Bowling for Soupa

Good morning, welcome to Friday, the Quality Wines newsletter & the weekend! As we speak mise is placing, plates is polishing, lunch is setting. Demis Roussos is on the stereo & yours truly has been trying to work avgolemono into a serviceable pun, its been a tough 24 hours.

Swing through Quality Taverna’s doors next week for said chicken avgolemeno soup. A base of the bird’s broth brought together with eggs & lemon juice, the meat shredded through. There is dill, obvs. A cuddle from a long lost Yiayia. This is chicken soup: of the fowl, for the soul. A plate of long cooked chard is horta-esque, topped with pine nuts & galomizithra, a Cretan cheese that that feels like feta crossed with ricotta. This one goes out for flavour, for Hera & for health.

Cervelle de canut will come with chicory & radishes. Fromage blanc, cream & creme fraiche. Oh well, who wants to live forever, En-dive!

Turbot tranches are roasted in the oven, their juices imparted to yielding chickpeas intermingled with artichokes & pricked with a chermoula loaded with coriander, chilli & cumin. For those who wish to sing for their supper, there will be a limited supply of heads & spines available too. A bit more work but much reward for those willing to get down & dirty.

Tagliolini will be served with diced red mullet, flavoured with fennel, saffron & a touch of Sambucca, pangratatto for texture. Pot-roasted poussin avec pommes puree, olives & capers.

An ‘Express Lunch’ offering of veal & pork meatballs, funky with Culatello fat, with passata, Parmigiano and spaghetti is pure red-sauce-joint fantasy. Our mortadella, burrata & pistachio panino gets another week, for good measure. Either are available at lunch Tuesday to Saturday, with a glass of wine, beer or soft for £15.

For dessert ayva tatlisi & kaymak is back. Not Yorkshire dialect for a pint of bitter but Turkish style poached quince accompanied with a raw Somerset buffalo milk clotted cream. From Axbridge to Ankara, Bursa to Bruton. There is a pistachio ice cream in-house, I suggest you combine these.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Marcos, Nick & the Team.