World Cup - Quarter Finals

Into the quarters and there's some cracking ties. There's no room for error and a split sauce could be the difference between booking a semi-final spot and taking a flight home.

France 3 England 1

Oh come on now, you didn't think that we would win this one? We may talk a good game in this country but for the French, food is part of the fabric of life in a way that we can only aspire to. It took all kinds of manipulation on my part to get England this far but in the end, les coqs go through.

It was an ultra professional performance with the likes of foie gras, confit, and andouillette proving too uncomfortable for the English. In fact all over the pitch, the English were made to feel second best and slightly inadequate.

For example, poor old apple crumble just seemed out of its depth when put up against tarte fine aux pommes. The only player that stood tall against the French was black pudding from Lancashire, who showed boudin noir a thing or two.

Japan 4 Portugal 1

Both teams rely on the sea and it's more than a bit ironic that it was the Portuguese that introduced tempura to Japan. But there's only so far dainty pastel de nata and my love of Nando's can take a team. In the final reckoning, the Portuguese were mauled by the superior Japanese.

However it was the noodles rather than the sea that saw the Japanese to victory. As the game wore on, Portugal found itself tangled up in ramen, udon, and soba. The only area in which the European team prevailed was their famed baking skills from which they nicked a consolation goal.

S.Korea 1 Australia 2

There was a large part of me that wanted Korea to win but I've got to be true to myself, I like Aussie food – despite their penchant for beetroot. Don't think I've gone all soft though, I still dislike Aussie sports teams. Joking aside, some of the best food I've eaten has been down under and I do like the Aussie people (with the exception of Ricky Ponting). 

Brilliant seafood, juicy steaks, as well as arguably the best East Asian food outside of the region itself epitomise the excellence of the lucky country. Whether the Aussies would've prevailed against other Asian cuisines is doubtful. The thing is whilst I like Korean food, I think its far from the best that Asia can offer. You can blame that on the kimchi.

Italy 2 Spain 2 (Spain win 5-4 on penalties)

These two countries hate one another when it comes to footy. The Italians think the Spanish lack bottle. On the other hand, the Spanish think the Italians are overly negative. This rivalry extends across to food and these Mediterranean titans serve up the best game of the tournament so far.

This was a belter with some fascinating battles such as parma ham v jamon serrano, salami v chorizo, risotto v paella etc. Now you might think that my love for the noodle would give the pasta boys the edge but there's more to food than noodles.

In the end, the first penalty shoot-out of the tournament settled this tie. The last Italian penalty sees risotto step up and shoot wide. Could paella hold its nerve and score – yes it could and Spain sneak through to the semis.

Next Time

Those of you who are getting heartily sick of my World Cup posts will be pleased to hear that the tournament concludes next Friday. The semis are France v Japan and Spain v Australia so we're in for a great final, no matter who qualifies.

Riga - Part 1

I should know better at my age. I mean what would you do if you had just arrived in Riga for a wedding ? Of course the sensible thing would be to have a meal with a few gentle drinks before turning in for an early night. That's a bit boring though, much better to go mad and sample loads of turbocharged Belgian beer. Mercifully the groom was more sensible and knew when to stop drinking.

About the only wise decision I made was to share a metre of traditional Latvian sausage. This was top notch as was the accompanying salad, gherkins, and dips. Particularly worthy of mention was the potato salad.

I woke up the next day with a terrible hangover and the 50km coach trip to the wedding venue wasn't much fun although it was enlivened by some stunning scenery. The gods were on side for this big fat Greek-Latvian wedding as there wasn't a cloud in the sky for the outdoor ceremony.

As I'm not of the fairer sex, I lack the writing skills to describe the proceedings but needless to say El Greco and Mysterious Miss A's wedding went off really well. I particularly enjoyed the traditional games, customs, and challenges that the newlyweds had to go through.

I was still feeling a little tender so I was glad that there were nibbles with the champagne and I was double glad that these were substantial nibbles. None of that vol-au-vent nonsense – instead we had the Latvian take on the sausage roll as well as bread rolls with fillings such as bacon, egg, and mushrooms baked inside the roll. These were all excellent and strangely reminded me of Chinese bakery albeit with different fillings.

Onto the wedding breakfast and the speeches. These were expertly done with El Greco's newly acquired Russian language skills going down a storm with his in-laws. I also learnt some Russian that day, the word gorko. Whenever this was chanted, the bride and groom had to stop what they were doing and kiss until the chanting stopped. And by kiss, I mean properly kiss. I'm not sure the newlyweds finished their food as there were so many chants of gorko - even the usually repressed Brits eventually joined in (once the booze had kicked in).

For the meal itself, there was salad to start and tiramisu to finish but inbetween we had a selection of grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. These were passed along the long tables and I was very anxious as these platters were resting far from my grasp. I managed to bag my fair share and the accompanying sauces were tasty too. I particularly liked the tomato gravy thing but I didn't find out its name - give me a break, I was off the clock !

To drink, I kicked off with some white but switched to red for the main course. There were also bottles of Jameson whiskey and Russian Standard vodka. I wasn't going to touch the hard stuff but then Uncle Vodka came over. This guy was a force of nature, as he roamed from group to group to ensure we all toasted the newlyweds. When he came round to our group, I sipped my vodka. Whilst I didn't understand what he said, his look of bemusement tinged with disappointment said it all. There was only one way out and I quickly drained my glass. His mood immediately lightened and he seemed to take great pleasure that he had sent me on a one-way trip to oblivion.  

Consequently, the rest of the evening was a blur and I thought I'd dreamt some of the games and elaborate dance routines. At one point, it seemed like I'd gatecrashed a hallucinogenic drug fuelled fancy dress party, as the newlyweds were being driven on a pretend bus with dancers dressed up in costumes. The English commentary just made it seem more surreal and I was convinced the Village People were going to make a guest appearance.

Despite being a bit worse for wear, I still seemed to have the blog on my mind. Why else did I take a photo of the supper buffet ? I remember eating some fruit, as of course a few slices of melon and pineapple was going to save me from another hangover.  

Most of the other photos I took aren't really suitable for the blog but this one of the happy couple is. I should take more photos using the 'balloon' setting on my humble Casio.

All told it was a cracking wedding and everybody had a great time. So if you have a glass handy, please raise it to El Greco and his beautiful wife, the Mysterious Mrs A. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if it isn't neat vodka and don't down it in one !

World Cup - The Last 16

Compared to the real World Cup, there have been few real shocks in my parallel tournament. That said, there are a few teams that may rue their poor group stage form, in particular the USA and Brazil have tough ties against Australia and Spain respectively. There are no second chances with meals level after 90 minutes going to extra time, and possibly penalties.

France 3 Argentina 1

Argentina scores early to take a surprise lead. However steak and empanadas prove a tad one-dimensional and the superior French team reply twice in quick succession. In the second half, the French start taking the piss but they nearly pay for their impudence as dulce du leche nearly equalises before tarte tatin scores a third for the French.

S.Africa 1 S.Korea 2

The host nation bows out at this stage, as they were no match for the Koreans. Like the Argentines, the South Africans rely too much on meat but despite nicking an early goal the braai is marked out of the game by Korea’s bulgogi. In the end, the superior technique of the Koreans prevails.

England 3 Germany 0

I'll be honest the scoreline bears no reflection to the actual game – I just like the sound of it. In truth, this encounter was a bit turgid and many of the more sophisticated teams turned their noses up at this attritional stodge based affair. Goals by potted shrimp, fish & chips, and apple crumble settle this tie for the English. I'll be happy if the football follows this scoreline !

USA 3 Australia 4 (extra time)

This was the tie of the round and I doubt that there will be many better games in the whole tournament. Both sides have a similar approach as they feature barbecue, steaks, seafood, and ethnic influences mixed in with an arrogant swagger and a belief that they are the best. The Aussies win in extra time on the basis that their Chinese food is superior to that found in the States.

Japan 4 New Zealand 1

Japan was one of the pre-tournament favourites and New Zealand should feel no shame in being beaten by such a convincing scoreline. It could have been a lot worse as the best modern fusion chefs from New Zealand were obliterated by the traditional approach undertaken by specialist Japanese artists.

Denmark 0 Italy 1

In sporting parlance, Italy is a tournament team who peak in the latter stages. Before the business end of the tournament, they struggle and it's no exception against the foraging Danes. However, the Danish can find no way past the Italian back line of ciabatta, risotto, spaghetti and gnocchi. As we see all too often the desserts nick it at the end for the Italians.

Portugal 2 Switzerland 0

This is a battle between two differing food ideologies, the land locked Swiss against the seafaring Portuguese. For me, there's only one winner and the fish batter the Swiss into submission. The Portuguese should have won by a wider margin and pastel de nata squandered many chances before scoring late on in this game.

Brazil 0 Spain 3

This would be a worthy final in the real World Cup but in my eyes, the heavyweight Brazilian churrascria is outpaced by the lighter tapas and fish based dishes. Whilst at the other end, the jamon stop the Brazilians from launching attacks of their own. On this kind of form, we could well have seen the future champions.

Next Time
Next Friday sees the quarter-finals and there are four great ties. Can the underdogs, England overcome France ? Who will win the battle of the Med, Italy or Spain ? Will the Portuguese be able to upset the seemingly unstoppable Japanese ? And how will the Aussies cope with South Korea ?

Why I Love Nando's

You're probably thinking I've gone mad but I was inspired to write this post after reading this article by Miranda Sawyer in the Observer Food Monthly and by Catty's challenge to find dinner for two in Central London for less than £14.

Whilst I'm a bit sniffy about many chain eateries, I've always had a soft spot for Nando's from when I first started going in the 1990's. This might be food blogger heresy but given the choice between their piri-piri chicken and a 'gourmet' burger from the likes of Byron or GBK, more often than not, I'd go for the chicken.

The Observer article articulates far better why Nando's is so popular and it raises some interesting points. In particular, its inclusive appeal, which I think society at large can learn from. Before you think I've gone totally stark raving bonkers, where else do you see teenagers, families with young kids, pensioners, and thirtysomething food bloggers eating in the same place ? Testament to its widespread appeal is that this is one of the few non-Chinese eateries where my Mum will eat.

My usual order ? It's half chicken w/chips & corn on the cob (£9.10). For a lighter meal, I used to go for chicken breast fillet pitta w/chips (£6.60) but recently I've fallen for their chicken breast fillet wrap w/chips (£7.60) as pictured. Going back to Catty's challenge, you could easily have dinner here for two for less than £14.

I might get some stick for writing this post as Sawyer did for her Observer article but you'd have to be a fundamentalist foodie to have issues with Nando's. At the end of the day, it's a handy place to grab a quick, tasty, and relatively healthy meal.

World Cup - 1st Round

photo, courtesy Wikipedia

So here we go – let battle commence for the Foodie World Cup. From 32 teams, we are looking for 16 qualifiers for the knockout stages. The group stages are where the less fancied teams could spring a shock but the league format usually sees the big boys qualify.

Group A – 1st France 2nd S.Africa
It's a no-brainer that France storms this group but second place is wide open. In the end, South Africa prevail, as home advantage should never be underestimated especially as Mexican food doesn't travel well. A friend of mine did extol Uruguay's virtues but he didn't come up with enough specific details to convince me.

Group B – 1st S.Korea 2nd Argentina
The 'group of death' is a glib cliché often used by sports commentators but in this case, it's very apt. You've really got to feel for Greece, as it's more than likely that they would've qualified from any other group. As it is they fall at the first hurdle with South Korea emerging as group winners closely followed by Argentina's muscular steak based team. Nigeria finishes a distant last.

Group C – 1st England 2nd USA
This group was another close one with Algeria's brave team nearly edging out the USA (everyone raises their games against Uncle Sam). This group was so close that it was decided on goal difference (yes – I am making this up as I go along). And it was England that shocked the foodie world by topping this group following some magnificent performances, in particular a thrilling draw against the USA (last minute equaliser by Birmingham's Balti). Slovenia just couldn't quite handle the food at this level.

Group D – 1st Australia 2nd Germany
Australia run away with this group, their mix of surf and turf with multicultural influences was just too strong for the likes of Germany, Serbia, and Ghana. Second place was wide open and Germany emerged not because their food was any good but because it's a World Cup and they always qualify for the knockout stages.

Group E – 1st Japan 2nd Denmark
As one of the pre-tournament favourites, Japan saunter through this group. Denmark is said to have the best restaurant in the world but they would've qualified from this group anyway as I like Scandinavian grub. That said Holland and Cameroon didn't offer much resistance.

Group F – 1st Italy 2nd New Zealand
As is often the way in major tournaments, Italy start slowly and they claim top spot just ahead of an up and coming New Zealand. Slovakia can be discounted, not least because I was ripped off over a bottle of red wine in Bratislava last year and I don't know much about Paraguay (except that it isn't Uruguay).

Group G – 1st Portugal 2nd Brazil
Portugal and Brazil are the teams competing for first place with the former colonial masters edging it by an egg tart. It's sad that North Korea is closed off to the rest of the world, as this has hindered its culinary development. Ivory Coast's chefs aren't as renowned as their footballers and they bring up the rear.

Group H – 1st Spain 2nd Switzerland
This is one group where food follows football, as Spain would be one of the favourites in both fields and they cruise through this group (unlike their footballers). Second place goes to Switzerland as I've eaten in great restaurants in Zurich. Besides, I'm too busy watching football to research the respective cuisines of Honduras or Chile.

Next Time
No real shocks so far although some might raise an eyebrow at the failure of Mexico. The Greeks and Algerians can also consider themselves unlucky not to qualify when the likes of England, Germany and Switzerland have. For many the World Cup comes to life in the knockout stages. This tournament is no exception and there are some fascinating ties in next Friday's last 16 including France v Argentina, Australia v USA, and England v Germany.