Tag: foodblog

Delhi to Goa: A Culinary Trail

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Those of you who follow my Instagram page (foodtravelsldn) will know that I recently got back from an amazing 2 week trip to India.

There are so many things that India is famous for, but one of the most significant is its food. I knew I was heading to an absolute foodie heaven.

HOTEL FOOD

I ate so much over the two weeks that I couldn’t possibly cover everything. I’ve broken it down into 10 of the most interesting things that I came across, so here’s my best attempt at a round-up of those delicacies…I’ll start with hotel food. Often when eating abroad, hotel food is a bit of a cop-out. Generally they offer less authentic dishes and a wider range of international cuisine. One of the first striking things about food in India though is you can get great food from anywhere. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on the streets, in a small hotel or from a 5 star restaurant – the quality is still there, and you can be sure that nothing is coming from a packet. I’m not saying that each one of the meals below was a 10/10 but food in low-budget UK hotels doesn’t begin to compare.

STREET FOOD

One of the most exciting things for me was the prospect of trying street food. Not one to be scared off by talk of Delhi belly, I was fearless when it came to trying everything. My first day in Delhi was one of my favourite meals. I paid 20 rupees (25p ish) for a delicious potato curry with fried I-don’t-know-whats. It was probably the spiciest thing I ate there as it hadn’t been toned down for the foreigners but that’s exactly how I liked it. No cutlery, just hands. A delicious meal on the capital’s busy streets.

MASALA CHAI

I can’t even recall the number of times I’ve found myself saying ‘I don’t drink tea’ in my life. Yet despite that, something quite extradinary happened to me in India. I developed an OBSESSION for Masala Chai. It is exquisite. And yes it may well be because it’s so sweet and sugary and milky that it just tastes like a dessert but that’s not the point. I gave in to tea, with all its gingery, cinnamony flavours. The best chai by far is the tiny cups you get in the street, on the go. I’m not sure I’m quite fully converted to tea, but it’s a step in the right direction.

SPICE MARKETS AND FRESH PRODUCE

Arriving in Delhi, I’d read that one of the main attractions was the city’s spice market, and so being such a keen cook I had to check it out. To be completely honest, it wasn’t what I’d imagined. In my head I’d conjured up images of bustling streets and market stalls full of every colour and tone of spice you could imagine. The reality is all the little shops are nestled below buildings running along the side of each street and the takeaway images aren’t as striking. Having said that I still bought away an exciting haul of turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and some unknown substance that I’ll just shove in a curry and hope for the best.

Big chain supermarkets aren’t really a thing in India so local people buy all their fresh groceries from people selling on the street. In Jaipur the side pavements were awash with every kind of veg you could imagine, and for me it was a whole lot more interesting than what Delhi had to offer.

RESTAURANT FOOD

So we come to one of the biggest areas of intrigue for me  – the restaurant food. I was really interested to see how it compared to the kind of Indian food we would eat at home. I had really mixed experiences – some absolutely delicious meals, some pretty good and some just ok. One of my highlights was having breakfast at Kyani & Co. in Mumbai, which is one of the Iranian café style restaurants that the London-based chain Dishoom is based on. In all the two weeks there were of course occasions where I strayed from Indian food because 2 weeks of curry for lunch and dinner can become a bit too much…

I’ve also taken away the fact that India is the best place in the world to eat vegetarian. There are almost more options on one menu than you’d find in most of London’s restaurants combined. Whether it’s curried okra, aubergine, daal or a selection of 3849595 paneer (cheese) dishes, it really is veggie paradise. I tried to mix it up a bit, sometimes avoiding meat and sometimes embracing it.

FLATBREADS

An absolute staple of Indian cuisine is the humble flatbread. From rotis to chapatis, naan to paratha, again, there are so many combinations to choose from. What struck me straight away was that our idea of Naan bread here in the UK, doesn’t actually exist in India. Indian naan is a thin flatbread rather than a bready doughy teardrop shaped creation like we eat here. I’m not saying one is better than the other but it was just interesting to see how things differed. For me, chapatis were the most disappointing as they tended to be the driest and were plain without a selection of exciting flavours and toppings, whereas the naan and paratha were endlessly pleasing. Cheese, garlic, chilli, butter –whatever your topping, they’re the perfect way to scoop up your curry when there’s no cutlery in sight. Peshwari Naan is also a delicious sweet alternative with dried fruits and nuts.

GLOBAL BRANDS

So I’m a complete sucker for trying new menu items, limited edition products, or just things that I know I won’t be able to get my hands on elsewhere. So for that reason I did venture to Pizza Hut (Agra), Mcdonalds (Ahmedabad) and KFC (Mumbai). I’m all about embracing every aspect of Indian cuisine – but for me, this includes eating at these places and trying menu items that I will never be able to get in the UK.

Pizza Hut was a great experience – not only was my Tandoori Paneer Pizza delicious, but the whole staff insisted on performing a very well-choreographed and rehearsed dance routine before we left.

Mcdonalds and KFC weren’t quite as exciting, and were more quick meals on the go before travelling from one city to the next. The McSpicy Paneer was a highlight but I’d give KFC a miss next time.

SWEET TREATS

This section is basically dedicated to the God of desserts – Gulab Jamun. I’d tried these sweet, sticky, syrupy balls at Dishoom here in London, and at the time had had no idea what I was actually ordering. They really are beautiful though – like a slightly less heavy small syrupy doughnut ball. And the ones in India are even smaller than the ones I had here, so you don’t have to feel as guilty! I’d also really wanted to try Rasgulla Balls which are similar but it seemed that every time I asked for them, the restaurant didn’t have them. I guess I’ll have to make it my mission to find some here.

Just a quickie before moving on – best hot chocolate I’ve ever had @Oludar Village Café in Udaipur (They also did an amazing chicken burger). Not where I was expecting to find the most delicious hot chocolate in the world but there you have it – and I made sure to sample 2 so I knew it wasn’t a fluke…

HOME COOKING

The group I was travelling with were lucky enough to visit a local family’s house in Udaipur where we were given a cooking demonstration of some classic dishes. A year ago, the lady giving the demo spoke no English whatsoever, so it was crazy how now, she was able to speak freely and spontaneously about technical elements of cooking and answer any questions we had. She made some delicious pakora, okra, chickpea curries and chapatis. It was a lovely afternoon, despite the power cutting out multiple times (meaning we were in darkness and with no air con) and I’ll definitely be trying to recreate these dishes at home.

TOP MEALS

I’ll finish with a couple of highlights. Where were my best meals and what were they? Our group ‘leader’ was fantastic with his solid recommendations and letting us know where the best places were to eat each dish.

Hunter’s Delight @ Dagla, Jaipur

This mutton curry was delicious. Incredibly tender meat, a lovely curry sauce that wasn’t too runny like some of the others I’d had, and lots of chillis and heat! I never asked for the spices in my dishes toned down like they often do for westerners because I love the firey kick!

  • Keema Baati @ The Courtyard Café and Bar, Udaipur

This was a really interesting-looking dish and I didn’t really know what I’d ordered until it arrived. They’re basically big bread balls (the bread is quite tough, definitely not soft and airy, but it’s supposed to be like this) and the centre is stuffed with minced mutton. On the side you get a mutton curry and melted ghee so my tactic was just to smother them with the curry and ghee making it as indulgent as possible. So much flavour.

  • Paneer Kathi Rolls @ Hotel Royal Dezire, Udaipur

So I can’t say this was the most impressive dish, skill or flavour-wise but in terms of setting yourself up for the day with a solid breakfast, this was it. Basically tasty, stodgy wraps filled with cheese, chilli and other veg. A beautiful start to the day.

  • Keema with Fried Egg @ Kyani & Co., Mumbai

One that I have mentioned already, but probably my favourite meal in my favourite city. The keema (minced mutton) almost felt like a spiced Bolognese, and topped with a fried egg was delicious when scooped up with the bread rolls. I could eat this every single day.

So that’s about it! It’s tricky to condense 2 weeks of foodie adventures into one post, especially when you have a tendency to waffle like me, but there are my highlights, observations and general thoughts. India was a massive adventure, and I loved every minute of it.

I wonder how long it will take me to save for my next adventure in China – I might need a few years but watch this space…

¡Comemos!

xo

Big Mamma Group’s ‘Gloria Trattoria’

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Restaurant review numero tre and it’s a popular one. Gloria was opened in Shoreditch by the Big Mamma group earlier this year and people went wild over it. Queueing for crazy lengths of time to get a table was standard, and the same thing is now going down with their newly-opened sister restaurant Circo Popolare.

It’s sometimes nicer to let the hype die down a bit before you visit somewhere, and although for me it wasn’t intentional, clearly I did go at a time when people were so busy obsessing over Circo Populare that getting into Gloria was actually pretty straight forward.

Before I get stuck in, I want to emphasise that my intention is never to rant and rave about a restaurant and put people off. There is a significant difference between a restaurant that serves poor quality food with subpar service, and a lovely restaurant, with well-cooked food and a good menu, but that on one particular occasion ends up serving up food that isn’t to your personal taste. My experience at Gloria falls into the latter category. I had heard so many positive reviews of this place before trying it myself, so please bear this in mind as you read on.

It’s super inviting, light and bright, with an abundance of plants and leafy decor both on the inside and outside. Be aware that you may end up sandwiched on a table incredibly close to the diners beside you (especially if there are only two of you), which I understand seeing as they are so popular, and ultimately this having more tables squeezed in means a shorter wait time, but it’s not ideal.

And so we begin. The starter. I have never in my life ordered Burrata before, and had reached a point where I felt like this was a bit embarrassing considering I think I’m the world’s most enthusiastic foodie. Having said this, I think I reminded myself why I’d never ordered it when it came. For me, a cheese lover, burrata just isn’t the same. IT HAS NO FLAVOUR. Am I wrong? Please feel free to enter into discussion with me if you disagree but I can’t work out why people seem to love it so much. On top of that, the creamier the burrata, the more it seems to be raved about, but for me, this just emphasises the fact that it doesn’t work as a stand alone dish.

There was more pesto than this, it’s just not visible in the photo!

It looks pretty, there’s no denying that. And at least this particular burrata came with pesto and some other unknown sauce as pictured above. But still that did not make it the wonderful experience I was hoping it would be. I should also mention that it was pretty big. This isn’t a starter for one, it’s definitely a sharer.

For mains I chose the truffle pasta, as I feel like both the truffle pasta and carbonara are praised fairly often on social media. I have to admit, Mafaldine is not my favourite pasta shape – it’s has the length of spaghetti but with wavy edges, and I found it slightly slimy. I got a lot from the truffle flavour, but similar to the burrata, I think truffle is kind of overrated. The subtlety of truffle oil on pizza etc can be a tasty addition, but when it’s supposed to be the star of the show like in this pasta I feel like it can be bit overwhelming and can get sickly.

Dessert was where my heart was well and truly broken. I had been so excited to try their famous lemon meringue pie with the giant, wobbly, fluffy meringue topping but this didn’t seem to be on their lunch menu, so instead, I went for my second choice of the giant profiterole.

Honestly I do not want to keep being negative but this was probably my least favourite course. First off, it really is giant – again, not a dessert for one (and that’s coming from me – someone with an impressive appetite). Sandwiched in between the profiterole pastry is ice cream, but it doesn’t have that lovely vanilla bean flavour you hope for; instead, it’s the kind of bland that you find in those flavourless school choc-ice bars. I had also expected it to be hot, with a rich, warm, fudgey sauce. In reality, the sauce was cold (intentionally so) and pale and seemed more like melted chocolate ice cream. It completely drowns the profiterole which was actually the only bit I semi-enjoyed.

Please do not ask me why this looks like a close up of something cooked up on The Sims – I don’t think I’ve done any kind of outrageous, unintentional editing. But yeah, just not the one at all. And I genuinely am sad to say it.

To be fair, the service was great and the bill really wasn’t bad, I had been expecting to pay a fair bit more, but I’m just sorry that I can’t be more positive about my experience of the food.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this meal just wasn’t to my taste. These things are so subjective, and had we been presented with carelessly prepared, unimaginative food and bad service, I would go in slightly harder with my review, but here that just wasn’t the case.

So, now’s your chance to make up your mind: burrata, truffle pasta and profiteroles – do they do it for you? If so, get down to Gloria, and…

¡Comemos!

xo

Sticks ‘n’ Sushi

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Today’s review centres on somewhere I’ve been desperate to try ever since I moved to London last year.

I spent about 20 years convinced I didn’t like sushi, with the idea of eating raw fish just not sitting well with me. That all changed however, when I was living in Brazil.

If you’ve read my Top 10 Foodie Experiences in Brazil post you’ll know that perhaps surprisingly Brazil does fantastic sushi due to the large Japanese population. To be honest, I do have to put my change in opinion in part down to the fact that Brazil does amazing fried sushi and we all know that literally anything fried tastes delicious.

But even for those of you who are still not convinced, don’t give up on Sticks ‘n’ Sushi just yet. It prides itself on being ‘A sushi restaurant even for those who don’t like fish’. Although they do offer some cooked chicken sushi dishes like maki rolls, the main selling point for anyone not a fan of seafood is the ‘sticks’. Their sticks are mini skewers that come in an incredible array of flavour combinations, some of which you’ll see below.

We went to the Covent Garden branch (there are quite a few all around London) and the first thing you notice is how dark it is. In the main restaurant section it is so gloomy (assuming this is supposed to be ‘atmospheric’) and all the decor is black and dark-coloured. Clearly some people like this ‘mood lighting’ but tbh it’s not for me. The sushi bar downstairs is still pretty dark but the bar benches are lit up and you can at least see your food and dining partner.

The menu itself is pretty cool. It’s a photo menu that shows beautifully colourful (and accurate) images of what each dish looks like.

So onto our order…

I ordered the Hell’s Kitchen rolls – tempura shrimp with avocado and spicy sauce, topped with tuna and bbq (8 pieces). For anyone who’s concerned about spice levels, although I love a bit of heat and can handle it pretty well, honestly, these were not spicy at all. The puffed rice tempura on the prawns adds a really lovely crunch and the bbq injects some extra flavour.

The second lot are the Hotate Kataifi (6 pieces) which are scallops with miso aioli, trout roe and cress. They were absolutely delicious and the aioli was beautiful.

Despite being a sushi restaurant, the sticks, for me, are the most exciting and unique part. With 18 to choose from, it’s so hard to narrow down which ones you want to try. There are meat, fish, veggie and vegan options so there’s something for everyone.

And here they are in all their glory…

Starting on the far left, we have the duck breast with panko and wasabi caesar. For us, this was the only disappointment of the evening. The duck was pretty tough and didn’t have much flavour. Having said that, I hate wasabi, but yet found that the wasabi caesar was beautiful. They’ve ensured that the wasabi flavour is pretty mild for those who aren’t fans, and eating it as a mayo like sauce makes it so much more enjoyable.

Next up is the absolute favourite – goat’s cheese wrapped in dried ham. The cheese was unbelievably oozy, it’s honestly the most incredible texture in your mouth, and the salty ham adds to the flavour. Next to that is the teriyaki duck hearts. Now, please don’t be put off by the idea of hearts. I tried chicken hearts for the first time a few years ago, and yes, I was definitely weirded out by the idea of it. Ultimately though, I eat meat, and so what difference does it make eating one part of the animal over another? Better to ensure that nothing goes to waste, right? Anyway, they tasted just like any other kind of standard meat and the teriyaki is sticky and slightly sweet.

So, photo number 2 we have firstly the free-range pork with yuzu miso. The meat was cooked well, not too tough, and I enjoyed the sauce too. Second to last is the emmental wrapped in bacon – realistically can you ever go wrong with cheese wrapped in bacon? No, absolutely not. Not quite as oozy as the goat’s cheese one but still delicious. And then finally we have the scallops wrapped in bacon (bit of a theme here…). Lovely scallops, lots of flavour. Fab.

Okay, so I feel exhausted after that stick breakdown. I’ll quickly add that despite not having photo evidence, we ordered the fried cauliflower with black truffle goma on the side. Coming from someone who supposedly doesn’t like cauliflower, trust me, it’s good. It’s kind of odd being served on top of a pure black sauce – definitely looks like something you shouldn’t be consuming, but I promise it’s safe! The truffle sauce really is lovely.

Before drawing to a conclusion, we obviously have to touch on dessert. I say obviously – I guess it’s easy to overlook dessert at sushi restaurants but Sticks ‘n’ Sushi have a fab little menu where you can try 3 mini desserts for £10 (There are 8 to try overall).

The top one is a coconut rice pudding with passionfruit coulis and this was my least favourite. The texture of the pudding was actually decent and the coulis was tangy and sharp, so there was nothing wrong with it, I just preferred the others.

The middle is a white chocolate mousse with raspberry topping with liquorice. I hate liquorice so that was the only downside but I knew what I was getting myself into, it was no surprise. There’s also only a very small amount of liquorice flavour coming through so it’s still perfectly edible even if you’re not a fan. The rest of the dessert was lovely though, and the white chocolate didn’t get sickly – probably avoided by the sharpness of the raspberry on top. BUT, the star of the show 100% was the chocolate fondant with oozy salted caramel centre and peppermint topping. I really didn’t think that a dessert from a restaurant so focused on mains could be so impressive but it was very indulgent and wonderful-tasting.

So, there’s the food. A feast for your eyes. Bit of a quick moan before I sign off. Firstly, when I arrived I was asked if I’d like any water for the table whilst I waited for my friend. Was it was my fault for not asking at this point whether I would be charged for it? Anyway it was £4 which I only realised when the bill came. To me this is a massive pisstake – it’s pretty pricey as it is but with amazing food, so they really don’t need to take advantage by adding on such a ridiculous charge.

The other thing that I found mildly annoying was the service which I found slightly too intense for my liking. We had to stop our conversation a few times whilst waiters kept coming over, and when they bring your food they go through exactly what each dish is. Maybe some people need to be reminded, but I personally know exactly what I’ve ordered, and when you’re hungry and just want to eat, you really don’t want your waiter taking 5 minutes to reel off the names and ingredients of each of your 10 sticks (Not that the staff weren’t lovely though).

Anyway, review number 2 complete… go and book a table EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T LIKE SUSHI (but whatever you do say no to water) and…

¡Comemos!

xo