Tag Archives: food

Food sketch blog – Day1

FoodDiary1Why photograph your tea when you can sketch it instead?!

Like most folk at this time of the year I am thinking about what I eat and trying to improve the ingredients I put in my body. So I thought I would keep a food diary, but instead of writing (to much hard work) or photographing (enough of that online already) I thought I would sketch while I was cooking.

 

Last night it was bacon, asparagus and peas to go with some mashed potato and it was yummy. That is all 🙂

The Fish Eatery restaurant in Edinburgh

FishEatery_rollmopsAs the second restaurant in Edinburgh for chef Jason Wright Fish Eatery at 12 Picardy Place had a lot to live up to.

The new fish restaurant is located next door to Jason’s flagship restaurant Steak, which has proved a huge ssuccess I myself can testify to having the best steak not only in Edinburgh but in my life there earlier this year. A sketch of which can be found here.

 

I started with ‘Rollmops in a tin’ which were presented as if just opened, extremely fresh and tasty. Accompanied with tempura gherkins, light and crispy on top of a dill mustard sauce. Delicious.

FishEatery_seabass

The main of ‘Roast Sea Bass’ was extremely hard to sketch before eating, the enticing aromas making my mouth water. Sat upon seared spiced cabbage and a potato purée the sea bass didn’t disappoint. Crispy on top, succulent and meaty underneath, perfect. Dotted around the fist were chestnut mushrooms on a garlic butter sauce.

 

After reliving that meal I need to visit again! To book your table follow the link below and let me know what you think. All sketches are in black ink in my A5 pad with a water colour wash to finish.

 

The Fish Eatery website

 

 

FishEatery_interior

Five star lunch in central Edinburgh

ScotsmanLunch_sep14The North Brasserie at the Scotsman Hotel on North Bridge, Edinburgh has a delicious lunch menu available from £14.50.

Here in Edinburgh we are lucky enough to be surrounded by world class local food and drink producers, providing ingredients to, amongst many others, Paul Hart the Executive Head Chef at The Scotsman Hotel.

 

His lunch menu is constantly evolving and changing depending on his ingredients, the Scottish seasons, what local suppliers have foraged… and what local markets and farmers produce for him. I visited recently and enjoyed a lunch fit for a King, without the prices to match. Here are my sketches from the day.

 

The lunch menu is available 12-2pm, priced at £14.50 for 2 courses, £19.50 for three.

 

North Bridge Brasserie website.

 

Bank Holiday Breakfast

Croissants_GFThis morning I started the bank holiday with a delicious breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolat, thanks to Genius Foods.

 

When these gluten free goodies arrived in the post recently I couldn’t wait to pop them in the oven. Being a coeliac has meant saying goodbye to flaky pastry and crispy patisserie, or so I thought. But thanks to the geniuses at Genius Gluten Free the list of yummy treats not available to coelics is getting smaller every day.

 

Keep up the good work, the pain au chocolat are particularly good, even the wheat eating Mrs Sketcher thought they were superb!

 

 

 

A farmers market with a scientific twist

SCIMART_SummerhallToday the family and I visited Summerhall. The former Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, now a creative hub for the arts played host to SciMart, a farmers market with a difference.

 

Along with the usual cooking demonstrations and local food maker stalls tempting us with wee treats there was also a few rarer sights. Food producers, chefs and researchers demonstrated and explained the science behind some of our common and not so common food items, from beehives and honey, to insects and worm canapés!

 

There were also some great science projects and experiments in the Summerhall courtyard which had the kids crowding around. For our two wee toddlers though I think the favourite had to be the IQ Superfood Chocolate stall and their yummy tasters 🙂

 

Don’t worry if you missed today’s event, there are similar goings on throughout the Edinburgh Science Festival until 20th April, and in two weeks time there is the Mini Maker Faire at SummerHall, see the links below for more information.

 

Mighty fine dining

Steak_SaladFancy some fine dining this lunch time? Steak restaurant in Edinburgh has a new lunchtime menu with two courses of mouth watering treats for less than a tenner.

 

I took along my paintbrush and paper to capture each course as head chef Jason Wright, previously of Ondine seafood restaurant in Edinburgh, created them. The apple and walnut salad with blue cheese was crisp and fresh, dotted with sweet caramelised walnuts which combined perfectly with flashes of blue cheese.

 

The main event at ‘Steak’ is always going to be the steak, there are other choices; parmesan breaded chicken escalope with gremolata for example, or Scot pine gnocchi with mushrooms, cheddar and truffle sounded intriguing. But in all honesty it took just seconds to decide on the rump steak frites with bearnaise sauce. Juicy and perfectly seasoned the steak was delicious and the frites crisp and home made, and gluten free too which was a bonus.

Steak_Steak

This really is fine dining for a bargain price, the only trouble I had was not devouring the lot before I had time to sketch my lunch!

 

Lunch is available at Steak every day from 12-2.30pm, two courses (starter & main) for £9.95 – add a dessert for £3.50 / add a glass of house red/white for £3.50.

 

 

  • Steak Edinburgh website

 

Tummy rumbles and sketching doodles

JamesEyes_DobbiesWhen out for a meal we always have pens and paper to keep the kids amused while waiting for our food.

On Sunday we were at Dobbies Garden Centre for a wander and grabbed a bite, or rather lots of bites to eat before visiting the rabbits, hamsters and tropical fish.

 

Inspired by our trip to the Museum of Edinburgh during the week, and their wax crayon rubbing plaques, we made our own version with lose change. Here are the results, plus a quick pencil sketch of James concentrating on his work.