Love Bites Abroad : Berlin

Adam and I took a 3 night trip to Berlin in between Christmas and New Years in 2013. We arrived early Boxing Day to an unexpectedly extremely quiet city. We were staying in the newer shopping district end of the Kurfürstendamm. Working in the retail industry myself, one would expect the biggest shopping street in Berlin to be a buzzing hive of activity on the busiest shopping day of the year, yet literally none of the shops were open nor were they showing signs that they were going to be open at all. 

We had stayed at my English family's house for Christmas and luckily enough one of my cousins had been to Berlin a couple of weeks before us and had kept a list of restaurant 'must-go-to's' provided by his hotel. We studied the list in anticipation and he suggested two in particular if we could get into them on short notice. These were The Grill Royal, an on-trend, upmarket seafood and steak house and Cantina, a pan-asian fusion, tapas style bar. We were lucky enough to get a reservation at both through our fantastic concierge at our hotel, for the second and third nights of our stay. He also recommended a restaurant called Keno for our first night which we happily took his advice for dinner that evening.

For lunch we strolled around the Christmas markets close to our hotel and our first taste of Germany happened to be traditional currywurst sausage. A kransky-style sausage with a spicy curry sauce and a sprinkling of curry powder. As we were rather hungry we devoured this fast but I can't say I would be rushing back to try another one as it tasted very processed and fake. We also treated ourselves to some deep fried garlic potato crisps which were so oily our fingers were smothered with grease instantly. They were also so garlicky after a couple of crisps our mouths were stained with the taste, let alone our breath, any lurking vampires would have been killed instantly.

Garlic Crisps

Currywurst Sausages

So Restaurant Keno was our dinner option for our first night - a traditional German restaurant which was close to our hotel.  As Boxing Day is still part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany they still had a Christmas set menu available as well as the a la carte. Feeling festive I chose the Christmas menu of mushroom soup, and roast duck with braised cabbage, potato dumplings and cranberry sauce, finished with a creme brûlée.  The mushroom soup was full of flavour and had a delicious garnish of parma ham. This infused the soup with flavour and melted in my mouth. Definitely something I will include when I next make a mushroom soup! The duck was delicious with the cabbage and the skin cooked to perfect crispiness, the potatoes were a bit stodgy for my liking. Adam devoured a vegetable soup, which was rather salty but had plenty of veges and a clear broth. He then ate veal meatballs with mashed potato in a white wine caper sauce. The sauce was really rich but complimented the meatballs well. We had great attentive service at Restaurant Keno and was a good way to kick off our Berlin trip.

Vegetable Soup

Mushroom Soup with Parma Ham

Veal Meatballs 

Roast Duck, Braised Cabbage and Potato Dumplings

Creme Brûlée

Our next dinner treat was Grill Royal. This high-end grill restaurant is located on the River Spree on Fredickstrzae. We we're greeted by the maitre'd and our coats were taken. My immediate thoughts were this is an refined chic grill restaurant with a vibrant atmosphere and high end diners. There were an odd mix of sculptures, artefacts and paintings adorning the dining room, surrounding the snug leather booths and mint condition white table cloths. The restaurant was oozing sophistication and encouraged people watching. We were initially seated next to a well dressed couple and their small child which seemed an odd mix with this type of restaurant. They left early and were replaced by two almost identical blonde barbie dolls who looked like they had never lifted a finger to work in their lives. 

The menu consisted of traditional grill style food, steaks and lobsters.  We settled for a starter each I had the a white fish soup, which consisted of a light frothy white wine broth with poached salmon and a white fish I can't quite remember, it was a sensational experience, the fish and the broth were delicate with a kick of white wine intensity. Adam devoured some snails, smothered in a thick garlic butter sauce which made the slimy experience of eating them much more appealing, they were some of the best snails I have eaten. For our mains I decided with a local Bavarian fillet, and Adam went for the American Entrecôte fillet. We shared four sides, which was quite a feast for two of us! We settled with fried broccoli and cauliflower in chilli and garlic, a smooth potato mash, coleslaw and something I wouldn't normally choose but must have been continuing with the festive spirit - some succulent sautéed brussels sprouts with bacon.

Fish Soup

Snails

I have to say my medium-rare Bavarian fillet was one of the best pieces of steak I have ever had. It was oozing tenderness, full of flavour and melted in my mouth. It was perfectly cooked and along with the mash and the red wine jus it was a masterpiece of a meal. Adams Entrecôte was not in the same league as mine, although his steak was larger than mine, it was not as tender and involved a few more chews. We settled on a sticky toffee pudding and a custard tart for dessert. Neither was anything to write home about and I'm even surprised we managed to fit it in! 

On our final night we made our way to Cantina in the trendy area of Mitte for some 'Fine Asian and Ibero-American cuisine.' Part of the experience is actually finding Cantina which is located at the bar of the trendy cocktail bar Tausend. Our taxi kindly dropped us outside a wooden door underneath what was a railway arch. We knocked politely, waited a couple of minutes and was greeted by the Maitre'd who asked if we had a reservation and under which name. We advised our details and then had the door shut on us, only to be greeted another minute later by the same lady who confirmed our booking with a big smile and invited us in. The bar had a very confident - trendy air to it, the decor was dark but lit with a huge circular eye-like sculpture at one end of the room. I had the feeling you kind of had to be in the know about this place, with the secret door, and sleek 'coolness' of the staff, it was almost a little intimidating. We were taken through the bar and led into a small tunnel into Cantina, a small room with limited seating. Our reservation was for 6pm and we could only get a seat at the bar, which actually turned out to be a fantastic experience as we were able to watch the chefs work straight in front of us.

The service was very suave, tight jeans and pony tails were the attire of most of the waiters. We drank cocktails and dined on some of the most delicious food, the whole experience of Cantina was a real treat!  The head chef was directly in front of us preparing sushi, sashimi, and ceviche. We spotted some male Latino-looking diners on the other side of the bar devouring the ceviche and asking for more of the sauce after they had finished, then smacking their lips in desire. This along with another female couple who asked to see the Head Chef to thank him for the ceviche thoroughly promoted our decision to get this immediately.  We started with some Spanish pimentos de pardons (grilled peppers) - one of my favourite Spanish tapas. These were not as good as expected, slightly overcooked and not enough flavour so we quickly moved on to our next dish satay chicken and lime skewers with a chilli, coriander and red onion garnish, these were moist and succulent pieces of meat with a a delightful kick. We devoured our ceviche in absolute pleasure, the tender calamari, squid, and raw fish pieces, enveloped in the juiciest sweet and sour sauce, and decorated with chilli, coriander, red onion and corn was a sensational seafood experience.

Pimentos de Padrons

Chicken Satay Skewers

Ceviche

The dining experience even got better after this, our main dish to share was a white tuna with foie gras on a spinach risotto. This main dish was heavenly. Drizzled in a pesto oil and garnished with fresh herbs every mouthful melted in your mouth and the spinach risotto was so delicious I have vowed to attempt to re-create this in the Love Bites Kitchen!  The tuna was a moist mouthful of goodness and complimented the dish well. We finished on sushi and sashimi that was prepared and handed to us by the Head Chef right in front of us. The small bites were so fresh and delicate it was the perfect end to our meal and by no way could we squeeze in dessert!

Tuna Foie Gras and Spinach Risotto

Sashimi

Sushi and Sashimi

Cantina was the perfect way to end our culinary Berlin experience. We had dined on traditional German food, the most delectable steaks, and a fresh and intriguing Asian-fusion food. We had spent a lot, feed ourselves to our hearts content and drank ourselves silly. Berlin was a wicked experience through and through. I can't wait to go back to try out even more of the culinary treasures this place has to offer!

Love Bites at Noma : Part Two

Noma's homepage states;

'In an effort to shape our way of cooking, we look to our landscape and delve into our ingredients and culture, hoping to rediscover our history and shape our future'

It is with this in mind that Noma presents a 20 course tasting menu which takes you on a journey as though you have been foraging through a Nordic forest. With this in mind out culinary experience of a lifetime began...

We were given a few minutes to settle in and make ourselves comfortable in the surroundings. We then ordered our wine, Adam took the reins on this so I can't really comment on the wine list myself. We settled to start with a glass of champagne and then a bottle of white from the Bourgogne region in France.

Within moments we were underway with our first course, the first eleven being the appetisers, the next six being considered the mains, and then a final three for dessert. To make it easier to layout the twenty courses I have listed them below and given a short explanation... enjoy the journey:

1. Elderflower Gooseberries

Carefully pricked with a toothpick for easy eating just like an olive. We were told to eat them fast to not lose their taste so in they went in one mouthful. It was a sour explosion of berry and chilled enough to feel it was thawing within your mouth. A quick intense moment of sweet and sour.

2. Nordic Coconut

A warm quince broth with a mushroom like flavour, served in a Nordic Coconut which to me looks like a cross between a turnip and a red potato... We sipped this through a shoot which made the experience of this course all the more fun. Definitely one of my favourites. Simple and intriguing.

3. Moss and Cep

This was deep-fried Reindeer moss believe it or not. Tasted like moss, had a texture like moss, and sprinkled in mushroom salt and served with cream fraiche. Interesting... but not a winner in my books, I have no desire to be a reindeer.

4. Blackcurrant and Berry Roses

We had to forage ourselves to get a taste of these little beauties. They had a hard candy-like shell and exploded in your mouth with an intense hit of berry and the softness of rose petals. Very cool and wicked presentation... I wanted more!

5.Cheese Cookies and Stems

These were cheese flavoured savoury crackers with finely chopped chives and rocket stems on top. I love a good herb so this was a mouthful of goodness with a peppery slap from the rocket. It was also a delight for these treats to be served in a traditional biscuit tin.

6. Pickled and Smoked Quails Egg

This was one of the most exciting presentations we had for the evening. These pickled and smoked quails eggs were served in a egg shell filled with wood shavings. As soon as you opened the top half a wood aroma and smoke drifted out, we were told to eat them quickly so they did not lose their flavour. The eggs were rubbery in texture but as soon as they popped the yolk oozed and a hint of smokey flavour was released. Deliciously good!

7. Ebleskiver and Greens

For those of you not common with the Danish language, Ebleskiver actually means grasshopper. Yes we ate grasshoppers. Grasshoppers that had been fermented for precisely 17 weeks we were told. They were then sautéed with leafy greens, a bit of garlic and ensconced in a dumpling like enclosure and believe it or not they were rather tasty!!! However had they been in their insect form I don't think I would have been so in like.....!

8. Sea-urchin Toast

This was my least favourite dish out of the whole experience. I had one bite of this and had to wash it down with my wine immediately. The urchin looked muddy, it had a sludgy texture and looked as though it was melting on its 'toast.' It was topped with duck fat crackling which was a crunchy garnish however I still wanted to barf. I quickly consumed the rest of this course and wanted to get on to the next one as soon as possible.

9. Chestnuts and Trout Roe

This was a small bowl of the largest fish roe I have seen, which reminded me of little Nemo's :( They were served with thinly sliced chestnuts which created a milk like soup. I really enjoyed the flavour of the chestnuts but felt a little ashamed eating all the fish roe which popped in your mouth, saying goodbye one by one...

10. Pike Head

As explained on the route to the restaurant in Part One we were discussing things we would not like to eat, mine being fish heads and insects. Never had I known I would be put to the test with both of these during the  20 courses! Number 10 was a Pike head - barbecued and pierced with a stick for easy eating. We were told by the chef to eat the cheek and if one is daring to eat the eyeball. The cheek was amazing, the flesh so delicate and moist - who would have thought?! I didn't go for the eyeball but Adam swallowed it down whilst thinking 'Why the heck am I eating the eyeball?!!'

11. Burnt Leek

They were obviously quite enjoying the use of the BBQ at Noma, this course was a charcoaled leek cut in slices inside. It was very flavoursome and was sprinkled with fennel leaves which I found rather overpowering.

12. Fresh Milk Curd and Blueberry Preserves

This was a thin slice of goats curd encased in a blueberry like jelly. It was a refreshing and sour flavour but was also covered with fennel leaves... which were once again too strong and overpowering.

13. Squid and Fennel

I wasn't a big fan of this course but the presentation was amazing. The squid was raw and served in a bowl of ice, it was dressed with what looked like 'A Thousand Island Dressing' and sliced broccoli stems. What a good way to use something I would usually discard so easily!

14. Beets and Aromatic Herbs

These were slow roasted beets, with a sweet fruit dressing. There were eucalyptus berries and fennel leaves scattered which made for a strong flavour but this time I thought it complimented the dish rather than overpowering it.

15. Cauliflower and Pine, Cream and Horseradish

This dish was delicious, I didn't actually know cauliflower could be so flavourful! It seemed to be caramelised and drizzled with pine oil which added a subtle flavour. Nice - Perhaps one to try out on Love Bites?!

16. Potato and Lojrom

These potatoes had a delicious earthy flavour,  however mine seemed to be slightly undercooked - or were they meant to be that way? They had a barley flavoured skin and were served with fish roe which what seemed a random accompaniment but hey 'When at Noma!'

17. Wild Duck, Pear and Kale

We had the wine pairing for this course, which was a light pinot flavoured from the Beaujolais region in France. We were each given daggers before we were served this course, so the excitement was building intensely. The duck was ever so slightly seared so was really rare. The thin slices of pear and shavings of a beech tree (which can only be picked over three weeks in April in the whole year apparently) complimented the duck well. 

18. Aronia Berries and Sol

This first course of dessert was refreshing and sour and had a jelly like texture. It was tasty and enjoyable.

19.  Potato and Plum

This was one of my favourite courses and one I was most surprised at. It had interesting ingredients and the most amazing flavour. We were told to eat all three together - almond ice cream, plum quince and potato puree in plum juice (that's right - potatoes for dessert?!) = amazing. It was so delicate yet power i one mouthful. 

20. Danish Pastries

In true Danish tradition we finished on Danish pastries. I can't actually say these were the best pastries I had eaten in our time in Copenhagen but they still were tasty. We were incredibly full by this time so we shared two between three of us. Despite what we thought this being our last course we were actually treated to a couple of extras...

Throughout the courses we were served with Noma's freshly home made bread. All the flour is homemade and this was one of the most amazing sourdough breads I have ever put into my mouth. It was so good were told to eat as much as we liked as there was an endless supply throughout our meal. Although we clearly did not need to keep filling up on this bread as by the end of the 20 courses we almost rolled ourselves out of the restaurant!

...Caramelised sweet breads with sea salt and a creamy butter.... Amazing caramel soft bread I could have eaten this for hours...

...And the finale of Chocolate covered pig crackling sprinkled with gooseberries with an instant smack of flavour. This was a wicked course that had me nibbling away even though I could swear I could fit no more in. The textures rocked - the bubbling of the cracking on your tongue, the smooth and coldness of the chocolate and the sour and sweet berry hit made this after dinner course a very special treat and end to our Noma experience.

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To round it up...

The atmosphere of the restaurant felt like very suave, yet unpretentious. It is easy to assume that a restaurant that has claimed the title of 'Best restaurant in the World' for three consecutive years would appear to have some sort of stiff upper lip. This was not the case at all, in fact when I enquired on a dress code I was told 'we do not have a dress code, simply come as you are comfortable'.

From the flurry in the kitchen, a variety of chefs waited our table and explained each and every dish we ate. This was most helpful as they advised how fast to eat each course, what part to eat, and sometimes an interesting fact such as the beech tree bark in Course 17. Each chef was excited and seemed pleased to present their dishes to us. They were relaxed and happily answered any questions we had. This made for a really pleasant evening and quite a different experience to one I was expecting.

One of the most impressive things was that the chefs source all the ingredients themselves especially that they make their own flour and the bread. The way each course was explained it almost felt like you had been foraging through the forests with them by the end of the 20 courses!

My overall impression of the food was that it had a modern, organic, hippy-type feel to it, due to the colours, and amount of vegetable courses (we were only served two dishes of meat, duck and a fish head).  The food was rich, but was varied and full of interesting dishes I would not usually think to order when dining out.  I thought (perhaps controversially) that they overused fennel leaves in a few courses. The leaves were too strong and have a flavour that you either like or dislike. After the first fennel leaved course of Burnt Leek (Number 11) I had certainly had enough.

Overall Noma's food was not something I would go to a restaurant and choose to order myself but because it is foraged for you, prepared for you, and presented to you with such skill and enthusiasm you can't not eat everything they serve you. The whole experience was one I am so grateful and thrilled to have had that I would definitely recommend the Nordic journey of Noma to all who get the opportunity to go. I can only hope I get to go there again!

Love Bites at Noma: Part One

Love Bites recently had a very exciting thing happen; I was invited to take a reservation at Noma, one of the most talked about, curiously fascinating restaurants of the last few years.  Noma is located in Copenhagen, Denmark and has been the number one restaurant in the world for three years running (2010-2012) out of eight years of being on 'The List' (http://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50-winners/noma/). It is currently ranked number 2 in 2013 on this list to restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Spain (meeh never heard of it!). 

When booking my trip to Copenhagen in November 2013 as a gift to my good friend Katie for her 30th birthday I decided to see if there were any reservations left for Noma for the weekend in January we were going. Of course there wasn't but there was an option to put ones name down on the waiting list. 'What have I got to lose?' I thought, so name and contact number went down and was soon to be forgotten.  On Tuesday 7th January the week that we were going to Copenhagen, I received a phone call from a strange number. I do not know what posessed me to answer it as I am not one to usually answer random calls or blocked numbers, so the fact that I was at work, getting a call from a strange number and deciding to answer it was against all my normal proceedings in such situations.  I answered and heard a foreign voice unveiling that they were calling from Noma.... and my eyes grew to the size of oranges! The lady on the end of the line advised a table had become availabe and as I was on the waiting list she wanted to know if I wanted to take the booking. Oh my days!!!! Was this actually  happening?!! This was totally unexpected and I started freaking out... I didn't know how much the restaurant would be, both Katie and I were feeling very poor after the festive season, and I needed to check with Adam and Katie if they were keen before I  volunteer us for a foodie adventure but also potentially a bankrupt situation. I frantically asked the caller a few questions, found out the cost of the meal (1,600 Danish Krone each for 20 courses) - not bad I thought however having no idea what the Danish Krone was to the Pound she quickly advised about £180 there or about. Not wanting to lose the reservation I asked her to send me the confirmation but that I needed to check with my other diners to see if they would be available. I immediately ran down to Katie's desk and proceeded to tell her the tale of the recent event, I was so excited I was shaking. My whole body felt giddy with excitement and my nerve endings were tingly. This was for real. Katie was keen, Adam was keen and due to a bit of financial shuffling the reservation was officially confirmed. Love Bites was going to Noma!

We discussed items of food we were not inclined to eat during the taxi ride on the way to the restaurant, my items being insects, and fish heads, Katie's being liver, and Adam was down for whatever. After seeing a documentary last year of Noma creating its first pop-up restaurant at Claridges Hotel over the Olympic period in London, I had some idea of what to expect from the restaurant itself. I had an inkling insects would be involved (eeek!), and lots of fresh earthy type dishes, not my usual choice of food but hey this was a once in a lifetime experience so I was going to be eating what ever was on my plate or 20 plates! 

We were driven through the city centre and across one of the bridges to Christenholm, where Noma is located on the wharf in a warehouse type building, far away from prying eyes and providing the ideal base for creating foodie masterpieces.

After getting the obligatory photo for Love Bites outside the restaurant we were welcomed at the front door not just by the Maitre'd but also by a handful of chefs which was rather exciting. They were full of smiles with hands behind their backs as our layers were taken and we were guided to our table. On entering the restaurant I was intriuged by the environment. The decor had a very earthy, rustic feel to it with its grey wooden beams,  light grey wooden panelled floors, concrete walls and black wooden tables and chairs. Some chairs were draped with an animal fur throw and simple candles and foliage in plain white vases decorated the tables. The decor was simple, but inviting and to some extent warming, the colour scheme neutral and calming creating an intriguingly suave atmosphere.

There felt like there was a hive of activity between the diners, and the chefs / waiters. I say this as the chefs themselves would bring out each dish and present it to you with a nice air of enthusiasm and intrigue to what they were serving you. The kitchen was situated at the entrance to the restaurant in between the actual restaurant and the wine bar in the following room. You could watch the chefs prepare the final step of the meals to be served which made quite a fascinating but fun experience and a  more informal atmosphere which is nice. We were informed by the Maitre'd that there is also another kitchen above the visable restaurant in which a whole other dozen of chefs are doing the pre-preparing of the food (moreso the bits they don't think we need to see!) which was equally fascinating.

Back at our table, after engulfing the surroundings and buzz, the Maitre'd began by informing us on how the evening would play out; we would be dining on 20 courses throughout the evening, a selection of dishes for appetisers would be served at quite a fast pace and at a more slower speed the  main events would be unveiled. With that our Noma experience began....

Stay tuned for Part Two of Love Bites Noma experience with a gallery of pictures in the following post.

Decor images thanks to http://spacecph.dk/project/noma/