I drifted into borough market the other day and found myself standing in front of a fishmonger’s counter staring at all the produce. I couldn’t leave empty handed and suddenly felt a craving for salty, briny oysters so I bought a handful.I’ve made a martini with oysters before (you can see the blog post here). This time, though, I was inspired by a story I’d … Continue reading A Martini with Crushed Oyster Shell
A tasty, healthy accompaniment for a martini Continue reading A Martini with Nori Seaweed
Hazelnuts have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. I am currently on the Island of Mull in the Hebrides. On the nearby island of Colonsay evidence suggests that local residents were consuming large amounts of the nut in 7000BC. The Hebrides can often feel very far from civilisation so the fact that people living here enjoyed this tasty snack several millennia before … Continue reading Hazelnut snacks
An Izakaya is essentially a type of Japanese pub that specialises in food to accompany drinks. It’s basically my favourite type of drinks setting. I love the post-work, instantly friendly and relaxed atmosphere, completely free of pretension. Comparable to Spanish tapas or Turkish meze, the Izakaya-way is healthier than simply guzzling down a bucket of booze before staggering off for some fish and chips or … Continue reading Martini Izakaya Dishes
A zesty version to lift your dirty martini. Continue reading A Dirty Martini with lemon olives
A delicious, crunchy and flavoursome luxury snack for your drinks. Continue reading Asparagus skewers to accompany a martini
I love mackerel. You’ve got to eat it fresh, it looks beautiful, it tastes really strong and it reminds me of fun times trying to catch them in the summer from a very young age. Look at the deep colouration and beautiful patterns of their skin. I also love sashimi, or meat and seafood that is lightly cured, smoked or marinaded rather than cooked outright. … Continue reading Shime Saba (pickled mackerel sushi)
I had a couple of people round for a catch up (over drinks of course). I was trying to think of something quick and I easy I could feed them between martini drinking when I came across some beef mince on special offer at the supermarket. I bought a kilogram and decided to make yakitori, a type of Japanese skewer kebab, inspired by izakaya/yakitori-bar type … Continue reading Beef yakitori snacks
A tasty and healthy vegetarian ‘banchan’ style accompaniment for your martini. Continue reading Korean spinach – Sigeumchi-namul
Seafood goes well with a martini. The salty freshness compliments the sharp but oily astringency of a cold martini. Seafood also has an air of simplistic luxury, thus making it a natural pairing for the drink. I’ve put together a couple of examples of things I’ve made/served or otherwise eaten with a martini over recent months. While some of these things have been in London, … Continue reading Martinis and Seafood
The Martini Socialist 