Mauritian Street Food and Rum pop-up restaurant

Wednesday, August 28, 2013
I've written about Mauritian food a fair bit over the last 3 years or so. It's an amazing place with a cuisine quite unlike anything else.

They also making cracking rum, both the white, clean, brightly clear varieties and the darker, spiced or aged varieties.

So when I found out that Mauritian supper club chef and fellow blogger Yummy Choo was hosting a Mauritian themed popup, including a rum tasting, how could I not go? It's this Sunday, so if you've any sense at all I suggest you buy a ticket and come and discover how awesome Mauritian food is (whilst getting a little bit drunk on rum).

Here's the menu to whet your appetite

Included Drinks

*Two Pink Pigeon Rum Cocktails*

* Rum Tasting & Talk (Sample 3 rums) *

* Shot of NEW Mauritian Penny Blue Rum



Yummy Choo Mauritian Tasting Menu (Street Food Style Dishes)

First Course

Gateaux Piment (split pea chilli cakes, pictured above), Coriander Satini & Salad

Second Course

Mini Fresh Puri, Shrimp Rougaille (spicy creole tomoto sauce) Spring Onion & Coriander

Third Course

Mauritian Cari Poulet (Fragrant, spiced chicken curry with cinnamon & Mauritian masala), Spiced Pilau Rice, Fresh Coconut Satini (tamarind, red chilli and sugar)

Fourth Course

Fish Vindaye (pickled mustard fish, onion & green chilli) Coconut & Spinach Dhall

Fifth Course

Rum Bananas (using Pink Pigeon vanilla rum of course!), Coconut Creme



Venue

Bedford & Strand, 1A Bedford Street

Time: 6-10pm

Tickets: £37.75 incs all booking fees

http://www.edibleexperiences.com/p/88053/

Why don't more British breweries make a Cream Ale?

Saturday, August 24, 2013
Cream Ales are an intriguing style. An American invention, they are usually lower in bitterness and use less hops than a pale ale, aiming more for the drinkable and bittersweet end of the scale.

It's not a style I've tried many examples of, but I can certainly attest to the quality of Sweet Action, a Cream Ale by Sixpoint brewery of Brooklyn, which became a favourite when in New York last summer.

It's a smooth, balanced beer brewed with a session in mind, unlike the hop bombs the yanks are known for, and after pale ale after IPA after hoppy porter it came as a breath of fresh air.

So that's what I was hoping for from Totes Amaizeballs - I still cringe while writing that name - a Cream Ale brewed with a complex mix of Pale, Pils, and Vienna malts as well as oats and flaked maize.

Initially you do get a smooth oatiness and a suggestion of sweet cream (like porridge made from water alone) before a bracing bitterness comes in alongside a peppery pilsner note. It's actually much more bitter and hoppy than I was expecting but everything is in balance and the hops certainly don't overpower. Refreshing yet extremely complex

This is my kind of beer, where malt and hops are given equal billing and the result is a symphony not a solo. My tasting notes are sparse as I was too busy enjoying it to think about documenting - which is always a good sign.

Love love love it.

But it does leave me wondering why more breweries don't give this style a go?

 

I drank this beer at Brew Wharf on Borough Market (they brew the beer on site) so that's your best bet at trying some, though you might have to ask when it will next be on as the beer rotates very quickly.