sunday roast

as this was another of my birthday presents, i am now trying to reach perfection in the 8 apparently simple recipes that the book features.

the first experiment had to be the roast chicken. i must say that i'm not much scientific, but i did my best to follow all the steps. had to turn the oven a bit higher tough, due to time issues.

you basically have to brine your chicken for 6 hours - ideally a poulet de bresse. i tried to buy a label anglais to promote the british produce, but the butcher didn't have that one. so i went for another organic free range et al 2,7 kg chicken from suffolk.

then blanch it for 30 seconds, plunge it into iced water, then repeat the process. You cook the chicken for four and a half hours at 60 C. you fry the chicken quickly in groundnut oil. and you inject it with the brown butter you got when frying the wings.

i must say i had to invest in some equipment, but in the end it was worth it.

i also learned that the best potatoes to roast are maris piper. and that worked out well.

regency cafe

in real life there are checked curtains in the windows and a lady behind the counter with the most amazing voice projection announces each of the plates ready to take to the table.

the burger was fantastic, but i'll have to go back to have the breakfast.

the day after...

after a night walking in golden high heels nothing better than the good old english breakfast.
my friends took me to hackney city farm, where i had the best ever breakfast since i've been in london. and i have been trying loads...
the mushrooms were not canned, the sausages were amazingly grilled and tasted really good. it's a pity they only do scrambled eggs on weekends, as i prefer fried or poached.
and all this savoured in the tables outside. it really feels like an escape to the countryside.
you can visit the animals in the farm after, although we were too hangovered to do that.

white cross street market

one of the oldest markets in london, whitecross hosts a weekly specialist food market every thursday and friday.
the general market is open monday to friday, 10am to 5pm,
selling a wide range of products, including books, music, clothes, jewellery, DIY essentials and food.
official website

moro @ exmouth market

to celebrate my birthday i decided to treat myself and go to a restaurant that was on my to go list for a long time now.

started with broad beans with fresh cheese olives and mint which was a good beginning.

i had the grilled sea trout with samphyre and lentiles that was perfectly grilled and the samphyre was a pleasant discovery. i had never heard of this green sea plant:

A strange looking green frond which grows on salt marshland and tastes of the sea. It's the season for samphyre and it is delicious and easy to deal with, probably very healthy as well. I think it's the fish monger you need to talk to despite it being a plant. Make sure it is fresh, feels firm rather than limp, and rinse it in cold water to clean. Blanch it briefly in boiling water, no need for salt, and serve it hot with a knob of butter next to fish. In the shop we used it as part of a cold fresh salsa on some roast cod. It looks great and tastes delicious cold.

and my friend wood roasted british lop pork with wrinkled potatoes and salsa mojo. and we were very disappointed. the meat was dry and they cut very thick slices was made it even worse.

the perfect ending was the rose water and cardamom ice cream.

conclusion: the moro is a good restaurant for tapas and wine, but for main meal was a bit disappointing.

moro

apparently one of the best turkish restaurants in london is just around the corner...
very good reviews everywhere, so in my to go list.
my own review to be posted next month only due to financial restraint.
more details here

moshi moshi

it had to be japanese and it had to be in angel. with a list in hand we walked down angel and first found ah so! that was closed due to refurbishment. akira (just next to ah so) didn't look promissing. so we ended at sa sa sushi in st john st.
the staff was nice and friendly. gyosa were a not amazing, but they tasted good. sushi and sashimi were reasonable. i loved the fried rice and the beef teryaki.
but the great discovery was the plum wine (or japanese wine as it was called in the menu). sweet wine with lots of ice that went really well with the food.

best fast food in london

highly recommended place to eat proper heart filling food. it's fast, healthy and cheap. what more can you ask?
the chilli con carne is perfect for this autumn weather. and i loved the lemon, ginger & mint quencher.
leon restaurants
mark palmer visits leon