PEACE & LOAF, JESMOND

I'm not too familiar with the food scene in the North East, but my brother who loves food just as much as me recommended this place, and I was pleased when he made a dinner booking for us during my stay.

Peace & Loaf is headed up by 2010 MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Dave Coulson, who is known to have a reputation and passion for creating flavoursome and innovative dishes. Opened in autumn 2013, the restaurant offers exciting seasonal menus that incorporates Dave's signature dishes, and utilizes the freshest and locally sourced produce.

The restaurant is spread across three levels, with simple decor and exposed brick walls which gives it a very warm and welcoming feel. We were seated on the first floor where the kitchen was and had a view of the pass at the far corner. I particularly liked the birdcage candle-holders and the lights hanging from the ceiling.

We were started off with some warm loaves of bread and butter, and small snacks - arancini and salmon deep fried lollipops and beans on toast.

For starters, I had the earl grey tea cured salmon which was served with some crispbreads. An interesting combination of flavours with the citrus taste of the lemon fanta and the smokiness of the anchovy. My brother had the braised oxtail which was really soft and tender, served with creamy saffron risotto. My sister-in-law had the scallops which were nicely cooked.

| Earl Grey Tea Cured Salmon, Lemon Fanta, Smoked Anchovy |

 | Scallop, Cucumber, Purple Broccoli, Bergamot |

 | Braised Oxtail, Saffron Risotto, Red Wine, Parmesan |

After clearing our starters, we were served an amuse bouche of black pudding. It was really delicious and my brother who has obviously eaten more black pudding than I have said that it was one of the best ones that he has had so far.

For my main, I ordered the vanison which was tender, with a nice pink centre. The black pudding was served in a sort of springroll which was light and crisp. The mash was smooth and creamy, and the whole plate was really tasty and vibrant.

The confit duck egg had a nice, runny centre, and had a nice crunchy texture from the granola bits.

The monkfish had a firm and meaty texture and was served on a bed of pasta, and some tasty ham knuckles on the side.

| Venison, Black Pudding, Beetroot, Pear, Port |

| Confit Duck Egg, Celeriac, Wild Mushroom, Black Garlic, Granola |

| Monkfish, Ham Knuckle, Minestrone, Sourdough |

And then came my favourite part of the meal - dessert. The Assiette of Desserts was recommended on the menu for two to share, but the waitress told us that the portion is pretty generous and enough to be shared between the three of us. 

The platter came served with:

Frozen Yoghurt, Burnt Clementine, Pumpkin

Rum & Raisin Cheesecake, White Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate Tart, Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Eggnog Pannacotta, Mulled Fruit

Christmas Pudding 

My favourites were the chocolate tart and the rum & raisin cheesecake. This was definitely one of the most satisfying and best value dessert platters that I have ever had.

Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal - great food, lovely presentation, and friendly service.

I am keen to go back when I'm next up North, and would recommend if you happen to visit the area.

The Cheekster, signing out x

 

THE BACKBENCH #9, KOYA

Having missed the previous backbench to seek sunnier climates, I am now back at my usual spot!

I booked the lunch slot so that I could head straight after dancing - extremely hungry and ready to get my taste-buds excited.

A much anticipated once-a-month event, The BackBench is limited to five seats per session, enabling Chef Junya to create seasonal dishes and present diners with a more personal dining experience.

The menu on this occasion consisted of 10 different dishes. I chose to skip the sake flights this time, knowing how much of a lightweight I can be especially in the daytime, and instead went for the Cold Brew Oolong Tea.

| Amazake & Turnip |

Amazake is a traditional Japanese drink made from fermented rice and is commonly consumed in the winter months. The rice had been fermented overnight and the sweetness all comes naturally from the rice. Served at a cool temperature, it had the texture of congee, and tasted very pleasant.

| Wild Carrot & Cobnut |

Hand-picked during Chef Junya's forages, this dish had some nice earthy flavours, and also looked and tasted exceptionally healthy!

| Native Oyster, Wild Onion & Wild Horseradish |

The oyster was really fresh and the flavours from the wild onion and horseradish just worked so well together. A rather enjoyable mouthful of goodness, and one of my favourite dishes.

| Jeruselam Artichoke Surinagashi Udon |

A lover of noodles, I always look forward to the udon dish. The soup was warm and thick - perfect to be eaten during the cold winter months. Such simple and comforting dishes really do make me smile with satisfaction. 

| Chicory & Mylor Prawn |

Another warm and tasty dish, served in a clear broth, with subtle taste of sweetness from the Mylor prawns.

| Leek, Onsen Egg & Potato |

You don't often see the roots of leeks being utilized in dishes, but Chef Junya had creatively preserved the roots to make an amazing tempura dish. The upper part of the stalk itself was maybe a bit hard to bite apart and chew, but those roots...I hope that they make an appearance on the Specials board soon!

Instead of the usual tempura dipping sauce, we were served a bowl of onsen egg which we broke apart to mix together with the starchy potato base. A really delicious twist.

| Eel, Chestnuts & Savoy Cabbage |

I have always loved the eel dishes prepared by Chef Junya. They have often been my favourites in the previous BackBenchs', and this was no exception. This dish was apparently inspired by his trip to Bologna, and the results were undoubtedly delicious.

Hidden under the savoy cabbage, were two perfectly grilled pieces of eel, so rich and full of flavour. I also really enjoyed nibbling on those chestnuts.

| Pheasant, Dandelion & Burdock |

I have really been into gamey dishes lately, and having tried a pheasant dish at Koya before, I knew that this would not disappoint. The pheasant was served boneless, and rolled inside the meat were those tasty burdock roots. Perfectly grilled, great textures, and a wonderful combination of flavours.

| Kaki Sorbet & Shochu |

The first of two desserts, a refreshing sorbet served with shochu which gave it a nice boozy kick. Mine even had a friendly smiley face...like it was happy that it was going to be eaten by me!

| Bramley & Sake-Kasu |

No sake-kasu ice cream this time, but instead we had delicious grilled sake-kasu which was utilized to make the first dish. Not an overly sweet dessert, with some hints of sourness and bitterness, it was a different kind of dessert that I am used to, in a good way.

And so that sums up another delightful BackBench experience. It's good to be back, and I do always get excited to see what new dishes that Chef Junya comes up with as the seasons change.

For my previous BackBench posts, click on the links below:

The BackBench #1
The BackBench #2
The BackBench #3
The BackBench #4
The BackBench #5 
The BackBench #6
The BackBench #7

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you at the next BackBench in 2015!

The Cheekster, signing out x

#ZOMATOMEETUP AT CHOTTO MATTE

Just a few days ago, I attended Zomato's final #ZomatoMeetup of the year 2014. 

Chotto Matte specialises in Nikkei cuisine - a merging of Japanese and Peruvian, both cuisines of which I love.

I headed there straight after work, closely missing the rush hour crowd, so I was the first to arrive, and sipped away on some champagne whilst waiting for the rest to arrive.

I was also quite hungry (as usual), and started nibbling away on the canchas (Peruvian corn puffs) and the sweet potato and cassava chips...

The event was held at the Lava-stone cocktail bar on the ground floor, known for its pisco and sake cocktails. Surrounding this bar is a mural created by critically acclaimed graffiti artist Tom Blackford, aka Ink Fetish. Our evening was hosted by the lovely Head Bad Chef, Fabiano Latham, who kept us entertained with some cocktail masterclasses. 

The drinks that were demonstrated included: 

Pisco Sour - Pisco, lime, sugar, egg white, Peruvian bitters

Cuatro Uvas - Pisco, sake, elderflower, red grapes, lime & celery bitters

Chicana de tonka - Pisco, cucumber, lime, tonka bitters & ginger beer

Some of the other bloggers also had the opportunity to go behind the bar and shake up some cocktails, however I was too distracted by the food section so I didn't participate...

Sweet potato and cassava chips with guacamole and burnt yellow tomato salsa

We later moved on to the food part where the chefs cooked up some tasty dishes for us to sample. Some of my favourites were the Eggplant Nigiri and the Nikkei Sashimi.

There was a lot of blow-torching going on...

 

Heritage tomato Aburi tostaditas

Nikkei Sashimi: yellowtail sashimi, yuzu truffle soy, purple potato crisps, jalapeno, coriander, cherry tomato

Padron Peppers: den miso and sea salt

Towards the end of the evening, we were given a little tour of the restaurant, which included the  exposed Robata grill, serving smokey Nikkei BBQ, and the Nikkei sushi bar, where Chef Kaito Sato creates his magic!

 The menus for the Robata grill and sushi bar have been specially created by Executive Chef Jordan Sclare (ex-head chef at Aqua Kyoto and Nobu) alongside Chef Michael Paul. 

We ended the evening with a sweet glass of Perfecto Amor - Peruvian wine fortified with Pisco and aged in sherry casks. After a few group photos, we each grabbed our goody bags and went our separate ways...

For more photos of the event, click on this link for photos taken by the lovely Alexandra.
Mischevious KS (aka the eating machine!) had a little play around with Alexandra's camera and surprisingly took a decent photo of Angela & I.
That man has skills...

If you ever do visit, don't forget to go down to the lower ground floor where you can see the captivating UV artwork from Houxo Que. That's also where the toilets are, which are pretty high-tech - just go in, even if you don't need to (!)

This was my first time at Chotto Matte, and after a pleasant evening, I am now tempted to go back to have a proper sit-down meal and get the full Nikkei experience.

 

Thank you, and well done again to Alexandra, Sarah, and the rest of the amazing Zomato team for organizing another fun and enjoyable event. And to all the other bloggers, old and new, it was nice to meet you all - looking forward to more exciting times in 2015!

The Cheekster, signing out x