Lunch – I Love Belle and Herbs

BBC Sandwich

Meri — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:43:51 +0000

BBC Sandwich
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

This is truly a Belle & Herbs classic: bacon, brie and cranberry on soft white doorstop bread. Just warm enough that the brie is beginning to soften, without actually being a hot sandwich.

The bacon at B&H’s has been particularly tasty of late – evidence of the superior ingredient sourcing, I think. This particular sandwich was absolutely gorgeous – creamy brie, savoury bacon, sweet cranberry and nice soft white bread. I can’t wait to go back for another!

Soup & Sandwich

Meri — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 21:06:57 +0000

Soup & Sandwich
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

The soup + sandwich “meal deal” at B&H is always great value — often more than you can eat in one sitting in fact! On this particular day, I chose to have the sweet potato and bacon soup and an ABC (avocado, bacon & chicken) sandwich.

The soup was great as usual, if a little strangely textured. The sweetness of the potato complements the saltiness of the bacon beautifully. On reflection, the ABC was probably too hefty a sandwich to have with such a thick soup. There’s quite a lot of protein with the combo of bacon and chicken. Unfortunately the avocado wasn’t quite ripe either, meaning, making it a bit underwhelming.

All in all, I’d probably have the soup again, but not the combination.

Houmous Sandwich

Meri — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:13:10 +0000

Houmous Sandwich

Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

This houmous, black olive and salad greens sandwich is easily the healthiest thing I’ve ever had at Belle & Herbs. I was in the mood for something simple and light and this definitely fit the bill.

They’d gone easy on the houmous, which was a little disappointing given that was the star ingredient, but we ordered potato wedges with houmous too (what? I was having a houmous-craving day!) and they couldn’t provide as it had all gone in my sandwich apparently. So it seems this might have been more of an ingredient shortage than anything else

Would I have it again? Probably, but times when I actually fancy completely vegetarian things are few and far between…

Macho Grande Club

Steve — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:51:33 +0000

Macho Grande Club

Originally uploaded by Shteve.

This toasted club sandwich consisted of griddled steak, tomato salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, soured cream, guacamole, jalepeno peppers and fresh coriander…although they also included tortilla chips in the top layer. This was served with an absolute mountain of potato wedges

Being a Belle + Herbs virgin, I had no idea where to start, so I thought I’d just munch on the potato wedges whilst contemplating the best plan to tackle the sandwich. Best potato wedges ever…but then again they were nothing compared to the sandwich. Imagine all the flavours listed above declaring gang warfare on your taste buds, and it doesn’t even come close.

Although you practically need jaws which can unhinge to eat this monster, it is well worth the jaw ache. The steak was perfect, and the orchestra of accompanying sauces created a beautiful sonata…nay, symphony in my mouth. The bread too was crispy on the toasted outside, soft on the inside.

The only bad thing was a tiny bit of gristle near the end, but I would definitely recommend this to everyone. If you like meat wrapped in a rainbow of other flavours, this is the club for you

Sausage & Mash with Red Wine & Onion Gravy

Meri — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:07:20 +0000

Sausage & Mash with Red Wine & Onion Gravy

Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

The first day of late openings we went along to Belle & Herbs for supper. I chose to have the cumberland sausages with cheesy mash and red wine & onion gravy, whilst Elly decided on a burger as big as her head.

The sausages were up to usual B&H quality and nice & herby. I found the red wine & onion gravy quite sweet, but a very flavourful complement to the sausages. I wasn’t anywhere near as impressed with the mash as we had been previously when Elly had it — then it was light and fluffy, whereas this time I found it a little watery and that there was still unmelted/unmixed grated cheese in the middle.

The texture was like someone had boiled the potatoes and failed to drain them properly before just chucking loads of cheese in and half-heartedly mashing it up.

That said, the mash was the only weak point and we know from past experience that they can do it better, so I’ll definitely try this dish again.

Roast Chicken Sandwich with Crisps and Coleslaw

Meri — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:04:45 +0000

Roast Chicken Sandwich with Crisps and Coleslaw

Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

This was a really nice simple sandwich — roast chicken breast, lemon & oregano mayo, lettuce, cucumber and tomato on doorstop white, served with the usual coleslaw and crisps.

I had it just before leaving on a business trip and was really glad I’d gone for something nice and simple rather than eating crap at the airport. It was generally just a good meal and I was particularly impressed with the chicken. So often chicken breast is either dry and horrible or overwhelmed by mayo — this was nicely moist and full of flavour.

Cheese Dog

Meri — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 14:25:38 +0000

Cheesedog again
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

A rather strange addition to the new mains menu is the hot dog section. I chose to have the cheese dog on this occasion, which consisted of a roll covered in grill cheese, hotdog and grilled onions, served with chips.

It was a nice lunch, but if I’m honest I’m very ambivalent about the concept of posh hotdogs. In South Africa (where I’m from), hotdogs are very much a school sports day/church fete kind of food — they come with tomato sauce and American mustard, wrapped in newsprint and slightly crispy from having been kept warm as they are served to the hordes.

However, if a posh hotdog is what you’re after, this will definitely hit the spot

Pepperoni and Blue Burger

Meri — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 14:03:25 +0000

Pepperoni and Blue Burger
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Another addition to the new menu, the Pepperoni & Blue burger is a very interesting combination. It’s basically a normal house burger (6oz handmade steak burger, served on a cheese & onion bun with dill pickle, tomato relish, tomato, lettuce, burger mayo & mustard) augmented with a layer of blue stilton and a swathe of crispy pepperoni.

To be honest, I was wholly unconvinced by the prospect of the pepperoni and stilton combination and expected it to be a rare disaster. However, the creaminess of the cheese and the spicy flavour and crispy texture of the pepperoni really did work very well. I’m still not sure that a burger is the best vehicle for the taste combo (perhaps a grilled open sandwich might be better?), but I did really enjoy the meal.

As per usual, however, the size of the burger meant that I didn’t make it through all the chips that were served with it. They were lovely though — crisp on the outside, sweet and a little mushy on the inside — just a little too much to handle after a 4inch tall burger!

Cobb Salad

Meri — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 13:25:20 +0000

Cobb Salad with Bread
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Although there have always been good salads at Belle & Herbs, the new menu features an extended salad section. I chose this Cobb Salad, which combines smoked chicken breast, smoked bacon, avocado, blue stilton, mixed greens and ranch dressing, with a nice hunk of bread on the side.

This was a substantial meal and delicious. The flavours of the smoked chicken and bacon worked with with the stilton, allaying my fears that one would overwhelm the others. Unfortunately on this particular day, the avocado that was used was unripe and therefore just chewy and tasteless … I’d hope this was a one-off availability issue rather than a regular occurrence.

The beef tomatoes were lovely, flavourful and juicy, and the rest of the greens were nice and fresh. The bread wasn’t needed to “bulk out” the meal at all, but it was also nice and fresh. I’m personally not a big fan of dressing, so I didn’t use much, but it was nice enough.

Generally I was quite impressed that even the salads are quite luxurious!

Goats Cheese and Caramelized Onion Frittata

Meri — Tue, 30 May 2006 21:35:03 +0000

Frittata
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

I ended up visiting the cafe for a late lunch one afternoon and chose to have this frittata (described just as a “parmesan-spiked omelette” on the menu). The main ingredients were due to be goats cheese and caramelized onion, although I seemed to end up with raw red onion instead, but it was still nice.

The goats cheese was beautifully grilled and definitely dominated the dish — perfect for me, as I adore goats cheese! I didn’t feel like the red onion added anything particularly, but perhaps if it had been caramelised and therefore sweeter it might have done more. The side salad was nice and refreshing, complementing the rather rich frittata very well.

All in all I did enjoy this meal immensely, even though I couldn’t quite finish it — three rounds of goats cheese was too much for even my addiction!

Swiss Shroom Burger

Meri — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:24:56 +0000

Towering Shroom Burger
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Over Easter weekend my folks, cousin John and his girlfriend Des came to stay. We of course had to take them to Belle & Herbs for lunch!

In any case, on Easter Saturday (does that exist…?), although hugely tempted by various offerings on the new menu, I had promised John that B&H was the best place to get a good burger. He’s missing South Africa a lot, especially the decent meat!

Belle & Herbs source their beef from one of Rick Stein’s food heroes, so they really are very very tasty. I chose the “Swiss Shroom” burger, which unsurprisingly comes with cheese and mushrooms.

This was a VERY tasty meal and definitely good to see the burger options extended on the new menu. I’d also note that the caramelised onions were devine!

Brie, Bacon & Avocado Sandwich

Elly — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 23:17:30 +0000

Brie, Bacon & Avocado Sandwich
Originally uploaded by ellythompson.

This sandwich is the first thing that I’ve had a Belle & Herbs since they brought out the new menu… it’s new, and it leapt off the page at me.

Bacon and Avo is one of my favorite sandwich combinations ever, and it goes REALLY well with Brie.<

This combo disappeared faster than any sandwich I’ve eaten in a LONG time. Which has got to be a pretty good sign for this sandwich, and for the new menu.

Ham Salad Sandwich

Meri — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 16:51:01 +0000

Ham Salad Sandwich
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Normally ham salad really isn’t a combination to write home about. In most places the ham is inoffensive, but fairly tasteless, the salad a bit wilted and the bread not that special. Nothing could be further from the reality at Belle and Herbs.

This particular sandwich was GORGEOUS. Wonderfully flavoured ham, not too moist, not too dry, with nice crisp lettuce, cucumber and juicy tomato, all on big slices of doorstop white, spread with just a little bit of mayonnaise.

Despite being one of the “normal” sandwiches, it was easily a main meal and I did somewhat regret having ordered some potato wedges as well — we ended up focusing on the wedges and taking half of our sandwiches home for later!

Scooby Snack

Meri — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 16:50:08 +0000

Scooby Snack Again
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

When Molly was in town, we met up on a Saturday afternoon with a bunch of Newcastle geeks. Much fun was had, a lot of it at my expense, because I chose to attempt the biggest thing on the menu.

The Scooby Snack is a monumental sandwich. It’s quadruple decker (4 doorstop slices of soft white bread) and has pretty much every ingredient ever between its slices: ham, chicken, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, smoked ham, Gruyere cheese, cheddar cheese, Mozzarella, red onion, barbeque sauce, mayonnaise and dill pickles.

This sounds like a hell of a strange mix of fillings, but in fact it works rather well. Truly, the only problem with this sandwich is its sheer SIZE. I couldn’t take a bite out of the whole thing and had to break it down into mini-sandwiches. For those of you who know me this might surprise you — I do have a big mouth after all!

The various geeks on the table thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. They thought this sandwich was unfinishable. I proved them wrong. I ate the entire thing. It was FANTASTIC. Even if I did need some peppermint tea afterwards to help my poor stomach cope

I would agree with the Belle and Herbs health warning though: only attempt this sandwich if VERY hungry!

Ham, Cheese and Chutney Sandwich

Meri — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 14:57:30 +0000

Roast Ham, Cheese & Chutney on White
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Another classic sandwich, but again executed outstandingly. The ham was gorgeous — great texture and flavour, but not too salty, not too sweet. In particular, it was impressive that the ham was tasty enough that the strong flavours of the mature cheddar and Branston pickle didn’t overwhelm.

As always, the bread was fresh and lovely and again some chips & dips were a nice accompaniment.

Until now I was often choosing the different/exotic things on the Belle & Herbs menu, but now trying some of the simpler, more classic/traditional dishes I am equally impressed, if not more so. It’s one thing to make something different taste great — to make something bog-standard taste amazing is a whole different skill.

Bacon, Brie and Cranberry on Ciabatta

molly — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 18:09:05 +0000

Bacon, Brie and Cranberry at Belle and Herb’s
Originally uploaded by mollyeh11.

The image here is only a slice of the original sandwich, which I ordered along with a bowl of fantastic broccoli and stilton soup.

When Meri and Elly first told me about this particular sandwich, I was a bit uncertain. Bacon and brie? Made sense. Brie and cranberry, also made sense. But the three flavors together?

The sandwich is absolutely delicious, and just how good it is can be summed up with the fact that Malarkey and I ordered it to share. He took one bite of the sandwich, stopped the young man who had brought it to us and asked if we could have another. After just one bite!

I think that says it all. Thank you Belle and Herb’s, thank you Sam, and thank you Meri and Elly for turning us on to such an awesome place.

Tomato & Avocado Bruschetta

Elly — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:20:15 +0000

Tomato & Avocado Bruschetta
Originally uploaded by ellythompson.

I wasn’t really feeling quite hungry enough for a Belle & Herbs Sandwich today, so I decided to go for Bruschetta instead. And being a fan of Avocado, this is what I chose.

It was great – The bread was crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, and not to oily (as can sometimes happen). And the Avo and Tomato were both fresh and perfectly ripe. All in all, a nice plate of food if you’re after something snacky.

Mature Cheddar and Tomato Sandwich

Meri — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:34:08 +0000

Cheese & Tomato Sandwich
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Mature cheddar cheese, with freshly sliced tomato on white doorstop bread. A very simple, classic sandwich, but so well executed that it was absolutely GORGEOUS.

Went very well with the chunky chips and dips that we had as an accompaniment to share.

Smoked Bacon & Goats Cheese Bruschetta

Meri — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 12:56:59 +0000

Closeup of Bacon & Goats Cheese Bruschetta
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

We hadn’t yet tried any of the bruschetta options on the lunch menu, so I decided I’d see what this was like. The goats cheese and smoked bacon were both strong tastes, but did work very well as a combo.

The bread was nice and fresh, with just enough olive oil to make it toast well, but no so much as to be oily. It seemed to have been left under the grill a LITTLE too long, but that would be my only criticism. The balsamic dressing and mixed salad were both nice, even though I’m generally not such a fan of balsamic anything

Bacon, Cheese & Mushroom Steak Burger

Meri — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 14:28:39 +0000

Bacon, Cheese & Mushroom Beef Burger
Originally uploaded by meriwilliams.

Firstly, OMG this was a lot of food. A seriously immense meal. I love to eat and generally do eat quite a bit, but my stomach HURT after having this. It was mental.

Basically, this was the regular tasty Belle & Herbs steak burger, but with bacon, cheese and mushrooms added. The end result was a succulent steak burger, in a cheese & onion bun, with salad, caramelized onions, burger mayo, tangy relish and bacon, grilled cheese and HUGE sauteed mushrooms! Don’t forget, as you can see from the picture, this also came with a serious helping of chunky chips (the side you can see is mayo). What you can’t see in this picture (but is more apparent in this one) is that there was a skewer through the whole thing to hold it together, with a couple of gherkins for good measure.

I’ve already talked about the quantity, but the really impressive thing was the quality. Burgers are so badly done in so many places these days, it’s a real nice change to see them done well.

Despite the accoutrements that could easily have excused a badly cooked burger patty, the burger itself was beautifully medium-rare (as requested). The sauteed mushrooms were soft and flavourful, but the bacon nicely crispy. The cheese was mild enough that it didn’t overpower the other ingredients, but still added nicely to the overall taste. The caramelized onions and relish added a nice sweet ‘n sour sensation. I have to admit, with all these ingredients, I didn’t give a DAMN about the salad but it did add a nice crisp texture variation. The bread was lovely and soft and nicely cheesy, and the chunky chips up to the usually high Belle & Herbs standard.

This was seriously the best burger I have EVER had. Yes, for those in Bath, this burger beat the PANTS off a Schwartz Burger. I recommend that you all drop what you are doing right now and come up here to try one yourself.