The Red Lion - Handcross

 

The Red Lion, Handcross, West Sussex

I stumbled across this lovely pub following a pop up on my Facebook, they had been closed following an extensive refurbishment and were holding a variety of relaunch events including a complimentary lunch which I promptly signed up for.  

Not having previously visit the pub I can’t comment on what it used to look like however it is now nicely decorated, stylish and inviting with a lovely open fire in the bar side of the pub where I was lucky enough to sit on my first visit.

The menu has a good variety of dishes which features flavours inspired by the seasons and modern world-food trends, fresh fish that is delivered daily, Asian influences and a good variety of healthier and lower calorie options, which includes nourish bowls and healthy salads.  They also have a pretty good vegan menu, so there is something for everyone.

The fact I have had lunch a total of four times since just before Christmas should speak volumes, it has also given me the opportunity to try a number of different dishes. 

Balsamic and Rosemary Lamb Koftas

I can’t fault any of them, each and every one has been full of flavour and beautifully presented.  Since my first visit there are already new dishes on the menu so it is ever changing which is great, there is nothing worse than frequenting an establishment where it is the same old menu!  

Panko Breaded Chicken Milanese

The Red Lion have also launched a Dine at Home service, allowing you to order and collect your favourite dishes to eat at home, this includes a 20% discount at present so it makes eating at home even tastier.

Devon Crab and King Prawn Fishcakes

The Red Lion has a good and varied drinks menu which includes cocktails, a gin bar and a nice selection of draught beers along with the usual non alcoholic options.

Diablo Pizza made with hand-stretched dough

Asian style Crispy Duck Salad

All in all our dining experiences have far exceeded expectations, fresh seasonal produce, tasty combinations (the Asian style crispy duck salad was amazing), ok, all the dishes have been amazing to be honest.  

All the photographs included within this review are of the dishes we have been lucky enough to try, taken "as served" at the table. I have also tried the pan-fried king prawns with chilli and feta which was fantastic, sadly my photograph didn’t do it justice!

One of my favourite meals is a good roast dinner which sadly is hard to find so I am very much looking forward to trying a Sunday Roast at The Red Lion as the photographs look great!  They also have a good selection on the children’s menu, including a spiced coconut chicken curry which I think our eldest would love.

Salt and Szechuan Pepper Squid

Maple Glazed Rotisserie Pork Belly

I think we have found our new favourite local pub, 10 minutes from where we live, good location, ample parking (don’t forget to register your car details when visiting), lovely looking establishment, fantastic food, not badly priced for what you are getting and a friendly warm service, we are very much looking forward to many more visits to come.  There is also a nice looking butchers shop directly across the street which I must try!

Buttermilk Chicken Somerset Brie and Bacon Pie

Become a friend of The Red Lion Handcross by signing up online to receive exclusive news, offers and promotional updates. We have already enjoyed half price mains, complimentary starters and a bottle of Prosecco for my husband’s birthday.  

Tomato and Basil Linguine

Tomato Wizardry In a Bottle!

 

Tongue in Peat

You say tomato I say….what the heck!  Tongue in Peat is one of only a few smoked tomato juices that are made, it however can boldly claim to be the only one that is peat smoked, with peat from the Scottish Island of Islay which they found imparted notes of tangy smoked sea salt!

Tongue in Peat is proudly made in Scotland by less than 12 people, making 5,000 bottles per batch, the tomatoes are hand chopped to ensure maximum surface is exposed to the peat fires!  It definitely sounds like a lot of love goes into the whole process.

Tongue in Peat 

Well, on to the smoked tomato juice itself, I love the label on the bottle, this is what drew me in, it certainly peaked my curiosity and being a lover of tomato juice I was keen to give this a go and the lovely people at Tongue In Peat kindly sent me a bottle to sample.  

Tongue in Peat

What can I say, from the moment you open the bottle you are hit by the smokey earthy aroma -  now on to the taste.  For my Bloody Mary I poured a shot of vodka into a tall glass, topped up with the tomato juice, few glugs of Worcestershire sauce, a good few shakes of Tabasco sauce, few grinds of cracked black pepper and some ice, I then garnished with the obligatory stick of celery to which I also added some jalapeño stuffed olives and a slice of crispy bacon, hoping to give an additional hit of saltiness, which it did!  

Tongue in Peat

I have to say both the aroma and the taste gave you a double whammy of earthy smokiness which I loved.  This is definitely a different take on tomato juice and yes it won’t be to everyone’s liking but it was to mine so all good.  A truly artisan product and one I am so glad to have stumbled across, give it a go, I dare you!  If you do, let me know what you think and also how you had yours.

Visit them at www.tongueinpeat.com to obtain further info and place an order.

Kitchen Royale - Punjabi Perfection on your doorstep

 Having seen a number of  Facebook posts recently from Kitchen Royale (based in Crawley, West Sussex), I decided to give them a go as the photographs I had seen of the dishes looked pretty good.  They say they want to break the myth about Indian Punjabi Cuisine being unhealthy, well I can say, this was Punjabi perfection delivered to our door. 

I am all for supporting local businesses and I can genuinely say we weren’t disappointed.  I messaged our order through the day before, giving our delivery time and what we wanted and hey presto, Saturday evening it was delivered on schedule.

We opted for:

• Punjabi onion pakora
• Special Punjabi Aloo (peppers and potatoes)
• Jeera rice (basmati rice cooked with cumin)
• Plain naan and chilli naan,
• Chicken tikka masala
• Punjabi chicken curry
• Shahi Pork kofta curry (lean pork mince meatballs slow cooked in a spicy traditional Punjabi gravy) 
• Punjabi mutton sheek kebab
• Poppadums and complimentary dips

All dishes were fresh and packed full of flavour, good portion sizes and very good value for money, no delivery charge as well (within 2 mile radius of RH11).  I can’t fault any of the dishes or the service received, the only little comment I would make (as I do like my chilli) is that I would prefer a bit more chilli on the chilli naan, but that is just a personal preference.  

The complimentary dips with the poppadums were very tasty, mint, yoghurt, tamarind and chilli, a perfect accompaniment to the crispy goodness.

Given the current climate it’s great to see a small local business getting out there with authentic, tasty cuisine.  Keep up the great work Kitchen Royale, support local, give them a go, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Place your orders up to 2pm on the day of delivery as everything is cooked fresh and to order.  

• Tel no: 07782943372
• Email: kitchen_royale@yahoo.com 
• Or message them on their Facebook page

Jai Ho Restaurant Review

Jai Ho is an Indian restaurant situated in a former a pub, the Coppingham Arms, and has been a local favourite for 9 years.  We have visited Jai Ho quite a few times over the years and it soon became not only our favourite Indian restaurant but our favourite restaurant full stop.  It’s a great set up - you have the bar area where people generally come in for a drink whilst waiting to pick up their takeaways and then a pretty large dining area, which I have to say, every time we have visited, it has always been busy, no matter what time of day, its therefore always advisable to ring ahead and book a table.

Jai Ho Homemade dips

As with a lot of people we generally stuck with our safe dishes, those tried and tested favourites that we would have pretty much every time we visited.  This time we had been invited along by one of the owners, Sam, to come in and sample some dishes with him and his partner Jane, after much deliberation we said why not, ok, it took all of a nano-second!

Chilli Naans

We popped along last Friday and once again the bar area was pretty busy as was the restaurant.  We sat and had a drink in the bar area before heading through into the restaurant.  As with any Indian meal, we had the obligatory poppadum’s and dips, all of which are made fresh apart from the mango chutney, however the Chef gives this the Jai Ho twist with the addition of some spices.  I have to say this is one of my favourite parts of any Indian meal and these  dips are no exception, especially the chilli and tomato relish, I need to get the recipe for this as it is amazing! 

Paneer Shashlik

Sam ordered a selection of starters for us, junglee bhajia, which consists of an assortment of vegetables dipped in the Chef’s special batter and golden fried. We also had paneer shashlik, Indian cheese to you and I, which is stir fried with onions, peppers and tomatoes.  The vegetables were very tasty and the paneer, which I had never tried before, is now on my favourites list, a bit like halloumi and firm cottage cheese but taken to another level with the vegetables.

Tandoori King Prawns

We were then brought a portion of salmon tikka and tandoori king prawns.  The salmon fillets are marinated in spices and broiled, the prawns are dipped in a creamy spiced marinade and grilled until golden in a clay oven along with the salmon.   Both dishes were well received and quickly devoured; they were delicious with a capital D! 

By now our tastebuds had really been given a kick into next week with the flavours. This was soon to move up a gear when we were brought out portions of chilli garlic cauliflower, chilli chicken and chicken 65 which are amongst some of the most popular dishes at the restaurant.  Now I have to say, I cannot stand cauliflower, it’s one of those things that since childhood makes me retch, so to say I was a little nervous about trying the cauliflower was an understatement! 

Chilli Garlic Cauliflower

 Both the chicken dishes were really tasty, something for everyone, the chicken 65 was mild whereas you guessed it, the chilli chicken packed a punch, the sort of dish that when coupled with a chilli naan bread left you feeling like you just had some botox injections in your lips!  Tingling and hot but in a very nice way, we love those two dishes that’s for sure.  Then we came to the dreaded cauliflower - I have to say looking at it I thought it was small pieces of roast potato, no resemblance to the usual cauliflower florets, so in I went, first hesitant bite, well, all I can say is OMG!  This was nothing like the cauliflower I have hated for all these years, it didn’t taste or even smell like that dreaded white broccoli, it tasted fantastic, a slight crunch and a bit of a kick from the chilli - could this be my new found favourite dish? Hell yes, I will be having a large portion of this next time I return that’s for sure!

Chicken Dhum Pukht Biryani

 As if we hadn’t eaten enough, we then were presented with the last three dishes of the evening, tadka dal, chicken kharahi and chicken dhum pukht biryani.  The dal consisted of yellow lentils cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices.  I will be honest, I’m not personally a huge fan of lentils so for me I could take it or leave it, however my partner loved it - very mild and creamy and definitely something to mop up with some naan bread.  The chicken kharahi is cooked in ground Indian spices with onions and peppers tossed in an iron skillet.  Once again, another dish full of flavour and one to add to my “have again” list.  The biryani I have to say was quite surprising, cooked in the traditional way in a clay pot and covered with bread, this dish is a combination of both rice and the chicken.  Ones I have tried in the past have been nice but pretty mild, this one however had a nice spicy kick to it which we loved, so this one is also going onto my list too!

Some 3 hours later we had finished what turned out to be a feast of fantastic food, packed with flavour, spice and more importantly freshly cooked.  This visit was a real eye opener in terms of trying different dishes rather than the same old tried and tested, so many thanks to Sam for his hospitality and for introducing me to some wonderful new dishes, especially the cauliflower!  Sam tells me that they have a new lamb shank dish on the menu, I think I will be needing to try that the next visit and also push myself out of my comfort zone and try some more new dishes, there are plenty to choose from so I’m thinking it is going to take a while to get through them all.

All in all my partner and I both agreed it was a fantastic evening, amazing tasty food and great company and service from the staff.  I would like to add that having been to Jai Ho numerous times over the years, the service has always been spot on as has the food so it wasn’t just a case of who we were eating with!

Jai Ho gets a well deserved 10 out of 10 from me and is certainly somewhere I would recommend, even if you are not a spice fan, they have something to tempt all palettes so give them a go, again, I recommend booking a table as they do get rather busy!  www.jaihorestaurants.com 01293-782283

SAGARDI – The Summer Menu Review

Last year I was invited along to one of the launch parties for the SAGARDI restaurant in Shoreditch (please check out my review), the food was amazing -  so imagine how excited I was when my partner won a competition on the SAGARDI facebook page to go and sample the new summer menu!

On arrival we were greeted by the marketing and sales executive for the restaurant, Jon who explained that the Chef would be coming out with each dish that he had prepared and would talk us through it. 

Pan-fried txistorra

 We were served drinks and a plate of traditional pan fried txistorra (that’s chorizo to you and I) was brought out to us along with some sourdough bread and olive oil in which to dip it. The txistorra was meaty goodness and then some, it had a great smokey flavour to it which went down well with the bread and olive oil. The bread we were told was made fresh each day and purchased from a local bakery, the bakery itself is only able to make just over 200 hundred loaves a day and once they are sold, that’s it, it was therefore a good job for us that SAGARDI seem to have a standing order with them, otherwise we would have missed out on this wonderful bread.

Tomato salad using meta de cabra, cor de bou and cherry tomatoes

Having polished off the txistorra the Chef brought out the next dish, a simple farmhouse tomato salad using meta de cabra, cor de bou and cherry tomatoes from the SAGARDI garden which are flown in each week. The tomatoes were dressed in olive oil and finely sliced Ibarra chilli with a sprinkling of salt, which really brought out the flavours. When I say simple, I mean that in as much that it was an easy dish to prepare, however there was nothing simple about the flavour of the dish, you seriously cannot beat the flavour from a home grown tomato which coupled with the olive oil and chilli made for such a tasty course and one that I will be making myself when my own tomatoes ripen!

To be frank, I would have been more than happy to have just devoured a plate of the tomato salad, however there was more foody goodness to come and we were soon brought out a plate of grilled hake “kokotxas” from Hondarribia. 

Grilled hake Kokotxas from Hondarribia

On first look I thought they were fat anchovies but it turns out the are hake chins, who knew they had chins! Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t really eat fish so you can therefore imagine what was going through my mind, the first thing being I hope Scott likes them because he is going to have to clear the plate! Well obviously it would be rude not to try them, you can’t really comment on something unless you have at least tasted it. Well what do you know, I like hake chins! I was seriously surprised by the texture and also the flavour - kind of salty and somewhat gelatinous. We were told that this is a real delicacy and very difficult to find outside of the Basque Country. The kokotxas come from hake that are at least 4kg in weight and are cooked in a charcoal grill with pretty much nothing else done to them in order that they retain the natural flavours and texture.

Pagos de Araiz Rosado Navarra

With each of the dishes that we were served, the sommelier paired them with an appropriate wine, I have to say the rose that we tried, Pagos de Araiz Rosado Navarra, was by far my favourite, the aroma alone was so intense and fruity.

White tuna from the port of Bermeo

Following the kokotxas the Chef then brought out white tuna from the port of Bermeo which was served with a fresh tomato sauce and green Ibarra chilli peppers. Again, fish! Was someone out to get me? Well, what can I say other than I loved it, the tuna was so meaty, I almost forgot I was eating fish! The sauce that accompanied the tuna along with the chilli peppers really enhanced the flavour, luckily we had more bread as well too mop up the sauce, waste not want not as they say!

There was me thinking that was it, hell no! Chef comes out with yet another plate, this time beef sweetbreads with roasted tomatoes and yes, I was thinking exactly the same as you are now, however as it turns out these were not those type of sweetbreads, these were from the neck, phew!

Beef sweetbreads with roasted tomatoes

I really couldn’t actually give you a description of what these tasted of, they were nice, especially the edges which had crisped up, they were soft in the middle and the roasted tomatoes complimented them nicely but again, its difficult for me to liken them to anything, I guess you will have to give them a try yourself and if you do, let me know what you think.

Peach in txakoli syrup with vanilla ice cream

Just when you think you couldn’t eat another thing, Chef brings out dessert (time for me to loosen my belt!), peach in txakoli syrup with vanilla ice cream. Just incase you are unsure, txkoli is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine produced in the Basque Country. This was very nice, however at the time I was slightly disappointed as I was expecting to be wowed after having had such a wonderful meal with so many different flavours and taste sensations, that said and in hindsight, it was actually the perfect end to the meal, simple and light, there was no need for anything heavy or intense.

We rounded the meal off with a cappuccino along with dark truffles with a hint of Sagardoz apple liqueur. I have to say whoever makes the truffles deserves a Knighthood for services to the country, oh my days, these just melted in your mouth, I think they should box them up and sell them! Mmm now there’s an idea I might take up with them!

What can I say, it was a very welcome return to SAGARDI, we were once again knocked out by the amazing food and the great service, I couldn’t fault a thing and hey, I ate fish! There is plenty of choice on the menu so certainly something for everyone, we got to sample some of the highlights from the menu which I am sure is going to be a big hit. Thank you SAGARDI for a great evening and for looking after us so well.   

Cider Pouring at Sagardi

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Had lovely feedback from Sagardi for my review! It's great when restaurants appreciate my reviews!

Boxpark - Chilango

Boxpark - Chilango

As my time working in Croydon is coming to an end, given my love of Mexican food, I thought it would be wrong not to pay Chilango a visit.  That said, this was my second visit, albeit this time I was eating, last visit a few months back, having stood at the counter for some time and been ignored by the 3 woman behind the counter who were too busy talking to each other, I ended up walking out!  To be honest, I wouldn’t have gone back after that  but the girls in the office were raving about it so I thought I should give it one more go.

My friend and I popped in just after 12 today, given that it was the start of lunchtime I was a bit surprised that we had to wait whilst they were cooking more chicken, but hey, they have a good sized seating area and we weren’t in too much of a rush so it was no biggy.  When the chicken was cooked we were called over and we both ordered The Chilango, which is hailed as their legendary chicken burrito with black beans, roasted tomato salsa, sour cream and cheese.  The chicken, rice and black beans are placed onto the flour tortilla before it is then passed to the next server who adds the toppings.  It was at this point it suddenly turned into the conveyor belt from The Generation Game (showing my age here!!), I didn’t understand what the girl had said to me and by the time I twigged I could have extra toppings, she had already wrapped up my burrito and it was ready to be paid for!  This turned out to be a shame as I like my spice, which effectively this now had none of as it just consisted of salsa, sour cream and cheese!  The guy on the till was friendly and polite, directed us to the cutlery and additional napkins and straws etc, after which we then sat to have our lunch.

On the whole we both agreed it was nice, not sure either of us thought of it as legendary though.  To be honest, if McDonalds did burritos this is probably what I would expect, it didn’t smack of anything special, which was a bit disappointing.  Not entirely sure if the chicken used is thigh meat, however my friend had several rather fatty/chewy bits of chicken which ended up in her napkin, thankfully I didn’t experience that but to be fair it didn’t actually appear there was that much chicken in mine.  All in all it was nice enough, for the money (£6.95) I would have expected a bit more chicken and would have preferred chicken breast over thigh (if that’s what is used!).  The unit is nicely set out, as mentioned above, plenty of seating and some funky art work, if I come back at least I know what to expect so I won’t miss out on any hot sauce etc next time!  There is a good choice on the menu, which includes salads, tacos, super nachos and nudos (all the flavour of a burrito but without the tortilla), and a variety of fillings, steak, pork belly and grilled prawns along with the mandatory chicken, give them a go, see what you think.