Week beginning February 25th - Savoury scones and chicken adobo salad

Last week the Vegemite and cheddar scone were sadly not as popular as we predicted. We considered returning back to savoury muffins. We have been making them since we opened our doors 3 and a half years ago. Whenever we change a staple item at Kaffeine, it usually takes time for them to pick up. It was the same when we changed from wheat-free muesli to pomegranate granola, now we go through several batches of granola weekly. I made a prediction and put it forward to Peter that our savoury scones are going to pick up and be more popular than the muffins. Understandably blackened fermented yeast spread isn't everyone's taste, so I promise to keep the savoury scone looking vibrant and appetising as of this week with colours resembling the Italian flag red, green and golden brown (white). By the end of March you be saying savoury muffins are so 2012.

We also welcome back a Kaffeine favorite: Chicken Adobo Salad. This lovely salad with a Spanish name actually comes from the Philippines. The Philippines was colinzided by the Spainard during the 16th century and ruled for the next 300 years. This inspired several Asian/Spainish fusion dishes, undoubtedly the most popular meal is Adobo which translates to 'marinade' in Spanish. 

The marinade consist of 12 pepper corns, 4 bay leaves, 8 cloves garlic, 8 tablespoons demerara sugar, 125ml dark soy sauce and 100ml malt vinegar per 800g of meat. Served with boiled rice and a hard boiled egg. At Kaffeine we cook the chicken in the same way as Filipinos, however once cooked we mix the Adobo in camargue red rice which is a wild red rice that grows in the south of France amongst the pink flamingos. Camargue red rice in more nutty than other wild rice and takes about an extra 10 minutes of cooking compared to other grains of wild rice. Adobo, rice and coriander all blended together make a delicious lunch which will want you coming back for more the next day.

Winter has come back with a vengeance with sleet and an icy breeze, other than hot beverages on offer we will be making a hearty wild cabbage, chorizo and caraway soup. Wild cabbage grows in coastal areas and loves salty and limestone regions. Quite a robust brassica with thick spiny leaves that taste similar to broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. Personally I find this vegetable is at its best cooked for a long period in lots of moisture. The end result is nutty and a slight mellow bitterness. I've conglomerated the wild cabbage with oily sharp chorizo and bitter, warming and nutty caraways seeds to make a substantial tasty soup served with our own freshly baked bread.

Making an appearance in the foraged salad is wild carrot leaf. These greens are the tops of carrots which are almost identical to chervil and often mistaken for the poisonous and deadly hemlock. Thankfully we have a very experienced forager who sources the correct green leaves for us. We will be incorporating this nutritious leaf with bitter sweet ruby grapefruit, toasted pine nuts, julienne ginger and coated in a fennel dressing, a completely gluten, dairy and guilt-free vegan salad.

We hope you enjoy this week's menu as much as we have putting it together and as much as we will enjoy serving it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Blueberry and Bran 2.20
Savoury Scone: Tomato, Spinach and Cheddar 2.20
Lemon friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

Lunch
Soup: Wild cabbage, chorizo and caraway seed 4.50

French retro baguettes 4.90
Pancetta, grilled nectarine, gruyere, dijon, rocket

Grilled red pepper, courgette, red onion, spinach, chimichurri

Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 5.00
Salmon, aioli, red onion, dill, capers, rocket

Ham, fresh Kaffeine mozzarella, plum tomatoes, oregano pesto, spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Chicken adobo with wild red rice and coriander

Ruby grapefruit, wild carrot leaf, pine nuts, ginger with a fennel dressing 

Roasted baby beetroot with a black mustard dressing
Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad

French leek and onion with gruyere