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.