Scoville Units Unite » Food & Drink http://agraham.org/blog reviews, rants and random chilli ratings Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:39:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Is it a whisky, is it a bourbon, no – it’s Valt Vodka http://agraham.org/blog/2011/01/24/is-it-a-whisky-is-it-a-bourbon-no-its-valt-vodka/ http://agraham.org/blog/2011/01/24/is-it-a-whisky-is-it-a-bourbon-no-its-valt-vodka/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:40:48 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=769 I had heard of Valt Vodka a few weeks back but didn’t want to throw down £25-£30 on a rash buy.

Well Genna dragged me round the Scottish Trade Fair on Sunday as a recce mission for future exhibiting and I spotted their stand. Disciplined we wandered round the rest of the food section before reaching it.

I got a wee sample and it was very strange. Vodka made from malted barley so it smells and tastes like whisky. Was not unpleasent, although I’m unsure if I could drink much of it. Certainly not in one sitting.

The fair was very strange, a mixture of jewellery, textiles, greeting cards, novelty condom wrappers, seats made from highland cow horns and t-shirts with anti-English slogans on it. And more tartan than you could shake a stick at.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2011/01/24/is-it-a-whisky-is-it-a-bourbon-no-its-valt-vodka/feed/ 0 Neglect http://agraham.org/blog/2010/04/03/neglect/ http://agraham.org/blog/2010/04/03/neglect/#comments Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:31:40 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=629 I have been kind of swamped lately so haven’t been updating this much. What hasn’t helped is I used to think oh post that up and expand in a blog post. I find myself compressing things into Twitter instead.

So random media etc I have been enjoying over the last wee while:

Films and TV

Kick-Ass

Does what it says on the tin! Really enjoyed it, was a bit longer than expected. Unsurprisingly the Daily Mail have went apoplectic with rage. Surprisingly by accusing the makers and fans of being paedos or some other weird projection from the reviewer.

I think the basis is that adults occasionally dress in school girl outfits to be sexy and as there is a girl in the film of 11 (played by a 13 year old) wearing one they are trying to make her look sexy and hence promote paedophilia or something. Missing the step that maybe she wears it cos she is a child…

Youth In Revolt

Quite funny, enjoyable and would definitely watch again. The closest Hollywood has come to the premise of Science of Sleep in a long time.

Music

The most recent albums of Fun Lovin Criminals and Frightened Rabbit are the last things I have bought. Both were really good. Missed going to see Fun Lovin Criminals tour though, first tour I have missed in about 10 years.

Books

Recently been reading some books by Kathy Reichs. She writes stories about Brennan. In the TV series Bones, she writes the stories of Brennan who’s character writes books about Kathy Reichs. Most amusing.

Just finished Craig Murrays Murder in Samarkand this morning and it was really interesting. The very fact that he makes himself sound like a total dick in various places makes you inclined to believe the rest of the stuff he is writing about (no matter what that scum sucking torture advocating cunt Jack Straw says to the contrary).

Food

I grabbed a bottle of Eristoff Vodka when I saw it cheap. It suddenly appeared on the shelves of supermarkets with large amounts of shelf space. Given the faux Russian style of the labelling I was put off (normally a sure sign of shitness) but it was quite nice. Certainly better than Smirnoff.

We popped into Duke’s Corner having heard really good things about the food. I got a burger and it was pretty meh. Genna got some chicken thing with nice big chips. After eating the chicken she tucked into the chips to find then still uncooked in the middle. Slightly concerning after eating chicken. If you can’t even cook chips how can you manage a food that is notorious for giving food poisoning if not cooked correctly.

Since then we have heard even more good reviews so hopefully it was a one-off. Will go again at some point for a second chance but it better be really good to get back to even favour.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2010/04/03/neglect/feed/ 0 Vodka Breaking News! http://agraham.org/blog/2010/02/27/vodka-breaking-news/ http://agraham.org/blog/2010/02/27/vodka-breaking-news/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:15:46 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=622 Last night at Duke’s Corner I sampled the DQ vodka and it was immense. Will definitely look forward to buying a bottle at some point.

This morning I was digging through old posts, spotting errors etc when I noticed one about Blackwoods going into administration.

It appears they have licenced their vodka to Blavod

I repeat, Blackwoods vodka is now available again. This stuff is amazing. Must buy.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2010/02/27/vodka-breaking-news/feed/ 0 London Food http://agraham.org/blog/2009/10/13/london-food/ http://agraham.org/blog/2009/10/13/london-food/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:02:52 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=537 I couldn’t really figure up a good way to post about random stuff from the trip to London so will start off with the food.

Friday

On the Friday we arrived in the afternoon so we only really ate out for tea. With the hotel we were given a voucher for various Hotel owned outlets. We opted for Poppadom Express having had a great meal there the last time. The receptionist said there was no need to book a table although the voucher said you did. We popped in and were asked if we had booked, no and we explained. After a short while we got a table.

We ordered drinks and went up to the buffet for our starters. I noticed the selection was well down on last time. Our drinks arrrived, well most of them, the bottle of wine did not. When we eventually spotted a waitress we pointed it out and she got the original waiter. We said we had also ordered a bottle of wine but it hadn’t come. He started arguing that we hadn’t ordered it. Bit bizarre, whether we had already ordered it or were making a new order we were still getting a bottle which was more than a place at the buffet. I had a curry Karachi Chicken which was ok, and the hottest they had. Then I tried their Korma which was pretty crap. Was disappointed as it had been great the last time.

Saturday

Breakfast was also a bit poor, the hotel appeared to have cut the offerings and it was always cold.

Saturday lunch time was at Covent Garden Piazza and I had a Lancaster Cheese Burger which was gorgeous. Teatime we tried to order pizza. Pizza orders go to same place as the Indian. We were told they just had a few people in so were too busy and hung up. I have phoned Dominos, Pizza Hut etc when busy and they have said It will be at least an hour is that ok? but never said too busy and hung up. Pretty shit service from the same place two nights in a row. We opted to go to the hotel and I had a half decent chicken curry (their other option didn’t look that good). It was actually quite tasty.

Sunday

Sunday we were down at Spitalfields so at lunch had food in a pup called White Hart where I tried a beef burger. It was fantastic, well above the usual pub standard. Place was pleasant, staff friendly. A pair sat at the table beside us and we got chatting for a bit. Anatolia from Russia, then Belgium, now London. They were looking for info on a Kevin Spacey play. Grabbed the Nokia 770 and they were really grateful.

For tea at night we went looking at some of the Italians etc near the hotel. Eventually setting for Cagneys in a side street. I had a really nice Barbecue chicken.

Monday

At Kings Cross we had lunch at a really nice French cafe along the Strand. Gorgeous Escalope chicken. Will definitely go there again.

Gabys Hot Stuff

At Spitalfields market there was a stall with Chili sauce. I tasted it and then grabbed a jar, gorgeous stuff. Family recipe from Central America, chilli sauce made from Habaneros. It was quite amusing watching the mortals wince after tasting a bit. Would have got a bottle but I still have some from Mexico but wanted to support them anyway.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2009/10/13/london-food/feed/ 0 Blackwood vodka http://agraham.org/blog/2009/07/27/blackwood-vodka/ http://agraham.org/blog/2009/07/27/blackwood-vodka/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:06:40 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=461 On a trip to the Ferry on Saturday I popped into Aitkens Wine. Looking at their vodka shelves I noticed 3 bottles of Blackwood Vodka.

Yoink.

I had a bottle before after searching for a few years and it was gorgeous. Later spotted some in a wine shop in Edinburgh for £20. Thought sod that and now managed to score these for £16 each. Seeing as they are now in administration I will need to keep one but one was opened Saturday night and was as good as I remember. mmmm.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2009/07/27/blackwood-vodka/feed/ 2 Chilli Burgers – Grill Room comes from behind for a late lead http://agraham.org/blog/2009/04/20/chilli-burgers-grill-room-comes-from-behind-for-a-late-lead/ http://agraham.org/blog/2009/04/20/chilli-burgers-grill-room-comes-from-behind-for-a-late-lead/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:42:00 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=351 Most will know me as a fan of Tonics Mo of all Fo’s.

At the weekend I discovered an even better burger though and in a surprising place.

Dronley Produce have had Scotch Bonnet peppers in which have been gorgeous. I took one down town to the Grill Room (nee Kennedy’s) thinking I could get it added onto a chilli burger – superb.

Dave, instead of just bunging on a burger, grabbed a fresh patty and coated in chilli powder, black pepper and a cut up Pigeon Eye Chilli. This was allowed to soak in then cooked – a true chilli burger. He then added my Scotch Bonnet and his usual chilli.

It was superb. Totally kicked the arse of Mo of all Fo for hotness with an amazing flavour.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2009/04/20/chilli-burgers-grill-room-comes-from-behind-for-a-late-lead/feed/ 0 Curry and Enchiladas http://agraham.org/blog/2009/03/02/curry-and-enchiladas/ http://agraham.org/blog/2009/03/02/curry-and-enchiladas/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:12:24 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=256 Saturday nights tea was another attempt at home made curry from scratch. Unfortunately we had not separated the chicken breasts before freezing them so I had to defrost the whole pack. I now had to make a monster curry. It was an improvement on before, sweeter and not as runny sauce but it still wasn’t quite right. The sauce was pretty bland. Need to re-read the recipe book to see what I need to do to add a bit more flavour to it.

There were of course leftovers, lots of.

Sunday night I was considering the leftovers and realised we hadn’t made enchiladas yet. We had bought a glass dish for lasagne and it would be perfect. We had reams of home made curry which was comprised of peppers, mushrooms, chilli, chicken and rice. Perfect for a filling. I through that on to reheat with some fajita seasoning and made the sauce. We opted for garlic, onion, chilli and a tin of plum tomatoes. When it was done, popped in oven with cheese on top of the sauce layer over the tortillas filled with curry. Took about 20 minutes or so. Whilst we were waiting on it baking I made some quesadillas with mild cheddar and a spicy sauce. Superb again, although very filling.

The enchiladas were pretty good. We managed to fit 5 wraps into the dish. But there was still leftovers.

(until 2 hours later when I scoffed the remaining).

It was a pretty good strategy. I think we will count enchiladas as a curry/fajita leftovers meal and plan accordingly for next weekend.

I bought some cornflour so will borrow or pick up a cheap rolling pin to attempt to make tortillas next. If it’s successful and works out cost effective I may go for a tortilla press and the proper flour online.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2009/03/02/curry-and-enchiladas/feed/ 0 Making a Meal of it http://agraham.org/blog/2009/02/22/making-a-meal-of-it/ http://agraham.org/blog/2009/02/22/making-a-meal-of-it/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:50:38 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=230 I decided to do something with the pile of cookbooks we have acquired and made a couple of new dishes.

Quesedillas

One of the great starters we had in Mexico was quesedillas. These generally had chicken, cheese and salsa in them. Cooked on a hotplate, basically a Mexican version of Cheese on toast. Having checked out cookbook and online all the recipes were talking about deep frying them! Eurgh, deep fried cheese, healthy. Looking in a charity shop I spotted 2 Mexican cookbooks, one of which had a photo which looked correct and recipe for making in frying pan. Snapped up and made as starter next time we had Mexican.

They were really nice, although first ones were a tad soggy with me being over eager with the Olive Oil. We made guacamole too, although I dislike it. Next on list in the salsa sauce, which I believe a couple of our compares know how to make.

Curry

Ok, I make curry, and quite a good one if I say so myself. We always use a bought in sauce though. A cheap Indian cookbook showed how to make a sauce from scratch. When the continental market was here, one stall had garam masala powder. Having got this we had almost everything we needed. Only cumin and turmeric missing. We also needed coriander, and we had seeds which was an ok substitute. I used a curry powder which contained cumin and gave it a bash. I think I used not enough onion and too much water. Trying it when almost done it was too thin and not sweet enough. As I was rushed we threw in some flour and half a teaspoon on sugar. I will actually check to see what we need to add to rectify these two problems but in a rush these worked. The next day I checked a local shop and picked up the missing spices and some coriander from Dronley so next time I will give it a bash with the actual ingredients.

We have the pile there and I intend to have a scan through for new recipes and ingredients before we next make our 6weekly trip to a supermarket. So far that’s three new recipes this year, proper curry from scratch. quesedillas and guacamole.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2009/02/22/making-a-meal-of-it/feed/ 5 Victory is Mine! http://agraham.org/blog/2009/02/08/victory-is-mine/ http://agraham.org/blog/2009/02/08/victory-is-mine/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:05:43 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=191 Yesterday we were walking up from Morningside to Marchmont and saw a fancy booze shop. Saw Blackwoods vodka in window, ooooh! Unfortunately it was £19! Outrageous but also, I later found out, discontinued. Crossed road and spotted Oddbins. Cogs started wheelin’ so I popped in.

Spotted a lone Reyka vodka reduced to £16.19.

How many bottles of that do you have?
I’ll just check, replies the salesman.

Six says he.

I glanced at Genna, seeing the look I’ll have 2 please. We were already overloaded with bags unfortunately and still had about a mile to walk.

I was so tempted though.

One was cracked open in celebration. They also stocked an Uluvka box set which was really cool. Really nice bottle, nice glasses, no idea what it tastes like so I wasn’t risking £50 on it.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2009/02/08/victory-is-mine/feed/ 0 Disaster http://agraham.org/blog/2008/12/18/disaster/ http://agraham.org/blog/2008/12/18/disaster/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:59:06 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=107 In Glasgow and the shop that I used to buy SKYY no longer stocks it. In Edinburgh the next week and not only did the swanky hotel only have Vladivar (at four bloody pounds!), Oddbins have been having trouble buying in Reyka.

If Brown’s ridiculous use of anti-terrorism laws against Iceland have stopped this beautiful drink getting into the country it will be the straw that broke the camels back. I’ll oppose you privatising public services, march against the wars and bailouts you have bottomless pits of money for, but deny me good vodka and you’re beyond the pale sunshine.

In other news this week, a tanned celebrity going into Big Brother house has caused much mirth in lefty circles and an Iraqi with a pretty good aim has caused many cheers.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2008/12/18/disaster/feed/ 0 Vodka Reviews http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/vodka-reviews/ http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/vodka-reviews/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:02:22 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=31 I have started throwing up some quick vodka reviews. More will follow as I can be bothered. Some vodkas I haven’t had in a while so will need to buy again so as to take a picture of the bottle. Others I don’t want to buy again (Stoly I’m looking at your overrated ass).

Tried a bottle recently and will review at some point:

  • 42 Below
  • Absolut
  • Blavod
  • Crystalnaya
  • Finlandia
  • Ketel One
  • Luksusowa
  • Reyka
  • Smirnoff
  • Smirnoff Blue
  • Stolichnaya
  • Svensk
  • Wyborowa
]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/vodka-reviews/feed/ 2 Russian Standard http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/russian-standard/ http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/russian-standard/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:54:41 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=27 Russian Standard

Russian Standard

Russian Standard has been heavily advertised in the media lately*. Tesco for a while were punting it at £25 for 2 litres which is pretty good. It has quite a nice flavour to it so I try to make sure I have a bottle in (although I don’t just now).

Volume: 1L
Alcohol: 40%
Cost: £12.50
Cheapest spotted: £12.50/litre Tesco deal.

Normally:
Cost per nip (25ml): 44p
Cost per proper nip (35ml): 62p

* Although I had bought my first bottle of it months before that campaign, trendsetter that I am etc etc.

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/russian-standard/feed/ 0 SKYY Vodka http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/skyy-vodka/ http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/skyy-vodka/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:49:25 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=21 SKYY Vodka

SKYY Vodka

SKYY has been my favourite vodka for a while now. The other half brought me back a bottle from New York and it was gorgeous. Was a bit of a nightmare to find locally though, online it was costing £22 for a 70cl!

On the recent holiday to Mexico I made sure to grab 2 litre bottles on the way back, especially at £7 each.

The odour is amazing and it is so smooth, I normally add a mixer but can happily drink this straight.

Volume: 1L
Alcohol: 40%
Cost: £7
Cheapest spotted: £15 for 70CL in Threshers, Glasgow

Normally:
Cost per nip (25ml): 53p
Cost per proper nip (35ml): 75p

]]> http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/skyy-vodka/feed/ 0 Smirnoff Black http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/smirnoff-black/ http://agraham.org/blog/2008/11/09/smirnoff-black/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:41:00 +0000 Alan G http://agraham.org/blog/?p=17 Smirnoff Black

Smirnoff Black

I picked up a bottle of Smirnoff Black a while back and finally popped it open. They market it as:

Crafted in small batches, using a copper pot-still, a centuries-old distillation method, smirnoff black recaptures the rounded, lasting, uncompromising smootness once savoured by the people and the czars of old Russia.

It was ok, a bit smoother than normal Smirnoff with the same odour. Probably wouldn’t buy again as it’s expensive for what you get and there are better ones for less.

Volume: 70CL
Alcohol: 40%
Cost: £20
Cheapest spotted: £18.29

Cost per nip (25ml): 71p
Cost per proper nip (35ml): £1

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