Beautiful Kitchens (February 2014)

On arrival back from Tenerife, Ciaran found that a copy of "Beautiful Kitchens" (February 2014) had been sent in the mail to him.  Our kitchen, handcrafted by Dean Cooper Furniture, is featured in this edition.

 

Photography in the Beautiful Kitchens feature is by Rory Corrigan while the feature is written by Judith Robinson-Lyttle

A picture of our kitchen made the contents page!  

The caption is "There is always room for extra guests in this glass-walled dining space with bench"

"The Right Angle: Every inch of space has been maximised to incorporate sleek innovative kitchen design"

 

Myself and the dog posed for the picture on the right hand side

"Ciaran designed a light-filled structure to house the new kitchen and dining area, which opens into a small courtyard"

"Clever Storage: This tall larder is deceptively spacious with ample room for dry-food storage.  No need for handles or recesses, simply push to release"

* BTW, I'd like say that my larder always looks like this but it was actually styled for the shoot :-(

"Old meets new: the original Victorian stair spindles provide a contrast with the modern kitchen beyond"

"Blending in: Appliances are neatly concealed behind pocket doors and, even when they are in use, Ciaran ensured that they blend with the overall scheme"

"Free flowing: the huge glazed doors open onto a little  courtyard looking inside and out, while the stone boundary wall adds a unique dimension to the room"

Ciaran says "If you find it difficult to describe the look you're hoping to achieve, create a scrapbook of styles you like"

"Design Solution:  Dean Cooper explains......"

I know the adage is to never work with children or animals but honestly Bones was so good in order to get this picture!

Follow ODKM on Facebook to lots more of their fabulous work!


Kitchen of the Week on the Beautiful Kitchens website!


 

Los Roques - Tenerife

On our last night we ate in the Michellin Rated "Los Roques" in Los Abrigos, Tenerife.

It was a stunning night, perfect temperature with no discernible breeze and we were seated just in off the open terrace.  I had a lovely view of the Los Abrigos harbour which was wonderfully atmospheric.

We chose the 7 course tasting menu with our gracious host Peter allowing us to switch out the dessert for an alternative.

There was an excellent cocktail menu so for pre-dinner drinks I had a cosmopolitan while Ciaran had an Old Fashioned.  My cosmo was perfect the cranberry juice had a just sharp enough taste with a nice kick of alcohol.

 

We both enjoyed the amuse bouche of Orange & Carrot soup (best carrot soup I've ever tasted!)

First dish up was a prawn bisque which we both agreed was very good.

Next up was a smooth pate with caramelised onion - I adored this. It's a dish I order regularly in most restaurants.  It is a restaurant staple but it was done exceedingly well by Los Roques - the caramelised onion was nearly like a jam.

Best tasting Thai fish cake - our favourite dish (which surprised us very much as looking at the menu we would have not thought it would have been a contender for us)! The cucumber salad it was served with was light and refreshing with flavours that amused and delighted the palate.  The salad was in a dressing that I would describe nearly as a watery broth.  The liquid was divine - I wonder what was in it?!

 

Even at the end of the meal we agreed that the fish cake was our favourite.....with maybe the dessert coming a close second.

Served on a slate was Gado-Gado which was a supremely tasty peanut dish with lots of lovely crunchy vegetable. It had a little heat added (to your desired level).

The fish course was sea bass which was in the richest deepest tomato stew/sauce with tasty beans - delicious!

 

And then the most tender beef rib - again gorgeous but served with the one item on the menu that neither Ciaran and I cared for - this was a side of aubergine puree.  The aubergine puree was a little unappealing looking and not to our taste.

Finally the chocolatiest of chocolate desserts - Baileys Ice cream in a chocolate egg seated atop the most amazing brownie.  The brownie was deep and dark as well as being perfectly gooey.  I am still dreaming of it!

Needed to smash it like an egg to break open the rich dark chocolate - fun!

We enjoyed our night in this restaurant so much.  It was the perfect ending to our Tenerife Trip.  We both loved every single piece of food and agreed that it was very good value for money.

Along with the food being superb the staff are excellent.  The pacing of the tasting menu was excellent with us spending just under 3 hours over dinner. 

I should also mention that we did order a bottle of wine which was very good - it was a French wine - Chateau Gravier Figeac, Saint-Emilion and we followed dinner with a further cocktail.  Another Old Fashioned for Ciaran with a Belvedere Vodka Diet Coke for myself.

All in all a great night and a relief to get away from the Buffet in our hotel!!
If you are ever in Tenerife you need to eat here! 
 

Gala Christmas Buffet

On Christmas night there was a special "Gala Buffet" in our hotel. 

 

When we arrived at the buffet we were greeted by staff with a choice of a glass of Cava or Kir Royale.  I had a Kir Royale which was quite delicious.

 

Here is a selection of items that were on the buffet.

 

Prawns and crayfish

 

 

Seafood selection: Paella, Calamari rings, baked potato with garlic aioli

 

Chocolate fountain with fruit selection

Chocolate dipped strawberries

La Proa Restaurant

La Proa is the on site restaurant in Sandos San Blas Nature Resort in Tenerife.

We ate there on one if the nights on our 7 night holiday.

Here is the menu

It's very attractive from the outside and not so typical Tenerife looking 

 Here are some of the dishes we ordered.  

Butternut squash soup was a bit tasteless and bland.  I added salt and pepper but it didn't improve the taste.

I am so over lobster!

Half entrecote

Chicken with peppers

Prince Albert Cake was nice but gave the impression it was mass produced in the kitchen.

Getting active while on hols

For the first time in my life I tried SUP - Stand Up Paddleboard.  What fun! 

It's a quiet sport that is very relaxing.  I tried it in the man made lake in our resort.  I'd say it is amazing in the clear blue seas of the Florida Keys where I intend to do it next in June in Key West.

I also tried out Kayaking while in Sandos San Blas in Tenerife.

Again it's a sport that is very relaxing.  Some people like to paddle vigorously. I like to take it slow.  My twin sister and her husband are involved in kayaking back home in Ireland - I can see its appeal!

My favourite activity while in Tenerife was the 2 hr tour of the San Blas Nature Resort.  The scenery was spectacular and I enjoyed hearing about the history and culture if the area.

From time to time actors appeared and acted out scenes from different periods.

Here is an early settler on the island.  He would have been a cave dweller who lived on fish from the ocean.

Many crops have been grown in San Blas including cereals and tobacco but it is the tomato that has been the most fruitful crop over the years.

The above actor explains how the tomatoes are graded.

The next actor tells of how she sells the fish her husband catches to those who live in villages away from the sea - after her husband catches the fish she walks from midnight to dawn to sell the fish.  On her return home she cooks lunch for her family with the produce she has bartered her fish for.

The nature resort has a very impressive interpretative centre which is well worth a visit. We were ably guided by the very friendly Arturo and had a most enjoyable tour!

The above pic is of the man made dam.

The tour of the San Blas Nature Resort is available to all guests of the Sandos Hotel for €7.50 and it is most definitely recommended.

Tenerife

Our flight from Ireland to Tenerife was surprisingly pleasant considering we flew with Ryanair (my least favourite airline).  After a slight boarding delay and a 4 and a half hour flight we touched down in the South of Tenerife.

Our hotel was less than 5 mins away in a taxi and when we arrived we were very happy with the resort.  We are staying in the Sandos San Blas Nature Resort.  Billed as a 5 star hotel, it has 8 pools and is laid out over an undulating concrete area.  We are on an all inclusive package so all our drinks and food are included.  The buffet is quite spectacular but which unfortunately means we seem to be going from meal to sun to meal and repeating the process over again.

Two days ago we walked over the cliffs to Los Abrigos which is a sleepy little town with not a whole lot going on.  So far we are finding our holiday extremely relaxing and very enjoyable!

The weather has taken a turn from mild in Ireland with storms expected today and Christmas Day so it looks like we are missing the coldest days of the year so far.

Amazing Mascara!

I don't normally blog about cosmetics but I needed a new mascara so I bought one in the airport before I boarded our flight to Tenerife on the 20th.

I chose L'Oreal False Lash Wings Mascara which purports to give you flipped out lashes.

Wow - it's incredible.  It makes the lashes  look so long!

The wand is a very unique shape - this is what elongates the lashes.

I have very thin barely there lashes - this mascara made them fuller and longer.  This is one of the best mascaras I have bought in a long time, I highly recommend it!