Brussels - La Tortue du Sablon

I apologise for my lack of recent posts.  I have been oh so busy what with summer, friends visiting, trips abroad, festivals and carnivals.  But now that we've had our last bank holiday, the weather is getting cooler and summer turns to autumn, I will have a lot more time to post regularly!

I thought for this one that I'd do a review of a restaurant in Brussels.  Before going, I had read that while there is not a whole lot to do in Brussels, the food is one of the best in Europe.  So when our hosts asked what type of food we wanted for lunch, the immediate answer was the typical Brussels meal - moules frites!

We decided on La Tortue du Sablon, which translates to the turtle of the Sablon - one of the most prestigious and attractive areas in Brussels.  It is a beautiful little restaurant specialising in seafood.  On arrival we were offered a glass of champagne with a hint of lavender - don't mind if I do!  For food there was a choice of menus - the set menu of the day, a couple of other set menus or the a la carte.  Two had the set menu, one had a specially made vegetarian set menu and I had the moules frites.

The set menu consisted of a starter of fois gras rolled in crushed hazel nuts and a main course of half a lobster served on a salad of greens and beans.  The vegetarian menu began with vegetable tempura, served with wasabi cream, followed by raclette covered with truffles.  The moules came in a white wine, garlic and cream sauce, with a side of french fries (of course!)

All of the food was well cooked and a real delight.  I have to say that with food like this, because I really like quite aromatic food, I can find it quite bland.  This meal though was well balanced and delivered on everything.  Overall though, the best part about the visit was the service.  When we explained that was had a vegetarian, the chef came out from the back to explain what he could make to ensure that the customer was happy and the waiter was extremely friendly and attentive, without it feeling like we were being constantly watched.  A very pleasant meal!

Rice and kimchi at Bibimbap

Bibimbap - what a name!! It was almost worth going there just for that. It was actually our second choice on this Thursday evening, but the wait for Polpetto was just too long and we were too hungry. This place had been recommended just that week by a foodie friend, so I was keen to try it anyway!

As the name suggests, the food is of Korean origin. Korean food seems to be getting more and more popular now adays. Suprising really as it is all quite spicy and very flavourful - possibly unappealing to those with a more delicate pallette.  But I guess it's just like Thai and Vietnamese food, which have both grown significantly in popularity over the years.

We began with a shared starter of vegetarian dumplings and kimchi, which were both totally delicious. We then followed that up with a bi bim bap.  Bi bim bap refers to a dish of rice with various toppings served in a hot, heavy stone bowl. There are quite a few vegetarian choices on the menu - from a selection of mushrooms, healthy vegetables, tofu or kimchi - a spicy pickled cabbage. Meat eaters can choose from chicken, spicy pork, seafood or beef - cooked or raw, which cooks in the hot bowl. You also have the option of having it exta meaty and/or with a fried or raw egg on top. I went for the spicy pork while my companion tried the tofu. Hot sauce and miso paste arrive on the side and are a great addition.

I was impressed, the meal was really good - filling and tasty without being overwhelming and the hot bowl is great as it keeps you food warm for the duration of the meal. Perfect for eating and chatting!  Overall this is a nice quick place for a decent and inexpensive meal - for two courses and a glass of wine, you can expect to pay just over £15 per head.

Afternoon tea at the Connaught

My mother has always wanted to go for tea.  The Ritz or something like that.  Although I'm not really into sweet foods, I was also interested so offered to take her for her birthday this year.  Ideally I wanted to go to the Langham or the Goring, but as expected both were fully booked For months.  So after a bit of research I settled on the Connaught - which was a great choice!  The hotel is conveniently located in Mayfair and while the tea room is relatively small, off the entrance of the hotel, the windows are large making the room very bright and airy.

The feast began with a choice of tea - I went for Earl Grey while my mother chose Jasmine - and a selection of sandwiches and pastries.  The pastries included chocolate and caramel mousse, which was was the best, a strawberry tart, was also good, and the raspberry and pistachio one was interesting - a good interesting - to name a few.  The savory sandwich selection included foie gras in brioche, which was divine, and a mini smoked salmon sandwich.

That was followed by a selection of scones and jam.  The selection of jams was huge - we went for the safe choice with the raspberry and exotic with pineapple.  The scones were lovely - we had requested only the plain ones and they were really light and airy.  Finally came the cake and by this time I was very full.  I had to have a mouthful of each - the berry cake was not to my taste, very perfumed and overly sweet.  The chocolate cake on the other hand had a lovely deep, dark, lingering chocolate taste.  I was done with sweet food by then though, so a bite was more than enough.

I was most impressed with the service.  Not only was it impeccable, but they also gave us a lovely surprise!  In the comment section when making the online reservation, I had noted that we were celebrating my mother's birthday.  Halfway through the tea they brought over her very own chocolate and caramel mousse pastry on a plate with happy birthday written across it in chocolate.  Happy birthday mother!

Wright Brothers take 2!

So for our second visit to Wright Brothers, we went for mine and my mother's birthday.  She had said she wanted seafood, so this was the obvious choice.  We were going to meet somewhere for a drink first, but being a Friday night and raining cats and dogs, we ended up all meeting in the bar of the restaurant.  The restaurant was very accomodating and offered to seat us whenever we wanted (even though it was an hour until us reservation).  We had a quick drink and headed down to enjoy our fish feast.

When I had previously come to the resaurant, we had opted to not have a fruit de mer plate.  Mistake.  So this time it was the first thing we ordered.  You have a number of options to choose from.  We went for a selection that included fin de clare oysters, langustines, prawns, brown shrimp, crab and mussles.  The selection was amazing.  The oysters were perfectly sized and unbelievbly fresh.  The prawns were amazing, I've never had so much taste in something so small. And the crab was a real winner with everyone.

We also ordered a selection cooked food.  Rather than each having a plate, we shared everything (so we could taste everything).  The mulles marines came in a lovely sauce, delicious with the bread.  The cod with chorizo and butter beans was perfectly cooked and delicious.  But the total winner of the evening?  Fried oysters!  Hot, creamy, smooth and tasty.  I could have eaten them all night!

So once again, Wright Brothers have impressed.  And to finish?  Well, a cheese plate of Neil's Yard cheeses of course!

Oooooh Udon!

Koya got quite a lot of promotion when it opened.  Lots of people went and lots of people waited outside to get in.  And lots of people enjoyed it.  It's mainly udon with a few other specialities.  They make udon in house, when the udon runs out, that's it for the day.  Even if you walk by now, there are still queues outside.  So finally I gave in.

My friend an I showed up around 2pm (after my hair appointment.  Note:  do not go here if you are unable to hold your hair back - it makes eating very difficult!)  Although there was a queue outside, it moved really quickly and we were inside in less than 5 minutes.  The decor is minimal and wooden.  Fits in with my thoughts of Japan.

There are so many different types of udon:  Hot udon in hot broth.  Cold udon with sauce - to dip or to pour.  Cold udon with hot  broth.  There is also donburi - food served over rice with a side of miso soup.  And a large selection of side dishes such as roast duck, fish and chips, pork belly and a selection of salads and pickles.

My friend and I went for vegetable tempura and hot udon with hot broth - smoked haddock udon and mushroom and walnut miso udon.  The smoked haddock udon was really good - full of flavour with a generous helping of fish.  The mushroom and walnut miso was also good, albeit a bit bland after a while. Both felt very healthy and satisfying.  I have to say I was disappointed by the tempura - the batter, although it looked good, was a bit too greasy for my liking. I guess though, if you are going to a specialist udon restaurant, then stick to udon!

Eating and drinking in Rome!





Lunch in the sun - Penne Arrabiata

           


Lots of vino!



Gelato - from the best place in Rome!

     



Pizza!

    


YUM! Spaghetti al vongole

 
 


Arrabiata, one more time!

   



Look at the colours!  Tomato And Buffalo Mozzarella Salad







Teaching Italians how to make Jagerbombs...

 


Pizza with lots of cheese and chili.  Drool.

   




And finally - my all time favourite, rigatoni alla carbonara!

 

A nice surprise on a cold Saturday

I love a good food surprise. A couple of Saturday's ago we went to visit a venue for the wedding (it was beautiful, unfortunately we can't afford it) then we were supposed to meet a friend. Unfortunately the friend had to cancel so we had a free afternoon. Bonus, let's go to a museum! On the way I was struck by hunger. And this hunger was huge (and of course turned me into a massive grump-a-lump!) so en route to museum we HAD to find food.

Walking around Clerkenwell during the weekend is like walking around a ghost town. Nice, except if you are really hungry. Down this road, around that corner, up that street and hey presto - Smiths if Smithfield! Bubbling with action and sound, this place is an oasis in a dry urban desert.

It was about 3:30pm so we had no trouble getting a table (although it was still quite busy). It's a very open space with a bright airy feel and loud music. The weekend menu consists of a range of English and American brunch specials such as all day fry-up, eggs Benedict, mac and cheese, pancakes and a personal favorite, corned beef hash. There was also a large range hot and cold sandwiches. Drink choices include the usual brunch choices - bloody Mary's and mimosas, coffee and juices - as well as the more unusual - big kids alcoholic milkshakes.

We went for a bloody Mary each and an SOS Club - chicken, bacon, egg mayo, tomato and lettuce in thick slices of bread - and a halloumi sandwich - with tapanade, lemon and rocket in focusia bread. The drinks were lovely with lots of tomato juice (hate it when there is too much ice and not enough juice!) and well flavoured with lemon wedges and a stick of celery. I have to say, the sandwich was probably one of the best club sandwiches I have ever had. I admit a am no club sarnie specialist but looking around, it seemed a popular choice. It was huge but filled with lots of juicy chicken, salty bacon and just enough egg mayo to give it sauce but not make it too goopy and sickly. The halloumi sandwich was equally nice: simple and tasty with the peppery flavour of the rocket complementing that of the cheese. The only minor downfall was a lack of lemon, which would have helped minimise the salt in the cheese.

The main thing that let the place down was the stroppy, inattentive waitress. I don't like complaining about waiting staff. I've done my time and it can be a very tiring and trying job. But this woman was a bit much. She did not crack a smile the whole time and it took us a good 15 mins to catch her attention to as for the bill and another 10 mins just to pay the bill. Hopefully she was just having a bad day! Overall a great place. I'll defo be going back soon to try the corned beef hash and mac and cheese!

Breakfast at Plan 9, Maida Vale

If I'm completely honest, I prefer spending weekend mornings at home cooking up exactly what I want, in my pj's, lounging around watching Saturday Kitchen. But sometimes, especially if it's nice outside and there's nothing in the fridge, a visit to the local brunch place is a treat. 

I've been to Plan 9 once before, a year or two ago.  I remember enjoying it then.  There was no real good reason that I'd not gone back, except laziness I guess.  So when picking a place to go last weekend, this was the obvious choice - especially as the other two diners had not been before.  The interior is quite quirky - I think the full name is supposed to be Plan 9 Space and Time Cafe and they have tried to add an element of sci fi to the space.  There are not that many seats - a couch, two armchairs, maybe 4 tables with a couple of chairs around each and 3 or 4 more tables outside (complete with blankets for chillier days).  There are also a couple of computers which I assume is for customers wanting to surf the web.  It's very relaxed and possibly a little worn.

The menu consists of breakfast fare (served all day) - fry ups, eggs in various forms, sausage and bacon butties - as well as a selection of sandwiches and cakes.  Drinks included coffees and teas as well as 5 or 6 different options of fruit smoothies.  We went for a couple of smoothies, a coffee, a couple of fry ups (one veggie, one regular) and a bagel with cream cheese and salmon, scrambled eggs and a side of sliced avocado.  The smoothies were tasty - I think they were made from frozen fruit though.  Overall the fry ups were made from good quality produce, not greasy and enough to fully fill you up.  The pork sausages were possibly a tad over perfumed, but that was the only criticism.  The bagel (which I got to choose from  4 different varieties) was lightly toasted and stuff with lots of delicious smoked salmon and just enough cream cheese.

Strangely there does not seem to be a toilet in the place - I didn't ask but I'm not really sure where it would fit?  Also ventilation is slightly lacking, so we smelt a bit like sausages when we left - not so much of a problem in summer though as you can just sit outside.  They also sell a number of various American treats, such as Pop Tarts, Oreo Cookies and the absolute best, Kraft Mac and Cheese (the Cheesiest!).  It does seem to be quite a popular place on the weekend, so make sure you show up before noon to ensure you get seated quickly.  They also have a Tex Mex evening on Thursdays which I have yet to try - it's only a matter of time as you know I love burritos!

My Arabic food journey - Yalla Yalla!

Having grown up in the Middle East, I have a fondness for Arabic food.  I've been really pleased with the growth in popularity of Lebanese food recently.  Luckily for me my vegetarian boyfriend also loves it - mainly due to the pickles and chilli sauce!

By far the most authentic tasting food has to be Beirut Express, where my two favorites, chicken shwarma and kofta, are exactly how I remember them from my childhood.  The actual restaurant though leaves a bit to be desired.  If you go at any key eating time, you will almost always have to wait in the cramped and busy restaurant and possibly share a table.  The service is my personal grudge - if you are unfortunate enough to get one of the male waiters, getting their attention can be almost impossible without standing up and shouting.  When you do finally get served, there are no smiles and food is basically tossed in your direction.  Take away is definitely the way forward.

So I have made it a bit of a mission to try as many of these Lebanese places in London in hope of finding somewhere where the food is as good and the service is pleasant.  Yalla Yalla, which means hurry up in Arabic, definitely delivers on service.  We arrived at the small Soho location around 7pm on a Thursday.  Unsurprisingly we had to wait for a table, but we were able to give our name and number to a very helpful member of staff and head elsewhere for a drink while we waited.  We returned 40 mins later, as instructed, and were given a table almost immediately.

The menu consists of a large range of your typical mezze plus main courses which came with rice and salad.  There are also a range of wraps (which are pre-made), bakery goods and desserts available to eat in or take away.  We opted for a selection of mezze - the usual hummus, tabbouleh and falafel - as well as a wrap - one chicken shwarma and one halloumi cheese.  There is also a selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks.

The food was good, but not amazing.  The hummus was smooth and silky but possibly a bit salty.  The tabbouleh was on the dry side.  The falafel was by far the best bit - soft fluffy balls full of flavour. What let them down the most was the wraps.  Because they are pre-made, the bread used to wrap the ingredients is much bigger than usual, making them quite stodgey and very filling.  And unfortunately the unhelpful chili sauce was too mild to add extra umph to the wrap.

So on this occasion I did not find the gem  I was searching for, but enjoyed my evening none the less.  Let the journey continue!

Beautiful bobotie

Recently I went to Shaka Zulu for a tasting evening.  I can't say I've ever had typical South African food, so was not really sure what to expect.

To be honest, I thought the starters were unimpressive.  Smoked salmon with a garnish, pickled fish and biltong - South African jerky which was tasty, but more of a bar snack than an actual dish.  The main courses were much more interesting.  We were initially presented with a selection of meats, including lamb, ostrich and springbok. Served with this was a curried cabbage side dish which was delicious.  The real winner for me though was the bobotie.  A traditional meat pie, it is a wonderful marriage of eggs and spiced mince beef cooked in a small casserole dish.  Often served in bread or with rice, this is warm comfort food at it's best!

So I've scoured the internet to find a recipe for this lovely dish.  As with many typical dishes, there are 100's of variants - some with raisins, some with chutney, some with tomato paste and some without any of these.  I wanted to replicate the dish as closely as possible, so I combined the ideas and came up with the recipe below.

Bobotie - South African spiced mince meat pie

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 2 slices of old bread,

- vegetable oil

- 1 onion, chopped

- ½ teaspoon mixed spice

- 2 cloves garlic

- 2 teaspoons curry powder

- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

- 500 g minced lean beef or Quorn veggie mince

- 2 eggs

- salt and black pepper

- 2 tablespoons water

- juice from one lime

- pinch of sugar

Topping:

- 1 egg

- 150 ml milk

- salt for seasoning

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Put bread in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak.
3. In a frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and fry the onion for approx 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and fry for another minute
4. Add the mixed spice, curry, turmeric and mince.  Fry until lightly browned.  Take off the heat.
5. Drain the bread of excess water, crumble and mix evenly into the mince.  Add the water, lime juice, sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Beat the eggs and add to the mince.
7. Pour into an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until the top is light brown.
8. For the topping, beat the egg and add the milk and salt. Pour over the mince and put back into the oven.  Turn the oven up to 200C.
9. Bake in the oven until the top has browned, approximately 15 mins.
10. Serve hot with rice or bread and vegetables.

History of the humble burrito

I really love burritos.  I love them so much that a couple of years ago I went through a phase eating numerous burritos a week.  There were a few times I even had a couple of burritos a day.  So last week I was having lunch at Benito's Hat and I came across a story about the origin of burritos.

There was once a guy traveling through Mexico who got lost.  After days of travelling without any food he came upon a kind Mexican woman. She offered him a range of Mexican foods such as refried beans, pork carnitas, guacamole and Mexican rice.  As the guy was not used to these foods, he was too scared to try them. So the woman took a big flour tortilla, wrapped up all the ingredients and the guy ate it.  Voila - a burrito!

Obviously this story is fictional - if you are starving, surely you'd eat anything, even if it's a bit new!!   The story did make me wonder where burritos came from.  With a bit of research I found that the real story is almost as sweet.  The burrito originated in northern Mexico, possibly around the early 1900's from a small place called Ciudad Juárez.  There was a young man who sold street food, transporting himself and the food with his little donkey.  He came up with the idea of keeping the food warm by wrapping it in a tortilla and then a napkin.  People came from far and wide to have this 'food from a little donkey', translating in Spanish to burrito.

So with all this talk of burritos, where's the best one in London?  Interesting question - there is even a whole website purely devoted to this subject - http://www.londonburrito.com/ .  While I don't claim to have tried all the burritos places in London, here is a quick a rundown of my current top favorites:

Chilango - My favorite!  I love the guacamole and fresh ingredients.  The vegetables here are especially good - crunchy as they are not overcooked and full of flavour.  The spicy sauce does not disappoint.
Tortilla - With 5 locations around London, it is the most accessible for a quick meal.  They can struggle with consistency, but the majority of my visits have been great.  The large is a good size and make sure to ask for extra sauce if you want it really hot.
Benito's Hat - Although I found that the guacamole is not quite as tasty as the other two, the chicken is really tender and there are a few more filling choices - the fresh coriander was a real treat!  They also have a range of cocktails and drinks, so you can make more of a night of it.

Get the Tayyebs smell!

You never think Tuesday night is going to be a busy night. Especially on a very cold evening a couple of weeks before Christmas. So imagine our surprise when we showed up at Tayyebs and had to wait almost an hour to get a table.

The menu has a large number of choices allowing you to order various meats in quite small portions. To make things simple, we opted for the mixed grill, sag alloo and the dhal, along with regular sides such as nanns and rice. Being Punjabi, the food is more spicy than what you may expect from your typical Indian restaurant. Even the poppadoms were spicy! The mixed grill included pieces of chicken (which I have to say were a little on the dry side), lamb kofta and the best bit, lamb chops to die for! Both the vegetarian dishes were also excellent - the dhal was thick and creamy while the sag alloo, although it did not look like much, was extremely well spiced and very tasty.

The only real complaint we hasd was the lack of ventilation in the restaurant. Many of the meat dishes are served on sizzling platters. Due to this, everything we were wearing or had with us smelt of cooking for the next two days. But this is a small price to pay to enjoy such tasty food at very reasonable prices. Also, if you want a beer or some wine, you'll need to bring it with you.

So for my first real post, I've decided to take on the Wright Brothers.  A brave move as this restaurant is new, and therefore recently reviewed by many other food bloggers of the moment.  Right, well no point wasting anymore time.

It was a bitterly cold night in central London.  Three of us meet on Carneby Street - handy location for shopping, not so great when trying to find a pub that isn't full on Friday evening.  Now I know that fish may not be the most warming of meals, but as this place had rave reviews we just had to try it! Located conveniently on Kingly Street, the restaurant is impressive externally, with large windows and a heavy door.  Inside is also impressive, with wooden floors and a very clean and open feel.

The dishes are almost like tapas and lend themselves well to being shared. We begun with a first round which included some amazing Japanese oysters from the specials board. As they are quite small in size and delicately tasting, they were the perfect choice for the first time oyster taster in our group. We also sampled the Cornish crab - it was surprisingly served in a jar in order to spread on bread with a touch of mayonnaise.

For our second round of food, we opted for a selection of warm dishes.  Grilled sardines with a parsley sauce and sea bream with a light cumin and spice covering, were both served whole.  They were cooked to perfection, and the bream was especially plump and juicy. The squid while well seasoned, had batter that was a bit more soggy than it should have been.

The service was quite good - we only struggled a couple of times to get our waitress' attention.  It was also a bit quiet for a Friday night, with only three of the 5 tables in our section occupied.  The one thing we did notice was the amazing looking fruits de mer dishes on a couple of the other tables.  That is something I will definitely be back to try on a warmer day!

Food, I love food!

Right, so a bit later than I hoped due to this and that, welcome to my blog! So what is it all about you ask? Food! I love food. Everything about food. I love looking at it, eating it, smelling it, cooking it, talking about it and trying it. Food is no longer just about sustenance. It is a hobby, an art, a passion. It is a social event or a way to escape. It is emotional - where did it come from, how did it get there and what was used to get it that way. But most of all, it sure is tasty!

My aim is simple. To eat and discuss, share and eat some more. Restaurants, recipes, home cooking, other people's cooking, gourmet meals, comfort food, snacks, local produce, foreign specialities and everything in between. Let the foodie journey begin!