Last weekend...

Just had the most glorious weekend - picnic under a nice shady tree on Parliament Hill on Saturday, then on Sunday a little trip to Arundel to see the castle and have a walk around.
If you ever find yourself hungry and thirsty in Arundel, check out The Black Rabbit - it's a cute pub on the River Arun, about 20-30 minutes walk from the station.
It was a very warm day, and after the walk to the pub all I felt like was a burger and a pint. But alas there was no veggie burger, the closest thing was a mozzarella muffin which turned out to be exactly that.

Half a sorry soggy supermarket English muffin underneath three small pieces of grilled veg with mozzarella melted over the top, accompanied with new potatoes, which I ended up swapping over for fries. As Ja'mie from Summer Heights High would say..."Random!"
I feel like I can't be too critical as the menu amazingly boasts six vegetarian options. It's just that mushroom stroganoff, lasagna, chilli and curry aren't dishes I fancy eating when I'm hot and bothered, but maybe that's just me. The ice cream on the other hand was deeeelicious. I was very, very pleased with my choice of honeycomb and strawberry.

Vegetarian food aside, the venue and service is lovely. They have a big outdoor seating area next to the river where you can enjoy some choice ales until it's time to walk back to the station and snooze it all off on the train ride back to the big smoke.

Bumbling around Belgium

Last year we took advantage of the Eurostar seat sale and booked ourselves some cheap tickets to Belgium. Then the snow came. After a few tweaks to our train schedule we finally made it to Brussels where it was a million times colder than London. After spending the morning trying to get out of the weather, we hopped on a train to Antwerp. For some reason, maybe because of the snow, the platform display wasn't working so well, and we ended up on a train traveling in the opposite direction. After about an hour we cottoned on, and quickly hopped off the train which by now was in nowheresville, and hightailed it back to Brussels...again. (Mental note: when you ask someone 'is this the train to Antwerp?' and they say 'yes', they might be on crack)



With Saturday a bit of a lost cause, I was hoping to get in on the sale action the following day, but unfortunately, like most European cites, everything is closed on Sunday.
A few vintage shops along Klosterstraat were open, so we spent some time ducking in and out of shops to get out of the snow. It was so cold it reminded us of Russia, minus the stone-faced locals. Then we stumbled across Ra, and if I wasn't frozen solid I would have jumped up and down with joy...







The clothing is gorgeous but the highlight was the cafe. There's a little loft section you could climb up a ladder to get to, and a cute friendly Italian greyhound trotting around. And most importantly...they do all-day breakfast on Sundays.
We shared an eggs florentine and a tofu miso soup - I'm aware this is a crazy combo but after a few days of frites, beer and waffles I was keen for something cleansing. The eggs were perfectly poached and came in a cute little fruit scone.



The next day we grabbed a beautiful (in both look and taste) hot chocolate at Bar Choq. Would have loved to have tried their coffee too because it looked like it was made with a lot of care and love. All the more reason to visit again...

Chew of Greengages

We just spent a blissful weekend in Bath - warm sun, blue skies and fine, fine foods. I have discovered a new favourite past time too... hanging around in Denise's front garden under the greengage tree with my legs in the sun eating greengages and napping.



We also christened Denise's new ice cream maker with an incredibly rich chocolate ice cream from David Leibovitz's book The Perfect Scoop, which has some crazy flavour combinations like orange and sichuan pepper (we weren't game enough to try that one). We added some fresh cherries at the end to give it an extra edge, but could only manage small amounts at a time as each spoonful brought us closer to an ice cold coronary.




And of course a visit to Bath isn't complete without a visit to the Fine Cheese Co. This time I was very restrained and came away a chunk of Le Gruyère Premier Cru, aged in caves for 14 months, and celebrity cheese Little Wallop made by Alex James - washed in cider brandy and beautifully wrapped in vine leaves, I loved the oozy bits on the outer edges. While you're there grab a loaf of bread and butternut squash ravioli - best pasta I've had from a packet.

The Lake District: Quichey quichey ya ya da da

Quiche night: Kim, Fi and Oli

The hours before dinner have been blissful with the gang either in the lounge room or front garden enjoying some reading time with a nice cold beer. It's so quiet all you can hear the babbling of the brook running through the back of the house and the song of woodland birds. Then suddenly...

WHOOOOOOOOOOOP!!WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!

The fire alarm is going berserk. I race up to our bedroom to find Jasmine still sound asleep (I swear, once that girl actually gets to sleep not even a death metal band turned up to 11 can wake her)
I look out the window and there is smoke streaming out from the kitchen windows below. While the techies in our group try to figure out the code to turn the alarm off, everyone else races around the building opening windows and fanning the air with whatever comes to hand. I head down into ground zero - site of the burning quiche - and find Kim in the kitchen enjoying a fine glass of red, a picture of detached calm amid the chaos...



At some point the peace and quiet was restored, the smoke cleared and we enjoyed a delicious spread then played petanque until the midges and mosquitoes chased us back indoors.



Leek and Stilton quiche (from BBC food)

What you need
2 tbsp vegetable oil
25g/1oz butter
350g/12oz onions, finely sliced
675g/1lb leeks, shanks only, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
2tsp soft thyme leaves
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
3 eggs
290ml/½ pint double cream
100g/4oz Stilton cheese, cubed
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan
300g/12oz short crust pastry
seasoning

The do
1. Line a 25cm/10in flan tin or dish with the pastry. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Heat the oil and the butter in a pan until melted. Add the onions, leeks, sugar, garlic and thyme and cook gently until they have started to turn golden brown and are soft. Allow to cool slightly. Fold in the flour and add seasoning.
3. Beat the eggs and cream together and add to the onion mix. Fold in half the parmesan and the Stilton cheese.
4. Spoon the mixture into the flan case and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake in a preheated oven at 190C/375F/Gas 5 for about 50 minutes until golden brown and set.

Spinach, mushroom and ricotta quiche with sauteed spinach (from BBC food)

What you need
For the quiche
butter, for greasing
400g/14oz ready-made shortcrust pastry
350g/12oz flat mushrooms
3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g/1lb 2oz baby spinach leaves
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g/9oz ricotta cheese
1 tbsp grainy mustard
3 free-range egg yolks
300ml/11fl oz double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spinach
25g/1oz butter
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
500g/1lb 2oz baby spinach leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The do
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/465F/Gas 4.
2. Grease a 25cm/10in loose-bottomed tart tin with butter.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to line the tart tin. Cover with cling film and place into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pastry tart case from the fridge, cover with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Transfer to the oven and bake blind for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and return the tart case to the oven to bake for a further 3-5 minutes, until golden and just cooked.
6. Turn the oven temperature up to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
7. Meanwhile, place the mushrooms onto a baking tray, sprinkle over the thyme, drizzle over one tablespoon of the olive oil and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place into the oven to bake for 5-6 minutes, or until the mushrooms are beginning to soften. Remove and set aside.
8. Heat a large frying pan until hot and add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and the spinach and cover with a lid. Cook until the spinach has just wilted, then remove from the pan and drain.
9. Season the spinach well with freshly grated nutmeg and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Place the ricotta into a bowl. Add the grainy mustard, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
11. Spoon the mustard and ricotta mixture into the bottom of the tart case, top with the wilted spinach, and carefully place the roasted mushrooms on top.
12. Place the egg yolks and cream into a bowl, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and whisk together. Pour the egg mixture into the tart case.
13. Transfer to the oven to bake for 40 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling. Remove and cool slightly before serving.
14. For the sautéed spinach, heat a frying pan until hot. Add the butter and swirl the garlic clove around to flavour the oil.
15. Remove the garlic clove, add the spinach and sauté until wilted down. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
16. To serve, cut slices of quiche and place onto plates with a spoonful of sautéed spinach alongside.

Tune
Burning down the house Talking Heads

The Lake District: The Old Mill

This is my second attempt at this post - frustratingly, the first one went AWOL - and so I don't lose the will to blog I've decided to break it up into parts, which is probably better anyway.

Earlier this month we escaped the "killer heatwave" and spent a week up North with some good mates living in a house, a very big house (with turrets!) in the country.



Why? To celebrate Kelly's 29th and Carter's (more significant) 40th birthday. If Carters had had his way we probably would have been forced to wear medieval costume for the whole week, but unfortunately there was limited luggage space.

We split into teams and took turns cooking dinner which is what the next few posts will be about...

Coming to America: Day 11, Greenwich Village, New York City

The words 'best falafel' will always get my attention. Everyone knows there's a lot of terrible falafel out there in the big bad world - dark brown discs of any texture ranging from deep fried sawdust to rubber. I'll never forget the pride in the voice of one kebab shop owner as he asked me how I liked his falafel. I couldn't bring myself to tell him it looked and tasted like a wet sock left for a week in a plastic bag.
My love affair with this humble chickpea patty began when I was in university. The local strip housed a Falafel Kitchen, which pretty much kept me well fed for my entire uni life. Sometimes they would stand on the street handing out falafel balls on a tray to entice customers into their store. I would always devise a way to walk back and forth several times for another little snack.

Fast forward to The Big Apple, where Moustache in Greenwich Village, has a reputation for serving the city's best falafel. They're part of the Slow Food movement too, so you know they're putting thought into what they do.




Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, with distinct, identifiable flavours, served with pillow-soft pitta bread and fresh salad; what you get at Moustache is exactly what every falafel in the world dreams of being. The best in New York? I'd need to do more research to be sure. But the best I've ever tasted? Definitely. Don't miss the chance to try it if you're in the area.
Get the table in the window and, if you're very lucky, you'll get a little episode of New York life. While we were there, a fire truck turned up to quench a fierce flood from the apartments above. Hot falafel, fresh mint tea, and brawny men with axes. What more could you want?

Coming to America: Day 10, New York City

Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery
137 East Houston Street
Between 1st & 2nd

When in the lower east side, you must stop in at this knishery - and make sure you are starving, these puppies are not for the faint hearted.
Go for the vegetable or mushroom knish and a Matzo ball soup on the side and observe the interesting clientele, from cops picking up boxloads of knishes to skateboarder kidlets...all while the knish chef catches some zs in a chair at the back of the room.

Coming to America: Day 9, East Village, New York City

On our way to breakfast, we stop at an international newsagents to grab an English paper only to discover that Bojo is the new Mayor of London. I haven't been this disappointed since John Howard was voted in again in 2004.

Thankfully the friendly folks at B&H Dairy - a tiny vegetarian AND kosher diner in the East village - have an entire menu of comfort food for us to bury our sorrows in.
The stack of french toast made from Challah bread is so gigantic that any memory of Boris is forgotten as soon as it lands in front of me. As always the home fries are a winner, while the spinach blintzes are cooked to perfection with the obligatory bucket of sour cream on the side.
Make sure you get a seat on the counter and watch the staff banter while they work the grill and ladle out hot bowls of mushroom barley and matzo ball soup.

Coming to America: Day 7, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco

Today I'm particularly excited because we are escaping to Alcatraz.
On the way we stop for a quick breakfast at a chain called Boudin. I order a veggie scramble cob thing and it is fantastic. Carters has an equally impressive salad sandwich with choice ingredients like avocado and semi-dried tomatoes on yummy rye bread.



Seeing the tunnel that was used in the famous escape was really cool and I also liked the industrial sized kitchen where they had a knife cabinet with silhouettes painted so you could tell straight away if a knife was missing. The dining room had sprinkler type fittings overhead, so in the event of any trouble, everyone in the room would be gassed!

Coming to America: Day 6, Fort Mason Centre, San Francisco

The search for a vegetarian fine-dining establishment is sometimes likened to the search for a sweet-smelling Frenchman. Oftentimes, your restaurant experience involves you and your companion ordering the only vegetarian starter, then one of you getting the interesting main - usually a tart or something made with glassy filo - while the other settles for the token risotto or pasta dish.
If you're very unlucky (or in Paris) then you have to ask the kitchen if they can whip something up. At which point the waiter might come back and say that they can make one of the salads without the meat, or they may bring you stinging nettles and a sock full of bread.
So, in my experience, it's pretty rare to find a vegetarian restaurant that gets it perfect.
And yet...




Greens, in San Francisco, is the best vegetarian restaurant on earth. Possibly. We wanted to order everything on the menu. My starter was a fresh spring roll (with carrots, jicama, green papaya, rice noodles) with grilled shitake mushrooms and tofu and peanut sauce. My main was equally delicious - a butternut squash gratin with grilled onions, poblano chilies, cheddar and fromage blanc custard ; served with grilled polenta, green gulch rainbow chard and beet greens with pumpkin seeds. It all tasted as good as it sounds.
And the view was perfect. Hold out for a window seat, and time your visit for sundown. The light glinting off the marina waters is the perfect backdrop for a celestial dining experience. And the wine list. And the service. It's as if someone somewhere finally got the idea that maybe vegetarianism isn't about self-flagellation after all.

Coming to America: Day 5, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Purchased from the gift shop in the Japanese tea gardens.

Coming to America: Day 4, La Quinta

During the festival, we call La Quinta home. Today we are cruising around for food in our hired convertible before heading into the festival - the Japanese restaurant is closed so we head over to this Mexican place with serves dangerously large portions of food and jacuzzi sized pomegranate margaritas. Yeah!



Las Casuelas
NW corner of Washington and HWY. 111
La Quinta

I am a huge avocado fan. I lurrrrrve the avo. I like Mexican food because there is always a little of my favourite pear shaped fruit on the plate - except at this place where there is a whole lot of it. Check it out! There must be at least a box of avocadoes in this Fiesta Guacamole alone! (try making your own at home: diced avocado, coriander, red onion and chopped tomatoes, squeeze lemon juice over the top and a few shakes of tabasco - don't forget the doily)
The food here isn't mind blowing, but it's a million times better than any Taco Bill experience I had as a child. As soon as you are seated, you are given a basket of fresh corn chips and salsa that is semi-frozen, kind of like a tomato Slurpee, which makes it very enjoyable to consume in the desert heat.
We end up visiting this place twice over the course of our stay in La Quinta. The first time, I had a vegetable Quesadilla that came bracketed by rice and refried beans. It is such a huge serving that I have to eat my way up the middle - leaving most of the rice and beans. I feel bad about this wastage, but I just can't force rice and beans down in 40 degree heat.
The next time (with Alyson and Halle, below) I order a salad in an edible bowl. The salad is much more refreshing, it is layered with a cooked vegetable mix of corn, corgettes and peppers on the bottom, then lots of crispy iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato, then some cheese, sour cream and a huge ice cream scoop of guacamole on top. The edible bowl is a little disappointing though, I expect it to be like a huge Dorito but instead it tastes like...fried.

Yay! The margaritas, the happy waiting staff, the cooling water mist spray things

Boo! Why do the servings have to be so big? Surely if Americans ate realistic portions it would solve the food crisis

Cost: A few margaritas and a main will set you back £12
Service: 4.5/5

Coming to America: Day 2, Coachella, California

We are wandering around in a grassy polo field in the middle of the desert.
Jack Johnson is playing on the main stage, so we go for food as far away from him as possible. Sarah and I are on the lookout for corn on the cob, but corn of a different variety catches Carters' eye. Veggie Corn Dogs the sign says. And the picture below says everything else you need to know about this culinary curiosity.



I refused to try it, but decided I probably should for the sake of research. Like most faux meats it's just too accurate and too synthetic to be enjoyable. It is comforting to know that when the world eventually does run out of food we'll probably have these things to nibble on in our little futuristic huts.

Coming to America: Day 1, Beaumont, Los Angeles

It is 4pm local time and we are two hours into our drive to La Quinta after enduring a 10 hour flight. I'm so tired I can barely stay on the road, so we make a stop at the next available place for refreshments, which happens to be a Dennys. Carters gets excited and orders a heap of random stuff. Eggs with hash browns, grits and pancakes. Except for the egg yolks, there is a serious white and brown colour scheme going on. After tasting the grits, I decide I'd be pretty happy if I never had to eat them again.
Sarah and I opt for veggie burgers with fries - the only other thing on the menu that isn't exclusively brown and white, and doesn't contain meat.

Coming to America

Hi everyone! I'm back! Sorry for the lack of posting action - I have spent the last ten days eating, drinking and shopping in various parts of The U.S of A, and boy have I got the arse to prove it. Gotta hit the treadmill now, but watch this space for more culinary excitement, Americano style.