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!)