Yuppie Lunch

So I'm very aware that saying "I Like Chinese food" is the equivalent of saying "I love lamp". Although I agree with both statements, you have to be more specific when talking about Chinese food and/or lighting design.

I want to highlight one of the best restaurants (I kid you not) in London. Off of the hipstertastic street of Brick Lane you can find a tiny restaurant called Sichuan Folk. It is "the dogs bollocks", which ironically enough they also serve. JOKES AND JOKES.

We stumbled upon it when my friend/bro Miles - who spent numerous years in China - was in town and craving some gangnam style food...ok I just wanted to throw in a pop cultural reference, I completely understand that he and the song is from South Korea (Side note I just added "Gangnam" to my dictionary on my laptop). Anyways the food was insane and due to the mandarin hook up we got the best recommendations. 

Every time we go back we seem to be the only non-Asian people - SO YOU KNOW it's gotta be good. Right? If that doesn't convince you, during the Olympics we went and right next to us were the Chinese gymnastics team and apparently one of the richest sensei's (I know it's a  Japanese reference) in China who apparently produces all of the teams uniforms... which leads me to believe he produces around 75% of the clothes in the western world.

If it's good enough for them, we are probably not good enough for the food. Don't expect any of the bullshit "Chinese Curries" or Chop Suey. This is legit Szechuan food with great/strange flavors, amazing ingredients and a bit of a kick.

Recommendations to get are:

Signature dumplings

Twice cooked pork in steamed buns

Cloud ear fungus and coriander

Heinz tomato soup & a green salad.

Paris' best kept secret. 

As some of you might know I spent 4 years living and studying in Paris. I can without a doubt say that it is my favorite place in the world. It was there where my love for food came to be. Ok, I'm starting to sound like the little rat from Ratatouille (yes, that's one of my favourite films)...but I guess the point I just wanted to make is that this city really helped shape me become the person I am today. My taste in food, fashion, style and (in general) life, evolved there.

Instead of going into a long rant of restaurants I love/enjoy in Paris I wanted to highlight one that in the four years living there I never tried. It was merely a few months ago when I was in Paris for the weekend that I went to La Tournebievre. And I have to say it is probably one of the best eating experiences (besides the boozy L'entrocte dinners with my brother Jean Julien) I've had in Paris.

Situated right in front of the Notre Dame on the left bank, this tiny restaurant (with max 10 tables) served some of the most innovative and delicious french food I've ever seen and had. If you are in the vicinity or plan on being so make a reservation now! Order the Pate, listen to your waiters recommendation and take your sweet, sweet time to enjoy your night.

"My Local Gastro-Pub"

Yes. I'm completely aware of how yuppie that sounds, but the fact of the matter is people in central London are now more likely to have a local gastro, then an old-mans pub. So whenever somebody comes to visit from abroad my first choice to take them to is a gastro-pub and 4 out of 5 times it's our local, Bacchus in Hoxton N1.

My 2 days at Le Cordon Bleu

The majority of this blog/tumblr is dedicated to my adventures of a foodie yuppie eating out, but over the past few years on my trip into the culinary abyss I've become interested and some might say good at cooking.

This year I was gifted by my foodie side-kick lover a 2 day cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. To prep for this I ate a lot and tried to perfect my onion chopping skills. A few finger tips and months later I found myself sweating over a stove, quietly weeping/begging my red wine sauce to reduce faster as a middle aged french man yelled at me to make sure my potatoes didn't burn.

"Oui Chef!" I yell back, as I try to convince myself that the pan i previously touched did not completely burn my hand. The whole experience was terrifying and hilarious at the same time. More then anything it made me wish I had become more interested in the art of cooking (and food in general) earlier in my life, but alas it shall remain an interest from a far...and by far i mean my mouth.

In the two days we cooked numerous dishes including Magret de Canard, Fois Gras, Tarte tatatin, Fish etc...

Number 1 thing I learned: Making a good sauce is no joke.

I can't remember where I ate this burger...

...How sad is that? I found this photo hidden on my phone and I honestly can not place where and when I ate it.

I think it was Hawksmoor and if that's the case, I don't want to insult it with me not remembering. This just means I have to go back and enjoy another meal there.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Whole Foods

So I didn't live in America long enough to become obsessed with this organic-healthy-I'm better than you-grocer. But at my new gig there happens to be a small Whole Foods right around the corner, which I have grown to really enjoy, especially for those quick desk lunches.

The image above shows one of their mixed boxes, which to be honest, I'm always a little disappointed after I get them. I might just be ordering incorrectly, so if any of you have any recommendations, please help a hungry girl out!

Afternoon Tea at The Berkley

I recently had one of the most fashionable experiences of my life enjoying afternoon tea at one of London's finest hotels, The Berkley.

For those of you who don't know, afternoon tea is a tradition in England which typically consists of tea and some biscuits. The fancy upscale versions exist in Hotels across London where besides tea, one drinks champagne enjoys all types of finger sandwiches, cakes etc.

This was my first experience afternoon tea-ing and I must say it was amazing. Why the hell have I not done this sooner and why am i not doing it right now? The "meal" consisted of cakes inspired by themes and trends in Fashion, called: Prêt-à-Portea, and the menu changes every six months to follow the changing trends each season. How cool is that?!

Either way I had so much fun (especially as it was a work function and I didn't have to pay for any of it) and the Caramel Room, food and service was impeccable.

Hey Sarah,

Sorry for my uber delayed response. I rarely check my messages. But thank you for the support on my frustration (hah). As for your request I think the restaurant I mentioned in my post Chez Manny would be a good place to look for something more french and hardy. Depending on what you order it obviously can be more refined then the traditional french food, but i ordered a pork chop with potato gratin and red cabbage there once that literally made me dizzy it was so good. Another place I just went to that is more fusion french then traditional french was The Palm Court Brasserie in Covent Garden...It's quite touristy and didn't blow my mind, but I was surprised/impressed that they had Poulet Basquaise on their menu. It was really nice and quite authentic.

Other then that I'll do a little more research on traditional french food in London, I seem to have been eating a lot of Chinese/Mexican cuisines lately.

Hope you're well and that this helps.

Cheers D

Fat Duck (SPOILER ALERT)

Due to popular demand (and the fact that I haven't blogged in a while) my turn around on this post was especially quick, so sorry for any spelling mistakes/typos. I don't want to go into too much detail, but at the same time the whole reason this restaurant has 3 Michelin stars and is considered one of the best in the world is BECAUSE of the detail.

FIRST of all - If you plan on going to Fat Duck don't read or look at this. TRUST me, going to the Fat Duck is an experience. You wouldn't IMDB the end of a movie whilst you're in the cinema, would you? (I do...but I'm working on that).

The meal in a nutshell was: 14 courses + wine pairing = INSANITY

So the reason we went to Fat Duck was because my AMAZING boyfriend/partner (Not sure what's PC anymore) said he would take me there as a Christmas present...in 2011. Needless to say getting a reservation was easier said then done, but after countless hours on hold, he managed to get us a table on May 26th 2012. We've been excited for months now, so much so that I figured I'd end up being disappointing...I was so, so wrong.

We get there and our hostess/waitress greets us with a (horrifying) joke, that she doesn't see our name in their books. I see Nate's face literally drop, while she cracks a smile. The staff are all quite young and because Nate and I were by far the youngest people in there they were super chatty with us. By the end of the night we were swapping favorite cocktail bars in London tips and invited to their wine room/cellar.

So basically it starts off with them asking us if we had any dietary restrictions... obviously being the gluttons we are we don’t have any. I make a crack about being a vegan, but the head waiter didn't even blink and carried on with how possible it would be to create a 14 course menu for me. I crack a smile and he realizes I'm joking. He says "Oh we're going to have fun tonight. Strap yourselves in."

I don’t want to go through it course by course, but in all honesty it was probably one of the most incredible ‘experiences’ of my life. Top 5 for sure. AND I’d be close to say my favorite eating experience ever. My past experiences with molecular gastronomy have been ok, at times I felt it was quite pointless/just for show and ended up not tasting as good as I think just a 'normal' or 'traditional' meal would. This was both AHmazing – scientifically speaking and taste wise. Example: They made this snail porridge that honestly was one of the most delicious things I’ve had in my mouth.

Highlights of the evening included this ridiculous seafood experience that no joke looked, sounded (they gave us little shell iPods) and tasted like a Japanese beach, which obviously was paired with a nice glass of sake.

There was also this mad hatters tea party that was this mock turtle soup broth that dissolves from this edible gold covered gel pocket watch and then you pour it on to something that then you eat with these tea sandwiches...Ok, I just re-read that sentence and am completely aware I sound like an over excited 7 year old. So I'll start wrapping this up.

I had so much fun and one dish after another I was surprised, delighted and enchanted. It's an experience and if you have the time, the cash and the culinary curiosity I recommend you go there ASAP ( i.e. give or take 7 months).