London Living

It had been nearly 3 years since I had returned to London after leaving it behind to head for a life in the West Country. By joe did I forget what it was like to be in such foodie heaven!

Saturday 26th July 2014- A.M

I do apologise for the awful photograph- my creativity was at all time low that morning!

After an evening of a typical London Friday night meal, a.k.a 'a liquid lunch', I awoke to a rather bad head and a belly which was almost digesting its own lining- I needed food. I needed something salty and tangy. I needed the feast to seem almost unhealthy so it could suffocate my hangover. However I needed that slight healthy twist to make me feel I was nursing my poor stomach and liver back to good health.

We headed to 'Mi1k' in Balham- a funky Kiwi cafe full of vintage charm. It was a place that my friend said she could imagine me liking it mainly for the interior,  'go inside and look at the till! It's very you in there!' And boy was she right as the interior included old tins for utensils, a random doll's head which was bigger than the one I have in my flat.

I ordered a 'Sweet Maria' - sweetcorn fritters, grilled halloumi, avocado, kasundi with a wedge of lime. Damn did it hit the spot- the fitters were not greasy and they still maintained the sweetness of the sweetcorn which matched magically with the saltiness of the halloumi. It was a big success and it definitely worked wonders for my poor mistreated body.


Saturday 26th July 2014- P.M.

I used to spend a lot of time in Brixton- eating in Franco Manca's or Asmara or Negril. Since I had left did it decide to up its game. I wandered the Brixton Village Market like a child in a candy shop; my mouth drooling from the scent of a mixture of Mexican, Italian, Japanese, French, South African culinary delights. I was becoming too excited. It felt like I was on holiday and the world's cultures were under one roof but the trouble was- I wanted to try them all!

We decided to take a seat at Carioca- a little Brazilian place with seating outside making it feel all very quaint and lovely. The bonus of course was that you could bring your own bottle. So off I skipped to the bar opposite to purchase a bottle of Prosecco. Okay so I didn't quite match the Brazilian theme with my choice of beverage but hey did we make it up with drinking their caipirinhas later on- which were VERY strong and super tangy. Delicious!

Anyway back to the point- the meal. For starters I decided on the fish cakes. They were packed full of fish and coriander with no potato in sight thank god! They were not mushy, instead they were filled with chunks of fish and they were served with a delicious light, sweet tomato sauce with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 
Onto the main and this is probably the moment when the Prosecco was taking affect and I had started to banter with their friendly staff. I had chosen a butternut squash and chorizo salad- BEAUTIFUL. Now I am hoping it wasn't the bubbles reacting in an over enthusiastic way but again the sweetness and the smokey, saltiness wrapped itself around my tongue and I was happy. Very happy indeed and I left the restaurant wanting more.

Sunday 27th July 2014 P.M.

After a walk from Balham to Clapham Junction I was ready to tuck my napkin into my blouse and consume enough food to feed a small family.

My friend wanted to take me to The Banana Tree, a restaurant which describes itself as 'Indochina'. A restaurant with a dark wood interior and an array of industrial style lamps hanging low in front of you. She decided to take me there as having travelled around South East Asia I have a huge love for Asian cuisine.

For my starter I selected Nem Noung Coriander Meatballs followed by a Seafood Kari Santan Melayu curry. My meatballs were nice but the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce sold it to me- almost similar to a Teriyaki sauce only better! The meatballs I felt needed a little more coriander and maybe extra zing of chilli. I could see the fun side of wrapping it yourself however I probably didn't look my most attractive whilst attempting to eat them- it was not something I would advise you to attempt on a first date, maybe stick to eating them in front of your best friend.
The Melayu curry I have to say was a disappointment. It was all a little bland, it needed more of a kick. It was a red curry so needed a little more spice of the chilli and it just didn't taste salty enough- like it needed more fish sauce and a little more lime. It was lacking that fishiness which I had tasted in curries over in Malaysia so I felt a little deflated. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't traditional- they were probably catering to our English tastebuds!

and so it begins...

I have been thinking for a few months now about writing my first food blog. My love of food is becoming more of an obsession in recent years. It's reached the point where I visualise my friends and family groaning at the sight of yet another photograph of my daily diet flashing up on their social network feed. It's time I took those photographs to feed the fellow 'foodies' out there.  I am from a family of food lovers. Often food is cooked and eaten together around the kitchen table. Music playing, wine flowing and I have to say it is a lot to do with my mum. 

My mother is a lover of Italian food after growing up with a family of Italians for neighbours. They gave her her first mushroom to taste, they taught her how to cook pasta and she watched them cook delicious tasting sauces they had cooked from scratch. This which was completely foreign to the food my Grandmother prepared. My mum grew up to be a firm believer of cooking from scratch.

My own story starts at around the age of 4 and it revolves around discipline. Preparing the daily family meal was usually when my mother found things a little too stressful. Dinnertime was when myself and my siblings would start squabbling. With a husband who would be still working upstairs (freelance illustrator) my mum would soon reach the end of her tether and would select a perpetrator to be dragged off to the kitchen and told to stand on the 'naughty stool' with their index finger placed over their lips. When I was 'the chosen one' I would soon stop snivelling and I would begin to watch the way my food was being cooked. This is when I feel I can pinpoint the very moment I became inspired.From then on (at an early age) I was shown how to use a sharp knife in order to prepare vegetables. Not long after I was preparing the odd family meal. I soon  became aware that I had a heightened sense of taste and smell to which my Dad would often select a 'secret ingredient' to put into his own cooking- to which I often guessed correctly.

Fast forward 25 years and I am constantly in the kitchen. The moment I awake, I am already day dreaming about what I can cook that evening. I feel excited when I can try new recipes I have created especially when I witness the enjoyment it can give to friends and family. Not only that but I also feel I have expanded my tastebuds due to my travels of Australia, Europe, South Africa and South East Asia. I have attended cookery courses in Thailand and Vietnam with the hope to try more. It is not only down to the cultures I have experienced but what is on my own front door- the array of restaurants now on offer and not forgetting the numerous of cookery programmes I watch and cookery books I read.

Food is, without a doubt, my obsession.