tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37523821312175800522024-03-13T12:09:34.622-07:00A Slice of LifeBecause who says a healthy lifestyle has to be dull?!Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-40205871011835193012015-10-12T10:39:00.000-07:002015-10-12T10:39:18.237-07:00Sanskruti <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whether you live in Manchester, are visiting for a weekend, or simply just passing through, you NEED to head to <a href="http://sanskrutirestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sanskruti</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All credit to my Sister-in-Law on this one who was looking for a restaurant to take a vegetarian friend and happened to stumble across this hidden gem. The menu is entirely vegetarian with a hefty amount of vegan options too - my attempt at going vegan would've maybe lasted longer than 3 days had I known about this place! Now, before you all turn your nose up at this for the lack of meat, I can solemnly say that my own Dad claimed he could become veggie after going here; something I don't think anyone thought he'd ever say (name and contact details available on request for those who don't believe me). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Sanskruti" literally translates to mean Tradition or Culture. It is obvious why they have called the restaurant this when you see the menu - if you're expecting to see Kormas or Tikka Masalas then you can jog on up the road to the curry house. Sanskruti serve up authentic and traditional dishes, reminiscent of the Indian sub-continent. The menu is HUGE. Check out their website <a href="http://sanskrutirestaurant.co.uk/menu/" target="_blank">here</a> to see the full load but carry on reading to see a snapshot of dishes I've provided (I'm nice like that). First up, starters:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Aubergine and paneer with a few pomegranate seeds thrown in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Added bonus is that it's gluten free. For those who don't know, paneer is a cheese which can be cooked without melting. Think of halloumi and you're on the right sort of track!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tandoori Paneer Tikka. Has the tikki flavour that most are familiar with but with the not so common combination of paneer. Worth a try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Next up, mains and sides:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mushroom Palak. This was a flavoursome combination of mushroom and spinach cooked in a mildly spicy "green gravy". Nothing too overpowering here so was a general crowd pleaser.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Kaju Khoya. This is a cashew-based dish consisting of stir fried cashews (obviously) in a creamy cashew and khoya based sauce. Khoya is basically evaporated milk solids - hence the richness. It wasn't too dissimilar from a Korma sauce although without the coconut.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bhindi Masala. An okra based dish which packs a punch. Eat with caution. Or just have a cold beer at the ready!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sev Tameta Nu Shaak. A tomato based dish cooked with cumin and ginger, topped with sev (vermicelli to you and me). I wasn't a massive fan of this as I'm not overly keen on tomato as a main ingredient but I seemed to be the only one with this opinion! A mild dish so no red faces to worry about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ringan Tameta. Aubergine and tomatoes cooked in gujarati spices. This was full of flavour considering aubergines can be quite bland.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On top of all the above, we also had a side of dahl, a HUGE hanging naan bread, two desserts and five pints of Cobra. The grand total? £95. Yep... a three-course meal with sides and drinks for 5 people for under twenty quid each. Fan-bloody-tastic. Now, don't get me wrong. I absolutely love London and don't plan on leaving our beloved capital anytime soon. But I don't even want to think what the cost of this meal would've been had it been based here! Sanskruti is authentic, unpretentious and all about the food. An absolute must.</span><br />
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-32502570624190028152015-09-10T07:02:00.000-07:002015-09-10T10:38:55.090-07:00Ben's Canteen<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.benscanteen.com/" target="_blank">Ben's Canteen</a> has been on my to-do list for a while now. For months, it's name has been popping up randomly whether it's my Twitter feed showing a constant barrage of people going there or colleagues at work mentioning it. When my best friend demanded that we go, who was I to refuse? </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, although the name makes it sound like a truckers stop, it is anything but. With locations in Earlsfield and Battersea, they appear to cater only for us South-West Londoners but I recommend people stepping away from their postcodes in order to try it out. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We decided to try the Earlsfield one situated on a corner of the never ending Garratt Lane. Inside is quirky yet classy, with stripped wooden floors, long cushioned benches, a ton of mirrors and some pretty cool wall features. It has an intimate feel to it, without being at all suffocating or cramped - perfect for date night (kind of needing Tinder to pull through right now...).</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Food wise, there's something for everyone. Steaks, salads, fish, pasta... "nothing out of the ordinary" you'd think, right? Wrong. The nachos come with a pestle and mortar to smash up your own guacamole, the fish & chips manages to be guilt free and just wait until you see the doughnuts for dessert. There is also an extensive drinks menu and they always have offers on such as 2-4-1 Tuesdays, a free espresso martini, bottomless booze brunches... awaiting payday really isn't necessary at Ben's Canteen.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here's a little snippet of what you can expect:</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cajun Prawn & Baby Gem Lettuce Sliders. These are served on a mountain of guacamole and sour cream to give the whole thing a Mexican feel. Use a knife and fork or pick them up, wrap them up, and do your best not to get it all down you. Guess which option I went for?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Spring Shoot Super Food Salad with Chicken. It's nice to find a salad that can actually fill you up. This plate is piled high with quinoa, beans, lentils, asparagus, broccoli and chicken. You could choose to have it with smoked salmon instead or just plain. Either way, it'll always come topped off with some nice edible flowers which is all that matters really.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">'Healthier' Fish & Chips. I could not fault this. I tried. But I couldn't. The hake was cooked perfectly and the polenta made a great alternative to your standard potato chips. With a side of avocado and tomato, this felt like an indulgent meal but had the added bonus of not actually being one.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5nCDMAJu3a_pKmREde17DTyQ_UaYpP-9OAQ-kXkyjig-CzuAfrGttiMKYJvHnmogPrFZfwqDhlDUQIM81ixnh0UPcr5uGdKIyyirfhfwVjQqWjKcMq_hyLgKxI97W7SWvECQe-vC9Pg/s1600/IMG_6218%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5nCDMAJu3a_pKmREde17DTyQ_UaYpP-9OAQ-kXkyjig-CzuAfrGttiMKYJvHnmogPrFZfwqDhlDUQIM81ixnh0UPcr5uGdKIyyirfhfwVjQqWjKcMq_hyLgKxI97W7SWvECQe-vC9Pg/s320/IMG_6218%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuordDE1m3qSfZtlJKAP1S2wsC1Ic7wBZ9SuwNK_1RUo1vFftklm75xpKgCngoqJiYuui8XDeLmrkvRP50TG-d8AihPaef4APNk5qelVS7B_9EU2BrDMX2NbAqBSgzVklvS5VEi40kqY/s1600/IMG_6219%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuordDE1m3qSfZtlJKAP1S2wsC1Ic7wBZ9SuwNK_1RUo1vFftklm75xpKgCngoqJiYuui8XDeLmrkvRP50TG-d8AihPaef4APNk5qelVS7B_9EU2BrDMX2NbAqBSgzVklvS5VEi40kqY/s320/IMG_6219%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320"></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Doctor's DIY Doughnuts. These are the sole reason my friend wanted to come here so it would've been criminal for her not to have them. Served up are a bowl of mini doughnuts and 3 syringes of gooey deliciousness for you to inject into the doughnuts at your hearts content. The custard one was definitely a winner between us but you could also play around with chocolate sauce and strawberry jam. If you're having a family meal and want the kids to shut up, just order these. It'll keep them occupied for a while at least!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">If you're not convinced by the above then go to Ben's Canteen and try it for yourself. The service here is not to be sniffed at and if nothing else, you'll just want to stay and chat to the staff here. We had a young waitress who answered a gazillion questions and was incredibly helpful, and the waiter who took our orders definitely adds to the character of the place. I will absolutely be making this a regular spot, especially as my friend organised her entire birthday night here before we even left the place. In fact I might work my way through the menu by the end of the year. Game. On. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> X</span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-32267503328976612532015-08-16T10:43:00.001-07:002015-08-16T10:43:10.272-07:00Teapigs<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tea is quite possibly the answer to every mind-boggler, good or bad. Graduated from uni? Great! Stick the kettle on. Someone died? Oh dear...I'll make us a brew. It's one of the simple pleasures we have all come to rely on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Over the past few years, the clever people at <a href="https://www.teapigs.co.uk/" target="_blank">Teapigs</a> have been working on creating more and more tea blends. Some traditional - earl grey, everyday brew; some a little more unusual - chocolate and mint, rhubarb and ginger. The range is so extensive there's bound to be one that even the non-tea drinker (do they exist?) would like. Not only have Teapigs got creative with their blends, they've also been coming up with different ways to serve them. Iced teas, teashakes and cocktail teas(!!!) are all easy to make either by using the ideas suggested on the Teapigs website (see <a href="https://www.teapigs.co.uk/articles/teapigs_iced_tea.htm" target="_blank">here</a>), or by coming up with your own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I tried out a few of their tea blends and had a little experiment with a couple of them for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The biggest difference I've noticed with Teapigs compared to other brands, is the intensity of the flavours. I don't usually like fruit teas because I always think they taste pretty wishy-washy, but the Super Fruit Teapigs tea is completely different. It actually tastes like fruit as opposed to sawdust. Kind of like a hot Ribena (without all the sugar!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Likewise with the Lemon & Ginger and Mao Feng Green Tea. You get a much more authetic flavour without any of that gritty, metallic taste you often get with other brands. I tend to leave the tea bag in just to get some sort of flavour but that really isn't necessary with Teapigs. A couple of minutes brewing is all you need for a full-on flavour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now it gets fun. I decided to use the Darjeeling Earl Grey blend and the Rooibos Creme Caramel to come up with a few variations. As you can see, the results were pretty good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This ones for the kids (or big kids). All you need to do is pour 200ml boiling water onto the teabag and allow to steep for about 10 minutes. Pour into a blender along with 3 scoops of good quality vanilla ice cream and blitz. That's it! I topped mine with some caramel sauce and little fudge pieces. Not exactly a skinny dessert but we all need a treat now and again don't we?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This ones for the adults. Pour about 500ml onto two teabags and leave to steep for 4 minutes before topping with cold water and ice. Once ice cold, add a shot of gin (vodka would work too), add honey to taste and a slice of lemon. What you're left with the is a perfect, refreshing cocktail tea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">These a just a couple of examples of ways to jazz up your teabag. Both the ice cream and the cocktail teas could be used with almost any Teapig offering; just experiment with flavours and toppings!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Boiling the kettle just got interesting...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> X</span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-80800747195967015812015-08-05T11:16:00.000-07:002015-08-17T08:01:17.298-07:00Graze - Good To Go<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Most people these days will be familiar with <a href="https://www.graze.com/uk" target="_blank">Graze</a> by now, whether it's because they've tried their snack boxes themselves, or they've seen the numerous adverts in recent years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For those who don't know, Graze started up as a revolutionary way to snack - by posting personalised snack boxes through your door with no minimum subscription terms. With over 100 different snack varieties to choose from, the whole process is controlled via the website where customers can amend orders, pause deliveries, change delivery days, and generally just look forward to the sound of the postie delivering a lovely little box through your door. Until now. Yep - Graze have expanded in to retail which, if your letterbox is stupidly small like mine and won't allow the boxes through them, has come not a moment too soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The range available in store is considerably smaller than that available via the postage system, but the product types remain the same: flapjacks, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, pretzel dippers... you get the gist. Currently available in Sainsburys, Boots and WH Smiths Travel stores across the UK, the boxes range from just 99p up to £1.19. Bargain!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I was fortunate enough to be sent a few of their Good to Go boxes to try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Buying in to the demand for high-protein snacks, this mix of edamame, spicy chickpeas and black pepper cashews is a perfect snack, especially post-workout!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The soy bites in this snack box provide the perfect salty accompaniment to the sticky sweet chilli dip. A great mid-morning snack</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Remember Choc Dips?! This brings back memories of the Sunday morning trips to the sweet shop to purchase that old retro favourite. Kids will love the chocolate aspect whilst adults will love the taste of nostalgia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I LOVE this one. With a mixture of fudge pieces, cookie pieces and salted nuts, this is the perfect combination of sweet and salt. Provides a great source of protein but also has a fair amount of sugar so don't get too carried away!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This one is great for lunch boxes to make a change from fresh fruit every now and then. Sugar content is high but all natural so no need to stress too much! Great mix of flavours between banana, blueberry, strawberry and cranberry</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Both these flapjacks are great as a mid-afternoon pick me ups. However, enjoy them as an occasional treat due to the high sugar content.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Shown above is just snapshot of what's available in store. I think it's fair to say that there should be something here to please everyone, no matter what your lifestyle, age, gender etc. Whether you buy a single box as a quick grab n' go option, or you stock up to ensure you always have your favourite snack to hand, these boxes are an overall crowd pleaser. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nic</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-84363989823298973932015-07-27T04:34:00.001-07:002015-07-27T11:28:54.095-07:00Black Bean, Pistachio and Raspberry Brownies<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On a Sunday afternoon, with a nagging hangover, I often find I need to do something to distract myself from feeling downright awful (I can't deal with hangovers in my old age!). This particular Sunday seemed a perfect opportunity to finally try out a recipe I discovered a while ago. I'm going to call it my own due to the tweaks made by adding pistachios and increasing the quantity of raspberries, but the use of black beans as a foundation for brownies is actually becoming more and more common. They get rid of the need for flour (great news for those with a gluten intolerance) but also makes what would usually be a guilty pleasure, a pretty healthy treat! Black beans are PACKED with fibre which is vital for healthy digestion. Not only this, but dietary fibre is brilliant for satiety so that one little brownie will go a long way. My old favourites - chia seeds and coconut oil - are also in these brownies meaning you get a good dose of protein and other essential nutrients.</span><br>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You Will Need:</span></b><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-4 tbsp chia seeds</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-5 tbsp water</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-170g maple syrup</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 tsp vanilla extract</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1.5 cans black beans, </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> drained and rinsed</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-100g cocoa powder</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-2 pinches sea salt</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1.5 punnets fresh raspberries</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 handful pistachios, shelled</span><br>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">First off, preheat your oven to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a brownie tin with greaseproof paper. Mix the chia seeds, water, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl and set aside. </span><br>
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Once you have drained and rinsed the black beans, place them in a food processor along with the coconut oil, cocoa and salt. Blend until just combined. Add the chia mixture to the black beans and pulse to incorporate. You should have a quite a liquidy mixture but it should still hold together and have a few lumps and bumps in it. It may look a bit questionable but just trust me on this!<br>
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<span style="color: #424242; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Now you can remove the blade from the processor and gently fold in the raspberries. It may be easier to transfer the mixture to a bowl before doing this. Pour this mixture into the lined brownie tin. Bake for 30 minutes. The tops should be dry and the edges are pulling away. If you find that the middle is still too raw, cover the tin with foil to avoid the top burning but continue to bake for another 10 minutes, checking at regular intervals. Crush some pistachios over the top and press into the top whilst it is still warm. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before serving. </span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">These brownies are meant to be gooey so don't be too cautious and over-bake them. With no added sugar, the raspberries are what will supply the sweetness and the stickiness whilst the addition of pistachios provide a much needed crunch. Give them a go and see what you think!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br></span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-24068686033832782772015-07-07T10:52:00.001-07:002015-07-07T10:52:36.720-07:00LifeBox<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For me, one of the more difficult aspects of healthy eating is when it comes to snacking, especially if you are on the go. Things like carrot sticks and dips are great but, as someone who already has to carry around heavy bags for work, I don't want to add to that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A friend of mine put me onto the idea of <a href="http://lifeboxfood.com/" target="_blank">LifeBox</a>. If you've not heard of it, think of a glorified Graze box. Graze deliver regular snack boxes to your door which you can personalise. LifeBox have the same concept but in a larger, more varied form. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Originally set up by Jenny Sleath, she developed a love for healthy eating and an active lifestyle after her own long battle with being overweight and generally unhealthy. As a big believer in encouraging both exercise AND a good diet, she came up with the idea of LifeBox. With monthly alterations, you can select a one off box, or sign up to a monthly delivery. She offers a Mini Trial Box (containing bits and bobs from all the other boxes), a Womans Health Box, Mens Health Box, Junior Box for kids, Cleanse boxes and an Everyday box. I opted for the Everyday box as it seemed to be the most popular. As you can see, you get LOADS of goodies in one box. Here's just a few of them:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is definitely better being made with milk as opposed to water as it isn't overly sweet. However, the coconut milk in this gives an extra twist on your standard hot chocolate</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Matcha Green Tea is available in a lot of supermarkets now. Again, this isn't overly sweet but you can buy this in other flavours. Incredibly refreshing though with no sugar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This Organic Banana Powder is a great nutrient burst to add to smoothies or dusting on desserts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This chocolate is fan-frigging-tastic. No added sugar, no soya, no dairy and no wheat; this is the ultimate guilt free treat. Bursting with fruit inside, it's sweeter than your usual dark chocolate and sure to please the most avid chocoholic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">These crackers are packed with all natural ingredients and uses honey to sweeten, as opposed to refined sugar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Within each box, you get a load of information about each item. What's really handy as well is little recipe cards that you can use. My box included a recipe for banana pankcakes using the Banana Powder, and a recipe to make almond butter popcorn. If you're already a foodie, or just curious about the new weird and wonderful ingredients that have been coming out in the past few years, then I think LifeBox would be great for you. I also think these boxes are great gift ideas; certainly a step away from your average box of chocolates! With boxes ranging from £15.00 up to £23.00, you may think these are't the cheapest thing in the world but all the items in the boxes are high-end products which retail at a high individual cost. Plus, the items last a LONG time. I received my box 3 weeks ago now and am still working my way through the products.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So, give it a go! You've got nothing to lose. And you may just find that you discover a love for new foods you never knew existed.</span></div>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-35231050431729734372015-07-07T05:56:00.000-07:002015-07-12T10:15:56.356-07:00Rawcha<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Out of the blue, an old uni friend and I recently got back in contact for a catch-up chat. We'd gone our separate ways 4 years ago so had a lot to talk about. Turns out the dark horse had only gone and set up his own business. Impressive stuff! I'd seen things posted about it on Facebook and Twitter but had no idea it was his own doing. After finding out more about the aptly named <a href="http://www.prettysmartfood.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Smart Food Company</a>, I was intrigued to sample some of the products for myself. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">With the philosophy "Pure, Mindful Eating", the Pretty Smart Food Company pride themselves on the fact that all their products are free from gluten, wheat, dairy, grains, GMO and soy. Not only this, they are totally organic, vegan and, as the name suggests, raw too. Now... I get it. On paper, this may make you want to run and get your hands on the nearest Mars bar but, having tried them myself, I would strongly encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Introducing: Rawcha. These healthy little bars are based on the use of Japanese Matcha Green Tea, an ingredient with a ridiculous concentration of antioxidants in. Green tea is often attributed to it's ability to boost metabolism and increase energy so, if you like the sound of that but aren't a fan of drinking the green stuff, then you should definitely give Rawcha a try!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of samples: Cacao Bliss and Acai Goji. There is also a Citrus Zen flavour available. To avoid being totally biased, I gave them to a couple of all-too-willing friends in order to get their feedback as well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBYLzy4zo4AYi3l2TtVeYrFEXGvjLpAtzBDnPxfd8wfssyXlfauZC5rx5ku4OvglvyKOe1WugWe_gzH6TPTb5gd4bDYP5E7wl0NDKhul_ZhQZL3cv4HAPcXiSsipLYz7nxYrm254RLO8/s1600/IMG_5617%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBYLzy4zo4AYi3l2TtVeYrFEXGvjLpAtzBDnPxfd8wfssyXlfauZC5rx5ku4OvglvyKOe1WugWe_gzH6TPTb5gd4bDYP5E7wl0NDKhul_ZhQZL3cv4HAPcXiSsipLYz7nxYrm254RLO8/s320/IMG_5617%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320"></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">...am all about the Cacao Bliss. For saying I'm not a huge chocolate fan, I was fully expecting to prefer the fruit based bar. But I fell in love with this one instantly. Again, the ingredients list is so easy to read, with no chemistry books required to figure out what everything is. As you can probably guess from the name, cacao is chocolate in it's rawest form. With practically no processing, cacao is high in antioxidants but also thought to be one of the highest sources of magnesium available to the human diet. Perhaps it is the lack of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">processing and therefore lack of sugar that appeals to me as you get the chocolatey flavour without the sickly sweetness. Lovers of dark chocolate will be a fan of this, I'm sure. With the addition of chia seeds, coconut oil and, of course, matcha green tea, this is one chocolate bar I can quite happily sink my teeth into. </span></div>
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Currently based down in Brighton, the Pretty Smart Food Company have gained a lot of local recognition and can be found in 10 different stores across the area and even one in Hackney (see website for details). Not only this, but Rawcha bars were part of the May edition of <a href="http://lifeboxfood.com/" target="_blank">LifeBox</a> which I recently reviewed.<br>
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So keep your eye out for the Pretty Smart Food Company. I'm sensing big things for them. Just don't forget us little ones when you get to the top!<br>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-91019278385778365632015-06-30T12:10:00.003-07:002015-06-30T12:10:54.356-07:00Heddon Street Kitchen<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There is a total abundance of great offers on at restaurants throughout London, with more and more established and well known restaurants getting in on the action. There's nothing wrong with a 2-4-1 deal at Pizza Express, but it's always good to branch away from the large chains at an affordable price.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thanks to TimeOut, one of the biggest international review and offer websites, I came across an offer for none other than Gordon Ramsay's very own <a href="https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/heddon-street-kitchen/" target="_blank">Heddon Street Kitchen</a> on - surprise surprise - Heddon Street. The offer was a 3-course meal with a cocktail from a set menu for £26. Not bad, right? With a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts, there should be something to please the majority of people. It's worth checking the menu on the website first though, just to make sure! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a midweek catch-up after work with one my nearest and dearest, it was great that we could make the most of the outside seating area which was already buzzing at 6pm thanks to the brilliant weather we've been having. Tucked down a side road off of Regent Street, Heddon Street Kitchen is in it's own little alcove which takes you away from the hustle and bustle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Having paid for the offer online in advance, the waitress knew to bring our inclusive cocktail almost straight away. It was prosecco based with a hint of grapefruit so perfect and refreshing for the summer evening!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Food-wise, I was more than happy with the limited options available. First up, English Asparagus, Parma Ham, Hollandaise and Parmesan. Simple ingredients, put together in a back-to-basics sort of way. There's no frills about this dish at all but, as long as you like the ingredients, it's an all-rounder! The hollandaise was a smooth and creamy consistency so it was clear it had been freshly made to order. I would say the large amount of parma ham compared to the small drizzle of sauce was the only down point as it made the dish quite salty. I'd have personally preferred the ratio the other way around!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmyyK9OAtxF-RCYKu_y0lBYxRHThxUJvIqE5cwi97v-o13rmcsH3yKhTnYDy3WK_Jw9RC70EYVr4EFdVvO3eLhxfNcv7jk5ax5_k2FHyXlRr3Iqp_TllXTDVE_e12Uwsp1V_UW7EDmMs/s1600/IMG_5538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmyyK9OAtxF-RCYKu_y0lBYxRHThxUJvIqE5cwi97v-o13rmcsH3yKhTnYDy3WK_Jw9RC70EYVr4EFdVvO3eLhxfNcv7jk5ax5_k2FHyXlRr3Iqp_TllXTDVE_e12Uwsp1V_UW7EDmMs/s400/IMG_5538.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Also to start was the Soft Shell Crab with Sesame Dressing and Coriander. Due to a strong aversion to coriander, we sent the poor waitress back and forth to the kitchen to see if this could be removed from the dish. She was more than happy to help and was able to serve it up coriander free, so bonus points on the service! Although the crab itself was flavoursome, it was definitely lacking in dressing. For saying the sesame was part of the name, it wasn't that obvious in the finished product. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mains next. I went for fish (obviously) and had the Wood Oven Roasted Trout with Watercress, Caper and Shallot Salad. The pros of this was that, for a warm day, it was nice and light. I don't have trout a lot, it's not a common occurrence on most menus weirdly. So I was looking forward to it. However, it was SO oily. I appreciate it has to be pan-fried to get the skin so nice and crispy, but it was as if all the excess oil had been poured on the plate as well. When the only accompaniment is some salad, the oil becomes very prominent. For such a simple dish, this could have been done a lot better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, dessert. I went for the Pineapple Carpaccio, Passion Fruit and Coconut Sorbet. Light and refreshing, but after my tiny main meal, I could've probably done with something a bit more substantial. Fresh flavours, especially the coconut sorbet. Pretty much did what it said on the tin!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Also served up was a Vanilla Milkshake with Crushed Oreo Cookies. Not my cup of tea AT ALL but each to their own! Described to me as "Banging", I'm assuming it went down well. Somehow</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So as you can tell, the overall feel to the food here was a bit mixed. I think the menu itself is lovely, particularly the A La Carte Menu, but I was disappointed overall with what we got served up. Maybe it was our choices, maybe it was just an off day for them, but for a Gordon Ramsay establishment, I was definitely expecting more even it was a £26 offer! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Having said all that, the setting was lovely and the service couldn't be faulted. I would happily go back for dinner there if there was a group of us as it's a chilled environment which is in an atmospheric setting but I won't be rushing to get my next booking in. Sorry Gordon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> X </span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-70031137725599787262015-05-30T13:04:00.001-07:002015-06-14T11:11:12.345-07:00Gin Cake<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yes, gin cake. No tonic. Just gin.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've been wanting to try out a recipe for a gin & tonic cake for a while but due to my mixing and matching of certain recipes, the tonic has been ommitted from this particular version! I've added a note at the bottom of this post to show how you can adapt it.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Do not be put off by the amount of gin that goes into this cake. It sounds (and looks) a lot for a small cake but, with a bit of persistance, it will mix in and most of the pungent gin flavour will cook off. This may not be in keeping with my aim to do "healthy recipes" but I can't resist anything gin based, especially with the season of alfresco drinking and BBQs approaching. With the bitterness of the lemon and the floral notes of the gin, this makes for a surprisngly refreshing cake. Be warned - only a small slice is needed. But what better way to finish a gin drinking session than by eating gin too?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The quantities of butter, sugar and flour will vary depending on how heavy your eggs are! Weigh yours eggs together, in their shells, and then use that same amount of butter, sugar and flour.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-4 eggs, weighed in their shells</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-4-5 shots of gin</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-250g butter</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-2-3 shots of gin</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First off, preheat your oven to <span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 1kg loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this can be done by hand although a food processor is a more pain-free process!)</span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Crack in the eggs and beat until combined. Sieve in the flour whilst mixing then grate in the zest of both lemons. Stir through the juice of one lemon and add 4-5 shots of gin. Pour into a 1kg loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes. I'd suggest checking it at 30 minutes and covering with foil if it is browning too much. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Once the cake is cooked, transfer it to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, you can make the butter icing by simply mixing together the butter, icing sugar and 2-3 shots of gin(depending how strong you want it!). Once cool, spread the icing over the cake and it's ready to serve.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">NB: if the butter icing is something you want to avoid, you can make a drizzle instead which includes tonic. Simply combine 150g granulated sugar, 4-5 shots gin, a dash of tonic and the juice of one lemon. Prick the surface of the cake and the drizzle it over!</span></div>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-46918332253820429222015-05-30T13:00:00.000-07:002015-06-01T11:00:20.859-07:00Hotbox - Bottomless Booze Brunch<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Being in my twenties, there's no place I'd rather be living right now than London. As much as the hustle and bustle can sometimes get on my nerves (the morning commute will never be fun), I still have the freedom and enthusiasm to enjoy London whilst I can. After all, it won't last forever. However, with busy lives, relationships, work, moving etc. it can become increasingly difficult to spend some quality time with your nearest and dearest.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's why, when the opportunity FINALLY arose, my best girlfriend and I decided to check out the bottomless boozy brunch at <a href="http://hotboxlondon.com/" target="_blank">Hotbox</a>. We wanted something relaxed, relatively inexpensive and fun, but also something we wouldn't do every day of the week. Hotbox delivered on all accounts.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Located a 3 minute walk from Aldgate East station, Hotbox is close to the hubbub of Spitalfields. Normal people following a map would find this very easily, being the only outlandish black building in sight, but two blondes together? Not so much. It would help if the neon red Hotbox sign was on the outside as well as the inside but who am I to judge the creative!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hotbox is known in the area more for its grill and BBQ angle than for the brunch. Look up any review and you will see them all raving about the succulent meat, generous portions and overall great atmosphere. I can safely say the brunch standard is just as high.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So what's the deal? With statings up until 2pm, you pay £25 for two solid hours of unlimited prosecco/mimosas/Bloody Marys (we opted for the prosecco purely because I'm very particular with Bloody Marys and mimosas would get too sickly!). Food is paid for on top of the £25 but, with the majority of items coming in at under £10, it's still a great offer. Compare it to some other bottomless brunch venues(£50 charges, restricted drink choices, less than two hours of boozing) and I'd say Hotbox is a winner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Once inside, the wooden interior, bench tables and open kitchen make for a really relaxed feel. As soon as we were seated, we had our first glass of prosecco poured which was topped up by the attentive staff without prompting throughout our time there. God knows how much booze we actually got through but it was well worth the £25!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The brunch menu itself spoils you for choice. Our waiter was so patient with our incessant questions and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the food; a rarity in many restaurants these days.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I went for one of the veggie options: Mushroom Taco with Crispy Shallot, Rocket and Chipotle Mayo. I also got a side of poached eggs as I had no idea what the tacos would turn out like. They were AMAZING. I never thought I'd say that about something which, on paper, seem pretty bland but whatever they'd sauteed the mushrooms in worked a treat. The shallots added a much needed crunch to the tacos as well as adding to the flavour combination with the chipotle. A surefire winner for any vegetarian but also for the non-veggies it would seem! The presentation couldn't be faulted either. Why use plates when you can use a tree trunk?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For the non-veggies and aspiring New Yorkers, this next offering should appeal to you: Buttermilk Pankcakes with Maple Syrup and Bacon. As requested, the bacon was cooked until crispy and was presented on a stack of four super-thick, super-stodgy pankcakes. Just how they should be. The maple syrup is definitely needed to add moisture to the overall dish but, if this doesn't appeal, you can always go for the berries and banana option. It's safe to say you no longer need to travel across the pond to get some good old-fashioned American-style pancakes.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Having not seen each other for a while, time ran away with us and our two hours of prosecco was up. The great thing was we weren't rushed out. We stayed there for a good half hour longer just catching up and deciding what to do next (just an FYI - do not decide it's a good idea to go and get something pierced after drinking solidly for two hours. You will be laughed and at given a firm "no"). </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">There's been a few places across London now that I have reviewed for this blog and, apart from the odd few, I generally give positive reviews. However, if you are looking for the whole package eg: great food, good prices, great atmosphere and great service, I would put Hotbox at the top. I will definitely be going back in the not too distant future.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(And just for those who were wondering what we did end up doing after being rejected from the piercing place, it basically consisted of booze, booze and a tad more booze, topped off with a good old game of scrabble in the pub. Pure class).</span><br>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-66634931935124710992015-05-01T11:32:00.000-07:002015-05-04T10:38:51.710-07:00Haché<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As much as I love to explore bars and restaurants all over London, it's also pretty convenient when you know you have something half decent a stones throw from your front door. One of the things I love about Balham is its total abundance of places to eat and/or drink; a lot of which are unique to the area. There's something for everyone and every mood and, considering I was combating a raging hangover, the new branch of <a href="http://www.hacheburgers.com/" target="_blank">Haché</a> seemed like a good destination.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Famed primarily for it's burgers, Haché actually manages to appeal to the likes of myself (who can be fussy with meat) and my housemate (who is a total meat-dodging veggie). Anyone living in Balham would probably have spotted the advertisements which have been put on the wall alongside the escalators. By the time you get to the top, you've pretty much booked yourself in for a table that night. Located on Bedford Hill, it's centrality makes it an easy get to for almost anyone in the area.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With only three salad options, the menu is strictly reserved for the hardcore burger fan. With a range of traditional steak burgers, they also have lamb, chicken, pork and even a duck burger. Vegetarians need not despair though! Gone are the days of dried out old bean patties. Haché offer two variants of a falafel burger, and a goats cheese with portobello mushroom option too.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Food can either make or break a hangover. In this case, our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs but we were too fragile to care. We ordered a few sides; grilled halloumi, sweet potato fries, and onion rings.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqG4ZE8zFIaKtp33NN_Cg57Uo2ezHC5oVp5Mo1vvxZLdp1_J5G0lqQPmCsnfuH05gLuxt0dzTt40hs9kJ7FDMnGsATDKjMj43OpcSnKtohS-4RN4bAbA52v0-6FJrLsj5SyfvDL43_PQ/s1600/IMG_0430%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqG4ZE8zFIaKtp33NN_Cg57Uo2ezHC5oVp5Mo1vvxZLdp1_J5G0lqQPmCsnfuH05gLuxt0dzTt40hs9kJ7FDMnGsATDKjMj43OpcSnKtohS-4RN4bAbA52v0-6FJrLsj5SyfvDL43_PQ/s1600/IMG_0430%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200"></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, in my opinion, you can't go too wrong with any of these. Sweet potato fries are always a winner in my eyes and a much more appealing alternative to regular fries. The onion rings weren't great... it was more batter, less onion in this case. The halloumi was exactly as you'd expect it to be! Salty and rubbery but weirdly awesome. Although at £5.95, a massive waste of money for what we actually got!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">Obviously </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Haché</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> is all about the burgers. On any other day, I may have been strict and gone for one of the salads. But today was not one of those days. I went for the Steak Mexican. A medium cooked steak burger with Cajun spices, salsa, guacamole, jalap</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">éno peppers and sour cream all served up in a ciabatta bun. </span><br>
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I have to admit, I was expecting them to make more of the presentation. Ultimately, this was served up as plain burger with a few dips. But then I guess you're going to put it all together in some way anyway so it doesn't really make too much difference. I know a few burger connoisseurs who have raved about the burgers here. I have to say I actually found this a little dry. The Cajun spices had been incorporated into the meat which gave it a really nice smokey flavour but it didn't disguise the texture itself. Having the condiments definitely helped but, if you're going to a burger restaurant, it's the burger itself that you expect to be good. </div>
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My veggie companion went for the Falafel Blue Cheese burger which was exactly what it says it would be (falafel topped with blue cheese, in case there was any confusion). </div>
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It's not often I get food envy, purely because I'm the Queen of picking the best menu option. But, it has to be said, I was jealous. It was served up to look a lot more appealing than mine at the very least. Having said that, the blue cheese and dense falafel combination made it incredibly rich. The brioche bun got totally ignored. In this case, the veggie wins (I blame the hangover for my clouded judgement of my own choice).</div>
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An indulgent meal wouldn't be complete without a totally unnecessary desert. There was nothing more appropriate for this occasion than a homemade banoffee pie the size of your head. This isn't my usual cup of tea but the menu described it as not for the faint-hearted. I felt like I was being challenged and I wasn't willing to back down, goddammit!</div>
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As banoffee pies go, this one was definitely up with the best of them. You could tell it had been freshly made that day (the open-view kitchen proved it) and, had I not been so full, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it a lot more than I actually did! Yet another case of going too far...</div>
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With the average price of the burgers being around £10, you'd be looking at spending in the region of £18 once you include sides and drinks. Haché is a definite step up from the typical burger chains so, for that reason alone, I'd say it was generally good value. Just don't go for the halloumi!</div>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-11722888448347156512015-04-12T09:40:00.000-07:002015-04-12T09:40:42.677-07:00OHSO Chocolate<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Supermarkets and health shops are inundated with products claiming to contain "good bacteria" which are designed to improve gut health. These products are often referred to as pre/probiotics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For those who don't know, PROBIOTICS are products which contain the live bacteria, instantly increasing your gut numbers of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PREBIOTICS are products which feed your gut to promote the multiplication of the existing bacteria (that nutrition degree didn't go to waste after all then...).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whether they are prebiotic yoghurts or probiotic drinks, there's plenty of products to choose from. One in particular that most would've heard of by now is Yakult. A probiotic daily drink, this has an acquired flavour, to put it kindly. The good news is, the days of swallowing down something that resembles sour milk every morning are long gone. This is all thanks to the geniuses behind <a href="https://www.ohsolovesyourtummy.com/" target="_blank">OHSO chocolate</a> who have managed to formulate a healthy yet delicious way of getting your daily dose of probiotics into your body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I was lucky enough to be sent a few samples of some of their range. which is currently available online and at selected supermarkets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The bars come in a variety of delicious flavours. The original chocolate flavour and the orange flavour contain 72kcal whilst the sugar-free raspberry, orange and lemon bars come in at only 63kcal. That's pretty damn good for a chocolate fix. Each box contains 7 individual bars, designed with the idea that you have one a day to boost your healthy gut bacteria levels. However, these are so genuinely guilt free that if you ate more than one, you can still sleep easy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The thing I personally find so great about these bars is that the ingredients list doesn't read like some advanced chemistry paper. All the ingredients are easy to understand and all flavourings are natural. Flavour-wise, they're something special. You don't get any sort of synthetic taste like you do with cheaper chocolate brands and, apart from the orange flavour, the cocoa content is above 70%. This is perfect for those who, like me, don't have a massive sweet tooth but sometimes just want a small dose of sweetness. The orange flavour is much more like traditional milk chocolate so is probably better for the hardened chocolate lover. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So whats the point in them? Coincidentally, I actually did my dissertation research into a product very similar to this. I have seen first hand how increased levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium can improve gut health. Gut health may not be something you think too much about but, trust me, if you didn't have enough levels of these friendly bacteria in your gut, you would be incredibly prone to illnesses such as diarrhea, constipation and IBS to name a few. I often recommend probiotic products to friends who have IBS in particular as daily consumption of them tends to ease the symptoms dramatically. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The unusual thing about OHSO products is they are chocolate based. Not only does this taste great, but it's also for a much more functional reason. The chocolate matrix surrounding the bacteria is much more efficient than yoghurt drinks at protecting the bacteria from being affected by stomach acid which is vital as the bacteria need to reach the intestines whilst they are still live. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So there you have it. If you've read my <a href="http://nicssliceoflife.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/juicetou-three-day-detox.html" target="_blank">juice detox review</a> then you will know that I'm pretty honest in my opinions. I can truthfully say that I think OHSO chocolate is a revelation and I would highly recommend this product to anyone, whether it was because they were specifically looking for an effective probiotic product, or if they just wanted some great tasting chocolate!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At £3.99 per box, these aren't the cheapest product on the market but it also doesn't totally break the bank. Personally, I would happily pay slightly more for chocolate that I know is also going to benefit me health wise. Considering OHSO contains around a billion bacteria, you've got a billion great little reasons to invest in some. </span></div>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-12541320214288855722015-04-05T05:10:00.001-07:002015-04-06T11:40:21.013-07:00Warm Sweet Potato, Mushroom & Spinach Salad<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I don't know about you, but I feel like we've got to that awkward time of year where you don't know if it's going to hot or cold. The sky may be clear blue and picturesque, but the temperature is near freezing. We're definitely moving from Winter into Spring which is why I think this warm salad is perfect for the changing seasons. It's warm and comforting which suits the Winter months, but it's also light and healthy which is perfect for those starting to get into the Summer mode! </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've stolen this recipe from Deliciously Ella. If you haven't heard of her, she's a London-based food blogger who found her passion for healthy, nutritious eating after being diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. By her own admittance, her diet was pretty shocking before her diagnosis. Thanks to an overnight switch to a whole foods, plant-based diet, she was able to control her illness and was able to come off all her medication quicker than any doctor could've predicted. Inspiring stuff!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The ingredients in this salad are clean and simple and provide you with a whole bunch of the good stuff. Spinach, as most know, is packed with iron and the mushrooms give you a boost of Vitamin B6 which is essential for the metabolism of amino acids, lipids and glucose. Even the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">jalapeño peppers have their benefits as an antioxidant. So, to serve two people, here's how it works...</span></span><br>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 large sweet potato</span></span><br>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-a dozen chestnut mushrooms</span></span><br>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-2 </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">jalapeño peppers</span><br>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">-a dozen cherry tomatoes, halved</span><br>
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Slice the potatoes into bitesized chunks (skin on), and spread them out on to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. You can play with the flavours here. I added much more paprika than cinnamon to give it more of a smokey flavour. Bake for 15-20mins at 190C/gas mark 5 until they're cooked through and soft.<br>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">Whilst the potatoes cook, slice the mushrooms and stir-fry them gently with olive oil, salt, two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and the chopped </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">jalapeño peppers. If you don't want any spice, then remove all the seeds from these. This should take about 7 minutes, at which point, add the spinach and allow it to wilt down for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the halved cherry tomatoes and sweet potatoes, mix together and serve!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily increase the volume of ingredients to cater for more people. You can play around with the level of spices to your own taste and you can easily add other flavours. This would be a great addition to any BBQ (although that might be a bit ambitious for April) but can also be made as a main meal, or as an accompaniment to something else. It's so easy and healthy so you've got not excuse not to try it.</span></div>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-45804060731126008072015-03-12T13:46:00.001-07:002015-03-12T13:46:21.513-07:00Grain Store<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I won't lie. When I first heard about the <a href="http://www.grainstore.com/" target="_blank">Grain Store</a> restaurant, I thought it'd be purely vegan meals and plant based drinks. Don't get me wrong, I think you can do some amazing plant-based meals, some of which I've tried myself. But the thought of basing an entire menu on one left me a little skeptical. Luckily, I was totally wrong about the concept. The menu has a great mix of meat and fish based dishes, but they often keep vegetables at the heart of each meal. Of course there are vegan options, but you are not solely limited to that. Created by chefs Bruno Loubet and Michael Benyan, the inspiration for the menu comes largely from Loubets' proudly owned vegetable patch! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A two minute walk from Kings Cross station, the relatavely new Grain Store occupies a space on Granary Square. I was surprised by the large interior... for some reason I had more of a cafe-style space in mind. How wrong was I? The modern yet rustic decor has been designed to look like an exploded kitchen, with a huge open preparation area that everyone can see, no matter where they may be sitting. It's definitely a relaxed environment but is done in such a way that it feels a little bit special at the same time. I would definitely recommend booking ahead. The restaurant itself doesn't open until 6pm, although there is a bar where you can drink beforehand. As soon as 6pm hits, the place is RAMMED. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc3g74h8QnqIxVGODD8nAyePAk6rnkdnGQIlzTJRM7UfODLdTsfGmFTGHf94FawjNjZkji3jBrN5W3cH7pHDNR6onNSXdhnoV9sz4B0hBWAXlTZPdAiIgPCI7JYmkgv4jRuHLqfGaMiU/s1600/IMG_0354%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc3g74h8QnqIxVGODD8nAyePAk6rnkdnGQIlzTJRM7UfODLdTsfGmFTGHf94FawjNjZkji3jBrN5W3cH7pHDNR6onNSXdhnoV9sz4B0hBWAXlTZPdAiIgPCI7JYmkgv4jRuHLqfGaMiU/s1600/IMG_0354%5B1%5D.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The drinks on offer look incredible and are certainly different (celeriac bellini anyone?). But tonight was all about the food. What we have here is the Sprouting Seeds & Beans, Miso Aubergine, Crispy Citrus Chicken Skin with Potato Wafer. I know what you're thinking... chicken skin probably doesn't sound too appealing. But trust me, this was. Just think of childhood roast chicken dinners when the chicken is cooked to have a crispy skin (don't tell me you didn't pick at it. We've all been there). Without this element or the miso aubergine, this could've fallen into the "bland" category, but the flavours worked together so well that it could never be described as that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My companion/housemate had the Wild Mushroom Croquettes with Pine Needle Salt. These get top marks for presentation alone. These were incredibly light and not at all oily, which you quite often find with breaded mushroom options. From the look of sheer bliss on my housemates face, I could tell she was enjoying these. Perhaps a little too much?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Onto the mains and, as predicted, I went for one of the fish options: Steamed Seaweed Sushi, Braised Pak Choi, Black Garlic Puree with Hake in Vanilla Butter. There was a lot going on in this one dish but it all worked together perfectly. I'm not a massive fan of rice in general so, personally, wouldn't have chosen to have the sushi rice as part of the meal but I suppose it acts to bulk out the finished product. The fish was cooked perfectly (soft flesh, crispy skin = winner) but I would've preferred the pak choi to be cooked for slightly longer as it became a chore to get through it. Again, presentation cannot be faulted. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Also served up was the Preserved Piquillo Pepper, Artichoke & Vegetable Chorizo Paella. Vegetables definitely dominated over the rice in this. How they put together the vegetable chorizo, I will never know but it added an interesting level to the overall dish. My housemate made a comment about how the size of the vegetables could've been smaller but I think it made the dish look wholesome and rustic. To be honest, I think she was still gutted about not being able to have more of the mushroom croquettes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now for a sweet fix. I went for the Goat Milk and Yoghurt Pannacotta with Poached Rhubarb and a Wild Strawberry Sauce. Now, I LOVE pannacotta. However, I hate goats cheese so I probably shouldn't have gone for something with goats milk in it. The flavour is so strong and overpowering that it dominates anything you put it in. If you like it then this would be great for you , but if you don't then steer clear! Having said that, the rhubard and strawberry sauce was incredible. Although it was only supposed to act as an accompaniment to the pannacotta, I'd have happily munched away on a bowl full of this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My housemate opted for the Sweet Potato Doughnuts with Citrus Curd and Dill & Vodka Ice Cream. This isn't something I would ever have gone for just because it seemed a bit heavy after a big meal but my housemate is one of these annoying people who remains slim regardless. She was slightly disappointed by the doughnuts as they tasted just like any other doughnut. I suppose the sweet potato provides a gluten-free base but, flavour-wise, it didn't add much. However, this was all forgotten when we tasted the dill and vodka ice cream. Mindblowing. It shouldn't work but it absolutely does. I'm tempted to try and make this myself at home (watch this space). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So there you have it. Do not judge this little establishment in the way that I did. There really is something for everyone and what I have reviewed above is obviously just a small snippet of a pretty generous menu. With drinks, I imagine this can become pretty pricey but, when you know you're getting good quality, wholesome food, as opposed to mass-produced chain food, I'd say it'd be worth it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> X</span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-59654912474128231022015-02-21T06:47:00.000-08:002015-02-21T06:47:52.626-08:00The Cookbook Cafe - Unlimited Champagne!<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What do you do when a friend gets engaged? Crack open the champagne. What's the best way in which to do that? When the champagne is unlimited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I kid you not. I was hunting around for a decent venue to celebrate my friends recent engagement and I came across an absolute corker on <a href="http://www.timeout.com/" target="_blank">TimeOut</a>. <a href="http://www.cookbookcafe.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Cookbook Cafe</a>, which is part of the Intercontinental on Park Lane, were doing an offer of £44 per person for a 3-course meal and unlimited champagne. UNLIMITED. As most people probably would, I thought this was way too good to be true so I rang ahead before paying online... no issues from what I could tell apart from you had to be willing to have your table for a maximum of two hours, which was fine. I can drink a lot of champagne in two hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We had a relatively early booking so that we could go on somewhere else once our two hours were up. Off we trotted to Park Lane with visions of Lambrini being secretly dispensed into champagne bottles. Nope! It was all genuine Mercier Champagne, kept on ice, in an endless supply. Once being seated in the pretty much empty restaurant (it was only 6.45pm) we chinked our first glass to celebrate the engagement and the fact I'd just been asked to be Maid of Honour (didn't even have to get her drunk! Bex, you are so going to regret this... I have strippers on speed dial already). Once I'd recovered from being blinded by the stupidly nice ring on her finger, we decided to browse the menu. Normally with set menus, I feel as if nothing is what I would choose to eat. However, this menu was different. They hadn't put the "cheap" options on the menu and the choices for each course all looked genuinely lovely. Obviously, I imagine this menu changes quite regularly but if this one is anything to go by, then I'd definitely be keen to see what else they have on offer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Both of us went for the starter of the lobster croquettes with roasted pepper aioli. I'm not going to lie, I can't honestly remember eating these as we were so busy talking wedding stuff, but I do remember thinking they were nice! Completely useless information for you all there...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There was only one winner of main courses in my opinion. Roasted sea bass on fried Jerusalem artichokes and crab. I'm going to put it out there... this is possibly one of the best main courses I've had when eating out. It was SO GOOD. The sea bass was cooked perfectly with really tender meat but a crispy skin. The crab was quite subtle but gave the dish an extra element of flavour as well as a really nice level of saltiness. And it looked pretty on the plate (which is obviously the most important thing).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The other main of choice was the slow braised Blade steak with a Merlot jus. It came with a side dish of winter vegetables and roast potatoes which, to be honest, was a bit of a carb overload considering there was already mashed potato on the plate. The meat itself was incredibly tender due to the method of cooking so there were no complaints overall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We decided to go for both a sweet and savoury dessert. First up, was this flourless chocolate cake with jaffa cake ice cream and a white chocolate cream. This isn't something I'd normally go for as I'm not a huge chocolate fan but it was so light and not ridiculously sickly like I was expecting it to be. The fact it's gluten-free is an added bonus for those with gluten allergies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, we opted for the traditional British cheese board which came with a chutney and an absolute mountain of crackers. We barely made a dent in them. A cheese board is a cheese board... not too much to say about this but it rounded off the meal nicely!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Overall, I would say our entire evening at The Cookbook Cafe was better than we could've hoped for. The service was incredible, the food was lovely and the staff were there topping up your champagne glass as soon as it was getting low. It really was a bottomless glass. To make things even better, we weren't asked to leave after 2 hours. We spent so long nattering and quaffing champagne (as you do) that we didn't end up leaving until 11.30pm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I would strongly recommend checking regularly for this offer, as it is a common feature for the venue. Everyone, including myself, thought we had missed the small print somewhere but it really is a great deal. I will certainly be going back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-20781492896323760302015-02-06T05:30:00.001-08:002015-02-07T05:56:41.799-08:00Coconut & Cinnamon Raisin Bread<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A while ago, I bought some coconut oil to use for my <a href="http://nicssliceoflife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/coconut-garlic-kale-chips.html" target="_blank">Coconut Garlic Kale Chips</a>, and I've been looking for an excuse to use it ever since - it's not the cheapest product to buy in the first place so I want to make the most of it! I came across this recipe for Coconut & Cinnamon Raisin Bread and thought I'd hit the coconut jackpot. Using coconut oil, coconut flour and coconut flakes, it seemed well worth a try. Coconut oil is a great all-rounder. Not only has it been proved to be a great quick source of energy and improve brain health, it is also an amazing natural beauty product! It can be used as an intense moisturiser for skin and as a conditioner for hair. Plus it smells amazing. Coconut flour is rich in soluble fibre and packed with protein. It's low glycaemic index also makes it a suitable alternative to flour which suits both diabetics and those with a sensitivity to gluten. Again, it's not the cheapest product in the world (£3.99 for a 500g box) but it can be quickly used up in any home-baking. The chia seeds are also an added bonus to this bread, adding even more fibre and a source of omega-3 fatty acids. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This recipe contains no added sugar, thanks to the bananas and raisins. Personally, for saying it's a raisin bread, I think it could do with a few more raisins in the recipe so I suggest adding slightly more! The same goes for the cinnamon. I though a tablespoon seemed quite a lot but the flavour didn't really come through so I'd perhaps add half a tablespoon more next time. The denseness of the coconut flour and bananas make this bread so ridiculously moist (love that word). You can top it with jam/honey/butter if you prefer but it's also good on it's own. Give this one a go...</span><br>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You Will Need:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-60ml coconut oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-65g coconut flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-40g chia seeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 tbsp ground cinnamon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-45g raisins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-2tsp baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-pinch of salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-coconut flakes to top</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9t-O2cLeF_p5RN4hqgbvSslLHBhOf8lFuZ4_fRBwcthfxFxps-kUyYDQ7cox1KOYPwMZ5mZHllFXX9JcPx-QL6DTC53I3iWLFEyPgWBGpQbvZXFxviK4cfi9xFvIKfl8BxqDi1zHOfM/s1600/IMG_0311%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9t-O2cLeF_p5RN4hqgbvSslLHBhOf8lFuZ4_fRBwcthfxFxps-kUyYDQ7cox1KOYPwMZ5mZHllFXX9JcPx-QL6DTC53I3iWLFEyPgWBGpQbvZXFxviK4cfi9xFvIKfl8BxqDi1zHOfM/s1600/IMG_0311%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="320"></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Before you begin, preheat your oven to 150C/gas mark 2. Line and grease a 2 litre loaf tin (you may want to check you actually have some greaseproof paper. I didn't so had to use extra oil). Combine the bananas, coconut oil, milk and eggs in a blender and mix until smooth. This can easily be done by hand but will obviously take a little longer. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients - coconut flour, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking powder, raisins and salt - and mix together with a spoon. Slowly start to add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine well until smooth.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAYUIJjnlU0-Dt-_y1zAArpvvlmD7Hjowe7cIfGFoePSo2BJEfRWvzJh3K7SFk3y3wywUBJVouoSXjI93OqmbZ6zILnEYuKw9cenpFSbjg_6ASK5D3v-zDRP5FeodWy-N20MNJid4t6I/s1600/IMG_0312%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAYUIJjnlU0-Dt-_y1zAArpvvlmD7Hjowe7cIfGFoePSo2BJEfRWvzJh3K7SFk3y3wywUBJVouoSXjI93OqmbZ6zILnEYuKw9cenpFSbjg_6ASK5D3v-zDRP5FeodWy-N20MNJid4t6I/s1600/IMG_0312%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="320"></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Leave the mixture to stand for about 5 minutes to allow the chia seeds and coconut flour to absorb some of the moisture. Spoon into your prepared loaf tin and sprinkle over some coconut flakes (this is optional. You can leave out a topping altogether or add something different like nuts). Bake for 50 minutes before checking with a skewer to see if it comes out clean. Depending on your oven, it may take a little longer, but seeing as ours is like the burning pits of hell at the best of times, 50 minutes was fine for me! If you notice it starting to brown too much, cover with file for the remaining cooking time.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Leave the loaf to cool for a while before removing it. It's nicer when served warm but is also great cold and can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week. Enjoy!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nic</span><br>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-77569495260252542712015-01-28T11:28:00.003-08:002015-01-28T11:55:37.391-08:00Juicetou - Three-Day Detox<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Having taken some inspiration from my own Green Smoothie recipe, and the fact it's January (aka: faddy-diet galore) I decided to finally kick off some product testing with a juice detox. Now, let me just get a little rant out of the way. Coming from a nutrition background, I hate the way the word "detox" is bandied around. You do not need to spend money on consumer products in order to put your body through a detox. What do you think your liver and kidneys are for? Their primary function is to filter and process all the good stuff and nasty stuff that we put in our bodies on a daily basis. Yes, OK, sometimes we overload them but, generally speaking, they are not suddenly going to refuse to work if you don't feed them a smoothie! What's really happening when you drink nothing but smoothies for a few days is you are simply not given your body much to process. It doesn't magically reverse two weeks of Christmas excess. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, I decided to see what all the fuss was about by doing a 3-day juice detox. I won't lie, I was totally dubious towards it all but I wanted to give it a fair shot. I chose <a href="http://www.juicetou.com/" target="_blank">Juicetou</a>'s detox plan, purely because it's the cheapest one on the market. Don't get too excited... "cheap" in juice world is still £70. Due to the day they do their production, they only deliver on Tuesdays for a very reasonable £12(!). This means that you have to start the plan on a Wednesday and go right through until Friday evening. Seeing as you are allowed NO food whatsoever, and can only drink water, fruit teas, and lemon water, you need to plan this around a time when you have no plans and are willing to forgo any exercise, which they advise. If you do the 5-day plan, prepare for even less of a social life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tuesday arrived and a man came a-knocking with my box of 12 juices (four per day), plus two complimentary lemons (I'm being deadly serious). </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">After comparing different company claims, they all really amount to same promised benefits, including:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-weight loss</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-increased energy levels</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-greater vitality</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-clearer skin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-boost metabolism</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What's not to love about all that, right? The juices themselves didn't look too bad, if a little on the small side. My dreams of four 500ml bottles had well and truly been shattered. However, the cute little 250ml bottles come with a time stamp so you know exactly when to have them.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">9am - Clean Green</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Not dissimilar to most green smoothies on the market, this contains spinach, celery, cucumber, apple and lime. This bottle claims to give you "more nutrients than most people receive in a week". Considering there is no nutritional info available, this is hard to dispute! Quite a bland flavour so I added some ground ginger for an extra kick </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(don't worry, I read the rule book. This is allowed).</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">12pm - Let's Glow</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Made from oranges, apples, kiwi, grapes and strawberries. This claims to cleanse the digestive system and radiate your skin. Nicest in terms of taste. Not overly sweet (which I like) but pleasant to drink.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3pm - Clean Green</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This guy again.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">6pm - Berry Good</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Contains pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, apple and raspberries. The claim here is that it is "bursting with antioxidants which play a massive part in keeping your cardiovascular system in tip top shape". Strong claim. They forgot to mention it's also bursting with sugar! Not a fan of this one...</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">it had an almost fizzy element to it, as if the apple had oxidised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In order to track any potential progress, I weighed myself on Wednesday morning before having any juice. I would then weigh myself again on Saturday morning to see if there was any difference. Here's my round-up of my 3-day ordeal:</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Day One</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Woke up feeling the same as usual and weirdly excited to start the juice diet. I never eat a lot in the mornings anyway so I wasn't hungry when 9am came round but drank the first green juice anyway. It was actually quite nice... not quite a thick smoothie consistency but definitely more substantial than a liquid juice. I started to feel my first hunger pangs around 2.30pm but only had to wait half an hour for my 3pm green juice. It was when it got to 5.30pm that I really started to notice the lack of food. I suddenly became ravenous and had a mind-blowing headache which no amount of water was shifting. I drank the 6pm juice pretty quickly but was still hungry so drank my bodyweight in peppermint tea and decided to get an early night.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Day Two</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Woke up feeling tired and had no energy. To make things worse, I was still hungry from the night before and found myself staring at the clock for 9am to hurry up. To cut a long story short, the day didn't progress. I was head-achy, exhausted, felt weirdly nauseous and was already sick of juices. It sounds weird, but I just wanted to be able to masticate (I said MASTICATE). As nice as some of the juices taste, they don't replace the actual feel of proper food! I ended up coming home in a daze and going to bed at 8pm. I was pretty much sound asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. So much for increased energy...</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Day Three</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Woke up. Blacked out. Slight exaggeration there but, upon standing, I had to steady myself for a good 10 seconds before the black spots dissolved. Good start! Weirdly though, I didn't feel overly hungry. Maybe by this point my body had just accepted the fact it wasn't going to be getting fed for a while. Although hunger wasn't an issue until the evening, I had a serious lack of concentration. Sending a simple email for work took far longer than it should have and then the recipient was kind enough to point out the fact I'd made no sense whatsoever! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The evening bought along hunger again. I caved and ate a plain rice cake (I didn't even care by this point). Went to bed at a more normal time and waited for sleep to take over and for my life to begin again on Saturday...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So as you can probably tell, I didn't have the greatest time for three days. Don't get me wrong, it is doable, but it comes with A LOT of compromises. Hunger and lack of concentration is one thing but, for me, the biggest downfall was having no energy. I'm a firm believer in combining exercise with healthy diet in order to achieve any weight loss or a general feeling of well-being. The fact that I had ZERO energy, really bothered me. I could deal with not doing exercise on Wednesday and Thursday, but I was practically climbing the walls by the time Friday came around. To make matters worse, I was still so zonked of energy on Saturday that my first gym session was a bit of a joke (3 minutes on the treadmill...I think I've hit a new low). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Although all juice detox companies will say weight loss is just one possible benefit, it is probably the one that draws people to these things the most. According to the scales, I'd lost 8lbs. Now, I'd love to be naive enough to believe this to be true. However, contrary to my hair colour, I'm not a total idiot. Of course you're going to lose mass on the scales when you have had NO FOOD FOR THREE DAYS! There was literally NOTHING in me. This weight loss was not fat loss, my clothes didn't feel different and I personally don't think I looked different. Considering I'm writing this post a few days later, I can also confirm that, as predicted, that "weight loss" appears to have magically gone back on due to the fact I'm eating like a normal person. IF the weight-loss had been genuine, is that really a surprise? You're depriving your body of its primary, secondary and tertiary sources of energy (carbs, fat and protein). Your body therefore has nothing to feed off but it's reserves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As for the other benefits? My colleague did comment on my skin "glowing" on Monday but that was pretty much it! My energy levels weren't back to normal until that day either. I felt less bloated than I perhaps normally would but that isn't rocket science...that's what happens when you don't eat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Don't get me wrong, I said I'd give this a fair shot, and I believe I did. I can see how this would perhaps be a good way for someone with a significant amount of weight to lose and a more sedentary lifestyle to boost a new healthy regime or to kick start some weight loss. But I can safely say this is not for me. I have a job where I am pretty much on my feet all day, travelling around London. I also have a lifestyle which enjoys doing exercise. The fact I was exhausted in my day job and had absolutely no chance of doing any exercise really irritated me. I would've felt a greater sense of their supposed "increased vitality" had I been able to go for a run and get some endorphins flowing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Having battled a serious eating disorder myself, I would be a fool to start waving the flag for something which involves restricting your body of food. That may sound extreme, and I'm not saying that by doing a juice diet you will end up with an eating disorder, but as someone who has had one, I would never actively encourage it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm all for the concept of these smoothies in general. Having a green smoothie is a great way to get a significant amount of nutrients into your body in one quick swoop. In fact, that is something I will take away from this as part of a healthy diet. I just don't agree with existing solely on these bottles, even for a restricted period of time. It would be interesting to see the actual nutritional content and RDAs for each juice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This is just my opinion. By all means, give it a go if you really want to! However, a word of advice: if you really want to do this regularly, buy your own blender and make the smoothies yourself. You'll save an absolute fortune.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Nic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> X </span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-2040010632489276502015-01-20T12:36:00.001-08:002015-01-20T13:11:15.631-08:00Randall and Aubin<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a lover of anything seafood or fish orientated, I love discovering new places where that's what they do best. So a big high five to the friend who introduced me to this little beauty, <a href="http://www.randallandaubin.com/" target="_blank">Randall and Aubin</a>. Situated along Brewer Street in Soho, this small establishment gets busy quickly so I suggest you book! Walk-ins are welcome but be prepared for a nice chilly queue outside the door... space inside is limited so don't expect to hang around at the bar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Originally London's first French Butchers shop, the French theme continues to run throughout with a rustic Parisian decor and with a menu to match. This place really is famed for it's <i>fruits de mer </i>(check me out) although they do have a small range of grill options such as rib eye, lamb and pork belly. The prices are slightly above average (who charges four quid for bread?!) but, to give credit where credits due, the food we had was worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To start, we both had the grilled queen scallops with pancetta drizzled in caper, lemon and garlic butter. I'm not going to lie; I was expecting fat, juicy scallops as opposed to these small offerings but they were nice all the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I was trying not to over-indulge (for once) so for a main, I went for the 1/2 pint of pink prawns with aioli, with a rocket, mushroom and parmesan cheese salad. Fair enough, this doesn't look much but, right then, that was right up my street. The prawns come with the shell on so, as long as you're prepared to put a bit of effort in, you can't go too wrong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I was pretty satisfied with my choice, until I saw my companions meal served up to her. Cue MAJOR food envy. She had the grilled sea bass (my absolute favourite...see where I went wrong?), served with a spring onion and rosemary salsa, and curry dusted potatoes. The fish was cooked so absolute perfection and the flavours of the potatoes and salsa worked so well together. It was a great twist on a classic fish dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Next up: cheese. Lots of it. And, thanks to a few cheeky connections, we had cheese in both savoury and sweet form (courtesy of the chef)! Now, I have to say that I usually avoid paying ridiculous amounts for a cheeseboard with very little on it. The only place where I am willing to part with my hard-earned cash for a decent cheeseboard is at Gordon's Wine Bar because it is SO DAMN GOOD. However, for £9.50, the one Randall and Aubin had on offer wasn't too bad. They have a really decent variety of cheese to choose from and you get more crackers than you can shake a stick at. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When you're getting a free cheesecake, I suppose you can't complain too much about paying for a cheeseboard. This is cheesecake at it's best in my opinion. A plain, baked vanilla classic with the added bonus of salted caramel ice-cream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's pretty safe to say we were both well and truly satiated after all that. If you love fish or seafood, I would strongly recommend giving this place a go. The menu overall is unique in what they have to offer and I genuinely can't wait to go back and give some other dishes a try.</span></div>
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-89594926329186570432015-01-10T08:06:00.000-08:002015-01-10T08:08:39.188-08:00Green and Clean Smoothie<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Well it's a new year and with that, inevitably, comes a whole load of resolutions that, if you're anything like me, have already been broken. Overhauling your fitness and diet regime is probably the most common resolution that people make, yet very few people stick it out. Frankly, healthy diets and exercise shouldn't just be for January; they should be a lifestyle choice that becomes second nature as opposed to making you feel like you've signed your life away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The whole Christmas and New Year period often ends up being centered around food and booze which, during times when I used to be way too hard on myself, I found terrifying but I've learnt to just let go and enjoy the time where it is socially acceptable to overindulge! The way I see it now, the more gin and prosecco I can chuck down my neck, the better (although I have to admit, I still feel a bit ropey after new years eve... I'm definitely the wrong side of 25). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, if you can't beat them, join them. I have stumbled across a smoothie recipe which I think is great for helping you feel a bit more revitalised. You can almost feel your body thanking you! As green smoothies go, I have to say this one is pretty nice. I've certainly had a lot worse. The avocado gives it a creamy consistency whilst the ginger is amazing for aiding you digestion. You should think of all the ingredients acting to counteract all the crap you've put in your poor little bodies for the past few weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As I said, a healthy diet should be part of an everyday lifestyle but, if you're stuck with where to start, then why don't you give this green machine a try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>You Will Need:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1/4 cucumber</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1/2 handful spinach leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1/2 avocado</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 celery stalk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1cm piece fresh ginger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 kiwi fruit</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-300ml water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1/2 apple</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-squeeze of lemon juice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">All you need to do is blend the ingredients together in the blender. Easy! For added nutritional value, you can leave the skin on the cucumber. A 1cm piece of ginger should suit most people but, if you like more of a kick, I would definitely recommend adding more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">If this one isn't to your liking, the internet is in total abundance of recipes like this so it won't be hard to find one you prefer. The advantage of smoothies like this is that they are incredibly nutrient dense and so easy to make. Give it a go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> X</span><br />
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<br />Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-15756717277167139572014-12-06T08:23:00.001-08:002014-12-07T09:50:16.959-08:00Almond Angel Cupcakes<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keeping in the spirit of Christmas, here's the second instalment of Seasonal baking from me! These almond angel cupcakes are so sweet to look at, you almost don't want to eat them. But then, what would be the point of all that hard work?! Be warned though. As lovely as they are, the butter icing is incredibly rich. There's no way of making these without using LOTS of butter icing as you need to build up the angel. If you have children, definitely keep these on a ration! In fact, scrap that. Ration them anyway. I felt like I needed to sit down and breathe slowly for a while after eating one of these. But hey, it's Christmas, so crack on...</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You Will Need:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPJjh_oDkkNoPZ_YiG1beLQdeOQn40bh2i1PXst-wlQIlkbdp_0hCZAuCjHuPrHj8GcZ97aARIIfve9a6vj9il_rXu34LTwnU8oO2aTqtWEYzyg3IzXbnpNAPJK5xZFDiJZFhov03jNg/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPJjh_oDkkNoPZ_YiG1beLQdeOQn40bh2i1PXst-wlQIlkbdp_0hCZAuCjHuPrHj8GcZ97aARIIfve9a6vj9il_rXu34LTwnU8oO2aTqtWEYzyg3IzXbnpNAPJK5xZFDiJZFhov03jNg/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-150g butter, softened</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-150g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 orange, grated zest only</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-3 eggs, beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-100g self-raising flour, sifted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-50g ground almond powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For the angels:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-300g marzipan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-24 silver balls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-12 jelly sugared sweets </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 tbsp. icing sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For the frosting:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-200g butter, at room temp.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-250g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cream together the butter and sugar with the orange zest until light, fluffy and pale. Gradually mix in the beaten egg, alternating with the flour and ground almonds to avoid the mixture from curdling. Stir through the vanilla extract.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Place 12 paper cupcake cases in a muffin tin and divide the mixture equally between them. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch at which point you can remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whilst the cakes cool, begin to prep the angels. Shape a third of the marzipan into 12 balls and press two silver balls into each one as eyes. Shape the remaining marzipan into 24 wings. I find this easier to do by using a sharp knife to trace an outline of a heart into the marzipan and then dividing in the middle so that you get two equal wing shapes. For the hands and halo, I used diamond shaped jelly sweets. To make the hands, cut the diamonds in half (these will stick into the side of the icing eventually). The halo can simply be made by using a small amount of icing sugar and water to act as a glue to stick a jelly diamond to the top of the marzipan ball. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To make the butter icing, beat the butter with a spoon in a mixing bowl until smooth before sifting in the icing sugar, stirring regularly. Add the vanilla extract and orange juice. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a piping bag to pipe the the icing on them, starting from the outside of the cake and working into the centre to create tall peaks. The icing is easier to do this with if you leave it to solidify a bit in the fridge beforehand for about 10 minutes. Place a head on the top of each, push the hands into the sides and the wings into the backs. You have now created your own perfect little angels! These can be stored in airtight containers for 24 hours but, if you can't wait, they are best eaten straight away anyway!</span><br />
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<br />Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-46702990530691895932014-11-19T10:32:00.000-08:002014-11-19T10:32:57.242-08:00Fruity Christmas Biscotti<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Right, before you read any further, if you're anti-Christmas or think mid-November is too soon to talk about it then bugger off. I LOVE Christmas. Don't get me wrong, Summer days, BBQs, al fresco daytime drinking are also great but it doesn't beat the atmosphere of the lead up to December 25th. To get in the festive spirit, I decided to do some Christmas baking last weekend. Usually for this blog, I try to do recipes which are suited to certain dietary requirements or that are a little unusual, but it's Christmas and I decided to make whatever the hell I wanted with gay abandon. The fact that it also meant two hungover and/or hungry men in the house had something yummy to munch on definitely means I deserve pride of place on top of the Christmas tree. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">FYI: no real reason for the picture above, apart from the fact it is just TOO DAMN CUTE! Anyway, first up, Fruity Christmas Biscotti. This is such a good all rounder. Easy to make, it can be eaten for your own personal pleasure with a nice hot beverage, or you could choose to give it to family and friends as a stocking filler. As long as you don't burn the stuff, the fact you've made a gift for someone should definitely earn you some present-points for next year. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You Will Need:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-2 tsp. baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-2 tsp. mixed spice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-250g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-3 eggs beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-coarsely grated zest of 1 orange</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-85g raisins</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-85g dried cherries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-50g blanched almonds</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Use some flour to spread lightly across a clean surface and turn the dough out onto it. Divide into 4 equal sections and use your hands to roll each section into roughly a 30cm long sausage shape . </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Place two sausages on each tray, spread far apart and bake for 25-30mins until the dough has risen and is firm to touch. There should be no colour to the dough at this point. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Prepare the oven for phase two of the baking by turning it down to 140C/120 fan/gas mark 1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When cool enough, use a bread knife to cut into diagonal slices which are 1-2cm thick. Lay the slices flat on the baking trays and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 15 minutes or until dry and golden. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month! However, if the smell of the baking biscotti is too hard to resist, then prepare to dig in.</span><br />
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-65312093654416013832014-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:002014-11-06T10:55:22.939-08:00Kettner's<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you're looking for something with a touch of class and romanticism, but still affordable, then look no further than <a href="http://www.kettners.com/" target="_blank">Kettner's</a>. I'm due to make my fourth visit here next week and I have no doubt that it'll be as amazing as the previous three; both in style, delicious food and just for it's overall atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Kettner's prides itself on its history. Originally opened in 1867, it has survived two world wars and has had such historical figures as Oscar Wilde, Agatha Christie and Bing Crosby walk through the doors, as well a fair few royal faces! What I love so much about Kettner's is you can make it what you want. You could dress up to your hearts content for a super swanky evening, or simply put on your comfy hangover clothes and no one would bat an eyelid. It's impossible to get bored here too as they cover all areas. They have a range of afternoon teas on offer (including a free-flowing prosecco one...eeeer HELLO!), brunches, pre/post-theatre and, best of all, a Gin, Fizz & Jazz night every Tuesday featuring live blues singers and £6 gin cocktails. If I can't have free gin then £6 gin cocktails is surely the next best thing?! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, this particular visit was on a Wednesday so I'll focus more on the food than the gin (booo). But even so, it's not disappointing! When you're having a midweek dinner accompanied by a man on a grand piano, there's not too much to complain about really is there...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So onto the food. With a regularly changing menu, it's always easy to try something different. Knowing that this was going to be a 3-course affair, I went for the lighter option of fresh buffalo mozzarella with red peppers and an black olive tapenade. The tapenade is what sold this to me, and it didn't disappoint. Mozzarella can quite often be bland in flavour but the saltiness from the olive emphasised everything else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">Also on offer was chicken liver parfait with homemade piccalilli and crispy sourdough. The presentation of this made the, lets face it, "pate and toast" really stand out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Next up, the mains. As you probably have guessed by now, I'm an absolute lover of all things from the sea. So I was more than happy with this pan-fried pollock with Jerusalem artichoke puree and sauteed wild mushroom. Although it was a nice dish overall, the pollock was slightly overcooked due to how big the fillet was. I'd preferred to have had a smaller amount that didn't need to be cooked for as long.<br />
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My regular partner in crime also went for a fish based dish: pan-fried fillet of stone bass with squid ink tagliolini, prawns and mussels. I have to admit, I had major food envy over this. I definitely lost out!<br />
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Finally, dessert. As per, it was a pointless case of overindulgence here but these things have to be done! I was having a bit of a rough week at this point (get the violins out) and there was only one think that could make it better....sticky toffee pudding. Simple! The addition of peanut ice cream gave a slight twist to a British classic. Absolute blood perfection.<br />
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So overall, another successful visit to Kettner's! This is such an easy place to enjoy, no matter what the occasion. I'll be back... (booking already in for next Tuesday. Keen).</div>
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</span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-82855282844806161922014-10-29T11:41:00.000-07:002014-10-29T11:41:07.115-07:00Myung Ga<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm a sucker for a gimmick. And although this Korean restaurant isn't being deliberately gimmicky, the idea of having your food cooked on hot-plates installed in to your table is something I had to try! I actually went here for the first time on a work night out and knew I had to experience it again. Based on Kingly Street in London, <a href="http://www.myungga.co.uk/" target="_blank">Myung Ga</a> is slap bang in the middle of alleyways and back streets which run between Oxford Street, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When inside, it doesn't try to be anything it's not. It's not sleek or modern in any way but it still draws the crowds in consistently. As I said, the main feature of this is the fact that food is cooked on your own hot-plates. We had our waitress do it for us but I was aware of other tables doing it themselves (maybe they're regulars and could be trusted not to burn the place down?!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The drinks menu is lacking unless you're really into Sake of any kind (which I can safely say I'm not). Only the house wine is sold by the glass which, lets be honest, is always going to taste like vinegar. Put it this way: don't come here for the booze. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The food menu on the other hand is totally different from what I might normally stumble across. Again, it doesn't try to be glamorous. It is simple, traditional Korean food which features a wide range of meat, seafood and pancake-style dishes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We decided to order a bunch of stuff to come together so that we could mix and match. However, we ended up with a selection of cold vegetable dishes as a "starter" which kind of defeated the point but they were nice all the same. These assorted vegetable dishes included the traditional kimchee (pickled cabbage), marinated cucumber, radish and beansprout. On their own, they don't consist of much but they are awesome when added to the main attraction (more on that later!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We also got some of the panfried dumplings stuffed with beef and vegetables and some of the panfried courgette. Both were nice although you could've had the same items anywhere else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now to the hot-plate. You get to choose from a selection of meat cuts or seafood (or both), which have been prepared and marinaded differently depending on what you order. For example, you could have beef ribs marinated in soy, onions and garlic sauce, or even sliced ox tongue marinated in lemon juice. Being a seafood lover, we went for the assorted seafood BBQ which included prawn, squid, scallops and mussels. Whatever you decide, it gets prepared in front of you and served with large lettuce leaves which you use as your "wrap". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now comes the bit to get creative! Using the lettuce leaves, you can construct your own little beaut of a wrap using the sauces they automatically provide, vegetables and whatever your protein you opted for. Think of it as REALLY low-carb burger. Having said that, we ordered a side of rice so you can easily bulk it out a bit with that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And there you have it! Each bite can be filled with pride at knowing you (kind of) made it yourself. You get plenty of stuff to put together about 4 wraps each but, if not enough, just order more!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Overall, I would 100% recommend this place, even if just for the fact it's something a little bit different. The only downside though is that, due to ordering all items separately, the cost can very quickly add up. We were definitely left wondering how we'd spent so much money considering we didn't really eat that much. So yeh...have a calculator to hand!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> X</span>Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-5226658155461168992014-10-16T11:30:00.000-07:002014-10-16T11:30:12.456-07:00Coconut Garlic Kale Chips<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Being a bit of a foodie, I like to not only try new foods when I'm eating out but also experiment with more "unusual" ingredients when trialing recipes at home. Although it's nothing new, coconut oil is still a far cry from being classed as a kitchen cupboard staple item. Possibly to do with the higher cost; possibly to do with people not knowing how they can use it. Unlike most cooking oils, coconut oil comes in a solid form so obviously requires heating gently before use. What may put people off is that it is officially classed as being a saturated fat. However, the fatty acids in coconut oil are medium-chain triglycerides which are metabolised differently by the liver and used as a quick source of energy. Those that aren't used for energy are turned into ketone bodies which have a hugely positive effect on brain health, including therapeutic effects on diseases like Alzheimer's. Put it this way...you could never compare the saturated fats in coconut oil to those in a lump of cheese or a fatty steak!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, whilst I'm sure you all found that highly interesting, I should move on to the actual recipe. These Coconut Garlic Kale Chips are so easy to prepare and ridiculously addictive. However, I won't lie. It took two attempts for me to get these right... a few seconds too long in the oven means something nicely crisp and green turns into a charred, burnt mess!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>You will need:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 large bunch kale</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-1 garlic clove, crushed</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Preheat your oven to 170C/ 150 fan/ gas mark 4 and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Wash the kale and cut out any large stems. Tear into about 2 inch pieces (really no need to be accurate at this point!) and dry as thoroughly as possible. Combine the coconut oil, garlic and coconut milk in a small bowl and microwave for approx. 45 seconds until the oil has completed melted. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Pour the melted mixture over the kale and mix thoroughly to get each piece of kale coated in oil. It's easiest to use your hands when doing this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Spread out the kale on the baking sheets, making sure it is just a single layer. For once large bunch of kale, you'll probably need 2 - 3 baking sheets. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping the kale half-way through. Easy!</span><br />
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Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752382131217580052.post-36876582573661956082014-09-24T11:22:00.002-07:002014-09-24T11:22:29.829-07:00Harrison's<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So it was time for another (girl) date night and, after a few ridonkulous weeks at work, I was seriously lagging. The thought of a late night train back from central London was not appealing so we had to get our thinking caps on. Where can we go that was local that wouldn't make us feel like we'd forfeited a good night out of sheer laziness. I'll tell you where....HARRISON'S! Being a Balham dweller, this is literally on my doorstep therefore perfect for a nice midweek dinner out before rolling back home straight into bed in 5 minutes flat. I'd heard a lot about Harrison's so it seemed a good a time as any to give it a try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Located on Bedford Hill, Harrison's almost completely glass exterior makes it easy to spot, especially at night when it's all lit up. The inside was spacious and modern, albeit almost in a clinical way. However, this was quickly overlooked when we realised they had a huuuuuge list of cocktails, all of which were £5 all evening Sunday through to Wednesday. I've lived in London long enough now to know when I've come across a bargain! The cocktails seemed like a good place to start along with some nibbles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We opted for the Raspassion Martini and the Vanilla Apple Martini, along with some mini chorizo and padron peppers (both firm favourites!). Probably not the greatest combination in the world but someones gotta do it...</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The chorizo had an amazing kick to it and, unlike most chorizo, wasn't overly fatty which I personally prefer. The padron peppers were equally as good and were chargrilled enough to give it an extra element of flavour without just giving you the feeling of eating a lump of coal. For saying Harrison's is a typically British menu, their tapas was definitely something worth trying!</span><br />
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Starters were up next. After bickering over who would have what, we decided to go dutch and have the best of both worlds. The calamari was pretty good although I can't say it was the best I've ever had. It could have done with a lot more seasoning and perhaps less oil as it quickly became quite soggy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This little baby on the other hand, was amazing! Meet Cornish Crab on Toast with Samphire and Brown Crab Mayonnaise. Pretty pricey for a starter (£13.50) but was worth every penny. When the rest of the Harrison's menu is so reasonable priced, I figured there must be a reason why this one was higher. It was so flavoursome and was plenty to share between the two of us. Would 100% recommend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">There was one main course which stood out to both of us. Pan Fried Sea Bream, Roast Courgettes & Chilli with Harrisa Aioli. It doesn't matter if you have no idea what half that means. Just give it a go and you'll be so glad you did. The sea bream was cooked absolutely perfectly with a crispy skin which wasn't oily. Because of the courgette base as opposed to the standard carby base, it was relatively light as well. Harrisa tends to be quite spicy, and this was no exception. However, it wasn't blended in to anything so you could easily push it to one side if it wasn't your cup of tea. I LOVED this.</span></div>
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Once again, our eyes had been bigger than our stomachs and we were struggling by now. Neither of us fancied sharing a desert, let alone having a whole one to ourselves. However, for a sweet fix, Harrison's do these great little "Brookies". They're basically almost like mini chocolate chip muffins but really gooey at the same time. These would be perfect with coffee but, not thinking about the hangover, we decided to get ours with another (large) glass of red. Were the Brookies needed? Absolutely not. But just as a small sweet fix, they were perfect. </div>
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If you're ever in the area, I would honestly say that Harrison's is worth giving a go. The food was lovely and the atmosphere is good no matter what the occasions. However, next time I may order less food and just work my way through the £5 cocktail menu... has to be done. </div>
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Nic</div>
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X</div>
Nic Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558823645551708107noreply@blogger.com0