Monthly Archives: February 2015

The White Horse – Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk (UK)

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The White Horse overlooks the marshland coastline in picturesque Brancaster Staithe, North Norfolk, which is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I’ve seen The White Horse described as a “pub with rooms” and I think that’s quite the understatement. It’s so much more than that… an award winning establishment with coastal contemporary style rooms (15 in total, some of them dog friendly) and a casual bar that leads to a gorgeous conservatory restaurant serving some truly outstanding food. There’s even an elevated deck terrace to take in the panoramic views of the tidal salt marsh. Sounds like the perfect getaway? Well, it was!

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Collage White Horse

Paulo and I booked the “Room at the Top”, a spacious, split-level room complete with telescope for taking in the breathtaking views of the marsh, Scolt Head Island and the sea beyond. Definitely a wow factor!

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The Anchor Inn – Morston, Norfolk (UK)

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UPDATE: This pub has reopened under new ownership.

North Norfolk is one of my very favourite places to eat. Its seafood, fish, meat, fruits and vegetables are always fresh to the plate. In my search for new places to indulge in some local food and drink, I came across an interesting article written by James Ramsden for The Guardian, which addresses why we return to our favourite restaurants time and again (read “Why we never get fed up of our favourite restaurants”). The Anchor Inn in Morston was recommended by Sarah Pettegree of Bray’s Cottage. Now Sarah lives in Norfolk and makes the best pork pies on the planet… so I took her word for it and promptly booked a table for 2 at The Anchor Inn.

Anchor Sign

Anchor Exterior

The result? A delicious lunch in a very charming country pub which, by the way, was a one time haven for 19th century smugglers and fishermen!

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Japas – Cambridge (UK)

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There is definitely a demand for good sushi in Cambridge so when Japas opened its doors back in September 2010, it was a welcome sight. Located on Saxon Street, it’s slightly further afield from the hustle and bustle of the town centre but still walkable. Japas was once the Cross Keys pub and when it first started trading, it was known as Japas Bento Box.

Japas Outside

I’ve been going to Japas for my sushi fix on a regular basis. I find that the fish is always fresh and the servings are substantial. Food comes out fast, but not rushed, and I always leave with a happy and full belly.

Collage Japas

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foodPark NIGHT MARKET on 14 February, 2015 – Barton, Cambridge (UK)

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foodPark NIGHT MARKET, a pop-up night market featuring the best of Cambridge street food, was held on 14 February, 2015 at Burwash Manor. It was part of Burwash Food Hall‘s Love Food festival. With so much love in the air, it was only fitting to have foodPark’s very first NIGHT MARKET on Valentine’s night.

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Couple

The evening’s focus was LOVE… mainly love for street food, all freshly prepared by the carefully-selected traders that form part of the foodPark collective, founded by Heidi White who has been instrumental in promoting street food in Cambridge.

“Street food markets are for wandering around, taking in the sights and smells, for tasting, sharing, anticipating food cooked “just-so”, and experiencing something different from your usual idea of eating out. But please remember the NIGHT MARKET *is* different from a usual restaurant, pop-up dining experience, or supper club. It is a market, it is not somewhere where reservations are taken, and here at foodPark the food and drink is THE main attraction.” (Official Website)

foodPark NIGHT MARKET featured some of the best street food traders in Cambridge. I’ve tried each and every one of them at various foodPark locations and they are all amazing. Serving up tasty food and drink on the night were: Steak & Honour, Churros Bar, Fired Up Pizza, GoGo Gogi Gui, Buffalo Joe’s, Tin Kitchen, Warming Your Cockles Coffee Co. and Guerrilla Kitchen. Oh, and let’s not forget the foodPark Bar, operating from a stunning Airstream caravan!

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Doughnut Tasting at SmokeWorks – Cambridge (UK)

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“Time to make the donuts!”… anyone know the 80’s TV commercial for Dunkin’ Donuts where Fred the Baker woke up at some ungodly hour in the morning to make fresh doughnuts? (If you don’t, you’ll find it on YouTube). Dunkin’ Donuts no longer make doughnuts on site, but SmokeWorks do. They’re fresh, tasty and definitely NOT factory processed!

Back in August 2014, I posted a review of SmokeWorks (which you can find here) so I was asked to sample Head Chef Vladimir Hromek’s latest culinary adventure… the humble doughnut, with a twist. Vladimir has ‘zhuzhed up’ his doughnuts with a variety of sweet and savoury fillings, which at first may sound like an odd combination but they really work. I sampled all four of them and I can safely say Vladimir is an intrepid adventurer in the world of doughnuts! He has perfected the batter and has put his skills to the test by creating some innovative fillings.

Collage Smokeworks

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