Sunday, 15 April 2012

Santo Lounge - Shirley, Southampton


Just a few images from the fabulous lunch I enjoyed at Santo Lounge in Shirley, Southampton. This uber cool lounge bar is a great addition to Shirley and certainly seems to be the new hot spot in the area. Whether you are looking for coffee and pastries, a chilled out lunch with the family or a great night hitting the cocktails with your friends then the Santo Lounge should be a place to consider.
My lunch date and I chose a selection of tapas and we were not disappointed. The shredded pork was sweet, tender and packed with flavour; the meatballs were moist, herby and served in a sweet tomato sauce and the sautéed potatoes with Manchego cheese provided a great accompaniment.  All in all a great lunch. Add to the great food their fine range of drinks, including the best selection of spirits I've seen in any bar for many years, and some of the richest, tastiest coffee we've had in a long time and we may have found a great place to hang out and enjoy life.
A full review will follow in the next couple of weeks but I can certainly recommend Santo.


Enjoy

Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.

Friday, 13 April 2012

Dirty XXX Club

Dirty XXX Club

Snack Jockey Foods have pulled it out the bag with this one, Dirty XXX Sauce is as the jar says "every sauce you could ever want to put in your sandwich". A hot, sweet, smoky sauce with a smooth texture and a flavour that lingers warmly on the palate.

As a true believer in the classics I wanted to try this sauce with something I knew well and the trusty Club Sandwich seemed perfect, the combination of crispy salty bacon, sweet succulent chicken the slightly nutty flavour of Jarlesberg cheese finished off with the unique flavour on Dirty XXX Sauce was exactly what I needed for dinner. Sandwiching the ingredients in between two slices if nutty Harvest Grain bread bread rather than the traditional white toast worked for me although you could make this with pretty much any bread you want.

All of the fabulous Snack Jockey Foods sauces can be found at one of my favourite suppliers The Chilli Shop in Brighton Marina. Thanks to Alex and Frank for their great work.

Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.

East Beach Cafe - Littlehampton

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East Beach Cafe Littlehampton

East Beach Cafe, Littlehampton what an amazing place, I'd never visited Littlehampton so it was great to find this beautiful haven of fine food, great drinks and the friendliest of service. Huge thanks to Jo and her beautiful family for the invite to join them.

East Beach Cafe has tardis like qualities; from the outside it appears to be small contemporary structure perched perfectly on the expansive sea front. Once inside, it opens into a beautiful space with fabulous curved walls and ceiling which bounce lashings of light in from a panoramic window that runs the whole length of the south side facing out to sea. The window affords an amazing view whatever the weather.

The food menu is small but perfectly formed with great snacks, starters, mains, deserts and a sumptuous selection of pastries. Add to this a fully licensed bar, wine list and the best quality stock and this is a perfect place to eat and drink for so many occasions. On my visit it was full with families enjoying lunch, the happy chatter of little people, and parents and grandparents enjoying great food and drink. Although it was busy the service was still swift, attentive and polite which is sadly a standard that so many venues fail to achieve.
I went for a classic that from my experience does not appear on anywhere near enough menus, my Croque Madame was perfectly made for me with thin slices of white toast, succulent slices of ham, a richly flavoured cheese and topped with a perfectly fried egg with a warm soft golden yolk. The crispy toast, salty ham, warm gooey cheese all topped off with a rich and flavoursome fried egg create one of my favourite food experiences of all time. I chose a cappuccino to partner my Croque Madame, made with care it had a rich coffee flavour, light foam with a beautiful creamy texture and finished with dark bitter chocolate powder.

Jo went for a classic pot of tea and a huge cheese and tomato baguette made with the same quality of ingredients we'd experienced throughout our visit. Served with a little can of the most fabulous chips, golden and crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, marvellous.

All in all the food was great and certainly will require a return a visit for a full on meal, the service was fantastic and the atmosphere so welcoming and relaxing that even the grotty weather couldn't put a damper on the day.
Thanks again to Jo for the company, it was great.

Enjoy

Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Smoked mackerel on ciabatta with watercress and horseradish

Smoked mackerel on ciabatta with watercress and horseradish

Tonight's dinner was inspired a couple of days ago after a foodie chat with a friend and very tasty it turned out to be too.

A fresh ciabatta roll, crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle; layered with iron rich, peppery, crunchy watercress, a smoky and salty mackerel fillet with a lovely flaky texture and full of essential oils; all finished off with hot and creamy horseradish.

No instructions needed just warm the mackerel through as per the instructions on the packet, simply fabulous.

Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Banana Ketchup



Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Banana Ketchup

Another first for my blog, a Jamaican inspired dish with some help from the nice folks at Snack Jockey Foods and a new producer for me Jamaica Sun. This collaboration of condiments makes for a fabulous meal.

Hot and spicy chicken breasts marinated for four hours in Jamaica Sun's Traditional Jerk Seasoning and roasted for 20 minutes at 220c, sweet and tasty sweet potato, simply wedge into eighths season with Maldon Sea Salt and roast with a little oil for 1 hour at 230c. Serve with sautéed red and green peppers and Banana Ketchup, this fabulous condiment from Snack Jockey Foods has a sweet, spicy, fruity flavour which complements the hot and spicy jerk chicken perfectly. With a fruity front flavours that develop into a zingy hot sauce that lingers beautifully on the palate Banana Ketchup is a delicious condiment. Add in the beautiful sweet caramelised potato and great flavour of the peppers and you'll as pleased as punch with your meal.

Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 1/2 jar Jerk Seasoning
- 3 Medium or large sweet potatoes
- 3 Peppers, colours of your choice
- Banana Ketchup to taste

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes  |  Serves: 2
Start by covering two chicken breasts in 1/2 jar of the jerk seasoning at least 2 hours before cooking or you can marinate for anything up to 24 hours.
One hour ten minutes before serving eighth up the sweet potatoes and drizzle with oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and roast at 220c - 230c for around 1 hour.
Whilst the potato is cooking dice the peppers into roughly 1 cm dice and sauté until cooked to a texture that suits you. I like them to stil have a good bite.
With 25 minutes left for the potatoes add the chicken and seasoning to a roasting tray and roast at 220c for 20 minutes checking the meat is cooked thoroughly before serving.
Plate up with a good dollop of the ketchup and prepare to be impressed, a super simple meal with amazing flavours.
Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.

Monday, 9 April 2012

Mushrooms on toasted muffin

Mushrooms on toasted muffin

A follow up to this mornings post Mushrooms here are the tasty fungi pan fried and served on a buttered toasted muffin

The closed cup keep a nice firm texture even when cooked, the chestnuts have a nice nutty flavour and the porcinis are the king of the show with their meaty flavour and aroma giving some real depth to the meal. All piled onto a toasted and buttered muffin, garnished with some peppery rocket and seasoned with some salt and pepper.

Enjoy

Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Just a selection of mushrooms I'll me using for a post later today.

Enjoy

Stuart Webster Photography provide Food, Lifestyle and Commercial photography services throughout Hampshire and the UK.