Eat Like Ushi

 Finding "Slovenian" food in Bled is quite difficult. Due to geographical proximity, much of the reputed restaurants are actually heavily Italian pizza and pasta based. A Gostilna is a traditional home, akin to a Western pub. Local food is what people come here for, hearty and simple generous servings to fill empty stomachs.

Planincu has two eating areas, an informal bar decorated with a colourful array of license plates and a more defined restaurant area. Naturally I chose the bar which happened to be while a live Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match was showing. The atmosphere was more relaxed, the bargirl was gorgeous, and the only other patrons were locals having a drink and enjoying the football.

But food is always my focus.

Goulash Soup (juha golazeva) €3.9 was a little disappointing as it was slightly watery. Some salt enhanced the meaty flavour better making it an adequate entree. Perhaps I'm used to thicker versions.

Pork Scallop Ljubljana-Style (svinjski po Ljubljansko) €9.9 actually turned out to be a pork schnitzel with one side of the pork layered with ham and cheese. The schnitzel was great, crispy coating, juicy pork and a good lemon squeeze or the light cheese and ham added a different taste when one gets too repetitive.

Next time I would order the Pork Scallop aka Wienerschnitzel quite happily. But there are many other simple-sounding options including some that make use of the fish from Lake Bled.

Dishoom has been long on my London breakfast list. I'd been particularly slack with this as most times I have mornings off, I much prefer lying in bed and blessing that I'm not required to get up. However on this occasion shopping around Covent Garden loomed and thus nearby Dishoom seemed like its time had come. The cafe has an elegant seating area upstairs with dedications to (assumably Indian) actors. The open kitchen behind includes a fire grill and tandoor from which meat scents entice you.

Unfortunately (or not?) I arrived too late to sample the much anticipated breakfast naan, but at least the House Chai was still flowing. Delicious, thin, milky with nice ginger richness. This is the first chai I've had in an Indian cafe and sets the standard very high. It is also only the second acceptable chai I've had in London (after Bea's of Bloomsbury near St. Paul's Cathedral)

After careful perusal of the menu I selected the Chicken & Pomegranate Salad (juicy jumble of pulled Murgh Malai spiced chicken thighs, Dishoom Slaw, pomegranate, mint & coriander) and a waitress-recommended Dishoom Chicken Tikka Roll (rosy warm chicken, lavish salad & tomato chilli jam).

Firstly to the Salad - absolutely spectacular. One of the best dishes I've eaten this year, with a playful collection of sweet, sour, mint flavours and soft, crunchy textures. The only equivalent salad I've ever eaten would be Hellenic Republic's Cypriot Grain Salad (in Melbourne) or an exceptional Vietnamese goi.

The Tikka Roll was a contrasting warm roti roll encasing tandoor-cooked chicken and crisp salad. Tomato chilli jam added additional kick and flavour, and I felt the roll worked even better with the Mint & Coriander sauce provided separately at the start.

I left a happy boy.

Next time I would order the Chicken & Pomegranate Salad at any time of day or night. There are many combinations of meats, roti and naan that I'm sure will taste fantastic. I will be back for breakfast and also for dinner.

2013

In late 2012, Dishoom opened a second branch in the hip happening region of Shoreditch. Unlike the Covent Garden branch, this seemed a much cooler venue with an open drinking area at the front behind some metal gates, an excellent bar which served as the table waiting area, and two main areas for dining including long tables, couple tables and retro booths.

I had the pleasure of finally making it for breakfast on a couple of occasions, most notably after Hawthorn won the 2013 Grand Final.

- House Granola (oats, seeds, cashews, almonds, pistachios, and much cinnamon, toasted in butter and honey. Served with fresh fruits and creamy yoghurt infused with Keralan vanilla pods) - healthy and delicious;
- Infamous Bacon Naan Roll (baked naan wrapped around char-striped back bacon direct from the grill, with a most palatable combination of chilli tomato jam, cream cheese and herbs) - a simple tasty combination of flavours, although I felt the dish was a bit flat (physically) and although nice wasn't worth hyping over;
- Bollybellini (raspberries, lychees, rose and cardamom sparkling with first-class Prosecco).

I was also lucky enough to have a 3 nights of dinner and drinks during the year and try a large collection of dishes.

- Spicy Lamb Chops (marinade of lime juice & jaggery, warm dark spices, ginger & garlic. Charred outside, pink inside) - these are impeccably cooked and wonderfully tasty. A lighter flavour than the Tayyabs/Needoo chops, but much better quality meat and cooking;
- Murgh Malai (chicken thigh meat is steeped overnight in garlic, ginger, coriander stems and a little cream. Still slightly pink when cooked);
- Kacchi Lamb Biryani (marinated lamb and rice cooked together in the traditional Hyderabadi style);
- Chaijito (smoky rum and Dishoom sweet-spice chai syrup muddled with fresh mint, coriander, ginger & lime).

All the food and drinks are great. The atmosphere is great. The location is great. Just go there.

Considering Longrain in Melbourne serves my favourite dishes in the world, and the head chef Martin Boetz was taught by David Thompson, it is no surprise nahm has been on my list for a long while. nahm has been one of the only Thai cuisine restaurants in the world to have a Michelin star and I have David Thompson's two famed Thai cookbooks on my shelves too. People have commented that since he opened the Bangkok branch and bases himself there, the London branch has suffered and since lost its Michelin star whilst the Bangkok has breached the San Pellegrino Top 50 list in the world.

Nonetheless despite a reduced reputation, you can't reverse years of curiosity from my belly. Given there were 4 of us, we skipped the tasting menu in favour of ordering more variety of a la carte dishes.

- Salad of Langoustines (with young ginger & lychees)
- Spicy Minced Pork Salad (with crunchy rice & betel leaves)
- Dtom Yam Hoi (hot & sour soup with mussels, turmeric & coriander)
- Smoky Kingfish Relish (with toasted coconut & chillies served with five-spice eggs, pickled greens, starfruit & green beans)
- Stir-fried Eel (with pork, curry paste, wild ginger & chillies)
- Jungle Curry of Venison (with long leaf coriander & deep fried shallots)
- Double-Steamed Rabbit (with pickled mustard greens)
- Stir-fried Tofu (with corn peppers, samphire, spring onions & corn)
- Gola Cuttlefish Salad

- Mango Sticky Pudding
- Sesame Seed & Coconut Dumplings (with pickled ginger agar agar)
- Coconut & Taro Pudding (with ancestor biscuits filled with young coconut)

All of the dishes were at least good. The Salad of Langoustines and Spicy Minced Pork Salad were great - I always enjoy South-East Asian salads for the amazing combination of herbs and spices and textures especially when reinvented by modern Thai chefs. The Tom Yum soup was a must try for me as I've tried to make the impossibly complicated David Thompson's version in Thai Street Food cookbook. The true form is deliciously deep (although not overly strong) with flavour and a kick of chilli - unlike any version I've tried before.

I will say that I did expect some stronger flavour from some of the dishes that I'm used to from Longrain. On that front I was a little disappointed, but different people have different tastes.

If you have access to Bangkok, I'd suggest trying that one instead given the modern trends. Otherwise the old faithful London branch is certainly acceptable.

Next time I would order any combination of the salads and the unique Dtom Yam Hoi which you won't have a similar taste to anywhere. The other dishes are all good and so picking something where the ingredients appeal to you won't be difficult.

Fish is abundant along the northern coast of Poland and so it makes sense to try a well reputed restaurant built from the original Gdansk fishmarket. Targ Rybny (restaurant name the same as the road it is located upon) is a well-reputed seafood place and has made itself to #2 on Tripadvisor for Gdansk. The staff did inform me that Poland has no local shellfish, whether that affects your dish selections or not.

The setting is nicely located near the riverside so sitting outside on a sunny day is a perfect idea.

For variety I selected the Tapas Plate with specialties of Fishmarkt. Although clearly designed to be shared between a few, I had it all to myself. Two steamed clams topped with cheese & diced tomato, a crispy pancake from potato & zucchini with wheat seeds topped with caviar, smoked salmon, smoked herring, smoked cod and a smoked salmon mayonnaise mix. In the end a little too much smoked flavour for my liking; I was hoping for a bit more fresh ingredients.

Despite not being local, I tried the Refined Lobster-Cream Soup with Lobster Dumpling served with a nice G (or am I seeing imaginary things in my soup?). The flavour was rich to match the orange brilliance. Thick luscious and lovely with the lobster essence seemingly stronger the deeper I went into the bowl.

I asked them to recommend me a local fish for my main and so ended up with Cod Fillet Baked (with dried tomatoes & mozzarella, served on spinach with lemon sauce). I have to admit I wasn't particularly taken with the dish. The fish quality was a bit tough and reminded me why I extremely rarely order fish dishes as a main course at any restaurant.

Prices are expensive for Poland but with most main courses costing $12-15 (with the odd one being $18 or $30) it really isn't that much in the scheme of world restaurant life.

Next time I would order the Lobster Soup again. Bouillabaise could be promising too. The Tapas Plate I'd only consider if there were a group to share it with all whom liked smoked items. I'm not sure which main to choose - one was served in a fry pan which looked ok.

"Milk bars" in Poland have nothing to do with milk and everything to do with homestyle cooking. This is a well reputed one especially for their version of soup.

It is in an unexpectedly good location, just east of the old town square. Yet despite this and the reputation, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bar was full of Polish people. People come either alone for a quick meal or in small groups of 2-4 for a social catchup over food. Not a hint of English was detected until I opened my mouth to order.

I had read the Zurek sour rye soup was the main thing to try here and so how could I resist. For my first time, it was a pleasant experience - a tangy zesty light sourness flavoured with smoked sausage.

I asked for a recommendation for a main dish and so ended up with Barbeque Ribs (with Cooked Potatoes, Pickles). Thinking about it after ordering it doesn't sound particularly local at all, so I wasn't impressed with my decision making. The ribs were tasty, but a little tough such that the meat didn't melt off the bone as we all expect ribs to. I liked having the mash, shredded carrot and strong pickles to give make each mouthful different.

I would be very happy to return here.

Next time I would order the Zurek or try their take on Barszcz. I'd try a main meal that is more decidely Polish - I'm not exactly sure which that is, but Goulash or Bread-Crumbed Pork Chop sound like a great start.

I don't get out for breakfast these days nearly as much as I'd like. Perhaps it is laziness, perhaps it is the weather, or maybe I just don't have as many mornings to myself as I used to. Back in Melbourne I lived near one of the city's top rated cafes, and so a good brunch and fantastic chai latte only required walking downstairs or home from work after a night shift.

London has some great breakfast places which I am going to slowly get around to. But more often I seek out cafes when I travel overseas, considering my mornings are often fast paced and a solid breakfast is the perfect way to fuel yourself for a day of sightseeing.

Avoca has an excellent reputation for being one of the best in Dublin. The shop has a few floors of homewares and cool-looking knick-knacks, but the top floor is where the food action is. Cookies and cakes adorn the benchtops as you pass towards the tables to indulge yourself.

Avoca Full Irish Breakfast (crockers free range scrambled eggs, field mushrooms, crispy American style bacon, jumbo hand-made sausage & roasted cherry & vine tomatoes) was the typical breakfast you'd expect from any cafe. The superlatively crisp bacon and flavoursome juicy mushrooms were the highlights.

Also a namesake, the Avoca Fish Pie (organic salmon, natural smoked haddock & cod in a creamy dill sauce with cheesy mash, baby leaves & char-grilled lemon) had a lovely seafood filling, rich in smokey flavour and dill like an excellent soup or chowder. Lemon and mash topping complemented the smokiness allowing balance.

Pasta of the day was a crab-filled ravioli with tomato in a creamy sauce. What you'd expect - rich, thick, tasty.

We can never avoid the temptation of Chunky Chips (cooked in duck fat and horseradish mayonnaise); whilst Chocolate Meringue Roulade (with vanilla cream & fresh raspberries) and Rhubarb & Apple Crumble (with a custard centre & honeycomb ice-cream) also sounded too good to pass up. I think these speak for themselves.

Next time I would order any of the Irish Breakfast, Fish Pie or the delicious-sounding Herbed Wild & Field Mushrooms (on toasted cheese bread with roasted cherry tomatoes). Cleanse it with a fresh orange juice, smoothie (unfortunately premade only) or coffee and prepare yourself for a day of wandering (although there isn't a lot to see in Dublin...) or a relaxing morning yarn with friends.

Who doesn't like the Jamie Oliver brand? Some professional chefs may feel that his methods lack true high-end restaurant skills but he has always been one to appeal to home cooking and more accessible food. Barbecoa is his version of a good old American steak house.

The restaurant also fronts as a butcher which helps guarantee the quality of meat served. If I was to be very particular, I'd have to suggest the meat quality at Hawksmoor (sourced from The Ginger Pig) is slightly better and more tender. However the chefs at Barbecoa clearly know how to cook to order (see my Hawksmoor experience for further details).

One thing Barbecoa does have over the other steakhouses in London is a good selection of starters and sides to keep things interesting.

Starter favourites were Pit-Smoked Baby Back Ribs (with coriander & chilli) and Lyme Bay Crab Plate (with avocado, chervil & tomato) - tasted as expected, just great flavours. Crispy Pig Cheeks (with piccalilli, chive & lamb's lettuce salad) weren't as good as I'd hoped - I suppose I prefer them nice, plain and simply roasted. Crispy Calamari (with smashed avocado, lemon & rocket) was decent but the serving size was quite small for the price.

Sides of Creamed Spinach and Coleslaw were as expected. Baked Beans had a nice smoked essence that separated it clearly from the breakfast canned variety. Duck Fat Chips (with Volpain vinegar, salt) were nice and crisp, although short of those from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Lastly the steak - honours to the cow. APL Rib-Eye for Two and a special of the day Picanha (top sirloin cap) were wonderfully cooked to a medium-rare to rare perfection. Easy to cut, easy to chew, gentle beef flavour with optional sauces for variety. Similarly a Short Rib (with Worcestershire glaze, Irish champ & watercress) was fall-off-the-bone tender, as it should be.

Desserts included an Apple Brioche and Cheese Plate, neither of which were for me. The Ultimate Sundae was a sickly sweet combination of peanut butter, caramelised popcorn and chocolate. Something decadent to share just to make sure you leave the restaurant feeling additionally fat.

Next time I would order an entree of Lyme Bay Crab Plate (for meal balance over the Baby Back Ribs), a nice rare Sirloin (if it was just for myself), a side of Baked Beans if I was extra hungry, and an Ultimate Sundae provided a minimum of 3 other people were sharing it with me. It is a great meal fit for Death Row.

You may find yourself in East London, particularly around Shoreditch for one reason or another. Perhaps it is for the pub and club atmosphere; perhaps you have strayed a bit too far from Tower of London; perhaps you are looking for other well reputed food experiences in the area such as Hawksmoor or Tayyabs or Sunday Upmarket. If you are just passing through for any reason looking for somewhere nice to eat, Boho Mexica may appeal to you. It isn't a particularly well known place, and is located in an area only really frequented for Hawksmoor or to go between Spitalfields and nightlife Shoreditch.

It isn't a ground-breaking place but has a menu of expected Mexican dishes done well.

- Guacomole Tia Patty (served with homemade tortilla chips)
- Cocktail de Camaron served in a glass (prawns in a chilled Mexican spiced tomato sauce, with fresh coriander, chopped onions & diced avocado served over coconut milk jelly)
- Elote de Domingo (traditional corn on the cob, a bit of chilli, mayonnaise and lime sprinkled with cheese)
- Tostadas Ceviche (crispy tortillas topped with sea bass marinated in fresh lime & herbs, tomatoes, Serrano chile & a bit of mayo, topped with lettuce and avocado)
- Tacos El Pastor (succulent pork marinated in a mix of chiles & grilled pineapple)
- Alitas Pa Volar (chicken wings marinated overnight in a mix of chiles and a bit of lime, served with chipotle & tamarind salsa)
- Pulpos Encebollados (sauteed calamari & baby octopus with Chipotle chile & onions; served with fresh corn tortillas & moros con Cristianos)

The dessert-happy people I was with picked two to finish off with:
- Las Dos Fridas (hibiscus flower and chocolate pie & coconut foam with a pineapple jelly)
- Pastel de Tres leches (homemade traditional 3 milk Mexican cake covered with meringue)

Wash it all down with a classic horchata (rice milk drink with cinnamon) or a Bohito for a great all round meal.

Next time I would order the Alitas Pa Volar - who doesn't like fried chicken wings? All the other dishes were excellent without any being spectacular. Eat whatever you feel like, you'll be safe.

I've had this restaurant on my London list since finding out about the San Pellegrino Top 50 restaurants in the world list several years ago. St. John peaked at number 10 several years back, was rated 41 in 2011, but sadly didn't make the final cut in 2012. Perhaps the cuisine doesn't figure in the recent trends; nonetheless the reputation built upon modern British cooking prevails.

The notion of nose-to-tail cooking is highlighted here - respecting an animal enough to use the whole beast for food. The menu therefore reads as exciting to someone like me, and simultaneously potentially disturbing for less adventurous eaters.

On our visit, the daily menu tickled us with less common dishes using pig's skin, duck hearts, trotters, ox hearts and other ingredients I hadn't come across before such as pink firs (a type of waxy potato), sea aster (an ocean plant), and damson (a type of plum that tastes like a prune) amongst others.

- Devilled Pig's Skin & Smoked Cod's Roe - akin to smoked pig flavoured prawn crackers
- Brown Shrimp, Artichoke & Boiled Egg - simple and tasty, although the prawns didn't seem to have strong intrinsic flavour
- Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad - lusciously soft marrow (ie. fat) spread upon toast and brought to life with a sprinkling of salt flakes and an optional topping of parsley and raw spanish onion. Fat never tasted so good. Ever.
- Razor Clams, Pink Firs & Sea Aster - nice ingredients obviously notably the clams with good texture and mild flavour
- Snails, Duck Hearts & Trotter - a rich buttery sauce soaking the ingredients nicely. I don't think I paid enough attention to the heart and trotters as I should have. Will have to try it again next time and be more awake.
- Ox Heart, Turnips & Mustard -  ox heart is one of my favourite ingredients from any restaurant and this was a quality specimen cooked to a light red inside and the excellent characteristic texture and flavour I expect from it.

We finished off the meal with some nice sweets including Baked Cheesecake & Damson, which is made with a goat's curd that makes it unusual but also a bit strange having such a prominent curd-flavour as a dessert. Raspberry & Almond Eclair looked like a fat kid's dream with raspberry sauce dripping from the pastry, and Treacle Toffee Ice Cream was as rich as it sounds. Good but I wouldn't say any were necessary if you aren't a dessert person.

A great meal, long overdue, and such an impressive collection of ingredients.

Next time I would order Roast Bone Marrow and Ox Heart as my favourite dishes of the night. Snails had a lovely sauce and I particularly want to try the duck hearts & trotter again. Of the rest of the menu the Venison, Prune & Trotter Pie looked great on another table and would be a definite order if I had more appetities for company.

Polish food become an unexpected victory surrounded by the (as I found at least) boring productions of Germany and Czech Republic.

The basic soups and dumplings concept is taken a step further into the future at Metamorfoza. Perhaps location is the enemy of this place (which I was the only diner on a Thursday evening and there are currently only 4 TA reviews) as it isn't along the main nightspots near the river and main pedestrian roads. Additionally the food is expensive by Polish standards, but I wouldn't have expected that would deter overseas visitors.

Metamorfoza prides itself on quality ingredients, minimal additives to natural flavours and a scientific molecular base to its productions. It is somewhere to go when the food around you seems to blend into each other.

An aperitif of Molecular Goldwasser Jelly (with orange powder, lemon foam) ended up being a not liquid at all - a jelly of very potent Gdansk vodka that made my headspin and would be in the dreams of gourmet alcohol parties.

Complementary starter of Smoked Pork with crunchy crumbs made from bread (I am very reluctant to call them simply breadcrumbs) came with a few drops of citrus and raspberry (I think) sauce. Beef Tartare PLN40 (with molecular yolk, pine cone flavour) looked classic, with good quality finely chopped (not minced) beef served at room temperature, but with a "yolk" which was actually made of mustard locked in a thin film. Impressive skills. Raw onions, pickles and small mushrooms added to impressive presentation and allowed a variety of flavour combinations each mouthful. I didn't taste any pine cone flavour so I'm unsure what I missed.

Next came the masterpiece of the evening - Zurek PLN24 (Gdansk spherical malt rye soup) served in a method similar to soup at The Fat Duck and Martin Berasategui where the ingredients are presented in the bowl before boiling hot broth is delicately added. I tried zurek in a more traditional Polish milk bar and this was of another planet. Delicious slightly sour soup with a mild sweetness surrounded a nice selection of sausage, soft tender pork belly and mildly flavoured roe. Fantastic.

The main dish of Veal Shank PLN54 (with beef fond, pierogi with wild mushroom's, wild garlic) was slightly disappointing unfortunately. The veal was cooked too much for my liking and thus lacked the tender fall-off-the-bone qualities. The pierogi (ie. Polish dumplings) were decent but I couldn't taste enough mushroom flavour. The beef fond have the whole dish a standard beef gravy flavour that didn't stand out from what you'd get elsewhere.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Spherical Apple Pie PLN19 (with cinnamon sand) but I'm a sucker for any kind of apple crumble/pie/tart dessert. It ended up as a sand-textured base of cinnamon with crumbs, layered under chopped apricots, soft cooked apple both with and without a brown sugar coat, and topped with an apple foam. Interesting concept with the standard flavour from an apple crumble.

Next time I would order the Zurek - my goodness. Hopefully the other soups may be of the same creativity. The other four dishes were decent but not necessary to try again. Pick whatever interests you - I do find it odd that none of the dishes on the set course menu are available a la carte. They didn't sound as interesting to me as the others, but you may think differently.