2015 has been a very good year for food and drink, not only did I start this blog at the beginning of the year but I have been going through the 200 places to eat in Cumbria featured in the Cumbria Life magazine. Cumbria is featured heavily but there are a few dishes and drink that have made the list from further afield. This is the top 5 dishes of 2015.
Roasted Seafood Platter – Ondine in Edinburgh, Scotland
I wanted to go to somewhere a little different on my second night in Edinburgh so I decided to go to the fish restaurant of Ondine. I’ve not been to a proper fish restaurant in years and so thought this would be ideal. I had 6 oysters to start, followed by a sharing platter of roasted scallops, langoustines, lobster, oysters, clams, muscles, razor clams and cockles. I could have finished the platter all by myself as it was that good but I don’t think my girlfriend would have been happy. The atmosphere was spot on and the service exceptional, I’m looking forward to going again next year.
Whisky Panna Cotta – The Wheatsheaf at Brigsteer, Cumbria
I think there might be a theme with these top 5 drinks/dishes list as this is the 3rd whiskey item to appear. This panna cotta made with Laphroaig 10 year old was so rich and creamy the smokey and peaty whisky went perfectly with it. A real whisky lovers dessert at The Wheatsheaf.
Scallop with Cauliflower Cream, Brown Shrimp and Spiced Mead Veloute – Old Stamp House at Ambleside, Cumbria
To be quite perfectly honest, this top 5 dishes list could have been made up by the tasting menu at the Old Stamp House on its own, but to be fair to other great meals I have limited it to 2 on this list. This was the starter of the tasting menu and although it looks like there was a lot going on it was beautifully balanced with both flavours and textures.
Parsnip Cake with Jefferson’s Rum Ice Cream, Fig, Almond and Poached Pear – The Old Stamp House in Ambleside, Cumbria
As the second of the Old Stamp House dishes to be features in the list, I chose this among the many contenders as it’s something I would never normally choose. Usually I would go for a chocolate type “dessert” and not necessarily a cake. As with the previous dish there were lots of different elements but all complemented each other to make one of the best cakes I’ve ever had.
Fish Moose Poached with Muscles and Clams – The Kitchin in Edinburgh, Scotland
The final dish of the 2015 list goes to a wonderful and unusual dish I had at Tom Kitchin’s restaurant The Kitchin in Edinburgh. It was unusual because it was a fish moose but had been poached so that it was firm almost like a well cooked fillet of fish. This was the stand out dish of the seasonal tasting menu which is why it has made the list.