San Remo Diamond Dinner

- Alex Leave a comment

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Yes, the sorbet was the best dish, but alas – not the best photograph!

Disclaimer: I attended the dinner as a guest of San Remo.

You may have noticed that my blog posts recently have had a slightly non-Adelaide theme … I’ve just returned from three weeks in the UK visiting family and friends and fitting in a lot of eating and even some blogging. There’s more UK content to come but, before heading away, I managed to squeeze in the annual San Remo Diamond Dinner.

The dinner has become an annual institution: the Diamonds (that’s the Australian netball team) and a group of guests are treated to a meal created by Adam Swanson (Zucca) prior to the start of the Quad Series. This year the meal was held at the National Wine Centre.

The netballers, who are all very tall and listen very patiently to any stories you may have of C grade netballing prowess, are scattered amongst the guests, so everyone feels touched by a little bit of sporting glory. This year I sat next to Mo’onia Gerrard. As she is almost a foot taller than me, I was glad it was a sit down meal!

We started with pasta: torn lasagne sheets with sugo, basil and mozzarella, served in a coffee cup. Adam Swanson spoke a little about the food and this dish was inspired by one his nonna used to cook. Being served in a cup would work really well if you’re tucked up at home on the sofa, but it was a touch tricky to eat sitting at a table.

For main we had a choice between beef and chicken. The chicken was served with preserved lemon risoni so I was really tempted but the beef was sold to me on the promise of crispy gnocchi with burnt butter. How Adam got that past the Diamonds’ nutritionist/dietician I will never know. While the gnocchi weren’t particularly crispy (and with a room of about 100 people to feed that was always going to be tricky) as a dish it worked well. I was particularly interested in the use of the red wine herb butter because compound butters are something I rarely bother doing. Even though the red wine makes the butter an interesting colour, it does lend extra richness to both the meat and any gravy that it meets.
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We finished with what was, for me, the best course. The mixed berry sorbet was absolutely excellent. After a big, hearty meal the sorbet, accompanied by fresh fruit and biscotti, was the perfect weight, but the mixed berries ensured it packed in a lot of flavour. It wasn’t just me that loved it – pretty much everyone was smacking their lips and oohing and aahing.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with some other Adelaide bloggers: Debbie from dbites, Erin from She Cooks, She Gardens and Amanda from Lamb’s Ears and Honey. Blogging is not an inherently sociable kind of activity so actually talking to fellow bloggers, in the flesh, is always great!

Adam Swanson’s menu obviously did the trick, as the Diamonds won the Quad Series. All I need to do now is work out how to get my hands on the recipe for the mixed berry sorbet …

Mongolian Barbeque, Dublin, Ireland

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date of visit: Monday 22 October 2012

Getting to Dublin had meant a very early start: up at 0330 to be ready to wake and feed the baby before jumping in a cab at 0430 for an early bargain basement flight.

This meant it was a long day and, by the time the toddler’s dinner time rolled around, we were all hungry, tired and ready to sit on the sofa in our apartment. Rock and roll.

And so we happened on Dublin’s Mongolian Barbeque, in the depths of Temple Bar. We were there so early we qualified for the early bird discount – all you can eat BBQ for €12 per person, rather than €16.

You may have realised, by now, that I normally eschew anything ‘all you can eat’, ‘buffet’ and such. However, I have done Mongolian BBQ once before (a long time ago) and enjoyed it and I knew that this was going to be the perfect way to feed a hungry toddler.

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The premise of Mongolian BBQ is that the diner makes a selection of foods which is then cooked by a chef on a large grill plate. It’s quite an interactive way of dining as you are up out of your chair, picking your food and watching it being cooked. It’s great for picky eaters as they have ultimate control over what goes in their bowl.

At Dublin’s Mongolian BBQ we were greeted warmly, and pram and high chair were sorted out swiftly. Wine and bowls of rice arrived and we were ready to hit the food.

There were suggested combinations although we found that making up our own was both more fun and tastier!

The tandoori chicken was a big hit with all of us, but there was also pork, beef and plain chicken. In addition, there was tofu, meaning that vegetarians are well catered for. There were plenty of fresh vegetables and a huge pile of egg noodles. After making your selection you add sauces and sauces before handing over to the chef.

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While it’s not an Irish night out by any stretch of the imagination, the Mongolian BBQ is a fun, flexible and cheap dinner. It is probably better suited to smaller groups – in a large group you could well find yourself doing a bit of waiting.

Early in the evening the restaurant was quiet but it was getting busier as we left, so consider an earlier start. The BBQ does also offer an extremely cheap lunch deal. However, I’d recommend the Mongolian BBQ for a fun meal even if you aren’t short of cash!

Mongolian Barbeque on Urbanspoon

The Fleece, Otley

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Date of visit: Monday 29 October 2012

In an age of easy communication it can be surprisingly difficult to organise catching up with geographically disparate friends. Even those who work with the cutting edge of technology.

A fair bit of last minute to-ing and fro-ing saw us loitering outside a supermarket in Otley, waiting for my mate who had suggested the Fleece for lunch. The food and beer were both supposed to be excellent.

On a Monday lunch time the Fleece was almost empty: hopefully this means that many of the good folk of Otley are gainfully employed. As far as I’m concerned, a generous choice of tables in a pub is always a good thing.

The Fleece is operated by WharfeBank Brewery so in addition to a small selection of real ales from other small brewers, three of WharfeBank’s own beers took pride of place on the bar. I tried a pint of WharfeBank’s CamFell.

The menu is a good size list of smartened up pub classics. Andy chose fish and chips (Steve commented that the piece of fish looked like it had come from a whale), Steve chose the burger (with cheese but no bacon) and I opted for the crispy pork belly with black pudding mash.

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The mains all hover around the £8-10 mark so this was by no means the cheapest pub meal you’ll find in the north of England, but it was very good. My pork belly (the only thing I managed to taste!) was tender and moist, its piece of crackling was crisp and, perhaps most importantly, it got the seal of approval from the toddler. The black pudding mash also got a thumbs up – there was plenty of black pudding and the chunks were all different sizes. My one criticism would be the gravy which was a bit thick and, um, commercial tasting.

Service wise, the barman we dealt with was super friendly and helpful. He was chatty and efficient and, from what I saw, a real asset to the pub.

As with pretty much everywhere in the UK (it seems!), the Fleece offers patrons free wifi – just ask at the bar for the password!

A big tick all round and definitely a pub worth making a trip to Otley for if you live nearby.