Eight of us gathered last night for our annual visit to Sue & Steve's favorite place just blocks from their home and as always Cafe Lilli was a dream. The wines lean Italian and we were chilled from the damp cold, so started with a full-bodied Chianti DOCG "Straccali" and then moved to a Sicilian Shiraz Terre Siciliana IGT "Collina d'Estate" which was even better. Wines here run in the 20-30($26-40US) pounds for their entry levels so never a financial bust and keep in mind in the UK all prices include taxes, and they often add a service charge of 10% max.
Starters ranged from the Vegan Bruschetta with cherry tomato, shallot and dill oil to Pork Belly Pate with Tomato Chutney that got raves. Mussels were steamed with garlic, White wine and in a rich creamy sauce that begged for bread dipping. My Beetroot & Orange Gravlax was superb and came with fabulous miniature pickles, basil emulsion & Citrus Dressing with a tasty thin sliced bread that was toasted to crispy (as did the pate).
Mains were even more amazing as we are entering winter here indeed and everything has moved to that vein:
Pan Fried SeaBass came with Fregola, Greens, Salsa Verde, and Cherry Tomatoes for the lighter dish
A vegetarian Pinsa (flatbread) with Caponata was the size of a full pizza
Butternut Squash with Spinach & Cashew Nut Goan Curry & Basmati Rice was another veggie delight.
Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Baked Potatoes, Seasonal Greens and Florentine Sauce was popular, but the two divine dishes were the
Roast Goose Breast with braised red Cabbage, Parmentiers, Honey Roasted Carrots, Parsnip, Greens and red Wine Jus while
my
Pan Fried Pheasant came with Chestnuts, Smoked Pancetta a superb Pearl Barley Risotto, Greens and a Red Wine Jus with a tasty dumpling on the side!
Desserts are always great here from Creme Catalunya with Berries to hazelnut Ice Cream to Lemont Posset with Raspberries and of course, my Cheese platter with
Cornish Yarg, Carrigate Blue, Mature Cheddar & Brie was a delight as were the excellent black grapes which reminded me of Concord grapes at home (without the seeds!) and a tasty chutney.
We all had an amazing time seeing old friends and new ones and just being with great company and having great food and wine!
