A Happy Vietnamese New Year at Viet Noodle Bar!

Viet Noodle Bar
34 Greek Street
London W1D 5DJ
Tel: 020 7494 9888 

Why?  Tito’s Vietnamese friend, Thai, was eager to have us try Vietnamese food on the occasion of Tết, which usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year, according to the Lunar calendar.  Chinatown restaurants were crammed from early on with lengthy queues forming, but we strolled straight in to Viet and nabbed the last table – luckily, a table for three. 

When?  Sunday 10^th February, 12.30pm.  A beautiful, sunny Chinese New Year! 

Impression:  Small and noodle bar-ish.  You can see the cooking area in the back which tends to be reassuring. 

Prices:  The main meals, such as rice dishes and noodle dishes are practically all under £5!  They are not large, but they are good value.  The appetisers are somewhat more expensive at £3.80 - £5 for small portions – however, they are original and totally worth it. 

Service:  Young, British accented Vietnamese staff are polite and quick.  My chopsticks were instantly replaced when I dropped one, even though the restaurant was very busy. 

Description of food and drink:  The Cha Gio and Chao Tom appetisers were delicious.  You need to wrap the fried Cha Gio spring rolls in the lettuce provided, adding a sprig of fresh mint, add then slosh around liberally in the tasty Vietnamese fish sauce.  Yummy  Chao Tom involved a prawn ‘mousse’ wrapped around a piece of sugar cane – you mustn’t forget to give the sugar cane a good old chomp to release the trickle of juicy sweetness. 

The soup based noodle dish we tried (Pho Special) involved wonderfully light Vietnamese flat noodles.  These noodles combined with the beanspouts, bunches of herbs, and shiny fresh chilli lent the meal a fresh taste and healthful look.  The creamy Thai-style Red Chicken Curry was less good, with little flavour or zing.  But hey, it did cost only £5, and we were in a Vietnamese restaurant after all!  

  

Toilets:  Totally fine. 

Come again?   Viet has no booze licence, and so charge £1.50 for you to bring your own wine in.  It’s a deal.  I’ll be bringing friends for an inexpensive evening soon then – bearing a sharpish rosé, I expect.

Beautiful ‘Blue Tea’ Fusion Dessert at Yauatcha

 

Yauatcha (café)
15 Broadwick Street
London
W1F 0DL
Reservations: 020 7494 8888 

Why?  Chika and I tried in vain to get tea and cake on a Saturday some time ago.  They wouldn’t let us in for such a paltry order on a weekend, so we had to come back on a weekday.  Tiresome, but I have been seriously yearning to sample the square, sky blue concoction from the tantalising display of multi-hued cakes, decorated creams and mousses.  Indeed, never before have I eaten a food that is a) square and b) blue. 

When?  Friday 1^st February, 4.30pm.  Lots of tables available, naturally. 

Impression:  Fish tanks always impress me.  And the cool grey minimalist interior lets the glass display case of vivid sweets and flamboyant macaroon selection really shine.  How on earth do they get macaroons that colour?  Their lurid hues are not of this earth, yet their dissemblance to real food is oddly compelling.

  

Prices:  The sweets are £4 - £5ish, pots of tea to share start from £4.  Macaroons are £1 each or 6 for £5. 

Service:  Attractive, oriental type waitresses hang around in minimalist white outfits with odd Chinese-print bumstrap things.  I thought the waitresses were essentially cute and polite, but they do basically ignore you: putting in an order required much flailing of arms and hungry grimaces. 

Description of food and drink:  The velvety blue coating of the Blue Tea sweet enrobed a silky blue-tea flavoured mousse.  Hidden within the mousse was a jammy confit of blackberries, and on top there was half a blackberry and a thin, printed white chocolate triangle.  It was lovely, best eaten slowly but not too sweet.  Chika had a Melon Tiramisu which was sweeter and sharper.  The tiramisu was encircled by a thin white chocolate case, printed with a green bamboo motif… it looked like plastic - but happily didn’t taste like it.  A pot of steaming Dragon’s Well Green Tea (which the menu explains, with great exactitude, is from Sanshia, Taipei, Taiwan) went down very nicely - it was delicate, and not at all bitter. 

Toilets:  Nice black oriental chic waterfall sink that you feel concerned about contaminating (by actually using it).  Inordinately heavy black wooden doors work against your entrance, but once in it is pretty clean throughout.  

Come again?  A clever choice for entertaining friends visiting London, it’s central and ideal for a break from shopping.  Make them think that you lead a very ‘Sex in the City’ lifestyle.  Not on a weekend though.  I’d really like to try the well-recommended dim-sum – perhaps downstairs in the underground, starry-ceiled restaurant area.

Pinchitos (Pinxitos!) – Tiny open-face sarnies

Catalan has proved to be somewhat of a nuisance for me with its funny ‘X’s and French/Portuguese/Italian nuances… my Spanish is not yet so good that it can nonchalantly handle the challenges of these new inflexions and rather mysteriously spelled words.  The one thing I have grasped in Catalañ, though, is that ‘x’ sounds like a Spanish ‘ch’.  Pinchitos, are, well, little things you erm, pinch?  Lovely little open-face sandwiches, in fact, skewered through with a toothpick.  In restaurants serving these it is awfully easy to entirely fill yourself up, I have discovered, by noshing many of these before your main course.  They tend to cost €1, which is not bad considering the generous toppings.  Pictured are bombas (fried potato dumplings with a meaty filling), punchy chistorra sausage, black caviar paste with anchovies, and a nice cheesy pizza thingy with a perky jalpeño on top.

Churros – naughty, illusive batter sticks

I had been dying to try these calorific deep fried batter sticks, which are rolled in sugar and then dunked in a thick hot chocolate drink to eat, but hadn’t been able to find them anywhere.  I recall on my last trip to Barcelona I tried to find churros in the centre of town, as I did again this time, but likewise to no avail.  They seem like the ideal tourist draw – they are traditional, instant, filling and very cheap to make – not sure why no shop on La Rambla has cottoned on… Anyhow, last night a frost was setting in, but we wrapped up regardless, and went out for a local stroll to Igualada.  Just about the time I was beginning to lose all feeling in my thighs (my jacket’s short) we came across a stall selling the illusive churros!  They were just amazing, freshly fried, steaming, and washed down well with the tasty hot chocolate.  The experience reminded me of a couple years ago when we came across a donut stall when freezing in windy Liverpool town centre – hot, sugary dough in the cold – heaven!

La Boqueria – Deservedly Famous Market in Barcelona

The primary joy of cooking must be, of course, the ability to procure perfect, burstingly fresh ingredients.  Markets are surely, then, absolute foodie heaven!  La Boqueria is a wonderful food market just off La Rambla with a lengthy history and loads of character – the wafting scents of herbs crushed underfoot and recently caught fish assault your nostrils; the colourful fruit and vegetables are arranged for the highest visual impact; the immaculate female vendors wear prettily embroidered aprons and gossip freely across the crowded aisles.  La Boqueria represents an enduring love of market shopping as a way of life.  How I would love to live near a market like this, calling in daily for my groceries! 

I just love the way this lady’s jumper acts as camouflage amongst the peppers.

   

Haughty looks from the beautifully pinafored shellfish seller.

   

Montañas of frutas!  Damn, I wants the one at the bottom….

  

These gorgeous ‘frutas escarchadas’ (candied fruits) are so vividly hued that they don’t look real…

 

Iberico Ham

Check out these splendid specimens of cured Iberico ham hanging out in the supermarket.  Arturo insisted on buying in a whole one as he claimed last year a single ham lasted him six months.  We’re making well sure that this year it won’t!  In Cataluña people eat lots of ham finely sliced with bread rigorously rubbed first with a clove of peeled raw garlic, and then with a juicy chunk of ripe tomato.  Bread prepared in this way is known as ‘torrades’ and it’s certainly an outstandingly handy way of making sure your toast is moist.  That’s something to consider, as the bread here seems to be solely white, crunchy and refined.  We have it toasted every morning which is lovely for a change… as we never eat white bread at home, but I think it would tend to lose its novelty after a short while of waist expansion.  We have hardly seen a fruit or a vegetable for days.  However, we’ll certainly see some tomorrow, as we are off to the exciting and colourful La Boqueria food market in the central of Barcelona.  Last time I went – four years ago with my mum – we were unable to have a really good look around as we were being followed by a shady man intent on snatching our valuables.  This time however I will be with two fairly large Peruvian males and I will surely not be able to resist taking lots of pics, so please stay tuned!

Gloriously Gastronomical Getaway

We’re spending the holidays in Spain, enjoying a gloriously gastronomical getaway and staying with Tito’s brother Arturo and his girlfriend Silvia.  We brought my mum along, Silvia’s mum has joined us, and Santa’s here too, apparently.  Below is a typical Catalonian bread called Coca, decorated with pretty preserved fruits and pine nuts.   It’s more usually enjoyed for a summer festival, but it’s so beautifully festive we couldn’t resist eating it for Christmas breakfast, with strong, freshly brewed coffee. Bon Nadal!

Spiced Turkey Stuffed with Cranberries, Raisins, Garbanzos, Black Olives and Feta

This was the trial run for Christmas – we can now rest assured that this recipe (adapted from typical Chiclayano home cooking) is scrumptious enough to serve up to family and friends with the utmost confidence.  The three and a half kilo turkey we procured was far from enormous, but as there’s two of us it has lasted all week.  This has been just great as the flavours mature with time and become even more delicious… 

You will need: 

1 Organic turkey – 3 ½ kilos (if your turkey weighs more or less, adjust the other ingredients accordingly)
Olive oil for basting
8 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon each of: aji amarillo, aji panca (if you can’t get South American condiments you can substitute paprika), cumin, salt and pepper
6 or 7 cloves of garlic - crushed
3 cans of garbanzos - drained
200 grams of mixed raisins and cranberries
100 grams of dried, salted black olives
1 packet feta – diced 

Total cooking time: 2½ hours

Marinading time: 24 hours 

Marinade the turkey in cider vinegar, crushed garlic, pepper, salt, aji amarillo, aji panca and cumin for 24 hours.  Pierce the turkey and rub the marinade well into the skin. Turn the oven to 220ºF, and cook in a large roasting dish, covered with foil for one hour and a half. 

Mix the garbanzos, raisins, cranberries, olives and feta in a large bowl.  Remove the turkey from the oven and stuff with the mixture.  Baste generously with olive oil. Turn the temperature down to 180ºF. Put the turkey back in, with the foil removed, and cook for a further hour. 

Enjoy this as a meal in itself.  In Peru, on Christmas Eve, it’s served with wonderful, homemade cinnamon-infused hot chocolate.  The spicy, sweet, savoury and salty flavours are an adventure for your palate.  I just love it, and we’ll definitely be preparing this wonderful meal at Tito’s brother Arturo’s place in Barcelona this Christmas (less than a month away now!).

The Chinese Experience Shock

There are a few reasons for the sparse entries of late, most of which have passed.  My 30^th birthday caused considerable distraction, as did visitors from the States and a 3-week long case of the dreaded lurgy.  Furthermore serious harassment (talcum powder and toilet paper all over our cooking implements, for example) from our crazy housemate Captain K has monumentally distracted from my desire to be in the kitchen.  We are hoping he’ll be out soon, but in the meantime, we are enjoying restaurants more than ever before! At Chinese Experience (Shaftesbury Avenue – closest tube Leicester Square) the staff greet you with the kind of beaming smile so rare to find in Chinatown.  They’ll sweep you pleasantly through to seating that is a little cafeteria-like, but try not to let that put you off.  There is a special menu that is currently (still!) 50% off before 4.30pm Mon-Fri – this means that the gorgeous selection of Dim Sum is a total steal at £1.30 - £3.20 per dish of 2-4 pieces.  Pictured above is the devastating Prawn Chung Fun (white, slimy bliss featuring lovely big prawns) and the unrivalled Peking Ravioli in Chilli Sauce (a hot, sweet, fresh fusion taste – I always insist on ordering one portion entirely for myself).  I also highly recommend the Pan fried sweet potato cakes, order these for dessert after you’ve finished the main course and they will come promptly – hot, sticky and crispy-skinned to the table.  Top Tip: If you turn the teapot lid upside down they’ll bring you a steaming fresh pot of Jasmine tea too.  Just don’t do what I did and dodge out to the ladies leaving the husband to pay – he pocketed the much-coveted 20% off card (good anytime - though understandably not in conjunction with the lunch deal) that came with the bill! 

Banana Toffee and Raspberry Caramel Infusions

I know, I know, they sound simply vile, don’t they?  But they’re not, I swear. Well, if you like that kind of thing… which I do.  I picked up the Banana Toffee infusion in Wholefoods from their extensive collection of exciting teas and brews in a kind of ‘hee, hee get a load of this’ way – however was then compelled (by Tito) to purchase it for a thorough investigation at home.  The ingredients are:  honeybush, cinnamon, liquorice root, pineapple, natural banana flavour (5%) and natural flavour (5%) – so slightly less than pure, unadulterated plant material seems to be in there, but hey, it’s a heck of a lot more diet-conscious for satisfying a sweet tooth than, erm, a toffee banana?  I also grabbed the Raspberry Caramel one yesterday, as I had to make a trip to High Street Kensington anyway to get the security tag removed from my *fabulous* party dress purchased on Sunday at Oxford Street’s swarmingly busy Topshop (glad I noticed beforehand – ‘shoplifter’  was not the image I’d hoped for on my 30^th!).  But I digress.  The Raspberry Caramel infusion is delish – creamy and sharpish and very, very strongly scented.  They both looked so nice perched on the table in Wholefood’s lovely café area, looking out on the high street.  I sat there as I lunched on a selection from the hot buffet.  That meal is a different story, and is as yet too painful to recount.  I have satisfied my curiosity regarding the hot buffet – and my advice is DON’T.  EVER.  Do yourself a favour, and buy some unusual infusions and lovely teas instead.