Instafood round-up #5

  

 

No matter how busy I am, food always happens. I just don't always have time to get my DSLR out.

Also my local chinese does a mean steamed siu mai and maybe, maybe I have been surviving on a bit too many dumplings. Still, a little round-up for cooks looking for a quick food fix:

1. Fantastic spicy blackened salmon with mango salsa from Skinnytaste. The man was impressed.
2. Made some homemade bread, woo! I have lightyears of progress to make before it can make it on the blog, though, so you'll just meet it for now through this tartine of courgette grilled with olive oil and sea salt + parmesan.
3. Look at that fancy omelette. Spinach, mulled red cabbage, parmesan and truffle oil. Yes ma'am.
4. Last night's absolute impro: filo parcels stuffed with a salad of couscous cooked with tomato purée and spices, and mixed with tuna and feta. A confusing put surprisingly tasty mix!

Life lately...

Phew, the past few weeks/months haven't been easy! Hence the absence of posts... I want to try to get back into this blog a little, and find the occasional hour to write a post or two, but do I have to dig to find such time!

Since the last time... I started a new job that is fun and well paid (yay!), lived through the first half-term of third year — with difficulties, ordered many a takeaway, had a visit from my mum and dad, bought the perfect winter boots, went to Cadbury World (and decided I would never live in Birmingham,) carved my first ever pumpkin, made litres of soup and batch after batch of chocolate biscotti, spent many an hour sitting on the floor of the Wired Radio studio, wrote a billion stories for East London Lines and even got commissioned for my first ever freelance journalism work! Look out for my name/face/words in the January issue of Company...

Here are a few snaps from all this for you to peer over while I go write a few more posts. See you soon x

 

 

 

 

Chocolate biscotti. / Vampire Weekend at the iTunes Festival. / Shake Shack! / The best burger in London, MotherFlipper's candy bacon burger / Took my parents to the Breakfast Club / Pumpkin carving, cake eating and wine drinking / Our take on Tuco's burritos for the finale of Breaking Bad / IT'S BACK!

Instafood round up #4: the drink edition!

I have a confession to make: I like alcohol. A lot. Not like, I'm a crazy alcoholic (although that's open to debates :p) I just really enjoy drinking and the taste of it and yes, I even love beer! Here are some spots I recently tried in London and really loved... Go try them out and let me know what you thought!

BrewDog
Camden and Shoreditch
www.brewdog.com

This is an absolute favourite.

This year I developed an intense and irrational passion for craft beer. Craft beer is called thus when it's made by nice people in independent small-scale breweries for nice people to enjoy them with their nice friends. Originally quite a US based idea, it had its big break in the UK thanks to the awesome Scottish chaps at BrewDog.
They have two pubs in Central London where they sell their own as well as guest beers. The bars have a taster board on the menu, allowing you to try out four of the bad boys. I let the barman pick for me based on my taste and it was all kinds of beertastic. Especially the Hardcore.

Freud

198 Shaftsebury Ave

freud.eu/cafe-bars

Hop down a hidden flight of stairs outside the nice looking café and you'll find yourself in secret pub Freud, now relatively widely known in London thanks to its affordable cocktails (£7ish, which I'll have you know is kinda cheap for central London) and cool location. The place was packed when we went but it's all worth it once you get through the queues. The mixologist  impressed/terrified us by juggling with our cocktails' shakers, but man was he skilled because they came out intact and ah-freaking-mazing. With a list of 40 or so cocktails, you'll definitely find something to your taste!

De Hems Dutch Cafe Bar

11 Macclesfield St (in Chinatown)

Why do I so often end up in a Dutch bar in Chinatown? I have no clue. But the beer is good and the prices surprisingly reasonable for a pub with such a central location. The staff is friendly and helpful (my knowledge of Dutch beers is v poor) and it doesn't hurt that their Dutch snack platters are zeer smakelijk. Try a pint of Vedett White, a personal fave from there! 

Instafood round up #3: where to eat in London... and beyond!

I figured, Instafood... It's not all about me making food, is it?

Hint: no it's not. It's about eating food. All of it. Everywhere. And when it's super tasty, I want to share it with you. So expect my Instafood round ups to mix in recipes and restaurant reviews... and they could welcome a little Instadrink sister soon ;)

Beigel Bake

159 Brick Lane

There is but one place to eat a bagel in London. This is it. £1.60 for a smoked salmon and cream cheese? It doesn't get any better. Or cheaper. Plus, the shop is 24/7 and also sells bagels by the billion (12 for £3 makes a great birthday feast, just sayin') as well as bread loaves and cake slices. Walking down Brick Lane without grabbing a Nutella bagel is very difficult once you know of Beigel Bake.

Meat Liquor

74 Welbeck Street

www.meatliquor.com

The name of this place is pretty self explanatory: eat meat and drink liquor. The story started with #MeatEasy, a pop-up restaurant selling burgers and cocktails to a crowd that grew so big the team decided to relocate in Central. Meat Liquor has a no booking policy, so get there early and proudly wear the stamp that'll grant you access to a world of tasty wonders. 

The choice of burgers isn't too large, but will satisfy any meat lover (and vegs too, btw!) and the cocktails... The cocktails are AMAZING. I went for a St Lawrence since I really love maple syrup, and loved the bittersweetness of it all. 

Also, get the deep fried pickles. You'll thank me later. 

The Breakfast Club
Soho, Angel, Hoxton, Spitafields, Battersea
www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com

The Breakfast Club is EVERYTHING you'd want from a breakfast place. It has a very, very large choice of delicious brekkie options, good coffee, great smoothies, and only the most fantastic decor I've ever seen (especially in the Spitafields one!)
They also do burgers, sandwiches, and even mac'n'cheese as well as cocktails for lunch and dinner.
And if you ask to see the Mayor in the Spitafields branch, you'll be taken to a secret bar for super exclusive cocktails... On your way there yet or what?

La Choza

36 Gloucester Road, Brighton

www.lachoza.co.uk

Believe it or not, but I do actually get out of London sometimes! I was down in Brighton a couple weekends ago and cured a littler, erm, post-drinking fatigue, with some excellent Mexican street-food. I'd never had quesadillas before and I pretty much fell in love with them. Despite eating outside on a windy day after waiting 30mn+ for a table, everyone I was with really enjoyed their food and I for one regret I don't live in Brighton... I could definitely do with another round of chorizo quesadillas!

Instafood round-up #2

Getting back in the cooking rhythm has been more difficult than expected... I've been incredibly busy (I got an internship at Company magazine! Like, omg! It's so much fun and I'm loving it and I will discuss it more on here shortly), and the constantly changing weather has been craving for salad on cold days and dying for a huge comfort meal when it's 25° outside. In the end, I just give up on food/have cereal in the middle of the day/buy a sandwich. NOT GOOD.

Still, I managed to whip up a few tasties in the past couple weeks and even Instagram them before devouring them!

   

   

1. Sweet and savoury summer salad.

Spinach. Granny Smith apple quarters. Cherry tomato quarters. Feta cheese crumbs. Pomegranate seeds. Balsamic vinegar. BAM, done! 

2. Cheapest easiest tastiest hot dogs.

Grill the sausages in the oven with chopped red onions, olive oil and a bit of sugar. Keep checking them until they seem cooked (tip: Google how long sausages are supposed to cook. We didn't. They tasted raw.) Spread some good Dijon mustard on the buns, stuff with a sausage and way too much onion things. Eat.

Optional: get reduced hot dog buns + reduced sausages and this meal will cost you less than £3 FOR TWO HUGE PORTIONS. Hashtag food win.

3. Pasta with cheesy green sauce.

Cook pasta. In a pan, melt some fresh goat's cheese with green pesto, add sliced mushrooms, and a handful of spinach when it looks almost done. Mix in the pasta, and serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

4. Summer pita sandwich filled with grilled things.

Grill halloumi slices and bell pepper slices (any colour is fine, apart from green, because it's yuk.) Stuff a pita bread with them and some spinach. Eat. This is literally the easiest thing ever. And it tastes so good and summery.

Now, cook this all up and let me know what your taste buds think! I for one know I will definitely be making these again <3

Instafood round-up #1

Ever since I've had an iPhone and Instagram, I have posted a LOT of food photos. I would apologise but EY WHY WOULD I?! Still, I think it's a shame they fall into oblivion in the depths of the #instafood tag, and thought I'd try and share them on here if they're original recipes; especially since I've been too busy to make real recipe posts lately!

So here we go with the first of a long series, hopefully...

   

   

1. Grilled red vegs and cajun chicken pasta salad.
Grill the peppers and tomatoes on a griddle pan. Slice up some chicken breast, season in salt, pepper + cajun mix and grill on the pan. Mix with cooked pasta and feta crumbs.

2. Grilled salmon and kale salad.
Marinate a piece of salmon in soy sauce. While it's soaking, mix together kale, spinach and fennel with a food processor. Grill the salmon on a griddle pan, mix everything and drown in soy sauce. There is no such thing as too much soy sauce.

3. Veggie egg noodles.
Easy-peasy: chop some mushrooms, pak choi and tender stem broccoli, cook on high heat with some olive oil and soy sauce for 2-3min. Add the egg noodles and cook for a couple more minutes. Serve with a good handful of fresh coriander and more soy sauce.

4. Salmon and avocado salad.
Grill some salmon in a griddle pan. Once done, mix with an avocado, some spinach and feta crumbs in a normal pan and cook until the spinach is wilted and the avocado is golden. Eat fast because it cools down quickly!


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Christmas in Instagrams

A few snapshots of my December and Christmases, from my iPhone that I still had not introduced to the blog! He's called Alfie. He's a good kid.

 

 

1. Our tree in London town. 2. Filling in my secret Santa duties by making biscuits.

3. The tree drowning in presents back in my French home. 4. Homemade trifle for our family Christmas meal in London.

4. New Year's day recovering walk in Gloucestershire. 5. Another tree at my grandad's.

5. Bredele are a compulsory Christmas treat in my family. 6. Christmas Eve toast.