On a Side Note

I devoured a very tasty dish the other day by a two new Northern Hemisphere pals, Emma and Claire.

A simple dish that tasted devine and I hope they don't mind me sharing their gourmet mushies with you!


The dish consisted of field or portobello mushrooms, grilled until tender, then covered with pesto (preferably home-made or one that has pinenuts) and mozerella cheese and grilled again until the cheese melts.

These were served with ciabatta bread that was also slightly toasted and butter.

DELISH! A great brunch, lunch or entree that tasted amazing and was quick and easy to make.

Well done ladies! X

Harrods Heaven

Harrods Foodhall = My Type of Heaven

My eyes popped to the size of mountain oysters when I walked into the Harrods Foodhall with my friend Brooke a few weeks ago. We were both Harrods virgins and the smell and beauty of it all had us captivated, as our mouths drooled and stomachs churned in ecstasy.

From a Chinese Dim Sum bar, to a Japanese Sushi bar, to tiny salmon bagel canapes and the vast array of pastries and bread that you can imagine. Man was I gobsmacked! I didn't know what to choose or where to start?! On the best of days I'm terrible with making decisions about food but this day, there was just TOO MANY good things to choose from, and my pocket money unfortunately did not stretch to all of them...

My eyes rested on pies, I have been wanting to gorge on a pie ever since I got here, I think it's because I can't have them, or they just aren't what I'm used to that makes me want one so bad! However once again too many to choose from so my eyes got distracted at the variety of quiches and tarts on offer....

Then, once again distracted, my nostrils got the better of me and all of a sudden I was in front of a hot roast beef sandwich counter. The sandwich, which was served with rocket, tomato and a condiment of your choice, horseradish was mine, engulfed in a baguette I couldn't have put the sandwich together better myself!

Brooke settled on a onion and feta tart with a gourmet side salad which was equally as taste-tastic!

The luxury of perusing Harrods and then eating picnic style in Hyde Park on a beautiful sunny but crisp day in London was delightful. An experience one must do again! Next time with more money and lots more food!

A Trip to the Seaside

Being in the Northern Hemisphere means that summer usually ends around the end of September and winter starts to kick in very soon after. So when one gets a weather forecast for a 27 degree day mid October - one should be very excited and make plans to indulge in the sweltering sunshine.

And so, thus we embarked on a journey to Brighton - the place where you get to see the sea in London!

After an incredibly packed train ride (one in which we almost missed) a group of us powered down the pavement in the city of Brighton in search of some good ole fush and chups and seafood (and the sea!). What we did come across was a rather large shed filled of arcade and casino like games for children. We lost the boys amongst the many $$$ themed games and ventured on to find an old mini theme park spanning across the something called 'The Pier' which we then got lost in the ancient rickety roller coasters.

Needless to say we had very much worked up an appetite to once again go in search of some decent fish and chips - I was not going to have some of this cardboard like excuse for fush served out of a takeaway carton... nope, not me!!! After another adventurous walk through the people cascading on the pebbled beach we came across a 'beach street' full of seafood. There were cafes, pubs and restaurants but the fish stalls serving fresh seafood in plastic cups caught our eyes.  Some tucked nicely into calamari whilst others chose to devour king prawns with thousand island sauce aplenty. The seafood was cheap and tasted great. All raw and uncooked but just perfect for a sunny day at the beach. 

We then embarked in search of the main course and settled on a beachfront pub-like cafe in which the food looked amazing. We gobbled up my first serving of fish and chips with the best crumbed batter I have tasted in a long time and hand cut chips. The fish was fat and fluffy and melted in the mouth. However it was the mussels in the creamy white wine sauce, served with ciabatta that was my favourite. The mussels were a lot smaller than the ones you get back in New Zealand but to me they were so much better! None of this chewiness or awkward sea taste. These were full of flavour and easy to eat. The picture says it all.

To top the day off we indulged in fresh oysters on the beach garnished with lemon as the sun was going down and an aeroplane making love hearts in the sky (sigh). Eat your heart out!

For a day trip to the seaside we definitely got what we came for, fresh seafood, fush and chips, sunshine and for those who dared a paddle in the sea... Brighton you've done good.

A Thai Escape : The Blue Elephant

Walking into The Blue Elephant on Fulham Broadway is like walking into a taste of Thailand.

The interior is an authentic combination of waterfalls, lily ponds, exotic plants and flowers, goldfish, and Thai antiques and objects. It creates an almost tacky appearance but with the wooden bridges, bamboo branches, and gentle Thai music you are transported to a realm of Thai culture which adds to the fun element of being somewhere exotic in the middle of London, especially when the city is verging on winter.

My friends, Dan and Jo, and Adam and I were seated towards the back of the restaurant. This meant we had to trek through the kaleidoscope of greenery, over bridges covering serene waters, filled with giant goldfish, and through other diners to our table. This all added to the excitement of the experience and left us all intrigued of how the meal would unfold.

To start with, I must say that the service was excellent. Wine was poured and refilled into our glasses, which meant we drank more than one bottle! This sat in a ice bucket stand that was hidden neatly halfway under our table, and continued to cool our Pinot Grigio whilst we indulged in conversation about the splendours of our surroundings. It was pleasing to get service that really left you to it. We were served our entrees and mains and asked once if everything was fine but you also had the sense that they were watching out for you in case something wasn't to your satisfaction. In other words the waiting staff did not harass us by questioning "is everything ok?" numerous times, and we didn’t feel like they were crowding around us like hawks ready to pounce on some unexpecting prey, all in which made for a very pleasant evening.
  

The food itself is another asset to The Blue Elephant. I read on their website that their chef, who assists in designing the interiors of each restaurant, is regarded as one of the five top chefs in Thailand. Top that off with the great food, wait staff and surroundings, The Blue Elephant makes one really good Thai restaurant.



 






My diners and I wanted to splurge on our meal so we settled on three entrees and four mains with a side of rice. Our meal was started with a complimentary entrée of hollowed cucumbers with minced chicken and herbs and spices, and a palate cleanser of coriander and carrot soup. Both of these starters were tantalising in flavour and left us looking forward to our next course.  The entrees consisted first of Laab Salmon, a mixture of diced fresh salmon and Thai herbs, second of traditional Thai fish cakes with a red curry paste, and thirdly of good old satay, but with seafood! The salmon was mooshy in texture and wasn’t overpowering in flavour which was a good accompaniment to the other more flavourful starters. The biggest highlight was in fact the seafood satay skewers which both Jo and I had never tried before and were a bit sceptical of, but the first bite into the satay prawn definitely had me converted.

The main courses arrived spectacularly presented. Our Fresh Lime Seabass arrived intact with head, and eyeball all on a plate. This dish was rather spicy as it was topped with fresh chillies but the downside was that it was not filleted. Bones were amongst many mouthfuls and this left a bitter taste towards the fish. We also devoured the Tamarind Duck dish which was rich in flavour and in sauce but very nicely cooked to a medium rare finish.  We could not complete our meal without traditional Pad Thai (a flat rice noodle dish, usually with egg, prawns, spring onions and bean sprouts and garnished with crushed peanuts).  This was not up to my usual standard of Pad Thai but it could have been from the flavoursome mains we were devouring at the same time. Our final main and the favourite of the meal for me was a Thai Beef Salad. This had the perfect fusion of flavours with lime and chilli and was complimented by the fresh coriander and sweet chilli sauce. I am a huge fan of Thai Beef Salads and this would have to be one of the best I have tasted. The ratio of meat, to salad was met extremely well and it was definitely something I would order again.

We arrived at The Blue Elephant in Fulham Broadway transported into a Thai paradise, intrigued at what the meal would bring. We left feeling full and extremely satisfied with not only our meal but the whole experience of being amongst a tropical jungle whilst dining on fine authentic Thai cuisine. It was an experience I would highly recommend and I cannot wait to try out their new place in January on the Thames.

เยี่ยมมาก !

(Well done!)

Yum Cha = Dim Sum

Now, just to let you know, I am a huge fan of Yum Cha (or Dim Sum is what they call it over here!). I have been brought up eating the stuff since I was a little tyke and its almost a family tradition with the cousins and grandparents squished into a crowded Chinese restaurant gorging on as much dumplings and spring rolls as we can manage. I now, however, have gone four months without having this delicious midday meal so last weekend after a night out Adam and I decided it was time to indulge...

Adam had been reccommended a place about 15 minutes walk from our house which is ideal as we do not have to catch a tube to get there. So there we were strolling down Fulham Road to get to the Royal China restaurant where we waiting in the line for about 8 minutes and were then finally served and told that as we did not have a booking we were required to wait half an hour. Now as we had not eaten since 7pm the preivious eve, and the time now was 1230, you could say we were pretty hungry and decided to hit the pavement for another Dim Sum location.

 

Note to self: Remember you are now in London. In London there lives 7 million, eight hundred and twenty five, and one hundred people approximately. You are used to being in Wellington where there are three hundred and eighty nine thousand and seven hundred people approximately. This means you can no longer expect to turn up at a restaurant and get seated immediately. One must book in advance.

 

Strolling around Fulham we noticed the Dim Sum options were rather scarce. Time now to pull out the ole iPhone and look Dim Sum locations up, and this is how we ended up at Mai Thai in Parsons Green, after a good 45 minute stroll (should have waited at the other place!)  We had a quick glimpse at the menu as we were walking in but with no time to spare we were seated at a table, kitted out with cloth napkins, and three sets of cutlery (bizarre considering we were at a Chinese restaurant and no chopsticks were to be seen!) After taking in the modern un-Chinese surroundings we started to peruse the menu. Our eyes fixated on two things, one that they had dumplings, and two the price; £18.50 for Dim Sum basket of 10 pieces. This sounded like a great idea at the time - one way to get an assortment of dim sum! We also settled on Peking Duck spring rolls and pork and ginger dumplings, a Chinese Jasmine tea (all the way from Canton apparently according to the menu) and an orange juice for the gent.

 

The Dim Sum basket was nicely presented and had lemongrass and a type of vinegar soya sauce to accompany it. The basket consisted of a mix of steamed pork and prawn dumplings none of which I really recognised except for the siu mai (steamed pork dim sum) which was pretty standard compared to others in NZ that I have tasted.

 

The pork and ginger dumplings and Peking Duck spring rolls were probably the best tastes of the meal. However the highlight for me was definitely the Jasmine Tea. This arrived in a tall water glass, filled with hot water and with a ping pong sized ball of what looked like a dark green straw decoration.  This ball was actually a dried jasmin flower, which continued to expand to produce a beautiful bright red colour in the middle as it settled at the bottom of the glass. The jasmine flower gave the tea a very light infused taste and which was refreshing compared to the tea normally served at a Yum Cha restaurant back home. So it was a welcomed modern change to the traditional tea - although I am partial to both!

 

The one word that comes to mind when thinking of this meal is: expensive. The food was fresh but not overally traditional and I did miss the whole authentic experience where the waiters walk around carrying the Yum Cha on plates and you choose whatever you like the look of. This experience was more of a fine dining cusine version of Yum Cha and not one that we would be fast to repeat again. It was expensive, had a limited range of Yum Cha items on the menu and we were still left feeling hungry. I was impressed with the modern and more European take on the Chinese restuarant and I would be tempted to go there for a fine dining Chinese meal if we felt we could splurge one night. However with so many Chinese restaurants and take aways on offer in London we could probably find a better option more in our price range!
 

Chinatown - your up next!!!

A Breakfast Fit for Scots!

On the recent long weekend a group of us embarked on a journey to Edinburgh, Scotland. Now being the long weekend, Edinburgh was particularly busy, not to mention the Edinburgh Tattoo was on as well as the final weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! So laughs were had all round! However despite Edinburgh being a most beautiful and warm city and also my first Scottish experience, the highlight was trying my first (and not last) home-made Scottish breaky!

We were lucky to have a Scottish lass with us on our trip (well it's because of her that we embarked on the journey to begin with!) the lovely Joanna, who braved the early morning crisp after a rather large Friday night out to collect the ingredients for our morning feast.  Being in the hungover state we were our ingredients were purchased via a supermarket as cooking from scratch was definitely not an option!

Stomachs were churning in excitement and some in apprehensiveness at what was yet to come.... black pudding, square sausage, haggis, pork sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, a tattie scone and some American / Kiwi influence of good ole tomato sauce!

 

(Click the diagram to get a better view)

A break down of said Scottish ingredients:

Black pudding:  Comes in a mini dog sausage like roll and needed to be cut into 1cm slices, then grilled or fried. For those who are squeamish stop reading now: the ingredients in Black Pudding actually consists of cooking blood, or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Despite this unappealing main ingredient Black Pudding is actually rather tasty!  But it is definitely an acquired taste... it is one of those many foods that you either like or don't like. But it is definitely worth a try!  And as Joanna points out - Great for those who are anemic!!!

Square Sausage or Lorne Sausage (what is traditionally known as): Now this one item in the Scottish Breakfast I hadn't actually heard of before but it is just that. Pretty much sausage meat, patted down into a square. Voila! Square sausage!

Haggis: A grainy, stuffing type texture that is browny/grey in colour, and which crumbles when cooked. Warning - another squeamish moment ahead: Haggis is traditionally made from sheep's heart, livers and mixed with onion, herbs, spices and stock and then traditionally cooked in a sheep's intestine, although the version we had was pre-cut in circular slices and not cooked in a sheep's intestine (phew!).

Tattie Scone: A type of potato pancake that is beaten and flattened and either toasted, grilled or fried. The potato texture is kind of lost in this Scottish speciality but it is a good alternative and probably more healthy to the hash brown.

At first glance, the Scottish Breakfast appears to be one meat feast! Much to the boys delight.

When complied together the Scottish Breakfast comes across quite heavy, and rather dry, especially when one is used to the traditional English Cooked Breakfast (bar the baked beans for us Kiwi's!). I would say this is mainly due to the amount of meat in the Scottish version. I found the flavours of each ingredient, complimented each other nicely in the Scottish breaky especially the crumbled haggis, combined with egg and bacon provided a nice nutty flavour and texture. The black pudding also provided a strong flavour in itself so I would recommend eating with tomato sauce or combining with the other ingredients.  Unless you are an avid fan and I am told this is eaten often by itself! I surprisingly was intrigued to try black pudding and put my pre-requistions behind me and blocked the ingredients from my mind and  found I actually rather enjoyed it.

The Scottish Breakfast is definitely nice for a change to its English counterpart. The combination of different meats and flavours provides a heartier version and the different textures of the haggis and tattie scone was a welcomed change. If I was going to create this masterpiece again in my own kitchen I would probably forget the toast and replace with the tattie scone, and maybe add a grilled tomato to lighten the flavours and provide some juice to the grilled meats, to soften the dryness, although good ole tomato sauce does do the trick nicely. 
The Scottish Breakfast is definitely a feast and a meal to reconcile with but one I don't think I could handle every weekend!

Thanks to Jo for sharing her countries traditional goodness with us, and I look forward to our future feasts!!

LoveBites: The Recipe Collection

The official launch of my LoveBites has arrived!!!

Please follow the link below or the logo on the left hand side of the page to take you to LoveBites, my very own recipe collection. I will upload recipes I have created myself, every now and again to tantalise your taste buds and in hope that you can re-create these at home. Some you may recognise, as I do gather inspiration from the classics but always amend them to make them my own. A little bit here, a little bit there and there you have my LoveBites!

I enjoy getting creative in the kitchen and as my mother always taught me its all about colour!
My LoveBites are based on creating visual deliciousness in presentation and of course physical deliciousness in the food!

Feel free to comment away, and add your own Food for Thought on the collection.

Welcome my friends to LoveBites: The Recipe Collection.

LoveBites Blog

My Spainish Paella Experience (MSPE)

One word : Paella

Foreigner Pronunciation : Pie-ell-ya

Spanish Pronunciation : Pay - ey- ya

Definition : noun | a Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings.

My definition : a mooshy rice dish of seafood and spice splendour, with  an enticing aroma of colour to satisfy the visual palette.

A group of us on our travels in Barcelona embarked on a Spanish Cooking Class with all you can drink sangria and a lesson on cooking traditional Spanish paella. To be honest I am not a usual fan of paella, I'm more of a risotto gal. The idea of mixing chicken and seafood together, with rice and veges, never really appealed to me. However being my first time in Barcelona I thought 'When in Spain' and pushed my pre-requistions aside and awaited the experience with curiosity.

After downing a few carafes of sangria we were invited to try some tapas. These mostly looked like what I would call an antipasto and not a tapas selection but there was one in particular which was so tasty that I would be rude not to mention it.  (As a bonus it can be easily repeated at home for a snack).  This 'tapa' consisted of toasted, sliced, french bread, halved garlic and halved tomatoes and olive oil for dipping. Now this little treat worked like so: take one toasted bread slice,  dip into the oil, rub said bread slice with halved garlic, and then with the halved tomato. Voila you have a quick and easy tomato / garlic brushetta to satisfy the taste buds!  Just bear in mind not to go too overboard with the fresh garlic... your friends and family might not appreciate it!

Now back to MSPE....

Whilst we tucked into our tapas, the authentic Spainish chef was decorating a table next to us with plate after plate of seafood, a variety of spices, herbs and sauces. Here was the result: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With 9 plates of different types of seafood; mussels, scampi, lobster, 2 types of fish, squid, two varieties of clams, and prawns, this was clearly the most seafood I had ever eaten in one dish and I was rather excited!

After a few more carafes of sangria my note taking was pushed aside and I became engaged in watching this Spanish masterchef do his thing. I did however, remember a few pointers he mentioned:

• Ideally you need a special paella frying pan. This is a reasonably flat pan with two small handles on each side.The onion, chili and garlic must be sauted together until the onion runs clear
• Add the shelled seafood first then add the other seafood ingredients - this is because the shelled seafood takes longer to cook
• Add aborio rice (risotto rice) a handful per person
• A bit of white wine never goes astray
• You can really add any type of vege or seafood to paella
• The delicacy of the paella is actually to have a burnt bit from the bottom of the pan. So if you are wanting an authentic paella you should get blackened bits stuck to the rice mixture which is what all the locals are after!

So after watching the chef prepare the meal, and a good half of the Barcelona vs Man United European Championships Final (made for a great night in Barcelona I tell you!) the paella was finally ready.

The final product was an alluring array of autumn colours, sprinkled with delicate greenery and engulfed with an abundance of seafood and also a partial crunch of shell! We were all given a rather large portion and the result was divine. Plates were emptied and I was left feeling like MSPE really was an authentic Spainish feast!

I am tempted to make this paella myself (the recipe provided is slightly different to the version the chef made us) but I am rather put off by the amount of time it takes to cook. However, the end result is worth it... Watch this space! 

 

 

Hasta luego amigos!

 

Barcelona Travel Bar Spanish Cooking Experience

 

 

Ingredients:

 

· Prawns

· White fish, boneless and skinless, in chunks

· Calamari rings / squid fish

· Mussels / clams, clean

· Onion and garlic, chopped

· Red pepper, courgette, green asparagus, carrot, green peas, green beans or any other seasonal vegetable of your choice, chopped small

· Tomatoes, blended

· White rice (long grain if you don’t want a mashy paella)

· Fish broth*

· Olive oil

· White sugar

· A pinch of saffron

   

Procedure:

1. Cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil, heat and slightly fry the prawns for a minute. Set aside for the end.
2.  Add the garlic and the onion until it appears translucent.
3. Add the rest of the veggies and cook slowly and then the tomato until all the colors start blending.
4. Toast a little sugar and mix the golden caramel with the vegetable base.
5. Add the rice, a handful per person, plus one for the pan, cook for a minute ensuring it doesn’t stick at the bottom with the wooden spatula.
6. Fully cover with broth, sprinkle the saffron all over and allow to cook with no rush, slowly, at the lowest heat until the rice is about 74.18% cooked or until somehow you can predict it only needs 5 more minutes and has enough broth for it. Trick: taste a little bit and by the way check if it’s salty enough.
7. Place the sea food on top, in circles if you want a charming one.
8. Once it’s 95% cooked (the rice is tender but not mashyand the fish is done but not flaked out) cover the paella with a tapa, whether it is a lid, foil or a cloth. Wait for 10 minutes or take the chance to open a chilled bottle of white wine or fresh water or prepare a jug of sangría.
9. Proceed to enjoy your paella served on a plate or eating straight from the pan with a wooden spoon like the creators of this dish from Valencia’s countryside (although they had no fish there -minor detail- but you could have done a meaty paella instead).

*  To prepare a broth, slightly fry in a deep pot the parts of the fish or meat you don’t eat in a bit of olive oil and add salt. You can also use garlic, parsley or white pepper if you like. Then add a large amount of water, allow to boil for about an hour and strain it. 

A Spainish Fiesta

On my recent travels in Europe, I stopped in Barcelona for a true taste of Spainish cusine.
From traditional tapas to the most amazing paella I have ever tasted it was an experience that tantilised thee taste buds.

When dining out for tapas, one usually tends to consume a few plates between a group. This way one gets to experience and taste an array of Spanish flavours, which makes it easier to try a variety of dishes. I was told the best way of looking out for a good tapas restaurant was if the place was in a bit of a 'state'. By 'state' I mean the place is in a downright mess. Which I found to be rather odd because you would usually turn away from a place that looked somewhat messy. However, the reason for this statement was because these places are usually the favourites of the locals and the food is so good that the staff do not have time to clean the napkins and residue from the floor!  Needless to say we never actually came across a place that was in a 'state' but I was looking out for one and even at the 'clean' places we did have many a good tapa.

The 'traditional' Spanish tapa which delighted me the most were the Pimientos de Padrón which are mini peppers usually friend in oil and seasoned with sea salt. 

These green peppers are a mouthful of goodness! They are about the size of your thumb and so sweet to taste. They were definitely one of my favourites and I will attempt to make them myself to relive the Spanish experience very soon. Other traditional tapas sampled were the Spanish meatballs, garlic mushrooms, salted fish (usually whitebait or anchovies), and patatas bravas which consists of fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce.


Barcelona also enticed me with her food markets, just off the main street of La Ramblas. I have never seen so many rows of fresh produce, from sweet treats, to bread, fish, nuts, many types of olives and cured meats. I was in Heaven! I couldn't stop thinking if only I lived here I would be shopping up a storm!!! To share my experience I have contributed with some photos below. Just looking at them is making me drool. Pleasant.

Barcelona for me was a foodies delight especially for having so many different dishes to try and being so easy to do so via the traditional tapas experience. However, I found the people and customer service pretty rude, and two the sangria in bars was bollocks. You could definitely make your own better concoction at home! They watered down the alcohol with plenty of mainstream juice and went stingy on the amount of fruit and it can be expensive! For example one place was going to charge us 15 Euros for all you can eat tapas (our eyes lit up) however they sting you on the price of the drinks and the waiter did not want to give us a drinks menu or tell us the price of their jug of sangria was 20 Euros! We ended up walking out and the waiter telling us to go to McDonald's... RUDE! We did in fact find a place after another 20 minutes walking who gave us a feast of tapas for 10 Euros and a beer included. So tip from me is look around and don't settle for rubbish service!!!

Being the foodie that I am McDonald's caught my eye as they actually serve wedges as an option with their meals. FACT. Check out the image below. They also have DIY tills where you order from a computer touch screen and pay into the machine (almost like a ATM machine) and then collect your order when it is called. Delightful and fast. They also take the cake for best cheeseburger in all three countries we visited. And also for the biggest burger I have seen. Called the 1955, double pattie, salad and bacon. Big ups to Spain McDs!

Also, Spain has bread called Bimbo. Hilarious. Literally cracked up and had to take a photo.

That is all folks. For my next installment I will be discussing my Spanish Paella cooking session and eating the most seafood I have ever eaten in my life. In one go. Literally. Just wait till you see the photos.... delish!!!

From a lover of all things food, especially Spanish cheeseburgers. Over and Out.

On a Side Note...

I have been perusing some of the tastes of London in the past couple of weeks, which seemingly has been in a lot of pubs!

Adam and I recently attended the Prince of Wales pub on Lillie Road in West Brompton - which looks slightly glamourous from the outside and appeals with its sign stating 'beer garden out the back'.
Henceforth as it was a rather sunny afternoon and we had only just arisen from a large night out we decided to try this food quarter out. The menus appealed and looked nicely presented. I was after mushrooms and tomatoes (one of those hangover cravings) and decided on the fully cooked breakfast (although I was rather tempted for the roast). Adam went for a good English pub classic; Bangers and Mash, and we sat outside in the sunshine eagerly awaiting our food. My mid afternoon breakfast arrived complete with eggs, baked beans (slowly becoming a fan of though I hate to admit it), one soggy hash brown, two pieces of extremely well buttered white toast (ugh!) and a horrid sausage with one rash of bacon, SANS mushrooms or tomatoes... which is why I chose the meal in the first place! I was mortified and asked the waiter where the rest of the meal was - he shrugged his shoulders and went to ask the chef - he then came back with a boiled half tomato and said they were out of mushrooms. In my hangover state I was not happy but ate the meal with disgust as I needed something to fill the itching in my stomach.

I was left feeling I would have rather got the roast having it been better value for money especially if they didn't have the two items on the plate that I was wanting... damn waiter should have said something.  Adams bangers were not banging as such, but very processed and the gravy was average - potato was tasty though.

So all in all - Prince of Wales - you suck - too costly for both meals for a rubbish job! Sort your bangers out!

We also recently Guanabana restaurant in Camden for my birthday dinner where Jerk Chicken and Goat Curry were devoured. Jerk Chicken - absolutely delightful and many of us struggled to eat the whole thing, the Goat Curry on the other hand tasted similar to lamb and looked like goat poo. See pictures below!

One more thing to note... our lovely friends who live in a Munster Road abode invited a group of us to the local pub The Durrell (featured in my First Roast Experience). On a pleasant Sunday evening the group of 10 of us devoured x8 Chicken Roasts (you get a half) x1 Lamb Roast (I finally managed to fulfill my craving for one) and x1 Tuna Steak (non-roast). We were graced with four whole chickens in which two men took up the role of carving them in half. A few massive plates of roast potatoes, brocolli, parsnip, carrots and a huge yorkshire pudding each. To top this off, our friends had a 50% off card which made the roast £6.50 each!

The Durrell and Munster Road Flat = You rock my socks off. We shall return again with more board game playing and plenty more roasts.

Delish!

Gustocissimo

Gustocissimo means 'very tasty' in Italian, according to the Rome waiters who served us free choc-mint martinis to attract customers to their ristaurante... free martini? I think yes!

Italy's palate consists of two of my most favourite foods; pizza, and of course pasta.

During our one week consummation of three cities in Italy, George and I managed to devour: x5 spaghetti's, x2 fettucine's, x1 gnocchi, x1 risotto, x8 pizzas, (with the help of friends of course!) needless to say after one week of this I am awfully tired of pizza and pasta... however, it had to be done!

Some foodie things that stood out to me in Italia were:

•  They put corn on pizza and in salads as a norm
•  Pasta sauces tend to be simple i.e tomato and onion
•  They don't use garnish... I would normally have beautified my meal of tomato pasta with basil leaves - they did not do this anywhere!
•  The black olives were not as good as the green olives
• White pizza consists of pizza without the tomato base - its more likely to be cheese or oil mmm
•  A cooked breakfast is non-existent - you will have to suffice with a coffee and a croissant!
•  Pizza does not come sliced - you will need to specifically ask for this to be done (tourist alert!)
•  The bread most ristaurantes will serve you with your meal is insanely crusty... so crusty in fact that it is a struggle to eat!
• I am now addicted even more to olive oil, and balsamic vinegar with fresh bread (not so good for the waistline!!!)

I will now leave you with an assortment of my favourite tastes of Italia - Enjoy!