Eat Like Ushi

Located in one of the major town squares of Dubrovnik (which also has a uninspiring market during the day) was a place recommended to me specifically for mussels from a local elderly lady whom I was renting a room from. The staff at Kamenice are lovely - because there is only outside seating, it is in their interest to ensure guests are comfortable. On this cold windy day, my reluctance to eat outside was met by the loan of a large thick blanket to wrap around my shoulders and body. It helped a lot to break the wind.

Oysters from the nearby town of Ston are particularly noted and as such I had a few. The flavour is mild and sweet, but they consist of very little meat being extremely thin.

The Orni Rizot HRK70 (cuttlefish risotto) was a large serving of rice, basic salty flavour assisted by lemon, but with only small pieces of cuttlefish littered throughout.

The Musule na Buzara HRK60 mussels were the highlight of anticipation. I counted 63 mussels in the serving. What was most prominent was the white wine flavour was intensely strong with a slight bitterness that actually made the dish more memorable than the standard Brussels equivalent. Unfortunately as tasty and generous as the serving was, the mussels were not debearded properly (or at all) and so each mussel required separating the beard or spitting it out. Not a complete deal breaker, but something to note.

Next time I would order the same trio again. The oysters are cheap and worth trying. The risotto is a nice staple. The mussels are the main feature and as long as you don't mind the beards too much, they are delicious and different.

Picking a dinner place in Hvar Town was difficult. There really isn't much information online to separate places from one another. The best restaurant region seemed to be up the stairs to the eating streets behind the Park Hotel.

Passarola was not my first choice - in fact I didn't even have it on my list. Given that it was the start of October (and that many restaurants shut when September ends including Marinero and Lucullus) the first places I tried were closed. Dalmatino is Tripadvisor #1 and was open but the menu was quite remarkably more expensive than the others around. The last on my list (slow-food restaurant Golden Shell aka Zlatna Skoljka) was in fact open and had a delicious sounding lobster tasting menu. However because they had no guests, the chef wasn't even in the restaurant. The manager recommended Passarola as an excellent place for quality seafood similar to those I had been looking at.

I later discovered the chef at Passarola is well renowned for cooking fish directly over a bed of charcoal in the restaurant's open oven and won many awards for this previously having being featured in magazines.

My hunger had overtaken my brain and so I ordered excitedly and wildly.
- starter of bread with smoked fish
- Octopus Carpaccio with Sea-Urchin Sorbetto HRK90 (carpaccio od hobotnice sa sorbetom od mors) - perhaps the only disappointing dish. Ice-cold octopus (some of the centre slices were stuck together suggesting this was frozen ahead) that was nice but with a sorbet that lacked any semblance of sea urchin;
- Cream Scampi Soup with Truffle HRK40 (krem juha od skampi s tartufima) - rich scampi flavoured broth with an unexpectedly good strong truffle flavour intermittently coming through;
- San Jacques Scallops in Truffle & Saffron Sauce HRK95 (capesante u umaku od tartufa i safrana) - sweet pan-seared scallops, cooked through and accompanied by a creamy sauce with only a hint of truffle;
- First Class Fish on Grill HRK200 (riba na zaru 500g) - fresh fish of the day was tuna cooked over the coals. As I salivated and watched this cook, I was slightly concerned. The cooking time seemed much longer than I would usually expect for a fish fillet, especially as I like seared outside and rare pink inside. I should never have doubted the expert chef - the tuna was exceptionally cooked, with a charred lovely surface housing a warm but otherwise rare delicate flesh. Olive oil and red peppercorns lifted it majestically. One of the best fish dishes I've eaten;
- Paradizot (Milk, Biscuits, Eggs) - a type of ice-cream and biscuit slice served with a berry compote and some sweet floss. 

Definite recommendation for any time of year and especially so in the off-peak season when many other options close.

Next time I would order anything served from the grill. There is a large seafood choice - let the staff guide you to what is recommended and fresh and local.

Walking along the waterside in Hvar Town, I was beckoned to sit down on a bench by a male in the late 20s or early 30s. I was a bit unclear about his intentions - could he be touting me for a tour or trying to lure me into a brothel given the off-season had just started? He started asking where I was from and what I was doing in town. He introduced himself as a local and proceeded to give me information about the place - sites to visit, directions to walk, recommended times of day to go to places, even directed me to a place to have my sunglasses fixed. Part of the conversation naturally included food, and he suggested For restaurant for simple local food that people eat at home.

Thanking him for his recommendation I went past several hours later and noted the menu included Gregada, which I was specifically determined to try. Gregada is simply recommended described online as a type of fish stew that originated and thus is best eaten in Hvar.

For's version was a locally caught Gilt-Head Bream HRK116 for 290g (recommended choice by the waitress) braised on sauce with olive oil, onion, white wine and potatoes. It came with a refreshing bowl of salad HRK15 (mala sezonska sala) and bread to soak up the juices. The flavour combination (as you can gather from the ingredients listed) is certainly not unique as I'm quite sure various regions of Europe have influenced each other. The sauce was surprisingly mild with light fishy taste accentuated by a hint of white wine. The fish was fresh with soft flesh easy to eat. I savoured every part including the cheeks.

Next time I would order the Gregada although with more people a larger meatier fish could be used. Additionally the price of Gregada at For is approximately 30-50% cheaper than other places, especially those restaurants along the port and the more upmarket/expensive ones behind on the other side. There is a good selection of other seafood dishes, pastas and risotto also to try.

After taking the train from Slovenia to Croatia, I was looking forward to my first meal in this well-reputed but still much less popular country. Most people know about the far south Dubrovnik and the islands of Dalmatia. The northern Istria region is known as a food haven with much influence from the adjacent Italy.

Although not strictly in Istria, I hoped to find Istrian white truffles in Rijeka, but after much walking around I wasn't able to find any restaurant which sold dishes with them (maybe I was a little too early in the year) nor any shops that had any fresh to sell. Therefore my backup was to take advantage of the fact that Croatia has the highest proportion of seaside coast than any country in the world, and eat seafood.

There isn't much information online for dining in Rijeka - it is probably more of a town people pass through or take ferries from than anything else. After much walking, I settled into Na Kantunu for its location in a quiet area near the waterway, there were only a few diners this cold, raining evening and there was some nice space to rest before my overnight bus.

From the recommendation of the host for whatever was most fresh and local that day which seemed focussed upon cuttlefish and squid.

The Black Risotto HRK30 (rizot lignje mala) was delicious - beautifully al dente rice, thick black salty sauce, and tender delicious cuttlefish pieces. The best version of this dish I've had throughout Australia, Mediterranean and even dare I say Spain.

Following the theme of freshness that day, I also had the Small Cuttlefishes & Squids HRK45 (lignje domace) local, boned and fried whole. These were thick pieces of whole squid fried until crispy. A squeeze of fresh lemon complemented the oil and salt well. It was served with a kind of mash mix of potato and spinach - for a bit of balance and to fill you up.

Next time I would order the Black Risotto again. The Red Risotto sounds delicious also, but the host specifically recommended the Black which is why I settled upon it. I think there are many places in the world that can fry seafood well, so I would stick to other cooking methods here. Unfortunately they didn't have Shells that day else I would have ordered that. Fresh local fish of the day is also a good looking alternative.

Martin Berasategui's restaurant has a large number of accolades. It was in the Top 50 restaurants in the world for 6 years, culminating at 27 before falling out in 2012 and also holds the TA #1 position for San Sebastian, which is a feat given the quality of restaurants in the town. Online reviewers comparing the great restaurants of San Sebastian often suggest that his 'greatest hits' menu is the one to go for and is perhaps the most friendly, accessible and easily liked cuisine in amongst the gastronomy restaurants.

The restaurant was quiet for lunch in June, with only one other table that day. After a taxi ride, we ended up in a lovely restaurant that included a balcony area overlooking the grassy hillsides of the region.

The menu €175pp seemed to be more recent than I would expect for a greatest hits, but was full of bright colours, foams and tasty jellies with no dish disappointing or tasting awkward. He seems to especially like green.

"I propose that you allow me to seduce you in small mouthfuls... seductive, light and succulent, they will whet your appetite and be the introduction to a magnificent meal"

- 1995 Mille-Feuille of Smoked Eel, Foie-Gras, Spring Onions & Green Apple - flavour mix of buttery foie gras, sweet apple, salty eel;
- 2001 Squid Soup, Creamy Squid Ink Ravioli served with Squid Crouton - deliciously strong squid dish, slivers of soft flesh, sweet ink morsel.

"This will be followed by:"

- 2011 Oyster with Cucumber, Kaffir & Coconut - cold oyster in a beautiful salty sweet Thai-style broth;
- 2012 Morsel of Asparagus & Raw Truffle, Air & Juice - strong truffle flavour, light cheese, roast sunflower seeds adding texture;
- 2009 Little Pearls of Raw Fennel, Risotto & Emulsion - raw crispy fennel topping soft sweet 'risotto' of fennel pieces, air emulsion;
- 2012 Smoked Balloon with Mille-Feuilles of Endives, Oily Fish, Watercress & Chickweed - smoked fish liquid balloons with smokey mackerel pieces, watercress broth, light cheese;
- 2011 "Gorrotxategi" Egg Resting on a Herb Liquid Salad & Dewlap Carpaccio - perfect poached yolk, beetroot pieces, green herb sauce, truffle oil & vintage cheese;
- 2001 Warm Vegetable Hearts Salad with Seafood, Cream of Lettuce & Iodized Juice - gorgeous plate of colourful salad ingredients, tomato water, jelly salad;
- 2011 Roast Red Mullet with Crystals of Edible Scales, Tail & Marine Salad with Sesame & Nuts - meaty portions of pig tail, soft mullet, juice tasting like wakame, almond cream;
- 2011 Grilled Sirloin "Luismi" over a Bed of Swiss Chard Chlorophyll & Cheese Bonbon - rare local San Sebastian beef, good combination with cheese, salt and chlorophyll.

"And desserts to finish:"

- 2012 Melon with Caipirinha, Lemongrass Sorbet, Crispy Flowers & Sheep's Milk - alcoholic jelly, sweet melon, delicious subtle lemongrass sorbet;
- 2012 Chocolate Frost with Mint, Asparagus, Caramelised Pumpkin & Bitter Coffee Icecream - chocolate & orange aerated sponge, bitter coffee icecream, mint, ice, asparagus pearls;
- tower of petit fours - cinnamon milk drink, alcoholic cranberry juice, portions of pistachio nougat chocolate.

Overall an excellent meal. The flavours were great and no dishes were questionable. In comparison to Akelare and Mugaritz, I think Martin Berasategui had the most straight forward dishes using fine gastronomical technique, although the other two probably have a more inventive edge.

Set on a hill overlooking the ocean, Akelare is known for having one of the classically top 3 chefs in San Sebastian and for commanding a magnificent mountain-top view over the ocean. Given that Spanish dinners start at 8:30pm (and the opening time for many of the top restaurants in San Sebastian is thus 8:30pm), the perfect season to go is summer when it coincides with sunset.

Unluckily for me, this particular summer day was fraught with rain, fog and cloud. Throughout dinner the skies got darker, there was a glimpse of the ocean below at one brief point, but otherwise disappeared amongst mist. At least the food was good.

Akelare offers two tasting menus named Aranori and Bekarki. I don't know if there is a different concept between the two, but I chose Bekarki €145 as it sounded more molecular.

Sea Garden Appetizers
- Prawn's Sand - dried mini-prawns ground into a crispy crustacean sand;
- Oyster Leaf. Take the leaf & feel its flavour & aroma - a leaf that tastes like an oyster. Don't understand how, go figure;
- Mussel with "Shell", now that it with the spoon, whole in your mouth - mussel coated in cocoa;
- Sea Urchin's Sponge - onion-flavoured textual sponge, but couldn't detect any sea urchin;
- Beach Pebbles (shallot & corn) - soft corn morsel;
- Codium Seaweed Coral (goose barnacles tasting tempura) - crispy seaweed tempura.
Served with a drink of pomegranate and kava.

Bekarki Menu
- Xangurro in Essence, its Coral Blini and "Gurullos" (the crustacean's meat is reinforced by its juice. Accompany with the pasta that looks like rice grains) - intense crab-flavoured combination of crab meat patty, wet bread soaked in a thick crab liquid and served with salty fish rice;
- Razor Shell with Veal Shank (combine razor shell with veal and cauliflower mushroom. Textures, flavours, contrasts...) - oceany soft clam, thick meaty veal jus, delicate slight crunchy fungus;
- Sauteed Fresh Foie Gras with "Salt Flakes and Grain Pepper" (sauteed foie gras with a lot of "Salt'n'Pepper") - perfectly warm and cooked delicious foie gras onto which the waitress dumped a shocking amount of "salt" (crystallised sugar) and "pepper" (fried vanilla rice cream) which complemented the flavours beautifully;
- (alternative course to foie gras) Pasta Carpaccio, Piquillo and Iberic with Parmesan shrooms (homemade pasta with piquillo and Iberic flavour. It feels like eating cold meat, even though it's vegetable) - black truffle slices on a light thin pasta, but not enough mushroom flavour;
- Turbot with its "Kokotxa" (the preparation is made entirely with turbot, including its "kokotxa". Pil-pil sauce. A crispy chip of its own skin") - turbot with fake cheek, soft like mash with a strong salty fish flavour;
- "Desalted" Cod Box with Shavings (crystallized cod presented in a fish box, over eatable shavings & cod tripes in tomato water) - cod flesh covered with rice powder, salt, served on pasta shavings and cod tripe in a clarified tomato sauce (like pure natural MSG);
- Roasted Suckling Pig with Tomato "Bolao" & Iberian Emulsion (to get a crisp & juicy texture, the baby pig is cooked in Iberian broth and finished in the oven. Start with the baby pig with tomato "bolao", continue with another bit of the Iberico emulsion. Finish tasting all together. Tomato "bolao". Iberico emulsion) - cute potato chip pig, roasted garlic, vegetable liquid and excellent pork with crispy skin;
- Carved Beef, Tail Cake "Potatoes and Peppers" (red meat, like we eat the rib. Tail cake with foie gras. Eat with your fingers the coppered potato and the piquillo peppers and the meat with a little bit of the juice) - superb rare beef, crispy chips and sweet sauce;
- Milk and Grape, Cheese and Wine in Parallel Evolution (grapevine, curded sheep milk & walnut. Powdered fresh cream with chives & grapes. Quark cheese with nutmeg & pink pepper aroma, must of tapioca & tomato. Idiazabal semi-matured with quince jelly & wine dust. Brandy sirop with gorgonzola cheese ice-cream. Torta of Casar's grape with soaked raisins in Pedro Ximenez. Start from the left to the right to recognise each and every of the different flavours that the milk has, as well as the transformations that the grape & milk suffers from the origin up to the oldness) - from the left, weak like tofu, sweet grape light cheese, salty yoghurt, strong, and lastly ultra strong;
- Layered Strawberry & Cream (a reconstructed strawberry. Strawberries and cream flavour and a basil seeds game) - squeaky basil and raspberry seeds, and a giant "strawberry" of white chocolate coating a strawberries & cream filling topped with mint. Brilliant design.

Overall an excellent meal of creative reconstructions, various textures and flavours from both quality natural ingredients and innovative designed ingredients. Although not in the San Pellegrino Top 100 restaurants, Akelare is commonly listed in the top 3 in San Sebastian. One of the key factors is the combination of menu quality with the setting high on the cliff is unmatched, and so I would certainly try and reserve a table next to the window on an evening when the sunset will be colourful and late.

Looking for a dinner close to home that was untested had few options. Luckily with the thriving food options of Shoreditch and Spitalfields, there is always something available. Androuet is a dedicated specialty cheese shop in Spitalfields market that happens to have a dining menu that makes use of their products.

It might seem excessive to have an entire meal based on cheese, especially when I'm not the biggest fan, but worth trying once.

- Bleu des Cousses (blue), Gratte Palille (soft), St Nectaire (medium hard), Trufflew with white truffle honey with Caramelised Walnuts with Honey & Thyme, Caramelised Onion Chutney - a selection of cheeses from their store. Trufflew was a sweet favourite. Other comments were that the blue wasn't as strong as expected;
- Selection of Nibbles (parmesan & cardamom crisps, croquette with brie & prosciutto, Welsh rarebit with Westcombe cheddar) - Welsh rarebit was my favourite dish with aged cheddar melted on baguette. The croquette was smooth and rich also.
- Selection of Charcuterie (guinea fowl & cepes terrine, speck, rillette, saucisson de Montagne, pickles) - meaty terrine and a spreadable flaky rillette were the choices from this platter;
- Chorizo Iberico - simple, straight forward;
- Androuet Cheese Burger (29 days aged beef, bacon, Fourme d'Ambert blue cheese, hand cut chips) - unexpectedly the chips were some of the best I've had as crispy perfectly shaped rectangles with good salt and crispy outsides. The burger was a good medium rare to order but the cheese wasn't very strong amongst the other elements;
- Camembert baked with Almonds, Honey & Pears - an intense dish of molten cheese, incredibly strong with some honey to balance out the flavour. Not a dish to ever have on your own;
- Androuet Tartiflette (layers of potatoes, bacon, onion, cream topped with rich Reblochon cheese from Monsieur Paccard) - a baking dish of potatoes topped with cheese & bacon sitting in oil and a cheese rind on top. Again a bit too heavy on cheese.

Other than the burger, I enjoyed the starters most. The mains do seem to be suited toward cheese fanatics who can eat large amount of it in one sitting, much like a fondue. For the rest of us, I think stick to the less intense dishes.

Next time I would order Welsh rarebit, Croquettes and Selection of Charcuterie to start, Cheese Burger for main, and an additional order of hand cooked chips. Only if you are in a group that likes fondue would I ever suggest considering any of the heavy cheese mains.

I had read to try two of Hackteufel's popular dishes. Sauerkraut-Orgie for the hungry, Apfelstrudel for the sweet and luckily they had a Wild Boar dish also.

- Sauerkraut-Orgie - smooth mildly spicy sausage, slices of a pork loaf with chestnuts, lovely pork belly with crispy skin, a warm mess of fried pickled onion with some pork bits, and the standard thick starchy dumpling;
- Odenwalder Wildschweinsmedaillons - slightly chewy wild boar with delicious sauteed mushrooms, sweet cranberries, salad and a dumpling;
- Apfelstrudel - satisfying without being special, served with really great vanilla icecream and smooth vanilla custard.

I wouldn't say that any of the dishes were exceptional, but they were all hearty and filling. True to my previous opinion, German cuisine isn't known to be spectacular, more industrial to serve purpose and this certainly did that.

I would eat at Schnitzelbank at first choice, but since this is only open at night, Hackteufel is a safe choice for lunch.

Next time I would order any of the pork dishes since it is the most local. Of the meats I tried, the pork belly was probably the best and so Pork Roast Bavarian-Style looks like a good option for next time.

Luckily they also have a large selection of chocolate products to buy for yourself or to gift to others. I ended up spending nearly €70 on a couple of enormous 800g chocolate blocks, a few smaller samples and their specialty of spoons for flavoured hot chocolate drinks.

I tasted a sample of the Schwarzwalder (Black Forest) which is a specialty of the region. This was fantastic, with a lovely 65% dark chocolate riddled with some candied cherry and hazelnuts soaked with aniseed flavour. One of the most unique chocolate blocks I've ever tried. Naturally an 800g block of this was on the shopping list.

The Chocolate Brownie is a heavy smooth dark chocolate riddled with a base of walnuts. A little too much for breakfast, but would be perfect to share for a late night treat. They recommended having it at room temperature although I tend to like warm generally.

Next time I would order the Chocolate Brownie warmed up to eat in and a Schwarzwalder bar to walk around with. Delicious.