More Eats

More eating! I've been up to quite a bit of eating recently. I had two weeks off work for the Easter holidays and I tried some of the places on my list!

The first was Broadway Market, which I've been meaning to go to for ages. I really went to pick up a shoulder of lamb for Easter Sunday but I couldn't help but by a few other things!

The first was a Shrimpster Burger from The Shrimpy stall. It was grilled shrimp, pickled cucumber and samphire and boy was it good.

I also got a veggie scotch egg from Scotch n Tails, which was interesting.

I had a S'mores Brownie from Eat 'n' Mess, it was incredible. They also do a peanut butter cookie sandwich which I am definitely going to try next time I go back!

I then took a trip to Rinkoff's Bakery and got an Apple and Caramel Crodough and a Creme Egg Brownie, I had to get something Eastery! I was a bit disappointed by the Crodough but the Creme Egg Brownie was so so good. It is in a bit of funny place in the middle of a council estate but definitely worth a visit!

I also took a visit to Whitecross Street Market. I went for a Pork Banh Mi from the Banh Mi stall on the market, it was so good and really similar to those I ate in Vietnam. My sister had a halloumi gozleme wrap and I have been dreaming about that ever since so next time I'm going to have that!

I took a trip to Paris for a day to see an exhibition at the Louvre and we stopped at Cafe de Paris for lunch. I went for the stereotypical and I don't care! I had a Croque St Honore, which is Croque Madame but with Tomato and it was good.

I took my Mum to Lao Cafe for dinner one evening, we had a couple of salads, Tum Lao which was a papaya salad, Soop Nor Mai a bamboo shoot salad, chargrilled pork skewers, herbal northern sausage and brown sticky rice. All were really lovely and you can choose how spicy you want to salads. The Sausage however was way too hot for both of us!

On the way home we stopped at Bridget's Bakery. I couldn't tell you what they were but they were delicious!

We also went back to the German Gymnasium, this time I had the Puszta Pan; courgette, tomato, paprika, goat's cheese and egg. It was so so good. Now I just have to go back and try the German Power Breakfast!

We also went on a Beekeeping Course at the Geffrye Museum run by Barnes and Webb. The course was really good, we even got to dress up in the full suit, and we got a slice of honey cake to keep us going!

Next is a Dig-It Mushroom burger from Patty & Bun with the Chips with Chicken Skin Mayo and Chicken Salt. Again yummy! We also tried a Pink Mojito and that was delicious too.

Now to this weekend. On Saturday I met a friend and we went to Ghetto Grillz. I had an LA Chick Bagel - chicken thighs with a green herb and lime zest pesto, rocket and aioli, my friend had a Veggie Reuben. We also shared a portion of Sweet Potato Fried Avo Royale - sweet potato fries with avocado, sriracha and garlic mayo, heaven! The whole thing was complete heaven!

For pudding we went to Cookies and Scream a vegan bakery. I had a cookies ice cream sandwich, i went with oatmeal and raisin and double chocolate chip cookies. I also ordered a piece of Beelzebub pie which I took home, this was AMAZING! Normally I shy away from vegan food, and yes the ice cream wasn't as creamy as normal ice cream but the rest was fantastic!

On Bank Holiday Monday I went for tacos at the Corazon Taqueria with a couple of friends. We had Totopos with Guacamole and Salsa, Carne Asada Tacos, Carnitas Tacos, Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tacos and we also got some rice and bean thrown in! I also had a Pomegranate and Hibiscus Margarita. All of it was delicious, really yummy.

I came back via Crumbs and Doilies and had a piece of Jammie Dodger cake, really really good. I also tried a White Chocolate and Black Sesame Mini Cupcake, Yum!

Paris

So, earlier this week I spent a couple of days in Paris. Mostly I went for an exhibition at the Pompidou Centre, but there was the small temptation of the food of course! I basically went on google and typed in places to eat in Paris and Time Out came up with budget eats.

When I arrived on Tuesday it was lunchtime so I headed straight to La Pointe du Grouin, which is on Rue de Belzunce just opposite and behind the Gare du Nord. It is run by chef Thierry Breton, with his too more expensive restaurants either side and serves some of the more adventurous cuts of meat. You also have to swap your Euros for Grouins, and pay in Grouins but beware the machine to get the grouins only works in multiples of ten and I ended up with a few leftover, I guess I'll just have to go back, shame! I ordered the Charcuterie plate and well, I know it has salami and rillettes on it and some kind of terrine but other than that I'm not sure. It came with bread and was easily enough for two people and was absolutely delicious.

I followed it with a Far Breton, which is a kind of prune flan and again was fab. The meal with 2 juices cost me €20 and would easily feed two.

I then went to the Musee D'Orsay, which, even with a ticket bought beforehand online I had to queue for 30 mins to get in and had a wander round there. Then I had a walk around the left bank and up to A L'Olivier on Rue de Rivoli where I bought some delicious fig vinegar.

For dinner I headed to Boco on Rue des Methurins, this is a mini chain of restaurants where five michelin three-star chefs – including Anne-Sophie Pic, Régis Marcon, and Emmanuel Renaut – were recruited to create recipes for a range of eat-in or takeaway starters, mains and desserts using organic produce, which come in recyclable glass jars. I loved the idea of this, I hate eating out on my own and always feel a bit of an idiot and because this felt a bit more like well Pret-a-Manger than a restaurant I instantly felt more comfortable. So basically you pick your glass jars, take them to the counter and have them reheated.

I went for Risotto de Coquillettes au Reblochon et Courgettes au Romarin by Emmanuel Renaut, which was basically Reblechon (a French cheese) macaroni cheese with courgettes and rosemary. This wasn't a great success, some of the courgettes were still hard and I found the rosemary a slightly annoying texture, but the flavour overall was good.

I followed it with Soyeux de Chocolat Blanc avec Fraises Epices - Frederic Bau, roughly meaning white chocolate mousse with spiced strawberries and a bit of sponge on top. This was to die for, really truly delicious. The flavours were fantastic and the texture was awesome. I would go back for the dessert alone. The whole meal including a lemonade cost me €15.

On Wednesday I went to the Pompidou Centre to the Le Courbusier exhibition, the whole reason I planned the trip and I was not disappointed. The exhibition was fantastic and no queue, plus the view from the top of the Pompidou is amazing! I had a quick lunch close to the Pompidou Centre, which was nothing to write home about, Provencal Quiche with Salad. I had planned to go to La Biche Au Bois but in the end it was too far, one to save for next time!

In the afternoon I ended up at Galeries Lafayette to take advantage of their cheese counter, which has an awesome selection. On my way to the cheese counter however I was in need of refreshment and I stopped off at Angelina, the tea room in the main store. Ironically a nectar d'abricot and a cake was more expensive than my lunch! But it was delicious. I chose a cake called Flore, which well looked like a flower and was mousse with meringue and I think strawberries.

For the train on the way home I stopped at one of the patisserie concessions in Galeries Lafayette: Patisserie Sadaharu AOKI, I had a green tea and chocolate slice with a Macaron on top and it was delicious. A definite recommendation, I think the cake was €5.50 but well worth it.

And that was my trip to Paris. I ended up with a free one way trip as compensation as my journey was delayed on the way out, so I will definitely be going back!

Meal Planning Monday

Before I do anything I need to say Happy Birthday to my sister whose birthday it is today!

Last week was half term, the first half of the week I spent cleaning and sorting, the second half of the week was more exciting I went to Paris with my Mum! We had a lovely time and as you can see we were at the Kir again!

We started of our trip at Versailles which was a bit of a wash out not only because of the weather, it poured, but also because half of the site doesn't open until midday and we had got there at 9.30am! We stayed the first night there and had a lovely meal at a cafe in the town of Versailles. There was something unusual on the menu - pigs feet! Which I had to try, they were lovely really tender, a bit gelatinous but delicious served with a green salad.

Then on to Paris. We went to an exhibition all about buttons at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, which was fascinating, and then I went to an exhibition on the history and culture of tattooing, which was really interesting too. We also went to the new Galleries Lafayette Gourmet and Maison, they have transformed the food hall and there is so much more room. We had one other notable meal at a restaurant just opposite our hotel called  Le Garnier. I only managed to take a picture of my pudding, which was a compote of dried fruits with salted caramel ice cream and was very different and delicious. We also had oysters to start and big prawns with rice pilaf for main.

So now I'm back and back at work. This week is rather busy too, I have a meeting after work this afternoon and then I am off to a talk at the V&A. On Wednesday I'm going to a play at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, then on Thursday I'm at the St James theatre! I'm going to my parents at the weekend to have my hair cut and to see my Godmother. So a very busy week with really easy pull out the freezer meals.

Monday

Burrito

Smoked Trout Pasta Salad

Tuesday

Corn Dog Casserole with Crisps

Chilli Con Carne Meatballs (Jamies 15 Min Meals)

Wednesday

Mediterranean Tuna and Potato Salad

Out before the theatre

Thursday

Sandwich Pie with Crisps

Out before the theatre

Friday

Tomato and Raclette Quiche and Salad

At my parents house

Meal Planning Monday and Eating Out in Northumberland

So I've had a really cool couple of weeks. I started the two weeks with a trip to Paris, I didn't really take any pictures and didn't have all that much remarkable food, and I completely forgot to take a picture of any of it! However I did rediscover Kir in the hotel bar!

And we found Percy Pigs in Marks and Spencer, which made us giggle!

I then spent 10 days in Northumberland, where I did have some delicious food. I spent the first few days helping my parents clear two rooms that are being renovated in their house. Then my Mum and I spent a few days eating well!

The first place we visited was The Running Fox at Felton, where we had melts, I had a goat's cheese with beetroot and apple chutney and my mum had cranberry and brie. They were slices of bread with cheese on top and then the chutney. The portions were very generous with a lovely side salad. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures! We also bought a loaf of corn bread and some rocky road to take home.

The next day we went for lunch at The Angel in Corbridge. I had the burger

Again it was a generous portion, the chips were lovely and thick and the burger was fantastic and juicy. We spent the day in Corbridge and had a look round the shops, my favourites are the Cookshop, which seems to sell everything you could possibly want and The Corbridge Larder which has a fantastic selection of Northumbrian cheeses as well as lots of other foodie items. I really love visiting Corbridge and try to do so every time I get the chance to go up north.

Our last foodie outing was to the The Treehouse Restaurant at Alnwick Gardens. This was a really cool experience.

The restaurant is up in a huge treehouse. We had the set lunch menu and shared a started and pudding. I only managed to take pictures of our main courses, to start with we shared kipper pate with toast, for the mains I had fillet of Red Mullet with Summer Veg and a Bouillabaisse Broth, 

My mum had sausages and mash, with the sausages coming from a local Alnwick butchers

There was a bit of a discrepancy in portion sizes though, my mum's was huge and mine was tiny, she had three sausages. For pudding we had a trio of strawberry puddings; strawberry crumble, strawberry sorbet and a strawberry daiquiri. The food was ok, not out of this world but pretty good.

Out of this world was the hot chocolate and chocolate and almond croissant from a tiny chocolate shop called Cabosse in Warkworth, oh my god, so so so good. The hot chocolate was lovely and thick and rich and the croissant was just awesome. It has totally converted me to almond croissants, I had another one yesterday!

I also tried white pudding for the first time whilst away and I bought some more from Moorhouse Farm Shop, I had it for lunch a couple of days ago in a stottie with mushroom and ketchup, so so good.

Now on to this week. I have a fairly slow week, I'm going to the Park Theatre on Tuesday to see Crystal Springs and then I start my new job on Thursday, which I'm really excited about. I'm also hoping to go blackberry picking when it stops raining as they seem to be ready already! And to the Jean Paul Gaultoer exhibition at The Barbican. Then I'm meeting a friend to go to Kew Gardens on Saturday, really looking forward to that. This weeks meals are sort of adventurous and kind of clear out the freezer a bit so that I can fit more courgette based dishes in!

Monday

Courgette and Brie Soup with bread (Covent Garden Soup Book)

Thai Yellow Prawn Noodles

Tuesday

Courgette and Lemon Tortellini

Sea Bass with Saffron Braised Broad Beans and Peas (Waitrose Recipe Card)

Wednesday

Israeli Couscous Salad with Merguez Sausages (Salads Book)

Rice Stuffed Courgette (Plenty - Ottolenghi)

Thursday

Cheese and Pickle Sandwich with Crisps

Crab Bolognaise with Pasta

Friday

Out with work

Mackerel with Tomato and Quinoa (Jamie's 15 Minute Meals)

Saturday

Carrot and Lentil Salad with Freekah Pilaf (Plenty - Ottolenghi)

Butternut Squash and Lentil Burger

Sunday

Peach and Ham Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Prawn Green Enchiladas

Paris

I have lots of food that I cooked before I went to Paris still to write about, but I thought that I would write about my trip whilst it was still relatively fresh in my mind. I went with my Mum to Paris for three days last week, we did a Gastronomic Tour with a tour guide. On the first evening we did a three hour walking tour through the area in and around Les Halles, learning about the market, cafes and restaurants and the history behind the site. We then walked to a lovely fish restaurant close to the Bastille for dinner. I had John Dory and got a whole fish really simply cooked with rosemary and my Mum had Sole Meuniere with three fillets of Sole on her plate, it was absolutely divine.

The second day included the highlight of the trip, a three course meal with every meal in a different restaurant and each course being chosen by the chef at the restaurant. We started at 11.30am and had a brief walking tour onto I'le St-Louis, looking at the Hotel Particuliers that still survive on the island. This led us to our first restaurant Le Fin Gourmet, where we were treated to a glass of white wine and Salmon Rillettes with Rocket and a Balsamic Dressing. This was absolutely delicious.

We then walked to I'le de la Cite, past Notre Dame and through the beautiful flower market, learning more of the history of the area to the restaurant where we had our main course. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, save that it was in what used to be the cloisters of the old Abbey. There we had roast chicken with a mushroom sauce, braised celery, half a grilled tomato and some mashed potato with a glass of Cotes du Rhone. We were not very impressed by the main course, the chicken had a huge bone in it, so not much meat and all in all it just wasn't very inspiring. Also when I asked for an extra glass for water I was told we could only have one glass each. Very bizarre.

Our final walk took us over the Pont Neuf to Rue Dauphine on the left bank, not far from where we usually stay in Paris, and to our final restaurant for dessert. This again was very disappointing, of all the magnificent typical french desserts we could have had, profiteroles is not what I would have chosen. They were fine, but will always remind me of school dinners.

In the evening we only wanted something light for dinner so we took ourselves off to a cafe near the hotel and had salads. I had my favourite, goats cheese salad.

My Mum had Caesar Salad, which was so huge that she couldn't finish it but I did and it was absolutely delicious. One of the things I love about Paris is the cafe culture, that you can get fantastic food relatively cheaply in a really relaxed environment.

On the morning of the third day we went on a walking tour with tastings in and around Boulevard St Germain. The first tasting we had was Macarons from La Duree. I had rose and ginger and my mum had salted butter caramel. They were both sublime, much better than any macarons I'd had before. We then moved on to Rue Jacob and J. Leblanc oils. We tried three different oils, pistachio, hazelnut and the nut from the inside of the kernel of the plum! The last was very bitter. Here is our tour guide talking about the oils with the samples in a basket around her neck.

We went back on our way to the hotel and I bought some of the hazelnut oil, some tarragon vinegar and some raspberry vinegar so I can make some lovely vinaigrette at home. Our next tasting was choquettes and a mini almond cake from the carton bakery in Rue de Buci. We then walked back to Rue Dauphine close to where we had dessert the day before and tasted saucisson and ham from Coeson. Our final tasting was glass of red wine from one of the wine sellers in Marche St Germain. The wine a little strange on its own but would have been really good with food.

We then left the group and went to the supermarket to buy cheese and other bits and pieces and then to the fromagerie to buy yet more cheese! My fridge currently smells delicious and I need to say a big thanks to my Mum for suggesting the trip, I had a really lovely time.

Menu Plan Monday and Paris 2

Ok, so the week before last I went to Paris for a couple of days, this is continuation of my post about Paris from last week. On Thursday morning I went to L'age D'or Hollandaise, an exhibition all about the golden age of Dutch art, it had not only the paintings but also some of the objects which appeared in the paintings. I went to the exhibition with Hope who adopted me and my blog in adopt a blogger 3, and I had a really good time, the exhibition was really interesting, but they kept hiding the information boards in English. I can read a bit of French but not much and so it was really cool to have Hope translate the board when we couldn't find the English ones!

On Thursday evening I went out for dinner with Hope and her partner D, to a wine bar in the Montparnasse area of Paris. Both Hope and I had the Andouille (I think) Sausage casserole which had lots of lovely green veg in it. It was called something funny on the menu but I can't remember what now! It was delicious.



D had duck breast on pureed potatoes, which looked really good too.



We did have pudding, but I forgot to take pictures of it! All in all I had a really lovely evening and it was lovely to meet both Hope and D.

I didn't even post last weeks menu plan! I went out for dinner 3 times last week, and the other two evenings were late nights, so I didn't do anything special! We had our work's Christmas dinner, which went ok and I went to the S&M cafe (Sausage and Mash), and had sausage and mash with a friend. Then on Friday I went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, with another friend and we had mulled wine and bratwurst sausages! It was freezing though and the market wasn't very good.

This weeks Menu Plan Monday is very short as, in case you didn't know, its Christmas on Friday! I'm going home to spend the break with my parents, and so there's no planning needed for the end of the week. The rest of the week is just using up left over veg and items from my fridge to create quick and easy meals.

Sunday
Lunch: Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli and Gravy
Dinner: Hummus and Pitta Bread

Monday
Lunch: Ham and Cheese Orzo Casserole, Salad
Dinner: Beef and Veg in Black Bean Sauce

Tuesday
Lunch: Japanese Smoked Salmon and Rice Salad with Avocado
Dinner: Out with my Dad at a Polish restaurant

Wednesday
Lunch: Fish finger Sandwich with Potato Croquettes
Dinner: Home

Paris

I don't usually post about things I've eaten when I go out for a meal, usually because I'm so busy eating the meal I totally forget to take my camera out of my bag, unless reminded by someone. This one was special though. I spent the second half of last week in Paris with my parents. We rented an apartment on the South Bank for a couple of days, primarily so that my parents could go to the Opera, but I tagged along to go to Art Galleries.

I spent Wednesday evening in the Louvre. I can highly recommend this. It is open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays and after 6pm the price drops to 6 euros and the queues have disappeared. So I got in very quickly and the galleries that I went round (Dutch Paintings and French Paintings) were relatively quiet with a few groups and people drawing but not that many people, enough time to stand and admire the Lace Maker by Vermeer anyway!

On Thursday I went to L'age D'or Hollondaise in the morning with Hope from Hopie's Kitchen, more about this one later, and then for lunch I met my parents and we went to Les Bouquinistes which is a restaurant with Guy Savoy, I think this means its owned by him but he doesn't cook there? Not sure! Anyway we had the Lunch Menu which was 29€ for three courses and a glass of wine. We started with rillettes of salmon on a mousse with Carrot Soup, which was delicious, I took no pictures as we'd eaten it before I remembered the camera! For the main course, my Mum and I had guinea foul with a liver and nut stuffing and celeriac, salsify and artichokes. This was absolutely delicious.



My Dad had "Rasscasse", which apparently translated into English is scorpion fish, although the waiter described it as like cod, with veg underneath it. That was also really good.

For dessert my Dad and I had a chocolate plate, with Chocolate Mouse, pear and pear sorbet.

My Mum had a Mango and Rice pudding thing, which she didn't like! But all in all it was a delicious and really filling meal.