Little kitchens

At the end of my mini-break in Nottingham, we made a stop at a little diner just off one of the main streets for a quick bite before I got onto the train for London. The unassuming little place, with hand-made signs lining the windows and rows of little tables promised some good old fry-ups.

Gingham Kitchen
10 Lincoln Street
Nottingham
NG1 3DJ

In Nottingham, where bus drivers smile and give you a cheery greeting and where the people seem to be nicer and a lot less harried, one can really get used to the laid-back vibe that the city gives off. Gingham Kitchen seems to really embody that relaxed spirit - a cosy little place where everyone seems to know everyone by name.

Lasagne and chips

Cheese and tomato quiche with beans and chips

While I expected larger portions, the portions that came were deceivingly filling and I found myself surrendering to the chips at the end. I would have appreciated a more generous portion of the main dish, however. The food is nothing fancy, just simple comfort food that's good for a quick fix on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

From the sea

Getting out of bed (and in some cases, not sleeping at all) at 5am to go to a fish market is not exactly your typical student behaviour but that's really how much the thought of food motivates us. Yes, us, who only begin the day at noon any other day. Inspired by some cookout photos put up by some friends, we decided that a trip to Billingsate Market was in order for our very own cookout to celebrate Hanad's birthday. Having been away for the week, I came home to find that the we had purchased enough food to feed the entire neighbourhood - but then again, when it comes to the amount of food we consume, nothing surprises me anymore.

We got right down to business, the kitchen bustling with activity as we pottered about - slicing, dicing, frying, chopping, tasting, tweaking. It's an organised sort of chaos when the whole house attempts to work in tandem in the kitchen and that's perhaps my favourite part of a cookout.

The freshness of the seafood from the market was absolutely worth waking up at the crack of dawn for - a mountain of prawns, crabs that were still moving about on the kitchen floor, oysters that could lick your hand while you cleaned them and huge slabs of fish.

The oysters were exquisite - I don't think any of us had ever had such fresh oysters before. A squeeze of lemon and a drop of Tabasco sauce - nothing has ever come close.

The crab curry was what set the ball rolling when we first decided we wanted a cookout. Sapna's craving for the chilli crab she had once in Singapore propelled her to search rather feverishly for the perfect recipe on the internet. In the end, we went with a recipe emailed to me by mum, tweaked, of course. A generous amount of shallots, chilli powder, garlic and ginger laid the foundation for the dish. With enough crab to fill a whole bathtub (I kid you not), the cooking needed much strategising. From the initial execution of the crabs and the shower that we had to give them to having to separate the crab out into buckets and cooking them in batches, it turned into quite a mission. It's true what they say however, that nothing worth it ever comes easy.

What's crab curry without the fried mantou? First steamed then deep fried (well, as deep a frying as we could do), the buns turned out really well much to our surprise. Dipped into the thick curry gravy, they were delicious.

"This tastes like Malta"

Mediterranean-style squid - this was the dish that provided a little something different to our predominantly Asian spread and it truly reminded us of the fantastic food we had while on holiday in Malta.

We decided to deep fry the squid tentacles in a batter made out of pre-mixed "cucur" flour. Upon seeing how well they turned out, we decided to turn the dish into a snack in the midst of cooking. We munched on the crunchy, golden squid as Sapna went around re-hydrating the kitchen crew with helpings of pineapple juice.

Butter Prawns - deep fried prawns that were tossed into a butter and curry leaf mixture. Digestive crumbs were added to the batter to give the prawns more texture.

Har Lok - another recipe emailed by mum.

Curry Laksa. This took a whole lot of tweaking, stirring and tasting to get just right - and just right, it was. Creamy and reminiscent of home, this was the sinfully indulgent dish that had everyone drinking out of their bowls. My favourite bits were the tofu and fish cake slices that had absorbed the gravy.

The best part about having a cookout at No. 42 is the fact that there's always enough food to last a few more meals after. There's nothing better than knowing you have a seafood feast waiting for you for brunch the next day. We've developed a new-found respect for Chinese restaurants and their busy kitchens and have absolutely no idea how they do it on a daily basis. At the end of the day, I wasn't sure if we had chosen to have a cookout for Hanad's benefit or for our own greedy reasons but whatever the reason was, we sure had a feast to remember.

Because it's Friday, everyday

It came down to a choice between Friday's and Nando's as we made our way from the train station to the city. With neither of us having been to Friday's before (and with pork constantly topping Gary's list), it was an easy choice. We pushed open the double doors and settled ourselves comfortably by the window on that rather quiet Monday afternoon.


With the both of us having heard so much about the ribs, ordering was a no-brainer.

I picked Friday's BBQ ribs while Gary went for the more adventurous sounding Jack Daniel's Ribs. The half-rack of ribs came with chips, Cajun-battered onion rings and a tangy smokey BBQ sauce and the Jack Daniel's sauce respectively. The ribs had a fall-off-the-bone-melt-in-your-mouth sort of tenderness and the sauces were perfect complements to them.


The ribs were good enough for a return visit the next day. This time, we had the option of picking a combination from the Take 2 menu, two courses for 9.99 GBP (with a 3.49 GBP top-up to upgrade to some of the more popular main courses).

I opted not to go with the ribs and instead, picked the Cajun-Spiced Chicken Quesadilla as my main. Chargrilled chicken, Colby cheese, onions and peppers came in flour tortillas alongside Cajun-spiced rice, pico de gallo and some Southwest sour cream. I loved the tangy cheese that held the tortillas together but was not a particularly big fan of the rice which I thought was rather dry.

I don't think the thought of not having the ribs even entered Gary's mind as he immediately went for a full rack of Jack Daniel's ribs which he polished off with absolutely no difficulty at all.


"But the chocolate one sounds nicer, right?"
Chocolate was the name of the game when it came to dessert choices with the both of us abandoning the idea of getting two contrasting desserts pretty quickly.


Chocolate Fudge Fixation - rich chocolate and fudge sandwiched between three layers of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Chocolate Brownie Temptation - warm, gooey slices of brownies with hot fudge topping and vanilla ice cream.

Dessert probably couldn't have gotten any more indulgent than that - there's just something about warm hot fudge and chocolate that puts a smile on my face. After our rather huge mains, we had a bit of trouble finishing dessert and I do admit that the vanilla ice cream was quite imperative to striking the sweetness balance. Still, I couldn't think of a better way to end the meal.

One thing's for sure though, when at Friday's, go for the ribs and you'll never go wrong.

Having your cake and eating it.

The curry laksa isn't the only thing that's great about Hare & Tortoise - the fact that it's got a patisserie right beside it is a huge plus as well. Nestled in one of the corners of Brunswick Corner, Patisserie Valerie is one of those places you can't help but feel drawn to with its window displays of pretty cakes and pastries.


Patisserie Valerie
9 Brunswick Centre
London
WC1 1AF
Tel: 020 7833 4906

There's always the temptation to walk in as you leave Hare & Tortoise and on this particular Saturday afternoon, Sapna and I, who had already caved in to our craving for curry laksa decided to go the distance. It was buzzing with activity, the little patisserie, with the tea-time crowd - tables of people enjoying lazy afternoon conversations over cups of tea and slices of cake.

Sapna knew what she wanted almost right away - a black forest slice. Cream and berries sandwiched between light chocolate sponge, the cake was wonderfully light.

My gateaux slice came recommended by the waitress (as always, I couldn't decide) - the mille-feuilles. With no expectation of what was to come, I was very pleasantly surprised. Three layers of puff pastry alternating with two layers of custard cream, it was something new. I thought that the glazed icing complemented the pastry perfectly. I happened to overhear the woman seated at the table right beside us order a strawberry version of this - something I'll have to try the next time I'm there.

What Sapna and I really liked about the cakes and pastries at Patisserie Valerie is how light everything is (which really makes you feel a lot less guilty about indulging!). The atmosphere is a cosy one and there's that delicious aroma of coffee going around as well.

The best part about an afternoon dessert with one of your closest friends is however, is the fact that everything is up for sharing and at this place, you'd definitely want to have your cake, eat it and have someone else's too!

An afternoon with the hare and the tortoise.

In my book, the perfect Saturday is made up of some spontaneity and a large bowl of curry laksa. After being thoroughly entertained by a ballroom dancing competition, we caved in to those cravings for curry laksa and decided that a visit to Hare & Tortoise was in order.



Hare & Tortoise
11-13 Brunswick Centre
London WC1N 1AF
020 7278 9799

With our minds more-or-less made up even before we each did the customary menu flip-through, ordering was a quick affair (I suspect that this was due to extreme hunger as well).

Curry Laksa - the one that makes it all worthwhile. The gravy is reminiscent of my favourite curry noodles back home, a good amount of spices and a hint of lemon grass, flavourful but with a good balance. The dish makes use of thin rice noodles instead of the usual larger, yellow ones, and contains a generous helping of tofu, squid, prawns, chicken and beansprouts. Portions are really quite large but there's rarely a bowl that isn't cleaned up, gravy and all, at the end of the meal. Despite the three chilli rating that it's given on the menu (Something our budding chef, Jason was slightly worried about at first), the laksa is good even for the more faint-hearted.

Penang Prawn Mee. A good alternative to the curry laksa, this is for those who prefer something a little less rich. This came as a bit of a surprise, I must say, as it tasted much more authentic than I thought it would. With the unmistakable sweetness of shrimp, the clearness of the gravy and the helpings of kangkung, one could almost imagine being seated at a table at the hawker stall on a warm Malaysian afternoon.

Roast Duck and Rice. The duck is roasted in a style that is quite different from the way it's done in Chinatown, a departure from the usual Cantonese version. The cinnamon, aniseed and ginger are what makes the difference as it gives the duck a hint of sweetness. This is perhaps not the dish for the anyone who swears by Goldmine or Four Seasons but is great for the ones who want a change.

The best times to visit Hare & Tortoise are non-peak hours as there's almost always a queue during the more standard meal times. Despite arriving rather late in the afternoon this time around, the restaurant was still pretty busy and there was a short wait before we were seated but really, it's one of those places that I'd highly recommend, even to the less curry laksa enthusiastic ones.

Sashimi, anyone?

It's difficult to remember life before the discovery of "the sushi buffet". It's helped us mark birthdays and milestones, helped us get through tough weeks and given us an excuse, time and again, to consume large amounts of raw fish. The discovery of the the branch in Camden Town was a fairly recent one (with us always having frequented the one on Frith Street before) but we've not looked back since. Tucked away in a little corner, I would never have found it on my own.

Hi Sushi
Canal front
Camden Lock
London NW1
020 7482 7088

The occasion this time (not that we ever really need one): Sook Fun turning 22.

A year and a half of sushi buffet outings have taught us much about strategy - we've come a long, long way from our days of ordering everything on the list only to be tortured by the incredible amount cucumber rolls that are left for us to finish at the end of the night. It's the classic economic theory of diminishing marginal utility. Nowadays, we only order our favourites (I suppose a year and a half does help when it comes to deciding on your favourites), in particular, the tuna, salmon and clam sashimi and those delicious salmon skin rolls. There a few things that taste quite like fresh sashimi and the thing I love about this outlet is how the fish never disappoints.

Along with the bottomless sushi, one is allowed to order 7 hot dishes. The Camden Town branch has a significantly more interesting selection to choose from. Our favourites include the miso soup, prawn tempura, chicken terriyaki, the tofu, squid rings and the mushrooms (which unfortunately they had run out of this time).

I was particularly impressed by the chicken on this particular trip and quite taken by the wasabi prawns as well.

Edamame, those addictive, addictive things are also a must-have. I'm always surprised at how much (and how quickly) they go down.

Adding to the fact that the food is of a much better quality than in the Frith Street outlet, what really seals the deal for this place is the wonderful ambience that it has. Quite unlike the Chinatown hustle and bustle that the Frith Street one has, this outlet is all about flowing water displays, pretty candles and a calm atmosphere. A gorgeous setting, good food, the all-you-can-eat concept and a reasonable price - you can probably see why it's our go-to for celebrations of any sort.

The perfect end to the meal, from Pattiserie Valerie.

The Chicken Escapades.

The thing about having a budding lawyer-chef in the house is that there's constant experimenting going on in the kitchen, and of course by extension, constant food tasting sessions for the rest of the house. Our cooking enthusiast, Jason, has been going through a bit of (what I'd like to call) a chicken wing phase of late, filling the house with the delicious aromas of his experiments.


Chicken in Hot Sauce. This was a particular favourite of mine, a wonderful mix of spices and flavours, every Malaysian's dream. Dipping the chicken wings into hot sauce shaken into flour before popping them into the oven gives them a deep-fried quality that could fool even the most frequent customers of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The real secret, however, is in the sauce that the chicken is tossed in after. A rather eclectic mix of Indonesian sweet sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic ginger and hot sauce, the sauce makes the dish.

The One Where Everything Goes Into The Oven. This is Jason's version of the dish that every student has come to learn and love.

The vegetables provide the base for the dish. One could use any sort of vegetables but the types that readily soak up gravy or require longer cooking time are ideal. Some oil is rubbed onto the chicken and the seasoning ensues. The usual culprits, salt and pepper, are used along with Western herbs. Like the vegetables, the herbs are a matter of personal choice but it's best to limit the number of types of herbs to two or three. Like with most of his experiments, this one has a trick to it as well. Filling the pan with some chicken stock or chicken stock cubes dissolved in hot water will help infuse the vegetables with those fantastic chicken flavours. 30 minutes in the oven, and its good to go.

That's really what I love about experimenting - adapting old recipes, adding Asian twists to Western favourites and cooking with a lot of heart.