Sunday, 15 January 2012

Moosh: My Thoughts

 A fellow Kiwi friend of mine Brooke, introduced me to a cute little organic cafe called Moosh in Fulham.  A juice and smoothie bar made with the freshest ingredients and an inviting organic food menu.

The interior of the cafe is a green inspired meadow, complete with artificial grass floors, small coffee-like tables, and they seem to have a theme going with Street signs. These will point you in the right direction to toilets, seating upstairs and also to the ordering point. The colours and design of Moosh reflects the organic theme of the cafe is presenting in its healthy choices for juices, smoothies and food.

 It was a gorgeous sunny London day, verging on a winter chill but the sky was full of a decadent blue, so we chose to sit outside to soak in the sunshine and sip our tea and coffee in the crisp air.  Brooke informed me I was not to try anything else first time round and that the Moosh Waffles were my only option. I couldn't resist to peruse the rest of the menu and I was surprisingly impressed.  There was a good range of brunch and lunch options which were available all day and at a reasonable price. The English muffin scrambled eggs with grilled vegetables or smoked salmon did catch my eye, as did the goats cheese and grilled vegetable bloomer (for those back home a sandwich is often called a bloomer over here... go figure?!).

However, back to the Waffles. As they were brought out, eager eyes watched the plate of food in a drooling behaviour, everyone thinking "I want what she's having!". I was excited to say the least when this art piece of food arrived in front of me...




A mountain of fresh fruit with crispy fluffy organic waffles, equipped with a homemade organic maple syrup in a shot glass on the side. The natural frozen yoghurt is a Moosh speciality and compliments this dish immensely. The colours are particularly inviting and you almost don't want to corrupt the work of art by eating it! However this did not stop me. The mouthwatering freshness of each mouthful meant I was not disappointed. Needless to say I have now been there twice more and I can not go past these waffles. I did however take Adam there the second time after this and he tried the smoked salmon on granary toast with scrambled eggs which did not cease to amaze either. The flavours were delicious and we will definitely go back again for more!

Moosh is also extremely popular for their natural juices, smoothies and frozen yoghurts. Their atmosphere is always busy with a line for the juice bar usually snaking through the cafe.  They have an array of customers from anyone wanting an organic bite to eat to the gym bunnies who group there after a session for a refreshing protein juice. I devoured a No. 3 which was a smoothie filled with banana, vanilla, honey and natural yoghurt. I remember it being a bit too yoghurty for my liking and next time I will try to choose something with more flavour.

Moosh, you are delicious! Your prices are reasonable and your food is tasty. I will be back to try more in no time!

Saturday, 17 December 2011

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

Monday, 28 November 2011

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!

Saturday, 19 November 2011

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.