lunch on christmas day

breakfast on christmas morning was a glass of bubbly after which i threw together a fruit salad (a guilt free alternative dessert with melon that was honey sweet, segments of orange, a handful of blueberries and a kiwi. i dressed it with honey, the juice of a lemon and lime and a grating of zest to add a citrusy kick).

lunch started off with hare pate for the family and smoked salmon with a side of leafy greens for me. this was followed by a turkey, just roasted and hot out of the oven with a medley of vegetables – broccoli that was steamed lightly, carrot batons that were a fresh bright orange, parsnips that were roasted to bring out their natural sweetness and potatoes mashed to fluffy and velvet smoothness. there was classic bistro gravy with the addition of some whole cranberries for the festive season and cranberry port sauce with bruised whole berries in it. aunt i’s ruby pink-red cabbage had the bite of apple and a hint of cinnamon that matched perfectly with the turkey. uncle g served an amber colored white wine that had a dark honey-ish flavor recalling that of stringy bark honey.

the consequence of eating such an extensive lunch is that none of us had space for pudding…

spud love

eggs-cetra at the breakfast club

you cannot make reservations at the breakfast club on weekends and since there is always a queue i am pre-warning that you should come prepared to wait; at the bc in camden passage, islington the queue extends out of the door onto the steps and spills right down to the passage itself (depending on the time you arrive of course).

my flat mate and i got there at a little short of 11am on a sunday morning and luckily didn’t have to wait that long. we found ourselves seated at a corner table in the window and were handed the menu. despite the fact that i had read through the menu countless times before – having passed by the bc as well as attempted to wait once and losing patience owing to the queue i was still nowhere near decided. that is the problem with brunch especially when you are spoilt for choice.

i ruled out the usual suspects like toast, bagels, porridge but still had trouble given the range of eggs. i love eggs and am always in search of the perfectly done eggs, be they poached, fried, scrambled or boiled. i decided to put bc to the poached egg test and i must say that the bc did not disappoint. the eggs came quivering ever so slightly, sitting on thick slices of toasted brown bread. on the side was homemade tomato chutney with torn basil leaves and a green salad tossed in some vinaigrette. my cappuccino was a strong affair and a perfect illustration of a well roasted medium earthy coffee bean. the bc is also famous for its breakfast cocktails and smoothies. indeed every so often the smell of juicing oranges or fresh ginger would float through the café.

j ordered eggy bread with banana’s and bacon however i don’t think her bc encounter measured up to mine. apparently the bananas are to be grilled lightly to bring out the sweetness in them. i confess total ignorance of this brunch option as i don’t eat bacon and therefore cannot give you a true account. what i can tell you is that the yolk yellow walls and warmth of the bc coupled with eggcellent eggs and a good strong coffee gives it a special brekkie status for me. i am sure to be back at the bc in tow with my other comeconella foodies… and when that happens i’m sure to have a bloody mary too. 

till then…

ozer

sofra and its oxford circus chef named branch ozer is somewhat of an institution with my pakistani friends. so much so that it is the inevitable starting point for most nights that i have made plans with b and co. in fact come to think of it i celebrated my twenty-sixth there too. so i finally decided to take fellow foodie i to give ozer a try. an eight thirty reservation on a friday night the weekend before christmas found i and i at ozer.

despite the credit crunch ozer was packed and perhaps one of the reasons for that is ozer/sofras menu aptly titled the ‘credit crunch’ menu to reflect the sentiment of the day. upon being seated a bowl of hummus and bread appeared. since i wanted to sample we ordered some hot and some cold mezze and an entree to spilt. there was beef kofte from the hot mezze menu and red lentil kofte and imam bayildi from the cold. for the entree we choose the chicken kulbasti which comes highly recommended from the restaurant itself.

the beef kofte were delicately spiced and was accompanied by a tangy slightly chilli dipping sauce. the meat itself was juicy and moist and the kofte disappeared almost instantaneously. the red lentil kofte were reminiscent of homemade dahl which had been mashed and then squeezed in the palm of the hand to create an uneven longish kofte. once again the seasonings brought out the flavour of the lentils. imam bayildi features stewed aubergine with red pepper and tomato, with the three vegetables being tossed in a generous glug of seasoned olive oil. the combination of flavours is common to middle eastern cuisine and never fails to deliver.

i have had the kulbasti on the number of occasions and love the basic seasonings and flavours. the fillet of chicken is grilled and served on a long strip of slightly toasted bread, a mild salsa-ish sauce, vegetables in a light sauce (a bit like a rue) and a mound of basmati rice that is steamed to perfection and tastes of salted butter.

to end the dinner we had mint tea, served in glass cups. it was fragrant and refreshing, basically a bunch of mint leaves on which boiling water had been poured to draw out the essence of the leaf. there was also dessert which despite having eaten so much i and i decided to order. in the words of i it was gluttony – and gluttony that paid well. dessert was an almond and coconut pudding which was served chilled and with a thick crust which gave way to a creamy rice pudding – there was a strong hint of coconut cream and the crunch of almond in every mouthful.

it was a pre-christmas treat with a lovely surprise – a foodie notebook constructed by i resembling our blog as i had printed and collaged the front cover. it allows me space for recipes and other notes. here is to the beginning of a new year and a new chapter of culinary adventures.

p.s. ozer/sofra’s menu’s are good value and especially helpful when dining in a group of friends all of whom have varied tastes and requirements.

sakura for sushi

i had japanese with italians and despite the fact that i speak no italian and aside from two out of a dinner party of four spoke no english we had a perfectly wonderful time. i and i were left to navigate an oversized sakura menu which if you have been to sakura you would know is not exactly an easy job to do. however we managed to get it all sorted and the result was an assortment of japanese dishes from sushi to sashimi, teriyaki, cold soba, some grilled squid and tempura.

                        

 i should at this point pause and say that the waiters are slightly linguistically challenged and you may find yourself repeating your order. also the service is patchy at best and some things with happen in quick succession whereas others (like the tea service) is ridiculously slow. my advice to you is to bear with it because the food more than compensates for it. in fact what goes in favor of sakura is the presence of a japanese clientele which to me is generally a fair indicator of the authenticity of the food.

so to return to the food; sakura uses good quality fish and both the sashimi and sushi were made up with fish that felt silken in the mouth. the beef ginger was thinly sliced and had heaps of flavor and in keeping with the rest the salmon teriyaki had a lovely rich glaze and flaked with ease at the touch of chopsticks. i and i tasted some cold soba which was refreshing. they say that making cold soba is an art and each strand must reveal itself independently. i am no expert but if the rules of pasta apply this soba definitely lived up to what little i had read. i wasn’t particularly fussed with the tempura which is always good. however it was a last order of grilled squid that was really hit the spot. it came with a wedge of lemon and something akin to wakabi in taste but which was yellow in color and added extra flavor to the already tasty squid.  

at some point during dinner our attention was caught by the hot pot on the table next to ours and for a while the memory of china town’s hoco held my imagination. suddenly i was in islamabad on a winter evening in a grubby room. there were peanuts marinated in chili oil and pickled radishes and carrots for starters whilst waiting for the signature copper brazier to arrive along with a platter of raw meat, seafood and vegetable. the waiter would get the hoco started by adding thin slices of meat and leafy greens that would wilt dramatically in the hot soup. he would then use a chinese soup spoon to measure out steaming white rice into the base of soup bowls. to this he would add peanut sauce and chili (depending on preference) and then meat and vegetables would be added from the hoco with generous ladles of soup. he would then give it all a rapid stir and place it in front of you, ready to be eaten. and i returned to the present only when the discussion about dessert required my attention. i and i settled on some shared guilt in the form of azuki bean ice-cream which is this curious brownish-pink but tastes quite nice. 

 i just wish i had gotten more tea.

brunch at three o one: potato pancakes

i love brunch 

especially when it extends into late afternoons and is accompanied by girl talk and endless mugs of tea. the day that s and a came over for brunch turned out to be a crisp clear and cold one. the kitchen of three o one was warm and washed with winter sunlight. my flat mate had laid out our kitchen table with an enviable spread of croissant, preserves and cheese. since i had served a frittata on her last visit i decided it had to be something different this time round so i set out to make potato pancakes. these were a staple of my growing up years especially when we were living in our first house in islamabad (the one with the not-so-nice-orange cupboards). mum would often make them for weekdays dinners. the best thing about potato pancakes are that they are easy to make and always welcome (i am yet to meet someone who is spud unfriendly!)

here is what you need

peeled and grated potatoes

a tablespoon of finely chopped red onion or chives

a generous pinch of salt

veggie oil

a good frying pan

to bind the mixture you need: a rounded tablespoon of flour and an egg

basically all you need to do is combine all the ingredients together. to give you an idea i used five medium potatoes for three people. when binding the mixture you need enough to bring the ingredients together. the batter shouldn’t be runny. once you have the mixture ready heat a tablespoon or so of oil in the frying pan. ideally use a good quality non-stick pan. i used my beloved tefal, birthday gifted to me by fellow foodies i & m). when the oil is really hot drop the batter by spoonfuls and press down with a spatula to make small pancakes. don’t be fussed about the shape. i personally love the irregularity. the pancakes should be crisp and slightly browned on both sides so add extra oil between the batches. i made and kept my stack waiting in a warm oven and when the girls came along we tucked into them with some cottage cheese on the side. you can always serve them with sour cream too.

via condotti

a two course meal at via condotti entails carpaccio crowned with a baby spinach salad glistening in its vinaigrette toss – with the accent of walnut halves and a thinly sliced salmon with flecks of dill and triangles of grilled bread.

entrees of pasta that were a medley of colour, served in shallow white plates. squid ink tagliatelle which was charcoal with hints of colour – carrot and zucchini shavings and rings of creamy white squid curled on top. chestnut ravioli – parcels of warm beige with strips of venison which were a darker brown contrast. the sauce comprised the juices of the meat, olive oil and a hint of butter. the flavours in both revealed themselves in complex layers with an over arching hint of extra virgin olive oil.

dessert was a glammed up version of tiramisu and although i am traditionalist i could not fault the taste of it as it was truly sublime. to go with dinner was a deep dark merlot with a dark winter berry flavour.

end note of the meal: satiated.

the afghan kitchen

to me afghan food is the offerings of kabul restaurant. kabuli pilau made from long grained sayla rice whose centre is a piece of tender beef that comes off in strips when pulled to eat. it if further garnished with raisins and julienned carrots pickled in sweet syrup. there is mantu essentially dumplings stuffed with minced meat and onion, steamed and then topped with a garlic spiked yoghurt and lentil sauce. better yet are the kebabs pulled from seekhs with a fork and wrapped in roti and eaten hot. each kebab is separated by a grilled tomato which benefited from the juices of the meat when it was grilled. afghani roti itself is long flat leavened bread that is just as good eaten hot and washed down with a cold coca cola. i love this food so much that bearing the salty thirst that accompanies and lingers after the meal doesn’t deter me from it one bit.