#116 tasting Africa in London

the first time i had a chance to try an authentic Eritrean food was about 2 years ago when i visited Khartoum, Sudan and was invited to an Eritrean wedding. Initially i was not sure if i should accept the invitation because my only link with the couple was a friend of a woman who knew mother of the bride. But they assured me that in their culture wedding is not about family bonds, but about the community. They said, ‘dont worry, there will be lots of people.’

And, quite unexpectedly, last weekend a friend of mine was organizing a get-together dinner and chose Mosob in west London, a family-run authentic Eritrean restaurant. It was like a short journey back to East Africa and a history, regional politics, language and geography lesson by one of the owners. Food was served in a traditional way using the Eritrean bread (like a pancake) – injera as the basis and then offering various vegetarian or meat dishes. We ate with our hands like Eritreans do and it felt so natural, though it seemed like a special skill to develop. Portion for 2 people was large so you can with no problem go there being very hungry. Also, it is not so usual to have so friendly service which goes beyond just offering the food. Owners, real Eritrean family, feel very proud about their origins and act as real ambassadors of their culture. This is definitely a place to go if you like Eastern Africa and want to have a delicious dinner with a touch of culture and chance to learn something new.

Price: about 20GBP per person;

Duration: devote couple of hours;

Amazingness: not only good value for money but also fascinating cultural experience.

June 7, 2014

 

#115 indulging coffee at the London’s best coffee shop

When you want to have a coffee, you have several options: you can make one at home, you can go to Costa or Cafe Nero (i dont mention Starbucks because i am assuming that all the cool people like me are also boycotting it), or you can go to the best coffee shop in the town. Coffee lovers in London: in case you missed this brilliant piece of news from back in April, welcome to the White Mulberries, the best London’s coffee shop in 2014.

Located just nearby the Tower bridge in the St Catherine docks, this tiny but cosy place totally deserves this title. We had to make two attempts to have a coffee there. When we first went, it was totally full. Second time, few hours later, we were lucky to arrive when another couple just left, so we could take over their table by the window with a relaxing view to the docks, yachts and people passing by.

This coffee shop is probably the best because of at least 4 reasons: 1) of course, coffee; i’m a long-time coffee drinker and could immediately tell that this was not a regular coffee; the smell and taste was a clear indicator of quality; 2) snacks and cakes; try a slice of roasted (!) banana cinnamon loaf – mouthwatering!; 3) ambiance – cosy, welcoming, friendly and esthetic; 4) location – central enough to be easily accessible, but hidden enough to have some breathing space.

Price: about 5GBP for a coffee and a sweet treat of your choice;

Duration: you wont wan to leave that place;

Amazingness: good coffee is worth a million 🙂

May 31, 2014

 

 

#109 dining with a view: Wild Jordan cafe

When i travel and visit new places, exploring cafes and dining places is one of the most exciting things. Though hotel where i stayed (Toledo hotel, highly recommend it) offered great variety of local cuisine, I just had to check what Amman has to offer. For vegetarian and non-vegetarian people, but who value quality, organic food, Jordan wild cafe is a must-visit place.

Well, first of all, before i even sat at the table, i was amazed by the beautiful scenery and the city view and got stuck on the terrace for a while as i enjoyed the view. The cafe located on several floors has probably one of the most stunning views over the city.

Wild Cafe in essence is a an arm of a social enterprise which uses only locally produced products and prepares healthy, low-fat meals including also various local herbal teas and awesome smoothies.

So, finding a place with beautiful scenery and healthy, tasty food – that’s a bliss.

Price: for a salad, tea and smoothie – about 10GBP/10JOD.

Duration: 2 hours (they have there free wi-fi and interesting shop with handmade things made in Jordan (Death sea mud soaps!!);

Amazingness: definitely one of the must-visit places when in Amman;

May 9, 2014

 

#102 welcome to paradise of pancakes: Amsterdam

According to my observations, there are people who cant be bothered about pancakes, and there are people who totally love them. I am part of the latter. Pancakes were my childhood food. Pancakes were probably one of the first dish i learnt to cook. I like sweet and sour pancakes. I like thin and thick pancakes. I like simple and sophisticated pancakes.

I heard the rumors before that Dutch people are into pancakes as well. Now i can tell these are not rumors. That’s a fact. And, they are not only loving pancakes. They are very serious about them. Never ever before i have seen a menu at a pancakes’ place with close to 100 options!!!!! Being vegetarian was very helpful in decision making process as it reduced the number of options by half.

So, if you are in Amsterdam, you should check out two places: Pancakes! Amsterdam and Pancake Bakery. These 2 places will be mentioned in various tourist guides, but contrary to my worries about them being overly touristic and hence not so authentic, you will not be disappointed.

At the Pancake Bakery i followed waiter’s advise and chose Greenlander’s pancake: spinach, Indian nuts and Camembert cheese. At the Pancakes! Amsterdam my pancake looked like vegetarian pizza and tasted perfectly.

Amsterdam has its international vibe and therefore also its restaurants’ menus are inspired by various cuisines, however, try to go Dutch there and eat their pancakes. Amsterdam (or Holland) is probably the best place on the earth where to do it.

Price: about 10 EUR for a portion of pancakes but may depend on your choice;

Duration: sometimes it may be not a huge meal at all, but richness of pancakes will keep hunger away for many hours.

Amazingness: total deliciousness.

May 6, 2014

 

#98 do you want to eat a cake in a style? get a cake in a jar!

I was planning to meet some of  my friends who i dont see that often and i wanted to give them some small, but special presents. As they live in continental Europe (this is how the UK is distinguishing itself from the rest of the Europe), i wanted something British/English, simple and stylish. Something they unlikely would be able to get in their countries.

After some little research, I found out about Cake in a Jar. Home-made, high quality cakes in a jar. Quality, deliciousness, originality and that all in one little jar! My friends loved it. Our favorite probably was Red velvet cake. mmm. 🙂

Price: from 3.45GBP for a jar + delivery costs.

Duration: Company offers next day/ speedy delivery. They say, cakes stay fresh for about 10 days if kept in the fridge, but not sure who can leave such a cake for that long in the fridge.

Amazingness: making nice surprises to friends is amazing, isnt it?

May 1, 2014

 

#97 beetroot chocolate brownies

Beetroot brownies. hm, what? Beetroot brownies?? Beetroot chocolate brownies?! Yes, beetroot chocolate brownies!!

I saw a recipe of beetroot chocolate brownies in the Metro, London’s morning newspaper this week, which was presented as a total guilt free and healthy food. Hm, but beetroots in a cake? So, i just could not resist that temptation to try baking this strange cake.

But, believe it or not, experiment worked out and cake is delicious. I like its softness. And it tastes both like beetroot and brownie. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 600g precooked beetroot;
• 50g chopped hazelnuts;
• 120g gluten and wheat free flour;
• 3tsp baking powder;
• 100g pure cacao powder;
• 2 spoons of honey and about 100ml agave nectar (in original recipe it was suggested to add 400g honey, which, i think, was wayyy toooo much, so i significantly reduced and i think, cake was still sweet enough, but you may want to add more, if you want to);
• a bit of salt;
• 5 eggs.

Baking: first, chop beetroot in small pieces and then blend; second, place in the bowl chopped hazelnuts, flour, baking powder and cacao powder and mix it; third, add the beetroots but do not mix in yet; fourth, place the honey and agave nectar, salt and eggs in a bowl and blend for 2 min; fifth, add eggs to the rest of the ingredients and gently with a wooden spoon stir keeping in the air in the mixture. then cook for about 35-40minutes.

Experiment, give a try to new tastes!!

Price: about 8GBP;

Amazingness: it’s amazing how totally different and incompatible things can actually work so well together;

Duration: about 1 hour including baking time;

April 27, 2014

 

#95 little garden

everyone needs to have a garden. If you have a house and a nice, green, spacious garden – big enough for flowerbeds, BBQs, sunbathing and plants, it’s awesome. But for those, who live in a flat or for any other reason dont have a garden, there is always a way around: a tiny garden just by the window. Like mine – it is not big at all, but it will bring a joy in the form of fresh  herbs for my meals. A small thing, but amazing. I am still waiting until parsley, basil and spring onions are big enough to use them, but it gonna be soon.

Price: 5GBP for the set of little buckets, soil and seeds;

Amazingness: your own grown food always tastes so much better;

Duration: these should last for all summer; and i can always just plant more seeds.

April 20, 2014

 

 

#94 spinach and ricotta lasagna

When dining out, it is not that common to have vegetarian lasagnas on the menu. If there is one, it will definitely be the traditional one with minced meat and tomato sauce. Baking lasagna at home is time consuming and unless you are very passionate with cooking, there is a bit of a risk too that things do not work out quite that well. But, in name of this long Easter holiday, i gave it a go to spinach and ricotta lasagna. And, it was absolutely delicious.

My simple recipe is:

• 9 lasagna sheets (for 3 layers) which do not need to be pre-cooked;
• about 500-600g of fresh spinach;
• 250g ricotta cheese;
• 1 big onion;
• few cloves of garlic;
• 250ml of milk;
• 50g of Gorgonzola cheese;
• about 50g of flour (i used whole-wheat flour);
• nutmeg;
• Parmesan cheese (50g);

First, i prepared the spinach-ricotta: washed spinach leaves  and cooked in boiling water for about 3-5 min, then drained, let them cool, chopped and fried in butter with onions and garlic. i left it all cool for a bit and then added ricotta cheese and stirred until it got a soft, creamy texture. I added a tiny bit of milk too to make it creamier.

Secondly, i prepared the white sauce: on a frying pan i melted butter, added flour and then milk. salt, nutmeg, black pepper got added too. it almost felt like a pancake dough, but without eggs. i also added to this mixture a bit of Gorgonzola cheese to get a cheesier/ richer taste of this sauce.

Thirdly, i sprinkled oil on the bottom of the baking tray, then put the first layer of spinach-ricotta, then, the first layer of lasagna sheets, then the white sauce, then the second layer of spinach etc. At the end, i had 3 layers which were topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

I cooked for about 30 min in 200C and it was done once the top got golden brown.

Price: patience and max 5GBP;

Amazingness: this was perfect Easter treat;

Duration: depends how many eaters, but with these ingredients you can get 6 good size portions.

April 19, 2014

 

#87 indulging baklava

Where else if not in Turkey you can taste the best baklava? How is it actually possible to avoid baklava shop there? It’s probably easier to buy baklava than a loaf of bread there. Baklava is everywhere. Maybe because i’m a sweet-tooth person, but i lost the game with baklava shops without fighting. How can you resist? In Gaziantep i went to a Unluler baklava shop and after selecting a mix of different baklava the owner just offered me a tea with some of the finest baklava. It’s a gift, he said. Isnt it amazing?

Price: on average about 35-38TL per kilo (about 10-13GBP);

Amazingness: irresistible;

Duration: disappears too quickly.

April 11, 2014

 

#86 Gaziantep: when travel leave preconceptions at home

Though i consider myself as an open-minded person and someone who doesnt easily fall into traps of stereotypes and media constructed realities, i was surprised to realize how wrong i was about Gaziantep. It is a city in the south of Turkey, 50km from Syrian border and due to the conflict in Syria it has now become as one of the key hubs of humanitarian organizations in the Middle East region which provide assistance to the Syrians within and outside Syria.

As it is located in the periphery of Turkey I thought i will see there relatively low development, standard of living and poverty. But already on the first evening when i traveled from the airport to the hotel i realized i have been unfair. Yes, there are only 2 bars in the city (it’s Islam country after all) and yes, it’s not as multicultural city as London or any other Western metropolis, but it is a nice, clean (!) city with parks and flowers everywhere, honest taxi drivers (i could test it by using several drivers for the same route and always paid the same fee; and was given a receipt) and friendly people. Moreover, ‘foodies’ will love Gaziantep. Especially non-vegetarians. And it’s cheap! Both street food and fine dining (Bayazhan restaurant is an excellent place to visit), baklava shops, pistachio sellers and bazaars of spices wont disappoint you.

It’s not a popular tourists’ destination in Turkey, but for those who dare to go there despite it’s non-touristic image will feel like winners. Sometimes, what we know or what we think we know is quite different from how it really is.

Price: Turkish airlines and Pegasus airlines offer east and cheap connections with Istanbul;

Amazingness: exceeding expectations is always amazing;

Duration: 3 days;

10 April, 2014