I'm sure that everyone reading this will at some point in their lives dined out at a restaurant, so we all know what that's like.
Ever worked a restaurant kitchen? Know what that's like? Well I have, and I can tell you it's fookin hard work and total fruit loops barely controlled mayhem. Talk about focus and concentration; it makes being a writer of best selling literary fiction (me...apart from the best selling bit...or even published bit) look like a piece of piss.
Being a chef is also very sexy and totally Rock 'n' Roll, as a few of us have known for yonks, long before all the tele chefs came along, way back in the 80s when tales of Marco Pierre White's antics filtered through the elite strands of London's clubland and us gals drooled at the prospect of being whisked up to his office for a quick game of hide the salami. Why I never went to Harveys in the 80s I'll never know (probably because I was always skint) as it was only round the corner from me in sarf London at the time.
Where were we? Oh yes, extolling the virtues of chefs. Well, the other week, my partner Brian and I dined at Runaway Girl for the first time, and I can honestly say that the food we had was right up there with the best I've ever eaten out in Sheffield. We had a selection of tapas, and it was all done to perfection. The pan fried duck in mushrooms and a tangy red wine sauce was absolutely divine. Working out exactly how Chef Russell has achieved this has been driving me bonkers, because it's not a sauce buerre rouge, I suspect it's a basic veloute, but it was very rich and totally melted on the tongue.
Well, maybe I'll manage to charm the secret out of him, for yesterday I went along to the Runaway Girl for a photo session with the chefs, after Runaway Girl won Best Bar Food at last week's innaugral 2007 Sheffield Bar and Club Awards.
And again. Well 'ard.
Not the meat. I mean, the rufty tufty carving action. I tasted the meat and it was as tender and succulent as I remember it from my years in Spain.
That Wanted poster isn't real, silly. It's just me messing around. If you click on the pic you can see a big version. Note the price on his head and his come hither "Nuts" pose. Chefs are just wonderful, aren't they? :)
Here's Runaway Girl's owner, Justin Rowntree, pretending to be a sound engineer.
The real sound engineer, Scraga (aka Neil.)
Congratulations to all at Runaway Girl for this award. It is very well deserved.
Regarding Marco Pierre White, you can buy his autobiography "Devil in the Kitchen" here. Bearing in mind that it's ghost written, so it ain't no David Niven "The Moon's A Balloon", it is still a fabulously entertaining book, and I still maintain having read it that Marco is a decent guy.
And here's Marco Pierre White's flashtastic Country Inns site which I regularly visit in my tea break because it's such a beautifully designed piece of classic Flash kitsch.
To finish off, here's my favourite quote from one of my favourite movies, This is Spinal Tap.
True Rock 'n' Roll chefs, like Marco and Richie Russell, go up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.
© Jude Calvert-Toulmin.
My photograph gallery at deviantART
"My Time on The Turn of The 80s Music Scene" articlesFood Served
12.00 pm – 2.00 pm Monday to Friday
5.00 pm – 9.00 pm Monday to Friday
6.00 pm – 9.00 pm Saturday
Lunchtime & Early Evening Offer
· Available 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm Monday to Friday
· 2 of any of the selected tapas (see all marked*) + a soft drink for just £5.00
· 3 of any of the selected tapas (see all marked*) + soft drink, £7.00
· And for just £1.00 you can replace the soft drink with a selected beer or a small glass of wine!
The Runaway Girl Menu
Grilled Rabbit -This classic and simple Spanish dish served with our own aioli is a must! £4.50
Lamb with Red Pepper & Olive Paté - thinly sliced marinated leg of lamb, flash grilled and topped with our own fresh tapenade £4.65
Pan Fried Duck with mushrooms in a tangy red wine sauce £4.55
Black Pudding, Broad Beans and Chorizo – pan fried with onions £4.35
Meatballs – Chefs own recipe; in a rich tomato frito sauce £4.25 *
Fillet Grills – Marinated fillet of beef, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread £3.95
Fillet Grills with Jamon – Marinated fillet of beef, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread with Spanish cured ham £4.35
Fillet Grills with Chorizo – Marinated fillet of beef, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread + Chorizo £4.35
Fillet Grills with Smoked Cheese – Marinated fillet of beef, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread Spanish Idiazábal cheese £4.35
Chicken Grills - Marinated chicken breast, flash-grilled on toasted Tuscan bread £3.75 *
Chicken Grills with Jamon - Marinated chicken breast, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread with Spanish cured ham £4.15
Chicken Grills + Chorizo - Marinated chicken breast, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread + Chorizo £4.15
Chicken Grills with Smoked Cheese- Marinated chicken breast, flash-grilled served on toasted Tuscan bread with grated Spanish Idiazábal cheese £4.15
Chorizo, Manchego Cheese and Herbed Tomato Grills £4.10
Pork Steak – seasoned strip of pork steak with chef's own orange and almond salsa £4.55
Pickled Chilli Peppers with Spanish jamon with, skewered and grilled £3.95 *
Fresh Fish Casserole – inspired by the Spanish cazuela £4.45 *
Garlic King Prawns – Sliced grilled freshwater King Prawns with roasted
garlic and chilli salsa £4.65
Sea Bass – Grilled with caper butter and herbs £4.50
Paella – Using Spanish paella rice with fresh mixed seafood and seasonal vegetables £4.55
Spanish Anchovies – The real, whole marinated "Boquerones" £3.95
capers & olives (V) £3.95
Grilled Marinated Artichokes – chargrilled and served with roasted red peppers (V) £3.55
Sweet Corn and Spanish Cheese Croquets (V) £3.95
Smoked Spanish ewe's milk cheese, over grilled
fresh asparagus (V) £3.95
Aubergine Wraps - Roast aubergine slices, with spicy Mediterranean vegetable pate and toppedwith Manchego cheese (V) £4.10
Mushroom Casserole – Rich and creamy casserole with lentils and vegetables (V) £3.95 *
Tortilla traditionally made with potatoes and eggs (V) £2.95 *
Chick Pea Salad with fried mixed vegetables blended with a
lemon spiced dressing (V) £2.95*
Cous Cous – seasoned with fresh herbs, raisins, almonds and mixed vegetables (V) £2.85
Roast Mediterranean Vegetables – pan fried with garlic oil and red wine vinegar (V) £3.05 *
Rice with herbs spices and pan fried vegetables (V) £2.15 *
Fried Potatoes with paprika and garlic mayonnaise (V) £2.25 *
Mixed Salad – Lettuce Tomatoes, Cucumber Olives, Artichokes (V) £2.75
Marinated Mixed Olives (V) £1.85 *
Fresh Tuscan Bread (V) £1.55 *
Desserts - £3.50
A selection of 100% organic desserts using the finest ingredients and made locally by our
specialist patisserie. Please ask about today's selection!
Coffees
We use the finest Spanish "Templo" Coffee, rich smooth and strong!
***
1 comments:
HI IM FROM BOLTON IN THE LANCASHIRE AREA MY CAT HAS GONE MISSING FOR ABOUT 1 AND A HALF DAYS HE NEVER USUALLY STAYS OUT.COULD I HAVE SOME ADVICE? HE HAS JUS STARTED HANGING ABOUT WITH THIS OVER TAMMY CAT ???? PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT COULD OF HAPPENED OR??
Post a Comment