Pho - pronounced 'fuh'

My uni is only a stop away from Westfield - Stratford City, so my friends and I tend to go there whenever there's a special occasion or just for a casual lunch. After our last lecture before reading week on Thursday, we thought it would be nice to catch up with everyone and have lunch. The main reason we love Westfield is the World Food Court. Spoils us for choice plus we can get our food from different stores and sit together and enjoy the company; without the endless discussion of where to dine and trying to cater for everyone's taste and diet.

Thursday's lunch menu for me: Vietnamese :D

Never tried Pho...a Vietnamese street food restaurant specializing in Pho Noodle Soup (Vienamese nation dish).

Pho (pronounced fuh) is a large bowl of rice noodle soup served with fresh herbs and 15 different combinations of toppings and stock to choose from. Steak, brisket, meatballs, chicken, prawns, tofu...you name it! Me being a meat-lover, ordered Pho Bo Dac Biet - which was a combo of steak, brisket, and meatballs. The stock was beautifully flavoured. What I loved about Pho is that they served lime, chilli and herbs on the side, so we could garnish the dish to our very own liking. Once the lime hits the stock, the dish transforms into this delicious bowl of noodle soup bursting with flavours!























The menu also offers Goi (spicy Vietnamese salad), Pho Xao (wok fried flat noodles), Bun Noodles, and Cari (curry dish served with rice). They also have a variety of Vietnamese starters and desserts. My bowl of noodle soup was so filling that I couldn't even think about Dessert :P 
Price wise...I paid £8.45 for the dish, which I think is very affordable especially considering the big portion size. A healthy option for those that enjoy far Eastern flavours and enjoy experimenting and discovering new foods! :)

Happy Pancake Day everyone ;)

What better excuse to make some pancakes than Pancake Day!!! I didn’t realise it was Pancake Day till some friends of mine posted some delicious pictures on Facebook, and so I decided to make my very own pancakes…very simple and very tasty :D

Here’s my version of a Chocolate-Almond Pancake-Cake :)

Ingredients:

250g Flour

1 tbs Sugar

40g Butter

3 Eggs

600ml Milk

pinch of Salt

Nutmeg

 

Nutella (400g glass jar)

Almond flakes (handful)

2 tsp Sugar

Preparation:

1.       Combine the sugar (1 tbs), butter and eggs in a mixing bowl.

2.       Sift the flour into the bowl and mix into a smooth batter.

3.       Add a tiny pinch of salt and nutmeg.

4.       Add the milk little by little and loosen the batter.

5.       Place a pan on full heat and turn it down to low and pour the 

       batter into the pan (I used a ladle).

6.       Turn the pancake once the edges start to brown.

7.       While the pancake is hot place it on a plate/tray and put a dollop 

       of Nutella and let it soften.

8.       Spread the Nutella evenly on the pancake and place the next pancake on top and repeat this and build it up into a cake.

9.       Roast the almond flakes on low heat and add the sugar (2tsp) to 

       the almonds and let them caramalise.

10.   All that’s left to do is top the pancake-cake with the sugar-coated almonds…Voila!

I managed to make 15 medium sized thin pancakes with this batter. The pancake recipe is pretty basic so you can always add different fillings and toppings like whipped cream, fruits or nice sumptuous chocolate ganache. The choices are limitless :) 

Happy Pancake Day!! ;)

Hasta La Victoria Siempre ;)

My last blog entry was about a month ago, and honestly speaking…with uni work taking over I was finding it hard to find time to continue my blog and had actually given up. However, last week I went to Cuba Libre in Islington and thought I HAVE to write about this fantastic place in my blog!!! So here I am again writing…about delicious food and amazing places hehe ;) 

Last Thursday, I went to Islington with my one and only food-addict-sister Miru, in the search for a nice place for lunch. From the outside, Cuba Libre doesn’t look inviting at all, let alone like a good place to have lunch. We looked at the menu and decided to give it a go as the prices looked reasonable. As soon as you enter the restaurant you find yourself in a totally different place. As diverse as London may be, Cuba Libre still gave me a positive surprise when I walked in. You are greeted with Che’s iconic poster and beautiful décor surrounding you from wall to wall. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and you can see from the photos that this place gives you a feel of being right in the centre of Latin America. Ohhh and not to forget the music…exciting every cell in you, while giving you a fun, relaxed atmosphere to enjoy. 

So us hungry girls started off with a few Tapas. You have a list of 18 Tapas to choose from, and their deals are very reasonably priced at 4 Tapas for £7.45 (lunch) and 6 Tapas for £14.95 (evening). We ordered some Roast Peppers, Spanish Omelette, Chorizo Sausage, and Mixed Salad. The 4 Tapas were more than enough for the 2 of us and quite filling. For the main, Miru ordered ‘Ropa vieja a la Cubana’, which is shredded braised beef in a sauce of herbs, onions, tomatoes and onions. Served of course, with delicious rice, Yucca (cassava) and Tostones (plantain). I ordered myself ‘El plato Cubano’, a selection of Cuban specialities (pork, chicken, spanish sausage, shredded beef). With Moros y Cristianos (black beans and rice), Green Plantain, 

Peppers and Cassava on the side.

Both dishes, priced at £13.65, came in large portions and we had to take our time with the eating haha. Anyways, the food was absolutely beautiful. Most definitely the best Cuban food I’ve had so far in London!! The rice was fluffy and the meat very tender, cooked to perfection. Our ultimate favourite was the shredded braised beef in the sauce, just totally delicious! We were too full for dessert but the menu looked very tempting. From creamy Cuban Cream Caramel to delicious Orange Pannacota. And for those fruit lovers, they also offer bananas cooked Caribbean style ;) The bill came to £44 for the 4 Tapas, 2 Mains and 2 soft drinks. Not cheap but definitely worth a try if you want authentic, good quality Cuban food in Islington!!!

Cuba Libre is the place to be for a few drinks with colleagues after work, delicious meals and most definitely for a fun night out with scintillating music! ;) I’ll be going back again and again and definitely one of my top 5 restaurants in London! =D

Check out my Facebook for more pics ;)

 

Wagamama Mamamama

 Happy New Year Everyone!!! =D

Wagamama - always a good eat...filling, delicious meals for reasonable prices.Was soo hungry yesterday so I decided to go to Wagamama in Croydon with my friend. Even though I wouldn't say that Wagamama is the best Japanese restaurant out there, given the fact it's a chain restaurant, and the prices are alright, I don't mind going there time after time. In fact, there aren't many japanese eateries in Croydon easily accessible, and this branch is only a 2min walk from the Whitgift Centre.

Chicken and Vegetable Gyoza

Customer service can be good on somedays, bad on others. Yesterday the guy serving us was very nice, recommending us his favourite dish and just making us feel at ease. For starters, we had Gyoza...filled with Chicken and Veg. Gyoza is a steamed grilled dumpling, served with a chilli-garlic sesame & soy sauce. At a price of around £5 for 5 dumplings, it's not a cheap treat, but definitely well worth a try! For the mains, we ordered a portion of Firecracker Chicken and Yaki Udon, roughly priced at £9 each.

The Firecracker Chicken was SPICY!!! I love my spicy food, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried very spicy dishes before. I loved the flavours though. There were 2 versions of the Firecracker - with Chicken or Prawns. The Firecracker Chicken was prepared with nice tender marinated chicken breast that was stir-fried with a lot of beautiful spices and vegetables: mangetout, red hot chillies, red and green peppers, spring and white onions in a fiery sweet and hot sauce. It was served with steamed plain white rice and garnished with shichimi, sesame seeds and lime.

Yaki Udon was not much to my liking, but my friend enjoyed it. I think it's the texture I don't like much. But the flavours were nice. Udon noodles are thicker than the ordinary noodles we are used to, and these were teppan-fried udon noodles in curry oil with chicken, prawns, chikuwa, egg, beansprouts, leeks, mushrooms and peppers. I guess it just depends on what people like, and Udon noodles are not for me ^_^ We paid around £25 for 2 Mains and a Starter. The atmosphere was nice and the portion sizes were very filling. I'd definitely recommend Wagamama, but there are nicer places in Central London if you are looking to experience more authentic Japanese Food at more affordable prices :)

Firecracker Chicken

Yaki Udon

Spicyyyy

 

Christmas Rocky Road

Christmas is here...and the perfect excuse for some more baking. I love Nigella Lawson's recipes of all things baked, may it be sweet or savory. One of my favourite recipes is the Rocky Road Crunch Bars. Very easy to make and absolutely delish!!! Plus the recipe can be modified to everyone's liking :) So here is my very own version of the yummy Rocky Road.

First of all, the ingredients:

125g  unsalted butter
300g  dark chocolate (min 70%)
3 tbs  golden syrup

100g  biscuits (I used 50g rich tea biscuits and 50g ginger snaps)
80g    mini marshmallows
50g    chocolate covered raisins
30g    flaked almonds
50g    glace cherries
50g    chocolate wafers
100g  white chocolate 

And here are the steps to making delicious Rocky Road ;D

1. Combine the butter, dark chocolate and golden syrup and melt in a heavy-based saucepan on low heat. It's important to keep the heat low, otherwise the chocolate will burn before it melts. Once all the ingredients have melted, put this mixture to a side. 

2. Roast the almonds on low heat until golden brow. 

3. Break the biscuits into smaller pieces. You can do this by hand or put the bisucits into a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin.

4. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (mini marshmallows, raisins, almonds, glace cherries, chocolate wafers and biscuits).

5. Add the melted chocolate mix to the bowl and mix all the ingredients thoroughly together, ensuring all the ingredients are covered in the chocolate mix.

6. Line a 24 square cm baking tray with cling film and fill the tray with the mix.

7. Melt white chocolate on very low heat and pour over the mix and smooth the top.

8. Refrigerate overnight and cut into 24 squares.

Voila...and they are ready to eat!

I made 2 batches yesterday, and they make great Christmas gifts!    Obviously you can substitute the ingredients with other nuts, biscuits, sweets as you like :) If you try out this recipe, do let me know jhow it turned out. And of course if you have any useful advice, feel free drop me a message :) 

 

Check out my facebook album for more pictures! Rocky Road Pictures


Merry Christmas to everyone who's celebrating!!! xxx

Bi Bim Bap avec Nee

Been slacking on writing my blog posts the last couple of weeks, with a lot of deadlines just before Christmas :( . But here I am done with all the assignments, enjoying my nice cupa hot chocolate :) 

Couple of weeks ago, I went to Bi Bim Bap SoHo with my friend Nee - a Korean restaurant in the heart of London, serving delicious Korean food in a modern environement. It's located on 11, Greek Street, only a short walk from Tottenham Court Road Tube Station. The atmosphere is beautiful...white walls decorated with small polaroid pictures of past customers...very simplistic design. We visited Bi Bim Bap on a Friday and even though it was full we managed to find nice seats without long to wait. We were spoilt for choice, everything just looked so tasty!!! 

Kimchi Pancake

We ordered Kimchi Pancake and Chilli Squid for starters and the portion sizes were reasonable for 2 to share.
Kimchi Pancakes are made of Kimchi (pickled cabbage) that is sliced and combined with a flour-egg batter and pan fried. It was served with garlic and seasame soy sauce which added the perfect balance to the dish.The closest the kimchi pancakes taste are like an omelette.

Chilli Squid

 

We also had some deep fried squid seasoned with salt and chilli served with garlic and chilli sauce. I was positively surprised, the squid was very nice, not over cooked or rubbery (as on most occasions I have experienced)  and the chilli wasn't over powering =D






We then went on to order our main meals. I ordered Dol Sot - Bi Bim Bap. It's the most traditional of Bi Bim Baps. Bi Bim Bap is a signature dish in Korea. A classic rice dish served in a hot stone bowl, it comes with various toppings from seafood, beef or to just vegetables. The stone bowl is very hot, and sesame oil is added and topped with cooked rice. This creates a thin layer of crispy rice at the bottom of the bowl. Depending on the taste-buds various toppings can be added, usually including raw vegetables, that cook with a sizzle in the hot bowl. The Dolsot I ordered contained julienned cucumber, daikon, bean sprouts, spinach, carrots, mooli and topped with a fried egg. Just before eating the ingrdients in the hot stone bowl are stirred together thoroughly. The dish was delish!!! It did not only look visually absolutely appealing, but the combination of flavours complemented each other very well!

DolSot BiBimBap

 

 

My friend Nee ordered a rice dish -Beef Bool-Go-Gi Rice. Didn't actually manage to take a picture of the dish but it looked very tasty too =D It was served in a hot stone bowl too, filled with rice and topped up with marinated grilled beef. The dish wasn't very spicy but we were given some nice chilli sauce as well as some garlic sauce for us to add to our liking.

The drinks selection was very good, serving cold korean beers to teas and soft drinks. We got some Korean root tea which had a mild flavour, very similar to barley tea.

Overall the experience was very good, and I'd highly recommend BiBimBap Soho to anyone. The service wasn't very friendly though, but I wouldn't let that get in the way of the whole eating experience. The food is truly amazing!!! Definately not to be missed. 
The price was very good too. The bill came up to £25 for 2x mains, 2x sides plus 2x teas. Given it's in central London, it's a very good price for 2...the food was very filling, too!

If you are in or around central London, I'd highly recommend you check out this place, for a truly delightful Korean dining experience! =D 

Guten Appetit!  

BiBimBap Soho Website 

Saravanaa Bhavan - Restaurant Review

My sister was craving some Parotta today, so we decided to go to Saravanaa Bhavan - a south-Indian vegetarian restaurant. Even though I love my meats and try hard to avoid vegetarian food at most times, Saravanaa Bhavan is a regular stop where I enjoy vegetarian meals. Regardless of the numerous south Indian/Sri Lankan restaurants in Tooting, this restaurant is the one restaurant I would recommend to people, who want to try some authentic south Indian cuisine :)

Silver Tumbler

I love it how they have silver tumbler cups just like in India; gives the restaurant a very authentic feel. The general atmosphere in the restaurant is very nice and the staff are polite too. My sisters and I didn't have to look through the menu for very long as we all knew exactly what we wanted lol. We ordered Panneer Fried Rice, Poori Masala, and Parotta.

The parotta came with a side of potato masala and pureed cauliflower curry. Parotta is a type of a flat bread commonly eaten in south India. It's usually made with maida flour, to which eggs and ghee are added. The dough is rolled and folded several times and grilled in a round shape. The unique feature of Parotta is that it consists of thin layers. As innocent as it may look, it is high in calories though, so watch how much you are eating =P

I'm not a big fan on the potato masala, that comes with the parotta, as it is too dry for my liking...but the cauliflower curry is a very good accompaniment. Surprisingly enough, the curry actually tastes like a non-veg curry!

Parotta

My little sister ordered some Poori Masala, which I quite liked. Poori is another type of bread, made with wheat flour. The dough is cut out into flat circles and deep fried in oil. During the process of deep-frying, the poori puffs up and gives it that round shape as you can see in the picture below. Again, the poori was served with the potato masala and cauliflower curry...yumm!!!

Poori

The last dish we ordered was Panneer Fried Rice. I was very disappointed actually. The portion size was very generous but there wasn't much panneer in the fried rice lol. It was very bland in taste and didn't taste anywhere near as good as it looked.

Panneer Fried Rice

Overall, the food was nice though. I won't be ordering the Panneer Fried Rice again, but the Parotta and Poori are always a must-try classic. Also a favourite classic of mine: Chilli Panneer...fried panneer, with a spicy aromatic taste...thought I mention it too ;)  The 3 dishes plus soft drinks came up to just under £20, which is a very good price if you ask me!

If you do get the chance to find a Saravanaa Bhavan branch near you, give it a try!