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Win 1 of 5 Noble’s Pureau SIGG water bottles!

Green is the new black. Or so they say (although I’d bet Anna Wintour would beg to differ). Living as greenly as possible is de rigeur nowadays. Carbon footprint is to us now what Global Warming was 20 years ago. The smart people at Noble’s Pureau have come up with another way to enjoy water as an alternative from the dreaded plastic water bottle - water from a 5 or 10 litre cask. Noble’s Pureau is also the only water 100% guaranteed to be completely free of chlorine, bacteria, fluoride, sodium and other impurities that are so prevalent in both tap and bottled water through their 3 step filtration process. Their cask is also enviro friendly with 2 out of the 3 cardboard layer being made out of 100% recycled material and the entire cask and bag materials being recyclable. Along with the cask packaging, they also have their own Noble’s Pureau SIGG water bottles designed to be used in conjunction with the 5 or 10 litre casks.

So this month, thanks to the kind people at Noble’s Beverages, we are giving away 5 Noble’s Branded SIGG water bottles. These ingeniously designed reusable bottles are worth $35 each and they’re a fantastic way of reducing your dependance on water bottles and not only that, they incredibly durable and chic. Whilst SIGG bottles are more expensive than the average water bottle, they last for years and have a non-toxic internal liner that protects the water from any taste transfer so your water tastes exactly like it should. They’re also easily washable, so you can ensure that the bottle is kept clean and bacteria free at all times.

All you have to do is tell me in 35 words or less, how else have you, or do you intend to, reduce your carbon footprint? Add your entry via a comment to this story. You can enter once daily as long as your entry is different each time and this competition is open to Australian residents only. The competition ends midnight AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Sunday the 2nd of November so you have plenty of time!

Of course if you can’t wait and want to buy one of these yourself, you can purchase them at the Noble’s Pureau website here. The casks are available at all major supermarkets.

81 comments | October 6, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

The Ivy, London

Posted in Eating, Outside of Sydney

There’s a reason why there are only two photos of my visit to the Ivy. The celeb count at the Ivy is apparently so high, that they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the restaurant. So all I have to offer you is a picture of the bread basket and the napkin. The Ivy is in an odd location, in the theatre district but down what looks like a back alley, right near L’atelier de Joel Robuchon. Outside of opening hours, the outer belies the mystery about this restaurant and why exactly it is so sought after as a place for celebrities to congregate. Getting a booking is not easy, one has to book weeks ahead to secure a table.

The doorman is a very genial fellow, designed to make your entrance way smooth and welcoming. The staff too are friendly and polite, with perhaps the exception of one waiter who although isn’t rude, is just in the wrong business. The predominant colour is of course green in various shades and there are stained glass accents and the seating is mostly one sided banquettes. We are seated at one, both of us seated at the banquette side with the table pulled out for us to slide in so that maximum “gawking” is achieved as neither of us has our back to the restaurant.

We’re handed the enormous 1 sheet menus. My sister, whilst not a regular, has been here several times and has never liked the food. However some that she has been with have so perhaps it’s extremely bad luck with food choices. And you may be surprised to learn that prices are very reasonable with some very English foods like Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie £16.50 and Bangers & Mash £13.75 to more Asian fare. Having been told by my sister that the Shepherd’s Pie, the item that the waiter tells us is their signature, is in fact not great, we opt for two dishes, the Slow roasted Blythburgh Pork belly with black pudding hash £16.75 and the Salmon fishcake with sauteed spinach and sorrel sauce £15.75.

While we wait for our meals, the bread arrives with butter and it’s pretty good, the butter at the right temperature for spreading. And it’s not long after doing a subtle check around of the restaurant patrons (mixed: some “chav-like” but not quite Vicki Pollard, mostly middle class) that our mains arrive.

You’ll have to trust me about the descriptions but it seems we are in luck. Both of our meals are very good, particularly the Slow cooked Blytheburgh pork belly which is in 4 rectangles and has a delectable crackling on it. The black pudding hash complements it wonderfully.

Salmon fishcake £15.75

Similarly, the salmon fishcake is substantial for a single but thick fishcake, full of salmon and not filler. The spinach layer underneath is also substantial and the sorrel sauce delicious. The photo above is from The Ivy’s own website which is a fairly accurate representation of the dish, although I think I could’ve taken a better one

We’re not tempted by the desserts, indeed the “star” item is the Scandinavian iced berries with white chocolate sauce looks like frozen berries with chocolate sauce poured onto it at the table. And being a good food blogger, if I can’t photograph it, I’m not as interested.

And as for celebrities? I am not familiar with English celebs but I may have seen a soccer player. Well you know the kind, someone fairly good looking with a fairly good looking girlfriend that looks like they might be famous. Speaking to the staff there, they have also been briefed to be discreet although one does reveal that they are surprised at how different they look in real life - without the hair and makeup.

The Ivy

1-5 West Street
London
WC2H 9NQ
Tel: 020 7836 4751
Fax: 020 7240 9333
Dinner: 5.30pm till 12 midnight Monday to Saturday
5.30pm till 11pm on Sunday
http://www.the-ivy.co.uk
Vegetarian options: extensive, both vegetarian and vegan (see separate menu on website)

12 comments | September 26, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Persian Love cupcakes

Posted in Cooking and Recipes, Sweet things

If the name doesn’t sound dreamy enough, perhaps the look of these delicate frosted rose petaled cupcakes will convince you to make them. The cakes themselves are light as air, much like an unusual flavoured Angel food cupcake. It’s a simple-ish, light cake - specifically lemon with a cardamom pop in almost every bite. If you prefer your cupcakes, a little milder tasting you could certainly halve the amount of cardamom and crush them to disperse the flavour a bit more rather than having a concentrated pop when you bite into a seed.

The cake part is not overly sweet and barely contains any oils or butters and would be perfect with a cup of tea (I’d think coffee might overwhelm it). I found that this recipe made about 9 1/2 cupcakes but you may find it makes a round dozen if you have slightly smaller cases. And whilst you can technically eat the rose petals, I can’t say that I relished the petal I tasted. One thing to note that is if you refrigerate the cupcakes with petals atop, they will become “wet” and lose their fabulous glacial beauty so if you need to refrigerate them, add the petals on before serving. And it goes without saying that with this name it is best served to your loved one or your wannabe loved one in lieu of a piece of poetry.

12 comments | August 26, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental, London

Posted in Eating, NQN's most memorable moments and meals, Outside of Sydney

Sometimes the only thing that will do when one is stressed is some coddling, charm and civility. So where does one turn but a 5 star hotel for lunch.The best part of dining in London is getting to try Michelin starred restaurants. Michelin doesn’t bother with Australia so whilst Tetsuya’s would be worthy of a Michelin star, he remains untouched with the fairy wand. So now is my chance to consume as many Michelin stars as possible. Housed in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at Hyde Park London, never a shabby place to stay, Foliage has 1 Michelin star. This lunchtime Blythe and I are battling traffic congestion due to two tube lines being closed down and numerous roadworks near by. In fact we’re half an hour late for our booking and when we finally get there frantic and exhausted, we feel like we’ve really “earnt” our meal in effort.

We’re rewarded by broad smiles, soft welcomes and soothing tones. Foliage is a small room with enormous windows that offer a lovely view of Hyde Park, up close and personal. Guests are welcomed by not 3 but 4 courses. And for a price that’s an absolute steal in what can be a criminally expensive city £29. Yes you read right, £29 for lunch.

The menu has 4 choices which is generous and all of them call out in some way. We finally decide on some dishes after a little deliberation. We’re given bread, a choice of white, sourdough or walnut with salted and unsalted butter (walnut the clear winner, singing with walnut flavour through the copious amount of chunks).

Amuse Bouche: Chive Vichyssoise

We’re then bestowed with our Amuse Bouche, a Chive Vichyssoise. It’s creamy and smooth with a light mascarpone quenelle floating in the centre. A delicious start.

Starter: crab, mango, cucumber and coriander

Our starters then arrive, mine was the crab, mango, cucumber and coriander. The crab meat is delicate and sweet, the thing mango slices swirled on the plate with cucumber flavoured pasta and coriander sprigs. It all works beautifully together, never overwhelming the delicate crab. There are two delicious fried crab balls to give an alternate texture and taste.

Starter: Foie gras, beetroot, ginger bread and pecans

Blythe’s starter, a Foie gras, beetroot, ginger bread and pecans cleverly resembles rhubarb stalks. I do like Foie gras although sometimes I find it too strong. Not in this case, it’s beautifully balanced and beetroot goes wonderfully with the foie gras mousse. There is also a ball of foie gras rolled in pistachios which is also wonderful with the walnut bread which is thoughtfully topped up for us.

Intermediate: Scallops, squid ink, orzo, green almonds

8 comments | August 25, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

The Coach House, Tumut, The Snowy Mountains

Posted in Eating, Outside of Sydney

On our drive back to Sydney, exhausted but blissfully happy at having a great time at the Snow, we sought out a great place to have breakfast. The little country style shop near the house was closed this Monday morning so we drove towards Sydney through Tumut to find a bigger town. I was looking for something cute and blog worthy whilst everyone else was looking for a meal to fill their growling stomachs. Luckily we happened upon the Coach House.

Housed in a sandstone building, there is a front counter with hot pastries, pies and sausage rolls and walking through, an eating area with handy monogrammed green blankets to help ward off the cold. We grab a blanket each and settle in to examine the menu. Ordering and paying at the front I ask about certain items and choose the home made raisin bread and pancakes (told you I was hungry!). The breads, pies, sausage rolls and quiches are all made there daily.

Poached eggs and toast $9

It takes a while for our food and drinks to arrive and when they do, they arrive one by one. Anneli’s poached eggs arrives first. The wholemeal bread is delicious, with a lovely crunch to it- Anneli loves it so much that she enquires as to whether they sell it by the loaf. They do, but require a day’s notice. After a few more queries they offer her a frozen wholemeal loaf which she happily purchases ($4).

The Hot Chocolate with marshmallow, one of those items that the cold weather enhances so superbly is not very impressive, tasting like the base is made up of water and chocolate instead of milk and chocolate - weak and watery.