The Food Passion Blog

I had an odd conversation with my hairdresser the other day - a Neath Valley guy, a pretty good hairdresser, with a pretty strong accent. You would think after all these years in Wales I would be used to the lingo by now, but I really showed myself up on this occasion (particularly since I generally make it my business to know when and where the latest -and not so latest - restaurants are in the area.)

He says to me, have you been to Teifi Nick’s in Swansea - they are a really simple place and the food is great? I tell him no, where on earth is Teifi Nick’s, thinking to myself, what a great name, thoroughly Welsh with an American slant (OK, so I’m biased). I simultaneously wondered if they had avoided the local predeliction for pluralising the owner’s name by an inexplicable lack of apostrophe at the end of the name.

So he describes the shed that Teifi Nick’s occupies, and the delicious Thai food that they serve. I still couldn’t think where he meant - ‘Tei -fi-Nix you say’. His colleague pipes up and says yes, ‘Tei - fi - Nix’. Well I quietly thought to myself, you’d better give up your job Tony because there aren’t that many Thai restuarants in Swansea to choose from. The Resolven boy said it one last time, and finally the link between Thai and Teifi clicked, and in case you haven’t already figured it out (credit due if you have because up til now I was lost) he was talking about the Thai Phoenix the whole time.

The moral of the story is, don’t assume anything about a restaurant before you’ve been, particularly if you’ve been told by a stupid American in Wales! Anyway, I haven’t been (yet) but will make it next on my list - and if any of you have been, add your comments here and tell us what you think of the place - good, bad, or just couldn’t find somewhere called Teifi Nick’s!

  Our next competition winner is Donna Griffiths of Manselton (pictured, outside The Dragon Hotel) , who won the 2006 Food Passion competition prize of a superb gourmet and relaxation weekend for two at The Dragon Hotel. It was really an envious prize to win, but don’t feel too bad, because you can enter this competition courtesy of The Dragon Hotel and Food Passion for 2007!

Here is what you get:

On arrival, relax with a glass of champagne, and prepare yourself to enjoy a luxury facial and Swedish back massage while your luggage is dutifully whisked away to your room.

In the evening you can indulge in a true feast and sample some of the best of Swansea’s cuisine, for you will be treated to the culinary delights of Sam Thomas and team. Get a good night’s rest in one of the hotel’s air conditioned en-sute superior double or twin rooms (check out isn’t until 12pm), giving you plenty of time to enjoy the inclusive breakfast.

The winner will be chosen on January 30th 2007, and the prize can be taken immediately, subject to booking and avaiability.

There is nothing to this, all you need to do is send the following to the Food Passion editor at info@food-passion.co.uk, :

• Your Name
• Your Address
• Your telephone number and/or email.

Alternatively you can pick up a Food Passion print guide at local shops, restaurants, tourist information centres and attractions, and fill out the details on page 7, returning your slip to the Deputy Manager, c/o The Dragon Hotel, Kingsway Circle, Swansea SA1 5LS

Some of you may recall last year’s Food Passion edition that featured the opportunity to win £25 of vouchers to spend at any of the Food Passion featured ‘foodies’. Well, the luck winner was Zoe James-Williams of Uplands, Swansea (pictured below).

Zoe chose to spend her voucher at Tucker’s Fresh and Frozen Seafood in Swansea Market - great choice Zoe! We love to hear what people have to say about their thoughts on the food scene in Swansea (good or bad) , so we asked Zoe a few questions, and this is what she had to say:

Food Passion:What do you like most about the Swansea food scene?
Zoe: I like the variety of food here and because we are on the coast, the availability of fresh seafood.

Food Passion: What made you choose Tucker’s as the place to spend your vouchers?
Zoe: I chose Tuckers because I love seafood and they have an excellent reputation.

Food Passion: What is your favourite restaurant in the Swansea area -it can be anyone at all, they don’t ahve to be in Food Passion!
Zoe: I love the Chelsea Cafe because of their excellent food, service and ambience.

Seems like a good enough reason to enter the other great competitions we have running year round (on your right, in the COMPETITIONS section). Keep your eyes peeled for more!

Cooks for Cooks.com has given us another of their great recipes. This one is from Richard Phillips - he was one of three guest chefs featuring on ITV’s food series too many cooks and can be seen regularly on ITV’s Daily Cooks, Saturday Cooks, and UK TV Food’s Great Food Live.

Everyone should know how to make the ultimate steak sandwich – and here it is. Inspired by New York diners but using great British ingredients, this is less of a sandwich and more of a meal in itself. Delicious. Satisfying. Seconds, please..!

Serves: 1
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time:  30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
 
• 150g piece of rump steak (no fat or sinew and not to thick)

For the sauce:

• 1 x red onion, finely sliced
• 50g button mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary
• 2 star anise
• 75ml double cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp grated mature cheddar cheese

For the relish:

• 5 plum tomatoes, blanched, de seeded, chopped
• 1 x shallot finely chopped
• 1 x tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 5 drops of Tabasco
• 8 drops of Worcester sauce
• Large pinch of sea salt

• 5 thin slices of pancetta, grilled
• 1x ciabatta
• Rocket leaves
• Drizzle of olive oil

METHOD
1. In a pre-heated pan, cook the sliced onions slowly without colour until there is no bite with the star anise. Next add the thyme and rosemary, then the mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes.

2. Next, add the double cream and reduce, then fold in the mustard and cheese and set aside.

3. Place a sieve over a bowl. Place the tomatoes in the sieve and sprinkle over salt. Leave the tomatoes to strain for 20 minutes and stir in the shallot, tomato ketchup and sauces.

4. Using a griddle, season and cook the steak for 3-4 minutes, until med rare (or longer for med/well done).

5. Cut the ciabatta in half and toast. Spread with butter, place the mushroom mix on the base, then the sliced steak, then a little of the tomato mix, then the grilled pancetta, then a little salad. Place the other piece of toast on top, place 2 skewers into the sandwich then cut in half.

6. Serve with a few tossed rocket leaves and the tomato relish on the side.

Keep your eyes peeled for Langlands Brasserie, due to open in August at long last. Looks really promising - good luck to Steve et al.!

Another great place I have tried recently is Siro’s. Janice, or J as she is known runs probably the most unique venue in Swansea. A hybrid of hip and hippy, she has marked her own indelible style onto the former Sand Bar (next to The Wig, but oh so much better). It’s gotta be worth going back time and time again just to try all the different styles of seating, and you can spend hours checking out the decor. The tapas style menu is pretty good too, and this has just added another brilliant spot to the Bryn y mor Road scene. The students seem to get all the good stuff lately.

 Hi Five on lower Oxford St is a great new cafe for those shopping in the city who fancy a lunch without a cloud of smoke outside the door, or spending too much. And if you want to get the kids out of your hair for 5, you won’t find anywhere better geared up between here and Toys r Us.

Well, Charlie’s Chowder House has unfortunately closed, much to my dismay. Not only was it the first place I’ve come across in the UK that seemed to have an authentic element of the US about it, but the food was good, reasonably priced, the place well located, and Lee and Sian were about as welcoming as you could get. It was one of those places you could go into and forget where you were, in a good kind of way. Swansea’s lost a great place to hang out…….