased to have two Michelin Starred Chefs cooking too, and Kelly Adams from Hustle who was both beautiful and warm to talk to.  Check out the two minute clip of my best bits from the show!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1BTMaS4v-M