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 ;)