And the sourcing of good drinks does not hog the whole limelight
Posted in General on 03. Oct, 2010
And the sourcing of good drinks does not hog the whole limelight. “It was what Germans call a ‘Schnapps idea’,” he said – the kind that pops up when you’re having a drink. The site began in 1997 as a forum for discussing hangover cures; and there’s still plenty of sound advice, of which my favourites are Turkish tripe soup with garlic vinegar and Iraqi goat’s-head soup.That “business concept” (Knut uses the term with a twinkle in his eye) took time to develop into today’s version, which is a well-presented, abundantly linked collection of news, views and listings of good watering holes all over the globe. I had corresponded with Knut Hoffmeister a number of times before meeting him in Berlin. Our on-line chatter didn’t prepare me for liking him so much.
That our meeting took place at a great bar turned the thrill into joy – even if joy was followed the next day by a vague sense of cranial implosion.
The cranial crisis was fitting: Knut Hoffmeister is the creator and proprietor of Hangoverguide , a site devoted to worldwide bar culture. As Knut and I sipped our Martinis, he explained how it had come into being. But that thrill is chicken-feed compared with the pleasure from meeting the person behind an e-mail-voice. One of the greatest thrills of the on-line global village is the opportunity to communicate – casually and effortlessly – with people all over the world. Real Eating brings real eating to Hove, with fine cheeses, charcuterie and produce from local Sussex suppliers sold upstairs.
Downstairs, the lively caff serves an all-day menu of Marmite sandwiches and Arnold Bennett omelettes, or lunch on Arbroath smokies, and steamed marmalade pudding with custard before taking home the makings of dinner.E-mail Terry Durack about where you’ve eaten lately at t.durack independent.co.uk. Pop in for pastries or fried egg with paesano sausage and polenta for breakfast, and spend the morning shopping your way out past the bakery, wine shop and deli.The Real Eating Company 86 Western Road, Hove, tel: 01273 221 444 South-coast food lovers, rejoice. So you would expect a caff?ttached to, and sourced from, this splendid store to be something out of the box. Even if you can’t cook like Rowley Leigh, you can at least shop like him, at the equally fine Kensington Place Fish Shop next door which also sells wonderful Spanish, Japanese and Italian groceries.Valvona & Crolla Caff?ar 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh, tel: 0131 556 6066 Valvona & Crolla is regarded as the finest importer and retailer of Italian food in Britain.
Or you can come here and it could just be Chelsea.14 Manicomio 85 Duke of York Square, King’s Road, London SW3, tel: 020 7730 3366 Open every day for lunch and dinner. The waiter takes pity and brings another, this time with more character and more crema.So I could have had the fennel starter, the lush strozzapreti and a decent coffee and gone away raving. Or I could have had the chewy cuttlefish, creamy tagliatelle and crap coffee, and gone away complaining. It’s the same story next door for lunch, where amateur staff turn buying food for dinner into a Pythonesque farce.In other words, you can come to Manicomio and it could be heaven. Lemon tart (£5.50) is just another slightly pasty tarte citron, served with an excellent milk gelato that deserves a solo billing rather than having to fight the lemon.The first espresso coffee is a disaster, dank and dull with no visible crema, the marvelously oil-rich “head” formed on top. One plate holds three variations on a theme of orange (£5): a little bowl of caramelised blood oranges; a shotglass of Campari granita that is icy rather than slushy; and a tangy sorbet.