Brothers and Burgers

This weekend my brother, James, came to stay with me in Bristol. While I've been at uni we've never quite been able to pin down a time when both of us have been free, however we finally found a date when he could come and see the city that I have been calling home for the past 2 years (This may or may not have something to do with the fact that I am now living with 5 attractive girls, but we shall give him the benefit of the doubt).

The real question was: where, out of the many great lunch spots in Bristol, could suitably represent the wonderful Bristol food scene for my big brother?

After considering a few of my favourites- Yumi and Bill's both put up valiant fights- I landed on somewhere I had never been before, but had been winking at me for quite some time from it's convenient location on Whiteladies Road. The Burger Joint's name was temptation enough, but this place also lays claim to 'the best burgers in Bristol, probably the best in the world!'. With a  statement like that the decision was a no brainer.

The restaurant has a light, bright, non-fussy decor with a simple colour scheme and slight nod to the old school American diner. The Burger Joint injects a little bit of fun into the ordering process, a subtle but refreshing touch to the standard burger bar. I secretly hoped the pile of pencils on the table meant we would be treated to one of those colouring-in books of our childhood that used to make 'grown-up' restaurant meals bearable. Alas, alack, 'twas not so. What we were treated to, however, was the menu of my dreams.

There are a selection of tasty looking starters to choose from, but we decided not to dilly dally and get straight to the point. To start off, you choose your meat. Of course they have their 6 oz prime beef burger, as well as a delicious sounding welsh lamb & mint option, not to mention venison and wild boar. A formidable spread indeed. Despite its meaty groundings, veggies are well catered for with a veggie burger and mushroom burger both available. Playing it safe for my first time, I chose the beef and hurried onto the next part of the menu.

Next step: choose your toppings. These are 80p each or 3 for £1.95. Now this was the truly hard bit. Deciding to be good and stick within the 3 topping deal, we began the complicated and harrowing process of selecting and flavour matching our topping choices. I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that BBQ pulled pork and blue cheese simply do not work together, but ultimately decided to forgo the cheese. I'm sorry, but pulled pork AS A BURGER TOPPING?! My love of blue could not even topple this one. In the end I plumped for cheddar, guacamole and, of course, the BBQ pulled pork.

Queue, step 3: choose 2 free sauces to go inside your burger. Again, the choice is upsettingly good. Choose from the conventional- ketchup, mayo, burger relish- to the exotic- tarragon & lemon mayo, wasabi mayo, tzatziki- to the bizarre- apple sauce, and even peanut butter (although if you opted for one of the chicken burgers I imagine this has potential to make a mind blowing chicken satay-burger hybrid). Settling on chilli sauce and mayo, we hurried onto the 4th and final step.

Sides. A free side, no less. I don't think I need to tell you that there was a very fine selection, but as a big sweet potato fan, the sweet potato chips made my decision that little bit easier.

With over 8000 potential combinations available, a custom made burger is guaranteed for even those with the most bizarre tastes. Grabbing our pencils with greed, we ticked off our final answers on the option form, handed them to the waitress and let the anticipatory drooling commence.

After a short wait, the beasts arrived. This part almost defeated Cookson entirely, but he managed to compose himself shortly after this photograph was taken and step up to the plate (wahey).

There's something about the ungainliness of a burger which somehow adds to its beauty. Take my wonderful creation. Melted cheddar oozed over the beef, whilst the pulled pork and big blob of guac sat proudly within the soft toasted bun.

The patty was succulent and well seasoned, while the intensity of the cheddar was mellowed by the freshness of the creamy guacamole. The pulled pork added a whole new sweet, meaty dimension to the burger and is something I will 100% be trying again. The only change I would make would be having extra BBQ sauce instead of the mayo, as the guacamole added the cooling element and the BBQ sauce was really delicious.

The sweet potato chips were very good, although didn't quite match up to GBK's sweet pot chips with bacon aoili, which must contain some form of illegal substance to be as good as they are. A well deserved runner up title won either way.

It isn't ridiculously cheap, but definitely not overpriced. For an average burger with 3 toppings, 2 free sauces and a free side, you'll pay roughly £10. For what you get, this is actually pretty bloody reasonable.

A great little place with great big burgers. Even if my 5 female housemates cannot tempt James into a return visit, The Burger Joint definitely will. Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to see if there is any way blue cheese and pulled pork can find an agreement.

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Taking shelter with the Romans

As I've previously established, I have a bit of a soft spot for classics. When strolling to the library the other day a big, shiny banner caught my eye. It was stretched outside the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and proudly sported the words 'Roman Empire: Power and People'. Being smack bang in the middle of the triangle and literally next door to the library, my housemates and I decided to escape the dreary Friday afternoon rain and headed over to take a look.

An advance warning; this post is sadly lacking pictures. My beautiful, shiny iPhone was stolen on Saturday night and with it all my blogging evidence of the exhibition. I've been in mourning for a few days, but have decided to tell you all about it anyway. See it as an incentive to go and see it for yourselves!

Paying our £4, we headed straight into the dark quiet of the Roman exhibition. A huge variety of artefacts are displayed around the room. There is a clever use of space, each display leading you in a way which keeps you flowing smoothly around the room. There's also an interactive touch screen board game which we probably got a little too excited about. Bronze figurines, ancient silver coins and intricately decorated gold helmets feature right at the beginning giving you a taster of what's to come. Plaques are dotted around the artefacts giving you historical facts and commenting on how Roman life operated. These were incredibly interesting and informative. I learnt that to be 'Roman' in the ancient world did not necessarily mean you had to have citizenship; to be 'Roman' was a way of living, an attitude, a state of mind which linked you to other like minded people. A very civilised and advanced approach for such an ancient society. It really emphasised the grandeur of the Romans and how incredibly advanced they were for their time. Considering that what followed their reign was nearly 1000 years of the Dark Ages, it is incredible to think how much the Romans accomplished, and how the world did not even come close to replicating it for centuries afterwards.

This emphasis on time made the condition and nature of the artefacts even more impressive. Great sculptures found in Roman estates were beautifully preserved, intact and detailed. There are painted glass tiles which still retain their vivid colour and lustre. Huge, uncracked amphora (ceramic pots) stand proudly within their glass cases and scrolls of papyrus with magic Roman spells scrawled across them add depth and variety to the exhibition.

By far my favourite item displayed was a child's tiny woollen sock, remarkably still fully intact. Talking of being advanced, it even had a separate big toe section so that it could be worn comfortably with sandals. Cute and practical (although this could explain where the fashion faux pas  comes from).

It is such a shame that I can't show you more of the exhibition, however at £4 a head and in such a central location there is no reason why you can't experience it for yourself. So next time you are looking for somewhere to ride out the Bristol rain, give Rome a whirl.

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Cephalonia (Part II)

By day 4 the expanse of sea teasing us from the villa began to make our sea legs twitch. Giving in, we wandered down to Fiskardo and rented a little boat for the day from a lovely woman at Delta Boats. This can be found on the main strip nestled amongst the restaurants and shops, in front of the Libeo Coffee Shop. After a snoop around the port admiring the luxury yachts from the water we sped off down the coast to explore some of the coves we'd been eyeing up from the villa. Boats are a fantastic way of really experiencing the coast of an area. You can flit in and out of bays and coves with ease, without the hassle of a hot car and treacherous roads. Even better when the bays are inaccessible by road- hello private beach! There's also nothing quite like diving straight from the bow into cool, clear water.

After we had had our fill of cove exploring, we changed tack and pointed our little boat in the direction of Ithaca. This was where our journey became slightly less glamorous. The sea was pretty flat in sailing terms, however little boats feel waves a lot more than big ones. My brother took the wheel and, being a typical boy, took great delight in taking these waves head on whilst I was doused in enough sea water to start a small aquarium. Nevertheless, we arrived in Ithaca 20 minutes later and moored up on a sleepy dock in Palikata bay. Here I would recommend getting a taxi up to the town, Stavros. Ask at the small cafe next to the water and they should give you the number. Once in Stavros we were pointed in the direction of the restaurant Polyphemus. For non-classical folk, Polyphemus was the cyclops that Odysseus defeated and rescued his men from by driving a white hot poker into its one, gigantic eye. Nice. Either way, with our stomachs were rumbling we beelined up the hill.

This unsuspecting little place may well be my favourite holiday lunch spot of all time. The outside is covered in tumbling vines and little cats wind around plant pots spilling over with colourful flowers. Head through the gate and the path opens up into the sweetest garden courtyard I've ever seen. Tables are scattered around this little levelled grotto, nestled amongst white painted trees which provide a cool shelter from the midday sun. From these trees hang all manner of paraphernalia: wicker baskets, old oil lamps, strings of garlic, rusting frying pans and sun bleached pebbles, not to mention all the bits and bobs dotted around the trees, such as rows of shells, weathered radios, old diving tanks and slouchy leather boots from a bygone time. They add a wonderful character and element of magic to the place which I defy anyone not to be charmed by.

The waitress was a gem, going through and explaining the menu to us and making recommendations. Being typically British, I sometimes I find this level of involvement a little irritating, preferring to make my way round the menu in my own time, however her explanations made the large menu a lot more manageable and also made clear that any choice would be an excellent one! All the dishes are named after characters in the Odyssey and we started by sharing the 'Polyphemus- some like it hot', a deliciously spicy sausage casserole type dish, which was demolished and mopped up with soft hunks of bread. We also opted for the cheesy flat bread and by far the best tzatsiki I have ever tasted.

For mains, mum and I went for the moussaka, whilst James and Dad went for the 'lamb surprise'. My favourite meal of all time is my mum's homemade moussaka. It is literally incredible. While in Greece I tried a few authentic Greek moussaka's and I'm sorry but they just weren't as good. I know that's almost blasphemy considering moussaka is the most quintessentially Greek dish there is, but it's true. I personally think the potato in the Greek version makes the whole thing too heavy, however the lovely waitress claimed that their moussaka was lighter than others so mum and I gave it a whirl. Although it wasn't quite as insane as my mum's, it certainly came close! The meat was deliciously tender and well seasoned, the cheese sauce light and fluffy with wonderful hints of cinnamon as well as nutmeg, and the potato (although still there) wasn't as stodgy as I'd previously experienced it to be. An all round winner.

The presentation of the 'lamb surprise' wasn't the only good thing about it. Opening the little parcel of joy, a meaty herbiness wafts out. The lamb had been slow cooked and melted in the mouth. The whole dish was incredibly aromatic and really delicious.

With full stomachs, we waved goodbye to this wonderful little place (and its cats) and rolled back to the boat for an afternoon of floating around Ithaca's bays.

We awoke on our final day to annoyingly cloudy skies. This did, however, make being outside a little more comfortable temperature wise, so we headed along the coast to the lovely little town of Assos, which is overlooked by an old Venetian fortress. There is a well paved path which winds its way up the hill towards this fortress, boasting beautiful views of the Cephalonian coastline at every bend. Triumphantly reaching the top, we took the mandatory tourist family photo atop the crumbling walls and decided it was high time for a long cold drink. Assos is a charming and peaceful little place, undisturbed by traffic and noise. Grab a drink in one of the bars or cafes and watch the boats bob around in the bay whilst taking in the quiet.

There is much more that we wanted to do and see in Cephalonia that our week long stay didn't allow, but either way I am completely smitten with the island and will definitely be returning to continue indulging my inner Classics nerd. And to see if they can ever top my mum's moussaka.

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Cephalonia (Part I)

Firstly, I must apologise for my recent absence. The past month has been one huge blur of airports, motorways and trains. However I am finally back in one place for more than 5 seconds so, without further ado, let me walk you through my September adventures.

Being an English and Classics student, you would expect me to live and breathe Greece. I should have a detailed knowledge of every historical village, authentic Greek restaurant and unknown little cove. Shamefully, until a few weeks ago I had only been to Greece twice, once on a school trip and once when I was about 5 months old. However, this year my parents decided to steal my brother and I away from work and friends and spend a week together on the beautiful Greek island of Cephalonia.
      

The island is situated in the Ionian sea, just across the water from Ithaca, famed kingdom of Homer's Odysseus. There are thousands of debates about whether or not Odysseus and his men inhabited these isles, but when driving along the winding mountainside road you can certainly understand how these myths came to be. The coast is nothing short of stunning. Streams of sunlight beam down through wisps of cloud and reflect off the azure sea like something from a painting. It's easy to see why the ancient Greeks thought Zeus and the Olympian gods called this sky home.

We arrived at our villa, just outside of the buzzing port town of Fiskardo, and were met with the view of all views over the gulf. Tall cyprus trees sprawl over the hills leading down to many little coves with plush yachts swinging lazily about their anchors in the clear waters. Ithaca sits proudly in the distance and the only noises to be heard are the trees rustling and the pool water lapping across its infinity edge. The rain and stress of England could not seem further away.

Fiskardo is a lovely little town. I would highly recommend it for families; its cobbled squares, sleepy markets and traditional Greek restaurants give it that picturesque Mediterranean feel, whilst the bars provide a buzz which is perfect for teenagers and adults alike. Boats of all shapes and sizes cluster along the dock which leads straight onto the main strip, restaurant tables rubbing shoulders with ropes and sails. Having spent most of my teen summer holidays sailing around the Med, I adored this intimacy between land and sea.

There is an abundance of restaurants in Fiskardo to choose from, each with their own style and quirks. As you stroll down the strip, you pass sweet gingham tablecloths, lanterns hanging from ropes, winding flowers and wicker sofas. It all gives the town an eclectic and unique feel, far from the commercial and manufactured vibe of some of the bigger resort towns.

Be sure to try out some of these restaurants. Greek food is seriously delicious and I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in tzatsiki over the course of the week. Most of the restaurants specialise in traditional Greek food so I would recommend ordering a selection of starters to share before your main to make the most of all those yummy flavours. The fried aubergines at Roula's Grill House are simply dreamy, drizzled liberally with olive oil and balsamic glaze, while the fried cheese (that's right) at Vasso's was artery-blockingly good (holiday calories don't count, you know?). Even better, all the restaurants we visited gave us complimentary puddings featuring hard-to-resist treats such as panna cotta, walnut cake and pineapple flan.

 

Food isn't the only thing worth hopping on the plane for. As much as I adore melting into a sun lounger with a good book and copious amounts of olives, I couldn't ignore the itch that only cultural family activities could scratch. With this becoming overwhelming, we all piled into the car and headed over to the Mellisani underground lake, formed 20,000 to 16,000 years ago. The roof of this cavern collapsed 5000 years ago, and thank Zeus it did! The sun beams through the gap, illuminating the crystal clear water beneath to create a beautiful glowing blue. Tour guides (who remain jolly despite the semi-funny jokes they've clearly been repeating all summer) take you through the cave in little row boats, allowing you to see the glowing water and streaming sunlight from all angles. As well as the aesthetic beauty, the place is very historically interesting. The lake is named after the nymph thought to have inhabited it in mythical times. While the nymph part is (probably) false, explorers found evidence of ancient life in the cave, with wall paintings and even a miniature statue of the god Pan discovered in the second cavern. This second cavern also features huge stalactites which are 10,000 years old, only growing 1 cm every 100 years! Considering their size, that's pretty impressive.

After our caving expedition we decided it was too hot to sit in the car for the 45 minutes back to the villa. Fortunately, only a 15 minute drive from the cave is Myrtos beach. We'd heard a lot about the view of this beach, but didn't expect it to be quite so idyllic. A strip of bright white sand tucks into the nook of the cove and in front of it, stretching far out into the ocean, is a colour wheel of blue. White foam blends into azure which blends into turquoise which blends into sky blue which blends into deep navy. I took about a million snaps of this but none of them seemed to capture the magnificence of the sight. Here's a pretty impressive one nonetheless:

According to the guide books, however, this is where the beauty stops. They all seem to be fairly dismissive of the beach itself, claiming that what looks like sand is actually stone and that it is too crowded. We felt that we simply had to take a dip in sea this blue so descended the winding road regardless. Arriving at the bottom, I felt the guide books had been a little unfair. The beach is in fact mostly sandy, with only a few stony strips. The sun beds make it look a little more commercial than the other comparatively minuscule and picturesque beaches on the island, but it is by no means overcrowded or unpleasant, and burying your feet in the hot sand makes a nice change from hobbling over giant rocks.

The guide books also recommend visiting in the morning as the sea becomes 'dangerously rough' in the afternoon. Do I smell a challenge? As weathered sailors (kind of..), my brother and I dismissively waved away this warning and, donning our snorkelling masks, headed out to battle. Taking our positions in the treacherous wave breaking territory, we braced ourselves for the watery onslaught. This may not be everyone's idea of fun, but the irrepressible child in me simply couldn't resist. Yes, the waves are pretty strong, throwing you around with little grace or elegance, but the pain is overridden by the hilarity of seeing your 22 year old brother face deep in the sea bed. Before being swept off your feet and plunged into it yourself, that is.

If you possess a little more maturity then all you have to do is time it right, dive through a big wave and you'll find yourself in the much more peaceful water beyond. Even close up the sea is swimming pool blue, although this is because of the soluble chalk which makes up much of the coast, therefore it is not clear. However this makes little difference when you are floating on your back, being gently rocked by the undulating swells and feeling the heat of the Greek sun on your eyelids.

Anyone fancy an autumn mini break?

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