PalAtTable

Lolly Sloice o' Bœuf

2011-12-09T20:10:00.001Z

Strictly for the meat lovers out there...

Today I had lunch in the newly opened Ramon's New York Deli in Cathays, Cardiff: the recent addition to the family run greasy spoon, Ramon's of the same area. Keeping the family business going, Gareth Badman (son of Ramon's owner Robin) has caught on to a winner. It's simply an American deli that offers hunks of well cooked and juicy meat encased in the form of a sandwich, wrap or burger. Or bare! Naughty...

The deli sandwiches are an absolute steal at £3.50 each and they will fill a whole and probably push aside your internal organs to try and make more room. Check out the beast that is the Reuben: beef, pastrami, cheese and sauerkraut.

There's no messing with any salad in the sandwiches. The lolly, lolly sloice o' bœuf speaks for itself! [Points to any Adam and Joe Black Squadron/Podcats out there.] Yes, the ingredients will possibly bring on a coronary just looking at them, but there's something satisfying about getting your chops round a greasy slab of beef, right? Even more so when it has been cooked perfectly without a hint of dryness, sat inside freshly made bread. I had the Chicago deli sandwich: beef with cheese, gravy and Tiger sauce (a horseradish mayonnaise). This is a typical condiment to pair with pit beef in some US restaurants...or at least the one in an episode of Man v. Food. Not sure I'd want to go anywhere near 'The Raven' at Chaps Charcoal Restaurant! *go to 5mins in*

But don't worry, Ramon's New York Deli isn't anywhere near as life-threatening to eat.

The burger and chips is also a great deal at £4.00, including chips. In true diner style you're food sits upon waxed paper and chips are served in little plastic baskets. The bun is fresh and soft and the contents are nothing short of dripping! (In the best possible way).

Just make sure you're hungry when you order as it will fill you up!

I've come across the popular and renowned New York Deli in the Morgan Arcade in the centre of town which hones in the the more traditional US deli, attracting locals, visitors and tourists. Whereas, with Ramon's deli located close by to pubs and bars such as The Vulcan, Gassy Jacks and Koko Gorillaz, I suspect it will be more of a hot spot for students, as its fry-up alternative is. I just wonder if they can maintain the incredible portions once popularity strikes. Let's hope so!

First stop...Waterloo

2011-12-02T18:42:00.001Z

As the first post away from home, I happened to visit somewhere with an air of familiarity. Waterloo, London -> Waterloo Gardens Teahouse in Roath, Cardiff. Most Cardiffians will know about this teahouse and probably adore it for the friendly, laid back but proficient attitude.

The menu comprises an impressive selection of black, green, white, fruit, oolong, rooibos and puerh teas. We ordered pots of the vanilla black tea, jasmine pearl green tea and, as it's approaching Christmas, a pot of Waterloo Christmas tea was a must.

Jasmine pearl organic green tea

Waterloo Christmas black tea: lemon & orange peel and cinnamon

The barista explained how long to wait for the best brewing results for each tea when he served the colourful individual pots of tea and matching cups. Said cups are in the style of Chinese teacups: sans handle with a lip around the edge. You can probably pour three cups per teapot which is ideal for about £3.00 a pot.

The cakes were also unbelievably good. Generous chunky portions but very light sponges. Most if not all of their cakes are gluten free and vegan options are available on request. The pistachio and rose loaf was surprisingly moist with the occasional burst of lemon juice coming through.

Pistachio & rose loaf cake

The elderflower and gooseberry cake was pretty sizeable with sweet and light whipped cream sandwiched between fluffy sponge. Bliss.

Vanilla black tea with elderflower & gooseberry cake

Waterloo Gardens Teahouse have a real community spirit and embrace local craft and art by displaying local artists' work as well as donating commissions to The Global Fund.

If you're not one for tea, coffee is given as much attention and you can order lunch too. As for my visit, when it hit 4pm the place filled up with people enjoying a hefty Afternoon Tea. It's no secret that I am a BIG fan of Afternoon Teas, therefore I shall be heading back there to devour the plentiful treats! I've also heard that around Christmas time last year they had a harpist in the house(!) and they might be making another appearance this year which would be a lovely touch.

Hello Stranger...

2011-10-17T20:19:00.000+01:00

First of all, I'd like to apologise for the lack of posts recently. Poor form, I agree. But I have a (valid) reason...

In September I moved to Cardiff to pursue a new career and have gone back to University to train as an Optometrist. (A huge jump from being a radio producer!!) Which means two things for this here blog.

1. I won't be able to post many reviews about the wonderful eateries to seek out in London. Because, frankly, I won't be able to afford it as a student...*sniff sniff* *gets violin out*

and b. Although I've moved, I'm going to get involved in hunting down great places to eat and drink in Cardiff on a budget and share tips/recipes for cooking cheap meals. Essentially my Bargain Bite feature but in Cardiff!

So if you're already in The 'Diff, or plan to visit, you'll get an idea of where and what is worth spending your £££ on.

Bea's of Bloomsbury - Afternoon Tea

2011-08-14T20:12:00.013+01:00

I could get used to this Afternoon Tea thing...especially when having it at superb value!

Bea's of Blomsbury has been a hotspot for anyone who adores tea and all things baking since it opened in 2008, and it has sadly taken me this long to treat myself to a visit. Put the violins away I hear you say, so let's not dwell on my tardiness to the party, the main thing for me to stress is that if you haven't yet been along for a cuppa and lunch/a pastry/sweet treat, you are missing out! If you have been, then I'm sure you too have been won over by Bea's.

It has a small and elegant interior with various dainty decorations and kitchenware and characterful crockery. It epitomises a tea party with a modern and charming panache.

Although you can come here for a variety of drinks and foods I went for the full Afternoon Tea for £15 per head (an option of tea and scones is available for £6 per head). They say their afternoon tea is their 'take on a British institution' and here's why. Firstly, we were each served three mini sandwiches with different fillings. There is an alternative if you are vegetarian.

The ingredients are fresh, and evenly balanced to enhance the flavours. My favourite was definitely the ham and brie sandwich which had a hit of wholegrain mustard underneath the ham.

There was no rush and once we had finished the savouries, it was time to bring out the big buns.

BAKED GOODS!

As the waitress placed the cake stand before us my heart and stomach leapt. Such a beautiful selection of crafted delights. On the bottom tier were scones with the strawberry jam and clotted cream as well as some passionfruit marshmallow. And the top tier was embellished with pistachio and chocolate macarons, meringue balls, brownies, blondies and blueberry and banoffee cupcakes. Heaven.

Most of my attention was spent on the moist banoffee cupcake which had a light cream frosting - rather than a butter or cream cheese - which offered the most sweetness; and the macarons with their crumbly pistachio shell and dark chocolate ganache. The scones were perfectly cooked and always a staple part of afternoon tea but the afore mentioned were particular highlights! I'd like to also point out that the meringues were spot on too, with a decent chewiness in the middle.

The rabbits on the cake stand were also a nice touch. You can just make out their little heads on the top tier looking like they're having an innocent smooch.

There was so much cake to be had that we couldn't finish it all. (I'm sorry). But the great thing is that you can take the leftovers home all boxed up and in tact. (No longer sorry).

There is a room available to hire for parties and Bea's of Bloomsbury also host baking lessons and special events. One of which is their Mad Hatter's Tea Party on 20th August with the promise of all you can "Eat Me" Bailey trifles, jam tarts, cupcakes and baked goods galore along with "Drink Me" tea. I'm sure it will be suitably jaunty!

All You Need Is Muff-ins

2011-07-26T21:22:00.024+01:00

I was planning on making some blueberry muffins from the recipe in the Hummingbird Bakery book. However, the recipe uses buttermilk and I was having no luck finding it anywhere...Waitrose, Sainsburys, M&S, Asda! So I decided to experiment and replace said buttermilk with low fat Greek yoghurt. Gimme some muffin.

As it turns out they were gorgeous and fluffy and held lots of flavour. They were easy muffers to make, so have a go yourself...

Ingredients:

360g plain flour
370g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 large free range egg
4 heaped tablespoons of low fat Greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
50g unsalted butter
250g blueberries
A sprinkle of oats

How To Make:
Makes 12 muffins. Line the muffin tray(s) with muffin cases.

Get the oven preheated to 170°C (or 160°C for a fan assisted oven).

Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda in an electric mixer on a slow speed.

In a separate bowl combine the yoghurt, egg and vanilla extract and then add to the flour mixture. Melt the butter in a pan on the hob and once melted, add it to the rest of the ingredients in the electric mixer. Blend on a medium/high speed until smooth, gooey and even.

Fold in the blueberries and then dispense the mixture into the big muffin cases. Sprinkle porridge oats over the top before popping in the oven.

Now, you can't hurry muffins when they are baking, so it's best to bake them for about 20-25 minutes. Check with a skewer to make sure it comes out mixture-free. The top should bounce back when touched. Leave for 5 minutes then take out the cases and leave them to fully cool on a wire cooking rack.

And there you have it. Blueberry yoghurt muffins all around.

Yeah, it's juvenile! But if you noticed the muffin puns for song titles with the word 'love' in, do a fist pump. Or feel free to add your own puns!

Lunchtime Roasting

2011-07-16T21:33:00.016+01:00

The other week my good friend Puja (also known to the Twitter world as @Mopicide) invited me out for lunch at Roast.

It was a much deserved treat for the both of us, and the perfect setting to enjoy the views and food while having a catch up. As I've mentioned before, (when I came to Roast for their Full Borough breakfast), the restaurant is stunning, with floor to ceiling French windows looking over Borough market. (Despite sticking out among the shirts of the City on their lunch meetings, we managed to have a relaxing 2 hour lunch with no rush to be moved along for preparation for evening service.) *Air punch*

In the lead up to my visit I kept on looking over the menu in anticipation to help decide on what to order. But that all went out of the window when I walked past another table where someone had just been served the grilled Wester Ross salmon. That was it. Sold. In my tummy please! Yes, I flirted with the idea of looking over the menu (again) and considered the slow roast Wicks Manor pork belly...the crispy Goosnargh chicken breast...the daily special of roast rib of Welsh black beef. But I had already made up my mind. Salmon was the one. The one I planned to devour.

So, before I drivel (or dribble) on too much, I shall leave it to the photos to tell you how incredible the food was...

Grilled Wester Ross salmon with cucumber, fennel, chilli and yoghurt

Heritage tomato salad with red onions and rapeseed oil

Runner beans with mint

Chocolate banoffee pudding with Devonshire clotted cream,

with Jolly Roger (rum, Roast falernum and orange zest)

Buttermilk baked custard and strawberry mess with honeycomb using pasteurised cows milk and vegetable rennet,

with Cherish (bourbon, fresh cherries, cherry bitter, coffee liqueur)

A Little Pick Me Up

2011-06-30T22:01:00.023+01:00

Along King Street in Ravenscourt Park, there are a number of great independent restaurants and eateries such as Lola and Simon (Argentinian), Indian Zing (Indian), Anarkali (Indian) and Saigon Saigon (Vietnamese), and among them is a bright little cafe called Upsy Daisy Bakery.

With a simple design of creams and yellows against white and blue crockery, there are no gimmicks, just clean cut food and drink. The produce is sourced locally and where possible are organic, including all of their wines.

On my visit for lunch I went for a bacon and avocado sandwich which had large sized coarse rashers of bacon along with fresh avocado, tomato and lettuce. The organic white bread was fluffy apart from the crusts which were, well, crusty.

I didn't opt for a pot of tea but with the range of green, black and herbal infusions - not to mention all the organic coffees - it's easy to be spoilt for choice. I just had a juice to take away with me. I was also pleased to spy on the menu that they offer cream teas and afternoon tea as well!

I also got won over by one of the cupcakes, the fudge caramel cupcake in fact. The smaller end of the scale in terms of size, but that' fine because the flavour was quite intense in the frosting as well as a little caramel ganache inside the sponge.

The service was friendly, helpful and relaxed as well. I think most afternoons it is probably acquainted with yummy mummies but there was a group of friends meeting up and a few singletons like myself with only one small table of mums and one child, so don't feel put off. Heck there was even an old bloke with a cuppa reading his paper. Although, he didn't appreciate me taking the photos of the bakery as he felt I'd encroached his personal space, and LITERALLY shooed me away - with hand gestures - which made me feel awkward! But I guess when you're not used to that bizarre breed of bloggers cropping up and taking snaps most places you eat out at, then it must seem quite alien.

So, if you're in the Hammersmith / Chiswick / Ravenscourt Park area one afternoon and fancy a little pick me up, then Upsy Daisy Bakery will sort you out!

Teanamu's Artisan Teas

2011-05-22T20:16:00.014+01:00

Tucked away in Westbourne Park, near Portabello Road, is a gorgeous and modest-sized converted coach house belonging to Teanamu.

The newly opened Chaya Teahouse is perfect for (as cliche as it sounds) relaxing and just as importantly, drinking beautifully infused Chinese artisan teas. There is a ridiculous amount of white, red, black and green tea combinations all designed and made by creator, Pei Wang.

We ordered the Tea of The Week: Organic Snow Bud white tea and the Ba Bao 8 Treasures tea (which had a special 9th ingredient on the day!) The Snow Bud is stunning, refreshing and one to drink at a lower temperature in order to appreciate its flavour; and the 8 Treasures changed each time we topped up the water - from floral and nutty to fruity notes.

Top: 8 Treasures. Bottom: Organic Snow Bud

They looked so lovely in the teapots and the quick demonstration from Pei on how each tea should be poured, was great. I was completely ignorant to the fact that water temperature, distance its poured and technique of swilling as you pour all enhance the flavour of the leaves.

As we were invited to stay and relax Pei made up some extra teas to sample including a white tea with Jasmine and his "mistake tea" which was an accidental stumble across a combination of his Organic Golden Monkey (black tea) and Organic Emperor pu erh 2008 (red tea). Both of which were lovely.

"Mistake Tea" - Organic Golden Monkey &; Organic Emperor pu erh 2008

There is a small selection of food on the menu (all hand-made by Pei) but they are great snacks to eat along side the teas. We had the vegetarian char siu puffs (which are based on pork dim sum) and the berry nutty chocolate fudge as well as a scone with rose petal jam, which was unbelievably tasty!! We were also given some clementine almond cakes on the house.

Vegetarian Char Siu Puff

Berry nutty chocolate fudge & clementine almond cakes

Warm scone with rose petal jam and clotted cream

At the weekend Pei held the first Chaya Teahouse MedTEAtation in which a small group of people met up in the Koyoto Garden at Holland Park to perform the Chinese tea ritual...from what I understand the purpose is to forget about trivial everyday things (like Twitter/Facebook/phones) and concentrate solely on the tea; making it and sharing it with the other people in the group. I was unable to go along this time round, but plan to go to the next one on 19th June. (I think the MedTEAtation event happens once a month on a Sunday). To get an idea of what it'd be like check out Teanamu's Facebook photos.

If you're in the area or want to retreat for a bit of quiet time at the weekend, the Chaya Teahouse is open midday till 6 Saturdays and Sundays. It's definitely worth it!

The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town

2011-05-21T17:11:00.019+01:00

It's been open for a week and The Breakfast Club's Speakeasy cocktail bar, The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, behind the Smeg fridge, Spitalfields, is a MUST!

In a similar ethos to The Breakfast Club's 80s retro American kitch, this cocktail bar recreates that downtown Chicago/Boston bar with an air of underground exclusivity. This is partly to do with the promotion (if any) for its opening has been a simple website only giving contact details, a few hidden clues on Twitter and (mostly) word of mouth. Then there is the password 'Let The Bees See The Knees' to get 2 for 1 drinks; and of course the big question...'What's Behind The Smeg Fridge?' These little utterings can't help but inject you with a feeling of importance and guaranteed enjoyment that awaits!

So what is behind the Smeg Fridge?

The barmaid opens the fridge door to reveal a walkway down to the small low-lit bar.

There were roughly 30-40 seats, and the right level of buzz so that the music and chatter never needed to get too loud. Speaking of which, a constant selection of good tunes played, from James Brown to Roxy Music to Amy Winehouse (and a few gambles, like Hot Chocolate's 'Everyone's A Winner'), and a huge part of enjoying bars comes down to a decent soundtrack!

The menu (including a handful of food dishes and bar snacks) is designed for a manageable selection of cocktails with a black leather cover and a simple Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town logo on it.

We had a few cocktails each:

The Old Fashioned - with Woodford Reserve bourbon, orange zest and brown sugar

Rosie & Gin - with Bombay Sapphire Gin, pressed pineapple juice, rosemary and lime juice

Red Lady - with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, raspberries and egg white

Tommy's Chilli - with Jose Cuervo Traditional Tequila, red chilli, lemongass, agave syrup and lime juice

Mexican Mule - with Jose Cuervo Tequila, ginger beer, lime and sugar

Linchberg-Leith Lemonade - with Baili Nicol Jarvie Scotch, Grand Marnier, lemon juice and Fentiman's Victorian lemonade

The Rosie & Gin was stunning. Definitely my favourite! Smooth and fruity with a hint of rosemary. The Old Fashioned was also mixed well...I guess you know it is when the barman says he needs at least five minutes to make it!

Old Fashioned and Rosie & Gin

Mexican Mule, Red Lady and Tommy's Chilli

TIP: Don't get too carried away as the alcohol kicks in after cocktail #2!!

The Commissary, Holborn Studios

2011-05-14T21:31:00.015+01:00

The Commissary Bar & Restaurant is joined onto Holborn Studios on Eagle Wharf Road alongside Regent's canal. When the weather is behaving it's a great place to head for lunch and sit outside on the dock.

The interior is modern and artistic, with a big theme on cameras and film - due to being part of Holborn Studios. To paint a picture for you, on the way to the toilets there's a beautiful vintage projector and there a little images of clapperboards held by mini tripods for the table numbers.

They serve breakfast and lunch but on our visit we sampled the cheese board between three of us and the chunks of gorgonzola, stilton and cheddar were so generous that, for a brief moment, we thought we wouldn't be able to finish it all.

We did......

The accompanying pickle and celery sticks were perfect alongside these three heavyweight flavours.

The rest of the menu looks tasty and I did spy a couple of massive burgers going to another table to be devoured. The lunch menu changes daily but they have a sample menu which should give an indication of the style of sharable dishes on offer.

Because there are various different projects and shoots happening at the studios it's likely you'll spot some celebrities (or if you're lucky, some vaguely recognizable people). While sitting out on the dock, The Arctic Monkeys were sat a few tables away enjoying a quiet break from (I presume) a photo shoot. I'm afraid I didn't have the nerve to ask for a photo so instead of the Arctic Monkeys, you can have this one.

(He was attached to a plant inside the restaurant)

and a little video from their 4th album Suck It And See...

Bargain Bite: Udon Goodness at Koya

2011-05-13T19:52:00.019+01:00

Here's this month's Bargain Bite!

Koya, Frith Street, Soho

This little Japanese udon noodle restaurant has been rather popular over the past year or so and here's a few reasons why:

1) No Bookings - so if you're impulsive and can't decide where you want to eat until the last minute, there's no need to worry about booking in advance. Though some people don't like to queue, there's something simple and appealing about the idea of rocking up somewhere on the off chance of getting a table.

2) Fantastic Udon - obviously they specialise in udon noodles so you'd expect the dishes to be good. But they're better than good. They're wibbly, chewy, light and healthy good.

3) Other Dishes - there are plenty of other options other than udon noodles if you happen to be (or be with) someone who's not a fan of the chunky elasticity of them.

4) Satisfying - come on, either hot, cold, in broth or sauce, you know how satisfying it is to eat those slippery strings of wheat noodle!

Cold udon with tofu and cold sauce.

Cold udon with mackerel and poached egg

Bompass & Parr's Chocolate Waterfall

2011-04-26T15:58:00.020+01:00

The last time I ventured to a pop-up event put on by Bompass & Parr was a couple of years ago at their Alcoholic Architecture walk-in gin and tonic cocktail, in which you had to 'breathe responsibly' as you inhaled vaporized G&T in close proximity with a handful of other people all wearing white protective suits. It was a great idea to induce excitement from a low visibility effect a bit like Antony Gormley's 'Blind Light' installation, (except it was in the basement of a tiny building on Ganton Street). There was also some great indie-disco classics playing I seem to remember...

Antony Gormley's 'Blind Light' at Hayward's Gallery, 2007.

Image courtesy of www.josweb.co.uk.

And this easter weekend the two food architects put on another spectacle relating to one of my favourite pleasures in life...chocolate!

Not only was it timed nicely with easter, but it was also to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first movie Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. I somehow forgot to don a purple blazer and top hat, a la Gene Wilder, but this didn't stop me from enjoying the quick fix chocolate hideaway at Whitley shopping centre. It seems like they went for the psychedelic boat ride in terms of decoration, neon lights and soundscape, which worked really well to create a confusing and disorientating atmosphere. It wasn't very busy when I went along but I can imagine if there was a group of people it would have felt even better. One room was similar to the walk in G&T cocktail with a walkway full of mint chocolate mist that you had to walk through to get to a rickety bridge which sat across the flowing chocolate from the 7ft chocolate waterfall.

A big difference between this and the film was that you got to fill up a glass bottle from the waterfall and take it home to drink - unlike poor Augustus Gloop who got sucked away for drinking the stuff. You also got the choice of adding a flavour to the 'elixir' chocolate including juniper berry, fennel, frankincense and orange!

This project provided just the right amount of wow factor and fun for anyone who's a fan of chocolate and/or the film...at least they didn't overdo it and go for an actual boat ride or things could have turned out badly!

Cakeline (a sort of dateline for cafés)

2011-03-11T14:38:00.035Z

I've been going to a few cafés of late so thought I'd reveal their credentials to you in one go.

Café #1...Trendy, playful and ready to please. This nostalgic café is big on style.

The Breakfast Club. I've already posted about these guys and their delicious brunch offerings, however this time I sampled their pancakes (mainly because it was Pancake Day!). This café is fun-loving and knows how to satisfy a grumbly tummy with their American diner-style menu. You'll find their Soho, Hoxton and Angel branches all get pretty busy, but it's for a good reason.

English breakfast tea

Banana, Nutella and ice cream pancakes

Café #2: An arty type, this modest lover of vintage decor is the reliable type.

The Candid Café in Angel is a hidden gem. Behind Angel station off of City Road, this café is above the small Candid Arts venue. Full of intriguing paintings and vintage furniture, it's a lovely place to unwind, stop off with a friend, have a relaxed meeting or just sit and read a book for a while. They serve food all day and also have some lovely cakes on display (yes, I had one). Good and dependable this café certainly is.

Coffee and blueberry cheesecake

Café #3: Host to a busy lifestyle, this one's all about satisfying in a short-stop, no questions asked sort of way.

The Fleet River Bakery is tucked away behind Kingsway Road in Holborn and doesn't fail to attract a crowd. Selling Monmouth coffee and a lovely array of teas, along with some dangerously tasty cakes, (the peanut butter cheesecake in particular is a must!) There's freshly made salads, tarts and quiches if you're in the mood to take it one step further with lunch.

Eight butterflies green tea (cranberry, rose petals & chrysanthemum)

Bargain Bite - Pie Hopes

2011-03-11T12:51:00.011Z

Yeah, yeah, ok. I admit it's an awful pun but a valid one if you'll allow me to continue...

I managed to kill two birds with one stone and combine this month's Bargain Bite with British Pie Week!

The Punch Tavern in Fleet Street is a pub mostly inhabited by city workers by the looks of it but if you're heading along for some food it is worth enduring it. For a Thursday night it wasn't too busy and by about 8:30 it was comfortably full of a more manageable mix of people.

This pub has won a number of awards and most recently won a 'People's Choice Award' for their chicken and fennel pies. (As well as a few more for different recipes in 2010) So it seemed a great place to head down to for British Pie Week. Usually the Punch Tavern offer a chosen dish on the menu for £5 on a weekly basis, and seeing as they're known for their pies plus it being a special week for the cases of saucy, chunky comfort food, it was surely a match made in heaven.

There was a different meat or veg pie option each day of the week. Friday is the day they offer the award winning chicken and fennel pie, but when I went along steak & ale pie was on the menu and I can never pass up this combination. So steak and ale pie it was.

The pie was served on a mound of mashed potato and accompanied by carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. The gravy was almost fruity but still savory enough to match the gravy in the pie. The pastry was shortcrust rather than the showy puff variety which made it all the more appealing. It encased the filling the whole way round, so you don't feel cheated like with ones in ramekins topped with a lid of puff pastry. You know, a bit like when a woman takes off her padded bra and the reality isn't quite what was expected? Yeah, that.

The pastry itself was lovely and crisp the whole way round, with no soggy bottom! The only thing that was a bit of a let down was that I initially presumed the pies were made on site, but they're actually brought in from suppliers. There was even a questionnaire to fill in about the quality of said pies and whether they were worth purchasing in supermarkets. I think they were made by Dee's Pies - so watch this space if they appear on the shelves.* Despite this, the pie was great all the same and the filling was packed with juicy and tender chunks (and I mean chunks) of meat. I was expecting the portions or size of the dish to be smaller as it was on offer, but it was very generous and rather filling (no pun intended this time), especially just for five quid.

* It's ok don't panic! Dee's pies are made in-house, fresh every day. (Thanks for the update, Dave). This makes it all the more impressive and worth visiting the Punch Tavern to try out the pies!

The pub on the whole had a relaxed atmosphere and quite grand Victorian decor. They do a range of events from a pub quiz to poker evening to wine tasting as well. A table next to us had a fold-out poker table and were casually playing in the corner with platters of food. Oh - and they show various sports events on their TVs as well, which is always an added bonus for a pub.

All in all the Punch Tavern is a really good pub with a hearty and tasty menu. Prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and attentive and they do great classic British pies!

Bargain Bite! - Dotori

2011-02-10T21:55:00.013Z

It's not normally the best idea to eat directly around Finsbury Park station (best to wander further along Stroud Green or towards Highbury). But there is a saving grace. Just at the end of Stroud Green Road, right by the bus station, is a modest Korean restaurant called Dotori.

I've tweeted about this place a fair bit - and it was 5th place in my Top Ten London Restaurants of 2010 - but it warrants a spot on the blog for three very simple reasons:

1) The flavours in the dishes are beautifully balanced.

2) The portions are very generous (if you have the chilli calamari you'll know what I mean).

3) It is great value for money.

At first the menu looks a bit ambitious because of the amount of options they offer. But each time I've been they have delivered gorgeous food without fail. Dotori do the traditional stone pot Bibimbap dishes, a huge selection of sushi plates, bento, soups, noodle dishes and stews.

The king prawn and vegetable tempura is comforting, sizeable and the batter on the king prawns is so light and crispy it makes the dish filling but not stodgy.

The restaurant is quite tiny. I think they take bookings but if there's two or three of you, you can usually get a table pretty swiftly. Or if you're going solo - even better. There's some stalls to perch at by the window. The staff are friendly, efficient and happy to help. There's also an added bonus of fresh orange segments to cleanse your palette when the bill comes. Nice touch!

Go and visit Dotori if you're stuck for somewhere to grab a bite near Finsbury Park, you'll be pleased when you do!

Cheesecake-marbled brownies

2011-01-28T17:14:00.006Z

It was my day off today, and to treat myself I wanted to make brownies. So I had a scan for alternative recipes and came across this one by Smitten Kitchen. If you are a food lover and don't follow Deb's blog - what's wrong with you?! She's always posting some amazing recipes, and I especially love the ones for a sweet tooth.

This is a quick and simple recipe and doesn't require much brain power so there's no excuse not to give it a go. Head to Smitten Kitchen to view the recipe.

Here's how mine turned out...

Heat It Up

2011-01-25T20:28:00.008Z

If you fancy getting in the mood for Valentine's Day (or even if you'd rather show your affections on impulse), take a look at this list of restaurants which are perfect for a romantic rendezvous.

Top Table have compiled the list of bloggers' choices, including mine, which had to be none other than the ol' faithful, Andrew Edmunds!

The Chocolate Festival

2010-12-12T19:14:00.020Z

The Chocolate Festival took place this weekend (10-12th December) at the Southbank and at first I thought I couldn't make it as I was working all weekend. But when I told my boss all about it he let me leave work early so that I had time to catch the last 30 minutes before all the cocoa delights were packed away!

I bought a few treats from the following stalls:

Ooh La La Chocolaterie - a box of twelve truffles including lemon curd and elderflower, vanilla and black forest.

Cocoapod - some cute Christmas themed chocolate lollipops with edible transfer patterns.

Jaz and Julz - a pack of chocolate orange flavoured organic drinking chocolate.

There was also a stall for chocolate art. White Fox supplied a fashionable selection of jewellery, shoes, socks and mittens.

There was also an impressive model of a steam engine on a choccy railway track!

The Chocolate Festival takes place in London, Oxford, Brighton and Kingston and the next one is in April, so make sure you check it out when it's back in town. As well as products to buy there are freshly made crepes and baked goods all involving chocolate so it's difficult to walk away empty handed.

My Top Ten

2010-12-05T21:55:00.006Z

It's nearing the end of the year and the lovely people at Top Table recently asked me to give my Top 10 Restaurants of 2010.

So click on the link and check out which ones made it and why!

There are also lists from other brilliant food bloggers such as Gourmet Chick, Cheese and Biscuits and Hollow Legs. You can see which eateries are their favourites as well! (There seems to be a valid mutual love for Hawksmoor).

Rather Dishy

2010-12-05T20:29:00.008Z

This may be a bold statement but what the heck, Dishoom is my favourite London restaurant this year. Why? I'm glad you asked...

[Apologies for the lack of photos, my camera was absent :( I shall of course take some on another visit but don't let that stop you from reading and imagining how gorgeous the food is.]

Dishoom is the sound effect in Bollywood films where the hero whacks a good punch to his enemy. Or, as it suggests on their website, can be 'popular slang usage of the expression “Mojo”; e.g. “He’s got that Dishoom” '. So, they've taken both meanings and incorporated them into the style and presentation of the food and restaurant.

The ingredients for the menu are designed to taunt the taste buds, rather than blow your head off with excessive heat. The dishes are designed to have authentic flavours and touch on traditional Bombay dining. The biryanis are cooked and served in a clay pot, and you can expect to see familiar things like bhajis, samosas and classic tandoori grills. The berry chicken biryani may seem like a decent sized portion for one person, but it's far more enjoyable to share and order a few small plates so as not to get too full on rice.

If you're a fan of squid I have it on good authority from calamari connoisseurs that the lime and chilli coated calamari is very tasty and worth ordering. I personally loved the Bombay sausages. Bitesize chunks of chipolata sausage smothered in a masala sauce.

The drinks are a particular highlight as well. Serving your everyday cocktails with a twist such as herb infused Bloody Marys, Mojitos with Chai - Chaijitos, and Bombalada which is, you guessed it, a Pina Colada with herbs and spices that give a little extra to hit the spot! Ooh er.

When it comes to the tandoori grills the dill salmon tikka was cooked with just the right amount of spice and had a crunchy outer shell from being cooked on charcoal but well enough to avoid the fish becoming dry. In fact it was soft and almost juicy on the inside.

There's a sense of pride in the air from the service to the design of Dishoom. It's spacious, luxurious, even the ladies toilets have the extra detail of traditional trinkets in glass cabinets. This paired with friendly and professional service makes the dining experience almost like you are being doted upon.

If you've not yet been, I urge you to pay Dishoom a visit.

Top Marks for Mooli's

2010-11-27T22:57:00.010Z

This eatery has been on the blogs, tweets and food critics' lips as one of the best new places to eat at in London. I'd heard only good things about it so recently popped along to Mooli's with a couple of friends. As it happened, it was their 1st Anniversary and as a token gesture for celebrating this milestone with them, the owners, Sam and Matt, were personally handing out free slices of brownie. (Big imaginary appears above head).

Mooli's has a very select, to-the-point menu. It's designed to be tasty fresh Indian food on-the-go which meets the demands of a fast paced City but keeps authentic Delhi flavours in the food. This is something which somehow didn't already exist in London (or the UK come to think of it).

The ingredients are a simple combination for each choice of mooli, making your decision on what to order far easier, or at least I thought so. (A bigger pops over my head.) For example, the chicken option consists of mildly spiced chicken, apple, mint chutney and yogurt. This is the mooli I ordered and was very pleased when the wholesome warm silver bundle was served. It's an equivalent of a burrito in terms of quantity and concept. Something portable, sizeable and full of healthy, tasty ingredients. The only thing that might be a little frustrating is that it can be a bit messy to eat - but all the more reason to eat it up! Plus it makes the act of eating more enjoyable, having to lick your fingers and grapple with stray bits of salad. (Another in my book).

The other highlight from their celebratory evening were the £2 drinks. Wine, beer or mojitos all for two quid - yes please! (The mojitos are £4.85 normally which is still reasonable for Soho).

The special thing about these mojitos are the flavours: lychee, pomegranate and guava. I opted for the pomegranate one and was offered the option of added chilli for some warmth. As it was a cold night there was no excuse not to try it, and boy was it worth it. Little tip though, give it a good stir so that you don't get intermittent hits of chilli. (Brilliant combination, ).

This is decent fast-food that can also be eaten leisurely and an ideal model for expansion. I could definitely imagine a few more Mooli's restaurants making an appearance around London, and hope this happens in the next year because bundles of Delhi joy can never be a bad thing.

In short. Top marks Mooli's!

Indulge at Langan's

2010-10-20T15:58:00.029+01:00

After a gorgeous meal at Odins near the start of this year I recently paid a visit to its sister restaurant, Langan's Brasserie. Langan's is the larger and more popular of the two and just as enjoyable to dine at.

We booked in for a Saturday evening which was obviously busy, yet the waiters seemed to make us feel as though we were the only table they were serving. One slight inconvenience was that because the restaurant is very popular, they appear to have crammed in more tables than needed which meant the isles in between were very narrow to walk through.

But enough of the grumbling, it's only a minor detail to the whole experience. When it came to ordering, there was no hanging about so I won't waste any time letting you know what we had.

I started with potted crab which was fresh and lemony with the white meat at the top and then the deeper flavour crept through as I dug into the brown crab meat and cayenne pepper at the bottom of the pot. It was well chilled and went well with the granary bread, though I would have also welcomed toast to spread the crab meat onto. Seeing as it was September, this seemed to be a good way to give a last hurrah to the summer.

My Mum had the duck liver paté with toast and a redcurrent sauce. The paté was beautifully smooth and complimented the crunch of the toast.

Another stunning dish was the spinach soufflé with anchovy sauce. The soufflé was cooked to perfection but the thing that stole the limelight had to be the sauce, which was rich and buttery but balanced out with lemon and a kiss of anchovy. (Not a full on snog that you might expect from something as strong as anchovy.) I thoroughly recommend it!

Onto the main courses then. If you're like me and tend not to order a chicken dish because you eat the feathery free-range bird most of the time so order something you wouldn't regularly cook, then good for you. But, I have to say that I was rather envious of the roast maize fed chicken with thyme and sage stuffing on this occasion. A healthy hunk of half a chicken modestly accompanied by a rasher of bacon and a thin gravy was so tasty that I felt guilty for automatically dismissing it. I'm also usually hesitant when ordering a roast. Anywhere. Mainly because you tend to get ripped off on quality of the ingredients and quality of cooking. But to see it done properly is a pleasing thing.

A couple of the fish dishes offered a lighter dish but were still full of flavour including the salmon and spinach fishcake with parsley sauce.

The grilled lemon sole with parsley butter was also finely cooked and seemed a decent sized portion. However, the fish dishes aren't enough on their own so be prepared to order some extra sides. The leaf spinach, red cabbage and green beans were prepared so that they gleamed from the bowls. Be warned though, the mashed potato isn't for the faint hearted. It's extremely indulgent with either a lot of cream or butter in it.

And on to my main dish - the Saturday Special, grilled Scotch fillet steak with Bearnaise sauce.

I went for the standard choice of medium-rare, though I'm sure I would've been happy with just medium as well. This fillet steak was a challenge to finish (which I did), but a damn tasty one. The meat was a proper melt-in-the-mouth moment with a tender seal around the outside without that tacky texture you can sometimes get with steak if it hasn't been cooked well. The Bearnaise sauce was nice and thick and the tarragon and pepper softly shone through to make sure it wasn't too buttery. Pretty damn good to dip the steak, or a chunky chip, into.

Let's just take another moment to look at it.

Phwoar!

The desserts we had were the rice pudding, spotted dick with custard and a chocolate cheesecake for me. The spotted dick was light and quite crumbly with a lovely vanilla custard.

The cheesecake I had was delicious but I was sadly beaten by the sheer size of the slice. It was quite a thick texture and after the crab and steak to start it was a bit overambitious. If it had been half the size it would have been spot on.

Generally you can forget M&S for indulgence because Langan's is utter extravagance. Maybe next time I shouldn't be so greedy and just go for two courses...

Breakfast at Roast, Borough

2010-09-09T18:08:00.017+01:00

On the Bank Holiday Monday at the end of August we booked in to Iqbal Wahhab's renowned restaurant, Roast, for a breakfast treat.

English Breakfast Tea

Wahhab recently posted a valid rant on his blog to scrap Bank Holidays to make it fairer for those who have to work regardless, especially in the dining industry. But boy was I pleased that Roast was open as usual. I too had to work later that night and my breakfast set the day off to a great start, thank you!

It wasn't too busy at around 10:30 am and we sat at a table by the huge windows overlooking Borough Market. The morning light shone through perfectly which meant I could get some good photos just using my phone!

Looking through the menu I dallied with the idea of getting the fried egg and bacon buttie, maybe even the Eggs Benedict but deep down I'd already decided I was going to order the Full Borough (who was I kidding?). This was a combination of two Cumberland sausages, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, mushrooms, bubble 'n' squeak, black pudding, streaky bacon and a choice of fried, scrambled or poached eggs.

I ordered the dish minus the black pudding (still haven't acquired a taste for it...yet) and chose poached eggs which had perfectly cooked whites and burst with vivid orange gooey goodness under the knife. I don't usually have fried bread with a fry-up but I'm glad I did this time because it wasn't overly greasy and didn't have that horrible gritty texture and taste, instead there was a light crunch to it and actually held the flavour of bread so that it was more like toast.

Full Borough

Although it's not a particularly cheap way to have breakfast (at £15.00) you're certainly getting your money's worth with the quality of ingredients, the skillful cooking and the amount you get. I was genuinely still full by lunchtime so just had a snack until dinner.

The Veggie Borough was also incredible (and a little cheaper at 12.50) with two veggie sausages that were packed with flavour and herbs, grilled tomatoes, a tattie scone, wholemeal toast, mushrooms and a choice of fried, scrambled or poached eggs.

Veggie Borough

If you'd rather go for cheaper options the other breakfast dishes are on average about six quid which is very good value for what you're given.

The Breakfast Boosters looked tasty as well with a selection of freshly made juices - which are more like non-alcoholic cocktails, from taste to presentation. And the English Breakfast tea was a lovely brew to have with the Full Borough. Plus you get about four cups in the teapot which is a bonus! I slightly regret not getting the Silver Needle tea which sounds quite refreshing, but there's always next time eh?!

'Conscious Berry' Breakfast Booster

Verdict? Roast is definitely guilty of creating a special dining experience from when you're greeted as you enter the restaurant, to the service, to the refreshing interior design and of course the enjoyment of eating gorgeous, wholesome food.

When I go back it'll have to be for an actual roast - the haunch of venison looks lethal!

NB: There's also a food-to-go branch at Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush.

Bargain Bite: Cats Cafe des Artistes

2010-08-29T20:11:00.021+01:00

Bargain Bite!

So this month's find is a brilliant little family run Thai restaurant along Stroud Green Road in Finsbury Park - Cats.

When you first approach the restaurant you notice a panther jumping out of the sign above the entrance, then you get an eyeful from the interior design. There's garish animal print cushion covers and dark wood furniture. But despite the nonconformist decoration it's actually quite charming. Each table has a glass top with different currency notes underneath ranging from Sweden to Peru to New Zealand. There's also quite randomly an old 1920's style car to the left of the main door. Heck, why not?

Admittedly I kind of avoided it because it looked bizarre and only ate there earlier this month when Roman and I moved house. We were totally exhausted and needed sustenance. (Anyone who's moved before knows the drill - eat out or get takeaway, right?!) So we staggered round the corner to Cats and I'm so glad we did.

The food is incredibly modest for the price compared to the portions. I ordered the Massaman beef curry with sticky rice and had to ask for a doggy-bag because it was never ending. The beef was still a little pink which was spot on because beef in curries can be really dry and tough sometimes. The sauce was creamy with a satay-like flavour but with more spice.

Their fish dishes are also worth a try. The Pad se Ewe with prawns has nice fat prawns the size of big conkers and another dish to definitely order is the house special - or Cats Cafe des Artistes Special Fish if you want to be specific. It uses Tilapia fish which I'd never tried before and it's fairly sweet so goes well with a strong or hot sauce. It's more of a delicate white fish and is commonly eaten in Africa and I think you can easily buy it in quite a few fish mongers around town.

Tilapia - Cats Cafe des Artistes Special Fish

Pad se Ewe with Prawns

I've since been back to have one of their lunchtime specials which was vegetable spring rolls to start followed by Amber Chicken Curry (essentially Thai yellow curry) and boiled rice, all for £7.95! Absolute bargain.

You can also order pots of tea to share for two quid which are served in authentic Thai pottery that you'd probably find on local market stalls in Bangkok.

Lunch or dinner - Cats is great value for money.

The Cocker's Porked It

2010-08-29T19:02:00.019+01:00

The other weekend I was invited round to my friends' house for Sunday lunch.

We've started making a proper thing of it and share making the courses between us, so that someone sorts the main course, another brings a dessert and someone's responsible for the cheese course. (Depending on the rest of the food someone might do a small starter too).

This time round The Cockers (that's one of the couples) were in charge of the main course and boy was it good. Better than good. It was a mouthwatering treat from tongue to tummy. Sam made pork belly with fennel seed seasoning including on the crackling. Then there was the bed of blanched fennel, some baked carrots in balsamic vinegar and a huge batch of Gratin Dauphinois. Look at how good it was!

The pork was very succulent and the fennel seasoning had really absorbed into the pork. With such strong flavours the gratin dauphinois was a perfect suitor with it's comforting creaminess.

The carrots were probably one of my highlights just because of how simple the method was - baked with balsamic vinegar - yet they had such a smack to them! I'm also a big fan of cooked carrots having the right amount of bite.

Then for dessert The Greens (not vegetables, another couple) brought a homemade baked cheesecake with fresh fruits and raspberry coulis with a shortbread base. Some baked cheesecakes can be quite heavy but Helen made it really light and creamy. Cheesecake with fresh fruit is definitely the way to go...

We sprinkled a bit of icing sugar over the top for the photo.

Then we er...somehow ate lots of cheese to follow. I'm not entirely sure how we had any room or capacity for it what with the gratin dauphinois and cheesecake. Oh, who am I kidding? There's always room for some cheese. (Sorry I didn't take any photos of the board, but there'll be other opportunities).

Bargain Bite: Bi Bim Bap

2010-07-11T21:01:00.017+01:00

Bargain Bite!

Each month I'm gonna aim to recommend a place to eat or get a treat for a bargain price! I guess last month's can be The Tea House and this month it's Bi Bim Bap in Soho.

This Korean restaurant is very modest about what's on the menu. The main feature is their dol sot dishes - the ingredients are put into a stone pot (or dol sot) and served that way. You then mix together the ingredients (depending on which dish you order) with some chopsticks or a spoon.

Chilli Chicken Dol Sot

As you eat the heat of the pot keeps cooking away merrily and sizzles, keeping everything piping hot!

Dol Sot with Egg

The dishes start at around £5.95 and go up to about £7. The pots of tea are just £1, and starters or sides average at £4. Service is quick but it takes a while to eat the hefty portions seeing as they don't cool down in the stone pot.

Green and Oolong teas

Busaba Eathai - Store Street

2010-07-06T20:45:00.011+01:00

Busaba Eathai is a big favourite of mine. Great tasting Thai, served quickly, presented well and great value. It's owned by Alan Lau* who brought us the booming brand Wagamama and has the same concept - to enjoy a substantial meal, a choice of creative recipes and quick service.

And now there's a new branch right near Tottenham Court Road on Store Street. It's conveniently on a corner tucked away from the main road so it's not as busy as the original branch on Wardour Street, well known for it's lengthy queues any night of the week.

The great thing about Busaba is that it hasn't gained such popularity or expanse as Wagamama so there's a little more attention to detail. The design of the restaurants is warmer, inviting and rather than sitting at benches with randoms you eat at tables (sometimes with randoms).
The food is served in interesting crockery to give the impression they're what would be used in an authentic eatery in Thailand. If you order green tea in Wagamama you get a little white cup of tea...when you order tea at Busaba Eathai you get a lovely pot of Cha accompanied by a coconut and cashew cookie!

On a recent visit I had the rose apple with chicken stir-fry plus some jasmine rice. It ma sound like a mild dish but it's hot and packed with spice and flavour but calmed down by the rose apple. To be fair- most of the dishes include chilli which is in keeping with the way people cook in Thailand whether in restaurants or home cooking.

The jungle curry is also amazing. Creamy curry sauce with chargrilled chicken and aubergine plus some veg and of course a smack of chilli! It's really filling so maybe one to share between two with some Chinese broccoli?

If you've not been to Busaba, you must, and if you've only been to the Wardour Street branch and were put off by the queuing then I suggest heading to a different area. Store Street is great, there's a new one on Panton Street and they're about to open one around Old Street.

* Will the Alan Lau franchise ever end? Probably not with the affordable success of Wagamama, the Thai version Busaba Eathai and a similar project Cha Cha Moon. But Lau also has a great reputation for upmarket fine dining with Sake No Hana and his superb (but expensive) highly credited restaurant, Hakkasan. In a way I hope Busaba doesn't become as popular as Wagamama resulting in a mass expansion across the country because the character and attention to detail might get lost in the hustle of fast-food service.

Rum & Vanilla black tea

2010-06-22T19:39:00.004+01:00

My new fave place to get a treat for under a fiver is The Tea House in Covent Garden.

Loads of infusions and great flavoured teas including this extremely tasty rum & vanilla combo for £2.75. I was expecting the flavour to be overbearing but it was actually quite soft though the aroma is pretty strong.

The shop is full of decorative tea infusers, tubs and pots to keep tea in, teapots - including Japanese cast iron ones - and of course great tea!

The lemon and ginger fruit blend is worth a buy as well. I'm intrigued by the Chinese gunpowder range so will pop back to give it a try.

Courgette, ham & mozzarella muffins...mmmmm

2010-06-22T18:54:00.006+01:00

I pinched this recipe from the Yotam Ottolenghi column in The Guardian the other week and my oh my are they a fine savoury treat!

The recipe is by Dan Lepard, and you can find it here it you wanna give them a go. They won't disappoint.

NB: I found that the muffins stuck to the cases quite a bit so next time I'll have to find a way to prevent that happening. Or if you've got any tips please let me know.

Wahaca chillies progress

2010-06-01T23:10:00.014+01:00

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Here's an update for the chillies I've been growing from Wahaca. No chillies yet but healthy looking stems.

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Cake for Summer (sort of)

2010-06-01T15:46:00.035+01:00

British summer is rarely a season full of blazing hot sunshine, but that doesn't mean you can't have moment of pretence. Brighten up your kitchen with this summer inspired cake - a lemon, blueberry yoghurt cake to be precise.

The ingredients burst with juicy flavour and the yoghurt makes the cake creamier than using butter. It becomes a softer, almost spongy texture like baked brioche.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups or 6oz self raising flour

1 1/4 cups or 6oz caster sugar

1 heaped tsp of baking powder

A handful of ground almonds (not essential, leave out if you have nut allergies)

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup or 6 tablespoons of greek yoghurt

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2oz or 2 big handfuls of blueberries

For the glaze

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Zest of 1/2 a lemon

1 tablespoon of caster sugar

How To Make:

Pre-heat oven to 160 for a fan assisted oven and 180 for normal. Grease a loaf tin and dust with flour to avoid sticking. If you have an older loaf tin which tends to stick, use parchment/greaseproof paper to line the tin with.

Put the self-raising flour, sugar, baking powder, ground almonds and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and yoghurt and beat the mixture until you get a smooth, thick consistency.

Add the sunflower oil, lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract one at a time stirring in between.

Finally gently stir in the blueberries - keep them in tact so they can burst within the cake in the oven!

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and pop in the oven for 40 mins (checking half way that it's not burning). Put some foil over the top for a further 8 mins or so on a slightly lower heat.

In this time make the glaze by heating the 1/2 lemon juice with the tablespoon of caster sugar in a pan until it goes clear and then take it off the heat.

When the cake has done it's final 8 mins remove from the oven and leave to cool on a rack for 10 mins. While it's cooling add the lemon glaze to the top of the cake with a pastry brush.

As a final touch dust with icing sugar and sprinkle some of the leftover lemon zest over the top for a zing of yellow among the little explosions of purple.

N.B. There are variations on recipes for yoghurt cakes as they work really well with other citrus fruit and berries. Try mixing things up and replacing the lemon with lime or orange and the blueberries with blackberries, raspberries or strawberries. I plan to give the sublime looking lime and blackberry recipe by Smitten Kitchen a go!

Très Orné Odins

2010-06-01T15:31:00.025+01:00

Back in May the Davey family went out for dinner in full force for my Mum's birthday. Yes. May. I know I should've posted this ages ago but the sooner you can get past that, the sooner you can read about this restaurant worth knowing about...

We dined at Odins near Marylebone High Street - an Anglo-French restaurant which is part of Langan's restaurants. Now I was initially a little dubious of eating at this place for a few reasons:

1) it has a pretty awful looking website
2) the site says that Odins 'provides the perfect location for that romantic meal or relaxed business meeting' - neither of which are ideal for a birthday meal with your family
3) quite a few reviews were more complimentary about the art in the restaurant rather than the food

However...these points were forgiven (but not forgotten) after eating there and this is why.

The relationship between traditional French and English dishes are combined beautifully and sometimes surprisingly unusual. The pairing of poached egg with chorizzo on rustic toast is something you'd instinctively know went together, but add in a red pepper sauce to the equation and oh my, it sure works on the tongue!

The appearance outside of the restaurant isn't immediately inviting - large windows totally covered by curtains during the daytime. But it's probably to conceal the vast amounts of paintings and art inside.

The waiters and staff are composed and know how to tend to your needs. Glasses were kept full, they were amusing, polite and were hot on recommending food and wine. It was particularly impressive when one waiter de-boned the Dover sole in front of us before serving it.

The food was impeccably cooked. I ordered the beef from the specials menu (medium-rare). It was superb; tender, sizeable and had a brandy and peppercorn sauce which zinged and released more and more flavour after each bite!

As someone who's a lover of chocolate, I obviously went down that road for dessert and had 'Mrs. Langan's Chocolate Pudding'. I was a bit disappointed as most of it was whipped cream with a small base of chocolate sponge. However the rhubarb crumble with custard and the treacle tart with apple compote were delightful to round off a meal.

So essentially this is one of those places where you can't judge based purely on appearances (though it is important to get that right). See past the aesthetic flaws and enjoy what's important - the food!

A few more pics...

Wake up to Wahaca

2010-04-27T17:46:00.029+01:00

Wahaca in Covent Garden is a great spot in town for somewhere to go if you're in the mood to share dishes, order more than one thing and sip on Mojitos.

The restaurant (both the Covent Garden and Westfield branches) is the vision of Thomasina Miers; food author, presenter of Channel 4's Wild Gourmets and winner of MasterChef in 2005. Miers opened it in 2007 and in the three years it's been going, I've only just been. The incentive is to experience a Mexican market-style of fresh food and cooking in three different ways:

1) light dishes to snack on while enjoying the drinks menu

2) larger meals all to yourself

3) or antojitos which are smaller dishes designed for sharing

When I went along with a couple of friends recently, we each chose to order a few antojitos to share. They're split into the different ways to cook with tortillas; tacos, tostadas, quesadillas, taquitos and burritos, all of which have their own choice of fillings.

Beef Tostada

Pork Tostada

Chicken Taquito

Plus there are a variety of extra side dishes like their green rice (with coriander, garlic and onion), frijoles (black bean curd with cheese or chorizzo toppings) and spicy coleslaw. These come in some little terracotta ramekins and are enough to share between two people.

Green Rice & Frijoles with cheese

There's even the authentic puddings menu including Churros; doughnut-like sticks which are found across Mexico as a common pastry snack. The name comes from the Churro breed of sheep in Spain, as the shape resembles their horns. Different variations on the ingredients depend on which country you're in and Wahaca have obviously taken the Mexican way to enjoy them, which is with hot dipping chocolate. They're also coated with cinnamon and sugar to balance the bitter dark chocolate.

The prices are really reasonable for the quality of the food and amount you get. The menu advises that if you want the antojitos it's best to order 3 per person. I'd say if you're fairly hungry this is fine but if you're quite ravenous, go for 4!

A bar is situated near the waiting area which serves a combination of customers waiting for the next available table and people who just fancy a drink and some snacks. The design of the restaurant is a mixture of modern and authentic market with benches paired with chairs for the seating, an open kitchen at the back of the restaurant. There's also borrowed elements of Mexican marketplaces where they've recycled reclaimed timber for the walls and kitchen counters.

There are also some little packets in large baskets near the entrance and stairwell which look like you're generic complimentary matchsticks...but they're actually sachets of chilli seed so you can grow your own at home! Nice touch. I'm currently giving them a go myself. As they've only just started to sprout it doesn't look all that interesting yet. But I'll update with pictures of their progress soon enough!

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The chillies have begun to sprout. Fingers crossed they'll do well!

aMAZEing

2010-04-24T11:59:00.038+01:00

Usually I wouldn't be able to afford to eat out for an expensive night of fine dining. But the other day I got the chance!

My boyfriend, Roman, received a gift certificate to eat out at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, and after scanning the menus and various blogs for advice on which one to go to - we chose Maze. And boy am I glad we did.

For some reason I was inexplicably nervous when we approached the entrance (maybe because I don't get to visit many high-end restaurants), but the atmosphere was totally relaxed and welcoming I soon brushed that off at the door.

Upon arrival we were greeted with our waiter who took us through the menu options (the Chef's set menu or the A la carte in which you're advised to order two dishes per page.) We opted for the A la carte and studied the choices over and over before deciding. There was no rush from the waiter to order, and in the meantime the drinks waitress took our order for the wine. Unfortunately the two different bottles of Riesling that we asked for weren't in stock, but third time lucky she suggested another Riesling they did have. It was at a higher price which cost half of the voucher - but it was worth it. The Riesling Reserve, Trimbach 2007 was beautifully crisp and light with aromatic hints and as the night went on I noticed the full fruity flavours like peach, apple and lime. This was a perfect accompaniment for the dishes we ordered, especially the seafood.

Now for the food...

Round 1:

Quail, kohlrabi, cauliflower in ‘ras el hanout’, burnt onion reduction. Roman: "perfectly cooked, very gamey and the 'ras el hanout' cauliflower was a delightful new experience and the right accompaniment".

Salcombe crab, brown crab and toast sorbet, sea herbs, pickled black radish, apple vinaigrette: a really playful take on textures and temperatures with the sorbet, crab, salad leaves and radishes. Stunning presentation and colours.

Round 2:
Braised Dedham Vale lamb shoulder, wild garlic risotto, onion powder.

Confit of wild mallard, raspberry gel, walnuts and compressed celery: the mallard flaked into chunky bitesize pieces and the raspberry gel gave the dish a juicy finish.

Round 3:
Roasted hake in cured ham, chorizo and pimento purée, squid paint

Roasted sea bream, cauliflower and broccoli, mushroom cereal:. This was incredible how the balance of the crisp outer skin and the softness of the sea bream worked together to make a perfect melt-in-your-mouth moment.

Round 4:

Suffolk pork ‘cheek ‘n belly’, spiced pumpkin jam, red cabbage, crispy crackling

Roasted Muntjac deer, pine nut purée, baby beets, oats, seeds and juniper: extremely gamey giving off a strong earthy flavour which was accentuated by the catalyst - the juniper sauce!

Dessert:

Devonshire rice pudding, spiced blackberry jam, clotted cream and blackberry ripple ice cream which was scooped onto the rice pudding by the waiter from a tiny saucer.

Bitter chocolate délice, honey gelatine, honeycomb ice cream: devilish rich flavours and layered textures that worked beautifully together. It was really fun to eat as well!

Although the portions of the dishes were slight, the meal was still filling. I think that had more to do with the pacing inbetween each course leaving us to enjoy the experience, the wine and readily provided the fresh bread sticks and rolls.

The wine waiter inconspicuously kept our wine glasses topped up, and despite being told there was a maximum of two hours to be at the table - we ended up spending double that with no sense of being rushed.

The layout and interior design is classy, comfortably spacious and big on leather and wood. (On a side note, the toilets were also impressive. Single rooms rather than a communal one, with little hand towels in separators built into the wall, and Molton Brown handwash and moisturiser.)

If you're not shy of big expenditures then this will be right up your street, but if the prices are too steep try and drop hints for friends/family to get you a voucher for your birthday because it's so very worth eating at Maze; for the culinary precision, the remarkable service and an all round aMAZEing experience!

Mildred's

2010-04-24T11:59:00.018+01:00

So after an impromptu wander into Mrs. Marengo's on Lexington Street the other week and finding out it was the sister cafe to Mildred's on the same road, it was time to test out the larger sibling.

Again the menu is all aimed at veggies and vegans who don't always get the greatest choices in general restaurants (Ceasar salad anyone?). There's a great mixture of brunch, lunch and dinner dishes including burritos, tagines, Sri Lankan curry, vege burger of the day and sundried tomato and bean sausages.

I went for the daily special of tomato, aubergine, chickpea and green olive tagine served with flaked almond cous cous. The tagine was a real melt in the mouth texture and the cous cous obviously complemented it well. The flaked almonds were a nice touch as it gave that bit of crunch to the dish so it wasn't all about mushiness.

The burrito was also jam-packed with re-fried beans, corn and red pepper topped with tomato lime salsa, guacamole, smoked cheddar and sour cream and looked pretty filling (...get it?!).

You can tell the ingredients are well sourced and cooked well, but even so, I did find the pricing quite steep. The average dish costing about £8/9. It's quite hard to find a decent vegetarian restaurant in London serving creative and varied dishes so it would be a greater bonus if it didn't stretch the wallet as much if you turn up for lunch. Venues like Food For Thought in Covent Garden have the balance of great dishes, sizeable portions and budget prices to make it a hot spot for lunch.

But then again, seeing as restaurants serving a wholesome, tasty and healthy vegetarian menu is hard to come by, I think it's well worth going along for a post-pay day treat!

Easter Nests

2010-04-03T17:54:00.010+01:00

So as planned I made some Easter nests for Easter weekend. This is something I made when I was growing up and it looks as though I'm not the only one...check out Chris Skinner's little treats on The Redundancy Cookbook blog too!

I find Easter nests a little dry, so it's sometimes good to put some fruit into the mix. I've gone for dried cranberries as they give a little more juice than other dried fruit.
Here's how to make 8 nests...

Ingredients:
Dairy Milk chocolate (230g)
Mini Eggs
Shredded Wheat (2 1/2 pillows)
dried cranberries (a handful)

How to make:
Half-fill a medium sized pan with water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a medium heat and place a glass bowl over it. Break up the chocolate and put into the bowl. Stir regularly until the chocolate has all melted then remove the bowl and put onto the sideboard. Crush the shredded wheat into the bowl and stir into the chocolate with the cranberries. Spoon into the cake cases, pop some mini eggs on top and put them in the fridge to set for about 30mins.

And if you're in a crafty kinda mood, why not make/decorate a box to put them in if you're giving them as a gift?

Mrs. Marengo's

2010-04-03T16:10:00.009+01:00

I love stumbling across places I've not been before, especially when they turn out to be better than I anticipated.

After having lunch at Cha Cha Moon (see the post below), I was after something sweet and a dose of coffee. So my friend and I wondered around Carnaby Street then Lexington Street for inspiration until we stopped at the end of the road with a large Pret a Manger on one side and Mrs. Marengo's on the other, and I was won over by the cake display in the shop window that it was a no brainer to step inside.

It's a vegetarian cafe and cake shop whose sister restaurant, Mildred's, is just next door. They serve savoury food as well, but I was more interested in the cakes!

And my what cakes they have - most of which are glutenfree, wheatfree or vegan. The brownie, the victoria sponge and the fruit, nut and seed slice were all very tempting, but I couldn't resist the pretty glutenfree cupcakes.

My friend, Dave, braved it and went for the devilish looking chocolate and raspberry truffle cake! This was very tasty but was served in a rather big slice which I personally would've struggled with.

The latte also hit the spot, but considering that they use Monmouth organic coffees, why wouldn't it?

If you're spending the day shopping in the centre of town, I'd thoroughly recommend popping into Mrs. Marengo's for a quick stop to refuel; or if you work nearby get some food to take-away. The only thing that's slightly niggling is their seating, which are all high stools. In which case, if it's a good sit-down lunch you're after, it's probably best to go to Mildred's next door.

Cha Cha Moon

2010-03-25T12:40:00.011Z

I've been struggling with whether or not I should include Cha Cha Moon on the blog - mainly because the places I do put on here are places I want to recommend going to rather than to avoid.

Don't get me wrong, the food at Cha Cha Moon is fine, but in general the good points don't seem to outweigh the bad enough. I'm on the fence with this one, and here's why:

Good Points:

From outside to the interior, the decor looks as though you've stepped into a high-end fine dining restaurant, but luckily you've entered a place which doesn't cost the earth.

Alan Yau - the man behind Wagamama - opened this Chinese noodle bar alternative in 2008, and to many people's surprise with an astonishingly cheap menu. On average £3.50 per dish, result!

The produce they cook with is good quality, especially the poultry and prawns. My chilli prawn lao mian had some of the juiciest king prawns I've eaten in ages.

Bad Points:

The prices haven't stayed that low and the dishes average to about £7. This isn't extortionate but then the quality of the food hasn't gone up with the prices. So rather than a cheap eat which leaves you well fed and feeling smug for saving pennies, you get an average meal for an average price.

For a noodle bar, the quality of them aren't particularly appetizing. The noddles are served in big clumps which are difficult to separate and eat...

Unless you're going for lunch, expect to wait in a long, snail's pace queue tailing outside the restaurant.

So, three good points, three bad...and I'm still on the fence.

Maybe if you've been (either to the Soho or Queesway branch), you can help me out and decide for me as to whether Cha Cha Moon is remarkable enough.

Giraffe: Marylebone

2010-03-21T10:09:00.022Z

Love Eat Live

This is Giraffe's tagline, which is sprawled on the walls in the restaurant and on their website to hammer home that the idea of eating out is to enjoy your meal experience rather than rush through the standard arrive -> order -> eat -> pay -> leave. It's been a while since I've been somewhere where the waiters/waitresses quite happily chat and interact with you, (I don't mean in a tacky TGI Fridays sort of way), and make you feel welcome.

Timing

I booked a table at the Marylebone branch for my Dad's birthday. Now, when the family all head out for a meal (usually 7 of us) there's been many an occasion where the timing's not gone right and the food doesn't arrive at the same time, or someone's has gone slightly cold because it's been left to sit too long. But rather pleasingly, Giraffe got it right and for each course the food arrived altogether and in tact. It was also refreshing to not feel rushed while we were there, though we also didn't have to wait too long for our food to be served. This could be because we'd booked at a less busy time of 5:30pm - little tip for you there, you can have that for free!

Munchings and Crunchings

So what did we eat then? There was a good balance of food for meat lovers and the veggie crew on the menu and the combination of different cuisine means you can cater for ooh, say 7 people with different tastes. You can choose from Greek to Thai to Mexican to American, as well as separate breakfast and brunch menus.

To start I shared the Mezze with warm naan, which was a nice twist on the usual accompanying bread being pitta. I think it's meant for one person, but it was plenty to share between two if you're planning on a 3 course meal.

Next up I had one of the monthly specials - the Black Jack Quesadilla, with black bean chilli, red onions, cheddar & montery jack cheese and mushrooms, served with salsa, sour cream, raw slaw and a sort of balsamic/pesto dressing. It was warm, melty, crispy, tangy goodness and was split into about 6 slices and certainly filled a whole for a modest £6.95!

We obviously didn't all order the same thing, so here's a few photos of what the others ate.

Japanese King Prawns

Chicken Tikka Skewers

Farmer's Market Vegetable Burrito

"The Big Greek" Lamb Burger

Grilled Half Chicken Portuguese Style

BBQ Ribs with Chips

Special: Jungle Fish Curry

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the dessert! Most of the selection is quite chocolate based. Not a problem for me of course, but if you're not a fan (pff) I guess your main option is the crumble with apple and passionfruit, or sorbets.

But if you're not shy of a chocolatey end to your meal you're spoilt for choice. I passed on the brownie and the milk bubble chocolate cheesecake and went for the Belgian waffle with roasted banana, chocolate and butterscotch sauce.

The waffle was what it should be - big, filling and scrummy but I have to say I instantly got food envy over the milk bubble chocolate cheesecake. A much lighter and still devilishly chocolatey way to round off a good dinner. It actually had Aero Bubbles in it!

The tea and coffee menu was also quite exciting with Teapigs infusions or normal tea which come in a cute cast-iron teapot.

The latte's have different flavoured syrups, like hazlenut, vanilla or mint choc, if you're that way inclined. Or if you don't like your coffee meddled with, they do a good flat white.

Oh and...

One other thing which ticked a box for me was that it's clearly a restaurant which appeals to a variety of clientèle. You've got the friends who want a good catch up over a good value bite to eat; with the range of food styles to choose from it'd be a good place to take someone on an afternoon date; and families. We were a bit jealous that we didn't get the crayons and picture mats to colour in, but in the end my Dad got to leave with a balloon!

Nutberry's Clusters

2010-03-18T16:26:00.011Z

Just a quick post to confess that I'm slightly addicted to these snackable bitesize goodies!

The yoghurt muesli clusters to be precise - there are other varieties but these are my vice.

You can get them in Tesco and Asda, with around a dozen clusters in the pack, and the good thing about them is that they're quite filling so you don't scoff them all at once. (I didn't scoff this whole pack...I promise!)

I'm very tempted to make my own at some point, so I'll let you know when I do.

The Breakfast Club - Angel

2010-03-07T15:33:00.008Z

Brunch. Good weather. Sunday...all three in their own right are pleasant. But together they're a pleasure!

I went for a spot of brunch with a friend (on their recommendation) at the branch of The Breakfast Club in Angel. The chain of little yellow cafes serving breakfast, brunch, light snacks, milkshakes and cocktails are worth a visit if you like the following:

bizarre decorative interiors (think posters of 80s pop stars, furniture that doesn't match, massive cardboard cut-out of Elvis etc)
friendly staff who wear false eyelashes, just cos they feel like it
well made breakfasts, brunch and light snacks

Although the service was a bit slow - it was a Sunday at midday, their busiest time - the staff were helpful and infectiously happy. This may have been helped by the good weather, but I shan't complain.

I ordered the Eggs Florentine (£6.80) and a pot of Earl Grey tea, which was a treat! The salad garnish that accompanied it had a tangy dressing and the Hollandaise sauce was one of the nicest I've tasted. Not too strong to overpower the subtle flavours of the poached eggs and spinach. Yummy!

My friend Clara ordered the Scrambled Egg with Smoked Salmon on toast. This looked like a decent portion for £6.20 and well cooked. I'm not a fan of gooey scrambled eggs.

The only thing I regret was the food envy that kicked in when someone on the table next to us ordered a banana milkshake and the pancakes with fresh strawberries and blueberries. AND came with a separate pot of maple syrup to add however much you want! Why did I not order these?

This can only mean one thing...to go back and sample said pancakes and milkshakes. (There's a Cadbury's Caramel one!) Considering it was quite cramped inside, when I do go again I think it'll be to the branch in Old Street which is more spacious.

NB: You can check TheBrekkyClub on Twitter too.

Pork Meatballs

2010-03-06T19:05:00.007Z

Simple pork meatballs with rice...here's the recipe if it takes your fancy:

Ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 spring onions, chopped
1 red chili, finely chopped
handful of coriander, chopped
500g pork mince
50g pancetta cubes (or chopped bacon)
1/2 cube of chicken stock in 200ml boiled water

How to make:
Mix together the spring onions, chili, coriander and garlic. Then add to the minced pork and pancetta. Mix together well with a fork, and season with salt and pepper. Then pop some cling film over the bowl and leave in the fridge for 30minutes.

Make little patties (about 12) and slightly flatten. Sprinkle a little flour over the patties as this will give them a little extra cripsness to the outside. Heat a drizzle of ground nut oil or butter in a frying pan on a high heat. Add the patties and sear each side of them in the pan until golden. Turn down to a low heat and cook for a further 5-8 minutes. Add small amounts of the stock a couple of minutes at a time until it absorbs into the meatballs and becomes slightly sticky.

Serve with rice, and you're done!

Emni - Upper Street

2010-03-06T16:22:00.011Z

Angel is a great spot for places to eat out, mainly for somewhere to fill your stomach from a range of cuisine at a decent price. Examples? Well, if you're after Indonesian/Vietnamese there's Bannana Tree Canteen on St John's Street, (the 5-spice chicken and chicken in sweet and sour lime sauce dishes are particularly yummy); or you could venture along Upper Street to stumble across independent restaurants like the quaint Le Mercury with their classic French menu.

But in between these two venues is where we make our stop, at Emni for a modern Indian delectable dinner.

I went for the Pasliyen Chops to start and Chicken Chattinad for the main. The lamb chops were incredibly tender and packed a punch from being marinated in ginger and star annis. They left my mouth tingling (in a good way) until my main arrived.

The Chicken Chattinad was milder but still full of flavour with cumin seeds, tamarind and cinnamon. The accompaniments like the lemon rice and Peshwari Naan were enough to share between two people and surprisingly not too heavy.

Other dishes my friends ordered were also tasty and equally good to look at!

King Prawn Cutlet

Malai Scallop

Doora Kebab

Tandoori Duck

This was a particularly pleasing visit as Emni participates in the Taste London offer of 50% off the final bill (of up to 4 people).

There were a few bad points, however, which I'd like to get out of the way.

I didn't like the knives I'm afraid. A good knife should be balanced when holding it and these ones are bottom heavy with a bizarre twisty bit where you're meant to put your index finger. No need to favour design over practicality when it comes to cutlery!
One of the main course dishes came late and was cold when it arrived.
The waiter added a service charge for the original price of the bill rather than the discounted bill with the Taste London offer - so look out for that!

Despite these slightly irritating points, it was a lovely meal and one of the best Indian restaurants in the Islington area for quality and for value.

Banana Batch

2010-01-29T00:25:00.017Z

I've recently been trying to master a good banana cake after eating someone else's and getting cake envy. I've tried other people's recipes, changing ingredients, making it in two small loaf tins instead of one large, changing the oven temperature etc but by jove I think I've now cracked it!

Last night I concocted my best batch, but in a 'happy accident' kind of way. Mainly because I didn't have quite enough self-raising flour and used plain flour to top up the ratio. Now, I always thought this was a big no-no in baking...but as it turns out, it worked beautifully.

So without further ado, I give you The Banana, Pecan and White Chocolate Cake!

Ingredients:

125g self raising flour

50g plain flour

100g caster suger

75g demerera sugar

1 tsp baking powder

150g/4oz unsalted butter at room temperature, diced

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Generous squeeze of lemon juice

2 bananas, diced

100g Green & Blacks white chocolate, chopped

25g pecan halves, chopped

How To Make:

Preheat oven to 150. Grease a 2Ib bread loaf tin with butter.

Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. (The demerera sugar won't all go through the sieve so just add that to the bowl as it is).

Stir in the butter, eggs and vanilla extract until the mixture folds. Add the banana, white cholocate, pecans and finally the squeeze of lemon juice and stir well.

Add mixture to the loaf tin. Bake for about 30 minutes and check it's progress. You may need to put some foil over the top at this stage to avoid the top burning/over cooking.

Leave in the oven for a further 20 minutes. Remove from oven, take foil off and check it's progress by using a metal skewer to see if the middle of the cake has cooked through.

It probably still needs another 10 minutes, so leave the foil off and cook for 10 minutes until the top goes golden and the cake has cooked all the way through.

When done, leave the cake in the loaf tin for 5 minutes and then gently transfer the cake onto a cooling rack for a further 5 minutes.

Tasty Display

2009-11-16T18:19:00.017Z

I recently visited the National Portrait Gallery twice in 7 days - that's not too much is it? - to see two different exhibitions. The first was the Beatles to Bowie: The 60s Exposed collection of the musicians and models who epitomised the emergence of pop culture from the 'Swinging London' scene to Beatles-mania through to the progression of psychedelia.

The second was to check out this year's Photographic Portrait Prize. On this visit however, I wasn't feeling too good and needed a little sit down and a refreshment (any excuse, right?). So, not wanting to venture outside and wander about in the cold, I headed to the Portrait Restaurant on the 3rd Floor.

There's a different menu depending on the time you arrive. It was about 4:15 which meant we got the 'Afternoon Tea' menu. Settling for a Latte, hot chocolate and a sultana and apple scone I was expecting an overpriced snack.

What I did get, however, was a velvety Latte with a kick to it and a warm scone which had the right amount of crumble to it - just enough to keep it together with the clotted cream and jam.

The view is also quite impressive, with the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in the near distance, especially as the sky darkened and the lights of London began to twinkle. (Which reminds me, Christmas is a mere 5 weeks away!)

The afternoon coffee and scone came to £10 including service charge*, which is pretty good value considering it's within one of the Capital's more expensive areas and run by head chef, Katarina Todosijevic, whose background is with the Conran Group (now known as D&D London). I must visit again for lunch because the Beatles to Bowie Set Menu looks very tempting!

* Service charge is 15% but if you're just popping up there for a tea or coffee, you shouldn't need to pay more than a tenner.

British Sausage Week

2009-11-08T21:12:00.008Z

It was British Sausage Week this week. Here's a little bite (which actually turned out to be a rather large and very filling bite) a friend and I put together for lunch, off the cuff.

Just simply:

Sausages (oven cooked)

Houmous

Spinach

Baguette

Ketchup

What a banger!

Hotdog - Simian Mobile Disco

3 Hour Lasagne

2009-11-08T20:05:00.008Z

There's no doubt about it, a lasagne is one of the most comforting dishes ever. Especially one that takes 3 hours to make. If you've got time to burn get involved in some of this...it's a guaranteed classic.

Ingredients:

For the ragu

500g pork mince

500g beef mince

3/4 of 1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic

4 sticks of celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes

500ml red wine

200ml beef stock

2 x stem of rosemary

3 ball of mozzarella, sliced

handful of grated Parmesan

4 strips of anchovies, sliced lengthways

For the Bechamel sauce

1 1/4 pints of milk

pinch of ground nutmeg

1/4 onion

2 x bay leaves

50g butter

50g plain flour

How to make:

Cook the onion, celery and carrot on a medium heat for 15 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the crushed garlic and rosemary and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the mince and cook until the juices from the meat have absorbed. Then add 400ml of the red wine and cook for 45 minutes.

Once the meat has absorbed the wine, add the tomatoes and beef stock and simmer for 2 hours adding the rest of the wine in stages. Season with salt and pepper.

15 minutes before the ragu is ready, heat the milk in a saucepan along with the 1/4 onion, nutmeg and bay leaves.

In a separate pan, melt the butter and mix together with the flour. Then add the milk in stages to the butter/flour mixture. Whisk thoroughly until all or most of the lumps have gone. If there are too many lumps after about 5 minutes, sieve the bechemal sauce into another pan.

In a glass or casserole dish, layer up the lasagne as follows: lasagne sheets, ragu, mozzarella, Bechamel sauce, lasagne sheets, ragu, anchovies, mozzarella, Bechamel sauce, lasagne sheets, Bechamel sauce to cover the top layer, then scatter the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Put in a preheated oven set to 180, gas mark 4 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Hummingbird Cupcakes

2009-08-03T18:43:00.034+01:00

So I've finally attempted to make something from the Lantana cafe. I decided to go for the ever expanding popularity of the Hummingbird cupcakes. And here's how they turned out...

I had a slight tinker with the recipe as I was only able to make 12 rather than 24, but it worked out fine and the cupcakes were soft, golden and moist enough on the inside thanks to the banana and pineapple. The cream cheese topping could have been more stiff, which means I will of course have to make them again to get it right.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 cups demerera sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

75g unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 bananas, diced

1/2 can of pineapple chunks, drained

25g pecan halves, chopped

How to make:

Preheat oven to 160. Line 12 muffin wells with paper cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.

Stir in melted butter, eggs and vanilla until just combined. Gently fold in pineapple, banana and pecans.

Fill the muffin wells about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

Leave the muffins in the pan to cool for 5 minutes and then gently remove them from pan and let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting:

50g unsalted butter, softened at room temp

100g cream cheese

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of icing sugar

With a wooden spoon (or electric mixer), beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and vanilla until light and creamy. Beat in the powdered sugar until well combined and paste onto the cupcakes. Finally, decorate with some pecan halves.

NB: you could use walnuts instead of pecans.

Inamo

2009-08-03T18:43:00.014+01:00

So, I turned 25 quite recently and had the abundant task of choosing somewhere to eat out with my family. Now there are a few things to consider when picking a restaurant to satisfy my lot:

1) Portions must be filling

2) Atmosphere needs to be lively (but not raucus, let's not be silly now)

3) Menu must be varied

While pondering this I remembered Inamo. You can safely tick off all three requirements, and then scrawl down a few extra. I visited this restaurant months ago and knew I had to go back, if only for the battleships. You heard me, battleships! I'll get onto that in a mo, but let me tell you that relying on a waiter to get your order right need not happen my friend. Nope, you can order your food and drinks all by yourself. Each table has a projector above it which projects the menu onto the white table, and you control it with a small mousepad. It's worth remembering to pace your orders so that you don't get served everything at once! [note: this works successfully unless you are my father who failed to listen to this advice resulting in him receiving three main dishes at the same time, includine this pork dish]

And it doesn't stop there. You can play around with the table by changing the image projected onto it; or how about booking a cab if you've had a few too many beverages, or plan out where to head next with the interactive map? But the best thing has to be the games, which takes us back to battleships. You can play against the person opposite you while you wait for your food, brilliant!

Usually the idea of gimmicks and entertainment at a restaurant puts me off as it means not enough attention is given to making sure the food is a decent standard. But I was really surprised to experience some of the best food I've eaten at a restaurant in a long time. No, really.

Between seven of us we had quite a variety off the Oriental fusion menu, and by no means did any of it disappoint. The prices might seem high, but the food matches those prices. We had the aromatic duck pancakes (which the waiters shred for you once they've served it), the Thai red curry, the baby crispy prawns - with an extremely light batter and the Berkshire pork neck. I shared the duck leg with pancakes with my sister, which was lovely and tender. I also had some grilled black faced lamb chops with moromi miso and kim chi which was cooked to perfection, mostly pink with a bit of bite around the edges.

The desert didn't disappoint either. The black sticky rice with fresh mango was gorgeous, but a good one to share as it's very sweet. I've had a similar dish in Bali which I loved even though I'm not a huge fan of rice pudding. The mini chocolate desserts were delicate and looked so cute.

And what meal isn't complete without coffee and tea afterwards? I went for the chamomile flower tea which came in a gorgeous pot and glass cup.

Lamb, Walnut & Pomegranate Tagine

2009-05-10T22:22:00.012+01:00

I cannot stress how delicious this is...but what trumps the taste is the fact it's so simple to make. I cooked this the other day and my flatmate demanded I should make it again soon (I'm scared of what will happen if I don't). *pretentious alert* If flavours were Hollywood actors, this meal is Ocean's Eleven, a mix of a-list and underrated combined to pull off the unexpected with such audacity you can't help but love it! I'll let you decide who should be the pomegranate...

Ingredients:

Lamb - 750g shoulder joint (usually 1/2 shoulder)

2 tbsp plain flour - seasoned with salt and pepper

1 red onion - peeled and diced

3 cloves of garlic - peeled and finely chopped

1/2 stick of cinnamon

75g walnuts - chopped

2 bay leaves

1 pomegranate - de-seeded

500ml pomegranate juice

How to make:

Dice the lamb and toss into the seasoned flour until all pieces are covered.

Heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add half of the lamb pieces to the pan and cook for a few minutes until they've evenly browned. Remove from the pan and do the same with the remaining lamb pieces. Add the first batch of cubes back to the pan and turn the heat down.

Add the chopped red onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, walnuts and bay leaves to the pan and stir thoroughly with the lamb. Cook for up to 5 mins until the onion is translucent. Stir regularly to avoid anything sticking to the pan.

Add 250ml of the pomegranate juice into the pan and simmer very gently for 1 hour. Add more pomegranate juice in stages and a little water when it starts to get thicker.

When ready remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and sprinkle with some of the pomegranate seeds.

To accompany the lamb tagine I made a puy lentil salad and used the remaining pomegranate seeds like so...

Cook the puy lentils for 20 mins in boiling water. Add more water if it starts to dry up.

For the dressing stir together 2 tbsp olive oil, juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1 tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper.

Once the lentils have cooked and cooled off slightly, mix them with some spinach, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate seeds and the dressing.

Reliable Risotto

2009-04-06T21:19:00.010+01:00

Almost everyone has their own 'old reliable' when it comes to risotto (and I'm about to boast mine). I don't think you can ever go wrong with an oozy prawn and mushroom risotto quite frankly. So here it is:

Ingredients:

1 small onion - diced

knob of butter

3 or 4 handfuls of arborio rice

1 litre of chicken stock

g king prawns

a handful of frozen garden peas or soya beans

2 handfuls of oyster mushrooms

a glass of white wine

a handful of grated fresh Parmesan (save a little for sprinkling at the end)

fresh parsley - chopped

How to make:

Melt the butter on a low heat and add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.

Add the rice and stir with the butter.

Pour in enough stock to cover the rice and bring to the boil on a medium heat.

Simmer until the rice has soaked up the stock then add some of the white wine. Pour in some more stock, simmer until most of it has absorbed, and add the rest of the wine.

After about 10 mins add the king prawns.

Keep adding the stock in stages until the rice has swelled to a tender state. This should take roughly 20 mins, but taste the rice to check it's tender enough (and still has a slight bite to it).

In the last 5 mins add the oyster mushrooms, peas/soya beans. Once they've almost cooked through fold in the fresh chopped parsley and grated Parmesan and cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan.

Et voila!!

Canteens get Class

2009-04-06T11:18:00.009+01:00

I consider canteens quite the underdog of eateries. Commonly associated with schools and workplaces, they've also become accepted into the dining culture, mainly due to the infusion of Asian cuisine and now canteen restaurants like Wagamama, Cha Cha Moon and Busaba Eathai are popular and reliable choices.

I think this is down to three things:

1) prices don't make you limit your order

2) service is pretty swift

3) they have great atmosphere

Point 3 is one of the most important as it's what a canteen is all about. Lively, an eavesdropper's dream and full of satisfied faces. Though the great atmosphere probably has a lot to do with points 1 and 2. Which is where Canteen (a canteen called Canteen) differs. It's prices are high but reasonable for the organic local produce they cook with. It's much larger which means you're not squashed up with other diners - not so good for eavesdroppers; and service is at a regular pace. It's essentially a restaurant disguised as a canteen. So once you accept this it becomes an enjoyable meal.

The menu is mostly modern British food. I went for the lamb and mint pie, mash and cabbage with gravy at £10.50. Seems a bit steep, but tastes great and really fills a hole!

I'm not much of a fan of macaroni cheese, yet theirs was surprisingly light, and had just the right amount of crunch to the golden brown top.

Verdict: too much class and pleasantries to be a true canteen, but very worth a visit if you appreciate free range and organic produce.

Coffee Cake

2009-03-16T19:46:00.020Z

The other weekend I went in search for a satisfactory place to have a spot of brunch in Crouch End, a hub of quaint cafes and boutique shops, so you'd think I'd have no problem finding somewhere. But no, the one I selected was a bit of a disappointment. I won't dwell on it as I don't really want to waste space on this little blog with places I've not enjoyed, but serving bog-standard wholemeal sliced bread from the local supermarket with warm chargrilled veg, causing it to go soggy and limp? Doesn't cut it I'm afraid.

Afterwards however, what really rubbed it in was when I wondered past another cafe called Coffee Cake, full of promise and delightful treats from both the savoury and sweet camps. This meant only one thing, returning to Crouch End to pay this place a visit in order to make up for the lacklustre effort I'd just experienced. So this Saturday I trundled my way back to the village within London and made a b-line down Broadway Parade for Coffee Cake. Upon entering, I couldn't help but feel a little like a kid in a sweet shop, and would've quite happily run up to the counter and scoffed my face with the dangerous looking deserts, had my sensible side not kicked in and made me head for a table in a reserved manner - damn you sensible side!

The menu is listed on the several blackboards on the brick walls though it's more enjoyable if you go and investigate what's on display to choose what you want. I opted for the crayfish and spinach tart with black-eye-pea, farro, spinach and garden pea salad, which came to around £6.50. Not a winner on the budget front, but so very worth it. My friend had some of the baked salmon with chili and a choice of three salads: I think sweet potato, a Bhutanese red rice one and mozzarella, spinach and fig salad. There were about ten different tarts and quiches, eight different salads, sour dough breads and pastries and that doesn't even touch upon the breakfast menu. (I spied the people next to us having generous portions of eggs Benedict).

Pretty much everything you see on display is available for take-away, which is an added bonus as it meant I could take home a gorgeous looking sweet thing that was probably terribly bad for me. I didn't do things by halves either when ordering some of the apple and rhubarb crumble. How was I to know I'd be given a portion of epic proportions?! I'd like to think I couldn't possibly have eaten the whole thing myself had I not offered some of it...but deep down I know I would've polished the lot.

I'd recommend heading here either for brunch or a large late lunch. The staff are very welcoming, it's quite family friendly as well as an ideal place to catch up with a friend, and surprisingly it doesn't get too busy even for a Saturday. My only qualm would be that the coffee is more bland than blend, and wasn't hot enough when we received it - I probably should've gone for one of the freshly made juices or smoothies. Ah well, next time me thinks.

Beast of Burger

2009-03-09T21:10:00.011Z

Having an urge for a burger usually hits me in quite an impromptu way, with a slight jab to the stomach and resulting in an uppercut to the head - which usually means I must eat a burger. Soon. This urge came across me this afternoon, which meant I had the time to go and buy ingredients for said burger rather than taking a trip to somewhere like Camden to score at Hache (which I must blog about soon).

So if you're anything like me and need a quick failsafe reliable recipe for a hearty burger to use you as a punching bag, then try this one for size...

Makes 4 beastly sized burgers

Ingredients:

250g of beef mince

1/2 a red onion (or 1 small one) - finely diced

1 large clove of garlic - crushed

2 spring onions - chopped

A few sprigs of fresh parsley - chopped

1 large egg - beaten

Salt and pepper for seasoning

A few pinches of dried chili

Splash of red wine

How to make:

Heat a knob of butter in a pan and cook the red onion, garlic and chili until soft. Add to a bowl and mix together with the mince.

Mix in the beaten egg a little at a time.

Add the spring onions and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper and add a splash of red wine to the mixture.

Split into 4 patties.

Preheat the grill to 180 and cook the burgers for about 25 minutes - turning every 10 minutes or so.

Use a knife to cut into the middle to check if they're cooked. If the juices run clear and no blood escapes you're ready to serve.

(Before a good grilling)

If you so wish, serve with a bun, tomato and salad in the classic fashion. Though I just had it sans bun with salad and some flakes of melted mature cheddar.

Tea Total

2009-02-28T23:28:00.019Z

As a big fan of tea, it's often hard to find a good place to visit for a pot of brew to help wind down, and I'm too often bitterly disappointed with the bog standard English Breakfast tea in most cafés. Help is at hand though if you favour loose tea leaves with a taste that packs a punch, in the form of a little tea shop called Yumchaa - yum cha simply meaning 'drink tea' in Cantonese. There's a branch in Camden, however there's another quaint dwelling on the corner of Berwick Street/Noel Street, where I happened to pass and promptly enter!

On first entering the shop I was taken by the displays of hearty cakes and muffins, until I gave a sharp double take when I caught a glimpse of the rows of teas on offer inside tiny-tiny milk jugs. But what's more is you can sample the tea options before you decide on what to drink, with nowt but your nose. At £2 a pot it's more than good value, with various infusions of black, green and fruit teas. I've enjoyed both the Regent's Park fruit tea and the Earl Grey Blue Star, but whichever takes your fancy you're equipped with a one cup teapot (though it generously gives 2), strainer and mini milk jug if you require it.

The decor is homely and calm but at the same time quite vintage with white-washed cabinets and heavy wooden tables, plus they always seem to be playing great music to fit the tone - Al Green and Otis Redding on my last visit. The staff are friendly and helpful if you're struggling with which tea to try, the Regent's Park tea was a recommendation of which was spot on. I'm yet to have tea with someone else at Yumchaa, but so far have enjoyed the experience of going on my own that I might find it a little less special to share. That may be selfish, but it's hard to find a great place to unwind with a book or paper.

Oh yes, those cakes I was on about....

Sushi Centre

2009-02-10T20:44:00.016Z

That subheading probably comes across like I'm referring to a large place where much activity occurs involving a mass of Sushi with (pro)portions to settle a hundred growling bellies, but as much as I'd like such a place to exist, I'm going to lead you down a path to a humbler restaurant at Centre Point.

Yes, odd as it may sound, the Centre Point Sushi Cafe is a must for anyone who loves Sushi. I'm not talking about pre-packaged or conveyor belt basics here, I'm on about the expertly rolled, cut, cooked and presented Sushi in an authentic league of it's own. I've visited this restaurant quite a few times after first being taken on a recommendation - that person deserves a whopping kiss on the head for suggesting this little gem - and on each occasion it's consisently impressed. It's another place tucked away, (you may find this a running theme with my posts as I find that generally, well, the best ones are), tucked away within Centre Point, on St Giles Street, above a Korean grocery store. The unlikely location is probably the reason for the minimal amount of customers, but this needn't bother you, you've got a vast menu to consider.

Prices are good value for the quality of food served, the only problem you might have is curbing your orders, the Sushi here is far too moreish for its own good! However, if you are sensible and only want to select a few dishes may I recommend the salmon Teriyaki, chicken katsu and Tamago Nigirizushi (omlette topped).

But if you really want to treat yourself, they do plates of 6 piece Makizushi rolls with various fish options including an impressive softshell crab - just be cunning about the way you eat these little displays of art.

Rocky Road - Cranberry & Macadamia

2009-01-29T19:05:00.019Z

Treat alert!

I've been dying to make some rocky road for days now, and seeing as I had a spare half hour, and a lot of dark chocolate winking at me, there was no excuse. When it comes to biscuit based chocolate treats I tend to want a bit more colour and subtle flavour as the bitter dark chocolate can hog the limelight somewhat. I've tried it with dried cranberries and macadamia nuts and it really balances out and adds that extra hint of flavour to compliment the chocolate.

Preparation time: 15-20 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

125g soft unsalted butter

300g dark chocolate (Green & Blacks is great)

200g light digestives

100g marshmallows (cut into quarters or use mini marshmallows)

40g macadamia nuts

40g dried cranberries

Place the digestives in a plastic sandwich bag/cling film, tie the end and bash it with a rolling pin to get various sized chunks - largest needs to be roughly 2cm.

Chop your macadamia nuts in half/quarters - leave a couple for later!

Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a pan over a low heat.

If you need to cut up your marshmallows do it now, and into quarters.

Pour 3/4 of the melted butter and chocolate into a mixing bowl, and add your crushed digestives, nuts, marshmallows and cranberries (leave a few cranberries for later) and fold altogether.

Line a 24cm/9in square tray (or any shallow tray you may have) with greaseproof paper.

Place the mixture into the tray and pat down so it's packed in tightly.

With the remaining 1/4 of chocolate in the pan, lightly reheat it so it's back to a melted state, then pour over the top of the mixture in the tray.

With the leftover macadamia nuts, place them into a sandwich bag/cling film, tie up and bash with a rolling pin until they're ground to tiny pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the mixture in the tray.

Pop a couple of cranberries over the top for some colour too.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

When ready cut into fingers.

You should have about 20-24 pieces.

If you have an alergy to nuts the recipe will obviously still taste lovely without them (the biscuit gives all the crunch factor you need).

Where in the World...

2009-01-26T11:04:00.008Z

After a long shopping trip on Saturday to that new beast of a complex in Shepherd's Bush, I felt a good feed was warranted, and luckily there were many a place to eat. It is mostly your chains like Yo! Sushi, Wagamama, Nandos etc, and while I am a big, well alright huge, fan of quick-bite-on-a-budget meals, I wanted more. So I went for pizza at the plaza. But this is not just any pizza, oh no, and it all depends on where in the World you choose to go.

Fire & Stone have devised a fantastic approach to toppings by categorizing them into continents and countries, which means if you fancy Thai green curry chicken, Bavarian roast pork or even Peking duck, you certainly can and it comes disguised as a pizza. I was feeling quite adventurous and ordered the Bombay - Tandori chicken with mint and cucumber yogurt, broccilli and mango chutney, I kid you not. I must admit the broccilli stumped me and didn't quite work with the other toppings, and on the whole it tasted how I imagined it would - like a curry on top of slightly odd Naan.

But it does work and is a fun place to go in a group so you can try out the various places you were anxious to order yourself! If you'd like to play safe though, I'd recommend the Melbourne - roasted butternut squash, brie and toasted pumpkin seeds, melt-in-the-mouth lovely. If there's one quam I have with Fire & Stone, it's that their knives aren't sharp enough to cut into the base and the edges of the pizza base get quite hard as it cools. So it's probably best to eat around the edge before delving into real deal.

It appears as though there's only two branches in London, Westfield and Covent Garden (and yes I've been to that one too). Both have disabled access, wonderful decor and incredible wood-fire ovens within a gigantic copper funnel which is proudly centred for everyone to see.

Return To Cookie Mountain

2009-01-24T12:40:00.008Z

After recently watching 'Stranger Than Ficiton', I got a sudden urge to bake thanks to Maggie Gyllenhaal's character Ana Pascal. So I scanned the web, shunned a few suggesting ready made American cookie dough and came across David Lebowitz's recipe for a classically scrummy cookie, but amended a little as to suit me.

Either take a look at his, or follow the recipe below:

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) firmly packed demurer sugar
8 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1cm cubes
1 large egg (whisked)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda/powder
1 large cup (175 grams) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 big bar (200 grams) chocolate (normal - not cooking chocolate)
1/2 cup(100 grams) walnuts or pecans, crumbled

Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C). Line three baking sheets with grease-proof paper.
Chop up the chocolate into 1/2cm chunks.
Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the whisked egg, vanilla essence, and baking soda/powder. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chunks and nuts.
Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (10cm) balls and place them, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets (they spread).
Bake for 20 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Swap the trays over half way through. When done remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

(Little did he know it makes about 15-20 cookies).

Lantana

2009-01-24T02:42:00.013Z

After scouting out a span of standard coffee houses in central London, I stumbled across a little beauty.
Lantana, tucked away between the more well known heavyweight foodies of Fitzrovia (Salt Yard, Fino's), modestly welcomes you to enjoy some of their honest coffee. Now when I say honest, I mean coffee that's not tainted by Starbuck-esque syrups and enough frothy cream which would go to better use in a mock-up custard pie attack on Bush. I ordered a flat white which came with a subtle leaf signature atop a comforting cuppa - though I did flirt with the idea of a long black!

The decor of the the cafe is clean, comfortable and intimate; perfect for taking a date, meeting a friend or trundling along to with your laptop to escape the office. The staff have a wonderfully relaxed antipodean attitude (it's an Australian cafe) which makes a refeshing change from the franchise androids. Their menu is another bonus if you're feeling hungry - I would normally say 'peckish' but the portions you get here aren't for the peckish, which is brilliant! The first time I visited Lantana I went for the Moroccan lamb skewers with flatbread and mint yogurt served with a choice of two salads; as you can see it's rather impressive, and delicious.

After such a good experience, I thought it might be too good to be true, so I took my flatmate along for lunch to see if I'd enjoy it as much second time round. Last time I had already eyed up the various cakes on show, tantilizing me to come back for them. So I did. And went for the Hummingbird cupcake which was a scrummy combination of banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnut and pinapple with citrus cream cheese frosting and some sexy coconut flakes to finish it off. Divine.

I'm following the owner, Shelagh Ryan's blog scramblingeggs where she logs her endeavor to bring Londoners the best coffee experience, and lends some of the recipes from their menu. I'm sure I'll have a crack at some of them soon, so I'll let you know how I get on. And in the meantime, go and pay Lantana a visit, it won't disappoint.