babybat's Profile
London pub recs?
Joan's right in that good beer pubs aren't always great food pubs, but there are quite a few very good ones near you.
For traditional pub atmosphere, I'd suggest the Kings Arms on Roupell St, SE1, which is very near Waterloo Station. Food is distinctly average Thai pub grub though.
The Royal Oak on Tabard St, SE1 is close to Borough tube, and is the London tap for Harveys, a small real ale brewery. Food's very good, it's got a local pub feel, but it's welcoming to new people. www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/28/2814/Royal_Oak/Borough
The Harp, in Covent Garden www.harpcoventgarden.com is tiny, but the beer range is excellent, they also have cider, and it's very centrally located.
The Southampton Arms, near Kentish Town, is a more modern real ale pub - I don't think they even really serve drinks that aren't beer! But that beer's very well kept, the sausage rolls are delicious, and it's possibly one of my favourite pubs ever. www.thesouthamptonarms.co.uk
The Charles Lamb in Islington is a pub that manages to do both food and beer very well. They serve a really rather good sunday roast, and the Camden Helles beer is worth a try. www.thecharleslambpub.com/
Poblano chiles in the UK? Equivalent flavour?
Maybe the Cool Chile Co might be able to help: http://www.coolchile.co.uk/products/view/chile-poblano-fresh
Heck, you'd only have to buy one (rather overpriced) batch before you can start growing your own!
what do you have in your kitchen "junk drawer"?
This thread prompted me to go and clean out the junk drawer and freecycle a bunch of stuff. I am no longer the owner of:
- a crappy Santoku knife that I never really got the hang of using
- three foil cutters for wine bottles, all shaped like fish
- a napkin dispenser
- halloween cookie cutters (I never really make shaped cookies)
- a whole alphabet of magnetic fridge letters
- a blunt breadknife with a melted handle
...and they didn't fit in the drawer, but I also rehomed a Dutch oven with a melted knob, and a bag of assorted jams and relishes bought by non-foodie friends because it's 'quirky' and they think you'll like another jar of chili relish.
Thanks, CHers! I feel less cluttered already!
Some newish places to try in London
I've tried Pinkberry - a small portion (plain or flavoured) was around £3 IIRC, and closer to £5 if you wanted toppings. The pomegranate had a nice sherbert flavour, with the tangy pomegranate flavour emphasising the freshness of the frozen yogurt. The coconut was also good, fresh and with a faint creamy flavour. However, I don't think the prices compare well to Snog et al, or even Oddono's also in the food hall.
Where to buy bones for stock?
Ginger Pig (Borough and Moxon St, Marylebone) frequently have a sign outside that says "free bones!" so I think it'd be worth asking. A butcher who cuts carcasses on site is more likely to have them than the meat counter at Tesco's; although I've sometimes spotted beef bones in my local Morrisons.
2 (fish eating) vegetarian foodies in London - where MUST we eat?
Trishna in Marylebone's definitely worth a look - they specialise in Indian seafood. I've only eaten there at lunchtime, so can't speak for the a la carte, but the lunch set menu is very good value; there's usually a meat, fish or veggie option to choose from, plus sides and a drink for £10. Good value for London, and great value for Marylebone. Plus, you'll be in the right neighbourhood to check out La Fromagerie, Divertimenti, and the cookery books section of Oxfam Books afterward!
www.trishnalondon.com/menus.html
Nursing a head cold in London
Cha su ramen at Ten Ten Tei, Brewer Street.
A pint and a sausage roll next to the fire at the Southampton Arms, Highgate Road.
A plate of pierogi and a cup of borscht at Mamuska Polish greasy spoon, Elephant & Castle.
Crumpets with Tiptree jam, and a massive pot of tea, from Waitrose.
food of the month clubs in UK
Scoop (www.scoopgelato.com) and Gelupo (gelupogelateria.com) both do online ordering - you could either set him up with an online account and some credit, or call/email them and see if they'd deliver a different flavour every month. Or Laverstoke Park do their buffalo milk icecream online - odd, but worth trying! http://www.laverstokepark.co.uk/Ice-Cream-Fudge-Chocolate/prodlist_ct482.htm
Fat Parisians?
I think one of the other contributory factors is that Paris, unlike a lot of world cities, is not as economically mixed (particularly compared to London, where I live). Much of Paris's social/public housing is outside of the city centre, and the city's residents tend to be in higher income groups. This will affect people's diet, exercise, and health choices. I'm not debating the points that people have made about eating habits, but I think Paris's economic make-up has something to do with it too...
Where to find Gyudon a la Yoshinoya in London
What is it that makes Yoshinoya's gyudon stand out for you? I like the gyudon at Japan Centre, in Piccadilly, and also at Chanoma on Baker Street - the latter's a small, lunch only place and it's not really worth making a diversion for, but if you're nearby it's a good bet.
ISO Goat's Curd [London]
They have it at Neal's Yard in Borough, so they probably also stock it at the Covent Garden branch. Might also be worth a call to La Fromagerie in Marylebone? Goat's curd, when I've had it before, is a very soft goat's cheese, somewhere between a soft Chevre and cream cheese. Waitrose also stock spreadable goat's cheese, so that might be a reasonable fallback option.
-----
Neal's Yard
6 Park St, London, England W1K 7, GB
Mandolin safety guard - recommendations?
Just had a quick look, and these are available in the UK, so that looks like it would be a good option - thanks!
Mandolin safety guard - recommendations?
I've just bought the OXO handheld mandolin www.oxo.com/p-549-hand-held-mandoline-slicer.aspx , mainly for slicing veggies for salads. It's easy to use and clean, but the safety guard supplied with it is frankly, rubbish. The spikes don't grip the food, unless it's a short (1 or 2 inch) segment, and it's tempting to forego it entirely, but that's how fingertips get lost! Can anyone recommend a good replacement safety guard I can buy so I don't end up with shredded fingers?
Poll: Would you eat a dog
No - not just for sentimental reasons (although I must admit that's part of it) - I don't think I'd want to knowingly eat any carnivorous animal. Cats, birds of prey, and primates are all off the menu; I think one of the reasons the taboo exists is because carnivorous animals may be more likely to harbour pathogens. Kind of like the thing with mercury levels in tuna, because it's eating lots of smaller fish. The fact that I wouldn't eat horses, on the other hand, is all about sentiment!
Suggestions for easy/takeaway/delicious near Marylebone High Street for visitors, markets ok
Paul Rothe is a lovely little deli/cafe to pick up some cheese, breakfast things or just some nice foodie gifts http://russelldavies.typepad.com/ateaandathink/2006/09/paul_rothe_son_.html.
If you don't mind a bit of cooking on one of your nights off, Biggles Sausages (opposite Paul Rothe) have a great range, from traditional bangers to boerwors http://www.ebiggles.co.uk/default.asp.
You're not far from Chanoma on Baker Street, which is a lovely Japanese bento cafe - very cosy and tasty food http://chanoma.co.uk
Also, the Nordic Bakery have recently opened a branch in Marylebone, and they do lovely cakes and breakfast things www.nordicbakery.com
Where do people buy bread to make tea sandwiches? Not Hovis, etc? [London]
For tea sandwiches, look for a tender, slightly sweet bread - supermarket bloomer with the crusts cut off works well, or Warburton's Blackpool milk roll. Or look out for Pain de Mie in posh bakeries - maybe Baker and Spice or Gails will have it? It's really just a fancy version of Blackpool milk roll anyway...
London - BBQ Recommendations
There's a stall doing Momofuku-style pork buns at Broadway market on a saturday www.yumbun.co.uk - they're pretty addictive! I think they were around £4/£5 each? Also worth having a look for the Kimchi Slider stall at the Old Street saturday market - two sliders for a fiver, and the guy who runs the stand is pretty passionate about making his own kimchi, hot sauce etc from scratch. www.streetfoodie.com
Merghez sAusages
That's lost them the brownie points they'd earned by stocking good beef short ribs ;-0 The quest for decent sausages continues!
Merghez sAusages
They're not the cheapest, but I was really impressed by the range of sausages (including merguez) in Whole Foods at Kensington High St. AFAIK they're made on site with British meat, I've tried the merguez and lamb with harissa so far, and they've both been really tasty.
Does anyone else do their vacation souvenir shopping at local grocery stores?
Absolutely! Everything from fancy speciality produce to basics, because they're better value/more exciting than at home. Monoprix in France do excellent chocolate, my favourite being the caramel filled one with fleur de sel. A recent trip to Berlin yielded blocks of Black Forest ham, own brand Jagermeister, salad dressing and even Philadelphia cheese with Milka milk chocolate! It makes my holiday last a little bit longer, and it's much more useful than touristy tsotchkes! It's really the only form of souvenir shopping I do.
Does anyone else do their vacation souvenir shopping at local grocery stores?
If you've not already taken your trip, look out for Speculoos paste. It's made by a company called Lotus, and it's basically a spreadable version of the biscuits (think Nutella that tastes of gingernuts). Absolutely gorgeous on toasted crumpets!
Do you use a lunchbox?
I work in the middle of London, and buying lunch can easily cost around £5 ($8) a day, which mounts up, so I bring my own. I prefer salads or bento, so I always have a lunchbox, either a plain flat Lock & Lock box with silicone cups, a cute two tier cherry blossom print bento box, or my latest addition to the lunchbox stash, this one! http://www.vandashop.com/product.php?xProd=6724&s=1
[London] Banh mi?
Resurrecting this thread to add another banh mi shop to what's shaping up to be the definitive London directory! I finally got around to trying City Caphe yesterday; it's on Ironmonger Row, between St Pauls and Bank. Their official website is still under construction, but there's a decent Time Out review here http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:27934/city-caphe.
I had the classic pork (banh mi dac biet, £3.85) which had roast sliced (belly?) pork, sliced sausage, and paté along with pickled carrot and daikon. The queues were pretty long at lunchtime, but it was worth the wait - the paté was sweet, moist and tasty, almost more like French rilettes than a liver paté. Baguette was light and crisp, and had that lovely flaky quality. The sandwiches are made to order, and mine had a good amount of chili heat to balance out the sweet and meaty flavours.
In terms of other banh mi options, they also had grilled pork, grilled beef, chicken, and tofu. They also have pho, bun and summer rolls, and I saw some people eating lunchboxes of grilled chicken with rice, but I didn't see those on the menu board. It's a good option if you're in the area, and I'll be back to check out the rest of the menu.
Self catering in Berlin - markets and products to try?
Thanks, looks like Chowhound has the goods again! Does Markthalle sell groceries as well as prepared food, or is it more of a food court? KaDeWe is on the list, even if some of it's going to be outside our budget; it sounds like a great experience. Does Berlin tend to have farmers markets, or is it more of a supermarkets and delis type city? Also, since we'll be making our own breakfast most mornings, where would be good to pick up a bag of ground coffee - are there any good brands or independent coffee stores to look out for?
Thanks everyone, this is really helpful!
Self catering in Berlin - markets and products to try?
Thanks - this is really helpful! We're from London, and we both love Turkish so it sounds like we're in the right place. Anywhere that's you'd particularly recommend for Hamsi? We'll have bikes so not averse to travelling a bit.
Self catering in Berlin - markets and products to try?
I'm staying in Berlin for a week next month, and as we're renting a flat I'd like to try cooking some local specialities, as well as eating out. We're staying near Gorlitzer banhof in Kreuzberg, are there any farmers markets or good grocery stores in the neighbourhood we should check out? Also, are there any dishes or ingredients that we should keep an eye open for? There's pretty much nothing we won't try, but budget-friendly suggestions are definitely welcomed!
Surplus of canned pumpkin
Pumpkin butter! It's easy, tasty and sooo good:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/pumpkin-butter-and-pepita-granola/
What food/food experience does London do better than any other city?
One thing that London does better than any other country is definitely proper pubs. Real ale, hearty bar food, and a unique atmosphere. Don't get me wrong - there are some great gastropubs in London, but you should try and seek out a few pubs that specialise in local ales and ciders, like the Southampton Arms, near Hampstead Heath (http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/venue/2:26556/southampton-arms) or The Royal Oak, near Borough Market (http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/venue/2:15234/royal-oak).
Marks & Spencer's 'Fuller Longer'
M&S ready meals aren't really the cheapest, but I do rate them for quality. The "fuller longer" ham hock with mustard sauce is definitely worth a try - the mash is a bit smooth, but the ham is tasty and plentiful. Making your own probably would be cheaper, though...
What do you HATE about your kitchen?
I hate really rather a lot about my (rental) kitchen; there's not a lot of storage space, or counter space, even though the kitchen itself is actually quite large, because it's not very well designed. The cabinets are old and ugly, as is the vinyl floor, which always looks dirty, even after you've mopped it. The landlord didn't fit a splashback, so the wall around the cooker has permanent fat stains on it, and the paint is an unpleasant magnolia shade.
All this, though, I can live with.
But an electric hob? Barely a meal goes by when I don't curse it, and I've been living here for about six years. I can't wait til we can afford to buy our own place and get a gas hob, I feel like I haven't cooked a decent stirfry in nearly a decade.
