April 2011
1 post
I've moved...
…over to Wordpress. You can now find my food-based ramblings over at http://www.riceandpickle.com
Hopefully see you on the other side!
March 2011
5 posts
Girl and the Goat, Chicago
I’ve been off on my work travels yet again, this time to Chicago. I was very excited about all of the eating opportunities and I wasn’t disappointed. I think my body may be disappointed in me now though. No person should probably eat that many fried potatoes for breakfast consistently over five days.
Beyond all the American fare and lardy breakfasts though, one place I did want...
Apple and hazelnut cake, with butterscotch sauce
Yes, butterscotch sauce. That was probably enough to prompt me to make this recipe, which is an adaptation of one kindly given to me by Elisabeth who is one half of the duo who have created the fab My Cookie Heaven app.
This is a really fabulous cake. The original called for pears and walnuts. Having neither to hand, I opted for apples and hazelnuts. Regardless, the end result was still...
Ruby Murrays and all that jazz
I’ve currently been reading a really great book all about the history and emergence of many of the dishes we recognise as curry house classics in wee Blighty - Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham. Thoroughly researched, I definitely left knowing a lot more than I did before. Who would have thought it was the Brits who entrenched tea drinking in India, and not the...
A piece of cookie heaven
Cookies vs. biscuits. Ooh, a dilemma. I’m sure most Brits would fall very much in to the biscuit camp (this must surely be the land of biscuits). Not me though. Never been a fan (I’m sure some people would view this as heresy). Cookies, however - a different matter entirely. Squidgy, crunchy, loaded with treaty size pieces of tasty stuff. Yes, cookies I can definitely go for.
...
We interrupt this transmission...
Yes, a post not about food. Who woulda thought it?
Anyway, I’ll keep it brief. Many of you may be aware that today is International Women’s Day (8th March 2011), and also the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Now I think that’s something to celebrate. And it’s also a time to get us thinking about all of the progress we still need to make whether...
February 2011
3 posts
3 Little Pigs - great coffee down Warren St
I’ve worked in Fitzrovia now for one and a half years. It’s a massive improvement on working in Hammersmith for three and a half years, where my workmates and I would often get excited about the occasional visit to Pret (I’m not joking - when you work just far enough away from the main drag to make you think twice about doing the walk, these things become significant). There...
Oodles of noodles at Qin Tang Fu, Beijing
Yes, it’s been ages since I’ve got back from Beijing now. I’m a rubbish blogger. But I didn’t want to leave this post to drift off into the ether, because Qin Tang Fu is just too damn good for that.
Qin Tang Fu specialises in noodles and, more generally, Shaanxi food. My very kind hosts picked this place our for lunch on an exceedingly cold day, and I am very grateful...
Green mango pickle
I love pickles. I mean I really do love them. Any forms of pickles are great, but my true love will always lie with Indian pickles. Sour, savoury, hot - I will pretty much take any Indian pickle and love it very very much. I usually eat pickles alongside curd rice (rice mixed with plain yoghurt). The first time I ate this, my husband looked at me like I was mental. But curd rice and pickle...
January 2011
3 posts
Good eats in Hong Kong
Rather than plough through a load of blog posts focusing on specific places, I thought I’d take the slightly more lazy, but probably also less boring (for my dear readers) route, and do a little round up of some of the things I really enjoyed eating whilst in Hong Kong recently.
I barely scratched the surface in the 4 days I was there, and some of these places will be nothing new for many....
Char siu heaven in Hong Kong
So, I’m currently on a bit of an extended work trip, which has thus far led me to Hong Kong, Beijing. I’m then off to Sao Paolo next. What that does mean is a lot of meals. And a lot of those meals have been very good - I’ve sometimes felt over the past week and a bit that I’ve been fattened up like a pig being led to slaughter by my very hospitable hosts in both HK and...
Raspberry and thyme custard tart
New year this time around was most definitely low key. It had been quite a year (what with getting married and all), and whilst I am one of life’s people who loves a good plan, I couldn’t face trying to arrange anything for 31st December. Thankfully, some good friends decided to instead, which is why I found myself ambling up to Ladbroke Grove for a lovely dinner party and much...
December 2010
3 posts
Ba Shan (Hunanese food)
You will probably know by now that I have a slightly major obsession with Chinese food, particularly Sichuan and Hunanese. Sichuan has been an obsession that has been easier to indulge in London, with lots of restaurants popping up over the past few years. However, good Hunanese food has been harder to find. Save for Local Friends in Golders Green and Golden Day in Chinatown.
However, I can now...
Dhokla
Out of any Indian regional cuisine, Gujarati, for me, does snacky food like no other. Chaat, pani puri - all amazing. Dhokla is another one I would add to that list. It’s quite hard to describe, save it’s a moreish, spongey snack, flavoured with ginger, chillies and yoghurt, and topped with a rather tasty coating of mustard seeds and curry leaves tempered in oil. Finish off with a...
Making bacon
Bacon with chinese flavourings, in fact. I have cured my own bacon before, and very nice it was too. The only issue being I didn’t use any saltpetre. At the time, I wasn’t bothered about the fact that its absence meant my bacon wasn’t an attractive pinky colour. However, the more I’ve read, the more I’ve realised that that handy kitchen explosive can also guard...
November 2010
4 posts
Friendly friands
I am most definitely in baking mode at the moment. First it was a chocolate and Guinness cake. Then it was a fudgy chocolate cake that didn’t rise and ended up looking like a brown frisbee (and it flew like one when I flung it across the kitchen in frustration). Now it’s friands. Must be the cold weather. At least the oven heats up the kitchen.
I love friands. I remember...
Hot and numbing dried beef
Another Sichuan dish, and I make no apologies for that. This is one of my favourite things to order when I go for Sichuan food. Think a much more tender, flavourful version of beef jerky or biltong. It is scarily moreish (don’t ask how quickly this got demolished), and even though it is a labour-intensive dish (it is one for the weekend), it is most definitely worth it.
Again, this is a...
Cauliflower and almond soup
I have a love/hate relationship with soup. I often get bursts of wanting something warming, soothing and easy to eat. However, I can’t say I’m a lover of soup (save for noodle soup - another matter entirely). The amount of times I’ve packed some homemade soup for my lunch at work, got to lunchtime, and gone “eh”, is high. However, I can say that I do love this...
A steamy way with aubergines
Chinese cooking techniques and flavours + aubergines = maximum tastiness. Fish fragrant aubergines are a particular example of this simple equation. Intensely savoury flavours coupled with the melting tenderness of well cooked aubergine flesh. Until now, I’d always thought the only ways with aubergines were: frying, deep frying, or charring on the grill/stove until the flesh has...
October 2010
3 posts
In praise of urad dahl
There are some ingredients in the kitchen that make me very happy. Yes, I am a loser. But it’s true. Those ingredients that evoke a lot of memories, whet your appetite, or just smell amazing. A lot of Indian ingredients, especially spices, do that for me. The smell of toasting fenugreek, cumin frying in oil, the pop of mustard seeds - I love all of these things. Recently on Twitter,...
Aumbry, Prestwich (Greater Manchester)
Ah, Manchester, so much to answer for.
Manchester is one of my favourite cities. I’m biased, as I used to live there, still have a clutch of great friends there, and try and get up to visit a few times a year. I generally try and get a few meals in when I do go up there, so try and follow the restaurant scene from afar.
Over the years, I’ve been quite critical of the city centre...
El Bulli
“Mr Willy Wonka can make marshmallows that taste of violets, and rich caramels that change colour every ten seconds as you suck them, and little feathery sweets that melt away deliciously the moment you put them between your lips. He can make chewing-gum that never loses its taste, and sugar balloons that you can blow up to enormous sizes before you pop them with a pin and gobble them up....
September 2010
4 posts
Peanut butter ice cream
This is for all those lovers of salty-sweet desserts out there. I am definitely one of them. Even better, salty-sweet stuff with nuts in it. This probably explains my enduring love for Reese’s Cups even though the chocolate on them is horrible.
I’d wanted to make peanut butter ice cream for a long time, after having an amazing example of it at Momufuku noodle bar in NYC a few...
Okutan, Kyoto
After the crazy, sensory overload of Tokyo, we set off on the bullet train (exciting) to Kyoto. This was even more exciting because the Gion Matsuri festival was happening in Kyoto when we were there. This is one of the largest street festivals in the world, along with Rio and Notting Hill. It was brilliant. We got to see lots of beautiful, traditional Japanese floats, and also got to...
Breast of lamb Ste Menehould with sauce gribiche
Everyone loves crispy things in breadcrumb. Fact. I recently ate a load of cheese in breadcrumbs. So wrong, but even so, I still kind of liked it. There’s a lot to be said for a crunchy crumb.
Add to the list of crispy breadcrumb delights - breast of lamb Ste Menehould. Catchy title. I first saw this recipe in Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson, and had wanted to make...
Nanao, Roppongi Tokyo
This was our fancy schmancy meal in Japan on our honeymoon. Therefore, it seems unfortunate that every time I say Nanao in my head I just conjure up visions of Robin Williams gurning like an idiot in Mork and Mindy (those oldies amongst you will probably know what I’m talking about).
Anyway, another Jamie recommendation, another great meal. This restaurant is tiny, composed of a few...
August 2010
4 posts
We interrupt this transmission...
…with a little post about something non-Japan, non-honeymoon related. I’ll get back to that very shortly (in all honesty, I’m gearing up to blog the mega tasting meal we had in Tokyo - that’s a lot of dishes to talk about).
Whilst it may seem I’ve spent the past few weeks trotting around the globe and not doing very much work, I have managed to resume normal life,...
Sushi Daiwa, Tsukiji, Tokyo
This was Tsukiji visit take two. We’d got up at 4:30am two days previously, ambled down there and then found it was shut for a holiday. Doh. Oh well, god bless jetlag, because that was the only way I was going to be able to get out of bed again at that ungodly hour. So, Tsukiji is the fish market in Tokyo that people will tell you you have to see when you go to Tokyo. I wasn’t...
Maisen, Tokyo
So, as promised, another example of our honeymoon gluttony. This time, the evidence being the amazing special black pig tonkatsu at Maisen. Another Jamie recommendation, another winner. I’m not sure what makes those black pigs so special, but they do taste damn good.
This was our first meal on the honeymoon, but even through our jetlagged fug, this tasted damn good. This place has...
Everybody loves ramen
Well, anybody would love this ramen. The best ramen. But not Everybody Loves Raymond, because that’s just a rubbish American sitcom.
Anyway.
I went and got married. Which was seriously lovely. And then I went off to Japan to moon around in a honey like fashion. Which was ace. A lot of good eating went on. I’m sure you can imagine. That mean’s a lot of blog posts....
June 2010
2 posts
Curry of my dreams
There, I’ve said it. That’s it. The homemade curry that has it all. The one that makes you feel insufferably chuffed with yourself. The perfect blend of spice, meat, aromatics and long, slow cooking.
You’ll go and make this now and it will be horrid.
But for now, all I will say is, this lamb curry is good. Great even. It’s a mashup of other recipes, and I’ve...
Laab love
I have mentioned my love of minced pork, and minced meats in general, before. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a mince dish I don’t love. Keema, burgers, ragu - give me mince and I’ll generally be happy. Add to that list laab. I love laab, I really do. It’s a Thai dish of minced up meat (I generally find it to be chicken or pork) dressed with ground roasted rice, a...
May 2010
2 posts
Here come's the summer
It’s so gorgeous, even my lazy cat wants to go outside.
We Brits do love our weather chat don’t we? Whilst cliche-tastic, you can’t help but feel a million times better when the sun is shining. I always feel London properly comes to life in weather like this, and can’t help but think this can be a really great place to live.
Blazing sunshine and heat also has a big...
BBQ-o-rama
I haven’t blogged for ages, as other things like work, and wedding prep appear to be getting in the way. Life eh? It’s obviously got it’s priorities for me all wrong. Anyhow, we recently had our first BBQ of the year. I recently got a hot kettle smoker off Lakeland (tupperware porn ahoy!), and it is my current pride and joy. Expect many more posts that involve me smoking...
April 2010
4 posts
Moro love
Maybe it’s the startlingly nice weather (is this England? Really?), but I’ve found myself turning to my trusty copy of the first Moro cookbook two weekends in a row. It’s a great book, which wonderfully evokes all of the great things about the cooking of Spain and those regions that veer more towards the Middle East. Surprisingly though, I don’t actually cook lots out...
Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Clerkenwell
A lot can change in five years.
Five years ago I was finally (finally!) finishing my MA, working in a job I hated and starting to date some bloke I’d met when a little tipsy (to say the least) in the unisex toilets at Fabric. One of the first dates we went on was for dinner at The Zetter. I’m pretty sure it was a sort of London Eating or Toptable deal (I was a poor semi-student...
Panda love
I like Vietnamese food as much as the next person (Vietnamese loving people especially), and I’ve been eager to explore nearby Deptford, a place fast becoming a hub of Vietnamese restaurants. After Lizzie over at the lovely Hollow Legs http://lizzieeatslondon.blogspot.com/2010/04/panda-panda-deptford.html reviewed newly opened Panda Panda, I had the push I needed to make my way down...
Harwood Arms, Fulham
I won’t labour this post too much, as many have already talked about the Harwood Arms. Thankfully, I don’t have to go on too much as this was a really great lunch - good company, comfortable setting and great food. I will most definitely be back. Even though it’s in Fulham. I can safely say I rarely do West London - my heart belongs to SE all the way.
Some wonderful soda...
March 2010
2 posts
Pigs cheek vindaloo
Vindaloo is one of those words that I can’t help but cringe at slightly, visions of braying idiots asking for the hottest thing on the menu springing to mind. This is, of course, not what vindaloo is all about, but it is a shame that this is what it has come to stand for in the UK. Vindaloo is a product of the Portugese colonisation of Goa. This meeting of cultures resulted in a form of...
Of golden days and little lambs...
Regular readers of this blog (all two of you) might be aware by now that I like Chinese food quite a bit. Well, a lot. Some might say my interest is bordering on the obsessive. They would probably be right.
This obsession has been facilitated by the growth of good restaurants serving a wider variety of regional Chinese cuisine. It’s a good thing when you can at least try...
February 2010
2 posts
The Ledbury
I had been looking forward to this meal for quite a long time, having read universally fantastic reviews about The Ledbury. This was also the first “fancyish” meal I’d had since that magic experience at noma. Both factors combined to make me very excited about this meal. Was that excitement justified? Well, I had a lovely evening. I can safely say though, that I...
An ode to gunpowder
Red gunpowder, or milagai podi to be precise. You might be wondering what the hell I’m talking about. Well, this is basically a spicy, crunchy, highly savoury South Indian condiment. It’s one of my favourite things. A big plate of idlis (South Indian steamed rice dumplings) with some of this yumness mixed with a bit of sesame oil is heaven on a plate. You would only have to see...
January 2010
3 posts
Mac n Cheese
My online life appears to have been consumed by references to macaroni cheese for the past few weeks. Why, you may ask? Well, the primary reason is the challenge thrown down by Fiona Beckett on her blog (http://bit.ly/60IF4l) to find the ultimate mac n cheese. Now, I wasn’t intending to enter this competition (I have a big fear of anything that involves competition in the kitchen), but...
Tian Shui Mian
One blog that I love to read is Cooking the Books http://bit.ly/6fKqPk. Whilst it’s not the most frequently updated blog, Josh’s love for, and curiosity about Chinese and other Asian cuisine is infectious. I have also spent the past few months enviously reading his accounts of his culinary voyages across South East Asia and China.
A recent post focused on a recipe for Tian Shui...
Sichuan tea-smoked duck legs - don't try this at...
This little kitchen adventure is a tricky one to blog. I mean, yes, these duck legs turned out to be very tasty indeed. But, but. Was it really worth the pain to my eyes, nose and throat? Was it worth the respiratory assault akin to something involving mustard gas? Was it really worth enduring the lingering rancid smell of tea smoke in the flat for a week after? Hmm, the jury is out on...
December 2009
3 posts
Local Friends (Hunanese), Golders Green
I had the good fortune to travel to Hunan in China for work earlier this year. Amidst travelling on bumpy roads in a mini-van, and trying to talk to people in villages who had never seen a non-Chinese person before, I managed to fit in the eating of a lot of incredibly delicious food (http://tinyurl.com/ydn6cvs). I was struck by the intense chilli heat of Hunanese food, but also surprised at...
Sichuan twice cooked pork
My love affair with Sichuan food is now a long standing one. It’s the food I crave the most, and now that I’ve learnt to cook a few dishes at home, it’s a cuisine that is within reach on a more everyday level. A trip to China initially ignited this love, followed by trips to restaurants in London (Bar Shu initially, though I generally opt for Chilli Cool now) and Manchester...
Dulce de Leche ice cream
I have a serious love of dulce de leche - milky, caramel goodness, and so easy to make! Dulce de leche is effectively boiled up sweetened condensed milk. It takes about 2-3 hours to turn a can of condensed milk into gorgeous dulce de leche. All you have to do is simmer a can of the stuff in a pan of simmering water, making sure it is always covered with water and does not boil dry. This is...
November 2009
2 posts
noma, Copenhagen
It’s taken me over two months to write this post. That’s pretty rubbish. Well, very rubbish. So I’ll try not to labour this and cut to the chase. noma is bloody ace. It really is. Yes, it is expensive, but ace. I’ve never had a tasting menu in a Michelin starred restaurant before where I’ve left and haven’t felt like I either a) have gout, or b) need a...
Hix Soho
This is going to be a short post in light of the fact that I spent all of 55 minutes in Hix Soho one lunchtime a few weeks ago. However, they were a seriously tasty and enjoyable 55 minutes, and I would urge anyone to go and try and at least stay in there for a bit longer.
I looked at the menu of this place online and immediately emailed it to my boyfriend, who promptly replied saying,...