The Guernsey Foodie

The more observant of you will have noticed long gaps between blog posts from The Guernsey Foodie, recently.  That’s not neglect, I promise, but rather me focusing on university studies in my vital final year.  Nonetheless, it has been great to be back for an all too short Christmas visit, and to remind myself of why I love Guernsey so much, and all its wonderful food and restaurants.  It will be good to get back to university to get away from all those calories.

Having said that, it may well be worth a listen to this interview from one of my radio shows with Daniel White, a Guernsey-based nutritionist with some quite helpful advice and views when it comes to what to eat, and what not to eat, and why.

 

In other news – we went for a delicious brunch at The Kiln, and chatted to Jenny who brings such personal warmth and flare to the business of running a restaurant.  We were royally treated to a sumptuous breakfast at the Old Government House Hotel.  We had an amazing Sunday lunch at Fat Rascal, and I have no idea how Steve Hopkins, the ever-attentive owner, stays so slim.  I downed a Yorkshire Pudding the size of a dinner plate, laden with the most scrumptious lunch.  We were delighted to find a completely new restaurant in the form of Balthazar restaurant and bar, so we will have to do a review in the near future, just to see if things are up to standard – www.balthazar.gg.

We drove out west to the Peninsula Hotel, now owned by the same group as Les Douvres and The Fleur du Jardin, so we have great expectations when the refurbishment is complete early in 2019.  If Charlie Walker works her usual magic the inevitable high standards will certainly be to my taste.

We also popped in for a wonderful afternoon tea at The Duke of Richmond, a regular favourite, as well as a gin tasting at Bella Luce.  Remember to pronounce it Bella Loochay, as it’s Italian, I am told….!  I believe I may have enjoyed myself, but I’m not entirely certain.

I spread best Guernsey butter on my toast every morning, I had too many slices of my grandma’s Guernsey Gâche, and I simply loved being back in Guernsey again.

I am now back to the UK, and away from all those tempting leftovers from Christmas Day, and I’ve put the English Channel between me and the Guernsey-made Double Cream Fudge!

Why not make your resolution to try even more of the best of Guernsey food in 2019.

One or two of my colleagues will be out there, sampling the culinary deliciousness of Guernsey, and reporting back to you all.

Eat well…

x

 

The Sourdough Prawn Finger clung gently to the roof of my mouth, but a little tickle with the tongue moved it to one side, and delivered it gently but certainly to my eager gullet.  A short pause, and I was devouring the honey glazed ribs, eyeing the Peking duck (should it now be Beijing duck?), and sizing up the other elements of this exotic feast.

With this kind of meal a degree of planning and strategy is required – some idea on how to figure out which course should go with what and in which order.  I always find English food so easy – there’s a starter, a main course, a pudding, and maybe cheese if one is feeling particularly accommodating.  With Chinese food it’s never quite so easy, is it.  Is the Sourdough Prawn Finger meant to be eaten with the duck, or before it, or after it.  Happily, Eddie Sum, China Red’s proprietor and manager, and very much a hands-on kind of chap, is there to guide us through the mysteries, although if we had gone with all his recommendations I fear we may still be eating a day or two later.

For me, one of life’s great pleasures is eating out, and I’m told I am at the extreme end of discerning when it comes to matters of taste, texture, flavour and aroma.  And so it was that we arrived to sample the delights of Guernsey’s leading (by a long way) Chinese restaurant, China Red.  Eddie is one of those people who just knows how it should be done, and he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of food from different regions of China, as well as Hong Kong, but I’m sure nobody can beat his intimate knowledge of the plethora of exotic and fascinating teas he has on show.

We descended like seagulls on a bin night when the plastic bags have been put out at the kerb too early.  The feast was gargantuan, without even a hint of deference to my ever-expanding girth.  I had missed lunch, just to limber up my digestive system, ready for the fantastic onslaught that is China Red. The range and breadth of tastes and colours is legend.  In fact, when I first ate out in Guernsey many years ago, China Red was the place to which I made my pilgrimage, to worship at the altar of fabulous food.  It’s one of the handful of places in Guernsey where there is always just a knowing and confident nod when you mention its name, and a hushed reverence when discussing the menu.

Having been brought up living close to a Chinese takeaway my knowledge was limited to sweet and sour sauce and mono sodium glutamate (whatever that is).  Many, many visits to Eddie’s culinary emporium over the years have helped me to understand the subtleties of Chinese food, in all its different forms, and I can not recommend the place highly enough.  I have had unfailingly efficient and friendly service, never a moment of being rushed or pushed, and I can safely say that every mouthful has been a genuine delight of palate titillation.

It’s a family business, and China Red’s tentacles spread across the English Channel, as it was recently voted No. 7 in The Independent’s top 10 UK Chinese restaurants, and the top restaurant in Guernsey on TripAdvisor.  No matter their accolades, they simply do great food and service.

What really stands out is the ‘FEED ME’ menu.  You can choose the value per person, and Eddie and his team will chat with you for a while, to ascertain your tastes, then select and serve the most extraordinary array of dishes, updated from the usual Chinese favourites.  We went A La Carte (I don’t know what that is in Mandarin) and we started our treat with Sourdough Prawn Fingers, Barbecue Spare Ribs with Chinese Honey & Soya (fabulously tasty) and Vegetable Shanghai Dumplings.

What is immediately notable was the very wide choice for the two vegetarians amongst us, with the Tofu cubes with Szechuan peppercorn salt being very popular.  Also, vital these days, is the numerous gluten free choices – Chinese diet turns out to be extremely healthy, if you choose wisely, but we won’t mention the toffee banana and ice cream until later….!

What is immediately apparent when talking to Eddie is his passion and boundless enthusiasm for good food, and quality wines.  By the way, here is a little secret for you – almost next door is a very, very well stocked quality wine merchant, and Eddie has the keys, so anything you would like with your meal is likely to be available, from a glass of modestly priced new world crisp white to a bottle of the most fine Domaines Barons de Rothschild Chateau Lafite for a mere £1,600.  We were thoroughly spoilt, and encouraged to try just about one of everything on the menu, but we did draw the line at the top-end wines!

Eddie takes great pride in bringing new food ideas to the relatively sophisticated palate of the average China Red client.  There are so many modern variations on old established Chinese traditional dishes, but none of them so far from their origins as to cause anything but delight – new twists on established traditions.  Also vital to China Red is the relationship with local suppliers, especially the locally caught seafood and fish – the scallops are divine.  Eddie goes to great lengths to source fresh local vegetables, and has built a very special working relationship with Grow Ltd. one of the treasures of this lovely community.

What is also immediately apparent is that the level of service here is simply as good as it gets.  I was going to say West End of London standards, but if you’ve eaten in some of London’s top-end restaurants lately you will be aware of inconsistencies when it comes to standards of service.  We were royally looked after in China Red, and we always have been.  Eddie has that knack of picking the right people, training them well and rewarding them for their efforts, and it clearly shows.  There’s a certain graciousness about the mixture of the oriental and British philosophies here.  It’s easy to get it wrong, and challenging to get it just right, but Eddie has done it really very well.  He boasts of bringing the latest ideas and innovation from London, and elsewhere, but I have a suspicion that others may be following his lead, and many a Chinese restaurant in London could learn much from the way Eddie runs his domain.

Every course evoked reactions of culinary delight from all of us, and I can only describe the whole evening as a sublime experience in the world of Guernsey dining.  Our main courses just achieved perfection with fine and subtle flavours of China Red chicken with toffee walnuts and sesame seeds, whilst the veggies amongst us were treated to stir-fried asparagus and lilly bulb in black pepper, and a rather special sauce, with just a hint of spice.

Interestingly, China Red has a takeaway menu (why wouldn’t they), offering most of the range of dishes from their main menu.  China Red is enormously popular, so make sure you don’t call up 15 minutes before you want to eat, and at absolute peak times Eddie and his team may decline to take your takeaway order, just because the kitchen is working to maximum capacity.  Instead, why not make the commitment and organise your next family gathering in their private function room.

If you want to eat at China Red you’ll likely need to book in advance, even mid-week, as it is immensely popular.  It’s less than ten minutes from the visitors’ marina in St. Peter Port, and, I’m told, a favourite amongst visiting French yachtsman.  I read recently of a family that moved from Paris back to London, delighted to finally find restaurants with atmosphere rather than the dour and sober experience on the French side of the little pond.  Perhaps that’s why China Red is so popular with visiting French folk, because the atmosphere is lively and full of laughter, without being noisy or obtrusive.

In no rush at all to leave, we spent a lazy half hour imbibing Eddie’s fascinating wealth of knowledge on the subject of tea, and we slurped more than our fair share of light and fragrant teas, but that was after the toffee banana and ice cream….!

I’ve discovered paradise – It’s called Surfside at Port Soif, but it’s not a restaurant, so they say….!

The seagulls bleated in the distance somewhere, and a gentle breeze finally woke me from the brief but beguiling reverie into which I had slipped.  I was entranced by the delightful experience of scoffing a simply splendid bowl of chips and and a cool drink in one of Guernsey’s most surprising dining spots.

Fine dining is one thing, and we will always enjoy our reviews of Guernsey’s restaurants with linen table cloths, shiny glasses of wine, and waiters gliding effortlessly between tables.  Today was something different, as we ventured to the west coast at Port Soif, and parked next to the Surfside Garden and Takeaway.  We popped in just to get an ice cream to take away, but it’s the first time we’ve really explored this haven along the west coast, and it didn’t take much persuasion for us to stop and relax with a bowl of really nice chips, or anything really.

My partner in crime is a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to chips, and I do rather like them myself.  Surfside’s chips touched the spot, but we were distracted by their speciality, which is crab sandwich.  I’m told their daily stress is whether there will be enough locally picked crab to satisfy their customers’ demands, so don’t leave it too late in the day.  Talking of which, they’re open from 9am until 6pm every day, but with last food orders taken at 5pm.

The smiling and friendly service is really great, which it isn’t always at some kiosks on our beautiful island, sadly.  It’s just so easy to stop here, sit for a while and contemplate nothing at all, sheltered from the wind in the sun trap garden, and relax.  It really is a gorgeous spot.

My eye was caught by a hand written sign which tells me I can earn a free drink or an ice cream by taking a wombling kit, which I think means I need to walk a bit and pick up some litter and beach debris. I needed to walk afterwards, as my attention had been too easily drawn to the banana and carrot cake, whose level of deliciousness is difficult to describe or do justice in words.  You really will have to take a trip to Surfside and check it out for yourself.

They have very handily placed public lavatories just behind the place, and they are kept immaculately clean and smelling pristine.  I wouldn’t have know they were there, but for the signs pointing round the back.

Surfside does fabulous food, hot snacks, such as baked potatoes, sausage and bacon rolls, burgers and southern fried chicken.  They also have a great range of sandwiches in addition to the crab.

If you’d like to stay and eat in the peaceful garden they really do have a surprisingly wide choice of dishes, but I’m determined to go back for the breakfast, which sounds extraordinary value at £5 for egg, sausage, bacon, beans and toast. One section of their menu is called ‘Other Lovely Stuff’ so I may have to become a regular for a while, just to try things, you understand.

We were greatly amused by the sign on the wall, which allays any thoughts we may have had that this place is a restaurant.  Frankly, I don’t give a damn what they are – it’s a  great place to go and eat and spend some time, and perhaps nod off in the peace of the afternoon sun….

I’ve also decided to do all my blog posts from Surfside, as they have free WiFi, and I couldn’t imagine a nicer place to work….!

Eat well

x

I have a problem when I eat at The Duke of Richmond – it’s not their fault at all; it’s entirely mine.  I have a sweet tooth you see, and I just can’t walk past a dessert, a biscuit, nor a sweet jar….

Each time I walk into the Duke, one of the Red Carnation collection of fine hotels, I am confronted by the extraordinary decor, with Bea Tollman’s South African origins clearly on display, even as you step through the door.  The art on the walls is very much an African thing, and the whole hotel almost takes me back to the bushveld in South Africa, and some delightful bush food, the sounds of amazing wildlife and the unmistakable smell of quiet sunset evenings in Africa.  However, and this is where the problem emerges, they have sweet jars with jelly beans, sherbert lemons and soft toffees, just inside on the left, before you walk into the Leopard Bar & Restaurant.  I’ve given the Old Government House Hotel, just down the road, a great deal of stick, as their sweets are really very second rate compared to the Duke.  Now, if you both pay attention please and ensure you start competing for who could have the best sweets in the jar, we’ll pop in much more frequently.  I mean serious competition here folks – check out some of the pick and mix displays and see how much quantity and variety you can achieve, please.  Hint – the Duke of Richmond is winning at the moment, by a long way.

I digress already, but with no apology at all.  There is much to love at the Duke, as last time we visited we scoffed down a delicious afternoon tea, and it is remembered with great fondness.  It was summer, so it must have been a year ago, and we sat on the terrace, washing down the cream and jam and scones with a cheeky glass of something bubbly.  And now it’s summer again, and I’ve brought the family for an early evening meal.

I do enjoy the reassurance of watching the chefs at work through the glass wall which displays all the action in the kitchen.  And you can hear the gentle murmur of a great team of expert cooks as they gently coach superb dishes out of many local ingredients, and without a swear word at all.

I started with the pan seared scallops, pea purée, lemon, and caper sauce.  It was so light, so subtle, so luxurious, and tasted divine.  My dedicated vegetarian partner in crime had a mysterious looking starter of avocado spring rolls with chimichurri and cherry tomato vinaigrette.  She tells me it tasted fresh, light and bursting with flavours, each of which complemented the other – what more could one wish for.

Child One’s imagination does not often stray past prawn cocktail, and it is so difficult to make it original in any way, so it just has to be about fresh and tasty salad, and a good quality to the sauce and prawns, both of which were achieved without pretension.  Child Two’s relatively undeveloped palate was amused by sweet potato soup, but I think he enjoyed the Duke’s bread more, freshly made on the premises, and coming in four different flavours.

I had no idea what wine to order, so casting my eye down the comprehensive wine list I alighted upon an Australian Shiraz called Ass Kisser – I had to have it, and I’m glad I did.  If I’m short of one thing in life it’s an intimate enough knowledge of wines to do them justice in these restaurant reviews.  I decided just to drink it instead of pretending to have much knowledge of it.  That works for me….

My main course was a slightly pink rack of lamb (just the way I like it) with baby vegetables and new potatoes (definitely not Jerseys) all complemented by a rich rosemary jus.  The balance was perfect and the potatoes were plucked out of the steam at exactly the right moment, which I always find a challenge.

The boss went for homemade basil gnocchi with tomato, baby gem and sherry emulsion, and she tells me it’s close to the best she’s ever had.  It was light and tasty with a hint of basil, rather than a flavouring.  I did pinch one off her plate , and I do see what she means.  She reports that it is so different to the usual gnocchi, which often leaves one feeling rather heavy and overloaded – this was light and fresh, and much more gentle on the digestive system.  The boss has a more sophisticated palate than me when it comes to wine, and she tells me the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc called Frost Pocket was light, crispy and perfectly complemented her food.

Child One, a connoisseur when it comes to beef, really enjoyed the braised beef cheeks, scallion mash and glazed carrots.  Well, to be honest I asked him how it was, but he’s a teenager, so I took his monosyllabic grunt as some kind of positive affirmation, as it was accompanied by a vigorous nodding of the head, and there was no sign of choking.

Child Two opted for roasted Barbary duck breast with carrot and orange purée, pickled blackberries and sautéed spinach.  He also grunted his affirmation, which is an accolade, indeed.

I’m afraid dessert wounded me a little.  Well, by the time I’d tried everybody’s my palate was a little confused and I may have been ready for a diabetes attack.   Many years ago I tried to impress a new girlfriend by cooking her a meal at home, and ending it with a baked Alaska.  It all ran very smoothly, and my seduction technique was swimming upstream towards the ultimate completion, and then I rescued what was left of the baked Alaska which had become a blob of charred waste in the middle of the oven.  My hopes of seduction dashed, my career as a gourmet chef chef in tatters, I vowed to avoid baked Alaska for the rest of my life – until now.  I could run out of superlatives here, but the best thing is to come along to The Duke of Richmond and try it for yourself.  Seated on a bed of Guernsey Gache, with light and crispy meringue holding beautiful vanilla ice cream, and with a hint of raspberry, this was a feast, and I loved it, so much so that I barely had the motivation to fight with the other three over Bea Tollman’s vanilla cheesecake.  We both had a very satisfying dessert wine, the Muscat Beaumes de Venise.  I’ve not yet made up my mind – after years of trying and sipping dessert wines I’m never quite sure whether it’s just a bit too much, but my judgement has usually entirely disappeared by that stage in a meal.

The colours, the aromas, the presentation and the tastes were all just faultless.  The service was simply excellent – a flawless orchestra of waiters, chefs, supervisors and sommelier gently gliding between tables, attentive but never conspicuous, and producing a symphony of taste, texture and colour.  Now, how am I going to stagger past those sweet jars on the way out….?