My reviews so far have all been of London restaurants, so it was nice to head home to Nottingham for a couple of days to explore more of the foodie scene there. Gotta put the ‘travel’ in foodtravelsldn somehow…
Persian Empire is somewhere we’d never been before but had seen fab reviews on Trip Advisor. It’s in a city centre location where you might not typically find the best quality food, but so many good reviews surely meant something.
The interior is a bit basic and dare I say, slightly tacky,
but I’m all about the main focus being on the food itself.
To start, we shared a mix of 5 starters for 4 people with a side of flatbread. They came well presented on a rotating dish; I’ve numbered each of the dishes to review them individually.
Your simple hummus. A lovely, thick and creamy texture with lots of flavour. Bland hummus always sets off alarm bells but this one hit the mark.
Olivier. Chicken, egg, mayo and potato with gherkins and peas. I wouldn’t have known this was a typical Persian dish, and the flavour was giving me generic egg-based salad feels, but I did actually enjoy it and was great piled onto the bread.
Ghel Gheli. Lamb meatballs with prunes. These were flavoursome with moist mincemeat sitting on a juicy sauce.
Kashke Bademjan. This shredded aubergine was delicious. The way it had been cooked gave it a tender, almost meaty texture.
Last, and to be honest, least, was the Sabzi Paneer. Basically just cubes of feta with walnuts and various herbs. Each element sat there in isolation, none of the flavours or textures working well together harmoniously. Nothing unpleasant about this at all, but just not one that I’d recommend.
Quick mention about the flatbread – perfect thickness – not wafer thin and crunchy but not heavy and stodgy either. A great balance and the ideal side to accompany the mixed starters.
Onto the mains, and typically, whenever I head to middle eastern restaurants I tend to always go for lamb over chicken. This time I decided that I’d change things up a bit and stick to chicken. The Fesenjoon caught my eye on the menu straight away. It’s a pomegranate and walnut chicken stew served with either rice or bread and salad. Really rich in both colour and flavour, it was delicious. The shredded chicken soaked up the creamy sauce, and the pomegranate added the perfect amount of sweetness to the stew. The saffron rice was a solid accompaniment – not wildly exciting, but just what you need to mop up all the sauce.
I couldn’t leave without satisfying my dessert stomach, obviously, so I shared the Faloode with saffron and pistachio ice cream. Faloode is basically rice vermicelli soaked in rose water syrup. For me, any food this bright in colour immediately makes me slightly sceptical. My brain is automatically shouting ARTIFICIAL… and admittedly this dessert was divisive. For me, the flavours were quite unnatural and I didn’t associate them with saffron or pistachio. The vermicelli in the syrup was also incredibly sweet and I just found it to be too much. Its crunchy texture also didn’t really work for me. Having said that my Mum really enjoyed it, so just goes to show that our tastes are entirely subjective.
The service was great throughout. Waiters were lovely, and
attentive but without being overbearing. It’s also fantastic value for money.
Starters are generally under £5 each, mains around £10 and desserts under £4.
Even with a couple of rounds of drinks the final bill was a pleasant surprise.
So whether you’re a Nottingham local, or find yourself
visiting in the future, I definitely recommend this place. It’s not at all fancy,
but if you just want some hearty, flavoursome food, this is the place to go.
Looking up ‘Let’s eat’ in perfect Farsi might be a bit
ambitious so for now I’ll stick with…
Every time someone tells me they don’t like cheese, my eyes do a 360 roll in my head. Believe me, such people actually do exist, and there’s clearly something wrong with them.
I’m tempted to say that the best kind of cheese is always melted or baked, hot and gooey, an oozy cheese pull stretching from the plate to your mouth. But normal cheese, you know, hard cheese, soft cheese, basically uncooked cheese, is also a delight, especially when accompanied by gallons of wine.
The super successful Cheese Bar, located in Camden, have just opened their wonderful new project in KERB’s latest food hall/market in Seven Dials, Covent Garden. How no one’s come up with this before I’ll never know, but it’s basically like Yo Sushi, for CHEESE…
For anyone who’s not familiar with this set up, you basically find yourself perched on a bar stall, with a conveyer belt of cheese circling before you. Each cheese plate is contained within a little glass pod with a numbered tag, which corresponds to a number on the menu, explaining exactly what it is. The challenge here is finding the number of the cheese in front of you on the menu and deciding whether you fancy it or not, before it flies past and you have to wait for it to do another lap to come back to you.
Belt dish prices range from £2.95 to £6.10 and you can find out the price by looking at the colour of the dish and checking that against the price guides dotted around the restaurant bar in front of you.
Upon arrival I was told there’d be a 30-40 minute wait, which I’d kind of anticipated seeing as it’s new and there’s still a lot of hype surrounding it. They take your phone number and text you when a table is free but you can opt out of this at any time, and there’s loads of seating throughout the food hall where you can sit and wait.
It probably ended up being about half an hour, so really not too long at all.
There are 3 or so off-belt menu items, plus some desserts, but the vast majority of the dishes you can just help yourself to from the belt. There was only one that they didn’t have available as everything is fresh from their various suppliers and on this occasion the supplier wasn’t able to provide it.
Service was friendly and staff were enthusiastic and helpful.
It is honestly so hard to whittle it down to just a few dishes because I was desperate to try everything, but as per, I still gave it a pretty good go.
Plate number 1: Kingham with Walnut Fudge
My ability to articulate the subtleties in cheese flavour and texture is limited, so I’m going to settle for a ‘This was good.’ The cheese was pleasant, described by suppliers as having ‘a buttery, strong flavour, with a Gruyere-like texture.’
That fudge though…
I know it’s not supposed to be the star of the show but it was beautiful. Weirdly, one of the highlights. It was smooth, creamy and absolutely delicious.
Plate number 2: Rachel with Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto
It was the Pesto that appealed with this one, and although it was nice, I found this to be the least exciting. The cheese was still decent, with a kind of manchego-y appearance and texture and a slightly nutty taste, and the pesto did complement it well but the best is still yet to come…
Plate number 3: Fellstone with Sherry Baked Cherries
Definitely one of my favourites here. Although technically a hard cheese, it still has a thick, creamy feel and taste to it. The sharpness of the cherries alongside it worked perfectly. The ultimate example of sweet and savoury working together in harmony.
Plate number 4: Stilton with Chocolate Oat Cookie
Now I had to try this one, as weirdly, it’s made in Cropwell Bishop, the tiny village in Nottinghamshire where I went to Primary School. They actually have two cheeses on the menu but I went for the Stilton as I absolutely LOVE blue cheese. It took me a while as a teenager before I was willing to stop turning my nose up in disgust and actually try it, but now I can’t get enough. So honestly, if you’ve always avoided it, you really should give it a chance, as it’s a lot tastier than its mouldy appearance might lead you to believe.
I’m not entirely sure why they decided to pair it with a chocolate chip cookie (am I missing something obvious?) but regardless, I’m not complaining, it was a softly-baked (random) side treat.
(Wine also excellent and inexpensive)
My friend tried the other Cropwell Bishop cheese which was the Beauvale with Sticky Pear Jam so I had a tiny bit of this one too. Super soft and creamy with a the sweet, sticky jam, I would definitely recommend it.
Plate number 5: OFF BELT
You CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT, visit Pick and Cheese without ordering this dish which appears on the menu but not on the conveyer belt.
Whole Baked Waterloo with Basil Stewed Blackberries and Bread
Remember when I was talking about baked/melted cheese being unbeatable at the beginning? Well…
LOOK AT THIS. JUST LOOK AT IT. Not only does it look massively exciting, but it was one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in a while. There’s actually quite a bit more to it than appears here, and it’s definitely more of a sharer.
The sharpness of the blackberries with that gooey baked goodness was heaven. Can’t say I was getting much basil from it other than the giant tree-frog-style leaf but I didn’t want the basily vibes anyway. The bread is unexciting but entirely necessary for dippage.
Honestly, when I go back (and I 100% will), I’m getting this just for myself. No sharing.
Just as a side note, they do also have a few charcuterie dishes but I wanted to stick exclusively to the cheese this time round.
Overall, I was super impressed with Pick and Cheese. It’s not just a meal, but a fun dining experience. For all the above dishes plus the glass of wine and service I think I paid about £35 which I thought was really reasonable. Waiters add up the prices based on the colours of the piled up dishes that you’ve accumulated throughout the course of the meal.
I love that each cheese comes with a unique, complementary side, and I’ll be honest, this often influenced my choices more so than the cheese itself!
This place is wonderful. It’s situated within a buzzing (but not overwhelming) food hall environment, has a sophisticated feel to it and produces some excellent food. I, for one, can’t wait to go back with other friends and family.
It may not be a hidden gem, but it lights up London’s food scene all the same.
Sixteen years of my life I spent thinking I didn’t like cheesecake.
SIXTEEN YEARS.
I will never be able to retrieve those lost years, but what I can do is attempt to make up for the lack of cheesecake in my life.
According to the wonderfully useful and addictive Eaten app (see my previous blog post on how it all works), I am officially the number 1 cheesecake expert in London. You simply cannot argue with their statistics. Here’s the proof:
So what is it that makes such a good cheesecake? And what are the warning signs of a disappointing dessert of this kind?
We’ll leave the best until last so I’ll start with some of my least favourite efforts.
One of the most important aspects of the cheesecake is its base. A dodgy base = a dodgy cheesecake. A few months ago I got carried away in a whirlwind of Brazilian flavours at Temakinho in Soho, and couldn’t resist their passionfruit (or maracuja) cheesecake. The flavour itself was lovely and sharp but the base really let it down.
I need to taste the buttery crumbs with their gritty texture. A welded-together stodgy base like this just doesn’t do it for me, no matter how lovely it looks.
Another major factor is of course the creamy cheese filling. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t creamy enough and had an odd savoury cheese flavour rather than a sweet cream cheese.
Ultimately Temakinho had produced a dessert full of fruity flavour but lacking on the textural front (with that disconcerting actual real-life cheese cheesiness).
Some attempts find they have the opposite problems though. Take this banana cheesecake from AlmostFamous in Leeds, for example.
An excellent biscuit base (if you can actually manage to get your spoon to the bottom of the jar), and a pleasant consistency to the cream cheese. HOWEVER… bananas. I love bananas. And I love desserts flavoured with actual banana. But the problem is, as it’s not as sweet as other fruits, once you combine it with cream cheese and/or whipped cream, the flavour is is not powerful enough to shine through. The texture of the actual banana pieces gets lost in all the creaminess and the overall flavour of the cheesecake becomes quite bland. I often find this is also the case with an average banoffee pie. Banana + cream is not enough. More sugar or an extra burst of flavour somewhere is needed to heighten the overall taste. A pretty cheesecake that felt good to eat, but didn’t quite hit the spot.
Moving up slightly, we find this dessert in a whole new form. The frozen cheesecake by Whipped in CoventGarden looks absolutely delightful. Their fantastic menu allows you to customise your flavours, and so I ended up with a Lotus Biscuit base, blueberry sauce, honeycomb and oreos. To be honest I think I panicked under the pressure of having to come up with my own flavour combinations, but this is what appeared before me…
This majestic beast was slightly overwhelming and I hadn’t expected it to be quite so tall. But not one to turn down a food-related challenge, I put in my best efforts to finish it. My thoughts on the idea of frozen cheesecake? I’m not sure if it’s a ‘thing’ . As in, is this frozen cheesecake? Or is it basically just ice cream/soft serve/whatever you want to call it with a biscuit base hidden at the bottom. I would argue the latter. That’s not to say it didn’t taste decent; the blueberry sauce with the ice cream (as I insist on calling it) tasted good, but ultimately I prefer the more traditional cheesecake-baking methods.
Ok we’re getting to the good stuff now, and a pleasant surprise up next. You may have seen this dessert already in my Chalida review from a few months ago. In it, I talked about my indifference towards mango, but also came to the conclusion that in this particular cheesecake, the flavour worked fantastically.
The base was very thin, but the creamy topping was so light that the ratio of base to topping worked really well. It was airy and non-indulgent with a lovely sweet sharpness. On top of that, you have to acknowledge the carefully thought-out presentation, producing a delicate-looking dessert, rather than dishing up a heavy, indulgent slab.
In complete contrast to Chalida’s mango cheesecake is another Whipped creation, and a super popular one at that. After the interesting and probably not recommendable combination I chose for the frozen cheesecake, I decided to play it safe with my baked option, going for their classic banoffee cheesecake.
Now, backtrack a few paragraphs and there I am going on about how banana doesn’t work in a cheesecake. Well, it can, and here’s how…
This is not a load of plain cream cheese with plain whipped cream, with a few bananas chucked in. This cheesecake has a strong banana flavour, complemented by gooey toffee, warm melted chocolate and a crunchy biscuit crumb. There are lots of elements all working together in your mouth. Contrasting textures, chilled cream cheese vs warm sauce, and extra sugar from that toffee and chocolate. Extra sugar doesn’t always sound like a positive, but when it comes to banana desserts, it really is a requirement.
The fact that the cheesecake is baked does give it a heavier feel, but really if you’re looking for a light, guilt-free dessert you shouldn’t be heading to Whipped anyway. It’s the equivalent of a vegan going for dinner at an Argentine steakhouse.
Another surefire way to success is to come up with original or less obvious flavour combinations. I love vanilla, strawberry, salted caramel… the list goes on, but sometimes the way to stand out on a menu is to be different.
This next cheesecake is apricot and white chocolate from TheTap and Run pub in Upper Broughton.
You’ll see that the ratio of base to topping in this one is slightly skewed, and ideally I’d probably have a slightly thinner base, but the stand-out for me was the apricot flavour. I’ve never seen apricot in a cheesecake before (although I’m not doubting that they exist), and that candied apricot topping was delicious. I have to say that white chocolate is quite difficult to include in desserts as it gets easily lost when combined with other more powerful flavours, i.e. the apricot in this case, but nonetheless this was a beautifully-presented dessert with a delicious take on the traditional fruity cheesecake.
Right, just a few more to go. And a really important point here is not to neglect the chain restaurant dessert. One of the nicest cheesecakes I’ve ever had was the lemon cheesecake with raspberry coulis from Zizzi.
It may not be the most delicate-looking but boy did it taste good. Lemon topping with raspberry coulis is a fantastic combination, and the portion is the perfect amount to avoid feeling like you’re going to roll out of the restaurant (although if you’ve also had a starter and a pizza like me, you may end up feeling like that anyway). But the point is, don’t turn your nose up at places like this. It’s great to support independent businesses and everyone loves a cosy, intimate setting, but personally I think the zizzi menu is pretty decent, and this certainly was satisfying.
Now to my top 2.
Heading for dinner at a fish/seafood bar, cheesecake was the last thing on my mind. Yet, the berry cheesecake at JSheekey was stunning.
Not only is the presentation incredibly elegant, but that berry compote topping was beautiful. As much as I like chocolatey, caramelly style cheesecakes, you can’t beat the contrast of a thick creamy cheese topping with a light, sharp hit of fruit. I’ve used the word ‘sharp’ a huge number of times but there really is no other way to describe that taste and feeling when the sugary cooked fruit hits your tongue.
For me this cheesecake was second only to one. And that one remaining slice of delight is Crumbs and Doilies Apple Crumble Cheesecake.
The excitement for me was the originality. Not just a fruit cheesecake, not just an apple cheesecake, but an apple crumble cheesecake. This title led to high expectations. I didn’t want a cheesecake that just tasted of apple, I wanted to be able to sense the difference between the flavour of the fruit itself, and the flavour of the crumble dessert that we all know and love.
I was not disappointed. Texture-wise you can see just from the photo that we have a clear crumble topping, with an added sticky toffee style sauce. But it wasn’t just that. It didn’t have a generic, artificial fruit flavour, it really did taste specifically of an apple crumble. The cheesecake topping itself wasn’t the best texture I’ve had, as I prefer a very smooth creamy cheese, however, I have to give it to them for originality and flavour. I have never before seen an apple crumble cheesecake, and now I feel like I don’t need to. I’ve tried it, it was delicious, and now I’m ready to be wowed by something completely new.
This is not the end of my cheesecake marathon. It really is my go-to dessert and there’ll be plenty more for me to discover.
If you want to keep up with those future discoveries, you can check out my Instagram account: @foodtravelsldn, or my Eaten account of the same name, where you can also find my full list of cheesecakes ranked from best to worst.
Now close your laptop, put down your phone, find yourself a nice, big slice of cheesecake and shove your face in it. Immediately.
Brazil – the legendary hub of world-renowned beaches, football, carnival and samba, but for the foodies out there, there are a world of culinary experiences not to be missed.
My top 10 are all based on my own experiences. If you’ve read my ‘about’ section, you’ll know that I spent a year living in Rio whilst studying for a degree in Spanish and Portuguese.
When I say ‘foodie experiences’, I’m going beyond your typical ’10 dishes to try when you visit…’. Yes, recommending the ‘what’ to eat is important, but where you eat it and when you eat it are equally as important and can really transform your whole experience.
So, if you get the chance to travel to this fascinating country, don’t let these foodie bucket list opportunities pass you by…
1 – Grab a refreshing, revitalising açaí on the beach
Many of us now recognise the açaíberry (ass-eye-ee) as one of the top superfoods nowadays and there’s no better way to enjoy it than through the delicious frozen pulp pots that you can find on more or less any street or beach in Brazil. Grab one from Ipanema or Copacabana and let the sweet treat restore the energy drained by the raging 40 degree midday sun. You can choose your own combo of toppings, often including granola, honey and other sauces, and fruits such as banana and strawberry.
Banana, honey and granola – my go to!
2 – Test your limits at an all-you-can-eat meat feast
The rodizio is a common concept in Brazil – all you can eat for a set price, but it has more than just a buffet feel to it. In the churrascarias, waiters appear at your table with an endless cycle of every cut of meat you could possibly imagine. The challenge here is only allowing yourself a bite of each one so you can try everything without peaking too soon and filling up. Churrascaria Palace in Copacabana offers one of the most authentic, and not particularly pricey Churrasco experiences.
3 – Explore the country’s impressive sushi scene
One of Brazil’s lesser known secrets is that it has great sushi due to the significant Japanese population who live there – mainly in São Paulo. Traditional Japanese sushi has become infused with Brazil’s tropical ingredients creating an interesting fusion style. You can try it out in the Liberdade region of São Paulo, but if you can’t quite make it that far, Brazilian sushi restaurant Temakinho has two locations in London.
Banana salmon rolls at Temakinho
4 – Prepare your stomach for a hearty meal of feijoada
Brazil’s traditional dish feijoada is a delicious, and pretty heavy, stew of black beans and bits of beef and pork meat, including ribs, trimmings (ears, tail, feet), bacon, sausage and jerked beef. I promise it’s tastier than it sounds. It’s normally served with rice, greens and farofa (toasted cassava), and is best enjoyed in a local botequim. Bar e Restaurante Os Ximenes right by the colourful Selaron Steps in Lapa, Rio, is the perfect place to indulge alongside the locals.
5 – Grab a salgado on the go
Salgado (literally ‘salty’) is a generic word for a savoury snack, often deep fried or served in pastry. There are hundreds of cheap, casual eateries on street corners throughout Rio where you can find a huge range of these kinds of treats. Favourites include folhados – a puff pastry pocket packed with fillings such as cheese or prawns, coxinhas – shredded chicken covered in dough, battered, and fried, and pastéis – thin-crust deep fried pastry with fillings such as chicken or palm hearts (palmitos).
6 – Visit a friend for a home-cooked meal
When it comes to foodie experiences, sometimes there’s nothing better than enjoying a quality home-cooked meal, prepared by someone who knows best. Whether it’s Moqueca in Bahia (tomato coconut fish stew) or frango com quiabo (chicken with Okra), it will be an experience you won’t forget anytime soon.
7 – Curb your cravings with an espetinho at a street party
Espetinhos are simple – a skewer of grilled meat or fish, most often prepared on tiny stalls that pop up during street gatherings all over the city. It might not be the most tender meat, or have the most mouth-watering flavours, but after a few Caipirinhas at midnight when your stomach is calling, there’s nothing more satisfying than this popular street food. You can grab one from around Pedra do Sal or Baixo Gávea in Rio after a night of drinking, dancing, music and socialising.
8 – Visit São Paulo’s Mercado Municipal for a mega Sanduíche de Mortadela
The Mercado Municipal is the most popular food market in the city, enjoyed by both tourists and locals. Head down to the covered indoor market for a display of the city’s most appetising treats. One of those is the giant sanduíche de Mortadela – French bread filled with Mortadela ham and optional extras including cheese, bacon and caramelised onion.
9 – Drink the night away with a Caipirinha or two
Brazil’s national cocktail, famous worldwide, is made up of cachaça (a spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice), lime, sugar and crushed ice. You’ll have to close your eyes as street vendors shovel in the sugar because there is HEAPS of it. Non-traditional Capirinhas can also be made with other fruits such as strawberry and passionfruit, and there is even a variant made with vodka (Caipivodka) instead of cachaça.
10 – Hunt your own dinner with Piranha fishing in the Amazon
Perhaps not one for the vegetarians out there, but what could be more exciting than catching your own dinner to then have it freshly prepared for you. After the absolutely non-existent foodie scene in the base city of Manaus, by the time you reach the Amazon you’ll be gagging for some decent food. Piranha might not be the tastiest of the seafood variety, but the process from fishing to plate is definitely an experience not to be missed.
So there you have it – a Brazilian bucket list to work your way through. When it comes to eating, context can make all the difference – the what, where, when, who with and whys. Our foodie experiences encompass so much more than just what we’re eating, and this can take you from a simple, average meal to an unforgettable gastronomic opportunity!
I thought I’d start with something that incorporates both food and travel seeing as that’s what I’m most passionate about.
Back in April, I spent 4 days in one of the culinary capitals of Italy – Bologna, aptly nicknamed ‘La grassa’, or ‘The Fat One’. I hadn’t been to Italy since I was about 6 years old so I didn’t really have any memories of the country itself, let alone the food.
I feel like once you arrive somewhere completely new, it can take a while to get your bearings food-wise, and so often, your first meal or two aren’t the best. Day one for us was literally just a case of needing to be fed. Any food. Just give us some food. We’re in Italy so surely nothing can be that bad?
We ended up wandering through the Mercato di Mezzo, desperately looking for a light lunch bite rather than an indulgent, heavy meal. There was so much on offer but willpower was strong, trying to save ourselves for a big evening meal.
SoLunch Number 1 – two arancini (deep fried arborio rice balls for those who weren’t sure). I think one was saffron and peas and the other some kind of meaty mince. We also shared this incredibly light bread topped with tomato. It eased us in to Italian cuisine but nothing mind blowing to begin with.
Before we know it, it’s 8.30pm, freezing, raining, pitch black, and we’re incapable of following a map. It’s also a Saturday night where every decent restaurant seems to be fully booked. You know when you’re so hungry you just give up and accept that you’ll eat anywhere. Yep. That. So when we eventually strolled past a completely empty but very open restaurant, we didn’t care. We didn’t care what the fact that there was no one else in there might mean. We braved it… and this what we ate…
A slightly yellow-looking but actually very tasty Carbonara…
… and a delicious creme caramel type thing. Often I find the texture of these kind of things a bit gross but this one was lovely.
Moral of the story – don’t judge a book by its cover!
Day 2 –
We were told that Italians always start the day with a sweet breakfast, never savoury. So that was our excuse to try as many sweet treats as possible.
The soggy-looking red thing intrigued us most, and I’m always drawn to trying unusual foods.
The above was labelled ‘Sabidoni mostarda alchermes’ which we later discovered was a light dough filled with ‘mostarda’ or pear and quince jam and the colour and flavour comes from the ‘saba’ – cooked grape must. Despite their strange appearance they were delicious – a strong recommendation!
Okay Night Number 2 –
Had this one all planned out from the start. Ever since for Christmas I received the Lonely Planet 500 Ultimate Eats List, I had been checking out the travel bible’s top recommendations. There was only 1 for Bologna and that was Ristorante Da Nello al Montegrappa. Genuinely some of the nicest pasta I’ve ever had, in a classy, traditional setting.
First up is my Tagliatelle Bolognese. As the title of my post suggests THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE IN ITALY!!
In Italy, the type of pasta you have with a specific sauce is so important. The pasta shape is chosen based on how well it complements the sauce, so none of the mixing and matching we get over here. Traditional bolognese sauce isn’t thick and gloopy and tomatoey. It’s barely a sauce, and instead focuses on the minced meat so as to avoid overwhelming the pasta, which should be the star of the show.
However, even more delicious than this was Bologna’s other famous dish – tortellini. Unfortunately this was not my order so I had major food envy…
So simple but absolutely mouth-wateringly stunning.
On to dessert, which I have to admit, was not my favourite part of the trip 😦
We tried the traditional Torta di Riso and of course a Tiramisu. I’m not a huuuge fan of alcohol and both had strong liquor flavours so that kind of put me off. The texture of the Torta di Riso was also really odd…
When you remember you haven’t taken a photo after you’ve started eating
Torta di Riso… gooey and crunchy at the same time??
Okay we are now onto our final day. It’s Day 3. If you’ve made it this far, grazie mille.
Possibly the most exciting foodie day of all. We started the day bright and early with A FOOD TOUR. Oh yes, 7 courses of Italian goodness.
Breakfast was pretty standard – 2 small pieces of cake (unfortunately including the Torta di Riso that I’d already decided I hated the previous evening).
Next stop we headed to see the sfogline (women who make pasta). They produced the tiny intricate tortellini from scratch before our eyes and worked so rapidly it was unbelievable.
Crazy precision…
Following this we headed to a ‘Salumeria’ for a selection of cold cuts and parmesan…
Then we went back for round 2 of pasta, but this time from a fast-food style place, which for me didn’t seem massively necessary.
Finally back to the desserts and treats with Fiat chocolate tasting, balsamic vinegar sampling and of course, what better way to finish but with Italy’s wonderful gelato.
I would never normally choose to eat gelato/ice cream/sorbet over other desserts but this was super creamy and the flavours were stunning. I had one scoop of Cinnamon cookie and one of vanilla custard.
For our last evening meal, pretending to be healthy, we decided to seek out a fish restaurant and fortunately there was one just down the road from our apartment. At Il Pescatore, we shared a starter of octopus which was beautifully tender, and then both of us had the mixed grilled seafood.
We have prawns, langoustine, white fish, scallops, squid and potatoes. It may not look the most appetising but tasted wonderful (even the potatoes, which as you will probably get to know are MY LEAST FAVOURITE CARB).
Food was 100% the main feature of this short break. 4 days in Italy and not a pizza in sight. If you’re heading to Bologna any time soon, definitely check out the Lonely Planet recommended restaurant for your pasta fix, but other than that just get exploring! There are bound to be hundreds more hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.
¡Comemos! 