Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 30 April 2018

"I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond."

Mae West

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 23 April 2018

"Love is an open door...to a really good bakery." 

Anon 

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 16 April 2018

"A slice of pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze."

Stephen King, American author

Cabana

The Corn Exchange, Manchester

Brazil was the latest port of call in my culinary cruise around the Corn Exchange. The home of Rio Street Food was the chosen venue for my latest Saturday lunch date.

I’ll admit my ignorance and tell you that I didn’t really know what Brazilian food was. A quick Google search told me it was all about barbecued meat, rice and bean stews and cheesy dough balls (yes, really!).

Cabana’s decor may be authentic but the food isn’t anything to shout about. Seated at wooden tables underneath a canopy, light bulbs hanging from the ceiling on wires and oranges and lemons suspended above our heads, it had the feel of a beach hut in Rio. It’s bright, brash and colourful, just like the carnivals for which Rio is world famous.

It was surprisingly quiet for Saturday lunchtime; there were only a handful of other tables occupied. Despite this, the staff seemed determine to rush us in and out. Whilst I’m never one to complain about service being too fast, we had to send our waitress away three times before we were ready to order.

Refreshingly, there’s a selection of native non-alcoholic drinks that aren’t just your usual Sprite and Coca Cola. I had the lemon and lime soda water, which was refreshing without being overly gassy – always a bonus when you’re about to eat a meal.

To start, I had chargrilled halloumi with a guava dip. I only discovered halloumi recently but it has fast become a firm favourite of mine. Apparently, this is a classic combination which is known as ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in Brazil. The guava dip was slightly sweet and sticky, like a sweet chilli condiment but more tomatoey.

My friend had Crispy ‘Lula’ Squid – lightly fried salt and pepper squid rings, served with a Malagueta Mayo. The batter was just right, very pale and only slightly crispy, but the squid was slightly rubbery.

If you prefer light bites during the day, then the starters are ideal for sharing, with the Brazilian nachos and avocado tortillas providing something more substantial.

Crispy 'Lula' Squid and Chargrilled Halloumi

For the main courses, it’s quite a varied menu, with a choice of burgers, burritos, pitta breads, traditional curries and stews and loads of grilled meat. I had the Feijoada Burrito. Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil, despite originating Portugal. It’s a stew consisting of shredded pork, beef and beans and here is served inside a toasted rap with rice and shredded lettuce.

I’ve previously been spoilt with some sensationally tasty burritos, so this was rather disappointing. It was bland, tasteless and rather dry, which I really wasn’t expecting given the mix of flavours and textures. It was too heavy on the rice and subsequently lacked moisture. It came with what was supposed to be a ‘side salad’ but was really just a ramekin full of bits of shredded lettuce with a couple of pieces of radish thrown on the top: again, very disappointing. We ordered a side of Churrasco Fries to share, which were full of seasoning and helped to salvage the bland burrito.

Feijoada Burrito and Churrasco Fries

For dessert, we shared Caramel Churros and Chocolate Raindrop Doughnuts. The churros were dusted with cinnamon and served with a sticky, sickly sweet caramel sauce, perfect for dipping. The crispy churros were warm enough for the cinnamon to melt into them as you dipped them into the caramel. The Chocolate Raindrop Doughnuts were dough balls stuffed with oozing Nutella. They were served piping hot, so we waited a while before tucking into them. It was just as well we did, as, it becomes blindingly obvious on your first attempt, that the only way to devour them is to put them in your mouth all in one go. Otherwise, the Nutella oozes out when you bite into them and, frankly, that’s a waste. Dessert was definitely the best bit.

Caramel Churros and Chocolate Raindrop Doughnuts

If you’re just after a drink, there’s an indoor beach bar upstairs. They have an extensive cocktail menu and, when we visited, they were offering 2 cocktails for £10 all day.

Just short of £25 for three courses at lunchtime doesn’t exactly break the bank; it’s perfectly reasonable for a Saturday in the city centre. I wouldn’t rush back, but it was pleasant enough.

View the menus here: https://cabana-brasil.com/menu-locations/manchester/

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 9 April 2018

"When someone says, 'I forgot to eat', I think you must be a special kind of stupid. I plan my whole day around eating."

Anon 

Bøck Bière Café

10 Tib Lane, Manchester

Easter is a time for miracles. This weekend, we experienced our very own miracle, only this one was in the form of cheese.

Vast quantities of this gooey dairy delight were consumed during our debut trip to Bøck Bière Café. Buried away in its small premises on Tib Lane, just off Cross Street, Bøck is a European cafe bar serving up Belgian beer and cuisine.

Had it not been recently recommended by a work colleague, I probably wouldn’t have discovered this hidden gem. The unit was previously home to The Filthy Cow. Inside, the Northern industrial decor remains but has been adapted to become incredibly authentic. There are bare brick walls and open ceilings with the pillars exposed, marble table tops and wooden chairs, studded leather back rests and wrought iron staircases. You’d be forgiven you were in a cafe in the back streets of Belgium.

The website deems ‘booking is essential’ at the weekend, although I’m not entirely sure why given that it’s very quiet when we arrive. There were only two tables occupied on the second floor. Still, it was quiet and relaxing, which is perfect for a bustling Saturday lunchtime when you want to catch up with a friend who you haven’t seen for ages.

In terms of food, it’s all about ‘social dining’, with the focus being on sharing boards and fondues. There’s a variety of platters featuring continental meats and cheeses – steak, pork scallops, chorizo, Roquefort and brie, as well as a veggie board which includes caramelised onion bruschetta and the old favourite, halloumi fries.

When in Rome, or rather, when in Antwerp (Belgium’s historic port city which the wall pictures on the second floor are all themed around), we decided we had to try a fondue. The Cheese Fondue is a melted melange of four cheeses, Belgian biere and crème fraiche; a creamy, dreamy delight, served over a roaring flame to keep it bubbling away whilst you’re working your way through the accompanying nibbles.

It’s a huge vat of cheese but astonishingly doesn’t get sickly. Quite what their secret is, I’m not sure.

It’s served with pots of crunchy vegetables (carrots, celery and cucumber, you know, the usual dipping choices), potato rosti and a basket of rosemary-infused foccacia bread bites. You can also choose between pieces of steak and cured sausage, or vegetarian sausage and halloumi. The medium-rare steak was cooked to perfection, so succulent and juicy it melted away on your tongue. The sausage was a lesser spicy version of chorizo, but equally delicious. The cheese fondue is sensational value at just £20.  

Being naturally greedy, we ordered a couple of extras. Bitterballen was recommended to me as ‘an absolute necessity’ by a colleague. A traditional Dutch snack, Bitterballen is a deep-fried ball of shredded meat, gravy, broth, butter, flower and parsley, creating a ball of breadcrumbs filled with a rich, creamy, meaty roux. They were served with rocket and a mustard-infused Bock sauce, although we found it worked much better to dip them in the cheese. You got six balls for £5 – bargain!

We also indulged in garlic and parmesan ‘pomme frites’ – that’s potato fries to you and I. We were presented with a mountain of fries, smothered in garlic and sprinkled in grated parmesan. I’m not a fanatic when it comes to cheesy chips, but these were sensational, possibly the best fries I’ve ever tasted. Given that there were so many of them, and with the amount of food we had on the table, it was inevitable that they would go cold. But here’s the thing: they were equally as flavoursome cold! Again, not sure what secrets they hold.

Our cheese fondue, fries, Bitterballen and (non-alcoholic) drinks came to a grand total of just £17.25 each. Considerably less than you’d expect to spend on a meal in the city centre of a weekend. It’s brilliant value.

It’s not all about cheese. For the sweet-toothed fiends, there’s a Chocolate Fondue, which I’m desperate to try. Had we not ordered the extras, we perhaps could have attempted the bowl of chocolate lava for dessert, but it would have been tough. I’m desperate to try it, however, so a return visit is absolutely necessary.

The jewel in Bøck’s crown is the Sunday Roast Fondue: beef brisket, Yorkshire pudding waffles and roasted vegetables served with biere bourgugnon gravy (£25 for two people). It’s only available on Sunday and Monday and booking is essential. That’ll be a third return visit.

There’s also a selection of ‘All Day Dejeuner’ dishes, including savoury waffles, Croque Monsieur and a Steak Sandwich, so if you’re after something a little bit lighter at lunch time – or if you’d rather save yourself for the chocolate blow-out – then this would be ideal.

I’m told that Bøck also houses the largest selection of Belgian beer in the whole of Manchester, with over 70 different types and more being added.

Bøck Bière Café is a hidden gem in Manchester’s City Centre. We fell in love with the place at the first mouthful of deliciously hot, gooey cheese, and you will too. I fully intend to return and work my way through the rest of the menu.

Website: http://bockcafe.co.uk/

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 2 April 2018

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces." 

Judith Viorst