Food – Page 12 – slightly weird

30th July 201823rd August 2018

Hazy summer days

Monday 30 July, 2018

The summer has continued very hot, sometimes with very little breeze. It’s hard to do much and people outside are quick-tempered and slow-moving. London in the heat isn’t a pretty thing.

I’ve stayed indoors as much as I can. And I decided to buy myself a Sindy doll. I really want one from the 60s, when I would have had my first one, but they are scarce and expensive. I got one from the 80s instead. She’s called Bunches. Her clothing is very flimsy but I made her a crinoline petticoat so that her skirt would fill out. I’m not convinced it looks right but it will do for now. I’ll keep my eyes out for another.

**The grass has turned to gold and I wish I had a garden. Out back.**

My friend, Susanne, and I used to meet quite often. We met through DigitalEve UK. She was feisty and interesting and had come to London from Austria. When her work contracted ended she had a lot of trouble finding something new. So I mentioned eModeration to her, as a stopgap, where she could find a job from home using her German. She’s gone from strength to strength and now works fulltime for them. So it’s much harder to pin her down for a meeting.

But we made it! I sent Susanne, a fellow foodie, a list of ‘hot’ restaurants and she chose The Smoking Goat Bar on Redchurch Street. Susanne is familiar with Northern Thai food so was game to try the new place. My review:

I got there to a quiet restaurant and asked to be sat near the back, where it seemed quieter. Back here there are low stools rather than chairs. There’s a good view of the bar area, where barbecuing takes place. By the time we left it was heaving with people.

We were recommended four sharing dishes so we deliberated. Here’s what we had:

Barbecue Tamworth Skewer – 1 each. This is marinated belly pork alternated with some of its fat and barbecued on skewers
Gai Yang Chicken with Sriracha – This had an extraordinary sour and spicy flavour that surprised me. I would have this again, while from the menu it hadn’t sounded interesting at all (friend’s choice)
Smoked Aubergine with Egg & Chill – an intensely smoky whole small aubergine with a lovely runny poached egg and some lovely herbs
Northern Thai Style Mutton Laab – this was a bit salty but delicious. It was strewn with herbs and chili. Spicy!
Stir Fried Cornish Greens & Soy – our nod to vegetables. Nicely done!
Lardo Fried Rice – I chose it since it’s described in reviews as ‘A must-have.’ So we had to have it! The rice was greasy in a good way and studded with green chillies, crispy lardo and some egg. I did really like it but now I’ve had it, I’ve had it and would move on to a plain jasmine rice, which I hear is bottomless.

I’d go again! (And the price was a nice surprise!)

Continue reading “Hazy summer days”

27th June 201811th August 2018

Couch! and a meeting with an old friend

Wednesday, 27 June, 2018

Maybe one day we will buy a new couch but so far every attempt has failed. The couch is either too short, too long, too uncomfortable, too expensive… There have been five failed tries – the Ikea couch was too big, so too was the couch at Sofa Workshop, one that was advertised online was too short, the couch at a floor model sale wasn’t comfortable enough, and the Conran couch wasn’t sturdy enough. So I’m stuck with a couch that I can’t stretch out on and that sags in the middle. We think an interim step we can live with is to replace the foam inside the cushions. Soon! We did need to make two visits to Westfield, though.

**The prosecco truck at Westfield, Stratford**

**Take a photo, Krish the Lego fan demanded**

Nachos at lunch, Giraffe. Brits aren't so good at them — **Nachos at lunch, Giraffe. Brits aren’t so good at them**

Not sure they quite understand 'tacos' either — **Not sure they quite understand ‘tacos’ either**

Belle Epoque, our local Parisian Patisserie, provided mini treats at the Floor model sale Continue reading “Couch! and a meeting with an old friend”

25th June 201823rd July 2018

Shoreditch walks and Supper Clubs

18-24 June, 2018

The tree is growing more leaves from the stumps daily. I’m taking a Monday photo each week to show its progress.

On Wednesday we walked to Shikumen in Aldgate. It was a long, meandering walk and sometimes it felt like we looped too much and came back not so far from our last point. I should try to map it. Just behind Broadway Market there are some interesting art pieces. I know I’ve seen this area before but not sure if the art is new. Probably not.

When we reached the top end of Brick Lane, we bumped into Rosie from Krish’s volunteering. We had a brief chat and then moved on.

The walk was a bit of a struggle and, at the end, our favourite dish at Shikumen the crispy prawn with garlic, chili and cashew.

Friday after the Falls Prevention exercise class, Lisa and I went to Palm Vaults, which is a vegetarian/vegan coffee shop. It’s so girly in there! I had an iced coffee and sweet-talked my way to getting half a salad. At Palm Vaults, which also has a Soho branch, there are absolutely no dairy milks for coffee and it’s card only. This is becoming more common – shops that don’t take cash. And the drinks are inventive and trendy – beetroot, lavender, rose, turmeric, teas I’ve never heard of….at a steep price!

When I was a teenager, my parents were in a supper club. In those days it meant that a group of friends, and friends of friends, got together in one person’s home once a month or so and that person would cook the meal. It seemed a great idea at the time. In London the concept of supper club is somewhat different. Continue reading “Shoreditch walks and Supper Clubs”

14th June 201816th June 2018

Old Street and Palatino – in pictures

Thursday, 14 June, 2018

Thursday, I went to the doctor to get another blood test. I was relieved to hear the phlebotomist I didn’t like the last time was away. The replacement nurse was great. Blood taken and off I went.

I was meeting my friend, Tom, at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try for quite some time, Palatino in Clerkenwell.

Old Street is a nice Shoreditch street with a lot of interesting things to look at and some good cafés. There’s also some cool architecture and street art (which I’ll photograph when I’m not rushing off to a meeting. However, the station and the roundabout aren’t very nice.

Along the way to Palatino, which was a longer walk than expected, there was a lovely little garden.

Palatino has a great Instagram feed. All their food looks great. Every time I see something like that, I’m curious to see if they can live up to the photography. The space is on the ground floor of a new block of flats. As you walk inside, there’s a desk for residents and the co-working space on your right and the restaurant is on the left. It’s a bright and modern place so it’s easy to sit and relax and wait for Tom, who has to come from South East London.

The food was very nice, not spectacular. I started with the Anchovy, stracciatella, toast followed by a tender Pappardelle with a pork and beef ragu – half size. Finally, we splashed out on dessert. Mine was an Apricot, Hazelnut and Rosemary tart. Tom thought there was too much rosemary but I quite enjoyed the combination. His panna cotta with strawberry was also delicious. The service was friendly and efficient. It’s a good place for lunch with friends.

On the way back in the bus, I came across this shopfront. I was tired and actually fell asleep for a stop or two. The next bus was packed to the door and I was happy to get home.

7th June 201811th June 2018

Mare Street for plants, Bump Buddies event, and Pasta!

Thursday 7 June, 2018

We want to put plants on the windowsill now that we are opening the windows up. It feels like a lengthy process. So far all that’s happened is talking about it. Such is life with a perfectionist. Let’s make this so!

Plan: herbs on the kitchen windowsill – parsley, basil, rosemary…so far. I think also thyme, oregano, and sage, perhaps coriander – not sure. In the living room a mix of green plants and wildish flowers plus lavender. Instead of a box, we will have pots grouped together.

There are some nice plant shops on Stoke Newington Church Street and I can go there today or tomorrow and pick some things up. But I’ve also noticed from the bus a place called Hackney Flower Warehouse so I decided to pop along there in a quiet time to see what they had to offer.

The shops are at Victoria Park Road right by the Regent’s Canal. It’s old school Hackney in this neighbourhood.

**The flowery plant here really makes a difference to the old building front along Mare Street**

Regent’s Canal stretches from the Grand Union Canal at Paddington in the West to the Limehouse Basin and the Thames in the east It’s 13.8km (8.6 miles) long. It also runs parallel (just a dozen metres away) to the house I grew up in so it’s an old friend. While the Grand Union Canal can be wide and surprising with its greenery and wildlife and majestic views, Regent’s Canal is like an everyday Londoner. There are factories, derelict stretches, ordinary homes – modern and old, and walkers, runners and bicyclists along the way. Building began in 1812 and the first stretch was open in 1816. The part that runs through Hackney opened in 1820 so almost 200 years ago.

On the Regent's Canal Bridge at Andrews Road — **On the Regent’s Canal Bridge at Andrews Road**

It can be very picturesque along the canal, with its greenery and barges but not everywhere. Going through Hackney Wick it can be a real mess with the expected graffiti everywhere. This section is a mixed bag.

There’s a fair bit of construction on the east side. I wonder what they’re planning.

I see there’s a plant warehouse on my side of the street so I wandered around that a bit. Some really nice big plants and containers, a bit on the pricey side. I headed over to the flower warehouse and look around. It’s a nice feeling that everywhere in the world, when you step into a florist, the warm damp smells are the same. It’s quite heady.

Nothing blew me away here. I walked around a few times, seeing the options and making mental notes of what might be nice. The prices here are pretty good. In fact, they are about on par with Columbia Road Flower Market – three or four small plants for £10 – and it’s a lot less crowded! Noted! I’ll see what I can get along Stoke Newington Church Street and perhaps return to fill in some gaps.

Enough flags? Along Mare Street — **Enough flags? Football frenzy along Mare Street**