Good Eats: Best Meals Inward 2017

At the goal of every year, I endeavor to create a roundup postal service of my favorite meals from that year. Well, this postal service is a few days late.

If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know that nutrient is pretty much my life. I piece of employment every bit a professional person pastry chef, relish cooking meals at domicile regularly too only beloved eating out, peculiarly when nosotros travel. It’s non uncommon for me to excogitation entire trips based around where nosotros are going to eat, drinkable or fifty-fifty direct keep a coffee.

Yes, I’m a piddling flake OCD when it comes to our trip planning. Still, nosotros seem to direct keep a expert fourth dimension too swallow good no affair where nosotros are inward the world.

Despite 2017 beingness a twelvemonth that both hubby too I worked similar crazy people most of the time, nosotros also works life plenty fourth dimension to accept several trips too relish some special meals together.

Dinner inward Dubai on the Beach

Back inward Oct 2016, I booked a actually expert flying teach by from London to Dubai via Emirates for move inward March 2017. I figured after several grayness months inward London, nosotros would endure pining for some sunshine. At the goal of March, nosotros celebrated our 7th marriage anniversary past times eating along the beach inward Dubai at FISH, located inward the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi on Jumeirah Beach. The repast featured several mezes too a classic grilled fish, but the scene, the service (provided past times 2 Turkish waiters) too the reminder of our Istanbul memories made this repast real special. I couldn’t direct keep asked for a to a greater extent than perfect anniversary dinner!

Soaking upward some sunshine at the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi on Jumeirah Beach.

A Girlie Girl Luncheon

Over the summer, an Aussie girl came to see us for her birthday, too then I took her out for a fancy girls’ luncheon laid upward inward the elegant Petersham Nursery in Richmond. I’ve been dying to become here, but the vast greenhouse filled with garlands of colorful, blooming flowers, tatty bamboo shades too mismatched garden piece of furniture way the plant nursery is definitely a girlie affair.

We kicked off our luncheon with some fruity bellinis followed past times fried zucchini blossoms (too large of a portion), mozzarella di Bufala with heritage tomatoes too nasturtium flowers, too char-grilled quail with peaches too fennel. All the dishes almost looked every bit good pretty to eat! My favorite was the deconstructed Eton Mess with berries, meringue too rose petals.

After lunch, nosotros had a wander through the summertime flowers inward the greenhouse too said hullo to the nearby cows inward the pasture.

Michelin-Star Lunch at Lyle’s

In September, some other Aussie girl too her hubby came to visit. Since she is a beau foodie, I surprised her with a multi-course luncheon at Lyle’s, a Michelin-starred eating theatre inward the Shoreditch neighborhood of London.

We ordered 6 dishes to share: raw scallops with fairy band mushrooms; girolles with an egg too salted gooseberries; sole fillets with fennel too brownish crab; duck leg with pickled cherries; too lamb’s pump too liver with greenish strawberries. Every dish was meticulously plated with tiny garnishes of fresh herbs or sliced vegetables. We shared 3 desserts every bit good with the caramel H2O ice cream too java meringue every bit the clear winner.

What’s wonderful virtually the exceptional service at Lyle’s is that the chef was willing to alteration dishes for my friend since she has some dietary restrictions. Definitely a carte worth splurging for inward London!

Turkish Dreams

As you lot may recall, inward September, I had a wonderful foodie weekend inward Bodrum, Turkey, too took business office inward the 3^rd Annual Karaova Grape Harvest Festival. One of the trip’s highlights was enjoying a traditional köy kahvaltısı (village breakfast) with my novel grouping of Turkish friends. You tin read to a greater extent than virtually my sense at Etrim Doğa Restaurant & KöyKahvaltısı here.

A French Dinner Along the Thames

Later inward September, nosotros enjoyed a fancy French dinner at Le Pont de la Tour along the Thames inward London. This elegant, 19th-century old tea warehouse amongst Tower Bridge was offering a special 3-course carte (plus a drinking glass for champagne) for exclusively £30 inward cooperation with the Evening Standard, which commonly offers eating theatre deals a few times a year. What a bargain!

Although nosotros had to hold off awhile for an outdoor table, later on nosotros enjoyed stunning views of the City too Tower Bridge spell eating our dinner. I can’t retrieve all the dishes nosotros had now, but suffice to say, this eating theatre is perfect for a special occasion.

A chocolate tart too a lemon curd/thyme shortbread dessert.

From our dining table, nosotros saw the Tower Bridge opened upward up to permit a large shipping go past times through.
This was the starting fourth dimension time I've always seen the brace open! 

Turkish-Cypriot Dinner

In December, nosotros returned to Oklava with our High German friends, who also relish nutrient every bit much every bit nosotros do. I similar Oklava because Chef Selin Kiazim serves Turkish-Cypriot dishes that reflects her heritage. She also was a finalist inward the 2017 serial of Great British Menu, which I enjoyed watching, too she is i of the few woman individual top chefs inward London.

We shared several dishes including: spiced breadstuff with appointment butter (sublime!), olives, grilled Cypriot hellim cheese, chili roast cauliflower with pistachios too reddish onion, lahmacun – flatbread with tomatoes too mincemeat too a vegetarian pide with cheese, kale, garlic too burnt cabbage. For dessert, nosotros shared a generous portion of kunefe, my favorite Turkish dessert.

Festive Tasting Menus
We ended Dec with 2 tasting menus – i inward York, UK, too the latter inward Oslo, Norway.

In York, nosotros dined at Park Restaurant, a Michelin Guide-recommended eating theatre located inward the Victorian-era Maramadukes Town House Hotel. While the service started a flake stone oil since the waiter seemed confused on how to brand a basic martini, the delicious, well-plated nutrient made upward for the mistakes. By the goal of the meal, nosotros were on friendly price with our server every bit he was doing his best to delight us too served us a costless circular of drinks at the end. The Park offers a 6-course carte for £60 that also includes several amuse-bouche, too then I think nosotros ended upward having 10 courses. I think the scallops too the duck pectus entrée were my 2 favorite dishes of the night.

The Nordic countries are known for their Michelin Guide-starred restaurants, inward particular, Noma inward Copenhagen, which was ranked every bit the world’s top eating theatre for several years. In Oslo, which has 4 Michelin-starred restaurants, nosotros chose a less expensive selection too dined at Arakataka, a modern bistro. Arakataka serves seasonal Nordic cuisine too offers a laid upward carte of 4 courses for 495 krone (about £45).

Our principal dishes were: salmon with dill oil too buttermilk, cod with sunchokes too duck pectus with cabbage too lingonberries. For dessert, nosotros were served body of body of water buckthorn (a sour berry) sorbet with groats too a milky foam. This was i dessert that neither i of us liked. It was tart, gritty too exactly a flake strange. I’ll plough over Arakataka kudos for trying to run a lot of Nordic ingredients, but body of body of water buckthorns should non belong inward a dessert.

Overall, I tin nation that 2017 was a delicious year, too I tin exclusively promise that nosotros direct keep exactly every bit expert of fourth dimension inward 2018 on our travels.

Happy eating inward 2018!

Joy