Yelly-fi-felly-food-belly

Not many restaurants you can say you'd be happy with just the bread and olives, but Barbecoa , I salute you! Barbecoa is Jamie Oliver's steak and barbecue restaurant overlooking St Paul's cathedral, which if it wasn't for it's truly amazing beastly olives, buttery breads, and a boyfriend willing to treat me on my birthday by ordering the mouth watering tender chateaubriand, then I'd probably not be starting on such a positive note! Not to seem fickle, as I could just say how amazing the food was, and true the bread and olives were just beautiful, which it should be paying those sorts of prices, but good food alone isn't enough for me. So I'll just get this out of the way... On arrival we were greeted by a man with a headset which had clearly given him some sort of self importance making him forget basic customer service skills, and then proceeded to tell us our table wasn't ready, but not in an apologetic sort of way. In a sort of well we are ...

This recipe is really simple and once you've cooked this version, it's really easy to adapt the recipe to use different kinds of meat and fish. Ingredients (serves 2): 2 sea bass fillets 4 savoy cabbage leaves, sliced into strips 1 red chilli, sliced 1 inch ginger, cut into small sticks 2 spring onions, sliced lengthways 1 clove of garlic, crushed 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce 2 tsp honey For the rice... 1 cup rice 2 cups water 1 tsp sushi vinegar A couple of sprigs of coriander 1 spring onion, cut into discs A sprinkling of sesame seeds 1. To make the perfect rice, place the rice and water into a saucepan with a lid, then cook as per the time given on the pack, on a medium heat avoiding lifting the lid off until time is complete. In theory, you should have enough water in the pan to let it simmer for the set time without burning the rice producing lovely fluffy not overcooked rice. 2. Whilst the rice is cooking, heat 1 tbsp of oil ...

Before visiting Marrakech, I always thought that the typical tagine was made using lamb. In actual fact the most common tagine I came across was made using chicken, in particular chicken and lemon tagine. Since coming back from Marrakech I have made this dish time and time again and think I have finally perfected it and now even have a tagine pot to cook it all in! Like any casserole, once all the prep is done you let the time in the oven to really intensify the flavour and produce meat that just falls off the bone. Simple, but  delicious ! Ingredients (serves 2): For the tagine... Chicken thighs and wings (2-3 per person) Large knob of butter 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 1 inch root ginger, grated or finely chopped 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp saffron 1 tsp ras-el-hanout (you made need to hunt this one down - I bought mine in Marrakech!) 1 lemon, both lemon zest and juice 1 tbsp honey 1/2 pint ...

If I was a well known blogger, I'd probably ditch the long blog and just simply say... OMG THIS WAS THE BEST BURGER IN THE WORLD. End of. But I feel I may have to earn your trust first, so if you're not convinced by that, I will share with you my experience... For most foodies in London, you will no doubt have heard of Brixton Village. A collection of pop-up shops with market stalls selling fresh produce and rather unusual looking vegetables during the day. In the evening Brixtonites and food tourists gather to the many restaurants from Mama Lan serving a small selection of Bejing street food, to the original Franco Manca , a very well know and raved about pizza place. I however only had one place on my mind: Bukowski Grill . Mainly for one reason and one reason only which was for their burgers. I have to say I was tempted by what else was offered on the menu including grilled pork back ribs and Chicano pulled pork... but I just love a burger and my luck was in. It jus...

Growing up in a village in Somerset, restaurants were a few and most of the nearby towns only had Italian chains, Indians, Chinese and a Weatherspoon. And still with this limited choice you always had the same Indian or Chinese that you went to, and very rarely deviated from the norm. Since moving to London although I am presented with so much choice, I still have my favourite Indian:   Tayyabs in Whitechapel - check it out!!! However I have yet to find a Chinese restaurant to be loyal to. So when told of a restaurant in the nearby unsightly Elephant and Castle that even Jay Rayner sings its praise, who was I to say no? It's true, Elephant and Castle is extremely run down and opposite this restaurant in question stands several ex-council buildings completely boarded up bar the odd tenants who still refuse to leave. Whilst a bit of an eye sore on one side of the road, on the other there stands a bright red door guarded by two dragons: very in your face and perhaps ...

Personal touches go along way in my books when it comes to serving your customers. Dining out isn't just about the food, it's about the experience. This is more often than not lost when it comes to many of the big restaurant chains, which is why it is always great to try out your local restaurants. Having recently moved to another area of South London, there was one little place which clearly stood out: Bar Lenuccia . Set on the corner of Camberwell New road and Vassall road in an old pub, this pizzeria seemed a little out of place among the kebab shops and builder's cafes, yet it seemed friendly and inviting and a shame not to try it out given it was just around the corner! So for my housemates birthday and 14 tummies needing to be fed with no where booked, it was decided that we would give our local a try. When we arrived they had clearly made an effort and put up balloons and banners around our table. A simple and welcoming touch which was even more appreciate...

If I could sum up my experience of Hungarian cuisine is that they like to eat a lot of meals consisting of meat and potatoes, so naturally us Brits get on well when we visit. My first taste of these staple foods was at the International Budapest Wine Festival, held in the grounds of Buda Castle. Upon arrival, we were issued with our very own crystal tasting glass, and, more importantly (and quite frankly the most amazing invention ever), a glass holding bag which hangs around your neck. I know, amazing right?! With our wine glasses proudly hung around our necks, we proceeded to roam around the grounds of the castle with our tokens purchased at the gate, scanning for what we thought was a half decent wine... let's be honest - it was a wine festival, we would hardly be served a glass of Lambrini. However with neither of us really speaking Hungarian, we were more trying to familiarise ourselves and work out what the Hungarian word "most" meant... We soon got into the...