Al Fresco Archives - BURNESSIE TRAVELS

La Paloma

Whilst we’ve established that Ibiza is not all about clubbing and the San Antonio ‘lads on tour’ scene, you may not know that it’s not even just about the beaches. Ibiza is full of rolling fields and stunning vistas that overlook the hilly countryside, and La Paloma is an excellent example of a quiet hillside set restaurant in the tiny inland village of San Lorenzo that takes in the beauty of this side of the island. The restaurant is set in the middle of citrus orchards and run by an Italian family who swear by home cooking fresh ingredients just the way they like them, and we were lucky enough to eat there amongst the fairy light strewn trees one evening.

Starting off with a round of strong and refreshing dark rum mojitos, we settled down in the candlelit courtyard area outside at dusk. The courtyard is all mismatched chairs and wooden tables, with pretty cut flowers in vases sat amongst vintage crockery. The menu isn’t large at La Paloma, which can be a bit of a blessing if you ask me – too much to choose from can become overwhelming, and the ethos behind this small menu is it allows the chef to deliver higher quality through smaller quantity. The Italian family that own and run La Paloma ship many of the ingredients they use direct from their home country, including capers from Sicily, antipasti from Tuscany and of course their aged parmesan. They do also try to use local products as much as possible too however, even getting their mozzarella made by an Italian who lives on the island, and everything is organic where it can be. Homemade focaccia is made at their own bakery and the restaurant grows their own vegetables – it is clear that quality and sustainability is of the utmost importance at La Paloma.

As may be expected given La Paloma’s roots, there is a distinct Italian vein that runs through the food on offer among the starters as well as the mains. As favoured by our group, we ordered starters to share: bruschetta (€6), aubergine parmigiana (€12) and goats cheese salad (€16). It turned out there was a bit of a translation problem as the goats cheese was definitely blue cheese, which made it off limits for me, blue cheese being one of the few foods I can’t stomach. It went down well with everyone else however, the pear and hazelnuts adding an interesting layer to the dish, so I’m told. The bruschetta was lovely and the aubergine parmigiana was particularly good, and something I’d definitely order should I visit again.

For main I had their famous fillet of steak with balsamic and thyme sauce, served with roasted potatoes and vegetables (€31) which made me the envy of the table. The fillet was huge and perfectly cooked to rare, though due to the sheer size of the steak I would have preferred more potatoes to have been served with it to balance the dish out more. Okay yes, it seems wrong to complain that a fillet steak is too big! The rack of lamb marinated in soy, ginger and honey served with sweet potato and mint sauce also went down well in our group, and the seafood pasta was cleaned up equally quickly. It’s worth nothing that there are always vegetarian dishes on offer on the weekly changing menu, and vegans are also catered for. To round off the meal, I had an exemplary chocolate fondant with Madagascan vanilla ice cream (€9) which finished off the evening perfectly.

The al fresco setting with fairy lights strung through the trees is a real pull of La Paloma, and the unique location in the hills is a refreshing change from the beach clubs that Ibiza is so well known for. Unlike many other restaurants on the island, La Paloma is also open through the winter months, when their intimate indoor dining spaces are lit by cosy fires. The balance of locally sourced ingredients and those direct from Italy of which the quality cannot be beaten on Ibiza itself forms an excellent and carefully designed menu, whilst the decor is as welcoming as you could want – it kind of feels like you’re sitting in a friend or neighbour’s garden, it feels that homely. The thought that has gone into the La Paloma experience is clear, and the result is a beautiful, relaxed setting with lovely food.

Calle Can Pou, 4, 07812 Sant Llorenc de Balafia, Ibiza

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London

Coppa Club

We’ve all seen the wisteria laden cabanas at Coppa Club Tower Bridge on Instagram. By winter the restaurant terrace is decked out with festive igloos, during the summer they are draped in faux ivy and wisteria, fading from pink, to purple, to lilac and white. Add in the fact that Coppa Club sits on the river with a view of Tower Bridge and it’s pretty much as picturesque as you can get in Central London. The setting is beautiful and it’s no surprise that the bookable cabanas were full all the way through summer in a matter of days of release, but how does the food stand up against the pretty surroundings?

I took my dad out to Coppa Club for Father’s Day and by sheer stroke of luck, there was space under one of the coveted cabanas for us to sit for our meal. They do hold some back for walk ins and we got there at just the right time. Since it was sweltering we would’ve probably been a little more comfortable in the cool inside space, which is beautifully designed with brass accents, old fashioned cane backed chairs and a big sweeping bar in the middle. But of course I couldn’t resist the wisteria so we sweated it out under one of the cabanas instead. When in Rome, after all.

Whilst sat in the sun and having ordered a pint of the Coppa Club lager on draught (£4.25) for my dad and the Cotes De Provence Chateau Minuty rose (£8.95 250ml) for myself – which was bloody delicious – we started to dig through the starter options to share. There are plenty of small plates and nibbles to order at Coppa Club and it strikes me that this is a great after work pit stop for a few drinks and some tapas style dishes to tide you over as you plough through some cold prosecco. Crispy fried truffled gnocchi (£3.50), fresh crab and avocado on crostini (£5.95) and Italian sausage rolls with hot mustard (£3.50) are as good an accompaniment to evening drinks by the river as any, in my opinion, but I digress. That afternoon we opted to share the seared king prawns marinated in olive oil, chilli, garlic and lemon with sourdough bread (£6.95) and crispy calamari served with a delicious paprika and sriracha mayo (£5.95). Both were excellent and the prawns in particular were huge and juicy. A good start.

Although I’m usually one to be all over a brunch menu, we went to Coppa Club later in the day and had both eaten a decent breakfast so opted to order from the All Day menu rather than the brunch. Mains were their signature Coppa Club Hot sourdough pizza with spicy salami, Nduja, chilli, tomato and mozzarella (£9.95) which was definitely as hot as it sounds – and a solid pizza in a competitive market, though not up there with the specialists like Forza Win or Pizza East. My super greens and grains salad made up of quinoa, fregola, roasted beets, peas, broccoli, toasted seeds and chilli with added roast chicken (£12.90) was delicious and filling, something I’m always concerned places don’t get right with their salad offering. I did peek at the table next door at the brunch dishes that they were tucking into and have to say that the baked eggs and their Benedicts in particular looked very good, so I’d love to return to sample the brunch menu another time.

I also need to return to get another fix of that sticky toffee pudding they serve (£5.95), because that was good. I am a serious judge of London’s STPs and Coppa Club’s was very much up there – only pipped by my forever favourite from Hawksmoor. It was served with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream and most importantly, plenty of toffee sauce – enough that I had leftovers to scoop into my gob once the actual pudding had been demolished. That’s the sign of a good sticky toffee pudding if you ask me. So yes, happily the food and service do measure up to the beautiful setting at Coppa Club Tower Bridge. Go forth, get your wisteria Instagrams but moreover – eat and drink well.

Coppa Club, 3 Three Quays Walk, Lower Thames Street, London, EC3R 6AH
020 7993 3827

There are also Coppa Clubs at St Paul’s, Oxford Circus and Sonning-on-Thames in Berkshire, though the Tower Bridge one is the only one with cabanas on their terrace.

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Europe Food From Travels Ibiza

La Bodega Talamanca

Much like it’s impossible to cook the correct amount of pasta, has anyone ever ordered the right amount of tapas? I mean, of course the ‘right’ amount of tapas is ‘all of it’, but I do try not to over-order because wasting food is A Bad Thing.

I first read about La Bodega Talamanca well over a year ago, on Twitter somewhere I think, and have been wanting to visit this little boho restaurant since then. Ibiza is full of glamorous beach bars and gorgeous fine dining restaurants, but I do favour somewhere a bit more chilled and laid back, which is certainly what La Bodega Talamanca is. The powder blue gates and turquoise walls lead to mismatched chairs, moroccan lanterns and cushions strewn with colourful woven blankets, giving off a distinctly bohemian vibe. As if it couldn’t get more idyllic, the sea is just across the path, and my experience of Talamanca beach was that it’s very quiet and lazy, not the Ibiza I knew on my first visit five years ago. You can get peace in Ibiza, you’ve just got to pick the right place.

Settling in immediately by ordering half a litre of perfect ice cold Spanish sangria (€12.50) I sat down to choose my tapas from the extensive menu, a part of me wishing I was dining with someone so I could order more, but mostly utterly content that this evening was just between me, my book, the view, a lot of sangria and even more tapas. How to choose what to order? Manchego – done, obviously (€7). Chorizo – I’m in Spain, so of course (€6). Got to be a bit of tortilla patatas (€3.50) in there, too (aka ‘Spanish omelette’ – God we know how to class things up don’t we?) The truly painful part was choosing between pan con tomate (€2.50) and pan con aioli (€2.50), because the way the Spanish turn tomatoes on a bit of crusty bread into an art is truly something to behold, but also, aioli until I die. The kind (and probably bored of my dithering) waitress sorted me out by insisting she’d bring me a pot of aioli to go with the pan con tomate instead of me ordering both. After asking how many dishes she would recommend, I reluctantly abandoned about three dishes I had planned but threw in the meatballs for good measure. How often am I in Spain, anyway?

Firstly I need to talk about the manchego. The manchego was of such good quality, and – plot twist – served with walnuts, which was a combination I’d never had before but will absolutely continue to do so. Teamed with the chorizo and pan con tomate the manchego pretty much made my life that evening, it was that good. The tortilla was expertly cooked, not at all dry and falling apart just so. The meatballs I wouldn’t bother with next time – there was nothing at all wrong with them but I gave up prawns for them, you know? An error on my part. The pot of aioli I was served was so big I could barely make a dent in it alongside my other twenty eight dishes – and how I tried. So thick and garlicky – it’s the first thing I want when I land in Spain. This was the perfect first stop in Ibiza and I would absolutely return to La Bodega. The views are wonderful, the restaurant is chilled enough you can stay for hours without bother, the sangria is perfect and the tapas excellent. It’s also great value for Ibiza, where meals can easily add up to €100 a head in other fancier places by the sea. It’s worth noting the restaurant also have an outpost in Ibiza Town which I’d like to try next time – perfect pit stop after exploring those cobbled streets in the sunshine, wouldn’t you say?

La Bodega Talamanca, C/ Ses Figueres S18 Talamanca, 07800 Ibiza, +34971192740
La Bodega Ibiza, C/ Bisbe Torres Mayans 2, 07800 Ibiza +34672494847

Open every day from 6pm until late.

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Europe Food From Travels Rhodes

Marco Polo Mansion Cafe

Rhodes is full of excellent restaurants, which I have to be honest, I was a little surprised about. I’d done my research, had a long list of places to try and most nights was not only left satisfied but genuinely impressed by the secret culinary successes of Rhodes. Our final night was spent at Marco Polo Cafe, and what a way to finish the holiday off.

To reach Marco Polo Mansion, first you must navigate a maze of medieval cobbled lanes through Rhodes Old Town to find an inconspicuous wooden door that could easily be the entrance to somebody’s house. Walk through a couple of sparse rooms and you’ll reach steps that climb up to the outdoor courtyard, where uneven walls painted powder blue and mustard yellow surround marble topped tables and white director chairs overlooked by lime trees. In short, Marco Polo is beautiful – everything you could want from a holiday dining experience. And we haven’t even got to the food yet.

As with all the best places, the menu reads so well it makes it tantalisingly difficult to choose what to order. Feta wrapped in filo, drizzled in plenty of honey and sesame seeds (€6.50) sounded too good to resist and turned out to be one of my favourite dishes of the trip; the creaminess of the warm feta teamed with the crispiness of the pastry working well with the sweetness from the honey. Pureed fava beans with caramelised onions and balsamic (€6.50) completed a great start to the meal with some warm bread.

Mains were the hardest to choose from, but the special of crispy Iberia pork with apple marmalade and potato puree (€18) was a brilliant choice, again the combination of crispy and creamy textures between the pork and potato proving a winner. Lamb souvlaki (€14.90) served as a solid Greek choice: tender skewered lamb marinated in mustard and crusted with pistachios, served pink with couscous and potato wedges. The lamb was – quite rightly – the star of this dish, with the couscous complimenting well without being too showy as to steal the shine from the quality of the souvlaki. I found the potato wedges perhaps misjudged, not crispy enough for my tastes but again, a good simple vehicle for the lamb. We shared both dishes and washed it all down with the crisp Greek house white wine (€14 per litre) under the stars.

Whilst full from the first two courses, I was happy to push myself over the edge to uncomfortably full for the dessert menu presented to us. The chocolate semifreddo called to me like lovers do, but the curve ball of a fig, pear and walnut crumble on the specials board made choosing near on impossible. My dinner companion opted for the ice cream with caramel and almonds, and I reluctantly made a choice, settling on the semifreddo. And THEN something happened that topped off this incredible dining experience to make it the pinnacle of our holiday: the waiter delivered our desserts to the table along with the crumble I had been debating over ‘on the house’. I know! I couldn’t have been more made up, and let me tell you: the crumble was the best of them all. So much so I am going to try to make it myself. Pity I don’t have the warm Aegean nights and the lime tree lined courtyard to serve it in, eh? Please, if you ever find yourself in Rhodes, go for a meal at Marco Polo. You will not regret it.

42 Ag. Fanouriou St, Old Town, 85100, Rhodes, Greece
+30 22410 25562

Starters: €5.50 – €13
Mains: €14.80 – €21
Desserts: €5.90

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A Bit Fancy Food London

Ivy Chelsea Garden

You’ve heard of The Ivy, everyone has. It has long history of almost 100 years old entwined with celebrity visits, business meetings for the corporate world and special occasions. Whilst it’s certainly considered A Bit Fancy, the consistency of The Ivy’s reputation is surely based on its food, classic and high quality, as opposed to the famous faces who walk through the door. So when my best friend invited me to take the afternoon off to join her and some friends for a leisurely boozy lunch at The Ivy’s Chelsea outpost, Ivy Chelsea Garden, I naturally jumped at the chance. I rarely let the combination of the words ‘boozy’ and ‘lunch’ pass me by, and the opportunity to try The Ivy’s famed menu at last was enough for me to immediately book a half day off.

The Ivy Chelsea Garden is a beautiful restaurant. Stylish yet classic decor with white tablecloths, bevelled mirrors and beautiful big glass and brass lanterns throwing light across the room is second only to the pièce de résistance: a conservatory area that opens into the coveted garden. It was a beautiful day which would have made the garden area a dream but unfortunately despite requesting two months in advance, it seems you may need to know someone in order to secure a table out amongst the pergolas and fountain.

Seated in the buzzy main restaurant and starting as we meant to go on, we ordered a beautiful bottle of rose whilst we scoured the menu, everyone wanting more than one thing – the starters a particular battle. Apparently I’ve travelled back in time as I’ve recently grown a serious penchant for a good prawn cocktail, but after much deliberation I opted for the buffalo mozzarella with asparagus, edamame, roasted pine nuts, pesto and baby basil (£8.95). And what a choice; honest to God one of the best starters I’ve ever had. Good food is food that stays with you, and this dish is certainly one of them. Luckily for me, the others at the table were generous with their choices, so I got to try not one but two tuna dishes, both of which I toyed with ordering myself. Tuna carpaccio with spiced avocado, lime, creme fraiche and coriander shoots (£9.95) was no disappointment, but certainly out done by the melt-in-the-mouth Ponzu marinated tuna served with radish, ginger and mango with wasabi (£10.50). The arrival of salt encrusted sourdough (£4.25) and more of the aforementioned rose made the first course a hard one to beat.

Service was excellent throughout, and respectful of the fact we asked for a wait between courses, something that isn’t always the case and a real pet hate of mine. When we did get around to the mains, three of us had gone with the chicken Milanese topped with a perfectly fried egg with the goldest of yolks (£16.95), whilst the remaining of our party went for the sea bream. The former was excellently done, the brioche crust of the chicken crisping beautifully, along with perfect truffle Parmesan fries (£4.50) and thick cut chips (£3.75). For good measure I swiped some zucchini fritti (£3.75) too but found them too floury – the truffle and Parmesan chips came out on top in the potato stakes.

But enough of all that, let’s talk about THAT dessert. You may have seen it doing the rounds on Instagram; a chocolate bombe sitting in milk foam, melting as hot salted caramel sauce is poured over it to reveal a vanilla ice cream and honeycombe centre (£8.50). I know. Honestly, it’s worth making a booking at The Ivy for this dessert alone. It’s better than it looks and better than it sounds. Friends ordered dark treacle tart (£6.95) and frozen berries with yoghurt sorbet (£7.50), all perfectly lovely but the envy was palpable. Frozen berries over a chocolate bombe with salted caramel? Amateurs.

Regardless of whether the dessert of dreams stays on the menu (why would it not?), The Ivy is definitely a restaurant I’ll be returning to for years to come. Classic, fantastically executed food with attentive service in a beautiful setting, The Ivy feels like a real treat without the pretentiousness I’d expected. I just hope I can get a seat outside next time.

Buffalo mozzarella with asparagus, edamame, toasted pine nuts, pesto and baby basil

Chocolate bombe with hot salted caramel sauce

Have you been to The Ivy and had their famous chocolate bombe? Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!