Sunshine Brunch

Words & photos by Su-Lin Ong

A weekend brunch fry-up calls for a sizzle with imagination.  It has to wake you up and shake you up.  You need the comfort factor, but also something bright, beautiful and zingy.

Photo: Louis Fernando

Caravan Kings Cross gives that promise from the moment you step into its lofty converted granary space.  Aromas of Caravan’s 100 percent Arabica freshly roasted coffee beans, proper meaty bacon and freshly squeezed fruit tell you that you will be in no hurry to leave.  But look beyond the classic brunch flavours and get tempted by more adventurous dishes using velvety puréed aubergines, soutzouki sausages, rhubarb, coconut and more.

On the menu there’s a sip with a difference, and it’s making a début in many other brunch hotspots around town too.
  

The place is buzzing, and at Caravan’s large communal table next to the coffee roastery, cocktail mixologist Alex Kammerling is treating his guests to his Sunshine brunch.  The table is laid with tumbling yellow tomatoes and sunny yellow peppers.  As guests tuck into brunch, Alex pours round his Sunshine Mary.  He has re-invented the classic, savoury British Bloody Mary and mixes his Kamm & Sons ginseng spirit and choicest yellow Lemoncita tomato juice from the Isle of Wight.  He has snapped up most of the season’s juice for bars and restaurants around town, but you may still find bottles in deli’s and food halls such as Selfridges.

These yellow cherry tomatoes have a delicate sweet, slight lemony flavour, and the juice is far smoother and lighter than most red tomato juices.  It won a Great Taste Gold award from the Guild of Fine Foods and it is a subtle partner for Alex’s herbal ginseng spirit.  Juggle a few spicy, sharp flavours of celery salt, green Tabasco, fresh horseradish, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Up the heat if you will.  Alex adds a dash of devilish Dalston Chillies Original Hot Sauce.  

Savoury, sweet, spicy, and refreshingly ice cool - the Sunshine Mary has it all going on so seductively.

Su-Lin Ong  (@sloLondon) brunched on behalf of The London Foodie as a guest of Alex Kammerling.

Caravan
Granary Building, Granary Square (off Goods Way)
London 
N1C 4AA
Tel. 020 7101 7661
www.caravankingscross.co.uk

Kamm & Sons ginseng spirit www.kammandsons.com

The London Foodie Goes To Bali - Ubud (Part II)

With so much to do and see in Ubud (see my earlier post here), the 4 days we spent there seemed rather rushed. Ubud is the artistic capital of the island, and is a hub for art galleries, smart cafes, top class restaurants and antique shops. It is also highly popular with visitors looking for something a little more sophisticated than nearby Kuta, and is a good place to stay for a few days or even a week or two.

Where to Stay 

Of the 4 wonderful days we spent in Ubud, two were at Villa Semana, a collection of 10 unique villas each with their own private pool, set on the banks of the Ayung River about 4 miles southwest of central Ubud.

The entrance to the resort is breathtaking, overlooking a series of rice paddies cultivated by local farmers, leading into a meticulously maintained footpath and to the hotel's beautiful grounds. The resort has no reception area and each guest is escorted and checked into their own private villa by the staff on arrival.

Our villa was stylishly decorated and comfortable, with a large 4 poster bed draped with mosquito nets, cream marbled floors, a semi open-air shower, as well as standard mod cons like a CD player, a minibar, safe and aircon.

The winning feature for me was that the villa opened up to our own private swimming pool (in fact all villas have their own pool) with wonderful views to the Ayung River.

Private swimming pool in our villa at Vila Semana, overlooking the Ayung River

My office for the day....

The resort has also a fine, communal infinity pool surrounded by trees, with great views over the river valley and forest. The hotel's open air restaurant where breakfast is taken overlooks the swimming pool and is a wonderful place to while away the hours.

The owner, Jurg Suter, is a larger than life Swiss hotelier, with several other properties in Bali and Singapore, but who has lived all over the world including London. Given a few minutes, he will entertain you with fascinating stories of his varied career as well as anecdotes of the many A-list visitors to Ubud and Villa Semana. He is also full of useful information and advice about places to eat, stay and visit all over the island.

Service at Villa Semana was very good, and attentive, particularly by Ayu, the manageress. She arranged a car for us to hire, which was brought to the hotel on the morning of our departure for an excellent rate, and also gave advice on places to visit on our way to Amed.  

Where to Eat

Ibu Oka Warung, Jalan Tegal

This tiny cafe (the original one of a chain of 3) is an institution in Ubud, drawing in locals from the whole island as well as foreigners in search of the only item on the menu - Babi Guling or Balinese roast suckling pig. This is one of the most traditional dishes of Bali, and is served throughout the island from humble road-side cafes to the more elegant fine-dining establishments. Gastronomically speaking, a visit to Bali would not be complete without sampling this delicacy.

Around 30 pigs are served each day at Ibu Oka, arriving by motorbike from the larger kitchens at Ibu Oka 3 nearby and presented in chunks in rattan bowls with rice, sausages, crispy skin, fried intestines and spicy vegetables for the grand sum of £2. For £2.65, you can order a plate of pure pork meat, or another of crispy skin. The pork is wonderfully tender and succulent, and the crackling perfectly crispy.

There are no reservations - it's first come first served, and it is best to arrive before noon to avoid the queues. The restaurant is open from 10.30 am for lunch only. The original restaurant where we ate is a very simple cafe with only 3 or 4 western-style tables, although there is more seating available where customers sit crossed-legged on the floor, which can be uncomfortable.

Ibu Oka 3 is only a five minute walk away, and offers exactly the same menu in a much larger, prettier and more comfortable venue.

Pondok Restaurant, Villa Semana Hotel

Villa Semana's restaurant overlooks the infinity pool over the Ayung river, and serves a variety of Balinese, Indonesian and Thai dishes, as well as offering a good selection of wines and even a humidor of Havana cigars at reasonable prices. Unfortunately, we didn't get to eat at the restaurant, except for the excellent breakfasts and complimentary afternoon tea served each day.

Sweetest platter of freshly cut fruit at Villa Semana

Breakfast was sumptuous at Villa Semana, with a variety of classic French options like Croque Monsieur and Eggs Benedict (which we tried and were delicious), as well as Balinese options like Mee Goreng and Chicken Porridge which were very good too.

The coffee was excellent, as well as the platters of ripe, freshly cut, deliciously sweet tropical fruit with vanilla yoghurt we were served each morning.

Kafe Batan Waru

In the centre of Ubud on Jalan Dewi Sita, Kafe Batan Waru is a renowned and popular eatery which was highly recommended to us. We had a good meal there of traditional Balinese dishes including Urap Pakis (£1.75), a dish of steamed wild fern tips with roasted shredded coconut and Balinese spices which was delicious.

We also had Nasi Campur (£4) - a rice dish served with beef tenderloin, red chilli chicken, beef sate, long beans in Kalasan sauce, whole prawn fritter, egg and sambals. This dish is also served at breakfast, and each restaurant has its own version.

The main event was Bebek Goreng (£7) - an Ubud specialty, this was a lovely half duck, slow-simmered with spice paste and then fried crisp, and served with long-beans and sambal.

What to Do

The hotel is around 3 miles from central Ubud, and there are no other hotels, restaurants or shops nearby. This makes for an admirably tranquil stay, and one of the nicest things is to lounge by  the private pool, the river, or the infinity pool. The hotel also offers a free shuttle service to and from Ubud every hour between 07.30 and 22.30, so it is very easy to get into town if you need to. There are a number of excursions on offer, including visits to nearby temples, volcanoes and rice paddy walking and cycling excursions.

Shopping

Being the artistic capital of Bali, there are a number of art galleries, antique shops and boutiques selling local craft goods. Jalan Raya Sanggingan has a smattering of such shops, and is a good place to purchase tasteful Balinese artefacts including traditional Indonesian wedding head dresses, pottery and paintings were available for purchase.
     

Spa Treatments 

Villa Semana has a charming open-air spa on the banks of the Ayung river, offering a variety of Balinese treatments. These range from a traditional 60 minute Balinese massage at £30, to the 'Angel's Realm' 150 minute treatment that includes a footbath and body massage followed by the traditional Lulur scrub made from turmeric, a coating in avocado yoghurt and finally a floral bath, at £65.

Treatments are also widely available in Ubud at substantially lower cost (around £5-10 per hour) at many spas around town. We visited the oldest one, Nur Salon on Jalan Hanoman, which is set in a traditional Balinese compound with beautiful gardens, a temple in the grounds, and screened, open-air treatment rooms. A magical place.

We had the traditional 1 hour Balinese massage followed by a hot bath (£10). We visited twice, the masseurs were excellent on both visits, and the spa surroundings were also beautiful. There are dozens of different treatments on offer.

Travel Essentials

We flew to Denpasar, Bali via Singapore, for around £600 with Singapore Airlines. Several Gulf airlines offer return flights from the UK at similar prices.

Villa Semana
Banjar Semana
Desa Singakerta
Ubud 80571
PO Box 10036
E mail: info@villasemana.com
www.villasemana.com

Rooms rates at Villa Semana range from £200 to £450 per night. This also varies according to the season. All have a private plunge pool, in addition to the main infinity pool.

Ibu Oka 3
Jalan Tegal Sari No.2
Ubud 80571
t: (0564) 976 345 

Kafe Batan Waru
Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud, Bali
t: (0361) 977 528
www.baligoodfood.com

Nur Spa
Jalan Hanoman 28
Padangtegal
Ubud 80571
E mail: nursalonubud@yahoo.com

London Restaurant Reviews - Tozi

Cicchetti at Tozi, Victoria

Words and photography by Simeen Kadi

Cost: Small plates range from £4 to £8 and you would need at least three plates per person to make a meal of it. There are a few larger dishes from £14.

About: Tozi is the latest addition to a growing cicchetti scene in London. Cicchetti is the Northern Italian answer to tapas, with baked and fried delicacies and even small portions of main courses such as stews and roasts are washed down with drinks, either as aperitivo or a main meal. Located in the backwaters of Victoria station, it is an unlikely find, but the cooking is good enough to make the trek out, even if you aren’t killing time before catching a train. It is located in the Park Plaza hotel, although I didn’t realise this until we left – the entrance is separate and there was no clue of hotel ‘styling’ in the décor.

Where: 8 Gillingham Street, London, SW1V 1HJ (http://www.tozirestaurant.co.uk).

What we ate: Small plate dining can be a little frustrating if you are ravenous and part of a large group,  politely waiting for your turn to scoop up your 1/8 share of a raviolo. But, while this type of dining does not provide the instant gratification of having a big plate of food all to yourself, I was pleasantly replete by the time we left.  

Bruschetta was exactly as I make at home (a good thing as it is one of my specialities) with well marinated tomatoes, a good zing of oil and vinegar and nicely flecked with basil. 
Zucchinni Fritti was perfectly fried – crisp and unctuous on the inside. And excellent value, too, at only £3.50 for a goodly mound.

We also had the Calamari Fritti, which must have been good as it was polished off before I could raise my camera and click.

Ricotta Ravioli came with a lemony butter sauce and generously anointed with truffle shavings. I could have eaten three plates of it and happily called it dinner.

The gnocchi in the Gnocchi with Duck Ragu was soft as pillows and the ragu was interesting but had a flavour which reminded me of a Northern Italian delicacy which I have struggled to appreciate – sausages encased in salt and buried under ground to ‘season’.

Chargrilled Octopus tentacles were perfectly cooked and came with a springy dressing with celery, new potatoes and semi-dried tomatoes.

The Aubergine Parmigiana was sturdy and dense and not sloppy and oily as it so often is.

The Ox Cheeks were my favourite, cooked for as long as it takes, with the sauce reduced down to a rich concentration and the meat yielding but clinging to all the flavour of its cooking juices.

The Swordfish with Caponata was also excellent, crispy coating delivering firm and fresh fish with the tang of slightly pickled vegetables.

We also ate the Pizzette which was as you would expect, if a bit on the small side. And the Piadina, with an overly salty ham and not enough cheese to balance it.

What we drank: The Barrel-Aged Negroni is definitely the drink to try here, as is the Prosecco on tap. My Aperol Spritz-Tozi style was a classic Aperol-Prosecco combo enhanced with watermelon juice, which I loved. Anita Ekberg was a zesty cocktail of Vodka, chilli, ginger, cucumber and passion fruit.

Likes: The food is assured and the quality ingredients shine through. The small plate concept means that a greedy person like me can try more items on the menu, which makes ordering a little easier. The cocktails are excellent and I would trek across town just for the barrel-aged Negroni.

Dislikes: The plates are rather small, even for small plates. The pizzette and piadini were particularly miniscule.

Verdict: Definitely worth a visit, especially if you happen to be in the area, which is largely devoid of interesting dining or drinking options. Going in a group for cocktails, with a few snacks, rather than for a full-blown meal is also a very good option.