EatzCity

Spicy Chicken Wrap.

This is a great one tray wonder. It makes for the perfect mid week meal or lunch for the next day. The beauty of it is, you can use whatever spices or veg you want! Feel free to experiment!

You will need (for 1):

1 Chicken breast 

1/4 pepper

3 mushrooms

6 tbsps of Greek or Natural yoghurt

2 tspns chilli flakes (or powder)- more if you want it hotter

1 tspn turmeric

handful or coriander (finely chopped)

salt and pepper

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tortilla or whole grain wrap

1. Simply mix the herbs and spices into the yoghurt and leave to marinade with the chicken and chopped veg. This is perfect to do the night before you plan to eat it.

2. Next grab some tin foil and pour in the veg and chicken and roll at the top to make a parcel

3. Pop in the oven at 190 degrees centigrade and leave to bake for 20 minutes. 

4 Check on the chicken to make sure that it is white all the way through and the juices running out are all clear.

5. Then gently heat the wrap in the residual heat of the oven (literally 20 secs) and remove

6. Pop the chicken and veg in the wrap and roll. I like to pair this with mint yoghurt or even mayo.

You can also make this for the week and eat them cold for lunch!

Beijing Dumpling, Chinatown, London.

First I will say that when in Chinatown, the dumplings are a must have. From soup dumplings to dim sum, this place is fantastic for starters. Beijing dumpling was a recommendation and is great if you want tasty Chinese food on the cheap.

I personally indulged in pork soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), seafood dimsum (as pictured above), duck pancakes, hot and sour soup and sweetcorn soup. Rather than go with the a starter and then main, we decided to go with an array of starters (to fit more dumplings in).

Beijing Dumpling has a very casual vibe and was very busy when I went for dinner. As you queue up, you can see the chefs churn out dumpling after dumpling after dumpling. This allows you a bit of time to check out what dumplings you might want to try (warning you will get full quickly).

The dumplings in this place were my favourite by far. The duck and soups are fairly standard, but are worth a try to break up textures. If I went again, my whole meal would probably be more dumpling orientated.  The duck was well flavoured and the food came out quite quickly. 

The service here was questionable, but it’s just the type of place that this is. It’s not rude, it’s just a no frills kind of place, they got dumplings to make and people to feed. Don’t take it personally.

Paired with an ice cold green tea, this is great place to grab a bite to eat and leave feeling satisfied and your wallet not taking the heat.

Price: ££

Godiva, Harrods

The Godiva cafe in Harrods, is a chocolate filled indulgence which offers more than a box of treats. This brand goes hand in hand with luxury and is shown through the the patisserie at this cafe.

From fresh hot chocolate to delightful cheesecakes, this coco heaven is a great stop for afternoon tea and indulge yourself after a long day of shopping. I tried three desserts plus a milk hot chocolate. I tried the Godiva Milk Chocolate Sin Cake (which I highly recommend), a salted caramel special and the crème brûlée. 

These desserts are very rich and can be sickly, so I would suggest not ordering all three if you are alone and splitting desserts if you go with friends. As I also had the hot chocolate I can definitely say that I had my chocolate dosage for the week. The Chocolate Sin cake was my favourite out of the three and was paired with hot chocolate sauce which melted the praline on top of the slice. I love how all the desserts (and the drinks) come with the option of milk, dark or white chocolate. It’s perfect. 

I actually went to Godiva as part of my birthday celebrations and the service was fabulous. They bought out a plate that had Happy Birthday written on it in chocolate accompanied by some chocolates (which they kindly wrapped for me to take home). This paired with the decadent atmosphere and the smell of chocolate made for a great experience. It was raining that day and this was a great way to cheer me up and leave me feeling cosy.

You can only take away the chocolates, but these desserts are worth sitting down for. It’s definitely a great weekend afternoon trip and why not have a shop around in London while you’re at it. 

Price:£££

http://www.godivachocolates.co.uk/ 

87-135 Brompton Rd, London SW1X 7XL

With two London locations, Hakkasan offers contemporary Chinese cuisine. From delightful duck to stunning sea bass, Hakkasan provides the best Chinese flavors in a refined manner. I had the pleasure of dining in Hakkasan, Hanway Place. 

Taste of Hakkasan

The Taste of Hakkasan menu is perfect for those willing to try a section of what Hakkasan has to offer without breaking the bank. If a table is wanted before 18:30, a set menu is offered at £38 and after 18:30 a £65 menu is offered. As I went to enjoy an evening dinner, I had the latter option plus a couple of extras. If you order A La Carte then be prepared to spend your money as you can pay up to £300 for some dishes.

Our meal began with a Dim Sum selection (as photographed), and this lived up to expectation. With a prawn and chive filling, a scallop filling and a pork and prawn filling, these mouthfuls are delightful. I would definitely recommend this and if you are a dumpling fanatic, like my self, Hakkasan host Dim Sum Sundays which make itself a great contender for Sunday brunch.

My starters included Hot and Sour Soup and Sweetcorn Soup. The Hot and Sour Soup was so flavorful and is something I will definitely order again, however the corn soup was standard.  

For my main, I had Spicy Prawns (with lilly bulb and almond), Peking Duck and Pancake, Sweet and Sour Pork and this was accompanied by rice and noodles. In comparison to the starters that we tried, the mains did disappoint. Although they were still tasty next time I would happily exchange my main dishes with more dim sum or another starter. The meat was tender, however the noodles tasted like something I could probably remodel at home. Overall the mains were underwhelming, but they were still tasty.

Finally, the dessert offered a different take on Asian desserts. Until my visit to Hakkasan I have never been impressed with Chinese desserts. We ended the meal with the Matcha Apple Custard Bun and the Jivara Bomb (milk chocolate and praline desert). These were a delight, they were not too rich and encompassed eastern flavours with a subtle sweetness. The Matcha bun requires an acquired taste, but I loved it. The pastry was lovely, and if you like green tea this will be a delight.

Service

Overall the food was great, but the service let it down. Our server was mediocre, however, when we wanted to remove the service charge (because we wanted to leave our own tip) we were made to feel very uncomfortable. 

We wet through two members of staff before they took off the optional service charge. I’ve never had this issue before and because of the way it was handled, we didn’t end up leaving a tip at all. 

TIP: Don’t over order (as there is no option to have remaining food leftover), order as and how you want more food. They bring it out quite quick and it’s better than wasting money.

Hakkasan is definitely worth going to and is perfect for a special occasion or date night as the atmosphere welcomes occasion.  

http://hakkasan.com/

Price: ££££

8 Hanway Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HD

AFTERNOON TEA AT MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE BAR & GRILL BIRMINGHAM 

So for £29 per person for a Champagne afternoon tea, Marco Pierre white offers an atmosphere that you can enjoy with your sandwiches. A three tier tea stand leaves no stone un-turned when sharing a cuppa with your loved ones. You receive two stands (one for savory and one for sweet). The savory tier had gazpacho and pate to start and sandwiches to follow. I though the gazpacho was a nice touch and something a bit different.

The second tier provided us with a mixture of traditional and contemporary dessert. The bottom tier consisted of home made scones with jam and cream (gorgeous) followed by meringue tarts. This was all washed down by some lovely Prosecco and tea and coffee. Yum!!

I visited Marco’s on a Saturday afternoon, however the tea is a little bit cheaper when you go on a weekday. The vibe was lovely, however the center of the room can be a little dark if you go on a cloudy day. We resolved this by asking them to light the candles on the tables. 

This is a great afternoon date option or a low-key birthday celebration and the food does not disappoint.

The staff were fantastic and very attentive. They kept the coffee and tea coming nicely and adjust your tea depending what you like to eat. 

Check it out!

Pho!

I AM PHO, based in the heart of Chinatown in Manchester was my first Pho experience. I’ve got to say it was a good one. This big bowl of cosy goodness could keep anyone full for days. I enjoyed a bowl with chicken, beef and raw beef in a delicious broth. 

The price tag on this bowl of fun is extremely reasonable and I would recommend ordering a crispy side to break up the texture of the Pho. 

Traditional toppings include, beansprouts, mint and coriander. Add these to your mouthfuls and enjoy. The simple atmosphere, creates a chilled vibe and you can chat with your friends and enjoy good food.

There is the option to takeaway your leftovers and I recommend that if anything you take the broth. You can go and cook ramen in it and enjoy the taste for a lunch the next day.

Check it out!

Amazing Traybake Vegetables. 

This is a quick and easy one tray dinner and you can put a rack on top of the vegetables and add chicken- cook everything in one go. Great for a mid week meal.

1. First grab a selection of veg, I chose courgettes, aubergines, broccoli and tomatoes.

2. Then season them with salt and pepper and herbs of your choice. I chose thyme, basil and oregano to complement the chicken.

3. Then pour olive oil onto the veg and make sure all the veg are coated in the herbs.

4.Place a rack on top of the veg and place your chicken thighs on top of the rack (you can marinate these the night before or cover in paprika and olive oil on the day).

5. Cover the tray in foil and pop in a pre-heated oven (190 degrees C) and bake for 45 minutes or until the chicken is done. 

With International Women’s Day Coming up, it was only fitting that I participated in Reclaim the Night. Reclaim the night is an annual march held in Manchester which raises awareness about violence against women. All proceeds from T Shirt Sales and Donations went to helping women suffering from abuse. 

The March was empowering and a great way to embrace equality. The chants felt very communal and gave newcomers a platform to get involved. With this march being my first march, I can say that’s it’s a great way to get involved with a great cause. As thousands of us marched from Fallowfield down to the University of Manchester’s Student union, many people joined in the march and chanted resulting in fantastic rapport!

Women Unite. Reclaim the Night!

Check out what people were marching for:

The Vagina Monologues 2016!

After watching this fantastic play about women’s experiences it’s only fair to honour the show with a fabulous cocktail! 

Manchester Street Market!

From the tasty to the delectable, Manchester Street Market has some of the best treats to treat yourself to lunch with. The Mediterranean stall offers the tastiest wraps with chicken fresh from the pan! Right next to this wonder, you can nibble on some freshly steamed sui mai (dumplings) whilst you’re waiting for your wrap to be assembled. 

UMAMI

Umami’s lunch deal offers fantastic food for great value! £6.95 for tow courses! From the king prawn gyoza to the beef rendang curry, everything is yummy. So get down to Manchester for quick service and delicious dishes.

Umami