Eat Like Ushi

I've never thought of German food as particularly exciting. It really does tend to be just lots of fried and roasted meats. Although generally quite simplistic in flavour, they do these things surprisingly well.

Thus when I saw the Tripadvisor number 1 in Heidelberg was a German cuisine place, I was curious. There isn't a lot of information out there to compare for this city, which is surprising as it is a gorgeous classic city very near the enormous transport hub of Frankfurt.

Schnitzelbank gets easy full marks for atmosphere - a rather small cosy bar with mainly communal tables. On my Tuesday night during a cold evening seating was easy to find amongst mainly Germans eating, drinking and making new friends with whoever sat near them.

The wintry special of Gluh-wein was a very sweet version and easy to drink.

Schnitzelbank had to have gotten schnitzel right or it would be laughable. Luckily the schnitzel was a really tasty 1/2 inch thick pork fried in a crispy and nicely uneven textured surface. It was a real difference from the complete uniform breadcrumb versions I've had in Austria and Slovenia. This was more like a fish'n'chip style coating with a slight taste of having been fried with some butter. The pork itself was a little chewy but the flavour especially with lemon made up for it. This came with crisp fried potato pieces which were a decadent man's fries. The healthy part was a pickled spinach in a buttery mash.

I was tempted by the Apple Strudel dessert but the barman didn't seem that excited by it, recommending instead a dessert of Stewed Raspberries in a hot wine sauce with vanilla icecream and cream. Very very sweet; a little too much for me.

Next time I would order any of the 3 schnitzels that give Schnitzelbank its name. I chose mine as it is the classic version and I particularly wanted the fried potatoes. I'd also try the Apple Strudel just to know.

A brief break in between a wedding ceremony and reception seemed like the perfect opportunity to try Melbourne's reputed best burger. Given the explosion of London burger joints, it isn't surprising we've been putting many to the test.

I tried the Denise burger, which is a Huxtaburger - beef pattie, mustard, mayo, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce, pickles - upgraded with jalapenos and sriracha mayo. What can I say, it is an ugly but very soft breaded bun (from Breadtop I've heard), a strongly flavoured salty meaty pattie and some standard supporting ingredients. Overall very good and split the crowd as to whether it was preferred over MeatLiquor (I prefer the latter for its unadulterated meat and megagrease bun).

Crinkle cut chips were simple to complete the classic pairing, and washed down with some nice cider.

Next time I would order the Bills or Theo just for some change and comparison. Chipotle chips are also available on specific request and I think they would more memorable than the basic one.

I've long-sampled most of Melbourne's reputed yum cha venues. The popular favourites around town are Golden Dragon Palace, Taipan, Gold Leaf, Shark Fin House, David's. My regular is the lesser known Minh Tan 2 in Abbotsford. The latest front runner is Neil Perry's Spice Temple - but unfortunately I wasn't around on a day on which they were serving lunch.

One place on the list that is conveniently located in the middle of the city is Oriental Tea House. Actually it is unexpectedly in the business district of town rather than in Chinatown which would potentially be off-putting. How surprising it was that the food turned out to be great.

First of all, as the name suggests, this is a tea house. They specialise in drinking tea, selling tea, teapots and other tea accessories. As an aside they serve yum cha to mainly corporates and caucasian retirees. I suppose this would usually be ominous for Cantonese, but give it a try.

- Chicken Feet (steamed with Black Bean Sauce);
- Scallop Dumplings (Minced Seafood wrapped & topped with a Scallop) - quality dumpling with a tasty scallop;
- Chilli Wagyu Beef Dumplings (Wagyu Beef Marinated with Kaffir Lime Leaves steamed in a Wonton Skin served with Special Chilli Sauce) - outstanding smooth texture with a beautiful chilli dipping sauce;
- Roast Duck Dumplings (Beetroot Wrapper with Shredded Duck, Chicken, Pork & Vegetables) - not a bad combination, but more striking appearance than taste revelation;
- Deep Fried Octopus - very nice fried flavour, although texture not as tender as Minh Tan;
- Sticky Rice (combined with Chicken, Mushroom, Egg Yolk, Prawns, BBQ Pork & Chinese Sausage steamed in a Lotus Leaf) - simple standard version.

The tea was a pure Jasmine flower in a clear pot. Perfect to complement the meal.

Next time I would order the Wagyu Beef Dumplings and any selection of the Seafood Dumplings (prawn or scallop). All the other dishes are standard but good quality Cantonese that probably cost a little more for the setting and table service. But you'll be satisfied. There are a lot of teas to select from also.

Osteria Nuova is a much more casual food option in Alba. It's open for dinner each day and also for lunch on weekends only. After being rejected on Friday night for turning up alone, I was lucky to score a seat for Saturday lunch. They seemed surprised and relieved when I told them I was happy if a random sat on my table.

- Ovetto al Pailot & Tartufo Bianca - they translated to me as an omelette, but turned out to be a fried egg with white truffle. Only one egg with not as much truffle as I'd expect for the price;
- Brasato al Vino Rosso - braised beef stew served with fried potatoes. Strong wine-flavoured stew with reasonably tender beef. Very tasty potatoes;
- Panna Cotta - really beautiful dessert of delicately smooth cream, laced with delicious sweet sauce and served with burnt caramel peanut sticks. Sensational.

Overall a nice relaxing place to eat. Definitely recommended as an alternative to all the otherwise fine dining recommended venues in Alba.

Next time I would order any you like and finish with the Panna Cotta. Whether intended or not, the many other Italians in the restaurant all ordered it too. The select daily pasta and meat dishes all look good to warm your belly.

I won't lie and say I intended to eat at Enoclub. In my indecision, I hadn't booked anything, expecting that on a Friday night in Alba there wouldn't be so many people as to book out most of the town's restaurants. I admit having the White Truffle fair on the Saturday may have skewed it against me, but nonetheless I thought I was unlucky as I walked around from place to place being rejected over and over, oftentimes because I was a sole diner and they didn't want me to take up a whole table. Bastards.

Just for the record, the places of note were Piazza Duomo (2 Michelin star, TA #1, be careful this is NOT the pizzeria of the same name), Osteria dell Arco, Osteria La Libera and Osteria Nuova.

Enoclub was actually suggested to me by two of my rejectors - I would otherwise not have found it or considered it. The venue is actually quite nice, and I happily sat at the empty bar section enjoying the more informal setting. The specials of the night obviously revolved around the white truffle and I selected two dishes which I hadn't tried with truffle yet:

- Uovo in Tegame all'occhio con Tartufo Bianco d'Alba - fried egg with sliced white truffle. Often thought the best way to enjoy white truffle with the scent and flavour accentuated by egg yolk. Not bad at all, but it feels painful paying €30 for fried eggs;
- Carne Cruda di Vitello Fassone con Tartufo Bianco d'Alba - Fassone veal tartare topped with white truffle to mix through. Good quality tartare with the occasional hint of white truffle flavour, although not enough truffle for €40.

Next time I would order something more standard from their basic menu of salad, ragout, pasta, burger. Alternatively book one of the other places who seem to have more extravagant regular dishes.

Wandering through Alba looking for somewhere to eat lunch turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. Since I didn't have a dedicated lunch venue, I ended up walking around the small town centre until I found a place that looked promising.

Sognatori certainly ticked the right boxes - located on a street not on the main drag, a local tavern, filled with Italians, and a menu that only exists with a few hand written words on a piece of paper.

The service was great - the waitress didn't speak English but was friendly and smiled. The host of the venue spoke better English and was very personable complimenting me some free dishes, a free glass of house wine, and topping my pasta with additional butter and white truffle until he thought it was satisfactory.

Supporting dishes was a slice of mild Goat's Cheese topped with White Truffle. Since fondue is supposedly one of the main ways to enjoy white truffle, I imagine this was a more scaled down and simple version. It was adequate, although I wouldn't pick it as my favourite truffle dish. I also received a dish of Potato Gnocchi topped with a lot of parmesan - heavy and dense and probably a little too much richness for the end of the meal.

But the star of the show was their version of Tajarin with White Truffle. As mentioned earlier, after I tossed the truffle slices through, the host looked and took it away to add more butter and truffle as he thought it needed more. At €47 for the dish, you'd expect about 5-8g of white truffle for the €40 and it was certainly the most generous of any of the restaurant dishes. It was a stronger truffle and butter flavour and scent than Tre Galline. I added a little parmesan but in hindsight this was probably a mistake as the cheese dampened the truffle flavour slightly. It certainly wasn't mindblowing and I doubt I would pay that much for the dish again, but at least I left knowing this is what it is supposed to be.

Next time I would order whatever their daily menu is serving. Classic Italian dishes of pasta, rice, meat and seafood with house wine and port selections to complement. Service was friendly and inviting and would easily return again.

Considering the food reputation of Piedmont, it was unexpectedly difficult to find good information about restaurants in Turin. Perhaps it is because the city isn't often high on traveller's to-do lists. In any case I was quite excited by the reviews of Tre Galline - well reputed on a blog of someone living in Turin, decent reviews on Tripadvisor mostly by Italians, and even on a cold night where people kept off the street, Tre Galline was still full of Italian customers with more being turned away at the door.

Given it was white truffle season, the recommendations of the place were white truffle dishes and the bollito misto - the specialty dish of Piedmont.

- Starter - parsley, garlic, anchovies in a paste on a slice of pork;
- Tajarin Pasta with Butter Sauce topped with Fresh White Truffles - a rich buttery pasta with mild white truffle scent but slightly disappointing amount of taste;
- Bollito Misto - a selection of boiled meats (ox tail, veal, cheek, shin, tongue, pork sausage, chicken) with a chicken consumee and candied fruit in a thick horseradish gel. It was served with horseradish, apple & grape, mayonaisse, and tomato sauces. Sadly the meat was boiled in tasteless water, with the only meat with decent texture and not overcooked being the ox tail and shin (ie. those made for prolonged cooking). A surprising number of diners were ordering this - I wonder if they were as disappointed as me.

Next time I would order something else. It seems to be very popular with locals and for that reason alone I would give this place a try again for other dishes.

The variety of Shoreditch restaurants has Eyre Brothers representing in Spanish and Portugeuse flavour. The menu items sound fantastic with a great selection of ingredients and mixes. We sampled some of the following on our evening:

- Grilled Chorizo, Lentil & Parsley Salad with Sherry Vinegar;
- Salchichon Iberico (with Globe Artichoke, Broad Bean & Chive Salad);
- Pressed Madeira & Porto marinated Duck Foie Gras (with Chive Oil & Toasted Almonds);
- Grilled Mozambique Tiger Prawns Piri-Piri (with Pilaf Rice, Cucumber, Coriander & Sherry Vinegar);
- Grilled Fillet of Acorn-Fed Iberico Pig (marinated with Pimenton, Thyme & Garlic) served with Patatas Pobres (Oven Potatoes with Green Peppers, Onions, Garlic & White Wine);
- Beef Sirloin with Vegetables;
- Hake & Clams;
- Farofia (Portugeuse poached Meringue with Vanilla Custard & Fresh Raspberries);
- Three Spanish Cheeses with Quince Membrillo & Walnut Bread - mix of pasteurised and unpasteurised ewe's and goat's milk cheeses. Strong.

All of the dishes were fine, with the Fillet of Iberico Pig being the best of the lot. But it wasn't a meal that sticks in my memory to particularly recommend.

The River Cafe has a long reputation for fine Italian food in London. Much of it is probably due to the cooking careers of Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, but it did feature in the World's Top 100 restaurants for 2 years.

The one reason I hadn't tried it previously is simply that it is expensive, even by London standards. The menu is seasonal and changes daily making it slightly more difficult to prepare yourself for favourites, although there are supposedly signature dishes such as wild mushroom risotto, fish smoked in the restaurant's wood stove and chocolate nemesis.

The daily menu on this occasion had treats such as:

- Capesante in Padella (Seared Scottish Scallops with Fresh Cannellini, Cherry Tomatoes, Marjoram & Capers) - well seasoned scallops, slightly rare in the middle;
- Calamari ai Ferri (Chargrilled Squid with Fresh Red Chilli & Rocket) - soft tasty simple;
- Fegato in Padella (Calves Liver seared with Capers & Sage with Mixed Leaves, Roast Pumpkin & Speck) - mild crisp outside and firm jelly-like texture and a very powerful liver flavour, a little too much for me;
- Branzino al Forno (Wild Sea Bass roasted in Lunae Vermentino with Potatoes & Fresh Porcini al Forno & Salsa Verde) - fish smoked in their wood oven with the texture and flavour great;
- Panna Cotta with Grappa & Raspberries - vanilla pod panna cotta with a *strong* alcohol topping;
- Chocolate Nemesis - a rich chocolate mousse in the shape of a cake slice.

Not cheap but very tasty. I can certainly appreciate the quality of produce and cooking here. Save it for a special occasion meal and a nice walk along the Thames to and from.

Next time I would order more mainstream dishes and not get so creative as to think I can eat a large plate of Calves Liver. All the dishes are well executed.

London has a lot of tapas restaurants to choose from. The names of the classics include Barrafina, Brindisa, Dehesa, Salt Yard, Jose. I decided to pick Fino from the lot for a few reasons (generally good reviews, a well respected pork reputation) but mostly because the menu appealed to my preferred group situation. The options of Suckling Pig, Lamb Rack and Sangria sounded like the perfect way to celebrate my 30th birthday with a small group of friends.

The Whole Sucking Pig and Half Rack of Lamb had to be pre-ordered and added to the anticipation of the meal. We supplemented these with some tasteful options from the a la carte menu.

- Chorizo & Potato Chips - effectively deep fried spring rolls filled with chorizo & potato;
- Marinated Queen Scallops Ceviche
- Octopus with Capers - succulent slices of octopus with delicious salty capers;
- Crisp Fried Octopus Head with Romesco Sauce - more succulent octopus with a red pepper and pine nut sauce;
- Cuttlefish Wrapped in Panceta with Ink Sauce - the continuing trend of quality seafood, this time wrapped in salty panceta and served with ink sauce;
- Picos, Chicory and Walnut Salad
- The Classic Tortilla - I was expecting a simple flour tortilla, but it ended up being a heavy omelet with filling;
- Black Pudding Tortilla - tortilla filled with quite flavoursome black pudding. 

Now to the specialties. Firstly the Half-Rack of Roast Pyrenean Milk Fed Lamb was unexpectedly succulent. The meat disintegrated off the bone in a way I've only experienced with the highest quality slow-cooked beef. Fantastic texture.

Secondly the piece-de-resistance - Whole Roasted Suckling Pig is a simply roasted piglet from Segovia in Castilla-Leon. For £145 it isn't cheap, but as a spectacularly presented main course for the 6-8 people to enjoy (as part of a sharing meal) it is worth it. The pork is fantastic - the skin is crispy, the thin layer of fat under the skin is tasty, the underlying flesh is succulent. A little salt drew out the flavour of the skin and meat. Aside from the usual favourites of legs and belly, the more adventurous enjoyed the crispy ears and delicate cheek meat. Overall sensational. It was served with a pork-flavoured sauce that I didn't feel added much to the meal - I much preferred the meat on its own.

Desserts
- Donuts, Vanilla Ice-Cream 
- Creme Catalana
- Turron De Alicante - a type of almond, honey nougat
- Poached Pear in White Wine, Apple Sorbet

Overall the meal made a great choice for a birthday celebration for a small group of 6. The Suckling Pig was so memorable that it seemed to dull my memory of the other dishes. However I still fondly recall the Lamb and Seafood.

Next time I would order the Suckling Pig given enough notice. Failing this, the Crispy Pork Belly off the a la carte menu is supposedly a great alternative. I think any hot seafood (octopus, cuttlefish, arroz negro) or meat (Iberian pork ribs, chicken wings) dish would be quite safe and a better option than the tortillas and salads.