Tuesday, April 26, 2005


real poilane bread, fresh

i was completely thrilled to wander thru the pretty village of wimbledon and stumble upon bayley & sage, a gourmet food market similar to dean & deluca. there among the old house close (which has its own bird sanctuary and garden conservation district; thus you hear continuous delicate bird song as you wander in the alleys behind the gardens) and the even more charming belvedere square, i found -- yes! -- real, fresh poilane pain de campagne at GBP3 (about US$6) for a quarter loaf.

real poilane is available sometimes in new york at fairway, but at a much greater price. so naturally i picked up the loaf, some wild boar pate, some fresh chevre with sage, fresh grilled baby artichokes, and fresh sicilian figs with a glass of new zealand shiraz.

while talking to new york this morning, i was once again warned that the food in england is "miserable." i have to say that i haven't found that to be case yet. . .the real poilane i purchased here has a thickish crust -- exactly the kind mary beth doesn't like -- and a medium-sour taste, more sour than i remember from france, a stiffish crumb with smallish holes the size of pencil erasers.

certainly more sour than i make my pain de campagne! however, it was fantastic with the pate.

the coffee republic beans from yesterday were merely ok. not worth writing about. their cafetiére blend seems to be a medium-roast, lightly bright mix of colombian and brazil with maybe some costa rica?

it is ground specifically for the press pot, and it does function well, but of course it's basically stale and lacks much distinctive flavor.

monmouth will be my destination, esp. since, alas, the caravaggio exhibit appears to be completely sold out. . .

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