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Le Bar a Vin – French Wine Bar, Blackheath – a Review

July 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

On a perfectly beautiful sunny summer evening, I made my way to Blackheath for a bloggers evening at a French Wine Bar. A first for both going to Blackheath and a French wine bar that claimed to be halfway between a pub and a restaurant.

I think I walked past the bar once before I finally understood my google map. There is something very welcoming about the simple wooden interiors and large paintings that made me want to just dump my bag and get started with a chilled glass of wine. First up we were served a Champagne Rose’ and hors d’oeuvre of regular stuff like sun-dried tomatoes – not in oil as I expected but these were nice and tangy, very dry on their own though, sweet mini peppers stuffed with cheese and served with Tapenade.

1-2014-06-17 18.39.09 (Copy)
A cute little French Wine Bar overlooking the green on Blackheath high street

Le Bar a Vin has ample seating indoors and out on street, it is tastefully done and perfect for an evening out with friends or with family to have that one glass or carafe of wine, gaze at the beautiful surroundings and drink in the ambience. Also good to grab a high stool, drink a glass of red with a date.

The sunshine and a comfy table visible outside from the beautiful big windows were too hard to resist so we moved outside to soak up some sun, there was a light breeze …just perfect to get started on wine! (Got me dreaming of the perfect Parisian evening and winding down a day of sightseeing by settling down with a refreshing glass of red at a cute French Wine Bar). Well with the 120 wines on offer with a distinctly French touch, I was all set to order my white wine, I wanted a light and slightly sweet one so on Jean-Philippe’s recommendation I got a German white called Gewürztraminer – an aromatic white which goes well with cheese and fatty gamey meat and tastes like lychees, floral and with tiny bubbles in the glass. I loved it! I could have done with some bread but thankfully didn’t have any just then as the charcuterie and cheese were yet to arrive. It was fun deciding what cheese to choose with the charcuterie.

1-17th June'14 Le Bouchon

I choose Comte  – a 24-month-old mature cheese with a nutty flavour & hard but creamy texture, Secret – a cheese I’ve never had before – its made from unpasteurised cows milk with fruity and nutty notes and last one I gave in to a desire for some blue cheese with Forme d’ Ambert – a creamy and very light blue cheese – prefect to slather onto the accompanying bread. Before our beautiful cheese and charcuterie boards reached our table, little did I expect such large portions, it was more than enough and served as a very satisfying main course.

I was seated with some very friendly bloggers and conversation flowed as smoothly as the wine.

That is a picture of my delicious cheese and charcuterie served with red grapes, pickles and dried apricots – perfect with the platter.

2-2014-06-17 19.52.10 (Copy)

L-R Starting Top left clockwise: Comte Saucisson a traditional tasty pork sausage with Comte’, Walnut Saucisson – pork sausage nutty and dry but very delicious and a pepper Saucisson 100% pork sausage aged in black pepper.

I finished my cheese off with some Spanish Red – Rioja –  intense on spices and oak, fruity with a hint of liquorice.

Travelling into Blackheath by train and walking up the high street is like getting out-of-town into a nearby modern village. Le Bar a Vin is Blackheath’s answer to an independently owned wine bar with a good selection of wine and cheese, in contrast to the many chains that otherwise easily take over the majority of the high street. It’s the kind of place you could back to many times over and even make your favourite haunt if you are a local – easy.

Looking for inspiration for an evening out in London? Why not browse through some of my other review posts? Get the inside scoop of where to head for everything from the most authentic Indian food to cracking cocktails!

Dreaming of travelling and enjoying local wines and fab food? Let me tempt you with more posts that will make you want to grab your suitcase, book your tickets and head straight to the airport!

  • Enjoy mouthwatering cichetti with amazing wines just like the locals do in Venice: Best local wine bar in Venice
  • Get a crash course on Gouda with a fabulous wine tasting experience in Amsterdam: Cheese and wine tasting in Amsterdam with Reypenaer

For some wine related recipe inspiration, check out my easy recipes here:

  • Vin Chaud – French mulled wine
  • White wine sauce

*With thanks to Jean-Philippe Tessier for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. Previously known as Le Bouchon.

Le Bouchon Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: 24 month old mature cheese, a Review, aromatic white wine, Blackheath, bread, Champagne Rose', cheese, cheese and charcuterie, cheese and fatty gamey meat, Comte, Comte Saucisson, creamy, creamy texture, dried apricots, dry delicious, floral and with tiny bubbles in the glass, Forme d' Ambert, French Wine Bar, fruity and nutty notes blue cheese, fruity with a hint of liquorice, Gewürztraminer, hard, hors d'oeuvre, intense on spices and oak, Le Bouchon, light blue cheese, nutty flavour, pepper Saucisson 100% pork sausage aged in black pepper, pickles, pork sausage nutty, prefect to slather, red grapes, Rioja, Secret, served with, Spanish Red, sun dried tomatoes, sweet mini peppers stuffed with cheese, Tapenade, tastes like lychees, traditional tasty pork sausage, unpasteurised cows milk, Walnut Saucisson

Ponti’s Italian Kitchen,Oxford Street- review

March 12, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

This was my favourite haunt for an after work gossip session with my best buddy from work about 2 years ago. Even if we were dog tired we managed to cheer up as soon we stepped in. In winter months especially it was brilliant to watch the flames in the huge oven licking the base of the pizza pans.

1-2014-02-11 20.21.26 (Copy)

Recently a close pal of mine was in London for 2 days for a business trip, thankfully he was a short distance away from Oxford Street  so I treated him to brunch at Pontis. I am so glad that they didn’t fail to impress.

He had Smoked salmon with Eggs scrambled and I have Eggs Florentine with freshly squeezed orange juice.

1-2014-03-05 11.14.49 (Copy)

2-2014-03-05 11.14.54 (Copy)

In the past I had a really memorable meal on my buddys birthday here are some photos from back in 2012!

1-28th Sept'12 Niroo's B'day at Ponti's

They have lots of seating available and there are also tables outside – prefect during the summers, the place is ALWAYS full during peak tourist season so thats when I tend to avoid going there.

1-28th Sept'12 Niroo's B'day at Ponti's1

They have a wide variety of biscuits and cookies for sale  and an ok wine selection as well. Its a family managed unit so the service is very good and friendly.

My first ever visit to Pontis though was at their branch at Wimbledon in the Food Court. They made my friend and  me the fluffiest omelettes ever!

For an authentic taste of Italy in the heart of the West End , this is a brilliant option.Being family managed it is more of tradition I think to serve good honest food and over the past 2 years have since the menu change too ,so am sure there is a constant thought process behind the whole thing.Comforting to know isn’t it?

*Reviewed of my own accord.Paid for in full by me. All opinions expressed and photographs used are, as always, my own. No monetary compensation was offered or provided for a positive review.

Ponti's Italian Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: authentic Italian cuisine, cheese, eggs Florentine, family owned and managed, olive oil, oxford street, pasta, pizza, ponti’s Italian kitchen, scrambled eggs, sliceoffme reviews, smoked salmon, west end, wine, wood fired oven

Wine tasting on a frosty cold evening…a heart warmer

May 30, 2013 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

What better way to begin penning down this blog post than sip on a nice red and watch ‘The Mary Berry Story” on telly ?! I am warm and the house is toasty….but when I was rushing to go for my first ever wine tasting , London was enveloped in a blanket of snow, steadily heavier in it’s flow, it was my first ever snowfall experience…couple that with the late hour ,my hands going totally numb and my cell battery dying , it was well,what I’d like to call a recipe for disaster !Thanks to a warm hearted couple on their evening stroll I managed to finally find the venue, it was fairly easy to find but somehow looking for an address scrawled on a soggy bit of paper on cold winter evening is not fun!

So in the basement of a massive storage company in a cosy tasting room was a massive neatly arranged table , most the people attending had arrived. Emma  Dawson, the wines and spirits buyer of M&S, was all set to make a presentation on East Mediterranean Wines. On my right was a vibrant young lady – Josie, who was such a pleasure to talk to , she particularly enjoyed reading through my notes , I hope to share most interesting snippets in this blog though not the entire sheet for fear of boring all of you ..and hey no excel sheets and tables in a food blog ! Well unless they involve weights and measures , then I shall be able to sneak in such things as scary calculations .

Umm coming back to the lovely people , there was this handsome couple sitting across the table , the lady salt pepper hair and so very polite , her companion a dapper gentleman ,I did like chatting with them , yes , they are a made for each other kind of couple and good to talk to…umm

The cheese ,olives and select meats and small eats on the table seemed so tantalizing…  …I was a bit hungry but more so quite eager to sip on some exotic wines!

Cheese Board Close-Up
The Cheese Board & the sausages

We started with the White wines, six of them, all tempting us with their beautiful aromas. I loved the Quercus Pinot Grigio from Slovenia, light in appearance, felt silky smooth, and fruity on the palate and I really think it would pair well with a white fish done served with tangy green chutney, Ummm.  The white wine from Greece called Atlantis Santorini would pair amazingly well with a Bengali Bhetki (Indian River fish, Asian Sea Bass )and some steamed white rice, it seemed to explode with the zing of lime on my palate and on the nose, it felt fresh, airy like free-fall backwards on a meadow on a huge heap of hay!

The 6 whites
Close Up White Wine
Emma enthralls us
Golden Valley Graevina,Croatia

Now the much awaited red’s made an entrance – ta ra ra pum pum 😉

After we had tasted all 6 we had a show of hands to vote for the crowd’s fav Red and Lebanese Cadet de Ka (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah) was top of the pops, I’d say on the nose it was deep, dark, mysterious – almost like a woman with a secret and passionate lover, even took me into a well-stocked spice cabinet with a thick teak wood door, imagine Nigella cooking up a posh steak or a rack of lamb with fancy sauces, food porn, oh yes, well this is wine porn if there is any such thing!

Red-ay steady -ah well- Goooo!

The Greek wine Red on Black Agiorgitiko from Nemea, Greece hits the palate and makes it jiggle like a belly dancer oh yeah, fruity and with a great depth of flavour. The Croatian, Pilato Malvasia Istarski would pair nicely with a rich dark brown sauce and meat, on the nose it sort of feels like a first date, a romantic on, maybe at the village fair. The 150-year-old Chateau Ksara Clos St Alphonse from Lebanon is to be served at a family get-together, a celebration, one befitting such a lovely fruity wine with a hidden surprise – notes of spice and chocolate.

Emma doing her thing

We were all really happy by now, no not tipsy, no sir! So do not blame it on the twelve wines though;) the whole atmosphere was light, it was snowing heavier, the room was cosy, the conversation was fun and Emma had managed to take us on a virtual tour through Slovenia, Greece, Croatia, Turkey and Lebanon so effortlessly so it may seem. I had always wondered what a wine tasting would be like, I imagined a massive room with wine barrels all around, floor to ceiling wine bottles displayed along the walls, a massive room that smells of cheese and well wine, rich mature full bodies Wine, some chairs around a sturdy old well used mammoth of a table, lots of wine glasses, several varieties of grapes, cheese…lots of cheese, some pretty table napkins, the sound of laughter n the clinking of glasses … let us just say that thanks to Emma’s excellent selection of Wines and Jimmy Smith from West London Wine Schools excellent arrangement at the cosy tasting room,it was a perfect ”first wine tasting do” to be at, and yes thanks to Josie as well, you made me smile – a lot. And yes the kind couple whose name I didn’t get who took the bus ride with me, it would have been quite spooky waiting for the bus all alone and I was glad for the company.

The Lovely Josie!

Aahh…now to use that discount voucher and procure some wine bottles from M&S..whilst I am at it .. why not pour myself some red and sip it while I upload these snaps and fix some dinner…it’s chicken peri peri by the way with gluten free,wheat free bread, but ..more on that later , now for some late evening relaxing at home ,Good Night Folks in this part of the world .

Moi
IMG_1010 (Copy)

(Well that’s one blog post that’s out of my drafts folder, better late than never I say! Since most of it was written in Jan  this year it has lots of winter references, well Summer isn’t really here is it ?! grumble, grumble)

Filed Under: Events, Food Tagged With: 2013, @EmandSWine, acidic, bacon, bhetki, blogging, Cabarnet, celebration, Chardonnay, cheese, chocolate, chutney, clink, cold cuts, Croatia, dark, drink, East Mediterranean, eat, emma dawson, fish, fizzy, follow, follow me, food and travel blogger, food blogger, food pron, fresh, full bodied, glasses, grapes, Greece, green grapes, Grigio, hay, jimmy smith, juicy lamb, Lebanon, light, london, M&S, mactoffee, manjirikulk, Marks and Spencer, Merlot, moorish, mysterious, Nigella, nose, oak wood, olives, palate, posh food, pungent, rich, Sauvignon, share, sliceoffme, Slovenia, smooth, spicy, spooky, tag, teak wood, tipsy, Turkey, water, west london wine school, white fish, white grapes, wine cellar, wine tasting, Winter, wooden cheese board, wordpress

Baked Salmon and a crunchy vegetable salad

December 21, 2012 by manjirichitnis 1 Comment

This is probably my simplest ,fastest and yet very tasty AND healthy meal option. All you need is 2 slices of salmon some salad leaves and a hotch potch collection of any thing that can yumm up a salad! Few Minutes in the oven and hey Presto ! a healthy meal is ready to tuck in.

What I love about the after feel of this kind of a lunch or dinner is that it leaves me full and satiated and not feeling bloaty or heavy or drowsy for that matter!

So my ingredient list goes like this , but honestly for the salad just use any combination of leafy stuff and spices that you have in your fridge and cupboard and slam them together to make your own accompaniment!

  1. 2 slices of salmon fresh
  2. 2 thick slices of lime to wedge into the fish and a large slice to splash over the salad.
  3. one spoon olive oil
  4. Mixed italian herbs to season the fish – better if you have fresh herbs
  5. crushed black pepper and rock salt to sprinkle
  6. some capers for seasoning
  7. Salad leaves of your liking I use the mix leaves packets from the supermarket – rocket,spinach,lettuce mixed with some peppers and red onion sliced  for some colour, crunch and taste.
  8. Cherry Tomatoes
  9. A cheese slice – anything that you fancy
  10. Some onion flakes to dust over the salad

This meal takes lesser time to cook than it took me to write this blog post 🙂

Method:

  1. place the salom piece on a foil, lightly drizzle olive oil , wedge a slice of lime in between and sprinkle sea salt and crcaked black pepper and a generous sprinkle of italian herbs, mine came out of a bottle.
  2. Give the Salmon just enough time in the oven to cook, fish cooks fairly fast and these 2 slices took less that 7 minutes in a pre heated oven.
  3. Once done serve the salmon alongside a generous helping of salad leaves and juicy cherry tomatoes,toss a few capers , tear some cheese to season, give another drizzle of olive oil and a big squeeze  of lime ,finally add some crispy fried onion bits, finish off with sea salt.
  4. Dig in and feel full inside and light and skippity on a full stomach.

P.S: of the time you save when you choose this light, easy and quick dish , grab that novel you have been waiting to get done with enjoy a relaxed afternoon curled up on the sofa…I did…:)

The salmon is ready for the ovenThe salad is all done!Dig into crunchy wholesome goodness and juicy fish

Filed Under: Food, Quick and Easy, Recipe Index, seafood Tagged With: capers, cheese, cherry tomatoes, chop, cook, easy food, easy recipe, eat healthy, fast, fried onion, Healthy, italian herbs, lime, no cooking required, olive oil, oven, quick, quick recipe, salmon, save time, slice, squeeze, super food, wholesome

Vintage Frittata recipe inspired by ”Angel”

October 23, 2012 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Well as my previous blog post mentioned I am quite besotted with my latest cookbook – The Vintage Tea Party by Angel. She is such a talented lady and anyone with orange hair,a vivid imagination, a vast collection of Vintage odds and ends and a great cook to top is all is my kind of hero!

So I first ate a Frittata at my workplace where it was served during tea time,anything remotely associated with eggs and I simply must try it, I could live on fried eggs ,omelettes ,scrambled eggs and yes Frittatas!

I surfed up info about the origin of Frittata because that’s the beauty of food and recipes, they start from someplace and then suddenly are popular world cuisine and everyone’s making their own versions. Some food blogs have really well researched posts about the Frittata and I do recommend reading them:

http://www.delallo.com/articles/la-frittata-egg-dish-endless-possibilities

http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2008/12/i-have-change-and-treat-for-you-today.html

http://www.thefoodadvicecentre.co.uk/reference/recipes/frittata/

Wikipedia defines a Frittata as : The Italian word frittata derives from fritto, the past participle of “to fry” (friggere),[1] and was originally a general term for cooking eggs in a skillet, anywhere on the spectrum from fried egg, through conventional omelette, to an Italian version of the Spanish tortilla de patatas, made with fried potato. Outside Italy, frittata was seen as equivalent to “omelette” until at least the mid-1950s.

Well,Angel’s recipe is an antithesis to this logic,why? well because it’s OVEN BAKED not fried and secondly is rather basic yet tasty,her recipe recommends using flower petals to decorate and also cutting it into shapes to make it more visually delightful and intriguing. Ofcourse what I’ve cooked isn’t a patch on the beautiful Angel’s creation but it’s a sort of a tribute to her, in a demi god,fan like behaviour sort of a way…!!

By all means if any one of you does create one anything close to Angel’s original, please do share your feedback and pictures !

I have scaled down the ingredients for 2 people and added a few twists here and there for experimental touches of my own!

Ingredient list to whip up a mean frittata- Vintage and all that 🙂 remember to roll up ur hair in a bun while making it and think Vintage :),Angel style !

  1. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  2. Half a white onion sliced
  3. 1 Courgette  finely sliced into half-moon slice
  4. 5 large free range eggs
  5. Salt
  6. cracked black pepper
  7. Goats cheese crumbled

Method

  1. Pre Heat the oven to 220° C /Fan 200° C/ Gas mark 7. Line a baking tin with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Heat oil in a small frying pan and fry the onions until soft for about 2 minutes, stir in the chopped courgette bits,fry on a higher flame for about 4 minutes till it’s goldenish. Angel advises not stirring or tossing this too much in her book and I do agree.
  3. Beat eggs in a bowl,season with salt and add the onion and courgette mixture.

4. Crumble some goats cheese and  then transfer above mixture to a baking tin of your choice, I simply used my small cake tin. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and serve hot.Season with cracked black pepper sprinkled on top.

I think this makes for a really delicious and filling tea time snack and is really easy to make when time is a constraint,which is almost always in our busy lives.

Of course,Angel’s recipe differs and requires some more cooking as there is cheese and is seasoned with edible gerbera petals, I will try it once am able to lay my hands on those delicate beauties.

To check out Angel’s website click here

Trust if me if you already haven’t, her books are a MUST HAVE in everyone’s personal collection of recipe books, I for one am totally smitten!

Filed Under: Food, Quick and Easy, Recipe Index Tagged With: Angel, cheese, cook, courgette, cracked black pepper, easy food, eggs, frittata, fry, goats, goats cheese, italian food, kitchen, recipe, Vintage Tea Party

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