• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Hotpanchef.com

Restaurant Reviews and Trainee Chefs life

Beware - coming through with Hot Pan Chef !

  • Home page
    • Hello I’m the new (Student) Chef in town !
  • RESTAURANT REVIEWS
    • ASTER REVIEW
    • RESTAURANT REVIEW RATING
    • The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow
    • Paul Ainsworth at Number 6, Padstow
    • Les 110 De Taillevent – 110 Green Bottles hanging on the wall !
    • Duck and Waffle Local – Waffled Out !
    • A.Wong – its certainly All Right, not Wong !
    • Tredwells – Not a Quiet Place !
    • Brat – Thanks for the timing of your Review Giles !
    • Tom Sellers – Merry Men Pop Up : This Diner not so Merry …..
    • Pique Nique – Bonjour Fantastique !
    • Scullys – The truth is out there !
    • Black Axe Mangal – Where Chefs Eat !
    • Hide – Worth seeking out !
    • Ikoyi – Staff Food Waste Project – Maybe Rebranding required !
    • 108 Garage – Honey Pie And Savoy Truffle
    • Close to hitting the Target – Marksman Public House
    • Indian Accent – Morels or Morals ?
    • Lupins – Small but beautifully formed !
    • Blanchette East – A Cosy Oasis amongst the Curry Houses !
    • Gunpowder -Indian Smash and Go !
    • Holborn Dining Room – Pyes for the 21st Century !
    • Kerridge’s Bar and Grill – Tom delivers a Wow Factor !
    • Core Blimey ! As Good as it gets !
    • Falling off the Wagon into Verjus !
    • Black Axe Mangal – Update – You’re Awesome, You’re Awesome and You’re Awesome !
    • Cora Pearl – Ham and Cheese Toastie + Chips to go please !
    • Farzi Cafe – Luvly Jubly!
    • Fine Bar – A relationship finally Consummated !
  • Blog
  • LEITHS LIFE
    • Week 11 – I am now a Leiths Graduate !
    • Week 9 – Last week to be Marked !
    • Week 10 – End of Term Frivolity And a Surreal Gin Demo !
    • Week 8 – Lobsters and Crabs laying their lives on the line for us !
    • Week 7 – From Plants to Shellfish – Sweetbreads to Floating Islands , a Very Varied Week !
    • Week 6 – The Grapes of Wrath
    • Week 5 – Sweet Week !
    • Week 4 Advanced Term – Mousseline Meltdown !
    • Week 3 – A surprise visit from Pru !
    • Hola ! Work Experience in Pizzaros !
    • Billingsgate Fish Market Visit
    • Week 2 – Advanced Term
    • Advanced Term – Week 1 – only 9 to go !!!
    • How do you FoodStyle a can Of Heinz Tomato Soup?
    • Food Styling – I can style a Tomato !
    • My Fat Chips are too Fat and my Thin Chips are too Thin – W T F !
    • A mandolin – What could possibly go wrong !
    • Seacho -Physco Killer !
    • Mains Away !
    • First Day at the Seafood Restaurant
    • Off to the Seafood Restaurant today !
  • RECIPES
  • RANDOM OTHER STUFF
    • The Adventures of ”Superdryman”experiencing his first Dry January.
    • Mr 100% – That’s Tom Kerridge
    • Camille O’Sullivan – Fringe Diva from Cork
  • Nav Social Menu

    Social

    • View hotpanchef’s profile on Instagram

Archives for July 2018

Puglia – Recommended Restaurants

July 20, 2018 by admin

My first time in Puglia and travelling around to see as much as possible on a 10 day adventure. It’s a beautiful and fascinating part of a country which I adore – come to Italy at least once a year, every year. For any of you out there who also plan to be in the region I have listed a few Restaurants which I have discovered and enjoyed, with very brief details of my experience which may help you if you are unsure about where to eat whilst here.

Lecce

Blu Notte – Seafood Restaurant in the historic Old Town. Has a small outside covered Terrace on a street corner with an uninspiring view,  but whilst we were there the music coming from another bar close by was great. They offer the famous Red Gallopoli Prawns in ceviche style and on the grill. Also good Grilled Langoustines. Good service, friendly, EU45 for a meal and glass of wine each

ristoranteblunotte.com.  ,  Via Marino Brancaccio, 2a, Lecce

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cafe Alvino – For a good pit stop during the day. Right on the main Piazza by the Ampitheatre Ruins. Serves the famous Iced Espresso with Almond Milk and a selection of cakes etc including their popular pasticciotto (custard pie).

 

 

 

Gallopoli

Il Bastione – Part of a boutique Hotel overlooking the Sea. Has outside space but was not being utilised and anyway too hot as no shade. Restaurant inside not very atmospheric but a seat by the window with a breeze was comfortable and had a great outlook. Good selection of Seafood on the menu , many Carpaccio and Tartar style seafood. All very good, especially the Red Prawns. Asked for sea urchins as a local delicacy and was told none had been delivered, twenty minutes later they received a fresh delivery so was guaranteed they were fresh off the boat. Frito Misto a bit disappointing – only squid rings and a few prawns, but mixed Grilled Seafish was pretty good.

ilbastionegallipoli.it      Rivera Nazario Sauro, 28, Gallipoli.

 

Matera

Osteria L’Arco – Inside seating only – just off the main drag of the walking area down from the Cathedral. Nice homely place, very friendly. Home style cooking – had lamb cutlets with roasted potatoes. Simple but tasty. Pasta with creamy truffle sauce pretty good. Had their traditional mixed starters which involved a wide selection of stuff, nice marinated peppers, onions lightly pickled with pine nuts, Ricotta, Black Beans ( unusual), little warm courgette and egg quiche like things( no idea what they were called), sun dried Tomatoes etc. EU52 for 2 – one glass of Wine.

osterialarco.it, Via Delle Beccherie,49, Matera.

 

Alborebello

Ristorante L’Arartro – had a covered Garden area to eat which was pleasant enough. Very typical Italian, very friendly. Had a Veal Chop which was prepared well, asked for it medium/Rare and that’s how it came up,  good value. Quite full of tourists but that’s Alborebello for you. Apparently Restaurant round the corner Casanova is also similar quality.

. ristorantearatro.it, Via MonteS.Michele,25-29 Arborebello.

 

Monopoli

Il Guazzetto – Seafood Restaurant, Quite trendy for an Italian eatery in a seaside resort- young tattooed waiters who really knew the menu well, and spoke good English. Fantastic starter of Sea Bass Ceviche – whole fish gutted/filleted and then out back together and marinated in Passion Fruit And a Pink Peppers with Ricket And Strawberries added. Was recommended by the waiter and was a revelation. Octopus Carpaccio also pretty good. Both had different seafood Pasta dishes which were also excellent. Need to book for evenings and even lunch was busy by 2 o’clock. Good find. Really recommended. Ristoranteilguazzetto.it ,  Via Dell’Erba ,39,Monopoli.

Saleblu  (La Pescheria Hotel ) 10 minutes drive from Monopoli – we stayed here for a few nights and used their restaurant just the one evening. Food was superb – the night we ate they were celebrating the first year anniversary of the Restaurant so it was a set menu but every course was excellent. Fantastic location on a terrace overlooking the sea and first class service. Could not be faulted, so for a fine dining style experience this fits the bill. Unsure about normal prices but our night was EU90 pp but including 5 different wines to compliment each course.

Ostuni

Osteria Del Tempo Perso  – Restaurant in a Cave like Setting. Told they were full when we arrived for lunch. Not very friendly,but we persisted and gave us a table after 10 mins. Full of locals and quite dressed up. Imagine it’s well worth reserving for evenings ( and lunch) Service was slow as they were looking after locals but restaurant itself beautiful and food quality made up for it. Excellent looking menu in Italian/English. Wonderful slow cooked octopus starter, Wife had more Carpaccio – Gallipoli Prawns with Burrata and Caviar. 10/10 she said. Grilled octopus main course was excellent, and Sea Bream Fillet with Olives/Tomato And Fennel salad was more than passable. With a glass of Wine each EU82. One of the more expensive meals we had but a beautiful place with beautiful people. Not easy to find – use Google Maps ! Recommended.

Osteriadeltempoperso.com.   Via Gaetano Tanzarella Vitaliy 47, Ostuni

AND ONE TO MISS…..

Polignono A Mare

Donna Gina – Spectacular location, but if you are attracted by Google results or Tripadvisor, keep away. I booked this for my wife’s birthday dinner and thank god the location saw me through the disappointing meal. Only Tasting Menus available running from EU100- 150. Looked good on paper but dishes did not deliver. Out of the 5 courses only the seafood risotto hit the spot. Others were just not right. First course – huge cubes of Tuna that I could not work out what they had done to it. It was a unappetising pinkish colour, stone cold and dense/ hard. Had they par- boiled/poached it and then put it in the freezer !? Came with smoked salt and a green yoghurt sauce- better to give to a cat but then I would feel sorry for the cat! Easily the most expensive meal of the holiday and easily the worst ! Did have a nice bottle of Amastuola – a Bio Local White wine – a mix of Sauv Blanc/ Fiona and Chardonnay. Refreshing, good body and acidity and a little aromatic/ flowery. Food – No !

 

 

Filed Under: LATEST NEWS

The secret of Immortality – Become an Olive Tree !

July 19, 2018 by admin

HotpanChef is away travelling around in a Puglia for 10 days – exploring, enjoying and eating and drinking around this incredible region. Been posting stuff on Instagram but have not had enough time to blog about anything !

Yesterday, however, I was inspired to do so after attending a tour of Masseria Brancati – an Olive Oil Farm close to Ostuni. The farm offers tours in various languages at a cost of EU10 which you should Pre book by e mail or phone. It’s not very Social Media Savvy and the website is erratic in any language other than Italian. Not being quite up to speed with the modern world is something that will certainly not worry the Owners of the Farm who have seen it passed down through 7 generations since the Original purchase back in 1822.

Signor Brancati who purchased the Farm in 1822!

The Masseria covers around 160 hectares and has Olive Trees that were bearing fruit since before Christ – yes their oldest Olive Tree is around 3000 years old. Most trees can be aged by cutting a section and counting the rings – Olive trees are very different. Whilst shirking many modern day techniques and ways of life the Farm has had some of their trees carbon dated to determine the exact age of their oldest trees. As they age the core of the tree becomes completely dry and appears dead but “ suckers” can appear at any time from this dead looking bark and it was clearly evident that the top of these tress were very alive and still producing. In fact trees that are 2000 years old on the farm are producing 160 kilos of olives over a 2 year period which using the techniques Brancati utilise produces around 24-30 litres of Olive Oil (approx. 15-20% of the weight of olives).

2000 year old Olive Tree !

To consider we were in the presence of trees that have seen so much History was humbling. We were advised that the Farm never ever cuts down its trees due to the regeneration they can perform and whilst nothing is truly immortal these trees could be the closest thing to it.

Many trees therefore appear almost hollow, or split in half, but are still very alive and producing on a yearly basis. They tend to twist as they grow and their oldest tree has 3 twists clearly evident in its bark – 1 for each 1000 years.

The oldest Tree – 3000 years old – needs a little support !

In Puglia alone there are 60 million Olive Trees and taking into consideration this is generally the population of Italy then there is one tree for each and every citizen. In Brancati they are planted 60 Roman steps apart – again giving provenance to their age. Most farms would plant their trees much closer together, and whilst their roots do not go deep and need the space to spread just beneath the surface, Brancati are respecting this old tradition. Here they also can label their Olive Oil Organic as they use no pesticides or Fertilisers – unlike most Commercial production. This can be challenging when there is no or little rain in the region – indeed Apulia ( the old regions name) translates to Land of no rain.

Here they grow only two types of Olives and one is so bitter you would not want to eat it – or if you did you would certainly know about it and not want to eat anything else for a few hours thereafter – such is its bitterness, Something that Italian children learn at a very early age. We saw an abundance of small olives growing in the trees and these would be harvested between October and January. They are all hand picked with the only mechanisation assisting the process being platforms that can assist the pickers to be raised in height so that they can then shake the trees to encourage the Olives to fall. They are collected in huge nets often spanning 5 metres as they fly here, there, and everywhere. Obviously this being July we could not see the process in action but we were advised that on a typical day, working from around 7am to 2/3 pm, they can harvest around 9 large trees per day.

The Olives harvested first are used to make the light Olive Oil which can be used as a general purpose Oil including for cooking/Frying. The later harvested Oils will be more intense in flavour and have the peppery taste that is adored by Italians when using on their salads, Cheese and Tomatoes etc. This would never be used for cooking due to many reasons – the main two being the cost, and low smoking point of the oil. Cook anything with Olive Oil at more than 190c and it becomes rocket fuel and ruins the taste of your food – beware ! Also never, ever, ever keep you Olive Oil in the fridge as if you do an Apulian citizen will die – or so the local saying goes!

After a tour outside observing the works of art that some of these historic trees resembled  – one piece of bark apparently looked like a naked woman, but as our guide explained,  Italians see naked women everywhere – we were taken underground to be shown the areas that were used by the Romans and in Medieval Times for Olive Oil production. Old stone presses and the circular run that blind folded donkeys were trudging 24 hours a day are preserved in an Olive Oil “Museum” that also resonates with the ancient trees outside. Various ways of production were carefully explained and the terrible conditions where rotting olives sat in a room next to a raging furnace, which in turn was beside the workers sleeping quarters ( a bench) in blazing hot temperatures, depicted a scene of horror and stench. During these times the Oil was being Used as Fuel – for Lamplighting etc and was never eaten or used for food preparation. Whether used for fuel or Eating it Homer called Olive Oil “Liquid Gold” and I am sure whatever use it was intended for the recipients would have seen it in this way. Thereafter we were taken upstairs to the “modern” production press that was still used as recently as 1965. These were luxurious times, utilising Horses in shifts – as opposed to donkeys – and were above ground so it had air conditioning  IE windows ! Various instruments of Storage and production had been maintained to provide a vivid picture of Olive Oil processing.

Now we were at the end of the tour and a small blind Tasting was performed to help us understand the differences in taste between the light early harvested multi purpose Olive Oil and the Cold Pressed Extra Virgin. ( Why do you want Extra Virgin – because Olive Oil which is simply labelled Virgin is clearly not “Extra” a word which implies better – Good Marketing ploy !) Seriously –  for an Oilve Oil to be labelled Extra Virgin it must be picked and pressed on the same day, or as a very minimum the next day. It should also be harvested and pressed at the same location. This is something you could possibly check on the next bottle of Olive Oil you purchase. Cold  Pressed – this refers to the temperature level at which the oil is extracted. If you use high heat to extract the oil you will increase your yield, but potentially compromising the quality and destroying some of the delicate flavours. Cold pressed Oil guarantees that the extraction process is never performed above 80.6Fahrenheit thereby preserving quality and taste. Now you know !

Our Guide continues to entertain us !

This was a fascinating tour and good value for money. I leant a lot. Of course you were able to purchase their Olive Oil at the end of the tour, and they ship to any country. I declined – notwithstanding the quality of the tour – as I have access to good stuff in Borough market but it was great to hear the history and process, and now I appreciate what goes into my next bottle of Olive Oil !

Masseria Brancati, Contrada Brancati, 72017 Ostuni, Bari.

tel +39 330 822 910 E mail info@masseriabrancati.com

 

Filed Under: LATEST NEWS, Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Growing and Going Underground
  • Fine Bar – A relationship finally Consummated !
  • Farzi Cafe – Luvly Jubly!
  • Cora Pearl – Ham and Cheese Toastie + Chips to go please !
  • Falling off the Wagon into Verjus !

Recent Comments

  • Aysha on Falling off the Wagon into Verjus !
  • Cathy Purt on Falling off the Wagon into Verjus !
  • admin on The Adventures of ”Superdryman”experiencing his first Dry January.
  • Alex on The Adventures of ”Superdryman”experiencing his first Dry January.
  • Cathy Purt on Blanchette East – A Cosy Oasis amongst the Curry Houses !

Categories

  • Fish Recipes
  • HOME
  • LATEST NEWS
  • LEITHS LIFE
  • RESTAURANT REVIEWS
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Archives

  • May 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018

Social

  • View hotpanchef’s profile on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework