The Primitivo Pheasant

The Salutation Inn, Topsham, currently my favourite special-occasion eatery in the Exeter area. Having both casual and fine dining options, its a popular foodie haunt that always serves great food and I love it. As it was K's birthday treat, we went for his choice: the 8 course tasting menu with matching wine flight. No negotiations. We chose to not see the menu either, so each course was a surprise! Starting off on comfy sofas in the sitting room we had three canapés (I forgot to take a picture as I was too hungry and excited): a cheese puff with hazelnut, a trout aranchini ball and duck pate. Drinks-wise I had a classic Champagne cocktail (delicious, how have I never tried this before!) the others had: a Negroni, a Pink Gin and a simple tonic water. Shortly we were ushered into the dining room where the friendly sommelier greeted us and talked about the first wine, without giving away exactly what the first dish was. The wine was a Marcus Molitor 2014 Riesling. The fo...

Date night and the destination of Hotel Du Vin, Exeter. Surely that calls for a Chateaubriand? First things first, we need some wine. Looking through not just the wine list but the wine book, (a hotel with a name like that, you've got to have a good wine selection!) we were after a Chateauneuf du Pape. After not finding one, we spoke to the sommelier who quickly assured us there were some similar options we may be pleasantly surprised by. On his recommendation we chose the 2014 Gigondas, also from the Southern Rhone area, and what a delight it was! Rich, intense and very drinkable. I'd definitely choose it again. Both opting for shellfish starters, I went for the roasted tiger prawns with pastis and chilli butter. They were lovely, big and juicy with the chilli adding a bit of a kick. K went for the scallops ceviche, which of course I tasted! (I'd only ever had scallops cooked before so was intrigued) They were not as I expected, having a milder fishy taste than thei...

At the weekend we were in Cheltenham for a friends birthday. The evening meal was to be at Balti Walla, an Indian on Bath Road with bring your own drinks. Bring your own you say? Hurrah! Sounds like a great opportunity to pick a good bottle and pay shop, not restaurant prices. So along with exploring the city centre we went on a mission to find the perfect wine pairing for that evening! K vaguely remembered a wine shop/bar in Montpellier from a previous visit to Cheltenham so off we marched. Alas, when we arrived at said shop, we found it closed for refurbishment! Pants. In the long run good, but that didn't help us tonight. We carried on up the street and to our joy found a little independent wine and spirit shop called Appellation Nation. The friendly proprietor came to our aid amongst the vast choice of bottles and uttered those magical words 'Are you after anything specific?' We explained we were after a nice red to go with a curry and would like his recommendatio...

Fresh fish is always a winner in my books. Tonight my other half K cooked a quick, light and fresh dish of brill fillets with a vegetable couscous. First he added rock salt, pepper and lemon zest to the dry couscous, added a mix of boiling water and pinot grigio wine and left to soak. While the couscous was cooking, he heated up some sesame oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and soy sauce in the wok. Once the mixture started bubbling, a mix of tender stem broccoli, kale, slices of red onion and carrot ribbons was added and cooked through with the sauce. For the brill itself we bought 4 'cook in the bag' fillets from Waitrose fish counter (ok, yes we cheated, but it was quick and they always turn out delicious!). Being filleted we didn't event have the hassle of bones to pick out. The couscous was mixed into the wok vegetables and cooked for a further couple of minutes. Then, served into a bowl with the brill placed (plonked) on top. To drink, a nice glass of Ar...

A warm welcome to my blog The Primitivo Pheasant will take you on a culinary journey through eating out, home cooking, wine, cocktails, local produce and favourite recipes. Living in Exeter, this blog will be mainly Devon-based but with adventures further afield! With eating out regularly, I like trying new restaurants - of which Exeter currently has an abundance - but also going back to old favourites for their updated seasonal menus. As for the home cooking side, I'm lucky to have a partner who enjoys being in the kitchen; he does the savoury, I do the sweet, both of us drink the wine! I love a good cookery program, my current favourite being Great British Menu, although I can't go too long without a John, Greg, Marcus and Monica fix! I can never decide on a favourite food as I enjoy everything save for oysters (the texture!) and anything overly mushroom-y. Real Italian has got to be up there, but classic French and modern British dishes are also winners. I love wine...