CASAMIA - RESTAURANT WESTBURY ON TRYM

Finding westbury to the north of Bristol was not in its self a big problem, finding Casamia proved to be a little harder. Set back from the high street behind a wrought iron gate you find a rather quaint alley leading to the entrance door of the restaurant. Casamia is a family run restaurant with Dad front of house and the two sons in the kitchen, originally a main stream Italian but now following the Molecular gastronomy route with ultra modern cooking. Italian influences are still evident amongst the menu which recently helped the restaurant and cooking to achieve a coveted michelin star in the 2009 guide.

With two different menu's on offer this lunch time, we opted for the lunch menu as time was not to our advantage, this menu was then offered at £20 for three courses. On being seated we were presented with a small loaf of bread cut into five slices, apart from the odd number and ensuing argument as there was two of us and five slices, the bread was exceptional , moist, warm and great textured, a real treat, seeing how two of our Michelin 3 starred restaurants buy there bread in!

Although a little slow to start with, the service gradually improved once the wait staff eventually ceased handing out little glasses and showing off with isi syphons, although not a part of the lunch menu some tables were seated after us and received the gas drinks while we were seated empty handed. For first courses my partner had the pigeon and i opted for the beetroot risotto with pickled fennel, pistachios and iced yogurt. The risotto was flavourful if a little pungent, resulting in a good cough on a couple of occasions. The dish was good but the very small portion size, made it a struggle to eat, with all of the accompaniments a deeper beetroot flavour would have been more welcome. Second courses arrived with my partner opting for slow roast pork and salisfy, myself olive oil poached salmon, chicken wing and Jerusalem artichoke puree the salmon had benefited from the olive oil poaching no doubt sous vide leaving a very agreeable moist piece of fish that deserved recognition, as for the inclusion of the chicken wing was it there to make up the numbers we shall never know. My partner's slow roast pork was succulent and a little try of the salisfy was a first for us both, on too dessert i opted for the chocolate tart with beetroot ice cream, it struck as strange in a restaurant cooking at this level to have principle ingredients repeated, although the ice cream had a wonderful texture and good flavour, sadly you needed a magnifying glass to spot the chocolate tart. The chocolate tart was fair showing good technical
skill, but sadly did not pack a big enough punch to warrant it minuscule size. On the other side of the table an angelica ice cream with mango was duly finished and so i am told was rather good.


Not a bad meal but not exceptional either, while far better than any offering in my home town of Plymouth. Following the route of molecular gastronomy is not an easy path. Judgments become clouded, portions become small and sometimes you just want something to eat! This establishment has great potential, and maybe i have lost my patience with Ultra modern cooking, but flashes of brilliance are most definately in the background with the bread and the salmon, while the presentation could hold it's own in any establishment in this country!

We paid approximately £60 for two with two bottled beers and one glass of house wine. At present the lunch pricing is slightly higher starting at £25 per head. Two menus are offered with vegaterian dishes on request.



CASAMIA

38 HIGH STREET
WESTBURY ON TRYM
BRISTOL
BS9 3DZ
ENGLAND
TEL : 0117 959 2884
http://www.casamiarestaurant.co.uk/

TAHINI SAUCE

A simple sauce made from that staple of the middle east, Tahini. Tahini is made from sesame seeds and is an essential ingredient to various dishes from the middle east including hummous and Baba ganoush. Tahini sauce can be a wonderful accompaniment to grilled or roasted veg, or even crudite, Fish and falafel pair well, but if like me you can throw out the rule book and eat the sauce with what you fancy or use as a salad dressing!

RECIPE;
3 tbsp of tahini paste
2 cloves garlic
1 lime or lemon if preferred
Water(cold)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

METHOD;
Using a pestle and mortar pound the garlic with a small pinch of sea salt, when pounded to a paste add the Tahini and combine. Add the lime juice, taste and adjust to preferred seasoning. To achieve the right consistency thin with a little water adding a tablespoon at a time, the consistency should resemble thick cream.

FIVE SPICE POTATO AND ONION KEBABS

Absolutely delicious and very simple to make these kebabs ooze flavour. You will need kebab skewers preferably metal ones long enough to hold four baby new potatoes each. First make the marinade/basting liquid.


BASTE/MARINADE;
3 TBSP OF VEGATABLE OIL OR GROUNDNUT OIL
2 TSP OF CHINESE FIVE SPICE POWDER
VERY SMALL PINCH OF SALT

KEBABS;
4 METAL SKEWERS
16 BABY NEW POTATOES
ONION CUT INTO WEDGES
SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
HALF A LIME


Blanch the new potatoes for 7-8 minutes in boiling water, drain. When cool enough to handle thread an onion wedge then a potato and so on till you end with an onion wedge, you should have four potatoes and five onion wedges. Place on a grill rack or in a roasting tray and baste all over with the marinade, season with salt and pepper, then place into a pre - heated oven (190c/375f/gas 5) for 35 minutes. You should have enough marinade for two more bastes during cooking.

TO SERVE;
Half a lime for four kebabs. Place the skewers onto a plate, and squeeze the juice of half a lime over the kebabs. This is a great side dish to serve with filled pitta breads or eat alone as a tasty snack.

RESTAURANT GORDON RAMSAY

Amongst many people i know, the mention of Gordon Ramsay fields mixed reviews. A lot of people know him as the celebrity chef with lots of restaurants, and a big mouth, but not many in my circle realise the level that he cooks at, or should i say the level of cooking that his establishments strive for! Gordon Ramsay currently holds the third highest amount of Michelin stars in the world, which puts him in double figures with an empire that stretches from the far east to the US via Europe and South Africa. Gordon Ramsay's flag ship restaurant is where we found ourselves recently, situated in the heart of London's Chelsea amongst the six figurered price tag properties - with a wine list to match the wealth of the area and a well heeled clientele, hence Mr Ramsay's jacket required dress code. Being made to wear a jacket was not a good start for me as i am not and never will be a fan of wearing a jacket to lunch or dinner, so i was praying at the least for something spectacular. Now i must say in top restaurants there will normally be at least one embarrassing incident and not always the other half's fault, but for once this was plain sailing! With the wealth of experience and professionalism front of house, we were put at ease and made to feel more than welcome! The old saying first impressions count certainly rang true, but what is unique is the fact that this restaurant realises you have travelled to be there, realised that you have saved up for this meal and that there is every chance that it is a special occasion! These little touches are what make this establishment worth every little penny that changes hands, not an obnoxious waiter in sight or a snivelling Sommelier trying not too laugh at our poor choice of wine which incidentally was one of the cheapest on the list at £30 a bottle. Menu options were presented by the Maitre D - Jean Claude Breton along with general small talk about our visit and if a special occaison was being celebrated, which it was my birthday! We settled on the lunch menu at £45 per three courses. First we were presented with an amuse of sun dried tomato consomme with summer vegetables and langoustine which had a great depth of flavour, but a clean taste. First courses arrived shortly after with the Diane opting for a gratin of ceps and salad and myself a saffron rissotto with seafood, presented by three waiters and sauced at the table. Main courses of Daurade royale, navet carrots ,radish, baby gem lettuce and artichoke barigoule and slow roast pork belly with apples and Madeira jus followed quickly. The pork wonderfully tender and moist with the jus perfectly complimenting the dish. After declining the invitation of cheese(£8 supplement) we moved on to dessert. Rum baba ,gariguette strawberries ,lemon balm with vanilla ice cream was very good, but deep down i was envious of Diane's Banana parfait, passion fruit and salted caramel ice cream which looked delicious and sublime and of which i was duly informed was in fact excellent. On to coffee and chocolates and an unexpected surprise. White and dark individual chocolates presented on little spikes mimicking a tree of sorts were clever and very well made, these were closely followed by a small container spilling dry ice which contained white chocolate covered strawberry ice cream. Then a birthday surprise from the kitchen a little raspberry sorbet with a candle which was very novel and much appreciated but best of all you could taste the essence of raspberry. This was a nice touch from the restaurant as little thoughts like this do not cost much, but last forever in memories. As for embarrassing incidents we left unscathed apart from the the photo session, and a trip to the kitchen to meet the extremely talented head chef Clare Smyth.

In this day and age of odd flavour combinations that for the most part do not work and chemistry labs replacing kitchens and not forgetting the need for the periodic table on a plate, this was a welcome experience even if i had to wear a bloody jacket. The cooking is outstanding and the service excellent, with well executed and thought out dishes, presented nicely without the need for interference from picasso. Recent articles and reviews in cyberspace nod towards the vibe that Royal Hospital road is dated and not adding the wow factor, while this may be true for some, for others the cooking is excellent, classical and refined with enough modern touches to keep up to date with the avent garde of today.



Set lunch £45 - 3 courses
A la carte £90 - 3 courses
Menu prestige £120 - 7 courses


12.5 % gratuity on top of bill


Opening times: 12-2.30pm
18.30 - 23.00

Address: 68 Royal hospital road
London
SW3 4HP
TEL: 020 7352 4441
FAX: 020 7352 3334

Reservations on above number up to 2 months in advance, or 1 month on new online reservation system (lunch bookings only)


Dress code: Jackets preferred- no jeans

Restaurant website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/

PICKLED BEETROOT

Pickling and preservation have been such a part of our lives in times gone by - that cheap supermarket shopping and year round produce has not only de - skilled us as a nation but has removed the need to preserve what is at it's best when in season! The point of preservation was to preserve what would not be available and is somehow ironic now that the methods that were employed years ago that produced slightly different flavours to the original fresh product have become fashionable accompaniments. Here is our Pickled Beetroots, very easy to make!

TO COOK;

6 Beetroot

Wash the beetroot in cold water, then cut off the top and tail end leaving the skin intact. Place into unsalted boiling water for 1 1/2 - 2 hrs depending on size, if the skin comes away easily they are cooked or alternatively pierce with a sharp knife, if there is no give in the beetroot and the knife glides easily through they are ready.


TO PICKLE;

You will need the following;

1 litre/2 pints of malt vinegar

15g 0f Allspice

15g of Tellicherry black pepper corns or black pepper corns

2 bay leafs

6 cooked Beetroot

1 large jar or two medium (enough to hold the beetroot and vinegar)

Bring the pepper,spices,bay and vinegar to the boil, once boiling turn off the heat and allow to infuse. Allow the vinegar to go cold and strain. Slice the prepared beetroot into 5-6mm slices and place into sterilized jar/s, then pour over the cold vinegar, and if desired place the bay leaf/s into the jar/s or discard. Cover with clingfilm if using metal lids and close with a tight fitting lid. Allow 1 week before eating. Pickled beetroot will last up to 9 months in a sealed jar.

NOTE;

To sterilize the jars before use, place jars in boiling water for 10 minutes and allow to dry upside down on a clean tea towel or place into a dishwasher and allow a full cycle.