The Café and Delicatessen Linha 22

The Linha 22 Tram seen from the upstairs dining room of Café Linha 22

Pode ler O Café e Mercearia Linha 22 em Português

Have you ever caught the electric tram 22 in Porto?  The one that runs from Carmo past Clerigos up to the Praça de Batalha and then returns to Carmo via Rua Passos Manuel?  It’s a lovely trip through the heart of the city, and the electricos of Porto are iconic.

A new cafe and delicatessen has opened on Rua dos Clerigos which has taken the name Linha 22 for itself.  Like the electrico, it is very compact but very pleasant and relaxing, and it is a good way to learn more about Porto and Portugal.

The proprietor of the Café Linha 22, Carlos Gartner

The proprietor, Carlos Gartner, opened the doors last November with the idea that the Portuguese don’t really appreciate the best of Portuguese food and wine – they tend to think “the best” is always from outside the country.  Not at all!  Sr. Gartner is going to show the Portuguese the best of Portugal.

His enthusiasm is contagious.  “Are you familiar with this cheese?  It’s from the best producer of this kind of cheese in Serra  da Estrela, look… Do you like pão de lô (a type of sweet bread with a pudding-like centre)?  Ours is made in a little village near Braga, it’s the best… Have you ever tasted Singevera liqueur?  It is marvellous, try it, just a little, you have to try it…”

He’s right, it is marvellous, I tried it.  You should too.

Caldo verde, bread with olive oil, and a glass of Quinta de Lemos 2006 Tinta Roriz (Dão)

The café offers light meals, such as soup (their Caldo Verde, a potato soup with shredded kale, is one of the best I have had yet), rojões (a pork dish), favas (beans and sausage), pastries, bread and cheese, and much more.  All of the food and beverages, and all the delicatessen products for sale are Portuguese except the coffee – but only because Portugal does not produce coffee.

But there’s more.  The next floor up has private rooms for groups up to 16 people, and Sr. Gartner will be offering wine tastings.  On the next floors up he will shortly be opening a bed & breakfast.  The rooms are small but have everything you need for a comfortable stay and the price includes a traditional Portuguese breakfast, such as bread and cheese, presunto (cured ham) and of course, coffee.

And there is still more.  Carlos has partnered with STCP, which runs the electric trams in Porto, and beginning in April, Café Linha 22 will offer special tram rides.  Each Saturday afternoon at 4:30, you can catch the tram and relax with a tasting of Portuguese wines served with petiscos (Portuguese tapas), as you travel around Porto.  One service will make a circuit of central Porto in a little less than an hour, or another, lasting about an hour and a half, will run out to Foz, alongside the Douro River.  Contact the Café to make your reservations.

I love the refrigerator covered in old Port Wine packing cases

The next time you walk up from Aliados to Clerigos, visit the café Linha 22 to relax with a coffee or glass of wine and some food, it is a lovely – and very Portuguese – experience.

Linha 22, Mercearia, Cafe e Suites
Rua dos Clerigos, 23
4050-205 Porto
+351 222 085 123
+351 968 740 710
linha22.cs  @  gmail dot com
Hours:  11:00 – 20:00, Mon to Thursday; 11:00 – 24:00, Fri & Saturday

O Café e Mercearia Linha 22

O electrico Linha 22 visto da sala de jantar do 1º andar do Café Linha 22

Read about the Cafe and Delicatessen Linha 22 in English

Sempre apanhaste o electrico do Porto numero 22?  O que circula entre a igreja de Carmo, passando entre a igreja dos Clerigos até a praça de Batalha, e depois volta ao Carmo para a Rua Passos Manuel?  É uma bonita viagem no coração da cidade, e o electricos do Porto são iconicos.

Abriu um novo café e mercearia na Rua dos Clerigos que adoptou o nome para si próprio.  Como o electrico, é muito compacto mas muito agradável e relaxante, e é uma boa maneira de saber mais sobre o Porto e Portugal.

O Senhor Carlos Gartner do Cafe e Mercearia Linha 22

O proprietário, o Sr. Carlos Gartner, abriu as portas em Novembro com a ideia de que os Portuguêses não apreciam as melhoras comidas e vinhos portugueses – pensamos que “as melhoras coisas” são sempre de fora do país.  Não é verdade.  Ele vai divulgar aos portugueses o melhor do Portugal.

O seu entusiasmo é contagioso.  “Conheces este queijo? É do melhor produtor da Serra da Estrela, deste tipo de queijo, olha…  Gostas pão de lô?  O nosso é feito numa aldeia perto de Braga, e é o melhor…  Já provaste este licor do mosteiro de Singevera?  É uma maravilha…prova, só um bocadinho, prova…”

É verdade, o licor era uma maravilha, eu provei.  Tu também deves.

Caldo Verde, pão e azeite, e um copo do vinho, Tinta Roriz de Quinta de Lemos 2006 (Dão)

O café oferece refeicões leves e tradicionais, como sopa (o seu Caldo Verde é um dos melhores que eu provei), rojões ou favas, pasteis, pão e queijo, e muito mais.  Todos os produtos para comer e beber, e também os produtos para vender da merceria são portugueses, exceto o café – porque não produzimos café em Portugal.

Mas, ha mais.  Em cima, são salas privadas para grupos até 16 pessoas, e o senhor tem planos de fazer provas de vinho.  Um pouco mais a cima, nas proximas semanas, abrirá uma pensão.  Os quartos são compactos mas tem tudo o que precisas para passar uma noite confortável, e o preço inclui pequeno almoço português, como pão e requeijão, presunto, e claro, cafezinho.

E ainda mais.  O Carlos faz uma parceria com o STCP, a rede de transportes urbanos que abrange os electricos do Porto.  Em Abril, a café Linha 22 oferecerá viagens especiais.  Em cada Sabado pelas 4:30 de tarde, pode apanhar o electrico e desfrutar duma prova dos vinhos Portugeses, com petiscos, enquanto viajas pelo Porto.  Uma viagem, que dura menos duma hora, percorre o centro de cidade, ou uma outra que dura uma hora e meia, percorre a Foz, junto ao Rio Douro.  Contacta o café para reservas.

Gosto do frigorífico coberto das caixas do vinho do porto

De proxima vez que andaras dos Aliados aos Clerigos, visita o café Linha 22 para descansar com um cafezinho ou copo do vinho e comida, é uma experiencia muito agradável e muito portuguesa.

Linha 22, Mercearia, Cafe e Suites
Rua dos Clerigos, 23
4050-205 Porto
+351 222 085 123
+351 968 740 710
linha22.cs  @  gmail (punto) com
Horário:  11h – 20h, Segunda a Quinta; 11h – 24h, Sexta e Sábado

Golden Bacalhau

My Portuguese teacher braves my cooking

Pode ler Bacalhau Dourado em Português

Last summer I had my favourite version of bacalhau yet, at the Restaurante Beiro Rio, in Tua on the Douro River east of Pinhão.  I asked my colleague the name of the dish and how it was made, and he said it was Bacalhau Dourado – Golden Bacalhau – a mixture of potato, bacalhau, onion and beaten egg cooked with lots of olive oil (like most Portuguese cuisine!).  Finally, one afternoon last autumn, I decided to try making it myself.

The bacalhau takes its final swim

Add the beaten eggs to the sauté

Faithful readers may recall the bacalhau – a dried salted cod – which I received at Christmas 2011.  I soaked it over the holidays to remove all the salt, had to ask my butcher to cut it up for me, and in the end stored the prepared pieces in the freezer for future use.   So, one night I took a few pieces out of the freezer to defrost, and got ready to cook the following day.

The ingredients are few and simple, basics that no Portuguese kitchen would be without:  bacalhau, potatoes, an onion, eggs, olive oil and olives.

I did not have a recipe (I have a TV cookery show book “65 Recipes for Bacalhau” – but not this recipe!) so I had to take my chances from memory.  The first step is to poach the bacalhau and then leave it to cool.  When you can handle it without burning your fingers, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat.

The next step is to peel the potatoes and cut them in matchsticks, fry them, and leave them to the side.  I put them on a tray in the oven to stay warm, and forgot all about them till the last minute, but luckily they were not burnt.

Next, cut a good sized onion in half, then in half-circle slices, and set aside.

Whisk together your eggs as if for scrambled eggs, and set aside.

Tastes better than it looks, promise!

Now we get to the exciting part.  Saute the onions in olive oil and add the bacalhau and the matchstick potatoes.  Mix them together, cook till a bit golden (you may need more olive oil) and finally, pour in the raw egg mixture.  Continue to mix and cook until the egg coats everything and has cooked as you like it.

Serve it forth to friends adorned with a few olives, possibly a drizzle of olive oil, and enjoy!

No Porto: Ovelha Negra

a Joana Nossa a tras e uma das tricotadeiras de All Knit Long (também a Joana!)

As pernas famosas da Joana!

You can read In Porto: Ovelha Negra in English.

Um dos meus lugares favoritos no Porto é uma loja de tricôt, a Ovelha Negra.  Não só porque gosto de tricotar e os fios são lindos, mas porque a proprietária, a Joana Nossa, criou uma atmosfera de alegria e criatividade, onde todas as pessoas são bem-vindas.  Mais, a loja é localizada num bairro maravilhoso, cheio de lojas pequenas, cada uma com os seus produtos e visões unicos, por isso, é um bom ponto para começar ou terminar um passeio longo, vagueando.

Quando ela tinha oito anos, a Joana descobriu duas paixões:  dança e tricôt, mas, como muitos de nós, não era permitida seguir estas paixões na escola ou universidade.  Mas, um dia, um pequeno anúncio lhe chamou a atenção para audições de bailado.  Sem experiência profissional, ela foi à audição e começou uma carreira como bailarina contemporânea.  Ela viajou em Portugal e no mundo.  Podes ainda admirar as suas pernas na capa do album de musica de Luis Ribeiro na performance de Joana em Vila Nova de Famalicão de “The Red Shoes.”

Fico sempre curiosa como as pessoas começaram as suas empresas.  De acordo com Joana, chegou uma hora de deixar a dança – ela teve uma criança e queria ter uma vida mais calma.  Portanto, ela decidiu seguir a sua outra paixão – o tricôt – e abrir uma loja de tricôt.

A Joana não tinha experiência ou formação comercial, nada exceto “coragem e inconsequência” nas suas palavras.  A sua familia preocupou-se, mas ela não desistiu e usou as suas proprias poupanças para “alugar um espaço, comprar alguns fios e agulhas, e abrir a loja” como ela simplesmente descreveu.

De facto, ela foi muito inteligente nos seus planos e escolhas:

A loja Ovelha Negra, no Porto: fios, ferramentas, e xailes feito pela Joana

Os cores e a qualidade dos fios é espectacular

O Porto tem algumas lojas que vendem fios, mas são todas muito tradicionais, e oferecem os mesmos fios básicos, nas mesmos cores, exceto os fios de lã portugueses de Lopo Xavier, a maior parte dos fios disponíveis são sintéticos ou misturas com sintéticos.  Joana encontrou a oportunidade de trazer ao Porto as últimas novidades de tricôt e lavores.

Ovelha Negra fica num bairro bem-conhecido por causa das galerias, livrarias, cafés e lojas independentes.  Por isso, são sempre muitas pessoas vagueandas a pé e curiosas a olhar tudo.  Também, é perto da Trindade (o centro da sistema do Metro) e os Aliados (onde todos os turistas começam os seus passeios pelo Porto).

Para decidir quais os fios a vender, Joana passou muito tempo no Ravelry – a famosa comunidade  on-line das tricotadeiras – e observou os projectos e “yarn-stashes” das tricotadeiras Portuguesas, para saber o que elas compram, usam, e se apaixonam.

Ao mesmo tempo que abriu a loja, Joana também começou o blogue de Ovelha Negra – que é uma alegria para os olhos! – e a loja on-line da Ovelha Negra.

Ela começou pequenina, com alguns dos fios mais bem conhecidos e de melhor qualidade, das mais solicitadas marcas, que inclui Rowan, Debbie Bliss e Noro.  Ela vendeu agulhas, revistas e livros, e criou cursos de tricôt, para todos, dos principiantes, as tecnicas especificas, e a desenhar para si própria.  Joana também convidou amigas talentosas a oferecerem workshops de crochet, fiação, feltragem, tecelagem, bordado, patchwork e a fazerem as bonecas Waldorf.

All Knit Long na Ovelha Negra, a primeira quarta-feira de cada mês

A sua empresa crescia pelo seguro a cada ano, apesar de crise em Portugal, Joana podia crescer a selecção dos fios e produtos.  A sua loja é o centro duma comunidade muito activa de tricotadeiras (e alguns tricotadeiros!).  Na primeira quarta-feira de cada mês há um grupo das pessoas dedicadas a tricotar (e falar!) até meia-noite na loja, é o All Knit Long.  Nos temos atraído a atenção dum video-fotógrafo e duma jornalista.

Deve juntar-se a nós!

Ovelha Negra
Rua da Conceição, 100
4050-214 Porto
Portugal
tlf: +351 220935847
e-mail: info@ovelha-negra.com

O horário da loja é o seguinte:
Segunda a Sexta das 10h às 13h e das 14h às 19h.
Sábado das 10h às 13h e das 14h às 18h.

Visita a loja on-line da Ovelha Negra e o blogue da Ovelha Negra

In Porto: Ovelha Negra

Joana Nossa (standing) and one of the knitters of All Knit Long (also Joana)

Joana’s famous legs!

Pode ler No Porto: Ovelha Negra em Português

One of my favourite places in Porto is a knitting shop, Ovelha Negra.  Not just because I love to knit and the yarns are beautiful, but because the owner, Joana Nossa, has created a wonderful atmosphere of wecome, light-heartedness and creativity.  In addition, the shop is set in a wonderful neighbourhood filled with lots of small shops each with their unique products and points of view, so it’s a nice point to begin or end a long wandering walk.

When she was only eight years old, Joana discovered two passions:  dance, and knitting, but like many of us, she was not permitted to follow her passions in school and university.  But, one day, a small notice for dance auditions caught her attention.  Without any professional experience, she auditioned – and began a successful career as a contemporary dancer performing around Portugal and the world.  You can still admire her legs on the album cover of Luis Ribeiro´s music for her performance of The Red Shoes in Vila Nova da Famalicão.

I am always curious how people start their businesses.  For Joana there came a time to move on from the dancing – she had a child, and wanted a more settled life.  So, she decided to pursue her other great passion – knitting – and open a yarn shop.

Joana had no commercial experience or training, nothing but “courage and foolhardiness” in her words.  Her family were worried, but she went ahead and used only her own savings to “rent a space, buy some yarn and needles, and open the shop” as she modestly describes it.

In fact some smart thinking went into her planning and choices:

Ovelha Negra: yarn, needles and shawls knit by Joana

The colours and the quality of the yarn is spectacular

Porto has a number of yarn shops, but they are all quite traditional, offering the same very basic yarns year after year, and excepting the wools of Porto-based Lopo Xavier, most of the available yarns are acrylic or synthetic blends.  Joana saw the opportunity to bring to Porto the latest in fashion-driven, artesenal knitting and fibre design.

Ovelha Negra is located in an area of Porto well-known for its art galleries, used book stores, cafés and independent shops, so there are always lots of people wandering around, curious to look at everything.  Additionally, it is near Trindade (the hub of the Metro system) and Aliados (the starting point of many a tourist’s explorations of Porto).

To decide what yarns to stock, Joana spent considerable time on Ravelry – the renowned on-line community of knitting and fibre enthusiasts – and looked at the projects and yarn-stashes of Portuguese knitters to see what they were buying, using and loving.

At the same time as opening the shop, Joana also started the Ovelha Negra blog – which is a visual feast whether or not you can read the Portugese – and the Ovelha Negra on-line store.

She started small with just a few of the best-known, highest quality and most sought-after brands of yarn, including Rowan, Debbie Bliss and Noro.  She offered needles, pattern magazines and books, as well as courses in knitting for all levels, from absolute beginners to developing techniques to designing your own jumpers.  Joana has also regularly invited skilled friends to offer workshops in related arts, such as crochet, spinning, felting, weaving, embroidery, patchwork and making Waldorf dolls.

All Knit Long, the first Wednesday evening of every month

Her business has grown steadily every year since opening in 2009, despite the hard times in Portugal, and Joana has been able to expand her selection of yarns and products.   Her shop is the focal point of a very active knitting community, and the first Wednesday of every month sees a dedicated group knitting (and talking!!) till midnight at the shop, All Knit Long.  We have even attracted the attention of video-journalists and the press.

When you visit Porto, you should join us at Ovelha Negra.

Ovelha Negra
Rua da Conceição, 100
4050-214 Porto
Portugal
tlf: +351 220935847
e-mail: info@ovelha-negra.com

The opening hours are:
Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 19:00
Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00

Visit the Ovelha Negra on-line shop and Ovelha Negra Blog

Apaixonada Pelo Porto Uma Vez Mais

Read this post in English

Há um pouco mais do que três anos, desde que cheguei a Portugal e fiquei a morar em Vila Nova de Gaia, a margem a oposta do Porto.  No inicio, claro, passei os meus dias a passear pelas duas cidades, mas quando comecei a trabalhar não tive tempo de explorar ou até mesmo de olhar as cidades a toda a minha volta.

Recentemente, tenho tido mais horas para passear e apaixonar-me uma vez mais.  Talvez não seja para todos, mas estou apaixonada pelo Porto.  Apesar da evidência esmagadora das décadas de negligência e da crise atual, há muita beleza e vibração a ser encontrada.  Nas próximas semanas, tentarei trazer-te comigo enquanto passeio.

Por agora, deixo-te algumas fotos para te dar algumas ideias do que vamos descobrir.

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Falling in Love With Porto Again

Pode ler em Português aqui

It is just over three years since I moved to Portugal and settled in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto.  Of course, at first, I spent my days wandering the two cities and getting to know my new home, but once I started working it seems I quit exploring or even seeing the city around me.

Recently I have had more time to simply wander and fall in love again.  It may not be for everyone, but I love Porto.  Despite the overwhelming evidence of decades of neglect and the current financial crisis, there is a lot of beauty and vibrancy to be found.  In coming weeks I will try to bring you with me as I wander.

For now, a gallery of photos to give you some ideas of what is to be found.

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Rainbow over Porto

Beautiful, isn’t it?  I love my city.

Rainbow, 17:30, 22 February, Porto

Arco-Íris no Porto

É lindo, não é?  Adoro a minha cidade.

Arco-íris 17:30, 22 Fevereiro, Porto

A Sunday Lunch Lesson in Food Pairing

Nothing feels quite so decadent as a long lazy Sunday lunch.  And if it’s really good, you don’t need to worry about dinner, as you will still be deep in conversation with your friends and grazing the cheese board till late into the evening.

Rosy-peachy Vinho Espumante Bruto Tinto Casa Reguengo

I am visiting snowy London, staying with my friend Nicola Thomson  and her partner Drew.  Robert Giorgione, another wine writer friend,  joined us for the six or seven hour long repast.  We started with a toast to the new year and the coming meal with a lovely Portuguese champagne-method sparkling wine, a dry pink non-vintage, made by Casa Senhorial do Reguengo, near Braga in the Minho region, though it is not a DOC or even regional wine.  The wine was a lovely peachy-pink colour with a fine even fizz and delightful nose and palate of red summer fruits (strawberry, currant, raspberry), rather delicate and elegant.  We thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a surprise to find it is made of primarily Vinhão – a grape which is associated with the highly acidic red Vinho Verde wines – and a little Syrah.

Riesling, Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2010, Weingut WWE Dr. H Thanisch

Drew was chef du jour, and we were happy with an hors d’oeuvre of sliced hot pork sausages, pickled shallots and a home-blend honey and mustard sauce till he was ready to serve forth the “proper” starter:  a generous slice of grilled ciabatta bread coverered two-thirds with a hot mixture of sautéed mushrooms and one third with a cold tomato concassé.   We finished the sparkling wine and switched to a lovely Mosel Riesling, Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2010, Weingut WWE Dr. H Thanisch which had a palate of tropical fruit and a nice acidity which cut through the richness of the pork sausages from Boston Sausage, and made a very effective contrast.

There followed a perfectly cooked massive leg of lamb, with which we finished two different bottles of claret:  the first a Margaux, Chevalier de Lascombes, 2005, which had been decanted a couple hours previously, the second a 2005 Saint-Emilion made for Fortnum & Mason by Chateau Dessault.  Both were drinking beautifully now and were perfect with the lamb, of course – Bordeaux and roast lamb are a classic pairing.

The Tokaji Aszu had the most gorgeous intense  honey colour, very inviting

The intention was to go on to the cheese board, but somewhere along the line discussion got onto the subject of artisanal chocolates  (in fact most of our conversation turned on wine and food!) which prompted Drew to share a box of Damian Allsop chocolates, and open a bottle of Tokaji Aszú 2003, also from Fortnum & Mason, this made by Chateau Megyer.  Although 5 puttonyos, this was quite light on the palate and had a quite fresh flavour profile of lime and grapefruit.  This, with the Allsop water ganache truffles was absolutely divine.  Damian’s trademark is a ganache filling which is made with water, rather than the usual cream and butter.  Though the chocolate was rich and deeply, intensely chocolatey, the unbelievably light texture worked to make this pair beautifully with the elegant Tokaji.  Having said the pairing with the ganache was divine leaves me without an adequate adjective to describe how it paired with the salt caramel truffle.  Really really well!  The caramel had a soft whipped consistency and the salt was under control, so the weight and flavour-strength of the confectionary balanced nicely with the Tokaji.

Then on to the cheese board.  Seven cheeses and three bottles of wine – sounds about right, doesn’t it?  We had fun trying and comparing all the possible combinations of cheeses (with or without a slice of marmelada, quince paste) with each of the wines.  Here’s the list:

• Madeira Barbeito Malvasia 2000 Colheita, single cask 44a – flavour of orange blossom honey, quite vivid but neither flavour nor texture of the wine was heavy or cloying, absolutely delightful
• Quevedo 40 Years Old Tawny Port – so rich and complex it defies description (like all really good Port, I think!)  I first had this in Oscar’s tasting room last September, whilst clutching an ice pack to a severely sprained knee incurred in the Douro seven hours previously.   The knee soon ceased to bother me.  It tasted wonderful on a warm evening in Vila Nova de Gaia, and tasted wonderful again in cold snowy London last night.
• Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes 2007 Famille Meslier – another wine with a wonderful light texture despite its sweetness, with distinctive minerality and pineapple notes
• Drunken cheese with barolo
• Drunken cheese with prosecco
• Drunken cheese with vernaccia
• Stilton
• Caerphilly
• Serra de Estrela São Gião (a Portuguese sheep’s milk cheese, strong flavoured and very creamy buttery textured)
• Comté
• Marmelada (quince paste)

All the cheeses were excellent and like much of the food that night, came from Borough Market near London Bridge.  The Comté or the drunken cheese made with Prosecco would be my picks if I were just making a meal of cheese and biscuits with fruit (which yes, I do occasionally, paired with a really good story, preferably one of John Buchan’s thriller/adventure novels).   Stilton really is THE cheese for wine, par excellence, for me, I find it too pungent and salty to make a meal on its own with just water and fruit, it needs a wine of strong character to balance it.

The Quevedo 40 Year Old Tawny Port has the most beautiful rich colour and flavour imagineable

Our cheese and wine pairing picks of the night:

• Nicola – Caerphilly with marmelada and celery with the Madeira
• Drew – Stilton on a biscuit with the Madeira
• Cynthia – Stilton on celery dipped in just a tiny bit of coarse salt with the Port
• Robert – Serra de Estrela on a biscuit with the Madeira

We all liked the caerphilly/marmelada combination with both wines, the balance was right in both cases, with the wines showing splendidly against the food.  When Drew recommended trying the Stilton spread on celery and dipped in Maldon sea salt, we found that this particular food combination really changed the character of the Madeira on our palates – we think it was the added salt that did the trick.  It was not unpleasant, by any means, but just brought out a different balance in the flavours of the Madeira, from how it came across when paired with the milder, less salty cheeses.  The Quevedo 40 Year Old Tawny on the other held its own and balanced beautifully with the strong flavour combination.

The meal really was a lesson in food pairing – how successful pairings can be driven by either contrast or matching, as long as the relative strength of flavour and weight-in-the-mouth of food and wine are balanced.  Fantastic examples from this meal:

• The contrast of the sweet fruity Riesling versus the rich savoury pork sausages
• The matching of the sweet, delicate Tokaji with the water ganache chocolates – a traditional thick creamy filled chocolate would have suffocated the Tokaji
• The classic matching of the savoury roasted lamb with the Bordeaux – depth and complexity of flavour well balanced

Interested in more good examples of cheese and wine pairings?   Borough Market invited Robert to taste 10 different cheeses and recommend wine pairings, and the article includes a good general discussion of food pairing ideas, take a look.

What have been your most memorable food and wine pairings? I would love to hear your stories and suggestions.

We had a good lunch…