Review: Town Mill Bakery

The Virtues of Fresh Ingredients

On top: an egg and bacon sandwich, served with ketchup
Below: my egg-in-a-basket served with roast tomato and onion relish

I expected seafood to be the culinary highlight of my time in Dorset, but here I am writing about a bakery. The food here was so good that we came back for breakfast twice while in Lyme Regis, and my partner bought a loaf of bread to take home as well. That's definitely unusual, especially for me, as I'm always gunning to try new places no matter how much I may have enjoyed a meal somewhere. 

Review: Cilantro

A Rather International Menu

Inside Cilantro Dhanmondi

Cilantro has been on my Wishlist for the longest time. When they first opened, friends started posting photos of a uniquely decorated restaurant serving beautifully plated "Western" food. I was intrigued - mostly by how nice the dishes looked to be perfectly honest, while remaining hopeful that they also tasted good. Foreign food is still quite hit-and-miss in Dhaka, whether we're talking about a casual eatery or a high-end hotel restaurant. My friend's nudged my expectations downwards though, as apparently the venue was more about the look rather than the food. And while they were right, what I ate at Cilantro was nothing to scoff at, and I am glad I visited.

The Spaniard: marinated fish, battered prawn, cucumber salad
and seafood paella

The interior is an eclectic affair of exposed brick, glass bottles and a central skylight in an otherwise dimly lit space. Seating is varied between normal tables and a few lower tables, where you can take off your shoes and sit cross-legged. The restaurant's Facebook page claims it is a Latin American and Mediterranean affair, but the menu when we visited was far more international. It was also long and confusingly divided up, but I assumed that tapas were snacks or starters, and anything else was a main. They also had a specials board, and we skimmed over that before ordering two mains and two drinks. As with any restaurant attempting to cover too many bases, their dishes turned out to be inspired by their regions of origin rather than authentic offerings. This was fine with me, as everything we were served still tasted good. 

Open beef enchilada

My friend ordered the Spaniard from their specials, which was a plate of battered prawns, marinated fish, cucumber salad and paella. I'v never had anything of the sort in Spain, and there was definitely no paella on the plate. However, there was a rather nice seafood and rice concoction, and both the prawns and fish were deliciously spiced. The portion was a bit small, and their slice of fish especially should have been bigger. My order of beef enchilada, served open in layers on my plate, was more reasonably portioned. It came with generous amounts of meat and cheese. The inclusion of so much cheese was the biggest surprise - restaurants in Bangladesh are usually very stingy with this ingredient! 

Raw tamarind on the left, pink lemonade on the right

We washed our food down with a couple of mocktails - a raw tamarind drink for me and a pink lemonade for my friend. Both were nice, though I'd say my tamarind drink won out, probably due to the fresh, local ingredients. Both were very expensive though, and with drinks priced up to TK 200, this where Cilantro overcharges the most. Elsewhere prices are a bit better, with tapas from TK 200 to TK 600, and mains from TK 400 to over TK 1000 for steaks. We paid around TK 1500 for two mains and two drinks, and this felt like quite a lot for the amount of food we had. Had I not had plans to meet others for coffee later, I would have ordered more. I can easily see myself paying TK 1000 per head here for a full meal, even without opting for the expensive items on the menu. Service was a bit too chilled-out (read: slow) at the start, though staff were friendly and food did arrive quite quickly once ordered. This is definitely a place I'd go back to if in Dhaka, but it won't stop from looking for greener pastures elsewhere. 

Food: 7/10

Service: 6.5/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Final Score: 7/10

Contact Information

A: 49 Satmasjid Road, Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh
T: +880 1766 449912
W: www.facebook.com/cilantrobd

NB. The final score, while influenced by the sub-scores, is a qualitative reflection of my overall impression of the establishment.

Review: Nostromo

Even More Seafood in Split, Croatia

Freshly caught squid, grilled and served wit half a lemon
Swiss chard with potatoes on the side

Nostromo is a seafood restaurant located by an open air fish market in Split. Despite the crowds and the smells nearby, the establishment itself is decidedly upmarket. Or at least, it probably is during the height of summer. When we walked in for lunch in November, frames and paintings were strewn all over the restaurant, making the place seem like a haphazard artist's studio. However, a waitress popped over to us right away, and lead us away from the discarded art and up a wooden staircase. We passed numerous photographs of famous patrons and arrived to the first floor, where the venue still seemed to be a restaurant. Imagine white walls, wood paneling and tables laid out in yellow and white cloth. A chef's jacket hung on a peg in one corner, and a large pile of menus were stacked on one of the tables. All told, it definitely felt like we'd arrived off-season. 

The interior. Apologies for the poor photo, but
someone here is obviously on a mission to cover
all the walls with paintings

Of course, there is an upside to all of this. Only one other table was busy, and we were looked after well by our waitress. She left us to spend some time with the menus once we were seated, dashing off to the kitchen. As she came back to take our orders, I skipped the simple a la carte offerings to ask about the fish and seafood sold by weight. Quite a large part of the menu was priced by weight, with better quality fish and seafood (i.e. lobster) being more expensive. She explained that availability generally depended on the day's catch, a sample of which she brought over from the kitchen in a huge tray. Sadly, my friend had her heart set on "sea fruit" risotto, and I had to hold back from ordering an interesting looking but monstrously large fish for the two of us, opting for grilled squid instead. 

Mixed "sea fruit" risotto

The wait for our food was noticeable - I suspect - due to the risotto. We had some not so fresh bread on the table to pass the time, and were charged 10 KN a head for the privilege. Thankfully, our main courses were much better. My friend's risotto came out delicious and creamy - a testament to the rice used and a welcome respite from the drier risottos we'd had in the country. The quality (if not the amount) of the seafood stood out, and the ingredients were really what made the dish special. The story with my squid was similar. Grilled just right, the tentacles were slightly charred but the bulk of the meat was soft and chewy. Each animal was properly cleaned out, something I'm very particular about, and an area where many restaurants fall down. A squeeze of lemon onto my plate, and I went on to have what was probably my best meal in Split. I'd also ordered a side of Swiss chard, which was served stirred through with potatoes, and rounded off my meal rather nicely. Beware - the portions for sides are generous, and easily shared between two. 

Our bill came to 280 KN, including our mains, a diet Coke and a small glass of house red. The risotto was priced at 100 KN, while my 300.00 g of squid cost 130 KN. The lesson to be learned - the a la carte menu is reasonably priced, and the food sold by weight slightly more expensive. It didn't feel so bad though, especially for Split, where everything is quite expensive in and around the old city. In fact, Nostromo is the only restaurant at this price range where we felt satisfied with our food, given the money we had spent. The food is simple, and the cooking perhaps nothing so special, but the fresh ingredients are what makes the restaurant stand out. 

Food: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6.5/10

Value: 6.5/10

Final Score: 7/10

Contact Information

A: Kraj Sv. Marije 10, Split, Croatia
T: +385 91 405 666
W: N/A

NB. The final score, while influenced by the sub-scores, is a qualitative reflection of my overall impression of the establishment.

Review: Dubravkin Put

Seafood in Zagreb, Croatia

Elderflower mousse with white chocolate,
strawberry ice cream & edible flowers

My time in Croatia was an unexpected blessing. I had been squirreling away money over the year for a potential holiday, and off-peak prices allowed me to indulge in a short trip around the country earlier this month. All I knew about Croatia was their 1998 World Cup performance (classic story of the underdog surprising everyone!) and their beaches, courtesy of a friend who had spent a summer there. As such, most of the itinerary I put together was the result of rather impersonal Googling and Lonely Planet, but Dubravkin Put stood out as a definite place to eat from multiple sources, especially for its seafood. 

The interior. The entrance to the wine bar
next to the restaurant can be seen in the left corner

The restaurant is located in Tuškanac Park, a twenty minute stroll from Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb's city centre. We made the trip for lunch one day and arrived at a mostly empty restaurant, and were given our pick of the tables by a waiter who spoke perfect English. Language had been a worry of mine before coming to Croatia, and we were equipped with a few phrases and ingredients courtesy of our guidebook, but almost everyone we met spoke a passable level of English. Menus at most restaurants were also available in English, unsurprising given many parts of Croatia are geared towards tourism, and Drubavkin Put was no exception.

Fresh bread. Our basked included wholemeal, seeded,
tomato bread etc., with olive oil already at the table

Our waiter brought us menus as we settled in, and proceeded to recommend wine to my friend at her request. We had a busy schedule for the day and so we decided to keep our meal short, opting for mains and desserts only. Sadly most of the a la carte menu was unavailable for lunch, during which the restaurant offers a shorter and less expensive selection of dishes. However, upon hearing we were biased towards seafood, our waiter recommended trying monkfish as a main course, even though it wasn't listed on the menu. We ordered this along with another main of tuna steak, and sat back to wait for our food. A batch of freshly baked breads that were brought to our table, and we sampled the different types - I preferred the tomato bread as usual - to pass the time.  

Review: Britten's

Guildford Familiarisation

Inside Britten's

Guildford is a strange place. Overrun by Thai restaurants, I've found many a place where I quite like to eat in the town (village?), but none yet that I love. However, since I'm going to be spending a considerable amount of my time here over the coming year, I've decided I need to fix this particular problem. I visited Britten's as part of this mission - a restaurant I've often walked or driven past. Some quick research revealed the chef and owner to be a past Masterchef contestant, so earlier this week we dropped by for an early evening dinner with the expectation of some fancy food. 

Roasted root vegetable press, basil, truffle emulsion

And I can say fancy food is indeed what we were served. We normally dine early on weekdays, so we arrived for a pre-7pm table with the intention of ordering from the pre-theatre menu. The restaurant was unsurprisingly all but empty when we entered, though it filled up somewhat over the course of the evening. A waiter took us to our table, from where we had a good view of the ground floor as seen from the first photo in this post. The décor is minimal and clean, and I imagine this is the kind of space that works well both during the day and at night. We were handed menus before orders for drinks were taken, followed by orders for food. Decisions weren't difficult to make given pre-theatre menus are usually short, though I should mention Britten's offers a relatively generous selection of 4 starters and 4 mains despite this trend.

Review: Field Restaurant

Ending Edinburgh on a High

Sweet and sour quail with quail cannelloni 

Field is a charming little restaurant that I’m very glad we visited during our time in Edinburgh. We booked on the night at a whim – it was near Summerhall Place, where we’d just stepped out of an Energy Futures debate. We were quoted a 20 minute wait time for a table, but managed to burn through most of that during our slow, winding walk to West Nicholson Street. We arrived at what is indeed a tiny restaurant, seating perhaps 20 people at a push. The décor is black and white, and a large (painted) cow dominates the left wall as you walk in. Similarly quirky adornments are scattered around the room. Beware the slit wooden table surfaces – cutlery has tendency to fall through. A quiet buzz of chatter permeated the low lit room, creating a cozy, casual atmosphere.

Adding Ingredients

Jaggery-Laced Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Jaggery-laced chocolate & peanut butter cheesecake.
And yes, I did have this for breakfast today.

I'm not a baker, and this is undoubtedly a good thing. I have a sweet tooth and a great love for cake, and if I were a baker I'd have to accept becoming a balloon as well. That being said, baking is a skill that adds a degree of versatility to my abilities in the kitchen, so there are a few things I want to make sure I know how to bake. My first ever attempt at baking involved a sponge cake - a dense mass of flour, sugar, butter and eggs that refused to rise. My baby brother was the only one willing to try it, probably because he didn't know any better at that age. Over the years, things have gotten a little better. I can make a decent pumpkin pie, and am occasionally successful with my brownies and lemon tarts. 

I've always had a thing for baked cheesecake, a dessert I was introduced to in Hong Kong. Last week I decided it was time to add a version of it to my limited repertoire. My childhood memories are of a rich, solid salty-sweet cheesecake, but the recipe below produces something more delicate and definitely sweeter. It is adapted from a BBC Food recipe by Nigella Lawson, and the original can be found here. I am changing the instructions for hand-mixing, modifying amounts and substituting a few ingredients, notably jaggery for brown sugar in the topping as I wanted to use something Bangladeshi. Note that if you do have access to a food processor, use it - it makes life a lot easier! 

A Change From All The Curry

Crêpes With Vanilla Syrup & Ice Cream

I'd eaten quite a bit of it before remembering I needed to take a picture...

I've actually lived in France, but funnily enough I don't remember ever trying a crêpe while I was there. For me, it was all about the the waffles with Nutella or the mushroom and cheese pizzas sold by the Eiffel Tower. It was only after moving to England for university that crêpes registered on my radar. I like the fact that you can fill it with anything, and it happens to remind me of a similar Bangladeshi dessert that I must hunt down the recipe for soon.